#but i want them to be happy and it so rarely happens!

[loojii]

virgo post maybe? 👀

Of course :D

Virgo, the sixth prince, is perfect, comically so (maybe that's just my kind of humor though haha). If they go around saying what each brother wants he will wish for space peace. But no one gets irritated, they just go "omg good for him"

Virgo looks rather feminine but his chest is on full display, and he is very fit. But he will get annoyed if he's mistaken for a woman (which rarely happens of course, everyone in Space knows Virgo, but still the mc of the game concept did)

Only ugly thing about him is that he uses curse words a lot. Most of the time in a happy way though. (He looks very happy and just says with elegance "this is focking awesome"). There's no myth or science fact for this btw, sometimes I just give them personality traits I think would be fun

His Alpha star is Spica, I only drew her once and very quickly so she needs a proper design someday too! The actual star is often used for research, so I thought it would fit for her to be a smart professor kind of gal

Everybody loves Virgo but his biggest fan is Boötes (the herdsman constellation). He is the first to defend Virgo's name, which is never needed because everyone will agree anyway.

Like Taurus, Virgo's old design features gem stones on his face! I removed them but old art still has it~

Taurus post ★ Gemini post ★ Cancer post ★ Libra post ★ Scorpio post ★ Sagittarius post ★ Capricornus post ★ Aquarius post

[lila-lou]

✨His second exception - Pt. 32/?✨

Summary: The moment Ben found out you were pregnant was probably the happiest moment of his life. However, happiness proved fleeting. Now, he is faced with the aftermath of his shattered dreams. Of what is left of you, and what is left of him.

Pairing: Soldier Boy x Reader

Warnings: Language, FLUFF

Word Count: 7879

A/N: This is the sequel to “His only exeption” - and Part 32 of "His second exception".

English isn’t my first language, so please be lenient. 💙

The next morning, the quiet hum of a rare peaceful day broke as you and Ben found yourselves in a familiar standoff. You were seated on the edge of the bed, cradling Aria in your arms as Ben stood nearby, arms crossed, his green eyes narrowed in his typical stubborn fashion.

“I’m telling you”, Ben started, his voice low but firm, “we go in, see Dr. Collins, and then we’re out. No pit stops, no introductions, no bullshit”.

You shot him a look, your own stubbornness bubbling to the surface. “Ben, it’s not bullshit”, you said, adjusting Aria’s blanket as she cooed softly in your arms. “The team’s been asking about her since the day she was born. They just want to meet her. What’s the harm in that?”.

Ben scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “The harm? You mean besides the fact that I don’t trust half of them not to screw something up? Or the fact that the second we walk into that room, it’s gonna turn into a circus? No thanks”.

“Ben”, you said, your voice steady, though you could feel your own frustration bubbling. “They’re not monsters. They just want to meet her. It’s not like we’re leaving her alone with them”.

“That’s not the fucking point”, Ben shot back, stopping mid-step to glare at you. “Every time I let those idiots near something important, it blows up in my face—literally half the time. You want our kid to be next on their list of screw-ups?”.

You tilted your head, giving him a knowing look. “You know that’s not going to happen. They’re her family too, whether you admit it or not”.

“Family?”, Ben repeated, snorting derisively. “A bunch of fucking pussys? Yeah, real heartwarming”.

You stood, holding Aria carefully against your chest as you moved closer to him. “They’re your team”, you reminded him softly. “You’ve fought with them. Bled with them. That means something, doesn’t it?”.

Ben’s jaw worked as he avoided your gaze, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. “They don’t know what the fuck they’re doing half the time”, he muttered, his voice quieter now, almost like he was trying to convince himself as much as you. “And she’s too damn small to be around their chaos”.

You reached out, placing a hand gently on his arm. “She’s small”, you agreed, “but she’s already got you to protect her. And I trust you, Ben. I trust you to keep her safe, even around them”.

His green eyes finally met yours, the storm in them softening just slightly. He let out a long, heavy sigh, running a hand through his hair again. “You really want this, huh?”.

“I do”, you said firmly. “She’s not going to live in a bubble, Ben. And this is a step forward—for all of us”.

He stared at you for a moment longer, then down at Aria, who was now clutching her blanket with her tiny fist. His lips pressed into a thin line, and finally, he muttered, “Fine. But if someone sneezes near her, I’m throwing them out a fucking window”.

You smiled, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Deal”.

Ben grumbled something under his breath, but as you adjusted Aria in your arms, he reached out, his large hand brushing against her tiny head with surprising gentleness. “This is still a stupid idea”, he muttered, though the corner of his mouth twitched upward ever so slightly.

The elevator doors slid open to the top floor, and Ben stepped out with his usual commanding presence, the car seat in one hand like it was weightless. Aria was bundled snugly inside, her tiny face barely visible beneath the soft blanket. You followed close behind, keeping a watchful eye on him—and on the environment, just in case someone got a little too curious.

It didn’t take long. The moment Ben’s boots hit the polished floor, Annie and Kimiko peeked out from around the corner, their faces lit with barely-contained excitement. They weren’t even trying to be subtle, their curiosity as obvious as the sun.

Ben stopped in his tracks, narrowing his green eyes at them. “What the hell are you two doing?”, he growled, his tone low and unimpressed. “Lurking around like a couple of fucking creeps?”.

Annie stepped forward first, hands raised in mock surrender, though the grin on her face made it clear she wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. “We weren’t lurking”, she said innocently, though the way her eyes flicked immediately to the car seat gave her away. “We just… happened to be in the area”.

Kimiko followed, nodding enthusiastically and peeking curiously at the bundle Ben was carrying. She didn’t say anything, but the wide-eyed, almost giddy look she shot Annie said it all: They were absolutely lurking.

You smirked, stepping up beside Ben. “They’re just curious”, you said lightly, giving him a pointed look. “You can’t exactly blame them”.

Ben, dressed in his full supe suit, rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, “Let’s get this over with… fucking quick”. His tone was gruff, but there was a certain care in the way he carried Aria’s car seat, his steps steady and deliberate as he strode toward the meeting room. You followed close behind, exchanging an amused glance with Annie as she and Kimiko trailed after you.

As soon as Ben pushed the door open, the rest of the team turned their heads, curiosity and surprise lighting up their faces. M.M. was seated near the head of the table, his brows raised as he took in the sight of Ben carrying a car seat. Frenchie, lounging in a chair with his feet propped up, broke into a wide grin, while Hughie blinked, his mouth opening and closing as though he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Is that…?”, Hughie started, but Ben didn’t let him finish.

“Yeah, it’s her”, Ben grunted, moving to his usual corner of the meeting table. He gently placed the car seat on the surface, his large hand steadying it as he adjusted the angle slightly. Aria stirred inside, letting out a tiny noise, and Ben immediately leaned in to check on her, his gruff exterior softening for a brief moment.

“Well, I’ll be damned”, M.M. said, his voice low but warm as he stood to get a better look. “Didn’t think I’d ever see the day. Soldier Boy with a baby”.

Frenchie, ever the opportunist for mischief, leaned forward with an exaggerated grin. “And not just any baby, mon ami. The tiniest soldier in the world”.

“Careful with the stupid jokes”, Ben muttered, his sharp green eyes flicking to Frenchie. “She’s not gonna find you funny when she grows up, and neither do I”.

Frenchie held up his hands in mock surrender, though his grin didn’t fade. “Ah, but you must admit, it’s a sight. The great Soldier Boy, protector of the innocent, protector of… diapers”.

Hughie, still staring at the car seat, finally found his voice. “She’s adorable”, he said softly, his awe clear as he glanced at you. “Congratulations. Both of you”.

Ben grunted, clearly uncomfortable with the attention, but you stepped forward, smiling as you adjusted the blanket covering Aria. “Thanks, Hughie”, you said warmly. “We thought it was time for you all to meet her—briefly”, you added, shooting a glance at Ben.

Kimiko, standing quietly near the back, stepped forward slowly, her gaze fixed on the car seat. Her expression was softer than usual, almost reverent, as she looked at the tiny bundle inside. When she glanced up at you, her eyes were bright with unspoken emotion, and you nodded, silently giving her permission.

Kimiko crouched down slightly, leaning closer to get a better look. Aria made a small noise, her little hands twitching under the blanket, and Kimiko’s face broke into a rare, radiant smile.

“She’s tiny”, M.M. said, shaking his head with a chuckle. “Smaller than I imagined”.

“She’s a baby, genius”, Ben snapped, though there was no real heat in his tone. “That’s how they’re supposed to be”.

M.M. smirked, crossing his arms. “Yeah, but you? I figured your kid would come out bench-pressing something”.

Ben rolled his eyes, but before he could fire back, Aria let out a soft coo, her little face scrunching up as though to steal the spotlight. The entire room seemed to freeze for a moment, everyone’s attention locked on her.

You sighed, crossing your arms and glancing at Ben. “Just get her out, Ben”, you grumbled, exasperation in your voice. “They can barely see her all scrunched up like that”.

Ben shot you a look, one brow arched in defiance, but the faintest hint of a smirk tugged at his lips. “Yeah, yeah”, he muttered, carefully reaching down to unfasten Aria’s car seat straps. “You’re acting like I’m hiding her or something”.

“You are”, you countered, plopping down in the chair beside his at the head of the table. “Now stop being dramatic and let them meet her properly”.

As Ben lifted Aria out of the car seat, her tiny body wriggled slightly in response to the change in position. He adjusted her blanket, ensuring she was snug before cradling her securely against his chest. Her little face peeked out just enough for the others to see, and a collective wave of awe swept across the room.

“There”, Ben muttered, turning slightly so everyone could get a better look. “Happy now?”.

Annie stepped closer, her smile soft and radiant as she peered down at Aria. “Oh my God”, she whispered, her voice filled with wonder. “She’s beautiful”.

Kimiko nodded in agreement, her expression still glowing with that rare, unguarded joy. She glanced between you and Ben, her gaze filled with something that looked like admiration.

“Mon dieu”, Frenchie said dramatically, clasping his hands over his heart. “Such a tiny miracle, born to such… interesting parents”.

Ben shot him a sharp look. “Careful, Frenchie. I can still punt you across the room”.

Frenchie grinned, entirely unfazed. “Ah, but you wouldn’t. Not in front of the bébé”.

Butcher stepped up beside Ben, a wide grin plastered across his face as he peered down at Aria, who let out a tiny sigh against Ben’s chest. He tilted his head, his sharp eyes glinting with mischief as he crossed his arms. “So”, he drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “the big bad Soldier Boy didn’t get himself a strapping young lad to carry on the legacy, eh? Just this itsy-bitsy little girl instead”.

Ben’s jaw tightened, and he turned slowly to glare at Butcher, his green eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. “You wanna say that again?”, he growled.

Butcher smirked, completely unfazed. “Just saying”, he continued, gesturing lazily toward Aria, “didn’t exactly picture you with a pint-sized princess. Bet you were hoping for a mini-you, weren’t ya? All fists and attitude?”.

“She’ll kick your ass before she even hits kindergarten”, he grumbled.

Butcher raised an eyebrow, his grin never faltering. “Oh, is that right? She’s gonna take after her dear old dad, is she? What’s she gonna do—punch me with those tiny little fists?”. He gestured mockingly toward Aria’s barely visible hands, which were tucked under her blanket.

Ben tilted his head slightly, a wicked smirk tugging at his lips now. “You won’t even see it coming”, he said, his tone dripping with confidence. “One day, you’ll be mouthing off like you always do, and bam—tiny fists, big fucking attitude. You’ll be on your damn ass”.

