#can you imagine if all we got was the start of the fight & the aftermath

[osaemu]

GOJO SATORU: ❛❛ MEET ME IN THE AFTERGLOW ❜❜

.ೃ࿐ post-sukuna fight: no victory comes without a loss, and his win came at the cost of his eyesight

contents: fem!reader. some combination of hurt/comfort, angst, and fluff.

author's note: inspired by levi at the end of aot ꨄ︎

7:58 PM

satoru gojo had always had the best eyes. sorcerer, curse, human – you could search the whole world, and nobody else would even come close.

but the aftermath of satoru's fight with sukuna changed everything. after a long, painful battle, satoru came out on top, but at a great cost. his eyes.

dying wishes are powerful, especially from a curse as strong as sukuna. right before the king of curses was done for, he pooled everything he had left into a final attack to ensure that satoru gojo would never be the same. he succeeded.

now, almost a week after the fight, long after the dust settled and peace had reclaimed the jujutsu society, satoru still insists on wearing his blindfold around the clock.

no matter what you try or how you ask, he stubbornly refuses let you see underneath. actually, it'd be more accurate to say that he doesn't respond at all. after all, to your dismay, he's a master at avoiding questions and delaying answers.

you weren't even sure if there was any change to how he looked. maybe he looked the exact same underneath. maybe he had a couple scars. fuck, for all you knew he didn't even have eyes at all anymore.

you just wish he would let you see the new him. he doesn't even have it that bad – thanks to six-eyes, he can still see the silhouettes of cursed energy. and he wore a blindfold most days anyway, so it wasn't too much of a change.

which is why you weren't sure why he wouldn't just take the damn blindfold off.

"satoru, please let me see," you beg, tugging at his shirt sleeve. "i miss your pretty face. and honestly, who wears a blindfold to bed?"

he laughs at your incredulous question, but it sounds forced and unnatural. satoru tugs his arm away and waves you off. "let me take a shower, 'kay? i just got out of work, and i'm probably covered in germs."

you hate this new satoru – the one who won't let you get too close or even see his face anymore. he just won't open up to you, and it's frustrating. "satoru, please? let me in."

at the sound of your pleading voice, satoru rests one hand on the bathroom door and sighs before turning around to face you. he's smiling, but it seems so off – like all his smiles do nowadays.

"you try'n to watch me shower, sweetheart?" he cracks, running a hand through his hair. "i know you love seeing me naked, but-"

"satoru." 

"get off my dick," he grumbles lightly, before strolling into the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. maybe you imagine it, but you could swear that you hear the soft click of a lock turning.

10:34 PM

"good night, sweetheart," satoru mumbles, pressing his lips to your shoulder and rolling over onto his side. he still has his blindfold on, and the almost undetectable glow eminating from his skin shows that he has a very subtle form of limitless active.

it's been like this every night.

"satoru, can we talk?" you whisper, trailing a hand through his damp white hair. "please?"

"is it about the blindfold?"

"obviously."

he sighs and rolls over again to face you, the soft glow fading from his skin. "give it a rest, yeah?" he says, exasperated. "i'm not ready for anyone to see."

"satoru, even you don't know what your eyes look like under the blindfold," you murmur. "and do you really trust me that little?"

he lifts one of his hands and rests it on your shoulder, thumb tracing circles as he leans in and says "of course i trust you."

you shake your head and sit up, pressing your back against the headboard. "no, you don't."

"then why'd you as-"

"why do you sleep with limitless on now?" you interject, crossing your arms. "what happened to 'i never have limitless on around you'?" you whisper, quoting something he told you when you two first starting dating. back when he could look you in the eye.

satoru sighs again and sits up alongside you. "you know why."

"you seriously think i'd do that?"

"i..." he trails off, slipping a finger underneath his blindfold to rub one of his eyes. "i don't know. all i know is that i'm not ready for anyone to see me like... this." 

"satoru, you can't keep running away from everyone forever," you say, shaking your head again. "you-"

"i know, i know," he mutters. "it's not that simple."

he's stubborn – he always has been. and you're mostly used to it, which is why you know that the best way to get satoru to change his mind on something is to ease him into it instead of pushing and shoving.

so you switch gears, and instead of arguing more you reach out and take his hand. "what are you afraid of?"

"nothing. i'm the strongest," satoru replies automatically. the response sounds so automated, so pre-written that you can't help but smile. 

"okay," you say neutrally, trying to reword your question. "why don't you want to show me what your eyes look like? you've haven't even seen them yourself."

satoru smiles sourly and his hands curl into white-knuckled fists around the bedsheets. "and i never will. i'm blind now, remember, sweetheart?" his words are laced with bitterness, even (and especially) in the final word. 

but it wasn't you who satoru was resentful towards. it was himself. 

how could he have so foolishly let down his guard before sukuna was confirmed to be dead? how could he let his characteristic arrogance get the better of him? he made the same mistake when he was a teen, and now he's done it again as the strongest – although this event may have stripped him of his title.

a mixture of emotions crosses what little you can see of his face, and it's now more than ever that you wish you could be there for him. 

but he's the only one alive who knows what it's like to be the strongest.

so as much as you wish you could tell him that everything's going to be okay and that he'll always be the strongest, you know damn well that you don't know and that he might not be.

somehow, this conversation has evolved from your desire to see his face to something more.

a silent, mutual understanding passes between you and satoru, and the thickness in the air slowly dissolves. 

"sorry," you breathe. "i was being selfish, wasn't i?"

satoru shakes his head, a smile growing on his face. "nah, you're right. i don't even know what i look like."

he lifts a hand and slips his thumb underneath his blindfold, and after a brief moment of hesitation, slides it off.

to your surprise, satoru looks more or less the same. his eyes aren't cloudy and they still glow with that familiar bright blue. the only difference, which was expected, was how his eyes didn't quite settle on you. they were pointed in your direction, but his eyes didn't entirely focus on you.

"so?" satoru asks, running a finger over his eyes. "how bad is it?"

"satoru, you look the same."

he blinks and doesn't answer for a second, as if he's processing the information. "really?" he asks, an unreadable expression on his face.

"yep."

"oh. well, that was anticlimactic," satoru says with a lopsided grin. he leans forward and scoots down from his spot against the headboard, laying his head on a pillow and pulling you on top of his chest. "my bad."

"you idiot," you mumble, pressing your face into his neck. "i didn't get to see your pretty face for a whole week."

"ah, i believe it was only six days."

"and satoru, you even turned on limitless at night! the hell would i even do? cut your blindfold off in the middle of the night?" you grumble, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. "and i can't believe that the only reason you didn't want to show me your face is because you thought you weren't pretty anymore!"

satoru grins lazily and rests one of his hands on your waist, slipping a finger under the waistband of your shorts and idly rubbing your skin.  "keep venting, sweetheart. it's cute."

he laughs when you swat him with another pillow and pulls you in for a long kiss. and that's when you know that things might never go back to how they were in satoru's glory days. 

but as the night falls and slips away in satoru's arms, you think that maybe, just maybe, this works too.

[brewingcoffi]

UNDERTALE: YELLOW ‘REVIVED! CLOVER’ AU

PART 1

Explanation:

AS WE CAN TELL BY THE CUTSCENES, THAT DYING WITHOUT A SOUL ISNT IMMEDIATE. but slowly, it sorta drains away your energy, but seeing that Clover was literally hunched down during Floweys speech before having ENOUGH energy to drag themselves to position their last death place shows how REALLY strong Clover is. So, assuming that they DIDNT immediately passed away after they positioned themselves for prob a few last breath minutes really made me think.

What if Flowey decided to still keep Clover? They were ‘pals’ Yeah. Flowey decided to let them rest… BBBBBut, what if before Clover used their last breath. Floweys forced a TINY ounce of his determination into them. Making Clover a sort of a walking dying corpse.

Nevertheless, since it is shown that Clover has enough energy to drag themselves without their soul. In their now revived state, they can do simple movements by themselves. It’s just their legs can't balance anymore due to a lack of soul energy, so Flowey helps them with their balance and movements by being their support via using Vines as body strings.

Flowey and Them DO meet Frisk at some point,

Clover genuinely looks so tired which make sense because they literally got their energy sucked out after they lost their soul. Clover now has to drink ANY energy giving drinks or they barely functions for 2 hours (Forced to drink coffee.)

Character Info:

Clover & Flowey

Due to Clover's SOUL already being taken Encased in a capsule (Takes places during OG Undertale.)

Flowey mostly ‘Helps’ with their movements since without a soul, their control over their body are VERY WEAK. Revived! Clover can’t do Shit. Only thinks and blinks (But has enough energy to speak simple words.) of course, they can move their arms with any leftover weak energy. but it will never be enough to resists Flowey's control over their movement and actions.

I also wanted to add a detail that the vines will extend more rapidly and secure/support more, depending on what body part(s) Clover is going to use more effortly just incase of Clover was caught in a fight.

Qna questions that are answered for the lore of this AU:

Question 1. You think the lack of a soul might cause empathy/emotion issues like with flowey? Imagine flowey teaching clover to cope with it.

Answer:

“The answer is, Yeah! But, I have a feeling or a (hc of course) that it still has same affect upon losing your soul, slowly but surely. It would take Clover a few days or maybe one month in the underground to suddenly lose their concept of emotions, since like what happened after they lost their soul.

But Clover probably "tries' to hold onto their emotions to as long as possible, to make sure they don't ended up like flowey (I like to think that they slowly soon starts to act semi-like their genocide counterpart; ruthless and bold.)”

Question 2. Wondering how their friends would interact with how... "kind of alive" their body is. Or heck, how they and their friends would interact with the undertale cast.

Before the aftermath, how would Clover "kind-of live" in the underground? With all of the emotionlessness consuming their days, would they act like some kind of cryptid since they don't want their friends to see them as this... soulless shell.

Answer:

1.) I bet they would interact with Clover by treating them like a glass child (Which would start A LOT of conflicts, especially when the side effect of being soulless could affect their moral Justice as well.), and for the UT cast, it depends on your idea!

2.) Clover went into hiding and lived off caffeine and energy drinks(Or leftover food from their inventory.) But, Flowey being their pal would probably give them food if they don't, And Yeah! Clover became this ‘Cryptic entity’ that tends to lurk around where ‘Injustice or corruption’ happens. I like to see Clover, before the emotionlessness began; Was that Clover USED to be this ‘Peacekeeper’ vigilante. Relating to them acting like this ‘Cryptic’ due to them. Even in OG Undertale, I like to imagine that Clover appears for a short period of time and disappears from Frisk point of view(Like that Flowey Easter egg from the OG UT.)

Question 3. does clover tell flowey what limb or does flowey just know?

Answer:

Well, they used The first one, but until a few days or weeks, they’ve gotten used to it, so Flowey now just knows.

4. What exactly WAS flowey's plan for Clover

Answer:

The only logical and ‘in-character’ thought I had of Flowey’s plan; was that Flowey was going to use Clover against or perhaps use Clover as bait/trick the last human child, and help kill King Asgore. Which backfired.

And I also realized that Clover no longer has their Gun, so I wanted to give Clover a weapon to help ppl while also defending themselves. (Clover is used to range, so they probably suck-ass on melee weapons.)

[en-busca-de-mi-ikigai-blog]

Listen, we know Byleth was a seasoned mercenary before arriving to Garreg Mach and got nepotized as a teacher, right?

We know they were good, great even, their father, THE Jeralt, having taught them from a young age. However, something changes when they are saved by Sothis and get Divine Pulse.

And no, I don't mean it as just "well, they now have superpowers", yes, they have, but, forgive me for being all Spiderman, "with great power comes great responsibility", and suddenly they start to test the limits of their powers and being more aware.

What I mean is, if someone got hurt or died before, ofc it would hurt, but I mean, that's the life of a merc, am I right? And they'll have to move on. With muttered emotions, they will move on. But now, they feel their emotions more; and what's more, now, they can prevent it. And it's not just their father's merc company (since they stay with Byleth during the war, I suppose they are good friends), no, they now have A BUNCH OF noobs, I mean, students, to take care of.

Imagine the newly acquired responsibility, no, you can't shrug them getting hurt as perks of the job, even if you did your best to save them, no, now you have to actually go back in time and figure a way to save them AND win the battle, improvising and calculating more options than you ever had before, on the fly. Someone used to just make strategic decisions in the heat of battle to minimize damage they now have to physically repeat the situation and go over the different options they couldn't before to not only minimize damages but to possibly nullify them. Because they can and because they care, more than they ever thought they would.

And no, I don't mean it just in the sense they have emotions now and feel more than they ever felt before, oh, no, I'm thinking of the AFTERMATH.

I can picture them being absolutely exhausted, tired beyond comprehension, physically and mentally, after some of the wars worst battles, their mercenary friends had never seen their leader this worn out, and sure, the war is costly, and ruthless, and unforgiving, and Byleth is not only a leader of a mercenaries band, they are now also a general in an army, and have taken upon themselves to protect every-last-one-of-them, have sworn it to themselves, upon the grave of their father, to never be in a situation where "what was to happen was fate" as Sothis put it.

And oh, they're sweaty, and bloody, and their clothes ragged, and muddy, and their breath is coming all jaded but they have a fierce look of sheer determination after every dire situation where they manage to save an ally that nobody else had seen before, even in the ashen demon's face. This is a new kind of demon, Byleth, the mercenary, the teacher, the vessel of the Goddess, more than a force to be reckoned with, a pure force of nature that will stop at nothing to fulfill their destiny.

