#and I’m still feeling like a caged animal; scared and alone and lashing out

[polyamorouspunk]

Hug

*hug*

[wheresmybuckyhoes]

Are you done

Summary: You and Bucky end up trapped in a room together and you lose your temper

Pairing: Reader x Bucky Barnes

Warnings: Swearing, angst, aggression

Fear not winter’s children, for the next part will contain all the smut and sex pollen you can ask for, just please interact so I know if you actually want a part 2!

‘This is all your fault’ you snarl at Bucky as he pounds and pounds at the thick metal door caging you in like wild animals.

 ‘If you had just listened to me for once in your god damn life we wouldn’t be stuck in this fucking room’ you continue, pacing up and down the tiny room. Why did Bucky just blatantly refuse to listen to you whenever you were paired to go on missions together. He always listened to Steve, or Sam, or even Tony for fucks sake. You had worked so hard on this one, spending weeks alone gathering intel and planting bugs, only for his stupid ass to go and ruin it all. It was his fault that he hadn’t just stayed outside like you had asked him to, allowing the door to close, trapping you both inside.

Your eyes flickered over the few possibly useful things in the room: A vent on the ceiling, a broken code panel and a huge metal door. ‘Stop that’ you commanded Bucky as you turned to glare at him with crossed arms. Bucky said nothing in response and continued to beat the door. ‘That’s not going to help us Bucky, stop’ you repeated, frustration rising in your voice. It may have been uncalled for, but the mix of anger and claustrophobia coursing through you caused you to rush towards him, shoving him sharply in the chest.

He blinked at you. Your eyebrows furrow together in annoyance as Bucky barley budges from his spot and simply continues to pound uselessly against the door, the clanging sound echoing around the small room. It was too much for you, and you were not having it today. You were finally done with his bullshit. You push him again, harder this time, enough so that he slightly loses his balance and stops his endless banging. He turns to look at you with an irritated glance before turning his back to you and looking around for any sign of weakness in the infrastructure of the door and wall.

‘Are you kidding me’ you ask, almost laughing as your body scrambles to find an appropriate way to respond to his behaviour. ‘Bucky we need to think for a second can you just turn around and stop...stop moving for a se...second BUCKY’ your breathing had become rough and uneven, and for the love of god WHY couldn’t he just sit still for a SECOND.

‘SAY SOMETHING’ you scream at Bucky’s back, fists balling up either side of you. ‘YOU ARE TO BLAME, BUCKY. You had ONE job. ACT AS MY FUCKING LOOKOUT AS I SEARCH EACH ROOM. BUT NOOO, THE BIG BAD WINTER SOLDIER COUDNT POSSIBLY TRUST ME OF ALL PEOPLE TO CARRY OUT THE SIMPLEST OF TASKS SUCCESSFULLY. JUST HAD TO GET INVOLVED, YOU WITH YOUR...YOUR BIG METAL ARM AND STUPID MASK AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON...’ you had lost it and were projecting all of the week’s frustration at Bucky, and he was not having it.

As you continued to throw a temper tantrum like an annoying child, Bucky whipped his head around, body quickly following, and backed you right up against the door with his vibranium hand covering your mouth. You could almost taste the metal as your cries were muffled, feeling the impact of the cold wall on your back. Your eyes widened in shock at first before quickly transitioning into a look of anger as you tried to throw a pathetic punch at Bucky’s face, but he quickly caught your arm with his enhanced reflexes. For a still moment, you looked aghast between your caught fist and Bucky’s narrowed eyes. Before you could say or do anything, he flipped you over onto the dusty floor, kneeling on your back and pinning your arms behind you. This one hurt a bit.

You were shaking slightly, rather trembling, breathing heavily. ‘Are you done?’ he asked calmly as he leant down towards you, applying the slightest bit of pressure on your back making you whimper. ‘I said’ he repeated as he took his time to annunciate each word ‘Are. You. Done?’ You nodded helplessly as Bucky took some off his weight off of you, not quite wanting to move yet fearing you would try to unsuccessfully lash out at him again. He finally got off you and you rolled onto your back, wiping away the ghost of a tear. He held out his flesh hand for you, which you took carefully, feeling yourself effortlessly hoisted up. You shuffled back half a metre until you were leaning against one of the dull walls, sliding down and pulling in your knees in shame.

You sat in silence for what felt like hours as Bucky continued his search for a way out of the minuscule room. He had tried to reach the vent on the ceiling to no avail, and had given up trying to break through the seemingly invincible door. Meanwhile, thoughts were rushing through your head at a million miles an hour. Would Bucky hate me now? Do I deserve to be an avenger if I can’t even keep calm? What would Nat say if she saw how pathetic I had acted? Finally Bucky had seemed to give up. You heard a quiet sigh followed by heavy footsteps and you felt a presence lower itself beside you. After a few a minutes of more silence, you felt a hand reach out, tilting your chin up gently so you were gazing up at Bucky. He was looking at you with some sort of sympathy behind his eyes, an unfamiliar emotion to catch him showing towards you. You lowered your knees as he in turn lowered his hand, looking into those blue crystalline eyes and feeling so, so guilty.

‘I’m...’ you tried to speak with a shaky breath as your eyes found the floor once more ‘I’m sorry, Bucky. I know it’s not your fault, I don’t know what came over me to shout like that’ you whispered. Silence. You swore right then if Bucky was ignoring you again and not answering that this time you would actually punch him hard and...wait no, not quite silence, but a strange hissing noise. Your head snapped up to look at Bucky, who was staring all winter soldiery at something. ‘B...Bucky?’ You asked, following his line of sight to the cloudy white substance seeping in through the ceiling vent. ‘What the fuck is that?’ You asked, a tone of concern rising in your voice as you noticed Bucky’s whole body tense up, the plates of his vibranium arm whirring as he moved to get up.

‘Shit’ Bucky cursed, a panicked look flickering across his face. ‘Please not this. Anything but this. DON’T DO THIS TO HER’ he pleaded as you scrambled up onto your feet, feeling your heart rate increases exponentially. ‘What is it Buck, your scaring me. Do what to who?’ you questioned, usually confident voice hushed and timid.

‘It’s... no it can’t be...’ Bucky turned to face you, a mix of sadness and horror plastered on his face as he placed both his hands on your shoulders in an almost protective stance. ‘What...’ you trailed off.

‘sex pollen’

-> Read part 2

[cuteykat]

Perhaps some angst/fluff if you're up for it? Maybe Shanks and Luffy who's s/o just wants them to take something seriously for once? But like usual they kinda just let other people walk all over them/insult them and they don't care? So their s/o who is nOT A FIGHTER tries to teach the bastards who insulted them some manners?

But she ends up getting kidnapped or something? Fluffy ending with angry Shanks and Angry Luffy? S/o finally sees them taking something very seriously.

I'd prolly be terrified watching them go from ☺️😘🙂 to 😠😡👿

Warning: mention of stockholm syndrome in luffy’s reading!

Word count: 2.5k words

Luffy:

It was a rainy day on a fall island. You and the rest of your crewmates decided on coming to the island for supplies but for the upcoming storm that was soon to come, they decided to stay here and stay in a hotel. Everyone had their room except you and Luffy to which you shared one. You both decided it would be nice to spend more quality time with each other and this afternoon you both decided to go on a date to a nice small restaurant. Everything was going great till Luffy started bringing up how he wanted to be a pirate king and people started laughing

“ Seriously?! King of the pirates?! What kind of joke is that!!” Laughter could be heard as more people smoke “ Are you that stupid?”

You try to speak up but Luffy stops you and smiles at you. You both get your food but all you could focus on was people laughing at him “ Luffy you aren't going to do anything about it?” You ask having your voice be laced with irritation

“ Why would I?” Your lover ask while shoving food in his face

“ Because it’s not right for being to make fun of you! Your dream is inspirational and is a part of you. Plus” you start to mumble “ all I can hear is people laugh at you and it hurts to know that you're just letting it happen”

“ It doesn’t bother me (name). You shouldn’t let it bother you either, it’s not like they are making fun of you” Luffy finishes up what seems to be his 4th plate before asking for more

The whole date was a disaster and you had it when people started throwing stuff at the man “We're leaving!”

Luffy goes to ask you why till he sees tears forming down your eyes. You both leave the restaurant not noticing how some people were staring at you.

Both of you get to your room and you sign hearing the rainfall and the thunder hit the ground. You put your hands in your face and when Luffy goes to hug you, you deny him “ Luffy I need to go for a walk. I’m not upset at you, well I am but more upset at the others” you walk to the door and give him an air kiss before opening the door and leaving to walk to the lobby

“ I love you Luffy, I just wish you wouldn’t let people walk all over you like that. Maybe I’m just not understanding his view on all this. I should apologize” you go to walk back but you feel someone grab you by the throat and feel a cloth over your mouth before passing out into someone’s arm.

An hour goes by and Luffy starts to get concerned. Usually, when you are upset you take a 30-minute walk at most, and not noticing it’s been an hour he starts to worry and goes to Nami’s door to which she opens looking confused

“ Has (name) come here at all?” Luffy asks to which the women look surprised

“I thought you two were on a date. She hasn’t come here. Did you do something lu-“ she sees Luffy start to worry before seeing women walk to them with an envelope in her hands

“ Monkey D Luffy. Open this when you are alone. It’s an important note for you” the women let out a small smirk before leaving having her skirt drag against the floor

Nami looks worried before seeing Luffy walk off but knows once Luffy has his mindset on something you can’t change it but decides to let everyone know about what’s going on.

Luffy goes back to his and your share room and opens the envelope reading the letter

‘ To the man who wants to become king of the pirates.

We heard of your little dream back at the restaurant and when you didn’t get angry at it we decided if you really could be strong enough to somehow make that idiotic dream of yours reality. So let’s play a game, shall we? You and you alone shall try to find out the base is in town. You have 24 hours before we leave. If you win you can take back your lover. If you lose we keep this adorable girl like ours.

You have 24 hours since the envelope was delivered to you. Have fun and if you try to get any help, the girl gets punished’

Luffy's aura intensifies. He’s filled with rage, he was gonna kill the bastard who kidnapped you if it’s the last thing he does. He storms off out of the hotel into the cold rain.

You were awake now being in a strong caged. Your limbs tied up to a wall with chains and only a small bowl of water like you were some animal. You try to pull on the chains to which you felt a shock of electricity go through your body making you scream. You see two men walk up to you as one goes to hold your chin

“ Such an adorable little pet aren't you? But as a pet we have a few rules you will follow. If you don’t you will be punished. The more you misbehave the worse the punishment is.” He stands up and claps his hand as one of his men now speaks

“ The rules are as listed, no pulling on your chains, no asking where you are, no begging for food, water, or any mundane things like that. No asking for personal information. No going against what the leader says. And rules that may be added to the list” the man leaves before a woman enters being beautifully dressed up and hugs the leader

“ I use to be his hostage but now I can’t get enough of him and I wanted a new plaything too and you seemed too cute to pass up. Don’t worry love, you will grow to love it as I did along with his other lovers. Who could deny such a beauty like him? A real pirate”

“ He’s not a real pirate-“ you start to scream being shocked again but with higher volts and start to cry. Your body goes limp against the chains. Your lips part as your breathing gets heavy. You were in so much pain already. Physically but also emotionally. You felt so weak and so scared. You wanted to fight back but couldn’t. You close your eyes wanting to see Luffy again and your crew. You wanted to be saved and held into your lover's arm and hear his laughter, to see his smile, to feel his heartbeat and feel warm in his arms “ Luffy...” you put your head on the ground having it be near the water bowl

“ Aw, is my new pet thirsty? Go ahead and drink up, I won’t deny you water. And if you behave you will get some yummy food later. And in 24 hours you can get so much more~” he smirks watching your figure. You were so cute, so beautiful. He wanted you to be all his, to make you his pet, his plaything.

Time goes on, hours felt like days to you. You were exhausted, wanted to be free wanting to be with Luffy. You couldn’t cry, Couldn’t scream couldn’t do anything except being a rag doll. You were starting to lose hope until you hear a scream from one of the henchmen. Your body lifted you on your own having your hopes start to be lifted and next you knew it you see him, your lover, Luffy. He was different from his regular cheerful self. His aura was strong, violent. It was pure anger and hatred.

“ Luffy” you call out quietly having your arms tug on the chain not caring if you get shocked.

Luffy looks over to you. He was concerned but he had to deal with the other problem at hand first. He grabs one of the men looking directly at them, daggers in his eyes. “ where’s your leader?!” Once the man answers he puts them down and finds the leader. You see Luffy walk away but the next minute you could hear screaming and crying. You had a feeling Luffy was taking care of the problem. Everything went silent for a minute as the cuff comes undone and the cage opens. You try to stand and go to him but your legs shake being in pain along with your arms and neck. Luffy scoops you up gently and hugs you like he never wanted to leave your side again

“ Let’s get you back to the hotel and have chopper check your wounds. I promise I won’t let those things happen again”

You nod your head and close your eyes falling asleep. You were exhausted. Luffy carries you back to the hotel where he brings you to chopper who looks surprised but starts to work on you carefully not wanting to hurt you. Luffy stays right beside you having his usual smile not come back yet.

After a bit you wake up to see your captain look at you. You notice he isn’t smiling and you move your arms ignoring the pain to grab his mouth and form it into a smile “ I don’t like seeing you this upset. I love you Luffy and I love your smile”

Luffy was still upset but seeing you awake makes him feel better and he starts to smile and put his straw hat on you before getting into bed with you and hugs you slowly going back to his regular self. You both make jokes till you fall asleep again. Your head on his chest and his fingers roaming your hair “ No one will ever hurt you again” He was gonna be the pirate king and make sure no one would ever hurt you again.

Shanks:

Today was a sunny day as you and your crewmates had stopped on an island to stock up on some things. You along with the rest of your crew were now drinking at a bar partying like usual. You sing and drank with everyone until some other people started making fun of shanks and throwing alcohol at him. You couldn’t stand it anymore. This was supposed to be a friendly party. You were getting upset and one-sentence sit your mind to ablaze

“ How are you even a pirate with one arm?!” They laugh and made fun of to which everyone just laughed off like it didn’t bother you, and especially shanks to who smiled and laughed it off

“ How is this not bothering you shanks?! You are the best pirate and you are gonna let them walk all over you? I can’t sit here and watch it!” You usually never yell and lash out but the alcohol you drank changed that “ You are not going to do anything?!”

“ Why would it bother me cutie?” Shanks says holding up his glass to which you pushed away causing the man to be shocked

“ I’m not gonna sit here and watch all this happen! I can’t stand when people make fun of the people I care about! I-I’m heading back to the ship!” You get up and walk to the ship to which shanks wondered why you were so bothered about it.

You walked to the dock until a man grabs you from behind pulling you close from the waist, a knife to your neck “ Do you belong to that red hair pirate? You know we are looking for some beautiful pirates to join us?” The man licks his lips to which you try to get away but the grip on your waist becomes are hard as a vice grip he cuts off part of your hair on digs the knife into your neck having a bit of blood drip “Don’t you dare try to run darling. We wouldn’t want to mess up your beautiful skin now, would we? Men!”

Three-man come up and tie your arms and legs together putting along with a cloth in your mouth and bring you to their ship which wasn’t that far but hard to see in the dark.

45 minutes go by and shanks get concerned. He knew you were drunk but the thought of you being hurt concerned him. He rather takes you being angry than hurt. He goes to stand up when hearing a flare go off and the other people that were there smirk and leave and before they all leave a smirk looking at shanks “ Make sure you have... everything~”

Shanks immediately caught on. You weren’t back and the leader had left and now they are leaving to a signal of a flare. He didn’t like this one bit.

Within a second he next to one of them holding him by the neck “ Where is she?!” His grip gets sharp and his eyes turn into daggers “ If you don’t wish to tell me you may not get your last word” he says with venom laced into his words. To anyone who pissed Shanks off was getting a death wish. The man and his crewmates caught onto this and regretted this decision by their leader.

The man being held by the neck speaks “ The docks on the right side of this island” he chocks out and falls to the ground to which shanks crew tries to follow him but shanks look at them giving them a signal to go to their ship.

Shanks walks to get to you, everyone who saw was immediately scared. Who dared to upset this man and what would happen to said person. People avoided him and when getting to the ship he didn’t dare to hold back the way he felt. She stepped inside having the waves shake and he sees a man holding you by the chin whispering sweet nothings in your ears.

You looked over and try to run to shanks but the chains kept you doing so but before you could say anything the chains were cut off making you run and hold your lover tightly. His arm holding your body to which he saw the man looking scared and backing away

“ One thing you should know. You may laugh at me, make fun of me and do what you think is funny. But the minute you hurt my crew and my lover, your DEAD” shanks picks you up and holds you walking away “ Let’s get you back love. I promise no one will ever lay a hand on you again darling” shanks start to carry you away but looks back at the men glaring at him to which he will never forget “ Your lucky you didn’t hurt her. There would not remain a single piece of you left”

Shanks gets you off the boat and brings you back to their ship where he holds you in his arm and the lap the rest of the night.

I hope you enjoy reading it!!

[thr-333]

Drastic Measures- Part 7

@daminette-december2019-2020

~Chill~

Wrote it all in an hour and 20 minutes just about? Not bad, not bad at all.

Ao3

First< Previous

----------

“Why! Why does it have to be so cold!” Marinette pulls on her coat tighter.

“Why did you come if you’re just going to complain?” Damian scowls, looking over the list they were given.

“Dick asked me to,” Marinette shivers, “Besides I need to get out and see the city, you said you would show me,”

“I only agreed to this because Dick insisted I apologize for trying to kill you,”

“You were trying to kill me?”

“... No?”

“Damian,”

“Fine,” He pulls off the sweater he was wearing, the one she had made him, “My bad, now keep warm,”

“My bad is not an apology,” Marinette chides pulling the sweater on, “If you didn’t like the sweater you could have just said so,”

“That's not-” Damina turn to see her smirk, tutting then turning back around, “You're incorrigible,”

“Your apology is accepted,” Marinette giggles skipping slightly to catch up, she takes note of how he shivers as a gust of wind blows through, “Hey you're cold now right? I have an idea,”

“I’m not cold,” Damian snaps, picking up the pace, “Unlike you, I have more discipline than that,”

“Oh please, you grew up in the desert right?” Damian glares at her, “What? You think I didn’t know anything? Maman not as good at hiding things as she thinks she is,”

“Be careful where you say that,” He warns, they walk for a little while more the temperature dropping. Marinette continues to keep an incredulous eye on Damian. After ten minutes he sighs, “What's your idea?”

“It involves me getting on your back,”

“Not a chance,” Damian tuts, “You could stab me in the back,”

“Literally or figuratively?” Another glare but Marinette just smiles under it, “Fine then, I’ll just take this sweater off and we can both freeze,”

“Don't be ridiculous,” Damian snatches it off her, “I’ll just wear it,”

And so he does. They walk for a while longer Marinette simultaneously congratulating and cursing herself for picking such a warm fabric for Damian's sweater as she shivers in the cold Gotham winds. Her teeth are chattering and they are still a long way off from their destination. Marinette starts to slow down, ever since she had become ladybug her tolerance to the cold was lowering, like how Adrien's eyesight at night kept improving; although she probably got the short end of the stick for that one. Her thoughts are interrupted by a long suffered sigh from Damian.

