#and i am rapidly reaching the point of attempting to climb out anyway

[electroniccollectiondonut]

my sister was assigned abstract for her art class so I grabbed a canvas and painted with her. I call this one "powerwheels" and it's an expression of some of my many negative feelings

[wundergeek]

Welp. Since my demi ace ass had to write a fic about platonic fellatio once I'd thought of it...

New FFXIV fic: Can I suck your dick platonically? No romo.

Length: 5.3K words, (Eventual) very smutty smut Aymeric de Borel / Warrior of Light & Aymeric de Borel / Estinien Wyrmblood Excerpt below the cut:

My already-hard cock stirred, registering its interest in exploring the warm body we were curled around, since we couldn't remember doing it the first time. So, since my bed mate and I had presumably fucked already and today was going to be difficult enough without adding 'sexual frustration' to my long list of very potent woes, I squeezed my bed partner's waist and kissed their shoulder. "Good morning," I murmured.

They stirred and made a sleepy noise. When I ran my hand up one powerful flank, they shifted to press back against me with a noise that might have been interest.

I groaned, rutting against them as I curled my arm around their waist, and...

Look. I'm not proud of this, all right?

I was hung over from too much weeping and desperate for a small moment of bliss before I had to take up the mantle of the Warrior of Light once more. Which isn't an excuse for what happened next - groping someone who is asleep because they weren't immediately unreceptive is inexcusable, and I know that.

But, nevertheless, it's what I did.

I reached around to grip their cock through the soft fabric of their pajama pants, and found it just as hard as mine. My bed partner moaned and bucked against my hand, and I was just about to slip that hand under the waistband of their pants when I finally woke up enough to remember where I was and who I was with.

At which point I disengaged so hurriedly that I would have fallen out of bed if I wasn't on the side right against the wall.

"I'm so, so sorry," I stammered as I tried and was not able to put any amount of distance between us.

Gods, how had we managed to sleep in this tiny bed? Aymeric was so tall, and while I was short by the standards of my own people, I was still taller than Thancred. Even after flattening myself completely against the cold stone wall, there were still so many points of contact, and my only options for escape were either climbing over Aymeric (not an option) or out a second story window (rapidly becoming an option).

Aymeric turned around and caught my wrist before I could do more than brace my elbow on the window sill, and for a wonder his expression held nothing but understanding. "Anyone would have been disoriented after the circumstances of what you have just been through. Rest assured that I am not angry, and on my honor as a Knight I will tell no one of this."

I stared at him in wide-eyed shock, but finally I managed a hoarse "thank you".I must still have looked quite the madman - Aymeric released my wrist dubiously, as though he expected me to attempt escape through the window anyway - and there was an excruciating eternity of eye contact before he sighed. "One night of comfort does little to redress a debt that I can never repay. Would you allow me to. Ah. Provide you some... relief?"

Read the entire fic on AO3

Aymeric is the jock version of G'raha Tia.

Charismatic. From a distinguished lineage. Leader of a nation. OBSESSED WITH ME. Also, captain of the football team and Homecoming King.

So G'raha literally does dimensional time travel to save the WoL and STILL thinks he would never have a shot.

Meanwhile, Aymeric DEFINITELY at some point was like: hey can I suck your dick, like, platonically? No romo

[hpimaginesandblurbs]

Can you write a smut with Tom riddle where the reader and him are dating, and he’s obviously used to being in charge but one night something happens (you can decide that part) and suddenly the reader wants to be in charge but Tom doesn’t want that so she ties him up and teases her till he’s begging her to let him cum or something like the idk.

I absolutely love ur writing, it’s absolutely incredible I could never write anything as good as you!😊

pairing: tom riddle x reader

warning(s): 18+, dom/sub roles (ish), begging, magical ties, oral (make receiving), mentions of oral (female receiving) 

word count: 2.0k

a/n: and we’re back to our regularly scheduled smut. i have a ton of requests so be patient - i will get to it! thank you all for the love and support so far! 

You and your boyfriend, Tom, were strolling through the halls of Hogwarts on your Prefect rounds, enjoying the complete silence of the massive castle. It was rare the halls were this quiet, but late at night tended to be the perfect time to stumble upon echoing walls and corridors where you could hear a pin drop. 

Suddenly, Tom stopped in his tracks and stuck out a hand to stop you as well. “Do you hear that?” He asked in a hush whispering, pointing somewhere off to the left of where both of you stood. 

Following his direction, you turned your head to the left and saw that it was a typically abandoned corridor but you did hear the faint rustle of clothing and distant female giggling. You rolled your eyes and began walking in that direction, already knowing you’d have to break up two young people just wanting to have a bit of fun. It wasn’t that you wanted to spoil their good time, but it was an unspoken rule that if a Prefect caught you, they had no other choice unless they themselves wanted to end up in trouble. 

As you approached, wands drawn in order to cast a lumos charm, Tom put his body in front of you, taking charge. 

“I can handle it,” you whispered, a pout brought to your face. 

He didn’t even stop his movement, just kept walking even as he shot you a smirk. You rolled your eyes in frustration. He did this every time. You were perfectly capable of breaking up two horny teenagers and sending them off to bed, but he always had to be the one in charge. You were growing quite sick of it.

He got there before you and handled the situation with a dominant grace that only he seemed to possess, and he sent the two fifth years scattering on the way back to their respective common rooms. Without even another look in your boyfriends direction, you went stalking the other way and were determinately headed back to the Slytherin common room. 

“Get back here,” he said with a warning in his voice, following you nonetheless. 

“No. I’m going to bed,” you said rather loudly, not faltering in your steps. 

“Oh for the love of Merlin, what’s wrong?” He asked, his long legs giving him the ability to catch up with you. 

“You,” was your bitter reply. 

“Me? What have I done?” He asked incredulously. 

“Yes, you, Tom,” you said, finally halting in your steps and swinging around to face him. “You always have to be the one in charge. I could have easily handled that, like I said, but no. You just had to go and- and-,” you explained, waving your hands animatedly, but you trailed off once you realized this entire conversation was pointless. He wasn’t just going to change his incessant behavior no matter what you said. Besides, the smirk on his face as he looked down at you just proved it was a losing battle. 

“Darling, I hate to burst your bubble but you’ll never be in charge while I’m around. You don’t have to be,” he explained, attempting to be gentle through his cocky demeanor but his words only sent you into another flurry. 

“You want a bet? That I can’t be in charge?” You asked heatedly, your mind already slipping straight into the gutter. 