But it has a cost, and their body will hurt, and they wouldn't be able to sleep a lot, planning strategies or dwelling on the mistakes that have cost them plain soldiers lives, because not even they could protect literally everyone on the battlefield. They had to prioritize their students, because they're too important, too crucial, not only as generals, but as what feels like lifelong friends. And they owe them, because hadn't they fell at the assault of Garreg Mach they could have helped them. Because if their students survived this long without them, they sure as hell won't let them die an awful death while they're in charge. And their muscles are sore, and they have an exhausted look, and their body shows scars, but their eyes keep showing that determined gaze before and after each battle, as if their heart was engulfed in flames. And it is, the crest of flames beating in their chest, helping them live, fight and reaching the future.

Because if they can't prevent fate, they will ensure it happens according to their own terms. Even if it costs all their energy, how many tries it takes.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Soooooo.... what if Wukong didn't always have stage fright? What if he ONLY started being afraid of large crowds watching him....

AFTER his rampage through Heaven and he was sentenced to death, trigrams furnace, lots of stabbing, and when nothing else worked 500 years under a mountain by a LARGE CROWD of angry gods.

Mac is more than a bit surprised to learn yhe boisterous, bold Monkey King was more than a little traumatized by the whole experience and maybe he needs some hugs....😈

Ooo thats a spicy idea >:3

My hc is that Wukong is good at bluffing and improvising - but the second there's a "script" to follow or something is expected of him, he just freezes. He can drunkenly retell his Havoc in Heaven to the Brotherhood with perfect comedic timing, but if he's asked to make a speech infront of his own army he stumbles. He'll def improv a troop raising call no problem, just don't expect him to keep any decorum.

And oh gosh, imagine that the modern stage reminds Wukong so much of the "trial" he endured in the Celestial Realm after the Havoc.

Hundreds of people he can barely see, many that want to hurt/kill him, reduced to his birthday suit (think the "you flicked too damn hard!" scene in Thor Love and Thunder), the location of his sworn siblings unknown, Mac's no where to be seen, and he just heard Lao Tzu say something about a furnace??

Wukong had the attention of All of Heaven on him. He never wants to endure that again.

At least with armies of angry soldiers, he can physically fight back and repel them. When his "audience" has him restrained or expected to remain calm, Wukong starts to panic. He feels like an chained animal. I'm surprised that he didn't have a more negative reaction during the talent show in Lantern City.

Macaque of course always knew Wukong was bad at scripted speeches, so he had been the one to whisper lines into his ears/hold up cue cards for him back in the day. Macque had always been the better actor. Just another way they were like Sun and Moon together.

But the first time he sees the great Sun Wukong get swarmed by paparazzi in the aftermath of a rough fight, and the king freezes and can't even speak? Mac jumps in and whisks him away via shadow portal.

Macaque: "You never used to lock-up like that... not even when I dragged you into my plays for the little monkeys." Wukong, slowly calming down: "I... it's just all the eyes on me... It reminds me of the trial... All those face just... watching me and talking about me like I'm some sort of animal..." Macaque, flooded with regret and remembering what Wukong said under the mountain: "Oh..." (a hug occurs) Macaque: "I'm... sorry I couldn't come to your rescue back then." Wukong, trying to deflect with humor: "Hey lets be fair - I doubt you could have taken on the entire Celestial justice system by yourself. A lot of what I said back then was cus my brain just got finished steaming." Macaque: "I could have tried." Wukong: "Then we would have shared that furnace. And we'd be two idiots chained beneath the mountain together." Macaque, small smile forming: "You speak as though that would be so terrible." Wukong, forgot how much natural rizz Mac has: "ah." (//∇//)

The two monkeys later find a simple solution to the problem. Lots of Wukong clones, all doing advertisments and public appearances. Small downside is now a few hair clones will hum advert jingles and get too ethusiastic at the mic.

Macaque: "...tell me, why were you using a cardboard Wukong if you could make temporary clones of yourself?" Wukong: "Sentimental value."

[justmeinadaze]

Take It Out On Me Part 14 (Steddie X Plus Size Reader)

A/N: I am so in love with this version of them <3

Warnings: Daddy Steve/Sir Eddie and Sub Plus Size Reader and all that implies (I regret nothing!), SMUT, ANGST, and FLUFF!, Spanking, degrading, edging, throat grabbing, smacking, Reader talks to her parents about her love for them (her dad gets into a fight; only the aftermath is mentioned), Eddie and Steve both briefly talk about their parents and trauma (mentions of child abuse and abandonment), Reader is bullied in this one (called names like whore, fat, pig) but the guys make a stand for her. Word Count: 6638

Your mom rises from the booth she was waiting in to give you a hug after you entered the restaurant you were supposed to meet in for lunch that afternoon. 

Steve and Eddie were extremely apprehensive about letting you go alone but you were able to find a middle ground, asking them to drop you off and then pick you up in two hours. 

The conversation started off a bit awkward with casual small talk being exchanged about school and the prom you went to put together by the three people you loved the most. After you both cleared your plates, you mom finally found the courage to ask some questions. 

“Did you know them before hand?”

“Kind of. It was more I knew OF them. We didn’t really become friends till the end of junior year and then got together later after summer.”

“Are they good to you?”

“Of course, mama. No one’s ever treated me the way they do. I love them so much.”

“Th-that’s what I don’t understand, Y/N. How can you love two people? Something HAS to get into the way.”

You shake your head as you lean back in your seat. “I don’t know how to explain it. Trust me, I thought about it a lot. Whenever I think ‘how can I love two completely different men’ the first images that come to mind are Steve going with us to movies he hates but he knows I like them. Him dancing with me in Eddie’s bedroom to a song on the radio or buying me different body washes and perfumes just because he thinks I’d like them. I think about Eddie’s face when he took me my first concert and sang obnoxiously loud with me as the band played.”, you giggle. 

“I see him whining when I’m trying to help him study but he still intently listens to me, making sure I know he appreciates me helping him. They both hold me after I wake up from a nightmare and listen to me when I cry. They take care of me and do whatever they can to make me smile.”, you shrug. “I love them.”

She chews on the inside of her cheek as she absorbs your words. “Did I ever tell you the first time your dad met your grandfather, the night ended with him in jail?”

Your eyes widen as you shake your head making her laugh. 

“He was only there for a day but, yeah, my dad HATED him. He said your father was ‘a dirty hippie who would never come close to being good enough’ for his daughter. God, I was so embarrassed.”

“How did dad end up arrested?”

“I told my father that I loved Rob and no matter what we were going to get married. He got angry and tried shoving him out the door. When I went to follow, he tugged me back, and hurt my arm so…your dad came back swinging.”, she smiles as she shrugs. “Definitely proved he wasn’t a hippie.”

Her grin grows when you laugh hard at her story. 

“I’m sorry, honey. I can’t imagine how hard this has been on you.”

“Yeah…”, you sighed. “Mr. Harrington hasn’t made it easier.”

“What did Bill do?” You filled her in on the rumor he started and how it spread through the school. How it led to the boys getting into a fight for you and everything else that followed. “I’m going to kill that son of a bitch. He thinks he’s so high and mighty—”

“Mama!”, you giggle as you reach for her hand. “No. No killing. Honestly…it’s nice to hear you defend me…like you just did.”

“I know it doesn’t excuse what happened but the reason I didn’t before…I was just in shock…I didn’t…”

“No. I…it’s alright. I forgive you.” You look at your watch as your alarm beeps. “I should get going. The guys are picking me up.”

“May I walk you out?”

You beam at her as you nod. As soon as you both step outside, you’re met with Steve leaning on the driver’s side of his BMW with his arms folded as Eddie sits on the hood smoking a cigarette. 

“Charming.” She raises her eyebrow in their direction and they quickly scramble to attention making you smile. “Have you three found a place yet?”

“No ma’am. We went looking though near the campus. We thought that would be better so she could be near school while also being closer to Masie.”, Steve answered.

“Maze is staying at the dorms on campus.”, you explain when she glances your way before shifting her gaze towards Eddie. 

“I’m sorry my husband hurt you.”

The metalhead shrugs. “He didn’t hurt me. Would have hurt her though if he hit his intended target.”

Your mom looks away in shame. “I didn’t…He’s never…I never thought he would do something like that to you. We always said we would never hit our kids.” She sighs as you reach for her hand. 

“So did my father. It wasn’t so much ‘Hey honey. We’ll never hit our kids when we have them.’ But more ‘I know I beat the shit out him this time but I swear it will never happen again.’”

“Ed. It’s alright, bud.” Steve pats him on the back to calm him down. 

Without warning, your mother steps forward and grabs the metalhead’s chin firmly, forcing him to look at her. 

“Do you love my daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Yes what?”

He tries to turn out of her grasp but she just grips him tighter. 

“Yes ma’am.”

“Would you ever hurt her the way Allen did with you?”

Fire filled his eyes at her question. 

“No. Ma’am.”, he growled.

She nods before releasing him from her hold and turns to face Steve. 

“Do you love my daughter?”

“More than anything…ma’am.”

“Calm down, Mr. Harrington. This isn’t a popularity contest.” 

As she quizzed him, you stepped to Eddie’s side and intertwined your fingers with his as you laid your head on his shoulder. 

“Would you ever cheat on her and hurt her the way Bill does with your mother?” His head cocks to the side in surprise. “Not a big secret, sweetheart, I’m afraid.”

“No ma’am.”

“With all due respect, Steven, out of the two of you I’m more worried about her with you. I have eyes and ears. I know how big shot Steve Harrington ran around Hawkins showing off with different girls on his arm.”

This time, it was his turn to get angry.

“I’m not like that anymore. She…Y/N, made me want to be better.”

Her eyes softened at his admission, even more so when she took a step back and saw how you were with Eddie. 

“Did she tell you about Christian?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Fucking asshole.”

Your mom laughs at the metalhead’s choice of words. “You’re not wrong. Hear me boys, if you ever hurt my child, I will do way worse than what I did when it came to Mr. Wexler. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”, they respond in unison. 

She smiles before coming over to give you a hug. “I’ll talk to you later, ok? And I’ll talk to your father.”

“I’m sorry about that.”, you say to them after she leaves. “You two alright?”

“Yeah…are you?” You nod and wrap your arms around Steve as he comes to stand in front of you. “Was that normal? That integration style hello?”

“Um, I don’t know to be honest. You’re the first guys I’ve dated to really meet my parents.”

***

“Where have you been?”, your dad asks as your mom walks in the door.

“I had lunch with Y/N.” He responds with a hm before turning back to face the tv. “Rob, I think you should talk to her. She…she really does care about them and they genuinely seem to have her best interest in mind.”

“Bev, this is the last time I’m saying this. No.”

You mother sighs as she begins heading for the bedroom. “Apparently Bill is telling the town our ‘whore daughter’ brainwashed his son to use him for his money and status. When Steve confronted him, he said he couldn’t ‘use her properly’ because she’s not good looking and has no connections in town.” 

She watches as his fist on the arm rest of the couch clenches.

#############

“Wow, this place is fucking amazing.”, Eddie murmurs under his breath.

“It really is.”, Steve agrees. “Can we afford it?”

“I think so. With all three of our incomes—”

“Oh my god! This place is beautiful and so close to the campus. It’s also not too far from the mall so you guys can sleep in before work.”, you smile as you sigh. “It’s perfect.”

It takes you a moment to realize that their faces don’t match yours. 

“It is perfect…right?”

Eddie returns your smile as he walks over to you to kiss your forehead. “Yeah, sweetheart. It is.”

“We don’t have to pick this one. I know there are some others we can try and—” His index finger cuts you off as he places it over your lips. 

“Do you like it?” You nod earnestly. “Well then, come on Harrington, I think we have some forms to fill out.”

***

“Yay! You three found an apartment.”, Masie claps as you beam at her from your side of the lunch table. “And you’ll be so close to. You’ll have to give me a tour after school some time before graduation next week.”

“Of course! And I found this place a couple of hours away, that has furniture for really cheap. It’s donated and it’s so nice. Eddie, can you reach in my bag and grab that brochure for that store for me?”

He gently nods as you and your friend keep talking while he digs in your backpack. A wadded piece of paper falls onto his lap and he quickly catches it, pausing as he takes a look. 

“My mom said she would help us move. I’m so excited—”

“The fuck is this?”

You all turn to look at the metalhead as he holds up the note in his hand.

“Oh, um, it’s nothing. You can throw that away.” As you reach over the table, he pulls his arm back, keeping it away from your grasp. 

“It’s nothing, huh? ‘Y/N Hawkins Fat Whore. Available for the right price. For recommendations see Freak Munson and Bitch Harrington. Fill out applications. Oh who are we kidding. She’ll have anyone. Just ask!’”

“Who the fuck gave you that?!”, Masie growled in anger.

“I don’t know…I found it in my locker.”, you answer in a small voice as your head fell. 

“When?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Bullshit.”, Steve grumbled.

When you finally found the courage to look their way, it was worse than you expected; they were fuming. You couldn’t tell if it was at you for not telling them or whoever left the note in your locker.

