#also. hello to the people who already knew he has a split tongue. hi

[theokusgallery]

Alright KtS(aWtG)!Janus in a better outfit that I'll probably use more than the first one

KtS(aWtG)!AU by @greenninjagal-blog :)

With his Patton-patented flower crown. Because it's cute

[familyfriendlyweed]

makeup sessions (karl jacobs x fem reader)

a/n : hi! this is my first tumblr post. i have written stuff on wattpad in the past, but it’s still quite new to me, so please be nice :]] i accept positive critism and advice, as that most definitely will help me grow as a writer!

 Y/n let out something between a squeal and a scream at the same time when she saw Karl's tweet. her face was beat red and her lips couldn't help but curl into the stupidest grin ever.

the tweet read :

hey @) y/nhasursocks wanna do my makeup at my stream today :]]

 it was the simplest tweet, yet it meant so much to the girl. Karl and Y/n were always really good friends, they often streamed minecraft together, but never in a million years did he yet ask her to be in his stream in real life.

 Y/n picked up the phone with trembling hands, already seeing a bunch of likes, comments and retweets to Karl's tweet. before answering, she got curious to know what the people say. cautiously opening the comments section, the girl scanned it through with her eyes. a bunch of "awwwwws" and hearts could be seen, which worsened her already red cheeks.

With her heart thumping hard against her ribs, she started writing her reply :

sounds great! <3

 for a moment Y/n hesitated to press the "reply" button with the "<3" emoticon in the comment, but then she figured she and Karl sent lovey dovey emojis/emoticons in the past to each other anyways, so, she pressed the "reply" button at last.

 in an instant, her reply started gaining more and more likes, comments and retweets. Y/n was never really popular, having her clout was only because of Karl being her friend, so seeing this much attention was weird to her. but she didn't care about that right now. all that Y/n cared about at the moment was the fact that Karl appreciated her enough to actually invite her over.

 a little bit later in the day, Y/n received a private message from Karl, which said :

hey Y/n! I'm really glad you're up to stream together <3 i planned on starting the stream at 4 pm, but you can change the time if you're busy :] here is my address (don't tell anyone! :D) - (random address lol)

 Y/n answered :

 thanks for inviting me bestie!! 4 pm is cool, I'll be there! <33

 she set the phone down, unable to remove the blissful smile from her face. she has never felt this way before - it was really weird, but the constant butterflies in her tummy reminded her that it's a good feeling. taking a few deep breaths, Y/n reminded to herself that all she has to do is to go to Karl's house and have a good time AS FRIENDS - no romantic stuff is needed.

  ~~~~~time skip~~~~~

  Y/n got off from the bus at 15:50, but she still had about 5 minutes to reach Karl's house. in what felt like forever, the girl felt a sting of what was unmistakably fear and guilt - what if she was late? and what if Karl would be annoyed with her for that?

 slowly she broke into a panicky run. passing careless citizens, who all looked at her fear-stricken face curiously, she finally made it to the front door of Karl's home. Y/n pulled out her phone and found the code that she was supposed to enter next the main door. she quickly dialed it, a beep beep beep was heard and she entered.  

 finally making it to Karl's apartment, Y/n stopped to smooth her hair and straighten her clothes so she doesn't look too shabby. her body seemed to be moving on its own - her finger pressed the doorbell automatically.

 Karl opened the door almost in an instant - he wore a warm smile and before Y/n could stutter a "hello", he pulled the girl into a big welcoming hug.

 "hey Y/n! it's so cool you made it!" Karl exclaimed, still holding her close.

Y/n's head was spinning, she needed more time to process what was happening. but nevertheless, she finally lifted her own arms and hugged the guy. burying her face into his sweater, she inhaled Karl's scent deeply - he smelled something like honey and warm days.

"hello, Karl." she mumbled with a grin on her face.

"come on, do you want to eat something before the stream?" Karl asked, letting go of the girl and taking her hand into his instead, leading Y/n into the house.

"oh no, I'm full. let's get straight to business." she answered, the blissful smile and content blush never leaving her face.

"alrighty! you already know, but we'll have an eventful makeup session, and then I thought maybe play some minecraft so the stream isn't too short?" the guy asked, opening his bedroom door.

"sounds great!"

Karl smiled and went to his computer :

"you ready? I'll start the stream now."

the girl quickly fixed her hair again and gave him thumbs up :

"ready."

Karl started the stream with facecam on and as soon as the chat saw Y/n, it went absolutely wild.

"guys, give her a rest, poor girl just came!" he laughed, drawing her a chair. Y/n thanked quietly and sat, waving to the chat timidly. in the corner of her eye, she saw comments like "she's so adorable" and "look at Karl being a gentleman" in the chat and her cheeks grew more red, but this time from satisfaction.

"well, as you guys know, Y/n agreed to be in my stream today, and since some of you don't really know her, she's a really good friend of mine who also streams and does youtube videos - so go support her!"

from that moment Y/n relaxed more and more with each minute. it was fifteen minutes into the stream when she already felt as if at home.

"Karl, you have a hell lot of lipsticks, where did that come from?"

"uhhhh, I only bought them for the stream today!"

"oh really? why are they all used, then?" Y/n asked giggling and showing them to the stream.

"hey- don't expose me like that!"

"chat, clip it, CLIP IT!"

all was going really well, Y/n was having a really good time with Karl AS FRIENDS. it was really nice. but all hell broke loose when the time to put eyeliner came.

"alright, I have no idea why, but you have four eyeliners."

"they're my sister's."

"haha, yeah, yeah, alright. Which one do you want big man?"

"hmmm, the one in your left hand!"

Y/n set the other eyeliners on the table, quickly glancing at the chat. her cheeks grew very very red…

"Y/N DO THE MEME SIT ON HIS LAP" "SIT ON HIS LAP" "THE MEME, DO THE MEME!!!"

  a/n: if anyone is confused, this is an example of the meme i’m talking about :

the girl tried to act as if she hadn't seen the comments, but Karl was already by her side, reading them with her.

"meme… what meme?" he wondered out loud. Y/n got the impression that he was genuinely confused.

'chat, shut the fuck up, please shut the fuck up.' thought Y/n, but of course chat was just being chat.

"SHE SHOULD SIT ON UR LAP" "THERE'S A MEME WHERE A GIRL DOES A GUY'S EYELINER WHILE SITTING ON HIS LAP" "WE'RE NOT FORCING BUT YOU GUYS WOULD LOOK SO CUTE"

Y/n hid her face in her hands, unable to control her blushing. Karl just chuckled sweetly :

"chat, calm down, she's going to die from blushing."

he put on the "please stand by" screen and scooted over Y/n :

"hey, it's fine. we won't do it if you don't want to," Karl then leaned closer and whispered, "I'd be pretty glad if you agreed, though."

Y/n lowered her hands, showing off the big red hue on her cheeks. for a split second Karl's eyes widened -  she looked really adorable.

"I'd also be glad." the girl said, almost not believing her own words.

Karl's adorable smile came back and he leaned back:

"well then, come here."

Y/n stood up shyly and straddled his legs, grabbing the eyeliner in the process.

"do you want me to turn on the facecam?" Karl asked quietly.

the girl nodded :

"I don't mind."

he turned it on and put his hands onto Y/n's hips. even without looking at it, Y/n knew the chat was blowing up at the moment.

"you guys better subscribe, because we're providing very good fanservice." said Karl jokingly and Y/n laughed. turning to him, she opened the eyeliner and put it next to his eye, only to find him staring at her in an awe. the girl blushed as a strong urge to kiss him kicked in. it looked as if Karl wanted the same thing.

at the precise same time, they both leaned in and pressed their lips together, Y/n putting her hands onto Karl's cheeks to hide the view from the chat. the kiss was very short and with no tongue included - but it was the most sweet kiss Y/n has ever shared with someone. she pulled away, an identical grin to Karl's on her face and hugged him very tight - they almost fell off the chair.

laughing, she continued to do Karl's makeup as if nothing happened and everyone watching the stream wasn't fainting and clipping the kiss. this will be talked about for a long time, but as before, Y/n didn't care about that, and nor did Karl.

a/n : anddddd cut! it’s quite wonky, but i believe it’s pretty swell for my first mcyt fanfic :]] let me know what you think of it and if you have any tips or advice on how to make my future stories more enjoyable! thanks for reading and i hope to see you around <3

[lonely-lost-soul]

Under the Floorboards (Pt. VI)

(Technoblade X Reader) Pt. I, Pt. II, Pt. III, Pt. IIII, Pt. V, Pt. VI, Pt. VII

    You had barely gotten any sleep that night, it was a shitty time to not sleep but you couldn’t control insomnia. Most nights it was Techno who was the insomniac, he would spend hours laying awake just staring at you waiting for the voices to quiet down for the night. He was in awe of your beauty and grace, and the nighttime moonlight only ever enhanced those features. You couldn’t help but understand what he was talking about as you stared at his features in the moonlight darkness of your room. His hair was out of its typical braid and framed his head like a pink halo, you felt his arms tighten around your waist as you tucked his hair behind his ear. The tension in his brow released feeling your touch brush against his skin and you smiled adoringly at the sight. His nose nuzzles up against your neck and your smile split into a wide grin, god he was so soft. You felt his fingers spread out against the small of your back and pull you flush against him, his breathing changed and you frowned. 

You didn’t expect anything less than the blood god to be a light sleeper. He always needed to be on his feet, ready for any attack. 

   “I didn’t mean to wake you,” your voice was barely above a whisper and he made a tired noise of confirmation. 

   “It’s okay,” He yawned and it echoed across the walls of the house like a lion’s roar. “It’s rare when you can’t sleep, what’s on your mind?” Technoblade shifted a little so he could get a good look at you in his arms, he could never get over how small you were in comparison to him. You flipped on your back much to his displeasure and dragged your hands down your face; a sigh came from your nose before you answered,

   “Thinking about tomorrow is all. Just nervous, typical stuff I think, I don’t trust Dream fully. He gives me bad vibes.” You said honestly, your (e/c) eyes staring up at the ceiling even from the angle Techno was looking at you he could tell they were sad. God, he wasn’t good at comforting people things like this made him feel like such a shitty person. 

   “I don’t trust him either. But, we have mutual goals and a mutual understanding both of which are hard to come by.” He explained briefly looking thoughtful, “the bottom line is this needs to happen. I don’t want you to worry because Phil and I will have your back no matter what, we look out for each other.” You flopped on top of him and he let out a grunt of displeasure,

   “I’m worried about you dummy.” 

   “Technoblade never dies baby what are you on about?” He let out a laugh as you rested your elbows on his chest, his hands found themselves on your back holding you close. He watched you roll your eyes dramatically and pinch at his ears, he clicked his tongue at you. “Keep pinching my ears like that and we’re gonna have to fight it out,” his lips twitched into a fond smile as you sat upon his hips holding up your fists. 

   “Then let’s fight cause I’m not gonna stop. They’re just too pinchable big guy. Your little piglin features are precious and I’m gonna dote over them.” His face burned red and he groaned loudly, his head landing against the pillows with a thump. 

   “It’s just the ears, teeth, and the height. You’re being gross.” 

   “Fuck you I’m being romantic.” 

   “Which is gross and cringe if you didn’t know.” 

   “Fine then I guess you won’t be getting any kisses from me for a long while.” 

   “Now hold on a minute let's talk about this like adults,” You laughed loudly and smirked at Techno’s attempts to keep cool about the situation. You leaned down and peppered his face with light kisses, he hummed pleasantly at the sensation. 

   “I’ll let it slide this time but watch your words.” Techno gave a sleepy nod of his head, and you smiled tenderly at the man. You shuffled around and curled up against his side, he adjusted himself to hold you close, “I love you Techno.” 

   “Love you too princess.” He pecked your forehead before he closed his eyes and fell back into a light sleep. You took a deep breath and buried your face in his chest listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart, this time however you weren’t far behind him.

~~~

Technoblade was up as soon as the sun rose over the hills and spilled into your bedroom. He made sure to maneuver around you so that he wouldn’t wake you as soon as he sat up in bed. He stretched his arms behind his back until he heard the satisfying pop of his bones, he scratched at his head and tousled his pink hair. Techno wanted an early start, make sure everything they needed for the day was prepared and ready to go, he needed to brew a shit ton of potions. He also needed to make sure you had an appropriate set of armor, that’s not even mentioning the Withers he needed to gather. A lot to do and so little time to get it all done, he wanted to let you sleep as much as possible considering you didn’t sleep last night. He slid out of bed and grabbed his hairbrush, one thing he could attribute to meeting you was his hygiene habits. Techno always used to keep his hair in a braid and never touch it, it wasn’t until you had first run your hands through his hair that he realized how much of a problem that was. You were very nice about it but he could tell you were trying not to gag when he told you he couldn’t remember the last time it was unbraided. You assured him that was going to change and helped him nurse his hair back to life, whatever you did it was magical. His hair was just as soft as yours, healthy and shiny he couldn’t let you down by not taking care of it. However, since he was going into battle he threw his hair into a quick braid letting it fall over his shoulder before he majestically sat his crown on top of his head. 

Technoblade stared at himself in the mirror and traced his rough hands over the scars on his face and neck, he had no idea what the fuck you saw in him. Honestly, who cares though because by some miracle you love him for him and that’s all that matters. Technoblade continued to get dressed for the day and only stopped when you began to stir under the covers. He watched you sit up and give the cutest yawn he’s ever heard in his life his eyes softened considerably seeing you look around hazily for him. Spotting him you opened your arms and made grabby hands, he let out a deep chuckle and wrapped his arms around you. 

‘Simp. Stop spamming simp. He is a simp though, look at him melt. Shut up.’ 

   “Chat shut it...Morning Princess,” He kissed your lips softly and he felt you lazily kiss him back, still sluggish from sleep. 

   “Morning Bubs. Why didn’t you wake me up?” You complained from his arms only pulling away to look him in the eyes. He always thought you had the most gorgeous eyes, why was he feeling so lovey-dovey today? 

‘Cause, you could lose her today. Her lives are unknown. What if she only has one like Phil and has no idea and she dies? E.’ 

Those thoughts and ideas chilled him to the bone he swallowed thickly, “You sure I can’t change your mind about today?” He watched your brow furrow and you kissed your teeth,

   “No way. Till the end of the line remember?”

   “Oh, I remember. In that case,” Technoblade pulled you to your feet much to your surprise, “You come back to me uninjured, we get married.” He watched your jaw drop and your eyes widen to insane sizes. “If you want obviously, no pressure.” 

‘WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU. AWWWWW SO ROMANTIC! SIMP. SHE’S GOING TO SAY NO. LOSER. CRINGE. GUYS STOP HE’S BEING SWEET!’ 

He felt panic surge through him when you didn’t respond to him for a good few minutes, oh he fucked up. Technoblade never dies, more like Technoblade’s about to throw himself into lava three fucking times. 

   “Yes! Holy shit yes you idiot! Damn now that’s some motivation!” You laughed in disbelief and you bounced on your toes. Technoblade let out a breath of relief, he took a risk and it paid off, he was Technoblade after all so of course, it did. He wasn’t worried at all. You grabbed the fluff of his cape and pulled him down to kiss him passionately, his hands grabbed your hips and lifted you into the air. He knew it wasn’t official yet, as he said you had to come back okay, but that doesn’t mean they couldn’t celebrate at least a little bit early. He kissed down your face and listened as you giggled, he could tell your face was turning red by its heat, “Okay goober we gotta get ready. There are crimes we gotta commit and I still need to shower.”  

   “Nonsense you smell like lavender and’ all that other girly stuff.” Technoblade scoffed but pulled away as you requested. A smile fell across your face and he felt you poke his nose fondly, “I’ll be gathering potion materials, if you need me just holler.” On that note, he headed down the ladder to gather what he needed for the day. Phil would probably be joining momentarily and he’d put him on potion making duty and also give him a totem of undying. His stomach churned a little as he placed water bottles inside the brewing stands, his singular totem of undying. 

He had already decided he’d give it to Phil, if he didn’t he felt like it would be a betrayal of all the man had done for him in the past. 

Technoblade turned towards the window and saw Phil approaching his home from the sky, he opened the window and gave him a little wave. Phil smiled back at him and climbed the stairs to get inside the house, “Hello. Are you both ready for today?” Phil looked around seemingly trying to spot you, Technoblade pointed upstairs and he nodded in understanding. 

   “I wouldn’t say we’re ready exactly.” He let out a huff, “I’m trying to make triple the potions before Dream gets here, plus I wanna make sure (Y/N)’s weapons and armor are enchanted properly.” Phil hummed thoughtfully opening up some of Technoblade’s chests, only mentally gagging at the disorganization. 

   “I got your back brewing the potions, go double-check everything’s ready for (Y/N), I know you worry ‘bout her mate.” Techno had to turn away because he felt heat flare in his face, he heard Phil begin to snicker and he glowered. 

   “Imagine thinking I care about others, cringe.” 

   “Oh really? I’ll just go tell (Y/N) that then-”

   “Eh? No need to do that. I don’t appreciate being framed. Anyway, potions Phil, potions you need to focus on what’s important here.” Another laugh came from Phil as he rolled his eyes fondly at his friend. 

   “On it Techno.” 

Both men got to work brewing potions and double-checking weaponry, not just for you but for all of them. Well, all of you minus Dream the homeless man can fend for himself. In the meantime, Technoblade gave Phil his totem of undying just in case today went fucking wrong. 

   “Alright boys, what do you need me to do?” You announced climbing down the ladder, you had made sure your hair was out of the way so it wouldn’t be a distraction. Technoblade smiled as he watched the emerald he gave you those months ago bounce against your neck. 

   “Go make sure you have enough ender pearls and exp bottles for your armor. Is all your armor enchanted properly?” 

   “Obviously,” You rolled your eyes dramatically “as if you’d ever let me get away with subpar armor.” Technoblade held up his hands in defensively, 

   “Just making sure. You can’t blame me for wanting you protected.” 

   “Daw.”

   “Shut up Phil.” Technoblade watched a smile form across your face as you covered your mouth with your hand. He was just happy you were laughing, “grab your weapons lemme check them.” You nodded your head and kissed his cheek tenderly, he normally wasn’t one for PDA but Phil was a different story. You handed over your weapons to him and he looked over them, he started with your sword that was aptly titled The Wanderer’s Trade all the enchantments seemed to line up properly, he also double-checked your ax to see it lined up too. “Remember their shields go up you use your ax.” He watched as you nodded in response, you weren’t dumb he knew that but he couldn’t help but want to double-check strategies with you. 

   “I know you trained me well,” You hummed fondly, as he handed you back your ax. He watched as you twirled it in your hands, “Good ole’ Foster Mom won’t let me down.” Both Phil and Techno chuckled at your response, Technoblade gave you a loving pat on the head before sending you off to gather some more glowstone. The three of you spent the rest of the morning gathering supplies, and as the afternoon rolled around Technoblade felt himself grow more and more frantic as the time ticked closer to doomsday. He began to ramble a bit about needing to prepare things especially after Dream showed up early and announced they were going early into L’manberg. Dream explained that he was going to need about twenty minutes to prepare the TNT for the cannons, which meant (Y/N), Phil, and Technoblade himself needed to stall for that amount of time. 

That meant the Withers needed to be in play. 

Technoblade distributed Wither skulls and the soul sand between the three of you. 

He watched as you stared at the skull in your hands gently cradling it before putting it into your inventory. He hoped you were being honest and were okay with what was about to happen. 

   “Now we really have to go.” Dream tried to urge your little group to speed up and get this show on the road. Techno nodded his head and clicked his tongue against his teeth, 

   “Alright, first things first let we need to get the hound army.” He watched your entire face come alight, 

   “Hound army? You didn’t tell me we had puppies!” He felt you grip his arm with the enthusiasm of a child, he winced a little bit at your eagerness. Techno glanced at Dream who was just as unreadable as always with his mask but Techno could sense his patience with you running thin. 

   “I didn’t wanna tell you cause there’s a good chance we lose like all of them today.” He watched you deflate but nod in understanding, “so don’t get attached okay?” 

   “I won’t!” 

   “Let’s go. Time’s ticking.” Dream commanded tapping his boots on the floor, “Let’s get those dogs and get to L’manberg.” The four of you grabbed your weapons and headed down the steps of Technoblade’s house, hopefully, you all will come back to see it again. 

---

Phil walked by your side as Technoblade led all of you through the sewers, Dream was close to your boyfriend’s side almost like he was trying to memorize the proper twists and turns. However, something told you he already knew this place like the back of his hand. 

   “What’s on your mind?” Phil asked you to keep his voice low to not draw attention to yourselves. Smiling over at him you gave a thoughtful hum, 

   “Just the typical worries I suppose. Hoping we win and no one who we care about dies, like the kids you know. I know I can’t control you, Techno, or Dream but if it came down to it I won’t be able to hurt them.” The look you gave him was nothing less than vulnerable and it touched his heart with a soft sigh he responded to you, 

   “I know it’s not specifically in Techno or my agenda to slaughter Tommy and Tubbo. We just want to take down the corrupt government that’s poisoning its citizens. As long as it stands those kids can never be happy.”

   “I’m with you there. Hell, I don’t think Techno and I could date if we didn’t share those ideologies. They made a child president for Pete’s sake I mean no wonder it’s falling apart.” You took a deep breath and nudged the old man beside you. “Even so my priorities are with you and Technoblade. We’re all fucking coming home if I have any say in the matter,” Phil gave a laugh and smiled at you. 

   “That’s a fucking relief to hear. Wasn’t aware you could control death.”

   “Says the man with a totem of undying.” 

   “Guys we’re here,” Technoblade called standing beside a wall, he looked at all of you and opened the stone with his pickaxe. “Meet the hounds,” He mused leading you inside, you were trying desperately to keep your excitement at bay. 

   “Holy shit is it loud.” Dream commented with a disbelieving laugh hearing all the dogs bark in excitement upon seeing their master. Technoblade scratched a few of them behind the ears before commanding all of them to stand, it was insane. 

   “That’s so many dogs they’re gonna be so confused.” You commented, 

   “You know what you should do?” Dream mused, turning to look at you, “splash them with invisibility.” 

   “Already ahead of you,” Technoblade mused as Philza began to splash a good chunk of them. “They’re gonna be so confused it’s gonna be so funny. When they get hit by nothing, it’ll be like I have a forcefield.” 

   “Let's get to L’manberg and surprise them first.” Dream motioned for all of you to follow, and you did without hesitation. Technoblade took your hand and squeezed it tightly, he watched as Phil and Dream went on ahead and he turned to give you a soft kiss. 

   “Don’t die on me, okay princess? You get into trouble protecting yourself, run if you have to. I don’t give a shit I just want you alive.” Technoblade commanded you, even wagged a finger in front of your face. A finger you grabbed and pressed a soft kiss to, 

   “Same to you. I’ll see you on the other side.” Technoblade smiled adoringly at you and you both moved to catch up with Dream and Phil. You pulled out The Wanderer’s Trade and made sure Foster Mom, your ax, and the materials to craft your Withers were at the ready. 

    “(Y/N), Phil when I shoot fireworks into the sky start spawning the Withers. I’m going straight in with the hounds.” He watched both of you nod, Dream let out a hum of acknowledgment. 

   “Sounds good to me. Remember I shouldn’t need more than twenty minutes, I’ll send Technoblade the signal.” 

   “Yes sir.” You gave a teasing salute and no one else seemed amused by that except for the green man himself. 

   “I could get used to that.”

   “Get the fuck out of here you homeless Teletubby.” Techno almost snarled at the man, while the man in question flipped your boyfriend off. Even Phil could tell he had a sickening smirk spread across his face, whether he meant it or not if it bothered the three of you he was gonna continue with it. 

    “Phil, I’ll sneak over to the houses, you gonna stay in this general vicinity?” You quickly changed the subject, the man nodded in response. 

   “I’ll probably stay on top of the bee sanctuary, I figure two people in the air and one on the ground will be a good call.” You nodded taking one last glance at Technoblade before sneaking off to prepare the high ground. 

---

Technoblade sprinted right into the battle once everyone realized you all were there early. He felt the pressure begin to build in his head, as the voices began to buzz with excitement, they all demanded blood and vengeance. He wasn’t losing any lives today but that didn’t mean anyone else was, it was hilarious the moment he hit anyone his dogs would be at their heels tearing them apart. He stayed on top of everyone, he made sure to keep an eye on his hearts while slicing through his opponents. As they got distracted by his dogs he would come up behind them and drive his sword into their chest. His laughter echoed in the air as the names of the dead appeared in his head, he heard their pleading for a cease-fire and decided he didn’t give a single shit. Technoblade couldn’t find the energy to care for their pleas, even as his dogs began to thin rapidly. There was blood and there was pandemonium and he was living for it, sure there were a few close calls. Not that he would ever admit it, but Sapnap got him good in the shoulder and the back of the leg, almost leaving an opening for him to land a finishing blow. However, he recovered with no problem, he always did, obviously. 

Technoblade booked it away from the fighting and sent the firework rocket into the sky. Almost as soon as he did, he set up his own Wither. The entire battlefield glowed red, white, and blue and he watched people’s faces morph into absolute terror. He heard what sounded like Tommy let out a terrified scream, he had no idea what he was in for if he was afraid of one Wither. Then again, Tommy was the only one who knew about the vault so realistically he shouldn’t have been surprised. 

It was up to Phil and (Y/N) now. 

   “Is that Phil? What the hell?! He’s spawning a Wither!” Someone shouted and Technoblade’s face lit up in delight. He watched Phil send out his Withers before flying away as to not immediately get targeted by them. Technoblade turned his head towards the houses and saw you place your Withers down as well. He thought you looked gorgeous spawning in the Withers, it pulled him out of his blood lust just for a moment, the wicked smile on your face was stunning. He watched as you laughed tossing your hair back, the way it framed your face was remarkable, he thought you looked like Eris. 

An arrow that whizzed by his face and it snapped him out of his ogling, he turned back to rubble only to come face to face with Tommy and Tubbo. 

   “Technoblade! Stop this!” Tommy began to plead as they stood on the opposite end of the battlefield, he did pause to stare at the children. 

   “Please!” Tubbo begged from his side and Technoblade grit his teeth in frustration, after all this time they still didn’t understand his ideals or why he was so mad in the first place. 

   “You betrayed us Technoblade! You betrayed me! Just fucking stop this! Help us kill the Withers and stop Dream. All you’ve ever done is betray us, since we met you that’s all you’ve done. It all started with you killing Tubbo at the festival! Just stop this!-” He felt his blood turn to ice and he turned to face Tommy pointing his crossbow at the two boys. He watched Tubbo flinch and grab onto Tommy’s arm, clearly traumatized from the last time the weapon was pointed at him. Technoblade bared his teeth and felt his face begin to morph into that of a full pig, something that only happened when he was pissed to hell and losing control of himself. 

   “Remember when I was sitting there, alone, against the whole government -- and you and Wilbur just sat there on the sidelines and watched? Did you step in? Did you step in? Were you guys the ones that stepped in and said, "Don't worry, Technoblade, we know you're in a high-pressure situation, but we'd fight the world for you, Technoblade''? No! You guys watched. You know what I did, yesterday when you were surrounded by thirty people? When the whole world was against you? I walked in. I was willing to fight all of them for you, Tommy. I would've been there. That is the difference between us." The man roared his voice carrying over the battleground, catching the attention of a few others who were still trying to kill the Withers nearby. For a brief moment Tommy looked broken up by Technoblade’s words but he pushed it aside with a shake of his head. He was about to argue back when the faintest of hissing sounds came from above. Everyone turned towards the sky, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene above them, Dream was standing on top of the obsidian grid. Technoblade made sure to take a few steps away so he wasn’t right underneath the first bit of dropping TNT, 

   “No,” Tubbo’s voice wobbled “What’s he doing, he can't-” 

Almost like Tubbo predicted the outcome TNT began to rain down in the dead center of New L’manberg, the panicked shouts from the citizens only increased tenfold. The falling explosives spread out in the grid-like pattern Dream had created, making sure to hit every square inch of the once great country. 