He paused for a moment, then finally sighed and raised an eyebrow. “Fine,” he agreed, “but you only get one chance so don’t mess it up for yourself.” 

~~~

The moment the two of you entered Tom’s private room, your lips were on each other and you took the initiative to slowly back him up into the bed until he had no choice but to sit with you standing before him. His grip on your waist was tight, but you had other plans for his hands anyways. 

The entire walk down to the dungeons, you had been plotting. You needed to prove to him that you could be in charge. Sure, it was nice that you had a boyfriend willing to take charge in all situations and you never had to worry about a thing, but you still felt the incessant need to prove yourself. 

“Take your clothes off and lie on the bed,” you told him when you pulled away from the kiss, attempting to emulate the demeanor he always gave off in situations like this. 

You heard him chuckle to himself, still under the impression that you couldn’t pull this off, but he did as you asked anyways. Finally, he was laying naked on the bed, completely relaxed against the pillows and looking at you expectantly. 

“Do you worst, Y/N,” he jested, his hand moving to trail down to his half erect cock but you stopped him in his tracks. 

“Did I say you could do that?” You asked, holding his wrist in your grip. His eyes darted up to yours and he looked shocked for a moment, but that look in his eyes went away in a flash as the signature smirk came back. 

He put his hand back down on the duvet and you climbed into the bed with him, straddling his legs. When he had been busy undressing, you undressed yourself down to your bra and panties. Little did he know what you had hidden underneath was a matching set. 

“Keep your hands right there. You’re gonna be a good boy for me tonight, right?” You cooed, trailing kisses from his neck down to his abdomen as you spoke. 

“The best,” he shot back with a sarcastic wink and it only made you chuckle to yourself because he truly had no idea what was coming. 

You continued your trail of kisses until you were firmly planted between his legs and your mouth was inches away from his cock. He was fully erect now and could feel your breath against his, making his cock twitch with anticipation. 

“Beg,” you demanded, refusing to touch him until he did at least the bare minimum, only placing kisses on his pelvis and thighs. 

“Please, Y/N. I’d love to cum down your throat right now,” he said lowly, but you could tell the begging was noncommittal. That would change. 

You easily complied, wanting him to think he had the upper hand, and immediately brought him into your mouth. You loved sucking his cock. He was warm and heavy on your tongue, and the noises he made always made you dripping wet. He wasn’t disappointing tonight. 

He released a low groan the second he felt his tip hit the back of your throat and he bucked his hips up, but you pushed the back down with force. You continued your ministrations, just waiting for him to lose himself. When you took him all the way down your throat, he lost it. 

His hands tangled in your hair as he tried to hold you down on him, cutting off your air supply, but you were prepared for this. He loved face fucking you and you knew if you had his mouth on his he just wouldn’t be able to resist. You reached for your wand that was strategically placed beside his leg on the bed and cast a silent spell. Immediately, his hands were removed from your hair and magically tied to the bed frame, locked into place. 

“What the fuck, Y/N?” He asked, seething. 

When you pulled off of his, you could see it in his eyes how angry he was. He didn’t think you had this in you. But how could he be so naive when you had learned from him? The best? 

“Where did I tell you to keep your hands?” You asked him, using one hand to lightly stroke his cock as you spoke. 

“The bed. Fuck. Let me out,” he demanded, struggling against his confines. 

“I don’t think I will,” you answered, suppressing a laugh. “After all, I am in charge.” 

You didn’t even give him a chance to reply, taking him in your mouth again and keeping your hands on his hips to hold them down. He didn’t have much leverage from this angle, so you knew it would be no problem. 

You dragged moan after moan from him, bringing him right to the edge and back down quite a few times until he was a sweating, writhing mess below you. You knew he was frustrated beyond belief, he had done this to you too many times to count. How did he like the taste of his own medicine? 

You weren’t even sure how long it had been going on for, but your jaw was beginning to ache and you were praying to Circe he cracked soon. That non committed begging from earlier was about to be real genuine soon if you had anything to say about it. 

You pulled off of him once more and your eyes snapped to his face. His hair was stuck to his forehead and neck, his chest was rapidly expanding and contracting, trying his best to get his breathing back under control, and there was a fury in his eyes so unmatched that you knew you’d be paying for this later. 

“Tell me what you want, Tom. Beg for it. Be a good boy for me, yeah?” You instructed, your hands massaging small circles into his tense thighs, willing him to relax into it. 

You could see the conflict in his face. He didn’t want to concede to you, wanting to prove his own point that you couldn’t, or shouldn’t have to be, in charge around him. But you knew how badly he wanted to cum. He cock was flushed such a dark shade of red that you were sure it had to hurt by now. He was aching for it, aching for you to get him there and let him cum in your mouth. 

“Fucking hell. Please, Y/N, let me fucking cum. Please,” he said breathlessly, his whole body limp against the bed as he stared up at you imploringly. 

A rush of power shot through, knowing you deny him so easily in the moment - leave him tied up and begging and wanting and aching. If you kept this up for much longer you know you’d end up on some sort of power trip. You knew he was letting you have this, letting you have his submission, but it still felt so damn good. 

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” You asked with a gleeful grin before immediately getting back to work, your sights set on getting him the release he had begged for. 

“Fuck. Please don’t be cruel. Let me cum Y/N,” he continued to babble when he felt the warmth of your mouth again, his mind lost to the pleasure his body was feeling. 

That only made you work harder, wanting to show him a shred of mercy for the night he had endured. After all, he was a good boy for you throughout most of it. 

His entire body tenses again right before he exploded into your mouth was a loud groan. His body trembled as warm ropes of cum shot down your throat and onto your tonugue. You suckled greedily from the head, getting every last drop out, until he was squirming against the sheets. When you finally came up, he was still breathing heavily and his head was thrown back against the pillows. 

You crawled up the bed to lay beside him, looking over his body in appreciation. He was glistening from sweat and completely still now other than his breathing. 

“Are you going to let me out now?” He asked bitterly, attempting to move his hands from the ties as he looked over at you. 

“Oh c’mon. You know that was fun. And besides, I think I’d like to sit on your face next,” you said with a giggle, watching his face fall into another shocked expression. You would forever remember this night as a lesson well taught.

[caffeinatedbraincell]

So you asked about prompts? ;D What about Joe/Nicky + any team member cuddling for warmth? Or something about all of them sharing clothes? Huge bonus if Lykon is still part of the Guard ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you anon for the ask!! 💕 This took forever but here it is~

Read on AO3

“Whose idea was this, again?” Joe complained, readjusting the weight of the front half of the giant plastic evergreen. He was sweating and freezing at the same time, which was decidedly one of his least favorite feelings ever.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Quynh seconded from behind him, throwing Andy a dirty look.

Andy sauntered hands-free in front of them, talking animatedly with Nicky and Lykon as they walked. The three of them clearly loved the snow, though Joe doubted they would be having even half as much fun if they had to carry the tree.

Quynh spat out some plastic pine needles. “Andromache! It’s your turn to carry this, come here!”

“Pleeease babe, we’re almost home!”

“Yeah,” Nicky interjected. “Besides, we have to carry the presents!” He waved the small, sparkly gift bag at them before pointedly turning back around.

Joe muttered something in Arabic about lazy spouses with nice asses, and Quynh cackled.

“Alright, alright,” Lykon interjected, jumping in front to get everyone’s attention. “Booker just texted me that he’s managed to get Nile out of the house under the pretext of, and I quote, ‘the snowball duel of the century.’ They’re going to the mountain pass, so we have two hours to get set up.”

“Perfetto,” Nicky said. “It’ll take me about twenty minutes to get the cookies in the oven, and then I’ll help decorate the tree.”

“You better get out in less than twenty,” Quynh warned. “When am I supposed to work? Do you even know how long it takes to cook chicken?”

“He doesn’t,” Joe confirmed.

“Habibi, that’s not fair. What about that time I made-”

A long, ominous buzz innervated all of their phones simultaneously. It was an emergency weather alert.

“Blizzard warning until 2:15 AM. All inner city residents are encouraged to shelter in place until further notice. Sudden snowfall and landslides may prove deadly,” Nicky read.

“Lykon, text Booker,” Andy ordered.

“On it.”

“No use,” Nicky cut in. “They’re probably already at the mountain pass. They won’t make it back in time.”

Andy swore loudly. “Joe, get the car. We’re going after them.”

Quynh and Joe dropped the tree and ran towards the house. By the time Joe started the car, Quynh was climbing down the porch steps with an armful of towels. The five of them piled into the car and tore down the icy roads.

The storm picked up with terrifying haste. When they got to the bridge near the mountain pass, visibility was already nearing zero. Joe switched places with Andy, clambering into the passenger seat so she could take the wheel. If anything could help them now, it was Andy’s extensive experience with driving in extreme weather conditions.

As they traveled through the pass, everyone kept their eyes trained on the snowy slopes, looking for any signs of Nile and Booker.

Suddenly, Lykon cried out in horror. Only a few feet away from the road were two motionless bodies, almost fully buried in a snow drift.

“Cazzo!” Nicky yelled, leaping out of the car. “There must have been an avalanche!”

Andy shoved the gearshift into parking and followed, joining the others as they attempted to dig out their friends with their bare hands. About two minutes after the frostbite set in, they were able to pull Nile and Booker free of the drift.

“Why aren’t they waking up?” Lykon asked, a tinge of panic in his voice. Andy rubbed Nile’s wrist as she looked at her watch, attempting to measure a pulse. Nicky tried to do the same for Booker, unconsciously chanting a Hail Mary under his breath.

Quynh stepped forward. “We need to get them back to the car. The heater will warm them up and help dry them off. Come on.”

Joe picked up Nile in his arms, cradling her head. Quynh threw Booker over her shoulders in a fireman’s carry. This time, they noticed neither the weight nor the cold. Their entire focus was on getting their friends home to warmth and safety.

“Joe, your coat,” Andy said as they got to the car. “It’s fleece. Take Nile’s ski jacket off and give her yours.”

Joe obeyed without hesitation, bundling her in his own winter gear and buckling her into the back seat. Meanwhile, Quynh and Nicky used the towels to dry off Booker’s snow coat as best as they could. Lykon climbed into the passenger seat, and Andy began to drive.

Thankfully, the storm didn’t get worse on their way back (though Joe seriously doubted it could get worse). By the time Andy pulled into their driveway, Nile and Booker were beginning to stir.

“Hey, easy now,” Lykon soothed, helping a dazed Booker out of the car. “Let’s get you inside. There we go, you’re okay. Just a little farther.”

Behind them, Nile leaned heavily on Quynh as she half-carried her up the porch steps. Joe paused, watching them enter.

“All okay?” Andy asked, placing a hand on his shoulder as the wind whipped the snow around them.

“The tree…” Joe muttered, fazed. “I dropped it somewhere. We were going to surprise Nile, and I-”

Andy turned him gently to face her, pulling his woolen beanie down to cover his ears.

“It’s alright, love,” she said softly, switching to Arabic. “She needs a different kind of comfort from us now. She and Booker both. Let’s go take care of them, okay?”

Joe nodded, following her into the warmth of their home.

A fire blazed happily in the hearth. Someone had expanded their futon and pulled it closer to the fireplace. Nile and Booker were seated on it now, wearing large, clean sweatpants - Nicky’s sweatpants, Joe noticed - and fuzzy Christmas sweaters. Quynh and Lykon were snuggled up on either side of them, feeding them something from a thermos flask and adjusting the heated blankets.

“Room for two more?” Andy grinned, curling up next to Quynh and gesturing at Joe to sit. “What’s that?” Joe asked, sliding under Lykon’s side of the blanket and pointing at the steaming drink in the thermos.

“I made apple cider earlier and left it in the instant pot,” Lykon replied. “It was still hot.”

Lykon held the drink to Nile’s lips. She took a large sip, sighing happily. Joe made a mental note to pour himself some cider if he ever got out from under this heated blanket.

Just then, Nicky walked out of the kitchen, balancing a large tray in his hands. “Soup time! Everyone sit up, let’s eat.”

Joe blinked, wondering how his husband had had the presence of mind to immediately go into the kitchen and make soup, of all things. He himself was still recovering from the last hour’s ordeal.

Nicky tutted disapprovingly. “Boss, get changed. Joe, you too. Why would you think it’s a good idea to get under an electric blanket in wet clothes?”

Andy grimaced, throwing her jacket and t-shirt on the floor and snuggling up to Quynh in just her bra. Quynh tugged Andy closer.

Nicky turned to Joe, raising an eyebrow. “Habibi?”

Joe pulled a face. “Do you have any sweatpants left for me?”

“Always.” Nicky ruffled Joe’s curls. “My gray university ones are in the dryer. They’ll still be warm if you hurry.”

Joe got up, returning two minutes later in the gray sweatpants and a black tank top he stole off of Andy’s dresser. He hastily dove back under Lykon’s heated blanket.

In the middle of the couch, swaddled in blankets and eating soup, Nile and Booker were looking much more alive. The color returned to their cheeks, intensifying as Nicky began to scold them.

“Booker, what the fuck were you thinking?” he demanded.

“I don’t know! You said to distract Nile, and she wanted to have a snowball fight. So I said yes!”

“Why didn’t you just go to the park?”

“I thought driving out to the mountain pass would buy you guys more time. It was a bad idea. I’m sorry.”

“You could have died, Book! Just because we’re immortal doesn’t mean we can play with our lives like that. Not to mention, you put Nile in danger!”

Quynh sat up, reaching for Nicky’s hands. She swiped her thumbs over his knuckles in a soothing gesture. “Hey, lay off him, would you? They’ve had a tough night.”

“But what if-”

“No what-ifs, Nicky. It’s alright. They’re safe. Now put the rest of that soup down and come here.”

Nicky sighed in secret gratitude. This was not a night he wanted to be left to follow his thoughts. “Fine.”

He squeezed onto the futon between Quynh and Nile, accepting the blanket Andy threw over him. He wrapped his arms around Nile, who snuggled closer.

“Nicky?” she mumbled after a moment.

“Hmm?”

“If you’re not still angry, can I ask you a question?”

Nicky pulled back to look at her. “Sorellina, I’m so sorry. I was never angry at you. Nor at Booker, really. Just a bit worried.”

“Yeah,” Joe piped up from the other end of the couch. “He gets mean when he’s scared.”

“I am not mean,” Nicky insisted. “Nile, what was it you wanted to ask?”

“Why did Booker say you wanted him to distract me? Distract me from what?”

Lykon laughed. “Should we tell her, Nicky, or do we plan to try again tomorrow?”

“We lost the tree, so I think we should just tell her,” Joe voted sleepily.

“You just don’t want to carry another tree,” Booker accused.

“Easy for you to say!” Quynh jumped in. “Next time, I’ll distract her, and you can walk a mile in the snow with plastic pine needles in your face.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Andy said, lips twitching. “No more attempts. Jesus wasn’t actually born on this day, anyway. I was there.”

Nicky blinked at her, and then rapidly shook his head to clear it. He looked at Nile. “We were trying to surprise you with a Christmas party. Remember last Thursday, when you were telling us how your family celebrated it back home?”

“Yeah.”

“We wanted to recreate all the same traditions. We got a tree, and some ornaments, and stockings with your initials on it, and, uh…”

“Presents! And that Christmas music you like,” Joe added.

“Yes, and Nicky was going to make cookies shaped like reindeer,” Quynh said.

“Also,” Lykon pointed to a folded-up tripod in the corner, “we were going to take family photos in our sweaters and put them on postcards. Copley said we can’t send them to anyone, but we could still make some.”

Booker sighed. “Sorry I ruined it, Nile. I thought- wait, are you crying?!”

Nile sniffled, turning away from Booker to tuck her face under the blanket. “No.”

“Oh, honey,” Quynh cooed. We can still do it all tomorrow, if you want…”

“It’s not that,” Nile croaked. “It’s just- You guys did all that just to surprise me?”

“It’s nothing,” Nicky assured. “Well, it’s really nothing now, but even if everything had gone according to plan, it still wouldn’t have been any trouble. It’s your first Christmas with us, and we wanted it to be memorable.”

“You’re the best,” Nile said, voice choked with emotions. “All of you. And this is the best Christmas Eve ever. Thank you.”

“Hush,” Andy smirked. “In this house, we show gratitude by not dying unnecessarily.”

“Oh, that was all Booker’s fault,” Nile countered smoothly. “I would have been content with a snowball fight in the park.”

“Really loving the underside of this bus,” Booker muttered as the others laughed.

Over the next hour, the lighthearted conversation drifted into sleepy silence. By the time Nicky thought to ask who would turn off the lights, Joe was only half-pretending to be fast asleep.

[galacticxcosmos]

𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞 ❣︎ ᵏᵗʰ

Pairing :- Taehyung X Reader

Genre :- Bestfriends to Lovers AU, Erotic, Angst, Romance and Fluff.

Rating :- 18+ ( M )

Word Count :- 4.4k

Summary :- "Not everyone in this world deserves to be loved. I am one of those little number of unfortunate people" that's what you thought after your terrible breakup which led you to your bestfriend's appartment at midnight to seek comfort until things went way beyond just 'comfort'.

Warnings :- It's CEO Taehyung (but no office romance shit), Broke college student, Dom Taehyung, Sub reader, Some angst that idk how I managed to write, Sexual Tension, Buried feelings, Past feelings, Teasing, Morning Sex, Daddy Kink, Pinning, Oral (M receiving), Unprotected Sex, After care (omg) with fluff (omg).

A/N :- I know that I haven't been very active on Tumblr, but trust me I am trying my best, also I am still working on the next chapter for "Chemicals Collide", so please be a little more patient. Also I got inspiration for this Oneshot from Jungkook's cover, I think you guessed it already, but then I saw I had already written a JK Oneshot, so I gave this to Tae baby. Enjoy~

Not everyone in this world deserves to be loved. I am one of those little number of unfortunate people.

I could feel the numb pain in my stomach, feeling like I am going to throw up, going back and forth between feeling nothing and being unable to stop the tears. All I  could think about was if this is really the end. I picked up my pace, now breaking into a fast jog towards Taehyung's house. Tears we're rapidly streaming down my face, uncontrollable at this point. I sprinted through the apartment complex, my legs moving as quickly as they could to get to him. I wiped my face with my sleeve as I got to his floor, a failed attempt to make myself look slightly okay.

I knew Taehyung would see right past these attempts though, he'll quickly understand that I've been sobbing with one glance in my direction. He knew me too well. After knocking on the door, there was a faint thud before someone cautiously opened the door. Taehyung stood there, slightly disheveled with the smell of alcohol dripping off of him. Right, Saturday means Taehyung gets shit faced every night. Although intoxicated, he quickly realised I wasn't okay. "What happened? Did someone hurt you? Do I need to go and fight someone?" He slurred slightly, stepping outside. I chuckled, placing a hand on his chest and pushing him back into the apartment before he got the both of us locked out.

"How many have you drank?" I asked, going to the kitchen and grabbing a water bottle to give him. My legs were threatening to give out, but he should property drink something besides alcohol before he puts himself in a coma. I walked over to where he sat on the couch, handing him the water bottle before going to pick up bottles. Sure, drinking was absolutely terrible and Taehyung may have developed a problem. I just never comment on it because we all have our own ways of dealing with things, not all of them being good. After cleaning up his expensive ass apartment, I went to sit down with him. He was quietly watching TV, taking interest in some show that showed people getting hurt. He was slowly sipping his water, showing barely any interest in the almost full bottle he held in his hand.

"Tae, I asked, how many have you drank?" I asked again. "I counted like 10 while cleaning up." Taehyung didn't say anything, just shrugging as he propped his feet up on the ottoman. I sighed, following his actions and getting comfortable. It must be nice to have an apartment to yourself and not be stuck in a crammed dorm room with another person. Must be nice to not go to school and struggle everyday. Nice to not have your heart broken on the day of your anniversary. Without noticing, a small sob fell from my lips, catching Taehyung's attention instantly. Worry was written across his face as he peered over to me, one eyebrow raised.

"What happened?" He mumbled, moving to wrap one arm around me. He held me close to him, a mix of his cologne and alcohol filling my nose. "He broke up with me." I mumbled, another sob falling from my lips. I wrapped my arms around Taehyung's toned torso, hugging him like there was no tomorrow. "Isn't it your anniversary? Didn't you text me earlier today about everything?" He asked gently, trying not to make it seem like a big deal. Another sob fell, making him realise that maybe it wasn't a good idea to pull on that string. He sighed, moving so he could easily pull me into his lap. I quickly straddled him in order to bury my face in his neck.

My arms still held onto his torso as he wrapped his arms around me. He must've closed the water bottle and tossed it aside sometime earlier, deciding it was more important to comfort me. So, how the hell did a broke college student become best friends with one of the youngest CEOs in Seoul? It honestly still amazes me that we're even still friends, that I get the pleasure of being his best friend. He's everything you'd want in a person. Caring, beautiful, fit despite his work schedule, one of most hardworking people you'll ever meet.

We've been friends since we were teens, simple freshmen stuck together for a lab experiment. Thinking back on it, it's sort of funny because the first thing he ever said was I like your shirt. I smiled slightly, thinking back on the fond memories. Taehyung and I are some of the closest of people, and we're always joined at the hip when we aren't busy. I mean, we grew up together, figured out college together, lost our virginity to each other. I chuckled slightly thinking about it. Two teens frustrated and scared to lose it to someone who didn't know us. It just sort of played out one night, safe word established quickly since Taehyung was so worried. Taehyung shuffled slightly under me.

"What are you laughing about, Miss?" He teased, jabbing my sides. He's always loved fucking with me, and knew how to get on my nerves in just a few attempts. I decided to lie, figuring that, if he even remembered that night, he wouldn't want to hear about it. I shrugged, shoving my face into his neck further. "I was thinking about science when we were paired together." I said, my focus going to my shirt that was riding up slightly. Taehyung paid no attention to it, his hands resting on the bare skin of my back.

"Ugh, don't remind me." He laughed before mocking himself. "I like your shirt." I laughed, shaking my head at him. I sat up, my hands placed on his chest. He seemed tired, but sobering up a bit. His hands released my torso, going to wipe the tears off my cheeks. I smiled slightly before climbing off his lap and standing back up. "Finish drinking your water." I said, tossing the bottle over to where he was sitting. I walked into his living room, opening up the fridge and seeing what was there. I shrugged, settling on leftover takeout I'm assuming was from the shop near his work. I tossed it into the microwave before calling out to Taehyung.

"Do you want anything?" I asked, waiting for a response. "You." A small reply came, unsure and small compared to his normal loud ass. I laughed at him before asking the question once more. He simply said nothing, stating he wasn't hungry. He usually isn't when he drinks anyway. I took the takeout out, walking back into the living room. I sat and ate, making sure not to spill anything because I definitely couldn't afford to buy him a new one. This couch is probably my salary, the boy's got money. "Are you okay?" He asked, reaching over to rub my thigh. "Didn't I tell you he was a dick though? You should date better people. Like me."

I laughed at him, playfully swatting his hand away from me. I went back to my food, not paying attention to the hand creeping up towards my thigh once more. He rubbed his hand up my thighs once more, smiling slightly. "Taehyung, you're drunk." I mumbled, shoving food into my mouth once more.

Taehyung moved once more, placing his hand on my arm. Whines immediately came from me, complaining about the food and expensive couch. "Taehyung, I'm going to spill this on your couch and you're going to be mad at me" I threatened. "Fuck it. I can buy a new one." He mumbled, reaching up to smack the food out of my hand. I jerked my arm away, setting the tray down on the coffee table. "No you can't you drunk cunt." I mumbled, jumping over and pulling him down on the couch. I curled up under his arm, my face buried in his chest while I placed my arm on his side. He smiled, looking up at the TV after placing a kiss on my forehead. He held me closer, and continued to hold me until I drifted off to sleep.

∆∆∆

The sound of shuffling woke me up, my eyes barely adjusting to the bright light. Taehyung was shuffling next to me, struggling to get up. I let out a small grunt, moving so he could easily stand up. He apologized before running off to what I assumed was the bathroom. I smashed myself into the corner of the couch, trying to gain back the warmth that just left. Taehyung's chuckles filled the room as he passed by the living room, walking into the kitchen. He was probably going to go grab pain killers and a water. He waltzed back to the couch, plopping down. I let out a small grunt of disapproval.

"Come on, go and do your classes." He said, pulling me by my shirt towards him. He's always used his strength to do whatever, and it gets annoying every now and then. "Would you stop pulling me around like a ragdoll?" I said, rolling over to look at him. He had a smirk on his face, missing his shirt that he was previously wearing. "Go get a shirt on" I said. "No." He said, dropping a water bottle and laying down. I rolled over, cuddling into his warm embrace. His golden skin always give off warmth, and god I loved it. "Shouldn't you have classes to attend?" Taehyung asked, wrapping his arms around me. I rolled my eyes at him, wondering how stupid he has to be to not understand.

"I just got my heart broken yesterday, why would I want to do anything?" I mumbled, "I just want comfort and to rest for awhile." Taehyung nodded, holding me. He mumbled something that I didn't quite catch, but I was too lazy to ask what he said. "Why do you date douchebags? I mean, they don't give you the love you deserve and end up breaking your heart. You should find someone that actually cares about you." He mumbled, tangling his legs with mine. "Why does it matter to you Taehyung?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Because you come to my apartment at like 3 am sobbing usually. And you shouldn't even be out at that time, with someone else or alone for that matter. It's not safe. And you deserve better." He mumbled. "Would you stop worrying about that? I'll be okay." I could barely even finish my sentence when Taehyung crashed his lips onto mine, our lips molding together within seconds. Taehyung pulled away slightly, attaching his lips on to my jaw. My breath hitched, hands moving to grab at his arms.

"Taehyung, I don't think this is a good idea." I mumbled, his movements coming to a stop and his body stiffing. "I just mean we're probably just confused and I just broke up and you're a famous CEO hooking up with a college st-" I knew if I asked, he would immediately stop. It's not that I was afraid of him doing something stupid, I was afraid of the underlying feelings I had for my best friend. The feelings that make me want to cherish and love him just as much as have him fuck my brains out.

"Tell me y/n, do you really think I don't notice?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Think I don't notice the looks you give me when you think I'm not paying attention? You rubbing together your thighs when you're around me?". "Taehyung I still don't think-", "You don't think this is a good idea because you're afraid. You'll have a real man now, someone that will love and appreciate you as well as please you? Listen, I have no problem with that as long as you return it." He mumbled, moving over to whisper in my ear. "Do you know how much you affect me?"

He licked my ear, sucking slightly causing me to whimper. My eyes were screwed shut, head cocked to side. He climbed around so he could be on top, grinding our hips together slightly. His bulge rubbed against my thigh, rock hard. "Taehyung-", "Waste it on me y/n. Your love, please just this once. You waste it on everyone else, so why not me? Why not your best friend that's in love? Please, it's not going to hurt if it's just once." He mumbled, locking eyes with me. "Taehyung-", "Daddy." He corrected, is he serious right now?? He wants me to fill in his kinks now??

"Taehy-", "Did you not hear me babygirl?" He said, staring down at me. I gripped his torso, wondering how the hell I got myself into this situation. How I ended up here, with him. "Daddy, please." I said, coming out more whiny than I expected. He smirked slightly, a look of confidence flushing over his face. "What babygirl? Tell me so I can please you." He said, moving so his face was a mere millimeters away. "Kiss me."

He did, quickly getting rid of the space in between us. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. My hands tangled in his hair, pulling slightly. His hips slightly rolled into mine, pulling a moan from the both of us. Taehyung's hands slipped down, running up and down my sides, stopping to squeeze slightly. His hands found their way to my ass, squeezing and rubbing. "Daddy~" I whined, rolling my hips up into his. He let out a small groan, moving to place hot, open mouthed kisses all along my neck. He stopped to suck a small bruise here and there, making sure to leave his mark.

His hands slipped into my shirt, squeezing my sides. I giggled slightly, jerking away from the ticklish action. Taehyung smiled up at me before slipping my shirt up and eventually over my head. My arms instinctively went to cover my skin, Taehyung clicking his tongue slightly. "Come on babe, don't make me tie you up." He mocked, smirking at me. My eyes widened slightly, taking Taehyung back for a moment. "God, I don't remember a freak in highschool.", "Oh my God. Please don't." I said, staring at him. He's referring to losing our virginity to each other, embarrassing.

"So shy and innocent-", "I don't remember such a cocky shit in the bedroom either? You think you've gotten better?" I challenged. "I know I've gotten better." He answered. He's so full of himself. "Whoever cums first, loses." I challenged, staring up at him. He looked taken back. I smiled, sitting up in order to push him back on the couch. I straddled him, sitting on his hips as I took my bra off and tossed it somewhere across the room. Taehyung's hands flew up, squeezing and pinching what he could manage. I let out a small whine when he took a sensitive bud in between his fingers, twisting it roughly. My hips involuntary rolled, Taehyung's hips jerking up. I moved, going to pull on his shorts. The more I pulled down, I realized he wasn't wearing any underwear.

"This was your plan all morning?" I questioned. "Nope, just when I seen you over here looking like a fresh baked snack." He said, making me laugh at how stupid he was. I rolled my eyes, kissing his hips slightly. Once his shorts were off, he wasted no time kicking them halfway across the room. I giggled slightly, laying down on the couch so I was level with his cock. Taehyung threw his head back, his breathing becoming uneven. I licked a long stripe from bottom to top, stopping at the top to flick my tongue along his tip. I slowly wrapped my lips around his tip, sinking down slightly before coming back up. I took inch by inch until he hit the back of my throat, sinking down a bit more before coming up. A low moan fell from Taehyung as I swallowed around him, his hips involuntary bucked up into my mouth.

I fought off my gag reflex, hallowing my cheeks around him. I let him face fuck me, his hands roughly controlling my head to please himself. A loud whine fell from him, grabbing my hair and pulling my head up an off. He wrapped his fingers around his base, squeezing. Once he calmed down, he looked up at me. "Okay Miss, your turn." He said before basically pouncing on me. Our lips connected in a rush, molding together as his hands slipped into my jeans. He popped open the buttons with ease, sliding my jeans down my legs. His warms hands squeezed my thighs, coming up to link his fingers with my lace panties.

He pulled away from the kiss, locking eyes with me quickly before sinking down. He gently pulled off the lace, tossing it aside. After a bit, he nipped at my thigh, sucking a bruise. He continued nipping at my thighs, making me get more and more impatient. "Daddy! Please!" I whined, my hips bucking up. He moved, licking a long stripe. I whined as me began sucking on my clit, flicking his tongue every now and then. My hands were buried in his hair, resisting the urge to crush his head with my thighs.

