#but since it's moreau on the book i kept it that way

[vanikolya]

cw: mentions of death, spoilers for volume 9 of vnc

reader info: meant to be f!reader but i'm also kind of bad at writing for specific genders it never really comes up that much

notes: @rin-idk i posted this early and i had to delete it im so sorry sjdjdjf, i'm basing this off this theory! (spoilers for volume 9). this is also a continuation of my past louis x reader headcanons, the reader will be the same and have that history with louis!

LOUIS DE SADE X READER HCS (AU WHERE HE LIVES)

being domi and noe's friend, it's likely to say you would later go on to meet vanitas just as they did, so you'd reasonably have an idea about the comings and goings of the main plot

although even after meeting a vampire doctor who held the book of vanitas and used it for good... louis "coming back to life" was the last thing you'd ever expect to come out of this

at first it felt a little strange because it had been so long, you'd thought he was dead for all those years, it was hard to just pick up where you left off even with your friendship let alone with any romantic feelings

but alas with time louis being around again slowly felt more natural

he doesn't talk to you very much about things that happened in moreau's lab, it's mostly just kept a secret between him and vanitas as they were both there, you, noe and domi are kind of just only filled in on the basics of "after my head was cut off i was taken to this lab to be saved and i stayed there"

although he does have occasional nightmares that he goes to you about for comfort, though much context of what happened isn't given

not that he doesn't trust you, he doesn't want to upset you, so aside from that he refuses to mention it and if asked will just brush it off and make some joke

of course there's also the obvious thing of him. not being able to speak now. on the offchance he was taught any kind of sign language by moreau and the teacher, he teaches you as well so you can understand him, but otherwise pen and paper works just fine

i feel like i need to add my big headcanon that he kinda just doesn't like vanitas 💀 "(name) why has your taste in friends gone down since i've been away, after seeing you with vanitas it was a miracle to find out you're still friends with domi and noe"

although i guess it's more like frenemies there's no like extremely malicious stuff it's just like "ew it's you" whenever they see each other

sorry this is turning into more "louis being around in the current plot" headcanons

he's very grateful for you being there and staying patient with him whilst he adjusts to Existing Normally(tm) before anything changes in your relationship

whilst he never spoke of his feelings for you when you were both younger, it's quite obvious that he missed you just as much as he did noe and domi

there's no exact spoken moment of "we should be together now", it just happens with a gradual increase of you both being more affectionate, louis being more accepting of your affection towards him, etc

he likes hugs❗️❗️give him lots of hugs. there's something extremely grounding about them and he feels safe in your arms

he'd probably get upset about something and after being comforted and calming down he'd smile and make some joke about how you're the lady, traditionally he should be protecting and comforting you, not the other way around

despite his joking he is still actually quite protective over you, especially considering you both being in a friend group that rather commonly gets involved with cursebearers and other dangerous situations

i've mentioned louis' frenemy type dislike for vanitas but at the end of the day he's very calmed by the fact that if you were to become a cursebearer, being friends with vanitas would give you an immediate cure, rather than you having to go through anything near the likes of what louis did

i also think that louis would have to keep his being alive a secret, domi is the only member of his family to know he's still alive

so being in a relationship with him feels a little easier, he's just louis, not "louis the discarded twin of dominique de sade who the majority of his family dislikes" because you don't have to deal with the opinions of people like veronica and antoine because- louis was executed as far as they're concerned

though the trade off here is that louis has to be more secretive in general, perhaps using different names or not being able to go to altus with you if invited

with you being domi's friend, it would probably also be that he'd have to be kept secret from your family too, not just his own, with class divides and the de sade's being a higher class family, it's pretty much given that to have been such good friends with domi as a child, your family would have to have already known the de sade's and be close with them

it's still a common theme with him that he prefers quieter time with you than a larger gathering with more people around, reminiscent of him preferring to sit and read with you rather than play alongside domi and noe

overall i think he'd be pretty gentle with you and as a partner despite his more sarcastic and, what i'd affectionately call "bastard" personality

[robsterskellington]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Oh, boy. Okay, this will take a hot minute, but thank you, I appreciate the question. None of these are in order, they're just my favourites.

1. Bungou Stray Dogs- Confession: I grew up hating manga and anime because in high school, I had friends obsessed with them, and they tried forcing me to watch them and read them, then they got angry when I had no interest. But with BSD, my younger cousin just needed someone to talk to about it, and I wasn't about to be rude, especially when he made it sound so interesting! I got Covid and had to take some time off work, so I gave it a shot- the characters were interesting, the dialogue was hilarious and the story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I caught up with the manga, and thankfully got into the franchise in time to watch seasons 4 and 5. I'm also working on a couple BSD fanfics with my cousin, they're just taking a while lol

2. Hollow Knight- I don't take recommendations for anything, like if someone tells me "You should watch ****", or "I recommend ****", my mind goes "Well, I know what I'm avoiding for the next several years!" Hollow Knight was a little different because my best friend spoke highly of it, and said that it would definitely be my kinda game. He was absolutely right, I have well over 550 hours on it, and I'm really good at the game. Still haven't beaten the Pantheon of Hallownest, though. The art is beautiful, the music is phenomenal, and I love the challenging Boss fights.

3. Sonic the Hedgehog- while I'm absolutely aware that a lot of the games are trash, the comics can be a bit of a mess, and the shows are... actually no, the shows are pretty good and I LOVED the movies, really looking forward to the third one. I binge watched Sonic Prime yesterday and loved it. But Sonic is what got me through high school, I love the fast paced gameplay, the stories were always interesting to me, and the characters were always able to make me smile, even on the worst days. Admittedly, though, I tend to like the games that people hated most: Sonic Unleashed would be my favourite Sonic game, because I loved the fast day stages, and I loved beating the everloving life out of enemies at nighttime. I enjoyed all the stupid glitches in 06, and I actually really liked playing as Silver because I had a better grip on his controls. Because I grew up playing on my DS the most, Rush, Rush Adventure, Colours DS and Chronicles were the Sonic games I played most, and Chronicles was easily my favourite, I liked the RPG style and the larger cast of characters to use.

4. Mario and Luigi/Paper Mario- since both of these are in the same franchise, I'll stick these two together, especially since I like them for near enough the same reasons. Each new villain that the games brought out always made me grin, I have a soft spot for both Fawful and Dimentio, though I love Antasma as well. The stories were really good, like Super Paper Mario made me cry quite a bit. I loved the RPG gameplay that most of these games had, I've always been great with my timing unless it's a Boss, in which case I always screw up somehow. The music is amazing, the stories are incredible and I love the humour. For both, my favourites would be Bowser's Inside Story and Super Paper Mario.

5. The Case Study of Vanitas- okay, so while BSD is absolutely my favourite anime, it wasn't the first one my cousin got me invested in, that would go to this one. The story was fascinating to me, I loved all the characters (except Moreau, he can die painfully, please), and it inspired another fic that my cousin and I wrote together. I enjoyed the character interactions and how much each of them grew in their own ways, as well as just how they all know how to do things while trusting each other. Does that make sense? Probably not, I'm ill and I'm rambling lol

6. The Nightmare Before Christmas- I never watched this movie until I was in college, and I only knew the basic premise because of Kingdom Hearts, but when an ex-friend of mine lent me her DVD of the movie, I was in love. The story was simple, but interesting. If I'd watched it as a child, Oogie Boogie would have absolutely scared the living daylights out of me, I still have a bit of a phobia of bugs and I can't understand why when they're relatively harmless where I live. This was the only Disney movie where I had actively learned to sing ALL of the songs. I haven't watched the movie in a while, so I should get back on that. Oh, and if anyone asks "Do you watch it on Halloween or Christmas?" The answer is both: it is both a Halloween and Christmas movie, though you could also watch it on Easter if you wanted to, just use the excuse that the Easter Bunny makes a brief cameo, making it an Easter movie for a few moments.

7. Five Nights at Freddy's- this was something a lot of my high school "friends" tried forcing me to like by making me play it without giving me any context, but I ended up liking on my own by watching YouTube videos in my own time away from them. I understand that the timeline is so convoluted that even MatPat seems to be struggling to make it all fit, but I've always found the overall mystery fascinating and the character designs are really cool. Springtrap used to make me more nervous than any of the Nightmare Animatronics, although that could just be the knowledge that the Nightmares are an illusion while Springtrap had a rotten corpse inside it. Obviously I know that the newer games are a bit more broken, but I still love them. After all, without Security Breach, we wouldn't have Sunny and Moon, and I'd argue that a few people on Tumblr's lives have gotten better from their existence alone.

8. Bendy and the Ink Machine/Bendy and the Dark Revival- this is the only series of horror games I can play without having a full on panic attack, so that gives it a few points. I'll ignore whatever nonsense is going on with the books and a will remain unnamed co-creator, because I am the sort of person who will separate a creation from creator. I won't let someone ruin something I love for any reason. Anyway, I always found that the premise was interesting, I liked the artstyle and loved the characters. The voice acting, character models and the little combat we had were all excellent. I do like how Dark Revival took the story, but I admit that I haven't played that yet, because I'm hoping it'll come out on the Switch eventually, since that's what I played Ink Machine on. Oh, and I'll be honest when I say that when the pandemic first started, I read a lot of the fanfics people created on this franchise, and it was because of them that I got this Tumblr account in the first place.

9. Kingdom Hearts- this was actually the first game I ever played on a console that wasn't handheld; my older half-brother came to stay with us when I was really young and he wanted to bond with me, so we played Kingdom Hearts together. I sorta remembered the game in college and watched all the games on YouTube before buying a PS4 with my first work paycheck and then buying the Final Mix games. Again, convoluted story, but I don't care. I love the characters, all the different worlds you can explore, how different the battle system is. I never played or watched any of the Final Fantasy games, so I don't know much about their characters, but Cloud has always interested me for some reason? Anyway, I loved the bond that Sora, Donald and Goofy (in that order), have together, and being able to watch them grow as friends and as a team, saving all the Disney worlds makes me feel like a child again.

10. Spy X Family- this anime, I actually did watch on my own, purely because I saw an ad for it and thought "This looks cute, let's see if it actually is!" And yes, it was. My cousin was so happy that I watched it because he wasn't sure if I'd like something relatively soft, compared to BSD, and I unintentionally got my best friend to watch it, when I talked to him about it. Now we're all looking forward to the new movie and new season! The characters are all quirky in their own ways, the story doesn't take itself too seriously while also fitting in dramatic moments and even some emotional ones. Anya is a precious cinnamon roll and literally everyone should protect her.

TL;DR, if I had to pick a top 10 things I like, in no particular order, it's Bungou Stray Dogs, Hollow Knight, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario and Luigi/Paper Mario, The Case Study of Vanitas, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Five Nights at Freddy's, Bendy and the Ink Machine/Bendy and the Dark Revival, Kingdom Hearts, and Spy X Family.

Okay, thank you for that question and I'm so sorry if you regret asking because I have no idea how to shut up when I start lol

[starlcts]

(—) ★ spotted!! NICOLÁS 'NIC' MOREAU on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 26 year old looks like TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET, but i don’t really see it. while  the MODEL is known for being ARTICULATE my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be CARELESS i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song WORST CASE KID BY TOMMY LEFROY  {he /him cisman}

𝑩𝑰𝑶𝑮𝑹𝑨𝑷𝑯𝒀

growing up on the outskirts of paris, nic was born as the only son in the moreau clan, moguls in the european luxury hotel industry . his father, henrie, was well into his fifties when nic was born and already on his third wife, to which nic was a surprise . his mother , colette , was more interested in her husband's name and the connections it could bring her than she was in raising her own son . thus , on the bitterly cold november morning in which nic was brought into the world , he was placed into the arms of his nanny rather than his mother .

later, he would be told that his parents were ‘ overjoyed ’ at his birth, but that tidbit was always confusing to him. he’d never once seen his parents display much emotion, nevertheless one that would be related to joy. his parents were cool and detached, certainly never ones for any sort of praise or physical affection.

most of his childhood followed the same trend : his parents were always absent , only calling on nic when his presence was mandatory for various events and functions . while they were not a constant force in his life , their expectations were still high for their son . he was provided the best tutors , the best boarding school educations and any resource he could possibly need to make his parents proud .

he was able to live up to his parents' expectations for the most part . . . he made decent grades and was well - liked among his peers . it was clear from the start that his father wanted him to inherit the company , something nic was always indifferent about . it was always odd , being born into a world where his future was already decided for him before his first breath .

he started his modeling career when he was seventeen , after the photographer who shot his family's christmas card recommended him for a ralph lauren shoot happening later that month . despite his mother's previous work in the modeling industry , it was nothing that nic had ever considered doing for a living . however, he ended up going to the shoot and hasn't looked back since . soon enough , he was getting booked for paris fashion week, and he kept booking audition after audition .

it's not like nic is necessarily passionate about modeling, it's mostly just something to pass the time and get his father off his back . he decided to move , or as his parents claim --- ran away to california two years ago . in a way, he did run away , if only from his responsibilities . now that his main source of income isn't from his parents , he has no interest in returning home anytime soon .

he presents as a little spoiled, but that's where nic claims most of his charm originates from. he always sports a coy smile, paired with a cigarette hanging from his lips . he rents a house in manhattan beach , which he is rarely in due to his hectic , travel schedule .

nic is often restless , constantly looking for something to do and for new people to meet . no matter where he is , he parties quite a bit and is often out until the early hours of the morning . in terms of his relationships , he's never been one to seriously commit to anyone out of fear that his family would be enough to scare anyone away. thus , he keeps most at a distance .

