#anyway. holy fuck giants are god damn tall.

[sideblogdotjpeg]

ok bcus ice knife saga got me curious abt height comparisons. calder is the only one w a canonical height on the wiki so for callie i just took an estimate based on eladrin heights + sol i put somewhere between small bullywug & tall halfling

[theawkwardthing]

A kiss on The  Neck

Ghost x Reader

Ghost x y/n

Once upon a time there was this strong soldier living in the same floor as you, few apartments between you and his door, Ghost is his Name he has a skull mask covering head, giant tall like almost two meters! Strong muscular body, tattoos drawn on Huge arms, you always thought that black military uniform looked sexy on him, you know what time he'd return or leaving to duty, how silent and calm and his favorite meal is burgers  the only thing you never saw is his face .

Tonight he will be back after few weeks on the military base you will satisfy Your curiosity, by surreptitiously sneaking into his apartment

So you know what he's hiding

It is a very stupid act to enter the room of a military man, he may kill you in a flash, but the feeling of curiosity eats you to know what this man looks like.

Two days ago, you turned twenty-three years old, and gifts were piled up in the apartment from your family and friends, including non-hazardous military equipment. Your older sister knows how fond you are of the army and you play video games a lot during your adolescence, so she sent you a special operations uniform, similar to clothes like That military man is in the third door on the right, you are super excited to try it on, the mission will start on this night before him coming to his home you'll sneak in like a spider, carefully.

You were able to enter successfully, and the worn locks helped you unlock the lock easily. You took glances around the living room, which was very quiet and strangely clean. You thought it would be a mess, but it surprised you. On the contrary, the walls, curtains, and sofas are designed Modern and pastel colors indicate the good taste of the person living in it, very wonderful, it should not be in a moldy building like this.

Another look at the kitchen at the end of the living room. Oh my God, it is so bright that you cry. If you had a kitchen like it, you wouldn't be cooking so it wouldn't get dirty!

He's very lucky.

You looked at the other room where he sleeps, the door was closed, and he might be hiding another surprise that you will not be able to handle and holy shish kebab! Its prettier than the rest of the flat , that bed for two looks so relaxing to sleep, Nice tour Now HIDE the Beast is coming you heard his keys in the locks the closing the door then his heavy footsteps on the floor kicking off his shoes and he throws himself on the sofa, his deep erotic cursing voice saying "Fucking Hell.." the mask still on you watching him taking off his military equipment, shirt, pants everything but the damn mask..

-wow!

You hissed then covering you mouth, muscular back, scars, tattoos and.. and his Ass! The most perfect butt cheeks you ever saw! HOLY Cow That's weird! And sexy and weird! He's so tall and strong you felt like you wanted to beg him for a cuddle staying in bed for eternity, he's walking towards the bathroom wich is fortunately was on the opposite direction away from you STILL WEARING THE DAMN THING.

Twenty minutes passed while he was taking a shower. Finally he came out, wrapping his waist in a white towel and exposing his sexy body in front of you. Wet, dripping drops of water slipping on his skin and running on his huge muscles. You are still hiding in his dark bedroom, but he will come anyway. You have to hurry up and Squeeze yourself under the bed, wait for him to fall asleep and get what you came for and taking a picture of him for your freinds they all were doubting you but you will prove them wrong!

He sleeps naked wrapped with these comfortable sheets He seemed to be sleeping deeply like a child without snoring filling the room, you pulled yourself quietly from under the bed trying not to make any noise like ants crawling you don't feel its presence, the covers up to the middle of his stomach and his impressive broad muscular chest made your female hormones erupt.

Why the hell does this guy sleep with a mask on! You grabbed the end of the black cloth and gently and very carefully pulled it. It was like dismantling a nuclear bomb, and you might feel remorse for taking such a risk. Weapons were arranged everywhere in this room. Rather, trying to break into the house of a military man is stupidity in and of itself! The features of his face began to become clear, a straight nose and a blonde brown beard that had been growing for a week, perhaps, and then -!!

He opened his brown eyes quickly staring into your soul and grabbed your wrists dragging you to the bed on top of him tightening his grip on your body, it was sudden and you didn't know what happened

Speak to you in a deep British accent

-Quick advice, if you sneak into a man's room, don't wear  so noticable feminine perfume like that, and I'm pretty sure you know the hell you've come to.

-Well, you caught me, congratulations. You'll arrest me now?

- Why are you here y/n ?

- You- you know my name??

- My very secret stalker, of course, I know you.

- And you won't hurt me?

-It depends on what you came for.

The pose is reversed and he's hovering over you while holding your arms, it's really a drama series! You swallowed your saliva, looking at his skull-masked face and shouted at him in a harsh, miserable tone:

- Fuck that!! I want to expose you!

- expose?

- Take it off! I want to see it!!

-Hmmm, and what exactly do you want to see?

Tilting his head slightly, you can tell he's smiling mischievously, he knows but he wants to tease you, you kept staring at him like a scared rabbit, cheeks burning almost crushing your bones with his weight and suddenly he said:

- tea?

- huh..?

- you want cup of tea or not?

- yes... so Bri'ish man.

- No, no, don't you ever say that you look so fake and stupid.

- yeah, sorry.

Then next thing you know him standing on the kitchen shirtless wearing only a grey pants preparing tea like any classic English man  with some chocolate chips cookies on side, you felt so warm and fuzzy with this table, a blanket wrapping around you, and this attractive military Man, peaceful moments passed but he was watching you all the time maybe he didn't even blink, so quite crossing his hands over his chest.

You told him embarrassedly, trying to change from the tense atmosphere that came suddenly,

-well, thank you for that delicious meal, I gotta go and sorry for-?

but he raised his finger and indicated for you to come forward to him, you were hesitant but his charming looks made you do as he commanded you, you stood between his thighs and he still pierces you with his eyes Like a hungry predator, you felt his powerful fingers grab your waist and make you sit on his lap, he told you as his hands slipped under your shirt.

- You want to see my face?

- Y-yeah...

- But there is a price for that.

- ... What is that?

- A kiss on your neck.

He said simply, and you felt your cheeks burning. You tried to get up, but he wouldn't let you, holding your waist tightly until his strong body touched yours. You avoid looking at him directly and put your hands on his chest, whispering to him

-Ghost.. S-Simon...

- what? Love. Don't you want to see my face? Didn't I pique your curiosity all that time until you finally took a chance on being in my room?

- That's.. Not what you think!

-Take off my mask.

You looked at him, and your body trembled a little from the closeness, even your fingers that were long to thicken the mask and snatch the damn cloth, you fulfilled your wish to see him so handsome! Strong jaw, square face,  straight nose, pink plump lips made you starving to kiss , but he quickly kissed your neck and you moaned like a cat - meow~- hugging you, wrapping his arms around you while kissing, sucking, licking your Neck sensitive skin leaving hickey  bruises all over you, but he stopped suddenly closing his eyes like fighting himself not to go on farther than that.

- you should leave, li'le Girl.

- But I..!!

- fun is over.

He made you get up quickly and you did not say another word. You walked towards the door closing it angrily. You were very embarrassed and ashamed. Perhaps he knew that it was your first time to be in this situation with any man, because he felt your trembling, and perhaps the excitement between your legs had exposed you.

Turned on with just few kisses on the neck what a desperate virgin girl.

End

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 280: I Am Red Riot

Previously on BnHA: The pro heroes over at Gunga Mountain struggled against Gigantomachia and the League until finally Midnight was all, “fuck it, let’s just put the kids in charge.” Momo immediately got to work organizing a sophisticated counteroffensive involving an exploding swamp, a bunch of sedative cans, and a massive coordinated team attack. I gotta tell you guys, it’s really something to watch a large-scale group attack in which all of the team members are actually competent. I don’t know what Japan put in the water when all these sixteen-year-olds were growing up, but that shit has paid off big time, and basically the only reason Machia hasn’t gone down yet is because he cheated and was all “sneeze” and the kids all got blown away because they are little and because he is really, really big. Anyway so then Dabi set the forest on fire because he loves doing that, and the chapter ended with Mina using her Acid Man attack to make herself FUCKIN’ FIREPROOF so she could charge through the woods ready to save the day and stuff!

Today on BnHA: Mina launches herself straight at Machia like the beautiful corrosive wild child she is, but then everything goes to shit when she recognizes him from that one time she almost got murdered while giving a strange man directions. Just when it’s looking like she might get killed for real this time, KIRISHIMA SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY AND SHOVES HER TO SAFETY AND IS ALL “BOTTOMS UP” AND HEAVES A LITERAL CAN OF WHOOPASS RIGHT IN MACHIA’S MOUTH. At this point the grown-ups are all “oh wow look at that, time for us to take over for you kids now, don’t worry we’ve got it all under control” because Oh Those Wacky Pros and all that, but at least Majestic finally deigns to show his face so that’s a plus! The chapter ends with us cutting back to the Jakku battle, where Tomura is curled up in a little ball all “curse you heroes, how dare you [checks notes] save people all the time”, which is a real take and a half. Anyway so things are looking up, which can only mean everyone is about to die. That’s how it works, right. Shit.

HOLY SHIT LOL

THIS IS MINA. SHE’S REALLY COOL AND SHE CAN MELT PEOPLE. um, the hell kind of tagline is that?? holy fucking shit?? “melt and succumb”?? IS THE SUCCUMB PART REALLY NECESSARY. IS THAT NOT ALREADY IMPLIED. it’s like saying “die and then perish”, which actually sounds really badass and I’m about to make it my new go-to threat actually so you know what never mind. where the fuck were we anyway

“IS EVERYONE SAFE” some absurdly bad-at-gauging-situations kid from class B is yelling while the forest is on fire and all the kids are recovering from having been catapulted fifty miles by King Dodongo’s windy yeet breath. of course they are safe, sweet child. of course everyone is absolutely fine, why the fuck would they possibly not be safe after something like that

KAMINARI NOOO MY POOR SWEET BABY

AT LEAST HE’S STILL CONSCIOUS ENOUGH TO MAKE STUPID JOKES. holy shit this baby got concussed to hell and back and then Machia turned him and the others into precipitation and he wasn’t in any kind of state to even try to land safely, I hope to god someone caught him

Sero is all “is there anyone still in range!” and damn, I like that he’s taking charge and trying to regain their momentum. he is so criminally underrated. I feel like he’s in the top six or seven of class 1-A kids who I would most trust to take charge. which is very high praise because that class has a lot of charge-taking kids

SPEAKING OF

it “probably” can’t get through her acid, she says. my god. sometimes the spirit of Plus Ultra just takes ahold of these kids and it’s like, I want to ruffle their hair proudly and then grab them by the shoulders and shake them vigorously because WHERE EVEN IS YOUR SELF-PRESERVATION WHY DO NONE OF YOU HAVE IT GODDAMMIT AIZAWA REALLY SHOULD HAVE EXPELLED YOU GUYS AFTER ALL

man. and yet I really do love this “be the one who can do it” stuff. what a heroic fucking attitude dfjfklks. I’ll just go put on my humongous sandwich board that reads GIANT FUCKING HYPOCRITE and go stand in the corner

damn it this week’s scan is annoyingly dark, it’s really hard to tell what’s going on but it looks like the pros are attacking Machia and the League at long last. way to go guys it only took you seven years but you finally hopped to it

MINA WHY IS THE ACID COMING OFF OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD. PUT IT BACK!!!

I KNOW SHE’S NOT GONNA DIE DAMMIT BUT AHHHHH AHHHHHH AHHHHHHHH

okay what the hell is up with these weird zen proverbs though

“your fear stricken heart”, “the shortest path”, what the fuck even is this. whose thoughts are these. normally these translations are honestly decent enough but I gotta say this time around I’m totally being thrown for a loop lmao

(ETA: FYI I’m only just now realizing that he was saying the shortest path to Master, as in Tomura, not “master” as in to master something fjkldjskf lol some delayed reading comprehension there. so basically he’s just bitching about how annoying these little “flies” are proving to be.)

JESUS CHRIST

okay is it just me, or is Gigantomachia suddenly showing intelligence in his eyes instead of mindless animal instinct the single most pants-shitting thing you’ve ever seen?!! holy shit. the way he just LOOKS at her out of nowhere all of a sudden?? holy fucking shit DO NOT HURT MT. LADY OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. AND DON’T YOU DARE HURT MINA EITHER!! JUST FUCKING DIE AND PERISH

but also though, is that recognition in Mina’s eyes?? because even though this dude is 80 feet tall now, her encounter with him a couple years back had to have been one of the more memorable experiences of her young life. damn I was wondering when this would finally come into play

OKAY YES THE NEXT PAGE IS A FLASHBACK OH SHIT

this has nothing to do with anything but Mina just has the prettiest hair, btw, and this “just woke up covered in acid” look is a particularly good one on her. it looks so soft and fluffy, like damn. this is like Shouto-hair-billowing-in-the-wind levels of pretty here

NOOOOO

oh my god holy shit?! putting her back in the school uniform to show the slip in her mentality is a PUNK MOVE, HORIKOSHI, and I respect the shit out of you for it you manipulative bastard. goddammit. bracing myself for the incoming wave of Mina feels... here they come... they’re a lot... let’s see if I can latch on to anything I can actually figure out how to describe in words

okay well here’s one, my respect for Mina’s bravery just went up like a thousand percent in this instant, because now we know this was actually such a traumatizing event for her that hearing Machia’s voice again years later immediately sent her into a full-blown flashback. she was that scared and yet she still stood up to him and didn’t hesitate. and now I’m remembering how her knees just buckled right afterwards, and just...

and this visual, though!! what a brutally effective way to show that in her mind she went right back to being that scared middle schooler again for a moment. god fucking damn. holy shit you guys is Kirishima fireproof because if he comes waltzing out of the woods next I don’t even know what I’m gonna do. lolo kids getting traumatized left and right this arc is fucking merciless

um eXCUSE ME!?!?!

YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF SHIT LET GO OF HER RIGHT NOW OR I AM GONNA LOSE IT!!

THAT’S NOT WHAT I MEANT!!

holy shit he could have fucking snapped her neck like that??! I don’t like this at ALL WHAT THE FUCK

OKAY SERIOUSLY

I’M GONNA NEED ANOTHER KID TO STEP IN HERE WITH A LAST MINUTE SAVE LIKE RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, OR I AM GOING TO THROW MY COMPUTER OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND MOVE TO THE DESERT AND BECOME A HERMIT AND NEVER READ MANGA ON THE INTERNET AGAIN

OH THANK GOD

TODAY WE SPELL “REDEMPTION” K-I-R-I... ETC. THERE’S A LOT OF LETTERS BUT YOU GET THE DRIFT!!!

holy fucking shit y’all. I mean, it’s not like it came out of nowhere, like the setup could not have been more obvious, but let me assure you that none of the predictability lessened the actual impact of this moment in the SLIGHTEST. Horikoshi really wrote a flashback scene one hundred and thirty five chapters ago and planted it, watered it once a day, and patiently waited for THREE LONG YEARS until he could finally harvest the badass fruits of his labor in the midst of his most epic arc to date. I’m so fucking hyped I’ll even forgive him for sacrificing Mina’s big moment and having her get rescued, because it’s such a good reversal. he didn’t freeze up this time. he promised himself he’d never freeze again and he didn’t and he saved her and god fucking damn. anyways so now Machia is going to treat him like a fucking action figure though but he’s a solid little dude he can take it hopefully

NO WHAT IS THIS!!! STOP KILLING MY MOOD!!!

she better not be dead!! SHE BETTER NOT FUCKING BE DEAD I WILL RUN MY PC THROUGH A PAPER SHREDDER AND GO AND LIVE ALONE WITH MY FEELS ON A MOUNTAIN IN TIBET

CHINTETSU!!

well we know he’s fireproof. another callback at the least expected of times lmao

so Tetsu’s all “yeah Kirishima’s not really all that fireproof but he totally ran over here anyway to save you. oh wait that probably wasn’t very comforting of me to say.” maybe that’s why it seems like he might not have actually said it out loud, now that I’m reading this over again. good call Tetsu

ARE YOU STANDING UP AND CASUALLY STRETCHING OUT YOUR BACK

I CAN’T EVEN BELIEVE HOW MUCH I HATE THIS GUY RIGHT NOW. WE’RE REACHING LEVELS OF HATRED RESERVED FOR NAZIS AND PEOPLE WHO WALK TOO SLOWLY IN FRONT OF ME IN A GROUP SHOULDER TO SHOULDER INSTEAD OF SINGLE FILE SO I CAN PASS IN FRONT OF THEM. YOU’RE A FUCKING TOURIST IN NYC YOU PIECE OF SHIT

lmao he’s just dropping this random hero person and letting him fall to his doom wheeeeee

remind me to leave all of the League of Villains’ texts on read for the foreseeable future. goddamn. I still love you guys but also, fuck you so damn hard

OHO A LIL RED SCALY BOI ISN’T DONE YET!!

real talk, just between you and me, I’ll lower my voice so that Kirishima can’t hear. so uh. we all agree that even if Kiri is fireproof and squishproof, that little can of tranquilizer juice technically shouldn’t have been, right? but we’re all going to hush and pretend like it was anyway for the sake of not spoiling his big moment. even though I am crossing my arms and tapping my chin with my finger while doubtfully glancing to the side

anyway here he goes!

YEAH KIRI GO GETTIM [stage whisper] there it is, in his pocket. should’ve burned. we won’t discuss it

OH FOR FUCK’S

TOGA YOU LITTLE WIENER BUT WHAT’S THIS ABOUT “MY HALF” NOW????

DID HE GRAB MINA’S MID-AIR?? IS HE REALLY REACHING INTO HIS BACK POCKET AND FUCKING UNZIPPING IT RIGHT NOW WHILE HOLDING ON TO NOTHING AND PRESUMABLY FALLING THROUGH THE AIR. DID A LITTLE BIT OF OCHAKO’S QUIRK RUB OFF ON YOU OR WHAT

OH SNAP SON HE REALLY DID THE THING HOLY SHIT???

AND TOKAGE FLEW OVER AND SAVED HIM AND NOW TANKS ARE SHOOTING AT MACHIA, LMAO WHAT IS THIS. MOMO HOW MANY GUNS DID YOU MAKE

Shouji standing there trying to be useful any way he can. are eyeballs really that much more effective if you make them the size of tennis balls and hold them up above your head. legit question, I don’t really know how eyes work

okay after 45 seconds of googling this my impression is that no, they are not. well good on you for giving it the old college try anyway though Shouji

oH MY GODLKDLK?!?!

DID SHE SAY WHAT I THOUGHT SHE SAID, DID SHE SAY MAJESTIC, ARE WE GONNA SEE MASJKESLTKCI DSFLKJL

oh my god he really is the Magic Man dude??? TIME TO DUST OFF MY INVENTORY OF ADVENTURE TIME QUOTES

(ETA: AHH FATGUM AND GANG ORCA ARE THERE TOO YESSSS!)

“that’s enough depending on some interns” oh, okay. now that they’ve done all your work for you. I see, I see

so now Gigantomachia is LITERALLY UNHINGING HIS JAW I can’t fucking believe this dude you guys. everything he does is just like, ARE YOU SERIOUS

please go to sleep already. thanks to you I have my keyboard set to capslock as the default for the duration of this chapter

ARE YOU SERIOUS YOU FUCKING WAITED UNTIL MAGIC FUCKING MAN SHOWED UP TO TEACH US MAGICAL LIFE LESSONS AND NOW YOU’RE CUTTING BACK TO THE TOMURA FIGHT?? WHY DO WE KEEP LETTING THIS MAN GET AWAY WITH THIS

oh my god you guys they really fucking did it

I guess that Howitzer slash fire punch combo really was that potent huh

anyway so now Endeavor is standing there making a big speech instead of reaching into Tomura’s pocket and taking the bullets that he doesn’t know about and shooting him with one asap. dammit Endeavor

aaaaand Tomura is firing back with the wisdom of Shimura Fucking Kotaro of all people

well you sure convinced me. damn I don’t know what I was thinking. heroes suck you guys. how dare they help other people all the time

so now he’s all “PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT!!”

take that Endeavor. you heard the man. it’s not destruction without conviction, as god as his witness he will have you know it is destruction WITH conviction. something something the great sage Shimura “I hurt my family for absolutely no reason at all, fuck this ‘helping others’ bullshit” Kotaro. I hope you packed your textbooks because you just got SCHOOLED. I hope the person who ordered you signed up for delivery notifications because you just got SENT. I HOPE YOU LIKE CAPITALISM BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT OWNED. I HOPE YOU CHOSE PAPER AND NOT SCISSORS BECAUSE YOU JUST GOT ROCKED

what an absolutely, unreservedly bizarre place to end the chapter lol. we’re really just done with this week, just like that. Majestic showed up and Gigantomachia opened his chin like a garage door and Tomura is all “you may have won the battle but you suck” while he buys time for Aizawa to suddenly sneeze or something so he can make his terrible comeback and continue Horikoshi’s Traumatize Every Kid in Class 1-A 2020 campaign. what an arc this is my friends. what an arc

[lesserfandomappreciation]

Hello! I saw you wrote for Toriko and nearly went wild. Can I request headcanons for Coco dating a blind, semi-feral chef who’s just not scared of him? Kinda like the “extrovert adopts introvert” thing. SFW and NSFW please! (Coco is a bottom and no one can convince me otherwise)

“Kinda”? This is absolutely an extrovert adopting an introvert. Always glad for Toriko!

Also this wound up being a partial scenario - the feral chef demanded a short story.

Coco and the blind, feral chef with 0 self-preservation skills (Toriko)

The 4 Heavenly Kings. Throughout the world of gourmet, there are no finer Gourmet Hunters to partner with. For years Chefs from around the world have been unable to do so. The walls around the 4 Heavenly Kings were tall and strong - those that didn’t live in self-imposed isolation were in jail. It was a tragedy Chefs had to accept - some partnering with lesser Gourmet Hunters in an attempt to cover the wound, others refusing partnership in it’s entirety. 

Then. Toriko, one of the Heavenly Kings, Gourmet Hunter Extraordinaire, self-isolated due to boredom. Befriends a chef. 

A world of opportunities opened. 