I felt Taehyung's smirk, wrapping his arms around my thighs and pinning me down. I bucked my hips into his mouth, a low moan falling from my lips. "Taehyung, slow down." I whined, my legs shaking in his arms. He did, slowing down his tongue flicks. He let go one of my legs, moving his finger to me gently. Slowly, he pushed his finger in knuckle deep. I couldn't fight the loud moan that fell from me.

"God I fucking love your thighs." He mumbled, drawing circles where one of his arms was still wrapped around me. "So thick and full, so much better than the sticks that throw themselves at me." A small laugh came from me, shaking my head at him. "I'm sure you've had plenty of those sticks in here." He shook his head, drawing his finger out slowly before pushing it back in. I grabbed his wrist, positioning it a bit differently and told him to curl his fingers next time. He followed, hitting exactly where I needed him to. My whole body jerked, making him smile up at me.

"Fuck I've missed you." Taehyung groaned, talking to himself more than anything. I wasn't sure if he meant me, or my heat. I decided not to ask, not wanting to get hurt over something so stupid. His fingers picked up their pace, hitting exactly where I told him. Moans fell from my lips, my head thrown back as I held onto his head. Slowly, I felt an orgasm coming upon me. "Taehyung!" I whined, grabbing his arm and jerking him away. He could easily continue, overpower me completely with just one hand. But Taehyung isn't like that. He became instantly worried."Are you okay? Did I hurt you? Do you want to stop?" He asked, panic striking him from all sides.

I laughed, sitting up. I pulled him to me, kissing him as deeply as I could. "No, you're okay. Just, a bit overwhelming." I smiled. He nodded, sitting up. "Is it okay if I continue, I need to stretch you out. I'd hate to hurt you." He said, slightly hesitant with each word he spoke. "Of course. And what happened to the man that was just so cocky seconds ago?" I asked, teasing him. He scoffed, continuing. He started with one finger, slowly adding a second and beginning a scissoring motion.

Small moans fell from me, gripping his arm where I was able to. Looking down, Taehyung still wore his arrogant smile. After he deemed me stretched and ready enough, he sat up and in between my thighs. He looked around for a few seconds, for what I'm assuming is for a condom or something like that. "No condom." I mumbled, making his attention snap back over to me. His cheeks were slightly flushed and eyes full of concern and slight worry. "I'm on the pill." I reassured. "Yeah, but that's not a 100% you won't get pregnant." Taehyung mumbled, still worried. I laughed, shaking my head at him.

"It's pretty damn close, but if you're really that scared go find one. I'll be here waiting for you." I teased, watching his eyes narrow at me slightly. I giggled as he pounced on top of me, pinning my arms above my head with ease. A small smirk grew on my face as I nibbled slightly on his earlobe. "Daddy, please fuck me." Taehyung couldn't resist anymore, positioning himself before easily sliding in. He let out a loud grunt as he bottomed out, his head falling into my neck. "Fuck, when's the last time you've had sex?"

"What? What do you mean?" I asked, slightly panicking at his question. Taehyung slowly pushed himself up, sitting back on his legs with my thighs in his palms. I propped myself up on my elbows, watching as he slowly slid out before slamming back into me. I jolt of pleasure shot throughout my body. "You haven't been fucked in awhile, no? You're so tight." Taehyung said, placing on of my legs over his shoulder to give him better access. I let out a loud moan as he picked up his pace, gaining a steady and rather quick rhythm. Taehyung was letting out small grunts, his face becoming sweaty and his bangs sticking to his forehead.

"Ah, Taehyung" I whined, grabbing onto his arm as he pounded into me. He scoffed, leaning forward to nail my g-spot. He was folding me in half, basically. "I'll let that one slip, babygirl. But next time you're getting punished." He growled, crashing his lips onto mine while still maintaining his thrusts. As the kiss became rougher, so did his thrusts. The sound of skin hitting skin soon filled the room accompanied by moans. Taehyung's grip was harsh, holding onto my waist and thighs like it was the only thing keeping him alive. I could barely see straight anymore, pleasure washing over me. I smiled, remembering something Taehyung was absolutely weak for. I reached up, taking one of his sensitive buds in between my fingers and flicking it roughly.

He let out a throaty groan, head falling forward slightly. He was focusing on his thrusts, speeding up and slamming harder than before. Profanities spilt from the both of us, gripping onto whatever we could to keep us in place. "Fuck, I'm going to cum." Taehyung moaned, making me smirk up at him. I mumbled a small, then I win. His head shot up, completely forgetting about the dumb bet set long ago. His fingers went straight to my clit, roughly stimulating me. I yelped, holding onto his wrist for dear life while clamping down around him.

His thrusts we're sloppy and more desperate than before, quickly reaching his high. With a few lasts thrusts and moans, he came deep inside of me. As soon as he came, the stimulation caught up and sent me flying over. Bolts of pleasure shot throughout me, my toes curling and head thrown back into the sofa. I ripped Taehyung's fingers away from me, becoming too sensitive. He smirked, sliding his fingers into my mouth. I licked them, rolling my tongue in between. He watched, shaking his head.

My body was shaking, something Taehyung was quick to notice. He laid his body weight on top of me, kissing me with the most passion he ever has. The shaking came to an eventual stop, both of us relaxing for a few seconds. "Well, I guess we both lost." I mumbled, not really knowing how to not make this awkward. Taehyung laughed, shaking his head violently.

"Let's not do that weird thing where you think I'm going to suddenly leave you." He smiled, running his hands up and down my thighs. "I'll go run us a bath." He got up, jogging into the bathroom. I heard water turn on followed by a few drawers opening. After a few moments, he came back and scooped me up into his arms bridle style, making me laugh. Taehyung sat down first, then helping me sit down in between his legs. I let out a small hum, leaning against his torso and relaxing. "You know Taehyung, this is really nice." I smiled, letting him trace little patterns onto my shoulders and chest.

He smiled, kissing my shoulder gently. "Your girlfriend is going to be so lucky, she just doesn't know it yet.", "Well um, I was actually hoping you'd be my girlfriend. And I mean like, official official like dating and going out and doing things together." He laughed, "Not just hook-ups at 3 am.", "Are you serious? You're messing with me?" I calmly said, acting as if I didn't care but the frantic beating in my chest told another story. "Yeah, I've loved you since like high school." Taehyung said, becoming cheesy and acting offended when I made fun of him for it.

"I'd love to be with you Taehyung. I just think it's weird that the youngest CEO in the world is dating a broke college student." I said. "And don't get me wrong, I'm not dating you just because you're a CEO. I actually do love and care about you a lot. I always have cared about you in a more than friends way.", "Stop referring to yourself as a broke college student. You're my best friend since high school, my first ever love and my love now." He said, a dumb smile plastered across his face. I laughed, making fun of him again.

"I'm glad Taehyung. I love you too." I smiled, looking back and pecking his lips. He wore the brightest smile, kissing my shoulders while wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. I smiled, "Jesus Christ I'm happy that dick broke up with me." Taehyung laughed in response, "Get broken up by a dick and then dicked down after. You fucking slut.", I laughed, turning around to punch him in the shoulder. "Says the one that was willing to fuck me right there, on the spot." I said, mocking him. "Hey, you never told me to stop. And if you did you know I would've." He said, beginning to ramble and get cheesy again. "Okay, relax. You just fucked me, don't get all phycological about it." You playfully rolled your eyes.

"You know what?? I am glad that this time you wasted it on me" he lovingly kissed your cheek.

The End.

Feel free to like or reblog, comment down any requests you have and you can follow me inorder to stay updated.

~peace out.

[echo-hiraeth]

Chapter 3: “Es Tuyo”

Part of the “Illicit Limerence” series

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Summary: After having spent some days recovering and getting to her new surroundings the reader goes back to work where she seems to attract some male attention. Javier is displeased and on his breaking point.

Warnings: Major trigger warning: mention of pregnancy termination, cursing, angst, fluff, mentions of injury

Masterlist

A/N: that photo is totally Javi in that evidence closet

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“That is not how you pronounce that at all”, you cackled from the couch.

Connie threw her hands up in defence: “Well, then how? C’mon help me out here amigo!”

“Amiga”, you corrected, grinning as she set the plate down in front of you.

Your friend shook her head as she took a deep breath, lips curled up in a smirk. “You know, you’re supposed to teach me Spanish, not bully me.”

The door swung open as the both of you ate and laughed together, revealing a more than exhausted Steve. “Murphy, come sit with us, Connie made the most amazing pasta.”

He hung his jacket on the wall and kicked off his shoes before plopping down next to Connie, pressing a short peck to her lips. “What’s got you two all riled up?”

“Connie’s been drinking the night away and I am so sleep-deprived that even the telenovelas have become entertaining”, you answered, mouth full of pasta.

“What’s been keeping you up then?”, he asked while reaching over for a plate.

You shrugged your shoulders: “Just the thought of going back to work tomorrow.. I know it’ll just be paperwork but I-I’m just nervous I guess. I need to figure out a way to talk to Messina about resigning without raising any eyebrows and.. it’s just a lot.”

“You know I can get you another doc’s note”, Connie intervened, tilting her head at you.

“Yeah, I know, Con, I know. I just want to get up and get moving. No offense, but y’all can be boring as hell.”

She playfully threw a pillow at you, which hit you square in the belly, making you huff out a small laugh. “It’s not my fault we both have jobs to do, your highness.”

“When’s that first check-up-thingy of yours anyway?”, Murphy questioned.

“Next week, after hours, but I can get there myself, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Yeah, not a chance pal, the Sicarios know your face now, best to have a chaperone out there.”

Steve was right and deep down you’d thought about it too. Of course the narco-men already had most of the DEA’s information and agents in their databases, but you were still unknown to them. It was rare for a female agent to work in the field, let alone be placed in Columbia whatsoever, you’d been an element of surprise, but now even that had been taken away by Escobar. You knew a pregnancy meant the end of your career as a DEA agent, at least in the field. The past three days were meant for you to readjust to your temporary living space with your friends, but you’d really only spent it within the depths of your own head. There was so much you had to do and you couldn’t even figure out where to start, you had to tell Javier at some point, quit your job or risk putting him in danger as well and most of all.. tell your parents. The last one could wait, they wouldn’t care much anyways, you figured. But Javier couldn’t, even though you were just over a month along, you knew you’d have to tell him eventually, this kind of thing wasn’t something you could hide forever.

While you were zoned-out, caught within your own head, Steve and Connie watched you. The grip on your plate tightened, eyes staring straight ahead and chest rising and falling more rapidly. Connie carefully put her hand over yours, making you jerk you head towards her, sending a wave of pain through your left shoulder. “I-I think I’m gonna head off for the night”, you mumbled, quickly getting up and putting your half-empty plate on the kitchen counter.

As soon as you shut the door your lips started trembling, eyes burning from the effort of trying to keep the hot tears from spilling. You pressed your right palm to your forehead, mustering up every last ounce of strength to keep yourself at bay. Another deep breath, another memory of his lips on yours, another step towards the bed, another fading remembrance of his rough hands ghosting over your body. This had to stop, you knew it – hell – you’d known from before you even got into his bed. Javier Peña was a bachelor at heart, free of any commitment, who were you to think you could change his mind. Here you were, heartbroken, knocked-up with a fucked-up shoulder, on a pull-out couch in your best friends’ apartment, what a life.

You carefully grabbed a hold of your Walkman, slipping the headphones on and laying down on the bed. You closed your eyes as you listened to the Cure’s “Boys don’t cry”, reminiscing on the hot summer in the States, when you’d bought the cassette and played it on repeat in your car. A soft smile settled on your face and eventually you fell asleep just like that, fully dressed and headphones still on your ears.

Though the next morning, when the three of you sat around the breakfast table, you in yesterday’s clothes and the two of them in their work attire, there was a bit of an atmosphere going on. Not a word was said over breakfast, only increasing the tension even more, making you feel incredibly vulnerable, like a kid scolded by their father, it was odd. It wasn’t until later, on your way to the embassy in Steve’s passenger’s seat that he finally broke his silence.

“Who is it?”, he asked, tone harsher than usual.

You let out a nervous chuckle, quirking an eyebrow in confusion. “Mind giving me a hand here, I’m not sure I-“

“Who did you fuck?”, he interrupted you, voice rigid and determined.

“Steve”, you huffed, “what the hell are-“

“I’m no idiot y/n. Now tell me, who the hell is it.” His frustration started showing in his driving style, his braking much more abrupt than usual.

You scoffed at him, resting your hand on the door handle, at an attempt to feel somewhat secure. “That’s just not none of your fucking business Murphy.”

“It is if I’m losing a partner over it, maybe even two.”

“Peña? Don’t make me fucking laugh”, you lied, voice surprisingly confident. “He’s the biggest jerk there.”

“Then who? Santiago, Lopez, that FBI guy?”, he pressed as he parked the car.

You flipped him off before yanking the car door open, hurrying your way into the embassy. You didn’t bother to stop at the front desk or politely bid you co-workers a “good morning”, no, you just wanted to get to Messina, get your assignments for the day and get to work, away from both your partners.

As predicted, you were to write reports for the foreseeable future, Messina putter her faith in your ability to type them out with just one hand. You’d agreed, not wanting to argue or come up with an alternative yourself and made your way over to your office. Despite your request to be put into a confined space, away from Murphy and Peña, Messina insisted you’d just work at your regular desk, so the two of them could provide you some assistance if needed.

Luckily for you the two of them were out for most of the day, leaving you to work alone, in a comfortable silence. A fellow agent would step in to check if you were alright every now and then, helping you with carrying out file boxes or bringing in new ones. It was times like this that your reputation really preceded you, the sweet girl that would bring coffees on Fridays and bake cookies for birthdays and holidays. You knew your way around the office and compensated for your shortages (aka the fact that you were a woman) by innocent bribery. Lopez had even been so attentive as to bring you a hot lunch, which you gladly accepted and enjoyed in his company.

Steve and Javier were both surprised to see the two of you, laughing and just having a good time. Though they both had different motives, their suspicions aligned perfectly: he’s being too friendly. The two of them walked into the office, yet the two of you didn’t look up, no on the contrary, Lopez leaned in even closer, fidgeting with the sling on your arm.

Javier was not fucking having this today, so he loudly cleared his throat, both of your heads perking up in his direction. Lopez got up off your desk and gave you another smile before walking out of the now-way-too-crowed-with-testosterone office space. He gave the two of them a polite nod, muttering a “Peña y Murphy” before disappearing into the hallway.

“I fucking knew it”, Steve sighed, letting himself fall into his desk chair.

You threw a pencil at his face, chuckling when it ultimately did hit him square in the nose. “You’re a fucking idiot Murphy, Lopez was just bringing me lunch.”

“If you say so”, Steve mumbled, throwing the pencil right back at you.

 The day had stayed calm and you were able to go home without having to talk to Peña at all, to your great relief. The next few days had been the exact same, tonnes of fieldwork for them and an amazing lunch with some of the other agents for you. On Thursday night, when Steve and Javier were working late due to an unexpected lead, you tagged along with the guys, heading out to some bar, where you enjoyed a non-alcoholic beverage or two and even were treated to a lovely platter of grilled goods.

Climbing the stairs to their apartment, you smiled to yourself. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, you had friends and options, maybe Javier didn’t need to be in the picture, maybe it was meant to be this way. As you slipped your key in the door you took a deep breath, you felt at peace. Which was swiftly stolen away from you as a more than distressed Steve and Connie, baby held in his arms, were revealed.

Your keys hit the floor in surprise, face contorting in confusion. You quickly picked them up, nodded at Connie and walked into your room. A kid and an injured friend were too much for anyone to handle, you knew that, the story would follow, but for now you’d be heading back to your place. Steve gave you an apologetic look as you placed the key on the table, offering the both of them a genuine smile on the way out.

As you hauled your bag down the stairs, you let out a pained groan, your shoulder disagreeing with your every movement. On the next floor down, a familiar door swung open, revealing no one other than Javier, shirt halfway unbuttoned. “C’mon, I already made the bed.”

“Oh, no thank you, I’m fine”, you answered, bag falling off of your shoulder.

He shook his head before walking over to you, taking the bags as he urged you to follow him. “You take the bed, I’ll take the couch. Beer’s in the fridge, cigs are on the table.”

You hesitantly trailed after him, cringing a bit when setting foot in his apartment, the memories of the previous nights spent there flooding your mind within mere seconds. “Javi, I’m really fine, I’d rather just go home.”

“M’sorry hermosa, Murphy’s orders”, he said from the bedroom, coming back empty-handed. “We don’t have to talk, you can take a bath if you want, watch tv, just do whatever you want.”

You stood in the doorway, awkwardly watching as he made his way over to the couch, quickly laying down. “The kid..”

“Escobar.”

That’s all you needed to know, you could fill in the blanks yourself. A hand hovered over your abdomen, stomach turning in knots as the mere idea of something like that happening to you crossed your mind. You closed your eyes, a cold shiver running down your back, the bile starting to rise in your throat. It wasn’t just the news, you’d been “lucky” enough to have limited episodes of nausea, but when you did it was either early on in the morning or later at night, never throughout the day, which really helped your work situation.

“Hey, hey, hey, you sick again?”, Javier asked, quickly getting up and rushing over to you.

You braced yourself by placing your good hand on his chest, taking a few deep breaths. “I need to sit down.”

He gave frantic set of nods, putting an arm around your waist and leading you over to the couch, slowly helping you down. He sat down on his knees between your legs, eyes looking over your features, trying to read you. “Concussion?”

You quickly shoved him aside, rushing over to his bathroom where you dropped down to your knees, head hung over the toilet bowl. It didn’t take long for him to follow, one warm hand resting on your upper back and the other holding on to your hair. His eyes were laced with worry and concern, your pained cries mixed in with the retching breaking his heart. With every convulsion of your body your arm bucked along, causing an immense pain to course through your mending bones. When you eventually stopped and rested your head on your arm, which rested on the porcelain itself, he let go of your hair. He disappeared for a fraction of a second, quickly coming back with some water and a towel.

“Do you need to see a doctor?”

You took a sip of the water, eager to get the vile taste out of your system. “No, no, I’m fine, just drank too much.”

He nodded, despite not believing you. He’d seen you drunk before and this wasn’t that. There was no lingering smell of alcohol, no sexual advances, no sarcasm, you were just.. you – except you were lying to his face. Javier decided not to push on it, not wanting to bother you when you obviously weren’t feeling too great.

Eventually you managed to feel somewhat better and get ready for the night, Javier helping you into a fresh shirt, mindful not to hurt you. When it came to it and you went to bed you decided to ask him to join you, not wanting to be alone after having talked over what exactly had happened that night.

The two of you talked about the baby girl and the fucked up shit the sicarios did as you rested comfortably in his arms. It wasn’t anything sexual, you two were solemnly comforting one another after an incredibly rough day. As he spoke, chest buzzing in tune with his voice, his fingers traced weary circles on your side. He just kept talking and venting, knowing fully well you had passed out. That night Javier slept better than he had in ages, it was also the first time the two of you had stayed with one another until the morning. It was nice. None of you had to sneak out or slip away in the middle of the night and the sight of you when he woke up was a welcome one, making him feel at ease. He gently woke you up, helping you into the bathroom where you took a brief shower, the hot water working wonders on your aching muscles.

When you walked into the kitchen, towel wrapped around your frame, Javier was buttering some toast. “Hi, I hate to do this but I can’t quite get dressed..”

He gave a curt not, putting down the knife before walking over to you, taking the bra and shirt from your hands. “What’s with the shoes?”, he asked as he fastened the hooks of your bra.

“Well, don’t need to run for reports.. so no flats.”

Javier gave a low chuckle as he slipped the dress over your head, fingers ghosting over the tender skin of your neck. “Are you sure it’s not Lopez you want to impress?”

Now it was your turn to huff out a laugh. “Javier Peña, do I detect a hint of jealousy?”

“Should I be?”

As soon as you both were dressed and had somewhat of a breakfast you were headed to the embassy. The drive was quiet other than the radio, and surprisingly soothing. The domestic bliss stayed with you as you took a seat behind your typewriter, Javier’s gaze trained on your figure. You thought it was because of the dress, but in all reality he was trying to figure out why in the hell you would lie to him. Maybe you and Lopez were really becoming a thing or maybe the two of you had always been, maybe he was too late. All the more reasons to move on from you, the mere fucking idea of you.

By the time lunch rolled around Lopez found his way to your desk, a plate held in each hand. “Buenas Peña”, the man croaked out before walking over to your desk.

You uncrossed your legs and smiled up at the man, making Javier’s right eye twitch. Upon looking at the plate your face briefly fell, muttering an apology before declaring you were allergic to seafood. That was another fucking lie, Javier thought.

“But Javier enjoys crawfish”, you chuckled, “let him have my plate, I’ll run down to the market myself.”

Before any of them could protest, you grabbed your purse and fled the office, not wanting to experience a showdown of sorts. Javier took the opportunity to just smirk at the other man, grabbing the plate and shooing him out of the office. But not before providing the man with a sassy “piérdete, fracas ado” (get lost, loser).

The short walk to the market and back had given you the air you needed. Your head was spinning once again, the same thing as always: Javi. What the fuck was all this meddling about? He was so nice all of a sudden, domestic even, which wasn’t entirely uncharacteristic as you’d experienced him like this before.. but it wasn’t as if you were sleeping together again. Maybe that’s just what he expected to get from this. Of fucking course he’d take you in to his place. You scoffed before sinking your teeth into the spicy lunch you’d treated yourself to. Walking back into the office you were surprised to find all three desks empty. Well, you were aware that Murphy was unlikely to show up at all with his new responsibility, but Javier? Maybe he’d been requested for some field work.

You set your bag down before making your way over to the kitchen, wanting to grab a fresh drink. But before you could make it there you were pulled into the nearest evidence room, well closet more like, somebody pulling you in by your right arm.

“Mierda Javier ¿cuál es tu problema“, you yelped (Fuck Javier, what’s your issue?).

“I’m not the one lying to everyone’s fucking face”, he replied with a dark laugh.

You swatted his hand off of you and tried to shove past him when he blocked the door. “I’m not in the mood for this”, you warned, eyes locking with his.

“Missing your little boyfriend already?” Your mouth went agape in shock. “You’re not as clever as you think, hermosa.”

“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, idiota celoso.” (jealous prick).

He wore a devilish smirk as he moved closer, lips ghosting over your ear shell. “Look who’s the whore now, huh..”

That one hurt, a lot. You pulled back from him, emotion catching in your throat. “Stop..”

“You been sleeping with everyone in the office then? Or were Lopez and I the only ones good enough for you.”

You could barely believe your ears, his evil words making tears form in your eyes. “Javier-“

“I at least thought you would’ve been smart enough not to get knocked up”, his words were laden with disgust and you stumbled backwards, feeling more unsafe than ever with him.

You tried to gather your thoughts and come up with a response but you could only manage a sad laugh as you looked at him. “You’re so fucking naïve.”

“¿Qué quiere decir?”, he inquired, lips pursed together. ‘What are you trying to say?)

“Es tuyo”, you declared. (It’s yours).

Those two words were everything he was so terrified of. You, him, a baby? Fuck. This was no place for a baby, he was no dad-material, shit man, he couldn’t even come to terms with the fact that he longed to be with you, let alone take care of you like that. He didn’t dese- no, you didn’t deserve this, all this- his misery.

“I thought you were fucking safe”, he shouted.

You felt incredibly small now, and even more terrified. “It takes two, you know”, you answered.

Javier took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he desperately tried to calm down.

“I-I can give you the money”, he stuttered.

“What?”, you asked, deeply confused.

“To get rid of it.”

If you weren’t infuriated before, you sure were now. The mere mention of it, the mere fucking idea that he wouldn’t even own up to what he did. He’d done it now, but you know what, good. If this is who he really was, then it was best you found out now.

“I-I don’t want you to lose your job..”, he murmured, voice much quieter and soft now.

The tears were streaming over your face at a high speed, blurring your vision as you looked at him. “Move, please.”

“We need to t-“

“Get out of my way”, you screamed.

He hesitantly stepped aside and watched as you speed-walked your way out of there, loudly sobbing and wiping at your eyes. Everyone’s attention was on the two of you, everyone seemingly understanding what had gone down. And as if things couldn’t get worse, around the corner came a familiar tuft of blonde hair, Steve fucking Murphy, giving him the death stare. Well fuck.

Taglist: @peterhollandkait @ophelia-ingenue @pedritomando​ @radiowallet​

[spengie]

The Still of the Night

spengie

Summary:

A short missing scene from Basics I and II. Reference to Resolutions.

******

When I finally find her, she's sitting away from the fires, on a dark outcropping of rock. She has one leg pulled up, her wrist laying across her bent knee, her other leg folded tightly underneath her. Exhaustion has her eyes half lidded, head leaning dejectedly back against the rockface. It was a rare glimpse of her unguarded, distraught, and I struggled with the still unnerving confusion of my feelings.

I knew the pull well, the desire to fold her into my arms so strong sometimes I shook with the effort not to. It had been different, once, I remembered. Easier. Before I’d been allowed the privilege. Before I knew how much it actually did comfort her. Before I understood that it was profound guilt, her own certainty that she did not deserve the solace, that prevented her from reaching out.

Now, though, as I approach her, she seems resigned. Her head lolls toward me as she opens her eyes.

“How’s everyone?” she calls as I climb up to her, though she knows they are all okay. She’s been watching them from this vantage point. I know she’s chosen it for that reason chiefly – although the solitude and isolation are close seconds. She looks ethereal from her dark vantage point, the firelight too far away to provide any appreciative light on her alcove, but the flickering from below casting fleeting and insubstantial shadows across her features. She’s unbearably beautiful and my heart catches.

“Fine, under the circumstances,” I answer quietly. It’s cold up here, and I wonder how she’s tolerating it; she has to have been here for at least a few hours. I sit next to her and realize she’s not tolerating it at all – she’s shivering uncontrolledly,  a fact I could not appreciate until I settle next to her.

“Captain,” I start, removing my jacket and placing it around her shoulders. But she doesn’t let me finish, a frown marring her face as she closes her eyes, pressing her lips together in what looks like pain. She brings a hand up to the collar of my jacket draped around her shoulder, then tenses, fighting herself. I’ve seen this struggle before. I’m not sure what she’s fighting now, but tension in her jaw and the curl of her left hand tell me it’s an internal battle. It’s over in just a few seconds.

“Thank you,” she says, but shrugs out of the jacket anyway. “But I am okay.” She hands it back to me.

She has been like this since we returned from New Earth. I feel the familiar rejection; nothing I do is preferable to her own suffering. It’s been five weeks and I still haven’t worked out whether she is punishing herself or me.

We never talk about it. Our time there. Sometimes I’m not sure it happened, except that where there used to be a spirited, passionate woman there was now only a taciturn captain. Oh, she was no different with most of the crew; I doubt if anyone even notices. But she seems colorless to me, the woman behind the rank was – faded somehow. Worn down, hollow.

I want to hold her. I ache with it, the familiar wound not lessening with time. I have no doubt she’ll never permit it, as versed as I’ve become in the self-flagellatory eschewals of Kathryn Janeway. She’s as incomprehensible as she is spellbinding, and the urge to shake sense into her is nearly as potent as the raw compulsion to ease her suffering. Either option would subject her to my touch, a liberty I was no longer allowed. She continued to shiver next to me.

“You’re freezing,” I say instead, hoping to appeal to her common sense. “Everyone is settling for the night, come down by the fires.”

She looks at me then, and I see the guilt in her eyes, the frustration at our helpless position. She sighs, scrubs a hand over her face.

“I –” she starts, pauses. “Chakotay, I’m sorry.” Her teeth chatter with her shivering and she bites her lip to try to stop it.

It’s not what I expect and I hold myself very still. She’s wringing her hands in her lap. Is she nervous? I can’t tell in the low light. There’s so much between us, the chasm that we had bridged on New Earth now wider than ever. I feel like I can’t read her anymore and the thought saddens me. I used to be better at this. We used to be better at this.

She’s still silent, looking over the makeshift camp, but I sense that she’s far away.

“Captain?”

“Can – can we not, right now?” she looks at me. “Chakotay.”

The air feels charged, and the shadows cross her face again and I blink. Surely, surely those are not tears I’m seeing glittering in her lashes. It must be a trick of the light. But then her hand rests on mine, the lightest touch, and I feel my heart flop awkwardly in my chest. Her fingers interlace with mine. She still hasn’t looked at me.

“Kathryn,” I attempt softly, unsure if I’m still allowed the privilege, the intimacy of her name. I have not tried since our first night back aboard from New Earth, where I was promptly reprimanded. I still remember the sting of her terse response.

“I – I know – ” she stopped as my thumb rubs over her hand. I know I shouldn’t but I can’t stop myself. She bites her lip. “I know this has been hard. I just – ” she waves a hand over the camp below. “I can’t put me first. I can’t – I can’t be what you want. We can’t be what – what you – ”

She looks at me now, unmistakable tears running down her cheeks. “What I want.” Her eyes plead for forgiveness, for mercy. “I have to put them first.”

I feel my own breath hitch at her admission. “Kathryn,” I say again, more certain in my entitlement to use her name, “I – I – understand.” I look at her, curled miserably on herself, and make a decision. We may both regret it, but at this moment I can’t stop myself. I pull her to me roughly, rapdily, knowing she’ll protest if I give her the chance. Still, she resists, but it’s clumsy, her limbs stiff with cold. I wrap her in my arms – if this is the last chance I have to hold her, I’m going to take full advantage.

She folds into me surprisingly quickly, pressing her cheek to my neck. Her skin is icy, wet with rapidly cooling tears. I breathe in the dusty scent of her, bury my face in her hair. The frizzy bit where Harry hacked off a chunk tickles my nose, but I can’t bring myself to move.

“I never wanted – I would never ask you to choose.” I say into her hair. Her hand is still interlaced with mine and I bring it to my lips, press a kiss to her knuckles. “I just – I just want you to be happy. I still want to ease your burdens, not add to them.”

