#can't stop thinking about them it makes me SICK

[sturnioz]

i wanna see fb chris getting sick and bun taking care of him. i know he's going to get all pissy but couldn't do anything about it >:D

"don't—don't touch me." chris splutters between painful coughs, his voice rough and strained.

he feebly pushes against you, his shaky hands barely strong enough to make you bulge (which is a huge difference considering how easily he can move you) and despite his weak attempts to keep you away from him, determined to help him as you grip a damp cloth in one hand and a bottle of water in the other.

"let me help you..." you murmur softly with a frown tugging at your lips as you lean in closer, ignoring the groans of protest as he tries—unsuccessfully—to push you away.

"don't need your help," he rasps out, the words breaking as another painful coughing fit takes over him.

his face twists in frustration, and with one last weak shove, he grabs the blankets, yanking them up to his shoulders to cocoon himself in the bed.

he glares at your from beneath the folds, his eyes glassy with an obvious fever. "m'fine, kid. a'ight? just... just need t'rest or somethin' and—and i can't do that with you crowdin' around me. go away."

you know you should listen.

you know you should walk out of the room, give him the space he's asking��no, that he's demanding for.

but you can't leave him like this... even the sight of him, so pale and feverish, coughing so hard that his whole body shakes, makes your chest ache and pulls hard at your heartstrings.

ignoring the sharp glare he fixes on you, you quietly sit at the edge of the bed, and you don't falter as he groans, pressing the damp cloth to his burning forehead, causing him to shift under the blanket.

he tries to arch away from you stubbornly, his voice cracking as he grumbles. "stop it."

"you stop it," you fire back with a soft pout, the words spilling out before you can think twice.

the moment they leave your mouth, chris' head snaps toward you so quickly it's almost comical; his eyebrows furrow, and his eyes narrow at you in disbelief.

his lips part, reading to fire off some snarky retort to you, but you're quicker. "just let me help you... m'good at this, i promise!"

for a moment, chris just stares at you, his mouth still half open like the words he was about to say got caught in his throat. he blinks slowly, as if he's trying to process what you just said... or maybe the fact you even said it at all.

"good at this?" he mutters weakly, his voice thick with exhaustion. "good at what? playin' nurse? i don't need you t'nurse me up, kid. what i do need is you to—"

he cuts himself off with a harsh cough that rattles his chest, causing you to flinch at the sound, your heart twisting as he wheezes painfully. his hand weakly clutches the blanket as he drops his head back against the pillow, his fight fading with each laboured breath.

you don't say anything. you just keep tending to him, your quiet determination unmoving as you dab at his forehead. his skin is still clammy and flushed, and as you gently move the cloth down to his heated cheeks, his squirms uncomfortably under your touch, his face contorting into a scowl.

"s..stop.." he murmurs faintly, although there's no real force behind his words anymore—too weak.

you keep working with soft movements, ignoring his protests.

slowly, the tension in his face begins to ease, and his squirming stills. for a long while, he stays stiff, unwilling to give in—but eventually, his body betrays him. his shoulders sag, his breathing evens out just a little (though each inhale still sounds strained) and his eyes flutter closed.

now slumped against his pillow, he looks softer somehow, less like the grumpy chris you're so used to and more like someone just... utterly exhausted. his lips part slightly with each struggled breath, and as you continue to tend to him, you feel a small, pleased smile tug at your lips.

at least he's letting you help.

divider credits. @issysh3ll

[c4tluver02]

Steve’s Sick Day

wc: 1.5k

Warnings: none!

Summary: Steve wakes up sick but of course he still tries to get everything done despite the horrible feeling. Thankfully he has you to take care of him!

☆。*。☆。☆。*。☆。☆。☆。*。☆。☆。*。☆。☆。☆。*。☆。

When Steve woke up he knew immediately that he was sick. His throat was sore, he had a major headache, and he was sweating despite it being winter. It’s moments like these when Steve wishes he had someone else in this big house with him. Someone to look after him. But today he had plans and he couldn't skip out on them. First he has to take Dustin to the arcade and then he has to pick you up from your house to go get your car from the shop. So this fever will have to be put to the side. 

He got ready to pick Dustin up and got into his car. Immediately he's coughing up a storm. He really feels awful. He honks his horn to let Dustin know he's here. When Dustin opens the door he's running to Steve's car while saying bye to his mom. 

“Why am I taking you to the arcade if your moms home?” Steve asks, already irritated.

“Because she's going to work in 10 minutes. That's why.” Dustin says matter of factly. 

Steve rolls his eyes as he begins to drive to the arcade. “So are your friends meeting you there?” Steve tries to ask as he coughs just about every other word.

Dustin looks at him “Are you sick or something?” He asks.

“Yeah I think it's just a cold or something.” Steve replies, trying to play it off.

Dustin makes a disgusted face “Okay well don't get me sick. Lucus, Mike, and I need to get ready for our game.”

“Oh your super fun game with your super new best friend Eddie? That game?” Steve can't even bother to hide his jealousy or sarcasm. 

“Aren't you like 30? Why do you even care?” Dustin replies half listening to a word Steves says as he is messing around with his hair in the car mirror. 

“Whatever we're here.” Steve sighs too sick to be putting up with Dustin. 

“Cool thanks. Also Mike's mom is gonna drive us home so no need to pick me up!” Dustin says

“You never even asked if I could pick you up.” Steve says but as he spits it out Dustin shuts the car door. 

“This kid.” Steve says to himself as he shakes his head. 

He drives home and changes. Ready to have a little nap before he has to do his next task: picking you up. Not that he didn't want to see you, but he really didn't want to leave his bed.

As Steve was getting in his bed he got a call “Hello?” 

“Hi baby, I got a call from the shop. They said my car wont be ready till Wednesday. Apparently they don't work over the weekends so it's just been sitting there.” You finish with a sigh.

Steve felt bad you wouldn't have a car but he felt even better it was one thing he didn't have to do. This fever was getting to him. Every bone in his body ached and all he could think about was a nap. 