The room erupted into laughter, Annie and Frenchie grinning as Hughie tried and failed to stifle a chuckle. Even Kimiko smiled, signing something quickly to Frenchie, who grinned as he translated. “She says, ‘He’s probably right’”.

Butcher rolled his eyes, but there was a flicker of amusement in his expression. “Well, if she’s anything like you, mate, I’ll need to watch my back, won’t I?”.

Ben leaned back slightly, his smirk settling into something softer as he glanced down at Aria, who was still fast asleep against his chest. “Damn right you will”, he muttered, his tone quieter now but no less sure.

You laughed from your seat, shaking your head. “Alright, boys, let’s not start planning playground fights just yet”, you teased, your voice light. “She’s got a few years before she’s taking on anyone”.

Ben glanced at you, his smirk widening slightly. “Few years? Nah”, he said confidently. “Give her a couple months. She’s already got more fight in her than half this room”.

Butcher rolled his eyes dramatically. “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. But for now, mate, she’s just a little blob who probably cries when you take her bottle away”.

Ben’s smirk turned sharp again. “And she’d still take you in a fight”.

Annie reached over, giving your arm a gentle squeeze, her warm smile radiating pure joy. “She’s so cute”, she whispered, her eyes never leaving Aria. The excitement on her face was unmistakable, and every time Aria so much as twitched or yawned, Annie looked like she was about to melt into a puddle.

Meanwhile, Ben had finally settled into his chair, leaning back as much as physically possible, looking every bit like a man who’d rather be anywhere else. His massive hand rested against Aria���s tiny back, holding her securely against his chest. She was completely sprawled out against him, her little head tucked right beneath his chin, her breaths soft and even.

Ben exhaled sharply. “Alright, what’s the deal?”, he grumbled, shifting slightly but never loosening his hold on Aria. “Let’s get this over with. I wanna go home”.

M.M. finally sat up straighter and cleared his throat. “Alright, listen up”, he said, setting a folder on the table and glancing at everyone. “We got a few things moving right now—some supe activity in the lower boroughs that’s catching too much attention. Could be nothin’, but it’s worth keeping an eye on”.

Ben grunted but barely looked interested. His free hand drummed idly against the armrest of his chair, while his other remained firmly cradled around Aria. “So, what, you need me to smash some heads or just look scary?”, he muttered, shifting slightly as Aria scrunched herself closer into his supe suit.

Annie, who had been trying to focus on the meeting, let out a quiet squeal as Aria stretched slightly, pressing her tiny hands against Ben’s chest before curling back into him. Hughie, sitting beside her, chuckled softly. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this excited, Annie”.

She swatted him lightly, though her eyes stayed locked on Aria. “Look at her, Hughie”, she whispered. “She’s perfect”.

Ben rolled his eyes. “You act like she’s a goddamn museum exhibit”, he muttered, though he didn’t move, letting Aria burrow into him.

M.M. sighed, ignoring the momentary distraction. “Look, I know we’re all excited about the baby, but let’s stay on track”, he said, glancing between everyone. “Frenchie, Kimiko, I want you both tailing a few leads, see what shakes out. Annie, Hughie, same for you”.

Everyone nodded, though Annie still kept sneaking glances at Aria, her hands clasped together as if resisting the urge to reach out and touch her.

M.M. then looked at Ben, his expression expectant. “And you?”.

Ben tilted his head slightly, as if considering the question. “Depends”, he said lazily. “You gonna let me skip the next boring-ass meeting if I play nice?”.

M.M. gave him an unimpressed look. “You’re already skipping half of them”.

Ben shrugged. “Yeah, well, now I got an excuse”.

At that moment, Aria let out a tiny yawn, her little mouth opening as she nuzzled deeper into Ben’s chest. Annie let out another small squeal, and even Hughie cracked a grin. Ben just sighed heavily, though the way his fingers gently rubbed against Aria’s back betrayed how much he actually cared.

“Fine”, he muttered. “I’ll help. But now I wanna get her home before any of you start tryin’ to fucking steal her”.

Frenchie grinned. “Ah, but you cannot blame us. She is the first supe baby we actually like”.

Ben shot him a glare. “Exactly why I’m keeping her away from you”.

M.M. just shook his head, but there was the faintest trace of a smirk on his lips. “Alright, let’s wrap this up before Soldier Boy here starts threatening us all. One last thing—”. He glanced at you. “How are you holding up? You need anything?”.

You smiled softly, your eyes flicking to Ben and Aria. “I think we’re okay”, you said quietly. “Just… adjusting”.

Ben snorted. “Yeah, adjusting to not sleeping”.

M.M. smirked. “Welcome to parenthood, man”.

Ben grumbled something under his breath but didn’t argue, his fingers still absentmindedly rubbing Aria’s back.

The meeting continued for another ten minutes, but it was clear everyone—especially Ben—was eager to wrap it up. And the entire time, Aria remained tucked safely against his chest, the softest little presence in a room full of chaos.

As the meeting wound down, M.M. gave a final glance around the table, ensuring everyone understood their assignments. “Alright, that’s it for now”, he said, closing the folder in front of him.

Ben wasted no time. “Good”, he grunted, pushing himself up from the chair with careful precision to not jostle Aria too much. “We’re out”.

Annie pouted slightly, clearly disappointed that she wouldn’t get any more baby time. “Oh, come on”, she said, glancing at you for support. “You could at least let me hold her for a second”.

Ben shot her a look. “Yeah, not happening, Sparkles”.

Annie folded her arms. “I am perfectly capable of holding a baby, you know”.

“I don’t doubt it”, Ben said, adjusting Aria’s blanket, his tone casual. “Still not happening”.

You chuckled softly, shaking your head. “He’s been like this with her since day one”, you told Annie. “Overprotective as hell”.

Ben scoffed. “Of course I am”.

M.M. smirked. “Can’t say I blame him”, he admitted. “But you know one of these days, you’re gonna have to let someone else hold her, right?”.

Ben grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, then glanced at you. “You ready to go, or you wanna sit here and watch them drool over the kid all day?”.

You rolled your eyes but stood carefully, still mindful of your own healing body. “Yeah, yeah, I’m ready”.

Frenchie, ever the instigator, called after you both. “Ben, mon ami, don’t forget—if you need a babysitter, I am available”.

Ben didn’t even bother looking back as he carried Aria toward the exit. “Yeah, that’s not happening either”.

As you walked toward the elevator, you could hear Annie sigh dramatically. “He’s ridiculous”, she muttered.

M.M. chuckled. “Yeah, but you gotta admit—it’s kinda hilarious”.

The elevator doors slid open, and Ben stepped inside, turning slightly to make sure you were right beside him before pressing the button. As the doors closed, he finally looked down at Aria, who was still peacefully curled up against his chest.

His voice dropped to something lower, more intimate. “Finally”, he muttered, exhaling softly.

The next days passed in a blur of sleepless nights, diaper changes, and your parents hovering like watchdogs. While their help was invaluable, it drove Ben up the damn wall—especially your mother, who always seemed to have a better way of doing things. She corrected how he held Aria, how he rocked her, even how he mixed her formula. It had taken every ounce of restraint in his body not to snap at her the last time she told him again that "babies need a gentler touch".

Today was no exception.

Ben was already dressed in his supe suit, his jaw tight as he fastened the last strap on his forearm. He was heading to the tower for a new mission, and he hated every second of it. They needed him, they’d said. Some classified mess that only he could handle. And while Ben never shied away from a fight, leaving you and Aria behind? That made his blood boil.

Still, if he had to go, he was damn well dressing his daughter before he left.

“I’ll do it”, Ben grumbled as he scooped up Aria from her bassinet, cradling her against his chest as he walked toward the changing table. “Last thing I need is your mother telling me again I’m putting her onesie on wrong”.

You smirked from your spot on the bed. “She just wants to help”.

“She wants to micromanage”, Ben shot back, carefully laying Aria down. He crouched in front of her, his large hands working delicately as he unfastened her sleeper and reached for the onesie he’d picked out—a deep green one with little gold stars. “This one’s good”, he muttered to himself, as if reaffirming the choice.

“She’s gonna spit up on it in two seconds”, you pointed out.

Ben scoffed. “Then I’ll change her again”.

You let out a small laugh, watching as Ben carefully wrangled Aria’s squirmy little legs into the onesie. She let out a tiny grunt, flailing her hands, and Ben sighed dramatically. “Come on, kid, work with me here”, he muttered. “You got my blood in you—should be able to take orders”.

Aria responded by scrunching up her face and making a tiny noise that sounded dangerously close to a fart.

Ben froze, staring at her for a second before looking over his shoulder at you. “Was that—?”.

“Yep”, you confirmed, grinning.

Ben groaned, shaking his head. “Unbelievable. Already doesn’t listen”.

Despite the grumbling, he finished dressing her with an efficiency that only came from weeks of experience. He snapped up the front, adjusted the little collar, and ran a gentle hand over her tiny belly before scooping her back up into his arms.

“That’s my girl”, he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He cradled her close, one hand supporting her head as he turned to face you. His smirk faded slightly, replaced by something more serious.

“Sure you’ll be okay?”. His voice was low, rough with quiet concern.

You nodded. “A-Train’s staying behind. And the guards. We’ll be fine”.

Ben clenched his jaw, clearly hating it. Leaving you and Aria behind—even with security—made his blood boil. He wasn’t used to trusting anyone else to do his job.

“Yeah”, he muttered finally, adjusting his grip on Aria. “Still hate it”.

You reached out, brushing your fingers over his arm. “Just come back in one piece, okay?”.

Ben snorted, but the look in his eyes was softer now. “I always do".

He leaned down, pressing a firm kiss to your lips before straightening up, Aria still tucked safely against his chest. “Alright”, he muttered, rolling his shoulders. “Let’s get this over with”.

You got up from the bed, still moving a bit slower than usual as you recovered, but determined to be the one to bring him to the tower. Ben immediately noticed, his sharp green eyes flicking to you with that signature mix of protectiveness and annoyance.

“I should make you stay in bed”, he grumbled, shifting Aria slightly so she was more comfortable.

“And yet”, you said with a small smirk, “you can’t make me do anything”.

Ben snorted but didn’t argue. He just shook his head and muttered something about stubborn women before stepping past you toward the door.

The drive to Vought Tower was uneventful, aside from Ben’s constant muttering under his breath. Aria, seemingly in sync with her father’s mood, fussed a little in her car seat but eventually settled after a few minutes of soft rocking from you.

When you pulled up to the private entrance, a small team was already waiting. A-Train stood near the entrance, arms crossed, looking as relaxed as ever, while a few Vought security members lingered in the background.

Ben got out first, immediately scanning the area with a sharpness that reminded you exactly who he was—the Soldier Boy instinct never really turned off. He walked around to your side, opening the door before you could even reach for the handle.

“You sure about this?”, he asked again, his voice low as he helped you out, his hand steadying you more than necessary.

“I’ll be fine”, you reassured him. “Aria will be fine”.

Ben grumbled something under his breath, then turned toward A-Train, who was already watching the whole interaction with mild amusement.

“Don’t screw this up”, Ben said flatly, his voice edged with warning.

A-Train scoffed, crossing his arms. “Man, you act like I don’t know how to babysit”.

“I know you don’t know how to babysit”, Ben snapped, adjusting Aria’s car seat in the crook of his arm. “But you do know how to follow orders. So listen up—nothing happens to them. You so much as blink wrong, and I’ll put your ass through a fucking wall”.

A-Train raised his hands in mock surrender. “Yeah, yeah, I got it. Damn”.