She cries softly into my shoulder. I stroke her hair until she calms. It is over too quickly, and she is pulling away. I let her go, her hair trailing through my fingers as she does. She cups my cheek, traces my tattoo. I close my eyes at the gentleness of her fingers, and sigh. I can’t tell her everything in my heart, but for the first time, I’m confident she knows.

“Let’s go check on everyone, get you warmed up, and get some sleep. We have a ship to get back to tomorrow.” My voice is low, but I hope she catches my sincerity, my support; that I will never ask for more than she can give me. That I’m behind her no matter what.

She looks at me, and I see the things she won’t say. They warm me, and I squeeze her shoulder.

“Thank you,” she murmurs, no longer shivering. “Thank you.” And I know, we’ll be okay.

[rwbyvein]

Firen Lhain: Chapter 704: Shaken:  Part II / III

Blake's head appeared from overtop of the guardhouse atop the tower, looking upside down at Aurora. She was shocked when Aurora looked up at her, though smiled when she saw her smiling face. "You're really good at that."

"Anticipating your mistress' needs is quite important for a servant."

"You are a REALLY good servant." Blake said, her head still upside down.

"I am paid QUITE well for it." Aurora stated. "You seem to be more comfortable." Blake flipped off of the roof and stood in front of Aurora, who was seated at the comms station. Blake looked at her curiously. "You seem more at home."

"Maybe because it is a home." Blake said, and spun about, "Castle?"

"It's not just that," Aurora said to her, "you are more comfortable being a Faunus." Blake gave her a shocked look. "Was it Jaune?" Aurora asked. Blake paused for a moment before lightly nodding. "He has done wonderful things for me as well." Aurora stated, and stood, taking a couple of steps towards her until the two were but a few feet apart, looking into each other's eyes. Aurora then looked out over the parapets and down the mountain beyond. She walked over, and Blake stepped up beside her. The two made their way to the parapets, looking between two of the rocky hills. "Before my mistress hired me, I had been rebuked at every attempt at improving my lot in life. I had worked long and hard to develop my skills, but... was only hired by unsavoury sorts. I honestly don't know why I applied to be her assistant."

"Did you know?.."

"Of course not." Aurora stated, "her father spends a lot of money to make sure that information does not get out."

"Well," Blake said, "it's a good thing you did." She then jumped up to the top of a parapet, sitting like a cat. She looked at Aurora and nodded her head to the other parapet. Aurora simply looked at it, nervously, hesitantly. "I know you can climb." Blake said to her.

"It," Aurora voiced, "doesn't mean I'm okay with heights."

"You wanted to be a CEO and are afraid of a little tower?" Blake asked her.

Aurora slipped off her shoes, felt the parapet with her hands. Her fingera stuck to it, and then her toes, and she breathed in deep before climbing up. Slowly she ascended, until she reached the top, eight feet higher than when she started. She squatted down, ensuring all of her fingers and toes were stuck to the parapet.

"In Menagerie, we have the greatest taboo." Blake voiced.

"There is... one thing..." Aurora slowly voiced, "that all cultures consider taboo..."

"Acting like an animal." Blake said, and Aurora's head snapped over towards her. "We spend all of our lives trying to be Human, but... we're better than Humans." Aurora scowled at her. "I don't mean it in that way. We can do things they cannot. I don't mean that any one person is worth more than another. But, I have cat ears, so I can locate things better than Humans. I can climb and jump better than Humans, and I can see at night better than any Human. Why should we spend so much time focusing on being Human?"

"To guess?," Aurora asked, "to prove to ourselves that we're not just wild animals." She paused for a moment, and turned to Blake, "Do you know what separates people from animals?"

"Uh, tool use?" Blake asked.

"A good answer, but no." Aurora stated, "I watched a video of a crow using the principle of displacement to solve a puzzle."

"Opposable thumbs?" Blake asked.

"Monkeys and Beringels." Aurora stated.

"Aura!"

"Ruby and Yang have a dog, right?" Aurora asked, and Blake instantly, reflexively recoiled. She stood on her feet before Aurora continued, "Now, did he really get launched at high speed into a Paladin?"

"In a fire ball." Blake said, nervously nodding her head.

"Aura?" Aurora asked, and Blake's eyes grew wide with shock.

"Alright?," Blake asked her, "what do you think it is?"

"Cooperation between unrelated males." Aurora said, and Blake looked at her curiously. "No other species has that level of cooperation between them."

"Wolf packs?" Blake asked, thinking about Ruby.

"Families." Aurora said with glee. "No one else has kingdoms."

Blake thought for a moment, ants were all related, and their armies female. A lot of species had groups of females, typically related. Herds weren't cooperative, they just followed each other. She looked over at Aurora curiously.

"The kingdoms are what make us people." Aurora stated.

"But what about Menagerie?" Blake asked.

"Basically a kingdom. None of the kingdoms are really kingdoms anymore."

"We are like a republic," Blake voiced, "sort of. So as long as we maintain social cohesion?," Blake asked, "we'll still be people? That makes a weird kind of sense. Are you sure about this, though?"

"This is what I can gleam from Jaune," Aurora said to her, "who seems to have a vital definition of self. For him, being a Faunus isn't really a thing. Sure, we have traits different from Humans, but that doesn't change our value. Our differences are what define us, not divide us."

"Are you sure you're not into him?" Blake eagerly asked her, head rapidly moving towards her, "like, seriously into him?"

Aurora thought for a moment, "I have a lesbian boycrush on him."

Blake thought for a moment, "That," she voiced, "makes a lot more sense than it should. So, what were you up to?"

"Making contacts." Aurora stated.

"Of course." Blake added.

"I don't have the luxury of being on a honeymoon."

"Are you jealous?" Blake eagerly asked, her head once again lunging towards her.

Aurora smiled before replying, "Of course I am."

"Of course you are..." Blake voiced.

"But," Aurora continued, "don't mistake that as a complaint. I am more content than I have ever been in my life"

Blake just smiled and looked out over the rocky approach. Aurora smiled and joined her.

* * *

Jaune leaned back on the couch with eyes closed. Weiss was elegantly snuggled up beside him, eyes closed as well. Ruby and Yang walked up to them. Weiss opened her eyes, "Can we help you?"

"Ruby and me want to fight."

Jaune's eyes opened, "You mean spar."

"Yeah, that." Yang said, and a pregnant pause followed.

"Can?," Weiss asked, "we help you?"

"We need a place!" Ruby exclaimed.

Jaune's head turned around a few times, "Uh?' he asked.

"Like, flat." Yang said.

"That is a quandary." Weiss stated.

Jaune's eyes unfocused for a moment before refocusing, "Well, I guess we have to use the space we have."

"I guess that makes sense." Yang said, and turned to leave, Ruby eagerly turning to follow her.

"But," Jaune said, and they stopped and turned around. "Two conditions."

"Shoot." Yang stated.

"And they are?" Ruby added.

"One," Jaune said, "when knocked down, the fight stops until you recover."

"I guess that makes sense?" Yang asked.

"But?!" Ruby asked.

"Her fighting style..." Weiss stated.

"Involves ground fighting." Jaune finished, "But until you get comfortable fighting there, that's the rule."

"And if we don't follow the rule?" Yang asked.

"You will be spanked." Weiss quipped.

Both of the sisters just looked at them blankly. "You keep this up, Ice Queen, it might be your pretty little butt that gets whacked."

"I shall endeavour to keep it's integrity." Weiss stated, "Except, well, you know..."

Yang started snickering while Ruby's head and tail nervously moved about.

"And the second?" Weiss asked.

"Have someone to watch you," Jaune said, "to make sure you don't hurt each other."

"What?," Yang asked, "like Ren?"

"Yes." Jaune stated.

* * *

Aurora awkwardly, nervously climbed down the parapet until she was back on the roof.

* * *

Jaune sat on a rocky prominence, Weiss sitting elegantly beside him, looking down at RBY + NR below him. He looked around curiously. "Ilia?" he asked, and she appeared beside him, her skin returning to normal. "And I thought Contrary was bad at that." he voiced, "We're all here!" he shouted, "Alright, here are the rules!"

Nora stood up, augustly inflating her chest, "Says who?!"

"Your king on high!" Jaune bellowed.

"You're not so tall!" Nora shouted at him, which caused Yang to start snickering. "What?" Nora asked her.

"Perhaps because he quite literally is." Ren stated.

"Okay, yeah?," Nora asked, "but he's still sitting?"

"Still taller than you." Ruby said to her.

"A lot of people are taller than me." Nora replied, "I just don't let it bother me."

"The rules are for everyone's safety!" Jaune shouted. "Now, we don't have much of a training area, so we have to use what we have!"

Blake's eyes quickly looked around, Nora craning her neck. "Where is it?!" Nora asked.

"Everywhere!" Jaune stated, "That's the problem. We have a lot of space, it's just a bit uneven."

"And a high grade!" Weiss added.

"I don't know what makes you think it's so good?!" Nora asked.

"She means steep." Ren stated.

"It is kind of steep." Nora replied.

"This is the terrain we have!" Jaune continued, "Which, would teach us to fight better on uneven terrain! Anyways, rules! Rule 1, you need a referee!"

"For like points?," Nora asked, "because, like, I'm really bad at that!"

"No!" Jaune simply stated, "To make sure we don't get hurt. If the ref tells you to stop, you stop."

"That seems too easy?" Nora asked, "What's the catch?!"

"The what?" Jaune asked.

"She is waiting for the other shoe to drop!" Ren shouted with a bright smile.

"Stop when the other person gets knocked down!" Jaune shouted. "As long as we have enough aura to take the fall... and a bit of rolling down the hill, we'll be fine. Worst thing that's going to happen?," Jaune asked, "is I break my antlers, and I'm not going to get too worried about it. I just don't want to see anyone get hurt."

"Except him." Yang stated.

"Exactly." Jaune replied.

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Chapter Four: Part 1

Anti finds a new home for himself and his puppets and makes a couple violent power plays.

Tws: physical abuse/beatings, stabbing, imprisonment, temporary major character death, and extreme distress

-

Part 1 - Reversal

It’s an awkward car ride, to say the least.

Red hot-wired the truck from the parking lot and Trick climbed into the driver’s seat with Anti still wearing Blue’s body beside him. Dapper sits between Red and Dok, enduring periodic lovingly-concerned glances from both of them in quiet silence, his head against Red’s shoulder. Trick and Red won’t meet each other’s eyes in the rearview and Dok rubs absent-mindedly at his side and at his necklaces, trying to decide his next move.

“Turn here,” says Anti, once they’ve got about an hour away from the motel. The trees grow huge and beautiful around them and everything smells of earth and water. Red perks up. Staying somewhere around here would rock.

Trick turns the car and they keep on down an unkempt dirt road until -

“Okay,” says Anti, pointing. “Here you go.”

“Motherfuck,” whispers Trick.

“What he said,” agrees Red, leaping out of the truck as he parks. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“It’s a nice house,” says Anti.

“It isn’t a house,” murmurs Dok. “That’s a motherfucking mansion.”

Huge windows stare out into the forest around them from the square and stylish body of a grey-stone house, the doors curved like those of old Roman buildings, lights dangling from every other piece of rock. Balconies protrude from room windows and a tall proud brown fence surrounds a big piece of land in the backyard. Squirrels and birds flicker overhead in the warmth of the early morning, the trees sighing in the wind.

“Red, ditch the car later,” Anti commands, heading towards the door. With a blink of his eyes, he unlocks the electronic handle and opens the way for his pets. “The man who lived here was a paranoid recluse. The whole house is coated in cameras and there’s all the medical supplies we could ever need in the bathroom. It will be the perfect place to get their attention from. Come on, then, darlings. Don’t you want to explore?”

.

Dapper walks into the house alone, behind his siblings, almost envious of Blue’s cane, as he feels, for whatever reason, the need to collapse.

Blue does collapse, the moment Anti is gone from his body. One moment they’re standing together at the foot of the great dark stairway with its twisting rail - a moment later the body collapses, and Red is racing forward to catch his twin. Blue slumps back into his arms, bleeding a little from the right eye, and Red is quick to pull him away into a big sitting room, dragging him onto a couch.

“Roser,” Dapper hears Blue murmurs.

“Azul,” replies Red quietly, knocking their foreheads together.

The two of them have had little time together. Since Peru, all Blue seems to do is sleep. Red just lets him. All they want is to take care of each other. Now they’ll at least get a couple minutes to catch up.

Dok and Trick are entertaining themselves with ransacking the house, even Henrik looking happy with the change, though Dapper sees how he limps as he tries to keep up with his over-excited twin.

“There’s a motherfucking pool!” Trick shouts from one side of the house.

“The pantry is stuffed!” answers Dok from the kitchen.

“Hey, ping pong, haha!”

“Oh… a library.”

“And all sorts of instruments, Dok, come look!”

“Fuck, a whole alcohol cabinet. Trick, you’re going to - ”

“Stay away, I know, I know!”

“The doors all lock electronically anyway,” answers Anti mildly, examining the garage, where a couple old-fashioned cars in need of repairs are exhausted against the earth or jacked up on a long-abandoned raise. He shuts the garage and turns away, his dark gaze flickering over Dapper for a moment, who stares back without challenge in his eyes. “So don’t go trying to pull a fast one on me, I’ll lock you in.”

He steps closer to Dapper, patting his back as he passes.

“Upstairs is all for you and me, love,” he says. “We can stay in the master bedroom. Isn’t that nice?”

Dapper nods, glancing up at the stairs. No. He doesn’t think he likes this house. But he knows to say yes.

“It’s good,” Anti re-iterates, tilting his head at him.

Dapper feels the need for more of a response waiting in the air between them, but Anti just looks at him.

“Thank you,” he says after a moment.

Even this does not seem to satisfy Anti. His brother draws back uncertainly, touching his back again, looking at him.

“Your moods will steady out again soon as the medicine kicks in,” says Anti, tugging on a curl of his hair. “Go, go upstairs and get settled.”

Dapper glances at Blue and Red whispering together on the couch and Dok and Trick playing with the settings on the fridge.

He turns and heads upstairs.

Just settle, something in his head is telling him. Be excited. It’ll be nice here. You’ll be spoiled because of the attempt. Just settle down again. Settle. Settle.

He wants to. He always has before. And it has kept him alive and favored and sometimes even sane.

But he doesn’t know how to settle again. There was, for just a moment, on the side of that cliff, a taste of freedom.

The craving has not died.

.

Anonymous asked: red, blue, how are you two doing?

“How are you feeling?” asks Red, rubbing his thumb over Blue’s beard.

“Better now that you’re here,” answers Blue, grinning up at him.

Red purses his mouth in an exaggerated kissy face and leans in. Blue bursts into laughter and swats at his head, pushing him away - but his laughter devolves into deep coughing and he ends up splayed across Red’s shoulder, his head down on his back, wheezing through the fit.

“The cameras said you were sick,” says Red. “And all I could do was just know about it and do nothing. And know it was my fault.”

Blue’s face contorts. “No… it wasn’t your fault.”

“I left you behind.”

“You were scared,” says Blue, stroking the back of his head. “I understand.”

“No, Blue, really, please… I’m sorry. Okay? I want you to know you’re important to me. You’re more important than - ”

“Don’t,” whispers Blue, cutting him off. “Don’t say things that will get you in trouble.”

Red sighs, gripping his hand. “I am sorry.”

“Thank you,” murmurs Blue. “I was angry for a while. But mostly I’ve just missed you.”

“Dumb old me?”

“Dumb old you,” chuckles Blue.

“I’m never going to leave you behind again,” says Red. “I swear.”

He draws him into a tight hug. For a long moment, they just rest together, and they hold each other.

“I think there was something else you were going to tell me all about,” adds Blue after a moment.

“Hm?”

“Something about… a boyyyy?”

Red flushes even deeper than the night before, burying his face in Blue’s shirt, and his twin just laughs and holds him tight, rocking them against the fancy couch.

Anonymous asked: Blue, is he possessing you EVERY night? Like have you been allowed any recovery time between possessions at all?

Blue coughs again and rubs at his bleeding eye. “It’s been at least every morning,” he says. “It’s horrible. And then I’m so tired I just sleep all day… but yeah, night and morning is when his sickness is the worst, he says, so if he wears me, he doesn’t get sick. The magic just thinks it’s back in my skin. Where it should be.”

“Morning sickness,” says Red wisely. “Like a pregnant lady.”

“Fuck, imagine a baby Anti.”

“That’s just Dapper.”

“You take that back!” snorts Blue, punching him in the arm. “How fucking dare you - I am enraged - he is the sweetest - fuck you, Ro!”

Red laughs, getting up to adjust Blue on the couch, trying to make him more comfortable. “No, he isn’t. I’m just kidding. Dapper isn’t really like Anti at all. But he did tear the guy who owned this house to shreds last night.”

“He’s got a little of Anti’s ferocity in him,” sighs Blue, listing back against the pillows. “If he could, he’d use it for nice things.”

“Maybe I can convince Anti to possess me at night sometimes instead of you.”

“I don’t think it’s the same.”

“There’s only so much more of this you can take, Blue.”

Blue shrugs, rubbing at his face. “At least Dok’s allowed to look after me.”

Anonymous asked: Hey dapper, are you doing alright? Relatively, anyway.

“Doing alright, doing alright,” he answers politely. “Just… yes. Fine…”

He climbs the stairs step-by-step, weaving his way up to the second floor. He glances over the side of the banister as he reaches the top, and then just as quickly draws away, stepping back, blinking rapidly. He puts an uncertain arm around his stomach and turns away from the ledge, his mouth twisting.

Anonymous asked: dapper? are you ok?

“Never been nervous about heights before,” he signs, laughing a little, though his arm wraps protectively around his stomach again as soon as he’s done talking. He spots the fanciest door yet and nods his head at you, drawing you towards it.

“Big master bedroom!” he signs. “Big, big!”

He holds his arms out comically wide and smiles at you. This is, you suspect, his attempt at being cheerful, but it’s pretty weak, especially considering how sunken his eyes seem.

It is a big room, though, and the bed is just as unnecessarily enormous, spreading across one whole wall, a big California king.

Dapper killed the man who used to sleep there just yesterday. His hands reach gently out and smooth over the pillow, pushing the wrinkles away, leaving it smooth and white and blameless.

It’s a clean white room with some dressers and drawers. There’s a big bathroom attached, with a tub and everything, but he doesn’t much care. At least there’s a wide window with a nice sill. He pushes the glass open and sticks his head out for a moment, taking a deep, deep breath.

“It’s gorgeous out here,” he tells you. “See, look.”

Ah, the world spreads wide from out this window, as if every beauty there is to be had can be found somewhere in the gaps between the trees and the glowing of the sun over the leaves and the movement of the birds in the air. The forest sweeps faraway from him, gold and red and glowing. The wind ruffles his soft hair.

Dapper sinks down onto the ledge of the window and folds his arms beneath his chin.

Do you remember the days when you would sit with him on the sill of his window in Norway, and he would wait for the Northern lights to come? Do you remember the faint smile on his face and the way he would chatter to you and the joy in his eyes over things like fish and chips and trips to the store? Do you remember the smudged wall where he drew something he once loved and then covered it up once again, because remembering was so much more trouble than it was worth?

He is not that man now.

He does not speak to you. He does not smile. His eyes are fixed on the sky, but he knows there is nothing coming.

Anonymous asked: Dap, I don't mean to pry if you don't want to talk, but remember you have support in your brothers and with us no matter how strange things get. I know things have changed (again) And we can't tell you HOW to feel, only it is OKAY to feel.

He turns to glance at you and he tries to smile again, bringing you fondly to his chest, the better for you to see the world outside.

“I feel sad,” he admits after a long moment. “But what’s the point in that?”

“How do you like it?”

Anti’s voice startles him and Dapper jolts, slamming his head into the top of the window. Anti gives a sharp “oh!” and glitches even closer, cupping his face in one hand and running the other through Dapper’s hair, looking for a goose egg.

“Poor thing,” he says, frowning down at him. “That’s no fun, smacking your little head.”

Dapper shakes his head wearily, his face scrunched up with pain.

“But you like the room?”

“Yes, Anti.”

“Well, you can have the whole top floor to yourself, except Blue and Dok will be around at night. And brother, of course.”

“Of course.”

Anti stands behind him for a second, petting his hair, looking out at the world with him.

“Pretty, huh?”

“I hate all these fucking squirrels,” says Anti. “And the birds. Yuck.”

“You’re the worst,” signs Dapper, with an odd sort of fondness.

Anti kisses the side of his head. “No more hurting yourself, right?”

“Yes, Anti.”

“Okay. Cause if you ever scare me like that again - ” Anti’s grip tightens around his chin. “You’ll really regret it, alright, little man?”

“Yes, Anti.”

He smiles and lets him go, moving around the room and beginning to explore.

Anonymous asked: you don't need to pretend, dapper. you can be honest with us. i take it you're still feeling bad, and i can't blame you after all that happened. at least this house is nice? a tiny silver lining in amongst everything else.

“I’m hoping I will feel better soon,” Dapper agrees, watching Anti move around the room. “I was hoping he would get me a kitten or a puppy or a mouse or something since Trick got a kitten after his attempt, but I don’t think anything would convince Anti to let a pet in his room. But, yes, the house is nice. We will not be cold or too hungry I’m hoping!”

“This bathroom stinks,” complains Anti, throwing his head and retreating from inside. “That’s horrible.”

“It smells bad?”

“There’s like a million lotions and bath bombs and soaps and dumb shit in here. That’s so strong. It reeks of rose.”

Dapper blinks, getting up from the sill and stepping over towards Anti. He steps into the bathroom.

The flowery scents are almost overwhelming and Dapper’s pretty sure Anti’s nose is stronger than a normal human’s. But to him, it still smells pretty nice. The tub is huge, coated in little baskets of soaps and bath fizzies and shampoos and things. There’s even candles and bubble bath. It’s a little pretentious, but pretty fun too.

“Does it smell that strong to you?” asks Dapper, turning to frown at his brother.

Anti gags, backing away from the room. “Feel like I walked into a Bed, Bath, and whatever. Better keep that door shut. Check there’s nothing rowan, too. I’m going to go look around the forest.”

“What? You’re going down to the forest? You hate nature.”

“Apt. But I have someone I need to find, and if I don’t start looking, they’ll just find me first.” Anti grins coyly, eyes trailing away. “It’s an excellent game to play.”

“Okay. I - ”

Anti has already glitched away.

Dapper pauses, looking around the room.

An idea starts to form in his head.

cest-mellow asked: jameson, things are gonna be okay. you can have your family again, you’ll get them back. but you all have to work together in this. don’t. settle. just wait for the moment to strike. all five of you need to be in on this.

Dapper can tell when Blue and Doktor are plotting.

A change has come over them from the last time he saw them. It isn’t something he can put his finger on - more of a feeling.

More like deja vu. Like he’s seeing someone he hasn’t seen in a long time.

But the point is that when they come up the stairs at ten o clock exactly, he knows from the way they exchange looks and brush each other’s hands - they are thinking of something they should not be thinking of.

He knows he should tell them off, but he doesn’t have the heart.

“I don’t think Trick acts normal at all. I worry he’s only getting worse.”

“Red is a wreck since Anti took him back. He can’t focus.”

“And Dapper?”

“I haven’t spent much time with him yet - I never do - but he’s melancholy, he’s tired, he’s - sitting at the top of the stairs watching us! Hi, buddy!”

Dapper smiles softly, letting his head rest against the bars of the stairs. “You two are not very sneaky,” he signs.

“We’re not sneaking,” protests Blue, pausing for a breath halfway up the stairs. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Dok doesn’t seem to think it’s funny, though. His face is lost and afraid. He doesn’t want to wait. He doesn’t want to scheme. He wants to act.

His family can’t take any more of this. It’s only a matter of time before the cracks become chasms.

But you’re right, and that’s the worst part. He can’t save his siblings from themselves. He needs all five.

Dok and Blue make it to the top of the stairs and give their little brother a hug, feeling him meld against their bodies. This is the only way they have to promise it right now - you can have your family again. Here we are.

“Boring day?”

“The cameras and I did some exploring.”

“Good. Come on, then. Let’s get ready for bed.”

Anonymous asked: Are there others allowed upstairs here? Are you allowed down? I know Trick is technically "in charge" now but I don't know if any rules have changed with the hierarchy.

“Anti told us to come up at ten, so we did,” says Blue, sitting on the bed. Dapper sits down by his feet, scooping his puppets into boxes. Though he endures bouts of clarity, he felt himself justified in spending most of the day distracted, day-dreaming with his toys.

Dok paces in the doorway, eyes narrowed, mouth taut as a drawn bow.

“Dok, relax,” says Blue quietly.

Henrik shakes his head hard, fists gritted. “He should stay away from you.”

Blue’s face contorts with stress. He wraps his arms around himself, trying to immortalize the feeling of his body belonging to him before it’s taken away yet again. And again, and again, and again…

Dapper rests his head against his knee and hugs his calf, staring up at him.

Anti, if you switch through the many cameras connected to your system in the great house, is coming back out of the forest. He has been gone most of the day, letting them have their peace, but Henrik knew that wouldn’t last.

“Where was he?” asks Henrik.

“I fear to ask,” answers Dapper. “I fear to imagine. There are few people in the world Anti would call his ally, and I wouldn’t like to meet any of them ever again.”

“Anti’s never introduced us to anyone.”

“Anti’s never introduced you to anyone,” Dapper corrects him coolly.

Blue’s back slams against the door of the shower, pinning him hard along the glass. He cries out and hears Henrik shouting on the other side of the bathroom, screeching for Anti to stop. Dapper is noiseless, but, opening his exhausted eyes, he can see his youngest brother staring back at him from the doorway, eyes wide.

“Dok, don’t fight, don’t fight,” he croaks.

Anti’s foot connects with the side of Blue’s head. Henrik shrieks and throws himself at Anti, tearing at his face with his long white nails, and Anti slams him into the bathroom sink hard. Henrik grips at his jarred hip with a gasp, crumbling to his knees on the cold tile of the floor.

Everything smells like blood and rose.

“You are the one who’s fighting,” laughs Anti, turning his attention back to Blue with something burning like a flame in blackened eyes, as a match already consumed by its fire. “So weak. So frail. And still he thinks he can resist me by closing his eyes and walling up his mind.”

Anti grabs Blue by the collar and hauls him to his feet. He starts to shake Blue, shoving him against the shower door, and Blue can only gasp as his head is struck back against the door.

“You two think you have any control?” hisses Anti, slamming him back again. “You think you have anything? You think you can do anything? I’m in control. I’m in control! Stop - trying - to fight me!”

The defenses in Blue’s mind crash to the ground and he cries out in his last moment of being his own for the night. He hears Dapper make a soft, mournful noise, and perhaps even sees his white hands reach out for Anti as though to tell him to stop - but it isn’t enough to save him.

Oil floods beneath Blue’s skin. Heat crawls across his face and buries itself in his stomach. His thoughts paralyze and then sink, and he is drowned back into the back of his mind, struggling to breathe but feeling Anti’s lungs moving instead, struggling to speak but feeling Anti’s lips part with words, struggling to stay conscious but sinking, sinking, sinking down into a place with no awareness.

It is Anti who opens his eyes.

“Monster!” Henrik is howling, trying to get up from the floor, his side bleeding anew. “Fucking monster, fucking creep! We’re not yours! We don’t belong to you! You can’t steal his own skin from him like that! You’re a monster, fuck you!” He curses at him in German, throwing himself forward again. Anti intercepts his punch. Dok never has been his strongest fighter.

“Anti, don’t hurt him,” Dapper’s hands beg. “Please! He’s just scared!”

Anti slams Henrik’s head into the clean white porcelain of the sink.

“Blame it on the magicians, Anti, he isn’t himself!”

Anti slams Henrik’s head into the blood on the porcelain of the sink.

“Trickshot can probably hear this, Anti!”

The sight of the name on his hands in the mirror stiffens Anti’s shoulders.

Henrik groans, his glasses broken on one side of his face and blood dripping through his hair. Anti lets go of him and he slumps to the ground, dazed and nauseous, gripping meekly at the wound in his head, a whimper falling from his mouth. Dapper moves forward to be with him, but, without even turning to look, Anti snags his throat and shoves him away.

“Go get in your fucking bed,” he growls, his eyes dark. He’s flickering through the cameras. Did Trickshot hear that? Did Red? He’ll break the pair of them down to atoms too if he has to, but he’d prefer to let good dogs be good dogs, and not incite their snapping.

Trickshot is in the kitchen in a pair of new shorts Anti bought him and a shirt covered in cacti, nibbling on a Poptart. He hasn’t reacted to the banging or the shouting. He might not have heard it. Red, for his part, is picking at the poetry books in the library, his eyes faraway and dreamy. Anti relaxes.

“Motherfucker,” Henrik slurs. He tries to get back to his feet, but only succeeds in slumping back down to the tile. Anti regards him coldly.

“You really did let yourself get stupid,” he says. “You really have forgotten just how much better it is to be obedient than rebellious.”

He reaches down to grab Henrik by the hair, dragging him up. Henrik moans, struggling to balance himself, staggering as Anti pulls him towards the door.

“I broke you in once,” hisses Anti. “And you hated me more then, believe it or not. You hated me more then and I shattered you like the broken thing you were always meant to be. Come on, Henrik. If this is the game you want to play, let’s play. I’ll take you to your room.”

Anonymous asked: Trick, Trickshot, go upstairs, go upstairs right now, Anti is hurting Dok, Anti is beating your twin, please if this gets through go help him

“No, no, no, no no no!” laughs Anti, snatching a camera from Dapper’s hand as he marches Dok down the hall. “This is a new era, ladies and gents and all my lovely prefer not to answers out there! I’m sick of your bullshit. You’re here for my entertainment and I am the ONLY one in control. I am the only one here with any power over what happens next. Good luck fucking wrestling it from me. I’m a god among ants. If I say this message doesn’t go to Trick, then it doesn’t go to Trick. Not that he’d come upstairs anyway. He knows the rules and the master who sets them.”

Dapper races out onto the first floor after them, whistling for Anti’s attention, trying to catch up. Anti moves two doors down and finds the third at the back of the floor, a white door, tightly closed. He throws it open and pushes Henrik inside.

It isn’t a finished room. Clearly someone - someone a very long time ago, it seems - had plans to redo it, because half of the carpet has been stripped down to hard grey flooring and the room is bare and cold and undecorated. Henrik sees something skitter in the side of the room. He is too concussed for his pupils to shrink in fear.

“Tr-iiick,” he slurs out, grasping at Anti’s hands. “Trick, plea…”

“He can’t help you now,” snaps Anti. “Unless you want to tell him what I’m doing and have him take your place?”

“No!” cries Henrik. “No, leave him ‘lone. Bruder… he’s lost in his hhhead…”

Anonymous asked: henrik, is he still hurting you right now?

Anti opens a white closet and shoves Henrik to his knees, slamming the door behind him. It takes him only a second to fetch chain, ignoring Dapper’s protests the whole time. He chains together the wooden doors of the closet, stepping back to admire his handiwork.

“I don’t like this, I don’t like this, I don’t want to do this anymore!” Dapper is screaming at him, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him. “Please, he doesn’t need to be hurt!”

“Stop it, Dap!” snaps Anti, whirling to grab his wrist. “If you start causing me problems you’re going to get the same treatment, damn your freak snaps! I’m not losing what’s mine now. He’ll be Dok before you know it and then everything will go back to normal again, and you and I can be brothers like we were.”

He steps into Dapper’s space, grabbing his chin and walking him back towards their room, his eyes boring into him. “Isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want to be brothers again? Don’t you remember when we were friends?”

“The person you showed me you were since the time when I loved you is more terrible and cruel than I ever let myself imagine. A child loved you. I am a man.”

Something more horrible than rage burns in Anti’s eyes. He does not let go of Dapper’s chin, backing him up, up, up, towards their bedroom, ink and blood dripping from his canine mouth.

“I am going to forget you said that,” he whispers, his eyes crimson. “Just. This. Once. Do you understand?”