𝑾𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑫 𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑵𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵𝑺

close friends

modeling friends / party friends

roommate ( open for one - two people ! )

exes of any sort

a toxic type relationship where they know they aren't good for each other but they still hang around each other because they just can't stay away

i would love a soft slow burn for my boy ... maybe someone who's currently a friend but they both sense there could be something more there ... it would just take a little time ( and trust ! ) to get there

[its-deputy-caleb]

If RE8 requests are still open, do you think you could do one where the reader is the partner/spouse of four lords (separately, not poly) who went missing years ago and they thought us dead. But then surprise!!! We’re alive!!! And just the whole aftermath of that? Sorry the description is kind of bad😅 (if you could include cute moments with the daughters in Alcina’s section that would be cute cause the girls need that sweet parental love lmao)

Okay so these are super messy and all over the place since i wrote this back to back with other hc’s so they’re unedited and make literally no sense but pls enjoy some angsty fluff with lots of lovin’ and huggin’

Alcina Dimitrescu

Alcina is startled by the sound of a knock at her door, placing her book down on the coffee table as she walks to the door, curious as to who is there. She wasn’t expecting visitors.

“Ooh visitors!” “I wonder who is there?!” “Could it be Uncle Karl? Or maybe it’s the Duke?”

Alcina would have scolded her daughters for being impatient if she wasn’t asking herself the same questions. However he mind is wiped blank when she opens the door to see who is standing on the other side.

There you are, standing in front of her after all these years. God how she had missed you. You hadn’t changed much at all since she last saw you and it made Alcina feel like she was hallucinating.

“Hello, my Lady-“

You can’t finish your sentence before you’re tackled to the floor by three teenagers. Cassandra has her arm slung around your neck as she plasters herself to your side while Bela is practically balled on top of you in a bear hug so tight it could almost kill you. Meanwhile Daniela has her face hidden tightly in your shoulder on the opposite side of Cassandra with tears streaming down her face.

Eventually with their mother’s persistence, the three daughters let you go so you can see their mother but not before you wipe away any of their tears and kiss all of them on the forehead.

Your heart skips a beat as you prepare your list of apologies to Alcina. You could only imagine what it would have been like for her when you disappeared without a trace.

The words never leave your mouth as she brings you into her arms and kisses you with a desperate ed’s that you matched. Your arms cling tightly to the fabric on her shoulders, never wanting to let go as her arms tighten around your waist.

You spend the rest of the night curled up on the couch in Alcina’s arms, she hadn’t let go of you once as you explained to her the nature of your disappearance. None of it really mattered though as you were just happy to be reunited with your family.

Donna Beneveinto

Your heart feels like it’s breaking out of your chest as you walked towards Beneveinto Manor, it had been literal years since you had seen your beloved Donna.

Walking up to the huge red gate, you see the familiar words “Give up your memories” on the plaque. With unsteady hands you place the photo you kept of Donna, Angie and yourself down by the waterfall into the letterbox.

When you eventually arrive up at the Manor, the seconds leading up to the door opening are gruelling. But your jaw drops when you see Donna. After all these years she hasn’t change except for the large scar that covers her right eye.

She instantly falls into your arms and begins sobbing as you hold her close. You place a soothing hand in her hair and whisper to her that it’s all okay, you’re here now.

When her sobs become little sniffles you bring her back to look into her eye, your hands on her face stroking her cheeks and simultaneously wiping away stray tears that fall.

“I’m sorry I left you…”

You bring her in for a gentle and tender kiss, one that is full of sorrow and heartache but is cut short by a screeching sound which you learn is Angie flying down the stairs.

“Now where’s my hug silly?!”

After hugging Angie, who now sits on your shoulder, Donna’s hand interlinks with yours and brings you inside. She shows you all around the house, what’s changed and what hasn’t as well as the new dolls and dresses she’s been making to keep herself busy through your disappearance.

You three end up on the balcony together watching the waterfall on the little wooden bench, Donna curled up to your side and your arm wrapped protectively around her.

Salvatore Moreau

Salvatore was making his way around the docks, checking for maintenance or anything that needed immediate fixing. It was just another ordinary day for him, just another activity for him to keep busy.

“I think you’ll find the oil for the boats need changing.”

Salvatore screams as he’s startled by you coming from behind, having not heard you at all. In the process of it he slips and lands himself in the water.

You lean down and pull him up by the wrist but after he’s out he doesn’t let you go. Sal stares blankly at you for a moment, not believing his eyes before he pulls you to him for a bone crushing and slightly wet hug.

Your shirt is now just as soaked as his but you couldn’t care less as you returned the hug. After five minutes he still doesn’t let you go, chuckling to yourself, you bring him closer to you.

“I missed you too Sal”

His face is mushed into your shoulder, mumbling about how he doesn’t think it’s real but you only remind him that soggy clothes are difficult to imagine.

You spend the rest of the night huddled under warm blankets in an effort to get dry and end up watching a movie before you fall asleep together, all the matters of your disappearance could wait as Sal is just happy to have you back in his life again after so long.

Karl Heisenberg

Karl is standing in the front of his factory, sifting through old bits of scrap metal to begin making a new design on the Soldats when he hears the gate open. There’s only one person who had the key other than himself… but you went missing a long time ago.

Thinking nothing of it, he places a cigar in his mouth to chew on something nervously, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his bones.

“Need a light?”

Karl’s head swivels to see you standing there with a cocky look on your face. His head dips forward till his glasses rest on the bridge of his nose and he nearly chokes on his cigar at the sight of you.

The item falls onto the floor as his jaw falls open, left completely forgotten as he approaches you and takes your hand in his.

“Is it really you?”

You don’t miss the way his voice trembles slightly but you can’t blame him. Karl had been alone almost his whole life before he met you and then he lost you too.

When you nod slowly it’s like a wall is broken and he falls into you, pulling you against him for an embrace.

“I thought I lost you…”

The words are whispered against your neck as he leans in for as much physical contact as he can get. Your hand comes to lace itself in his hair and you rub slow circles on the nape of his neck, weaving in and out of the strands there.

You stand there together for what feels like hours before you finally get to come inside the factory. In the living quarters, you and Karl are wrapped up on the couch together as you tell him all about what happened to you. All of Karl’s work plans are left untouched for an entire week as he refuses to do anything but spend time with you.

[dmc-tings]

I thought of this at work and it made me sad.

Fight me but I really like the idea of the lords falling for a long lost Baker. So how’s it gonna play out if the Lords and their s/o find out a part of Jack and Margarette’s consciousness is still apart of the mold and because of that they’re able to watch their child through it and are maybe even able to manipulate it to communicate with their baby.

Long Lost Baker Kid (Jack and Marguerite But their in the Mutamycete)

This is part of the Long Lost Baker kid saga. It's a running theme on this blog now, and I'm addicted to it.

I wrote this one as a weird aftermath type deal. Made more sense. Just bare with me

Alcina Dimitrescu

You both had been looking around Miranda's study.

Permission given to you and your giant lady, by Chris

Alcina came across a journal

Notes about the Mutamycete and connections about it

You both sat and skimmed the journal

Pointing out every so often things that stuck out to you guys

But towards the end, there was an eye-catching note

"Evidence of the Bakers consciousness are evident. Even to the point where they themselves have reanimated. But the bodies weren't able to last with out the base of the Mutamycete."

You snapped the book closed, shivering

Alcina took you into her arms, not daring to speak

"I never!"

You both jumped!

"That... thats... Mama's voice..."

Alcina looked flabbergasted,

"What? Your birth mother? Is that why-"

"Now Darlin... You aughta be glad that they found someone to take care of em."

"Dad?!"

You started to frantically look around

Throwing things out of your way now

You finally followed their playful argument

They were in a jar...

That was covered in the mold....

"Momma? Daddy? Are... Are yall...?"

"Well, who else? Humm?" Marguerite said, you could hear the smile in her voice

You smiled brightly at Alcina and looked back at the jar, sadness forgotten

Donna and Angie Beneviento

It had been a few months since the explosion....

Angie and Donna had accompanied you to the site of the explosion

Currently, you were having a problem with pulling a massive beam out of your way.

Mr. Redfield had long gone, thinking that everything was dead, but Donna had kept you locked up safe in the Estate

Neither Donna or Angie were there out of any kind of want of their own, you pestered them into going.

Something, was calling you....

You couldn't put your finger on it, but this was important

Whatever or whomever it was that called to you

It was familiar, that's the only thing that you could tell them

"Let me, Dear."

It was Donna breaking you out of your stupor

With ease she moved the beam out of your way

(Despite the game not showing Donna's strength beyond the pollen, she's pretty damn strong. Fite me)

After jumping into a dark, yet shallow hole, you found... it?

Was this it?

A jar....

"ALL THAT FOR A DAMN JAR?!" Angie spoke

You gently lifted the jar up, mold... or some kinda fungus writhed within it

"Now, now. Let's not get off on tha wrong foot here."

You blinked, once. Twice. Thrice.

This... Was this your dad's voice?

"Daddy?"

"Aaaaannnnd?"

Your Momma's voice chimed in

There was water, but it wasn't raining

"Dear? You know them?"

You nodded, this water wouldn't move

"I found them, my parents."

You cried having thought you lost your parents forever

Salvatore Moreau

He had a hard time getting you out there...

It was part of what his brothers home was.. the bit that was left from the explosion

You insisted on going because of the possible research that would have been left there by Miranda

Moreau was against it, but he conceded at your request

Because you were his everything right now

And he'd do anything to make sure you were happy

You both were currently trying to find anything to reverse his current physical pain

You wanted him pain free, and couldn't care less about how he looked

But Moreau wanted to look like his human self for you

Right now you both were split up, him on one side of the wreckage and you on the other

On your knees shuffling through papers you found a journal

Surprisingly, the notebook was intact

You idly flipped though it, not really thinking you'd find anything

There was a bit of mold on the back pages, and once it hit your hand, you reached in disgust

"Gross! I guess they didn't blast everything!"

You threw the notebook, trying to wipe your hands on the ground and your pants

Salvatore quickly made his way to your side

"My love? Are you ok? Wha-"

He saw the look on your face and laughed

"Not funn-"

"Well that was damn rude! Both ya!"

You paused, a chill going up your spine

"Did you hear that?"

Salvatore gave you a confused look and then gazed around the area

"I... I didn't hear anything..."

"Now you just ain't payin attention chér."

"Momma?"

You looked around and moved closer to Moreau, taking his hand in yours

"Well well well. I told you she was with em!"

"D-Daddy?"

You squinted your eyes, then gave Salvatore a look, as if to see if he was doing anything

He looked back at you innocent and confused

Realizing he really wasn't doing anything you looked at the book

"It must have something to do with the mold then.."

Salvatore blinked at you

"Ah. You must have a bond with it... Y-your parents are in it still..."

You frowned, this was going to need more tests

But you picked up the notebook, making sure to safely put it in your bag

Karl Heisenberg

He grumbled, kicking some rubble out of his way

"This is ridiculous. I loathe this."

He had been whining this entire time...

You rolled your eyes at him,

"Som' bitch is annoyin' ain't he?"

The voice that sounded like your Dad, spoke out casually.

You nodded,

"Thats right, disembodied voice."

"Ah I bet the poor man is just tired..."

That was your Mom,

You shrugged, disembodied voice #2 may have had a point as well

It was odd.

You'd had your own monologs in your head, sure

But none of them ever sounded like anyone you actually knew

Until the explosion

And now you had two extra voices giving you advise or snarky remarks aimed at your disgruntled boyfriend

You would often speak out loud to them, and Karl learned to ignore it

You got done rummaging through the pile in front of you and stood up and pointed at some steel laying in a big pile

"Karl can-"

He waved his hand and haphazardly yeeted the pike away from you

"Thanks..."

He gave a "humph"

"Rude bastard..." your dad's voice rumbled

"He's not so bad." You spoke defensive, "He's just got some rough edges. Ya know, despite not wanting to come here, he came."

"Thats true. Jack cut the man some slack. He's with our daughter, and that's a victory in its own right."

You paused

"Your daughter?"

Karl looked at you, confused, cigar lit in his mouth

You looked at him and then back at your hands

"ARE YOU FUCKIN KIDDING ME?!"

Karl jumped and you started to rage

"You aren't just fucking voices?! Your my parents?! What kinda Twilight Zone shit is this!?"

Karl was really confused, he'd never seen you like this... And now your talking to yourself...

"Kitten. Are you-"

You turned to him

"Those note you found a couple of weeks back, Karl... The ones you old me about the-

"Oh shit. Seriously? So your folks where in there..."

Karl had previously come to the explosion, in search of any of Miranda's notes

He'd found some, that he had to piece together

It was done and the pair of you eventually learned that if parts of the Mutamycete had survived, anyone connected to it would be connected to everything that died nearby the mold

You finally calmed down

And sat down

Huffing, "Why didn't yall say anything before?"

"Well we didn't want you to do anything irrational. You're like ya daddy, you know."

Jack huffed at Marguerite

"Not my fault! She insisted bein around me all the time..."

You rolled your eyes at Karl

He laughed at you and heaved you over his shoulder

"You talk to your folks, I'll make sure we get home, ok?"

You patted him on the ass and relaxed

This was going to be a long walk...

[lock-my-heart]

Maybe some headcannons for karl and a shapeshifting reader who can turn into a bunch of animals and possibly alcina mistakes them as a gaurd dog at first since they don't trust her and won't shift back? They/them pronouns please :0,,

Oh no oh god I don’t know how to write shapeshifting stuff I apologize if this is not what you wanted. If you want to expand upon this and ask for more detailed headcanons please feel free. I want to try writing outside of what I know.

Guard dog (Karl Heisenberg X Shapeshifting!Reader)

• He adores you.

• You’re his faithful companion, in more ways than one.

• Karl will have you shapeshift into stronger animals when you’re outside of the factory with him.

• He also trains and tests you in your animal forms, from agility, to strength, resilience, adaption to environmental changes, anything at everything. He’ll go the extra mile to make sure you can protect yourself or get out of a situation should the need arise.