“Fine, we’ll do your plan,”

“Really?!”

“If we actually want to get there today, yes,”

 ---

 “This was your plan!” Damian shouts as they run down the street.

“It’s a great plan!’ Marinette clings to his back.

“Everyones staring,” Damian scowls, the sweater just big enough to stretch over both of them locking Marinette against his back.

“Then run faster!”

“Maybe if you stopped strangling me I would!”

“Oh please, stop being dramatic,”

“Why don't you start running and we’ll see whos being dramatic!”

“I could probably get there before you!”

“Yeah right, you-”

“Wait! Wait! Go back!” Marinette tugs, Damian lets out a choked sound stopping as he brings his hands up to remove hers.

“What,” He is unable to get her off with the sweater around them both.

“Pet store,” Marinette shimmies down, managing to get out with some difficulty, “Look how cute- wait,”

“Where are you going!” Damian calls as she storms into the pet store, he trails reluctantly behind her. Marinette walks right up to the desk slamming her hand down.

“Excuse me are you in charge of this store?”

“I’m the manager, yes,” The man raises an eyebrow looking up from his newspaper.

“Are you aware that the enclosure out there is filthy?” 

“Animals get dirty,”

“It’s a health code violation,” Marinette scolds, “You're going to make the animals sick,”

“Tt, she’s right,” Damian looks around the store, the rest of the cages in even worse condition, “Just what sort of business do you think you're running? These are live animals, you can’t even see into the fish tank at this point,”

“I’ve followed company policy,” The manger huffs, going back to the newspaper adding a mocking, “So if you want to take it up with anyone take it up with them,”

“Oh I will,” Damian hisses, before going to the other end of the store intently tapping at his phone.

“Ha, have fun getting bounced around the phones for the next ten hours,” The manager barks, Marinette rolls her eyes turning back to him.

“Look it may not be required by your employer but try to have some compassion these are living creatures, they look miserable,”

“Well then, why don’t you buy them if they look so miserable,”

“That's not the root of the problem and you know it,” Marinette reasons with the unreasonable, “You’ll just replace them with more animals, this place isn’t fit for that,”

She could just feel the negative energy coming from the place, a place of suffering for those who had no way out. Her magic had perked the animals up a bit but that wouldn't solve the problems at hand. Not that any of this seemed to get through to the manager as Marinette kept arguing. She brought up her phone and articles to help support her argument. Only finding to her disdain that the pet store franchise itself had a long history of animal abuse, that this was the norm, not an exception. They just threw money at any lawsuit that came their way and bribing inspectors.

“Why are you even working here if you hate-”

“Excuse me,” A new customer walks up, Damian close behind, “Could I look-”

“Do whatever you like!” The manager snaps, “Can’t you see I’m busy here?!”

“Do you treat all your customers like this? No wonder your not getting any business if the facilities alone didn’t scare people off,” Marinette finally snaps. Damian, dare she say looks impressed, which probably isn’t a good sign.

“You’re insulting me now?”

“I’ve been insulting you the past hour, nice of you to catch on,”

From there it devolves into a full argument. They rage while Damian and the other customer poke around the store, talking to each other. Damian keeps on making calls and Marinette wishes he would stop and come help back her up, he seemed just as disgusted with this place as she was. But whenever she sends a look his way Damian just brushes her off going back to his call.

The argument escalates. Marinette's magic lashing out, subconsciously sending the animals into a frenzy. Barks and howls ring out mixed with cat yowls and whatever noise the other animals can manage.

“Quiet down you!” The manager roars, winding up to hit a puppy yapping at him, Marinette moves just a fraction of a second too slow.

“How dare you,” Damian catches the fist, twisting the arm in a painful unnatural position, “You’re fired,”

“You can’t fire me!” He struggles in Damian's grip, who in turn looks completely unfazed by the effort.

“Actually I can,” Damina flips his screen around to show a contract, “I just brought the company,”

“You what?!” Both Marinette and the manager shout at the same time.

“Yes well, it was easy enough to get in touch with the president of the company, when I put in my offer he laughed me off,” Damian shrugs letting the shell shocked man go, “So I called in one of our best lawyers,”

Damian nods to the other customer, who nods back.

“She built a case for us compiling evidence from this store, thank you for full access by the way,” Damian looks smugly at the manager gaping like a fish, “Other lawyers were in charge of inspecting other stores and researching past allegations, and I had some working internationally look at the branches in other countries, the results were not flattering,”

Damian's glare turns cold and piercing. Marinette had been on the receiving end of that glare and would like to think she handled it better than this guy was.

“Couple that all with the declarations I recorded from you arguing with Marinette,” Damina inclines his head to her, Marinette nods kind of dumbly, “And we had quite the case to shut the business down, you can guarantee the Wayne influence and lawyers would prevent this all from being swept under the rug,”

“Wayne?!”

“Yes, and as you can imagine after we sent through the case file the owner wasn't laughing me off the phone, he agreed to my price,” The man was sweating buckets now as Damian advanced looming over him, “The contracts aren't finalized or signed yet but you can guarantee by the end of the week I will own this place,”

Damian leans over him as the manager tries to sink into the floor.

“So. You. Are. Fired.”

 ---

 “So are you going to teach me the glare that makes grown men pee their pants and run for their lives or do I have to figure it out myself?” Marinette teases, picking through the stocks in the back.

“You wouldn't be able to pull it off,” Damian shoots back, taking the bag she hands him, “An emergency demand was put out for new workers, they’ll be here soon to do this,”

“Oh no you don’t you little rich boy,” Marinette laughs at the face he makes, “You don’t just get to roll through here, throw some money at it and expect your job to be done, you took this company on so show a little responsibility,”

“I am taking responsibility,” Damian scowls, “I fully plan on improving this place,”

“What? By hiring someone to take over with the vague demands of ‘make it better’?” Damian sour look is all the answer she needs, “No way, this is your own responsibility and no one else's, so you need to take a long hard look at what's wrong and figure out how to fix it,”

“If I recall this all is partly your fault,” Damian stacks another bag where she told him too.

“If I recall I didn’t tell you to buy an entire pet store franchise,” Not that she didn’t approve, “But fine, I’ll help you out if you want,”

“I didn’t say that,”

“You didn’t have to,” Damian huffs and looks away, Marinette smiles and picks up a bag of food, “First things first, the food is horrible quality, it’s all filler with little nutritional value,”

“I’ll order new stock right away,” Damian takes out his phone, Marinette snatches it from him.

“Hold on now,” Damian gives her that little put off look she finds adorable, “You have to look at all the problems first then make a plan of action or you're just running around like a headless chicken,”

“Your point?”

“The staff are also underpaid, it’s not enough to live off and certainly not enough to motivate a good work ethic,” Marinette hands back the phone, Damian pockets it, “So before you go around firing everyone that's ever worked here why don’t you try changing the bones of the company then picking out the bad seeds?”

“Alright,” Damian concedes, “... You have a point,”

“Was that tough to admit?”

“The only excruciating part of it is your smugness,”

“Why hello kettle,” Damina gives her a light glare but she just laughs it off.

“All these changes are going to be expensive,” Damian frowns looking through the statistics the lawyers had sent them, “The company was already falling into debt,”

“It needs a hook,” Marinette hums, “Something new and unique that no other chain has…. I got it!!”

She brushes past him, going for her sketchbook and starting the brainstorming process.

“Would you like to share your epiphany?” Damian asks after about five minutes of watching her sketch. “An exclusive pet clothesline!”

“Oh boy,”

 ---

 “See I was right wasn't I?” Marinette finishes fixing the outfit onto Titus.

“I was under the impression you were going to make something vapid and ridiculous,” Damian deflects, looking at the raincoat Marinette had made for Titus, it fit him perfectly and worked well with his fur color as well, “This is at least useful,”

“Wow, that might be a bigger compliment than ‘it’s well made’ or is it?” Marinette cocks her head to the side, “Should I start a ‘Damian's compliments’ tier list?”

“Do not,” Damian calls Titus back to him, taking off the raincoat, “This should at least partly help make up for the new expenses,”

“What changes should we make first?” Marinette follows Damian inside, already sketching new designs into her book.

“There's no point in launching the pet clothes until the company goes through its rebrand, and that will take some time anyway,” They settle in a study they had commandeered to work together in, a sewing machine up near the window, “By the way whats your design fee?"

“Hm… make me a co-owner and we’ll forget about the design fee,” Marinette smiles as Damian doesn't immediately look disgusted by the prospect, “Besides If I recall this is partly my fault,”

“Fine co-owner,” Damian rolls his eyes at her, “I guess we’ll be drafting a new contract,”

“Make sure our shares are 50/50,”

“80/20,”

“Awe you’d let me have 80%”

Damian gives her a withering glare with no heat.

“50/50,” Marinette holds out her hand, “Equal,”

“... Equal,” Damian takes her hand, “You better design a lot of clothes,”

“Already on it,” Marinette holds up her new sketchbook, dedicated to just this, “Plus I’ll be part of the planning so let me in on it,”

“I was-” Damian cuts off glaring towards the door, Marinette follows his eye to see Dick and Adrien caught like deer in headlights looking at them with phones held up.

“Adrien!” Marinette starts towards them getting overtaken by Damian as they both start sprinting.

“Delete it or I destroy your phone!” He threatens, chasing them down the hall.

“Already backed it up to several computers!” Dick calls back, disappearing around the corner, the three yells disappearing into the distance. Marinette chuckles to herself, going back to finish up her designs.

--------

No tag list :P

[razieltwelve]

Sticks and Stones (Final Rose)

Diana was playing in the park with Claire, Averia, and Strangles when the strangest thing happened. Strangles was just slithering on the ground having fun when one of the other kids threw a rock at him.

“Hey!” Diana darted forward and slapped the rock away. “Don’t throw rocks at my snake!”

The other kid, a little girl, just laughed. She was older than Diana and bigger too. She was even older and bigger than her sister and Claire. “Or what?” The girl threw another rock and then another. Strangles huddled behind Diana and hissed. “What are you going to do?”

Diana took a deep breath to calm down. “You shouldn’t throw rocks at animals, especially other people’s pets. You might hurt them.”

“So?”

“It’s bad!”

“Who cares.” The girl laughed and threw another rock. She threw this one a lot harder, and it hit the ground only inches from Strangles. “What are you going to do about it?”

Diana’s eyes narrowed. She could feel Strangles’s fear. He was scared. Her pet snake was scared because some stupid person wouldn’t stop throwing rocks at him. What if he got hit? He might get hurt, maybe even die. The image of Strangles laying on the ground with a smashed in skull because of a rock filled her mind, and she saw red.

“Or I’ll make you sorry.”

“You?” The girl sneered. She ignored one of her friends who had come over and was frantically trying to pull her away. “You’re just some stupid, little twerp with a stupid snake that-”

Diana’s Aura surged. In the span of a heartbeat, her Aura signature went from being several times that of a little girl to several thousand times that of a normal civilian. 

“I told you to leave my snake alone.” The words came out garbled as Diana stepped forward. A boiling sea of Aura erupted over her skin and washed over her body as she transformed. The air was suddenly thick and heavy. A monstrous weight pressed down on the area, and her tail lashed the air. “Now, I’m going to make you sorry.” The words were little more than a bestial snarl. She still had trouble talking after she transformed.

The girl tried to scream, but all she could do was gasp and fall to the ground. Diana reached forward and picked up the rock she’d dropped. Slowly, deliberately, she held it up, so the girl could see it. And then she crushed it into powder in one clawed hand.

Through the rage that clouded her vision, she could sense her sister and cousin running toward her. She stood up and idly wrapped her tail around the older girl. She lifted her into the air and tilted her head to one side. A slight tightening of her tail, and the girl would be a smear. Should she care? The girl wouldn’t have cared if she’d hurt Strangles. Strangles was one of Diana’s best friends, and the girl would have happily killed him before just going off to find someone else to throw rocks at. Maybe she should throw her like a rock. It would be funny to see how far she could throw her and how big of a mess she’d make when she hit the ground.

Her tail shifted, and then Strangles slithered forward and nudged her leg. She looked down at him, and he hissed. He wanted to go look for a frog at the creek. He wanted her to just leave the girl here and go with him. It was more fun looking for frogs if she was there.

Diana growled, a deep, ominous sound, and dropped the girl like a sack of potatoes. And then she turned and followed Strangles toward the creek.

X     X     X

Lightning glanced at the incident report and then at her daughter who was happily tinkering with some bits of machinery she’d salvaged from a scrapyard.

“Don’t be silly,” Diana chided Strangles. “You can’t just throw the carburettor in without checking it works first. Almost nobody throws away one that’s still good.”

The snake hissed. 

“Yeah. We can go back to the park again tomorrow. I don’t think that mean girl will be there.” Diana’s voice hardened ever so slightly. “Unless she’s stupid as well as mean.”

Strangles crawled into her lap, and Diana shook her head before smiling cheerfully.

“Don’t worry,” Diana said. “I’ll take good care of you. Nobody hurts my snake.”

It was easy to forget that Diana wasn’t simply just a smart, happy-go-luck child. Her Semblance made her capable of destruction on a scale that most civilians simply couldn’t comprehend. If she had lost control, that girl in the park wouldn’t be hurt. She’d be dead. 

She’d have to speak to Diana about this although she’d probably leave most of that to Fang. The other woman knew better than anyone else how to manage Ragnarok’s fury. Still... it made her wonder.

How many people would be monsters if they had the strength?

Diana had been perfectly content to just play in the park with her snake. All she wanted was to have fun with her sister, her cousin, and her pet. To throw rocks at someone’s else pet even after being asked to stop... what would someone like that do if they had the same sort of power Diana had?

She shook her head.

The world was full of hypotheticals. She needed to focus on the real.

The incident report was mandatory since Diana was classified as an individual with sufficient power to qualify as a possible security threat. She’d have to speak with the authorities about it as Diana’s parent. Her brows furrowed. How the authorities chose to approach that meeting would determine her own approach.

If they wanted to treat Diana like some kind of monster that had to be caged, then Lightning would simply have to remind them that there were plenty of other places that would be more than happy to welcome her family. Two of the most powerful huntresses in the world, plus their kids who were likely to follow in their footsteps? She could have citizenship in any kingdom in the world if she wanted. If anything, they’d just move to Oerba, not to mention the absolute hell Vanille would raise if someone tried to harm her favourite niece and number one minion.

In the more cold-hearted part of her that dealt strictly with cost-benefit analyses, she felt a twinge of amusement. She and Fang had generally played nice when it came to the authorities. But if push came to shove, they could demand the moon and likely get it. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. 

[husbandograveyard]

Henlo all! This is my extremely-close-to-the-deadline-submission for @some-piece​’s AU event. I got these 5 characters to chose from: Rebecca - Hachi - Hawkins - Zoro - Paulie. And after contemplating for a long while I decided to put Zoro in an animal shelter AU which automatically became modern AU setting as well as slight!college AU but the main focus will be on the shelter.

2nd person. Genderneutral reader. slight mentions of animal abuse, nothing too bad. 99% fluff!

“Can I help you?” 

A young man about your age had walked into the shelter where you worked. He had opened the door quite harshly, making the bell at the top ring, and making you put down the cat you had been brushing for a bit and put it back in its cage. You walked up to the little desk area at the front, where he was standing with his arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face that only seemed to relax a bit when he heard you speak up. 

“Yeah I sent an e-mail, I needed to be here for the volunteer program?” 

You thought for a second, suddenly remembering that you had posted an ad at local universities and colleges to come volunteer at the shelter. Most of those students didn’t have the time to come volunteer, but you had gotten a handful of mails. Most of the students never showed up and the only one that had made an appointment for today had made the appointment for two hours earlier so you had just assumed it was going to be another no-show. 

“Oh… you’re…” “-Late I know, I got lost.” You furrowed your brow wondering how someone could get lost for two hours coming from a campus that was only a fifteen minute walk away, but didn’t pry any further, just happy to have some possible assistance.

“Okay! Well, I’ll go get the stuff in order then, you can wait out here for a bit.”

After you got the papers he handed you some form from the school as well and explained that he had to fill in a couple of hours a week with other things than his sports curriculum to get his degree to be complete, and he had jokingly added ‘how hard can it possibly be to look after a bunch of critters’. The statement in itself did not seem to be meant to discredit your work or the animals, but you already saw that he was vastly underestimating just how much effort went into your work. So as soon as all the papers were signed and in order, you could prove him wrong. 

“You’re in luck, all the cleaning is already done. It’s feeding time now, and I was doing a round of brushing today, so maybe you could help with that and if we still have time left we can take some dogs out for a walk.” 

The grin on his face was confident, and you were taking a little pleasure in knowing it would be wiped off his face in an instant. Your main focus was to make sure he wouldn’t accidentally harm the animals, and to make sure they were properly taken care of. But if it meant this overconfident jock got his ass handed to him, you’d take it. 

The day had proceeded as you had expected. Zoro, as he had introduced himself once you got over the formalities, had not been really good with the animals. He was strong, and a hard worker you had to give him that. But the animals… seemed to not really like him, even if he did do his best? Cats hissed, dogs barked, the one abandoned parrot you were temporarily housing had pecked him so hard his finger started bleeding. Luckily for you, he didn’t physically lash out at the animals, but you had heard a whole new array of curse words and insults that you previously didn’t even know existed. 

You had spent most of the day explaining all the things to him and helping him out whenever he was really struggling but most of the time you had actually been occupied with trying not to laugh too hard at his failing ministrations. 

“You have to be kind, try not to come across as so intimidating. You’re a big bad man that they are scared off, and they’re all just trying to defend themselves,”  you said as you petted a big fluffball of a cat while Zoro put fresh water and new food in its cage. The cat was now happily purring and nudging your hand with his head while a few minutes ago it had been aggressively hissing at your volunteer. 

Zoro just angrily grumbled in response, finishing up his task so you could put the cat back. You eyed the clock, noticing it was already time for him to leave for the day. “I’ll release you from your suffering then. See you next week?” “Wait but you still have all these cages to do?” “I’m used to doing this all by myself, no worries” He frowned, and he seemed to be deep in thought for a second. “I’ll stay until it is done.” You raised one brow: “are you sure? These hours won’t count towards your total and it is getting quite late.”

He only shrugged in response: “My roommate is gone and I don’t have much better to do. I am volunteering time anyway, what is one extra hour going to do?” 

You smiled widely. “Let’s get to it then!” 

Even though the animals didn’t seem to like him very much, you couldn’t help but admire this green-haired man and his incredible work ethic. He showed up late often, because even after a few weeks he still managed to get lost regularly. You had just started to say that he needed to be there an hour earlier than he actually had to be there, so with his geographical skills he’d be there on time or even a little early. 

Most of the animals still were not that much of a fan of him, but you’d worked out a nice system that ensured fast and efficient work, and as little scratches and bites as possible. You got work done faster, had more time for social media and such, and thus animals got adopted out faster. It was a win-win, and you noticed yourself always looking forward to the days he’d come to help. 

