#also if anyone wants to battle before the servers shut down let me know :] should have all my movesets locked in tonight/tomorrow

[zosonils]

does anyone wanna help me with a couple gen 6 trade evolutions before the world goes dark next week

[hangezoeenthusiast]

God(hcs)

c!multiple x god!reader

notes: the reader will be the god of death to make it a little bit more spicy :). c!punz’s pronouns are he/they, i’m not sure about the others, but i know theirs. also why does ranboo take away my gender? /j

word count: 1,672

warnings: arson, violence, cursing, yelling, mention of death, voices in technos part, spoilers for wilbur if you haven’t watch tommy’s lore stream, revival for wilbur, making a religion, time travel, egg, prison, stealing, anarchy, playful name calling

Sapnap

so obviously y’all would be a great match :)

you have creative mode, so when sap would ask you to give him a lighter and tnt, you would GLADLY give it

also, can we talk about him being a nether hybrid

fire squared

like fires left and right, hide your mom and your children in your house lol /j

but besides the whole arson thing, you favor him above anyone else on the server

like if he asks for diamond blocks, well here’s a whole inventory of it, also, here’s some ancient debris and some netherite

if someone asked, you would probably grant them with poison and curses, just because you can’t be “unloyal” to snapchat 

wouldn’t be lonely anymore

Dreamwastaken

this duo is less chaotic, but chaotic enough where people avoid you

he still asks you for stuff, but most of the time, you don’t give him it because he annoys you too much about giving stuff

“hey y/n/n, can i pretty please get some emerald blocks.”

“nope bitch, get it yourself.”

but sometimes, you grant him some op shit, when it’s your good day

“because i’m being nice, here’s some diamond, now, don’t ask me again you little piss baby.”

“shut your trap y/n.”

“or what homeless teletubby, what are you going to do to a god like me?”

“you hang out with technoblade to much.”

Georgenotfound

maybe the least chaotic duo

you guys keep on relaxing and relaxing until the point where you don’t do anything

he barely asks you for anything, but only when it’s really really important, like a house or build

especially when he was building his little cottagecore house, he needed your godly presence to help

“y/n, what should the roof be made of?”

“i suggest brick, it makes it more aestheticy if that makes any sense.”

also barely any drama or tea with you guys

never arguing and never betraying each other is a must

Tubbo

also another least chaotic duo

literally help him with his bee farm, he will (platonically) love you forever

gotta be close to ranboo, that’s the rule

gives him SO much stuff, he’s a precious boi 🙄

also gotta be close to tommy, but not as much unfortunately

you help him pick out things for builds, like what material clashes with another, etc

“do you think that the wool and the netherite blocks look good together y/n?”

“nah, what i suggest is the wool with the gold, it looks perfect.”

sometiems, gotta put him in check because he gets a little ego built up

you definitely yank his horn a little too hard because of your IMMENSE STRENGTH

“OW, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT Y/N.”

“calm down sunny, you were just getting a bit over your head a little.”

Tommyinnit

chaotic duo like sapnap

snaps at anyone who annoys you and vice versa

you give him EVERYTHING, obviously except op and creative

he tries to persuade you to do something, but dreamxd wouldn’t allow it, since he is the main boss

“come on y/n, give me op.”

“no tommy, xd will kick my ass.”

“pweaseee.”

“no.”

you would DEFINITELY help him with the Big Innit Hotel, making the whole layout and color palette.

both of you have an intense hatred for ranboo, since he “stole” tubbo away from tommy

Ranboo

least involved in everything

just stay in the tundra and drink some tea, and you’re good for all of your life

helps him get netherite all the time so your boii can get the good stuff 😬

when he mines to get diamonds, he literally prays to you

“y/n, if you’re listening, please give me a 6 vein, i desperately need it for my collection of diamond blocks.”

and THERE IT IS

more than a 6 vein actually, a 12 vein

guess he needs to pray to you more

daily tea sessions, to talk about the good stuff, and NO, and i repeat NO skipping

threatening to flick water on him check ✅

Wilbur Soot

literally you spoil him

not to be angsty, but when he died and lost his last canon life, you revived him instead of Dream

now he’s practically at your knees

like he’s thinks that he owes you, but actually that’s the opposite

he was revived because you were lonely, and wanted your best friend back :(

prays to you when he goes to bed

“hey y/n, hope you’re having a great day, (platonically) love you.”

“love you too mortal.”

sometimes, to be at the peak of godness, you shower upon wilbur as gold to symbolize blessings, like zeus did before

“omg y/n, what are you doing?”

“i’m trying to bless you, shut up bitch.”

just saying, he would make a religion about you :/

Karl Jacobs

omg don’t get me started on this

first, you wouldn’t codone him going back in time

he would definitely forget your name a lot, so that’s why you hated it

“hey karl, how are you doing?”

“i’m sorry, but do i know you?”

ANGST IS TOO MUCH FOR ME

you were definitely the one to push him towards sapnap and quackity

this is also another spoiled boi

give him the entire world while you’re at it pwease

he wants a few diamonds, nope, give him a chest full of them

Quackity

why are there so much chaotic duos in here?

literally chaos times infinity

energy to the max

literally, did you take an energy drink

grants him every wish he can randomly think off

“can i get a bucket with lava and a fish in it?”

“weird choice, but ok man.”

gotta be close to sap and karl or he isn’t your friend anymore /j

helps with las nevadas a lot, and definitely tries to rig the machines so you get money

“hey big q, i got 10,000 dollars.”

“that’s impossible... y/n, did you cheat?”

“nooo 😊”

help him preen his wings, and he goes “I LOVE YOU, MWAH MWAH.” obviously in his mind 🙄

Awesamdude

definitely helps him maintain the prison

you both love setting up red stone contraptions and pistons and all that giz

“hey sam, do you know where the redstone torches are?”

“yeah, there behind the pistons in the back.”

also you helped build the prison, since he could do that by himself

“are you sure that lava wall will work y/n, your calculations seem inaccurate.”

“i’m sure sam, this will add some more security to this goddamn server.”

nerd squared lol

BadBoyHalo

wouldn’t condone the egg

you warned him multiple times to get away from its grasp, but most of the times he’ll decline

“i won’t y/n, the egg is the future.”

he still, even after all the advancements, even after everything, he tries to ask you to join the eggpire

“come on y/n, you’ll like being with us.”

“i don’t wanna be on a stupid egg side, like let me crack the egg, i wanna eat it and turn it into a omelette.”

he doesn’t like that joke :(

but before he discovered the egg, both of you were joint at the hip

sight seeing was a must

languages being thrown around everywhere, since you were the little language muffin

Punz

steals stuff from everyone

hide your stuff, because the punzo-y/n team is unstoppable

definitely they can be really stubborn and indecisive

like one day, he will be like, “i need gold blocks.” and the next, “nevermind, i need netherite actually.”

like hon, stop switching

also anarchy buddies

burning down forests and buildings are your guys’s specialty

when you give him gold when they doesn’t ask, his heart goes brrr and his brain goes, “pog pog, they’re so cool, lets hug them.”

Technoblade

now this is the most deadly duo in the entire Dream Smp

better not piss you guys off 😐

he’s the Blood God, and you’re the God/Goddess/God being of Death

so if some occasion where you need to battle someone, like Techno’s enemies, *clears throat and murmurs Quackity*, you will obviously back your boy up :)

help him with enchanting and potions and he’s set for life

also you got have to be close to the great Philza Minecraft since him and Techno are buddy buddy

anarchy squared

helps with the voices since you have some of your own

“so what you’re saying is that i need to pay attention to them?”

“yeah, when i first learned that the voices were in my head, i tried to ignore them, but that sucked. so what i did was try to distract myself with various tasks, and that sucked.”

“so what do i do, you’re saying that i should listen to them, but how do i do that when they literally shout at me.”

“just embrace it, obviously when they do their little chant of blood for the blood god, you have to ignore them.”

“you suck at advice.”

Philza Minecraft

so since both of you resemble death, him being the Angel of Death and you being the God/Goddess/God being of Death, y’all are fucking best friends, platonic soulmates if you will

death squared

watch out, because if you piss them off, prepare to d-

gotta be close to Ranboo and Techno, and obviously others who he platonically likes

he doesn’t need to ask you for stuff, he’s the fricking Angel of Death, but he will ask you to preen his wings :D

“ow, not there y/n.”

“oh shut up grandpa, let me do it.”

“I’M NOT OLD DUMBASS.”

Dream XD

two gods at once, damn there is so much chaos

left and right, you guys are noticed by everyone, like purrrr

y’all would be in some fancy shit, to show your power

you would get jealous of him hanging out with george

“why are you jealous y/n?”

“you’re hanging out with george to much, hang out with me please :(.”

gifts are a must, even though both of you have access to creative

[fina13m]

Hello, I'm been trying to write fanfics and wanted to see if Nyone would like to check out my writing.

This is a taste of what I write like. If you don't mind let me know how you feel or think.

Taehyung - Empire Pt. 1

More parts on Wattpad.com/user/PhineMcc. Under Bts short stories

Contains- female Y/n, short girl vibes, violent actions, dirty language.

I own nothing but the storyline.

Y/n watched as the light pink dress was being pulled onto her body, she was being prepared for her party, today was her 21 birthday. looking through the mirror she saw her four guards standing outside her door while her mother's maids dolled her up. she looked back at herself standing on a rather tall step stool.

"Ms. Y/n, are you okay?" she looked over at the dark skin maid and smiled. 'I think so.' the maid frowned as Y/n stepped into her shoes and moved off the stool. she looked back at the maid and looked away. 'Even with heels, I'm still smaller than everyone.' "What do you mean Ms."

Y/n watched as the maid looked into the mirror to realize that the others, including her was taller than Y/n. 'How many 21 year olds, do you know that is dressed in a fluffy pink dress, and  exported by four bodyguards.' Y/n turned around and walked over to the door. 'their probably waiting for me. we should get going now.'

the maids help pull her coat over her as the men centered her between them. walking down the hall, she looked up at the men, realizing they really do tower over her. anytime the male servers got too close, the men would push them out of the way. getting close the the stairs she could hear music and people talking.

two maids were standing the step and help her down them before her mother came running over. "Oh look my baby girl is here." Y/n smiled and followed her mother as she ranted on and on. after awhile of sitting and listening to people talk about her or where the furfure of the family was going, Y/n notice her questionable uncle walking over to them.

"Hello sister!" Y/n watched as her mother jumped in joy as she hugged the pale skin, rough face man. "come little one, come!" the man looked at her and motion for her to come over to him. she stood up and moved over to them. "Oh My! sister what are you feeding this child. She is far too small for her age." Y/n forced a smile as her mother hit his arm. "she is just built differently." the man made a face as he looked Y/n over. "she is small like her father. Fear not sister! for I have an amazing gift for the child. You all will love it! it will bring good luck to us again!"

looking at him, she felt uneasy at his words and watched as her mother and others jumped in joy. "Let us eat!" following her mother up some steps, Y/n sat and eat little of her food, not able to shake off the dooming feeling that is her uncle. trying to distract herself, she notice a older couple, the man lead the woman to the floor and they dance. Y/n smiled as the couple stared into each others eyes, she felt herself relax as the beautiful scene played out.

"May I have everyone's attraction!" Y/n felt her blood turn cold. the moment she has been dreading has finally come. her mother looked at her and motion for her to come. letting out a sigh, she got up and step down with the guards to the floor. looking back at the older couple, they were now staring at her as she reach her mother. "the time has finally come! as you all know, Y/n is 21 and will soon need to bare a child for our family, but before she can do that, we need a man to step up! so who is it going to be?"

taking a deep breath, Y/n looked up to see no one was moving. letting the air out of chest, she forced a smile and looked at her mother. 'Mo....' "come sister! no one wants a child!" Y/n snapped around and glared at the filthy man. her uncle walked up, making her having to up at him. "But fear not little one. I have an amazing present for you. as you all know I've been around the lands. I've fought many battles."

Y/n looked away and rolled her eyes, moving over to her mother, she reached for a hand. 'Mo...' she stopped when she heard someone yell out. turning back around she find two man dragging in a other skinnier man. "Child, I bring you the perfect husband." Y/n felt the air leave her body has the bag was pulled off his head. he was beautiful, his dark brown hair covered his eyes, and his white shirt was open enough to his wide tan chest, but the bruises on his face and arms brought her back to reality. looking away from the man, she could hear people whispering and she turn to her mom.

"Brother, what a lovely gift! he's strong and so handsome, he is perfect for her!" watching her mother praise the insane man, Y/n began shaking her head and moving away from them. '..no...no...this isn't want dad would want.' she looked around at everyone and kept moving back. 'dad wouldn't want this. I..don't want this.' hearing chains behind her, she slowly turn to see the man on his feet. turning around, she screamed and fell back as her two guards grab him. staring into his dark brown eyes, she felt maids pulling on her to stand up.

"Oh-Hahaha i'm sorry little one. we still need to break him in. he has al...." 'No!' Y/n pushed the maids away from her and moved over to her uncle. "Baby.." 'No!' Y/n turn to her mother. 'My father...' "Your father is dead." Y/n turn back to the filthy man and took a sharp breath. 'My father was a good man.' she heard him laugh and felt her mother hands on her arm. "A good man?? he got himself killed! he was.." Y/n grab her shoe and throw it at him. "Y/n!" 'No!' she pushed her mother's hand away and pushed the maids away again. 'This party is over.' "Honey.." 'over!' Y/n took her other shoe off and turn back to her guards. 'We're done here. get off of him and take me back to my room.'

the guards looked at her mother and Y/n let a laugh out. 'Fine!' she pushed passed the other guards and maids and walk back up the steps. "Y/n! ....Y/n i am your mother." stopping, she ripped the front of the dress and throw the fabric behind her and walked to the stairs heading back to the hall towards her room. reaching the top she was met with the maid from this morning. "Would you like for me to start your bath water?" Y/n sighed and nod. the maid lead her back to her room and pulled out some of her clothes and got her bath ready.

laying in the soapy lavender bath, Y/n relaxed and breath in deeply, trying to calm herself. she relax and thought about the old couple dancing. smiling, she thought about how the older man held the woman's hand so gently and how just being together was the only thing on their mind. she jumped when she heard a knock at her bathroom door. "Honey? ....baby girl, i know your in there..." Y/n sunk more into the water. "....I am sorry for what your uncle said, and your right. your father wouldn't forced you or anyone to do something they don't want to." Y/n sat up and looked at the door. silence fell between them as Y/n let the words settle in.

Y/n saw the shadow move a little. 'I love you mama.' she lay her head on the side of the tub.  "I love you too baby girl. honey, i'm going to have the maids bring your gifts in and leave them by the window. night, baby girl." Y/n smiled and nod. 'Night mama.' smiling she stretched and held her breath while sliding into the water. while holding her breath and her eyes closed, Y/n relaxed and came back up. sitting up, she began getting out and wrapped a towel around herself. 'Maids? maids do you have my clothing?' she moved over to the door and pulled it open.

looking into her room she find the dark skin maid standing in the far corner, walking into the room, she stopped when she heard chains. looking over to the balcony door she find the dark skin man sitting on the floor of her room, chain to her makeup mirror. looking back to the maid, she weakly smiled. 'Hey, just climb over the bed.' "But..." 'It's okay. just climb over the bed.' the maid nodded and did as she was told. taking the clothes from her, she blocked the maid's stare from the man. 'who brought him in here?' "the... the two men from your uncle."

Y/n nod and turn back around. 'Thank you, you are dismiss.' "But madam." Y/n smiled at her and the girl nod. Y/n walked back into the bathroom and put the long grey dress on with her white underwear. walking back to the door, she snuck her head out to find the guy looking out the balcony window. walking out, she watched as the guy turn his head to stare at her.

she looked away from him and sit down on her bed. 'so..okay.' Y/n stood back up and looked at him. 'I...I'm not going to forced you to marry me, I don't believe in that type of stuff and...i want to fix this.... but..but I don't know how.' Y/n sat back down while biting at her lip. "You could start by letting me kill that bastard." Y/n jumped at his deep voice, and made eye contact before he looked back out the window. '..yeah, i could but that would mean innocent people could get involved.' the man chuckled and looked back at her. she watched as he shook his head and lay it against the wall. "Well I am happy that I don't have to show such a intimate moment with that pig watching..... Do you think you unlock my feet long enough for me to go to the bathroom?"

Y/n frowned her eyebrows and stared at the man. 'Watching? .....also I don't know anything about locking those chains.' he brought his head back down and looked at her. "you don't know how to unlock chains? how does a maniac's niece not know about chains or their auditions." 'I am not like him, and what do you mean by watch?' Y/n got back up, and watched as the guy chuckled. "how old are you? like 15?" 'Shut up.' He laughed and looked at her. "...oh what are you going to throw a shoe at me too? can you even make a fist? how do you not know that its audition for your people to watch the new couple to have sex for the first time?"

Y/n shook her head. 'No, my father would never...' "Your father probably didn't have a choice. anyways where is your father?...oh? let me guess if he had your same ideas. he probably was kil..." Y/n felt a sharp pain in her hand from slapping him. pulling her hand into her chest, she made eye content with him, as he stared up at her. he looked away and moved his jaw. "I deserved that. I crossed a line." Y/n stood up straight, feeling a tear run down her face. she moved out the balcony door, missing the hair pen that fell into his lap.

[pandoraborn]

Cruelty of the Beast - Part 17

( previous. )

-----

Characters: c!Tommy, c!Quackity, c!Ranboo Word count: 1593 words Content: major character death, heavy angst, forgiveness, revenge, hurt no comfort, dark!fic, grief, alliumduo, dissociation,

-----

There’s a stillness that settles over the area. An eerie sort of calm within Tommy’s very bones, as if he knows something’s wrong. The sounds of screams from everyone in the SMP are lessened.

Less people.

It’s hard for Tommy to breathe. He doesn’t know how many people are left, if any. The dragon is still rampaging above him, casting shades of purple and black over the ground, the buildings, and over people. It’s as if the very air is poisonous, because it’s hurting for Tommy to breathe. He had expected things to be chaotic, but he hadn’t considered how terrifying it would be.

���Tommy!”

A voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He’d forgotten he’s pressed against his old dirt house, with a crossbow held tightly in his hands. Turning his head toward the voice, Tommy’s staring straight at Quackity.

Quackity is red faced and gripping an axe. He doesn’t look angry though. Tommy would expect him to be pissed. Part of him wants Quackity to stab him.

No, he can’t think like this. Pushing away from his house, Tommy moves closer, feeling as though he’s swimming through honey. He can’t tell what the expression on his face is. Is Tommy smiling? Grimacing? Nothing makes sense anymore; he’s too lost in his own hazy dream, as if he’ll just wake up later and none of this will have happened.

“Tommy, what the fuck?” Quackity’s voice is sharp. Too sharp in contrast to the haze surrounding them. There is a fog, purple magic that destroys everything. Glancing upward, Tommy licks his lips.

“I don’t know, big man,” Tommy says. His tone is far too casual. Everything around them is beautiful. It shouldn’t be, not with his old friends lying dead around him. Forcing eye contact with Quackity is far easier than it should be. “I got tired, I guess.”

“You got tired?” Quackity laughs in disbelief. “We could have helped you! You didn’t have to run off with Wilbur and Dream!”

Tommy shrugs. “I didn’t have to do a lot of things.” Fingers absently toy with the crossbow. Part of him is concerned about prematurely setting it off, but that thought is rapidly pushed aside. “But I did.”

“What happened?” Quackity asks. “What happened to you? Did dying fucking change you? Did Dream possess you? Or are you even Tommy?”

“No, it’s me.” Tommy considers dropping the weapon. It’s not too late to walk away, to pretend nothing matters anymore. He lived through isolation once, he’d do it again, on his terms. It wouldn’t be so bad. There’d be no one this time to take his things, or manipulate him, or twist him around in knots.

There’d be the dragon, and the world reset, but he could probably live through that, somehow. Tommy feels as though he’s going to be sick.

“So if it’s you, then what happened? Because the Tommy I used to know would never have fucking unleashed a dragon on everyone!” Quackity sounds desperate. As though he’s trying so hard to understand the motives now. “People are dead, Tommy, do you understand that? They’re not coming back to life!”

He knows. He knew this, of course he did. Back at the cabin, it had all been so clear. Tommy had known exactly what he’d wanted, he could envision it perfectly in his mind. It had also been him angry over being shot by the very man standing before him right now.

Anger flares up, and he tries to push it back down. “I died,” Tommy retorts. “I died alone in prison, with Dream. I almost died alone in exile, or even back in Pogtopia. Alone.”

“We would have been there!”

“But you weren’t!” Tommy yells. Quackity stumbles back in surprise. Regret doesn’t flare up inside Tommy, only anger. Everything comes rushing back, washing over him like a tidal wave and threatening to drown him. “No one was fucking there Quackity! I’m so tired of handling everything alone. I’m tired of people treating me like I’m stupid, like I’m some evil bastard who hasn’t done anything good! It wears on you, alright?”

“You should have talked to us!” There are tears in Quackity’s eyes. “Tommy I loved you. I still love you, even when everything inside of me is wanting you dead. You betrayed everyone because of a few hurt feelings? This is so beneath you.”

“A few hurt feelings?” The anger is coming back. “I was singled out and used and hurt and betrayed by literally everyone on this god forsaken server. I was given a role I wanted nothing to do with and I died for it. I died for a lot of shit.”

“But-”

“I shouldn’t have to talk to anyone, because you all had every god damned opportunity to see that I wasn’t okay!” Tommy grips the crossbow and lifts. “It says a whole fucking lot when my biggest tormentor made amends, and my so-called friends are still blaming me for shit I never had control over.”

“Tommy, there is a dragon killing everyone. What about Tubbo?”

“What about Tubbo?” Tommy asks. “Tubbo had Ranboo and he had all of you. I had Dream, and Wilbur.”

“This is really what you want?” Quackity asks, voice barely above a whisper. Somehow, even with the eruption still going on around them, Tommy can understand him clearly. “To kill everyone...for what, revenge? Wilbur convinced you that this was the only way?”

Everything is becoming clear again. The inevitable end, the race to undo all the damage everyone had caused. Damage he caused. It’s right there within his grasp, he just has to take the plunge and undo it all. Before he can move, Tommy hears his name in the distance. Sparing a brief glance, he sees Ranboo running toward him. Half of Ranboo’s left arm looks like it’s melting, and the enderman’s eyes are glowing purple.

This isn’t a good sign.

“Of course it’s the only way,” Tommy says, looking back at his old friend. Emotion leaves him. Thinking, feeling, is only going to hinder him. Leveling the crossbow, Tommy aims at Quackity’s heart. “I’m not doing this for revenge, I’m doing it because I care. And an eye for an eye.”

“If this is what you want, I won’t stop you. But you’re going to have to live with this for the rest of your life.” Quackity steps closer, letting the tip of the arrow press against his heart. He even reaches out to stroke Tommy’s cheek.

The teen doesn’t stop him. The touch is soothing, but it doesn’t have any of the familiar comfort that Tommy wants. Quackity isn’t Wilbur, after all.

“Tommy I just... I just want you to know that for whatever it’s worth, I did try. We did try. I’m sorry we couldn’t help you, just know we were your real friends all along.” He sounds so fucking genuine. For a brief second, Tommy reconsiders.

Ranboo’s close enough to grab at Tommy. Ranboo’s embrace is far more familiar to Tommy, far more enticing and comforting. Real friends, Quackity had said. Ranboo is real, and he loves Tommy. Tommy loves Ranboo.

Tommy lets his brain shut off.