• He brings you along to “family” meetings inconspicuously, as a small insect or bug that can easily be hidden. This is where you first get a glimpse of his “family”

• You were not impressed.

• Moreau and Donna + Angie were alright in your book but the way Alcina just constantly seemed to be out for Heisenberg left a sour taste in your mouth. So when the time came that you had to accompany him to the castle to drop off supplies you were on guard the whole time.

• Heisenberg most likely kept you a secret from the other Lords, especially that fact that you can shapeshift so Alcina just took you for a mutt Karl was able to tame.

• It took one snarky comment from her to send you growling and baring your teeth. Of course as a wolf you lose most of your human instincts and behaviours and instead trade them for those of whatever animal you’ve taken the form of.

• Alcina is offended that (in her eyes) some lowly dog would dare bare their fangs at her. Heisenberg is laughing his ass off. You’re ready to spill blood. It’s a mess.

• At last when you leave Heisenberg is spoiling you for your little performance earlier. He finds it absolutely hilarious and will definitely ask you to accompany him in wolf form to his meetings just to piss off Alcina.

[giorno-plays-piano]

Rusted Remnants

Pairing: Karl Heisenberg x mutant!Reader

Warnings: past noncon, smut, dirty talk, Stockholm syndrome, violence, mention of human experiments, swearing.

Words: 1924.

Summary: You felt better knowing he wouldn't have to leave for quite some time now, staring at the man as he leaned back against the pillow, watching the smoke slowly disappear in the air - Heisenberg wasn't your darling, but he's the only one who kept you sane in that fucking hole where human life mattered so little. Among other Lords he's the only one who had the resolve to fight that heartless bitch hiding behind the façade of a holy mother.

____________________

When a bearded man in sunglasses opened the door with a grinding, abrasive sound, you felt both fear and relief - Heisenberg was a mean son of a bitch who couldn’t stand people crossing him on anything, and you learned that the hard way. However, thanks to that insanely strong bastard who could smash in a Lycan’s skull with one swing of his hammer, you were still safe in his hideout, not having to worry about mutilated monsters this place was swarming with.

Besides, even though Heisenberg was as rotten and disgusting as any other Lord, he still had more human in him than Dimitrescu, Beneviento and Moreau altogether.

“Did you miss me, little monster?” He smirked, watching you laying in bed with some cheap romance novel you traded for bullets with the Duke: you had little hobbies since you barely left Heisenberg’s factory.

You rolled your eyes, knowing he hadn’t been home for a couple of days and now needed to get under your skin, feeding off your emotions like Alcina fed off her victims’ blood. It was something like a routine to him: he needed to know you had something human in you, too.

“Who else do you expect me to miss?” you snorted, leaving a worn book with a dirty yellow cover on the bed. “You know I don’t like when you leave for so long.”

“It’s not like I like it either.”

Leaving his monstrous hammer on the table full of blueprints, drawings, nails and all other things you were forbidden to touch, he took his glasses off, and you saw his weary eyes, the blood vessels widened in their white. It didn't happen often, but from time to time Heisenberg would abandon his façade of a smug, careless bastard, and then you could catch a glimpse of a deadly tired man who had long lost any hope to ever free himself from Miranda’s death grip. Something had happened in those couple of days when he had been wandering the woods and catacombs filled with Lycans, Samcăs, and Vârcolacs, and it certainly wasn’t good news if it stripped Heisenberg of his endless complacency.

Quietly slipping away from the bed, you put your shoes on while the man in front of you left his coat hanging on a chair and stilled, his dirty hands on the desk as he stared at it blankly. While he stood there, motionless, you turned on the large faucet in an improvised shower cabin - everything there had been old and rusty, and you needed time to adjust the temperature of water from icy cold to bearable cool or even hot if you were lucky enough. Thankfully, Karl never protested against showering, washing away dry blood, machine oil, muck and filth.

Saying nothing, you carefully lifted his hat, unclasped the belt on his chest and started unbuttoning his dirty shirt - nobody would believe it had been white once. Finally, Heisenberg came back to his senses, smirking and letting you strip him of his clothes, leaving his pants and huge heavy boots on the floor. As he stepped into the shower, he dragged you with him behind the old plastic curtains full of holes, and your nightgown got drenched within a couple of seconds, water pouring over your head. You didn’t protest anymore, knowing the man wouldn’t let you go until he blew off some steam, pushing you into a wet stone wall and wrecking you ass till you started sobbing - he loved when you squeezed his fat cock with your pussy, but Heisenberg couldn’t risk getting you pregnant, leaving his child to be endlessly tortured by that holy bitch until she turned his baby into some fucking monster doll. Sometimes he could buy some condoms from the Duke, but it was still a rare occasion, so most of the time Heisenberg spent using your other holes, filling you to the brim with his cum until he felt satisfied.

"Wearing that white nightgown like some noble slut from Alcina's castle." he growled into your ear from behind, grinding against your ass, his callous fingers gripping your hips as he forced you spread your legs for him. "Did you do it on purpose, baby? Did you want to bounce on my cock so bad?"

Turning your head to him, you didn't get a chance to speak up when the man crashed his mouth into yours, his arm lifting up the drenched fabric of your nightgown and baring your flesh. Landing a loud smack to your ass, he grinned through the kiss: he loved it when you behaved well around him, taking whatever he was giving you like a good girl you were.

You didn’t mind. At first the thought of him touching you had been giving you panic attacks and nausea, but as years flew by, nothing changing in this Hell of a place where sanity was a privilege, you clung to Heisenberg in a desperate attempt to feel human again - even if it was something as primitive as grinding your bodies against each other.

As he rubbed his cock in between your shaking thighs pressed together, you moaned, the water cascading down your bodies while Heisenberg fondled your breasts, biting and nipping his way down your neck.

"You're going nowhere until I fuck the shit out of you."

_________

Breathing in the smell of his Cuban cigars, you watched Heisenberg smoke as he laid close to you, his naked body barely covered by a blanket: his skin was littered with nasty scars, and it seemed like every centimeter of it had once been burned, cut or bitten. Some of them were so old you could barely see them, others relatively knew where the scar tissue was still angry red and thick: most of the time he got them while working on his personal army down there, but with his regenerative abilities they were like a kitten bite to him. Of course, even of they weren't, Heisenberg would still pretend like it was nothing, wearing his shit-eating grin.

"The holy whore is up to something," he says after long minutes of silence, ash falling to the floor from his cigar, "and I don't like that I know fucking nothing of her plans."

You felt better knowing he wouldn't have to leave for quite some time now, staring at the man as he leaned back against the pillow, watching the smoke slowly disappear in the air - Heisenberg wasn't your darling, but he's the only one who kept you sane in that fucking hole where human life mattered so little. Among other Lords he's the only one who had the resolve to fight that heartless bitch hiding behind the façade of a holy mother. You couldn't call him sane, but he had enough sanity to remember what Miranda did to all of you and how fucking twisted was her desire to have a family. You weren't her children, regardless how many times Moreau was going to call her his mother. Whatever she did to you or those miserable villagers, her cannon fodder, she did only to revive her real daughter, and the thought had been making you sick since the times Heisenberg told you about Miranda's past.

"You think it's something big?"

"Yeah. She keeps disappearing into thin air, and I can't find a trace of her anywhere at all."

You grew silent, staring at the blanket with empty eyes: it certainly wasn't a good sign. Where was she going if even Heisenberg couldn't locate her? Was she crossing the forest to get to the outer world? The last time it happened she brought to the world one more horrifying monster with a face of a little girl. The only thing you knew about her was that she was destroyed a couple of years ago, just a failed experiment like all those Miranda had been involved in.

"I think she partners up with someone, some organization that can give her what she wants like, you knew, she did before." You muttered, and Heisenberg stared at you, narrowing his frightening light eyes.

"With whom could the old bitch partner?"

"I don't know, but I know she brought someone with her, willingly or not."

Now you had his full attention as he turned to you, his eyes burning a hole in your face. "Who did she bring here? How the fuck do you know?"

Rolling over to your stomach and hugging a pillow - a real pillow you got from the Duke a month ago, not that pile of garbage the man had been sleeping on for ages - you let out a loud sigh. You weren’t eager to go exploring the factory even though you knew where his soldiers were, but you couldn't just stay in his room for the rest of your days, and sometimes you would get out for a couple of hours, wandering empty corridors with rusted doors.

At first it was subtle. You knew this place well, but you couldn't sense monsters or people getting in the way Miranda did even after Cadou implantation. You just wandered the same places over and over, collecting semi-precious stones, bullets and other things you could trade for something with a merchant. As the time flew by, the feeling of uneasiness was washing over you as you stepped into certain rooms, got into certain places. There was nothing peculiar there, nothing that would catch your attention, but something was still eating you up as if you knew something wasn't right.

At one point you realized that what disturbed you were things moving from their original places - changes were small, barely noticeable for someone who didn't spend hundreds of hours walking around here, but you could know put your finger on what was wrong. Who was it? You knew it weren't the Lords who had no business here. Besides, the Master of Metal could always feel their presence. Obviously, it weren't humans from the village for whom the factory was sacred, and monsters possessed too little intelligence to put things on their places in the very same order. You thought it could be Mother Miranda, but she wouldn't be sneaky if she really wanted to show Heisenberg his place.

Now it all made sense. You knew the outer world would learn about this place sooner or later, especially after that monster girl incident, and it only proved the idea Miranda brought someone with her.

"I think it's someone smart, Karl. Someone who will either destroy Miranda or try to take control of her - and us, maybe." You said after telling him about your little adventures, and the man smirked, stroking your back. Of course, after her little Eveline had been released into the world, he had thoughts about other organizations having their fair share of Megamycete,

“Someone we can use against her, then.” He whispered, his eyes dark and perceptive as he leant closer, dropping a kiss to your shoulder, his complacency getting back as he sent you a smug grin, slapping your ass loudly. “Good job, little monster. Good job.”

Rolling you over on your back, he got on top of you, pushing your legs apart and licking his lips at the sight of your naked pussy right in front of him, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of your thighs.

“I’ve forgot to tell you baby," he grinned at you when you squirmed from his touch, his thumb already tracing tiny little circles against your clit. “I’ve got a rubber, so you better milk me dry with that sweet little cunt of yours.”

[tu-sugar-mami]

Warnings and uh tags?: reader death, unsolicited angst. Don't read honestly, it's crappy, im feeling angsty today don't read, this doesn't make sense at all but meh bc i always hurry i have no patience. Happy ending if course but still

###

Alcina can't understand it.

You're just another maiden of the bunch. Why are her eyes tearing up?

You're nothing more than a simple servant, as disposable as any other, just a toy kept around for her amusement only. Sure, she might have gotten a liking to you, an uncommon fixation but nothing else. So why? Why is her stomach churning with worry and why is her her mouth dry at the sight of your limp body trapped under the fallen bookshelf? Why are her eyes watering and her heart beating uncontrollably when she can't hear yours even if she's straining her ears.

When she heard the thunderous roar of something clashing to the ground she was ready to lecture you, wasting no time in climbing up the stairs with hurried steps in search of you, but her feet stopped abruptly at the sight that greeted her: Half of your body buried under the heavy wood, books littered all around you and blood spilling out of your mouth.

It takes a moment before she spins into action, pushing the bookshelf away and kneeling beside you. She doesn't know what to do, she's afraid of touching you and risk hurting you even more but she can't bring herself to call for help.

She's angry at you, at herself. At you because why did you have to be so reckless? You're fragile, human, mortal, and yet you're stubborn in doing things your way. At herself because she should have known better than to leave you alone.

With gloved fingers on your neck she checks for a pulse. You can't be de— No, she won't finish that thought, she won't accept it. There isn't a pulse but she is not letting you go.

Careful to control her strength Alcina picks you up, cradling you in her arms and close to her chest. You've always been soft and squishy, great for cuddles and hugs, but the way you feel in her hands as she carry you downstairs is way too wrong, like a pouch of glass marbles. Your face is pale and your limbs sway like those of a rag doll. At this point even Donna's dolls and puppets seem more alive than you do.

Alcina orders a carriage to the first maid that crosses her way. Her cracking voice harsh to the maid's ears while she scurries to bide the order she's given.

The daughters somehow hear the fuss and go to investigate. They find their mother trying to hold back tears, though unsuccessfully, since some of her makeup is already smudged.

"Don't." Is all she say when one of the girls try to touch you. They're worried at the dull, lifeless tone in her voice, but they obey nonetheless.

Alcina doesn't know why she's acting like this. She doesn't know why suddenly you're worthy of her wasting precious time to try and save you.

She remembers how you had never been afraid of anything, not even when you were sold to her by your parents. She wonders if you are afraid of never waking up again.

During the whole journey to Moreau's —the only one that appears in her mind when it comes to someone able to help— she never lets go of your frame, cradling your pale cheek in her hand, her thumb caressing your now cold skin.

Why is her heart hammering in her chest? Why does she feel like grieving the loss of something precious? Why is she suddenly overwhelmed by all these emotions? It doesn't make sense, not at all.

Moreau is curious as to why Lady Dimitrescu's carriage is pulling up at his door, and at such hour at that. He's not expecting a teary Alcina carrying a young maiden in her arms, ordering him to save you, and when he states what she already knows she begs for everything that is holy that he still try because you can't leave her, not like this.

Alcina didn't know how important you had become to her until she realized your smile was gone, until she realized you were not going to sit on her lap and giggle when she corrected historical events on modern textbooks again. It hit her like a bucket of cold water that you were not going indulge in playful banters whenever she's stressed again, and of course you would not braid Bela's hair while retelling stories of old books by the fireplace anymore.

It hit her that you were, in fact, not just another one of the bunch, no.

But it hit her even harder that she was the only one at fault for this.