“There’s a thousand things I want to cook. Everyone wants to cook safe, little things - who the hell wants that?! We live in a world where there’s a mountain giant made of sugar rocks - why would you settle for some fruit when that’s right there?!” S/o threw hands up in the air, aggravation etched onto their face. “But there’s a problem - I’m a chef. Not a Hunter. Half the stuff I wanna cook is too dangerous to hunt on my own! Sure, it’s not done much to stop me so far but the very nice Government agent was pretty firm about me attempting to break in again instead of hiring a Gourmet Hunter would mean getting arrested, and like, there’s nothing in prison worth cooking?! Ya’ know?!”

Coco nodded along at their explanation with a blank look on his face, not getting any of this. At all. They’re going to spill the tea he poured for them if they keep gesturing so wildly. Should he stop them?

Frankly he had no idea how they got up here. Well, he does but he has no idea what logic was driving them. The sun usually woke him up first thing in the morning. A cheery chef grinning ear to ear, dirt under their nails from scaling up his mountain, demanding to speak to him about ‘a hell of a deal that you’re lucky to be getting’ was a new alarm clock he wasn’t aiming at getting. Especially one that went around knocking on self-imposed hermits minding their own business’ doors at 4:00 AM in the gods-damned morning. 

S/o slammed down more tea before clacking the cup against the table. “That got me to thinkin’ - every sissy Gourmet Hunters run for the damn hills when I mention some of the weaker stuff I wanna cook. The Government Agents insist I get one every time they send me a notice-” Coco closed his eyes, quietly offering a prayer of patience for those poor souls. “-everybody says they’re not strong enough. SO! Why not go for a Gourmet Hunter who is known for being stupid strong? It only makes sense! I got a ticket, got directions, realized you had no stairs -very rude by the way, at least make in handicap accessible you ass - and here I am! What do you think?”

“I think you certainly are a very determined spirit.” He smiled at them grinning at the compliment. Their passion was to be commended. As... strangely as it manifested in their actions. “You want to hire me as a Gourmet Hunter then?”

“As my Gourmet Hunter.”

He chuckled. “Ah. Of course. Your Gourmet Hunter.” He drummed his fingers against his cup. He let out a pensive hum. “Certainly a tempting offer. I imagine my brothers have received a similar offer?”

“Fuck no.” Coco caught his dropped cup. “Why the fuck would I ask for their help?”

Coco coughed to keep the tea inside. “Forg- guh, -forgive me, I choked on my tea,” why the ...what they said.. wouldn’t they ask for their help?! “Why would you not? They are equally talented hunters.” If not more so - said his inner voice. A poison Gourmet Hunter was not exactly popular - though he did have his fair share of requests, Coco’s abilities made him a difficult Gourmet Hunter to request. And the others (two of the others, anyways) were more amiable to the idea of requests from such a unique character as the one in front of him. “They would certainly be able to do the same as myself-”

“But they’re not YOU!” S/o’s hands slammed against the table, their face dangerously close when they leaned forward. “...I know I look like a mess of a chef. People act like I’m either too wild or too unable to take me seriously. I’ve never met anyone able to keep up with me. BUT!” They stuck out their hand, pointing at his chest. “You can! You’re amazing - you do amazing shit as if it was nothing, you’re humble, you understand how tough it is out here. And I know you can be more amazing when we work together.”

With a huff they leaned back, stretching out their hand to him. “I want to work with you. Got a problem with that?”

Coco blinked blankly at them. At the dirt-covered hands that had clawed their way to be there. And smiled. 

“No,” he said, clasping their hand with his own. “None at all. Where do we start?”

SFW

Coco is mostly in awe of their extroverted nature. This is a person who has likely faced extra challenges (due to both their blindness and their... unique approach to life) to get in their profession on top of the standard tests every chef must face and still, still keeps themselves entirely up-beat and unafraid of the world. They remind him a bit of a younger Toriko, only somehow more wild than him (what a frightening thought..). He can’t help but enjoy some of their crazier antics.

He does however have the foresight to pick them up by the back of the shirt in several instances. S/o is a feral kitten, and Coco is a resigned mother cat stuck getting them out of trouble.

This is a couple that talks a lot. S/o is certainly a talker just out of their very nature of being, happily ranting about new recipes, ideas, what they experienced that day, or even the must random question out there. Coco is just as much a talker, only with certain people. Once their connection is established they have a lot of long-winding conversations. Some of them get to be pretty deep! 

He does however wish they would save the deep questions for when there’s sunlight rather than 3 minutes after minutes when he wants to sleep.

“Do animals hunt Gourmet Hunters? Are there Gourmet Hunters Hunters? Hm? Coco why do I hear your sleeping bag being dragged away?”

Coco falls for them first. He already likes them from their straight-forward nature, but their continued (much-neeed) positivity in his life just cements that into romantic affection. He pines for a while about it - it’s up to s/o to figure out he likes them.

...Which granted is a little hard since he doesn’t act on it and when he talks about it he’s incredibly cryptic about his feelings. Good luck!

When they do get together, touch is something they’re going to have to be patient with. Because of his powers he is wary of letting his emotions get the best of him in the wrong time, so slowly adjusting to getting more affection is a requirement. 

Once he is used to it, any affection S/o has given him will be returned 10 fold. Not in public but they will be dragged into his lap when he’s reading something. 

NSFW

You’re not wrong about him being a bottom, though I will say he’s also a service top. He wants to please them so so so badly. 

He does however prefer for them to take the lead. Coco does not strike me as someone experienced. Makes sense, considering his abilities - I too wouldn’t be confident enough to even hold a hand, much less have sex, if my touch could wilt a mammoth. Having his partner on top of his, breathing into his ear sweet teasing words while their hands wander around his body. Gently dom him and he’s like puddy in one’s hand.

If his partner wants him on top, they can order him to please them by any means necessary - drive them crazy the way they know he can. Coco will be undone by this, and while he adores the gentleness of lovemaking, these orders will bring out a more rugged side of sexual appetite. 

Coco has a very low sex drive so it is rare he wants sex. That said, all his s/o has to do is tell him they “want something special” from him and he’s down to serve their needs. Just because he’s not hard for sex at that moment doesn’t mean his hands and tongue are unable to get the job done. 

Fingering master. His oral/blow techniques are fine, but his fingers- holy shit are they dexterous little bastards. There is no sight lovelier to Coco than his partner ordering him to keep going as his fingers make them lose their mind. 

[gingerest-ale]

YOUR PUNK AU ART has me on the floor. Absolutely spectacular!!!!! If you want to elaborate on your artistic choices I for one would LOVE to hear it <3

THANK UUUU!!!!!!!! also again i want to give credit to thee lovely castielsweedgarden (tumblr won’t let me tag them) for the original concept, the original post is here and their tag for alt!natural posts is here all their content is SO DAMN GOOD please check it out

OK ARTISTIC CHOICES. So for some background I’m a costume designer so I actually spent a lot of time doing research for these outfits and also I pay way to much attention to detail so get ready for an infodump because im a nerd.

DEAN

ok so my headcanon for the jacket (and if u read the og post this will make more sense hgafkgsjk) is that Dean stole it from John the night he and Sam ran away and he starts to modify it and make it his own and put patches on it that would piss off John and thats why he keeps wearing it because he took this thing his dad loved and made it his own and that is the ultimate “fuck you” to John.

Dean keeps his hair in a really short crew cut because i really enjoy Dean teasing Sam about their hair being long

Sam and Dean dye their hair in motel bathrooms and Dean changes colour every other month meanwhile Sam just dyes their hair black because “i dont want to damage my hair with bleach Dean”

I had a lot of fun with the patches and most are pretty self explanatory BUT i want to draw attention to: 

the handprint patch on Dean’s shoulder right above where the actual handprint is

the patch that says “i love my non binary child” is the first patch that goes on the jacket because Dean wants to support Sam and it is thee ultimate patch that would piss John off

The bee patch was a gift from Cas <3

Deans shirt is ripped from hunting but he likes the aesthetic of it 

The chain around his neck is silver or iron or some other useful ghosthunting metal

also the tattoo on Dean’s hand is inspired by this one fic its so good please read it

Dean wears a bunch of jewelry and you can’t see it but he also has a bunch of tattoos

SAM

Sam wears platform boots and it makes them like 7 feet tall but its ok its what they deserve

I said this in the tags but ill say it again: Sam got the spiked choker because they were tired of getting strangled by monsters all the time and honestly i think a lot of canon!Sam’s problems could be solved if he just wore a spiked choker

Anytime Dean teases Sam about their fashion choices Sam always tells him thats its for practical reasons. The rosary? Its for making holy water in a pinch. The ripped fishnets? they’ll just get ripped anyways. The platform boots? its too intimidate monsters. The spiked choker? Its self defence Dean come on, it’s a purely tactical decision, no aesthetic reason at all.

Sam modified the sweater themself. Spent the long hours in the car embroidering an exorcism onto a cropped sweater (it didn’t use to be cropped, but a werewolf clawed into the bottom part of it and well. here we are) in pink thread and sewing some black lace onto the hem.

why yes, Sam’s skirt does have a blood splatter on it!! you would think this would get Sam some suspicious looks, but their aesthetic is so Like That that people assume its just painted on in an attempt to be edgy. People who assume this are wrong.

Sam likes wearing revealing clothing because it lets other people see how insanely strong and muscled they are and alt!Sam loves being absolutely intimidating to people.

Like. Imagine. This seven foot tall giant shows up, wearing all black and spikes and you can see their insanely muscular thighs under the fishnets and oh god why do they have so many scars you Do Not Want To Mess With Them.

to be clear I think alt!Sam is just as much a sweetheart as canon!Sam is but they dont try to make themself look smaller

CAS

The shirt Cas is wearing says “BOB the man, the myth, the legend” and it is very much based on a shirt my lovely gf has.

The reason cas is dressed Like That is because he woke Jimmy up in the middle of the night and the tshirt and sweatpants and the socks are Jimmy’s pyjamas and of course he had to grab his coat and put on his crocs shoes before leaving the house to get possessed by an angel, he’s a sensible man!!!

ok so i need to talk about the crocs because some people seem unhappy about them. Castiel does not care about human fashion standards. He does not care about how he is perceived by others. Crocs are sturdy, comfortable, practical shoes to him and thats all that matters, why are you laughing Dean? They’re waterproof!

I honestly don’t know why i drew Cas with hoop earrings it just felt right but my current headcanon is because he say Beyoncé wearing some or something.

ok trench coat doodles time!!!!! there are many of them and i wont go into all of them but here are a few noteworthy ones

the one on the top right is based off a lil doodle one of writers did for a fan I think??? I can’t remember someone please link the post ;;

dean just doodles lil bees and hearts all over the place because they make Cas happy

theres a badly drawn Leviathan on there. in case you were wondering what that is

so many games of tic tac toe were played on the trench coat. Sam always takes the circles. Sam always wins.

the big heart on the bottom right contains a doodle of the poodle Dean found hot on that one terrible episode. I’m not sorry. 

I did draw an airplane with gun arms. it’s an inside joke i have with my gf. No i will not elaborate. I think that Dean drew that on there because he thought the idea was funny.

bottom left corner has cool sun wearing sunglasses because we are all kindergarteners 

the SW and DW drawn on the coat are because they put their initials on the places they call home. 

Thank u for your ask my apologies for writing ten million words about it please enjoy

[m4st4rd]

the sugar bowl

author’s note: hello friends! the wonderful @guaxinimraccoon has let me use their equally wonderful characters, Brad, Toby, and Siri, to write a fic! please go check them out-- their art is super awesome. i ended up writing a lot more than i expected, but i still love it! this was super fun to make and i’m excited to see what you guys think :). enjoy!

warnings: mild panic & mild swearing but that’s about it

word count: 2.4k

part one | part two 

 “TOBY? ARE YOU READY?”

   After a fitful sleep, Tobias could barely stand to listen to the noise around him. It wasn’t much: the water rushing through the pipes, the skitter of the mice outside his home in the walls. And now, Siri tugging on his leg as he struggled to relax on his hacky-sack chair. 

   “C’mon, man,” she said, huffing a laugh. “You promised you’d grab some more paper and bread like, yesterday. And that you would get sugar.” Toby didn’t know why she even had the time to pick up a hobby as boring as drawing. There wasn’t much to draw in their little home. He’d rather just try and continue his eventful dream instead of getting dressed just for some scraps.

   But he had to. It was his duty as a borrower and as Siri’s best friend. 

   “Alright, alright.” He got to his feet and ran his hand through his sleep-tousled hair. “But this means you’re making dinner tonight, right?” Before she could protest, he added, “Better start cooking that soup now.”

   Siri put on a pouty glare, but her pointed ears twitched with amusement. “Yeah. Whatever,” she mumbled. But she couldn’t keep her face up long. Soon, it disappeared into a grin. He wasn’t prepared when she threw her arms around his neck in an excited hug. “You’re the best, Toby.”

   Tobias couldn’t stop himself from smiling, too. “Yeah. I know.”

   She waved as he disappeared down the corridor. Neither of them could’ve known what was waiting for him.

***

   Ever since Brad moved out of his parents’ place, he knew only one thing: solitary. Not that he necessarily minded — he wasn’t the most extroverted person. Even in college, he would stay in his dorm with a pizza and Netflix while his roommate hit frat parties. In the two years they lived together, they must’ve only spoken a total of eleven words to each other. 

   But what he did mind was the endless, repetitive schedule. Wake up, check his phone. Have breakfast, take a shower, brush his teeth, pop an aspirin for his morning headache. Head to work and return to boxed mac-n-cheese dinner (or, if he was feeling adventurous, spaghetti). He wanted something exciting, even if excitement, for him, meant taking a different route to work. But he was too afraid of change.

   What he found on Saturday evening really threw a wrench into the gears of his brain.

   He got home to an empty apartment. Nothing special: a hand-me-down couch next in front of a 90s TV. He contemplated just napping on the couch for a bit before dinner, but he never did that. So instead, Brad took off his shoes, hung up his coat, and headed to the kitchen. There was some leftover tuna salad that he could munch on if he didn’t feel like cooking.

   Nothing special. 

   That is, until he stood up. 

   He probably wouldn’t have heard it if he was distracted, but it was real and oh-so-soft. A rustle from deep inside his cabinet. Brad could feel his heart stop. Did he have mice? No, that couldn’t be. He cleaned out his cupboard pretty frequently. Bugs? That would be even worse. 

   Shff. There it was again. It sounded too… heavy to be a roach. Whatever the little thing was, it rattled his cereal boxes. And then, the telltale clatter of the sugar bowl top falling onto the shelf. 

   Wait, what? Okay. That was weird. Brad took a deep breath. His interest had piqued. He had to see what this thing was.

   With a silent prayer, he opened the cabinet. 

***

   Paper? Check. Bread? Check. Toby was still dusting his knees off as he remembered that he was still missing something: sugar. With a groan, he got to his feet and shuffled over to his hook. “Damn Siri and her sweet tooth,” he muttered (though he’d never admit to her that he enjoyed something sweet every now and then).

   He didn’t notice the front door open and the giant enter. He was distracted by the looming jar in front of him. It was difficult getting the lid off, but with a sharp tug and a grunt, it fell to the floor of the cabinet and he prepared to dive in to get a cube. 

   But before he could get very far, the cabinet door swung open, and light invaded. 

   And Toby was face-to-face with the human of the apartment.

   Brad wasn’t sure what he was looking at. A little man…? A four-inch-tall person, not much bigger than his finger, was standing by his sugar bowl. Pointed ears, wild, electric blue hair, and even wilder eyes stared him down. A patchy bag sat at his feet, and patchy clothing hung off of his thin frame. Was he drunk? High? Did someone roofie his coffee?

   Whatever composure Brad had left him. “Wow,” he whispered. Just a breath seemed like enough to knock the little guy over. “Hey, there, du—”

   Toby didn’t hesitate to whip his needle out. “Back!” he tried to snap, though it was more like a squeak. God, he must’ve looked pathetic. His legs were jelly. Every bit of him trembled. “St-stay back!”

   The giant blinked. He shook his head of shaggy black hair, rubbed his eyes with unfathomably huge fists. Toby did his best to suppress a lame whimper when those hands appeared. “So I’m not dreaming,” he said, more to himself than to Toby. It took every ounce of courage not to cry. 

   The bean, however, seemed to notice his fear. “Wait, little dude, hey…” He eyed the needle warily. “You don’t hafta be afraid.” Toby didn’t believe him for a second. 

   The borrower looked suspicious. “Back up,” the little guy growled, and surprisingly, Brad obliged. He took a step away so he didn’t tower over him (and so he didn’t suffer the wrath of his needle). 

   How did Brad look right now? He wasn’t the biggest person around, but he certainly wasn’t the smallest in his family. Even so, he wouldn’t hurt a fly. He couldn’t even bring himself to squish spiders. He’d always trap them in a cup and usher them onto the balcony. This little person, though, didn’t know that. He held his needle-sword up high, his toothpick arms shaking all the while. It practically broke Brad’s heart.

   What’s this guy doing? Toby thought. Nothing was stopping him from snatching him up in a fist and stuffing him in a jar or a shoebox. Was he luring him into a false sense of safety just so his experiments would hurt more? Was he p—

   “Hey, man, you okay?” The bean’s thick brows were knit together with concern. “You’re looking a little pale.”

   “Wouldn’t y-you be?” Toby scoffed before he could stop himself. Man, I’m so dead. “I-I-I mean, someone as big as you is a little Goddamn terrifying! God knows what the hell you’re gonna do to me! ” He snapped his mouth shut. He’s gonna fucking kill me for real now. 

   “What I’m gonna d— No, buddy, I swear I’m n—”

   “Stay. Back.” Holy fuck, what am I doing?! Toby thought. The most he could do was poke the bean’s finger with his needle, but that would only make him angry. He contemplated running, but his thought dissipated when he realized the giant would have plenty of time to stop him.

   Brad’s jaw went slack. For such a little guy, he sure was brave. But after a beat, his words finally sunk in. “Wait. C’mon, man. I’m not— I’m not gonna do anything to you. I’m just. I’m just surprised. I mean, it’s not every day you find a little man in your cabinet.” With a chuckle, he asked, “So are you gonna start paying me rent, or what?” It didn’t immediately dawn on him that this tiny person probably didn’t know what rent even was.

   Toby frowned. What the hell is this guy talking about? More to the point, what game is he playing? 

   With a frown, Brad took another small step back so he didn’t smother the little guy and held up his palms. “Okay, okay, look. I promise I’m not gonna hurt you. Cool?” He didn’t respond, but his shaking arm did lower the needle a bit. That’s a start. 

   Brad heaved a sigh that ruffled Toby’s wild hair. “Right. Uhm. I’m… I’m sorry for scaring you, dude. I didn’t mean it. I swear.” He fiddled with his thumbs. A shy look crept over his face. “I think we got off on the wrong foot. I’m Brad. What’s your name?”

   For a moment, Brad was afraid that the guy was too terrified to answer. But then came the timid voice, so quiet compared to the man’s earlier jab. “Toby.” 

   Just play it cool, Toby thought. Do what he wants and maybe he’ll let you live.

   “Toby. That’s a cool name.” A set of teeth that could snap Toby in half without a second thought were bared at him in a wide smile. Toby could barely hold his ground without flinching. “Wait… You were here for food, right?” 

   Toby’s heart skipped a beat. “You… You’re not mad, a-are you?”

   “No!” Brad said, maybe a little too quickly, because the little guy— Toby — flinched. “I promise I’m not mad,” he added. “Y’know, I was, uh. I was gonna have dinner, anyway. How ‘bout you eat with me? You look like you could use a hot meal.”

   “Oh,” Toby said lamely. His head was going a million miles an hour. Was this Brad guy serious? He just found a tiny creature going through his food, and he’s offering him dinner? It’s gotta be a joke, right? Some weird, fucked-up joke. But instead, what came out of his mouth was, “Uh. S-sure.” 

   Brad couldn’t stop a grin from crossing his face. “Cool. Cool, cool cool. How does pasta sound?”

   “P-pasta sounds great.” My God, Siri’s gonna kill me if this guy doesn’t.

   “Awesome. Wait here.” The bean ducked out of sight, his footsteps rattling Toby’s entire world. 

   Is this a trick? Is he gonna put something in the pasta? Why, why did I say yes?! God, Toby, you fuckin’— It took him a while, but Toby finally came to his senses: the giant was gone. 

   The giant was gone!

   He’d left him to his own devices. Never, in all of his years, had Toby heard of a human who would do that. His parents had always told him that humans were malevolent giants that wouldn’t let you go the minute they got their hands on you. Clearly, they were wrong. At least Brad wasn’t like that.

   In spite of that, Toby was scared shitless. Every cell in his body begged him to leave, but his feet were rooted to the spot. But did he want to leave? After all, the giant did just offer him a free meal. And he was nice. He didn’t grab Toby, or even talk too loud. And he listened. 

   One thought trumped all of that: Siri. God, she was probably terrified, wondering where her friend was. On the other hand, she might’ve been ready to jump him when he returned after a talk with a human. Should he go home, or risk it all for some pasta and the chance that he might not die?

   Toby was at a crossroads.

***

   Brad was over-the-moon. Who would’ve thought that he’d be making dinner for a little, blue-haired guy? An unknown roommate, a potential friend? This was the kind of change he needed.

   With a triumphant hiss, he pulled exactly what he needed from his desk drawer: a spool of stiff art wire from his more creative days. He could bend together a little set of utensils so the guy didn’t have to eat with his hands. 

   “Alright, buddy!” he called as he returned to his kitchen. “It won’t be much, but I promise it’ll be ta— Oh.” 

   The cupboard was empty. All that was left was the tiny patchwork bag near the sugar bowl. Somewhere, deep inside his chest, Brad’s heart broke just a little bit. Why am I feeling like this? For some tiny dude I met ten minutes ago?

   He let out a defeated sigh. Not that he could blame him. Brad couldn’t imagine how terrifying he must’ve seemed to a four inch tall man. Toby wasn’t even the size of his hand. It’s not your fault. With that in mind, he grabbed a pot from under the sink and started boiling water for his dinner. A pasta dinner just for him. Not for two.

   At least he knew he wasn’t dreaming.

***

   Toby was out of breath when he finally reached his door. 

   It was late, but Siri was definitely still up and waiting impatiently. How was he going to explain his borrowing run to her? If he told her he was spotted, they would without a doubt have to pack up and leave, which was tedious. That, and they probably would have to live with a human that didn’t have good snacks.

