#before trying to rehabilitate one of the ones threatening it

[firebirdsdaughter]

Wow…

… Nahida-villainisers will really just. Completely abandon all media comprehension to justify their nonsense, huh.

[whirlybirbs]

— BRUISED EGO ; PART ONE ; TOSHINORI YAGI ; 俊典

summary: you & toshinori have a great working relationship. all might is like a mentor. a great guy. a real, stand-up dude. a hero who inevitably has to help you deal with the side-effects of being hit with a love quirk. pairing: younger!toshinori yagi / f!reader ; hero name: derecho word count: 3.6k of pure smut tags: afab!reader, fingering, oral (female receiving), piv, denying feelings, toshi being a genuine lover-boy, someone has a praise kink, surprise it's me, minors dni a/n: i love young dumb full of cum late-twenties all might the tag | next →

"You don't look well—"

"Don't."

You could fry him right now. You could totally, absolutely, blast him with ten thousand volts and call it a night — but you can't, really, because he's fucking All Might. He's All Might and even worse, he's Toshinori Yagi. 

He's... kind. And gentle. And patient. And levelheaded... If not the single reason your entire life fell apart seven years ago.

(That is not true. You know it. You and your therapist have worked through that stuck point — but, it sounds a hell of a lot better than explaining the reason you ended up in prison was by your own actions, not being caught by All Might.)

You're reformed.

Blah, blah, blah, you're the Villain Rehabilitation Program's star graduate. 

They loved using your imagery — the ones of you before you got clean off those Quirk enhancers and put on the straight and narrow —in their PR packages. They love that picture of you — the ones with hands behind your back — cuffed by All Might as you're effectively muzzled by the local law enforcement.

Your lip catches in a snarl.

Don't think about that. 

Don't think about his hands on your wrists. Don't think about the way his boot nudged your leg apart for the frisk — don't think about the way he threatened you, so low and so dangerous, not to move. 

Don't think about how All Might is a bastard, and the media just doesn't know it. 

He's cheeky. Sly. When he's out of the limelight, that eerie #1 smile drops and he's almost normal — if not nearly five hundred and sixty pounds of muscle.  

Like now, on this rooftop, he's more like Toshinori Yagi. Your impromptu mentor in all things heroic. After all, the Hero Commission thought it would be great for the program's image if All Might, the man who arrested you countless times, was the one to integrate you into a more heroic notion. Never mind the dozens of times you went head-to-head with the man, never mind the handful of times you almost won. 

"Derecho, I'm serious," comes his voice; it's softer, almost like he's in his smaller form — the one you always find yourself being partial to, "You look feverish..."

Static snaps across the air and Toshinori takes it — the way it bites at the skin of his hands is nothing. It's a warning shot. Don't come any closer. 

"I was hit with that guy's quirk," you mutter as you try to square your breathing, "I'm fine, I just... Need some time—"

Son of a bitch. 

You've always been a hard one to shake — and even now, as you climb well into the Top Ten ranks, he's never seen you this out of it. You've taken a crowbar to the ribs and recovered better than being hit by some petty criminal's love quirk. 

Toshinori curses under his breath as he winces at the desperation cracking in your voice. 

"If you need to take the night—"

"Yes."

He was slotted to patrol this prefecture with you for another two hours — but seeing the way your whole body looks like it could collapse is... a bit concerning. Toshinori nods, exhales, and waves you on.

"Should I call Recovery Girl?"

Your boot toes the ledge. You need out of this outfit. It's too tight. You're too hot. Your skin feels like it's on fire and the embarrassing ache between your legs is just getting worse with every low, timbred syllable out of his mouth. Don't think about his mouth. 

"I'm fine." 

You're not fine.

Even when you're back in your apartment, trying desperately to shower off the skin-crawling, mouth-watering heat of desire, you can't even come close to relating to the word 'fine'. You're a mess. You try to stand under the heat of the water for a while, to burn the need off your skin, but that doesn't work. 

You're so not fine. 

You can't stop thinking about Toshinori. Must be something to do with the fact he was closest when you were struck with the quirk. Yea. Totally that.

You have to be fine. You need to be fine. This is just a stupid love quirk that will wear off within a few hours. 

Well, a few hours come and go, and it's just getting worse. 

Come on, you are torturing yourself with the evening news, just breathe it out. 

Because you're a hero, and you were a villain. You know what it's like to get hit with disconcerting quirks like this in the heat of a battle. With just a little time, it goes away. Right? 

Right...?

"I AM CALLING! I AM CALLING!" 

Your phone vibrates on the coffee table. Your pupils, full-blown and big, swivel to the photo that ignites the dark of the room. It's a photo of Toshinori — he's in his smaller form, posed beside you in a ramen booth close to U.A.'s campus. He was hellbent on giving you a tour of his old high school.

You always loved how cute he looked in that picture.

Fuck.

You snatch the phone up and answer the call.

"What?" it comes out snappier than it needs to be. 

"Are you doin' alright?" his voice has lost its persona'd gusto. You can tell, just by the soft way he speaks, he's no longer in uniform or on patrol. All Might has clocked out for the evening, and Toshinori Yagi is in the building, "I haven't heard a peep from you all night, zippy." 

Something in your brain goes blank at the nickname. You usually hate it. Usually, you'd bite at him for it. You don't even realize you're white knuckle gripping the edge of the couch as he continues to speak. 

"Y'know, it's okay — I've been hit by love quirks plenty of times before," he goes on; you can hear him juggle the phone to his other ear, "They aren't fun. I'm sorry you're—"

"Come over."

Toshinori almost drops the can of soda in his hands. In the middle of the convenience store aisle, he feels his entire body lurch. 

"What?"

Your head is back against the couch, your hands covering your face in sheer embarrassment. You grit it out again. "I said come over."

"Derecho—"

"I've tried everything," you mutter defeatedly into the phone; you can't even pull your hand from your face, you're so embarrassed you're even telling him this but you need help, "Fingers, toys, even the Hitachi on the highest speed, Toshinori, and I can't—"

Jesus fucking Christ. 

This is bad.

This is... not you. So not you. This is... fuck, okay, right. He's All Might. He helps people. And you're important to him. You're his enemy turned pseudo-protégé turned colleague turned woman-he's-been-ignoring-his-feelings-for-the-last-seven-months. You're Derecho. Number Eight Hero in Japan, his friend. His...

"Give me ten."

And he hangs up.

Two boxes of XL condoms earn him a severely skeptical look from the cashier, but it's fine. Toshinori has bigger things to worry about — like the fact he has no idea what this is going to do to your working relationship, but it's fine. You need help. He knows what this is like — and he would feel awful if he left you to deal with it alone. 

Fingers, toys, even the Hitachi— 

Maybe he'll die, actually. Maybe he'll just throw himself from the nearest roof. 

The mental image of you, alone in your apartment, hands between your thighs as you try desperately to shake the painful ache in your core has him walking a bit faster — your apartment is three blocks over. 

He makes good time.

His knuckles don't even touch the door before you're yanking it open — and Christ, you're a sight to see.

Wet hair, wild eyes, and a permanent heavy breath. The oversized t-shirt clinging to your shoulders is definitely going to be a topic of discussion for a later date. It's All Might merch. His fucking merch. 

When did you even buy that—?

"I'm sorry," you blurt out, looking pained. 

Toshinori's eyes hold your own. Then:

"I've always been a sucker for a damsel in distress."

He's a bastard. A serious bastard. A bastard who you're dragging in by the neck of his t-shirt — a bastard who doesn't complain in the slightest when your mouth is on his in a flash. With ease, he slams the front door shut with his boot and quickly allows you to guide him through your apartment. Your mouth is still latched to his, your hands digging into his shoulders as his hands chase your waist. 

You recognize in the heated haze of the kiss there's a grocery bag in his hand. It knocks against your hip as you accidentally back into the edge of the couch — your hands fumbling for some purchase in the dark living room. 

You pull your mouth from his just long enough to breathe out another apology. 

"Don't. We'll talk about it after," he says, leaning down over you as you scramble back against the leather couch cushions, "What do you need?"

"What do you think?" you hiss as his body presses against yours; he's still in his boots, still in his shirt and jeans. He's... too clothed. Your body couldn't handle anything except the less-than-flattering pair of cotton underwear and the biggest t-shirt you owned. 

You swear he's smirking in the dark. 

"Mouth? Hands?" he presses, his touch cradling your face as he continues to navigate your steady, bruisingly needy kisses, "Use your words."

"Anything—"

Your voice is a rasp, your hands scaling his back as he nudges your knees apart with his thigh and slots his hips against yours. Even in this smaller form, he's got the tactical advantage — not being near death from a fever so high you can hardly think anymore. 

"I need to know," he says as he leans back, his voice dipping lower as his palms brush the skin of your stomach. His fingertips hesitate at the edge of your waistband, and you whine. 

"Anything, Toshinori, stop jerking me around!" 

...What a brat. He almost laughs. But, then he remembers the one time he was left like this — and how desperate he was even after six hours of exhaustive attempts at self-pleasure. 

"Be nice," he chirps as his fingers slip beneath your underwear; his satisfaction builds when you fist the back of his shirt and gasp — his fingers grace the slick, wet folds of your core with ease. It's a tender movement, one that assesses just how pliable you are at this moment. 

And then, two of his fingers are pushing into you down to his knuckles. 

The babbled thank you bursts from your chest — and Toshi actually laughs at how fast you cling to his chest. He didn't anticipate his night going like this. Not with you, wild-eyed and desperate, pulling him into a kiss that's so bruising he thinks his lip splits.

Hands. Hands. Hands. His hands. One hand is between your folds, working you open, and the other is pressing up your curves and settling along your breast. You can't even think straight. The fact Toshinori is so slick, so eager, so good at whatever he's doing, is making the coil in your abdomen go white hot. 

"Fuck—" you strangle out, your lips parted in a gasp as he wets his own lips and watches your face in the dark, "G-God, okay, th-that's good—"

"Better than your own?" he asks, genuinely worried this isn't the progress you need to shake off the quirk's effects. 

"So much better," you wail, coincidentally fueling his ego in a way he never knew he needed. Because, ha, well — who knew Derecho, little miss spiteful and mysterious, just needed a little bit of him. 

"Is it enough?" he asks against her jaw, his forearm flexing as he works the pace up, his palm rubbing gently against your clit. It's an attempt at a coordinated pace, and it seems to be working from the way you're writhing beneath him. 

"I... I still — I can't — I'm so..." you look like you could cry out of sheer frustration, and Toshi suddenly feels a pang of guilt. He can only imagine how you've done this very thing over and over tonight, trying to just cum. Your voice cracks and you whimper, "I can't. I'm so close, but I just can't—"

"Okay," he breathes, his mind swirling with strategic planning, "So mouth."

"Mouth?" you choke, suddenly looking alarmed, but Toshi doesn't seem to care about the added snare of intimacy that comes with him slipping to his knees before the couch. 

Oh my god, he's on his knees. He's on his knees and he's grappling with your underwear, hauling it down the tops of your thighs before throwing it over his shoulder in a very Toshinori manner. 

You've got All Might on his knees. 

It suddenly hits you as he sits up on his knees and nudges your legs apart. He's a man on a mission — dedicated entirely to the task at hand. 

Making you orgasm. 

You wonder how many people have fantasized about this very thing — granted, he's not costume. Thank god. You can't even imagine what the conversation with his dry-cleaning team would look like. 

Toshi's voice knocks you back to reality. "Is this okay?"

He sounds concerned.

Meanwhile, you could kill him. If he doesn't put his mouth on you right now—

Noted. He sees the spark of annoyance, dumb question, and hauls your leg over his shoulder as he delves in. 

Ohmygod.

This is better — the coil is wound tighter, and a little bit closer to snapping, the second his tongue presses flat against your glistening slick. It's even better when he hums, his voice mumbles against your sex as his hands press your thighs to open a bit farther. 

"Keep 'em open."

"Don't talk," you heave between pants, "With your mouth full."

It's like the two of you are at work — this banter. But, his laugh vibrates your core and you moan. That doesn't happen at work. That doesn't happen, ever. A greedy part of you sure as hell hopes this happens again, because holy hell, he's good at this. Methodical. Strategic. Thorough.

His pace doesn't change, the pressure doesn't lessen. The blonde streaks of his fringe tickle the inside of your thighs as he continues his work — and you swear you almost cum when he slips a look up at you in the dark. 

His eyes are so blue that you feel like you're suddenly lost at sea. 

Then, there are two crooked fingers back inside of you. 

You and he are going to have to have a long talk about where he learned all this — because it's so good you genuinely can't do anything but reach out and grip his hair in a panic. You gasp, your whole body convulses, and you almost... almost cum. Almost.

It's Toshi's turn to moan. 

You're suddenly so oversensitive you swear your heart might stop. 

You're writhing away from him, squirming away, and Toshi's lips are parted as his breath fans across your core. 

"Cock," you're suddenly rambling, "N-Need — I need—"

"Right," he stutters, realizing this is good — you're almost there, he can tell. You're so close he can feel it in the air. The static electricity burning off your quirk leaves the room feeling tingly. 

He's wobbling back upright, cursing as he practically falls around the couch in the dark, and palms at the grocery bag he discarded on the floor. He's not graceful about the way he tears about the small box, or about the way he drops the foil square between his teeth as he leans back to work off his belt. 

"Bedroom?" he asks through gritted teeth.

You're nodding, practically falling over yourself to lead the way. Boots, jeans, belt, shirt — all of it is left scattered along the way, and your bare body hits the sheets after an easy shove from Toshinori. Of course, the boxers clinging to his strong thighs are his brand. The All Might logo is almost comical stretched across his hardness. 

You have the wherewithal to roll your eyes as he tears open the condom with his teeth. 

"What?" he shirks, looking down.

"Seriously?" you grit, legs pressed together tightly to try and stop the empty ache between your legs. It hurts. It hurts so much worse when his mouth and hands aren't on you.

"Don't even start," he rumbles as he rolls down the waistband and his cock springs free — he's quick to roll the condom down the thick length of it and lift a finger to wag in your face, "You answered the door in my merch—" 

"Setting the mood," you offer as he steps out of his underwear.

Toshinori then, unceremoniously, drags your hips to the edge of the bed. You almost shriek. It's a bit rough — a bit sudden — but you can't complain when the head of his cock is suddenly being guided through your folds teasingly. Up and down. Over the swollen bud of your clit, across your wet opening. You prop yourself up on your elbows, lips parted, as you try and nudge your hips closer. 

His large hand presses your hips down to the mattress. 

"Toshinori—"

"You sure this is okay?" he mutters, his pupils full-blown as he watches himself slip through your wetness, "I— If it's too much—"

"If you don't fuck me right now—"

"Right."

And he sinks in.

Ha. 

Yea. 

This is good.

You're so glad you didn't fry him earlier. You're so glad. You're so... oh, this is so so so ridiculously good you might die. You might die, because he's snapping his hips into yours and you can see the ripple of his muscles, even in this smaller form. 

His breath is ragged, his voice low and easy.

"You're doing a great job," he says; your core tightens at the sudden praise, "Y-You're doin' really... good—"

Your chest bounces with each thrust, your legs locked around his hips, your whimpers increasing in frequency with every single in and out of his cock. The feeling is better than any sex you've ever had — you've never been so aware of every inch. 

And then, he's knocking his forehead against yours, leaning over you — you're caged against the mattress, and one arm of his is holding your leg up around his waist. The angle change is minute but it's good. Everything is Toshinori so suddenly, everything is so blue eyes and a bright smile. 

It's thorough, a word you're slowly beginning to realize describes Toshinori to a T. There's not a single falter in his pace, not a single thrust that doesn't wind the white-hot orgasm tighter and tighter in your belly. It's worse when he holds your face, though, worse when he keeps fucking you so well while chattering on about how good you are, how strong you are, how beautiful you are—

Your composure snaps when he rumbles out:

"I know you can cum for me like a good girl."

The coil snaps.

Finally. 

After four hours of torture. After four hours of trying. Finally, you cum — and hard. The sort that robs you of your vision and hearing, the sort that has your whole body arching off the bed. The kind you haven't had in a long time. The kind that, of course, Toshinori Yagi would be the man to provide. 

"Fuckfuckfuck—" you babble, gasping, still gripped by the force of the orgasm as his pace quickens.

He's laughing — laughing, and then you're clamping down on him so hard he sees stars. It's all fun and games until he can't stop himself, he can't slow down, he can't breathe, and he's rocked by an orgasm that makes his knees give out. He's wild-eyed, panting, snapping his hips into yours as you whimper and gasp and grip his shoulders so tight he may have bruises. 

Toshinori swallows, then gasps to catch his breath, and then pushes himself up to give you a little room to breathe. His cock is still twitching inside of you.

Your eyes are closed, and your breath is fast. Your hair is spilled across the sheet — and you look content. Satiated. Peaceful. He's rarely ever seen you so tranquil. 

Blindly, and lazily, you reach up to touch his cheek.

At first, he thinks it's going to be tender. Intimate. Romantic.

Then, you roughly pat it twice.

"We're never gonna talk about this again."

Right. 

Because he's All Might. And you're Derecho. You're colleagues. Friends. This was just... him helping you. Like when a friend has a cold. You bring them soup. He... brought you... an orgasm. Just like soup.

Definitely.

...Right. 

"It was just, uh," he breathes, pulling out and cursing at the embarrassingly apparent load in the condom; not like he'd dreamed about this very thing for nights on end, no siree bob, "You needed help. I offered."

That is not what happened. Not even close. But, he's going to tell himself that.

Not like you totally won't think about this every single night ever for the rest of time. Definitely like you won't dream about the way he called you a good girl. Ha. Yea, right. Psh. You're fine. This is fine. Everything is fine.

After all, it's just Toshinori.

He's... kind. And gentle. And patient. And levelheaded... If not the single reason your entire life fell apart seven years ago.

And definitely not the reason your life is falling apart right now as you realize, fuck, you're definitely in love with him, aren't you?

Naaah.

[twizzie-lairs]

My Darling, My Honey

Alastor X Fem!Reader (Part 10)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 |

Part 9 | Part 10

Part 10:

Your head felt like it was splitting, you could feel your brain pounding against the outside of your skull.

"Ah shit... everything fucking hurts...." you can barely whisper out loud due to your dried-up throat.

You clear your throat and open your eyes, to your surprise, you weren't left for dead on the street.

Instead, you see two girls hovering over you. One held your hand clasped in theirs, and the other had a spear pointed at your throat.

"Oh my gosh, you're awake! Finally!" The girl holding your hand said, leaning closer to your face. The girl with the spear and an 'X' over one of her eyes squinted at you and nudged the blonde girl back with her spear, "Who are you, and why shouldn't I kill you?"

You try to sit up, but the spear gets shoved closer to your throat before you can move. You sigh, "My name is (y/n). I don't want to hurt anyone. I just... I need help..."

Your answer earns a glare from the girl with the spear, but the blonde girl just nudges her with her elbow, "See, Vaggie? I told you!"

The blonde takes both of your hands in hers, "Hi (y/n), I'm Charlie! Charlie Morningstar and you're at the Hazbin Hotel! We aim to help rehabilitate sinners and offer them a chance at redemption to go to Heaven!"

The girl you now know whose name is Vaggie glares at you, "Are you even interested in redemption?"

You look at both of the girls, "I... I don't know. I'm not so sure but... I don't have anywhere to go and I need help finding someone.." You trail off as you start getting teary-eyed thinking about your love, Alastor.

Seeing you near tears clearly startled Chalie and Vaggie, it wasn't a response they were used to when asking sinners to stay at the hotel.

Vaggie set down the spear, deciding that you clearly weren't a threat. She could see the look in your eyes, one she knew very well- love. Meanwhile, Charlie is sniffling and getting teary-eyed right along with you, "Oh my gosh, we will do everything we can to help you find that person! Who are they, how can we help?"

You look up at the ceiling and then look at Charlie with a weak smile, "The love of my life... I miss him so dearly... I know he has to be here in Hell too." You chuckle lovingly, knowing he'd forgive you if he ever found out you said that out loud.

The floodgates were blown wide open and Charlie started sobbing and wailing, "Vaggieeeee, VAAAGGIEEEEEEE, th-they! They're looking for their LOOOOVEEEEEEEE. IT'S SO BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!"

Vaggie walked over to Charlie and scooped her up, giving you a gentle smile, "Hey... (y/n), sorry about threatening you earlier... I gotta take Miss Princess and calm her down, and then inform the other residents of a new arrival. But if you need anything, just give us a holler, okay? You're still healing so... take it easy."

You nod as a smile tugs at the corners of your lips, "It's okay... No offense taken... Thank you Vaggie, and thank you Charlie, for agreeing to help me.."

All you hear as Charlie is carried away is the sounds of wailing and crying muffled sounds over the words, "SHE'S HERE FOR LOVE... WAAAHHHHHH, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL VAGGIEEE!!!!"

You try to sit up again, this time, no spear to bar you from trying to move this time. Your body groans in protest, though it doesn't hurt nearly as much as before, but as you assess the condition of your body, you notice you have bandages all over you. They must have been treating you while you were unconscious.

