#cat will play at your back and let you have keyboard access

[plumadesatada]

i haven't said it before but why is it still the neighbour's cat and not your cat

how to stop neighbour cat from loving me so much so I can use computer

[fixfoxnox]

oh so pre-fic streamer/camboy au hc let’s go

ok so for starters i’d like to think that streamer!ghost is like our universe schlatt

people who don’t look deeply enough into his content don’t know that he’s actually super sweet and down to earth

a lot don’t like him bc they take him too seriously

his sense of humor is so fucking painfully popeye’s biscuit dry and realistically asshole-ish

but those who actually have been around long enough know that he is genuinely a very caring person, he just has a persona that he plays

like he’s always the scape goat but that’s his goal

(just like me fr: getting people to target and focus on me so they don’t go after the people i care about)

also ghost just has exclusively has strong opinions on everything as a character trait

even if he makes the opinion up on the spot cuz he doesn’t actually give a singular shit on whether or not bug displays are ethical or something

knows every single loophole to every gd thing ever

maybe feds get suspicious of him for the shepherd or gun knowledge thing and he presents like articles explaining all the things they’re saying he “shouldn’t know” that are fully accessible to the public

he has a reward to temporarily turn on a camera on his keyboard so the thirsty viewers can watch his hands or something but it’s only for like 2min then he turns it off

roach has a shit ton of like sub goals and other reward thingies

*certain amount dono*: turn on pet cam and it’s like a second camera pointed on his lap or a pet bed under the desk where an animal may be

*hits sub goal*: rescues from a local shelter and it’s always like the oldest cat or a pittie with dog fight scars

he has a bunch of terrariums and tanks in the bg with invasive bugs and/or fish he caught himself

befriended the local wild critters like rabbits, crows, squirrels, and can like whistle a certain tune out of his window and like a whole flock of various birds swarm into his room on command and leave very politely

has a whole zoo at his house basically but everything is so fucking happy

selling your body online makes very good money y’all

he’s one of those “you love him or you hate him” guys but not cuz he really does anything wrong

its just some people don’t like the hyperactive yelling gamer type

where ghost is like schlatt, roach is like badger or something

always on a call with like 5 other people and none of them stfu for 3 whole seconds Ever

but if you’re into that stuff you’ll be dying of laughter right along with them :)

PLEASE THE HAND CAM FOR GHOST IS SO REAL

I like to imagine its like a donation goal thing (like a super hefty one) and like every stream where its one of the donation markers Roach comes in an immediately donates up to that sbdjdjdndn

Also love the idea of Roach being like Badger sjdjdjdjd his crew is him, Jackson, Frost, Ramirez, Logan, and occasionally a swap out when their friend Allen is back home for his 2 days out of the year (yes its every silent protagonist squad) and they're all absolutely insane

Roach's house has animals everywhere and his backyard is one of those wildlife gardens. All sorts of dogs and cats and the occasional ferret or guinea pig that has come through his local shelter. Has rooms in his house specifically designated for certain animals

Roach is the best out of his gaming friends but the one time Jackson (the worst of the squad) manages to clutch a round no one ever lets him forget it sjdjjdjdjd

Also about the hand thing again, prior to Roach showing up it was always Soap who would randomly pop in and donate all the money for the hand cam thing, usually while him and Ghost are playing together sjdjdjjd

God I love the Camboy AU

[capesandshapes]

Things child capesandshapes believed about the internet/computers:

The government owned facebook

Genuinely didn't know the neoboards existed. For some reason thought the neoboards link led to the employee side of neopets. Pretty sure my parents lied. This will be a common theme.

Neopets was the most popular game in the whole world. So was Bella Sara. Both of these time you for the duration you were on their website and gave you bad things if you were on too long.

You have to have an 18+ drivers license and scan it in and wait three to five business days to access any website with the warning or else the police will come into your house and cut your phone cord. (Dial up) Once cord is cut, it can never be repaired.

Safe websites were any websites that were linked somewhere on a website that you had previously been allowed to visit. Of note, this is the 2002 onwards internet, so I was allowed to visit any website that was linked on the bottom of the geocities or WordPress sites in their affiliated websites list. Anywhere else had viruses.

If you catch an internet virus the police have to come and cut your phoneline so you can't go on the internet and accidentally infect other people. 🥲

Pictures could be saved on the computer but needed a special code to be printed. Word documents did not. Our family's code was lost in 2006. This turns out to be a lie my father told us because he got tired of us using our two sheets a day, backwards and front on cat pictures.

You cannot save any dress up game pictures ever despite what they say because that is a lie. Instead stare at outfits. Be proud. Try to remember what you did. But don't stare too long.

You could go blind from looking at a computer screen for over an hour straight. (I had a sister. Turns.)

If you use staples near a computer they will magnetize to the keyboard. Turns out, no. We were just kids with no fine motor skills and would bring our spoils back to the desk and clumsily staple over the keys until my dad got tired.

It was completely normal for computers to have no sound or speakers and there was no way to hook them up. 2001-2006. Dad didn't want us to blow a speaker playing Sims music. Ironically I think we had a cd with it on for our radio and I think that my parents fancier computer might have had speakers, because we knew it was music from the Sims.

You should never ever ever download music online because you will get a virus and the police will come to cut the phone cord and end your internet forever. You can, however, go to the library and pick out CDs to rip from to burn on your yearly ream of CDs, but you have to check out a book too because libraries will not let you check out anything else if you do not have a book.

Very normal for every child to have a USB they're encouraged to put their favorite digital things on that their parents engrave with their names or write on in sharpie.

We cannot eat by the computer because otherwise we have to vacuum it more than twice a year, and then they will suck up all the cords. They did this. They literally vacuumed our PC. My dad said it was because we had long hair and it just got in the tower. He worked for IBM and built computers for a living so idk.

If you put your feet on the computer desk you will get a permanent hunch and your back bones will fuse together. GENUINELY A COMMON PROBLEM. Dad didn't want feet juice on the keyboard when he had to fix it

Going on the computer in a wet swimsuit could lead to electrocution

The only computer games on CD ROM in the world were the ones we owned and nancy drew. Nancy drew was an adult only game and you cannot buy it without a driver's license. There is only one. No one owns it. Very scary. Play Scooby Doo instead. (Parents had invested heavily in Scooby doo. Were afraid Nancy was too scary because of the ghost on the box.)

Anytime the Internet is bad it is because of hornets. This turned out to be true, as we had a nest on the receiver of our house towards the end. Charter man was stung 27 times.

Broke into my 13 year old email address solely because when I was 13 I thought I would get arrested if I lied on any account information on the internet

[arcanadreams]

That time you and your demon boyfriend went viral

hi yes hello obey me fandom!! my name is Gabbi and i have never played a single second of the actual game but i have read enough fanon content for the past year to have this idea swimming around in my head and now i am finally letting this accursed thing out of my brain and putting it in yours

also i’m only doing the brothers because any more than that and i’d have an aneurysm probably. oh and shoutout to @obeythebutler and @beels-burger-babe for inspiring me with their works to feel brave enough to write for this fandom

Lucifer:

You and Lucifer go viral on Asmo’s Devilgram story!

You’re in the kitchen helping Asmo with dinner duty and singing along to one of your playlists of human realm music that you like to show him.

Asmo starts filming your cute little dance while you stir the pot on the stove because you are just adorable!

About ten seconds into him filming, Lucifer appears in the doorway with quite the stern look on his face. You know, the one that comes right before a “MAMMOOOOOON” and strikes fear into the heart of all those with functioning eardrums. That one.

He opens his mouth, presumably to tell y’all to shut the fuck up, but then there’s a lull in the music and the eldest can hear your voice ever so slightly above the song’s vocalist and he freezes.

Man stops in his tracks like someone just smacked him in the face with a midair volleyball.

Asmo can be heard stifling a laugh behind his phone.

Lucifer’s face gets so soft and he almost, almost, loosens his metal-rod-through-the-ass posture before you notice him and give a little wave and ask if you and Asmo were being too loud like the considerate darling you are.

Lucifer clears and his throat and says something like, “No, you aren’t. I was just coming to check on how dinner is coming along,” and leaves, after which Asmo immediately presses the post button.

Screenshots of Lucifer’s heart eyes for you go absolutely viral because every demon on Devilgram goes absolutely feral for seeing the eldest demon brother lose his dignified composure. It becomes a meme template. “Get you someone who looks at you like Lucifer looks at MC” and “me at the delivery demon when he shows up with my spicy bat wings” posts become commonplace. (Asmo thinks the memes are totally worth getting strung up with Mammon for laughing at them.)

Mammon:

Much like Lucifer, you and Mammon end up going viral off Asmo’s Devilgram. (Noticing a pattern here?) 

He pulls a silly prank on your asses and honestly I don’t know how you fell for it. But hey, they say “idiots in love” for a reason, so...

You and Asmo are sitting in the common room of the House of Lamentation just chillin. Well, he’s chillin, you’re on the floor studying for an upcoming exam.

The video starts in the middle of a conversation you and the avatar of lust were having.

“No, Asmo,” you say. “Mammon and I don’t use pet names for each other.” Now that’s just a darn lie, and every demon and crow within ten miles of Mammon and you together knows it.

“Really? I find that very hard to believe, MC.~” 

You sigh in response to Asmo’s teasing. “Okay, he has a lot for me but I’m just not much of a pet name person, y’know?” The rest of the exchange goes like this:

“Oh, I totally get it.” *pause* “Hey MC, what do human world bees make again?”

“Honey.”

Cue a sheepish Mammon sticking his head in the doorway at the bluntness of your tone when you answered Asmo.

“Yeah, babe?” he looks like a puppy left on the side of a highway oh my god hUG HIM-

Asmo turns the camera back to his smug ass face and in the background you can be heard tripping on the damn carpet trying to get up and hug your mans. (”MAMMON GET OVER HERE SO I CAN HUG YOU” “W-WHAT? I THOUGHT YA WERE MAD AT ME?!?!?!?!”)

Leviathan:

Streamer Levi? Streamer Levi.

You guys go viral the first time you make an appearance on one of Levi’s weekly (insert cool Devildom streaming service name here) streams. 

It’s completely unintentional. You had been asking him for weeks to play with him on there, but he’s the avatar of envy after all. He doesn’t like sharing his partner, even if it’s with random strangers who have no real access to you.

However, he has his stream on a Thursday instead of a Friday one week, and you come into his room carrying dinner because 1) You didn’t realize he was streaming and 2) No matter what he was doing, the boy needed to eat. It wasn’t unusual for you to bring him dinner, so you had no idea why he was blushing and stammering even more than usual this time in particular. Boy was speaking in beached whale trying to tell you what was wrong.

Then you notice his screen. Oh! “Hi chat!” You wave, setting Levi’s food down on his desk in front of his keyboard. “M-MC!” He full-on whines, slamming a hand over his mouth afterwards when he remembers his viewers could hear that.

Honestly, they’d meme the fuck out of him if it weren’t for the fact that they are FINALLY SEEING HIS HENRY!!! THE MYSTERIOUS MC!!!

Chat is bombarding you with questions while you make Levi eat dinner. And by make him eat dinner, I mean literally feeding this man forkfuls/spoonfuls while he games because you love how flustered he gets when you do that. 

Does it impact his score? Absolutely. Does he care? Not really when you’re pampering him like that.

You start answering chat’s questions about you while he’s chewing so he can’t tell you to stop LMAO-

You’re a natural on stream. The VOD becomes the most popular on Levi’s account in a matter of hours and soon cute highlights compilations of you and him on that stream start making the rounds on Devildom Twitter.

Satan:

There was buildup to Satan going viral, similar to Levi in a way. 

Satan does have a Devilgram, but it’s basically a white woman’s Instagram with added book reviews for variety. Unless you’re a reader his account is pretty boring: candles, books, fireplaces, and cats.

However, after you two started reading together fairly often he began posting pictures of your legs draped over his while you sat together. They’d always be captioned with vague ass pretentious literary criticism. 

This goes on for months, and he gains a lot of (horny) followers after the leg pics start up. He doesn’t really get why but you both joke that it’s because you have some damn nice legs and I mean neither of you are complaining about the new following.

You two go viral when he finally shows your face, entirely by accident.

The post is a video, which is already strange for him and grabs attention. In it, you’re scoffing and reading an excerpt of a book, mocking its understanding of female anatomy.

“I’m quoting here, Satan: ‘her breasts bouncing around like giant pacmen.’ I’M SORRY?? THAT ISN’T HOW BOOBS WORK SIR. WHY ARE MEN ALLOWED TO WRITE?” 

(fun fact that is a very real quote from a very real book I really read last month pls save me)

Originally the camera is focused on your body, with your head out of frame to protect your privacy, but your righteous anger made Satan laugh. Like, a real laugh. The one that makes you and everyone in earshot wonder if he truly was never an angel cause he sure as hell laughs like one but anyway-

When he threw his head back, his DDD angled up just a tad without him noticing, and your face was in view for like .2 seconds. Screenshots of it are making the rounds on Devilgram almost immediately: FINALLY THE LEGS’ OWNER HAS BEEN FOUND.

Satan apologizes profusely but you honestly find it funny and you two opt to just start taking selfies while reading with both of your faces in them from now on. 

Asmodeus:

I’m gonna be real with you: you and Asmo go viral all the time. Pretty much everything Asmo posts can be considered viral because of his social media following and his status as one of the seven avatars of sin.

However, there are some fairly cute highlights to be pointed out among the times you were both featured in a post that blew up.

Your favorite is probably that time Asmo livestreamed on of you guys’ ‘Nail Nites,’ as you call them.

You’re both on the floor, doing your nails and kicking your feet back and forth while talking to chat. A lot of the questions are about your relationship, and there’s a lot of flirting back and forth between the two of you.