Zoro wasn’t really talkative, but would listen to your endless ramblings as you talked about the shelter, all the animals, but eventually also things about your life, your family, your home��� he was an excellent listener, and his very blunt character made that he usually came up with very honest opinions and helpful solutions, even when he didn’t necessarily intend them like that. And sometimes, when you stumbled over your words cause you were too focused, or said something that didn’t make sense he would laugh. It was a deep and loud laugh, making his whole upper body shake, and lately whenever he laughed, it made your heart flutter a little. Another reason to look forward to his help, which had already exceeded the number of hours he had to do for his extra credit. 

But the semester was coming to an end and you very well knew that even though he seemed to be enjoying his time way more than he initially did, that he would not do extra time. He had his sport’s practices to focus on and his group of friends that frequently went on weekend trips and such, and he had been missing out on a lot of that because of the volunteering he did. You felt a little sad, but had made peace with it. Still, a little voice in the back of your head was nagging more and more often to ask him to meet outside of the shelter. But you didn’t want to seem weird or creepy. Besides. He was obviously a popular college student, finishing up his degree, with a big group of friends that obviously adored him, and model-grade gorgeous. You were just a high school dropout that managed to get a job in a local shelter of which the owner died only a little after you got settled. You were struggling to make ends meet, had little social life besides the animals. You kept telling yourself that the only reason you were feeling so strange whenever Zoro came out to help, was because he was the only one who had made you feel like your life and stories mattered even a little. But you could get used to being all alone in here again with the occasional customer or 1-day volunteer. It was what you were used to. You had already taken far too much advantage of this gorgeous man’s free time.

And then the last day of the semester came. You were finishing up the chores of the day with a heavy heart. You would have to say goodbye, and you would have to keep it professional, since you never worked up the courage to really deepen the connection the two of you had besides working together. Zoro seemed a little uneasy as well, but neither of you was going to bring up the tense atmosphere. Tense was still better than awkward so you rolled with it. 

“Well then”, you started as you put your broom away, “you’ve been an amazing help this semester.” You walked over to the front desk and handed him all the papers he’d need to get his credit in order. 

“You more than deserved these, too bad I can’t give you a grade.” He chuckled in response. “I wish I could say I would miss it a lot, but I think my arms are better off scratch-free” You laughed a little as well, but felt yourself dying on the inside. Of course he wouldn’t miss this place. Or you. 

He put the papers away in his bag, and you were staring at the desk, desperately making up sentences in your mind, of which you could utter maybe one, just one, to say what you were feeling and what you really wanted. But anything you came up with seemed so lame, so stupid, so hopeless, so desperate, and even though you felt like all of these things, that was not how you wanted to portray yourself in front of him for all people. 

He softly touched your arm, his hand warm, and you jumped at the sudden contact. He stepped back in surprise at your reaction. “Sorry”, he mumbled, “I just wanted to say that I didn’t mind my time here. You really helped me out well”. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, clearly not too used to being soft in someone’s presence, and he smiled an adorable smile as he said those words, a mix of embarrassment and sincerity on his face. You felt like melting, and had to suppress the urge to just wrap your arms around him in a tight hug. With those broad shoulders and strong arms, you were quite sure that the hug he’d give back would be heavenly. But you didn’t, because again, that would be so strange with no indications beforehand that that was what you wanted. 

You nodded, a soft smile on your face as well. “You’re welcome. If you ever have some spare time and get bored, you know the way… or well, you don’t but you’ll find it.” He frowned a little at your remark, but the glint in his eyes betrayed that he found it quite amusing too. He picked up his bag, and opened the door. “Bye then?” “Goodbye Zoro”

A box of kittens. You had nearly tripped over them when you left the shelter to go home for the day. The box was in front of the door and weak, tiny mewls already betrayed its content as you did your utmost best to regain your balance. You kneeled down next to it, carefully opened up the top. Four little kittens, way too young to be away from the mother yet. Already emotional from the happenings of the day you felt tears well up in your eyes. You picked up the box and placed it inside, immediately grabbing whatever supplies you could find to keep the kittens warm, furiously wiping at your eyes in order to clear the tears before they could stream down your cheeks. Things like this could make you so furious. And oh, if only Zoro was still here to calm you down and help out a little. 

You had to take a few deep breaths and gather your thoughts. You had to get out, running for some kitten milk. These babies needed their nutrients and you’d probably spend the night in the shelter making sure they were fed whenever they needed it, keeping an eye on them. So you’d have to go get an overnight bag. But that would mean you would be away from them for a considerable time. You decided that the food was the most important part and literally sprinted to the most nearby pet store, mentally reminding yourself to book an appointment at the vet asap when you were back. 

Sunken deep in thoughts, you weren’t seeing where you were walking, running straight into someone, stumbling and falling on your back in the process. Great. That was what you needed. Some public humiliation while you were already at the verge of a little breakdown. You started to mumble a string of incoherent apologies when you looked up at a surprisingly familiar figure. “y/n?” “Zoro? What are you doing here?” “The apartment I live in is right here. What are you doing here?” He pointed upward at an apartment building and offered you his hand to get up. You grabbed it, and for a split second you wondered how he could possibly take up to two hours to get to the shelter from his apartment that was even closer to the shelter than his college campus was. But then you were back on your feet and you remembered the kittens. Your mind immediately regained some focus again. “Kittens” “What?” “Someone dropped a box of newborn kittens at the door. They will die without supervision, milk and warmth. So I'm getting some food for them and I’ll be staying the night with them to keep an eye on them” You managed to get all things out in one breath, almost turning to start walking again. No matter how much more time you actually wanted to spend in his presence, you knew it was a race against the clock to help the little babies, and those were your top priority right now. 

Zoro’s eyes grew wide. No matter how much he didn’t always connect with some of your furry friends that he had to take care of, he too was filled with rage when he had heard tales of people mishandling them and the reason why some were so scared and defensive when he was too loud or too brisk. You apologized again, explaining that you really had to go, that time was of the essence, and started walking. You were surprised to notice Zoro walking with you. 

“I’ll come with you.”  “What?”  “I’ll come with you. You need food too. And probably some blankets or something for the night right? You need some rest if you are going to take care of everything we usually do and then the new kittens on top of that. I’ll help” 

It was not a question, not even an offer. More a matter-of-a-fact-statement and even though every polite fiber in your being was telling you to follow etiquette and politely tell him that that was absolutely not necessary, you couldn’t push away the overwhelming relief and admiration you felt for this man in that moment and you accepted his help immediately.

You were back at the shelter in a matter of minutes, basic supplies for the kittens in hand, and the vet already on the phone as you followed their instructions on how to take care of them overnight, so you could bring them in for checkup and more detailed advice first thing in the morning. Knowing that Zoro would come and help you out, had done wonders for your mood, your resolve and your nerves. You felt more steady, like you could actually pull this off without neglecting either the kittens or any of the other animals that also needed your attention. 

Zoro had promised to go get some things to make the night at the shelter a little more comfortable and something for you to eat, because he figured you probably were starving at that point. And while you had not eaten yet, the adrenaline made you not feel the hunger. Now that things were calming down and the adrenaline was wearing off, you could feel your stomach grumble and you were mentally thanking your green-haired hero for his considerate streak. He had literally no obligation to help you out in any way. He was no longer officially volunteering. He had nothing to gain. He was probably on his ways to get a couple of beers and blissfully pass out after an evening of fun with his roommates. But he had seen you in distress and decided to help, and it had warmed your heart and given you renewed energy. 

The kittens were left to sleep a little after you had given all the first help that you could under the phone-guidance of the local vet clinic, and now you were nervously waiting on the couch for Zoro to return. You were nervous cause of the kittens, but you also caught yourself being a little nervous about the fact that he’d be keeping you company for the night. Not that you were seeing this as a date of any kind, but just the mere idea gave you the shivers in a nervous kind of way. 

He arrived only a little after you sat down, bag with a big blanket and some drinks in one hand, and another one holding a steaming bag of takeaway food. “I’m sorry it took me so long, I got -” “lost” you chuckled, “no worries, I got the first things taken care off” 

You patted the spot next to you on the couch. “Sit down, thank you for getting food. And thank you for helping out… I… I think I might have had a little breakdown if it wasn’t for your presence” He shrugged off the praise. “I am already used to helping out here, and besides, I kind of liked spending time with you, so a little extra won’t hurt”. 

He said those words so easily, you wanted to smack him for how casual he was about it,  and how bluntly and honestly he expressed his feelings, while you shared the same feelings but didn’t dare utter a single word. You grabbed the food instead and the blanket, sitting down so you could both sit down comfortably, keep an eye on the kittens and eat without too many problems. He got the hint, and made himself more comfortable on the couch as well.

The evening flew by. You had food, checked up on the kittens regularly per the vet’s instructions, and since there were no other chores to do, you could actually have some proper talks with Zoro. He was still not really as talkative, but he answered your questions, told you some more details about his life that he had not mentioned before. You could almost physically feel yourself growing more and more attracted to him, and nearly felt guilty about it. 

Despite all the adrenaline wearing you off and making you tired, you stayed up a remarkably long time, Zoro’s company and the kittens keeping you awake for longer than you had expected to stay up. But now it was nearing 4am and you were feeling your eyelids grow heavy. You were telling Zoro something about why you dropped out of high school, but you kept losing track of your own sentences. You had to think long and hard before repeating the few words you had already said. The playful smirk that was present on his face as you were struggling to find cohesion in your story didn’t help either. He thought it incredibly endearing, and when your eyes finally shut without opening again, and a soft snore could be heard, he very carefully moved you a bit so you would lay more comfortably. He crossed his arms and legs and leaned back in order to get some shuteye as well. 

You woke up to your alarm, that you had set up to go off every few hours, just so you could check up on the kittens and go through all the steps again. Your eyes and whole body felt heavy and it was harder to get up than expected. Not only because you were incredibly tired still, but also because a muscled arm was snugly resting around your midsection. You were sure you had fallen asleep on one end of the couch, but for some reason, you were leaning on Zoro, and he had wrapped an arm around you to secure you and make sure you didn’t slip off the couch. 

Your heart skipped a beat and you got up rather briskly. Of course, the sudden movement made Zoro wake up as well, and he seemed just as embarrassed as you were about the slightly compromising positions you had been napping in. You quickly cleared your throat, muttering ‘kittens’ before standing up, checking up on the babies and going through the motions. Without having to say anything, Zoro got up and started the morning chores already. It was way too early for those, but before you could protest he said that he’d get them started as long as you were working on the kittens, so you both could have a little more rest before your planned vet visit. You gave him a grateful smile. 

When the work was done, you called Zoro back, and you both sat down on the couch again. He seemed incredibly relaxed, almost as if he had forgotten that you were practically cuddling a little while ago, the mere thought of the sensation of his strong arm holding you making your heart race again. You shifted positions seven times in the span of three minutes and you could feel him staring at you, one brow raised in confusion at your almost yoga-like contortions you were trying in order to get comfortable. 

“Are you okay y/n?” 

“Yeah...I...I just… I don’t know how I could ever thank you properly” “Well… I already got my credit. But your head resting on my chest was kind of nice. Maybe a goodnight kiss before we go to sleep again for a little while?” He sounded casual, but he was avoiding eye-contact, regretting the words as they left his mouth. Your eyes grew so big they were about to pop up out of your sockets. “I mean, if you don’t mind if not… I…” Now it was his turn to get flustered, the little bit of smooth talk he had had earlier completely gone as the inner panic set in of maybe misunderstanding your previous actions, glances, words, and ministrations. 

You gathered up all your courage, and gave him a soft peck on the lips, seeing his eyes widen in surprise and the tips of his ears turn red before you rested your head on his broad chest. “You know for that payment, I’m willing to hire you as a full time worker here.” you hummed contently. He let out a few confused grunts, surprised by your bout of confidence, not seeing that you were trying to hide the insane embarrassment on your face. Face red, he managed to utter just one response before you drifted off into sleep again. “I’m gonna need a little more payment than just that. But well, I’ll consider it” 

fin. 

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

Geralt and the Minotaur p5

Y’all can thank @bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher for how fast this came out. Brain Cell Bae, feast on the serotonin my dear 💖

Pairing: Geraskier

Warnings: canon consistent violence, blood, gore, fight scene, talk of human sacrifice, talk of child sacrifice, talk of animal sacrifice, reference to bestiality, talk of dismembering monsters, beheading monsters 

some background for y’all that don’t know: King Minos had a deal with Poseidon that he would sacrifice his prize bull to the god every year but one year Minos couldn’t do it. He was way obsessed with this fine ass bull and sacrificed the second best and Poseidon got PISSED. So, like the little shit he is, he made Minos’ wife get hot for the bull and hence we have the Minotaur. This is an extra big no no in ancient Greece bc bulls were practically worshiped and seen as holy. There’s some other fucked up shit to do with bull sex but like I’ll let you live on in blissful ignorance like I wish I could. 

also just in case y’all didn’t know the Greeks used to collect and sell gladiators sweat as perfume. Idk how that smelled good but like, as a thirsty hoe, I kinda get it. 

heres part 4!

__________

Geralt woke to screams. 

It took him a moment to realize what was happening, let alone where he was. Jaskier was curled in his arms, still sound asleep as the screams made way to sobs and the singing of a sword being pulled from its scabbard. It was time, but Geralt felt nothing.

He shook Jaskier awake and snatched the ball of twine and sword, tucking the blade into his belt and praying to Athena, Poseidon, any god that would listen that the guards wouldn’t shove it loose. Jaskier snatched the twine from his hand and stowed it in his own clothes just in time for the soldiers to reach their cell. 

They were ushered at sword point up a path to the back of the palace where dingy stone steps lead down to a massive stone door, underground by a dozen feet at least. Jaskier clung to Geralt’s hand, clenching his jaw tight and looking forward as they were lead to the doors. It took three men to open them and Geralt heard someone in their party mumble about how well and truly fucked they were. He couldn’t blame them. 

They were shoved through the arch, surprisingly without ceremony, and the doors were heaved closed behind them.

When the rumble of stone on stone finally ceased and they were left with near darkness Geralt finally felt the panic. Everyone was looking at him, he could barely make out their features, but he knew, and all he could do was stare at the door. 

Jaskier gave his hand a gentle squeeze, offering him the now glowing gold ball of twine, “Geralt?”

Something snapped into place deep in Geralt’s gut and the panic vanished. He took the twine and tied it to the door before removing the sword from his clothes and handing the dagger to Jaskier.

“Do not stray from the twine. Stay with the group.” He growled, now better able to see from the light of the yarn. Everyone was terrified, but they were his responsibility now, and if he had to scare them further to keep them safe he would. 

“What if it sneaks up on us?!” A young girl squeaked, she couldn’t have been more than fifteen.

“We’ll hear it. Now, follow me.”

“Do you know where you’re going?” 

Geralt frowned, ready to admit like before that he hadn’t a clue, but then he heard it. It was faint, and he could only hear inhales, but there was snarling breathing that couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than a monster.

“I do.” He turned to go before anyone asked any more questions. 

Jaskier was at his heels, one hand gripping the dagger and the other clutching at Geralt’s belt to stay close, “Geralt, do you really know where we’re going?” he whispered.

“I can hear him.” Geralt muttered. Every muscle in his body was tensed and ready to strike as he lead the way down the arched corridor, unraveling the twine as they went. 

They walked on for what felt like forever, the hall twisted and turned, even went up a flight of stairs, but nothing about it seemed very maze-like. Jaskier kept quiet, but Geralt could feel his hand at his back trembling. Others in the group were whispering, They say it has a battle ax and Maybe it'll kill us quickly. 

Geralt held a hand up upon coming to their first T, “Everyone hush.” He closed his eyes, doing his best to listen past the panicked panting of the group. It was there, just barely, but the deep breathing of something much bigger than him was coming from the left. 

This continued for hours, or maybe it was only minutes, Geralt couldn’t tell,  until everyone could hear the beast’s steady breath and see a faint orange glow around a corner. 

Geralt stopped, turning to face the terrified group of teenagers, “Stay here and stay quiet.” he instructed. Then, handing off the glowing twine and whispering to Jaskier, “If I die you have to run. Sprint back to the doors, all of you should be able to open them. I’d tell you to go now if I weren’t afraid of waking it.” 

Jaskier had the gal to look offended, “If you think for one second I’m letting you go in there alone-”

“You will. The ship we came in on will be leaving in the morning with or without us. Be on it.” Geralt was getting jumpy, being a little more aggressive than he needed to, but the thought of Jaskier being left to die in this labyrinth without him was overwhelming and he’d never had more adrenaline coursing through him before. 

Jaskier held Geralt’s face between his hands and drew him in for a lip bruising kiss. Geralt’s unoccupied arm looped around his waist and pulled him close as his whole body screamed at him to run away with him. Nothing sounded better right then than sneaking out of the labyrinth and sailing off to some other island where they could live their lives in peace. No responsibility, no destiny, no monsters. 

Someone cleared their throat and Geralt pulled back, blushing furiously as he switched his sword back and forth between his hands, “That was one hell of a goodbye kiss.” 

Jaskier rolled his eyes, “Good luck, not goodbye. You’ll be fine.”

Geralt nodded and peeked around the corner, catching a glimpse of a large open hall with a fire burning at its center and what one might have mistaken for a pile of furs and pillows laying in front of it. He ducked back into the corridor, pressing his back against the wall and doing his best to take a deep breath that wasn’t a panicked gasp. His limbs felt like goatskins full of water and his palms were already starting to sweat. He barely kept his face under control as he tried to work up the nerve to move. 

Jaskier held his free hand, gently massaging at the tendons, “You’ve done this before, you can do it again.”

“It’s huge, Jask,” Geralt whispered, mortified that he’d made it all this way, and now when it mattered he couldn’t stifle the panic. 

“You threw a man twice my size halfway across the deck on our way here. You are strong and brave and deceptively intelligent.” Geralt raised an eyebrow at his words but let him continue, needed him to continue, “The blood of the gods runs through your veins and you’ve been blessed by the goddess of strategy and wit herself. You can do this.”

“Athena sending my mother to the sea is hardly a blessing.” Geralt argued, pushing off the wall and squeezing Jaskier’s hand before letting go. 

Jaskier pursed his lips, eyes somber despite his annoyed expression, “I’ll be waiting for you.” 

Geralt nodded and, though his limbs were still shaking, he stepped out into the hall of the Minotaur. 

He ran over all the advice he could remember from every soldier he’d spoken with as he crept toward the sleeping beast. As he got closer to the fire he saw the bones of previous sacrifices, some no bigger than a child’s, and the remnants of animal carcasses that were far fresher. The stench was getting progressively worse as he approached, so much so that he wondered if he might vomit before he could attack. He wanted to look back, he wanted to run back, but he kept his eyes trained on the beast before him. It was at least twice his size, covered in a strange coat of hair with a tail to match. Horns protruded from it’s forehead, long and sweeping forward in dramatic curves. He couldn’t see it’s face and prayed he wouldn’t have to while it was still alive.

When he was within feet of the Minotaur he raised his sword, gripping it in both hands and set his feet, readying to stab it in the neck. It was laying on its side, half curled into a fetal position as it slept. He felt a pang of sympathy for the creature. It wasn’t given a chance, wasn't guilty of the sin its mother committed or the offence her husband had committed against Poseidon. With it sleeping so still and so vulnerable he almost forgot the horror stories he’d heard from before they caged it here. He paused a moment too long.

As he brought down the blade the creature shifted and his sword cut deep across its back rather than a fatal blow at the neck. 