   He took a deep breath. He would be honest. Yeah, honest. Brad wasn’t murderous or enraged when he found Toby looting for sugar. He was good, and nice. Siri would understand. He pushed the door aside and entered his home. 

   Sure enough, Siri was waiting on his hacky-sack chair. But when she spotted him, she looked relieved, not angry. “Good grief!” she cried, charging into him. Her hands shook from where they rested on his arms. “Shit, Toby, were you gone a long time. I thought you were dead!” Toby didn’t have the energy to respond as she looked him up and down. “Where’s your bag?”

   Fuck. My bag. He must’ve left it by the sugar bowl in his desperation to leave. “Rats,” he said blankly. What happened to being honest?  “I ran into a couple of extra territorial ones on my way back. I gave them my bag to distract them so I could get away.” He feigned an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Siri. I’ll go again tomorrow. Promise.” 

   He prayed and prayed that Siri would believe him. With a sigh, she shook her head.

   “No, Toby, it’s okay.” His friend patted him on the shoulder. “You’ve had quite a day already. Go on and sit down, I’ll fix you a bowl.” As she turned away, every muscle in his body relaxed. He could’ve died twice today and still he managed to come out unhurt.

   Still. He flopped down in his hacky-sack chair and blew his bangs out of his face. There was something missing, and it wasn’t his borrowing bag.

   Why did he feel so bad?

[heycallmeladytypewriter]

A Call of a Siren - Chapter 2

A/N: As you guys have noticed, I tweaked a few things to fit Delia into the story but please let me know if I missed or messed up something on the storyline. Again, looking for a beta reader if anyone is interested. Chapter three should be up soon along with everyone's favorite angry boy. I don't own My Hero Academia. I only own my own characters and the story I create within Horikoshi's masterpiece of a world I'd love to live in.

Chapter One

_____________________________________________________________

“I expect you to all to still work hard on exams even though the end of the school year is in sight!” Her teacher was lecturing them on the importance of tests or something but Cordelia had other things on her mind. 

Nine months ago, she saw the world's greatest hero and a scrawny boy her age on the beach. A day she wouldn’t forget as it was a major part of why she was trying her damndest to get into UA in a month.

She went to the beach mostly everyday on a run and also practiced in her room after her family went out or was asleep. She also tried to incorporate some strength training exercises she got off the internet as she was sure you needed more than cardio to make it in. 

One thing she found herself doing, albeit shamefully, was sort of spying on All Might and Izuku Midoriya train on the beach and park. She didn’t necessarily go out of her way but it was on her training grounds too. No matter how she reasoned it, she still kept her distance and would hide at first sign of being found. It also didn’t help that she felt she had stumbled on a major invasion of privacy as she witnessed the strong and well, mighty, All Might transform to a tall but skinny weaker man. The first time she saw it she thought her eyeballs were for sure going to pop out her skull and fall to the floor with her jaw. She would never tell out of respect for the hero but still...every time he did it was like a mini heart attack especially when he would cough up blood afterwards. Like Jesus man please go see a doctor!

“Miss Bell I hope that dazed look on your face means you are thinking of your study schedule this weekend?” 

Her head turned from the window and faced the teacher, “ Oh, yes of course!” 

“Hmm..so anyways class -” Cordelia went right back to gazing out the window. 

_______________________________________________________

“ FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO DO YOUR STUPID STRETCHES BRAT!” Angry boy yelled at her for the 400th time.

Delia rolled her eyes again but continued her stretches where she was. She was here first anyway. Not that it mattered as she always stretched here because after Angry boy decided it was his workout spot she decided it was hers too. 

“Oi, don’t ignore me! Move your fat ass out of here!” 

“No thanks I’m good. And who are you calling fat ass, big tits?” She laughed as he bristled immediately at her response. He reminded her of a cat, all puffy and angry,  when he got like that which only made her giggle more. She wished to know his name but last time she asked he flipped her off. 

Looking at her watch, she realized she was going to be late for dinner. “Oh crap. Gotta go! Bye Big tits!” 

His water bottle flew right past her head as she ran off while he screamed expletives at her. “Hey!” She scolded. She slowed down enough to pick it up and chucked it with maximum force back at him, “don’t fucking litter!” 

She ran a little quicker when she heard the little pops of his quirk which is when she realized a few months ago that he was getting more pissed. “Goddamn brat!”

________________________________________________________

“Cordelia, you are late! Go wash up.” Her mother scolded her from the kitchen as she walked in the house. 

“Lost track of time! Sorry I’ll be quick!” She hopped up the stairs and nearly ran into her father, wearing his uniform, on the way. “Oops sorry Daddy!”

 Yes, she still called her father ‘Daddy.’

 Her ‘Daddy’ was a 6’4 man with piercing blue eyes that could intimidate anybody which probably helped with his job. Her mother always liked to point out that of course all her children had to inherit his blue eyes and not her brown ones.  

“Hey,” His hand shot out to gently grab her wrist before she could keep going, “What is all this training you doing for?” 

“Nothing in particular. Can’t I have a hobby?” She lied through her teeth before continuing on upstairs. 

“Cordelia…” 

“Dad. Teenage girl who wants to be fit - not rocket science!” 

Hopping in the hot shower, Delia relaxed finally. She was soooo lying to her family but felt it necessary as they stood on opposite ground concerning her dream of becoming a hero. 

She had a dream. She wasn’t going to give up without a fight just because she was alone in it. Deep down she was hoping if she became a good enough hero she could change their minds about the matter. 

She even took many preemptive precautions such as designating herself as the mail person of the house. She got it every day without fail and they would get used to just depending on her to get it. She managed to get a third cordless phone for the house she’d hide in her room to check the number in case of any specific calls coming through. She even created a fake parent email and perfected their signatures if needed. She was good at lying but it never felt easier on her to lie regardless of her reasons. 

“CORDELIA!” 

With a sigh, she shut off the water and stepped out of the shower. At least I dry off quickly, she thought amused as she wicked the water off her body and out of her hair. 

__________________________________________________________

It was exam day. 

Delia’s nerves were all over the place as she sat in the auditorium filled with the other hopefuls. They grouped them by class it seemed though she didn’t recognize those sitting near her. Her fault, she was sure, as she didn’t reach out to others during this past year as she just assumed or more like hoped she’d be transferring after the year was up. 

She wondered where Midoriya was as he was the reason she got her butt here in the first place. 

The Pro, Present Mic, continued to shout out to the crowd of potential students but Delia figured everyone was too wound up to join in or even focus enough. He was in the process of explaining their physical test when a loud voice rang out. A boy with cut blue hair and glasses stood suddenly and practically demanded answers of a possible inconsistency regarding the robots before the Pro could probably get to it (impatient much?) and then turned behind him to yell at the very boy she was wondering about for muttering too loudly. 

She wanted to laugh but her nerves were already fraying. As they were announcing the order of tests and people were slowly being shuffled out of the auditorium, Delia took a long breath before marching outside with the others. 

____________________________________________________________

This was exhilarating and terrifying all at once. 

She went on auto pilot as soon as the doors opened. Everyone rushed forward only to be immediately greeted by a bunch of green robots with glowing red eyes. Without thinking, she looked for the nearest water source...yes, a fire hydrant!...and reached her hand outwards to pull the water. A burst of water came rushing out that she quickly sharpened into her normal water whip and sliced out at the first two robots she saw ahead of her, breaking their heads off. 

“Wow that was amazing!” A girl with short brown hair to her left shouted at her before running further down the street. Delia blinked. Holy shit, that was amazing! For a moment, Delia felt she could really do this...until about 10 minutes later.

The robots didn’t give her a minute to think anymore, which considering her extreme anxiety over today was probably a good thing, and she used her whip to maim any robot who came within range. As soon as she was finally racking up a few points, a giant shadow loomed over the street. 

It was the zero points robot. 

Holy shitballs it was huge, Delia thought, shielding her face, as it stomped its way over causing surrounding small buildings and the street itself to explode with force everywhere. 

She was about to run but she heard someone cry out. It was the really nice girl from earlier who was caught under the debris from the zero pointer. 

Everyone was running. 

Then she ran. 

Towards the girl. 

There was water running from a broken pipe so she willed it near her as she skidded to the girl and put her hand up and the water formed a water dome around her the girl as they braced themselves for the next step from the robot but it never came. 

“SMASH!” Midoriya yelled from above them. Through the water she saw him go flying at the face of the robot and hit it so hard the zero pointer was thrown back with a broken face. 

“Oh my god” she whispered. The water fell on them in a whoosh and she snapped back to the girl and pushed the rock up far enough to wiggle her leg out. Looking up, she saw Midoriya start to fall and her heart continued to race as she tried to figure out how to catch him but the girl who was stuck ran, now with a limp, touch a rock and float upwards towards him. She meets him halfway then taps him midair and slowly brings them back to earth. Then promptly throws up off the side of the rock. 

The buzzer goes off. 

Times up. 

Delia felt her shoulder drop in disappointment. She only had 20 points from the smaller robots and barely. That was it. She was stuck at a regular school and wouldn’t be a pro hero. 

The finality of things started to weigh on her and followed her as she shuffled her way home, trying not to cry.

____________________________________________________________

The wait was killing her. 

It’s been days and she’s checked the mail repeatedly. Damn near scared the mailman a few times when she ran up to him a few houses before hers.

By the time it came, she had all but figured she failed so badly that they weren’t gonna waste time with a letter. Yeah, she was being dramatic but still. 

Finally, a small package addressed to her arrived. Delia had to wait until her parents went out to the store with Henry before she could run to her room and play it. After triple checking they left, she set it up on her small desk and internally started to scream. 

“Young Bell, it is me All Might! I am here! To give you your results on your exam to UA!” 

There goes her ability to breathe. 

She started to bite her lip nervously. 

“It says here that you scored 24 points on your practical and did well enough in your written test. BUT” 

She was now on the verge of gnawing her lip off.

“While your scores were alright enough, what really wowed us was your last few minutes of the practical!”

He started a small screen next to him of the girl who was stuck under a rock talking to someone behind the camera. 

“Is it possible to share my points?!” The girl exclaimed to someone behind the camera. 

Delia’s hand went to her chest as the girl, who didn’t know her nor should’ve bothered to do this, wanted to make sure her and Midoryia earned enough points and if not, to give them some of hers. Her lip had to have been bruised by now.

“Did you really think a Hero academy judged solely on the ability to hit a robot? We look at everything! And you, Young Bell, embody just the right person we strive to teach! You went ahead without thinking or caring about anything but the girl and acted- acted heroically! We awarded you 30 more points bringing your total to a whopping 54! So, Young Bell, I want to congratulate you on your acceptance to UA! Welcome, future hero!” 

Delia’s lip was bleeding now but she didn’t care. Tears were rushing down her face before she could stop them.

She thought it was done.

But really- it was just beginning. 

She sent a silent thank you to the boy on the beach and the hero they both looked up to

[sunnybeas]

saints in chains

Chapter One of Saints In Chains- wait out the plastic weather

summary:  Gavin meets Connor's little brother and finds out love at first sight is real  

cross posted on ao3

The first time Gavin Reed sees the RK900 he doesn’t have time to really look at him. It is an active crime scene that’s taking up the entire street and Gavin holes himself behind the barricade with Chen at his side. Teeth grit and hand sweating as he gripped his handgun, he only sees a white blur stride by and hoist itself over the barricade.

A curse is halfway out of his mouth because of course a civilian would get cocky and bolt but no- the damn thing rips the door off the hinges of a car and surges forward. And Gavin is sitting there, mouth open, in full view of the shooter. He drops down beside Chen again, who is equally as fucking gob smacked.

“Did you fucking see that?” Gavin demanded.

“Of course, I did! Did Fowler hire a fucking Terminator? What was that?” she asked back, rolling to her knees to peek over the car again.

Gavin scooted in next to her, eyes squinted. He felt like an idiot, gawking at the figure in white sprinting forward, car door acting as a shield and taking all the spray. It takes a leap and absolutely bodies the shooter, tossing the car door aside like a dinner plate. Its hand crunches the AK in its hand, and it misfires in the shooter’s hand. The fucker screams as the figure lifts him and slams him onto the concrete, knee on his back, hands pinned there securely.

“Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit- “Gavin chanted, because the figure looks up and he’s half fucking sure he recognizes Connor’s smug little face. It’s different, though, and Gavin can’t quite pinpoint how because of the distance.

“Well done, see, I knew he’d do well.”

And that- that’s Connor’s peppy voice from behind him. Frowning, Gavin spins on his heel.

“What the fuck is happening here?” He asked, sharply.

Connor and Anderson were dressed all up in their vests. Gavin snorted at the sight of Connor in his. He had seen the android take more bullets than he could count. Had almost put one in him more than a few times.

The LED in Connor’s temple spins yellow briefly. “He has minor abrasions. Otherwise a near perfect introduction.” He smiled, too fucking bright and cheerful for Gavin, who was getting sick just looking at him.

“Con, dear, sweetheart, love, please make sense. What was that?” Chen finally cut in.

“My brother.” Connor replied simply, punctuating it with that dopey smile of his. His big ole doe eyes lifted past them and he rocked on his heels before starting forward.

Gavin turned to follow when he caught sight of their blur. And holy fuck. Holy shit, Gavin didn’t think they built androids like that. Connor’s ‘brother’ was a massive specimen, towering over the shooter, eyeing the suspect wearily with eyes so pale they may as well have been white.

It takes Gavin about five seconds to deduce that this thing, this android, was basically Connor on steroids. If that were something they could do, anyway. He was taller, a good foot or so, and he was fucking jacked, his arms thicker, shoulders broader. He looked scary as shit, his jaw sharper, wider, his eyes set in deeper and looking down at them all with those dead looking eyes.

He was hot. Like really, insanely, one of the hottest things Gavin had ever seen. And he hadn’t even looked his way yet. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away from him. It. Whatever.

“Holy shit, just take a picture for your spank bank, creep.” Tina scoffed, elbowing him sharply.

“Chen, shut the fuck up.” Gavin hissed, his neck and ears burning at being caught checking out a fucking android. One with Connor’s face too.

The statement seemed to gain the android’s attention, though, because he looked up from Connor and stared directly at Gavin. Gavin couldn’t get a read on him, couldn’t eek the slightest bit of emotion from the thing’s blank ass face. His pale eyes flickered briefly over Gavin, almost sizing him up. Head tilted, eyes half lidded, the android regarded him for more than a few seconds. It was deliberate. Was it trying to intimidate him?

“RK?” Connor’s voice broke through and the android looked away from Gavin, finally, to return his attention to Connor.

“Shit, shit, shit.” Gavin cursed, turning on his heel to Chen. “Come on, we don’t need to be here anymore. Thing one n’ two got it.”

They started back to Chen’s patrol car. She widened her stride to keep up with how fast Gavin was walking.

Chen tossed her head back to laugh. “Look at you, lil’ Gavin Reed running scared from some sexy robot. Gav, did you see his pecs? Or his arms? Why did they give an android an ass that- “?

Gavin groaned. “I fucking saw! Cyberlife’s a bunch of fucking perverts. Holy shit, Tina.” He scrubbed his face with his hand.

Tina clambered into the driver’s seat, grinning. “He better be at the station.”

And fuck- Gavin hadn’t even considered that.

-

As luck would have it, God fucking hated Gavin Reed. He had just settled into his desk when Connor came striding in, Anderson at his side and leading their perp and the fucking Iron Giant trailing behind. Immediately Gavin looked towards Chen, who was practically vibrating in her seat. She shot him a grin and a wink before standing up from her seat.

Anderson spoke lowly to Connor before nodding and taking the perp to the back. Which left Connor standing there with his grumpy looking twin. Chen chose this moment to strike.

“Hey, Connor, who’s this?” She asked.

Connor beamed, clearly tickled fucking pink that someone was taking an interest in his little pet project. He lifted a hand and gestured to the android beside him. “This is RK, my little brother. He moved here and Fowler offered him a position. Today was his trial. I’m fairly sure he exceeded Fowler’s expectations.” Connor reported, absolutely glowing with pride.

Gavin snorted at his desk. Little? Little wasn’t a word to describe that ‘droid.

“I’m Tina Chen, nice to meet you.” Chen offered her hand, smiling politely in that way of hers. Tina brought out the good in everyone.

The android hesitated, studying her hand before taking it and shaking it carefully. “Nice to meet you, Officer Chen.” And oh- his voice was Connor’s but pitched lower.

It sounded surprisingly good. Fuck. Gavin hated him. Hated his pretty, stupid face.

“Gav, come say hi to the new guy!” Chen called, turning to face him with a wide, smug smile on her face.

Gavin decided he hated her too. No more coffee runs or donuts for her. She was dead to him.

“I’m good.” He said, instead.

Connor frowned. The big guy didn’t do anything, just stared. Shit.

“RK and Hank are going to be interrogating the shooter. I’ll be reviewing the footage if anyone has any need for me.” Connor informed Tina.

“Gavin and I can help with that!” Tina blurted out.

Connor blinked, clearly surprised. “You want to help me?” His eyes flickered uncertainly to Gavin, who was making a face, his middle finger up and pointed to Connor.

“I want to see that asshole getting his up close and personal.” Tina said. “Reed won’t admit it, but he does too.”

Gavin again held his middle finger up, though neither Connor or Tina were looking his way. He, instead, caught the attention of RK. And Gavin swore, he fucking swore, he saw the flicker of a smile on his face.

“Okay, that’s fine then.” Connor was still uncertain, but Tina was insistent.

He wasn’t sure why until they were seated all together, huddled up in front of the screen.

Seeing it from afar had been one thing but holy shit, seeing RK900 in action up close was a whole different experience.

“Holy shit.” Gavin rasped out, watching as he ripped the car door with his bar hands from the hinges. He sat tall in his seat.

RK hadn’t stopped, hadn’t faltered once as the shooter had let loose a barrage. He had just driven forward, expression drawn, brow furrowed. And then he had crushed the barrel of the gun like it were made of cheap plastic, ignoring the blast of the misfire and splatter of thirium on his open palm. He lifted the perp up by the coat.

“God, I wish that were me.” Gavin murmured, sinking into his seat. His eyes tracked how fluidly RK moved.

Tina choked out a laugh from beside him. “You’re a fucking mess.”

Connor frowned, so severely that his stupid forehead dented in from the faux wrinkles.

“Please don’t objectify RK in front of me.” He requested, weakly.

“Connor, where the fuck have you been hiding my teenage wet dream from?” Gavin demanded, emboldened by RK’s absence.

Connor’s head bowed and he rubbed at his temples needlessly.

“Gavin, that’s his baby brother!” Tina chided, smacking at his arm, though she wore a broad grin on her lips. She loved Gavin when he was in a mood like this.

“Baby brother my fucking ass, look at him- “

“You wish he were fucking- “

“I am literally begging you to stop.” Connor interjected.

“Listen, I’m trying to do some begging myself here, Connor, so help me out here.” Gavin continued.

Connor let out a pained groan and dropped his head completely into his palms in the same moment Tina let out a cackling laugh, her head tossed back.

“You’re intolerable.” Connor accused, shaking his head as he stood up. “I brought this for research purposes, and you’ve ruined it.”

“Wish your brother would ruin me.” Gavin mumbled.

Connor paused, his LED blipping red before he promptly turned on his heel and strode quickly out of the room. In his absence, the two dissolved into laughter.

“I think you broke him this time. Anderson is gonna be on your ass for traumatizing his boyfriend.” Tina snorted, wiping tears from her eyes.

Gavin reached forward and rolled the vid back, taking extra care to watch how RK had lifted the man with absolutely no effort. Oh. This might become a problem.

“If you’re done, Fowler wants to speak to you.” Connor poked his head around through the door again, frowning sourly at the screen and where it had paused.

Gavin sighed and forced himself to his feet. He tossed the remote Chen’s way.

“It’s not going to be as much fun without you.” She complained.

“Just enjoy the eye candy, Chen.” Gavin shrugged, following Connor down the hall.

Just looking at Connor, the differences between he and his younger counterpart were drastic. Their faces were eerily similar but RK’s had a sharpness where Connor’s was soft. Connor was clearly meant to assimilate where RK looked the complete opposite. Like he was meant to be identified as an android. What had he been made for that he was built that mean looking?

Hands shoved into his pockets; Gavin turned to the door of Fowler’s office. Knocking twice, he stepped in. Directly into the personal space of RK, who did not budge even as Gavin knocked his shoulder clumsily into his mid arm. And Christ on a fucking cracker, Gavin’s head barely measured to his shoulder. He swallowed hard.

“Reed, you meet RK yet?” Fowler asked, shifting in his seat just slightly to face him.

“Uh, sort of.” He took a long step back, hands curling to fists in his jacket pocket.

“Well, better get the introductions out now. He’s your new partner.” He paused, eyes squinting up at Gavin, waiting for the explosion.

RK looked down, extended his hand which was going to swallow Gavin’s in it. Even his hands were built big. Vaguely, Gavin wondered how they would feel-

“It’s nice to formally meet you. I’m RK.”

Gavin had been right before. This was going to be a big fucking problem.

[bang-and-a-blintz]

Through the Darkness

CHAPTER EIGHT - TWELFTH NIGHT

I am terribly sorry this took so damn long to update. With everything going on right now, writing about having fun in Nola feels akin to writing about a lost loved one, but I’m trying to make it cathartic. I just miss the good ol’ days before the Plague States. Oh well. Here’s an extra long chapter for the wait!

Cheers!

Fandom: Dracula (2020)  

Relationship: Dracula/Roxana(OFC)  

Rating: Mature  

Warnings: TW bloooooooood  

Word Count: 6,770

Sanguine looked different in the daylight. The shadows in which it hid were not so prominent underneath the bright sun. Dracula took notice of how well the dark tones of the exterior blended with the hanging branches of the oak trees. It wasn't as foreboding in the gentle light. In fact, it was actually oddly comforting; there was something reassuring in its darkness.

Dracula took a deep breath, if only just to smell the jasmine flowers lingering in the air, and smiled. He leisurely strolled down the crooked sidewalk towards the restaurant. He didn't know if she was there nor did he think of if they were even open; he just went ahead and made his way to the entrance, taking the unlocked doors as a good enough invitation. Not that it was important or anything, but he had already been welcomed in previously. It was more of an attempt to be polite, common courtesy, and…dare he even think it, kindness.

Perhaps eating people in the South was starting to rub off on him. Though, he was irrevocably grateful not to accumulate the accent.

