#but they’ll keep going by whatever nickname you guys choose

[milooformiless]

“ I’m getting a bad feeling. “

Hey! Meet your lovely new friend… Well, I don’t really know their name yet… just give them a nickname or something?

(P.S. they go by they/them pronouns :P)

They are now open for asks.

[mc-lukanette]

do you have any lukanette ideas with chat/adrien salt? the newest episode reignited my annoyance towards him and his stans acting like he didn’t do anything wrong is not helping. i mean, flirting with ladybug while he’s dating kagami? getting excited over a possible akumatization?? and since i know that behavior won’t be addressed bc adrien is “perfect” and “the love square is endgame” therefore he gets a pass for any bad behavior, i was hoping for some fanmade salt (and lukanette is always a great addition to any story)

I can appreciate how starved you guys are to hear me salt on this blog.

But yeah, I came up with something considering that quite a bit of Chat’s behavior happens before Truth appears in “Lies.”

So hear me out--

Truth is a threat, considering that Luka is the only hero outside of Ladybug intended to be a planner. All others take orders directly from Ladybug herself, but Viperion could plan on his own.

This means that Truth realizes quickly that his strategy of asking for the heroes’ identities isn’t going to work because they’ll shout over him every time. He has to get creative and comes up with the idea to divide the heroes.

He comments on their teamwork, perhaps saying vaguely about how their teamwork can’t outmatch his and Pharo’s. Chat obviously takes the bait, talking on and on about how he and Ladybug are the best team and that they’re made for each other.

“Really?” Truth asks casually. “You’ve never done anything against her?”

Chat Noir responds, his white lips moving to say, “Of course I have!”

Ladybug gapes, and Chat looks calm for a second before his eyes immediately widen in panic.

He tries to say that it’s not what he means, but Truth’s power is active, so he just blurts out, “That’s exactly what I mean!”

He tries to cover his mouth with his non-Cataclysm hand, but gets shot by Pharo.

“I told Theo Barbot that we were dating and it got him akumatized!”

“You did what?!” Ladybug asks, having never heard this before.

Chat doesn’t stop - he can’t - and his mouth keeps moving. He admits that he sacrifices himself because he knows it won’t matter since Ladybug will fix it, and it means he’ll always leave an impression on her. He admits that he didn’t care when Nadja or Alya were egging on the LadyNoir ship because he feels like Ladybug will come around eventually. He admits that he doesn’t take her seriously when she goes off on him because “she’s cute when she’s angry.” He admits that he wanted an akuma to happen even though he knew Ladybug was busy, just because he wanted to spend time with her. He admits to telling his kwami he’d quit while Paris was underwater if he didn’t spill what Ladybug was hiding.

Honestly, even Truth at this point is like, “man I wanted to divide your teamwork, not your entire relationship.”

Ladybug eventually manages to snap out of her trance and deal with the whole situation (mostly by herself), but the damage is done. Even after the akuma has been purified and Truth turns back into Luka, Chat’s words linger and Ladybug ignores him.

“Are you okay, Luka?”

“Huh? Ah, yeah, thanks...”

Chat is awkwardly standing nearby, his tail in both hands as he fiddles with it. “So--ah... Bugaboo--”

“Don’t,” Ladybug cuts in, not even looking at him. “Is that why you use that nickname when I’m mad? To butter me up? Try to earn points? Do you think it’s funny?”

“No, no!” He waves his hands frantically. “It’s not--”

“See, the thing is that now I won’t know whether you’re lying or not,” she points out, the situation feeling all to familiar to when Tikki lied to her, only this was worse. She honestly wanted to trust Chat Noir; he was her partner, irreplaceable in the sense that he was there from the start.

But maybe not irreplaceable elsewhere.

“I wouldn’t lie to you!” he swears.

“But you’ll keep things from me,” she counters. She sighs, gently taking Luka’s hand and helping him stand, then addressing him as she says, “I’ll take you home, alright?”

Luka’s gaze briefly flickers between the two of them, but he asks no questions and nods. “Thank you.”

She guides him up the staircase to take him up to the balcony, Chat Noir rushing over to stand at the bottom of the steps.

“M’lady--!”

Ladybug turns to him with a silencing glare. “I really don’t want to be around you right now. We’ll talk later when I’m ready.”

(He’s going to be in for a long talk when they finally meet back up again, and suddenly, he isn’t so eager for an akuma to come rushing by to force them to come back together as a team.)

And with that, Ladybug goes up to the balcony, takes Luka in her arms, and leaves. Things are quiet at first, her taking in a few breaths of the night air as she tries to relax.

The past few days had been a mess, and that was putting it lightly. The kwami, dating, the akuma (that Chat Noir had apparently been soooo excited about), and now this big revelation. The stress must show on her face too, as she can occasionally feel Luka’s concerned gaze on her.

In a way, it’s nice, just having her boyfriend care like this, even when she’s in a mask. He’d put up with way more for her than she felt like he should’ve, and she knew that he’d disagree if she even dared to voice that thought.

Without really thinking, she starts talking to him. She talks about Ladybug, about everything; being thrown into this life that she didn’t ask for, and being happy to save Paris but sad at the emotional toll it takes. She tells him about all the friends who tease her for her lateness, and while it might’ve been funny at first - she was genuinely absent-minded at times - it doesn’t become as funny when knowing that it was something that couldn’t be helped.

“...I’m sorry you’re going through that,” Luka says in an offer of comfort. He sighs, not recoiling from her but it feels like he’s distant anyway. “I know it didn’t help that I was akumatized. I hope I didn’t do anything to Marinette.”

Her gaze softens; of course he’s thinking of her again. It’s Luka, she has no right to be surprised.

Chat Noir, meanwhile, was just thinking of himself.

“Actually,” she corrects, something occurring to her, “I think you might’ve helped in your own way.”

Luka tilts his head at her, puzzled.

She changes course just slightly, specifically to a spot not too far from the Liberty; one that is very familiar to both of them, and she can tell by the way his brows raise that he’s surprised by where she’s about to land.

Underneath the bridge, in the spot where he’d initially asked her - when she was Marinette - where she’d always been going, just before he got akumatized.

She sets him down, then paces around to try and clear her head.

“...Like I said, I didn’t get a lot of choice in this,” she begins. “I tried to give my miraculous up once in the beginning, but there was so much pressure and everything was going wrong. Then, things would just--happen around me, things that I couldn’t really think of--and this is coming from me!” She turns to him dramatically, gesturing to herself. “I imagine things going wrong all the time and I still can’t predict when they actually do!”

Luka chuckles lightly at that, but otherwise stays quiet, unsure of where she’s going with this but giving her his full attention.

“Me becoming the new guardian of the miraculouses so out of nowhere... it was a lot, and suddenly I had a bunch of kwami around my room who all wanted to get into my stuff or mess around. I didn’t choose to let them out; it just happened when I was trying to see how the box with all the miraculouses worked.” She groans a bit, rubbing her forehead as she paces around again. “Then in came Shadow Moth and all the akuma showing up, and now I’m even busier. I can’t even make time for my boyfriend.”

There’s a flicker of emotion in Luka’s eyes at that, but he doesn’t say anything, though his fingers twitch slightly at his sides.

“Then--” She looks down. “--there’s Chat Noir. I didn’t choose him either; the old guardian chose him for me, and he wasn’t even fully trained. I was Chat’s partner and that was it; I didn’t get a choice to give up, it just... was, and I have to deal with whatever the relationship--” She makes a face at the word. “--we have is, because if something goes wrong then everything can go wrong, and then Paris is in danger.”

She shakes her head, realizing that she’s rambling. She continues staring quietly at the ground, then releases the tenseness in her shoulders.

“But...” She looks up to meet Luka’s gaze. “I did choose you, Luka. I finally got to choose something for me, and the only thing I regret about it is everything that I can’t choose. You chose me and I chose you and...” She almost laughs. “It’s weird that it’s that simple for once.”

He’s clearly pieced the puzzle together by now but hasn’t quite processed the result. She can see the whisper of her name on his lips and she smiles at him, taking a step back and spreading her arms wide.

“You’re my real partner, Luka. You get me, you care about me, and we’re similar but different and it’s great.” She swallows, feeling her nerves building a little but pushing forward enthusiastically nonetheless. “So I want to make a choice for us, because we trust each other and I want to give you something no one else has.”

Then, she closes her eyes, taking a breath and briefly tightening her hands into fists.

“Tikki, spots off.”

[marinerainbow]

Since I'm a Reala simp and crave romance, have some Reala romance headcannons (I hope these dont come off as cringey)

I have general headcannons for him, and specific ones for if his S/O was a nightmaren, a visitor, or even a nightopian to appeal to everyone (I know that last one may sound odd considering the only nightopians we see are those pixie like nightopians, but I have made my own nightopian OC and I'm certain other people have too, so the last part could count for those kind of nightopians).

~General headcannons~

To start things off, a personal headcannon of mine is that Reala is gynosexual (or gynoromantic if the dream folk are asexual in general) meaning he's more attracted to feminine looking people, doesnt matter if the person is a guy, gal, or a nonbinary pal. Of course, these headcanons apply to just Reala in general. I just felt the urge to type this out.

Reala may be the nightmaren general, but he is a gentleman. He'd be the type to hold the door open for his S/O, offer them his arm when out and about, kiss their hand as a greeting, etc. Especially if he hasn't confessed to them yet and is trying to subtly tell them he's interested in them.

However, Reala would definitely be a protective lover. He may be well mannered, but if anyone threatened his S/O who would be stupid enough to do that to the first levels partner, I have no clue he'll definitely step in and handle the issue. How he handles it depends on how the person is bothering them and what his mental state is.

That being said, he has much more patience for his S/O compared to everyone else. Of course, there are times he will get annoyed or angry with them, he would be more calm with them the anyone else. NiGHTS is the only other person who has his extended patience.

He also takes his courting seriously. Any romantic gesture from him is never spontaneous and is perfectly planned out by him. Now later down the line, he'll relax on how much planning he does, but when he's just starting to try and win them over, he's not going to take any chances.

I personally think that deep down, he's a romantic. He would give his S/O all sorts of lovely nicknames ("My darling" "My heart's desire" etc), leave a note for them if he has to leave before they can say goodbye, and would even dedicate some of his songs and poems to them.

CUDDLES! As I stated in my general Reala headcannons post, Reala is fond of the softer things in life, and he would absolutely LOVE to be soft with his S/O. He would love cuddling with them while relaxing, having personal spa days with them, holding them from behind while they were doing something, etc. I also imagine he would treat his S/O as if they were a delicate treasure, treating them as gently as he could and ensuring that they knew everyday just how much he loves and adores them. Also, if his S/O did anything like tending to his wounds or helping him with anything, he would be forever grateful.

With how much he loves music, I'm certain he would love giving his S/O a private show with his violin, and would love dancing with them. Also, since I headcannon he writes music sheets, if his S/O could play music as well, or even sing, then he would love LOVE having music dates, just him and his S/O performing their own concert.

All these fluffy headcannons, now time for something a bit sad. Reala has abandonment issues, especially after NiGHTS left. So him doing all of these things for his S/O is not only because he wants to, but because he's afraid they'll leave him if he doesn't make himself out to be the perfect mate. But, if his S/O helps him with this issue, I'm certain he'll be able to grow out of that fear.

Alright. That's general headcannons, now for specific headcannons!

~Nightmaren S/O headcannons~

This would no doubt be the most likely scenario. Not only because he's a nightmaren, but because of how he views nightopians and visitors, especially after NiGHTS' rebellion (explained in his general headcannon list)

He would still treat them like a delicate treasure, but he also is very much aware that his S/O has experienced their own hardships and no doubt is tougher then they look. But knowing that, his proctectivness would amplify, because now he wants to ensure they dont go through any more badness then they had/would have to.

If they actively served Wizeman, and if they got on his bad side, Reala would take their punishments in a heartbeat. He would be scared yes, but he would still do whatever it takes to keep them safe. The ONLY reason he wouldn't take his S/O's punishments, is if he was physically AND mentally unable to. But he is a pretty tough person, so those instances would be rare.

~Visitor S/O headcannons~

This would be pretty difficult to achieve, considering his entire job revolves around making visitors' time in the night dimension miserable. I think he and his S/O would have met if they somehow weren't afraid of him and wanted to talk instead, and they happened to catch him in a mood where he complied (like @pastiel headcannons for Reala meeting visitors who couldn't feel fear)

It would take a long time for him to develop feelings for them. But when he did, he would do everything in his power to keep it a secret. Do you have any idea what Wizeman would do to him if he ever found out he fell in love with a visitor? He would be considered a traitor instantly, and would more than likely be killed. As such, his love for his S/O wouldn't be as obvious if it were with a nightmaren, and they would probably not understand what he wanted from them unless he actually said he loved them considering he wouldn't be trying to scare them or take their ideya.

Although he would definitely want to, he probably wouldn't protect his S/O from other nightmaren. What if any of them reported what he did back to Wizeman despite his class? So, unless they are taking away their ideya, he will force himself to stay back. He will of course, be there to sooth them and do whatever it took to make it up to them. If he did have to step in however, he would do everything in his power to ensure that nightmaren kept his trap shut.

~Nightopian S/O headcannons~

This one would probably be on the same level of difficulty as the visitor S/O scenario is, maybe even more so. He loves antagonizing the nightopians, so maybe he met his S/O while he was looking for some stress relief? Unless they actually fought him. Either way, they must have caught his attention and gave him a reason to spare them.

He would be so SO much more protective of a nightopian S/O. Nightopians in general are small, delicate, and are often targeted by nightmaren for any reason. So, if it weren't for the fact that he served Wizeman, he would probably choose to live with them to ensure nothing happened to his S/O.

His feelings would both confuse and enrage him at first. The way he sees it, the nightopians are responsible for taking his best friend away, so he would at first see his feelings as a betrayal to his belief's, and would take the most time coming to terms about how he felt compared to the other scenarios. But when he does, he'll try to be gentler and show that he wants them as a partner.

And those were my headcannons! Tell me what you think! Questions and constructive criticism are welcome!

[clearsky]

My Top Comfort Characters/Kins and My Main HCs For Them

(Note, not all my kins/comfort characters are on here, just the ones I have more than 5 hcs for)

CW: Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3), Himiko Yumeno (DRV3), Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA), Kyoko Kirigiri (THH), Tsuyu Asui (BNHA), Entrapta (Spop), Ibuki Mioda (SDR2), Celestia Ludenberg (THH), Funtime Foxy (FNAF), Peril (WOF)

Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3)

Nonbinary

He/They pronouns

Autistic

Chains and loose accessories are for stimming

Likes the feeling of silk and cotton

Can't stand the feeling of anything rough or bumpy

He likes collecting small trinkets and the bones of small mammals

Can't stand anything salty. He'll eat it but he certainly won't enjoy it

Dating Rantaro

Can flirt, but only if he doesn't try

Petnames are a hell yea

Gets sunburnt really easily

Group dates with Celesnaegiri and Ikuzono

Can't cook for s h i t

Had a scene kid phase in middle school

Went to the same middle school as Celeste and Maki

Knew them when Celeste went through her "I'm not like other girls" phase and Maki was a Band Kid™

Himiko Yumeno (DRV3)

Female

She/Her pronouns

Lesbian

Can force herself to fall asleep within seconds regardless of where she is

100% forces herself to fall asleep when she doesn't wanna listen/talk to someone

Himiko/Angie/Tenko relationship. I'm calling them the Traffic Light Trio

She likes taking naps in the forest

She prefers enclosed/tight spaces more than open ones

Has several hundred stress balls and squishies laying around

She overheats easy

Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA)

Questioning his gender, but goes by any pronouns

Knows he's Asexual, at least

Has no clue what his romantic orientation is though

The kind of person to carry treats in his pocket just in case he runs into a cat

Will stop to pet literally every cat he comes across

Great at reading people

Doesn't talk unless it's 100% needed

Hangs with Tokoyami, Jirou, and Denki most often

Aizawa has 100% unofficially adopted him

Fosters kittens

Not a big fan of physical touch

He is 100% in the bakusquad. Anyone who says he's in the Dekusquad is a c o w a r d

He and Tsuyu vibe

Knows a bunch of random facts

Dark humour? Dark humour

*skates backwards into his therapist's room slowly sipping from an absurdly huge cup of coffee* Candice you're not gonna BELIEVE the shit I just went through

In case I forgot to mention it, he skates

Kyoko Kirigiri (THH)

Mtf

She/Her

Bi with female preference

Burns go up to her shoulders/collarbone/chest

Prefers to just listen as opposed to saying anything

Knows a ton of random trivia about everyone else in her class

She keeps a notebook she fills with all the trivia

Doesn't celebrate her birthday. She just doesn't see the point of it

Doesn't hate sugar/sweets, but if given the choice she would choose literally everything else

Cuts her own hair

A cat person

Permanent dark circles

T-Tall 😳

Like,,, 6'1 at LEAST

Only person taller than her is Yasuhiro (6'3)

Canon no longer exist

Ahahaha healthy life habits? What are those?

Can't handle horror games

She's the kind of person you'd go to if you needed to rant but didn't want any advice

Polyamourous yo

Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto

She's a dom yall are just scared to admit it

Tsuyu Asui (BNHA)

They go by They/Them

Lesbian

They and Ochaco are dating

They like to hang with Shinsou

Which mainly just means the two sitting in one of their dorms in near total silence doing whatever

Can speak English and French as well as Japanese

Learned English from cartoons

Picked up French bc they thought it'd be fun

Prefers to stay neutral in the whole Bakusquad / Dekusquad thing

They're invited to all outings/events by/for both squads

They like puns

They're a dumbass but willingly, and for fun

Like "someone says they like dark humour and they'll turn off the lights before telling a joke" kind dumbass for fun

Great at poker

Likes Disney Movies

Very touchy once you get close enough

Not in a sexual way, just likes physical contact

Especially fond of piggyback rides and cuddles

Extreme fear of needles

Entrapta (She-Ra)

She/Her or It/Its

Doesn't bother trying to figure out whether she's cis, trans, nonbinary, or what

Was AMAB though

Short as fuck (4'7)

Strong as fuck though

Cuddle game strong

Physical touch is a fuck yes

Cuddles

Piggyback rides

Hugs

Anything where she's touching someone is wonderful in her book

As long as she's the one that initiates it

Anyone else touching her without her permission makes her freak

Prefers being high up

Makes it harder for anyone to sneak up on her

An ace at video games

When it comes to sexuality she just says she's Questioning

Ibuki Mioda (SDR2)

Any pronouns + Pup/Pupself + It/Its

No idea what their gender is otherwise

Biromantic Asexual

Just likes sexual jokes

Gets distracted easily

Has severe hearing problems

She's plays her instruments as loud as possible, with the amp right next to her, without ANY ear protection

It's caused some damage

She talks so loud bc she has no idea how loud is considered acceptable

Wears hearings aids most of the time

Several piercings and tattoos

Likes hearing things jingle

She has a bracelet with a few bells hanging from it

She'll shake it whenever she's bored

LOVES hair accessories

Ribbons are a particular favourite

Occasionally she'll hang little charms from her hair "horns"

The kind of person who never takes any pills/medicine bc she keeps forgetting she has to

Frequently uses emojis

Skates everywhere but she isn't very good at it

She keeps crashing into everything

Has broken every bone in her body at least 3 times

Most of which was bc she keeps trying to kick in doors and skating down the stairs

Celestia Ludenberg (THH)

Nonbinary

Any pronouns, mainly goes by She/They

Bi, 70:30

Collects mini hand sanitizers and can tabs

Has single handedly gotten Mario Kart, Mario Party, Monopoly, Uno, and Clue banned a grand total of 17 times (and counting)

The kind of person to purposefully target someone regardless of what game was being played

Favourite victim is Byakuya (bc he gets so upset about it and she finds that hilarious)

Mains Waluigi

Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto

Has several banned Twitter accounts bc whenever she's bored she'll start discourse on purpose

Hangs with Korekiyo, Ibuki, Byakuya, Yasuhiro, and Leon most often

It's a weird friend group but everyone's sorta gotten used to it

She and Byakuya gamble together occasionally

She tries to avoid it bc he'll willingly blow his entire fortune in an attempt to beat her

Autustic

Can't stand the feeling of water

Mainly bc she can't swim for shit

Horror movies? Hates them

Gets flustered super easily

Taka is her twin brother

Kotoko, Kokichi, and Gundham are their half siblings (Same father)

Peko and Toko are their cousins

She sucks ass at go fish

Fuck canon she's 4'11 now

C h u b b y

Freckles

Once she gets comfortable enough with herself she dyes her hair in the peekaboo style

Either black and red or black and blonde

Haven't decided yet

I'll be doing Celesnaegiri hcs as a seperate post but I just feel it's important for you to know that she expresses her affection verbally and is a very touchy person

Went to middle school with Maki and Korekiyo

Has horrible eyesight

She wears contacts most of the time but she always puts off buying more

After the 5th or so time she ended up blindly stumbling around a week after her contacts ran out Kyoko convinced her to buy glasses as well

Religious accessories yo

Like chokers and dangly earrings with crosses and pentagrams and shit

Likes wearing wacky earrings

Can run and do all sorts of tricks in heels

She and Mukuro are exes yo

Keeps her hair short so it's easier to manage

Hair never gets longer than her shoulders if she can help it

She seems like the kind of person who'd keep her bangs grown past her eyes regardless of how frustrating or inconvenient it is

She's a sub yall just don't wanna admit it

Funtime Foxy (FNAF)

I'm going on the record to say this

Funtime Foxy is genderfluid and that is that

Goes by Funtime

Any pronouns, They/Them most commonly

Plays music (keyboard and guitar mainly)

They and Funtime Freddy (Freds) mainly play with the kids

Freds mainly tells stories with Bonbon while Funtime more so plays one-on-one

Has nicknames for everyone

Circus Baby - Ringleader

Ballora - Bells

Funtime Freddy - Partner

Bon Bon - Bun

Peril (WOF)

I like both Nonbinary She/They Peril and Mtf She/Her Peril

They're both such good concepts

She's a lesbian, Harold

She only had a crush on Clay bc he was pretty much everything she was supposed to like in a guy

Gimme a moment while I force all my mental disorders onto this poor child

Autistic, Anxiety (Social anxiety, mainly, but she has most types), Adhd, PTSD

I'd like to reiterate yet again that She's a lesbian

Sunny and Glory were her gay awakening

Peril in Book 1: Damn, Sunny and Glory sure are pretty. Anyone would be lucky to date them. Clay would probably go for them over me. He would be stupid if he didn't. I myself would willingly date them over someone like me. They're just so pretty :(

Peril waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of arc 2: WAIT-

Rarepair alert but Peril/Sora

Peril meeting Sora: "Hmmm She's attractive. I would love to date her. Too bad I'm straight and in love with her brother lmao :P"

Peril, a mere month later, waiting for Ruby to leave Jade Mountain, pacing in her cave, running face first into a wall: WAIT-

I remember reading this one amazing story where Sora taught Peril to read/write and Peril found out she set off the bomb and comforted her/convinced her her run so that's canon now

Btw if anyone can remember what that story was called/what platform it was on and could tell me I'd appreciate it very much

I'd even be willing to draw a character of your's or make you an icon or something

I usually don't accept requests bc I get burnt out easy but this is a special case

She runs into Sora again sometime between the beginning of TOP and the end

I like to imagine she just goes wandering around

Anyway she confesses like a mere few minutes after running into her again bc Peril is just subtle like that

The actual confession takes 15 minutes and the entire time Sora is just sitting here like "👁👄👁 sure"

Bam Peril/Sora

Peril plans to keep it a secret for a little while longer but she spends 3 seconds around Clay and pretty much blurts it out

Clay, who wasn't even aware that Peril was a lesbian, is just "👁👄👁"

I wanna say Clay doesn't know what a lesbian is but in my canon Sunny is a lesbian so Starflight has already told him

Anyway he's super supportive

From that point Peril is sorta open about her sexuality?