The roaring scream it let loose was disorienting, it rattled Geralt’s bones and had him shuffling backwards. It rolled to its hands and knees, or what functioned as knees, and Geralt slashed at it’s arm, slicing through thick ropy muscle as if it weren’t there. He thanked the gods the sword Triss had given him was sharp as he jumped out of the way of the Minotaur’s other arm swinging at him. He brought his sword down where he had just been standing, barely missing the monster’s forearm, but exposing his side, just like Eskel had warned not to. The Minotaur, now standing upright and towering over Geralt, kicked him in the ribs, sending him tumbling across the floor. He barely kept hold of his sword as he rolled to a stop, gasping for breath. 

It snarled at him, stomping closer on cloven hooves but holding one arm close to its middle. Geralt waited, kept gasping for breath long after he’d regained the ability to breathe properly and let the thing get closer. When it was within reach, raising it’s good arm in preparation to pummel Geralt into the stone, he lashed out again with his sword. This time the metal swiped clean through the canon of its left leg, severing the hoof from the leg completely. The Minotaur fell forward, nearly pinning Geralt to the ground as he scrambled out of the way. It struggled to push itself up on its one good arm but Geralt kneeled on its back, knee digging into the wound across it’s shoulders. He barely registered the screams of pain and outrage over the thrumming of his own pulse as he grabbed one of its horns with one hand and dragged his sword across its throat with the other. 

The screaming stopped, replaced by a stomach churning gurgle and trickle of blood. A deep, nearly black red liquid oozed out in every direction from the beast’s wounds as it struggled and twitched. Geralt didn’t want to take any chances. Cursed beasts had magical properties and he’d be damned if he left the thing alive enough to heal. Before the corpse began to cool he hacked and slashed until the head was completely severed from the body. 

Only then did he feel the pain radiating from his side all the way down his leg and into his toes. He threw the Minotaur’s head toward the corridor he’d entered from and collapsed on this good side, barely missing the rapidly expanding pool of blood. He grunted out a labored “Fuck.” before he heard shuffling feet and felt hands under his arms.  

Jaskier and the girl with all the questions were hauling him toward the fire. 

When they set him down Jaskier’s hands were flitting over his body searching for injuries, “I told you you’d be fine.” he teased, an undercurrent of fear cutting through his tone.

“Not fine,” Geralt huffed as Jaskier prodded his side and he tried to sit up, “Alive.”

“You probably broke a rib, go slowly.” Jaskier warned, helping Geralt up.

“You’re a doctor now?” Geralt teased, wincing as he straightened to full height.

Jaskier patted Geralt’s chest, “I’ve been kicked by a cow or two.”

He pulled Geralt close and kissed him softly, sighing like the world had been lifted from his shoulders. 

When he released the prince he rearranged the soft grey fabric and whispered so only Geralt could hear, “I could sell your sweat for a fortune right now.”

Geralt laughed and rolled his eyes, beginning to limp back to the other Athenians and scooping up the Minotaur’s head by the horns, “Lets go, I need a bath.” 

____________________

Next part here!

[tinalbion]

Someone To Stay - Brahms Heelshire x Reader

I told you guys, I’ve really been in my feels over this man and I haven’t been able to get back out. I’m not sure if I ever want to, I’m really loving this man so much. 

You were the one to find the letter. 

Your eyes scanned over it and suddenly you burst into heavy sobs. What did it even mean when the Heelshire's said 'she is yours to love and care for', anyway? They were gone and they weren't coming back, what would you do now that you were here in this mansion with just yourself and a doll? The outcomes all stacked up with you feeling extreme guilt since they had trusted you to remain here and carry on the household, but would you do it?  

Your back was toward the fireplace as you reread the letter dozens of times, unable to come up with an answer right now, all you could do was cry. How could they do that, not just to you but to themselves? Was life so terrible that they needed to take theirs so carelessly, leaving a stranger in their home that they tended to for years, then to have that person care for their 'son'? 

What would come of this if the local authorities had found out, would they arrest you or leave you to your new estate now that they detailed within the letter that you were to stay with Brahms. Whatever the outcome, you felt as if you needed to stay, not only to uphold your promise to the Heelshire's but now to their orphaned son. 

It had been a spirit or something greater once you discovered that the doll did indeed move on its own, but since you were who you were, it didn't bother you in the slightest bit. You welcomed the strange occurrences because it only meant that you hadn't lost your mind, you were just blessed with the fact that this place was haunted and their son wanted to be cared for.

You needed to tell him though, whether he'd listen or not, you needed to. "Brahms," you said through your tears as you stood from the floor, "we need to have a talk…" You had left him in the bedroom where he had remained as you entered the room, his glass face looking at you expectantly. "Honey, I'm so sorry," you managed to choke out, still loud and clear for him. 

What you didn't know was that the real Brahms had been keeping an eye on you since you left the room, making his way quickly and quietly through the walls as he watched you grab the mail. He always liked to see what you would be up to, but he took notice of your distress when you first read the letter, and it wasn't something he would expect. 

To see you cry made his gut wrench with an unexpected feeling, it was too overwhelming for him at first, but he soon found himself wanting to cry with you and just hold you until you had stopped. The animalistic urge to burst through the wall and grab you subsided, all he wanted was to hold you and promise you that it would all be okay. 

Once you had begun to speak to the doll, Brahms followed through the walls, keeping his ears alert for what you were about to say, his stomach twisting into knots. He crouched down and placed his ear closer to the wall, listening intently.

 "Brahms, I want you to know that whatever will happen next, I will promise to stay here and take care of you. It'll be difficult, but… I think I can do it." You forced yourself to hold in your sadness, already thinking of what you could do to fix this entire situation. 

In all honesty, you had nothing back home, nothing worth staying for, anyway. It wouldn't hurt to uproot and start over here in the manor, so you figured that moving your things here would work, so long as you spoke to the appropriate people about it all. That was another issue for another day.

"I received a letter this morning," you began slowly, "and I'm not entirely sure how to break this to you, hun." You looked down at the neatly written words again and shook your head, hanging your head in defeat. "Your mom and dad won't be returning, Brahms… they took… they took their own lives." You began to cry again, trying your best to hold it together while you sat on the side of the bed looking down at the doll. "But don't worry," you added, "I'm going to work something out. I'll be there for you."

You caressed the side of the doll’s cheek, almost curious if it would shed a tear for his parents, but it didn't. Though the real Brahms was still within the wall listening intently to just how broken you were over their loss. It was maddening that they took the cowards way out, they abandoned him and left him to his own devices. It infuriated him. He wanted to punch holes through the wood and kick and scream, but he would frighten you away and he needed you here more than ever now. 

Once you stood from the edge of the bed, you wiped your tears and gave the doll a smile. "Alright, Brahms," you lifted him up with the letter still in your hand, clinging onto him as lovingly as you could, "we're going to have to make a few calls. I'll make you some lunch." 

Several moments of holding him, you took him downstairs to the kitchen and began to get everything situated, but Brahms didn't move from his spot in the wall, he sat there and hung his head as he began to cry behind the porcelain mask. 

The temptation of destroying everything around him remained strong, the fear and the betrayal all hit him at once. But what warmed him was your dedication to what you thought was a simple doll, an object that held no feeling. He had chosen you and he did the right in doing so, but now he would have to approach his next move with caution. Revealing himself to you now would be a sensitive time and would cause more harm than good, so he would need this evening to think about it.

As you silently made yourself and the doll lunch within the kitchen, Brahms made his way to the living space he had within the home. He had everything he would ever need, his eyes looking blankly at everything that decorated the walls and the large wooden posts. He wanted you to her with him right now, he needed to have you here for comfort to hold him, stroke his hair and tell him it would all be okay. He figured you would need the time to adjust to all of this, so he walked to his bed and sat on the edge of it, his shoulders slumped forward and his head hung low. He always felt alone no matter who he was surrounded by, and even when he had his play dates with Emily all those years back, she never really accepted him as a true friend, it always cut deep as he tried his best to be normal. Once he disposed of her, it didn’t feel better, it only made him feel more desperate for the longing of a normal life. 

His parents never felt the same after that day and they treated him more like a wild, caged animal more than a son. It only made his anger grow within him, they needed to know that he was something more. 

Hours passed as he sat alone, his thoughts consuming him as he heard you speaking faintly on the phone to a few different callers, sorting out what you could before the day was up. You had gotten somewhat far in the call list as you talked to your friends about helping you with a few things back home, and as soon as you hung up, you let out an overexaggerated sigh and placed the phone back into the receiver. 

“I’m sorry that took so long, Brahmsy,” you said sweetly as you walked back into the living room, where the doll had been placed on the chair with a book sitting beside him. “I’ve gotten some good progress today and figured I’d pick it up again tomorrow, I didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer.” Gently, you picked the doll up and smiled sadly at him and cradled him to your chest, wanting to sit there for just a moment.

Brahms lifted his head as he heard you speak to his doll, so he made his way to the wall that would get him the closest to you as he silently listened, his heart still burning. What seemed to calm the flames was you, no matter how much he tried to push away the fact, it was you. The man suddenly burst into tears behind the old wood, his child-like crying alerting you that it wasn’t just you in the home. 

You were scared as you looked down at the doll, hoping that you wouldn’t see tears in its eyes, but it was coming from another part of the room, so you had gently placed it down and listened for the crying as you stilled your breathing. Was there someone else in the house with you and were you going to die?

The sobbing intensified as you got to the far end of the wall in the furthest corner, your ear pressed up against the wallpaper. You held your breath again as you gave several gentle taps against it, and the crying stopped immediately after. Your head whipped over to the doll who continued to sit in the position you left it in, your heart raced at the thought of someone else being in the house with you, but instead of running or lashing out, you sadly placed your ear against the wall before you spoke.

“Brahms…?” It was a question you hoped had an answer to, but you wouldn’t know how to react if the spirit of Brahms was no spirit at all, and he was alive, mourning the loss of his parents. What if, though, it were true? He hid after the fire and never showed his face again, it could have been possible.

No one answered you. 

“Brahms, honey, I’m sorry.” Your eyes closed as you slid to the floor and leaned against the wall, hoping that whatever was going on would make sense, but right now, you had Brahms. “I’m so sorry…”

The man in the wall peeked his head up and looked at the wall as if he could see through it, seeing your face that was red and patchy from all the crying you’d done today, your glassy eyes that hadn’t stopped tearing up. Even in this state, he knew you were for him, he accepted you no matter what so long as you would accept him. He reached out his hand and placed it on the wall, his fingertips sliding down the surface. 

“I’m sorry, too,” he said softly. 

You gasped and pulled your head away, staring at the wall as if it were going to burst open. You adjusted yourself to sit on your knees, both of your hands firmly planted on the wall and you smiled. “I’m not crazy…” you said to yourself, confirming it. No one else would have known it, you figured the place was haunted, and here you were now hearing voices. “Brahms, let me see you, please.”

Brahms hesitated and wanted to shut down the idea right away, but the way you spoke to him, even by the mere fact you decided to stay, at some point in time, he would have to show his face to you.

“Do you promise not to run away…?” Brahms asked as he spoke closer toward you, his hand still flat against the surface. 

The real question was; were you ready to face the reality of the situation? You came this far, what was a bit more mystery to unravel? With a sure smile as you bit your bottom lip, you silently nodded. “I promise.”

That decided his fate. He sighed and quickly made it to his feet, making his way quietly through the path until he found the door that seemed like any other part of the wall to you, the gentle creak of the hinges alerted you of the opening, where you stared over toward, seeing nothing emerge just yet. Your hand squeezed into a fist out of fear and anticipation, wondering just what would step out from the other side, your eyes wide and watching. 

A hand popped out and was placed on the edge of the door, a tall and semi-muscular figure pushed through and stepped out, his feet bare and dirty as he placed them on the wooden floor. His untamed dark curls hung over the tattered porcelain mask where his face should have been, his eyes staring at you with such intensity. You wanted to run, but you knew who this had been and convinced yourself to stay. His clothing was dirty and it reeked of dust and earth, but no matter how terrifying he had looked when he came out of the hidden door, you felt your heart drop when he immediately sunk to his knees before you. His eyes met yours and you could tell he too had been crying, which only made you feel worse. He knew, the real Brahms knew, and he was broken over it.

“You stayed,” was all he could manage before you pulled yourself forward and wrapped your arms around him. As soon as you touched him, he went into shock, afraid of the intimate action that he had so longed for, but here you were, comforting him. He warmed in your grasp and buried his covered face between your neck and your shoulder, your hair covering him as he burst into heavy sobs, and he held you. 

Neither of you wanted to move from the floor right now; both of you had been too broken to stand and you also hadn’t known how to continue on with the initial shock of the man before you. You would figure that out tomorrow when you had a clearer head, but for right now, you needed to be there for Brahms.

[somedayonbroadway]

Could you please continue with the Spot being kidnapped thing? I absolutely loved it!

Of course!

Find Part 1 here!

TW: Kidnapping

Race had not moved in what felt like hours. He wasn’t sure what to do. He felt like some kind of animal, bound and gagged and completely helpless, waiting for slaughter. But he was not going to just accept that.

With all the strength he possessed, he pulled his legs up to his chest, ignoring the ache of his steadily bleeding knee, slipping his bound hands to his front from his back. It was slow going at first and slightly painful, but he managed it eventually, sitting up and using his thumbs to push the blindfold and then pull the gag out of his mouth. The cloth in his mouth was difficult to remove, especially with bound wrists. But he managed to get the thing to fall around his neck, though it was damp with his own saliva.

Daring to look around he found himself in a literal cage, one that looked like it was meant for a human being. It scared him more than he’d anticipated. He sniffled, looking over to find his boyfriend, belly to the floor, reaching out for him and breathing heavily, looking to be asleep. Race could see the lashes and bruising on his back. He could see the way Spot’s muscles were so tense and aggravated. The boy grasped at the box shaped bars that kept him from the young man. He pulled himself towards them. “Babe?” he called lightly, not wanting to scare his man, but definitely wanting to wake him. “Spottie?”

The whimper is what seemed to get Spot’s attention.

He sucked in a sharp breath and looked up, finding his babydoll still locked up, just out of his reach. “TJ… baby…”

“Sean, what do I do? Tell me what ta do, n’ I’ll do it,” the boy whispered, panic clear in his gaze. So Spot tried to sit up, only grunting in pain and falling back to the floor. “Sean!” Race cried, letting out a small sob.

“Angel, I need you ta stay calm, alright?” Spot whispered. “I’ll figure it out… you’re gonna be alright—“

“I’m not goin’ nowhere without you,” Race whimpered, though Spot knew it was true. Tyler James was one of the most loyal, loving people that he knew.

But that only made this situation all the more dire. So Spot sat up onto his knees, using his cuffed hands to push himself up. “Babydoll… baby, look at me…” Those boy blue eyes looked at him pleadingly, begging him not to say that only one of them might make it out of here. “Jesus Christ, you’re pretty…” was what Spot settled on saying. “I swear ta God when I saw you for the first time, I thought I was dyin’... because there was an angel standin’ in front of me…”

It got the smallest smile to twitch on the blond boy’s face. “Don’t you dare make me laugh right now, Conlon! This is not the time—“

“It’s better than seein’ ya scared…” the second Spot said it, he regretted it. The terror radiated off of Race the second he brought it up. The boy wasn’t good in tight spaces. “Baby… just keep lookin’ at me… don’t be scared, alright?”

“They’re gonna hurt me, aren’t they?”

Spot didn’t respond. He only studied his boy’s face for a long moment. Dragging himself a little bit closer to him, he hissed, unable to move his right leg much. Race noticed it looked a bit twisted.

Race shook his head. “Sean, you’re hurt… stop it,” he pleaded, curling his fingers around the bars that trapped him. He had to keep himself from crying out for Spot’s embrace. He had to keep himself from panicking because Spot needed to focus on himself right now. Not him.

Taking a deep breath, Spot did pause, a tear rolling down his cheek as he accepted the fact that he couldn’t reach his boyfriend. “Racer… I—“

The door opened up just as Spot was going to apologize. Tyler cowered away immediately, scrambling back into the corner of his cage as their captor fumbled with the keys to the locked door. When the large man stepped inside, Race began to tremble in fear. “Get away from me!” he yelled, trying to summon up some kind of courage. He had none. The man smirked at him, squatting down in front of him. The boy pulled his knees up close to his chest, pressing his back flat against the wall. “Sean…” he whined on instinct, wanting his boyfriend to find a way out of this so badly. He silently cursed himself when he glanced over to see how completely terrified Spot looked.

“You clever, clever boy,” their captor tisked, reaching to run a hand through Race’s curls. The nineteen year old shivered, trying to turn away before his hair was grabbed on tightly. He cried out as his chin was forced up. “I guess we didn’t tie you up tight enough.”

Pressing his lips together, Race stared wide eyed at the man as two other people slipped into the room. “Please let us go,” he begged. “You don’t wanna do this…”

“Oh, Tyler James, I think you’ll find that I really do want to do this.” The old man grabbed Race easily, so much stronger than the thin blond teenager had ever been. He forced the kid to him, forcing his bound hands down pressing their chests together.

Spot stood on one trembling leg, his anger enough to drive him forward, limp and all, until his chains ran out of slack. “Don’t touch him!” Spot growled, watching his boy struggle in the tight grip he was in.

“All you have to do is tell me where Pulitzer’s little mistake is,” their captor stated, turning to lock eyes with him while Tyler struggled in his arms, his hands stuck in between them. He whimpered as he put the slightest pressure on his left legs, the knife wound being more painful than it should’ve been.

Even while the boy fought, he still cried out, “Don’t tell him!” before he was forced back against the wall. He looked back up at the man, all the more terrified. That’s when the man grabbed at his pocket and pulled out a knife. Race’s fight died down immediately. He breathed hard and quick, staring down the weapon as though it may be the last thing he saw.

“Don’t hurt him!” Spot was beginning to really panic. These people held all of the cards, everything in the whole world that was important to him was right there in that cage with a knife held up to his face. At his scream, the man paused, smirking over at him. Spot didn’t know what to do. So he looked back at his boy.

Those big blue eyes were pleading with him, but not in the way they should be. They weren’t begging to be saved. They were begging him to keep his mouth shut. So, against Spot’s strongest instincts, he did, tightening his jaw to remind himself that he couldn’t give away the rest of Race’s family just to save Race. The boy would never forgive him.

“I see we’ll have to do this the fun way, then?” the man laughed. Race only blinked up at him, unsure of what to do next. He didn’t have time to imagine what was coming next before his bound hands were grabbed and the rope was sliced through. It wasn’t long before the two other masked men were infiltrating his space, easily manhandling him.

“Hey!” he cried as his wrists were rebound behind him, somehow even tighter than before. They didn’t stop there. The blindfold that he’d been fighting with earlier was picked up off the ground as rope pulled his elbows together behind him. He groaned as his shoulders were forced back in a painful posture. He wouldn’t be getting out of these bindings alone. Then that blindfold was heading towards his face. “No… no wait…” he pleaded, not wanting to be blind again. He had never really liked the dark. He already couldn’t go anywhere. He didn’t understand why he had to be unable to move entirely. “Please don’t…” The wrapped the cloth around his head anyways, tying it even tighter than it had been before. Race couldn’t open his eyes if he wanted to.

