#but yeah i think this is like a nightly occurrence for them

[solomams]

12. Haunting

Prompt list by @obeymetournaments !!

Mammon and my mc Paula holding each other after waking up from nightmares. That day haunts each of them.

Drabble under the cut. Spoilers for OG OM lesson 16. Mentions of death.

Can't breathe, can't breathe, can't breathe.

"Mammon," She tries to call out, but nothing comes out. Her vision is blurry and dark.

She can make out a cow print pattern. Fangs. Hear laughter, gleeful and loud.

Her weak attempts to claw at her attacker's arm do nothing. Her movements are getting sluggish.

Not like this, not like this.

I don't want to die. I'm afraid.

Mammon.

That's her last conscious thought before her vision gives out. In the next moment, she feels herself being cradled against someone's chest.

She feels warmth against her face and neck. Moving is impossible. Every inch of her body hurts.

She can hear someone begging, pleading, bargaining. Who..?

"Paula, Paula, please. C'mon, hold on for me, ya? Do that for Mammon. I'll fix this, I promise-"

"Mmnf..?"

"Shh, shh, I'm here, I'm here, I got ya. J-Just hold on, okay?"

Blinking is practically impossible, yet she manages. She can make out white hair, tan skin, and her favorite shade of blue. Paula smiles. Tries, at least.

Mammon hiccups, unable to hold back the sob as he brushes her hair away from her face. It's matted and clumped now. His smile back is strained.

It's hard to keep her eyes open, let alone keep them focused. The room feels like it's spinning. Is it spinning? She can't tell anymore.

Her ribs protest with every breath she takes. There's a subtle wheezing sound. Is that her?

She wonders why Mammon looks so worried now. His mouth is moving but she can't hear a thing. She can't keep her eyes open anymore.

Sorry. She tries to say. She doesn't get to find out if she was successful, because in an instant, she's scrambling to sit up in her bed.

Bed. Room. Tree. Lanterns. Blanket.

Paula grasps at her own neck as she takes in lungfuls of air. She can feel herself trembling.

"Nightmare. Not real, not real," She wheezes to herself. Table. Vines. Window. Focus, focus, focus. Bedroom. Safe.

Safe?

She rolls onto the floor in a mess of pillows and blankets, and it takes everything in her to stand up and stagger towards the door.

Door. Metal. Cold. Focus. It wasn't real.

She doesn't know when she started crying, but she can feel the tears on her cheeks. Blurring her vision as she uses the wall as a guide.

Wood. Smooth. Left foot. Right foot. Keep going. How she survives the stairs, she won't question miracles.

Once at the top, a glance up has her almost tripping over her own feet. A figure at the opposite end of the hall, frozen in place.

"Paula?" A voice croaks. Timid and in disbelief.

Mammon? Mammon Mammon Mammon. Safety.

She takes a step or two towards him, but he covers the distance between them in no time. One second she's about to collapse, the next she's being squeezed to death. Figuratively this time. She stiffens up all the same.

"M-Mammon?" Paula says, seeking confirmation for what she already knows. Hearing it helps as much. Warm. Strong. Cologne. Safe.

Safe. She's safe. She's sure she is. Relax.

"Here, I'm here, treasure," Mammon says, pressing his ear against her chest. Thumpthumpthump. Too fast, but there.

It takes her a moment, but Paula wraps her own arms around Mammon, burying her fingers in his hair. Soft. Fluffy. Shampoo that smells suspiciously like hers. She's not shaking anymore.

"Can I? P-please," Mammon fiddles with the end of her shirt. He needs to feel. Needs to check. Needs to make sure.

Paula nods after a moment. It's not the first time he's asked. Not the first time they've found each other like this. Maybe the third.

It's only the nights Lucifer makes them sleep in separate rooms. Usually if there's a quiz soon. Yet, they always end up in each other's bed by the end. More so now than ever.

Raking her shirt up once he has confirmation, he feels. Feels the lack of wounds, lack of scars, the warmth beneath his fingers. Presses his thumb into her side, making her squirm. She grips his hair tighter.

It's like a ritual at this point.

Thump, thump, thump.

"Still here..."

"Yeah, I'm still here..."

He rubs circles against her skin. She loosens her grip on his hair. Her heartbeat continues on. It doesn't stop, not for a moment.

"Real?" She murmurs, pausing to wipe away the last of her tears. Even rubbing away Mammon's.

"Real," Mammon confirms. It's as much for her as it is for him.

They stay like that for a while. Holding each other. Reminders and reassurances.

"Bed?" Paula mumbles, bringing it up first for once.

"Yeah. Let's go," Mammon says, reluctantly untangling himself. It's only temporary. By morning, it'll be hard to tell who begins here and who ends there.

Mammon blinks when she grabs his hand. Like he's her lifeline. But by the look she gives him, he might be. He wonders how much she relived tonight.

He decides not to push it. Only squeeze her hand back, and leads her back to her room. This time, they'll be together.

No more memories turned nightmares to haunt them.

But hopefully, one day they won't need each other to get past it. Hopefully, one day, that awful day will be but distant memories.

[abbey28]

Clarisse x Reader - Once More to See You

Clarisse x gn! reader, any cabin

An- sorry this took so long to get out! Anyways, thank you guys so much for liking my other Clarisse fics! This is my fourth one, so I hope that they get better with the more I write, but pls let me know if this is bad! Idk where my mind was when I wrote this lol. 3.3k words! Let me know if I messed anything up, and tell me what you guys thought of the last pjo ep! Dior looked as beautiful as always!!!!

Warnings!- nightmares, kissing, affection, mentions of training and weapons, pet names, pls let me know if something was missed!

The sun was almost to much to bear.

Beating down on Clarisse, it was almost melting. But she continued to swing her spear at the training dummy, hitting as hard as she could while making sure to be acutely aware of where she was landing the hits.

She was also very aware of the eyes that followed her every move. 

She knew that it was you, the only person at camp she allowed to get close to her. For some reason.

“Do you want to train with me?” She paused to yell and to look over at you.

“I’ll pass.” You were standing on the sidelines holding Clarisse's water bottle and her towel. She looked back at the dummy once before relaxing a bit and walking over to you. She grabbed the water and jugged it.

“How's day goin’ for you, angel?” You rolled your eyes just a bit and smiled at her nickname for you. She has called you that ever since you two really became friends, and almost gone is the flustered feeling it used to give you.

Almost.

“Really good actually, pretty girl.” Clarisse then took that chance to roll her eyes back at you, but the sun was definitely getting hotter because there was definitely no other reason why Clarisse’s face was feeling so warm all of the sudden, even after her intake of cool water.

“Oh yeah? What have you been doing?” She took the towel that you had extended to her and sat down on the closest bench. She nodded along as you recounted your day and how you spent the most of it doing crafts and training with the younger campers. She sat and listened until it was time for dinner, where the two of you sat side by side at the Ares table, even though it wasn’t technically allowed.

A few of her siblings teased the two of you, but it was a common occurrence, so they all knew that this was normal and would continue to be so. But they also couldn't just let it slide.

Clarisse made sure you were close by the rest of the night, completing both of your nightly routines that have over time molded together to make sure that they could fit like a puzzle piece.

She walked you to your cabin, and just like on any other night, there was a slight itch in her hand and the thought in her brain that she should be holding on to you in some way.

Linked hands, her arm around your shoulder, her hand guiding you whilst being placed on the small of your back. All feel like they could be the most natural thing in the world, if only your relationship could be just a little different.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘kay?” Your question broke her from her thoughts and she just nodded.

“Yeah. Sleep tight, got it?” You smiled and hesitated before pulling her in for a quick hug. She tried to get over her surprise fastly, but you were quicker to end the hug then she was able to melt into you.

“So, um… goodnight.” You turned and walked into your cabin, Clarisse and one of your siblings who had witnessed the event watching with wide eyes. She made eye contact with them, and her shock dropped from her face. “Scram.” Your sibling nodded and wordlessly walked past her, going to some place she could care less about.

She stood there for another minute or so, her hand covering the bottom off her face as she sighed. The sun was gone now, but for some reason, her face felt all too hot right now.

She was beginning to think that the reason and cause had to do something with you.

Clarisse woke with a start the minute the creak of a floor board was heard across the cabin. She had practically trained herself to be awake at any moment, though she could mostly thank her fathers genes for that convenient trait.

None of her siblings seemed to have got it though, since none of them had even stirred.

She squinted her eyes to try to see through the darkness. “Hello?” she whispered out. The outline of a person stuck standing near the doorway visibly let some tension out of their shoulders as they began to move towards her, seemingly uncaring of the other little creaks that the old wood would let out.

“Clarisse?” Clarisse also then let out a breath, as well as a lot of the tension she was also holding.

“Angel? What are you doing here?” She sat up a bit more properly and scooted more to the side of her bed that was touching the wall, patting the now empty wedge, the sheets still wrinkled from the few hours of tossing and turning and sleep she had got.

You moved into that space next to her, bringing your knees up to your chin and  your arms wrapped around your legs.

Uh oh. Clarisse thought. The fetal position was never a good sign.

She hesitated before reaching her own arm around your shoulders, pulling you a bit closer to her, hoping that you could soak in some of the warmth Ares kids were notorious to have.

But she was still an Ares kid.

Comfort was not something she was really familiar with.

“What happened?” Her mind began to wander a bit, thinking that you must have gotten hurt. But who would hurt you knowing they would have to face her wrath? Her hands shook a little as she went through a list in her mind of potential people. It must have been one of your siblings, probably the one who-

“I had a nightmare.” Your voice was barely audible, but just the sound almost instantly calmed Clarisse down.

“Yeah? Do you want to talk about it? Or….” you shook your head no. “Do you want to stay the night here?”

You shifted a bit to look at her, and she noticed your eyes were a bit red and puffy. She wondered a bit about what could have happened in your dream if it made you have this strong of a reaction. All demigods got nightmares, you and Clarisse being no exception.

But this was the first time you had ever sought the other out like this.

“Can I?” You whispered.

“Any time.” She gently coaxed you out of your position so that way the two of you could lay flat on your backs, her arm still protectively holding you. “You know that I’m super strong, right? Whatever was scary in your dream was definitely no match against me.” You giggled, and Clarisse smiled.

She then spent some time talking about how she could protect you against anything, right until you fell asleep. She watched you for a moment, the peaceful look and the rise and fall of your chest bringing her comfort. She gently pushed a bit of hair away from your face and refused the urge in which was telling to place a kiss on your forehead.

She settled beside you, and sleep came easier for her then it had ever been since she had found out she was the daughter of war.

Sunlight streamed a bit too harshly through the windows making Clarisse try to close her eyes tighter. She groaned when she realized it was useless.

Someone cuddled in closer to her, their arms getting stronger around her waist. She tensed up a bit before remembering last night. The both of you were laying on your sides facing each other, all of your limbs seemed to be entangled with hers. She leaned into you more and began to close her eyes again.

That was before she heard the giggles of her siblings.

Her eyes shot open, and there were some of her brothers and sisters, standing above her bed, two of them with cameras. “What the fu- get away! Get!” She whisper- yelled, trying her best to not be close to your ear while making sure you didn't move much. Her siblings just laughed, took a picture, and then ran out of the cabin, their heavy steps making her flinch.

“What time is it?” Your voice distracted her from glaring at the still left open door. Her eyes flickered to her alarm clock. “It’s almost nine.” You hummed and burrowed your face into her neck.

She tried to ignore that.

Clarisse was always an early riser. Sleeping in any time after seven made her moody, and naps were completely out of the question and annoying to her.

So how was she able to sleep till nine, breaking her 5:30 wake up and missing both of her alarms? And why did she feel so… rejuvenated? Were you numbing her senses?

“We should get up.” You looked up at her, your eyes all sleepy and a small frown on your face.

“You don’t want to stay with me?”

Oh.

The room felt a bit hotter all of the sudden.

“Don’t you have classes to teach? The kids can't learn how to craft all by themselves.” She smirked as you blinked at her. You groaned and sat up, cutting off the skin contact and effectively making Clarisse feel colder and as if she was missing something.

“You’re lucky that I like what I do. I’ll see you at lunch, ‘kay?” You smiled at her and got up, stretching as you left her cabin to walk to yours.

All Clarisse could think about was; "is she actually lucky?"

The rest of the day seemed to go like normal, with you and Clarisse doing your separate duty’s while still finding times and places where the two of you could meet.

She was able to track and threaten her siblings, the ones who had taken the pictures of you two sleeping. She confiscated the camera, but when no one else was looking she pocketed one of the photos.

For safekeeping. She justified to herself.

To make sure that no one else would see it.

That night when you said your good nights, you hugged her again. This time it was a hug she was able to lean into, one that she was able to savor.

She was about to offer you to stay with her again, just another night. But the words got stuck in her throat as you pulled away.

“Stay safe, promise?'' Your words made her curious, but she wasn’t going to question you. It clicked that this was probably because of your dream.

“Have you even met me?” She laughed a bit, and you smiled at her softly.

It made her falter a bit. If any enemies were just a smidge like her, then that smile alone would stop an army.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I promised the kids that we would teach the sword class together.” She sounded a bit breathless, and she hoped that it was only in her mind. You hesitated, but nodded.

“See you tomorrow.”

Clarisse has been on edge ever since the clock turned to twelve. It was around this time that you had come to her yesterday, and even though it was a one time event, (or so she figured it would be), it felt like there was a pit in her stomach, and she couldn't help but feel like you were in some sort of danger.

She was almost ready to jump off her bed and speed walk to your cabin.

“Clarisse, can you stop?” One of her siblings whispered from some other bunk and she sighed. She realized that she was tossing and turning louder than she thought.

“I’m taking a walk.” She flipped the sheets off of her and walked out the door, making her way silently to your cabin. There were only a handful of times that she has been in here, but she knew where your bed was.

You were tossing and turning worse then how she was, sweat dripping down your chin to your neck. She gently touched your shoulder, something she knew she probably shouldn't have done, but it was enough to wake you from your sleep.

You sat up fast, your chest moving rapidly as you tried to catch your breath. You gulped.

“Clarisse? What… why are you here?” Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at her, still breathing hard.

“I felt that you weren't okay. Another nightmare?” You nodded as she continued to stand above you.