She had been the one to send you away with a wave of her hand, annoyed. "If you want to be useful go and do something, but don't stand there like a nuisance." She had said. She was bitter. She had heard you talking with another maid, a friend of yours, about how you wanted to leave and explore the world and everything it had to offer. She thought you weren't happy with her and that hurt her, so she did what she always did when hurt: hide behind a cold mask.

She hadn't meant for you to go to the library. She hadn't meant for you to die. And now she was praying to every god she knew to get you back.

The only option left when Moreau can't wake you is to go with the only other person capable of beating death. Miranda.

And so Alcina does, and by a miracle mother Miranda agrees to try, but her motives as always are twisted. You do wake up, but you're not you anymore. A soulless beast has replaced the sweet, flirty maiden that was before. Alcina thinks she can handle it as long as you're back with her, but she's proven wrong when you get out of control.

No one admits it, but they pity her.

No one was to say it, but it's clear they have to put you down, out of your misery.

Alcina pulls out her claws and with a single tear rolling down her left cheek, she strikes...

...

...

...Alcina wakes up with pained yell. She's drenched in cold sweat. Her heart is beating a mile per hour. She touches her face and feels her cheeks sticky, wet with tears.

At her side you wake up too, startled, looking your surroundings for a sense of orientation. Next to you is your beautiful wife, sitting, crying her eyes out, covering her mouth with a hand in an attempt to quiet her whimpers. The grasp of sleep abandon you in a blink and in a second your arms are surrounding her.

"My love, it's okay. You're okay, it was a dream, everything is alright." You say while swaying side to side trying to calm her down. You cup her face, kissing her tears away while caressing her tear stained cheek.

"You died... I killed you." She whispers desperately. You shush her and hold her close to you.

"That will never happen. It was just a nightmare." You say. After a kiss is properly placed on her forehead you manage to lay side by side, and even though Alcina is much bigger than you she's hiding her face on the crook of your neck.

She won't say a word, but you know she won be able to sleep again. In the darkness and quiet of the large room your voice starts to sing a sweet, soothing lullaby while you fingers tangle in your lover's hair and start to play with it. "I love you, Alcina." You say out loud when you feel Alcina's heartbeat lower to a tranquil pace and you're sure she's drifting back to her slumber. "I'll be here for you, always."

------

If you love my work, buy me a coffee?

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

7. The oldest book you read this year

12. What was the most unexpected book you read this year?

17. Top five books of the year

thanks for the ask!! referencing this post:

7. the oldest book you read this year

THE EDGE OF THE SEA by Rachel Carson, published 1955! i didn't go super far back this year haha--most of my ~classics~ are in boxes, so i haven't been cycling through the backlog as regularly as i'd like.

12. what was the most unexpected book you read this year?

okay so i feel like this one depends on how well you Know Me. my mostly-sex-repulsed aroace ass really had no business reading DOCILE, but that's been languishing on my TBR shelf since literally release day. if you look at the lineup of my goodreads, though, the one that sticks out most as Not Like The Others is THE KINGDOM OF RYE: A BRIEF HISTORY OF RUSSIAN FOOD by Darra Goldstein, because it's the only history thing on there in a lineup of SFF and horror and writing and Science, but also i'm obsessed with russiany things (which isn't Common Knowledge, in the real world, is the only reason this might count as Unexpected). what a question! fun to think about!!

17. top five books of the year

in approximate order (excluding rereads, i did a lot of rereads bot and locked tomb beloveds):

LEECH by Hiron Ennes

ONCE AND FUTURE WITCHES by Alix E. Harrow

GALLANT by VE Schwab

Tied: THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and THE ALBUM OF DOCTOR MOREAU by Daryl Gregory

JUST LIKE HOME by Sarah Gailey (i'm...not actually solid on this one as the fifth, but i'm not sure how to rank my fifth. ALONE OUT HERE by Riley Redgate is also equally haunting in my brainpan, but ALONE OUT HERE was toward the beginning of the year and i have the object permanence of a fruit fly :/ both excellent!! both kept me up way past my bedtime!! it's hard to Choose haha)

thanks again for the ask! this was fun!!

[rezzyromance]

Ooh can you do the smooching one for heisenberg too? That was so cute. Moreau needed some lovin

Absolutely I love this stupid metal man.

The entire factory had been silent all day. Well, about as silent as it can be when you ignore the constant ambiance of machinery. But unlike most days, there was no loud banging sounds. No screeching sounds of circular power saws slicing into things. No noises of new construction. For the day, Karl decided to sit down and try to do some research on something that was beyond you. All you knew is it had something to do with his metal army. There was a common malfunction taking place in some of his recent creations, but he was struggling to pinpoint what it may be.

You hadn't checked on him all day. He's made it clear to you many times in the past that he doesn't like interruptions, but you always wondered how he never gets lonely. Sometimes he'll spend weeks just exhausting himself, draining all of his energy into his work, all while secluding himself from you. You felt bad not being able to help with his frustrations, so you decided to make yourself useful.

Since he hasn't stepped away from his desk since he sat down, you knew he must be thirsty. You fixed a fresh glass of water and made your way to his office space, knocking on the door gently. "What is it?", he bluntly asks. You slowly open the door and peak inside. "Thought you might be thirsty so I got you some water. Any luck on figuring out what's wrong?", you begin to make your way over to him after shutting the door behind you. He was hunched over at his desk with a couple of books piled around him. He had one in his hands that had something to do with electricity. His desk was covered in scattered notes. His brow was furrowed harshly and he looked as if he was about to rip the book he was holding in half. His hair kept falling in his eyes, blocking his vision. He, to put it lightly, looked pissed.

"What does it look like? Does it look like I figured it out?", he retorted. You learned soon after meeting him to not take his harsh tones to heart, so his sudden aggression didn't phase you. "I'm guessing no.", you set the water down on the desk and stand behind him. You take a hair tie from your wrist and begin to pull his hair back, attempting to help aid his blocked vision. "The fuck are you doing?", he grumbled, flipping to another page in his book in hopes to discover something useful. "Fixing your hair so you can actually read.", you say before finishing up a messy ponytail. He didn't admit it, but it did relieve some of his frustration.

"This is bullshit. According to this book, it's not an electrical issue.", he shuts the book aggressively and tosses it onto his desk with the others. "And the mechanical aspect of it isn't an issue.. so what the fuck is it?!", he threw his hands up in disbelief. "I must be fucking stupid or something.", he rests his elbows on the desks and lays his head in his palms. It was rare to see him so defeated. In fact you've never seen him like this before at all. And it wasn't like him to say self-deprecating things. Your heart sank a little at the sight of it all.

"Karl fucking Heisenberg don't you dare call yourself stupid!", you move some of his books out of the way and sit on his desk, facing him. He lifts his head up from his palms to look at you, confused by your encouragement. "The fact that you're able to read these books and actually know what they mean proves you're not. The fact that you've come this far along with building a fucking metal army proves you're not!" He raises an eyebrow, not taking your words as seriously as you'd like. You grab him by the chin and pull his face closer to yours. "You're a goddamn genius, you hear me?", his eyes widen at your boldness. You place a quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. "A.", another kiss is place. "Goddamn.", another kiss. "Genius.", and one more kiss. "And don't you dare convince yourself that you're not!", you let go of his chin sit up straight. The room was silent. He had no idea how to react at all. He never in his life had someone so encouraging and optimistic around him, especially encouraging towards him. Something inside him burst with joy at the realization that you thought of him so positively. "What did I do to deserve this praise?", he thought to himself. Finally, he snaps out of his shocked daze and looks down at his notes, suddenly coming to an understanding. "...The wires weren't connected correctly.. I know how to fix it.", he points at something in his notes that you didn't bother reading because you knew it wouldn't make sense to you.

"See? A fucking a genius.", you step down from his desk and give him another kiss before turning around and walking away. You don't take a lot of steps before you feel him grabbing your wrist. You turned face him and he looked away slightly, hoping you won't notice his growing blush. He wanted to say thank you without actually swallowing his pride and saying thank you. "Do you uhh.. Do you really think I'm a genius?", he clears his throat and quickly straightens his back in attempts to regain his bold and charismatic character. You smile and pretend to not notice the redness in his face. "In a crazy mad scientist type of way. Don't let it get to your head.", you joke and watch as his usual, smug grin makes its way onto his face.

[infernalrevenge]

A Self-Made Man (Karl Heisenberg Trans Headcanons)

(CW: mentions of gender dysphoria, misgendering, unsafe binding, and other unsafe transition practices.

Also, PSA: DO NOT try binding with bandages or duct tape. Use a proper binder that is correctly sized for you. Do not be like Karl here, who will eventually learn from his mistakes.

Anyway, enjoy!)

Figured himself out around the time he hit puberty, more specifically when he heard about what AFAB people had to go through during it.

Basically his thought process about it was "What the fuck? What the fuck?? I don't like this, I don't like where this is going, mission abort, MISSION ABORT--"

Had to deal not just with gender dysphoria but also the painful Cadou experiments Mother Miranda imposed on him. HOW FUN.

Even when he wasn't on the table being picked and prodded, when it was time to "go home" and recover, he could barely even look at himself without feeling like himself.

It was pretty much only by the time he was (physically) 15 that he had had enough. If he was going to suffer under the bird bitch, he better at least be seen the way he wanted to be.

He insisted on being referred to as a man, and wasn't afraid to correct anyone who either made a mistake or deliberately does so.

If they did it on purpose -- and he knows if they did -- then he starts yelling. Just fucking screaming. Very loudly.

If they keep trying to talk without using the right titles and pronouns, then he would yell over them. Repeatedly. Without fail.

He doesn't have full control of his magnetic powers yet so this was the best he could do. And it's not like anyone would dare to try anything physically with him, not with Miranda on "his side".

As soon as they get it right though, he's just quiet and nodding, though with a seething glare that said "Don't ever try me again, fucker."

It was very effective.

The huge baggy coat that he still frequently wears was sort of just his version of a "dysphoria hoodie". It did the job.

When he was younger, he got his hair cut short every chance he could. He thought it made him look more manly that way, and people would take him more seriously as a man with short hair.

Did a lot of dangerous things (unknowingly) while trying to medically transition on his own. It was mostly because he was too impatient to do actual research then.

Tried binding using the tough bandages the Benevientos kept around their house because he wanted his chest to be AS FLAT AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

Moreau and Donna had to talk him out of it when they found out, only after he kept passing out during every family meeting since he started.

Donna instead gave him a proper binder when she did her own research on trans essentials. Karl thinks it doesn't get him as flat as the bandages did but at least he could breathe now.

He still wore it for days at a time though, which was also very terrible. He was incredibly lucky that his healing factor helped him not get fucked up in the long run.

Obtained testosterone from the Duke, who for some reason didn't question it, but without proper prescriptions so he just started injecting willy-nilly all because he did some cursory research about how it can masculinize bodies.

Once again had to be talked out of by the Duke and Alcina (back when she still cared about his well-being) when the former found out about what he was doing with it.

Was forced to see a doctor close to the village lest he lose his supply of boy goo.

Isn't afraid of injecting himself when necessary. One time he tried using his powers to do it with no hands. He almost missed and didn't do it again after that.

Has a few tattoos that inconspicuously also served as marks for his injection sites.

Definitely tried performing top surgery on himself. Alcina had to wrestle the scalpel out of his hands.

Like he was READY, he had an anatomy book on one hand, he had already marked on himself what and where to cut. He looked at a mirror and thought "okay titty go bye bye"

But alas, Alcina had to ruin everything. (She didn't ruin anything, Karl would've probably given himself an infection if he tried slicing himself open.)

In a way though, he found out that his "siblings" cared about him and how he approached his transition. It was kind of sweet.

Mother Miranda cares so little about Karl that him transitioning was no big deal at all. As long as she could still use him.

(He thought it was kinda funny but also sad that she had no regard for him whatsoever that she ended up indirectly supporting him instead. It was a weird way to look at it.)

When he finally did get surgery (safely and legally), his mutation helped him heal ridiculously fast. What would've been a few weeks of recovery and months of scar healing instead lasted just under a month.

Which was great for him because he wanted to get back on his feet as soon as possible. When he was up and running just two days after surgery and could remove the drains and post-op binder, the doctor was too bewildered to even speak.

Whenever he was alone in his factory, you bet your sweet ass he's shirtless 99% of the time. Dude didn't threaten a surgeon pay for surgery not to show off his nips.

Like most things in his life, his name was actually something he never thought of during his transition.

He didn't have that big of a problem with his deadname surprisingly, and he just kind of relied on everyone referring to him by his family name. Even Miranda only ever called him Heisenberg.

Though the thought of distancing his old self from his new self was appealing. Getting people to forget who he was before and being known as someone else, as who he was now -- yeah, that sounded good. So he decided on...

Karl.

Short, simple, and a name that pretty much no one could fuck up saying. It was perfect.

He rarely ever heard it when he was called, but finding it scrawled on Miranda's notes while he was snooping around one time almost... made him smile.

(Did she care? Or did she also just think it was easier to write than his deadname? Meh, oh well. Best not to dwell on it too much.)

Doesn't care for getting bottom surgery, but does want to get a hysterectomy. The potential for periods is always going to be a bitch.

Started growing out his hair when his beard was filling out. He thinks long hair is quite high maintenance though and he doesn't want it to get in the way of his work so it never goes past his shoulders.

Loves talking just because he loves how his voice sounds.

Proud of who he is and his journey to get where he is today. He only learned the term "transgender" recently, and once he did, he thought "Hey that's me!"

If anyone tries to be even the slightest bit disrespectful to him and his gender identity...

...they're getting thrown down the cellar with Sturm.

"It was your choice to be an ass, it was my choice to see you sliced to bits. Have fun!"

[draconic-ichor]

In the Steel Steeds Heart

Chapter 22: Reservoir House Call

Warnings: strong language, sexual themes, body horror

Summary: Moraue needs Heisenberg’s help.