“I’ll see you on the other side,” Tommy hears himself say. He’s watching himself release the arrow, watching as it pierces Quackity. It’s like watching television. It’s not a very interesting show.

Somehow, between the way Ranboo looks, and the way the dragon seems to be drawn to the enderman, Tommy believes the words he’s saying. He believes in the finality of this battle. Ranboo seems proud of him. Tommy wants to fall into his arms. Arm.

Quackity crumbles to the ground, stray tears dropping from his cheeks to the wooden path underneath him. His eyes are closed, at least. Dropping the weapon on the body, Tommy nudges him with his foot in a final farewell.

“Tommy, they want us to meet them in the crater,” Ranboo says. His voice seems to echo, though Tommy can’t figure out why. Reality is ballooning back to him, stretching and squeezing him all at once. Not enough for him to keel over with emotion, not yet. “They found my book.”

“Book?” Tommy shoots him a quizzical expression. He pretends he’s not crying and mourning Quackity’s death. “What book?” Ranboo is already pulling Tommy along. He’s holding Tommy’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. Tommy flicks at his nose and clears his throat.

“Magic book,” Ranboo explains hastily. “Our window of time is running out, we have minutes at most before this all falls apart.”

Tommy can read between the lines. They’ll have killed all their friends for nothing. Nodding, he lets himself start running. He had first believed, for Wilbur’s sake. For Ranboo’s sake.

Sparing one last glance over his shoulder, Tommy fights back the nausea. He still can’t afford to let himself succumb to his emotions, but he still feels the grief and sadness.

He has to believe in this for himself, too. Because he knows what losing your final life feels like. Tommy still feels that cold void all too well, and it’s not a fate he wants anyone to feel for longer than they have to.

He starts running, with Ranboo keeping up with him at ease. Mere minutes before they lose the dragon and the magic it brings. Mere minutes before the guilt completely eats him alive.

Though, Quackity was right. Even with the magic and everything succeeding, Tommy will never forget the way Quackity had loved him up until death, even when Tommy gave him every reason not to.

[tigerseye46]

The Discord server came up with angst and now I crave for more! How about some FreeNoodles with 31? (You can do regular or your au, up to you)

MWAHAHA! Ask and you shall receive. Needed an excuse to write more of this au, lol.

Manipulation, Possession

31. “Just follow my lead. You trust me, don’t you?”

———————

Pigsy, well “Pigsy” stirs a pot of noodles, a creepy grin on his face, his eyes never blinking as he did so. Tang was too immersed in his bowl of noodles to notice that, although he could tell something was a little off about the way the pig had been acting. Aside from his eyes which was just probably the lighting, he had been making weird comments lately, including giving Tang as many bowls as he wants, he’s never done that before! The only time the pig had ever given him free noodles was on a rare occasion, he wonders what put him in such a good but at the same time, he got free noodles so he wasn’t going to question it much.

He flips to a page in his book as he pushes his now empty bowl away. ��Pigsy, can I have another one?”

Pigsy turns to him and passes another bowl to him. “Of course ya can, Tang!”

“Thanks. You’ve been acting weird lately.”

“I have?”

“Yea, you’ve been in a good mood lately. I’ve been seeing you smile a lot more. What’s up?”

“Pigsy” opens his mouth to speak while the real Pigsy tries to use all his willpower to scream to Tang that that isn’t him but he can’t. Instead the chef comments, “Well I have ya and the kids, how can I not smile?” He purrs and lifts Tang’s chin up, Tang blushes.

“O- oh. Charm- charming…”

“Thanks, gorgeous. I try.”

“Gor- gorgeous?!”

“I’m not wrong, aren’t I?” He smirks and leans into Tang, extremely close to his lips, inside his mind he fights the urge to kiss Tang.

“I- I guess not…” He pushes the pig away slightly and nervously laughs. “Jeez, you’re really weird lately. Are you sure you’re not sick?”

“How can I be when I have ya right at my side? I’ll take ya away from that monkey and you’ll only be mine,” he mutters.

“What?”

“Nothin’. Ignore me and go back to what you were doin’.”

“Okay?” He eats the soup reluctantly, eyeing Pigsy who takes the time to smile and wave at him, muttering some intimate comments under his breath and it makes Tang shiver and blush slightly, he’s never known the pig to be open with his feelings, does he like him? Tang shakes that thought off, Pigsy is just being Pigsy right now, it doesn’t mean anything.

Their kid comes in shortly afterwards, wielding his staff and whistling. “Hey bába, hey papa!”

“Hey MK!” Tang says as he waves at him.

Pigsy spots their kid and rushes over to him, he gives him a big hug. “KID!”

MK giggles. “Hey papa!”

The pig nuzzles his child. “Did that stupid monkey train ya too hard?” He growls at the thought of Sun Wukong.

“No, I’m fine!”

“Good!” He continues to nuzzle his kid with Xiaotian secretly sending Tang a raised eyebrow, Tang shrugs.

The scholar gets off his stool and goes over to them. “You’re going to crush him, Pigsy,” he jokes.

“But look at him, Tang. Don’t you just want to keep him away from that stupid Monkey King?”

“What?” The two both question.

“Nothin’. Nothin’ you two need to know at the moment.” The two look at each other and decide to shrug it off. Mei comes in after that, waving her arms. “MEI!” The chef hugs her.

“Hi Piggy! Guys, there’s another demon attack! Sandy is there right now!”

MK twirls his staff. “Alright! We’re on it!”

Tang nods and Pigsy scowls. “Stupid monkey is makin’ ya handle all his dirty work, ya sure you want to do this, kid?”

MK cocks an eyebrow. “Yea… I’m sure.”

“Pigsy, MK can handle himself. Now let’s handle this demon.”

The pig scoffs. “Of course, love. I won’t let anyone touch our kids.”

“L-love?” Tang doesn’t have time to question it further as he gets dragged out.

The pig gives a scream in his mind as they go to face the demon, nothing comes out of his actual lips. The White Bone Spirit is smirking at him as she always does, she enjoys his futile resistance. He narrows his eyes and attempts to kick her but she’s too far away from him to actually do so, she giggles at his meaningless attempt.

“So much resistance, Zhu Bajie, haven’t we already decided you can’t escape me?”

“Shaddup” is his only response.

“Awwww, such a talker,” she teases. “You made it so easy to possess you. In fact, I hardly have to lift a finger.”

“I’m not doin’ any of this! This is your fault!”

“Is it? Is it really? I just pumped up your already bad qualities and you have so many.” She chuckles. “Now that I look back at it, you haven’t changed at all, so greedy, so selfish.”

He struggles against the chains. “Shaddup! You don’t know anythin’ about me!”

“I know plenty, remember? I remember how you flirted with me when I showed up, how jealous you were of the monkey.” She closes her eyes only to open one. “I also remember that monk, how foolish he was to believe you of all people.”

Pigsy growls, “Don’t you dare talk about him!” He struggles against the chains again.

The White Bone Spirit smirks and seemingly vanishes, the pig looks around and gasps as he feels a kick to his back. “You know another thing I noticed is even though you flirted with me, your eyes seemed to be on that monk. Poor you, all you wanted was his attention but how could he love you? A selfish pig, his eyes were always focused on that monkey and that’s why you did what you did.” Bajie stays silent. “No words? Pathetic.” She shapeshifts into Tripitaka and he holds back in his tears, she falls in his arms. “All you wanted to do was hold him, make him yours but he loved that monkey and who could blame him? After all, he was a much better option.”

Bajie closes his eyes and tries to block out the image. “SHUT UP! YOU AREN’T HIM! I KNOW YOU AREN’T!”

She lifts his chin up. “Bajie,” she says in a voice just like Tripitaka’s.

He opens his eyes rapidly, he knows this isn’t the real Tripitaka but he can’t help himself from falling again. “Mas- master?”

“Yes, Bajie. It is me. What are you doing, my Bajie?”

“I- I don’t know…”

“You should just give in.”

“But- but- I can’t!”

“Why not? Don’t you see how lonely I am without you? I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“You’re lonely without me?”

“Yes I am. All I wanted to do was for you to take me and never let me go. Why didn’t you?”

“Because I thought you loved Wukong!”

“No, how could I love him? He was the one who kept us apart from each other. He made sure we were never a couple, maybe I should have used the circlet on his head so we could run away together.” He smooches the pig’s cheek, the demon lets out a purr.

“Ya want to run away with me?”

“Of course I do. Now I am in Heaven without you, you left me.”

“I- I didn’t- I didn’t mean to,” he stutters.

“But you did. Now think about it, you could use all this power you got to rescue me.”

“Rescue you?”

“Yes, rescue me.” He smooches Bajie’s cheek again and tickles his chin. “I am trapped in stupid Heaven, I need you to rescue me then we can get married and live with your kids happy and safe, away from Wukong.”

“Our kids,” he replies. “They would be our kids. Ya really want to marry me?”

“Yes, our kids. Of course I do. We would do all sorts of fun things together. We could even bring that scholar you like so much.”

“Ummm… ummm…”

“Don’t worry. You could have us both.”

“H-huh?”

An image of Tang appears and he approaches them both. “He’s right, you know.”

“Tang?!”

“Tang” runs a hand over Pigsy’s face. “You could have us both,” he repeats.

Pigsy swallows and nods. “I could have ya both.”

The two seem satisfied and kiss him. Tripitaka states, “All you have to do is use your new power to get rid of Wukong and grab our kids then we can be happy.”

“Okay,” he says simply. “I’ll- I’ll handle him.”

Tang cheered, “See, that wasn’t so hard now.”

“Uh huh... Gods, you’re both so beautiful.” They smile and give him the affection he so desperately craves, he doesn’t notice how the chains on his wrist get tighter as he gives into his desire, happy tears roll down his face.

He opens his eyes and blinks out of haze. He stares at the direction in front of him, it shows the battle the kids are currently in, it’s like he’s looking at it through a tv. He sees Tang in the battle with the kids, but isn’t Tang with him? Then it hits him, this isn’t real and he’s been tricked yet again.

He lets out a wail then the fake Tang disappears. He stomps his feet, rage burning in him. He narrows his eyes at “Tripitaka” and the White Bone Spirit goes back to her original form. She smirks at him. “You are really easy to manipulate. Aren’t you, darling?”

He screeches, “SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

“No, I don’t think I will.” She cackles and vanishes.

He turns his attention back to the battle. He pulls at the chains, he bites them, he does anything he thinks that can get him free. He screeches, he howls, he’s desperate but nothing works and he watches as his possessed body watches gleefully on the sidelines. He can do nothing to help his kids.

In the real world, Tang tries to help his kids and Sandy fight off the demon but they are struggling. He glances at Pigsy who is smirking for some reason, the pig hasn’t been doing much to help. As Xiaotian hits the demon, Tang rushes over to Pigsy.

“Pigsy! We could use your help!”

“Why, Tang?”

“Because we’re kinda getting destroyed out there!”

“But ya look so gorgeous fightin’ like that.”

“What? Are you joking? This is serious!”

“I know, I know. Don’t worry. I’m just lettin’ the kids have some fun first.” He shuts his eyes. “Now.” He opens them and his currently icy blue eyes glow along with his body. “This should be easy.”

Tang takes a step back. “What are you doing?”

“Just follow my lead. You trust me, don’t you?”

For some reason, Tang’s gut instinct makes him want to say no but why would he say no? This is Pigsy, he might have been acting weird but Tang has no reason to distrust him. Pigsy is their protector and whatever plan he has has got to work. “Yes, I trust you.”

Pigsy smiles and it sends shivers up the Buddhist’s spine. “Kids!” He calls. The kids look at him. “Stay back and let your father handle this. Stay behind Tang and Sandy.” The kids nod and get behind Tang, Sandy going next to them to protect them. The pig stomps to the large demon.

Tang reaches a hand out to him to stop him. “What- what are you doing?”

The pig sends him a reassuring look. The large demon they’ve been facing laughs at him. “What are you going to do, little pig?” They continue laughing.

Pigsy smirks. “Oh I’ll show you.” He puts his hand up and ice shoots out from his fingertips, he freezes the demon’s feet first, the demon tries to break free but Pigsy freezes the rest of them, a gleeful look on his face. He turns back to the group who have their eyes widened. “There, all taken care of.”

Tang goes “How- how did you do that?”

“Oh Y’know magic and such.”

Xiaotian approaches his papa, his eyes now sparkling. “Wow, papa! I’ve never seen you do that before! Can you teach me to do that?!”

Xiajiao asks, “Me too, please!”

Sandy keeps his mouth shut, a billion questions racing through his mind. The pig simply laughs. “Sorry, kids. It’s a special power only I can master.” The kids whine in disappointment. “Don’t worry. Ya two are plenty strong already. Now let’s go back to the shop.”

The scholar raises an eyebrow. “How come this is the first time we’re seeing it? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

The pig lifts his chin up. “Because doll, it was meant to be a secret but you’re so cute that I had to show ya. Did I impress ya?” He winks.

The scholar mutters, “Oh you definitely did something alright.”

Pigsy beams and plants a kiss on his cheek. “Now come on, let’s go home.” The kids nod and he walks to the shop, the two following behind him.

Only Sandy and Tang are left. Sandy mumbles, “In all the years that I’ve known him, he’s never done that.”

“Really? He’s never done that?”

Sandy shakes his head. “No, never.”

“That’s- that’s weird.”

“Yea… I feel like something is up with him lately.”

“Me too. Maybe we should keep an eye on him.” Sandy nods.

Pigsy shouts to them. “Hey, you two! Come on!”

They nod and walk with the rest of the group, Pigsy wraps an arm around Tang’s waist, the scholar blushes at the contact but eyes him suspiciously as they make their way to the shop. He has no idea why the pig is acting so weird but he should be mostly fine, right? Tang prays there is no reason to worry.

Meanwhile, the real Pigsy continues to try and break the chains, rage boiling and he screams but no one can hear him.

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating:  T

Summary:  Chat Noir isn't allowed to cry over his father. But even when he's just Adrien, Ladybug won't abandon him.  Hawkmoth reveal hurt/comfort + Ladrien

Word Count:  4720

Notes:  For the APS server birthday and as a gift to @leviaana, inspired by her art!  Also Marinette and Adrien are 17-18 here, about old enough to move out

XXX

It was wrong how pristine his designer suit looked when the crackle of magic wore off.  The leather of his transformation hadn’t crumpled the jacket or crisply ironed pants beneath.  His breathing came hard and haggard as if he’d run for kilometers—he had—yet not a spot of sweat dotted the white button-up.  

He wished he could tear the expensive clothes off.  He settled for shrugging out of the suit jacket and collapsing on the roof of Montparnasse Tower.

“Adrien?”  Plagg asked, his voice as soft and brittle as it had been moments before Adrien called claws out and trapped him in the ring.  “Please, kid, say something.”

He squeezed his eyes shut, warding off tears that shouldn’t couldn’t wouldn’t come.  He was a superhero.  Tonight was—was a success, even if the bile rising in his throat said otherwise.  He’d finally found the secret that he and Ladybug had been searching for these three years.

Hawkmoth’s identity.

“Shouldn’t have… eaten so many pastries,” he said through a grimace.

“Kid, now isn’t the time for jokes!  I saw what you did.  Your dad is—”

“Not my dad.”  He clenched his teeth.  Not now, not ever.  Just not.  “And I… wasn’t joking.”

He really shouldn’t have snuck so many pastries at the party.  Maybe then his stomach wouldn’t be threatening to empty itself all over the roof every time he moved.

It was a weak excuse, but easier than facing the panic that pulsed hotter with each breath.

“Adrien…”

“You should hide,” he whispered.  “Ladybug will be here any minute.”

Plagg crossed his arms.  “No way.  I’m staying out here where I can spot any butterflies before they fly into that thick skull of yours.”

Normally Adrien would’ve laughed, but he was pretty sure if he tried, he’d end up either crying or vomiting.  He might do both anyway.

“He only had one.  In his cane.”  

He swallowed, trying to stop the flash of purple light from echoing against his eyelids, the way it had reflected on the hall’s polished hardwood.  

“You don’t know that.  There’s no telling what your—what Hawkmoth has up his sleeves.”

Plagg was right.  There was too much he didn’t know about Hawkmoth.  Too much he didn’t know about the man he used to call Father.

He wouldn’t akumatize me, he wanted to believe.  Even if he has another butterfly, he wouldn’t.  He told Nathalie to keep me safe.

“Are you going to tell her?”  Plagg asked.  “Shouldn’t you suit up again?  I snuck enough cheese cubes at the party.  I’m good for another round.”

Things were really bad if Plagg wasn’t demanding Camembert before transforming again.  It was the biggest proof Adrien had that he wasn’t overreacting.

“No.  I told her that Adrien wanted to talk to her when I called.”

Plagg’s eyes widened.  “What?  Why?”

But then red streaked across the indigo haze, and the kwami darted into his abandoned suit jacket.

“Adrien!”  Ladybug effortlessly transitioned from her swing into a run, then to kneeling at his side.  “What’s wrong?  Chat told me you needed to see me as soon as possible—”

And then he was crumbling into her arms, barely holding back the saltwater behind his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, because they weren’t friends.  They weren’t anything. Right now he was just a civilian, and she was the hero of Paris. Sure, she’d saved Adrien a time or two (or three, or seventeen; he’d journaled about each occasion in excruciating detail).  But that didn’t give him the right to just hold her, or be held by her.

Plagg had asked why.  This was the pathetic truth.  Adrien was nobody to her, while Chat Noir was supposed to be her support against Hawkmoth.

Chat Noir wasn’t allowed to cry over his father.

“What happened?  Are you hurt?  Was there an akuma?”  Ladybug’s questions came rapid-fire as she shifted him into a more comfortable position, his head cradled in the crook of her neck.  “Why did Chat Noir leave you here alone?”

All he could do was shake silently, a few tears breaking free of their dam and spilling down the groove of her spine.  Pathetic.  He was pathetic, and overemotional, and everything Father had accused him of, and—

“Father is Hawkmoth,” he choked out.  

There.  At least he’d given her the information she needed.  He’d been useful for something.

Ladybug jerked back, and for a moment he thought she’d release him, treat him as if he was as tainted as his father.  But she only pulled back far enough to meet his wet eyes.  It was hard not to flinch under her searching gaze.

“Did he hurt you?  Oh my gosh, he didn’t try to akumatize you, did he?”

“I… no.  Not me.”  He bit his lip.  “One of the designers at the party, I think.  He—he was insulting her designs, and then he left and…”

Purple light.

“Nooroo, dark wings rise!”

His enemy standing at the end of the deserted hallway, his back to Adrien.

“Keep my son away from the battle, Nathalie.”

“Yes, sir.”

Ladybug’s arms enfolding him.  Rocking him gently back and forth, her hand stroking up and down his spine, warm through the thin dress shirt.

“It’s going to be okay, Adrien.  Chat Noir and I, we’ll… well.  We’ll have to take him down,” she whispered.  “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”  He gave a shaky laugh.

He wouldn’t count on Chat Noir being too useful in this fight.  What if he hesitated?  What if he wasn’t strong enough to fight back against the man who had taken his freedom for so long?

“Because he’s your dad,” she said as if that was obvious.  “I’ve never liked the way he treats you, but still… you’ve already lost so much.”

“You—you know?”  Not only did she know, but she cared.  About Adrien.

It was almost enough to push out the thick panic lining his lungs.

“Er—forget I said that,” she mumbled.  “Do you have somewhere to stay, if… what am I saying! I can’t do this to you.”

He felt a few drops of water soak through his sleeve.  At first he thought it was rain, before he heard Ladybug’s sniffle.

“Ladybug, I-I’m sorry.”

He pulled back, wishing he could kiss away the tears from the lip of her mask, the curve of her cheeks.

“You have nothing to apologize for, Adrien.”  She wiped the offending water away with the back of her hand.  “I just wish there was some way to stop Hawkmoth without taking away the last family you have left.”

That was what she was worried about?  He thought she might be frightened at the thought of finally facing Hawkmoth, but he should’ve known better.  She was made of firmer stuff than that.

“He’s not,” he said firmly.

“W-what?”

“He’s not my family.  Not anymore.  Not after what he’s done to Paris, to my friends, to—to you.”  His voice barely stumbled over those last words.

Her lips parted in surprise, and despite everything else that had happened tonight, he still wished he could kiss her.  Maybe some of her courage would rub off on him, diffuse into his lungs.

“He’s never really been much of a father to me, anyway,” he mumbled before she could catch the blush staining his cheeks.  “I kept hoping, and hoping, and sometimes he’d do something that would surprise me, like let me watch mom’s movie or duet with me, but then he’d—he’d just shut me out, and I told myself it was just because he missed mom, that he’d get better, but he—”

His shoulders shook in a silent sob.  Why was he saying all this?  Just because he’d always wanted to confide in Ladybug didn’t mean she’d want to hear it.  He’d just told her Hawkmoth’s identity; she’d want to make a plan with Chat Noir.

He couldn’t be Chat Noir.  Not now.  Not until he could bury his hurt and anger and grief so far down that Hawkmoth would never find it.

Because Hawkmoth might not akumatize Adrien Agreste, but he would have no problem taking advantage of Chat Noir.

“You deserve so much better than him, Adrien.”  She kept up the soothing motion on his back, and he tried to time his inhales with each stroke up, exhales with each stroke down.  “You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met.  You’re so kind, and forgiving, and just… good.  And you’ve been living with him.”

“I’m not, though.”  He shook his head, accidentally shaking off her embrace.  He fell back onto his heels, arms wrapping around his knees.  “I’m not forgiving.  I don’t know that I can ever forgive him for…”

For pretending to care about me.

Gabriel didn’t care.  For all that he said “Keep my son away from the battle,” he could care less whether anyone else got hurt.  All he wanted was to lock Adrien in a glass care where he could be seen but never touched, like an enchanted rose in a fairy tale.

“You don’t have to, you know,” she murmured and placed a hand on his knee.

He squeezed his eyes shut.  “I know.  I think.  I don’t…”

A pathetic whimper escaped him.  If his father—if Hawkmoth had another butterfly, Adrien would be a prime akuma target, family or not.  

It was just too much.

“You don’t have to know.  Just breathe for now.  Breathe with me.”

He’d lost the rhythm when he broke their embrace.  Now like a plant seeking the sun, he folded back into her arms.

Breathe.  Breathe.  He wasn’t alone.  His Lady wouldn’t leave him alone.

“Thank you, my—Ladybug.”

“Of course, Adrien.  I’ll always be here to protect you.”

Warmth flooded his veins at her words, but guilt quickly mixed with it.

“I was supposed to protect you,” he whispered.

“What?”

“N-nothing.”  His face heated.  He pressed his cheek to her shoulder, where she wouldn’t see.  “Do you have a plan?”  He asked to change the subject.

“Not yet.  I’m kind of too mad at your dad to think straight right now.”  She laughed shakily.  Even broken as the sound was, it was hard not to join in.

“Join the club.”

A jolt ran through him as he realized what he’d said.

He was mad at his father.  He was allowed to be mad at his father.  No more excuses for his behavior, no more hoping next time would be different.

His father was Hawkmoth, and Adrien was angry enough to fight him.

“I should call Chat Noir.  He’s pretty good at coming up with plans when he wants to.  I also want his explanation for why he left you alone on this roof.”

He winced at that.  “I’m sure he had a good reason.”

She frowned.  “I can’t think of anything more important than keeping you safe.  Did you tell him that Gabriel is Hawkmoth?  I hope he didn’t do anything reckless...”

“Er… technically, no.  I didn’t tell him, I mean.”

Her eyes widened.  “Was he with you when you found out?”