“Well, if you're okay, I'm gonna- I’ll… leave.” She turned around, but your hand caught her wrist with a tight grip before she was able to get far.

“Can you… can you stay?'' You were looking at her with those eyes again, and her breath was gone as well.

“Yeah. I can.” Her voice was too soft, a soft that would make her father distaste her even more. But she climbed into your bed, and for another night she slept with you in her arms.

The two of you occupied each other's beds for the next month, but neither of you spoke of the tension that riddled the space between you.

Nightmares didn't plague you any more, and Clarisse was getting better sleep then she had ever gotten before. That was until Chiron called her to his office.

“A quest?” Chiron nodded.

“Yes, one that was provided by one of the gods themselves, Hera. She asked for an Ares kid to complete this for her. You’ll think about it, won’t you?”

Clarisse nodded slowly.

“Perfect. Now, get back to your activities.”

Clarisse left his office like that. Her mind was clouded, and she didn't really know what to do.

Of course she had to take it, this was another great opportunity to show how great she was to her dad, and how far her training has come.

But she couldn't help thinking: what about you? How would you be if she had left? Quests could take up any amount of time, and what if something happened to her? Or you while she was away?

“What was that about?” Luke appeared next to her, catching her by surprise. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“A quest. They specifically want me.” Luke nodded, and he had that weird thoughtful look on his face that made Clarisse’s nose wrinkle.

The two of them hardly got along well, but as cabin counselors they had to be civil. She looked around at the trees as they walked together towards the training ground, that is until Luke spoke your name.

“Do they know?” He asked. She shook her head.

“No other campers but you knows.” He just nodded his head again. He smirked and looked at her.

“Can't wait to see how that goes.” And then he turned and walked the other way, leaving Clarisse standing there in slight shock. What was that about? Did he know something she didn’t?

She shook it off the best that she could before walking to where you were.

There was a smile on your face as you helped an eight year old boy from the Hermes cabin hold his sword properly. She watched as you stepped back and let him swing it at the target, clapping your hands and laughing a bit once he finally got it right. He ran to give you a hug, and you hugged him back, and she could tell from where she was that you were praising his abilities. Clarisses heart felt so full, and all though she thought it was impossible, she could swear she was falling for you even more.

Maybe Silena was right, and she is a stickler for domesticy. Maybe a quest wasn't what would make her truly happy. Maybe it was a life with you.

“Clarisse!” You were running towards her and she caught you in a hug.

“Hey. I was actually hoping that we could talk for a bit.” The smile stayed on your face while confusion clouded your eyes and your eyebrows furrowed.

“Sure, okay.”

The two of you walked into the forest together, stopping in a clearing which happened to be Clarisse’s favorite place at camp. Other than wherever you were. You took her hand in yours in a way that she assumed you thought would bring her comfort, but it just made her heart beat faster.

“The gods want me to go on a quest.” She blurted out. Your face and mood fell and you took your hand out of her grip gently.

“And what did you say?”

“Well, I'm technically still thinking about it, but I think that this could be good for me. Hera wants this thing done for her, and you know that I have trained for this, and it would be nice if my father would recognize me at least once. But I also- Angel? Are you okay?”

You looked as if you were about to cry, one hand hovering over where your heart is and the other almost covering your mouth. You were shaking like a leaf in the wind, and Clarisse didn’t like it one bit.

She moved towards you, placing her hands on either side of your shoulders and helping you sit on the ground. She put your face in between her collarbone and neck, stroking your hair softly as you sniffled.

“What’s wrong?” She was unsure that you would answer, but you shifted your head a bit back.

“This is just like my nightmare.”

It all kind of made sense now.

“I had them, for like, a week before I first went to your cabin. It’s always the same some how, with you accepting a quest from Hera and never returning, or you go missing and I have to be the one to find your body, or I go with you and I can’t do anything about that stupid monster you fight, and I just-” You were crying, Clarisse could practically feel them burn into her skin.

“I don’t want to lose you Clarisse. Not on a dumb quest or ever. I don’t know what to do without you.” Clarisse nodded a bit and fiddled with a piece of your hair.

“I chased away the dreams though, right?” She had no clue if you would appreciate any type of small joke she made, and she figured she was dead when you pulled away from her a little and looked into her eyes, your lips slightly parted in what she could only guess was surprise.

Then you leaned in and kissed her on the mouth.

She was surprised, just like how she was when you had first hugged her. You pulled away quicker this time, fear evading finding your eyes for the split second before Clarisse pulled you back in, returning the kiss you first started with as much passion as she could possibly convey. You were both breathless the next moment once you realized that you had to get air.

“I don’t know what to do about the quest.” Clarisse whispered. She didn’t know why she did, but she felt like something could break if she didn’t.

“I don’t know either.” You responded, your voice as low as hers.

“I-... I think I like you.” Clarisse confessed.

Although they weren't exactly the words she wanted to say, (She knew for a fact that she was in love with you), but it still felt as if a slight weight was lifted off of her. You leaned back into her, so close that she could practically feel the smile that grew on your face on her lips.

“I think I like you too, pretty girl.” And she smiled too.

“Why do you call me that?” She tilted her head as you leaned back and laughed.

“Because you're pretty.”

The way you said it with so much certainty, as if you knew she could rival Aphrodite herself, made Clarisse feel bubbly, and she wasn’t someone who would ever really feel like that.

She didn't know what she would do about the quest.

She didn’t know what you would do if you found out if she ever accepted, or what punishment she would face if she were to turn it down.

But Clarisse La Rue was in love with you, and she would protect you from those nightmares for as long as you let her.

[nexility-sims]

𝐍𝐎. 𝟕   ❛ 𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 ❜   |   THE DEN, MID MARCH 1991

❧  𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲  /  𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  /  𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬  /  𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭.

   ❛  Once the door shut, the bar's soundscape—its patrons talking and laughing, live music blaring, the slamming of doors and glasses, feet thudding along stairs—hushed. The small backroom may well have been underwater. That was where Leonor’s mind went as she heard the muffled noise, although the red overhead lighting suggested a place more alien than the blue tunnels of Nakawe’s public aquarium. Soon enough, her host’s voice drowned out the murky sounds. They spoke in a conversational tone as she lingered by the door, not needing to raise their voices or lean in close to be heard. Any anxiety she brought from home that evening was long gone. Now two hours in, immersing herself in a room of undimmed vitality had an effect. So too had the sweet beers that found their way into her hands. She had entered the room at Renzo's request and was now, more than anything else, curious.

❧ yay, finally some fun stuff ! i wanted to write more (and write better) for this scene, but i ended up being sick :/ anyway, a few paragraphs is progress, and hopefully there'll be more going forward ! i miss the writing i was doing in episode one, smh. also: in uspanian parlance, a "flower girl" as used here is a sex worker dfdsfk

𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 & 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭 ↓

Leonor knew she was being studied as they sat shoulder-to-shoulder, breezing through the small talk of introductions. That was normal. Indeed, it hadn't been a surprise to her that he wanted to meet her. In most settings, it was de rigueur that an establishment's owner sought the honor and responsibility of welcoming whatever royal decided to visit. Leonor took the opportunity to study him, too. Despite being a stranger, his mannerisms gave her something to work with. He was unlike her. Informal and familiar, he struck her as strange in the way those few regular people she encountered always did. In this case, she liked it. The ease with which he spoke gripped her attention. It was disarming. More than that, it encouraged her to play along. They sank further into the couch together, cozying up as if this was a nightly occurrence instead of a first time meeting.

An illusion of intimacy descended over them, and Leonor spoke thoughtlessly as he held her gaze. She could tell he had more to say—that, sensing she was willing to be forthcoming, he wanted to meet her there. The acrid smell of cigarettes blanketed the tiny space, but Leonor also noticed a different sort of heady scent clung to his skin. Whatever he wore was earthy, heavy cedar or tobacco cut with something fruit-like, sweet, pungent. It wasn't that she had a nose for such things. The proximity distracted her. If she wanted, she could close the mere inches of space between them and inhale directly from the source. She knew he had arrived only recently and imagined him, perhaps an hour earlier, in a bathroom somewhere holding a sleek fragrance bottle. On impulse, she opted to cut the conversation short. She leaned in with, not a care, but the nascent awareness that there would be many more conversations to come.

TRANSCRIPT:

LEONOR | I think I overdressed …

KORE | Renzo isn’t here yet, so— LEONOR | Do I have to meet someone new tonight? KORE | He asked. It’ll be fine.

KORE | Stop stalling! Just open the door and go chat. LEONOR | I feel like a flower girl. SYBIL | Hey, that’s good money, you could be— LEONOR | [Groans]

RENZO | They didn’t come in? LEONOR | [Sighs]

RENZO | Come on, sit down. No pressure.

LEONOR | Nice to meet you. I’m Leonor— RENZO | [Laughs] Oh, yeah, I know.

LEONOR | Kore had to tell me who you were. I’m sorry, but I really don’t watch much television. RENZO | Doesn’t offend me. Small screen actors and princesses? Different leagues.

RENZO | So, what should I call you, then? “My princess?” LEONOR | People call me Nora. Friends.

RENZO | I can? LEONOR | If you want to. RENZO | Yeah, I do. I’m glad you came, Nora.

RENZO | … You seem out of place. LEONOR | I feel that way. Or, less now. It’s not somewhere I would have thought to go, but it feels welcoming. Friendly. RENZO | A rule of Renzo’s Refuge—unspoken, exclusive, of course. Some of us have images to maintain.

LEONOR | Kore said it was supposed to be a “haven.” RENZO | [Snickers] A stretch to you, huh?

RENZO | I just wanted a private place to drop the act and be myself. There aren’t a lot of people who get it but, those who do, it’s what they want, too. This life sucks sometimes. A lot. The rest of it is just—you know, my interests. Hobbies. I came here a ton before I bought it.

LEONOR | What can I say? It’s intriguing when you put it like that. RENZO | How did it sound before?

LEONOR | Pretentious. RENZO | Oh, you’d know about that, huh. [Both laugh]

RENZO | Well, no worries, I’ll take a convert. Maybe you’ll be a true believer after a few nights.

LEONOR | I’m surprised I’m here tonight. I’ve been sad and hiding. RENZO | Death does that. Are you a sad person? LEONOR | I don’t know what kind of person I am.

RENZO | Well, you know— LEONOR | No offense but, if I hear the “destruction, rebirth” platitude again, I’m going to scream. RENZO | [Chuckles] I was going to say that’s free license to try as many kinds as you like—go wild with it, you know, cut loose? Can princesses do that?—but I guess that’d be the very Uspanian thing to say.

LEONOR | [Hums] That’s setting in. It doesn’t matter anymore. RENZO | What doesn’t? LEONOR | What I do. Who I am. It’s overwhelming.

RENZO | Word of advice: that’s just what total freedom feels like— LEONOR | Uh huh. I’ll take your word for it—

KORE | [Squealing] Yes! SYBIL | [offscreen] Hurry up! Tell them to zip it up—it’s showtime!

[tiredmako]

⭒ morning chats ~ jason todd ⭒

golly jeepers its my first official fic on this acc?! originally this was gonna be mr cole cass but... jason todd is just better, yk? yk?!!? also sorry its short... i just wanted to post sum

waking up besides jason todd was a rare occurrence. there was... a lot of reasons for this. be it losing track of time on patrol or deciding to make an early breakfast, this man just never seemed to wake up in bed next to his favorite person.

that special, special person? y/n. duh. who else?

that's why it's so easy to cherish moments like these- moments where jason was peacefully resting across from them, his chest rising and falling as he slept. this was nice. just knowing he was safe instead of risking his life (as he did on a nightly basis) brought a great amount of comfort. it's not like they had anything against his crime fighting- no. quite the opposite. it was something more like... when jason's out in the streets protecting the innocents, who's there to protect him? he was innocent himself, in a way. just a young boy who fell victim to a cruel man. a cruel world.

their train of thought was broken by jason pulling them into his chest. they'd previously had a few inches of distance between them and jason's arms draped around them, which had allowed y/n to more easily admire him. now that he'd pulled them so close to his body, all they could do was softly giggle and bask in his warm embrace.

"you awake, baby?" y/n asked in a hushed whisper, not wanting to wake him if their suspicions were wrong.

"yeah." he mumbled, pressing a kiss against the crown of their head. "how'd you sleep?"

"fine." they shrugged, tracing the scars on his bare back. jason could feel the goosebumps appear on his arms as they did so. their touches were so soft. so gentle- especially compared to the various ways he's received those scars. "you?"

"it was alright. could've been better."

"so, uhm. i had this dream..."

"tell me about it- wait, no. let me guess." jason paused for a moment, thinking. "cannibalistic parrots?"

"i- what?" y/n giggled at his unusual guess. "no, you weirdo. i'm being serious!"

"okay, okay!" jason laughed. "tell me about your dream, love."

"it wasn't anything weird, like you were suggesting." they hummed, sounding slightly more serious. "it was... me and you. but older. we lived in this big, beautiful house with a dog and a cat. there was one more thing, though." y/n paused. "we had a little girl. sheila. we were thinking about another."

jason didn't respond. y/n anxiously swallowed.

"jason?"

"sorry. just thinking." he trailed off for a moment. "is that the kind of thing you'd want? i mean, with me."

"if that's something you want too, then yes. not any time soon, obviously. and jason, i wouldn't want that life with anybody else. you're my favorite person- there isn't any part of you that i don't love. i don't think that'd be possible. you don't have to answer right now, but just something to think about for the future."

jason smiled at their words. they always knew how to make him feel like the most special man in the world- hell, he had to be to have ended up with an angel such as them. he closed his eyes and imagined just what had been described to him. a big, beautiful house. white picket fence and flowers growing in the front hard. a dog and a cat causing ruckus constantly. a little girl to watch grow and teach right from wrong.

a big, beautiful home he could relax in whenever he was stressed or tired. a dog and cat to play with and love. a little girl to dote over and raise. and finally, his beautiful partner waiting for him. maybe, they'd be married too. a wonderful family to come home to and look forward to seeing everyday.

that didn't sound half bad.

"yeah. i think... i think that's the kind of thing i'd want too."

like + reblog for kisses

[oh-hell-help-me]

Day 21: Lightning

Due to the Koopa Kingdom’s unique climate, their weather patterns ranged from firestorms to clear skies to-

CRASH!