Silently, he entered the establishment. The front entry was dark but there was a sweet aroma wafting from the kitchen and he could hear the sound of music playing softly in the background.

She must be cooking.

The music grew louder as Dracula made his way towards the back, pausing at the doorway. Her back was to him, she was swaying back and forth, fixing up some sort of dessert, and blissfully ignorant to the creature of the night that crept up behind her.

"Smells delicious." He commented lightly, leaning against the door jam. Roxana jumped and gave a strangled yelp, spinning around with wide eyes. She held the sifter up like a weapon, the powdered sugar that she had been using was now spattered all over her. Once she saw the owner of the voice, however, her face dropped into that of a furious glare.

"For fuck's sake, Dracula!" She groaned in dismay, placing a hand on her forehead while he fought a laugh. "You need a bell."

"Perhaps if you paid more attention to your surroundings, you wouldn't be so easily startled."

Roxana sighed, "Why are you even here?"

The Count just shrugged and gave her that unnerving smile. He was bored, but he wasn't about to let her know that.

She rolled her eyes and returned to the task at hand. He made his way over to her side, curious as to what she was so focused on. Before them was a large platter filled with golden pastries of some sort, piled high, there had to have been a dozen or so. She was topping them off with a dusting of powdered sugar as they cooled.

"What's this?"

"Beignets." She spoke, refusing to look at the vampire who had moved closer. He hovered over her shoulder, perfectly content with encroaching on her personal space.

Finishing up, Roxana wiped off the counter and tried to clean the remaining sugar from her shirt. It was futile as the powder just continued to seep into the fabric. With a huff, she unbuttoned the chef jacket and tossed it in a bin, making a mental note to have it washed later.

She had been baking several batches of beignets all day. It was Twelfth Night; a special holiday in New Orleans and the only day that Roxana made these particular pastries. Every year, she would whip up a platter-full and bring them all to her favorite bar so her friends could enjoy while they celebrate together.

After washing her hands, she wrapped the platter up for transport before finally turning to address the annoying bat in the room.

"Alright, what is it?"

Dracula looked at her innocently, hands in the pockets of yet another immaculately fitted suit.

"Do you need something or are you just here to keep tabs on me?"

"I was in the neighborhood." He said with a shrug.

"You're not a very good liar."

He had the audacity to look affronted and placed a clawed hand on his chest, "Ouch."

Roxana glanced at the clock on the wall behind his head. She knew that Al would be there any minute to pick her up and she needed to get the vampire out before that happened.

"Well, as much as I adore your company, Count," She said sarcastically, looking back into his onyx gaze, "I actually have somewhere to be. So if you would, please…"

She gestured towards the door, but Dracula didn't move an inch. He just tilted his head slightly and a smile spread across his lips, just barely showing the sharp teeth beneath.

"What?" Roxana snapped, exasperated with his stare.

The Count's grin widened slightly, "It's just curious."

"What is?"

"That this time around you're a chef."

There was a pause and Roxana furrowed her brow in confusion, "I'm not sure I follow…"

He slowly circled her, taking one large step after another, like a panther stalking its prey. Not baiting him, Roxana just crossed her arms and tensely waited for him to quit his theatrics.

"You see, dearest Roxana, the first Van Helsing I came across was Sister Agatha, a rather fiery nun from a convent in Budapest, I believe it was. She was full of repressed desires, finding interest in all things darkly supernatural. Agatha was...truly one of a kind. Sharp as a knife too!"

Roxana narrowed her eyes. Was it just her or did he sound almost nostalgic?

The Count continued on with a humorless laugh, "Yes, she...ah, taught me a thing or two. But then she had to go and blow up the ship, sinking herself into the bottom of the ocean. No matter. Her spirit popped up again in the form of a Doctor. Zoe was cynical to boot. As a scientist, it made sense, for she didn't truly believe something until there was foolproof evidence."

He came to a stop in front of her and motioned to himself.

"Must've been quite the shock to see me strolling out of the depths of the dark water, hm?" He smirked.

"It'd be a shock if you could wrap up this story soon." Roxana muttered, eyeing the time.

His head tilted to the side, "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Why not?"

She groaned, running a hand through her hair in frustration. This was going nowhere. He was nothing more than a child wearing the suit of a giant man…er, bat.

"Look, my friend is picking me up and we're going out. I would really rather not have a vampire loitering about in my restaurant. So I'd appreciate it if you would please leave, Dracula."

His eyebrows furrowed and a frown pulled at his lips; he looked like a kid who got their sno-cone knocked out of their hand on a blistering hot and humid day. She bit back her laugh at the thought.

"HAPPY TWELFTH NIGHT, BABY!" Al's shout rang loudly through the kitchen as the sound of his heavy footfalls came closer from around the corner.

Oh fuck, she thought as her eyes widened at the vampire and she instinctually grabbed his arm, tugging him towards the back door. Before she could get there, her sous-chef slash best friend let out a high-pitched squeal.

"Bitch, what! Rox, you brought back Mr. Tall, Dark, and Devilishly Handsome?!"

Roxana whipped back to face her friend who was looking between her and Dracula with a wide smirk. His eyes glanced pointedly at her hand clutching onto the vampire's arm and she ripped it away as if he was on fire.

"It's not what it looks like!"

The moment the words fell from her mouth, Dracula draped his arm around her shoulder and she could just feel the smugness radiating from him.

"Oh, it is exactly what it looks like." He purred, grinning ear to ear. "Good to see you again."

Al looked like he was going to explode, his mouth warping stupidly as he tried, and failed, to keep the glee from his face.

Roxana ducked out of Dracula's embrace and sent her friend a look of warning, making her way over to him. "Don't even start."

He made a motion with his hand that spoke of keeping his lips zipped, but she knew him far better than that. He would probably wait till later to hound her; most likely when she was too drunk to care because he was a sneaky asshole like that. Good thing she had a particularly high tolerance.

"What is that?" Dracula appeared at their side, gazing down at the rectangular box in Al's hands.

"It's a King Cake, baby!" At his dumbfounded look, the New Orleanians immediately took offense. Al gasped dramatically and placed a hand over his heart, almost as if the words had physically struck him, while Roxana looked at the vampire like he'd grown another head.

"You've never heard of a King Cake? How long have you been down here?" She questioned him incredulously.

The Count just made a facial shrug. It wasn't like he ate food anyway, so why would he be concerned about some local dessert?

"Oh my god, I just fucking can't. Let me find out ya boy don't know what a damn King Cake is…" Al grumbled and opened the box, placing it on the table so the three of them had space to hover over it.

The cake was made up of woven cinnamon and sugared dough that braided together to form a giant circle. A sleek pool of icing covered the entire top and dripped slightly down the sides; over that were layers and layers of purple, green, and gold sprinkles to give it the true Mardi Gras flair.

It was already sliced up into even little portions. Al took the first piece, glanced at the side, and then gave a huff, "Ain't no baby."

Roxana smirked and snagged a slice for herself, but before she could check her own piece, she noticed the look of absolute bewilderment on the vampire's face.

"Baby?"

"Not an actual child," She laughed at his wary visage, "No, no, it's part of the tradition."

Dracula's brow furrowed.

Well, with his aversion to holy symbolism, she supposed it made sense that he didn't understand what Kings Day even was.

"Okay, you look beyond lost so I'll give you a brief history." Roxana took a bite of her cake - no baby. She chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and continued her bit, "Today is the official start of the Mardi Gras season, or also sometimes known as Carnivale. It is called Twelfth Night because it is precisely twelve days after Christmas; the night that the three kings visited the sweet, little baby Jesus in his manger."

He grimaced.

Christianity was still a touchy subject, it seemed.

"So why a…cake?"

"It's a symbol of unity; woven in thirds to honor the three kings. The Mardi Gras coloring each have a meaning as well; purple represents justice, green for faith, and gold for power. We like to have fun down here, so we hideaway a small plastic baby inside, and whoever finds the baby receives good fortune!"

"And the next cake is on them!" Al supplied, already on his third slice and shoving it into his frowning gob as he still had not found the baby. He handed a piece to Dracula. "You have to try it, Dong Phuong makes the best!"

The Count gave Roxana a side glance to which she just smiled sweetly, "Yes, Mr. Balaur, you simply have to try it!"

She could see the muscle in his jaw jump as he clenched his teeth tightly.

"I can't." He bit out, throwing her a dangerous look. Roxana noticed the darkening of his eyes and quickly realized she did not want to be testing the vampire's patience when her dear friend was so near.

"Shit, I forgot," She gave him a look of mock-concern before turning to Al and intercepting the offered slice, "He's on the Keto diet. Not allowed to have sugar or any sort of pastries."

Al's eyes grew wide in actual worry, "Oh no, that…that's horrible. I'm so sorry."

One would've thought that she had told him Dracula's mother had just died with how devastated he was at the news. The Count just shrugged with a placid grin, not knowing what the hell either of them were talking about. 

He had never even heard of such a thing.

"Yeah, he's trying to cut back a little, huh?" Roxana couldn't resist giving him two small pats on his tummy for emphasis.

He then understood and was entirely unimpressed by her implication.

"Oh baby, you look fine!" Al waved his hand and boxed up the remainder of the cake. "Well, we should head out 'cause the crew is waiting on our slow asses."

Roxana threw on her jacket and grabbed the platter of beignets, but then paused, looking hesitantly at Dracula. She didn't want to be completely rude, but she had to figure out something to say to make him leave. The last thing she needed was for this undead warlord joining them.

That would be a recipe for disaster.

"Hey Mr. Balaur, you coming?" Al called out from the doorway.

Her sous-chef was incredibly efficient in ruining her plans sometimes…or maybe he just had a death wish.

Dracula gave a non-committal shrug, but she knew better as he turned and threw her a sly grin, "Why yes, I would love to join you all."

Of course he would, she thought with an internal groan. She sent a quick prayer out to the universe that nothing deadly would take place this evening, but knowing the Count, that was probably nothing more than a pipe dream.

He bent down and swiped something from the floor that Roxana couldn't quite see from over the mountain of pastries she was carrying. In a move of suspicious chivalry, he held the door open for her and as she went to pass, she saw what he had grabbed.

Sitting delicately between two of his claws was the tiny, pink plastic baby that Al was so keen on finding in his King Cake. It must have slipped out when he had moved the box.

A small laugh escaped her as the vampire gave a toothy smile, his brows raising in wicked delight as he tossed it in the bin, "There is no baby."

~~~

The car ride was…awkward, but Roxana had to admit she enjoyed how uncomfortable Dracula looked crammed into the backseat of the tiny coupe. His knees were nearly pressed up against his chest as he sat there glaring at her through the mirror.

Al was blasting some Big Freedia through the half-blown speakers and the Bounce Queen's voice was belting out her iconic song called 'Azz Everywhere'. It consisted of very loud bass and the very repetitive lyrics of the title.

The Count was not amused.

Luckily for him, however, the bar was just down the street on Magazine. He only had to suffer through one song before the car was parked and he immediately shuffled out of it, unruffling his suit as he waited for the others to join him.

The place was smaller than he expected, but New Orleans was known for cramming together as many businesses as possible into one building. There were two floors of apartments stacked above and several people already meandering about on the balconies, their happy chatter filling the streets.

Roxana quietly asked Al to take the pastries inside so she could have a private word with the other man. Her friend just waggled his eyebrows at her and relieved her of the beignets. She sighed, running a hand through her hair before walking up to the vampire.

"Now, I know you don't like being told what to do, but will you please just be good tonight?"

Dracula rose a brow, "I am always on my best behavior."

"I'm serious," She stepped up to him, hands on her hips, wearing a very stern expression that just tickled him, "If you fuck with my friends, I'll call the foundation in a heartbeat."

"Is that supposed to frighten me?"

"It should light some sort of warning fire under your ass."

The Count placed a hand on her shoulder, claws just barely squeezing her skin through the fabric. She tensed, eyes darting back and forth between his dark gaze and sharp teeth.

"Roxana, my dear," He drawled, leaning closer with a wicked smile, "I promise not to harm your friends...this evening."

She rolled her eyes and shrugged his hand away, "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get."

The vampire's grin widened as he opened the door and gave her a small bow, motioning her in like a gentleman.

Clearly, nothing more than a veneer.

Roxana snorted and entered the familiar establishment. Might as well get the evening over with.

~~~

The bar was a grungy pit. 

The walls were covered in thousands of stickers in various stages of decay and what little wall showed from beneath was caked with the dried paint of endless graffiti tags. Stacks of board games were piled across the shelves lining the room, almost all had a missing component that basically made them unplayable. Old Christmas lights were strung up haphazardly along the ceiling and lit up the room with strange multi-colored hues.

It looked like an absolute shit show of a bar.

Dracula observed his surroundings with disgust, unsure that it even fit the building's safety codes.

"This place should be condemned."

Roxana elbowed his side, "You watch your mouth, this place is sacred."

"Oh my god, Al wasn't kidding, you actually did bring him!" There was a loud squeal and they looked up to see Angeline waving at them from the bar. From the looks of it, she was already down a few margaritas. "Hey there, Mr. Balaur! Fancy seeing you at this joint. Y'all getting into some after work extracurriculars?"

"What does that even mean?"

Angeline threw her arms around Roxana, whispering not-so-quietly in her ear, "It means that you're gonna schmooze him and booze him to woo him, baby!"

She could smell the waft of tequila permeating the younger woman's breath and fought a grimace, settling for awkwardly patting her back instead.

"Okay, you're having a water. Here, take a beignet too, cher." Roxana guided her back to her seat and gave Eric a smile, "Hey bud, how come you're not as sloshed as our little angel here?"

The poor kid looked like someone had poisoned his drink. His face, though already quite pasty, had paled considerably as he stared in open horror at the dark figure still lurking behind her.

"Rox, how come...he's here?" He asked quietly, eyes bouncing back and forth between her and Dracula. Trying, and failing, to not make his fear too obvious. "That dude is bad news."

She inwardly applauded him for picking up on the evident danger that was the vampire she brought to the bar. Too bad he was going to have to deal with the chilling feeling of pins and needles along his neck for the entire evening.

"Don't worry about it." Clasping him on the shoulder, she gave the kid her best reassuring smile and then addressed the group, "Guys, this is Dracula, it's a strange name, I know, but let's not tease him too much. Alright? Alright. Now, let's have some shots!"

After a couple of rounds, her nerves had mellowed dramatically now that various ounces of liquid courage ran like fire through her veins. She loved the rush of tequila. The vicious bite as the liquor hit her tongue followed by the soothing numbness was one of her favorite feelings. It never failed to pick up her mood.

The bloodsucking creature be damned, Roxana was going to have a fun night.

They moved the party out back to the courtyard; what the bar lacked in the interior, it made up tenfold in the back. Lights were strung up to illuminate the back patio and there were yard games for days. Anything one could imagine; billiards, pong, table-tennis, giant jenga, darts, cornhole, horseshoes. 

The list went on.

There was not a more fun time to be had than copious amounts of liquor paired with the natural allure of friendly, or sometimes not-so-friendly, competition. The inhabitants of this particular crew were no strangers to drunken bar games.

"Alright! Let's break out into teams, shall we?" Al slurred a shout to gain everyone's attention. He waved absently in Roxana's direction, "You and me, bitch, versus them two hooligans!"

Roxana glanced over at Eric who went pale as a sheet at the thought of going anywhere near Dracula, so she immediately intervened, "No, no, no, cher, we can't have that - it wouldn't be fair. How about me and the big guy, versus you two?"

They had already sent Angeline home in an Uber, ensuring she was coherent enough to actually make it there. Roxana had to repeatedly insist to her younger friend that there was no shame in calling it quits when someone was too drunk. It happened quite often to her, and she'd be lying if she said it probably wouldn't happen again. Sometimes the liquor just got the best of a person.

"Are you sure that's fair for them?" Dracula purred into her ear. He had been close to her all evening, not once leaving her side and, to her begrudging enjoyment, he had not even paid the slightest bit of attention towards any of her friends.

Only her.

She stubbornly insisted to herself that she was grateful for the attention because it meant less of a threat to her friends. However, she couldn't ignore the pleasant shiver that ran down her back every time they caught eyes.

"It is as long as you hold off on your batty voodoo." Roxana said, tossing back another shot like it was water.

This made him curious.

While her friends had consumed quite a substantial amount of alcohol, they sure as hell weren't holding a candle to what the small woman beside him was pounding down. And she didn't even seem to be phased. It was encouraging to see someone else have an unquenching thirst like his. 

Although he preferred something entirely different, he was still rather impressed.

Roxana snagged two pool sticks, eyeing them for any bends in the wood or scuffs on the cues before tossing one to Eric, "I'll rack it up."

Dracula watched with interest as she bent down to retrieve the balls and sorted them into a wooden triangle. From his angle, he had a delightful view of her cleavage and the vampire did not hesitate in sliding over to sit close to her on the table. Pressing a palm down flat onto the felt, he leaned closer under the guise of observing her movements of 'racking'. Whatever that was.

When she glanced up at him, he felt a peculiar pang in his chest that he didn't understand. She looked so…beautiful at that moment. With the hues of red and orange from the shitty lights hanging above casting her in a hazy glow, he was struck in some sort of spell.

In a flash, her gaze hardened as she realized how close he had edged over to her, and the spell suddenly lifted. He masked his confusion from the whiplash of strange emotions with an easy smile.

"Need something?" She asked, straightening up.

"What is this?"

"Pool?"

He glanced around with furrowed brows, "I see no pool here. That'd be disgusting."

Roxana couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at the idiotic bat. She pointed to the table, "This is pool, you know, billiards? Shit, do you even know how to play?"

"I could easily acquire the skill." Dracula licked his lips, dark eyes scanning the people around them as if eyeing some prey. She pushed him off of the table causing him to chuckle and stand beside her, "Alright! Teach me then, it can't be that difficult. You silly humans and your nonsensical pub games."

"You're just upset that you died before you could enjoy having any sort of drunken fun."

He looked affronted, placing a hand to his chest, "I'll have you know I'm quite good at games! I used to have a ball seeing how many men I could impale with one toss of the spike. Ah, those were the days."

Roxana was grateful that Al and Eric were busy taking turns trying to balance their stick on their chins on the other side of the table. Out of earshot.

"Enough of that now." She muttered to the Count and then grabbed her friends' attention, "Oi, tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum, one of you break this."

As they argued, throwing their hands around in a match of rock, paper, and scissors, Roxana set out explaining the game of pool to the out-of-date vampire. By the time she was done with the rudimentary overview, Al gave a shout of victory and lined up the pool cue for his shot. The rack broke evenly, balls soaring in every which direction across the table, and a stripe sank into a pocket.

The game had begun.

Roxana prided herself in being a bit of a pool shark, so she was slightly disappointed when she only got in two solids before scratching. She handed the stick over to Dracula and they watched Eric fumble around before the Count's turn. The valet missed and slurred a slew of expletives, flipping off the table as if it were to blame for his loss of cognitive function. Dracula made his way to the table, copying the position he had seen the others use as he lined up his shot.

In his peripheral, he spotted Roxana sliding up next to him, reaching out her hands to adjust his stance. He was surprised at her willingness to be in such close proximity and he gathered that the copious amounts of tequila she had imbibed had something to do with it.

Gently, she wrapped a hand around his forearm, angling and lifting it slightly while the other hand wove his fingers to the correct positioning of balancing the cue between them.

With a hum of approval, Roxana finally looked up to meet his gaze and noticed how close they were. If she were to just turn her head slightly and lean forward an inch, his lips would be so easy to press against.

She jumped back quickly, creating a safe distance between the two of them once more and motioned for him to shoot. Dracula blinked, a little dazed himself at the strange pull he suddenly felt. He gave an imperceptible shake of his head and focused on the game.

When the stick hit the ball, he realized he might've put in a little more force than necessary because the ball shot off the table and bounced halfway across the courtyard.

"That's a scratch, bitch!" Al screamed with hysterical laughter while Eric ran over to try and capture the errant ball.

After a few turns, Dracula had become noticeably better, and soon enough, the pair of them were winning every game. The humans did not relent in their intake of alcohol and eventually, Al threw his hands in the air in defeat, swaying liberally back and forth. He was so very clearly plastered as his eyes tried to focus in on Roxana. "I think…I'm done. It's bedtime, bitch."

"Yeah, same -" Eric started but was abruptly cut off by his own loud hiccup, "S-s-same here!"

Roxana raised a brow and smirked at the two drunks who were hanging onto each other in an attempt to keep one another upright. It was incredibly amusing.

"Alright, y'all have a good night, then." She drawled, tossing back yet another shot. The sight made Eric turn a little green. He never understood how she could possibly stomach so much liquor and the mere thought drinking more made his gut turn. Al saluted them and then slung one arm around the younger man, whistling a tune as he dragged them out of the bar.

"Didn't he drive?"

Roxana was surprised that Dracula even cared.

"Yeah, he did. But he also lives one block up, which is why we usually come to this spot. I used to live super close, too." She said with a wistful sigh, "I miss the days of only stumbling a few steps to get back home."

She placed the cues back up on their rack along the wall and pushed the rest of the balls into the holes, wiping her hands down on her pants as she came to a stop in front of the vampire.

"And then there were two." Roxana spoke, a small grin lighting her face. "You were actually good tonight. Thank you."

Dracula shrugged, "I made a promise, did I not?"

"Yeah, you did." She patted him on the arm, "Great job, bat boy."

His brow rose but he said nothing to rebuke her comment. If anything, he was endlessly entertained by her constant need to call him names. 

No one had ever dared before.

"Well, it's getting late and homeboy is about to shut down for the night…" Roxana shrugged on her jacket and swigged back the last shot of tequila that sat on the table, biting into a lime wedge and then tossing it into the empty cup. It must've been the liquor taking action finally because she couldn't stop the next words from flowing out of her mouth, "Would you wanna…walk me home?"

The Count gazed at her for a moment. Long enough for Roxana to drop her eyes and reach for her purse, fully intending on making a beeline out of the bar and running away from her sudden embarrassment. 