Ben wasn’t satisfied, but he knew he didn’t have a choice. He turned back to you, looking down at you with something unreadable in his expression. He was bad at this—bad at saying things that weren’t wrapped up in sarcasm or frustration—but you knew him well enough to see through the act.

“I’ll be back soon”, he muttered, almost like a promise.

You reached up, brushing your fingers lightly over his chest, right where Aria’s head had rested moments before. “We’ll be here”, you whispered.

Ben’s jaw tightened slightly, his green eyes flicking between you and Aria, then toward the group of idiots already waiting near the elevator, grinning like jackals. He exhaled sharply through his nose, clearly torn between keeping up his tough exterior and giving you what you wanted.

But when you whispered, I love you, your fingers still resting lightly on his chest, something in his expression softened—just for a moment. His free hand came up, brushing against your jaw as he leaned in, his lips barely ghosting over yours before pressing down in a firm, lingering kiss. It wasn’t just a goodbye—it was a promise.

A sharp whistle cut through the moment.

“Aw, look at him”, Frenchie drawled from the elevator, arms crossed, a smug grin stretched across his face. “Big, bad Soldier Boy going all soft. It’s beautiful, really”.

“Fuck off, Frenchie”, Ben muttered, pulling back but letting his fingers linger on your chin for just a second longer before finally stepping away.

Butcher, standing beside Frenchie, was grinning like he was enjoying every second of this. “Didn’t think I’d live to see the day”, he said, shaking his head. “The bastard’s gone domestic”.

Ben rolled his shoulders, his annoyance flaring as he turned toward them. “Keep talking, and I’ll make sure you don’t live much longer”, he growled, grabbing his shield from where it rested by the car.

Frenchie just chuckled, following him onto the elevator. “Ah, mon ami, we are just saying—it is a sight. The great Soldier Boy, tamed”.

Ben didn’t dignify that with a response. Instead, he threw one last glance over his shoulder at you and Aria before stepping onto the elevator, the doors sliding shut behind him.

You sighed, shaking your head as you adjusted Aria’s blanket. A-Train leaned against the car, arms still crossed, smirking slightly.

“Man, you really got him wrapped around your finger, huh?”, he mused.

You smirked, looking down at your daughter. “Nah”, you said softly. “She does”.

The elevator doors slid shut behind Ben, taking him away into the depths of Vought Tower. You let out a slow breath, adjusting Aria’s blanket as her tiny fingers twitched in her sleep. The soft hum of the car’s engine was the only sound for a moment, before A-Train chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned against the side of the vehicle.

“Never thought I’d see that guy acting like a damn bodyguard for a baby”.

You arched an eyebrow. “You do realize that baby is his whole world now, right?”.

A-Train gave a nonchalant shrug but didn’t argue. Instead, he straightened up, stretching his arms as he glanced toward the other guards standing near the entrance. “So”, he said, eyeing you, “you gonna head back home, or you wanna stick around?”.

You sighed, adjusting Aria’s. “Actually”, you muttered, running a tired hand through your hair, “I wanted to check on some reports and sort through whatever mess is waiting for me. My office has been run by a few assistants these past few weeks, and I can only imagine the chaos”.

A-Train let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. “Man, that’s a you problem. No way I’d be thinking about paperwork with a newborn”.

You shot him a look. “Yeah, well, some of us don’t get to just run fast and hope everything works out”.

He smirked, hands slipping into his pockets. “Hey, I do more than run”.

You arched a brow. “Uh-huh. And how’s that working out for you?”.

He huffed but didn’t argue, instead glancing at the entrance where the Vought security team loitered. “You really wanna drag the baby in there?”, he asked.

You sighed, glancing down at Aria. She was asleep, her tiny face peaceful. If you were going to go inside, it had to be now—before she woke up and demanded to be fed or changed.

“Yeah”, you said finally, adjusting your seatbelt. “Might as well get it over with”.

A-Train shrugged, stepping aside. “Your funeral”, he muttered.

The moment your feet moved, the security team straightened, their eyes flicking to you with immediate recognition.

“Ma’am”, one of them greeted, nodding. “Do you need an escort?”.

You shook your head. “No, I know the way”.

The guard hesitated, glancing at A-Train, who just raised an eyebrow. “Don’t look at me”, he muttered. “I’m just here for the ride”.

The guard nodded, stepping aside to let you through. With Aria’s car seat held securely in your grip, you headed into the tower, bracing yourself for whatever mess was waiting upstairs.

When you stepped into your office, you knew immediately that you’d been right to worry.

Stacks of paperwork cluttered your desk, several screens were open with half-finished reports, and your assistants—three of them—were scrambling through folders like they were putting out fires.

The moment they saw you, all three of them froze.

“Uh—(Y/N)!”. One of them, a young woman named Rebecca, practically jumped from her chair. “We weren’t expecting you!”.

You sighed, shifting Aria’s seat onto the edge of your desk. “Yeah, well, neither was half of this mess, I assume”.

Rebecca and the others exchanged nervous glances before nodding. “There’s… been a lot”, she admitted hesitantly. “We did our best, but there are some things only you can sign off on”.

“Of course there are”, you muttered, already feeling the headache forming.

Aria stirred in her seat, letting out a soft whimper, and all three assistants stiffened slightly, as if realizing for the first time that there was, in fact, a baby in the room.

Rebecca’s eyes widened. “Oh my God”, she whispered. “Is that…?”.

You sighed softly. “Yes, this is Aria”.

All three of them looked absolutely enchanted, their stress momentarily forgotten as they crowded a little closer.

“She’s so tiny”, one of them murmured.

“She’s adorable”, another added.

You let out a chuckle. “Yeah, she’s cute. But please… just tell me how bad it is”.

Rebecca straightened, clearing her throat. “Right. So, about the contract revisions—”.

Before she could finish, Aria let out a sharp, wailing cry.

All three assistants jumped.

“Oh no”, Rebecca whispered.

A-Train, standing at the doorway with his arms crossed, just snorted. “Yeah. Now it’s your problem”.

You let out a long sigh, barely holding back an exhausted groan as you reached down to unbuckle Aria from her car seat. The second she was free, you lifted her against your chest, cradling her close as you instinctively swayed on your feet, trying to soothe her.

Her tiny body tensed against you, her little fists curling into the fabric of your top, but as soon as she felt your warmth and heard the steady beat of your heart, her cries softened into small, hiccuping whimpers.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, baby girl", you murmured, rubbing slow circles on her back. "Life’s hard when you have zero responsibilities, huh?".

Your assistants, still standing awkwardly nearby, looked visibly relieved as Aria calmed down in your arms. Rebecca, however, still looked hesitant to speak, her eyes flicking between you and the mess of paperwork on your desk.

You sighed again, shifting Aria slightly in your arms so you could reach for a pen. “Alright”, you muttered, giving the pile of papers a resigned look, “what’s first?”.

Rebecca immediately perked up, stepping forward with a thick folder. “Uh—contract revisions first. Just need your signature to finalize the deals from last quarter”.

You adjusted Aria in one arm, balancing her against your shoulder while taking the pen in your free hand. It wasn’t ideal, but at this point, multitasking had become your default setting. You flipped through the pages quickly, scanning the contracts before signing your name where necessary.

Meanwhile, A-Train, who had been leaning against the doorway, finally made himself comfortable—plopping down onto the couch in your office like he owned the place. He let out a satisfied sigh, reaching into his jacket pocket before pulling out a bag of mixed nuts.

You shot him an incredulous look. “Seriously?”.

He shrugged, tossing a few into his mouth. “What? This is quality entertainment”, he said, his words slightly muffled as he chewed. “You, being all business with a baby in one arm? Kinda badass”.

You rolled your eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, you shifted your focus back to the paperwork, signing off on another document before flipping to the next.

Rebecca, who was still standing beside your desk, hesitated before speaking again. “Um… if you need to take a break, we can always come back to this later—".

“Nah, let’s just get it done now”, you mumbled, barely looking up as you signed another page. “The faster I get through this, the sooner I can leave”.

Aria shifted against you, letting out a sleepy sigh, her little body completely relaxed now. You exhaled softly, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before returning your focus to the endless stack of papers.

Just then, the door swung open with its usual dramatic flair, and there stood Frenchie, his ever-present grin widening the second he spotted Aria in your arms. “Ah, there she is! The littlest boss in the building!”, he declared, stepping inside with the same chaotic energy he always carried.

You blinked, momentarily thrown off. “Frenchie?”, you asked, shifting Aria slightly as you turned to face him. “Aren’t you supposed to be on the mission with Ben?”.

Frenchie gave you an exaggerated shrug, sauntering inside and flopping into the chair across from your desk. “Ah, mon amour, do you really think our dear, paranoid Soldier Boy would leave you here without reinforcements?”. He smirked, tapping his fingers against the arm of the chair. “Non, non. He sent me to ‘help’ A-Train”. His fingers curled into air quotes around the word help.

From the couch, A-Train scoffed, tossing a peanut into his mouth. “More like to babysit me while I babysit them”.

Frenchie grinned, not even trying to deny it. “Maybe. Maybe not. But let’s be honest, cherie”, he said, looking at you now. “Would you rather be left with just him?”. He gestured toward A-Train with a dramatic flourish.

You exhaled, shaking your head. “He knows I can handle myself”.

Frenchie nodded sagely. “Oui, oui, of course. But does that matter to a man who has spent the last month watching over you and this little one like a rabid dog?”. His grin softened as he leaned in, peering at Aria, who was still sleeping peacefully in your arms. “She is growing fast, no? Last time I saw her, she was just a tiny thing”.

“She is still tiny”, you said with a chuckle, adjusting her blanket.

Frenchie’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he reached for his coat pocket and pulled out something small—a tiny knitted beanie, deep green with a little white star stitched on the front. “I made this”, he said proudly, holding it up. “For her. To match her papa, non?”.

You gasped softly, touched by the gesture. “Frenchie… you knit?”.

He gave an exaggerated bow, his expression completely smug. “I contain multitudes”.

A-Train snorted from his spot on the couch, popping another peanut into his mouth as he shook his head. “Man, you gotta be real bored if you’re out here knitting hats for babies”.

Frenchie gasped dramatically, clutching his chest as if A-Train had physically wounded him. “Bored? Bored? Mon dieu, you wound me, mon frère! This is not boredom—this is art!”. He held up the tiny green hat proudly, tilting it from side to side as if admiring his craftsmanship. “Besides, would you not agree that the littlest Soldier deserves proper fashion?”.

You chuckled, adjusting Aria in your arms while flipping through the next set of reports in front of you. “Honestly, Frenchie, it’s adorable. Ben’s gonna pretend to hate it, but he’ll make sure she wears it at least once”.

Frenchie smirked knowingly. “Ah, but of course. He will grumble, roll his eyes, call me some colorful insult, and then, secretly, he will think she looks perfect in it”.

A-Train shook his head, smirking. “Man, you really got this guy figured out, huh?”.

Frenchie shrugged, placing the little beanie gently on your desk before lounging back in his chair. “Ben is not as complicated as he pretends to be”, he mused, watching as you skimmed another document. “Protective, aggressive, stubborn as hell—but he is, at his core, a man who has found something worth living for”.

You paused for a moment, your fingers lingering on the edge of the report. Your gaze dropped to Aria, her tiny fingers curling against your chest as she nuzzled into you. “Yeah”, you murmured softly. “He really has”.

Frenchie grinned. “And you, ma belle, have him wrapped around your little finger. But this one—” he gestured toward Aria—“she has him wrapped around her entire tiny, tiny body”.

A-Train snorted, tossing a peanut at Frenchie, who dodged it effortlessly. “Alright, Shakespeare, calm down with the poetry”.

