#but i do have defenses prepared just in case someone aggressively comes along

[not-poignant]

@blooper-boy replied to your post “if ur still doing the writing meme (i've liked all...”:

I had no idea people were so argumentative about the Oxford comma. Also just, the arguments seem dumb? Its all punctuation. As long as its making your idea clear, then it doesn't matter how you punctuate.

​Yeah it's frankly a pretty silly hill to die on, given it literally doesn't matter unless you're at university or work at a journalism / news place etc. or your publisher has a fixed style guide (in which case, that's why they have editors lol).

The rules change all over the world, but most of the time it's not mandated and there's no official consensus anywhere. It's one of those 'pick the one you like and stick with it' scenarios. But oof an Oxford Comma discussion when you're against using them in your own work will show some people's true colours, as will a 'do you dog ear your book pages' re: how judgemental other folks can be on how people do things that are literally none of their business. :D

[booksandchainmail]

Pale 9.4

Okay, so it's been a minute. I actually got about halfway through this chapter, took a quick break since I was tired and the next bit seemed like it needed my full attention, and then instead of finishing it I watched all of Yellowjackets. Anyways. Went back and reread both the chapter and my comments, so hopefully this is cohesive

If it was good to have a spare knife as a just-in-case, then by very similar logic, she could and should bring both knives, in addition to the weapon ring. How aggressive did she want to be, this patrol? Or in general?

something we've come back to a couple of times with Lucy is her making a decision not to become a fighter, but getting drawn into anyways. After first meeting John she was shaken and wanted to stay away from violence, but then got the weapon ring and training from Guilherme. And at the school she distanced herself from "Faerie swordfighter" and picked a different style for her implement, but has still wound up here.

She’d last used a dog tag to call John to the Blue Heron conflict.  She’d brought it and she’d used it and she’d known, all of those things in their own desperate, decisive, calculating, and cornered ways.  She’d known what she was doing.

ah. Bringing the knife along feels like it means being prepared to take lethal measures in the same way summoning John does. And now she's seen the end result of that decision.

With her other hand, almost unconsciously, she opened her drawer at the front of the desk.  She let the knife go over the edge and into the desk drawer.  She adjusted it so it lay flat, then closed the drawer.

I'm glad she made this choice, but I don't think it's the last time we'll see it. The issue with choosing to put down a weapon as a practitioner is that there's never going to stop being situations that ask if you want to pick it back up

Verona was great at ideas and great at the point where she could sit down and execute something really well, or create stuff like Avery’s deer mask or the earring, but there was a gap between those two things.  A middle ground where execution and brainstorming got really blurry.

I can see this, Verona struggling with actually making a plan, as opposed to coming up with concepts or carrying out the final plan. Which is why being a team works well: under normal circumstances, Lucy and Avery can workshop Verona's wild ideas into something possible

And it was wearing on her and it was frustrating her and the way it sat with her was making her into someone she didn’t want to be. Someone who was harsh and defensive and fangs-out, as she’d once said to Booker.  Or someone toothless when it counted, who let the Alexanders or Bristows win. There didn’t feel like there was much middle ground.

maybe let the others take this on? Lucy has been shouldering a lot of the emotional burden of making these calls, and particularly in being the person who is the most cautious and ready for conflict. The issue there though is in trusting Avery or Verona to be careful enough, which I think Lucy also struggles with

Burrs and nettles stood out at her left forelimb, along with colorful petals, she noted.  Nothing to be done about that for now.  Better to ignore it.

on the one hand, I hate the idea that this might be permanent. On the other hand, could be a neat aesthetic. I miss Blake and Sveta's tattoos.

When she was shadow or rain or smoke she wasn’t one body, but a collective body.  This was the same. Five foxes that moved in darkness. Through the fence, past the school, across the road, into woodland. Moving faster than a fox ran, splitting apart to take better paths, uniting again.

oh fuck yeah.

I mean, I'm deeply worried about what would happen if one of these foxes got hurt or captured, but this is so incredibly cool

Her trust had been broken and as much as she didn’t want to be the type to dwell on this stuff, Avery had gotten up to something with Pam, and it had been Lucy who’d had to deliver the reality check, and she still resented that. Even if they had been better since.

hmmm. I've talked about the extra work Lucy is doing keeping an eye out for this stuff, and I'm now wondering how much of that is self-inflicted? I know I can fall into a trap of micromanaging something someone else is doing, and then resenting feeling like I have to take over or take extra precautions to make sure things work out, instead of letting them handle it. And mostly the lesson there for me is to relax and step back and trust that other people have things covered, even if it's not the exact same way I would do it. Of course, the issue with applying that lesson here is that the stakes are so much higher, and it's hard to ever see extra precautions as over the top.

Lucy inhaled, smelling her friend with an animal’s nose, relaxing a bit, and letting her guard down.  Making herself let her guard down, some. Another fox of shadow approached Avery, and Avery touched her head, smiling down. She ran muzzle and face along Avery’s hip.

awww

Or these nettles… the colors and barbs wouldn’t cling to you so much if you didn’t secretly like them.

like I said, cool aesthetic

A fourth fox watched everything from a tree branch above, keeping one eye on the surroundings, paranoid, looking for trouble. And the fifth stared at John, a distance between them. He’d put the gun down but she didn’t take her eyes off it.

interesting division of self here: one for each of her friends, one for a fascinating but dangerous ally, one to keep watch, and one looking at the source of her trauma

“I know, and I think Avery does too.  And I’ve got to find my role, I don’t know.  One I can live with.  A way to do stuff that makes a difference that isn’t…”  She looked at John’s back, as he led the way.  “…carrying a weapon-ringed gun and dreading I might actually have to shoot someone that can die.”

I've talked before about having Lucy as the point person, just not in a combat sense. The negotiator, the voice of the group, the planner and leader...

“Want me to carry it instead?” Verona asked.

oh I love that instantaneous offer

“I gotta break it to you, Ronnie, you’d hate it as much or more than I do.  You’re just unaware of what you’re feeling until it kicks you in the head or stomach.”

but this is a fair point. I think we've seen that with Bristow, that once it settled in Verona had a rough time dealing with it. Not processing it in the moment is useful in and of itself, but it's not like Lucy has been freezing up in combat either, so that's not really an advantage for Verona. We haven't seen how Avery would handle killing, but I can't imagine it would be any better for her.

“Part of it is that the end of summer’s a deadline, and who doesn’t think better as a deadline draws nearer?”

big mood

“It’s meant to be casual, just solidifying what we’ve already got,” Avery said, “but I don’t want to be too boring.  I was thinking it’d be neat to perform the ritual on a Path.  You’re invited, of course.”

very sweet that Avery seems to be treating this as a platonic form of marriage

“Heyy!” Verona greeted one of the approaching goblins.  “Little guy!” Lucy had seen the goblin in the meeting. He perked up on seeing her. “What’s that bit of paper?”

does he still have the dick drawing? aww

Lucy reached over, then took the watch.  It was fogged up, to the point the hands didn’t show.  She turned it over, then clipped it around her backpack strap.

And here she's deliberately not picking the knife

Kennet Others had stopped here and carried the Carmine Furs from the Ruins to their vehicle.  They’d taken that vehicle down to the west end of town, nearly hit Clementine, and then fled rather than engage.  Clementine had had the chance to pick it up, declined, and three teenagers had grabbed it instead.  They hadn’t made it far.

Ok, so the red streaks are from moving the Furs back in arc 5? Or are they more recent? Lucy notes they still look wet... Maybe the Others who moved it put it back, or moved it again by the same route?

This didn’t feel like something that extended from that.  This felt like a side effect… because the staining was thick, and it looked like something had painted a heavy streak near the tunnel, slipping off or out of a vehicle sometime tonight, had come to the tunnel, and then headed South, into Kennet.

ah, so the new streaks are unrelated. Though at a guess they've ended up at the same place due to the violence aura from the Furs

“It likes the points where the Carmine staining is thickest,” Lucy said.  “It came from the road to this tunnel, where they moved the furs, and it makes sense it would go to the Arena.”

yeah! I wonder if whatever this is will turn up new areas with heavy staining? Depending on what it is, it's probably wildly unethical to let it roam around first, but that could be useful to find where the Furs were/are hid

“Because there’s this whole thing with local police that happened a few years ago. Kennet had its own police force, and they dropped that for the provincial police instead. I remember my brother talking really seriously about it. That it made them faceless, it meant they didn’t know us, know our town."

not great! I mean, doesn't feel good seeing cops around in general, but state police rather than local feels worse imo.

“You wanted to know if there were any people new to Kennet who didn’t fit in.  With the rising crime rate that we’ve got with the Carmine thing…” “More officers from out of town?” John asked.

we've seen practitioners worming their way into police before, not sure if I remember any Others doing so? And it's a useful cover to come in to Kennet

To Matthew and Edith’s house. Before she’d even landed, her earring gave her an earful.

oooh! something to look forward to reading tomorrow. Hopefully I will be able to build up some momentum this week.

[poeticusnarcissus]

🍁Ariendelle Valyn🍁

~Fey Eladrin~

“I change alongside the seasons, just as we all do”

Druid {Circle of the Shepherd}

(Description)

Alignment: Chaotic Good

- cares deeply for wildlife, creatures, and the fae

- sworn to protect the lives of those weaker than her

- uninterested in the scheming of mortals

- feels responsible for the party’s well being

Flaws:

- Overwhelm in the face of responsibility

- Inferiority complex: Grandma Shava was always very strict with her, and rarely gave her a word of praise. Ari always felt more at home with the wild things, and was shamed for her curiosities due to Shava’s rigid demeanor. Ari feels that her only true place is helping creatures, but is entirely underconfident in her place among people, especially elves.

Interests:

- Cooking/baking, herbalism, ecology, art, magic and the arcane, the feywild

Likes:

- tea, trinkets and shiny things, discovering new species, cozy vibes

Dislikes:

- sticky smelly or slimy things, whiskey, places crowded with humanoids

Eyes: Grey

Size: Medium

Height: 5’10”

Faith: The Seldarine

Age: 130

Weight: 145

Clothes:

Bomber Jacket

- pockets lining the inside, with smaller pockets inside of them to hold viles in place.

- two small bags are strapped to her waist, as well as a small leather case containing a journal, a needle and thread, scissors and bandaids, and a bottle of advil.

Beige Baggy Pants

Black Combat Boots

- all of her pockets are filled with trinkets? vials, herbs

~Personalities~

(Base Traits) protective of creatures, clever, kind

(Autumn) cautious, charming, studious

Strengths: mediator; heavily focused on the well being of the people around her; relies on intellect to think through situations

Flaws: self-doubt, more worried about where she should be helping than what is in her power to do, gives more than she can so as not to be a burden, slow to action

Traits: “I’ll do my best to help when I see someone is suffering or in pain” “I always have snacks packed just in case”

Description: Auborn Red Hair w maple leaves growing in it, warm toned skin, brown eyes

(Winter) composed, rational, erratic

Strengths: hyper vigilance, logical thinking, quick to act on an opportunity

Flaws: rapid mood swings, suspicious + sarcastic, cynical

Traits: “All things end in life, winter always comes” “I’m thinking of all the ways this could go wrong, so when it does I am prepared”

(Spring) curious, reckless, mischievous

Strengths: charming, sneaky, a goddamn joy to be around

Flaws: acts without thinking of the consequences, a tad manipulative

Traits: “I’ll try anything, if it looks like it’ll be a good time.” “Curiosity is the guide to our wildest dreams.” “I get what I want; one way or the other.”

Description:

(Summer) passionate, protective, aggressive

Strengths: ready to charge into action, prepared for conflict, bursting with challenging energy

Flaws: consequences be damned, extremely defensive

Traits: “I won’t waste time with words when I can clearly see what needs to be done.” “Why worry so much? Let’s just all have a good time and get along.” “I’m all fired up!”

Description:

Hair - pale gold, with streaks of fiery red running through it. They fade and glow like the sparks of a fire (lava lamp)

Skin - warm tones, streaks of golden veins snake their way across her entire body including her face, they glow in response to her emotions

~Occupation~

Ranger at Central Park

Ari spends her days roaming the park, tracking the ecosystems and wildlife. She serves as a veterinarian for any critters that have been harmed or are sick.

~Significant Characters~

Freddie Mercury - Treant Sapling

-Freddie was found suffering from Tube Wilt in central park. Ari brought him to her home and cured him using rot grubs (which she promptly contained because they’re hazardous to mortals). He refused to move out of her apartment, so she let him stay.

-moody teenager

-Freddie’s mother is a sentient tree in Fae Grove; His father is

Twill - Tiny Mouse Fae

-Ari’s childhood friend who chose to stay by her side, accompanying her into the mortal realm

-spends her time in Ari’s apartment painting, sketching, or making arrows

-she’s practiced in making little tools, items, or weapons out of sticks, rocks, leaves and whatever else she can find

-notorious pick pocket

~Backstory~

Where is she from (Kingdom/Region/Etc.)?

Seldarine, Home of The Eladrin

Feywild

What was her role there?

Granddaughter of Shava, Elder of (Winter)

She lived in the central kingdom with her father and mother

Why did she leave? What motivated her? How did she become a ranger for the Fairy Mafia in New Amsterdam?

She grew up under the influence of her father, who is apart of the druidic Circle of the Shepherd. He showed her many creatures of the feywild, both within the islands of Seldarine and outside of them. He cared for the animals, the fae life, and any creature in need of help. Ari spent her youth following her father as he roamed the forests in Seldarine. On a few special occasions, he took her below the floating islands and into the Feywild itself. He spent more time there than most Eladrin, and taught Ari everything he’d learned about the Fae. She far preferred the company of her father and the feywild creatures over her fellow elf.

Grandma Shava and her mother wished to raise her as the next successor to be Elder of Winter. However, unlike most Eladrin, Ari has no control of her seasonal state. Eladrin can choose to remain in one season all their life, or change it at will. Most are still heavily influenced by their emotions, but the longer an Eladrin remains in a singular state, the more they concretely begin to take on the traits of their season. Ari’s seasons change based on her emotions, or purely at random with seemingly no cause.

Ari left the care of her parents at 100 years of age and moved to the city in Vandria with Shava, who began tutoring her in the ways of the Noble Eladrin. Though most Eladrin believe in the freedom of being, the Winter Eladrin have become frozen in their ways. Many hold to a rigid mindset that they believe is dignity befitting of the elven race. Ari’s mother (Allena) was to become the Elder’s Heir, but chose a life of a nomad to be with Ari’s father (Jorcoris). It tore a rift between Shava and her daughter. Allena hoped Ari could be the bridge to mend that bond.

There is a Feywild portal in The Sanctuary, though it is mostly used to travel throughout the feywilds rather than to the mortal realm. During a spring season, Ari became increasingly curious about tales of the mortal world. Feeling constricted, miserable, and homesick for her beloved Forests, she snuck through the portal. She’d intended only to spend a short time observing the creatures there, but found herself in the Fey Grove Park of New Ancaster. There, she helped save the life of a fae creature, and the Fairy Mafia witnessed it. They offered her a place among them, assisting in the care of the creatures residing in the park. All her life, she’d wanted to follow the path of her father and become a Shepherd. However, she did want to disappoint her grandmother or mother.

Conflicted, she returned home. She made a bargain with her grandmother to travel to the mortal realm and stay there for an equivalent of 10 years time in the Feywilds. Regardless of how time moved for Ari in the mortal world, she’d return once her grandmother sent for her. Her parents gave their blessings, and her father sent her on her way with his staff. She began assisting the Fairy Mafia in matters dealing with Magical Creatures.

Ari often misses the sprawling fields and lush forests of the Feywild. Her freedom was taken from her the day she entered Shava’s tutelage. New Amsterdam has offered her a place to belong and to be free, as well as new dangers.

- Twill is her childhood friend and chose to stay by her side, even into the mortal realm

- Freddie was found abandoned in Central Park suffering from Tube Wilt. Ari brought him to her home and cured him using rot grubs (which she then contained because they’re hazardous to mortals). He refused to leave, and she took him in.

Ari’s Motivations:

To protect the safe space for wild life in Central Park, and care for any patients who come through her doors.

Ari feels as though she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. That she shouldn’t be included with this group of people who are so willing to dive headfirst into trouble. She doubts she will be of any use, no matter how much she wants to help the creatures and children who are being put in danger.

When Ari is confronted with the reality of the situation head on, she is willing to lend a hand. She is unable to ignore the threat to the lives of the fey and fauna, or the innocents.

Due to Ari’s inexperience in battle, she panicked during her first real fight in the warehouse. Ari has only brushed the ugly underside of the city, and has done her best to remain detached from the dangers lurking there. Ari feels that Alfi died on her watch, and begins to question how much of a burden she truly is on this crew. She continues on, though reluctantly.

After nearly dying herself, she questions her purpose. Losing sight of the creatures who need her, she wishes to simply return to her peaceful days. Alfi convinces her to rejoin, and continue assisting them in their investigation. He reassures her of her safety, and her purpose.

The death of the homeless man deeply frightens Ari. This crew is full of powerful characters, and if her time with the Fae had taught her anything, it’s that those who are careless with power often end up hurting others with it. She has been pulled into the plots of something far larger than she could have ever imagined. Though she continues to wish to be of help to her friends, she no longer is willing to get involved with the dealings of the under city. Still, she follows through on her agreement to help Parker and Alfi in one last recon mission. Ari uncovers the groundwork for the true horrors this organization has planned. They call their kidnapped victims “Lumists”, beings filled with magic. They siphon the magic from them, a painful process that slowly kills them.

Parker’s daughter Vi gets kidnapped by the Don of the orc mafia, and used to open a portal. Ari helped free her, cutting the arcane sigils keeping her trapped in a magic siphoning machine. Being placed in another battle, Ari is able to heal many members of the party back from the brink of death (much improved from her first battle) “At least I managed to keep all of you alive this time.” Ari settles into the gravity of her situation. She begins to feel as though she’s understanding her place. Whether or not she herself is capable of facing the monsters, she can help the people who can. Ari is constantly reminded of the past that is creeping forward towards her. The letter from her parents, the locket, the vision from Hyssram. All pulling her back into the Fae Wild, to Seldarine. She knows she must return eventually, but would rather delay the inevitable. Suddenly, helping a ragtag group of hero’s seems like a far better way to spend one’s time, and ignore one’s own callings.

—

What changes for Ari that causes her to go from reluctant bypasser helping out, to a willing force in the plotline?

The plight of the creatures she’s sworn to protect

her fathers influence - a man who was kind to a fault, who never stood by when he saw the fragile balance of life being violated

In Ari’s eyes he was the strongest, bravest, kindest man to have ever lived. And she would be lucky to become half of what he was.

she rapidly becomes the parties ONLY healer and therefore feels she has no choice but to keep these fools alive.

[notchesandbullets]

Saving Her (Ojiro Mashirao x Wolf!Reader)

Art credits: @floatzxs​

Part 11: Internship with Hound Dog, Aizawa’s totally not jealous. You and Shinsou get along great, except when you don’t. Kayama and Yamada’s endless teasing of Aizawa who’s turned into a total dad to you both. Heavily inspired by the picture above.

Word Count: 4.7k

Aizawa didn't like it.

You were getting way too close to the Hound Dog. He watched as you threw your head back and laughed at something he said, running around in circles around the pro-hero you were doing your internship under.

Yup, definitely way too close.

He tried to convince himself it wasn't because he was jealous. After all, you were the only one he called 'dad', right?

That had to mean something

He rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a frustrated sigh. Seriously, he was being too irrational.

You were on a security patrol with Hound Dog on campus, the hybrid teaching you how to put your enhanced senses to good use, looking for discrepancies in the air on a whim.

Aizawa knew you weren't going to ask him for him to take care of you and train you. You already knew he was busy with Shinsou, that kid in your general studies with a brainwashing quirk.

Sure, the two of you hit it off, his endless sarcasm and attitude bringing you out of your shell and causing the two of you to banter back and forth every time you were in the same vicinity.

It drove him up a wall.

But it was because you saw how much time he was dedicating to Shinsou that he knew you weren't going to ask him to train you as well.

So when Hound Dog extended you an opportunity for an internship, Aizawa couldn't turn you down once you turned those shining eyes on him.

You were all too eager when you asked him for permission, bouncing up and down the entire time you told him about it. He was pretty sure you made a point about it being a good way to prepare for the Quirk Traffickers just in case and that's what made him finally agree.

He never regretted the decision more.

Look, it wasn't because he didn't want you to get strong. Quite the opposite, in fact. You both had already been through all that and he didn't wasn't keen on the same misunderstanding happening again.

But he didn't see why it had to be with Hound Dog of all heroes.

True, your quirks were somewhat similar. And you seemed to get along really well. Not as well as you and him but it was decent enough.

Oh.

He stopped and stared.

I'm jealous, aren't I?

Turning away with a sigh, he headed back to his office. He had papers to grade and rowdy students to round up.

Several yards away, You danced rings around Hound Dog, waving your hands around excitedly.

He had been the one to help you design your hero costume. Clothing that was sleek enough to give you a speed advantage and a pattern that could conform to your surroundings would help you blend in with your environment without any trouble.

The utility belt around your hips held several throwing knives to make up for your lack of long-distance combat ability and canisters of ointment so you could administer first-aid on sight. Credits of the idea went to Todoroki when he showed you his one evening when you asked just before sparring.

Your shoulders and legs were built to withstand severe impacts, making you able to run faster and for longer periods of time without wearing them down.

Hound Dog had recommended combat boots and braces to reduce the strain on your muscles for your arms and legs while you engaged in combat, making it easier to fight knowing that you didn't have to worry too much about the repercussions.

Hatsume was a little too eager when she gave them your requested upgrades but that girl was damn gifted so you didn't complain.

"Watch out for that wire." Hound Dog barked at you as you aimlessly almost crashed into a tree.

It wouldn't do anything except set off an alarm and put up UA's defense grid. Which is why he couldn't have you tip it off.

The pro-hero shook his head as you righted yourself sheepishly. You were like a pup, literally. Still, it was rather endearing. He didn't have any children but if he did, he reckoned that they'd be a lot like you.

"Eraser's kid, come on." He growled and you pouted, stomping your foot childishly.

"I have a name!!" You huffed, hands on your hips indignantly.

"Yeah, Eraser's kid. Now let's go." He ordered and you passed by him with a small frown, crossing your arms over your chest.

Rude.

You were happy though. After all this time, you had someone you could call dad. It was weird but in a homely sort of sense. You rather liked it.

The two of you patrolled UA's grounds without much trouble. He taught you the route to take as well as escape paths in place if you ever found yourself in a tough situation you couldn't get out of.

UA's sensors were top-grade, one of the best security systems in the country, but he had to prepare you for all scenarios. Just in case.

You padded behind him as you made your way through the thicket that surrounded the school, thanking him as he helped you pick your way through the forest.

There were a bunch of hidden traps and you were surprised when he told you the reason behind it.

"UA's been reforming security since the USJ incident." Hound Dog snarled in what you figured to be equal parts anger and irritation. "Remember, if you're going to go anywhere after hours for any reason, you must have a guardian with you, is that clear?"

You nodded firmly, unfazed by his aggression. It wasn't like you had thought about breaking the rules, even if there was a certain charm to it that enticed you, you were sure it would give Aizawa and Ojiro a heart attack.

Soon, it was time for a lunch break.

You were pretty surprised when he suggested a hunt but were extremely enthusiastic at the prospect of satisfying your instincts. The urge to maul and maim only came about if you were starving and even then, it was still possible to suppress it if you concentrated long enough.

Creeping around a tree, you utilized the foliage as a cover as you crept up on an unsuspecting prey.

You didn't make a sound as you crouched down, hiding between the blades of grass. Your lips drew back in a snarl as you locked on your target, springing on it and catching it by surprise. With one swipe, you killed it and took it in your jaws to carry back to where Hound Dog was.

He raised an eyebrow at you as you practically pranced over to him, beaming proudly at your first kill in a decade.

It had been far too long since you had a fresh kill.

You licked your lips as soon as you set it down in front of him as some sort of peace offering, wagging your tail as you waited for him to say something.

But you shrunk back and whimpered as he glared at you.

"Sloppy!!!" He bellowed, howling with spit spraying from his muzzled mouth. "Your control needs work!!!"

Your ears drooped and your eyes saddened but you nodded meekly.

Hound Dog sat back on his hunches. He had watched you closely while you hunted and seen what you could improve on.

"You need to work on your patience." He growled out gruffly and huffed when you fixated your large eyes on him. "You almost let it escape. Just because you were able to pin it down in time doesn't mean you did it right!! That was only the result!!"

You hung onto his advice, finding it sound beneath his brash way of wording it and trying to learn as much out of it as you can.

"You're fast but you're not as strong yet." Hound Dog stated, pointing to the shoes on your feet. "Hatsume made those specifically for your speed so your surprise attack should come from behind, not the front."

He scratched his head, grumbling out reluctantly, "But it wasn't bad for your first kill."

You sat up straighter at the begrudging praise, eyes shining and a huge smile stretched from ear to ear.

"Grrrr, but don't let it go to your head!!!" He snapped, pushing your fresh kill towards you so that you could eat it.

Your smile got impossibly wider and you nodded so fast your ears flopped back and forth.

"Eraser's kid, huh?" Hound Dog mused to himself as he collected firewood so that you could cook it.

Although the both of you could eat it raw, you both preferred it cooked unless you were in a particularly savage mood.

He huffed as he gathered a bunch of sticks for kindling.

"She's already strong."

After school let out, you walked home with your purple-haired friend from your general studies class. Annoying little brat.

You found out in a very short period of time that you could not stand him when he got like this. Ever since he found out about your little crush on Ojiro, he hadn't let up.

"Don't you dare." You seethed through clenched teeth as he dangled your notebook in front of your face. "Shinsou, I'm warning you."

The two of you were sitting in Aizawa's living room area. School had let out an hour ago and knowing that your teacher/parental guardian would be going home for the weekend, you two had decided to tag along and bug him.

Unable to get rid of the two of you annoying leeches, Aizawa had firmly instructed the two of you to at least get started on your homework if you were going to be here.

An array of textbooks spread out in front of you while the TV played in the background. You had studied and got through a decent amount of reading but that had only worked for all of ten minutes.

Shinsou smirked, keeping it high above his head. "If you want it, come and get it."

You snarled, pouncing on him before he could blink. The one good thing about the way his quirk worked was that you had to answer his question or jib. It was good because you only ever growled at him when he got like this.

He shoved your face and you whined as your fingertips brushed your notebook, licking his hand.

Shinsou recoiled in disgust. "Ew, Y/N!! That's so gross!!!"

"Serves you right!!" You quipped, grabbing at the spiral that was kept out of your reach. "Give it backkkkk."

"Oh no," He said with a smug smirk. "Not until I see just how many times you wrote Y/N x Mashirao with hearts drawn around it in here."

Before he could follow through with that threat, the notebook was snatched from his hand, the cry of outrage dying on the tip of your tongue. Your eyes flickered up to your dad who was now hovering above the both of you. You hadn't even heard him come in.

He was dressed casually, his hair pulled back away from his face, revealing his scar that he had gotten when the League attacked his students and instead of his hero costume, he was wearing sweatpants and a black, long-sleeved shirt.

Coffee, his tortoiseshell cat, purred at his feet as he fixated a glare on the two of you for not behaving.

"If you have time to play around then maybe you'd like more work to do." Aizawa threatened Shinsou before turning to you. "And you should know by now not to respond to him when he's like that, he's just provoking you."

You hung your head, pushing out your bottom lip as far as it would go.

He sighed, walking over and patting your head. "It's alright, kid. I know you're just playing."

You tail thumped happily in response at being let off the hook.

Shinsou's mouth twisted down into a frown. "Hey, why are you coddling her and not me?"

Aizawa promptly smacked him over the head and the teen winced at the brute force that his mentor delivered.

"Because she's been through a lot and you're being a cheeky brat." He deadpanned.

You flinched as Shinsou turned his sharp glare on you, but relaxed when you saw him soften slightly, letting you know that he was just teasing. Wiggling your eyebrows playfully, you snickered but hid it quickly as Aizawa's attention snapped to you next.

"Oi, you two better get along." Aizawa ordered, turning to leave the room to go back to where Kayama and Yamada were at. "If I hear one peep out of either of you, there will be consequences."

"Yes, sensei." You both chorused together, but not before sharing an evil look with each other that passed under his radar as he left to continue the conference.

The second he stepped out, all hell broke loose.

Your eyes shot to him when he stood up, taking up the practiced stance Aizawa had been teaching him, gesturing for you to do the same. You popped up to your feet but you didn't get a chance to swing as he rushed at you.

"Don't you even think about— SHINSOU, YOU IDIOT!!!!!"

Your shriek carried clearly to the other room and the three teachers sitting in Aizawa's office.

"Aw, isn't that precious." Kayama cooed, resting her chin in the palm of her hand and drummed her fingers on the table she was sitting at.

Yamada was sprawled upside down on his couch, nearly falling off and crashing to the ground when the shared wall between you guys and them shook.

"Uh, Shouta." He called to his best friend as he sighed in exasperation, the underground hero pinching the bridge of his nose. "Aren't you going to take care of that?"

Aizawa groaned, his head lolling back to thump against the opposite wall. "I'm too tired for this."

Kayama's grin grew mischievous and her eyes sparkled. "Shouta, they're your children for goodness sake!!"

Yamada matched her crazy smile and he flailed a bit before getting the right equilibrium to sit up straight. "He's a dad!! It finally happened!!!"

The rugged underground hero threw a pillow at both of their faces to get them to stop laughing as his best friends chortled obnoxiously.

"Shut up." He grumbled, throwing an arm across his face.

He flinched as the racket kicked up from the living room suddenly stopped at the sound of a very loud crash.

Aizawa stalked towards the door and ripped it open, narrowing his eyes until they became slits. "If they broke anything..."

The other two shared a knowing glance with each other.

"He's going to chew them out for messing up his living room." Kayama gloated, bounding over to peek outside so she could see what was going on.

Yamada skipped over, tripping over his feet in his haste to not be left behind. "Then he's going to feel bad and then he's going to leave and let them do it again."

"Discipline, Shouta," Kayama tsked as she murmured. "You need to discipline them."

Raising an eyebrow at her, he commented, "That sounds a little weird coming from you, Nemuri."

"Oh hush!!" She snapped, smacking him on the arm so hard that he yelped. "Not like that!!"

Her energy and bubbly nature resurfaced as she heard Aizawa doing exactly what she and Yamada panned out.

"He's such a dad." She crooned, wanting to see how you were wrapping him around your finger this time around.

It always was the most entertaining thing, seeing her stoic best friend crumble underneath your adorable pouts and watery puppy eyes. It never failed to force Aizawa to throw up his hands and give into you.

Soft Dadzawa was the best.

You and Shinsou lowered your heads as Aizawa strictly admonished the two of you.

The once clean and tidy living room had been thrown out of order and you had feathers in your hair. You weren't exactly sure how Shinsou managed to rip the pillow as he was throwing at you, but you weren't keen on finding out now.

You yelped in pain as Aizawa smacked you upside the head, giving the same treatment to the sheepish-looking boy next to you.

"Honestly." Aizawa exhaled forcefully, gripping his head, frustration coming through clear. "What am I going to do with the two of you..."

You grinned but bit your lip when he shot you a glare, blinking up innocently at him.

Shinsou chuckled, petting Coffee nonchalantly as she climbed into his lap, smiling as the cat purred, loving the attention he gave her.

Aizawa sighed, done for now. He had things he had to finish so that the two loudmouths waiting in his office would leave. He wanted to sleep.