He caught her arm before she could turn and snaked it around his own, tilting his head towards the exit, "Shall we?"

~~~

The night was cool and calm underneath the light of the moon. 

A breeze flowed gently through the empty streets and wrapped the pair in its comforting embrace. Roxana loved nights like these, when no one was out and about and the usually bustling city lay dormant in its rest.

They walked in amicable silence. 

It was pleasant to just simply enjoy the sounds of the night; there weren't many creatures that roamed about in a city like New Orleans, but the tropic region provided plenty of bugs. Although it was a strange tune, the buzzing song that the cicadas sang was calming as they hummed peacefully through the night.

He noticed that her posture was relaxed and although she wasn't outright stumbling, there was a little sway to her walk that entertained him. It was shocking how easily she had grown accustomed to his presence. Or perhaps she was just drunk, but he'd rather assume the former was true.

Roxana wandered off the sidewalk slightly, spotting a blooming Southern Magnolia tree. She did a little dance over, plucked a stem, and returned to the Count's side. He watched as she once again tucked the flower into his breast pocket. 

This one was as pale at the moon above, smelling of fresh lemon. 

"Do I still reek of evil?"

"Nah," She shrugged, "They just bring out your eyes."

Dracula couldn't help but laugh, the warm sound echoing in the street and bringing a smile to her face. If she didn't know any better, she might've entertained the butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She always did have a habit of going for the bad guys in her past, but Roxana drew the line at an actual blood-sucking monster.  

As they neared her home, she came to a stop just shy of her front porch and turned to look at the Count. "Well, thanks again for, you know..."

"Not eating your friends?"

"Yeah, that."

Dracula stepped closer and lifted his hand. She expected him to grip her around the neck, a strange and unnerving habit of his, but to her surprise, he gently brought her chin between his thumb and forefinger. The soft movement caught her off guard. He raised his own chin, looking down at her, searching for something that she could not possibly begin to fathom. It caused her a bit of apprehension as a toothy grin slowly crept onto his handsome face.

"My dear, I'm afraid I would find your friends to be rather…flavorless." He murmured lowly, enjoying the instant furrow in her brow, "I am a connoisseur, not a glutton. I prefer not to pick the low hanging fruit. The taste is always…off."

"Unbelievable!" She ripped herself from his grasp, sending the vampire the meanest glare she could muster and spun on her heel to walk towards the door, "You got some fucking nerve calling my friends flavorless, what a douchey thing to say -"

But the words died in her throat and her body froze.

Dracula was amused by her outburst; he always did enjoy pressing human's buttons. They were such sensitive creatures. But the way she cut herself short drew some concern. 

He followed her steps, craning his neck to try and figure out what had caused her reaction. "What's the matter, cat got your tongue?"

Then he smelled it. 

Instantly, his senses were taken over as he felt the pooling in his eyes and the lengthening of his dagger-like teeth making him snarl viciously. His shoulders went rigid as his body unconsciously tensed up, ready to attack. Every single one of his nerve endings was on fire as he fought the urge to consume everything in sight.

There was blood…and quite a bit of it.

The crimson liquid trailed from somewhere within her home to the entrance and it led to a red-soaked note nailed to the middle of the front door. Dark lettering read, "WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE - MEET US TOMORROW NIGHT - ST LOUIS CATHEDRAL - BEWARE THE BAT"

Dracula's growl drew her attention away from the letter and she glanced back with wide-eyes, looking at the vampire in horror. His visage was just as frightening as the sight before them. She took a step back and paused, nearly shrieking when he snapped his jaws at the pool of blood that entered his view.

He took a few deeps breaths, trying to control his natural inclination to feed, and then realized that the scent wasn't right. Something was different about it and he couldn't quite put a finger on it. Licking his lips, Dracula calmed himself down and Roxana watched as his face slowly returned back to normal.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly, "I know you said you wouldn't harm me...but -"

"I'm fine." He bit out, making her jump. Noticing her palpable fear, the vampire ran a hand through his hair and changed his tone, "My apologies. I'm a bit famished and this caught me off guard."

"Yeah, you're telling me…" Roxana's eyes crinkled with worry as she gazed back at the scene on her doorstep.

"The blood is fresh."

Her bright eyes shot back to him, "What if they're still here?"

Dracula lifted his brows, "Then I'll be having a nice little snack."

Rolling her eyes, she went to move towards the door but was stopped mid-step by a clawed hand firmly pulling her back.

"Ah, ah, ah, I'll be investigating this, my dear." His lips quirked but the smile did not meet his eye, "I'm the immortal one here, remember?"

The Count carefully pushed open the door and made his way into her home, taking caution of avoiding stepping in the trail of blood. He let his eyes adjust to the darkened interior and listened carefully for any noises of someone inside, but all he could hear was the pounding heartbeat of the woman standing behind him.

Shame, he thought, it would've been nice to have a bite to eat. 

He really was hungry. 

Ignoring his craving, for now, Dracula reached over to flick on the light and called out to Roxana, "The coast is clear. Those cowards must have run off after slicing one of their hands like an imbecile and - oh, fuck."

His gaze landed on an object lying in the middle of her living room.

"What? What happened?" Roxana called, taking a step through the threshold.

Dracula's put up a hand, "Wait - don't come in!"

But it was too late. 

Her eyes found the source of the blood and a gut-wrenching moan escaped her lungs as she felt herself collapse onto her knees, staring at the blank gaze of her mangled cat.

"No, no, no, no, no -" Roxana shook her head, tears pouring from her eyes as she tried to wrap her mind around the brutality that befell her sweet furry friend. 

It was a shocking sight. 

She felt her heart seize up painfully, squeezing so dangerously inside the cavity of her chest that she thought it might actually burst. Roxana didn't even register the tall man swooping down and picking her up into his arms.

"Breathe, Roxana! You'll be okay, just breathe." He carried her away from the scene of the crime, bringing her outside and placing her down onto the stoop. She was nearly hyperventilating and couldn't even focus on his dark eyes that blocked her vision. He grasped her cheeks, softly stroking his thumbs along her face, urging her to calm down, "Listen to me, deep breaths, alright? Come now, breathe with me."

He began to inhale and exhale, trying to get her to match his movements. She shakily did the same, closing her eyes tightly and clasping onto his hands.

"Good, keep going. Just like that." They continued the breathing exercise, in and out, until her gasps slowly faded and her heaving chest eventually evened out. "You're doing very well."

Roxana finally opened her eyes. If Dracula had a beating heart, it would've surely stopped at the sight of her look of utter despair.

"They killed my cat."

He nodded solemnly, bringing a hand up to her hair and stroking it back behind her ear, "I am sorry for your loss."

After a moment of silence, she spoke up again, her voice raspy, "Are you going to kill them?" 

Again, he nodded and she gave a sigh of relief.

"Good. I hope they fucking rot."

"You're not staying here tonight."

Roxana's eyes glistened but she refused to let more tears fall, "Yeah, I should probably head to Al's. He has an extra couch or floorspace…or something. They're probably passed out, but I know where the spare key is."

"No," Dracula said, standing up and offering a hand. "You're staying with me."

"That doesn't seem like a good idea." She eyed it skeptically.

"Roxana, I'm not allowing you out of my sight until I find who did this." The vampire's tone was sharp and she felt the exhaustion from the evening finally catch up to her.

With a heavy sigh, she relented, "Fine. I'm too tired to argue with you right now."

Dracula saw her eyes drooping a little and with a small smirk, he reached down and drew her into his arms again. At her weak attempt to struggle, he tightened his grip and shushed her complaints, "Relax, just go to sleep. I've got you."

She gave up trying and rested her head against his shoulder. 

The last thing she remembered before an uneasy rest took her away was the faint scent of citronella wafting up from the magnolia flower sticking out of his pocket.

Taglist - 

@festering-queen​ @hiphop-gir​ @hyacinth-meadow​ @moony691​ @torntaltos​ @cam-bang​ @mood-adlock​ @allis143​ @hoefordarkness​ @vissidarte213​ @thebeautyofdisorder​ @greenisms​ @guardianbelle​ @gabesprincess​ @profiler-in-courage​ @enchantedfleur​ @feralstare​

(as always - feel free to message me if you’d like to be added or removed from the taglist!)

[yeenybeanies]

Drunken Cowboy? No, Shrunken Cowboy

hey anon? you know what’s up, pal. this isn’t an actual event that happens in the story canon with devin in the rdr world, but rather an au,, of an au lmao

red dead redemption | arthur morgan & devin clarke ( oc )

1933 words

language warning

reblogs > likes!! feel free to leave comments in the tags!! thanks!!

" Holy sh––Arthur? ” 

The voice jolts the man awake, wrenching him from a very . . . strange and peculiar dream. Weird. He dreamed he was fighting off giant rats and frogs and snakes, and––and Dutch! Dutch was there! But he must’ve been as tall as a damn pine tree! He’d been looking down at Arthur with so much . . . disappointment . . ..

“ Arthur––hello? ” 

Devin. Their voice seems unusually loud. It brings to his attention that, in addition to being a little groggy, he has quite the headache. Did he drink last night? Or is he just having a bad morning? Arthur sits up, shoving off the blankets that now seem to be smothering him. He looks around, feeling the chilly morning air on his bare skin. Hunh. He could have sworn that he’d worn a shirt to bed . . .. Hopefully his bare chest wouldn’t offend or startle the little lady . . ..

“ ‘m up, ‘m up, ”  the gunslinger mumbles, a hand to his forehead. Man, his head is pounding. And his voice sounds a little funny . . .. Arthur grimaces.  “ What’s all the fuss about? Did somethin’ hap–––woah! ”  Woah indeed! Arthur blinks the sleep away and looks up to see Devin, as expected, but she’s not . . . tiny!

“ Arthur! Arthur, are you okay? What the hell happened––– ”  The not-tiny being grabs Arthur’s face and turns his head left, then right, checking him over for any signs of injury.

“ Miss Devin–––? “  Their hands, now big enough to do so, squish his cheeks. Those cheeks, too, run a little pink at the contact and the proximity and his state of dress.  “ M–miss Devin, how’d you get, erm . . . normal-sized? ”

They release him and lean back, dumbfounded, like they don’t believe what they’re seeing. Honestly, a part of them doesn’t.  “ I’m not––I mean . . . I could ask you the same thing. ”

Arthur’s brows furrow, confusion quickly twisting his features. What is that supposed to mean? How is Devin suddenly him-sized? And why does he have this headache? Why is he so damn cold? He looks to his left, towards his table, and finds himself doing a double take.

Oh no . . ..

Oh boy . . ..

“ Arthur, I need you to stay calm . . .. ”  Devin tries to placate, but even they don’t know how to deal with this situation.

The table Arthur is looking at––his table and his tent and everything around him––is fucking huge! It looks like––like he’s in that Jack and the beanstalk story and he’s crossed over into the world of giants, except this is his stuff in his tent!

Vocal cords frozen for the moment, Arthur can only try to stand––only to realize that the blanket he’s tangled in isn’t a blanket at all, but his shirt––his normal-sized shirt that apparently didn’t shrink down with him. And apparently neither did the rest of his clothes. Arthur glances down at himself and quickly pulls the fabric up, covering up to his navel. That pink in his cheeks is now a bright, bright red. Devin has a similar shade on their face, their gaze averted to allow Arthur some modesty.

“ I, um . . . I don’t know . . . what happened to you, but, um, you’re my size . . .. ”  And naked. Devin swallows and takes a breath to steady themself.  “ You’re in my world now. We should probably start by, uh, getting you some clothes. ”  Soon. Not only would it save them both from this embarrassment, but it’d also stop Arthur from getting too cold. Tiny beings don’t retain much body heat.

Arthur’s words still aren’t coming to him. He can’t stop looking around, wondering what fresh hell landed him here, and what exactly it’s going to take to get him back to his normal. His attention snaps back to Devin, though, when he hears a tearing noise. The borrower has their fox tooth knife out, using it to cut through the giant shirt. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Arthur laments that he likes this shirt, but there are far more pressing things afoot right now.

It doesn’t take long for Devin to fashion up some makeshift underwear and a simple toga-like piece for Arthur to put on. They turn around while he changes, and remain as such, even as he seems to struggle to figure out how to dress himself. He gets it eventually. His blush still remains as Devin faces him again, now the both of them at a bit of a loss for what to do.

“ ‘s this, uh . . . ”  now some words are coming back. Arthur can’t stop looking around. Everything is so big. It’s making him dizzy, and doing nothing to help his headache.  “ This is what you see, then . . . all the time, I mean. ” 

“ Yeah. ”  Devin spares a quick glance to their surroundings. They’re at the head of Arthur’s cot, fairly high up, relatively speaking. The clothing he shrank out of spans along the length of it, several times taller than either of them.  “ This is how the world looks to me. We, uh––we should go. ”

“ I gotta be dreamin’ . . .. Naw, I’m definitely dreamin’. I was jus’ seein’ Dutch–––– ”  SMACK! Caught mid-sentence, mid-word, Devin slaps Arthur right across the apple of his cheek. It makes him stumble. He gawks back at the borrower, bewildered. Ow. That was . . . quite the sucker punch.

Devin stares back at Arthur, just as bewildered. The redness had only just started to fade from their face, but now it’s back again full force.  “ I’m sorry, ”  they say quickly.  “ Isn’t that, uh––isn’t that a way to wake someone up from a dream? I’m sorry, I’ve never dealt with anything like this before. ”

“ Shit, Devin. ”  He rubs at the burning spot.  “ If I was dreamin’, I’m definitely awake now. ”  Which means this is actually happening. He’s actually, what? Three, four inches tall? Maybe three and a half, if he’s gauging himself based off of Devin. 

“ I’m sorry. ”  In their defense, they were trying to help. They take a breath and look over their shoulder, to the world beyond the tent.  “ We should . . . we need to go. You probably don’t want to be seen . . .. ”

Right. God, no, the gunslinger would rather die than have one of the others find him like this, all miniature and wearing a god damn toga. He pats his waist, instinctively moving to check for his guns, but, of course, they aren’t on him. No, they’re right where he left them, nestled in their holsters on his belt, which hangs from a post at the head of his bed. There’s no way he’d be able to use them like this.

“ Come on. ”  Devin takes his hand, pulling him from his thoughts. He takes just a moment to actually look at them. It’s never been possible to see them like this . . .. Were he in better spirits, he might chortle at the fact that he’s still taller than them. They lead him by the hand to the edge of the cot, where they previously snagged their hook into a loop in the tough canvas. A line of string hangs down from it, down to the ground far below. Arthur frowns.

“ Er . . . you sure it’ll hold? ”  He takes a knee and gingerly tugs at the line, uncertain.

“ It will. And even if it didn’t, a fall from this high up wouldn’t kill you. Wouldn’t be fun, but you’d be okay. Doubt you’d have more than a bit of bruising, if that. ”  They stomp the heel of their boot onto the hook and lean their weight onto it.  “ You first. Quickly. ”

Oh, Arthur does not like this. He doesn’t like anything about this. Jaw tight, the shrunken man takes the rope, lowers himself over the edge, and starts his descent down to the ground below. It’s surprisingly easy, he finds. He doesn’t ever remember climbing a rope, lifting his own weight, to be anything other than tiring, but he’s hardly breathing heavily by the time he makes it down. And Devin––hoo, they make it look even easier. They descend the rope in a quarter of the time it took Arthur, and they shake it free of the canvas like they’ve been doing it their whole life.

Well, they have been doing it their whole life.

“ This way. ”  Taking his hand again, Devin leads Arthur under the cot, and further under the wagon adjacent to his tent. The grass seems like a forest at this size––hell, it basically is in its own way––yet Devin moves so naturally through it. Arthur has always found it fascinating how Devin navigates their way through a giant world. Up close like this, it’s still just as fascinating.

After a bit of pushing through the grass, the pair come to a little clearing where it’s been pressed down and clipped. Arthur would guess correctly that it’s a miniature, Devin-sized campsite. They have a few bundles of fabric that he assumes is for sleeping, and a ring of stones with charred debris in the center. There’s also a sewn-up swath of burlap, no doubt holding more of Devin’s possessions.

“ This . . . where you live? ”  He isn’t sure what he expected. It looks like a campsite Arthur might make when he’s away from the gang for a few days, minus a tent.

“ I have several different spots that I stay at. I don’t usually spend too much time at any one camp, and travel between them when I need to. ”  They take one of the pieces of fabric, big as a blanket, and drape it over Arthur’s shoulders.  “ I have some clothes at another camp that might fit you. You stay here; I’ll go get them. ”

“ Wha––now hold on, Miss Devin. I don’t––– ”

“ Hup––! ”  Before he can finish his protest, Devin shoves a hand in his face.  “ No. Arthur, this isn’t a discussion. I don’t know how you got here, or how you’re going to get out of here, but, right now, you are in my world. ”  They let their hand fall and render him with a hard stare, holding it for a few extra seconds just to get their point across. Once they release it, though, they let out a breath and untie the wrap around their waist that holds their knife.

“ Hang onto this. I rarely need it anyway, since I know what I’m doing out there. If something does come by, you can use it to protect yourself. ”

Arthur hesitates, and almost turns down the weapon, but Devin’s features harden again. They shove it into his hands. It’s . . . not as heavy as he’d thought it would be. Up this close, Arthur can see the intricate carvings in the enamel more clearly.

“ Devin, I–––– ”

“ Most insects won’t mess with you, nor will mice. Rats can be more aggressive, but I doubt any will come by. They tend to avoid anywhere I’ve been recently. ”  The borrower adjusts their pack and starts for the treeline––grassline?

“ Devin, wait––– ”

“ If anything does come by, you try to hide first. If that doesn’t work, then you run. If that doesn’t work, then you fight. ” 

“ Devin! ”  They pause mid-step at the clearing edge. Arthur sighs.  “ Thank you. I know neither of us expected to, uh, deal with this today, so . . .. ”

They muster up a faint, genuine smile.  “ Of course, Arthur. Just . . . just lie low and stay here. I’ll be back before sundown. We’ll figure this out together. ”

Arthur nods and settles into the pile of fabrics, wrapping himself up a bit more. He watches Devin disappear into the grass, and listens until he can no longer hear them moving, then takes to surveying his surroundings. It's dawning upon him now how small and vulnerable he is. How the hell do borrowers do it?

Devin deserves way more admiration than he already gave them.

[abyssal-despair]

CHAPTER 5 EXECUTION - KICHIRO HIRABAYASHI, SHSL PARKOUR STUNT CAMERAMAN

sketches + writing by apple lines + colours by moa

A STUNTMAN’S LAST ACT

It took an effort for Kichiro to pick himself up off of cold concrete below him after being cast aside from the trial room, mind taking its time to catch up with his whereabouts as he wobbled to his feet. A shaky breath wracked his lungs, but he steadied himself, inhale for 5, exhale for 7. His eyes fluttered open to assess its surroundings.

He stood on building rooftop amidst a vast cityscape dense with infrastructure. It appeared as if it would be bustling with life, and yet it was eerily quiet and still, as if recently abandoned by its citizens. A camera hung in front of him by a metal crane, lens pointed towards him, staring back at his hunched figure. By his side was a second, but its focus was on the buildings that stood tall in front of him. They were firmly attached to a harness that hugged his torso tightly, like parasites, and god were they heavy. 

“Shit…” Kichiro muttered as he swiveled his body around and pulled at the straps that were bound to him, only to find that they had no intention of loosening up. He could only wait for something to happen, powerless to do anything in the midst of his confusion, but the silence didn’t last long. It was only a matter of seconds before someone else’s voice sizzled to life and rang through his ears.

“Ki-san!” 

From the building just a wide street across, Akito stared down at the cameraman, one hand pressed up against the clear glass between him and the drop below, and the other on the headphones clamped tightly around his head, another accessory that Kichiro soon came to learn he had. He bit his lip as his gaze closely followed the boy below him, the lump in his throat growing as sweat dripped down his forehead.

“...Akkun? Where are you?”

The boy leaned into the glass. “I...I’m In the building, across the street, just a few stories--” 

Their meeting was suddenly cut short by a deafening boom that shook the city out of its silence, the rumbling almost sending Akito to the ground. He was relatively quick to regain his bearings, amber eyes now wide and alert as he turned his gaze back towards the window, and beheld the sight that met him. 

Whatever was there, just two buildings away from his partner, was now in ruins, merely a pile of rocks and metal in the settling dust.

As if the first explosion had awoken a slumbering beast, the city began to spring to life; the lights within the buildings that appeared to stretch endlessly into the horizon flickered on and livened the otherwise desolate town, and the tall yellow cranes that lay dormant on various lots began to creak and turn, the giant metal balls that hung from them swinging from side to side, as if taunting them. Akito’s breath hitched as he watched the spectacle, and he turned his eyes downward, only to be met by rows upon rows of dynamite that littered the walkways at Kichiro’s side of the street, ready to be set off at any given moment.

It was all too quick to sink in, and yet, only one of them knew of the danger that befell them.

“Kichiro-san, you should start running.”

“What? Akito, what the fuck was--”

“I said run! J-Jump onto the building to your left, hurry!”

The ground shook once again as a wrecking ball crashed into the walls of the building where Kichiro stood, pieces of concrete narrowly missing his head as he dodged out of the way. Stunned into silence, and without a spare moment to question Akito, Kichiro lurched forward and ran as fast as he could muster with the equipment strapped to him, and leaped from his building to the next without so much as a missed beat. He had no time to pause before more instructions were fed to him, and barely enough to even scramble to his feet. He could only curse as he hurdled over the rooftop railings and latched himself onto the windowsills of the next edifice, the structure behind him quickly crumbling into a heap of debris after a final blow.

Akito could not sit still either. Eyes transfixed on Kichiro and the destruction that chased after him, he pulled his feet off of the ground and ran with ragged breaths across the glass halls and empty rooms of the building he himself was trapped in, attempting to navigate its twists and turns and corners that barred him from trudging forward. He struggled to catch up to Kichiro, to keep him in view, to instruct him, to direct him to safety, but he had no intention of falling behind. Akito wasn’t going to lose him-- He couldn’t *afford* to lose him amidst the chaos, in fear that every glance would be the last he’d ever see of the cameraman.  

The only thing the two could do was run, run, and run, and yet the game of cat and mouse did not relent despite their best efforts to escape it. They were only minutes into their seemingly endless plight before exhaustion began to weigh on them. 

Kichiro’s lungs burned as he continued to drag himself across the cityscape without pause, heart pounding loudly in his chest as he surged forward. Akito’s words began to blur in his ears, and the weight on his back only grew heavier by the second, but he kept himself standing nevertheless; he knew that slowing down could spell a death sentence.

