#and her having a kid wasn’t the reason I became obsessed with her. I just dug deeper into her backstory and got sad and attached

[malachitezmeyka]

Personally, I think if critically acclaimed classical author Alexander Dumas could look at his most well-known creation, The Three Musketeers, and go “Okay but what if the hot evil lady had a secret child who then grows up and interacts with people responsible for his mother’s death”, then 12 year old me was in her full right to turn around and do the same thing

[fantasywater]

Catradora and Stolitz: Same Toxic Ship just Different Genders

This series has always felt like the Catra Show, and so much so that even Hordak never felt like the main villain. And nothing drove that point home more than season five proving once and for all that this series' moral line(or lack thereof) is really about a Villain Protagonist when the character that increasingly became a monster for four seasons still got everything she wanted in the end.   

Catra is the poster child for the moral bankruptcy of this series. 

I can't buy her ''redemption,'' or her relationship with Adora, because she went too far. 

Therefore nor can I buy the mental gymnastics that arise when she is the topic of discussion in the fandom. 

For four seasons I watched this character willingly and gleefully jump rope with the moral event horizon. Then she finally broke it to the pieces when she genocides the planet, and everyone on it, because of her sick, evil, obsession with being better than Adora.

Loved all this time my behind.

Catra was a vile person from her introduction, and just got increasingly more poisonous as the show went on. 

Season Five wants us to treat Catra like she was just a bad friend.

She just said a few mean words here and there, and therefore all she has to do is sincerely apologize then friendship can begin again.  

Here's the thing Catra wasn't just a bad friend she was an abuser and a fascist. 

She had multiple opportunities to leave the horde, and had no reason to stay in the first place, gleefully attacks the resistance, is the reason Angela died, tried straight up multiple times to end Adora’s and her friends lives, and was just an abomination to even the ones on her side etc..   

On the flip side we have Adora who doesn’t give a damn about Catra for four seasons. She’s too busy enjoying life with her real friends.

Try and recall, was there ever a moment where Adora was...concerned for Catra’s safety? Pining for her in any way romantically? Ever? Even once during the first four seasons? Because I don’t.

Honestly, Catra wasn’t important to Adora until Catra showed up on screen. And then they both wanted to kill each other. Any moments of Adora thinking about Catra it was in the context of Catra being her enemy.

But I'm supposed to believe in their romance based on what? Catra's toxicity? Adora's nonexistent romantic feelings for pretty much the entire series?   

It seems in season 5 all Catra had to do was one act of atonement and out of nowhere, like Adora has been possessed by the ghost of Queer Rep, she suddenly can’t get Catra out of her head.

Also, note that Catra didn't save Glimmer because she realized her past actions were evil; no it was all for Adora's sake i.e. the person she is toxically obsessed with. 

Furthermore, the redemption in question is handled with the most condescending of kid gloves.

It seems like she was replaced by a clone for season five. She’s just accepted.

It's like seasons 1-4 didn't happen. The forgiveness was excessive and forced so we could be okay with this abuser/war criminal being chummy and romantic with her victims.

For example, Glimmer cries over her, kisses her cheek, etc... Yet Catra is responsible for her mother's death, the world ending, trying to kill her, war crimes against Bright Moon, etc. 

Then Entrapta also forgives Catra like it’s nothing even though she sent her to die, and apparently, she was in this hell space for a year.

But everything is supposed to be wonderful because an abuser ends the series romantically involved with her victim?   

When Adora said you made your choice and now live with it that should have been the end of any reconciliation either platonic or romantic. 

Even her flashbacks are of her being abusive.

You see her in one of them( in her so-called redemption season at that) scratching Adora's face to the point it left blood, and jumping on her stomach just because Adora dared to be friends with other people.

This was pretty much every childhood flashback they showed.

She would emotionally and physically abuse Adora, and then Adora would take her back.

This would continue even as young adults. It was a pattern(red flag) that Adora unfortunately didn't escape. 

But.....I always loved you,says Catra. 

For Adora's own mental health/closure, she could forgive, but only if she also makes it clear that she doesn't want her abuser/ex-friend back in her life.   

I could have tolerated that ending instead of Adora becoming a couple with her abuser. 

Basically, this Villain Sue ends the show getting everything she wants even after manipulation of several characters, genocide, war crimes against her own people, physical and mental abuse(especially toward Adora), repeated attempts at murder, and just being a complete psychopath to anyone within spitting distance of her toxicity. 

She gets to be pretty much abusive scum for four seasons, on top of actually doing the same thing Prime wanted to do, yet whiplash forgiveness and Lesbians 4 Evah is her ending.   

"So we're all just okay with this?", says Mermista incredulously of the war criminal Hordak. Good question, but then I remember you all seem to be okay with war criminal Catra sooo.....

Her mirror Hordak, according to the showrunner, is sentenced to Beast Island for his war crimes. However, my question then becomes where is Catra's sentence? Oh, that's right if you're Catra you get to be a war criminal in peace, and especially if you're dating the protagonist.   

It's also convenient that Mermista's was chipped, and therefore didn't get to say anything to the girl who helped bring down her kingdom with a smile on her face.

Funny how that worked out. 

It's even more convenient that her victims gave their lighting fast forgiveness.  

Can't have icky things like abuse and war crimes get in the way of that ending smooch you know.

I suppose we also just need to look at Angella as collateral damage while we smile as her daughter hugs and kisses her killer I guess.   

I also find it odd(since we're loving abusers) that Shadow Weaver point blank doesn't get forgiveness from Adora, and she even ends the series dead.

However, she defected to the hero's side in season two(regardless of any impure motivation), and stayed there and helped the protagonists until her season five death.

But Catra, who not only stayed with the conquering organization the Horde for almost the entire series while also eventually becoming their leader, was not only forgiven but also rewarded with a romance with her victim. Curious. 

The only way I can stomach her season five 'redemption', and lighting quick forgiveness, is if I forget the monster of four seasons didn't exist.

Problem is I can't do that. 

Why should I get any catharsis that the protagonists prevailed over Horde Prime when Catra is pretty much him with a sob story attached.

So it seems this show's message is no matter how much emotional and physical pain a person does to you it's okay to not only let them back in your life(damn your mental health I guess), but also enter a romantic relationship with them too.

It’s also hilarious that some of her fans say she’s Zuko.

No.

She’s what would happen if Azula and Kylo Ren were made into one character.

Titles the show should I have had:

She-Ra: The Story of a Villain Sue Antagonist That Gets a Happily Ever After With Her Victim

Another alternate: She-Ra: The Story of Lesbian Reylo or more current Lesbian Stolitz.

[azrielslightintheshadows]

Oops

Azriel x f!Reader

Masterlist.

Summary; Azriel finally meets his mate but quickly regrets it when he finds out how energetic, excited and clumsy she is.

Warnings; mentions of injury. Swearing. Traumatized Cassian.

Just a quick thought I had last night.

Azriel was obsessed with finding his mate so when he finally found you he was ecstatic and then… horrified. He really started to believe that the cauldron was probably caring for his well-being by keeping you hidden. It probably wanted him to live for some years because now that he met you he doubted he would survive long. You were unbearable, insufferable and the reason he had at least one heart attack every day. He couldn’t understand how you could be so naive, energetic and excited every damn minute. Add clumsy to that recipe and there you have it… disaster. He had to remove all his weapons from the rooms you used too, then simple objects like a table lamp became an issue so he got rid of them too. He wondered if he had to remove all the furniture from his room and just leave a mattress on the floor. His shadows were sticking on his side every night exhausted from keeping an eye on you, they looked so desperate that he pitied them. 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Azriel was on a mission and you were feeling bored, so you decided to see if Cassian wanted to hang out. You knocked on his bedroom door and waited, bouncing up and down from the anticipation. You heard some rustling and then the door opened. 

“Hey sweetie what’s up?” Cassian smiled when he saw you.

“Az went on a mission and I’m bored” you pouted “wanna hang out?” 

“Yes give me a second to get my shoes” he said and walked back into his room. 

When he came back you decided to go to the city and stroll around.

It was a busy day so the streets were filled with people, you watched as everyone walked around and a burst of energy hit you like a wave. 

“I’ll race you to the square” you yelled and took off. Cassian hot on your heels as he screamed “oh it’s on” 

Everyone jumped out of your way, their eyes wide and their jaws open. Usually you had to push your way through crowd but now that you had an Illyrian giant running behind you they were horrified. 

Just as you were reaching the square you tripped and landed face-first on the ground with a scream. Cassian tried to jump over you since he wasn’t able to stop but he couldn’t so he fell on top of you with a grunt. You felt the air leaving your lungs and groaned.

“Oh no, sweetie are you okay?” Cassian’s voice was soft as he rolled to the ground next to you, his expression panicked.

“Yeah I just…need…a moment…. to catch… my breath” you said between pants.

The general smiled and rubbed your back. 

After a while you pushed yourself up, a grin appearing on your face as you cheered “what’s next?” 

Cassian frowned and stared.

“What?” You asked.

“You want more?” He choked.

“Of course” you giggled and grabbed his arm pulling him with you. 

You guided him in an abandoned building that had been destroyed when the Hybern army attacked the city. You climbed to the roof and sat there.

“The view here is incredible” you said and stared the people passing by the street beneath you.

“You live in the house of wind where the view is a million times better” Cassian snorted.

“Yes but I can’t see the expressions on their faces” you shrugged and pointed at the people beneath you.

You were kicking your legs as you explained to Cassian that you liked to sit here and make stories about the passing by faeries.

“See that kid there? Well he has a crush on the store owner’s daughter so every day he goes there and buys an ice cream just to see her” 

“You can’t know that” Cassian exclaimed.

“No but that’s the fun part of the game… you can make your own stories” 

So you spent the rest of the day there, Cassian’s stories were hilarious and you were in tears, your abdomen aching from laughing so hard.

“Okay okay look at her” he pointed at a female who was running down the street “she had an awful first date with a stingy male and he took her to an old and cheap restaurant and now she has explosive diarrhea and she’s rushing home”

You burst into laughter and leaned forward, you couldn’t breathe and suddenly you lost your balance slipping from the roof and falling into the void. Cassian gasped and jumped, his wings flaring behind him but he wasn’t quick enough and with a groan you landed on your back and darkness engulfed you.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

When you opened your eyes again you were met with the familiar sight of the ceiling in your shared room with Azriel. 

“You’re awake” a feminine voice said.

You snapped your head in the direction of the voice and felt dizzy by the sudden move.

“Easy y/n… you were hurt” you squinted and saw Madja by your side.

“How are you feeling sweetheart?” She smiled.

“Everything hurts” you croaked.

“I know you are completely bruised and you have a few broken ribs” she caressed your head “I left a tonic here it should help with the pain… if you need something ask someone to come get me” 

“Okay…” you mumbled and she left. You closed your eyes and let sleep take over.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“Where the fuck is she?” Someone’s deep voice boomed through the house and you could swear the floor trembled. 

You opened your eyes and tried to listen.

“I don’t give a fuck Cassian, I will handle you when I’m sure that she is okay” it wasn’t just someone’s deep voice but your favorite one, your mate’s. 

You heard loud footsteps getting closer and you tried to sit up, a groan leaving you. The door burst open and Azriel ran to you.

“Are you okay?” He looked like a mess, his eyes were red with black circles beneath them, his hair tangled and his lips looked dry and chapped.

“Are YOU okay?” You asked and grabbed his jaw, hissing at the pain when you lifted your arm.

“I’m okay just tired, I flew as fast as I could to get here” he sighed “where does it hurt? What did Madja say? Do you need something?” He asked in one breath.

“Az calm down I’m okay, just bruised and a few broken ribs. Nothing I can’t handle… I’ve had worse” you smiled.

He snorted at the statement and pressed his forehead against yours.

“Yeah I know you had worse… you are going to be the death of me” he whispered and grabbed your hand placing it on his chest. His heart was beating so fast and hard that you thought it would explode.

“I’m sorry” you mumbled.

“It’s okay… I love your clumsy annoying self” he smiled.

He crawled into bed but kept some distance between the two of you afraid that he was going to hurt you. He was facing you with a longing expression and he draped a protective wing over you. 

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Morning came and you woke up with Azriel by your side staring at you. 

“Good morning angel” he smiled when you opened your eyes.

“Morning handsome” you mumbled and leaned closer to him. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked and brushed his palm over your cheek. 

“Better, I think with a little help I can get up” you smiled and he groaned earning a confused look from you.

“Here we go again… You were safe here in bed now I have to chase you around all day” he sighed and you giggled.

“I want to go to Cassian and tell him that I’m okay. I don’t want him to feel sad and guilty” you confessed and Azriel growled.

“Come on Az it’s not his fault. I’ve been hurt multiple times around you and I don’t blame you” you pleaded.

“Okay but I think that he is terrified of you, I heard him say that you are not normal” he murmured and got up. 

He helped you get up and guided you to Cassian’s room, you knocked and waited. 

Rustling and then silence.

“Come on Cassie it’s me” you shouted 

Then you heard a gasp and the door locked. And then a high pitched scream 

“Be gone demon” 

Azriel’s lips were a tight line as he nodded and then said “yup traumatized” 

I have some things to do today so I won't be able to post. Requests are open but delayed!

[frankenkyle19]

I’ve Always Been Right Here

this is a little fic I wrote about Peter and Erik actually discussing everything because the movies suck and never let us see them have any sort of father/son relationship :(. I’ve been obsessed with dadneto lately so like obviously I had to write this. And sad Peter :( but it’s okay because it’s a happy ending! This takes place after Apocalypse where Erik ended up staying or whatever idk :/ the x-men timeline scares me and I try not to think too much about it. Enjoy!

word count: 1.7k words

Charles had been pushing both parties involved to talk about it. Little encouragements here and there because unbeknownst to Peter, Erik did know that he was his child. Had found out a while ago from Charles himself and decided not to say anything. He had good reasoning but was sure Peter wouldn’t see reason in anything once he found out he knew and hadn’t come to talk to him about it. The poor kid was just as stubborn as he was. 

Charles kept pushing the two of them together. Probably thought he was being helpful but really he was not. The atmosphere between them was always tense, the both of them walking on eggshells around the other, careful with what they said. It was awful for both of them. All the other X-men noticed it too. 

Finally one night after dinner at the mansion Peter had had enough. Him and Erik were the last two at the table to clean up and he thought about it all for a moment before it just became too much and he picked up his plate, slamming it down so hard against the wood that it broke in his hands.

“I’m your son! There, dammit I said it! I’m your fucking son. Remember now? Leaving my mom while she was pregnant because you were so scared to have a family. You left her to figure it all out on her own! And where were you when I needed to learn how to ride a bike or throw a football?! You weren’t there! You’re my father and you’ve…” Peter’s voice broke as he blinked rapidly, trying his hardest to avoid tears as years of anger and resentment flew from his mouth without any warning. 