Like, she gives Clay permission to tell the rest of the D.O.D bc she isn't about to risk being in front of them when they hear the news

(When Sunny starts actively seeking her out as a hang out buddy and Tsunami, Glory, and Starflight appear to tolerate her presence just a bit more afterwards she pretends she isn't confused by the change)

She's pink, white, and blue bc I said so

If you look at a certain angle in the right lighting her eyes, mouth, fire, and under her scales all look purple

But her fire is normally white and blue bc I said so

Also she pale as fuck bc in my canon their fire just sorta burns their colour away

You know how you leave something outside for too long and it gets sunbleached? Where it gets all washed out?

Like that but more extreme

By the age of 10-12 firescale dragons are just white with pale eyes

That's right not even the eyes are safe

Ram horns :P

I'm also fond of Peril/Sunny

Or maybe Peril/Sora/Sunny

But Peril/Sora is the main thing

On the topic of that bringing in my hc that if one sib in a sib group is fire resistant all of them are

She,,, She can change her scale colour

But only slightly and only if her emotions are strong enough

Bc I don't give a fuck about Darkstalker's scroll we were robbed of hybrid Peril

Unfortunately all of Peril's emotions are strong

Rainwing ruff along her head and neck

It's like a hood

It's mainly smoothed to her sides but when she's startled it flares out

RAINWING PUPILS

Y'all will know what those look like as soon as I get off my ass :P

She,,, She can mimic bird cries

Hates the summer

She has more than enough body heat already and the outside is just hot enough to add on and make her feel sick

She can somewhat control her heat but most of the time it's based on her emotions

It can go from standing-in-the-middle-of-a-burning-building-cant-see-your-nose-smoke-is-so-thick heat (Strong emotion) to Hey-thats-a-nice-cozy-campfire heat (Calm/"weak" emotion/Sleeping)

I'm just gonna make a different post with all my Peril hcs cuz there isnt enough room for all of them here

[ellewritesathing]

Ten Things    IV

Summary: If there’s one thing you have to know about Harvey Kinkle, it’s that he rarely thinks things through. So when he meets (and falls for) Sabrina Spellman on his first day of Baxter High and finds out that she can’t date anyone until her tempestuous sister does, it seems like the obvious solution is to get someone to date her so he can go out with Sabrina. A not so obvious choice for the challenge is Caliban, but, hey, it’s not like Harvey thought that far.

Masterlist Prev. | Part 4

Word-count: 4.5k+

A/N: pls listen to Wish You Were Sober in the background whilst reading this part + whatever coming of age music you like (bonus points if you choose Ribs by Lorde and/or Strawberries & Cigarettes)

It seemed that when it came to Sabrina Spellman, Harvey would always be nervous. He had these lame little butterflies whenever she tutored him (that spiked when she’d take his hand to correct something). He almost threw up before their next meeting after the head-kissing debacle. And now he was supposed to pick her up for the costume party. 

Three costume changes, a near heart attack, and fifteen minutes spent brushing his teeth and fixing his hair later, and Harvey stood outside her house. Her very creepy house. He'd just reached for the door knocker again when it swung open. 

Ambrose stood there, giving Harvey a very knowing smile as he looked him up and down. “Afraid she’s not here, friend,” he said, not sounding too disappointed or afraid. “Though in an outfit like that I can’t imagine why.” 

Harvey looked down at his jeans, dark t-shirt, and leather jacket and suddenly wished he’d gone with Tommy’s old Captain America costume even though his hair was the wrong color. He reached up and adjusted his hardhat. “It was kind of last-minute,” Harvey admitted awkwardly. “Anyway, uh, what do you mean she’s not here?” 

“That she left with one Nicholas Scratch about fifteen minutes ago,” Ambrose said. He nodded gravely before continuing, “Though my other cousin is here if you-” 

“No, I’m good thanks,” Harvey said quickly. Ambrose raised an eyebrow and Harvey felt he had to explain, so in a quiet voice he added, “She kinda scares me.” 

“Oh, Harvey, you don’t have to suck up to me,” you said with a very mischievous smile as you walked around Ambrose. Harvey went through the four stages of shock as he took in your outfit: A blue and gold cheerleading uniform (weird enough) with the letters DK on your chest and your hair and makeup perfectly done. Sabrina must have done the hair and makeup because you looked like an entirely different person like this, except that your mouth was covered in blood and you wore white-out contacts and a pair of fangs. “She doesn’t listen to me anyway.”

It took Harvey a second to realize that he was supposed to answer you, and, in that second, you and Ambrose let out matching (almost evil) laughs and started cracking jokes about how innocent Harvey was. It was hard to think of innocence when fake blood was running down your neck. At least, Harvey hoped it was fake.

“So, uh, do you need a ride?” Harvey asked in an attempt to recover from the millions of conflicting thoughts he had and his earlier social blunder. 

“You’re offering to spend time with me in an enclosed space?” you asked, looking slightly taken aback. Harvey nodded almost immediately. “Wow, you must really like her, huh?” 

“No, that’s not what- well, I mean, yeah, I like her,” Harvey stammered. Your smile got a bit wider as you and Ambrose shared some side-eye at his expense. “But that’s not why I’m offering. I just- you know, I’m already here. And the environment is in shambles. So carpooling is, like, the responsible thing to do-”

You laughed and untangled yourself from Ambrose to grab your things. “You’re cute, Harvey Kinkle.” You waved at Ambrose and started closing the door as you stepped outside, ignoring his cries to play nice with Harvey. “I get what she sees in you.” 

“Thank you?” 

---

This costume party was all Sabrina had thought about for the entire year, and now that she was here all she could think about was Harvey. What was that about? She was here with Nick. Her Nick. She should be having the time of her life listening to him talking about his latest modeling gig, not wondering if Harvey was going to show up. Or what he’d be dressed as if he did. Or- 

“Hey, are you even listening to me?” Nick asked teasingly, grabbing her hand and pulling her closer to him. 

“Of course! You were talking about how your agent thinks you could get that underwear deal,” Sabrina lied. That was almost all Nick talked about, so it wasn’t that hard to guess. Harvey would have been more difficult to lie to, but Harvey would’ve drawn her flowers and laughed her distraction off. “And they’d be idiots not to take you,” she said, stumbling into Nick’s arms after he pulled her closer. 

“Thank you! That’s what I said but my agent …” Nick carried on talking through their rather forced slow dance, but Sabrina stopped listening when she saw Harvey walk in. 

He looked so handsomely awkward in his miner outfit as he said ‘No, but thank you’ to all the girls offering him punch and dances. His dark eyes looked so hopeful as he scanned the room and it broke Sabrina’s heart when that hope went out as their eyes met. 

She hurriedly separated from Nick, almost tripping over her feet in her rush, but Harvey was gone by the time she did. And when Sabrina looked back at Nick, he looked annoyed and confused. 

“If you didn’t want to hear about what Estelle said, all you had to do was say,” Nick said a deep-set frown. 

“It’s not that. I just thought I-” 

Nick shook his head and started walking away. “Whatever. I’m gonna go get a drink.”

Sabrina let out a breath, suddenly feeling very alone and exposed in this crowded room. Her spirits lifted when she looked around and saw you outside with a very attractive blonde guy, and - better yet - you weren’t telling him to piss off. He must have been Caliban, but he looked very different in his flowy white shirt and blue jeans from your description of ‘he looks like an asshole, but the kind you want to makeout with just to get him to stop talking.’ 

At least one of you was having a good night. 

---

“So what exactly are you dressed as?” you asked, taking a sip from your solo cup in an attempt to come off as cool and not annoyingly flustered by Caliban. Saying something mean would get you out of this mess for sure. “Because you look like one of those idiots from the cover of a trashy lady novel.”

“While I wasn’t going for idiotic, that’s exactly what I am,” Caliban said with a smile. He took the cup from your hand and took a sip, eyes twinkling mischievously as he did. “You seem surprised.” 

You shrugged, chiding yourself for thoughts of Caliban’s lips on the spot where yours had been five seconds ago. “I didn’t have you pegged as a romance novel kind of guy.”

“And what kind of guy is that?” 

His question was innocent enough, but it was the way he asked it that made your heart skip an irritating beat. Caliban was distracting enough with half his chest exposed and pretty white lace constantly drawing your attention to it. And, if that wasn’t enough, his dumb blonde curls had framed his face when he leaned in to ask you. 

“The kind of guy who carries around a lighter because he likes to burn things,” you said, taking your cup back and taking the last sip to spite him. 

Caliban looked amused in the corner of your eye as he drew back. “Well, we can’t all be demonic cheerleaders, princess,” he said. “Assuming that’s what you’re dressed as.” 

“You’re close. I’ll give you a hint,” you said and turned back to him. You held out your hand and asked for his lighter. Caliban didn’t say anything as he placed it in your hand, but he didn’t break eye contact. You uncapped it, lit it, and held it up to your mouth. The flame got dangerously close to your tongue before you blew it out. In your best Jennifer Check voice, you said, “I’m a god.” 

Caliban started laughing as you capped the lighter. “Well, if anyone is going to make killing boys nearly as attractive as Megan Fox, it’s you,” he said. “Though I don’t remember the white contacts.” 

“I took some creative liberties,” you said with a small shrug. You reached for his hand and gave his lighter back to him. 

After you pulled your hand away, Caliban shook his head and held the lighter back out to you. “You should keep it. Far more attractive when it's with you.” 

“What about all the pretty things you like to set on fire?” you asked. 

Caliban took a step closer and lifted his hand to tuck some hair behind your ear. He took his time, keeping his eyes on his hands before looking at your lips and then finally meeting your eyes. “They’ll have to take the backseat to another pretty little thing.” 

“I’m going to get another drink,” you blurted out as you took a step back. Not your smoothest move, but you needed to get the hell out of there before you did something dumb like kiss him. “Stay here.” 

You could hear the smirk on his face when Caliban said, “Whatever you want.”

Luckily, it only took a few frightened looks from the underclassmen to renew your confidence. The contacts were doing their job of unsettling people perfectly, and it made your night to see people who were checking out moments before start squirming. Until you reached Nick Scratch. 

Despite the fact that you knew he was afraid of you, he didn’t squirm. He just looked at you with that smug face that made Sabrina fall for him. You hated him.

“And what are you dressed as tonight, kitty cat?” Nick asked, deliberately emphasizing the old nickname. It made your skin crawl. 

You started answering when you looked up at him and pretended to be shocked. “Wait, Nick- was that … did your hairline just recede?” You pointed at his hairline and grabbed two cans of soda while he checked. 

Nick didn’t try to follow you when you started walking away, but he did start talking loud enough for you to hear him over the music. “You know, your sister likes my hair just fine. She even-” 

You turned around and gave him your harshest glare as you stomped closer. “Stay away from my sister.” 

“Woah-” Nick held his hands up in surrender. “I’ll stay away from your sister,” he promised. He took a step closer and lowered his voice. “But I can’t guarantee she’ll stay away from me.”

He bumped your shoulder as he walked past you, and you would’ve thrown something at him if he didn’t get swallowed up by the crowd of people racing towards a fight in the other room. Instead, you opted for cursing Nick out with every profanity you could think of as you slammed the sodas down and started looking for something a little stronger. 

An over-eager junior was offering you something to drink from his tray of assorted bad alcohol when you saw Caliban again. He was still annoyingly attractive, but he was very clearly pissed that you'd ditched him. Oh well. 

“What is this?” he asked as you downed one of the drinks. It tasted disgusting but you refused to pull a face in front of him. “I’ve been looking all over the place for you.” 

“Maybe you should go look for someone who actually likes you,” you said without looking at him as you downed another drink and the junior cheered you on. You grabbed another drink, despite Caliban’s protests, and disappeared into the masses.

---

Of all the ways Caliban saw this night going, you ditching him for a bottle of cheap tequila and Harvey looking like someone kicked his puppy hadn’t been his most likely pick. Apparently, Sabrina had blown him off for Nicholas, but Caliban wasn’t listening to Harvey's tragic story so much as he was trying to track you down. He left him with a very surprised vampire named Theo and focused his attention on finding you. 

“Hey, James Dean!” Nicholas yelled as he slapped Caliban on the back with unrequited fondness. If he had any awareness at all, it wasn't picking up on the glare Caliban gave him. “How did you get her to do it?” 

“Do what?” Caliban asked, promising himself that he could punch Nicholas in the mouth after he made sure you weren’t throwing up in the bushes. 

“Act like a human.” Caliban would have to table that promise because Nick was going to- “Oh, yeah!” 

The music started blaring from the dining room and Nicholas took off to see some girl dancing on the table. Only, that just wasn’t some girl. That was you, doing a very non-PTA approved cheer for the people around you. 

Caliban rushed to get to you, but all you did was grab the drawstrings on Caliban’s shirt and run one of them across your lips before standing back up and continuing your dance, ignoring his repeated requests to come down. The only time you looked at him was when you stepped too far back and fell off the table, hitting your head on the chandelier as you went down. 

Caliban caught you and looked at him with the saddest look in your eyes he’d ever seen. You were so uncharacteristically vulnerable after who knows how much alcohol and a head injury.  “You know, you’ve got a bit of gold in your eyes, Sparky,” you said softly, lifting your hand to the side of his face. 

“Hey, what about our show?” Nick hollered from the safety of his pack with Billy and the other idiots. They made a few more comments as Caliban carried you out to the garden to get fresh air. 

You kept trying to push him away, but as soon as Caliban set you down on the low brick wall, your hands tightened around his shirt. “Don’t go. I just need to lie down somewhere.” 

“If you lie down now, you’ll fall asleep,” Caliban said, prying your fingers off his shirt one at a time as you argued that sleep was good. “Not if you have a concussion, princess. Can you-”

“Hey, we need to talk,” Harvey interrupted. He was surprised when you latched onto his sleeve and let him know that his hat was askew. 

“I’m a little busy right now, Harvey,” Caliban said through gritted teeth as he untangled you from Harvey. You didn't want to let go, and you were just as stubborn when you were smashed as when you were sober. 

“I see that but can you give me like one second?” Harvey asked. 

“Aww, go talk to him!” you hiccuped. “I’m fine. I’ve got these hydrated-" You frowned. "These hurgerated-” 

“Hydrangeas?” Harvey asked, still confused. 

“Hydrangeas!” You beamed at him, which looked slightly terrifying with your smudged makeup and bloody face. “Thank you! I’ve got these hiiigh-drangeas to keep me company.”

Reluctantly, Caliban sighed and walked a few feet away with Harvey. He was still making sure that you were upright when Harvey started babbling. 

“It’s off. The deal’s off, okay?” Harvey finished. “Sabrina never liked me. She liked Nick this whole time but I thought that, you know, after all this she’d give me a shot but she didn’t and-” 

Caliban cut Harvey off before his head exploded and you fell over. “Harvey, do you like her?” 

“Yeah…” Harvey said, sounding confused. 

“And is she worth all this trouble?” 

“Well, I thought she was. I mean, of course, she is. But you know-” 

“Either she is, or she isn’t.” Caliban put a hand on Harvey’s shoulder and Harvey somehow looked even more confused by the touch. “First of all, Nicholas is not half the man that you are. He's an asshole. And secondly, don’t let anyone ever make you feel like you don’t deserve what you want.” He put his other hand on Harvey and shook him slightly as he said, “So go for it.”

Before Harvey could respond, Caliban saw you falling into the hydrangeas in his peripheral vision and dashed to save you from another head injury. 

You laughed as he held onto you and twirled the strings of his shirt around your finger before getting very quiet. The same vulnerability shone through as you looked at him. “Could you take me where the music isn't too loud?” 

“Of course.” 

Caliban helped you to your feet and almost carried you through the crowd of people to get out to the front, shooting Harvey a not so subtle glance to make sure he made up his mind. He helped you the neighborhood playground across the street while you mumbled about how opprobrious it was to have to be carried out of some high school party. 

“Opprobrious,” Caliban repeated, shaking his head. “Leave it to you to use big words when you’re smashed.”

“If I were smashed, could I do this?” you asked, promptly untangling yourself and falling down into the grass a second after you tried to show off. “Ow,” you said in disbelief. 

Caliban bent over to help you up and you pushed him off with one hand and pulled him closer with the other. As a result, Caliban came crashing to the ground. He did his best not to crush you as he landed, which you found extremely funny. 

Your mouth was tilted up to the sky as you laughed. The street lamps lit up your smile and Caliban couldn’t help but notice how pretty it made you look. You caught him looking at you and fell quiet again. You turned to look back at him, not saying anything at first. 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” you asked softly, tucking one hand under your head and - tentatively, gingerly - reaching out with your other. 

Caliban looked down at your outstretched hand as you started playing with his shirt again. He found himself wishing you reached out for him and not his shirt. “Because you have a drunken concussion and someone needs to look after you.”

“Why does it have to be you?” you asked, frowning at the knot you'd created. “It’s not like you care if I never wake up.”

“Of course, I do,” Caliban said, leaning closer like he was going to tell you a secret. “If you didn’t wake up, I’d have to start talking to girls who actually like me.” 

You scoffed and threw his shirt back at Caliban. “Like you could find one,” you said as you rolled to your feet. 

“See, who needs affection when I have blind hatred?” Caliban asked as he followed you to the swing set. He wrapped his hands around each of the chains of your swing as he leaned down to speak to you. “Why would I want someone else’s affection when I have your prejudice?” 

“Just let me breathe for a second and then I’m gonna say something so mean that you-” You frowned and shook your head, looking down at the ground. “I just need a minute, alright?” 

“Alright.” 

Caliban took a step back and let himself think for a moment. As rocky as this night had been, he thought it was going fairly well until he found you three drinks in with a junior. He didn’t have time to dwell on why you ditched him, though, because you were falling backward and he had to dive forward to catch you. 

You started laughing as you righted yourself and Caliban swore. He sat in the swing next to you and took a deep breath when he was sure you weren’t going to fall over again. “So what did Nicholas say to drive you to drink?” he asked, nudging you with the toe of his shoe. 

You rolled your eyes. “Nick just has to open his mouth to make me want to drink,” you mumbled. 