Move forward.

He repeated to himself.

Move forward.

He planted his feet onto yet another rooftop. 

*Move for--*

The ground below Kichiro’s feet caved in.

Ah.

The boy plummeted as a wrecking ball blew through the roof he was standing on before he could make it to the other side. He gasped as he lost his footing and was pummelled by rubble, breath getting knocked out of him as his back hit solid pieces of hard rock. 

*“A-Are you okay?! Hey, answer me!”*

Akito’s concern swiftly pulled Kichiro out of his daze. He’d only fallen down a single floor, and managed to land atop most of the heavy chunks of rock he lay upon; he just had to push some out of the way with a heavy groan and a sharp breath. His body ached, and the drop opened wounds across his body, but he knew to ignore the pain; he couldn’t rest, not even for a second. Thankfully, the only major casualties were the cameras on his back. He choked back a cough.

*“Damn it-- I-I’m fine, I--”*

Akito looked off to the collapsing building next to Kichiro. The latter’s response was all he needed to reassure himself that the cameraman still had a chance to flee.

*“Y-You have to keep on moving, I’ll-- I’ll find a way to help you, please, just keep going for a little longer!”*

Akito knew that Kichiro was lucky to survive that one.

*“I-- I just, okay. Okay, but… but I’m not sure how much longer I can last.”*

And he knew that they were running out of time.

There must be a way for them both to make it out alive. *There had to be.* All of their efforts up to this point would be all for naught if Akito lost hope now. He couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes, nor sit there and watch. He pushed forward as soon as he made certain that the latter could stand, even though his legs throbbed and threatened to collapse under his own weight, stomach knotting as fatigue continued to wear down on his body.

Move forward. 

His vision tunneled as the frantic search for an end continued. He didn’t know how far he let his legs carry him, or what he was telling Kichiro anymore, gaze focused, moving, searching for that glimmer of hope. Where could it be? *There had to be something*, there had to a light at the end of the tunnel, there had to be an option, but where was it? 

*Move forward.*

Akito slammed his body through a closed door. A room? The boy looked left and right, but could find no other door he could go through aside from the one he entered. His stomach dropped. Could he have taken the wrong turn? This was the only way he could go through at the end of the hallway, and he couldn’t afford to turn back to find another way onwards. He had no other choice but to remain here.

Akito entered with haste, and only then did he notice that the room wasn’t empty like the others. By the window sat a long, crescent shaped table, and a tall office chair that was discarded to the side. Wait, maybe this was it. *What he was looking for is here.* There wasn’t any certainty, but his gut said otherwise.

He clumsily pushed the chair further away as he approached the seemingly empty table. He scanned its surface with trembling hands and they landed on a button embedded into the desk. There were words, printed onto the table with small letters.

‘Terminate Execution’

His chest swelled as hope bloomed within him. This was it.

Click.

And then there was silence. The city lights flickered off, and the cranes were lifeless once again. 

“Kichiro-san,” Akito called out excitedly, relieved smile spreading across his face. Thank god. “I think we did it!”

Kichiro ceased his running. “Really? Holy shit! We--”

And then, there was an explosion, and then another, and another, and another, and Akito’s hopes quickly ebbed away. What was happening? The city before him suddenly began to fall into pieces. The dynamite that littered the streets were being detonated all at once.

“What the-- Fuck, Akito! What did you do?!”

*What have I done?*

Akito stammered. He couldn’t breathe. He tried to find Kichiro an opening, somewhere to go, but everything was falling apart too quickly. The quick succession of crashes hurt his ears and clouded his mind, but he turned his head anyway, back and forth in search of someplace safe. Don’t panic, he told himself. Don’t panic. There had to be somewhere to go.

“Akito, hey! Where do I go?”

*There had to be.*

“Akito!”

...

There was nowhere to go.

“...Kichiro-san.” His voice trembled, and his breath caught in his throat. There was no time for him to say everything that remained at the tip of his tongue. There was no time to apologize a hundred times over for the fate he doomed Kichiro to. There was no time. There was no more time. And he was sorry.

“I-I’m sorry. There’s...nowhere for you to run to.”

Before Kichiro could say anything else, The foundation of the building under him had been destroyed, the tremor knocking the cameraman off of his feet. In a panic, he tried to pick himself back up, but it was only a second before the entire structure fell, and only a second before Kichiro disappeared into the dust.

Akito could only watch, and he could only listen as Kichiro’s screams came through the speakers around his ears, before it crackled, and then he was gone.

[millennialzadr]

WHY I LOVE ZADR!!!

HEY GUYS WHASSUP? LMAO

So this is a whole ass giant long post of me absolutely spewing my feelings of love for ZADR, it was the very first thing I wrote when I made this blog and I think it’s a nice, positive thing for my fellow shippers to inhale and enjoy 👌👌

it was originally a reply to mitarashiart’s post about why HE loves ZADR (link in replies) but I decided to delete that and make my own post since MY WHOLE ENTIRE TEXT WALL WAS SHOWN IN THE REPLIES and drowned out anyone else who was trying to talk (thanks tumblr mobile u fuckin idiot)

I had also posted a summary of an AU that I’m working on in the original post, but decided to remove it since it just about doubled the length (I’m thinking about posting it separately along with the wips I’ve been putting together, we’ll see 👀)

But ANYWAY, here is about a million reasons why I think ZADR is the fucking best, so if you like reading gushy gay ship feelings, please enjoy ❤️❤️❤️

[Posted June 2019][WARNING, LONG ASS THOUGHT BARF]

SOOO, holy hell y’all my journey back into this fandom has been a wild and unique experience for me, i went from adding invader zim to my bookmarks on kisscartoon, rewatching the series, finding out theres a movie coming out, finding out there was a shitload of content i’d never seen before (commentaries, lost episode scripts and audios, panels, the COMIC, episodes i’d never seen because the dvd i used to watch was scratched!! and a FUCKLOAD of quality modern fan art like oh my GOD) and finally curiously googling ‘zadr’ (which i was way into when i was maybeee 13/14) to see if there was any interesting new art, and holy hell, mita (the artist above) singlehandedly THREW me down the hole into modern zadr hell, first with his absolutely stunning IZ art (all his art is dope tho check him out yo), then reading the above explanation put the final nail in the coffin like, 100%

so i wanted to add onto his post here on why this ship got me so fucked up, both for anyone who might be wondering why on earth i’m shipping two characters from a kid’s show (i’m very aware how weird that is at first glance trust me) and also so i can get some ideas down for possible future reference (will i ever draw them? maybe)

(first of all, a disclaimer, and this is not pleasant to write but it’s important to address for clarity’s sake: I have no interest in romantic or sexual relationships between minors, and do not ship zim and dib as they are presented canonically in the show (as children). what i’m interested in is the conceptualized relationship they may have as modern adults, and i view zadr more as taking the concepts of existing characters and experimenting with them with different interpretations, which i personally think is a constructive and fun creative outlet, especially if these characters hold personal significance for you (childhood faves of course). growing up together is an important facet of their relationship, and certainly they were important to each other even as children (see: mopiness of doom) but as an adult i’m personally curious about what kind of adults they might’ve become, and that’s the focus of my interest. i’ll still be reblogging regular IZ art because it’s dope but if you see shippy looking art of them as tiny lil beans its either friendship or chibis (and i personally headcanon zim as getting taller with dib but some people stick with his canonical height when drawing them as adults, which is super short. it still doesn’t mean he’s a kid). aaand i wish i didnt have to write this and it would just be obvious but we live in a sick sad world and it is sourced from a children’s cartoon so i feel its necessary. end of disclaimer)

NOW THAT THAT’S OUT OF THE WAY

- ok, first reason’s a bit obvious - the nostalgia. holy hell, the feeling of rediscovering a ship that was popular when i was a preteen during the mid 2000s and discovering a totally new perspective on it as an adult comes with an almost totally overwhelming sense of nostalgia and comfort, as well as inspiration!! the kind of art that seems so common for zadr, these sketch pages of scenes and expressions and visual gags where artists would just scribble every idea they had and LOVE doing it, this was exactly the kind of art that made me so passionate about drawing as a kid, and it still sparks such a powerful feeling of love and admiration for me to this day. fan content of iz and zadr is simultaneously achingly familiar and totally new and fascinating, and it just makes me SO damn happy to consume, it is most definitely my new comfort content. and just, GOD. THE ART!! SO GOOD. FUCK

- now for the characters themselves: for some reason i just really love the thought of a mid twenties, modern Dib?? lanky goth dork, disaster bi, depressed as shit, uses bad sweaters and memes to cope?? when i was a kid i didn’t even LIKE Dib, but now i totally sympathize with him! he’s just a hyper obsessive nerd wishing there was more to life than the situation he got stuck with, how wildly relatable. he was a pretty big asshole as a kid (even to people besides zim) but he was also totally isolated and constantly bullied, so there’s a lot of room for growth. i feel there’s a lot of juicy character development potential for that boy, and there’s always been a special place in my heart for characters who are totally sad and screwed and hopeless, but there’s one thing, or person, that means the world to them and could possibly save them…

- aliens. Zim. i love nonhuman characters, i love monsters, i love aliens, i love characters that don’t understand human shit (and thus have much less room for shame or fear bc theyre just totally oblivious the negatives of modern society) and need guidance (bonding!!) from their human. i also love morally grey characters and characters with skewed logic, they’re always really interesting, and Zim himself just has such a unique personality and set of mannerisms, he contradicts himself a lot and you can never quite expect how he’ll behave, and i love that in a character, it makes them super versatile and fun, especially since there’s so many different possibilities for their development. Also, Zim is a gremlin, a little shit, and a disaster. I also love those traits in a character. And don’t even get me started on his character design?? big sparkly eyes? expressive antennae? monster teeth? complimenting colors? he’s adorable.

- mutual obsession. for someone like Dib, who seems almost repulsed by how boring and slow the people around him are, Zim quite literally personifies Dib’s  escapist fantasies, both as an inhuman entity from beyond the stars, and as a person who’s knowledge, charisma and mystery far exceeds that of anyone Dib has met in his entire life. (so basically what i’m saying is that for a shunned, jaded misanthropist, an actual alien is terribly alluring, even if said alien is dangerous, stupid, and possibly insane). not to mention Zim vindicates Dib’s entire life passion, the supernatural! Even when their relationship is totally negative, there is not a single inch of room for Dib to get tired of Zim. as mita explained, they validate each other. for Zim, WHO AGAIN, IS TOTALLY SHUNNED, ISOLATED, AND HATED BY EVERYONE HE KNOWS, Dib is the only person in the universe who gives a single shit about him!! he gives Zim credit as a threat, a capable invader, which if you ask me is the sole thing Zim is after (he’s hellbent on his mission because it would win him the approval of the tallest, all he’s ever wanted is recognition from the people he thinks so highly of). He literally gets depressed when Dib isn’t around to pay attention to him, not even the tallest were enough to motivate him before Dib came back. these two have no one and nothing without each other, and while lifelong nemeses is fine and dandy, i personally prefer friendship, affection and love, cause i’m a softie like that. how could they possibly get there after years of actively trying to kill each other?? well, i think under just the right circumstances it could become a possibility after a long, long time.

- growth. i. love. me. some. good. character growth. especially for characters with trauma/mental illness, bc again, relatable. these boys have issues, and as mita mentioned, their canon stories are actually INCREDIBLY sad! but the happy thought is, they could recover! they could help each other recover, for little reason other than the two are the only source of happiness for each other. now of course this also opens the gate for angst lovers, but at the same time offers potential for comforting, uplifting content of the boys supporting and inspiring each other, maybe even to the point of becoming happy and healthy enough to create the lives they want for themselves (as in appreciating life and doing things that make them actually happy instead of the delusions of grandeur they both sought when they were younger). gimme that positive shit and let the poor beans be happy  щ(ಠ益ಠщ)

- LITTLE THINGS. LITTLE THINGS THAT ONLY COME WITH CHILDHOOD FRIENDS. WITH HUMAN/NONHUMAN. WITH THE SHOW’S WEIRD LOGIC. Zim being the person Dib knows best and vice versa. Zim having an involuntary respect/admiration for Dib because he’s tall. Learning each other’s needs, limits, and communication methods, both emotionally and biologically. Sensitive antennae. Affectionate bickering. Being less insecure bc your partner literally has no idea why you see your flaws as flaws. Laughing at the flaws they do notice because they make no sense. Zim only wanting to eat waffles and chow mein. Dib being forced to overcome his depression lethargy and stay hygienic/keep the apartment clean because Zim has a sharper sense of smell and is afraid of germs. Endless conversation about anything and everything because they’re from literally different worlds, and endless intrigue. TOUCHING. TALKING. DOING EVERYTHING LIKE ITS THE VERY FIRST TIME AND ALWAYS NEEDING THE OTHER TO GUIDE THEM. HOLY HELL THERE IS SO MUCH POSSIBILITY FOR TINY LITTLE MOMENTS THAT MEAN THE WORLD. FUCK. GOT ME FUCKED UP.

so that wraps up the why. fuck man. its just such a good ship. if you read this big ass text post, thank you for indulging me, i hope you enjoyed it! because i enjoy it very much 👀 so stick around if you’d like to for a shit load of IZ and zadr content on this blog, possibly (MAYBE) even from me!! come roll around in alien hell with me why dontcha ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ its a fun time! thanks for reading!!!

-

SO THAT’S MY MANIFESTO Y’ALL, FEEL FREE TO REPLY WITH YOUR OWN REASONS!! I WOULD LOVE FOR THIS POST TO JUST BECOME A BIG GIANT PILE OF LOVE AND YELLING!! GO NUTS! SCREAM ABOUT IT! INFODUMP! DO WHATEVER YOU WANT! I’LL READ EVERY LAST REPLY! Y’ALL DESERVE TO ENJOY YOUR SHIP BC IT’S LITERALLY THE FUCKING BEST!!! LOVE Y’ALL!!!!!!

[ezilyamuzed]

Ten Years Gone- Chapter One

Description: Ten years ago, your world had changed. Ten years ago, you had met him, leading your life to never be the same again. Time is running out, but is it too late after all these years?

Word Count: 5963

Warnings: Language, angst, death (I think that’s about it)

A/N: The first chapter to a new series. If you haven’t read the prelude, you can HERE. This takes place at the end of season 1, beginning of season 2. I re-watch specific episodes to integrate the story in as much as I can into the real one (some things are bound to be reworked a bit!) This process takes lots of time, so please let me know what you think. Also I suggest a re-watch anyways because - come’on, they’re worth it!

Any grammatical mistakes are all my own, because I am human. Remember all comments and feedback are welcomed! If you want a tag in future posts regarding this series or other writings please send an ask!  Please  leave a comment if you like it, it keeps me motivated to continue! As always thank you for reading! Enjoy!  

TEN YEARS GONE MASTERLIST

*Picture and lyrics used are not mine. Led Zeppelin is Amazing.

* Flashbacks are all BOLD and Italicized. 

*Oh, do you know my name? Do I look the same. You know I'm the one you want. I must be the one you need.

You reached over and turned the knob of the radio up, getting lost in the rhythm of Zepplin while on your way to Bobby’s reminded you of old times; the good times when you would sit in the back seat while your Uncle Danny sung along while driving. Now it was just you and his ‘70 Chevelle, taking on the world one monster at a time. 

You were still grimy from the last hunt, and the fact that there was no A/C on a 90 degree day left you a sweaty mess sticking to the seat, even with the windows rolled down. Your tank top was practically drenched and your shorts probably looked like you peed yourself, but that didn’t really matter. In a few minutes you’d be walking into the place you had called home for the better part of 9 years and honestly, Bobby had seen you in worse shape. Hell, he’s bandaged you more times than you’d like to admit. 

Spending your birthday with him had become somewhat of a tradition. Each year that past was another one closer to countdown. At least you were never alone. You were early this year by almost a month, but only because your car needed fixing. And it was also nice to relax every once in a while, but you’d never tell Bobby that. 

As you pulled up to the sweet sight of home, you noticed a different black car parked along the side- John Winchester’s unmistakable black impala. After shifting into park you sat in the car for a minute, contemplating whether you should or should not go in. It had been years since you had seen him and the last time, well, that was something that no one wanted to ever talk about. So what would he be doing here? 

You exhaled deeply as you peeled yourself off of the seat, walking slowly to be greeted by your favorite living being in the world.

“Hey ya Rumsfeld,” you smiled as you crunched down and rubbed the aging Rottweiler behind his ears. “We got company huh?�� 

Rumsfeld turned his head towards the house and back to you, licking your cheek to show his affection.

“Missed you too boy,” you gave him another pat on his head as you stood. “Guess I’ll go see what’s going on.”

You walked through the back door to the kitchen and called out for Bobby. He yelled that he was in the living room and he would be right with you. You heard someone ask who Bobby was talking to, to which he didn’t respond. That was supposed to queue you to stay out of it, but curiosity got the best of you. It always did. 

“Why does it look like John Winchester’s car is out there?” You asked as you walked into the living room. 

You stopped in your tracks as you saw Bobby staring at you in disapproval as a young tall guy turned his head towards your direction. He looked like a green eyed god in a leather jacket. Your heart skipped a beat as he flashed a slight smile to you while he looked you up and down with widened eyes. He was smooth looking like James Dean. That’s when it hit you. Dean. No, it couldn’t be.

“Y/N,” Bobby spoke up. “You remember Dean and Sam.”

Dean. Dean fucking Winchester. Your first kiss. Hell your first love was standing there after so many years. The man who made you go all stupid so long ago.

“Wait, Y/N?” His eyes grew wider in surprise, almost like a disbelief. 

“Wow,” you heard a voice from behind him. A tall, practically a giant to you, shaggy haired kid stood up from the desk with a huge smile on his face as he approached you. He wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace picking you up a little, knocking the breath right out of you. “It’s been a long time.”

“Sam?” You exhaled out as you realized that this was now post pubescent little Sammy cradling you in his arms like a rag doll. “Holy shit you’ve grown!”

“Yeah, I can kick Dean’s ass now,” he smiled as he dropped his arms and stepped back.

“You wish,” Dean snarked back, before turning to you with a sheepish grin. “Good to see you Y/N.”

“Yup,” you popped off your lips, really hoping that he didn’t think you were still pining over him for almost a decade. 

“Did you lose all your clothes in a fight there Y/N?” Bobby spoke up again in that damn fatherly tone, making you realize that your outfit was practically nonexistent, especially when there was company around. No wonder Dean had looked at you that way.

“A/C is busted,” you shrugged. “While in town, I figured I could use the garage. Didn’t think there’d be company.”

“Took a liking to cars anyway huh?” Dean smiled, knowing that it would be your biggest complaint when he would suggest things to do.

“Anyways,” you turned your head to Sam. “What brings you here after all this time? Finally remembered the address?”

The barking of Rumsfeld stopped anyone from saying anything else. Bobby ran to the window with Dean as Sam looked over to you in panic, pushing you back to go to another room. Whatever was going on, you didn’t have enough time to question it as you heard the front door bust open with a woman’s voice now speaking.

You listened to them carefully, waiting to see if it was possible to stop whatever had come through that door. Whatever it was, they did a lot of monologuing for some colt. Wait, not THE Colt? You thought that was an urban legend, not real. And the Winchester’s had it? That could only mean one thing; the girl was a fucking demon. You listened as she talked, hearing her voice move through the room with the steady steps of someone else leading her further in the room.

“Good job Bobby,” you thought to yourself. “Get her into the trap.”

Hearing Dean’s voice inform her that they got her, you breathed out deeply after realizing that you had been holding it in. Fucking demons, the worst thing you’ve ever come across. Impossible to kill and impossible to predict.

“Bobby,” you moved from your hiding spot to the living room, only to see the demon in a young girl’s body, probably around your age. Poor thing, she was probably dead already. 

“Salt. Windows. Now!” He instructed, making you jump to hit all the upstairs entrances in a hurry, a task you were all too familiar with. 

As soon as you finished you went back down the stairs, witnessing Dean double fastening the knots on the rope he had tied around her. She looked at you with a grin, almost like she had known who you were. 

“Y/N, you need to get out of here now,” Bobby stated as he walked past you.

“What’s happening Bobby?” You asked as you grabbed his arm to stop him. 

“It’s John, he’s been taken,” he spoke clearly and firmly. “Now you need to go upstairs now.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Now Y/N!” He growled as he shook off your grip, going back to the boys to inform them that everything had been salted. 

You stood there for a second, wanting to protest Bobby’s directions, but you knew whatever was going on, it had to be big. Hell, if John and the boys were involved it most definitely was. You looked back towards them as you ascended the stairs, catching a glimpse of Dean looking at you with his jaw tightening and fury written all over his face. A look you had seen only one other person do before; his dad.

————-

You laid out on your bed, finishing up the last bit of a creative writing assignment; integrating Hamlet into the current year. That was easy enough. Your world was definitely not short of witches, ghosts, magic, and vengeance. Besides Bobby, it had been rather quiet weeks that followed after the boys had left. The last you had heard from your uncle Danny, he was onto something big. That was almost 3 weeks ago. You started feeling dread in the pit of your stomach, but Bobby would try to reassure you that he would be coming back, just sometimes it was a hard task to get a phone. That excuse made you roll your eyes every time he used it. He was trying to keep you safe, but unfortunately in this life you can’t always do that. 

Hearing a rumble of an engine approaching you got up and looked out your window to the driveway. Kicking up the dusty ground you saw for the first time in months the sleek black Impala you had hoped to see again. Your heart was racing as you ran out of your room and bolted down the stairs. Flinging the door open, you ran outside with a bright smile, only for it to fade as you realized it only had one occupant.

“Y/N,” John stated as he walked around the car.

“Where’s Dean and Sam?” you asked while moving your head around him, hoping that somehow they would spring up from hiding.

“We need to talk,” his voice sounding grave and eerie.

You stopped and looked up at him, his face twisted in guilt, as if he was searching for the words to tell you the worst. That’s when the dread grew larger in the pit of your stomach, filling your throat with bile, and your eyes with tears as you managed to mumble out your question.