“You’re telling me you didn’t know? When I broke you out of the Pentagon you just…” He trailed off, shaking his head as he paced back and forth. He had half a mind to punch the stupid son of a bitch right in the face, but he didn’t.

“You never wanted to find me? Weren’t interested in seeing how your kid turned out? Well here I am. HERE I AM!. I was waiting to see how long it would take you to notice but I guess I gave up.”

Silence fell between the two of them, both refusing to look at each other. 

“Peter…” Erik started, trying to de-escalate the situation which was almost comical. He’d never been the level headed one before. 

“I don’t expect you to understand.. My life… I have been through hell. I was trying to spare you from it all. And selfishly.. I was scared.” He admitted, finally looking at Peter now, who was shaking with barely restrained anger.

“I was scared because I didn’t know what to do with a child..” 

“Well you could have figured it out. I don’t want to hear excuses, that’s not… Not going to fix things now. I’m not even sure if things can be fixed. Y’know, I remember seeing you on the news after I broke you out of prison. Something clicked in my mind that you were my dad. I’m surprised it took me as long as I did but I’ve never been known to be the smartest.. My mom told me I should be afraid of you but I told her I wasn’t.. I’m not afraid of you.”

Erik looked at him befuddled for a moment before he shook his head, deciding to sit back down in his chair. This conversation was probably going to be a long one.

“I don’t want you to be scared, Peter. I’ve never wanted you to be scared. I.. I truthfully don’t have an excuse for what I did to you and to your mother. I am sorry.”

Peter must not have been expecting him to apologize so easily because he looked at him in shock, hands shaking around the broken pieces of plate he still held, eyes welling with tears. Shakily he sat down in his seat at the table, setting the pieces of the plate down before he clenched his fists, hard. Dammit! He didn’t want to cry..

“I’m here now, Peter. And I’ll explain it all to you if you want. Any questions you have, I’ll answer them.”

“When did you know? When did you know I was your son?” Peter asked, sniffling softly as he wiped the tears from his eyes before they had the chance to fall. 

“Charles informed me. Well… He confirmed it. I’d had my suspicions since Apocalypse. The way you looked at me… I realized it then but I didn’t want to accept it. Especially not in that moment.”

Peter took a deep breath before nodding. Right now Erik was an open book and was going to answer any of his questions so now was the time. 

“Am I the only one? Kid of yours I mean.. Do I have any siblings I don’t know about? I’ve got my little sis but like.. I dunno it was a dumb question-“

“Nina.” Erik said, a sad look coming over his face. He didn’t look at Peter now, instead he looked at the broken pieces of the plate in front of him. His boy. 

“She was your little sister. She was- Everything to me. My whole world.”

Peter perked up for a moment before the tone of Erik’s voice and the look in his eyes had him expecting the worst. An uneasiness took hold in his stomach now, churning. He felt like he knew what Erik was going to say but he didn’t want him to say it. It would hurt him worse then he’d expect it to.

“She was killed. By humans..” anger rose up in Erik’s voice now as he spoke. He was still so bitter to the humans because they’d caused him nothing but suffering. He recalled that grim day in the woods. How eerily silent it all fell after the fact. The blood on his hands.. It was the worst day of Erik’s entire life and he’d lived through a lot of unimaginable things.

Peter swallowed thickly, zoning out when it was confirmed. He’d had another sister and he’d never gotten to meet her. And now.. she was gone. How weird it was to grieve someone you’ve never met and never would get to. She had still been part of Peter. They’d shared a father after all.

“I-“ Peter started until he felt his voice waver in the back of his throat, eyes burning as he cast his gaze back down to the broken plate. Everything was broken.. Not just the plate, he thought.

He didn’t want to ask how. Knowing she’d been killed was enough. Maybe one day in the future he’d ask for more but neither man was ready for that conversation yet.

Erik moved to pull something out of his pocket, showing Peter the small necklace with a little locket. 

“This is the only thing I have left. They’ve taken everything from me. Everyone I’ve loved.”

Peter’s heart was crushed at the words because… he was sitting right there! He’d always been right here.. Right in front of Erik’s face.. Did he not love him? Did he care at all for him in any sort of way? 

“… I’m right here. I’ve always been right here.. You know how many nights I laid awake crying because I thought I wasn’t good enough for you? Every time me and mom passed a man on the street I’d wonder. Wonder if maybe one of them was you. I wondered why as a child my father didn’t love me enough to stay.”

The words stung. They hurt Erik but Peter was far too lost in his emotions to try and hold anything back now. He’d say what he meant, after all he’d been waiting over two decades to say it. 

“Peter please…”

“No!” He yelled, slamming his fists on the table again, just barely avoiding the pieces of the plate. He moved away from the table now, standing in the middle of the dining room as he glared at Erik. “No! You can’t tell me what to do and you can’t tell me to stop. You ruined my life!! You ruined my life by not being in it!” Peter’s tears fell heavy now. The weight of the past two decades washed over him in waves. A choked sob clawed its way up his throat and he tried hard to not let it out but it did. All of his brokenness was on display. He wasn’t just the weird silver haired speedster who cracked jokes at the most inconvenient times. He was a person with real feelings, many of them ugly.

He pawed at his eyes with the palms of his hands, an angry sigh slipping from his lips. He’d been so focused on not letting Erik see him like this, faced away from him that he also hadn’t noticed that he’d gotten up from his chair and made his way over to him. 

Peter flinched when Erik wrapped his arms around him and cradled his head to his chest. He felt sick because fuck he’d needed this hug for years now. Something he’d never thought he’d get, here it was. 

He tensed for just a moment before he hugged back, practically clutching onto Erik’s shirt as he cried into his chest. Cried into his father’s chest. His dad. This was his dad.. It had all hit him and he was spiraling.

Erik held him through the tears, the quiet sobs that wracked his whole body. He held him through it, still in disbelief that this was the first time he’d held him. He never got to hold him as a baby, never got to watch him grow up. In so many ways he’d failed him. Never again. 

He pressed his face into his silver hair, letting out a shaky exhale. “I’m here now Peter. I promise. I’m going to be here for you from here on out.”

It went on like that for longer than either of them cared to count until eventually Peter pulled away shakily, letting out a half hearted laugh at how wet Erik’s shirt had become after soaking up all of his tears.

Their eyes met, Peter’s brow furrowed in such a similar way to Erik’s that for the first time it was so obvious that they were related.

Erik reached out and patted Peter’s shoulder gently, giving it a squeeze before letting go.

“It’s late, you should head to bed, kiddo.” 

“I know.” Peter zipped around the room, cleaning up the mess he’d made before he stopped in the doorway, glancing back at Erik.

“Hey-“

“Yes?”

“Goodnight, Dad.”

“Goodnight, son.”

[super-cosmic-library]

loosely based on this post

tw: mentions of blood

Look, everyone had gone through a vampire phase. One Mrs. Stephanie Meyer had a heavy hand in that. And even if one had somehow managed to skirt the whole Twilight saga, there were a litany of other vampire books/tv shows/movies that came in its wake. Almost everyone in the 2010s wanted a vampire boyfriend. Even Robin, whose taste veered toward the more extraterrestrial side of paranormal fiction, had confided in Steve that she wouldn’t mind having an undead, blood sucking vampire girlfriend.

All in all, Steve didn’t get it. Why did nearly all of the girls in his grade fawn over the idea of getting with someone older than their great grandfathers? It was gross. Not to mention the fact that vampires didn’t have blood, so how would they even be able to get it up in the bedroom? 

The whole mess baffled him to no end, and he was grateful when its popularity died down. He didn’t know if he would be able to take listening to Max and El giggling over Edward What’s-his-face.

His relief, however, was short lived. Just as the kids he baby sat started to enter high school, the Twilight saga had a resurgence of popularity all thanks to TikTok. Only this time, he didn’t just have to hear it from the girls. Max and El had gotten Lucas and Will to watch the movies with them, which led to them reading the girls’ copies of the books. And, look, Lucas he understood. When Steve was in high school, he would have done anything to please Nancy. (Luckily, she had been more interested in the rising popularity of the dystopian genre. He had thoroughly enjoyed listening to the Hunger Games series on audiobook.) But Will? Even if he was just doing it to bond with his sister, Steve thought the boy had more taste than that.

And when Lucas and Will became obsessed with it, so did Mike and Dustin. Again, Steve understood Mike, even though unlike Lucas, he was totally oblivious to his crush on Will. But Dustin? As far as Steve was aware, Suzie wasn’t allowed to read the series, even though the creator was also Mormon.

At least Erica was still at the age where she turned her nose up at any hint of romance.

But, you know, it wouldn’t be such a big deal if the kids obsession with vampires contained itself to the fictional world. He could deal with it better if it did. If then, they might be able to talk about other topics of interest. Hell, Steve would give anything to listen to the boys ramble all day long about their Dungeons and Dorks game. But Steve wasn’t so lucky.

Because while he loved the kids’ strong, creative imaginations, it meant that sometimes their fictional obsessions would spill over into the real world. And that. That was what he was really fed up with.

“I swear, it’s him,” Dustin nearly shouted over the other boys. “Same name. Same exact hair. He’s a vampire.”

Steve restrained a groan as he looked up from the dishes to see Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Mike at the dining table crowded around what appeared to be a high school yearbook.

“He can’t be!” Thank god, Mike was being the voice of reason. (Something Steve never thought he would be.) “I’ve seen him walk to his van in the sun, and he was totally fine. Also, on spaghetti day in the cafeteria, he ate, like, three slices of garlic bread!”

Steve had thought too soon.

“Then how do you explain this?” Dustin asked, gesturing to the page.

“Maybe it’s someone he’s related to?” Will offered.

“I don’t know,” Lucas said. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

Curiosity got the best of Steve. What could he say? Even if he hated this whole vampire thing, he enjoyed the weird little adventures his kids went on. Steve didn’t have many friends growing up. Hell, aside from Robin, he didn’t have many friends now. At least, friends his own age. It made his heart warm, seeing all of them getting to be a bunch of idiot children together. 

But they didn’t need to know that.

“What are you little shits looking at?” He slung the dish towel he had been using to dry the flatware with over his shoulder, and made his way over to the table.

“Steve, we think our new DM is a vampire!” Dustin announced excitedly.

Steve put his hands on his hips (his signature mom pose, according to the kids), and rolled his eyes. “Vampires aren’t real.” 

He didn’t say it to dull the kid’s enthusiasm. If anything, antagonization was their form of love language. Plus, Dustin always took the discouragement as a challenge to double down on whatever stance he took. Steve had to admire the kid for his confidence in himself. He knew first hand how easily that could be stripped away. 

“Then how do you explain this?” Dustin slid the yearbook over for him to look at, pointing at  the man in question. “He’s been in high school for years.”

Steve glanced down at the page. “Oh, Eddie Munson? He was in some of my classes last year. He was held back twice; though, that may have been because he almost never showed up to class. But that doesn’t mean he’s a vampire.”

“This is an old yearbook, though,” Lucas countered.

“If last year is old, then how ancient do you think I am?” Steve snipped. He pointed to the class picture that captured his likeness. “Look, there’s me. Does that mean I’m a vampire?”

“Steve, this isn’t your yearbook.” Dustin held the cover of the book up for Steve to read. There on the cover, in green and gold, were the words “Class of 1985.”

“What?” He snatched the yearbook from him, and flipped back to the page they had been studying. “No, that’s . . .”

He trailed off. Yes, that picture had captured his likeness; however, it was his father’s name that was written underneath. His father, who he was apparently the spitting image of.

“Maybe it’s his dad,” Steve tried, flipping through the pages. “Or his uncle. Doesn’t he live with his uncle?”

“We already checked the rest of it.” Mike snatched the book away from him. “He’s the only Munson in there.”

“His dad and his uncle could have not been in high school together,” Will countered.

“Thank you for being the only reasonable person here.”

Will blushed at Steve’s praise. 

“I am telling you,” Dustin trudged on. “Eddie Munson is a vampire. And we’re going to prove it.”

~~~

Proving it ended up being more challenging than the boys had thought. As Mike had already proved, Eddie had no aversion to garlic or the sun. Crosses, Lucas pointed out, had no affect on him either, seeing as he wore one on his ring. So there went that theory. Dustin had even followed him into the bathroom one day to see if Eddie had a reflection in the mirror. He ended up having two Eddies stare at him like he was a creep.

Either none of the stereotypes were true, or--and Dustin was loathe to admit it--Steve was right.

There was still one more thing they could try.

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Lucas said.

Dustin huffed. “Well, do you have any better plans? Because the only thing we haven’t tried yet is a stake to the heart, which is a dumb thing to begin with because that could kill anyone.”

“What about holy water?”

“And how are you going to get a priest to agree to bless a bottle of water?” Mike asked.

“My pastor might do it,” Lucas said.

“Let’s just try this first,” Dustin said. “And if it doesn’t work, you can call your pastor.”

The plan was simple, really. While they were playing DnD that afternoon, Dustin was going to “accidently” get a paper cut. Eddie’s reaction to the fresh blood would determine whether or not he was a vampire. It was fool proof.

Unfortunately, it seemed like Dustin was a fool. Who could blame him, though? Eddie was an amazing Dungeon Master. He knew just how to craft a story to suck just about anyone in. It wasn’t until they were packing up at the end of the session that Dustin remembered the plan. That probably explained the looks the other boys had been shooting him the entire time.

Dustin was just about to drag the edge of a piece of paper across this hand, when the drama room door banged open.

“Alright, you little shits. Get in the car. I’m already having a bad day, and I don’t need your moms blowing up my phone asking where you are.”

“Steve, why do you have a tampon in your nose?” Will asked.

Dustin glanced up at Steve, only to find that the man indeed had a bloody tampon in his nose.

“I had a nose bleed, and didn’t have any Kleenex in my car. It’s the only thing Robin or I had. And it works, so I don’t want to hear anything more about it.”

Blood.

Dustin nearly gave himself whiplash turning his head to look at Eddie. Eddie, who was staring at Steve with eyes that could only be described as ravenous.

“King Steve,” Eddie drew out as he approached Steve.

“Munson.”

“Now why’s a pretty jock like you carting around a bunch of nerdy freshmen?”

“I baby sit them.”

Eddie chuckled. “Yes, they are a bunch of babies.”

That was met with a round of protests from the kids.

“How hard was your nose bleeding? Aren’t tampons supposed to be super absorbent?”

Lucas was right. There was a ring of blood leaking down the tampon.

“Are you okay?” Will asked.

Eddie, however, did not look okay. Dustin had never seen him so focused on one thing as he was with Steve’s nose. And that included DnD.

“Yeah, it just happens sometimes. I’ll be fine. Now come on, or Robin’s going to start honking.”

They were being corralled out of the building before Dustin could come to any concrete conclusions, but judging from the way Eddie had stared at Steve’s nose, he was sure their hunch was correct.

Now they just had to prove it.

~~~

Turned out, the best way to prove their DM was a vampire was to show up at his trailer unannounced. Catch him off guard while he was at his most comfortable. In fact, the hardest part about the whole thing had been trying to convince Steve to drive them over to the trailer park. In the end, he was a push over as always.