A particular clip of the stream does blow the fuck up on Devilgram, though, when someone screen records it and posts it with a bunch of heart emojis edited over it.

“’What colors do you think best describe each other?’ Ooo, that’s a good one, chat!” Asmo claps his hands together excitedly, making sure to be  careful of his nails.

Pretty much everyone expected you to say pink, but you surprised both your boyfriend and your viewers when, after a pensive few moments, you replied with “Hmm...probably yellow or orange.”

“Can I ask why, darling?” Asmo tilts his head in confusion. I mean, yeah, those colors look good on him, but he doesn’t wear them often so he’s wondering about your thought process. 

“Well, in the human world those colors often represent happiness, optimism, and positivity. You’re always the cheerful presence I need in my life when things get hard, so you have the vibe of those colors.”

Asmo proceeds to burst into tears and hug you, messing up both of your nails and prolonging the stream since you both have to start over. But neither of you particularly care. 

Fun fact: Asmo has the clip that demon made of that portion of the stream saved on his DDD and watches it whenever he feels sad.

Beelzebub:

Beel and you probably go the most viral out of everybody. Like this moment is an entire phenomenon across the Devildom internet. 

It’s a video, or well, multiple videos, taken at the end of a Fangol game that Beel’s team had just won. Everyone is cheering and going crazy, yourself included, and you just really wanted to congratulate your boyfriend.

So, like the rational person you are, you elect to climb up onto the railing of the bleachers and wave to get his attention. 

You were absolutely fine up there, and sat all comfortably motioning Beel over to you. He notices, of course, and jogs over, standing right beneath you and looking up. (Back where you were sitting, Mammon is screeching like a hyena in heat and Belphie, who is laying down, has one eye open to glare at him. The youngest knows Beel would never let you hurt yourself; you’re fine.)

A bunch of assorted demons at the game has started filming while you were sat atop the railing since you were rather noticeable. Therefore, there’s a shit ton of different angles of the adorable events that follow:

You slide off the railing, landing right in Beel’s waiting arms bridal style. You’ve got this brilliant smile on your face as you pull his helmet off. None of the DDDs filming can hear it over the crowd noise, but Beel asks you why you just went through all that trouble and you tell him it’s because you wanted to tell him how proud you are.

Soft boy’s chest puffs up and he smiles this big cheesy smile at you reach up to run a hand through his hair. You feel him practically purr at the contact, and with a laugh you pull him in and plant a big ole smooch on him.

The crowd, at least those of them that can see, scream. Everyone is running high on adrenaline and happy emotions; something that cute causes a ruckus!! When you pull away Beel proceeds to put you on his shoulders and you celebrate with him and the rest of his team.

The videos of you two being adorable go completely viral and there are some threads dedicated to stockpiling every single angle taken of the event. Beel is completely oblivious to the attention but you have a lot of them saved on your DDD.

Belphegor:

If you think Belphegor has any sort of social media presence whatsoever then you are sorely mistaken. (Well okay he actually does run some anonymous troll accounts to meme on Lucifer’s posts but that’s neither here nor there-)

Therefore, naturally, you two go viral off of Asmo’s Devilgram. 

Okay so someone in the obey me tag the other say headcanoned that Belphie will go out of his way to nap in ridiculous places and my brain really took that and RAN WITH IT.

So what happens is that Belphie will fall asleep in the fucking weirdest places. I’m talking on top of the fridge, underneath the dinner table, on top of bookshelves...you name it, he has slept there, no matter the effort it takes to get there in the first place. 

And, ever since you two started dating, you would join him. Sometimes it involved putting yourself at risk of great bodily harm, but the little smile he gave when you he saw you fucking scaling the countertop to reach him made it worth it.

So anyway, since Beel adores the both of you to no end, he takes pictures whenever he sees you two napping together, whether or not it is in a crazy place. He sends these to the family group chat because he thinks they’re adorable.

Over a span of weeks to months, Asmo has built up a stock of images of you and Belphie cuddles up in seemingly impossible places. Once he has about ten or so, he posts a compilation of them to his Devilgram with some cheesy ass caption like “The things we do for love <3″.

They become a meme SO QUICKLY. Like UNBELIEVABLY quickly. 

The picture of you and Belphie sleeping on top of a bookshelf, in particular, is a big hit. Memes abound.

“If my girl doesn’t climb up a bookshelf to cuddle my ass, she don’t love me.” “Get yourself a partner who scales bookshelves just to be with your ass.” Etc etc...Belphie doesn’t give a shit but you laugh at a lot of them so he sees that as a good outcome.

[azucanela]

chapter i

pairing: bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

warnings: cursing.

word count: 3k

summary: the internet is enamored with the idea of y/n l/n and bakugou katsuki, two renowned pro heroes, dating. the first issue? the pair rarely interacts. the second issue? apparently, they hate each other, not that anyone knows about that bit. of course, after one night of many mistakes, the whole world knows.

series masterlist

Y/N’S HEAD IS POUNDING when she wakes up the following day. Her hand coming to rub her temple as she attempts to soothe the throbbing of her own head, the light just barely seeping through her blinds already feels like too much as she rises up in her bed. Blinking a few times, Y/N’s eyes adjust to the light and she sighs, stretching her arms upwards and almost wincing at the sound of her bones cracking.

You’d think that a Pro Hero wouldn’t have such issues, and yet.

Coming to a stand, Y/N hisses at the feeling of her cold floor, frowning before she makes her way towards the hallway and rubbing a hand against her eye. She catches a look of herself in the mirror, hair amiss, makeup that she’d applied from the night before still on— and yet her eye bags seem to have grown. If Y/N is honest, she looks and feels like a mess.

That should be a given though, seeing as she couldn’t even remember how she’d gotten home last night. Though Y/N was sure the news would detail any screw ups she’d made. Sighing as she grabs the TV remote from the coffee table by her couch and clicks the TV on. 

“You’re fucking kidding me.” She mumbles out when the TV turns on to reveal that she is in fact the headline, alongside Bakugou Katsuki. 

Almost on cue, a set of rapid knocks sound against her door and Y/N already knows who it is, again.

It was an accident, Y/N hadn’t meant to get blackout drunk at a literal Gala filled with several respectable and admirable peers from the Pro Hero world. And she certainly hadn’t meant to speak poorly about one of those peers— well, if she could really call Bakugou that at this point. After all there was a reason she spoke poorly of him.

“He’s an— an ill-mannered, rude, insufferable—” Y/N inhaled deeply as she looked to Lorelai, gesturing her hands vividly as she finally said, “bastard!”

Lorelai stands with a hand pressed against her temple, rubbing it gently as though that would end the headache that Y/N had probably caused with her shenanigans. “I warned you.”  She mumbles out before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone as Y/N continues to drone on about the young man.

“I ran into him and I was filled with complete and utter rage. Did I do a few questionable things? Yes. Do I regret them—” Y/N sighs, bringing her hands to her face as the news plays in the background before saying, “I do.” 

If Y/N was honest, she wasn’t remorseful at all, not when it was Bakugou they were talking about. But she was embarrassed, she’d acted out like a child and there was no denying it. As much as she disliked the idea, a public apology was probably necessary and a private one to Bakugou was the least she owed him. 

Currently Y/N L/N and Bakugou Katuski were on every headline and front page there were, all because Y/N had elected to get a little too drunk and start talking trash about Bakugou. In the world of Pro Heroes, her word carried a lot of weight, so although it was unprofessional, Y/N had a feeling it was Bakugou’s PR team that was panicking right now. 

"You’re trending.” Comes Lorelai’s words, a hand coming to scratch the back of her neck awkwardly as she looks back up at Y/N, “I suppose that’s good.” 

Y/N had a feeling the people who shipped her with Bakugou were rather devastated upon finding out that the (non-existent) couple that they idolized yet had zero interaction actually hated one another. “Maybe they’ll stop thinking Bakugou and I would ever enter a relationship now.”

Raising a brow, Lorelai looks up to her, typing away at her phone without looking at the keyboard as she replies, “actually they’re shipping you with Pro Hero Deku. They caught quite a few pictures of you two dancing together last night.” Lorelai’s eyes returned to her screen, squinting as she mumbled out, “the Bakugou shippers are disappointed, but they’re still going strong. Something about… enemies to lovers?”

Y/N groans in annoyance, it was beginning to become abundantly clear that nothing good was going to come of this. Not that she expected such a thing, but a girl can hope. With a sigh, she shakes away those thoughts, pushing them to the back of her mind as she looks to Lorelai, “what are we going to do?” 

“I am going to speak with Bakugou’s publicist, and set up a meeting.” Comes Lorelai’s response, bringing the phone to her ear as she made her way towards the door for more privacy. 

Y/N looked to her publicist, brows furrowed, “I don’t want to meet with Bakugou.”

Rolling her eyes, Lorelai gestured to the TV as she replied, “we don’t have much of a choice do we?” Sighing, Lorelai stares at the ringing phone before saying, “you can’t let your issues with Bakugou interfere with your career— you two were bound to work together at some point. Whether you wanted to or not.”

Y/N can easily pick up on the underlying words as Lorelai steps out the door, she’s essentially telling her to suck it up. And though Y/N recognizes that she is absolutely and completely correct— that she unfortunately cannot allow Bakugou’s existence to interfere with her career, that doesn’t mean she can’t be upset about it. 

And besides, avoiding him had gone perfectly fine up until now. Y/N was still wondering what had possessed him to actually attend a public event. Last she’d checked, the boy hated them with a passion, and most of the time they only further damaged his reputation. 

Last night was only more evidence of that fact. 

“You’re right.” Comes Y/N’s words, sighing dejectedly as she sinks further into her couch. “Let me know how it goes.” Even Y/N could recognize that there was no other choice, and well— she had to be mature and realistic about this.

Lorelai steps away, and Y/N finds herself glad that she can’t hear whatever it is the woman is saying as she straightens her posture, sitting up as she crosses her legs on the couch to watch the news. 

“Famed Pro Hero Y/N L/N was caught expressing her true feelings for Bakugou Katsuki, and they certainly weren’t what fans were hoping for.” The woman on the screen leans back in her seat, moving out of the way to gesture to the screen behind her, as she opens her mouth to speak again, Y/N finds herself grabbing the remote and changing the channel with a glare towards the reporter. 

Not that it was her fault, Y/N had a feeling if she had a job with any news station right now, this story would mean everything for her career. But she didn’t, she was a Pro Hero, and she had more important things to do— and even then, weren’t there more important things to report on? 

The screen changes, and this time there’s another woman on the screen, a solemn look on her face as she leans forward on the desk with her hands clasped. “As the anniversary of the villain Stain’s incarceration grows near, civil unrest has begun to worsen. With another copy cat killer on the loose, it seem that people have once again taken to the streets to demand his release, or at least a change in his current life sentence for the murder of—”

Y/N shuts off the TV, grimacing at the reminder of her school years. Each year, crime would spike, so more Pro Heroes would set to work around this time. And each year, the number of casualties for Pro Heroes would practically triple because of all the people that tried to target them. This wouldn’t be the first Stain copy cat they’d seen, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Most of them didn’t last this long though, caught by the police by their first attempt ideally, if not then their first kill.

Y/N had lost good friends to people like that. 

Exhaling deeply, she comes to a stand, pulling out her phone to see she had several unread messages from Lorelai, all of which were in reference to the current… situation they were dealing with. There were— unsurprisingly— a few messages of concern from Izuku that Y/N can’t help but smile at. The boy had always been too kind for his own good. But what did confuse her were the messages from an unknown number, Y/N’s brows furrowed as she moved to open them. 

UNKNOWN ???

It was only a single message, but it still leaves Y/N confused, few people had access to her number, and for some reason she finds it unnerving as she goes to delete the conversation.

BAKUGOU WISHED HE COULD FORGET the chaos that had been the night before. Alas, every moment was burned into his mind, especially that bit in which Y/N had cursed him out while drunk and maybe something about him trying to fight Deku but that wasn’t really anything out of the ordinary. 

His eyes open to the sound of his alarm, and like clockwork— Bakugou rises from his bed and when his feet hit the floor he’s slipping on a set of house shoes instantly. He’d always been more of the type to live a methodical, routine like, life. Make the bed, cook himself a healthy breakfast if he hadn’t already meal prepped for the week, take a shower, get dressed, go to work. And then do it all over again. 

Bakugou had never felt the need for any spontaneity, seeing as his job provided enough of that. Surprise, there’s a murderer on the loose. Surprise, the murderer targets heroes specifically. Surprise, it's a stain copycat killer. Surprise! He hates Pro Hero Ground Zero more than anything in the world. 

The entirety of last night was not the type of surprise Bakugou was used to. Seeing as his phone is ringing as he tries to make his breakfast, and when he looks to see it’s his publicist— well, that isn’t really something out of the ordinary seeing as Bakugou seems to have a different “scandal” every week. But when the calls don’t stop coming...

Last night was a disaster, it didn’t take a genius to recognize that. Just anyone with a phone and some sort of social media, or a tv that had access to the news. Which was basically everyone nowadays. Bakugou liked to think that he had gone through worse, like when they caught him speaking poorly about Deku— although the boy had assured them that Bakugou meant no harm, and Y/N probably wouldn’t do the same.

Yeah, this was a problem. 

Bakugou had a feeling that if he hadn’t been the person who hired him, his publicist would’ve cursed him out by now. Regardless, the man in question had remained… kind of calm. He was clearly on the verge of some sort of breakdown, staring Bakugou down like a hawk as he sat across from him— hands pressed together as they rested against his chin. The man had arrived shortly after leaving Bakugou about a dozen voicemails.

“How did you manage to piss off one of the most influential women in Pro Hero society?”