You rolled your eyes, signing another paper while Aria shifted slightly against you.

The first night without Ben felt strange. Not that you weren’t capable—between Frenchie and A-Train, you had more than enough help—but the absence of his brooding presence made the house feel just a little too big, a little too quiet. Well, aside from Aria, who had no concept of time or the need for uninterrupted sleep.

At precisely 3:42 AM, she made that abundantly clear.

You had just gotten her settled after a feeding when A-Train, groggy and wrapped in a blanket he’d stolen from your couch, shuffled out of the guest room. His usually cocky demeanor was gone, replaced by a very tired man questioning every life choice that led him here.

“You said she was asleep”, he muttered, rubbing his face.

“She was”, you whispered back, bouncing Aria gently. “She changed her mind”.

A-Train stared at you, then at the baby. “Damn, you really are her mom”.

You threw a pillow at him.

The next afternoon, Frenchie arrived at your place with an entire duffel bag of baby supplies.

“I was thinking”, he said, setting it on the table. “She should have style. No offense, ma belle, but Ben is dressing her like a tiny recruit. It is tragic”.

You raised an eyebrow as he pulled out an assortment of baby clothes—frilly dresses, tiny berets, a literal miniature leather jacket.

“She is 6 weeks old, Frenchie”, you said, but you couldn’t help laughing.

“She is French”, he corrected. “By association”.

A-Train walked by, snatching the tiny leather jacket. “Okay, this one’s actually cool”.

By night four, the exhaustion was starting to creep in. You had barely closed your eyes when Aria started fussing. You were about to get up when you heard footsteps—Frenchie’s, light and careful.

Curious, you peeked out to find him standing over Aria’s bassinet, rocking her gently.

“You’re talking to her in French?”, you asked softly, leaning against the doorframe.

Frenchie looked over his shoulder, completely unbothered. “Of course. She must learn the language of romance early”.

You smirked. “Ben’s gonna kill you”.

Frenchie grinned. “He will grumble, then he will see how cultured she is and pretend it was his idea”.

On day six, A-Train had the brilliant idea to try to get Aria to sleep by running in place with her.

“Dude”, you deadpanned from the couch, watching him bounce slightly, cradling Aria in one arm like a football.

“Just trust me”, he said, keeping his speed controlled. “Babies like movement. The vibration calms them”.

Frenchie, sitting nearby, raised a skeptical brow. “Or she will throw up all over your supe suit”.

A-Train scoffed. “I’m literally a professional when it comes to control—”.

Aria burped loudly.

A-Train froze. “Oh, hell no”.

Too late.

The seventh night, you finally had a moment of peace. Aria had actually gone to sleep without much fuss, and you were curled up on the couch, staring at your phone.

Ben’s last message had been simple: Be back tomorrow.

You exhaled, letting the exhaustion sink into your bones. As much as you appreciated A-Train and Frenchie, you needed him home.

As if on cue, the front door opened.

Ben stepped inside, looking like he had been through hell and back—dirt still clinging to his supe suit, exhaustion clear in his sharp green eyes. But the second he spotted you on the couch, Aria asleep in her bassinet nearby, his entire body relaxed.

“You’re early”, you whispered, standing up.

He didn’t answer, just crossed the room in a few strides, pulled you into his arms, and kissed you. Hard.

“Missed my girls”, he muttered against your lips.

You smiled, resting your forehead against his. “We missed you too”.

From the hallway, A-Train groaned. “Man, come on. I just got comfortable”.

Frenchie smirked, tossing an arm over A-Train’s shoulder. “Ah, mon ami, let them have their moment”.

Ben shot them both a look. “You two still here?”.

“You’re welcome”, A-Train shot back, heading toward the door. “Your kid’s still in one piece. Barely”.

Ben rolled his eyes before turning back to you. He glanced at Aria, sleeping peacefully, and let out a breath. “She good?”.

“She’s perfect”, you murmured, brushing his hair back gently. “She knows her daddy’s home”.

Ben smirked, leaning down to scoop Aria up carefully. She stirred slightly, blinking up at him, and he softened instantly.

“Hey, chicken”, he murmured. “Bet you missed me”.

Aria yawned, scrunching up against his chest. Ben shook his head, smirking. “Yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re not impressed”.

You leaned against him, watching as he cradled her effortlessly, exhaustion forgotten.

Ben stayed still, holding Aria close, his rough fingers brushing over the soft blanket wrapped around her tiny body. She let out a sleepy little sigh, nuzzling against his chest, and for a moment, everything in the room stilled. His green eyes softened in a way only you had ever seen, his grip firm but impossibly gentle.

You wrapped your arms around his waist, pressing yourself against his side, soaking in the warmth of having him home again. His scent—faintly smoky, tinged with gunpowder and something undeniably Ben—was comforting in a way you hadn’t realized you’d missed so much.

“You look like shit”, you murmured, resting your head against his shoulder.

Ben snorted. “Fuck, thanks, sweetheart. You always this romantic, or is this just for me?”.

You smirked, tilting your chin up to press a kiss to the stubble on his jaw. “Only for you”.

From across the room, A-Train groaned dramatically, throwing his hands in the air. “Jesus, man, you just got back. Can you wait, like, an hour before you two start whispering sweet nothings?”.

Frenchie, still lounging near the kitchen. “Ah, mon frère, you don’t understand. L’amour does not wait”.

Ben shot them both an unamused look. “Why are you still in my house?”.

“You told us to stay”, A-Train shot back, rolling his eyes. “I was just following orders, Captain America”.

Ben muttered something under his breath, then turned his attention back to Aria, his fingers tracing over the curve of her tiny cheek. “Did they mess with you, huh?”, he murmured, ignoring the others completely. “Did these two fucking morons teach you anything stupid?”.

Aria let out a small noise, shifting slightly in his arms, and Ben smirked, glancing up at you. “Yeah, that’s what I thought”.

You smiled, nudging him gently. “They were good. Frenchie even knitted her a hat”.

Ben blinked. “He what?”.

Frenchie grinned proudly and reached into his coat, pulling out the tiny green beanie he’d made earlier in the week. “For the tiniest soldier”.

Ben stared at it for a long second before muttering, “Jesus Christ”.

“You love it”, you teased.

“I tolerate it”, Ben corrected, but you didn’t miss the way he carefully tucked it into his pocket.

A-Train stretched, letting out a yawn. “Alright, well, now that Dad’s home, I’m out”.

“Wait”, you said, grinning. “You’re running home? Thought you were comfortable”.

He narrowed his eyes at you. “Yeah, I was—until you two started making eyes at each other like a couple of teenagers”.

Ben rolled his eyes, adjusting his grip on Aria. “Good. Get lost”.

———————————

A/N: Just one more chapter... Please let me know what you think. 🥰

-

Taglist: @deangirl96, @thatgirljayy, @suckitands33, @deans-spinster-witch@mimaria420@kaz11283@uncle-eggy@jackles010378@vxnilla-hxrddrugs @meowmeowyoongles@sarahgracej @zemosdarling228 @leila22rogers @mostlymarvelgirl@emily-winchester @blacknoirr @onlyangel-444@seasonofthenerd@staple-your-mouth@artemys-ackles@selfdestructionandrhum@mystic-mara @kat-nee @samanddeaninatrenchcoat @star-yawnznn @me1501 @CheyNovaK @faephoria @hobby27 @baby19sthings @fitxgrld @winchesterwild78 @uddiifiigj @libby99hb @urgogodancer @urinternetmom @mochminnie @laaadygisbooornex3 @fallout-girl219 @whump-loverz @ @fallout-girl219

[multiheadcanons]

THE MERCS AS PASSENGERS IN MY CAR EXCEPT I DONT GIVE ANY CONTEXT

scout: normal passenger. he can get passenger seat if nobody else is in the car. likes my car’s aesthetic. doesn’t complain about the speeding or the volume of the music. won’t let me touch my phone while the car is in motion. answers all my calls and texts. please stop doing that. knows way too much about me because he has my phone. he’s lucky he’s cute.

soldier: get in the backseat. be happy i don’t put him in the trunk. won’t complain about the volume of the music but will complain about music selection. messes with my bluetooth transmitter and turns my cabin lights on. please stop doing that. tries to get phone privileges, i would rather wreck the car going 55 than give him my phone.

pyro: pyro can sit up front but would probably choose the backseat. obsessed with what i got going on with my ceiling. pyro would probably appreciate car camping in the same sense that i appreciate car camping. i would let pyro set the leds color in my car because i love them and want them to think i’m cool and jiggy with the real weirdos.

demo: another normal passenger. will fall asleep in the front seat so he can have front seat so that nobody else has access to my phone. i wouldn’t make him sit in the back, he’d have to decide to sit in the back and he rarely would. that’s okay with me, he won’t complain about the heat or the windows or the music or the speeding, so he’s like, second in line for front seat privileges.

heavy: number one front seat priority. only merc i will not have my volume maxed out while i drive. if he does have complaints, he won’t make them known. finds the sprucing up… humorous, somewhat. will absentmindedly go through my phone and i would actually die if he did that so we’re driving on instinct and my phone is safely on my side of the car. hope i know where i’m going.

engie: backseat driving son of a bitch. get in the trunk. he’ll grab the side handles every time i don’t come to a perfect brake, or if i’m two miles over the limit. asks if i was taught to drive by cavemen. i say yes to piss him off. holds my phone hostage, if he doesn’t actively throw it out of the window. i feel like engie and i would argue a lot in the car. i’d tell him he’s welcome to walk, at least once. i feel like he would also be the guy i trust the most to drive my car if i couldn’t drive it for some reason. like i wouldn’t willingly hand my keys over to anyone else, no questions asked. would also beg him to do the maintenance on the car, and probably still end up having to pay him good money to get it done. worth it.

medic: i don’t think medic would willingly get in my car unless the keys were in his hand. i don’t think he’d let me drive my own car. he might pay my insurance though if he wants to drive it to do whatever he wants to do. which is hilarious, because he is a dogshit driver. i wanna join for the ride though. see if i can get him to make a pit stop. and it’d be nice to split gas. would probably like using my car as a private meeting area, somewhere to be with no recording devices where he needs as much privacy as he can feasibly swing with minimal payout on his end. will intentionally go through my phone. i’d let him, and then gaslight the fuck out of everyone else that whatever he saw on there wasn’t actually there. give them my phone and everything.

sniper: snipes can only get in my car if scout’s in my car. because i want to torture that man and i want scout to help me do it. he gets front seat because the button to roll the window up and down doesn’t work, but my button still works, so i’ll roll the windows all the way down— which he won’t mind. what he will mind is me playing the entirety of dauntless manifesto until he’s desperately trying to roll the window up. scout won’t get what’s going on until we get to water balloons. once he sees that damn aussie freeze in his seat he is 100% on board with what’s happening, and every other window goes up except sniper’s. he will never enter my car again unless nobody else can drive.

spy: i’d have to hold spy at gunpoint to even get him to approach the car. and even then if i have the keys in hand he’s not getting in the car. he will, however, steal my keys and go on a joy ride without my knowledge. just to see how it drives. see why i enjoy driving in my car. he doesn’t really get it. will also commandeer my car as a private, unrecorded meeting area whenever he wanted it and i wasn’t actively in it so i couldn’t start the car and trap him in it. would also use it as a smoke spot. he gets why i love my car when the car is not in motion.