“I’m sorry my love, let me know when it is ready and I'll take you no problem ok?” Steve

“Steve, are you sick?” You ask about hearing the congestion in his voice. 

“Oh um, yeah I just woke up with something I’ll be fine.” He responds trying to sound more normal this time around. 

“Would you want me to come over? I can take care of you, I could also make some soup or something to make you feel better.” You hope he says yes. You hate to be alone when you're sick so you could only imagine how Steve feels. 

“You really don't have to do that honey I don't want to put a stop to your day or anything.” Steve says.

“Steve, you're not putting a stop to my day. I want to come over and see you. Is that okay?” You ask not wanting to overstep your boundaries in case he actually wants to be alone. 

“Okay yes please come over.” This makes you smile. You love taking care of Steve in any way possible. 

“Alright Stevie i'll be there soon!” You say.

"Okay baby see you soon.” Steve responds, he can hear the smile in your voice as you say it. 

-

It's only 15 minutes till you're at Steves. You have soup and medicine in your bag ready for him. You let yourself in as you have a key to his house. Once you make your way up to his room you see Steve curled up in his sheets with his eyes closed. He looks so cute when he sleeps. His long lashes touching his skin. You knock on his door to let him know you're here. 

Steve opens his eyes and sees you with a bunch of stuff in your hands. “Baby you didn't need to bring all of this for me.” He says getting up and giving you a kiss on your head as he hugs you.

“Well how else are you gonna get better? And by the way that's why you have me. So I can heal you back to life!” You say giggling. 

Steve smiles, finally, someone who's here to take care of him. “Thank you for being here.” He says.

“Of course I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else.” You say as you bring your face towards him to give him a kiss. But he pulls his head back.

“Woah I don't wanna get you sick.” Steve says.

“I don't care if you get me sick, kiss? Please.” You pout your lips out ready for a kiss as you blink your long lashes. 

“Okay but if you get sick I have to come take care of you, deal?” Steve says with his hands on your hips.

You press your chin against his chest and hum as if you were thinking about it. But immediately you say “Yeah okay I guess that's fair, deal.” 

Steve gives you a big kiss and brings you even closer. You two sit back on his bed. 

“Okay so what hurts? I need to know so I know what meds to give you.” You ask.

“Um my throat hurts, I have a headache, and I have a fever.” 

“Fever! Maybe I should go back home. Those sound like pretty bad symptoms.” You say with a fake scared tone.

Steve smiles at your antics. “Nope. Too late you're stuck here now.” He says grabbing onto your hand. 

You smile as you pick out the medicine to give him. “Okay take these three pills and then I'll go get a cup for you to drink this medicine from.” 

“Do I have to drink that?” He says looking at the bottle knowing it tastes awful. 

“Stevie do you want to feel better or do you want to have a fever forever and ever?” You ask. 

Steve sighs, knowing he really should take the medicine. “Ugh okay. Do you think you could get me some water to drink it with?” He says as he draws circles on your hand not looking at you. 

You smile at his request, “Yeah I can do that no problem I’ll be right back okay?” 

“Okay, be quiet please.” Steve asks

“I will!” You say as you walk out quickly. 

When you come back Steve is fully under the covers snug as a bug.

“Are you a cold babe?” You ask handing him his water.

“It just got so cold out of nowhere.” He says putting his arm out of the covers to grab the water. 

“It's your fever, I'm sorry you feel so awful.” You say running your hand through his hair. 

He closes his eyes and hums at the nice feeling. “Nuh uh you can't go to bed, you need to take your medicine. Then you can sleep.” You know him like the back of your hand. 

Steve takes a deep breath and then chugs the medicine in the cup. You know it's an awful taste, you've had it before. But a little part of you can't help but smile about how dramatic he is. He follows the medicine up with a big sip of water. Trying to get rid of any of the taste.

“Okay can we cuddle now?” He asks handing you the little cup and water to put on his bedside table.

“Yes, let's cuddle, do you want to watch something?” You ask. The chance of him watching it is slim but you’ll still be awake. 

“Sure you can put on whatever.” He responds by giving your shoulder a kiss. 

“Okay, let me get a movie from downstairs and I'll be back.” You run downstairs trying to be quick and grab the movie. Once you put it in you get into his bed. He puts his head on your chest and his arms around you. Completely trapping you underneath him. But you don't mind a bit. 

“I love you.” Steve says in a mumbled tone, his face squished against your chest.

“I love you too baby, get some rest. I'll be here when you wake up.” You go back to scratching his head knowing it will put him fast asleep. And before the movie even starts he's already passed out.

[autumnnnsun]

I see a lot of analysis about Riku but I think the thing that's kinda missing in discussions about him (and by extension, his relationship with Iori and Tenn) is his disability. His respiratory disorder may be undescribed and is shown to be improving but it still makes him a disabled person canonically and I think that slightly adds a bit more to the analysis of him as a character. As an example, I see a lot of people talk about the difference between him and Tenn with Riku as somebody that only takes while Tenn as somebody that only gives. There's a scene that really exemplifies Tenn's act of only giving and that was when he was telling Riku to quit due to getting sick from all the stress of being an idol. This makes sense to Tenn because that was how he showed support to Riku when they were kids, Tenn is very cold here but, in my opinion, he's essentially saying, "Stop hurting yourself, I'll do all the hard idol work, you should just quit and be happy with your friends." Here he thinks he's giving Riku a chance to be happy in a way that won't hurt him. Already this is not the best thing to say to somebody whose just trying to pursue their dream but with Riku's disability in mind there's another layer to it. I don't know how else to say this without sounding like I hate Tenn so bare with me, Tenn is basically telling Riku he can't be an idol because he's disabled. I was always bothered by this scene and I couldn't put my finger on it until I realised that Tenn is being accidentally subtly ableist here. This is simply not how you show support to a person with a disability, it's just kinda patronising to tell a disabled person that their disability is going to kill them. Telling a disabled person who is trying to chase a dream to simply stop because of a hurdle caused by their disability is not really support even if it makes sense to Tenn because of just who he is as a person and his past with Riku. When the I7 members and the manager changed centers to help Riku out, make sure to keep the place as clean as possible to not trigger his disorder or offer him warm tea/drinks to make sure he can perform the best he can, that is actual support. They're actually being accommodating to Riku's disability instead of making him not do anything at all.