Spot watched his love as the boy was forced back down to the floor. One of them had a bottle in their hands. It was full of something that looked a lot like whiskey. They forced Race’s head back by grabbing at his hair. The kid cried out again, leaving his lips open for the bottle to release the liquid down his throat. “Racer,” Spot whimpered when his babydoll sputtered and coughed. He glanced between his captors who were no longer focused on him as they had been the day prior. “Leave him alone!” Race wasn’t even old enough to drink yet. By the way the blond coughed and screamed and struggled, it was clear he didn’t like the taste.

“Drink it, boy,” one of the thugs demanded, grabbing Tyler’s chin when the boy tried to turn away. His mouth was held open with force and he choked and tried to beg them to stop. The liquid burned down his throat.

He’d nearly drunk half the bottle, the other half having been spilled all over him before they wrenched him up by the arm and then began to push him around, laughing as he tried to limp away only to be caught in strong arms that began to grab at him and hit at him.

The cries and gasps and grunts were the most heartbreaking thing that Spot had ever heard. He felt his heart running a mile a minute in his chest. They were hurting his boy. They were trying to make sure the kid could hardly fight back. So, the young man mustered up as much strength as he screamed at the men holding him there for the first time. “Hey! Why don’t you let me out of these and fight me like a man, you cowards?!”

The leader paused at that but only laughed at the young man, walking out of the cage and over towards him as Race cried out for him, his name breaking on the boy’s lips. “Se-an!” They pulled his gag back between his teeth and the boy’s pleas were muffled as the masked man stalked over to Spot who was trying so hard to keep his eyes dark and angry.

But he was getting tired. And all he could feel was helpless and scared. There were tears in his eyes as he breathed hard, doing all he could do to stay up and awake and alert and not collapse on the ground again. His back still burned.

Their captor took his chin in his hand. Spot tried to glare at him. But his lip was shaking as he longed to cry out for his boyfriend again. “What do you want with Plumber?” He heard Race whine at the name. Still, Spot wanted to know.

The fingers on his chin tightened a bit. “You’re not the one asking the questions here, Conlon.” Spot’s haze was forced over to his lover who had collapsed on the ground. The alcohol seemed to be working quickly. His reflexes were getting slower and his cries were getting longer and quieter. “Tell us where she is and they stop beating your sweetheart. It’s that easy.”

Spot took a deep breath to steady himself. No doubt, someone had to notice that Race was missing. Race was extremely social. He was always in contact with someone. He loved talking. He loved being out and making friends. Most of all, he loved the phone calls that he got to take from his brother.

Every Thursday night.

Jack would notice.

“You’re makin’ a mistake,” Spot breathed, flinching as his boyfriend screamed in pain. “Let him go.”

The masked man leaned in close and smiled at him, patting his face before shaking his head the slightest bit. “No.”

It seemed like an eternity before they were finished. Spot tried to be grateful that the beating had only been just that. The poor boy was breathing hard on the ground, whimpering at what Spot feared might be cracked ribs. “Baby, don’t move, okay? Just relax, just stay down—“ Spot flinched just as Race did when the cage door was slammed and locked. Race tried to sit up. “No, sweetheart! Stay still, stay calm… I’m right here, just listen ta me…”

Their captor smirked at him before he and his boys left, seemingly satisfied with the work they’d done.

Spot lowered himself back to the ground, grunting as his leg cried out in pain. He kept talking, begging his boy to listen to him and stop moving even though Race’s movements had slowed so that he could cry and try to minimize the pain.

“Baby, I’m so sorry, just keep breathin’,” Spot begged. “I’m gonna figure this out… I’m gonna… I’m gonna get you outta here…” His voice was trembling. He knew it was. “Just keep breathin’...”

All he could do was watch his boyfriend’s chest raggedly rise and fall and listen to the blond whimper and whine.

He had to get them out of here.

He just hoped it was closer to Thursday than he thought it was.

[fantastic-rambles]

Fandom: Sk8 the Infinity

Characters: Shindo Ainosuke (Adam), Kikuchi Tadashi (Snake)

Warnings: What are ethics?, Genetically Engineered Humans, Human-Animal Chimeras, Animal Traits, Slavery/Ownership, Implied Abuse/Neglect

Word Count: 1.5k

Summary: Shindo Scientific is at the cutting edge of genetic engineering, and their most popular products are exotic chimeras that the obscenely rich purchase as pets. But when they start to explore the field of human chimeras, the young heir of the corporation finds himself developing a sense of empathy for their latest prototype. [This one is weird to tag, I think. But it's not canon-typical pet play, or sexual pet play in general, but it does involve ownership of "pets," so... yeah.] [TadaAi Week 2021 | Day 6: Sci-fi AU]

Ainosuke stared at the beautiful, white-winged creature in the gilded cage. It seemed to be sleeping, the wings furled around itself to conceal its body. But even though it simply sat there, perched on the couch inside the cage, he couldn't look away.

Of course, he could have asked one of the staff to go in and wake it up, to prod it until it flew around and showed off its plumage that shimmered with an iridescent phosphorescence, but he was content to just watch it like this. There was just something peaceful about the silence, and Ainosuke drew his knees up to his chest as he sat on the cool stone floor, breathing quietly.

Eventually, it began to stir, the gossamer wings stretching open to reveal the humanoid figure inside, looking only a few years older than him. Long, black hair fell down its back in a silky cascade, providing a sharp contrast to the wings while it stood up and stretched pale, delicate limbs. The white robe it wore fell down smoothly from one shoulder, draping in artful folds around its body. And it looked around with bright green eyes, a smile appearing on its face when it spotted the boy sitting outside the bars.

It made some small, unintelligible sounds as it walked over to Ainosuke, its wings folding neatly behind its back. But the noises sounded happy, and Ainosuke smiled back as it crouched down just inside the bars, looking back at him. Nervously, the boy looked around, but the two of them seemed to be alone. So he raised one finger to his lips while he dug around in his pocket, pulling out a chocolate bar. He stretched his arm toward the cage, but in the instant that the treat passed through the bars, a piercing wail made both of them flinch backwards while security ran in, his father in the rear.

"Again, Ainosuke?" Aiichiro snapped, grabbing his arm and roughly pulling him upright. He glanced at the candy bar on the floor before kicking it aside, where it thunked dully against the wall. "What were you thinking? You know that its diet has been precisely developed. If you give it something like that, it might get sick, and then all the investment into its development will go down the drain! And what if it had grabbed you? I thought I raised you to be smarter than this!"

"I'm sorry, Father! I'm sorry!" Ainosuke apologized, cringing. The prototype fluttered just inside the bars, its expression distressed before a wall of men formed between it and Ainosuke. "I just thought it might be lonely. It always just has to stay there--"

"Because it's a creature, Ainosuke! Even if it looks like that, it's not human! It's mindless, heartless, driven only by instinct like a mundane animal. You've seen what it does whenever we need to show it off to investors. You need to get rid of this useless sentimentalism of yours if you're seriously intending to take over this company when you get older. Do you understand?"

Reluctantly, Ainosuke nodded, glancing back toward the cage and catching a flash of soft white feathers past the wall of black. It didn't seem anything at all like his father said, though: even though it couldn't talk, it seemed reasonably intelligent and responded to his words when he talked to it. It wasn't like the other chimeras that Shindo Scientific had developed, but maybe it was just because it was their first successful part-human.

The others were certainly more dangerous pets: the part-lion, part-goat, part-snake chimeras that had become their flagship product had savaged more than one owner who didn't care for them properly. And then there were the pegasi that had provided the breakthrough for this angelic prototype: earlier versions of them had had the unfortunate tendency to buck off their riders when they were in the air before they were able to improve their docility. Of course, all buyers signed lengthy waivers absolving the company of responsibility in case of any such accidents, but there were always more buyers eager to purchase the latest exotic pet to show off to their friends despite the risk.

It was true that this one lashed out at its handlers during the exhibitions, but Ainosuke was convinced that if they just spoke to it, they wouldn't need to resort to violence to make it show off, unlike the others. He glanced back at the cage to see it soar above the barrier of guards, its emerald eyes fixed on him, but then it jerked and plummeted downward with a tranquilizer dart in its neck, pulling a cry out from Ainosuke's chest. He pulled against his father's grip, wanting to go and make sure that it was okay, that it hadn't broken anything, but Aiichiro firmly pulled him away.

"That's enough of that. Now, come on, or you'll be late for your lessons."

"Are you sure about this, sir? Nobody is allowed inside without protective equipment and a prod, usually. Shall I call in the guards, just in case?"

A technician hovered anxiously around Ainosuke as he unlocked the door of the cage. He was still dressed in a black mourning suit, but his scarlet eyes were dark with determination.

"I don't need any of that."

He stepped into the cage, closing the door behind him. The years had taken their toll on the beautiful creature of his memory: the wings were slightly tattered with many of the feathers askew, the black hair was messy and knotted, and its clothes were torn and stained. But the worst were the eyes: wary, like a cornered animal. Even so, Ainosuke had been impossibly relieved to know that it was still alive. Most pets were only kept for a few years, then put down to make space for the next fad. To have been able to buy it back after this long had been close to an impossibility.

It growled at him as he approached cautiously, his bare hands outstretched. He slowed down but continued to press forward, stopping when it bared its teeth and bated, its wings stretching out to their full length and sending gusts toward him.

"It's okay. It's me, remember?" Ainosuke called out softly, waiting for it to settle down again. He took another step forward, only to be greeted by the same reaction. Slowly, he reached into his pocket, and sharp green eyes followed his movements before he withdrew his hand to show it the chocolate bar.

"Remember?" he asked again, taking one more step forward. It was still clearly wary of him, but it didn't try to intimidate him this time. So Ainosuke continued to advance, freezing again when it bared its teeth at him again when he'd gotten within wing's length. Carefully, he extended the candy toward it, staying very still as it leaned forward, eyes fixed on his face. The silence stretched between them for over a minute before the candy was snatched out of his hand and raised to the creature's mouth. When it bit down on the wrapper, Ainosuke chuckled, stepping forward.

"Wait, you need to--"

An enormous white wing smacked into him, knocking him to the ground while a voice called out, "Ainosuke-sama!"

He raised a hand before slowly getting back to his feet.

"I'm fine. Don't yell. You'll startle it."

It had curled up defensively on its couch, shining eyes staring at him, and Ainosuke smiled gently, spreading his open hands again.

"It's okay. I scared you, right? I'm sorry. But the wrapper won't taste good. Let me show you?"

He took a cautious step forward, bracing himself for another buffet, but nothing came. It still shrank away from him as he moved closer, the wings twitching and sending small bursts of air toward him, but he was eventually close enough to reach out and take the candy bar back, though it flinched when he did.

With deliberate slowness, Ainosuke unwrapped the candy before holding it back out again, and it reached out just as slowly to take it, leaving a smear of melted chocolate on his fingers when it finally pulled it away and tasted it. And it hummed as it chewed, making Ainosuke smile more broadly as he raised his hand to his mouth, licking off the chocolate.

"Can I touch you?" he asked, extending his hand slowly. It watched the hand approach, but it didn't do anything to stop him, so he rested his hand on its head, waiting to see its reaction. Nothing happened, and feeling encouraged, Ainosuke gently stroked its hair, repeating the gesture a few times until it seemed to relax slightly.

Raising his other hand, he brushed it gently against one of the wings. It growled again when he caught against a loose feather, but the noise didn't sound like a threat, so he continued to carefully caress the dull, white feathers. For a while, there was no other sound besides that of chewing, but when it had finished eating, it leaned forward, resting its head on his chest. And Ainosuke sighed, bending down slightly so he could look it in the eye, so close that there would be nothing he could do if it suddenly decided to try to savage him.

"Welcome home."

[hannitizer]

To Have a Home Part 27

A/N: Hey Y’all! I have officially finished my semester! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while; school was taking up most of my life. Anyways, here’s the next part. As always, I hope you all enjoy!

Summary: After Draco is found guilty of an attempted murder, he is  sentenced to the Lupin’s house with hopes he’ll finally understand what  it means to have a family. Only problem? Draco doesn’t want it.  

Or, for this chapter: Fred and George fluff

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

It was a knock at the bedroom door that startled Draco back to reality. He and Remus had stayed where they sat for the better part of five hours, just watching Abigail sleep. There was nothing else they could do.

Draco was surprised when he saw Fred and George standing there, dopey smiles on their faces. He didn’t get up to meet them; no, he waited until they were close enough so that he could throw himself into their arms. 

“Been a long day, Draco?” Fred asked, and his reward was George punching him lightly on the arm. Draco didn’t notice, he just nodded slightly. 

“How is she doing?” George asked Remus, who finally had a chance to stretch. He had held the boy in his arms for the majority of the time, trying to calm the distressed boy’s nerves.

“Not much. She’s breathing. She’s stable. That’s all that really matters.” It was Isla who answered. Remus nodded along to what she said. 

“Castor’s not taking it well. At least that’s what I’ve heard.” 

“Damn right he shouldn’t.” Sirius stood up from the chair next to the bed, one that had been hastily moved from the kitchen. 

“Sirius,” Remus pinched the brow of his forehead, “We’ve already talked about this. He thought he was doing the right thing at the time, and it was an honest mistake. It happens.”

Sirius huffed. “Well I’m glad you’re okay with it, because if not…” Isla grabbed the fist he was making with his hands, a silent warning to tell him to calm down, which he did. 

The group of them talked for a long time in that room, occasionally stopping when Abigail would stir and cough. She never quite regained consciousness, but it was just a little reminder that she was alive. The sun had gone down hours ago, and Draco was finding it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. 

“What brought you two here anyways?” He asked the Weasley twins.

“Well... we came to look after you!” said George, glancing nervously at his brother. “We knew that there was going to be a lot happening in the house, and we wanted to help in any way we can…”

“And what better way than hanging out with our good friend Draco!” Fred finished the thought with a relaxed smile. 

“Thanks guys, but I think I’m okay right here.” Draco said, looking back at Abigail, but he could feel the adults in the room looking at each other.

“Well, Draco, it’s getting late, and I think that you and Remus need some rest…”

“That’s okay,” Draco cut George off before he could finish, scared of the rest of that sentence. “I’m going to just sleep right here. I can watch m--Abigail for tonight.” 

“Sirius and I are going to do that, Draco. You don’t need to worry about it.” Isla said, looking at Sirius for support. He just nodded along. 

“Come on, Draco,” George said, grabbing his shoulder. “Why don’t we go up to your room and get ready for bed? You can come back down here in the morning.” 

“No! No, I can’t leave Abigail.” Draco said, almost grabbing her. He would have too, if Remus hadn’t grabbed his hands before he could reach her.   

“Draco, you need to go upstairs and sleep in your room tonight, okay? I can go up there too if you’d like.” 

“No! But what if she gets hurt?”

“That’s what Sirius and I are here for. We’ll take care of that.” Isla said with a reassuring smile. 

Draco shook his head, looking desperately at Remus. “I thought you said that you loved me? That this was a loving family?” 

“Draco, we do love you. That’s why we want you to get some sleep. Isla and Sirius are going to keep watch of her; she’ll be okay. They aren’t even letting me stay awake tonight. If anything happens, you’ll be the first to know, okay? But right now, you need rest.” 

Fred went to grab for Draco’s shoulder, but Draco was not having it. He was ready to fight tooth and nail to stay in the room with Abigail. He had already lost his mother; he wasn’t about to do it again. 

When Fred reached for him again, he lashed out, swinging his arms, trying to get some sort of leverage on him. George jumped to the aid of his brother, attempting to calm the boy, but nothing can stop a caged animal; not when they’re fighting for their life. 

It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, when Sirius charmed Draco’s bracelet out the door, dragging the screaming boy with it. Draco wrestled with it, trying to bite it off, claw it off. Anything to just stay in the room with Abigail. With his mother…

But the damn bracelet. It was relentless. 

Fred and George waited until the boy was out of the room before they even tried to lay a hand on him. Fred had scratch marks on his arms from where Draco had landed his blows. George’s hair felt ripped out of his head. Remus went to go after his son, but it took one look from Fred and George to let him know that they had this under control. That is was going to be fine if he left them alone for a while. So he slipped into his bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar, just in case the twins decided that they did need him. But after a few moments, Isla shut the it for him. 

For Draco, the problem was on a whole other level. As soon as he was out the door, he pushed back, trying with all his might to break through the invisible barrier that was the door to the Lupin’s bedroom, but nothing was working. The final straw was Sirius shutting the door on him, as if sealing his doom. He pounded on the door, screaming with every breath in his lungs, but nobody was going to open that door to him. 

The tears that had finally stopped started to reappear again. Draco couldn’t help it. He sunk to the floor, wrapping his arms around himself, rocking slightly. The sense of peace he felt in that room was suddenly gone. 

Fred and George whispered behind his back for a few minutes before nodding in agreement. 

“Draco,” George said from somewhere behind Draco’s shoulder, careful not to touch him, “Fred is going to go make some tea and bring it up to your room. I’m going to sit here with you until you’re ready to go upstairs, okay?” 

Draco didn’t respond. He simply stared at the door in front of him. So George sat down next to him, waiting for Draco to be ready. There was nothing rushing them, and George thought that if Draco had just a little sense of control he would come when he was ready. 

Something dawned on Draco, and he started to shake. “My… my wolf’s in there.” 

Although it was almost silent, George understood what he said. Before Draco could go into a full blown panic, he was up, opening the door to the bedroom, much to Isla’s anger, and grabbing the wolf from the ruffled bed sheets.

He slipped the wolf into Draco’s hands, and Draco allowed himself to sink into the smell of it’s fur. The lavender was there, but there was another scent there too. One he couldn’t put his finger on. It was getting stronger, but it didn’t bother Draco. He liked it. Kind of.  

Soon Fred returned with the tea, saying that he was going upstairs. He fraised it as a question, hoping that Draco would come with him, but he didn’t respond. George looked up at him, shrugging his shoulders. He mouthed that they would be there in a few minutes, so Fred left. 

After a while Draco’s breathing evened out, and the shaking sensation he had felt was finally leaving. He looked up at the door and then back to George. 

“How are you doing, bud?” 

Draco turned back around quickly, avoiding the question. He was angry. And sad. And worried about Abigail. And confused. And hurt. And…

“I know I said I wouldn’t rush you, but listen; the ground really isn’t comfortable, and I don’t know about you, but my back’s starting to hurt from it. Buuuuut…” he nudged him playfully, “you know what is comfortable? Your bed. I would know. I wrestled you on top of it.” He paused, waiting to see if Draco would respond. When he didn’t, he continued.

“So, why don’t we go up there right now? And then we can be comfortable. And Fred’s got tea up there. And Fred’s there too. And Fred’s pretty cool. I should know; I’m his twin, and I’m pretty cool.”

Draco snorted a little at his remark which caused George to continue. 

“What do you say, Draco? Let’s go. Abigail will be here tomorrow, and you’ll be able to see her then, okay?” 

And then he waited. He waited patiently until Draco, ever so carefully, got up from the ground, wolf still in his hands. George smiled. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”

They walked up the stairs slowly to Draco’s doorless room. Fred was already there, pouring tea for them on the bed. 

“The tea’s getting cold, you know.” Fred said, trying to hurry them up, but George shushed him instantly. 

“What? I make good tea, and you two are going to drink it before it gets cold.”