“How many times have you gotten something like this?”, Eddie asked.

You knew you were in trouble and didn’t see the point of hiding it anymore. Grabbing your bag, you pulled out a folder, flipping through papers till you found what you were looking for. You handed them to Steve who looked them over with his friend. 

“What’s it like fucking a freak? Does he summon the devil or draw symbols with pig’s blood?”

“I bet Harrington cums early every time. Too bad I don’t like fat chicks or I’d take care of you.”

“Ugly…disgusting…whore…slut…you should be ashamed…no wonder mommy and daddy don’t love you anymore.”

Steve’s jaw tightened; he recognized the handwriting. Abruptly, he rises from the table, gathering the papers in his hands as he heads straight for his old table, the popular kids table. Tommy is mid joke as the man slams the notes down with his palm startling everyone.

“Do you think you’re funny? Sliding these into her locker?”

“Steve, we have no idea—”

“You don’t even have the balls to say it to her face or mine. Don’t worry. I do. You leave her the fuck alone or I swear to God. I will make your lives hell and not just until graduation.”

“EVERYONE LISTEN UP!” Eddie climbed on to the popular kids table as he addressed the room. “That beautiful woman right there?”, he points to you. “She’s not our whore and we aren’t using her. We’re not Christian Wexler. We have no problem telling you assholes that Y/ N is ours. We love her and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you fuckers keep treating her like garbage. If Steve and I catch anyone sneaking these bullshit notes into her locker or making fun of her in any way we WILL have a problem!” 

He jumps back down onto the floor next to the other man and tears up the notes they left you. 

“Do you understand me?” Everyone looks down nodding their heads. “Oh, come on gang. Don’t get shy on me now. Wouldn’t want to summon the devil to come have a word with you.”

Their eyes widen as they verbally confirm his question before he tosses the torn up paper at Tommy. Both men come back to their seats and casually continue eating their food, heavily breathing as they try to calm down. 

“Munson…”, a male voice speaks his name as he slowly walks by your table. 

“Mr. C.”

“Problem?”

“No, sir. No problem here.”, he answers without looking his way. 

Your teacher nods before a little smile forms on his lips as he passes you by, lightly tapping your shoulder as he continues monitoring the room. 

It takes them awhile before they finally glance your way and notice you two smiling at them. 

“Calm down. You’re still in trouble.”, Eddie smirks as he tries to sound angry. 

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Yeah, well, we did.”, Steve huffs. 

Your grin grows as you slide your chair back and come around to sit on his lap. His arms immediately wrap around you as you circle yours around his neck. As you lean your forehead against his temple, he lets out a heavy exhale. 

“I love you.”, he mumbles.

“I love you to.”

###############

“Hey, baby. Wow, you guys picked a good spot here.”, your mom grins as she enters the apartment.”

“Right? I love it. I was afraid we’d have to settle for something small which is fine. I just thought Eddie deserved a bigger space after growing up in that small trailer. Steve doesn’t care either way. He says he always thought his dad’s house was too big. I think it’s just because he spent so much time alone.”

Her smile grows as she listens to you talk. The more you speak about them the more she sees your genuine care for them, allow her to understand a bit more about your relationship. 

“Jesus Christ!”, Eddie exclaims as both men stumble through the door carrying a couch. “And…by that I mean—”

“It’s ok, Mr. Munson. You don’t have to suck up to me.” You mom laughs before turning her attention back to you. “After tomorrow you’ll officially be a graduate. Are you ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”, you giggle. “I’m just ready to leave those kids behind.”

A sudden knock startles everyone as your father slowly walks in. “This isn’t where you guys are putting the couch, right?”

Both boys turn to you, unsure of what to do. 

“Are you lost, Rob?”

You dad exhales as he playfully glares at your mom. “No, Bev. I just…I thought maybe…I don’t know…I’d see the place…It’s, uh, it’s nice.” As he pulls his hands out of his pockets to gesture around the area, you notice his knuckles are bleeding.

“Dad! Oh my god.” You don’t even think twice as you grab his arm and lead him over to the sink to wash his wound. Steve and Eddie exchange a glance before looking towards your mom who holds up her palm assuring them that everything is under control. “What happened? Steve, can you grab the stuff from the bathroom?”

He nods, disappearing and reappearing with things to take care of your father as you both sit at the table. Still not sure of how to proceed he and the metalhead sit across from you while your mom sits next to her husband on the end. 

“I, uh, went to talk to Harrington today. Not you…the other one.”, he follows as the boy looks at him confused. “Bev told me what he said at the bar and what you told her he said to Steven.” Your father shifts his gaze towards him before looking back down at his knuckles as you clean them with antiseptic. “Thank you…for trying to defend her.”

“I love her for her. I don’t care what she looks like or where she comes from.” Eddie lightly nods his head, agreeing with Steve’s words. 

“I went to his house and confronted him. Let’s just say he won’t be posing for any pictures anytime soon.” He chuckles but it fades as no one laughs along with him. While you wrap his cuts, he turns towards the other boy. “I’m sorry for hitting you.”

Eddie folds his arms over his chest. “Thanks but I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. That hit wasn’t meant for me.”

When he focused his attention back to you, your eyes were downcast as you placed your palms in your lap. Your father sighs as he leans back. 

“I AM sorry for…The whole situation was just…a lot. I don’t get it. I don’t think I ever will. When I met your mom, I knew I loved her. I couldn’t picture loving anyone else. How can you…I mean?”

“That’s how I feel about them. I…”, you shrug as you try to find the right words. “I can’t explain it. Since the first conversation we had, I knew there was something about them.”

 “I just…I had no idea. I never thought you would ever do something like this. Where’s the line, Y/N? I mean what else are you capable of?”

“She’s capable of anything.”, Eddie answers. “That shouldn’t scare you. You should be proud of her. She’s not afraid anymore. When we met her, she was so timid to the point that she would literally fold into herself so people would leave her alone. Look at her now. She got into college, her own place, she’s actually fucking smiling…sorry.”

Your mom smirks as he apologizes.

“Dad, I’m not…running around having a relationship with everyone. We aren’t going to add people to our dynamic. I love THEM. If we…we broke up…I wouldn’t go searching for two people to be with again. It’s not a preference. It just is.”

Your father nods as he leans back in his seat before his eyes meet yours briefly and he softly smiles. “So is it just the couch you guys got today or is there more?”

“Um, her bed is in the truck outside.”

“Well, come on, gentlemen. Let’s get the last of the stuff up here.”

##############

“Alright, freaks and weirdos of the class 1984, smile!” Steve holds up the polaroid and takes a picture before handing it back to Masie. You giggle as he obnoxiously shakes the image in his hand. 

“We are finally free and I am so excited!”, your best friend grins as she does a little dance. “How does it feel, Munson? You were almost held back.”

“Yeah, thanks to princess here, I made it by the skin of my fucking teeth.” Smiling you lean over and kiss his cheek. 

“I’m glad BOTH your parents decided to come, Y/N.”

“Me to.” You sneak a glance at Steve as his eyes shift down to the risers you four were sitting on. “I’m sorry yours didn’t.”

He flashes you a slanted smile, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to bring your closer to his side as he kisses the top of your head. “Even if they didn’t hate me right now, I don’t think they would have come. All this stuff is beneath him.”

“Well, I’m proud of you; both of you.” 

Eddie grabs your hand, bringing the back of it to his lips.

“Jesus Christ, Ed. Can’t you ever just look fucking normal for a picture for once?”, Steve asks after the polaroid finally displayed the image he took. 

“What are you talking about, Harrington? That is how I normally look.”

“Do you want to hang out tonight?”, you ask Masie as she hands the photo back to the boys. 

“I can’t tonight. I…have a date.”

“Ooo…with who?”

“None of your business, Munson.”, she answers playfully before whispering towards you. “I’ll tell you later.”

***

The three of you lay haphazardly on your bed in your apartment as you pass the joint Eddie rolled back and forth. Steve happily sighs from his spot on your stomach that he is using as a pillow while you absently run your fingers through his hair. Your own head is resting on the metalhead’s lap as he leans his back against the headboard. 

“We got you present, sweetheart.”

“You got me something? Aw, you guys didn’t have to. You graduated to.”

“Oh, trust me, honey. This is also a present for us.”, the other boy laughs as Eddie slides off the bed. After disappearing into the living room, he comes back with a box, and hands it to you. 

“Open it in the bathroom and put it on.”

You nod as you thank him, scurrying into the bathroom to do what he asked. Lifting the top off the lid on your present, you gasp at the silky, purple material you find within. As you raise it towards the light, you notice most of the lingerie garment is see-through except some purposely placed designs that block the area of your nipples. The matching panties conceal all the major bits but when you slide them on you notice they still display a lot of your ass. 

This is completely new territory for you and as you stare at yourself in the mirror you can’t help but feel a little self-conscious.

“Babe? Are you alright in there?”, Eddie asks. 

“Um, yeah…”

“Uh oh. Is that self-doubt I’m hearing?” A breathy giggle escapes your lips. They both know you to well. “Get your sexy ass out here.”

With one final sigh, you open the bathroom door and display the gift they had bought you. They had both been sitting on the edge of the mattress waiting for you, their eyes lighting up when the land on you and your body. 

“I-I’ve never worn anything like this before.”

“Well, we’ll definitely be buying more. God damn, Y/N.” Steve places his hand over his chest as he exhales heavily. “You look so fucking gorgeous.”

“Thank you, Daddy.”, you blush. 

Eddie grins as he beckons you with his finger to come closer, grabbing your hips and yanking you onto his lap with your back against his chest. His arms wrap around you as he leans his chin on your shoulder. 

“You do look stunning.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“Mmm—so polite. I love it. Can you do me a favor, pretty girl?”

“Of course. Anything.”

The metalhead’s lips kiss your cheek before hovering outside the shell of your ear. “Can you touch yourself for us?”

“I-I-In front of you?”, you asked in a small voice that had both men trying to hide their groans. 

“Yes, sweetheart.” Gripping your hand, he sticks two of your fingers in his mouth, wetting them with his saliva. “Right here on Master’s lap. Take these two fingers and rub your clit for us.”

After moving the piece of silk covering your core, you do has he asks, moaning as you press slow circles against your nub.

“That’s our girl. Does that feel good?”

“Yes, Sir, it feels good.” 

“Fuck, princess, you drive us crazy.”, Eddie mewls. “Now, I want you to slide them into your tight little pussy for me and keep moving them as we talk to you, okay?”

“Mmm—yes, Sir.”

“How do you want it tonight, Y/N? Do you want Daddy and I to be nice and gentle?”

“Or…” Steve’s soothing voice shot straight to you core making you clench around your digits. “Do you want us to fuck you hard and rough like a whore? It’s been so long since we’ve done that.”

“Fuck.”, you whimper as you thrust your fingers at a much faster pace. “F-fuck me like you guys did—mmm—that first time w-we were together.”

They both laugh as Eddie’s palm glides up your skin from your wrists up to your throat, turning your face so his mouth is hovering over your own.

“We can do that. You have to make yourself cum first though, baby.” Your eyes flutter closed as you lean back against his chest. “You know, I think about the first time when I’m playing with myself to. I picture you flat on the desk with your mouth open for me; moaning around my dick while Steve fucked you.” Eddie licked his lips as he smiled. 

“Personally, I like to think about the first time I called you and you touched yourself just like this. Fuck, just hearing you moan about how you belong to us and how sore you were from us fucking you.” Steve’s fingers reached out to trace your skin along your thigh and you mewl at the contact.

You needed them now, pumping your fingers as fast as you could till you felt legs shake as the coil snapped. While you were panting against his cheek, Eddie gripped your wrist and held out your hand to the boy beside him who graciously ran his tongue over your messy digits, humming at the taste. 

A sly grin spread across your face as you get off the man’s lap and stand to face them. 

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”, Steve asked with a smile of his own. 

“I was just thinking that you guys got to ask me…maybe I should ask you…which version of me do you want? Do you want meek Y/N you fucked that first night or sassy, slightly bratty Y/N?”

You giggle when they glance at each other with a small smirk. You already know their answer before they say anything. Today was a good day and they didn’t exactly need you to fully obey right away. It had been a while since they needed to put you in your place and remind you who was in charge.

“Oooh, you guys are taking a little too long to answer.”, you sing as you make a playful thinking face. “Hm. Maybe I should go introduce myself to the neighbors in this gorgeous piece of lingerie. Maybe they can actually make a decision.” 

“Do it.”, Eddie challenges.

“Don’t think I won’t, Sir.” You slowly back up towards the living room and inch your way to the door. They get up to follow you and you bite your bottom lip as Steve glides a head of you to lean against the wall. 

“We’ll go on then.”, he gestures towards the door. “Here let me help you.” As he reaches for the knob, you quickly block it with your body. 

“Steve!” His eyes widen as his head tilts and you quickly cover your mouth.

“Oooh, baby. You just went all in, didn’t you?”, he muses as he slides behind you and wraps his arms around to your front. 

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I didn’t mean to.”

“I know, honey, but we still have to punish you, right Ed?”

“You’re right, Steve.”

“Did we ever find handcuffs that won’t hurt our beautiful girl?”

“Not yet BUT I did read this thing in a book that offered some alternatives.” The air hits your back as Steve steps away and a little moan leaves your lips at the sound of Eddie taking off his belt. Leather wraps around your wrists and after a few moments you find yourself restricted. 