"Such sweet girls... they didn't even know me, yet they saved my life.... I need to remember to thank them again later.."

Very slowly, you swing your legs over the side of the bed and with a bit of effort, bring yourself to your feet. Hands holding yourself against the wall, you make your way over to what you assumed would become your bathroom during your stay here.

Your hands grip the sink as you look in the mirror when a small doubt enters your brain. You didn't look completely the same as you did when you were alive, which meant you had no idea if Alastor was even going to recognize you. Perhaps he even forgot about you... since it's been so many decades since you've been in Hell. Hell, you weren't sure you were even going to be able to recognize him...

"Enough of this... I'm sure he'll remember me.. he has to..." you whisper to yourself in the mirror as a crooked but tear-stained smile graces your hell-altered face.

After washing up your reddened face from all the tears, you made your way back to your bed. A deep sigh left your body as you plopped down gently on the bed.

Though you can't help but feel restless, as you sit there, just thoughts consuming your head.

In as bad of a shape as you might be, walking around even just a little bit helped you regain a little bit of strength, so you decided to make yourself decent after you had discovered that there was a change of clean clothes for you in dresser in the corner of the room.

Looking at yourself in the full body mirror on the back of the bathroom door, you smiled because it felt good to not look like a hot garbage fire- even though you could still see most of the bandages, at least you weren't all tattered and visibly bloody anymore!

Another deep sigh left your lips yet again, though this one was filled with determination. You turn the handle on the door and exit your room.

In your head, you thanked whoever built this hotel because you were so thankful that there were railings or some type of furnishing to hold onto whenever you felt yourself getting wobbly.

You didn't know where Charlie or Vaggie, or where any of the staff or other residents could be, hell, you didn't even know where the lobby was!

But on that last note, as you wandered around and regained some strength in your legs, you started to have an idea of where the lobby was located because you started to see more light and heard some voices talking.

Might as well go introduce yourself, right? No time better than the present to start making introductions, even if you still felt a little bit like shit still. You felt even shittier just laying around, you felt like if you weren't on the go constantly- you'd never make any headway on finding Alastor.

So there you were, slowly descending the stairs to the lobby when you heard Charlie call out your name, " (y/n)! Oh my gosh, you shouldn't even be up right now! Are you feeling okay??"

A weak smile creeps up on your face as you start to feel embarrassed that Charlie is fawning all over you in front of what seems to be her friends.

You chuckle, "Yeah, haha, just feeling kinda restless and thought i'd introduce myself is all!"

Charlie gently takes your hand and pulls you over to the rest of the group that had been chatting while seated on various sofas and armchairs that were centered around a coffee table- no TV's in sight, just a single radio perched on top of the mantle in this living room/lobby hybrid space.

"Guys! I am honored to introduce you to the newest guest to the Hazbin Hotel, this is (y/n)!!"

"Nice to meet cha, the name's Husk, the bartender."

"Hey there toots, bet ya look mighty fine underneath those bandages. Better not give me a run for my money as most gorgeous resident! Oh yeah, the name's Angel Dust, by the way."

"Hi, i'm Nifty! Nice to- BLEGH, you're a woman! Ew!" Nifty said before cackling as she scuttled away to stab some bugs nearby.

"Well, you already know me and Charlie," Vaggie said as she patted you on the shoulder gently.

"It looks like the only one who isn't here is Alastor. Shouldn't he be back soon?" Charlie said as she pulled out her phone to check the time.

To her, that seemed like such a mundane and normal sentence. But to you, it felt like time stopped and you froze upon hearing his name.

Alastor.

Alastor... here?

-> Part 11

[kelppsstuff]

Time of year

Summary: Alastor trying to impress you with mating season just starting

ALASTOR X F!READER

Masterlist

Warnings: nswf, biting, wax play, tied up, begging

Taglist: @fandomsbookclub @leathesimp @michelleszn @sashaphantomhive @ladyninggs @sirenetheblogger @jawline-of-steel

Alastor is a gentleman. Always had been, always will be. His mother had raised him to be one.

Every year Alastor would feel a change in the air — mating season — and every year he never indulged himself. Alastor had no interest in being with someone, why would he give them false hope?

This year things were different. This year he was living in a hotel for sinners to be rehabilitated. This year he’s back in hell after seven years of being gone. This year he met you.

Despite these differences he expected one thing to stay the same, mating season. He expected everything to remain normal this time of year, and at first he didn’t notice the slight changes.

It first started when he’d grow annoyed at people getting way to close to you.

—

Alastor walked out into the main room of this hotel. A normal thing for him.

He looked over and saw you at the bar, laughing with Husk. Alastor’s ear twitched with annoyance along with his eye. This wasn’t Tom and Jerry, Husker was not that funny of a cat.

Husker looked over your shoulder and noticed his soul owner giving him a threatening glare. Odd.

Alastor made his way over to the bar and placed a hand on your shoulder — which startled you since he hated another persons touch — he spoke with a grin that husk knew was him being pissy.

“Pardon the intrusion however I was going to ask if you would care to join me on a stroll.”

A simple ask that you agreed too, and you had thought the walk went swimmingly. However Alastor’s mood had just worsened.

He spent the whole walk just fending off creepy looks others would give you. He even sent his shadow away go torture a few.

—

You were walking down the stairs to angel — who stood by the door — putting on the back of your right dangling earring when Alastor saw you.

He spat out his coffee and began to choke on his own spit, you were absolutely gorgeous. You wore a small dark Maroon dress, that made him feel feral. That was his color.

He hurried to you before you and the spider could leave. “Darling! Where are you off too looking so charming?”

His words drew heat to your cheeks and you blessed him with a smile that made him feel like he was going to die in the best way possible. “Angel and I are heading out to that new club called consent.” Alastor’s mind went through simple math.

A club, that had people. People liked good-looking people. You looked divine. People would try and get with you. When hell freezes over.

“Perhaps I should accompany the two of you.”

“No need, I know it’s not your scene.”

You waved him goodbye and walked out. Alastor silently returned to his room. Where he very reasonably smashed every piece of furniture. All reasonable of course.

Alastor had just told himself he couldn’t let his guests of the hotel go out and fuck up there hard work. Let’s be honest though, he didn’t give to shits what angel was up too. He was staring at you.

He noticed a guy, about to walk up to you so he was quick. Grabbed your arm and twirled you into his chest.

You looked up in confusion and when you saw Alastor you voice was mixed with concern. “What are you doing here?”

He leaned down and whispered, “isn’t it obvious? I’m here to dance. I will say we could use better music.” He nipped at your ear with his sharp teeth — drawing blood that would no doubt leave a scratch later — and jazzy music started to play.

You giggled as you twirled you again. Your feet started to move faster in pace with his own.

Alastor picked you up and twirled you in the air. You felt almost alive again at the feeling. Alastor caught you and when you looked at him like he was the only person in the world, Alastor knew this was right. You were right.

—

The two of you continued to dance all night, and surprisingly everyone had got down with the fast pace jazz playing, not an ounce of complaining. 

Another thing that happened that night was people took photos of you and Alastor. Most had him glitched out but there was one, once that wasn’t.

It had been when he dipped you and you clanged to him in fear of falling. Alastor had a teasing grin and that photo had spread everywhere online.

Typically Alastor hated people being in his business, but he wouldn’t lie he loved the claim it gave you.

At first Alastor felt annoyed at the photo, but when he was walking around cannibal town he overheard two chaps talking about “the radios demon girl.”

He liked that name, he didn’t acknowledge the thought that popped in his mind after that.

‘I’d prefer Radio Demon wife.’

—

Nope this year mating season was normal. Right? Sure he felt a tad bit more possessive but it was normal. Wasn’t it?

—

When mating season came around Alastor never once indulged in the desire for a release. Hated the thought of even doing it.

Though when it became so unbearable that it caused him so much pain he decided once couldn’t be bad.

However it was the image of you in his mind that made him cum all over his hand.

That’s when he knew, this year was different.

—

He was scared at first but soon the need for you overcame that fear. He was the radio demon, he could do anything. So what if he experienced a little change? I mean have you seen you?

That’s when Alastor decided to pull the old charmer he once was when he was kicking in in the living world.

Alastor’s wouldn’t lie, he knew how to charm a lady, he’s had experience. Sure he hasn’t done any of that since he stepped into hell but he sure it couldn’t be that hard.

—

Alastor took a seat next to you at the vacant bar. He tapped his fingers as decided to open his mouth. And pure stupid slipped past it.

“So did it hurt when you fell from heaven?”

Alastor swears he saw a legit loading screen over your head. For the first time since ever Alastor was nervous.

“I think you have me confused with Lucifer.”

Rage bubbled into his skin at the sound of you saying someone else’s name. But nervousness washed that down.

Alastor made a terrible excuse and teleported away. “There’s always next time!” Sureeee.

—

Alastor was looking for you — something he had been doing often — only to find you in the kitchen with Nifty.

You smiled down and here and took a sip of the soup she gave you. “Absolutely lovely. You should go and give a bowl to Husk.” Nifty nodded excitedly and hurried off past Alastor.

You laughed a little and spoke to Alastor when you were sure Nifty was gone. “That was so salty oh my gosh.”

Alastor spoke before he could register you words even. “You wanna see if I’m salty?”

“What?”

“What?”

You two just stood there staring at one another for a good 10 seconds. Just processing. By the time your brain caught onto what he was saying he was already giving a stupid excuse to leave and rush to his room.

—

Now you had noticed Alastor trying to flirt. You noticed his little acts of service, and you noticed his jealous tendencies.

It was honestly funny on how Alastor would try to impress you. Alastor felt as if you weren’t interested in him. Let’s say that put quite the downer on his mood.

Alastor sat at the bar, drinking some whiskey when you walked past him. “Hey handsome.” He immediately perked up.

He became so needy for your attention and now that you were giving it to him? That made him want you more.

—

This was your first time in hell. Your first “mating season.” Most animalistic demons was around this time. So when you found Alastor knocking on your door in the middle of the night, good in hands, something in you went feral.

You invited him in to eat, he placed the food gently on your table. However Alastor felt like he needed to leave, or else he couldn’t control himself.

The smell of you all around? Not to mention he could practically taste your hormones on smell alone.

Alastor took a deep breath and started to excuse himself. “I should be off to bed now.”

He started to take steps to the door but you got in his way. Hand on his chest, eyes slightly begging yet demanding.

The two of you were quiet but the air was thick. It took you glancing one time at his lips for them to suddenly be on yours.

The kiss wasn’t soft, it was hard and rough. Like you was dehydrated and this was y’all’s first sip of water.

You pushed your hands into his hair while he tapped your legs. Understanding the silent command you jumped onto him, letting him pin you against the nearest wall.

You nipped his lower lip, drawing blood. The metallic taste mixed inside your mouth. It made Alastor even more painfully hard.

He let you stand and started to lead you two to the bed. Stripping you along the way as you did him.

By the time he pushed you into the mattress you only had your undergarments on while Alastor only had his pants.

The bed rocked slightly and hit the nightstand. “Careful Alastor the candle.”

Alastor’s gaze flickered over to the lit candle. He pushed you further up the bed and summoned some ropes. Effortlessly wrapping your hands to the headboard.

Alastor reached over to the candle and you whined out in anticipation. At first you were worried at the hot wax, but when Alastor tipped it slightly and the red mold dripped onto you skin you moan out in pleasure.

You hadn’t expected that to feel good but all you wanted was more. You had no doubt Alastor was a masochist but maybe you were one too.

“That’s a good girl.” His voice had a rasp that made you beg him for more.

“Please! Please Al.”

Alastor set aside the candle and started to kiss where the hot wax was starting to harden. He slightly snipped at your thighs causing you to beg him more.

“Please Alastor!”

“Please what?”

“Bite me.”

Bite you he did. Blood drew at the sharp bite he scattered across your thighs. Marking you his. He liked every drop of blood that would flow out the wound until it became to much. He couldn’t wait another second.

He discarded his pants and rubbed his top against your fold. Slightly grinding against your pussy.

“Please Alastor I need it.”

Fuck he needed it too but if he did this there would be no turning back. His afterlife would truly change forever.

But it already was changed, from the second he met you. So fuck it.

He thrusted up into you hard. While he would usually be a gentle dotting partner this time he just couldn’t wait.

He started the push himself all the way inside, not giving you a second to adjust. Blood dripped from your heat and Alastor grew to love the sight under him. You spread out blood, wax, his markings all over you.

He started to move quicker and quicker not giving you a second to adjust to his size. He fast a rough pulling sounds out of you that you didn’t even knew existed. Like you were some porn star.

Alastor sure as hell was fucking you like one.

You clanged to the radio demon, feeling your end about to wash through you.

“Alastor! Oh god I’m going to cum.” He gripped you chin and kissed you roughly. “You cum with only my name in your mouth.”

He pinch your clit and you came hard. Alastor’s name was the only thing you knew as you cried out to him in pleasure.

Alastor didn’t stop, he was selfishly chasing his own release, even if you were overstimulated.

You felt tears form in your eyes and you clenched around him, while he spilled himself inside of you.

When you both came down your high — panting — he slipped himself out and gave you a tender kiss.

He placed tender loving kisses on your thigh and face, slightly massaging your legs, while also making sure his cum stayed deep inside you.

—

The next morning was filled with the same Lust as the night before, however it was more gentle.

He explained he was like this because of mating season and why you were like this as well. The two of you came to an agreement that this sexual relationship would end when mating season did, even if both of you felt like dying while agreeing to it.

However when the air returned to normal you two relationship did not. You two continued your sinful acts. Like the two of you could never get enough of one another.

It wasn’t long till you confessed your feelings for Alastor, and him returning them.

Ahhhh! I’m trying new things out with my banner so if it’s a bit different in my upcoming post then that’s why.

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

horse girl charlie morningstar, her partner in a cool hat and eye patch vaggie, and the Hazbin Horse Rehabilitation Ranch- where shit people are introduced to horses no one else wants and hopefully no one get trampled to death (niffty this means YOU)

other key features include

vaggie riding a small working horse and ppl keep calling it a pony and she keeps telling them It's Not A Fucking Pony

charlie and her beloved mule, who never listens to her

angel dust wanting to learn dressage bc it looks like "fancy sexy riding" and also he was banned from mentioning the words "bare back" or "bucking bronco"

husk constantly found drunk and asleep in his horse's stall while said horse nuzzles him

niffty obsessing over grooming all the horses down to their individual hairs, yes even the bad tempered horses, yes she likes it when they shmoosh her against a wall or step on her foot

alastor looking calm collected and in control on his horse as he wanders off from the group and never participates in activities bc his horse won't listen to him either and he's too proud to admit it

sir pentious keeps trying to make his horse look and preform the best using his own new designs for tack and gear and it always backfires but he's the go-to one if your saddle needs adjusting or fixing

his egg boiz are a flock of chickens

his horse keeps eating the chickens' eggs and he keeps crying over it, even when charlie tells him they wouldn't have hatched into chicks anyway

lucifer lives in a shack somewhere around here with his collection of customized my little pony brushible toys

the locals in the nearest town still talk about lilith's incredible horse whispering skills before she up and vanished

charlie gushes about these stories a LOT but laughs nervously if asked about her own way with horses

she tries.

her way of making sudden loud squees and eeeks and excited yells and wild energetic movements doesn't fit well with most of the horses

she also slips up and gets flaming mad at anything that threatens her family's ranch or anyone who mistreats a horse

angry charlie is Scary Charlie

her mule doesn't care tho it knows she's a pushover treat giver

when vaggie first figured out what was happening she spent weeks with her own horse slowly getting it used to all sorts of weird charlie-related things, including stealing charlie's jacket a few times to flap it wildly while chasing her horse around the paddock singing loud show tunes

vaggie's horse is the only one that'll let charlie ride it without being a nervous wreck

charlie maybe cried a little when she went for that first ride

vaggie has a shot gun

she spends a lot of time checking on things riding far out and alone and keeps the gun with her just in case

she's never actually threatened any of their human boarders with the shot gun but she does have an unnerving tendency to check and clean it whenever she's pissed and trying to keep some shred of her patience intact

every week there's at least one night set aside for an evening dance after dinner and yes chaggie was doing it long before any other ppl showed up

valentino showed up once and charlie chased him off the premises with vaggie's shotgun

the ranch used to have a television

now it has a radio tower

no one except alastor is happy about it but his radio commercial revenue is paying for most of this so they all keep mostly quiet about their grumbling and record voice lines for ads when he looms over them with a script

vaggie swears the time she shot out the radio tower's windows while arguing with alastor over her and charlie's voice lines was a complete accident

razzle and dazzle are ranch dogs who keep track of the horses when they're out grazing and both are COMPLETELY in tune with charlie, been with her since childhood, the three can basically read each others' minds and watching them all work together is like watching magic

(vaggie also knows how to work with them but has to use more obvious signals instead of just tiny changes in body language)

vaggie keeps trying to gently remind charlie there are events for dog handling she could enter in

but the ranch was lilith's passion and rehabilitating rejected horses her dream and charlie is not not giving up on that OR on the rejected people her mom always was so proud of and charlie is NOT letting herself think for one moment that her mom isn't coming home

speaking of coming home

chaggie met when charlie was out riding after a storm looking for a lost horse and found it staring curiously down at a half dead lady lying in a ditch with a freshly gouged out eye and burns on her back

the half dead lady claimed she shot out her own eye by accident and got hit by lightning

or maybe fell asleep on a campfire uhh

charlie was way too busy figuring out normal social interactions again and also how to patch up a pretty lady without being a complete fool about it to question vaggie's super realistic tale

vaggie was planning on staying just long enough to get on her feet again- especially after she started catching feelings watching charlie being sweet with all the stubborn horsies- and seeing how much charlie was struggling with the ranch without having someone else to look after

she was even gonna steal a horse on the way out

and got caught by charlie in the act

charlie just smiled sadly, told vaggie she was glad she wasn't heading off alone, told vaggie's horse to take care of her, and then went back to the daily chores

vaggie caught up with her an hour later

she'd had to properly put her horse away and get breakfast started first, for after they've finished up the morning stuff

they've been running the ranch together ever since

keekee the cat is the actual boss on the ranch and got her name from how doors always open for her (bc she bothers whoever's around until they drop what they're doing to obey her)

cherri bomb stops by once just to laugh at angel dust and ignore pentious but ends up being the only one who figures out why the new horse is spooking at everything- it's got hearing loss, and she's got it too from doing endless unlicensed fireworks shows, and she's totally just sticking around until the horse gets used to things here. totally

[sepublic]

Unlocking the Sad Backstory

I find it interesting how a lot of arcs in TOH have this general pattern of…

Character hurts others -> Character is unhappy, reconsiders their harm -> Character begins to do better -> Character’s sad backstory that re-contextualizes them is unlocked

And it applies even to characters that aren’t exactly villains or even antagonists, but for whom hurting someone nevertheless is a major premise! So to look at examples;

Amity is Willow and Luz’s bully, but we see how she’s unfairly manipulated by Lilith and is ashamed because of it. Luz reaching out to her makes Amity reconsider, she undoes the binding oath she placed on Luz. Then we see Amity’s siblings and how both parties are toxic to one another, and then we get a flashback confirming her parents are abusive. In regards to Willow specifically, Amity acknowledges she’s done harm to Willow in burning her memories, and works to fix them with Luz before we get this context.

Emira and Edric are also toxic to Amity, but in their next appearance they’re remorseful about what they’ve done to Amity, they’re working to make it up to their baby sister. And while they’re not present in the aforementioned flashback, their parents being confirmed as abusive tells you everything you need to know about them.

Lilith has a petty rivalry with Eda, but we see how much she cares and keeps breaking the law to look the other way, too. Then we see how she’s pressured by the Emperor’s Coven, and even threatened by Belos, before she captures Eda. We learn of her curse, but again; We see Lilith next and it’s reiterated that she believes this will cure Eda, we remember wanting to be kinder happened after cursing Eda. We see Lilith attempt to free Eda, and then we get the backstory about how the curse was mostly an accident. We get more info later on how Gwen’s neglect contributed to Lilith’s inferiority complex.

Hunter is the Golden Guard, he threatens to boil Luz, Eda, and King to death and wants the Selkidomus dead, but won’t even do it himself. He kidnaps Palismen to feed to Belos. But then later we see how he’s unhappy over his situation, how he feels like his uncle won’t let him help. Hunter begins to show consideration towards Flapjack and later Luz when he reveals his name, and then we get context as to how physically abusive Belos is, and where that scar came from. Flapjack returns and Hunter spares him.

Alador is either a controlling abuser to Amity, or a neglectful one. But he does hold his wife accountable when she tries to betray their daughter by going back on her end of the deal, and later shows genuine love for Amity when Alador isn’t more concerned about the family’s socioeconomic status. Amity admits how unhappy she is, Alador realizes he truly is hurting his daughter, and promises to talk with his wife over this. We later see him try, and then we see that Alador is also abused, and it’s implied his neglect comes from overworking himself in exchange for his children being spared the same.