"Thirty minutes."

You and Shinsou straightened up at the tiredness in his voice, casting a slightly worried look between the two of you. You had heard him angry and frustrated but never tired like this. He must really be exhausted.

Aizawa took no notice of the silent dialogue between the two of you. "Can you two please behave for that long?"

He was surprised when there was no snark from Shinsou or witty answer from you as the two of you bowed at him but thought nothing of it as he left the room once more.

If either of you kicked up a racket like that again, he would send Yamada out to deal with you.

As soon as the door closed behind him, the two of you were up on your feet but now for another reason entirely.

"Where is it?" You asked, looking in every cabinet but coming up short.

"Here."

You caught what Shinsou tossed you, nodding in thanks. Opening the garbage bag, you got to work, picking up what you had broken while he grabbed a broom and swept up the feathers littering the floor.

In all of ten minutes, everything was cleaned and put back in its original position and the two of you returned to your studies.

Aizawa was shocked to find you in that same position another twenty minutes later when he was showing his nosy colleagues out the door but didn't comment on it, merely shoved Kayama out when she cooed at how cute you two were.

She tried to whine in protest. "But Shouta—"

"Get lost, Nemuri."

Shinsou frowned as Coffee jumped up from his lap as the door slammed closed, making her way over to Aizawa.

"Mean." He said under his breath, making you laugh.

You closed your notes and textbook, done for the day. Packing them away, you noticed Shinsou had finished, too.

"Want to walk back together?" You asked.

He snorted, smirking at you. "No."

You stuck out your tongue, puffing out your cheeks at him. "Rude."

He ruffled your hair and you scowled, swiping at him but he darted out of reach before you could grab him. You two squabbled all the way to the front door, just about to put on your shoes when there came a quiet murmur from the edge of the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

You froze and Shinsou cocked his head, turning around slowly. Aizawa's frame was braced against the corner of the wall somehow when you weren't paying attention, he had rolled up his sleeves, revealing countless scars and a lot more muscle than you originally thought.

His eyes narrowed at his students. "You two didn't eat yet."

"Ah..." Shinsou winced. "It's alright, sensei, I have some food back at the dorm."

Without changing your expression, you deadpanned. "He's lying."

"Y/N!!!"

Squealing as he charged at you, you launched yourself into your dad's chest, hoping he would protect you.

"Dad, Toshi's being mean again!!!" You cried as Shinsou chased you.

"Get back here!!" Shinsou mock snarled, snapping his teeth at you.

You clutched on tighter to Aizawa's shirt, sending him a pleading look.

He sighed but even you could tell he was holding back a smile as he put an arm around you while warding off his student with the other.

You slyly stuck your tongue out at the defeated brainwashing kid but your dad caught the action.

"Y/N..." He warned. "Don't instigate."

"Yes, Dad." You said seriously, snuggling into his side before peering back up at him. "Can Toshi stay for dinner?"

You already knew he wanted to cook for you. That much was evident when he asked if you had eaten yet. He had this uncanny habit of doing things indirectly and with how much you knew Shinsou was like him, you knew if you called him out on it, the two would flatly deny that that's what he meant.

Better to play along.

Not that you were complaining. Aizawa's home cooking was actually really good, when he had the time and energy for it. Usually, you did most of the cooking, having enough skills thanks to Sato to make things that were edible.

"Only if he wants to." Aizawa told you before glancing up at Shinsou shuffling his feet awkwardly. "You're more than welcome to, kid."

Shinsou didn't say anything at first but he moved closer to you guys, away from the front door.

"Are you sure, sensei?" He asked, a hint of worry swimming in the depths of his eyes, afraid he wasn't being genuine.

That he was only asking out of politeness and that he didn't really want him there. But looking at you, he only saw pure, radiating hope in your gaze.

You were being honest with him and though Aizawa's was vastly more subtle, he saw the truth in his teacher's eyes, too.

Shinsou nodded hesitantly, his own way of answering and you beamed.

"Great!! I'll get started!!"

You dashed into the kitchen, pulling out the vegetables and started the fire to get the water boiling for the noodles. Your dad had already pulled out and marinated the meat for tonight, all that was left was to cook it.

But in all your excitement, you were moving a little too fast.

Aizawa stiffened, then shook his head as another crash could be heard from the kitchen, followed by a sheepish 'oops'.

He crossed his arms over his chest, already making his way over to where Shinsou couldn't see. "Kid..."

"It wasn't me, I swear!!" You blurted out.

Pouting as you were banned from the kitchen anyways, you skipped over to where Shinsou was awkwardly sitting on a chair by the table. He looked so uncomfortable.

You frowned, then beamed as a light bulb went off in your head.

He leaned back warily as he saw the glint of mischief in your eyes as you came closer. "What are you doing?"

"Aw, you don't trust me?" You asked playfully.

"Never." He retorted and you pouted childishly.

"Meanie."

He waved you off but you could already tell he was much more relaxed than before. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, what did you want?"

You gestured for him to come closer so your dad wouldn't hear and whispered in his ear. "I know where he keeps his capture weapon and goggles."

Shinsou tried but even he couldn't wipe the excitement off his face fast enough. He never told you but he was a hardcore Eraserhead fan, even before coming to UA. Since he was an underground hero, there was no media coverage on him, no merchandise to be sold in stores but he knew.

Aizawa had saved him once, a long time ago.

His parents were rich and completely absent from his life. He didn't grow up with a family because they were never around and he didn't grow up with friends because of his quirk.

Independent from a young age, he had distanced himself from almost everybody, living a life of solitude no matter how many presents his parents tried to throw at him to buy his love.

He was glad that he moved out of their ridiculous mansion ages ago, moving in with a cousin until he was old enough to live on his own, but what he didn't plan on was being attacked by a villain one day as he was walking home from school.

Aizawa had saved him back then, acting quickly to rescue him and take down the other.

Shinsou once questioned that if this hero knew back then how villainous his quirk was, would he have saved him?

Of course he would have. And that's what spurred on his decision, his path that he wanted to take.

All because of Eraserhead.

It thrilled him when his hero, his idol himself, offered to train and teach him personally how to become a hero before his transfer into the hero course. When he approached him after the sports festival, he almost passed out right then and there.

That must have been what a lot of people experienced towards All Might.

He never talked about his admiration of him before though, so you must've been much more observant than he gave you credit for.

Shinsou attempted to look disinterested at your proposal. "Really?"

Your grin grew wider and you grabbed his hand, hauling him up out of the chair as you snuck into Aizawa's room. You knew how much he wanted to see them up close and try them out, even if he wouldn't admit to it.

"Come on!!" You giggled, ushering him inside quickly and digging into the nightstand by the futon.

Needless to say, when Aizawa found the two of you once dinner was ready, Shinsou was caught red-handed with his capture weapon on and his trademark goggles on his face.

Even with both the scarf and goggles covering his face, you could still see him turn bright red as he was caught by his mentor.

"Don't worry!!" You threw over your shoulder as you flounced away, leaving the two of them alone. "He's not mad!!"

Shinsou tensed as the door closed behind you, ripping off everything as fast as he could even though it would've prevented what had already been done. A hand on his shoulder halted him.

Aizawa's mouth twitched and his gaze held a glimmer of amusement. "Cool, right?"

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, Shinsou nodded and apologized for trying them on without his permission, embarrassed beyond belief.

The older man tried to soothe his worries by casting him a purposeful look. "You know, it might come in handy later on."

Tucking away his capture weapon and goggles, Aizawa pretended not to notice how Shinsou's jaw dropped in shock at what he was suggesting for him.

"If you go to the Development Studio, I'm sure they could make something similar for you." He told him while suppressing a proud smile.

He had come so far since the Sports Festival. He had trained hard on his own and while he was already proud of him for all his efforts and his drive, to have him admire a gruff, anti-social man like him sent warmth blooming in his chest.

Shinsou couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Would...."

He swallowed thickly, pushing aside his pride and the remnants of his embarrassment.

"Would you teach me how to fight with it?"

Aizawa's mouth quirked up in a small smile. "Sure thing, kid."

Shinsou thought that was the last behind him when he followed his mentor out the door to go eat the dinner waiting for them. You were already at the table, portions served out, kicking your feet as you waited impatiently for them.

But Aizawa wasn't finished.

"The goggles suited you." He commented nonchalantly, causing the boy's face to flush in embarrassment once again.

"Aizawa-sensei!!" Shinsou protested.

You doubled over, clutching your stomach. "Good one, Dad!!!"

Looking on fondly as the two of you began to bicker, you teasing Shinsou and him furiously defending whatever dignity he had left, Aizawa's smile softened.

You two.

He guessed he didn't mind that it was the two of you.

Taglist: @katsukis-sad-angel​

[catxsnow]

CO-CAPTAINS D.W.

Request: could i please request a damian wayne x reader imagine where she's a complete badass who keeps damian on his toes and they both do debate (because let's be honest damians favourite sport would be to show how much better he is at arguing) and maybe they have to work together to prepare for one debate and have an enemies to lovers situation and the debate comes and the batfamily comes to watch but instead of the usual sour damian he's got the 💖lovebug💖 and simping over his partner.

Warning: fluff, Older!damian, x fem!reader

A/N: I’m so sorry I literally know nothing about debate?? I was a basketball kid in high school so I did that instead. If you’re not satisfied let me know PLEASE!! I’m happy to write something else as well but I hope that you enjoy!!

Word count: 4k

Gotham's private school were one of the few good things to come out of the city. The public school were terrifying and you were lucky enough to get scholarships into the best school in the city. At least, it had to be the best if Damian Wayne was going there, right?

Son of Bruce Wayne, richest kid probably in the entire world. He also happened to be the cockiest asshole you had ever met in your life. You were well acquainted with him being on the same basketball team and everything. There weren't enough girls to make a team that year which meant you had to play with the boys - not that it was a problem for you.

A lot of people underestimated you skill since you were one of two girls on the boys senior team. It came in handy with a lot of games where you came out scoring the most amount of points each quarter. You skill had brought you to captain of the team. Or at least co-captain with none other than Damian. 

The two of you were constantly trying to outdo each other and see who was the better captain and who was the better player. It was a constant battle between the two of you. Damian drove you crazy with his cocky attitude and his ever lasting need to prove that he was right. He was constantly trying to call the plays and you knew god damn well that it wasn't going to work.

Half the time, you were right.

Damian found you infuriating. A girl shouldn't be playing on the boys team - everyone knew that. Yet, here you were. You were proving to be better than half the guys on the team and Damian couldn't stand you for it. He hated when you were right and when you scored more points than he did.

Mostly, he hated that you always had to fight against him, rather than agree with him. You guys could never see eye to eye. And as much as you wanted to blame all the fights on him, most of them were started by you. You couldn't stand to see his stupid smirk when he came up with an idea to win the game.

Everyone on the team knew that you didn't like one another. Sometimes it fueled them up to win the game they were playing. Mostly, it got in the way to the extent that you had lost a game. The worst case was when Damian refused to pass to you and during the last few seconds of the final quarter, missed the shot and lost the game.

Yours and Damian's feud started long before you joined the boys team. Two years ago, there were enough girls to form a separate team. Some practices you would scrimmage against them - that was when your hatred started.

It was his first year playing and he was infuriated that you were beating him at every chance you got. Offense, defense, even court side you seemed to out wit him. He was tired of you and he didn't even know your name - just your number. His number.

"Wayne!" You shouted. Damian once again had his nose in his phone. You guessed that being the son of Bruce meant that he had diligent responsibilities to attend to as well - that didn't mean he got to be excused from practice though. Damian's eyes darted to you and a scowl spread on his lips. “Just because your co-captain doesn’t mean you can skip practice.”

You had to admit that it was one of your favourite past times to piss him off in anyway you could. Whether it was because it made you feel like the better captain or because he looked a little too hot when he was angry. Still, he threw his phone back in his bag and ran onto the court to join you and the others.

It was the end of practice and he looked like he was itching to leave. However, Coach had one last drill to run before hitting the change rooms. It pushed you just hard enough that sweat dripped down your face and soaked the back of your neck. Damian didn't even appear to even break a sweat.

With all the years that you had known him, he never seemed to be overworked. Coach would throw everything at him and he would always accomplish it with ease. You hated him for it. Whatever aestheticism he had was natural, you had to work you ass off for it. Nothing seemed to tire him out.

You nearly dropped to the floor the second the change room door closed. The cold tiles would have felt nice against your hot skin but you didn't know if you'd be able to get back up after you got down. So, you reluctantly threw on some sweats and a hoodie and headed out to catch your bus home.

Of course by the time that you got out there, all the other players were long gone and the only person left was Damian Wayne. Unlike you, he wasn't waiting for the bus, he was waiting for his butler. You wished you had that kind of luxury in your life - Gotham City busses weren't always the most reliable.

"(L/N)," Damian acknowledged you. The bus you were going to catch wasn't going to be there for another twenty minutes. As much as you didn't want to stay with Damian, you also felt a hell of a lot safer standing next to him rather than yourself. "Your free throws were off today."

"Thanks," You rolled your eyes. Of course he noticed your weakness of the day. He always seemed to be pointing out things you did wrong during practice and especially during games. You held up your hand to show him your taped fingers which seemed to be a good enough answer for as to why you were off. "Crushed my pinky last night."

"TT," he nodded. Part of you hated when he did that. That other part thought his little tick was adorable. The worst thing about hating Damian was that he also did the smallest gestures that made you swoon to him. You liked to blame it on his rich-boy-son-of-Bruce-Wayne facade, but you knew that wasn't it.

"You were leaning to your right instead of left today," this time you pointed out his flaw. Damian lifted up his pant leg to show of his ankle brace. How you hadn't noticed it in practice, you weren't sure.

"Two days ago," Damian briefly told you. "Don't worry, I could have crutches and I'd still be a better player than you." You scowled at him. The second that you thought that the two of you could get along, of course he had to go and ruin that with some plain-faced compliment.

"I'm pretty sure that someone who's never stepped onto a court could do better than you," you scoffed. The short time that you had left you little imagination to come up with insult. "My bus is going to be here soon, better go catch your babysitter."

"He's my butler," Damian corrected. You always referred to Alfred as Damian's babysitter - with his childish attitude god knows he needed one.

"Whatever," you were already walking away from him. As you continued to the bus stop, you spun around and flipped him off. Your middle fingers were raised high in the air and you could nearly feel his glare at you. "Have fun being privileged."

What you didn't know, was that Damian knew Alfred was there the whole time. He didn't want to leave you waiting in the dangerous streets of Gotham by yourself - not when he knew the horrors that were truly within them.

><

Damian knew you were one tough motherfucker.

He knew that on the court you were ruthless, unforgiving, and determined. Playing against a bunch of men that towered over you and sometimes having way more body mass against you meant you had to be tough. It was something that he always respected you for. Time and time again you surprised him with being able to take care of yourself.

Tonight was a home game and you were more than excited to be out on the court and kick some sorry ass. Just as always, the other team was shocked to see a girl playing and instantly started making fun of you. They were rough on you, refs were obviously not caring enough to call the fouls, and you were pissed.

By the third quarter, you were furious that so many calls were being missed. Your shooting started to get more forced and your defense more aggressive. It wasn't until the player you were guarding jabbed his elbow into your face did you finally have enough.

Blood dripped down your busted lip and your fists clenched up at your sides. If it wasn't for the bright red flowing out of you, you were sure that it would have been another foul that was shrugged off. With the sound of a the whistle being blown, both teams headed back to their benches.

"Fuck these refs!" You seethed. The back of your hand was smeared with blood from wiping it away. Your coach glared at you for the swear but since you were feeling ballsy, you only glared back at him.

You were already in a bad mood. Before the game had started, you and Damian had another one of your spats. This had been a big one too, you had never yelled at him so much in your life before. And to be honest, you couldn't even remember why it had started. He had said something to tick you off and it had just escalated from there.

The two of you were the first to arrive to the game - as it seemed to happen every time. While waiting for everyone else, you found yourself arguing once more. He always seemed to find the kind of things to just make you angry enough not to be able to forgive him. It drove you crazy.

When some of the other players filed in, the two of you stomped off in your own directions and never spoke again unless necessary. Damian was the one person that you could never get along with no matter how much you tried. And you wished you could get along with him too.

He was your co-captain, you should have easily been able to get along with him. Damian was someone that you truly could see yourself getting along with if he wasn't so damn stubborn.

"She's right," Damian suddenly defended you. He couldn't help but be in awe of you as you nonchalantly shrugged off the wound. You were fuming at the team, the refs, and now your couch. Damian had never seen you so riled up before and he had to admit that he loved this side of you.

"Doesn't matter," your coach cut the both of you off. "(Y/N), you're out for the rest of the game."

"No!" You argued. There was no way that you were going to be benched for some busted lip. Your coach wasn't going to let you argue it. So, for the rest of the game you grumbled on the bench and glared at any player from the other team that ran by you. This was unfair, yet no one seemed to disagree with the coach.

As the last seconds of the final quarter ticked away, victory was upon your team. The last buzzer went off and your team crowded around each other for the win. You on the other hand, already stalked off the the change room. Your bag was hastily thrown to the ground and you planted your hands on the edge of the sink.

To no surprise, your lip was swollen and bloody. A split ran vertically on the bottom and dried blood was caked around it. You splashed cold water on your face, hoping that it would cool you down - both from your heat and your anger. It didn't do either.

Your team was most likely already waiting for you for a post-game talk. That was the last thing you wanted to partake in. Unfortunately, you were already in enough trouble as it was and you couldn't miss this. You shoved a hoodie on and joined the rest of your teammates outside.

Twenty minutes later you had nearly droned out everything your coach was telling you and your team. Everyone decided to join up at the pizza place a couple streets down from the school before heading home. You on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to be in your own bed away from everyone else.

A hand on your shoulder stopped you from walking away. Damian.

"What?" You snapped.

"Calm down, (L/N)," Damian rolled his eyes. He had the time to cool off from your fight several hours ago - you on the other hand most definitely had not. "Come get pizza with the rest of us. I know you're in a... bad mood, but it'll be good to spend time with everyone without coach there."

"No."

"I'll buy," Damian offered. You rolled your eyes at him. A slice of pizza really must have just dug into his budget a lot - being so rich and all. "Just... I'm sorry, for earlier. I shouldn't have said those things."

"Wow, is Damian apologizing?" You were genuinely shocked. He never apologized after any of your fights so he must have felt bad about this one. "I guess I'm going to have to come now."

><

The final game of the season always made you nervous. This year, was even worse. Senior year of high school meant that scouts would be watching for new players in university. Tonight, the gym was packed with them. You needed this scholarship if you wanted to get into the university of your dreams.

To make matters worse - Damian's family had shown up as well. Bruce Wayne and several of his brothers and sisters sat in the stands. It was the first time that you had seen them together outside of his ridiculously expensive galas. Bruce had shown up to support his son - his siblings wanted to see this girl that he had ranted on and on about.

There were many times after practice - or even just regular school days - where Damian would come home and complain about how much he hated you. He was constantly infuriated by your presence and he couldn't stand the thought about how impossible you were to try and have a proper conversation with.

Dick was the one who heard about it the most. He told Jason about it, who started showing up to the manor just to his little brother get so worked up about a girl. Steph became the most invested - she wanted to know everything there was about you and most importantly how, how she could get the two of you together.

Tim didn't believe that it would ever happen. When Damian hated someone, there was no changing his mind about it. You seemed to be at the top of his list at the moment and there was no way that Steph's wishes would ever come true. Damian hated you, simple as that.

You stood on the court side bouncing up and down on your toes. All the nervous energy was pent up inside of you and you had no idea how to get it out. This game meant everything to you - you needed to show off how good of a player you were and that you deserved to have a full-ride scholarship.

"You okay?" Damian stood beside you. He had grown a lot since you first met him. Before, you stood at the same height as him, now, he towered over you. His arms were crossed over his chest as he looked down at you. You couldn't help but briefly gaze at his muscles that popped out of his jersey before meeting his eyes.

"Nervous," you answered.

"Why? We've beat this team before. Is it because it's the finals?" Damian raised an eyebrow. You were never one to show off your nerves - especially right before a game.

"No," you shook your head. "Scouts. I need a scholarship to get into university. I'm just worried I'm gonna fuck up tonight and lose my chance."

"You're going to do fine," Damian assured. You weren't used to this side of him. He never was one to boost your confidence, always the one to tear it down. "If it makes you feel better, I'm nervous too."

"You? Nervous?" you cheekily grinned up at him. Damian rolled his eyes and nudged your side.

"My father is here," he jutted his chin in the general direction of his family. One of the older men seemed to notice and waved at you both. "And my nuisance brothers and sisters. They've never seen one of our games before."

You didn't have a chance to say anything else. A whistle echoed through the gym and the two of you were ushered onto the court. The second that you stood within the lines, your nerves seemed to wash away.

Damian stood in the center for the tip off. He did a short glance back at you and have a reassuring nod. For some bizarre reason, it filled you with joy. You felt a surge of confidence as well as determination. Whatever happened after tonight was out of your control. All you knew was that you had to bust your ass out there and everything would work out one way or another.

That game, you had worked like you never had before. You were making nearly every shot and putting up such a great defense. For the first time in your lives, you and Damian were working in sync. It seemed like he knew what you wanted to do before you even had the chance to think it. The two of you were incredible.

His family noticed how well you worked together. After everything that they heard about you - they assumed his hatred would show on the court as well. Most of the time, that was true. Tonight, you had never seen anything like this before. It was your best game of your life - skill wise.

At half time, your team huddled around to devise a strategy for the second half. You were ahead of the other team, but only by a few points. This was the final game of the season, you had to win. You stood beside Damian in the huddle.

Sweat dripped down his skin which seemed to accentuate his beautifully tanned skin. He left from your side and part of you felt disappointed at his departure. However, he returned only moments later with his water bottle, as well as yours. You thanked him as you grabbed it from his hand.

"You guys are on fire out there," One of your teammates stood behind you and Damian. He had a hand on each of your shoulders and a grin on his face. "It's crazy! I've never seen you work together like this before. Guess you guys are uh, warming up to each other, huh?"

Coach called him over before you could reply to him. He squeezed your shoulder before jogging off in the other direction. Damian didn't look too pleased by the short encounter either.

"Scouts have been watching you all night," Damian looked over to where one of them was sitting in the stands. He had made sure that he made all the right assists for you so that you would go noticed. It was working - you were doing incredible.

"Still half a game left to go," You muttered. As soon as you stepped off the court, you nerves had started to come back. "Thank you, for everything out there."

"(Y/N)? Thanking me?" He teased. He never had a playful attitude like this - but you had to admit that you really liked that side of him. The smile that caused his eyes to crinkle and his cheeks to squish. You couldn't help but gleam up at him the second that you saw it.  "Come on, coach wants us."

The rest of the game went just about as good as the first half. You were drowning in sweat from all the work you were doing but if the scouts kept their eyes on you, then it was well worth it. You and Damian continued on just as you had before - playing as if you were one person, not two.

The final quarter came and went with your team pulling way into the lead. By the time the final buzzer went off, your team had already celebrated it's final win of the season. It was you and Damian that had been the reason for such a dramatic win - and the scouts knew it.

You had been pulled off to the side by one scout in particular before you could even make it to the change room. He happened to be from the university that you were so wanting to go to. Before he could even finish his offer for a full ride, you already had a massive grin on your face and nodded your head yes.

This had been exactly what you wanted in your life, you needed this win. The scout left you to go get changed and speak with your team. However, you had ran into Damian first. Your heart was beating so fast that you were sure it was going to pop out of your chest with excitement.

Whether it was the adrenaline, the excitement, or the pure happiness you felt, you weren't sure - but that didn't stop you from running to Damian and up into his arms. Damian nearly tumbled at your sudden weight. You legs wrapped around his torso and your palms were on his cheeks. Before he could ask what the hell you were doing, you kissed him.

Damian was standing there in shock. He held your legs for support and you could feel them stiff against your bare skin. Then, he melted into your touch. Damian kissed you back with the same cheerful energy that you had. His grip on you became more natural and he felt as if he never wanted to let you go.

The clapping and cheering from your team had pulled you guys apart. Damian carefully set you back down on the ground and stepped away from you. Heat of embarrassment crawled up his skin. "I'm sorry," You squeaked out. "I just, I wanted to thank you. Scouts are interested me and it's all because of you."

You had never really thought about Damian in this way. Sure, he frustrated the hell out of you and sometimes you wanted to punch him in his perfect little face, but you never found yourself hating him. Yet, you never thought that you’d want to kiss him either. 

The instinct feeling that you had? That spoke more than anything else. After all this excitement, you should have thought to tell your parents, your best friend first. Instead, it was Damian. Maybe it was because you ran into him first, but you couldn’t blame your thoughts on that as well. 

"They're interested in you because of how great of a player you are, not because of me," Damian argued. His cheeks were tinged the slightest pink as he stared into your eyes. "And there's no need to apologize... I enjoyed that. I'm sorry for being terrible to you for all these years."

"I deserved a lot of it. I'm sorry as well," You told him. Damian placed his hand on your waist, closing the gap that was between you. He tilted down, placing his lips on yours once again. He never realized how much he had argued with you just to hide his own feelings until now. All these years of fighting had been pointless.

This time, it was a camera flash that broke you apart. A blonde girl with a huge grin on her face held up her phone. Damian scowled at her. "Steph!"

"Tim!" Steph ran back to Tim as well as the rest of Damian's family. She was holding the phone high up in the air, obviously excited to show her brother about what she had just seen.

"Sorry," Damian apologized once more. He glared over in the direction of Steph running away to meet the rest of her siblings. "My family can be a lot sometimes."

"Well if they're anything like you, that doesn't surprise me," you joked. You glanced between him, the team, and his family - all of which seemed to be looking towards you. "Wanna ditch the team and our families and get out of here?"

"Never thought you'd ask."

[jordanstrophe]

Going Once, Going Twice, part 3

CW: Whump, Auction Whump, Pet Whump, Trafficking, Slavery, Restraints, Cages, Manhandling, Gag, Trauma, A Pet being “chipped” through the wrist

((Overall, Peter just kinda having a rough night. Fluff will strike eventually.))

Masterlist

The room was distant, his body felt numb. He couldn’t feel the tears staining his face, or his feet being drug across the floor. He could only feel the hands wrapped around him, pulling him along, but even they felt unreal. 

In an instant, it felt like someone slammed his body against a wall. His vision jostled and his body ached. He opened his eyes, and realized he was laying on his side, he had been tossed in a large metal bar cage. He was too shaken and dizzy to try and sit up to look around. He was just tired. Tired, and hungry, and cold... And apparently, sold.

“Oh have mercy...” Winola crumpled into a seat backstage. She buried her face within her trembling hands. When she opened her eyes, there was a glass of water hovering in her vision. 

“Thanks Neal...” She muttered, taking the glass from his hand. “So... He did it.” Neal shrugged.

“Yeah, He did it. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to ask that of him, but the Baron...” She shuttered.

“Ma’am, pardon me, but you shouldn’t have gotten involved in that.” Neal tsked.

“Quiet now, I know what I’m doing. And besides, Rob owed me a favor.” 

“Winola!” Robert rasped, trying not to raise his voice, speed-walking past the workers backstage, who all had eyes on him. The man who had fought the Baron, and won.

“Ah! And there’s our lucky winner now. Congratulations, sir.” She smiled. 

“Is an explanation free? or do I have to pay millions for that as well.” Robert sassed.

“Oh hush you, now come on over.” She waved, pulling him over into her room. Neal guarded the door from the outside, as Winola slowly draped herself in a old rocking chair with a groan. Robert leaned his shoulder against a wall with his arms crossed expectantly.

“We both know what the Baron is known for. Buys a pet, they mysteriously “run away”, never to be seen again. He gets taken in for allegations of Pet abuse, pays his way out, everyone forgets, repeat.” She muttered.

“I’m aware. Everyone is aware, and as sick as it is, there’s really nothing we can do about it.” Robert sighed.

“Yes there is. We just did. You saved that boy's life.” She pointed.

“But now what? I own a human being, what am I supposed to do with him?"

“Take him home. Feed him, care for him, love him.” She shrugged. “Okay, I’m being half serious here. I needed someone with the money who could outbid the Baron. If you really don’t want him that badly, I’ll look for some nice owner who can take him off your hands, just give me a week.” 

“So I spent five million to rent a boy for a week? Do you realize how insane this is?” Robert argued.

 “Don’t raise your voice at an old woman, young man. I didn’t ask you to bid five million, you didn’t have to bid anything. Besides, you have money, because you literally don’t spend any of it. I’ll get you paid back as much as I can, but I wasn’t expecting you to drop five million.” She waved. Robert took a deep breath, with his fingertips rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, don’t worry about it. What’s done is done. I’ll care for him for a week, but please try and find someone who will take good care of him, this week.” Robert begged.

“Good, do be patient with him, he’s going to be very frightened. But if anything happens, or you need help, bring him in. I wouldn’t mind seeing him again, he’s a sweetie.” She smiled.

“Hey, I’m frightened too, where’s my hug-” “-Oh shut it.” She snapped, chuckling at him. 

“You bonded with him. Didn’t you?” Robert sighed. She quickly struggled to her feet, shooing him out the door “Go on now and collect your prize.” She waved, shutting the door in his face while chuckling. “Give those two a week and he’s going to bond with him too.” She giggled to herself.

<><>Later<><>

A loud clattering sound woke him. His vision was flipped from laying on the floor, but the could make out a man opening his cage, and was standing at it’s entrance. Reality struck, as arm wrapped around his chest and pulled him to his feet. All he could do was whimper as he placed in a hard metal chair. He gasped as it felt like dozens of hands grabbed him at every side, strapping his arms, legs, chest and waist down. One of his arms was specifically strapped out further, twisted upwards. He panicked, but before he could even cry out, his jaw was wrenched open as a wooden bar was shoved between his teeth. 

“Don’t move.” A voice growled. His sight was blurry with tears, but he could see someone looming over him, with something cold pressing hard into his wrist.

 “W--Wai-AAAAA!” He screamed, his arm shooting with sharp pain. It felt like someone had just impaled his wrists with a sharp spike. He bit down on the wooden bit hard, desperately trying to rip his wrists away, biting back the rest of his cries. His wrist was then gently wrapped with a white bandage and he was given a rough pat on the cheek. His breath shuttered, as he sobbed, his cries muffled.

“Sir! He’s all ready for you.” The man set down the chipping gun, waving Robert over who was just now showing up. Robert shot a glance at the young man who now apparently belonged to him, restrained, sobbing, twitching, hyperventilating. His wrist slightly bleeding through a fresh new bandage.  

‘’He’s just been chipped, and I see here he’s been fully paid for. Must have really wanted this one, huh?” The man chuckled. “If you need any help getting him to your car, we have a transport team that can take him, if you have a cage or a trunk set up in the vehicle.” The man said.

“I-I.. That won’t be necessary. I think I’ll handle him on my own, thank you.” Robert shuttered.

“Oh! Well that’s new... In that case, do you have a muzzle and restraints? Perhaps you would like him sedated?” The man asked, quite casually.

“What? No! None of those, I’ll walk him, if that’s fine.” Robert argued.

The man broke down laughing hysterically, Robert would have felt flattered if he had said something funny, which he hadn’t. 

“You uh... You didn’t come very prepared, did ya?” The man laughed, wiping away a tear. “Pets who have just been sold are always shaken up, so they tend to be stubborn, sometimes even aggressive. I highly suggest at least a muzzle and straps, sir.” The man huffed.