Excessively violent thunderstorms.

A normal occurrence, really, but one which Bowser has detested since Junior was born.

He hates seeing his son be scared awake every nightly storm, and utterly despises the fact that he's unable to sleep for the rest of those nights.

Since he can’t exactly declare war on the weather, he does the next best thing:

Sitting in Junior’s room, letting his son burrow in his arms as the lighting continues to crash outside.

He has tried his best to calm him with humming, but being able to carry a tune means shit in the face of literal earth-shaking electric bolts.

So there he was, waiting the storm out with his son when there’s a quiet knock on the door.

The fact that a soldier hadn’t barged in, or that Kamek usually arrives in a poof of smoke, he instantly knew who was behind the door.

“Come in.”

The door opens, and Bowser tries to not squint for a figure as a monochrome head pops inside.

“Are-are you okay? Um-“ Luigi’s eyes are luminous in contrast to the darkened room, and it’s ridiculous easy to see them dart down to Junior in concern.

Bowser waves him over. “Just some flash frights.”

No matter what Luigi says about those eyes, he still thinks they are the prettiest things to see purely from his empathy shining through.

Even when he winces.

“Those aren’t fun.” The human(?) quickly enters and shuts the door, making his way to the makeshift blanket-nest before stopping at the edge of it. "I-" Luigi starts to look hesitant, "I can- probably help?"

Junior pokes his head out briefly, giving him a dubious look. "H-how can you-" A distant rumble is heard, and it takes a second for the kid to poke his head out again. "help?"

Luigi doesn't say anything, other than stretch out a hesitant hand to the ground.

Bowser... doesn't know what he's doing, but gives an encouraging nod anyway. Can't be worse than-

-his.... efforts?

Spreading from Luigi's hand, a solid shadow stretches out and around the Koopas, gradually pulsing up into a solid, silent dome that reaches a few feet above his head.

"What the fu-"

"Bowser! Language!"

Said Koopa couldn't hold back a wheeze at Luigi's indignation. Never mind how Junior might have heard worse before, it's a relief to hear Luigi shout like that again.

Speaking of Junior-

Nearly a minute after the dome was made, he pokes his head out and immediately let out a gasp. "How'd you do that?!" Junior excitedly wiggles out of his arms, wasting no time trying to poke at the 'walls' that Luigi made. Wait-

"How did you do that?"

"I-" Luigi scuffs the floor shyly, shoulders nearly up to his ears in embarrassment. "Remember that time I overslept? At the meeting?"

"Yeah?"

"Um," even though he couldn't blush anymore (Bowser checked), Luigi's level of bashfulness could probably be seen by a blind Koopa. "I sorta- blocked the light in my windows on accident? And though I set my clock for nighttime..?"

It doesn't take long for Bowser to put the pieces together.

"BWAHAHAHA! So you went back to sleep?!"

"I was tired! An I didn't know I could do that!"

He holds back his snickering, just a little-

Behind them, Junior pipes up. "Can you do that to Kamek? So I don't have to go to his morning lesson?"

-and promptly bursts out laughing again.

Even Luigi lets out a snort, although he's quick to reply. "N-no, piccolo! I don't think he'd appreciate it! AND-" He gives a gentle, but reproachful look. "You should still try to learn as much as you can!"

"Spoilsport."

The human has the gall to stick his tongue at him! "It's called self-preservation."

Meanwhile, Bowser watches them (especially Luigi) in interest. He doesn't get to watch his kids interact with Luigi as much as he would want, but even the new recruits have heard of the instances his favorite human took the time to bond with them.

A large part of him purrs at the thought of being one step closer to-

Junior looks between them curiously, but whatever that glint in his eyes means (nothing good, in terms of mischief), he doesn't do more than climb back into the nest.

...

Eventually, they all settled into the nest, figuring that the dome could vanish without Luigi there. It meant that Bowser was used as a bed for the other two occupants.

It also meant that, while Junior was dozing off, the adults were suddenly very aware of their proximity.

Bowser tries his best to not focus on it too much.

"How'd you know where to look anyway?" Last time he checked, Luigi was horrible with navigating the castle.

"Um," He looks away, and Bowser could feel him literally shrink in his arms. "I, can sort of- feel you two?"

"Feel?" He can feel Junior start to twitch- in a way that meant he was finally, deeply asleep.

"It's- it's been a while, but I thought it was just- just a side effect, you know?" Luigi looks up at him, and Bowser could feel his heart skip a beat at those soft eyes. "And after-" he does a vague gesture, but Bowser understands. "I- wanted to at least explore- maybe understand myself a bit. To- to make it... easier."

"Luigi..."

"Bowser." The air seems to hum around them. "Did you mean it?"

He didn't need to clarify. "I did. I do."

"Then-" Luigi's voice cracks, and Bowser is captivated by the sudden boldness in his gaze, the surety and fear and utter longing that he never knew he craved to see directed at him- "I'd like to stay, after- after the final treaties."

Bowser doesn't hesitate to use a free hand to cup Luigi's head, nor bring their noses brushing against each other.

"Yes!" There isn't a snowflake's chance in a volcano for him to say otherwise. "Of course!"

[callsign-owl]

Midnight Conversations

Hereford, United Kingdom - March 2019

The night was cold and still, the air crisp with the lingering scent of early spring. The base was silent, its usual hum of activity subdued under the blanket of darkness. Owl wandered through the deserted corridors and open spaces, his footsteps echoing softly against the concrete. Sleep had once again eluded him, the familiar restlessness gnawing at his mind.

He walked with no particular destination, simply moving to keep his thoughts from spiraling. The sky was clear, stars scattered like diamonds against the velvety blackness. As he turned a corner near the barracks, a faint glow caught his eye. The scent of tobacco smoke drifted towards him, mingling with the cool night air.

Captain Price was leaning against a wall with a cigar in hand. The ember glowed brightly with each puff, illuminating his face in the darkness. His expression was contemplative, eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

Owl hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to intrude but before he could go back inside, Price looked up, his gaze steady but not unkind. "Couldn't sleep again, *redacted*?" he asked, his voice low and calm.

Owl shrugged. "Seems to be a nightly occurrence," he replied, his tone carrying a hint of resignation.

Price nodded, taking another puff of his cigar. "A fellow night owl," he said, exhaling a cloud of smoke. "Army life can do that to you, though I suspect your troubles started long before."

Owl leaned against the wall next to Price, the cool stone pressing against his back. "Yeah, insomnia and I go way back. I thought maybe all this training would wear me out enough to sleep, but no luck."

Price chuckled softly. "The mind has a way of keeping us awake, no matter how tired the body is," he observed. "What keeps you up?"

Owl considered the question, his gaze drifting to the sky. "Everything and nothing," he replied after a moment. "The past, the future... It's like my brain refuses to shut down. Always thinking, always processing."

Price nodded thoughtfully, taking another drag from his cigar. "Seems to be a common affliction among men like you, men who think too much," he said.

Owl met his gaze, the understanding in Price's eyes both comforting and unsettling. "Do you ever sleep, Captain?" he asked, half-joking.

Price smiled faintly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "When I can," he replied. "But nights like these, I find a cigar and some quiet help clear the mind."

They stood in silence for a while. Owl felt a strange sense of calm settle over him, the usual restlessness easing ever so slightly.

"You've been doing well," Price said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Despite everything, you've shown resilience. It's not easy, what you're doing."

Owl shrugged. "Still feels like I'm out of my depth most days."

Price studied him for a moment before speaking. "I've noticed you tend to keep to yourself, not interacting much with the others. Is there a reason for that?"

Owl looked away, his gaze fixed on the distant stars. "I guess... I'm just used to being on my own. It's easier that way."

Price nodded, his expression thoughtful. "I understand the instinct to isolate, especially given everything you've been through. But in Task Force 141, we operate as a team. We rely on each other, trust each other. Isolation can be a liability, both to you and the team."

Owl remained silent, processing Price's words. He knew the Captain was right, but the thought of opening up to others, of relying on them, was daunting.

Price continued, his tone gentle but firm. "Building those connections, that trust, it's crucial. Not just for the success of the mission, but for your own well-being. You're part of this team now. Let them in."

Owl glanced at Price, the sincerity in his eyes unmistakable. "I hear you, Captain. It's just... new for me. But I'll try."

Price smiled faintly, nodding in approval. "That's all I ask. Take it one step at a time. The rest will follow."

They stood in silence for a while longer. Finally, Price stubbed out his cigar and pushed off the wall.

"Get some rest, *redacted*," he said, his tone carrying a note of finality. As Price walked away, Owl remained by the wall for a few more minutes, letting the cool air and the quiet of the night seep into his bones.

[dxxxth]

The knocking and strange noises didn't stop; if anything, we started to notice them more and more. It became a nightly occurrence, and it was hard to ignore the sounds in our own house past midnight—sometimes thinking someone had broken in or that we had a squatter phrogging (that weird phenomenon where someone lives in your home without you knowing).

We jokingly chalked it up to living in a haunted house, though my one cousin always brushed it off as the neighbor making banging sounds. That is until one day, nobody was home, and he himself heard what he described as tap shoes running across the kitchen tile. When we got home that day, he was on the porch. We asked why, and he wouldn't say until later that day when we heard the basement door close while all three of us were watching YouTube in the living room.

Sitting down to watch "Soul Plane," out of nowhere, we heard what sounded like one of the stools at the bar sliding across the floor. All three of us slowly questioned our sanity. "Did you hear that, guys?" Jokingly, I responded, "What, the neighbors?" Sarcasm ran high in our family. If there was ever a funny time to gaslight each other, we would achieve just that.

"Hah," he sighed. "Yeah, the neighbors… who are in our kitchen cooking up themselves a dinner platter." We all laughed because these incidents had become so frequent that we weren't too bothered by the noises and cracked jokes about them. That is, until we were finishing off the movie and out of nowhere heard a loud pop coming from the bay window.

All three of us jumped, wondering what the noise was—did something fall again? I moved the curtain aside to see if something had fallen or been blown over and saw nothing. "Nothing is here," I turned around and said. When I looked at my cousins, they were in utter shock, pointing towards the window.

I slowly turned around, and when I looked up at the window, I realized the entire bay view window was completely shattered. At this point, we just sat back down and didn't say anything until the movie was over. Though none of us said a word, I felt the tension building in the room. We all had something to say, just didn't know if it was worth saying.

The movie stopped, and I pointed towards the back door. We all went outside, releasing a large amount of air from our lungs as if we were holding it in since we first grew shocked over the shattered window. "What the hell was that?" my cousin said. "How did the window shatter? Let's walk around and see it from the front."

We walked around and got closer to the window. There was no initial impact—the whole glass was equally shattered, just waiting for a piece to move before falling inward. "How?" I remember saying. "There is no way for glass to just randomly crack, is there?"

"Not that I know of," my cousin replied. "I've never seen a window just shatter on its own." "Me either," I said. "Well, something has to be the cause."

It wasn't until months later, after fixing the window and dealing with random sounds and noises, that we found exactly what we had been looking for that entire time. After winter moved along and spring was here, it was time to cut the yard.

My cousin was weed-whacking the front yard when he stumbled upon a coin. He picked it up, put it in his pocket, and later held it up to show us what he thought was "pirate treasure" in our yard. When I got off work, I remember going upstairs to smoke and turn on my Xbox.

The munchies hit me, so it was time to raid the fridge when we stumbled into each other. I told him the yard looked like a million bucks, which triggered his memory of this coin he found in the yard. "The yard might look like a million bucks, but this might cost a million bucks," he said, pulling out and showing me a Hobo nickel just like the one I found in the hallway.

I remember laughing and saying, "Yeah, if that's worth a million bucks, then we both would be millionaires." My cousin went silent as I started to run upstairs to grab the nickel out of my wallet.

I went into my room, pulled open the drawer, and reached for my little Velcro zipper wallet. As I was coming down the stairs, I started to realize that the coin I had once found in the hallway was no longer there and questioned him.

"Where did you get that coin?" I asked. He laughed and said he found it while cutting the yard. For a couple of minutes, I didn't believe him. I was convinced he had gone into my room and stolen it from my wallet. "I asked again, 'Where exactly did you find it?'" He said it wasn't mine, "Follow me; I'll show you."

He took me outside where we found a crater in the dirt the same size as the nickel, verifying he did indeed find it outside. But I was unsure as to where my nickel went. So I grabbed it and realized, "This was my coin."

In confusion, I started to ignite my inner Jimmy Neutron and brain-blast some answers. This crater outside was in front of the window that shattered months ago. I never really looked for the coin around that time; I just left it in my room. If I had kept checking on it, would it have been in my wallet? Also, how did it get out of my wallet into the front yard?

Then I remembered… the window shattering… the coin appearing out of thin air. This must have been what hit the window, shattering it that time we were watching the movie. I went to hand him his coin back, explaining that it was the coin I once found in the house and it must be the coin that shattered the window, which then triggered him to drop it on the ground.

I leaned over to pick it up as he reached his hand out to block me and said, "DON'T-" I said, "What? It's just a coin." He replied, "There is something up with that coin, just leave it there."

"Fine," I said, "I'll leave it here… but tell your brother not to pick it up either." "Okay," he said, and we walked back into the house, leaving the coin on the ground…

[questions-from-d87]

oc-tober day 3 - ritual

♤ onyx meets someone special - twice.

♤ 1178 words

♤ prompt from @oc-tober2023

♤ it took me forever to come up with what i was going to do for this one lmao. as i wrote it it kinda morphed into a different thing than it originally was

It was a rainy night. Daisy was still in the hospital.

Her "lovely friend" Mary was coming to visit her, as he said to their parents. He'd met Mary before, upon his own assistance - he needed to make sure she wouldn't hurt Daisy. Sure enough, Mary was a lovely woman who loved her girlfriend dearly, even knowing she was ill.

This had become a daily or almost-daily occurrence for Onyx, but this time would be different - Mary’s husband would be coming.