Dapper closes his eyes, his back thumping against the door of the bedroom.

Anonymous asked: If he can't get into your brain then he's fucking powerless compared to you, Henrik, you are strong beyond wildest imagination. The only reason he got you the first time was because he wormed and hypnotized his way into you mind but he can't do that now. Remember the necklaces he's useless to remove. You have power. You have strength. You have control. He can never take the "Henrik" out of you completely.

Henrik is so concussed he can barely see straight.

It takes him long minutes to find you in the dim light of the closet, slowly leaning against the wall and hoisting himself up until he’s reached an approximation of a sitting position, his head swaying when he takes it away from the wall even for a moment. He can’t quite read the message on the camera in the corner of the closet, but he thinks he gets the gist. You see his hands enclose around the triplet necklaces on his breast, coughing.

“I am Henrik no matter what he tries to mmmake of me,” he whispers, slumping down against the wall. “I… am…”

His eyes are closed.

cest-mellow asked: anti, obviously torturing and hurting the boys hasn’t worked so far, what in the HELL makes you think it’ll work now?? they will ALWAYS rebel. always. you will go down and all five of them will be dancing on your grave.

“I saw the lights go out of their eyes one-by-one,” he hisses, his eyes like those of a dog’s. “I saw them die in the blood on my hands. I made Jameson kiss me and Jackie risk his life for mine. I made Marvin a loyalist and Henrik a torturer. I made Jack’s perfect, loyal, loving little copycat boy mine.”

He pushes Dapper onto the bed. His little brother stares back at him. In the moonlight, Dapper’s eyes, for one moment, look as black as Anti’s.

“It worked,” says Anti, turning his back on him to fetch him PJs from their backpack. “It worked. It just needs a refresher. I am already dancing on the graves that I buried them in.”

pine-storm-season asked: Anti, what are you doing to him?

“I won’t do anything if you’re good,” says Anti, with the much-too-level voice of an aggressor who thinks that non-violence is mercy. “I told you - I think we should be friends again. You’re a good boy and I’ve always liked you. You’ve been under too much stress lately and you’re very ill, that’s all that’s wrong. You’ll come back to yourself soon enough. You and I, after all, are intertwined.”

He leans into Dapper’s face. Dapper can smell Blue’s toothpaste.

“Don’t make me meld you back into me through fire,” warns Anti, a bright orange begonia curling around his ear.

Anonymous asked: Dapper you need to reverse, please. You can prevent this, change this.

“Don’t you dare,” warns Anti, pointing back at him. Dapper does not quake underneath his gaze. “Don’t you even think about it. I’ll know. Your eyes will be silver for at least twenty minutes and you’re not getting that long alone tonight. Besides, I’d smell you. That smell that imprinted on you when you were new to the world. I would know the smell of your magic anywhere. You better watch what those cameras tell you, Mr. Monochroma… one of these days, they’re going to get you in trouble.”

He throws red fleece pants and a penguin t-shirt at Dapper.

“Get changed, puppy,” he orders. “I’m tired. Let’s sleep.”

Blue’s body sways and Anti shakes his head out, dizzied. It’s a lot of strain for this body.

cest-mellow asked: dapper do you think if you turned back time and just stabbed anti before he could take over blue it could do anything? especially when he’s sick, just a good JAB right in the heart?? i am being 100% serious.

“Yeah, try that, Dapper,” mocks Anti, pushing into his space again. “Put a dagger into my heart. Go on, do it.”

Dapper turns his head away. He won’t hurt Anti while he’s wearing Blue.

“But even if I wasn’t in this skin, could you do it then?” asks Anti. “Could you stab big brother who raised you?”

“You and I both know stab wounds can’t kill you,” snarl Dapper’s hands, his blue eyes flashing. “Nothing ever kills you.”

Anti laughs, throwing his head back. Dapper sees Blue’s molars.

“You are a clever boy,” he murmurs with a strange, hateful sort of affection, wrapping a hand gently around Dapper’s throat. “Much cleverer than you know, most of the time. Tomorrow you’ll be like a child again - or a fucking nutcase.”

Anonymous asked: You’re gonna lose them all if you aren’t careful Anti. Keep pushing them and you’ll lose all of them sooner than rather than later. -🍂

“Red and I made the rules very clear,” says Anti, his eyes seeping to black. He pushes Dapper again and his little brother takes the hint, lying carefully down on the bed, his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Anti circles the bed, watching him for any sign of aggression. “One more try, we said. If I can’t tame them this time, it’s finished. I’ll set the house on fire and burn them all down. So let them break from me if they want to - either way, I’m finishing this charade we play.”

Anonymous asked: Reverse, Dapper. Roses and rowan.

“Rowan? Don’t threaten him. He’s allergic.” Anti crawls into bed beside him, sitting up against the headboard and staring down at Dapper, still at his side. “You know if you reverse I’ll see your silver eyes and I’ll beat you til you have to eat through a straw.”

Anonymous asked: Interesting fuckin philosophy there. Do buried and dead people commonly resurface like every month and try and murder you, run away, find themselves, love each other more then they've ever loved you, abandon you like you deserve, and consistently hate you in whatever fantasy land you live in Anti?

“You always all try to rile me up,” says Anti. “Sometimes you’ve succeeded, I’ll give you that. I was not created for anger management. But in the end, you are powerless spectators. Harassing me is all you can do. You know I’m in control.”

Anonymous asked: You just left Henrich there?? Anti he's so concussed he passed out and he has a major bleeding head wound what the fuck are you thinking? I wouldn't be surprised if you find him dead tomorrow, just leaving him there!

“Then Dapper can have the password and reverse,” says Anti happily, snuggling down into the covers beside him. “It’s happened before, hasn’t it, love?”

“Yes… Red bled out after you tortured him, back when I was young… sometimes you would kill him for fun, just to make me reverse it.”

“Your memory is clear right now. You are incredible, Dapper. No one else ever gets memories back after I take them.”

Anonymous asked: Anti, I'd genuinely like to know, what is your plan here? I don't think you can change how they feel about you by hurting them worse, especially since that's what caused it in the first place. You can't fix the effects of what you've done by just doing it more fiercely.

“I told you I came here to get help,” says Anti. “They like to play hard to find… I suspect we might have to get their attention, haha. Worth it, though. They’re the only one who was ever any fun.”

He reaches down and tangles his fingers in Dapper’s hair, scratching warmly at his scalp. “Them and my pets, of course. You’re all naive to say violence couldn’t turn them to my side. That’s what worked in the first place. The only thing that worked. Violence and the need to belong and the conviction that I was a part of their family. The violence comes easy to me, the need to belong is created by the separation from their twins, and the conviction that I belong - well, you saw what I did to Trick is Singapore. It’s mind games, baby. I’ve got my little brother to cover my tracks if anything goes wrong. Only I got the password to this little ace in my sleeve.”

He tugs on Dapper’s hair, smiling down at him. “I’ve been lax, that’s all. I’ve been lax. I won’t be again. If someone steps a foot out of line - ”

Glurk.

Anti’s throat splits open so wide you can see his spine and he bursts into laughter, the threat written in the blood dripping down his neck.

cest-mellow asked: you can make up a story, dapper. theres rats in that white room, one got out and into the bed and anti panicked so bad and it scared you snd you turned back. no password needed.

“Wow, they really want you to,” says Anti, smiling at him. “Go on, then. Do it, Dapper. Reverse. Go back. Make up a story. As if I would ever buy that you’d be afraid of a rat instead of trying to keep it as a pet. As if the first thing I always scream when I’m scared isn’t the password to let you go back and save me. As if I didn’t just promise that the slightest slip-up in behavior - the slightest bend in the rules - would lead you to a beating.”

Dapper swallows dryly.

“I’ll kill all four of your siblings in front of you and make you watch,” whispers Anti, leaning in close, his breath warm against Blue’s ears. “I’ll take you off your medicine. I’ll feed you your fingers and make you murder Henrik with your own two - ”

Dapper goes back in t

This post was reblogged with the following addition.

Anonymous asked: Are there others allowed upstairs here? Are you allowed down? I know Trick is technically "in charge" now but I don't know if any rules have changed with the hierarchy.

my-brothers-corrupted:

“Anti told us to come up at ten, so we did,” says Blue, sitting on the bed. Dapper sits down by his feet, scooping his puppets into boxes. Though he endures bouts of clarity, he felt himself justified in spending most of the day distracted, day-dreaming with his toys.

Dok paces in the doorway, eyes narrowed, mouth taut as a drawn bow.

“Dok, relax,” says Blue quietly.

Henrik shakes his head hard, fists gritted. “He should stay away from you.”

Blue’s face contorts with stress. He wraps his arms around himself, trying to immortalize the feeling of his body belonging to him before it’s taken away yet again. And again, and again, and again…

Dapper rests his head against his knee and hugs his calf, staring up at him.

Anti, if you switch through the many cameras connected to your system in the great house, is coming back out of the forest. He has been gone most of the day, letting them have their peace, but Henrik knew that wouldn’t last.

“Where was he?” asks Henrik.

“I fear to ask,” answers Dapper. “I fear to imagine. There are few people in the world Anti would call his ally, and I wouldn’t like to meet any of them ever again.”

“Anti’s never introduced us to anyone.”

“Anti’s never introduced you to anyone,” Dapper corrects him coolly.

Addition:

Dapper’s calm facade shatters in a second.

“Whoa,” says Blue, seeing the sudden change in his face. “Honey, are you - ?”

Dapper throws himself forward and wraps himself like a hungry octopus around Blue’s body, tackling him onto the bed and burying himself in his chest, hiding, hiding, holding him.

“Dapper,” cries Blue, worried. “Dap, Dap… it’s okay, baby. It’s okay. What’s wrong? Oh, love.”

Dok murmurs his concerns beside them, coming up to put his hand gently on Dapper’s back. He clucks his chin once, twice, but Dapper won’t look up. Dapper won’t let go. He hides.

Blue whispers reassurances to him. Henrik strokes the back of his head. They exchange scared looks.

Anonymous asked: blue, hen, he rewound. if you need to disguise his magic, the bathroom full of stuff will cover the scent. if you knock a few things over and make it look like an accident and get it on him, that might work. i don't know how to hide his eyes, though.

On the path that leads up to the forest, you see Anti stop short.

“I’m sorry, he did what?”

Anonymous asked: Go into the bathroom before Anti gets here. Boy that soap and bath salts and lotion sure does sound smelly and potent *coughcough*

“Fuck!” snarls Anti, stalking towards the house. “That fucking bathroom covers the smell of him, doesn’t it? I’m going to waterboard him. That little shit. He thinks he can stop me? He thinks anyone else can control me? I’ll lock him into a fucking box like I did when he was small.”

pine-storm-season asked: Anti, Henrik wasn't cooperating and you decided to punish him, but you hurt him really badly and Dapper panicked and rewound without thinking.

“No, he thought,” says Anti, face shifting with rage, teeth building in his mouth. “He thought because I have ingrained into him throughout the course of his entire life that he should never, never, never rewind without thinking. He just pretends. You let him fool you. He’s always thinking. Snake child… he takes after me.”

Anonymous asked: blue fell and hit his head so dapper rewound, yes

“Uh-oh,” sings Anti, smiling coldly at you. “Two conflicting stories, how strange - and I bet if I went and asked Dapper right now, he would tell me a third. It almost makes me wonder if you’re not all fucking liars.”

cest-mellow asked: trick, do you think you could distract anti? just for a little bit? blue isn’t ready to be possessed again, it’s making him so so sick and anti just won’t pay attention :((

Trick looks up from his Poptart, blinking at you, worried.

He was already stressed about being separated from Dok for the night, and the thought of Blue being possessed makes him want to throw up. He drops his Poptart immediately, turning to see Anti stepping in through the back door.

“Anti!” calls Trick, moving towards him. “Hey, what’s going on? You look pissed. Hold up, please. Blue’s not well.”

Anti blinks, pausing. “Come on, Tricky. You’re letting them manipulate you.”

Trick’s eyes water. “Look, Anti, it’s just - there’s been, like, a lot of change lately, and now I can’t be with Dok even though we were apart for like, weeks, and Blue is really seriously sick, but you’re still p-possessing him, and - you know that I don’t really like possession, it makes me feel - ”

Trick shakes his head quickly, a little green in the face. Anti tilts his head at him, alarmed, but his eyes keep looking up to the stairs. “Trick, come on, my love. You can handle this just fine. I need to go talk to Dapper.”

“It just makes me feel really scared, and I don’t want to be alone! I don’t want to, don’t - can’t I have Dok, Anti, please? I hate this new plan, I’m sorry, I’ll do what you say, but - ”

“Trick,” growls Anti, but it turns into a sigh. “Fine. Have Dok for tonight. I need to go teach Dapper a lesson.”

Anonymous asked: Fine, here's the story that's the truth and it's the one he'd tell you if you got the true one. You hurt Henrik and Blue so badly that Henrik might have died locked in a room alone, bled out. You were being a stubborn asshole and refused to check up on Henrik or do anything to keep him from potentially dying. It scared your audience, scared Dapper too, so we convinced him to rewind without your permission.

“What? That doesn’t make sense. Dapper could have just waited til the morning to see if Dok was fine and rewound then if he wasn’t. Why would he just disobey me like that if he wasn’t being rebellious? He knows I’d let him rewind if anything deadly ever happened to them.”

pine-storm-season asked: Henrik, he rewound because you got badly hurt from not cooperating and he panicked and did it without thinking, as far as we could tell. Anti might be mad though.

Henrik looks up, alarmed, but a moment later only fury is flashing through his eyes.

“He does mean to torture me,” he says, voice low. “It’s true, then.”

Dapper grabs Dok’s face between his hands for a second, demanding his attention. Henrik stares back into his silver eyes, startled by the intensity he finds there.

“I know what I said,” signs Dapper rapidly, tears coursing down his cheeks. “That I didn’t want you to fight. But I was lying, Healing. I was too scared of what he would do to you. But the truth is I can’t live like this anymore! I need you to fight for me, Henrik. I need you.”

Fire lights up Henrik’s blood. He grips Dapper’s arms, staring at him, something vibrant and warm and familiar crossing through his chest. He laughs and doesn’t know why.

“For you,” says Henrik, shaking his head in astonishment. “For you, let him torture me.”

Anonymous asked: He rewound, you didn't get back in time to tell him the password. That's why he's so terrified.

“Still naughty of him. He should know better.”

Anonymous asked: Maybe this time around don't nearly murder Henrik and we won't be so rash. You claim to have control but can't control your own outbursts.

Anti stares at you dead in the eye of the camera.

“Trick,” he says. “Sit down.”

“What?”

“Sit down,” repeats Anti coldly.

Trick sinks to the floor, frightened.

Anti stalks up the stairs.

Henrik turns around, standing over Dapper and Blue on the bed.

Anti takes one step forward

and Henrik straightens up, proud

and Anti shanks Henrik through the ribs.

Blue screams like he’s the one being murdered, staggering to his feet, his cry shrill enough the birds scatter. Dapper lurches forward as if he’ll be ill, clutching at his throat, closing his eyes desperately. Anti stares down at him, his eyes piercing through him.

And Henrik?

He tumbles to the ground, staining red the carpet, and he chokes as his lungs fill.

“Is this what you wanted?” shouts Anti, slapping Dapper’s face and shoving him off the bed. “Is that what you prefer, that outcome?”

Dapper sobs, burying his face in his hands and backing rapidly away from Anti, his hands clutching at the golden hilt of the knife in his pocket. He’ll kill him for this!

“And you!” snarls Anti, whirling on the camera, pointing the life-blood-stained blade up at your one black eye. “Never tell me what to do again. Never tell me what to do ag

This post was reblogged again with a third addition.

Anonymous asked: Are there others allowed upstairs here? Are you allowed down? I know Trick is technically "in charge" now but I don't know if any rules have changed with the hierarchy.

my-brothers-corrupted:

my-brothers-corrupted:

“Anti told us to come up at ten, so we did,” says Blue, sitting on the bed. Dapper sits down by his feet, scooping his puppets into boxes. Though he endures bouts of clarity, he felt himself justified in spending most of the day distracted, day-dreaming with his toys.

Dok paces in the doorway, eyes narrowed, mouth taut as a drawn bow.

“Dok, relax,” says Blue quietly.

Henrik shakes his head hard, fists gritted. “He should stay away from you.”

Blue’s face contorts with stress. He wraps his arms around himself, trying to immortalize the feeling of his body belonging to him before it’s taken away yet again. And again, and again, and again…

Dapper rests his head against his knee and hugs his calf, staring up at him.

Anti, if you switch through the many cameras connected to your system in the great house, is coming back out of the forest. He has been gone most of the day, letting them have their peace, but Henrik knew that wouldn’t last.

“Where was he?” asks Henrik.

“I fear to ask,” answers Dapper. “I fear to imagine. There are few people in the world Anti would call his ally, and I wouldn’t like to meet any of them ever again.”

“Anti’s never introduced us to anyone.”

“Anti’s never introduced you to anyone,” Dapper corrects him coolly.

First time jump

Dapper’s calm facade shatters in a second.

“Whoa,” says Blue, seeing the sudden change in his face. “Honey, are you - ?”

Dapper throws himself forward and wraps himself like a hungry octopus around Blue’s body, tackling him onto the bed and burying himself in his chest, hiding, hiding, holding him.

“Dapper,” cries Blue, worried. “Dap, Dap… it’s okay, baby. It’s okay. What’s wrong? Oh, love.”

Dok murmurs his concerns beside them, coming up to put his hand gently on Dapper’s back. He clucks his chin once, twice, but Dapper won’t look up. Dapper won’t let go. He hides.

Blue whispers reassurances to him. Henrik strokes the back of his head. They exchange scared looks.

Second time jump

Dapper is sick beside the bed, vomit dripping from his lips, his eyes a fervent silver.

Anonymous asked: Fight, but be rational Henrik. Be safe, wait for the perfect opportunity. I know you and us both can't wait to take down the evil, but caution is a must. You nearly died in the last go through.

“No!” cries Dapper, lurching up from the bed, both of his siblings rearing back in alarm, still calling worried questions at him. Over the both of them, he is signing. “No, Dok, I take it back, don’t fight, don’t - I can’t - coward, I’m a coward!”

“Dapper, what’s going on?”

“Carve, it’s okay, just take a deep breath - Carver!”

Dapper races away from them, his stomach churning.

Anonymous asked: Oh no Dapper you're sick! Better go into the bathroom and lean over the toilet. Blue, Henrik, help him there?

Tearing away from them, he is sick again in that rose bathroom, his eyes reminding him of Blue crumpled against the shower and Dok bleeding against the sink as he gags, just one more memory for no one but him to hold on to. He breathes in panicked gasps, shoving himself back to his feet and locking the door before Blue and Dok can come racing after him. He nearly collapses over the sink, washing his beard and face harshly with a soft cloth and golden milk and honey soap, crying in short bursts, his eyes red and silver. With frantic hands, he starts the bath and leans over the tub, heaving and tearing off his shirt, his heart thumping terribly in his chest.

He covers his face with his hands, sinking down over the side of the tub before he can finish stripping, whimpering in a weak exhale of air.

Anonymous asked: Dap, take deep breaths, okay? Why are you doing this?

Dapper tugs on his hair, shaking his head, too distressed to speak for a long time.

“Why? Why?” he manages finally, swiping at the rapid tears on his face. “You know time travel takes a toll on me and you saw what just happened! What do you mean, why? No matter how many times I watch them die, it never gets easier.”

He buries his face in his arms, feeling broken and useless and stupid and weak.

“I’m not a mistake-fixer, not really. I try to be, Anti wants me to be, but I’m not! I can’t make every situation that goes badly right, no matter how much I want to. I just can’t. If that’s how Dok and Blue are planning to get out of this, tell them it won’t work. I’m not strong or brave and even if I were, time travel never makes everything alright. It’s a trick. It’s a lie. It’s just a curse.”

cest-mellow asked: trick, can you keep anti downstairs for a while? blues gonna be possessed again and it’s making him really really sick. maybe you should get jackie to go upstairs to spend some time with him while he can until his time tonight is gone :((

Trick looks up from his Poptart, blinking at you, worried.

He was already stressed about being separated from Dok for the night, and the thought of Blue being possessed makes him want to throw up. He drops his Poptart immediately, turning to see Anti stepping in through the back door.

“Anti!” calls Trick, moving towards him. “Hey, what’s going on? Where were you?”

“Heya, lil man,” says Anti, tugging Trick to his chest and pressing their foreheads together. Trick grins, relieved to find him in a good mood. “What do you want, trouble-maker?”

“Anti,” grumbles Trick with a laugh. “What am I, a four-year-old?”

“You’re about six, actually.”

“Haha.”

Anti grins at him and draws away, clucking his chin. “I’m going to go get ready for bed. You and Reddy can have whatever room you want down here. Night, my watcher.”

“Anti - wait. Hey, please. Um…”

“What?”

“I think Blue’s really sick, Anti. I’m worried. Can’t Red stay with him?”

“I’m also really sick, Trick, it’s just that Blue’s keeping it under control for me. I need him right now.”

“He’s getting worse, Anti. I hate to say it, but… I think you’re being too rough with his body.”

Anti stares at Trick.

Trick shuffles on his feet, his eyes flickering around the room.

Anti sighs.

“I’ll be gentle, alright?” he says. “For you. I promise.”

“But what if that isn’t enough?”

“You’re paranoid about possession,” says Anti gently. “You always have been. It’s going to be okay. Go get some sleep, okay?”

“Okay, Anti,” murmurs Trick, chewing on his lip.

“And don’t tell Red to go upstairs, alright? You and him aren’t allowed up there. I catch you up there, I’ll throw you right back down.”

“Okay.”

cest-mellow asked: jackie, you’re gonna need to help your twin and dok and dapper upstairs. hes gonna kill one of them these days. dapper is in serious trouble and antis probably gonna possess blue again, make him even more sick. you saw how he was today. can you imagine the toll it’s taking on him? you have to protect him!

Red sits in the library.

He looks up at your beeping and you see his eyes.

From a distance, his gaze was dreamy, faraway, enchanted, perhaps.

From up close?

Red looks sad.

He reads your message once and he blinks. He glances up at the ceiling. For a moment, he breathes. He thinks. He grieves.

“Blue,” he says once, with feeling.

But he doesn’t move. Looks down at his hands. His hands on the pages of a book.

“Listen to this,” he says, and he reads:

It is as if everything else had slept Many an age, unforgotten and lost – The men that were, the things done, long ago, All I have thought; and but the moon and I Live yet and here stand idle over a grave

Where all is buried.

He stares down at the poem.

“I don’t really get it,” he says. “But I think Blue will like it.”

He tears the page from the book. He folds it into a paper airplane. He can’t go upstairs.

Anonymous asked: Yeah I'd say the moral of most time travel stories is "don't screw with time travel." Anti only sees you as an advantage but it's blown up in his face before, I just wish there was a way that the consequences ONLY fall on him without the rest of you getting hurt.

“If I was cleverer I could make that happen,” signs Dapper miserably, wiping at his face. “If I was all the things Jack made me to be. He was the only friend I ever managed to save.”

Anonymous asked: Anti, maybe you could leave Blue himself for just tonight? He's already weak, and the possession is making it worse. His magic doesn't like your body, so I can sort of see why you possess him, but it's making him sicker. Give him a night as himself, and it's quite possible he'll recover a bit.

“I really don’t know how to express to all of you how little I care about Blue’s recovery. I’m inclined to think that him being sick makes him easier to manage, and all I need the body for is sleeping.”

pine-storm-season asked: That's true, but there's going to be a point where he's weak enough that he's harder to manage simply because of the limits of his body. If you let him have occasional nights to recover, I don't think he'll end up getting there.

“Let me know when he gets to that point and maybe I’ll give a fuck then,” answers Anti mildly.

Anonymous asked: Time travel may be Anti's go-to fix for things he doesn't know how to deal with but it doesn't have to be yours, Dap. His over-reliance on your time travel, Blue's magic and body, and his hypnosis to twist things to his liking is going to be his downfall. Despite his efforts, memories linger and he can't hide his tracks in blood.

“I hope that’s true,” signs Dapper.

The lock clicks behind him.

He turns.

He isn’t collected enough to hide the evidence. He isn’t calm. He isn’t determined. He isn’t in control. He never seems to be. Anti sees his silver eyes before he can think to hide himself.

The monster steps forward, staring at him.

He touches JJ’s chin.

“I see you’ve learned a lesson,” says his broken, glitching voice.

Dapper turns away from him, ashamed.

“Yes,” he nods.

“Good, then,” purrs Anti, slapping lightly at his chin. “Silly boy. Stay here. Have your bath. And if you ever try anything like this again…”

He leans in close, eyes flashing. “I will - ”

“Kill all four of my siblings in front of me. Take me off my medicine. Feed me my fingers and make me kill Dok with my own two hands.”

Anti smiles.

Success.

Control.

“Good boy,” he murmurs. “I’ll be back soon.”

He goes.

Anonymous asked: Oh Dapper, JJ, buddy... You're not weak or a coward, not in the slightest. It'll be okay. I know that sounds empty, but it will be, it will. You did good, look what you've prevented now. Those deaths will only be memories, they don't exist in this here-and-now. Chin up, have a bath if you still want one. Baths make good cover-ups for other emotions, other... smells.

Dapper sniffles.

Then snorts out a laugh, looking up at you with his teary eyes.

“Other… smells,” he repeats, finding it funny despite everything, despite his whole life. He stares down at the water in exhaustion.

And Dapper does have a bath. He turns you away - he is, despite everything, a firm believer in the importance of being a gentleman - and he steps into the bath, pouring in the bubbles and the soaps, letting the smell wash across his skin, letting the blood and dust wash away.

Coward, his brain tells him.

Yes, he nods.

And when Anti goes to get Blue and Dok, and Dok raises his hackles, and Blue isn’t complying - well, Anti is gentle with Blue. He promised Trick. But when Anti hurts Dok the same way he hurt him the first time, when Dok is bleeding from the head, when Dok is calling for Trick to help him -

Well.

Dapper doesn’t do anything but sit in his bubbles and let his salt drip into the warm, rosey, coward’s bathwater.

Until, after a moment, he turns you back to him, trusting the bubbles to cover him.

“Hey,” he says, very small and very sad. You hear Henrik give one short cry of pain. “Will you come with me somewhere?”

Anonymous asked: yeah, we'll come with you. and i don't think you're a coward, dap. there are very few things you could do to help, and several of them would put you directly in danger. you're keeping yourself safe. i don't think that makes you a coward.

He breathes out a long sigh, resting his head against the back of the tub. He lets his body relax. His mind drift and search and reminisce. This is a new era, after all, and Anti is sick of uselessly wiping his memories. After all, he doesn’t know that they give Dapper any power.

He finds his clock in the pocket of his discarded pants and wraps his fingers around it. He finds the body of the camera. He touches your side.

Yeah, we’ll come with you.

Okay, he nods. Okay.

For the third time that day, Jameson goes back.

cest-mellow asked: where are we going, jamie?

In his mind, memories are like scrambled eggs.

To place them where they came from is almost impossible. His mind, he feels, has been tossed and turned and stirred into a mess of mashed-together knowledge and recollection, leaving him largely lost and often confused.

But there are moments he recalls. Sometimes. Some days. More and more often, there are moments he recalls.

He can only travel down the timeline, and to do so without splitting the delicate spiderweb of reality requires that he remember something and move towards it. And right now, he just wants to be at peace for a moment. He just wants to feel safe and not to have to see his family in pain.

He goes to the darkness of a closet.

It’s a faint memory in his mind. More than anything, what he recalls is feeling safe.

Dark clothes hung around him. Soft carpet beneath his hands. Something warm pressed to his chest and a pillow at his back. Aloneness and the crack of light through the bottom of the closet door.

The silver rush of time changing around him does not make him sick like it did Red. He is a surfer on a steady wave. When he opens his eyes again, he is in darkness, and you are beside him, and his clock gives a soft light as its silver timer begins to count down.

He sighs and closes his eyes, hugging a stuffed dog to his chest. No one screams. No one raises a hand at him. He sits in the darkness of the closet.

Anonymous asked: Yikes forever :(

He lets out a soft, tired sigh, sinking down onto the pillow and blankets beneath him. Yikes forever is right.

aether-mae asked: Where to J-spirit?

“I guess I don’t know where we are…”

He stares around the closet, blinking.

“It doesn’t feel like one of Anti’s prisons. But this was reckless of me. I probably shouldn’t have come.” He runs a hand through his hair. It’s the same length it is in the present, or at least it feels that way between his fingers.

Anonymous asked: Where are we now, Jameson? Do you know?

“I don’t know if I even want to find out,” he signs in the lowlight, closing his eyes. “Maybe I’ll just stay right here as long as I can. Take a nap with no one touching me. With no one shouting or screaming.”

An interruption in the light beneath the door startles him. He sits up, staring at the socked feet standing in front of the door.

Someone knocks, just gentle.

“Hey. It’s me. Are you okay?”

Anonymous asked: ooooh, jj, are you okay? that can't have been easy to go back again, are you safe where we are?

“I feel safe,” he says. “But sometimes that’s a lie.”

bupine asked: you ok, dap? what are you doing?

“I don’t know,” he says, squeezing his eyes shut like he’s in pain. “I just want everything to leave me alone. I want everything to stop.”

He’s curled down low against the blankets and pillows, hiding his face in their warmth.

“Can I come in?” asks the voice at the door, soft and careful. They sound Irish, though the accent, he thinks, isn’t quite as thick as Red’s. Maybe Blue or Trick. Or Anti, of course. It could always be Anti. “Henrik just cut his thumb, okay, he’s fine. The blood’s all gone now. You don’t have to hide in here if you don’t want to. Wouldn’t you prefer your room, buddy?”

pine-storm-season asked: Do you want to see who that is? I think they're a safe person, but we can't know for sure.

Dapper stares at the door, a shred of light making the blue of his right eye seem endless and clear, golden at the edges, like the eyes of a cat reflecting light. He watches the doorway, at war with himself. He doesn’t want to open the door and find someone who will hurt him. But he wants to be comforted, too. He would like to be comforted even though he knows he doesn’t deserve it. But it could be Anti. It could just be Anti, or Red to pull him by the hair back to his room, or someone he doesn’t even remember who wants to hurt him. He sits up, feeling anxious, grateful for the softness of the toy in his hand. He doesn’t care if it’s childish right now. He just wants to feel okay.

Anonymous asked: We'll be with you wherever you go, Dapper

He nods once. Right. You’re with him. Okay.

bupine asked: who's that at the door? think it's one of your brothers? i don't think it's anti, but i could be wrong. are you gonna open it?

Dapper climbs to his feet even as the figure at the door lets out a sigh. He tiptoes towards the door and feels the other still, noticing his movement on the other side, waiting patiently for Dapper to make his move. He puts his hand on the doorknob and pushes it gently open, staring out with one big blue eye.

The face looking back at him is familiar, and he’s grateful despite the fact that Anti too shares this face with him. His brother cocks his head at him, smiling real gentle at him, trying to be comforting and slow. Dapper’s glad. He feels like he could fall apart.

The room they’re in is a hectic mess. It almost makes him laugh. Clothes and papers and trash and dishes are scattered over the furniture and floor, a Switch and a DS somewhere in the mix and a row of nice caps lined up on the top of one drawer. One wall is lined in baby and toddler pictures of a pair of small, dark-haired kids JJ doesn’t recognize. Someone’s kicked off their Converse by the door.

Dapper smiles and looks back at the person who’s come to get him. His hair is short at the sides and fluffy on the top. He wears a black hood and colorful shorts. He doesn’t remember exactly what all of his siblings used to look like - this person seems so much younger even if only a few years separate this moment from the present - but between his appearance and this room, Dapper thinks he must know who this is. Trick.

No… that wasn’t his name.

It was something different, he doesn’t… he doesn’t quite recall.