“...Something like that.”  His pulse raced at the thought of her connecting the dots.  For so long he’d wanted her to know her identity, but now?  She would never be able to trust him to help take down Hawkmoth.

He wanted to bring the terrorist to justice.  He of all people deserved to.

The anger pumping in his veins was still unfamiliar, still mixed with fear and guilt and grief.  But he wouldn’t back down, wouldn’t hesitate.  His Lady would be depending on him to be strong when the time came.

“Do you want to talk about what happened?”  She asked quietly. He barely heard her over the whistling breeze.

Yes.  No.  I don’t know.

“I think… if we could just stay like this for a while… that would be nice.”

She held him tighter.  “Of course.”

He could feel her heartbeat.  Or maybe it was his.  It was hard to tell while he clung to her like she was his raft in the center of a storm.  He would be strong, later.  But for now, he allowed himself this.

He wasn’t sure how much time passed before the arms around him loosened, letting the cold back in.  It still wasn’t long enough.  He guessed it never would be.

“Adrien?”  Ladybug’s bottom lip was trapped between her teeth.

“Yeah?”  He asked, suddenly worried that he’d asked too much of her.  

“I was going to offer to take you home, but… will you be safe there?  Do you need somewhere else to stay?”

It was a question he had to confront, but he’d hoped to put off a little longer.  Gabriel would notice if he was gone.  At least, Nathalie would, and she would tell him.  It would be even more obvious if he never returned to the party.

But could he really go back?

“I’ll… I’ll find somewhere,” he said, fear barely giving way to resolve.  Or maybe it was just a different kind of fear.  He couldn’t go back.  Returning would be the smart thing—it would keep suspicion off of him, and it would give him a chance to spy on Hawkmoth.  But the thought made him more sick than the half-dozen pastries he’d eaten.

How often did he see Gabriel at home, anyway?

“I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe,” Ladybug said firmly.  “Where do you want me to take you?”

Where?  Who would take him in on no notice, wouldn’t ask questions, wouldn’t send him back to Gabriel?

“Nino,” he realized near instantly.  “I think… I know I’ll be safe with him.”

Ladybug’s smile lit up the whole rooftop.  “Then if you’re ready, I’ll be your personal chauffeur tonight.”

She held her arm out and bowed, like she was trying to imitate Chat Noir.  He was sure he’d made that exact motion before.  Had she realized who he was?  Or was she just borrowing her partner’s humor to try to cheer him up?

It worked, of course.  The fact that he had an excuse to cling to her as they swung across the rooftops didn’t hurt, either.  For a moment he could pretend they were just doing this for fun, that she was escorting him to a normal slumber party instead of helping him escape his terrorist father.

Too soon they were landing in the alley on the side of Nino’s apartment building.

“I can come with you inside, if you want.  Or—at least make sure Nino’s home.  I won't leave you alone.  I mean—I will leave you alone, if you don’t want me bothering you, but not alone alone—I won’t leave you by yourself.  That’s all.”

He smiled to put her at ease.  “Don’t worry.  He gave me a spare key, just in case anything happened.”  

Nino had probably meant it in case Gabriel ever grew too controlling to handle.  He couldn’t have predicted this.

“Alright, then, um… is there anything else you need?  You don’t have any clothes, or—or a toothbrush!  What are you going to do without a toothbrush?  You might get cavities, and your teeth would fall out, and then you’d have to get dentures, and—”

“Whoa, my Lady, my teeth are made of stronger stuff than that.”  He grinned.  She was so cute when she got flustered like that.  He’d never seen it before, yet it felt strangely familiar.  “But if it would make you feel better, there are a few things I’d like from my room.”  

“Of course.  Just tell me what and I’ll bring it.”

Adrien smiled.  What had he done to deserve Ladybug going out of her way for him?  She sounded more worried for him than about taking down Hawkmoth.  Could she know his identity?  No, that was just Ladybug; she’d do this for anyone.  Right?

“I don’t want to ask for too much,” he said, suddenly embarrassed.  There were a few things he could use, but didn’t want Ladybug to see.  Namely, his underwear (Ladybug boxers) and the Ladybug doll he’d commissioned from Marinette.

“Don’t worry about it, really.  I just want you to be as comfortable as you can through all this.”  

She looked at him with those soft eyes, ones he wished he didn’t have to share with the rest of Paris.  Standing in the shadowed alley, he could pretend that look was reserved just for him.

“Thank you, Ladybug.”  His cheeks warmed, but he dug a napkin and pen out of his pocket, jotting down a short list against the brick wall.

“Thank you, Adrien.”  She smiled as she accepted the scrap.  “Go ahead and go inside.  I’ll be back before you know it.”

She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek, but before he could melt into a puddle of goo, she was swinging off again.  

His fingers brushed the still-warm skin.  “Plagg, did that really just happen?”

No reply.  Right.  Plagg had been in his jacket, still at the top of Montparnasse Tower.  Adrien didn’t know how long it would take the kwami to fly all the way to Nino’s apartment, but hopefully Ladybug wouldn’t need Chat Noir before then.

He turned his keys over in his pocket, but suddenly felt daunted at the thought of going inside.  Ladybug’s presence had cheered him up, but if he had to explain everything about Hawkmoth to Nino… he wasn’t ready to talk about it again.  Soon, but not now.

Besides, Ladybug would be back before he knew it.

XXX

Marinette wouldn’t be distracted by Adrien’s desk, Adrien’s scent, Adrien’s bed. She wasn’t here because of her crush.  She was just here for him.

Besides, this might as well not be his room anymore.  He’d only be keeping the items she could fit in his satchel.

She pushed aside her deep sadness at the thought.  Adrien’s father—Gabriel Agreste—was Hawkmoth.  She’d had that theory a couple years ago, but she’d never wanted to be proven right.

Best not to dwell on that now though.  Who knew when Gabriel would come back from the fashion gala?  Hopefully he would be delayed looking for Adrien.  If Gabriel even cared he was missing.

She pushed down half-baked plots of strangling the man and got to work.  A few things were already in his satchel, like his tablet and homework.  Most other items were easy to find—Adrien’s flash drive, his journal (she didn’t peek), a phone charger, his wallet, the Stationation record that once belonged to his mom.  That took her back.  Joining the Hardy Camp dance at his party two years ago was still one of her favorite memories, even if she’d had to dress up as “Marino” for it.

The hardest find was actually the lucky charm she’d given him the day they first played Ultimate Mecha Strike together.  It was tucked under his pillow, the red string just barely poking out.  She tried not to think of what it might mean.

That still left plenty of space in the satchel.  He hadn’t written down underwear, but Marinette figured he’d appreciate not having to borrow Nino’s.  Ignoring her embarrassment, she opened drawers until she found one with… oh.  

Her cheeks heated at the sight of his neatly folded Ladybug boxers.

“Maybe he just likes polka dots,” she muttered, shaking her head and stuffing them at the bottom of the bag.

That theory seemed pretty flimsy after finding his Ladybug pajamas.  She packed those too, for good measure.  What else might he need that he hadn’t thought of?  He probably didn’t want any Gabriel-brand clothes, so she threw in a few newer pants, shirts, and socks that didn’t bear his father’s logo.

She threw the bag over her shoulder and scanned the napkin, making sure she’d honored all of his requests.  Her brow furrowed when she noticed a word that had been written on a folded corner.

“Cheese?”  That was weird.  She’d never known Adrien to enjoy cheese; if anything he’d wrinkled his nose at it.  He used to like passionfruit flavored desserts and quiche, but maybe his taste had changed over the years?

She shrugged and searched the room until she found a minifridge by his desk.  She pulled the door open and— 

“Ack!”  

She slammed the door on the big black rat she glimpsed inside.  But Adrien needed this cheese, for some reason.  Should she summon a Lucky Charm to deal with the rodent?

“Woah, pigtails, don’t freak out.”  The black creature phased through the door and— 

Oh.  Oh.  That wasn’t a rat, obviously.  But what was Plagg doing here, unless— 

“Oh my gosh.”  She slapped her hands to her cheeks.  This couldn’t be Plagg’s cheese.  Not in Adrien’s room.  Could it?

“Oh swiss, you’re freaking out.  Why did you have to look in the cheese fridge?”  Plagg threw his tiny arms in the air.

“You… what are you doing here?”  She asked.  He’d gone all the way to her school before just to eat cheese.  Maybe he’d done the same thing here.  She couldn’t jump to conclusions.

Plagg laughed awkwardly.  “Nothing!  Just eating some Camembert.  You know that’s my favorite cheese.  Nothing weird about that.”

She bent down, eyes narrowing as she stared into the fridge.  “Except for the fact that Adrien has a whole refrigerator of it.”

“Technically it’s just a minifridge.”

She glared at Plagg, who grinned nervously.  She didn’t have the heart to be mad at him though, not after everything else that had already happened tonight.  She could hardly be surprised either.

It was only fitting that her partner would be the most wonderful boy in the world, but have the worst luck.

“It’s him, isn’t it,” she murmured, her throat tightening. “Adrien.  He’s Chat Noir.”

“...Yeah.  Yeah, he’s my kid.  The best kid I could hope for.”  Plagg’s smile felt older than he normally let on.  He was thousands of years old; he must have had plenty of holders before.  His voice sounded genuine though, if tinged with sadness.

“And you never realized he was living with Hawkmoth?”  She couldn’t help asking.  “Couldn’t you—I don’t know, feel Nooroo or something?”

Couldn’t you have saved him?  Her heart cracked.  Chat Noir occasionally dropped hints about his lonely home life, much more than he had as Adrien.  Probably because Chat’s anonymous father didn’t have a reputation to tarnish.  

Couldn’t I have saved him?

Guilt threatened to weigh her down, but she tried to shake it off.  Adrien’s situation was no one’s fault but Gabriel’s—but Hawkmoth’s.

At least when she took down Hawkmoth, she’d get to punch the two people she hated most.

“Believe me, Pigtails, I wish I had,” Plagg murmured.  “I’ve wanted an excuse to Cataclysm his dad for ages.”

Well, at least they were on the same page there.

“Sorry.  I know it’s not your fault.”  She shook her head.  “I just never thought—”

Plagg’s ears twitched, his whiskers jolting up.  

“What?”

“Shh,” he hissed, flying up to press a paw to her lips.  

She went cross-eyed looking at him, but did as she was told.

Footsteps.  Definitely footsteps.

“That irresponsible boy is always running off!  And you were supposed to be keeping an eye on him!”

Gabriel’s furious voice, getting closer.

“Come on, move it!”  Plagg whispered, tossing a wheel of cheese into Adrien’s satchel.

Marinette threw it over her shoulder and was out the window before the footsteps could arrive.

XXX

Adrien paced back and forth beside the apartment building, trying not to worry.  Ladybug hadn’t been gone that long.  She might have had trouble finding his lucky charm; he couldn’t remember if he’d written down the right place to look.  Had he left it under his pillow again?  That was always dangerous in case the cleaning staff came in and bundled it with his sheets.

Of course, it was dangerous to have it left it behind in the first place.  Maybe if he’d had it on him… but no, no amount of luck would have stopped Gabriel from being Hawkmoth.  Rolling the beads between his fingers might have soothed his rapid heartbeat, though.

He felt naked without Plagg.  With just his own thoughts boiling inside his head.  He should really go inside, or at least call Nino, or… anything.  He felt like an NPC trapped in a predetermined loop.  Five paces forward, turn, five paces back.  The rhythm was the only thing keeping him from cracking again.

It was easier to be strong when Ladybug was here.  But he wouldn’t let his resolve waver.  One, two, three, four, five.  Turn.  One, two, three, four, five.  Don’t think.  One, two, three— 

“Adrien!”  Ladybug’s voice called, and then she was swinging down into the alley.  His school bag hung from her shoulder; it looked too big for her.  “What are you still doing out here?  I thought you were going inside.  You didn’t get locked out, did you?  Is Nino not home?”

“I—I don’t know,” he admitted, shrinking under the rapid questions.  “I was… too much of a coward to go in yet.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened.  “Adrien.  You could never be a coward.”

She stepped forward, and his pulse quickened as she reached for his hand.

“You’re the bravest person I know...”

She lifted his hand to her lips, which brushed the skin of his knuckle just above his ring.  He shivered, his eyes held captive by hers.

“...my Kitty.”

Everything in him turned to slush.  How did she find out?  Why did she have to find out now?  He registered that she didn’t look angry, or disappointed—if anything, her soft smirk was exactly the expression he always longed to see.

“My Lady…” His voice shook.  She still hadn’t let go of his hand. “How can you say that?  I couldn’t even talk to you as your partner.  I should’ve been supporting you so we can defeat Hawkmoth, and instead I…”

Tears welled in his eyes.  Pathetic.  Too overly dramatic… Why wouldn’t Father’s—Gabriel’s words leave him alone?

“Instead you left the only family you had.  You risked everything by telling me his identity.  You’ve done so much.  So just let me take care of you for a minute, okay?”

A shuddering breath escaped him.  His hand tightened around hers, as if she’d disappear at any moment.

But she wouldn’t.  She knew who he was, and she was here.

“O-okay.  Just—you’ll still let me fight him, won’t you?”  He hadn’t meant to ask that yet, but he needed to know.  She wouldn’t replace him right after telling him how brave he was, right?

“Like I’d let her take me away from you, kid.”  Plagg flew out of his satchel, phasing directly through the flap.

Adrien jumped in surprise, but it made sense.  It was probably Plagg who’d given away his identity, if not the lifetime supply of Camembert.  Putting cheese on the list had been unavoidable though.  He could probably only make one last withdrawal with his debit card before Gabriel froze his accounts, and tracking expensive cheese purchases would be too easy.

“I wouldn’t force you to fight him, but I’d never make you stay away, either.”  Ladybug smiled, her thumb running soothingly over the back of his hand.  “To be honest, I’m relieved you still want to though.  I don’t know that I’d stand a chance without you.”

He laughed quietly.  “Somehow I doubt that.”

She gave him the Look.  The Look was usually reserved for when he made a pun at an incredibly inopportune moment, or when he flirted with her just a little too much, or (on very rare occasions) when he flirted with someone other than her.  He hadn’t done any of those things this time.

“Stop that, Chat.  You know you’re irreplaceable.  Or… I want you to know you are.  I don’t tell you enough.”

“Thank you, my Lady,” he whispered reverently.  “I won’t let you down.  I promise.”

Her smile could have lit the Eiffel Tower.  “I know you won’t.  You never have.”

A wave of calm washed over him.  His Lady would never lie.

“You and me against the world, one more time?”  He would have held his fist out for a bump, but his hand was still wrapped in hers.  That suited him just fine.

She pulled him into a tight hug, her words tickling the shell of his ear.

“You and me against the world, always.”

[hesesols]

Into the WILD

Day 16 of Ichiruki month 2020

Trapped inside fantasy MMORPG. Send help please?

Rating: T

FF/ao3

.

The first thing that strikes him as odd is that the ground underneath him is dewy soft. Not that the carpet in his tiny student accommodation isn't soft. It just isn't as soft by comparison and doesn't smell so strongly of grass and urgh- he hates pollen with a vengeance.

It makes his nose itch like mad and –

Wait!

Last time he checked summer was already over and the northern hemisphere was entering early autumn.

.

Brown eyes open in alarm.

The sun is in his eyes as he sits up and he's lying in a sea of golden tulips and ruby red camellias, blades of grass and crushed flowers under his fingertips.

He isn't alone.

There are others next to him. Each one garbed in unusual medieval clothing- intimidating-looking armours with spikes and brightly-coloured capes, fur-trimmings and equally garish-looking armbands; brandishing weapons that range from claymores to wooden staffs. Everyone seems to be in more or less the same state of disbelief and wide-eyed amazement at their new surroundings.

Where are they?

And holy shit! Is that a real-life armoured bear?

.

"You look like you could use a hand there, Kurosaki."

"Ishida?"

Ishida or at least who he assumes to be Ishida- his annoying cousin of sorts and fellow guild member- stands in front of him, offering an outstretched hand. Ichigo recognizes the voice but those pointy ears, the gleaming ivory bow that stands at a grown man's height and strange cleric-like clothing- those are definitely new. He grabs hold of it and pulls himself up, wiping at the grass stains with a fierce scowl before turning to the strange elf-like creature.

"What are you wearing?

Uryuu snorts, "I could ask you the very same question, Kurosaki."

Ichigo glances at the midnight black armour he has on- light weight, extra resistance to magic and +25% endurance to all physical attacks- wait, where did that come from?- the reassuring weight of Zangetsu in his hands-

He blinks.

.

Name: Zangetsu. Also known as: Sword of the Moon, Cursed Fang. Status: Legendary. Raid item from the Sacking of the Gollum King's Palace at Hueco Mundo. The mythical black blade forged by the Grandmaster Yhwach over the Fires of Sokyouku for a full year and a half in preparation for the Conquest of the Soul King's Throne (see also Conquest of the Soul King's Throne). Grants the wielder—

.

Reeling from the surprise, he falls flat on the grass.

How the hell did that just happen? How did all those words and background information just pop into his head unprompted? Almost like they're in a fantasy RPG gam—

"What's going on?"

Uryuu's smile is grim and sardonic, sliding the half-moon glasses up the bridge of his nose before he tells him, "Don't freak out but I think we're inside the game."

.

.

.

"Anything?"

Uryuu shakes his head.

Ichigo sighs. The lines of communication are down and no one has been able to log back out into the real world since they first entered.

"This doesn't make any sense at all!"

10,000 WILD players across the world and different servers who were online and active at precisely 12 midnight that day somehow found themselves transported into the game world and trapped there as their game character persona.

They're calling it the Lockdown.

No one has a clue as to why they were the only people affected, nor do they know how they came to. One minute they were logged in, playing the game as usual; the next thing they know they're lying flat on their asses in this strange new world strongly reminiscent of the game world of WILD, as their respective game characters.

He's one of the lucky ones he thinks. As a human Swords Master, there isn't much alteration to him besides the clothes and the muscle bulk added to his physique, unlike Chad who woke up as a bear armed to the teeth with a war axe and metal gauntlets. It wouldn't have been a pleasant wake up call for anyone, much less someone who wakes up trapped inside a fantasy MMORPG.

"What about Keigo then? Have you managed to locate him yet?"

Uryuu's eyebrow twitches. The pale blue glow from his hand falters for a fraction of a second when his attention shifts to shoot his guild leader a nasty glare.

Ichigo growls before mumbling out an apology to the raven-haired Cleric. He knows of course that Uryuu is trying his best and really in a strange new world that seems equal parts deadly and fascinating, the best is all they can do.

He's just … frustrated over the lack of answers and to make matters worse, one of their own still remains unaccounted for. Out of all the guild members who decided to switch servers during the Lockdown, it just had to be Keigo- scatterbrain extraordinaire. He wouldn't trust Keigo not to get sold on some crazy-ass get-rich-quick scheme in the real world, let alone in this virtual reality full of bloodthirsty monsters just waiting to make a nice dinner out of unsuspecting players.

The double doors to his studies are suddenly pushed apart, jolting him out of his thoughts. Orihime stumbles in barefooted and narrowly avoids tripping over the trail of her druidic dress robes in her excitement. Her cheeks are flushed and the pretty flowers in her flower crown bloom and blossom in magnificent shades of pinks and violets as she makes her announcement.

"Kurosaki-kun! I have his location!"

Ichigo jumps to his feet.

.

Finally!

.

It's the first piece of good news he's had since he found himself stranded here with the rest of his guild members.

"So where is the idiot then?"

Behind her, trails Tatsuki- their resident cynic and Shield Maiden who purses her lips and informs both him and Uryuu rather miserably, "You're not going to like this. He's in the Forest."

Ichigo resists the urge to face-palm as he sees Uryuu rubbing at his temple.

"Keigo must have been on his way back to HQ and decided to take the shorter route," Uryuu rationalizes things- as the team tactician he excels at it, "he couldn't possibly have known."

That's right. Keigo couldn't possibly have known that he would get sucked into the game and be left standing in place of his game character.

Tatsuki gives a derisive snort, "Doesn't make a difference. A level 25 Bard like him can't possibly survive the Forest of Hueco Mundo alone. He's going to get himself killed. The Forest is no man's land- level 70+ Hollows and player killers aren't warded out."

All eyes turn to their orange-haired team leader.

"What do you want us to do?"

Call it instincts but Ichigo has a nasty suspicion that player death in their new world would also mean certain death in the real world. The thought makes him nauseous and for obvious reasons, he isn't too keen on testing out the theory himself.

Keigo may be a pain-in-the-neck and downright insufferable at times but damn it! He's one of them. He's their pain-in-the-neck and they can't just leave him there.

In the real world, Ichigo Kurosaki may be just an ordinary university student bogged down by studies but here in WILD, he's a guild leader, it's his job to look after his guild members and he pledges to make sure that every single one of them makes it back home to the real world in one piece.

Ichigo heaves a loud weary sigh, grabbing the sleek black katana by his side.

"Let's go get our idiot back!"

.

.

.

"I told you we should have gone left instead of right!"

Tatsuki can feel her skull throbbing. She should have just stayed behind with Chad and Orihime.

"Stop yelling at me! It's not my bloody fault that you're so fucking incompetent that you couldn't get a better map!"

"Oh so I'm the incompetent one?! Never mind I was the one who organized the rations! We would have starved to death days ago if I hadn't triple checked our provisions!"

Tatsuki grimaces as the feel of exhaustion creeps in as does the unbearable chaffing on her thighs. It wasn't just the lines of communications that were shut off with the Lockdown. It turns out the Portals- their main means of transport have also been disrupted and that means that the full distance between Karakura and the Forest had to be covered by good old-fashioned horse-riding.

They've been riding nonstop since they left Karakura, trading horses with NPCs in the farmlands nearby to push ahead at a gruelling pace and rescue Keigo as soon as possible. It is a noble cause but the trade-off for the weeks' long worth of hard-riding leaves the three riders surly and sullen. This virtual reality that they're trapped in certainly feels real enough, right down to hunger pangs and sore muscles.

Chaffed thighs, bland food, little sleep and the heat (the sheer humidity was making her hair frizz) made for horrible traveling condition and it seems that both Ichigo and Uryuu are about to hit their respective boiling points.

She rolls her eyes, tugging at her horse's rein to halt.

"Both of you need to shut up before –"

A sudden rustling in the bushes nearby draws their collective attention and sure enough from the depth of the overgrown bushes, a Hollow emerges. This one seems more reptilian in features, flickering pink tongue and all. Something jumps at the back of her mind but Tatsuki ignores it.

The Guide is nothing more than a useless collection of WILD lore and trivia.

She doesn't need a lecture on Hollow classes and their special attacks to know that the only good Hollow is a dead one.

With a loud battle war cry, she unsheathes her blade and leads the charge, throwing herself against the beast.

.

.

Ichigo leaps through the dense foliage with Zangetsu drawn and bloodied in his hand. Despite Tatsuki's misgivings about his foolhardy plans and recklessness, the woman is just as bad with her own brand of battle lust, leading the charge like a crazy berserker.

All hell literally broke loose the second they stormed through the clearing. The sheer number of the Hollow horde overwhelmed them and forced them to break formation and the three of them took off in different directions in a bid to divide the remaining Hollows' attention.

He ducks behind a tree to catch his breath. Having lost sight of both Uryuu and Tatsuki during their retreat, he is in a sour mood and more than a little embarrassed that a level 98 Swordsmaster like him is being forced back by a horde of weakling Hollows in level 50s.

"Psst. Ichigo."

Ichigo grips Zangetsu tightly, eyes nervously darting at his surroundings. He could have sworn that he heard Keigo's voice. Well it's either that or he's officially losing his mind.