“How is that, sweetheart?”

“Why are you asking, Sir? You can hurt me tonight. I want you to be rough with me.”

Calloused fingers abruptly grip your chin and turn your head to face him. 

“It doesn’t matter why I’m fucking asking. If I ask you something, you answer. Now, how does that feel, little girl?”

“It feels fine.”

“Good.” He releases you from his hold and pushes your front half over the arm of the couch. “Jesus, I’m going to stop being nice and just call you demeaning names all night. You want to act like a bratty baby we can treat you like one.” Eddie’s hand comes down hard on your ass making you jump.

The sudden sound of vibration causes you to sit up to look behind you but the metalhead is prepared, shoving you again and slapping your behind. “Don’t move.”, he growls.

Long fingers move the silk panties covering your sex and you whimper when the wand finds you clit. They love that device, becoming almost giddy every time they use it. The reaction and moans it pulls from you tortures them as much as it does you but they can hold it together better than you can. 

“Yes…yes Daddy. Please.”

“Does that feel good, baby?”

“Yes, Daddy.” 

“Tell me when you’re about to cum.”

“I’m…I’m gonna…” Abruptly, he pulls the wand away and smacks your ass. “No, no. Please…”

“What? You said you wanted it like that first night.”, Eddie snickered as he placed his naked body on the couch in front of you. “You think we cared if you came? It was just an added bonus that you did. Plus you wanted to act like a brat. Do brats get to cum, Stevie?”

“No, Ed, they do not.” 

The metalhead watched with a gleam in his beautiful brown orbs as his friend pressed the device against your nub again, slowly building you up and then pulling it away before you could climax. It felt like it lasted forever as you panted and cried over Eddie’s lap. His hands brush over your hair, pulling it out of your face as he watched the frustration in your eyes. 

“Fuck, Y/N. You have no idea how much this turns me on. Sometimes even I forget that we control that pretty pussy of yours.”

“Munson, how can you forget something like that?”, Steve chided as he smacked your ass making you moan.

“No, no Harrington. Not the physical part, I mean obviously her cunt is ours. We own her but the fact that only we can make you moan like you are right now. That only we can allow you to cum…fuck… hearing you beg for it.” He bites his lip before leaning forward to capture your own. 

“Please…”

“Please what?”

“Please, Sir. I want to cum.”

“You want to cum?”

“Y-yes, Sir. Please.” 

Steve moves the wand again just as your about to, turning off the device and setting it aside as you whine. Eddie’s hand connects with your cheek at the sound. 

“Stop fucking pouting.”

“Hey Ed, you know what I was just thinking? You’ve never had her ass, have you?”

“Not yet, no.” He leans back till he’s flat on the couch. “May want to wet it a bit.”, he grins holding the base of his cock. Climbing up, you rest your body on your knees as you tilt forward and envelope him into your mouth.  

“Baby girl, come on. You can do better than that.” You gasp as Steve’s massive palm holds the back of your head and shoves you forward onto Eddie’s length making you gag and drool around him. 

“Fuck me.” He grunts as you choke before scoffing and tugging you off him by your throat. “What are you doing?! Are you still being a fucking brat?”

“N-no, Sir.”

“Then why are you sucking my dick like you’ve never done it before? A little slut like you should know how to do it properly by now!”

You whine as you bounce on your knees and he smacks you again.

“Color baby?”

“Green, Daddy.”

“She’s fine, Steve. She’s being a pain in the ass right now because we haven’t allowed her to cum yet.”

“Wasn’t that the first thing we did?”

“She doesn’t count that, do you, princess? These little fingers are just too small to make her cum as hard as we do.” Grabbing your throat again, he forces you to face him. “Now, suck my cock correctly or neither of us are going to make you feel good tonight. Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Sir.”

*SMACK* “Louder!”

“Yes, Sir, I understand!”

As soon as he releases you, you take him in your mouth again, this time flattening your tongue and bobbing your head with the same energy you know makes him moan. 

“See? Just like that, baby.”

Fingers move your hair to the side as Steve speaks to you with his low Daddy voice that has you clenching your thighs together. 

“It’s not just about pleasure, little miss. Remember, you need him as lubricated as possible so he doesn’t hurt you.” He grins as you push Eddie to the back of your throat, holding still for as long as you can before pulling your head off him and spitting salvia onto his tip. “See, Ed? Little girl just needs a guiding hand is all.”

“Uh huh.”, the metalhead smirks as he leans up and brings your lips to his before using his thumb to wipe the tears that were smeared under your eyes. “A guiding hand to the ass maybe.” He softly smiles as he jokingly spanks you. “Turn around.”

You do as he asks while he places some strategic pillows behind his head allowing him to sit up slightly. After guiding your back to his chest, he opens your legs and positions you just so before reaching down to grab his cock. 

“Can you hold yourself open for me, baby?” 

“I-I can’t.”

Eddie grunts in annoyance as he pushes you up slightly, yanking the belt from your wrists and throwing it to the ground. As soon as your free, you do what he asks and help guide him into your ass. 

“F-Fuck me.” 

Steve waits a few moments, allowing you both to get comfortable before climbing between your legs. Gliding his tip through your folds you shuttered as he grazed your clit. Your eyes rolled back and closed as he sheathed himself inside of you, your back collapsing against Eddie’s chest as you allowed them to take over. 

Each thrust was like a little taste of heaven. Eddie was right, they controlled your pleasure. No one could ever make you feel as good as they did. When you glanced up at Steve you noticed he was fighting to keep his eyes open. 

“Da-Daddy, are you okay?”

“Mmm—yeah. You just—fuck—you look so fucking beautiful. I don’t want to take my-my eyes off of you.”

You felt one of your legs drop flat against the metalhead’s as his hand came up to turn your face so he could kiss your lips. 

“So…so beautiful.”, he echoed his friend.

“I love you, Eddie.”, you panted against his lips. 

He heavily moaned as he wrapped both arms around you tightly and begin ramming his hips hard up into yours. 

“I love you to, Y/N. Cum, baby. Fucking cum hard on our cocks.”

Steve’s palm held on to your shoulder for leverage as he matched Eddie underneath you. You moaned and begged until the coil that they had been winding all night finally snapped and you cried as you came hard. 

“Yes! Good girl. Such a…good…girl.” With a few more rough thrusts, Steve warmed your insides with Eddie following shortly after. 

“Jesus Christ…that was amazing.” They carefully pulled out of you and the metalhead continued to hold you against his chest while the other boy went to grab some water. 

“I’m sorry I said you name.”

Eddie tilted his head so he could see your face better. “Sweetheart, hearing you tell me you love me whether it be Sir, Master, Eddie, or freak…”, he smiles when you giggle. “It’s the best thing in the world.”

“I’ve never thought you were a freak. Even before I knew you.”

Steve grabbed your wrist and slowly moved you onto the cushions so you both could sit up. After gulping down the water he brought you, you leaned on his shoulder, placing a kiss on his skin. 

“You really do look beautiful in this by the way.” He runs his fingers down the silky material.

“Thank you, Daddy. It’s actually surprisingly comfortable. May I ask you something?”

“Of course, but ask it in the shower because we need to clean you and believe it or not we can all fit in this tub.”

“Harrington, if we wanted to shower with me all you had to do was ask.” You laugh at Eddie’s joke as you grab his hand and tug him off the couch as you follow the other man to the bathroom. 

“What did you want to ask, honey?” 

A small smile paints your lips as you watch them try to figure out how to get you out of your outfit before finally just grabbing the bottom and pulling it over your head. 

“Does it bother you that your parents didn’t show up today?”

“No.”

“Not even your mom? She didn’t really have a reason to not—”

“Yes, she did. She does whatever my father tells her to.”, he snapped.

You nodded as you pushed your back into Eddie’s chest.

“Steve, she was just asking because she cares. It’s a little weird I know. Having a woman in our lives who actually gives a damn.”

He sighs as he guides you under the water. “No, not even my mom. Y/N, kind of like Munson here, my parents stopped parenting pretty early on. Honestly, I’m used to it by now. I know that sounds harsh but it’s true. I think it would have angered me if they had shown up like they helped me accomplish something.”

Your hands reach out to gently cup his face. “I just don’t want you to feel like…no one was proud of you.”

He softly smiles before kissing your forehead. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“I know, baby. I know.”

“I would have liked for your dad to be there if only to see what her dad did to his face.”

The three of you laugh as the begin to clean your body. 

############

Eddie has his arm wrapped around your shoulder as you two watch an action movie on tv. 

“I could be a spy.”

“No, you couldn’t! Everything about you is so loud.”, you giggle. 

“Oh, come on! I can totally be suave like James Bond.”

“Yeah, you could.”

“You can be my Money Penny.”

Steve nonchalantly exits the bedroom and grabs a banana from the counter, leaning his back against it as he eats. The two of you continue to stare ahead but the man can still see the grins on your faces that you both are trying to hide. 

“Ok. Go ahead. I’m a big boy. I can handle it.”

“Are you ready for your first day, sailor?” Eddie’s toothy grin grows when you try to stifle your laugh. 

“Don’t listen to him, Daddy. I think you look sexy.”

“Yeah, I mean way those little blue shorts accentuate your knees, man.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”, Steve smirks as he throws away his peel and saunters over to you to give you a kiss before lightly pushing his friend’s head. “I’ll see you two later.”

“We definitely need to get you one of those.”, Eddie chuckles as the other man leaves and you playfully shove his chest.

#############

@manda-panda-monium @sherrylyn628 @eddiesguitarskills

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[multicolour-ink]

Can you see any conflict between the brothers occur in the movie?

Oh for sure!

While this is still only a theory in the fandom, the fact that there is a strong implication from the trailer that Tom is going to get injured which pushes Sonic all the more to pursue Shadow, will no doubt cause friction between Team Sonic.

I imagine it will start off small. Tom will get injured when Shadow breaks out of Prison Island. Tom gets taken to hospital. Team Sonic pursues Shadow to Tokyo. Shadow whoops their 🍑's.

We cut to this scene from the trailer.

This looks to be shot like an aftermath scene of the night before. No doubt this is after the fight with Shadow.

So by this point, Sonic is already feeling pretty overwhelmed about Tom being injured, but even worse that he couldn't even pacify Shadow. So he starts to feel a boiling rage inside him...

Sonic then suggests they go to find Robotnik.

"This is a bad idea!" says Tails.

"When has that ever stopped me?" asks Sonic.

I've seen other people point out that Sonic looks more madder than normal here when saying this line, especially with being directed at Tails.

My guess is this is the start of Sonic's path of revenge. Unaware that he's going down a similar one to Shadow, the need for revenge will get bigger and bigger, until finally it may lead to a blowup with his brothers.

I'm not asking for a third act break up or anything like that, but it would be a beautiful lesson for Sonic to learn about falling back on those he's come to hold dear - his team, his brothers - to keep him on the straight and narrow.

I can also imagine Sonic and Knuckles start butting heads the more Sonic's anger and frustration grows (similar to Leonardo and Raphael in TMNT).

All of this also ties in beautifully with the fact that this is technically Team Sonic's first world saving mission together. Yes, they did do it already in Sonic Movie 2, but they had only just got acquainted with each other. It was a bonding moment sure, but in this movie they've become proper comrades.

[9lives2mics]

Life of a Phoenix

Celebrating Carol Peletier & Melissa McBride

Let’s take a moment to appreciate these two extraordinary women.

When Melissa McBride stepped into the shoes of Carol Peletier, Carol was simply another character on the show. Someone in the background who was dealt a cruel fate and didn't know how to get out. Someone who felt invisible.

When Carol’s journey began, she was a woman stuck in an abusive marriage. She lived in her husband’s shadow, but there was a spark within her. A tiny bead of light that kept trying to find a way out so her daughter could have a better life. When her abusive husband was eaten alive by walkers, she marked her freedom by pickaxing him. With every hit, Carol remembered herself – she remembered who she was and what she was capable of. That spark within her engulfed her until she rose from the ashes like a phoenix.

At CDC, we got a glimpse of that phoenix when she presented a grenade that saved everyone’s lives. It felt as though she finally had a chance to be the woman she wanted to be and raise her little girl the way she wanted to. But all of those dreams shattered when Sophia walked out of that barn. Daryl held her together as her world fell apart. This time, when the phoenix self-combusted, it was because of inconsolable grief of losing her child. In that grief and darkness, Carol was lost. Daryl’s unwavering love, and loyalty to her beckoned her home. 

Carol became stronger. She learned how to fight, stepped into a leadership role and finally started to become who she wanted to be. She didn’t hesitate where her family’s life was concerned and made the tough decisions that ensured their survival. 

Even after she was banished, she continued to protect Judith, even though she lost Lizzie and Mika along the way. In the aftermath of 'The Grove', Carol’s shadow grew and loomed over her and she struggled to accept it.

Carol remained her family's formidable protector as she systemically took down a compound full of cannibals, walked in with a herd of walkers like an unstoppable force of nature and destroyed the people who tried to hurt her family. She was ready to move on, leave and never return, but when she emerged from the woods, everything changed. Daryl ran to her, held her tightly, breathed her in and just like that – her home found her. 

Carol struggled to integrate her shadow for the next two seasons. She chose to retreat into a mask to protect herself, away from her home. Found peace in raising a son, but her world was locked away — far away from her family and her people.