“There’s my guy,” says not-Trick fondly, smiling at him. “Doing okay, tough stuff?”

Dapper can’t help the small smile on his face. He rolls his eyes, clicking his tongue in disapproval at being teased, and not-Trick chuckles, stepping back from the door to let him step out.

Anonymous asked: I think I have a hunch on who the person behind the door is, but I really hope i'm wrong

Dapper’s eyes flicker with fear. He turns to glance at you, confused.

“What have you got there?” asks not-Trick. “Camera?”

Dapper shrugs, not sure how to explain. He stares up at his brother, trying to remember his name, chewing on his lip.

“Still nervous?” he asks gently.

Dapper can’t help but nod. He is. He really is. All the time, he feels like. He just wants… he just wants…

He holds out his arms uncertainly. His brother smiles and, without hesitation, moves forward to pull him into a hug, wrapping his arms around him, letting him bury his face in his shoulder.

“I’m really glad you’re here, JJ,” he says. “You know that, don’t you? We all are.”

JJ whimpers and curls his fingers into the soft brown hair at the nape of his neck.

bupine asked: i think that might be chase, if you need to remember his name. be careful, dap.

Chase, that’s it, Chase. He likes the sound of it. He turns his face into his neck and makes his best approximation of the name, hissing air from between his teeth. “Ayy-sssss.”

“Ssssh,” answers his brother, chuckling. “That’s right, that’s me.”

cest-mellow asked: chase, i think you call him c- happy? that’s his name. and he loves you very, very much.

Dapper grins. Stop that, that’s sappy. But it makes him really glad. He hugs him tighter and makes him laugh.

“Okay, little man?” he asks.

“Okay, yeah.”

“You are tough stuff, wasn’t joking. Is there anything you need?”

He shrugs, looking around. He doesn’t know. Maybe to see the others? If they’re here? If they’re safe? If they’re not having their heads beaten in against the counter of the sink?

“It’s okay,” he murmurs, rubbing JJ’s back. “Stay with me, Jay. It’s okay.”

pine-storm-season asked: His name is Chase, Jameson. Do you remember more about him now?

Hmm. He glances around.

Certainly he thinks this room is familiar, now that he sees it. He thinks the babies are Chase’s babies, but he doesn’t remember them, not even a flash of their memory. It hurts his chest. The room is messy and loud and enthusiastic in its own way. He thinks that’s things that Chase used to be. But Trickshot - though he’s happier these days than he has been in some time - is often quiet and nervous and bitter, keeping everything arranged in his nests, close at hand, protected. He doesn’t have the wildness he used to have. Dapper stares down at the ground, curling his fingers through Chase’s hair, wishing he could hold on to the memory of him forever.

cest-mellow asked: is anyone else in this place with you? are you in a house?

“Are the others here?” asks Dapper.

He squints his eyes up apologetically, tilting his head as he tries to think. “Ah, sorry, man, you know I’m still so slow with sign.”

Dapper doesn’t mind. He’s here and he’s learning, so that’s all that matters. He takes his hand and tugs him towards the door.

In this hallway, there are two more doors, a closed one across from Chase’s room and a bathroom at the end of the hall. On the other side, stairs. Dapper lets his feet rub against the soft carpet, pleased to see that his past self has picked out a white t-shirt and a pair of blue shorts with flamingos patterned all over them instead of something formal and uncomfortable. Fun but not too childish. Comfortable but not humiliating. It’s nice.

He moves down the stairs with an optimistic timidity, peeking his head out before he lets his body appear. His brother follows patiently behind him, letting him go at his own pace.

He can hear, in the kitchen, a pair of his siblings arguing cheerfully, teasing each other and clanking dishes as they wash them in the sink. The dining room smells of curry powder and the living room is coated in the gold light of the setting sun. A fluffy white cat is kneading her claws into a grey one. She meows when she sees them, leaping off the couch to come and wrap herself around them, purring at their legs.

Now there’s no doubt that the person next to him is not Anti. Dapper lets out a low sigh, feeling warm and content, and closes his eyes.

Anonymous asked: Can you ask to see the others JJ? Would that follow the timeline properly?

Yes, he wants to see the others. He moves into the kitchen, finding two siblings standing together at the sink, washing and drying together.

“Hellooo,” calls Blue. “Everybody feeling okay?”

Not Blue. Marvin. Dapper feels his face light up in a smile.

He looks so happy.

His hair is long and clean and lovely, tied up neatly on the back of his head, and his face is full of health and self-satisfaction. He hands the last pan to his brother and steps towards them, smiling, a cover-up with elephants printed on the thin fabric flickering in the wind from the open back door. Outside, Jameson sees a forest - but this one is not like the one he came from. Instead of pines, deciduous oak and willow and birch. JJ feels the wind in his hair.

“I think we’re doing okay.” Jameson feels him squeeze his hand. “Right, JJ?”

JJ nods, letting Marvin come closer, smiling at him.

“Good!” Marvin chirps. “But you have something behind your ear.”

He reaches beside Jameson’s hand. When he pulls away again, he is holding a big yellow rose. JJ grins shyly and takes it from him, and Marvin, his eyes glowing blue, presses a kiss into his cheek.

“Love you, James.”

“Love you,” he answers gently, patting Marvin’s hand.

“Chase, your room’s a fucking mess, by the way,” says the person holding his other hand.

JJ stops short, alarmed, turning to him.

“It’s organized chaos!” protests the person at the sink, turning to him. He has short hair too, but he wears a backwards hat and his wrists are covered in bracelets, gauges pinned into his ears. “I know where everything in there is, it’s just… everywhere.”

The person at his side laughs. Dapper supposes it must be Jackie. He relaxes again, drifting against his side, enjoying the sound of his laughter. It’s good to see Red and Trick get along. Usually, in his experience, they are enemies.

Anonymous asked: Oh thank god my hunch was wrong, that's a relief. Anyway, whatcha gonna do now Dap? Stay with Chase for some more time?

“I want to see H-healing,” says JJ, looking around at his siblings.

“He’s okay, buddy,” promises Chase, drying off the last dish and placing it in the rack. “He just cut his finger. But I bet he wouldn’t mind a visit from you.”

“Here, I’ll take you upstairs,” promises the brother holding his hand. “And we can go check on him. He should be hanging out instead of working in his room anyway, huh?”

Yeah. Dapper nods, letting himself be lead back towards the stairs. As you go, you see a familiar hallway on the ground floor - a door with newspaper clippings and pictures and notes plastered all over it, and beyond that, the room where Red and Marvin talked. Chances are you recall the sight better than Dapper does.

Anonymous asked: Oh, they all look so happy and healthy... So this was your family? This seems like the dream life. I'm even more impassioned to help you get them back in any way we can, JJ. You all deserve health and love and light again.

“This,” he says, looking around, looking back at his family, looking at the house and the forest and the cats and the sun. He takes his hand back to speak. “This… this isn’t something that I can have again.”

He holds the rose Marvin gave him carefully, petting at the flowers for a moment before sticking it into his pocket, his face downcast.

“Even if I can get them back, we won’t be the same.”

He closes his eyes for a second, moving towards Henrik’s room.

“Max thought I was hopeless,” he says. “But these days, I can’t tell the difference between that and realism. The truth is, this isn’t my family anymore. Most of us aren’t family at all. The twins love each other. That’s what remains of us. The love between them and, every now and then, in small ways, the recollections between the rest of us - the ghosts of what it was to love each other for who we were at this moment in time, and the disappointment that follows when we realize we are no longer the people that we once were, and that that love did not survive the change.

“But for this moment… for this moment, I can have it again. It’s alive inside of me. For a moment. For a moment. It’s alive.”

darkiplurrr asked: *hugs Dapper* You’re doing great and we’re proud of you!

“Thank you,” he chuckles, smiling. “That’s very nice whether or not it’s true. Thank you.”

Anonymous asked: Where are you taking us JJ? A memory? And... do you think Henrik will be okay?

“I… don’t know that H-healing will be okay in the future. I don’t know. I think, perhaps, he will not be. But for now…”

“Here, bud,” says his friend, following him up the stairs to knock on Henrik’s door.

“Come in,” answers a voice, unpained and unafraid, calm and safe.

For now he can be okay.

Dapper pushes open the door and Henrik smiles back at him from the bed, putting aside his laptop to see him. “Hey, Jamie. Is everything - ”

JJ leaps into his arms and tackles him back onto the bed, wrapping his arms around him. Henrik yelps and then laughs, hugging him with one arm and pinching him in protest with the other.

“Little terror!” he snipes, digging his fingers into his side, and Dapper squirms from being tickled. “I am under attack.”

“Yes, you are stuck,” Dapper pauses to sign before wrapping his arms around his neck again.

“I’m okay,” murmurs Henrik after a moment, rubbing gently at his back. “You know that, right? We’re safe here. You and me are safe.”

JJ feels tears welling in his eyes. To think that they all used to feel safe.

“It’s not fair, H,” he says, pulling back. “I just want to keep all of you safe. But I don’t know if you even know that. And the truth is I still love him too no matter what he does to me. I don’t know why. I’m a coward.”

“What are you talking about? You’re going too fast for me. James?”

He sighs and buries himself in Henrik’s shirt. He just wants to stay here.

“I’m sorry, H.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong, my heart.”

“I’m sorry.”

Anonymous asked: Sorry, but you're wrong Dap. Love did survive it. You saw how hard Henrik fought for Blue not to be possessed. You saw Red care for you, fight for you, be happy and loved as himself for those days with Max. We saw the love still alive between Trick and Blue while you all were separated, even though they're not "twins". It's still there, in familiar and different ways. It's still inside all of you.

Dapper sighs, stroking his fingers through Henrik’s beard. His brother stares back at him, worried. It isn’t so different from sitting on the bed with Blue while Dok paces, trying to find ways to protect him.

Maybe pieces. Maybe pieces are still there.

Anonymous asked: Time changes people. Trauma changes people. It can't be easily reversed if it can be reversed at all. But time can heal, even if it's only a little. The family around you now is just a memory but recovering just a fraction of who they were will be worth it. It's hard to move forward when you don't know if things will be okay but you'll accomplish a lot more moving forward than going back. Even if things are never returned to normal, it's still worth more than what Anti has tried to reduce you to

Henrik’s bed is warm and comfortable. Henrik’s body is steady beside him, his hands gentle on his own body. And he feels safe and well and alright, and Henrik is here, and Henrik is okay, and Henrik loves him.

Things have changed, yes. But maybe… maybe with the bits and pieces that remained, the bits and pieces that have been strong enough to survive torture and amnesia and separation, the bits and pieces that have been stronger even than Anti and his hatred - maybe they can be the foundation to rebuild.

JJ stares at Henrik. Dapper stares at Henrik. The longing in his chest has not gone quiet - the longing not for death, as he thought it was, but for happier times to come. The longing that he mistook for suicidality. He never wanted to die. He just wanted to hope again. Just a little. Just enough.

For a moment, that longing is content.

Anonymous asked: You're right, Jay, you all can't go back to this. But you are where you are now, loved and with family, and you can enjoy that. And given time, with the brothers of your own time and all the friends you still have, you'll be able to move forward. But for now, you're here, and you can focus on that. Here you are. :)

“Want to just lie with me a while?” asks Henrik.

He can just be here. He can just be here for a moment.

“Yes, please.”

“Okay,” murmurs Henrik, stroking his hand across his hair once before turning back to the door, smiling at the figure still standing there. “You heading out soon?”

“If you’ve got everything covered,” he answers warmly, smiling at the both of them.

“You look tired.”

“Mh, a little. I’m okay.” He shrugs and stretches out his arms, digging his knuckles slightly into his eyes.

Dapper jolts, sitting up straight.

The man stares back at him, frowning.

“You okay, Jameson?”

On his left arm, a neat, symmetrical map of a tattoo JJ does not remember.

A neat, symmetrical map of a tattoo Jackie does not have.

This isn’t his brother.

Anonymous asked: Jamie, we think that might be Jack, the creator. But don't panic, it's okay. He's nice right now.

What does he say to him?

What does he do?

He remembers -

He remembers -

Anti moving towards him.

“Leave them the fuck alone! You give them back to me now or I’m going to make you regret I ever fucking created you!”

He remembers -

Blood on his face and a fierce scream of rage, his right eye neon green, the iris glowing like Marvin’s used to, the left iris silver and ringed in pure black. Brown eyes, blue eyes, green, mismatched, unnatural, supernatural, changing, constantly, as fast as Anti’s can.

“You can’t kill me, Anti, not in any way that means anything.”

He remembers -

Shaking in the corner, that fucking rope around his throat, his hands bound, his mind storming and his brain unmedicated, hallucinating and delusional and so confused and afraid he thought it might kill him. He knew it would kill him if he didn’t act.

But Anti told him no!

He remembers something breaking inside of him.

He remember the snap.

And then -

Blankness in his eyes, just for a moment.

Horror in his eyes.

“Jamie, what did you do?”

Jameson is tearing himself off of Henrik’s bed almost without realizing it, his breaths panting from his mouth, his heart racing in his chest.

“I didn’t mean to!” scream his hands. “I didn’t mean to! I didn’t mean to make you forget!”

“JJ! Stop! Calm down, man, calm down. It’s okay!”

“I was scared that he would hurt you! That was all! That was all!”

He catches Jameson’s hands and pulls them to his chest. They are left staring at each other, twin confusion in their eyes, twin distress.

“Jack.” He pulls against his grip to sign it. “Jack.”

“Jamie.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Jamie, I’m here.”

Jack holds his head between his hands and draws him close, and their foreheads fall together, and Jameson is known in the gaze of the man who created him.

cest-mellow asked: how much time do you have left here, jameson?

He grips his clock in a shaking hand, blinking his eyes rapidly.

The countdown is continuing. He has twenty, maybe fifteen minutes left.

But he can’t use them. This was a mistake.

“I’m sorry,” he cries. “You don’t know how much. I broke everything and now you’re not here to help my brothers get free.”

“Tell me what’s wrong,” says Jack, and if Jameson didn’t know better, he would think for a second that his friend’s eyes were silver instead of blue. “And I will make it better.”

“I have to go.”

“Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong. I will fix it for you. I am always going to be there to fix it if you need me.”

“That’s not true! It’s not your fault but that’s not true. It’s my fault.”

Anonymous asked: It's okay, Jameson. You're safe. I don't know what you're remembering, but you're safe.

“No one’s here but you and me,” says Jack. “You and me and the others. You’re okay and I will keep it that way.”

Jameson huffs out a breath, closing his eyes.

“I would tell you not to blame yourself,” he says. “But the truth is, you won’t even remember who I am to feel guilt for me.”

He stops the time on his stopwatch and lets the silver river devour him whole again, whisking him back to the present. And that - that’s the end of it. He’s gone. That’s it.

Or it should be.

But in the river beside him, in the crashing waves of his power, in the screaming of the storm, there is still someone beside him, his eyes glowing twin silver.

“Listen to me!” Jack shouts, standing steadier even than Jameson in the belly of the storm, the wind whipping his hair. “Listen! You are exactly what I created you to be! Do you understand?”

Jameson crashes to the ground, stunned, gritting his eyes against his own power.

“You are all what I created you to be! Don’t let anyone try to take that from you because it will always, always, always be true, Jameson!”

“It’s not enough!” Jameson signs back desperately, not even sure if he can see, not even sure if he can understand, not even sure if he’s here at all. It’s impossible, isn’t it? Impossible that he can see him through time, impossible that someone else can move through this place the way he can. Impossible that someone else understands what is to hold power like this. “It’s not enough to be what you made me to be! I’m not enough!”

“You are worthwhile all on your own,” answers Jack, fierce as the sky around them. “But if you are in trouble and I am not there, I didn’t make any of you to fight alone. Be enough together. I’m not perfect, Jay, but I promise you - I did everything I could to make the five of you into enough to be safe from him. To give you the weapons and the story to be safe from him, even if it gets derailed sometimes. I meant you all for happy endings, JJ. Trust your brothers. Trust yourself. You are exactly what I created you to be! And you are always, always, always my - ”

Jameson sits up straight in the rose-scented bathwater, gasping for air.

Jack is gone.

The bathroom is silent.

He sits up straight in the bath, staring at the wall, his mouth open in shock. The last ray of sunset turns one eye clear and gold and endless. As though he can see another world in front of him.

I meant you all for happy endings, JJ.

He puts a hand over his heart. He can feel it beating fast. He can feel himself alive.

cest-mellow asked: are you okay james? what are you gonna do now?

“I… I…”

The bathroom door slams open.

Anti stands there staring at him.

Eyes huge. Chest heaving.

When he speaks, his voice is a shattered whisper.

“I heard someone,” he says. “I heard someone talking.”

JJ stares at him, panting. He shakes his head slowly.

“I heard someone!” repeats Anti, a little louder. His hand rises, falters, rests over Blue’s heart. “I heard… I heard…”

The water laps softly at JJ’s body, gone lukewarm. The lights buzz quietly and the crickets sing. The dark shape of a bird flickers past the window and Anti shudders, backing away, shaking his head.

“I thought I heard…”

“It’s just me, Anti,” says Dapper. “It’s just me in the bath.”

Anti closes his eyes, shaking his head. He puts a hand over his eyes for a moment and lets out a long, trembling breath.

“Come to bed,” he says. “Five minutes. I need to lie down. Blue’s mind plays tricks on me and I’m tired.”

“Okay, Anti. I’m coming.”

“Good,” says Anti, glancing at him as he turns to leave. “Yes, good, just… come quickly.”

“Okay.”

He leaves him alone with you. There is water lapping, and crickets singing, and the flicker of a bird.

JJ turns you away and climbs out of the bathtub.

Anonymous asked: What did you hear Anti?

“Nothing,” he spits at you, whirling on you with bright blue eyes. “Nothing, just… it was nothing.”

The door to the bathroom pushes open and Dapper steps out, looking small and sweet in his big dinosaur hoodie. Anti relaxes a little, sitting on the bed and waiting for him. “Come here,” he beckons, snapping his fingers at him. “Come on, bedtime. Geez, you smell like shampoo. Don’t use so much of those scented things next time.”

“Can’t help it, Anti. That whole bathroom smells like nice stuff.”

“Just lie down,” says Anti, tugging him towards him.

Anti finds a comfortable position and lets out a long sigh, wrapped around his little brother’s body.

“Your heart’s beating fast,” he mumbles.

Dapper doesn’t answer. They fall back to silence.

It’s dark by the time Anti speaks again.

“Do you ever think this isn’t what we were meant to be doing?”

Dapper stares at the ceiling, not sure what to say.

“Maybe I was supposed to die that night Marvin and Jackie beat me down to a wisp of a spirit and took you from me. Maybe that was supposed to be it.”

Dapper doesn’t know. Dapper doesn’t remember.

“Do you remember when it was just the two of us?” whispers Anti, lying close to him on the pillows. His hands are around his waist. “Do you ever think about it?”

Dapper looks over at him.

“Sometimes,” he signs meekly.

“Hm.” Anti rubs at his sides mindlessly, his eyes distant. “It was a different time.”

“It was a different story.”

“Yes,” says Anti. “I guess it was. This is a better one, isn’t it, my brother? All six of us together?”

Dapper doesn’t know what to say.

Anti does not seem to expect an answer.

“But sometimes I think about when it was just the two of us,” murmurs Anti. “Sometimes I think about that.”

Dapper feels something in the pocket of his hoodie. He blinks and reaches down for it, trying not to disturb his brother, and pulls it out. In his hands, a single yellow rose.

Dapper looks over at Anti. Anti is asleep.

[dirtydobrik]

fractured ankle - j.w.

plot: you break your ankle while on a hike with your boyfriend jeff and he wants to take care of you

word count: 1830

author’s note: sorry for not posting lately, i’ve had such bad writer’s block and didn’t like anything i was writing about david, so i decided to try something new and write about jeff! 

masterlist

“Baby, get up,” Jeff whispered, nudging you softly. He was standing over you, already dressed for the hike he wanted to take you on.

It was still dark outside and you blinked rapidly as your eyes adjusted to the light of the bedside lamp Jeff had just turned on. You gave him a quick kiss and got out of bed, heading into the bathroom to get ready. You splashed cold water on your face to wake yourself up since you were never up this early, and the only reason you were was because Jeff had been begging you to come on an early morning hike to see the see the sunrise for a while now.

You brushed your teeth and changed into leggings and a sports bra before meeting Jeff in the kitchen. He was filling water bottles and gave you a small smile before tossing you a protein bar to eat before leaving. Jeff tossed the water bottles and a few other snacks into his backpack before glancing at the time on his phone and insisting that you had to leave in the next few minutes. You sat on the floor near the front door and tightly tied the laces of your sneakers, reaching your hand up for Jeff to help you up. He rolled his eyes at you, but took your hand in his and pulled you up.

You followed him downstairs and hopped into the passenger seat of his SUV. The roads were empty as darkness still covered the city. Jeff placed his hand on the gear shift and you rested yours on top of his. The stillness of the city was something you hardly ever saw, but it was comforting.

After a short drive, you pulled into the parking lot of the trail Jeff wanted to take you on. You got out of the car and followed Jeff's instructions of basic stretches to do to warm up before hiking.

Much to your dismay, the hike was a lot harder and steeper than Jeff had promised it would be. The path was windy and the plants were overgrown, leaving it narrow and difficult to navigate in the dim light.

Jeff was walking in front of you, and you carefully followed his steps. The steep dirt path had many large rocks that seemed to appear out of nowhere. You tried to focus on following Jeff's exact steps to avoid the rocks, but you lost your footing trying to avoid one. You stumbled backwards and fell over the large rock you had tried to avoid a few moments ago. Your left ankle got caught underneath you and you heard a loud snap as all of your body weight landed on your ankle. You yelped in agony as you tried to stand up before collapsing back on to the ground and grabbing your ankle in pain. Jeff was a few feet in front of you, but your screams gained his attention.

“Baby, are you alright?” Jeff asked, concerned as he sprinted over to you. His face went pale as he noticed the swelling around your foot. You clutched your ankle, sobbing from the immense pain.

“It hurts,” you whined, tears streaming down your face. "It really hurts."

“It’ll be okay,” Jeff promised, untying your sneaker and pulling it off. He pushed the hem of your leggings up to expose the ankle. You took in a sharp breath and felt nauseous looking at the bruising around your foot.  

He searched through his backpack for an ice pack or an elastic bandage in his first aid kit, but had neither. He handed you a water bottle that had ice cubes in it and told you to take them out and wrap them in his t-shirt to hold against the swelling.

“Do you think you can walk?” he asked, even though he knew it was most likely broken. You shook your head, knowing you couldn’t, or shouldn't, put any weight on it.

Jeff paced back and forth, wondering what to do. You were nearly to the top of the hill, and the path was too steep for him to carry you down and too narrow for him to help hold you up as you hopped down.

It was still early so the trails weren't busy, meaning you probably wouldn't run into another hiker to help you out. Jeff picked you up and moved you off of the path, so you wouldn't be in the way if someone did happen to come up.

After half an hour and many failed calls from the lack of reception, Jeff decided he was going to have to carry you down. He had you put his backpack on and you managed to climb on to his back. You clung tightly to him, scared that he was going to drop you. When it got too steep, he had you stand on your good ankle and he would lift you from one clear spot to another.

You eventually made it back to the parking lot, and Jeff had you sit in the backseat to elevate your ankle. He drove you to the nearest hospital, stopping at a CVS to pick up some painkillers since you didn’t know how long you’d be waiting to see a doctor.

You draped your arm over his shoulder and hopped into the ER. Jeff helped you sit down before going to check in with the front desk. He returned with a clipboard of paperwork for you to fill out and a cup of coffee.

"You doing okay, baby?" Jeff asked, kissing your forehead. You nodded, even though the pain was insufferable.

After about an hour of waiting, you were brought over to an empty bed. The nurse checked all of your vitals and a little while later, the doctor came in.

"Well, it's definitely broken," the doctor said, pointing to the clean break in your bone on the scans. "You'll need surgery to realign the bone," he continued, and Jeff reached over to hold your hand as the surgery was explained to you.

Jeff promised he wouldn't go anywhere and kissed the top of your head before a team of nurses wheeled you off to prep you for surgery.

You woke up in a hospital bed a few hours later and Jeff was sitting by your side. Your leg was elevated and you had a cast around your ankle. A nurse came in to check on you a couple of times before the doctor came in to say they wanted to keep you overnight to monitor you post-op.

A few days after you were able to leave the hospital, you and Jeff were cuddling in his bed in his apartment. The contents of the suitcase you were now living out of were scattered across the floor of his bedroom. Jeff had insisted that you stayed with him, at least until you were confident using the stairs with crutches, since your apartment was on the fourth floor and your building didn't have an elevator.

“What are you doing?” you asked as Jeff pulled away from cuddling your to riffle through the drawer of his bedside table. A few moments later, Jeff revealed a thick black sharpie. He uncapped it and motioned for you to move the blanket so he could draw on your cast.

Your rolled your eyes at his childish behavior, but pulled the blanket off. You positioned yourself to be propped up against the headboard, placing a pillow under your cast. Jeff was on the other end of the bed, hoovering over your foot as he doodled mindlessly on the plaster.

You took your phone out to capture this moment, adding the picture to your Instagram story to let everyone know that you were in good hands with Jeff.

After a while, your cast was covered in small pictures and short notes. There was little room let for anyone else to write on it, but Jeff was pleased with his work.

 You were restless all night, constantly tossing and turning, hardly able to get any sleep. Even though it was still early, you were wide awake and decided to try to make yourself breakfast. You swung your legs down, using the nightstand for support as you balanced on one foot. You reached for your crutches, determined to master using them today. You were tired of relying on Jeff for everything and wanted to be able to do things on your own. Your goal was to get from the bedroom to the kitchen without getting caught on anything or stumbling.

You let out a frustrated groan and threw one of your crutches on to the ground after the bottom of the crutch stuck to the wooden floor and you pushed yourself forward without having the support following you.

“What’s goin on, baby?” Jeff asked, stumbling out of the bedroom, still half asleep. He was holding a white t-shirt in his hands and was only wearing the pair of boxers he had slept in.

You were standing on one foot, the other kicked up behind you, holding on to the counter top for stability.

“Nothing,” you muttered, turning around and attempting to hop to the fridge so you wouldn't have to put any weight onto your ankle. Jeff sighed, knowing you were lying. He swung the fridge door open and took out the carton of eggs he knew you were reaching for. “I don’t need you to do everything for me,” you snapped, not realizing how aggressive or angry you sounded. Jeff’s eyes widening at your remarks.

“I’m just trying to help out,” Jeff said quietly. You really did appreciate his efforts, but he was driving you crazy. He was constantly around and practically refused to let you do anything by yourself.

"I know you are, but I don't need to be babied, Jeff," you insisted, and he nodded. He understood where you were coming from, but that didn't stop him from leaning down to pick up the crutch you had thrown on top the floor. You shot him a death glare since you easily could've picked it up yourself, but you still took it from him.

"I'm not babying you. I'm just taking care of you. You should be focused on physical therapy and walking with the crutches, you shouldn't have to worry about anything else."

"But how am I supposed to do that when you hardly ever let me get out of bed?" you argued, making a point. Jeff didn’t have a comeback, instead he just apologized for being overbearing and overprotective, promising to let you do more from now on. "It's okay, Jeff. I love you anyways," you smiled, watching Jeff's face beam at the words you had just said. It was the first time either of you had said them aloud, even though you had both been feeling it for a while.

"I love you, too," he grinned, wrapping his arms around your waist and giving you a soft kiss.

[amelialincoln]

Helpless

I got a prompt about doing a fic where Amelia took the spot of Arizona in the plane crash. I felt as though I had to swap the characters around a bit but I hope everyone enjoys!

Amelia was not a good packer. She was also a very last minute packer. This seemed to stress out Link beyond belief. To be completely fair, this was a very last minute trip. Meredith, Alex, Jo and Jackson were all told today that they needed to be on a plane to Portland tomorrow to operate on the son of Owen’s veteran friend who he’d met when in Iraq. All of them had agreed, of course. The patient was a ten year old boy who suffered from a frontal lobe tumour. They’d have to split open his entire forehead. Meredith was presenting at a conference closeby later that week and had decided to fly with them last minute.

“This is all very abjupt.” Link was staring disapprovingly at the messy suitcase Amelia had been throwing items of clothing into.

“It’ll be fine, babe. I’m only gone for a couple of days anyway.”

“No one ever flies me out for special surgeries.” He faked jealousy. Amelia laughed as he came to sit beside her, beginning to fold the mess of clothes.

“Oh, I forgot to show you.” She pulled a small ultrasound photo out from her pant pocket.

“You went without me?” Link scowled.

“I was feeling weird this morning,” she explained. “I went to see Carina and she did an ultrasound just in case.”

“Feeling weird?” He pushed a fallen curl behind her ear.

“Crampy,” she shrugged, “turned out to be nothing. I think I’ve just been extra precautious because of last time.” Link nodded, staring down at the photo in his hands before slipping it into his wallet.

“You’ll call when you land?”

“Link, the flight isn’t even an hour,” Amelia teased. “Both of us will be fine.” She took the suitcase from his hand, placing a light kiss on his lips. Apparently it wasn’t enough because Link pulled her into a tight embrace. “Baby is officially crushed.”

“Facetime tonight, I want to hear all about your surgery.” Amelia nodded. “Have a safe flight.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

“What’s the freakin holdup?” Alex yelled from the back of the bus. “We could’ve taken Koracick.”

Amelia waved to Link before climbing up the stairs and taking the empty spot across from him and Jo. “No, you couldn’t have because I’m better than him.”

“So modest.” Alex grinned. “But correct.”

Almost immediately upon boarding Jackson was asleep. Amelia enveyed his ability to pass almost everywhere. Jo, however, was gripping the arm rest as if she would fall out of the plane if she let go.

“You don’t like flying?” Amelia questioned.

“I haven’t much,” Jo admitted. Alex wrapped an absentminded arm around her and she seemed to relax. Amelia had no problem with flying although she would enjoy the presence of Link’s company. He’d been all over her since they found out they were pregnant, to the point where, unless she was working, she felt weird without him by her side. She reached into her bag to find that Link had completely stocked it with a ton of snacks and a water bottle. Such a worrier. She shook her head in amusement. Meredith was flipping through cue cards that contained the speech she was trying to memorize. The pilot made an announcement about turbulence and Jo went a shade of white that Amelia didn’t know was possible.

“Jo it’ll be--” Amelia was cut off by the sudden drop that the plan experienced before returning to normal. 

The drop was enough to wake Jackson up, who looked around in confusion. “That wasn’t normal.” The plane suddenly dropped again. Amelia gripped onto the arm rest as well, not knowing what the point of it was. Oxygen masks were released from the ceiling.

“Alex!” Jo looked like she was going to throw up. Even Meredith, who Amelia had never seen look fazed, was staring out the window in concern.