Dustin bounded up the steps to the trailer, the other boys close behind. He pounded on the door. “Eddie!”

A crash came from inside, followed by a grumbled “shit.” A few moments later, Eddie swung open the door.

“Couldn’t have given me a heads up?”

“We have some urgent DnD questions. Couldn’t’ve waited for you to respond.” Dustin and the rest of the boys pushed passed him into the trailer. Only Will hesitated, sheepish look on his face.

“Hey, wait, what are you doing!” Eddie called after them.

“Oh my god, have some manners,” Steve slammed his car door closed.

“Steve,” Eddie began. “They roped you into this?”

“They threatened to walk otherwise. Couldn’t let them get hit by a car or kidnapped.”

The four boys searched around the tidy trailer, not even trying to appear like they weren’t.

“What are you knuckleheads doing?” Eddie asked.

Steve, who they had not informed what they were doing, seemed to have caught on to their plan. “Not this again.”

“You know what they’re doing?” 

“Guys, look!” Mike, staring in the fridge, exclaimed. The boys ran over to him.

“Hey, you guys, get out of there!” Eddie exclaimed.

“Yeah, knock it off. Let the man live in piece.”

Dustin, Lucas, and Will gasped when they saw the contents of the fridge. Yes, there was normal people food in the fridge--nothing to write home about. But stacked on the top shelf was the motherload: bags and bags of blood.

Mike grabbed one and held it out for Steve to see. “We fucking told you!”

“Eddie’s a vampire,” Dustin vibrated with excitement. “Eddie, you’re a vampire.”

“Eddie’s not . . . there’s gotta be . . .Eddie?” Steve looked to Eddie as if asking him to deny the kid’s claims.

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest and heaved out an exasperated sigh. “Looks like you caught me.”

“I fucking told you!” Dustin shouted at Steve.

“Language.” Steve snapped. “Eddie, come on. Be serious. Vampires don’t exist.”

“Telling the truth, Harrington.” Eddie flashed them his fangs. “I am a vampire.” 

“You’re teeth aren’t normally that sharp,” Will said.

“I can control when my fangs come out,” Eddie said with a shrug. Then, to demonstrate, he retraced his fangs, so his teeth looked human again. “It’s been handy in hiding from mortals. In fact, you guys are the first to figure it out. Surprised it took this long for anyone to notice, honestly.”

“So you’ve been able to hide in plan sight for, like, hundreds of years?” Dustin asked.

Eddie slouched down onto the couch, understanding that he was about to be pelted with about a million questions. “More like forty.”

“Forty?” Will asked.

“I was turned in the ‘80s. ‘86, I think. I don’t know, the years start to blur together.”

“So, you’re just as old as our parents?” Mike scoffed. “Lame.”

“But I look much better than them.”

The boys took his nonchalance as permission to start their rain of questions.

“So do you have vampire powers?”

“How can you eat garlic?”

“Does the sun not burn your skin?”

“Do you have to get permission to enter new places?”

And on and on they went, only briefly pausing for Eddie to get a sufficient answer out. Meanwhile, Steve just stood by the door. Dustin could tell he was trying to process the fact that he had almost graduated with a vampire. Dustin could understand. Had he not already been convinced himself, the information would have taken a bit to accept.

When Steve finally came back around, he joined the group surrounding Eddie. 

“Why are you still at Hawkins High?” Steve asked. “You were in class with my parents. Couldn’t have you gotten out and gone someplace people won’t recognize you?”

Eddie paused, actually giving that question some thought. The other boys let him think it through instead of feeding him more questions. They wanted to know the answer too.

“Well, I tried to once, but then Wayne started having health problems, and I didn’t want to leave him alone. When I realized that I had stopped aging, I decided to stay with him even after he recovered. Realized that if I don’t grow old, I’m going to outlive him. I’d rather spend the rest of his life with him, than in hiding and regretting it when he’s gone. As for people recognizing me: you’d be surprised how little attention the freaks of Hawkins get.”

The group sat in silence for a moment, letting his words sink in. Dustin supposed that if he were turned into a vampire, he would stick around to spend as much time with his mom as he could.

“Speaking of, where is your uncle?” Lucas asked.

Eddie smiled to himself. “Technically, he’s my little brother. We started doing the whole uncle/nephew thing when he got too old to believably be my brother. And he should be finishing up his shift at the hospital. Decided to become a nurse after finishing chemo. He has always been the smart one. Besides, it helps with procuring my stash of blood.” 

Mike perked up at that. “So you do drink blood?”

“Yes.”

“But we’ve seen you eat real food.”

“You’re point?”

Mike huffed. “So do you need blood to live, or is it just a craving--like wanting a Coke?”

“I can eat real food, but it doesn’t fully satisfy my hunger. Only drinking blood does that.”

“Have you ever?” Steve gulped. “Have you ever drank blood from a person.”

“You offering?” Eddie smirked.

Steve flushed.

Weird.

As his friends continued to talk, Dustin’s mind wandered. It was no secret that Steve found men attractive. He was the biggest slut in Hawkins, after all. And Dustin had only ever seen him nervous around men who he thought were really hot. 

Oh, Dustin could have fun with this. After all, didn’t everyone want a vampire boyfriend?

okay, well this completely got away from me. will I make this a series? mayhaps.

[makethatelevenrings]

Breakfast for Three // J. Todd x f!reader

Requested? Yes!

Warnings: reader has a kid, swearing, talks of poverty (if u haven’t been able to figure out, I am a leftist and I am tucking my lil handkerchief into my collar and preparing to eat billionaires)

Summary: Being a single parent is hard. Being a single parent in Gotham feels impossible sometimes. Two people change things for the better. 

Listen, raising a child on your own was a test on its own. But being a single parent in Gotham? You had to be absolutely out of your mind.

But you loved your kid. You wouldn’t go back and change your decision. Every morning, you woke up to the giggles and shrieks of your four year old climbing all over you. Lucy was always up before your alarm and while you needed every minute of sleep, you would miss these moments whenever she became too cool to hang out with her mother. So you just bundled her wriggling body up into your arms and peppered her head with kisses as she laughed and wrapped her little octopus limbs around you.

Breakfast had moved from a coffee and a granola bar as you rushed out the door to work to Bluey pancakes for Lucy and even more coffee for you before you rushed out the door to get her to preschool and you to work. Every day felt like it was flying by too quickly.

Her birthday was quickly approaching and that’s how you found yourself out on the fire escape of your apartment with the baby monitor clutched between your hands and sobs escaping you despite your best efforts to stifle your cries.

You couldn’t afford any of the popular toys or games that kids were obsessed with. Hell, you could barely afford rent this month. Living in Gotham wasn’t as bad as other places in terms of rent but raising a kid was expensive and you were struggling to make ends meet thanks to work being slow. God, she was going to be so disappointed. Maybe you could start eating only one meal a day? That would save some money on groceries…

“Are you okay?”

The voice came from the shadows and the subsequent heart attack you received practically launched you into the air. The person cursed and then stepped out of the shadows. Okay, less scary but still pretty fucking terrifying. Red Hood stared down at you, or at least, you thought he was looking at you. The helmet made it difficult to figure out what direction he was facing.

“I said, are you okay?” he repeated in a gruff, no-nonsense voice. You nodded quickly and swiped away your tears with the back of your hand.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Don’t you have skulls to bash in or something?”

A huff of laughter escaped the vigilante’s helmet and you cocked your head to the side. He could laugh? He was capable of humor? Surprises were all around tonight.

“Already did that. And then I heard someone sounding like they just watched Marley and Me three times in a row and figured I should come check.” He eased himself into a crouch next to you and you admired how large and imposing he was yet he didn’t seem terrifying when he was next to you. You weren’t his target so there was no reason to fear him.

“Gonna tell me what’s wrong?” he asked.

“It’s stupid,” you muttered. You turned your attention back to the baby monitor to see Lucy fast asleep in your bed. The one bedroom apartment you rented didn’t have space for another bed so the two of you shared one. Luckily, she was a deep sleeper so she never stirred when you crawled in a few hours after her bedtime and got up early in the morning to get ready for the day.

“Nothing that makes you cry is stupid,” Red Hood retorted. “Hit me with it.”

“My kid’s birthday is coming up and I don’t have the funds to pay for anything. I can barely keep our heating on. She’s going to hate her birthday and I’ll have ruined it forever. I’m already working sixty hours a week, but I can’t ask Mrs. Hayes to watch her longer. Fuck.” You scrubbed a hand down your face and bemoaned your rotten fucking luck. Fuck your shitbag ex. Fuck the system that prevented single parents from succeeding. Fuck it all.

Rustling beside you made you look up to find Red Hood rummaging through his pockets. He let out a triumphant hum and then outstretched his hand. A stack of bills rested in his gloved palm and your eyes widened at the offering.

“Absolutely not,” you blurted out. “I’m not taking blood money from you. Who knows where that’s come from? And what if you show up in five years demanding the money back with some huge fucking interest rate?”

He chuffed out another laugh. “Christ, your mind is an interesting place. It’s legit, I promise. And it’s not a loan. It’s a gift. Take it. I’ve got enough cash.”

You watched him warily as you reached out and grasped the money. Your lips moved as you counted out the values silently and inhaled sharply once you got to the end. Three thousand dollars. That would pay rent for two months, leaving your paycheck to cushion you.

“Holy shit. Thank you. Thank you so much,” you gasped. But when you looked up, there was no sight of Red Hood. He had simply disappeared into the shadows once again. Only the rough paper of cash in your hands made you realize that it wasn’t a dream.

You spent the rest of the night going over your finances and figuring out where you could use the cash and how much you could spend on Lucy. With enough to bolster you for a bit, you decided to take her by a bakery on her way to pre-school. With her dinosaur backpack firmly settled on her back, Lucy bounded towards the bakery with you hot on her heels. Where the hell did she get all this energy?

“Woah,” a man exclaimed as Lucy tripped on a raised edge of the sidewalk. He caught her before she went sprawling onto the pavement, saving you from a torrent of tears and skinned knees.

“Gotta be careful there, kiddo,” he said as he righted her. You caught up to her finally and kneeled down to check her for injuries. Unscathed, thanks to the stranger. You raised your head to meet his eyes and thank him and found yourself captured by searing teal eyes.

“Thank you,” you blurted out. “I should really get her one of those backpack leashes.”

His full lips curled up into a grin and your heart stuttered at the sight of it. Small scars littered his tan skin, but it only added to the handsome rogue look he had going for him.

“I get it. The cinnamon rolls at this place are fu-” His eyes darted towards the squirming child in your hands. “Freaking amazing. I practically run here every morning to get one.”

Lucy gasped. “You like cinnamon rolls?”

The man shrugged. “Well, yeah, who doesn’t?”

“Sad people,” she replied wisely. You burst into laughter at the solemnity of her words and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“I love you, kid,” you announced.

“Love you too, mommy. Can we go now?”

You stood up to your full height and the man did the same, but he was much taller than you. He offered his hand and you shook it.

“I’m Jason. How about I buy you two breakfast?”

“Oh, you don’t have to do it. If anything, I owe you.”

His smile grew and you marveled at the slight dimple in his chin. “Yeah, but this way I can be a gentleman before I ask you out.”

There was no way this exceedingly handsome, Adonis-like man was asking you on a date. No fucking way. You had toothpaste on your shirt and a four year old currently clinging to your leg. No man had even looked at you since your ex knocked you up and left.

But he was kind and genuine and there was some kind of soft emotion in his eyes that made you want to ask him how the world had hurt him. And Lucy seemed to like him from just their first meeting.

“Okay. Breakfast sounds nice.”

If only you knew how a simple breakfast would change your life forever.

tag list: @mcrmarvelloki​ @gone-batty-fics​ @someoneimsure​ @perpetual-fangirl900​ @visagebrise​ @cursedandromedablack​ @alexxavicry​ @the-wayward-daughter​ @raging-trash-of-mind​ @kat-nee​ @khaylin27​ @igotanidea​ @princessbl0ss0m​

[iamleesi]

THE HUNTERS & THE SOLDIER

Pairing: Avenger! Bucky Barnes x OC! Avenger Reader

Summary: You have some kind of nightmare and Bucky wakes you up but he’s still a prick and you have a fight.

Warnings: Flashback, mention of experiments, hydra facility, creepy stuff and I probably forgot something so forgive me. -> 18+ !!

Other: English isn’t my fist language so I apologize for eventual mistakes.

-> Masterlist

-> Part three ; Part five

-> Nonie (04)

A little you was sitting in the corner of your room. The place you called home was clean and sterile, empty of any unnecessary comforts - not that you knew what the word truly meant. The only source of light was coming from the single light bulb hung from the ceiling, and your bed - big enough to at least fit you - was pushed against a wall, it’s thin mattress covered in white sheets.

The walls were bare; you were not given anything normal kids your age had to at least make it seem more than just a prison. It was naked of any type of decoration, no pictures or paintings… just plain grey. And you loved it.

One day, your usual routine was changed. Up until then you had been alone, the only people you talked to were the scientists and Mrs White who came in to see how you were doing and tell you all about the process they were making thanks to you. But that day, you remember the sound of that huge, scratched iron door open and an Hydra agent escorting a girl into the room.

Not a word was exchanged before you and the new person were left alone. To be honest, you were curious but also confused - why did they brought her in all of a sudden? Was she another special girl? Were you not good enough anymore? You didn’t like that idea.

You watched as she went to sit on the other corner of the room, her head low, and you spent the whole day listening to her sobbing. Why was she crying, you did not know. How could she cry when she was in the safest place on earth?

Ungrateful. And she was evidently older than you, maybe sixteen or even seventeen - she should have understood her worth already at that age.

In the days that followed, you learned absolutely nothing about her. She never spoke and she spent most of her time confined to her side of the room - she wasn’t even given a mattress, and she did nothing to let you know if perhaps she was tired of sleeping on the floor. All you heard were her hums at night, melodies you didn’t know.

But for some reason, you liked having her there.

Eventually, days turned into weeks and your curiosity towards her only grew and it almost became an obsession - you wanted to get her to talk but never succeeded. Each day, like a clockwork, the girl was escorted out of the room by Hydra agents and each day, when she would return, her demeanor grew more unsettling.

“And so today Mrs White gave me a candy. She said I deserved it after I found where those criminals were hiding.” You said, hopping onto your bed as you stared at her - she was finally given one too, and now she did nothing rather than lay on it as days passed by. “Did she ever give you a candy? The one that looks like a bear - have you ever seen a bear?”

At your questions, all you could hear was nothing except her breathing. There wasn’t even a window in there. “Oh, yeah. You don’t talk. Mrs White says that when people ignore you, they are being extremely dis- dispec - I don’t remember the word she used. But it’s not nice!”