   “Tubbo RUN!” Tommy grabbed his arm and pulled this best friends away just in time to not get injured by the first round of explosions that went off in the middle of town. Technoblade made quick work of dodging the falling pieces of TNT as he flew up onto the obsidian grid his Trident in hand. He watched gleefully as L’manberg was sent up in smoke, everything from the houses to whatever the fuck the L’mantree Dream mentioned was, was blown to shreds. Personally, Technoblade didn’t want Dream to stop until he saw bedrock at the bottom of the pit. He looked over and saw Phil smiling widely at him, the man gave him a clear thumbs-up spreading his wings wide. He could tell Phil was proud of him, he was proud of himself. 

   “Where’s (Y/N) mate?” He called out to him and the bliss he was feeling suddenly crumbled into pieces around him. Technooblade whipped around towards the last place he spotted his girlfriend, on top of the houses that were now blown to smithereens. He turned back towards Phil, panic in his eyes, Phil’s smile was immediately wiped off his face and he hopped down off the grid and into the rubble. Technoblade wasn’t far behind in his panicked searching, there was no sign of her anywhere and he was starting to lose his composure. Even as the TNT stopped falling around them and everyone began to head home (if they had one left to return to) he still couldn’t find her. That was until an unfamiliar voice called out to him, 

   “Mr. Technoblade!” The boy was half enderman and bordering on seven feet tall, he turned to face him and he swallowed thickly, “Miss (Y/N), she needs help!” Technoblade didn’t even respond he just let the Enderboy lead him to where she was, god please don’t be dead, please. The boy stood over her, wringing his hands nervously, a jacket was laid over her body and she was dragged far away from the wreckage. Technoblade froze as he watched the boy kneel and pull the jacket away, bandages were haphazardly tied around her waist and her breathing seems shallow. The half enderman looked up at him and swallowed thickly, “I found her under the rubble of my house.” 

   “I can handle it from here. Get out of here kid.” His voice was a low grumble and Ranboo hesitated for a moment before nodding, he knelt, picked up his other belongings, and headed off in the direction of the forest. Technoblade knelt beside you, his hands hovering over your injury, he felt his palms clam up as he opened and closed them. “You better not die on me princess, you promised,” he opened up the bandages on your waist, all things considered, the boy didn’t do that bad of a job patching you up. There weren't a lot of medical supplies on the battlefield so he did what he could with what he had, she must’ve gotten cut by a stray piece of metal as she fell, that’s what it looked like to him at least. Other than the jagged cut across her waist her ankle was twisted in a way that certainly wasn’t normal, his princess was beaten to hell. He swallowed thickly and began to rewrap her wound a bit more tightly so she didn’t bleed out, he felt a gust of wind beside him and he knew Phil was by his side. 

   “Fuck.” He murmured kneeling to set her ankle properly, the old man licked his lips before setting her ankle with a harsh tug. (Y’N)’s eyes shot open and she let out a shriek. “Sorry kid, sorry,” Her breathing went from shallow to heavy and frantic. Technoblade reached forward and grabbed your hand tight. 

   “Hey princess stay with me okay?” 

   “Bubs.” You whined painfully, “I guess I fucked up huh?” 

   “Only a lot,” Technoblade stated bluntly and watched as you let out a wheezing laugh that devolved into a cough. He frowned and took his other hand to card it through your hair, “Just take a deep breath we’ll get you home and all patched up.” 

   “Guess we aren’t getting married huh.”

   “Fucking what-” Phil choked his eyes blowing wide, jaw-dropping Techno’s face flushed red in response. 

   “Half dead and you still find a way to torture me.” You laughed again as Phil only shook his head in disbelief, 

   “That is so scuffed. Go take her home, she’s gonna need stitches and a splint for her leg. Make sure she gets home safe.” Phil placed his hand on Technoblade’s shoulder and squeezed it before kissing your forehead softly, “You’re gonna be fine.”

   “Obviously. Mr. Minecraft, would you expect anything less from me?” 

   “Nothing less,” He smiled fondly as Technoblade cradled you in his arms before hurrying away down the path. Phil stood up tall a frown evident on his features, he turned around to catch Raboo peaking out from behind the treeline. “Hey, Ranboo how’re you doing?”

   “Um. I’m alright. Fine, I’m fine, is (Y/N) going to be alright?” He stepped out from behind the tree patting his hands on his pants a bit nervously. Phil eyed the kid up and down for a moment and he cleared his throat, “I found her she was really, really bad.” 

   “She’s going to be just fine, Techno’s looking after her.” 

   “Good, good.” He nodded the tall mans shoulders seemed to relax and Phil couldn’t help but look at him with pity. 

   “Ranboo, do you have a place to stay?” 

   “Ugh...you know what no I don’t actually.” Phil smiled over at the boy and held out his hand, his multicolored eyes widened a little as he interlocked his hands with the father beside him.

. 

.

. 