“But usually you resort to a witty comeback and not tequila,” Caliban said as quietly snarky as he could. “What made this different?” 

“I just … I hate him,” you admitted. “And my sister …”

“Your sister?” Caliban asked, turning back to face you. You’d already started leaning on your chain with your eyes closed. Not only were your eyes closed, but you were seconds away from falling on your face. “Oh, shit. No, no, no, I need you to wake up. Hey, look at me. You need to wake up.” 

“Mm hey,” you said quietly, looking up at him and smiling. “You know, your eyes-”

You cut yourself off by vomiting on the grass just in front of his shoes. Caliban pulled a face and tried not to sound too disgusted as he said, “Have a bit of gold in them?” 

“Yeah, how’d you know?” 

---

Sabrina stood with Prudence while the party died down. She hadn’t seen you since your table dancing incident but according to a quick text from your phone, Caliban made sure you got some air and took you home. With you gone and her mad at Nick for how he acted with you, that left her without a ride. 

“Hey, a few of us are going to Jarrett’s,” Nick said. He put one arm around Sabrina and the other around Prudence. “You ready to go?” 

“Oh, thanks, but I have to be home in twenty minutes or my aunts will have my head,” Sabrina lied.

“Well, I don’t have a curfew or overprotective family,” Prue said slyly. Her smile shifted from Sabrina to Nick. 

Nick shot a glance at Sabrina and she shrugged. “I can’t tonight,” she said. 

“Damn …” Nick sighed and looked over at Prudence. “Well, do you wanna go?” 

“I’d love to,” Prudence said, sliding her hand into Nick’s and leading him away. Sabrina would have argued if she cared about him or thought it would make a difference. When Prudence wanted something, she got it.

The only thing Sabrina did care about was how she was going to get home. Her options were slowly dwindling and her aunts would ground her for life if they saw the kind of party she was at. 

“Having fun tonight?” Harvey asked as he walked past her, still glum from earlier. 

“Yeah, tons,” Sabrina said with a sigh. Harvey kept walking so she rushed to keep up with him. “Hey, Harvey, I know … I know I don’t deserve it but do you think you could give me a ride home?”

Harvey let out a breath and turned to face her. Sabrina braced herself for what he’d say, for the moment that gentle, sweet Harvey would turn out to be no better than Nick. That moment didn’t happen. 

“Sure,” he said with a shrug. “Come on, my truck’s parked down the street.”

Sabrina didn’t know what to say as they walked to the truck, so she just didn’t say anything. Her hand brushed Harvey’s a few times and it broke her heart when he yanked his hand away. She deserved it, though; she broke his heart first. 

They didn’t speak as Harvey drove, and it took them a few seconds once the engine was off to say something. 

“You never really wanted to go out with me, did you?” Harvey asked, looking at the steering wheel instead of her. “It was always Nick, wasn’t it?” 

“It used to be Nick,” Sabrina admitted. “But he’s not very nice to me anymore. He just … I don't know.” She looked out the windshield and shrugged. “And you drove me home after I blew you off. I don’t deserve how nice you are to me.”

“No, you don’t,” Harvey said. He turned to face Sabrina and she knew that this was the moment. “Just because you’re beautiful and smart doesn’t mean that you can treat people like they don’t matter. I- I really liked you, you know? Even when people said you were selfish. Or that you were using me.” 

Sabrina sucked it up and turned to look at him. It didn’t surprise her that people said those things, and it didn't surprise her that Harvey defended her. He was the kind of guy who did that for people he cared about, not that he'd be doing it for her again any time soon. “I’m sorry.” 

Harvey was quiet. His jaw tightened for a moment and then he looked away. “Yeah, well, it doesn’t really matter. It’s not like you liked me much, to begin with.” 

“I do like you, Harvey,” Sabrina said. She resisted the urge to reach out to him. “I like you a lot. That’s the problem.”

“Oh,” Harvey said quietly, frowning. “I’m sorry.” 

Sabrina laughed and leaned over before she could talk herself out of it again. She cupped his face and pulled him into a kiss, which he returned after a second of hesitation. It was sweet, clumsy, and over too soon. 

“Don’t apologize,” Sabrina whispered when she pulled away. She gave him another smile and gathered her things. “Thanks for the ride.”

---

“Here we are,” Caliban said as he parked the car in front of the old house. “Home sweet home.” 

You pulled a face at the mortuary sign and turned away from the window. “Ugh, don’t you just want to keep driving?” you said. “Maybe to the ER? I’ve heard alcohol poisoning is a real bitch.”

“That it is but considering you puked your stomach contents all over my shoes, I think you’re safe,” Caliban said with a smile. Though he knew he’d take you wherever you wanted if he knew it wasn’t just the residual alcohol in your system talking. You just shrugged without saying anything. “Why don’t you want to go inside?” 

“My family is … complicated,” you said. You started picking at the sleeves of your cheerleader outfit instead of looking at him. “My parents died when I was little and my aunts took us all in. They’re great, really, they just want me to be someone I’m not.” 

“Like who?” Caliban asked. 

You sat straighter in your seat and put on a dashing smile before imitating your sister. “I’m Sabrina. I get good grades and don’t punch people even when they deserve it.” If the voice was accurate, it had nothing on the imitation laugh. It was downright creepy with all your smudged demonic makeup, but then you deflated into your seat and started mumbling profanities and Caliban knew you were back to yourself. 

“Well, no offense to your sister, but I think the whole people-pleasing act is overrated,” Caliban said. “There are better things to do with your time.” 

“You really think so?” you asked quietly. When Caliban looked over at you, all your snark had faded away to your familiar drunken vulnerability. “You’re not just saying that?” 

“I really think so,” Caliban said. “Why do you think I like you so much?”

“You like me?” you asked, seemingly caught off-guard. 

“I wouldn’t have let you throw up on me if I didn’t.” 

Caliban wasn’t sure what he expected you to do, but leaning in to kiss him wasn’t even on the top ten most likely options. It made his heart race, but he knew it wasn’t right. As much as he wanted to kiss you, he didn’t want to kiss you like this. 

“Maybe we should do this another time,” Caliban said, turning to face the steering wheel before you could kiss him.

You frowned at him, sinking slowly into your seat. You looked at him but you were strangely quiet as you did. Then, with speed Caliban didn’t know you had in this state, you got out of the car and slammed the door shut. 

Not quite the way Caliban saw this night ending. 

Part 5

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[jinmukangwrites]

Whumptober Day 3

Forced to their knees | Held at Gunpoint

Warnings: Canon typical violence

Ao3

-o-o-o-o-

Jason wakes up to a hand pressing down on his shoulder. Immediately, he's awake. His eyes fly open and his hand snatches the gun he keeps under his pillow like the cliche paranoid lone-wolf characters always do in the movies. Except Jason does it unironically. There’s been many times he’s woken up to an unfamiliar and leering face. A gun normally forced them to back off.

And this time is no different. Well, except the face that backs up this time, hands raising in the air in surrender, isn’t one of ill intentions. It’s of familiarity. Of goofy, lopsided, apologetic smiles and familiar eyes.

"Dick," Jason grumbles, letting the tension fall in his frame as he lowers the gun ever so slightly. Not all the way. Dick should know better than to wake Jason up so suddenly, especially if Jason's crashing in one of his safe houses in the bad parts of town like he’s doing now. Jason won't shoot him, and the idiot knows that there were only rubber bullets filling the chamber of his pistol, but it’s the thought that counts. right?

Within moments, his sleepy, adrenalin filled find catches up to him.

Dick is in his room. Dick.

Holy crap.

"Where the heck have you been?" Jason hisses, throwing off the layers of his blankets to stand up. The chilled morning air hits his bare chest, but thankfully he previously decided to hit the hay in sweats. "It's been three weeks since anyone's heard from you."

Dick shrugs, lowering his arms and keeping his stupid bright, wide smile consistent as he leans nonchalantly against the wall. "Here and there. Secret stuff, ya know?"

Jason scoffs. Yeah. He knows. Stupid Grayson and his stupid undercover missions he doesn't bother to tell anybody about. And the worst part is, Jason was actually worried about him. Everyone was. Even Bruce, seemingly, even though now Jason suspects the old man is in on it.

Fuck. Jason thought they were fine with this undercover crap years ago, after the Spyral escapade and all that shiz.

Well. Apparently, not. A swell of anger enters his throat. He lifts his weapon.

"Are you gonna elaborate on that? Or are ya just gonna stand there and watch me shirtless like a creep?"

"That's actually why I'm here, Jay," Dick says with a sigh. "To elaborate. Something… came up. I need your help."

Jason now decides to lower his gun, dropping it onto the rumpled sheets above his now depressingly-empty-of-his-sleeping-body bed.

He would love to tell Dick to go screw himself and then go back to bed. The entire family has been busting their butts with worry, trying to figure out where he's gone off to, and of course it just ends up being a super secret undercover mission. If Jason had half a mind, he'd punch Dick then drive to the manor and lock Bruce into the manor’s barn with Tim's dirty laundry for the rest of the day.

Tim might disagree, but everyone besides him has come to the conclusion that Tim's body odor is the worst . Yes they rank each other's body odor. They're boys and Cass , what do you expect? Jason holds the record of best smelling body odor and Duke can shoot his urine off the roof of the manor the furthest. It's known facts of the family.

Anyway, he gives Dick an unimpressed glare, his blood beginning to boil at the sheepish look on his face. How can he stand there knowing that everyone's been frantically looking for him and look sheepish about it?

"Go tell Daddio then, I'm not interested to deal with your bullcrap," he grumbles. "You're in this together, dig yourself out of whatever hole you've fallen in together."

"Bruce can't know," Dick says quickly. Too quickly. Sharply like he's... worried. That grabs Jason's attention. The golden boy… doesn't want to tell Bruce something?

Jason lifts an eyebrow and Dick sighs, his smile finally dropping just a bit as he reaches an arm up to rub the back of his neck. "There's a new smuggling group in town and I was put in charge of going in undercover to get information. The thing is, they found out that there was a mole. They don't know who it is, but they also don't think it's me. They trust me. But there's a woman who works with them who they do suspect. I haven't seen her in three days."

"And that means you can't go to Bruce… why?"

Dick gives him a look like Jason's not understanding something. He scowls, sighs again, then sticks his hands into his jean pockets. "They're cracking down on the signals we're putting out now. Checking our phones and such. I can't call Bruce otherwise they'll figure me out. And I can't drive to the manor because there's a higher chance of me being tracked."

"Payphone, then."

Now Dick doesn't bother to hide an annoyed expression. "Look. You're the closest and the easiest to contact. And… and this is my mission. Mine alone. I can't…"

He can't fail it.

Jason gets it.

He hates that he does.

Jason exhales sharply, already deciding he's going to regret this. "What's the plan?"

Dick's bright, plastered smile returns along with a glint in his stupid blue eyes. "I overheard some higher-ups talking about an abandoned lot by Gotham Bay, and I saw a boat covered in a tarp in one of the warehouses they use. I think they're going to drop her in the bay. We just need to get there and take them out in a way that won't lead to suspicion. Just Nightwing and Red Hood saving a girl about to be drowned out of the goodness of their hearts."

"Bold of you to assume I have a heart," Jason grunts, "but sounds solid enough. Anything about these guys I need to know about? Names? Titles? You're being awfully vague."

"Sorry, Jay-lad," Dick says smoothly, and the nickname rings in Jason's ears. "Can't have the bats catching on."

-o-o-o-o-

Jay-lad.

Jason launches himself over a two story roof down towards the empty roads lining the bay. Sometimes, during the summer, there'll be parties and picnics in the parks circumferencing the ocean, but they're few and far between. Never that much fun. Especially when it starts to rain for the twenty-billionth time that day and a dead body washes in on the shore.

Jay-lad ?

Nightwing lands besides Jason. All smiles and perfect teeth like always. The brightness of his smile shines even in the dim, harsh light of Gotham's half-assed lampposts. Ahead of them is what definitely could be described as an abandoned lot. In Jason's opinion, it looks more like someone tried to build a department store on the shore and forgot the tide exists. It's half submerged, walls rotting and the roof caved in. Graffiti of all kinds litter the walls, no attempt by anyone to ever clear it up.

Did Dick really call him Jay-lad ?

To the side of the building is a boat, floating softly right where it's just deep enough to do so. It's tied to the building though, not going anywhere for a little while longer.

Dick's never called him Jay-lad before. That's… that's Bruce's thing. Jason's always been Little Wing, or Jay bird . Names he's always hated, but might have been secretly proud of a few times in his life. Names he’s always hated, but they were Dick’s nicknames for him.

"They might be in the building trying to get last minute information out of her," Dick says, his voice still way too happy. All smiles. Perfect teeth. Jason didn't think it was odd a few hours earlier, but now it's grating on his nerves in such a specific way that he can't help but search for all the little things that's bothering him about Dick right now.

For one, the nickname.

For two, the happy go lucky attitude. The guy is optimistic, sure, but he knows when business is business . Business includes saving a woman wrongfully accused of being a spy in a group of criminals he was spying on. He should be full of guilt and anger right about now. Dick's a martyr, and he hates it when people are being hurt for something he's done.

For numero three, the way he flips over the roofs. Or well, the lack of flips. Jason didn't see him flip once . Just jump, land, jump, land, keeping up pace with Jason and not making any useless chatter along the way.

Dick's been gone for three weeks, and he comes back with a vague excuse with holes and acts… wrong.

It must be in Jason's head. It has to be.

"So we go in through the windows and get her out before we have to swim to get her," Jason says and Dick nods his head.

"Let's go," Dick says, rushing forward just like that. No jokes, no verbal announcements of why they're doing this, no keep safes .

Let's go. Just that.

Something is wrong.

Something is wrong and Jason can't figure out what.

So he goes along. Follows Dick towards the building and watches the dim windows for any movement. There's none. Which is strange. Normally, when a Gotham villain wants to get rid of a mole, they do it rather dramatically and over the top. Gotham criminals are rather proud of that status, and when someone enters their ranks pretending to be one of them they take it as a personal offence.

Regardless of that, when Dick chooses a window closest to the shore and begins wading through the water, Jason trails after, his hands twitching for the guns on his hips.

By the time they make it to the window, they're mid-thigh deep in chillingly freezing water. Dick makes a signal for Jason to stay put for a second, looks in the window, then opens it to climb through. Jason waits in the ice-cold water for Dick's signal, trying not to think about what the salt water is going to do to his pants but also definitely thinking about what he's going to do to Dick if his pants are ruined.

"Clear," comes Dick's voice after a solid minute of waiting. Jason releases an uneasy breath, ready to get out of the ocean but also still feeling like something is very, very off about this entire situation.

Jason shoves the doubts to the back of his mind, grabs onto the ledge of the window, then hefts himself up.

The first thing he notices when he enters the room is that it's dark. Empty. Dust lingering in the air. The next thing he notices is that Dick is nowhere to be seen.

The third thing is that Dick is, in fact, here, but he makes himself known by jamming a fist into Jason's throat and grabbing the collar of his leather jacket. Before Jason can recover from the attack on his neck and catch his breath, he's shoved against the far wall, away from the window.

Away from escape.

Anger puddles in Jason's gut.

"What the hell ," he snarls, his voice scratching, as he ducks under another swing. Dick's fist rams into the wall, resulting in the wall gaining some shining new cracks. The force of the punch was definitely enough to break fingers, even if properly thrown, but Dick doesn't even flinch. Just reals around with a frown on his lips and a downward, furious tilt to his brow. Jason grabs his guns, aiming them at the man he's just begun to consider family again. Dick stops in his tracks at the sight of the weapons being aimed at him and glares.

"This isn't anything personal, Jay-lad," Dick says slowly, but he doesn't make any moves to back off or surrender. He just stands there. Heartless milky eyes staring through his mask.

"There ya go again, calling me that," Jason hisses, keeping his aims steady towards Dick's chest.

"I always call you that," Dick says, and Jason almost sees green.

"No you don't," he growls. "You've never called me that. And you've been acting weird all night. Off. And now you're attacking me? What the fuck is going on?!"

And for the first time in a very long ass time, Jason watches the one expression that doesn't look pretty on Dick pass on his face. Frustration. Annoyance. Rage.

It's an expression Jason hasn't seen in years . Not since Jason was still in his early teens and still believed Robin gave him magic. Not since Dick and Bruce were at each other's throats whenever they were anywhere near each other for whatever reason. The downturn to his lips, the crinkling under his eyes, the scrunching of his nose, the sneer. It's not a good expression on Dick.

It's a terrifying one.

"You'll have to find out, wontcha, hoodie?"

And Dick charges. Teeth bared, fists clenched. Jason just manages to block the next punch with the back of his arm. He lashes out with his free hand, the one holding the gun, and attempts to toss a pistol whip. He succeeds, smacking his cheekbone with a crack . Dick's cries out, stumbling back a step before charging again, fire in his normally cool eyes.

Jason tries to hit him again, but Dick anticipates the move, hitting Jason on the inside of his arm with enough force for Jason to accidentally let go of the weapon. The gun goes sliding across the weathered floor, clanking against the far wall. He doesn't go for it, just shifts to a more hands on approach to take care of this. He throws his fist, hitting Dick along the jaw, but Dick retaliates by throwing a leg up and kicking Jason right in the gut. Jason gasps, pissed now that his breath has been knocked out of him two times now, and immediately kicks back.

The fight continues. Hits here, kicks there. There's no quips. No banter. Just the sound of panting breaths and the dull thuds of blows being exchanged.

Jason goes to smack Dick's ears and disorientate him, however he doesn't get to finish his blow. Dick ducks under his arm and slams his entire body weight into Jason's stomach. Arms wrap around Jason's middle, sending them both to the floor. He shouts when his back lands roughly on the ground and his head thunks in the inside of his helmet, but he immediately begins to shove Dick off from him.

He succeeds in that regard. But Dick almost rolls off of Jason himself, getting to his feet in a blink of an eye and sprinting for the other side of the room.

Jason realizes why the moment Dick bends down and snatches up Jason's lost weapon.

The gun.

For a second, Jason almost believes that Dick will smile, drop the weapon, and say this was all some huge test or spar. But then, Dick lifts the gun, aims with accuracy, and squeezes his finger on the trigger.

Jason has a blink of an eye to roll out of the way of the first bullet, but the second one hits him right in the thigh.

And he knows he has rubber bullets. They're not meant to be deadly.

But they sure as hell are painful.

Immediately, it feels like someone took a baseball bat to his leg. He tries to stand up, but his leg persistently wants to buckle. He manages to scramble to his feet, using the wall as support, but then there's another blast from his stupid fucking gun and he stumbles. Next thing he knows, a hand grabs his shoulder and pulls him down, slamming his stomach against a bony knee heartlessly. He falls to his knees, gasping for air, hardly aware of the hand that goes to the hidden latch at the back of his helmet until there's a hiss and air hits his skin.

The barrel of his own gun presses against his head as the hand still on his shoulder squeezes. Jason sucks in air, then glares up at Dick who's wearing a triumphant smirk.

"Not so tough now, are ya?" Dick says, and Jason snarls. He goes to stand up, but the gun presses harder against his skull. A rubber bullet is still a bullet when at point blank. He stills.

"What the hell is going on?!" He growls, and Dick smirks.

"You've been raised by the world's greatest detective, right?" Dick asks, his voice singsong. "Figure it out."

And Jason hates that. Everything Dick is saying. Doing. Acting. It all feels fake. Practiced. Like he's playing a part but not playing it completely. Like the backup actor for when the lead one calls out right before a performance.

Acting. Fake. Practiced. Wrong. Different.

Holy shit.

"You're not Dick," Jason acuses, the realization slamming into him like a truck. This isn't Dick. It's so clear now. He's so dumb for not realizing earlier. It's all been some sort of set up. And maybe it was easy to look past the strange actions because he was, dare he say it, relieved that Dick was okay and alive and standing in his bedroom after three weeks of being missing. Three weeks and counting now. "Who are you?!"

The fake laughs, twisting the barrel of the gun against Jason's head. Jason has no doubt he'll shoot it. "My name isn't important. What is important is that I'm wearing the face of the most trusted guy in the superhero world. You were the field test, Hood. Looks like besides a few hiccups here and there, I'm ready for the big league."

Jason stills. Hiccups ? This guy, whoever he is, knows things that he shouldn't. Secret identities. Nicknames. Personalities. He's had to get his information from somewhere. And three weeks seems like a pretty realistic timeframe to get that kind of information.

"Where's Dick. The real one. He in a room like this too?"

Because he can't be dead. He can't be.

"Course he is," the fake replies, "have him stuffed away somewhere you'll see soon. Seems like there's information he got wrong and left out, enough to get you suspicious of me. That's fine though, he was pretty tight lipped at first. He loosened up after a few days. We'll just keep trying on the both of you. I think I'll be able to fool Batman himself soon enough."

And shit. If that isn't a scary thought. Because it seems… true. Believable. Like Bruce can actually be fooled by this man that looks exactly like Dick.