Nothing. She didn’t even blink, sometimes you had to walk over there to check if she was still breathing. “Whatever.” You sighed. “I’ll bring you a candy next time I’m done with a successful mission. Maybe you’ll talk to me. Or I can steal one - maybe I could. I don’t know. What do you think? Do you want a candy?”

Silence.

“Alright. Then I’ll bring you one.” You smiled at her. “But you need to tell me your name, I can’t keep referring to you as the ‘new girl’, it’s been… I don’t know. But surely more than a day!”

The girl stayed silent. Her eyes fixated on the ceiling.

“Mrs White says my blood is fundamental for whatever they’re working on, you know? We’re here to save the world.” You continued. “She said there are some people who don’t want that, like Natasha Romanoff. The prodigy of the Red Room, have you ever met her? She came here a few years ago and taught me how to shoot properly. And now, turns out that she’s been corrupted.” You sighed “You’re a great listener, at least.” You turned around, giving your back to her. Maybe she just didn’t like you.

Still, no response. Not even a hum of acknowledgement.

Your frustration mounted with each passing day, your attempts to communicate with her were always ignored and you were met with nothing but silence.

“Is there something wrong, kid?” One of Hydra’s agents, Ezra you had learnt, asked you one day as he was escorting you back to your room after another evening of restless training. You had to be at your best, they said, all the time.

“No.” You sighed, as your body felt like burning - that day they had gone heavy on you, but you managed well. You were the only survivor, as per usual. “When can I go outside? I want to help on the field.”

“Soon enough, kid. We have a problem in stars and stripes to take care of. Mrs White believes you can do it.”

You felt a sense of pride in you at his words. That man, they called him Captain America, was a heavy problem for the world. He was the one who kept ruining any attempt to make the world a better place, always stepping in to cause chaos. He needed to be eliminated and you wished it would be you to do so, after all you had the skills to do it.

“Then I won’t disappoint her.”

Once you got back to your room with the biggest grin ever, you saw Nonie - as you nicknamed her - sitting on her bed with her back on the wall, staring straight ahead of her. You sat right in her line of view, which was on your mattress, crossing your legs one over the other. “Guess what?”

Blank stare.

“I’ll kill Mr Captain America one of these days. I know I’m not as skilled as Winter is, but I can do it. I know I can.” You started to ramble convinced that she wouldn’t pay attention to you since she never did, but soon enough, too focused on your own words, you felt a hand on your tight.

A cold, almost imperceptible touch. She had walked towards you, kneeling down in the end as her legs were too weak to hold her light weight for longer than a few steps.

You stared into her soulless eyes for a moment, before she shook her head.

“No? What - what do you mean no?” You looked at her dumbfounded. “You don’t want me to kill him? Nonie, I h-”

But before you could continue, she crawled back to her bed in the same position she was in. You stayed silent too, for a moment. For a long, tense moment.

“So you can understand what I’m saying! You can hear me!” You realized, getting up. “Why won’t you talk to me?”

Nonie made a movement with her pale hand to tell you to get closer to her - which you did without second thinking. Those few steps felt like happening in slow motion and once you were right in front of her, she raised that same hand to her mouth; her fingers grazing the edge of her lips.

You frowned, but you didn’t have the time to utter a word that she stuck out her tongue - or what was left of it.

≈

“For fuck’s sake - Emma!” Your eyes snapped open at Bucky’s voice, your heart racing in your chest as you sat up in bed, your forehead almost colliding against his.

You couldn’t help but dream about her, giving what you and Dean had saw just hours prior. She always came back into your memories one way or another, whether it was with a nightmare or just with a simple thought during the day - she was always there, in the back of your mind. And no matter how much years had passed since then, Nonie wasn’t going to go away anytime soon.

Before you could gather your thoughts, Bucky spoke again with a sharp tone. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I’ve been trying to wake you up the whole night.”

You blinked in confusion, caught off guard by his harsh tone and the fact that he was sitting so close to you. “I’m sorry.” Your voice was barely above a whisper. “I had a nightmare.”

Bucky’s expression unexpectedly softened, though you could still sense some irritation. You knew he had trouble sleeping too, and waking up in the middle of the night due to someone else’s problems wasn’t really ideal. “Nightmare, huh? Great, now we’re both awake.”

You closed your eyes and took a breath for a moment as you tried to find the right words to say. You never meant to disturb him but you could not control how your mind worked - and Wanda wasn’t even there to help you. Sometimes you gave her permission to get inside your head and erase the bad memories for one night so you could properly rest, but she wasn’t with you and so you had to do it alone. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”

Bucky let out a heavy sigh, his demeanor softening ever so slightly. “Look, I’m sorry for snapping at you.” He admitted gruffly. He better than anyone could understand how you mist be feeling, and he could have approached it better. “It’s been a long day and I guess I’m just on edge.”

You huffed. “Believe me, I know.”

Bucky exhaled as he was still sitting on your bed, the situation becoming awkward. He got up, but didn’t leave quite yet. You saw some uncertainty in his eyes before he spoke again.

“Food always helps me with nightmares.” He cleared his throat, his tone softer than before. But not much, he was still Bucky Barnes after all. “Come downstairs with me. Dean left some pizza in the fridge before leaving.”

You noticed you were hungry now that he mentioned food. Once you and Dean got home after the investigation, still unsure of what you saw - or, rather, still hoping your mind had played an awful joke on you, you went straight in your room. You had left the task to explain things to Sam and Bucky to Dean.

“One thing I learned about Dean is that he becomes a mad man if someone touches his food.” You let out a small chuckle, getting up the bed.

“He left it for you.” Bucky admitted.

“Oh.” That was surprising. “I was going to eat it anyway but I will feel less guilty knowing it was already mine.”

Together you made your way downstairs to the kitchen, the silence was oddly comfortable for once. You sat down while Bucky took the pizza box from the fridge and tossed it your way. Action you thanked with a smile.

He rummaged through the cabinets searching for something to eat himself. He sat on the chair beside yours with a box of homemade biscuits - wait, homemade biscuits?

“The old lady that lives on the other side of the street brought these over today, when you and Dean were at the Miller’s house.” He explained after reading your expression. “We’re invited at her niece’s birthday party this weekend, by the way. I said yes.”

You being invited to a party full of strangers wasn’t really on the list of the things you liked to do since you were as social as a rock but what you wanted went into the toilet the second you became an Avenger. Like that time you and Pietro were sent on a mission on a yacht - you were scared as hell of the sea after a certain God of Mischief made you watch Titanic changing the finale with your face instead of Rose’s. But that was another story.

“Great.” You sighed.

“So, the investigation. How did it go? You came home quite traumatized.” He raised a brow, and you didn’t miss the judgement in his tone.

You stiffened for a second, your mind went inevitably back there just as soon as you were starting to think about something else. “I wasn’t traumatized. I just… if you had seen that, you would have understood.”

Bucky scoffed. “What? Seeing the breakdown of an hysterical old lady after she lost her daughter doesn’t seem so terrible compared to what we’re used to, come on now.”

You frowned. That was the last of your concerns, you weren’t a therapist or something but a breakdown was certainly not that woman’s biggest problem. “Dean didn’t- he didn’t tell you everything?”

It was Bucky’s time to frown. “He told us what happened. You two arrived there, the woman was obviously grieving her missing daughter and she had a break down after asking one too many questions which led to her kicking you out.” He reassumed everything Dean had said. “Isn’t that all?”

You gulped. Dean kept his mouth shut about that, and you wondered why. Bucky knew what Hydra was capable of, but that? That was something beyond imaginable. Still, before talking to Bucky about it you wanted to know why Dean kept it a secret and why he didn’t seem to freak out as any other normal person would - beside you.

“No, that’s all.” You said after a moment, sounding as sincere as possible. “It’s just… her daughter’s probably dead and… and seeing her reaction wasn’t easy.”

“Mh.” He nodded, seeming to believe you. “Rich coming from you.” He said after, turning back into himself - for a second there you almost forgot how infuriating he was.

“Excuse me?”

“Rich coming from you.” He repeated casually. “Didn’t you use to kidnap people yourself for Hydra? Or maybe… bring back the ones lucky enough to break free from their control?

You stayed momentarily silent. “No.” You answered. “I never kidnapped anyone or brought back anyo- what the fuck is your problem, man?”

“I have absolutely zero problems, but I wonder if you even have the right to feel bad when you used to do the same to innocent people - willingly.” His tone was as light as if he was talking about a damn football game.

“You killed dozens of people too.”

“I was brainwashed, and I feel guilty enough. You were not.” He fired back. “And you never apologized.”

“I was a fucking child, Barnes.” You reminded him, clenching your jaw. “I thought I was doing the right thing by complying, just like you were!”

“I know that, Dayne, I’m not an idiot. But you’ve been indoctrinated with their ideas all your life, which is exactly why I wonder how the fuck it is that you’re on our side now.” He said, leaning back on the chair. “I’m not attacking you, just curious.”

“It’s been ten years, it took me a long time to see things the right way.” You said, really stopping the urge to flip the table and walk out dramatically. “And it looks like an attack to me.”

“It’s not.” He remarked. “You know, Rumlow was a SHIELD agent while being loyal to Hydra. If he did it, I won’t get off the table the fact that you could be doing the same.”

“I never joined Hydra willingly, I was born there!” You shot back to that lunatic asshole. “Rumlow joined those people because he believed in their ideas, to me their ideas were the only thing I’ve ever known! Excuse me if I didn’t know a difference between the good and the bad when I was told that killing people was the only way humanity could survive!”

He sighed at that. Maybe he had been too harsh?

“You’ve been brainwashed in a way, and I in another. If you think I’m some kind of monster for what I did or I cannot be trusted, then we may not be so different.” You spat while pulling yourself up from the chair with force, the legs scrapping against the floor. “And if you wake me up again I’ll stick that metal arm up your ass.”

With that, you left him in the kitchen alone. Fuck him and fuck whatever his problem was.

[dreamyyesenia]

Always Keep Simming - A Ghostly Welcome

When the Blackburn’s entered the living room of the, formerly empty, Haunted House they were planning to hide in, they were surprised to find it occupied- by a ghostly figure. Who had just casually stated how delicious of a meal they’d made for them… Gemma wasn’t impressed by this though.

„Dear Ghost, I‘m sorry to destroy your dreams but you can’t actually eat us. You’re not a living being, thus you don’t have organs to properly digest us. You can pass through us, my theory is that that could be a bit odd and cold but nothing that a sims‘ organism can’t handle!“, she declared, being very proud of her observations and conclusions. Gavin, ever the supporter of his fearless twin, nodded. „Sorry to break it to you. You’re kind of dead, you know?“, he said in a sweet soothing voice. The Ghost was utterly surprised by these kids and looked at them, speechless. Then, they turned to Aileen and Colin who, as they always did, let their twins speak out freely (even if it could potentially make things worse).

„Interesting to see what you two produced. All that wohoo wasn’t for nothing, I guess!“, she bend over laughing.

„Wohoo? Did you guys attend a party without telling us?“, Gemma asked and looked at her parents with an accusatory expression. Aileen and Colin exchanged embarrased and confused glances.

„Wwhat wohoo do you mean? Do we know you?“, Colin asked the Ghost.

The Ghost smirked. „I‘m sure you remember the days you two spent here. Doing „scientific research“ - hach! I know exactly what kind of experiments went on in these rooms…“ She wiggled her eyebrows at Aileen and Colin. Gemma and Gavin were getting more and more curious and excited by the second, so Aileen said: „Okay, so you lived here, when Colin and I were staying here? We never saw you!“

„I‘m Lenore, Lenore Goth. The illegitimate daughter of Mortimer Goth. No one ever saw me, noone knew I existed. And yet, I am the heir and resident of this magnificent house. And it will always be this way. I will haunt this place forever. I didn’t show myself to you two because I thought you were adorable. Two eggheads, slightly mad, obsessed with the paranormal… you seemed like my kind of people. I‘d have loved to babysit the twins for you…“, she rambled, looking thoughtfully out of the window.

Aileen was shocked. The Goths had been close friends with Aileen‘s grandparents, she knew that her great-uncle had been married to Cassandra. Alexander had lived in Oasis Springs with his husband… . So, when Mortimer and Bella had died, the mansion was left vacant. „Who was your mother?“, Aileen asked.

Lenore chuckled. „Lilith Vatore, one of the originals. It was a one-night fling on spooky day. I was raised in Forgotten Hollow but I fled to this town when I was a teen to find my dad. I was still a fledgling though, I burned in the midday sun. Noone ever found me. I became a Ghost and decided to never leave the place of my demise…“

The Blackburn’s were seated in the living room and listened to the tragic story of Lenore. Gemma asked:“But, don’t you ever want to move on? Find peace in the Netherlands?“

Lenore looked to the ground, suddenly seemingly depressed. „I still feel like there’s so much to be done. I‘m not finished with this place. What was the reasoning for my existence? This question haunts me daily…“

They stayed silent for a bit. Then, Aileen proposed:“Well, Lenore, maybe we can help you with that? My husband and I are researching everything about the occult and I know that ghosts have been neglected by the sims, until now. Let us change that. We can publish our findings and honor you in it. That way, your name will be known by many sims. People will remember you for your contribution to our work. Doesn’t that sound good?“

„Me, being featured in a book? That other sims will read?“, Lenore seemed to be speechless for a moment. Then, she turned her gaze to Aileen and asked with slight narrowed eyes:“And what do you want from me, other than my knowledge? There has to be something in this that would benefit you…“

Aileen nodded, staying calm and collected, as she always was. „We need a place to lay low because a crazy spellcaster sage is after us. We live right next door but we can’t cast a protection spell there yet because the Crystal Tree is too small. We hoped coming here wouldn’t be too obvious and the specters coming at night would deter anyone from investigating here“, Aileen explained.

Lenore looked at a painting behind them thoughtfully.

„ Well, you’re definitely safe here from any intruders, the specters are like little guardians of this place. But we could ask Bonehilda, she’s always so helpful! I‘m sure she has an idea how to help you beat that witch. Alright then, if you guys are staying here, we need to hurry up! It’s winterfest eve!“, Lenore declared happily.

The twins sprang up from their seats and started dancing. „Let’s celebrate winterfest! Presents! Presents!“

[bearyzdiary]

Since you said requests are open 🌝

Can I get a reader that’s obsessed with Simon? Not in borderline insane but they’ve protective of him (Yandere or not)

Unless you’re uncomfortable with writing that sort of stuff then it ok‼️

I just want you to be safe.

Simon x reader

This diary contains…obsessive behavior| established relationship| mentions of poor mental health| slight manipulation | short!!!!

People knew not to bother Simon when you were around.You were like his guard dog.You knew how to put people in their place and wasn’t afraid to call someone’s bullshit out.

Simon loved that about you…but the thing was that he knew it wasn’t healthy in some ways.For example,Simon could be talking with someone else and you would just stare at the person,making it awkward for everyone involved.

It’s not like you didn’t want Simon to have friends but you also didn’t want him to be friends with the kids at this shitty college.He had you! He didn’t need anyone else.