Draco sat on the edge of his bed, cautiously accepting the cup from Fred. He hadn’t been up in his room since…. Well, since he broke his ankle. It was jarring; how familiar yet strange this room felt. Like it was his and yet it was completely foreign. He hadn’t slept up here in Merlin knows how long. 

The three of them drank their tea in silence, Freg and George occasionally trying to test the waters with a joke or two, but Draco never responded.  

The clock struck midnight by the time they had finished. Draco set his cup carefully on the tray, stifling a yawn. 

“Would you look at that? He is tired.” Fred exclaimed, whisking away the empty teacups, presumably to the kitchen sink. 

“Fred and I are going to set up some beds in the room down the hall, okay?”

Draco sat in silence for a moment. Fred looked at George and nodded, ready to head towards the door, but Draco shot out his arms.

“Wait!” He cried. George wheeled about, eyebrow raised. 

“Can you… Can you guys sleep in here tonight? I-I don’t want to be alone.”

George smiled. “Of course.”

“It’ll be like a sleepover!” Fred yelled, racing to the hallway closet to grab two shrunken beds. He handed one to George, and together they used the engorgio spell, making the beds large enough to sleep in. 

“I feel like such a baby.” Draco mumbled into his wolf’s fur. He hated the way he relied on everyone. He was a Malfoy, dammit. He should be braver than this. He shouldn’t need the help of these mudbloods, let alone a werewolf. And yet he couldn’t help feeling safe with them. He felt he was betraying himself, and he held his head in confusion and pain. Why couldn’t he just go back to his normal life? 

“Hey, Draco. You okay?” George asked, sitting on the foot of his bed. Fred had gone to use the bathroom across the hall, mumbling something about needing to get ready for bed. 

Draco didn’t respond to George, just burying his head deeper into the fur. He didn’t want to talk to George right now. He didn’t want to feel anything.

“I know things are incredibly confusing right now. But if you ever need anything, I’m right here for you. You can ask me anything; I don’t mind.” 

Draco didn’t respond, and Fred soon returned to the room, hopping into his bed. 

“Goodnight Draco! Goodnight, brother mine.” 

“Goodnight Fred.” George got up from Draco’s bed, laying a hand on his shoulder. “Goodnight, Draco.” 

[wckdmazes]

The Night

Hey guys, I did a thing. I hope you like this fluffy thing. It’s been in my WIP folder since December and I finally finished it.

Pairings: Newt/Female Reader

Word Count:  3,764

Warnings: None. It’s so fluffy you could die, but please don’t.

                 Y/N had been in The Glade for six cycles now, which equated to about six months as best as the others could tell. There had been a huge commotion when Gally had jumped into The Box and emerged with a girl. Whispers of confusion had erupted when she climbed out and finally stood before the Gladers. Newt remembered that day vividly. He remembered the way the sun shone bright on her face, warming her Y/S/T skin and illuminating her Y/E/C eyes, which had been full of distrust, confusion, and aggression initially. He remembered approaching her the same way he approached all the frightened Greenies and how she had shoved him to the ground as soon as his hand rested on her shoulder. She’d taken off running then, but not towards the walls like the others. She had headed straight to the forest and likely would have made it if not for Gally tackling her to the ground, knocking her out cold in the process.

               Now Newt watched her from across the Glade as she knelt in the dirt to assess an injured goat and see if it was able to be helped or not. Y/N had taken to caring for the animals like it was in her blood, despite being a Slicer. Within two weeks of her arrival, she had voraciously advocated for better conditions for them, better food, and just better care overall. Alby, Winston, and Newt had tried to explain that the animals weren’t pets and were just food, but her insistence and determination had won out in the end. Newt smiled when he thought of the triumphant expression that had graced her face when they had finally relented and agreed to better conditions for the animals. He had to admit, the meat tasted better now and Frypan didn’t complain nearly as much about the quality of it anymore.

               “Looks good.” Zart said causally, as he came to stand beside Newt and watch Y/N assess the goat.

               “Sorry?” Newt asked, snapping out of his thoughts and turning to his friend.

               “The goat. It’s lame.” Zart responded, gesturing towards the animal and Y/N. “My guess is, that’s what’s for dinner tonight.” As if on cue, Y/N led the hobbling goat into the shed to be slaughtered.

               “Nice call, Zart.” Newt mused before turning back to his work.

                 The day passed quickly and soon Newt was making his way across the Glade and towards the Homestead, thinking about tomorrow’s bonfire.

               “Newt! Wait up!” Y/N’s voice called. Newt turned as she jogged to catch up to him and then began walking with him to the Homestead.

               “Sorry about the goat.” Newt offered, not sure exactly what to say. He always seemed lost for words when it came to one on one conversations with Y/N.

               “It happens.” She said softly, her face falling for just a moment before excitement took over again. “So, tomorrow’s Greenie Day. Are you excited?”

               “Am I excited about another Shank coming up in The Box?” Newt asked with a laugh. “No, I can’t say I’m particularly excited about that, love.”

               “Hey,” Y/N pouted playfully, “I was just another Shank in The Box once too, you know.”

               “But that was different.” Newt replied. “Your arrival was actually exciting.”

               “Oh, right. Exciting because I’m a girl.” She scoffed.

               “No, not because you’re a girl. I mean, yes, because you’re girl but also because…never mind.” Newt said, catching himself before he confessed anything to her. “I’m gonna go finish some stuff. I’ll catch you around, yeah?” he blurted out before hastily retreating to his room and shutting the door behind him.

Newt spent dinner and the rest of the night strategically avoiding Y/N, afraid she might keep questioning him about why her arrival had excited him. In truth, everything about her excited him. What had started as simple intrigue had quickly grown to admiration once Newt had been able to witness all the facets of Y/N’s personality. He saw her when she was stubborn and determined, arguing with himself and Alby for the sake of the animals. He witnessed the fire in her spirit when she scolded the others for being careless, wasteful, or rude. He bathed in her happiness when Zart of Jeff would crack a terrible joke and Y/N would fall into a fit of giggles, or when the goats had first given birth. He fell in love with the softness she exuded when she was caring for the animals or comforting a new Greenie. Her gentle sadness at the loss of an animal or another Glader resonated deep within Newt’s soul and called to him in ways he barely understood. It had taken him a while to finally understand the shift in his feelings and even longer still to admit them to himself, but he knew he loved Y/N. He just didn’t know how to tell her or if she even felt remotely the same way. He heaved a huge sigh as he lay down that night and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Newt woke early the next morning before the sun had even begun to rise. The Homestead was quiet, being that everyone else was asleep in their hammocks. He gently made his way down the stairs and out into the Glade before sitting by the low burning fire to put his shoes on.

“Someone must be awake.” He yawned to himself as he tied his laces.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Y/N’s voice said softly from behind him.

Newt jumped slightly in surprise and turned to see Y/N carrying an armful of kindling and small branches. He stood and made to take the pile from her, but she chuckled softly and shook her head before tossing the pile onto the low fire.

“Didn’t mean to startle you, Newt.” Y/N said before sitting on the opposite side of the same log he was on. “Honestly, I’m usually the only one awake this early.”

“Usually?” Newt asked, having been unaware that Y/N being up early was a common thing.

“Yeah. You know, late to bed, early to rise…or something like that.” She said with a small smile. “Anyhow, I enjoy the peace. It’s nice to have a minute to breathe before the day starts.” Her gaze fixed onto the fire and her smile fell as she stared at the flames.

Newt could sense a sadness in Y/N and reached out to touch her hand, but she pulled away just before he could touch her and looked up at him with her dropped façade for a moment, confirming his suspicions about her sadness, before putting her carefully crafted happiness back in place.

“Sorry, I got lost in my thoughts there for a second.” She said with a smile falling into place on her mouth.

“Y/N,” Newt started, pulling his hand back into his lap but keeping his eyes on her, “You don’t have to pretend to be happy.”

Y/N’s smile faltered for just a second before she chuckled softly and looked away from Newt.

“I’m not pretending to be happy, Newt. I’m perfectly content.” Y/N replied before standing once again. “Well, enjoy the peace and quiet anyway. I’ve got to see a goat about some milk.”

Newt watched as Y/N walked away and disappeared into the Animal Pens. He wanted to follow her, to tell her that she wasn’t alone, and tell her that he was sad too and knew how hard it was to pretend otherwise, but he hadn’t told anyone else about the truth behind his ‘accident’ and didn’t know if he could handle the pity that would surely come from the truth. .

Soon enough, the sun rose and the day continued on like all the ones before it, with one exception. It was Greenie Day and shortly before lunch, the alarm from The Box began to sound across the Glade. Everyone gathered around and Newt scanned the group for Y/N’s face as Gally and Alby heaved open the heavy lift doors and Gally dropped down inside to retrieve the new Greenie. Y/N wasn’t among the faces in the crowd and Newt’s frown deepened slightly at her absence. He didn’t have time to think about it for very long though, as Gally hoisted a small, chubby boy out of The Box and dumped him unceremoniously onto the ground.

“This Greenie weighs a ton!” Gally groaned as he pulled himself from the cage and stood next to the new kid. The boy was cowering on the ground, fear etched in his features and tears welling in his eyes.

“The Greenie’s gonna cry!” another boy pointed out before everyone, Newt included, began to laugh.

 “Slim it!” Y/N’s voice shouted over the laughter, as she shoved through the boys to reach the Greenie. “You should all be ashamed! Acting like you weren’t scared as klunk on your first day!” She glared at the surrounding boys, who all quickly quieted down and avoided making eye contact. “Go on!” She shouted again. “There’s nothing to see here and you Shanks have unpacking to do besides!”

The boys quickly snapped into the routine of unpacking The Box after Y/N’s verbal lashing. Y/N knelt down next to the Greenie and helped him to his feet before shooting another glare at the remaining boys. Her eyes met Newt’s and he flinched at the anger and disappointment in her gaze before stepping forward to introduce himself to the Greenie.

“Hey, Greenie. I’m Ne-” he began before Y/N cut him off.

“I’ve got this Newt.” Y/N said with a frown.

“I was just going to give him the tour.” Newt replied, his voice faltering slightly. He had never been at the receiving end of Y/N’s disappointment or anger before and now that he was, he felt the guilt creeping up on him.

“I think you’ve done enough.” She snapped before wrapping her arm around the Greenie and leading him off.

   At the bonfire that night, Y/N introduced the Greenie properly. His name was Chuck and, like everyone else, that was all he could remember. Chuck stuck close to Y/N’s side, like a baby goat, as she brought him around to meet everyone and, subsequently, make them apologize for being such slintheads before. When they finally got to Newt, he swallowed hard and glanced up at Y/N.

“And these shanks,” Y/N began, gesturing to the table where Newt, Zart, Gally and Minho sat, “Are Zart, Gally, Minho, and Newt.” She explained as she pointed out each boy while she said their name. Chuck offered a small wave and a shy smile, which was returned only by Zart and Minho.

“Hey, Chuck, sorry about earlier.” Zart said, extending his hand in an apology. “Y/N was right. We were all scared our first day. I shouldn’t have laughed. Friends?”

Chuck beamed as he shook Zart’s hand and replied, “Of course!”

“You shanks laughed at him?” Minho questioned, having not been there when Chuck arrived. “Ruuuude.” He scooted over and then patted the spot next to him on the bench. “Have a seat, Greenbean. I’m Minho. I’m the Keeper of the Runners. Sorry I missed your debut.” He grinned as Chuck sat next to him.

                “I’m going to go get you some food from Fry. Stay here, okay?” Y/N told Chuck with a warm smile.

                “O-oh. Um. Okay.” Chuck mumbled.

“You should’ve seen him, Minho!” Gally exclaimed, taking a large swallow from his jar of moonshine as Y/N disappeared into the Kitchen. “The Greenie almost cried!” At that, Gally began to laugh heartily again. “I’m talking full on tears!”

“That’s enough, Gally.” Newt snapped, narrowing his eyes at the taller boy. “Unless you want me to tell everyone about your first day, that is.”

Gally frowned and his eyebrows knit together in irritation.

“Ugh. Whatever.” He growled before leaving the table and making his way to the Fighting Pit to challenge the other boys to sparring matches.

Newt turned to Chuck and said, “Gally likes to give everyone a hard time, but he peed himself his first day.”

Chuck’s hand flew to his mouth as he tried to stifle his laughter. Minho and Zart began snickering into their food as they recalled the incident as well.

“I’m sorry about earlier too.” Newt said, sincerely. “Sometimes I forget what it was like arriving with nothing but a name.”

“It’s alright, Newt.” Chuck said with a small shrug. Before Newt could say anything else, Y/N returned with two plates of food and set one down in front of Chuck before taking a seat next to Zart.

“Did they apologize yet?” She asked as she took a sip from her own jar of moonshine.

“Just like you said they would.” Chuck beamed at Y/N. “Well, except for Gally.” Y/N rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly with a chuckle before turning to her own food.

“You said we’d apologize?” Newt asked, looking across the table at Y/N.

“Well, sure.” She replied, not looking up from her plate. “You’re not total Slintheads after all.” She grinned and looked up at Newt and Zart a moment before adding, “Sometimes it just takes a proper telling off and a reminder that everyone has feelings. That’s all.”

 “Oh man.” Minho began to laugh as he looked between his table mates. “I would shucking kill to have been there to see Y/N tell you shanks off!” It took him a few minutes to regain his composure, but when he did, he grabbed Chuck’s arm and said, “Come on, Chuckie boy. This is your party! Let’s go enjoy!”

Chuck cast a worried glance over at Y/N as Minho and Zart lead him away and towards the bonfire to have fun. Y/N waved at him and gave him a reassuring smile before he disappeared among the other boys.

Newt and Y/N sat in silence for a few minutes before Newt slid down the table until he was directly across from Y/N. He had so much he wanted to say, but suddenly all the words were caught in his throat, so he just heaved a big sigh instead and stood to leave the table. He headed off towards the tower, hoping to get some peace to sort his thoughts out and figure out how to tell Y/N how he felt.

“Newt, wait up!” Y/N called out to him.

Newt stopped walking and turned to watch as Y/N shoved a last bite of food in her mouth and stood from the table. The way the firelight lit up her face and cast shadows along her skin was mesmerizing. He watched her grab her drink from the table and suddenly she was making her way towards where he stood. With her back now to the fire, the light shone through her H/C hair, setting it ablaze in richness and depth and framing her face in what Newt thought was perfection.

“Where’re you off to?” She asked with a soft smile on her lips. “The party’s back there.” She gestured towards the bonfire with her glass.

“Not really feeling like partying, love.” Newt replied. “It’s just a bit loud and it’s been a long day.”

“Oh. You want me to go so you can have some quiet?” Y/N asked tentatively. There was an air to her question that suggested she was hoping Newt didn’t send her away.

“No!” Newt replied a little too quickly. He cleared his throat and added, “I’d love the company, Y/N. Really.”

Y/N sighed in relief as her smile widened a touch. Newt felt his heart flutter at the sight and returned a gentle smile.

“Cool.” Y/N said before taking another drink from her glass. “So, uh, where’re we off to then?”

 Newt couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like she was nervous too. He figured he might just be projecting his feelings because he couldn’t remember a time he’d ever seen Y/N nervous before.

“I was going to the tower.” Newt answered, turning to gesture absently in the direction of the large structure. “But we don’t have to go if you’d rather not.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Y/N replied with a grin. “To the tower!” She exclaimed before grabbing Newt’s hand and walking towards their destination.

Newt felt heat rising to his cheeks and hoped it was dark enough that Y/N wouldn’t notice his flushed face. He looked down at their hands, fingers intertwined, and smiled to himself. It didn’t take very long for them to reach the tower and Newt frowned when Y/N let go of his hand upon arrival.

“So, all the way to the top or…?” She asked as she screwed a lid onto her now half full drink.

“That was my plan, yes. Are you okay to climb though?” Newt asked, eying the jar in Y/N’s hand. “That was pretty full not that long ago.” He added, in concern.

“I’m fine.” Y/N assured him with a soft giggle. “Promise.” She handed the jar to Newt, who tucked it into the side pocket of his shorts and watched as she began to ascend the ladder.

He waited until she was a decent distance up before following behind her and soon enough they were both standing on the platform at the top. Newt closed the ladder access door behind them; both to keep Y/N from accidentally falling through, and to keep the other Gladers out. He dug the jar out of his pocket and unscrewed the lid as the two of them settled down on the platform.

“Do you mind?” He asked, holding up the jar.

“Not at all, Newt Newt.” Y/N replied with a stifled giggle.

Newt chuckled into the jar before taking a drink of the amber liquid inside. It ran warm across his tongue and left a sharp, but not at all unpleasant burn down his throat before settling into his stomach.

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah?”

“I just really want to apologize again for this morning. I really didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Newt. We all get rowdy and rude sometimes.” Y/N replied, turning her face away from the sky and looking at Newt.

She reached out and took the jar from his hand and he could swear that her face flushed a deeper color when their fingers brushed against each other. They continued to pass the jar back and forth while making small talk occasionally until finally Newt tipped the last of the liquid into his mouth.

“Looks like we’re all out, love.” He remarked, holding up the empty jar.

“Oh well.” Y/N replied with a shrug before wrapping her arms around herself.

It wasn’t until then that Newt really noticed the chill in the air and the gentle shivers of Y/N’s body.

“Here.” He said, removing his hoodie and passing it to her. “I don’t want you to be cold.”

“No, Newt, it’s okay. I’ll be fine.” She said, trying to refuse the extra layer.

“Y/N…” Newt sighed. “Put it on. Please?”

Newt chuckled when Y/N once again shook her head no and tried to refuse his hoodie. He quickly bunched the fabric up around the neck hole and in a swift motion, pulled the jacket over her head.

Y/N laughed and finally accepted the extra warmth, pushing her arms through the sleeves and pulling the rest of the fabric down until it pooled at her hips.

“Alright, alright.” She chuckled. “Happy now?”

Newt thought for a second and then replied,

“Almost.” He pushed himself to his feet and moved behind Y/N before sitting down again, with her between his legs, and pulling her back into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and tucked his head into her shoulder, hearing an almost inaudible little gasp escape her lips as he did so.

“Okay. Now I’m happy.” He murmured into her ear, smiling when she relaxed into him and rested her head against his opposite shoulder.

They stayed like that for a while, just sitting in comfortable silence and staring out across the Glade, before Y/N suddenly turned her face to Newt and gently pressed her lips to his jaw. It was the softest of touches, but it hit Newt like a ton of logs. He felt his heart ache to tell her how much she meant to him and, with the help of the moonshine in his system, he finally felt brave enough to finally say it. Newt pulled his head back just enough that he could look into Y/N’s eyes before taking a deep breath.

“I love you.” He said. He meant for his words to be more eloquent than just that, but those were the only words that fell from his lips when he finally spoke.

“You…love me?” Y/N asked, her eyes searching his face for any sign of a joke, but finding none.

“Yes, Y/N. I love you.” Newt said again. “I don’t know when it happened really, but I’ve loved you for a while now.” He paused, feeling his insecurities flaring back up, before continuing, “I completely understand if you don’t feel the same way and I don’t want this to change anything between us if that’s the case, but I had to tell you. I couldn’t keep it to myself anymore. I-”

Newt’s rambling was silenced when he felt Y/N’s soft lips brush against his own. Her hand found its way to the side of his neck and she gently pulled him closer to him. Their mouths moved in sync as Newt began to kiss her back and his hand gently rested against the side of her face. He prodded her bottom lip with his tongue and Y/N opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss. They broke apart after a moment, both with flushed faces and breathing heavily.