"Over here."

A head pops out from the bushes next to him and Ichigo reacts accordingly- nearly slicing the newcomer's head clean off his shoulder and Keigo almost becomes a casualty of friendly fire before Ichigo sees through the heavy layer of disguise and stops the blade mid-swing.

"Keigo?"

The bard is barely recognizable with his slashed and dirtied tunic, patches of dirt and dried leaves covering his face.

"The fuck you doing- sneaking up on me like that! I could have killed you!"

Keigo couldn't have cared less. With a loud wail and snot running down his face, he throws himself at his saviour and professes his undying gratitude in between hiccups and tears.

"ICHIGO! I knew you would come for me! I never doubted for a second!"

"Get off me! You stink!"

The happy reunion doesn't last as the roar of a Hollow and heavy footsteps of a lumbering giant still their movements. Ichigo pushes Keigo away from him and readies his blade, but even his quick reflexes are no match for the suddenness of the attack.

"ICHIGO!"

The Hollow's swipe knocks the air right out of him and sends him flying. The tree trunk of a young sapling snaps in half as his back connects painfully with it. The pain disorients him and he is enough of a doctor's son to recognize the signs of concussion. Also, he thinks he might have cracked a rib (or two) as fresh blood- metallic in taste gurgles past his throat.

His vision clears in time for him to see the Hollow- a Dragon class one with beady yellow, thick, iridescent scales covering its front and gigantic wings sprouted at his back, rearing up for another charge.

This time at Keigo, who is down on his knees- eyes wide with fear as he scrambles to get away from the advancing Hollow.

There's no time to think. Ichigo pushes everything he has- the very last spurt of HP and MP within him towards Keigo, taking his place before the monster with gapping mouth, awaiting certain death to come.

.

.

"Out of the way!"

His eyes snap open just in time to see a small lithe figure, sunlight reflecting off the bone white armour- so bright that he squints, leaping through air and landing gracefully on the Hollow's back. A glint of light flashes yet again and before his very eyes, one of the Hollow's tattered wings is cut off, an arc of blood spurts high into the air and the Hollow's roar of anguish follows.

"Are you deaf or stupid? Get out of the way!"

Ichigo doesn't hesitate. With Keigo tucked under his arm, he pushes past the pain and sprints for the clearing.

With them gone, the mysterious stranger makes quick work of the beast, easily dismantling its other wing before diving for the kill; sinking the white blade somewhere between the soft scruff, flabs of excess skin free from the scaly armour.

Ichigo watches in silence as the dying monster screeches in pain, a swan's song in roars of fury before it topples over with dead eyes, a fine cloud of dust from where its body fell.

With the urgency of the situation gone, he focuses on the newcomer. Sheathing Zangetsu as it becomes apparent from the markings and sigil on the stranger's shield and helmet that he is a Paladin, one dedicated to the path of the light. They're in safe hands- for now at least.

"Where did you come from?"

The Paladin regards him oddly.

"What do you mean?"

.

"Princess!"

Half a dozen of swords are suddenly drawn and held under their throats by what seems to be a band of armed knights. Their armours gleam with the same bone-white shine and the leader of the men- a tall redhead with inked markings across his forehead approaches them with a fierce scowl and the intent to kill.

Next to him, Keigo yelps.

"The fuck!" Ichigo curses. His chest hurts, he's barely standing on his feet and now this?

Can this day get any worse?

.

"Watch your mouth, you punk!" The redhead growls threateningly, "You're in the presence of the Princess."

Amber eyes narrow. Did they think he's stupid? There's no one vaguely even female in their company unless—

The Paladin removes his helmet and a cascade of black hair- dark as the night pours forth. Apple cheeks, soft petal lips and elfin features curtailed somewhat by the iciness of her stare and her unsmiling face.

Their eyes meet.

.

Oh!

.

The short stature suddenly makes so much sense. Ichigo gulps.

"They're Heroes, Renji."

Renji scowls and gives them a dirty look.

Ichigo's eyebrows knot in confusion. "Hang on- what do you mean by Heroes and how are you a princess? Royalty isn't a job class and Paladins don't call themselves Princesses. I don't care what level you are, that's not allowed by the game admins."

The smile on the woman's face- Ichigo doesn't know what to make of it, but he thinks he's about to be made into a fool of epic proportions, especially when she pushes past her armed guards and tilts his face up by the chin with the tip of her white blade.

Smirking with dark violet eyes gleaming, she tells him, "That's because I'm not a Hero. Look closer."

Sure enough- when Ichigo focuses his gaze at her, her presence is shrouded in golden aura. The Guide pings- very belatedly and most unhelpfully, he might add.

.

Name: HRH Princess Rukia of the noble house of the Kuchiki, heir apparent to the throne of Seireitei. Status: NPC

.

He bites his tongue.

"B-But- but NPCs aren't sentient," Keigo blurts out.

Ichigo turns just in time to see him give out a pained yelp, being pummelled by the angry redhead, "Oh I'll show you how non-sentient my fists are!"

He winces. That looks like it would hurt… a lot. But Keigo's an idiot with thick skin, he'll live.

Rukia- her name rolls off his tongue easily. He refuses to even entertain the idea of addressing her by her royal title. For starters, a princess isn't supposed to be a Paladin, or know how to fight or use a sword, or look this good while having him at her mercy.

He gulps when violet eyes narrow at him.

"And you? Do you think that NPCs are non-sentient beings too?"

Ichigo is a fast learner and gives a quick shake of his head.

"Good-" her lips curve into a smile, hair dipping low to tease at the contours of his face as she whispers into his ear- "Because this NPC just saved your life. I'll show you just how deadly I am with my sword before you dismiss me as just another background token NPC."

The sword tip leaves his neck.

"Now, hold still."

That's all the warning he gets before a green glow is emitted from her hands- smelling faintly of mint and something fresh he can't quite name. He shuts his eyes, letting the healing magic wash over him, knitting most of his superficial cuts and wounds back into place.

When the light fades, his chest still hurts but at the very least he feels a little less light-headed and breathes a little easier despite the pain.

He wants to thank her- both for her healing and her timely rescue from the Hollow but she refuses to meet his eyes.

"Renji," she barks at her captain of guards who immediately stands to attention.

"Take them with us. He needs a proper healer. I can't set his broken ribs."

"It's Ichigo!" he calls out, interrupting their conversation and earning himself a hard glare from Renji but Rukia's gaze is almost thoughtful.

"Can you still ride, Ichigo?"

He nods.

A horse is brought to him under Rukia's instructions and as soon as he is properly mounted with Keigo seated behind him, the woman sounds the horn, black hair unbound and flailing in the wind as she leads the company into a gallop.

"To Seireitei!"

.

.

FF/ao3

Review, like, comment or reblog to send some love my way pretties~~~

I have a thing for fantasy AUs. Can’t you tell? Click on link for rec list of some off-main Isekai/Game animes. I have a special place in my heart for them.

[smolbeandrabbles]

Castle - Henry IV x Reader (The King)

Hail To The King  - but if it wasn’t at all platonic

...? Do the Mendo tag squad even want in on this? I’ll tag ya’ll anyway... @mandy23b​ @happyskywhale​ @wltz-bby​

Author’s Note: I caved. I caved. But also the discord server thread for him had the subject line “Bed Me Your Majesty” So I don’t think you can blame me. ALSO - As this film was pretty much fanficition of fanfiction of what really happened... I’m writing fanficition, of fanfiction, of fanfiction...! 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️  Honestly, it’s literally just artistic licence! 

It’s more a talked about relationship; I didn’t go too detail heavy.

TL;DR: If Shakespeare wrote fanfiction on history, so can I!

Disclaimer: Following The King on plot here / gif not mine / lyrics not mine

Premise: Too many people in this Kingdom have big, big plans - but you just want things to stay as they are. You can’t ask for more than you have, considering for your entire life you’ve never wanted anything else but him.

Words: 4985

Warnings: sexual connotations / mild swearing

______

Sick of all these people talking, sick of all this noise Tired of all these cameras flashing, sick of being poised Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it

Oh, all these minutes passing, sick of feeling used If you wanna break these walls down, you're gonna get bruised Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it

I'm headed straight for the castle They wanna make me their queen And there's an old man sitting on the throne That's saying that I probably shouldn't be so mean I'm headed straight for the castle They've got the kingdom locked up And there's an old man sitting on the throne That's saying I should probably keep my pretty mouth shut Straight for the castle

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You couldn’t quite believe what you were hearing. Well you could – you supposed your parents had never had anything but blind ambition for you; as their only child. But you thought your father ought to have known better than to push such an agenda. He’d been a King’s Guard before you, and been proud to see you – as his daughter no less! – take the mantle from him as Henry ascended the throne. And it wasn’t like you hadn’t seen combat before that – Henry’s insistence to drag you around the Kingdom had seen you in many a battle. To him there was none more worthy. To your parents, since his wife had died, they clearly saw an opportunity; swapping your armour for dresses and your sword for children. As if he didn’t have six already. You wouldn’t have it. “I am his King’s Guard – forgoodnessake! Do you have any idea how much Mary meant to him – to ME!? I cannot take her place and nor WILL I!” “Y/N, please, he needs a Queen.” It would sound better if they were on their knees begging you, instead your parents’ tone was more coercive. “Henry doesn’t need a queen – and even if he did, the council would never class me as suitable for him!” “There are ways and means of getting what you want.” “What you want!!!” You shook your head, taking a few significant steps back, “I won’t become a pawn in some political manoeuvring for you-!” You shot an accusatory look to your father, “And YOU ought to know better.” “As if he would mind, you’ve known each other nearly your entire lives, you grew up together-” Your hand moved over the hilt of your sword – and half of you wished you were meeting them in amour and not something so casual. A mistake on your part. “Stop. Before you even think another word stop.” You gritted your teeth, “I will not be party to this. I will not allow you to solicit it to him. And both of you should be careful talking about this here! People have been executed for less.” Your mother placed her hand on your father’s shoulder; “You would threaten us, Y/N?” “If I must.” You turned your body defensively, “I’m leaving – and you should too. I will have the guards escort you from the castle.” Then, because you should, you bowed, “Good day.” You supposed what you were really most scared of happening was people finding out that you and the King weren’t just close friends anymore. You’d been interested in him your entire life; and your parents were right, you had grown up together. You knew about as much about Henry as it was possible to know – and a lot you wished you didn’t. A feeling you believed was probably mutual. People were coming in and out of your life constantly – in no small part due to battlefield deaths.  And you were up here in the Castle now. You’d moved around with him for years before the idea of ‘King’ came to mind. And now here he was – but you also knew your place, and it was not as his wife. That thought alone was preposterous; and you would have thought his entire family to forbid it – and he’d been told as such, right around the time you possibly could have fallen in love. You’d both been much younger then. You scoffed, pulling your sword from its sheath as you reached the training ground – about the best way to let off steam right now – it wasn’t ever a fantasy you indulged in. One of those stupid early-20s conversations when Henry asked when the hell you’d give it up and get married – and you’d punch his arm and say ‘Marriage? Me? Really? I thought we knew each other!’ You planted your feet in a solid stance, balancing the blade correctly in your hands, you took a deep breath and cut through the air – before long you were moving in step and sparring with yourself. Your look probably couldn’t have read more angry. It wasn’t just that your parents had suggested it; it was how much you knew such a suggestion would play with your feelings, and they knew too. There was a moment once where you thought you were over him. And then again when you had to be over him. Maybe you’d just conditioned yourself – but there was no better conditioning than loving her too. Mary was his whole world, and she was a literal angel. If there was anyone in this world that could calm him down, and be a good influence, and stand by his side, and be suitable then it was her. You’d met your fair share of women who had wanted to be in her position – but they all had a major problem with you; she never had. Your presence in his life didn’t scare her – and in fact your love for him didn’t either, because she knew that alone would have you keep Henry safe. He was your best friend, and a lot of the time you felt your only friend; with time she became that too – but a couple of years ago Mary had passed away. And your King was now a single man. That had never factored into things for you; suddenly six children didn’t have a mother – and a fairly absent father. King first, father second. That sometimes left you, as King’s Guard, trailing around after 6 growing children. And where at first you’d found them shadowing your every step annoying, and your skills with kids awkward at best – now you loved them as if they were your own. The eldest boys were old enough to begin swordsmanship lessons too – and if you were honest with yourself those points in your week might just have been the ones you looked forward to the most. The problem was, her death had added a new element to your relationship with Henry – and you didn’t know what or whom had started it, yet you did know it was dangerous. An affair? With your King? In your position? The number of men you were surrounded by daily, constantly looking for just such ammunition to throw you to the streets – or worse, were insurmountable. Which almost made it exciting. But you weren’t so sure exactly what it was… he was hurting, and you were a comfort – you supposed. You got to live out your wildest fantasy as a (dangerous) dream come true. Still, you thought to yourself, rather you than anyone else – and constant female companionship kept those you would deem less worthy out of his bed. Before you even started on those trying to find him a suitable second wife. He wasn’t one for having it – and you wouldn’t trust to hope that it had anything to do with you; but that he simply could never marry again after her. Still, your face often said it all when people tried to present their daughters to him. And you were sure the way Henry and yourself glanced to each other sometimes did you no favours in getting in anyone’s good books. That wasn’t something you particularly cared about either. Truth was, you liked where you were, right now. You didn’t want to marry him, you didn’t want to be Queen (for a start a list of conspirators against you would be longer than your arm from the very second Henry slipped a ring onto your finger, if not before), you didn’t want children and you didn’t want to bare him children. If you could help it. That was always an outside possibility – probably about the only thing that that kept you out of his bed as often as you’d quite like to be there. That and knowing your duty came first – not only would pregnancy make what was happening fairly obvious, but it’d lose you your position as King’s Guard – and they’d have to take that from your dead body. The sound of your blade slicing through the air caught you a little off guard as your swings became vicious. Now you were just letting your emotion get the better of you, taking a deep breath you tried to reign it back in; but that only made things worse. Afterall – hadn’t you come here to vent a little? You turned into your next strike, power to your overhead cut. But you struck steel and not air. Henry’s arm didn’t buckle despite the way he was holding the training sword; although you could already tell the quality of yours had put a nick in it. “What did the air ever do to you-!?” You backed up, and inclined your head to him; he was still your King after all. “Nothing. There’s just a lot on my mind.” You kept your eyes to the floor for a moment, and sheathed your sword. “I see you dismissed your parents without so much as a welcome from me.” You raised your eyes to his curiosity, how did he even know they were here? Who had gone ahead and told him? “Yes. For good reason.” “Oh. What could that possibly be?” You folded your arms, confident enough to say it to Henry’s face, “They want to cook up some convoluted plot with the council, which ends with me marrying you.” Not one emotion crossed his features for a number of seconds before he blinked, and then laughed; “I’m sure the court would enjoy hearing such a proposal.” “Do not give them any excuse to come back here and attempt it!” He twisted the steel through his fingers, “Would that be my decision, I cannot stop them from coming to court – and if they would so propose such a thing,” You cut across him; “Very well, but I would like to attest I want no part in it.” “…It wouldn’t exactly be un-agreeable.” He finished. “Henry.” Your look was sharp, “I cannot marry you. This is ridiculous, I don’t know why I even mentioned it.” You covered your eyes for a moment and sighed “Forgive me. It’s just…” He shook his head, “I understand your sentiment. Although with my council perhaps you should speak softer.” But the King looked amused, “I believe you are due a meeting today, are you not?” “That’ll make everything better.” You fell in step with him as you exited the training field; “But yes. We are. I’m sure I’ll have much to report on.” “I’d trust yours over anyone else’s…” That made you roll your eyes, “Then I might ask why you have them around.” “You know very well I don’t have a choice in that.” Though you offered no comment, your smirk probably told him everything. “As long as your mind is sound, your Majesty.” He nudged you, which only made you laugh “My mind? You’re the one that needed to clear her head.” “Indeed. I should check in with the children at some point before the meeting also…” “Yes.” Henry nodded, turning to you again – his mouth opened, but you held your hand up; “Please, I know what you’re thinking. But I cannot be a mother to them – I will not replace Mary. I cannot replace her. It would feel too much like betrayal…” you subtly glanced about to check you were indeed alone as your voice lowered, “Whatever we have, it is not marriage material, and you should not opt to see it as such just because it might get the council off your back. This is me, Henry, they are not my biggest advocates. And besides I would rather your children didn’t hate me for it too-!” “So you will not even consider it.” “NO…” You backed away, prepared to run off to your next engagement, “And neither should you.” But he reached out and caught your wrist before you could, because he could read all over your face that your emotional attachment to the situation was causing your thoughts to run wild; “Then it will never transpire. You should not have to worry about such a thing. Or marriage in general. In truth, you know that I am still grieving her… If what you are really worried about is anyone discovering us, that’s foolish. We’re careful – and you more so than me. Everything will be as it is meant, Y/N. Now…” He let you go, “Please, I wish for you to enjoy the rest of you day – even with your meeting – and we shall discuss this later.” You bowed again; “Yes, your majesty, as soon as my duties for today are done, I shall return to you.” Henry smiled gently, turning away from you to walk in the opposite direction, “See that you do.” Then paused and called you back; “Oh, Y/N.” “Yes?” You immediately paused your jog to twist back to him. “There are a great number of country estates that I could move your parents to. I believe that would alleviate the situation. A barter, if you will. Put a stop to this before it begins. As you may imagine, I would not want this weighing on the mind of my King’s Guard any more than it should.” You nodded, “It… sounds agreeable.” “Then you will not mind me summoning them back?” “No.” “Very well. Then we need not talk of it any longer.” He nodded, and then continued on as if he had never turned back. You smiled shaking your head gently – sometimes he was quite unfathomable. “Thank you!” But Henry held his hand up with a wave – don’t mention it. ***

There was once a time, when he was a little younger, before marriage and children, and becoming a King, when even you allowed the thought of you and he becoming more than fantasy to linger around. Yet even after those things, when he actually spent time on a physical battlefield, rather than the political battlefield he now found himself on, it wasn’t a feeling easily shaken; maybe kicked to the side but never truly gone. The problem was the line between friends and almost/never lovers had always been blurred. Back when you were kids you didn’t know what you were feeling. He was your best friend, sometimes he was the brother you never had, sometimes all Henry was to you was your King – and you the one charged with protecting his life. Maybe he was all of them – but even being intimate with him now you never felt that it was meant to be. Quite the opposite, and yet it was somehow allowed to happen… But sometimes all you could think about was praying together before these battles; hands entwined in prayer in front of you, eyes closed, foreheads touching – whispering well recited Latin. in nomine patris et fili et spiritus sancti And the apparent scandal, or not scandal, of sharing his tent. That was really to make sure he slept – you were one for staying awake and listening to his breathing. Still were. But you didn’t really trust anyone – his life was more important to you than anything else. But you’d never really told Henry that, outside of making it sound like a duty-bound sentence. As far as sleeping with him went, the closest you thought you’d ever get was on the hard ground next to his makeshift camp bed. When his hand would dangle over the edge and you’d have to resist the temptation to reach out and hold it. When your light sleep was burdened with strange vivid dreams, and you were always anxious that you’d wake with his name on your lips. You could probably both brush that off – but the embarrassment of why would have always weighed on your mind.

But he knew. He must have. For Henry to even contemplate ruining what you had by making it more than it ever had to be. He was alone and hurting, and you had always loved him. You had a feeling he loved you too; perhaps not in the same way – perhaps he didn’t feel the desperate yearning you always did. The need to repress everything on something that would never work. But he did. Henry must have; that first kiss wasn’t an accident – and maybe you should have pushed him back and told him that it wasn’t proper and never would be. But you were weak, and you craved him and you were desperate to feel his lips on yours once. Just once! So you didn’t, and with his hands in your hair the words out of your mouth would never have been stop. Henry never used his position over you – but you knew that it wouldn’t even matter if he did.

“Bed me your majesty” was never a phrase that spilled from your lips, but you knew you felt it. You knew you stared at him sometimes and thought it – and you thought Henry probably knew that too, because sometimes all it took was the way you looked at him. Maybe you should whisper it to him, when you felt so fragile and you trembled under his fingertips. It was at least exciting to think of the way he’d react to it. Not another soul in this castle had ever seen you look so delicate as he now had, and that was something Henry liked to keep to himself with a little smirk. But, obviously, he’d be wrong to think that would be normal – you’d always been the very definition of strong woman. Better believe that extended to every facet of your life. Apparently, that was even more exciting.

**

The morning light wasn’t pale when you awoke. That already meant problems; usually you’d slip out of his room as soon as you could. Not for want of actually wanting to leave him, but needing to. Safety first. You were greeted by the brush of his lips to your forehead and without any walls up, you allowed yourself to smile. You didn’t want to say words yet, just lay together like this. Everything was calm this morning – the only sounds from outside, bird calls and dogs barking. And you almost allowed yourself to fall back to sleep – before what you knew would happen if you were found here panicked you, and you sat up. “Shit, I really should go.” He reached out for your wrist and you found yourself immediately dragged back into the sheets. Henry wound his arms around you, pressing kisses into your skin; shoulders, neck, down your arms and to your hands. You couldn’t help but giggle gently to yourself – but you also knew better. “No no…” You rolled over, lips to his, “I’ll be late for the pre-council meeting… And the servants will be along to bathe and dress you soon, I cannot be here!” His sigh was grumpy as he opened his crystal blue eyes; narrowing them against the harsh light – “Damn your meetings.” “Occasionally I would like to…” You breathed, kissing him again, before grazing your lips to his shoulder and stumbling from the bed, pulling on your breeches, boots and shirt – tightening the cord across your chest, and threading your sword belt around yourself. Doing your best to neaten your hair before pulling it back and off your face once more. “I will see you later, at your side, when we all assemble to hear from the Archbishop.” Henry groaned; “Again!?” “I’m afraid so!” You grinned, moving back around the bed to kiss his face once more – to which he chuckled. “Go. Leave me!” “I’m afraid I must, my King. Until later!” Although you didn’t miss his call of; “You look so beautiful when you’re flushed!” and you could have cursed him right then. By the time you reached the chambers in which the council gathered, they’d already started and you were red for two reasons. It earned many questions, that you could quickly dismiss. After all, you had run all the way here. And you were a swords master – what did they think you did all day, stand around in ceremony like they did? You had to practice if you were to defend him properly! That at least shut the majority of them up, leaving a few suspicious.  It hardly mattered to you though; perhaps they knew, perhaps they’d guessed, you were the only female here and certainly the only one that Henry kept consistent companionship with… But you’d been around long enough to know everyone’s secrets – heck, their secrets had secrets. At least you only had one. Although it was a big one. Still you sat around in armour on occasion, and a sword constantly. So you’d like to see anyone try to say anything about it. They might just find the blade at your hip run through them. You were capable, and they already knew you liked to threaten… If they came for you you highly doubted they would be kept around, or even alive if Henry so happened to get word (he would, you’d make sure).