I say all this not to say that Riku's entire character is his disability, but I hope I've shown how acknowledging it adds more to the discussion surrounding him and his relationships and just makes everything more interesting!

[beef-brisket]

Lucifer rubbed his face, he's at a complete loss. He knew he went about it all wrong with Adam, but he's never felt this way about someone before! Even Lilith!

But he needed to show Adam that he was sorry. He came HERE for Lucifer, and what did he do? Belittle him. Make fun of something traumatic, thinking it happened in Eden.

He had no idea Adam was dealing with a manager that was doing that.

As Lucifer sat in silence, he really thought back to the only time he saw his manager. That first day, he saw Adam after the extermination.

They were... he teleported in on them. That's when Lucifer hurt Adam. While he was getting hurt by his manager, Lucifer started to-.

The king covered his mouth. He's an idiot. Worse, he's a monster. He left Adam to be...

Lucifer: F-Fuck... fuck. Shit... I'm such... a fucking fool.

He can't let Adam leave like this. He can't let him return to Pride. He can't lose him again.

Lucifer: I-I need- I need to apologize.

-

Adam tried to quickly pack his bags, but all he wanted to do was cry. Why did he keep doing this to himself? Why does he keep trusting Lucifer? Expecting him to change when all he does is let him down?

Collapsing on the bed, Adam put his head in his hands and wrapped his tail around his legs.

After a few minutes, Adam jumped when he heard a knock at the door: Y-Yeah?

Lucifer: Adam? It's me- I know you probably don't want to see me, but I... fuck, I want to apologize.

Adam was silent for a moment. Each second that passed made Lucifer nervous. Just when he was about to head back to his room, Adam's door opened.

Adam: It better be good, Lucifer. Because you have no idea how done I am with you.

Lucifer smiled softly: I know, I... I want to make this right. Right by you. I... I'm so sorry, Adam. For what I said. And... so many other things. What I did at your home... that was... sick. And selfish. And so, so wrong. Fuck, even in your dressing room, I... should have stopped him. But I left you with him... I-I... had an idea of what he was doing- I was just so angry. Beyond angry! But that's no excuse. I shouldn't have hurt you that day, or at your home... and... I should have granted you permission to go to Earth... I'm so so sorry, Adam.

Adam: ...I didn't expect you to help me thag day. In my dressing room. I did hope... but I knew you wouldn't... I... fuck... I don't know if I can forgive you. Ever. There's just... s-so much...

Lucifer nodded: I don't expect you to forgive me. There's so much I have to apologise for... I... all I ask for is time to apologise properly... and prove myself to you.

Adam stared at the king, looking for any sign of a lie: ...Okay... but, I don't want to get hurt again, Lucifer.

Lucifer: I know! I know... but please, please stay. I... everyone likes you. So much... even that Bambi.

Adam chuckled: Yeah... these guys aren't bad... and your kid is something else. That's for use... okay. Fine. I'll stay.

Lucifer smiled widely. He even thanked his father for this slice of mercy.

He had so much to prove to Adam. And his daughter, she saw how he acted and heard what he said.

Lucifer: Thank you, Adam. Really, I... I won't let you down. Not again.

Succubus au

@beef-brisket

@fanofstuff01

(This au was originally on @things-aren't-what-they-seem66blog and was originally thought of by an anonymous ask)

The roaring of the crowd and the playing of his guitar deafened his ears but the incubus didn't care. He loved the way they cheered his name while he shredded on his axe. With one final strum, his song was done. He raised his arms and gave the horns, to which his fans reciprocated, and bid them all goodnight. He walked away his hands still raised until he was out of sight from them. Adam sighed heavily and wiped the sweat with his forearm as he made his way to his dressing room.

Once there he flopped onto the couch and groaned. Though Adam loved being a rockstar and having adoring fans, he wouldn't lie to himself, each performance, especially concerts, can be quite draining since he always had to prepare with mic checks and making sure he sounded right. Steve, his producer/manager/on-and-off-again fling, always assured him that these were mandatory. Just one of those sacrifices that come with being a star. Still, Adam felt a little like shit and he needed a drink, a hard one. Unfortunately, his evening wasn't quite over yet as knocking was heard from the other side of the door then a voice called out.

Assistant: Excuse me? Commander? I'm sorry for bothering you but I brought the VIP guests here with me.

Adam sighed completely forgetting about that. Almost all VIPs get access to meet him after every show. Though he loved his fans coming to him and saying how much they loved him, maybe even getting some head from the older crowd, tonight, he didn't want to. However, he knew that he didn't have much of a choice. Unless he wanted Steve up his ass, and not in a good way. Letting out a long groan he sat up, rubbed his eyes, and yelled out to her.

Adam: Bring them in.

He closed his eyes and sighed once again as he heard the door open and feet shuffle in. He prepared himself for the immediate responses of squealing and clamoring over to shake his hand. However, he was not prepared for a familiar voice to call out his name.

Charlie: A, Adam?

He opened his eyes and standing in front of him were Charlie, Vaggie, and a one-eyed sinner.

[rarepairdumpster]

Teacher Viktor AU Part 2

Part 1

Pairing: Viktor/Silco (Arcane) Rating: T C/W: Child Jinx, Mob Boss Silco, Jinx is also a Vilco shipper

A few days later, Jinx comes in to class early, and leaves a glittery makeup palette and note that says "So You Can Be Pretty For My Dad" 

And Viktor goes tomato red when he gets to the (now full) classroom and reads the note.

Jinx just grins at him from her seat and gives him two thumbs up.

Viktor calls her to remain behind at the end of the day, and he sits her down to explain that leaving gifts and notes like that isn't appropriate.

"But daddy likes you."

"Well, yes, but I'm sure he means as your--"

"And you like daddy, right?"

Viktor can't help a little flush. "I enjoyed meeting him, yes."

Viktor has to take a measured breath when Jinx just looks triumphant.