: )

~~~

Thanks for reading guys! I think this is the longest chapter yet, let me know your thoughts, feelings and opinions! : ) 

[onetwosevensquad]

What’s Up Danger

Summary: a new town and a new life for Y/n brings unexpected chaos, besides that of high school, to her life.

Warnings: umm blood, fighting, Xiaojun may be the bad guy but I still love him, this is long as shit

Rose: IM BACK BABY!! This is the first fic I’ve posted since November. So yay welcome back kiddos. Enjoy!

———

Well this was a nightmare.

It was your first day at a new school, and you had no idea where the hell you were going. You’ve found all of your other classes rather quickly. But your sixth period chemistry class seems to continue to elude you. After ten minutes, you finally found the science hall and checked your schedule for the right room. You found it and put your hand on the doorknob, bracing yourself for the embarrassment.

You walked in the room in the middle of the teacher talking, all heads turning towards you. You sucked in a breath, already feeling your hands starting to shake.

“Your late,” the teacher snapped. You mentally rolled your eyes at her attitude.

“Sorry, I’m new,” you said. Your voice wavered a bit and you cleared your throat before continuing. “I couldn’t find the room.”

“Well, that’s fine, just don’t make a habit of it,” the teacher said after clicking her tongue. “You can sit next to Mark over there.”

You looked to where she was pointing and saw a kid with round glasses who was sitting at a desk with no one next to him. He waved slightly to let you know that yes, this is where she meant.

“Yes, ma��am,” You mumbled. You quickly walked to the back of the room and slid into the chair next to Mark. You placed your stuff on the table and leaned back, letting out a breath. The teacher went back to her lecture about how the class was going to work for the year.

“Hi,” you heard from next to you. You turned your head and looked at Mark. He had a sweet smile on his face, his glasses falling down his noes a bit.

“Hi,” you whispered back. Mark fiddled with his pencil a bit, twirling it in his fingers and tapping it against his binder.

“I’m, uh, Mark,” he said. You quietly laughed a bit at the boy’s awkwardness.

“I know,” you said. Mark opened his mouth, it slowly falling into an ‘o’. “I’m Yn.”

“So you’re new?” Mark asked. You nodded your head a bit and smiled. “If you need help, I’d be happy to show you around.”

“I might take you up on that,” you said.

“Cool,” Mark chuckled out. He smiled at you one last time and turned back to the teacher before either of you got caught.

———

The rest of your first week at school went rather smoothly. Mark had helped you find your two other classes and by now you knew where they were. Also, you made a friend, Yeri, who was in your literature class. Things were going great.

Today was Monday, your second week of school. And though it was a Monday, you were rather excited. A few clubs started today, one of them being academic decathlon. You were practically sprinting to lunch to try and talk Yeri into joining with you. You didn’t want to be alone. When you got there you saw Yeri at your usual spot, who motioned you over.

You sped your way over to her, not exactly looking where you were going. When you reached the table, right before your seat, a body slammed into you. You stumbled, almost falling to the ground, but someone caught you. You looked up to see a tall, sharp looking boy, glaring down at you. His grip on your arm was like a vice.

“Watch where you’re going,” He hissed. Everyone around you was silent or talking in hushed voice. Yeri was on her feet, staring at him.

“Let her go, Xiaojun,” Yeri said. Xiaojun, as you now knew him as, kept his hand on your arm, holding it tight.

“What’s your name?” He said.

“Yn,” you said, quietly. Xiaojun smiled at you, but it was more smug than friendly.

“Well you better watch yourself, Yn,” He said. Suddenly a different hand wrapped around your other arm and tugged you back. You looked up to see Mark standing next to you, gently holding your elbow. His grip was comforting and not at all like Xiaojun’s.

“Leave her alone, Jun,” Mark said. You looked at Xiaojun who cracked his jaw and squinted his eyes at Mark. He stepped forward, toe to toe with Mark.

“Don’t try to be a hero, Lee,” Xiaojun growled. He pushed past Mark, bumping Mark’s shoulder. After another moment of whispers, the people watching went back to their usual conversation.

“Hey, you ok?” Mark asked. You looked back at Xiaojun’s retreating form, two other boys having joined him. You then turned your attention back to Mark, his eyes soft.

“Yea, yea,” you said waving your hand around. “Wouldn’t be high school without the ass holes, right?”

“You got that right,” Yeri said from next to you. She had sat down, continuing to eat her lunch.

“Thanks for the save, though,” You said. Mark smiled wide, his round glasses scrunching up of his face.

“Y-yea, of course,” Mark said. “Just keep away from Xiaojun.”

You smiled and nodded one last time. You could see the slightly pink tint on Mark’s cheeks as he quickly turned and went back to his table with his friends.

———

“Do you know how stupid that was?” Jaemin said when Mark came back to the table.

“I had it under control,” Mark said sitting down. Jaemin rolled his eyes and let out a huff.

“That’s not the point,” Jaemin said. “What would have happened if he punched you? If you punched him back, people would wonder why the nerdiest kid has a good right hook.”

“He wouldn’t make that big of a scene here,” Mark said. “Too many people.”

“Still a dumb ass move,” Jaemin said.

“It was kinda bad ass,” Jeno said. “The look on his face when he saw it was you.”

“Why’d you stand up for her anyway?” Haechan said. “You don’t even know her.”

“Yn’s in my chemistry class,” Mark said, turning around. He watched you talk with Yeri, your hands moving wildly. Mark turned back to his friends, a smile on his face. “She’s nice and doesn’t need Xiaojun messing with her.”

“Oooo, Mark has a crush,” Haechan said, wiggling his eyebrows. Mark rolled his eyes but didn’t object as he looked down at his lunch tray. “He’s not denying it!”

“Would you shut up?!” Renjun, who was reading, snapped from next to Haechan. The boy deflated for all of two seconds before repeatedly poking Renjun’s cheek. That got him a smack on the head with a rather thick calculus textbook.

———

Mark slid into the gym, five minutes late, for academic decathlon practice. He saw Renjun on the stage helping Mina set up the buzzers and waved at his friend. Mark then looked for Mr. Kim to apologize for being late and found him talking to you.

“Mr. Lee,” Mr. Kim’s voice boomed in the big empty gymnasium. The teacher had noticed Mark out of the corner of his eye, both you and him turning to look at the boy. “Late again?”

“Sorry, Mrs. Jung wouldn’t stop talking,” Mark said scratching the back of his neck once he reached the two of you. Mr. Kim waved him off and went to split up the teams. Mark then turned his attention to you, who never took his eyes off him. “I didn’t know you were jointing?”

“I didn’t know you were here,” you said, laughing slightly. “Well at least I have you. I couldn’t get Yeri to join with me, something about cheer squad.”

“Well, welcome to the team,” Mark said. He inwardly cringed at himself. Really, Lee? That’s the best you could do?

“Thanks, bud,” you said, punching Mark on the shoulder slightly. You giggled a bit and so did Mark, making him feel better.

“Yn, you’ll be on blue,” Mr. Kim called. “And Mark, since you were late, you’re captain of red.”

Mark hated being captain, and Mr. Kim knew this, so this was as good of punishment as any. Mark sighed and trudged behind you, who happily skipped up to the table and sat next to Renjun, who was blue’s captain.

“You’re one of Mark’s friends right?” You asked the boy.

“Renjun,” he said sticking out his hand. You shook it slightly and introduced yourself. He smiled and you after letting go, you returning it. “Ever do this before?”

“Two years at my old school,” you said, proudly.

“Were you guys any good?” Renjun asked. His voice seemed hopeful, eyes pleading.

“State champs my last year,” you said. Renjun smiled wide and put a hand over his heart.

“Thank god,” he said. “Maybe now we’ll actually make it to champs.”

“Alright first question,” Mr. Kim called. Everyone turned to him, buzzers at the ready.

Needless to say, your team absolutely creamed Mark’s.

———

Mark’s patrol was long and uneventful. Sorry, correction, Spider-Man’s patrol was long and uneventful. No chatter on Jeno’s police scanners, no spidy tingle, nothing. Mark climbed back in his bedroom through his window and slipped off his mask.

He flopped down on his bed and caught his breath for a moment. Swinging through the cold night air of September was not easy on his lungs. He almost fell asleep when the ringing of his phone made him jump off his bed. Mark scrambled to find it, ripping through his bag to pull the device out. He smiled a bit when he saw your name at the top of the screen.

“Hello,” Mark breath out. He held the phone slightly away from his mouth so as to not alert you to his fast breathing, which he failed.

“Hey, it’s Y/n,” you said. “You sound kinda out of breath there, Lee. You good?”

“Yea yea, great,” Mark rushed out. “Just... went for a jog.”

“Didn’t peg you for the athletic type,” you said. “Anyway, I need your help.”

“Everything ok?” Mark asked, slightly panicked at the prospect of you being in trouble. That panic immediately melted when he heard your laugh from the other end of the line.

“Yea, no, everything’s fine,” you said chuckling. “No, what I needed help with is history.”

“History?” Mark asked. As he spoke, he hit the middle of his suit on his chest, the material loosening. He slipped out of the sleeves, switching hands to hold his phone.

“Yea, I noticed at practice today you answered every history question correctly,” you said. “I figured you must be good.”

“My best subject actually,” Mark said, proudly. He heard you giggle as he stepped out of the tight spandex of his suit, leaving him in his boxers.

“Well, I’m shit at history,” you said. “And we have a test next week. Three weeks in and a test already is some bull shit. But I was hoping you could help me study.”

“Yea of course,” Mark said. He had pulled a pair of sweats out of his drawer and was attempting to put them on. He held the phone between his shoulder and ear, trying to get his leg in the hole without falling.

“Great!” You said. “Does tomorrow after school work? I figure since we don’t have practice.”

“Works perfectly,” Mark said, a smile spreading across his face. The city could survive a few hours without Spider-Man, right? “I’ll see you then.”

“Bye,” you said. Mark could here the smile in your voice as you spoke. He took the phone from his ear and looked down at your contact, a dumb smile on his face.

———

3:30. That was the time that you and Mark agreed to meet after school. It was now 3:57 and he still wasn’t here, leaving you in the library alone. Well, mostly alone.

You could hear shuffling behind some of the bookshelves, unable to see who it was. You continued to scroll through your phone and eat your grapes, praying Mark showed up so that you didn’t have to smack him in front of his friends tomorrow.

You noticed that the shuffling had stopped now. Footsteps started coming closer to you and you thought that Mark finally showed. You put on your best disappointed face, knowing it wouldn’t last long with the kind eyed boy.

However, when you looked up, the person in front of you was not Mark. Very much not Mark.

“Y/n right?” Xiaojun said. He had a small smirk on his lips, his hand stuffed deep in his pockets. His face was sharp and handsome, making you shift in your seat from the look he was giving you.

“Xiaojun,” you said quietly. He nodded slightly and pulled his hands out of his pockets. He placed them on the table and leaned towards you.

“You know,” he started. “Whoever stood you up is a moron. A pretty girl like you doesn’t deserve that.”

“Did you want something?” You sneered. You could see Xiaojun lips twitch down for a second at your tone.

“Hey, Y/n!” A voice said. You looked up to see Mark coming towards you, Xiaojun turning as well. “Sorry I’m-“

Mark stopped when he locked eyes with Xiaojun. Mark’s usually soft and kind eyes, turned sharp and dark upon seeing Xiaojun.

“Leave her alone, Xiaojun,” Mark said, his voice low. You’ve never seen him like this and, honestly, it was kinda hot. Not the time, Y/n.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Lee. I was just leaving,” Xiaojun said. He turned back to you and winked before walking towards Mark. When he reached him, Xiaojun put a hand on Mark’s shoulder. He leaned in close to his ear, and whispered so that you couldn’t hear.

“Get in my way again, Lee,” Xiaojun said. “And I’ll squash you... like a bug.”

You saw Mark’s eyes widened at whatever Xiaojun said. Xiaojun patted Mark’s shoulder and walked away, his hands stuffed in his pockets once again.

“What did he say?” You quickly asked when Mark sat across from you.

“N-nothing,” Mark said. He looked up to see a disbelieving look on your face. “Really nothing. Sorry, I’m late, something came up.”

“Whatever, you’re here now,” you said. “Let’s start before it gets too late.”

Mark tried to stay focused during your study session, and he succeeded for the most part. Part of his brain was occupied by the bank robbery he stoped before coming here. Apparently, the city could not survive a few hours without Spider-Man. Another part occupied by what Xiaojun said.

Did he know? How could he know? What now?

———

“What do you mean Xiaojun knows?” Jaemin asked. Mark was currently on patrol, talking to his friends over the coms.

“He said he’d squash me like a bug,” Mark said, landing on top of a building.

“That is a pretty specific threat,” Jeno commented.

“Well you’re not a bug, you’re an arachnid,” Haechan said, his mouth full of chips.

“What?” Mark breathed out.

“Spiders are arachnids,” Haechan said. Mark could practically hear the others rolling their eyes. A loud smack could be heard followed by an even louder ‘OW!’

“If he knows, what does that mean for me?” Mark asked. The other end was silent for longer than Mark would’ve liked.

“Look if he knows, he won’t tell,” Renjun said. “He’ll just sound crazy cause, no offense, you’re you. Besides, this is too good of blackmail to not dangle over you.”

“I just wanna know how he found out,” Jeno said.

“Who knows,” Jaemin said. “That rich son of a bitch probably has eyes everywhere.”

Mark listened to his friends discuss how Xiaojun found out while he perched on the roof of a apartment complex. He looked out over the city for a moment before putting his head in his hands.

If Xiaojun knew, this didn’t only affect Mark. It effected his four best friends, his aunt, and you. The last thing Mark wanted was for you to get involved with Spider-Man.

With one last sigh, Mark stood and shot a web to swing home.

———

“Why are you always late?” You asked Mark. He had just walked into the library for your Thursday night study session. He didn’t even get the chance to sit down before you asked your question.

“Literally five minutes,” he said checking his watch. He pulled out the chair across from you and sat down, taking out his textbook.

“Your still late,” you said, opening your own book. “Trying to avoid hanging out with me?”

“No!” Mark exclaimed. He cleared his throat a bit and scratched his neck. “No, it’s, uh, not that at all. I was late today cause the hallway gets crowded and I’m coming from downstairs.”

“Ok, but that doesn’t explain why you were half an hour late the other day,” you said, pointing your pencil at Mark accusingly. “You made me wait and I had to talk to Xiaojun.”

“Yea, I’m still really sorry about that,” Mark said. “Can I make it up to you?”

“How?” You said, intrigued. You placed your chin in your palm and leaned forward a bit. Behind his eyes, you could see the gears in Mark’s head turning.

“Food!” He said. Mark was a bit too loud, as the librarian made a loud shushing noise at him. He whispered out a small sorry before continuing. “How about after we’re done here, we go get something to eat? My treat.”

“Like a date?” You said. You meant it teasingly but it came out like an actual question. Maybe you were hoping this was a date.

“Yea! No!” Mark said quickly. “I mean if you want.”

“I’ll go on a date with you,” you said. A smile spread across Mark’s lips as he giggled a bit. He cleared his throat and opened his history textbook to begin flipping through the pages.

“C-cool,” Mark said quietly.

———

“Good luck today,” Mark said from next to you. It was now the week of your history test. You and Mark studied all weekend and yesterday, Tuesday.

“Yea, thanks,” you said dryly. You trudged next to Mark who was walking you to your doom. Mark said that you were being over dramatic for calling it that but, were you?

“You’ll do fine,” Mark said. You both stopped a few feet from the door, you giving Mark a look of disbelief. “How about, after practice tonight, we go see that new movie? To get your mind off of things.”

“Alright, but your buying the popcorn,” you said.

“Yes ma’am,” Mark said, giggling. You smiled a bit at his silliness and rolled your eyes. “Now go ace that test!”

You grumbled about how hopeful Mark was as you turned towards the door. You walked over to it and spared Mark one last glance. He shot you a double thumbs up making you roll your eyes again, but nonetheless smile.

———

Standing outside of a movie theater, alone, in the cold was not pleasant. Mark said 5:30. You were there at 5:30. Still waiting at 5:50. And here you were now, at 6:05, no Mark in sight. You’ve tried texting him multiple times, each one going unanswered.

To Marker, 5:30: I’m here :)

To Marker, 5:35: I don’t see you

To Marker, 5:45: Hello??? Mark???

To Marker, 5:45: it’s been 15 minutes my dude

To Marker, 5:57: are you coming???

To Marker, 6:05: ditching me again are we??

Looking down at your phone, you noticed that he hasn’t even read them. You sighed and turned the device off, looking around the parking lot. It didn’t have many cars as it was Wednesday.

You figured by now the previews were coming to an end. And if you jogged, you could reach the next bus home in time. You texted Mark one last time before heading off.

To Marker, 6:07: never mind, I’m going home

———

Mark swung back into his room, panting for dear life. He clutched his shoulder feeling that the bone was probably dislocated. He took a deep breath to brace himself before...

Pop!

The sound of him successfully pushing his shoulder into place gave him a sense of relief. However, the pain didn’t, as he almost yelled out. Mark caught himself, remembering his aunt was right down the hall.

Mark stumbled over to his mirror to inspect the damage done. He took his mask off and looked at the ripped and tattered condition of his suit and himself. His left knee was entirely exposed, revealing a gash spewing blood. Along his right side, was a cut that wasn’t too deep but he would definitely have to stitch that up. His left bicep was also cut a bit.

What was that thing?

Mark had never encountered something like it before. This monster, this alien like thing, looked like the emo version of Spider-Man. Except instead of webs, it spewed this black goo. It called itself Venom, Mark remembered. Mark was snapped back to reality by the dinging of his phone. He turned towards it on the bed and picked it up. At the top, he saw seven texts from you.

“Oh shit,” Mark whispered. He looked at the time at the top of his phone, hoping he wasn’t too late. 6:07. “Shit, shit, shit!”

He unlocked the phone and went to read your texts. Each one was a stab to the heart as he read your confidence melting away. To Mark, ditching you, hurt more than any of his wounds.

To Y/n/n, 6:10: I am so sorry Y/n

To Y/n/n, 6:10: something really important came up

To Y/n/n, 6:11: please I’m really sorry

Mark sighed and continued to stare at the phone, waiting for your reply. After five minutes, he saw the read receipt pop up. But no message followed.

———

The entire next day at school, you tried your best to avoid Mark. You didn’t talk to him whatsoever and didn’t give him any reactions. Complete silent treatment. Admittedly, this was a bit childish. But you were still pissed that he bailed on you last night. This is what he deserved.

You received your grade for your history test that day. A big red ‘90’ was circled at the top of the paper. Once class ended, you were about to run and tell Mark only to remember you were supposed to be pissed at him.

“Please talk to me,” Mark said. You were now in chemistry, today’s class going unbearably slow. “Please I’m sorry. I know you got my messages.”

“And you got mine,” you said, not even sparing a glance. Mark shut his eyes for a moment, feeling stupid. Ok that one hurt, he thought.

Mark gave up after that and didn’t bother you the rest of class. In fact he left you alone the rest of the day. However, you didn’t miss the kicked puppy looks he gave you in the hall.

At the end of the day, Mark went looking for you as he usually walks you home even on days when you don’t have practice. However, he couldn’t seem to find you.

“Hey Yeri,” Mark called. The girl turned towards him from her locker, a scowl appearing on her face once she saw who called her. “Have you seen Y/n?”

“You’re an ass, you know?” Yeri said turning back to her locker.

“Yes, believe me, I am aware. I am the asshole of the millennia,” Mark said. “Just where is she? I usually walk her home.”

“She left already,” Yeri said. She looked at Mark who’s eyes were blown wide. “What, did you think she’d wanna go home with you?”

Without another word, Mark took off. He raced out of the building and onto the front steps. Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

What am I doing?

If you didn’t want to talk to him, he had to accept that. He would still try, but he shouldn’t go chasing you down. Especially not as Spider-Man. That would raise so many more questions than he was ready for.

Mark decided it was best to just get on with his patrol. Maybe he’d run into Venom again and he’d knock some sense into Mark.

———

“Stop!” Mark could here the woman’s yells from a mile away. Her voice sounded oddly familiar, making Mark speed up.

When he got to the alley where the yells were coming from, Mark froze. Currently, you were standing there, a knife to your throat, looking terrified.

This is why I walk you home, Y/n.

“Hey!” Mark called into the alley. Both you and the man’s heads snapped towards the sound.

“Spider-Man?” The man asked. Before he could say anything else, Spider-Man shot a web at him and pulled him forward.

Spider-Man then proceeded to punch the guy square in the nose. He effortlessly picked the creep up by the collar of his shirt and brought him over to the dumpster. Spider-Man threw the guy into the green box and closed the lid, dusting off his hands.

Spider-Man turned and looked at you, his body rigid. You didn’t know wether or not to run. Your legs wouldn’t let you however, so you stayed put and continued to stare at Spider-Man.

“Y/n are you ok?” Spider-Man asked coming over to you. You nodded your head as he held you by the upper arms, inspecting for any damage.

“Yea I’m fi- wait,” you said. You placed your hands on top of Spider-Man’s arms and looked him in the eyes. “How do you know me?”

“I-I don’t!” He said. His voice was suddenly deeper than it was two minutes ago.

“You said my name,” you pointed out. Spider-Man stayed silent for a moment, making strangled noises.

“Lucky guess?” He said. As he said the two words, his voice returned back to normal. It sounded oddly familiar.

You slowly lifted a hand and reached for his mask. Spider-Man was faster and he caught your arm in his hand. He moved it away from his face and looked at your shocked expression.

“Not here,” he said quietly. Suddenly, Spider-Man wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you close.

“What are y-“ before you could finish, Spider-Man had shot a web out of the alley, sending you both flying. You let out a scream and clung to Spider-Man for dear life. Even with one arm around you and both of yours around his neck, you still felt safe in Spider-Man’s hold as he swung through the city.

Finally, the rush of wind on your face stopped and you could feel solid ground beneath your feet. You opened your eyes, slowly detaching from Spider-Man, and saw that you were on the roof of a building.

“Alright, who are you, for real?” You said, turning back to Spider-Man.

“Please don’t like, freak out or anything,” He said. You nodded your head, wondering who could possibly be under that mask.

Slowly, he slipped the red mask off of his head and held it in his hands. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked up at you. It was Mark. Your mouth fell open in shock as you took a step forward. Mark stood there, awkwardly bitting his lip, waiting for you to say something.

“Y-you’re Spider-Man?” You said taking another step closer.

“Yea,” Mark said, voice breaking. He cleared his throat, obviously a bit uncomfortable. “It’s why I was late to that fist study session. Also why I bailed on you at the movies. And I’m really sorry that I did.”

“No, I’m sure whatever it was, is way more important than me,” you said, waving him off.

“Nothing’s more important than you, Y/n,” Mark said quickly. His eyes slowly widened as he realized what he just said. Mark sputtered, looking for his words, when he saw you coming closer.

You placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned up. Gently, you kissed his cheek. You pulled back and smiled at the blushing boy.

“Thanks for the save,” you said. Mark nodded as you began to pull away. Quickly, he caught your hands and pulled you closer to him. Mark leaned down and placed his lips on yours. Your eyes fluttered shut as you quickly reciprocated the kiss. After a second though, Mark pulled back.

“S-Sorry,” Make said. “I shouldn’t have just done th-“

You grabbed the sides of his face and puled him back down, reconnecting your lips. Mark’s hands settled on your hips as you wrapped your arms around his neck. He kissed you soft and slow, bringing one hand up to your cheek. You both pulled apart after a minute to breathe. Mark looked into your eyes seriously for a moment before breaking out into a goofy grin.

“Let me take you out,” Mark said. “Right now.”

“Don’t you have superhero things to do?” You asked. Mark giggled and took your hands in his.

“I think I did enough superhero things for today,” he said.

———

When you walked into school the next day, Friday, you entered hand in hand with Mark. Literally no one was surprised whatsoever. However, that didn’t stop his friends from making fun of you. It probably encouraged them, actually.

“God, finally!” Heachan groaned from next to you. Him, Mark and Jeno were standing at your locker as you got your things. “It took you long enough!”

“What did?” Yeri asked, appearing next to you. She opened her locker and began exchanging her things for classes.

“Mark and Y/n are dating,” Jeno said.

“Wow, shocking,” Yeri deadpanned. You laughed and so did she as you both closed your lockers. You turned towards Mark who wrapped an arm around your shoulder, prompting Haechan to make gagging noises.

“Oh, stop it,” Mark said, slapping his friends shoulder. Everyone laughed as Haechan dramatically mocked being hurt.

———

After Mark dropped you off at home, he told you to be ready by seven for a date. He swung home, a big grin on his face, excited for tonight.

At exactly seven, Mark arrived at your house and rung the door bell. No one answered. He knocked on the door a few times and still no answer. He went around the side of your house and found the window that was yours. He looked around to make sure no one was looking and shot a web up and climbed through.

When he dropped from your window sill, Mark looked around your room in shock. Books and papers strewn everywhere. There was a broken shelf, its contents dumped to the floor. The one thing missing, was you. Mark stood in the center of your room, stunned. A sudden beep echoing through your room broke Mark from his trance.

Mark whipped around your room wildly looking for your phone. He dropped to the floor and found it under your bed. He pulled out the small device, the screen lighting up showing a text message from an unknown number. He unlocked the device, you having put his thumbprint in a while ago. Mark opened the text and felt his stomach drop.

From Unknown, 7:03: come get me

From Unknown, 7:03: address link

Mark clicked the link and it brought him to directions to a wear house. Without a second thought, Mark changed into Spider-Man and jumped out the window. He swung as fast as he could towards the wear house district at the edge of town near the docks. Mark got there and looked down at the phone, following the directions to the exact wear house.

Finally, he found the right one after five minutes of searching. Mark walked around the building and found a window to crawl through. In his haste, he not so gracefully fell through the open window. When he got up, Mark’s eyes immediately fell on you. You were sat in the middle of the room tied to a chair. Your face was covered by your hair, your head having fallen.

“Y/n!” Mark shouted running over to you. He got a few feet from you when a black figure dropped down in front of him. Mark stumbled back as the figure straightened up and whipped towards him.

Venom’s white eyes bore into Mark and he let out a vicious roar. Venom stalked towards Mark who was beginning to retreat. The monster roared again and chased after Mark. Venom caught up and grabbed Mark’s ankle and pulled him to the ground. Mark let out a yell and his back hit the stone floor. Venom jumped back down to Mark’s level and growled.

Mark shot a web up at the ceiling and swung over to Venom. Mark stuck out his feet and kicked Venom’s face as he swung by. Mark then swung back towards Venom and shot a web at him. Mark pulled Venom up and slammed him into the ceiling. He then yanked Venom back down and slammed him on the ground.

Mark landed gracefully on the ground and noticed Venom stopped moving. He seemed to be getting smaller but Mark didn’t care. He needed to make sure you were ok. He slid down in front of you and held you face in his hands. At the corner of your mouth, a bruise was forming. Another bruise formed at the top of your forehead. Other than that, you looked totally fine.

“Y/n, wake up,” Mark said, as he brushed some of your hair out of your face. He took of his mask and put it on the ground next to him. “Come on, Y/n.”

Slowly, you began to open your eyes and saw Mark come into view. A smile spread across his face as you slowly lifted your head.

“Mark,” you croaked. You fully lifted your head, which was throbbing, and looked around. Mark maneuvered himself to the back of the chair and untied you. He helped you stand up and held your hands. He pulled you into a tight hug, kissing the top of your head.

“Oh my god!” You said pulling back. Mark looked at you confused until you pointed behind him. Mark turned around and looked at the floor where you were pointing. Laying face down on the floor was Xiaojun. Butt naked.

“Oh god,” Mark said. Mark quickly put his hand in front of your eyes. “Uh, just keep your eyes closed for a sec.”

Mark moved his hand from your eyes, and when he saw that your eyes were closed, he looked around the wear house for something to cover Xiaojun. He found a tarp and put it over Xiaojun’s lover half.

“Alright, you’re good,” Mark said to you. You opened your eyes and walked over next to him. Looking down at Xiaojun, he looked so pitiful.

“Why is Xiaojun butt naked on the floor?” You asked Mark.

“Uh, he was Venom,” Mark said.

“You mean that gooy black Spider-Man that’s been trying to kill you?” You asked. Mark nodded at you after a moment. He took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the police. He spoke on the phone for five minutes before coming back to you.

“Are you ok?” Mark said, putting his hands on your waist. He looked you in the eyes, his own full of concern.

“Yea I’m fine, just...” You trailed off. You stood on your tip toes and grabbed Mark’s face. You connected your lips, kissing him softly. After a moment you pulled back, both of you wearing matching smiles. “Just glad that you’re here.”

“I’ll always be here, right by your side,” Mark said. He leaned down and captured your lips again in a much more passionate kiss.

“Oh and by the way,” you said after pulling back.

“Hmm?” Mark hummed, slightly swaying you from side to side, a goofy smirk on his lips.

“Thanks for the save.”

[jeontaehui]

TAEHEE WITH WAYV

kun kunhee

taehee’s true aegyo only shows when she talks to kun.

she would call him ‘kun gege‘ or ‘kunnie kun kun’ when she’s feeling it lol

taehee Loves kun’s cooking !!! every time the neos would separate into groups during an activity that involved cooking, she’d beg to be in the same group as him.

(nct world ep. 8) “oppa, your food is to die for.”

kun looks at taehee very fondly, like how a dad would watch his child. 

he thinks taehee can be a bit out of hand sometimes, but 98% of the time they’re together, kun looks like he’d spoil taehee without her having to ask him. 

(180403 vlive) “kun-ge,” taehee skips in her steps as kun turns his head to acknowledge her, “hmm?” “if ten oppa asked you to cut me in half, would you?” she asks him expectantly, and without missing a beat, he replies, “no”. triumphantly, taehee turns to the back to stick out her tongue at ten, “see, you’re the only person—“ “i don’t want to have two of you around,” kun cuts her off with a playful smirk, which turns to a laugh as soon as taehee lets out a gasp. she continued to ramble about how she trusted him, how she felt betrayed. “i’m just kidding,” kun says as he put his arm around taehee’s shoulders, pulling her close before ruffling her hair. 

although they’re not a very popular duo or not seen together quite often, taehee absolutely missed kun and his playfulness (and maybe his cooking too).

iconic moment (uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #2) “hello,” they respectfully greeted, with taehee clinging to kun’s side. “i’m here with taehee,” kun starts, “and even if we aren’t in a scene together, we’re hanging out.”

“i missed kun oppa,” taehee pouts, “kun gege.” this immediately made kun smile, it was clear how kun adored taehee like she was his own child. “really?” and taehee nods in response. “it’s been like, what, two years? since i’ve last seen you. moments with you are like, a breath of fresh air,” kun softly laughs at the comparison as he shakes his head at her dramatics. “you’re just making stuff up, aren’t you?”

“i’m not! i swear!”

“are you sure it’s not my cooking that you missed?”

“well... maybe that too.”

song happier by marshmellow ft. bastille

ten tnt / tenhee

taehee likes to think of ten as her twin, but then he would always shoot down the idea. 

(n’-75) “we’re like twins, right?” taehee tells ten before throwing a chip into her mouth. “yeah, but you’re the annoying one and everyone likes me.”

their videos on nct’s dance channel are literally Divine !!!!!! nctzens especially went wild when taehee performed with ten on ‘hit the stage’.

the dirty jokes ..... don’t even get me started. ten would make one remark and it immediately becomes dirty when he makes eye contact with taehee (ft. mark sometimes). if taehee was about to break out laughing, she’d go “UGH I HATE YOU!”

but even if they’re like this with each other, ten and taehee care about each other a whole lot :(

(nct world ep. 3) taehee strained her wrist while attempting to do jump over the vault. though she was able to balance herself quickly, she looked as if she were about to fall; at this split second, ten took a worried step forward, afraid that she’d slip to the ground. later, when taehee comes back with a wrist guard around her hand, ten takes a concerned look at her and asks if she was okay.

taehee also caught a cold while they were preparing for ‘90’s love’ and ten kept insisting he’d make her something to help her feel better.

ten would never admit it but taehee is his baby, anything or anyone that’s bothering her will have to go through him first >:(

iconic moment (jcc ep. 25) “ten, i don’t think it’s supposed to work that way,” taehee giggles at him as he stood a foot away from her while mixing his self-made cookie dough. “no, you wait for it. it’s gonna work,” ten insists while pointing the wooden spoon menacingly at taehee, but this just made the girl smile wider.

she secretly slides the jar of white sugar towards her and scoops up a spoonful, before moving carefully towards ten. “i don’t even think you added sugar,” she mumbles, but his body moves to block her and she bumps into his back with another step. “HEY!” she laughs at how protective ten was getting over his cookie dough, and his stirring becoming more and more aggressive as she tries to put sugar in it, “i’m going to place some so it has a taste!”