"This isn't going to work," Jason says, instead of voicing his real thoughts.

The fake's grin widens.

"It already is."

Then, he brings the gun back, smacking it against Jason's forehead with a snap.

Jason goes down hard, and he wonders as consciousness begins to fleet, how long it will take the rest of the family to realize something is wrong.

With the chirping of laughter that sounds so familiar to Dick's that it makes Jason's stomach churn, his eyes shut against his will, and darkness embraces him warmly.

-o-o-o-o-

Reblogs and comments are greatly appreciated!

[dad-victoriam]

I have one official character each for Fallout 3 and New Vegas, but In Fallout 4, I have like, three. Two Minutemen Generals and a Railroad Agent. Can you tell which play-through I started while bored and stuck in quarantine?

Lupe Campbell

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/Her

Hair Color: Dark Brown

Eye Color: Pale Blue

Sexuality: Bisexual

Nicknames: General, Madam President, Ma, Lulu

Preferred Weapon: Custom Laser Rifle

Faction: Commonwealth Minutemen

Best Friend: Nick Valentine

Love Interest: Preston Garvey

Has never done anything wrong in her life ever.

Preston knows this, and he loves her.

They have Team Mom and Team Dad Energy.

Sturges says they’re gross about it, but one time they got in a fight and he nearly cried because he though they were going to break up.

Is freakishly strong and constantly concerns and astounds people watching her carry and lift things.

Once physically lifted Hancock up over her head and carried him to the time-out corner when he was antagonizing Danse.

He lives in constant fear of being manhandled again.

Her karma is so pristine it’s practically blinding.

Loves helping Nick on cases, always looks for an excuse to wear the trench coat and fedora.

Has unique sense of fashion, thinks the Minutemen General Cosplay is high couture, only wears high-waist Mom Jeans.

Had joined up with the Brotherhood for a little bit, but after Danse got kicked out she left.

Actually, what happened was she stormed into Maxon’s office, lectured him in a way only a mom could, told him she wasn’t mad, just disappointed and then left the Prydwen and hasn’t returned since.

Maxon locked himself in his quarters afterwards to brood, not to cry, he definitely didn’t cry.

(He cried a little bit)

Danse joined the Minutemen after that. It was like the Brotherhood, but they were as loyal to him as he was to them. It really helped him cope and renewed his sense of purpose.

Lupe and Preston are proud of him.

Everyone jokes that he’s like their son behind their backs. Hancock got caught once (see above mentioned physical lifitng).

Her Mom Energy is so potent that legit most of the companions and even some of the Minutemen and Sanctuary settelers gave her the nickname ‘Ma’

Does not drink, does not smoke, what does she do?

She delivers Justice.

Fox Hawthorne

Gender: Female

Pronouns: She/ Her

Hair Color: Ginger

Eye Color: Green

Sexuality: Lesbian

Nicknames: Whisper (Deacon) Renarde (Curie)

Preferred Weapon: Silenced Sniper Rifle

Faction: The Railroad

Best Friend: MacCready

Love Interest: Curie

Closeted Pre-War, had a family to please her mother, actually pretty sad, doesn’t like talking about it except where Shaun is concerned.

“Fox” is not her real name but she refuses to tell anyone what it really is and there’s no way for them to ever find out for sure.

Deacon once snuck down to the vault to see if it was on record somewhere only to find out she was one step ahead of him.

She hacked the records and wherever her true name had been was replaced with a string of emojis.

🦊🍑👅🖕🏻

Codsworth is programmed to call her “Miss Fox” and does not understand the fact that she has another name so he’s no help either.

She can NOT stand staying in Sanctuary (too many memories) and renovated the Red Rocket station nearby to keep her stuff in.

A settlement formed around it and they’re pretty friendly with their Minutemen neighbors even though Preston is constantly trying to get Fox to join the cause.

She will not, she thinks the outfits are tacky, but secretly still goes out of her way to help settlements.

Curie loves it when she does that.

Her relationship with MacCready is summed up by ‘Pure of Heart, Dumb of Ass / Lesbian’.

Do Not Separate Them.

They platonically raise Shaun and Duncan together.

“This is our dad, and this is our mom, and this is our mom’s girlfriend, Curie.”

Two Snipers Out In The Commonwealth Doing Sniper Things.

He literally pouts every time Fox leaves him at Red Rocket to do Railroad Missions with Deacon.

Curie keeps him company, they get along stupendously.

Other than Railroad Missions, or Settlement Rescue Mission Dates with Curie, Fox and MacCready are joined at the hip and are off doing dumb shit.

Always return to Red Rocket with broken noses, dislocated shoulders, cuts, bumps, and bruises and Curie has to patch them up.

Fox claims her kisses have healing properties.

She’s flirting, but Curie thinks she’s serious and has offered to kiss MacCready’s wounds as well.

He had to politely decline multiple times for fear of facing certain death via sandman kill.

The weirdest trio in the Commonwealth.

No one understands their dynamic.

It works because all three of them are the awkward third wheel of the friendship.

Bo

Gender: ???

Pronouns: They/Them

Hair Color: ???

Eye Color: ???

Sexuality: Pansexual

Nicknames: Commonwealth Cryptid

Preferred Weapon: Molotov Cocktail

Faction: Commonwealth Minutemen

Best Friend: Dogmeat

Love Interest: Hancock

Has good intentions, but bad methods.

Takes their title as General of the Minutemen very seriously.

Makes sure every settlement has enough food, water, and defense.

Spends hours decorating and making them look nice.

Could have a promising future (or past?) in architecture and interior design.

Intelligence stat is either 1 or 10, no one knows.

All their strategies are chaotic and crackpot but like; they work???

Chooses the Sarcastic response 100% of the time.

Low-Key devout member of the Children of Atom.

Wears assault gas mask and only ever takes off the mask when they’re furious and deadly serious, or you know, when they’re going to sleep.

Legitimately no one, not even the companions, knows what they look like, or even if they’re human or not.

Hancock knows, because he’s seen them naked, but refuses to tell anyone because he lives for the chaos and will constantly make up fake shit just to fuck with the rest of the group.

Hancock is the only living individual who knows what their face looks like.

Piper tried to see if Shaun knew anything and was like, “are you not even a little curious?”

The kid just shrugged, and like, messed around with a Laser Sniper Rifle he was making and was like “they’re my parent. That’s just how they are. I like them the way they are”.

MacCready swears up and down that he saw them turn their head 180 degrees like an owl one time.

Hancock backed him up, but he was huffing jet and laughing his ass off the whole time so no one knows if he was serious.

Gives “let’s get this freak show on the road” a whole new connotation.

Can only shop at Diamond City Surplus at night because Crazy Myrna refuses to sell to them.

She thinks they’re a synth and will not take “No, I’m Jangles the Moon Monkey” as an answer.

Definitely did blow up the Prydwen.

Stole Maxon’s jacket.

Has the Cannibalism perk.

It’s just practical, there are lots of dead bodies everywhere and food is scarce. If they eat a raider, then somehow, somewhere, there’s a Fancy Lad Snack Cake left for a starving orphan to eat.

No one else seems to see it this way.

Loves Brahmin.

I mean, really loves them.

 Will stop whatever they’re doing to pet one if they see one.

If they’re working as part of a caravan, they’ll call them Ma’am and apologize for disrupting their work, but will still pet them.

Caravan Guards who see this behavior: ?????

Maxed Stealth and Pickpocket perks

Is a Little Sneak Thief

All their armor has Chameleon Legendary effects.

This stresses everyone out because that means they can be anywhere at any time and oh my God, where are they? I know they’re in here with me, where are they???

Once snuck up on MacCready (accidentally) and pulled an actual full swear word out of the guy. It was loud.

And it was the Fuck word.

It’s Bo’s proudest achievement.

Was totally on board with being the Overboss of Nukaworld until Gage suggested raiding Commonwealth Settlements.

They take their title as General of the Minutemen very very seriously.

They took off the mask, and all of Nukaworld saw their face that day. T’was brutal.

I’m talking “Rip and tear until it is done”.

I’m talking heavy metal theme music and everything.

It’s a nice and peaceful little trader settlement now. Bo planted flowers everywhere.

So, did you guess which one I started cuz I was bored in quarantine, yet? Did you guess all three? You would be correct.

[justaghostingon]

Cogs in a Steel Heart

Chapter 5: Letting Go

Hugo makes his choice, and Cyrus decides its time to do a meet-the-parents.

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331849/chapters/60360532

Hugo made his choice at the edge of the dark kingdom. In typical Hugo fashion, he does so with a wink and a lie. As if Cyrus is just some rich noble he’s conning out of his money, and not someone who’s been able to see through him for years.

“It's the wrong kingdom,” Hugo says. “The trial is in the ice kingdom just that way, but I’ll lead them through this one just to keep them occupied for a bit, so there’s no need to pay too much attention.”

Cyrus wondered why Hugo always seemed to think he’s dumb. He’s not. He may not be a genius on the level of Hugo and Donella, but he’s not an idiot. He checked with Donella to gain a map of all the kingdoms involved on the quest before he left so he could pack properly. Hugo should have noticed, except he’d been too busy tapping his foot impatiently and complaining that leaving now meant now and not in an hour later.

He knows that this is not the correct place. He knows that Hugo is lying to him to try and get him to back off and not report it all back to Donella. He can see through this flimsy excuse and read Hugo’s true intentions: he’s choosing Goggles and his team over Donella.

“Ok,” he says in response. Because he’s fine with that. Really. If this is what Hugo wants, well, he’s nineteen, its high time he started thinking for himself. And besides, there was a spark in Hugo’s eyes he hadn’t seen in years, burning bright. He’s practically weightless, bouncing on his feet like a man who’d finally had the weight of the world removed from his shoulders.

Hugo turned to leave, spring in his step, and Cyrus felt his lips twitch slightly upward as he watched him go. Hugo had found happiness, and it warmed Cyrus’s soul to see.

At the edge of the clearing, Hugo stopped, head turning slightly back to Cyrus. Cyrus hastily removed any trace of emotion from his face, staring back as impassively as he could manage. Hugo hesitated. “Mona,” he said.

“Yeah?” Cyrus said, wariness leaking into his voice. Hugo never used someone’s real name unless he was about to discuss something important.

“I never thanked her,” Hugo looked down at his feet, “for the hat.”

“Oh,” Cyrus blinked. That was unexpected. Hugo had learned to say ‘thank you.’ He wondered who had taught him that. “I’ll pass on the thanks,” he offers with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Of course,” Hugo turned back to the trail ahead. “Thank you Cyrus,” he says, a finality in his words that told Cyrus he wasn’t being thanked for passing on a message. His gut twisted as he watched Hugo step forward, vanishing among the trees.

Cyrus stood in the clearing for a long while, lost in thought as the blackened leaves fell down around him. Finally he grit his teeth and released two words, “Ahh hell.”

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

“It’s not that I don’t think that this is good for him. He’s happy! Happier than I’ve ever seen him! And he’s nineteen, so its damn time he went through a little teenage rebellion! It’s just-” Cyrus ran a frustrated hand through his hair, “-I just don’t know anything about these people and what they think of Hugo!” He threw up his hands in the air and looked at his audience for a reaction.

His audience, a dusty old crow that apparently didn’t know how to fly or stand properly lay on a log and gave a caw. Cyrus decided to take it as an agreement.

“Exactly! I know what Hugo thinks of them. But I also know Firecracker and Princess were suspicious before they learned to trust him, what’s to stop them from suspecting him again the next time something goes wrong? And he’s so infatuated with this Goggles, but Goggles was willing to up and abandon everyone! I can’t just leave Hugo with people like that without figuring out what they’re really like. Right?”

The crow didn’t respond in favor of pecking up in the air like he expected it to be wood. Cyrus sighed. He missed Mona. She’d know what to do. But she wasn’t here, and he didn’t have time to send her a letter and ask her for advice.

He tapped his fingers to his chin. “I need to meet Hugo’s friends, make sure they actually care about Hugo, and aren’t about to leave him dead in a ditch somewhere. It’s my job after all, as his bodyguard.”

He glanced back at the crow, who had somehow dragged itself up into a semi-upright position. “What do you think about doing a bit of improv?”

The crow gave a squawk of agreement and promptly fell off the log.

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

Cyrus adjusted the bear mask more properly over his face. Perfect. The crow, for all its inability to fly in straight lines, seemed surprisingly adept at finding threatening disguises. He gave the bird a sly grin, and it proceeded to caw in the wrong direction as its eyes spun in circles.

He picked it up and put it on his shoulder. There, final touch complete. Now he looked like a madman. He’d have to take the mask off for some of the more theatrical bits, but this would make a pretty good entrance. He gripped his club, took in a deep breath, and stepped out from the trees and into the dark kingdom.

The dark kingdom was, and there was no other words for it, creepy. The soil was blackened and dark, and instead of trees large black spikes littered the land. Cyrus had thought most of them had disappeared ages ago, put apparently some roots were too thick for even magic to remove. He suppressed a shutter and strode forward with large, echoing footprints.

Hugo’s team had stopped below a slight cliff, no doubt resting after getting their old donkey down. Or was it a mule? Cyrus couldn’t be certain. Whatever it was looked like it had outlived several lifetimes worth of drama. Even now it looked up at Cyrus’s bear costume as it chewed the grass, unimpressed to the extreme.

“What is it Prometheus?” A boy said, following his gaze upwards. He was shorter than Hugo, with goggles on his head and a wizard’s staff in his left hand. Cyrus briefly wondered if this was the Goggles he’d heard so much about. The boy looked up at him, expression wary. “Are you King Edmund?”

“What?” Cyrus gaped, completely thrown off track.

“Your son mentioned your love of bear clothing,” the boy continued with a slight cough into his hand.

Cyrus turned to look at the crow in confusion. The crow began to eat one of the bear’s ears. Cyrus looked back down at the four people below him, expressions ranging from wary to hopeful. He sighed. There goes his fear factor. Looks like he’d have to start step two sooner than he thought. “I don’t know who this king is. But if you really want to know,-” he threw off the hood, causing the crow on his shoulder to shriek and take off into the air, “-I’ve been following you. You have something I need, and I’m not leaving until I get it.” He lowered his knees slightly and hunched his shoulders, gritting his teeth into his most ferocious smile.

Behind Goggles, Hugo facepalmed.

His friends tensed. The girl and the little boy drew closer to Goggles, pulling out strange glowing chemicals and...was that a giant firecracker? Well, that nickname was certainly accurate, Cyrus thought as he eyed at the boy was now most definitely Firecracker. Goggles fingered the strange balls on his sash, and narrowed his eyes at Cyrus. “We aren't giving up the totems.”

“Oh I’m not here for the totems,” Cyrus drew himself up to his full height. “I’m here for him.” He pointed a finger directly at Hugo. Hugo’s jaw went slack.

“Me?” he pointed a finger at his chest. What are you doing Cyrus? his expression said.

Hugo’s companions all glanced back at Hugo, and he quickly schooled his expression to one of neutral confusion. Princess sighed, a hand on her hips. “What did you do Hugo?” Goggles and even Firecracker looked exasperated.

“Nothing!” Hugo protested. “I don’t know this guy!”

“You don’t need to know me,” Cyrus waved his hand at Hugo’s words. “My employer knows you, and they’ll pay a pretty penny for the head of the Alchemist who screwed over the Baron Von Drake!” It was the name of a royal Hugo had screwed over for something, Cyrus couldn’t remember what. But there was no point in bringing up Donella in the likely scenario that Hugo had not mentioned her to his team after he switched sides.

Hugo’s eyebrow rose. “You mean that guy who I sold the hair potion too?”

Cyrus held back a snort of laughter, disguising it as a cough. Oh it was that guy, heavens above that had been hilarious. Concentrate Cyrus, sad things, dead cats, hunger. He gave his best frown. “Yes, and he wants you dead for it.”

“For hair?” Goggles exclaimed.

Cyrus shrugged. “You know nobles, ruthless over the stupidest things.” Princess gave the slightest flinch, and Hugo’s brow furrowed. “But look,” Cyrus added, desperate to bring this back on track. “I’m a reasonable man. Just give me the criminal, and no one else has to get hurt.”

The three looked at each other. “Yeah, I don’t think so,” Goggles said as he drew back his arm, a ball in his hand. “But thanks for being so polite about it.”

Cyrus made no move to dodge the ball as it fell, releasing a sticky substance that coated his feet. The crow landed beside it and began to peck, but to no avail.

“It should wear off in a few hours,” Goggles said, turning away. “Bye,”

Cyrus smiled. Straining his legs he kicked out, sending the hardened purple crumbling all around him. The crow gave a cry and flew off. The three children below gasped and drew back. Even Hugo, who was fully aware of exactly how strong Cyrus was, looked a little impressed. Cyrus wasn’t certain why though, an antidote to the purple goo had been the first thing Hugo had brewed, did he think Donella had asked for that purely for research purposes? Cyrus had coated nearly a whole bottle’s worth on his boots for this very attack.

But whatever the reason, the surprise worked in his favor, and Cyrus was not going to waist it. He jumped down the cliff like it was nothing, this one was completely on him he was pleased to admit, and charged straight at Hugo.

“What are you doing?” Hugo hissed as he ducked under Cyrus’s punch.

“Helping,” Cyrus hissed back as he ducked under a brightly colored ball. “Play along.” Hugo did not look at all convinced as Cyrus landed a solid kick and sent Hugo flying backwards.

Ooof. He thought as Hugo landed hard on his butt, gasping for breath. He hadn’t meant to kick him that hard. He tried not to wince as he slowed himself to a threatening walk.

“Stay away from him!” Goggles threw himself forward at Cyrus, clawing at his sides. Cyrus peeled him off easily, wondering why someone so smart would attack with his hands. He was quickly answered when something strange and green started to grow on his armor, no doubt another attempt to make him stop. Too bad Donella had Hugo-proofed this armor long ago to make their team ups go smoother, and if the smell of this was anything to go by, Hugo had definitely helped in its creation.

“That ain’t gonna work on me kid,” he said as he tossed Goggles back at Hugo. Hugo stretched out his arms to catch him, but ended up falling back, winded a second time. Goggles struggled to sit up, but ultimately fell back on Hugo, dazed.

“Leave him alone!” Princess jumped in Cyrus’s path. She raised a hand to her chest. “If it's money you are after, I am Princess Nuru of the Air Kingdom. I can easily settle any debit my companion has created.”

Appealing to his character’s obvious greed? Not a bad move. Except for how she exposed herself as an even more appealing target. Seriously, had Hugo taught her nothing about survival. Not that it mattered, he wasn’t here to kidnap princesses. “It doesn't work like that little lady,” Cyrus shrugged. “I have a code.” He stepped forward, and Princess spread her arms defensively. Cyrus rolled his eyes. “And what are you going to do to stop me little lady? You aren’t even armed.”

Princess’s lips twitched upwards, and too late Cyrus realized he hadn’t been paying attention to Firecracker. He whirled around, only to catch a glimpse of a giant firecracker coming straight towards him. He ducked, the firecracker grazing his back. A flash of victory filled Cyrus, and then numb shock as he was pulled along into the air.

Cyrus realized where he had smelled that stench before as he flew through the air. Hugo’s sticking powder. They’d turned it into goo! Well, Cyrus would be damned if that wasn’t impressive. He cast one more glance back at the little group. Varian was still struggling to unattach himself from the goo that held him to Hugo. Princess was kneeling beside them, giggling. Yong held a firecracker up, clearly offering to blow them free, and from Hugo’s expression, half horrified, and half amused, it looked like they didn’t have another one. But even with the growing fear in his eyes as the pyromaniac began lighting the firecrackers, Cyrus could tell he was completely happy. They’d take good care of him.

He smiled as the firecracker exploded behind him, sending him scorched and flying into the open air.

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

“What were you thinking?” Hugo demanded as he found him hours later, sitting on a log as he tried to recover from being blown out of the sky.

“I told you,” Cyrus pressed a cooling paste to his burned skin and silently thanked alchemy’s healing wonders. “I’m helping.”

“Helping? Helping? You call that helping?!” Hugo threw his hands into the air. “You attacked us! You nearly blew my cover!” He leaned down to get in Cyrus’s face, emerald eyes blazing with fury.

Cyrus stared back, unimpressed. “I didn’t put your cover in any kind of danger. I didn’t mention we knew each other, or Donella at all.”

“You didn’t have too!” Hugo shoved a finger in Cyrus’s chest. “I go to talk to you every other week! If one of them follows me and sees us together, it’s all over!” He punctuated the last line by pushing his finger deeper into Cyrus’s chest.

“Well then,” Cyrus shrugged and batted Hugo’s hand away. “I guess I’ll have to go back to Donella, tell her how I blew it, and how you can’t make reports anymore without me so there's no point in waiting for them.”

“Wh-what?” Hugo stepped back, eyes wide. “That means...” he shook his head, “No. No that will never work. The next kingdom is the iron kingdom, and Donella’s going to make a move for sure. Once they see you with her...”