Boscha is a bully, through and through. She torments everyone for purely petty reasons. But she also admits to feeling similar pressure as Willow, and then confesses to being lonely without Amity, Skara, Amelia, or Cat. Amity acknowledges that Boscha is lonely, but points out that Boscha needs to respect her for who she is. Boscha listens, and helps stop Kikimora. In the credits we see fully that she really was a miserable, scared child being manipulated by a grown adult.

The Collector is aiding Belos’ genocide, and (seemingly) knowingly. But they’re also fretful over the nature of their ‘friendship’ and are left betrayed and hurt. They meet King, and after being freed by him, we see how they try to be a good friend to King and are slowly listening to him bit by bit, which is why King vouches for rehabilitation over imprisonment. The Collector is already against harm to a certain point, defying what the Archivists mandate. And then we learn that they were unjustly imprisoned by the Titan, and didn’t even know about death in their childish, simplistic view of the world, seeing people as only broken and unmoving yet capable of being fixed at any time, if all the parts are there.

Gwen makes Eda feel ashamed of her curse, she neglects Lilith. But she does care for at least one daughter, and is horrified when she realizes the harm her antivaxxer actions have done. Gwen makes things up not only to Eda, but Lilith especially in taking her back home, even as Gwen explains during her reconciliation that she honestly saw Lilith as self-sufficient. And then a few episodes later, we find out her husband was mauled and left disabled by the curse, unable to continue his life’s work. And we get even more context for Gwen’s obsession in curing her daughter of the condition that gave her so much guilt.

Camila made Luz feel unwanted at home, going along with the camp, and her outburst later on was the wrong call; But she’s not punished for it, that’s not necessary. Instead she apologizes, we see Camila worry about the camp taking away Luz’s passion by salvaging her daughter’s weirdness for her, we see her be accommodating to Luz and her friends when she returns, having reflected in that time, and offering support. And then we learn that Camila was just like Luz, she fit in to survive, and she lost Manny, someone she needed to stand up for herself.

Bump is introduced as a principal willing to dissect Luz, but he also appreciates Willow’s magic and vouches for her to her parents. We see that he’s actually open-minded and cares about his students, he lets Eda enroll Luz on the fair grounds that Eda clear her own messes; Bump insists on following the coven system and places students into the detention track, but when those kids save the day, Bump owns up to a mistake he clearly didn’t like anyhow and changes things. And then we see his past, and how he’s been improving things this whole time, challenging Faust and looking out for Eda!

Even Steve technically qualifies; He’s a covenscout, he’s a jerk who knocks over someone else’s books to express his cop enthusiasm. But Steve forgives Skara for punching him in the face because he kidnapped her, and then admits to Hunter that what they’ve done is wrong, and he’s now reconsidering. Afterwards Steve has his introspective interactions with King, and then we see his face; Implying (and eventually confirmed by Dana) that he is the older brother that Mattholomule spoke of, who gave him the map to the Looking Glass Ruins that Adrian, in the previous episode, admitted he couldn’t find; Because Steve gave away the map to make his kid brother happy.

Likewise, I want to discuss two characters who don’t exactly fit this sequence, and don’t mature or get better, not of their own volition for one:

Kikimora is Belos’ assistant, she’s complicit in his executions. She tries to murder Hunter out of nothing but jealousy, helps bring Raine to Terra, goes after everyone at the Knee, etc. But then we see Kikimora is miserable because of her unsympathetic mother, who is probably abusive; She has no consideration that her daughter is obligated to their dictator, who demonstrated on live television that he’ll execute even his own high-ranking officials if they don’t go along with him, and Kikimora was there in-person. And is now expected to help with a major event involving other high-ranking officials and the dictator himself.

So we get Kikimora hurting people, being unhappy, and having a sad backstory; But we don’t have Kikimora reconsider the harm she’s doing. She accepts Luz’s help for her own sake, and instead of empathizing with Luz as a result, Kikimora betrays her when she sees a potential promotion. Kikimora is let down, we see later that she’s been demoted to the Crate Coven.

But then she attempts to bring Hunter to Belos, and it’s revealed later that she knows what happens to Grimwalkers like him, and has known about the genocide and still went along out of obsessive devotion. Despite this, Kikimora does not warrant Belos’ callousness, it’s not triumphant it’s just cruel because he was going to kill her just for being a demon, villain or saint it didn’t matter. So Kikimora is given her revenge when she helps free the Collector, who splatters Belos, an injury that leads to his eventual death, and stops the draining spell, saving Kikimora’s own life in the process!

At which point, you think she’d learn, right? But instead Kikimora does the exact same thing as Belos, which Luz calls out, despite having had her pedestal shattered because Kikimora doesn’t care about the harm to others, only herself. And so she can only temporarily be an ally, before going back to being an antagonist; The system is fine if she’s in charge, she doesn’t learn anything from what happened. And Kikimora is captured by rebelling students, and forced into community service four years later.

There’s also Belos, whom… Okay do I even need to explain??? We learn that he is upset by his brother’s death and misses him, too. And he does feel guilt about murdering Caleb and even the Grimwalkers, they weren’t purely replaceable in his eyes! But he never reconsiders his harm, he keeps repeating it, he never changes. Belos doesn’t even acknowledge that he’s doing witches and demons wrong. And while we do get his backstory, it’s clear from his priorities, the details, and Masha and the Titan’s own takeaways that he fully chose his misery, and that his backstory is not so sad with this in mind.

I wonder if the takeaway is that these characters can’t truly get better because in the end, they won’t acknowledge the harm they’ve done; They won’t admit it, they won’t do anything about it. And so they can only be counted on to care about making themselves feel better, but that’s it. And so on a pragmatic level, co-existence has to be forced.

Because with Kikimora, she’s made to do community service, and with prisons being abolished for hospitals, she’s likely on house arrest because the alternative is execution and no state should have that power. And with Belos, he proved himself too dangerous, he was well past his lifespan and dying anyway, and they were not going to sacrifice even a single, unwilling Palisman to keep Belos alive.

As for all the other characters, for whom things do work out with? I find it interesting how Sad Backstory is something for the protagonists and viewers to unlock. Maybe the idea is that the protagonists aren’t prepped to forgive a character simply over what happened in the past, just what’s happening now, and what they’re trying to do about it. You can still empathize when they’re sad, even without a backstory for context because look at Luz during Covention!

But as a whole it makes sense for the takeaways of those around them, because why should I care that you were sad, if you’re still being a jerk anyway? Now I know your sad backstory, but you’ve known it the whole time you were hurting me, so what difference does it make about you if you’re not changing; Do you just expect me to keep forgiving you out of pity?

It could be a consideration for what characters around them might realistically feel. The sad backstory, the re-contextualizing for why they’re like that, is the cherry on top to their arc; Yes this person sucks, but maybe they aren’t having a great time either. They give people a reason to be sympathetic. And then those people get to really appreciate their side of the story when they don’t have to worry about still being hurt.

Maybe it’s also a message to the audience, because with other characters showing that you still need to be careful in extending a hand, and given the toxic and abusive relationships we see, maybe this could be the context for that? An abuser’s sad backstory is the last thing on your mind; Your first thought should be that they’re hurting you.

But if they’re looking for help and actually want to improve, then you can offer it, and if they accept, then you can let yourself be caught up over their tragic past, instead of making excuses for them from the get-go because of that, RIP Hunter. When it comes to Willow, she was allowed to be angry well after learning Amity’s Sad Backstory, when she felt Amity wasn’t pulling her weight in making up for everything.

By contrast we have Eda not really giving a damn whether the curse was an accident, because Lilith still took knowingly took Luz hostage and threatened her, captured Eda. So her present actions are being unaddressed even if Lilith thinks her past one is. And when King vouches for Lilith, Eda refrains from taking vengeance; Lilith saving the family and taking the curse, past and present actions made up for, culminates in forgiveness.

It’s not enough that Lilith felt bad about it, she needed to tangibly do something about it, something genuine that doesn’t miss the point (unlike a certain emperor), and so to a no-nonsense adult like Eda, that’s when she can be forgiven. That’s when her sad backstory resonates, just as for the audience, that’s when we learn it so we can even appreciate it at all.

Some of this may just be basic storytelling conventions, like of course you’re going to get the character first and their characterizing actions, and then their backstory. But then again you could just as easily mix things up. Or it could just be an extension of this show’s larger fascination with re-contextualizing previous scenes and details. I just think it’s an interesting pattern to dwell over, and I wonder if it was intentional, how much was intentional, etc. Because with a show wanting to help kids understand abuse, to avoid it and/or realize it’s happening to them, to get help and heal, and finally figure out if they should forgive their abusers, if they want to… All of this could work in that regard.

[hiskillingjar]

brother-and-sister bonding

Relationship: Ren Hana/MC Rating: Explicit Includes: Fauxcest, Hate Sex, Bratting, Sex Toys, Lactation Length: 5400+ words

a super generous and fun request for an anonymous user on ko-fi, thank you so much!

if you'd like a commission of your own, feel free to check out my post and shoot me a message!

Life was easy for Ren. 

He had a routine, he had a structure, he had a set of rules that he could abide by, day to day, to make sure he stayed alive and stayed sane.

In the mornings (or early afternoons, depending on how long he slept in for, how bad the night before had been for him), he’d wake up, make breakfast, clean up after himself, and then maybe, occupy his time with a new show (he got through his watch list in record time, these days) or some heavily filtered internet access. 

At mid-day, he’d eat lunch, take a nap in the armchair in the living room while he watched another show, and, of course, try not to get himself killed (an important task, maybe the most!) 

In the evenings, if he lasted that long, he’d make dinner, clean up after himself (again), and maybe have a bath to balm his new wounds, before going to bed.

Then the cycle would start all over again for the rest of time, forever.

Often what people didn’t tell those who were getting rehabilitated after a long duration of captivity, was just how difficult life was suddenly going to get for them.

After the period of attention-heavy coddling, even captives had to engage in the real world again, and many cracked under the pressure of just how hard being a person could be,

Captivity was, unfortunately, very easy for someone like Ren, despite the ever-present danger that threatened him for what felt like every minute of the day. 

It was stable. It was routine. It was monotonous. 

And though he was smart enough to know that this wasn't what a life should be, living like a caged animal, too scared to make even one mistake lest he be punished for it within an inch of his life, there was a certain comfort to knowing exactly what he was going to do, every day, for the rest of his life.

Hence, his irritation when a new toy had come in and fucked all of that up.

And hence why he was currently staring at his computer screen, some monotonous, cloying, fan-servicey type livestream happening in the background of his brooding, instead of making dinner for the evening like he usually did, all because she had so generously offered to do it in his stead.

He seethed silently to himself as he shoved off his headphones with a huff, the smell of sticky brown sauce and tofu making his nose twitch, potent even from all the way downstairs. 

She was probably burning it, which just made him even angrier.

This was just about the chores, he told himself, his tail idly swaying with irritation (enough to make his computer chair spin to and fro). This was about the disruption to his routine throwing him out of wack and disorientating him, it was just that.

His anger surely had nothing to do with the beaming smile Strade would give her whenever she presented the shitty dinner she had made to him, reminding Ren of a husband and a new (inexperienced) wife, or the way he would pet her hair all the while as he ate, or even the way he would compliment her cooking (while he was sitting right there), commenting that she should make dinner more often, because "Ren's got a routine about his cooking" and he’d grown bored of it.

It was nothing to do with that, surely.

No way. 

"Ren," She said brightly, jolting him out of his thoughts and pulling any lingering attention he might have had on the livestream away, as she poked her head around the door frame with a beaming smile, always sunshine and roses. "Dinner's ready!"

“Mmf,”

He didn’t respond immediately, at least not properly, his ears twitching irritably as he set his headphones on his desk, turning menacingly (or an attempt of menace, at least) in his computer chair and glaring at her for what felt like a solid thirty seconds of pregnant silence. 

“What was that?” He asked, feigning ignorance.

“Um,” Her smile faltered slightly as she nudged the door open a little more. “I said dinner was ready. Black bean tofu and veggies.” She attempted another smile. “I’ve been at it all afternoon.”

Because you’re a lousy cook, he wanted to say, but he bit his lip to stop himself.

He knew he should have probably said something at least vaguely kind and grateful; a "thank you" or a "good work" or something like that. He knew that he should have attempted to express a least an approximation of sincere gratitude towards her effort, knew that because he had been conditioned into it. 

But a knot in his stomach stopped him from feeling anything even close to gratitude, replaced by a curling spiral of…something else he couldn’t (wouldn’t) name.

"You didn’t need to come up here and tell me.” He eventually said as flatly as possible, turning back to his screen. “I’m not hungry.”

"Are you sure?" She asked, tilting her head thoughtfully with a little pout, her long hair running down her shoulders and covering her full chest. "I got a recipe from one of your cookbooks. It's Japanese, special for you!"

Special for him?

He stiffened slightly against the tall back of his chair, before turning to give her a suspicious, sideways glance. 

Cast half in the bright light of the hallway, and half by the LED strips that covered his desk and the walls of his bedroom, she looked…well, pretty good, as much as he hated to admit it to himself. 

Dressed in a tight, milk-maid-like dress that hugged her body in several flattering ways, the neckline also cutting low enough to accentuate the smooth, pale plains of her chest, it was…sort of no wonder Strade had developed such a fondness for her in such little time.

He could only imagine what she might have looked like, begging and pleading for his mercy, her pale skin streaked with blood, her full lips open and gasping and crying. 

“I said I’m not hungry.” He repeated, turning back to his computer to hide his wandering eyes and the pinkish hue of his cheeks. "And...I mean, it IS kind of presumptuous that you think I'd want to eat it anyway, just because it's Japanese. Super rude of you, actually. You should ask what I want first, if you’re gonna do that."

"Mm, y-yeah, fine, I guess so." She finally stepped inside his room (without his asking to), making him turn back to look at her again with an annoyed glare. Her cheeks were slightly pink with embarrassment and her hands were clasped tont of her, fingers twitching in their entanglement. "You don't have to be an asshole, though, you know. I'm just trying to be nice..."

Nobody asked you to." He retorted sharply, crossing his arms over his chest with a childish huff. "I don’t need you to pretend to be all nice and caring, and…and motherly all of a sudden for whatever reason. Just stop.” He huffed again, his gaze flitting to the side. “I don’t find it cute, so don’t bother with that crap around me."

She stood back towards the closed door of his bedroom, her body straightening out, ridding itself of any pretence of embarrassment or bashfulness in her posture, with a little scoff and another pout, putting her hands on her hips.

Never beating the motherly allegations, it seemed.

"I'm not pretending, I just made dinner and wanted to include you,” She complained with a sharp look. “A-and motherly, what is that supposed to mean?"

He sighed and spun his computer chair to face her fully, and for a split second, he almost found her indignant pout endearing and soft of cute, almost enough to drop the whole thing and leave her alone to enjoy the dinner she had made special for him.

Just almost, though.

"Of course, you’re pretending," He snapped, rolling his eyes, his tail idly swaying again. "What, am I supposed to believe that you would normally act like some simpering housewife, making dinners and cleaning and wearing a pretty dress, if you weren’t trying to get Strade to like you? It’s all fake. You’re fake” 

He laughed and shook his head. 

"You like to act like you're sooo much better than me, don't you? Well, I can see through your bullshit act, so it’s not going to work on me. Get it?"

Her eyes widened slightly as he ranted to her, and she let out another scoff when he was finished, breathing out an aggravated laugh with a sardonic smirk.

"Are you kidding? That's the reason you're pissed off at me?" She crossed her arms, the weight of her full chest pooling over them, showing them off even more. "Because Strade is leaving you alone? Because you actually get to have a night by yourself instead of entertaining your fucking kidnapper so he doesn’t kill you when he’s bored?"

"No, that's not why I'm pissed at you, idiot." He jabbed back quickly, his tail lashing behind him as he sat forward in his seat. "I'm pissed off at you because your fake bullshit has been interrupting me all week. You keep going around the house,” He gestured widely with his hands, putting on a simpering tone. “Looking all cute and sweet and trying to act like some sort of housewife. What are you, Strade’s lapdog? Or are you just trying to suck up to him so you can get rewarded for being a good girl?"

She bristled at that, a scowl darkening her pretty features.

"Excuse me for having some semblance of a survival instinct.” She barked back. “Are you really so jealous that you'd create these bullshit excuses for yourself, Ren? Maybe you should be grateful that I’m not just leaving you to fend for yourself, that’s what someone else would do-"

"Survival instinct?! You don't understand anything!” He immediately shouted back, almost cutting her off as he thrust his hands against his chest. “How about you try feeling the way I do, try feeling like you've been cast off for the shiny new toy!  Tell me how fucking grateful you'd feel after that!"

She grinned smugly, looking almost triumphant that she'd gotten a reaction from him.

Maybe she wasn’t as sweet as he’d first assumed.

"You're pathetic, you know that?” She said, narrowing her eyes towards him, her tone cutting and sharp. “You're like a little kid, fighting for Daddy's attention."

That comment almost stopped him in his tracks, making him feel, instantly, like he had been punched in the face with a combination of rage, jealousy and despicable lust.

It was so absurd, so out of nowhere and yet so painfully on target that it made a furious blush spread across his face.

"Fuck you-" He murmured through grit teeth, his hands curling against the pockets of his joggers.

"Is that what he is to you, Ren?" She asked him with a mocking pout. "Is he your daddy?"

"You…" He stood up from his computer chair abruptly (enough to push it back against his desk), his tail whipping behind him furiously. "You don't, y-you’re one to talk! You’re the one who keeps sucking up to him, l-like you're soooo happy,” He gritted his teeth, his cheeks flushing darker as he tried to put some kind of authority to his voice. “T-To have Strade’s attention that you'll do whatever he wants, like you like being his whore or something!”

“I’m not his fucking whore!” She yelled back at him, almost at a breaking point of her own. 

“Then stop acting like one!” He hissed.

"Why don't you go suck Daddy's cock,” She bit back, her voice louder than it had been before (and surely loud enough for anyone downstairs to hear too). “If you're so fucking desperate for it?!"

“Shut up!”

Overcome by his animal instincts (to kill, bite, maim, hurt, whatever he needed to do to win), he practically leapt forward, his vision red with anger, and grabbed her by the wrists, digging his claws deep into her skin as he pushed her backwards against the closed bedroom door, each body wrestling to overpower the other.

“Ngh!” She cried out loudly, trying to yank back from his grip, making his claws dig in deeper, as if he had already tethered himself to her. “G-Get off me!”

When he was this close, barely inches from her face as spittle sprayed across his cheeks, all while she shouted and screamed with primal annoyance, he could see each wrinkle and twist in her furious expression, and he was suddenly compelled to hit her, take her by the shoulders and bash her head into the door, the wall, until there was nothing left to be angry at. 

He couldn’t help it, he told himself amid his rage. 

The prospect of slapping that taunting, insolent expression off her face and replacing it with something more appealing, something that better suited her pretty face, something red and bloody and meaty, was just…too compelling

“Shut up, you goddamn moron.”

He pressed himself against her as she kept trying to fight him off of her, using his (minute) weight to keep her pinned against the door, his tail lashing and his teeth bared.

“Stop talking crap like you know fucking anything about me,” He hissed, feeling his annoyance grow even more as she kept fighting and wriggling underneath him. “As though you’re so much better. Shut. Up.”

She kept on writhing against him all the while, her full hips occasionally colliding with his, little whimpers falling from her lips like a pinned animal. 

All of that (unfortunately) got his blood pumping like mad, the constant stimulation against his growing arousal, as well as the primal excitement of holding a squirming body still for a change (rather than being the one who was squirming), and he had to resist the urge to shudder and moan, feeling his skin prickle and his tail twitch as he pressed his body up against hers further, their hips aligned wonderfully.

He was aware, too, of the way her full chest (practically spilling out of her dress) was pushed against his, and the way he was forcing her to crane her neck back so she could even look at him.

It made him feel good.

It made him feel powerful. And he so rarely got to feel anything even close to that.

"You wanna play 'house', huh? Is that it?" He murmured as he pressed closer, forcing their faces together and growling into her cheek, before sliding a knee between her thighs and hiking it upwards, forcing her thighs to part. "Alright, if Strade is 'daddy', I guess that makes us 'brother and sister', doesn't it?"

Her eyes widened slightly at his growled words, stunned into near stillness before her expression twisted into one of shocked disgust and she kept squirming erratically underneath his body, especially so when his hips went forward, rubbing the beginnings of his erection against her thigh.

"Get the fuck off me!” She shrieked, shaking her head to shove him away.

“Ah-ah!”

He let out a mean laugh and grabbed her by the jaw then, his claws digging into her skin as he forced her to look at him, to see his golden eyes, sparkling with mirth, and know what he wanted from her. Her cheeks were flushed with furious humiliation, and her full lips were parted and wet with sprayed spittle, and his stomach felt like it was in knots from the effort of trying to control himself. 

“You were the one who fucked around with me, you little brat,” He said, his voice almost a low growl, as his snarling lips grew into a smirk, his knee going up higher and nudging at the front of her panties. "Oh, now you're fighting me because you don't want to play anymore? Is that it?"

"Don't touch me, you freak!" She protested again, crying out when his claws sank deeper into her wrists and the meat of her cheek, as sharp as a needle in a pin cushion, droplets of blood streaming out and beading around his fingertips. “You’re, ngh, you’re just as bad as he is!”