When her world fell apart again, and she lost her son, her mask shattered – Carol toppled into her shadow, and it consumed her. 

Carol was stuck in the darkness that was building up for years and she lost herself. Daryl kept beckoning her home, but it took her a long while to find his light and follow him. Carol's grief had become an entity of its own and she realized she had no choice but to stand still and face the storm. When the time came, even though she loved Daryl deeply, she set him free. 

Carol deserved more time to integrate her shadow, find balance in her life, and move through her grief. She deserved to talk about Sophia and Henry and process those losses. She deserved to open up and talk about what happened at the Grove.

But the story isn't over. You can only imagine that somewhere out there, Carol is realizing that Daryl is missing and the pain of losing him is threatening to consume her. But she isn't ashes.

The phoenix is about to rise once more to find Daryl and bring him home.

Carol has experienced her share of darkness. She deserves all the gentleness and softness this world has to offer. She deserves to unfold everything that is holding her back and be with Daryl — the person she loves most in this world. She deserves to open up to Daryl so he may show her how much he loves her regardless of the wounds and scars on her soul. She deserves to see him caress her scars with his love so she may heal.

Most of all, Carol deserves a story that honours her and her journey. Carol’s character development from a DV survivour to one of the most formidable women on the show is deeply compelling because Melissa McBride breathed life into her. 

It takes an extraordinary woman to recognize one. Melissa nurtured Carol in a way only someone who loves you deeply can. She understood the importance of Carol's representation and treated her with the care and respect she deserved. She achieved a new depth every season and didn’t shy away from letting us witness some of the darkest times in Carol’s life.

Melissa's empathy and generosity with her fans have nurtured a strong network of ride-or-die audiences who will follow her (and Carol) wherever she goes. I hope that this spinoff gives her everything she has ever wanted. Everything and more. She has earned it.

So, we hope you’ll join us to celebrate these two incredible, extraordinary, remarkable, trailblazing, free-spirited mavericks who continue to inspire women to follow in their footsteps. 

Happy Birthday, Melissa. You are so loved.

— Shalaka and Laura

@indigoraysoflight & @kryptoniancape

P.S. We're sharing our elaborate (mushy and gushy) birthday wishes in our next podcast episode. So stay tuned (and don't forget to bring a beverage 👀).

[phanfictioncatalogue]

Angst (8) Masterlist

part one, part two, part three, part four, part five, part six, part seven

a night to remember (ao3) - grievingwarwidow

Summary: roxie, who prefers the label exotic performer over stripper, is a star amongst people who are out when the sun goes down. who better for a close-minded phil who has despised what he labels as lowlifes to suddenly obsess over than Roxie himself?

aka the one where phil gets pathetically hung up on dan, better known as roxie and is desperate to get to know him better.

Aftermath (ao3) - firephan311

Summary: What happened during that week in March when Dan abruptly stopped taking his antidepressants.

Angelfish (ao3) - PyroStormIsBae

Summary: musings on phil’s anxiety, self image issues, and new hair + how dan loves him through it all.

(TW) Catch You on the Flipside (ao3) - Amorist (dead_on_the_inside)

Summary: Dan is holding himself together by the seams after running away from a religious cult. He has to ask himself why he keeps going, but deep down, he knows the answer already. It's the same answer it was long before his parents packed up and moved him to a thinly-veiled conversion camp in America—Phil.

Or, my excuse to write self-indulgent angst, because sometimes we need that.

Chips (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: Dan struggling with the concept that all healthy couples should fight.

Coffee by Chappell Roan (ao3) - danswideslit

Summary: someone on tumblr mentioned needing a dnp fic with the narrative from coffee and I felt inspired because I love that song a whole lot

Comfort in Chaos (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: Phil wakes to Dan having a nightmare that he struggles to rouse him from. It later transpires that there is a reason behind his unsettled and panicked behaviour.

crushing grief (there is no remedy) (ao3) - shandril

Summary: When Phil comes to get the last of his things, Dan has one more chance to ask him to stay.

Deceit and Devotion (ao3) - Thatonefunhun

Summary: Phil Lester has it all. A successful career doing what he loves, a “bestie” who's always got his back, and a can-do attitude! He’s living the life! But what goes on beyond the camera? And is everything as it seems…

Falling for You (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: Dan is at the front door waiting for Phil, eager to get outside so he can put his secret plan in motion when he hears a chilling thud of his partner colliding with the bathroom tiles.

First Love/Late Spring (ao3) - leewritesstuff

Summary: Dan and Phil are a ranch metaphor.

Dan and Phil are the moon and the ocean.

Dan and Phil are first loves.

Phil left in late spring.

frozen in time and space (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: It’s 3:30 in the morning and Dan hasn’t been able to stop looking.

I Hardly Feel Anything At All (ao3) - BREAD2000yeet

Summary: Dan in a depressive episode spends his night at Phil's apartment to "do laundry" while there he finds what home truly means, some existential stuff, Phil is kinda unaware of depression (so is Dan in this fic, de-nial is a river in egypt) but he still cares

I know you, hands under my sweatshirt (ao3) - midorijpg

Summary: “How are you?”

It's with an undertone of fear that he dares ask that, as always, even if he knows that he’s lucky if Dan even decides to answer. And as he imagines, Dan just tilts his head, looking at him as if lost in thought, swinging the bottle with his hand before just resting it on the floor.

“Make room,” he just says.

“What?”

“I said, make room.”

or, something something about having bad days and growing up and realizing you don't (completely) fit in couches anymore.

I try to picture me without you but I can't (ao3) - solarpower21

Summary: After Dan's tragic death, Phil starts having a bunch of strange dreams where he is still alive. But are they really just dreams?

Or: Phil's soul consciousness can't cope with Dan's death, so he starts hopping between different universes, trying to look for him.

I’ll be the light that you can’t make (ao3) - MANIAvinyl

Summary: There was suddenly a tightness in Phil’s chest, put there by guilt and fear, and he couldn’t find the words to respond. The gravity of Dan’s depression was creeping up on him, like a realization he didn’t want to admit.

Or; Dan is depressed and Phil cant help but feel that the sickness in his best friend is a mystery to them both. Hurt/comfort and angst

It's either bathmat green or agony (ao3) - sunshine_and_storm_clouds

Summary: It was day 34 of Dan being gone on tour, and Phil had only left the house to see his parents or the occasional friend. The breeze from the fan brushed his chilled skin, and he shivered.

----

Phil really, REALLY misses Dan when he's away.

Peach and Lime (ao3) - orphan_account

Summary: Phil doesn't do relationships. And then he meets Dan. He still doesn't do relationships, but he has a fun angst-filled night.

(TW) Perfect (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: Phil is going to make TATINOF perfect-whatever it takes to get there.

Proxy Requests (ao3) - philsmeatylegss

Summary: A story about poop and fear (unrelated)

Stir Fry (ao3) - ottertrashpalace

Summary: Dan never cooks unless he's feeling guilty. Phil waits.

The Anniversary (ao3) - Anonymous

Summary: It is fifteen years to the day since Dan's suicide attempt, and Phil endeavours to make the day as normal as possible.

The Beeping Penthouse (ao3) - gaydreaming

Summary: Set during the events of How Phil Nearly Died. Dan does his best to take care of Phil after their traumatic day, despite being terrified himself. As is to be expected, things dissolve into softness and silliness rather quickly, until they're both able to feel okay again.

the inherent romance of washing the sheets (ao3) - jonsaremembers

Summary: Laundry is a bit meditative when you know how to do it, Dan reflects as he sprays stain solution on the sheets.

to love somebody the way i love you (ao3) - howell_slide

Summary: Dan and Phil return home from the hospital, and Dan’s Going Through It emotionally.

trade all my tomorrows (ao3) - SylvesterLester

Summary: It's 2014, and Dan Howell is screwing up in life. Fresh off of potentially ruining his just-started acting career with a heavily-memed public freakout, he's ready to hide away for the rest of his life. Until a stranger reaches out, who might not be such a stranger after all.

when i walk in the kitchen, my heart hits the floor (ao3) - aura_sky

Summary: a phivorce fic

based on the Renee Rapp song (In the Kitchen)

or

Dan walks into the kitchen and he misses Phil.

wikihow to stop a divorce (ao3) - ivorycastle

Summary: ❝(...) but then suddenly one day you make a life change, and the flames feel no different..❞

You're Perfect To Me (ao3) - ticklishraspberries

Summary: Dan is feeling insecure about his body, and Phil can’t have that.

[the-sky-queen]

So I have a silly little Sonic AU idea for you

The Biolizard merges with Sonic as a last ditch effort to defeat the heroes and it starts to go in it's favor, at first only for Sonic's friends to pull Sonic back in control.

And Sonic is now a fusion of the Biolizard and a hedgehog and the man is H U G E now

OOOO!!! Okay, this is a really cool idea! If the Biolizard can merge with the arc, why not with living things? Oh man, it's like a possession story line almost and I LOVE those.

Sonic just getting forced out of control and instead he's got this angry lizard rage monster parading around with his face. And this means Shadow's gonna have to fight him all by himself until the others can find a way to get through to Sonic! AND ALL WHILE THE ARK IS STILL HURTLING TOWARDS EARTH OH MY GOODNESS.

The Biolizard was pulling the Ark towards Earth, right? Does that imply it can . . . fly? Kinda? Does that mean once Sonic's back in control, he can just push the Ark back to a stable orbit and we don't need to worry about Shadow falling? Eh, even if I'm wrong, we can just say the fusion mutations gave Soniclizard wings an call it good.

WAIT A SECOND THE FUSION WOULD HAPPEN WHILE SONIC WAS SUPER SO WE'VE GOT SUPER SONICLIZARD ON OUR HANDS GUYS. OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But also in the aftermath, being massive wouldn't be the only thing that Sonic would have to worry about. Biolizard is on life support which means Soniclizard has to deal with all of that too. :( Poor boy.

Imagine the Biolizard just becomes like Soniclizard's hulk form. If he gets too angry, the angry lizzard monster takes over and just starts wrecking things.

Thank you for the idea, anon, I shall have fun with this one. >:)

[nightimedreamersworld]

Six Sentence Sunday

Posting early today as I procrastinate to make food.

Thank you @hushed-chorus @alexalexinii @aroace-genderfluid-sheep for the tags today ❤️ your wips are lovely!

So I've got one CORB fic posted here and another one coming up this week. Literally buzzing with excitement 🥰

Strangely, today's snippet is NOT from either CORB. I decided last minute--as you do--to write a fic for the Carry On Countdown. So this is for today's prompt "Confession", which I've started writing... today 😂

Baz and I were fighting on the lawn. That's pretty standard for us, so much so that I don't even remember what the fight was about.  The worst part is that we'd been getting on quite well, lately. Working together to solve Baz's mum's murder case. We have a truce—had a truce. Until I went and cocked it all up.  “Just tell me where you've been,” I'd said. I'd been pestering Baz about it all afternoon, until he finally snapped.  “It's none of your business,” he'd said, a sneer aimed at me. And then he added, scathingly, for good measure: “What do you want to hear, Snow?” And there's where I fucked up.  “The truth!” I shouted. I was already swimming in magic, so it should come as no surprise that my next words were absolutely soaked through with it: “The naked truth.”  Baz's eyes widened. I immediately opened my mouth to take it back, but it was too late—his clothes were already disappearing, vanishing into thin air. 

(To be quite honest, I don't know if I will post it today. That depends on how fast I can write it, how rough it will come out, and if I'll have the patience to hand it to a beta or not. It's totally possible I'll post it completely unedited ten minutes to midnight, or I'll hold it off for a week after the prompt is due...)

ANYWAY tagging a few friends: I imagine everyone must be really busy in the aftermath of Thanksgiving, so take this as a hello and/or a kiss on the forehead if you'd like that: @bookish-bogwitch @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy @rimeswithpurple @captain-aralias @facewithoutheart @aristocratic-otter @you-remind-me-of-the-babe @whatevertheweather @confused-bi-queer @forabeatofadrum @thewholelemon @ileadacharmedlife @larkral @best--dress @iamamythologicalcreature @blackberrysummerblog and anyone who'd like to share! ❤️

[freedjustineshipping]

so, Freed vs. Mirajane aftermath moment. Every once in a while I think about it and how important the scene is. talking about this right here; [manga panels for reference + full text + some other appreciation/art posts while I'm at it talking about this fight [1] [2] [3] [4]]. reposting this as text only post because tumblr does the weird thing of completely swallowing posts that have an image in it atm.

Three quick things because, in my humble opinion, this is still one of Fairy Tail's most beautiful scenes.

Firstly, Freed recalling things his guild mates have said to him, showing him that they accept him and want to spend time with him? That he's truly not been alone or had to limit himself to his team and Laxus as outcasts? It's a shame anime-only watchers never got to see this because there's also so much information in it.

Erza has sparred with Freed in the past and clearly considers him S-Class worthy? Makarov telling/trusting Freed to look after Laxus? Natsu finding Freed intriguing enough to challenge him for a fight, Cana wanting to share a drink in good company, Reedus complimenting his appearance? It's asll so good, there are so many factors at play there! Definitely should have been in the anime too because it adds not only information about Freed himself but also how others may view him and relationships between characters.