ten protests that he already did a while ago while taehee maneuvered her way around him laughing. ten knew what she was trying to do and so he bumped his hip against hers to stop her from getting any nearer. “this is going to spill! ten, stop!,” taehee tries to hold in her giggles, ten was being too cute. “and you’re going to clean it up when it does,” he bites back.

taehee resumes to finding ways to get sugar into the mix while ten resists, causing a very entertained mark to fill the studio with laughter. after a few minutes of trying, taehee sighs and puts back the sugar in the jar, "wow, i never knew baking could be so tiring.”

turns out, ten’s cookies didn’t come out that well and taehee’s expression said it all. “i told you so.”

song positions by ariana grande 

winwin winhee

when winwin was promoting with wayv, he and taehee would send each other messages asking about their days or if they had plans for anything. since both units were busy, they really never do this and it’s only rare that they message each other, let alone call each other.

that’s why taehee was very happy when she saw winwin again for resonance :(

if taehee was chill about her love for winwin before, now she’d just poke his cheeks every once in a while.

(uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #1) taehee watches from the side as three or four members corner winwin to gush over him, making her give a disapproving shake of the head to the camera. “everyone, winwin hyungie is like a baby,” she nods. “babies won’t like it if you bother them too much, so you have to be subtle with your affection.” taehee gives a playful smirk to the camera, “that’s why winwin hyungie likes me.”

winwin, on the other hand, thinks that taehee changed very much the last time he saw her. from being childish and innocent, she became matured and confident. this is how winwin felt time really flew.

(uncut take #1 | 2020 yearparty behind scene #1) “winwin gege~,” taehee whines, seeing how it would roll off her tongue. “did i say that right? ‘winwin gege’?,” she looks to see that winwin already had a fond smile on his face. “you are so cute,” he pouts, “jeon taehee, you are really too cute.”

iconic moment (201106 twitter blueroom live) “winwin hyung, who is your favorite member here in 90’s love?,” haechan asks from his left. and as everyone appeals to him, including mark who touches his ear out of affection, he already had one person in mind. “jeon taehee.”

song left to right by marteen

lucas luhee

a very very very very chaotic duo.

if you watch compilation videos of the funniest moments from empathy era, the iconic clip of lucas and taehee saying something else instead of ‘yadom’ (nasal spray) would always be included. they had to cut out that part from the live later, and members had to tell them what ‘야동’ actually meant in the next live.

taehee would try to teach lucas some korean before, but then that’s just her talking in korean with an english accent.

(180712 vlive) “why are you so tall?,” taehee raises her eyebrow at him. “why are you so short?,” lucas laughs.

taehee threw a pick-up line at mark during that same live, and lucas asked her why wasn’t she like that to him too. “lucas, don’t laugh but,” taehee tells him, “even if you’re as tall as a tree, i’ll still see you as a big baby. i’m not lying.”

and so jungwoo and taehee’s snacking tradition was actually jungwoo, taehee, and lucas’ snacking tradition.

for taehee, it’s so satisfying to watch lucas eat especially if he’s enjoying it so much. lucas actually admitted that the food that taehee carried in her bag would eventually go to his stomach. it became a habit for taehee to carry some in her bag even if lucas wasn’t promoting with her anymore.

iconic moment (uncut take #14 | ‘resonance’ mv behind the scene) “yo lucas,” taehee greets as she was pulled into a friendly bro hug. when she pulls away, she quicklt takes a look at lucas’ gorgeous features and steps back, “woah, you’re seriously so handsome.” lucas turns shy at her compliment and rubs the back of his neck, “you too.”

taehee raises her eyebrows in amusement, smirking as she says, “i’m handsome too?” lucas thinks for a moment before nodding yes, “you can be handsome too.”

“okay czennies, meet two very handsome people. hello!”

song rather be by clean bandit (ft. jess glynne)

xiaojun xiaohee

out of all the ‘99 boys, she’d want to get to know xiaojun more the most. 

they’re not awkward with each other, they’re just shy to approach each other and start a conversation. 

(sun & moon ep. 2) “taehee-ssi told me the other day she really liked xiaojun hyung’s voice out of the blue,” the said girl eyes haechan carefully, suddenly feeling nervous at what he’s going to pull. “i told her she should tell you herself, why is she telling me? she said she was shy,” when he had said this, a chorus of ‘ohh’s’ came from the rest of the bunch, except for taehee. she had a threatening smile on her face directed at the one and only lee haechan, so he decides to prod her further, “taehee-ssi, perhaps you’d like a guesting on awsaz?”

unknowingly though, xiaojun soon becomes one of the causes of taehee’s smiles or laughter whenever they’re filming together. 

(nct world ep. 2) “taehee, fighting!,” he cheers as taehee stepped forward to arm wrestle. the latter quickly turns around to give him a salute as she winks.

(201120 vlive) “xiaojun comes home and he talks about taehee too,” kun shares, “they hang out a lot.” doyoung snickers, “he fell for her too? taehee tells us how funny you guys are in your dorms, but she only ever talked about xiaojun.”

so yes ,,, they are very shy around each other but as far as we know !!! they’re really good friends who want to be closer to each other.

iconic moment (uncut take #14 | ‘resonance’ mv behind the scene) “you guys have pets in your dorm, right?,” taehee asks him as she leaned back, her arms supporting her from behind. “yes, we have three. the dog is bella and we have two cats named leon and louis,” taehee’s eyes widened, though she admits she feels jealous to have their pets around.

“i would keep my dog with me but they won’t let me.”

“oh really? what’s the name?”

“her name is 뚱이, and she’s a lhasa apso.”

“ahh,” xiaojun nods, “does she pee on your carpet?”

taehee throws her head back slightly as she laughs at the question, bringing a hand to her mouth to hide her growing smile. “do your pets pee on your carpet?” xiaojun shrugs, “well, sometimes,” he nods off disappointingly, causing taehee to giggle. “but we love them,” xiaojun sighs, and his eyes see taehee’s wide smile as she agrees with him. “that’s right, we love them.”

song i really like you by carly rae jepsen 

hendery deryhee

taehee finds hendery SO funny, i swear.

like he can literally just smile and nod she’d bust her lungs out from laughing

nctzens found it cute when taehee and hendery monitored each other while they were shooting for the ‘misfit’ track vid.

(misfit track video behind the scene) “ooo hendery is good. he looks cool.”

taehee watched the awsaz episode of winwin and jisung ,,, firstly because of those two.

but then hendery and haechan were so funny too she may have shed a tear from laughing.

a fan asked in those video call fansigns if taehee has watched any of wayv’s videos and she laughed, saying that she watched the one where they acted as disney princesses.

“hendery is so funny, really,” she smiled. “I CAN SHOW YOU THE WORLD!!!!”

they became really close during resonance era and talk about games, their pets, and already have some inside jokes between the two of them.

like a member would just say ‘cabbage’ and we already have the two of them smiling to each other from across the room !!! or they’d make eye contact when looking at the mirror and taehee would just bust out laughing.

iconic moment (201106 twitter blueroom live) “you’re really, really, really, really handsome,” yuta starts with utmost sincerity, “hendery.” the latter brings a hand to his face, his face warming up at the compliment as he sighs contently. this comical reaction causes taehee to burst into a fit of laughter, one you could hear off-cam.

later, when it was time for the ‘90’s love’ unit to take charge of the live, taehee giggles out of the blue, trying to keep her laughs in. “why?,” mark asks as he glances at her. “i’m sorry i just,” she pauses. surely, she was thinking about the funny things hendery pulled when they were doing the live before them. “i just keep thinking about how funny hendery was. i’m sorry, i’ll just eat my fries,” she says the last part quickly, throwing a french fry in her mouth as she bites back a smile.

song love story by taylor swift (disco lines ft. cassidi remix)

yangyang yanghee

taehee finds yangyang SO cute, precious, and tiny.

whenever yangyang is speaking, we’d see taehee in the corner of the frame smiling. 

she’s all over the yangyang vocalist agenda !!!!!!

(uncut #16 | ‘90’s love’ recording behind) “this is yangyang’s voice, isn’t it?,” taehee beams as she hears the younger’s voice through her headphones. “i really like his voice.”

yangyang’s such a smiley baby around taehee, partially because she told him he was very cute when he smiles.

fans find it so endearing when taehee calls yangyang “yangyangie” as if she’s talking to a baby :(

(201022 weibo live) “taehee noona and i play games when she comes here,” yangyang tells renjun. “and then she’ll hangout with the pets later,” he and renjun laugh at this. typical taehee.

taehee would buy drinks from the vending machine for sungchan since he’s the maknae in ‘90’s love’ but !!!! she makes a special exception for yangyang.

just a little bit more and he’s up taehee’s baby list ^ ^

iconic moment (uncut take #8 | ‘90′s love’ mv behind) “today is yangyang’s birthday!,” taehee chirps as she held the camera, making sure she and yangyang were both in the frame. “you’re like, 21 now, right?,” yangyang nods, “how are you feeling today?”

“i feel happy right now since you guys like prepared a cake and stuff and sang ‘happy birthday’ to me awhile ago,” taehee smiles at this. “so i’ll continue to work hard with you guys as we wrap up filming,” yangyang finishes as he beams at her, the latter mirroring his expression. 

“you’re so cute, you know that, right?,” taehee coos as she focuses the camera to yangyang (who smiles shyly at the compliment), before placing herself back in frame. “i only got to play games with yangyang a few times because chenle invited me, but now that we’re all spending time together, i think yangyang’s a very cute dongsaeng.” at this, they both giggle and taehee raises her fist for a fist bump. “i know,” yangyang says as he bumps his fist against hers, taehee laughing at this cute ball of sunshine. 

song timber by pitbull (ft. ke$ha) 

[sunnysidekit]

Summary: All is fair in love and war. And boxing, too, apparently.

Pairing: Ben ‘Benny’ Miller x F!Reader (no y/n, reader’s boxing nickname is ‘Nyx’)

Warnings: Language, mentions of violence.

Word count: 2.2k

My masterlist

Everyone likes a good mystery. Don’t even try to deny it; whether you like Sherlock Holmes or if you’re more of an Agatha Christie fan, none of us can really escape the allure of a good conundrum every now and again. Some people can stare in the face of their mystery and not recognize it for quite some time, while others can practically smell them from a mile away. Ben Miller is part of, well, both groups.

Personally, he likes mysteries and surprises and such, but his army days have taught him all of those are a bad thing. A mission can collapse after the smallest detail changes, after all. Sometimes those missions are called off; other than the fact that he can’t do his job when that happens, he’s not really bothered by it. But when something catches him and his team by surprise during a mission and they have to get on with it anyway, things tend to… let’s say, not end well for everyone. And that’s gently put, of course.

Which is why when he’s at home between deployments, he likes his simple habits. They provide joy and adrenaline, and boy does he need both to function well. One of those habits is boxing. He likes it because of its simplicity; you punch your opponent, they punch you back, and so on and so forth until one of you stops. He’s good at it, too. Will always says that’s because he practiced a lot on him when they were younger. Ben says he’s the one with the good genes. Their mother was a fighter, too, after all.

The other reason he likes boxing is because your opponents always try to surprise you with a little mystery move. It’s fun for him to figure out how to respond in a split second, and the rush he gets when he does so successfully is almost unparalleled. Today, though, the only real surprise is the sudden appearance of his very own mystery. And, hey, you might know where this one’s going: it appears in the shape of a woman…

Benny whoops when he kicks open the door to his old high school gym’s changing room, but it sounds a bit less enthusiastic than it did after his last match. He knew he should have listened to Will and gone somewhere, anywhere else than back to Red Feather Lakes, but he’s not about to mention it when he can already imagine the smug grin spreading across his brother’s face.

He won, that’s what counts. And it’s not that bad to have done so after what is sure to be America’s easiest boxing match. That just means he’s good at it. The crowd went just as wild as it usually does, even though there were significantly less attendants than two weeks ago. Somehow, none of the arguments he tells himself really convinces him.

“All right!” Catfish says triumphantly from behind him. “Looks like all that training paid off, didn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Benny trails off as his slightly blurry vision comes back into focus. There’s someone sitting on one of the benches, someone he doesn’t know. It’s a woman; her aura tells him she’s all business, but her clothes tell him she also definitely plays. “Who’re you?”

The woman doesn’t respond immediately; only after half a minute of casually typing away on her phone does she look up and meet his eye. “Name’s Val,” she says, her facial expression one he can’t quite place. “And I’m about to ask you something you won’t be able to ignore.”

It’s important to notice that Benny isn’t particularly patient in his post-fight high, something Frankie knows very well. He becomes a bomb of electric energy that, once set off, won’t stop until every single muscle in his body gives out. And he’s about to be set off.

“Val, is it?” Frankie smiles at the woman, swiftly moving his friend to the showers. “Why don’t we talk while he cools down, hm?”

“You’re not the one I want to ask a question,” she says calmly, not taking her eyes off Benny. “You’re a Delta boy, aren’t you? I can see it in the way you fight. It takes regular boxers years to develop such a sensitive, quick response capability.”

“Yeah, and?”

“And that makes me think that oaf out there’s a long way from even thinking of acquiring your skillset. It’s impressive how easily you had him on the mat.”

“Ma’am, if you want an autograph-” Frankie tries, sensing the ticking time-bomb next to him is about to blow, but Val immediately interjects.

“Which is precisely what caught my eye. These men are no challenge for you anymore, but I think I know someone who could be. Should you accept their invitation, that is.”

“Do I know him?” Benny narrows his eyes at her, trying by god to figure out her angle in all of this. She smirks and closes her eyes a few seconds longer than a normal blink would take; touchy subject, maybe? Or perhaps he’s right and he has seen the guy before.

“You might have seen them around, sure. But I doubt you’d remember them.”

“So, what? I say yes and I’ll fight your friend here next week or something?” Benny snatches his towel from his bag and snaps it against the wall in annoyance.

“I’m afraid my friend’s a little more… complex than that, Mr. Miller.”

“Hey, uh, no thanks,” Frankie cuts in, waving his hands as if to dissipate the words in the air. “He doesn’t do illegal fights.”

“He’d have plausible deniability,” Val says with a slight tilt of her head, then turns back to face Benny and hands him a business card. "Anyway, the choice is yours, Mr. Miller, not your friend’s. I don’t need an answer right now. Do take your time to think it over, sleep on it a bit. Once you’re a little more comfortable with the idea, give this number a call. I’ve got a feeling they’d very much like to bruise that pretty face of yours until it looks like a Monet.”

She gets up from the bench and walks out of the changing room without looking back. Benny slips the business card into his jacket pocket, something that catches Frankie’s attention.

“Don’t do it, Ben,” he sighs. “I’m serious. You could get arrested, get your ass thrown in jail. You’ll get kicked out of the army.”

“Stop whining, Fish. I’m not gonna do it anyway.”

Despite explicitly telling Frankie he wouldn’t do it, here he is, standing outside his local gym with his phone in one hand and the curious looking business card in the other. There’s not a lot of info on it, but, hey, what did he expect? That an illegal streetfighter would publish their own name, address and contact info on a bunch of business cards?

There are only two things printed on the grey little card: Nyx, which must be the fighter’s nickname or something, and a phone number. It’s been in his jacket pocket ever since he left his old high school, but it felt like it’s been burning a hole in it the entire time. It’s exactly as Val said it would be. He can’t get her proposition out of his mind, no matter how hard he tries.

She’s right about the competition. They’re no match for him, not the ones here in Red Feather Lakes. And, sure, he could always just sign up for something three towns over, but it wouldn’t matter much. How she found out he’s in the Delta Force is beyond him, though. It’s policy not to broadcast such a position if you want to stay in it. Maybe she has connections in the army…

That’s another thing; his place in the army. It would be gone as soon as he gets caught, and it’s not like he’s got great job prospects waiting for him back home when all he’s done for the past ten years is train to get where he is now. No college degree, no other jobs to list on his resume, no wealthy parents to fall back on… His whole life would go up in smoke.

But it does entice him. He technically does illegal things for his job all the time, and the matches he engages in when he has some down time aren’t really scratching that one particular itch anymore. Let’s face it: one phone call can’t hurt, right? He can still refuse, say no, put his foot down. Maybe even convince this guy to go legit.

He pushes the little green receiver on the screen, then puts his phone to his ear. The dial tone beeps three times before someone picks up. He opens his mouth to say something, but the person on the other side is quicker.

“Ben Miller, I presume?” It’s… a woman. But not Val. “Val told me you’d be giving me a call.”

“And you’re…” he quickly flips over the card just to be sure, “…Nyx, then?”

“Got it in one. I do so hate it when Val forgets to mention my name in the initial interview.”

Benny huffs out a confused laugh. “Interview?”

“You aced it, by the way. Not saying too much is best when talking with my… let’s call her my associate,” the woman says. Her voice is softer than Val’s, and a lot smoother. It sounds like what taking a sip of hot chocolate feels like. “Shall we get on with it and discuss the rules of this little arrangement?”

“I don’t-- rules? I haven’t even given you an answer.”

“Oh, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ve got any restraint left,” she chuckles. “You want to tell me you called just to say hello to a total stranger?”

“No, but-” Benny splutters, but he doesn’t get to finish his sentence.

“Then your answer, even if you haven’t given it to me yet, is as clear as the Pope’s Holy Water. Now then, the rules. In order to keep you in the warm, sunny, light side of the law, I’ll arrange a time and place. All you have to do is show up.”

He can’t help but grin. She’s clearly on top of this whole cloak and dagger operation, that much he can tell. Who she is, though, he can’t say. Not yet. Maybe he’ll recognize her when he sees her. “What about my gear?”

“Do take it with you, please. I’m not a charity, giving away free gear to any John, Charles or Mary.”

“All right,” he says, clicking his tongue. “Anything else?”

“Val will pick you up and get you back home safely, so don’t worry about the whole transport situation.”

“This doesn’t sound very... safe. I mean, you do realize this sounds a lot like kidnapping, right? Or murder, or something like that?”

The woman laughs. It sounds like the melody to a song he knows but has never heard at the same time. It’s the kind of laugh that makes everyone around laugh as well. “Why would I tell you all this and then still proceed with it if my intent was malicious? You can easily call the cops and have my dear Val arrested for whatever crime you think me capable of, and that wouldn’t be very good for my business.”

“Fair enough.”

“Speaking of Val, she’ll pick you up next Wednesday at nine.”

Benny kicks a piece of gravel onto the street next to him and swallows away the last of his pride and dignity. “All right, I guess I’ll see you then.”

“Good lord, I can’t believe Val forgot to tell you that, too,” she laughs again, then clears her throat and continues a lot more seriously. “I only dance in the dark. Have a good night, Mr. Miller.”

Usually, waiting takes ages, but not this time. For Benny the rest of the week practically flew by him and before he knows it, it’s already Wednesday. He went training with Frankie just like any other week, only this time he accidentally forgot to mention his fight with Nyx. He told himself that the less people know about his, uh, date, the better, but he also knows Frankie would have immediately pulled the plug.

Val arrives at nine o’clock sharp in the front seat of a cab, which is no surprise. The drive that follows doesn’t take very long; he also isn’t blindfolded or anything like they do in the movies. The car stops in front of an old warehouse in the east side of town, and that’s when Val turns around in her seat and very concisely tells him to get his ass out of her cab himself, since she’s not going to hold open the door for him.

Instead of driving off, Val simply pulls the keys from the ignition and tosses them to him, calling it his ‘insurance policy’. Then she waves her hand as if to tell him to hurry up and get inside, which he promptly does.

Well, that whole dancing in the dark reference seems to have been meant literally; as soon as the warehouse door closes behind him, an inky, suffocating darkness envelopes Benny and makes a shiver run up and down his spine. He takes a few tentative steps, holding out his arms and moving them around to make sure he doesn’t hit anything while he walks.

Suddenly, a voice calls out to him from a bit further into the sole, big room this warehouse seems to consist of.

“Good evening, Mr. Miller. Let’s get swinging, shall we?”

A/N: Hey there, you made it to the end! Thanks for reading through the whole thing, I hope you liked it. If you’ve got any suggestions or spotted a mistake or two, don’t hesitate to tell me so that I might fix it. I hope you’ll stick around for round two!

[elliewritessometimes]

hello. have you seen this post by @notsomightymightytiger?? that’s my friend!!! and this is completely and utterly inspired by that and completely and utterly written for her. love you stabby friend <3

also known as: the tigers go to disneyland, kateva like to kiss, chess, reese and mattie have an understated bromance and cheerwives can actually be fluffy for once

tw: swearing, theme park kind of things??? aka rollercoasters and fireworks and all that. as always, let me know if i’ve missed anything

(sidenote idk if you can tell but i have never in my life been to disneyland don’t come for me if i wrote it all wrong i tried my best)

---

"We're going to Disneyland."

There was silence in the gym for a solid thirty seconds before all hell broke loose.

"WhAT???"

"Wait, really?!?"

"Oh my God, Riley, you're the best, oh my gOd!"

"Why the fuck did you think that taking us to fucking Disneyland was a good idea??" Kate looked less than pleased at the proposition, a stark contrast to the delighted faces of Reese and Mattie.

Riley smiled brightly. "Team bonding!!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Right. Of course." Their voice rose in pitch, sarcasm delicately lacing their words. "For the best of the team-"

Chess cut them off, not so subtly stamping on her foot. "Katherine, please."

Farrah had been wobbling on her tiptoes, peering over Annleigh's shoulder. She gave a long-suffering groan. "Annleigh, Clark's not a Tiger, he can't come."

"But-"

"No. It's unfair."

Annleigh ignored her sister and switched her attention to Riley, making her best puppy eyes at the captain. Riley only widened her smile. It probably hurt her face a little bit. "You know what? Fine. Clark can come. It's gonna be fun, right?!"

Annleigh giggled at the answer, sticking her tongue out at a fuming Farrah. Kate was in a similar predicament, being held back by a smirking Chess with an arm around their shoulder. They pulled out their phone as well, already dialling a number, “If Annleigh’s boyfriend gets to come, then my girlfriend should be allowed as well. Otherwise that’s nepotism.”

“Fine.” Riley was steadily regretting her decision to hold a cheer trip. On her left, Cairo squeezed her hand, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. Kate gagged in their direction. “You better not, Kate, or I’m banning your girlfriend from Disneyland.”

“Fuck you.”

“Wait,” Reese spoke up, “If Kate and Annleigh can have Eva and Clark, and Cairo and Riley have each other, can I bring my boyfriend?”

“No more significant others!” Riley clapped her hands, ignoring Reese’s pout. “If you can’t get Eva and Clark here in the next eight minutes, we will be leaving them behind! I paid so much money for these tickets and we will not be late.”

The team headed towards the door, being greeted by Eva and Clark already standing beside Cairo’s minivan. They split the rides evenly between the van and Chess’ car (Kate was more than pissed to find that their best friend had been in on the plan all along). 

At one point, Mattie took Reese’s hand. “Hey, even if you can’t bring your boyfriend, you’ve got me, right? Ultimate bromance and all that?”

Reese grinned and squeezed the freshman’s hand. “Hell yeah.”

-

“I want that pin.”

“No, you don’t.” Reese hugged the Belle pin closer. 

Chess held out a hand. “Yeah, but I do though.”

Reese shook her head.

“Look, I’ll give you my Tinkerbell diamond one.” They held out the rare pin in their other hand.

“No! Belle is my favourite!”

“She’s my favourite as well though!”

Cairo sighed. “We’ve been here literally ten minutes.”

Reese linked arms with Mattie, turning on her heel to walk off, “I’m going now and you’re not getting my Belle pin!!!!”

“HEY!” Chess chased after the two, trying so hard to keep up their grumpy demeanour and failing when a smile crept onto their face.

Turning to an anxious-looking Riley, Cairo sighed again. By now, she’d sighed more than she’d spoken today. “Chess does know that they could just... buy their own Belle pin if they really wanted, right???”

“It’s the fun of it, Cai.” Riley looked around, craning her neck. “Where on Earth have the other five members of our team gone?”

“Holy shit.” At this rate, Cairo must have been running out of oxygen from the intense sighing. “It has been. Ten. Minutes.”

-

Farrah wouldn't call herself a Disneyland regular, but she's been a few times before. She remembered a time before her mother had left, when she was still just a little kid, coming to the park for the first time. It had been the kind of magical that only a child can experience, filled with glitter and laughter and something that might have been called family. Her mother bought bubblegum flavoured cotton candy, handing the stick to a seven-year-old Farrah with a smile and a wink. They agreed that it was the first thing that you had to do when going to Disneyland - buy cotton candy. Every time since, Farrah bought the same bubblegum pink sugar from the same tacky stand and ate it with the same wonder as she did the very first time.

Now, Farrah had a new family. In, perhaps, more ways than one. Here, away from home, she's still with her family, maybe a slightly dysfunctional one made up of teenage cheerleaders (and Clark), but still, they are her family in one way or another.

Annleigh returned as Farrah was mulling over all this, a stick of worryingly neon pink cotton candy in her hand. "Figured you'd want to start the day off with your usual sugar rush."

Farrah took the treat with a smile, wondering if Annleigh is only so glad to buy such unhealthy food because at least it's not alcohol. "Thanks."

"Come on, ladies! We've got a whole park to explore!" Clark had apparently already visited a store, a pair of Mickey ears stretched over his head. Farrah rolled her eyes, but followed her sister and brother-in-law (nearly) further down the street because, after all, they are her family.

-

“I can’t believe you’ve never been to fucking Disneyland before,” Eva looked mildly horrified, “Has Chess never taken you?”

“I didn’t really want to go.”

Eva narrowed her eyes. “Why the fuck-”

“Reasons.” Kate’s voice was sharp and Eva backed off, only kissing the top of their head. Kate squeezed her hand in response. “Anyway, come on, show me everything. Mountain rides challenge, right?”

“Ugh, Katie, the queues with be forever...”

“Lucky for you, I’ll be there to while away the time with you.” She winked, laughing when Eva blushed. “Let’s go.”

-

Of all the things to happen at Disneyland, Reese was not expecting to get sneak attacked by a literal cuddly pig. She yelped, reaching a hand to smack it away, nearing the point of ‘this might as well happen’, when a small head poked out from behind the toy. Mattie grinned, “Boo!”

“Jesus Christ, you scared the life out of me.”

The younger girl giggled brightly. “Look what I got!”

“...Is that the pig from Moana?”

“Obviously.” Mattie rolled her eyes. “You should know by now that Moana is the best Disney movie of all time.”

Reese rummaged in her backpack for a second before pulling out yet another pin. “Look! Moana pin. Girl, I would give it to you, but me and Chess are tryna see who can get the most pins by the end of the day. Speaking of, was Chess in the store?”

“Yeah, actually.” She hesitated. “Dude, I hate to tell you this, but they had a Belle pin.”

“Shit.”

-

Perhaps queuing had been a mistake. It had probably been hours. Kate would have known more accurately if they’d worn a watch like Chess always told them to. She was stubborn though, and hadn’t. “Aves...” 

“Yeah?”

“How long have we been waiting?”

“Twenty-five minutes.”

“Oh.” They craned their neck to see over the heads in front of them, realising that they were only a few people from the front. “Oh.”

Eva laughed and took her partner’s hand again, “Told you the queues were long.”

However, in only a matter of minutes, they were seated in an uncomfortable car, the seatbelts just a little too tight to be comfortable and a little too loose to feel actually safe. To say Kate was uncomfortable would be an understatement. She was also maybe a tiny bit scared. 

Eva squinted at them. “You look like you’re gonna throw up.”

“I’m fine.” 

And so the ride began.

Around halfway through, they began the steady climb to the highest peak. Kate turned to Eva, yelling over the shouts of other passengers. “Hey, babe? Remember when I said I didn’t come here with Chess because of reasons? Now might be a good time to tell you that those reasons are that I’m scared of heights.” 

“You fucking idiot.” Eva turned carefully to them, holding their hands tighter, worry and amusement shining in her eyes. The car reached the peak of the ride. “Look at me and don’t fucking think about looking down. It’s okay.” She cupped her cheek. They fell suddenly and Kate's heart jumped into her throat. Eva laughed a little at their surprise. “You know what they say, babe, you gotta confront your fears straight on.”

“I can’t do anything straightly.”

And that was how they found themselves kissing on a rollercoaster, hair slightly in their faces, just as the camera shutter went off. 

-

The team somehow reconvened for lunch, stopping on a bench somewhere as Clark unpacked a multitude of sandwiches and juice boxes. Of course, only Clark, Annleigh and Riley ended up eating the home-brought food, everyone else opting to buy their own trashy, mostly-sugar lunch. 

“How the fuck did you know to bring all this if we only organised the trip this morning?” Kate sounded suspicious, eyeing Clark like he was the imposter. 

Clark looked mildly sheepish. “Oh... We all knew already.”

“WHAT?”

“Yeah, sorry Kitkat.” Chess stifled a snort of laughter. “We organised this weeks ago. We had a group chat and everything.”

Kate spluttered for a second. “Alright, traitors, who else was left out of this?”

Mattie, Farrah and Reese all raised a hand. 

“This makes no sense. Cairo, I trust you to tell the truth, why the fuck didn’t you tell us?!”

Cairo smirked. “We didn’t tell Mattie and Farrah because they’re children-”

“Rude!” Mattie smacked Cairo on the arm. “I am possibly more responsible than half of the rest of you.”

Riley cut in. “Don’t be silly, Cai. We didn’t tell Reese, Mattie or Farrah because they like Disney the most and we wanted it to be a surprise treat for them.”

The rest of the group made noises of appreciation or fondness. Kate, however, was less than pleased, “What about me?!”

“Oh, we just wanted to see your face when we announced it.” Cairo didn't hold back.

“Fuck you all.” But they were holding back a smile, already moving on to the next thing. “Hey, Farrah, you okay? Why aren’t you eating?”

The sophomore groaned. “I feel sick.”

Annleigh hugged her sister to her side, rubbing her back gently. ‘It’s because you ate all that cotton candy earlier.”

“It was so good, though.” Farrah frowned, regretting her past-self and her need for sugar. 

Clark reached into his backpack, pulling out a pair of Minnie ears, before plonking them awkwardly on Farrah’s head. He grinned. “That’ll make you feel better!”

“Dude, I don’t know, but thanks for the effort.” She fought a smile, reaching up to arrange the ears around her plaits. 

-

Riley had been anxious about the trip ever since it had been first suggested. She’d pored over the plans for hours on end, triple checking each detail with Cairo and Chess. Now that they were here, it was all going well enough. Sure, maybe they had gotten lost a couple of times, and sure, maybe they hadn’t stayed as much of a team as she’d planned, but yeah, it was going fine. Everyone else was having fun. 

“Hey, Rye, you doing okay?”

She nodded with a smile, clutching Cairo’s hand. “Yup! All good!”

Cairo did not look convinced. “Look, you've been stressing about everyone else all day, how about we leave them be and go visit some princesses, huh?”

“Cai... Cai, that would be honestly amazing.” Hesitating, she watched the retreating backs of the rest of the team. “You’re sure they’ll be okay?”

“They’ll be fine, I promise. Besides, they’ve got Clark and Chess and Eva in case anything goes wrong.” The taller girl didn’t hesitate from naming who she perceived as the ‘responsible ones’. 

“Okay.” Riley opened her mouth to suggest a destination, when they were approached by the one and only Peter Pan. 

“Hey!”

“OhmygodCai.” She clung to her girlfriend’s arm. “It’s Peter Pan.”

Cairo snorted, nudging Riley to spark her reply. She watched as the two had what was possibly the purest and most wholesome conversation she had ever heard, sneakily taking photos that she would treasure because of Riley’s true delight. Riley skipped towards her after a couple of minutes, grinning properly from ear to ear. “That was so cool!”

“Amazing, Rye. Who shall we visit next?”

“Oh my God, we have to see Tangled!”

“....Rapunzel.”

Riley paused from where she was dragging Cairo into another set of rooms. “What?”

Cairo laughed, “She’s not called Tangled, babe, her name’s Rapunzel.” 

“Oh. Yeah, right, of course, forgot.”

The other girl only laughed harder. “You're so stupid, Jesus Christ, I love you.”

Riley blushed. “Love you too.”

-

“So you did the mountain rides challenge.”

“Yes. Obviously.”

“And somehow, just magically, you two found yourselves making out in every single ride photo.” Chess crossed their arms, grinning at the couple in front of them.

“I- It was noT making out!!” Kate spluttered a reply, hiding her face in Eva’s shoulder. Chess only laughed harder.

Eva hummed as if she was making a difficult decision. “I don’t know, babe, you got pretty into it at one point.”

The senior cackled, high-fiving Eva over Kate's head. Kate continued to hide in their girlfriend's shoulder, only lifting a middle finger in Chess’ direction as a reply. Chess took the offending finger in their hand, pulling Kate up so she could walk between the other two. “Damn, Kitkat.”