“How?”

“Demon,” he breathed out, as he looked you in the eyes, his filled with fury with his clenching jaw. “I’m sorry Y/N, but Danny is gone.”

——————

You sat with your knees up to your chest on top of the stairs, feeling like a kid again listening in on her parents when she should have been sleeping. They were exercising her out of the meat suit, at least attempting rather slowly to try and get answers out of her. Demons lie and they trick people into believing it’s real. That’s just what they do. 

As you felt the house shake, you knew the exorcism was happening; sending the demon back to the hell from where it came. You slowly stood up, grasping the banister as you overheard Dean and Sam with the prodding questions to the girl that was clearly dying. 

As Bobby moved to grab her water he stopped and just shook his head to you, signaling you to stay away and for once. You listened and sat yourself back down, hidden away from their sights. 

You could hear the eerie gurgle of her last words, and the desperation in Dean’s voice making you feel your heart break for him. He had known loss, but this? No one ever gets used to this. 

“You boys better get a move on before the paramedics get here,” Bobby instructed them, which was a blatant lie. No paramedics were coming. He knew and you knew what was going to happen before they did. 

“What about Y/N?” Sam spoke up. “Is she okay?”

“Don’t you worry about her,” Bobby insisted as he led them out the door. “You just get back your dad and bring him back here.”

“Thanks Bobby,” you heard Dean say as they left out the door. 

As soon as you heard the engine rive up, you finally descended down the stairs, already prepared for what was to happen next. 

“Bury or burn,” you asked with a sigh to Bobby as you glimpse down at the young girls lifeless body. 

“It’ll be dark soon. We will burn the body and bury her after,” he stated while taking off his signature hat and running his fingers through his hair.

“Bobby,” you spoke up again. “Those boys don’t know what they’re getting into. We should have gone with them. I could help. I-“

“No,” Bobby shook his head. “Whatever mess they’ve gotten themselves into, those boys will make it out.”

“They didn’t even know what they were doing. You're sending them in blind without backup.” You argued. “They barely knew how to do an exorcism.”

Bobby looked at you, giving his own disapproving glare that you would want to ever get involved with the Winchester’s and demons. 

“They’ll be fine,” Bobby tried to reassure you. “They’re stronger than you think.”

“What about when they realize that John is dead?” You found yourself asking out loud. 

Bobby exhaled deeply, shaking his head slowly to your words. A circumstance he didn’t want to admit was possible, but you knew better. 

“Then we will be here for them after,” he responded with certainty. “Those boys, well like you, they are family. I know you don’t like this, but it’s for the best.”

You didn’t want to argue anymore since you knew there was no point in ever trying to change Bobby’s mind once it was made. You rolled your eyes and turned to the door. 

“It’s almost dark, I’m going to set up everything for the fire, but after we’re done, I’m not sticking around to see whatever mess they come back as,” you stated as you opened the door, pausing for a moment before shutting it behind you. “If they come back.”

As the door shut behind you, you lifted your head to feel the dusk air turning cooler. You looked over to where Rumsfeld used to lay on the old truck now vacant. Your anger rose inside of you as you thought about how in less than 5 minutes upon your arrival at Bobby’s, demons had managed to come back into your life and of course Winchester’s were involved.

———

“His storage locker isn’t too much further away Y/N,” John stated to you from his spot in the driver’s seat. “You sure you want to do this?”

“Everything he kept from his childhood, his life and my parents' lives before is in there,” you stated while leaning your head against the window of the passenger side. “I can’t just leave it there to collect dust and be forgotten.”

“Anything else-“ he paused to see your reaction before continuing. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t get into the wrong hands.”

“Take whatever you need,” you shook your head with a sigh. “I want nothing to do with that life, not when it’s taken everything from me already.”

John remained silent as his eyes stayed fixed on the road. You could see out of the corner of your eye that he was subtly nodding in agreement.

“Bobby will take care of you,” he broke the silence after a few minutes. “You can live the normal life you deserve.”

“Normal. What’s that,” you asked yourself as you turned your head back to the scenery. After John had told you the news he offered to take you to collect items Danny had hidden in storage. It wasn’t a short trip, especially next to John Winchester. You had wished Dean and Sam were at least with you, but Bobby was on his way to pick them up at their latest school. 

For once it wasn’t  just trees galore you were looking at, but skyscrapers and buildings with luxurious architectural fixtures. Definitely different than your usual, which most certainly explained why Danny had chosen it. 

The two of you stayed in silence until he pulled up to the storage  place- Castle Storage. As he put the car in park you prepared yourself for whatever you were going to find in there. It wasn’t going to be easy looking at things that would remind you of what you had lost, but it had to be done. 

‘Happy birthday to you’, you had thought as you followed John’s lead to inside the building, turning around corners until he finally stopped at a door. You watched as he unlocked it with a key that had hung on your uncle’s keyring, popping open the door and turning on the light to the side of him. 

“Wait one second,” he advised as he held out his arm to stop you from moving. “Your uncle could be a paranoid SOB, so there may be traps.” 

He glanced down by his feet, and crouched down low, seeing something you obviously did not.

“Tripwire,” he informed you as he stood back up. “Watch your step and follow my lead.”

You nodded as you watched him take a few steps in and followed him exactly. It was like an arsenal and a museum of fucked up shit all at once. His life, all collecting dust in a storage room to be forgotten. You glanced down at the floor, there was a weird star painted on it with markings all over.

“Devil’s trap,” John commented as he moved further in. “Stops demons from moving anywhere.”

You felt a sense of dread as you drew closer, every nerve in you telling you that this was a bad place.

“Can we hurry up? I don’t want to be here,” you stated as you drew your arms close to your chest.

“In and out,” he stated as he opened up a couple of cardboard boxes. “I think this is what we’re here for.”

You peaked inside, right on top was a collection of family photos. Your family photos. You reached in and gathered them up, taking a moment to remember your parents faces.

“He definitely had a collection. It’s going to take me awhile to get this all out of here,” John said, breaking you from your thoughts.

“Just keep it all here then,” you shrugged as you continued looking throughout the box that was filled with random papers at the bottom. “It’s not like anyone else is using it.”

“Maybe I will,” he stated while moving around some of the weapons that were carefully placed along a caged wall. 

“Well, now. Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”

That voice. You knew that voice. It was your uncle Danny’s. John and you quickly turned your heads to it, your heart was racing out of your chest.

“Danny,” you breathed out in cry, about to move to him but John grabbed your arm before you could move.

“Y/N stop. That’s not Danny.”

—————

 After scrubbing the foul stench of burned flesh and dirt of your skin, you made your way to the local pub. You didn’t want to argue with Bobby anymore about not helping Sam and Dean. Dean Winchester, after all these years he still made your heart ache just by thinking of his name, meaning you had to find a quick distraction for the night, so what better place to do it?

 Some familiar faces gave you a nod as you sat down and ordered a double whiskey neat and a beer. 

“I see trouble is back in town,” you heard behind you, making you turn your head to see the skeptical glare of the sheriff that had on more than one occasion threatened to arrest you for good, but nothing could ever stick.

“Sheriff Mills,” you grinned. “Isn’t it about time to retire?”

“Not if you’re still hanging around these parts. You and that old drunk Bobby.” She grinned back. “ So what are you doing back in town? It’s been almost a year.”

“Nice to see you miss me when I’m gone,” you scoffed back as you took a sip of your beer. “It’s my birthday in a couple weeks, so I’m just visiting the ‘ol man. I’ll be out of your hair soon.”

“Stay out of trouble Y/N,” she warned. “You’re still young. I’d hate to see you throw away your life over something stupid.”

You let out a quick laugh as you shook your head.

“Have a good night Sheriff.”

You watched as she walked away before she let out that damn motherly sigh of disappointment. What did she know about anything anyways? You weren’t purposely throwing your life away, you were living it with the little time you had left.

“Hey there trouble, I see the Sheriff already gave you your yearly warning.”

You looked at the man behind the bar grinning back at you as he leaned back with his muscular arms crossing his equally muscular chest. Josh Adams, the local bartender that had been your on and off again distraction since high school when you came into town. 

“Just the trouble I was looking to find,” you winked and smiled as you downed your shot. “How about another round?”

————————

John’s words rang in your head as you stared at the face of your uncle. How could it not be him?

“Aw John, why of course I am,” his eyes flashed bright yellow as he grinned and let out a manic laugh.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus,” John stated to say, making the yellow eyed fraud stop smiling and grow in anger.

“Enough of that John,” he snarled. “We don’t want things to get messy now do we.”

“Omnis  satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii,”John continued before the demon waved his hand and knocked him back hard enough to the ground to knock him out.

“That’s better,” he grinned again before looking at you.

The fear was growing inside of you the way that his eyes glared. The tears couldn’t stop flowing as you witnessed your uncle’s face twisting as he moved towards you. Your eyes moved down to the floor. The trap. You could get him in the trap until John woke up. Unfortunately your eyes gave it away, as he looked down and smiled as he stepped around it.

“What a pretty little girl you are,” he smirked.

“Wh..what do you want with me,” your voice quavering. 

“You are just what I’ve been looking for,” he grinned as he drew closer. “I need someone with a little fire for my army.”

As you felt your breath catch in your chest while his eyes gleamed yellow at you again, you felt a hard metal  object down by your right hand. Panic rose in you as you picked it up and smashed it up against the skull of your uncle’s body. It had taken him by surprise with you continuing in a frantic, pushing him closer to the demon trap. Before he crossed over he opened his mouth up wide and a cloud of black smoke filled the room, rushing towards John’s limp body until it cleared away. You went to rush over to him, but stopped dead in your tracks as his eyes sprung open, now bright yellow.

“I see spending time with hunters has turned you brave,” he smiled as he stood. “That’s good. It means that you’ll be strong enough for what will happen. You’re a fighter.”

“I will never agree to join you. I won’t do it!” You yelled out loud.

“How sweet. Do you think you have a choice? How about I change your mind,” he smiled as he pulled out a pearl handled gun from the waist of John’s pants and shot it right to where John’s heart should be, making you jump out of your skin as you heard the sound. “So what will it be Y/N? Your life or his?”

———————-

You had lied when you said you would be leaving again, and Bobby knew it but went along with it as you took your time finding your next hunt. You had to know what had happened, if they even survived. Six days had come and gone when Bobby got a call from Dean, letting him know what had happened. John was dead thanks to the yellow eyed demon that was still out there. Your demon. They had failed. 

Bobby took one of his tow trucks to go get them, a couple days there and back. You stayed perched in his living room, flipping through books as you waited patiently for them to return. Anxiously waiting to see why the demon was so interested in them and if they even had the slightest plan.

You awoke to the sound of the heavy truck making its way down the gravel driveway. The slam of the doors made you look out the window as the three men stood there talking about something in the darkness. There was a solemn look on all their faces as the lights hit the mangled impala and their own matching  bruises. You watched as they turned to the house to enter it, and for some reason instead of getting up, you shut your eyes tightly and pretended to still be sleeping.

“I see the couch is taken,” you heard Dean chuckle with sarcasm before hearing a wince or pain. 

“Take a bed upstairs,” Bobby instructed them. “You need some sleep.”

“Thanks Bobby,” Sam muttered as you heard them ascend the stairs.

“They’re gone. You don’t have to pretend to be sleeping anymore,” Bobby stated after a few minutes, making you open your eyes.

“How’d you know?”

“I know you and how you’ve probably been sitting here since I left, waiting to see if everyone was alright.”

“What happened?”

Bobby shook his head as he picked up the near empty bottle next to you and downed it in a gulp. 

“It’s only the beginning, isn’t it?” You found yourself asking the obvious.

He shook his head to confirm your words as he sat the empty bottle down and walked towards his desk to pull out another.

“I think it’s worse than what we know. Something bad is brewing and it’s no time to be hanging on the sidelines.”

You let out a little chuckle, knowing that was Bobby’s way of saying he was wrong and you were right. No time to sit out. You had work to do. 

———————————

“So what’s your choice?”

Your mind raced as your breath quickened while you watched the blood pour from John’s chest. Sam and Dean. Their dad was going to die if you didn’t make up your mind right there. They were going to be alone in the world just like you. 

 “Tick tock goes the clock,” he teased. “He won’t have much blood left if you wait too long.”

Could you let this happen to them? How would you even live with yourself knowing you choose yourself over their dad; even if he wasn’t the father of the year. They would never forgive you.

“Yes,” you breathed out as tears rolled down your face as you claimed the position of the martyr.

“Yes what?” He grinned. 

“My life for his,” you looked up to him through your tears.

“That’s a good girl,” he stated as he drew closer. “Now to make it official. Your life for his. You get 10 years and then you are mine. Standard deal of course.”

Ten years? You had expected him to kill you right there. Why wait so long? 

“Oh the little fire pistol you’ll be when that day arrives. Oh yes, you will be useful to me then. Until then; a kiss to seal the deal,” he grinned. “Now be a good girl and give daddy a kiss.”

Your face twisted as you fought the sickness in your throat from coming up as you kissed John’s lips. Your second kiss and it was to promise your life away. You quickly pulled away and saw his eyes flash yellow once more before the cloud of black smoke rushed out of John’s mouth, making him fall down to the ground.

You dropped down to your knees, examining where the bullet had gone. There was nothing but smeared blood over the now healed spot. He was safe. He was alive.

John’s eyes fluttered open as he groaned.

“Y/N, what happened?” He demanded in a fierce rage.”What did you do?”

Happy birthday to you.

—————————-

The sun shining through the curtains awoke you, making you stretch out along the couch. As you stood up, you glanced at Bobby asleep on the desk. The fresh bottle from last night was now empty as well. You threw your hair up into a mess on top of your head as you made your way to the coffee pot. Caffeine was a necessity on most days and you were sure that was certainly true now especially after the couple days that the boys must have gone through. 

After the coffee was done and you made some toast with jelly, you sat at the table with your legs nestled under you to read the latest obits online.

“Um, morning,” you heard Dean say as he entered, rubbing the mess of hair on his head, a healing gash bandaged across his forehead. “Didn’t know anyone would be up this early.”

“Coffee is fresh,” you stated back, trying not to look at him.

“Thanks,” he mumbled as he retrieved a cup of his own.

He took the seat next to you and sat in silence as he sipped his drink. You didn’t allow yourself to flinch as he started to tap his thumb off the table.

“So what are you looking-“

“Sorry to hear what happened,” you said cutting him off. He was trying to make small talk and you wanted to get down to business.

He let out a deep sigh before responding.

“Thanks,” he mumbled before taking another sip.

“So what’s your plan now?” You asked while finally looking up at him, his eyes now furrowing to you.

“I don’t know,” he replied quickly. “Fix my baby out there and who knows.”

You leaned your head to look out the window at the broken down Impala. It looked like a freaking parade of MAC trucks had a demolition derby on it.

“Scrap it,” you rolled your eyes.

“You shut your mouth,” Dean hissed with anger, making you look back in surprise.

“It’s just a car Dean.”

“Yeah and what would you do if that had happened to Danny’s car out there?”

You let out a sigh as you came to the agreement in your mind that you would murder anything for fucking with it. Hell, you have before. 

“Touché,” you shrugged.

“So what are you looking at this early? Don’t you have a job or something to get to?”

“I’m looking for the next job,” you stated as you turned the computer screen to his view. “A couple outside of Toledo were found dead, drained of blood. Might be vampires.”

“You’re a Hunter?” He questioned with a gasp. “How the hell did that happen?”

“You know the standard dead parents, fucked up childhood, raised by an old drunk of a hunter kind of way,” you sassed back. “Limits the desire to sit behind a desk.”

“Touché,” he shook his head with a laugh. “I had hoped you had done something better with your life.”

“And who’s to say this isn’t something better than the pitfalls of being normal and ignorant to what’s really going on?”

“Says that scar I can see on your upper thigh, those dark circles under your eyes and the scent of last night’s bourbon on you.”

You looked down to see the reminder peeking out from your shorts from a run in with a wolf during a full moon. Bastard had got ya good, but he was now a rug somewhere. 

“I’m just tired and you’re the one to talk for looking like shit.” You rolled your eyes before you realized that you had just taken a jab at the fact that he just went through hell and lost. “I-I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to-“

“It’s alright,” he let out a breath. “We all have our scars and the stories to match ‘em.”

“Eventually they all heal right?”

———————

“How could you let this happen John?” You heard Bobby screaming from inside the house.

You sat outside by a worn down truck playing with the little puppy Bobby had surprised you with when you returned for your birthday. Rumsfeld. With everything that had happened, he wanted you to feel safe and loved, even if he couldn’t give it to you. 

“They’re going to kill each other in there,” you heard Dean state as he sat next to you, giving Rummy a rub on his ear. “What happened anyways? Thought my dad was just taking you to pick up some stuff from your uncle?”

“He did,” you simply replied, not wanting to go into it. 

“So why are they yelling at each other?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, lying directly to him. You knew exactly why. You had sold your soul for John’s life and 10 years. Definitely not something anyone should be happy about, but you couldn’t bear seeing the alternative. “Where’s Sam?”

“In the car,” Dean motioned around the corner. “Dad told us to wait for him in there, but I wanted to see what was up before we left. I don’t think we will be welcomed after this.”

“They’ll get over it eventually Dean,” you stated. “They have too. You’re all the family I have left.” 

You felt a tear roll down your cheek and as fast as it happened was just as fast as Dean moved to wipe it away. He then put his arms around you, giving you a deep hug as you laid your head on his shoulder. 

“Hey eventually it’ll get better, I promise.”

“It feels like I’ve been stabbed in my gut,” you softly stated, breaking away from his embrace.

“Look at this,” Dean pointed to the little scar on his chin. “When I was little I fell doing dumb stuff outside and my mom had to banged me up. Hurt like a bitch, but it healed. Even after all these years, the scar tissue can hurt, but it’s a reminder that I had someone who loved and cared for me. Scars heal Y/N, but the memories are what make us who we are. Don’t forget that.”

“You always know the right thing to say Winchester,” you smiled back. 

“By the way, happy birthday,” his emerald eyes gleamed. “I know it’s a little late since it was yesterday, but you were gone. I just wanted you to know that I was thinking about you.”

The grin on your face spread as you looked over at him. He went to lean in, to give you that soft sweet kiss you wanted, not the harsh one from a demon you had gotten just yesterday. 

The two of you jumped to your feet as you heard the door slap open hard. John was yelling for Dean and Bobby was yelling at John to get the hell out of his sight. Dean looked back at you and pressed his lips quickly on yours before running towards their direction. You followed behind to witness Bobby waving a shotgun at John, his face red with rage. 

“Don’t you ever come back here you son of a bitch!” 

As soon as Dean and John jumped in the car with a frightened Sam in the back, they peeled out of the driveway leaving a trail of dust behind. 

“What the hell Bobby?” You screamed. “Why would you do that?”

“He had no business getting you mixed into this shit. Danny never wanted that and I’ll be damned if I allow it to happen,” he seethed. “I swear I will find a way out of this. Whatever it takes.”

The dust was settling down along the driveway, the impala nowhere in sight. You stood in your spot for what felt like forever, hoping to see them coming back. But they wouldn’t...not for a long time.

....to be continued....

Tags: (Let me know if you don’t want added!)   @snffbeebee​@waywardnerd67​​ @waywardbaby​​ @dean-winchesters-bacon​​ @jaylarkson​​ @ladywinchester1967​​ @wildefire​​ @i-hear-crazy-calling-my-name @hobby27​​ @iamabeautifulperson18​​ @19agbrown​​ @sonotalice​​ @drakelover78​​ @aloneanddesperate​​ @pisces-cutie​​ @biawol​​ @jamielea81​​ @fallininjapan​​ @justkending​

[bunjywunjy]

PUMPED-UP KICKS

if you ever visit the African Savanna, you might be lucky enough to see one of these majestic and incredible creatures! of course if you do, it’s probably because one is sprinting directly towards you at mach fuck with intent to punt your head clean off like a wayward football. (this simile works equally well with both American and Regular footballs because you kick the shit out of both of them.)

better duck, because it’s

all the other kids with the pumped-up kicks you better run better run, outrun me because I’m going to kick the shit out of you

the Ostrich is what happens when Evolution really really wants to make a horse, but all it has to work with is a vulture. but Evolution wants a horse, so by god this vulture is going to become a fucking horse. and hey presto! THAT’S HOW YOU GET THE OSTRICH.

the result is an animal that looks like it was cobbled together from spare parts. it has a tiny naked head and huge cartoon eyeballs (among the largest of any land animal!) and a long and equally naked neck. meanwhile the rest of the Ostrich looks like a dinosaur got caught in some kind of horrific pillow factory accident. but it doesn’t matter that you look like a goofy bastard if you’re also a 300-pound nightmare horsebird!

you look... nice! YOU LOOK NICE. DON’T KICK ME.

that’s right, the Ostrich is world’s largest flightless bird, by a really absurd margin! (almost everything about this bird is absurd.) an adult can stand 9 feet tall and weigh 320 pounds, HOLY SHIT. that’s big enough to ride, if you could get one to stop kicking you to death long enough to get a saddle on it. (don’t do this, you will die.)

and this giant avian shares a body plan with certain long-dead animals you may recognize! that’s right, the Ostrich is basically a re-evolved dinosaur. ...sort of. it’s more like the Cenozoic tried to copy the Mesozoic’s homework from the other side of the room during a blackout. the intent is there, but the execution is a bit.... well. Ostrich!   

YOU LOOK NICE YOU LOOK NICE AAAARGH

Ostriches can be found sprinting across the flat bits of the African continent like a feathered Forrest Gump. these mighty ground birds are good at one thing and one thing only, but DAMN do they do it well! their giant dinosaur legs end in highly efficient two-toed feet, making them one of nature’s natural sprinters.