You never liked Sophie of course.Before you and Simon became official you never saw what Simon saw in her.It was even worse when she had rejected him.poor Simon cried in your arms all night long.

Ever since then you had a bone to pick with Sophie.She wasn’t a good friend you told simon and how you were better off without her.Slowly you pushed simon away from Sophie,Causing them to lose contact.

Since Simon was so quiet he was the perfect target for people to pick at.They didn’t full blown bully him but they made snarky comments towards him,Sometimes played stupid pranks on him.

You obviously couldn’t stand to see it and cussed every single one of them out before getting a bit physical and punching one of them.

You had gotten tired of people constantly being rude to Simon all because he was different.Simon never saw a problem with your behavior,He thought you were just being caring.With his poor mental health and your good manipulation skills you’ve managed to implement the thought of doing online classes for college.

So what if Simon didn’t talk with anyone else? He only needed you in your eyes! You were his happy person.He only need you to be happy and you guess his therapist.

His therapist,Dr.Purnell had a bone to pick with you.He claimed that you were in the way of Simon getting better by trying to keep him away from other people.

You wanted him to get better!so you allowed him to speak to more people,Encouraging it also.Simon was a bit iffy at first but slowly talked to more people.

He didn’t make friends but he got to know people on a good level where if there was a group project they could work together.

You knew your obsessive behavior was weird and you promised Simon you would get it check out and would get help!

It wasn’t until you seen a girl making fun of him with her friends.The same girl who smiled and laughed in Simon’s face was now shit talking him?

You knew if you told Simon he would feel worse,So you just kinda told him to stop talking with the girl and fade away from her.You never gave him a reason but ever since that experience you kept your word.

Obsessive or not,You just wanted Simon to be safe!

[lxdymoon0357]

Hi if it's okay can I please ask for a yandere Kosair with a Yuutsu darling and where she's friends with his sister and he slowly grows obsessed her and attached to her

(of-course, it was fun to write this!! Also apologies for the mistakes, I tried my best to find as much info about Yuutsu as possible!!)

Yandere! Kosair X Yuutsu (OC)! Reader

❀ You were a dressmaker in the Eastern empire, and your dresses were not a part of a huge showroom, but you just made a few dresses here and there for people and your prices depended on the materials of the dress, your dresses were silently famous and the words eventually received by the empress who needed a dress for a little get-away.

❀ She came to you, asked to make a dress and you did, and Navier enjoyed it…A LOT! It was comfortable, made her feel happy and pretty, and it was everything she wanted, she asked you to make more for her for different occasions and you agreed, you and her slowly in this way became friends.

❀ Navier would often get you to make dresses for her and her ladies-in-waiting or her nobility friends and she would often model it for you in a silent and modest manner, you quickly became one of her dearest friends whom she’d vent about all her problems to.

❀ Soon you met Kosair, who was the empress’s brother, and he looked identical to her!! You weren’t lying, he was adorable like his sister, but in an opposite manner, he was not afraid to hit a person who disrespected him unlike Navier who is very peculiar of her reputation, so it wasn’t hard to be friends with him as long as you don’t hurt Navier or anger him!!

❀ Slowly, slowly you also became very close with Kosair as he was more of an explorer he was always out and about and he visited you with some gifts or something to help you with your interests, he would also love it if you made him some clothing as well, he is obsessed with you after all!!

❀ And no, I’m not kidding when I say he’s OBSESSED with you…HE IS OBSESSED WITH YOU. You’re so sweet, soft and kind looking along with your pretty long pink hair, your creativeness and your two babies, who are kittens apparently!! He was ready to propose when he first saw you, no lie…

❀ He notices every little detail about you, like your light pink coloured nails, you relaxing more when it’s raining, the absurd amount of hair clips and ribbons for your hair, how you aren’t able to accept a gift because of your nervousness as you feel that you aren’t deserving of it, the pink and cute choker you always have around your neck for some reason…, the way your face turns red when you cry or blush even though you have a poker face on, the white, pink and black decorate which is spoopy; cute and spooky. And so much more, he has noticed!!

❀ Don’t worry! He won’t do anything rash, well not for a good long while, until someone decides to touch you or try to court you or try to be your suitor, they aren’t alive for long and are mostly beaten up and never found or accused of horrible crimes!! He has connections; he is a noble after all!!

❀ He is not gonna kidnap you, until he is sure you trust him a 100% and until you both are probably deep into a relationship, he is an impatient man but he will be patient and wait for the right for as LONG as possible if it’s for you!!

❀ He will make sure you have everything you want, Navier on the other hand is someone who contacts her brother with every problem you have, because she’s your best friend, she only wants what’s best for you and she wants to help solve any and every problem in your life!! And you fit perfectly with her brother; she WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU AS HER SISTER-IN-LAW!!

❀ He knows how much when a person makes dresses, they usually never get a pretty dress themselves by others, so he does exactly that, he buys you prettiest of dresses from different countries and with different fabrics, different styles, colours, patterns, dying techniques, etc. he is gonna make sure you’re gonna like them!! It’s just something he does; just don’t mind the tiny splatters of blood on some of them and by some of them I mean all of them…

[ultimaid]

Do you have any headcanons for what Kirumi's childhood was like?? Asking for scientific reasons

STARES DIRECTLY AT YOU. pluto you are not prepared for what you have just asked me. i have so many headcanons that i’ve just adopted as canon in my mind.

kirumi was born to upper middle class parents on the outskirts of tokyo. not quite in the city, but not quite in the country either.

her father was rarely home as he was the sole breadwinner, and her mother struggled with an undiagnosed mental illness, likely depression; she was also physically ill often. she was a former career woman who was forced to stay home due to her illnesses, but even with physical proximity to her daughter, they struggled to bond. she would often scold kirumi for crying.

kirumi was a… strange child. she met some milestones, like grasping objects and walking, extremely early. talking, however, came late.

kirumi was never close to either of her parents. she became fiercely independent from a very young age. by the time she was four or five, she was making her own simple meals and cleaning up after herself. she walked to and from school on her own every day. she didn’t mind. her mother would praise her for being able to take care of herself, and considering how little praise she got overall, she soon developed a complex about being able to do things without help.

school was a struggle. kirumi excelled academically, often having the highest grades in her class, but had a very hard time making friends. other kids found her intimidating and unapproachable; her blunt manner of communication did her no favors either. she would also often volunteer to help clean up at the end of the day, so she got a bit of a reputation as a teacher’s pet.

in an effort to be more likable, kirumi started making snacks for her classmates and bringing them to school near the end of elementary school. the other kids loved her cooking, and kirumi learned that doing things for others was a good way to get them to like her. for the first time in her life, she wasn’t lonely. it was a new feeling, but one she became obsessed with.

her reputation improved greatly in middle school. she would make food for her classmates, help them with homework, take over cleaning duty when they had somewhere to be… sure, she never had close friends like her classmates did, but this was so much better than the nothingness she was used to. so what if kids still teased her behind her back for her monotone voice and peculiar way of dressing? at least they talked to her now.

still, though… even as her service to others got rid of a bit of that loneliness, she still felt like a complete outsider. like no matter what she did, there would always be a layer of glass between her and her peers.

she began working as a maid at age thirteen. partially to have something to do after school, partially as a way to hone her skills in housework. soon, though, word got out about her talents. by the time she was fifteen, she was getting requests from high-profile clients in major cities. she still did well in school, but she was rarely home. she liked it that way.

some of her clients were kind people. some were not. but kirumi had no concept of standing up for herself. after all, this was the only way she had to be independent, receive love, and have a purpose. her career became extremely important to her, and she became known as the maid who would fulfill any request given to her. any request.

selfishness is a foreign concept to her. if she is selfish, nobody will love her. she must give and give and give in order to be cared for. it seems very simple to kirumi.

she’s accepted at this point that to have a real friend, or a romantic partner, or anybody who sees her as an equal would be inherently selfish, so she eschews the idea. this is how she was meant to live. this is how she was meant to be. constantly subservient. constantly giving.

[callmewrinkles3]

Hi kiddos. Alex here. I know nobody asked for this but goddamn, I just needed to get it out of my chest and out of my head because today has been bad.

Nobody wants another sad story but there it goes. I was never a sports person until my best friend made me sit in front of our TV to watch twenty guys go around in circles driving fast cars. She spent her childhood watching Fernando race, so I just sat there without understanding shit. We were in deep shit in every single possible way, so I didn't complain about it because she was happy to do it.

It was the worst summer of our lives for too many reasons, but we spent those weekends watching YouTube videos about F1 to cheer ourselves up. It was really really really bad, but for a while that made it better. I can even point to the exact two moments I fell in love with Dan during those days. The first episode of DTS when he says he is a mechanic and the McL*ren snacks video where he had the goddamn Let's fuck ring. It was instant love. That was the moment my brain yelled "Yup, that's my guy". I also remember the first time I saw him. It was during the Hungary GP red flag after Valtteri destroyed everything that moved. I saw Dan standing beside the car looking at the damage and I remember thinking “Goddamn” because it was a mess.

I went from not being a sports fan to absolutely getting obsessed with it and with him. I remember Monza weekend like it was yesterday, grabbing my bestie’s hand after the sprint and saying “NO BUT YOU DONT GET IT” because he wasn’t going to start P3 but P2. I used part of our savings to get that pink shirt because it meant the world that weekend. I used part of my salary to buy an old school yellow Renault Dan shirt with my first job after not working for months thanks to covid. We were the most irresponsible people ever and we spent all our savings buying tickets to the race here in Barcelona the next year because it became my dream to actually see Dan racing in front of me. It was worth every single cent because it was a privilege to see him racing not once but twice.

The thing is, that curly Aussie man brought me the biggest smile on the worst days. He put a smile on my face when probably nothing else could. He gave me some of my biggest happy moments and some of the worst headaches and heartbreaks of the last four years. He even got me the motivation to write again after centuries of not doing it even when I love it probably more than anything else. He gave me my friends because I would never have met them if it wasn’t for our mutual love for him.

Dan is magically was the reason why @honeybadgercomeback appeared at the exact time I needed them the most. Heaven knows this needs a special mention because holyshit I love Ciara so much it's ridiculous. They stood by my side and listened to me cry for hours and stayed there when anxiety kicked me in the ass. They decided to write a whole story with me and create an entire world out of it. It's my pride and joy to do it. They even opened the doors of her family and home when I was about to explode and there aren't enough words to thank you. They're really the Blake to my Dan and heaven knows nobody will ever do it like we do. We have planned the whole thing to watch Austin together at my place next month, and even today they stood by my side when I said I couldn't watch it if Dan's not there. If that's not love then I don't know, kids.

It breaks my heart. I can't explain how badly I cried today about all this mess. The way the press and his own teams have treated him over the last couple of years is unfair. To see him leave like this is unfair. I absolutely hate it, but this is so incredibly unfair and wrong that I just reached the point where I found myself actually saying to myself that I just hope he retires and gets home to his family. I just reached the point where I’m exhausted by the sport I love so much and goddamn I’m not even planning to watch the rest of the races if he is not there. To see him crying in the media pen broke my heart, and I can't. Even then I truly hope this is not the last one. I just want to see him in Austin again. I really want him to have the farewell he deserves.

All this to say goddamn, how I love Daniel. I'm thankful for the last four years of love I got from seeing that lanky man on my TV doing what he loves. He means more to me than I could ever say. I love him more than words can express. He'll always be my guy. He'll always be my baby. God, I would go to the end of the world and to war for that man. Whatever happens next I just hope he is at peace after all this mess, because after fourteen years he bloody deserves it.

[livwritesstuff]

Absolutely obsessed with your steddie dad’s verse!!! Everything about it is just so good, thanks for sharing!

I love Moe, Robbie and Hazel, and I can’t get this idea out of my head that probably doesn’t fit the vision of this verse at ALL but hear me out. What if one day all the upside down stuff became public knowledge? Somehow documents get leaked, someone talks, idk. And it’s suddenly all over the news. Would be so interesting to see how Steve and Eddie would react to this and how they’d talk to their kids (who just found out about their parents saving the world from the news) about it 👀

So here’s the thing:

Realistically, I don’t think the story would ever get fully leaked, for two reasons (probably more, actually, but two primary reasons).

It makes the U.S. government look terrible, and they do a good enough job of that publically to afford any more hits to their rep so they keep that shit on lock

Nobody would believe it. Maybe there are whispers about the truth of what happened to Hawkins, Indiana in the 80s, but the second the words “monsters” and “superpowers” get thrown in there, nobody buys it. That’s why the cover stories work.

What I absolutely think would happen is ✨conspiracy theories✨

Like, come 2014 there’s a rising interest in true crime and conspiracy theories and some enthusiasts stumble upon the story. A few devoted folks pull a Murray and start building a timeline and they quickly realize that there are some pretty serious holes in the narrative. It kind of takes off from there.

Robbie is Eddie’s daughter through and through, so she’s totally into that kind of stuff. Steve and Eddie have always been relatively upfront about what happened to them in Hawkins (relatively, in that they have the “here’s what you’ll find if you google your dads” conversation with an extensive Q+A, but to avoid dumping trauma on their kids they stay light on the details), so she’s more intrigued than surprised when not only is she suggested a YouTube video about her dads’ hometown, but the video also mentions both of them by name.

Here’s the problem – like most conspiracy theories, it's true that some pretty damning evidence has been uncovered that the government probably didn’t want circulating. However the story is still missing key details in a way that makes the resounding conclusion this close to the truth, but not quite there.

Hence, this conversation Robbie has with her dads after she watches the video:

“So is it true that Uncle Will was abducted by aliens?”

Steve’s eyebrows fly up.

“Are people saying it’s aliens? It wasn’t aliens.”

“Was he though?”

“Uh…kind of. I guess.”

“Is it true the government put a fake body in the lake and pretended it was him and then when Will came back they had to pretend it was another kid?”

“Yep.”

“That’s fucked up. Is it true that Russia used a mall in Hawkins to build a secret lab?” Robbie asks.

“Yes.”

“Is it true they were doing research on the aliens and then one of them escaped and that’s why the mall got destroyed.”

“Not even close.”

“How did the mall get destroyed then?”

“Bunch of people got possessed by a shadow monster and he made them eat chemicals until they exploded and reformed as this giant mass thing that cornered us in the mall. We attacked it with fireworks. I wasn’t there for most of that, though. Just the end.”

“Whatever,” Robbie rolls her eyes, fully convinced that her dad is bullshitting her, “Is it true the Hawkins earthquakes were actually the aliens invading.”

“No – yes…kind of? Not earthquakes. Not aliens.”

“I mean…technically they kind of were aliens ,” Eddie jumps in, “Technically anything from a land foreign to yours is an alien.”

“They weren’t aliens,” Steve insists, “They were monsters. They were big and gray and their faces opened up and they had all these rows of teeth like sharks.”

“Sounds like an alien to me,” Robbie replies.

“Monsters.”

“Is it true Dad was attacked by them and he almost died and you saved him, Pop?”