Despite being a newer Hero, Y/N had worked alongside several of the Top Pro Heroes already, probably because of her connections with Pro Hero Hawks and her own Charisma, making her one of the most likable of the next generation. That and the fact that she was regarded as a potential Number 1 Hero given the speed she was rising through the ranks. 

Although Bakugou was sure this had damaged her credibility in some sort of way, he had no doubt she’d come back from this, even if he didn’t. After all, he wasn’t necessarily known for his award winning personality. 

In response to his publicist’s question, Bakugou finds himself crossing his arms, shrugging before he replies, “beats me.”

Inhaling deeply, his publicist brings a hand to his temple, rubbing it rather harshly in an attempt to end the major headache that was coming on. “You have no idea? None at all—” One of the other PR assistants is standing beside them once more, the guy had been leaving and coming back for a while actually. This time he seems rather anxious though, “and what the hell do you want?”

“Well— well, sir. You see, we’ve been getting a call from—”

His publicist, Haru Ishida, as Bakugou had come to know him, appears to have a vein popping out of his head as he replies, “I don’t care which major news platform wants to hear what we have to say, tell them the same thing—”

“It’s Ms. L/N’s publicist!” The man cries out, hand pressed against the receiver of the phone to keep said woman from hearing their interaction, face flushed red in embarrassment as he stands straighter and adds, “sir.”

Haru’ jaw drops open as he immediately shoots up from his seat, snatching the phone from the assistants hand and bringing it to his ear before swiftly saying, “Haru Ishida, how can I help you?”

Bakugou gives the man a look, “put it on speaker.” He hisses out.

The man does as he’s told and a woman’s voice fills the room, “I think it’s more of how I can help you, Mr. Ishida.” A pause, “I’d like to set up a meeting between our clients. We can discuss more in person.”

“Hell no.” Bakugou says instantly, seeing as his little reunion with his former classmate yesterday had gone very poorly, Bakugou couldn’t really see a world in which another meeting with Y/N benefitted him in any way. Despite this, his words cause Haru to glare at him, opening his mouth to respond only for Y/N to beat him to it.

“Bakugou.” She muses, “both you and Y/N are experiencing blowback from this.” Comes her words, the sound of typing on the other end of the call as she continues, “but you need us more than we need you. I know Y/N will come back from this, with or without you. But can you say the same about your career?” There’s almost a subtle threat if you read between the lines and it leaves Bakugou cursing under his breath.

If Bakugou was right, this was Lorelai Flores, a renowned publicist though she was rather new to the game. As someone who aspired to be the best, Bakugou initially sought her out. She’d rejected his attempts at hiring her of course, which is why he’d ended up with the second best he could secure. Haru, who was currently inhaling deeply as he replied, “that can be arranged.”

“No it cannot—” Haru ignores Bakugou’s attempt at protesting, simply shooting him a glare before returning his attention to the call.

“Fantastic!” The woman exclaims, “perhaps it can be just you and I, Haru. Clearly our clients aren’t inclined to be anywhere near each other. Of course, if all goes well then I’m sure they’ll be seeing each other plenty.” The sound of a pen scribbling against a paper followed by, “pick me up at 7, you have my address.”

The call ends, and Bakugou’s brow is raised as he looks back to his publicist, who clears his throat before saying, “we’ll come to a consensus sir.”

Meanwhile, the PR assistant from before looks to Haru, “fraternizing with the enemy?”

“I can fire you.” Haru hisses in response, eyes narrowing at the boy before looking back to Bakugou as he straightens himself and collects the paper’s before him, “if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare for my meeting with Ms. Flores.” He moves to leave, hovering by the door as he says, “by the way, I believe Pro Hero Red Riot is heading this way at the moment.” 

Bringing his hands to his face, Bakugou groans, if he had to guess— Kirishima was going to lecture him, again. He finds himself coming to a stand making his way around the couch, he doesn’t bother to meet Kirishima the door since he’s already making his way inside. At the same time, Bakugou is left to watch as the rest of his PR team is exiting his apartment one by one, taking their equipment with them wordlessly. 

And so, in comes Kirishima, a bright smile on his face as he calls out, “hey Bakubro!” Arms spread wide as he greets his friend, coming to wrap his arms around him. Although Bakugou doesn’t return the hug, he allows the physical contact.

“Hey shitty hair.” Comes his response, mumbled out as he is finally released from Kirishima’s grip. “What do you want?”

With a shrug, Kirishima, steps further inside Bakugou’s apartment, “I figured you might wanna talk—”

“Don’t wanna talk.” Bakugou interrupts, narrowing his eyes at Kirishima. 

Nodding slowly, Kirishima offers him a tight lipped smile, a short silence encompassing them before he says, “but she said some intense stuff so I though—”

“No.” 

“I can talk to her?

“Absolutely not.”

With that, Bakugou found himself wondering how this could possibly get worse at this point, of course, his question would soon be answered seeing as things could definitely get worse.

[sunnyrosewritesstuff]

Day 6 Birthday Plot Bunnies 2

If you want this to become my next WIP, be sure to shower it with lots of love!!  🥰 💖 All the story starters will be linked back to this masterpost.

Title: A Walk on the Other Side

Summary: Bilbo is a FBI profiler and rather enjoys his desk job when a strange case comes across his desk hinting towards the FBI's most wanted: Smaug. As soon as he makes this connection, he is approached by notorious crime lord, Oakenshield, in an attempt to get him to work for him. Bilbo’s world gets flipped upside down by the suave man, and he may not be a dirty cop, but he does have a personal investment in making sure Smaug is put behind bars.

Bilbo Baggins was not exactly the first person you pictured when you heard the acronym “FBI”. He was a little too short, a little too pudgy, and enjoyed his sweater vests immensely. Yet, he’s been his department’s top analyst for the last fourteen years. He may not be one of the showy field officers (messy, nasty work that), but what Bilbo did was not any less important. In fact, if it wasn’t for analysts like Bilbo, a lot of times the “gunslinging action” wouldn’t take place at all. A rather unpopular opinion but true.

It was shaping into a relatively normal Thursday for Bilbo. They had just finished up a debrief over their latest embezzlement case. He was starting to suspect they were dealing with a serial embezzler. It was different locations, different methods, and different amounts, but there was something about the case that clicked in Bilbo’s mind. He was almost to his desk when he noticed a large manila envelope was draped over his keyboard. He raised an eyebrow as he carefully lifted the sticky note attached to it.

Have a look at these files for me? I know I’m missing something. Call me when you figure it out. -GG

Bilbo plopped into his uncomfortable rolling chair with a sigh. Gandalf was his old AD before he switched departments. And unfortunately, anything with Gandalf’s name on it was usually trouble for Bilbo. He tapped his fingers on the desk and spun back and forth in his chair for a bit when his eyes landed on his mother’s picture on his desk. She was in uniform hugging him at his college graduation. He knew exactly what she would want him to do. Heaving a groan, he pulled the damn envelope towards him and started looking over the files.

Arsons? Those didn’t usually fall under Gandalf’s jurisdiction. His eyes skimmed the reports, not sure exactly what Gandalf was expecting him to do. The evidence was fairly cut and dry. What’s more is the local police caught a suspect that seemed substantially to blame. Case closed. However, if Gandalf thought there was more, he should probably check it twice. It was actually the third time that he caught it. The papers hit his desk as his mind reeled. No...surely it wasn’t? Now he really needed to make sure.

He laid the photos out side by side circling the origin of the fires in each picture. His hand was shaking when he was done. This was big. This was FBI’s most wanted big. He didn’t even bother writing up a report. He immediately got on the server and sent a one-word email to Gandalf.

Smaug.

It was thirty after six when Bilbo finally packed up his work to head back home. His mind had been racing all afternoon, and all he wanted was to be put on the arson case. However, Gandalf never replied to his email, never called, nothing. First thing he was going to do when he got home after feeding Myrtle was grab a beer from the fridge and call the older man. Even if Gandalf wouldn’t let him be part of the team, he deserved to know what happened with that bastard.

Bilbo’s townhouse wasn’t exactly what you would call grand, but he enjoyed it greatly. It had the cosy atmosphere of his childhood cottage while still being rent efficient in a quiet neighborhood. It was a slight commute to work, but well worth it. He unlocked the door and flipped on the lights to the front room as he toed off his shoes and set his messenger bag down. He was just getting ready to move into the kitchen to get some cat food down for Myrtle when he froze. There was a man in his house.

“So you’re Mr. Baggins.” His low voice purred in amusement as he looked him up and down. “You look more like a grocer than an agent.”

Bilbo opened his mouth to scream when the man whipped out a Sig Sauer.

“Don’t.” He ordered calmly. “I only want to talk.”

Bilbo’s eyes hardened as he quickly took in details for a sketch artist. Tall, likely over six foot. Lean, except for he’s slightly broader in the shoulders. Tailored suit. Slicked back dark hair but graying at the sides, hooded blue eyes, well-trimmed beard and mustache. Almost as if he knew exactly what Bilbo was doing, the man smirked before nodding towards the sitting room. Bilbo moved slowly and deliberately as he sank down onto his armchair. The man unbuttoned his jacket before taking the spot on the couch. He set the gun down in front of him on the coffee table. A peace offering, but also a signal that it was within reach if he needed it. Bilbo’s blood was pounding as he forced his dry throat to work.

“What do you want?”

“Gandalf told me you have the information I need.”

Bilbo cocked his head in confusion as his mind raced to process the loaded answer. This man knew Gandalf. He talked to him recently. He knew Smaug.

“What kind of information?” Bilbo played dumb.

“A file came across your desk, and you gave Gandalf a name. I want to know why? What did you see that made you so sure it was him?”

There was almost a maniac gleam in those bright blue eyes. It was something Bilbo related to well. 

“I can show you. I just need to get to my bag.” Bilbo stated, slowly standing up.

The man’s hand twitched towards his gun, but he didn’t pick it up as he nodded his consent. He didn’t take Bilbo as a threat. His mistake. Bilbo grabbed his bag and slid the pistol and cell phone out of the front pocket whirling around on the man. He sighed but put his hands up as he leaned back into the couch. Bilbo’s left hand was shaking as he searched for Gandalf’s number, but his gun hand remained steady and in control. He put the call on speaker so he could watch the man’s face for any slip. However, his expression never changed from slightly bored and exasperated.

“My dear Bilbo, I do hope you haven’t shot our guest yet.”

Bilbo could just kill the AD. He really could. As it was, his posture relaxed just slightly.

“Who is he?” He demanded of Gandalf.

“Someone who has hunted Smaug longer than you.”

Bilbo rolled his eyes at the dramatics and lack of a real answer which seemed to amuse the other man somewhat. This didn’t feel right. Every instinct in Bilbo’s body said to arrest the man across from him if nothing else than because he was dangerous.

“Do you trust him?” Bilbo finally asked, his voice wavering just slightly.

There was a long pause before Gandalf answered.

“I do.” 

Being of no real use, Bilbo hung up the phone after that. He had two choices before him. He could trust Gandalf’s judgement, or he could go with his instincts. He kept the gun trained on the man for a moment longer before lowering it with a sigh. He flipped the safety back on as he stuck it in his waistband, because he wasn’t a total naive idiot, before picking up his bag like he said he was going to initially. When he looked back over, the man’s gun was gone. Bilbo sat stiffly next to him and pulled out the file Gandalf had sent over earlier.

“It was where these fires originated that tipped me off. Here, what do you notice?” Bilbo questioned.

The man furrowed his eyebrows studying the images before he shrugged with a grunt of irritation.

“Placement.” Bilbo pointed out. “There were no traces of accelerant so how do you start a natural fire? Well, very easily. Gas range stove, covered radiator, electrical outlets, but look. Where the spot is most charred we can assume is the start of the fire. It’s nowhere near anything like that. It couldn’t possibly have started naturally. So what set off the fire? Smaug has a very specific MO. He kills using highly concentrated nitroglycerin tablets, smuggable due to their heart relieving counterparts, that when combined with human stomach acid will cause an explosion. And judging by the shape of the darker burn, it’s not a huge leap to assume that there was a human body there.”

“But all of the owners were alive to file insurance claims.” The man pointed out, looking more curious than anything else.

Forgetting that he was a stranger that had a gun trained on him not even ten minutes ago, Bilbo found himself getting more animated at the chance to finally explain his theories.

“So I looked into that after I sent the email to Gandalf. Somehow, every owner was conveniently out of town before the fire happened, and afterwards were able to afford a building or home way above their pay scale. Which even if you take insurance money into account still shouldn’t be possible. I think Smaug was paying them off for access to conduct his dirty work somewhere he couldn’t be tracked. What’s more, all the buildings being used by the same money laundering cleaning service made an easy target for the police.”

The man raised an eyebrow as he seemed to be appraising Bilbo. He smirked before standing.

“Very well, I’ll talk to Gandalf about getting you transferred.”

Bilbo jumped to his feet.

“Transferred? Where? For what purpose?”

“I want you working for me.”

“Now wait just a minute here!” Bilbo demanded as he stomped back into the entry hall. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but I won’t be a dirty cop! And don’t try to convince me anything about what we did was legal. Nobody breaks into an FBI agent’s home and holds a gun on him unless they work outside the law.”

The man shook his head with a snort. “Well aren’t you just perceptive.”

“Hang on!”

Bilbo reached out for the man’s arm at the same time he reached for the doorknob. In less than a second, the man had Bilbo’s arm pinned above his head in the wall out of view of the window with Bilbo’s own gun placed under his chin. Bilbo glared into the ice blue eyes inches away from his own as he tried to keep a cool head in an uncomfortable situation.

“Let’s get a couple of things straight.” The man whispered, his breath hot on Bilbo’s face. “One, I don’t answer to anyone, especially not you. Two, you’ll be whatever I want you to be or you don’t get the revenge you so clearly desire. Yeah, I can see in your eyes how badly you want Smaug. Work for me or get the hell out of my way. I don’t really care one way or the other, but Smaug is mine.”