"Jinx, do you know what would happen if someone else found the note you left? They might think I was playing favourites."

"But I am your favourite." 

"That isn't --" Viktor sighs. "I care about all my students, Jinx, but if someone starts to think I'm playing favourites, they might start looking at what I'm doing more. It might mean I'd get to teach you less. Or not at all."

Jinx smirks. "Daddy said if they ever get rid of you, he'll hire you as my personal tutor."

Viktor can't stop the incredulous laugh that escapes before he falters, face warming.

Before he can stop himself, he asks, "Does your father know about the gift you left for me?"

Jinx's eyes go wide. 

"It was supposed to be a surprise cuz cuz when daddy sees you all pretty he won't think about the things that make him grumpy and he'll be all smiley like last time"

Viktor mulls over the words,  over the quiet care hidden behind exuberant action. 

She loves her dad a lot. And she worries about him.

Viktor can see that.

"Well, what about when he sees you all pretty?" Viktor smiles and opens the pallete between them. "These are definitely your colors. I don't think I could pull them off."

Viktor teaches her how to do smokey eyes, but with purple, and makes sure to show her in the mirror that came with the palette.

And he explains to her that she can do the same with pretty much any colour scheme.

And Jinx gasps like Viktor unlocked the universe.

Jinx asks how Viktor knows about all this and he just smiles and says "teacher school, of course"

Of course, because he isn't going to tell a child that he spent his teen years learning how to use make up to hide how sick and tired he was, or that he spent his college years sitting on pretty, but beefier boys and painting their faces with makeup.

Jinx only gathers her things to leave when Silco's annoyed voice floats up the corridor.

But she doesn't go without giving Viktor a squishy hug first.

Viktor moves to the doorway to watch Jinx bound down the hallway to Silco, yelling at him to see how pretty she is.

"Mr Viktor helped me!!!"

Silco looks up and smiles at Viktor from down the hall. "Well then, I must insist we go for ice cream before home. I can't have you all made up with nowhere to go."

Viktor disappears back into the classroom quickly; his heart is beating maybe a little too hard. He curls his cool hand around the back of his neck. He hasn't felt this silly and discombobulated in a while.

The next time Viktor sees Silco, it's when he has pickup area duty a few weeks later. Jinx still hangs near him while waiting so, he's not exactly surprised when a pristine Rolls Royce pulls up and the back window rolls down to reveal Silco.

"Get in around the other side, Jinx," Silco instructs before turning his attention to Viktor. 

"This is the longest she's stayed in one school. We might even make it the year. I believe I have you to thank for that."

"If she does, I think she deserves a party," Viktor says, maybe a little boldly; the kind words Silco has been giving him might be going to his head.

"And would you be willing to attend such a party?" Silco raises an eyebrow.

"Depends," Viktor muses. "I think it would be a little unusual if I was invited to a party full of kids."

"I think the excuse of being her teacher is enough to attend a party honoring her academic achievements"

Viktor can't help the amused smile that warms his face.

Silco seems determined.

"I suppose I'll wait for the invitation then," Viktor replies, waving at Jinx when she's settled in next to Silco. "Have a good rest of your day, Mr Silco"

"And you, Viktor." 

Viktor turns away, but he can feel the way Silco's gaze drops, even if only briefly, to look at his ass. He hears a satisfied little hum behind him and the car starts moving.

Arch + Woods

[flamingspud]

Grian was starting to get sick of stories. He couldn’t remember how long it’d been since he first entered the book, but now he was unable to escape the series of tales he found himself in. And with more of him disappearing with each story, this might be his last chance to escape.

Here’s my first piece for the @mcyt-soulmate-sweepstakes !!

Fic under the cut:

Grian was starting to get sick of stories.

He could no longer remember the amount of days that'd passed since he found himself in the library. He wasn't even sure how much of the old him was left.

All he knew for sure was that each day longer he spent in the stories, the more of himself he lost to the characters he played. 

Grian opened his eyes and immediately scanned his surroundings. He'd played all kinds of roles in the past, from royalty to detectives, the ease at which he'd slipped into them becoming less and less unnerving as time went on.

The room he was in was dim, light barely getting in through a window that had a lopsided sheet covering it. The walls had peeling wallpaper that did an awful job at covering damp stone beneath, while the floor was made up of creaking wooden floorboards. 

He sat up, the wings that were now on his back sore as he stretched them out. He had been lying on a mattress so thin it was more like a blanket, and it seemed he was already fully dressed in a black combat suit.

As Grian tried to figure out what he was meant to be doing, he heard the shattering of glass outside, and on instinct he ran to a covered window on the other side of the room and threw himself out of it. He's found me.

Grian barely had the time to spread his wings before landing shakily on the ground. Despite that he pushed himself forward into an uneven run.

"Come on Birdie, you can't run forever~" a voice behind him drawled.

Hotguy.

Grian's thoughts were all muddled up, some screaming at him to stop and greet his friend, the others urging him to keep moving.

Hotguy wanted him dead, something he knew to be true despite not having memories of learning it.

Grian skidded round a corner into a busy street, and he could hear gasps as he weaved his way through the crowd of normal civilians.

He stumbled into another alley and beat his wings, trying to reach the sky. Before he could make it a searing pain shot through his right wing, and he hit the ground painfully.

He spun around, and pointed his gun at the man standing in the mouth of the alleyway.

“It’s the end of the line for you, Cuteguy,” Hotguy told him, another arrow already knocked and ready to go. “Come with me willingly, and maybe we can cut a deal, give you a more lenient sentence.”

“Never,” Grian gritted through his teeth, a concerning red patch forming on his wing.

Hotguy frowned. “I’m trying to help you here!”

Grian wasn’t seeing any good ways out.

Cuteguy did though. He could kill Hotguy.

His finger squeezed the trigger, and at the last second he remembered; I don’t want to kill someone. He jerked his hand to the side, sending the bullet flying into a nearby wall instead of his enemy’s chest.

Grian cried out in pain as Hotguy shot his hand, making him drop the gun.

He didn't have the strength to flee as the superhero approached him.