Secondly, Mirajane crying and Freed then also bursting into tears finally allowing himself to feel this emotion and process Mira's eye-opening words. And how they both can relate to it so well. With Mira and her background story, her feeling for a long time as though she had to isolate herself to not hurt anybody and Freed building up armor around his heart because we can only imagine what powers like his, powers like the Raijinshuu's, had them go through and deal with. We may not know their backstory but we know it's tragic like everybody else's. Dark. Troubled. The She-Devil and Freed the Dark, they both must have felt so incredibly lonely for a long time and had/have to learn how to open up their heart again, let other people in. Truly. And after Mira had her eyes opened at some point, she was now able to open Freed's.

And thirdly, and that's a more self-indulgent than analysis - don't lie to yourself by saying you've never considered how this very moment would have been such a good one to start investing into their relationship. Be it platonic or romantic. God knows Mirafreed is a ship with so much wonderful potential and for some time I know you and I both had hoped that a ship would be developed between these two, and I say this as a major Fraxus shipper. 'Let's try to have fun at the next Harvest festival' - The thought of Freed and Mira having a date at the next Harvest Festival? Absolutely wonderful. Splendid. Them teaming up in the future being the badasses they are and understanding each other's troubles with their powers? Like, Freed and his team mates all have to deal with their eye magics (that I'm certain aren't 'learned' and eye magic as a whole is a touchy subject) but there's also that part of Freed's dark eye magic that lets him transform and he said himself that his Darkness form is forbidden. Likely because there's always a chance of losing control or losing himself and who if not Mira would understand that fear and trouble more.

Alas, they didn't end up having many interactions after this. Freed was kept more to his team and Laxus and Mira more to her siblings. But man, one way or another, this moment is beautiful and I just know they get along well in whatever form that may be.

[mad4turtles]

Hi 🙂 Loved your work over on Ao3, so I thought I'd shoot my shot at a rottmnt fic request!I had an idea for a prompt that has a premise like

• Takes place in the future timeline.

• I hc that CJ probably had at least ONE super rebellious moment in his younger years. I mean he's a child raised by both Cassandra Jones and the Hamatos 😂

• Casey Jr is still young enough that he's not allowed on missions

I can imagine CJ really pushing to start going on missions after witnessing the aftermath of one gone very bad. He just wants to be more useful & be able to protect his family like they always protect him and aid the Resistance. Casey and Leo probably get into it on the topic of Casey going on missions cause Leo is both his sensei AND one of his primary parental figures. CJ wants, Leo definitely does not want.

CJ sneaks out anyway to prove a point & scares the crap out of the fam. CJ runs into some trouble, maybe gets only mildly hurt, but scared & definitely learned an important lesson. Leo and the squad pull up ready to annihilate x5 cause their kid is the thing that's in danger. Some much needed, healthy heart to heart between Leo and CJ after everyone is safe and any wounds are treated. Cause their bond has me in a chokehold 🥹

Thank you for offering up request! Super awesome if this prompt is do-able for you!

... anon. my friend, my good pal. Do you know what you have done to me?

I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR AN EXCUSE TO LION KING THE HELL OUT OF THESE TURTLES AND YOU HAVE GRANTED MY WISH. I salute you!

This is a two-parter because I got 9 pages in and really didn't want to rush this. I was having far too much fun!

Enjoy Part 1 XD

(EDIT: PART 2 IS HERE)

---

brave when i have to be

“Absolutely not.”

And really, Casey should have expected it. Even so, his jaw drops. “What?! Why?!”

Master Hamato Leonardo, leader of the only Resistance faction in the remains of Merica, and Casey's godfather, plants his hands on his hips and sighs. “We've been over this a thousand times, CJ—”

“But sensei,” Casey interrupts, stepping forward and clutching Uncle Tello's chainsaw hockey stick tight to his chest, “I can help! I'm not as strong as you, but I can still hold my own! I can scout, carry supplies back to base, or—or anything besides sitting around down here doing nothing while everyone else—!”

“I sincerely hope you're not just 'sitting around down here doing nothing' when there is plenty of training you could be doing and studying you can be catching up on,” Uncle Leo—no, Sensei right now—shoots back with an arched brow, frowning. At Casey's silent squirming, he leans forward with narrowed eyes that the boy avoids. "Don't think I haven't noticed. I got word from your dear Uncle Tello that your most recent test scores were, ah, disappointing.”

“Snitch,” Casey whines, scowling at the floor. 

Sensei leans back with another sigh, massaging his wrinkled brow with his prosthetic hand. Casey tries not to stare and fails. 

“Look, bud,” Sensei says, “Your heart is in the right place. You want to help, prove yourself and all that jazz, and you've come a long way. I mean that. But you're still young. Hell, even I wasn't going out fighting bad guys when I was your age; I was hot-wiring cars with Don for joyrides, vandalizing corporate office buildings—shitty teenage boy stuff that we thought was cool. Right now, that's all I want from you; to be safe down here, doing shitty teenage boy stuff while you still can. And keeping up with your training and studies, too, that's kinda important.”

Casey rolls his eyes. “Kinda hard to do that stuck down here, but whatever...” he mutters.

 Sensei's eye twitches. “Okay, I know I just said you should be a shitty teen, but that attitude right now is no bueno, niñito.”

“I'm not a little boy anymore, Sensei!” Casey cries. “I can take care of myself! I can fight, just like you! This is what you trained me for, isn't it?! To fight the Krang and save our world! I can help, why won't you let me—?!”

“Because you're not ready, dammit!” Sensei snaps, and Casey almost jumps. The slider lets out another breath, muttering what sounds like a prayer for patience. “You're not ready, Case. The Krang are stronger than all of us—I can barely stand to send your uncles and aunt up there, you think I wanna drag you along and watch you get—”

“I'm not weak, Sensei!”

“I'm not saying that, don't put words into my mouth—”

“Well, you're sure implying it!”

“Again, you can knock off that attitude—jeez, I sound like my Dad—”

“I'm not a baby, Sensei!” Casey stomps his foot. Yes, it's childish, but damn it, his Sensei won't listen. “You can't shelter me from everything!”

“You're really gonna make me say it. You're really gonna make me pull that card, aren't you.”

Casey bristles, his chest hot. “Don't—“

“Your mother left me with a responsibility to look after you, kid,” Sensei cuts in like a knife, prodding a metal finger in Casey's chest where his mother's mask is tucked against his shirt. “I promised her that I'd watch over you if the worst ever happened. And guess what, it did. And if you think for a second that I'm gonna break that promise over your stupid-ass death wish—!”

Eyes stinging and hot, Casey slaps the metal hand away and screams, “To hell what you think, you're not my father!”

Silence. 

Casey hears a leaky pipe dripping, his own thundering heartbeat. He looks up. His Sensei's face is slack with shock—and a hint of hurt—as he stares at Casey. For what feels like forever, they just stare at each other.

Casey wants to take it back—he needs to take it back because none of that was even remotely true or fair. It was mean, and Casey Jones Jr is a lot of things but he's not mean. That's not how he was raised, in part by the very turtle standing before him. He has to take it back.

But while Casey isn't mean, he is every inch his mother in her stubbornness, so he locks his jaw.

Sensei's expression goes blank. The slider takes a step back, drawing a deep breath that's barely steady, shoulders squared and shit. Casey should've taken it back. 

“... You're right,” Sensei says, his voice hard and cold. “You're right. I'm not your father. But I am your teacher and your superior officer, and as long as you're living under my layer of earth and metal, you'll obey my rules. You can start by reporting to the mess hall to cover Dan on dish duty, then you can take yourself straight to your quarters for the rest of the evening. Tee-ell-dee-arr, this discussion is over, and your ass is grounded.”

Casey chokes. “W-What?!”

"Uh-huh. For a month."

"What?!"

“You heard me. Think of this as your punishment for your insubordination and disrespect.”

“Kutabare.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You can't just—!”

“Keep it up and see what happens, I am being so serious right now.”

Casey meets his Sensei glare for glare. Ultimately, stubbornness aside, Casey relents first, scowling at the floor. “... Yessir,” he bites out.

Sensei nods curtly. “Good. Dismissed.” 

Casey turns on his heel and storms out of Sensei's room, hissing under his breath the whole way to the mess hall. 

(He doesn't hear his Sensei's hitched sigh or see the trembling hand that covers his face as he sits heavily on the bed.)

~0o0~

It's a stupid, stupid idea. 

But his Sensei always told him to trust his gut and follow his heart—it's his greatest strength—and Casey's heart is screaming at him to help. 

This isn't for him—not entirely. It's for everyone who comes home beaten and bloody, hope crumbling with every defeat. It's for the ones who never come back—for his Mom and Uncle Raph, who loved him, all of them, enough to stay behind and die with a war cry and a smile. It's for his Sensei, still recovering from losing his arm.

I'm doing this for them, he thinks as he slips his mask on, putting all his training to use as he sticks to the shadows, creeping along the edge of the crowd of foragers before slipping into an empty crate. His heart pounds in his ribcage, ears ringing as he feels the crate start to move, mechanical wheels squeaking as the squad move out through the tunnels. 

I'm not weak. I'm not defenceless. I can do this. I can help.

~0o0~

Casey doesn't go to the surface often. Uncle Tello used to bring him up to try and find the stars when the pollution wasn't as dense, lifting him and pointing out the constellations they could see from their hiding spot. Master Michelangelo brought him once to fly him over the ruins of New York, and show him what had once been a bustling city full of people; Casey still can't wrap his head around that many people existing in one space without a care.

But that was years ago.

Casey can still find his way back to base. He has the evacuation routes memorized down to the last detail, and Master Michelangelo had left mystic markings to lead lost ones back home, near invisible unless you knew what to look for—

“Or if you're family,” he'd said with a grin and wink. “Then you won't just see it. You'll feel it. The pull of home.”

Now, as Casey wanders the wasteland of what used to be Lower Manhattan, he wishes he could feel that pull. Leaving the foraging troop to scout ahead for danger was not one of his better ideas. Especially when they didn't know you had tagged along, and they move on without you. 

If I don't die out here, I'm dead when I get back, Casey thinks as he crouches behind the wreckage of a vehicle buried in the ruins, trying not to panic and mostly failing.

Sensei had lost his arm in their most recent mission. He'd barely made it back alive, Commander O'Neil dragging him on her back, ragged, burnt and losing blood fast. They were among the seven survivors from the raid that had left with seventeen. 

It was close. They'd had a replacement ready in time, but it was. Too. Close. 

Casey had already lost his mom. He can barely remember her voice now. He can't lose Uncle Leo. He can't lose anyone else because he can't protect them. He can't. He won't. 

Still, he thinks as he curls up into a ball to fight the chill sweeping across the landscape, you probably should've listened.

“What do we have here?”

Casey's heart skips. 

Shit.

Instinct saves him as he rolls out of the way right as the robotic claws of a Krang suit obliterate his shelter. 

The dust clears, revealing the glowing, delighted eyes of the creature piloting the mech suit looming over him. Jagged teeth flash in the red glare of the mech's singular eye as the Krang grins down at the boy trembling at its feet.

Casey gapes behind his mask. He'd gone out looking for trouble, and it finds him in the form of—

“Krang Subprime!”

Subprime cackles. “That's right! I see that my reputation precedes me. About damn time, too!”

Casey's heard enough stories and reports to know how dangerous Subprime is. Responsible for leading the charge that had wiped out Asia and melted the icecaps, he's Krang Prime's right hand for a reason. 

He'd gotten the drop on the raid team in the last mission. He'd taken Uncle Leo's arm. And now he's found Casey. Alone. 

Casey can't beat him. He'll die out here, and no one will know until it's too late.

You should've listened.

But Subprime has a weakness. A glaring one that most Krang don't seem to have. All Casey needs to do is exploit it, buy himself some time. He won't win, but he'll live. And get this asshole back for nearly killing his Uncle. Maybe. Hopefully.

Spirits, please let this work.

“Not really,” he says, surprised when his voice doesn't shake like the rest of him. “Everyone thinks you're freaking annoying, nothing compared to Prime. My Uncle says your all bark, no balls.”

Subprime's eyes pop open wide, mouth gaping like a fish. Casey considers laughing.

(His one weakness: his ego is fragile as hell.)

“You—You little shit!” he squawks, stomping closer and leaning down until he's face to wrinkled, pink face with Casey, eyes blazing. Casey holds his position, gripping his weapon tight in one hand, holding his breath against the stink of Krang flesh and dripping saliva. 

“I should vaporize your sorry butt right freaking here, you disrespectful waste of flesh! Sure, Prime may be our leader, but I'm the tactical mastermind, y'hear me! I'm the reason we've come this far in taking over this planet! I'm the brains in the outfit—!”

“Literally though,” Casey grins, shifting ever so slightly on his back. Rocks and metal dig into his back, and he does his best to ignore it. He has never been this close to a living Krang, and he's scared shitless, but he can't falter. He can still get away. He can still live. “I mean, You are a giant brain thing in a mech suit, so...”

“Shut up! You talk more than that dumb blue turtle with the fancy sword.” Then Subprime grins, slow and vicious. “Speaking of which, how is he? Last I saw, he was bleedin' out pretty bad after I bit his arm off. Never heard him scream like that. It was music to my ears.” He licks his lips. “His blood tasted delightful.”