“Then they will think she employed someone who has both openly admitted to not knowing you, and holds a personal grudge.” Cyrus crossed his arms and smiled. “Even if she completely outs you as a spy, they’ll never believe you wouldn’t have met a colleague as old as me, much less let me attack you for no reason. It will just look like we’re trying to smear you.”

“That is the stupidest plan I’ve ever heard,” Hugo scowled. “It has so many holes it would sink like a stone in water.”

“Perhaps,” Cyrus rose to his feet. “But it's done now. So you’ll just have to continue on this quest, without any supervision or anyone to stop you if you decide to stick with them.” He began to limp over to grab his stuff.

“Oh,” Hugo’s eyes went wide. He opened his mouth, then shut it again. Finally he got out. “Cyrus...”

The bushes began to rustle, and Cyrus jolted upright, body moving to block Hugo from view. “Leave,” he hissed. Hugo didn’t need telling twice, scrambling back into the foliage back towards his friends. He did not look back.

The rustling stopped as the crow jumped out. Cyrus let his shoulders relax as it cocked it head sideways to stare up at him with one eye while the other one spun in circles. “There you are, you coward,” he sighed. “You left me all by myself back there.”

The crow gave a sharp caw, and began to peck at the open air. Cyrus sighed as he sat back down. “It's over now,” he told the bird. “I’ll head back to Donella and tell her I messed up while Hugo stays here with his friends.”

The crow stared at him, it's usually mobile eyes stopping to pin him into place. Cyrus felt a shiver run down his back at the intelligence hidden deep inside them.

“Odin’s eyes,” his grandpa’s voice whispered in his ears. “Whatever the crow sees the king of the dark sees too.”

Cyrus shook his head to clear it of the fear. “Oh don’t look at me like that,” he told the crow. “You don’t know what’s like to raise a son. Sometimes staying with you just isn’t good for them.”

A strange, animalistic sympathy flashed across the crow’s bulging eyes. Then it bowed its head and began pecking at a rock on the ground, missing every now and then to hit the open air. All its intelligence seemed to vanish as if it had been nothing but Cyrus’s imagination.

Cyrus watched it peck away, mind still on Hugo and his friends. It was good that they cared about Hugo. He wasn’t sure what he’d have done if they didn’t. But they had been willing to face Cyrus for Hugo, so they were all right in Cyrus’s book. Kinda small though. He briefly wondered if he should follow after them regardless, just to make sure they stayed alive. But no. They’d made short work of him, they would be fine.

Hugo would be fine. He was an adult now. Making his own friends and his own decisions. He didn’t need Cyrus to take out the trash anymore.

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

The alley behind the bar had been dark, but that was to Cyrus’s advantage, deep shadows hiding even his large form. Not that he needed surprise. His target wasn’t exactly in the best fighting shape. It was far from sporting, but as every thug in the guild could tell you, sporting wasn’t a thug’s job. Especially for people like this. Cyrus pulled his lips into a sharp smile.

Grimoire stepped into the alleyway, two friends at his side. Smart of him to have lackeys with him, but alas, still not enough. Cyrus darted forward, slamming a fist to the lackey on the left. Grimoire ducks, but Cyrus keeps his fist going, knocking the first lackey’s head into the second’s and sending them both crumbling to the ground. Good. He didn’t recognize them from earlier, so it was best to leave them out of this.

Grimoire scowled at him, already aware of what was coming. “Didn’t you tell the brat you’d leave me alive?” he mocked as he pulled out a knife and dropped into a waiting stance.

Cyrus didn’t bother to respond. Grimoire lunged with his knife at Cyrus’s stomach, but Cyrus sidestepped, catching the blade in one hand and twisting Grimoire’s wrist with the other. A single, well placed blow was all it took, and the man slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Cyrus took the knife and quietly finished him off. It was quick and painless, far better than he deserved. But Cyrus wasn’t the type to relish in cruelty when efficiency was an option. Task done, he turned on his heel, a strange satisfaction filled his stomach as he left the body to rot in the back alley.

There would be no consequences for this crime, Cyrus knew. There was no guild to protect Grimoire. And besides, there was a certain understanding on the streets about those who hurt children, even ones as annoying as Hugo. Even if everyone knew who killed Grimoire, no one was going to say anything. Sometimes it was better to let thugs be thugs.

Hugo never talked to Cyrus about Grimoire, but Cyrus could see a weight on his shoulders lift as news traveled around the underground that he was dead, killed in some back alley robbery. He didn’t seem to care to look any further into the flimsy details, like how nothing of Grimoire’s had been taken. Cyrus in turn never offered up any information of his own involvement.

Donella never said anything either. But the next day she quietly called Cyrus into her office and told him his probationary period was up, and he was now a full employee. It might have been a coincidence, but Cyrus had a feeling that the old bat knew far more than she was telling. Not that it much mattered. What was done was done.

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

The crow let out a sharp caw, startling Cyrus out of his dark thoughts. He shook his head and focused on the strange bird, who was now perched beside him one the log, somehow upside down.

“Guess I best be going,” he said as he rose to his feet. He gave the odd bird a two fingered salute. “It's been an honor to serve with you, my weird friend, but I’ve got to get home to my wife.” The bird raised a wing as if to give a salute back, and began absently nibbling on his own feathers.

Cyrus felt his lips twitch into a smile as he turned his face towards the setting sun, and home. He hoped Mona was making her famous stew. He’d send her a letter as soon as he ran into a town, and let her know to have some ready when he got back. He’d have quite the story to tell her over it.

[a-marlene-s]

So....

I am looking back on past posts of stories that I plan on writing. I thought I tagged them all... but I don’t know if I got them all.

Here’s what I have so far... (Keep in mind, the majority of them are from story prompts from other people or were from asks.)

Bruce Wayne Addams

Cousin Bruce.

Gomez and Morticia love their adopted nephews very much.

Dick is going insane.

I don’t remember if this is a crossover with Miraculous Ladybug. Let alone with my au, She’s an Addams!

She’s an Addams!

Marinette’s mother is Wednesday Addams.

Jagged Stone is an Addams.

Debating if she’ll be with Nino or Canon!Felix.

I don’t remember if this is a crossover with Batman. As I remember a scene where Jagged and knew each other back in college due to them being in a band together... now that I think about it... I think that was part of another story...

Quirk: Miraculous Ladybug

Marinette Dupain-Cheng: Thread Manipulation/Miraculous Ladybug

Adrien Agreste: Formerly Quirkless/Cataclysm

Alya Césaire (class deputy): Computer Interaction

Nino Lahiffe: Frequency manipulation.

Chloé Bourgeois: Paralysis Inducement

Sabrina Raincomprix: Invisibility

Rose Lavillant: Plant Manipulation

Nathaniel Kurtzberg: Digital Art Manipulation

Juleka Couffaine: Identity Manipulation

Lê Chiến Kim: Emotion Weaponry

Mylène Haprèle: Slime Manipulation

Max Kanté: Technological Combat

Alix Kubdel: Flash Forward

Ivan Bruel: Earth Transformation

Lila Rossi: Feign Damage

Aurore Beauréal: Weather Manipulation

Mireille Caquet: Omnilingualism

Jean Duparc: Miming

Luka Couffaine: Sound Manipulation

Marc Anciel: Ink Manipulation

Kagami Tsurugi: Elemental Manipulation.

For this au, it could be as is, or as a penpal au with Marinette being friends from someone from UA. Izuku, Shoto, Hitoshi or someone else.

Justice League Banned from Paris @vivilakitty

JL finding out they got banned from Paris. 

Someone visits for the holiday or some shit that brings them there related to the League.

They see the akumas and they wonder why no one called the league for help. Especially after seeing two kids fighting the Akuams.

"The hero's tried. They were just children when shit started. My kid is thirteen and is the size and age of our hero's were when they started! We tried getting ahold of the League. The Mayor, the heroes, civilians! Everyone! We got called a joke and were told never to contact them again. Then we got blocked."

Mayor decided to bane the League from Paris. If they did not want to help, then they are no longer welcomed in the city of Paris.

The call first got through to some random civilian communicator that goes along with the name of John Christan Ryan Mark Johnson, nickname… whatever the hell first comes up in someone’s mind. When League found out, Chad became a joke among the league and got demoted. Even so, the League went to Paris as civilians and did their best to help out.

There will be mayhem from the Batboys.

Turtle Bug @jacquesthepigeon

Where Fu chose not to put the cat miraculous in play and instead gave his own since Ladybug’s partner would need to protect her. He chooses Nino to be Carapace.

Paris’s anxiety ridden superhero duo is Ladybug and Carapace.

ONE MORE THING! @vixen-uchiha​  

Jackie Chan adventures. Jackie and Sabine are cousins. Jackie decided to take a much needed break from doing what he does best. He and Jade go to Paris to have a simple... fight free... vaca.... great... seems like their vacation is short lived.

What’s the Stitch? @kanamexzeroyaoifangirl

Kim Possible/Miraculous Ladybug crossover where Marinette and Kim are cousins though Gina. Lila lies about knowing and going on side missions with her when Marinette’s the one going on missions with her when she’s in town or visiting. Class minus Chole, Nathaniel, & Kitty Section believe and bully Marinette due to Lila’s lies. Kim shows up during it one Tommie then uses her connections to show the truth and take her down. All bullies are sued and are banned from the bakery.     

Presentation Day @art-deco-shrimp​

Ms Bustier assigns each of the students to do a report on someone they know, with a presentation at the end. They need to pick someone to report on, learn about their daily life, interview at least three people close to them, and then do a presentation on that person when the project is due in two weeks (arbitrary time limit is arbitrary). When Alya comments that it’s too bad that the restrictions mean a report on Ladybug is probably out of the question, Marinette suggests Ladybug’s best friend as a substitute. Alya can interview Lila’s parents as one source, Rose can probably connect her for a short Q&A with Prince Ali about someone who’s done so much for his charities, and Alya can even justify asking Ladybug some questions for the project this way!

The Delinquent  @rubixchick​

Lila assumed the older guy Marinette has been hanging out with lately, is just some delinquent due to the guy’s tattoo’s, pericings and ripped up clothes. Spinning her tales, Lila made it difficult for Marinette to hang out with this guy or trying to occupy her time by smothering her to no end. Things go bad to worse… for Lila when she accused Juleka’s brother, whom she never met before, being the delinquent.

Hear Me Out

Story idea from: @maxdark158​  Full prompt here: https://maxdark158.tumblr.com/post/187476540811/hear-me-out-ive-got-an-au-idea

Best Friends Adrien and Marinette. No love interest or love square here.

Marinette paired with either Damian, Tim, Jason, Dick, or someone from Dc.

Adrien, I don’t know if I want to pair him up with someone or if I do want to pair up him with someone, I don’t know with whom yet.

Adrien is protective of his best friend.

Lila Salt.

Alya Salt.

Passive (Agreste)sive.

Marinette Mode @vivilakitty​: Full prompt here: https://vivilakitty.tumblr.com/post/189567415622

Marinette takes on an apprentice ship under the one and only Edna Mode.

I know her, I’m close friends with her son~  @countingdowndays: Full prompt here: https://countingdowndays.tumblr.com/post/189602949856/prompt-lila-salt-adriens-mom

Adrien mentions the movie his mom stared in to the class. Lila latched onto it, claiming she personally knew the actress and that she could introduce Adrien to her. “Great, let me know what my mom says.”

OHSHC x My Hero Academia: My Hero Host Club @amynchan 

Ships: IzoOcha, BakuKiri, TodoMomo, TetsuKendo, OjiTooru, TokoTsuyu, JiroTama

Summary: Create a club they say. Create something to do in their spare time, they say. Do something creative, they say.

“WHY DID YOU FORCE ME TO JOIN A HOST CLUB!!!”

“In all honesty, you destroyed an expensive vase and you need to pay us back. And joining us, you could easily pay it back… unless you want to pay it out of pocket.”

Kyoka Jiro gripped her hair in frustration. Her parents had told her she needed to create or join a club. Her classmate had told her about the club she had created with her friends… but said friend never mentioned it’s a host club!

Record: Drag Her. @miraculouscontent

Tikki Records Lila's threats

Tikki records Lila's threat towards Marinette with the latter's phone. "Oh, and Marientte? Drag her."

My girlfriend could kick your butt!

Peter Parker got kidnapped and cannot use his abilities without exposing his identity to the whole wide web.

There he is, strapped to a chair with a camera facing and recording his every movement.

Then the bad guys started to threaten Peter that if he doesn’t talk, that they’ll use Peter’s girlfriend as leverage.

“My girlfriend could kick your butt!!!!”

Not even a minute later, the video fed went out and when it went back on, all the bad guys are knocked out and an unfamiliar girl is untying Peter from the chair, all the while apologizing for taking too long to get to him.

This is a debate on which one to write for Dragon Age Inquisition.

Warden Cullen

HoF!Cullen

Champion!Cullen

Inquisitor!Cullen

It will take place in DAI. Pairing are yet to be seen.

If I miss a story prompt, please tell me. I have lost count or I cannot find the posts.

[gaundyfied]

(Also posted on fanfiction.net)

AU! Picking up a human stray never crossed her mind. Or an attempt at an au where Kagura is the Kaguya-hime, an infamous on-call assassin of the Kaientai and she meets a newly orphaned and younger Okita Sougo.

(Sougo and his sister never met the Shinsengumi.)

Disclaimer: I've never wanted to be the gorilla but I root for Okikagu and Gintsu.

Beware of the grammar and inconsistency teehee~

I.

Staying in Kabuki-chou has never been part of her plans, but it was raining outside, the announcer mentioned that it will last for the whole night because of a typhoon and if it didn't bother Kagura that Abuto would give her an earful later, she'll probably shrug it off. It's not as if she didn't enjoy staying on her favorite district, once in a while. But she doesn't have any place to stay, with Kamui cutting her budget and she couldn't risk encountering any humans on that particular night.

In her defense, she's been ready in case she'll be stranded somewhere. It was a good thing she bought a packed lunch worth a ten people in a nearby convenience store before going to the mission. The rain started to get stronger, though, and she's not on the right form tonight.

She has her sensei's old, dusty hideout in the second floor of a cabaret bar but it was too far; her wound threatens to open again and the only place she could get into was a shrine. What a luck. Heaving slightly, she limped towards the stairs, umbrella tightly grasped in her right hand as she tried to grit her teeth from pain. Her wounds are healing slowly and it was unusual. They probably used some of that poisonous weapons they got from the Kaientai. Those bastards.

She observed the surroundings as she reached the site. It was a shady place; an abandoned shrine settling near Oedo Park. She was sure she has never seen this before but she has no choice. She could hear Gin-chan whining how scary the place was but he wasn't here and he will never be. Thunder clapped from the sky, signaling that it was not safe outside. If only she didn't accepted that fucking assignment.

He was testing her, that one-eyed bastard. It was not enough that her brother vouched for her, he had to make her suffer too, just so he could be assured that she broke her ties with her perm-haired of a teacher. He's being paranoid and he should be. As if Gin-chan can be defeated by the likes of him. Not that it matters because the idiot was nowhere to be found and the only contact she has in this place was the courtesan of death living in the Yoshiwara. The Shimuras are in hiding and it was best not to know where they are. They'll be in danger if she knows.

Her mission was simple; infiltrate the bakufu building in Edo and search for Kihetai's mole being held on the upper part of the building. She passed albeit almost dying after being sliced in the abdomen by one of the samurais she met before she and the mole escaped. They parted ways, the said mole saying that he could distract the rest of the group. They'll meet at the terminal the next day.

If it weren't for the baldy and Kamui, she would never join Takasugi. Her father is missing, just like the shiroyasha while Kamui is unstable; only Nobume could control him as of the moment and she's in a mission too. He's using her brother as a leverage to leash her. To bind her entire being to him.

She reached the shrine, didn't even bother to take off her boots. Anego would probably scold her for being impolite but no one's here. Gently, she reached for her goggles, letting it stay on her neck before taking off her cape. The shrine was dark so she searched for some matches or lighter to make light. She copped a feel to the paper walls, expecting to be lead to whatever place that could have a source of light.

The rain continued to pour as she went inside a room that could be a kitchen. Trying as she might, she rummaged the cabinets when she heard a rustling in her back. Thinking that it was one of the guards earlier, she turned around only to see a guy, most likely a boy not far from her age. In his hands was a lamp, which she was thankful for, and a gun shakingly pointed at her.

She observed him or an effort to observe him in this unlit space. His face full of bruises and his left eye swollen. He looks like a street rat. "Oi, kids should be inside their home by now, you know."

He didn't answered her and instead cocked the gun. "You. What are you doing here?"

She wanted to laugh. What happened to Edo after she left she didn't know. All she could see though was a child holding a gun with so much fear and it made her uncomfortable.

"Hey. I asked you a question."

"I asked you first but you didn't answer. Put that down, brat."

He wasn't convinced, as he should be. Sighing, she raised her hands to admit surrender before talking to him again. "Look, I got food here, you got a light. We've both got nothing to stay so maybe we could trade?"

The boy continued to observed her before lowering down his weapon. Apparently, his hunger had won his internal battle between his self. That made her relieved. At least she dodge a bullet on that one. Literally. This was going to be a long night, she thinks.

II.

His name was of no important, he said, but she convinced him to at least tell her his family name. She learned that it was Okita after he glared at her but she preferred to call him chibi, which intensified the glare. His eyes reminded her so much of the silver haired samurai she has always followed. They reek of something that has been kept at bay, waiting to be freed.

"What about you?" He ended the silence.

Taking off the plastic in her cold dinner, she replied absentmindedly. "What about me?"

"Your name, China-bitch."

"You--" she sighed, not really interested to retaliate.".. just call me whatever you want, chibi."

It didn't surprise her that he wanted to know too. He's a curious one, that brat. Telling him her name is kind of a taboo to her. She hears anego shouting that abominable name as she remembers what entailed that morning. She couldn't tell the illusions apart so she obliterated the thought of the very name. She hates it now.

Still, he kept on pestering her that night as she munch on her sukonbu, her stomach quite full. At first, she thought he'd be disgusted by her chosen snack after their cold meal but he sat still, unbothered by her eating. After he didn't get what he want, he sat with her on the porch. The rain continued its onslaught while they watch its performance.

"Kaguya. Like that princess from the moon."

She hears him scoff, her cape resting on his shoulder. "An idiot name for an idiot woman."

That was the first time she laughed for a while. Of course it's silly.

It was surreal for her. For all she knows, handling a child, albeit someone who's near her age but still a child nonetheless, was a very tiresome task. She saw Gin-chan as he tried to keep her from trouble while knowing that she was an enemy of his kind.

Kagura wasn't a saint, that she knew. A yato kills and slaughters and murders so nothing will remain in front of him.

Who knows what she could do with this child.

III.

"China! Can we not sleep on a Love Hotel? I swear bed bugs are biting me." His crimson eyes examined the buildings outside.

"Beggars can't be choosy, chibi. Just be thankful that we have somewhere to stay. Do you want to sleep on the shrine again, huh?"

That shut him up. The idiot gets too sensitive whenever she mentions her nickname for him. Well, he should be. After all of the trouble she went through just so he could join her on her mission, he should be thankful that he'll be treated with a luxurious lunch.

Right after that night when they met, she entrusted him with Tsukuyo. At least there, he'll be protected while she could be assured that he's being treated properly. He promised the hyakka that she'll visit regularly but the brat just glared at her and told her to get lost. After that, their only communication was letter sending as it was the safest option.

This month, she was given a low-ranked mission and on Earth, fortunately. She was to escort some important amanto and well, she was ahead of her schedule so she visited the chibi. He was growing on her, she swears.

"Oi, chibi," she started as they peacefully ate their food on a nearby maid cafe. "Is Tsukuyo-nee okay? No one's bothering her, right?"

Her eyes twitched as she watched him pour down a handful of tabasco on his omurice. "Yeah. She's letting me patrol the Yoshiwara and training me at the same time."

"That's great, I guess."

She smile sheepishly as silence began growing again. On the bright side, she noticed his growth spurt. He was getting taller and she couldn't help but be proud. When she left that night, his small form was engraved in her mind. He didn't sniffle but she knows he was sulking.

"Well, it took you a month to visit again. Why bother visiting?"

She almost choked at his question. He sure got a loose tongue. "Aren't you a cheeky one? What if I just want to bother you?"

"Bullshit. Cut the crap, will you? We both know I'm not your responsibility."

It kind of stings, hearing him say it. She knows he was his own being but she kept on tying bonds that didn't matter.

"Yeah. That's right. So you need to earn some money too so you could repay me. I've got a list, chibi."

He stared, like always. He kept on attacking and she kept on dodging. Why can't he go with her? Why does she visit him? Why can't she erase the connection. Why, indeed.

IV.

Sometimes, she dreams of Kabuki-chou with Gin-chan and Shinpachi. Her breakfast filled with rice and egg on top. Sadaharu, licking her face as they walk on the park without any worries. Their adventures in Yoshiwara as her guardian slash teacher visited his wife.