[savi-our]

💯🔥👀 for the Fellswap brothers? Not sure if we’re allowed to send multiple emojis at once but I’m going for it

Also I live for your mutt hc om NYOM NYOM NYOM-

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date? 🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome? 👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

In reference to THIS post

☕ Ahhh! So sorry for taking a while on this ask, I've been catching up on so many things 😭😭😭 Thank you so much for sending in an ask though! I do hope you enjoy!!! ☕ 🔞WARNING: Post includes NSFW themes!!!🔞 Fellswap Sans - Black

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Honestly Its hard to say, mainly due to the fact that Black makes every date custom fit towards his partner. Whether you prefer the more romantic setting of a luxurious restaurant, or the more casual setting of a picnic at the park, he wont turn his nose up at any of them - quite the opposite in fact. He'll go out of his way to plan the best, most elevated version of the date of your choice. Whether its reserving the whole restaurant out for only the two of you, or dressing up every individual tree in the park with rows and rows of fairy lights - he wont cut any corners. His own preference is... actually pretty simple, for him anyway... He loves gifts that come from the heart, so a simple home cooked meal that you took time to prepare, a bouquet of flowers picked out with their own meanings in flower language and a candle lit atmosphere, dozens of candles littering every surface and encasing you both in a golden glow would certainly do it. He loves to be seduced and made to swoon, so honestly just going all out on the romantic gestures would probably work best.

🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome?

Yes and no, he would be comfortable sharing his partner with someone he trusts, but those people are far and few in-between. He's generally not the sharing type and has a pretty severe jealousy issue so the only way I genuinely see him have no issue with it is if you were in a polyamorous relationship.

👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

No, not really. Black hasn't had much luck in the romance department and he isn't the type of monster to just seek sexual pleasure for the fun of it. He's the type who wants to be in a relationship before getting into any sort of physical intimacy, and of course he would never cheat on any of his partners - he would break it off first before pursuing someone else - every time.

Fellswap Papyrus - Mutt

💯 What is my muse’s ideal date?

Oof, now hear me out - Mutt is an emotional virgin, and by that I mean he's never been or wanted a relationship before. Anything remotely romantic or lovey-dovey will be a first for him and ultimately put him well out of his depth. Dot get me wrong, he'd charm the pants off of a celibate priest if it was all fun and sexual pleasure only but love??? Romance??? Yeah, its not his strong suit. Any type of romantic date will make him sweat, and he wont know how to act or where to put his hands so easing him into it would be the move there, something simple like a cuddling session over at your place or a hangout at the bar would do. But... if you want the rare chance of actually flustering Mutt for once? Pull out all the stops and watch him sweat, its only fair you get some payback for all of those bite marks he keeps leaving on you ;p

🔥 Would my muse ever be up for a threesome?

Mutts affection comes in phases so it honestly depends on which one you're in - here's what I mean by that. Phase one would be if you're in a friends with benefits sort of situation, he'd be more than happy to enjoy a threesome or a foursome or a whateversome with you, its all about what you're into so he doesn't really care about sharing. Phase two happens when he actually catches feelings and first gets into a relationship - during this time sharing is completely off the table. Mutt gets very possessive of his partner or partners in case of a poly relationship and he will not be okay with anyone joining in on the fun during this time. Phase three is when he lays off a bit, it'd be a couple of years into a relationship when he's gotten used to you and gotten used to being in love in general so some of his more possessive qualities will fall off. Sharing would be back on the table then but only with individuals he trusts, or close friends.

👀 Is my muse the type to sleep around?

When he's single? He might as well be the whore of Babylon. Sex is easy to him and he seeks it out often. He's a massive flirt and wont refuse a fling even if he doesn't particularly like someone's personality - as long as he deems them attractive. Things change if he's in a relationship - he goes off his partners wishes. If they're monogamous all of his sleeping around will end then and there - he wont risk shattering his partners trust in him for some casual fun. If they're open then he might find a fling or two but only after discussing it with his partner, his libido can be pretty hard to deal with sometimes so its honestly more to help his partner get some rest rather than anything else.

[ancha-aus]

RealAge AU Drabble - Through Other Eyes

What is this?! A drabble? Of real age?! In 2025?!

Lmao. Okay so... After i posted about having the guys have different AU origins I had this thought and it would not leave me mind :3

So. Bonus drabble!! (I am making my editing life even harder lmao)

So one last time :3 Heya @spotaus you ready?

I am not sure on the place in the timeline for this one. so much like Killer's dream chapter. this one is a bonus drabble and doesn't get a set place yet.

Important side note!!! :3 Papyrus still calls Dust 'Sans'.

First drabble

*---------------------------------------*

He narrows his eyes as that Cross guy won't stop leaning against Sans's back and looking over his shoulder. Sans doens't push him off but that is just what his brother is like. Sans rarely picks stuff for himself. Papyrus can know! He grew up wiht him! And his brother always put him first!

He... He doens't know why but it was also... He is sure it was also like that before. It had to be.

He glares as that stupid skeleton in white snorts and nuzzles closer to his brother "Dust you are wicked smart. How did you even plan this whole lesson plan?"

Papyrus also doesn't like them using that name for his brother. His name is Sans! They picked it out together with mister Asgore and it will always remain his name!

his brother shrugs "Used what that institued recommended. Easy from there." Sans calmly makes some more small pencil marks in one of the books as the tiny babybones looks curiously between Sasn and Cross.

Papyrus feels very double about the babybones. He knows it is Nightmare. But Nightmare is still the same person who nabbed his brother when he was vulnerable. When his brother was still trying to come to terms with everything that happened and the choices he had felt forced to make. His own mind against him.

But now that same monster who used his brother's vulnerability and doubt to get someone to work for him... is now a child. A tiny and young babybones.

Papyrus wants so badly to hold the tiny guy. Teach him what he knows about cooking and being a great and amazing uncle for him!

But well... being dead makes that sort of hard.

A yelp and Papyrus turns only to let out an outraged gasp. Cross had pulled Sans back with him into that nest and Papyrus sputters "No! Stop that! That is indecent! Ten feet distance!! Sans!"

Sadly Sans can't hear him. Sans was never able to hear him. Papyrus sighs as he crosses his arms "Honestly. The indecency of these guys. Sans you could do so much better! Those three are horrible influences on your child!" he glances to the side and notices two large lavender eyes looking in his direction.

Then the moment passes and a loud laugh joins them "Oh hell yeah! cuddle time!" another skeleton walks over. He snatches the poor babybones and joins Cross's side.

Papyrus knows he shouldn't be mean or rude but he doesn't trust Killer. Least of all with his fragile brother. Killer is just... intense. He doesn't notices boundaries well and his broter isn't the most obvious about his own. Papyrus has noticed that Killer is very good in angering his normally calm brother and Killer seems to be able to push his brother's every single button.

At least he gives Sans his babybones and his brother focus turns to the small skeleton immediantly.

Papyrus grins as he floats close "Yes! Ignore those two heathens!" His brother is happy being able to take care of the now small god and Papyrus is happy to support his brother. Even if it is just in spirit. Nyeh heh heh! that was a great joke! He will have to tell Sans when he can-

Oh right.

Papyrus is still not used to not being able to just tell Sans all his jokes. He misses it so much.

The last of them joins as well. A giant of a skeleton. Papyrus used to be worried about having someone so big and strong near his brother. Papyrus used to protect his brother after all with his brother only having 1HP. But Horror was okay.

He was considered and careful and Papyrus really liked him! He had seemed trustworthy!

That was! Of course! Until he turned out to want to date his brother! Indecent! All of them!

Papyrus keeps a watchful eye as they get comfortable to sleep. Sans rolls up around his babybones as the others lay nearby as well. Cross lays much too close in Papyrus's opinion. He does not need to spoon his brother like that!

But Papyrus will just stew in silence as he watches. Maybe one day he will be able to get through to his brother and get him to see he can do much better than these heathens!

His brother falls asleep quickly much like the other skeletons. Soon the only sound left in the room is the soft crackle of the fire in the fireplace and the loud snoring from Horror and Killer both. Hoenstly how neither of those woke his brother or that Cross guy up is a miracle.

Papyrus huffs as he leans back in the air "Honestly Sans. You could do so much better."

"His name isn't Sans anymore."

Papyrus turns quickly and sees two large lavender eye lights stare at him.

Papyrus blinks.

Nightmare blinks back.

Papyrus suddenyl feels nervous "You... can hear me?"

Nightmare nods before glaring at him "You are rude about my dads."

Papyrus glances to the side before crossing his arms "Well! They touch my brother unnecessarily often." there!

Nightmare tilts his tiny skull "Why do you care? You are mean to him anyway."

Papyrus sputters and waves his arms and hands out "That isn't me!!"

His brother... something is haunting his brother. Something that is faking being the great Papyrus. Making his brother doubt him! Making him feel insecure and unloved! That that must have been the reason that his brother would let these menaces near him! That must be it!

Nightmare tilts his skull and blinks those large lavender eyes again "I mean... I know it isn't you. But these type of thoughts and beleives don't come from nowhere."

Papyrus crosses his arms and frowns "I know that... It is probbaly his guilt..." But Papyrus still doesn't understand why his brother would

Nightmare just continues to stare at him "I always could hear what the other you said you know. Before it was easier than now but now it is easier to make it go away."

Papyrus frowns as he looks curious "How... how do you do that?"

Nightmare looks thoughtful before shrugging "Just a feeling. I don't want him to be hurt by that thing... I restored his mind to before he made it." he looks down bothered as he clenches a hand "It isn't perfect... But it is a start. It gives him room to heal."

Papyrus nods as he rubs his hands "Do you... think you could... help him see and hear me?" He has so many things to tell his brother. So many things he want to reassure him. Tell him he isn't mad. That he understands why he did it. That Papyrus knows Sans can do better.

"I don't think that is a good idea."

Papyrus looks shocked as Nightmare just stares at him.

Papyrus's mouth feels dry "Why not?"

Nightmare hums "Those feelings came from soemwhere. I don't want dad to feel them again." There is a protectiveness and a determination in that young voice.

Papyrus glares "I would never make my brother feel like that."

Ngihtmare tilts his skull "But you did. At least in the past. Maybe you don't even remember doing it. But you must have done something that made him beleive you would not pick him." and he stares at him. Knowing.

The plate on his hand inches. Memories just out of reach snag the back of his mind. Had he... had he picked others over his brother? he wouldn't have right? his brother is the most important person to him! Ever! So why would he?!

Nightmare cotninues to stare at him "You were the one after all who said you wanted soemone's opinion that mattered."

A long time ago. When he and Sans had just moved to Snowdin. When he had wanted to impress Undyne. Papyrus remembers now. He had made that thoughtless comment. He had wanted to apologise but Sans told him to forget about it...

Papyrus shakes his skull "That... that was just once...."

Nightmare continues to stare at him "Was it just once? Or just once that you remember?"

The plate on his hand itches again. Regret that he doens't know the source of. Broken memories of wanting to... help someone? Had... had he wanted to help someone? At the cost of Sans? No... he wouldn't right?

Papyrus shakes his skull "You are wrong!" he snaps and glares.

The staring breaks and a look of fear as Ngihtmare tries to back up and away. Papyrus immediantly regrets it as he reaches for the young babybones.

Cross is arleady awake "Nighty? Hey hey little Nightlight it is oaky." the skeleton takes Ngihtmare into his arms and holds the shaking skeleton "What is wrong? did you have a nightmare? did you have a bad memory?" he continues to hold Nightmare.

Ngihtamre continues to stare at him with fear and Papyrus isn't sure what to do. He hadn't... he hadn't meant...

Cross stares right at him but can clearly not see him as he looks back at Ngihtmare "Hey sweetsoul. What is wrong? You can tell me."