As convenient as that would be, Robert liked to think he was a decent man. He didn’t want to manhandle a traumatized boy, he just looked so scared... He just needed some time and space, and he would come around when he was ready... Goodness what was he doing. He was already planning strategies on how to handle him when he got home. It was only going to be a week at most.

“I’ve got it, really.” He said, as Peter was unstrapped from the chair, wooden bit pulled from his teeth, but the cuffs stayed, with a firm hand holding him down. “In that case, keep the cuffs. You paid enough already. Besides, something tells me you might need them.” The man chuckled.

 Robert bent down in front of Peter and put a gentle hand on his knee. “Hi there.” He smiled. Peter was gasping for air, trembling, holding his wrist tightly with his bound hand. It was around three AM, he was exhausted, slightly nodding off, but still in shock. “I’m just going to pick you up okay?” Robert asked. 

Peter looked up at him, was this the man who owned him now? He couldn’t see him in the darkness of the crowd, but he recognized his voice. The same voice shouting millions in his name. He yelped when he was picked up in the man’s arms, the pain in his wrists, fear and adrenaline combined kicked his defensive instincts hard, and before he could even stop himself, he bit the man’s shoulder.

Hard.

“Sir! This is why we use the muzzle!’’ The man yelled, running over to help.

“No!” Robert yelled, not giving the man a chance to touch him. “It’s-It’s fine... He’s not hurting me, he just has a latch on my coat...’’ Robert grunted.

Peter’s could feel the vibrations in the man’s neck as he spoke. He wanted so badly to just let go and crumble at the man’s feet, apologize and beg for mercy. But he couldn’t move. The shock kept him frozen, being carried bridal style, bound wrists gripping the man’s coat collar, teeth biting into his shoulder and mouth full of material.

“It’s alright...” Robert whispered to him, readjusting his grip around his trembling figure. He carried him through the parking lot, it was pitch black out, with only the streetlights luminating the vehicles around. He could make out distant scenes of other buyers loading their new Pets, some being thrown in a trunk, while some vehicles had entire cages in the pickup. The air was frozen, he could feel the man shaking uncontrollably in his grasp. He could only pull him in close to his chest, hopping that provided some warmth. 

He opened the back of his pickup truck and climbed in. He laid the man down in the backseat, who still had a death grip on his coat shoulder.  He placed a hand on his tear-soaked cheek. 

“I’m letting you go now, so can you let go for me too?” He soothed, the man’s eyes looked up at him pitifully, almost apologetically. Robert sighed as he unbuttoned his coat, and shuffled it off his shoulders. The man came off him along with his coat, as he laid him down and tucked the rest of his coat around him. He climbed into the driver's seat and glanced back. He still had his jaw locked onto the coat, but his eyes were half closed. 

“It’s okay. Just try and get some sleep, everything’s alright.” Robert soothed, turning up the heat in the car, as he was also shivering. He hoped the man would be tired enough he wouldn’t cause too much trouble for the first night. 

(press X to doubt)

Tag list: @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @moose-teeth @ill-eat-you-if-you-cross-me @yet-another-heathen @sillypizzazineoperator @freefallingup13 @alien-octopus

ʕっ• ᴥ • ʔっ *:･ﾟ✧ Thank you for reading!

[feverdreamfantasies]

The Birthday Gift

Pairing: Human!Hoseok x Human!Yoongi x Human!Reader, Snow Leopard Shifter!Jimin x Human!Reader

Featuring: German Shepherd Hybrid!Taehyung, Doberman Hybrid!Namjoon, Neighbor!Jungkook, (Jin to make an appearance later)

Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, Angst, Poly AU, eventual Smut, Producer!Yoongi, Scientist!Hoseok

Warnings: Brief mention of blood, Mention of Hybrid abuse, Some adult language, Mentions of a poly relationship between M x M x F

Summary:  “Hobi! What is he?” Yoongi repeats himself looking from me in the corner over to his boyfriend.

“He’s a shifter.” Hoseok mumbles, hand rising to scratch the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“He’s a shifter! Okay.  I adopted our girlfriend a shifter for her birthday.”

Author’s Notes:   This was an idea I’ve had in my head for a little while and I thought I would go ahead and start writing it. Also since this is the first chapter there’s a lot of background information in this one but moving forward there will be less filler and hopefully more story line progression. Hope you enjoy!

Next

Chapter One:  The ultimate Birthday gift             

Sometimes I wonder how I got here in my life. 

After nearly 5 years of being with Yoongi, I thought I was prepared for anything, but standing here in our neighbor Jungkook’s living room watching his sweet arctic fox hybrid, Sooyun, turn into the vicious predator she truly is; I began to question the choices I’d made that lead me here.

Let me backup a little bit to how I came to witness the scene before me. I was quietly having breakfast earlier this morning when Hoseok made his way loudly down the staircase that led into the kitchen. 

“Have you seen your boyfriend?” He asked with an emphasis on “your”, clearly perturbed with the man in question.

“What’s he done now that makes him ‘my’ boyfriend?” I say while taking a bite of my toast. 

For all the time I have been in a relationship with Yoongi, Hoseok has been with him longer.  The two met in their first year at university and began dating shortly there after.  I came along about four years later, back when I was a shy, young intern for the music company Yoongi was—and is still— a big time producer for.  

I had heard rumors when I first started there that he had a bit of a different romantic life than most. Everyone loved to whisper about the open relationship he and his boyfriend supposedly had. I tried not to listen to the rumors, but I couldn’t deny the big fat crush I had developed on Yoongi either.  I thought my heart was going to beat out of my chest every time he walked into the same room as me.  And when he asked me out for drinks one day, all I could do was nod in response because I didn’t have the courage to give a verbal yes. 

I was nervous and apprehensive about possibly going on a date with an already taken man.  But my curiosity got the best of me and I showed up to the bar he had suggested.  He was sweet and kind to me. Being patient with my quietness until I warmed up enough to be able to contribute to our conversation.  

He was also very straightforward and honest with me.  

“I know there are rumors about my personal life in the office.” He stated matter-of-factly, taking a sip of his jack and coke before continuing. “So I’ll admit that I’m kind of surprised you agreed to come out with me tonight.”

I brushed a piece of my hair behind my ear, a nervous habit of mine that brings me an artificial level of comfort.  “To be honest” I swallow “I’m not really sure I was even going to show up.”

“Well I’m glad you did.” He said with his adorable gummy smile.

“And to be upfront about everything, the rumors are true. I do have a boyfriend, and we are in a serious, committed relationship.”

I raise my eyebrows at this. 

“I know what you're thinking.  So then why would I ask a beautiful woman like you out on a date if I’m already spoken for?” 

My heart speeds up when I hear him use the word beautiful.  He leans across the high top table we are sat at, so he can speak lower and not have the other customers at the bar listen in.  

“Hobi and I have always been open to the concept of a polymorphic relationship. We’ve tried in the past with potential romantic partners; but they usually ended up ghosting on one of us, once they figured out what we were looking for.”

“So why do you think I’ll be different?” I question finding some confidence in my voice.  Afterall, it isn’t like Yoongi is talking about some small, trivial thing.  He’s openly discussing with me the potential of starting a romantic journey with him and his boyfriend.  Journey being the only way I can truly describe it because honestly what if this actually became something, what do I say to my parents then? “Mom. Dad.  Meet my boyfriend Yoongi and his boyfriend--slash my other boyfriend--Hoseok.” 

Yeah...this was most certainly going to be a journey.

“Honestly, I’m not sure you will be.  But I like you, Y/N. And from what I’ve told Hoseok so far, he’s interested too.”

I snort at this response.  What possibly could I have done to get Yoongi’s attention that he’d like me, let alone know anything about me enough to want to tell his boyfriend.

“Up until tonight, I’ve barely said anything to you.” I state to the dark haired man across from me.

Yoongi shrugs at this like it doesn’t matter.  “People speak louder with their actions than with their words.”

“Yeah?  And what do my actions say about me?” I ask genuinely.

He doesn’t miss a beat with his response.

 “You’re smart without being pretentious.  You have confidence without arrogance.  And most importantly you’re kind.”

“I’m kind?”

Yoongi nods. 

“A couple of weekends ago I saw you inside the hybrid rescue downtown.  I was going to go in and say hi, but thought that might intimidate you a little bit.” 

He says this last part with a laugh, as my cheeks turn red from the fact I know that would have been true.

“I asked one of your fellow interns, Ilsung, about it.  He said you volunteer there whenever you can.  That you have a real soft spot for hybrids and their rights. Not many people are as compassionate to their causes.  And as someone who has had the honor to adopt two myself, I’m really drawn to others who want to make a difference for them.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m making a difference.” I say sheepishly. “But when I was a kid we had a family cat hybrid named Wendy.  She and I did everything together until they came and took her away when we were both 12.  And let’s just say that made an impact on me.”

When my parents were kids, hybrids were just starting to be introduced to society.  But years prior to that, governments and militaries had been creating and breeding hybrids for years as an experiment to get a defensive edge when it came to warfare. It proved not to be as promising as they had hoped and what ended up happening is they sold their hybrids and hybrid secrets to the highest bidder, which turned out to be a large corporatation.  This corporation in turn introduced cat and dog hybrids to the rest of the world.  Claiming that they were a step above your average household pet and could provide a more fulfilling companion experience.  Hybrids quickly became a hot commodity.  And the black market was soon taking off with their own hybrid creations of more exotic and “dangerous” hybrid breeds.  Soon the hybrids were beginning to outnumber humans 2 to 1 and fear of who they are and what they can do began to take over.

Laws were passed as a means to protect humans. Rather than create laws that stopped the unethical treatment and breeding of hybrids, they were created to limit their rights.  Not completely human but also not completely an animal either, hybrids fell in a category with many blurbed lines.  The laws state all hybrids must have an owner and must either be accompanied by that owner at all times or have a microchip implanted within the back of their necks that can be scanned to indicate they belong to someone.  Any strays were in extreme cases euthanized and in less extreme cases placed in overcrowded shelters and rescue centers, where they would more than likely spend the rest of their lives.  

For those who did get adopted or were bought by breeders, their lives may not be as lucky as those who did not.  It isn’t uncommon for those hybrids adopted to end up in underground hybrid clubs.  These clubs offer humans all sorts of sick fantasies to play out with hybrids.  This can be anything from deadly hybrid fight rings to hybrid brothels where they can use and abuse any female and male hybrids of their choosing. In my time volunteering at the rescue center, I have listened to stories I wouldn’t even wish for my worst enemies to have to endure. 

“Wendy came into my life when on my 5th birthday.  My Mom and Dad had decided I needed a companion.  As an only child with parents who weren't able to have any more kids, my parents thought adopting a hybrid could be the next best thing.  But the year we both turned 12, is the year Wendy started to go through her changes.”

Yoongi listened to my story with great intensity.  

“Of course as humans we all go through puberty between the ages of 11 and 18.  This isn’t uncommon for hybrids either except their changes aren’t typically of the reproductive kind until later in their late teens and early twenties, but what they do change in is behavior.  Their animal instincts can have the potential to become more dominant, leading to aggressiveness and in some cases violence.

When Wendy and I were playing outside one day, a neighbor's hybrid wandered into our backyard where we were.  He looked to be some small wild cat hybrid, probably bought in some shady back room of an outdoor market.  He was around our age if not a little bit older.  He’s name was Yongho and he could hear our laughs from inside his house.  He asked if he could play with us, saying he was lonely being cooped up inside all day.  I was glad to have another person to play with so I said yes immediately without noticing that Wendy was apprehensive.  Her tail was flicking side to side and ears were slightly pinned back, but I thought that was only because she may be jealous of having some of my attention shared with another hybrid.  I chose to ignore her warning signs and suggested a game of tag.

It all seemed to be going fine.  At first I was ‘it’ and although they were both faster than me, Yongho decided to slow down so I could catch him.  But once he was ‘it’ that’s when everything would change to become one of the worst days of my life.”

I paused so I could take a sip of my drink to try and calm myself down.  I hadn’t thought of this day in a really long time and I was struck by the fact that I was so easily sharing it with Yoongi when not even most of my close friends knew what had happened.  Yoongi reached across the table and gently rubbed his thumb over my hand to encourage me to keep going.  

I cleared my throat.

“Because Yongho was a predator hybrid, a game of tag can quickly turn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse.  When Wendy and I ran off in opposite directions after getting a 10-second head start that’s when Yongho’s animal instincts kicked in.  As a slow and small human girl, I became easy prey to the hunter and Yongho began to come after me.  Naive to noticing that anything had changed, I giggled as I tried to dodge around the trees in our backyard to create obstacles between us.  And when I turned around to see how close he was that’s when I saw the predatory look in his eyes.  I gave a small but effective scream which in turn caught the attention of Wendy.  She halted in the direction she was going before quickly turning around.  I in the meantime froze out of fear.  Yongho slowed but didn’t stop moving toward me.  He staked his way closer in the same way you would see a lioness do through the brush on a nature show before she pounced on an antelope.  And unfortunately for me, I was that antelope.  Just as Yongho pounced with claws out, Wendy intercepted him and they both tumbled to the ground, rolling around and making animalistic noises I had never heard before.  

This got the attention of my mother.  Who once she came outside to see what was happening began yelling for my dad.  He ran out and grabbed me.  Easily picking me up and throwing me inside the house ordering me to lock the door and telling my mother to call HES (hybrid emergency services).  My dad tried to get Yongho off of Wendy when he had managed to pin her to the ground while I burst into tears once the adrenaline started to wear off.  HES showed up quickly, but not fast enough to stop Wendy from accidentally scratching my dad.  She was aiming for Yongho when my father’s arm got in the way and left a deep wound along his forearm which instantly began to bleed.  Because hybrid laws take all cases of violence toward a human seriously, HES not only took Yongho away but they also took Wendy.  My father spent the next several weeks in court trying to get her back saying she had scratched him with no ill intention but they wouldn’t listen.  The only thing they could offer was for us to send her off to a reform facility, where she would spend the next three years, in hopes that maybe once she had gone through the proper reform training then she would be able to come home.  My parents agreed to send her off, but 6 months after she arrived they claimed she had ran away, only to find out in the news a few years later that this reform facility was secretly selling desirable hybrids off to private sellers and the black market.  I haven’t seen her since.”

Things between us got really quiet after I told my story.  Yoongi continued to rub my hand before noticing that my eyes were watery.  Tears threatening to come cascading down.  He sprung into action and leapt off his stool scooping me up into a hug. 

“I’m so sorry” he whispered.  

I could hear the sincerity in his voice and felt overwhelmingly comforted within his embrace.  I thought right then and there that I never wanted him to let me go.  And I didn’t care if that meant I had to share him with someone else because at that moment it felt like I was always supposed to be his.

Shortly thereafter I met Hoseok face to face.  The three of us went on a date to a nice restaurant to see how we would all get along.  The date went exceptionally well, as did the next one, and the one after that.  After a couple months, the three of us went away for the weekend and discussed the next steps for our future.  It was decided that we would all move in together and start a relationship that would define my next five years. 

Looking over at Hobi now with his brows crossed and a mild look of exhaustion on his face.  I couldn’t help but smile slightly.

“He promised me he would come home last night so he could be here for your birthday this morning.”

“Yoongi is here.” I say. “Also nice of you to wish me a Happy Birthday.”

He rolled his eyes before walking over to me and kissing me on the forehead. “He didn’t come to bed last night.” He responds as he releases me.

“That’s because he came to my bed,” I say with a teasing grin.

Once we moved into this house, it was decided that Yoongi and Hoseok would share a room while I had my own.  I didn’t mind it much because Yoongi would often sneak into my bed once Hobi fell asleep.  Or if Yoongi was at the studio all night then one of our hybrids would cuddle up with me, especially Taehyung.

Speaking of which, the German Shepherd hybrid came bounding through the backdoor.  A smile on his face and a bouquet of wildflowers clutched in his hand.

“Happy Birthday Y/N!”

“I got you these!” He thrust the wildflowers toward me.  Tail wagging rapidly behind him.

“Thank you Tae.” I take the flowers from him smelling them in the process. “These are beautiful.”

He’s smile grows wider.  Taehyung was one of the two hybrids Hoseok and Yoongi had adopted before I joined their family. Well adopted was not really the correct term to use.  Hoseok worked as a scientist for the government.  And though they had supposedly moved on from the hybrid world, the three of us knew that wasn’t true.  Hoseok started working there right out of college.  Initially he was told he was there for human medical purposes, specifically in terms of medicine and vaccine studies.  However, while that was mostly true, Hoseok discovered one day by accident that there were also medical experiments being done on hybrids in ways that they would never imagine doing to humans.

From that moment on, Hoseok took it upon himself to make changes but he’d have to climb his way to the top in order to make any real change.  Now being the second in command to the head of the medical research team, Hobi had more privileges to know what happened in the hybrid labs but still didn’t have full command of what went on in there.  But that didn’t stop him from managing to rescue a couple in the process.

I didn’t really know all that had happened to Taehyung and Namjoon--our Doberman hybrid--while they were in that lab, but I knew that it made them respond to things in opposite ways.  Taehyung was clingy and loveable.  Namjoon was a little standoffish at first but if I played my cards right he could be putty in my hands.

“Where do you want to eat tonight?” Hobi asked.

“You guys aren’t going to make me a homemade meal.” I whine.

“If you want food poisoning then I would be more than happy to make you whatever you would like.  Or if you don’t mind eating until almost 2 in the morning then I’ll ask Yoongi what he wants to make tonight.”

I stick my tongue out at him.  I hate his reasoning sometimes.

“In that case, I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“We all know that you’ll choose the same place you always do.” A sleepy Yoongi says with a yawn.  His hair slightly sticking up in the back indicating he had just climbed out of bed. 

He walks over to me, sliding into the booth of our breakfast nook and kisses me gently. 

“Happy Birthday Princess.” He says in his deep groggy voice.

“I’m surprised you're up already.” I state as I fed him some of my breakfast.  He takes a bite and swallows before responding.  

“Someone made a pretty severe threat of laundry duty if I didn’t show up this morning. And we all know if I’m on laundry duty for a full month, we will all be deeply sorry.”

We enjoy the rest of our morning with happy banter and cuddles on the couch.  With a momentary appearance from Namjoon with a quick Birthday greeting before he went on his jog.

As I flipped through the options on Netflix with Tae asleep with his head in my lap, Hoseok’s phone rang which he picked up and answered in his office down the hall.  Yoongi and I gave a brief glance at each other figuring it was probably from work before Hoseok quickly ran out of his office and out the front door as though the house was on fire.  

We look at each other again before quickly getting off the couch to follow him.  Taehyung whines in protest as he loses the warmth of my lap before climbing back onto the couch and quickly falling back asleep.  

Hoseok goes over to our neighbor’s house, lifting his arm up to knock on the door when Jungkook opens it with a “Thank God!”

“I thought you said he’d be fine here.” Hoseok says as he follows Jungkook into his living space noticing the low growls of Sooyun coming from within.  He hesitates a moment before seeing why Sooyun is making that noise.

He quickly gets his answer as he sees Sooyun with teeth bared at a cowering figure in the corner.  He realizes her aggression is toward his Birthday gift for Y/N.  While he knew that Y/N was easily loved by Taehyung and Namjoon, they weren’t necessarily her hybrids.  Tae belonged to Yoongi and Namjoon was Hoseok’s, who he adopted at the first chance after that fateful day he walked into the hybrid lab by accident.  So he figured Y/N needed her own companion and it gave him an excuse to bring home another rescue.

“Well aren’t you going to do something.” He says to Jungkook, calmer than he felt. 

“Me?  He’s your hybrid.” Jungkook says incredulously.

“Technically he isn’t a hybrid.” 

“Then what is he?”  Yoongi says behind Hobi, scaring his younger boyfriend in the process.  I stand beyond them watching Jungkook’s normally sweet hybrid looking like the true predator she is before moving my eyes to the other hybrid--or rather not hybrid--sitting in the corner with his knees up to his chest.  My heart instantly breaks at the sight in front of me and I feel the need to protect him.

“Hey! Enough.” 

My voice is loud and clear.  Commanding but not violent, just enough to get Sooyun’s attention.  A skill I learned at all my years volunteering at the rescue. She backs away and hides behind Jungkook as though she hadn’t done anything wrong to be treated this way.  Jungkook pats the hand she rests on his arm, clutching onto his shirt sleeve. White ears pinned back to her equally pure white hair.

I take that time to move to her victim. Taking slow movements making sure not to scare him even more. “Hello.” I say getting him to look up at me with his light grey eyes.  He has soft features but an intense gaze.  I reach my hand out to help him off the floor.  He hesitates before deciding to trust me and stands up into his full height.  He isn’t large but he is taller than me, about the same size as Yoongi. 

“Hobi! What is he?” Yoongi repeats himself looking from me in the corner over to his boyfriend.

“He’s a shifter.” Hoseok mumbles, hand rising to scratch the back of his neck.

“I’m sorry. What?”

“He’s a shifter! Okay.  I adopted our girlfriend a shifter for her birthday.”

It gets suddenly very quiet. I look back over at the shifter in question, his hand still in mine.  Yoongi is visibly getting angry, but still trying to remain somewhat calm.

“What the fuck is a shifter, Hobi?  Like a werewolf.  Did you bring home a werewolf?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Werewolves aren’t real.  He’s a snow leopard shifter.”

For the genius Hoseok actually was he could really do some dumb things, I think as Yoongi comes towards us and pulls me away but not with some resistance from the other person holding my hand. Yoongi drags me aways while also grabbing Hoseok by the shoulder to guide us outside.

Once we step into the front yard, Yoongi turns Hobi around to look at him but doesn’t let me go.

“You know you’ve done some stupid shit in the 9 years we’ve been together, but this might easily top the list.  I mean what the hell were you thinking!  Where do you even get a snow leopard shifter?”

“The same place I got Taehyung and Namjoon.  Just there was more paperwork involved and lots of background checks.  And possibly some surveillance on the house for a week or two.”  He throws the last part in quickly as though we won’t notice that he agreed to have us be watched by a government entity without getting our consent first.

“He’s going back.” 

“What?! No!”  This protest comes from me this time.  I don’t know what a shifter is, but I do know some of what happens in the labs and he isn’t going back if I have anything to say about it.

“Yes. He. Is.” Yoongi states, as though the decision is final and begins to walk back toward the house only to stop halfway when he realizes none of us are following.

“We can’t keep him.” He states again.

“But why not?” Hobi and I pout at the same time.

Usually if one of us goes against Yoongi we don’t stand a chance at winning, but if we team up together then things inevitably go our way.

“He’s probably dangerous. I mean I still don’t know what he really is.” He stares at Hoseok on this last point.

“Shifters are what the military attempted after the hybrid experiment failed.  Essentially, through their research they found that though hybrids are stronger than humans they still aren’t as strong as a real true animal.  But you can’t fully control or command an animal, especially not a predatory animal like a tiger or lion…”

“Or a snow leopard.” Yoongi offered.

“Right.  Anyways, there was a researcher about thirty years ago who thought what if you could create a breed of human that could, when needed, shift into full animal form.  Lots of people laughed at him for this, but that didn’t stop him from running experiments on his own before a top personnel in the government decided to back him on his research.  It didn’t take him long, about five years before he got his first successful generation of shifters. Listen, I know you don’t like it Yoongi and you probably think he’s dangerous.  But he’s been kept in that lab his whole life.  And I promise you that we have nothing to fear with him.  In fact, shifters are much safer than hybrids.”  Hoseok added as a last minute plea.

Yoongi  slowly let out a sigh.  “Fine. But…” he quickly adds before Hobi and I get too excited. “If anything happens to a member of our household because of him, then he has to go somewhere else.”

“You have my word that nothing will happen.”

I grab Yoongi and Hobi into a hug in my excitement.  “So what’s his name?”

“Jimin.”

[clean-bands-dirty-stories]

Normal ~ A.L.

A/n: Ah yes, this is going to be fun.

Request: “...Alec lightwood x male reader. Maybe the reader is mundane and shows Alec what it’s like being human for a day and then Alec shows him what it’s like being a shadow hunter. And maybe the whole time Alec is like o my word I love this kid...” by anon

Word Count: 5100+ (this is why it took me so long CHRIST I’m sorry)

MASTERLIST

You know, the thing that kept Mundanes seeing into the world of the Shadowhunters was a funny thing. It was supposed to always work, blocking humans from seeing monsters and those that hunted monsters. The problem was, nothing was perfect. Everyone made mistakes. Everything glitched from time to time.

I guess you could call Y/n a glitch.

The thing that kept humans from seeing things they shouldn't? It didn't work for Y/n.

When Y/n had first been seen facing down a vampire, it had seemed a little odd. The woman the vamp was going after seemed miffed that some dude was cutting in on her date, and everyone was confused. When they had killed the thing and Y/n had thanked them afterward, they'd all assumed he might have been like Clary - unaware of his Shadowhunter background somehow. But he had assured them he was human, and had proved it. Thankfully, since the plan had been to use a rune on him and if they had, he would have absolutely died.

Y/n was just immune to the magic that should have kept him far out of the knowing of what was really going on in the shadows of his town. Which left him unable to do anything, other than gather information and share it when he could. Y/n had no magic and no way to fight when he had no training or run protections, but he did have a talent for tricking monsters with their one weakness. He was human, and they were hungry.

Long story short: Y/n was really good at being bait, and he didn't mind it either.

Alec minded it a lot.

The two boys had gotten close pretty quickly. Alec refused to admit it, but Y/n was pretty charming. He had a nice smile and a contagious laugh, and a sort of lightness about him that was incredibly refreshing. It wasn't that he was untouched by darkness, or that he was fresh and innocent and waiting to be destroyed, like they all were before their line of living had ruined them. Y/n had been aware of monsters all his life, and being surrounded by people who could not see what he could see had landed him in either very near death situations, or mental hospitals a few times before he'd learned how to lie. He'd even been medicated really heavily a few times, but when that had done nothing, Y/n had come to terms that there was something going on that other people couldn't see. He had been in this business for a very long. No, Y/n was just the kind of person that refused to lose that inner child. He was soft and strong, and could make anyone smile and any situation bearable.

The way he made life so much more beautiful drew Alec in so aggressively, the Lightwood boy lost his breath every time.

Y/n was good at getting along with everyone else too. He wasn't good at much other than writing, leaving him to connect with Clary because of the similar vibes of their childhood, as well as their mutual passion for art. He and Simon bonded over poetry as well. Izzy enjoyed having someone who could keep up with her flirting, without it meaning anything or leading to something neither of them wanted. Even Jace was enjoying Y/n's presence when he proved that despite his lack of an ability to fight monsters and the such, Y/n WAS well trained in self defense. The two sparred while Y/n cracked jokes and made Jace laugh. Yeah, the blonde and brooding Jace was actually LAUGHING.

Having Y/n around was very refreshing.

So they all missed him a lot when he wasn't around.

Y/n attended college to chase am Arts History degree, and worked two jobs to keep himself afloat. The day Alec got permission to let Y/n move into the Institute was a great day for everyone. Now he was around a lot more- especially because now that he didn't have to pay rent, he could quit one of his jobs. In his free time, Y/n spent cleaning gear and learning how to hone his lame cooking skills. He wasn't great, but he was better than Izzy and was usually the only one with the energy to try it at the end of the day. When Hodge... went rogue, Y/n took charge of keeping up the Garden and learning all he could about how this world worked so he could take care of things and keep everything running smoothly. This left him spending most of his time in the library, reading up on history books.

One day though, Y/n needed Alec's help. Tensions between the two boys had risen almost to over spilling, but every time Y/n thought they were going somewhere, Alec stepped back. Y/n respected the boy's hesitance and never pushed, but the dragging was getting to everyone else. Izzy especially, who wanted the coolest mundane ever to get with her brother.

That wasn't why Y/n was bothering Alec now though. "Hey can I clean the glowing weapons things, or like... will those kill me?"

Alec couldn't help slip a small smile when he heard Y/n's voice. He turned around to see the boy coming in, a huge book in his hand but a confused look on his face. "Please tell me you're not talking about Seraph Blades."

"Those are the ones," Y/n confirmed without hesitation.

Alec shifted, raising an eyebrow. "They're just... fire."

"Well yes," Y/n drawled, rolling his eyes. "But the tubes. I mean, when they deactivate there's still something there, right? Doesn't that get covered in blood and stuff? Won't it getting all icky mess with the magic? And I've never seen any of them dirty. So do you guys have to clean them, or can I?"

That was very confusing to Alec. "Okay hold on. Have you never seen us kill a demon before?"

Y/n got rather sheepish then. "In my defense, I usually get in the way if I help, so I run unless there's someone in immediate danger. The last time, when I tried to help that girl, I almost got her, myself, AND Jace killed.

Alec flinched at the memory. "Jace is an idiot. Him jumping in when he did was his own fault."

"Wouldn't have been necessary if I wasn't provoking a damn vampire," Y/n mumbled.

"That girl probably would have died if you hadn't. We couldn't have attacked him with her there without chancing hurting her, or exposing ourselves. You saved her." Alec was ready to argue this, far too used to Jace's tendency to see the worst in himself despite the fact that he was actively a hero.

Y/n had to relent. "Fine, whatever. So, the blade?"

"Demons don't bleed," Alec explained. "They... well, it depends on the demons actually. Some turn to dust, or explode into fire. Some just kind of fade away. No need to clean blood off our weapons."

Y/n nodded, but obviously had a follow up question, so Alec waited for him to ask it. "Doesn't the dust get on your clothes? Does the fire ever burn you? Perhaps I should pick up some medical skills as well in case you guys come home hurt. Might make me more useful."

Alec rolled his eyes this time. "If you're seriously stuck on the idea of running this place instead of going out there and working in an art museum like you told Clary is your dream job, I won't stop you. That's not my decision to make." Y/n blushed, but Alec pretended not to see it. "However, if you're going to be one of us there are things you have to understand." He hesitated. "I want you to follow us around me around sometime. I can show you what it's like to be a Shadowhunter. You can even come on a mission if you want, but I want you to stay FAR out of danger, do you understand?"

"Yes sir." Y/n was grinning, and between that and what he had said, Alec felt his chest heat up with a weird emotion he refused to address. "When do we start?"

A soft chuckle came from Alec then. "How about tomorrow? I'll wake you up bright and early, so be prepared."

Y/n nodded eagerly, already walking backward - presumably to return the book so he could head to bed. "Great! See you tomorrow, Alec!" He turned around and jogged away then.

Alec couldn't help himself but appreciate the view as Y/n retreated down the hall. He heard someone clear their throat and looked over to see Clary, whose smirk was so wide it wiped the smile off of Alec's face. He turned away from her and moved toward his own room. What had he gotten himself into?

-

When Alec got to Y/n's room that morning, he was expecting to have to wake the other boy up. Unfortunately for him, when he opened the door, Y/n was already awake. And getting dressed. He wore the long, dark pants a lot of the guys around here wore when they weren't in Mundane clothes. He did not, however, have a shirt on. "Oh, good morning Alec," Y/n greeted brightly.

Alec almost exploded right there. Y/n wasn’t especially muscly, but he was rather lean. Y/n did a lot of walking, running, and casual work outs every once in a while before meeting the Shadowhunters. He knew self defense after all, and liked that the occasional work out filled him with energy after a while, even if it tired him out at first. Since joining the Institute though, Jace had enforced a daily workout. Some days Y/n got even more done when the two boys sparred, or when he had to move things around for research (those books were a lot heavier than they looked) or rearranged his room again because he liked to have a new layout every once in a while. Y/n had become the extra pair of hands everyone was excited to have. He was strong enough to spot for a lot of the other Shadowhunters even, leaving him in that comfortable middle between ripped and soft. He had angles and lines, but plenty of soft edges too. He looked like he could pick Alec up and then cuddle him just as easily. It was a body type that looked very good on the boy, and seeing him shirtless did things to Alec that should not have been being done.