Was that an insult or a compliment? Depended on the day, he guessed.

“HAH! Am I?” He keened forward on his tiptoes then, so they were face to face, as close they could get, and he could feel her panicked breaths ghost over his face, warming it up even more than it was already. “I’ll show you how bad I can be, hm?” 

He hated her. He knew that much, at this point.

So why...why did seeing her pinned, wriggling, crying underneath him make his blood feel like it was roaring in his veins, like it had never done before?

Something something, there is an awful lot of love in hate.

Or, certainly, an awful lot of lust.

"Ohhh, little sister doesn't want to play anymore?” He taunted, lowering his voice to a cloying coo. “She wants to stay perfect and untouched for Daddy, doesn't she?" He then added sharply, as if he felt truly scorned, his breath growing faster as adrenaline and anger and hot arousal started to boil over and he rutted against her thigh even more, even faster. "Maybe he likes you so much because you'll play the whore, though, cus you'll play mommy for him."

"Nghhh, fuck," She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip as he rocked into her. “I’m not a fucking whore-”

“Mm, I think you are,” He continued to taunt, one hand sinking from her jaw (leaving behind bloody gouges on her skin) to hungrily pull open the ties of her dress, the fabric unfolding and revealing more of her pale chest, heaving and spilling out of the tight cotton. "Your tits are big enough to be mommy, anyway, a little too big to be a cute, little sister.”

"You've got a dirty, nh!" She flinched as he tore more of the dress, retrieving a scrap from the front (making it unwearable, in the future) to bind her wrists together in a messy knot, before hooking them above her head on a jacket peg. "A-A dirty mouth, Ren..."

“And you’ve got a dirty mind,” He replied smugly with a big grin, his tail idly wagging as he leisurely paced to the side and opened the top drawer of his desk, retrieving a set of bullet vibrators and a roll of athletic tape.

Finally, he was getting the chance to do this.

It had been a long time coming, he thought with a smirk, looking back at her. And who knew when he’d get this chance again?

Best to make the most of it now.

“Did Daddy get this for you, little sis?” He asked as he paced back towards her with a lazy saunter, tauntingly toying with the flaps of cotton fabric with one of his bloody claws. “Or did you ask for it, because you like showing yourself off for him, hm?~”

"I'm not your fucking sister, you pervert," She growled with a venomous look in her eyes, trying to pull at the cotton sash binding her, though her effort was evidently in vain when she let out a pained hiss, the cotton rubbing painfully against the dots of blood marring her wrists. “That’s sick.”

“Oh, but you said it yourself, didn’t you?” He asked with an innocent tone to his voice, tugging the dress’ fabric down even more so that her nipples were revealed, swelling with involuntary arousal, ripe and delicious and waiting for him. “You can’t take it back now. You’ve let me think about it for too long, now.”

He hummed casually as he positioned the first bullet against her nipple and taped it in place with strips of tape, biting off each one as they lay flat on her breast, idly licking his lips as he did so.

"What’re you doing?” She asked with a confused look towards her now adorned chest, before her eyes went back to his, her brows knitting together with concern. 

“Don’t worry about it,” He smirked, positioning the second bullet across her other nipple and taping that in place too. “We’re just playing, aren’t we, sis? It’s nothing that serious.”

“W-We’re not,” She started, catching herself stammering and swallowing uncomfortably as her bound wrists rolled together again. “We’re not playing. I don’t want to play.”

“Mm, and I didn’t want you bothering me all night,” He replied airily, hiking up the skirt of her dress and revealing a sensible pair of panties. Figures, Strade never cared about important things like aesthetics. That was his job, he supposed. “We don’t always get what we want, do we?”

He then pressed his thumb against the front of her panties, his smirk widening into a (sort of) genuine smile when he found a slightly damp spot. 

“Or, heh, maybe you are getting exactly what you want,” He suggested, leaning into her with a lecherous smile, his tail swaying as he slid the last bullet into her panties, nestled against where she was most sensitive (and he guessed as much, from the way she immediately flinched and whimpered as he tried to adjust it into the perfect place). “And you’re lying to me. What a naughty little sister I have, hah~”

“I’m not-NGH!”

He turned all three vibrators on with the click of a button, and her eyes almost instantly bulged out of her skull, overwhelmed by the buzzing sensation, and her expression only got more exaggerated and hot as he slid the vibrators’ motor up another notch, giving her even more to focus on.

“You’re noooot?” He drawled with a teasing grin, pressing close to her again as she moaned mindlessly, squeezing her eyes shut to try and contain the amount of pleasure she was being forced to feel. “You’re not lying, you’re not enjoying this, or…” 

He turned the vibrators up another notch, hearing another loud, pained moan from her parted lips.

“You’re not my little sister, hm? Which is it?”

“Nnfff, Rennnn,” She murmured pleadingly, her thighs pressing together tightly and trembling, struggling to hold her body upright, as she stared towards him, any previous venom in her gaze and tone long absent. “I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry for whatever I did. But, hah, please,” She whimpered again, eyes clenched shut again as another wave of white-hot pleasure hit her hard. “T-This is too much, way too much, nhh!”

“Oh, so, now you’re wanting to be good?” He asked with the same cloying tone as before, nuzzling against the crook of her neck, against her cheek, scenting her, his twitching ears grazing her temple and making him shiver. “You’ve seen what happens when you’re bad, and now you want to be a good girl for me, like you are with Daddy, hm?”

“Yesss,” She drawled, doing her best to look towards him and acclimate to what he wanted of her. “Yes, yes, I’ll be good, please just stop-”

“Tell you what…” He started, turning the vibrators up another notch and listening to her cry out with another big smile, running his tongue over his teeth. “Address me properly and maybe I’ll think about going easy on you. What do you think about that, hm?”

“H-Hah,” 

She breathed out, her bound hands curling into tight fists above her as she closed her eyes with a tight, grimacing expression, clearly not thrilled by what she was about to say, but…willing to do it for what she needed. 

“P-Please…big brother,” He lip twitched with slight discomfort. “Please turn your toys off…I promise, I’ll be a good sister from now on, I won’t bother you ever again, I promise.”

“Oh, that’s really good, little sis,” He mumbled his tone sweet with praise as he pressed a wet kiss against her cheek. “Sounds almost like you practised it, just for me. Mm, Daddy did well with you, didn’t he? He’s training you to be a good, little whore…”

“Ngh,” Her head sank against her heaving chest, her breathing hard. “Please, please, please…please stop, now, please?”

“Mm…too bad.”

He then slid the motor up to the highest setting he could, the incessant buzzing of the triplet bullets almost drowning out the wonderful sound of her pained cries and whines.

Almost.

“FUUUCK!” She cried out like she was experiencing something close to true agony, gritting her teeth, her eyes squeezing shut and opening wide over and over again, fluttering, like a broken baby doll, while her wet mouth gaped and drooled, unable to stop herself. “FUCK, STOP, PLEASE!”

This was truly too perfect.

Someone was actually experiencing (at least a close approximation of) true pain in front of him. They were writhing, crying, bleeding, and begging him for mercy (that they wouldn’t find) and for him to let them go, and whatever they had to do, they’d do, just for a chance at freedom.

She was in a position he had been in countless times before, all because of him.

He’d never been more turned on.

His shaking hand quickly sank to the front of his joggers, urgently untying the toggle before peeling them down and revealing his hard, leaking cock, the knot throbbing hungrily at the base, waiting for something warm to fuck and sink into, like he was sliding into an unknowable home.

"Fuck, you deserve this.” He breathed hard through his gritted teeth, working his hand up and down the length of it as he pressed closer against her, panting against her already hot skin, probably making her feel that much more uncomfortable. “It's what you get for getting on my nerves. Now, hah,” 

He squeezed the head of his cock hard, a pearl of pre-cum smearing against her naked thighs (scarred, just like his were, cut from the same cloth, a creation of the same master, embodying the same trauma, as much as he despised it). 

“N-Now you're going to be all ruined and fucked up, and Daddy is going to go back to loving me even more…hah,” His head tilted forward against her shoulder, breathing harder as he worked himself up even more. “That’s all I want…e-everything I want, mm-”

He knew that probably wasn’t likely.

He knew that anything he could have done to a new toy wouldn’t have ruined her for Strade in the slightest.

If anything, it might have made him like her even more.

But it felt good to say, all the same.

"Maybe you won't be a sister or a mommy anymore.” He whispered into her skin as she kept crying out for mercy, her jaw tense and her eyes wide and staring right ahead of her, thousands of miles away. “M-Maybe you'll just be some dumb dog that sleeps outside and pisses with her leg up, and...nhh..."

He squeezed another dribble of pre-cum across her skin, before reaching up to grope and paw at one of her breasts.

"Fuck, sis, that's so good,” He gasped, as a wave of white-hot pleasure hit him all at once. The full weight and size of her breast made it even more fun to handle and play with, which in turn just made him feel that much more aroused.  “Mm...if I didn’t think it’d get me killed, I’d have fucked you by now, without a care in the world…mm.” 

She moaned brainlessly again, her head sinking against her thick, metal collar, bucking mindlessly against nothing as she was pushed closer and closer to her breaking point.

“Nnhh, that’s okay though~” He breathed out with a wheezing little titter, running his tongue over his fangs before pressing another kiss to her shoulder, her collarbone, her neck and her jaw. “It’ll feel good knowing you’re losing your mind because of me anyway…even if I can’t fuck you yet.”

“Nghh, please,” She drawled with a shaking exhale, pleading, soft thighs clenched together as she sank against her binds, the ratty cotton seemingly the only thing keeping her upright. “Please, fuck me, I want you to-”

“Ohoho, how she changes her tune now,” Ren laughed again, filled with unexpected energy to persist as he pulled back to really look at her, exhausted and empty of the protest she was full of before. “What, has my sweet little sister decided that she wants to play the whore all of a sudden? My my, we really aren’t ourselves when we want something, are we?”

“Ren, hah, big brother,” She squealed as he lowered his head to tongue at her breast, or, at least, what little of her areola he hadn’t covered with the tape. “Please, please, this feels like torture…”

“Oh, but it’s supposed to, sis,” He purred with an indulgent smile, nuzzling against her chest as his fist moved faster, up and down, his cock, his own arousal getting close to painful, he was so close. “Ngh, it’s supposed to be all fun for me, and torture for you. This is how things work around here, after all, don’t you know that?”

“Ghhhh, too much,” She whined, squeezing her eyes shut again, her head hitting the door as she tipped her head back. “Hurting, please, nhh…”

“Shhh, I know, baby,” Ren thencooed softly, his tail wagging at her needy tone as he peeled the athletic tape from her sore nipple and pulled the bullet aside, giving himself the full expanse of her nipple to tongue and taste as he pleased. “Just be good and I’ll try and make this bearable for you, kay?~”

“Stop, stop, hah!” Her eyes went wide again as she started to struggle. “Stop, ngh, t-that’s really sore!”

“You know I’m not going to do that,” He smiled teasingly, before slipping the now available bullet into her panties with the third one, only adding more to her torture and quickly making her shut up again. “Try to endure it, okay? I promise, it’ll be worth it.”

“Nhhh,” She moaned helplessly, her eyes rolling back into her head (where they belonged, not looking at him, not seeing him), her mouth open and gasping and drooling.

“That’s it,” He praised with another smile, kissing her nipple again. “Much better.”

He indulgently ran the flat of his tongue over the ripe bud of her nipple as he kept fucking his fist, latching onto it like a babe and suckling eagerly, the taste and weight of her body against his pushing him, too, that much closer to the edge.

He was already so close, already there, when-

“MM-!”

Ren pulled back quickly, his eyes wide and his tongue between his teeth, when he spotted…

Was that milk? Oozing from her chest?

“You’re��lactating,” He pointed out, looking up towards her empty face (she was so lost, so far gone, so lovely to look at already) with a furrowed expression before a shaky smile crossed his face and he looked back down to where her nipple was still dribbling fluid. “Oh…hah, wow, that’s…um…”

His face was beet red and his cock was throbbing even more against his palm.

“Really, really fucking hot.”

He closed the temporary gap between the two of them quickly, suckling again at her nipple and moaning as another gush of fluid shot across his tongue, sweet and fatty and so delicious, he thought he was going to go crazy.

“G-God, I guess you really are Mommy, huh?” He murmured shakily, licking his lips (licking his fangs while he was at it) as he desperately lapped up any of the remaining drops that ran down her breast. “Mm, that’s okay, though. You’re still my sweet little sister, even if you are getting too big for it, nnhHH!”

His mouth went back to suck her nipple again, jerking himself off so roughly (so much so, her breast muffled actual whimpers) that it was starting to hurt, his cockhead sore and red and weeping with beads of pre-cum now, he was that close to climax and so desperate for release.

Another spurt of breast milk crossed his tongue, which he swallowed eagerly with another whimper, his lids fluttering and his legs trembling from the exertion of holding himself upright.

He was so close, everything about this was perfect, it was all perfect, He was so close, he was almost there, he was-!

“Are you two coming down for dinner or what?! I don’t want to be kept waiting~”

[cloudy-lands]

Angel Dust x Daughter Reader

(prompt: reader is biological child of angel dust. y/n is his (angel dust's) first own child. Valentino somehow impregnated angel dust during a sex section with him. Before y/n was born Angel Dust left Valentino due to the abuse he was enduring to Angel and Angel didn't want his future child to be in a abusive family household.)

It was a few months into his pregnancy and Angel was happy as he could be. The spider demon was a father and was going to raise the baby on his own, but he also knew the dangers of Hell, so he had to make sure the kid was well protected.

"Don't worry kid, I'll get you the best protection." Angel said to his pregnant belly. He was a couple months into his pregnancy and was currently at work. Luckily the owner, Valentino, wasn't bothering him since he was pregnant and Valentino wasn't fond of kids.

"Angel Cakes~" Valentino called out. "Come here."

Angel sighed, walking into his boss's office.

"What is it, Val?" Angel asked.

"Oh nothing." Valentino smirked. "Just came by to say that the kid better not be a brat."

"Why would you think my kid would be a brat?" Angel asked, offended.

"Cause I know you, Angel cakes." Valentino replied. "You can't keep a damn thing clean."

Angel rolled his eyes.

"Well you don't have to worry, Val." Angel responded. "I'm not gonna have my kid in this shithole."

Valentino laughed.

"You're not taking the kid with you, are you?" Valentino asked.

"Yeah. So what if I am?" Angel asked.

"And just where the fuck do you think you'll go?" Valentino questioned.

"I don't know. Somewhere where I won't be forced to have sex with anyone I don't wanna." Angel replied.

"And you think you're gonna be safe there?" Valentino questioned. "Cause your life and that kid's life is in danger as long as you're down here."

“I would be staying at the hazbin hotel, the  place is a rehabilitation for sinners to be able to be redeemed into heaven. " said angel.

"The fuck do you mean by that?" Valentino asked.

"I mean, I'll be leaving soon. " Angel explained.

"So, you're gonna stay at the one place that's the safest from the rest of the fucking Pentagram?" Valentino questioned.

"Yep." Angel responded.

"That place is for sinners who actually have a shot at redemption." Valentino explained.

"I don't have a chance at redemption, but I'll still be staying there. " Angel said.

"I don't understand why the fuck you would do that, especially when you're not gonna have a shot at redemption." Valentino asked.

"Cause it's safer for the baby. " Angel said.

"Oh yeah. Cause the second owner, Alastor, is the safest guy around." Valentino mocked.

"He might be the safest. " Angel said.

"And why the fuck is he the safest?" Valentino asked.

"For one thing, he has a soft spot for children." Angel explained.

"Of course. Cause all psychopaths have a soft spot for kids." Valentino sarcastically stated.

"He's not a psychopath, Val." Angel defended.

"Oh really? That's not what I heard. " Valentino replied.

"Whatever." Angel said. "I'm just making sure my baby is safe."

"Well, you can do that while you're working, not running off to a hotel full of wannabe's." Valentino explained.

"Fuck off, Val. I'm not coming back here. " Angel said.

"You won't be leaving, Angel." Valentino said.

"Try and stop me." Angel dared.

Valentino got up, walked over to Angel and slapped him.

"You're not going anywhere." Valentino said.

Angel looked back at his boss, holding his face.

"Fine, I'm leaving." Angel said.

Valentino chuckled.

"Fine, you wanna leave. Leave." Valentino said.

"Thanks for your permission." Angel sarcastically stated.

"You better not tell anyone you're pregnant or I'll kill the kid." Valentino threatened.

Angel felt anger rising in him. He wanted to hit the moth pimp, but he was too afraid of him to do so.

"Whatever, just let me go." Angel said.

"Go ahead, I'll be waiting." Valentino said.

"You won't get to see the kid." Angel said.

"If they're not born dead, then they will be once I'm done with them." Valentino replied.

Angel walked out of his boss's office and walked down the hall.

"You better hope the kid is born dead." Angel muttered.

Angel left the building, he was heading for the hotel. He didn't know where else to go, and he didn't want his kid getting hurt by Valentino.

"I'm gonna raise this kid myself, whether Val likes it or not." Angel said.

As the days went on, Angel got more and more tired. The stress of the baby growing inside him was too much. He had a feeling that Valentino would actually try and hurt his kid, so he had to do something about it.

One night, Angel was in his room at the hotel, trying to get some sleep. It was hard for him, though, since his baby kept kicking him.

"Can't you be quiet?" Angel asked.

He waited for an answer, but none came.

"Fine, I'll make you quiet." Angel said.

He reached down, and started massaging his belly. It was the only thing he could think of to calm his baby.

"There. Happy now?" Angel asked.

No answer came, which frustrated Angel.

"Why do you have to make me suffer so much?" Angel questioned.

He waited again, but once again, no answer came.

"I can't wait till you're born. Then I won't have to worry about you." Angel said.

No answer came, but a small kick from the baby inside him.

"Oh yeah, that's right." Angel said.

He continued to rub his stomach.

"I can't wait till you're out." Angel said.

No answer came.

"Well, maybe you can't talk yet. That's fine. I'll just have to wait." Angel said.

He tried his best to get some sleep, but he couldn't. His baby kept kicking him, and it was annoying.

"Please, just stop. Let me sleep." Angel said.

No answer came again.

Angel sighed, and continued rubbing his stomach.

"Maybe you'll sleep better if you have a name." Angel said.

"How about..." He trailed off, thinking.

"What's a good name for a girl/boy?" Angel asked himself.

He thought for a minute, then a name came to him.

"How about Y/n?" Angel asked.

He waited, then he heard a kick.

"Okay, okay. I'll call you Y/n." Angel said.

Another kick came.

"You like that?" Angel asked.

A third kick came.

"Okay, that settles it. Your name is Y/n." Angel said.

He patted his stomach.

"Goodnight, Y/n." Angel said.

After some time finally, Angel fell asleep.

A few months later, it was time for Angel to give birth. The labor was hard, but Angel managed to deliver his child safely.

"It's a girl." The doctor said.

"She's beautiful." Angel said.

Angel looked down at his newborn daughter. She was a beautiful sight to behold.

"What's her name?" The doctor asked.

"Her name is Y/n." Angel told the doctor.

"What a lovely name." The doctor replied.

Angel took his daughter in his arms. She was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

"I'm gonna take care of you. I promise." Angel said.

After a few weeks, Angel brought his daughter back to the hotel. He told everyone that he had been staying at, that he had a daughter, and that they could come see her if they wanted to and for his child sake he told them a woman durring a shot for valentino have, had a child which she couldnt care for.

Charlie, Vaggie, and the rest of the staff came to visit Angel and his new daughter.

"Oh, she's beautiful!" Charlie exclaimed.

"What's her name?" Husk asked.

"Her name is Y/n." Angel replied.

"Y/n, huh?" Husk questioned.

"Yeah. I think it suits her." Angel replied.

"I think it's a great name." Charlie said.

"Me too." Vaggie agreed.

"Thanks." Angel replied.

Everyone took turns holding the baby. She was a little fussy, but not too much.

"I'm gonna raise you on my own. And everyone is gonna love you. You'll have a great life." Angel whispered to his daughter.

After a while, Angel decided to get some rest. He put his daughter down in her crib, and laid down in his bed.

"Goodnight, Y/n." Angel said.

With the love of a father, Angel knew he'd do whatever he had to, to make sure his daughter had a good life.

"You're a daddy's girl, you know that, kid?" Angel said.

He looked over his little girl, and closed his eyes.

"Love you." He whispered.

He fell asleep, a smile on his face.

A few years passed, and Angel had been taking care of his daughter. She was a happy, healthy little girl.

One day, Angel was sitting in the lobby of the hotel. He had brought his daughter along with him.

"Daddy, can we go outside?" Y/n asked.

"Sure. Just be careful, okay?" Angel replied.

"I will." Y/n replied.

She ran outside. Angel followed after her.

"Wait up!" Angel called.

"Hurry up, Daddy!" Y/n called.

"Hold on, kiddo." Angel replied.

He caught up to his daughter.

"There. Now, where do you want to go?" Angel asked.