He gave Bilbo one last smirk before shoving the gun in Bilbo’s pocket and stepping away. Without so much as a ‘good evening’, he was gone in the night. Adrenaline shot, Bilbo slid down the wall until his butt met the floor painfully. He let his head lightly bang into the wall behind him a few times as he just focused on breathing. A ‘meow’ alerted him to his company before Myrtle stepped over his legs to rub her head against his arms and stomach.

“And where have you been?” He croaked.

He didn’t get an answer back aside from another ‘meow’ as she seemed rather insistent on getting her dinner. Bilbo closed his eyes and counted to twenty before getting up to finally go to the kitchen. That beer sounded more prevalent than ever.

***

First thing he did the next day was go straight to Gandalf’s office, slamming the door behind him. The older man looked up and gave the analyst a wide smile. 

“Bilbo! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Who the hell was that last night?!”

“Well…” Gandalf huffed.

“Tell me.” Bilbo seethed. “Or I’ll go straight to the top and tell Saruman everything.”

Gandalf pouted. “No need to get testy. Please have a seat. Do you want some tea? Coffee?”

Bilbo let his face fall into his hands. “What I want…” His muffled voice stressed. “Is some answers. What have I just been exposed to?”

Gandalf sighed. “Very well. I believe you are familiar with Oakenshield?”

Bilbo slowly lifted his head to pierce Gandalf with a baffled glare.

“Oakenshield...the crime family? Oakenshield...who got into it with the Orcs several years back and cut off the hand of their boss? That Oakenshield?” 

“The very one.” Gandalf snapped, pleased. “Well that was Thorin.”

“Thorin? As in the head of Oakenshield, Thorin Durin?!” Bilbo’s voice had risen in pitch at this point.

“Of course.” Gandalf nodded as if Bilbo having a conversation in his living room with a dangerous mob boss was akin to making a friend at preschool.

Bilbo collapsed in the chair across from Gandalf as spots danced in his eyes. He white-knuckle gripped the arms as if physically trying to tether himself to the conscious world. I’m not going to pass out. I’m not going to pass out. Bilbo was an analyst! There was a reason he didn’t go out and meet people...well like that. And Gandalf knew Durin. Even worse, Gandalf leaked FBI intel to him. Slowly he lifted his head.

“Did my mother know?” He demanded hoarsely.

“Did she know what?” Gandalf asked, genuinely baffled.

“Did she know you worked for the mafia?”

“Bilbo…”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION, GANDALF!”

The wizened face hardened, reminding Bilbo of the reason why he had yet to retire.

“She suspected...but I never told her, no.”

Bilbo rubbed his jaw as he chuckled on the verge of hysterics.

“She always told me I had to get in your command. Said it was her best days on the force. That you were a good AD. Tell me. What’s your ratio? How many do you let slip off the hook for every one you put behind bars?”

“Now see here, Bilbo Baggins! I will not let you undermine me or my division! Contrary to your belief system, there is more at work here than what you can comprehend.”

“My belief system?” Bilbo scoffed. “You mean THE LAW?”

“Yes.” Gandalf grumped. “The law. The law which can dictate that a pickpocket is guilty but a corporation stealing hours from their underpaid workers is innocent.”

“I’m not going to sit here and debate...politics with you!” Bilbo laughed. “My job is to arrest people like Thorin Durin and there’s nothing you can say that’s ever going to make me think working with the lunatic is a good idea!”

“Not even if he’s your only chance to take down Smaug?”

Bilbo’s face fell into an emotionless mask, except for his eyes burning holes into Gandalf. Without another word, he stood and left the office. If he slammed the door closed with more force than necessary, well that was no one’s business but his own. Luckily, his black mood seemed to engulf him like a siren warning everyone off. He made it to his desk with no distractions ready to pick up where he left off with the embezzlement cases. Only, he couldn’t move as he stared blankly at the wall of his cubicle.

Understandably, his focus was a little off. He figured he should turn Gandalf in, but for the love of his mother’s memory and nothing more, he deemed it best to leave that stone unturned. His decision was immediately questioned when he got a text twenty minutes later from an unknown number with a time and a location and a charming little warning at the end.

Come alone.

Bilbo snorted as he tossed his phone on his desk. Absolutely not. An hour later, he found himself procrastinating the embezzlement case again to pull up the bureau's database on Smaug, Dracon. It was all information Bilbo had practically memorized at this point. His eyes drifted towards his phone with the text he had already committed to memory before shaking his head and exiting out of his search. Bilbo was an analyst for the FBI. He had his integrity and moral responsibility to ignore psychopathic crime bosses who wanted to use him for a turf war. He wasn’t so single-mindedly driven by revenge regardless of what Gandalf or Oakenshield said. His phone buzzed again.

Belladonna Took’s son was meant for more than sitting behind a desk for the rest of his life. Thorin was impressed. At least hear him out tonight, and if you absolutely feel like you can’t join the team, we won’t bother you ever again.

Bilbo threw his phone with a string of curses that had everyone around him staring with wide eyes. Bilbo dragged his hands down his face. This was such an easy decision. He just had to say no! No, no, no, no. Why couldn’t he say no?

Because you’ve never felt more excited about any case before? Because you trained for months to be a field agent before making an abstaining promise to your father at your mother’s grave? Because you’ve never felt closer to getting your mother’s killer, and that’s a sweet taste that just won’t go away?

Bilbo cursed himself with every swear in the book when the cab pulled up outside the restaurant that was texted to him. His nerves were singing. Everything about this felt wrong and dirty. And yet...he opened the door to let himself in.

[brokenjardaantech]

eternity

summary: six times allen celebrates connor's birthday (and one time he doesn't)

happy birthday, connor.

also on ao3

2038:

The first birthday Allen spends with Connor isn’t as much of a celebration.

An android killed its former owner and kidnapped a girl, said girl’s life is on the line because the android is standing at the edge of the roof ready to jump at the smallest hint that it’s going to be hurt, and now he’s supposed to wait for a prototype android which he didn’t even know about until a few minutes ago to take over the situation as a test? This is directly against Allen’s ethics, but seeing that command has declined his request to reclaim control over the situation multiple times, nothing short of the new android malfunctioning on spot would change their mind. Helplessness is an emotion he’s familiar with, but it doesn’t mean that he’s used to it. He also doesn’t mean to yell at the new android - Connor, model RK800 - but he does anyway before taking cover behind a toppled table where he can see every single one of his still standing teammates in the penthouse, with every single second Connor wastes wandering around the apartment bringing up his anxiety up a notch. He uses the time to get the paramedics, threaten the press to get the fuck out of there so that they don’t agitate the android outside even further with the transmissions and chopper noises. It is only when he’s done with all of the above that Connor goes outside, and within the penthouse, he orders the entire team to change formation, ready to strike when the situation calls for it.

He certainly doesn’t expect Connor to defy the PL600’s wishes and save the cop lying on the side. He also doesn’t expect it to dismiss the chopper, but then again, he also saw the android take the gun under the table even though its programming should prevent it from doing so, so for it to be able to do the impossible… maybe there is a chance for tonight to end on a relatively positive note.

Until Connor decides that the best course of action is pulling the girl towards itself so that it can use the momentum to push the PL600 off the edge, sealing its fate as the domestic android unloads an entire clip of bullets into its body.

Half the squad rushes forward to access the damage as soon as the magazine is spent, and as Allen kneels down on Emma’s side to shield her from the sight of thirium gushing out from the bullet wounds on Connor’s body, he can’t help but notice the LED on its temple spinning red a few times before going dark.

So much for a successful test.

---

2039:

Considering the circumstances, Allen isn’t sure if it’s appropriate to celebrate Connor’s first birthday, but it also feels wrong not to when Connor is now a permanent fixture in his team and it’s Allen’s job to keep track of the wellbeing of his teammates, so after thinking the idea through for a few days, he decides to get the android something small and functional.

What propels him to include a fidget ring in the package, he has no idea. Probably because his brain only focused on the ‘small, subtle and functional’ part of the fidget instead of the ‘ring’ part of the equation when he ordered the thing, but it’s too late now, he’s already walking towards Connor’s desk and Connor has noticed him, and turning back will be weird at the least and rude at the worst; the android has enough problems finding his place in the team enough it is. He places the paper bag containing the assortment of fidgets on the edge, observing the way Connor’s gaze travels along with it before looking up and meeting Allen’s gaze.

‘What is this?’ Connor asks.

‘I don’t know if you celebrate it but…’ sometimes Allen does wonder how much of his social skills stem from what he calls his SWAT Captain override, ‘I got you something for your birthday.’

‘Androids don’t have birthdays, Captain.’

‘Your activation day, then. It’s fine if you don’t want to accept it; I don’t even know if you do the birthday thing and -’

Allen somehow becomes too focused on rambling that he doesn’t notice Connor pulling the bag towards himself and examining its content. A small tub of slime, two fidget cubes of different dimensions, a small bubble fidget, and finally, the ring. The room is silent save for the hum of electronics and the sound of fingers hitting the projected keyboard on their desks, and no one bats an eye or turns around to see what’s going on as Connor tries every single one of the fidgets on spot and then setting them aside; when it comes to the ring, Connor first takes it between his fingers and gives it a few spins, then rolls it on his fingertips in a way slightly different from that he used to play with his coin, and then slides it onto his left pinky. He smiles at Allen. ‘Thank you. They’re all wonderful.’

Something shifts within Allen but he can’t pinpoint what exactly it is. Seeing that his task is done, he says, ‘I’m glad that you like them,’ and returns to his office for more paperwork.

---

2041:

Allen intended to make getting drinks a yearly thing for Connor’s birthday, but his plans get scrambled as soon as he realises that he can’t contact the android in any way. He’s neither reading his messages nor accepting any calls, which isn’t Connor’s usual habit, and as the day approaches its end and midnight tickles by, he starts to worry. They promised to celebrate together this year, so where has Connor gone now?

He dares not sleep even after getting home, his cats splayed in various positions around him while he anxiously switches from show to show available on the subscription service on the TV, and he forces himself to drink a small can of coke so that the caffeine will keep him awake for a few more hours as he shoots message after message to both Connor’s phone number and internal contact. Not panicking is an easy thing, him having mastered the art of forcing himself to calm down even in the direst situations since he was young - at least, that’s what he tells himself.

The trembling in his hands tells a different story, but it can simply be the caffeine.

His doorbell rings at 3 am, and when he opens the door, Connor is standing outside like a lost puppy. He smells weird, his posture slack in a way Allen has never seen before, but Allen admits him anyway, standing to one side to let the android go through the door and take off his shoes, his thoughts flying back to the present he prepared for Connor that now sits in a package on his coffee table. ‘Where have you been?’ he can’t help but ask. I was worried, he wants to add, but no use doing that now; Connor is safe in his house, and it’s all that matters.

Connor suddenly swivels around and stares at the human intensely. It is a look Allen sees often when he goes to bars and decides to mingle with the crowd, but never one that he reciprocates because he just isn’t interested or attracted to random strangers; with Connor, however, things are slightly different, and he finds himself frozen in an unfamiliar emotion as the android scans him from head to toe. Anticipation.

��Looking for you,’ Connor replies in the end, and the next moment Allen finds himself being pushed up against the wall and the taste of warm water and plastic on his lips, on his tongue, in his mouth as something hard pokes at his hip.

An inhuman hiss from somewhere close to the ground reminds him that he’s still in the living room and it’s hardly a good place to do… whatever Connor is planning to do, even though he has a slight idea on where the night will go, and he pushes the android off himself as soon as he feels his lungs burn. ‘Bedroom,’ he orders breathlessly, and he doesn’t wait for Connor’s response before scooping him up by his thighs and carrying him upstairs. He doesn’t keep anything related to sex in his house - masturbating does fuck all for him and his previous relationships were never long enough to make him attracted to his partner - but as soon as he gets Connor’s trousers off and discovers that the android is, in fact, self-lubricating, he sweeps his worries to one side and focuses on giving Connor what he seems to want right now. He isn’t ashamed to admit that they fucked like bunnies. Connor moans so deliciously while he bounces on Allen’s dick, and when his movements get too arrhythmic to be pleasurable for either of them, Allen simply flips them over so that Connor is underneath him and ploughs into him like there is no tomorrow. He’s surprised when the skin on his cybernetic leg deactivates to reveal plastic not unlike Connor’s chassis; he’s surprised to find that Connor orgasms easily, the android shuddering apart multiple times before the thought of approaching his own orgasm even crosses Allen’s mind; he’s even more surprised at himself that he has the endurance despite having gone without sex for years.

In any case, he ends up coming in Connor’s arse and collapsing on top of the android with a groan that is quickly swallowed by Connor pressing his lips against his like they’re his lifeline. Then he gets up, tells Connor to get up to take a shower as well so that he can quickly strip the bed and change into new sheets, puts the dirty sheets into the washer-dryer, and then takes a shower himself after the android is done. He forgoes most of his usual sleeping attire and settles for a pair of boxers instead, but nothing prepares him for Connor putting on his old clothes as if he’s prepared to leave. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Back,’ is Connor’s too-fast reply as he struggles with the buttons of his shirt. ‘I’m sorry. I don’t wish to impose.’

‘You aren’t,’ Allen lies down on his usual side of the bed and pats the empty space next to his body. ‘You can stay if you want to.’

Connor freezes. He looks… lost. ‘You don’t mind?’

Allen tries to soften his expression. ‘Why would I?’

That seems to do the trick, and Connor strips until he’s also only in his underwear and settles down next to the human without touching him. Allen tucks them in, reaching around to make sure that the blanket is wrapped snugly around both of them, and he lets himself drift despite the questions he has in his mind: where did Connor go? Why did Connor choose him? Why did he not answer his calls and messages? Why did he seem to forget that today - or yesterday now, technically - is his birthday?