Casey wants to be sick. He wants to kill this disgusting son of a bitch more than he's ever wanted anything in his life. 

Keep your cool, Case, Sensei's voice echoes in his ears. Anger is a dangerous ally when it's not focused. Sharpen it. Give it form. 

Casey breathes in. 

“Aw, got nothin' to say, pipsqueak?” Subprime chuckles, slamming a metal hand beside Casey's head, caging him in. “Now, you've got two options. You can spend the rest of your worthless life in our labour camp, or go ahead and make your last request. If nothing else, it'll be entertaining. I do enjoy the way you humans beg for mercy.”

Casey breathes out. 

“In that case, I have one request if you would kindly grant it,” he says softly. 

Subprime chortles and leans in, jagged teeth dripping. “I'm all ears.” 

“Could you scream in agony like a little girl bleeding from the face?”

Subprime blinks. “Could I what—?”

Casey thrusts his roaring chainsaw into Subprime's left eye. 

Subprime screeches and rears back, metal hand cradling his bleeding face. “YOU—YOU SON OF A—!”

Casey is already running, leaping over and ducking under debris and wreckages from a time long gone. 

For my Sensei, you dusty bitch!

He can hear Subprime giving chase, moving faster than anything Casey can hope to outpace. But he has size on his side, and he squeezes through tight gaps between collapsed buildings and pipework, crawling through a gaping fissure in the ground leading to the sewer system. Far too big and down an eye, Subprime struggles to catch up, bellowing and hissing after Casey as he brute forces his way through the rubble and vines, claws just catching the frayed hem of Casey's cape.

“Shit—!” Casey stumbles, careening into a wall slick with Krang slime and—a familiar smell that Casey doesn't want to think about too much as he bolts down through the tunnel, feet and heart pounding. He'd thought—hoped—blinding the bastard would've slowed him down. 

“Wretched brat! I'll tear you limb from limb, you insignificant—!”

“Can't catch me, bitch!” Casey screams back, scrambling up a rusty ladder that leads back to the surface. Adrenaline pumps through him like electricity, and he all but punches the sewer grate, barely feeling the pain in his busted knuckles, crawling out into the open. 

He remembers this street; it leads to the Hudson Cross—from there, he can find Uncle Mikey's runes. He can get home—

“Gotcha!”

Cold, solid metal slams Casey into the asphalt, pinning him face down. His hockey stick flies from his grip, skidding out of reach. The breath leaves him in a painful rush, he can't even cry out as one claw pierces his shoulder. Warmth pools under his shirt and drips onto the concrete, sticky and wet.

No.

“Heh... hehe,” Subprime's wheezing laughter over Casey's head feels like a blade against his neck, honed, ready and aching to swing. “Thought you could get away, did ya?”

No, please. 

He can't help it. Casey sniffles, tears leaking through his eyelids as he squeezes them shut.

I was so close.

“Awww, what's this? Tears? Gimme a Krangin' break!” Subprime presses harder. Casey chokes on a sob as his bones creak in protest. “What's next, you gonna call mommy and daddy to come save you from the big, mean old Krang-y? Ha! Should'a thought of that before ya blinded me, you freakin' pest!”

Help. Somebody, please, Sensei—

“Forget the labour camp.” Subprime tightens his grip and lifts Casey's limp, bleeding body off the ground. “I'm gonna enjoy smashing you to a bloody pulp instead!”

Help me, please! Da—

“Put. Him. Down.”

Casey's eyes snap open.

Subprime's grin falls. “Huh—?”

A flash of green, and a blade slices Subprime's arm from his shoulder. 

Casey's falling for half a heartbeat before two strong arms pluck him from the air. His stomach swoops as he scrambles for purchase on—he squints—Uncle Tello's shoulders as they zip across the street on the propellers of Tello's battle shell. “Oh my god!” he cries.

“Not quite,” Uncle Tello quips as he skids across the broken street and sticks the landing. His purple visor flickers to life across his eyes, analysing Casey's from head to toe. He doesn't put him down. “Are you alright?”

Casey's knuckles are broken on his right hand. His shoulder and nose are still oozing blood, and his body feels like one giant bruise from that chokeslam into the ground. He can hear Sensei and Commander O'Neil holding an enraged Subprime back behind them, and his heart feels ready to leave his body with how hard it's beating. Other than that—

“I-I'm okay,” he stammers. He sniffs, swiping his unbroken hand under his nose. “I'm—I'm okay.”

Uncle Tello doesn't look convinced. “Can you stand?” he asks anyway. Casey nods, and Uncle Tello sets him down carefully. He keeps one strong arm draped around Casey's shoulders, bringing the other up to speak into his vambrace, his tone clipped and urgent. “Nardo, April, I've got him. A little banged up, but nothing serious. I've also got a pack of Krang Hounds incoming from the south, ETA two minutes. Sister is with them and seems to be in a good mood. Much as I want to carve the innards out of Subpar here, we gotta book it.”

Casey gulps. Subprime is one thing, but he never wants to meet the Sister. 

He looks over his shoulder—and chokes when he sees Master Leonardo standing on top of Subprime's fallen mech, sword poised over his bloody eye. He can't see the slider's face, but his voice carries across the empty street, cold and dark and nothing at all like the man he knows—

“Don't. Touch. My boy.”

And then he carves Subprime's eyeball out of the socket, tossing it across the street. 

Subprime wails in agony, thrashing on the ground and narrowly missing Commander O'Neil as she slides neatly under his flailing leg, nabbing Casey's weapon as she sprints over to them, Master Leonardo not far behind. 

“Get going!” she shouts. 

Casey doesn't need telling twice and runs like a bat out of hell, not daring to look back. Uncle Tello, who can run (or fly) rings around Casey any day, sticks close to his side. Commander O'Neil draws up on his right, leaving his Master at the rear, boxing Casey in.

“How're we gonna get back to base before they get here?!” he cries. He can hear the barking and howling already, getting louder, closer.

His aunt grins. “Same way we got here so fast!”

Ahead, golden light explodes like a star against the twilight, leaving a mystic ring of blessed orange in its wake. 

Master Michelangelo hovers above it, winking. “All aboard the Mikey Express, leaving now!”

“Impeccable timing, little brother!” Uncle Tello crows. Casey wants to cry. 

They all leap through the mystic portal right as the first Hound rounds the corner of a building. Michelangelo zips through last and shuts it with a swipe of his hands, plunging them into darkness and silence save for their panting.

They're back in the tunnels. They're home.

Casey drops his head with a shuddering breath, leaning back into Michelangelo's steadying hands on his shoulders. It stings, but it's grounding. He can breathe. It's over.

Then he lifts his head to look at the back of his Sensei's shell, sees his clenched fists and thinks it is far from over.

“Leonardo,” Uncle Tello approaches the slider, one hand reaching out. “It's fine. It's fine, we are all fine, so I need you to do me a solid and breathe—”

Sensei slowly turns his head to face Uncle Tello, and even Commander O'Neil takes a step back at the frigid rage swirling in his eyes. Michelangelo inhales sharply through his nose, gently pulling Casey closer. Uncle Tello doesn't flinch, meeting his twin's glare evenly. Eventually, he backs off with raised hands. 

Then Sensei turns to Casey, and Casey wilts under his stare. He's pissed.

Somehow, Casey finds his voice. “...um... Sensei, I—”

“You. Deliberately disobeyed me,” Master Leonardo says lowly, and oh god, he's not pissed. He is livid. 

Casey shrinks back against Michelangelo's chest, his grip the one thing keeping his knees from folding under him. “Sensei, I'm—I'm sorry—”

“Medbay. Now.” 

Master Leonardo marches past them, brisk and tense, a silent threat that they should follow if they want to live. 

Uncle Tello and Commander O'Neil share a look that Casey can't translate. Then Uncle Tello sighs, his expression crumpling for the first time as he buries his face in his hands. This close, Casey can see how much they're shaking. 

Casey's gut twists viciously with guilt. 

Commander—no—Aunt April pats Uncle Tello's shoulder firmly with one hand, the other pulling back his frayed purple hood. “It's alright, Don," she says. "Casey's here. Leo's here. We're all here." 

Uncle Tello's breath shudders out of him. His head still in his hands, his snout twists as he nods.

Aunt April smiles ruefully, patting the soft shell's arm again. "Go. Take care of yourself, Dee. We'll handle things here.”

Uncle Tello responds with another nod, making Casey's innards twist even more as he watches him go. 

Then Aunt April sighs, looking at Uncle Mikey and cocking her head after Master Leonardo. The mystic warrior nods back and ushers Casey forward, not letting him go.

“Don't worry, little man,” he says softly, pressing his beak into Casey's mangled hair. Like he's trying to convince himself that Casey's here at all. “We'll patch you up first, then we can rest. It's... it's been a long day.”

Tell me about it, Casey almost says. Instead—“'M really sorry, Uncle Mike...”

His Uncle sighs into his hair before pressing a kiss to his crown. “I know you are, little man. But I'm not really the guy you should be apologizing to.”

Casey gulps.

I think I might've had better chances with Subprime.

---

Part 2 coming soon!

(Feel free to send more requests <;3)

[frozenjokes]

Signing Back In, Apparently - 8

Prev/Next

There were a couple things Scar noticed when he woke up face down on the floor. One, Mumbo was gone. Not a huge surprise. Two, everything hurt so much less! Hurray! Three; amendment to number two. His back actually hurt quite a lot, but this time, he was pretty sure that it was from sleeping funny. Exciting! Maybe he could actually get some drugs to take the edge off!

It wasn’t until he stood, gathering his things, that his mood dampened. Ah yes, today he would have to deal with the aftermath of yesterday. Well, he really didn’t have much to his name as of now, perhaps he could just pack the little he had and sail away, never to be seen again. Ah, a glory that would be. Unfortunately, nothing to his name also meant no food, water, and other necessary supplies. Plus, due to recent developments in his health , Scar wasn’t sure if he would make it alone on the sea. Too unpredictable. Although, perhaps ironically, he was feeling better today than he had in months.

Scar hadn’t had much time at all to explain to the Kestrels what was happening before his back and abdomen started spasming, quickly followed by immense discomfort in his eye and throat. Not that he intended to go into detail, but he couldn’t even stand, much less speak. He remembered saying something along the lines of ‘they’re fighting,’ which, in hindsight, was probably terrifying and cinematic.

But they knew. And now they would ask questions. Suddenly, taking his chances out in the ocean seemed like quite the appealing idea. He could put all his important stuff in a bag, maybe grab some canned food from the dining hall…

Scar opened his bedroom door, only to be nose to nose with Sausage. He screamed, falling backwards and dropping literally all of his belongings, which Sausage seemed to interpret as an invitation to come inside. The longer Scar spent here, the more threatening he found Sausage’s smile. Was that how other people felt about him? Oh, he hoped so.

“Scar! Good morning, or, rather, good afternoon! You slept in quite late today!”

“Yup! You know me..”

“Aha, yes. How about we sit, hm?”

Well, there was no escaping this afterall. Scar could fight, but he wasn’t sure he trusted his body right now, and getting supplies would be a far more difficult task. So he sat.

“Scar, I need to have an honest conversation with you, because right now, with the way you’ve been acting, the rest of us have been losing our patience. You’re a different man than you were six months ago when you joined us, and I don’t mean in a good way. You’re deteriorating. Everyone can see it, even in the other factions. Now, I can’t imagine what it’s like to live in your situation, with pain you can’t manage, and how frustrating that is, but,” Sausage sighed, sitting down beside Scar, “This has turned into something you can’t deal with alone anymore. It’s going to kill you, Scar, and by the time you’re dead, no one will care to mourn you, because you’re a fucking asshole.”

Scar wasn’t sure how to react to that. Sausage wasn’t wrong. He had been losing his grip. Quips and jokes that once came easily only soured on his tongue now. While he had never sailed quite as much as the other Kestrels, as months passed, he could leave his room less and less. This past month.. well.. when he did leave, it was safe to say he was snappy at best. He narrowed his eyes at the ground. It bothered him . He was falling apart, and everyone knew , and he didn’t have the ability to hide it anymore.

“It’s their fault,” he growled, voice low, “They came back. They were supposed to be dead.”

“No Scar, it’s your fault,” Sausage sighed, leaning back on his hands, “You never told anyone, in fact, you only got aggressive whenever the subject was brought up. You sat in your room by yourself, letting it get worse.”

“Well there’s nothing you can do.”

“You don’t know that. Listen, I don’t care what happened to you in your past; that’s your own business, but you can’t just deflect and attack everyone who offers their hand. It’s okay to be weak.”

“It’s not okay.”

Sausage paused, shooting Scar a calculating glare. Scar returned it. “Alright, Scar. Well let me skip to the point then. This is your last chance, or I’m going to ask you to leave the Kestrels. I’m extending an olive branch because I don’t want to see you die this way, so it’s your choice what you do with it. Tell me about your ghosts. They’re related to your pain, right?”

Scar closed his eyes. A choice indeed. “Do you really think you can get rid of them?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll try. We’ll all try, if you shape up.”

Scar shook his head, releasing a small, breathy laugh. “Well, why not then. Yes, they’re related to my pain. I’ve got four parts of my body that you could say are cursed, and the pain fluctuates with the corresponding ghosts’ mood. The longer I’m alive I think, the angrier they get. It must be something like that, because it’s been getting progressively worse. All you need to know is that they’d really like me to keel over.”