"Can we go to the park?" Y/n asked.

"Okay. But we can't be gone long." Angel replied.

"Yay!" Y/n cheered.

They went to the park. Y/n played on the swings, while Angel pushed the swing once and turned away to watch her in case she fell.

"*giggles* Look, Daddy! I'm going high!" Y/n called.

"Careful, honey." Angel replied.

Y/n jumped off the swing, and ran towards Angel.

"I did it, Daddy! Did you see me?" Y/n asked.

"I did sweetheart." Angel replied.

"Now can I ride the monkey bars?" Y/n asked.

"Of course." Angel replied.

"Thanks!" Y/n said.

She ran off, and climbed onto the monkey bars.

"Watch what I can do, Daddy!" Y/n said.

She climbed across the monkey bars, and jumped down.

"That was great, honey." Angel said.

"Thanks, Daddy." Y/n replied.

They continued playing at the park.

After a while, they decided to go back to the hotel.

"Thank you for playing with me, Daddy." Y/n said.

"Anything for my little girl." Angel replied.

"You're the best daddy ever." Y/n replied.

"Oh, Thank you." Angel replied.

When they arrived back at the hotel, they were greeted by Charlie.

"Hello, Angel. And hello to you, too, Y/n." Charlie said.

"Hi, Auntie Charlie!" Y/n said.

"What'd you two do today?" Charlie asked.

"We went to the park." Y/n said.

"Was it fun?" Charlie asked.

"Yep. Daddy pushed me on the swing." Y/n said.

"Did you have a good time, too, Daddy?" Charlie teasingly asked chuckling.

"Yeah. It was nice." Angel sighed looking to the side with a distant expression.

"Daddy, are you okay?" Y/n asked.

"Y/n, why don't you go play in your room?" Angel suggested.

"Okay." Y/n replied.

She ran into her room, leaving Angel and Charlie alone.

"So, how'd the day go?" Charlie asked.

"Great." Angel sighed.

"Really?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah." Angel replied.

"Then, what's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything is fine." Angel replied.

"Angel, I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you." Charlie said.

"It's just... Y/n's getting older. She's growing up, and soon, she won't need me anymore." Angel replied.

"Don't say that, Angel.She'll always need you. You're her father." Charlie replied.

"Yeah, but she'll start making her own decisions. She won't need me to help her." Angel explained.

"You'll still be there for her, Angel. She'll always need her dad." Charlie assured him.

[isuckatwritingsobenice]

I have a yandere alastor idea for you... Could you do it? Imagine the reader being one of the unfortunate people who was killed by the alastor when he was human... Human! Alastor never felt these strong feelings for anyone, until the reader appeared in his life, the reader was a kind and caring person with everyone, always treating everyone the same... Now I imagine when Alastor discovered that these feelings were love for the reader, but the reader rejected him because he already loved other people... Maybe Alastor, in his desperate and psychotic environment, unintentionally killed the reader... (now currently) the reader became an angel and was chosen to help Charlie at the hotel (of course the reader doesn't know that Alastor is at the hotel and this happens after the battle)... Now what would happen?

Synopsis: You hadn’t expected to meet the person who brought you to your very end when you were assigned to Princess Morningstar’s new project. Maybe you should’ve declined. But who would you be if you said no to helping someone in need?

Warnings: mentions of murder, obsession, alastor is cray z, they/them pronouns for the reader

Navigation!! // Masterlist!!

The Hazbin Hotel was unlike any place Y/n had ever encountered. As they walked through the grand, yet dilapidated entrance, a sense of purpose welled up within them. This was where they were needed, where they could make a difference. They had been chosen, after all, for their kindness, their ability to see the good in others, even in the most unlikely of places. Helping Charlie and her mission to rehabilitate the souls in Hell was an honor, and Y/n was determined to succeed.

The first few days went by smoothly. The residents were curious about the new angel in their midst, but most welcomed the change. Charlie was overjoyed to have another ally, someone who could bring light to the darkness she so desperately wanted to dispel. Y/n settled into their role, offering guidance, support, and a gentle presence to those who sought it.

It wasn’t long before Y/n noticed the whispers, the tales of a certain demon who had a particularly strong influence over the hotel and its inhabitants. The Radio Demon, they called him—Alastor. There was a sense of both fear and admiration in the way the others spoke of him, and it piqued Y/n’s curiosity. Who was this demon that commanded such respect and dread?

Their question was soon answered. Y/n was in the lobby, speaking with Charlie, when the doors swung open, and a figure stepped inside. The atmosphere shifted instantly, the room falling silent as if the very air was holding its breath. Y/n turned, their gaze falling upon the tall, smiling demon in a red pinstripe suit.

Alastor.

Y/n’s heart skipped a beat as their angelic senses were overwhelmed with a mix of familiar energy and something far darker. There was a strange, unnerving feeling gnawing at the edges of their mind, a sense of recognition that they couldn’t quite place. When Alastor’s crimson eyes locked with theirs, the world around them seemed to blur, and memories long buried came rushing back with a force that left them breathless.

The kind man they had once known—had once cared for—was now the demon standing before them.

Alastor’s smile faltered for the briefest of moments as he too felt the weight of the past crash down upon him. Y/n, the one person who had stirred something deep within him during his mortal life, was here, in Hell, and—an angel. His mind raced, trying to make sense of it all, trying to control the surge of emotions that threatened to shatter his carefully constructed facade.

“Ah, a new face!” Alastor’s voice was smooth, dripping with his usual charm, though there was an unmistakable tension beneath it. “And such a radiant one at that. Welcome to our humble abode.”

Y/n couldn’t speak. Their throat tightened as they struggled to reconcile the man they had known with the demon before them. The memories were vivid—Alastor’s intense eyes, his desperate confession of love, and the chilling moment when everything had gone wrong. They had rejected him, had tried to explain that their heart belonged to another, but Alastor had been unable to accept it. In his desperation, his madness, he had—

“Thank you,” Y/n finally managed to say, their voice trembling ever so slightly. They glanced at Charlie, who was watching them both with a curious expression, unaware of the storm brewing between them.

Alastor took a step closer, his smile widening as he tilted his head, studying them. “Have we met before? You seem… familiar.”

Y/n’s breath caught in their throat. Did he truly not remember? Or was this another one of his games, designed to unnerve them?

“I—” Y/n struggled to find their words, the memories of their death weighing heavily on their mind. “I don’t believe we’ve met in this life.”

Alastor’s eyes gleamed with something unreadable, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he turned to Charlie, his demeanor shifting back to his usual jovial self. “Charlie, my dear, I see our little project is expanding. How delightful!”

Charlie, still oblivious to the tension, beamed. “Yes! This is our new helper, and I think they’ll do wonders for our cause.”

Y/n tried to regain their composure, offering a polite smile as they nodded in agreement. But their thoughts were in turmoil, memories and emotions clashing with their angelic purpose. They needed time to think, to understand what this meant for them—for both of them.

As the days passed, Y/n tried to avoid Alastor as much as possible. They focused on their work, helping the residents, and assisting Charlie with her plans, but it was impossible to ignore the presence of the Radio Demon. He was everywhere—his voice echoing through the hotel, his influence seeping into every corner of the establishment. And every time they crossed paths, Y/n felt that same unease, the same pull of the past that threatened to consume them.

Eventually, they couldn’t take it anymore. The weight of their unresolved past with Alastor was too much to bear. They needed answers, closure—something to make sense of the chaos in their heart. And so, one evening, when the hotel was quiet and the other residents were occupied, Y/n sought out Alastor.

They found him in the hotel’s grand parlor, standing by the window and gazing out at the Hellish landscape beyond. He didn’t turn around when they entered, but his voice, smooth and laced with amusement, greeted them.

“I wondered when you’d come to see me,” he said, still not looking at them. “It was only a matter of time.”

Y/n’s hands clenched at their sides as they steeled themselves for the confrontation. “Why did you do it, Alastor?” Their voice was steady, but the pain behind the words was unmistakable. “Why did you kill me?”

For a moment, the room was deathly silent. Alastor’s smile faded as he finally turned to face them, his eyes dark and unreadable. “You already know the answer to that,” he replied quietly, his usual jovial tone absent. “I loved you.”

Y/n felt a pang in their chest, a mix of sorrow and anger. “You didn’t love me, Alastor. You wanted to possess me. You couldn’t handle the idea of me loving someone else, so you—” Their voice cracked, and they took a deep breath, trying to maintain their composure. “So you took my life.”

Alastor’s gaze remained fixed on them, but there was no trace of his usual smugness. Instead, there was something almost vulnerable in his expression, a rare glimpse of the man he once was. “I was desperate,” he admitted, his voice low. “Desperate and lost. I didn’t know how to handle what I felt, and in that moment, I… I lost control.”

Y/n looked away, unable to meet his gaze any longer. The memories of that night were too vivid, too painful. “You took everything from me, Alastor. My life, my future… everything.”

“I know.” There was a deep regret in his voice, one that was almost foreign coming from him. “I’ve thought about it every day since. And now… seeing you here, like this… It’s as if my past has come back to haunt me.”

They were silent for a moment, the weight of their shared history hanging heavily between them. Y/n’s heart ached with the memory of who Alastor used to be, the man who had once shown them kindness and affection. But that man was gone, replaced by the demon before them.

“I didn’t come here to forgive you,” Y/n finally said, their voice firm. “I came here to understand. I needed to know if you felt anything—any remorse for what you did.”

Alastor nodded slowly. “I do,” he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I know it changes nothing. I know that what I did to you is unforgivable.”

Y/n turned back to him, their expression softening. “Perhaps,” they said quietly. “But I’ve changed too. I’m an angel now, and I’m here to help souls, even those like you.” They paused, searching his eyes for any sign of the man they once knew. “I don’t know if you can be redeemed, Alastor. But I do know that holding on to the past—holding on to hatred—it won’t help either of us.”

Alastor’s eyes darkened, his expression unreadable. “And what would you have me do? Beg for your forgiveness? Seek redemption for a soul that’s already damned?”

Y/n shook their head. “No. I’m not asking you to change who you are. But I am asking you to let go of the past, just as I must. We’re both here, in Hell, and we have to live with what’s happened. But that doesn’t mean we have to let it control us.”

Alastor stared at them for a long moment, the conflict in his eyes clear. Then, slowly, he nodded. “Perhaps you’re right,” he said softly. “But know this, Y/n—I may have loved you once, but I am no longer the man you knew. I am the Radio Demon, and I have my own path to follow.”

Y/n nodded in understanding, a sense of closure washing over them. “And I have mine. But know this, Alastor—no matter what, I will continue to help those who need it. Even if that includes you.”

With that, Y/n turned and left the parlor, leaving Alastor alone with his thoughts. As they walked down the dimly lit corridors of the hotel

[imdedinsidex-x]

Working on a Hazbin rewrite that I’m dubbing The Bed and Betterment Project. Some info about everything so far under the cut!

-Charlie is a lot more menacing in this AU, as I imagine her personality is a lot more like Michael from The Good Place. She’s still fairly cheery and seems kind, but she’s willing to remind others of who she is.

-Charlie started the Bed and Betterment Project as a way to see how far sinners could go to get better and improve, or if that’s even possible. This was mostly just something for her own entertainment, but as she gets used to the members of the project she comes to see that maybe they can actually improve, and thus she changes her sights towards redemption and she becomes a bit more optimistic as the show goes on

-Charlie has very unorthodox ways of trying to get the members of the project to rehabilitate by tempting them with their worse vices and making them relieve traumatic events, hoping it’ll push them forward (or perhaps over the edge.)

-Vaggie’s identity as an exorcist is already known by the denizens of hell, as well as by Charlie. In fact Charlie uses that to her advantage, Vaggie taking in the position of the ultimate bodyguard. Her character arc would be largely focused on her becoming her own person, gaining her own hobbies, and loving herself.

-All the exorcist wear mask that cover their true heavenly features, as do Charlie and Lucifer. Adam is the only one who doesn’t really need a mask, but he prefers to wear it.

-Speaking of Adam, he is much more intimidating in this AU, being a bit more serious but still coming off as affable and laidback, maybe even a little dumb. But despite his hedonistic tendencies, he still is a force to be reckoned with and can be quite threatening when he wants to be.

-Husk doesn’t have wings anymore. I believe they served no purpose, and instead he is slinky! His limbs and neck can extend to incredible lengths, as a reference to his looseness. And while he doesn’t immediately look like a magician like he did in his previous design, he can still do plenty of magical things in a similar fashion to the Cheshire Cat, being able to disappear and reappear really wherever, but he hardly utilizes this ability anymore.

-Alastor I figured could do with a neat little makeover, both in his casual appearance and in his demon form. I’ve gotten rid of his weird technical stuff and have decided they are instead crooked and sharp antlers he can spawn from wherever. Just as well he can control various radio signals and even create static sound or high frequency screams from his jaws, very much inspired by an elk’s cry.

-I’ve also changed Alastor’s backstory, but that’s something for a different piece.

-Wanted to lean into the blaxploitation inspiration of Valentino, as well as find a good balance of conventionally attractive and gross. I imagine whenever he’s about to say or do something particularly nasty, he pukes up maggots before hand to show off his vile nature.

-Not featured here, but I have ideas for Vox and the seraphims as well, but I’ll save that for another sketch page.

[blitzor0de0]

The jealous St Peter prompt caught my eye. Especially the idea of him wrapping his wings around redeemed!reader, so I have a suggestion, instead of jealous St Peter, how about protective St Peter?

Maybe Lute confronts redeemed!reader and it gets ugly? The confrontation possible brings up redeemed!reader's pstd, maybe even making them think they were going to be killed again, only for St Peter to appear with Sera/Emily, and he just wraps his wings around them, blocking out the chaos around them, comforting them with soft words and kisses.

I have no excuse for not putting this out sooner I've just been refixating on obey me </3 but this was rlly fun to write despite writers block eating my ass

listened to way too much blur and gorillaz doing this

cw: ptsd, fluffy, I forgot how to write mid way through, reader is always going through it aren't they, biblical Peter, reader confesses finally, kiss!!! Emily cucking lowkey

word count: 1.5k

part 1 part 2 part 3

Safe & Sound (Saint Peter x Redeemed!Reader)

You were just minding your business, you swear you were! Delivering a parcel to Emily. But it wasn't supposed to go like this??

Backed into a wall in the Plaza, the package clutched to your chest. Your mind was swirling with emotions as your heartbeat rapidly increased, finding it harder to breathe.

Former lieutenant of the exorcists, highly feared amongst sinners, yet highly respected amongst the blind sighted angels. You had already known Heaven was a lie at that first meeting, seeing how all the higher ups hadn't a clue about the exorcisms down in Hell. If angels could fall regardless of their ‘sin’ why wouldn't a sinner be able to redeem themselves?

The logic of Adam and Lute was incredibly flawed, and since yours and Pentious’ arrival in Heaven, you had felt a murderous gaze upon you each time you left your home.

It wasn't difficult to tell it was Lute, but since Adam's death you could tell she was a little lonely despite trying to avoid her gaze at every chance you got. She was always quite outspoken in the few times you met her, but the quietness of the Plaza, and Heaven in general after Adam's death.. The silence was borderline deafening.

But today, Lute must've decided enough was enough, if she couldn't kill you, she would gladly find a way to send you back to Hell.

“You filthy scum.” She scowled, venom lacing her words. She wasn't secretive about this confrontation either, causing a small crowd to quickly appear around the two of you, mimicking a petty school fight.

But this wasn't a fight, it was a one sided dispute.

You couldn't bear to face Lute, her mask being too much of a trigger to stare at for too long, especially in a situation such as this. You opted for clenching your eyes shut, but this only infuriated the angel more.

“I have lost EVERYTHING because of you sinners… Adam. My job. My subordinates. My fucking arm. How did you do it, huh? You and that snake you both made it up here. What sort of magic did Lucifer pull, huh?”

You felt your mind spin, knees going weak as you fought to keep yourself upright, lip quivering as tears threatened to spill as you gained the courage to speak.

“..He didn't do anything. It was just as Charlie told you all… It's just rehabilitation, Sir Pentious sacrificed himself for us all, I just wanted to better my soul..” God you were about to cry, your voice was barely above a whisper.

“Bullshit.” Before Lute could threaten you further, some gasps and whispers emerged from the audience. You dared open your eyes, peering behind the Executioner to see the commotion, only to be faced with the two Serafim parting the crowd.

You gasped, causing Lute to finally turn around. With Adam gone, Lute didn't really get a ‘get out of jail free’ card, so the growing look of fear upon her features was evident.

Sera was quick to whisk Lute away as Emily held your arms gently as all you could do was crumble to the ground, tears finally being free to fall.

You couldn't exactly understand all what Emily was saying, everything seemed like ringing in your ears, but you appreciated Emily's attempt to ground you.

“Oh, Peter there you are!” Emily gasped, turning to face the angel who had a worried expression upon his face.

The ever so smiley angel for once held a look of disgust towards the crowd still whispering and murmuring about your fragile state.

“I got here as soon as I could.. Are they okay??” He seemed panicked, he'd never been in a situation like this, especially with someone he cared so much for. He couldn't think straight.

“I'm not sure..” The Serafim replied, “They haven't responded to me once, I'm not even sure if they can hear me at all.. You two are..” She hesitated, “close, you should deal with them, I'll see what I can do about the crowd..” She frowned, rubbing Peter’s shoulder comfortingly before grabbing the parcel and approaching the crowd.

Peter on the other hand unveiled his wings without a second thought, shielding you from the looks and whispers. Giving you a little bit of privacy was the least he could do right now.

“Hey.” He spoke softly, almost in a cooing manner, caressing your face as if you were made of porcelain.

In a room of a thousand people, you would be able to recognise every aspect of Peter’s being. His voice, his scent, his touch.. Everything. With the delicate caress upon your cheek, you'd be foolish to not know who it was, even in such a fragile state.

Still, you couldn't bear to look up at him. Though he had seen you in such a state before, your consciousness of the situation as opposed to your exhaustion from the previous time weighed on your shoulders.

To acknowledge his presence, you simply leaned into his touch. Your ears were still ringing, probably for the better since the whispers and chatter amongst the slowly dispersing crowd weren't doing you any favours.

Peter gently lifted your head up to face him, a soft, yet pained smile upon his face. You wanted to look away so desperately, but the way he looked at you so tenderly, you couldn't stand to pull your gaze away. A shaky “I'm sorry..” left your lips before you could realise it.

Peter gained a small sense of déjà vu from that, you always did seem to apologise for things that weren't even remotely your fault.

“Don't be silly. It's not your fault. You're safe now..Okay?” You nodded slowly, taking his words in. “Lute’s being dealt with by Sera and,” He glanced behind him “everyone else is more or less gone. You wanna stay here or move somewhere else?” Just at the thought of moving, an ache spread through your legs, the weakness growing once again.

“Here please.” You replied, reaching up to turn Peter's face towards yours, you needed his attention, his gaze, his essence. He smiled, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your nose.

“I thought she was going to kill me..” You murmured, finally regaining some stability. “I.. I couldn't do it all over again.. I didn't exactly think there was an afterlife in the first place.. let alone the possibility of dying twice.. I don't think God would approve of me dying a third time.. right?”

Peter grew silent, what could he possibly say to that. To be frank, when he was alive, he had a tumultuous relationship with his belief. Of course he believed in Jesus’ word, but he was also one of the first to betray him. Being disowned from Heaven before he had even passed. How he managed to get up there and still be held in such high regards by the Lord still surprised him centuries later.

Noticing his prolonged silence your eyes widened slightly, “That was a joke, I swear.. Peter..?”

Shaking his head he snapped out of his thoughts, “Oh! Of course it was, right!.. Either way, I think I'd be able to convince God to keep you around, I am an esteemed patron saint after all!” He winked.

After such a traumatic experience, you had cracked your first smile of the day which only caused Peter to mirror a smile right back at you.

“I feel like I'm always thanking you for looking out for me. You're so pure of heart, it's no wonder I fell for you-” You paused, realising what you said.

You and Peter had shared many intimate moments together, kissed on many occasions and even slept in the same bed together but you two had never established any actual feelings or relationship, until now it seems.

You panicked “Wait Pe-”

“I love you too.” He cut you off, stars in his eyes. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders as he finally confessed.

Oh.

Your shoulders relaxed as you breathed a sigh of relief. “Cool.. Wait! No! Erm I love you, oh I'm such a mess just kiss me.”

With a laugh, Peter gladly obliged, pressing a small teasing kiss to your lips before indulging in all his sins with an intimate kiss.

You wanted to savour this moment forever, Peter's hands cupped your cheeks as he pulled you impossibly close, the scent of his lightly floral cologne infiltrating your senses, quickly changing from intimacy to desperation — fearing as if this kiss may be your last.

Neither of you wanted to part, continuously pulling away for a split second before either one of you pulled the other in for ‘just one more’.

Though, the unfortunate parting would come from an awkward throat clear from the younger serafim.

“Um..Guys.. Super! Happy for you two but.. You're still in public..” Emily smiled down at the two of you.

Flushed and breathless, the two of you blinked up towards her before her words finally dawned on you.