It was then that Alec realized Y/n was talking to him. "I'm sorry, what?"

Y/n laughed, shaking his head in amusement. He put a shirt on, leaving Alec wondering if the boy knew what had left Alec so distracted. "I asked you what was first on the agenda today."

"Have you done your morning workout today yet?" Y/n shook his head. "Then that's where we'll start." And they did. Alec pushed himself further usual, and he knew he was doing it to show off to Y/n, but he also knew a little part of him wanted to outshine Y/n too. The boy kept up pretty well, and Alec didn't want to have a Mundane do better than him. After, they got breakfast, parted to shower, and then rejoined again to head to the sparring ring.

"You guys do a lot of training here," Y/n realized aloud.

Thankfully Alec had caught it, because he was super distracted by the way Y/n's wet hair shone under the lighting of the Institute, and the way it made his eyes look brighter. He didn't need to get caught for staring again. "Yeah. It takes up time, but it also keeps us ready for any surprise attacks, and prepared for nighttime hunts." Y/n nodded but didn't say anything else as they reached the rings. Alec grabbed two long staffs, passing one to Y/n as they stepped up to spar. Y/n knew what to do - he did it often with Jace. Alec was sure he'd claim victory over the Mundane.

Which left him rather speechless when Y/n pinned him. They were both out of breath and Y/n loomed over Alec, his feet planted and knees trapping Alec as the end of Y/n's staff rested threateningly against Alec's throat. "You're dead," Y/n joked.

Alec looked at Y/n with new eyes. What was with this guy? Why did Alec have to try so much harder to end up on top? Mundanes were like Clary and Simon, before they'd been trained. Alec could still remember how long both of them had lost time and time again to even the newest and youngest Shadowhunters. How could Y/n win against Alec? "How are you so good at fighting? I thought your thing was writing stories."

Y/n moved back, letting Alec go. He offered a hand and Alec took it. He was once again knocked breathless when Y/n hauled Alec to his feet without seeming to even struggle. "I'm stronger than I look. And... when I was younger, I didn't have shadowhunters and parabatai to have my back. I had to learn how to defend myself. Whether it was running from monsters, or making sure I didn't get pummeled by bigger kids who called me crazy and laughed at me because of the stories I supposedly made up..." He shrugged.

That didn't settle well in Alec's stomach. "I don't think any of us know what it's like to live like that. Clary doesn't remember, and the rest of us grew up with each other. I... I'm sorry, that's terrible."

There was a second when Alec saw the heaviness that Y/n hid so well in the boy's shoulders. Suddenly Alec was stunned by how someone so burdened by pain and sorrow could still radiate so much light and joy and comfort. How did Alec only now know that Y/n was capable of winning against even a well trained Shadowhunter, if he was really trying? Why was it such a shock that someone who grew up with deformed nightmares roaming around, would be able to kick some ass and defend himself? Alec realized then that Y/n made everyone feel safe. Y/n didn't seem able to hurt anyone, even if he wanted to. It made Y/n even more amazing that he was capable of defending someone if he had to, but chose not to in favor of making people feel safe around him. I dare say it made Alec feel even more safe.

Y/n sighed, and the moment passed. He was smiling again and Alec felt his heart swell with a feeling that terrified the dark haired boy. A feeling that also made him feel... really great too. "So what's next on the agenda, Lightwood?" "Jace will have our goal for tonight. Come on." Alec lead the way as they both headed to where Jace was. Alec explained the situation, and with Y/n's assurance he'd be plenty safe, Jace agreed. Y/n had been around a lot, and Alec was right - if he was up keeping the place, he had to know what being a Shadowhunter was actually like. After that had been settled, the trio headed to track down Izzy and Clary for the mission tonight.

"First thing first, Y/n's joining us tonight. He won't be getting involved, and will only be tagging along for educational purposes so he can know what he's dealing with as he gets more involved with how this place work, as well as the people in it," Jace began. Izzy and Clary both nodded, no arguments to be heard. "Okay, now down to business." Long story short, there were two demons who had teamed up and they had to kill it. Usual stuff.

Since when had demons and murder become Y/n's normal? Yikes.

The kill went rather smoothly, just like it was supposed to. It was a nice change from all the odd things that had been rocking everyone's world since Clary, Simon, and Y/n had joined the team. Very good for teaching as well. Y/n stayed back as promised, taking notes mentally and internalizing it. He thought about his thought earlier on how murder and demonic beings had at some point gone from nightmare to reality. Normal, even. For Shadowhunters, there was no shift. They grew up and lived a life where monsters were more than nightmare and you learned to kill from a young age. Perhaps it was fair, since they were bad guys surviving off of killing humans, but still. Alec knew how to kill Y/n. He probably could, if it was required or just if he wanted to. He could do it and he would get away with it too. Shadowhunters leave no trace and no Nephalim was going to care about Y/n being dead.

As the dark thought started to rise, Y/n pushed it down. As much as he seemed a bundle of effortless happiness and light, even he had his moments. He was just better at keeping them in check.

Everyone came home and got ready for bed as Y/n made food. He finished up before anyone came to eat so he killed time by making everyone's plate and putting them on the counter. When he was still alone, he sat on the counter and let himself get lost in thought. Just as he was, Clary popped into the room. "That smells amazing."

Y/n smiled. "I hope it tastes as good as it smells then." They both chuckled as Clary grabbed her plate and began to leave. "Going so soon?"

She nodded. "I have this... it's sort of um..." she seemed to be struggling. "Drawing. Can I show you later?" It was a habit she'd gotten from Y/n, losing her words when she was excited. She had been a little like that before being a Shadowhunter, when it came to art. Y/n fueled it again and set off her fire. She was more into art than ever and Y/n loved to see it, even if it meant one less person at the dinner table.

Y/n had been trying to have family dinners, but most of the time his efforts dissolved. Rarely did he get everyone. Usually he only managed to wrangle a few, and sometimes he ate alone. When a Clary left, it wasn't long before Simon and Izzy meandered in, lost in conversation about something. Y/n wasn't totally listening, as they were obviously midconversation and Y/n was lost as to what they‘d said up until now. They each grabbed a plate and headed out. Y/n sighed and watched them, but still said nothing.

Jace came next. "What did you think about the fight tonight?"

Y/n jumped and then chuckled. Jace gave a sort of guilty look. The blonde tended to hide his emotions, but when it came to Y/n he was always sorry to disturb the boy. Y/n had just seemed very pensive - nearly sad - and Jace hated the expression on Y/n's face. He was too used to the others who were trained to notice other people in the room even if they were quiet.

Quickly composing himself again, Y/n responded. "It was... cool, I guess. You guys are incredibly talented and there's something aesthetic about watching demons vaporize. It gave me a lot to think about."

"Like what?" Have asked, eyebrow cocked.

For a second Y/n hesitated but then Jace doned a prying look and Y/n was a terrible liar so he gave in. "You guys don't know what it's like to be human." Jace's expression darkened and Y/n flinched. "I mean, you have this angel blood that puts you above everyone else. You slay demons and purify the world and handle the boosting power of runes that any other creature would be destroyed by. You know what it's like to be angel. Except maybe the flying." The joke lifted Jace's mood a little. "But you don't know what it's like to... I mean, you're half human. But I can't imagine  any of you getting jobs or going to high school. Being vulnerable without the protection of your runes and the insane immunity they grant you. I mean- like earlier, I realized that Alec could one hundred percent kill me if he wanted to, and he would get away with it. No human would know, and no Nephilim would care so-"

"Clary, Izzy, and I would care." Jace seemed to have not meant to say it out loud. But he had and it stopped Y/n short.

He felt cared for and it made him uncomfortable. Jace could sense that. "Well that's... not the point." He blushed. "But thank you."

Jace nodded, then moved on to spare Y/n. The other boy obviously wasn't used to having people care about him. It made Jace remember that Y/n's life had been really hard. Y/n had spent almost all his life alone. Sometimes it was easy to forget with how kind and loving Y/n was. He was used to taking care of other people but being taken care of? Yikes. "Does it bother you?"

Y/n immediately shook his head. "Not at all. I don't feel in danger, at least. I trust all of you guys and know that none of you want to kill me. It does bother me though that you don't get to experience that normalcy. I mean does anyone here bake just for fun? Or have hobbies outside killing literal demons?" Jace went to speak but Y/n cut him off. "Clary doesn't count, she wasn't raised a Shadowhunter." Jace's mouth closed and Y/n sighed. "I just wish more... safe things for you guys. More fun and laughing and loving and less sneaking around in the shadows and killing. Thinking like that all the time... living a life where you only survive and hide and kill. I can't imagine it does good things for your mental health."

"I'm in perfect health," Jace reassured Y/n.

Y/n rolled his eyes. "No you're-" He stopped, shaking his head. He hesitated, perking up when an idea occurred to him. "What if I incorporated a little humanity into how we run things here? We can have like arts and crafts rooms and encourage people to utilize the library and the garden for things other than just necessities. I can enforce family dinners and we can congregate and have awkward family dinner discussions like normal people."

Jace smiled. "That sounds really nice actually."

That encouraged Y/n a lot. "Perfect, I'll start tomorrow."

"Start what?" Two sets of eyes turned to see Alec coming in the room. His eyes lingered on Jace, who seemed to be light on fire by the eye contact, as he was instantly on his feet, grabbing his plate, and heading out.

"Y/n can explain. He has a really great idea." He paused, smiling wider. "I'll see you at dinner tomorrow." Then he headed out, leaving behind a grinning Y/n. Alec snagged the last two plates, setting one by Y/n and the other on the counter next to him. He then pulled up a chair, turning it backward so the back of the chair was against his chest as he sat down, beginning to eat on the counter rather than the table to keep Y/n company. "What was that?"

Another idea hit Y/n then. "I'm going to bring some goddamn humanity to this Institute. You're all half human and you act like that's a bad thing or something! I'll start with a crafting room, and then using the garden and library for fun stuff instead of just what we need. We'll have a calendar with birthdays and celebrate each one with a proper little get together. AND, we're having family dinners from here on. Spread the word."

The authority in Y/n's tone took Alec off guard. "Will do." He found himself smiling a little. "I show you what it's like to be a Shadowhunter and you took from it that we need to be more human?"

Y/n mulled that over for a second, rather than letting it go as the joke Alec had intended it to be. "I don't want to erase your angel half. I know what you do is important, and that you guys save people and stuff. But even though you do good things for others, none of you do anything for yourselves. Self care isn't just staying in shape and getting food and sleep and healing yourselves when you get hurt. Do you have any hobbies other than fighting, Alec?" The Lightwood boy considered before conceding that Y/n had a point. "You showed me how to be a Shadowhunter. Now let me show you what it's like to be human." Alec's smile grew. "Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow," Y/n agreed.

-

The day started the same, with Y/n respecting that Alec still had a routine and also that said routine was one some people carried as well. The waking up early and doing a morning workout, more than the killing demons and keeping vampires, werewolves, and fairies in check, but still.

Next, Y/n pulled him over to his laptop where he was going to online school. As Y/n worked, he answered questions about high school and even middle school. The more he talked the more Alec's face twisted in a bitter expression, like he'd bit into a lemon. Y/n busted up laughing when he got to math and Alec moved away from the screen as if it had offended him. "Not as glamorous as kicking ass and taking names and saving lives and shit, but it's cool. I guess."

Alec shook his head. "Is this... necessary?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Y/n snorted. "Do you use math like this? Ever?" Alec shook his head no. "And you're far more productive than most people who graduate college- and debt free!"

There was a moment where Alec seemed speechless. When he spoke again, it was slow. "This is kind of nice though. Easier to.. handle." He eyed the math page again. "No, I take that back. This is much scarier."

Y/n laughed at that. "Less deadly though. I get it." Alec smiled at him. It was so small it practically wasn't there, but it was, and it was sweet.

After a while, Y/n put his homework away. "That's not due for a while. Having to balance the human world and the shadow world was difficult at first so one night I pulled an all nighter and got weeks ahead on homework. My teachers were a little miffed since thy hadn't taught me the material yet, but easy ones like English were easy to swallow. Just, read a book and write an essay. You know?" Alec did nod knowingly at that. "My point is, we've had enough of this and don't have to finish it for tonight, so now is a good time for a break." He hummed to himself, thinking. "Do you guys have a TV here?" Alec rose his eyebrows. "That's what I thought. Come on we're going to go to my place."

So they did.

Alec had never been to Y/n's apartment before. Y/n had been clearing it out slowly, but there were still some thing here. Things that he couldn't take with him to the institute. Things like the fridge and the big furniture and, yes, the TV. It wasn't that he couldn't fit his bed and couches in the Institute, it was just that it would make it official if he did, and things still seemed to be up in the air for him.

"It's nice." It was perfectly clean and bright. The curtains were drawn to let the sun in and the walls were painted a light baby blue. The whole place made Alec relax his body. He sat on the very comfy couch and practically melted. There was just a sort of ambiance here that gave Alec the impression nothing bad could ever happen here. Which went against logic and reason and experience and training... but I guess that programming wasn't enough to fight the way the couch dipping with Y/n's weight, next to Alec, felt like... safety personified.

The two watched a few movies Alec had never seen or even heard of. Halfway through the Lion King, Alec felt his body lean into Y/n's. Without missing a beat Y/n shifted his arm so Alec could lean into in more, even rest his head on the other man's chest. Every time Y/n moved or laughed or spoke Alec didn't just hear it. He felt it. It was amazing.

All too soon, the sun was down and it was nighttime. "Do you want to watch another one, or should you be heading to bed soon?"

Surprise overtook Alec when he realized what time it was. His body was completely undone and his heart rate had evened out. He'd never been this calm in his life. "I'm surprised Jace hasn't come hunting me down."

That made Y/n smile. "I told him the plan for today. Told him that I was commandeering you and if he showed up to steal you tonight I'd kick his ass personally. I may be a Mundane but that won't stop me from finding a way to knock the blonde out of his hair." A jerking laugh bubbled from Alec then at the mental image of Y/n doing such a thing. "Yeah," Y/n agreed, chuckling along. "Took some convincing to get them to all take the night off. Jace argued, but as much as saving people is important, taking care of yourselves is just as important. And after you showed me what you guys do every single day... Holy shit."

Weird feelings began to twist in Alec's stomach. He could lie very well, about a lot of things. He could lie so convincingly that Jace would back off, and Izzy would let it go. He could lie to his mother to meet her ever demanding expectations. Unfortunately, he could only lie to himself for so long until his realist side kicked in and demanded him to accept what was.

He was in love with Y/n.

Well, shit.

"What are you thinking about over there?"

Alec felt his stomach flip. Double shit.

"Just... uh." He flinched at his sudden awkwardness. Y/n frowned, noticing it since they were so close. "I just want to thank you. The way you've thrown yourself into our lives and way of living and have done your best to keep everything going and then improve upon it? It's amazing. You work really hard to make life better for us."

Y/n swallowed, his face relaxed but his eyes intense. There was something in those eyes that was begging to be seen and known, but Alec was too scared to acknowledge it. What if Y/n could see through him and wanted to just be friends? What if Y/n was trying to be polite? But if that was the case, wouldn't he have pushed Alec away? Why was he pulling him closer?

Then they were kissing and it was all because of Y/n and Alec didn't have any doubts anymore.

When they parted again, Alec's mind was racing and Y/n's voice was soft. "I'll always be here Alec. All I want to do is make your life better and easier and more pleasant. You deserve it."

This time Alec kissed Y/n, and it lasted much longer and was much more intense. When they parted for the second time, Alec whispered, "Will you move in for real? I want you around all the time. I want you close and safe and I don't want you to go anywhere else. I don't want you to have to."

Y/n smiled. "Anything for you."

-

Male reader tags: @sheepfather​

[indianamoonshine]

solo’s copilot ♡︎ chapter two / “all women should”

summary: “Then you realize...it's because he's starved. Starved of affection himself. Of adoration. Of touch. He'd been Kylo Ren for years, dwelling in solitude with no one to hold him, no one to make love to, no one to cry for. You realize then that he craved closeness and he wanted it with you."

rating: M for suggestive content

AN: hi friends! it's me - mikaela - your local ben simp. i should be working on my screenplay, but i can't get this story out of my head. i actually had a lot of fun writing this chapter! the thing that tasha did to reader - you know the one. the vagina thing? yeah. i actually had a friend do this to me irl.

Tasha's nails clink impatiently against her glass of mither. She's been itching to say it for the past hour - you know she has.

"So..." she begins ominously. You prepare for her greatest performance. What were best friends for? "Big night for Ben, huh?"

The two of you stand at the bar of The Water Hole, a local cantina, and watch as Ben (along with some other Resistance fighters) aggressively chug their ales. He looks wild and, truthfully, on his way to being fried. You can't help but laugh when he spills on himself, brow arching in confusion, and then grumbling when he sees the mess he's made. He pretends like no one saw, but you did; you always see him. The way that particular strand of his hair dangles over his forehead had you biting your lip as he laughed, completely unaware of how fucking hot he was. Sometimes you hated him for that.

You turn to Tasha, pretending not to catch onto what she's implying, but she's grinning wickedly at you.

"Yep," you say half-heartedly, continuing to observe the room.

It's dim, but bright enough so that you're able to distinguish faces from one another. Lance, a blonde man with an unfortunate amount of sweat stains, converses animatedly with Ben. Then there's Bella, a witty and stunningly beautiful woman with emerald hair who cozies up with her boyfriend. You didn't recognize all the faces here. Some of them were bounty hunters or smugglers passing through, but the ones you did know where notorious party animals. You had a feeling you'd be nursing a hangover in the morning.

Tasha swirls her drink with a slender finger. "Could be a big night for you, too."

Bingo. Took her long enough.

Still, you pretend it takes you off guard, and pretend to choke on your drink. "What?"

Your friend rolls her eyes. She means well, just as she always has, ever since the two of you were toddlers. Growing up with her should've made more of a rebellious impact on you but it didn't. Not to say you didn't enjoy drinking and being with friends - you did, just not every night like Tasha. And that was fine; she was good at it. Sometimes you wished you were as talented as socializing as she was; you might be predisposed to make the kind of money she did. Tasha, in addition to being a Resistance fighter, was also the center of many wealthy men and women's lives.

"Ah, don't play coy." She slaps you in jest, but her strength causes a sting.

You stick out your tongue like a child eating something sour. "Boys have cooties," you joke. You know very well Ben did not have cooties.

Tasha rolls her eyes and smirks, holding the straw to her mouth before continuing. "Even a blushing virgin knows what success does to a man." She takes a long sip while wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "It builds their ego..."

She takes a look at Ben from across the room. You do too. And despite how much Tasha adores you - how willing she would be to step in front of a blaster for you - she can't help but drink in the sight of the scoundrel who so handsomely laughs with friends. He's warm. He's kind.

He is absolutely perfect in every way. You don't blame her for the lust.

"Though, I don't think he needs much help with that." Her eyes fall lower and she does obviously enough so that you see where she's looking.

Tasha tears her eyes from Ben's - unquestionably - well endowed bulge. "You sure you can handle that?" she asks you with a wink.

You weren't the jealous type. Really. But everyone made their desire for him so loud; it was hard not to be jealous in some way or another. All the women (and men) on base who were gorgeous, intelligent, and very single were surely competent enough to take him from you.

But he hadn't left. Not in the five months you've been seeing one another; it's what you kept you from clawing peoples' eyes out.

"You're insatiable," you tell her. "Now you want him too?"

Tasha gives you an incredulous and pointed look. "You know I love you...but you also know that everyone on base wants him." She scoffs. "Don't pretend like you don't know that. You're so goddamned lucky."

You take a quiet slurp of your drink, eyes locked onto the way he concentrates to what Lance is saying. His eyebrows furrow and he nods, sucking the inside of his cheek and it makes his jawline more prominent. You feel a heat bloom in your body and know how lucky you are. For fuck's sake, you still can't believe it.

"He could be bad at it," you say then, though you know the idea is ridiculous.

Tasha shakes her head and light bounces off her pretty, blonde pin curls. "I wouldn't count on it. He has a reputation...just like his dad..." she says dreamily, as though she knew Han Solo personally.

There's a silence between the two of you before she says, "Are you prepared?" like she already knows the answer.

You shrug. "Can you ever be prepared for something like this?"

Tasha looks at you like you're not serious. Maybe she was expecting another answer.

"For sex?" Yes," she says simply. "God, you're the mature one, too."

"I have an implant if that's what you're wondering." You lift up your forearm to the light and see the outline of a very small, very faint chip embedded beneath your skin. It wasn't required in the Resistance - not anymore. But once you and Ben started dating, the idea of an accident seemed more plausible than what you'd like to imagine.

She looks thoughtfully at a space above your head. "Okay, yes, that's very important. But have you shaved?"

There's a pang of fear that lights up your abdomen. Shit. 

"I didn't exactly plan on this happening tonight!" you argue under your breath.

She doesn't take a breath. "What are you wearing?" Damn woman, cut me some slack, you think.

You blink a few times, trying to process her question, and crinkle your nose when you come up short. "Is that a trick question?"

Your dear friend looks exasperated and maybe even a little disappointed. After all these years of confiding in you about her various sexual endeavors, you surely could've picked up on the basics. Weren't you listening when she told you about the crotch-less underwear she wore for Mike in transmissions? Did you forget about the time she showered before a hook-up, swiped a finger in her vagina, and held it to your nose before asking, "Be honest...do I smell?" (No. You hadn't forgotten that - as much as you wanted to - but for the record: she didn't.)

"You don't have any lingerie?" she asks, dumbfounded.

"Why would I have lingerie?" you whisper heatedly and a little too quickly.

A man with a false eye turns his neck to glance at you, perplexed by the dialogue, but intrigued nonetheless. You glare at him and scoot farther away.

"Maybe because you're in a relationship with possibly the sexiest man in the galaxy, that's why!" she responds, throwing her free hand in the air for dramatics - she was always very good at that.

Tasha rubs her right temple as you cross your arms in defense, waiting for her to say something else. And then she does. An idea pops into her head, a lightbulb practically manifesting to gleam over her.

"T-shirt," she decides.

"Huh?"

"Holy fuck, are you this naive?" she asks, but she's hiding laughter. "Men go nuts when we do that. They like knowing we're smaller than them..." she cocks an eyebrow in amusement. "Though, that's never really been the case for me."

Tasha is tall. Six feet and two inches tall. You try to imagine her drowning in a man's shirt but couldn't possibly conjure up someone big enough to give her something to disappear in. Chewbacca, maybe.

You try to shake the thought away, to imagine one of Ben's plain tees hanging just below your shaking knees. How you could possibly work with that solely because you knew how much bigger he was than you. Throw on a little lip gloss, maybe. Mascara? Blush? No. No blush; he'll be getting you red enough.

Oh. The thought makes you clench.

But what if he preferred a woman who was natural? You wore makeup in front of him when he took you on your first date, honestly just for an excuse to dress in something other than your uniform. But because of the way his pupils expanded when he saw you, you decided to dress up more often. Did it matter? If he was worth it, he'd like you any way. And you knew Ben was worth it. Still, all these questions and all these rules for sex were overwhelming for someone who hadn't even given a blow-job. You take another drink of your liquid courage as your head spins with possibilities. They were endless.

Tasha watches with an enigmatic smile as you fix your hair to frame it the way Ben likes. "Okay," you say, but you're really only talking to yourself. "I'm going in."

-----------------------------

A wide smile forms on Ben's face when you arrive at the table.

You're shaking, but doing your best to hide it, hoping that the façade of alcohol might camouflage your trembling fingers. Ben reaches his arms out to you and you accept his invitation to sit snuggly on his lap. You fit in it perfectly, especially when your head leans back against the curvature of his shoulder. He caresses your arm and you notice how his fingers trace over the indentation of your birth control. For some reason, that triggers a primal instinct, and you press your face into his neck.

"Did you get anything to drink?" Ben asks, lifting your chin with his index finger.

You nod, eyes sparkling when they meet his. You can feel the nervousness slowly dissolve in your body, but it could be because of the alcohol inoculating through your veins. "I did, thank you."

"Why didn't you let me pay for it? I would've." He kisses your cheek softly and then the other. "How many have you had?"

You shrug. "Just one." You lean into his touch, relishing in the electricity that burns your insides. It feels so good. "Nothing I can't handle."

He smirks, but behind it there's something you can't quite put your finger on. It's wicked, but tempting. Licentious, but adoring. It makes you blush, especially by the way he so openly touches your face with such softness. You never expected Ben to be so unstirred by potential reactions from others. Who knew Ben was so into public displays of affection?

Then you realize...it's because he's starved. Starved of affection himself. Of adoration. Of touch. He'd been Kylo Ren for years, dwelling in solitude with no one to hold him, no one to make love to, no one to cry for. You realize then that he craved closeness and he wanted it with you.

For fuck's sake, it's bringing tears to your eyes. You try to stop them by burying your face in his collarbone again but it doesn't work. His beating heart, his breathing, his warmth makes you even more emotional. You want to wrap yourself around him until the two of you become one - until you can pass on whatever it was that he needed from your own spirit. Whatever he needed, he'd get from you.

Gods...did you...did you love him?

No. No, it's too early, you tell yourself. You can't love him. It could end just as easily as it began, even if he did love you back. Something would eventually happen - he could die, you could die, the spark could burn out after the honeymoon phase ended. This is what you've convinced yourself, not only with Ben, but with other men too. And they always did end up leaving, even if you begged them to stay.

"You okay, baby?" he mumbles in your hair.

His voice brings you back to life. He'd never called you baby before. You're surprised to find how much you like it.

You lift your head and watch as his irises seem to turn another shade of mahogany. "Yep," you smile, running your fingers through his hair. You begin to slowly run your fingers across his scalp as though to mend a wound that wasn't there. Not in the bone, anyway. His conscious; you'd try to mend his psyche, and maybe it was an unintentional move from your own subconscious. But you allowed it.

Ben hums from your gentle touch, forgetting about the drink in his hand. He sets it down and leans back against the booth, eyes shut, and smiling as you play with his locks, twirling them around your fingers. You admire the way it shines in the dim lighting - he took care of himself well. That means he could take care of you, too. The idea makes you shiver in his arms.

The group of friends talk with one another in loud, jubilant conversation. When Ben doesn't say anything after some time, Lance pipes up.

"How you doin' over there, Solo?" He's chuckling by the way Ben's loosened his limps while savoring your embrace.

It must be a sight to see. Ben's almost slumped over in his seat with only a couple of drinks in his system as a girl half his size twiddles with his hair. Solo didn't relax much - he was always on the move, so to see him in this state was probably more reliving than humorous.

Ben just lifts a hand, eyes still closed, enjoying your fingers as they dance around his face. You count the small moles on his skin his under your breath and trace the slope of his nose. Eck. What had you become? PDA hadn't ever tickled your fancy before, so why are you all of a sudden so fuckin' cringeworthy?

Then you realize you didn't care. Ben Solo was practically purring against you as you squirmed in his lap. And you knew by the way he snaps open his eyes, some kind of fire raging behind them, and grabs ahold of your hips:

That he.

Was going.

To fuckin'.

Wreck you.

You'd let him. And he knows that too by the way you squeal when he picks you up and throws you over his shoulder. He gives you a light swat on your butt as he stands and you burst into laughter, not giving a single shit about who thinks what anymore.

"Alright, Petals. I think it's time to go now," he announces and bobs you back into place against him.

Lance lets out a whistle that implies what everyone was thinking. "Have fun, you two!" he shouts from across the cantina.

And as you hoot with laughter - the kind of laughter you know is genuine - you spot Tasha at the bar. She holds up her drink and nods her head as though to say:

"As all women should."

[seizethecarpe]

Hunting Me, Hunting You || Dave and Rio

Timing: Current @3starsquinn​ @seizethecarpe​ Summary: Dave and Rio meet in the woods for some fun bonding activities Warnings: Some medical blood

Dave collapsed against a nearby tree, gasping with exhaustion. His legs and arms had a few nasty scratches on them, but considering the other guy… Dave wiped at his mouth, trying to clear some of the thick taste of blood from his lips. Instead, all he managed to do was smear it even further, and there was nothing to be done about the blood that had spilled right down his neck. It was his own goddamn fault, Dave thought, if he’d had his rifle with him, would have been a whole less of a problem. Seeing as this town seemed to draw the worst of all sorts of critters, he shoulda been more prepared. Rubbing at the scratch marks, he stared at the cockatrice he’d just torn the head off of with mild shock. Sure wasn’t what he’d had planned for tonight. 

Orion had heard the skirmish, but almost stopped heading towards it when he smelled the blood. He froze, unsure how far away the fight had been, but sure that wherever he was going it could be dangerous. The smell made Rio dizzy, a sickening feeling settling into his stomach. But he had to shake off that fear. Someone could be hurt, or worse. He ducked around trees, smacking his arms off of branches as he tried to weave between the foliage and follow the smell of blood. He finally broke out into a clearing and spotted a man, on the ground against a tree with a familiar creature’s body lying beside it. The cockatrice was a relatively new species that Rio had learned about, but he certainly hadn’t expected to see one lying against the ground beheaded. “Hey uh… are you okay?” Rio approached the man with caution, making sure to hold his hands up so he knew he wasn’t a threat while also trying to maintain a good difference in case the man himself was a danger. Once he got a better look he realized that the blood pooling off of his face and neck had come from his mouth, more specifically the sharp, jagged teeth of a selkie. Woah. “Hey there. Are you okay?” Rio asked again, but this time signed as he spoke, “Do you need me to call someone?” He didn’t know for sure if the man would understand ASL like Skylar did, but he thought it was worth a try. 

There was a piece of cockatrice skin stuck in his back teeth. Dave tongued at it until he could get it out, and spat it out right before he caught sight of the man approaching. For dangerous, haunted woods, there sure were a lot of people walking off the beaten path. Didn’t they know there were bears and screaming moose all over the place, according to the news? Dave stood back up rapidly even though the guy had his hands raised, but that didn’t seem to mean all that much in this town. He shut his mouth, hiding the teeth, but hadn’t caught the first thing Orion had said, so he had no idea what exactly was going on. Dave narrowed his eyes as Rio spoke again, this time following it with sign language. “Don’t call anyone,” he signed back without speaking. “How’d you know I was hard of hearing?”

Figures that the man wouldn’t want Orion to call an ambulance or anything. That seemed to be pretty common here in town, Rio himself included. There were plenty of injuries that Rio had sustained that he should have gone to the hospital for, but refused to. The longer Rio looked at the man, the more injuries he could pick out. The man had quite the battle it seemed, and Rio was worried that the man was in worse shape than he was willing to admit to a stranger. “Okay. I won’t call anyone. But can I come closer? To help?” Rio signed again, hands still raised in the air. How did he explain that he had a feeling the man would be hard at hearing and may know sign language? The easiest option would be to feign ignorance and pretend it was just a lucky guess. But something told him that the man was smarter than that. Instead, Rio decided for the truth. Or at least one facet of the truth. Rio pointed at his own mouth and opened wide to show off his teeth, “I know a couple of people. They are uh- they have teeth like yours.” Rio signed, hoping that told the man what he needed to know. “My name is Rio. Can I help you?” 