 **

If you’d ever thought there would be something to worry about, you were there now. His children were grown up, and a few of them off and married themselves. Thomas was on the council, and damn good at it – you were always impressed by his level headed judgements. Hal… wasn’t, but had been. And he was off wherever he wanted to be – you hoped he was just being a young, reckless and rebellious teenager. Half of you wasn’t sure it’d wear off; it certainly didn’t stand him in his father’s good graces. Hal became Henry’s new favourite thing to grumble about. There were times that you’d dragged him back to the castle kicking and screaming just keep the King quiet. That didn’t earn you a whole lot of love – but Hal at least still respected you, and that helped you get between them and cool them both off when necessary. Henry’s health was waning – it had been for a while, and he’d been through just about every major illness you could get, but had survived. You wanted to be around him now to look after him, as much as you did anything else. That instinct made you a lot sharper, he didn’t have a lot of time to waste and there were plenty in the Kingdom who wanted to waste it. Standing beside him and giving them filthy looks, or scoffing, or rolling your eyes; sometimes just unable to keep harsh statements from coming off your lips. And you were sarcastic too, especially to the council. Truth was you’d had enough of the bullshit and deceit. The decent thing would be for them to stop manipulating Henry and his thought process; people thought he was out of his mind at the best of times, the council only served to make it worse and pretend that it was all your King’s doing. You saw right through all that in various stages of contempt. Thomas and yourself were walking the corridors of the castle after one such meeting and as the sweetest of Henry’s children (and perhaps the most apt), often chided you for the kind of comments that you made to unsuspecting subjects, or the council. (Though you were sure he might understand why you’d make them to the council.)   “Oh, Y/N, why are you so cruel and mean and sarcastic all the time? It doesn’t make you friends!” You would only ever laugh though; “Thomas you’re so sweet-! And I don’t do it to make friends, I do it to protect your father, especially NOW!” “Well, I certainly worry about it!” “No need. I’ve been doing it a long time.” In fact only his entire life. “I’m not sure that excuses doing it worse. I’m concerned for your wellbeing.” You sighed softly and smiled; “Okay… If it makes you feel better, I will tone it down.” “Thank you. It would.” “…Only for you mind.” You raised your finger to let him know you were deadly serious about that. “Well. I’m sure others would also appreciate it.” But he beamed, and you thought that maybe for that alone, you could probably tone down your scoffing at everyone else’s ludicrous decisions on what to do next. Though, you were sure on occasion Henry and yourself would still catch each other’s eyes thinking exactly the same thing. Idiots-! So you couldn’t help but smile back at that; “I’m proud of you, you know? You’ve come so far in such a short space of time, you’re responsible, you’re not yet that old. You’ll go far Thomas; I hope you realise that... and I hope you’re proud of yourself.” He acted bashful for a second; “Oh it’s… nothing really. Not like you.” “Oh yeah?” You leant back slightly and folded your arms, “And what, pray tell, is the difference between you and I?” “You’re on the council… and you have seen and won many a battle. You’re… as close to my father as it’s possible to get.” You inclined your head; “My prowess on the battlefield is really the only reason I am here…” You touched the hilt of your sword, “I am only on the council because I am King’s Guard, I have very little input into everything, and…” you paused, knowing for fact that Henry had always been an arms-length sort of father, “…I’ve known your father since we were both very small. He trusts you as much as he does me – I know this to be true.” And you did, the King often talked of how proud he was of Thomas. You thought it was an all-around good sign, but how exactly you got him to show the affection that came with it, you weren’t sure yet. “Thank you…” He also paused for a second, before hugging you, it was a warm, tight hug. And considering the very nearly professional context of your attire, it caught you off guard. You stiffened for a minute, eyes wide, before returning his arms around you. You tried desperately hard not to be overcome with emotion, but you almost welled up; remembering vividly back to when the best Thomas could do was cling to your leg, begging you not to go to a meeting that he himself was now avidly involved with. He let you go, still smiling, “I bid you good day, Y/N.” “And you, Thomas.” As you would for his father, you bowed gently to the Prince and watched him take off down the corridor, smile still on your face. You only turned around when you heard the clearing of a throat behind you. Standing leaning against an entrance way to a higher corridor, was Henry himself. You had no doubt he’d probably heard that entire exchange. But you couldn’t help but smile at him too, and jogged up the set of steps to join him. “Are you waiting for me?” “I was watching the world go by, but I heard the two of you and decided I best collect you, after this morning’s escapades.” Henry gave you a hard look and you hoped he might be joking. “Thomas does a good job of chiding me himself, I don’t need it from you also.” “Ah, but I am the King. And therefore…” You leant against the other side of the doorframe with a scoff, indicating he wasn’t about to get away with saying such a thing. From here you could see through the high windows into the gardens below, and as Thomas crossed the grass several of the dogs chased around his feet. Henry watched your smile grow with a shake of his head; “He’s probably right. You should tone it down.” “Oh? Are you only saying that now because you’re older and wiser? Because there was a time when you used to not only agree with me, Sire, but laugh along.” “Yes, well. Older – perhaps wiser. But I feel that I should probably mention it.” “Save your words, I’ve been like this for years – Best believe I wouldn’t stop now. Force of habit.” “Well if you’re around, and I no longer am, you may well have to change.” “I believe my reactions save you from endless boredom. And, hush - don’t say things like that… How am I supposed to live my life without you!?” It was something you considered, obviously, but never ever wanted mentioned. “I rather think you’ll manage quite well… They depend on you, Y/N. They may not say it but they do.” “Whom? Your council? Your sons?” “The Kingdom.” “Oh.” You hesitated, with a blush, “I… see.” Although currently you weren’t sure how much the Kingdom would really be thanking you for that – considering their views on their King. Afterall, it was not just your job to defend him – you would lay down your life for Henry no matter who he was. He leant across the about foot gap between you and held your chin between his fingers before brushing his lips to yours. You blinked a couple of times; “That was… unprofessional. Especially out here!” “Don’t you ever get tired of worrying?” “No. Especially not now they’re so grown up.” Still, you stole a second kiss before he pulled away. He looked back to the castle grounds; “Thought that would make it more exciting.” “Well, if I would be so bold as to suggest something to entice you away from your duties today, my King.” Henry turned to you, eyebrow raised – but his smile turned into a gentle smirk, and instead of asking what you meant he simply said; “Entice me.” You smirked, a little more seductive, as you claimed that gap back, face so close to his you could feel his breath, and body almost touching his you could hear his heartbeat. Your eyes flicked slowly from his lips to his eyes and back. And for once you decided to brave the sentence you’d been dying to say for a long time. “Bed me, your majesty.”

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Thank you for reading!! 💙🙏💜

[spookyceph]

Peace Offering, a Shigadabi Fanfic

The first in a series of Shigadabi fics. Because why not?

WARNINGS for mention of destructive/depressive thoughts, language, and unabashed self-indulgence.

Rating: Teen and Up

Words: 3,378

Also, find it on my Ao3 account @ CarlyChameleon.

For someone who hated to drink, Tomura spent a lot of time sitting at the hideout’s bar. He couldn’t have done it if the place were still in business—some unlucky server would’ve had several drunk assholes to mop up off the floor before the night ended. But with it sealed off from the outside world the atmosphere suited him fine. It was quiet. Clean. Both adjectives that applied to his room upstairs, but locking himself in there too long gave him the urge to start climbing the walls. Even he needed to get out of his own head once in a while, whether that involved speaking with Sensei or just watching Kurogiri dust the glasses.

The open space of the bar never threatened to close in and suffocate him. All the different sizes and shapes of the bottles occupying the shelves, glinting in the low lighting, gave him something to look at while he thought besides a glowing screen or blank ceiling as he laid in bed. Or, like now, he could simply trace the swirling grain of the bar top with one finger and think nothing. Or what passed for nothing in his case—his mind churned and surged as relentlessly as the sea grinding away the edges of the land. He’d only learned how to roll back the tide enough to allow for some sleep or brief breaks that kept him from throwing himself off the roof and quieting his brain for good.

The Internet had fished up terms like rumination and obsessive compulsive and thought loops when he’d done a search once. Psychobabble for being his own worst enemy, in other words. Tracing patterns in fabric or wood or pictures or whatever did help sometimes like a few of the articles had suggested, though. Listing colors or items in his surroundings too when he became overwhelmed and started to flounder. (Breathing exercises, however, could fuck right off—all those did was cause him to hyperventilate as he counted each inhale and exhale faster and faster.) The tricks allowed him to hit reset and go back to a previous save point, in a way. The level didn’t get any easier when he returned to it, but the momentary respite allowed him to regroup and adjust his tactics.

He’d been doing an awful fucking lot of both ever since Giran’s first two finds had moved in. Tomura’s nail scraped against polished wood, digging in while his mind replayed the conversation with Kurogiri the evening before, clear as a cutscene.

We cannot further our ends without skilled support, Shigaraki Tomura.

I know, damn it. He couldn’t have even said what his party was fighting on-screen. He’d just kept selecting Attack each round. That doesn’t mean we have to take in every stray Giran drags in from the gutter.

True…yet please recall why we hired the man in the first place: to scout for promising candidates. He wouldn’t present us with anyone he considered beneath our notice. Each point had been spoken with the polite but unwavering logic that had won him the job as Tomura’s handler to begin with. Drifting over to the computer desk, Kurogiri had warped two manila folders onto it. At least skim their profiles before declaring your ultimate decision.

So, Tomura had. And he’d seen beyond a doubt that the fucking walking Rorschach test had been right, as usual. The description of the brat’s quirk had been particularly surprising. Tomura’s mind had roiled with all the possible uses for her. The smartass’s, on the other hand, didn’t boast as much versatility, but it did promise the kind of ranged and wide-area attacks needed to control a battle.

Giran had brought him an illusionist assassin and a black mage. With them, he’d have a better chance at clearing higher level quests. He hated the facts, but that didn’t change them, as he’d been taught in no uncertain terms during the little excursion to UA’s training facility.

Thus, Toga Himiko and Dabi, whoever he really was, had been granted permission to move what worldly goods they possessed into rooms of their choosing upstairs. Tomura hadn’t bothered to learn which. He figured he’d reduce the chances of murdering them in their sleep if he didn’t know.

His hand left the bar and relocated to his throat. The fingers didn’t scratch, but they flexed in the familiar pattern. Letting those two move in might have been a mistake—yet another in a growing string of them. He shouldn’t have given in to Kurogiri so easily because of rattled confidence. He should have insisted all recruits stay somewhere else until they proved their worth and loyalty. To hell with Giran’s professional instincts. What if they were spies for some hero agency? The Toga brat especially, with a quirk like hers. Barring that, they still hadn’t made it past basic introductions without trying to kill each other. How could they be expected to follow orders or not botch a mission because of their own petty goals? And anyway, both of them were just fucking weird.

A sound barged into Tomura’s thoughts from the outer world. Only the small, metallic click of a door handle turning, but it made his head snap in the direction of the hallway. Kurogiri never used the door. He didn’t need to.

Sure enough, there slouched a tall, ragged figure. The zombie. The one name wonder. Dabi.

The skin of Tomura’s throat stung as his nails finally found purchase. Of course the last person on Earth he wanted to see would show up at that very moment. Of course. Because the universe fucking hated him and the feeling was very much mutual.

For a minute, Dabi just filled up the space in the doorway, watching and being watched. When Tomura didn’t move to attack, he finally stepped into the room. His ugly boots clomped on the floorboards as he approached. Still wary, still keeping an eye on where Tomura’s hands rested, he paused at the far corner of the bar. Kurogiri must have had a chat with both newcomers, oh yes. Now they had to be aware of just how close they’d come to never annoying the shit out of anyone ever again.

“So.” Dabi nodded toward the shelves. “We gotta pay for booze or is it included in our membership?”

Even while asking a simple question he couldn’t sound anything less than full of contempt. Putting on an air of boredom despite the knot of tension between his shoulder blades, Tomura shrugged. “Knock yourself out. None of this shit comes out of my pocket.”

No further invitation was required. Dabi strode behind the bar and started examining labels, back turned. Tomura’s fingers twitched. Patchwork asshole. Like he’d fall for a trap that obvious.

Dabi settled on a dark blue bottle with a foreign label. Turning around, he grabbed a glass from beneath the bar, twisted the cap open, and poured without restraint. Fumes wafted over, crinkling Tomura’s nose. Great. Wonder-fucking-ful. The reek of alcohol made his stomach tie itself in knots just as much as it had after his first and final hangover.

He’d thought that drinking the toxic shit might help shut his brain up. And, after choking down an acidic gulp—he’d chosen something a deep gold because he’d just liked the color—it had, sort of. His thoughts had softened, stretching out and slowing with a new elasticity. So, even though his chest and nostrils had still been full of napalm he’d knocked back another swallow. The volume of his mental chatter had faded with the third. By the fifth it became benign background noise. The alcohol’s chemical burn had faded away on the seventh. Memories slid into blank blackness sometime after the tenth.

Kurogiri must have warped him to bed that night because when Tomura woke, sweaty, shaking, sicker than a lab rat, the man already had a bucket at the ready. He spoke not a word while letting Tomura puke his guts up. Or when he brought miso broth, umeboshi, and tea after the dry heaves stopped. He didn’t have to. Tomura hadn’t drunk a drop since.

“You look like you swallowed a bug.”

Tomura’s gaze leapt up from the bar to find Dabi staring at him over the rim of the now empty glass. A little riff of unease jangled his nerves. He’d never seen eyes such a deep blue. They caught and glinted in the low lighting the same way the selected bottle did. The patches of ruined skin sagging beneath just made them more striking.

“Must be the company.” His tongue moved too sluggishly to be sharp, turning the comeback into little more than a mumble. Another jolt of realization lanced through Tomura: Father wasn’t shielding his own face. There wouldn’t be much to see with his hair hanging in a messy curtain…but he still had to repress the urge to fidget on the stool and shift away.

Dabi smirked. Tomura couldn’t tear his stare away from how the smooth skin of his upper cheeks and the trauma-purple scar tissue of his jaw pulled in opposite directions against the surgical staples—the fuckmothering staples—binding them at the seams. The smirk only grew under the attention.

“Yeah, about that…” Dabi reached into his raggedy jacket and Tomura tensed. Then mentally cursed when not a weapon but a small jar was produced. Dark glass, unlabeled, it looked utterly boring in the other man’s palm (also stapled, also intensely weird) as he offered it across the bar. “For you.”

“What…what’s in it?”

“A gesture of goodwill.”

The scarred corner of Tomura’s upper lip peeled back just enough to show a glimmer of teeth. “You couldn’t have given me one in the first place by introducing yourself properly?”

Those disquieting eyes almost glowed. “Sure. But then I wouldn’t have seen who you are. People always show their real selves when they’re pissed.”

A fine tremor infected Tomura’s hands. One swift, short lunge. That’s all it would take to disintegrate Frankendick’s face for good. There would be no Kurogiri to play referee either… “So, what? That was just part of some elaborate test? You going to amaze me with an in-depth character analysis now?”

“Nope. I’m not feeling that generous.”

Right. That did it for his quota of fucks to give for the day. If he stuck around for another thirty seconds there really would be a murder in progress. Tomura turned away from the bar with a scoff.

“Hurts, huh? The stuff around your eyes.”

He froze with one foot on the floor, one still hooked on the bottom of the stool.

“Itches like a sonuvabitch too when it’s humid probably,” Dabi continued, sensing the hook had set. “What’s in the jar helps with that kind of thing.”

“Nothing helps.” The words hissed out of Tomura like a jet of steam.

“This will. I make it. Look how good it works on me.”

For the next solid minute, Tomura could do nothing except grapple with the question of how this staple-faced fucker could even be for real.

Dabi, for his part, let his smirk soften into something that almost resembled an actual smile. Unscrewing the jar’s lid, he set it down on the bar and dipped two fingers into the contents. When he reached forward, Tomura’s hand shot up and captured him around the wrist. Only his index finger didn’t touch, pointed at the ceiling and ready to clamp down in an instant.

On the verge of being reduced to bloody slush staining the floor, Dabi just cocked his head. “Jumpy, are we?”

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” It came out entirely too high and strained to spare Tomura’s dignity.

“I told you. Showing goodwill.” A pause. “Are you touch averse?”

“Am I what?”

“You know. Like, being touched gets you nervous or grosses you out. That sort of thing.”

“The fuck would I know? It’s not like I ever let anyone try!”

Okay. That hadn’t come out quite as intended. Tomura dug his fingers into Dabi’s wrist, deep enough to leave marks even through the sleeve of a jacket, daring the bastard to laugh or make a crude quip. Instead, said bastard quit smiling. His strange, stained-glass eyes only observed, absorbing details while giving none away. Contrary to the lack of mockery, hot blood rushed straight up Tomura’s neck and flooded his face.

All he had to do was flex one finger and Dabi would be dead. Every scenario that played out in inside his mind showed him having the clear advantage at such a close range. So why, why, why had the pulse in his chest and temples kicked into hyper mode?

“Think of this another way,” Dabi said, as if reading his thoughts and causing another spike in blood pressure. “As a show of trust.”

“T-trust?” The word tripped up Tomura’s tongue like it came from an alien language. “We tried to kill each other yesterday.”

The response was a shrug. “That’s yesterday. Like I said, you showed me what I wanted to know. Now I’m returning the favor. That’s why you were so pissed, wasn’t it? When I didn’t make an introduction? You wanted to see if you could trust me. Well, here I am, close enough for you to use your quirk on without much chance to dodge. Still not gonna tell you my name, though.”

All valid points. And having Dabi at his mercy did make for a strong show of dominance. It still didn’t explain why Tomura was the one on the edge of his seat. He eyed the pale goop coating Dabi’s fingers. Sensei had educated him on a wide variety of poisons used for killing or incapacitating victims, but he held few suspicions from that angle. Another crackpot personality test sounded more plausible. For cowardice? To see if he’d flinch if confronted? The only thing Tomura knew for sure was that he couldn’t back down without proving both. He could do nothing except follow the limited dialog and action choices to see what ending he got.

Gathering his will, he eased his fingers from Dabi’s wrist. “Fine. I accept.” A little forethought went a long way; the words came across as gracious rather than sullen.

Dabi continued to study him for a few more heartbeats. When he caught no hint of a trick he reached out and closed the gap.

The warmth came as a shock. It radiated off his fingers just before they made contact with Tomura’s cheek. Against skin they bordered on searing. Despite the extensive training in muscle control and pain tolerance Sensei had drilled into him, a twitch from his jaw betrayed him.

Raising his eyebrows a fraction, Dabi pulled away a few centimeters. “All right?”

Mismatched ass rag. He’d probably raised his body temperature with his fire quirk to provoke a reaction. Rather than Decay his hand and snap it off at the wrist, Tomura said through a snarl, “I’m fine.”

Dabi’s hooded stare declared his doubts on that, but he reached out again. Tomura didn’t falter a second time. The ointment, whatever it was made of, glided onto his cracked skin hot, clingy, and stinging. The fingertips applying it, though, did so with gentle strokes. After a minute or so the sting fizzled into tingling and the heat turned tolerable. It seeped into Tomura’s skull, his jaw and neck. The pinched muscles of his face slowly relaxed. Not so terrible after all. Weird to the nth degree, and he had no clue what he’d do if Kurogiri warped in on them, but not awful. Maybe he’d order Dabi to do this again in the near future. See how much the fucker smirked when his plan worked too well.

Fingers sliding into his hair scattered all petty plans of revenge. Tomura jumped and jerked his head away, blinking, startled.

Dabi’s skin pulled at the seams slightly from a small smile. “Your hair’s covering the other side of your face.”

“Oh.” The only way he could have sounded stupider was if he’d fried his brain like the UA kid with the electricity quirk. A possibility, given how his cheeks and neck were burning up. How the hell had he wound up on the defensive—again? This was why he liked games: whenever a dialog option or approval interaction went wrong he could backtrack and do it over until he got the desired result.

He should kill Dabi where he stood. Eliminate such a major factor of uncertainty. The League needed members to grow, yes, but it also needed stability. Kurogiri would come to see that eventually. Even if he didn’t there wasn’t shit he could do about it in the end. Tomura’s fingers curled on his thighs, ready to leap up and grab any bit of exposed flesh.

A gentle, stitched up hand beat him to it. Dabi brushed aside Tomura’s hair, tucking it back behind his ear. The tickle of the messy strands and strokes from warm fingertips sent fireworks sizzling and popping along the bundles of nerves in his neck and shoulders. Instead of going in for an easy kill his fingers dug into his legs. He barely managed to swallow what would definitely have been a humiliating noise in his surprise. He didn’t even want to consider what his expression had betrayed in that instant.

Was this why people hugged and held hands and all that? Because contact gave them a high? Somehow, Tomura doubted it. Novelty and his inexperience were probably heightening the sensations. Every touch he could remember had been a threat, either given or received. This would turn out no different. He raised his eyes from the bar, intent on finding some shred of evidence to support the suspicion.

Instead, he caught Dabi watching him. Not focused on rubbing the salve in. Not gauging reactions. Just…staring straight at him, irises as bright as the hearts of candleflames. Brain upended, Tomura shrunk in on himself a bit. Seriously, what the blazing fuck did this guy want? Why not spit it out already? The game didn’t have a point without a clear objective.

Tiny sparks spat across the network of nerves in Tomura’s scalp as fingers slipped into his hair again, combing through it. The sharp, involuntary breath he sucked in had nothing to do with the few strands that got caught and pulled by staples. Dabi took his hand away only to let it settle against the curve of Tomura’s cheek. The mildly calloused pad of his thumb caressed soothing heat into the peeling skin.

“There. Better?” His voice was almost as soft as his touch.

Against his will, Tomura realized it was. Not just his face either. For several glorious seconds, his thoughts stayed silent, at rest. There was nothing but warmth and blue eyes and strange feelings he had no names for.

Then the last possibility he would have considered for the whole bizarre encounter breached the calm surface of his mind, churning it back into chaos.

The stool tipped precariously under Tomura as he lurched back from Dabi’s reach. He latched onto the bar’s edge in the nick of time, keeping a finger on each hand away purely by the grace of reflex.

“You really are jumpy. Like a damn stray cat.”

If looks could Decay, he would have given Kurogiri something to sigh about in the form of sixty-eight kilograms’ worth of dust sprayed all over the immaculate shelves and cabinets.

Willfully oblivious, Dabi pushed the little jar across the bar top. “Here. Keep it. Should last awhile.” The smirk returned to his mismatched face as if it had never left. “Don’t expect me to share my chapstick, though. You’re on your own with that one, creep.”

Nothing but a strangled sound of outrage managed to escape Tomura’s constricted throat while the unbelievable bastard grabbed his chosen bottle and sauntered away. He considered flinging the empty glass after him. Using his quirk to bring the entire building crashing down on everyone inside. Crawling into the nearest hole and never coming out too. By the time Dabi was halfway across the room, Tomura had made his decision.

Slowly, his hand went to the jar. One finger touched the lid.

Dabi stopped in front of the door.

A second finger touched the dark glass.

The handle turned.

Three points of contact now.

Faint light spilled in from the hallway.

Tomura’s thumb wrapped around the jar in fourth place.

The door swung shut behind Dabi just as Shigaraki Tomura made his gesture of goodwill disappear, not in his grip but into his pocket.

[flyswhumpcenter]

Bad Things Happen Bingo! The event where you send me requests according to this marvelous card! (Red cross is the completed prompt, character headshots are prompts I’ve already filled. I don’t have any request left, so feel free to send in suggestions for this card!).

Arma mulieremque cano.

I've been in a mood for heavy angst, so keep that in mind. Reader discretion is advised here. This was inspired by a two-page doujin my good friend Azure linked in our Discord server. I got intoigued, then got in a mood to make people suffer, and boom! this was born. hell yeah. Also my deathfics are shorter than my usual stuff, so I guess my heavy angst is to be consumed in a concentrated form? It felt weird to write and feels weird to backread, so I'm posting it now for the sake of gaining experience and showing a more daring side of my writing.

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An Oath is an Oath

Summary: ...so you should know better than swear two that contradict each other, especially during a war.

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Post-Timeskip) Ship: Ingrid/Sylvain (implied)

Wordcount: 1.5K words

Content Warnings: Depictions of violence, major character death

Event hosted by @badthingshappenbingo

AO3 version available here.