He hated the yelp he made as his hands were cuffed, and Hotguy dragged him to the station.

•••

Grian was pissed.

Thanks to his lapse in judgement he found himself in a small, stuffy cell. The bed was even less comfortable than the floor Grian had woken up on that morning, and he didn't want to think about what the stains on the mattress were.

He considered punching the wall with his uninjured hand, but ultimately decided against it. He needed to keep his strength up if he was going to escape.

As if on cue, he heard footsteps coming from down the hallway. He quickly straightened up before a blond man came into view.

Grian eyed him suspiciously as he walked up to the door of the cell.

"…how's your hand?" The man asked, nodding towards his bandages.

"…Fine," Grian told him. Who was this guy???

The guy studied Cuteguy carefully, holding eye-contact for longer than most people ever dared. 

To his surprise, the man unlocked his cell.

As quick as a flash, Grian was pinning the guy to the wall, his forearm keeping his neck in place. "You're going to tell me how to get out of here," he breathed.

The blond was startled. "Hold on-"

Grian pushed harder.

"I'm- on your side," the guy choked out.

Grian gave him a puzzled look, loosening his hold enough to let him breathe.

"You're like me, aren't you?" 

"Who are you?" Grian asked, ignoring the question for now.

"My name's Martyn, but here they call me Echo."

Grian sneered at him, now he was looking familiar. "You're Hotguy's informant!"

He wasn't as popular as Hotguy, but he was known for having the ability to hear uncannily well. 

"I'm on your side!" He repeated.

Grian was quiet for a moment, looking him up and down. He did let him out of the cell.

"What do you mean like you?"

"From outside the book."

Grian's eyes went wide. There were others?

Martyn smiled at the glint of recognition in his eyes. "What do you say about ditching this place before we get caught?"

Cuteguy snapped back to where he was, and grabbed Martyn by the scruff. "Come on!"

Martyn led the way, taking seemingly arbitrary corridors to avoid detection. Every now and then he'd stop, telling Grian that he heard people nearby, and after a few minutes they'd continue again.

Eventually they reached a back door and found themselves in a dingy alley.

"That was… suspiciously easy," Cuteguy commented.

Martyn shrugged. "I mean, if it was hard, comic supervillains wouldn't make dramatic returns as much."

"What?"

"Nevermind. Let's go."

The pair made their way away from the jail, avoiding crowded areas by taking sketchy alleyways that Grian wouldn't've even noticed if it weren't for Cuteguy's knowledge.

Once they found a safe-ish place, Grian sat down while Martyn paced. 

"How did you know?" Grian asked tentatively.

Martyn didn't need elaboration to know he was referring to him not being from the story. "Well, if I'm right we're in volume nine of The Adventures of Hotguy, where Cuteguy kills him and he's brought back to life as an enhanced human. However, that didn't happen, you missed, which means you're not following the script."

Grian frowned. "So, what now?"

"We find a way out! Surely there's something we can do!" Martyn said with naive optimism, "and in the meantime, this world isn't too bad all things considered."

Grian snapped, "but we won't be in this world for long- once we reach the end of the story we'll move onto another one!" 

Martyn went wide-eyed. "How do you know that?"

Grian sighed. "Because this isn't the first story I've been in! There is no way out. Everything I try, I end up in the next story anyway."

"Everything?" Martyn asked dubiously.

Grian let out a frustrated groan. "Yes, I've run away, I've fought people, I've hidden, died," Grian listed them all like it was a waste of time.

Martyn considered this. "Have you tried going along with the story?"

"Huh?" 

"Like, getting the story to its official ending?" Martyn repeated.

"I-" he wanted to say of course, don't be ridiculous, but he had always tried to resist the characters' personalities and opinions, in fear of losing himself to them. He supposed that could mean that he strayed from the stories in the process. 

It wasn't like he knew how the stories were meant to end anyway.

"I don't know…"

"Then that's what we have to do!"

"But Hotguy's alive," Grian reminded him.

"Right… we could wait 'til the next story?" 

Grian was growing impatient, or was it Cuteguy who was short-tempered? Grian couldn't remember.

"But we don't know if we'll be able to figure out how the next story goes!" He snapped.

"Don't yell at me!" Martyn barked back.

Grian snarled. "Or what?"

"We're supposed to be working together, aren't we?" Martyn demanded.

Grian blinked. "Sorry," he said, stifling his rage. "I… didn't mean to do that."

He rested his forehead against his knees. "I'm just, tired."

Martyn looked at him quizzically.

"Every time the story changes, it's like the personality traits of the characters I'm in get stronger," he admitted. "I don't know how many more stories I can take until I forget myself completely."

Grian was scared. He didn't want to lose himself.

Martyn's gaze softened. "Ok; then we need to fix this story. If we can kill Hotguy, maybe things will get back on track."

"But how do we find him?"

Martyn smirked. "Oh Cutie-Pie, you forget who you're talking to."

"Don't call me Cutie-Pie," Grian said, his tone threatening.

Martyn put his hands up in surrender. "Woah- noted!"

Grian huffed and Martyn laughed, pulling a walkie-talkie from his pocket.

"Hotguy, you there?"

The pair waited silently, but it wasn't long until a voice came over the radio, the audio crackly as hell but the owner unmistakable.

"Hotguy here, what's up? Over."

"I have some information on the current whereabouts of Cuteguy," Martyn told him, "over."

"We shouldn't talk about this over the line; meet me at HQ, over."

Grian had to cover his mouth to stop himself from laughing at how easy this was.

"Roger that," Martyn replied.

They waited for a beat to make sure Hotguy didn't have anything else to say, but nothing ever came. 

"Well, to HQ then!" Martyn said, and Grian followed him in the direction of Hotguy's base.

•••

Cuteguy had never been to Hotguy's base before, and he had to admit, it wasn't what he was expecting.

He'd always imagined something grand, sleek and modern, something that represented the grandeur of the Hotguy name, like a gargantuan skyscraper or a fancy condo built into the side of a cliff.

Instead, he found himself standing in front of a run-down warehouse in the abandoned industrial district at the edge of town. 