Feedback appreciated, 18+

Movement tripped the alarms, something deep in the factory stirred the sensors. Heisenberg and Juniper entered the control room. He sat in the chair, looking over the cameras.

“What the fuck it that?!” Juniper pointed to one of the screens. Heisenberg turned to look where her finger led.

Down on the lowest reaches of the factory, where water from the reservoir flowed through the factory a large shape lumbered out.

It was a mass of fat and eyes, pulling free of the water with multiple legs.

“Aw Christ…” Heisenberg sat back in his chair rubbing the bridge of his nose, “it’s Moreau.”

 

“That’s Moreau??” Juniper said in disbelief.

By the time they made it down to the lowest level, Moreau had changed back into his more humanoid form, coughing near the edge of the waterway.

“H-Hello Juniper.” The man croaked. Seeing him now, without his usual coverings was a sight to behold. His back was covered with bulbous, pulsing growths. Damn, some looked to be monstrous eyes. A vestigial aquatic tail poked out from the mass, moving on its own accord. It looked painful, forcing the man into a hunchback.

“H-Hello.” Juniper managed.

“Yea Yea, fish.” Heisenberg stomped up, “What do you want, I’m busy.”

Moreau seemed to worry his hands, glancing down, “Brother…I…I need your help.”

“I fucking know that, what is it?” Heisenberg interjected, annoyed.

His tone made the other flinch a bit, “My television…i-it broke. I can’t f-fix it.”

Heisenberg signed, thinking over the situation. “I’ll come fix it.” He finally spoke.

Moreau’s face lit up with hope, shuffling his feet a bit. He turned towards Juniper, “You’ll come too?”

“Sure.” She nodded tentatively, hearing Heisenberg groan behind her.

“I can take you over!” The man gestured to the water excitedly.

Juniper felt a shiver, remembering what emerged from the water, until Heisenberg cut in again. “Thanks but…uh…fuck that.” He waved his hand, “Well take our own way.”

Slightly dejected, Moraue nodded, “I’ll meet you there.”

“Mhm.” Heisenberg shrugged tightly. Before anyone would speak again the fish man turned and jumped back into the waterway.

~

“Is that a purse?” Juniper asked amused. They walked towards the Reservoir, the ground muddy from the melted snow.

“It’s a tool bag.” Heisenberg answered through gritted teeth. He pulled the bag closer, it was letter and hung around his shoulder at hip level.

“It looks like a purse.” Juniper snickered, earning a growl of annoyance from Heisenberg.

As they drew nearer, past the town, the ground grew more sodden. The air slowly began to gain a certain smell, like the rotting of waterlogged plants. Juniper wrinkled her nose.

They walked through a narrow passage between a cliff face, Heisenberg holding back a bramble patch for Juniper to safely squeeze through.

She could see the windmills now, old and groaning as they slowly turned. Most of the land surrounding them had long since been lost to the rising water. The roofs of houses and other debris could be seen floating on top of the murky water.

“This is it.” Heisenberg announced, “The beautiful Reservoir, perfect place to cool off in the summertime. Just watch out for the fish!” His voice mimicked an old radio announcer as he split his face into a cheeky smile.

Juniper brushed him away, walking towards the edge to look into the swirling water.

“Be careful, buttercup.” Heisenberg came up behind her, “Won’t be able to fish you out if you sink in that.”

She felt a little shiver run down her spine.

She stepped away from the water, “So where does Moreau live?”

Heisenberg gestured for her to follow, easing his tool bag more comfortably on his shoulder. They entered the closest of the windmills. The old wooden mechanism slowly turned and groaned as they took stairs deeper into the underground. They came to a lift, resembling ones in the factory, but this one was wooden.

They rode it down into what looked to be an old mine. Juniper’s eyes caught the glittering flecks of crystals embedded into the rocky ceiling.

Going deeper still, with the far off shuffling of Lycans in abandoned mining shafts, they finally came to a metal door.

It bore the crest of Miranda.

“Don’t touch anything.” Heisenberg warned, “I don’t want you getting any diseases.”

Before Juniper could scold him he knocked at the door.

They heard mumbling and the scraping of feet across the wooden floors before the door opened. Moreau was a mixture of joy and apprehension, greeting them inside.

His ‘house’ was one of the mine shafts that had been converted into a living space. There were wooden floors and walls, and some furniture about. It was definitely sparse, save for some shelves with old books and storage containers.

Everything looked to be heavily damaged by water and the goo that Moraue would produce, not to mention the off colored stains that Juniper didn’t want to ask about.

It smelled about as one would expect, given the circumstances.

“I’m sorry…about the mess.” Moraue picked up a pile of old magazines, their covers warped and faded.

“It’s alright.” Juniper tried to sooth.

“So where is the tv?” Heisenberg asked with disgruntlement.

“Oh!” The twisted man exclaimed, “It’s right over here.” He padded around a corner into another small room. An old television set was staked on a crate, some soft things and boxes of films close by. This room looked to be the space he spent most of his time.

“Thank you, Heis-Heisenberg.” Moraue stammered.

“Yea, yea.” Heisenberg strode forward, kneeling down behind the machine. He placed the bag of tools beside him, pulling out a screwdriver.

Juniper wandered back to the entertainment room, Moreau curiously following her.

Heisenberg, busy with his task, took no mind of them. He wanted to finish this job as quickly as possible.

Getting all the screws loose he was able to free the back panel. It came away with an odd sucking sound, goo oozing out with it. The slimy substance hit Heisenberg’s boots as the television gave small sparks.

“Fucking hell!” Heisenberg grimaced at his boots, shaking the panel free of the muck.

“The TV is full of your green shit slime!” Heisenberg yelled into the next room. He heard more apologies from the room over. Grumbling, he began to clean out the inside of the box.

Juniper walked along the wall, looking at various  things that were hung alone it. Most of it was old gushing memorabilia but a few worn picture frames peaked her interest.

One photo in particular stood out. It was faded, the edges being ate up with mold. But she could still make out a man, stocky with jet black hair. He stood proudly in front of a clinic. She squinted her eyes to read the sign in the photo: Moreau’s Clinic.

“Sal?” Juniper turned, pointing to the photo, “Is this you?”

Moreau came closer, looking to where her finger led. His wide mouth parted in a smile as he spoke, “Oh yes!”

“Were you a doctor?” Juniper turned back towards the photo. Looking now she could see the shadows of his features hidden away under all the twisted flesh.

He nodded, “Yes, I took over the clinic. It was my Father’s. I helped people…before…before all..”

His voice trailed off, but Juniper understood.

He shook his head a bit, his smile returning, “But I help Mother Miranda now! I try to make her proud of me.”

Juniper gave him a small smile, knowing that nothing she said would sway his devotion.

“Heisenberg said you were sick.” Moraue looked up at her, his good eye full of worry.

Feeling her stomach she answered, “I went through a lot recently, but I’m feeling much better now.”

“Mother’s gifts hurt sometimes.” He tried to sooth, “But it’s worth it, she wants us to be strong.”

She tried to nod, her gut turning a bit at the memories.

“You are Heisenberg’s helper?”Moreau tried to change the subject.

Heisenberg’s voice sounded from the other room, “She’s my wife!” He corrected.

Moreau gave a small ‘oh’. Juniper’s cheeks bloomed with a rosy blush.

“I’m trying to teach him some manners.” She whispered mischievously, earning a warbling chuckle from Moreau.

“I heard that!” Heisenberg yelled again making the two snicker harder.

~

It was a good few hours before Heisenberg was able to get the inside of the machine clean and in working order once more. He had to use his powers with electricity to rewire some parts, replacing one of the tube bulbs and showering it with a plethora of curses for good measure during the whole ordeal.

Juniper kept Moraue occupied and out of Heisenberg’s hair. He had convinced her to look at his collection of finishing lures. Given his simple speech patterns and twisted visage one would think him very dim; but he was surprisingly intelligent and talkative with certain topics. Fishing was one of those topics, Juniper discovered.

The sound of boots tore them from their conversations, Moraue closing the old wooden tackle box to look up.

“Well I got it working again…but damn your slime mess is really fucking it up.” Heisenberg announced, holding his tool bag.

Moreau took Juniper’s hand excitedly, “Would you want to see one of my movies?”

“No, no.” Heisenberg interjected.

“One movie?” Juniper looked at him with big puppy eyes, “Just to make sure it’s working properly.”

The two looked at Heisenberg expectantly. After a long moment Heisenberg pinched the bridge of his nose and cursed, “Jesus fuck…Fine!”

As Moreau excitedly went through his box of films Heisenberg pressed, “Only one.”

“Thank you.” Juniper whispered, hugging Heisenberg softly.

Rolling his eyes, Heisenberg hisses, “I don’t know why you humor him.”

“Because it’s a nice thing to do.” Juniper snapped under her breath, “Don’t be so mean.”

When he didn’t speak she gave a little huff, wandering closer to the crouched Moreau.

The man was sifting carefully though the films, mumbling things to himself.

Juniper made a sound of surprise pointing into the box, “You have ‘The Secret Garden’?”

Moreau nodded, pulling that film free. It was the 1949 version, in black and white.

“I used to love that book.” Juniper spoke excitedly, “Can we watch that one?”

Moreau, just overjoyed to have company, instantly agreed.

Heisenberg leaned against the far wall, watching them set up the television. Moreau apologized profusely for not having proper seating, while Juniper shrugged and sat on the floor.

He smiled as the two became quiet when the movie started, walking quietly up to sit besides Juniper. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer as he settled in.

The movie wasn’t his cup of tea, liking westerns or thrillers more himself, but the quiet was nice. Even if the place was damp and smelled.

[trekscribbles]

Triple Threat: A Stone Triplets Fic (Chapter 2)

Fandoms: Leverage/Leverage Redemption, Librarians, and Almost Paradise

Cross-Posted: Ao3 and FF

Summary: Eliot and Jake are both in the Philippines for separate jobs that turn out to be related. Kai takes the existence of Alex's brothers as a personal attack on her mental health. Ernesto happily goes along for the ride.

Read Chapter 1 here.

Chapter 2: Double Trouble

The last time Eliot saw Alex was when they were 16 years old. Alex had been living with Uncle Danny for 6 years at that point, so the brothers didn't have much of a relationship even then, and the reunion had been awkward and tense. Jake was the one who tried to keep them together, who talked their father into hosting Christmas that year. He was the one who'd called Alex and begged him to come home for a week. Just a week.

They'd lasted three days.

At the time Eliot had blamed Alex—immature, bull-headed Alex, whose verbal and then physical fights with their father had led to his living with Uncle Danny in the first place. If he could have just learned to keep his mouth shut, most of the fights wouldn't have happened. Eliot and Jake had learned that lesson—why couldn't Alex? He always had to have the last word, no matter what the cost.

That last visit was what finally convinced Eliot to leave home. He thought about college, but eventually decided to enlist as soon as he turned 18 (without telling their father). Jake was supposed to go with him, but he'd wanted to see Alex one more time before they left. When months went by and Alex didn't come back, Eliot left both his brothers behind.

Age had given Eliot perspective, but by the time he was ready to apologize, Jake wouldn't take his calls. Alex had already joined the DEA, and a series of undercover assignments for both of them made it impossible for Eliot to reach out. And then he got involved with Moreau, and getting in touch was no longer an option. It would have put them in too much danger, and that was one thing Eliot would never do. But after a while, even that became an excuse. After he escaped Moreau, after Nate created a team and a family for him, he let the silence continue. He'd made that choice on his own.

And now apparently Alex was in the Philippines. Permanently, according to the detective who introduced herself as Kai Mendoza. That was all she would tell him (through gritted teeth, as though Eliot had committed some unforgivable sin by asking). "We have to take care of this mess," she'd grumbled. "Then we'll take you to see Alex."

She hadn't asked if Eliot wanted to see Alex, and part of him was glad for that. If he'd been given the option, he wasn't sure he'd have said yes. It would have been easy to say that he was too busy, that he couldn't stay, that it was better for them not to meet. But now that the offer was there, Eliot couldn't turn it down. One way or another, he was going to see his brother today.

Kai and her partner Ernesto drove him and the two men they'd arrested to the police station, where Eliot was firmly told to stay in the car. Kai paused after giving the order as if waiting for him to argue, even after he nodded and promised to stay put. Apparently Alex hadn't changed much since they were kids.

While the others were inside, Eliot took a few minutes to call Hardison and update him on the job. It was just the two of them on this one, with Hardison pulling the strings from somewhere in Vietnam while Eliot worked on the ground in Cebu.

Hardison picked up on the first ring. "All done? I booked you a flight back to New Orleans on—"

"I ran into a little snag," Eliot interrupted.

"What kind of snag?"

Eliot explained most of his encounter with Kai and Ernesto, but he couldn't bring himself to include the fact that he'd been mistaken for one of his long-lost triplet brothers. Hardison knew he had siblings, but Eliot hadn't ever gone into details about them. He wasn't sure what he'd say now, and he knew Hardison would have questions. Best to leave it be. He'd give Hardison a more in-depth explanation later.

"So now what?" Hardison asked.

"Now we wait and see if they can salvage the sting. If they arrest Flores, our work is done."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll let you know."

There was a pause, as if Hardison was trying to decide whether or not to voice his next thought. "Is there something else?"

Eliot sighed. He tried not to lie to Hardison or Parker, but he didn't want to have this conversation now. "Not about the job," he answered. "I'll explain later."

To his credit, Hardison didn't argue, even though he had to be burning with curiosity. "Okay. Call back when you have more to share."

"Yeah."

It was another twenty minutes before Kai and Ernesto emerged from the police station, both wearing grim expressions. They were talking as they approached the car, and Eliot caught the tail end of their conversation through the open windows.

"I didn't want to bring him in on this," Kai was saying.

Ernesto shrugged. "We don't really have a choice anymore."