“I’m not ever replying to that name again. I have been too attacked to allow it.”

Eva kissed the top of their head, “You came here to have a good time and you’re just feeling so attacked right now.”

“Exactly!” Kate nudged their head up into Eva’s chin, “This is why I’m dating you, meme girl.”

“Ew, gross.” Chess tugged Kate, who tugged Eva, who finally got them walking again. “Come on, lovebirds, it’s firework time.”

-

By the time the fireworks began, they’d been at the park for hours. Farrah still had her Minnie ears on, ones which Clark occasionally tried to steal due to his own ears being lost on one ride or another. Annleigh would only bat his hand away, laughing when he pressed kisses to her palm. 

Kate kissed Eva again when the first firework exploded above them, being caught by yet another camera, this time in the hands of Riley. The photo found its way onto the Tigers group chat by morning, greeted by a pouting Kate begging them to take it down against the protests of the rest of the team (“But you’re just so cute!”). Somehow, she didn’t complain when it even later worked its way onto Eva's Instagram feed. 

Chess and Reese jumped at the first fireworks, too absorbed in counting pins to pay attention to the rest of the world. Mattie wormed her way between them, sneakily stealing both Reese’s Moana pin and Chess’ newly-bought Belle pin. They were too distracted by the light show to notice and Mattie celebrated her little victory by also stealing some of the cotton candy that Farrah had bought herself again, despite her earlier regrets. She supposed some people never learnt.

Cairo stood quietly at the back of the group, showing a still-bouncing Riley the pictures taken with the various characters they’d encountered. Riley kissed her for the final firework, a silent ‘thank you’ for today. 

With the lights of Disneyland glimmering maybe slightly tackily behind the group, Riley took one last picture. It was them, the team, the Tigers, silhouetted in the lights but, if you zoomed in and maybe turned the brightness up a bit, you could still see them smiling. That made its way onto the group chat as well and maybe it still hangs in more than one of their rooms. It was certainly a day that qualified for the scrapbooks.

[fullmoonremus]

Paper Cut | Edmund Pevensie x Reader Soulmate AU

Warnings: Mentions of injury/blood, describing pain, seemingly near-death experience and talk about death, probably some cussing

Time/Era: Modern AU but the Pevensies have been to Narnia. 

Word Count: 2.4k

Summary: Every injury your soulmate receives, you also receive. When you finally meet your soulmate, you have a few bones to pick. 

A/N: Hello! This is the first imagine I’ve written on this blog, so I decided to do something a little more light-hearted for our favorite just king. I’m also a sucker for soulmate aus. There will be a part 2 for this story :D Feel free to leave requests :) Also, I’ve never been to Cambridge University so please take everything I say about it with a grain of salt lol

Part 2 | Part 3 | masterlist | read on ao3

It’s a common courtesy to try and be as careful as you can when it comes to your body. Not for your sake, but for your soulmate’s. Every papercut, cramp, broken bone, and even every itch you feel, your other half does as well. So, it was common sense to try to be as careful as you could to not inflict pain on them. Or at least that’s what Y/N thought. She spent her whole life dodging anything she felt could cause her harm. This included “normal kid” things like playing on the playground, rolling down hills, jumping off things, or playing sports. Her heart was always in the right place, even if her friends and family called her a stick in the mud for declining their “fun” requests. She could not, and will not, injure her person. When she was around 8, she had been playing with a paper airplane and it just barely sliced her finger. It left behind a pesky papercut that stung. Bad. The small injury left Y/N guilty for days afterward. She has assumed that her soulmate was on the same page as her for the longest time. Aside from a few skinned knees (they were kids after all,) Y/N was left unscathed. She went on her days carefree until she was about fifteen. 

It seemed as though Y/N’s soulmate had completely changed their deminer overnight. It started with a bit of road rash on her palms. Y/N assumed they had fallen accidentally. Annoying, sure, but it was more than manageable. Then, her lip split open and bled for almost 15 minutes. 

As the week went on, large bruises started appearing on her legs and hips. Maybe the road rash fall was worse than she initially thought. Again, she just rode it off as clumsiness. It wasn’t long until her fingertips started to turn purple. This made Y/N panic. 

“Ma’am?” Y/N interrupted her science teacher in the middle of her lecture, “I think there’s something wrong with my hands.” The purple started to spread down her fingers towards her knuckles. They also proved to be getting harder to move. 

“Oh, dear, you’re freezing.” Ms. Adamson remarks, taking Y/N’s hands into her own. 

“What’s happening? Am I dying?” Her entire hand was now numb. 

“I don’t think so, Miss L/N, but, it’ll help you and them out if we warm you up.” 

Her toes suffered the same fate, she discovered during a visit to the school’s infirmary. (Which wasn’t even worth visiting in Y/N’s opinion.) The nurse at Y/N’s school didn’t have the “jurisdiction” to help Y/N properly, so she had to settle for a wet paper towel that was warmed in the microwave. Y/N just wished to be sent home instead. By the time she was finally set free, the purple had faded but her skin tone was not back to normal. Hopefully, the paper towel did something for her soulmate cause this sure as hell wasn’t Y/N’s fault. Her parents were flabbergasted when she got home, mostly upset that they made her miss so many of her classes. Neither had any explanation but tried to offer unhelpful comforting all the same. 

When Y/N awoke the next morning, all of the fingers in her hand had gone back to normal and she regained feeling. Finally, her soulmate was finally safe. 

She spent the day coming up with ridiculous reasons as to why they had almost given her frostbite. Maybe they got locked in a freezer at an ice cream store and had to wait for the store to reopen to let them out. Maybe they live in Antarctica and they got locked out of their house in their underwear. Maybe they were trying to win a bet to see who could stay in ice water the longest. The daydreams were cut short as she was harshly awoken by a searing pain in her abdomen. 

Ms. Adamson dropped her whiteboard marker and panicked when she heard Y/N scream. It wasn’t a normal teenage girl scream either. No, this scream was filled with pure agony and distress. It echoed against the walls and vibrated the desks. It sounded as if she was getting murdered. Y/N fell to the floor and landed in a big heap. The scientist hurriedly ran towards Y/N and stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the teen’s blood pooling on the linoleum floor. It appeared she had been stabbed, by the looks of it.

Pointing at various other students to do various tasks, call an ambulance, call the office, and to go get another teacher, she took hold of Y/N’s hand. 

“It’s going to be okay,” She whispered, “You’re going to be fine. Keep your eyes open for me.”

Y/N felt very odd. Was this what dying felt like? She felt as though she was underwater; she could hear Ms. Adamson but her voice was muffled and she couldn’t make anything out. Y/N felt dizzy and sick at the same time, all she wanted to do was shut her eyes. So she did. Relief filled her as quickly as the pain. Her wound felt cold as if someone was pushing a damp cloth onto it. The pain lessened and lessened until there was none at all. 

~

Five years later she had almost forgotten about what had happened. Almost. In the years that followed the incident, severe gashes and bruises had become a normal occurrence. Her body was riddled with what seemed like battle scars, and she was almost always on edge. She had no way of knowing what was going to happen to her, nor when it was going to happen. This felt really unfair. She had been so careful for them, but they treated themself like a rag doll. 

Much to her delight, when she hit eighteen all of the injuries suddenly stopped. The last injury she had received was a dark black bruise that covered her entire side, then nothing. It had been two years and all she got were papercuts and burned tongues. 

“Take a break,” Y/N’s roommate grabs the pen out of her hand and places it on the desk. “You’ve been working on that for ages, come get coffee with me.” 

Y/N was currently in her third year at Cambridge University, working on her undergraduate biology degree. For her degree, she had to take organic chemistry and it was, in simple terms, kicking her ass. Her professor is shitty, the work was hard and Y/N was losing motivation. 

“I can’t. If I stop I’ll fail the final, then fail the class then never graduate.” Y/N mumbles, picking up her pen again and scribbling something down. 

“That’s not true, just come with me. Please?” “I said no, Y/B/F/N.”

“What if you take your books with you? A change of environment might help you study.”

Y/N leans back in her chair and looks up at her roommate. Maybe she had a point, it might do her good to get out a little bit. She packs her things and the two make their way to the coffee shop. 

The coffee shop on campus was small and always packed. The school preferred to call it “cozy,” but still, it’s small. Surprisingly, there weren’t many people inside. 

“Most people must’ve already left campus for break,” Y/B/F/N said, seemingly reading your mind. 

Only three of the tables had students sitting at them. One in the far corner had a girl who looked to be a very frustrated first year, huddled over a croissant and an English textbook. A few tables down sat four boys and one girl. Each had books open and pens in their hands, but by picking up snippets of their conversation, they were talking about whether Voldemort or Darth Vader would win in a fight. Finally, near the window, sat a boy who was staring straight at her. She recognized him from a few of her general education classes. Y/N had never talked to this boy, but he was rather cute. He was wearing a crimson sweater and ripped jeans with converse, hair messily tossed to the side. Y/N couldn’t decide whether or not he was staring at her or was in a very deep thought so she waved. No wave back. 

The two girls get their coffee and sit down a few tables away from the boy. 

“Do you know that guy?” Y/B/F/N asks, moving her head towards crimson sweater. 

“Not officially, I recognize him. Oh, what’s his name? I knew it at one point…” Y/N reaches into her bag and pulls out her books again, placing them on the table. As if it were a habit, she immediately starts studying again. She glances past her friend; the guy was still staring at that one spot. 

Time passes fast for Y/N but slow for Y/B/F/N. She tried to speak with you but ultimately gave up. So, bidding you goodbye, she left to go find her boyfriend. Y/N was kind of relieved, she can finally study in peace. The big group also left, after fighting about whether a time turner should be illegal or not, so the cafe was left with an almost eery silence. So silent that you can hear every pencil scratch, every tap of a keyboard, and every gulp of coffee. 

At some point, the boy had gotten up to get another cup of coffee and passed by Y/N. He was wearing a shit ton of cologne, so he left a scent trail wherever he went. Making his way back to his table, he tripped and spilled his coffee all over Y/N’s chemistry notes. 

“No, no, no, no, no!!!!!” Y/N screeches, wiping away the coffee with her bare hands. The drink splashes onto the boy’s pants and shoes. 

“Oh as- oh fuck, I am so sorry!” He grabs a wad of napkins and tries to blot the paper. She had worked on that study guide for hours, and now it was ruined. There was no way her professor would take it now. Thank god her laptop was still in her bag. 

Panicked, Y/N picks up her notebook and starts flipping through it. Her pen marks were bleeding together and there was no way to save them. Coffee crimson boy grimaces and picks up the notebook. 

“I don’t suppose this was an art class and you could turn it in as an abstract piece?” He says in a serious tone, though the words were highly sarcastic. Y/N lets out a single laugh. 

“I wish it were, but no. O Chem,” Coffee crimson’s face contorts even more. 

“Ouch, um, do you have it backed up anywhere?”

“Ah yes, I have my notebook backed up.” The previously broken ice was discarded and Y/N was frustrated again. 

“You should have done it on your laptop.”

“And you should watch where the fuck you’re going.” Y/N snatches the notebook from his hand. Coffee crimson notices your tone and quickly backtracks. 

“Hey, let me redo it for you then,” He glances at the textbook casually. “I’m sure I can figure it out.”

“And why should I trust you? I don’t know you and my grade is riding on this.”

“Okay, that’s fair,” His smile was warm. “I’m Edmund Pevensie, I’m in the prelaw program.” 

“Oh, perfect, a law student that’s going to attempt my organic chemistry homework. Wonder what could go wrong.” 

“I’m sure I can figure it out. Law is hard, maybe a different kind of hard, but still hard. I can do hard.” 

“Take a shot every time sweater guy says hard. I feel like I’m at a frat party.”

“I’m trying to fix my mistake here,” Now Edmund is the one that looks frustrated. “Here, take my number. I’ll text you updates and meet you back here tomorrow.” He looks at the clock. Damn, he had a gorgeous jawline. “4:32 pm. Exactly 24 hours from now.” Edmund scribbles his number onto a napkin and hands it to Y/N. As he writes, she can’t help but notice a long, jagged scar running the back of his hand. She scrunchs her eyebrows. 

~

Edmund actually kept his word. Every hour until four am that night he sent Y/N updates. Goofy pictures of him googling stupid questions or him writing. He sent a video that gave Y/N a perfect shot of the scar. Curiously, Y/N looks down at her own hand. 

The next day, his photo updates started coming again. This time they were more serious, showing the study guide. He ended up putting his own commentary in the margins; some funny some that made her think of the material differently. Y/N could really tell he was smart, even by his handwriting. 

He sent a picture to Y/N at 4:25 of the table in the coffee shop. “I’m early” was sent at the exact moment Y/N opened the door. 

“Wow, I’m impressed. I didn’t actually think you’d show.” Y/N sat opposite of him and smiled. He was wearing the same (coffee stained) jeans as yesterday and a button-up shirt. 

“I wouldn’t do all that work for nothing,” He smiled again and handed Y/N a new notebook she had never seen before. 

As she gripped the pages, the corner dug into her palm and cut her. 

“Ow!” The two said at the same time. They both had a thin cut in the middle of their palms. His large brown eyes met Y/N’s and they stared for a moment. Y/N then grabbed his hand and pushed up his sleeve to show the scar going up the back of his hand. Y/N couldn’t look away from his skin; just as she had thought, it was identical to hers. 

Meeting his gaze again, she pressed a hand to her stomach. Her hand rested right above a large, jagged scar that didn’t seem to heal quite right. His eyes followed the line of her arm.

“Edmund, I think you have a lot of explaining to do.”

[jeonqquk]

laundry | jjk [ep.4]

pairing: jeongguk x reader genre/tags: assistant!jeongguk, regionalmanager!reader, crack, fluff, shitty in general rating: 13+ word count: 2409 words

30 minutes after Jeongguk’s mouth inspection for a crown, you walk out of your office again, happy to see that everyone else is still silent and no drama has taken place. “Gguk can I talk to you for a second?” Said boy looks up from his desk, confusion evident on his face as you call him for the second time that day. Nevertheless, Jeongguk gets up and follows you into your small office, hands behind his back as he walks cautiously into the room he was never afraid to enter without your permission before. You don’t spare him a single glance after having requested him to come in with you and turn left before sitting at one of the chairs near the potted plant opposite your desk. Jeongguk sits diagonally to you on a chair against the glass. You sigh, getting ready to speak as Jeongguk looks at you with a curious gaze. Exhaling loudly, you smile at Jeongguk “Wow! This is tough.” You talk mainly to yourself and bend forwards, hands landing on your head in a gesture of irritation.

“What is?” you look at Jeongguk with wide eyes and throw your head back, hand massaging your forehead as you passionately act. “How do I tell you this?” Jeongguk doesn’t understand and just looks at your suffering state before he leans in closer, nodding encouragingly. Your breathing turns heavier before Jeongguk worriedly places a hand on your shoulder and you finally gather yourself. 

“I just got off the phone with Namjoon.” Jeongguk exhales sharply, hand falling from your shoulder as his mouth falls slightly open. His hands come up to rest on his thighs as his tongue darts out to wet his lips in a probably nervous action. His breathing visibly halts and you rub your hand on your face. 

“And….he demoted me.” Jeongguk sputters, eyes going wide as his face turns slightly angry- genuine or not, you didn’t care. “No.” he grits out and your eyebrows are raised, an indication that you were equally as pissed. “You know what the craziest part is?” Jeongguk gulps audibly and you continue, “He demoted me to your job and now, you’re apparently the regional manager.” 

Jeongguk tries his best to hide his glee, he really does, but it’s hard to fake a frown when he’s figuratively jumping on top of the desk. His eyes go wide and he throws his head back, blowing out as a sign of disturbing shock. He stares straight ahead and doesn’t look at you, in case he bursts out laughing. 

“He said that you should expect a call from corporate. So now you’re gonna be acting as regional manager.” you get up to hug him and he hesitantly does the same. “Wait, aren’t you angry about this, though?” You look at him with a bright smile, “No! This is so good for you. I should go back to sales anyways.” 

Jeongguk finally lets himself laugh freely, thanking you for the congratulations as you drag him out. “I’m the Assistant Regional Ma-” “Assistant to the Regional Manager.” he corrects and you clench your jaw, nodding forcedly. 

The office doesn't look very happy about it, “Hello everyone. I have some good and bad news. The bad news is- I’m going to be replaced by Jeongguk as your leader. And that is also the good news.” you hear the audible groans of people, Soojung getting up in annoyment “Why does he become the manager?”

Jeongguk is unfazed by everyone’s unenthusiasm and continues smiling and waving his hand like he’s some diva. “Because he was the second highest ranking position.” your answer is curt and Soojung storms off into the ladies room. Jeongguk walks back into the office with one final glance at all the disgruntled employees. You follow him.

Sitting on a chair, you watch as Jeongguk sits down at his (your) desk and bounces lightly on the swivelling chair, as if testing it’s cushioning. He nods to himself and you can only watch with angry eyes as he moves the things around. The rubber ball and mug that said ‘World's Best Boss’ going into a tray along with some papers.

When Jeongguk looks as if he’s finished, he sits at his chair and you get up, flashing him a fake smile, “Well, I guess it’s time for me to turn over the keys to the famous Sebring.” Jeongguk, who’s smiling at something on the desktop, doesn’t even bother looking at you “No, thank you.” He seems to have acquired a new sense of superiority, fake promotion that you were giving him stroking his already huge ego. 

“It’s a corporate lease, Gguk. You’ve earned it.” you’re getting annoyed by the second and his carefreeness does nothing  to calm you down. Still, you attempt at making a natural face when he says “No, thanks” again. 

“What?” you’re pretty sure that he’s thinking of himself as your boss now, obviously, but you never thought that he would reject your car like this. “Not my style.” You’re boiling form anger on the inside, trying to control all the rage bottling up inside of you. 

“But you said you liked it, you’ve always admired it and-” “That was before. I’m thinking of getting something German,” He leans back in his chair “something with a decent gas mileage.”

Your jaw drops in a mix of shock, anger and humiliation because never had you expected these words to come out of Jeongguk’s mouth so easily. “Plus, that convertible is a ridiculous choice for this climate.” He makes a disgusted face, and you’re practically seething at this point, and you’re able to feel the smoke coming out of your ears as you stare at the side of Jeongguk’s face who seems to be too invested in whatever the screen was showing. 

“Take it back” Jeongguk’s goofy smile is replaced by a confused one, “No.” Your jaw clenches, muscles contracting as you glare at Jeongguk, closing your eyes for a split second before opening them again, and you keep your hands on the edge of the desk in a vain attempt to calm yourself down. 

“What did you-” “That’s my car!” Jeongguk begins but you cut him off, all the manners your preschool teacher had taught you flying right out your head as your furious self screams at him, all the employees looking at the closed room at the sudden noise. 

“Yes,” Jeongguk beings uncertainly, but you lose your composure finally, spilling the truth that you knew about his secret meeting with Namjoon. “I know, Jeongguk. I know, I know.” You walk around the table, and Jeongguk turns his chair to see you coming closer to him. “Know what?” 

“Namjoon called me about your little meeting.” you can taste the venom in your words, the unadulterated poison that comes from your mouth even surprises you but you don’t stop. “I know what you did. You fucking backstabber.” 

Jeongguk’s aghast by your cruelty, standing up in fear and moving back, as far as he could get from you in this small office. He’s shaking from fright at this point, as your head throbs from the fact that all you could see right now was red. 

“I know what you did.” Jeongguk shakes his head, weakly trying to defend himself but his face gives it all away, his guilt-ridden face turning pale and lips quivering. “The Sebring’s cool-” He does all he can to save himself from your wrath. The sight must definitely not be too pleasant to witness as Jeongguk walks backwards until he’s in front of the desk and you’re in front of him, the view clear from the glass through which everyone was staring at you two openly. 

“I made the whole thing up.” your voice grows colder, scarier by the minute and Jeongguk notices this, his eyes glossy from fear that you would go hard on him. Jeongguk’s breathing gets heavier by the minute, yours too but it’s out of the rage in you that you probably look like a bull right now. 

“How dare you? How dare you, Jeongguk?” Frankly, this was not what you would have expected from such a hardworking and dedicated employee, but everyone’s inner demon came out at some point. Jeongguk kneels down in front of you, hands together as tears form in his eyes. In any other situation, you would've sympathised with him, upset that such a dear friend had to go through any kind of pain. 

Right now, though, you scream profanities at him, anger spilling out in the form of swears no one could think of as the rest of the office watches, some with pitiful faces for Jeongguk and others looking shit scared. “Don’t fire me. Please don-” Jeongguk is literally begging you, pants getting dirty from kneeling on the carpet and your vein pops as you shout, “Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right here on the spot.” You half-sit on the chair, eyes red as you stare Jeongguk down, his gaze pathetic and wavering. 

The scene must look terrible. But you don’t care, the solution to everything seems violence and the sight of Jeongguk just angers you even more. 

“I have excellent sales numbers!” he yells and you roar back, “Not good enough!” Jeongguk looks pathetic, a mess at your feet and you swipe your hair back roughly, face probably cherry red. Everyone else is staring at the scene, glancing sideways at each other in pity. 

In the corner, Yunha sits, unable to look at the scene because she knows exactly what’s going on, and regrets ever putting the idea of Jeongguk becoming regional manager in his head. Her eyes well with tears and she rushes out, her exit so discrete that not one person notices her. 

Jeongguk covers his face with his trembling hands, sobbing loudly as you try to gain your calm demeanour back. He pulls at his hair, bending down and going into a praying position at your feet. “Please! I’ll do your laundry for a month- for a year.” He tries bargaining as you stand fuming, “I have a laundry machine.”

“Y/n. I’m sorry. Anything.” Jeongguk is bawling his eyes out, face on the carpet as he watches his entire career fall into pieces in front of him. He looks heart-breaking and you feel bad only for a second before replacing the sympathy with rage once more, “Please? Please?” he pleas and you shake your head, struggling not to burst into tears yourself. Why. You don’t know.

“I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.” His head is still on the carpet and normally, you would’ve told him to get up from such a vulnerable position but you’re not even looking at him now, as the annoyance takes over your entire being. 

“You can’t, you ca-can’t.” the way his voice breaks has you biting your lip in hopes of not breaking down right then and there. What he did was unacceptable, yes. But everyone made mistakes, some graver than the others and you find yourself asking yourself why Jeongguk couldn’t be given a second chance. Tonguing your cheek, you look around and glance at the other employees who are all sat with sad faces. 

“But I promise I’ll never betray you again. Ever. What can I do? What can I do, Y/n?” he hiccups and you stand still, trying to collect all your thoughts as you take in a deep, deep breath. Even the emotionless Soojung watches with pitiful eyes as Jeongguk tries to get out of being fired. 

You exhale deeply and Jeongguk, whose back probably starts paining from bending so much, raises his hips, going into a mountain position with his head still in between his arms. It takes him a while, all the crying having made him weak. Jungwoo, the ever so caring worker also watches with a judging gaze as Jeongguk shifts around, not looking up once. His ass raises and falls many times as he tries to find a comfortable position while still trying to look regretful. 

“You can get up.” You roll your eyes and speak without looking at him, “What?” Jeongguk still doesn’t look up in case he heard you wrong. You blink in annoyance and speak again louder this time and hopefully clearer because all the shouting previously had most definitely been good for your throat. 

“Get up,” Jeongguk raises his head slightly from the floor first and then picks himself up with his muscly arms. You catch a peek at his purple underwear but quickly divert your gaze, making a face after. Jeongguk stands up to his full height and if it weren’t for the slight saliva pooling at the corners of his mouth, you would’ve wanted to slap him. He looks, to an extent, funny and you swallow a giggle, surprised at how quickly your anger had vanished after thinking rationally about the situation. 

“And you can hug it out, bitch.”

You open your arms in the slightest and Jeongguk notices this, face turning from upset to happy in a matter of seconds. He wipes his tears with the sleeve of his blazer and you try smiling at him, a gesture he returns with the same amount of enthusiasm. 

Jeongguk shuts his eyes for a fraction of a second, nodding to himself in appreciation and abruptly pulls you into one of the most bone-crushing hugs you’ve ever been suffocated in. And that was saying something- your arm once went limp when Daehwi hugged you after a week of him being in Philadelphia. 

Jeongguk shuts his eyes, his hot breath fanning your neck and you try not to think much about it, or show any reaction to it and try to wrap your arms around his bulky form in return. “Thank you so much, Y/n.” He mumbles into your hair and a shiver runs down your spine as you clench your hands. His arms around your waist are unmoving and tight, and he only withdraws them when you start to feel your waist paining from his ironclad grip and tap his arms. 

He moves back and you send him another smile, more natural this time and he giggles back in return, but you're still not completely over it yet. You have two more things for Jeongguk to do before completely forgiving him and you know that as humiliating one of them will be, you won’t fully forgive him until he agrees.

previous

thanks for reading! this is probably the longest laundry chap so send in feedback and your thoughts about this chapter!

[sdottkrames]

Welcome Home My Boy (Welcome Home My Son)

✍🏼By: me, @sdottkrames

🎁For: @skeeter-110 for the @friendly-neighborhood-exchange

⭐️Rating: general audiences

💜Relationships: Tony Stark & Peter Parker, Tony Stark/Pepper Potts

Characters: Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Pepper Potts, May Parker (au where she’s not Peter’s aunt)

Summary: Tony Stark’s life is missing something. Peter Parker is an orphan who wants a family. And Pepper Potts comes up with an idea that brings them together

Read on AO3: Here

“Do you have a family?”

“Yes. And I will see them when I leave here. You Stark?”

Tony’s mind flashed first to Pepper. Then Obadiah, Rhodey, Happy. But the memories exploded with the car crash that had killed his parents and faded along with the life in the eyes of Edwin Jarvis. He had no family. He’d kept it that way, distancing himself with booze and sunglasses and a falsely confident persona, all to protect himself from being hurt even more when he inevitably lost them, too.

“No.”

 Ho Yinsen had changed Tony’s life in more ways than one, but perhaps the greatest change had been through that admittance he’d been forced to give. 

Ever since that whispered “no,” there had been something stirring in Tony’s chest. He’d squashed it down vehemently when a black Tetris puzzle crawled across his chest and neck like some evil game. When he’d been freed of that, he’d found a little family in his best friend and his (now) girlfriend who hadn’t let themselves be pushed too far away by his fears and insecurities. 

Then his family had unexpectedly and, at first, unwelcomingly, grown. But soon the five other superheroes had forced their way into his heart and home. He rearranged the tower to house the new avengers, and found himself participating in weekly team training exercises and helping Steve Rogers of all people cook for team dinners. Game nights and movie nights and pool parties became part of the norm and Tony found himself slowly working through the anxiety and fear that carrying a nuke through a wormhole and falling almost to his death left in its wake.

 His life had never been more full of family. But something was still missing.

Then he’d had the dream.

***

Pepper was pregnant. 

She came to him with tears in her eyes, excitement and joy warring with worry and fear on her face, and showed him the positive test. 

“Tony,” she whispered, and he found himself speechless. The joy he felt spread all the way through his chest and stilled his tongue so he answered the only way he knew how: he swept his beautiful wife into his arms, shoulders shaking a little with a joyful sob that broke through.

“You are?” He finally choked out, and saw the fear and worry leave the battlefield of her eyes and she nodded.

“We- we gotta get a room together! A crib and, and paint. What color? Grey? You like grey? That’s neutral right? Then it doesn’t matter what they are- boy or girl or even if they decide to say eff off to gender norms.”

Pepper cut him off with an ecstatic kiss, and Tony felt that stirring for something different, something more, settle and dissipate. 

He’d finally found what was missing.

*** 

Tony woke up in tears, mourning something he wanted with every fiber of his heart, but that he feared he would never be good enough for.

He mentioned it to Pepper, and she was the one that came up with the idea.

“Tony, I want you to listen to me, and get this into your head. We’ve both talked about how we aren’t ready for kids, but I need you to know that it isn’t because I don’t think you’ll be a wonderful dad. When we decide to have kids, you will be the best dad those kids could ask for. I believe that with all my heart.”

He nodded, taking a deep breath and letting himself hear her words and believe them.

“What if you volunteered at an orphanage or something?” she said. “Get around kids, fulfil that desire until we both feel ready for a family of our own?”

“That’s not a half bad idea.”

Pepper had left him to his thoughts then. Once he got that look on his face, she knew that he wouldn’t let it go.

Sure enough, Tony found an orphanage in severe disrepair and desperate need of some support. After a few meetings with his teammates to make sure they were okay with little kids coming to the tower for a bit (Natasha and Bruce had thought it sweet, Steve had smiled and got a look in his eye like he was already imagining hanging out with the little ones, and Clint and Rhodey had all agreed enthusiastically) and filing all the paperwork with the best lawyers he could find, he’d gone to the orphanage to offer his help.

May, the sweet but slightly frazzled orphanage caretaker, had burst into tears right there.

“I- I don’t know what to say. I’m speechless,” she said, chuckling through grateful sobs.

“No thanks needed. I’ll take the kiddos off your hands for a couple months while my guys fix this place up. You just tell them exactly how you want it and what you need. We’ll take care of everything.”

Three weeks, several panic attacks, and more trips to Toys “R” Us and Ikea than he wanted to admit to, Tony had one of the lower floors of the tower completely arranged to house seven small children and was preparing to welcome them into his home.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Tony,” Pepper whispered, hearing his breath hitch as the car he’d sent to pick up the kids pulled in.

“Yeah,” he said, taking a deep breath. “Just fine. Let’s go meet our new roommates.”

***

Peter Parker could not believe his luck. 

When his parents had died in a horrible car crash a year ago and he’d ended up in the orphanage, he’d been labeled as having bad luck. Every little trip they went on, something happened. He’d accidentally let the class snake out at school (May had told him about Harry Potter, and how he'd let a snake out, too, which made Peter feel better). And there was the time that he’d gotten left behind during an outing at Central park, and the time a bird had pooped on his ice cream while he was eating it outside with his best friend Ned, and the time that-

Well, you get the picture.

Joselyn called it “Parker Luck,” but she wasn’t trying to be mean. She just talked even more than Peter did, and tended to say exactly what she thought. She was one of Peter’s best friends at the orphanage, and besides, she wasn’t wrong. Peter did tend to have some not so great things happen to him.

But not today.

Today was the greatest day of his life, because today was the day that all the kids were moving into the Stark Tower. 

Three weeks ago, Tony Stark himself had come to the orphanage. Peter remembered May crying and he hadn’t known why. He’d drawn her a picture to make her happy, but she explained that they were good tears, and had told him and all the kids that they would be leaving for a few months to live at Stark Towers. 

Peter had nearly peed his pants in excitement, and he was quivering with it again as the car pulled up and he could see both Tony Stark and Pepper Potts through the glass door. 

One by one, each kid got out of the car while a small swarm of workers gathered their things to take up for them.

“Hello, everyone,” Pepper greeted them with a smile, and Peter felt his cheeks heat up. Tony was his hero, but he also knew how smart and wonderful Pepper Potts was. 

“Welcome,” Tony said, grinning.

As soon as the man spoke, Peter couldn’t help the way his eyes went wide and his mouth popped open with a gasp. He was everything the boy had imagined, standing confidently in a sharp black suit with those signature sunglasses on his face.

The two adults began to explain the rules of the tower as they took the children on a small tour. They introduced the security guards, explained who to ask for help if they got lost or hurt, where they were allowed to go and what areas were off limits, and how they would be getting to school. Peter didn’t pay too much attention though. He was too excited, taking in the sight of the tower, his hero, and thinking about how cool it was that this would be his home for a little while. He was certain nobody was luckier.