Next day, she'll be seeing the flames engulfing the Shimura dojo as Kamui slashed through the wooden barriers. Soyo, chained and without consciousness as Takasugi claimed his trophy. Her hands connecting with her brother as he smiled sadistically.

'Choose, sister.'

This evening, she dreamt of the chibi and his tobasco as they ate without any care in the world around them.

V.

"You shouldn't leave yet, Kagura."

"I can't, Tsukky. You'll be in danger, you know that."

"He's been sleepless, you know."

Me too, she answers in her mind as she rearranged her cape and goggles. It was hard leaving him. Letting him sleep on his own in Tsukuyo's extra futon without her in his embrace. She saw him pouted the other night as she explained her sudden mission. She remembered touching his growing hair as she murmured her apologies.

"Tell him I'll come back for his sister's anniversary." She said without turning back. While she could still leave without thinking that he's on his own again.

"Tell that in my face, China."

She couldn't help the smile forming on her face. "Yeah, I will."

VI.

She lost control of her body as she lay down on the bloody ground. There was red everywhere and her vision flickers every now and then. This was a suicide mission, she knew it from the start. Nobume warned her, Abuto even managed to hit her in the head just so she could understand the danger. But what could she do?

It was Shinpachi and Anego that are in danger and she couldn't betray them again. Not when her beloved sister carries that precious dark haired infant in her bossom. Not when she could do something this time.

She laughs at herself. She wanted to cry. Of course, she couldn't do it on her own. Who was she? She's just a product of a promise that is empty, a lonely rabbit searching where she would belong. Under the sky, she longed for her moon, awaiting the verdict of the gods above.

Kaguya-hime.

"Kaguya-hime, it's time to go back."

She could recognise that lazy drawl. His bokuto, touya-ko, tightly gripped by his hands. "Gin-chan, I'm no princess."

"Oh but you are. You're Gin-chan's lovely Kagura-chan. I'm sorry, I left you on your own. Daddy just have to do some unfinished business, you see."

"Silly, Gin-chan. You're not my dad."

He laughed and it really made her day. "Of course I am. So let me and your idiot guy do your job for you."

In the end, his ruby eyes and his sandy hair was the last thing she saw.

[izzy-b-hands]

You Send Me: Chapter One

So, time for something a little bit self-indulgent, but that I hope y’all might enjoy as well! 

Title comes from the song by Sam Cooke, he has a voice smooth like butter and as beautiful as sunshine, so give that a listen before or after you read this, just so long as you listen to it lol. 

This is my first trans (FtM) reader/Freddie fic, with a dash of my usual gen Queen fic antics thrown in. I have it taking place during the American and Canadian tour that Queen was on in 1978, in a bit of an AU version of it where Freddie is A. for sure single and ready to mingle so to speak, and B. the crew would be willing to pick up a new road crew member that was a novice and take them on tour! 

I’m trying to keep it from seeming too personal to me, though I admit part of the reason I’m writing it is because this is also something I’ve been wanting to read lol. I didn’t intend for it to be multi-chapter (especially since I have another multi-chapter fic for a different fandom I still need to finish...) but that’s where it went! 

That said, if everyone seems a little rude and stiff in this first chapter, it’s because they (like the tour) are just getting warmed up, and we’ll get to some real fun and found family things as the fic goes on! 

Here’s to hoping I’ve done okay on this first chapter, and my love to all who read/like/reblog!

“New kid is gonna tip over,” John muttered, pointing you out to Roger. 

Admittedly, the amp was at least the size of your torso if laid vertically against you, but it wasn’t overly heavy, just kind of, and you didn’t think you looked all that awkward. 

Apparently, that wasn’t the case. 

“He can hear you,” Roger said after another puff on his cigarette. “Whisper, at least.” 

You fought the urge to roll your eyes. The teasing, you had been warned, was all in good nature, and everyone went through it their first tour with Queen. No one was actually out to hurt feelings, at least not intentionally, and by the end each person had a new nickname from the band as a result. It was like the first odd holiday with a significant other’s family, or so you figured, having not actually experienced that yourself, but having heard horror stories. 

“He can’t hear me,” John protested. 

“I can,” you spoke up, fighting to hide how out of breathe you were getting holding up the amp. Where the fuck was Crystal with the dolly to finish moving everything? 

“Ah,” was all John said in reply, his eyes watching your arms as they shook just slightly. 

“For pity’s sake!” 

Before you could so much as try and readjust the amp in your arms, half of it was out of your arms and into Freddie’s, who had come out of seemingly nowhere.

“Waiting on Crystal?” he asked calmly, as if having to help out his road crew like this was utterly par the course. 

“I am,” you replied. “Should someone go check on him?” 

“Oh no,” Freddie shook his head. “He’s probably having a cigarette outside.” 

You nodded, then frowned and shook your head. “But he told me he’d be right back to put this in the-” 

The reality of the slightly mean prank slowly dawned on you. 

“We should probably set this down, shouldn’t we?” you muttered. 

“Got nowhere else to be except the next town over,” Freddie chirped, cheerful from how fantastically the show had gone. His eyes were still alight with the night’s adrenaline. “And this amp will need to come with us, so I won’t go until it does.” 

“It does get heavy, though,” you pointed out. Even Freddie’s arms were starting to twitch just a bit the longer you stood there, John and Roger giggling a few feet away. 

“Think we could leave you two here all night, doing that,” Roger smirked. “You ruined it, by the way, Fred. I had a bet going with Crystal on how long he’d hold it, you owe me a tenner now.” 

“We’d find plenty fun to do here together, if you abandoned us, thank you very much,” Freddie replied, sticking out his tongue at Roger before gesturing to you to help him set the amp down. “More fun then you’ll find with your tenner.” 

“That a challenge?” Roger smiled, his cigarette deftly plucked from his lips before it could fall with the movement. 

Freddie only shook his head before striding over and tossing Roger a ten pound bill from his pocket. “Come on now...uh...” 

He winced, and you realized you hadn’t even been properly introduced to him aside from being called ‘the kid’ (a ridiculous title to you, your argument being you were only a year younger than John, making you a respectable 26.) 

“Y/N,” you said, and ignored the giggles from John and Roger. 

“How does an American come by that name?” Freddie asked, but there was no malice in his voice. 

“Chose it myself,” you said, and shot John a look. He’d been wonderful and kind thus far about not outing your unfortunately still legal old first name to anyone, but he seemed into stirring shit up this evening, and you found yourself nervous. 

“I’d like to hear sometime how you came to choose that one,” Freddie continued. You’d been warned about this, in a good way, that he had a way for making a person feel like there was no one else in the room but the two of you, and that it could be overwhelming the first time if you weren’t used to that. 

You weren’t used to it, but you liked it. 

“Not really that interesting of a story,” you replied softly. 

One of his brows twitched just barely, and he smiled. “Fair enough, if you say. But I’d like to hear it regardless.” 

“Really?” 

Before he could reply, you all turned to the sound of footsteps heading out the door. 

“Did Crystal forget us?” John asked less to anyone but to the door outside as it slammed shut and the lights in the backstage area flicked off. 

The only visible light was the tip of Roger’s cigarette, as he puffed and replied. “Think that might be a yes.” 

You stood stock-still, afraid to accidentally trip over the amp and somehow hurt it. There was the sound of scuffling footsteps, and once all three of them seemed to be gone, you let out a soft sigh. 

“God, I know,” Freddie sighed. 

The urge to jump a foot was hard to resist, but you managed it. “I thought you left with them.” 

“Thought about it,” Freddie said. “But they’ll come back for us, and someone needs to watch the amp.” 

“I’m here,” you reminded him, though you didn’t exactly relish the idea of being alone in a theater that felt just as empty as you knew it was. 

“But why should you have to stay alone? You’d stay for me, I’m sure,” Freddie replied. 

“That’s a little bit different.” 

You couldn’t see the glint in Freddie’s eye, but you had seen it often enough and could tell by the weight of the silence that it was there. 

“Is that so? How is it different?” 

“Well,” you swallowed a breath, fighting off the odd set of nerves that had just awakened, as you hadn’t felt nervous around the crew or band aside from ‘new job jitters’ until now. “You’re the talent. I mean, my main job is just getting coffee, toting things around, doing what Crystal tells me, doing what you guys tell me, doing what anyone else tells me-” 

Freddie interrupted you with a giggle. “Make it sound more glamorous, why don’t you.” 

“It still is!” you insisted. “I mean, this is what I signed up for, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful-�� 

He interrupted you again with a laugh. “Stop that, I’m only teasing. No one mentioned you were so sensitive.” 

You opened your mouth to reply, then closed it for a moment. “Teasing?” 

“Now he’s getting it,” Freddie smiled, and you could just make it out as your eyes adjusted to the dark. 

A comfortable silence settled over you both as you waited.

And waited. 

And waited.

Finally you both ended up sat by the amp, leaning just so slightly against each side of it. 

“He doesn’t do this often, does he?” you asked.

“Crystal? No, never,” Freddie replied, and bit at his lip. You could see the wheels turning, him working over exactly what Crystal’s deal tonight must be to have forgotten not only equipment, but band members and crew at the venue. “I mean, he’ll play that joke, have you hold something expensive and heavy longer than you should have to before he comes in to help you carry out and be packed, but if this is another version of that...” 

“Not a fan?” 

“Not really, no,” Freddie answered. “Not that I’m stuck here with you, just that we’re stuck here at all. I should be sleeping at the hotel, and you should be...well, getting into whatever mischief you want with the rest of the crew.” 

“I don’t think they’re interested in any of that with me,” you admitted. It felt safe to talk about it in the dark, when you could only just make each other out. “I haven’t really fit in yet, but this is my first tour, and I mean, I wasn’t even with you until we met in the first city here, and that’s not the time to get to know someone, I figure, and-” 

Freddie hushed you softly, sweetly. “I’m getting to know you, and we’re in a city, on tour, essentially working. What would prevent them from doing the same thing, in a moment or two of down time?” 

You didn’t have a good answer for that. You had tried to get along with the road crew, but in their defense, most of them had been on at least one tour before this. They had their methods, rhythms, routines, and you, as the new kid, were a kink in those that maybe wasn’t exactly welcomed. 

And of course, you didn’t want to think it might be the one thing you were desperately worried it was. 

It wasn’t like it was a secret. The only reason you knew the crew member who had gotten you this job was due to meeting him while in Europe, getting treatment for your transition. Presumably, he had told the band and the rest of the crew how you had met. 

But you didn’t want to think that you were transgender would be enough reason for the crew to avoid you, not when they otherwise seemed kind and accepting, like a family with their playful teasing and poking at each other, even at the band. 

But. 

You couldn’t know for sure that it wasn’t the reason. The reason they hadn’t mentioned the nights they were going for drinks after a show, didn’t seem to be interested in getting to know you. 

It was like Freddie could see clear through you in the dark. “I don’t think it’s for the reason you might be thinking about. And if I should find it is, please know they would be talked to straight away. That wouldn’t be acceptable, not in our little touring family.” 

You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding. “Thank you. I don’t think it’s that either. I hope not, at least.”

“Like I say,” Freddie said. “If you should find out that would be the reason, you let me know, and I’ll set them straight. But I’d gather it’s just because they’re not used to having new blood on the crew. You said this is your first tour?” 

You nodded. “But I worked at a venue in my hometown before. So I know how to do it once you get settled, it’s the in-between bits I’m still learning, maybe not as fast as I should be.” 

“I can’t speak for the rest of the crew,” Freddie said. “But I think you’re doing just fine. Don’t fuss over it, even if they get on you. You’re doing your best, right?” 

You nodded again. 

“Well, you can’t do anymore than that,” Freddie said with a finality. “And I’m told my standards are sky-high and ridiculous at times, so if you’ve impressed me, then surely you must be doing well, right?” 

“I suppose,” you replied with a smile. “But that’s not the impression I have of you. You’re the first band member to even talk to me this much.” 

The light from the opening doorway filtered in, and with it you could see the concern on Freddie’s face at that last statement. “That will change.” 

He said it as a fact, and you weren’t about to question him as he gently took you by the arm and led you outside, brushing past Crystal and another tech as they stumbled in with myriad apologies falling from their lips, reaching to pick up the amp for you before they were even close enough to do so. 

“Thank you for staying with me,” you said as the two of you reached the tour bus. “And talking to me, and just...everything. I feel a lot better about being out here, like I might belong at some point.” 

“You belong now,” Freddie said, almost sternly, yet kindly. His eyes met yours, and there was an intensity behind them. He meant what he was saying, that much was incredibly clear. “Don’t let anyone tell you different.” 

His hand lingered on yours for just a moment before he stepped onto the first step into the bus. “And we’ll be talking again, of course, so if anyone should try and tell you otherwise...” 

“I let you know,” you replied, and tried and failed to hide the blush that rose to your face. This wasn’t something to be taken the way you were taking it now, you knew from everyone else that Freddie charmed pretty much everyone he got to know. 

But it was sincere in the kindest, warmest way, and the way his eyes had met yours, and his hand had lingered left you going over that part of the night over and over again in your head. Even the news of the need to drive through the night now, since the crew had accidentally messed up the time table some with their unintentionally long prank on you and Freddie, didn’t shake you from the reel of the night playing in your mind. 

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #427: Joker and Queen Play Some Mario Party (Super Smash Bros Ultimate)

Ren: Makoto, you sure you wanna play Mario Party for our date today?

Makoto: (Smiles Softly) I don't see why not. Plus, it has been a while since we actually play one together.

Ren: True. But you do know that this game can and will get hectic down the road, right?

Makoto: Eh. I'm sure it won't go too crazy this time.

First Turn....

Computer playing as Wario obtained a Star hiding inside the Hidden Block on screen.

Ren/Makoto: WHAT?!!!

Makoto: Are you serious right now?!

Ren: (Shook his head Slowly) He didn't miss, Makoto. He did not miss....

Makoto: B-But....this is the first turn of the game....

Ren: Yep. Told you this is gonna get hectic.

Makoto: (Facepalms while Sighing)

Three Turns Later....

Toad starts going up in and down on his Pirate Ship Costume on Screen.

Makoto: (Drops the Controller and Slowly Place Two of her Hands all over her face)

Ren: (Snickering) What's wrong?

Makoto: Ren.....I don't think I could ever see Toad the same way again....

Ren: Why? Cuz he's humping the air in his Pirate Ship suit?

Makoto: ('Groans')

Ren: (Burst out Laughing at Makoto's Dispense) Aha man...This is great. Seeing you squirm like that...I just can't...(Continues Laughing)

Two Turns Later......

Makoto, playing as Yoshi, was able to beat someone's record on Mecha Marathon on screen. The number of yards was approximately Thirty Nine.

Announcer: NEW RECORD!!!

Ren: (Eyes Widened) Jesus Christ, Makoto.....

Makoto: (Giggles Softly) Are you impressed?

Ren: Understatement of the decade....Were you always this good on these Button Mashing Minigames or is this has something to do with your Aikido training?

Makoto: Well.....I guess you could say that my recent training is involved in some way. But truth be told.... I'm actually kind of skillful in these types of games. Even when I was younger.

Ren: Really now?

Makoto: (Simply Nodded) Mmhmm. (Giggles Softly) I can't remember how many times I was able to out best my sister in Mecha Marathon alone during those days. I even tried beating my own record once.

Ren: (Chuckles Lightly) Keep this up and I might as well call you "The Button Mashing Queen" for now on.

Makoto: (The Button Mashing Queen huh?....) (Begins to Smirk while Flipping the side of her hair Elegantly) Why, Ren, while I am oh so flattered by the lovely nickname, maybe try saving the flattery after I beat in Mario Party....(Boops on Ren's Nose) 'Kay?~

Ren: (Shrugged) Whatever you say.....(Gives Makoto a Surprise Kiss on the Cheek) My Queen~ (Goes Back to his Spot)

Makoto: (Immediately Starts Blushing and Then Begins to Turning Away from her Now Chuckling Boyfriend) H-Honestly....

Three Turns Later....

Makoto uses a Golden Mushroom to get a 7.....

Ren: Seven....

.....Then another 7.....

Ren: Seven......!

Makoto: Oh...my.....

......And one more 7 on screen.

Makoto: (Smiles Excitedly) I got a Complete Match!

Ren: (Gives Makoto a Thumbs up) Nice. I'm pretty sure they'll give you Twenty Coins or-

Toad said he'll give Makoto 50 coins on screen.

Ren/Makoto: FIFTY?!!!

Ren: For real?!

Makoto: How is that even- (Starts to Come to a Realization) Ohhhh.....I get it now....

Ren: (Turns to Makoto) What?

Makoto: Okay. So I rolled three Sevens, right?

Ren: Yeah.....

Makoto: ....And the number seven is technically a lucky number. So that means......

Ren: Having three Sevens is an automatic Jackpot....Damn.... Can't believe I forgot that fact. (Shrugged) Guess we all know who's the Coin Star gonna be.

Makoto: (Smiles Brightly and Confidently) Yes. Yes we do. And who knows, maybe this board will go in my favor.

Two Turn Later......

Makoto: What do you mean you want Boo to steal my star?!

Ren: (Shrugged while having Mario, the character he's playing as, Stand in front of Boo on Screen) Sorry, 'hon. But let's be honest, the moment you got that Jackpot, instantly makes you a huge threat.

Makoto: (Eyes Widened in Disbelief) T-This is ridiculous! Why couldn't you steal from Luigi?! O-Or from Wario?!

Ren: They're not nearly as a threat as you are. Plus, you're already in the lead of getting the Coin Star soooo........

Makoto: That's doesn't mean you have to steal my Well Deserved Star!

Ren: Ah c'mon, Makoto. I'm sure you'll be able to get another one.... probably.

Makoto: Ren, I swear to your Goddess Mother....If you even think about picking Yoshi's name in the box, so help me, I-

Ren picks Yoshi's name on the box, having Boo steal Makoto's Star on screen.

Makoto: No!

Ren: (Shrugged While Chuckling) Welcome to the world of Mario Party, My Queen. Hope you enjoy your stay.

Makoto: (Slowly Turns to Ren with a Glare in her Eyes) Mark my words, Amimiya....One of these turns....(Pokes on Ren's Cheek) I. Will. Get. You. Back. For. This!......(Pauses at Poking Ren's Cheek for a minute) This..... isn't bothering you in the slightest, is it?

Ren: Nope. It's more adorable if anything....(Smirks at Makoto) Just like you are right now~

Makoto: (Blushes while Pouting at Ren) I am not cute!!

Two Turns Later.........

Toad starts going up in and down on his Pirate Ship Costume on Screen.....again.

Ren: You know this might be his daily workout routine, right?

Makoto: (Slowly Turns to Ren Eyes Widened in Disbelief) Why are you trying to ruin Toad for me?!

Ren: Cuz.......... Reasons.

Makoto: You're just doing this to mess with me, are you?

Ren: (Shrugged with a Smirk on his Face) Pretty much, yeah.

Makoto: (Facepalms while Sighing) Figures....

Two Turns Later.......

Ren and Makoto was able to win a 2 vs. 2 Minigame together on screen.

Makoto: (Smirks Victoriously at the Screen) This is what happens when you underestimate The Queen and Joker.....

Ren: (Smirks at the Screen as well) ...... Should've consider yourselves losers when you had the chance.

The couple gives each other Hi Fives as they continue playing the game.

One Turn Later......

Makoto: (Gives Ren a somewhat Evil Smirk on her face once Yoshi is in front of Boo on screen)

Ren: Uhhhh....Why are you staring at me like that.

Makoto: (Chooses The "Steal Star" Option and Scrolls down to Mario's name)

Ren: (Starts Getting Scared Now) H-Hold on now! D-Don't you think we need to talk about this first? I mean....(Chuckles Awkwardly) Why would you want to steal a Star from someone like me?

Makoto: Oh gee....I don't know where to start~ How about the time you STOLE a Star from me a few turns ago.

Ren: Okay. I admit....That was a pretty dick move on my part....

Makoto: Ya think?

Ren: Yes. B-But c'mon! You were a threat then. I had to do something to slow you down. Can't we just let bygones be bygones?

Makoto: .................No. (Was About to-)

Ren: Wait!! Y-You shouldn't steal from me!

Makoto: (Raised an Eyebrow at Ren) And why not?

Ren: It's... it's because I Love You!

Makoto: .....................What?

Ren: Yeah! Uh...You heard me! I love you very very much, Makoto Niijima! All day, Everyday! I mean.... Don't you love me too?

Makoto: (Sighs as she Place her Controller down on her lap and Gently Grab Ren's hand) Ren Amimiya, you of all people should know that I love you more than you or anyone else in this world, will ever know. You mean everything to me, remember?

Ren: (Smiles Softly into Makoto's Eyes) How could I? You mean the world to me too.

Makoto: I know........ However....

Ren: (Eyes Widened once He Noticed Something Sinister in his Girlfriend's Voice) !!!

Makoto: It's just like what Pitto said to everyone of us here, Ren......(Evil Smirk Forms on her Face) "Everything Goes in Mario Party."