His train of thought is interrupted by Connor scooting closer almost hesitantly, and he places a careful arm around the android’s waist to show that he doesn’t mind it at all even though his still-bare cybernetic leg tickles slightly from getting into direct contact with someone else’s skin. Connor seems to take it as permission to plaster himself against him and even tucks his face into Allen’s neck. He hears a wet sniff, and instead of mentioning it and pushing the subject, he runs his hand through Connor’s hair and pats his back with another to offer him comfort, the repetitive movements lulling him into sleep quicker than he expects. Faintly he hears Connor breathing a small ‘thank you’ before pulling away and turning to hug the human’s arm.

The last thing Allen remembers before darkness claims him is kissing Connor’s forehead sleepily.

---

2042:

It took Allen a few months and a few more heart-to-hearts in their privacy of his home to get the whole story out of Connor, and by the time Connor’s fourth birthday rolls by, he realises that they’ve been dating for a bit more than a year. His sister once told him that he’s the type of boyfriend who will go all-out for his partner if he ever dates, and standing in front of the mirror trying to fix his tie, he finally realises how right she is.

He is distracted quickly, however, when he tries to fix his hair and finally notices that he still isn’t greying at all.

Shaking his head to clear his head - his boyfriend’s birthday is hardly a suitable time to have an existential crisis - he focuses on making himself immaculate for the date he arranged for Connor a month prior. The android let slip that he wanted a more traditional date, so even though Allen knows that Connor can’t eat human food, he picks a restaurant where thirium is also served so that they can both consume something before going back to Allen’s and actually celebrate with the sweetest words and the wildest sex. He just hopes that Connor likes his gift for this year which, when compared to the previous ones Allen has given him, seems insignificant and bland on the surface.

The logical part of his mind tells him that Connor isn’t a shallow person, but it doesn’t mean that the part that always feels disappointed in himself no matter what doesn’t have a say in the situation.

Their date is a quiet affair, Allen too jittery to have much of an appetite and Connor too occupied by people watching to talk to his boyfriend, and the frizziness of the glass of sparkling water he ordered for himself doesn’t help calm his nerves. He doesn’t know if Connor keeps track of his vitals or if the android cares, but by the time he’s done with his salad, he feels like he’s about to melt on spot from sheer pressure.

Calm the fuck down, Captain, he tells himself as he holds the glass and tries not to tap his nail against it. Just pretend that this is a new proposal. Proposal. Ha. Maybe not that quickly, you old man.

‘Having fun?’ he finally gathers enough courage to ask. This is their first line of dialogue in more than twenty minutes. ‘I hope you like this.’

Connor slowly takes a sip of his thirium. Then he reaches out, takes Allen’s hand in his own, rubs the human’s scarred knuckles. ‘I do. Exactly what I need, as always.’

Allen blushes. ‘It’s your birthday,’ he answers, and it falls lame even to his own ears. He clears his throat. ‘Speaking of,’ he reaches into his pocket with his free hand, takes out the key, and places it next to Connor’s hand, ‘happy birthday, Connor.’

The android doesn’t let go of his hand as he pulls the key closer towards himself. In Allen’s lowly opinion, the assortment of keychains - a tiny St Bernard sculpt, a heart-shaped charm made out of silver wires with a blue crystal suspended in the middle Allen might have spent hours perfecting, a hollow circle of iridescent metal - is more important visually than the key itself, but all he can think of right now is whether Connor understands the implication behind the gesture or not, and if he will accept Allen’s offer.

Connor gently rights the St Bernard keychain and pats its head with his finger. ‘Is this what I’m thinking of?’

Captain override, captain override. ‘A year ago, you came to me in the middle of the night for comfort. Since then, we’ve become more than colleagues, more than friends,’ he doesn’t realise how hard he is squeezing the android’s hand until he pauses. ‘You’ve moved most of your stuff to mine anyway so… I think we can make it official. Living together, I mean.’ When Connor doesn’t reply at all, he scrambles, ‘You told me that you never liked living in those Jericho-managed flats and it didn’t feel right to live at Anderson’s either after -’ he watches Connor’s expression closely - ‘after Sumo died so… yeah. I know it isn’t much of a present to invite you to live with me because you’re already doing it most of the time, but I think it’ll -’

‘Come here, silly human.’

Reaching across the table, the android cups the human’s cheeks and pulls him in for a quick kiss before releasing him and settling down in his seat. ‘Of course I will,’ he says, beaming. ‘We deserve it.’

‘“It?”’

‘Being together.’

Allen can’t help but giggle. Maybe he isn’t the only sappy one among them, after all. ‘That we are,’ he clangs his glass against Connor’s in a small toast. ‘That we are.’

---

2045:

Allen doesn’t even remember it’s going to be Connor’s birthday soon until it’s too late. Too busy recovering from a traumatic mission which resulted in the deaths of most of his team and his two right limbs, his life in the past few months consists of trying not to die by trying to stay awake, more physical therapy than a normal human should have but since he’s got top-of-the-line cybernetics in his body - whatever that means, he doesn’t feel any different apart from the fact that his new prosthetics don’t like obeying his head - it’s supposed to accelerate instead of hinder his recovery, and debating whether he should retire at the age of 50 and become a househusband worrying about his android husband’s safety every day he goes to work. On a good day he still looks 40, so he really isn’t sure if he really can’t return to his former duties after his right arm and leg finally listen to him. Maybe physically. Mentally, he’s just all over the place.

The ring hanging from a chain he wears around his neck is sometimes the only thing keeping him going.

He can’t help but groan as he hears someone barge into his room in what seems like early morning but is probably sometime closer to noon. He is still tired from the eight-hour physical therapy session yesterday, and his muscles are aching all over even after a bath and a full night’s sleep. The world can wait. ‘I assume you aren’t Connor,’ he lays his arm on his eyes and squeezes his right fist. Constant exercise. ‘I’ve got no therapy today, so please let me rest.’

‘Today is also the fifteenth of August, Allen,’ it is Nines’ voice who answers him. ‘Do you remember what date it is, or has your recovery forced you to devote most of your brainpower to keeping yourself afloat?’

It does feel like that sometimes, Allen wants to say, but for the sake of his future brother-in-law(ish), he wrecks his brain trying to remember what’s special about today. Oh shit. Oh fuck. Fucking mother of -

‘Shit!’

He scrambles to sit up just to forget that his right arm still isn’t quite in sync with the rest of his body and promptly bangs his forehead against the bars on the sides of the hospital bed, and though he’s grateful that Nines is immediately at his side helping him sit up properly, staying in bed is the last thing he wants to do; it’s Connor’s birthday, for fuck’s sake, and he’s going to get him something even if it means delaying his release from the hospital.

‘Hey, slow down,’ Nines pushes him onto the bed. ‘We have seven hours to get everything done.’

‘It took me a week to plan everything last year,’ Allen complains. Seven hours is not enough. ‘And why seven?’

‘The time now is ten in the morning and Connor will get off work at five. Including travel time, you’ll have roughly seven hours to think of something for his birthday - if you’re up to it. Your temporary discharge papers are ready; I have Connor’s permission to kidnap you out of the hospital.’

‘Hell yeah,’ Allen tries to cheer himself up. ‘Lead the way.’

Hours go by, and his enthusiasm is beaten down bit by bit as the sun changes angles and he realises that no matter what he does, nothing seems good enough. He thinks of getting a thirium cake, and he remembers that he already got one for Connor the year before and Connor didn’t even like it after the novelty wore out; he thinks of making something for his fiancé, and he remembers that his fingers aren’t the most coordinated things in the world right now; he thinks of taking Connor to dinner, and he remembers that all he can offer is crappy hospital food and thirium that the android probably doesn’t even need. He wants to cry but he’s too tired from being baked under the sun to do so, therefore all he can do as he waits for the traffic light to turn green is sit in his wheelchair and feel his eyes water.

‘You know Connor will be happy with whatever you can give, right?’ he knows Nines is trying to comfort him, but it’s never about Connor’s expectations, no; it’s always been about himself, his desire to give and show that he loves Connor, and now he can’t even do something special on a special day. ‘He’s looking forward to spending his time with you.’

‘In the fucking hospital? Save it,’ he doesn’t mean to snap at the android and instantly feels guilty about it. ‘I’m sorry. I just -’

I just want to do something special for him.

Nines is either ignoring him or has already forgiven him. Allen doesn’t know which one is worse. ‘I have a suggestion, if you may.’

He sighs. ‘Shoot.’

Instead of telling him directly, Nines brings him to the craft store and purchases a balloon in the shape of a thirium pouch. The shop helps them inflate it, and Nines ties it to one of the armrests so that it won’t float away while they go back to the hospital. ‘That’s it?’ Allen’s curiosity finally bubbles through when he’s greeted with the familiar scent of his hospital room. ‘A blood bag balloon?’

‘I can write a message on it if you want.’

Allen muses over the idea. He doesn’t think he has a lot to say, but it’s a birthday after all, and there are certain scripts that he can stick to when composing a message to Connor. ‘I’ll write it myself,’ he decides in the end. ‘Give me a marker, can you?’

‘Can you?’

‘Can I what?’

‘Write.’

‘It’s good practice.’

It is hard to hold a pen when your nerves aren’t listening to your brain. It’s hard to write. It’s even harder to write on a curved slippery surface. By the time Allen is done with ‘HAPPY,’ his prosthetic hand is smudged in ink and his right shoulder already needs a break, but he feels accomplished. It feels… doable.

‘Now do “birthday,”’ Nines orders.

Allen compares his current handwriting size to the space available to him. He shortens the word to ‘BDAY’ instead and adds his signature underneath afterwards, and he holds it in front of him so that he can examine his handiwork. Not as good as he expected, but that will have to make do given the time and resources. He just hopes that Connor likes it.

‘I’m sure my brother will like it,’ Nines reassures as if reading the human’s thoughts. ‘He loves you, after all. Now take a nap; you’ll want to be at full strength when he arrives.’

Allen falls asleep to the balloon drifting somewhere above his head. When he wakes up, Connor is there with him, playing with the edge of the balloon while staring at the human’s handwriting as if it’s the most precious thing in the world. He’s still tired physically, but his heart soars with the knowledge that his gift is well-received.

The fact that the balloon later has a place on the wall of their house after it’s deflated makes him happy.

---

2055:

For Connor’s seventeenth birthday, he books himself a full-body biocomponent replacement appointment. ‘You told me to treat myself,’ he said to Allen when the human asked him why he picked that day to do so. ‘So I’m treating myself.’

‘By replacing your organs?’

Connor propped himself in Allen’s lap and kissed him. Hard. ‘So that we can have an eternity together, dumb human.’

Allen didn’t bother correcting him that he’s more bot than human now, his cybernetics having taken over much of his biological functions to make him essentially immortal, but it was nice to pretend once in a while, and now that he is witnessing Connor being prepped for an android equivalent of full-body organ replacement surgery. If everything goes well, they’ll have the entire evening to themselves to get used to and explore Connor’s new biocomponents, but if it doesn’t…

Guess they’ll have to delay the celebrations to the day after. That’s all.

‘Anything you want to say to each other before we put him under?’ the tech asks.

Allen moves closer to Connor’s bed so that he can hold his hand. ‘I’ll be waiting outside,’ he tells Connor. ‘Just shoot me a message if you’ve got something to say.’

Sure thing, Connor replies directly through an interface, and it’s something Allen is still getting used to. Or I can just do this.

‘Whatever suits you.’

They dare not waste what precious time they have, so Allen leaves after kissing Connor one last time before the start of the procedure. Spending half a day watching his husband’s biocomponents being ripped out carefully and replaced with new ones and his thirium being completely replaced with fresh ones isn’t exactly what he has in mind, but nonetheless he’s glad that he is here today.