“We’re too low,” she murmured. The plane dropped again and Amelia held her breath, waiting for it to level out. It didn’t.

“Amelia!” Meredith’s voice was begging her to wake up. Amelia didn’t want to. Her entire body ached, weighing her down. Her back was against something soft, and warm, as if she was lying in a field of grass. “Amelia!” Her eyes shot open, treetops swayed in the warm wind that was whistling in her ears.

“Meredith?” She croaked.

“I’m here.” She could feel Meredith’s hand grip her arm. “What hurts?”

“Nothing.” Amelia went to sit up and suddenly screeched as pain radiated through her entire body. The view of the trees was blinded by black spots and her ears thundered with the sound of red hot blood pumping.

“Shit!” Meredith was pressing her sweater into Amelia’s chest. “Lie back down!” Amelia did what she was told, a metallic taste filled her mouth and she coughed.

“She okay?” She heard Alex’s voice from a couple meters away. She couldn’t see Meredith’s response but sensed she was shaking her head. “Jo’s pretty banged up. I think she has a concussion and some pretty big lacerations. She’s been in and out of consciousness. When she’s awake she won’t stop screaming”

“Jackson?” Meredith asked.

“I can’t find him.” Amelia could hear Alex sigh. “Mer, you need to stop walking on that leg. It looks fractured at best.”

“I needed to get to her. Have you seen this?”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.”

“Jackson was with me. When the plane broke apart.” Amelia bit back tears. Her head was pounding, she assumed she also had a concussion.

“Stop moving.” Meredith hissed. She turned to Alex. “Get a tourniquet on, you’re going to lose it.”

“How am I supposed to tie a tourniquet myself? You can’t exactly take pressure off that thing.” Amelia coughed up another round of blood, as if on cue.

“I can tie it.”

“Jackson,” Amelia gurgled.

“My shoulder is dislocated but if you pop it back in I can do it.” Jackson came into Amelia’s field of view. Judging by the mess of his fingers, she figured his shoulder wasn’t the only thing dislocated. She tried to ignore Jackson’s cry as Alex attempted to pop his shoulder back in.

“Alex?”

“Jo you shouldn’t be walking,” Meredith sighed.

“Come lie beside Amelia,” Alex ordered. “It’s gonna get cold soon, guys,” he bit his lip, staring up at the darkening sky. “They keep blankets on planes, right? The ones who can walk should try and find them.”

“So you and me?” Jackson's voice was dark.

“I guess--”

“I’m pregnant,” Amelia blurted out, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks.

“Oh god,” Meredith breathed. She brushed Amelia’s red stained hair out of her eyes and glanced up at Alex nervously. Amelia had hardly realized Jo was screaming until she stopped. Alex sighed as he looked at the mess that was Amelia’s abdomen. He couldn’t tell if the blood pooling there was from her chest or another open wound. He knelt down at her side, pulling her hoodie up and exposing her flat stomach. He examined a couple deep cuts but didn’t find anything needing immediate care. The thing worrying him was the bruises that were developing along her ribcage.

“I don’t know,” he muttered honestly. “I really don’t know.” 

“What do you mean you don't know where they are?” Link slammed the door behind him as he entered the conference room. Owen flinched.  

“The plane never arrived in Portland,” Bailey’s head was tilted to the ceiling, her eyes closed. Link glanced at Maggie, who had her head in her hands.

“What does that mean?” Link was trying to suppress an anger that was becoming uncontrollable.

“The plane lost signal around Chehalis.” Owen stared out the window at the clouds that were rapidly taking over the sky. “They think it might’ve gone down.”

“Gone down?” Link took a step back. “She’s pregnant. Amelia’s pregnant.” Bailey opened her eyes to look at him, her hand shot to her mouth to suppress a whimper. “You did this.” Link turned to Owen, his expression was cold like ice. “You put her on that plane.”

“Link, he couldn’t have--” Maggie began. Link was radiating heat. The next thing he felt was his fist colliding with Owen’s jaw. Owen staggered back, his mouth filling with blood. Link’s knuckles were on fire and he was surprised to find them bruising rapidly. “fifth metacarpal bone break,” he muttered. 

“Dr. Lincoln.” Bailey shot out of her seat. “Get out.”

“Find them!” Link was surprised to hear the amount of pain in his own voice. “You have to find them.”

[prettyflyshyguy]

Ok here’s Chapter 2!!! its unfinished but I have to go to bed but you can have it anyway!! Like last time if you have critique please hit me with it. I am not a writer. I am simply a fool with two wolves inside me, one craves comedic relief while the other is grabbing a knife from the kitchen. (Chapter 1 if you missed it)

Here’s an indication:

The night air was still, in the distance the sound of helicopters and sirens blaring was the only thing to disturb this empty side of the city, evacuation of all citizens long passed. The orange haze of distant lights and fires lit up the otherwise cloudy dark sky. The crack of crystalline and resin structure splitting broke the silence atop the Research Centre. A cocoon spilled out of the split in the hardened shell, flowing and bulging and wriggling out as something churned and shifted beneath the surface. Rapidly the form of a figure started to appear, breaking free, reaching upwards towards the sky until it slipped and fell backwards. It flopped onto the concrete with the grace of a beached whale, and slid a few meters back.

His lungs kicked into overdrive, gulping deep breaths of air to combat the fear, disorientation and adrenaline that shot through his body. Everything was dark, his eyelids felt glued shut. He was hot, too hot, why was he so hot. 

Crudely wiping whatever was gunking up his eyes, he began to take stock of the situation. He quickly scanned the area, he was alone.

Except for the cocoon.

‘Shit-’

He instinctively tried calling out but a faint rasp was the most he could muster as he scrambled away still on the ground. He reached for his sidearm holster.

Except it wasn't there.

He felt cold concrete on his back, he pushed into it. It was the only thing he knew was real. It was tangible. He looked back towards the cocoon, a trail of viscous liquid stretched between it and himself. He sat there, frozen. Eyes fixed on the cocoon. Tracing its outline, the way it looked like a figure reaching forward. Forward towards something small that reflected the light, sitting just out of reach of the cocoon on the ground. The huge, gaping split down the back that the trail of fluid lead away from. 

Perhaps if he was able to sit completely still he wouldn't be able to feel any of it. The fluid dripping down his hair, into his eyes. The way his arms felt too long. The way his skin felt too tough. The way he felt wrong.

Except he hadn’t forgotten what happened. It was his cocoon. 

His heart rate shot up, he started breathing faster shorter breaths. 

Leon wasn't particularly afraid of much. He tackled any new situation he was thrust into pretty well, actually. Like his brief time as a cop back in Racoon City when the first outbreak of the T-virus happened. Evicting the ‘monster under the bed’ when he’d babysit Sherry when she was younger. Being injected with a parasite egg by a twisted cult in Europe. Accepting Claire’s challenge of who could eat the most hot cross buns last Easter.

The cocoon in front of him made him afraid.

He focused on his breathing, slowing them down, taking in more air in each breath. His pulse began to calm.

A minute or two had gone by before he realised it was getting cold. The exothermic reaction of the cocoon process had ended quite some time ago and he was no longer receiving the benefits. If you could even call them that.

He thought about it again.

‘Ah. That’s right. The cocoon process.’

His memories were intact up until a point, he remembered the flames and how he tried to scream. He remembered the sensation of his skin boiling. He remembered his joints seizing up and everything going dark. The only person he’s seen come out of a cocoon looking ‘normal’ was Ada, but she must be different. Some kind of twisted facsimile that Simmons cooked up. The Ada Wong that infected him was surely not the real deal, at least he hoped.

Ultimately there were only two choices in his current situation. Continue to stare in abject horror at the cocoon or instead, stare in abject horror at whatever it did to him.

Sharply inhaling, he slowly let his gaze fall from the cocoon to his feet. 

At least the assumption was that they were his feet. They looked more structurally like primates but with thick leathery scales or plating running along down from his legs. Not to mention the claws.

‘Ok. Could be worse.’

‘Time to try standing up.’ he thought.

He shuffled into a kneeling position and placed his hands out in front of him on a bare patch of concrete that wasn't covered in goop. Thankfully they still resembled human hands. Just with more scales and claws. 

‘Could be worse.’

Very slowly, with plenty of weight on his hands, he attempted to figure out how to stand up. He quickly realised his feet were more comfortable with weight being fully placed on the toes. Like a dinosaur. Maybe he could get a job as a monster in the next Jurassic Park film. In trying to find a silver lining the brief mental distraction meant he almost toppled over, as his legs were quite shaky. Using the wall behind him for stability, he found he was able to stand comfortably if he bent his knees slightly more than he was used to. 

Carefully, despite wobbling significantly, he made his way without the aid of a wall towards and around the cocoon, to where he had dropped his communicator after Ada… Fake-Ada, had infected him.

He knelt down and gently picked it up, praying that maybe somehow the flames hadn’t damaged it beyond working. The glass screen was cracked. It was unresponsive. 

‘Fuck.’

He had no way of contacting Helena. No way of telling her that actually he’s ok. He had left her to run after Ada and now she’s out there, alone, up against Simmons and his personal security army after everything-

‘FUCK.’

He was so stupid, he let his personal feelings get in the way when he should have just let Chris handle it-

He froze.

‘Chris was just outside the door when it happened. He probably saw the cocoon-’

His thoughts were interrupted as the glass of the communicator shattered as it hit the ground. His stomach convulsed as he began to throw up. He hadn’t eaten in hours but the acid burned away at his throat nonetheless. Tears started to well up in his eyes. The full gravity of the situation hit, everything he put his friends through, everything that’s happened to him. What would happen if he finds them again? Would they recognise him? Would they shoot him? Would he even find them? What if something else found him first?

Shoving all that aside, he pulled himself back into the moment. There was nothing he could do for either Chris or Helena if he just sat here, and the risk of a military cleanup unit passing overhead and seeing him was not one he was willing to bargain on. 

-

The balcony door, left open, creaked slightly as the ocean breeze drifted through the city. It would have been nice if not for the smoke and the eeriness of the place left cold and empty. It didn’t take Leon long to find an apartment that had an unlocked door or window, long forgotten about. The infection came with its advantages, namely making it much easier for him to traverse buildings vertically which meant he avoided streets with military patrols, Ja’vo or worse. Cautiously searching, in case he wasn't alone, he swept through each room quickly before entering the bathroom. The sludge that was left over from the cocoon had started to try like mud all over him, a shower might help relieve the stress. Closing the door and looking around, he caught a brief glimpse of his full figure in the bathroom mirror. He turned away sharply, not ready to tackle that just yet, instead focusing on the uncomfortable fact he could see very clearly despite not turning the light on yet. Once again trying to find something he could root himself too, he sunk his feet into the softness of the bathmat. The cold of the tiles. 

He leaned with both arms either side of the basin. 

‘Please don’t throw up again.’ he thought.

Without giving himself time to chicken out of it he flicked his head upwards and stared dead on into the mirror.

‘Could be worse.’

His face was still somewhat recognisable, it might have been even more if he didn’t have two mandibles protruding from both his top and bottom jaw each, beginning near his ears and wrapping comfortably around his face. He was able to see them in his peripheral vision so far but preferred to pretend they didn’t exist. Forced to reckon with it now, he toyed around to determine what level of control he had, if any. The top two folded up neatly alongside his cheeks and the clawed tip bent downwards towards his mouth, while the bottom ones extended along his jawline and pointed up at his chin. More concerningly in each corner of his lips there was a line, almost like a split that ran up his cheeks either side. Tentatively he flexed his jaw and opened his mouth slightly he snapped it shut upon seeing canines that were probably a little too long. Among other teeth that probably weren't there before. At least the BSAA had good dental.

Examining the rest, the same plate scales, more like chitin or carapace, ran up his arms, legs and back. Splits down the sides of his arms and legs had more normal softer skin along with his chest, although these including his face were still stricken with splits and scarring in the skin. Much like how Deborah, Helena’s sister, looked after she emerged from her cocoon. At this point he noticed something shifting behind him, twisting slightly revealing in the mirror a set of thin spines that ran down his back. They twitched and shifted higher the more he stared at them, the more his heart rate elevated.

Not bothering to turn on any lights still, he shoved himself into the shower and doused himself in water as once again, he felt his heart rate climb. 

Sinking down to the floor he leant on his knees and pushed his fingers into his hair as the water enveloped him. 

‘It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse. It could be worse?? I’m a BOW now I’m a fucking BOW I’m a bio organic weapon I’m a B O W  I’M-’

Pulling his hands down his hair and over his face, he took a deep breath to try and calm himself.

‘Ok this is bad, but you’ve been through worse Leon.’ he considered.

He stared blankly for a moment.

‘Ok maybe you haven't been through worse but at least this time you’re in control of yourself. No mind control parasite cults involved. Look on the bright side.’

He looked down at his feet and the water swirling endlessly into the drain.

‘You’ve traumitised Helena right after the same thing happened to her sister, you have no way of contacting anyone for help, and even if you did, you have no guarantee they won’t just try and kill you.’

He slowly looked up. His entire face, mandibles included, drooped as the water cascaded down.

Pressing his hands into his face and leaning back he let out a deep, long groan while he internally wished he could just scream. God knows if he did, if it would even sound human still. 

Debora’s wails and cries still echoed in his mind. Recognisably human in origin but alien and twisted. Would he sound like that too? Like a monster?

(Hi hello its Editing Shy here, sorry this is all I got. I haven't finished it yet, this is the unfinished bit.)

[s-horne]

oo oo oo oo can i request a drabble where stony are secret from the team and they’re all watching a movie but steve is getting handsy under the blanket and tony has to attempt to keep a straight face?

There was a hand dancing up the inseam of Tony’s jeans. There were explosions on the television screen and a hand inching closer to his dick. It wasn’t exactly a winning combination.

“Steve,” Tony hissed as quietly as he could. He’d wondered why Steve had reached for the thick blanket from the back of the couch, throwing it over the two of them and cuddling up to Tony’s side when it was such a warm evening, but he hadn’t expected it to lead to this. “What are you doing?”

Steve lay his head on Tony’s shoulder and nuzzled close. His hand climbed a little higher. “Shush, I’m watching a film.”

“Oi.” Tony jabbed Steve’s thigh, but it didn’t deter the other man in the slightest. “You can’t do that.”

There was no verbal answer as Steve closed his eyes, clearly pretending to be asleep. Tony poked him again. “Steve.”

“I’m sleeping,” Steve murmured, fingers dancing over Tony’s crotch.

“You’re not sleeping.” Tony sucked in a harsh breath when Steve pressed the heel of his hand down suddenly. “You’re being a–” he broke off with a yelp, ducking his head when Bucky glared at him.

“I’m being a what?” Steve didn’t open his eyes as he pressed even closer to Tony’s neck. “A brilliant boyfriend?”

When Tony scoffed, Bucky scowled at him again. His mouthed apology was met with a roll of the eyes before Bucky stood and headed for the kitchen.

Tony elbowed Steve as subtly as he could. “Asshole. If you get me hard in a room of our teammates, I will fucking–”

“We know what you’re doing.”

Tony jumped a mile and twisted his head to look over at Natasha in shock. “What?” His voice was far too high and he cleared his throat, praying that his tone would be a little closer to his usual pitch. He felt as though there was a neon sign above his head, flashing that Steve’s hand was on his cock. “No, you don’t.”

Steve dug his knuckles into the sensitive skin of Tony’s thighs and he winced, quickly changing his answer. “I mean, we’re, I’m not doing anything.”

“Believe me,” Rhodey said through a mouthful of popcorn, “we do know what’s going on.”

Tony looked over at Rhodey on the opposite side of the room, the man making a point of staring straight ahead at the far-fetched car chase happening on the television screen. They’d been friends for long enough that neither of them so much as blinked at awkward sexual encounters, but that often meant that Rhodey did his best to ignore Tony’s romantic exploits. For Rhodey to be openly discussing it, it must have been bad.

“You’re not subtle,” Rhodey continued, swapping his near-empty bowl of popcorn for a fuller, spare one, his eyes still on the screen.  

“God, Tony,” Clint chimed in, his voice pained, “what are you? Nineteen?”

Tony spun round to glare at Clint. He was going to get whiplash before the film was over. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Interrupting whatever Clint was about to say back, Natasha sighed loudly. “Tony, if the film is turning you on, please just leave the room to deal with it. This movie is just getting good and you’re really distracting.”

Steve suddenly started choking and spluttered into a coughing fit, his ploy of pretending to be asleep failing as he sat up to catch his breath. As Bucky passed by with a handful of beer bottles, he whacked Steve on the back, getting a grateful thumbs-up in return.

“Oh my – Tash!” Steve laughed loudly when his airways were clear again, the blanket thrown off his and Tony’s laps with the panicked movements.

Tony’s face was a mess of disbelief, incredulity and downright outrage. He couldn’t believe how quickly things had derailed, the blood flowing from his dick up to his cheeks as his face flushed a bright red. “Excuse me? What is happening?”

“Seriously,” Natasha said, sounding almost bored with the conversation, “not subtle at all. Please just leave. We know you have a danger kink so we’re not exactly shocked. We just don’t need to see it.”

“What the fuck is a danger kink?” Tony asked, a deep furrow to his brow. Things were rapidly getting out of control. “No, you know what? Not important. I am not turned on by this, what, whatever crap Clint chose this week. I haven’t even been watching. Who are these people?”

“Don’t pretend,” Rhodey said, still utterly fixated on the screen as Clint cried out in defence of his film, “just leave. The thick blanket in July kind of gave you away, anyway. And I’m enjoying this movie so stop talking.”

Mouth falling open, Tony caught Steve’s eye. Steve was almost purple as he tried so desperately hard not to laugh and Tony had had more than enough. Standing with as much dignity as he could muster, he sniffed loudly and straightened his shirt.

“Well, on that note,” he said, taking the time to glare at each and every one of his so-called friends, “I am going to find a very dark room and scream.”

“We’ll pick a rom-com next week,” Natasha called out to him as he reached the doorway. “No more danger-boners.”

Tony rolled his eyes almost violently. He didn’t have a ‘danger kink’ whatever that was and it was much more the fact that the love of his life, who just so happened to be the peak of human perfection, had had his hand directly over his dick that made Tony give himself away.

That being said, Tony did love a rom-com and was outvoted far too often for his liking. It was his damn tower, after all. He deserved to be able to watch a decent film once in a while.

“Fine,” he said, turning on his heel and opening the door. “I want Notting Hill. And then Mamma Mia.”

 *

 The bathroom door opened and Tony spun around. Glaring at the new arrival, he picked up the closest object and threw it at the man.

Laughing as he caught the face cloth, Steve shook his head, eyes glistening with tears.

“I’m sorry,” he gasped out, stepping closer and dropping the cloth into the sink. “I couldn’t – I didn’t mean to do that.”

“Would be a lot more believable if you weren’t hysterically laughing.” Tony sniffed and Steve only laughed again. “Oi,” Tony snapped, smacking Steve on the stomach, “stop it. Look what you’ve done to me.”

Sobering a little, Steve’s gaze dropped to Tony’s crotch. “I can help you out with that, if you’d like.”

Tony reached out and grabbed a fistful of Steve’s shirt, yanking him close. “Yes, you are going to help me out. And then you’re going to save my reputation.”

Another snorted laugh escaped Steve before he reigned it in again. “Right,” he said, wrapping his arms around Tony’s hips and letting his fingers dip below Tony’s waistband. His eyes sparkled with mischief as he ducked his head, stopping a hair’s width away from Tony’s lips. “I’ll get right on that.”

Tony slid his hand up to cup Steve’s neck, gently but firmly pushing him down onto his knees. “Good. But sort this first.”

“Of course.”

[raiseyourcups]

Cabur

Chapter Fifteen

Pairing: Din Djarin x OFC (Aili Verdella) Warnings: 18+, chapter contains smut (which includes references to a breeding kink, throat grabbing but no choking, fingering, slightly rough sex, the armor stays on), mentions of children being killed  Word Count: 5.1k Also on AO3

Masterlist

Summary: Aili and Mando finish the job as quickly as they can, the tracking beacon still counting down. And after the job they have a small...heart to heart of sorts, fueled by just a little alcohol on Aili's part but only enough to lower her inhibitions. 

Note: I am going to reblog this once with the additional backstory I added for Aili so if you want to skip the smut you can but you won’t miss out on important story info.

“Watch my back while we look for Mayfeld and Qin,” Mando said, still unsure what Aili's problem was at the moment. She hadn’t said much after he stopped her from potentially killing Xi’an, not something he would’ve faulted her for, but it was odd to hear her so quiet now. He doubted it had anything to do with him stopping her but he still barely understood anything about how her mind worked. 

“Hey,” he stopped her before they continued down the hallway, avoiding touching her for now. Mayfeld and Qin couldn’t get very far anyway with the doorways leading to the ship shut until he opened them. Aili hesitated before looking up at him, dark brown eyes meeting his own like she always managed to. “You good?”

“I’m fine. I’ll keep any security off us,” Aili said, looking away just as quickly as she had looked up. She focused on her blaster, making sure it was okay after her scuffle with Xi’an. “We should move, not a lot of time left on that beacon.”

“You’ve been keeping track?” Mando was a little surprised she had been able to do so when she had been so focused on keeping Xi’an in a chokehold.

“You haven’t been?” Aili asked, giving Mando a look that was almost like her normal attitude towards him. But he could still tell she was a little more guarded now and he didn’t understand why. But they really didn’t have the time for him to question her. 

They hurried down the hallways as quickly as they could while keeping quiet. The last thing they needed was to give their position away to Mayfeld and his several blasters. Aili stood back as Mando snuck up on Mayfeld, hiding behind a wall when he spun around to look down the hallway. 

“No!” She heard Mayfeld shout right before he hit the ground and she stepped out from behind her spot to raise an eyebrow. There he was just on the ground, hadn’t even fought. Boring. Mando looked over to her before starting to drag Mayfeld down the hallway. 

“You stop Qin, I’ll be there soon,” Mando said, hesitating for a moment like he was going to say something else before he shook his head and kept dragging Mayfeld down the hallway. 

Aili nodded and took off for the hallway that held the ladder that would lead back into the Crest, blaster out in case there were any more security droids or if Qin popped out from around a corner. It didn’t take long for her to spot Qin getting ready to start climbing the ladder to the Crest.

“Qin, was it?” Aili asked, leaning against a wall and looking at Xi’an’s brother with an almost manic smile. It didn’t reach her eyes in the slightest. The Twi’lek let out a sigh before dropping down from the ladder. 

“You two killed the others.” 

Aili didn’t bother to answer, simply tilting her head to the side with that smile still on her face. It wasn’t like he was asking her a question. No, he had stated it like he expected nothing less from Mando or the company he kept. So who was she to even attempt to give him an answer?

“They got what they deserved,” Mando suddenly said from behind her but Aili didn’t even flinch this time. Qin let out a snarl and turned to attack them, Mando pulling out his blaster and pointing it at the Twi’lek while Aili kept hers holstered. 

“I wouldn’t if I were you before I do to you what I did to your sister,” Aili stated, her words implying much worse than she actually did. 

“You kill me, you don’t get your money. Whatever Ran promised, I’ll make you get it, and more.” Qin stepped forwards once, tossing his blaster down to the ground. “Come on Mando, be reasonable. You were hired to do a job, right?” 

“Can I please just knock him out?” Aili muttered mostly to herself but still loud enough for Mando to hear her. Qin looked over at her before back to Mando, holding his hands out. 

“Do the job. Isn’t that your code? Aren’t you a man of honor?” 

“He is. I’m not,” Aili said before stepping forward and punching Qin across the face harder than she had hit Mayfeld back at the hangar. Sure, the hit made her knuckles hurt a little but now Qin was unconscious and wouldn’t be able to piss her off more. But most importantly, he was still alive. Mando let out a heavy sigh. 

“You didn’t want that to happen, you would have held me back,” Aili said, looking over at Mando with a blank look on her face. Mando didn’t say anything to deny her statement because she was right. He could have held her back even if she fought against his hold. 

“Get on the ship, make sure the droid is ready to go.” Mando said shortly. “I’ll get him on board.”

Aili didn’t have to be told twice as she stepped over Qin’s unconscious form and climbed the ladder quickly. She had barely placed both feet onto the ship’s floor when she spotted the droid in front of the now open hatch that led to the cot. Another glance let her know that it was holding a blaster and had it pointed at Little Green. She didn’t wait to ask questions, pulling her blaster out of its holster and shooting the droid. So now she or Mando would have to pilot the ship, oh well. 

“What happened?” Mando asked as soon as he tossed Qin on board and against a wall. He shut the hatch below him, sealing the ship off from the prison ship. She watched as he placed the beacon in Qin’s pocket and they both knew he wouldn’t notice it until it was too late. 

“Droid was going to shoot the kid,” Aili stated, putting her blaster away and picking up Little Green in one smooth movement. “We gotta get outta here and into hyperspace. Now.”

Mando stayed quiet as he moved past her and up the ladder. He quickly unhooked them from the prison ship and sent them into hyperspace. Even with the beacon rapidly counting down, they couldn’t be tracked easily through hyperspace. Aili waited down in the cargo for a moment before heading up into the cockpit to place Little Green into his seat, strapping him in before she took her own seat. 

The cockpit was silent as they got back to the hangar even as they heard Qin wake up at one point. He didn’t come up and they didn’t go down. Mando landed as quickly as he safely could, turning to Aili. “Stay here, I’ll be right back.” 

He was gone for maybe a minute, getting their payment from Ran before immediately shutting the gangway. Aili didn’t wait for him to get back up to the cockpit, moving into his seat and lifting the landing gear, backing the ship out of the hangar. They had under two minutes to get the hell out of there now that the tracking signal was in a static position. Mando got back up to the cockpit, opting to stand behind his usual seat as he watched Aili dodge around the three New Republic ships that came out of hyperspace. 

They waited another minute before Aili sent them into hyperspace, no real destination in mind other than away from the space station and the New Republic X-Wings. “I told you that was a bad idea,” Mando said, leaning forward to unscrew the little metal ball that the kid liked so much. Aili narrowed her eyes, unsure who he was talking to but for his sake it better have been directed to Little Green. Because she had been very vocal about her dislike of the plan and distrust of the whole crew. 

“I’m going down to the cargo hold,” Aili suddenly said, the need to drink away her feelings back with a vengeance. She couldn’t even bring herself to care that they wouldn’t have to ever deal with Ran or Qin again. She didn’t wait for Mando to say anything, leaving the cockpit without another word and sliding down the ladder to go over to the one bag she kept hanging on the wall to keep it out of Little Green’s reach. 

She felt a small smile cross her face as she pulled out the bottle and took a long swig of it. It had been almost too long since she had been able to drink anything, too distracted taking care of Little Green and making sure Mando didn’t get them killed. The smile didn’t last very long as she went over everything that had gone wrong on this job. She unclasped the cuirass and set it down on top of one of her other bags, pulling her jacket off as well.

Aili took another long swig from the bottle, sliding down the wall to sit down on the still uncomfortable ship floor. She was still pissed. At herself, letting the fuckin’ Twi’lek for calling her an animal get to her, at Mando for even dragging them onto that job. She didn’t even care that she had been the one to tell him that they needed credits, he was the one who found the job so it was more his fault. 

She was also so wound up that she didn't trust herself to be around Mando for longer than a few minutes at the moment. Which is of course when the galaxy decided to send him her way because they were in hyperspace afterall, not much to do in the cockpit. 

“Drinking?” Mando didn’t even try to keep the surprise or disapproval out of his voice. He hadn’t even known that she had brought alcohol onto the ship. 

“Corellian whiskey, want some? It’s not as good as Tevraki whiskey but it’s all I had.” Aili held the bottle out towards him, knowing he wouldn’t accept it anyway. Couldn’t remove the helmet for even a drink in front of someone breathing. 

“Tevraki whiskey isn’t fully human-compatible.”

“Oh look at the man too scared to live dangerously,” Aili mocked. “You’re the one that used to fuck that Twi and she’s an aikiyc chakaar.”

“Are you drunk?” Mando asked, eyes narrowed behind his helmet trying to decide if Aili was or wasn’t already drunk. He had no idea how much she had already had to drink but he knew he didn’t want to deal with a drunk, pissed off Aili. 

“No.”

“Give me that.” Mando moved towards her, faster than she expected, and reached out to take the bottle away from her. 

“No!” Aili shouted, tightening her grip on the neck of the bottle before Mando could take it from her. She leaned to the side to move away from him but leaned too far towards empty space. They both went tumbling onto the ground, Aili’s head banging against the floor while Mando’s helmet thumped against the wall. Other than that they were fine. The bottle of whiskey, on the other hand, was not. It didn’t break but now there was wasted whiskey on the floor. Aili let out a growl and pushed herself back to her feet and she stared up at Mando with a heated glare.

She stared at him, chest heaving as she tried to decide how angry she was. “Where’s the kid?” 

At first she asked only so that she could kick Mando’s ass but then she had a better idea for the anger and other feelings she had felt building up from the moment they had landed on the prison ship. She only hoped that she could egg him on enough. Hoped that he would take the bait and she could work off the extra energy. She also wasn’t as blind as he seemed to think she was and not even he could hide it behind his helmet.

The helmet cocked to the side before he answered, “Asleep in the cockpit.”

Aili took one more moment to make up her mind before looking at Mando straight on, an unreadable expression on her face, "Good. Turn off the lights."

“What?” Mando was taken aback, unsure why Aili would want the lights off. 

“Turn off. The Lights.” Aili repeated herself, tilting her head a little. He slowly hit the button on his vambrace that would turn the lights off and then they were standing in the pitch blackness of the hangar. She spoke again, her voice steady and just a little darker than usual, "Take off your helmet."

She waited and was rewarded when she heard the sound of metal being placed down on the floor. She was surprised he didn’t argue but maybe he thought she was going to punch him and didn't want her to break her hand on the beskar. If only he knew.

She gave him another few seconds to stand up straight again before she grabbed out for him, pulling him into her and giving him a harsh kiss. She was a little impressed that she had gotten his lips on the first try but it wasn’t that hard to estimate where they were based on his height in comparison to her. He responded for about half a second, leather clad hands going to her hips and squeezing before he pulled away like he had been burned. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I'm doing?” Aili asked, breath hot against his face and it took all his self control to not give in again. It had been so long...but he knew she wasn’t in her right mind. Why else would she want him?

“Making a mistake.”

Aili pushed herself up on her toes to speak into his ear, "You can either fuck me right now or take me down to a planet so I can find someone with the balls to do it."

“You’re not,” Mando paused, swallowing hard at the thought of... “You’re not in charge here.”