Ren: Wait, NO-

And just like that, Makoto bring Ren's hand down onto the "A" Button on Makoto's Controller, causing Boo to steal his Star instantly on screen.

*You Got Star Fanfare Plays*

Ren: Well.......I guess you say I deserve that one, huh?

Makoto: Pretty much. But......

Ren: Hm?

Makoto: (Gently Squeezes Ren's Hand while Blushing a Little) I really do mean it when I said I love you.

Ren: (Begins to Smile Sincerely before Giving Makoto a Kiss on the Forehead) Never doubted you for a second, My Queen~ (Starts Blushing Too) I just hope that you didn't doubt me either. Cause...I really meant it when I said I love you too, you know?

Makoto: (Happily Gives Ren a Loving and Relaxing Hug) I know. And I never doubted you or those words either. Not even once.

Once Ren hugs Makoto close to him, the couple stayed like this for a couple of minutes, when suddenly.....

Ren: Hey, Makoto?

Makoto: (Snuggling into Ren's Embrace) Hm?

Ren: (Pause the Game) Instead of just finishing the rest of the game....How about we watch a movie insted?

Makoto: (Smiles Softly) Yeah. I'd like that very much.

Later that Evening......

Futuba: (Look Through the Window to see Ren and Makoto Snuggling with one another Under a Blanket) Ugh... Look at them... Acting like a bunch of Lovey-Dovey teenagers...

Dark Pit: (Rolled his Eyes) Tell me about it. They might as well give every other couple in this mansion a run for their money at this point....

Pit: (Carrying Some Shopping Bags with him) I dunno, you guys....(Smiles Brightly) I think pretty cute together.

Futuba: Too cute if you ask me.... Honestly, it's stuff like this makes me glad that I don't have a Love Interest.

Dark Pit: Wait. Don't you have a crush on that Yusuke guy or something?

Futuba: (Immediately Starts Blushing) W-WHAT?! I-I don't have crush on Inari!!

Dark Pit: (Raised an Eyebrow) Really? Then how come you keep calling him that whenever you see him?

Pit: Yeah. Why do you call him them?

Futuba: (Blush Starts Getting Darker) N-No reason!! I-I always call him that!! It's nothing special or anything! Honest!! (Squeezes Her Cup of Drink so hard that it Breaks)

Dark Pit: Whatever. (Opens the Door to get inside)

@keyenuta

@26shann

@cyber-wildcat

@albion-93

@chompycroc

@ink-correctsmashbrosbloo

@princeoflions123

[zambie-trashart]

Holy Drummer: Chapter 2

Full story on ao3

Masterlist

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Summary: Facing religion, sexuality, and music is not what Alex sighed up for when his parents convinced him to help out those who were far from God. Can he handle his two newest challenges named Reggie and Luke?

Chapter 2: Losing my Religion

Alex got into his sister’s car frowning as they drove home.

“What’s up with you?” she asked looking over at him as he tapped against his leg anxiously.

“You know I don’t like singing in front of the congregation but I can’t tell mom and dad that cause they’ll get mad at me,” Alex started and Sara nodded along getting his point. “They’ll be all, “Well good golly, Alexander, you’re our angle you have to sing with that voice of yours.” Which no, I don’t have a voice like that, and second, they’ll make me panic.” Alex looked back at the road and to his sister who sighed putting on her blinker as they turned into the driveway of their large white house.

“I know it’s hard sometimes ‘Lex but we have to put up with them if we don’t then we’ll be out on the street,” Sara said opening her door and getting out.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Alex looked at his sister whose mouth was gaping.

“Um, no ‘Lex, I am right,” Sara said going over to pick up her younger brother who looked like he was going to run away. The second Alex’s feet left the pavement he screamed as Sara swung him around. “Say I’m right you little shi…” Sara saw their parents on the porch and put Alex down smiling awkwardly.

“Inside both of you,” Caroline said and Alex and Sara laughed to themselves walking in.

“Now Sara Lillian Joyner, you know better than to go on talking like that,” Caroline said scolding Sara as Alex sat watching his sister try not to laugh.

“Of course mother,” Sara said face turning red but not from embarrassment.

“Now go on up to your room, I have to talk to dear Alexander about something,” Caroline said and their father took Sara up to her room.

“Am I in trouble for something?” Alex asked confused, he didn’t think he did anything wrong.

“Of course not sweetie, you know how I sighed you up to work with some people if they ever have a problem with God?” Caroline asked nicely and Alex nodded. “Well, I had a pair of mothers call me this morning saying their sons were in bed together gazing into each other’s eyes, they need help from the Lord darling. You can help them though, you know how to help them,” Caroline assured Alex who was still confused about what his mother was talking about.

“Two boys in the same bed together, are you sure?” Alex asked, he was sure that no one would be stupid enough to get caught like that by their own parents.

“Yes they were sure, their names are Luke Patterson and Reginald Shada, they’re in your grade correct?” Caroline asked and Alex nodded feeling the blood drain from his face.

Luke Patterson had gotten drunk once at a party and asked Alex if they had chemistry together. Alex thought he meant the class so he said yes and Luke proceeded to try and kiss him which made Reggie intervene. He should have known that they were boyfriends after that moment but Reggie just sighed, taking Luke out of the party and apologizing to Alex who was still glued to the wall.

“Yeah, Luke and I have a class together but I don’t think I have any classes with Reggie,” Alex said and Caroline nodded.

“Well just be ready for Sunday,” Caroline said rubbing the top of Alex’s head before planting a kiss in his blonde hair. Alex ran up to Sara’s room once his mother had left and slammed the door behind him.

“Oh my God,” Alex said eyes wide looking at his sister who just laughed at him.

“Now Alexander how dare you say the Lord’s name in vain,” Sara tried to copy her mother’s voice but growing up in LA with only one southern parent doesn’t really help with the accent.

“Now is not the time for that Sara!” Alex shouted grabbing her shoulders once he could pry himself from the door. “Mom and dad want me to try and convert two gay guys,” Alex said shaking his sister.

“Oh, that’s going to be a problem why?” Sara said not exactly agreeing with her parents and religion's hatred of gay people but still not getting why it would be so hard for her brother to drill some sermons into their head until they didn’t like dick anymore.

“You know that guy who tried to kiss me at a party?” Alex asked and his sister just nodded. “Well I have to try and convert him and his boyfriend, Reggie, that’s going to be almost impossible, they’re connected at the hip, they share one brain cell, Sara!” Alex was panicking.

“Calm your tits Alex,” Sara shook her brother who just blushed at her word choice. “Why convert them when you can just convince them to make everyone think they broke up until senior year when they can move out and have as much buttsex as they want?” Sara asked making Alex turn an even brighter red.

“You’re feeling extra crude today,” Alex said taking note of her words and how grossly inappropriate they were.

“I’m trying to look out for you ‘Lex, if you need me during any part of this, I will be there in a heartbeat.” Alex hugged his sister tight thanking her for being there for him.

“We need to get you a boyfriend after all of this is done,” Alex said and Sara swatted at his arm.

“Out, before I change my mind, Lexi,” Sara said bringing out his much-hated nickname. “Go practice that song you have to learn!” She yelled behind the closed door and Alex just banged on it as an f you to her.

Alex walked to his room and to his closet reaching into a pocket on his wall that held a pair of shoes and pulling out a CD. His parents would be by their room by now which meant that he could listen to whatever he wanted if they were in the other wing. He put in the CD listening to the song cue up as the CD spun around. He listened to the song before starting to sing along after the chorus.

“Every whisper of every waking hour I'm choosing my confessions, trying to keep an eye on you. Like a hurt lost and blinded fool, fool oh no, I've said too much, I set it up. Consider this, consider this the hint of the century. Consider this the slip that brought me to my knees, failed. What if all these fantasies come flailing around? Now I've said too much, I thought that I heard you laughing. I thought that I heard you sing. I think I thought I saw you try.” Alex stopped as he heard a thud outside his door and saw Sara peek her head inside.

“Goodnight Alex,” Sara said closing the door and Alex fell back into his bed hiding the CD under his bed with relief. Church would be hell with those two but he was willing to give it a try.

[simplythebestbug]

Truth or Dare

Ao3

“Truth or dare?”

Marinette groaned. “Claude, do we have to?”

“Mari,” he said, slinging an arm around her shoulders and grinning down at her, “Truth… or dare?”

It was late, and everyone was gathered in Marinette’s room for a sleepover. Allegra was smiling sleepily at her, and Allan drooping off her chaise, melting into the atmosphere. Félix, for his part, was listening intently while pretending to read.

She buried her face into Claude’s shoulder, groaning, “Fine. But I’m not going first.”

He laughed, his face glowing. He pushed her off of him, towards Félix, leaping up and grabbing Allegra. He scooped her up into his arms, twirling around as she giggled.

“Alright, missy, guess you’re up first! So, Allegra,” he placed her safely back on the ground, “Truth or dare?”

She took a second to steady herself before responding, “Truth.”

“Good choice, beautiful,” Claude said, striking a pose, “What part of me do you find most attractive? I know it’s hard to choose from all of this,” He gestured to himself, “But it can’t really be helped that I’m gorgeous.” He winked at her.

Marinette chuckled at her friend’s antics, leaning against Félix. He froze, not looking up from his book, but subtly wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer. Allan looked at them, smiling slyly. He opened his mouth to say something, but Félix cut him off with an icy glare.

Allegra was giving Claude a flat look, “Bold of you to assume I find anything attractive about you.”

He simply smiled and held his pose.

“Fine. Let me think.” She began to circle him, a critical expression on her face.

His smile grew strained.

Finally, she stopped, smirking up at him, and leaned up to whisper something in his ear. She kissed his cheek, then pulled away.

He blushed furiously, and collapsed to the floor, groaning into the carpet. Allegra was grinning wildly. Allan fell off the chaise laughing.

“Oh my god, Allegra,” Marinette laughed, “You broke him!”

She came to sit next to her, smiling, “Well, that was the idea.”

“What did you say?” She asked, “Come on, you have to tell me. I need to know.”

Allegra sat up proud, and announced to the room, “I told him he has the most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen.”

Marinette stared at her, “Really? That was it?”

“Yup.” She said, popping the p.

Claude was nodding furiously, still face down against the carpet. The sight sent Allan into another laughing fit.

Marinette couldn’t help it. She collapsed against Félix, cackling. He kept his arm around her, making sure she wouldn’t fall. She glanced at him, seeing him trying desperately to suppress a smile. She reached up, and pushed the corners of his mouth into a grin. He looked down at her, and soon he was laughing too. Quiet, soft laughter. Happy. She liked it when he was happy. He took her breath away. She didn’t notice the room going quiet, caught up in his eyes.

Allegra cleared her throat, grinning wickedly, “Well, if you two are quite done making heart eyes at each other, I believe it’s my turn!” 

Marinette turned red, tearing her eyes away from him. Félix coughed uncomfortably. Marinette, not wanting to push his boundaries, tried to disentangle herself from Félix, but he kept his arm around her, refusing to make eye contact. She squeaked, blushing furiously, and buried her head in his chest to hide her face.

Allegra laughed, “I was going to ask Félix, but the poor darling looks flustered enough as is.”

Marinette felt him tighten his grip on her, tensing. She squeezed his arm. It’s ok.

“So, Allan, truth or dare?”

He scrunched his face together, looking up at her from where he had collapsed on the floor, “Dare.”

Allegra grinned, “I dare you… to pretend to be Claude for 5 minutes.”

Claude sat bolt upright, staring at Allegra with growing horror, while Mari shifted against Félix to get a better view. This should be interesting.

Allan smiled a wicked smile, before climbing on top of the chaise and striking a dramatic pose, “Oh, woe is me! For before me I see the most beautiful maiden, and she is so far out of reach!” He hopped down and strutted across the room, kneeling before Allegra and tracing kisses up her arm, “Oh, Allegra, my beauty, the light of my life! I admire you most ardently!” He looked up at her. He winked.

Claude came out of nowhere, tackling him to the ground.

There was silence for a full five seconds, before Allegra keeled over laughing.

Marinette broke down into giggles, “Claude,” she teased, gasping for breath, “You really have to get a handle of your jealousy! Violence is not the answer!”

Claude glared at her. Félix snorted, hiding his smile in her hair.

Claude huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, “I’ll have you know I am not jealous. He’s just doing a horrendous impression of me.”

Allan piped up from his place pinned below Claude, “Loving the view, gorgeous!”

Claude stuttered, “W-Wha?”

Allegra’s eyes brightened, “Now you know how it feels!”

Allan winked up at him. Claude scrambled away from him, allowing him to stand up. Allan sauntered over to Allegra, slinging an arm around her shoulder and leaning in close, “Don’t worry, beautiful. My heart beats only for you.”

Allegra pushed his face away from her, laughing, “Ok! Ok! Dare over! I give!”

“Yes!” He pumped his fist.

“That was a scarily good impression.”

“I try.” He brushed his shoulders off, and pointed finger guns at Claude with a cheesy grin.

Allegra snorted, and Marinette absolutely lost it. Her laughter evolved into high-pitched squeaks, she pushed herself closer to Félix, hiding her face in his shirt. He pulled her to his chest, one hand absentmindedly stroking her hair, the other finally resting his book on the ground next to him.

“You okay, Mari?” He spoke quietly.

She could hear the smile in his voice, and she nodded vigorously against his chest, still squeaking.

He chuckled, and maneuvered around her to make it easier for him to keep his grip on her.

Her friends were staring at them, dumbstruck. Marinette’s giggles subsided.

“What?” She asked.

“Hm?” Félix hummed, his head resting on top of hers.

“It’s, uh, just-” Allegra spluttered, “Well, you guys are kinda- mmph!”

Claude had sprinted across the room to cover her mouth, much to her chagrin.

“Interrupting the game! You guys are kinda interrupting the game! Allan, it’s your turn- and Allegra,” he hissed, “You can lick my hand all you want! You will not ruin this for me! It is finally happening!”

Marinette whispered, “What are they talking about, Fé?”

“How would I know?” Félix yawned, leaning back against the wall. Allegra and Claude continued to whispering violently at each other. He grabbed a nearby blanket, which Marinette draped over them. Once they had settled, Félix wrapped his arms around her once more, booping her on the nose, and smiling sleepily at her surprised face grinning brightly up at him.

“Ok!” Allan clapped, “Everyone be quiet!”

Everyone stopped talking abruptly, and Félix let his head fall on top of hers again.

“It is my turn! So you,” He gestured to Allegra and Claude, “Will stop arguing. And you,” pointing at Félix and Marinette, “You will- actually you guys are fine, don’t think too much, anyway, Félix! Fé! Buddy! Pal of mine! Truth or dare?” He hummed, nuzzling Mari’s neck, smiling as she giggled, “Pass.”

Claude whisper shouted, “What am I watching right now?!”

Allegra hit his shoulder, “Shut it! They’ll stop if you mention it!” “Stop what?” Marinette asked, cocking her head to the side.

Félix sighed, “What are you two babbling on about?”

“Nothing!” Allan interrupted with a wide smile, “They’re talking about nothing! Don’t worry! Anyway! Félix, buddy. I already asked you. Truth or dare?”

Félix narrowed his eyes, “As I already told you, pass.”

“You can’t pass! That’s against the rules!”

“That’s unfortunate. I pass.”

“But- you know what, fine. You pass. Whatever.” He exchanged a sly glance with Claude, which Marinette did not trust. Before she could question it, however, he was speaking again.

“Claude. My main man. My chief chap. My fundamental fella. Truth or dare, dude?”

Claude pulled a smug smile, “Dare.”

“Alright, dude. I’m gonna do both you and Allegra a favor. I dare you… to take your shirt off and keep it off for the next hour.”

Claude winked at him and quickly shed his shirt. He turned to Allegra and struck a pose, “Like what you see?”

Allegra turned red, “No, I, uh, I mean, well, I, no!”

Claude grinned a satisfied grin, and Allegra shot a glare at Allan. Marinette giggled, Félix smiling softly at the sound.

“Now that we all know how absolutely stunning Allegra thinks I am,” Claude said, “My turn! Marinette! I have a question for you! Do you know what it is?” “No idea.”

“Try to guess.”

“I’d rather not.”

“C’mon, just-”

Marinette felt Félix tense, and Claude’s eyes widened. “Ok! Ok! The question is truth or dare! Calm down!”

He relaxed again, and she laughed, knowing he must have sent Claude one hell of a dirty look. He squeezed her hand. You’re welcome. 

She thought for a moment, “I’m gonna go with truth.”

“Chicken.”

“What?”

“You heard me,” Claude crowed, “You’re a chicken! Bok bok! Chicken! Ch-”

Marinette cut him off, eyes sharpening, “Dare.”

His eyes gleamed, and Félix tightened his grip on her, practically whining. She reached up to run her fingers through his hair, and he hummed against her neck, smiling again.

Claude was staring again, mouth gaping. Which was starting to get on Marinette’s nerves.

“What, exactly, do you keep staring at?” She asked sharply.

“Nothing, nothing! Anyways, dare. I dare you,” He paused, letting the suspense build.

“Spit it out, Claude.” She was too tired for this.

“I dare you to kiss Félix!”

“What.” Félix deadpanned, pulling Marinette closer, suddenly very awake.

“Oh, you heard me alright, pretty boy. If she doesn't wanna do it, she doesn't have to. But...she will have to live with her new nickname, 'Chicken,’ as per the age-old, time honored rules of Truth or Dare.” He said with a grin.

Marinette’s eyes narrowed, staying silent, Félix frozen against her.

“So, what do you say, Mari? Kiss him, and put us all out of our misery, or be dubbed ‘Chicken’ for the rest of your days. It wouldn’t even be that hard. You’d only have to lean in about half an inch, what with the way you guys practically sharing a body and all.”

Silence. Marinette and Félix both steadily turning red. Both now very aware of how tangled together they actually were.

“Alright, fine, Chicken it i-”

“I’ll do it.”

Félix blushed harder, flustered, “Wha- What?”

She turned to him, “Um, I said, I’ll do it. As long- well, as long as you’re ok with it, that is.”

Her cheeks were pink, her eyes nervous, flitting to him and away again. She was scared, he realized. Scared he’d say no. He swallowed.

“Ok.”

Her eyes widened, snapping to him, “Ok?!”

“Ok.”

Claude launched at Allegra, shaking her, “Omg, it’s working! It’s going to happen!” He squealed, “This is the best day of my life!”

She pushed him off, “Shut up or you’ll miss it!” “Ok! Sorry!”

Marinette took a steadying breath, biting her lip. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

She leaned closer, then stopped. Are you sure?

He nodded. Yes.

She closed the distance, eyes fluttering shut, and brushed her lips against his. Once. Twice. She pulled away. It had lasted forever, and not long enough.

“I’m- I’m in love with you.” She whispered, reckless, eyes lidded, impulsive on her adrenaline high.

Félix was staring at her, wide-eyed, flushed, and she was scared she had misunderstood. She was wrong. He hadn’t really wanted it, he regretted it, he didn’t feel the same way, he wouldn’t want to see her again, it would be awkward forever and she would lose him and-

Her thoughts all fell away as he pulled her back in for a deeper, longer kiss.

“I love you too.”

She vaguely heard her friends cheering in the background, but she was too lost in the feeling of Félix being this close, his lips against hers, to pay them any mind.

She deepened the kiss, pulling him closer to her.

“Mmph!” They fell backwards, smiling against each others skin.

The cheers had turned to laughter.

“Get a room!” Someone yelled.

She laughed, breaking away from Félix as he began to press kisses to her cheeks, her jaw, her neck.

“This is my room!” She called, before promptly pulling Félix up to meet her lips again.

She loved him, and he loved her too. Everything was good.

[walkerismychoice]

Stripped Bare - Chapter 8 (Bryce X MC AU)

Book: Open Heart

Pairing: Bryce X MC (Charlie Hawkins)

Summary: The first full day of wedding activities continues while Charlie and Bryce’s “fake” relationship gets more and more convincing.

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 2441

Kyra fans out the skirt of her bridesmaid dress as she looks in the three panel mirror at the back of the boutique. “These dresses aren’t as bad as I expected. I mean the seafoam green color is a bit on the nose for a beach wedding, but I would have thought she’d choose something hideous for all of us just so she would look that much better.”

“But that would ruin her aesthetic.” Charlie puts a hand to her chest and gasps in mock horror. “Katelyn would never!” Both she and Kyra devolve into a fit of laughter. 

The group had split apart after tennis - and showers thank god -  to get fitted for their dresses and tuxes respectively, while the lucky non-wedding party significant others got a few minutes to relax and breathe. Katelyn had required the bridesmaids to try on dresses at the bridal shop back in Connecticut and then have them ordered and shipped to the the resort boutique because she’s that much of a bridezilla control freak.

Katelyn walks back from the front of the store, where she had been seated with the Sarahs drinking mimosas, and studies both of them scrupulously. “Looks like yours fits pretty well Kyra. My color options were limited with your red hair and pale skin, but I think this shade of green works quite well on you Charlie. However...” Katelyn motions for the seamstress to come over. “Do you think we need to let this out in the bust? She must have gained a few pounds since we tried this size on in the bridal boutique.” 