“Yes, indeed,” Eddie says proudly before Steve can respond, “He’s quite the hero, don’t you think?”

“In space?”

“Nope. In an evil alternate dimension, and he dragged me all the way out through the portal and everything.”

Robbie rolls her eyes again, “Nevermind, you guys are useless. You’d think you weren’t even there.”

Steve sighs, “God, I wish that were true.”

In terms of how Steve and Eddie respond to the story gaining some attention from the general public, they do family viewings of the conspiracy videos made about the situation and make fun of the incorrect narratives. Their daughters fully do not grasp that their dads are telling the truth because, again, the truth does not seem real.

[thoughtsbydorian]

Random Hazbin HCs cause I can’t sleep

- The cannibals don’t have eyes because they eat them after they regenerate. Cannibal town works so well because no one actually dies they just take turns being eaten before regenerating. Cannibals are NOT hellborn, rather most of them are victorian folks who indulged in the mummy craze.

- Molly died before angel dust, i think she died in a shooting because of the mafia when they were teens/young adults. Hence why Molly was never really involved in the family business and I think it could also account for Angel’s turn to illicit substances.

- Angel and Husk knew each other in life, maybe even hooked up briefly. Husk is actually the younger of the two but not by a lot.

- Charlie used to have another group of sinner friends but they were all killed in the first extermination.

- Angel and Alastor are the only ones of the main crew who were never married in life.

- Nifty got married her senior year of high school and did her best to be the perfect wife. She had some fertility issues and had mental breakdown, causing her husband and family to have her institutionalized. After a while she escaped and took out her rage on her husband and her older cousin who he was cheating on her with. She ended up setting the house on fire and causing a small explosion in which she lost an eye. However she tried to continue her rampage, going to her parents where her father was the one who shot her down.

- Vaggie was never alive. Rather she was created to care for children souls in heaven before she was recruited to be an exorcist. Part of the reason she became an exorcist was to protect the kids. She was under the impression that all children went to heaven. Though when she went to kill the cannibal kid, she realized she was wrong and the system was far more flawed than she realized.

- Angel was a an overlord under his father for the first few years he was in hell (leaving after he realized that he didn’t need to pretend he wasn’t gay anymore)

- Every so often Charlie locks her self away to cry about the idea of losing all here friends

- Alastor has a very strict moral code when it comes to who he kills. He only kills those who take advantage or abuse of others. Which is why he didn’t kill Husk when he could’ve.

- Nifty and Alastor would tag team Valentino so hard

- Part of the reason Vaggie didn’t put together that Angelic weapons could harm angels is because she thought she had already fallen before her eye was cut out. She thought the mere thought of questioning the system made her fall.

- Valentino has a major superiority complex, so he thinks he’s the one in charge of the Vees when in reality he’s the last person to be consulted on big decisions.

- Vox was a small local news reporter with dreams of going national. Unfortunately that never happened as he was killed by a falling set piece on live, making him more famous in his death than in his life.

- Sir Pentious had two sons when he was alive. One lived well into adulthood, the other died when he was barely a teen from typhoid or some other old timey disease. It’d be the same disease the Pent ends up dying from. Though not before he starts obsessing over how to cure it, his other son continues his work and ends up discovering the vaccine for it.

- Pentious was a snake’s oil salesman for most of his life.

- Nifty had a lobotomy in life

- If others hadn’t been there, the val and charlie would’ve ended much differently(she was ready to kill him before angie stopped her)

- Charlie has tried to cut her hair short(like pixie) multiple times but whenever she loses control of her powers it just grows back, the only loophole for some reason being and undercut or side cut. as long as the hair on the crown of her head is long it’s fine.

- Alastor’s mom was a teen mom; my brain says 13 or 14. Her parents kicked her out after they found out she was pregnant forcing her to become fully dependent on her (now) husband. They had a shotgun wedding and a really tumultuous marriage. His dad left them both when he was 5 or 6. He also isn’t an only child though i’m not sure if he has a younger sibling or older. probably younger.

- Husk’s actual name is Jack, it’s part of his deal with Alastor that his old name was sold to Alastor. Him and anyone who knew him as Jack have completely forgotten it, they know his past but think he’s always been Husk. I’d like to think if he or anyone else rediscovers his name the deal would broken, kind rumplstisken vibes.

- Quite a lot of the sinners had kids in life, most of them assume that their kids ended up in heaven.

- Sir Pentious’ sons did end up in heaven and recognized him instantly and was elated to see his dad after so long.

[avatarmerida]

A little something based on JovianPlanets Summer Camp AU on twitter. There's not much to say: they're summer camp counselors, they're in college and Willow is the sports director and Hunter is a lifeguard. They're still dorks, it's very cute, get into it.

---

Hunter was the newest counselor at Camp Palistrom and for the first part of the summer, he had mostly kept to himself. He had been recommended by Luz whose mom worked at the animal shelter he volunteered at, but he knew she had just started dating the activities coordinator and didn’t want to be a third wheel in their summer romance. He was fine using the limited free time he had to study, just because it was summer didn’t mean it was an excuse to slack off. He adopted an air of mystery; he was strict and diligent. He took his job seriously. But the moment he wasn’t actively responsible for campers’ wellbeing, it was like he vanished.

But then one morning Willow ran into him on her early morning jog and was overjoyed to have finally found a workout buddy who could keep up with her, and the two became the talk of camp.

But mostly because Willow and Hunter were no strangers to the infirmary.

They'd be on a hike and sure enough they'd fall into a collection of poison ivy. They'd try out double dutch and would be in with matching scrapes and bruises. They'd be in the garden and sure enough so would a whole beehive. Not to mention the infamous super glue incident when they tried to make a birdhouse for a cardinal that seemed to be obsessed with Hunter.

But this latest one really took the cake.

“Okay it’s not like a life threatening wound or anything,” Viney observed as Hunter sat in the small nurse's office, an arrow sticking out of his shoulder. “The arrow’s head was straight, so it won’t like rip you apart or anything but I ain’t gonna lie it’s still gon hurt when it comes out.”

“Can I take like a Tylenol or something?” Hunter asked.

“Uh I mean you can but it probably won’t do too much,” said Viney. “I mean, it’s an arrow, dude. The stuff that’ll make you not feel that is not the stuff they send to a state owned summer camp.”

“Oh, yeah well, I’m sure it’ll be fine…” Hunter started looking uncertain.

“Oh Hunter I’m so sorry!” Said Willow. “This is all my fault, let me drive you to the hospital and we can get you something to help-.”

“Willow, Willow I promise it’s fine, really,” Hunter said, putting his hand over hers. “It really doesn’t hurt, it’s just… kinda weird. And it’s not your fault!”

“I’m the sports director, I should've explained the technique better before I let the kids shoot!” She insisted. “Let me at least hold your hand or something while she takes it out..”

“Uh sure yeah okay we can-.” He began as Willow eagerly laced her fingers through his and gave his hand a small squeeze. There was no way he was focusing on the pain now. “-do that.”

Their collection of injuries wasn’t the only thing the pair were known for around camp.

“So uh, what were you doing by the archery field?” Said Viney as she looked for the gloves.

“Uh ya know just… walking by.” said Hunter tentatively as he tried not to look at Willow looking at him with wide, worried eyes.

“Just walking by, huh?” Asked Viney with a smirk. “It’s an awful far walk from the pool, are you sure you weren’t there for… any other reasons?”

Hunter’s face turned bright red. “I uh, ya know I was just walking by that’s all,” he said nervously. “Ya know, just… hanging out.”

He totally wasn’t watching Willow demonstrate how to pull back the arrow and admiring the cute way she scrunched her nose when she focused. It wasn't his fault King was overzealous and fired his arrow early.

“Sure it wasn’t Cupid that hit with that arrow?” Viney asked with a smirk.

“Pretty sure,” Hunter chuckled nervously, clearing his throat. If Willow got what Viney was trying to imply she made no indication. She was too focused on holding Hunter’s hand.

“All right then, hold him down Park,” said Viney, getting a good grip on the end of the arrow. “Just in case I don’t get it on the first try.”

“Wait what?”

—-

Viney gave Hunter an ointment he needed to apply every few hours when he changed the bandages. She advised trying to avoid getting them wet, but Hunter found that might be a little difficult being the lifeguard and all.

Luckily, Willow was still certified due to Amity insisting everyone be prepared in case of emergency so she could be there to help if lifeguard services were required. She offered to take his shifts all together and give him a break, but he insisted that it was still his responsibility. So, every day, Willow and Hunter would meet at the lifeguard tower. Hunter insisted he could have his chair and he would stand but she wouldn’t hear of it. So she got out an old one from the shed so they could both sit side by side “like a king and queen, looking over their kingdom,” Willow said. Realistically, they should sit at opposite ends of the pool to have a better view of the whole pool but Hunter didn’t mention this because he liked how excited she was to sit next to him. He wasn't able to do their usual activities since they might aggravate his injury, so he was glad he still had an excuse to see her.

He had expected this summer to be about a paycheck, something good to put on his resume. He hadn't expected meeting someone like her. She made everything fun. She bought them matching heart-shaped sunglasses and would mimic his voice when he yelled at kids not to run. But she wasn't making fun of him, which was odd to him. She went out her way to find him. She'd bring him an extra jello cup from the mess hall when he was running late, she asked people to move down so she could sit next to him at campfires, she made him a friendship bracelet that he mentally vowed never to take off.

For the first time, he wished for an endless summer.

---

As the last campers headed back to their cabins to get ready for dinner, Willow jumped into the pool to do a celebratory cannonball. Hunter laughed as she splashed his feet, setting her prescription sunglasses on the edge of the pool as she treaded water.

“Come on in, let’s race!” she called up to him.

It was tempting, it was very tempting. It had been a hot day the way Willow’s braids were slowly unraveling made her look like a mermaid. But he still had a few more days on Viney’s restrictions.

“I’d love to, but I gotta go change my bandages before the campfire,” he said. “I’ll be right back though, I wanna tell you about my idea for a water polo team.”

Hunter ran over to the pool shed where he kept his supplies and went to work. The bandages were tight around his shoulder, and it was difficult to remove one handed by himself, especially with the shed as dark as it was. But he wanted to get back to Willow as quickly as possible, so he practically dislocated his other shoulder as he tried to undo the old layer.

“Hey, are you okay in here?” came a delicate voice from the doorway.

“Willow!” he said, flustered as he turned himself back around. “I-I’m fine; really. I can figure it out myself.”

“I know Gus said you had trouble last night and he had to help you before bed,” said Willow as she made her way to the back by him, her hair still dripping wet. “I can help you if you-.”

“No no I don’t want you to have to-.”

“I honestly don’t mind at all Hunter. Plus I don’t want you to get infected.” She put her glasses atop her head, the shed too dark for sunglasses. He knew her normal glasses were back in her locker, he’d hate for her to strain her eyes on his account. “Let me help you.”

But she really did care about him.

“It’s just… I’d have to take off my shirt…”

“Oh, well… oh.” Willow stopped herself. She realized that despite being the lifeguard, Hunter did always have his tank top on. A fact she remembered vividly because the few times he had needed to jump into the water, her head quickly turned and saw the white see thru fabric clinging poetically to his torso, glaring in the sunlight. Not that she had been disappointed. Not that she was expecting anything. Not that she was ogling him.

Okay, maybe a little.

The point was that Willow knew Hunter did not take off his shirt because she definitely would’ve noticed if he had. She knew it was none of her business, she knew it wasn’t professional or polite to ask but she’d be lying if the slight definition of his arms didn’t spark a healthy curiosity in her.

But she didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.

“Oh, that’s okay,” she said. “If you want I can get Gus to help if that would be more comfortable for you, I just know it’s an odd angle and with how hot it’s been today I’m worried about you not healing properly.”

“Uh no it’s okay just… promise not to stare?”

“I promise.” She swore, crossing her heart. She put the appropriate amount of medicine onto her fingertip as she tried to allow Hunter some kind of privacy as he undressed. Hunter took a deep breath as he carefully went to remove his shirt and the moment he did Willow realized just how small the pool shed was as she felt launched into the orbit of his personal space as her eyes did not know where to land. Even with her impaired vision, she could see plenty. She didn’t know how to react, and her mouth moved faster than her mind as she let her thoughts become audible.

“Wow.” she whispered, immediately regretting it. She saw Hunter’s brow furrow in worry and she stumbled over herself to try and fix it. “Sorry! Sorry, it’s just that you’ve got some pretty impressive-.”

“Scars, I know they’re-.”

“-muscles.”

An awkward silence floated between the two of them as Willow attempted to address the task at hand as she placed one hand on his wound to apply the salve and the other somehow landed on his bare chest. As he looked up to face her, Hunter saw how close they were. She didn’t step back or wear a look of disgust, in fact if Hunter didn’t know better, he’d say she looked rather… flustered.

“Oh, uh… thanks,” he managed to say. “I uh work out a little, I guess.”

“Yeah, I guess saving people will uh will do that,” she said, pretending to clear her throat. She promised she wouldn’t stare, and she didn’t realize it was easier said than done. She held her breath as she wrapped the new bandage, trying not to apply too much pressure. It was one thing staring at his back when he passed her on their runs, but this was bordering unprofessional.

“Are you okay?” He asked when she was uncharacteristically quiet. “I know it’s kind of gross-.”

“No, no it’s totally not gross,” Willow quickly assured him. “It’s like the total opposite of gross, it’s like I get why the sign-up sheet for swim team filled up so quickly, ya know?”

“I uh, I meant the wound,” clarified Hunter.

“Oh! Oh yeah yeah yeah totally,” she laughed nervously. “I mean not that it’s gross, it’s like practically healed. You uh- I mean… dude you have some major tan lines.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah I guess,” he laughed, noticing for the first time the tan half circle from his tank top clashing with the pale whiteness of his torso. “You should see the tan lines from my crocs, my feet are covered in polka dots now.”

“You think that’s bad? Check this out!” She giggled as she pulled the strap of her coverup over her shoulder to reveal a dramatic discoloration of her own. “And don’t get me started on the tan line from my glasses.”

“Okay yeah, that’s pretty-woah!” Before Hunter could finish, he bumped a shelf with his elbow and sent the supplies faking onto the ground. He quickly pulled Willow out of its path, pulling her in by her waist to avoid being crushed by boogie boards and towels. The water falling from her hair created a small puddle that she slipped in and caused her to hold him tighter for balance.

“Sorry about that, are you okay?” He asked, looking down at her slightly embarrassed. Much to his surprise, he was met with wide eyes as Willow instinctively clung to his chest.

“Mhm-hmm,” she breathed softly, and Hunter was suddenly taken back by the way the gentle light shone through the small window and managed to find her like a spotlight. Like she was the only thing deserving of the sparse light, like it was drawn to her, like it fought to be near her. He could hardly blame it. They were so close, he could smell her sunscreen. So close, that it would be so easy to-.