"Things get messy when his family is involved. It'll only complicate things."

Interesting. Which of his relatives had already come to the island? Evidently Eliot's family had a knack for disrupting the locals.

"Ocampo's orders," Ernesto said. He opened the passenger door and slid into the car, turning to look over his shoulder at Eliot. "We'll take you to see Alex, but you're going to have to come back to the station and explain what you were doing with Flores."

Eliot crossed his arms. "Figured you'd want to know that first."

"We do," Kai said, with a frown at her partner. "You owe the delay to Alex. He's helped us out in the past, and Ernesto thinks we should tell him you're here before he finds out from someone else."

"The surprise could kill him," Ernesto said mildly.

"You just want to see his face when we show up with his doppelganger."

"Don't you?" Ernesto asked. Kai huffed and dropped into the driver's seat.

They lapsed into silence during the drive, which Eliot appreciated. His stomach had begun an uneasy churn, though he told himself it was just because of the heat. There was nothing to be nervous about. Sure Eliot hadn't reached out, but neither had Alex. Neither had Jake, for that matter. Eliot had gone home once, just after he got out of the service, and found Jake had taken over the oil company. Their neighbors said that Jake was turning things around, digging out of debt and even managing a profit, and Eliot accepted the blessing and drove out of town without stopping by the house. It was enough that Jake was happy. He didn't need Eliot coming back and ruining things for him.

Kai pulled into the parking lot of another hotel, dodging groups of brightly dressed tourists as she went. "He owns the gift shop here at the resort," Ernesto explained, flashing a friendly smile over his shoulder. Kai didn't look at him as she got out of the car, but Eliot was happy to keep his silence. He trailed behind her as she led the way through the resort, winding around pools and umbrella-covered tables, slowing every few moments so Ernesto could greet someone. Apparently the friendliness wasn't an act—or else it was a very good one. But something about the man felt genuine, as if he couldn't be bothered to put up a front.

Kai, on the other hand... she was harder to read. Especially now that she wasn't giving Eliot anything to work with except the occasional glare.

Before long the bustle of the resort faded as concrete transitioned to sand beneath their feet. A small building rose ahead of them, still against the backdrop of gentle waves and lazy clouds. A soft breeze ruffled Eliot's hair, filling his lungs with salt and sunshine. He wanted to stop, to look out at the water and breathe in the sea spray and the silence, but the others kept walking.

No wonder Alex had picked this spot. If retirement was in Eliot's future, he could see himself in a place like this.

Ernesto reached the door, and Eliot took one last windswept breath to brace himself.

"You look nervous," Kai murmured.

No he didn't. He knew he didn't, because the only emotions he gave away were the ones he wanted people to see. And he was most definitely not nervous. But her eyes lingered on his, and something softened in her expression.

"Don't worry," she said, giving him a small, hesitant smile. "It'll be fine."

"Alex," Ernesto called, and Eliot's stomach gave another roll. This was a mistake. He shouldn't have come. He tried to back away, but Kai put her hand on his arm and cut off his retreat, guiding him inside.

The gift shop was empty besides one man restocking a rack of post cards. He stood with his back to them, but it was impossible to mistake him for anyone else. He had the same build as Eliot, the same brown hair he'd have to fight to keep straight in this humidity, the same scarred hands from years of work and fighting.

"Hey!" Alex said without turning around. "Check it out, I got new cards."

Ernesto started across the room, gesturing for Eliot to follow. "How come you didn't tell us you had a twin?"

Alex looked at him. "A twin? I don't have a tw—"

His eyes fell on Eliot, and his words died. Eliot could feel Kai watching them, waiting for a reaction, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Hey, how've you been the last 30 years? Oh, me? Well, first I was an international assassin, and now I work with a group of thieves who steal from the rich and give to the poor. I still punch people for a living though. How about you?

Something started beeping. Eliot started—no, not started, just looked around for the source—but Alex slapped his hand to his wrist and the sound stopped.

"Everything okay?" Ernesto asked. Alex made a noncommittal sound, glancing at him before returning his attention to Eliot. His eyes seemed bluer than Eliot remembered. It was probably just the lighting, but since it was the only thought that didn't spiral out of control, it was the one Eliot clung to. Blue eyes like their mother's, like the pond water in the back yard. Blue eyes that had been red with anger and hurt the last time he'd seen them.

"Which one are you?" Alex asked.

Behind him, Kai made a choking sound. Ernesto shushed her.

"But—" she sputtered. "Are there more of them?"

Eliot refocused on his brother. "You don't recognize me?"

"You both look the same," Alex deadpanned.

"Well, we're in the Philippines and I'm speaking English."

For a long moment Alex simply stared at him as if trying to read the details of their separation in his face. Then he reached out, and Eliot braced himself for the punch. He wouldn't fight back—not at first, not unless things got out of hand. He could take a hit or two, let Alex burn off some of his anger, and then try talking. They weren't 16 anymore. They could handle this like adults.

But Alex didn't hit him. His arms flashed out past Eliot's head, wrapping around his shoulders, pulling him tight. "Eliot," he murmured, crushing him in a hug that drove the breath from Eliot's lungs. He didn't care. He grabbed two fistfuls of Alex's shirt and squeezed, pressing everything he couldn't voice into the embrace.

"It's good to see you," Alex said at last, gruffly. He pulled away without taking his hands from Eliot's shoulders. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... work."

Alex frowned at the hesitation. "What kind of work?"

Eliot sent a look over his shoulder, where Kai and Ernesto still waited. They clearly had some kind of relationship with Alex, but how far did that extend? Likely not far enough to keep from arresting Eliot for the half-dozen laws he'd broken to secure his meeting with Flores. "I'll tell you later."

"Now's as good a time as any," Kai said. "You can tell us now or at the station, whichever you prefer."

"We can give them a little longer," Ernesto argued.

"Flores is still out there. The longer we wait, the more time he has to act."

"Who's Flores?" Alex asked. He let his hands slide from Eliot's shoulders, a frown settling over his face.

Kai gave him a pointed look. "I'll tell you later."

"I think you should tell me now."

"I don't care what—"

Ernesto held his hands up, putting himself between the two of them. "Kai, we can give them a few more minutes to catch up. We'll be outside, Alex. Ten minutes." He looked at Eliot. "Then you come to the station with us. Understand?"

"Fine," Alex said. "Ten minutes. I got it."

Though Kai looked like she wanted to argue, she allowed Ernesto to guide her toward the door. "Nice friends you've got," Eliot muttered.

He'd meant it as a joke, but Alex gave a serious nod. "Yeah. They are. They're closer than some of my family."

Apparently they were going to fight after all. "I didn't know how to contact you," Eliot said.

"You're smart. You couldn't figure something out?"

"Couldn't you?" Eliot countered. "The last I heard you were undercover. Reaching out would have put you in danger."

"I'm retired now," Alex said.

"So I hear."

Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "I did try to find you. There was a rumor going around that you'd died."

"I didn't. Well, I did once, but it didn't stick."

"How long ago was that?"

"While you were still undercover."

Alex gave a frustrated growl. "Fine. We both could have done more, alright? Just... fill me in on the case."

The case was a safe topic, so Eliot embraced the change without complaint. He gave his brother the basics as he knew them: Robert Flores was looking to set up a base to smuggle drugs to the United States. Hardison had been tracking him throughout Asia, but when business kept him in Vietnam he'd contacted Eliot about finishing the job. "Should have been simple enough," Eliot said. "Set up a meeting, figure out his weakness, take him down."

"But you weren't the only one after him," Alex said. He heaved a sigh. "How mad was Kai when you showed up?"

An involuntary smile pulled at Eliot's lips. "She thought I was you. I think she wanted to kill me more than Flores's men did."

Alex chuckled, sobering a moment later. "So this is what you do? You go after international criminals?"

"More or less."

"With who? I mean—CIA? Interpol?"

"It's kind of a freelance operation."

Alex shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense."

"It's a lot to explain," Eliot said. "And I will, I promise. Soon as we have the time."

"Right." Alex gave him another long look, and a small grin appeared on his face. "It's good to see you, man. It's been too long."

Eliot didn't try to stop his answering grin. "You go by Walker now?"

"You'd already taken Mom's name. Didn't leave me with much of a choice."

"Yeah, but... Walker? As in Texas Ranger?"

Alex hissed and shot a look toward the door. "Don't say it out loud, man. I've got a reputation to keep up here."

Eliot laughed, but Ernesto chose that moment to knock and peek into the gift shop, effectively ending the conversation. "You two finished?" he called.

"For now," Alex answered. "Where's Kai?"

"She went to get some coffee. She'll be back any minute."

Alex nodded. "Good. I wanna be back before the afternoon rush."

"You're not coming," Ernesto said. "I don't think Kai can handle two of you."

Eliot folded his arms. "For the record, I'm not Alex's double. If anything he's my double. I'm older."

"By eight minutes," Alex snapped.

"That's older."

Alex huffed a wordless reply, and Eliot felt a glow of something familiar in his chest. This was an argument they'd had hundreds of times—Eliot, being the oldest, started it most often when they were kids. Jake had come next, and then Alex—Baby Alex, they called him, whenever he was being annoying. Eliot was pleased to find the joke still funny.

Even better, Alex seemed to still find it annoying. Eliot couldn't say why that felt so comforting. Maybe it was just that he was thankful to see a glimpse of the old Alex, the one he'd known before they let their father and their pride get in the way of their relationship. Maybe it was the fact that Alex was relaxed enough to have this conversation in front of Ernesto. Maybe Alex had found a team the way Eliot had.

Maybe it was a good thing he'd come here after all.

[willowbird]

For the prompt thing: Andrew/Neil, trope: sickness/injury, location: violently orange yacht. Have fun! Thanks =)

Ooh definitely!

Since no AU was specified I made it kinda intentionally ambiguous.

Also, so you know, I 100% sat down to write this as a cutesy seasick/comfort w/teasing sorta fic. Then, idk, i got a lil bloodthirsty. Just a little bit, though.

Warning for mentions of blood.

---

"Are you really going to hide down here for the whole time?" Kevin's voice was both tired and annoyed, and just for that Andrew didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence, let alone his words.

Instead, he pointedly turned the page in his book as if there was no one about to bother him at all. They had been out on the water for a whole six hours. Andrew had watched the shoreline get smaller and smaller as they pulled away and when it was just a fine sketch of a line along the horizon he'd gone investigating. Which was how he'd found this hidden little nook in the storage hull or whatever the big room of supplies was in the belly of the boat.

The monstrosity was technically a yacht. Which, by definition, is a pleasure liner - a boat intended for entertainment. This "yacht" was big enough to not only carry but fully house and supply a contingent of college athletes. It was suspiciously fortified and had enough supplies stockpiled away that Andrew was beginning to wonder if he hadn't been kidnapped because it seemed just a little bit excessive for a "weekend away".

Personally, he didn't think his problems were going to go away or even be at all eased by an attempted escape via ugly boat. But he wasn't the only one with those problems. He wasn't the only one hurting. And after almost a year... well, he would grudgingly tag along, but he didn't have to participate.

The damn thing was also the most grotesque shade of claw-your-eyes-out dayglow orange that Andrew had ever seen. Which honestly was one of the reasons he'd already gone inside, as of by hiding in the deepest, darkest corner of the vessel he'd save himself a migraine.

"And Andrew? The Lady Fox has luxury suites for each of us. You can't even hide in your room? You choose to come... here?" Out of the corner of his eye, Andrew saw Kevin give his choice of hideaways a disparaging look.

Without taking his eyes from the page, Andrew lifted one hand and offered Kevin his one-fingered opinion.

The next thing he heard was Kevin's annoyed scoff, followed by his retreating footsteps. Satisfied, Andrew snuggled down a little bit deeper into the conveniently-placed hammock he'd found already strung up when he initially explored the place. The book he was reading had a bit of a slow start, but at least three of the side-characters were interesting enough to carry him through until the plot picked up.

Except, he only got two more pages along when he heard a sudden and quite ominous thump that was accompanied by a muffled groan. The book in his hand was instantly replaced with one of the knives he kept tucked in the armbands he was never without. Some people might call Andrew paranoid for bringing weapons onto a boat where he was surrounded only by close friends and family, with a literal ocean between them and harm. Those people would probably be dead right now, gutted in their sleep by a murderous stowaway. Or maybe that thump was one of his family, being murdered by the murderous stowaway.

Maybe it was Kevin.

That thought put a spike of fear in his heart, but right in its wake came a surge of deep rage.

No. He would not allow it. He had already lost... Enough had happened. He refused to let Kevin be hurt as well.

Andrew got out of the hammock as soundlessly and gracefully as possible, searching the shadows of the only half-lit cavernous space as he inched toward the source of the sound. He kept the blade poised to attack with one hand and pulled out his cell phone with the other. Two thumb-swipes later the had the flashlight enabled.

It wasn't Kevin. Nope. Definitely not Kevin.

Not-Kevin was crumpled in a heap in front of a stack of supply crates that it looked like he'd rolled off of, thus causing the thump Andrew had heard. The groan of pain, however, was clearly not from the fall. Or, well, not just from the fall.

"Who are you?" Andrew demanded, shining the light right on the person's face. They looked like a guy, probably. Short-ish hair and made up of more angles than curves - though it was really hard to tell more than that because the blood-soaked clothes were a little bit distracting.

The injured man(?) on the floor let out a choked, broken sound that Andrew belatedly realized was a laugh. It was so rasped and mangled, he'd almost thought the stowaway was about to launch into their death-throes. Judging by the bloodstains and way the person shook and swayed precariously while trying to push up to their hands and knees, that actually might not have been that far off a guess.

Then the stowaway, the person, the man, said, "Nothing."

Andrew froze. "What did you say?"