So he had seen Dave’s teeth and really recognised them. Sometimes, people tended to gloss right on over them even if they did see it. Same with his shadow. It just was the kind of thing ignorant eyes tended to skate over. Guess the blood drew a whole lot more attention to it. And the dead cockatrice, couldn’t forget about that. Rio didn’t seem uneasy about that, either. He clearly knew more than the average Joe, so after a long moment, Dave nodded. “Not too bad,” he signed, gesturing at the scratches on his arms and legs. They matched the already intense scarring on his limbs all the same. “Dave,” he replied, first by giving his name sign, then spelling out his english one to boot. “It just jumped outta nowhere, all aggressive like. Not a clue why.”

It was a little scary, seeing how much damage those teeth could do. It wasn’t something that Orion had thought much about before. Ricky could fight if needed, but tended to be pretty easy going. And Skylar was one of the nicest, most docile people that Rio knew. Neither had made him consider just how dangerous a selkie could be. Though Rio hardly had room to judge considering his own genetics. “They look pretty painful though.” Along with the blood and wounds, Rio could pick out a myriad of scars and cuts along the man’s body. He had no idea where they came from, but he knew they seemed remarkably similar to the ones hidden beneath Rio’s hoodie and pants. Thinking about them made Rio scratch at his arms reflexively. “I’m familiar with those things.” Rio signed and pointed at the cockatrice. The smell of blood coming from it was intense, and Rio used the sleeve of his shirt to try to block the scent. It only barely worked since he also had to use that hand to sign. “I mean, I’ve never run into one. But I’ve read about them before.” Rio risked taking a few steps forward. The man could be dangerous. The beheaded creature lying next to him was proof enough. But despite this, Rio believed him that he had done it in self defense. So Rio wasn’t scared, even though he maybe should have been. As long as this man didn’t have a deep hatred for hunters and as long as Rio didn’t out himself, all should be good, right? Rio crept closer again, leaning down on the ground in front of the man and sliding the book bag off of his back. “I probably have some wipes in here that we can use to try to clean some of the blood and dirt off. Are you okay with that?”

“Skin like leather, it ain’t too bad,” Dave signed back with a dismissive wave of his hands. Stung like hell and salt water, but it was the sort of pain he was getting more and more often these days. Every hunt was beginning to end with injuries. More and more, ones he couldn’t so easily shrug off. It wasn’t too bad in the water, where he was faster than most of the things around, and smarter. He wasn’t that much faster than anyone on land, and that was where his joints were beginning to give out. “I’ve seen them once before. A big one, nearly as big as a cow. Had killed half the farmer’s family before they got a hunter out for it. Think I got lucky with that one, barely the size of a fox.” He shifted, rolling up his shorts and then his sleeves as permission for Rio to treat him, although he was still watching the guy closely. He just looked like a normal, lanky kid, but that didn’t mean much at all. Looks could be all sorts of deceiving. He had his own shit for cleaning things up in the car, but he wasn’t about to say no to help, nor a friendly face. “So how come you know about selkies and cockatrices?” He asked curiously. 

The story was a scary one, and an eye opener. The book that Orion had read that mentioned the beast hadn’t mentioned them getting that big. It made Rio’s eyes grow wide thinking about. A family taken out by something like that, when they had seemingly not done anything to provoke it. Another case that someone like Adam or Alain would have taken with no reservation. A creature that should have been stopped. There were more and more of those cases popping up in Rio’s life recently. Could Rio have taken the cockatrice’s life by himself, without the likes of Kaden or Alain there to watch over him? “It might sting” Rio signed, not bothering to speak this time. He had never really spent time on the other side of the battle wounds. He was always the one that someone was helping bandage, or trying to clean his own wounds. Being on the outside felt like a sort of out of body experience, like it should have been Rio in the place that Dave was in right now. He started by trying to focus on the bloodiest parts, wiping them clean so he could get a better look at the wound itself. Luckily, like Dave said, they didn’t seem too bad. All the blood must have mostly come from the cockatrice. Orion held his hands up to answer Dave’s question but hesitated for a long moment before actually signing. He hated this part. Trying to explain how he knew what he knew. Having to pick between his lies. Because admitting the truth was so much worse. But now, Rio had a new answer that he hadn’t gotten the chance to use much before. “I’m..” He started but waved his hands away after deciding to restart the sentence, “It’s hard to explain. Have you ever heard of the Scribes?”

Dave nodding, gritting his sharp teeth as Rio moved over. He usually did this shit himself, unless he’d been hunting with someone else and they had to clean up each other. Most people tended to think that his injuries were worse than they were, on account of how goddamn much he bled relative to the average human, how much more blood he had in him. He hissed as Orion wiped away the blood, cleaning him up bit by bit. What was worrying was the way he paused at Dave’s question. Like he was preparing to hide something or lie about something. Not that he didn’t get the need for secrecy,  but jesus, he was bleeding and exposed in front of this kid, was it really that bad to ask for equivalent exchange. “Yeah, but they’re basically extinct nowadays. You’re a little young to have been one, considering they all but vanished fifty years ago.” He signed, and narrowed his eyes a little. “Might as well spit it out. Ain’t about to judge you.”

The man, Dave, yelped as Orion wiped at the blood and each time it made Rio practically jump out of his skin. “Sorry- Sorry. I’m not used to doing this. Especially to someone else.” He hoped this was helping more than it was causing pain, but the amount of blood was definitely concerning. “Right. Of course.” Dave was familiar with the scribes, which Rio couldn’t decide if that surprised him or not. It was hard to determine. On one hand, it had been mostly kept secret back in the day from people that were not knowledgeable of the supernatural. On the other hand, Rio wasn’t alive back then. He had no idea what the circumstances were like for those that did know about the supernatural. Had the Scribes had some lowkey way to advertise themselves? Maybe if Rio knew this man better he would ask. For now, Rio needed to decide how much of the truth he wanted to share. Having his throat torn out for being a hunter wasn’t at the top of his to do list today. “My uncle was one. Back in the day. Sort of.” Rio sighed before continuing to sign, “He tried to be at least. He joined more towards the end. He was always obsessed with the idea of bringing them back.” Obviously, that hadn’t worked out. Unless wherever he disappeared to was currently thriving from supernatural knowledge. For all Rio knew, he could have his own Scribrary now. “He showed me some stuff as a kid. So I try to learn what I can. Help out if possible.” 

"I can do it myself just fine if you ain't comfortable, kid." Dave replied, although it was concerning the way he said he was more used to doing it for himself than others. Especially for a scribe. Maybe if you grew up in a town like this you just got used to being hurt. But hell, the kid was young, right? Surely he couldn't have that much experience unless he was real unlucky, or he was looking for trouble. Which, considering that he called himself a scribe, might have been the case. "But it hurts because I got attacked by a clawed little fucker, not because of you cleaning it." Dave shifted, the harsh crackled barrel of the tree pressing hard against his back, scratching at his skin. I'm the brown of the foliage he caught sight of something moving, a small millipede creeping over and under the dead leaves. It wasn't easy to see when all the colours looked so similar, but that was why Dave kept his eyes focused on it as Rio cleaned, until the kid raised his hands to speak again. "From what I remember, it was always considered a tight line for Scribes. Folks didn't want to share and the scribes had to be really careful about what they knew and told others too. It came apart for a reason. Why do you want to bring it back?"

“It’s okay. You’ve been through enough. Clearly.” Orion gestured at the various wounds. Even if Rio wasn’t comfortable doing this, he needed to be. This was what it meant to help people, right? He would have to do things that he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. As far as that possibility went, Rio supposed that trying to clean and dress some wounds was along the more tame of those fears. Even if the smell of blood and the look of wounds were sometimes enough to make Rio dizzy and nauseous. “You’re right. From what I’ve read, at least. They seemed a bit narrow minded.” Rio didn’t know how to describe it any kinder than that. As far as he was concerned, the Scribes' refusal to move forward and think more progressively led to their downfall. But without having actually been there, Rio couldn’t say for sure if that was the nail in the coffin for them. “I want things to be different. I want to help people without being as outdated or… neutral. I don’t want to just keep the knowledge I want to actually use it to help.” Rio realized how idealistic it was even as he said it. “I guess it sounds crazy, huh? I’m just some kid. Restarting a fallen organization seems a bit far fetched.” Rio finished wiping the blood from the man and moved onto wounds themselves. He started to bandage what he could, careful to do it without hurting the man if possible. “Now that the blood has been cleaned up a bit, it doesn’t look as bad as I thought it might be. Can you walk, after this? If we can get to my car I can drive you anywhere you need to go.”

"Hmmm," Dave replied shortly. He’d never been the type to sidestep the difficult stuff, and this kid, no matter how well intentioned, wasn’t going to find his endeavour as easy as he probably thought. Never mind the lack of knowledge and wisdom thing, that just had to come with time. So he asked the difficult question, and weighed his expectations entirely against Rio’s answer. Hell, it wasn’t like he didn’t in theory have need for a Scribe. He needed to hunt down a fury, and he still couldn’t really understand what they hell they were. “But how do you choose the right person to help? How would you know who the right person to help is?” He shrugged off Rio’s concerns about his injuries. “Yeah, I can walk. My van is just a quarter of a mile away. It ain’t too bad, I just sat down because my stamina ain’t what it used to be. ‘Specially not on land.” He pressed his hand against the bark and hefted himself up into standing, some more blood spilling out of his scrapes, but he’d scab over soon enough. “C’mon, scribeling.”

 It was a decent question. Orion liked to hope that in the moment, he would be able to judge that for himself. That he could determine whether or not someone was the right person or not. But it wasn’t entirely lost on him that he tended to be a bit over trusting when it came to anybody without the surname Quinn. It was a quality that he knew needed fixing, but he still clung desperately onto. At the end of the day, that desire to make friends with and understand new people were all Rio felt like he had to offer. If he lost his ability to trust, what did Rio even have left? Still, he wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt if he found out that he helped someone kill an innocent person. “I don’t know, honestly.” Rio finally answered, the silence that lingered between them as he thought, making him too restless, “I don’t want to give out the wrong information to the wrong person.” By that, Rio knew he meant hunters. He wondered how Dave felt about hunters. Was it a given that all supernatural creatures hated them? Rio would understand why. “Maybe I need to develop some vetting process. Make them answer a bunch of questions before I decide if I should help or not.” It wasn’t exactly altruistic, but Rio had no interest in help any random person that wandered by with a supernatural problem. His end goal was to help educate and find some sort of balance or safe zone. Helping a hunter trying to neutralize a werewolf or fae meant nothing to him. The man forced himself up, the movement causing the bleeding to start again. Or speed up at least, Rio wasn’t convinced it had stopped at all. “Scribeling. I like that.” Rio chuckled at the name. He bet Winston would like it too. “Well I’ll just help you get to your van then. Make sure there’s not another one of those things roaming around. I think you’ve lost enough blood for the night.”

 “Alright.” Dave didn’t point out that the kid looked skinny and sorta on the short side, that if something else did jump out then it would be Dave doing the hard work, not the little human scribe who had experience bandaging himself up more than other folks. He took a step carefully, testing how stable he was on his legs before starting to walk in earnest, taking liberal advantage of being able lean on trees as he passed each one. “So, Rio, do you know- Hold up.” Dave said, shutting off his brief attempt at conversing as he gripped the bark of a tree.  Ever so faintly, it rumbled, with each step through the ground. If it hadn’t rained so recently, it would have been harder to tell, but damn, he could feel it. “Something’s coming. Get back, kid.”

Orion watched carefully as Dave stumbled through the forest. He didn’t stay upright so much as he teetered between trees. Rio wanted to let the man cross the distance himself considering he seemed to be pretty independent, but he would be lying if he claimed he didn’t follow closely behind, ready at any moment to try to jump forward to catch the man from falling. As it was, Dave seemed to be managing fairly well on his own, all things considered. The man began asking Rio a question, but cut off mid sentence. Rio paused, hovering closely to the man. Did he need a minute to catch his breath? But of course things couldn’t be as simple as that. Somehow, Dave knew that danger was on its way. The sudden panic made Rio’s own senses perk up. “We should run, then.” Rio suggested, studying the man’s condition. “You’re already hurt enough, right?”

“You should run. I ain’t got a clue which way it’s comin’ from, but I think I got a better chance with this thing than a newfound Scribe. I’ll be safer too, if I ain’t looking to keep the both of us alive. Now.” Dave growled. If he took his hand from the tree, he wouldn’t feel the reverberations of it coming anymore, and it still wasn’t close enough for him to hear, although if it was as close as it felt maybe Rio would be able to hear it soon. He wouldn’t need the tree roots deep in the ground resonating with steps in the soil to tell them that now. Bipedal, possibly something like a tail or pray being dragged along behind it. Please, not another fucking cockamabob. “Now!”

“What? No way. You’re joking right??” Orion asked the man incredulously, staring at him as if he had gone completely insane. He had read about Selkies a lot since befriending Skylar and Ricky. He knew that the amount of blood wasn’t necessarily indicative of the seriousness of the wounds. Selkies just had more blood than humans did. But the extent of the injury didn’t matter. What did matter was that this man would be in serious trouble trying to fight something off on his own. “You’re already hurt. You could die!” Rio was glancing around trying to figure out where the creature was coming from, but his stupid senses weren’t helping right now. “You don’t have to worry about keeping me alive. Seriously.” Rio had no weapons on him. He hated carrying them in the first place. Although he was trying to assure the man that he could take care of himself, Rio had no interest in fighting or wounding anything. But right now he wasn’t sure how much of a choice he would have. He glanced around, hoping to find a big enough rock or something that he might be able to use as a weapon, but nothing immediately stuck out. Eventually, he decided he would have to settle for something a bit less conventional. He grabbed at a large branch towards the bottom of the tree and yanked, cracking in easily and ripping it from the tree. He broke off the extra twigs and leaves attached to it and tried to wield the thing like a club, glancing nervously over at Dave and lifting a hand to sign, “You sure we can’t just run?”

“Like hell I don’t,” Dave replied sharply. They were close now. Where the fuck were they? The bushy undergrowth was hiding whatever it was, and he couldn’t feel enough with the damp soil and complete absence of rain. He was trying to keep quiet, just in case they hadn’t been heard up until right then, but there was little hope in that. Less, when Rio snapped the branch, but Dave pulled out his hunting knife, better prepared this time. It would have been a real good fucking idea to have his net and trident, but tough shit. “I’m sure. This ain’t my first rodeo.” There wasn’t much more to say beyond that, and there wasn’t much time to say anything more at all. Dave grabbed Rio and yanked him to his side just as two more cockatrices leapt out from between the trees, as big as the one he’d just killed. Possibly from the samy brood as this one. Considering how beat up he was, and that he had some human kid at his side, Dave didn’t like his odds. Without waiting a second longer, he feinted hard left, looking to their attention. 

Orion knew this wasn’t a good idea, he just wasn’t exactly sure why yet. Staying in general was a mistake, but Rio wasn’t sure whether he was going to be more of a burden in this fight. The thought of fighting back against the threat made him think of the troll. His arm began shaking while holding the branch and he felt glued to the spot he was in. But this was different, right? The creatures that were attacking were more like spawns. They knew only instincts. If it came to life or death, Rio knew who he needed to protect. Who to fight for. The cockatrices were fast, Rio’s hunter reflexes kicking in as he leapt away from the spot he had been in. Unfortunately, the reflexes didn’t do much for Rio’s balance. He had jumped away from the creature and right into a tree, crashing against it and stealing the breath from Rio’s lungs. He righted himself as quickly as he could, quickly looking around to find Dave. He definitely knew how to fight. Rio needed to make sure to not get in his way while also making sure to keep him safe. Both seemed easier said than done. “Decapitation,” Rio called out, hating the words as he said it, “that’s the easiest way to kill them!”

Great, he’d just get right on that then. Wasn’t exactly easy to decapitate anything fast with just teeth, as Dave’d learned on the first go around. Even as he feinted, he drew both their attentions, and one pounced before he’d even finished moving. Dave threw himself to the ground as it flew right over him, and scrambled back to his feet. Not nearly damn spry enough for this anymore. Didn’t make a difference that both of them were sized like rottweilers, because now there were two of them. He jumped on the one that had just leapt over him, crushing it to the ground as he tore his teeth through the wing closest to his mouth. The beast squawked, twisting and scraping him up as it wriggled out from under him, aiming a bite right at his throat. He threw leaves and forest debris in its face to avoid the deadly teeth, and got back on his feet just for the other to knock him down. “Get OUT of here!” He bellowed at Rio, although he wouldn’t lie, a hand, or even just a distraction wouldn’t be a bad thing right now.

It came down to a decision, as it usually did. Orion had options. Run away like Dave had told him to multiple times already. Try to distract the creatures and by Dave some time. Or try to attack them himself. None of the three were ideal. All three had risks. There was no clear answer, nothing that guaranteed success or a happy ending. So why did Rio have to make this decision when he was so freaking bad at making them? It was enough to make him feel nauseous, but only because it was obvious that Rio knew what the right choice was. He just didn’t want to do it. Not after how the troll had made him feel. Ignoring the sinking pit in his stomach that threatened to root him to the spot he was standing in, Rio pushed himself to move forward and raced up behind one of the cockatrice. He grabbed the thing by it’s tail while it was focused on going after Dave and yanked with as much strength as he could muster. The creature was pulled backwards, lifted off of the ground as Rio chucked it across the opening, its body slamming against a tree and collapsing against the ground. Not dead by anyways, but stunned enough for the moment to even the playing field. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to help.” Rio reassured Dave and stood his ground, just as Adam had been teaching him. The easy part was over. Now he had to figure out if he had what it took to kill the thing.

Dave didn’t question the second weight was lifted from his back and hurled away from him. He pushed himself back onto his feet, wishing they were near a water way. He glanced at Rio just long enough to orientate himself as to where his partner and his foes was. For a scribe, the kid packed a punch, and he stood in a trained stance, preparing himself. But Dave couldn’t shake fear he’d seen in Rio before. Problem with fighting without weapons was that he had to get damn close. Fortunately these things did too. When the first one, called Combsy, Dave decided, on behalf of its bright orange cockerel comb, lunged, this time he jerked right and stomped on its leg until the feather thin bones snapped. One wing down and one leg down, it was a fuck ton less of a threat. Dave hopped back as it lunged for his leg, before it squawked in pain, struggling to keep moving. “Can you deal with this one?” He asked Rio. Combsy wasn’t completely out for the count, but the other was shaking its serpentine neck and coming in for a second taste. 

Could Orion deal with that one? It seemed like a simple enough question from Dave, but not one that Rio felt like he could answer convincingly. “Uh- sure” Rio answered, hoping that he was right. It would have been embarrassing if Dave had to save Rio from this thing after assuring him that he could handle it. It would be even more embarrassing if Rio died to the thing. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, the cockatrice had no problem distinguishing which one Rio was and was nice enough to circle around Rio, ready to pounce at any moment. Rio found himself spinning around, trying to follow its movements but doing little more than dizzying himself. This thing was fast. Rio had the reflexes of a hunter but wasn’t exactly reliable enough to have the coordination of one. Once the thing pounced, Rio wasn’t sure that he would be able to dodge it for long. His only chance was to incapacitate the thing before it did too much damage. He shrugged his denim jacket off, wrapping one of the sleeves around his wrist to fasten it and then spreading out his stance to keep himself stable. Then he waited, until the beast’s movements slowed and Rio realized that he was jumping. He shifted as quickly as he could, raising his arms up as a shield and crying out when the beast bit down into his arm. There was a crushing pressure, but Rio didn’t feel into digging into his skin. One stroke of luck, the thing didn’t seem to have sharp enough fangs to get through the hoodie and denim jacket. Rio worked as quickly as he could, looping the rest of the denim jacket around the creature’s head and pulling it tightly. He tied the sleeves together and double knotted them, only letting go once he was sure the creature could no longer open it’s mouth. It lunged away from him, jumping up and down and rearing its head back and forth as it tried to get the jacket off. Rio took the distraction as an opportunity and found the same stick he had grabbed before and used it to smack against the creature, hoping that he could hit it enough to force it into unconsciousness. 

Unconvinced but satisfied with Rio’s answer, Dave turned his attention back to the cockatrice he’d been fighting, waiting for it to dart forward so he could lunge too, crushing it under his weight. Dave trapped the cockatrice under his body, one knee over each wing. Its broken hollow bones poked into his calf as it screeched worse than any human he’d ever heard. Damn thing wasn’t right, nor wrong, it didn’t deserve to die at all, let alone in pain. Its death was functional, so Dave twisted its neck fast until the crack of its bones echoed off the trees like a gunshot. That wasn’t enough to kill it, but it stopped squirming and screaming, and it made this last part easier. His teeth tore through scales and ligament and bone, until with a horrifying squelch it separated, spewing blood all over his face. The head dropped to the ground, and the body with it. “How you doing, kid?” 

 The monster hadn’t stopped moving, but it had definitely slowed. Orion was pretty sure he had managed to damage its wing. It was on the ground now, hopelessly pawing at the jean jacket wrapped around it’s head. The pointed edge of the large stick Rio had broken from the tree stabbed against the ground, and Rio was very aware how easy it would be to impale the creature and end everything. But everytime he went to lift the stick all he could think about was the troll and the way it had cried out when Rio had taken its life. The familiar loud buzzing noise started ringing in Rio’s ear. It was a familiar sound that took over whenever he became too stressed. The sound only cut out when Dave spoke from behind him. Rio jumped at the sudden words and spun around, glancing between the man and the creature with eyes all too close to bursting into tears. “I can’t do it.” Rio said solemnly, “I hurt him and I don’t- I don’t think I can do it.”

“Right, uh, turn away, kid.” Dave reached past Rio and yanked the branch out of the ground, looked down at the pointed end before nodding to himself that he was convinced it was shapr enough. His arm groaned in protest as he hefted the branch up and stepped down hard on the cockatrice’s wing, pinning it in place. It squawked and shrieked as it struggled against him, clawing up his ankle, but it dropped like a marionette with cut strings when Dave drove the branch through its heart. He watched its last, convulsing breaths, and then its shudder, and then it was over. Dave winced as he turned around, taking in the tear tracks on Rio’s face. “You’re alright, scribeling. It’s over now. I would have been mince meat out here if you hadn’t stepped in. Are you hurt?”

What an embarrassment. Orion was supposed to be the one saving Dave, not the other way around. He had come across an injured man in the woods and yet still somehow ended up being the one in peril. “I’m sorry.” Rio crossed his arms in defeat and stared at the ground as Dave grabbed the stick and moved towards the creature. When the creature started screaming, Rio tried to cover his ears. It didn’t stop him hearing, but it blocked out some of the noise. Dave was trying to comfort Rio, make him feel better. They were kind words, but not ones that Rio could accept at the moment. He wiped at his face with the sleeve of his hoodie and straightened back up. “I’m fine. Just a few scratches. I’m really sorry though. I wanted to get you out of here without any more damage. Guess I kinda failed on that mark.”

“Why’re you apologising?” Dave asked, rubbing his eyes. The cuts along his body stung in the cold air, but these sortsa things happened. He looked at the two dead cockatrices, wondering if they all had hatched from the same nest. Wondered if there was more of them coming. He put his hand against another tree, and didn’t feel anything else nearby, but without fog nor rain, it wasn’t that easy. “Hey, hey, c’mon now. You’re shaken up, I get it, but you didn’t control them things. You can’t blame yourself for us getting jumped. We’re alive, that isn’t failing. It’s the opposite.” He pat Orion gruffly on his back, and began walking haltingly them back out of the woods, holding his side where he’d been scratched up. “You’re alright, kid.” Strong as hell too, but Dave didn’t comment on that just yet.

“Sorry. It’s- I don’t know.” Orion rarely had a good reason to apologize. He seemed to be apologetic towards everything. Like being in his presence was inherently a burden. He knew that wasn’t true anymore. He had been around enough kindness and love now to know that he wasn’t uselessly taking up space. Still, the habit was hard to break. “I was supposed to help you. I ended up needing your help.” Rio tried to rationalize his mood, explain the thought process to Dave. Now didn’t seem like a great time. When Dave patted Rio on the back, a small grin began growing across the boy’s face. “Yeah. Sorry. You’re right.” Rio made a quick attempt to pull himself together, slowly walking over to the dead creature and unwrapping his denim jacket from its knotted position around the creature’s head. Probably a goner, but he didn’t want to just leave it tied around the poor creature. “Thank you. For helping. You’re pretty cool too.” Never one to know how to express his emotions normally, Rio opted for a thumbs up to distract from his blushing. “Are you good to walk. You can lean against me while we get you back out of the woods.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong in needing help. I just did.” Dave replied wrily, shaking his head. “Cool, huh?” Dave scoffed with a chuckle, even more tickled by the thumbs up. He took hold of Rio’s arm. “Let’s call this just in case,” he said with a wry smile, slowly walking them out of the woods. He wanted to know more about this strangely strong and strangely innocent Scribling, but covered in blood and in need of sleep was not the best time to ask. “We’re near my van. You good to get yourself home or do you need a ride?”

The walk to his van wasn’t far from where they had been. If things had only been slightly different, perhaps Dave and Orion could have made it without ever having run into those two extra creatures. But as it was, Rio couldn’t change the outcome for this anymore than he could for the troll that had been killed. Was he just supposed to accept this as the circle of life? It was supposed to be natural, but Rio still couldn’t think about it without a pit forming in his stomach. The extra pressure of Dave leaning against him didn’t had too much strain as they finished their journey out of the woods. Rio tried to be extra careful of twigs or roots to make sure he didn’t send them both stumbling, but he had no trouble supporting the man. The selkie was clearly trained to fight, and Rio had no doubt that he was smart enough to know what a hunter was. Rio had played those cards. Yet Dave hadn’t called him on it yet.  “No, I’m not too far from here. I’ll be fine.” Rio signed, pulling his bag off of his back and digging through it. He eventually pulled out a notepad and scribbled his contact information on it before ripping the page free and holding it out to Dave. “Just in case you need anything, let me know okay? It was nice to meet you. Despite all the violence.”

[asgardianthot]

Hunting Season (sambucky) - Part 4

Series Masterlist

A/N: ello :) I hope you’re all safe and sound, and I hope you’re surviving quarantine. Here’s an angsty update for you to enjoy! 

Words: 3329

Day 3.

The morning had prepared for the happy couple an hour of kayaking. Bucky got his tired ass to the lake with the least amount of motivation possible, for he had spent a sore night. The idea of Brock Rumlow spending the night in that house had his bones rattling. Sam, on his part, couldn’t blame him; Brock only stayed there when the two were an item, so the fact that he was tagging along indefinitely had ‘ill intentioned’ written all over it. Bucky’s theory was that Brock probably thought he was gonna crash the lunch party and win him over again, stay the night at their old bed instead of a small guest room downstairs.

On the bright side of matters, Sam and Bucky were still the only ones to have a hunting clue. The envelope that had fallen out of the Viktor Frankl book had a hand-written note, specifically placed there by Nana. It read as following: If you found this clue, congratulations, you have a brain. Frankl was more than just a man in search for meaning: he was a neurologist and a psychiatrist, as well as a philosopher. It’s not hard to guess why my husband was obsessed with him. Now find out more about the author and try to guess what else he and Theodore had in common. You’ll know where to look.

Those words meant absolutely nothing to Sam, but it made some sense to Bucky. All they had to do was research about the author of the book and find a connection, for now. The rest would be a problem for later.

Right now, meaning at that very exact moment, Sam’s problem was kayaking.

“Okay, so what now?” he asked Bucky, holding the paddles like they were going to hurt him.

The second the word ‘kayak’ had been brought up when discussing future activities, Sam knew he would make a fool out of himself, for it was something he had never done, while the rest of the guests had been practicing every summer since they bought the damn house. Still, he put on his swimsuit and showed up. For Bucky. They were the ones closest to the lakeside, as Bucky was still teaching Sam, meanwhile the other Barnes were already paddling away or messing around in circles, as they prepared for a race.

“Now, you kayak.” Bucky replied simply, which earned a death glance from Sam.

He was already having enough trouble adjusting to the new sport, which left him with little to no patience. Fortunately, Bucky pitied him and laughed as he moved to the front seat, agreeing to help.

“Okay, wait,” he grunted as he struggled to accommodate behind Sam, “let me help you.”

Sam felt the warm pressure of Bucky’s chest against his back without any type of warning, and flinched a little. He could feel the drops of water that hadn’t dried out in Bucky’s skin stick to his own, and it sent shivers down his spine. He decided to believe the shivers were caused by the startling feeling of water droplets.

“You’re holding it wrong.” James explained as he took the paddles from Sam’s hand.

Wilson rolled his eyes, “Of course I am.”

“Someone’s cranky.” Bucky remarked, “Didn’t sleep well?”

Sam thought hard about that one. As a matter of fact, he had woken up plenty of times during the night, only to find Bucky struggling to catch his own sleep next to him. The situation was weird as it was, so Sam pretended to miss it.

“You kick your feet a lot.” Sam lied.

“There’s always the divan.” Bucky reminded him.

“Will you shut up about the damn divan? No one should sleep in anything called like that.”

However, the ridiculous discussion came to an end when Bucky managed to get Sam to paddle correctly.

“That’s about the hang of it.” he congratulated him before turning his body and dropping it into the water.

The water barely reached his chest, so he stood there in waits for Sam who accomplished his goal of successfully kayaking away.

“Now come back to me.” Bucky instructed his apprentice, “Turn.”

Watching him swirl the canoe so concentrated, Bucky couldn’t help but find him slightly adorable. Perhaps it was because he hadn’t seen Sam learn something like that before, but it definitely was a good look on him. A smile creeped up his face, however, it didn’t last long. Soon enough, his ears picked up on a conversation behind him. He saw that uncle Milo was talking to Brock, and he only then figured they probably had been the entire time, which made him feel observed and, most of all, uncomfortable. Bucky was so distracted by the interaction that he almost didn’t see Sam returning to him, but he noticed right on time to stop the tip of the kayak before it hit him.

He shook it off by shooting a smile in Nana’s direction.

“Sure you don’t wanna hop in the water, Nana?” he messed with the woman who looked over everyone from her chair.

“I want another drink, sweetheart.” She messed with him back.

Bucky winked at her and returned his attention to the fake boyfriend, who seemed a lot more comfortable with the sport. They most likely wouldn’t win the race, but at least Sam wouldn’t feel bad for sucking at it.

“You know what?” Nana’s voice was loud and clear this time, which got everyone’s attention, “First one to get me a drink gets a clue."

The bold statement was followed by hesitant glances. Most of the family exchanged weird looks, none of them sure of how to proceed.

"Is she for real?" Bucky said, frowning.

Then, cousin Colin jumped to the water from where he was paddling, and started swimming towards land. Rebecca went second. Bucky and Sam were quick to notice how they were the ones closest to the lakeside, which didn’t make it seem like Nana was unbiased. If anything, it made the couple look like the favorites. Alas, Bucky and Sam climbed onto land fast, hearing people rush across the water behind them, until they heard a scream.

As they both turned towards the noise, they saw Rebecca slapping her hand around, swallowing water, and barely managing to yell the word ‘cramp’.

Bucky dove back on the water to save her. Literally. As Sam awaited kneeling on the shore, he couldn’t help but notice nobody else went to help. As usual, Bucky was Rebecca’s knight in shining armor.

"Rebecca, are you ok?" Winnifred barely asked above her usual tone to be heard.

The siblings were too busy trying to stay afloat –Bucky dragging her to land and Rebecca coughing her lungs out– to answer, so the mother insisted.

"Rebecca?"

Luckily, Sam cut in to get the unhelpful and mediocre concern away from the scene, "She- she's fine! We got this!" he assured the woman.

Once the siblings reached the wooden shore, Sam pulled Rebecca up by her arms while Bucky climbed up, panting. The young woman held her leg in pain.

Right on time, Brock approached them to save the day.