“Mr. Stark?” one of the other boy’s- Mikey- asked when they passed one of the labs they were being shown on their little tour.

“Yes?”

“Where’s your Iron Man suit?”

Tony chuckled. “It’s in my private lab, away from anybody’s hands that aren’t mine. Don’t want anything breaking them.”

“Not the Mark 50,” Peter asked softly before he could stop himself.

“Huh?” Tony’s piercing gaze was turned to him. 

Squirming under the sudden attention, he tugged on his shirt. “W-well, the nanite suit, sir. Unless a person broke the actual nanite robot, the suit could just be reformed.”

“You know about nanites?”

Chocolate curls flying, the boy nodded enthusiastically. He couldn’t help himself once someone got him talking about the things he loved. “Yeah! I did a report on them a month ago. I read all your papers on them, and I even started trying to make my own so that I could-” Blushing furiously under his hero’s appraisal, Peter cut himself off and ducked his head. “Sorry.”

But Tony Stark didn’t look angry. “I’m gonna give you a piece of advice, kid: never apologize for being the smartest in the room.” He winked. “You really read my work on nanotechnology?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m impressed.”

And Peter was grateful that his legs didn’t give out right then. He could hardly believe the compliment. He was dazed for the rest of the tour, soaking the praise in with a huge grin.

Eventually, they arrived at their floor. It was a large one, and after the Battle of New York, it had stood mostly empty. There was a spacious living area and a small kitchen, and then a hallway with three bedrooms and en-suite bathrooms.

“Now, you’re going to have to share,” Tony explained. “We don’t have seven rooms on this floor, but each room has a bed and desk for you.”

“You three girls will share a room while the boys will split up in twos,” Pepper added. She gestured to one of the rooms. “This one’s yours, girls. It’s a little bigger and we’ve put three beds in it. Boys, you can decide which of the other rooms you want and who you want to share it with.”

Joselyn, along with the other two girls Kaylie and Hazel, dragged their suitcases and chatted excitedly as they entered their room.  If it had been possible, Peter would have roomed with Joselyn...or Ned. But those two not being an option, he looked to the boys.

He was the oldest out of all of them. There was the four year old Greyson and the six year old twins Mikey and David. It was fairly obvious that the twins would stick together, so Peter took Grey’s hand.

“Can I be your roommate, buddy?” The little boy nodded enthusiastically. “It looks like the twins took the middle room, so we get this one!”

The boy genius led his new roommate through the door and for the second time that day felt his jaw drop. 

The room was huge, and the beds looked like they were clouds, piled high with pillows Peter was almost certain were the most comfortable things on the planet. Grey seemed equally as overwhelmed, walking over to inspect the bed.

“Can you help me put my clothes away?” he asked, turning to the older boy.

“Sure.”

And slowly they got settled into this new chapter of their lives.

*** 

Tony was about ready to throw something at the wall, which meant that he needed to get out and move around, distract himself from the problem before he actually did break something. It wouldn’t be the first time, but he didn’t want a repeat of the great Potts meltdown of ‘09. 

Sighing, he stood up and stretched, letting a loud yawn out as he did before wandering out of the lab. 

It had been nearly a week with the little kiddos staying at the tower, and Tony had enjoyed having them so far. He even invited them up for dinner and a movie the other day. Most of them had been totally starstruck and it had made him smile. He figured they might provide a decent distraction, so he wandered down to the “baby floor,” as he called it. 

He was delighted when the first face he saw was Peter Parker’s.

The boy was shy, but also unfailingly kind. Tony had seen him take the hand of the smallest boy when the two twin boys ran into their room, making the little one feel welcome and loved; had watched as the kid listened to his friend Joselyn, who tended to ramble, with a patient and kind smile, never seeming annoyed by how verbose she was; and had smiled as the kid let one of the other girls hold his hand during a part in Snow White that scared her.

He was exactly the sort of distraction that Tony needed.

“Hey, Pete. How’re you doing?” he greeted, smiling a little as the boy’s cheeks turned pink and his lips lifted in a small, excited grin when he was called by name.

“G-good, Mr. Stark. How are you?”

“I’m doing good. A little frustrated with a project I’m working on, so I figured I’d take a break and come see you kiddos. How was school? Learn anything good?”

Peter’s eyes lit up as they had the first day the older genius had met the kid and they bonded over nanotechnology. Tony smiled as the chatter about 2nd grade science (they were learning about cells) and math (how was an 8 year old already doing functions?!) swept his frustration right out the door with its soothing familiarity. He didn’t have to figure anything out or meet any deadline. All the kid wanted was someone to listen.

So Tony did, oohing and mmhmming in all the right places, until the kid asked: “So what project were you working on before? Maybe I can help so you’re not so frustrated? can I?”

He’d known how sweet Peter was, but Tony was still taken aback by the kindness. “Well, if you want to-“

“Sure!” The little eager beaver said quickly. “What’s the project?”

Hesitating only for a second, Tony explained how Clint’s explosive arrows weren’t working properly, detonating too soon because of an unstable chemical inside them.

With a few graphs and a little breaking down of some more technical terms, Peter understood the problem.

“Let me think a little bit, okay?”

“Sure, buddy,” Tony chuckled. “However long you need.”

And he let the kid think while he checked some emails and wandered into the kitchen to grab him and his mini genius a granola bar.

He stopped for a moment before joining Peter at the table, his steps halted by the adorable crease in the boy’s brow and the way his tongue poked through his teeth as he drew some diagram.

When Tony finally pulled himself together to sit down against and offer Peter the snack, the kid announced: “I got it!”

Surprised, Tony raised an eyebrow and motioned for Peter to continue.

“What if you use your nanites? You could engineer them in a way that they wouldn’t jostle or affect the catalyst. Clint could control when they fell away, which would cause the explosion to happen.”

He pushed the little picture he’d drawn to illustrate, compete with a stick figure Clint Barton in purple (Hawkeye’s theme color), and Tony let his jaw go slack.

“Kid, honestly, I’m impressed. That’s genius. How in the world did you think of that?”

Peter flushed under the praise, and explained the process to Tony, the latter encouraging him whenever he seemed self conscious about his rambling. 

“You, my friend, are one of the smartest kids I know. Would you like to help me build these arrows?”

Peter’s eyes widened to the size of a dinner plate. “What?”

Tony chucked. “They’re your idea, kiddo. It’s only right that you should help me make them. I’ll handle all the explosive parts, but I think you should help engineer the nanites.”

“I would love to!” The boy choked out.

“Great. After school tomorrow, come to my lab. Jarvis will know where to take you.”

“Okay!”

Tony stayed a little while longer, enjoying talking science with Peter, before being called to other projects. He was grateful for the distraction though, because he couldn’t wait to see the look on the kid’s face when he saw the lab.

And, boy, Peter did not disappoint.

When Jarvis opened the door, Peter’s jaw dropped and he practically flew to one of the Ironman suits. Talking a mile a minute, he inspected every inch of the lab. 

“Oh my gosh, what’s this?! Wait, no way, is that- it is! Mr. Stark this is amazing! And woah look at that!”

Tony just chuckled at the kid’s enthusiasm, and pulled his attention to the reason for their working together after a few more minutes’ exploration. 

The two spent hours in the lab together. Tony hadn't ever thought he would enjoy sharing his lab with anybody, let alone an 8-year-old child, but Peter was different. He found himself wanting Peter to come help him more often.

This is only temporary. A cynical voice inside him said.

Maybe it doesn’t have to be. Maybe I can give him a real internship and a real job? Said the more hopeful part of his brain.

A seven year old with a job. Yeah, that’s a great idea.

Tony shook his head to clear off the thoughts. He would enjoy the lab time he did get with this kid that had somehow wormed into his iron heart. He’d just have to baby proof the lab first.

***

Peter fought back the tears, trying hard not to let Flash’s taunting get to him. He kept walking, ignoring his classmate’s teasing behind his back as he nearly ran out the front door.

“Hi, Mr. Happy,” he greeted, trying to keep the sniffling out of his voice. The man Mr. Stark had assigned to drive him to and from school didn’t like little kids. (At least, Peter thought he didn’t. He wasn’t mean, but he seemed to grunt and growl more than use really words.)

“Hey,” Happy grunted, as was his usual greeting, and Peter didn’t notice the concern in the man’s eyes when he didn’t answer right away as he blinked back tears. 

The drive to the tower was quiet except for the occasional snuffle from Peter, who was trying to his sadness. He hated when Flash was mean, especially about his parents. He missed his parents and his Aunt and Uncle. It was right of Flash to bring them up, but there wasn’t much Peter could do about it.

When he came into the tower, he was surprised to see Mr. Stark there, waiting for him in the living room. Usually the man had him come straight to the lab, but they hadn’t been scheduled to work together that day.

“Hey, kid,” Tony greeted.

“H-hi. Are we having a Lab day today?” Peter tried to keep the hope out of his voice. Tinkering around the lab with his hero was exactly what he needed to cheer him up. 

“I was thinking we might spend some time in the lab, yeah. If you’re up for it?”

“Yeah, i'd love a lab day, sir!” Peter said, smiling his first genuine smile since Flash had said the word “orphan” at lunch.

“Yeah? Let’s go, young padawan.” 

Peter gave a small smile at the Star Wars reference. Mr. Stark wouldn’t have known that reference if Peter hadn’t rambled about the franchise one of their last Lab days, which then led to the man insisting they watch the movies together so Peter could “make sure he understood what was happening.” He was pleased Tony seemed to have enjoyed the endeavor! The pleasant feeling followed him as they went to the lab and began working on the housing unit for the nanites in Clint’s arrows.

Tony, however, kept a watchful eye on his little friend.

Happy had texted saying that something was off with the kid, and while Tony had no experience with children prior to the last few weeks, he did have experience with being a genius and an orphan. He figured tinkering would be a good distraction, and he’d wager he was correct after seeing the look of relief and excitement on Peter’s face when he was invited to the lab.

It wasn’t until they had the housing unit almost complete that Tony decided to actually broach the subject.

Though working with his hands seemed to have stemmed the tears Happy reported seeing in the car, the boy was definitely off. He sniffled more than once, and didn’t seem as talkative or enthusiastic as he normally did. There wasn’t a single excited ramble about his friends Ned or Jocelyn, or whatever the last thing they learned in science was.

“So, Peter. How was your day. You haven’t said much.”

Tony didn’t miss the tears that misted the boys eyes slightly 

“It was fine,” he said, turning back to his project with a barely concealed sniffle.

Tony felt slightly awkward and unsure. He’d never had a conversation like this with a little kid before. Heck, he was barely getting to the point of speaking openly to his girlfriend and best friend about some things. But if he wanted to someday have kids, he figured he’d need to start getting used to stuff like this. With a deep breath, he took the plunge.

“Buddy, if you don’t wanna talk about it, that’s okay. But, uh, if you do want to talk about whatever is bothering you, you can. I mean, I’m all ears or whatever. I can blast or make fun of or drown in ice cream nearly any problem you have.”

Peter hesitantly turned towards him. “I-it’s really nothing. I’m f-fine.”

“I’m real sure, kid,” Tony said, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously, is everything okay?” The hesitation in the boy’s eyes warred with the desire to tell what had happened. “C’mon. Out with it! The sooner I know who or what I need to blast, make fun of, or drown in ice cream, the better we’ll both feel.”

“W-well It’s this kid n-named Flash.” Peter began twisting his shirt into knots as he finally gave in. “He was just making fun of me for not having parents and he just b-bothered me more today, I guess.”

Tony’s heart squeezed in sympathy. He had plenty experience of his own being an orphan and dealing with bullies.

“Since I can’t blast a kid with my repulsars, although he maybe deserves it for being such a jerk,” he finally answered, “and I don’t feel right making fun of him, either, I’m going to settle with drowning it in ice cream. I know a great place just up the street, whaddya say?”

There was a small smile, which Tony saw as an absolute win, and then a shy nod, and Tony whisked the boy away for ice cream.

“Ya know, kid, none of what this Flash kid says is true,” he said as he licked his mint chip cone. “You’re not unlovable, or unworthy of parents. You didn’t do anything wrong the day they died. You couldn’t have been a better son. Trust me. All those things are utter nonsense.”

Peter stared at him dumbfounded. “H-how did you know?” He whispered.

“I’m an orphan too, ya know. I lost my parents many years ago, but I definitely know a little of what you’re feeling and dealing with.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.”

“Anytime, kid. Anytime,” Tony said. “Now, are you drowning enough in ice cream? Do you need more chocolate sauce? You look like you need more chocolate sauce.”

Peter giggled, and Tony couldn’t help the slow smile that stole across his face as he went to go get more chocolate sauce, determined to keep that little boy smiling as long as possible.

***

“Um, can you find it in an aquarium?”

The science genius duo was enjoying their usual time in the lab and Tony had begun a session of “I’m thinking of an animal.” His animal was a hippo, which he’d felt fairly confident about until this last question.

“I don’t know, kiddo, I’ve never been to an aquarium!”

Dropping his jaw and his screwdriver, Peter spluttered out an incredulous, “what?”

“I’ve never been to an aquarium.” Tony shrugged.

“Oh, man. You don’t know what your missing, Mr. Stark! There’s fish and turtles and sometimes even hippos and alligators. My favorite are the turtles.” Peter's Big brown eyes widened and Tony grinned in anticipation of the child-like excitement that was sure to follow in whatever story the kid was going to tell next. “One time, there was this huge sea turtle and it came and swam next to the glass right where I was sitting for literally five minutes. My mom took tons of pictures. It was so cool!”

Tony chuckled. “That sounds really cool, bud.”

“It was! Did you know that some turtles only lay eggs every four years?”

They continued working and sharing weird animal facts and Tony was again startled by the desire to make this little kid smile. 

“Jarvis, buddy, can you look up the nearest aquarium?” He asked when Peter had left to go to bed.

“That would be the New York Aquarium.”

“Does it have turtles?”

“It does.”

“Hippos?”

“No, sir. But the Philadelphia Aquarium does.”

“Get two tickets to the New York one for this Saturday. And clear my schedule for that day.”

“With pleasure, sir.”

A few days later, Tony was nearly bouncing with excitement as he waited for Jarvis to bring Peter up to the penthouse for them to go to the aquarium.

“Mr. Stark, is everything okay?” The boy asked as he exited the elevator.

“Yeah, kiddo. Everything’s just fine. We’re going on a little field trip, though.”

“We are?” Peter’s eyes lit up. “Where to?”

“That’s a surprise!” Peter’s grin widened to match Tony’s. “My schedule’s all clear. You good to go?”

With a floppy-haired nod, they were off. 

The little boy had no clue where they were going, and Tony indulged 20 questions, but by the time they arrived, Peter was no closer to figuring it out.

“Wait...an aquarium?” He gasped when he got out and took in the building.

“They don’t have hippos or alligators, but they just got a couple turtles. I figured after hearing about how wonderful aquariums are, I should try and go to one, and I thought you could show me around.”

Peter didn’t hesitate one moment, unabashedly grabbing Tony’s hand and pulling him into the aquarium. They presented their tickets and the younger genius continued to drag the older genius around from exhibit to exhibit with huge smiles on both their faces. Like Peter, Tony’s favorite part were the turtles. The way they gravefully swam through the water and their kind faces made him feel peaceful and warm and fuzzy. And Peter’s little hand in his while he spouted off lots of facts about turtles made him feel even more so.

But the kids were leaving within the next couple weeks, and those pesky thoughts were back, marring the joy a little. Tony dutifully beat them back, aided by the peaceful feeling of being with Peter and the kid’s head modded off onto his shoulder on the way back to the tower.

***

Peter had nightmares more than he wanted to admit. 

They woke him up shaking with his heart beating so fast and hard he could hear it in his ears. The worst part about them, though, was how they would linger, seared into his eyelids. Scary images of his parents and aunt and uncle as their plane went down in flames replayed themselves over and over. 

Sniffling back tears, Peter decided to quietly sneak out of the room. He didn’t want to wake his little roommate.

“Hello, Peter,” Jarvis greeted, making him jump even though he knew the AI well. (Tony had even started helping Peter code his own when the boy showed interest.)

“H-Hey, Jarvis.”

“It is quite late for you to be up. Or early, depending how you look at it. Are you well?”

“Just can’t sleep. I’m heading for a snack, that’s all.”

“I think I have something that might help, if you’ll follow me, sir.”

The AI lit up a pathway and Peter shrugged before following it. He thought Jarvis would lead him to the kitchen, but instead he found himself staring at a door that definitely wasn’t for a kitchen. He’d never been to this part of the tower.

“Uh, where am I?”

“You’re outside Mr. Stark’s bedroom.”

His stomach flipped like a monkey after a banana, and Peter stumbled backwards. 

“Jarvis,” he hissed. “I can’t wake Iron Man up! Why’d you take me here. I thought you were bringing me to the kitchen for a snack!”

“I did not say that I was, only that I had something I thought would help.”

“No, I’m not going in there. I’ll find the kitchen myself,” he said, backing away as quickly as he could. 

But it was too late. 

A light flicked on and before Peter could turn around, the door opened to reveal a sweatpants-clad Tony Stark.

“Peter? What’s going on?”

“I’m so sorry Mr. Stark.” Peter’s voice was shaking and tear were burning his eyes. He’d gotten closer to the man the last month and a half they’d been together, but this was beyond embarrassing. He couldn’t ask Iron man to help him with his nightmares. “I couldn’t sleep and thought Jarvis was leading me to a kitchen for a snack.”

“No worries kid. C’mon. I’ll make you something to eat.”

“Y-You really don’t have to do that, Mr. Stark. I’m okay, I swear.”

Tony rolled his eyes, ruffling Peter’s curls and throwing an arm around the kid’s shoulders to lead him down the hallway. “It’s not a problem, buddy. I don’t mind cooking.”

So Peter was lead to the kitchen, and he was surprised how much better he was feeling not being alone. This was the second time Mr. Stark had saved him from being alone like this, and it felt really nice. He would miss it when he went back to living at the orphanage in a few weeks when the renovations were done. Sometimes, he would imagine what it would be like if Mr. Stark was his real dad, or adopted him, but he knew that would never happen. He usually tried to stop those daydreams fast.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark. That looks really good,” Peter said, breaking out of his thoughts to take the toast with butter and jelly that he was offered.

It was quiet as Peter ate, Tony sitting next to him in companionable silence. Once the plate was empty, the bolder genius spoke up. “Again, kiddo, you do not need to explain, but if you want to talk about what’s got you up at nearly 2 in the morning, I’m all ears.”

Peter felt tears well up in his eyes. He had done so well not crying in front of his hero and he didn’t want to start now. He closed his eyes and clenched his fists to keep the tears from falling, but he was grateful to talk to someone.

“Um, I keep having dreams about- about my parents. The, uh, the day they went on the plane that crashed? And they just make me sad.” He shrugged. “S-Sometimes it’s hard to go back to sleep after I have one.”

“I have dreams like that, too,” Tony whispered.

Just like when the man had practically read his mind, saying exactly what Peter had needed to hear when Flash made fun of him the last week, a shock went up Peter’s spine. “Really?”

Tony sighed. “Yeah, I do. I lost my parents, too. Car accident. I also have dreams about being stuck in Afghanistan, in that cave, or in the wormhole. They’regetting better, though.”

“That must be really scary, Mr. Stark,” Peter said, patting the man’s arms.

“Heh. I’m supposed to be the one comforting you, kiddo.”

“Well, we all need comfort sometimes.”

“Thank you, buddy. How are you feeling?”

Peter looked up shyly. “Better. Thanks for the food.”

“No problem. Wanna watch something? That usually helps me fall back asleep.”

“Okay!”

They chose Iron Giant, and Peter felt so comfortable as Tony threw a blanket over him and pulled him under his arm. Slowly, his eyes drifted closed.

Tony watched as the little boy fell asleep, his heart melting and wrapping around his finger even more. After a few minutes to make sure the tyke would stay asleep if moved, he slipped his arms around the little body and carried him up to bed.

As he closed the door and saw Peter’s chocolate curls poking over the blanket, his tears prickled with tears at the realization he would lose this in a couple days.

Shut up he vehemently told that pesky little voice, and went back to bed, but didn’t get much sleep.

*** 

There were tears in everyone’s eyes, but Tony was going to blame it on May, who greeted him with tears of gratitude. All the kids gave her hugs before running off to explore the new building, chatting excitedly as they ran to the new beds and play area.

“Mr. Stark-“

“Tony, please, May.”

She smiled. “Tony. Seriously, though, I cannot thank you enough. You have no idea how much this means to us. How much this means to me.”

See, this is why he was blaming May for the misty eyes. “Not a problem. The pleasure was all mine. It’s a special group of kiddos you got there.”

“They really are. And thanks to your help, the orphanage got some media attention, and now I’ve got people interested in the twins and a couple of the girls! I hope they all find good homes.”

“That’s amazing, May!” Tony said, and he meant it. Every single one of the kids had found a way into his heart, but none more than Peter. And the thought of that little boy going to another home caused another round of tears to come, though he quickly blinked them away.

“Mr. Stark!” As if called by Tony’s thoughts, Peter came bounding up, throwing a hug around the man’s waist. “This is amazing. Not as amazing as the tower, obviously, but this is a close second. Thank you so much!”

Tony hugged the boy back and assured him that he was happy to help, all the while trying to pretend his heart wasn’t breaking.

***

“Tony, this is ridiculous,” Pepper said, marching into his lab after the fourth day in a row of him being there. 

“What is, dear?” He asked, deflecting as usual.

Pepper raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her crisp blue suit. Even under her scrutinous glare, Tony had to admit she was gorgeous.

“You know what, dear. Peter’s gone and you’re back to moping in the lab.”

Acid curled his stomach, and he had to look away. “Well, what do you want me to do. Yeah, I miss the kid, and I’m trying to work through it. Just...just give me few more days.”

“You won’t survive another few days, Tony. You’re not invincible, you know.” She came over and ran a comforting hand through his hair, and his eyes closed of their own accord, trying to hide the tears. “Tony, what if...what if we adopt Peter?”

His eyes shot open. “What?”

“What if we adopt Peter?” She repeated. “You clearly love him, and I’ve watched him with you. He loves you, too. And I...I don’t know him as well as you do, but he’s so sweet and it’s impossible not to love him.”

“You’re serious?”

Pepper smiled. “100%. Tony, you’re ready. We’re ready. Let’s start a family.”

And just like in his dream, Tony couldn’t say or anything except pick his girlfriend up and spin her around.

“Thank you,” he said, tears in his eyes again. “I love you.”

***

Peter loved the new orphanage. He really did. The beds were as comfortable as the tower’s, and there were lots of cool toys and a new playground.

But Mr. Stark wasn’t there.

Peter tried to deny how much he missed him. How much he missed his own dad and how Mr. Stark helped fill that void a little with lab days and movie nights. He’d even helped Peter when Flash was mean and he’d had a nightmare.

And he missed him.

It also didn’t help that Jocelyn and Greyson got adopted, and the twins might be as well. People had been buzzing at the orphanage ever since the renovations. The media had run a few stories on how the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist had taken in the group of orphans and funded the renovations of the building. People had been coming ever since, but none of them really connected with Peter.

He hated to admit it, but he compared all of them to Mr. Stark, and none of the fit. Besides, they all wanted the younger kids.

“Peter!” May called, interrupting his moping. “Come here, sweetie.”

“Coming, May!” 

He jumped off the swing set, running towards the orphanage, but screeched to a halt as he saw a familiar face. Two familiar faces.

“M-Mr. S-Stark? Mrs. Potts?” He stammered out. “W-what’re you doing here?”

“Hey, kiddo,” Tony greeted. He looked nervous- a hand running over his carefully defined goatee, feet shifting back and forth, fingers clasped with Pepper’s.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, buddy, everything’s fine. We, uh, we were wondering if,” he hesitated and Pepper squeezed his hand. “We would like to adopt you, Peter. If that’s something you’d be interested in?”

Shocked, Peter couldn’t say anything, which was a rare thing for him. Or so his parents used to say.

“Really?” He finally choked out.

“Yeah, sweetie,” pepper said, smiling kindly. Peter was surprised. He’d gotten close with Tony, but not as much with her.

“I don’t know what to say.”

Tony grinned at him. “Well, say yes, buddy! We got a room all ready for you and a team of the best lawyers to make it official if you want.”

“Yes!” Peter said, throwing himself into their arms. “Yes, I want to!”

Again, everybody was crying (happy tears) and once all the paperwork was filled out, Tony took Peter’s hand.

“Let’s go home,” he said, his heart at peace finally, the nagging sensation of something missing finally filled by the little boy who was now his little boy.

“Home,” Peter repeated, smiling. His new favorite word.

[damn-stark]

Fire pt.2

Diego Hargreeves x reader

Requested by anon: “Can you do a season 1 Diego Hargreeves x female reader one-shot where reader is his girlfriend, is a forensic scientist and met him when he was a cop, was born on the same day as him but wasn’t adopted by Reginald and can control fire, and she’s there when he reunites with his siblings after Reginald dies and gives him a comforting hug from behind when he cries and stutters as he turns Grace off? She’s basically a real life firebender from Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

A/N- it’s finally out hope you all like it ❤️ hope you like it too anon :)

Warning- violence, angst, light fluff

Tagged- @alexander-hamilhoe

———-

“Come on talk to me.” Diego kept pressing on, trying to catch up to you as you rushed to the passenger seat with your arms crossed over your chest, still very much pissed on the stunt he pulled earlier today. Yes, you understood that he didn’t really like his father, but what he did, the fight he got in with his brother was uncalled for and disrespectful. If he wanted to fight couldn’t he have done so any other time? Or at least just have listened to you and the rest of his siblings to stop? “Look I’m sorry, I know it was wrong and I’m sorry, please talk to me.”

You stop in front of the car door with your hand hovering over the handle and meet his pleading gaze to finally speak. “You’re unbelievable, one thing is hating your father but the other is fighting with your brother while they tried to have a nice memorial after they told you to stop! Not only that but you hurt your brother too.”

“It was an accident.” Diego interjected, trying to defend himself.

You huff and open the car door and go inside before slamming it and sighing louder as he climbed onto the driver's seat. “It doesn’t matter—” just before you could say more the sound of Klaus opening the car door cuts you off whilst also making Diego sigh and look away from you.

“Hey! Diego.” Klaus says as he climbs in the back not hesitating to continue, “I’m sorry did I interrupt something?”

You shake your head and mutter, “no.”

While Diego says the opposite. “Yes.”

Not like it mattered, Klaus seemed persistent on staying and switching the subject. “You know every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It’s terrifying!”

Diego starts the car and sighs, “terrific.”

——

“So, how long have you been with Diego?” Diego’s brother, Klaus asks from the back seat, his kid like curiosity lacing in his voice.

You look away from the man you were talking about out by the water and look to Klaus through the rear view mirror. “A couple years.”

Klaus pulls himself off the seat and pulls himself closer to you, “and no ring yet?”

You scoff but can’t help the laugh that leaves you, “no, not yet.”

“Well,” he continues in a serious tone, “I say if he doesn’t propose by this year, just break up with him. Just get rid of the tension he gives off.”

You answer with a lighthearted scoff and leave his comment unanswered. You knew it was just a temporary thing, this “tension” as Klaus mentions wasn’t going to last forever, it happens, Diego has a way to get under your skin more than once, but it never leads to a big break up. You loved that man, the thought of not being with him saddedned you already, you can’t even mention what it would be like without him.

“Yoo-boo, Diego! I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on man, we’re starving!” Klaus comes back into the car and exhales deeply, muttering to himself or...someone? “I’m craving...eggs.” He clicks his tongue, “no! Wait, it's too late for eggs. Waffles. Huh? You like waffles, right?”

Your lips part in confusion to his quiet muttering, watching him talk to himself through the rear view mirror. “Everyone likes waffles.”

Your eyebrows furrow and you choose to question him even if you were hesitating to actually know. “Uh—”

“Y/N, this is detective patch, we need you to come for work. Gunshots were reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddys Doughnuts.”

You sigh but have no choice to answer. Work was work. “Okay I’ll be there.” Opening the car door you like your head out and groan softly before speaking to Diego. “Hey, Diego, could we leave! They need me at work!”

He turns around and you swear you notice a small smug smile. Because of course the sound and idea of doing something he’s not supposed gets him excited.

“Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles.” Klaus finally speaks up to an actual existing person.

“I’m gonna drop you off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work.”

“What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?” Klaus chuckles softly.

“Saving lives, baby.”

You scoff. “You’re going to work?”

His head turns to you and he nods, “we.”

“You’re not supposed to be at crime locations Diego, you’re going to get in trouble one day.”

He shrugs and smiles, “you’ll get me out.”

Rolling your eyes you turn to look out the window and hide your threatening smile right as you also added what you’ve been meaning to say since he came here. “we’ll talk after work.”

——

Truthfully you hadn’t planned spending so much time at work like you did for the past two days, but it was also something inevitable since out of nowhere these nameless people in kids masks have shown up. Causing nothing but trouble and late nights, keeping you from doing the simplest thing like talking to your boyfriend.

At Least you had time now and hopefully those people in kid masks were going to show up to ruin the day.

“Hello, Pogo, is Diego here? He said he was going to be here today?” You ask the...ape at the door.

Pogo nods and moves to the side to let you walk in, “you’re welcome to look for him inside. He’ll be around somewhere.”

You smile and respond with a soft thank you before you walk up the stairs, walking slowly and examining the area, noticing the silence that basked every square inch of this enormous place. Beginning to feel anxious about not finding Diego anywhere you looked, recalling on the phone call from before, not remembering if he said he’ll be here at this house or at your apartment...shoot.

Maybe now that you’re thinking about it he said he was going to be actually home—

“Y/N, you’re finally here.”

Oh good.

Stopping as he walked out of one of the many halls you nod, “finally managed to get out of work, I came here as soon as I could. To talk.”

“Good, come on, we can go to my room.” Diego takes your hand and pulls you with him, guiding you to a small room with nothing really to it but a bed and a couple pieces of furniture, looking boyish as well. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, it’s about time you brought me to your room. It feels like I’m a teenager again.” You chuckle, “should I sit at the edge of your bed and just awkwardly sit there and look around?”

Diego chuckles and takes a seat on his bed, making you sit beside with the same amused smile that falls as he talks about the subject that had been put on hold. “I want to say I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have acted like that. I stepped out of line, I should’ve respected the funeral no matter what he did.”

You sigh and interlock your fingers with his, glancing down at your intertwined hands for a brief moment before you met his gaze. “It’s not just that Diego, it’s the fact that you acted like that with your siblings. And I know it’s not my business, but you could’ve hurt him worse than you did and you have to understand that everyone has different thoughts of your father. Yes he may have treated you all the same, but it’s obvious some more than others are more attached. Just,” you inhale and exhale deeply, “just don’t do anything that you’re going to regret, I know you love them and I know if something happens to them you’re going to regret it and blame yourself.”

He sighs and nods, “yeah I know. Thank you for sticking around.”

Leaning your head on his shoulder you whisper, “always.”

He kisses the top of your head before he rests his own head on top of yours, staying exactly in that position for a moment longer until he pulled you to follow him in search for something he didn’t get to explain as you exited out the hall, their in end of the hall were two people in masks.

Of course they had to ruin the day.

The moment they saw you, their guns rose and they began shooting, catching Diego and you off guard for a split second until he threw his knives their way and then pulled you to hide behind a wall.

“Are those the same people running around the city?!” You pant.

Diego peeks head over the wall but answers regardless, “yeah I think so. Stay here they’re coming.”

“What?” You snap in a sharp whisper, “but I can help—” before your sentence was fully finished Diego ran forward and began to attack the one with the bear mask, twisting its arm and taking its gun and throwing it to the aside, beginning to do all types of moves that barely worked since it was such a big person. The only thing that worked was when Diego kicked them back, again taking your hand to pull you with him.