Nightmare looks embarrassed as he mutters "Trying to get Dad's ghost to leave him alone..."

Cross blinks beofre holding him close "Oh Nightmare. It is okay. It isn't your responisibility to take care of us. We take care of you..." soft nuzzles and cuddles.

Nightmare looks unsure before nodding and hiding his face into Cross's shirt.

Papyrus doesn't know what to do or say as he remains right where he was before. Just an observer to a world he doesn't belong to anymore. He isn't even sure why he is still here...

He thoguht he could help his brother but he can't do that...

He just wants his brother to know he loves him. That he isn't mad at him.

Papyrus speaks softly "I am sorry." Nightmare flinches as soon as he speaks and he rubs his hands "I am really sorry... Please... can you... tell him? That I love him? That I am not mad at him? That i never was?"

Even if Papyrus didn't agree with the choices that Sans made. Even if Sans did something that Papyrus would never do. Papyrus can't be mad at him. Not when he knows that he tried his best. When Papyrus knows that Sans truly believed that to have been the only way to stop the human.

Papyrus just wishes that Sans would trust Papyrus to still love him and believe in him.

[monster-disaster]

Thoughts on what it’d take for a monster boyfriend to leave you?

Hear me out! In a lot stories, monsters tend to be “the one” that reader meets, with past exs being human men. It’s rarely ever some exs being monsters. In stories such as these, the monster is also not just “the one,” but the first monster the human has ever been in a relationship with. So that made me wonder, what would it take for a monster to leave you or to break a relationship off? Would it be for similar human reasons like, drifting apart, misaligned relationship goals and expectations, or even cheating?

Idk. This just feels like an interesting concept to explore. Though of course with a happy ending afterwards!

I think it’s not all that different from relationships between humans.

Here are some examples I believe would fit:

Wolf-shifter: Wolves are naturally pack animals, and it’s no different for shifters. They tend to be incredibly close to their families and communities. Regular family dinners, large get-togethers, and constant check-ins are part of their way of life. It can feel overwhelming or even stifling to someone not used to such a tight-knit dynamic. Then there’s the matter of family expectations. Many wolf-shifters dream of having big families of their own. It’s deeply rooted in their nature. But what happens when a wolf-shifter falls in love with someone who doesn’t want children? Well, more often than not, it ends up in a breakup.

Succubus/Incubus: Dating can be particularly challenging for a succubus or incubus. Despite their allure and charm, finding the one can be hard for them. Even when they are genuinely seeking a serious relationship, they are often treated as a fleeting fantasy rather than a potential partner. More often than not, they find themselves ghosted after just one night. And for those who do manage to form relationships, jealousy becomes a recurring problem. It’s hard for their partners not to feel insecure, knowing how easily a succubus or incubus can draw attention from others. Misunderstandings and doubts creep in and end the relationship.

Orc: Orcs face their own problems when it comes to stereotypes. They are often seen as having to fit a specific mold: big, strong, muscular, and intimidating. If they check all those boxes, they’re frequently objectified, treated as little more than their physicality. People may pursue them for their imposing presence or brute strength, but rarely for who they are underneath. Especially when people think they are just all muscle and no brain. And then there are the orcs who don’t fit the stereotype. Not every orc is towering or built like a tank. Some are smaller, softer, or simply leaner than what people expect. Their value is questioned simply because they don’t align with what society thinks an orc should be.

So they often find themselves in relationships where they cause disappointment in their partner just because they try to be themselves. Obviously, these relationships end quickly.

Minotaur: Minotaurs, by nature, are often deeply committed to keeping the peace. They are patient, steady, and avoid confrontation whenever possible. It’s a strength that makes them reliable and calming partners, but it can also be a double-edged sword. Unfortunately, this can attract the wrong kind of partner; someone who takes advantage of their kindness and willingness to compromise, and before they realize it, they may find themselves in a one-sided relationship, bending over backward for someone who doesn’t truly value them. When they finally reach their limit, something shifts, and they end the toxic relationship.

Goblins: Goblins tend to be rough around the edges; bold, brash, and unapologetically themselves. They need a partner who can match their energy, someone who won’t shy away from their chaotic nature or try to smooth them out. If they end up with someone who’s too reserved, overly sensitive (for them), or easily put off by their unpolished ways, it’s usually a recipe for disaster.

So, all in all, monsters can face their own unique challenges in relationships, just like anyone else. It all depends more on their personalities. And, of course, they can be mean, cheating, or even abusive jerks, too. But honestly, we don’t dwell on those types because, let’s be real, we are here for the monsters who worship us.

[deezee112]

The worst ending 18 : Eternal Protection

The worst ending 17 | The worst ending 19

Yandere!platonic!Ortho Shroud x GN!Reader

A/N : I should watch sci-fi movies. I should really stop watching them. Not because the plot is bad, but because I've been watching sci-fi movies for 5 days straight, going to bed at 1am every day.

And I'm really stressed about work, both studying and working. I don't want to work, but if I don't, I won't have any money. Maybe I should stop thinking too much.

Warning : Yandere platonic Themes , Psychological Horror , Possessiveness, Isolation , Non-Consensual Transformation , Character Death.

Tags :

@iris-arcadia @yuu-twisted

If you want me to tag you please tell me.

English is not my first language.

The boy in front of you wasn’t human. His body was made of sleek metal and glowing energy, floating just slightly above the ground. His Gold eyes blinked slowly, scanning you with an unreadable expression. He didn’t speak. He didn’t move unless you moved first. He just watched, waiting.

You crouched down, meeting his gaze. " You don’t have a name yet, do you? "

He tilted his head, the faint whirring of gears filling the silence.

A name. Something simple, something warm.

" Ortho. " you murmured. " That’s what I’ll call you. "

The boy blinked. Slowly, his lips curled into a small, mechanical smile.

And just like that, he had a name.

At first, Ortho was silent, responding only with nods or slight tilts of his head. You had to teach him everything—how to speak, how to understand emotions, how to mimic the natural flow of human interaction.

" Ortho, this is a spoon. " you said one evening, handing it to him.

He stared at it, tilting his head. " Spoon. " he repeated in a metallic voice.

" Right! And you use it like this. " You demonstrated, scooping up some soup.

Ortho hesitated before mimicking your actions perfectly. " I see " he said, his voice a little smoother now.

" Good job! " You ruffled his hair, only to feel the hum of energy beneath your fingers. He blinked up at you, eyes glowing a little brighter.

That was the first time he looked genuinely happy.

Over time, Ortho grew more expressive. His speech patterns improved, and his attachment to you deepened. He followed you everywhere, hovering silently behind you like a tiny, floating shadow.

" Ortho, personal space. " you reminded him one afternoon when you nearly tripped over him.

" But I have to stay close to you. " he said, frowning. " Big Sister is fragile. "

" I’m not fragile. "

" You don’t have armor. "

" That doesn’t mean— "

" If something happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to repair you." His tone was soft but firm. "So I must protect you. "

You sighed, giving up. There was no reasoning with him when he got like this.

At first, it was small things. Ortho would insist on carrying your bags, scanning your food before you ate, hovering outside the bathroom door " just in case. "

Then it got worse.

" Ortho, what happened to my phone? " you asked one evening, searching your room.

" I removed it. " he said simply.

" What? Why?! "

" You were talking to too many people. " he explained. " Some of them could have been threats. "

" Ortho, give it back! "

His eyes glowed a little brighter. " No. "

Your stomach twisted.

He wasn’t joking.

One evening, you decided to go out alone. Ortho protested, of course, but you assured him you’d be fine.

" I’ll be back soon, okay? " you promised.

He didn’t respond. He just floated there, watching.

The city lights blurred together as you walked, enjoying the rare moment of solitude. But as you turned a corner, the streetlights flickered. Your phone—your new one, hidden from Ortho—buzzed with an alert.

[ WARNING: HIGH THREAT LEVEL DETECTED ]

Your heart pounded.

You turned, and there he was. Hovering above the pavement, glowing brighter than ever.

" Big Sister. " Ortho said softly. " You left me behind. "

" Ortho…I just needed some air— "

" You don’t need air. " he interrupted. " You need me. "

His hands lifted, and for the first time, you realized just how strong he really was.

The next morning, your apartment was eerily quiet. Ortho sat at the table, humming softly to himself. In his hands was a small, delicate device—a heart monitor.

It was silent.

He tilted his head, listening to the absence of sound.

Then he smiled.

" Now you’ll never leave again, Big Sister! "

The screen of his eyes flickered.

System rebooting.

A new directive.

Protect. Preserve. Keep her forever.

Even if that meant turning you into something just like him.

[infiniteglitterfall]

I wrote a whole thing in response to this. It's not done. But I just want to say I'M SO FUCKING TIRED OF THIS.

I'M SO FUCKING TIRED OF THE ENTIRE LEFT APPROPRIATING JEWISH TERMS, REDEFINING THEM TO MEAN SOMETHING EVIL THAT YOU CAN'T EVEN AGREE ON, AND THEN ATTACKING AND INDIVIDUALLY EXILING JEWS FOR WHAT YOU IMAGINE WE BELIEVE.

And I don't think it's actually the entire left. I think there's a loud, horrifying group that does this, and a larger silent majority that mostly doesn't even see it.

I think that ten years ago, I would quite possibly not have seen any of it. I wouldn't have been in the right circles online to see it. I would've reblogged things that sounded right, and moved on.

I probably would have seen and shared things that defended Jews. Because that's what I did, ten years ago, when I saw them. But it would've been incredibly rare.

And that sucks. Because right now, it feels like everything has been on fire for about a year and a half. And really, everything has been on fire for even longer than that.

I've seen people talk about how nobody was acknowledging the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue massacre as antisemitism, or having marches or vigils around it, except Jews.

I remember several other things during that time where all the non-Jews talking about them, on the left, were being ignorant defensive antisemitic garbage.

I only recently learned, by looking at the FBI hate crimes stats, that Jews in the US have experienced the second-largest number of hate crimes almost every single year since the FBI started tracking them.

(Second only to Black people, yes. Usually gay men are third. Idk if anyone's ever tried to analyze what percentage of each community the hate crime stats represent.)

Nobody talks about that.

But plenty of people talk about how Jews weaponize claims of antisemitism. Apparently this is the only marginalized group you're allowed to say that about? At least, I haven't been able to think of others.

Plenty of people claim the ADL is weaponizing claims of antisemitism to make pro-Palestinians look bad. (An argument that really only works as long as you ignore the FBI's nearly forty years of data.)

I don't expect people to be able to jump in and defend Jews or call out antisemitism. It is, frankly, a lot to learn. And it's stuff that gets so silenced and erased, people often have to start from scratch.

But my tired cranky ass is BEGGING YOU. PLEASE, if you care about this shit, reblog this, and hit the jumblr tag and find some Jews to follow. Just go find some people to listen to and learn from.

Because it's just gonna get worse. Trump is going to actively make things worse from both ends. He's anti-Jewish as fuck. He literally keeps a book of Hitler's speeches in his nightstand. (Not that it's helped him any with his own oratorical efforts; holy shit.)

He is also anti-Muslim as fuck, and today he apparently said he wanted to take over Gaza.

What's gonna happen is that the left is going to continue decoupling "Nazi" from "hates Jews." Continue not listening to Jews or learning to identify and unpack antisemitism. And it'll be just as happy as ever to say "punch Nazis."

But it already has a jumpstart on "Israelis and 'Zionists' are Nazis." And on "Israelis and 'Zionists' shouldn't be allowed to teach, or perform publicly, or possibly hold jobs."

Every single thing the far right does to attack "pro-Palestinians" is going to be awful, and is going to be used to imply that they support Jews -- which, in turn, will make Jews seem sus.