He extended his hand towards Rebecca, "Here, let me-"

"Get the fuck away from us!" James shot him an aggressive warning while placing a hand on Rebecca's back, not dignifying the man with eye contact.

Rumlow raised his hands in defense, "Just tryna’ help, Jamie."

The snap in Bucky’s brain might as well have been hearable. He was so done with the hovering figure he used to call his partner, everything in his head went red with fury. He looked up at him with such rage, Sam anticipated his outburst even before it happened.

"Shut up, Brock, shut up!” He yelled directly at him, microscopic bits of spit being thrown in Brock’s direction, and followed by a uncomfortable, still silence, which Bucky couldn’t stand either, “Are you deaf or are you a fucking idiot? I said leave!"

Rumlow accepted the offense and shook his head, putting on a disappointed façade.

"You're insane." He informed Bucky before turning on his heels.

As the man walked back inside the house, the spectators of the show remained silent. All that could be heard was Bucky’s heavy breathing, until Rebecca spoke.

"Way to go, brother." She whispered, which was only heard by Sam and Bucky.

Bucky’s expression revealed how shocked he was at his own courage to pull off such a stunt.

"That felt so good." He admitted, drawing a big proud smile on Sam’s face.

-

The outburst that morning, no matter how fulfilling, had taken a toll on Bucky. The rest of the day, it was all he could think about, and therefore, it naturally got the paranoid spinning wheel in his brain running at full speed. Cousin Colin, after the lake scene, was the only person insensitive enough to actually go through with Nana’s demand; the man had brought his grandmother a nice summer drink from the kitchen, which the lady received with a roll of her eyes. Unfortunately, she had promised the deliverer a clue, so she reluctantly kept her word and gave him the help in private.

It didn’t necessarily worry Bucky nor Sam, because the couple still felt they were winning so far. They had found the first clue by themselves, no help needed, so the best Colin could do was keep up with them before they got the advantage again.

No, what had them both worried was this cocktail gathering after dinner, right now. It was too early for anyone to be tired enough to go to bed, but it was late enough for people to start making bad decisions. That had been Bucky’s case. Drink after drink, worry after worry, the liquor had found its way into Bucky’s system long ago. In fact, he was sitting down, resigned to his sorrow, with a glass of champaign in hand.

He was wasted, and Sam could tell. While Bucky played around with the almost emptied glass, Sam’s chest felt heavy.

"He's watching." Bucky suddenly said, his enunciation already affected by the booze.

His eyes were fixated somewhere in the room, over Sam’s shoulder. The latter didn’t need to turn around to know who he meant.

"Don't pay attention to him." He shrugged it off.

"He used to do that,” Bucky, however, acted as if Sam hadn’t even spoken, “when he didn't approve of something."

"Hey.” Sam called, demanding his attention, “Hey, look at me. I'm here with you, okay? Not him."

As much as Bucky wanted to lean into those words, embrace the support and such, he knew it wasn’t truly real. Sam was there to help him out of pity, or so he thought. He used to love imagining having a boyfriend who would take away the pain, wipe away the tears caused by Brock. He used to like that image, but sometime in the horrible long-lasting relationship, he just didn’t think it possible. Anyone loving him after Brock? Anyone putting up with that baggage, with the lurking ex-boyfriend watching them at all times?

It simply wouldn’t happen. It’s why he wasn’t there with an actual boyfriend. It’s why he had to play-pretend with Sam. In his head, there was no place for anyone to love him. Not after he’d been chewed on by Rumlow and spat out a hundred times.

"But you're not.” Bucky sad dryly, almost insulting, “Not really. I'll never get the real thing."

Sam’s brain had a hard time with that one confession. Did Bucky mean that getting his friend to play fake boo was the closest he'd ever get to a boyfriend from now on? Or as he implying a world where Sam could have become the real deal? His confusion left him almost speechless.

"And why is that?" he managed to ask with a heavy heart.

Bucky was too quick in answering Sam’s doubts, "Cause I'm messed up. 'Cause of him."

That being declared, James stood up from the table, leaving his company sitting there by himself, rudely. Sam watched him get to the bar, which consisted of a few tables set up for drink service, attended by one of Nana’s kitchen employees. It did the trick in looking fancy enough for an improvised bar, and still, Bucky managed to look fairly pathetic, leaning on the table and ordering yet another hard liquor.

For the next half hour, Sam brought himself to chat and interact with the Barnes, but mostly, he was checking up on Bucky every other minute. Fortunately so, since it allowed him to spot Rumlow as he approached the drunk figure. Wilson excused himself and headed straight for the bar, and was noticed by the man who looked, as usual, like he was up to no good.

"Samuel, we were just talking about you." Brock greeted him cynically.

"Leave him alone." Sam said, not messing around.

Bucky’s eyes were fixated on his drink, avoiding exchanging gazes with his ex, no matter how hard Brock tried to catch his attention.

"I don't think anyone should leave him alone like this." Rumlow cocked a brow, giving off the most pedantic posture yet.

As much as Sam didn’t wish to sound just as condescending as the ex-boyfriend, he needed him to back off. So he stood his ground, planting himself in front of Bucky, and raised his chin.

"Oh, goodie, that's what I'm here for." He clarified with a taunting tone.

All of a sudden, Bucky decided to stand his ground as well. Unhappy with the exchange of words about his state, he got himself in front of Sam, stumbling a bit.

"I don't- don't need anyone to look after me." He managed to croak out, frowning.

After he delivered the words, he propped himself on the table unsteadily, causing Sam to gesture catching him, but Bucky seemed to be partially alright on his own. Brock, on his part, gave him a deeply disappointed look. Suddenly, Sam understood so much; the paternalistic vibe he gave off, like you’re nothing for yourself and are in desperate need of his aid. The way Rumlow judged people could get anyone to doubt themselves. Luckily, Sam wasn’t giving in.

Brock extended his hand to the more-than-tipsy man, "Come on." He said, more a demand than an offer.

The response was even more abrupt than that morning by the lake. In sight of his hand so near him, Bucky’s paranoia crippled through his bones, provoking a different kind of outburst.

"Don't touch me, you fucking maniac!" he yelled, taking a step back.

Sam’s skin crawled. During the tense silence that followed, he felt eyes staring at them three. Brock, however, didn’t seem nearly as shocked, but instead acted like this was just typical Bucky. He did seem embarrassed, though, being the victim of the scandal for the second time that day.

"Let's go." Sam pleaded, not daring to touch Bucky in a jumpy state like that.

That was Rebecca’s cue for approaching the lot, allured by the fuzz.

"What's going on?" she demanded an explanation in a low, but harsh tone.

"Nothing.” Rumlow spoke before anyone else got the change, “He's making a scene, as usual."

Rebecca shot him a threatening glance, to which he simply rolled his eyes and abandoned the bar area. Sam took his place in order to check up on Bucky’s face, and found his eyes beginning to water. He was frozen in place, eye sockets reddened by the drunkenness and lips caught between his teeth.

"James, get it together.” Rebecca whispered, “Everyone's staring."

Although Sam was expecting more comfort from the man’s sister, whom just so happened to be scolding him for no reason, he kept his quiet this time. The two sober characters dragged Bucky’s body to the nearest chair and forced him to sit down, which only attracted more attention towards him, but that way he could remain still and far from tumbling scandals.

"Get him some coffee before he embarrasses himself even more." Rebecca told Sam, sternly.

As she kneeled sat next to her brother in order to pretend normality, Sam just gave her a look of disbelief. He didn’t think she could act so heartlessly before.

"You're a real sweetheart, you know that?" he threw her a sarcasm dagger, refusing to move.

"Believe it or not, I'm helping him.” She spat, looking around frantically in hopes no one was judging them, “Coffee, Samuel, please."

Sam took one last good look at Bucky before obeying the very persuasive sister. The drunken mess was avoiding all sorts of eye contact, and was almost pouting like a child. Wilson didn’t have much else to do but get himself to the kitchen, although reluctantly. At that moment, he hated everything; every person and light were getting under his skin, and even the sound of glasses clinking together pissed him off. Right before he reached the kitchen, the sound turned muffled, abandoned far away, and there was a sense of peace. Silence. And breaking through that silence, there was a sharp voice.

“I’m telling you, this is our chance.” The voice echoed from inside the kitchen.

It was unmistakably Rumlow’s. Of fucking course. The man was a goddamn ghost lurking around every room of the massive house. Sam was determined on turning back, until he heard another voice responding.

“Give me a few days-“

“I don’t have days to give you.”

It sounded like an altercation that had just recently began, right before it could get too heated.

“Is your lawyer not your personal bitch this time?” the other man accused Brock, “You not screwing him, too?”

“You want the money, right?”

The inciting question was followed by a tense pause. Therefore, Sam seized his chance and walked into the kitchen, hopefully being able to pretend he hadn’t heard any of it. He recognized the other man as uncle Milo, when the two angry men straightened themselves too quickly, in an attempt to dismiss their previous altercation.

Sam gave them an uninterested glance, “Am I interrupting?” he asked nonchalantly.

“What can we do for you, Samuel?” uncle Milo raised his voice with false friendliness.

“I���m just gonna make some coffee.” He replied, waltzing towards the busier side of the kitchen, further away from them.

Before he could even get a hold of the coffee maker, Rumlow’s forceful interruption made Sam stop in his tracks.

“Nicole can take care of that for you, right darling?” he called for the maid in a patronizing tone, “She’ll even pour it for you and everything.”

Sam glanced at the woman who was still putting the dishes away when it definitely was the end of her shift. It wasn’t just about Rumlow’s treatment of the staff, it was everything, from the way he put Sam in an uncomfortable situation, to the smirk on his face while doing so.

“No thank you, I got it.” Sam told the working lady.

“Actually, she’s got it,” Brock insisted, this time much more taunting, “that’s her job.”

Sam found himself cornered, and resigned, although not without showing his discontent. He pinched the bridge of his nose and agreed tiredly.

“Fine, uh… Can you just take it up to James’ room when you get the chance?” He forced a smile in Nicole’s direction, whom nodded politely, “Thank you.”

When he was leaving to return to Bucky, Sam took a turn on his heels at the last minute. His blood still boiling, he gave the two plotting men a small but clearly exaggerated reverence.

“Goodnight, Mr. Barnes.” He let uncle Milo know his anger wasn’t directed towards him, then spoke directly to Rumlow, “Fuck you, Brock.”

“Classy.” The appellee complained.

“You’re right.” He lied, then turned to the maid one more time, “Nicole, my apologies for such rudeness. On behalf of Mr. Rumlow, of course. I guess money can’t buy decency.”

After addressing that last insult to the obnoxious man, Wilson headed back to the cocktail gathering in order to retrieve his drunk friend.

[phcking-detective]

UH 💚

💚  drunk kiss

***

Nines leaves the bullpen. It is getting far too loud and crowded, nearly every human and android in the building crowding around the lieutenant's desk to see the box of puppies he and Connor brought in to the Christmas party in order to encourage adoption.

There were six puppies. Now there are only four. Leaving to track down the errant two is as good as an excuse as any to leave.

It's not that Nines dislikes the adolescent dogs necessarily. He simply doesn't see any particular appeal, certainly not to the point of baby-talking and enduring urine accidents.

The missing puppies are easy enough to track by the stray fur and one little repeating paw print. Apparently, one of the puppies had stepped in another puppy's urine puddle and has tracked it along its route into … the breakroom.

Having heat vision also helps. That's what initially alerts Nines to the possibility that the puppies' escape attempt included human help. There is one human heat signature sitting in the corner of the breakroom, with one small puppy heat signature laying beside them. The second puppy heat signature is a bit more difficult to pick out, given that it appears to be in the human's lap, and therefore blurs into the human's own heat signature.

Nines enters the breakroom to find the puppy-stealing human has turned the couch over onto its side, then shoved it over to form the hypotenuse between the two walls of the corner where they're hiding.

It does seem to be a fairly effective method of puppy containment.

But Nines so focused on locating the puppies that it isn't until he physically enters the breakroom that he registers the voice of the human inside the makeshift barricade.

"Hey, puppy, hi puppy, who's puppy? Who's puppy? You're puppy!"

"Detective Reed?"

Nines would honestly be more likely to believe Sixty has kidnapped the puppies, mimicked the detective's voice, and lured him into a secondary isolated location in order to deactivate him than consider the possibility of his asshole human partner being …

"Fuck off you uppity GPS!"

No, that is his partner.

"Why have you abducted two adolescent dogs, Detective?" Nines asks, approaching the couch.

"They're called puppies, dipshit."

Nines peers over the edge of the upturned couch to see Gavin sitting in the corner with one puppy in his lap and another puppy waking up from a nap at the arrival of a new person. The puppy in his lap squirms around to face Nines and frantically wiggles its entire body in greeting. When Nines continues to observe them without physical interaction, the puppy begins to whimper.

"Aw, hey, it's okay, s'okay, I love you," Gavin tells the puppy.

Nines calculates the possibility that this is all a simulation put on by Cyberlife, or perhaps an errant virus contracted from interfacing with a deviant android witness.

The second puppy puts its paws up against the back of the couch to get a little taller and sniff at the air. It barks at him.

"Why have you abducted these puppies, Detective?" Nines asks.

"Weren't fucking treating them right," Gavin mutters, hugging the puppy closer. "Did you hear what Hank said about naming him Major?"

Nines silently shakes his head.

"Major pain in his ass," Gavin quotes, then scowls. "It's not his fault! He's just a baby. It's not his fault he cries when he's alone and gets jealous of the other puppies and isn't as smart. He just wants someone to love him, he's a baby."

To Nines's shock, the detective's tear ducts engage at the end of his defense. He sniffles and clears his throat, not looking at Nines.

He has heard the many indictments against the puppy named Major. Connor confided in him that he would be difficult to home. Out of the six puppies, this one has the worst separation anxiety, often peeing and chewing on things if left alone, to say nothing of the barking and howling. He also caused problems back in the bullpen by howling repeatedly whenever he felt another puppy was getting more attention than him, which was the majority of the time, considering there are five others.

And he hasn't even begun to understand any of the commands Hank and Connor have been gently introducing to the puppies to prepare them for another home. The others all at least have some concept of Sit, Come Here, and staying still for grooming. But this puppy just seems … a little stupid.

Yet Detective Reed, the least understanding human in the entire precinct, [loves] him.

Meanwhile, the other puppy jumps and attempts to scramble up the back of the couch, but of course it can't find any purchase to do so. It slips back to the floor, but seems neither injured nor perturbed by the failure.

"That one doesn't like to be touched," Gavin explains while Nines watches the antics. "Everyone kept trying to grab her and hold her, and it was stressing her out. She was about to start biting, and then they'd be all, oh she's a bad puppy, she's aggressive, even though they're the ones that fucking messed with her."

Nines notes his LED spin yellow.

"So yeah, I grabbed them and got them out of there." Gavin glares up at him. "I can give Major all the attention he needs, and the girl-puppy can be left alone."

Nines does not criticize his decision. He can't. He's too busy analyzing, calculating. He does not have a social module, not like Connor. Not like bright, happy Connor, who always knows what to say and what facial expression to make, and even when he doesn't, it's [cute] instead of [creepy] and he doesn't understand why.

Maybe it is simply in comparison. Any mistake or flaw of his predecessor automatically looks lesser in comparison to how [wrong] RK900 always is.

And the attempts to help.

"Help."

Humans insisting on shaking his hand, trying to grab his arm or his shoulder, taking it upon themselves to teach him to "hug" and "smile."

Connor insisting they interface to deviate him.

The whispers and the stares, the only android who hasn't deviate, the poor machine.

He has remained partners with Detective Reed despite the human's poor attitude first and foremost due to their unrivaled amount of cases solved, but Nines admits a secondary benefit is in fact the human's poor attitude. All the yelling and cursing and throwing things keeps the other humans at bay, and if Nines simply orbits closely enough to Gavin, he stays within an ironically protective circle where the only person he has to deal with is the detective himself.

Which actually hasn't been so bad. He can simply disable his audio processor to ignore the worst of the yelling, and it is not as if any of the name-calling or swearing actually hurts his non-existent feelings. He returns in kind with [decaying meatsack] and [unevolved flesh monkey], their bickering cooling down to a more routine banter.

But he had always considered that an incidental benefit. It never occurred to him that his partner could be smart enough to--to notice. To …

Help.

"Oh shit, hey," Gavin whispers.

Nines refocuses on the scene before him: the girl-puppy has discovered that she can wedge herself between the end of the couch pushed against the wall to half-climb, half-shimmy up a little farther. Gavin slowly moves his knee over until it's right underneath her kicking leg to give her better support until she eventually manages to scramble all the way up on top of the couch.

Of course, this amount of attention paid to the other puppy sets Major off on another crying fit, but Gavin quickly assuages him once the girl-puppy is safely on solid footing.

The girl-puppy runs over to the middle of the couch looks up at Nines. He stares back down at her. She sniffs at him, then barks again. She hunkers down, paces back and forth, and looks up at him.

Nines kneels in front of the couch so that he is--

The girl puppy jumps onto his shoulder and scrambles on his slick Cyberlife jacket, biting his ear and hanging onto it. Nines reaches up and holds his arm underneath her the way Gavin did so she can steady herself. She gets her feet beneath her and stands on his shoulder.

"What does it want?" Nines asks Gavin.

Gavin shrugs, a new expression on his face that Nines has never seen before. It appears to be a large [smile].

"Puppies like licking faces," he says.

Nines frowns at him. The girl-puppy shoves her nose into his ear. If he were human, he would have flinched, but he is more efficient than that.

"Is her nose supposed to be cold?" he asks.

Gavin laughs. It is … a new sound. "Yeah."

Major takes the moment of distraction as an opportunity to jump up and prove Gavin's face licking hypothesis correct. Gavin turns his head to the side to avoid getting licked in the mouth, although he keeps laughing.

"Hello, puppy! Yes, hello! Hello! Did you miss me in the three seconds I talked to Nines? I'm sorry, I still love you best, I love you!"

The girl-puppy finishes sniffing inside Nines's ear canal and moves on to sniffing his neck, then up his chin, to his face. That leaves her straining forward and starting to slip again, so he quickly places her back on top of the couch. True to Gavin's word, she squirms and barks the second his hands are on her until he releases her. She recovers quickly though once he lets go and keeps his hands below the edge of the couch where she can't see.

Nines leans in closer to inspect her, and the girl-puppy does the same to him. The other dog Sumo has been accused of "knocking up" was apparently a Chow Chow, which means the all of the resulting puppies are guaranteed to grow up to be very large and very, very fluffy. This puppy seems to have gotten the most of the Chow Chow genes, with only her size and coloring reflecting her Saint Bernard parentage.

He doesn't know enough about dog breeds to determine if her curiosity and propensity for nose work to be a quirk or breed-related. He opens his mouth to tell Gavin the face-licking hypothesis does not apply to this puppy, but she shoves her entire snout into his mouth and sniffs his tongue.

Gavin thinks this is hilarious.

Nines huffs air out through his mouth, and the puppy immediately withdraws and sneezes.

"Ho-ho-holy fuck," Gavin cackles.

"Is that a new Christmas song?" Nines asks.

Gavin finds this hilarious too, slipping sideways until he lays on the floor. Major resumes his face licking attack, which makes the human laugh more for some reason.

It is … a [good] sound.

 “Are you gonna keep the girl?” Gavin speaks up from the floor when they’ve both calmed down.

Nines considers the puppy, who currently has both front paws against her face so she can lean up and sniff his LED.

“Are you going to keep the boy?” he asks back.

“Dunno. Probably hafta go back to therapy or something,” Gavin says, sounding almost sober. “Can’t have anger issues and a little puppy.”

Nines does not know what to say to that, so he does not. But he does note to himself that his partner is much more emotionally intelligent than he assumed.

“Your puppy is named Major, correct?”

“Yeah.” Gavin half-sits up. “Why, you need help picking a name for yours?”

“No.”

Nines cradles the girl-puppy mostly with his arms as he draws back, and allows her to harmlessly slide down his chest and into his lap. She looks around and sneezes twice, but maintains a good attitude about the experience.

Brave, smart, determined. And her natural desire for nose work could make her into an excellent cadaver dog.

“I have a name chosen.”

Gavin looks over the edge of the couch at them. “Yeah? What’d you choose?”

Nines tries to [smile] at him. He is aware the actual expression more closely resembles a [grimace]. Smiling is not one of the four facial expressions Cyberlife allotted him, and it is not like he could (or ever would) see a Cyberlife technician to install more.

But if he looks [stupid], Gavin doesn’t comment.

 “Commander.”

“Oh, motherfucker!”

Nines tries [laughing] too. The most he manages is a burst of glitchy static, but it is more than he has ever dared try in front of any other person before.

It is a [good] sound.

[drops-of-moonlights]

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: Season 5 (The Rage of the Merfolk Prince)

Or, in which I give the basics of what I’ve changed about the story for the AU. It was originally way more descriptive but if I kept it in that style I would have finished in 2039 and I ain’t got time for that. Let’s cover Season 5 at last!

WINX REDUX AU SUMMARIZED: SEASON 5 (The Rage of the Merfolk Prince)

It’s been a few weeks since the adventure in Nevere and Zeisterna, and the Winx come back from Earth after having helped out with the preparations to fully join the Council of Magix.

Roxy and Selina come with them, both now soon to start classes in Alfea and Cloud Tower respectively. They all are tired, just having helped with an oil spill near Gardenia that took them by surprise.

Selina bids farewell after getting directions, and after finishing up Roxy’s remaining paperwork (most of everything else she filled out on Earth with Klaus and the Black Circle’s help), they also say goodbye - classes don’t start for another week, and the Winx have stuff to do.

A few hours later, on the Order of Mana’s Roccaluce base, Tecna, Musa and Flora are granted the title of Guardian Magi - now recognized as heroes of their realms thanks to their deeds, and able to directly interfere in any situation that proves dire.

After the ceremony and a lot of congratulations (as well as the girls meeting Tecna and Flora’s parents for the first time), Aisha is called by Tressa, who tells her that Tritannus has somehow escaped.

After a short panicked scream and her attempts to immediately go to Andros stopped by the rest, Aisha elaborates on who Tritannus is. (You can learn more about him here! for the rest of his fam, go here)

So far it seems Tritannus escaped with the help of a group of magi, but his actual whereabouts are unknown.

On Mareia, near the Highpeak Prison for Troublesome Merfolk, a merman is escaping, alongside three witches - Tritannus, aided by the Trix. The Trix had been relocated to that prison for the time being, and thanks to Earth’s recently-opened Ocean Gate, some of that spilt oil entered Mareia.

Tritannus, using his knowledge of toxins and the like and aided by the Trix, manages to poison the guards even with the magic limiter placed on him, regaining his trident (and the Trix their weapons), making a run for it.

The magic limiter is undone on Tritannus forcefully, making his aura and magic overflow, his eyes gaining the magic high light.

After forming an alliance with the Trix, he explains them his plan of revenge, and with how useful the oil proved, they decide to go to Earth and get more.

The Winx go back to Earth for three days right before classes start, wanting to actually spend time relaxing with Bloom’s parents, the guys tagging along to properly explore the city as the last time they visited it was to fight the White Circle.

Tritannus and the Trix make it to the Earth Gate, but are stopped by Lemmy and Phylla, the Selkies of Earth and Andros. After a short fight, the Selkies lose, and Tritannus takes the chance and steals one of the pearls in each of their necklaces - holding the power to freely traverse between the gates. Linking them to himself and the Trix, they make their trip at last.

While exploring the city, Sky pulls Nex aside and shows him a jewel necklace - the Heart of Arturia. He’s planning to give it to Riven as the official signifier that they’re dating, as they haven’t announced it to the general public yet and Samara’s pressuring him about it.

Sky is unsure about using the Heart for it as it can have the meaning of engagement and he doesn’t want to scare Riven off, and Brandon’s advice to give it to him as soon as possible has made him more nervous. Nex suggests to give it to him when an opportunity presents itself, and that he’ll know when to give Riven the pendant.

The day goes by without any major incidents until sunset, when a surge of oil seems to spout out of the ocean, coating the beach and mutated fish suddenly attacking.

Everyone transforms and starts fighting the monsters, the guys stay behind to protect the beach while the Winx advance into the sea trying to search for the source.

After a few minutes they find Tritannus and the Trix, and with Aisha recognizing her cousin the fight goes underwater. The girls struggle to fight well in Believix (so do the Trix), eventually both teams retreating to regroup and think about how they will progress. During the fight back at the beach, Sky loses the pendant after being forced out of his armor, falling into the seas. This sends Sky into a minor panic, due to the superstitions surrounding the Heart. Riven can pick up something’s wrong with him but doesn’t bring it up, knowing full well how his boyfriend works and that he needs to calm down first.

After helping to clean up the next morning, Bloom meets with Mitzi to give an actual goodbye, keeping a promise made with her after having disappeared for 3 years. Macy is also there, holding a small weak-looking flower in a pot. She reveals to Bloom that she seems to be developing magic, and somehow managed to make this flower sprout. She has called it a Lilo, as it was made using lily seeds.

After a short talk, both sisters leave to the park, a flower rally happening that day as an incentive for more people to go green after yesterday’s shenanigans.

From the shadows, the Trix can sense incredibly magic budding in that flower thanks to Macy’s inexperience, and conclude that if it blooms, it will release plenty of magic for them to absorb, which will hopefully fix their issues underwater.

After a few hours (since Mitzi had to run some errands and Macy wanted to tag along), the Trix take the chance to strike while the girls are distracted, attempting to steal the Lilo. They don’t foresee Mitzi immediately round kicking them all at once, grabbing Macy and going as fast as she can on her motorcycle, telling her sister to call Bloom for help.

They manage to elude the Trix for a bit and take refuge in the mall, hoping the increased amount of people will make them drop their pursuit. However, Mitzi only knows of them thanks to Bloom’s stories, and her expectations prove to be false when Icy casually covers the place in frost.

Macy tries to fire weak spells to try and delay them using the plants in the area, but her magic is still untrained and they’re quickly burnt by Stormy. However, the plants retaliate and immediately ensnare Darcy and Icy, Macy looking surprised.

The spell was Flora’s, who arrives with everyone else to protect the sisters. The Winx go confront the Trix directly, while the guys escort Mitzi and Macy out in the confusion. After a short battle, the Trix go after the Lilo again, the Winx following suit.

During the escape, they briefly go past the park, and Macy decides to simply plant the Lilo around the rest of the plants and then enchant them, hoping that will be enough to mask its signature and make the Trix take too long to find it. Seeing the logic behind that, the guys agree, and with help from Helia and Nabu the whole park is enchanted.

The Trix arrive at the park and are confused at all the magic in the area, and decide to simply go after Macy again and force her to talk, though she’s visibly less harsh than she would have been with Mitzi. She’s defended by the Specialists and the Winx again, but Icy finds an opening and grabs her, lifting her to the air. She starts to threaten her but Flora intervenes, managing to bring Macy back to the ground and starts to fight Icy one-on-one.

It’s an intense fight, as Flora’s very aggressive physical fighting style is starting to cut away at Icy’s defenses, and right when she’s about to strike the final blow, she is struck on the back by Stormy. She starts to fall but picks herself up, and realizes a sudden magic rush is starting to burst from the garden.

The Lilo blooms, left unattended during the fight and the extra magic from it feeding it, releasing a torrent of energy. The Trix move as fast as possible and manage to absorb the magic, sadly realizing that it was less than what they thought they would get. They try to retaliate against the Winx, but Flora and Macy manage to make a convergence spell, a torrent of petals, leaves and branches suddenly pelting them and hitting them, driving them away back with Tritannus - they got what they wanted.

Macy is sad about what happened but Flora commends her work, impressed at how someone as young as her made a flower as interesting as the Lilo. She suggests to train under Eldora if she has the chance, now that Selina’s at Cloud Tower she could use the help from time to time. Macy accepts, and after taking a while to relax among the flowers, everyone leaves for home, Mitzi and Bloom moving their hangout to tomorrow after the shenanigans of today.

The next day goes without incidents, and after bidding goodbye to her parents, Bloom and the rest go back to Magix, to start their 4th year of class properly. The guys outside of Helia and Nabu start their 6th and last year at Red Fountain, while Nabu signs up for the 2-year program at Alfea.

Bloom and Dia reunite after three months of not getting to see each other, and decide to catch up on lost time. Flora is approached by Krystal, recognizing her childhood friend, leaving Flora confused. She reveals she was Rosa, the girl that used to play with her and Helia on the woods, and also sit down to catch up.

Afterwards, the group goes to talk with Faragonda, explaining the situation with Tritannus and the Trix and how their mainly-underwater actions make it harder for the girls to confront. Faragonda doesn’t try to dissuade them from attempting this as Aisha having personal links to the case is not something she can dismiss, so she tells them they might need to obtain Sirenix to properly deal with Tritannus.

A few moments later, the Winx asks Daphne about Sirenix, and how they can get it bothering her about her own journey. The Princess is reluctant on letting them try it as its trial can be hard to deal with, but eventually relents and tells them what she did - one must get 3 pearls from the various seas of the system, and then bring them to one of the Springs of Sirenix to obtain the form.

However, they need to kickstart the quest properly, and for that they must find the Grimoire of Source Forms, that houses the riddles used to begin the quests for the elemental transformations. Daphne does mention that simply befriending a Guardian Selkie would be viable as well, as that’s what she did with Politea, but the Winx go with the book as that would be faster. A copy of it is guarded in the Magic Archive, and so the Winx begin their search.

They decide to call the guys to help with the search given the archive is massive, and Helia also reunites with Krystal. On their way to the archive, Sky talks with Flora about the pendant and his worries, and Flora advices to simply focus on finding the the Heart first, and then see what he does with it.

Nex and Krystal end up in a conversation after a while, and seem to hit it off nicely.

On the swamp of Melmamora, the Trix and Tritannus ponder what to do regarding the Trix’s inability to properly fight underwater - even going back to Enchantix is giving them trouble. Tritannus then remembers about Sirenix, and believing the Winx will try to get it as well, the Trix go to Alfea, expecting to get indirect answers from them.

On the Archive, everyone starts to help with the search of the Grimoire, and after a few hours, they manage to find it thanks to Concorda’s help. It’s at that point that the Trix strike, making a mess of the place and start to fight for the book. Krystal helps as support, her powers over healing proving helpful in short bursts and her small control over plants helping Flora from time to time.

However, while on the highest points of the Archive, a bad move and an attack by Stormy damage Sky’s wings, making him fall to the ground. The armor has a safe fall spell embedded that helps Sky to not die from the fall, but he still hits the ground hard.

Tecna, who currently has the Grimoire, takes advantage of the show to cast a duplication spell, keeping the original hidden. She throws the copy to the ground while rushing over with everyone else to Sky, and the Trix, believing it to be the real book, grab it and leave.

Krystal and Helia manage to undo most of the surface damage together, but when Sky wakes up, he seems to have lost his memories. This is bad for many reasons.

A few days pass, and not even the Winx’s and Faragonda’s Onyrix powers are enough to help him remember more than his name and role as prince - something inside him is keeping the memories blocked for some reason, and until they discover what it is they can’t do much. Flora, Brandon and Nex have an idea of what it could be, and both boys volunteer (alongside Riven and Dia) to help him recover his memories more gradually by recalling their relationships to each. The Winx are still worried about their friend (Bloom and Stella mainly), but Dia reassures them they’ll find a way to help him, and that they still need to start the Sirenix quest.

The girls then go back to their dorm and try to open the Grimoire, but to their surprise they can’t. After a few more attempts, the book itself seems to talk - saying that it needs a key to be opened before they attempt the quest. It says to look for it in the “lush place blessed by Aethernae”, before going silent again.