He remembered when Daisy told him about Mary. He was thrilled when he found out she’d found someone she loved, and didn’t quite understand when he found out a woman was the object of her affection, but he had nothing against it. The concern came in, though, when she told him Mary was married. Thankfully, she quickly explained their arrangement, and that everyone was aware and happy about what was going on - that Mary’s marriage was one of convenience between two best friends. He still wasn’t used to this after spending his childhood with his parents’ rigid rules and beliefs, but he didn’t truly take any issue with it.

When he entered the room, he spotted Mary, with her golden hair and a polka-dot dress, Daisy, in her hospital bed, looking paler than ever, and Theodore.

Theodore was a brown-haired, kind-looking fellow who was just a bit shorter than Onyx. He wore round, golden glasses and a black leather jacket.

"Hello!" Theo extended his hand. "Theodore. Mary’s, ahem…" He looked to Daisy. "He knows about our… arrangement, yes?"

Daisy nodded and gave a wave of her hand. "Yeah, I told him. Don't worry about it."

Theo breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness." His bright smile suddenly seemed a little more genuine.

"Oh, uh, hi. Onyx." He spoke awkwardly, shaking Theo's hand with one hand and rubbing the back of his neck nervously with the other. He wasn't great at meeting new people.

"Oh, no need to be so shy."

Onyx blushed at his awkwardness being pointed out. "Sorry. I just, uh-"

"He's super shy," Daisy interrupted. "Don't worry. Theo's the best."

Theo chuckled softly. Onyx thought he had a nice smile. "Thank you, Miss Daisy."

The four of them spent the next hour or so talking. Onyx learned a lot about Theo - he was a journalist with a rocky relationship with his parents and was Mary’s best friend since childhood. Daisy still wasn't doing any better. He knew this would be the case already, but some part of him still had hope.

As they were leaving, Theo gave him a little side-hug. Onyx flushed.

"My condolences," he said softly. "And, by the way, that jacket really works on you."

Onyx had picked a polygonal flower from the grass. He’d forgotten what real flowers looked like by this point - all he knew were the simple angular shapes of the “King’s flower”, as he’d named it. He gave most of the different types of flowers their own names. The “castle lily” grew in the cracks in the concrete behind the White Castle, the “mystique rose” simply appeared on the ground, cut and long-stemmed, every once in a while, and the “King’s flower” was the most beautiful one, the one most deserving of what he was about to do.

Onyx slowly walked on his toes to the corner he’d dedicated to this little ritual of his. He would sit there for a moment and drop the flower in the grass. The next day, it would be gone thanks to the nightly resets. He liked to think it was going to Daisy, though logically it didn’t make any sense.

He set the flower in the grass carefully and looked down at it. Daisy would’ve liked this one, with its milk-white petals and perfectly round yellow center.

The sun had gone down and the fireflies were slowly coming out one by one. One of them landed on the surface of the flower petal before flittering away.

He started to sniffle. Daisy would’ve loved the cool weather.

It wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t be here right now at all. Daisy deserved to live her long, happy life, but the poor girl spent her last days bedridden in a hospital. And Onyx should have died years ago. Now he was a stupid moth-thing in this stupid hell of a world –

“Oh, dear, are you alright?”

Onyx’s head snapped back. He’d been too focused to even hear anyone approaching, and when he looked, he saw a figure he recognized.

Standing tall in a top hat, red bowtie, opera gloves and a rainbow trailing in wobbly lines down the jacket on their torso, he’d seen the figure in the shadows before. He’d thought them dangerous - how was he to know the intentions of some daunting thing with eight arms that’s always hiding in the shadows?

Their voice was deep and gentle, friendly in tone, as if the two already knew each other.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Their mouth, full of pointed teeth, didn’t move as they spoke. It simply flipped from a smile to a frown. “You seem upset. Is everything alright?”

Onyx wiped his eyes. “Yeah, everything’s fine. Thanks.” He cocked his head slightly, taking in the being’s appearance. Though their looks were a little intimidating, they seemed nice.

“Uh, hi. Onyx.” He found himself a little tongue-tied. Meeting new people still wasn’t his forte, especially not after not speaking to anyone for so long.

Suddenly, the spider-person in front of him gasped. “Oh, I knew I’d seen those wings before!” They crouched down to meet Onyx’s eye. Their mouth was moving with their speech now - and their form was… flickering. Onyx didn’t know the right word to use for it, but at the speed of a blink of an eye, every few seconds, the person’s form would change and revert back like nothing had happened. That other form was a human… and one that looked awfully familiar.

“Oh, Onyx, it’s Theodore! Remember? Mary’s husband?” He wrapped his eight thin arms around him. "It's wonderful to see you, my friend."

Onyx hugged him back, a little flustered, but happy to see him. "I thought you were dead. Well, you are dead, but I thought you were dead-dead."

"Not quite." They separated, but Theo still kept an arm around Onyx’s shoulder. Onyx hadn't felt touch from another physical being in years - he couldn't help but lean into it a little.

"If I'd known it was you… I wouldn't have been avoiding you this whole time."

"And I would've known what to call you while you were running away." He chuckled. His voice seemed significantly deeper than Onyx remembered. He had a milk-white flush on his face from excitement - apparently that was what rosy cheeks looked like on him. Maybe Onyx was just weird, or maybe he didn't look half bad.

"Would you like to… spend a bit of time together, every once in a while? It gets a little lonely here."

"You mean 'be friends'?" Onyx smiled shyly and nodded. "I could use one."

[spectascopes]

Without a Second Thought - Chapter 2

Undertale Fanfiction (Gen, SFW) No relationships or pairings Tags (from AO3): Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Childhood Trauma, Mental Health Issues, Gender-Neutral Frisk, Trust Issues, Sans is a Mess, Good Parent Toriel, Toriel is Frisk’s Mom, Manipulation, Flowey isn’t a great friend, but nobody is surprised, Soriel Lightly Implied, Past Child Abuse, Narrator Chara, Major Character Injury, Injury Recovery, Crying, lots and lots of crying, Reader is Frisk Link to AO3 version

“You got through the Underground with the help of a ghostly companion nobody else could see, and you made a lot of friends along the way, but Chara didn’t come with you into the sunlight.

Now you have a new mom, and a new family, but no extra brain to help you make the right choices. It might have lasted, too, if you hadn’t messed it up.”

Chapter 1

“Which brand of biscuits would you like, my child?” Toriel asked.

You looked up at the store shelves. It was noon on a Saturday and the supermarket was bustling with humans and monsters alike. 

“THE RED BOX HAS A PUZZLE ON THE BACK!” Papyrus said. “I STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT. EASY WORK FOR A MASTER OF MY CALIBER, AND HELPING THE MOUSE GET TO THE CHEESE IS EMOTIONALLY FULFILLING!”

“nah get the blue kind, they taste better,” Sans said from Papyrus’s cart. He was too big to fit in the seat for kids, so he was just sitting flat in the bottom of it with food piled on top of him, propped up enough against the front that he could get his arms out.

“YOU SHOULDN’T THINK WITH YOUR STOMACH, SANS! SOMEBODY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO THAT PUZZLE!”

“it’s puzzling they didn’t put more effort into the crackers.”

“Maybe… both?” you suggested. Toriel, laughing at Sans’s silly pun, smiled and grabbed one of each box.

“huh. thats one way to do it.”

“I SUPPOSE IF YOU BUY TWO CAKES YOU CAN HAVE ONE AND EAT IT, TOO... THOUGH IT FEELS A LITTLE UNETHICAL.”

“I think that saying is just for things that you can’t buy more of,” you said as you all walked along. Papyrus’s shopping technique seemed to be grabbing random items and hoping for the best as he followed Toriel- list organized and ready- around the store. Sans made a game of putting things into the cart without his brother noticing, so he was covered in miscellaneous junk that would inevitably have to be returned to the right place.

“OH, LIKE FRIENDS! OR LOVE… OR A VINTAGE MTT FIGURINE THAT WAS RELEASED IN A LIMITED RUN BUT A FIRE AT THE WAREHOUSE SCORCHED ALL BUT A SINGLE, BEAUTIFUL RECTANGLE.” Papyrus made doe-eyes at nothing but quickly shook himself from his gay thoughts. “FRIENDS, THOUGH, I THINK THAT’S IT!”

“Yeah, like that,” you confirmed.

“why would you have a friend and wanna eat them, too? that’s pretty weird.” Sans reached over and plucked a package of tortillas from right under his brother’s metaphorical nose. “you don’t wanna eat us, pal… right?” Sans asked with a sly smile. “only monsters that ever wanted to do that were the dogs. they’d’ve done it without paws .”

You smiled as Papyrus groaned loudly. 

“WELL THEY HAD BAD TASTE IN CANNIBALISM CANDIDATES; SKELETONS JUST TASTE LIKE BONES! AND MAYBE SKINCARE PRODUCTS IF THEY ARE ME AND NOT YOU! BESIDES, FRISK LICKED MY FOREARM DURING A ROWDY TRUTH OR DARE AT UNDYNE’S HOUSE SO THEY KNOW BONES DON’T TASTE VERY GOOD!”

“Frisk did what?” Toriel asked. Sans stifled a laugh with a gloved hand while you blushed up at your mom’s piercing stare.

—

You waited until mom was in the living room and sleeping on her chair- it was just about a nightly occurrence and it made you happy to listen to her softly snoring in front of the fireplace.

Tonight you wouldn't get to, though, as you quietly opened the backdoor.

"Finally! Ugh! Is she asleep?" Flowey huffed at once, sticking up his stem as much as he could. It wasn't much. He came to about your thighs.

"She's on her chair, yeah," you said. You had a deep feeling of unease in your chest, but you'd already agreed and you'd be a filthy liar if you said you weren't a little curious. 

"Great! Where's my pot?"

"Uhm, most people call it weed I think-"

"HA HA HA!" he fake-laughed as you reached down beside the door and grabbed the ceramic flowerpot you used to bring him inside and save the floors from Flowey-holes. He paused, an idle smile on his face. "Okay, alright, I guess that was a little bit funny."

You snickered and squatted down- he uprooted himself as much as he could and you dug your hands into the now-soft dirt and scooped him up the rest of the way. 

"We have to be quiet, okay? She usually sleeps for a couple hours but it's only nine, she could get back up," you said as you deposited your seedy friend into his container.

"She's built like a truck, we'll hear her coming," Flowey dismissed.

"Hey-"

"Relax, relax! It's a neutral statement, I wish I was that big." He patted your hand and you picked him up, puffing your cheeks at his insulting statement. Then again, she was pretty large... better for hugs.

You crept back into your bedroom where you had your laptop charged and ready for whatever Flowey had planned. 

"Where's the stuff you said you were bringing?"

"I got it in my roots, it's just a flash drive with some data. As long as you can summon your SAVE we should be good."

Once you were inside with the door only cracked a little- so you could hear your truck mom coming- you sat your friend on the ground where he quickly produced a tiny metal stick, wrapped up in a couple leaves.

You looked at it and frowned. You were really, really not sure about this, and you were growing less sure by the minute. You looked towards the door.

"Hey, I can see those anxious little eyeballs, you can't back out now!" Flowey reprimanded with a leaf-slap to your leg. You sat down further, legs crossed, back against your bed. "You promised!"

"I mean- I explicitly didn’t? I don't think I-"

"Okay but I don't care, I'll be really sad if you do!"

You looked at him. He was pouting, and you could tell this was a little important to him, but he'd also genuinely tried to kill you, so you weren't super keen on indulging every last one of his whimsies. Still...

"I said I'd let you look. That's it," you said firmly. You held out your hands in front of you.

"And that's all we need, friend!" he chirped, vibrating in excitement. "Lemme see it!"

"Shh, it's hard to summon, give me a second," you said as you closed your eyes. Flowey remained quiet.

How to get your soul into the spirit of this... usually it wasn't hard to SAVE, but there was no real reason to now and that made it a little difficult to be determined...

"Your mom... back from dust..." he whispered dramatically.

"Okay, shush!"

-

The thought of having cool powers fills you with DETERMINATION .

-

You opened your eyes and saw the bright yellow light, same as always. You didn't immediately save- and you didn't think you wanted to. No point in it, you were not going to reset no matter what. Having up-to-date save states didn't matter.

"Oooooh," Flowey cooed, turning his head this way and that to look at it better. "Yours is a little different than mine was, it's way yellower. Mine was kinda more... spoiled-milk-colored."

"Ew," you said immediately. You looked down at the flower who was already using his vines to drag your laptop from its place against the side of your dresser.

"Okay, okay, so-" he said as he flipped open the top and fiddled with things, putting his tiny drive into the USB slot. "The game is made up of data, right?"

"Sure. I hate when you call it a game, but sure."

"Not the point," he said, continuing to type with his leaves and a couple little vine tendrils. The way he stuck his stupid little plant tongue out would have been cute if he wasn't being manipulative. "The point is that it's all numbers. Values. I've looked at some stuff I had from my last SAVE- I always kept track of it- and I know what numbers tie to which things."

"Does one of them tie to resetting?" you asked, watching your yellow star. You wanted Flowey to just get on with it.

"Nope, that's something you have to do manually. Just changing a value won't apply it, you have to reboot, essentially."

"I don't understand computer stuff that well."

"Neither do I, but I know what I need to know!" he said, and then he pushed the laptop out of the way enough to look back at the SAVE. "Can you see the numbers?"

"No..."

“Of course you can’t, you have pathetic human eyes," he said, closely observing the SAVE, very intent on it. "I guess magic comes a lot more naturally to monsters- but it’s probably cause I'm a freak abomination, honestly." 

"...okay?"

Flowey looked a moment longer before glancing at the screen. He kept looking back and forth, staring at something in your SAVE that you couldn't see. You were paying more attention to the sound of the fire and snoring and straining to hear absolutely anything else.

"Okay, gimme your finger. Let's alter some numbers."

"You didn't even say what they do?" you whispered. That noise was the fire, right?

"It would just go over your head- it's altering some of your data through the SAVE." He held out a thin vine to you. "I've seen Sans and Papyrus's data and I know how their weird powers tie into their values, so I think I can just poke at yours to give you some, too!"

"Is that safe?"

"They're both fine, aren't they?" Flowey asked. He rolled his eyes. "It's really nothing to worry about, just don't close the SAVE before I'm finished or something will get messed up. It'll only take a minute."