“Oh.. Oh my, Emily I'm so sorry. Um!! Peter let's go!” You rushed to stand, pulling Peter up with you who’s uniform looked a little dishevelled, bowtie lopsided as well as some hair stuck to his forehead. He was both literally and figuratively on Cloud 9.

Emily could only giggle at the sight of Peter, “I'm glad you're feeling better, have fun you two lovebirds.” She called out as you and your now boyfriendddddd departed.

[silviakundera]

Now that the final SoKP episodes have passed thru my eyes... Things I miss from the novel:

* Sorry but Jiang Xuening should have killed You Fangyin's murderer with her own hands.

* Jiang Xuening becoming obsessed with Xie Wei's cooking, such that she loves to quietly hang out in the kitchen with him whenever there's a break in the scheming. It's their safe space.

* Jiang Xuening going from being in the palace and part of the target/victims of the rebellion in Life 1 to being one of the financial backers of it in Life 2 and accompanying their fighting forces as they move up through the country as Xie Wei outsmarts the emperor & Xue family & Lord Pingnan's forces at the same time. Spending her 2 years away building the capital needed to help spearhead the rescue of the princess and then go to fuck up the emperor who sent his sister a letter to end her life for the benefit of the country.... (chef's kiss)

* The glorious revolution and making the royal family kill each other to save themselves in order to demonstrate the type of people they are

* Jiang Xuening moving into Kunning Palace at the end, as basically the unofficial minister of finance. She ended up in the same place at the end, but hearts & minds are changed and so the result is different

* Jiang Xuening putting the pieces together that the princess died in the 1st life due to her pregnancy & the emperor cutting ties (intrigue!) Team Fuck The System helping her safely give birth to her son, who she loves despite his origin. Our fav lesbian never has to get married to another dude and can just chill with her son, the cabinet of ministers, and her Ning Ning (with psycho husband in tow, but hey nobody's perfect 😂). Using her power to spread schools for women's literacy with Xie Wei terrifying the detractors into submission.

* When they try to use the Jiang family in the capital to threaten XW and he's like, so what? I was gonna pay back those bastards next for Ning'er so you're saving me time lmaaaaaaoooo

* Speaking of which tbh I prefer the lack of a last ditch bandaid on the Jiang family relationship. She's let all of the pain of the past go and isn't personally seeking to take anything away from them in this life... but she is just done with it. Dad is nicer but he's let his wife behave like this and has been mostly hands off. Feels sorta like Story of Minglan to me - letting the favoritism & emotional abuse happen while playing nice guy. In both novel & drama, he spends years not protesting how Jiang Xuening is cast as the troublesome, uncouth, inferior model. But then the drama decides to rehabilitate them. (Though to be fair, even the drama was half-hearted on this 'wash', cause at the end she's mentioning they're not close and in the last scenes the parents are with the sister and Ning'er is with her found family.)

Improvements in the drama:

* I liked that we got to see Jiang Xuening tell multiple people that she loves XW before she gives him her answer. The angst of it being uncertain what conversations she's having with the princess & ZZ, the risk that she's going to abandon XW for being a hot mess... it made for good dramatic tension in the novel. But for the ROMANCE and creating a sense that the feelings he has are truly returned... It makes the ship better.

* The relationship that FL and ML had with the fake Xue Dingfei was richer. He was a standout for me.

* Yan Lin had a happier ending. He really stole my heart in this 2nd life and like Jiang Xuening I felt no need to see him haunted by his vile actions in another universe. It was emotionally satisfying in the drama to see him at peace. You got us all rooting for him.

* Consolidated the Lord Pingnan plot! We really didn't need to get into their factions and introduce more antagonists.

* Consolidated the You Fangyin romantic interests - no need for a marriage of convenience with 1 dude and then Xie Wei's buddy also carrying a torch.

* I felt like the drama gave Zhang Zhe more personality and I did find it delightful when he was "fighting" side by side with Xie Wei.

* Xue Shu (the Xue daughter) felt like a more developed, fully realized antagonist.

* As much as it "sings" in the narrative to have her end up in Kunning Palace with power in the government at the end of the novel (that was brilliant)... maybe emotionally it spoke to me more to see her initial wish from the start of her rebirth fulfilled. Her original reborn goal was to avoid reentering the palace & exit-out of everything to have a quiet life of peace. None of that power ever made her happy.

* Marriage scenes of the otp thank uuuuuuuuu

* No and actually.. After her royal marriage in the 1st life she definitely doesn't need another big celebration. And with her messed up family relationships and his dead parents... Them doing the marriage ceremony all on their own, cause it's another pact between them, makes a lot of sense and I dig it.

* The reverse callback of whispering while she's waiting for a kiss to say "I'm yours" instead of "get out" 👌👌👌

[albatmobile]

Cardinal Sins Chapter 8

𓅪 Living with your vigilante boyfriends for the past year has been amazing, well, almost. Butting heads, old wounds resurfacing and a deadly threat still looming overhead could threaten the sanctity of everything you've ever fought for. Will you finally overcome your tainted past and survive the trials and tribulations, or will your relationships and your faith crumble under the pressure?

Rated: M | 8.4k | TW: drowning | Contains: pool party fem!Reader x Jason Todd x Roy Harper [masterlist] Previous in Series: Art of Rehabilitating Snowbirds

Chapter Eight: Pool

Just as you’d thought, when you show up a few days later at the manor, Jason and Bruce start it off by avoiding each other like the plague. Roy doesn’t even try to hide his distaste as he swerves your group over to greet Alfred instead. You know the main reason they even bothered coming after what had happened last night was for you and your benefit. Regardless of his rocky relationship with Bruce, it seems like Jason’s finally able to understand, or at least respect, that the man is important to you.

Being the last weeks of March, the Gotham weather has been consistently dreary and cold for months now. Lian’s currently on spring break and, upon learning this, Dick had begged Alfred to move the luncheon to the indoor pool area, thus everyone arrives dressed accordingly.

You’re almost grateful for the distraction the pool setting brings. For one, it’ll be easier to avoid Bruce without it necessarily looking so, but you still won’t be able to avoid him completely.

The only person, it seems, who’s actually going to enjoy today is Lian. As soon as she’s through the atrium doors, she immediately takes off and cannonballs into the pool right next to Stephanie and Connor. 

Bruce’s new girlfriend Samantha is already here, draped against Bruce’s side as he makes them plates from the buffet when your group arrives. Eventually, no one can play it off anymore and you walk over to greet the two of them. A quick glance behind you proves Roy’s distracting Jason with sunscreen as they spread out the fluffy towels Alfred has left on each beach chair. Though you’re all technically inside and it’s a typical cloudy March day, all three of you know full well that Roy will burn under the atrium glass if he doesn’t put on sunscreen. 

Bruce suddenly draws you from your thoughts. 

He says your name with a well-practiced playboy air. This side of him is what you were used to witnessing from him back in high school, you know, back before you knew about his family’s caped secrets. “I don’t think the two of you have met yet,” Bruce says as he ushers you to shake her dainty, pale hand. “This is the Samantha I’ve been telling you about.”

“All good things, I hope,” she jokes, laughing in a way that can only be described as sophisticated. Everything about the woman looks expensive, yet somehow effortlessly so. 

You put on your game face if only to save face for your boyfriends, who definitely aren’t in the mood to play family with Bruce today.

“Of course.” You meet her charming smile with as much a smile as you can muster. You didn’t realize how difficult it’d be to see Bruce so soon after… You clear your throat, along with your faltering thoughts, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

The three of you go on to make small talk for a few moments before you manage to ask more about his new girlfriend. Instead of Samantha responding, however, Bruce interjects to boast on her behalf.

Bruce smiles at the blonde. “Samantha here is a visionary for the city,” he says as if he hopes the two of you will get along. With you not getting necessarily along with Bruce right now, you’re finding it hard to pretend to care about a woman you and everyone here knows he’ll replace in another month or two.

“With the funds to match,” she jokes. Though her stare isn’t unfriendly in the slightest, it feels all too calculating. You, however, choose to chalk it up to your difficult relationship with Bruce right now and attempt to remain cordial. 

“Oh?” You honestly have no idea how to reply to that. 

Samantha, however, seems to misunderstand as she begins to offer you unwarranted advice. “It’s all about sticking to your guts when it comes to investments. Well, that and putting the right amount of trust in others,” she finishes, looking at Bruce teasingly.

They’re definitely a cute couple, but you can’t help but want to end this conversation like ASAP.

“This isn’t about that time I took you skydiving, is it?” Bruce teases easily.

“Possibly,” Samantha laughs beautifully, like she’d practice the ease it leaves from her lips for decades. Luckily, Samantha doesn’t stick around for too much longer. “I really do need to be going,” she says a few minutes later as she looks down at her rosy, Tiffany watch. “Truly was lovely meeting all of you.”

As soon as the blonde exits, it’s like you can finally be yourself. It seems like everyone’s in the same boat because they no longer have to watch what they say. Case in point being how Connor’s made his way over to Roy to ask how it’s been since their last talk.

Tim and Stephanie follow behind him and make small talk with Jason, but you remain standing next to Bruce. Neither of you has said anything and are mainly just listening in to Kon mention how coping mechanisms are even more important after your coma.

“Meditation always helps,” Bruce suddenly says. You suppose this is his awkward way of apologizing without having to apologize. Regardless, you don’t accept it. “Being in control is key out in the field. It takes a lot of mental fortitude that meditation can help with.” Another bout of silence from your end. “Controlling your own mind, your own emotions takes practice,” he says. Part of you thinks that he’ll keep uncharacteristically rambling when he suddenly gets to the point. “It’s something, obviously, that I’m still working toward.” Bruce looks down at you now, regret written all over his face.

It’s a nice sentiment, but ultimately, it’s not your apology to accept.   “Maybe you should tell this to Jason,” you respond tersely. 

He says nothing for a moment, merely clasping his hands in front of himself as the two of you watch your family from across the pool. After a beat, he says, “Perhaps I should.” His reply leaves you even more confused, especially after what he said in the garage not even 24 hours prior. You can’t imagine how Jason would feel if Bruce were to voice this to him so soon after. It wouldn’t be good, that’s for sure. “When you woke up from your coma, you mentioned something about visions and the subway system water,” Bruce says, effectively switching the topic. “Nothing conclusive came back.”

“So, did you retest it?” you ask, following along with the subject change if only to get more answers.

“You were pretty out of it when you came to,” Bruce starts and you can already see where he’s going. You barely contain your eye roll as he seems to backtrack on your credibility. “I think it’s best if my efforts are placed elsewhere. You know as much as I do that we’re running out of time.”

You bite your tongue. “That, I do,” is what you end up saying. 

He really thinks you’re going crazy… Just another fucking dagger to the heart after last night’s massacre. You can no longer pretend with the niceties as you feel yourself recede inside yourself. Bruce seems to recognize this himself and politely excuses himself to his study, leaving you alone in the corner of the room.

You’re lost in thought when Stephanie calls you over. You hadn’t realized how long you and Bruce had been talking for because you hadn’t noticed the FaceTime Dick has pulled up on his phone.

You make your way over to the group just as Wally snatches the phone away from Dick’s tanned hands.

As soon as you sit down next to your loves, Wally excitedly says, “Alright, everyone here?” From the screen, you notice that their childhood friends Kori, Donna, Karen and Garth are all on the call. At everyone’s confused confirmations, Wally tilts the phone so he and Dick are the main focus. “You wanna tell them?” Wally asks his boyfriend.

“Tell us what?” Karen asks in exasperation. It’s clearly dark on her screen and you wonder where she’s calling in from. “I’ve got labs in the morning, y’all.”

“Tell us, tell us,” Donna and Garth start chanting simultaneously. Soon, Roy and Stephanie join in, too, then you.

“Get the fuck on with it, Grayson,” Damian hisses impatiently. You and everyone present, however, know that it’s just because he’d finally been about to get in the pool before the call started.

“Alright, alright. Quiet down,” Dick snorts, taking the phone back from Wally to announce. “Sooo,” he draws out the anticipation for just a moment longer before divulging, “we eloped!”

No fucking way…

Holy shit!

You join in with all the congratulations and are, luckily, not included in the pile that jumps on Dick and Wally after the announcement. You do, however, save Dick’s phone from shattering on the stone floor. You catch the cellphone milliseconds before impact and manage to flip the camera just in time to show everyone on the call the massive congratulations Dick and Wally are getting. 

You’re about to hand the phone back off to someone when you hear Kori say your name. “Oh, I have heard the most glorious things about you, little one!” she exclaims.

You quickly flip the camera around again and come face to face with Jason and Roy’s former Titans teammate. Though it sounds like she’s insulted you, it’s obvious that you’re definitely little in comparison to the seven foot tall Amazonian goddess on the screen. 

“Oh, it’s Tamaranian,” she replies to what you thought you’d said in your head. You blush, but she continues on as if she hasn’t noticed, “You are very observant, are you not?” Her beaming smile leaves you speechless. “Though I am no goddess. I am Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, but you, little one, may call me Kori.” Needless to say, her flaming, fiery hair puts Roy’s locks to shame. 

“Yo,” you say, feeling entirely too awkward. It’s not like she’s not nice, she is, it’s just after everything that happened last night, meeting Bruce’s new girlfriend and now coming face to face with someone who’s position you’ve essentially filled, you feel like you’re at the end of your social rope. “It’s nice to meet you,” you add, seemingly forgetting how to make conversation.

“Well, this just got interesting,” Donna says coyly, watching her screen with avid interest. Garth quickly elbows her and instantly regrets doing so when she retaliates at full force.

“I am the most pleased to meet you as well!” Kori responds. There’s muffled talking in the background, effectively gaining her attention for a brief moment before she turns back around. “I really must be going now. May I say goodbye to Wally and Dick?”

“Yeah,” Karen chimes in sleepily. “As exciting as this all is, I need to get back to bed.”

“For sure,” you say, handing the phone back over to its rightful owner. “Nice seeing you guys,” you say, trying to make up for any previous awkwardness. 

Everyone says goodbye, but one sticks out above the rest to you. Why? Well… From behind you, Roy suddenly calls out, “Bye, Princess!”

Your mouth drops, leaving Jason to shoot a smug look your way.

It’s in that moment that you finally understand why Jason was so hell-bent on not crossing nicknames with different people. You know it’s stupid as fuck and you know you made fun of Jason for being such a brat about this shit, but holy fuck do you get it now. Here you are thinking you’re Roy’s only princess, but apparently not. You can’t help but pout.

None of this, however, is evident to Roy, who continues to look between you and Jason in confusion.

“What?” Roy spouts. “What’d I do this time?

By now, Dick’s long moved on with Babs and Wally by his side, leaving the three of you on the pool chairs and Lian in the pool with Tim, Kon, Steph and Damian. Jon remains with his legs dipped in, clearly trying not to listen in, but with super hearing, you know it’s nearly impossible for him not to.

“Roy, seriously,” you say, “you’re not calling her that anymore if you’re going to call me that.”

Roy’s smile fades slightly as he tries to piece it all together. When he does, an evident smirk works its way across his freckled cheeks. “Going all Jay on me, baby?” he teases.

You huff, dramatically crossing your arms to emulate what Jason does when he’s irritated, “Maybe.”

The three of you can’t hold in your laughter any longer and burst out snorting. “I’m sorry,” you say, genuinely feeling it. “I don’t mean to come off like a jealous bitch, but I seriously don’t want to share a nickname with someone from your past.”

“I get you, princess,” Roy says and cuts you off before you can tell him off. “It’s just you, now. I promise, baby.”

“Sorry,” you say again, wishing you didn’t feel how you felt.

“I get jealous, too, remember?” Jason points out in lieu of accepting your apology. It’s as if the conversation completely shifts because Jason continues, “You both are so much more attractive than me. You both could do a lot better than a scarred, angry kid from Gotham.” Your jaw effectively drops for the second time today in disbelief of what you’re hearing. “You’re both out of my league and I’m-“

You cut him off, “Literally one of the hottest people I’ve ever met? Are you for real, Jay?” Somehow, Jason bringing this up makes you feel more human for your reaction. You don’t feel so alone now.

“She called you, Jay, Jay,” Roy teases. “You want me to kick her ass for you?”

“First of all,” Jason starts, “I’d like to see you try. Second,” Jason turns toward you, “stop smiling at me like that.”

“Like what?” you respond innocently, though the cheeky undertone is clearly evident.

“Like a smug ass fucking brat,” he jests back. “And, yes, babe,” he says, “you can call me Jay.” 

You blush, smiling down to where he’s holding your hand. “I now understand why I couldn’t in the first place,” you say. 

“No, that was just because I was angsty as fuck and possessive over Roy.” 

“Yeah, we know,” Roy snorts. 

“Whatever.” Jason rolls his eyes, taking Roy’s hand into his free hand. “Just saying, I don’t care what either of you call me as long as I can call you mine.” You smile lightly at this.

“So me and the babe should start calling Lawton ‘love?’” Roy teases and groans when Jason socks him in the stomach.

“Too far,” he growls suddenly.

Roy wheezes through his cheeky grin, “Got it, love.”

You finally feel an end to yet another contention. Well, at the very least, solidarity over the contention and, hey, you’ll take it.

With this resolution, your group makes its way over to the shallow end where Stephanie and Jon are playing with Lian. You go to dip your foot in but, ultimately, hesitate. You chalk it up to the stress of the overwhelmingness of today and push through.

When you reach the water, Stephanie waggles her blonde brows at you and your partners.

“What?” you ask, feeling entirely confused.

“Speaking of marriage,” Stephanie drawls teasingly, all while continuing to waggle her brows, “what are your guys’ plans?” 

Oh, jeez.

Your wide eyes meet Jason’s, then Roy’s wide green eyes. 

“Er,” you start, then trail off. The three of you have never really sat down and had this discussion yet. You’ve been together long enough that it’s definitely feasible and, hell, Lian already considers you her mom, but you’ve never put much thought to the topic. “I don’t think technically that we all legally can,” you trail off awkwardly. 

As long as you’re with them, you’re happy.

“Well,” Roy surprisingly pipes up, “what about a spiritual wedding?” At this, he appears deep in thought, as if he’s really considering it. 

“I want to play mermaids, mommy,” Lian suddenly interrupts as she swims over to where you’re at on the pool steps.

You don’t have time to contemplate the fear you’re suddenly feeling as you approach the water. You barely have time to think about how this will be your first encounter being submerged again since the incident in the subways because Jason and Roy sneak up on you. 

Roy lifts you up from under your armpits while Jason grabs you by the ankles as they remove you from the water. They lug your struggling boy over to the deep end where they begin to swing you back and forth by the edge of the pool, teasing you and laughing as they do, but you’re too busy thrashing around in their collective hold. They obviously don’t pick up on the panic behind your screaming and must think you’re just being dramatic about getting your hair wet because they throw you in anyway.

Surrounded by water, your eyes surge open. You scream, releasing all your breath into bubbles that blind you, leaving you to thrash around in pure panic. This definitely isn’t the way you wanted to confront your newfound fear.

Though there are other people in the pool, you feel entirely alone as you choke and sink toward the bottom as your panic takes over. The water surrounds you with its familiar weighted blanket that urges you to close your eyes you. The telltale burning sensation blooms across your lungs as you force yourself not to inhale the water around you. Your head pounds as your will slowly slips away.

When it soon becomes clear that you’re not coming back up on your own, two figures dive in after you.

Upon surfacing, you lean over in Roy’s strong hold as you gasp. Coughs rack across your aching body and Jason comes over to help check on you. Luckily, no water comes out of your lungs so you won’t have to stay in the Batcave for observation later. Thank fuck. It’s been a tiring 24 hours and you don’t know if you’d be able to handle even more stress. 

“Baby, we weren’t thinking,” Roy spouts rapidly, hands scouring your body as he tries to rectify his mistake. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking about the subway-“

Jason calls your name, stroking your face as the rest of the crew, Bruce included, surrounds you.

“Are you alright?” 

Everyone’s eyes are on you and you can’t help but shrink away.

“Give her some space,” Bruce demands. His presence snaps you out of it, wondering when exactly the man had returned.

“I’m fine,” you insist. You refuse to ruin this day for everyone and, above all, Lian. “It’s good.” You smile the little girl’s way and exhale lightly when she smiles earnestly back. In a strange way, you needed this. You needed to face the trauma and what better way than facing it surrounded by the people you love most- the ones you feel safest around.

Roy and Jason appear horrified with themselves, but you assuage them with chaste kisses. 

“We’re so sorry,” Jason laments quietly to you.

Tonight, you tell yourself, you can unleash it all once Lian’s asleep. For now, though, you push down the remnants of panic and bottle up your tears as you nonchalantly get up and slowly walk into the shallow end of the pool. Everyone’s still watching you carefully, but you merely roll your eyes and encourage them to join you.

It doesn’t take much coaxing after that. Soon, Stephanie leaps into the pool, followed by Jon and Damian. 

Jason watches you with a knowing look but remains quiet. He doesn’t push the subject any further for now as he gently guides Lian over to the steps where you’re at. 

All of this appeases Roy, who, with a wink sent your way, cannonballs into the deep end after pushing Dick in. Wally speeds out of the way before he can become a casualty and, instead, picks up Babs to place her on Dick’s shoulders.