"You asked who I was," the man said, and Andrew was sure it was a man now. Moreover, the rough edges around his voice may have been tight with pain and possibly disuse, but even without Andrew's near-perfect memory he would have knows the sharp slashes of that voice anywhere.

The man looked up and in the white glow of Andrew's phone light there was no mistaking how immeasurably blue his eyes were. Like the sky painted from an artist's favorite memory. Like the hint of eternity in a crystal sphere.

Neil smiled. His face was dotted with dried blood and marked with new scars, but the expression still somehow turned the whole world on its head to make it a softer, warmer, safer place.

Andrew wasn't sure what hit the ground first, his phone, his knife, or his knees as he skidded to the floor beside Neil, reaching for him. "Neil... Neil. Fuck. The blood. It's yours? FUCK!" He was babbling, but his own voice was distant to his ears as he touched Neil for the first time in almost a year, as he gathered him close and searched for the source of all that blood.

Shaky hands reached for him and Andrew didn't even think about batting them away. He leaned into their touch even as he turned his face toward the stairs and raised his voice to a shout: "KEVIN! AARON! SOMEONE! NOW!"

"H-hey now, Andrew. Andrew, shh, it's okay. I'm okay, it's okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I never meant to be away this long."

"Shut up with your fucking 'sorry's Neil, I don't want your fucking 'sorry' - I want you here and alive and not dying in my goddamn arms I am NOT doing this with you, do you hear me junkie?"

Andrew felt like his entire system was in overdrive, his mind moving too fast and his nerve ending firing off in matching cylinders. They looked for Neil for months. And when they finally got a breakthrough via that fucking miserable twat Jean Moreau, it was only to find out that Neil was likely dead.

Those hands cupped his face, and even though they trembled against his cheeks he still touched Andrew like he was holding something incredibly precious. Something that needed care and protection lest it drop or be crushed.

"I promise, Drew. I did not drag myself halfway back around the world just to die in your arms."

"Do not even attempt to give me that, Neil. That is exactly the kind of dramatic shit you would do."

"Nah," Neil protested with a rough laugh. "Definitely more Aaron's thing. He's such a petty bitch."

"Fuck you," Andrew spat out, but a bubble of what might have bene a laugh caught in his chest. There were running footsteps coming their way, thundering down the steps and into the room.

"Andrew?! Andrew what-- oh my God. Oh my God. AARON GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Kevin was still shouting as he came to land beside the two of them, and Andrew almost pulled another knife and stabbed him in the fucking eye as he reached for Neil.

In fact, he didn't even realize he had drawn a knife until Kevin jerked back so suddenly he fell on his ass.

"Jesus! Andrew it's just me. He is covered in blood he needs a hospital!"

"It's mostly not mine," Neil chimed in as Andrew struggled to rein in the half-crazed beast that had taken over the arm not holding Neil. The monster inside him was in fits, and its growl was rumbling in Andrew's throat - kept in check only by the slow stroking of Neil's fingers down his jaw.

"Mostly not yours," Kevin echoed, and even through the haze of Andrew's protective rage, he could hear how dumbfounded the other man was.

"Mhm. And I stitched myself up already."

"Stitched yourself up," said Kevin. Then he looked toward the stairs and bellowed: "AARON!"

Neil sighed and the exasperation in that sound was so fucking familiar that it knocked the beast far enough off its temper for Andrew to take control again. He took a slow breath, then another. When Neil looked up at him again, Andrew asked, "Why? How?"

Neil grimaced. The expression must have been painful, Andrew realized as he watched him - because now that he was really looking he could tell that those new scars on his face were less 'scars' and more 'barely healed torture wounds'.

All Neil said was, "It's a long story."

As Aaron finally came half-falling down the steps on wobbly sea-legs, Andrew decided he would leave it be - for now.

The important thing was that Neil was here, Neil was alive, and nothing - fucking nothing - was going to take him away again.

[piracytheorist]

Played some RE8 today on Knife Only! Most of the time I try to avoid big groups of enemies, or big enemies themselves - I wasn’t even gonna try to take on an armored lycan, I just ran past both of those that got in my path.

The game still refuses to register many of my blocks. I’ve seen it with some other gamers too, where they’re like “I BLOCKED! I GUARDED!” yet they get grabbed. It’s not that much of an issue for my current gameplay - I got all the food upgrades, I have around six healing items in my inventory and I’ve already only used like, two? By now? But it is a bit annoying to hit space and still get grabbed.

Anyway. House Beneviento wasn’t any different, I just had to run by the zombies afterwards cause I didn’t wanna bother with them, I just went back afterwards to kill the goat and get the meat. With Moreau I was outright confused, cause I couldn’t see any blood coming out of him, yet it didn’t take me too long to take him out. I just kept slashing and slashing, not knowing if I was actually hurting him - he was saying his usual lines that he says when he’s hurt, but I was still confused cause I couldn’t see any blood - but after a bit I just got his dying cutscene and was like “Oh, okay. Easier than expected.”

In the stronghold, I just had to book it. I run past every lycan, got grabbed once, then when I got close to the “big guy” I just put my arms up and slithered past them. They don’t kid when they say “We’ll take it easy on you” for Casual, lol. Urias was a much easier boss, cause he was damn bleeding. He hit me twice and managed to call for lycans once (though for some reason only one lycan came lol), and then after a bit more he was down. Again, I was more certain that I was hitting him since I could see blood coming out.

I’ve paused it there, I will see if I’ll get to the factory tomorrow, and I wanna check a few speedruns for tips on how to survive Chris’ part. I know that Urias Strajer is gonna take a bit more time, considering I can’t use the sky lazer thing (I know it’s not a lazer but I can’t remember how exactly it’s called, lol), and I still have to survive not one, not two, but three lycan hordes before I even get to that part.

That said, the amount of times I pause the game to check my “Challenges” page is astonishing. I want to check every time that I 1) haven’t used anything other than knives, 2) haven’t moved anything in the inventory and 3) haven’t spent more Lei (and actually, the only Lei I’ve spent was the 100 to get the Karambit, so I’m pretty good for the Frugal Father achievement) and I’m so nervous all the time that I check it way too often, lol.

A bit irrelevant, but did you know that on New Game, if you don’t pick up the first shotgun during the lycan attack, it respawns in the church, next to the typewriter? You can pick it up there, but at the same time you can also buy it from the Duke. I even checked it as I was preparing to quit the game, after Moreau and the Stronghold, and the shotgun was still there in the church AND in the Duke’s shop. Lol.

As for my thoughts on the French dub, 1) if it’s any indicative of everyday swears, I’m guessing that the most common swears in French are the equivalent of “whore”, “shit”, and “brothel” (and I’m actually pretty interested in and amused by that, I like learning stuff about languages even though I do not have the mental patience to learn said languages) 2) it’s actually interesting to see how the French voice actor for Ethan put a little more... spice to him. I’m not explaining it well, but Todd Soley made it bright and clear that Ethan Winters is plain white bread (and we love him for it). But... I guess the French voice actor gave a bit more of a ... baguette quality to him. I cannot believe I was able to make that joke, lmao. Like, he has a little more bite, to it. His reaction to learning of Rose’s fate was a bit more “whisper-y” dramatic. He’s still a bit plain, but with a little more oomph.

Can you tell I’d be a great director? I have good words to explain acting! Amazing words!

And from the very little French I can understand, I already noticed a few differences from the English version. I think the Duke still refers to Ethan with formal you, while Ethan refered to him with informal you from the start. Moreau refered to Ethan with informal you in their first cutscene together, and also said “my mother” at some point, while in English he never used “my”. And again, if I’m correct, when Heisenberg tells Ethan to go to the Stronghold, he says something like “If you make it, you’ll earn my respect.” I really love noticing all those little differences.

That said, I will change the subtitles (they change when you change the UI’s language) to English at the very end, in Miranda’s fight, cause I wanna take a screenshot of getting all the achievements I’m going for (and Knives Out is already a rare achievement among Steam players, so I wanna have the reminder of it :D) and while I can still have French voices on, I will understand even less since I won’t be able to read what they’re saying XD I can’t wait to complete them!

[nekojitachan]

Hmm, another chapter update! We’re starting to get somewhere. I think after the next chapter there will be a time jump (that or the one following). Yes, plotty things.

Anyway, here you go. More ‘The Real Thing’, the Andreil Raven soulmate fic that does or does not exist.

Some twinyard drama, some spilling of tea, some of Nathan’s terrible parenting skills.

Previous chapter can be found here (and which links to other chapters).

*******

“So, off to some fancy party this weekend?”

Andrew gave his brother a look of long suffering which made Aaron grin. “Right, try not to have too much fun,” Aaron teased before he ran off to catch up with his friends. Andrew clicked his tongue then went on his own way, displeased at being reminded about the damn banquet that weekend.

The Ravens would have their fifth game of the season on Friday, and it was time for the northeastern district’s fall banquet; Andrew wasn’t pleased to deal with either things, but at least the first was a home game (against Binghamton) and would only last a couple hours, while the second was an overnight ordeal at Penn State.

He suspected that Tetsuji wouldn’t let them off-campus to have ice cream and hit a few bars.

At least Andrew shouldn’t have any problems shutting the goal against the Bearcats, who weren’t nearly as good as they liked to think they were. He was mentally reviewing some of their players’ stats when he met up with Ben on the way back to the Nest, who complained yet again about the fact that they weren’t allowed to take any dates to the banquet (‘I mean no offense, if I was into guys you would be… okay, you’d still terrify me but you’re not half bad looking, but I’m nineteen and it’s such a waste of a paid hotel room’).

They studied in their room for a while then went off to practice; Andrew was surprised to find Nathaniel (and Moreau) hovering by his locker, both of them already in their uniforms, hair slightly damp and mussed as if they’d recently practiced.

“Ooh, look at the two lovebirds,” Loiseau called out, which made half the locker room snicker.

Federov leaned over from his own locker to leer at Nathaniel. “What, is shorty not giving it to you good enough, Nate? You need-“

Andrew didn’t look away from his soulmate as he grabbed the prick by the throat. “Do you have any complaints?”

Nathaniel’s blue eyes widened slightly, while Moreau was quick to hide a faint smile. “None, other than your snoring.” He had to speak up a little over the choking sounds Federov made.

Andrew huffed as he clenched his fingers deeper into Federov’s throat. “I told you, you’re imagining things.” He finally looked at the backliner, whose face had turned a bright red. “See, no complaints. Now go away before I cut your tongue out for lying.” He dug his fingers in even more for a moment before he let go then shoved a gasping Federov away.

There were various mutters of ‘crazy’, ‘headcase’ and the like, but Andrew didn’t care, not if the others finally learned to leave him and Nathaniel alone. “You need to get your hearing checked out,” he said as he pulled off his shirt.

Nathaniel was looking away with a slight blush to his cheeks when Andrew glanced back, his red undershirt in hand (interesting). “My hearing’s fine. Enough lame jokes.” Once the shirt was on, Nathaniel looked back at him and leaned forward. “Be careful,” he said in a quiet voice not meant to carry far. “Riko and Kev are already out on court, and it’s not going well.”

Andrew glanced at Moreau, who gave a slight nod, then grinned, the expression wide and a touch sharp, as he reached out to pat his soulmate on his tattooed cheek. “Later, sweetpea. Your honeypie has to work first before we can have our fun,” he said out loud to throw off the Ravens still watching on.

If Andrew was a more delicate soul, he might be a bit perturbed, even downright unnerved, by the chilling look Nathaniel gave him just then. “I know how to debone you as if you’re nothing but a big fish,” the redhead threatened before he spun around on his heel and stomped away.

Moreau didn’t bother to hide his smile (a true rarity) as he nodded. “He does, too.” He gave Andrew a jaunty wave before he went after his partner.

Aw, apparently, they’d moved on to the flirting stage, how sweet.

Despite the threat, Andrew appreciated the warning when he finally got out on court, where he found a scowling Riko and a quiet Day doing drills; it appeared they had a contest going to see who could knock over the most cones. Judging from the numbers Akagi called out, Riko was in the lead… but Andrew saw at least one shot that Day usually had no trouble nailing any other time that he somehow flubbed just then.

Oh well, Kevin Day wasn’t any concern of his.

Tetsuji seemed to be ignoring the contest going on between his nephew and protégé, and called the Ravens forward to start practice; after warm-up exercises and drills, Andrew found himself part of a scrimmage with Nathaniel and Moreau in front of him while Engle and Saunders attempted to score goals.

It wasn’t so bad when Andrew didn’t have to deal with Riko, but he wisely kept that thought to himself, especially when he could hear the way that Riko’s ‘teasing’ remarks to Day crossed the line from friendly to vicious. He noticed how Nathaniel would tense at the mocking laughter and the various versions of ‘you suck’s, but for once the redhead seemed to be listening to his own advice since he kept his mouth shut and focused on Exy.

Riko and Kevin were still whacking balls when practice was over.

Andrew caught up with Nathaniel on the way to dinner to (slowly, making his intent clear all the while) ‘pin’ his soulmate to the wall, a scant inch between their bodies and Moreau a glowering presence nearby. Pretending to nuzzle Nathaniel’s left ear with his hands on the wall next to the younger man’s hips, he breathed out the question that had been on his mind the last few hours. “What’s going on with them?”

Nathaniel drew in a slow breath and raised his left hand toward Andrew’s head, only to loosely cup it when Andrew nodded. “Press asked Kevin more questions after their pro game last night,” he whispered. “He got more airtime.”

Andrew arched an eyebrow at that ridiculous bit of information, which prompted a slight nod from his soulmate. Well, someone had a fragile ego, didn’t they? Before he could say anything, though, he fought not to shudder as Nathaniel’s fingers tentatively slid into his hair.

That… shouldn’t feel so damn good.

“If you two don’t mind, I would like to eat soon, while I still have some miniscule appetite left,” Moreau sneered.