Go figure.

He and Martyn had split up, as Martyn went ahead to go in the "proper" way while Grian was expected to find his own way in.

The task wasn't too difficult, as these places weren't built with the aim of keeping supervillains out. In fact, Grian realised that the base was more than likely chosen for stealth, meaning that installing a high-tech security system would make the place stick out like a sore thumb.

Ignoring the pain in his wing, he managed to fly up just enough to reach one of the grimy windows and pull himself in.

He fell onto a metal walkway that hugged the walls of the room. The space below was wide and brightly lit, and Grian marvelled at all the technology, gadgets and suits that were scattered about.

He saw Hotguy standing there, checking his watch and tapping his foot impatiently. He watched as Martyn strode in, a confident smile on his face as he did so.

"Echo!" Hotguy greeted, "you made it!"

"What do you take me for? Of course I did," was Martyn's response.

The pair chatted as Grian lined up the shot. His right hand still hurt like hell, but he wasn't half bad with his left, so it'd have to do. Wait.

Grian didn't know if Hotguy would have any memories once he was resurrected, but if he did it'd be clear that Echo was the one who led him to HQ, and there's no way that that wouldn't have an effect on the story.

He stood up and made his way round the walkway so that he was as close to Martyn as he could get. He needed to come up with a way to make it clear that Echo wasn't responsible for Cuteguy's appearance.

And Cuteguy had an idea.

Before Grian could question the morals of this plan, he dropped down from the rafters and hit Martyn over the head with the butt of his gun.

Sorry, he thought, but he didn't have time to stop as Hotguy had pulled his bow out.

Grian grabbed Martyn's unconscious form and held him in front of himself like a shield. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Hotguy's bow was trained on him, but he didn't shoot, he couldn't without risking Echo's life.

"How did you find us?" Hotguy demanded.

Grian's lips curled up into a feline smile. "Oh Hotguy, you really should be more careful, you never know who's lurking in the shadows."

Hotguy frowned. "How-"

"You were way too easy to follow," Cuteguy cut him off, the gun close to Martyn's head, "and if you care about Echo's life, you're going to do what I say."

Hotguy didn't say anything, just stood there with his arrow knocked and jaw clenched.

Cuteguy nodded to the door. "Close that, will you, there's quite a draught."

Hotguy looked at him suspiciously, but begrudgingly did as he was told, and made his way to the door. In the moment he lowered his bow to properly close it, Cuteguy's arm shot towards him and a loud BANG rang out through the space.

Hotguy's body hit the ground with a sickening thud. 

Grian resisted the urge to throw up. He dropped Martyn's body before letting Cuteguy take over.

He ran from the warehouse into the night, and it didn't take long for him to reach one of his many safe houses.

He collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. Hotguy was dead. Grian hoped it'd be enough.

Luckily for him, Martyn told him Cuteguy wasn't due to reappear until the next issue, so he laid low and kept an eye on the news for the next few days to see if the police were any closer to finding him. They were not.

Grian could've almost said he was getting used to Cuteguy's life, when a little under a week later he woke up in a place that was unfamiliar to Cuteguy.

Grian quickly scrambled to his feet.

The ground beneath him was scratchy carpet, and the walls were a pale cream colour. A clock on the wall ticked slowly, loud in the quiet space.

A space filled with bookshelves. 

On the floor around Grian was a scattered pile of books, ranging from murder mysteries, to fantasies, to horror, to superhero comics.

Grian could've cried with how happy he was.

Sitting atop the pile was the blasted book that tortured him for the past few months. It had a black leather cover with swirling purple symbols on it, but right now it was open to a page about halfway through. 

There were a list of names, his being newest with a number next to it: seventy two. Was that how many stories he'd been in?

Grian didn't stick around to question it, instead choosing to put as much space between himself and it as he could, flattening his back against the opposite shelf.

He then realised Martyn wasn't with him.

Was he still stuck in the book? Could only one person leave at a time, or did Martyn somehow mess up Echo's story? Maybe he didn't enter through the same book as Grian.

Grian felt a tinge of guilt- was it his fault Martyn wasn't there? Was hitting him a bad idea?

He carefully approached the book again, and flipped through the pages of names before him. The name Martyn was nowhere to be found.

"Are you ok?" The librarian suddenly asked, watching Grian. He startled at her appearance, but shook his head. 

"I'm fine."

She glanced at the books covering the floor, but instead of saying anything she nodded and walked away.

Grian sighed, and put the books back on the shelf in an order that definitely wasn't correct before quickly leaving the library.

•••

After he'd gathered his bearings, Grian had learned that only a little more than an hour had passed in the real world while he was in the story books.

It shocked him a little bit, but it hadn't taken him too long for his old life to become familiar again. It was like slipping into another character, only this time it was for good.

He found himself going back to the library after the fact, partly due to morbid curiosity and partly due to the fact that it was the only library close to where he lived. He never touched the book again though.

It was a few years later and he'd barely thought about the incident for a while, when he was approached as he was looking for a comic to read.

"Hey- do you have any recommendations?" 

Grian turned and nearly jumped out of his skin as Martyn stood next to him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said with an awkward chuckle. He showed no signs of recognition.

"Hotguy," Grian blurted out suddenly.

"What?" Martyn asked.

Grian blinked. "Have you heard of Hotguy?" He elaborated, "it's a comic series."

"I haven't actually," Martyn remarked. "Is it any good?"

Grian nodded. "I especially like volume nine, he gets resurrected in that one."

Martyn frowned. "Sounds like a cheap way to keep the franchise going."

"You would think so, but it's actually done really well," Grian insisted, grabbing the book for him. "Please read it."

God, he sounded deranged.

Martyn merely smiled. "Well, since you speak of it so highly."

Grian smiled. "Good."

"I'm Martyn by the way."

"Grian." 

Before Martyn could ask anymore questions, Grian hurried out of the library.

He may not have assumed the form of Echo yet, but to Grian, Martyn was already his hero.

[thechy-fychannel]

Maybe i am too fanfic-brained but mutually possessive/jealous hilson. In the show house does get super jealous of anything wilson does romantically, lol.