It means they’ll have an eternity together.

~~~

21??:

Not today, dumb human.

Allen lowers his hand back to his side and focuses inward so that he can talk to Connor better. Since Connor’s consciousness was uploaded to his brain as a last-ditch effort to save his soul, they’ve shared the same body ever since, and while they can retreat to their shared headspace to do whatever they want, Allen still has a physical body to maintain, there is so much to explore now that humanity is no longer bound to a floating rock called earth, and the two of them frequently goes out with either one of them handling the body and the other riding along and see the world through the same pair of eyes. Right now Allen is in control of the body, and it only takes a glance at the calendar to remember that today is Connor’s birthday.

Or at least, it used to be.

We picked a new birthday, remember? The day we merged? We don’t even use the same calendar anymore.

Allen has to pause and think. Right. He shrugs, goes to the other section of the store to pick out something for Connor anyway because he’s set on spoiling his soulmate anyway, birthday or no. It's also a good day to remember where they came from.

Who knows this will be our destiny? Connor chuckles, and Allen finds the corners of his mouth tugging upwards as well. Separate but also as one. When we met in that penthouse.

Allen pays for the things and exits the store. The world ahead curves upwards, the sky a flat but realistic projection of what a morning sky should be on earth. An artificial breeze brushes his face, and it smells like flowers, like the purified rain that will no doubt sweep across where they are standing soon.

It’s unexpected, he admits, but I’m glad that it went down this way.

Me too, Allen.

Connor wraps his consciousness around Allen’s like the perfect blanket, weighing just enough to give him a sense of safety and keeping him warm but not suffocating. The fifteenth of August may not be Connor’s birthday anymore, but it’s a day Allen will remember for a lifetime, an eternity. A habit that he will never break even though the original date is already lost in the river of history. It makes them happy.

And it’s all that matters.

[wolf-zer0]

everything not bolted down is fair game (too bad no one told you who else is playing)

Category: Gen Characters: Dream Relationships: None Summary: Dream's been running jobs since he was tall enough to reach locks and fast enough to scale a building sub-fifteen minutes. There's no one else who knows the game as well as him. (Technoblade might beg to differ, but no one asked for his opinion). He's slicker, he's smarter, he's just all around better than all these morons who somehow think they're in his league. When he decides to steal the Manberg Emerald from the Museum of Natural History, he thinks it'll finally show the world who the top dog really is.

(Turns out, there's already a pack of top dogs. And they're all too willing to knock him down several pegs.) AKA Dream's a cat burglar and an arrogant asshole who gets dunked on by a bunch of children AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952117

“...We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with a breaking news report. Police have announced their findings that Nightmare, one of INTERPOL’s most wanted, is most likely behind the recent robbery at the National Museum of Art...”

“...Nightmare’s true identity remains a mystery. Despite years of activity and dozens of burglaries attributed to him from across the world, no leads have been found. The only evidence authorities have is his signature smiley face symbol spray painted on the wall next to the space where the stolen painting, valued at around $155 million USD, had previously hung...”

“... Investigators believe that his next target is the Manberg Emerald. The massive gemstone, estimated to be worth nearly a quarter million dollars, is currently on display at the Museum of Natural History…”

“... In order to stave off the potential theft, museum officials have moved the Emerald to a secure containment facility within the building, far from public access…”

“...The police are asking the public to watch for any unusual persons near or around the Museum, and report any suspicious activity immediately…”

The night air is cool and crisp around him as he stands at the very edge of an office building’s roof. The city hums beneath him, thousands of feet down. Headlights glimmer against the black of the pavement as people go about their night, mindlessly chattering to one another. They continue their lives without a single glance up.

His silhouette blends seamlessly into the moonless sky. The wind is calm, ruffling the edge of his hoodie just slightly. The smog and bright lights of the big city hide all hints of him from view. It’s the perfect night for a felony. Cocksure grin painted behind the blank smile of a mask, he pulls down the edge of his hood, tilts forward over the edge, and drops.

The wind whistles past his ears as he falls, office windows flickering before his eyes on the way down. The dull roar of the city sharpens. He doesn’t flinch as the lights on the road grow brighter and brighter.

The line clipped to his harness pulls taut. There’s a sudden, sharp jerk as he reaches the end of the rope, and all movement stops. He hangs headfirst in the space between earth and sky, just above the roof of the Museum. With a deftness born only from years of practice, he releases the carabiner and drops safely down onto the roof. Footsteps near silent, he creeps closer to the grating. Strains his ears for any sign of trouble. Nothing. Not a soul notices anything amiss. Perfect.

There’s a reason Dream’s the best in the game. Not a single person could be considered a contender, let alone a real opponent. (Technoblade’s the closest thing, but the guy’s about as easy to rile up as a brick wall. With the social skills to match.) He pulls up the grate he’d found and loosened during his recon and slinks down into the vents.

He loves his crew, he really does. He and Sapnap have been running together since they were kids. They learned how to pick a mark together, how to stitch a wound together, how to run circles around the competition together. Dream honed his sticky fingers, Sapnap taped his fists. They clawed their way out of obscurity, covered in blood and sweat and tears. They took in the view from the top, and they laughed.

George was a recent addition, but not an unwelcome one. Sitting behind his many screens and fingers dancing over the keyboard, he worked his magic in ways neither of them could even imagine. He barely breaks a sweat busting through the most robust security programs. The three of them are a well oiled machine, breezing past crew after crew on the race to infamy.

Dream really loves his crew, they’re his family. But sometimes he thinks he loves running solo even more.

The rush of the chase, the thrill of the hunt, the danger that comes with dancing on the razor’s edge of success and failure where a single mistake can send him plummeting to the ground. It’s fucking addicting and Dream is hooked.

He doesn’t do it often, just often enough to satisfy the itch under his skin. Sometimes, he makes it interesting by letting his crew in on the hunt. George will try to sabotage the security systems, Sapnap will stalk the halls ready to strike. They’ll even recruit help from other crews to add the extra adrenaline he craves.

He’s running without help or hindrance tonight. His only help if things go south is the gear on his back and his ability to get the hell outta dodge. Of course, there’s no real chance things could ever go south.

As Dream soundlessly shimmies his way through the ventilation shafts, his mask’s heads-up display maps out the twists and turns leading towards the Museum’s storage area. It’s honestly kind of pathetic how easy it is to get to the vault. He thought a place with so many priceless artifacts would pose more of a challenge. He may need to find another mark that poses more of a challenge, but first he needs to get what he came for.

He finds the vent he needs quickly, and gently removes the covering. Dropping down from the ceiling, he checks the security camera feed in the corner of the HUD to make sure no one’s watching. All he sees is the lone security guard snoring in the breakroom, teetering dangerously in his chair with his head thrown back. It’s just too easy.

He picks his way through the restricted area of the archives, careful to stay out of camera sight lines. He doesn’t touch a single thing, doesn’t dare leave a tangible mark that he’s been here. Sapnap calls it paranoia, George calls it perfectionism. He calls it pragmatism. Makes the chase that much more enjoyable, watching the authorities scramble for even a fragment of evidence. It’s not fun anymore if he’s not in control.

The vault is massive, with thick steel walls and a shiny control panel. Dream snorts at the laughable protections. This is just so sad. The fact that they thought this thing could keep him out? Hysterical. He could crack it in his sleep. He has before. It’s fucking child’s play.

It barely takes him a minute to get inside. He grins. Add one massive emerald to his stash, thank you very much. He swings open the door with a flourish.

The vault is empty.

Empty, except for a single sheet of lined notebook paper.

The piercing shriek of the alarm drowns out his screech of outrage. In his camera feed, the security guard jerks to awareness, eyes wild and limbs flailing. A warning pops up on the HUD telling him the police are on the way, ETA 5 minutes or less. The paper flutters to the floor as he turns on his heel to make a very quick escape.

Rage bubbles in his chest as he leaps through a nearby window and into the starless night. Running through the alleys and leaping fences, he spits curses at whoever decided to mess with the king.

The sheet of paper lies hidden where it slid beneath a locked supply closet door. As the authorities search the building for any signs of the thief, they somehow overlook the sliver of pristine white under dusty boxes of records. Scribbled on the abandoned sheet is a single line of writing, scratched letters and dark ink mocking in their simplicity.

git gud loser >:3

Far from the museum sits a warehouse. It’s been vacant for years, slowly rotting away as the world continued on without it.

It’s not vacant anymore.

Light from nearby streetlamps streams through the dusty windows, casting watery shadows across a surprisingly comfortable living space. A large, dark wood table takes up most of the room, surrounded by five mismatched chairs with the contents of a first aid kit scattered across it. The kitchen is a mess, with dishes left in the sink, take-out boxes piled around the trash can, and notes like “Whoever ate the last of my yogurt, I’m coming for your eyes dipshit!” and “Please don’t forget to grab some milk at Sam’s, we’ve been eating dry cereal for almost a week :(” stuck to the fridge. The living room has a massive couch, blue fabric worn soft from use and stained in several places, set up in front of a huge television set. Some kind of animated movie is playing, all bright colors and high energy musical numbers.

Climbing gear hangs on the wall across from the kitchen, harnesses and ropes and winches carefully sorted and organized for ease of use. A wall of computer screens sits nearby, mounted over two desks covered in the remains of caffeinated beverages and scraps of circuitry. A closet is tucked into a corner, uniforms and wigs and all sorts of accessories spilling out onto the floor. A well loved punching bag swings slightly next to a dented lead pipe that leans against the wall, gloves and hand wraps nestled into nearby cubbies.

Rather than using the couch, the warehouse’s current occupants are tangled together on the floor in front of the TV. It’s hard to tell where one starts and another ends in the pile of limbs and snarky comments. A lanky blond with fading bruises on his cheekbone and a bandage across his nose is squashed in the center, grousing about some stupid line and earning a pinch from a shorter brunet curled up against his side. Another blond in a deep purple hoodie snorts as he types away on his phone, head pillowed on the brunet’s thigh. A girl wearing a green t-shirt snipes back as she runs her fingers through the two-toned hair of the boy stretched out behind them.

A half-open backpack lies across the kitchen counter, carelessly tossed aside in the mind-numbing high that follows a successful job. The brilliant green facets of a fist-sized emerald nestled inside the fabric glitter in the light of the TV screen as the five jeer and taunt the characters.

Dream may think he runs the game, but he’s not even a player. A single King can only win so often before they’re forced to fold.

And nothing beats a Royal Flush.

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #286

“has he lost his mind? can he see or is he blind? can he walk at all, or if he moves, will he fall?”

Do you prefer having carpets or hardwood floors? Hardwood floors. Easier to clean and just looks better imo. When was the last time you took a bath? Is this something you do often or do you prefer taking showers? Not since I was a kid, probably. I don't like baths; it feels dirty. What’s your favorite way to style your hair? Do you do this hairstyle often or is it too much hassle for you? "I can’t style it any way." <<<< Mine is too short, too. Do you have a real or artificial tree at Christmas? We always use artificial. The mess isn't worth it. What’s your favourite snack to make when you watch a movie? Popcorn, of course. Do you prefer the Beatles or the Rolling Stones? The Rolling Stones. The only Beatles' song off the top of my head that I enjoy is "Hey, Jude," while there's a handful of Stones' songs I like. When was the last time you played a game of Monopoly? Did you play until the end or did everyone get fed up and start arguing? I'm pretty sure the last time was the PlayStation version at Jason's house. I don't recall if we finished it or not. Have you ever won money on a scratch card or the lottery? How much did you win and what did you spend it on? Maybe like, $10 or so? Mom or Dad would buy one for the hell of it rarely, and they always let us kids scratch it off because we thought it was fun for whatever reason. Have you been on a plane before? Where was the last place you travelled to? Yeah, multiple times. I went to Illinois last to stay with Sara for a couple weeks. Would you rather do a wordsearch or a crossword? Wordsearch. What’s your favorite colour of skittles? Red, duh. I always save those for last. Do you have a favorite TV detective (eg. Sherlock, Poirot)? What is it that you like about them? Does Dean Winchester count? I loved him when I was into Supernatural. He was so charismatic, funny, a wonderful big brother, and don't forget hot as fuck lmao. Were you ever in any positions of responsibility when you were in school? No. Do you need to wear glasses or contacts? How long have you needed to wear those for? I'd had glasses since high school. I'm blind as a mf. Do you talk in your sleep? Yes. Ocean or pool? Pool. Cleaner and less risk. I'll swim in either, though. What's your favorite song at the moment? "DEGRADE" by "3TEETH." I've been hooked on them lately. Ever met anyone famous? No. Do you feel that you've had a truly successful life? *blinks* Have you been in love? Absolutely. Where do you wish you were? Sara's would be great. Last thing you spent lots of money on? My Markiplier tattoo. Favorite restaurant? Olive Garden. What is your favorite kind of car? I really dunno. I don't know almost any car by name. I like slick-looking ones, though. AKA expensive ones lmao. What would you honestly do if you had a million dollars? Pay off a lot of things, first of all. For both myself and Mom. I know too well I'd spend a good deal on tats, but I'm quite sure I'd be disciplined enough to know what's more important. Are you more of a shy or outgoing person? I am VERY shy. Would you rather listen to new music or the classics? I tend to listen to music I already know. I go hunting for new bands and songs too rarely... Can you do a cartwheel? lol hell no Do you currently feel any sadness? I always do. Do you always respond to chain letters? I literally never do. I don't care what it's about. They're annoying. Do you spend too much time online? My life is online. It's depressing, and very. I usually don't know what to do with myself if I don't have access to it. What is your biggest annoyance? Right now, people not complying to COVID restrictions to help end this madness. Are you currently in a relationship? No. What do you like to do for fun? Watch YouTube, play WoW, write, read, take pictures... Not a lot. I've been stuck with anhedonia for years; not a lot of things give me any sort of pleasure, even the aforementioned things sometimes. Can you type without looking at the keyboard? Yeah. Do you ever feel like people use you? I've sure as shit felt it before. What role does religion play in your life? None. It's honestly a place of bitterness. Can you sleep with your eyes open? Noooooooo, that shit creeps me out. How often (if ever) do you use moisturiser? Pretty much never... but I need to considering my skin is dry as the Sahara. Have you had any of your wisdom teeth removed? What was the reason? (eg. infection, impaction, lack of space). No. What was the reason for your last hospital visit? I visited Mom after her surgery. Do you use a laptop, desktop, tablet or phone to take your surveys? Laptop. Do you have any debt? If so, are you on top of paying it all back? College debt, for sure. I dropped out three different times. No, I'm nowhere near on top of it. How often do you travel by public transport? Never. Do you have an Instagram account? If so, how often do you post on there and what kind of things do you post? I have three, haha. I don't post on any regularly enough... but I use my first one most. My "main" one is my primary photography one, and I have a second photography account for my darker/roadkill/"vulture culture" work. Lastly I made one for my pets... yes, I decided to be one of those people lmao. Are you close to your extended family? Do you wish you were closer? Definitely not, but we want to try to get closer. In Grammy's last days, she shared that she wished we were more "together" so much. Do you prefer to give your pets human names or not? Definitely not human names, at least usually. Have you ever used a fire extinguisher? Would you know how to use one without reading the instructions? No; I doubt it. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever had to deal with at your job? When I worked, impatient customers. What was the last thing you used your mobile phone for? Listening to music. While my laptop is kaput, I'm using an old one, but it's super slow so I'm just using my phone for music and videos. Did you used to play The Sims? What version or expansion pack was your favorite one to play? I loved the animals one; I went through a period of playing that a loooot. There was also an African wildlife one that I had, but that one was pretty boring, honestly. I never got into the human ones. What quality do you value most highly in others? Probably compassion. Who has made the biggest sacrifice for you? Mom. What was your best find from a flea market, garage sale, ebay or thrift? I got an AWESOME shipwreck w/ a sea serpent nightlight from the flea market once. What is one selfish thing you tend to do? Uhhhh I'm unsure. I try not to be selfish. Have you ever written a letter to a soldier? No, but man does this make me think of "Travelin' Soldier." I love that song so much, man. Always have. What do you use batteries for the most often? Ha, it used to be my mouse, but now that I have one that plugs up to the computer to charge, idk. What’s the smallest thing you’ve ended a relationship over? "I don’t think I’ve ended any kind of relationship over something small." <<<< Would you rather order a starter (appetiser) or a dessert? Or would you be able to manage a full three courses? It really depends on what I want and how hungry I am. If I had the first two though, I almost certainly couldn't handle a dessert. Have you or a member of your family been diagnosed with COVID yet? My older sister had it very badly to the point she wound up in the ER. It's no fucking joke. Aside from the necessities (eating, breathing etc.) what is something you do every single day, without fail? I was going to say “get on the computer” or something of the sort, but what if I don’t have access to technology that day for whatever reason? In that case, I’d think of Jason to some point. There isn’t a day that passes when he’s not lurking in my head somewhere. Is there anything you enjoy that’s considered childish for your age? What is it? Roleplaying. Some shows. I’m sure there’s plenty others. How many times a day do you use the bathroom? A LOT. If I’m drinking something, a lot of the time, I almost immediately have to go pee after a single sip. Do you need caffeine to wake up in the morning? What’s your drink of choice? I wouldn’t say I NEED it, no. I do regularly have my Mountain Dew in the morning in place of coffee tho lmao. That’s out of habit, though. Do you live somewhere with lots of livestock or wild animals? Livestock, absolutely. Wild animals, sure, so long you’re not right in a city. Well, even then, roadkill isn’t rare. Would you rather live somewhere rural or urban? RURAL. Mom and I are both having trouble adjusting to living in the suburbs. The only good thing is we’re closer to everything. Is there anything (a hobby, for example) that’s guaranteed to always make you feel better when you’ve had a bad day? Not absolutely without fail. If you’re struggling with your mental health, who are you most likely to open up to, or would you bottle it up instead? I VERY rarely bottle it up. That is so unhealthy. I confide in my mom, usually. What room of your house do you spend the most time in? Is this through choice or necessity? Ugh, my bedroom… but yeah, it’s choice. I COULD be in the kitchen or living room on the laptop, I just don’t want to for privacy’s sake. I’m waiting for the extra bedroom to be cleaned out to turn that into like my “dayroom” or “office.” I’m putting a desk in there, lots of motivational stuff, just things to inspire me to work. I NEED away from my bed. I only want to use it to sleep. If you have pets, do you snuggle with them when you’re having a bad time? Does it make you feel better? Well, it’s hard to “snuggle” with a snake, but I’ll still take her out sometimes and she gets comfortable against me for warmth. I do however definitely snuggle with my cat Roman, because he’s a total cuddlebug and super affectionate with me. How would you rate Stephen King as a writer? Shockingly, I haven’t read a novel by him. However, knowing stories he’s written and his genre, I think I’d absolutely love him. What movie are you looking forward to? Oh goodness, I have no idea. I’m totally out of touch with movies. Have you been to see an opera? No, they don’t appeal to me. What do you wish that you knew with more certainty? My career success. Of the following things, which would you most like to have more of? Drink, dreams, bed, drugs, lust, lies, hate, love, fear, fun, pain, flesh, stars, smiles, fame, sex: Love, of course. Would you ever consider working for the government? Absolutely not. What are the best and worst television channels? I don’t need to even watch television to tell you Discovery is best. Idk about worst. If you had a magical pencil and everything you drew became real what would you draw? Hm… if I drew like, Earth overlayed with a peace symbol, would that cause world peace? What would you like to touch? A wild (well, habituated) meerkat. Meerkats are just… so important in my life. Without them, I wouldn’t have met people who’ve greatly affected and even changed my life. I know the day I (hopefully) hold or pet one will be one where I cry. Does anything you own glow in the dark? I don’t know. Would you rather ride a dragon or a unicorn? Who the hell would answer “unicorn” to this???? Dragons are so so so superior. Can you make a balloon animal? No. How many glasses of water do you drink each day? Rarely more than two, if even that. What do you like in a poem, accessibility, crypticness, or something in between? I guess of these options, leaving some cryptic space, room for the reader to imagine. What I cherish most in poetry though is descriptiveness, but not to an excessive point where it’s just hard to understand. Who do you find yourself in constant conflict with? Why the conflict? MYSELF. I’m just so mad at and disappointed with myself. What subjects do you refuse to talk about? Why are you hiding from them? I mean, none, really. With some people I’m willing to talk about whatever topic. Greatest black and white film: Idk, I can’t recall enough. Greatest film three hours or longer: Troy. I adore that movie. I should watch it again…

[seven-oomen]

Hi, Ben!  Hope you had a good day, and are finally getting some rest!  So, did you know there are sites that let you design your own ugly Christmas sweaters?  May I present the one that Peter’s husbands get him for a party?  Except then the jokes on them because he won’t stop wearing it EVERYWHERE (at least I hope the image shows?  It saved in a different format on the site I used for this.)  Also, if you were ever to actually make a shirt of it, I would suggest an image from the reaction GIF you used for the alignment/meta anon.  Because, my god, that smirk.  XD  (Also, they are totally right.  And it is hilarious to me that the two officers of the law are firmly [and accurately] on the neutral side of that axis.  XD )

And I’m still screaming over that latest preview.  He just wants cuddles and ear scritches, Noah!  The saliva will dry, he’s just showing his appreciation for your support.  XD  And oh, yeah I knew he would eventually get better, it was more me trying to decide how quickly I was hoping for it to happen.  My “I want it asap because I hate seeing them in pain” side was warring with my “but nightmare creature cuddles would be adorbs, tho?” side (and they are).  :D  Also, terrible thought brought on by working at my job too long: since I don’t think that form has a tail like a wolf (I don’t really remember noticing one, at least?), do you think that since he can’t wag, he starts doing the wiggle-butt thing like boxers and pits tend to do?  (sorry, the thought occurred to me and I couldn’t make it stop.  XD )

Also, how dare you put the image of Noah and Chris cuddling in the window seat watching the snow fall while the listen to Peter singing ‘Hallelujah’ as he finishes the dishes, in my head?  Or them sitting at the table having coffee and joining him for the choruses?  Or Chris singing along with Tony Bennett or Harry Connick Jr on the local Christmas station?  Or Noah singing along with Chris Cornell’s version of Ave Maria (or doing a damn good impression at least [song is available on Spotify, btw, if you’ve not heard it])?  My body was not meant to hold this level of feral screaming, dude.  XD

For the undecided alignment (that don’t involve spoilers), I would vote LN for Danny and CG for John.  No specific reasons, that’s just what feels right at the moment.  And I’m curious if Noah and the kids have been in the vault at all, because Malia would be able to access it.

And, yes, I am all for mutual body positivity support among the boys.  I remember watching some BTS thing a few years back, and Linden said something about how everyone was “running around without their shirts on, and I just feel kinda old and jiggly”, and my very first thought was “Oh, please.  You may not be I’ve-had-nothing-but-chicken-for-a-week-and-haven’t-had-liquids-in-three-days ripped like the other guys, but in no way will you ever convince me you are actually out of shape in the slightest."  Also, I’m just picturing a scene where Noah accidentally(/on purpose…?) looms over Chris, who just has this moment of "oh, yeah, that’s right, you’re tall now” immediately followed by “well, I am learning a number of new things about myself right now"  XD  On a related note, how do you think he feels about dip kisses after realizing this?  Although, I do hope Noah does not sweep Chris off his feet in quite the same way Chris keeps doing to him.  XD

On an unrelated note, that post about Artoo and Luke about killed me dead.  XD  Artoo’s propensity for shenanigans and Luke’s pervading issues with impulse control is just a complete recipe for hilarious disaster and total ride-or-die besties.  It also reminded me of the post about how Rogue One leads into New Hope and Leia straight up lying right to her dad’s face.  Which, while hysterical, also makes me think about how many posts I see about how Leia is very much her father’s daughter, but almost never see any that point out how much Luke is his mother’s son.  I just have a LOT OF FEELINGS about this, okay?  But I will contain that rant.  XD  (Star Wars has been an on-again-off-again love for me since I was 9.  It’s pretty much a guaranteed way to get an emotional response out of me.  XD )

And I’m glad Mo doesn’t bother the tree or anything, though the box thing is pretty funny.  But he does seem to have that very cat-like tendency to want to completely block you from accessing the keyboard or pin you in place because he’s laying on you and you don’t want to disturb him, so I think he’s catting just fine.  XD  I mean, I have some friends who one of their cats is immune to scruffing (the downside of this is that he’s also almost completely feral still [he was a stray that stayed], and at one point he got a UTI and needed antibiotics.  I’m pretty sure my friend had to get like a falconing glove or something to get his pills in him.  XD )

That America being huge vs Europe being old thing also made me laugh because there was the section about the "long bus ride” that was like two hours, and all I could think about was how often we drove four hours both ways to visit my grandparents, and how in high school we took a trip to Canada, and I don’t remember the exact length of the bus ride up, but I know it was between twenty-three and twenty-eight hours.

And I hope you’re enjoying the Spiderman game, or will when you get to it!  As best I recall, everyone I know who has played it has had nothing but good things to say about it.  And wow, I’m rambling again.  Oh well.  Anyway, hope you’re doing well, and sending lots of good energy for finishing the chapter to your satisfaction (I know the readers certainly don’t mind the longer chapters.  :D )  Take care!  *Hugs!*

Oh my god I am absolutely in love with that sweater. Why is this not a thing XD 

And yeah, they definitely gift Peter a sweater like that, lbr. No other way about it. It definitely backfires when Peter wears it every single year and to everywhere. Including PT meetings and the parent/school board meetings? I forgot the American word for it, in Dutch we call it ouderraad. I know we talked about them before where Peter starts a war with the ‘Karen’ and completely wrecks her. And how all the other moms fall in love with the three DILFS.

But yeah, wears it everywhere and every year XD. 

Noah’s deputies, including Jordan, have definitely snapped pictures and post them on every computer desktop in the station. Including pictures of Noah’s reaction faces of that sweater.

Because you cannot convince me, that a bunch of cops, would not be dicks about this.

Chris is infinitely grateful that he does not have coworkers like that.

And god that is rather good smirk to go with that line XD. And yeah I guess it is funny. But it’s also true and that’s wow... XD 

I did a character alignment test for Peter and came out on CN so that is what I’m going to stick with in any itteration for him. 

As for the wiggle butt thing, he does not have a tail and I already had a very lengthy inner discussion with myself before getting this ask and I can tell you, he does wiggle butt like a boxer in this form. Imagine a fucking beast like that just wiggle butting with happiness. The image is so bizarre that I had to include it in the full moon chapter.

Chris is definitely learning a number of things about himself when he figures out Noah can now loom over him and press him against walls. Also Chris has a thing for being bound or pressed against objects and when Noah figures that one out, well, let’s say Peter certainly doesn’t mind watching those moments.

There’s also a revelation when Chris says; I can easily get out of these handcuffs and Noah translates it too; Good, that means that as long as you don’t try to, you’re consenting to whatever I’m doing to you. Deal? To which Chris, enthusiastically agrees. It’s a very fun game. Peter disagrees because they tend to lock him out during the games with some ash, although he is invited back in after they’re done and then the attention of two Omegas is fully on him. So I suppose he doesn’t mind too much.

Something that is both funny and sweet though is that through Ben, Noah discovers how much he misses having little kids running around. And he has a few moments of; oh god I want another kid realizations in this chapter.

Of course, considering their situation this isn’t the time and Noah more than realizes that. But it gets conversations about the future going for all three of them.

Oh and to answer your question, Malia has not been to the vault, but she and her siblings will get to see it. If that’s with dad or with Derek I haven’t decided yet. But they will end up at the vault in this story. Gotta get Peter’s necklace back.

So far I’ve had a bit of a rough day but by answering this and focusing on headcanons, and that freaking sweater!!!!, I feel a bit better. So thank you my friend, this helped me a lot <3. 

And I agree, Leia is just like her father but Luke is all Padme and people don’t talk about that enough. <3

Lots of Love from me and Mo!

[mama-m1na]

Apocalypse: Chapter 14