Andrew jerked away from Nathaniel, whose face flushed with embarrassment while he snapped something sharp in French at his haughty partner. “How about you try to eat with a broken jaw?” Andrew asked with a ‘smile’.

“Fillet you like a fish,” Nathaniel warned as he motioned for Andrew to follow him and Frenchie into the dining hall.

“I knew you liked me,” Andrew taunted as he tagged along.

“You have a death wish,” Moreau muttered while he shook his head.

Perhaps.

So did Ben; he gave Andrew a bright smile and a two thumbs-up gesture when he noticed that Andrew ate at the same table as Nathaniel and Moreau, even if he had to suffer through the two of them talking about the statistics of various teams and how best to manage the new drills that Tetsuji had sprung on them. Used to being ignored (at least by his soulmate), he was surprised when Nathaniel pulled him aside after dinner to talk to him privately.

“Be careful at the banquet this weekend,” he murmured while Moreau stood guard. “Riko always has to put on a show, to prove he’s in charge. Don’t give him a reason to do that to you in front of everyone.”

Before Andrew could say anything, Nathaniel whisked himself away, leaving only a feeling of warmth and a craving behind – a craving for Andrew to dig his fingers into dark auburn hair, to brush his lips against a full bottom lip that taunted him….

Perhaps it would be a good thing, to get away from his soulmate for at least a night.

Nicky sent along various types of articles on how to behave at a social gathering, which Andrew basically deleted without reading.

Friday’s night game went the way he expected it to go; the Bearcats played dirty, but they weren’t anywhere near the Ravens’ skill level so were sent home with an embarrassing loss. Andrew once again put in more effort than he liked while out in the goal, but somehow it was worth it when Nathaniel sat next to him on the bench during the game and joined in on mocking the opposing players, when he let down that prickly guard of his and acted like an almost normal teenager.

When he teased Andrew about his snoring when they were back in Nathaniel’s (and Moreau’s) room later that night, when he once again reminded Andrew to be careful at the banquet and (jokingly – Andrew realized that by the way the left corner of Nathaniel’s mouth hitched the slightest bit) asked him if he knew the difference between a salad fork and a teaspoon (one has these spiky bits and one is all smooth, you know) until Andrew threatened to smother him with a pillow.

(He may have fallen to sleep with the sound of his soulmate’s laughter ringing in his ears.)

Tetsuji, the bastard that he was, made the team do their usual workout and morning practice before they cleaned up and piled into the buses that were to drive them out to the middle of bumfuck PA for the banquet. Nathaniel fussed over Moreau and, surprisingly, Andrew before they left (Tetsuji also made them dress in their black and red dress clothes since they were to appear ‘perfect’ upon arrival), and snuck a few of the ‘good’ energy bars into Andrew’s left pocket before he walked away.

It wasn’t often that Andrew gave much thought to the whole ‘soulmate’ bs, but… but maybe there was a reason why he was stuck with Nathaniel Wesninski.

Maybe.

He slept most of the time on the bus, and read one of Nicky’s ‘suggested’ books the rest of the trip (it was another A/B/O novel, a sappy affair about a strong, blond Alpha swooping in to protect a struggling brunet omega which in no way reminded Andrew of Erik and Nicky). Once they reached Penn State, Riko made them line up per their numbers and inspected them, demanded that they straightened out their clothes and fixed their hair until they were ‘Raven’ perfect before he ordered them to fall in step per the way they’d practiced (actually practiced, oh how Andrew had blamed his laughter on the meds that day) before they headed into the stadium.

(The prick also took a moment to remind them to be on their best behavior that night, his attention lingering on Andrew as he tapped three fingers against his chin.)

Riko was arrogance personified to Penn State’s captain, who didn’t appear to care for him (or the Ravens), either. Yet they were stuck at the same table as their division ‘rivals’, which meant that Andrew sat next to Moreau while Riko and Day (along with various other Ravens) traded insults with the pussycats. It was almost enough to make him want to stab salad forks into his ears (and yes, he knew what a fucking salad fork was).

Better yet, stab a salad fork in someone else’s ear….

He was picking at his bland chicken breast and steamed vegetables (he would gladly maim someone for a pizza right then) when the pussycats’ captain gave a mocking laugh and nudged the young woman sitting at his side. “What did I tell you? No one wanted to come as dates for these stuck-up bastards.”

She laughed as well, as did the majority of the pussycats; Andrew noticed that most of the players had a guest beside them, which meant there were almost double the amount of people on their side of the table compared to the Ravens’. “Probably don’t even have any soulmates. Who would be unlucky enough to be stuck with someone like them?”

“Yeah, tied to an Exy-playing machine that doesn’t know how to have any fun for the rest of their lives, who would want that?”

“How could they even tell which one is their soulmate? All their symbols would probably be an Exy racquet or something equally boring!”

Andrew propped his chin up on his right hand while the pussycats continued to make fun of the Ravens, while beside him, Moreau huffed quietly but didn’t show any emotion. However, Riko didn’t seem to be handling the jabs as well (perhaps because prick knew he was a piece of shit and didn’t have a soulmate of his own).

Normally, anything that made Riko feel bad was a good thing in Andrew’s book, but he inwardly tensed when that one smile came over the prick’s face; judging from the murmured curse in French and the way Day stilled, he wasn’t the only one to realize that things had taken a turn for the worse.

Riko leaned forward as if to tell a secret. “The reason we’re champions, unlike your team, is that we know when to remain focused and when to indulge ourselves. Right now?” He cast a disparaging look at the young woman in the deep blue dress who sat next to the pussycat’s captain. “Even though you and the others don’t present much of a challenge,” he sneered, “we don’t allow ourselves to be distracted during the season.”

One of the pussycats’ backliners scowled and shook his head. “You just won’t to admit that no one wants you.”

That prompted a laugh from most of the Ravens. “No one wants us?” Riko clapped Day on the back, who scoffed at that statement. “When we’re already on a pro team, unlike any of you? When our seniors already have teams offering them contracts?” Federov and others grinned and nodded while more pussycats scowled. “We could have our choice of dates and already have our soulmates waiting for us, but this is work and so there’s no need to inflict so much boredom upon them when it’s not necessary. It’s bad enough that we have to do endure it.”

“You’re an asshole,” Captain Pussycat snarled, which was the truth but not much of a snappy comeback.

“An asshole who’ll beat you yet again this year,” Riko said with a pleased smile.

“An asshole who probably doesn’t have anyone to celebrate the victory with,” a dealer shot back as she rubbed the soulmate mark on her arm; she was too far away for Andrew to make out the symbols. “You need a soul for that to happen, and it’s clear that you Ravens don’t have any.”

Riko’s smile took on a too-sharp edge while various Ravens laughed. “Again, why inflict losers like you upon them? Since they’re our soulmates, they’re just as driven as us and are busy, but you’ll see one of them soon enough. Isn’t that right, Andrew?”

What the hell was the prick doing now? Andrew sat up, the drugged smile flattening as he gave his ‘captain’ a blank look. “It’s right that there’s no need for him to have to deal with these assholes,” he said, a clear warning in his voice.

“Hmm, but dear Nate will have to deal with them next season, just like Thea dealt with them until she graduated, isn’t that right, Kevin?” Riko sat there and outed their soulmates as if it wasn’t a big deal, when he had no right to; Andrew’s left hand clenched around the pathetic knife provided for dinner when he felt a kick to his right ankle.

“Don’t,” Moreau whispered. “Nat.”

Andrew almost stabbed the French bastard for interfering, almost told him to mention his soulmate’s name… but the damage was already done, wasn’t it? Riko had deflected the pussycats away from the fact that he didn’t have a soulmate, and now the other team (and soon the rest of the division once word spread) was busy talking about which other former Ravens might be soulmates.

Andrew would much prefer everyone was busy talking about Riko’s ‘unfortunate’ death, but was held back (barely) by the clear warning to Nathaniel (and by extension, to Aaron).

(He was also disgusted about how part of him felt a bit smug over how everyone knew Nathaniel was his soulmate.)

Ben took one look at him when they were finally allowed to return to the hotel at the end of the too long night and didn’t ask him to share any of the alcohol he’d brought along.

Moreau made certain to stay between him and Riko the entire time they were at Penn State and on the drive back to Edgar Allan. It was a good thing (for everyone stuck on the bus with him) that Andrew had just taken a fresh dose of his ‘happy’ meds before he received a text from Aaron, who had somehow heard about him finding his soulmate (word traveled fast, it seemed).

There was a lot of swear words and angry emojis, and eventually Aaron got to the point; if Andrew was messing around with his soulmate (he wasn’t), then Aaron was free to search for and have a relationship with his soulmate (when found). Andrew reminded his twin about his many terrible decisions made in the past, about how Andrew had to clean up so many messes, and received another furious text.

/U can’t keep me from her/

Andrew turned off his phone, unwilling to deal with such stupidity at the moment.

He just wanted to crawl into his bed and sleep the rest of the day (actually, he wanted to beat the shit out of something), which was unlikely since Tetsuji would put them through at least one practice before calling it a day, but upon entering the Nest, Moreau mumbled something about finding Nat and went off in such a rush that Andrew found himself following without any thought.

(Just for the hell of it, he wasn’t worried or anything.)

Nathaniel was in the room he shared with Moreau, seated at his desk as he studied. At first, he didn’t react to them entering the room, then finally raised his head from the book he’d been reading when Moreau called out his name. His partner hissed as if in pain upon seeing the bruises which marred Nathaniel’s pale skin, the blackened left eye and split lower lip, while Andrew felt a rare fury rail against the drugs swirling around in his veins.

“Nat, what-“

“Get out,” Andrew told Moreau as a manic smile tugged the corners of his lips upward as if hooks had been implanted in them. When Moreau stared at him in confusion, he grabbed a fistful of black material and shoved Moreau toward the door. “Get. Out.”

“Who do you-“

“Jean, just go,” Nathaniel said, his voice quiet and stripped of almost all emotion except a hint of exhaustion. “It’ll be fine.”

Moreau paused for a moment before he clicked his tongue and yanked his t-shirt free from Andrew’s grip. “Don’t hurt him,” he warned before he left.

As if that was possible; oh, Andrew wanted to hurt someone, all right, but not his soulmate. Oh no, he wanted to tear apart whoever had left those bruises on Nathaniel.

“Who was it?” he demanded to know as he forced himself to go sit on Moreau’s bed instead of on Nathaniel’s desk; he suspected that his soulmate needed the space right then (he needed the space right then).

Nathaniel was quiet while he bookmarked the page he’d been reading then leaned back in the chair; he began speaking before Andrew repeated the question. “My father was here this morning.” He winced as he skimmed his fingers over his bruised cheek. “Word got out fast about us being soulmates soon after someone posted it on an Exy forum last night.”

Andrew considered that for a moment while his hatred for Nathan Wesninski grew even more potent. “He beat you because I’m your soulmate.” Nathaniel gave a slight nod. “Why?”

“Because… because,” Nathaniel sighed as he got up to fetch something from the minifridge between his and Moreau’s desk; a fresh ice pack, which he wrapped with the towel he’d used on an older pack set on the desk. “He already knew you were my soulmate, Tetsuji told him after you were recruited, he was just… annoyed, I guess you could say, that the news got out.” He didn’t look at Andrew as he applied the pack to the left side of the face.

There were likely one or two explanations for that. “Is he angry because of my past or that I’m a guy?”

The question made Nathaniel look at him. “Uhm, the latter.” He toyed with a pen left on his desk as if nervous. “I mean, it’s not a big deal, two guys being soulmates, but he’s… well, even though he’s washed his hands of me, I guess he still thinks it makes him look bad. Makes him look like less of a man, somehow.”

So he made himself feel better by coming here to beat up his son, what a ‘man’. “My cousin’s father is like that,” Andrew confessed. “Has some weird belief that Nicky’s soulmate being a guy is a bad thing. He’s doing much better now that he’s living with Erik in Germany.”

For some reason, that bit of truth made Nathaniel smile, just a sliver of a curl. “Really? Are… are they happy together?”

“Disgustingly so,” Andrew admitted. “Once he finds out about you, he’ll be hounding me for information because he believes all soulmates should be happy together.”

“Oh.” That seemed to confuse Nathaniel; he glanced down at his lap and attempted to nibble on his bottom lip before he remembered why that was a bad idea. “Jean… Jean told me that there were good soulmate bonds, but I only know my parents and….”

“And it’s not good,” Andrew guessed; he better understood why Nathaniel had freaked out on him that one day.

“No.”

“Nicky and Erik have a good one.” Such a good one that he thought that the universe was mocking him with his own mark, was showing him something so perfect that could never be his.

Now… now he was beginning to wonder.

As the anger gave away to something warm and aching, he found himself on his feet, which made Nathaniel stare at him. “I have to go unpack.” He motioned to his duffel bag, which he’d left by the door.

“Yeah, practice will start soon.” Nathaniel gave him a weak smile. “Back to Penn State for an away game.”

More fun time with the pussycats; Andrew would have to put some real effort into that game, and wouldn’t get much time alone with Nathaniel while off his drugs.

Still, everyone knew Nathaniel and him were soulmates now (for good and bad), knew that Nathaniel was off-limits. He just… he just needed to figure out what do next.

(He knew what part of him urged him to do, which didn’t help things. He needed to be smart about what he did next, and for some reason… he didn’t feel very smart when around Nathaniel.)

*******

Yep, we’re getting somewhere.

Did you know that the pro team that Kevin and Riko played on while in university was called the Baltimore Wildcats? How many times I’ve read the Kathy Ferdinand interview scene and hadn’t realized that Nora did actually name that team? Oops. Which makes one wonder WHY Baltimore, hmm? Weren’t they signed with another team as well? Besides the US Court (which wouldn’t have demanded time until the Olympics). This is another reason why I don’t think the whole 18 hour days make any sense....

Anyway, thanks to those who do read this.