the Ostrich can reach speeds on the ground that most other birds only hit in flight- up to 43 mph! YOU COULD RACE ONE OF THESE THINGS IN A FORD PINTO AND LOSE. Ostriches support this high-energy lifestyle with a diet of... *drumroll* mostly plants and insects. anticlimactic! 

but is running all those giant and bizarrely naked legs are good for? haha, no.

surprise, they also kick people.

because Ostriches are birds, their defensive stats are naturally pretty low. but they share a continent with a lot of large mammals, many of whom wouldn’t say no to a nice meal of Ostrich drumsticks! what’s a poor bird to do? 

well, if an Ostrich can’t run from a predator, they’ll just beat it to death instead. and that’s no idle threat- those long powerful legs deliver a kick that can kill a fucking lion in one hit. imagine what that 500 psi judo move could do to an uppity two-legged primate.

he will Wu Tang Clan your head RIGHT OFF.

but will an Ostrich actually kill a human, or do they have... other activities in mind? *eyebrow wiggle* you’ve probably read an internet article or three about how Ostriches supposedly find humans attractive in a natural way if you know what I mean, but is there any truth to such tales? could you seduce your way out of a well-deserved head-punting?

well, it’s a little more complicated than that.

I can’t believe I’m actually about to research this.

Ostriches are farmed by humans in HUGE numbers worldwide for their delicious drumsticks, giant eggs, and lovely lovely feathers. these farm Ostriches are almost always raised by humans, and it turns out this can affect what they’re attracted to as adults. 

both male and female farm Ostriches do indeed seem to find humans oh so sexy-sexy, while wild Ostriches DEFINITELY DO NOT. (though not that the scientists were buying them flowers or anything, maybe they just have higher standards.) wild Ostriches will just as soon kung fu you straight into the dirt, do not attempt to seduce your way out of a sticky situation with a wild Ostrich.

they’d probably just eat the flowers, anyway.

so all of that aside, how is the Ostrich doing? well, they’re still kicking! (PUN)

wild Ostrich populations have declined in the past 200 years, but they’re still common and widespread enough to earn a “species of least concern” rating. Yaay! and since they’re farmed so extensively, you definitely don’t have to feel bad about buying a new Ostrich feather duster or getting your weekly Ostrich Jerky fix. (yes, that’s a thing.)

so for once, feel free to just sit back and appreciate one of nature’s marvels without worries! but do it from a safe distance.

I WANT TO KICK YOU. LET ME KICK YOU.

–

thanks for reading! you can find the rest of the Weird Biology series on my tumblr here, or check out the official archive at weirdbiology.com!

if you enjoy my work, maybe buy me a coffee and support Weird Biology!

and if you’d like to see exclusive Weird Biology content, check out my Patreon today!

–

IMAGE SOURCES

img1- Natural Bridge Zoo img2- Donarreiskoffer, Wikimedia Commons img3- Marwell Zoo img4- KickassFacts img5- ShardsofBlue, Flickr img6- San Diego Zoo img7- Odyssey img8- The Pheasantasiam, Youtube 

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #264

I did tell y’all WoW would devour my life again when I got my laptop back lmao. But I’m still alive!!

When you wake up to pee at night, do you turn on the light? You mean like, in the bathroom? Uh, yeah? When was the last time you got a fresh box of crayons? Damn dude, I don't have a clue. What color is your favorite towel? I don't have a favorite. They're all just random colors. Do you know anyone’s phone number by heart? Actually no, not since Mom got a new phone. I really need to learn it. Do you wear hoodies? Yeah, one Pikachu one. Something your mother said or did that shocked you: We were arguing and she tried to kick me out of the car once. Obviously I didn't listen. It was one of our worst arguments. How many different homes have you live in?We're in our fourth house now. WELL there's another if you count the apartment, but I didn't officially live there, I was just... always there even though it was against policy lmao. Then when we were technically homeless I "lived" with my former best friend, but again, that was not an official thing. Did your mom go to college? She is, though cancer has thrown a wrench in the plan... She's on her final semester of a bachelor's degree in social work. With cancer now plus this wild quarantine, we don't really know what's going on. Where is the best place you know to take a dog for a walk? We have a park maybe like 15 minutes from here that's pretty decent. Nice fountain, fishing docks, plenty of ducks. Are there any crazy sandwich combinations you like to eat? It's not "crazy," as I know it's actually tasty to some people: having lunch meat, cheese, mustard, and potato chips. I haven't had that in yeeeaaars. Which food do you think you have the most cans of in your cupboard? Uh. I'm not sure. We usually have fruit, beans, and soup in there, but I'm not sure which there's more of. Do you save fortunes from fortune cookies? No. Are you offended when Christmas is spelled Xmas? No. Do you prefer rugs or bare floors? Rugs. Describe your favorite mug or glass to drink from? I don't really drink from any. Your bad habit that you love the most: Heh, drinking soda... Do you name your pets after tv/movie/book characters: I have before, yes. Had a guinea pig named Harry Potter lol, rats named Tezzeret and Rhoka, and... that may be it. I am not positive, had a lotta pets... Have you ever died in one of your dreams? Yes. Which is tastier: fruity gum or minty gum? Fruity. Be honest, have you ever bullied anybody? Who was it? Oh my god, I was about to say no, but wait. When I first started RP at around 9, I had the impression you were supposed to always be in-character. Me, at the time my account being just "mozart2" (I don't count her as my first RP character though, she turned into Ruby and was drastically changed) on the Animal Planet forum, wanted to be the "dominant female," and one of the girls whose name was like Angelkiss or something was "mean" to me and so I reciprocated until I GOT FUCKING BANNED ON THIS ACCOUNT I'M WRITING THIS AND IT'S SO EMBARRASSING WHAT THE FUCK WAS WRONG WITH ME I HATE YOUNG ME SO MUCH. What is the cutest Halloween costume for a baby to wear? Idk. Is it a turn-off if somebody’s teeth are stained yellow? Not necessarily. Yellow doesn't mean dirty + everyone is supposed to have some coloration, and I can't say shit anyway 'cuz mine are kinda yellow from poor self-care in the past anyway. I just care that they're clean. Which of your friends is the tallest? Which of them is the shortest? Girt is a damn giant lmao. I only reach his chest. Shortest, I'm unsure. Do you know any quotes from Forrest Gump? Well besides the famous ones, no. HA, fun fact that cracked me the fuck up though, someone in the government in NC that is running for... something, there are sometimes like three signs in a row along the road that say "RUN FORREST, RUN" and I fuckin died the first time I saw it. Do you believe in demonic possession? How about ghosts? Angels? I don't believe in angels or demons, so. Ghosts, yes. Would you rather judge a singing or dancing competition? Why? Dancing, for sure. I'm more educated on the form and techniques, plus it's way more entertaining. What was the mascot at your elementary school? A bulldog. It was super cute, and in art class, the art students all worked together to make colorful, clay models that were in the principal's office. Everyone loved them. Have you ever fallen down in public? Did anybody see you? Yes and yes. Do you scream when you go on rollercoasters? Do you close your eyes? I'll probably never know 'cuz my ass is afraid of them lmao. I get dizzy too easily and I'm terrified of the potential of getting sick. Do you think home-made cards are better than store-bought ones? They're more thoughtful imo. What is one romantic movie that you enjoy enough to watch more than once? The Notebook. Who was the last person to walk out of your life, and why? By their volition, probably a Facebook friend. How did you decide upon your favorite colors? I didn't know you could pick your favorite color. Are you less likely to approach people that look/dress a certain way? Wow no. I mean unless they look obviously dangerous, like if they had blood on them or something like that. What is your favorite Starburst candy flavor? If you say anything but pink, you're wrong. Do you prefer schedules and plans, or spontaneity? Schedules. Sponteneity, usually, stresses me out. How do you let someone know that you like him/her? I mean idk. Act like it or say it. Do you think that you act like yourself while online? I'm more myself online. Have you ever lied about something to get someone to like you? Hell no. I'd want them to like me for who I actually am. Would you rather buy presents for others, or receive them? BUY, so long as I'm happy with what I bought and know it'll make them happy. How did you meet your current best friend? YouTube. The last song/poem/story you wrote - what was it about? I haven't finished it, but I'm writing a poem about the strength of cancer patients following Mom getting her hair shaved off. Are you a mostly blunt person? No, because I'm too afraid of starting an argument. Do you have any talents that come naturally? I guess writing since I've been applauded for it since I was very little. Do you go out often? Even before quarantine, not at all. I go out so little that my eyes seriously hurt when I step outside; I always have to squint or entirely close my eyes for a few seconds. What's the best Valentine's Day gift you've gotten? There was one year Jason got me a really pretty heart box of chocolates plus the game Heavy Rain and a pink rose. May still have a picture of it on my old phone... Is there anyone who is overly nice to you? No. It's hard to be "overly nice" in my opinion. Would you prefer internet or television? Internet. What is something you lose often? I'm not sure. Not a lot. Do you enter a lot of sweepstakes? I never do. How old is your oldest sibling? 30-something. Have you ever considered writing a novel? Yes. Who's the last person you said I love you to? Mom or Sara. What's your stance on spooning? What a question. It's comforting, but I usually can't actually fall asleep like that because I get too hot. Have you ever been "popular?" Nah, not really. Well, I was pretty well-known in the meerkat YouTube community as an editor, but not like, Yelozo level. Has someone ever tried to convert you? Well, I was a Christian when my sister's friend's grandpa made me like, SUPER uncomfortable by talking to me all the way home from school (he had to drive us this day) about the Bible and stuff because it was his "job" as a religious man and I kinda had to take this little Bible from him just to be nice. Even when I was a Christian I wasn't VERY religious and really really felt like he was hardcore shoving his beliefs down my throat. Are you thin? Ha ha no. Do you like big earrings? Heavy/big earrings ruined my ears, so no. The holes are too stretched now and is why I'm putting very small gauges in so it doesn't look as stupid when I put an earring in and it just barely hangs on because my ear lobe literally looks like it could tear. Animated character that was your gay awakening? HA, there's been a few that looking back, I definitely thought were more than pretty, even as a kid, like Sheego from Kim Possible. But #1? Holy mother of fuck, Bayonetta. That is one fuckin HOT MAMA. What show/YouTube video(s) do you put on in the background when you don’t have anything to watch but you want something on? Hmm. It really does depend on what I feel like semi-watching. Maybe like, a let's play where I'm not THAT interested in the game, but I still do listen and glance over. Your go-to bar order, if you drink? I've never been to a bar, but when I go out to eat and I feel like getting a drink, it's usually a margarita. What’s your favorite pair of shoes that you own? UGGGGHHHHH my tall leather boots with all these buckles and stuff. They're hot. What was your first word as a child (that wasn’t a variation of “Mom” or “Dad”)? I don’t know. What’s a job that you’ve had that people might be surprised to find out you’ve had? Nothing that's really "surprising." Just three ordinary minimum wage jobs. What’s directly across from you? My snake's terrarium. Do you own any signed books/memorabilia in general? No. ;-; I wish. What do you get on your bagels? What WOULD you get if you had access to anything you wanted? I've only ever had cream cheese. NO WAIT, I tried jam once and it was fucking repulsive. One bite and I was like "fuck no." I think it was strawberry jam though, which I hate. I'm not sure what else I'd try as idk what would taste good. Fruity or herbal teas? Neither. What’s that one TV show that you’re a little bit embarrassed to watch but you still like nonetheless? None. It's funny, as a kid when I thought I was "too old," I tried to hide the fact I still adored Pokemon, but for years now I've just been like "lol fuck yeah man Pokemon." What was your “phase” when you were younger? (i.e., Mythology Nerd, Horse Girl, Space Geek, etc) Being an emo/goth/metalhead thing was NEVER a phase, Mom. Goddamn do I wish I could afford a gothic wardrobe laksjdfawde. What’s that one outfit in your closet you never get the chance to wear but want to? There's no telling. I rarely check my closet for "special" clothes, but rather my dresser. Where do you sit in the living room (we all have a preferred spot, and you know it)? The couch. Are you a “Quote that relates to the photos” caption-er, an “explanation of where I took the photos” caption-er, or a no caption kinda person when you post pictures online? I'm all of them, plus sometimes song lyrics I find relevant lmao leave me alone. Name a classic Vine: YO that one of the dude looking for his berries with a WILD outfit, expression, and voice and then scares adventurers away from his tree made me fuckin cry for about 1,000 repeats. I miss Vine, man, good shit. What’s the freezer food that you stock up on when you go to the grocery store? We don't really "stock up" on any particular food. We do, however, tend to get a large box of frozen rats for Venus, if you can count that, but obviously that's not from the grocery store lol. How do you top your ice cream? Chocolate syrup mmmMMMMMMMMMMM Do you like Jello? Yeah. Do you have a fear, even only a slight fear of insects? I do. Do you have a favorite poem you like and can recall? If so, what is it? I don't have a favorite, no. Have you ever resided in a home that was haunted: *shrugs* I do think paranormal things happened in my last house, but idk about calling it haunted. Do you ever play any MMORPGS: Just WoW. What’s the closest river to you? Tar River. Have you ever been in a building with over 100 floors? I don't think so. What bird is the cutest? Oh, I don't know. Something small and pudgy lol. Are you scared to look at your own organs on x-ray or ultrasound? No, that shit is so cool. Have you ever held a real sword? No. What do you think about most? PTSD is v fun. My brain naturally drifts to relating topics when I don't know what to think about, which is most of the time. Certainly don't try to, but it just. Happens. Most attractive singer of your opposite gender? Hell man, idk. I do have a weakness for Kellin Quin though; he's the first to come to mind. What was the last film you saw in the cinema? The Lion King. What are you currently listening to? "Saturnalia" by Marilyn Manson. How many people have you kissed, that you can HONESTLY say you loved? Two. The last person to be under covers with you? Sara. What's the compliment you get the most? Uhhh I think it's "I like your tattoo" (referring to my Mark one). BITCH just wait til it gets tidied up for four hours. Have you ever disliked someone just because a friend disliked them? If they have good reason to, yes. I can't deeply dislike someone I don't know/have personally seen be a piece of shit, but I can sure not be fond of them until they prove unworthy of that judgment. Have you ever won a lot of money in a slot machine? How much? Never gambled and don't plan to. Do you eat/drink at your computer? Yes, oops. How much do you overeat at special occasions? (Birthdays, Christmas, etc) Actually, I tend to under-eat at most special occasions because odds are I'm not going to like the food. This isn't always the case, but yeah. Do you think it's important to enjoy your job or do you just work for money? I think it's very important to enjoy it. If you had to, which record would you go into Guinness World Records for? Probably the longest consecutive hours of not leaving the computer laksdfjawe I hate myself. Do/Did you enjoy school? Why (not)? From the very beginning, I hated school. It's why I was a goddamn monster to get up in the morning, even in high school. I only enjoyed (to a degree, anyway) my most recent college because it was a way to get out of the house and work towards my future. Do you find it difficult to sleep at night? Any reason(s) why? Boy, do I. Most recently, after being put on a medication for my nightmares/terrors (which works!), I have intense muscle spasms in my legs, oddly only when I'm falling asleep. Apparently it's a very rare side effect of it, but I'm willing to tolerate it in place of having nightly terrors. Then there's my PTSD and just general poor self-image that can both send me down a total spiral. Have you ever wished you were born the opposite gender? Why? Not legitimately. Like I've wondered what it would be like, but I've never truly wanted to be a guy. I'm just content with being what comes with being genetically female. Do you think you'd make a good model? Would you ever want to be one? Hell to the fuck no. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person? Not recently, no. Who was the last person that asked to hang out with you? Tell me the story of how you met that person, everything you remember. Hell man, I don't have a clue. Have you ever worn colored mascara? If not, would you ever think about trying it? And if you have, what is/was your favorite color to wear? No, but I guess, if I had a reason to? What do you remember about your first day of secondary school? Were you more nervous or excited about it? I very faintly remember I had no desire to be there. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace? Yeah, I had Myspace. Has anyone ever asked you out, and you turned them down? If so, did you feel guilty about it? Why do you think you said no? Yes, and not *really*, as I'm very strict with myself about whom I date. It's just awkward. And I just didn't like one guy romantically in elementary, my best male childhood friend was black (mind you I haven't been racist in the least since I was a tiny kid, I was just raised like that), and I knew Juan had a bad rep. Have you ever asked anyone “Do you love me?” If so, did you get the response you wanted? Do you think when someone says “I love you”, you feel obliged to say it back? Ugh. Let's not. I feel obligated only with family. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sang to you? If so, how did you respond to it? LET'S. FUCKIN. NOT. If you’ve had a bad experience in a past relationship, did you find that you were scared to get into another relationship, in case the same thing happened again? Terrified.

[crackimagines]

Persona and Yakuza crossover, in which both stories happen in the same city, and both Kiryu and Majima always get stuck inside mementos until they finally get a persona.

God I WISH they were in a Persona game.

Originally, I had a whole thing written out for them, but unfortunately my computer decided to kill itself midwriting, so I’m going to take a step further in this ask, and make it part 1.

Thanks for the ask, anon! I hope you enjoy!

By the way. I keep using the KEEP READING tab, but it always messes up, so sorry about this! 

-----

PART 1

Kiryu and Majima Meeting the Phantom Thieves

Meeting the Phantom Thieves:

Kiryu and Majima first heard of the Phantom Thieves when Madarame confessed his crimes, which made all the bosses become on edge. Everyone in the Tojo clan was ordered to keep their heads down, and keep an eye out for anyone suspicious.

They didn’t get to meet them first hand until they came to Kamurocho in search of information about Kaneshiro.

Kiryu was in the bar with Majima after they had fought, with Kiryu being the victor. He had originally wanted a peaceful night, but had to deal with Majima. He figured there were worse ways to spend the night, however.

Ohya sat next to Kiryu, a giant grin on her face as she raised a glass.

“Kiryu! Good to see ya again, this your buddy?”

(Kiryu) “Same to you, Ohya...And Majima’s...something like that.”

(Majima) “Ah, come on Kiryu-chan! No need to be so cold!”

He sighed deeply, and drank for a few seconds before putting the cup down hard.

(Kiryu) “What brings you here Ohya, you don’t look like you’re here for pleasure tonight.”

(Ohya) “Yeah, it’s work. Someone’s here to see me for information, and in exchange I get info from them.”

(Majima) “Who’s that someone?”

The door opened, and all three of them turned to see a tall black haired kid in glasses.

“Um, is Ohya here?”

(Kiryu) “Woah hang on a sec, that a high school kid?”

(Ohya) “Oh relax, Kiryu! I’ll be ordering him some water!”

(Majima) “This is what the youth is getting up to these days? Sheesh...”

Ohya and Akira took a seat near the booths while Majima and Kiryu continued drinking.

(Kiryu) “Didn’t figure you’d care about these kinds of things.”

(Majima) “What, are you kidding me? I may be a bit looney, but I’m still an upstanding member of society!”

(Kiryu) “Heh, right...”

(Ohya) “-...his name is Junya Kaneshiro. Hope that’s what you were looking for!”-

(Kiryu & Majima) !!!

They both looked at each other and remained silent for the duration of their conversation. Once it was over, Akira got up and left the bar, while making sure to avoid eye contact with the both of them.

Once the door was closed, they turned around.

(Kiryu) “Where did you hear that name-No, why the hell did you tell a kid that?”

(Ohya) “Well, I needed info on the Phantom Thieves! Got my info, and he got his.”

(Majima) “What’s the kid’s name?”

(Ohya) “Akira Kurusu. Goes to Shujin, I think. Anyways, I’m buzzed as hell, so I think I’m heading out”

She waved a hand out while not looking back, exiting the bar.

(Majima) “Tch, just what is that kid planning? He sure as shit can’t just go to the cops about it.”

(Kiryu) “Maybe we should keep an eye on him. Our families might be troubled if he’s asking for that asshole by name.”

A few days later, Kiryu and Majima separately tailed Akira after school ended, and saw him meet up with Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke and Makoto. They bumped into each other, but instead of fighting, they kept watching to see if anything happened.

(Kiryu) “What are they doing?”

(Majima) “I think they’re typing stuff into their phones. Are they calling someo-”

Before they realized what was happening, they saw the district they were in completely shift, and transformed into a world they had no idea even existed.

(Kiryu) “W-What?!”

(Majima) “The shit is this?!”

(Ryuji) “Huh? Are those human voices?”

(Yusuke) “That doesn’t sound like shadows...”

From there, the Phantom Thieves confronted Kiryu and Majima who were originally hiding behind a tree.

(Makoto) “Who’s there?!”

(Akira) “Wait a second...You’re the guys from the bar with Ohya!”

(Morgana) “Oh yeah, those guys!”

(Kiryu) “Did...your cat just-”

(Morgana) “I’M NOT A CAT, DAMN IT!”

(Ann) “Just...what are they wearing?! Those suits are so...tacky!”

(Majima) “I don’t know why you’re going on about my clothes missy, the fuck are YOU guys wearing?!”

(Yusuke) “Joker, you said you knew them?”

(Akira) “No, all I know is that they were there when I asked for info.”

(Makoto) “Wait a second...are you guys with Kaneshiro?!”

Makoto reached for her pistol, making Kiryu raise his fists and Majima pull out his knife.

(Kiryu) “...What clan?”

(Ryuji) “What...?”

(Majima) “Your clan, dipshit! Which clan are you guys with to be going after Kaneshiro?! We’re Tojo, now who the hell are you guys?!”

(Ryuji) “L-Like...as in Yakuza clan?!”

(Ann) “Holy crap...! That’d explain the eyepatch guy!”

Kiryu and Majima looked at each other, lowering their weapons.

(Kiryu) “Obviously they have no idea who we mean. That’s probably for the better.”

(Makoto) “You’re not here to stop us?”

(Kiryu) “No. We were here to make sure you didn’t cause any trouble for us. We don’t care what you do to Kaneshiro. Not part of a family as far as we’re aware, so you all can kill him. Where did kids like you even get guns anyway?”

(Akira) “Er...These aren’t real actually.”

(Majima) “Come again? I see all of you packing some serious heat for being a couple of school children!”

(Ryuji) “It’s uh...complicated.”

(Morgana) “What the hell are we still doing here?! We gotta go infiltrate the Palace, let’s throw em out and be done with it!”

(Akira) “Right...Skull, some help here.”

(Ryuji) “R-Right...CAPTAIN KID!”

(Akira) “ARSENE!”

Both their Personas picked up Kiryu and Majima, scaring the hell out of them as they tried to break free of their grip.

(Akira) “Sorry about this!”

(Majima) “GET YOUR PIRATE ASS OFF ME!”

(Kiryu) “W-WAIT, HANG ON-”

Before he could finish, they were both tossed out the Metaverse and back into the real world.

(Majima) “...Eugh, we both weren’t hallucinating, right?”

(Kiryu) “I...don’t know.”

Kiryu felt a vibration on his phone, and pulled it out.

(Kiryu) “What’s this?”

(Majima) “A red eye...?”

(Kiryu) “...We should probably get out of public sight. Everyone’s staring.”

Majima looked up and noticed that a crowd of people had formed, seeing that they had shown up from thin air.

(Majima) “R-Right.”

They both left the crowd and tried to find a quiet spot, not ready for what was to come.

TO BE CONTINUED