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I’ll never lose someone again, Ingrid had promised herself when she had gotten over most of her grief. I won’t let anyone kill someone dear to me ever again. I’ll stop them before they can.

Back then, she hadn’t had the powers to stop Glenn from meeting his undeserved demise. Years later, she had that power she had once lacked, hands strong enough to act on her will. She wouldn’t let herself taste powerlessness again she thought and swore, not now that she had become the warrior she wanted herself to turn into as she’d grow up.

 But war is war. It tears people apart with no mercy, disregarding affections and feelings, until soldiers fighting for their life and their nation’s honour had their minds numbed and hearts changed into stone, having become soulless killing machines. No matter how many fairy tales of brave knights saving whom and what they loved she read and inserted herself into, it couldn’t change war into anything prettier than men and women killing each other for a greater cause.

And, no matter how much she tried to be the ideal warrior she had imagined Glenn to have been when he was still alive, Ingrid couldn’t deny the horrors of it as, firmly armed with her lance, she faced a very familiar face, wearing different colours and branding a different animal, the dreadful realization making itself known too quickly for her brain to even attempt ignoring.

 She’d have to break her promise with her own two hands.

 A bittersweet long time no see, huh graced her as she arrived to face the next unit in the war. She almost went mute as she realized she’d be fighting one of the people closest to her right at this instant; but she shook her head and made his smirk disappear.

“This is war,” she replied, “and you know what this means, don’t you?”

“Oh, I sure do.” His expression put on a coat of seriousness unlike anything she had quite seen from him. “I’m afraid this will be the last time we see each other.”

The pressure on his axe strengthened.

“I wish it wouldn’t have ended this way, Ingrid. We were friends.”

“I could say the same of you, Sylvain. I’m disappointed by the choices you’ve made in this conflict, yet wish we’d have fought for the same cause.”

“When haven’t I disappointed you anyway, huh?” He scoffed. “That was yesterday, though, and today is something else. We’re not friends anymore, are we? To say that I’ve missed you…”

His chit-chat was annoying to hear, nagging at her loyalty and sense of morale. He had always tried to escape inconvenient situations with not-so-beautiful words and purple prose she had only seen through.

“We’re merely soldiers fighting on different sides, now. Shall we begin? I don’t want to lose more time speaking to the enemy.”

 The harsh tone in her voice sounded fake to her but seemed to have sounded convincing to him, as she could theorize from the way he rose his axe at her. She could read conflict on his face too, the dilemma neither of them wanted to face, yet had to in order to make their side win. That was war, after all, and they were only the tiniest part of it.

Ingrid’s heart wanted to fight against her lance and the way her wrist moved itself in swift moves to brandish her weapon of choice against the face of a man that, five years ago, she’d have protected from himself; but her mind was stronger, it had always been, and her mind was loyal to King Dimitri and the Blue Lions. Not her fault if Sylvain thought the grass was greener elsewhere.

Not her fault, not her fault if he was dumb, not her fault if he wasn’t loyal, not her fault if he was running after Goddess-knew-what, not her fault if he was going to die by her hands.

 That was war and she couldn’t do anything about it, that was how things were and had always been; yet her eyes still squeezed shut as she made her mount delve down in his direction, white feathers blowing in the wind, her lance’s tip heading down, metal shining against the light of the sun, fingers trembling, hands clammy, eyes wet and will wavering with the wind blowing through her hair.

Forgive me, Goddess.

Her lance plunged with her horse.

Forgive me, Glenn.

A noise of flesh rupturing, of metal meeting metal, of hooves crushing the dirt and the leaves.

Forgive me, Sylvain.

 She had to feel something warm splatter over her face and gliding down her armour to open them again, to dare face her deeds, face the feelings she hadn’t wanted to cultivate and scythe away without harvesting any fruit like you’d pick up rotting apples on the ground of the perishing acre.

I beg of you, please forgive me.

 Her lance had slipped through a hole in his own armour, drippling in red as she got it out of his body, blood painting the grass behind them. He fell from his wyvern, who escaped the field as its knight had disappeared from its back, black wings vanishing away from her sight and under the sun.

Even as her fellow warriors pursued the fight, their cries echoing in the distance, she instructed her mount to land, getting down of it in a rush and kneeling next to whom had been more than just a foe to vanquish in a war that had almost numbed her sense of empathy, steel boots clinking against the ground, red and green printing onto it and dirtying its shine.

 Without thinking more than a moment about it, Ingrid picked Sylvain in her arms, a quick glance examining the wound: right in the lung, most likely in-between the ribs, a fatal wound if left untreated properly. But she was no healer, no ally of him, merely a former friend who had had to kill her enemy in battle if she wanted to win and keep her life. It was expected of her not to do anything about it, to just let the course of things be, so why was she so reluctant to watch this, to do this?

There was nothing she could about it, so why was she on the verge of crying, of weeping like the young girl who had never had to kill someone with her two hands? Was her heart still this tender, this naïve? What had made her so sensitive, so emotional over doing what she had done countless times by now, in the span of five years? Was it the memories of their playing time, the bond they had previously shared, the promise she had made under the stars on one calm but sorrowful night?

 “Should’ve seen it comin’…” He coughed out, blood dripping down from his mouth, lungs congesting. “You’ve always been better at fighting than me…”

“I trained while you were busy skirt-chasing,” she replied, calmly, trying to keep it together. It’d be a disgrace to her king and comrades if she started bawling in the middle of the battlefield for the fallen enemy.

“Still… I’m almost glad it’s you who killed me… At least, you were a worthy opponent…”

“I could say the same about you, I suppose.”

He tried to laugh, but all that came from it was red almost splashing on her.

“I’ll finally stop causing you problems,” he finally said, eyes closing on themselves. “That’s a good thing, no…?”

 Ingrid didn’t reply, her mind unable to come out with anything satisfactory. Teasing the enemy seemed fine, until she remembered that, in death, allies and enemies barely made sense. Her sense of allegiance had left the premise for a moment, the notion of picking a side suddenly stopping to beat with her heart.

He seemed to notice her lack of reply with this smirk giving stead to a serious expression.

“Y’know, Ingrid… Even like that… I don’t hate you...”

 There was no right answer to give him, obviously, as words were already an act of treason to her cause. Honour before feelings and all that. Proverbs stopped making sense, but she was still following their principles anyway.

“In the end, I realize that… neither do I.”

“Good… ’d’ve been a shame if you did…” His lips reached an all-time low. “It’s all messed up anyway… World’s mess’d up…”

His eyes shut never to open again, his warmth already slipping between his armour’s holes, pouring from his wound, joining the sky above.

“See ya on the other side, Ing… ’t was nice knowing you, even if it ended like that…”

“Farewell, Sylvain.”

 I’m sorry; so, so sorry. I couldn’t keep my word.

 In this battle of a name that escaped from her memory, sorrowful Ingrid had broken the promise she had made to herself as she cradled next to her sob-rattled chest the still-warm, smirking, lifeless body of her dearest friend, knowing the battle would rage on with or without her, with or without him. As she resolved herself to either let what was left behind there or bury the remains, one question came to her mind, burning her tongue, scorching her throat, singing her chest from the inside:

When had she become a gravedigger?

[panticwritten]

Writing request! Carl and Sawyer (some version of you, I’m not sure where Carl usually fits in) have stumbled into the same dungeons and dragons forum and become closer through battling together (not 100% sure of Carl’s personality, be him not the type for this or totally the type). This can be a silly throw away or warmup up one since it is me.

Okay, so Cherry sent me this like forever ago. I wrote it, they read it because they live with me, but I forgot to actually post it! The name change to Kane is going smoothly, and I’m ready to never think about that asshole as Karl again lmaooooo

So, yeah, Kane and I play some DnD and he’s not subtle about anything ever at all. 

I’ll have to wait until after I post this to change the colors of the different people in the text chats because lord knows I look at those strings of chat-text and have a time sifting through it. Homestuck has spoiled me.

Word count: 2270

@asinwolves @avi-burton-writing @infinitelyblankpage @no-url-ideas-tho @jade-island-lives @ravenpuffwriter @spirit-wizard-nerd @steakfryday @alextriestowritestuff @cataclystr0phe  @perringwrites @davidvalencia323 @fluffpiggy @dont-trust-the-clogs @authorkimberlygrey @aclassilighthouse @cherrytying

I don’t think Kane knows I know.

If the smattering of ‘kid’ in our correspondences hadn’t tipped me off, it would definitely have been the way he made his character. I doubt anyone else would get the joke or see what he’s doing, but seriously? His character isn’t anything like him, of course.

If he were to be himself, he’d be a tiefling fighter. Either scout (ha) or cavalier archetype. He’d be a faction agent. Making a call between the chaotic alignments might be a shaky one sometimes. His attributes terribly skewed toward charisma and dexterity.

But he’s chosen a true neutral urchin. A mastermind rogue. An eladrin. The attributes are fairly balanced, save for dexterity always hovering above the others and strength a little lacking. Nothing like Kane. Not at all.

No, that’s the point.

He made a character that is exactly what I end up presenting myself as in the damn Cube. How I always play in console RPGs. Behavior just not erratic enough to be chaotic. Snarky and angry, never overtly because of the need to cover every goddamn emotion up. Inconsistent.

I’m not sure when I realized it was him. I thought it might be a member of the Collective when I first got the invitation from an unknown player. With Haz, j355, Hal, and Jax as mods of the server and tag-teaming as DMs, I slowly caught on to Kane’s game.

He’s making fun of me. He must have been playing with this character for some time, with their high level, and I wonder how long he’s been planning this.

It took me a little bit to even realize most of the similarities between myself and the character. My own character, a homebrew ice genesai, a brawler, bonded fairly quickly with them because they’re both urchins and saved each others’ asses when their time in the city overlapped.

He uses my lines, though. The whole ‘I’ll be fine’ shtick and his character has mentioned being a poet several times. After that, it took a few more days of play to start realizing it was him. That it was Kane playing such a long game.

The first time it occured to me, it was a bad call on what the endolin would do. We were looking for the deed to a seemingly abandoned manor. We hadn’t run into anything but low-level scavenging animals. In short, any good player would be a little on-edge and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Halexander (MOD): Alright. The second you both clear the door, it slams shut behind you.Match (SeeSaw): Crap.Videre (ANON): whats in the room?Halexander (MOD): It’s a pretty nondescript room. Pretty small, almost looks like a study with three desks lining one wall and a bookshelf on another. There’s a couch shoved into a corner, looks like it was slept in recently.Match (SeeSaw): Can we roll investigation real quick?Halexander (MOD): Go for it, dude.Match (SeeSaw): 5Halexander (MOD): You notice that, unlike the rest of the place, there’s no dust. The whole room is swept clean of it. That’s it. The epitome of observation.Match (SeeSaw): Okay. Videre?Videre (ANON): nah im goodHalexander (MOD): You sure? Just gonna barge in there?Videre (ANON): the doors locked right what else can we do?Match (SeeSaw): Whatever. I’ll get a closer look at the couch.Videre (ANON): imma look at the closest desk while the kid does thatMatch (SeeSaw): Fuck youHalexander (MOD): I’ll put some form of that exchange as being in character.Match (SeeSaw): GoodMatch (SeeSaw): Now, the couchHalexander (MOD): To clarify, you’re both investigating different areas of the room?Match (SeeSaw): YesVidere (ANON): yeahHalexander (MOD): Excellent.

I was so used to the DMs at least pretending to need time to formulate responses that Hal’s immediate block of text took me by surprise.

Halexander (MOD): The two of you cross the room in different directions, as if by silent agreement. Match is slower, being more hesitant, so Videre gets to the desks first. Before you can do more than peer at the desk, however, there is a cry behind you. The bedding on the couch lashed out and has taken Match captive. Match, a blanket has one wrist and a facemask has bound itself over your eyes due to your proximity when the animation first occurred. Roll Initiative.Match (SeeSaw): Whaaaaat. Not cool. Okay, 16.Halexander (MOD): Enchanted Bedding got 12.Halexander (MOD): Videre?Videre (ANON): am i far enough away that i can stay out of order and keep looking through the drawers?

Uh.

Match (SeeSaw): What the fuck. I’m being attacked here, your rapier would take care of this in like two seconds.Videre (ANON): you dont know that. i have a feeling the deeds in here just give me a minuteHalexander (MOD): You can stay out of the fight if you want, but you still need to roll so we can keep this orderly.Videre (ANON): fineVidere (ANON): 8Halexander (MOD): Thanks for cooperating.Match (SeeSaw): Okay, first off, Match is never going to trust you again.Videre (ANON): he doesnt even know im helping yet. he cant see rememberMatch (SeeSaw): WHATEVERMatch (SeeSaw): Is the blanket pulling on me or just holding me there?Halexander (MOD): It’s tugging something fierce. The rest of the pile of blankets and pillows are writhing as if alive.Match (SeeSaw): I guess I’ll attack the blanket with that dinky little knife.Match (SeeSaw): “you should empty your bag in case you find good loot” THANKS VIDERE NOW I DONT HAVE MY GOOD WEAPONSVidere (ANON): hey you should know better than to listen to me by now kidMatch (SeeSaw): When we finish this, I will find you and kill you.Halexander (MOD): Also canon, in-character dialogue.Match (SeeSaw): YEET, crit. 5 damageMatch (SeeSaw): Don’t think you’re off the hook here, HalHalexander (MOD): I resent that.Halexander (MOD): And that’s including your proficiency?Match (SeeSaw): 6 damage.Halexander (MOD): That’s what I thought.Halexander (MOD): You slash blindly at the blanket. You manage to cut the corner holding you clean off. You’re still blinded, but you’re free to move.Match (SeeSaw): OKAY YEAH I BACK THE FUCK UP AND ASK VIDERE WHAT THE FUCK THEYRE DOINGHalexander (MOD): You stumble back into the door.Match (SeeSaw): Hold up just a fucking second

I scrolled up to reread the chat.

Match (SeeSaw): Can I try opening the door?Halexander (MOD): Unfortunately, you’ve exhausted your turn. The mass of blankets shoots out another piece but cannot quite reach you in its haste. Obviously, you don’t actually see this because: The blindfold begins to tighten around your eyes. That’s it for that, what’s next on the agenda?Videre (ANON): how many of these drawers could i search in one turn?Halexander (MOD): Two.Videre (ANON): how many drawers in each desk?Halexander (MOD):Three.Videre (ANON): ill search two drawers in the first deskHalexander (MOD): Alrighty then. The first drawer is full of vials and tubes. Most of them stand empty, but there is a vial each of blue, red, and orange liquid. The second contains a weathered journal.Videre (ANON): ill snag those three vials and pocket the journalHalexander (MOD):Of course you will.Match (SeeSaw): Can I open the door now.Halexander (MOD): Since Sherlock Holmes over here can’t do much else, I’ll bite. The door, amazingly, shockingly, opens once you manage to find it with the blindfold currently limiting your sight and putting increasing pressure on your skull.Match (SeeSaw): Okay, we’re dumb.Match (SeeSaw): Videre, the door’s open, let’s get the hell out of here!Videre (ANON): im not doneMatch (SeeSaw): Are you serious right now.Halexander (MOD): Better make the rest of your turn good.Match (SeeSaw): K. I cut the string on the blindfold and join that IDIOT at the desksHalexander (MOD): I’m honestly just gonna take that as a free action.Match (SeeSaw): Sweet. Can I search a drawer?Halexander (MOD): You definitely can.Match (SeeSaw): I’ll start on the middle desk, I guess.Match (SeeSaw): I’ll deal with YOU later, VidereVidere (ANON): looking forward to itHalexander (MOD): The drawer holds a dusty lab coat. That’s it.Match (SeeSaw):Why the fuck not, I’ll take it.Halexander (MOD): You done?Halexander (MOD): Just kidding, I know you are. The blanket wraps around your ankle to pull your feet out from under you. Roll for acrobatics to see if you eat shit.Match (SeeSaw): Jesus fuck.Match (SeeSaw): 10Halexander (MOD): You slam your face into the desk on the way down. Take 1d4 damage for that, and your nose is bleeding.Match (SeeSaw): Why are you doing this to me.Halexander (MOD): You chose to let me design this campaign. What did you think would happen?Match (SeeSaw):2Halexander (MOD): While you’re down, another blanket catches you by the wrist. Again. Go, Videre.Videre (ANON): two more drawersHalexander (MOD): The first is full of pieces of metal. Mostly junk, nuts and bolts. The second is empty, so I’ll knock the action down and let you open another one.Match (SeeSaw): IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR HANDS AFTER THIS YOU WILL HELP ME RIGHT NOWVidere (ANON): yeah ill open another drawer. that leaves three left right

They searched every single drawer before helping me, by which time I was almost dead and being smothered by a pillow. They found the deed and I chewed them out on the way back to town. They said they knew I would be fine, they needed to find the deed, and there was no harm done.

Having already seen the parallels this anonymous player was making between their character and myself, I bristled at my computer.

Match (SeeSaw): Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You won’t stay anonymous forever.Videre (ANON): oh im so scaredVidere (ANON): are you gonna come kick the shit out of me over a dumb game? give it up and find something else to obsess over if youre gonna be like that kidVidere (ANON): im just staying in character

And I had a good idea who was on the other side of the computer after that. Especially after I found out he’d done a covert investigation check with Hal instead of sharing with me. He knew there was an enemy in the room before we even entered. Was likely planning on using me as a distraction from the beginning.

The next time he surprised me, we were working for the owner of an orphanage to find ways to exploit parents interested in adoption. Match goes along with it because why not. Also because fuck adults.

But Videre surprised both me and Jax.

Jaxabandit (MOD): u want to what?Videre (ANON): buy the orphanageMatch (SeeSaw): We won’t get paid if you do that.Videre (ANON): im gonna assume that was in character and not in this whole ‘ooc’ space or whateverMatch (SeeSaw): Duh. The guy’s slimy and gross. But just because you have money doesn’t mean Match does. He needs the paycheck.Videre (ANON): think of it this wayVidere (ANON): if dicks like this werent in power match wouldnt have grown up on the streetsMatch (SeeSaw): That’s not how he thinks about shit and you know it.Videre (ANON): and hes not the one holding a huge sack of gold right now

I didn’t know what to think. By this point, I knew it was Kane. The fact that I asked Haz helps, but I know the way he talks to me. He’s the only one that would do this and keep up with it for so long.

So now, I’m not exactly sure what to do.

Match just died, like D-E-D, dead, and Videre is flipping the fuck out. The two of them had become fairly close friends. They were snarky and prickly toward each other, but they were partners in crime and would likely kill for each other.

Videre gets really scary in the final stretch of that fight.

I didn’t realize Kane thought so highly of my intimidation skills. I didn’t think he thought highly of me at all, not outside of work. I was just a tool and a weapon and something to either give orders to or take orders from.

But Videre is a force of nature toward the end. Being a mastermind rogue, they confuse the ice devil as well as fighting it. They show a lot of skill they didn’t before, turning a few unlucky rolls into happy mistakes. Even they seem surprised when they win.

Videre (ANON): wellVidere (ANON): i guess i know what its like to be you nowThe Old Hazzle Dazzle (MOD): Are you done now, Kane?Videre (ANON): wow cats out of the bagMatch (SeeSaw): You’re awful at hiding who you are, though.Match (SeeSaw): Also, you’re an assholeThe Old Hazzle Dazzle (MOD): Did you want to make a new character and keep going? Or call it quits for now?Match (SeeSaw): I think I’m done. I gotta go challenge Kane to a fist fight.Videre (ANON):gotta find me first

- Videre (ANON): has left the chat -

He’ll have to try a hell of a lot harder than that to get out of actually hanging out with me like a person.

[blosoms-writing-blog]

(Reka belongs to my Girlfriend who does not have tumblr. The other characters do belong to me. Also thank you to the Whump Discord Server for helping me with medical accuracy for this dabble)

Deep in some woods, a loud demonic scream could be heard. Jynx the demon was battling with the fallen angel Alwric, his former friend and lover. Jynx was on his knees with a holy dagger in his back slowly bleeding out. Al looked at him and kicked him down standing over him.

“Wretched demon,” Al said glaring at him. “You should have known this was going to-”

“Quit acting like you’re higher up than me!” Jynx roared out before coughing. “I know who you are Al. You’re my best friend. This isn’t-”

“Do not try to tell me who I am,” Al spat out venom. “You changed that when you killed me, made me sentenced to death and die. I am a changed person. Once I kill you,  my status returned.” Jynx panted trying to get up but Al surprised him with a blast of light that he’d never known him to use. He screamed out in pain once again collapsing.

“How…” he mumbled. Al chuckled leaning down to his level.

“My secret? I have been blessed by the Lord of the Light. He has given me great new powers, even restoring my wings. Once I kill you, I shall aid him in his coming battle with the Lord of Darkness.” He smiled pushing him into the ground. “Farewell demon.” A portal opened beneath Jynx making him fall into nothingness.

Reka, princess of Estria, walked through the woods she once walked through a year ago with her companions to find a way to restore their memories. She sighed remembering her love Jynx whom she never got to admit her love for before he returned to his world. She sighed softly wrapping a cloak around her she traveled in to keep her identity a secret. She drew out a bow hearing a crash near her.

“Who’s there?!” She shouted. She was met with a familiar groan of pain and hesitantly went over. Jynx was barely conscious and alive panting and groaning in pain. He looked over as she approached not recognizing her due to the hood.

“Please…” he begged quietly. “Kill me.” Reka’s eyes widened recognizing him instantly and dropped the bow shaking her head.

“Jynx,” she barely whispered placing a hand on his cheek

“R-Reka?” He asked softly tears in his eyes. She nodded as she teared up.

“It’s me,” she whispered rubbing his cheek. He barley laughed softly

“I thought...you were dead…” he mumbled out. She shook her head.

“I’m here.” He smiled faintly

“At least I got to see you...one last time,” he whispered shutting his eyes

“No!” She shouted standing up. “No no no I won’t let you die!” She quickly tore away part of his shirt to asses the damage. The dagger was still in, that she could get to in a bit but for now it didn’t look like it was going into a vital organ which is good. She sighed softly as she placed a hand on him healing what she could right now panting

“Your Highness!” A guard shouted running over. She stood up and put a solemn face on. “Guard aid me in carrying him to the castle.” The guard nodded before seeing him

“A demon?! Your highness I do not suggest-’ “I do not care what you suggest if it involves leaving or killing this demon. Now aid me in taking him or I will fire you for not obeying your princess,” she said coldly. The guard slowly nodded before helping her take him back.

At the castle, Reka worked all night to aid her friend in his healing. She managed to remove the dagger out of his back as he was unconscious but still groaning in pain every once in a while. She sighed using her magic to finish off the healing and panted after she was done. She looked up at the time and shook her head before tucking him into the bed. She sighed ordering her guards to not allow anyone to bother her for a while. Before she left she looked back and gently kissing his forehead before leaving the room.

Jynx slowly gained consciousness from light streaming into the window. He looked out before looking down in new cotton clothes. He looked around his unfamiliar settings before hearing something from the door looking over. Reka came into the room holding a tray of food and looked up seeing him.

“Reka,” he whispered in shock at seeing her and being alive. She nearly dropped the food putting it down on the table before running over and tackle hugging him. He was shocked falling back on the bed hugging her back tightly. She shut her eyes hugging him more before he yelped in pain.

“Sorry,” she said realizing she brushed against his back.

“It’s okay,” he said softly. She slowly let go but he still held onto her.

“Jynx let me feed you,” she said laughing a bit.

“I don’t want to let go,” he whispered stopping her laughter. “I don’t want this to be a dream.”