You chewed your lip, looking at the vine. "Flowey, I don't know-"

"Come on, the worst that'll happen is you can teleport like Sans when we're done! Or do that weird... air-walky thing Papyrus does sometimes. That I'm not even sure he knows he can do."

"Can you change it back if it messes anything up?" you asked. Even if Flowey was the monster-… flower you cared about disappointing the least, you still cared a little bit. To be honest, though, you really didn't want to do this.

"Yeah! As long as you don't close me out before I'm done, cause then I won't know exactly what I changed and I don't have the days it takes to copy down a whole SAVE!"

You listened again, but all you heard was the fireplace. The room was cast in a harsh yellow light- if anybody peeked in, they'd for sure know something was going on.

"Frisk, c’mon! This could be really really helpful, and you can't be a wimpy invertebrate your whole life!"

"Okay, fine, just- just do it fast," you said, and you put your hand down for his vine to guide.

You watched the hallway as he used your fingers to change numbers. The shadows fell in such a way that you wouldn't know somebody was out there until they were right outside- Toriel's footsteps were loud enough to hear as soon as she got up, so it was fine. Everything was fine! You felt like crying, but you felt like that half the time anyway. God, you didn't want to do this anymore.

"Okay, just a few more, your hand is sweaty," Flowey said.

You didn't listen to him, just the fireplace. 

Wait. You froze, Flowey no longer able to move your hand around.

Just the fireplace- why had mom stopped snoring?

"Frisk, what the hell-"

A shadow fell in front of the door and a familiar voice sent ice down your spine.

"yo, kiddo, surprise- left my spray cheese in your grocery bag- anyway your mom wants to know if-"

Sans pushed the door open to find you and Flowey cast in yellow, a deer caught in the headlights and a pissed off plant.

"Wh- hey! Ever heard of knocking, dude?" Flowey yelled.

Sans didn't say anything. He’d looked at Flowey for only a moment before-

He was looking at you. He was looking at you- right at you- expression starting on shock, to fear, to- to-

You burst into tears and shut your SAVE at once.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Flowey- he- I'm sorry, please-"

"FRISK! I told you not to close it, what- I didn't finish! Fuck, no, this isn't good-"

"were you gonna reset?"

The lights in his eyes were gone. You felt like your gut was collapsing in on itself- why was Sans here? Why him? Why him? You didn't care about Flowey or your SAVE.

"No! No, no I swear- he just- he wanted to look at it a-and try to change some- some data or-"

"just curious, huh?" he asked, the anger- the betrayal- so clear on his ever-smiling face. The nonchalance of the accusation only made it worse. "just kinda messin' around, hoping for the best?" You'd never seen him look like that and you thought it would kill you.

"Shut up, Trashbag, this is serious!"

"yeah. it is."

"I didn't- I didn't mean to-"

Sans closed his eyes. This couldn't be happening. This was the one thing he was sensitive about- the one single thing you knew would make him genuinely upset-

"look, kid. you do you, break your promises, whatever, but. but keep me and my brother out of it, okay?" Sans turned around, his words harsh and his voice tight. "later."

"Wait!" you shouted as you lunged towards him, knowing what was about to happen, but he shortcutted away. No no no no- you somehow overshot the lunge and slammed your head into the wall, double-vision letting you see two empty spaces where your friend had just been. 

Where he'd just left you. No. No no. No-

"Shit- that's bad, that's real bad- Frisk, stop fucking crying, I have to try and-"

"GET OUT!" you screamed, putting your hands to your ringing ears. "I don't care, get out!"

"Your data is-"

"GO AWAY!" you sobbed. Flowey started to protest again, but then the sound of pounding feet down the hall started. He swore, and the next thing you knew Toriel was scooping you into her arms. She was talking to you, but your chest hurt. It hurt. Everything hurt so much and you couldn't get enough air into your lungs. It'd been so long since you'd had a panic attack that it felt like you were dying.

The way he'd looked at you- the anger- the hurt- you shut everything out because you didn't know how to deal with this. It couldn't happen here- it couldn't- where would you go? Sans- Papyrus- and then they'd tell- and-

You stayed curled up into a ball until you tired yourself to exhaustion. Mom held you the whole time, cooing, petting your hair. 

Nobody was here to make them like you anymore, and you'd finally messed it up bad enough for them to realize. 

[soysaucevictim]

The Fogerts

Ah heck, I'm gonna post some original writing from back in '08.

(CW: body horror, violence)

          My name is Terrance, I’m sixteen, that will make some relevance. I live in your usual modern suburbs. Everyone’s lawns are green, no weeds. Everyone here has lived here for more than ten years. Everyone knows everyone, I would think. No crime, no one persecutes each other, wait a sec...

          Well, there is the Fogerts. Everyone has their own story about them. One says that the dad is a mad serial killer- which would explain the nightly deaths in this town- yeah I might have to scratch the ‘no crime’ statement I just made. Another says that they are vampires, which could explain the deaths and the fact that they only venture out of their home at night- but that would be preposterous. A third rumor is that the place is haunted and the Fogerts never escaped, which would explain the house’s unkempt look. But most of the rumors came from one other family in the neighborhood, the Herrings.

          Like from Mrs. Herring, who sparked the serial killer rumor because her grandpa was the second known victim in Blyville, Kansas. Her son, Thomas, touched off the vampire idea. And it was Thomas’s older twin sister, Myra, who suggested the haunting. Their whole family is full of gossips. Also the Dad, Red, ventured in their house once but came back pale as the moon. Red never talked again.

          Then there’s the Thompsons, though it has as almost no relevance to the Fogerts- they too had a victim in their family. Actually two victims, but the second is still considered a missing person. I guess because of these strange occurrences, everyone is at each other’s throats, secretly. Most of us are thinking “Who done it?” But the blame still falls on the Fogerts.

          My family, luckily had no dead members. Though because of this, we were accused a couple times. I always wanted to move to some other neighborhood. I’d be glad to abandon the school I’m in. But, oh well, we all are humans.

          A week after their dad went mute, Myra and Thomas had dared me to knock on the Fogerts’ door. I did it and they gave me ten dollars, even though I didn’t stick around to see a Fogert because it was dusk. However, I was scared out of my mind the moment I stepped in their yard- the place was haunted by something, I just felt it. The next day, Myra then told me to go meet one. She said she’d do anything for me for a year. Again I said I’d do it.

          I’m having doubts. What if they are serial killers? Or monsters? I swore I must of soiled my pants. Even if it was broad daylight, I was scared. I knocked on their door, saying a prayer per second in my mind. Then, I heard a click that the door was opening, my heart went double time. A young Miss Fogert was before me, she smiled and said “Come in”, sweetly. She looked like she was as old as me. I’m confused, should I be scared or relieved now?

          She asked me smiling at me again, “Which one are you?”

          This time I felt hot, thinking, “Oh, she is hot.”

          “I- uh, am Terrance, a neighbor. We-we never met.”

          “So what happened to Red Herring?” I asked a moment later.

          “Who’s that?”

          “The guy that visited your house a month ago.”

          She looked very troubled when I uttered those words, “I...prefer not to talk about that. How’s the neighborhood- I would like to know.”

          So, I let her in on the current events and even the rumors about her family. She told me her name, Sylvia. She laughed smiling again and saying, “Really, it’s that bad? Don’t worry we’re not vampires or whatever.”

          I was really getting relieved in her company, until it was getting close to dusk. Then, she started to look at me funny, drooling, while saying desperately, “Leave now! Before something bad happens to you. LEAVE!”

        So I left, bewildered. And Myra was infuriated by me succeeding in the dare even if it seemed I was a goner. Even succeeding in the task, two things were on my mind: Sylvia’s enchanting smile and why was she so worried for my sake looking like that? I told this to Thomas, he said, trying to spook me, “Vampires.”

          I shook my head, “That’s ludicrous, vampires only exist in horror movies.”

          “How do you know? She, according to you, looked hungry.”

          “I just know! Sylvia wouldn’t be that way!”

          “Heey. You like her, don’t you?”

          “No!”, how bad a liar am I? I do like her, I like Sylvia Fogert.

          I was then thinking about her serene blue eyes and her beautiful gold hair. I felt like meeting her again. “I’m going to her house tomorrow.”

          “You must be nuts, but, it’s your butt not mine. Plus, I’m curious what’s it like to be a vampire.”

          “Stop that! She’s NOT a monster!” I was angered by his ridiculousness.

          I left him. The next day I went to her house. This time feeling confident and not frightened. It was day again. She answered the door and smiled at me, “Hi again. You can come in.”

Oh, her voice!

          I again ventured in her home. This time I met the other Fogerts and two of their family friends. Sylvia’s father name was Luc, she had an older brother named Jack, and baby sister, Vera. Her mom had passed a way when they moved here, seven years ago. The friends were named Robert, a somewhat overweight black man about Sylvia’s age and Sarah, Jack’s girlfriend. The father was tacit and practically stuck to his sofa. Jack looked like his father, having dirty blonde short hair and Sylvia’s eyes, though his hair was spiked and he had a goatee. Sara and Vera had espresso hair. Sara was dressed a bit dark, wearing a lot of black. They seemed happy to meet me.

          “Terrance, Sylvia told us about you. Nice to meet you.” Robert shook my hand- it was strangely cold.

          The room was cold as well. I shivered. It was getting a little past dusk. It seemed everyone was getting restless, and looking at me like Sylvia did the day before. I took it and said, “I think it’s high time I went, it really was nice to see you all. Bye.”

          When the door closed, I heard blood curdling noises coming from their house. Their was screaming and the squish of flesh. Something bad was happening in there. Half of me wanted to check, the other half told me it was not my business. The curiosity defeated me, I went back to the door and knocked their door. The lights were turned off but Sylvia answered me, I smelled something rotten, I didn’t smell it before, I almost vomited. But I noticed her voice was just as sweet as before, “Please, this is a really bad time. Please go home! FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY, go!”

          I couldn’t take it, rude - I know, but I yelled back, “What are you hiding? What’s going on?! Who’s screaming?”

          Sylvia began to pant, “...hungry.”

          “What?”

          “...hungry. Go or die.”

          I ran home. I was so scared I did not share this incident with anyone. The next day, Thomas said to me, “Sylvia is a vampire, but she doesn’t want to hurt you because she likes you. That’s what I think.”

          “WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH YOU AND VAMPIRES! I know that the Fogerts aren’t vampires!” This time I was really mad, Thomas is truly grating.

          “I still think they’re still-“

          I left Thomas, I just couldn’t listen to him making fun of Sylvia. Then, I had to visit her again. Unaware it was getting pitch black, I ran to her house. I heard the screaming again, I ran into her house, the door wide open. When I entered her house, I smelt the rotten smell again. I heard a soft whisper belonging to Sylvia, “Terrance... I’m afraid. We are... different.”

          “What do you mean?”

          “We used to be human...”

          “Wh-what are you talking about?”

          “Promise me, if I turn on the lights, don’t scream.”

          “Promise.”

          The lights were on, then I saw something horrifying. On her olive colored sofa was this partially decayed woman- who had blonde hair and sunken blue eyes. Her skin shriveled. It was not Sylvia!

          “YOUR’E NOT SYLVIA!!”

          “Terrance...please. Believe me. We are undead. I must hurry, dad’s coming back with food.”

          “H-HOW? I-I saw you earlier but you looked normal!”

          “The curse. My whole family is cursed. It started when Jack...”

          “What?”

          Sylvia explained to me why her family is the way it is. Jack, two years ago went to the cemetery to grieve the death of his mom. They were poor- they still are. He found a beautiful jewel encrusted in a mausoleum. It was the old Sheprd Family tomb. He knew his family needed money so he pawned it. The gem gave them more then ten thousand dollars. But Jack didn’t tell them about how he got it.

          I was shocked. “You- you are not vampires?”

          “Not really, more like ghouls- z-o-m-b-i-e-s. It’s horrifying, after only a week the hunger drove Jack crazy- he attacked some old guy in the neighborhood and we watched him savagely rip him apart. He ate everything. It was disgusting. Then everyone else began to display the hunger for human flesh. Then we became stronger, faster, we can see perfectly day or night. You can’t imagine it.”

        “Why are you telling me this?”

        “I trust you, I really like you. Even if we’ve only met for two days. I’ve known about you ever since the onset of the curse. We made a code, never to harm you or your family- because I liked you.”

          “What about Robert and Sarah?”

          “They were bitten by Jack. But weren’t killed. Jack was the worst affected one, sometimes he’d forget about the fact he was once human and enjoy the killing. He’s mad. Terrance?”

          “Don’t tell this to anyone, it’d only fuel the neighborhood’s antagonism toward us. And I ask you a favor, try to help my family and friends. Help me against this cur-”

          “What?”

          “Jacks’s coming, go away now! I’ll see you soon. Bye.”

          “Bye.” I was bewildered as I was forced out of her house. I ran home.

          The thought that Sylvia was a zombie changed my perception of everything. At first I thought, “This can’t be happening.” She wasn’t like those who are in movies like Resident Evil, she still had her soul.

          Next I thought maybe it was all a nightmare and I was nuts to believe it, it wasn’t. I felt it, she couldn’t be lost. I thought, I will help her and her family. I know anyone who would know this information would probably act like Red Herring. So shocked they go mute or something. I must be nuts in taking that mission, but I just felt it was the right thing to do.

          After some days, me and Sylvia- nicknamed Syl, shared secrets. And I told her whatever progress I made in this ‘quest’. But as I was doing this, Jack began to be colder and colder to me. Syl had told me, it was the curse- he was hit the worst. He has to eat more than anyone he’s changed the most- it distressed Syl. I too was worried- how long until he finally breaks the code involving me and my family?

          Even knowing Syl to be undead, I loved her. After five more days, I asked Syl, “Will you change when the curse is lifted? Will you be so different to me?”

          “... Terrance, don’t worry about me.”

          “But, your brother he- he’s changed. I don’t want that to happen either.”

          Syl gave me her first hug I ever received from her, she felt cold, “Don’t worry about me. Just try to find the cure, I am trusting you.”

          “Ok.”

          What I found out in my desperate search to cure Syl and her family, was nothing. I was losing hope, but Syl’s was unwavering. All I knew is the grave robbery Jack committed started it all. Where is that gem he pawned. I had to ask him, so I asked him a couple days later- during the night, “Where did you sell that jewel from the Sheprd’s tomb?”