“Hunter, how many floaties would be considered a safety hazard because Gus and I wanna-oh.” Luz stopped herself dead in her tracks as she examined the very surprising very… compromising scene she walked in on: a shirtless Hunter holding Willow as her strap exposed her shoulders and they both looked like deer caught in the headlights. What was she supposed to think?

“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Said Luz, going to shut the door. “I’ll just be going so you can-.”

“You’re not!” “It’s not what you think!” They said simultaneously as they quickly separated, and Hunter rushed to put his tank top back on.

“Luz, wait up!” Willow called before quickly turning back to Hunter. “Are you good?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I-it’s great thanks,” he said with a blush he hoped the dim lighting hid.

“Cool,” she said, giving him a wink as she often did. “Happy to help.”

—-

It felt wrong to, but Willow almost wished Hunter’s injury would take longer to heal. She hoped he would ask her to stay on after he no longer technically needed her, but she knew he wouldn’t dream of inconveniencing her. But it wouldn't be anything like that, she loved spending time with him. And he didn’t socialize outside camp sponsored events. If he wasn’t required to be somewhere, he was off by himself. She would find an excuse to see him under the guise of planning events and soon he would be telling her about the books he was reading or showing her pictures of the cardinal he was looking after. She knew he needed the time to collect his thoughts after the overstimulation their job brought forth, but summer was ending soon. Was it selfish to say she wanted as much time with him as possible?

She had never met someone like him, so serious and silly at the same time. She loved the way he lit up when he told her about his interests and the way he looked at her when she went on about her plants. He admitted he had found an old book on edible fungi so on their next hike they could look for examples together. She would love nothing more.

She liked him, she really liked him.

And she was starting to think he really liked her too.

---

“Did you know Hunter’s birthday is this week?” Willow asked as she and Gus finished cleaning up makeshift kickball bases.

“How did I know you were gonna bring up Hunter?”

“Okay, you brought him up first when you were talking about arranging a Cosmic Frontier movie night,” countered Willow.

“Well, if we get two more sign ups we’ll be allowed to do it!” he said. They currently had three, two of which were them.

“Anyway, it’s not on the employee board so I wonder why he’s keeping it a secret.”

“How did you find out?”

“He was showing me a postcard his guardian sent him, and I saw another one on his bed that asked what he was doing for his birthday on Friday,” she said.

“You were in his cabin? Unsupervised?” Gus gave a fake gasp. “At last: a camp scandal!”

“Pshh, I wish,” she joked. “It’s your cabin too, Gus. I was just in there helping him fold your laundry since he lost the bet you two had.”

"The poor fool really thought he could drink more Bug Juice than me," Gus chuckled fondly as he slung the sack of kickballs over his shoulder. "He never stood a chance."

"He's never had so much processed sugar before," laughed Willow, remembering how she had tried teaching him how to braid with his surge of energy but he had passed out on her shoulder halfway through and she guided him through the sugar hangover the next day.

“Yeah, you two have been spending a lot of time together,” said Gus. “Getting hit by that arrow was the best thing that ever happened to him. Before, he’d be up all night rereading the manual to something and now he’s like a totally different person. He’s been smiling alot more.”

“We hung out before he got hit by the arrow,” Willow smiled. Hunter had a nice smile, even the thought of it was contagious.

"You know that's not the arrow I mean," teased Gus. Willow rolled her eyes, she knew Viney's joke about Cupid's arrow had spread around camp. She honestly didn't mind it. She had brought it up once to Hunter, to see if he was totally against the implication but somehow, they got talking about Percy Jackson, thinking it was a reference and he went on one his deep dives that Willow loved to listen to, like her own personal podcast.

“I wish we started hanging out sooner. There’s only one more session left and then he’ll be across the country for school.”

“I know,” sighed Gus sadly. “But that just means we have to make the time we have left count. The campers leave Friday morning and then we have a whole weekend before the last set comes in. Maybe we can do something for his birthday?”

“I want to do something, but I know if we tell him we want to do something he’ll insist he’s not worth the trouble,” said Willow. “And I don’t think it’s because he wouldn’t enjoy it, but he’s like actually convinced he doesn’t deserve it.”

“Then… what if we surprise him?” said Gus.

“Gus, we hardly have any free time as it is,” laughed Willow. “And when we do, we’re all together. How can we plan a whole party without him knowing?”

“If we tell him it’s not for him,” said Gus slyly.

“Ooh, you’ve got a scheme, Porter?”

“We just need to convince Hunter that I have a summer birthday.”

---

“Okay, Gus is out with Matt collecting firewood so we should have plenty of time to set up the main hall before he gets back,” said Amity, going over her checklist. In truth, Matty and Gus were finishing making a cardboard cutout of O’Bailey out of paper mâché, convinced it would be a fun photo op. “Luz and I are finishing up decorations, Skara is on music, Jerbo is on punch, Ed and Em are getting games, Viney… I don’t think a petting zoo is gonna work but lemme double check and we just need someone to pick up the cake and a few things from town.”

“Oh! Hunter and Willow can go!” Luz pretended to spontaneously volunteer as though that had not been the plan the whole time.

“Uh, sure yeah,” said Hunter. Willow nodded and ran ahead to grab the keys from Eda’s office.

Once she was out of earshot, Luz reached out and pulled Hunter back by his shoulder. “Don’t mess this up.”

“I won’t,” he assured her, confused as to why she thought he would. “I know Gus’ favorite flavors and I’m prepared to go to multiple stores to get the trick candles he likes.”

“Not that!” Luz said in a harsh whisper. “Do you really think we need two people to pick up a cake? No, this is just an elaborate excuse to get you two alone so you finally make a move.”

Luz considered the opportunity a birthday gift to Hunter.

“Make a-,” he turned around frantically to make sure Willow had not been around to hear. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“My dude, during free swim you look at Willow like you’re hoping she’s gonna drown,” said Luz. “Those sunglasses aren’t fooling anyone.”

“I would never put the lives of campers at risk!” He said, truly offended. “I keep an avid and well circulated eye over everyone in the water, not just Willow and her green bikini!”

Luz simply raised an eyebrow to him as his words caught up with him and did not help disprove her point.

“I mean I- it could’ve been green, I don’t remember but it’s beside the point because what I mean is I still have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Which I guess means you haven’t noticed the way she practically starts drooling every time you reapply sunscreen,” said Luz smugly, amazed how neither of them were even a little bit subtle and yet the other was totally oblivious. Like an unstoppable force and an unmovable object.

“I don’t… notice everything Willow does,” Hunter lied, beginning to sweat. He assumed her gaze was always meant for something just past him. Or maybe she was just making sure he applied it evenly. Once she had offered to get his back for him and he ended up pretending to see something in the water to avoid coming up with an answer because he literally couldn’t say yes but how could he say no?

“Hey, having a crush is nothing to be embarrassed about-.”

“Shhh! What are you doing? Willow might hear you!” Hunter hissed. “If you bothered to read the handbook you’d know that fraternization among counselors is frowned upon and can end in demerits or termination of employment!”

“Demerits? Are you reading the manual from like the 1950s?”

“It’s been a consistent policy!”

“Interesting that you seemed to care so much about that policy that you looked it up to see if it had changed,” said Luz with a smirk.

“It’s not like that,” he lied again. “I happen to know all the policies and their updates.”

“So are you gonna report me and Amity?”

“What? No, I would never-.”

“Then the rules are not the reason you’re being a wuss,” said Luz firmly. “So why haven’t you made a move all summer? She’s been flirting with you like crazy.”

“What? She has not-.”

“So what I walked in on in the pool shed was just… what exactly?”

“She was just helping me with my injury.”

Hunter knew how it looked. It wasn’t the first time they had been caught in a similar situation.

There had been the time the counselors had gotten together for a game of capture the flag. The only condition was that Willow and Hunter had to be on opposite teas, otherwise no one else stood a chance. After a competition within the competition on who got Gus, he declared himself referee to keep the peace. The counselors had decided to make things more interesting and to make finding the flag extra hard. There were no rules so long as it was on the border and chaos ensued.

In the end, Willow’s team had been victorious as their flag was apparently invisible. Flag locations had been disclosed to Gus so he could confirm no foul play had occurred. Afterwards, Hunter was praising Willow at her ability to hide her flag so well, no one had been able to locate it. She beamed at his praise and twirled her ponytail, saying it wasn’t that far away. Hunter knew she often wore her hair and braids and took immediate notice. Especially the interesting color of her hair tie.

Without thinking, he reached forward and took a closer look. Finding his suspicion correct, he removed the makeshift scrunchie, causing her curls to cascade onto her shoulders as he finally held the flag high over his head. The game was long over but he still felt victorious. Despite the finding of the flag resulting in no real loss, Willow til lunged forward to try and take back her treasure. Hunter used his height to his advantage and kept it out of her reach but that didn’t stop Willow. She wrapped one arm around him to prevent him from switching between hands as the other reached up in vain, the both of them laughing too hard to care how silly it all was. She gave one bold jump and the next thing they knew, they were on the ground.

In the commotion, Hunter had landed on top of Willow who managed to win her flag back. She tried to catch her breath from the laughing and the falling as she looked up at Hunter with a wide, smug smile. Their faces were mere inches apart as Hunter found himself frozen. He knew she couldn't get up and until he did but he was too focused trying to formulate an apology. But Willow hardly thought one was warranted. Silently, she reached up and placed the handkerchief around his neck and tied a loose knot as her fingers lingered at the frayed ends. Hunter wordlessly looked down at her as she did not remove her hold but seemed to try and bring him down closer to her. She was slowly succeeding as his forelock now rested on her forehead, she bit her lip and somehow Hunter felt she was resisting the urge to raise her head to close the gap herself. Her hair was spread out on the ground with the dark green grass effortlessly blending in, like she was everything and everywhere. She was in her element, and he couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. He allowed her to pull him down more, until he was on his elbows and as her eyes fluttered closed he knew that he was right where she wanted him to be and he just had to-

“Have you guys seen where Gus-oh!”

Just as quickly as it was cast, the spell was broken as Amity and Luz rounded the corner.

“Oooh, what’s going on here?” sang Luz mischievously raising her eyebrows as she wrapped her arms around Amity’s waist and placed her chin on her shoulder. They pair had been betting on who would make the first move and there was a stack of limited edition Azura bookmarks waiting for the winner.

“Nothing!” said Hunter, his face turning bright red as he pushed himself away from Willow, quickly standing on his feet. Amity and Luz exchanged a knowing look as Hunter frantically wiped the dirt off him before extending his hand to Willow to help her off. “It was uh… it wasn’t… we were just uh-.”

“I was just giving Hunter his consolation prize,” said Willow as though that truly was what she had been doing. She straightened the bandana around his neck before gently tugging the front of it to lead him away as she walked past their friends as though nothing had been interrupted. He followed behind her, and later chalked it all up to adrenaline from the game.

It was nothing, right? Just like the pool shed?

So why was his mind so consumed by nothing?

“It looked like you were posing for the cover of a romance novel you see in the grocery store checkout line,” insisted Luz, interrupting his daydream of a memory. “Man, if I knew she was so into bad but sad boys I would’ve set you two up ages ago!”

“She is not into me!”

“Do you… not want her to be?”

“I want her… I want her…”

“I don’t think you need to finish that sentence,” said Luz with a wink as she heard Willow returning.

“Hey!” Willow called as she ran back to him with a smile, dangling the keys in his face. “Ready?”

—-

Willow tried her best to waste time in the store, but Hunter was just too efficient. When she pretended to lose the list, he had it memorized. When she pretended like she couldn’t decide between two things, he offered to get both. When she pretended to have forgotten something, planning to take her time going back to get it, he and his long legs rushed to grab it in record time.

She had to admire how determined he was to get back and help set things up for Gus, she couldn’t wait to see the look on his face when he saw the effort was all for him.

But damn it, she needed to waste some time!

Maybe she could make the most of this opportunity…

She watched him check his mirrors as though they had somehow been adjusted since they were last in the car 10 minutes ago. The way he furrowed his brow and blew his loose strand of hair out of his vision almost made her forget to breathe. She knew his mind was a never-ending maze of lists and instructions, and other people might think that made him uptight or critical, but Willow knew it was because he cared so much, he didn’t know where to start. He was thorough and thoughtful and clever and careful, and Willow wanted him to know that she knew. She couldn’t help but see him.

“You’re a really good driver,” said Willow, looking at him with a smile.

“R-really? Uh, thanks,” Hunter gulped. Despite the car being in park and off, Hunter’s hands remained at 10 and 2 on the wheel. “You’re really good at… sitting shotgun.”

“Thanks,” she said, kicking her feet as they dangled over the side of the high truck seat. He started the car and Willow watched him quickly go through the checklist. Seatbelt, lights, windows, reverse, windows again. Maybe he even glanced her way, surely to make sure her seatbelt was secure. She fiddled with the volume knob and watched him from the corner of her eye as he sat up straighter, as though sensing her gaze.

Her phone buzzed with a text from Luz:

Luzura: We need some more time, can you stall him a little longer?

Hello_Willow: Of course 🙂

“Hey uh, since we have some extra time, do you mind if we take a small detour real quick?” she asked as sweetly as she could.

“Oh uh, sure,” he said. She knew he was not the detour type, but she has a feeling she wouldn’t say no to her.

“Oh, take a left at the next stop sign,” said Willow as Hunter did so. They were far from the streetlights now, far from any light. Willow led them to a small, secluded spot that overlooked the lake, the moon’s reflection the only thing showing where the land ended and the water resided. They weren’t too far from camp now, but far enough where they had privacy.

“Is this… Lookout Point?”

“Oh, huh, I guess it is,” said Willow with a chuckle, seeing he was right. “I never realized. I always come here during the day to catch frogs, but I guess at night it has other plans.”

“Yeah, heh.”

“C’mon! Let's go sit by the water!” she said, jumping out the door before he could protest. He wouldn’t, he would follow her anywhere. A few feet from the lake was a picnic table and Willow hopped on and spread out her sundress dress, looking like a painting that Hunter felt somehow always existed in his mind. The moonlight found her, as light always seemed to, and graced the top of her head like a halo.

“I just thought the moon would look pretty over the water,” she said, bringing her knees up to get more comfortable.

“You were right,” said Hunter, his eyes going back between her and the moon, their radiance essentially equal. “It’s really pretty.”

“Yeah,” she agreed with a sigh as Hunter tentatively sat beside her. Her stomach flipped, as their shoulders nearly touched.

“So uh, how did you know about Lookout Point?” Willow asked after a moment.

“Huh? Oh, uh I dunno.”

“It’s just cuz Lookout Point isn’t the actual name of this place, the only people who call it that are people who come here to… uh…”

“Oh, yeah I know,” said Hunter, trying to seem cooler than he felt.

“So… have you?”

“What?”

“Been here with someone to-.”

“Oh! No! No, no, no! Haha no way!” He said quickly and nervously, his laugh forced and unconvincing. “I just uh know about it because Luz is always sneaking off here with Amity and she asks me to cover for her. She called it that but I had no idea that wasn’t the official name, heh.”