~~~XIV~~~

The day after the four returned from L.A. was a Sunday, which usually meant that everyone would be off; however, with the new information of the Scyphozoa recruiter Rhamina and a team of eight others were busy.

When Cloud arrived for breakfast that morning, the teen had just prepared the food before quickly returning to her room.

"Don't worry, she'll come out to eat in a few minutes," Tijarah spoke as the male took a seat at the table, "She knows better than to skip meals."

"Has she been doing this since yesterday?" he asked as he looked across at the shorter female who just shook her head.

"She put together her search team yesterday, but they're starting their shit today," the dark-skinned female explained just as one of the bedroom doors opened.

As Rhamina exited her room she quickly put her hair up in a twist, searching it with a metal barrette before taking a seat.

"Morning, guys!" she chirped with a large smile on her face.

"You seem happy for someone who's going to be working on a Sunday," Tijarah commented as the ravenette started her meal.

"I want some part of my day to go good before I immediately get frustrated when trying to access old government files," the teen chuckled bitterly.

"You just got back from a mission yesterday, why don't you just have your team handle it for now?" the blond asked, earning a conflicted look from the eighteen-year-old.

"Normally that would be a good idea, but I just can't in this case," she sighed, "I just feel that I have to be involved in this one."

"Don't worry though," she continued, sending a reassuring smile towards the male, "I know my limits. I won't do anything excessively stupid."