You play mermaids with Lian and her daddy for a bit in the shallow end before Stephanie finally coaxes you and Jason over to join the rest of the group. Alfred taps in as a voluntary mermaid while the two of you join the all-out war going on a few feet away. In the deep end, Babs is already atop Dick’s shoulders and Stephanie atop Tim’s. 

“Todd,” Damian grumbles, “I need all the height I can get to win.” Is the explanation he gives as he glares at Jason to let him up. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason mutters with a knowing smirk. Regardless, he picks Damian up, much to his chagrin, and situates him. “Stop digging your bony ass heels into my tits, Dami.”

“Fucking gross, you heathen,” Damian hisses and flings his leg out to do just that. Though they’re supposed to be teammates, they begin to wrestle with each other and you scurry out of the way and over toward your other boyfriend. 

With Jon secured atop Connor, you meet Roy’s waggling brows with a fake sigh. Eventually, you accept his extended hand and allow him to lift you onto his shoulders. 

“I’m so recording this,” Wally says. The redhead nudges Bruce next to him to takes in the pool with thinly veiled amusement. 

“Yo, knock that shit off and let me be the one to kick your ass, little bird,” Stephanie taunts, well, more like screams. This all startles Tim who’d been attempting to secure her through her erratic movements as she teases Dami.

Finally, Jason and Damian cease their quarrel and move to face the circle of pairs. 

“You fucking wish, Brown,” Damian scoffs. “The only team here with a chance against me is the one with two Kryptonians.”

“Half-Krypotonians,” Jon corrects him with a finger cutely raised as he does. 

“You know what I meant,” Damian sighs with a half-hearted glare all of you know he doesn’t mean. “Go easy on her, though, Jon.” With this, Damian hikes his thumb over at you.

“Hey!” you gasp in jest. “I resent that, Dami.”

Then, the war begins.

Steph, of course, is the first one to make a move. She reaches down off Tim’s shoulder to smack Connor and Jon with a tidal wave of chlorine water but manages to hit mostly Dick and Babs instead. 

“Still a win, though,” the blonde jests as she takes in her four wet opponents. She does a little victory dance while you and Damian begin to face off, catching the rest of Steph’s attention.

Babs takes the blonde’s distracted state as an opportunity to spur Dick forward to attack. Poor Stephanie doesn’t stand a chance.

“This looks like a horrible idea,” Bruce mutters to Wally as the two stand off to the side, observing the swarm of splashes and dunks happening in the pool to a highly amused redhead.

“I should say,” Alfred starts as he joins their group with a pruned Lian in tow, “by the time they’re done, there will hardly be much water left in the pool, Master Wayne.” 

Jason and Damian gear up for action as they suddenly face-off between you and Roy.

“I think we can take ‘em, princess,” Roy says smugly, leaving Damian to tch. “There’s no way Jason won’t let his trophy wives win.”

Jason just snorts, “Just for that, I’ll kick your ass even harder, Harper.” Jason then turns to you, “You, on the other hand, babe, don’t stand a chance against me.”

However, you don’t have time to respond as Damian makes his first move. Your arms move at the same time Damian’s do. The two of you wrestle from atop their shoulders as Jason and Roy do the same, taking extra caution to make sure you don’t fall off.

“You’re really going to let her win, Todd? Fucking pathetic,” Damian grits out as he forces you backward with a push. Luckily, Roy’s grip is secure enough that you hardly budge. “Knock her off and we’ll take out your other loser together.”

As much as the three men jested amongst themselves, as soon as it comes to others teasing you, both men immediately come to your defense.

“Watch your fucking mouth, brat,” Jason hisses at the same time Roy exclaims, “You’re the loser, twerp!” Roy blatantly uses the hated nickname you gave to Damian back in freshman year of high school, much to the latter’s chagrin. 

At some point during all this, Damian gets thrown off of Jason’s shoulders and ends up splashing down all the way in the deep end next to Dick and Babs. However, the raven doesn’t stay submerged for long. No, Damian goes directly for Roy from under the water as if he were fucking Jaws or something.

When you hit the water this time, you’re more prepared for its impact. You don’t freak out, but Roy and Jason still block you off from the others chicken-fighting as they gauge your reaction. With a thumbs up from you, both of them join forces with Tim and Stephanie to splash Dick and Babs.

“Guys, stop!” Dick exclaims with a slightly whiney voice. “It’s supposed to be play fighting, not a splashing war. You’re all messing up my hair and I just did my wash routine this morning.” His complaint, however, goes unheard as you and everyone else in the pool pushes nearly half the pool’s water onto his already. Just when he thinks it’s over, Damian climbs back on Jason’s back to dump a decent amount directly over his head. Dick’s mouth drops open, scandalized. “Et tu, Damian?”

“Fuck off,” Damian replies with a flippant roll of his eyes. 

After a lengthy battle, you concede after getting dunked two more times. Jason follows soon after, claiming he needs a drink as soon as he sees Bruce’s watchful eyes meet his. The battle soon falls apart and the majority of the adults get out of the pool to allow Lian to swim freely without worrying about getting splashed by her crazy family.

From here, Jason consumes drink after drink, growing tipsier under Bruce’s unrelenting presence. By the time the hour’s up, Jason’s content to lounge with you away from the pool as Roy takes over playing mermaids with Lian. This, however, doesn’t mean the redhead isn’t watching as Jason gets increasingly touchy with you.

It’s something everyone notices, mainly because he gets up and loudly scootches your chairs together. From here, you can’t get him off of you. You can’t help but giggle as his calloused hands trail up and down your skin.

“Y’need more sunscreen, babe,” he slurs lightly, refusing to take no for an answer. At this, he motions for the sunscreen, which you reluctantly hand over, knowing this is about to get very PG-13. Well, hopefully only that rating; otherwise, Roy will have to come to pry him off of you before Lian and the rest of the room’s inhabitants can be scarred for life.

Jason’s tipsy, but he's very obviously in control of his actions as he gently glides the lotion over every inch of your body. Being the ass he is, he teasingly lingers over spots he knows drive you crazy.

“Jay,” you berate him when he’s milliseconds from drawing an embarrassing moan from you.

“Sorry, love,” he purrs against the shell of your ear, leaving you to arch into his muscular front. “Now, turn around so I can get your back.”

It’s then that you notice Roy’s all but forgone mermaids. His orange hair peeks up messily over the edge of the pool as his light green eyes latch onto you and Jason eagerly. 

You oblige Jason’s request and flip over. You’re in a coral-colored bikini that he easily unties so he can get under the strings to fully cover your back. 

“Jason,” you warn again when his touch starts to move south. “Later, my love.” You grab his wandering hand and place it firmly on your waist as he eyes you up and down with wanton, emerald eyes.

“Kiss me,” he growls, practically against your lips already.

You’re completely worked up and give in easily. Your lips slot languidly against his smooth lips and your legs intertwine with his. His calloused hand slowly drags up your side to cup your cheek, drawing a breathy sigh from you. You blush and shy away from his lips, but he won’t let you. He chases after you, nearly falling onto you as he positions himself over you now. 

“Jason,” you giggle. Your laughter soon turns to a barely disguised moan as he flicks his whiskey-ridden tongue into your mouth. You allow it, sucking his appendage teasingly as your hands come to rest on his built shoulders. All the tension of today leaves your body as Jason carefully distracts you with his tender touches.

“I love my life,” Roy groans in appreciation at the sight. His face is entirely pleased as he slips out of the pool to join the two of you. Lian follows cutely behind him, shivering as she asks him for her Superman towel. 

Around the time the sun starts setting, it’s just your group and Damian who remain. Honestly, probably the only reason your group even stayed so long was due to Lian’s excitement, but mostly the fact that Jason just started sobering up. By now, Alfred’s retired to the kitchen to start on dinner while Bruce lingers in the hallway outside the atrium. 

Jason pushes past him with Roy and Lian following closely behind. 

You wave awkwardly, but Bruce won’t allow this exit. He abruptly calls you and Damian over to him.

“About our discussion the other day,” he starts.

“Which one?” you interrupt, brow raised challengingly. It’s been a long fucking day and you’re ready to get into PJs and cuddle with your family. Right now, the only obstacle standing between you and this is Bruce.

Bruce, however, takes this in stride. “The Court,” he replies calmly. “I know what you’re planning and I would strongly caution you against it.”

The conversation is suddenly cut short as Bruce and Damian both suddenly get alerts on their phones. 

“The scrambled footage from Wayne Enterprises’ security system has finally been enhanced, father,” Damian interrupts. At this, Jason and Roy finally come closer to see what all the ruckus is about. “There’s a license plate,” he adds after a beat. He zooms in on the footage to run a search on the plates of the van they drove off with the emitter in. “We’re already behind. We need to track them down now,” Damian insists sharply. 

Bruce ignores him, however, in lieu of continuing your conversation. “If it really is The Court, we’ve all got bigger problems. You can’t just go busting into their headquarters and expect it to go smoothly. They’re dangerous,” he says before reiterating, “the most dangerous people in Gotham, in fact. They won’t repent without making you pay the ultimate price, believe me.”

“Father,” Damian warns.

“The Court is compiled of ruthless killers,” Bruce warns, “who will take everything from you until you’re no longer who you once were. From there, they’ll use you to do their bidding.” Though Jason and Roy are right beside you, his blue eyes are solely focused on you as if you’re your family’s only chance to have the sense talked into them. “There is no redemption in this for anyone, not when it comes to an unredeemable underground secret society of killers like this. Not for what happened to you last year, nor for anyone else in here,” he says your name as he finishes. 

“So, because they kill, they’re unredeemable?” Jason huffs in aggravation, completely skipping over the rest of what Bruce said. Jason’s clearly sobered up from earlier, but his loose verbal filter stemming from it still remains.

“We’re not having this discussion again. Not in front of our kid, love,” Roy pipes up quickly, warning both Jason and Bruce against the argument that’s quickly brewing between them.

Jason glances at the redhead briefly before his emerald ire scorches his father’s way once again. “What does that make my situation, then, Bruce?” Jason asks icily, already knowing the answer.

Bruce glances at his son out of the corner of his eyes before responding, “Complicated.” Well, if the situation in the garage was anything to go by, complicated is something this family knows all too well. “All I’m trying to say is that this could be a dangerous trap conspired by very dangerous people,” he says with a finality in his tone that Jason doesn’t even bother combating. No, instead, Jason squeezes reassuringly at Lian’s shoulder, who’s begun to stare at her daddy with concern.

“Father, we really must move,” Damian insists.

Having gotten his point across, Bruce finally heeds Damian’s urgency. 

“He’s right.” Bruce nods as he quickly creates a plan. “Damian, you stay with me. Jason and Roy will go into the field.”

Damian scoffs, glaring at his father at the odd decision. Everyone in the room seems surprised, especially after Bruce had essentially called Jason and Roy unredeemable for what they’d done in the past.

“What about Lian and me?” you ask.

“You’re staying here,” Bruce says.

No one seems to know what to do. Roy stares at Jason, who, along with Damian, stares at Bruce, who stares at you. Your eyes shift across the men in the room, then to Lian. 

Damian’s the one to break the brief, but very awkward silence as he huffs at your boyfriends, “Hurry the fuck up, then.”

Not even 30 minutes later, Jason and Roy as Red Hood and Arsenal are en route to an unknown destination. Guess your feelings discussion about the pool earlier and the fear you felt will have to be put on hold again. 

You’re attempting to follow Bruce and Damian down to the Batcave, when suddenly the older man halts in front of a grandfather clock.

“Just the three of us from here on out,” Bruce says before instructing Alfred to take care of Lian. 

“Then why even have her stay?” you question angrily. Have you mentioned that you’re at your wit’s end yet?

“More of a test than anything,” Bruce supplies with a practiced nonchalance. Your mind instantly flashes back to the Wayne Garden fountain during the Wayne Gala when Jason had randomly spouted much of the same. “I can’t be out in the field because Batman doesn’t patrol this early. I need Damian here because his co-chair, Luke, was the one to uncover the footage,” Bruce lists, though none of it explains why you’re here. 

“And?” you ask irritably. “What about me? Why am I here and not out there with them?”

Was it a test for Jason and Roy, or a test of your loyalty as Jason’s had been all those years prior?

“That, I don’t know yet,” he replies cryptically.

Reluctantly, you follow after Bruce and Damian once Lian’s left the room. 

Luke’s already online, giving Red Hood and Arsenal directions as he uncovers more footage. Damian wastes no time in assisting him with various street cameras to follow along the van’s route. The license plate comes back a dud, but not all is lost yet. All the while, Bruce stands behind you. You can’t tell if it’s an intimidation thing, or if it’s something else, but it’s pissing you off. Coupled with Lian not being allowed down in the Batcave- you’re irate. 

How could Bruce accept you so easily into his family but not Lian?

The makeshift team’s comms are linked, so your outburst is audible to everyone. 

“Why exclude her? She already knows about her dads. What difference does knowing about this cave make?” He just glares at you, leaving you to snarl, “Let me get this straight: you expect me to sit here and just follow you blindly at the cost of my own family?”

“Now’s not the time for this pettiness. We have work to do.” 

“What’s going on?” Red Hood asks over the comms.

Damian seems entirely uncomfortable as you inform them that their daughter was barred from the Batcave.

“Her past goes deeper than you’ll ever know. I can’t have that kind of liability on her for me,” Bruce continues simply. 

“What does that even mean?” you ask before Hood and Arsenal can spazz. “Cheshire?”

“Not just Jade,” Arsenal sighs. “Her parents, too.” There’s a brief interjection by Luke as he directs them to turn left and continue down Billingham Street. “Her mom used to go by Tigress but is reformed. She got out of the game and has laid low since then.”

“Because she was crippled and sent to prison,” Bruce interjects suddenly. “You’re forgetting to mention that her father is Sportsmaster who is not reformed and very much active. It’s a liability to us all that Lian even knows Jason’s alias.” 

“I was getting to that,” Arsenal grits out. The bike revs and you watch on the Batcave’s system as they turn the corner onto the street Luke had directed them to. “Does Jade’s sister being a superhero, not to mention an ally to Batman mean anything to you?” he asks suddenly.

You’re more familiar with Artemis than you are Jade at this point. Any time Dick can’t look after Lian, Artemis is the next number you call. 

“Guess not, but then again, his logic hasn’t always been the most sound,” Hood snaps in response.

“What about me?” You turn to Bruce, now, slightly scandalized at the recent development. “Am I not a part of this family regardless of my fucking upbringing?” 

After your parents had rejected your olive branch so blatantly at the dockyards, Bruce was the only chance left you had for a real dad. This man is the only parental figure you’ve ever known and, yet, here he is rejecting your child- Jason’schild. Where exactly does that leave you? You hate to admit that the answer is clear.

It’s as if your thoughts read clear upon your face because his glare diminishes and is replaced with what you’re 80% sure is remorse.

“I-“ he starts, then cuts himself off. “No.” Well, there’s your fucking answer. You turn away from him, you turn away from Damian’s owlish confusion, and make your way toward the exit. Before you can call out to Jason and Roy to let them know, Bruce speaks again, “I misspoke.” His sturdy hand rests on your shoulder, gently preventing you from starting up the stairs. “You aren’t your family,” he says, “you’re one of us.” 

Before you can process his words, Bruce phones for Alfred to bring Lian down. The little girl is ecstatic as she takes in the new space with absolute awe, though Bruce still seems hesitant. Upon her gleeful giggle as you hug her and take her over to the giant penny that Bruce at least has the decency to think her reaction is cute.

“What’s going on over there?” Hood demands.

Damian clears his throat, “Everyone’s down here now.” It’s enough information from the man of few words for them to know that you’ve gotten your way. “We really must focus on the mission at hand. We can’t afford to be sloppy when it comes to them.” His words hang like a threat in the stale air of the cave.

After a few more minutes pass with still no destination in sight, Bruce speaks up.

“Damian,” Bruce’s deep voice reverberates against the empty chasm of the cave, “show them around.”

“Father,” Damian protests, acting exasperated as if Bruce has gone completely off his rocker.

“So,” Hood starts, “you ban her from the cave and now she’s getting a tour from the brat?”

“I resent that, fat ass,” Damian snarls. 

“Fat ass,” Lian giggles as she repeats her uncle’s unfortunate choice of words.

“Seriously?” Arsenal sighs, obviously having heard his sponge of a daughter.

“Apologies,” Damian offers sincerely. He takes one look at the excited little girl before begrudgingly following along with Bruce’s wishes.

You can’t deny that you’re excited to see what Batman’s headquarters have to offer. After all, you’ve only seen med bay portion and, even then, you were pretty out of it. 

Damian shows her and you around, much to your partner’s chagrin who hear as he walks you about the different area. Lian’s exclamations and little shrieks only add to Jason’s annoyance that, god forbid, Damian’s the one from the Bat Family to show the two of you around their sacred grounds. You know the jealous make-up sex will definitely be worth it, though.

All the while, Luke finally tracks down the van’s destination to a warehouse five blocks over from Arsenal and Hood’s location. From here, Alfred finishes the tour with Lian as you and Damian rejoin Bruce in front of the cave’s system.

You watch as Arsenal kicks in the door, Red Hood behind him with guns drawn. He’d reluctantly switched to rubber bullets, respecting Bruce’s wishes without him ever having to ask. Though Bruce will never mention this, nor think differently of him for doing so, Jason has once again shown respect even in the wake of his father (your father??)repeatedly beating down any form of an olive branch from his son. 

Upon entering the empty room, they come upon a jack-in-the-box. 

“Careful,” Hood mutters to his partner who trains his bow on the box.

Suddenly, the box springs to life. Its mechanism clinks as it begins to turn on its own accord. A creepy tune plucks out while both men stand at the ready for whatever the box will reveal.

When the box stops, you see Hood’s aim falter. It’s only for a brief second, but it’s long enough for you to catch his evident confusion. Before either of them can do anything further, the box pops open. At first, you think it’s a distraction from the crazy owl soldiers Damian had warned you about. After nothing happens for another minute, your partners slowly inch closer to the colorful box, inspecting it seriously as they come upon the joker puppet sticking out of it.

It’s as if they’ve tripped something because, all of a sudden, gas slowly squeals from the puppet and into the room. The plume of green slowly spills into the closed quarters of the building. At this, both men start to cough and complain of a rancid smell.

“Is everything alright?” Luke questions. Instead of answers, the comms are met with more coughing. 

Arsenal quickly masks up while Red Hood turns on his filtration system through his helmet. Neither are risking further exposure to whatever’s spreading throughout the building, especially not when they’re up against such heavy hitters.

“Hood, Arsenal,” Bruce demands, “respond.”

Arsenal wheezes and you think he can’t breathe until you hear it. The eerie laugh that you’d spouted all those years ago at the very gala you’d been reminded of earlier. The one where Joker and his goons had restrained you and injected you with a strange neon liquid that reared its ugly head again last year at the dockyard fight.

“Answer, dumbasses,” Damian hisses, hitting at the screen as if it would somehow produce a response. You don’t have time to chide him for cursing with Lian so close by because both men drop to the ground, clutching at their sides as they begin to inhale in an exaggerated manner. “What’s going on?”

Luke’s video feed suddenly flickers off the screen. You think something maniacal is going on until the man’s voice crackles through the comms, “I’m suited up and on my way to them.”

“Batwing, do you need backup?” Bruce asks.

You watch with bated breath as Hood and Arsenal attempt to remove their gas masks as they continue to struggle on the floor. You think it’s sheer luck that no one’s shown up to ambush them when you see it. Bruce picks up on the figure instantly. Though the quality of the security camera inside doesn’t pick up on too many details, Bruce is able to zoom in on the live footage and enhance it enough for you to realize that the man looks like to one from the dockyards last year. Squinting harder, you realize this may very well be the same man who was in the subways with you a month prior.

Just who is this masked man?  

Before Bruce can get a clear read on the man’s masked face, he flees. Two minutes later, Batwing arrives to collect your howling partners.

“You seeing this?” the vigilante asks. In the dead center of the room is a piece of paper. Walking closer to it, Batwing picks up what ends up being a card- a Joker card. 

“Get out of there,” Bruce warns darkly, “now.”

Batwing doesn’t stick around to find out why Bruce sounds so grim and quickly flies off with Red Hood and Arsenal secured at his sides.

“What was that?” Damian questions. 

You shrug, not having a clue what just went down. Bruce, on the other hand, has his dark brows drawn together as if he’s mentally connecting another piece of the puzzle. However, you don’t have to wait long before he supplies an answer.

“Last year,” he starts, “I had a run in with the Joker. It was about a month after the bombing at your apartment.” Bruce regards you briefly before continuing, “It was a typical patrol, kind of quiet, honestly. I didn’t suspect there was an ulterior motive to the alley mugging I stopped. As soon as I’d knocked out the man, I noticed a Joker card, similar to the one we found tonight,” he sighs. “There was a jack-in-the-box just like that with what I’m guessing is a similar concoction to what they faced tonight. I called it ‘Laughing Dust’ in my files.” With this, he pulls up a file with a grainy still from his bodycam of the aforementioned dust. “Further analysis revealed the dust was made from a combination of hydrogen cyanide salt, strychnine powder and something I was never able to detect.” He pauses as if he doesn’t know whether or not to reveal the next bout of information but, ultimately, does. “It seems like whatever the final compound was,” he trails off, “well, that it had come from some kind of tainted blood.”