“Oh yeah, I bet they carved their initials here somewhere,” she said, looking down at the table. Hunter followed her gaze and saw it was covered with hearts filled in with tiny letters. Willows’s finger traced a few as she searched for her friends’ and Hunter held his breath as her fingers brushed his, maybe even lingering when they did. He looked down too, searching for Willow's initials, being very familiar with how they looked encased in a heart.

“So, uh, are yours-.” Hunter started to ask but was interrupted by a loud explosion. He and Willow looked up and saw a display of fireworks gracing the sky above the lake.

“Oh wow,” she whispered. “They must be from the camp across the lake, they’re always showing off.”

It was like a show just for them, a spontaneous display of light and color trying to reach the moon. Okay maybe Willow knew this would be happening since it happened every year. Hunter wasn’t the only one super into planning. They sat atop the picnic table admiring the scene together. If you told Hunter he would be spending his 21st birthday at Lookout Point watching fireworks with the prettiest girl he’d ever met he would say he’d never believe it.

“Are you cold?” he asked, most likely because he wanted to say something. It was the perfect night, in every aspect. Willow felt perfectly content. But she noticed Hunter wasn’t wearing a jacket and it made her feel mischievous.

“What if I said I was?” She teased, bumping his arm with hers.

“Oh, uh…” Hunter suddenly realized he did not have a solution to offer. “Uh…I guess I could uh…”

He looked around as though one might appear if he was desperate enough, but the air did not manifest him something for some reason. He tentatively raised his arm and hovered for a moment over Willow’s shoulder. She saw from the corner of her eye but said nothing, as though worried she might spook him. But in her mind she was screaming words of encouragement. Finally, his arm found its way down across her back, his hand resting gently across her shoulders.

“Is that… okay?” his voice was strained as his eyes looked straight ahead. Willow wanted him to know he didn’t have to be nervous, but she has to admit it didn’t make her heart flip a little. She carefully wrapped her arm around his waist to bring him closer, her head ever so slightly resting on his chest.

“I feel warmer already,” she said softly, unable to help but giggle at the small gasp he let out when she returned the contact.

“Cool,” said Hunter softly as he felt her shift closer to him. “Yeah, uh this is… nice.”

“Yeah,” agreed Willow as the pair enjoyed the view. She felt his head rest against hers and all she wanted was to be in this moment forever. She imagined how picturesque they must look, comfortable and cozy. Her phone in the car, their friends miles away, no chance of being interrupted now.

Now she could find out if there was something to interrupt.

“Do you… think you’ll come back next summer?” Willow broke the comfortable silence to ask. It was such a nice moment, and she didn’t want to ruin it, but it had been on her mind. But she might not get another chance where she was sure the two of them had privacy. She might need to take advantage of that.

“I mean, I’ve been having a great time so far,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the campers and the birds and yo- you know, the o-other counselors.”

“Well they’ve enjoyed getting to know you too,” she said sweetly, as her free hand played with her braid. “So I was kinda hoping I’d get to see you again.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Willow quickly turned her head up to face him just as he turned his and their noses nearly touched. Suddenly she couldn’t hear the fireworks as her heart flooded her ears

“Willow, I have to tell you something,” he whispered. She held her breath. “About my shoulder…”

"Oh my gosh, was I hurting you?" she panicked as she pulled away. "I’m so sorry, I wasn’t thinking I was just-."

“Viney said last week that my shoulder was fine,” he said quickly and ashamed as he turned away from her.

“What?”

“I didn’t technically need your help this week,” he went on. “I lied to you because I like spending time with you, and I was worried that if I didn’t have this then… then I wouldn’t know how to ask you to… because everytime we… I- I never know how to ask you to hang out and I guess I just wanted you to think…” he sighed and covered his face with his hands. “I dunno.”

Willow just smiled and looked at the friendship bracelet of woven yellow and green wrapped tightly around his wrist. “Ya know,” she started. “This isn’t the first time I’ve tried to get you to Lookout Point.” She admitted with a chuckle. He slowly looked back up at her as though her words were in another language.

“What?”

“I mean, this actually wasn’t on purpose but after we took that hike and a ladybug landed on my shoulder and you didn’t laugh at me for freaking out but you just came up and let it crawl on your finger until it flew away and then you made sure there weren’t anymore nearby, I… Hunter I’ve had a huge crush on you all summer.”

“Wha- o-on me?” he asked as though he had somehow misheard her.

She nodded, feeling lighter now. “I know it might be silly, but if this is the only summer we’re gonna have together then I just…”

She leaned in and closed her eyes as she waited for Hunter to lean in the rest of the way. She felt him place his hands on shoulders. He took a deep breath and looked at her again as the fireworks fizzled behind her. She was stunning and sweet and astonishing. She was so much more than just one summer.

“I’m not really looking for a summer thing,” said Hunter awkwardly as he pulled away.

“Oh.” Willow said quietly, blinking as she tried to transition back to the real world and process his words. “Oh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh, Hunter I’m so sorry! I’m so embarrassed! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, I’m so sorry you can just leave me here and I’ll walk back to-.”

“No! No, you didn’t make me uncomfortable, I swear!” Hunter assured her in an equal panic. “I just really like you and don’t want to ruin things and I’m not gonna make you walk back-.”

“You like me?”

“What?” Hunter said, not telling what he had just admitted as the fireworks continued to go off behind them. “I just… I uh… w-when I said I wasn’t looking for a summer thing I meant I wasn’t looking for something that was just the summer.”

“But I thought you were going back to-.”

“Not anymore,” he said. “I… I didn’t wanna risk jinxing it but I’ve been taking online classes at night and... I'm gonna be transferring to Hexisde in the fall.”

“Hunter, that’s-.”

“So I don’t want things to be awkward if we see each other on campus because I do wanna see you again and I know the rule about counselor relationships so I was planning on maybe doing something after I was sure that we-.”

Before he could finish, Willow pulled him forward by the collar of his shirt and kissed him. It was quick, but meaningful. The finale of fireworks illuminating the sky behind them as Hunter melted into the contact. As she slowly pulled away, Hunter followed her not wanting to release the dream quite yet.

“‘Fraternization among counselors is only prohibited if the relationship in question is between two counselors where one is the direct supervisor of the other,’” she quoted effortlessly. Hunter let out a small squeak, knowing instantly why her words sounded so familiar.

That’s when he knew she didn’t just want his summer, she wanted everything. He knew how deep she had to have read into the handbook to find that paragraph, as it lived beneath an asterisk that his tired eyes somehow neglected to commit to memory. As she quoted regulation to him beneath the light of the full moon, Hunter had never felt more hopelessly infatuated.

“So… does that mean that we… that you and I can… t-that y-you want to-.”

“I mean, it really doesn’t take two people to get a cake,” she chuckled, fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist. He smiled, nearly having forgotten how they had found themselves here in the first place.

"Right, heh, so uh we need to get going, don't we?" he said. "We don't wanna be late for Gus' party."

"Weeell, the thing is it's kind of not a party for Gus."

"What?"

She smiled and leaned forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek. "Surprise," she whispered, not sure if it was technically still his birthday but just so utterly giddy that he was in the world. "Happy birthday."

"What? H-how did you-?"

"A girl has her ways," she said smugly. "Anyway, we wanted to do something special for you but just make sure to act surprised when we get back, okay? I know you probably don’t-."

She was cut off by Hunter’s lips on hers, purposely and purposeful, no longer allowing room for interruptions or misunderstandings. His hand delicately cupped the side of her face as he felt her melt into him, resting her hand atop his to assure him she intended to keep him there awhile.

"- wanna be late,” she finished dreamily as he pulled away for a moment, only because he forgot to breathe.

"It's my party, I can be as late as I want," he said quietly, not moving too far from her. Willow laughed as she pulled him back to her and reunited their lips, kissing him repeatedly as she brought forth a whole summer’s worth of longing.

They hardly realized the fireworks had ended, feeling as though they had just begun as they moved closer to hold each other easier. In their desperate eagerness, they fell off the picnic table they would later carve their initials in. They landed side by side on a collection of stones, which would find them both with matching casts in the morning.

But it was hardly the oddest injury they had gone to Viney with.

[equixen]

Looking back at ‘Before You Go’

Welcome to part 2 of my Narnia fanvid retrospectives which consist of me talking about a specific fanvid I’ve made and how I’ve interpreted the lyrics. This time, I’ll be talking about my second Caspeter fanvid, ‘Before You Go’, which I uploaded almost one and a half years ago now [original post].

Before I get into it, I just wanted to say that this one is especially for @an-angels-fury because she enjoyed my retrospective post for ‘Run To You’ and said that ‘Before You Go’ is her other favourite of my Caspeter fanvids. 😊

Okay, so this one actually has an interesting origin story and that’s because this fanvid was very close to being my first Caspeter fanvid and also very close to never happening at all.

Let me explain… 😊

When I first became obsessed with Caspeter, it wasn’t long till I decided to try making a fanvid about them. I started by going through my music and eventually narrowed it down to two songs. This one and ‘What Hurts the Most’. I liked both songs very much so it was quite possible that ‘Before You Go’ would have been the first one to be edited although I ultimately decided on ‘What Hurts the Most’.

As for why this fanvid was almost never made at all… well that’s because, at the time, I thought Narnia and Caspeter would go the way of many of my other recent fandoms up till that point. That I would do one fanvid, maybe two if I was lucky, but eventually either my interest in that fandom would wane or something new would come along to take its place as my latest obsession. So, I knew that by picking one song over the other, it was quite possible the second one might never have been made.

Well, we all know how that turned out. 🤣 Several more fanvids (and even fanfics) later, Caspeter and Narnia ended up becoming so important to me for various reasons (I’ve written more about this in another post if that’s of interest) which led to Caspeter becoming my OTP of OTPs. 🥰

Alright, now onto the lyrics. This fanvid is all from Caspian’s POV.

‘I fell by the wayside like everyone else’

I feel like there are a couple of ways this line can be looked at for Caspian. Firstly, it’s Caspian personally feeling like he doesn’t measure up to the High King from Narnia’s golden age. And secondly, that Caspian thinks that Peter sees him as less-than because of his Telmarine heritage. Also, I still really like the visuals I chose for this sequence… of Caspian deferring to the higher status of the Pevensies and hanging back as they enter the How for the first time.

‘I hate you, I hate you, I hate you, but I was just kidding myself’

Yep, Peter drives Caspian absolutely crazy in the beginning. Two young men with their own axes to grind and who are out to prove themselves. Caspian both hates how stubborn Peter is during the strategising at the How, but also can’t help seeing beyond that tough exterior that Peter puts up. Someone who is both more and less than what Caspian grew up hearing about in all those stories. Because Peter might not be all that he imagined in terms of the magnificent battle-hardened warrior (at least not at first glance) but he’s also more human and more beautiful and has more heart than Caspian ever could have imagined.

‘Our every moment, I start to replace, 'cause now that they're gone, all I hear are the words that I needed to say’

Despite the connection they share, their time together is over too soon. And once Peter is gone, Caspian can’t help regretting all the things he never told Peter while he had the chance. While I’ve had multiple versions of what Caspian might regret after Peter leaves Narnia in my head for different projects over the last year and a half, when I was editing this fanvid, I was very much imagining this to be that Caspian never told Peter that he loved him.

‘When you hurt under the surface, like troubled water running cold. Well, time can heal but this won't’

I think this was the line that first made me take notice of this song as a potential Caspeter fanvid. The way it reflects their regret over the loss of so many lives after the failed castle raid. It is something that will probably haunt both of them for the rest of their lives. And even though we had no closeup of Caspian’s face when they escape the courtyard, I was rather pleased that I was able to fake one by using a shot of Caspian from the start of the film which I still think works rather well. 😊

‘So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better? If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather’

Apart from his siblings—who Peter could never hope to hide anything from—I feel like Peter is the kind of person who’d keep his troubles close to his chest. So, for most of the time that Caspian and Peter would have known each other, there’s so much about Peter that would’ve been a mystery to Caspian. And at the top of that list would be the hardships Peter had faced as a result of being forced back into his old life after living in Narnia for so long. Constantly being underestimated by the adults in his life as well as being bullied and belittled by his peers.

‘So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting? It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless’

There are definitely times when Peter feels worthless. But for the first instance of this line, I chose a moment where Peter feels like he’s worth less than others. And what better representation is there than the, “what about your own future?” deleted scene between Caspian and Peter. Caspian learns for the first time just how much Peter is willing to sacrifice for those he loves and for the greater good. Even his own life. That thought alone scares Caspian more than anything so he prompts Peter to think about his own future in the hopes that it will give him something else to fight for.

‘So, before you go, would we be better off by now, if I'd have let my walls come down? Maybe I guess we'll never know, you know, you know’

The moment when it all comes to an end. Caspian has just been crowned King and is looking forward to getting to know Peter away from the hardships of war. Just seeing where these feeling take them. But then Peter drops the bombshell that they’re leaving and Caspian can’t do a thing to stop it. All he has left now is regret. Regret over all those missed opportunities where he could have said how he felt but didn’t as well as wondering what could have been if he had. 😢 And I still rather love that sequence for, “I guess we'll never know, you know, you know,” where it looks like Peter is kicking himself for not being brave enough to say something to Caspian when they’d had a moment upon first entering Cornelius’ office. 😊

‘Before you go, was there something I could've said to make your heart beat better? If only I'd have known you had a storm to weather’

When Caspian finds Peter during his and Susan’s talk with Aslan, he can see that something isn’t right with Peter. He wants to help but how can he when he never knew the depths of what Peter, a king to a nation that had been home to him and his siblings for 15 years, had dealt with by being flung back into their own world against his wishes. A loss of self, of purpose and of feeling like he truly belonged.

‘So, before you go, was there something I could've said to make it all stop hurting? It kills me how your mind can make you feel so worthless’

And now we come to the second instance of this line where I focus on a moment when Peter feels worthless. Of course, no one is harder on Peter then Peter himself. As the High King, he has the weight of the world on his shoulders and he when he messes up, he feels the shame of it in every fibre of his being. After the failed castle raid, and the subsequent run-in with Jadis, Caspian starts to see a side of Peter that he never had before. The side that makes mistakes and, in his darkest moments, doubts his value. And that only makes him feel for Peter all the more and wish he knew the right things to say that would make Peter feel otherwise.

‘So, before you go’

And lastly the ending. What can I saw about the ending that hasn’t already been said. I mean, between Peter’s, “we’re not really needed here anymore,” and Caspian’s, “I will look after it until you return,” has there ever been a scene where two people who love each other have said so much and yet so little at the same time?? They were so close to having it all and now they’re being torn apart as Peter walks out of Caspian’s life, never to return. 😢

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And on that note, I think I’ll leave it there. I’ve had so many feelings about these two over the last year and a half and, with yet more fic/vid ideas percolating in my mind, I don’t think that will be ending anytime soon. 😊