          “...”

          “Please tell me!”

          “...hehe...”

          “Your sister-”

          “My sister is a softie! That’s all she is! She just doesn’t enjoy her new powers as I do! You wanna try it?”

          “No. What are you doing?”

          Jack was walking so slowly towards me, I was afraid he was going to attack me. “Come on, you know you wanna!”

          “...and I have to be penned up in your house, rotten and hungry? No, I don’t want to commit an atrocity.”

          Jack’s eyes were glowing a harsh yellow, gazing upon me, his mouth was drooling like a dog’s on a summer day. “Come here, little boy... COME HERE!”

          I was frozen, my life would end here... either way- being eaten or cursed would mean my loss of Syl. I was very scared. I stood there, to meet fate. He loomed over me, “You sure about this?”

          I don’t know what way I moved my head but he then began to chew on my arm. It was hurting, I was thinking, “What have I done? I’ve failed Syl.”

          After awhile, the pain stopped and he grumble, “It’s done.”

          Then he left me, grumbling “barely even a meal.”

          I went back to my house, favoring that arm- even if it didn’t hurt anymore. I was scared, would I too- be like Jack? I hoped that that was all a nightmare.

          After three days I already shown the signs. I couldn’t eat, food wouldn’t go down. My dad looked concerned about me, “Terrance? Are you sick? Should I call you absent?”

          “Im fine dad.” But I knew that was a lie- I was sick.

          “Okay.”

          Then, my mom noticed that I was as pale as Red Herring. My poor parents, absolutely unaware of what their only son is going to be. I only could say, “I’m fine”, though I was lying. I went to Syl, I didn’t visit her since Jack’s attack.

          Syl looked at me and frowned, “Jack told me what he did to you. That you wanted it, the power... I’m ashamed of you!”

          Syl started to cry, I said, “He lied about me wanting this. I-I was paralyzed- scared.”

          She smiled a little, “Terrance, I trust you. You’ve helped me a lot, I’m really grateful.”

          “But, I-”

          “Thanks to you, I’m not lonely anymore. You became my friend knowing of my family’s misfortune.”

          My face was cold though I would have blushed if I were alive. That sounded funny, I wasn’t alive nor dead. I told her what happen to me so far.

          She said, “Dear god. My brother’s insane!”

          “Huh?”

          “Soon, you will resort to killing to get your food. And be strong enough to take them down. This is terrible!”

          “I-I’m going to eat people? Disgusting... I don’t want to be a murderer!”

          I cried like a child, I wanted comfort. “Not a murderer, more like a predator. I’m so sorry about what Jack doing this to you- you don’t deserve the anguish!”

          After that night I swore to find the cure before I killed anyone, for Syl- for me. After almost another week here were my discoveries: The jewel must be returned to the tomb by the taker or be damned to us all. I told this to Syl, she was overjoyed to find that this was the cure. I asked her, “Where did Jack sell the jewel?”

          “I believe it was at the Pawn-n-Earn. Please find it.”

          The next day, I went to the store- I had favored the night. Only one person was there, a security officer. Oh, I felt his warmth, I practically tasted the meat. I was driven crazy! I broke the glass wall into the store. It was amazingly easily and I didn’t get cut at all. The man looked shocked and point his flashlight straight in my face. I then charged through the clothes and other products, at an inhuman speed. He barely had enough time to react. Then, I had forgotten why I was there and fell asleep.

          I was awakened by a police officer the next day. He knew I committed murder, my mouth and hands were stained with blood. “Terrance Shaw. Your under arrest for the murder of Daral Fargo. What in the world did you do? I know you wouldn’t do this under normal circumstances.”

          “I didn’t do it officer, where is he?”

          “...Terrance. You killed this man- the proof’s all over you. Come with me-”

          I was angry, “NO! I’m not a murderer! Leave me alone or-or your going to ask for it!”

          The officer pulled out his gun and said, “Put your hands up!”

          I walked to him and said, “No.”

          Then, he shot me, was I threatening?, no blood came and it all healed immediately. The officer was just as stunned as I. “Please, believe me. I really am sorry.”

          The man handcuffed me, I got loose when in his car. I hated to do it but broke into the front of the car. He yelled at me in fear, “What happened to you! You- you can’t be-”

          “I don’t want to have to kill you? Please, let me off.”

          This wasn’t me at all- something else took over. The scared officer just jumped out of his car while it was moving. He immediately was smashed by a big rig from the other lane. Then I realized, this must stop- I’m becoming Jack. I took the wheel and drove to Syl’s house to confess to her this awful sin.

          “Syl, I did something horrible last night... is there anyway for me to end it all? I know I caused grief in that man’s family, I don’t deserve it.”

          “Oh, dear. Terrance, Jack caused you much suffering. Try to get the jewel tomorrow. Ask Jack sincerely to return to jewel... I’m scared for you.”

          “Ok. I’ll try.”

          That day I went back to the Pawn-n-Earn. I immediately found something- it must’ve been the jewel! It was as big as my palm and it was red like blood, maybe a ruby. I then brought it to Jack. He was furious, “I don’t want to go back- I love having these powers! So what if I have to eat people? You will love it too, as well. I wont return it.”

          “I’ve lost a lot, my parents don’t believe me that it was someone else who killed those people. I want to be me again.”

          “Dammit, you are cute! Ah, fine. It’s about time I...”

          I was thinking, “Yes, now the curse will be lifted!”

          The next day, me and Jack walked to the Sheprd mausoleum. He said the jewel came from the matriarch’s coffin. I thought stealing from a grave was dishonorable. We were in the tomb before that coffin.

          A voice sundered, “Ye hast return my gem? Choose now cursed ones.”

          Jack asked it, “What’ll happen?”

          “Do not- ye shall be damned forever. Do- time shall be reversed till before ye robbed me.”

          Jack reluctantly placed the gem on the coffin. I was curious, about why had he decided to do this. He was smiling at me, warmly this time. Immediately, a brilliant light surrounded us. I blacked out.

          I awoke with my blood’s warmth returned to me. I was better. So, I had to make sure, I had to go to Syl’s house!

          I knocked on her door, there she was with her enchanting smile. She said to me sweetly, “Come in.”    It was as if we first met again.

          I had to ask, “Uh, is there anything about your family I should know, perhaps?”

          “I wouldn’t think so, why do you ask?”

          “I was just wondering.”

          How relieved I was. This time, there will be no more suffering. Maybe, I’ll tell her this story someday.

[tefibetancourt]

despite what some people have thought, tefi didn’t often enjoy being a bitch. she liked to, above all, have a good time. it was hard to have a good time if she was being mean. she liked to be the drunk girl in the club bathroom that complimented the other girls on their outfits and gave unsolicited advice not to contact their ex. she liked to take whatever drug or drink whatever alcohol that would have her soaring all night, so she wouldn’t care if her boyfriend-of-the-moment was flirting with someone else or some jealous weirdo was side-eying her from the corner of the bar. she liked to make a hundred friends in one night and then forget them all by the morning light. tefi did not often enjoy being a bitch. sometimes, however, it was necessary. it was beneficial. it would do her well to remember her anger, because already safiye was looking at her like some wide-eyed prey animal and it tugged at her stupid heartstrings. tefi steeled her nerves, narrowing her eyes to remind her not to be soft. above all, her feelings were hurt. safiye had been a true friend, a rare occurrence for her. to throw her away just as easily as foster did… well, time just proved over and over again that she wasn’t worth much beyond her hair and her face. she just never thought safiye would evidently think the same.

tefi had expected an apology, actually. just not so quickly. safiye had always been a wilting flower, and it seemed ten years on hadn’t changed that. damn it. damn her and the sisterly affection that somehow swirled within her, like a sleeping giant finally awoken. she couldn’t forgive her so easily. wouldn't forgive her. if foster didn’t deserve it, then neither did safiye. crossing her unoccupied hand underneath her bust, she ran her tongue along her top row of teeth as she considered safiye’s apology. “you really don’t know?” tefi asked, a little surprised. she figured foster had told safiye everything, and she was intentionally being cruel by not telling her where foster had fucked off to.  “i don’t hate you.” there was a long list of people that she hated (people who wore camo print, zealots, roman polanski, among many others), but safiye had never been on the list. “i’m just mad at you.” at least she had confirmation that it all hinged on foster. fucking dickhead.

“he fucking left me, saf. that’s what happened. he fucked my best friend, then he fucked off into the night, never to be heard from again.” how many fights between tefi and foster had safiye witnessed? how many times did the couple blow up on each other in front of her? how many times did she come to safiye crying about what an asshole foster was, while deigning to mention how she started the fight by purposefully flirting with another line cook earlier that night. their fights were vicious, screaming themselves hoarse nightly, but he had never left like that before. at least not for long. sometimes he’d run off to go get drunk or crash at a friend’s, but he always came back. until he didn’t. “so, yeah, it hurt that you took his side. that you dropped me like that. you’re not exactly my favorite person in the world, saf, but you’re not him.” and she should consider that a saving grace, tefi mused internally.

@safaksoy

Quivering lip, sweaty palms, dizzy head. Her cut to the chase was completely effective at eliciting all of the signs that pointed to Safiye's anxiety flooding in. More specifically, whenever Tefi started using a more curt tone with anyone, Safiye often felt herself start to clam up and lose her words. It was hard to come to terms with that over a decade later, the older of the two women could still have such impact. If she were to be asked for a single word to describe Estefania Betancourt, Safiye would probably choose 'confident.' Tefi often presented herself like this, like something untouchable—maybe at times unreachable, was what Safiye invasively thought. To be caught in the crosshairs of this woman she used to call her friend was unlocking new tiers of discomfort for Safiye; she hadn't ever known what it meant to be on the receiving end of Tefi's wrath but only that such wrath existed.

As if preparing for battle, Safiye took a deep inhale and balled her fists—to find strength from within, of course. "I'm sorry." It came out weakly, like something in her throat was choking her, preventing anything of greater volume. And then, of course, it fell apart from there. When it was that obvious she had no defense or fight about it, she just accepted it. "I wish there was a better one than...well, than knowing Foster first," she divulged, immediately feeling another lump in her throat form. What more was there to say? It was plain and simple what her choice had been then. This was the follow-through—the consequence of actions she never thought would catch up to her. As far as she knew, when Tefi moved to Los Angeles, she was never going to see her ever again. Whatever mean and cold thing Tefi had to lash back at her with, she was ready. She deserved it for all of her abandonment. There was a sadness that grew in her eyes as she prepared herself again for the battering of a century.

"I actually don't know what happened between you two.. I thought, since we met because of Foster, it was.. I mean.. I just thought...you would eventually hate me, too."

𝐅𝐎𝐑: @tefibetancourt

[with-love-from-hell]

👉👈🥺 Lucifer & MC fluff with prompt 16 "What are you doing up at this hour?"

You know me all too well Bun. Seriously this was such a good one to write. 🤌

Prompt #16: "What are you doing up at this hour?"

Character(s) featured: Lucifer

Genre: Fluff

Written for Gn!Mc

Cw: lesson 16+ spoilers, nightmares

Lucifer jolted awake out of a dead sleep. Beads of sweat littered his brow and chest, his breathing ragged and uncontrolled. It took a few moments for the vision of Mc's lifeless form and the sound of Belphie's distorted laughter to leave his brain as his eyes adjusted to his dark room.

Another nightmare.

Lucifer ran his hands through his hair. It had been a nearly nightly occurrence since the incident well over a month ago, but somehow the dreams kept getting worse as time went on. Each one became more and more graphic, little details were added that didn't even happen, and they became longer and more inescapable. He had tried everything to cease them, but nothing seemed to work.

Once he regained control of his breathing, he swung his legs off the edge of the bed and got up to move around. As he tired a robe over his mostly-exposed body, he glanced at his alarm clock.

2:58am- On a Saturday, no less. He sighed. These horrid dreams were really ruining the little sleep he did manage to get. He figured he'd get an early start to his day, despite only having slept for 3 hours.

He made his way down to the kitchen, stretching his arms and torso as he crept through the deathly silent house. As he descended the stairs, he heard the gentle clink of items being moved around in the kitchen. He gave an exasperated sigh. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Beelzebub raiding the fridge again. But to his shock, as he rounded the corner, he saw you leaning against the center island, watching a teapot on the stove.

"Hmm..? Mc?" He yawned as he approached you, noticing the deep purple bags under your eyes and the dour expression on your face when you turned to him. "What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." You sigh, returning your gaze to the pot. It was almost as if you were mind-willing it to become hotter with how intensely you stared at it.

He paused for a moment, quirking an eyebrow at you. After a long silence, you noticed his expression and realized you hadn't answered his question. "Oh...sorry. I dont think im fully awake. I came down to make some tea for sleep because I had a bad dream."

Lucifer blinks back his surprise. "A bad dream?"

You nod sheepishly. "Yeah. They've been happening a lot since...everything."

Lucifer's expression softens. "I'm sorry to hear."

"What about you?"

He freezes, his cheeks glowing slightly pink. He was too embarrassed to admit he experienced the same thing. "I...just couldn't sleep. I figured I would make some tea for myself as well."

The pot begins to scream as the water inside reaches a boil. Lucifer aids you in making two cups of tea, abandoning his original plan of making himself some coffee to take to his office. He chats with you quietly as he walks you back up to your room, both of you with your respective tea in hand. Just as you wish him goodnight and go to shut your door, he stops you.

"Mc...would you feel more comfortable having someone to watch over you while you sleep? Given the dreams you've been having, that is." His face burns hot with nervousness at the question, giving away his ulterior motive to have you come to bed with him. Its not like he didn't want to provide comfort for you, its just this killed two birds with one stone in his mind.

You smile. "Yeah...actually that would be quite nice."

You follow him back to his room and he helps you into his bed before scooting in along side you. You sit up for awhile, sipping from your cups and continuing small talk, until the sleepy time tea begins to hit you hard. You yawn deeply, setting the cup down and snuggling into place. To Lucifer's shock, you drape your arm over his abdomen and clutch him tightly, nuzzling into his chest.

"Goodnight Lucifer...and thanks again. This really is nice." You muse as your eyes flutter closed, slowly drifting back to sleep.