“Hate to state the obvious,” Batwing chimes in, “but that wasn’t dust in there. It was gas.”

Bruce appears grim as he rewinds the footage from mere moments ago as if it confirms his worst fear. 

“So, Joker’s engineered some kind of Joker Gas,” Bruce trails off pensively. 

You say what’s been on your mind since you saw the figure in the warehouse, “Whoever that man was in there tonight, I’m guessing he was the one to help concoct it.” 

It goes unsaid that, if The Court of Owl’s was involved, this could end up so much worse than any of you ever could’ve imagined. Though the previous clue was a feather left at Wayne Enterprise, it didn’t necessarily mean the person in the warehouse was from The Court. After all, there’s still one person you haven’t been able to identify from your visions. Not only could the man have been a free agent who’s unrelated to The Court, the man there tonight could’ve also easily been the missing link between your visions and reality. 

If anything, this entire situation only furthers your previous logic on the matter. Whether it’s Joker and some accomplice that’s not even on your radar, or Joker and The Court, you know the only way you’ll find any answers is by infiltrating their upcoming meeting. You know you need to crash that meeting and finally get some fucking answers.

Fuck what Bruce said. Hell, he obviously doesn’t have as sound of logic as you’d once previously thought. After last night, no, after today, the man is not who you once thought he was, so who is he to continue to control your fate? You’ve been on your own as long as you can remember; no, it’s nothing new to you. Though his approval means everything to you, you logically know you don’t need it. Even after admitting this to yourself, you’re pretty sure that actually experiencing his rejection would cripple you entirely.

You heave a heavy sigh as these thoughts slam against your skull. 

On the screen, Batwing arrives on the scene and quickly removes the incapacitated vigilantes. Not even five minutes later, they’re arriving in the cave. Bruce busies himself with Alfred, escorting Lian from the cave while you take in the distraught state of your partners.

Luke retracts his mechanical cowl as he addresses you, “Whatever they inhaled, they put on their gas masks fast enough that it didn’t affect them too much luckily.” He pats Roy on the back when he starts to choke and supports his weight to help him sit up straighter as he comes down from whatever shit Joker had left behind in that warehouse. “They should be back to normal any minute now, I think,” he reassures you, though his face looks anything but. He looks scared.

You swallow down your own fear, looking around to make sure it’s just you, Luke and Damian around to hear. Bruce had made his stance on your visions very clear earlier today at the pool and you didn’t need any more judgment from him on the matter today, but you still needed to be heard.

“The three of us went to the Stacked Deck yesterday, chasing down a lead on The Court of Owls but ended up finding information on the Winter Rose instead,” you say quickly in a hushed tone. Damian and Luke lean in closer to make out your words as you continue on in a rush, “Scientist from Cadmus said the plant was not only symbiotic but water soluble.” When you finish, you stare at both of them meaningfully, hoping they’ll take what you say next seriously. “I think this solution is what they’ve been putting in the subway water. I think that whoever’s helping The Court, or, at the very least, Joker, was in that warehouse tonight and I think they’re the one who knows how to fully utilize the rose’s power.”

“You saw that in your visions?” Luke asks suddenly.

“You know about that?” You hadn’t expected it to get around the Bat Family so fast, but you supposed it was only a matter of time before everyone in this family of detectives found out.  

Luke looks a bit guilty, but he still indulges you. “Bruce mentioned something about it.” It's all he needs to say for you to know that Bruce told him not to pursue anything related to your visions. However, it’s what he says next that surprises you, “I’ll grab a sample of the water and bring it into the lab here.” 

You thank him, though part of you doubts he’ll actually follow through based on your judgment over Bruce’s.

Once Arsenal and Hood calm down with help from Batwing, it seems like they finally realize that things are officially getting to the point of no return. The event horizon. 

Regardless of both Damian and Bruce’s warnings, you know the only way to get anywhere is through the elusive Court of Owls.

“We need to get disguises for The Court meeting,” you say resolutely to your partners. They’re still somewhat out of it, but you need to get it out in the open with the people you trust endlessly. “It’s time we stop sitting around and get some god damn answers. It’s time to find out if these owl fucks actually have the emitter or not.”

A/N: long author note y'all- chap 9 will get more into the aftermath. i didn't really explain this in the notes of last chapter but I felt it necessary to add the slap because I feel it's imperative to his rocky relationship with jason (specifically gotham war series which I cant even fucking read anymore it's absolute bssss yall and also ofc under the red hood series). I felt like ARS really glorified bruce and I wanted to show this other side of him as it pertains really well with the rest of the plot. this is a messy series- no one is perfect and I wanted to make this clear early on as it only gets messier. personally, for me, the messiness is what makes these characters truly come to life and I hope you can see why I made the decision I did when this is all finished :p

ALSOOOO finally an explanation for why jason was so uptight about nicknames!! I've never written actual lore like this before BUUUUT in this AU, jason and roy were both part of Teen Titans (Damian is currently in it) and the Outlaws weren't really a thing in this universe due to timelines not adding up. Also, the Artemis mentioned is based on Artemis from Young Justice, not Outlaws bc, again, outlaws doesn't add up in this timeline OKAY I'm done rambling lmao

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[saintmeghanmarkle]

Sick Meghan Markle fails to show up alongside Prince Harry at Kevin Costner charity event by u/Winter-South-7448

‘Sick’ Meghan Markle fails to show up alongside Prince Harry at Kevin Costner charity event There is no way that the ILBW would miss this A-Lister event. So what happened?She was NFI? Kevin Costner is with WME and we know that Costner was very cool to the ILBW at last year's event, and presumably only invited the duo because WME put pressure on him to do so, because WME were trying to repatriate the Sussex's reputation at the time. However we know that WME has now thrown the ILBW to the wolves, because they declined to intervene to stop the hit-piece just published in The Hollywood Reporter. This year Costner may have said, or WME has suggested, Harry can come, but the ILBW is not invited. I suspect Costner in particular would have real trouble dealing with the ILBW's completely false and grasping persona. And it says a lot that Harry would go to Costner's event in those circumstances without her, in that he just doesn't care about her anymore, and wants to have his own life.She is about to launch her "gravely ill" project to gain sympathy? The ILBW has copied so much of what Catherine wears or does, and she has seen the worldwide respect and compassion for Catherine. Is she about to leak that she is actually fighting a life-threatening illness? Anyone who challenges that and calls it out at BS could look pretty awful, getting stuck into someone who is "ill".This is part of a planned rehabilitation of Harry's image? Timing is everything. Look at what else is happening right now. The Hollywood Reporter article which was scathing of the ILBW; the RF and William/Catherine publicly wishing Harry a Happy 40th Birthday; and lots of scathing articles where the ILBW is excoriated and Harry is just portrayed as her useful idiot. Could WME have decided they will stick with Harry, and are consciously cutting the ILBW loose to help rehabilitate Harry's image? One thing I will say, look at the pictures of Harry at Costner's event, he looks relaxed, happy, charming, very much like he looked before the ILBW entered his life. post link: https://ift.tt/MyTq3ip author: Winter-South-7448 submitted: September 21, 2024 at 04:01PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[mochi-munchies]

AU/Fic Idea: Ragnarok *Title Still in the Works*

This one has been in my brain for a while and I thought I'd just spew it out on my board just to get it out and not forget it. But anyway-

An AU where Ink and Error were the original menaces to the multiverse. As the two most powerful entities with the personalities of toddlers, they were fucking destroying everything, leveling entire AUs in their clashes and tantrums and impulses. Until the other deities finally had enough.

Core Frisk, Reaper, Life, Fresh and Gaster all get together and are like, "Yeah. We can't keep letting them do this, the multiverse is gonna break." So they devise a plot to get them to fight, and then when their balance of Destruction/Creation was at a sweet spot, took them by surprise and sealed them away. Error in the anti-void, and Ink in the Doodlesphere, where they are promptly put into a deep slumber as long as their balance is not disturbed. *1

Fast forward to present day with Nightmare and Dream having their little war. All the other entities aren't pleased with it, but are neutral to the conflict as they see it more as a childish spat.

Until it wasn't.

One day Nightmare takes it too far and his scheme threatens to actually destroy an AU, which immediately has Reaper, Frisk and Fresh flying in there like, "Nightmare stop. You have no idea what you're doing." But they're too late, the damage is done and the AU is destroyed.

So the outcodes are absolutely freaking out, and Dream and Nightmare are super confused like, "you guys have been watching us from the sidelines for hundreds of years?? Why tf do you suddenly care??"

"You morons! Do you have any idea what you've done??!? You disturbed the balance! They're gonna wake up..!"

Then cue Error air-dropping in and absolutely making a fool of everybody and their moms. Making Dream and Nightmare realize that, oh. They were not. In fact. Among the top of the food chain.

The rest of the story then going on about the brothers being forced to finally put their shit to an end and reconnect under duress while also dealing with two overpowered children. *2

*1 - Was also considering the idea of the whole 'putting them to sleep' part failing, unknowingly to the other gods. Leaving Ink and Error completely awake in their isolation- however, due to the connection of their balance, they can speak to each other not unlike with the Creators. Over the thousands of years of only having each other, in their loneliness they come to have a codependency and low-key errink feelings coming in.

When their balance is finally disturbed and their seals are unleashed, of course the first thing on their minds are mayhem and vengeance. But after letting out some steam, the next thing is to obviously find their other half. Something that the other gods are hellbent on preventing, fearing the return of the days when they ravaged the AUs endlessly in their feud.

So Nightmare and Dream are spending the majority of the fic learning to reconnect with each other as they try to reseal the two and prevent them from meeting. However, they also notice how their behavior seems to be incredibly strange compared to what the others described. And eventually, trusting their instincts as the guardians of feelings, they let Error and Ink meet, only to discover that the two were in love and not in fact looking to settle their ancient death match. Error and Ink vow to behave as long as the others dared not to interfere with them, etc. Cue happy ending.

*2 - another alternative version for the story is for Dream to teach Ink empathy (and low-key domesticate him) as he tries to reason with him, and at the same time learn to let the past go and accept his brother as he was, instead of hanging onto who he envisioned him to be before their fallout. And for Nightmare to learn to trust with Error (as well as rehabilitating him) after failing repeatedly at overpowering the other, and at the same time coming to accept vulnerability in his life again.

At first Dream fears Ink as a soulless being and subconsciously sees him as something inherently evil (just how he sees his brother's corrupted form as evil) however, as he peeks behind the curtain of Ink's behaviors, he comes to realize that is not the case, and starts to help Ink with his memory issues, his lack of empathy, his impulsiveness, etc. Also learning along the way that just because someone's nature (soullessness/corruption) was different didn't mean they were bad.

They get close, and Ink starts to cling to Dream. Connecting the emotional growth within him with the first person to actually have the patience to guide him and understand him like this, he starts to prioritize also being there to help Dream more so than having art binges and harassing Error. Oh, and they also end up falling in love BTW.

Meanwhile, Nightmare is getting his shit rocked by Error, struggling to compete with such a powerhouse and is honestly feeling fucked up bc this is the first time he's been so powerless after his corruption. He continues to use more and more low blows and playing on any and every weakness the glitch has- desperately trying to regain his dominance (which he has been using all this time as a feeling of protection).

Nightmare is low-key tweaking at this point, until he finally discovers a way into Error's hidey-hole. So of course he sneaks in with the intention of catching the maniac with his pants down. Only to peek in during one of Error's low moments.

And then Nightmare suddenly realizes how similar the two of them really were. This whole time he was picturing Error as this larger than life, unstoppable and ruthless pinnacle of violence. When in fact.. he was just another monster, just like he was. So, he starts changing tactics after that. Reaching out to Error in the way he wished someone reached out to him back then, and they come to slowly open up together and eventually just.. tumbling into a situationship.

In the end the other gods are really uncertain about just leaving the two to the apple twins- especially with the fear they might use them in their little war. But the twins have none of it, and even have a realtalk then and there to prove no grudges remained.

[cake-apostate]

Years ago, I had a fanfic idea where the SMT protagonists replace the heroes of the Persona games. The joke was that they're all these badass fighters who could easily sweep the dungeons with their skill and experience, but they're also hilariously bad at the real life segments.

The fic didn't really work out, probably because I was trying to use too many games and too many characters, but I still like the idea.

So, let's say that one week after the end of their games, the heroes of SMT were put in the role of Joker from Persona 5 (the Persona game I played most recently).

The Outsiders

Aleph, Flynn, and Nanashi aren't from modern Japan, and they'd have a hell of a time trying to adapt.

Aleph would be an absolute disaster. He's a toddler in a man's body raised by a gladiator coach who thought he was rehabilitating an amnesiac. It's a miracle the lad can read.

That's not to say that Aleph is dumb; he couldn't go through his game if he couldn't make informed decisions for himself. He just lacks formal education, social awareness, and casual life experience.

At the very least, when something's going on that he doesn't understand, Aleph has learned to stay quiet and go with the flow. He'd probably be fine socially, especially as a silent protagonist who needs to listen more than he speaks.

On the other hand, Aleph is missing a ton of common knowledge, even more than the average resident of Tokyo Millennium. Everyone assumes he knows more than he does, especially since he doesn't always say when he doesn't know something.

If there's any nonstandard ending, it would be "Aleph fails all his quizzes, exams, and homework, and is expelled."

Nanashi is the opposite. Like Aleph, he doesn't know societal conventions, but unlike Aleph, he doesn't care about breaking them. Aleph came from the gutter and was told he could strive higher; Nanashi came from the gutter and he knows he can survive there.

My favored Nanashi is "Anarchy but made all the friendship choices." He's gotten to a point where he likes people but knows he doesn't need them. All social limits are artificial; why conform?

He's someone who sees a straight line between himself and his goals, and doesn't need to care about what other people think of him. He would not play along with any of the targets' threats, especially because he doesn't have the same kind of social context. Ooh, Kamoshida's going to get him expelled; do I even need school? Sure, Madarame, send the police after me; have you seen what I did to the last people who came after me? Medjed threatens to crash the Japanese economy; what does that even mean? He'd only see Kaneshiro as a problem, since Makoto is in immediate danger when they meet.

(He would at least try to make sure that the others wouldn't go down with him. If he gets expelled, he'll do his best not to drag Ryuji and Mishima down with him.)

Nonstandard ending: before Morgana mentions the change of heart, Nanashi straight up murders Kamoshida and spends the rest of the game evading justice.

Flynn is in a state of constant stress. This isn't his first time as a fish out of water, but at least his Tokyo had a high tolerance for weirdness. He's more socially aware than Aleph or Nanashi, but he knows little about modern Japanese culture and manners, and he knows that.

Flynn's personality took me the longest, but since SMT4 has no room for error in alignments, I think of him as an anxious perfectionist. He doesn't know why, but he's keenly aware that if he says or does just one thing wrong, it will all end in disaster.

Strangers see Flynn as cool, calm, and collected, but that's because he's afraid to let on that he doesn't know as much as they do. Of all the Phantom Thieves, he'd relate the most to Futaba, who also feels like a stranger to this city.

I feel like he'd have to pull the, "I'm a foreign exchange student" card a lot, and leaves other people to assume which country he's from. The only other countries he knows are France (from Isabeau's manga), Russia, China (Infernal Akira can ask if Mikado is in Russia or China), and maybe America.

Nonstandard ending: Flynn has no idea what a train is. Flynn gets lost on the way to school and never finds his way back. The end.

The High School Students

Kazuya, Naoki, and V-kun were high school students when their games began, so they wouldn't be too bad at modern times or school life. It's everything else that's the problem.

The way I see Kazuya, he had to grow and adapt to the postapocalypse more than anyone else. He's a fragile human with no special enhancements or any real support net. To survive, he had to be tough, he had to be stubborn, he had to assert his dominance and take no shit from anyone. He stayed alive by shutting down his feelings and only showing weakness to the people he trusted. That's how he became the best demon summoner.

That also makes him the worst Wild Card. He's terrible at making friends; other people would have to put in the effort to break his armor. His comrades might easily write him off as a bossy control freak, and they'd only associate with him when they need help.

Persona 5's Confidants do usually begin with Joker wanting someone's help (Tae's medicine, Iwai's guns, etc.), so he might have a bit of an easier time starting the Social Link than in other games, but he'd probably screw it up somehow.

He's a good person, but he's terrible at expressing it because demons would see it as a weakness.

Since the mask he wears is so thick, he'd probably have a powerful starting Persona. At the same time, he wouldn't really experience an identity crisis; he knows who he is under the mask, and has no trouble being himself around the people he loves.

Also, something I see in him more than any other protagonist is that he's willing to cut ties with the party members if he disagrees with their methods, even if he doesn't have a solution. All of the heroes fight their friends, but for some reason it struck me the most that Kazuya didn't have a plan to fix Tokyo when he fought the Messians and Gaians (who for all their faults, did). If he disagrees with the other Phantom Thieves, he's leaving.

And on a lighter note, Kazuya might know exactly where in Tokyo to find real guns: the antique shop in Kichijoji.

Ryuji: "Check out what I got!" *takes out fake gun*

Kazuya: "Look at what I have." *takes out real gun*

Ryuji: "Hey, cool, you found that store that sells fake guns!"

Kazuya: "...Yes. I found the store that sells fake guns."

Nonstandard ending: Kazuya refuses to use the change of heart because he saw with his own eyes how messing with minds destroyed Aoi (the heroine) from the inside. Kazuya leaves the Phantom Thieves and brings the targets to justice his own way, probably by use of demons.

Naoki is the opposite. He had to toughen up, but he never had to put on a mask. Unlike Kazuya, demons don't see him as prey by default, and now he's strong enough to beat any other demon to death with his bare hands. Demons won't think any less of him if he gets weepy and emotional. (Although admittedly, this was because I think it's funny for the strongest being in the universe to be shy and awkward.)

I see Naoki as traumatized. He wants to be left alone and isn't fully comfortable returning to ordinary student life. At the same time, he's 'just' going to be quiet and antisocial; if he does end up talking to people, he wouldn't shoot himself in the foot like Kazuya. He'd get along fine with his teammates... if he had any.

Nocturne is the only game where you have no human battle companions (vanilla SMT V barely passes with Tao, and Yuzuru and Ichiro are still fighting on your side, just elsewhere). The only competent human helping the Demi-Fiend is Hijiri, who is strictly a noncombatant. In other words, Naoki's not used to fighting alongside humans.

It wouldn't occur to Naoki to bring Ryuji to the Metaverse. Morgana, yes, because he already has a Persona, but Ryuji can't defend himself. So maybe he'd confide in Ryuji and ask for his help in the real world, but he wouldn't become a party member.

Most of the subsequent party members join because of the others. Yusuke follows Ann, Makoto figures out they're the Phantom Thieves because of how they hang around each other, etc.

Nonstandard ending: that ending gambit required a bunch of people working together.

With V-kun, it's a different story. The question is no longer, "how would his experiences make him a bad Persona user;" it's now, "how does the plot work if he's literally God?" I think there's a fun crack fic where he tries to juggle being the rebellious leader of the Phantom Thieves while he's also doing God stuff. And since Law is the only ending that leaves the status quo setting intact, he's not also running Bethel, he seeks to control the world through faith like Yaldabaoth. The irony is staggering.

There also needs to be an excuse for why he doesn't use his God powers to instantly solve all the Confidants' problems. Sure, human problems must be solved with human means, but there's "reconnect with your mother and discuss what is truly important to you," and then there's "get out of this predatory cult that blackmails tons of people," and "I need help developing this lifesaving medicine but I'm being blocked by the establishment." If he's trying to be a benevolent god, he'd want to solve those problems anyways.

And, of course, there's the obligatory climax where the Phantom Thieves discover that their leader is God, feel betrayed, but then remember that their friendships were genuine.

Nonstandard ending: "Hey, Igor, Aogami tells me that you're not what you seem. Care to explain?"

Misc.

The Confidants with these guys would be hilarious.

Aleph needs Ryuji and Mishima to explain the concept of a maid fetish to him. When he does end up hiring Ms. Kawakami, he has no idea why anyone would be interesting in anything but cleaning. Not because he doesn't know what sex is, but because he knows that you can hire actual prostitutes.

I think it's cool that Chiyaha has actual psychic powers unrelated to Personas. So her readings turn up the actual pasts of the heroes, but most are so outlandish that she doesn't believe what she sees. "...It says that you're God."

In a separate fic, I wrote (but have not yet published) a bit where Kazuya buys three Holy Stones from Chihaya because he bought that kind of shady stuff from the Messians and Gaians all the time.

Nanashi is unimpressed with Kaneshiro and his threats. The Ashura-Kai did so much worse to everyone in Tokyo, and both of the bosses he knew could do things like throw lightning and fire at people who pissed them off. Kaneshiro is just a man with money. His thugs don't even have guns! Nanashi is going to murder everyone in that room.