“Does this mean you like me too?” Newt asked, biting the inside of his lip in anxiety. Y/n’s face broke out into a wide smile and she laughed before answering him.

“No, Newt.” She replied. “I don’t like you.”

Newt was confused and he felt his joy began to fall before Y/N spoke again.

“I love you.”

Suddenly his heart was soaring among the stars above them and Newt was sure he had never been this happy in his entire life. He brought his lips back to hers and smiled into their second kiss. They would share many more kisses before falling asleep on the tower, wrapped around each other and cuddled under a blanket Y/N kept up there for emergencies. Newt smiled down at the sleeping girl curled into him before closing his eyes and finally drifting off to sleep. They could deal with the others tomorrow, for now the night was theirs.

[zip001]

Meeting Again in the Vale (A Rock Opera)

Meeting in the Vale

[Quiet Isle]

There were just twelve of them, hardened yet broken men, that the Elder Brother found in the cesspool known as King’s Landing. Unlike the charlatans who promised everlasting salvation, a million virgins, a million dollars, Elder Bro simply said that he brought them to the Quiet Isle so that they could find some peace.

Literally. They did not speak, except at their bi-weekly one-on-one sessions with Elder Bro.

At first, Sandor lashed out, trying to rile up Elder Bro, cursing at him, even pushing and then striking him when nothing seemed to wipe that smile from his face. But the still imposing man refused to fight back. Elder Bro merely stepped aside or deflected his blows.

After Sandor tired himself out, Old Bro would smile and say “The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists.”

To stop Elder Bro from spouting off more new age mumbo jumbo shit, Sandor eventually broke and told him, not everything, but enough.

When I was a child, I saw a fleeting glimpse, out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, but it was gone. I cannot put my finger on it now. The child is grown, the dream is gone.

Old Bro heard snippets - mainly stuff about his older brother, the people he hurt and some he killed in cold blood, and his short stint with her runty wolf bitch sister. And finally about the Little Bird, who sang and flew, hopefully far, far away.

While his silent brothers spent their time hiking, tending to the small vegetable garden, and/or observing the wildlife for the few visiting scientists, Sandor isolated himself and chose to do the hardest and most grueling labor, countless hours alone clearing brushes away from the conservatory field station and digging ditches for the refuse. He worked at the crack of dawn and returned when the sky turned inky black.

Elder Bro admonished him many times that the he and the other brothers could take turns with him, that he was not here to serve penance, that he did not have to punish himself for the things he done nor for the things he did not do.

“Would your Little Bird want you to suffer?”

He wanted to protest - she was not his, not even in his dreams, never was and never will be.

Yet Elder Bro was not wrong either - nay, the gentle little bird would not want him to suffer.

[The Eyrie]

There were moments when she forgot herself.

It was easy when she was laughing with Randa and Myra as they went hiking. She felt so bright and light, seemingly without a care in the world.

The girls were yodeling back and forth, each trying to outdo the other and laughing at all their attempts. Randa could yodel the longest without taking a breath. Mya sniggered that it was due to her large bosoms. Maybe Mya was right that Randa’s lungs, like her huge heart, were as big as her boobs, Alayne mused, but she had to also agree with Randa that Mya’s loud yodeling eerily sounded like the brayings of her mules. Seeing a blue bird flying, Alayne mimicked its song in her yodel, brightly trilling the high notes.

Both of her friends quickly exclaimed how she sounded exactly like a bird.

“You win again, little bird I am going to call you going forward,” Mya laughed.

And suddenly she remembered. She remembered a large rough man who called her a pretty little bird, who made her sing for him, who protected her, who told her the hard truths. If he were still alive, he would have told her what she should know and should not forget, that she was not free. Sansa was still in a cage, albeit a filled cage.

Right now I feel like a bird caged without a key Ev'ryone comes to stare at me with so much joy and reverie They don't know how I feel inside Through my smile I cry.

Recovering quickly, she giggled and hugged Mya and Randa, and they returned back to the Eyrie.

That night when Petyr interrogated her on her whereabouts, telling her how much her poor sick cousin Sweetrobin missed her so much that he became almost hysterical, she knew that his interrogation was a test, a test to see whether she was lying to him. He had his men stationed pretty much everywhere and where he did not have men, he probably had cameras and drones following her every move.

[Gates of the Moon]

At first, it made no sense to him.

He understood that it was all about the Benjamins- that the fruits and vegetables harvested from the garden was far from being to enough to feed him and his brothers. The wild animals on the island were mostly endangered. Every now and then Elder Bro would leave with one of the brothers and came back with larger coolers of meat and a lot of weed.

Cash in! Cash in now honey Cash in now Cash in now Cash in now honey Cash in Miss Smith Cash in now!

Why did Elder Bro choose to take him, of all the brothers, away from the Quiet Isle to this mansion with such a hokey name at the foot of the mountain? Any of the other brothers could have easily carried the rather light bushel of Meyer lemons and seedless Bearrs limes (sweeter and juicier than key limes). Although in the past, he had provided security for manses like this, with names just ostentatious, Casterly Rock and Red Keep, Sandor didn’t fit in with this type of crowd - he did not hobnob, just could not do small talk with the bejeweled society women. And his ugly scarred mug would not bring in large donations from Elder Bro’s wealthy patrons, but instead would scare them away.

Before they walked up to the guarded gate house, Elder Bro stopped and said, “Go ahead and ask.”

“Why?”

The older man smirked, “You will see.”

After being granted access by the guard, the next person they met was a buxom woman who opened the door and blatantly ogled him and Elder Bro.

“My, my, what big arms you both have.”

‘Fuck!’ Did Elder Bro meant to pimp him out for some kinky three-some? Was this some sick joke? He never asked the other brothers what they did when they left the Quiet Isle with Elder Bro. Mainly because of the silence thing, but frankly he knew how the world worked, even for someone like Elder Bro, who was savvy enough to know how to work the system. He could sell ice to the polar bears!

Then Sandor heard a light slapping sound and her voice.

“Randa, oh behave.”

‘It was her, the Little Bird.’

Even with her red hair dyed brown, he would recognize her eyes anywhere.

Sandor noticed her eyes widen slightly in recognition. But then she acted as if she never met him before and smiled welcomingly at them both, graciously ushering them in and introducing Myranda, who lived in this mansion with her father Nestor Royce, and herself as Alayne, one of Myranda’s guests for the summer.

After they deposited the produce in the kitchen (Randa did a rather loud stage whisper that the kitchen staff was going to bake the largest lemoncake for her best friend who had such a sweet tooth), Elder Bro brought out the bundled sage sticks from his bag and started the sage smudging process. At the corner of his eyes, he saw her looking at him in concern as chanting Elder Bro burnt the sage sticks in two large abalone shells (he was no longer deathly afraid of such small flames). Carrying the smaller bowl, he walked dazed behind Elder Bro, who, in turn, followed the two striking women as they weaved their way from room to room, each room had one or more armed guards.

The older man blessed each of the rooms with burning sage, but for one of the large guest bedroom suites. Alayne, she was called that, stopped Elder Bro from crossing the threshold of that room, the only room that was vacant.

“If any room needs to be smudged, it would Petyr’s room!” exclaimed Myranda.

“Father does not like anyone in his room when he is not there.”

‘Petyr! Of course, it had to be him who stole her away!’ He remembered the way that man stared at her.

Sandor stumbled and almost dropped his shell full of smoldering sage. But in his attempt to hold onto the shell, he inadvertently brought the shell towards his face and deeply inhaled the smoke. He could not see, could not breathe and could not stop coughing. There was so much smoke.

The smoking shell was quickly taken from him, and he was gently lead away. He found himself alone with her in Petyr’s bathroom. She was wiping his face with a cool wet cloth, as if she did this a million times before. Sandor could breathe again, could smell her light citrus scent.

He tried to still her hand by grabbing it.

“Little Bird,” he hoarsely whispered.

Sansa stopped wiping his face but did not respond. She acted as if she did not hear him but slightly tilted her head towards the bathroom vent as she proceeded to fill a small glass with water. A small camera!

“Sir, Miranda called an ambulance.”

He was no Sir! She knew that!

“I’m fine... There is no need.”

She efficiently handed him the glass. Nothing tasted as sweet as the cool water she gave him. And she did not even waver when she blocked the camera with her body and quickly slipped silver wedding bands on his ring finger and her ring finger.

It took all of his will to not yell at her, shake her hard, trying to stop whatever mad scheme she was planning. They were all in danger. He knew that - she knew that. Sandor has a feeling that Elder Bro and her friend knew as well as he could see them both huddled at one corner of Petyr’s room. Myranda looked agitated while Elder Bro looked quite concerned. They were two men and two women with sage sticks against many heavily armed men!

“You almost fainted after you inhaled the smoke - it is just a precaution. Smoke inhalation can cause serious respiratory damage. They need to make sure that you are all right.”

Sandor thought they would be surely stopped but the guards just stepped back when he was wheeled into the ambulance as she held his large hand in her tiny hand. Holding his hand, she kept on saying that everything would be fine as she got into the ambulance as his wife, as they drove to the hospital, as he got admitted, as they were reunited by very relieved Myranda and Elder Bro.

And she was right! Everything was fine at the double wedding of Randa and Elder Bro and of him and his little but formidable bird.

Hey little sister, what have you done? Hey little sister, who's the only one? I've been away for so long I've been away for so long I let you go for so long It's a nice day to start again Come on it's a nice day for a white wedding It's a nice day to start again!

[luffywhatelse]

Simplify - chapter three

Words: 2361 Genre: Angst, Drama, Romance Pairing: Ed x Winry Rating: T Summary: this takes place during the time spent by the Elric brothers at Winry’s house after the Promise Day, then before the proposal. Ed and Winry are not dating or anything. — An old classmate calls home asking for Winry but it’s Edward answering the phone…And he could never stand that guy.

Previous: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

CHAPTER 3 Ed was at Winry's bedroom door. He stopped and took a deep breath. He raised his hand, his fingers curled up in a loose fist, ready to knock. He halted the motion right before hitting the wooden door, though, almost changing his mind. He had to act quickly, there was no time to waver, he thought. So, without thinking, he raised his hand again and knocked. "It's me," he said, getting his face closer to the door. First he heard the sound of her footsteps approaching. Thank goodness, she's not already asleep then. However, the door didn't unlock, Winry's steps turned away. She had decided not to open.  ~ Edward had spent the rest of the night unable to sleep. He was literally consumed by the thought of her disappointed look and wondered if Winry was having trouble sleeping too. When he got out of the bed in the morning, he saw his reflection in the mirror and the deep rings around his eyes, realizing he couldn’t even get to be mad at her without feeling guilty about it. He felt guilty of hurting her with his words to such an extent that she hadn't wanted to give him the chance to explain himself, but heck, Al was right, Winry was too important and giving up wasn't an acceptable choice. No way. He would try to talk to her again. Even if he had to force her to listen to him. Yeah, but he didn't even know what to say.  He went to her. She was working, so he brought a cup of coffee. A hot beverage, unlike him, was always welcome.  He heard her voice, she surely was with a client. A man, actually.  He barely looked in and saw Russell hugging her.  His breath died in his throat and he almost ran the risk of dropping his cup of coffee.  "David-san..." she whispered and got away. San??? "Give me a chance, just go out with me once... I promise you that if you don't have fun, I'll take you home right away and won’t insist anymore." So in the end Winry refused his invitation. That stubborn bastard! "I don't..." she then said.  "Come on..." he urged, placing his hands on her shoulders again to regain contact with her.  Winry took a step back but he followed her.  How pushy! That idiot didn't want to give up even though she was clearly refusing him. How dare he impose himself that way?? That was enough. He had seen too much.  Edward came in, making noise, and put his coffee cup on the table.  "Oh, Elric." David said without taking his hands off Winry, who looked embarrassed.  Ed turned to them and raised his chin just like a tiny head nod, crossing his arms. He had no intention of leaving but not even of greeting that bastard and probably would have stared at him until that scumbag had thrown those grubby hands off Winry, like back in the old days.  But things didn't go that way. It was Winry who took his slimy hands off her shoulders. "I'm going to get you that thing for Akira, I'll be right back," she said turning to him.  Even his cat has a dumb name – Ed thought, watching Winry get out, and then stood there staring at him.  "Well, what do you want?" Russell blurted out with a snarl, finally showing his true nature. To be honest, the fact that Ed had watched him being rejected must sting like hell.  "Nothing, I want to stay here. If you got a problem with it, go away," the alchemist replied.  "I've always been fine with the fact that you were here too," he emphasised that "too" as if Edward had always been the third wheel.  They stared angrily at each other for a while.  "Tell me, Elric," he began again, "Did you do that, then?"  "Do what?" he answered with the minimum number of words he could find without insulting him. And if he restrained himself was only for Winry.  David laughed. "Don't play innocent. Or are you one of those spineless guys who don't talk about their private things?" Edward continued to stare at him, his anger was piling up.  "Oh man, that chick got a prime cut of ass..."  "Watch your mouth, bastard!"  "Not to mention her boobs, I can't wait to hold them in my hands," he continued, biting his fist pretending to feel a stirring.  "HEY!" Edward went toward him like a caged animal. He couldn't lay a hand on him or, he knew, it would end badly with Winry. "Get the fuck out of here, now," he ordered peremptorily.  “Or what, Elric?” the other growled. "She's not selling me that… I mean, that being goodie two-shoes... sooner or later she will say yes and you won't be able to do anything..." he turned away, touching the tools on the table and giving a half smile.  "Impossible, since she will never speak to you again!"  "You can be sure of that. I will not give her a chance to speak... I have already heard too much chattering and I'm going to do something totally different this Saturday."  Edward covered the distance between them, then he pounced on him, slamming his back against the wall, "Listen to me! Now turn on your heels, get the hell out, and I'll pretend you didn't say a thing!" Ed was holding him by the shirt while he, achy, giggled.  That guy seemed amused by his fury and, meeting Ed's wild look and tense expression, added: "Take it easy, I'm leaving," he lifted his hands feigning to surrender,  "I'll be careful not to hurt her too much when I fuck her like a little slut... "  Edward grunted, punched his jaw with all the strength he had and kicked him behind his knees making him crash to the ground with a strangled moan; he was more determined to kill him than to silence him. He kicked him again in the middle of his back, forcing him to fall forward. David dragged with him a whole shelf full of tools that crashed to the ground. But he was still giggling. "You know, I don't understand if you're worried about her or if it bothers you that you're not banging her-” Another fist hit him on the jaw as Edward jumped on him.  "ARE YOU STILL TALKIN'?" his wrath had exploded and a couple of left hooks landed on the other cheek.  At that very moment, Winry rushed in, "Hey, what the hell is going on here?" she shouted but Edward could hardly hear her. He felt like going on a killing spree, with one hand holding David by the collar of his shirt while with the other hand he kept punching him again and again.  "Ed! Stop it!" shouted Winry and Edward, in a shred of sanity, or better of humanity, stopped and stared at him struggling to calm down. But he didn't move from where he was and didn't let go of him.  "For heaven's sake, get off! Let him go! ALPHOOOOONSE!" Winry began to sob in fright.  He was unable to break eye contact with David, giving him a threatening stare. His arm was still clutching the other guy in a vice and he wouldn’t let him off the hook.  "Please Ed... let go, you're scaring me..." she said. Scaring me? – Edward blinked hearing those words. Flared nostrils, quick breath; he finally got up. Then he looked back at his opponent, standing still to regain his strength but also to look at him better.  David clung to a chair to get back to his feet, though stunned. "Don't worry, Winry..." he said, trying to wipe the blood off himself with his shirt sleeve.  "NEVER SPEAK HER NAME AGAIN WITH THAT FILTHY MOUTH!" Ed shouted.  Winry turned terrified, to David's pleasure. The girl's breathing was uneven while she stared at Ed without missing a single blink of his eyes.  "I'm fine," David reassured her in a harsh tone, "It's nothing, but thanks for stopping him," he added only to balm his wounded pride. Then he struggled to right himself, continuing to talk to distract Winry. He put a hand on her cheek and only then Alphonse came along, out of breath. Just in time, because Ed lashed out at David, moving Winry with one arm to get her away from him. The girl shouted reflexively; the violence of the impact almost made her lose her balance. Ed grabbed David, threw him to the ground and was immediately on top of him; the thud took David's breath away.   Alphonse promptly grabbed his brother by the shoulders and held him up by blocking his arms from behind. Edward wouldn't keep still, wriggling and howling his head off "DON'T TOUCH HER, PIECE OF SHIT BASTARD!" he yelled angrily.  Winry was too scared to even move.  "Winry..." David whispered. "It's better for me to go now. I've caused too much trouble," he grunted.  The girl turned to him when, until then, her eyes had been glued to Ed, as if he was the fierce animal to be afraid of. "Y-yes..."  David Russell hugged her when there was no possible way that she could stop him and, behind her, flashed Edward the vilest grin he could do. But this time there was also Alphonse to see him.  Edward freaked out, trying to shake his younger brother off "I'LL KILL YOU!" he said flailing his arms, but Al had always been stronger than him. Thank goodness.  When David finally left, Al released his grip on his brother, "So can you tell me what the hell is going on?"  Winry cried, visibly upset, "You scared me to death, I... I... that look of yours... it scares me, Ed!"  But the boy couldn't find any peace.  "That bastard... Al, you have no idea what he said!" and then, turning to Winry, he added, "You have to stay away from him, do you understand? You never have to see him again, don't speak to him! NEVER MORE! Do you hear me?"  Alphonse left them alone to argue and disappeared.  "But why... why are you doing this?" Winry frowned, clearly frustrated. "What did he say?" she spoke these last words slowly.  Edward took a breath to answer but couldn't say a word. He was too angry and embarrassed to repeat those sentences.  Winry shook her head, resigned but angry at the same time, while a tear ran down her face.  "Please, Winry, don't cry," Ed said, still panting but now worried about her, "You know I can't stand to see you crying..."  "You should have thought about that before..."  "You don't get it..." he mumbled as he approached her.  He watched her. She was like a delicate flower… beautiful even in tears. At that moment, he could barely think of touching her, like he was almost afraid of ruining her; how could that maggot have uttered such insults while he, Edward Elric, was helpless with that seething cauldron of emotions inside him just looking at her?  Winry screamed exhausted, moving away from him, with a lump in her throat.  She looked like she just couldn't understand how they got roped into those kinds of conversations. At that point, furious, she yelled, pointing at him, "So I'm the one that doesn't understand? And what exactly am I supposed to understand?"  Her beautiful, angelic face, with blue eyes and white skin was shadowed by bitterness, "You want to decide things for me, choose who I have to date, with whom I can or cannot speak!" she was shouting at him without even realizing what she was saying, "You're screwing up both my job and life this way: what's wrong with you men? One morbidly insistent who doesn't understand when it's time to stop and the other one possessive without any reason to be... who gave you the right to choose things for me?"  "Well, actually, YOU said that I wouldn't get rid of you so easily, so you can't get rid of me easily either," he retorted decidedly, not realizing that he sounded almost threatening.  Winry frowned and Ed couldn’t tell whether her heart was softened by the fact that he remembered her sentence pronounced long ago or she wanted to express her outright disagreement even more than before. "Don't you realize you're just like him?"  "What?" Ed blurted out, insulted and hurt, "WHAT? Ho-how could I?"  "You're not different and not even better, who do you think you are with your words, your temper…"  "You can't seriously mean that, Winry... it's crazy," he interrupted her.  "Indeed, it may be crazy, but that's the problem."  "That guy's face begs to be slapped! I wish you could have heard what..."  "Ok, enough of that already! I'll tell you, you... you're such an egotistical, selfish person! You think only of yourself!"  "I don't care what you think, because I will never let this bastard near you again!" and doing so he stepped across that intangible divide and abolished the physical distance separating them. Then he grabbed her arms harder than he intended, and Winry was pulled to Edward, losing her balance.   He wrapped her up in his arms as if to physically point out what he had said and Winry found her face pressed against his chest. Ed acted instinctively, without thinking, and squeezed her.  "What are you doing...?" she asked him, trying to withdraw, "Get off me!" she told him.  Edward immediately obeyed, feeling guilty, as if his rationality had suddenly awakened.  "Can't you see? You think you can just hug me to convince me to do what you want, you saved me but you don't even want to tell me from what! It's always like this, you expect me to understand while you're silently staring at me like that, or worse, you keep to yourself and get upset when I don't do it your way, as if I was dull and I couldn't get there on my own! Well, can you tell me exactly what is it that you want me to understand? I mean, what do you want from me? You can't just decide to control me! You can't!"  She sobbed convulsively, "You... you acted exactly like him... taking upon yourself a right that you don't have!" she severely scolded him before walking out the door, bitterly emphasizing the last three words.  "Winry!" he screamed but didn't try to reach her.