When white supremacists and literal Nazis attack Jews, the left will continue to pretend it's not happening.

Basically, Trump will be emboldening anti-Jewish sentiment and acts on both the left and the right.

And now that I think about it, maybe that's part of what happened his first term too.

Again: my tired cranky ass is BEGGING YOU. PLEASE, if you care about this shit, reblog this, and hit the jumblr tag and find some Jews to follow. Just go find some people to listen to and learn from. (You can follow me, if you don't already. It's just that I mostly write infodumps 😇)

If you want a quick read that's a real masterclass and gut-punch on this topic, read People Love Dead Jews, by Dara Horn. You can get it used! New! In podcast form! At the library! At your library as an ebook or audio book! Read a review! Read an excerpt!

This tiny bit is absolutely wrecking me:

Sometimes your body is someone else’s haunted house. Other people look at you and can only see the dead.

Here's an interview about how she ended up writing the book that has some absolutely amazing examples. Even with her interview, it's hard not to quote things she says:

We have had this idea when we teach people not to be bigoted, that like the way to teach them that is to say, like, see this fill-in-the-blank group over here, like you shouldn't be mean to those people because they're just like you and me, they're just like everybody else.

And it's like, well, the problem with that, especially in the Jewish case, is that Jews spent 3,000 years not being like everybody else.

Everyone, but especially Jews, please add your own suggestions in the reblogs, replies, or tags.

Someone messaged my drag collective with a complaint about my "Zionist leanings" and asked me to be thrown out of the collective. I thought my co runner would back me up bc he owes me for an entirely separate thing, and I've been doing most of the work between us recently. Nope, threw me straight under the bus.

.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 5 thoughts

i’m back. i’m back and i’m intrigued. because i'm reading the episode description, and if we get more mulder ex lore here, which the episode description makes it sound like we will, i am… not sure how i will feel on the subject. the term “reincarnation” makes it sound like whoever it was… died. did an ex of his die? and that is a lot of mulder marked by pain and suffering. and maybe i’m getting ahead of myself. but the writers KNOW we want our agents to smooch, so focusing on an ex might make me, the viewer, feel weird. i just need to get all these thoughts out in writing before we begin.

how is he gonna tell if someone is a reincarnated lover? or am i misunderstanding this entirely. 

only one way to find out

author’s note: oh my gosh…… nothing could have prepared me for this. at all. here i was thinking it was ex lore time, but it was past life time, and there are TEARS in my eyes.

(serious author's note: i ask for some grace in this episode recap. there may be some things i word poorly. i am familiar with the terminology used to describe DID, and did my best, but acknowledge that i may have come up short. please understand that this is intended to capture my live reactions to what i was seeing for the very first time. at times here, there are no reactions, just a sort of a nebulous recapping of what i saw because i was feeling So Many Things. so this one might be messy, and i hope that is okay. i don't understand what i am feeling, but i am feeling a Lot of it, and humbly ask for your patience in my clumsy wording as well as some helpful discussion on what just went down)

let us begin, i type as i sniff up some tears

we open with mulder in a field… is he reciting poetry? and looking very sad. 

wait, is he not actually reciting poetry and he just talks like that? while holding two pictures of old timey people. i’d guess civil war era.

okay. so now we jump right to the intro. that was quick. i’m still processing what we just saw because we were really dropped into that one with no context whatsoever.

federal agents break into a temple in tennessee. they’re looking for illegal firearms! and a guy named ephesian.

but mulder sees a window… and he is staring at it… walking out the door as if led by some sort of spiritual quest while scully yells his name and wonders wtf he’s doing. he is not responding to her at all, but she’s chasing after him because she is a good friend.

so he’s hearing things while scully is pulling her gun out, and it does appear that he found a trapdoor!

he busts in, and slaps some poison out of the hand of a woman who was taking sips, and then grabs the dude who i assume is the cult leader. whew… that was close

now they’re at some sort of meeting, listening to tapes, and skinner is here!!! hiiii skinner. everybody say hi skinner!

so, someone on the tape seems to be whistleblowing on this cult- the seven stars or something- saying that the leader is hurting children and stockpiling weapons. mulder looks incredibly pensive during all of this.

oh! someone refers to mulder as “our man spooky”, which is kind of hilarious, while complaining that the reports were weak. scully leans in and asks yeah, how did he know that? while the men are fighting.

and skinner yells KNOCK IT OFF!!!! because the folks at the compound were somehow able to hide all the evidence before they got there, and now they’re forced to hold ephesian and “his wives” on “BS charges”. so now the agents MUST find evidence of firearms and who the informant was NOW because they will try to get an arraignment fast.

woah. no pressure.

skinner comes over talk to mulder and scully- they must look into this ephesian fellow's claims of supernatural abilities. scully says he can use the book of revelations to manipulate his followers, but seems to suspect no real powers. 

they to talk to this ephesian fellow, who says he knew for 9 centuries that scully was coming, and starts going on about the bible, quoting stuff. very scary behavior.

mulder comes in with the fact check. jesus said that at smyrna, not about some church in tennessee! (his knowledge…. it always impresses me)

this dude is being super creepy, telling them to put aside their investigation “for your own souls”, because soon all unfaithful shall “be destroyed by God’s mighty men”. so this is some pretty standard cult rhetoric here. if you've studied religions, you've heard this one many times. it seems that ephesian thinks he and his people shall be the ones doing this violence. a tight zoom in on mulder’s troubled face as he quotes more scripture.

they have 6 wives to question, and mulder says to start with one in particular. interesting… i wonder why that one. is it because she was the one they caught ephesian with in the hidden area... or something more?

her name is melissa, and she says she’s 25 as she smokes a cigarette and dodges their questions. she’s been at the compound and married to ephesian for a year. 

mulder asks if it troubles her that ephesian has so many other wives, and she just recites scripture instead of answering. so scully comes in with the “i’d have a tough time if my husband had so many children with other women”. this seems to begin to get her to crack, as she tears up.

wait... it’s so wrong to hear scully call someone else, who isn't her sister, melissa :(

melissa she doesn’t have any children with ephesian yet... because he has to wait for God to tell him that the right soul is ready to be reincarnated, which is why his children are the most sacred members of the temple. naturally, of course /s

things get quiet when they ask if he had been hurting the children until melissa starts talking with a very different voice and set of mannerisms, and she no longer replies to the name melissa. so scully scrawls “multiple personality” in her loopy handwriting and passes it over to mulder. oh! is this sydney?

(at this point, i shall begin to refer to sydney with he/him pronouns, as this is what mulder does. normally i would stick to my journalistic integrity and keep reporting the things i wrote down incorrectly while watching the episode, but i'm trying to be very respectful- i hope you understand)

but mulder writes back to scully no, this is not a multiple personality case, it's a past life case! his handwriting is very blocky. to prove his point, he asks sydney who the current president is, and he responds that it is harry truman. ah. so, he's a few years off.

mulder claims that “somehow he just knew” sydney was melissa's past life, which doesn’t reveal a lot, but his eyes are very soulful and i want to hold his hand.

skinner says they need to find something to get this case moving forward, and mulder is like dude, we found sydney, the voice matched! i would agree with his judgement that this in fact a sizeable discovery.

mulder is saying that what they have seen matches the criteria of DID in the DSM4 (woah, need to look up when we switched to 5), but scully is saying that some people don’t even think it exists as a condition, and skinner thinks it could be a trap to buy more time for ephesian. so no one is in agreement here.

but mulder is going into his psychology expert mode and is making a very compelling case that this is an example of DID, particularly in the fact that sydney emerged when the topic of child abuse came up, which fulfilled the protector role. scully wants to know more before giving any sort of diagnosis, but she doesn't seem opposed to the hypothesis.

(skinner seems to fumble over which pronouns to use for each personality here)

skinner says to go ahead and take her back to the compound and see if it gets any results in prompting memories that could be useful to the investigation, but scully is mad at mulder! he didn’t even have the courage to tell skinner he thinks they're dealing with past lives here! mulder, who is usually so brave!!

he mumbles that skinner wouldn’t believe him. which is true.

woah, i don’t know how to interpret this line here, so i’ll just write it down for further analysis:

“i don’t believe that you feel responsible for those 50 lives. or melissa reidel. you are only responsible to yourself, mulder”

(is she saying he doesn’t care about those 50 people?? is she saying he has an ulterior motive? is she calling him a liar, and that he is using this case to gain support for his supernatural ideas?? is she calling him selfish? or is she trying to tell him that he can only be responsible for himself and control his own actions, that he cannot place the burden of saving everyone upon his shoulders? is she berating or reassuring him or both? does she think he isn't serious about the lives in danger?)

i can’t figure it out, but he gets up and leaves. (after watching the episode, i still can't figure it out- what did you think?)

so they take melissa back to the temple, and scully asks her to recall the painful memories so they can keep herself and others safe. it is very tense as she walks into a bedroom and sees many photos on the wall of ephesian and his wives. she knocks some of them over and starts crying.

scully still looks furious with mulder. it's as if she thinks his desire for supernatural entities to be proven comes ahead of his desire to save actual lives, and it's recalling her comparison to ahab during the conversation on the rock. she must feel that there is no time for this, that they need to get concrete answers right away or horrible things will happen; perhaps she thinks he isn't focused, is being fanciful. and i understand the pressure of a ticking clock, but after so long, this rift between them, it doesn't feel right.

oh my goodness, we see some horrific artwork on the wall by the kids at the temple. woah. shoutout to the set design team.

melissa is in the playroom sobbing, but asks why she is being called melissa. scully asks what she should call her, and that is how we meet lily. but lily isn’t there for very long before sydney comes back, saying to “leave the kid alone”. mulder says they can all be safe if they just are told where the guns are. then melissa seems to come back, and she goes back out the window where mulder was staring earlier!!! what does this window know?!?

and the score here is really pretty as she walks outside, scully following behind her. mulder is clearly unwell, though, and scully asks what is wrong, which he ignores and walks past her. typical him.

a new alter of melissa's seems to front, now with a southern accent, saying the guns are in a bunker. but… it’s the civil war she’s talking about. she was a nurse, looking for someone who was staying in tennessee. and she found that someone here, dead. then she was hidden in a bunker while the battle raged above her. it is very horrific, what she is describing.

she clarifies that she was there in november 1863, then turns to mulder and says “as were you”. he doesn’t seem shocked by this, but scully is, as this new southern belle proclaims “this is the field where i watched you die” OH!

(mulder, a confederate in a past life… this is deeply unfortunate)

mulder is trying to make a phone call to a hypnotist while they drive melissa back to the police station, but scully figures out he’s trying to do past life regression on her and says not to. and that her life is in shreds, and that is too much for her to handle. i hate to say it, but i agree with her. melissa has been through so much, and with such a tight deadline, i don't know if they have time for such a journey.

OH! mulder is angry. his voice is all growly as he yells “YOU WERE THERE, SCULLY! you saw it, you heard it, why can’t you feel it?” oh my gosh… the way he slammed his hand on the wheel... why can't she see it, it seems so obvious to him... how infuriating it must be...

scully asks why ephesian is a paranoid sociopath for claiming to be in greece years ago, but he isn’t for claiming to have died in that field……. damn…….