Back to the point; the possession/jealousy would be toxic as fuck for anyone else, but for them it's positive and healthy because they are freaks!!! Freak4freak!!! Weird and fucked up "he loves me" thing!!!

also possessiveness in the bedroom. Nice.

This ask !!!! Yes pls!!!!!

Their jealousy/possessiveness over each other is something else, that's for sure. It's not necessarily healthy but neither of those two have ever done well with "healthy" ["patients don't want a sick doctor" "well I don't like healthy patients."] They are the definition of Freak4Freak and they need that intense obsessive kind of love in order to break past all that repression. When you build a wall of stone around your heart, it's going to take a pickaxe or a sledgehammer to get through it, it's not something you can softly ease into to. You can lean on those bricks all day long but they're not going anywhere without a fight.

Obsession is one of their love languages and I think we see it best in early s5 when wilson knows house is stalking him, so he uses it to his advantage to mess with him and make him think he's dating a hooker and is on hard drugs. That moment when house asks wilson how he knew he was being watched and wilson says "Cane prints in the snow" is so insane like they are insane! What an insane thing to notice??? CANE PRINTS in the snow. How long did House spend outside his apartment, pacing up and down the sidewalk while wilson was upstairs with a nice woman named Cheri or Holly or smth like that? Wilson probably made her some dinner and told her about how his best friend is downstairs stalking them right now, thinking they're up here having sex or something because he's so concerned but can't bring himself to act like he cares the way he does. And you know wilson was just so smitten about it, probably grinning ear to ear because house loves him so much that he would pace in front of his apartment in the snow and watch him for hours on end and hire someone to watch him when he can't. It was house's way of being there for him when he couldn't make himself be emotionally available. It's not rational or normal in the slightest but wilson saw the effort house put into keeping an eye on him from a distance and he reciprocated that effort by playing into his games and showing him that that love was received!!

Not to mention all of that happens after Birthmarks. Wilson spent the last 4 episodes swearing that he was done with house, only to be the one to drug and kidnap him bc if anyone was going to drag him to that funeral against his will, kicking and screaming, it was going to be him. There was something very possessive about it all, locking the child lock, trying to keep his cane from him, keeping house on a vicodin leash. The kind of control wilson can have over house because he's the only one who knows how to handle him is very 😵‍💫 yeah. Not healthy but exactly what they need. It's all about how much love they have for each other every single time they are feral and possessive and obsessed with each other.

And of course that would translate in the bedroom. If anything, it just gets worse once they're sleeping together because it's the easiest and most efficient way of showing their love for each other. Actually saying they love each other and don't want anyone else is much too complicated and scary, it is much easier for them to play psychosexual mind games and tease each other until one of them pulls the other into an empty room and releases that possessive energy onto the other. The easiest way for wilson to get a lil bit of house's attention is to simply stop the cute nurse in the hall and ask her where she got that pretty necklace from or laugh just a wee bit too loudly at a patient's joke as they're exiting the exam room. That's all it takes for house to sniff him out and get all twitchy about it. And when house wants wilson's attention, he starts whining about cuddy. Not whining that he wants her, whining about practically everything else, the tone she used, the demands she made, her attitude, the way she shrugged off his "compliments" about her ass. Because of course wilson will assume he's pining over her, that's the real reason he's complaining. Wilson gets himself all worked up about it until he's determined to show house that he's the only one he needs. And in those quiet moments after, they still don't have to say the words bc their actions spoke volumes. It's impossible to deny that they love each other when they spend all day long clawing at the walls for each other alfjalkg.

[thepointofme]

saw a cherik edit with silver springs by fleetwood mac yesterday and it feels like it has opened a hole inside my brain because yes!!!! time WILL cast a spell on you erik!!!! and you won't forget charles!!! i always think its hilarious how they call each other "my friend" "old friend" left and right and then proceed to have the least platonic relationship EVER but their friendship is so essential!!! like charles is the first person outside of his family that erik learns to know and care about (at least in the movies) charles was there, not just his first friend but his first MUTAN friend!!!! the amount of respect he holds for him even tho he doesn't agree with his opinions and world's views, how charles probably has a special place alongside his mom in erik's memories because he loves him so much. that scene in days of future past where erik is like "all those years fighting against each other, charles. to have a precious of them back." charles was ALWAYS there in the back of his mind, the only person he loves that's still alive, that nothing or no one could make him stop loving him even tho erik himself doesn't believe he has the ability to love or at least to love something or someone without breaking and ruining them because he thinks he's inherently bad. he's full of anger because he's full of grief and charles is this constant reminder of how he CAN, in fact, still love even after everything that happened to him, and it probably terrifies him down to his bones. idk im just having an erik brainrot thinking about how in the movies cherik has spent more time away from each other than together. how they're so silly and were always trying to force the other in their own way instead of meeting each other in the middle, because at the end of the day they're just two different (and extreme) sides of the same coin, they do want The Same Thing!!!! but are too proud and stubborn to admit the other might have a point. and in the middle of all of this, the frustration erik feels because no matter how much he tries to pull charles away, to hurt him with his words and actions, charles is STILL THERE for him. he hates the way erik does things and feels so angry and frustrated all the time they're in the same place but there's nothing erik can do that would ever question charles' love for him. its just there. unshakeable and unbreakable. timeless. and erik doesn't understand how someone so broken and flawed like himself can be loved like this. that whole thing about him having to use his helmet so he wouldn't feel the unconditional love charles has for him makes me SICK to my stomach. they love each other so much and wasted so much time fighting with each other instead of fighting together side by side for their people.

[icewindandboringhorror]

On average, what is the total MONTHLY amount that you spend on dining out*?

*(This doesn't only count going out to restaurants, but also stuff like picking up fast food to bring home, getting a coffee on the way to work, getting a premade sandwich from a grocery store deli during lunch, buying a quick snack from a convenience store or food cart whilst walking somewhere, ordering a pizza or any other food to be delivered to your home, etc.)