On the seas of Andros, Tritannus and the Trix manage to open their version of the book - and obtain the same results, though mentioning a place guarded by Voidoleire rather than Aethernae - Tecna’s copy of the book was good enough, and worked the same way. They realize that Sirenix would also grant them access to the Infinite Ocean, and that would be immensely helpful to their plans.

After a quick search by Tecna, they determine that the most likely place the Grimoire meant was the Shrine of Aethernae in Graynor. With Stella’s staff, they quickly teleport there, and find themselves face to face with a Pixie. Introducing themselves as Natalira, they then guides them to the altar, where they assign them a challenge - they must find the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle, and convince it to come to the altar without using magic or potions to enchant it.

The Winx then split in teams of 2, and after some contraptions and challenges (as well as some bonding moments), they reunite as they see a fight between a manticore and a griffin.

The fight starts to escalate to the point the girls start to feel in danger, and as such transform and look from a distance. The griffin manages to do very heavy damage and ends up kicking the manticore to a cliff, the beast hanging on a branch for dear life. The Winx realize it’s about to break, and with a convergence spell they manage to bring it back to safety. Stella and Aisha take care of its injuries, Tecna and Bloom try to calm it down, and Flora and Musa get it some food and water to replenish itself.

The manticore nuzzles them all, and then suddenly shifts color - its grey fur and mane suddenly turning rainbow. It was the Creature of the Rainbow Mantle all along.

The Winx then manage to bring it back to the shrine, and congratulating their kindness, Natalira gives them the key to the Grimoire - a key decorated with different-colored gems. 

The Winx thank them, and as they open the book (as they brought it along with them), it asks one final question: are they completely, truly sure they want to start a Quest? Using the book method only gives a time limit of a full lunar cycle, and if they fail to finish in time they won’t be able to try the quest again in 3 years. The Winx agree wholeheartedly, knowing that Aisha’s family and the oceans of the system are in danger and this will be their best chance.

At this, the book flips to the page holding the first Sirenix riddle, and the Winx feel a sudden rush of magic - they have obtained Harmonix, as their minds, hearts and souls were perfectly aligned (“in full harmony”, so to speak) in their decision.

On Daumme, in an island near Oppositus, another Pixie gives the Trix and Tritannus the same Key. With the Trix and Tritannus also agreeing to the quest, thought out of a desire to be powerful, they are given Harmonix as well.

The first riddle speaks of Shimmering Shells and of subtle songs, both Aisha and Tritannus recognizing that as a place near Andros and Mareia.

The Winx then decide to do each riddle in different groups of three, so one team can advance the quest while the rest do research on Sirenix itself, as well as trying to help Sky recover his memories.

Stella, Aisha and Bloom go to Andros, and with Roy’s help, they arrive at the Shimmering Shells. However, once they do dive down there, they realize Tritannus and the Trix have already been there - and have taken the Pearl of Ingenuity for themselves. They have corrupted the Shells making them hostile, so the three Princesses try their Harmonix powers on them, healing them. As thanks, the Shells provide the next riddle. On the way, they meet Lemmy and Phylla.

During the trip back, Tritannus has paid a visit back home, and has managed to poison his father as well as Nereus, putting them out of commission and into the dungeons - Ligea and Tressa having escaped. He proclaims himself King of Mareia, and guards the palace with his mutant fish to delay a rescue.

They also run into Illiris and Sonna, stealing a pearl from each gaining access to the seas of Solenei and Daumme.

It’s then that he reveals his true plan to the Trix - the only way he can actually ensure a long reign is if he’s powerful enough for the other realms to try and not bother, and that’s only obtainable in Infimare. At the promise of further strength, the Trix keep their alliance, but do discuss in private that they’ve been through this song and dance before and having an escape route ready should be top priority.

The next riddle told by the shells spoke of the Azure Valley and of a gorgeous shield, Stella remembering that’s right in front of the coasts of Astrael, Solaria’s capital.

Stella, Flora and Aisha go to Solaria, while the rest stay back to try and help with Sky’s memory during a short trip to Roccalucce. Sky seems to be making slow progress, but something seems to still be plugging his memory. Nex and Brandon talk about what they could do about the pendant, and if they should tell the girls.

The other three reach the Valley (meeting Illiris, Solaria and Quarzis’s Selkie), but run into Tritannus and the Trix. After a short fight, he mutates a passerby jellyfish, and after realizing the place they’re in is gonna cave, he leaves the fight to the mutant.

The girls try and heal the thing but it’s too fast for them, and after Flora gets hit by its tentacles (slowly getting poisoned), Stella starts to panic. However, she notices a rusty shield on the floor, and after a second of hesitation she dives in to grab it, and bashes into the jellyfish with enough force to knock it down to the floor. She then uses the shield as a canalizer for her magic, firing a beam of light removing all the corruption.

As the jellyfish leaves and Aisha heals Flora, the Pearl of Self-Confidence manifests in front of Stella, a small seashell-like box appearing as well to store it - the Winx have their first pearl.

The next riddle speaks of a ruby reef and of a sweet memory, Musa immediately knowing it means Melodeus. She elaborates that the Reef is a popular tourist destination near a city called Famire, and it was her mom’s favorite place.

Musa, Stella and Tecna leave for Melodeus, while the rest start to do more research on Sirenix and on Tritannus with Daphne’s help. The name of Politea keeps popping up on searches, and Daphne feels a twinge building up.

on Famire, after a few minutes of searching, they find a massive harp made of coral, as well as Tritannus and the Trix. They fight again, but after a miss from Tritannus the Winx manage to defeat them, sending them back running. They meet Sonna during the fight as well.

Musa plays the harp, the memory of her mother fresh in her mind guiding her, aided by the other two thinking of how Musa might be feeling and trying to match her rhythm. After they finish, the Pearl of Empathy appears - only one pearl left for the Winx.

The next riddle mentions a sunken castle and a shining beacon, Tecna thinking of the legends of the Databridge Castle on Zenith.

Bloom, Aisha and Musa arrive with Roy, and meet Lithia, who acts as the Guardian of the Castle’s ruins as they’ve had issues with scavengers before. Roy wants to come with, having heard of how the building has remained in perfect condition after all these years and thinking this is his best chance - revealing to the girls as well that he’s a Sorcerer, transforming into Energix to go with them.

As they make their way, they’re ambushed by mutant fish sent by Tritannus, delaying them, the merman and the witches getting ahead.

The team has trouble coordinating and cooperating, one of the fish poisoning Aisha and Tecna making them argue. By the time they’re done and reach the castle, they find Tritannus and the Trix have already claimed the Pearl of Cooperation, having solved a challenge fairly easily.

Both teams are 2 for 2 now, and this worries the Winx, fearing they’ll get access to Infimare not knowing what their true goals are.

The next riddle speaks of the sea of flowers and of approach, Flora recalling the ancient Ocean of Blossoms near Lynphea and Dolona.

Flora, Tecna and Musa leave for Lynphea, as the three princesses are busy helping Daphne on Domino - a grand ball will be held to honor her achievements once more on Nevere and Zeisterna. Brandon and Nex finally tell the Winx about the pendant and how that might be linked to Sky’s repressed memories, and the Winx promise to help look for it if they have the chance - it’s probably still on Gardenia’s seas.

As they say this, Phylla and Lemmy find the pendant, and decide to keep it as a trinket for now - they now the Winx fought there a few days ago and they might be related.

On Lynphea, the girls find themselves in a sea covered in giant flowers - Flora explaining it was a result of the massive spell used during the Primaverian War. Diving deep, the girls face a massive flower, and also meet Desiryee, the Selkie of the area. She explains the flower is what will guide them to the pearl.

When they try to approach it they’re intercepted by Tritannus and the Trix. During the fight, Icy is ensnared by the plant, revealing its nature as carnivorous. The Winx try to take advantage of the distraction and search for the pearl, but are surprised at seeing Darcy, Stormy and Tritannus working together to save the witch.

They manage to sever some of its leaves, freeing Icy and obtaining the Pearl of Bonds. At this, the villains have all 3 pearls necessary, and decide to leave to look for a Source of Sirenix.

The Winx are in a panic, as they only have a week left to complete the Quest and they’re still missing the last pearl, while Tritannus and the Trix might already have Sirenix.

The book then gives them the last riddle, talking about a yellow reef, of bravery, and of a long-lost place. Thanks to Daphne, the Winx discover this means a reef on the northern coast of Domino, with Bloom, Stella and Aisha going, hoping to be back before the ceremony starts in a few hours.

Tritannus has found a Source of Sirenix near Salett, and as they go towards it Icy decides to stay back and dip for Domino for a bit - she has something to do in the country and the pearl’s magic should work even if she’s far away. The rest agree though Tritannus is confused as to why, and as Icy leaves, the other two explain to him that she has family on Domino and is still close to her little sister somehow.

The Winx arrive at the Yellow Reef and after meeting both Serena and Nissa, they find themselves as the prey of a massive shark. After a few rounds of eluding it and taking advantage of the place, the Winx realize the shark has the final pearl on its fin.

Bloom, not thinking once more, dives into the shark trying to approach it, and after three close calls she manages to get on its back, taking the Pearl of Courage.

The three princesses then come back, happy that they managed to obtain them all, and as they’re leaving they meet with Phylla. She shows them the pendant she found on Earth, and matching the description of the Heart of Arturia, the girls take it with them.

On Domino, the ceremony goes without much issue, and after showing the pendant to Sky (him then getting a severe headache), Nabu manages to finally “unplug” his memories, remembering everything.

At this, he takes the pendant and, with Daphne’s permission, takes a stand. He announces formally his relationship with Riven, and in front of everyone, gives him the pendant. Riven is just a tad confused, but is happy the relationship has been properly formalized, and kiss a bit on stage.

On a different part of the country, a young girl is walking around in the snow, taking a turn on an alleyway, at the edge of town. She meets a tall woman, and after a short hug, they catch up on how everything’s going for them - it’s Sapphire, meeting with Icy.

They try to catch up with what’s been happening (their parents are slowly rebuilding their business empire back to nobility, are trying to suck up to Bloom and Daphne as much as possible), and Sapphire questions her about what she will do if everything goes south. Icy tells her that she already has an escape plan ready and is surprised Sapphire is not trying to stop her.

Sapphire answers she has long since given up on that and as long as Icy doesn’t do something that directly affects her negatively she’ll be fine with whatever happens. After another hug, they both leave, and Icy starts to consider what will she and the Trix do if Tritannus fails.

Meeting up with the rest again (and sharing her concerns with her friends), they all reach the edges of the country of Salett in Antocea, where a Source of Sirenix resides. The source accepts their pearls, and a portal to Infimare opens.

The Winx, meanwhile, are told by Daphne that there’s a Source of Sirenix on Lake Roccaluce. The girls express confusion at this since it’s a freshwater lake, but Daphne tells them that Magix has been heavily terraformed the past few centuries and the lake is what’s left of an ancient sea, and that’s why the Source is still there.

The girls arrive and the source accepts their pearls, and a portal of Infimare opens.

A projection appears for both teams of a larger Selkie - Omnia, as she calls herself. She takes the pearls and dissolves them, dispersing their dust over their finders and sending them through the portal.

They can all feel the power of the oceans flowing through them, their forms changing and their magic adapting to a sudden pressure - they had all obtained Sirenix.

As they finally arrive, the Winx meet Omnia in person, who warns them that Tritannus and the Trix have also obtained the form, so they must be careful. The Winx explore a bit of the place and go back, wondering still what Tritannus’s goals are.

The Trix and Tritannus also arrive on Infimare, and at this Tritannus elaborates on what he meant by power - the Throne of the Oceans is a very magically-charged place, and if he can absorb the energy into his trident, he can keep the other realms at bay while he rules Mareia. He elaborates that to access the power they need to destabilize the three Pillars of the Ocean first, however, so they get on that.

A few days pass, and the Winx decide to spend a weekend on Earth with Roxy and Selina, as summer is close to ending and they want a nice sunny day on the beach. Even if Selina and Tecna might be turning into lobsters.

However, the beach is suddenly filled with jellyfish. This is not the most common of occurrences in Gardenia, but the jellyfish suddenly mutate and start attacking everyone. Everyone transforms to fight it.

The fight goes more or less fine for most of it but the jellyfish unmutated are still an issue, so Aisha and Flora end up dedicating most of their time to sending them back into water. Tecna, Musa and Stella focus on fighting the monsters while Bloom, Selina and Roxy try to protect the beachgoers and their families.

It’s during one of these attacks that Roxy defends her dad (who was also helping everyone), getting stung harshly on her side. She manages to recover fairly quickly from the hit, however - the act was enough to earn her Enchantix, and with her extra power she manages to mass un-mutate the jellyfish.

The Winx seem to suspect this was an attack from Tritannus, but Roxy informs them that’s not the case - from her readings gotten from the animals with her magic, the mutation seemed to just magically happen. This worries Flora, as the potential of Wild Magic suddenly running amok on Earth is a worrisome thing. The three Gardenians are confused at this, and Flora elaborates - it’s ambient magic gone haywire for some reason.

The girls are concerned but Roxy reassures them that she’ll get the Black Circle look into it further, and after an extra day to relax they get back to Alfea and back to chasing Tritannus.

On Infimare, the prince and the Trix have managed to find their first pillar - the Pillar of Light. With a convergence spell, they manage to slowly destabilize the pillar.

A sudden burst of energy seems to happen on Solaria, the Lantern of the Sun and the Mirror of the Moon alight and emitting strong waves. Radius and Alessandro go into the chambers housing the objects and try to figure out what’s wrong, but Radius is hit square-on by the energy and falls unconscious.

Chimera, now back on Solaria, reaches her dad and stepdad and manages to cast a barrier on the room, trying her hardest to contain it. She manages to hold it long enough, but she ends up detransforming from fatigue.

On Magix, the Staff of Stars also seems to be reacting to this unbalance, but Stella manages to calm it down enough simply by encasing it in a bubble of light. The Winx rush out to Faragonda’s office to consult her about this, and run into Griselda on the way who was fetching them.

Faragonda then explains that the Pillar of Light on Infimare has been attacked, which is directly linked to the three royal treasures of Solaria driving them haywire. The Staff was not as affected since it’s now linked to Stella herself rather than the pillar, but she does inform the Winx that it might be Tritannus’s work. 

Stella, overcome with worry, teleports to Solaria, while the rest of the Winx go to Infimare to search for Tritannus.

On the desert country, she runs into her mom, as well as into Alessandro and Chimera. She initially questions Chimera’s presence but brushes it off and asks about her dad - Alessandro then tells her he’s very badly hurt by the waves of magic the Lantern and Mirror gave out, thought it can be healed with time. Stella herself then looks for him and tries a few of her healing spells, which seem to alleviate the situation.

The Winx managed to track down Tritannus right as he finished destabilizing the power, taking the seal with him. He claims that the seal is what he needs for his plans for the Throne of the Ocean, giving half-truths to throw off the girls as he leaves with the Trix. The girls do try to give chase but give up, prioritizing making the pillar stable again.

On her way out, she bumps into Chimera, and while she’s still not comfortable with the Beta fairy around, she does accept the girl’s request to talk. She apologizes about everything she did when allied with Valtor, and while she doesn’t expect forgiveness or like Stella still, she does want to be on at least cohabitating terms.

Stella tells her to try her best to control the items until she can get back, especially since she will inherit the Mirror when the marriage becomes formal. Chimera agrees and while they’re still on not good terms, they have achieved an understanding.

While Stella leaves, Chimera realizes finally confronting Stella and talking about the past was enough to grant her Glamourix.

Transforming into Sirenix, Stella reaches the girls, and realizing there might still be a link between her Staff and the Pillar, they all focus a convergence spell on the top of the staff, then using it as a direct path to the Pillar, Stella unlocking her Sirenix special spell: Light of the Abyss. This manages to stabilize it again, the Lantern and Mirror calming down.

Back on Solaria, Radius seems to have woken up and while still dizzy, Stella, Luna and Chimera’s spells (aided by Alessandro’s potions) managed to heal most of the damage. Stella is grateful and joyous, but realizes that Tritannus’s goals might start to affect the rest of the realms properly.

Faragonda seems to have realized this as well, as she has gone to the Order of Mana’s site in Lake Roccaluce, demanding a full assembly of the realms to deal with Tritannus now that his goal has moved past Mareia and Infimare. The Order tries to counter that he’s still not enough of a threat despite his goals with the Pillars, but Faragonda simply answers with the fact that similar inaction is what let Valtor do all the things he did 2 years ago. At this, the Order is forced to properly call a reunion.

After a few days (in which the girls get a tentative map of Infimare from Daphne, made when she made the quest herself, and spent training their Sirenix powers a bit more), an assembly involving all realms is called on Lake Roccaluce, all the royals attending alongside their parents. Tecna, Flora and Musa stay behind to keep training alongside Diaspro (who now has obtained a magic sword in an attempt to be better at physical fighting) and Codatorta. who makes them fight a dragon.

On the lake, all the royals are present, with the three headmasters alongside the current head of the Order of Mana officiating the meeting. Most of the non-Antocean realms oppose the idea of an Alliance as it has not concerned their zones yet, but a handful seem to favor the idea especially after hearing Ligea and Tressa’s story, while also bringing up the fact only Andros and Dolona were willing to help them during the Valtor Crisis.

Domino, Solaria, Serenia and most Antocean realms are in agreement with the alliance, most other realms will go with majority vote, but Eraklyon, Melodeus, Zenith and Quarzis oppose the idea, prioritizing their own realm’s safety over the rest. Bloom notices that Zenith’s leader seems uneasy, but can’t pinpoint why quite well.

The meeting ends in no decisions being made, so the Order schedules another meeting in a few more days in case Tritannus’s next moves influence the leaders. Bloom is sad that absolutely nothing was achieved, and the rest inform her that that’s just how politics are.

On the meantime, Tritannus and the Trix have located the Pillar of Balance, and start to destabilize it as well. This makes the Giant Diapason on Melody react, emitting a deafening sound and driving the Singing Whales berserk right as they reach their usual visit to the surface, suddenly disappearing to Infimare. 

Everyone leaves for the Ocean planet while Musa dips to go check on her dad (who was at a place where the whales attacked), runs into Galatea on the way out.

They talk for a bit and Musa asks how the royal meeting went. Galatea sighs and confesses that she was too scared to talk all session, despite wanting to refute her father’s choice of isolating the country for protection as the alliance would be the best outcome. She feels useless thanks to her own insecurities, but Musa reassures her that she can do it next time she talks with her parents about the situation.

They arrive and realize the devastation that has been caused, as they attacked a harbor town and their sounds have destroyed many buildings. Both girls start to help in any way they can (with Musa reuniting with her dad finding him unharmed), but after a bit the Whales seem to return, starting to wreck more havoc. 

Both fairies transform and manage to handle most of the damage, but the whales are relentless and the tides turn mid-battle literally. Galatea seems ready to give up, too enveloped in her fears, but Musa manages to push her spirits up again and, thanks to Musa unlocking the Song of the Siren, they manage to calm down the whales enough, with Galatea pushing her powers and managing to achieve Glamourix at last. With this, Musa finally leaves for Infimare, Galatea going back to helping those in the shore.

On Infimare, Tritannus has already left after claiming the second seal, the Winx starting to stabilize the Pillar. Musa arrives just in time, giving the final push for it and restoring it completely.

A few days pass, the girls and Daphne researching more about Infimare and the royal shitshow going down in the background. Around this time, Nex and Krystal start dating. Melodeus has been convinced and Sky and Dia have been making good advancements with Eraklyon and Quarzis, but Zenith remains stubborn.

Around this time, the Winx pinpoint the location of the Pillar of Weather, and alongside Daphne joining them just in case, they delve into Infimare to try and destroy the pillar. Daphne feels something when they arrive, as she hasn’t touched the place since coming back from the mirror, but ignores it for the moment and helps the Winx destroy the seal of the pillar, destabilizing it.

As it destabilizes, the Lightning Rod of Databridge on Zenith Primari Museum reacts in a more subtle way than the other two, slowly forming a massive thunderstorm over the capital city.

The Winx plus Daphne manage to stabilize the Pillar again, but as they do they feel a sudden rush of magic all around them.

The Throne of the Ocean has been activated by the last pillar’s reaction, and taking the chance, Tritannus absorbs as much energy as he can into his Trident, his own magic feeling the rush. He lets the Trix also channel said magic into an object, but rather than use their weapons the Trix instead link three stones to the Throne.

With newfound power, he then leaves with the Trix back to Mareia, and having heard that the other realms are planning an alliance, decides to prepare for an eventual siege.

When he arrives at the palace, he realizes most of the population has fled and that both Nereus and Neptune have somehow been rescued, but he pays no mind to it and announces that while he knows he has followers, if they do not plan to fight alongside him when the time comes to prioritize their own safety and evacuate.

He then, alongside the Trix, cast a massive barrier spell over the capital.

The Winx realize after that what they just did allowed the Throne to be activated and gave Tritannus exactly what he wanted. Everyone is incredibly bummed about this but keep going, the meetings for the Alliance still going.

Flora, Tecna and Musa request to be present at the next meeting using their status as Guardian Fairies to participate. Most of the realms have agreed to a full attack on Tritannus now that he has taken over Mareia (a recovering Neptune wishing to attack him himself), but Zenith remains stubborn despite Cryos looking particularly uncomfortable. Tecna then pushes harder for him to realize how dangerous Tritannus could be, when news from Zenith’s capital arrive talking of a massive thunderstorm wrecking the place, several injured already.

Both Cryos and the Winx then plead for a halt of the meeting, the troubles at the large country more pressing.

As they arrive, they see the thunderstorm is covering most of the area, even extending to the neighbouring cities, many places on fire. The Winx call the Order of Mana for help since they cannot deal with this alone, and Cryos looks even more frail than before. Tecna realizes most of the forces are focused on the hills, and she wonders if there’s something worse going down there than anyone else.

Cryos then informs her that’s where the 5 leaders of Datacorp reside, probably in their bunkers avoiding the storm. Tecna finds herself getting angry, but the rest are confused.

Tecna then reveals that Zenith, or at least the center of Zenith, is run by the Datacorp Council rather than by any actual government, the 5 richest CEOs of the land who dictate the lives of the place. She has heard tales of the true state of Primari, but didn’t know it was that bad.

Cryos then cracks and reveals he’s simply a puppet for them, acting as an informant for them and nothing else. He claims that the only reason they oppose the alliance is because Tritannus’s actions have made the demand for Zenithian products higher, and they hoped to strike a deal to increase their profit.

Everyone is visibly disgusted by this, but Tecna has become livid. The whole system is in peril,and they only think of their own gain. She then starts to walk towards their hiding place, but comes back to her senses and prioritizes the storm.

The Order of Mana’s paladins arrive en masse and with Tecna’s directions they start to help and deal with the chaos, while Tecna transforms and rises to the sky.

Everyone else is asking her what the fuck is she doing, but she tells them to not worry, she has a plan for all this. She does asks for backup, and the Winx alongside a couple more paladins rise with her.

Tecna starts to channel her magic around the origin of the storm, charging a large spell around her. She tells everyone to evacuate the area directly below the eye of the storm as she keeps charging, the Winx ensuring everyone’s safety.

She manages to unlock her Sirenix spell Perfect Tempest, and uses it to disrupt and undo most of the thunderstorm in the area, succeeding but getting drained in the process. The Winx manage to catch her and with the help of Water- and Electric-Source paladins they manage to destroy the rest of the storm completely, as well as clean up more of the rubble in the process.

It’s the next day when Tecna then makes an announcement (after talking it out with the Winx as well as consulting the high-ranking Paladin that commanded the support yesterday), and decries every single failing the Datacorp Council has done over the last years in their insatiable greed. The Council itself tries to stop her (having planned to make their own announcement before her), but Tecna uses her position as Guardian Fairy to call for a complete reform of Zenithian government, the Datacorp Council having lost all of their power.

Tecna then assigns Cryos as her assistant and current overseer of the country (as she still needs to deal with Tritannus personally), but promises the people that she will be there every step of the way. With this, Zenith is formally in the alliance, and the final attack on Tritannus can start.

The first wave of the war goes somewhat smoothly, Tritannus’s first line of defense being mutated creatures. Flora manages to unlock her Sirenix Spell Seafloor Blossom during this, managing to restore most of the flora and part of the fauna corrupted.

Tritannus is still strong thanks to the Throne’s energy, however, and his second wave is harder to deal with. A surprise attack thanks to Solarian and Melodian forces manage to push them back, however, and the massive barrier over the capital has been breached.

The next line of defense are Tritannus’s followers, who give a good fight but are ultimately beaten in numbers and are held captive. Nereus starts to lead the campaign from this point onward, having recovered well enough and wanting to confront his brother.

The forces have arrived to the Palace’s entrance, and the last wave of defense attacks, a mix of follower merfolk and mutated sharks. During this battle the Winx plus Nereus, Tressa and Neptune manage to enter the palace proper, and have the final battle with Tritannus.

Nereus keeps asking why has he done all of this, why has he hurt him and his family so much, and Tritannus is slightly regretful. However, Neptune’s decries of his failures and admitting his hatred for his son brings his anger back to full front and starts to attack in full, the energy in his trident starting to overflow and himself gaining the aura on his eyes.

The battle goes on for quite long but Tritannus manages to score a deep hit on Nereus trying to go for Neptune, knocking him down and, taking advantage of the shock, manages to impale Neptune, killing him. He then takes the chance to escape back to Infimare with the commotion. Aisha unlocks the Tide of Infinity and manages to heal Nereus with her Sirenix Spell, but Neptune is a lost cause.

Everyone follows him and the Trix into Infimare without the grieving Nereus or Tressa, and the fight resumes in full, both teams going all out. The Winx realize that the trident is his link with the Throne’s energy, and after a decent distraction they manage to destroy it thanks to Bloom unlocking the Burn of the Depths, melting it.

The stored energy is released violently, however, and flows into Tritannus, driving him mad with power. The aura on his eyes grows bigger and shinier, his own scales glowing a bright green, markings on his arms and tail forming. He continues to attack in full not caring if he gets hurt, damaging his own body in the process.

The Trix take advantage of this and bail, swimming deeper into Infimare to avoid the Winx.

After a long battle, a convergence spell manages to capture and subdue Tritannus, knocking him out and winning the war after an incredibly long three months.

A few more days pass before he wakes up, and a court case is determined on the Order of Mana’s headquarters in Mareia - he will continue his previous sentence of 55 years (with an added 20 thanks to the murder of Neptune) not on Mareia, but on Omega. Tritannus himself is oddly calm during the whole trial.

As he is carried away, Nereus and Tressa confront him, and he genuinely apologizes for what he made them go through, as well as Ligea. He does not regret taking out Neptune’s life, however, and if the price to pay is to be sentenced to Omega, then so be it.

A few more days pass after Tritannus’s case and Neptune’s funeral, and most things are starting to go back to normal. The Winx still have schoolwork to deal with (though thankfully it has been a lesser load this time), the Alliance is establishing itself more formally, and Zenith has a long road ahead of change and confusion.

Tecna has to go to Zenith every two weeks to oversee all the changes (since she called for the reform, she has to take part of it), and starts to consider the fact that she might actually have to act as Zenith’s leader in the future. Bloom has not heard of Selina for a while now, and is slightly worried, but reassures herself that she might be busy with starting school and is then focused on her own royal duties now that Diaspro wants to make their relationship fully official. Stella has started to entertain the idea of trying to actively get along with Chimera, but finds it difficult to go through. Flora gets a call from Miele very excitedly, announcing that she got admitted in the Linphea College of Magic at last and that she will start classes in two months. Aisha has frequently been visiting her family, wondering what will happen now that they’ve lost two people in such a short time. Ligea seems to still be grieving, but is still overseeing the restoration of Mareia’s capital. Tressa has seem to delve more into her sword fighting while Nereus keeps on the preparations to assume his role as king earlier than intended. They’re all hurting, but Aisha’s sure they will be able to heal soon.

On Infimare, as the Trix find a place to hide, they discuss the recent events and what they’ve managed to learn from stray selkie conversations, unaware that someone is listening, reacting to the name Daphne...

[rosa-berberifolia]

The Long Haul|LOTR x Reader|Eomer x Reader - Part 2

A/N: Part 2 of maybe...4? 5? 4? 5? Not sure. Again, the last time I reader the books was like a decade ago, so please dont be upset with me when things arent canon.

Warnings: blackish magicy type stuff kinda, violence, and everything that entails, mentions of death.

Word count: 2200 +\- 100

You met with Lord Elrond and other members of his council, and a Hobbit named Frodo presented the one ring. Among the group of people at the meeting there were two people that you knew and trusted. Aragorn, and Gandalf the Grey. When they volunteered to be a part of the group to help destroy the ring, you immediately jumped to join as well, wanting to protect your friends.

You became rather close with all members of the group. Especially Legolas and Gimli. They, along with Aragorn and yourself had become separated from the rest of the group after the deaths of Gandalf and Boromir. You mourned for your friends, but knew that Merry and Pippin needed saving. So you let Frodo and Sam go while you four went after the Urukhai that captured the other two hobbits. 

The next time you saw Eomer, you didn’t realize it was him until it was too late. You were too far off to get to him before he left. A group of men on horses traveled passed your group. Aragorn signaled for you to stay back and attack from afar should the situation call for it.

You were so far away, perched on a rock that when Eomer took off his helmet you didn’t have a good view of his face, and only recognized him by his voice towards the end of the conversation between him and Aragorn. You only recognized him went he went to get back on his horse and he and his men rode north.

The disappointment that flooded you was insurmountable. You secretly dreamed of seeing him again. Of feeling his lips on yours again. Even though you knew he was a lord and had no business being with someone like you. You still dreamed of such things.

///

Aragorn had returned from battle, bloodied and bruised, but also, with news of impending doom. You followed Gandalf to the stables. You knew he planned to ride north to try to find Eomer and his men. But even though he was a wizard, the chances of him finding Eomer and convincing him to come were small, given how Eomer had described a white wizard - no doubt Sauraman - Eomer probably wouldn’t believe a word out of Gandalf’s mouth. But perhaps if he saw you there, and you vouched for Gandalf? Maybe then Eomer would believe and they would reach Helm’s Deep in time. Gandalf agreed and in a moment you were behind him on Shadowfax.

///

“Eomer, we must ride south to Helm’s Deep to aid your Uncle.” Gandalf said.

“And why would I believe the cunning white wizard who sends men to attack the lands of Rohan?” Eomer asked aggressively. 

Then you leaped from the back of Gandalf’s horse. You immediately saw Eomer’s face change from defensive to surprised and then to hurt. The look confused you. What had you done...or not done since your last meeting.

“If you don’t believe him then believe me, Eomer.” You declared as you started closer to him. Eomer dismounted from his horse and took off his helmet. He started walking towards you with a foul glare in his eye. It stabbed you in the heart to see him look at you this way. Though perhaps it was better that he come to dislike you and leave you be than for the two of you to catch feelings for one another. You tried to push these thoughts aside. It was better in the long run and there were more pressing matters to attend to.

“Your Uncle is well again, Eomer. Grima has been expelled from Rohan. And ten thousand orcs march towards Helm’s Deep and your defenseless people. Don’t tell me you would leave them to this horrible fate?” Your voice grew quieter as you became closer to Eomer, so that only he could hear.

“I tried to find you.” Eomer said coldly as he reached you. Is that why he was so cruelly looking at you? 