“Hey, you know maybe you could use your fire to attack them!” Diego suggested over his shoulder.

You scoff, “do you want me to burn your house down?”

“Jump!” Out of sudden Diego jumps off the second floor and lands on the couch, waving you over until you do the same. Hearing footsteps approach shortly after the both of you hid behind the couch, hearing shooting moments later they heard the smallest movement and didn’t stop until two others seemed to appear too; punching and kicking them, groaning and grunting as punches and kicks were thrown.

Sounds that finally let Diego and you jump out and help Allison being choked by the person in the bear mask until Luther came and threw them out of the room with ease.

“Who are these guys?” Allison asked in the short moment of peace.

“You’re welcome.” Luther then cut her off to talk to Diego.

“I was doing fine.”

“Oh, yeah, you really had them—”

“Ever hear of a rope—a—dope?”

During the argument the shooting began again and you threw yourself behind a couch, hiding your head until it stopped and you were able to move to hide behind the bar, waiting anxiously for the person who was in here to walk out. Being surprised as you heard, Diego’s other sister, Vanya enter the same room. Her pained grunt making you get out of hiding and throw a fireball at the bear mask; the action distracting them and letting you get Vanya without a second thought to take her to hide close by. Not wanting to do more for her sake.

Waiting in silence for what seemed hours until Luther rounded the corner, looking completely different than before. Almost ape like.

“Y/N! Hey, are you okay?” Diego asked in concern as he came to stand before you, his eyes studying your face and body for any wounds.

Nodding you respond with the same question he had asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Diego then presses a small kiss on your lips before he pulls away and his eyebrows furrow deeply on his face. “Shit. Mom.” Without saying more he rushes up the stairs, leaving you to follow even if he didn’t ask. Staying behind nonetheless as Diego approached her and asked her about what had gone on, receiving answers that visibly upset him and made him go quiet for a moment that you took to walk up behind him. Meeting his gaze and grabbing his shoulder as he began to take his mother’s hand and his breath began to shake.

“Diego? What are you doing?” Grace asked as she watched like you were, Diego cut her arm, showing capables that run under her skin and blue thick liquid that spilled out like blood.

“It’s gonna be o—” Diego cried and stuttered.

“Remember what we worked on. Just picture the word in your mind.” His mother didn’t hesitate to interject sweetly.

“It’s gonna be okay…..mom”. He then moves his hands to switch something off inside her, causing the beeping blue lights to stop and her whole body to begin to shut down. Causing Diego to cry harder and you to embrace him tightly from behind, feeling your own tears fall down your cheeks.

“Di—e—go...re..mem...ber.” Not a second to spare later, her eyes glowed blue until they didn’t show at all. Leaving Diego in a stunned and emotional state that he took to grab your arms wrapped around him and cry a moment longer.

You try to hide your crying to assure him, to be the support he needed. But it was hard to be strong when he cried, he usually never did. “I’m so sorry, Diego.” You proceeded to whisper by his ear, kissing the side of his head before whispering again. “I’m so sorry.”

[kaeyas-beloved]

Hey there! Can i request a chubby/thicker mc? But instead of insecure, she’s confident af? People think she’s a bitch at first, but they’re proved wrong when she’s actually really good at giving life advice? If i were to be more specific, then she likes coloring her nails, stuff like that and is a bit of a bitch at first but can be your best friend at the same time? Thanks!(i checked your rules, and you didn’t have any specific numbers, so hcs, anyone but pls choose Arthot) thanks!

Can i add more text? If i can, then the chubby but confident mc is also really proud of her lover? Thank you again!

Hello! You absolutely can (both request and add more text)! Sorry this took so long, headcannons aren’t really my forte, but I still hope you like them! Also, I added Isaac and Mozart since I had some ideas for them :) 

Thank you for requesting!

(It’s under the cut since these are sorta long)

Arthur, Isaac & Mozart w/ a Chubby!Confident!Reader/MC

~

Arthur Conan Doyle

Now don’t get me wrong, Arthur loves all women no matter what they look like or their personality (unless they’re evil like that one Sister from his route - you know the one)

But when a women has the confidence level of a queen?? You’ve got him wrapped around your finger. 

There’s just something about women who aren’t like all the others he’s been with that really gets him.  

Even if you insulted everything that you could about him the first time you both met.

It was the boldness in your words and the way you carried yourself without a care what others said that has him infatuated and wanting to know more.

The first couple interactions with the other residents had him falling on his ass laughing.

Never has he seen someone make Theo and Wolfie shut up so fast.

After that he knows exactly when some kind of verbal brawl between her and another resident, most likely Theo, will occur and he kicks back for the show. 

Kind of gets hurt when she says something particularly harsh but brushes it off like he does.

A week passes and Arthur has figured out that she’s a little like Theo in a sense, bitter on the outside but secretly soft on the inside.

How does he know? Well he’s experienced this secret side of her of course!

It was during one of his self-deprecating moods, his past coming to haunt his thoughts when (y/n) walked in with his dinner, seeing as he skipped out on it.

The writer was so deep in thought that he didn’t even hear her come in until the glass of Rouge was set down beside him, shocking him. 

A flirty line was on the tip of his tongue when a quiet “Hey” came from her, in the softest voice he’s every heard from her, that one word silencing him.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on in that head of yours but... don’t let it consume you. It won’t be easy but you gotta push past it and not let it eat at you, that’s how it wins...” 

Arthur’s breath hitched when the faintest of smiles appeared on her lips, he was sure that he was seeing an actual angel.

After that it was like clock work and the two were hanging out more and more, going out in town a lot (with Vic too).

Her advice hit him in a way and like she said, it wasn’t easy, but it was a start for him.

From the very start of their relationship as a couple (y/n) would constantly give Arthur praises anytime he moved forward to forgiving and just bettering himself in general.

Rewards usually involve kisses and cuddles

Maybe a little more ;)

Like I mentioned earlier he doesn’t care that you may be a little thicker than the other women in town, it’s more for him to love!

He’s honestly so happy that you love your body despite what others may say, he’s a very proud boyfriend.

But even if you do, that won't stop him from loving every inch of you and your body.

All in all, it’s a relationship that includes a lot of love and proud moments for one another :)

Isaac Newton

Poor Apple Boi is a little scared of you, don’t be mean to him please he’s shy and insecure T_T

Like don’t get him wrong confident women are great but... you might be a little too confident sometimes for his heart to keep up.

“(Y/N) yOU cAn’T sAY tHinGS LiKE tHAT!!” is something he thinks a lot when a particularly mean thing might exit your mouth.

Begs to any God that will listen that there’s some passive side to you that will help lower his blood pressure. 

But if there isn’t that’s alright, he guess, cause most of the time you aren’t actually that bad.

That was before the both of you ran into the children he teaches at the fountain, his heart and mind doing literal summer salts cause what if you make one of them cry? What then!? He can't handle crying children! 

Nevertheless Isaac still asks if you could help educate them and you agree without complaint - surprisingly

About half an hour later when his group of kids were working (you split them into two groups, one for him and another for you) he took a glance your way and - HOLY SHIT IS SHE SMILING!? 

Takes a double take on that, splashes a little of the freezing fountain water in his face and when he still sees you smiling down at the young ones Isaac thinks he's done for.

But then he hears what you’re telling the children

“If you’re willing to put the effort into it and continue to push forward then you can do and be anything you want...”

You hear that? It’s the sound of his poor heart malfunctioning

Isaac may have an extended life but even then he didn’t think he’d live to see the day that a genuine smile, with no snide present, wound grace your face and that such encouraging words would come from you.

You weren’t rocket science to him anymore, he saw that there was more to you and unconsciously he started to soften up around you.

When the two of you got into a relationship it was a lot of you taking the lead, trying to help the shy man out of his cocoon.

And when he did take those steps and started to speck more and say what was on his mind? He got smooches, loads of them.

You are very very proud that he’s growing into the man he wants to be.

One time when you guys were out and about some snob women were making some comments about your weight. Baby was furious and was ready to reassure you that you were beautiful no matter what you looked like, even if he isn’t the best at comforting people.

He shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was when all you did was say something equally bad (if not worse) to them, grabbed his hand and left. 

When he asked if you were okay he was very happy to hear that their words didn’t hurt you because their opinion didn’t matter to you. 

He did, however, turn a little red when you said that if anyone’s opinion mattered it was his because you love him and knows that he loves you <3 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Won’t lie, both of you got into the equivalent of a cat fight the first time you ran into each other.

It was so bad Jean and Napoleon had to step in before either of you said something that might actually hurt the other.

After that night it was like an unspoken rule between the two of you that under no circumstances should your paths cross.

Which was incredibly hard since Sebastian assigned you to bring him his meals.

Not one interaction went without some sort of mean jab being sent to the other. 

One time you got some pink nail polish on Mozart’s white piano and he lost it

It seemed absolutely impossible for there to be any chance that the two could get along

All hope was nearly lost, but then came the day that (y/n) said something to him that just turned this mess of a relationship around.

The pianist was having a hard time composing a certain piece and nothing was coming to him no matter what he did. 

About to give up for the day, in came the human with a bottle of Blanc for him. When her eyes spotted the disaster that was crumpled sheet music, many of the notes scratched out, she knew exactly what was going on.

“Put yourself back to a time that you were happy and full of joy... Or, think about what you feel when you eat something really good - like chocolate, I know you love it. If there were colours to accompany the feeling, what would they be? Would they be slow moving like a river or burst like fireworks? Use those as a pace and let your heart do the rest...” 

Before the haughty musical genius could question a single word she just told him, (y/n) was already out of the room, off to finish the rest of her chores

Nevertheless Mozart tries it out and by the end of the night he’s got a masterpiece written out in front of him.

And you have an IOU with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart written on it - and he hates having to owe people.

So here he is, out in town for the first time in forever, showing you 19th century Paris since he remembered overhearing you say how you wanted to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Surprisingly, it went well. Every time you said something that would usually elicit a remark from him was met instead with him holding his tongue, your soft voice from the day before playing in his mind each time.

When you caught on that he was actually trying to be nice you too made the effort, thus resulting in the two of you growing just a little closer.

You also gave him some nail polish remover that you had to help clean his piano cause he was having trouble.

From then on the harsh words became playful more than anything.

Could care less what you look like, though is very happy that you're comfortable in your own skin.

During Mozart's performances (y/n) claps the loudest and he knows it, she's told him that it's because she's very proud that he's started to play his music for others and because he wants to, not because he's force to.

His lips always twitch up when he hears her cheer for him, it fills him with joy every time knowing the meaning behind the action and that it comes with love.

BONUS!

Vincent and her got along instantly when he spotted these beautiful designs that she painted on her nails. He wanted to know how she did it without smudging anything since nails are such a small canvas to work with.

Theo got confused and upset when he saw that she was nice to his brother and not him.

She's totally destroyed Shakespeare cause no one messes with her friends goddammit! 

~ 

Requests are closed right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy my other works while you wait for them to open! You might find something you like, who knows :)

Masterlist

[even-after-a-millennia]

my home from long ago

I finally wrote a fic with Lykon in it!  Well, sort of.  (Trigger warning for nonconsensual drug use)

Summary: When The Old Guard tries to apprehend a group who stole hallucinogens, Andy and Quynh are exposed and see part of their family who has been long lost to them.

The fic is below or over on my ao3 here.

“I want it put down for the record what a bad idea I think it is that you guys take this job,” Copley Two said the moment that the video call started.  His real name was Callum, but as he had taken over for Copley after his retirement, he bore the nickname with grace.

“Noted,” Andy said drily.  “What are the details?”

Callum sighed, but began reading his notes.  “According to a friend of mine over at MI6, there is a scientist that is working on an interactive, virtual reality experience that allows the user to interact with people they have lost, in order to be able to start the healing process and move on.  It pairs VR with a cocktail of aerosol hallucinogens to allow the user to be truly immersed.”  He looked up at the screen for a moment.  “Anyone else wondering how the hell they even got cleared to do this?”

“We can focus on that later.  C’mon, CT, where do we come in?” Nile asked.

“Right.  Well, last Thursday, the lab was broken into and most of the hallucinogens were stolen.  The scientist is worried that the people who stole it are planning to use it as a torture device, manipulating the hallucinogenic effects to induce mental torture.  We need you to retrieve the hallucinogens and destroy any replications that have been created.  If you can capture rather than kill those responsible, it would be appreciated.”

He paused and set down his notebook.  “Given your backgrounds, I feel the need to caution you before you agree to take this job.  Should you get into a situation where the hallucinogens are released and you are caught up in the simulation, you all have more than enough trauma between you to devastate your minds.  Please think carefully before making your decision.”

Andy reached out and took Quynh’s hand.  They exchanged a look, then nodded.

“We can do it.”

Nicky and Joe nodded.

They turned to Booker and Nile, the only two that hadn’t spoken up.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I really don’t want to be exposed to that gas,” Nile said.  She was still reeling from the death of her mother, only three years prior.

“Myself as well,” Booker said.  “I feel it could trigger old wounds.”

“However,” Nile said, straightening her shoulders, “there are other people out there who have also been who hell, who need to be saved from being exposed to that.  So.  I’m in.”

Booker sighed, then nodded.

Andy turned to Copley Two.  “Where do we need to go?”

____________________________________

Once Callum found where the thieves were hiding, it was easy to come up with a plan.  Nicky would be at the ready with his rifle, Joe as his spotter.  Nile, Booker, Andy, and Quynh would infiltrate the building and destroy any samples they came across.  If possible, they would go with nonlethal options for capture, unless that was no longer an option.

“Any signs of life from your end, Nicky?” Nile asked as they made their way through the warehouse.  Her voice was muffled behind the gas mask Callum had forced them all to wear.  He wasn’t sure if it would do anything against the hallucinogen, given that they knew very little about it, but it “helped calm his heart, which you all put through too much already,” according to him.

“There’s activity on the west side of the building, third floor,” came the response through their comms.

“Alright, Quynh with me to the third floor.  Booker, Nile, scan the bottom floors for any sign of the hallucinogen or a lab.  Nicky, Joe, watch our backs,” Andy ordered.

They split up.

Andy kept scanning their surroundings as they ascended, but there was no sign that people were in the building.  They kept going, Quynh a step behind her, her favorite handgun at the ready.  She was proficient with a gun as she was with a bow and arrow.  Andy gave her a small smile during her next scan, one that Quynh quickly returned.

They walked down the walkway towards the room Nicky had seen movement.  They each took a side of the closed door.  Quynh nodded, and Andy took a step back, then kicked the door in.  They rushed inside.

Only to see four people clearly out of their minds on the hallucinogens.  It was thick in the air and blurred Andy’s vision through her protective goggles.  Again, Copley Two’s idea.

“Arianna!  You’re here!” one of the people said, looking at Andy.

She raised an eyebrow.  Given she hadn’t ever been called Arianna, even throughout the course of her very long life, it was safe to assume that whoever the man was seeing wasn’t actually Andy.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, coming closer.

Andy went on alert, especially as another person turned to them.

“Adam, oh my god, it’s you!” the woman sobbed.  She ran up to Quynh and threw her arms around her.

She looked at Andy, who shrugged.

“We’ve got four people, all high as fuck.  Shouldn’t be too difficult to-”

“I’ve missed you so much,” the man said, and he leaned forward to rest his forehead against Andy’s.  He pulled back, and for a moment, Andy saw his eyes clear.  Then they narrowed and, before Andy could stop him, reached up and pulled on the gas mask.  It didn’t move much, but the break in the seal let the gas in.

It sat heavily on Andy’s tongue.

“Motherfu-” Andy managed before she felt the tug on her subconscious.  She elbowed the guy in the nose, knocking him unconscious.  She turned, ready to push Quynh out of the door.  It might be too late for Andy to not feel the effects, but Quynh hadn’t been exposed yet, she hadn’t-

Shit.

The woman in front of Quynh had gone in to kiss her, pulling her head in with grasping hands.  Her head hit against the mask as she pulled Quynh in and the combination of gestures broke the seal on Quynh’s mask too.

Andy knocked the woman back and grabbed Quynh’s arm, trying to ignore the things she was starting to see out of the corner of her eyes.

“C’mon we’ve gotta go, Quynh, come on!”

But Quynh wasn’t looking at Andy.  She was staring at something in front of her, someone who made her look full of joy and loss all at once.

Andy knew, before she even turned to look, who would be standing there.  But she couldn’t resist.

“Lykon…” Quynh said, rushing forward and jumping into the arms of her old friend.

“Hello, my beautiful sister,” Lykon said, hugging her back.  Quynh was sobbing into his shoulder as he looked up and gave Andromache the brilliant smile that she hadn’t seen in over a thousand years.

“Andromache.  I’ve missed you.”

“Andy, Quynh, come in!  Can you hear me?”

“Lykon,” Andy said, her voice choked.  “I am so sorry.  I didn’t have your back.”

“Andromache.”  The look he gave her was gentle but chiding.  “How could you have known?  You, the oldest of us, had no idea our immortality was finite.”

“But why you?!” she burst out.  It was the question that had haunted her since she had tried to hold Lykon’s stomach together as he bled out.  “You said, I am the oldest, I should have been the one to die, not you, Lykon.  Never you!”

Lykon whispered something into Quynh’s ear and she nodded, easing her hold on him.  She wiped her tears and held an arm open to her wife as Lykon did the same.

“Come, Andromache.  It has been far too long since I’ve held you,” Lykon said.

“I can’t,” Andy cried.  

“Why?”

Andy let out a shuddering breath.  “Because I don’t deserve it.”

“Andy! Quynh!  Nile, you have to get up there, I think-”

“Deserve what, Andromache?”

Andy couldn’t look at him as she said.  “I don’t deserve your forgiveness, Lykon.  I don’t forgive myself.”

Quynh turned to Lykon.  “Much has happened since we lost you.  But we never forgot you.”

“I know.  Of course I know.”

Quynh swallowed.  “I would be lying if the loss of you didn’t feel like an unhealing wound.”

“I understand.  But I don’t want you to mistake grief with guilt.  They do not have to both exist.  Not in this,” Lykon said.  “It was my time.  The only grief I felt in that was to be parted from you.”

“I lost it,” Andy said suddenly, not looking at Lykon.  “My immortality.  And suddenly, all I wanted was to live.  I had my family, and we just added Nile, and then we got Quynh back.  But I also felt relief.  That finally, the universe was correcting the wrong.  Letting me be with you.  And then it came back.  And now I am more lost from you than ever.”

Lykon kissed Quynh’s forehead then let her go.  He walked up to Andy.  “Do I look lost to you?”

Andy finally let herself fully look at him.  He glowed with vitality and love and joy, all the things he exemplified in life, pouring out of him.  

“You look perfect.”

Lykon held out his arms.  “Please, Andromache?”

She let out a sob, then made her feet move forward.

Andromache the Scythian had had many homes throughout the years.  So many places, all blurred together.  It was only after she met Quynh that she let her home be found in people.  In Quynh.  In Lykon.  She hadn’t known how dangerous that was, until Lykon’s death.

Stepping into Lykon’s arms, Andy felt like she had come back to a long lost home for the first time in a millennium.

But there was something missing.

“Quynh,” she called.  “We need you.”

Her wife squeezed into the space between Andy’s right arm and Lykon’s left and they all pressed together, holding each other so tightly that it hurt.

And something that had been piercing Andy’s heart for so long that she hardly noticed it anymore unsheathed itself.

She felt relief.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Andy took a breath and her head cleared a bit.  Another and she realized she was only holding Quynh in her arms.  Another and she pulled her wife closer as she started to sob.

“Andy?  Quynh?  Do you copy?” Nile’s voice rang through the comms.

“Copy,” Andy said, her voice hoarse.  “Quynh’s a bit overwhelmed.  Nicky shot out the windows?”

“He did.  You alright, boss?” Joe asked.

“Give it a few minutes to clear, then come in with the restraints.  I think they wanted to use the hallucinogen for its intended purpose, not maliciously, but we still need to bring them in.  They hotboxed the room and are still pretty out of it.  I think we were only influenced a little,” Andy said, not answering the question.

“Will do.”

Andy turned back to her wife.

“We’re going to be alright, trái tim của em,” Andy whispered, running a hand gently up and down her back.  

Quynh nodded into her shoulder, then finally raised her head and wiped her eyes.  “It was just so nice to see him again,” she said tearfully.

Andy looked around the room and the people who were still in the midst of their hallucinations.  She saw all the different emotions possible, from devastation to happiness.  Then she buried her face into Quynh’s hair.

“I miss him, Quynh,” she admitted quietly.

“Of course you do, Andromache.  But missing him doesn’t have to be contingent on staying guilty.  He wouldn’t want that,” Quynh said.

“Yeah,” Andy said, remembering that relief she felt.  “I’m starting to get that.”

She leaned back, kissing Quynh on the forehead just like Lykon had done.  “Are you alright?”

She shrugged.  “I will be.  It was a beautiful dream, and now I must wake.”

For now, that would have to be enough.  Later, Andy would take care of Quynh, help her through the emotional upheaval of seeing their long dead brother in arms.  Later, Andy would tell Nile and the others stories of Lykon, his kindness, his light, his talent for storytelling.  Later, she might even forgive herself.

But for now, Andy held Quynh until the air had cleared and their family came for them.

Translations: trái tim của em - my heart

[soriseerakyra]

Nice To Meet You -19-

Hello every one, sorry it’s been so long. There is a post on my page if you want to find out what's happening. If not, please enjoy.

TW: Violence, bad language, death

This was different. Or maybe it was normal, Bruce couldn’t tell. He knew he attracted attention, that he was a status boost to any party, but this felt wrong. From the moment he stepped past the makeshift foyer, he’d felt eyes on him, watching his every move. He tossed his famous, charming smile to everyone he passed, but instead of getting the swooning effect that he was so used to causing, he was treated to strange polite smiles. As if he was intruding.  

 “Bruce Wayne?” The questioning voice sent a chill down Bruce’s spine. 

He turned to look at the voice who called him and found a smiling blond man. 

“Michael Carlisle,” The man says, extending a large hand to shake. Bruce accepts the hand and firmly shakes it. At the interaction, the crowd that had been not-so-secretly eyeing the interaction of the CEO’s had all returned to their conversations. The allure of seeing the cities’ most famous billionaire, apparently not worth more than a sideways glance.   

“A pleasure,” Bruce says, responding with a smile. “It’s a shame that we haven’t met before tonight.” 

“It truly is, which is why what I’m going to say next may appear a little rude, but what are you doing here? I didn’t think a party like mine would even be on your radar,” The man asks with childishly wide excited eyes.  

“Nothing rude about that,” Bruce says, returning his hand to his sides. “Believe me, I’ve gotten much worse when I’ve shown up unannounced.” 

The man lets a smile quirk at the end of his lips as he waits for Bruce to answer the other part of his question. His blue eyes watch Bruce with fascination. Flicking from the top of Bruce’s hair and down to his shoes. Why is Carlisle sizing him up? 

“To be honest,” Bruce says, lowering his voice to make the conversation more intimate. He leans his body toward the boyish man and brings up a practiced hand to hide his mouth. “I’m doing a bit of shopping.” 

“Shopping?” The younger man questions with furrowed, manicured brows. “OH! Do you need an accounting firm?!” 

Bruce straightens his back a little, almost startled by his lack of discretion. 

“I’m surprised Wayne enterprises doesn’t have its own firm in-house.” 

“We do,” Bruce says with a shrug of his shoulders. “But I’m always looking for new talent, especially when one of my own is retiring.” 

The lie rolls off of his tongue smoothly, and judging by the blond man’s nod of assent, it was enough to ward off some suspicion. 

“So, you’re here to steal some of my up-and-coming talent, huh?” Carlisle asks ribbing the older man in the ribs. 

Bruce flinches away slightly, not expecting to be touched so informally. 

The blond man must have caught the hint of his displeasure that rang across his face for a split-second because a frown pulled at his lips.  

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable Bruce, I’m just glad I didn’t hug you like I wanted to when I first saw you. I’m a big hugger.” 

If Bruce wasn’t as practiced at maintaining his cover as he was, he would have scrunched up his face in confusion at the man. This was who she had worked for? Had believed in enough to move across the country for? He seemed more than overbearing, and as skittish as she was it was impossible to see her getting past an interview with this man, let alone going to work every single day for him. 

“If that turned you off, though, I’m afraid that you might not find anyone here who you’d want to work with you. We're all family here, lots of huggers.” 

The man lets out a laugh and some nearby party goers that were supposedly “giving them their space” chuckled.  

“I know I don’t look it, but I can get touchy-feely when need be.” 

The man’s blue eyes narrow and Bruce can feel a shift in atmosphere as the man’s once jovial face becomes stony. 

“We don’t call it being touchy-feely Mr. Wayne,” Carlisle says stoically. “We- I have made it a point to build a family here. A company based on empathy.  This isn’t 'touchy-feely’ foolishness. This is the future. How we build a company that lasts. But I suppose someone like you who’s never had to work for anything would know about that would you?” 

The party is once again silent and all eyes are on the pair of men, although not in a way that Bruce is used to. He hadn’t expected that man to be so volatile; it was only a harmless comment, no malice behind it. 

“I’m sorry if I offended you,” Bruce apologizes quietly, “It wasn’t intentional.” 

Carlisle’s nostrils flare in anger, his throat turns red, and a vein pulses lightly at his temple. 

‘A severe overreaction,’ Bruce notes. 

A clicking of heels pierces the silence, as Bruce notices a rather tall red head approaching the pair. A striking pair of blue eyes assess Bruce sternly, a frown pulling at her red lips as she apparently found the man lacking. 

Bruce watches as a slender hand grip Carlisle's shoulder tightly, the pressure being applied only noticeable because of the wrinkling of fabric. 

“There's been a call for you Mr. Carlisle,” the woman says with a pleasant tone. 

“A call?” The man asks, blond brows furrowing in confusion. The woman tightens her grip on his shoulder, and he seems to relent. “Ah, yes, of course.” 

“I’m afraid that we must continue this conversation later, Mr. Wayne,” Carlisle says, swallowing his anger and trying to force the same pleasant smile on his face. “Enjoy the party.” 

His eyes flicker around to the other party goers and with a nod of his head he hurries away. Bruce quickly loses sight of the man as he heads further into the venue, mobbed by a sea of people willing to help aid in his escape. 

Bruce bites the inside of his cheek in irritation. This had not gone the way he intended. He wasn’t used to losing at the charm offensive. 

He cuts his eye back to the tall woman who stood there with a rather pleased smirk on her face, arms crossed in a rather unimpressed fashion. As the chatter, light music, and dancing resumed, Bruce moved closer to the woman. 

“Sorry to have interrupted your conversation Mr. Wayne, but I’m sure you know that running a company can be a twenty-four-hour job,” She states smoothly, her thick red mane tumbling to the side as she lightly cocks her head.  

“It’s not a problem. And as hectic as business can be, I’m sure dealing with an annoying party guest, is much tougher.” 

The woman lets out a low chuckle, “Believe me, you aren’t the worst we’ve had to deal with.”

“Is that right? Tell me more, miss?” 

“Trainer, Kristen Trainer,” She says, extending her black tipped fingers to shake his hand. 

“Let me guess, you’re the brains behind the operation,” He says a smile easily finding its way on his face. 

“More like the conductor. Without me none of this,” she makes a circling motion with her finger, “happens.” 

“Ah, I get it. The boss’ boss.” 

“What can I say, being the executive assistant is glamorous.” 

They share a chuckle and then a silence falls over the pair.  

Trainer breaks it first, a coyness flitting over her blue eyes, “So when are you going to ask me to dance?” 

“Oh, I’d never assume you’d want to dance with me, I practically ran your boss away.” 

“Like I said,” She nearly glides as she walks toward him and takes his hand, leading them both toward the dance floor. “You aren’t the worst we've had.” 

Bruce lets a smirk cross his face. Perhaps he wasn’t as off of his game as he thought he was. 

*** 

Jason was more than sure that Bruce always stuck him with the shit jobs. If he was only a few years younger, he would have been proud to take them. He would have thought Bruce trusted him with the more troublesome parts of the jobs, that he was preparing him to be his true successor. Being older, wiser, and having endured more than his fair share torture proved to him it was probably the exact opposite.  

 Even now, it always felt like Bruce was testing him, waiting for him to go rogue, do something that broke the rules. He knew that the older man was always waiting for him to slip up, coiled to attack anytime he did something less polite than a beating a thug senseless.

 The thoughts cause Jason's shoulders to tense in irritation, but he can’t let his annoyance distract him from the mission.  At the moment, he found himself on the top floor of the once vacant wharf building.  If one were to enter from this floor, you wouldn’t assume that a high-class shindig was going on downstairs. Comparatively, it wasn’t the worst place that he’d ever been in; there was a distinct lack of rats he was more than grateful for. The bare walls and exposed beams were a little strange though. According to intel, provided by the Brownie Woman, not only had this not been the first party held in this place, they also owned the building. Who quits renovating when the project is only halfway done? 

 ‘Someone who’s more worried about appearances than substance,’ He thinks to himself with slightly pursed lips. 

 He rolls his shoulders as he prepares himself to explore the building. He wouldn’t be able to do it for long. Since the assholes hadn’t finished the place, there wasn’t a steady supply of air flowing through the place. Having already climbed up into the building after gently detonating a small explosive on one of the back walls, he didn’t want to risk alerting anyone just to accommodate his breathing.

 With a sigh, he approached one of the newer-looking walls. It looked thin, like it was only a standing piece of paper, and mostly, he had been right.  With a slight wind up, his fist had easily found its way through the wall, white particles crumbling around his hand as the sheet rock easily gave way. The wall continues to splinter as he works his hands through it, and soon enough he has a hole big enough for him to slide through.

  When he gets to the other side, he's not totally surprised to see a mostly dilapidated area. Cobwebs, fallen pieces of plywood, and exposed pipes let him know that he's in a part of the building that has barely had any traffic. What has him slightly surprised though, were the construction lamps littering the floor. As the holes in the floor allow him to see both above and below him; the glow from the lamps on the other floors hit his eyes like fireflies. Despite only having worked to make some of this place look nice, there was activity going on throughout the whole wharf. It was strange really, buying out multiple buildings on the wrong side of Gotham just throw parties? The only way he wouldn't have found the situation not strange is if Bruce had been the one buying up the land. At least that way he'd at least have a guess what the man would be doing. And it was especially strange for an accounting firm to buy property that had nothing to do with campus expansion.

'Unless they're washing money for the mob.'

The thought hits Jason, and he can't help the smirk that crosses his face.

“Hey dipshit,” he says connecting his ear piece. “Are there any familiar faces in the crowd?”

He gets irritated slightly when he doesn't get a response right away. The old man wasn't going to ice him out because he called him a few names, was he? How professional.