“Somebody has to be and you’re clearly not.”

“I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret tomorrow,” Mando said, trying to force himself to walk away. He didn’t know if he could, not when he had more than one thought running through his head and none of them were helpful. Not when he felt like this was a long time coming. Not when he still had his hands on her hips. 

“You think I’m actually drunk so let me reassure you; I am not drunk and I am telling, not asking, you to fuck me.”

The Mandalorian didn’t respond and Aili was already annoyed, ready to push him away and sent a course for the first planet she could think of. She went to say something else when a hand wrapped around her throat with no real pressure behind the grip. She let out a quiet gasp in surprise. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes.” 

He pushed her back against the wall, one thigh between her legs now. Aili let out a sound between a gasp and a whine as she rubbed herself on his beskar-covered thigh and the Mandalorian chuckled. The sound went straight to Aili’s core making her need it more. “Thought you didn’t like getting fucked against walls.”

“Shut up.” She didn’t need him using her own words against her, especially not something she had said literally months ago. How he even remembered that was beyond her. 

“What was that?” He asked, putting the barest amount of pressure on her throat, his thumb pressing down on her carotid just enough for her to feel it. Aili let out a breathy sound but that didn’t mean she was going to back down. Not when she was getting exactly what she wanted without even needing to try that hard. 

“You heard me.”

“Keep talking back and you can get yourself off,” Mando said, squeezing the hand around her throat just a little. Just enough for her to feel it and for him to feel as she swallowed. Which gave him an idea for another time, if another time ever happened of course. 

“I’ll shut up,” Aili started, a smirk that he couldn’t see crossing her face. “Sir.”

The Mandalorian let out a surprising growl before he removed his hand from her throat in order to use both hands to pick her up by her thighs and slam her against the wall. Aili let out a dark chuckle, “That’s more like it.”

“Keep that mouth shut before I find a use for it.”

“Promise?”

He removed one hand from her thighs and pulled her in by the back of her neck. Their lips met in a fiery crash and Mando forced Aili’s mouth open to deepen the kiss. They eventually parted and Aili knew she had made the right choice egging him on. She could feel his arousal against her own and if it were even possible, she felt herself get more turned on. She purposely ground herself against his still-covered cock and she smirked at the low groan he let out. 

Mando lowered her back down to the ground. “Take off your clothes.” His voice was raspy and Aili didn’t think her smirk would ever leave her face. But she did as she was told, letting him think he was calling the shots for now. As soon as she dropped her last piece of clothing onto the ground, Mando pushed her against the wall again and she let out a hiss at how cold both the wall and his armor were against her now bare skin. 

“I’m going to fuck you against this wall and you’re going to take it.”

“I don’t know you still seem like a lot of talk.”

Mando let out a long sigh, picking up one of her legs and hooking it around his hip rather than responding. Aili let out a gasp, she hadn’t even noticed that he had unzipped his pants and now his own arousal was rubbing against hers. Fuck he was big. She wished she could see it but that wouldn’t happen any time soon. But still, even just feeling it was enough to make her clench around nothing. 

Mando moved to get into a more comfortable position, his cock rubbing against Aili again. They both let out groans at the feeling and Aili hoped he would get on with it before she took matters into her own hands. Literally. 

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” Mando groaned out. He wrapped a hand around his arousal and pumped it a few times, using her wetness to coat it.

“Mando,” Aili sighed out, needing more than he was giving her right now. 

“Be patient.”

“I’m done being patient,” Aili growled, using the leg he had hooked around his hip to bring him in closer if it were even possible. Mando was quick to bring his other hand to grip the back of her neck again, holding her in place for now. 

“Fine.” That was all he said before letting go of his cock and bringing his hand to Aili’s cunt. He wasn’t going to fuck her unless she was prepared first. He wasn’t that cruel. She let out a gasp when he entered one finger and she was belatedly thankful that he had at least removed his gloves. The rest of the armor being on though? That was doing things for her. 

Mando pumped his finger a few times before adding a second one, thrusting them in at a faster pace to work Aili towards her first orgasm. She grabbed at his arms and let out a loud moan. Why were his fingers so big? “Mando, please.”

“Never thought I’d hear you beg me,” he said before adding another finger and pushing his thumb against her clit and alternating between pumping his fingers in her heat and rubbing at her throbbing clit. “I want you to come for me first, mesh'la.”

It didn’t take long for Aili to clench down on his fingers, her hands tightening on his arms as her orgasm hit her. He worked her through it, pushing his fingers in and out until she sagged against him as the high faded away. Aili caught her breath, she knew it had been a while but she still wanted, no, needed more. “Are you going to fuck me now like I asked?”

“You just don’t know when to shut up, do you?” Mando asked, pulling his fingers out. He figured she was ready enough and he moved her into her earlier position. Up against the wall, both feet off the ground as he held her up by her thighs which were loosely wrapped around his waist. Kriff, she was so small in comparison to him, he thought to himself before shaking the thought away. He grabbed his cock with one hand and lined himself up with her cunt.

“If I did shut up, we wouldn’t be-” She was cut off by Mando completely sheathing himself into her with more speed than she had expected. She let out a loud gasp followed by a moan at the intrusion. Mando let out one just as loud as her wet heat enveloped his cock. It was better than he had expected. 

Mando chuckled, the sound right at her ear. “That shut you up, didn’t it?” 

He set a brutal pace, barely giving Aili enough time to catch her breath. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, unsure if her legs would give out and fall from their place around his waist even as she tried to lock her ankles together. Even with the pace he set, it wasn’t enough for her. “Harder.”

He obliged without saying a word, hands gripping at the back of her thighs so hard that she was sure she would have bruises when she woke up. The cargo hold was filled with too many sounds all at once, moans and grunts as well as the sound of flesh hitting flesh. Aili clenched without meaning to and Mando let out a curse. It felt so much better around his cock than it did his fingers. 

“Fuck, Mando,” Aili cried out, thighs twitching and tightening around his waist in intervals as little shocks went through her body. 

“Ibac’ner, cyar’ika.” Mando breathed out without meaning to, not even caring that he knew Aili knew some Mando’a. He doubted she had ever learned those words, probably only focusing on insults. 

“Fuck,” Aili gasped out when Mando hit a spot inside of her that made her see stars even in the darkness of the cargo hold. She knew this would be better than finding some idiot in a cantina who wouldn’t even fuck her right. She didn’t even know what the kriff he was saying in Mando’a but she found didn’t care at the moment. “Ri-right, right there.”

Mando adjusted his grip on her thighs, making it easier for him to angle his thrusts just right. He hit the spot with every push inside of her, sending her closer to a second orgasm. He was close too but he didn’t know where to come. Part of him, a part he usually kept deep below the surface, wanted to come inside but he couldn’t, wouldn’t, do that without asking and so he did before he could stop himself, “Where-where do you want me to come?”

“Inside, fuck, inside,” Aili groaned, her nails digging into his back as she felt her orgasm coming again. The thought of him coming inside of her was almost enough to push her over the edge. 

Mando was pretty sure he had heard wrong and his hips stuttered at the thought. There was no way she had...“Are you sure?”

“Mando, I swear to the Maker,” her words trailed off when he hit that spot again and she swore she saw a whole galaxy as she hit her peak for the second time that night. Mando kept pumping inside of her, working her through it once more until he felt his own climax coming. It only took a few more thrusts before he was releasing inside of her, a groan escaping him at the feeling. He usually wasn’t allowed to come inside and the thought of doing it now was too much. 

Aili held onto Mando’s shoulders, still coming down from her high. Her breath coming out in pants along with the Mandalorian’s. He had placed his forehead in the crook of her neck, his hot breath almost too much for her to handle. They stayed like that for a few minutes trying to catch their breath. 

“Are you okay?” Mando asked, his unfiltered voice still weird to Aili’s ears but she found that she preferred it to the voice modulator. No, she wasn’t going to analyze why that was just yet. Or ever. 

“I’m great,” Aili finally said, pulling away from Mando and leaning the back of her head against the wall. 

Mando pulled out, letting Aili’s feet touch the ground again, and tucked himself back into his pants. He listened to Aili get dressed and waited until she was done to speak. “Do you want to tell me what that was about?”

“Is this your idea of pillow talk because I don’t see any pillows,” Aili said, hoping she could talk her way out of explaining the literal storm going through her mind at the moment. The fact that she had probably just screwed up their semi-professional relationship was one of the last things on her mind but it was still there.

Mando let out a deep sigh. “It’s pitch black in here, you can’t see shit anyway.”

Aili paused for a long minute, trying to weigh her options. Either way would make her seem weak but what did she really have to lose now? They had already fucked. “I’m not an animal,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.

“What are you talking about? What Xi’an said?” Mando was actually surprised. He had noticed that Aili had all but shut down after Xi’an had called her that but he hadn’t thought it was this bad. He had simply thought it was like everyone else calling her a loth-cat, that she was just ten levels of angry and annoyed. 

“No, yes. It’s complicated.” Aili didn’t know how to explain that it had nothing to do with Xi’an, not really. It didn’t have anything to do with the job, not really although that hadn’t helped at all. 

“If this is because you almost killed her, I don’t care about that.”

“I told you how I grew up. They...treated us like the fathiers on Canto Bight, just numbers in a system. To be used and then disposed of when we outgrew our use,” Aili let out a chuckle that sounded a little watery to Mando’s ears but he wasn’t about to comment on it when Aili was opening back up. “I never stopped being of use to them.

“They made me...they made me fight every single girl that made it through basic, the ones without potential by the time they were eight they--" Aili had to stop talking, clearing her throat a little. 

“You don’t have to tell me.” Mando interrupted now understanding why she had been emotional when telling him how old Sula had been when she destroyed the base. To know that she could have been made to kill a child that was now a foundling in the Covert. 

“They put a blaster in my hand and told me to kill them because I was the Leader,” Aili spit the word out like it was a curse. For all Mando knew, it could have been back then. “Any time I refused they would shoot me instead and let it bleed for hours before giving me bacta. Eventually I would, I would just kill them, to save myself from the pain. Do you know how fucked up that is?”

“They treated you like…" He was beginning to understand why she had chosen to not join the Covert or take the Creed. She still felt guilty about being made to hurt and kill children. Probably couldn’t look at the other foundlings without sizing them up. 

“Animals,” Aili interrupted before Mando could keep talking. “You can have the cot tonight, I don’t think I’ll get much sleep.”

She made to go back up to the cockpit. “No,” Mando said, reaching out to stop Aili from leaving, a gentle hand on her arm that she surprisingly didn’t shrug off. “You need sleep.”

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a child?” Aili asked, staring up at the dark space where she assumed Mando was standing based off the hand on her arm. 

"Don't act like one then.”

Aili narrowed her eyes knowing that Mando couldn’t see it anyway, “You know this doesn’t change anything between us.”

“Didn’t think it would.”

Aili glared at Mando, or the space she was still assuming he was. “Well we can’t just leave Little Green up in the cockpit by himself.”

“Little Green?” Mando asked with a quiet chuckle. That was not the kind of nickname he would have expected from her nor any kind of nickname. She still called the small green alien, “the Child” or even just “the kid” around him and others out loud. 

“Shut up.” 

That was more like it, Mando thought to himself. “I’ll go get him.”

Aili didn’t comment on the fact that Mando had left the lights off despite putting his helmet back on. Mando came back down soon enough, handing the kid over to Aili without saying anything. His helmet allowed him to watch as she hesitated before heading over to the cot. He didn’t say anything as she left the hatch open, leaving her an out if she needed to get up fast and he wondered if that was a thing from her life before. Or something she picked up after blowing up an Imperial base and probably making enemies of people she had grown up knowing. The light coming from the hatch was barely enough to make the rest of the cargo hold visible past a few inches but he kept his helmet on as Aili fell asleep. 

He watched as she curled around the kid, Little Green she had called him, and he wondered if that was what it had been like before she found the Covert. If that had been why the Armorer had made the agreement she had, had seen a lost 20-something year old who had no idea how to take care of herself let alone four children that she had saved from a fate worse than death. 

He ignored the growing feeling in his chest as he sat down against the ladder leading up to the cockpit, watching over the sleeping pair and hoping they could have at least a little time before the next inevitable shitstorm. He slid his helmet off once more, once he was sure that Aili was asleep, and he just watched and wondered about more than he needed to think about.

[anxiouslyfred]

Midnight in an Office

for @dukexietyweek‘s prompt of Superheroes, I have a page of background for what I want to write and no clue how to make a story of it.

Summary: Virgil is a superhero with a lot of money and no powers, not even full control of his money given it was an allowance from his money hoarding parents. Remus was a Robin Hood criminal Virgil had caught but ensured that only community service would be his conviction. Now Remus keeps turning up and helping, trying to understand this vigilante’s reasoning.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

One day Virgil would understand why weathly gits thought the perfect place for their children to have ‘adventurously safe’ sleepovers was always just the top floor of their main office buildings. It made no sense when their normal days out were to adventure parks, but he wasn’t really arguing the case.

Still waiting for the other 20 year olds to fall asleep was tedious, even the vaguely interesting facts Logan had been rambling about the stars had become indiscernable mumbling by this point. He’d put headphones in at that point although no sound would come from his phone while he had hacked into the buildings security cameras.

The building had, just as much as all the other wealthy companies been subject to thefts recently, suspected to come from a cyber criminal breaking through their security programmes. Virgil doubted that was actually the case, given one of the security team had self referred himself to therapy for hallucinations, completely matching the creations of a man who had stolen from his parents company.

He didn’t really care about that now though, the man should be serving community support in a soup kitchen for the next few months and then Virgil could reach out with a position at one of the law firms looking to dismantle the malpractice the companies were performing abroad. Hopefully that would help put some of the good back into the world that his parents were rapidly draining from it with their money hoarding ways.

As long as nobody showed up in the building he was in currently Virgil would swap to wherever the closest calls to the police were coming from. Criminals had been targetting the poorer areas of the city more recently, making those bad situations even worse. At least the Shadow could be sure of helping the people he respected most in fighting those crimes, keeping struggling businesses from being robbed and giving the people desperate enough to steal a chance to improve their lives.

Before that happened though Virgil spotted exactly what he hadn’t wanted to; a nineteen year old covered in leather tied together by flourescent green shoe laces walking past the security guard to no reaction.

He was up and leaving his friends behind as soon as he spotted that, changing into his costume as the Shadow as he went. His anxiety seemed to mean none of the Grapevines powers held his attention for long. He’d imagine seeing movements and hearing thigns often enough that he could fact check them away, even when provided by someone’s powers rather than his brain malfunctioning.

“I thought we agreed you’d do your service and then let me get you a job working against these buildings. You’d get paid to do what you’re doing anyway.” Virgil stated, staying at the back of the office where the desks and support columns would make him harder to spot.

“Pretty sure I was expecting more charges than impersonation and trespassing when we agreed that. What did you do to convince the company to be that light handed?” The Grapevine countered, a cackle in his voice at how unexpected the lower charges had been.

Virgil shook his head, slowly moving closer, wondering when there’d be an attempt to give him hallucinations. “So you’d rather be in prison for theft and suspected use of mind altering drugs? Because you know the police don’t admit there are powers that influence people’s minds.”

“Nah, chilling in the trash is practically my past time, clearing it up just means I get bigger piles to play around in later. You didn’t answer my question though.” They were facing each other now and there was no attempt being made to touch any of the computers or artifcats that were meant to make the office more personal.

Instead of replying, Virgil turned towards the exit. “Do what you will here. I’ve got to stop the jewellers 3 streets away being the scene of another police killing.” That was more important than some family refusing to use their money for social good from loosing some of it.

Of course the Grapevine followed him, trying to carry on asking questions although that was a little difficult while Virgil was mixing about 5 different hand-to-hand combat styles in order to capture the thief without any damages. It was easier to guarentee community service when nothing was broken or visibly stolen.

At least the Grapevine had enough wit to disappear before the prison arrived.

/\/\

They’d been meeting for a week, each time Virgil tried checking on any large offices the Grapevine would be there, just waiting. He hadn’t done anything Virgil would class as a crime the Shadow needed to combat since making the deal to serve his sentence and then accept the job working against. He was just appearing, trying ask questions.

“Companies like that get every charge they can imagine brought against criminals that target them. I should not have gotten off so lightly.” The Grapevine was musing, following the Shadow off to

“Who said the company knew anything about what you were doing? The owners were just glad you hadn’t broken anything they’d have to replace as their IT teams are already working constantly to try and prevent whatever cybercriminal they’ve blamed your crimes on from stealing more.“ Virgil realised that by now he’d either have to answer the questions or have the guy following him around forever more. He couldn’t decide which he wanted to happen more, having gotten used to someone just treating him like a normal person without all the pomp and manners demanded of wealthy sons.

There was a scoff at that. “If I’m not doing anything how is there any theft still happening? Let those poor IT team catch a break, I’m sure they’re overworked enough already with the nonsense employees of places like this come up with.”

“They are catching a break. I checked in with the IT guys of most of your targets. They worked out it wasn’t done by hacking the system and are playing it up so they can take the other calls they get at a reduced pace.” Virigl rolled his eyes at that. The IT teams tended to be where the most reasonable people worked in any office centric building, which included being the most likely to take any chance they could at slowing the speed they have to respond to the menial tasks people find making trouble with technology. “Are you helping me with this guy or not?”

“You ask that as though the robber didn’t drop his knife 5 minutes ago to stand staring at a monster climbing out from the chocolate bars.” Grapevine might be making a pest of himself in refusing to let Virgil be a superhero without him for a night, but he did have his uses when he felt like helping.

Virgil ignored that thought just as thoroughly as he had thoughts of the others wildly green eyes and lithe physic, moving in for some show fight before wrapping the rope around his wrists in a civilian arrest. He turned to the cashier that had clearly hit a hidden police alert at that point.

“Are there security cameras or can you say the alarm was hit for a crazed man having some kind of violent outburst that ended in a seizure if I give you $300?” He asked, knowing from some research into the Grapevine’s former victims how the hallucinations affected a persons body. Bribing shops to keep the charges low was the only use he actually had for the allowance he parents gave him, although he got plenty of reciepts for various expensive experiences.

Apparently too panicked to speak the shop assistant just nodded, already reaching out to take the money. “Ring it up as a sale of erm, this flight experience, give me the receipt and then do whatever returns process you need to for it but keep the money for yourself.” Virgil requested, turning to check the Grapevine was no longer in sight as he took the receipt before heading home himself.

/\/\

“You bribe people to keep the charges low, and seem to know far more about the people of these offices than any of the other superheroes I’ve met yet never show signs of any powers at all.” The Grapevine hadn’t even entered his parents building this time, just hanging out on the corner.

“And you stand about on corners looking like some sort of specialised prostitute. If there a point to you stating your observations or should I just ignore you and actually do my job?” Virgil snapped back. He’d had a horrible day of pretending his parents weren’t exploiting thousands of people while giving their pocket change to charity for rare artworks to imagine they were good people.

Grapevine jumped forwards then, pointing a finger accusingly, “You’re the son of one of these business families. You have to be, yet you keep becoming the Shadow to fight against their greed.”

“And you’re from the council estate they’re trying to get bulldosed, We have bigger things to be looking at than your deductions of who I am.” Virgil groused, fed up of hearing the flaws he’d spend his lifetime trying to correct if only he could figure out how.

Silence fell for a while before the Grapevine spoke up again. “Will I still get that job with the company fighting against these companies if I break into a few government agencies to make sure the right people reject any attempts made by, which family is that again?”

“If you get caught doing that I won’t be able to make your charge lighter. Government workers need cheques to be bribed and that’d flag my actions to my parents and freeze all my funds.” Virgil hesitated. The offer was beyond tempting. It was some of the good he wished to include but couldn’t while his parents controlled his funding still, but it could also mean losing his friend and crush.

Emotions verses morality always had been a battle he could only separate by chosing which would cause the least ongoing anxiety for him. This situation the thoughts of either had him counting his breathing to prevent a panic attack.

“I love you too, but it still seems like the best chance we’ve got at me keeping my home if you’re actually telling the truth.” The Grapevine’s response made him freeze even more. “No need for those big eyes, Cutie. I know you’d only admit to worrying about keeping me on the streets if you loved me. Now, which company names do I need to look for on those documents?”

The question reminded Virgil of where they were having this conversation, directly outside the building owned by his neighbours. It would at least be safer to talk like this somewhere he could control and know in an instant who entered. “I’m going to my families building now and will be out of costume by the time I’m there so I can unlock it and we can talk where there isn’t the chance of the next security patrol overhearing us. Why don’t you follow me there so we can talk through our love declaration as well as who will need to stop the petition?”

He’d made the decision now to reveal his identity and only hoped the same would be done in return. Love was a terrifying prospect, but out of everything that had happened to him that day, at least it made some sense.

[toothlessturtle21]

Nary A Nightmare

Sup, it’s me again, back with another one shot upload. Could be glacier, but was written as a healthy bromance. TW: mentions of guns, temporary disability, temporary sensory deprivation ---

A bullet between the eyes leaves Zane down and out during a fight, leading to some intimate moments between himself and the Earth Ninja as Jay toils away in his wires.

Zane didn't hate many things, or even many people. He considered himself a rational person, who knew that there was a bright side to pretty much everything.

But lying on Jay's workbench with no sight or hearing? That he hated.

He had gotten shot in the head by a lucky burglar who just happened to hit the one member of the team that wouldn't die from a bullet between the eyes. However, just because he was a robot didn't mean he wouldn't be affected. So after being held up on shaky legs and carried home by someone (he was too out of it to say for sure), he was placed on the familiar cold metal of the table in Jay's room dedicated to his inventing. Someone was holding his left hand, his right neatly folded on his stomach. Jay's careful fingers were poking around the wound, sharp stings registering as Zane tried to keep his expression neutral to avoid any hesitance.

Truth be told, although so much pain was ricocheting around his body he felt like he could throw up, he was thankful that it was him going through this as opposed to one of the others being shot dead. The thought of any one of his teammates disappearing so quickly from his life made him sicker than his injury, so he grit his teeth as a new wave of hurt hit him square between the eyes, and the fingers wrapped around his own tightened in response to his twitch.

He assumed the one holding his hand was Cole, because the fingers felt big and calloused from years of mountain climbing and training. The Earth Ninja had always hated to see his teammates in pain, anyway. The hand seemed to flex at the same time Zane felt any pain, as if the person it belonged to was flinching in his place. After a bit, Jay's hands left his head, and he felt his hand being moved off his stomach to his side, and his shirt being slid up to his collarbone. He shivered at the cool air settling over his skin, and Jay opened the torso panel with practiced ease, Zane desperately wanting to ask Jay what was going on for himself.

Zane must've looked in pain, because a hand equal in size to the one holding his own reached up to rest on his cheek, warm and a little rough. The android tilted his head to lean into the touch, mostly to reassure its owner that the gesture was understood. Truth be told, it was nice to have a distraction from the piercing pain in the center of his skull. It was truly bizarre to have two completely opposite sensations occurring at once: the warm fingers cupping his face, and the cold air and quick hands working to map out his chest. Zane wasn't sure how much more of the prodding he could take, and he couldn't help but curl in on himself, Jay forcibly holding his waist down to keep him from jostling any work done.

The hand on his face lifted for a moment, probably out of confusion, as Jay was never shy in vocalizing his frustrations. The Ice Ninja squeezed the hand interlocked with his own, and his face was once again graced by the fingers, and this time a thumb stroked across his cheekbone in an attempt to calm the android down. As Zane was forced to lay there with two pairs of hands on him, he felt like crying, turning his face into the palm on his cheek to hide his trembling expression, and the hand gently massaged the skin it could reach in pity. He wondered what was taking Jay so long to get to the point of the opening of his panel.

His question was answered when one finger circled the power-off switch in the bottom corner, asking silent permission, a signal long since established between the two. Zane grimaced, but nodded as best he could without jostling his injuries too much, and his mind clicked off as the switch was flipped.

He woke up resting on somebody, although he wasn't quite sure who. It took him a moment to realize it, but the sounds of a show playing in the background caught his attention, making him shift hazily, still not running at maximum capacity. The person he was resting on started a little, making a soft noise of surprise. Zane's head was resting on their chest, so he could feel the rumble of their voice as they spoke.

"Can you hear me?"

Ah, it was Cole. But that didn't tell him how he got here in the first place.

"Yes, I can," Zane replied, blinking rapidly. "But I cannot see you."

"Yeah," Cole sighed through gritted teeth, patting Zane on the back twice. "Jay got your audio working again, but he said something was fried in your vision, so he's getting those parts in a few days. You're good other than that, though."

The android deflated once more, and then remembered where he was.

"If you don't mind me asking, why am I reclined on your chest?"

"You looked like you were having a nightmare of some kind when Jay let you come out of sleep mode. You kept twitching a little and making noises. So we just had you lay down on me while you woke up naturally. It worked, so there's something. The others are going grocery shopping, since you can't really cook right now."

Now that Zane thought about it, he did remember what he saw as he began to wake up. He couldn't see anything, and he was forced to listen as his friends cried for help around him, but he was immobile. He shuddered at the memory, but Cole didn't comment. Neither ninja moved, unsure if they were supposed to stay cuddled on the couch or if it was breaking some sort of unspoken bro-code.

"What do I look like now?"

"Huh?"

"Are my eyes themselves damaged, or is it just the circuitry?"

"Oh, uh..."

Zane felt a gentle hand on his forehead, tilting his head back for a better look.

"I mean, maybe they're a bit duller, but that's probably because they're not focusing on me."

"Interesting," Zane nodded, even though his tone implied it was anything but. His system refused to speed up, keeping his processors running at a less than optimal rate, and Zane slumped back into Cole. "Were you the one with Jay earlier?"

"Y- yeah," Cole sounded bashful, and Zane waited quietly for him to continue. "Look, dude, I know you were under a lot of stress and your head probably hurt like a bitch, but hopefully you didn't mind that I was keeping you company. I couldn't exactly ask, y'know?"

"No, I appreciated it," Zane spoke truthfully, and he got the feeling that Cole was dying to ask what he had dreamt about, and what it was like being stuck with no senses other than touch. "It was rather frightening, being alone in my own head."

That caught Cole's attention. Zane was shifted up so both ninja were sitting against the arm of the couch, the android still between Cole's legs.

"What was it like?" Cole asked quietly, his voice much closer to Zane's ear in this new position. "That is, if you don't mind-"

"No, no, I understand. I will indulge your curiosity to the best of my abilities."

Cole stayed quiet while Zane collected his thoughts, hands slightly shaky from the memories.

"A lot of it was pain and worry. Keep in mind that anything I tell you will be clouded by my sensors being overloaded from data. I will admit that I was scared, knowing that what was a moderate fix for me would have been deadly to any of you. Since Jay powered me off when I was still feeling those fears, I experienced distorted "what if" realities while in standby."

"Aw, jeez, Zane-"

"These were only amplified by my partial sensory deprivation, as it were. It was difficult for me to feel grounded in my surroundings aside from the pain, which is why I am especially grateful for your assistance there," Zane gave a small smile, and Cole hummed pleasantly in response.

"I just couldn't stand seeing you in so much pain, it was really unsettling seeing you so... vulnerable. Plus, there was a minute or so after you were shot that we thought we'd lost you," Cole interrupted himself to clear his throat, glad Zane couldn't see the mist gathering in his eyes. "Just please try not to die, okay?"

"Not planning on it," Zane promised, and shifted a little on Cole's chest. "To be fully honest, my systems are not fully up to speed, and I should probably resume a resting state. Since you seem to observe that physical contact lessens any abnormalities in my sleep cycle, would you do me the favor of keeping my company?"

"Is that just a fancy way of asking me to hold you while you sleep?"

"Perhaps," Zane mused, practically hearing the smirk in Cole's voice. "Now if you don't mind, I will be entering standby shortly."

Cole laughed for a second, shuffling them down a little so Zane was more reclined. He wrapped an arm around Zane's back, exhaling deeply as he decided to nap alongside his icy friend.

"G'night, Zane," The Earth Ninja mumbled absentmindedly, and the android nodded minutely into his chest.

"It is the late afternoon, but goodnight, Cole."

The others returned later to find the two snuggled on the couch, none of the crew having the heart to wake either of them up, so they slept peacefully through the evening with nary a nightmare between them.