Next: CHAPTER 4 

[douxreviews]

The Magicians - ‘Escape from the Happy Place’ Review

“If I ever get out of here Q, know that when I'm braver it's because I learned it from you.”

The magicians struggle with confronting their past, their fears, and their sorrow as they somewhat unwillingly plot deicide, send pedophiles to their likely death, and try to rewrite the future. So a typical day in Magicians-land.

Margo and most of the other questers (minus Kady because she’s been MIA for a while) think Eliot’s dead. When Margo tells Fen this she cries for two hours. But Fen’s surprised to find out Margo hasn’t cried at all (minus that single tear shed in the werewolf cage). Instead, Margo’s busy trying to unlock her birth-right box and let the entire castle know the terrible news. It’s easy to see why Fen would be surprised by Margo’s muted reaction; Eliot was (is?) her best friend. Somehow, more than her best friend. But we’ve seen Margo cope with sorrow. She toughed it out when Eliot was in a magic coma, she lashed out at Jane Chatwin after finding out her friends died in another timeline. Even when she cracks her shield just a little, it’s usually only when she’s alone. Here, Margo feels a huge burden of responsibility and a fear that giving in to her grief would render her useless. Her quest for an opened birth-right box ends (at least, for now) with a mute lizard. Her answers lost to the other problem she refused to confront all episode: the silenced talking animals.

Alice spends the episode desperately trying to save Quentin, which she succeeds in. The problem is that she doesn’t get the tolerance she was hoping for. Instead of getting to stick around, Quentin tells her to go off to wherever the magic book tells her to go, the book that sent Plover to die in the poison room. Alice was hoping for a redemption arc, or at least that’s what Plover thinks (thought?). She hopes that if she can save Quentin, reverse some of the damage done, she can be more accepted or, at least, tolerated. She hopes she’ll get points for killing Plover, and then questions whether that makes her better or worse. But all this fails. Notably, the entire episode she doesn’t apologize or even really mention what she did at all. Maybe this comes from fear of confronting her betrayal, why she did it, and what that makes her now. Both Santa and Plover tell her to move on, because who she is is not what she’s done. Alice doesn’t seem to believe that. But Alice also doesn’t seem to have any idea what a redemption arc would look like for her.

Finally, while trapped inside a fun and revealing creative plot device, Eliot struggles with having to confront his past and his greatest fear. Eliot, situated somewhere in the monster’s eye or soul or shade or whatever, starts the episode lost in a fantasy sequence. He’s living it up at Brakebills when Charlton (the last dude to lose his body to the monster) pulls him out, tells him where he is, and warns him of the creepy creatures lurking in the weird mind-world. Eliot hopes to find a door so he can reach out to his friends. But to find it, he needs to search through his most repressed and traumatic memories. And he fields through a lot of them. Little Eliot kicking the bullied kid while he’s down, big Eliot endangering his friends in the Nietherlands because of the special carrots, big Eliot brushing Quentin off the morning after the threesome. The door showed up in a memory with Quentin, where he turned Quentin down when asked about starting up a relationship after the mosaic quest. But it didn’t appear until he confronted the memory, his fear, his tendency to run away when he gets scared. A fear that lies beneath most of his repressed memories. After he confronts it, he can reach out. And, not only that, he can use the memory that terrified him to convince Quentin he was there, he needed saving. So Quentin saved him.

Bits and Pieces

-- It’s hard to hate the monster when he’s always so childlike and confused. Like when he told Quentin it’s okay his friend is dead because the monster is his friend now so he still has the same amount. And he really seemed to believe that. But also he kills a bunch of people, so…

-- Speaking of which, RIP Iris. But I don’t really care about her, anyway. Also, RIP Shoshana. Julia’s number of followers is limited to Penny 23 now. Unless she still has followers from her tree-growing days.

-- Speaking of Penny 23, he’s now following the Penny route of sucky circumstances. He was stabbed with a needle by some unknown stranger.

-- According to Iris, Julia has the worst of humans and gods. She’s helpless but immortal. Which sucks. But also Shoshana’s right, Iris is—or was—pretty sketchy.

-- Eliot’s repressed memories includes but is not limited to: Brakebills South (all of it), sleeping with people’s boyfriends, including Quentin, nearly got everyone killed, dog incident one and two, and camping.

-- I loved pirate-fighting Fen, Penny-fighting Quentin, and especially Welters captain Margo helping Eliot with the creepy mind-world creatures.

Eliot: “What the fuck?” Charlton: “Tell me, I’ve been trying to understand it, I just couldn’t figure it out. What is fuck?”

Charlton: “Whatever you say, Jack Shepard.” Eliot: “Is that a Lost reference?” Charlton: “We watched it all one week over Christmas. I stayed in that memory for a while. What did you think of the finale?” Eliot: ���Stay on task.”

Eliot to memory Quentin: “I know you’re just a memory but you’re a very generous one.”

Four out of Four epidemics of mute talking animals.

Ariel Williams

[insane-control-room]

Broken Back and Forth, Monster To and Fro

Bertrum was... complicated. He never was human to begin with, and now... 

monster.

(set in the optic ink au [my horrible interpretation of it at least], inspired by Mechanical Heart by @queenofcats17​)

Back and forth.

Bertrum paced the small room, his arms folded, the others going back and forth. He had more than two arms, and he hated the six extras. All they did was destroyed, crushed, and wrought ruin as they snapped back and forth.

He hurt everyone around him and pushed them away, and then he’d let people in and they’d die, and it was back and forth.

It always hurt. Not just his physical, heavily modified body, but an additional emotional longing. Just to be liked, or cared about, yet at the same time a desire to be left alone. A back and forth. Bertrum never was the person to have many friends, and most he had, he had also seen them fade away and vanish, die and be killed. Back and forth, people came in and out of his own long life. He lived and could live much longer than any human could, and his outlandish lifespan was extended by Drew’s… little project.

A ride?! And his least favorite at that, the one he slaved over the most for balance and imbuing it with all his power, the one he absolutely wished was a simple project despite his love to challenge himself, the one he argued over the name with for ages, him wishing to call it the Spider and Joey deciding on the Whirling Willow (Wilbur had been unimpressed). It went back and forth. He could not always feel the inked appendages behind him, but he always heard the mechanical screeches and saw them flinch before him every so often. Back and forth. When he could feel them they hurt and ached, and burned to move.

He was alone for a long time.

And then Lacie came back to him. She was changed as well, looking like a circus actress but made of metal. An animatronic.

He cursed himself for even thinking up such a machine.

But she did not mind, she never cared. She was with him in the then and in the now, and now their lives could or would be the same length until they would rust.

He was uncertain how he felt about it.

Forth…

On one hand, he was overjoyed. He loved hir with all his heart (or mechanism), and was glad and thankful to spend any time with hir at all. She was his rock, his lifeline. And he loved hir.

And back…

On the other hand, he was distraught and self persecuting. He always wanted to live alongside hir, and near their deathless demises, they had lived together, in the same house, but were just carefully edging around each other, still friends, both torn between having each other as more or remaining at the balance they had found. Was his wish that she could live for the same amount of time as him the cause for their robotic shift? Was it his fault she no longer was human?

A whirl snapped him out of it, his extra limbs creaking and jerking. Back and forth, faster and faster. Pain shot through his back with their motions, collapsing him to his knees on the floor. He gasped, ink spilling out of his eyes in agony as his ‘arms’ lashed out, writhing and wreaking anything in the room.

Back…

Not again!

He always broke everything.

He was broken. A fallen god. A torn goddess. Bertrum and Hedon--

And forth…

Bertrum. Bertrum Piedmont. Alive.

He shook as he waited to ride out the anguish, falling forward into a bow as mechanical limbs shattered glass, tore up floorboards, and destroyed cloth.

Back…

Monster.

That’s all he was. A monster. Back and forth. Doomed to desecrate and desolate.

He gripped the ground as his tears formed a puddle beneath him, seeping into the wood, and spilling back from his eyes, renewing the inky splotches. Back and forth.

And back…

Twisted.

He once knew for certain that he was not Hedone, and never should have been her, but now he could not tell if this was the other gods’ punishment for not being who he was.

He grit his teeth, hating himself for even allowing a sliver of doubt to slip past him just for one small pain.

Forth…

No. He. Yes. Male. He, him, his. Back and forth. That is who he is. Not she. No. Hedone was a mistake. He was Bertrum.

And forth…

Lacie helped him keep that a part of himself. She kept him going and repaired him, and sometimes he could return the favor for hir.

An arm shattered a lightbulb, shocking pain lacing up into his body, back and forth, in and out, making him scream. He covered his mouth, shaking and crying. Footsteps came close, in and out of his ringing hearing, obscured by his screeching limbs, and all he could do was curl in on himself and wait to be found, and he was terrified that whoever might find him would get hurt. He would tear them apart without wanting to, in and out. So he was immensely relieved when the extraneous limbs tired. The footsteps hurried toward him, and he felt panic rising. He was a monster, he could kill them.

“Hey, uh, Bert?”

No no no Wally go away, you’re going to get hurt….

“Mr. Piedmont?”

Thomas, run, you foolish mechanic, please save yourself….

“Are you alright? Can I get a yes or no?”

Why are you like this, Sammy? Go, be happy with the loves of your life, and write amazing and sweet songs, don’t get torn to shreds….

“GO AWAY!” he shrieked, finally jolting up and scrambling back, the mechanical appendages screeching alongside his voice, in and out. “STAY AWAY FROM ME! I’M A MONSTER, RUN! BE SAFE, GO AWAY!”

The three boyfriends flinched back, Thomas and Sammy gripping Wally’s hands with their gloved ones (to avoid getting inked).

“Let’s get Lacie,” Thomas quietly suggested. NO, do NOT bring hir! “She usually can calm him down, right? I… I’m honestly worried about him….”

“Don’t worry about me, just go and leave!” Bertrum shouted, his false arms snapping to the wall and cracking holes in the wood, in and out. “Go away, I’m going to hurt you!”

“We’re goin’ an’ gettin’ Lacie,” Wally replied, pressing a kiss to the top of Thomas’s head (using his new height to his advantage). Bertrum yelled incoherent protests, drowned out by his limbs’ screaming. “C’mon Sammy. Or do you wanna stay an’ try ta keep him… in this room.”

“Nope,” the musician squeaked in a plain answer, gripping Wally’s arm with all his might. Which was a lot. “Let’s go find hir. Like, right now. Bertrum is… Bertrum is scaring me.”

“I SHOULD BE!” he roared, his arms crashing into the walls and leaving more gashes, twitching back and forth. “I’M DANGEROUS, STAY AWAY!”

“We’re getting help for you, Bertrum,” Thomas told him. The man-turned-park-ride inhaled sharply with a strangled and choked noise, appendages retracting to attack the ceiling and writhe around their owner. “Please just stay here. We’ll be back, we promise.”

“NO!” he shouted at them, his rear arms poised to strike, in and out. “Do not come back! Never come back! That’s how you can help!”

“Well,” Sammy looked at his boyfriends. “We’ll be bold enough and let you know we disagree. You need some real help.”

“Monsters. Don’t. Need. help.” he growled, mechanical ligaments snapping to and fro. “I’m a monster. You need to take care of yourselves and each other, but not a monster!”

“Ya ain’t a monster, Mr. Piedmont,” Wally solemnly retorted. “You just are in a lotta pain. We all are. We’re gettin’ ya Lacie now.”

As they left, the door became covered in ink.

“It’s for your own good, Mr. Piedmont,” Thomas’ voice was muffled. “You’re not locked in there, but we need you to stay safe.”

He tore into the floor and walls, ink stinging his metallic bones. They boxed him in. He screamed, ripping apart everything he could.

He eventually curled up next to the door, like a caged animal wishing to escape but without the strength or means. A while later, he paced the room again, back and forth, the door no longer covered in ink. He should run, in and out, he knew he shouldn’t put anyone in danger, but a part of him anchored him there.

The door opened, Lacie rushing in. Bertrum yelped and his robotic limbs jerked toward hir menacingly, but he rushed back before they could reach hir and tear hir apart screw by screw.

“S-stay away!” he ordered, but his voice wavered and broke, back and forth. Lacie approached him a little more, glancing at the three men in the doorway. She shooed them to go. “I’m warning you!”

“Bertrum.” She walked slowly and steadily. “Are you alright?”

“NO! Stay back! I’m a monster!”

“No you’re not, Bertie.”

“DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

“What should I call you, then?” she challenged. “Monster?”

“That’s what I am.”

“Prove it,” she demanded, smirking. The smile faded as Bertrum’s secondary arms acted as legs, lifting him above the ground to loom over hir, back and forth. She forced a laugh. “Ha! See? You’re not a mon-STER!”

Bertrum had grabbed hir by the straps of her overalls, hauling hir in the air. She stared at him with wide eyes, and he looked down at hir with a blank and empty expression.

“Say that again, I dare you.”

“You’re not a monster,” she replied. He ripped through the floor, stalking to a wall and shoved hir against it, holding hir in place. “You’re still not a monster, Bertrum.”

Roaring, he tore through wood and metal and destroyed whatever he hadn’t already in the room. He was breathing harshly, still pinning hir to the wall.

“I don’t see a monster, Bertrum. I see the same you you were, lost and lonely and hurting. You don’t have to be lonely anymore.”

His hands shook, so he gripped the denim and aluminum tighter.

He used his mechanical arms to sit hir against the wall, removing his personal hands. Back and forth. Lacie looked back at him. He pushed some of hir curls from hir face.

“Try telling me I’m not a monster now.”

His lips pressed against hirs, soft and rough all at once. His air was hot on hir cheek, his moustache tickling hir slightly. One of his hands held hir wrist, tight, the other resting on hir side, his thumb going back and forth gently. Behind him, his highest of the extra arms shaped a heart. She stared at him. Bertrum Piedmont, the man of no feelings (a blatant lie everyone pretended was gospel), was kissing hir, and she wasn’t responding?! Blasphemy!

Just as he was about to pull away from Lacie, she wrapped hir free arm around his neck, pulling him back to hir lips, slightly opened. Back and forth. He felt black tears running down his face, staining his cheeks, the ink dark and cruel, but she still, despite his monstrous body and tortured being, she kissed him.

They pulled back after Lacie needed air. Bertrum’s inverted eyes studied hir, worried for hir mental health and spilling self loathing. She cupped his cheek, wiping away black tears with hir thumb.

“Ya not any monster,” she told him, and he gawked at hir, shocked. Then he growled and slammed their lips back together again, biting and nipping, all teeth, but still soft and gentle, not wanting to hurt hir in the slightest, giving hir ample room to back out. Hir heart ached as he hesitated before pressing back into the sweetest of kisses. Did he think that letting his pent up emotions out made him a monster? She ran hir hand, released from Bertrum’s grip, through his hair, calming him. In and out. He rested his chin on hir shoulder. She ran hir hand over his back in little soothing circles and through his ink like hair, ruffling it and pushing it back. Back and forth. “Showing that you care doesn’t make you a monster, Bertrum. Showing how you feel makes you… well, a person. We all have needs and desires, and when they’re not met, we get upset. It’s okay.”

His knees buckled, his hand gripping hir sleeve as he sank, sagging against hir, his head slipping down to press his forehead against hir shoulder in sobs. She pressed a kiss to the side of his head, trying not to cry hirself. His shaking slowed, turning to little tremors.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, his tears spilling down his face. She hugged him tighter. “I’m sorry I’m a mons--”

“Nope,” Lacie cut him off. “You’re not a monster.”

He wrapped an arm around hir, pulling himself up to hug hir.

“Please… please help me,” Bertrum whimpered. She nodded, hugging him back tightly. “I-I love you, Lacie.”

“Aw, Bertrum…” she rocked with him, back and forth. “I’ve known for a long time, my Bertie….”

“Y-you’re not mad?” he wondered, incredulous, pulling back to look at hir, his gold eyes drowned in black searching hir desperately. “D-do you… l-love me too?”

“Yes, Bertrum,” she murmured, kissing his brow. Bertrum stared at hir before crumbling into tears of pure emotion. She rocked him, back and forth, holding him close. “Bertrum, I love you.”

She lifted him in hir mechanical arms, holding him aloft bridally, him resting his head against hir bicep, hir immense strength and power grown exponentially in her animatronic form. Lacie carried him down the halls with a brisque nod to the trio that retrieved hir, swaying back and forth with Bertrum, setting him down carefully on the bed they would swap every other night (or when they’d assume it was night), in and out. Bertrum immediately curled up, making himself into a ball, using his extra limbs to pull the blanket over himself. He always slept like that for as long as he could remember. Lacie thought it was adorable. She chuckled softly, laying down beside him, pulling him close, tucking his head under hir chin, pulling hir knees up to cradle Bertrum.

Lacie let hirself shut down when Bertrum’s rushed breathing and quieted sobs faded. They let each other comfort themselves.

Bertrum woke groggily on his back instead of side, still tired enough to sleep, but a pressure was on his chest, warm and rising and falling. Lacie’s head was pressed to his neck, hir warm processed air gently tickling his collar. He wrapped his arms around hir, his true arms, kissing the top of hir head. As for the rest of hir body, she was splayed over him, limbs on either side of him. He slowly raised them both on his back arms, the blanket still on top, and began rocking them both back and forth, like a child’s basket might.

Just to and fro. Back and forth. Breathing in and out.

He fell back asleep to the genteel motion and Lacie’s breath.

Maybe his extraneous arms could be used for something after all.

Back and forth.