He sits still in shock for a moment, but slowly eases into your touch. It felt...nice. something tingles in his chest- a feeling that he couldn't quite describe. But it made the frustration and sorrow from his dream fade into the background. He eases down into the pillow, wrapping his arms around you in return.

"Goodnight, Mc." He whispers into your hair, giving a soft peck on the top of your head. He found his eyes unusually heavy as he too began to drift back to sleep. Whats more, he found that his dreams were filled with pleasurable visuals for the first time in weeks.

[jilliannotfound]

prepare for a long ask (i’m sorry)

my brain is very full so hear me out-

dream smp casino/mafia au-

now i was at first thinking Kinoko kingdom (karlnapity) are the owners of the casino cause yk Las Nevadas Quackity but then i remembered “Syndicate” (by Derivakat) which has a jazzy vibe and was like, what if the Syndicate was a mafia ‘family’ that ran a casino and reader is their star performer who starts off every night with a performance of “Syndicate”. reader’s performance is used to kinda establish the Syndicate’s power over the casino and to remind the patrons anything they do will be under the scrutiny of a mafia with literally two of the most renowned mafiosos’ (Philza whose reputation of traveling all over and taking down many a mafia family precedes him and Technoblade who has taken down mafia families singlehandedly) in the city, maybe even the entire country.

the Eggpire is like a rival mafia that is trying to take control over the city so it isn’t uncommon for them to try and infiltrate the Syndicate casino. so i was thinking, what if the people who are Pro-Omlette (but not in the Syndicate so Puffy, Foolish (since it’s not confirmed he’s part of the Syndicate), Awesamdude and Eret) are staff at the casino. they were each like a lone agent after their mafia family split up/they left and decided to join forces with the Syndicate to make sure the Eggpire didn’t gain total control of the city. Maybe Sam is a bodyguard stationed either outside the casino or manning security cameras switching with Puffy, Eret can be like a stage manager/backstage to aid the performers and make sure no one sneaks into the dressing rooms or the light control area backstage and Foolish is like a bartender keeping an eye out on the main floor of the casino for any activity.

Dream was the former head of the well-renowned Dream Team mafia family until the family split. he’s notorious for breaking apart mafia families before disappearing into the night and traveling to a new city. occasionally he’ll hire some aid but they never last long.

Ponk used to be an on-sight medic for the casino in cause of bar fights or performers getting injured on stage but after many rumors (later confirmed to be true) of him being a member of the Eggpire he was fired and not allowed to enter the premise of the casino again.

Kinoko Kingdom was a rival casino/mafia family to the Syndicate’s but they’ve decided to have a truce to make sure Dream and/or the Eggppire don’t take over their city. Their casinos have different vibes with the Syndicate’s being more of a hub for mafia and business activity with jazzy music on the constant and famous for civilized and tame yet very entertaining entertainment whilst Kinoko’s casino is like more of a rowdy type casino, famous for high stake bets, drinks with high alcohol content and lively music and entertainment that can be seen as a bit too glitzy and tacky. Like you go to Syndicate casino for a night of business deals and building yourself up to the top, the type of casino you would bring your boss to, whilst the Kinoko casino is the type of casino you go to let loss and risk it all with cheap entertainment and even cheaper booze. their truce works out because their casinos are so different that competition wouldn’t be worth the cash (and the Syndicate knows they can easily take on the Kinoko mafia in a fight but shhhh)

there’s multiple places a reader character could fight but as a primarily Technoblade simp at heart i had to put reader as a performer in the Syndicate casino-

~🦫Anon (if this title isn’t already taken-)

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕖

DSMP x Reader (in-game)

Summary: Request

Warnings: None?

A/N: Okay… I have a few important things to say. First of all, this story is not completed. This request is so genuinely good and I have been trying to work on it for far too long and have had very little success. With that being said I still want to publish the small bit of this story that I’m proud of.

Second of all, I would like any other dsmp writers on this platform to feel free to take this request and perhaps do with it what I wasn’t able to. If you write this story, please tag me because I’d love to see what you do with it. You can also use this bit I have written and am sharing to start off your own version of the story (just give proper credit)!

With all of that out of the way, please enjoy!

—

The Syndicate. One of the highest-end casinos in the country, and certainly the most powerful, being run by two of the best-known mafiosos.

Philza was best known for his travel, being able to track down anyone anywhere and take care of them.

Technoblade was easily the scariest man you could meet. He’d single-handedly taken down more mafia families at the age of 21 than most senior-aged mafiosos could even dream of.

It was rare to see either of the men in the casino, let alone to see them together, so when the pair came through the doors with power in their steps everyone knew something serious was in order.

They took their seats at the bar as Foolish prepared their drinks and Eret directed the casino's attention to the stage.

This performance was a nightly occurrence, the same jazzy tune came from the band's instruments as Y/N emerged from the curtain.

Hey, I'll tell you a little secret of mine

If you promise not to tell, if you have the time

Everyone has gotten you, always on the run

But if you join the Syndicate

Life could get a little more fun

It was the song of the casino, used to remind everyone just how much power it holds.

When all of the horses and all of the men

Won't learn from history, it's all the same in the end

I've told you once and I'll tell you again

The Syndicate is looking for a couple new friends

It reminds the patrons of the casino that no matter what they do, the Syndicate is always watching, studying each of them in hopes of finding some new friends.

Fight for freedom, fight to end the pain

Hey, this is serious, it's not just some little game

'Cause the anarchy's part of me, tyranny bothers me

End it all properly once and for all

They call us the villains 'cause they know we'll take the fall

The members of the Syndicate were a force to be reckoned with, composed of strong fighters and quick thinkers constantly working to take down anyone that dare stand in their way.

The Eggpire was their current concern. Run by a man named BadBoyHalo, the Eggpire was a whole other breed of mafiosos.

They preached about the Egg, whatever the hell that was supposed to be, and always wore a signature red color that made them easy to spot. Sometimes you could even swear there was a red glint in their eyes when talking about it.

After the incident with Ponk, their old medic that got caught up in the red whirlwind, the Syndicate became extra wary of the Eggpire, willing to do just about anything to take them down.

This is exactly why the two most powerful men were sitting together at the Syndicate’s bar with their eyes locked on the stage.

Fight for freedom, fight to end the pain

Hey, this is serious, it's not just some little game

'Cause the anarchy's part of me, tyranny bothers me

End it all properly once and for all

They call us the villains 'cause they know we'll take the fall

When all of the horses and all of the men

Won't learn from history, it's all the same in the end

I've told you once and I'll tell you again

The Syndicate is looking for a couple new friends

Oh, a couple new friends

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh no, no

You'll gain a couple new friends

As the jazzy instrumentals faded out, Eret poked his head out of the curtain on the side of the stage, gesturing for the resident singer to come backstage.

Y/N smiled at the audience and walked through the velvet barrier to be greeted by the deep-voiced brunette.

“Did you see who’s out there tonight?” They asked him.

“That's why I called you, they wanna see you.”

Y/N took a deep breath and headed out onto the main floor.

They’d been part of the Syndicate for most of their life and knew they weren’t in any danger near Techno and Phil, but the anxiety still pounded in their head as they approached the men.

Y/N sat on the stool next to Technoblade and the two turned their stools to face them.

“Lovely performance!” Phil praised

They shot him a kind smile and braced themself for the inevitable harsh news that would follow the attempted small talk.

“We need you to do something.” Techno said bluntly. “You know Las Nevadas?”

“Yeah, of course.”

It was another casino ran by Kinoko Kingdom, another mafia family. They used to be considered one of the biggest threats to the Syndicate because they had quite literally appeared overnight and nobody knew anything. Once the Eggpire popped up though, it was safest to become fast friends with the three men that ran Las Nevadas in hopes of strengthening their forces against the red abomination infecting families all over.

“We had a meeting with Quackity and he’s got a bad feeling about some guests that have been stopping by their area. It’s a shitty casino, we all know that, but he thinks it’s more than just some random troublemakers.”

…

:]

[fatebinds]

leon makes it a point to keep his head down whenever he's out in public, shoulders rounded and slouching, eyes quick to leave anything they linger upon for too long. normally, that suits him just fine. people don't tend to want to approach him either way, whether because they recognize him—thankfully a rare occurrence—or because he makes him uninterested enough. he just picks up something and puts it down somewhere else for many long hours and tries not to flinch whenever someone from higher up speaks to him. tonight he's managed it, but that only seems to make them think that he's in a good place to fill in for someone else. it's still stocking. he's just stocking stalls instead of warehouses. in this case, starting the nightly routine of taking things back in for the night. most have left the boardwalk by now, if they're not a part of the crew, leaving him in comfortable solitude. like all good things, it never lasts. he's turned away when the stranger first addresses him, shoulders stiffening before he can build up the nerve to turn around. "uh..." he starts, standing up and nearly striking his head on top of the stall. "i don't know, i'm just filling in. you'd have to ask someone who works the weekend. but between you and me... yeah, i like it better this way."

Who: Cleric and Leon (@fatebinds Where: The Boardwalk, Evening

The Boardwalk, the docks where decrepit structures creak in the salty sea breeze and the old wooden planks underfoot offer no guarantee of remaining intact as Cleric stomped across them in his half-calf, belted boots. Black, form-fitting jeans rested lower than they should've on his waist, tucked into those boots as he wondered what annoyance had burrowed into his brain to take him there that evening.

He was not a child, nor was he particularly interested in trying to place his faith in any creaking machinery. He was rather like a dog who didn't like getting into cars when it came to roller coasters, ferris wheels and the like. Not enough control, but that was what he was looking for. That was what he was always looking for. If there was a place that wasn't the usual bar (and he was avoiding bars in general right now on the off-chance that he would run into Ira or any of his coworkers in the middle of another celebration and notice that he was half a digit shorter than he was last they saw him) where people liked to be lonely, it was carnivals and faires. Seaside pictures from the 50s of sharing egg creams (he thought) and kissing in the screeching metal deathtrap that hung them over the frothy depths.

He approached one of the lesser-populated stands, leaning on the counter as though he was in the middle of a conversation with whomever was working behind it. Arms covered in long maroon sleeves that reached over his knuckles folded over themselves absently as icy blue eyes looked into the dimly-lit evening sights. "I'm guessing it's a little more exciting on the weekends." He suggested with a deep voice and its British accent, addressing that aforementioned person on the other side of the counter. "But then, I'd think nights like this are preferable, aye?"

[dodo-begone]

You a Pig Fucker?

Pairing: Yandere!Techno x Reader

Request: Hey I love your writing especially the yandere ones I was wondering if you could some yandere technoblade headcannons

Word Count: 2.1k words

Warning: yandere, unhealthy behaviors, Death, Zombies, Mentions of war, mentions of scars

A/n: sorry I made this into a fic but in bullet format. Hope you still enjoy!

Your first encounter with him is on the outskirts of your village. You’re collecting some flowers to make flower crowns for the children. And there he is; a gigantic… something standing on the path to your village. It was half pig, but half man all at the same time. It perplexed you. A thing like him hadn’t appeared at the village before, so he was a new experience to you. As the ever curious person you are, you go and investigate you. After talking to him for a bit, he tells you he’s there for some trading, you lead him to the village as you chit chat. You’re the first one to trust him.

He eventually just comes because he wants to visit you. For someone so naive and bubbly, you’re a refreshing presence from the chaos of the Dream smp. You wouldn’t survive a day outside your village, but he wished so badly to take you on an adventure to show you the world. Not the Dream smp, but the world outside your village. The safe part of the world.

He eventually just comes because he wants to visit you. For someone so naive and bubbly, you’re a refreshing presence from the chaos of the Dream smp. You wouldn’t survive a day outside your village, but he wished so badly to take you on an adventure to show you the world. Not the Dream smp, but the world outside your village. The safe part of the world.

He eventually just comes because he wants to visit you. For someone so naive and bubbly, you’re a refreshing presence from the chaos of the Dream smp. You wouldn’t survive a day outside your village, but he wished so badly to take you on an adventure to show you the world. Not the Dream smp, but the world outside your village. The safe part of the world.

Soon he’s called back to the Dream smp by an ally for some stupid fight that they could’ve done on their own. It was a quick task, why was Techno needed again? Though them being on his front door and trying to drag him away made him relent. And so he, begrudgingly, went to the Dream smp to destroy whatever government or enemy who dared offend or go against his friend/ally. He left without ever saying goodbye to you.

Without knowing what happened to Techno, you waited outside the village in your little flowerfield, waiting for Carl and Techno to make their way down the path to you. But they never come. At the beginning of your little “stake out”, the village children wait with you. Playing with each other and making little flower crowns with you while you scanned the horizon every other moment for your friends. Days passed like this, and about a week in, most of the children went back to playing in the village with each other. Some of the other, more mellow children, waited with you. Then the days turn to weeks, turn to months, and you give up actively waiting for him in the field. If he were coming back, he’d know where you are.

A little over a year passes before Techno can even properly get home. The other visits had only been little pit-stops to grab some supplies before hurrying back to the hustle and bustle of war. But no matter how much time passed, he never stopped thinking about you. How you must’ve missed him so much. Or worried for his safety. Just waiting at the village for him to come for you. And then you two could have such a nice life. He’d finally be in retirement. He hopes you weren’t angry at him.

So once he’s properly home, he hurries over to the village and frantically searches for you. Asking the villagers if you were still there and where you were. They’d all give a different location, but it was all in the village. He still had hope! When he does find you though, it isn’t pleasant.

You’re standing at the town center with most of the village children around you. Flower crowns were being crafted between y’all. It felt nostalgic. The first time he met you, you were making a flower crown for the kids. And you’re still doing it! It’s such a sweet sight, a domestic sight. He goes to walk over to you though, and a greeting forming on his lips.

But the children scream, looking at him in fear. Now hold up he knows he’s scary and doesn’t look the best, but he couldn’t have gotten that bad since he last came here. Right? The children alert you, and your panicked eyes meet his. There’s faint recognition in them, but you don’t acknowledge him.