*(If you often dine out in groups/as a household: calculate and divide the costs so that you get a Per Person average. This is for YOU individually, NOT the total household/group costs)

(I'm sure polls similar to this have been made before (very common topic), I just haven't personally seen one that I can remember, so, I was curious to do my own! I was discussing this with a group of people today and it was very interesting to see how widely the number varied between individuals. :0c )

(Reblog for bigger sample size if you can, and feel free to explain your answer in tags if there's anything extra to add!)

[itslikepoetrythat]

Gravity Falls Memes part 2

[brucie-baby]

something i find interesting about bruce and alfred is that when they do solidly label their relationship, it's always in regards to what the other is to them, not what they are to the other.

alfred will refer to bruce as his son but not himself as bruce's father. bruce will refer to alfred as his father but not himself as alfred's son.

i think this is where their complicated father-son/employee-employer relationship really shows. there's this line between family and colleagues that they've crossed a million times but as long as they pretend not to see the line, then the line hasn't been crossed. they don't have to consider the effect they have on each other. they don't have to face the possible rejection of the other viewing it differently. they don't have to talk about it.

considering the circumstances of bruce's biological father and alfred's biological child, i think it makes sense that they hold on so tightly to leaving it unacknowledged. the issue arises when you consider that not talking about it means never actually drawing the line. neither of them knows when to hold back and when to step forward. it's like they're constantly in this limbo state between shaking hands with your boss and holding your father's hand. the line is blurred. the line is blindingly bright. the line doesn't exist. the line is a circle drawn around them, keeping them together and the rest of the world out. they make me feel so unwell.

[vaguely-concerned]

I don't know what I love more, the fact that as rook you can make a statement in NO uncertain terms that you are NOT responsible one way or the other for the theological implications of the shit you're discovering in the 'regrets of the dread wolf' memories. not my jurisdiction. quite simply none of my business. not my chantry circus not my chantry monkeys. irrelevant to the matter at hand here we'll kill that god if we get to him he can get in line. or if the best thing about it is seeing the lone little 'lucanis approves' that pops up right after choosing it. corvid with a knife about to commit deicide keeping it real and sensibly, pragmatically, wilfully agnostic with me here in this magical lighthouse today

[andiv3r]

Having to block everyone who has "wincest dni" in their bio not because I ship wincest (because I have come to the conclusion that I actually don't) but because I do think it'd be fun to poke around at the very real weirdness of their relationship that I've noticed in the show so far. And I'm 99% sure that my poking around will get seen as shipping.

[timeskip]

The way Killua's flawed love for Alluka is also Killua's flawed love for Gon. The way Killua is created from the habits his family drilled into him. The way Killua physically removed their influence but he was still raised by them, and still unable to accept Nanika because of it. Nanika's love is unconditional; because Killua loved her back without wanting to use her, she would give him anything he wants. She trusts him so fully that she'll give her power to him completely.

And you know what? Killua is the same. During the chimera ant arc, Killua gave all of his power to Gon, everything he could do. He hid everything from Gon in order to let Gon focus on what he wanted to do without worrying about little things like Killua nearly dying for his sake; when Gon was on a date, when Killua split from Gon to stop the selection, when Gon was sitting by Pitou waiting for the healing to complete. Killua kept his pain from Gon in order to not distract him. As much as Gon's love for Killua is ALSO flawed, Killua never gave Gon the chance to change. He never pushed back the way Alluka does against him, and even after rescuing Alluka he was still trying to protect her in the only way he knows how. Killua never asked Gon, "do you want me here as a friend?" he just followed Gon silently. And without using these exact words, Gon DID ask Killua to leave. Gon told him that it wasn't his fight, and Killua backed down, feeling helpless when it came to Gon's awful emotional state. It's not his fault; it's something Killua couldn't handle. But this unconditional love of Killua's hurt him

But love is not just to do everything they want, to mangle your hands in order to help him win, to hide your own feelings of not being allowed to fight by his side. Love is Alluka yelling at Killua for hurting her. Love is Killua apologizing to Nanika. Love is the fact that Killua came back for Alluka and Nanika and didn't leave her alone once he remembered that he'd abandoned her. Killua is made of habits and violence, and even removing the violence doesn't stop him from hurting Alluka, the same way it doesn't stop him from hurting Gon, and doesn't stop Gon from hurting him, because Gon may not be malicious, but he took advantage of Killua's unconditional love, the same way Killua took advantage of Nanika's to try to shut her away, to shut himself away.

He would never be able to be his own person unless he stopped himself from falling into old habits. Until he looked Alluka and Nanika in the eyes and realized what he'd done, and how to fix it, and the ways that he's flawed and how he can fix it. Because he CAN. He doesn't have to be the person who forgot Alluka existed, and he doesn't have to be someone who would have this much miscommunication with Gon again.

[itsseriouslyridiculous]

I really hate how my physical body looks so so so much. unfortunately there isn't much I can do about it.

[the-acid-pear]

Yesterday I was replaying Deltarune and I was going really insane about it picking up on things I missed on my first playthrough and something that fucked me up hard was this line here

The little ellipsis at the end, almost like you can hear the regret on their voice. Voice of an ad who is realizing maybe they fucked up on this one. But it also made me think of... The possibility of this being a reaction to Spamton's actions.

Because I don't think this was an automatic thing, I feel like their drifting off was gradual. Sure, their jealousy had won them over (I'd have killed the guy or myself if I was them so I don't even blame them) but Spamton was too getting busier and busier the more famous he got, and as they say, that never stopped. He only kept getting bigger, until it all came crashing down. And when it did it was one of them who tried to go find him, after all that.

But I digress, let's focus on the original quote from my favorite sigma enby themselves, Pink Addison. There's obviously not only the regret to it, but feeling like they were abandoned too. Both parties lost a lot and the real tragedy is just how easily it could've have been avoided! Or rather, how beyond their control it was...

But I'll get off topic if I keep speaking so I'll leave it at that. The sheer tragedy that there is to everyone involved just makes me insane. Like I said in a post previous to this; you cannot trace down a good guy or a bad guy in this tale, it's just desperate people taking awful decisions and living to regret their actions.