She placed her hands on his cheeks. “It’s not, I promise.” She slowly leaned in and kissed him. He was shocked once more before kissing her back gently

[rhysie-cakes314]

Day 2 of Challenge- Lost

“If you’re not back by 10pm on the dot, I will officially assemble the Avengers to find you, do not think I’m kidding, I am not kidding. This is no joke. On second thought, maybe we should come with you. You can start going on your own next year, I don’t know why I let your Pops talk me into this, I’m going to go get my things. I could use the exercise anyway,” and he was rambling. Tony knew he was rambling. Somewhere deep down, he knew he was being unreasonable too, but he was just so nervous.

Steve placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. It grounded Tony, reminded him that he wasn’t alone in his anxiety. It also had the added side effect of shutting him up. “They will be fine, Tony. Your dad knows you’ll be fine because you’re a mature, well-behaved big boy now, aren’t you?” Steve directed the last comment towards Peter.

To his credit, Peter nodded with the seriousness of a soldier on a mission. “Of course, Pops.” He looked at Tony, who was crossing his arms tensely in an attempt to stop fidgeting, “Plus I’ve got JARVIS, right dad?” He held up his Stark phone proudly with a grin. It was not a commercially available model; Tony had designed it just for Peter. It had JARVIS on it, just like all of his own devices.

Tony tried to glare at the grinning kid, but the lopsided smile slid onto his face without his permission. The kid was just so cute. “Yeah, yeah. Get over her and give your old man another hug,” he spread his arms open wide, bending to one knee.

Peter hugged him fiercely before backing away to stand next to his friend, Wade, again. “We gotta go, we’re gonna miss the good candy!”

Wade nodded in agreement. The two boys had decided to coordinate their costumes this year, and Steve had already forced them to photograph for an hour today. Wade made for a very skinny Wolverine while Peter’s eyes were hidden behind his Cyclops goggles Tony had helped him make. He had done most of it himself, but Tony had to help a little with the LED wiring. The effect was worth it. Tony made sure to text Professor X a pic, knowing Xavier could appreciate his son’s adoration of the X-Men.

“Back by ten!” Steve yelled after them as they took off into his old neighborhood. He reached over to lace his fingers through Tony’s. “Let’s go to dinner.” He felt warm and fuzzy. His family was everything he could’ve wanted in life, and memories of trick-or-treating with Bucky had him nostalgic.

“That’s not along the path that my dads laid out for us,” Peter said uncertainly when Wade began pulling him towards another neighborhood an hour later. Pops had been very particular about where they were allowed to trick-or-treat, but Wade did have a point. They were nearly finished with all of the houses on that path, and there was still another hour before they had to head back and meet his parents.

“Pete, c’mon. Do you really want to pass up on all that extra candy and go home early? There’s no reason your dads even have to know. I sure won’t tell.” His eyes were alight with mischief. If anyone could convince Peter Stark-Rogers to break bend the rules, Wade Wilson was the man for the job. He wasn’t sure why he could, Peter was usually such a stickler for rules, but when Wade set them on a path of mischief, it always resulted in laughter and a good time. Plus there was something extra fun about having a shared secret they could allude to later.

Peter bit his lip, a slight blush colouring his cheeks, and Wade wished he didn’t have those goggles on. He wanted to look his best friend in the eyes to see what he was thinking. Without explaining himself, Peter suddenly whipped out his phone and turned it off. “Can’t have JARVIS alerting them,” he explained when Wade stared at him in confusion.

Wade felt his face break into a grin. He gripped Pete’s arm again. “Let’s go!” and the two boys took off running, determined to get twice the candy they already had.

Tony pushed the lava cake around his plate, watching it slide in a fudge trail. Steve knew he hadn’t really touched his meal either. Finishing his own slice of pie, he leaned forward to catch Tony’s attention. “Are you really that nervous?”

Tony startled, looking up to meet Steve’s eyes. “That obvious, huh?” He smirked, but the fear was clear in his eyes.

Steve reached out to clasp his lovers’ hands. “Honey, you haven’t eaten at all. And Italian is your favourite.” He searched Tony’s eyes for a hint of why this bothered him so much. All he saw was raw fear. He sighed. “Parents are out on porches watching over all the kids, no one is going to get nabbed without plenty of witnesses, and Peter knows the path, he can’t get lost. Buck and I started trick-or-treating on our own even younger than this!” He let go and threw his hands up, exasperated when Tony didn’t seem convinced. He loved the man with all of his being, but it was a constant battle to keep the genius from helicopter parenting and smothering their son in protection. “When did you?” Maybe this had something to do with a traumatic experience. Steve knew there was still plenty about Tony’s childhood that he never talked about.

Tony’s face scrunched up in confusion. “When did I what? You lost me, Cap.”

Steve shook his head amusedly. “When did you start trick-or-treating without Jarvis?” It was a fairly safe assumption that Howard and Maria had never taken Tony, so Steve figured it was probably Jarvis. The butler was more of a dad to Tony than Howard.

Tony surprised him with a sharp laugh. “Steve, I never trick-or-treated, that was something for normal kids.” It hurt Steve, the way Tony sounded so casual about that. His tone gave no inkling of sarcasm or that he had the notion that there was something wrong with that. “Oh god, Steve, you look like a kicked puppy. It’s not a big deal.”

The server returned with their check, and Tony filled out the receipt with a flourish. “Did you ever get to be a child?” Steve asked quietly. Tony gave him a pained smile. It was answer enough. They stood, and Steve put his arm around Tony’s waist as they exited. He wished, not for the first time, that he could bring Howard back from the grave to kick his ass. “We should throw a costume party next year,” he suggested suddenly. It wasn’t trick-or-treating, but at least Tony would get to dress up. Peter would love it too, and he could just guess at how thrilled Thor would be to participate in another Midgardian holiday.

Tony chuckled, probably thinking along the same lines. “Yeah, okay sweetheart,” he agreed easily. They took their time walking back towards Steve’s old neighborhood. The sun was slowly setting, the sky a gorgeous array of orange and pinks. Tony inhaled the crisp autumn air and allowed his current happiness to chase away the lingering bitterness about his childhood for the time being. He had a great life. The love of his life had married him, they adopted a wonderful son, and his team had become his extended family where he never really had a real one. Life was good.

“We’re lost,” Peter’s voice wobbled, but his tears didn’t spill over. None of the houses in sight looked familiar, and Peter couldn’t remember what street they had started on anymore. He should have never listened to Wade.

“No we’re not,” Wade said quickly, leading the way in the same direction they had been walking for what seemed like forever. “I know where we’re going,” his voice confident.

The problem was that Peter knew him too well. He could always tell when Wade was lying. “No you don’t!” He shouted angrily. He was scared and tired, his feet hurt, and he just wanted to go home. “You’re just making it up and you know it.” He stomped his feet to punctuate his words.

Wade stopped walking to face his friend. It wasn’t such a big deal that they were lost. Why did Peter care so much? They’d make it back eventually. Wade always found his way eventually. “Fine, you’re right,” he admitted. “But if we walk around, we’ll figure it out eventually. Chill out.”

Peter shook his head and his face was red now. The tears finally began streaking down his cheeks. He knew Wade was never scared, and he wanted to be brave like him but he just wasn’t, okay? New York was huge and full of scary people who did horrible things. He would know, his parents had to fight the scary people all the time. “It’s not chill,” he cried miserably. “I’m scared,” he admitted in a whisper.

Wade pulled him into a hug. Peter was trembling and hiccupping. “I’m sorry,” he comforted. Peter was such a scaredy-cat. He should have expected a reaction like this. It was a real testament to how scared the younger kid was that he hadn’t thought of the obvious on his own. He grabbed Peter’s shoulders and pushed him out of the hug, forcing them to be face to face. “But I promise we’re fine. Just turn your phone back on, and JARVIS will navigate.”

Slow realization dawned on Peter, and he gaped at the other boy. “I didn’t think of that, I’m so stupid,” his voice was even more miserable now. “Plus now my dads will know we broke the rules.”

Wade reached out and snatched away the costume goggles so he could really look at his friend. “Peter, listen to me.” He waited until Peter was meeting his gaze. “You are not stupid.” His voice was firm. “You were scared and that makes thinking hard. You’re one of the smartest people I know. You even understand what I’m saying when my brain won’t make words right,” and that got a giggle from Peter. Peter’s giggle always made Wade’s stomach feel weird. He didn’t really know why but it wasn’t completely unpleasant. “And your dads will just be happy we’re okay.”

Peter stared at Wade for a moment in silence. He wished he could control his blush whenever Wade complimented him, it was so embarrassing. “Yeah, okay.”

“Young sir, you are off your trick-or-treat path,” JARVIS sounded peeved. “Would you care to explain?”

Peter groaned. “JARVIS just help us find our way back, please?” He knew he was whining, but he really was tired.

There was a beat before JARVIS responded, “head north and turn left at the next street sign.” Peter and Wade let out a collective sigh of relief. They were going to get chewed out enough as it is, they didn’t need a lecture from J too.

It turned out Wade was still allowed to spend the night, probably because Tony and Steve never really liked to send him home to his abusive parents, though they hadn’t found proof to give to children’s services yet. Peter was going to be grounded for two weeks.

“I really think it should be two months,” Tony muttered bitterly as they entered the penthouse from the elevator.

Steve chuckled. He could understand the sentiment. “I think Peter scared himself enough that it was a punishment on its own, Tony.”

Peter blushed but didn’t look away. “I wasn’t that scared.”

Wade burst out laughing, and that was really more of a cackle. Wade was cackling at him and Peter glared at the other kid. Wade showed no remorse and just stuck his tongue out before Peter took off chasing him towards his room.

Later that night, when they had finally come down from the sugar rush and were almost asleep, JARVIS spoke up. “I just want you to know, young sir, you’re never truly lost if you have me.”

Peter smiled sleepily at the ceiling. “Thanks, J” he whispered before drifting off to his dreams.

[foxposters781]

FTL: Faster Than Light + Soundtrack Crack

FTL: Faster Than Light PC Game Free Download Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. FTL: Faster Than Light is a Real-Time Strategy game with a turn-based.

Ftl: Faster Than Light + Soundtrack Crackle

Ftl: Faster Than Light + Soundtrack Crackling

Ftl Faster Than Light Ost

Ftl Faster Than Light Cheats

Ftl Faster Than Light Soundtrack

FTL: Faster Than Light - Vinyl Edition soundtrack from 2012, composed by Ben Prunty. Released by iam8bit in 2016 containing music from FTL: Faster Than Light (2012). FTL: Faster Than Light. So I wanted to reflect that in the music. I took the melody from Space Cruise and rearranged it in a minor key and it turned out awesome.

FTL: Faster Than Light PC Game Overview:

FTL: Faster Than Light is developed by Subset Games and published by Subset Games. It was released in 14 Sep, 2012.

****New Content Available**** The free expansion, FTL: Advanced Edition, is available now! Content additions include: new alien race, events, weapons, playable ships, drones, and more! Also adds additional musical tracks by Ben Prunty, and events by Tom Jubert and guest writer Chris Avellone. If you already own FTL it should update the new content automatically. Advanced Edition is included free for anyone who purchases the game from this point forward. ************************

In FTL you experience the atmosphere of running a spaceship trying to save the galaxy. It’s a dangerous mission, with every encounter presenting a unique challenge with multiple solutions. What will you do if a heavy missile barrage shuts down your shields? Reroute all power to the engines in an attempt to escape, power up additional weapons to blow your enemy out of the sky, or take the fight to them with a boarding party? This “spaceship simulation roguelike-like” allows you to take your ship and crew on an adventure through a randomly generated galaxy filled with glory and bitter defeat.

Features:

Complex Strategic Gameplay – Give orders to your crew, manage ship power distribution and choose weapon targets in the heat of battle.

Play at Your Own Speed – Pause the game mid-combat to evaluate your strategy and give orders.

Unique Lifeforms and Technology – Upgrade your ship and unlock new ones with the help of six diverse alien races.

Be the Captain You Want – Hundreds of text based encounters will force you to make tough decisions.

Randomized Galaxy – Each play-through will feature different enemies, events, and results to your decisions. No two play-throughs will be quite the same.

No Second Chances! – Permadeath means when you die, there’s no coming back. The constant threat of defeat adds importance and tension to every action.

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2. Install. 3. Crack FTL: Faster Than Light v1.5.13. (See Tutorial Video below if you don’t know) 4. Play game. 5. Have fun ^^.

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Don’t have… (It’s easy, you can see tutorial HERE, it same for all games, I only make video tutorial for Popular Games)

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Graphics:1280×720 minimum resolution, OpenGL 2.0 Support, and recommended dedicated graphics card with 128 MB of RAM

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Posted 2019-08-30, evaluated by the judges panel

Sir_NutS (Paul Michael Molina), hits us again, this time with a mellower, downtempo synth jam featuring warm, pitch-drifting, melting synths & dusty beats, arranging Ben Prunty's title theme from FTL:

Ftl: Faster Than Light + Soundtrack Crackle

'I figured you guys were getting tired of the endless flood of synthwave remixes from me, so I guess something different is appropiate. I went into this one trying to do something warm, lo-fi/analog-sounding, and also unlike most of my remixes, not in your face all the time. So this is much mellower and more deliberate in pacing than my usual stuff. FTL is a great game, and Ben Prunty made a soundtrack for it that fits perfectly. I spent hundreds of hours playing this, and the soundtrack stuck with me, so it was only a matter of time before I tackled it.

Ftl: Faster Than Light + Soundtrack Crackling

Ftl Faster Than Light Ost

I hope everyone enjoys this one, I like the results, and I'm happy that I went into sorta unknown territory and came back with something alright to show.'

Groovy vibe/aesthetic shift for Mike; I can never really get too much of his particular flavor of synthwave, but this is lower-fi, mellow, & comparatively stripped down, and right from those introductory, drifting/melting chords, you know it's gonna be good. Vaporwave? Retrowave? Something-wave.. judges were unanimous; Rexy provided a great breakdown & analysis:

'Structure-wise, it's one run-through of the source but with a whole bunch of modifications. The backing melody's irregular syncopation from 0:48, the little melody flourishes in the first half (0:36, 1:46, the sine pluck at 1:58) and the source arpeggio changed into a filter-heavy sequence (1:06) all stuck out. The additional synth solo in the 1:23 section also added some much-needed warmth in the lower end. And the square legato synth at 2:50 is all original despite having a similar tone and rhythm to a left-panned synth later on in the source. It's a sign that you knew the BGM inside and out and achieved a compelling arrangement while still respecting the qualities of Ben Prunty's composition.

Ftl Faster Than Light Cheats

Seriously, I got nothing else to say - great job, hey ho, front page, let's go.'

Ftl Faster Than Light Soundtrack

I got nothing else to say, either; Ben's score to FTL really resonated with fans & fit the game like a glove, and Mike's taken that & given it a watery, warm, & well-textured makeover. Great stuff - enjoy!

― djpretzel

[fearofaherobrine]

Roleplay Server Log #262

“Staff Meetings, Tantrum, Big Fire Punch”

[Notch] shouts for Cp and the force of his irritation rocks the foundations of Lie's house slightly-

[Lie] Stirs awake in the bed, CP had wandered off somewhere- The hell?

[Notch] Bangs urgently on her door-

[Lie] Grumpily she gets out of bed and wraps a blanket around herself before going to open the door- Notch?

[Notch] Is standing there holding his phone and shaking a little bit- Where is Cp?!

[Lie] - At the moment I don't know...  Why?

[Notch] Because I'm in a- a- conference call and I need him! It was bad enough he scared my old collegues half to death but he put one of them to sleep and now they can't wake him up!

[Lie] - Oh for fucks sake...  Hang on a sec, I'll see if I can't get him here...- She closes her eyes and sends out a mental tendril for her husband.  Within a moment he's there, slinking out of the shadows to wrap himself around her

[Notch] Cp.... Wake. Tokig. up.

[CP] - Who?

[Notch] Holds up the phone so the camera is on Cp. He can easily see the image of a conference room and several frightened faces. There's a heavyset man laying prone and still on the table-

[CP] - Oh yeah...  Him...  And I want to do this why?

[Lie] - CP I will extend the no sex indefinitely...

[CP] - Oh come on!  Why!?

[Notch] DO IT. You're fucking lucky they're still my friends, or you might have put the whole server in danger!

-Faint sound of Jeb being amused that Cp is getting yelled at-

[CP] Grumbles but does release a ripple of his power- Wake up

[Tokig] Wakes with a panicked gasp of air-

[CP] - Happy now?

[Lie] - You're sleeping on the couch

[Notch] Gritted teeth- Yeeeessss

[Lie] Looks at the others on the screen- I apologize for my husband, some of his old habits are still a bit...  Strong

[Fangbo] Are we in any danger?

[Lie] - No, not unless the SCP takes any interest in you

[CP] - Liiiiiiiiie

[Lie] - No

[CP] - Oh come on

[Lie] - If you keep acting like a cat then I will turn you into one

[Yster] I did kinda hit him with a clipboard and pepper spray....

[CP] - Eh, pepper spray only tingles a little

[Lie] - Of course it would for you...

[Jeb] Snickers at Cp a little bit-

[Notch] Good grief-

[CP] - I heard that

[Jeb] Little frightened gulp-

[CP] - Can we go to bed now?

[Lie] - Uh what is this we you're talking about?  I just told you you're on the couch tonight

[Drona] Markus... is there anything we can do for you?

[Notch] No... I'm stuck. But it beats being dead and it's usually really peaceful here.

[CP] - I mean, I could always take you back out so you can regain a physical form

[Notch] And be in horrible pain for several weeks... I'm not ready for that.

[CP] - It wouldn't be that long

[Jeb] So why did you want that super old server anyway?

[CP] Thumbs at Notch- His girlfriend

[Notch] Blushes- Giving it to her keeps her protected. I don't know what I'd do if she got deleted...

[Jeb] sudden suprise - That was her server?!

[Lie] - Also CP's original

[Fangbo] You're dating a server?

[Jeb] That means that his NOTCH.... wow.... one of the first ones...

[Notch] Yeah...

[Fangbo] Excuse me, I think we're glossing over the fact that he's dating an AI...

[Tokig] Who's doing what now?!

[Fangbo] Markus is dating an AI.

[Tokig] Oh.... is she hot?

[Notch] Flustered - Yes and in addition; shut up.

[Lie] - She's also very powerful, an embodiment of magic

[Yster] Like occult stuff? Or she can mess with the software and make the physics fail and whatnot?

[CP] - That would be more Deer, Flux's magic is more raw, like what allows crafting to work

[Jeb] Basically making his collegue look bad- She's also hot. And often randomly naked.  

[Tokig] Niiiiice.

[Drona] Eye roll-

[Lie] - Deer is another server

[Fangbo] I feel like I'm going insane...

[Notch] I can imagine. I'm sorry to drag you all into this. But you need to understand the gravity of the situation. It's so important that this is kept secret. We actually know someone who can wipe memories, but you're still my friends and I don't want to do that to you.

[Yster] Thank you then.

[CP] - Plus Slender may actually try to eat them

[Tokig] SLENDER?!

[Drona] Okay, now you have to be messing with us!

[CP] - Why do you think I'm referred to as CP?

[Jeb] Because you're a serial cock puncher?

[Fangbo] Can't help but laugh-

[Notch] He's got you there...

[CP] Growls-

[Lie] - It's because he's a creepy pasta

[Tokig] Scootches off the table and goes underneath it instead-

[Lie] - Mind you he's gotten much better since coming here

[Jeb] He's still assaulted me several times...

[Lie] - Yeah there's still a ways to go

[Notch] We're working on it. He's still a stubborn Herobrine.

[Drona] Markus? If we code things for you, can you install mods?

[Notch] No. But I can go to other seeds and bring items in.

[Lie] - What do you have in mind?

[Drona] I'm not sure. It was just a thought. Do you need anything?

[Lie] Not off the top of my head...- She leans back into CP for the warmth

[CP] - How about something to counteract my NOTCH's fucking sword?

[Jeb] I thought your NOTCH was dead?

[CP] - The...- Turns his head away a little- The original one is...

[Notch] He means Harvestman Jeb... the bastard has a sword that deletes things.

[Yster] Harvestman is after you guys?! Are you the ones that fucked him up?

[CP] - I wish...

[Lie] Shudders a little-

[Jeb] He hasn't encountered another NOTCH or brine for at least two weeks, but he's acting like he's fresh from battle when the system checks on him. I caught a glimpse of him a few days ago while he was crossing an empty series of test seeds, he was limping and coughing up blood.

[Notch] He was what?!

[Lie] - Probably Dawns doing...

[CP] - Fucker

[Notch] Anything helps... I didn't know you could curse an AI that effectively.

[Lie] There's a soft glow barely visible under the blanket wrapped around Lie as she tries to calm CP down-

[Fangbo] Who's Dawn?

[Notch] She's a witch. Irl. And thankfully a friend of ours. Not someone you want to allienate.

[CP] - Is there a reason you're still standing in our doorway?

[Notch] Yes. I'm going to walk you to the couch and then finish my call.

[CP] - I do not need you to walk me!?

[Notch] Is already moving. - Lie?

[Lie] - Take him, the couch is down in his private chambers

[Notch] Takes Cp's arm in his free hand and tugs on him-

[CP] - Fucker let go!

[Lie] Waves at her husband before heading back to the bedroom- Your son might be grumpy about going to bed!

[Lie] Is at the bar the next day around noon, she's enjoying a rather nice chat with Sam-

[Doc] Opens the door and holds it so Yaunfen can trot in first.

[Yaunfen] Walks in in human form- Food!  Food!

[Sam] Waves merrily, spreading his hands to indicate they should ask for something.

[Lie] Yawns, still tired from the previous night-

[Doc] Done at the library and now it's time for lunch huh?

[Yaunfen] - Uh-huh!  And then more library!

[Doc] Don't you think we got enough? You should read what you have and then we'll get more. - Makes a circular gesture and Sam nods before heading back to the kitchen.

[Yaunfen] - But...  But...  Books!

[Doc] I know. Books are awesome. I'm proud of you for wanting to learn.

[Lie] - Hey Doc.

[Doc] Hey Lie. I take it you didn't sleep too well?

[Lie] - Not exactly...  Notch woke me up in the middle of the night

[Doc] That's weirdly rude for him.

[Sam] Comes back with a bacon pizza for Doc and a very large flat cookie covered with icing and sprinkles for Yaunfen

[Lie] - That's because CP did a little more than just get Flux's server when he went out

[Yaunfen] Takes the cookie- Thank you

[Doc] I saw him come and go on the chat in the morning. - Takes a slice and gestures for her to take some if she wants. - Thank you Sam.

[Lie] - He ran into some of Notch's former employees and put one of them to sleep- Accepts the offer

[Doc] Groans- Does he have to fucking.... Ugh! Do I need to do any damage control? Bribe anyone?

[Lie] - I don't think so, I think between CP terrorizing them, Notch, and Jeb they might have it.  Honestly Notch's employees seemed more concerned about him

[Doc] I'm glad they still care about him. I think he was hard done by, getting pushed out like that. - nomming-

[Lie] Lets out a little laugh- Notch actually dragged CP down to his private chambers last night to make certain he was sleeping on the couch like I requested, he was that mad

[Doc] Wow.... He's gonna put me to shame with this dad thing. But I guess it's nice to not be alone in curbing his less pleasant tendancies.

[Lie] - I may have also griefed him just a tiny bit...

[eddy and Edward] -run into the bar Edward clearly pretending to chase eddy with snake holding onto Edward-

[Doc] YOU? What did you do Lie?! Oh hey kids! What's up?