He stops, and everyone scatters. Screams echo across the village, children run between adults towards their houses as the adults fumble around, trying to get their shops closed in the mayhem. Honestly he had no clue what was going on. You were shocked, frozen in place by his presence. Oh god please tell him the rumors of him spread here too-

One of the villagers goes and grabs you, dragging you back into one of the houses. You don’t look happy about that. If anything, it made you more panicked. Couldn’t that villager see what he was doing to you?? You’re getting hurt, scared by them. Let them go!

He charges toward you in an attempt to save you. But some of the older village men ran up to him with any weapon they could. Many had swords, which was an odd thing. When he came here many months ago, they barely had two swords for the entire village. And now almost everybody had one? Heh? What’s going on here?

They chase him out of town and into the woods a far distance away from the village. The audacity of them. Do they not remember who he is? Know who he is? He’s Technoblad, the blood god. Ring a bell? Yet they didn’t care when he tried to tell them who he was. Their parting words were a threat about him coming back to the village. On how’d they kill him and roast him in front of the entire village.

What the hell is their problem?

Later that day, you sneak out of the village to talk to him. You do your best to explain the mood change in the village since he left. Apparently a few weeks after he left, the village got attacked by a group of raiders. Which was bad in itself, but then some odd occurrences started to happen afterwards. There were zombie attacks on the village, which was only something told in stories from the elders. You had presumed they were little tales to get children to stay in line, but you were very mistaken. It wasn’t even a one time occurrence either! It happened almost every night. And other inhuman things came and attacked the village, taking out the far outskirts of the village. So anyone or anything that wasn’t a member of your village was an enemy.

A moment of silence followed your somber news. Techno’s coughing interrupted it though. And you asked what he had been up to since you last saw him. He began his tale about the most recent war he was involved in. Oh he even got a new scar! You were enamored by it, but noticeably less than before. The tale was told in such a nonchalant and humorous way, it was like child’s play. But you’ve now seen the horrors of death before your very eyes, the effects for warfare. So these tales were becoming less like fun little stories and more of the morbid accounts they actually were.

Once he was done explaining his adventures, he asked what you had been doing. Not just the village. You, as an individual, what have you been doing?

You tell of how life didn’t differ much. Visits to the meadow were still common, even with the danger. The children still followed you out too. They wanted to make flower crowns. But the other villagers were worried for the safety of you and the children, so you were sent with protection. One of the village boys went out with you every day along with the children. There was one limitation to everything though; you couldn’t stay out past sunset. That’s when these monsters appeared and attacked the village.

Then you nonchalantly mention how you really like the guy. It was someone you hadn’t really had a chance to talk to. He was the blacksmith’s son. A really strong guy, the silent type. You didn’t mind that, it just allowed you to chat more. To make up for his silence. And he said he really enjoyed it. And oh did you tell him that you got engaged to him? Yeah look, here’s the ring!! You hold up your hand, and on your left hand is a shiny ring.

His world falls apart. Wait, you were his. Why did you go to someone else while he was away? You kept babbling along about this guy, who he didn’t really care about. He felt betrayed. You didn’t wait for him… Why didn’t you wait? He’d always come back to you.

Sunset comes much sooner than either of you anticipated. You rush out a “goodbye” to Techno before you run back towards the village. At the entrance is some guy. He waves as you, and you run right into his arms. And you give him a kiss. You’re giggling as this shitty man swings you around. Hand-in-hand, you two walk off into the safety of the village.

Your peace couldn’t last forever. Techno would have made sure that your life was lived in luxury and yet you had this audacity to do this to him. To choose a nobody over him? He could provide for you! Give you all the attention you wanted! Even protect you. That guy probably can’t even lift a damn sword! Look he’ll show you that he’s the only choice.

During the nightly zombie siege, he walks in like he fucking owns the place. Some of the zombies attack him, but they go down in a small hit. They’re weak creatures compared to somebody like him. He stalks around the village, looking or any sign of you. The zombies are stronger than he thought or this village was much weaker than he originally thought. Now this? Another reason why you should just leave with him.

Your screams of terror echo across the village, and Techno frantically looks around for you. The zombies could attack such a defenseless thing like you. Come on where are you? Fortunately for Techno, you run right into him. You give him a tight hug around his waist, tears staining the fabric under your face. Some zombies are following you, but they’re very easy to take out.

He looks in the direction you came from though and saw the real issue. That fucking guy. Uh, Techno didn’t even want to refer to him by a name because he was that unimportant. He wasn’t going to be living much longer anyways. That guy you were with? Yeah he was surrounded by zombies, struggling to fight them off. But he did, so bravo for him. Though it was a pitiful job. Here, let Techno show you how it’s done.

He unlatches your arms from around him and walks toward this “fiance” of yours. The guy looks in your direction and runs towards you, yelling your name. Like you were in danger. You were in danger alright. In danger because of this fucking guy. He couldn’t keep you safe. See how easy it is to take him down?

He looks over at you for validation for his actions, but he sees absolute terror. And then he remembers what he did. Oh yeah, i guess skewering your sword through the body of your lover’s “lover” isn’t exactly a pleasant sight. But see? He’s such a better option! If this “fiance” were able to protect you, he’d be able to defend himself against Techno. Now come on, let’s go home.

And then you’re dragged away from your village and to the empty tundra. The last sight you get of your village is it falling under the zombie siege. Yells and screams emanate from the town. But the further you get from it, the quieter it gets. Until there’s no sound coming from the village anymore.

[espressokiri]

Can I request Aizawa with a popular hero s/o? Class 1-A loves them and goes crazy when they find out he’s married to their idol.

Aizawa x GN!reader

In which reader is Aizawa's married partner and is popular with crowds and loved by class 1-A.

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Note: (H/n) = Hero name

Being a man who savoured his alone time, mostly spending it catching up with sleep due to his hectic scheduling of night patrol and teaching students, he was surprised to have fallen for a colleague who fell into the spotlight and enamoured everyone they came in contact with. They were the prime example of ‘opposites attract’ and it was oddly endearing. 

Y/n always emitted a comforting energy around them, their soft and nurturing nature drawing admirers and fans, hence shooting their rank in the Heroes poll right under the popular winged hero. Despite their popularity due to their personality, their strong ability to maneuver their quirk and quick thinking under stressful situations had gained them respect with both civilians and heroes.

Because of the awareness that Aizawa does not enjoy the spotlight, Y/n had always arrived to their shared home in secrecy to avoid paparazzi and crazed fans from finding out their humble abode, a comfortable one bedroom modern apartment that was perfect for the pair of them. Their odd schedules seemed to clash but the couple always made it work, sometimes sacrificing each other’s sleep to be able to spend time with the other -usually Y/n as they know Aizawa lacks enough sleep already.

“Sweetheart, it’s time for you to wake up.” Y/n whispers softly, leaning over Aizawa and tracing their forefinger around his facial features, easing him awake. A groan rumbles in the man’s throat before he slowly opens his eyes, a soft smile taking over as he’s met with the worried gaze of his partner. “Good morning.” Aizawa’s voice rasps out, throat dry from just waking up.

“Morning, my love.”

Aizawa takes their hand that was on his face and places it on his lips, giving it a peck before letting go.

“Breakfast is ready.” Y/n informs before trudging out of the room, leaving a sighing Aizawa as he dreaded dealing with a bunch of chaotic teenagers. 

When Aizawa came out freshened up and dressed in his hero uniform, he was met with Y/n leaning on the kitchen counter in their pyjamas, sipping on coffee in their favourite mug and focussing on their phone. Y/n had a late start in the morning for their shift in the agency, so they tried making the most of their morning.

Aizawa walked towards them, placing both hands on the counter, confining them in between his arms. Y/n raised an eyebrow at his approach, placing their phone away and looking at him while having the rim of the mug on their lips as they took a sip. “Need anything?” A smirk played on their lips as Aizawa scoffed at their question, swiftly swooping down and placing a kiss on their lips. 

Y/n placed their mug on the counter, besotted in the affection their partner was showcasing. Aizawa brought his hands to their hips and helped them up onto the counter, slotting himself in between them with both hands on their thighs. Y/n ran their hand through his hair as they gazed at each other with deep longing and understanding. “You don’t have much time.” Y/n murmured, leaning their head onto his shoulder, placing a soft kiss on his neck, making goosebumps arise on the touched skin.

“I know, I’m enjoying while I can.” Aizawa sighed, grabbing the mug Y/n had placed aside and taking a sip from it. Y/n let out a sound of disapproval, “you have your own coffee right there!” They pointed at the steaming mug placed on the kitchen table.

“Just giving yours a try.” He shrugged, a smile on his lips as he grabbed his mug and leaned back against the counter in between Y/n’s legs. Y/n ran their fingers through his hair, untangling the knots he seemed to not have brushed out. “I have patrol till six today, I won’t be home when you come back from work.” Y/n spoke.

Aizawa had his eyes closed as he savoured the warm beverage and the calm feeling of his partner working on his hair. “That’s alright, be sure to eat dinner early. Stay safe.” Aizawa was upset that they didn’t even get weekends to spend together to do normal couple things, it was a rare occurrence for both their schedules to align.

When Aizawa did enter his homeroom classroom, facing the rowdy students of class 1-A, he stumbled upon a conversation between Mineta and Kaminari, “(H/n) is so cool! I can’t believe they aren’t higher up in the hero rankings, they have an amazing record of defeating villains!” Kaminari gushed. 

“Forget that! Do you see how sexy they look? With that sweet nature of theirs, I’m sure they must be so submiss-” Bindings wrapped around the short grape boy as Aizawa held a menacing glare, the class hushing with the sudden change in mood.

“It would do you good not to speak of my partner in such a vulgar manner.”

A beat of silence was held before the class erupted in excitement and confusion, “partner?!”

Ashido raised her hand up high and wiggled it around before Aizawa sighed and beckoned her to speak, “sensei! Are romantically involved with (H/n)?!” 

There he’s done it, Aizawa was aware of his class idolizing Y/n and now he’s gotten his privacy breached. “Yes, we are married.”

Ensue more shock and raised hands.

After a gruelling day of being interrogated by his students and teaching, Aizawa made his way home before he would start his nightly patrol. Shoving the keys in the lock, he opened the door and let himself inside, upset that he would be home alone for the remainder of his time.

“Ah, shit!”

Aizawa froze as he heard the sound coming from the bathroom, eyes glancing towards the clock in the kitchen. Y/n wasn’t supposed to be home yet. He rushed his way into the bathroom to come across Y/n with a gash on the side of their head which they were tending to.

“What happened?!”

Y/n jumped at the sudden loud noise, turning around and finding their husband with a worried gaze settled onto their wound. “Nothing serious, I got caught off guard because of that stupid birdbrain of a hero.” Y/n waved it off, scoffing when they mentioned Hawks. Aizawa held their face in between his hands as he inspected the wound, it wasn’t deep but it would need to be cared for.

As Aizawa cleaned the blood around the wound and disinfected it, he brought up the incident today. “My class also really wants to meet you.” 

Y/n was aware of how much Aizawa adored his class, despite not wording it and pretending they were a lot of work. “I’d love to meet them too! I’m free tomorrow if you’d like.” Y/n offered. Aizawa swallowed nervously, “tomorrow sounds good.” Y/n had never visited U.A. while Aizawa was working, and he was nervous about the whole ordeal. 

To say he was nervous was an understatement, Aizawa kept glancing at the classroom door as he was teaching, wondering when they’d come in and how things would go. It wasn’t like him to be nervous but perhaps he wanted to show Y/n how well he could handle kids like they could.

As he monitored the class doing their worksheets, the door slid open revealing Y/n holding a small bento in their hands. “It’s (H/n)!” The class were bouncing with excitement and squeals could be heard. Y/n gave a friendly wave to the class as they made their way to Aizawa, giving him a kiss on the cheek, riling the students up more, before placing the bento box on his desk.

“Hello class 1-A! It’s great to finally meet you!” Y/n gave their brightest smile as they were excited to meet Aizawa’s ‘problem children’. They seemed to be a lively bunch with unique appearances, it was very endearing to see teenagers with bright smiles and a strong heart. 

“How’d you meet Aizawa sensei, (H/n)?” Ashido had questioned, buzzing with excitement as she gazed over what the hero was wearing. “You guys can call me Y/n.” Y/n winked, “also we met back in high school, but we were acquaintances until he started working with an underground agency and I gained the courage to ask him out.” 

“If Aizawa sensei can get someone like Y/n, then there’s still hope for us!” Kaminari wailed, a glare pointed at him by his teacher.

Y/n snickered, “despite his rugged appearance, he’s quite the charmer.” They praised, causing the girls in the class to swoon at the sweet words. 

“So Shota, are you going to show me how strong your class really is?”

Ground Beta never seemed to get awfully torn down when Y/n was in U.A., but it seems that Aizawa’s class held destructive and strong quirks that left their mouth wide open at the power a bunch of teenagers held. Especially the three Aizawa had mentioned once or twice in passing; Todoroki Shoto, Bakugou Katsuki, and Midoriya Izuku.

“Here dear, let’s get you hydrated.” Y/n handed Uraraka a bottle of water as the girl looked nauseas from the overuse of her quirk. “T-thank you!” Uraraka bowed timidly before shakily grabbing the bottle, Y/n just gave her a gentle smile and ruffled her hair, “you were so cool Uraraka, and your hero suit is adorable.” A fiery blush erupted on the girl’s face at the compliment and affectionate touch.

“What do you think of my quirk?!” An overexcited Kaminari ran over to the two, seeing his idol praise Uraraka had him craving for approval from the hero. “It’s very powerful, Kaminari! You’re doing great with the limited usage as well to not overwhelm yourself!” Y/n pinched his cheek, a slight static grazing the pads of their fingers as the blonde was jittering with joy. 

“Stop hogging her Denki!” Jirou had shoved the blonde away, “Jirou! I’m so excited to be seeing more of your quirk in use! I love how calm you are while IN action!” 

“Y/n! Can we train together?”

“Yeah! I wanna see what it’s like fighting a real pro!”

Y/n grinned at their enthusiasm and agreed, all of class A seemed to have brightened up and tried their best to show off to their idol.

Aizawa was watching from a distance, a soft smile on his lips as he watched his partner interact with his students. They were always good with kids, especially teenagers, as they claimed all the kids ever want is someone to listen to them and understand their thought process. Maybe he would bring Y/n along often to training during their off days.