“I don't seem to know many people here.” Is the response that comes back over the earpiece and Jason's haunches relax a little. He wasn't being ignored, Bruce was in the middle of a conversation.

Jason doesn't hear the response from the person who Bruce was talking with, but he gives about fifteen seconds pause, a chance for Bruce to listen to the other person, before he responds.

“You sure?" Jason questions skeptically, as he maneuvers farther into the building, careful to avoid loose or weak floor boards. "This place looks like a perfect place to wash some dirty cash."

"I really thought I knew everyone there is to know in this town," Bruce responds with a bit of a chuckle.

Not a familiar face in sight? That was putting a damper on the idea that these people had some kind of mob ties. When it came to mobsters Bruce had a practically photographic memory of their faces. For him not to recognize anyone meant that either there was a new organization or there was no mob there at all.

"I'll keep looking," he responds slightly irritated. He doesn't get a response, and he doesn't need one.

It's not long before he comes up to the next connecting wall.  Pressing his hand up against the wall, he finds that it's almost as thin as the other one he'd come through. With another well-placed fist, he easily forces his way through the wall once again. As he pulls out the rubble, sensors in his mask begin to go off. He pauses in his excavation for a moment, silencing his one movement. It's quiet for a moment but then there is a rhythmic thumping streaming into his right ear, then the sounds stop. There is the creaking of wood and then the thumping resumes and fades out. The thought comes to his mind before the computer in his mask flashes the analysis on the screen.

 Footsteps.

 A patrol route.

 Now that he had found what he was looking for, he'd have to be more careful. The general rule was if he could hear them, they could hear him.  And although most people didn't have access to the tech he did, he was sure that the rule had saved his ass multiple times.

 Carefully this time, he pulls himself through a smaller hole, he wouldn't make more noise than was necessary. Almost immediately he could see the shadows of movement dancing against the yellow lights of the construction lamp. The presence of these shadows made his heart jump slightly; if he was asked about it later he wouldn't say he was afraid, just a little freaked out. His sensors had only picked up the thudding of one person, he was sure of that. But right in front of his eyes, and how the shadows played with each other, he could tell that they're at least six people in his immediate vicinity. He had been lucky that no one had been just on the other side of the wall when he had ripped through.

 'No footsteps?' He questions internally with a slightly panicked voice that he would yell about to himself later.

 He crouches down, his knees bending easily to accommodate the familiar position and his weight  as he moves forward with as gentle a step that he can muster. Some might be surprised by how stealthy the young man could be, especially wearing the heavy combat boots he loved so much. But Jason practiced that much harder to mask his sound, he'd keep his aesthetic and be the deadliest thing you'd never hear coming.

 He makes his way to a worn wooden wall, marked with holes about the width of a small child's fist, perfect for getting an eye on a target, so he could know what he was dealing with. As he presses himself against the wall, the dancing of the shadows gives way, and he's clear about how many people that he would deal with on this floor.

  He'd only been one off, seven instead of six. But the thought of being mostly right didn't give him any sense of victory. His stomach twisted into knots as two of the figures moved past each other. He wasn't crazy, he damn sure knew that, but he was sure as hell that his eyes were playing tricks on him, because he was seeing double. Two carbon copies of the same person walking past each other with small barely visible flashlights cradled in identical vine like fingers. The words thin and tall didn't seem to do justice to the visage of men he sees before him, but those are the only words that come to mind. That and their faces are obscured with long black hair that is so thick, he isn't even sure there is a face underneath. They're filthy, he can tell that even if the nature of their outfits is muddled by the dimness of the surrounding lights. Their pale skin has brown almost black splotches of dirt or soil that almost seem pressed into their skin. The skin itself is so pale and sickly that it is almost a green color; he gags slightly about how awful they must smell.

 Finally, he looks down, and he hopes to see what is blocking out the sound of their footsteps from coming through on his sensors. He's surprised to find disproportionately enormous feet. Grimy as the rest of their bodies, he can tell that the men are extremely flat-footed. The way their feet meet the sections of floor that they walk on causes their toes to widen, spreading out what little weight they had evenly throughout their step. Coupled with the fact that they moved rather slowly, taking only the most deliberate of steps, the two beings in front of him were virtually silent. The only sound that seemed to give way to any hint of their presence was the air that seemed to be forcing its way out of their chest. Like the wheeze of an asthmatic, the beings swayed slightly whenever they had to breathe. Luckily for Jason, the minute difference in their breathing was enough for the computer to pick up on, and a visualized patrol route formed right before his eyes.

 Time seems to slow as he watches the forms move back and forth. It's not a large beat, about the visible width of the building; but even though the route is small, the guys were slow. Would he be able to pounce on one without alerting the other? Or would that be too much of a risk to take? While he had keyed into their breathing, he hadn't been able to locate any more guards. He probably wouldn't know they were there until he was right on top of them.

 Jason decides that it would be best to avoid them. He doesn't know their strength and the amount of noise that he could generate isn't worth the hell that it could bring down upon him.

 He watches them for a moment longer, there is a moment in their path where they stop and stare at each other, as if they are sharing information about what they'd seen on their walk around. That's when he'd make his move.

 It doesn't take long until they meet at the center of the room, standing in front of one of the construction lamps. They meet each other, staring into the dark void where their eyes should be. He breathes in deeply, his muscles tighten as he focuses. With a push he's off.

 Quickly, he's around the walls and trying to push himself to the next darkened area that he can find. There he could make his next move and try to get his bearings about where he needs to go. His first push is quiet, and he's able to launch himself forward with no issues. His practiced eyes immediately start scouting out where he should aim for. He should have planned for his destination before taking off, but he had always been an impulsive boy and that probably wouldn't change regardless of how many years of experience he got underneath his belt. 

 His eyes immediately go to the far wall on the other side of the floor, it’s where the other drywall had been, and he figured that it was likely the only way to get away from the danger of the unknown. He's slightly surprised however to see a change in floor planning. Instead of the crumbly wall that he had been punching through repeatedly he saw brick, but not just that, a door.

 'Into the lion's den,' he thinks aiming his body in that direction.

 His foot hits the floorboard in a soft practiced motion but a loud squeak still scratches out of the piece of wood underneath him. The wheezes of the guards that are playing in his ear stop mid breath, and he can almost feel them scanning for him. But he's quick. As soon as his other foot comes down, he's launched himself into the shadows of a jagged wall. He pauses for a moment. One of the dim flashlights glides over his general vicinity. When the light passes over the end of the floor, it lingers on the door surrounded by brick. After several seconds, a low grunt sounds in his ear. The computer in his helmet shows that the route of the guards has changed. They are headed over to the wooden wall where he was previously hidden.

 He doesn't hesitate, and he's off again, this time his approach is silent, and he reaches the door with no issue. A curious part of him wants to turn around and get a glimpse of those "guards" but he thinks better off it. He opens the door quickly and quietly, and he pushes through to the other. 

 Unsurprisingly, much like the rest of the building, the room he's in now is almost pitch black. The only things lighting up the place  are yellow industrial lights nestled into a brick wall.  However, unlike the rest of the building, he finds himself at the top of a black metal staircase that seems to spiral down, seemingly endless in the thick blackness. He’d be an idiot to continue with no back-up. To top it all off, the sensors in his ears have rung again. Not with the wheezing breaths of the first guards he encountered, but with the thumping footsteps that had seemed so distant when he first started. He wasn't keen on finding out what was causing them. Did he think he could kick whoever or whatever it was ass? Of course. But fighting in a place like this admittedly left him at a disadvantage, wasn’t a good idea.  That and he didn’t want to make good on Bruce's premonition that he would have to be bailed out at the end of the night.

 With an irritated roll of his shoulders he starts down the stairs, but not before he turns on a tracker. If shit did hit the fan, he didn't want to be stuck underground for the rest of his life. 

 The swirl of the downward spiraling stairs seems to go on forever and based on how long it took him to reach the bottom, Jason is sure that he's underwater at that point. The pounding of footsteps in his ear irritates him, but he doesn't turn it off because they begin to get louder. Aside from that, the sensitive pieces of tech have picked up chatter. At least he thinks it's talking.  He can't really be sure, the sound is staticky and descending further below doesn't seem to help. Either he's picked up on some shitty talk radio show or there is something partially dampening the signal.

 It doesn't take too much more time before he reaches the bottom of the stairs. It's so dark that he wouldn't be able to see the toe of his boot if he didn't have the helmet on, though he might have been grateful for the lack of sight when a gigantic rat ran over his boots. 

 The stairs let out into a dank wet hallway. There is enough water on the ground that it covers his ankles. Clearly, no one had given a shit about drowning when they were "renovating" this part of the building.

 At the end of the hall there is a single hanging lamp, casting a dreary white light on the familiar red brick. And there is also another door. He splashes his way through the water to reach the end of the hall, and he is almost there before something causes him to stop. The thumping of footsteps had stopped. Instinctually, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up and his skin prickled. He was unprotected, he realized, exposed. It really hadn't been a good idea to charge down into this hallway without making a plan. He could go back, get his bearings and then try again. 

 The thumping resumes, but only for a moment. Whatever was making those footsteps, he realized was listening. Likely, it had heard him coming down the stairs and sloshing through the water. And it's listening to him now, waiting for him to make another move and confirm its suspicion. 

 He steps back, moving his leg as gingerly as possible, barely stirring the water. It doesn't seem to arouse in any further action, and he makes to move his other leg in much the same way. His breathing seems loud in his own ears, why was he so afraid? He'd gotten the shit kicked out of him before, been on the brink of death. Perhaps it's just his lizard brain just acting up on him. His breathing is getting heavier still, so loud in his ear, almost like... was he wheezing?

 The thought and Jason's reflexes happen at the same time. He's tucked and rolling forward just as his thin arm comes arcing through the air. One of the thin men, or maybe another that had been lurking about, stands just out of the light of the hallway and the blow that was meant for Jason sends red dust into the hair as a spidery arm pierced the brick.

 'Could've been my head' he thinks quickly as he is standing up again. 

 But he's not on his feet for long. He almost doesn't hear the loud sloshing of water, and he tries to roll forward again when he does, but it's too late. Enormous arms wrapped around his midriff holding him tight against a large protruding belly.

  "Looky looky, little lamb came to see me again."

  He doesn't have to turn around to see the voice of the creature that has him hostage. It was the butcher, the one that he had saved Bruce's Brownie Woman from. He didn't understand how, though. Although he hadn't sent the gargantuan man to the grave himself, both he and Dick had confirmed that he had driven that beat up old van into the water. There was no way he would have gotten out in time to survive the depths of the bay.

  The Butcher squeezes and shakes Jason from side to side, like he was trying to pop his head off. Not only did he have to contend with that, the wheezing thin man was beginning to slowly make his way down the hallway, his fingers arched ready to aim and fire and stick Jason like a pig. 

 While his arms are bound to his sides, he has enough reach and wriggle room to reach into his pockets. Once he grips onto what he's searching for, he locks his visor on the thin man in front of him analyzing his form and making him a target. It took longer than he would have liked, but the constant shaking of the madman who had him hostage wasn't exactly the most conducive thing for focusing.  He waits until the man shakes him back toward the middle and then with a swift flick of his wrist a compact ball flies out toward the thin man. Just before it hits the water, it lets out a pop and a hiss as gas smoke fills up the room. 

 The butcher doesn't stop his shaking, unfazed and singularly focused on the task at hand. The Thin Man, however, lets out an annoyed screech. Jason can see the form of the man through his visor and just as he hoped, the Thin Man brings his arm back getting ready to attack. Jason slides down as much as he can and then tucks his head into his chest, guarding himself. He hears the fingers cut through the air, and before he knows it the shaking stops. A groan is leeched forth from the man holding him and his arms fall slack just as Jason is freed, he feels a thick liquid fall on his back. Looking up, he sees trails of viscous black blood flow from the neck of the Butcher. 

 As Jason had hopped the Thin Man and pierced right through the Butcher killing him almost instantly. The large heavy frame fell backward, landing with a splash into the water filling the hallway.

 'One down, one to go.'

 He turns his attention back to the slow-moving creature that was coming up behind him, its claws having finally retracted into the shape of a hand again. A gasping growl comes forth from the creature, as it takes a step back.

 "Don't like working alone, I take it," Jason voices smugly.

 The creature doesn't respond, but it's fine with Jason. He charges the Thin Man placing a few well-placed punches and kicks before the creature finds itself on the ground. However, as he stomps the creature, he realizes it's just absorbing his blows and not even trying to fight back. If he could see its eyes, perhaps he would get at least an inkling about what it was thinking, but in the water its mess of thick black hair seems to obscure its face even more.

  He pulls back and stands over the creature for a moment. A bullet to the head would cause too much noise, and there's no guarantee that it would work anyway. He watches with a frown as the Thin Man twitches in the water and pulls himself away. Jason lands a heavy boot on its chest holding it in place. It writhes and wiggles pathetically underneath him. Unable to put distance between the two of them to launch his attack, the Thin Man was helpless. 

 Finally, it stops wiggling. Its arms fall to the sides and it lays there listlessly as if it has given up. 

 Jason doesn't remove his boot at first, but the surrounding water turns a cream color and bubbles. He jumps away from the man, and he watches in slight horror and amazement, as the Thin Man disintegrates, well most of him. By the time the bubbling is over and the cream seems to have disappeared, all that's left is the thick mass of hair and presumably the head of the creature. 

 "What the fuck?" Jason whispers to himself.

 He uses his helmet to take a picture of the scene, but he doesn't understand exactly what he’s witnessed. Instead of dwelling on it, he moves on; pass the dead Butcher, who had started to bubble, and through the door at the end of the hallway.

 ***

The door leads to another dark hallway, one that seems to be suspiciously empty and long. He imagines, however, that whoever was in charge of those goons wasn't expecting anyone to make it past them. He doubted that they even thought anyone was on to them. 

 As he goes deeper down the hallway, he realizes the ground underneath his feet is changing. No more soppy wood or concrete. It is a see through steel grate that he was walking on; a catwalk.  He stops mid step and bends down to see if there is anything under the grate worth checking out.  It's pitch black, but his helmet quickly clears up the image, and he can see individuals milling around in the dark. They don't seem scared and their body language suggests that they are simply conversing with each other.

 'Talking in the dark? Some party.' He thinks to himself.  He tries his earpiece again, he's sure that the voices he heard earlier are coming from these people, but their voices are still being distorted.

Before he can even think about how to clear up the signal a light comes on, a spotlight to be precise. It illuminates a woman who is standing on a stage, and from what he can tell, she definitely looks like she should be at the party. She's a tall redhead, in a fancy dress, and even from this distance he can tell she's a commanding presence.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," she starts, and at the sound Jason almost thinks his ear piece is back working, but it's just the sound echoing through the walls. "I'd like to welcome you to the party."

At the word party, a curtain lifts from behind her, revealing several large television screens, all showing different angles of the ballroom and the party goers. But that was the tamest part.

Behind the woman and below the screens sat a group of five individuals; Bound, gagged, bleeding and mostly naked. Jason felt his stomach churn at the possibilities of what these people were about to endure.

"By the end of the night the five highest investors will get to have their way with one of our special guests," the woman lets out a chuckle at the word. "In any fashion you choose. There is no limit."

There is a pause of the small crowd followed by a polite applause.

“For example,” she says with a smile as she gestures with a hand to the side of the stage.

Someone pushes a bound man out on the stage. Unlike the others his eyes aren’t blindfolded, but he’s so weak that he stumbles around the stage.

Jason is slightly surprised when another Thin Man makes his way on stage. He is only up there for a minute, as his duty was to hand the woman a revolver.

Jason’s heart pounds in his ears, his body realizing what’s about to happen before he can think it.

“Goodbye Geoffrey”, the woman says in a sugary sweet tone.

The man’s eyes widen, but he seems too out of it to move.

She points the gun at the man’s head and before he can groan out in protest; she fires the bullet.

He falls to the ground dead in less than a second.

She turns and faces her audience, “Who would like to make the first offer?”

 All hands in the room raise.

[yukheisrosie]

F4!! BTS X EXO CHAPTER 3~

Hii!! I suck at making these posts aesthetic so uh- enjoy lmao.

Word Count: 2,040

A BTS x EXO Fanfic

Based off of the Netflix series- Meteor Garden :-)

Part 1. Part 2.

Chelsy stabs her fork into her salad vigorously as Namjoon and Yoongi casually eat their food

Yoongi pokes at the noodles on his plate before looking across the table at Chelsy's repetitive moves

"You wouldn't have won." He simply states, then going back to his food and stuffing a bite of vegetables into his mouth

"Not only are there four of them and one of you- but it'd also be a bad image, especially since we're only freshman and this is legit the first day of school."

"Mm, he has a point." Namjoon comments in with mouth full of food

"He saved not only your ass, but ours as well." He mumbles while stuffing another bite in

"Now that's what I call 'teamwork'."

Chelsy looks at the both of them with annoyed eyes before sighing deeply and sitting up, letting her fork fall

"Of course you two aren't really phased by this because it's not your phone!" She snaps

"Do you know how expensive that thing was?"

"And he stepped on it like it was a piece of gum!"

"Must be one hard piece." Namjoon snorts and Yoongi just nudges him rather harshly

"Even if that was the case-" Yoongi sighs

"And let's say it WAS my phone-"

He pauses for a second before responding

"I would get a new one and let bygones be bygones."

"That-" Chelsy pauses with a smile

"Has to be the most stupidest thing I've ever heard you say in your entire life." She replies sarcastically

Yoongi just furrows his eyebrows before going back to his food

"You go ahead and get yourself into unnecessary trouble and drama." He pushes, mid chew

"But when you're the talk of the school on your first year of college, at that point- I don't know you."

Chelsy's mouth gapes open as Namjoon looks between the both of them before perking up

"I'll still be your friend, Chelsy- don't worry." He smiles cheerfully

"If those four outrageously filthy rich boys take you down, I'll go down with you."

"And this is why I appreciate you more than I appreciate Yoongi." Chelsy smiles, placing a hand across the table

"Thank you."

Yoongi lets out an eye roll before going in for another bite, unbothered

The three of them continue to eat in a comfortable silence until they were joined by a unfamiliar face

"Namjoon, right?" The girl asks, catching all of their attention

The boy looks up, swallowing the rest of his food and sending her a small smile

"Michi! Hey, what sup?" He replies in a friendly tone

The girl just sends one more smile, impressed at how he remembered her name already The two look at each other for a moment more until Namjoon calmly introduces her to the other two members at the table

"Chelsy, Yoongi, this is Michi." He smiles

"We're in the same homeroom."

The two wave and smile as the girl bows respectfully as a saying of hello before turning back to Namjoon

"I've been looking for other people in our class, but alas- you're the only one I could run into." She lets out a small laugh

"I was just wondering if you had the syllabus? I tried going back to pick up another copy, but professor had already left."

"Of course!" Namjoon replies, leaning over to unzip his backpack

"I could just take a picture and you could take my copy." He smiles

"Saves us more trees."

He lets out a little laugh and Michi couldn't help but laugh along before saying thank you

"You're a real lifesaver." She sighs contently, watching the boy shuffle through his backpack

"No worries." Namjoon replies with another smile

As the girl was waiting, Chelsy and Yoongi noticed her attention went somewhere else for a split second

"Oh how I would love to walk next to those four." She sighs in an admirable way

"I have never seen four beyond handsome guys as close friends in my entire life, I could tell you that."

Chelsy and Yoongi turn to see where she was referring to before Chelsy clenches her jaw at the familiar faces from before

The four had entered the lunch room, catching everyone's attention, and almost instantly- people started talking and staring in what seemed like awe

Once they took a seat at their table, that's when the girls started giggling

Chelsy just rolls her eyes, staring directly at the boy she had an encounter with earlier in annoyance

"You know them?" Yoongi asks, intrigued

"You don't?" Michi laughs in response

"Only everyone who goes here knows them."

"Care to elaborate?" Chelsy questions, looking up at her and trying to remain calm

Michi just looks at the girl before smiling

"They go by F4." She says

"Their families are very close and apart of only the biggest industries here."

She lets out a small sigh

"There's Jungkook, Baekhyun, Lucas and last but not least- Sehun."

She let's out a small hum

"In which my opinion- is the most handsomest." She giggles

"We could agree to disagree on that." Chelsy mumbles underneath her breath before jumping a little as Yoongi kicks her shin from under the table

"They seem like amazing guys." Yoongi agrees, pretending to be interested

"They are." Michi nods, still looking their way

"Whoever ends up dating any of them- especially Sehun- is one lucky girl."

Chelsy goes back to looking at the boy who had broke her device as Namjoon finally takes the paper out, handing it to Michi

She analyzes him a little more and stares at the way he laughs at anything the rest of the guys seem to be saying

She lets out a sigh and suddenly feels her heart begin to beat-

And next thing she knew, she was up and out of her chair-

on her way to their table

Michi and Namjoon perk up quick, watching the girl walk away as Yoongi just sits there, watching along with no emotion

"Hey-" Chelsy clears her throat as she approaches the guy's table, then catching not only theirs- but everyone else who were in the lunch room as well's attention

She meets eyes with the boy from before, who's eyes and smile automatically fell once he saw her fully

"What now?"

"Sehun ah-" One of the boys from across the table comments

"You know her?"

"Not since today." Sehun replies

"And I wouldn't want to know her even if I had the choice." He scoffs as Chelsy continues to stand there

"I'm right here." She squints, crossing her arms as Sehun just keeps his smile up

"And how may I help you?" He asks, cocking his head to the side

"I didn't come over here to argue." Chelsy replies calmly, biting her tongue

"I was just upset that you stepped on my phone and broke it completely-"

"Then get a new one." Sehun interrupts

Chelsy lets out a small scoff before adjusting her stance

"Well, it's not that easy-" She tries to get out

"Then work harder." Sehun smiles and at this point Chelsy felt as if her head was about to explode

"Look, the least you can do is apologize." Chelsy says, getting straight to the point

"How when it wasn't my intention to break your phone in the first place?" Sehun questions in response

"I shouldn't apologize for something I didn't do on purpose." He explains

"What's the point in that?"

Chelsy was going to reply when Sehun stands up

She moves back a little at how much he was towering over her

"I think we're done here." He smiles, adjusting his jacket before brushing past her, having the three other guys follow along with

Chelsy just stands there, turning around to see all eyes on her

Hearing the small mumbles and comments from everyone, she suddenly feels her skin become hot as she walks away in a hurry, catching Namjoon's  attention

"Hey!" He calls out, standing up from his seat

"Where are you going?"

"I need some air-" Chelsy replies, feeling her hands clam up, leaving the room completely

Chelsy tries to contain her breathing as she runs up the stairs and up to the rooftop of the building

She then runs up to the edge, looking out into the distance before letting out a frustrated scream

"Stupid boy." She breaths, trying to calm her heart rate down

"A decent human being could've at least apologized." She sniffed, now wiping her eyes from the tears that were now forming up

"Some first day of school." She groans

"So you're a freshman? That explains a lot."

Chelsy jumps up, quickly turning around to face one of the boys that was by Sehun's side just moments before

"What are you doing here-" Chelsy begins

"Who-"

She starts to stutter as the boy just remains in a calm position, sending her a smile

"You're not the only one who's allowed up here to let their anger out, you know." He laughs, now coming up next to her to look out into the view

Chelsy just continues to stare at him, amazed and intimidated at how calm he was

"I'm Jungkook by the way." He introduces himself, not bothering to make eye contact

"I apologize for my friend." He says

"He doesn't really know how to handle confrontation without wanting to fight."

He then steps aside to get a full look of Chelsy before turning back to the scenery

"Especially with a freshman girl like yourself."

"Despite my age or gender- I feel like anyone would be mad if they had their expensive phone stepped on." Chelsy replies, crossing her arms across her chest

Jungkook looks over once more, this time fully facing her

"An iPhone 7?" He asks, tilting his head a little, having Chelsy gulp before taking a step back

She was more wrapped around the fact at how mad she was for not realizing how handsome these guys were

"Mhm." Was all she could get out, along with a small nod in agreement

Jungkook looks at her for a bit before forming a small smile again

"Then it's not that expensive." He teases

"If anything- he did you a favor, don't you think?" He asks and before Chelsy could gain all her anger back, the boy lets out a quick laugh, throwing her off

He leans forward, meeting eyes with her, faces only inches apart

"I'm joking, freshman." He smiles

"Loosen up a little, would you?" He nudges lightly

He smiles once more and Chelsy couldn't help but feel her hands clam up again

Jungkook then stands all the way up again, now looking down at her

"Don't let Sehun's cocky attitude ruin your first year here." He says

"You'll gain wrinkles at an early age if you continue to do that"

He smiles at her teasingly as Chelsy does nothing but let out a small breath

"Pay for a new phone and then maybe I'll let this go." She scoffs and Jungkook just stands there again, staring at her

The two look at each other for what felt like an eternity (at least to Chelsy) when out of nowhere Jungkook lets out a quick sigh

"Okay."

"Okay?" Chelsy repeats, kind of caught off guard

"Okay."

He smiles once more

"What time does your last class end?"

Chelsy tried to wrap her head around what was happening until Jungkook came in again

"Answer, freshy." He teases

"One forty five." Chelsy quickly replies

Jungkook nods, smiling

"Okay." He replies

"We'll go after that."

Before Chelsy could come in again, Jungkook was already on his way back down to the building

"You don't even know where my last class is!" She then yells out and Jungkook turns around

"You're in nutrition right?" He asks, and Chelsy nods

"Then you won't be that hard to find." He scoffs

"See you at one forty five, freshy." He says before turning back around

Chelsy stays there for a bit, letting out a deep breath and running a hand through her hair

"What in the world just happened?" She asked herself

She looks out into the scenery of the school campus before looking down at her hands, replaying how close they were over and over again before smiling to herself

[go-bonkers-go-foolish]

highlights of starkid’s black friday part two

here we go boys

i’m gonna be real the first time i watched this i had no fucking clue what was happening for a solid two and a half minutes

shoutout to whoever choreographed this because i love it

THIS MAN’S NAME IS CHRISTOPHER KRINGLE

robert’s inflection combined with the exaggerated hand gestures is the single funniest thing i’ve ever seen

THE ELVES’ NAMES ARE JINGLE AND JANGLE I’M GONNA CRY

i would pay so much money to see this movie

“thaaaaaaaaat’s right :^)”

the love interest’s name is NOELLE bitch i’m hollering

how does lauren look so adorable in that stupid elf costume??

these lyrics are fucking gold man

joey’s literally just vibin

P A S S  C H R I S  K R I N G L E  T H E  B A L L 

santa’s gonna Reconnect With The Teens™

“becky look!!! remember when we carved that?” “yeah...it’s...a penis” “eyyy”

becky’s monologue about her ex-husband...fuck dude

“it’s funny. stanley was the one who made me go to nursing school. that’s how i knew where his femoral artery was.” HOLY SHIT

“you say you killed your family. i hope i killed mine.” D U D E 

Take Me Back absolutely made me break down dude i’m still crying

“if the universe is infinite, then it’s definite, there’s an alternate reality where we’re now a family.”

“if you’re really santa, tell me something only santa would know” GDGJHSLJHSGK

“i knew it. i knew you weren’t santa” WHEN DID THIS BECOME THE CONFLICT I NEED TO SEE THIS MOVIE

“........a red tricycle.” “santa!!!!!!!!!!” (passionate tongue kissing)

so we all agree that wilbur cross is uncle wiley, right

“in short, mr. president, we are trying to stop the birth....of a god.” what a raw line

“If We Have Faith, We Will Be Rewarded With A Cuddly Toy” -the homeless dude, who i’m pretty sure has just been vibin this whole time

god i kind of want a wiggly now

the audience losing their minds at linda being the supreme cult mother

 “please, for the love of god, just let me go.” “oh, i’ve met god. he had nothing nice to say about you.” (THROAT SLASH) 

FUCKIN RAW LINE RIGHT THERE

linda: “you willlllll adoooooore me....” my dumbass, already in love: ok

“unless i get what i- shit it’s gerald”

YES MAAM LIFT THAT LAUREN LOPEZ UP LIKE JESUS

h i p  t h r u s t

hmm i dont like new ethan

wiggly: “hello hannah. let’s be pally-wals.”  me, with a water gun full of holy water: dont try it demon

the way he says “rotten little banana” is terrifying

“i’m going to have to peel you. i’m going to split you in two. i’m going to Eat you, hannah.” WHAT the fuck

hannah’s scream when wiggly threatens her?? chilling

god someone protect this kid

uh yeah Do You Want To Play is genuinely one of the scariest songs i’ve ever heard from a starkid musical, or pretty much any musical. like, this sweet nurse who waited hours in the freezing cold to get a toy for a little girl who lost her sight is about to viciously murder an eleven-year-old in cold blood because of wiggly.

so, theory time. becky’s a nurse. i dont think that even in her altered state she would miss hannah entirely and accidentally inject it into her own leg. but hannah was wearing the hat. i think ethan was right, it protected her.

joey is scaring me but also giving me some very sexy energy that i’m not opposed to

“Only in america could wiggly take root! Hold this”

“WHEN YOU’RE MADE IN AMERICAAAAAAAAAAAA” fuck yeah!!!!!

“i’m going to cut open your belly-well, and deck the halls with your gutsy-wutsies...” JESUS CHRIST

shoutout to macnamara for literally everything, he’s doing great

can you IMAGINE being president goodman here. like you just found out you’ve killed millions of innocent people and the world is probably going to end in the next hour or so and there’s nothing left to do and all the while this demonic entity is baby-talking to you and laughing that terrifying laugh? yeah, i’d go insane too.

curt mega’s acting is top notch here, dude, he actually scared me

also what the FUCK was that last wiggly laugh

“you better not be fucking with me.....” uh hey sherman i’ll give you five (5) dollars to stop that

“there’s something that’s beautiful, being awake for my funeral” fuck

“still, i thought that angels did exist, but now i hope they plan to end it quick, ‘cause friday is black for me, only my ashes will see the sea” i gotta sit down for a while

“I’m authorizing you to use my firearm.” F U C K  Y E A H

theory: macnamara is hannah’s father (and maybe lex’s) since they can both see into/communicate with the black and white

MONSTERS AND MEN REPRISE

oh my god tim never said he wanted a wiggly oh god oh fuck

“kids don’t want that piece of shit! they’re all into fortnite, dude!” 

If I Fail You also made me cry i’m very emotional over this musical

“answer me, or I’ll open your mouth with my FUCKING KNIFE!” JESUS CHRIST LAUREN

i love that wiggly’s theme is carol of the bells

“look at you! you’re paralyzed with fear!” “no. i’m just lining up my shot.” FUCK YEAH

“you have two choices: abandon your god or burn here with him” this dialogue is so fuckin powerful dude

yeah so all of them burning alive freaked me out but what a way to end a cult

“you know, i have this kooky reclusive biology professor...” when i tell you i YELLED

“wear a watch.” AHHHHHH

what an ending.

anyway stan starkid goodnight

part one