[Lie] - I may have mentioned just loudly enough while Notch was leaving with CP, for the others to hear, that CP is his son...

[eddy and Edward] -wave before climbing on to one of the bar stools-

[Doc] Pats Lie on the shoulder - Considering all the times he's embarassed you...? That's more then fair.

[Sam] Looks over the bar at the little visitors motioning for them to order if they want.

[Lie] - It did feel a little good...

[Yaunfen] Has gotten cookie crumbs everywhere-

[Doc] Snickers- I take it Cp is sulking? Likely in a tree someplace? Having fun there kiddo?

[Lie] - And avoiding Notch, if it hadn't been so late Notch may have berated him a bit more

[Yaunfen] Nods- We go back to books?

[Doc] Not gonna let me eat first? - still nomming

[Yaunfen] - BOOKS!

[Sam] Has a sudden thought and pulls out a bowl of dragonwort-

[Doc] Gives Sam an eyebrow- That's an odd thought, but it might work.

[snake] -is curled up on Edwards head-

[Doc] Do you guys want to try the plant Lie made for the dragons? It's nice and dry and the leaves are sweet and soft.

[eddy and Edward] -tries some of the dragon wart and they like it and start noming on it-

[Doc] Want a little pepper or something? It's so weird to think of eating everything dry.

[Lie] Yawns again-

[Edward] -shakes his head-

[Doc] So how long is he in the cat house for this time?

[Lie] - Don't know yet

[Yaunfen] Tugs on Doc's coattails-

[Doc] Yes?

[Yaunfen] - More books?

[Doc] I can't, your inventory is full remember? You should have emptied it before you left the house. [Each book takes up one slot]

[Yaunfen] Whines- But I want more!

[Doc] Pats them on the head - I know. Sometimes you have to do things in moderation though. Besides, the library is for sharing. You can't hog everything.

[Yaunfen] Puffs cheeks out in irritation and stomps a little- But I want!

[Doc] Now, now, don't be like that. It makes you sound like Cp!

[Yaunfen] Suddenly flops to the floor and starts banging their fists and kicking their feet- I WANT! I WANT! I WANT! I WANT!

[Doc] Side eyes Lie- Ummm... Yaunfen...? Don't do that please. Are you over-stimulated?

[Yaunfen] As they let out a scream the floor begins to shake with each hit-

[Lie] - Sometimes they just have to get it out of their system

[Doc] Whoah! Yaunfen?! Stop that! You're going to shake the bar down!

[Sam] Looks panicked [since it is daylight outside.]

[Lie] Sighs and approaches Yaunfen- That's enough Yaunfen, naughty dragons don't get to take any books home

[Yaunfen] - But...  But...

[Lie] - No buts

[snake] -fall on to the floor-

[eddy and Edward] -starts making panicked ender sounds-

[Doc] Is still marvelling that they managed to shake the build around them - Yaunfen...

[Yaunfen] Just lays on the floor crying now-

[Lie] - I think somebody may need a nap...

[Doc] Sits down on the floor and gathers them into hir lap - It's okay.  Nobody is mad at you. You just got over-exicited. Lets just slow down a little.

[Yaunfen] Sniffles and rubs eyes-

[Doc] Kisses them on the forehead- That was some pretty hard hitting you were doing.

[Yaunfen] - But books...

[Lie] - The books will still be there Yaunfen

[Doc] I think you're going to help me harvest sugarcanes. Then we can make even more raw books that I can fill up for you.

[Yaunfen] Tiny voice- Okay...

[Doc] Smooths Yaunfen's long locks - Feeling a little better?

[Yaunfen] Nods a little-

[Doc] Gives them a hug- And I think we might be on to something too. Wait... - gets a naughty smile- Maybe we should talk to Cp for a bit-

[Lie] Gives Doc a questioning look-

[Doc] Carries Yaunfen outside. [They can still pick up their child when Yaunfen is in hir humanoid form] They shift to their own dragon form so the little one can lay between the doctors shoulder spirals. - I'll walk slow. You nap. - and they set off at a snails pace towards Lie's house. Counting on the rocking motion to soothe the small dragon.

[Yaunfen] Yawns and does fall asleep-

[CP] Is up in his pouting tree-

[Doc] Curls up around the base of the tree. Xe's okay with just waiting to be noticed since Yaunfen is napping.

[Doc] Gives a soft little yawn of hir own. Just full of food and warm in the sunshine.

[CP] - The fuck do you want?

[Doc] Not so loud. I just wanted to pick your brain a little. You are the resident baby dragon expert.

[CP] - What is it?

[Doc] Yaunfen had a little outburst and managed to punch and kick the bar floor hard enough to shake the building.

[CP] - ... Okay?

[Doc] You have more experience teaching people to use emerging powers then I do. I think it's an interesting development.

[CP] - Probably one of its powers

[Doc] I hope so. They need something to defend with. -Xe gives Yaunfen a gentle nuzzle with hir nose. - poor child can't even fly. It seems rather unfair.

[CP] - Anything else?

[Doc] I don't know...

[CP] - Then fuck off, I don't want Notch to know where I am

[Doc] it's not like he's vindictive. He already yelled at you once.

[CP] - He used the dad voice

[Doc] Does that really bother you?

[CP] - It's a bit unsettling, voices should not be able to do that... Unless your from Skyrim

[Doc] ... Cp... He's just worried. Wait... You're not... Does it scare you when he does that?

[CP] - NnnnnnnnYes!- Clamps hand over mouth

[Doc] Oh, Cp, you know he cares about you. Even when you're being bad, I don't think he'd hurt you on purpose.

[CP] - Shut up! I didn't mean to say that!

[Doc] It's okay to feel vulnerable around your loved ones, and it's okay to trust people too. Heck, Deerheart could smash me if she really wanted too. But I know she loves me, so I don't worry about it.

[CP] Huffs and grumbles- It's not like he hasn't been more of a father figure than the other two...

[Doc] He really wants the job, so he's doing his best.

[CP] Groans- Well congrats, he's better than the other two- Realizes what he said and curses under his breath

[Doc] Smiles- I'll let him know. It's seems like you've had a productive meditation up there today. Planning on apologizing to Lie when she comes home?

[CP] - No, she hit me with honesty pollen

[Doc] Oh! I was wondering. No wonder you wanted me to go away. I know how much it kills you to be nice to me.

[CP] Growls-

[Doc] Steps up the air blocks in a spiral around the tree until Xe's level with Cp and smiles softly - love you brother brine.

[CP] - Fuck off!  And you will not repeat what I just said!

[Doc] Okay then, I think he already knows... Now it's just a matter of reconnecting with your beleaguered brother.

[CP] Glares-

[Doc] teeny tiny smile-

[CP] - Go away Doc, you're making it obvious where I am

[Doc] We could go somewhere else?

[CP] - How about you just go away instead

[Doc] Come on Cp, come play with us. We're gonna make a mess. - Xe gently grabs him with a paw and puts him on hir mane- it'll take your mind off things

[CP] - No

[Doc] pfft. You're just sulking anyway. And Markus won't know where you are if you come with us. - trots across the air heading for the desert-

[CP] - I will stab you, you fucker

[Doc] Shhh, you'll wake the baby- Xe lands in the sand and heads around the side of the shrine towards the signaling tower.

[CP] - Why are we here?

[Doc] it's a good place to punch things- Xe lets him down and shifts under Yaunfen so they end up in hir arms-

[CP] Just floats in the air-

[Doc] Bumps open the door - come on-

[CP] - No

[Doc] Please?

[CP] Glares-

[Doc] Nudges Yaunfen- sweetie? We're home.

[Yaunfen] Sleepy mumbles as they curl in closer to Doc- Mada...

[Doc] Cuddles them - Wake up little one.

[Yaunfen] Eyes open- Mada?

[Doc] Yep. Come on, I need you to walk a little since Cp won't come in without being pushed.

[Yaunfen] - Okay...  Down please

[Doc] Lets them down gently with a pat on the head-

[Yaunfen] Smiles and then watches Doc walk back towards CP-

[Doc] Gets a sly look and rushes Cp, changing and dipping underground before reaching him-

[CP] tries to dart upwards and away-

[Doc] Arches gracefully up behind him and uses hir snout to shove him bodily through the open door and down the stairs before stopping him at the bottom by grabbing his belt

[CP] - FUCKER!

[Yaunfen] Giggles- Again!  Again!

[Doc] Goes past him, slipping in and out of the walls like a ghost - Well this is as far as I was going to go-

[Buff] Pokes his head out a room that's set alongside the stairs- What's all the ruckus?

[Doc] Shifts back and drops onto the floor with a clack of boots. - Just a bit of fun.

[CP] - Refuses to move any farther as Yaunfen slips past and hurries to Doc-

[Doc] We were gonna hit the little gym for a bit-

[Buff] That sounds like a great idea!

[Doc] Cp is just being stubborn as usual-

[Buff] Big grin- Is he now?

[CP] - Fuck off!

[Buff] Goes eye to eye with Cp - Maybe he just needs a big hug?

[CP] Darts backwards with a growl- No!

[Buff] Aww come on Cp. We could box! - Hops around a bit holding his fists up playfully-

[CP] Growls and flexes his fingers a little, considering summoning his sword-

[Doc] Play nice guys. - Xe takes Cp's shirttail and awkwardly tugs him sideways into the little gym.

[CP] Still growling-

[Doc] Now. Cp I have a request you'll like. Please teach Yaunfen how to throw a proper punch. And use the bag. Not me!

[Buff] Good save. Hehe

[CP] - Why?

[Doc] Because. I want to see if they can replicate what happened in the bar by focusing.

[CP] - And if I don't want to?

[Doc] You're passing up a chance to both teach and punch things?

[Buff] Gives Yaunfen a pat - They're silly aren't they?

[CP] - Teaching a child...  When my wife is already mad at me...  To fight

[Doc] You taught Stevie how to use a sword...

[CP] - That was different

[Doc] Expectant stare-

[Yaunfen] - Is big fire sick?  Mada says big fire likes fighting...

[CP] - It's true!

[Buff] I think he's just holding off to annoy your mada.

[Doc] Yeah it's different in that swords are more dangerous.

[CP] - And it was necessary, Stevie and I were the only ones there, I had to teach him in case something did happen

[Doc] And you think my child shouldn't at least know the most basic move for protecting oneself? Even the weakest Steve can punch a tree down.

[CP] - Then teach them yourself, unless you don't know how

[Yaunfen] - But your big fire...  You're strongest...

[CP] Growls a little-

[Doc] You're going to disappoint under that banner Cp?

[CP] Glares- Fine.  Show me what you can do kid

[Yaunfen] Trots over to the punching bag...  Only to start crying as they are splattered with blood- Mada!

[Doc] Hey I said we were going to make a mess! I've seen you gleefully get paint everywhere kiddo.

[Yaunfen] Cries a little- This is icky and smells bad!

[CP] Laughs a little-

[Doc] Okay. I'll turn the drip coding off. - Xe runs hir hands over Yaunfen and flicks all the bloody pixels onto the floor.

[Buff] Gives Cp a pointed look for laughing.

[Yaunfen] - No more icky?

[Doc] No more icky. Cp likes that kind of thing though. The amount of splatter shows how hard you're hitting too. - Xe fiddles with a bag a bit and slaps a button on the ceiling above it. the Doctor pokes the button with a stick and the bag goes suddenly dry.

[CP] - Try again kid

[Yaunfen] Doesn't look sure but does try again, this time when they punch there is no splatter-

[CP] Watches and approaches, beginning to correct things-

[Buff] Slides over and picks up the big dumbell, lifting it up and down in one hand and then the other.

[Doc] Watches proudly-

[Yaunfen] Keeps attacking the bag with small corrections from CP-

[Doc] Try and replicate what you did before. You were really hitting the floor with some crazy strength.

[Yaunfen] - I don't know...

[Buff] Oh, are they showing some powers Doc?

[Doc] Perhaps. Try focusing on something that fires you up. Imagine the bag is someone mean you don't like.

[Yaunfen] Frowns and tries hitting again, thinking about DN.  There are several small punches, but the last one sends the bag swinging wildly with a bit of power-

[Buff] Whoah!

[Doc] There we go! That had some serious weight behind it!

[CP] Steps back, wondering if he can slink away-

[Yaunfen] - I did it!  I did it!

[Doc] You did! I'm so proud of you! - Subtly blocks Cp from going out the door- Thoughts Cp?

[CP] - They've got the basics down, don't know what to think of their power

[Doc] I'm just imagining what that would be like in a donkey kick instead of a punch...

[CP] - I think that's more your area to teach

[Doc] On the contrary, it might be Lie's area. I'm too long in the tail to do good donkey kicks.

[CP] - How would it be her area?

[Doc] Duh. She trains horses. I heard about her impromptu lesson with Steve and China. And Yaunfen is horse-sized now.

[CP] - No

[Doc] No what? I can call her. Tell her how helpful you're being and ask for her assistance.

[CP] - Just fuck off and let me leave

[Doc] You don't want to be around for me praising you in front of her?

[CP] Flips Doc off as he shoves past them-

[Buff] Thanks Cp!

[Doc] Chuckles- Hey Yaunfen? Want to have auntie Lie teach you something next?

[Yaunfen] - Yeah!

[Doc] We should probably go outside though. It's too close in here and the quartz floor of the shrine is too slippery. - types- Hey Lie? Are you busy?

[Lie] - Still eating, why?

[Doc] Are you still at the bar?

[Lie] - Yeah

[Doc] Okay. I'll come to you. Hey Yaunfen, in the mood for a faster ride this time?

[Yaunfen] Nods eagerly-

[Buff] Puts a towel around his neck. - Mind if I come?

[Doc] Goes to say yes and shakes hir head as he gets close - UGH! Take a dip first. Please and thank you.

[Yaunfen] Sneezes a little-

[Buff] Heh! Sure. - He jumps into the pool at the back of the room and does a quick scrub before coming back out.

[Doc] That's better. You were a bit ripe. - Xe walks the two of them outside and shifts quickly, scooping them up and shooting crazily into the sky. Xe makes a point to zoom closely past Cp walking home and do a tight barrel roll overhead-

[iesharael-blog]

1/5/19 Happy New Year

ok im gonna be honest... I dont remember the past 5 days other than i’m sick and can barely breath and i mad the mistake of going to the movies with some friends. i wanted to see mary poppins again so me and 4 friends were gonna go, well after we already planned that, one made me really uncomfortable when he was drunk messaging me and not accepting that i did not want a relationship with him. even going so far as to say he hates my ex simply cause he got me first. so im gonna call these friends A B C (as well as D and E to explain backstory) and explain who they are with a little key so i can give the story without being revealing of identities and what not.

Me - [fem] myself. I’ve know them for a little over 20 years and they tend to be a complete child and was treated as the child of friends back in high school and cared for as such. highly susceptible to emotional manipulation especially from people they trust

A - [fem] my best friend since 5th grade who i fondly refer to as my mama bear. my amazing protector of both physical and emotional battle grounds. the very person who’s house i ran to when i needed time away from my parents to figure things out before asking for therapy.

B - [male] twat i met my junior year who i started calling dad at some point and has since become completely unstable. very egotistical and leaves arguments if he isn’t winning constantly playing the victim card.

C - [male] guy who i was randomly introduced to through his younger brother adding him to a discord server i run as an attempt to shut down my ex for daring to call the unholy texts that are The Harry Potter Series “mediocre” (i also have his phone number randomly cause i used to know his twin) and has been friends with B for a while even going so far as to have a running joke of them being in a relationship even tho they are both straight.

D - [fem] B’s ex who i refer to as step mama and who tends to be fairly motherly towards me

E - [male] dude i was friends with in highschool and who was good friends with B

My Ex - [male] still on very good terms and he is very caring towards me. he tries to make sure im doing whats best for me and not letting anyone manipulate or harm me

ok that was bigger than i expected but im sick im not thinking straight so this gonna be a bit weird and long... ok heres the story:

so im all like “hey i wanna see Mary Poppins again!” and B and C are like yeah lets go! with B immediately stating how he had planned to see it with B before they broke up, already putting a slight damper on the thing but we got past it. a day or two after i end up with me and B agreeing (timestamp 9:30) to message on discord between 11-12 as well as set up a server for us and his little sis to play on. (the wait was for him watching doctor who with his family) so i shower and puzzle and finally with no word by 11:42 i message him asking for when he thinks he will be on to which i get the message “I don’t know I’m really drunk it’s gonna be a blast “... and now a transcript of what followed next copied word for word (well privacy edits) time stamps (and spelling errors) included:

ME Last Sunday at 11:44 PM

but i guess mary poppins day discusion will wait for tomorow

me and your sister agreed on doing ftb sky adventers

B Last Sunday at 11:45 PM

Ok

Btw

Hehe

I shouldn’t say it

ME Last Sunday at 11:45 PM

say it

cant say btw then not say it

dick

B Last Sunday at 11:46 PM

Well

Uhm

ME Last Sunday at 11:46 PM

yes?

B  Last Sunday at 11:46 PM

I’m unhappy with [MY EX]

Because I was maybe going to ask you out

I can say this because I’m drunk

ME Last Sunday at 11:47 PM

omg lol (in the this is a funniy situation way, not laughing at you)

thought you were repulesed by me? yeesh [B] keep your story straight

after all i did like you a bit before i met [MY EX], but hes always nice and youre... drunk nice

so eta for server mister cassanova?

B Last Sunday at 11:51 PM

No I want to be nice to you sober too but for some reason I get scared so I hide behind lies

Idk a while

Tonight

ME Last Sunday at 11:51 PM

you dont have to be scared, im just shocking

B Last Sunday at 11:52 PM

Well if we go to Mary poppins

Even with [C], who I’d like to be there

Maybe a mini date?

ME Last Sunday at 11:52 PM

no.

B Last Sunday at 11:52 PM

Aqwww

ME Last Sunday at 11:52 PM

sorry but i cant date again not yet

B Last Sunday at 11:53 PM

I’m gonna be sad

ME Last Sunday at 11:53 PM

i told you why me and [MY EX] broke up

B Last Sunday at 11:53 PM

But when I’m sober I’m going to regret most of this

ME Last Sunday at 11:53 PM

its not good for me to be in a relationship rn

B Last Sunday at 11:53 PM

I know

Well

Actually

ME Last Sunday at 11:54 PM

look if things dont work out with [MY EX] once my brain is on the path to fixed then we will see, until then dont wait up for me

B Last Sunday at 11:54 PM

I think you do need to be with at least someone because when you are depressed and thrown out of it you need someone to relate to and talk and make you feel comforted and loved

Time alone isn’t the answer

ME Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

except i have friends for that hon

B Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

Yeah

You dooo

ME Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

you dont need a relationship relationship

i have a [A]

B Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

Well

Is she helping

Are you loved

ME Last Sunday at 11:55 PM

i talk to her about everything mental

i talk to [IRRELEVANT MALE FRIEND] about physical questions

creepy right? well this kept going with me getting more and more uncomfortable and refusing to accept that i dont want a relationship (a quote from B in reference to my ex: “ He might be your daddy, but I’m your daddy” tf? and yes he bolded) to the point that i was just sticking around so hed put a server up for the pack. then a bit before 2 o’clock i say that im gonna get off at 2 cause that when i had planned to, to which he (im not sure if intentionally) manipulated me into staying on till 3 o’clock because he would tell me about a personal thing i was curious about. finally 3 o’clock comes around, we call and i hear the story and once the server is up he tells me hes gonna go play league with some people (note random online people not irl people he supposedly likes) and will be back in 20 mins. i figure what the hay ill wait. 40 mins later he says hes not getting back on... obviously im furious. (screen shot of convo i sent to someone day of to explain without having to retype - im red)

next day comes and im uncomfortable and C ends up buying minecraft so he can play with me on the server, we get in call with a now sober B when he gets on and i confront him about the messages even sharing screens for proof (i learned its best not to 1v1 argue him cause im easy to manipulate) and he claims to not remember it but whenever C is away during the call he says things that sound slightly suggestive. at this point id like to note that i have a full recording of me scrolling through the messages as an unlisted video on my youtube channel and have sent it to people who with no prior suggestion have described it as “rapey” and warned me against him. my ex in particular warned me that i am very susceptible to an abusive relationship rn due to my mental state and that he seemed very unstable. at this i decided to invite A to go to mary poppins too since she would be a good protector of me should anything happen and to have a more familiar presence there. 

now here is the juicy part. so D was talking to C where C was complaining how clingy B was becoming and how creepy he was being towards me so she quickly messages me on snap warning me that he is a ‘manipulative possessive jerk who will see me as nothing but an object to conquer and get mad when you are unhappy’ after hearing this i rembered B’s story about D cheating on him with E before D and E got together and started to wonder how true that was. me and D had a lovely conversation following that about my singular past relationship and her current one and blah blah blah.

MOVIE DAY: (C canceled the night before so now it is just me B and A going) we get picked up by A and all seems well with everyone being friendly and B seeming kinda cautious. i think hes regretting the convo so i decide to be nice. the movie was great and we decide to hang in the mall after (i made a build a bear). so while we were hanging at one point he scared me when after he provoked me into my light face wacks (cat play pretty much, wouldnt damage the most fragile ice) he grabs my hand to stop me and me thinking “oooo game fun!” i start to dig my nail into his hand to get let go of but instead of him reacting how i expected (letting go so i can escape) he looks at me with the scariest most serious face ive ever seen and (this part still scares me) says “you dont want to go down this path” he finally lets go and i go sit by the hot topic earing displays while A and B look at buttons then when B sits next to me while A waits to pay he basically called my claw abuse. (like what? you grab my hand hard enough that it hurt when i was doing the same playful banter weve done for years and apparently im the abuser cause i do my standard get away strategy of hurting the hand thats holding me? what did you expect me to do? just comply and calmly stand there with my hand held above y head in yours?) after we leave hottopic we are in the car and somehow we get to the topic of the drunk conversation.

so im talking and trying to explain how uncomfortable he made me( and how i was afraid to be alone around him and how i had been scared remembering that he not only knows where i live but where the spare key is!!!!) and i dare use the word “rapey” ... lets see if i can get a definition for yall but first ill say how i use that word - “rapey. an adjective to describe a situation in which one party becomes uncomfortable and afraid to the point that they feel if this continues they could be raped or otherwise hurt/abused in the future” - and now the second definition from urban dictionary:  “Rapey A guy who's creepy, and hugs or kisses inappropriately. He has a rapist lure. You don't think he would do it but definitely gives off that vibe. i.e. creepy hugger at the office.” - now i apparently  made a huge error in daring to use that word to describe the conversation where he would not accept me saying no to a relationship (and at one point asked me my ex’s dick size - which i did not give) and continously stated how using words liek that could end up getting him in jail. A and i look at eachother incredulously and try to argue with him a bit but ultimately decide to just get back to the point and bring it back to how uncomfortable i was and how he needs to change his attitude and appologize but he keeps bringing it back to that word. fianlly im close to tears and mutely hugging my yoshi in the front seat and the whole car goes silent. A offers that i sleep over tonight which i decline knowing im sick and need my bed and we talk a bit about my ex and goign out for ramen with him sometime. once i was home i removed B from discord snap and steam and will remove him next time im on league as well. he was removed from my server and i left any i had in common with him. i am done trying to forgive him.

on a brighter note i got sims 4 cause C bought it for me since i couldn't refund his ticket i prepaid for and im learning how to get better from this stupid dry throat. hopefully ill be better by Tuesday so i can go back to work at the library!

thanks for reading! <3 

i know this was a long one and probably makes half sense cause of the code letters and the fact that i am writing this while very light headed <3