"Or maybe the sample size was not cut exactly the same as this one." Charlie knows she's not a size two like she used to be in high school when she would stress about everything she put in her mouth, but a size eight is nowhere near overweight. Still, she's not always comfortable with her newfound curves, and it stings to hear that comment from Katelyn.

"No, no, no." Mary the seamstress insists. 'You are a beautiful, voluptuous woman. You fill the dress out very nicely."

"I agree with Mary," Kyra adds. "You boobs look fucking amazing in that dress."

"Kyra!" Katelyn scolds while Charlie blushes. "Well I guess it is what it is. Just make sure you wear a good bra.

"Noted," Charlie murmurs under her breath and disappears back into the dressing room. She sits on the bench seat, taking a deep breath, and she doesn't know why, but her first instinct is to text Bryce about how awful Katelyn has been. She shakes off the thought, but then she hears her phone buzz in her purse and almost can't believe her eyes when she sees a text from Bryce:

Since it's been like ninety minutes since you've seen me shirtless, and you're stuck with Katelyn, I thought you might need a pick me up.

The text was accompanied by a full length mirror selfie of Bryce in only athletic shorts, clearly post workout.

Bold of you to assume that will make me feel better. She types back. It doesn't hurt, but she's not going to admit that. Looks like you can't  even go two hours without talking to me. You miss me that bad?" She hits send and immediately regrets it, but moments later she gets another text:

Maybe...

Charlie doesn't even know what to do with that, so she puts her phone away, but not before taking another look at the picture of Bryce, shirtless and glistening with sweat. Normally she would think a guy sending her a picture like that was gross, but not with him. Bryce literally looks good anytime, anywhere, no matter what he is or isn't wearing, and life just isn't fair.

Charlie puts her floral sundress back on, and checks herself out the mirror. Her cheeks are still burning bright, and she needs to get ahold of herself. She’s guessing Bryce was just trying to get a reaction out of her, and if so, mission accomplished. He doesn’t even have to be in her presence to get her all flustered. Charlie fans her face and inhales deeply before joining the other ladies. 

The rest of the day passes fairly quickly. The women eat a late lunch together and Kyra and Charlie mostly keep to themselves while Katelyn and the Sarahs are so engrossed in their own conversation, they hardly notice. Then the whole group meets up for a glass bottom boat tour which is fun, but a bit crowded and noisy with all of them on one boat. Charlie gets some great pictures of sealife and selects one for Instagram. Bryce then insists they get a take a selfie of themselves to post. Charlie wonders why when everyone they are trying to convince is right there with them, but there’s no way she’s going to question it in front of everyone, so she does as he requests. Bryce squeezes his arm around her and presses his cheek to hers before snapping the picture. Charlie checks out the post after it uploads. They both looks so happy, and it seems so...real. They always say it’s not fair to look at other people’s social media and compare yourself because they only show what they want you to see, and she’s living proof. She looks like she’s having a great time in paradise with her gorgeous boyfriend, but it's all a lie, isn’t it?

The boat drops them off at the resort, and they head straight to dinner and eat oceanside at Seagrape Terrace. The sun is starting to set and a gentle breeze wafts in from over the water. Each table is set for six, and the thankfully there’s no assigned seating tonight. Unfortunately, she still ends up at the same table as Katelyn and Landry, and although Kyra is also there to help keep her sane, Bob is as well by default since everyone else is paired off. With Charlie seated between Bryce and Kyra, Landry next to Bob so they can chat about their glory days in undergrad or whatever, the only spot left for Katelyn is next to Bryce.

Katelyn takes a sip of her wine. “So Bryce, you really showed nice form on the court today. What club do you belong to? They must have incredible tennis pros there”.

Charlie nervously pushes a stray piece of lettuce around on her salad plate, unsure of how Bryce will answer.

Bryce swallows the bite of food in his mouth. “I’m kind of between clubs right now. My family isn’t from the East Coast, and I’ve been so busy with medical school I haven’t had much time. You know how it is, Landry.”

“Oh, uh, yeah. I’ve hardly had a chance to visit my club the past few years.”

“So is that your excuse for your poor showing today?” Katelyn huffs.

“Muffin, I think it’s safe to say we could have both played better today. Maybe if you hadn’t been so distracted...”

Charlie quickly grabs the bread basket from the middle of the table. “Did everyone get some bread? There’s a few pieces left.”

Neither Katelyn or Landry answers, but at least they stop bickering.

“I’ll take another if no one else is going to have one.” Bryce reaches in and selects a piece. “You know I’ll never turn down your buns, Honey.” He smirks at Charlie.

“Very funny, Sweetie.” Charlie gives him a look out of the corner of her eye and he just chuckles.

The food comes and Charlie’s salmon is flaky and delicious. There’s just something about eating seafood at the ocean that makes it taste that much better. Charlie has two glasses of wine, already breaking her self-imposed no more drinking rule, but two glasses of wine on a full stomach is very much manageable. She thinks its incidental the first time Bryce’s outer thigh brushes against hers, but then it happens again and again. As dinner goes on Bryce seems to drift closer to Charlie, but it’s possible he’s just trying to get as far away as possible from Katelyn.

Dinner starts to wind down, and Bryce stands up and offers a hand to Charlie. “Would you like to take a walk My Dear?”

“Sure..” Charlie accepts Bryce’s hand and excuses herself from the table. She’s not certain of his motives, but she’s had more than enough of Katelyn for one day, so she'll take any excuse to escape. Bryce laces his fingers through hers and gives her hand a squeeze as they walk away.

Once out of earshot, Charlie questions Bryce. “Honey? My Dea? What’s with all the cutesy nicknames? I don’t think you have to lay it on that thick.”

“I believe I heard you call me Sweetie, Sugarlips.”

“Oh my god, Bryce.” Charlie playfully nudges her shoulder into his. “There’s noone to hear us now, so you can stop that nonsense.”

“Just trying them out.”

“Trying them out for what?”

Bryce shrugs. “Just in case.”

In case what? Charlie wonders. “Well if you call me Sugarlips in front of anyone else, I’m putting you on the first plane home.

Bryce laughs. “No Sugarlips. Got it. At least it’s better than Muffin.”

“Heh. They are the worst in every possible way, aren’t they?” Charlie looks up at Bryce, and his features are so striking in the moonlight, as if they aren’t also in every other light. She sighs inaudibly because she’s finally admitting to herself she’s starting to fall for him, even though it’s the last thing she should do.

Bryce leads her down a long pier with a gazebo at the end overlooking the water. It’s so peaceful and serene, that even though they are still in view of the group back at the restaurant, it feels like they are the only two around.

Bryce looks back at the others and then spins himself and Charlie around so his back is facing the crowd. “We have an audience. Should we give them a show?”

Charlie swallows hard. “Um, like what?”

Bryce weave his fingers through Charlie’s hair and presses his body close enough to hers she can feel the heat radiating off of him. “Wrap your arms around me.”  She does as instructed, sliding her hands up his back and feeling the contour of his taut muscles through the light cotton fabric of his button down shirt. He leans in close until their lips are a breath apart. She closes her eyes, waiting for what comes next, until she feels his forehead rest against hers.”There. They’ll definitely assume we are making out now.”

Charlie prays Bryce can’t hear how fast her heart is beating in her chest right now. And god, she hopes he doesn’t know she thought he was going to kiss her, and how much she actually wanted it. “Perfect.” She tries not sound disappointed. There’s a look in Bryce’s eyes Charlie can’t quite read. Sometimes it seems like he’s trying to test her, but she has no clue what he’s looking for and if she’s passing or failing. They remain that way for an indiscernible amount of time, until it feels like it’s been convincingly long enough, and Charlie yawns. ”I think I’m done for the day. You ready?”

Bryce places a hand on the small of Charlie’s back. “Lead the way.”

~~~

Charlie is exhausted by the time they get back to their hotel room, but at least tonight she’s sober enough to get ready for bed her self. She groans and gets embarrassed all over again just thinking about it. She settles into bed and flips the TV on until her eyelids get heavy.  She just about out when a loud creaking noise jolts her wide awake. Uncertain about what she just heard, she waits and the squeaking and creaking noises continue on the other side of the wall, until at last there’s a big, metallic thump and she rushes out in the living room to see what’s going on.

Bryce looks up from laying out his bedding on the now folded up sofa sleeper. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“Almost...what’s going on?”

“I told you how terrible this thing is to sleep on. I couldn’t stop tossing and turning, so I decided I might fare better on just the sofa part.”

“Bryce, let me sleep out here, and you take my bed.” Charlie insists. “Then one of us can get good sleep every other night at least.”

“Nah,” Bryce waves her off. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable at my expense.”

Charlie sighs deeply. “Fine if you are going to insist on being so stubbornly chivalrous, then why don’t we just share the bed?”

“What did you just say?” Bryce asks and Charlie thinks he just wants to make her say it again.

“It’s a king size bed. There’s plenty of space.”

A mischievous smiles creeps up on Bryce’s lips. “Any excuse to get me into bed with you, huh?”

Charlie picks up a pillow and chucks it at Bryce. “Just shut up and get in there before I take back my offer.”

Charlie climbs into the right side of the bed and keeps all the way to the edge to avoid any incidental touching. This had seemed like a better idea before it was actually happening. Maybe if she wasn’t interested in Bryce this would be no big deal, but she’s acutely aware of how close he is, clad only in his boxer briefs. What if she rolls over and cuddles him in her sleep? What if she drools on him again? What if he wakes up hard? She can’t get that last image out of her brain and she’s thankful for the darkness covering up the color in her cheeks.

“You know, if you move any further away, you’re going to fall right onto the floor. You don’t have to worry about me encroaching on your side.” Bryce pats the middle of the bed. “Make yourself comfortable.”

“Well, you might have to worry about me. I’m kind of a wild sleeper. You could wake up with me on top of you.”

Bryce chuckles. “I think I could handle that.”

Well I couldn’t. There’s something about Bryce’s tone of voice that gets her all worked up again, her entire body flush with heat, and he probably knows exactly what he’s doing to her. Despite her reservations, she moves a bit closer to the middle of the bed, but makes a point of putting her long body pillow as a barrier. “For my own peace of mind.”

Bryce laughs as he turns on his side. “Whatever makes you happy.”

[kaiju-z]

Seon Adventures Episode 24:  Unwelcome Guests

The Library study continues as the tiefling team combine their efforts, studying the Flaming Pits and The 9 Hells altogether to find the answer on Cherry’s Identity.

As they sit and sift through notes on The 9 Hells and The Abyss, on Devils and Demons, they begin narrowing down the list to five individuals in particular.

On the Demons’ side, it’s entities known as “Xertha” and “G’Drazzar”.

On the Devils’ side, the number is 3: Jorzoth, Ellemuth and Potencia herself, the Queen of Cruelty, Empress of Lawful Evil. The Goddess of Imprisonment. Head honcho of the 9 Hells.

Pretty quickly the idea of Jorzoth’s involvement gets thrown at the side, as Jorzoth was one of two Arch Devils, who approached Mournimar. As Mournimar confided with his tiefling team mate, their goal was to overthrow Potentia, hence why they were amassing an army.

So the list narrows: 2 for 2.  Ellemuth, Potencia, Xertha or G’Drazzlar.

Ellemuth, besides Potencia, has the most cruel reputation in the 9 hells. While Xonthar is known as the head torturer,t she herself gets the most kick out of it.

Jorzoth, known as the Silver Tongued, usually makes contracts between the two. His name says it all. Not Ellemuth’s style to make pacts, but it’s generally encouraged to have as many Warlocks as possible. Like a Warlock Quota. Gotta meet it.

Potencia’s reputation goes without the need to express it, really. She’s the boss and you don’t get to be the boss without having done a battleship’s load of things in the realm of pain and woe.

Xertha was and is a renowned warrior, amongst the demons. One, who often takes part in conflicts between the 9 Hells and The Abyss...

While G’Drazzar... G’Drazzar was... something else entirely. Known by the title “The Conquerer”, he was  sealed away during the big war between Devils & Demons and not heard from since.

So he falls to be one of the most likely candidates.

In the meanwhile, Malak decides to study certain spells, given his vague findings.

While Amelia takes to admiring some books on cats, Belli does her own research of interest.

Belli finds out lore about the orphanage. The orphan master abandoned his flock 2 years prior and left it in the hands of his sister. Wild speculations over why he left, but nobody knows the truth. Out of personal interest she finds an article regarding her personal story: “Narahs ditch concert, unavailable to comment.” 

It was the concert right at the time they got petrified.

A year after the head of the orphanage left is when shit started going off. Cedric’s connection with Cherry, way-way back then.

She also finds a weird connection about how the dungeons expand to the silver side. Expansion going to the tabbernax as well. There’s been plenty of tunneling going on.

With research on the complete side, the party meet at the entrance of the library and discuss their findings, sharing what they could have found and what it could mean. From there, they go on seperate routes.

Mournimar and Belli head off to meet Belli’s family.

Luck follows Malak to the temple of Keemis.

And Amelia? She goes to a certain tavern, a few times now visited by the party, to meet with Sabrina. There, the two discuss the events since they last saw each other. Only they are privy to that knowledge...

As the night comes, the 5 and their animal companions return to the Shadowspire Mannor and make preparations to go to bed.

Perception checks are made late into the evening and  Mournimar hears noise from downstairs, With his long and sensitive ears, he catches the sound of the creeking open of a door.

There are a couple of foot step sets and he turns to Luctan, who was in the process of taking his armor off, when Mournimar notifies him of his findings.

This sets the tieflings into motion as Mournimar casts Pass Without A Trace and leads Luctan along. The fighter knocks on his fellows’ doors and leaves them messages in Prestidigitation that there are intruders on the lower floor, as they start going down.

Going downstairs, the two look and recognize the Dancing Lights Spell. A few sort of blobs of energy floating around,. A figure is rooting through and casting a ritual in the living room, hard to perceive where exactly it is.

But from Mournimar’s perspective, that is less of an issue as he is able to tell that there’s 2 in the kitchen and 1 in the living room.

Mournimar sneaks up on the ritual caster, while Belli goes invisible, before going down the stairs.

Malak, in a onesie, heads downstairs slowly as possible, hand out ready.

Mournimar can tell that they are trying to find something as they are casting “Locate Object”.

As they begin their exit from the kitchen, Luctan sneaks up on and grabs the one guy nearest to him. AND SLAMS HIM ON THE TABLE!

From there, he rests a knee on his gut and threatens the other by pointing a blade at his fellow’s throat. He gives one warning and one warning only: “Don’t move.”

As the other is taken aback and moves backwards, Luctan makes the split second decision to attack him. And casts “Heavenly Punishment”, his own take on the Sacred Flame spell. Injuring him with the holy flames.

With the Bane spell taking effect from Luctan’s Charismatic Persona onto the one, who he had just attacked, the other possibly too startled to react properly to the effect, a fight commences.

In 1 quick turn, damage is dealt accordingly, with the party taking the seeming advantage in it all. These figures, attempting to hide in the darkness are quickly illuminated by Luctan’s Light Spell. Mournimar masterfully arms and fires his bow, dealing expert damage. Belli keeps her distance and focuses a spell, turning the Flamed and Baned one into a Naked Molerat (Rolemat, as we ended up lovingly nicknaming him). Amelia breaks the spell rather quickly, however as she steps on the squishy individual, causing him to bump his head under the table he tried to escape. Malak Inflicts his Vibes on one of the visible masked individuals and all seems to be in the right.

Until the twist properly happens.

It turns out that these intruders aren’t simple sell swords and burglers.

As the one under Luck’s knee shoots up and bares his fangs, biting onto Luck’s throat and impaling him in the side with his blade.

The realization dawns on everyone in the room as the invaders are of a vampiric nature. Pretty quick things turn around on the party as they have to take a more defensive position. Still dealing damage, but also having to keep their attackers at bay from further causing of damage.

As Luck gets pounced on from behind, Mournimar brings out a bat and attempts to strike back and relieve the pressure of the Luck Sandwich, which helps to an extent as only the grappled, bald, Vampire manages to deal more than just his blade damage.

From the side, Belli utters words of healing and alongside the half-elf bard Nelatha, they give inspiration to Luck to help him in his trial of combat and leeching.

Amelia strikes true as best she can and Malak prepares to use his Death Cleric abilities....

When “it”happens.

The forgotten one. The third vampire strikes from the back of the corridor.

Firing two poison arrows, he brings down Nel to a state of unconsciousness. And catches the ire of ONE. VERY. PISSED OFF! AIR GENASI! As Amelia makes a run for her lover’s attacker.

The battle enters it’s most intense stage as the party have to pull every trick from their class books. Amelia punches and kicks and hits as best she can. Luctan stabs and slices and smashes into the two undead leeches, helped by Mournimar, who heals him with a potion for any damage that he himself can’t reduce with his Second Wind, while also switching from nailbat to sword. Any attempts by these bloodsuckers to nickle and dime the party down are reduced to null as their cohesion keeps them from failing and falling.

Belli buffers the party, untouched and able to pick and choose where to lend her healing voice, helping Nel back to her feet. An opportunity she takes carefully to Dimension Door herself out of sight of everyone involved.

Seeing the two pires so close to the armored “human”, Malak applies one of his specialities and enduces a Holy Fear onto them in the form of a spectral Rattlesnake.

Fearful, the two in the kitchen attempt to flee as far back as they can from the MENACING form. Giving an opportunity to the Tieflings to use their reactions to strike them as they try and flee. Mournimar sticking it to the long haired one, while Luctan stabs the bald one back down on the table.

The struggle in the hallway continues as Amelia gets a few good licks in here and there in a couple of rounds... until she herself gets stabbed by the poisoner’s blades. Two slashes, balmed in poison damn near drop the Air Genasi and if not for her own resilience and strength of spirit, combined with Belli’s watchful and vocal assistance, she would have dropped to unconsciousness herself.

As the boys fight their best fight inside, Malak getting badly slashed and stabbed at, but missed by the fangs of the long haired one. And Luctan having to rely on the magic, favored to him by whatever holy Entity had passed them onto him to aim properly, Mournimar joins Amelia in the hallway and helps in distracting the poisoner, taking damage onto himself, aliviating the stress from his friend.

In response to the pain, Mournimar does what comes natural to tieflings and unleashes a Hellish Rebuke, his strikes and body glowing in Infernal Flames, which set back the vampire.

He still considers himself able to take them on. Just a few more hits and they’ll be down, is what he thinks. Confident and ready to attack again until-

A crossbow bolt strikes him from the stairs. To the surprise of everyone, Nelatha makes her return into the fight and distracts the poisoner, who had burgled her home.

And on cue Amelia gets to have her payback.

Left. Right. Left and right. Blow after blow, she smacks the cornered bloodsucker one good like a machinegun onto meat. No mercy is offered to the fanged one, his mask getting punched and smashed and bent up in the process.

The tide goes in, the tied goes out, it’s an easily explainable process. What suredness the three had that they could take the Cultbusters and Nelatha is beaten out of them as Malak joins the party outside, while Luck goes on a slashfest in the kitchen.

Favor for a favor as he had been bitten inside the kitchen, he stretches his hand’s fingers into a stabbing motion and plants them into the throat of the ganged up on leech in the hallway. He drinks him to a near dry state, gaining some vitality, stolen from him by the longhaired one inside. All the while Belli sets the bald one’s mind at a turmoil with a Vicious Mockery.

The crescendo of it all is reached as Luctan reaches a peak anger, unleashing a flurry of stabs onto the bald one, ending his existence. Events carry into motion as he takes to the long haired one and decapitates him after he attempts to escape, at a severe disadvantage.

The last one follows a similar fate as the Furious Fiendblood steps into the hallway, both Eastender and Westwounder in hands. Surrounded and cornered, with no way to escape, the poisoner watches as Luck crosses the blades at the sides of his neck and in one smooth motion removes his head like a pair of scissors onto a toy.

His fury, still flowing, he needs be talked down and comforted by Belli and Mournimar, until he can compose himself. Calmed down, he is thanked and hugged by Amelia, Mournimar and Belli, while Malak drags one of the bodies up stairs, much to the protests and confusion of Mournimar and Belli.

During the comforting process, Luck’s eyes don’t fall away from Nel and as the atmosphere drops from the combat onto the conversation, Luctan demands answers on what the hell was actually going on here.

First the wizard in the woods, now vampire spawn assassins and thieves in the mannor. Nelatha had knowledge that had to be shared with the rest.

She agrees to let them in on the truth as the party find a note, describing Norah, Nel’s mother, as a target. Easy to understand why they would attack Nel as she had similar features to her.

The findings that cause Belli to call Ficus over are the bands on the necks of the present ones. Same as the ones on the wizard, with some differences on some of them. Same as the ones on Ficus.

As Malak goes to ask the deadman some questions, Luck goes to welcome Ficus at the entrance. And Mournimar follows.

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