“Do you treat them well?”

Scar choked on his own laughter, falling back into his bed and shaking the entire frame, “Uh, no offense, but that is the dumbest question anyone has ever asked me.”

“I’m gonna take that as a no, then.”

“Well there’s a reason I got my eardrums blown out. Little bastard was trying to wreck my stuff. For the record, I did not know he could do that. Unfortunate, because he makes the best faces when you make fun of him. You know when-”

“Scar , you taunt your ghosts? When you know their moods directly correlate to your pain? What are you thinking?”

“In my defense, I don’t do that very much,” Scar shrugged.

Sausage put his head in his hands. “ Noted. Well to start, you need to be nicer to them. Even if they’re trying to kill you. You probably deserve it, anyway. But I’m also going to have you speak with Cleo.”

“Cleo? They’re a Heron, right?”

“Yes. Scott tells me they’ve got quite the affinity for ghosts. Apparently there’s this haunted island she visits often? If anyone can help you out, it’s probably her. Actually, if you want, I can ask Scott to go and grab her now.”

“Scott- is he here?” Scar bristled, turning wide eyes to his doorway.

“Hi, Scar!” Scott waved, looking mildly pleased with himself.

Scar stared, taking a deep breath before laying back down across his bed. “I guess this might as well happen.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sausage leapt to his feet, trotting to the door, “She’ll meet you in the tavern, so be ready!

“Yeah, great, I’ll be waiting then,” Scar mumbled, reaching for a pillow to crush over his face. Well. If he wanted to scrape together any amount of dignity, it was time to get it together. He washed up, ran a brush through his hair, and stared at himself for an inexplicably long time in the mirror. Surely there was something he could do about the bags under his eyes. Well, his good eye; the bad one was too far gone to be saved. Hm… but on second thought, it didn’t look as egregious as usual today… Unfortunately, before he could go and dig around for concealer in Oli’s room, he heard his name being called. Ah! But he hadn’t shaved!

Scar ran for his hats, stacking them with great care before balancing them precariously on his head and skipping downstairs.

“Well hello there! Sorry about that, I just got a little distracted, you know,” Scar waved his hand in a vague gesture, heading over to the bar where Cleo was already serving themself a drink. She turned, looking Scar up and down with a small smile.

“You look like shit.”

“You’re not so bad yourself!”

Cleo chuckled, leaning back against the bar. “It’s been a long time, I heard you’ve been sick. So it’s really ghosts that have been giving you trouble? I would have visited earlier, but I heard you were touchy, and I don’t have much patience for bullshit. Finally caved, huh?”

“I guess you could say that. And I damn well paid for it too, so no need to pry.”

“Looks like you’ve been paying for it for a long time, and not because you finally said something. You’ve had that black eye since I met you! I must say, it looks worse than I remember.”

“No need to flatter me. Can you get rid of my ghosts?”

“Oh, probably not, but I heard from Sausage that you’re hurting because they’re unhappy, and I know a place that’ll brighten them right up!”

Scar paused, staring blankly. Cleo stared back with an unassuming smile.

“You want to take my ghosts on a VACATION?”

[sapphire-weapon]

Do you have an headcanons on the direct aftermath of RE4R? I imagine there would be a lot of activity once they're both back on American soil, but I also feel like there's probably time for them to kill between getting off the jet ski and getting back home.

So an idea I've really been enjoying is that Leon takes the jet ski back to the village, takes the police cruiser that dropped him off (because this one doesn't go off of a bridge and fucking catch on fire like the one in OG lmao it's still just waiting there near the farm house), and retreads the road he took coming in in order to get back to the town he started in and, specifically, to the police station that was initially helping him out.

Because my thing is, like. They end up literally in the middle of fucking nowhere. I can't even tell what type of body of water that's supposed to be -- and, if it is actually the ocean, how the hell would Leon be able to get his bearings out there? Hunnigan's transmissions still aren't coming through, and it's not like he's able to connect to some sort of satellite navigation system. The only thing that makes sense to me is for them to not go very far at all and just sort of stay in terrain that's still familiar.

Of course, that then runs into the issue of the white American guy who's caked in mud and blood and literal shit and has like 20 guns strapped to him stepping out of a stolen police cruiser with the daughter of the US President. They would have to get hidden from public view as quickly as goddamn possible, and they'd have to get in touch with US military officers or other officials who have been looped in on this whole thing.

So, that's a whole thing that's like "this is the only thing that makes sense to me in terms of the logistics of how they get out of there and get back to civilization."

And now I'm going to tell you my purely self-indulgent headcanons of what happens after that, all of which have no basis in reality at all and fuck you I do what I want.

Once they get back to actual human society again and US authorities are notified of their safety and their location, the next thing to deal with is the fact that Leon has not slept or eaten in over 24 hours (well... proper slept; the 3-hour nap he took after the Del Lago fight is the only real rest he's had in this time), and Ashley isn't faring much better. Not only that, but they both had fucking radiation surgery just a few short hours ago, and Leon just basically fought an entire goddamn war all on his own.

They're both also probably coughing and hacking up bug parts at random intervals, but that's like a whole thing on its own.

There's an urgency to get them back States-side, sure -- but, considering the condition that they're both in, it's probably unsafe to actually put either of them in a plane right now. So, that means that they remain in the custody of/the responsibility of the poor, unfortunate, unlucky local Spanish chief of police that got tasked with being wrapped up in this bullshit in the first place.

So there's not much he can really do other than take both of them home with him.

His wife is thrilled (not). Thankfully, there's a spare bedroom in the house, because their kids are already adults and have long since moved out.

This gives Leon and Ashley both a chance to shower and eat something and sleep in an actual bed in an actual house. They're both also gifted a change of clothes, which makes Ashley break down and cry briefly with relief and gratitude -- and the sight of her doing that makes Leon choke up a little bit, too, but he maintains his composure.

And if you really didn't think I was going to "there's only one bed" this shit, like... what the fuck are we even doing here, man.

Leon tries to be like "I'll just sleep on the floor" at first because he's a dumb idiot boy, but Ashley's basically just like "if you don't lie down on this fucking bed I swear to god I'm going to start screaming and I don't know when or if I'm going to stop." because her nerves are shot and she's had her fill of Leon being the self-sacrificing hero and she just wants him to be comfortable and sleep on a fucking mattress that's dressed in clean sheets.

And despite how physically exhausted they both are, neither of them can seem to stay asleep more than an hour or two at a time. Every little bump and noise jolts them awake and puts them both on hyper alert, and they both have to remind themselves where they are and that they're safe and that they're jumping at shadows. And when they do finally drift back off again, it's not Ashley who has nightmares -- it's Leon. She, at one point, needs to wake him up from one particularly bad one that had him twitching and tossing and talking in his sleep. When he wakes, it's the first and only time Ashley can recall having ever seen him look truly afraid -- of anything.

They spend this time in between stretches of sleep having quiet conversations in hushed tones, and those conversations get deep and personal and vulnerable and intimate -- because they both feel like they're in a liminal space and none of this is really real, and when the new day comes and they're on their way back home, neither of them will remember what was said between them.

Of course, that's not true. But that's how it goes.

The best sleep they get is when they finally let go of the pretense between them and cling to each other for warmth and comfort. Leon holds her in his arms, and Ashley nuzzles the bridge of her nose into the nape of his neck, and their legs are tangled up between them. If we're feeling spicy, we can also add some slow, sensual makeouts and light-to-heavy petting also as well.

In fact, that's probably the best sleep Leon's had in years, period.

But the new day eventually breaks, and then it's off to rendezvous with some high-ranking military personnel and finally, really and truly, start the journey back home.

And that, officially, is where their fairy tale ends and reality comes back in.

[depressedhatakekakashi]

I have a question about teacher Gai, specially, THE INCIDENT. The one where people attack Tonika which result in Gai using his repressed dragon powers.

Do you have an idea on how this would happen? I imagine attacks on Tonika are incredibly rare, what with the village being cut off from the world, hard to get to, and almost mystical in how few people know about it. The last attack on the kingdom happened in Warrior Gai's time. Were these random raiders who got lucky? Or do you think this was the consequence of the vaccine getting out, and another village or kingdom deciding "hooray the doors are open and we aquired vaccination, let's attack!" And they must get pretty far in their fight if they make it to Gai's school where he's protecting his students.

Do you think it was an ambush? Like a peace treaty/ festival was happening and then the group visiting, decided to sneak attack after they made it inside. Like how the Cloud tried to steal Hinata in canon?

Whatever the case, I must ask... how does the village react to Gai full on decimating the attackers almost single handedly. Is Kakashi present at the time wondering how he'll help subtly without giving himself away, only for Gai to suddenly release dragon powers he never knew he had! Does anyone see it happen? Does Gai remember activating that power? How does he feel about it if he does, or his family, or students? How does his life change when his world now knows he's the dragon warrior... is he afraid Kakashi will look at him differently (XD;).

Or is it somehow done in such a way, where no one sees him activate his magic, they just see the aftermath. Maybe he's obscured by smoke and fire, and all his students were hiding behind a closed door when it happens. And the power is so much/ as well as the shock/ anger/ fear at the time, that he passes out right after so only Kakashi or some other god swoops him up. In which case only the gods know he STILL has this power, and Kakazu starts making grabby hands in the background (and Danzo is kicking himself in his imprizonment for not taking the soul when he had the chance XD). (Orochimaru maybe has gotten over the dragon and maybe isn't even evil anymore. And just chilling in science.)

To shorthand these questions, what's the lead up look like for the attack, and how does everyone react to Gai after it happens?

*rubs my greedy hands together*

Ok first, i think it’s an attack. Some people are greedy, or power hungry, or they just like attacking others. There’s always a reason someone can come up with attscking, and Tonika is a village of legend

Legends come with extravagant rewards. Rewards a greedy heart would want.

So i thi k it would be an army, cuz some rouge’s would be a non issue. Tonika has its own army, it’s Protect. But a kingdom with its own trained army could pose a threat

One that makes its way past the village walls and into the core

And that’s where they meet Gai. A dude who’s just determined to protect his students no matter what the costs.

As for who remembers, i think it would only be a select few. Some of the lucky few who are positioned right to see the dragon awake

Students who worried about their teacher and went outside to check on him when they heard screams

A villager or two who were nearby and jumped to Gai’s side to help protect the children

Not many, but a select few who know as soon as they see the dragon awaken that this is a secret they have to keep. No one can know, because if they do they might take Gai away or try to hurt him, and the villagers don’t want that

I do think Kakashi would be there because, well because i’m weak Xd

I think he’d show up to see the attack, but keep his distance until Gai has awoken the dragon. When that power has been unleashed that’s when Kakashi would step in. Not to help Gai fight, but stop him from slaughtering an army that is now retreating in fear

He knows just seeing that the villsge is still protected by the dragon hero will convince other’s that an attack is not worth it, no matter what treasure they may get

Kakashi would be the only one willing to stand in Gai’s path and face the full brunt of his power, because at the end of the day he knows one thing for certain

Gai would never hurt him

[spacexfucker]

I do think therapy can help and I think people sometimes do need medication and whatnot but I really feel like some people who talk about getting therapy or medication or whatever say that and then imagine it solving the problem?

I've been in and out of therapy for over a decade. I've been inpatient many times. I've been on swathes of pills in different combinations. I have diagnosis and CBT and I know all the phrases and words to describe what I'm feeling but I am still painfully effected by it.

Like...I will say I'm definitely better...in a way, than I was when I started therapy and was medicated. But definitely not "normal". I haven't finally reached the plateau that the neurotypical are on. I've got more gear to get up the mountain but it's still raining and lightning and the wind is still blowing at 40 mph. And every so often I'm pelted with hail and the temperature drops bellow freezing. Stopping my assent to do my little rituals over and over and repelling backwards for fear I forgot something. Slipping on slick rock faces and plummeting down to be caught painfully by my rescue gear. Thinking often about just cutting my rope and being done with it.

My brain doesn't work the way I want it to. I can still see myself doing things and say things and feel things that I know are ridiculous and trauma responses and meltdowns, and it's like watching a train derail. Knowing why it's happening doesn't help me keep all the cars on the track. It doesn't keep me from hurting myself or others. And in the aftermath, you feel so stupid. Why am I here again? We did this last time. We should have known better.

Every car is filled with mistakes and things i cringe about and things i wish I could forget. Around every bend is potentially another episode.

All I can do now is get into the cycle of owning up to it. Apologies for being the way I am. Angry, overstimulated, silent, brooding, depressed, agitated, and so on. Depending on the love of those around me to be strong enough to handle my newest meltdown when my routine is disrupted or something doesn't turn out as expected. Fighting against the instinct to keep my worst symptoms to myself out of fear. Realizing that having a great partner now that has never traumatized me doesn't mean I don't act traumatized anymore. It doesn't mean I don't expect punishment.

Knowing that I'm a person that many people don't like and some outright hate and that I'm only likeable in the moments I am most "normal". And how exhausting it is to try to maintain that long enough to not be discarded or inspire resentment. Struggling to not mess it up on purpose because I've convinced myself it would be better if I ripped the bandaid off myself. Fighting the desire to pack what I can carry and disappear.