“I-I’ve been away.” You said as if it wasn’t obvious.”I’ve been on an important mission.” You gazed apologetically at Eomer and he tried to judge whether or not you actually meant it. You weren’t sure what he had chosen. After a moment he turned around and started walking back towards his horse. Then he stopped and looked back at you and motioned for you to join him.

“Rohirrim!” He started to address his men. “We ride for Helm’s Deep, and to battle!” He said, putting on his helmet. You came to where he was and he got on his horse and held out his hand for you. You took it and he pulled you up to sit behind him.

///

“Why were you trying to find me?” You asked quietly during a break for the horses.

“Theodred. My cousin.” Eomer looked sadly at the ground. “He was wounded in a battle with orcs. I tried to find you so you might be able to heal him.” Then he looked up at you. His eyes were full of hurt and anger. “I could not find you.”

You sighed and gathered your thoughts before you replied. “I was called upon by Lord Elrond. The One Ring has been found.” 

Eomer’s face shot up in surprise. A look of almost hope dawned his features. “Where is it?” he asked.

“It is being taken to Mordor to be destroyed.”

“By who?”

You had to pause to laugh a little. The whole thing being explained to someone else sounded ridiculous. Two hobbits against the world? Yikes. “Their names are Frodo and Sam.” You said deciding to save the whole hobbits bit for a later time. Then you were interrupted by one of Eomer’s men.

“My Lord. We should continue.” The man said. Eomer turned his head and nodded to the man before turning back to you.

“And you were accompanying them?”  He asked getting up. You followed.

“Yes, but we were separated. I am with the three you found the other day. Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli.”

“Why did I not see you there?”

“I was farther back on perch in case something went wrong.”

Before you got onto the horse again Eomer stopped you, turning towards you. He sighed and looked down at you. He sweetly ran the back of his hand against your hair. “I had missed you.” He said quietly under his breathe. The smile that erupted onto your face was embarrassingly large. You looked down to try to conceal the blush that crept onto your cheeks. Biting your lip you look back at him.

“I have missed you too.” You confessed. It was Eomer’s turn to smile and blush. The two of you grew closer and closer together until your lips were mere centimeters apart.

“Eomer! Y/n!” Gandalf got your attention from the other side of your horse. “We must leave at once if we are to make it!”

You and Eomer giggled at Gandalf’s timing. You pulled away and got on the horse and rode towards Helm’s Deep.

///

You were just on the other side of Helm’s Deep. You could hear the clattering and clanking of swords and the grunting of men, elf, and orc who fought. You grew nervous.

“Y/n,” Eomer started to say to you as Gandalf gave a rousing speech to the men. “You should stay behind. Its not safe for a lady.”

“Then I guess its a good thing I’m not a lady.” You said with a hint of amusement in your tone. Then Gandalf came towards you. 

“Get ready Y/n. We will need your help if we are to win this.” He stated. You jumped off of the horse and walk a way in front of the men.

You knew exactly what you could do to help them. But it would mean using your black magic. And if you were to use that, it would much easier for your father to sense where you were. But you supposed you would have to use it sooner or later. And sooner or later your father was going to figure out where you are. It would be worth it if you could do anything to help stop Sauran and Sauraman.

“Funnel the horses through my sigil.” You said before turning to look at Eomer again. He did not know of your lineage, but he was sure to learn in a moment. You were certain that once he saw how dark you actually were he would no longer want you. And while it hurt thinking that you would never feel his touch again, you knew that you would have to sacrifice some of the things you wanted if we were to win this war. And in your head you knew that it could never be between you two either because he was a Lord and you were from scum. You put all of this behind you and you focused on casting the dark spells you needed to.

“Avo alnej, startok.”[1] You said as you held your arm up to the sky. In a tiny flash of lightning and a boom of thunder, a crow appeared and landed on your arm. Then you quickly grabbed it by the neck. In your other hand you unsheathed your dagger.

“May latob kibum maprog ulub.”[2] Another spell left your lips, and you drove your knife into the crow’s belly and you drug it down. You put the knife away and then used the crow’s blood to draw a sigil on the ground. You made it large so that a few horses could go through at a time. When you were finished you stood just outside of the sigil and held crow up to the sky and the sigil you had drawn started to glow.

“Baj it zahal.”[3] You declared with the crow held high. With your arms still in the air you looked at Eomer. He had a look of horror on his face. He watched you with offensive concern. It nearly killed you. At least you could do this for him. You looked to Gandalf and nodded.

“Everyone must go through this sigil. Both man and beast. Do it now!” He demanded and looked at Eomer. Eomer looked to his men and nodded, signaling that they should do as the wizard said. And so they did.

///

The battle had ended and not a Rohirrim was lost. Unfortunately the other people of Rohan had been massacred. At the end you immediately went to help the healers. After you were able to find all of the things you needed for a dark healing spell, and Gandalf and the King talked the people there into letting you cast a dark spell, you got to work readying a space for it.

“Would you ever have told me that you were a fell beast, or were you going to keep me under your spell?” Eomer’s angry voice resonated in the room you were preparing. You thought that something like this might happen. You were kind of hoping that maybe he would just shun you and not come yelling at you. No such luck. It took a second for you to process what had just happened.

“You never asked me what I am.” You replied bluntly. Why should he get to be made at you? It’s not like you lied to him. He never asked. “And I never put you under a spell.” You clarified with hostility.

He looked bewildered for a moment at your stony attitude before he set a glare at you, then shaking his head and leaving. Eomer closed the door loudly behind himself.

“It was all she ever knew. And she has been making up for her mistakes. Don’t be too hard on her.” Aragorn stated to Eomer as he made to go down the hallway. Eomer cocked his head in question. “She’s saved my life more times than I’d care to admit.” Aragorn added and then walked down the opposite direction from where Eomer was going.

///

Days later and the people of Rohan were leaving Helm’s Deep and making their way back to Edoras. You were walking beside a cart pulling people’s things. Eomer was walking as well having given his horse to help the elderly and sick. He caught your attention when he came up behind you.

“I owe you an apology.” His deep voice carried in the wind making you look back. You stopped and furrowed your eyebrows at him. “And I suppose if I had such a secret, I wouldn’t have shared it either.” You started walking again when he was beside you.

“I’m trying to be better.” You said smally. “I’m trying to make up for the things that I’ve done.”

“There is no need to explain.” Eomer said with an almost guilty face and his gaze glanced over to where Aragorn and Eowyn walked together. You sighed in a defeated manner and shook your head. Of course it was Aragorn who gave him details about you.

Shyly you looked back up to him, judging his sincerity.

“I am sorry for yelling at you.” He stated calmly. It made you smile a little. And then he smiled back at you, a small, sheepish smile. You were so enthralled with him that you hand’t notice him move his hand. So when you felt his skin on yours, and then the gentle squeeze of his fingers entwined with yours, it made you jump. And your jump made him chuckle. 

When you didn’t pull away his smile grew. He said nothing. He raised your hand in his to his lips and he placed a soft kiss on your knuckles. You blushed while he put your hands back down. Just because you could never end up with him doesn’t mean that for now you can’t hold his hand for a little bit, right?

----

Tags:

@ladyideal​

@merrillbee92​

----

Translations:

[1] To me, crow

[2] May your life protect theirs

[3] Make it so

[greencrusader13]

All Were Innocent Once: Chapter 11 - Shootouts and Sand

So I checked when I last uploaded a chapter of this, and it’s nearly been a whole year. Talk about writer’s block! I appreciate everyone’s patience with me in getting a new chapter out. With all the craziness in the world I can’t promise a regular schedule for uploading, but I will do my best.

Without further ado, let’s just back into the adventure!

It had only taken Cirak a few minutes to determine that he unequivocally hated this planet. There was no breeze here; the desert air was still. The sun bore down on them with unrelenting heat, and though he felt that warmth was better than the cold it didn’t change the aggression that the heat possessed here. He wasn’t fully sure how the citizens of Tatooine kept themselves from putting blaster bolts in their head just from living here. Maybe the sun had zapped all of the intelligence from the moisture farmers’ minds.

Tatooine was a planet rife with cheats, smugglers, and swindlers of all kinds; truly a wretched hive of scum and villainy. Cirak was just surprised they hadn’t come here sooner. There seemed to be little shortage of potential work, and he was pretty sure that he could fire his blaster in any direction and hit someone with a bounty on their head. It was like Nar Shaddaa, but without the lights, duller clubs, and half of the fun. He had to give any fugitive credit if they chose this damned planet as their getaway destination: they really did not want anyone to find them.

Traveling with Taelros over the past several years had taken him to numerous planets, each with their own biome and flavor. They never stayed anywhere for very long – only for the duration of the job – before taking off again. Most of their time was spent on Taelros’ ship, The Reaper’s Prophet, with the rest of his crew, but even those faces changed from time-to-time. It was best to not expect consistency of any kind, not go looking for any sort of home.

His mentor had wasted little time acclimating Cirak to the bounty hunter’s lifestyle. Within a week of meeting the man he’d been given a blaster and some armor that was, at best, passable, before being thrown into the fire alongside Taelros himself. It wasn’t until later that he started learning more about the bounty hunter who’d taken him under his wing. Republic Special Forces Division, once upon a time, until he’d been dishonorably discharged from their ranks five years before meeting Cirak. He’d never asked Tael about the incident that purged him from service, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Tael had taught him how to survive as a bounty hunter, and the key philosophies of the career. Most importantly, he’d taught him the one philosophy that guided them above all others: somewhere, in some part of the galaxy, some shmuck was looking to part with their credits to have someone else dead.

In their case, however, that schmuck was some Imperial official, probably reclining on a luxury chair back in some high rise on Dromund Kaas, probably going through some bureaucratic nonsense while sipping on some fancy wine. Definitely someone Cirak would punch if given half the chance. He’d looked like the stuffy type on the holocom, what with his pencil mustache and balding head only somewhat obscured by his officer’s cap. Taelros had done most of the talking, but Cirak had assigned himself all of the judging. He’d watched in silence as his mentor negotiated their way into a wild bantha chase that, ultimately, had led them here.

Their mark, as explained to them, was a former Imp deserter-turned-raider and part-time treasure hunter named Lenurd Woth. After bailing on his assignment he’d given out the locations to several ordinances to the highest bidder, including the Black Sun, which had earned him a sizeable sum of credits from his buyers and malcontent from his former allies. He’d then vanished, only to resurface on Tatooine with a new yacht, guards under his employ, and a profession scamming the local settlers out of credits with whatever junk he’d find out in the wastes.

Killing him would be no trouble at all for the Empire, considering their vast resources. As much as Mr. Woth wanted to hide, he’d done a poor job of it with the ruckus he’d caused on his way out the door, and finding him had been relatively simple, as was tracking his routines. They could’ve dropped in an agent, put a dart in Woth’s neck, and that would be that, except for one simple reason: Woth wasn’t worth their time, not with a war going on. He was, however, worth sending a message about, hence the bounty hunters and the preference for being put in carbonite rather than the ground. Hence being on this blasted hot planet.

At least there’d be credits at the end of it all. That was the one and only solace Cirak could take on this hell planet.

Cirak lay on his stomach flat against the rise of a dune, binoculars raised as he searched the glistening sand for any signs of Woth’s skiff. The mark would be returning from treasure hunting any minute now, far from the defenses of his yacht. He and Taelros had spent the past hour planting ionic charges in the ground. Once he drove over it, Woth’s skiff would come to a halt; he’d be flat-footed and easy to take down. Using thermal or kinetic explosives would’ve made the job far simpler, but, unfortunately, he wasn’t wanted dead. Sadly, there would be no big boom.

With a sigh he pressed the binoculars into the sand. That is, however, if Woth ever showed up.

“Buck up kid,” Taelros said, as if sensing Cirak’s discontent. “Not every day we get asked by someone to go hunting for the Empire. Even less often that they ask us to go after one of their own.”

“And I’m gonna die of boredom and heat exhaustion if he doesn’t show soon.”

“You’re a bit of a whiny little thing today aren’t you?”

He kicked the ground, forming a divot with the toe of his boot. “I don’t like sand,” Cirak grumbled, baring his teeth. “It’s coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets ev-”

“Kid if I have to hear you wax philosophical about sand I’m going to lose my mind. Nobody cares about your whining.”

“Fine. Kriff it, whatever.” Cirak raised his binoculars again. He wiped at his face with the back of his hand. Sand was catching in his face fur, particularly his moustache.

It was a truly immaculate moustache. He’d begun growing it about a year into his life as a bounty hunter, but it hadn’t fully formed until a few more years after that. Now it was perfect: two strands of thin-but-bushy grey hair fell from both sides of his upper lip, framing his face in an edged way. The best bounty hunters had facial hair if they could grow it, or at least that’s what he’d learned from watching holovids in the early days.

Just as Cirak was about to prod Taelros about the veracity of the intel they’d received, a shimmer on the horizon stole his attention. He ducked against the sand dune, clasping the ion detonator in one hand while his other raised the binoculars once more. Three skiffs – not one – sped closer to them, all three mounted with a pair of turrets meant to rend metal from ships, and there was a man stationed at each one of them. Woth was nowhere to be seen.

“Think someone tipped them off?” Cirak asked.

“Looks that way. Plan hasn’t changed though. Just more blaster fire.”

“We’re charging extra for this.”

“Most definitely.”

Despite the increase in protection, Woth’s security didn’t appear as though they knew of Cirak and Taelros specifically. The sentries scanned the sands, but it was an aimless search, a general kind. Cirak recognized it well from the few times he’d been hired for security detail by overly-paranoid aristocrats fearing assassination attempts. They still didn’t know about them, and as such, they were heading right into their trap.

Cirak popped the lid off the detonator as the skiffs neared the ion charges.

“On my count Cirak,” Taelros said, raising three fingers. “Three…”

His thumb hovered over the red button. Red buttons were the best, especially when explosions followed.

“Two…”

The skiffs drew closer, their engines growing ever louder.”

“One…”

They were right over the charges.

“Now.”

Cirak clenched the detonator and slammed his thumb downwards onto the button. Instead of an ionic burst, there was nothing. The motors hummed, still approaching in what now felt like a lackadaisical speed. Cirak pressed the button again. Then a third time. Still nothing. He shook the detonator as though the resulting ionic burst was hiding somewhere within and simply needed dislodged. It wasn’t, because that’s not how detonations work.

Taelros sighed, running his hand down his face and dragging his features along with it. “Cirak, did you arm the charges when you planted them?”

“What kind of stupid question is that?”

“It’s not a stupid question if it makes the most sense.”

“Of course I armed them! They’re live!”

“Then why haven’t I seen any-”

The shrill sound of a singular round of blaster fire cut through the air, and Cirak looked up just in time to see it strike the engine of the outmost skiff. The vehicle burst into flame as shrapnel scattered across the desert sands. Without slowing momentum the wreckage veered into the center skiff, which in turn rotated violently into a collision with the third. In the distance he could hear shouting as panicked scoundrels fought to wrest control back from the increasingly devastating situation in what few seconds they were afforded. Both remaining skiffs flipped, their repulsor engines dying simultaneously and throwing their passengers in various directions before landing in separate dunes. Some flew higher than others, and, Cirak realized, had he been prepared it would’ve made for excellent skeet practice.

He glanced over at Taelros. His mentor looked equally shocked and no less amused. “Well,” Cirak said, storing his binoculars. “I’m not about to look a prize bantha in the mouth. Let’s clean up the security and then deal with poor Lenurd.” He unholstered his twin blasters – among them his father’s old holdout blaster (which, to be fair, he’d now possessed far longer than his father ever had) – and then bound over the dune.

Woth’s scattered retinue was still climbing to their feet as Cirak approached. He twirled his blasters patiently while examining them. For a former Imp he sure employed several aliens. Most Imps only tolerated Chiss. Maybe he found them useful, relatively cheap labor when he couldn’t otherwise afford selectivity. He shrugged at the thought. It really didn’t matter either which way.

From the corner of his eye he saw Taelros heading for the other downed skiff. Time to go to work, he thought. Cirak cleared his throat, aiming his blasters at the wreckage survivors. “Attention everyone having a bad day. We are just after your boss Lenurd Woth. Hand him over, and it’ll be less ammo I have to waste wasting you. There’s no point in dying for him; all you’ll do is increase my paycheck for resistance fees.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the mercenaries closest to the skiff dove for his rifle several paces away. Cirak fired before the man could so much as take aim. The bolt struck him square in the chest, and he fell limp.

“Not smart,” he chided. “What’ll it be for the rest of you boys?”

Death, apparently. Viewing numbers superior to having a blaster trained on them, the remainder of the mercenaries all simultaneously reached for their weapons. It was a common fallacy, thinking that surely they would be the lucky one who got the shot off and ended the threat. No one ever was. Some were faster than others to their credit, actually getting their blasters from their holsters before Cirak’s fire reached them and ended their lives.

He holstered his blasters as the sounds of combat continued from the other side of the sand dune. “He’s not in this one Tael!” Cirak yelled, turning towards the presumed sound of Taelros’ slaughtering. “Any luck over-”

Sudden movement caught his attention, and he only had a mere moment to throw himself prone before an axeblade swung where his head had been. Cirak flipped onto his back. A gamorrean stood over him, axe raised for a second strike. He rolled to the side as his assailant hacked at the sand, pushed himself to his feet, and somersaulted past him. The gamorrean squealed, spit and sweat running down its piggish mouth.

Cirak drew, managing to fire off a single shot into the gamorrean’s chest, but the blast did little when compared to its size and strength. It was a strength Cirak was swiftly reacquainted up close. A backhanded slap sent Cirak sprawling backwards, loosing his blaster from his grip. His ears rang. The image of the gamorrean blurred from heat and pain as Cirak lifted his head.

Another blaster fire rang out, knocking the raised axe free. The pig-man made a sound that could only be described as a surprised snort, head swiveling in the direction of the shot. It was just enough time for Cirak to draw his other blaster, aim, and fire two clean shots into its head. The gamorrean fell backwards, sending a burst of sand skywards.

A blur of red streaked past from overhead, touching down hard in the sand. Cirak wiped at his eyes as he surveyed his savior. The figure stood covered from head-to-toe in brilliant scarlet armor that seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. His helmet, which obscured every aspect of his face, had two pincers that met just at the bottom of his black T-shaped visor. It was a unique touch, but Cirak still recognized the style, the symbology of the pieces. It almost made him want to shoot anyways.

The man was a Mando.

Mandalorians were far from uncommon in the bounty hunting business, but common encounters with them did little to mitigate Cirak’s instinctual hatred of those people. Centuries ago they’d invaded his species’ homeworld, partly for sport and partly for retribution for losses experienced in wars prior, and proceeded to butcher or enslave as many cathar as they could manage. It had led to the near-extinction of his people.

Cirak felt he had a birthright to feel bitter.

The Mandalorian in front of him, however, did not seemed particularly concerned about possible grievances pertaining to genocide, and approached him with an outstretched hand. Cirak slapped it away. “I’m fine,” he said. He pushed himself to his feet and recovered his dropped blaster, dusting sand from it.

Although he couldn’t see his face, Cirak got the sense that the Mandalorian was giving him the expression of someone who had just been slapped. “Your man is over this way,” the Mandalorian said coldly. The rocket booster on his back ignited, and he took to the air once again before disappearing beyond the opposite sand dune.

Cirak grumbled to himself before following suit. He found Taelros beyond the dune, leaning against a flaming skiff while deep in conversation with another human man; a fellow bounty hunter from what Cirak could tell of his armor and weaponry. A carbonite slate of some poor soul – probably Woth – floated on a transportation bed beside him, which Taelros kept a steady hand on. The Mando had landed next to this unknown person, arms folded in what Cirak only figured was silent judgment of the situation.

Taelros regarded Cirak as he drew closer. “Ah, see, this is the kid I was telling you about. Braden, this is Cirak Kiht, my protégé. Cirak, this is Braden. He’s an old friend of mine.”

Cirak looked him over. Taelros and his friend seemed roughly the same age, though Braden possessed a more weathered face with fewer scars. His head had been shaved bald, and contrary to Cirak’s personal beliefs regarding bounty hunting he had no facial hair. His suit of armor was that of Golan Arms make, specifically designed with survivability in mind and able to absorb all but the most powerful of blaster fire. It didn’t come cheap.

Braden extended his hand, which Cirak then shook. “I was curious to see how you’d handle a change of plans and if Tael here hadn’t dulled too much with age. You didn’t disappoint.”

“Well, it isn’t the first time one of our plans have gone sideways,” Cirak said, “Usually they’re his that do.”

“Yeah, shut up kid, or I might just ask Braden here to swap protégés.” Taelros snapped his fingers. “Right, your protégé here. What’s his name again? You said it in passing.”

Braden curtly nodded towards the Mandalorian. “This is Dekon of Clan Arrun. One hell of a shot, great merc. Been traveling with him for a couple years now.”

Cirak glowered at Dekon and moved closer to Taelros’ side. “Your man seems rather emotional Taelros. It’s hardly a beneficial trait in this profession,” Dekon said, insultingly matter-of-fact.

“Mando scum tend to have that affect on me. Funny how genocide does that to people.”

“Insult my people again and I’ll drop your numbers by one,” Dekon snapped.

Snarling, Cirak went for his blaster, but Dekon was faster, having his own drawn and in Cirak’s face. Shock gripped him. He hadn’t been outdrawn since he was first learning how. “I wouldn’t,” Dekon said coldly.

Taelros forced his way between them, lowering Dekon’s blaster with one hand while restraining Cirak’s wrist with his other. “Boys, boys, cultural histories aside there is a bigger picture here that we need to focus on. Cirak, can you play nice with the Mando for a little bit?” Cirak glared at Dekon, anger still hot on his ears and face, but he nodded all the same. “Good! Now let’s get the four of us to a cantina. Braden said he wants to team up for a job, and I think you’re gonna want to hear this.”

[gabrielxreader]

Wingmates

Request: Hey saw requests open and I was wondering if you could do a oneshot or mini series on a wing soulmate au but it’s an au where everyone has wings and either you can only fly when you meet your soulmate or your wings match your soulmates?

Author: Holly

Warnings: None that I can think of

Characters: Y/N, Gabriel, Sam, Dean

Words: 2,049

Y/N = Your Name

A/N: I’m baaaaaaack!

           Your feathers were literally ruffled. Sam’s long fingers combed through your wings, stroking feathers back into place following the windy storm you’d gotten stuck walking back to the hotel in. You stretched out your wings and yawned, pressing them back into his touch. Extending the muscles in your wings felt as cathartic as stretching your legs after being in the car for hours.

           Dean entered the room carrying two stretched plastic bags of take-out containers and food. His wings were covered up by a rain coat draped over his shoulders. “Alright, party people, here’s what we got.” Dean put the bags on the table and started listing all the food he bought.

           Sam quickly finished the perfunctory grooming of your wing and got up to claim food. You quickly followed. Dean’s stomach was a black hole, so you needed to take what you wanted before he had the chance. Once you had enough food, you all went to your seats and started eating. You felt like you were starving after missing lunch.

           Sam waited until he had shoveled half of his food into his mouth, taking more vegetables than either you or Dean but eating just as fast. Once he wasn’t so hungry, he slowed down. “Okay, so we don’t have a very clear lead on this hunt yet, but whatever it is, it doesn’t have a clear victim preference.”

           “Nah,” you agreed, “A teenager, a senior, and two adults, all different jobs, demographics… they couldn’t be more different if they tried.”

           “Which they couldn’t possibly have done, because they didn’t know each other.” Sam added, nodding. “I checked everything. There is nowhere on paper where any of them crossed paths with any of the others.”

           “So we look at the MO,” Dean declared, garbled by his food. Both you and Sam booed at his poor manners and he rolled his eyes. “What do we know of that kills people this way?”

           The three of you went back and forth suggesting and striking down potential supernatural culprits while you finished your food. Personally, you were rooting for an angiak because you’d never seen one before, but with the victims, it seemed unlikely. By the time your dinner was all gone, your wings were fully dry, you were ready to sleep, and the three of you were making a game plan.

           “Next morning, me and Sam can hit the morgue, and Dean, you can call Cas and see if there’s anything the police didn’t put in the official report.” You curled your wings around yourself in a comfortable resting position, like they were giving you a hug.

           “Ah…” Dean glanced over at Sam. “Y/N, I think you should stick it out here and do some research. We could be dealing with something completely new.”

           The highest arches in your wings slumped down towards your lap. “You just don’t want me to be seen,” you accused, preparing to sulk.

           “Well, you’re… you’re pretty memorable,” Sam sheepishly admitted.

           Your whole life, you had been teased and taunted for your wings. Sprouting from the edges of your shoulder blades and spanning six feet on either side of you when fully stretched, your wings were a source of both pride and shame. You would have loved them so much more if only they were a different color. The golden flight feathers and tawny, fluffier down lining the edges where wing met skin looked gorgeous together in any other context, but having the colors on wings? You stood out everywhere you went.

           Hunting was hard when no one was quick to forget your unique coloring. Sam and Dean were reluctant to take you places, even though you were just as good at fighting and investigating as they were. Dean’s smoky, ashy wings and Sam’s rich, earthy shades were beautiful, but not particularly exotic or memorable.

           You hated that your wings so often took you out of the action. They were a part of you, but so was hunting. The fact that the brothers seemed to think golden wings and hunting were mutually exclusive was easily your biggest problem with them.

           You huffed and raised your wings angrily. “Okay, new plan, Sam and Dean, you guys go to hell again and me and Cas will solve the entire case.”

           The thing about your wings was that they weren’t actually as unique as they appeared at first glance, because no matter how bizarre any person’s wings were, they had an identical match somewhere. That person was your wingmate, or your soulmate. You were kind of excited to meet your wingman (your favorite wing-related pun), but hoped he was older than you. If he was, then your birth wasn’t the event that had saddled you both with embarrassingly bright and obnoxious wings.

           Having wings that stood out was a detriment in society. It really wasn’t fair, since actual birds had an easier time attracting mates when they had brighter wings. Humans saw it the other way around. The better you blended in with the rest, the more people liked you because you weren’t disrupting their precious status quo.

           This was problematic for you on two levels. Firstly, you never blended in, so you were always interrupting the status quo. If you stuck around for more than a day or so, not even hotel staff would compliment the pretty colors. Secondly, you hated what it might mean for your soulmate. Did they resent their own wings? Would they blame you if they were the younger one? And was there ever going to be a place for the two of you where you could live comfortably together? Even assuming that one day you could leave the supernatural world behind…

           But, when you stopped thinking about the coloring, you wouldn’t give your wings up for the entire world. They would help you find that one person you were meant to have.

           “Y/N, it’s one angel.” Sam tried to convince you when bribing you with your favorite cheesy snack didn’t work. “Just one. Not even a violent one.”

           Dean snorted loudly.

           Sam glared at him. “Okay, so he’s a little aggressive,” he grudgingly admitted, “But only to people to piss him off! Which… we happen to have done. A couple of times.” You tilted your head towards your shoulder and looked at Sam judgmentally. “There was a misunderstanding,” he said defensively.

           “A misunderstanding which repeated itself a couple of times?”

           “Will you do it or not?” The taller hunter wearily asked, holding out a book and almost begging.

           It was tempting to make him actually get on his knees and beg, and record the footage as blackmail, but since it was for an actual case, you reluctantly had to take the moral option. “Fine,” you sighed, furling your wings to your back. “I’ll summon him and then you guys can take over once he’s here and not feeling too stabby.”

           Dean brought in a chocolate cake and a pie from the car, explaining them as offerings but taking the pie for himself when Sam had his back turned. Dean’s wings arched happily while he snuck into the other hotel room to eat the pie while Sam helped you to draw an anti-angel sigil, just in case. You stood in front of it and squeezed out some more blood to smear around on your palm to make sure it would activate if you needed it, then Sam left the room.

           Summoning angels was an uncomplicated process; you just needed their name. You looked at the paper Sam had wrote it on and swallowed hard, your wings curling tight with some stray nerves. An archangel. Because summoning archangels had always gone so well in the past.

           “Gabriel,” you said aloud, picturing a long-robed, long-haired guy with six white wings. You knew by now that angels never looked the way you expected, but you had no other mental image. “I pray on behalf of the Winchesters because they’re terrified you would smite them instantaneously. If you’d please come talk, we have some chocolate cake. And if you hurry, there’s no way Dean can finish all that pie on his own.”

           The fluttering of wings not too unlike the sound your own made came from behind you, but when you turned to look, no one was there. Instead the silverware by the cake in front of you clinked and when you looked back towards it, a short blond man was picking up the entire cake platter to just go at it.

           “Gabriel?” You asked, feeling a lot less intimidated now that an archangel was clearly so eager to get at the cake. Someone would be right at home in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory.

           “That’s me, sweet cheeks,” Gabriel said, spearing a huge piece of cake onto his fork, looking up at you and stopping. “Oh, wow,” he noted, looking over your shoulders. “Nice wings.”

           You held your wings tighter to your body. Angels had never complimented them before and it made you shy. “Oh… thank you,” you said, reaching behind your back to soothingly drag her fingers over a long primary feather.

           “Yeah,” Gabriel said, putting the cake down on the table and stepping closer to you. You took a step back, and he put his hand up and stopped. “Hey, look, I just want to show you this.” He wiggled his eyebrows and the air in the hotel room ruffled. Then, with an odd popping sound, actual, physical wings unfurled from behind the angel – tawny in the downy base and gold shades along the long, graceful wings.

           He stretched them like they’d been tucked down tightly for a long time and took a look at them over his shoulders. “Would you look at that,” he said, looking back to yours. You reached out with your wings tentatively towards his, the feathers along the tips and edges splaying.

           “They match,” you gasped, snapping your wings back to your sides. “You have my colors.”

           “Um, I’m literally older than dirt,” Gabriel quipped, sending you a somewhat chiding stare. “I think you have my colors. But anyway, enough with semantics,” he dismissively stated, ignoring the fact that he was the one to bring them up at all. “Sugar, my soulmate is a human and yours is an archangel. This is going to be a little complicated.”

           “Yeah, duh, Sherlock,” you replied without watching your mouth. He was your soulmate – you weren’t afraid of him.

           He raised an eyebrow. “Ooh, I love one with a spine, I was hoping for that,” he said, his grin widening delightedly. “Let’s go somewhere more private to talk about those complications. And we can finish this cake and go through whatever else sounds good.”

           “I…” You almost leapt for it, but a shred of common sense remained. Serial killers had soulmates, too.

           Gabriel flapped his wings impatiently and a gust of air breezed over your face and through your feathers. “Come on, ditch the bozos. I’m way cooler.” He winked.

           Your mind made up, you reached for him while relaxing your wings and letting them extend closer to his.

           After five minutes had passed, Sam wasn’t sure whether Gabriel was being stubborn, you had taken the cake and abandoned your assignment, or you were being yanked around on chains by the notorious trickster. It took a bit of cajoling, but Dean, who was still sore about the Mystery Spot, agreed to go back to your room and see.

           Sam knocked and received no answer. Dean knocked harder. “Hey Y/N, open up,” Dean called through the door.

           When neither of them got a response, Sam used the key card to your room to let themselves in. There wasn’t anyone there, but the chocolate cake was gone. So was the angel-banishing sigil. In the stead of the archangel and their hunting friend, there was a latticework pie on the single bed.

           Dean immediately went for it. “Ooh,” he said, licking his lips.

           Sam sighed. “Dean, no…” Obviously it was a trap.

           Dean had barely touched it before the pie exploded, messily bursting and somehow managing to get cherry filling all over Dean’s clothing while leaving the rest of the hotel room pristine. A flag burst out of the center of the destroyed pie with “see you later, morons” printed on the little scrap of fabric.