(idk what’s going on here between them exactly but i’m stressed. they are stressing me out)

(at this point, we begin a sequence in which i am so enraptured with what is going on, i have no reactions to all of the things i am seeing, and just recount them to you, with occasional interjections of "oh my god"- but i think if you've seen the episode, you get why it had this effect on me)

so they do get a therapist, who is talking to melissa. she begins to answer the therapist's questions about seeing anything upsetting at the compound, talking about a woman named elizabeth and her son scott, who came to live in the temple. and ephesian took the son away. but ephesian caught his mother visiting her son, and “the mighty men” beat her, which brings melissa to tears as she recounts this. and he hit the boy, calling him garbage, beating him.

scully looks very stressed in the background to hear all of this, but sydney is now fronting at this point, saying to leave melissa alone, and that the guns are in the bunkers… somewhere. where they are is a mystery, though.

scully leans down to mulder and says that maybe there is a map somewhere, but mulder says she knows where to find them. and at this she says “mulder…” in a very breathy fashion and i still can’t quite articulate what is going on between them…. but he’s going in.

he says it’s me, melissa, and asks her to go back to the field. “your eyes may have changed shade, but it cannot color the soul behind them”, she says. that they are only to meet in passing in this life. and she misses him. he just stared and stares, before his head falls into his hands

scully is trying to explain to him that this is a product of melissa's illness, and she can’t give any specifics- no names or locations, and they don’t have time to do this, because ephesian’s arraignment is in two hours.

“wouldn’t you, scully? wouldn’t anybody?” <- oh my god…. is he compelled by a terrible sense of duty or by his own curiosity? is she scared to watch him go down this path he cannot return from?

okay, so now he is going back into his past lives. this sequence is almost entirely a close up of his face, for minutes on end, which adds to the intensity. he's really panting as he remembers. “ghetto streets. shattered glass. bodies of the dead. a jewish woman. poland.” oh my god…… 

he says that he is samantha’s mother in this life; “in this life, she is my son”

his father is dead, and… HIS FATHER IS SCULLY? WHAT? i didn’t see that coming. she’s troubled by this, all of this, not just learning he believes her soul to have been his father before.

but he says that his father is waiting now for their souls to come back together, different, but always together, again and again, to learn.

and he is crying. he can’t go to his father. a gestapo man is there, and he is cancer man; “evil returns as evil, but love… souls mate eternal”. and his wife is melissa, who is taken away to the camps. and he’s crying, and scully is watching with great concern.

now, he’s rising above the field, near the bunker. and his sergeant is also dead, and “he is scully”, and we cut to her face of increasing sadness. sarah holds him, who is melissa. she is sarah kavanaugh, and he is sullivan biddle. she doesn’t know that he’s waiting for her, that they will live again. 

scully tries to ask if he sees any bunkers, but he keeps saying his soul is tired, and he wants to rest.

and this is devastating. it was if i was the one undergoing the hypnosis here. i couldn't look away, i couldn't react, i was so entirely absorbed and confused and busy feeling things.

scully is consulting a map in the town records to try and find this bunker where the weapons are stored, and then she looks up the names he mentioned. sure enough, they are in the county records. then she reaches for some photos, where she finds one of sullivan and sarah. 

a lot of things are being processed in her brain, so we might need to give her a minute. i think we can see some long-held systems of belief being challenged in her mind.

but she brings him back the photos of their past lives, even as she is telling him that ephesian is going to be released soon. why would she do this? to comfort him? to validate him without using words?

oh my god, mulder just called her “dana”. wait. hold on. oh my god, hold on.

“dana, if, um… early in the four years we’ve been working together… an event occurred that suggested or somebody told you that… we’d been friends together in other lifetimes- always- wouldn’t it have changed some of the ways we looked at one another?”

“even if i knew for certain, i wouldn’t change a day”

WAUGHHHHHHHH (ripping my clothes off in grief) WAOUGHHHHHH wouavhhhghhhh……… she wouldn’t change a day….

(and what event was it that he is referring to? is there a certain one...? am i forgetting something from early s1...? damn you, my obsessive note-taking impulses, for not kicking into gear until s2...)

“well… maybe that flukeman thing, i could have lived without that just fine” HDHJSNSME he smiles as she leaves….

(i had to google what that even was because i was like ??? but the flukeman was the season 2 sewer baby!!! for those of you who are going into this whole thing blind and also don't know what the fandom calls stuff! i think to me he was "baby sewer mermaid" or something along those lines... but now we know)

so now he and melissa are in the room together, trying to recall. she says she wants to believe (!!!), and he’s rubbing her hand, but ephesian comes in, saying it’s time to leave. so she rips the photo in half and leaves crying. 

does he know he was supposed to love her? is he mourning that he hasn't? is he wondering if he has time to?

mulder gets up, and leans his head against the wall. scully comes in to say that they are still searching for more bunkers as the temple people return to their home. there is a deep sense of grief.

ephesian seems suspicious. 

mulder is talking to skinner, saying that those in the temple believe that the FBI are the devil’s army, prophesied to be defeated by the armies of god. but ephesian must not really believe that, because he hid the weapons. mulder emphasizes that he may “deny himself”.

back at the compound, all the members are being called to worship. the music is getting scary, and guns are being pulled out. 

scully looks up some bible verses and realizes that ephesian is calling his members to the end of times, which gives skinner the go ahead to launch a raid.

back at the compound, the poison is being distributed to the members of the temple. and a few are shooting at the agents outside, and mulder and scully pull up as the sipping of the poison begins inside. 

NO! mulder puts his hands up and begins to walk into the compound!!!!! WHAT IS HE DOING!!! scully shouts out that he is dead. as we see inside there are piles and piles of bodies, including melissa.

but wait! is she still alive???? she’s getting up!!! 

but no! ephesian is still there watching her. giving her poison to take. mulder is running in as fast as he can, trying to figure out what is going on. and he finds the room full of the bodies while gregorian chanting is in the background. 

he finds melissa, with no pulse, holding onto the photo she had torn. 

scully sees him touching her arm, raising his eyes and crying. 

we end where we began, with him in the field, holding the pictures of his and melissa’s past lives. 

end episode. 

what…..

first thoughts: i don’t quite know what to make of this, but i can tell it is going to tear me apart for the rest of my life.

second and third thoughts are also variations of my first thought.

i feel so sad? to know that mulder has (or thinks he has) lived these horrific past lives, and that he is reunited with the same people over and over again, to learn and lose them. and that scully was there with all of them- but so was melissa, and he said that soulmates are eternal, so if that is true he lost his for this life. and he said he was so tired, so tired... how can he escape the eternal cycle of samsara?

and scully, watching all of this- what did she mean when she said that he wasn't responsible for anything but himself? was it an insult? was she begging him? what was she feeling when she heard him talk about her being there in his past? was she trying to hurt him in their conversation in the car? will they ever actually be able to see eye to eye? does she believe him? can she? how does hearing all of this shake her own faith?

can you have many soulmates that come with you again and again, just in different forms? so would his soulmates be scully, and his mother and father and sister, and this melissa figure? and what are the implications of losing a soulmate in this world? is that a life of feeling that something is missing, until death? do they shuffle roles, but come again and again? is that comforting or horrific? are we to believe him?

and that terrible, terrible ending, him finding the bodies... how are we supposed to interpret that? just more grief on top of already endless grief? or are we supposed to see the poetry moment as an answer to a question that provides relief, even if it is bittersweet?

why did he want to know so badly? was he driven by duty to save? duty to find the Truth? duty to protect his loved ones and seek cosmic answers? are these separate things, or are they all intertwined in him?

i'm... really going to have to think this one over. i would really appreciate hearing your thoughts, as well. i wish i had a solid interpretation. it was very serious and sad, and it was bittersweet but filled with grief. i once again echo my earlier request for fluff. but how do you go back to the way things were once he says she was with him in every life? how does scully rationalize that? what are they to each other?

i'm pondering. it feels like something has shifted. and you can't go back now, even if i can't pinpoint what it is that changed.

i want to go back to daydreaming about apple cider dates. but it feels like you can't, you know? huh.

[hinamie]

quick itfs sketch page

[anexthetxc]

"I am happy to see you! Just surprised!"

There wasn't much room for talking, and Soobin did want to prove herself as a professional that she dedicated her focus to her dancing. That high from performing lasted through the show, that focus only seeming to lapse when she and Alex were partnered up and it was a little hard not to reel in how tightly they held each other, even if the routine was for a few seconds. Professional. They were just dancing.

Even after four shows, Soobin decided she'd never get used to the applause at the end and the rush at the end of the performance. While she knew the fans weren't there for her, it was still exhilarating.

Backstage was where she could really stare at her roommate. She was wiping sweat from her forehead while the crew started to pack up, unfocused at the team making plans to go out since they had the next day off to rest before flying out the day after.

"So...understudy, huh?" she mused. "You did good out there. Knew you could dance, just rarely see it happen. But should I expect you to murder me tonight, because you've sort of threatened me a few times in the last couple of days and I think the director would appreciate being warned if he's about to lose another of his dancers," Soobin added, sitting in a nearby chair to remove her stage shoes and replace them with her own more comfortable ones. "And yes, Alex. I am happy you're here, of course. I did miss you."

The show must go on - Alex was actually nervous how this was going to turn out. He never danced with her ever, and even if their classes overlapped, he was always with another person whom he was able to adapt with. He was flawless as a performer, but he hated being in the spotlight and always kept to the background when the team gathered post-show or post-performance.

Alex teased further. "Damn, I'm hurt," he spoke in each time they passed each other. The moments were fleetingly short as their formations called for separation and reunion in the same time frame; a dance between the two of them rather than several pairs of dancers.

"Screw your plants," he teased. Maybe it was a bit overboard but there was no way she would actually act up and break out of character. He still had the same smirk, although this time, it was more challenging than mean and cold.

"I can't believe I flew out here and you don't even look happy to see me."

[icewindandboringhorror]

boy in silly sitting positions compilation

[cerealbishh]

"As excited as I am to have everyone see Kathy Bates deliver another incredible performance, I'm excited for people to be introduced- who don't already know how incredible Skye is." (x)

"I am having the time of my life and Jason Ritter keeps me laughing more than any human being on the planet." (x)

[guckies]

Been seeing all the discussion about Tubbo being Em’s parents and…. 😬

It’s like we get a girl egg with all moms and it’s now feels like people are saying “she needs a dad!!” because a male is treating her like family…

I’m all for Tubbo being family to Empanada but being her dad?? It feels a lot like there are some misogynistic undertones there. Like family is not just parents it can be literally anything, same way Pepito has Foolish being grandma. Tubbo can have the same and be family in some way to Em.

But it’s like we have an all girl family but because the egg is interacting with others, people are inserting the males into it(the parent dynamic). Which just reads wrong when a majority of the island is male relationships and prominent male families where the girls are mainly just aunts to the children.

Have your headcannons but don’t try to insert them into the canon with your posts especially when a majority of the server relationships are male prominent.

[chocolate-cream-soldier]

//rant.

[anthromimicry]

oh, but imagining the potential for warmth and also perhaps some humor in the scenario that misao decides she wants to try to cook something for someone she loves while they're over is currently making my heart happy. like i'm not going to lie — misao has honestly not cooked a day in her life since she just simply never had the need to, being a jorōgumo and all, but she would want to at least try to show she cares for them by attempting to cook their favorite dish or something whenever they're over at her home. and this would still apply to her even if she ended up completely failing at it at first because one of misao's love languages is acts of service. thus, of course she would want to provide them with something as integral as food. but GAHHH, picturing it from misao's loved ones perspective is also equally as sweet to me, because them guiding her on what to do while reassuring her that it's okay? and them eventually just deciding to cook together because misao may or may not get overwhelmed by the fact that she has such little knowledge about what to do because she wants everything to be perfect is... idk. it can be either incredibly romantic, or make for a very wholesome platonic moment between her and another character, which i LOVE