Cloud only narrowed his eyes slightly as the girls turned their attention back to their meals.

He knew that the female was aware of her limits; but from stories he's heard and from how he's seen her act, the male wasn't sure if she'd actually pay them any attention.

"Oh yeah, I'm going out with Kiran tomorrow," the eighteen-year-old said out of nowhere, causing the two others to choke on their food.

"Mina, who the fuck it that?" Tijarah asked after downing her whole glass of water, "I have not heard this name. Ever."

"Can the both of you chill the fuck out?" the ravenette asked as she rolled her eyes, "He's a friend of mine and it's his birthday tomorrow so he's coming up to celebrate it."

"Doesn't change the fact that I don't know who this is, Mina," the younger female spoke as she placed a hand on the ravenette's shoulder.

"Cloud met him," the teen retorted as she turned to face him, "He's nice, right?"

The blond merely shrugged in reply, causing Tijarah to snort before saying, "Yeah... I don't trust that."

Before the Filipino could reply, her phone buzzed and when she checked it she sighed before standing and placing her half-finished meal in the fridge.

"If you really want an opinion on him, then you can just ask Kerstin or Sierra, but I've got work to do," was all the female said before closing her door behind her.

Many hours passed before the ex-SOLDIER returned to the females' suite.

He was going around and doing various jobs as normal, when he checked the time to see that it was well past noon, well past when he would get his usual lunch reminder from the teen.

With that in mind, he got himself and the female some food, assuming that she had been so engrossed in work that she didn't notice the time.

As soon as Tijarah opened the door for the male he asked, "Has she come out of her room yet?"

"Nope, been in there since this morning," the eighteen-year-old spoke as she stepped aside to let him in, noticing the plastic bag he held.

"You brought her lunch?" she then asked with a small smirk and a raised brow as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Uh, yeah," Cloud replied awkwardly, shifting his weight and looking away as the teenager let out a chuckle while closing the door.

"Well, you can go ahead and give it to her, but just a warning," the female spoke as she stepped past him, "She might be in a bit of a mood if she's really concentrated."

Tijarah said nothing else as she returned to her room, letting the door close behind her with a soft click.

Letting out a soft sigh, the male walked over to ravenette's door and raised his knuckles to knock on the white door.

"What?" came the aggravated reply from behind the piece of wood as the music playing was paused.

The blond opened the door to see the teen at her desk, with her laptop open to various documents as she was furiously writing things down on a piece of paper.

"I brought you lunch," the male said, causing the female to turn in her office chair with her pen in hand.

"Huh? What time is it?" she asked as she looked back to her monitor to see that it was two in the afternoon.

"Fuck, I forgot to text you!" she hissed, putting her pen down as she took off her blue light filter glasses to rub her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Cloud," she spoke as the male stepped forward to hand her the plastic bag, "I completely lost track of time."

"I can tell," Cloud replied as he crossed his arms before looking over to her computer screen, "What are you doing?"

"I am trying to access old government information on this country's residents," the ravenette spoke as she set her food to the side, "The other members of the search team are doing the same for other countries"

"And what are you doing from there?" the twenty-one-year-old questioned, his blue eyes focused on the ravenette.

"Cierra already prepped an algorithm to compose the profiles to the name and description we were given, so just let that run until we get some matches," she replied before opening her food.

"I'm almost done, but I have a feeling you're just going to get on my ass for working too much, so I'll just eat first," she continued, keeping her focus on the food.

Shaking his head, the male let out a huff as the corner of his lip twitched upwards at the female's works that were most likely true.

After finishing her meal, the eighteen-year-old went back to work immediately as the male watched her from her bed.

After about fifteen more minutes of writing, scrolling, clicking, and typing the teen just leaned back in her chair and let out a sigh of relief.

"Fuck, I'm finally done!" she groaned as she sat back up to send her work to the group, "I feel bad for whatever fucker has to do Russia."

After shutting down her laptop and wireless keyboard, the teen walked over to her bed and let herself fall onto her back right next to Cloud.

"So," she started, causing the male to look back at her, "I'm just going to be in here watching some random shit until dinner, you're free to stay if you want."

The male only shrugged in response but didn't move so the ravenette moved so that she was laying in his lap before reaching for the remote for her TV.

It was honestly strange for the male to see someone act so much like a domestic pet, especially when he was known not to be good with animals.

The teen acted like a mix of cat and dog; and it honestly was quite pleasant for him, not that he'd ever admit to it.

The two spent the rest of the afternoon, together in her room, just watching some random anime that the teen found interesting.

Many of the shows she found were quite cute in her opinion, based around mythological creatures interacting with humans.

While the twenty-one-year-old didn't really see the appeal in the shows, he found that he didn't really have to pay attention as he just focused on the female's purs as he pet her hair.

The next day the ex-SOLDIER was out on a job in Clean Side when he saw a familiar car at one of the stoplights.

As he pulled up on the passenger's side of the vehicle the tinted window was rolled down to reveal Rhamina who was wearing a plain black shirt and blue denim shorts.

"Hi, Cloud!" she chirped with a smile as the male looked into the car to see that the driver was the Korean male that had assisted them in San Diego.

"Sup, man," Kiran greeted with a chuckle, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," the blond replied just as the light turned green.

"Bye, Cloud! I won't forget to text you today, I promise!" the ravenette exclaimed as the car made a left turn into the mall parking lot.

With a sigh, the male continued driving on towards his original destination, but he couldn't shake the unnerving feeling that was growing.

At around five in the afternoon, the pair of Asians left the mall and went over to one of the local casino resort that was still open and running.

"You know it sucks that you aren't able to drink on your birthday because you still have to drive after this," the ravenette chuckled as they entered the large building.

"That's fine, I can't win if I'm drunk off my ass," the taller male chuckled, earning a shrug from the teen.

"That depends on the game you're playing," she replied with a smirk before they made their way to a blackjack table.

Soon enough, a large crowd gathered at the table as the two just kept winning every other round.

"And here I was thinking you were only a monster on the battlefield," the male spoke as he peaked at his cards.

"Hehe, gambling's fun," the ravenette replied as she brushed the edge of her cards towards herself, "especially when you play with such animated people."

"Yeah, too bad they all went broke a bit ago," Kiran chuckled as the teen was dealt another card, "Though I have to ask if you've been letting me win in some of these rounds."

Rhamina just gave him an unamused look before saying, "Hun, this is blackjack, a game where you just rely on the blessings of fate. How do I let you win in this game?"

Before the male could answer, the dealer had them show their cards to reveal that the teen had a perfect twenty-one.

The ravenette had a large smirk on her face as they went to go collect their money, ignoring the looks they got from the other people around them.

"So ready for dinner?" the eighteen-year-old asked as she tucked her money away into her purse, "The buffet here has great desserts!"

The restaurant the two had dinner at was pretty lavish and expensive but due to the workers knowing exactly who the ravenette was they were able to get seated faster.

As soon as she finished her main meal, the eighteen-year-old immediately went over to the dessert bar; targeting the tarts, macarons, and eclairs specifically.

"You have quite the sweet tooth, don't you?" the recently turned twenty-year-old chuckled as the female sent pictures of her sweets to her friends.

"I also have no self-control, so we'll see how this goes," the girl chuckled even though she did share almost all of the sweets without going back for more.

After leaving the restaurants the two decided that would have to be the end of their fun as they both had work the next day.

However, as the two were walking out to the male's car Rhamina suddenly dropped to the ground, finding it difficult to breathe as a chill ran down her spine.

Her hearing was starting to go fuzzy as her friend knelt down next to her and picked her up with a panicked expression on his face.

Kiran tried asking questions, but the girl was unable to answer as she was too busy focusing on her breathing.

"Shit," he hissed as he took her back to the car, placing her in the passenger's seat with it reclined so she could lay down.

"Okay," the male sighed as he got in the driver's seat, "Hasu, I'm going to need your phone so I can call your siblings."

Barely able to understand what the male just said, the teen nodded slowly before unlocking her phone using the fingerprint scanner and handing it to him.

Clicking on the contact labeled 'Dumbass Number 2' the male put the phone to his ear as he pulled out of his parking spot.

The phone rang three times before what sounded to be a female answered with some muffled music playing in the background.

"Hello? Is this Samantha?" the male asked as he really pushed the speed limit on the freeway, eyes flicking down to the ravenette every few seconds.

"Hello?" came the confused voice of the female on the other end of the line, "Who the fuck is this and how did you get my sister's phone?"

"It's Kiran, something happened to Rhamina and I'm taking her back to the Apocalypse building right now," the male explained.

"What?! What happened?!" the brunette asked with wide eyes.

"She just collapsed and it really out of it," the male replied with a frustrated sigh, "It happened out of nowhere, that's why I'm taking her home right now."

It was silent for a few moments as Sam processed the information given to her before she said, "Alright, thanks. We'll be waiting by the gate."

As soon as the male hung up, the green-eyed female walked out of her club's break room and straight up to the bar where the younger Filipino sat.

"Get up, we're going home right now," Sam commanded, earning a confused look from Kerstin as she stood up.

"Why?" she asked, following the eighteen-year-old to her care, "What happened?"

"Something happened to Mina," the brunette explained, starting the engine once both girls were in the vehicle.

"What? Wasn't she supposed to be with Kiran?" the seventeen-year-old asked as the older female zoomed out of the parking lot.

"Yeah, he just called me from her phone, saying that she just collapsed out of nowhere," Sam replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

"You don't think It's because of-" "Let's not think about that right now," the brunette snapped, "Just tell Tiarah and Sierra to wait with us by the gate."

By the time Kiran made it back to the Apocalypse building the ravenette was doing much better with her breathing back to normal and her hearing back as well.

The four girls were careful not to crowd the female as the Korean helped her over to them after she insisted that she would walk.

"Mina, what happened?" Sierra asked as she and Tijarah stood at either side of the still wobbly female to support her.

"I-I'll tell... tell you inside," the female spoke, trying to ignore the pounding in her head and lingering nausea that was plaguing her at the moment.

She then slowly turned her head to Kiran and said, "Thank y- Thank you for the help to- tonight, Kiran. I'll call you... later."

The male let out a sigh with a frown before saying, "Just be careful, Hasu, and please, just get some rest."

As Cloud returned to the building from his final job of the day, he is quick to notice how tense everyone is.

He was about to ask, but quickly received his answer when he looked into one of the elevators to see Rhamina being supported by two people right before the doors slid closed.

With mild panic coursing through his system, the twenty-one-year-old went straight to the woman at the front desk to ask what happened.

Unfortunately for him, neither she or anyone else who had seen the ravenette being brought in actually knew the cause of her condition, so with gritted teeth he just took the elevator up.

In Suite 666, the ravenette sat on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her form as she did her best to describe her symptoms, them being the exact same as if she were to have used an execution.

"Mina, the last time you used it was in San Diego, though," Sierra spoke, earning a nod from the ravenette.

"I mean you can't tell me that your surprised," the eighteen-year-old spoke with a somber smile to the group of four she had explained her theory to, "We knew that this had a high possibility of happening."

"Mina, this shouldn't be happening to you," Tijarah attempted to deny as the teen curled herself further into the blanket, "It doesn't make sense."

"Yes, it does... the price to use the power of death is life," the ravenette replied as she leaned her head back on the couch, "It makes perfect sense, everything had a price."

The four other girls just looked over to the oldest of the group, trying to find anything to say.

"Come on, guys, don't look at me like that," the teen spoke with a smile that was betrayed by her voice crack and teary eyes, "I've still got some time, I don't want to die yet."

Everyone immediately moved in to envelop the teen in a large hug with Kerstin saying, "You are not dying anytime soon, Mina. Don't say that shit."

"Yeah, you're not dying if we have anything to say about it," Sam added, squeezing the girl tighter.

The ravenette felt her chest grow warm with the way the others supported her, thanking whatever entity had brought them together and allowed them to develop such a deep bond; however, she knew better than to think it would be enough to save her from fate.

This wasn't the first time something had happened out of the blue, but it had always been small, easily written off as her body just being weird.

From sudden bouts of nausea, dizziness, balance issues, and even blacking out at random times; she was always able to brush them off as things that just happened with just some anxiety in the back of her mind, but now she couldn't.

The girls were still in their group hug when a knock came from the door, the ravenette already having an idea of who it was.

"Try to keep this lowkey, if anyone asks just blame it on my shitty immune system being shitty," the eighteen-year-old spoke as the others backed up, shifting so she looked a bit more normal on the couch.

With a sigh, Tijarah goes to answer the door to reveal an upset looking male with an oversized sword on his back.

"Where is she?" was all he asked before the dark-skinned female stepped aside and pointed at the couch where the ravenette was scrolling on her phone.

Without a word, the male walked over to her while the others migrated to the dining area to give them a little bit of space.

"Hi, Cloud!" the female chirped with a smile as she set her phone down, but he wasn't buying it at all.

"What happened?" he asked with a serious expression earning a raised brow and a confused head tilt.

"What do you mean?" the ravenette asked, causing the male to narrow his mako contaminated eyes at her.

Wordlessly, the male took his gloves off and reached out to feel the girl's neck, causing her breath to hitch and her eyes to widen as she instantly reached up to grab his wrist.

"You're cold," the male stated, both places where her skin touched his, feeling just like ice, "What happened to you?"

"I uh, didn't wear a jacket," the ten replied as she did her best to avoid eye contact with the male, soft facepalms heard from across the room.

"Rhamina, you said you trusted me, right?" Cloud asked as he knelt down. Moving to try and meet her eyes.

"I do, Cloud, but I really don't think you want the answers to the questions you're asking," Rhamina replied softly as she reached out to squeeze his ungloved hand.

Before the male could question it further, Sam walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder, saying, "A lot had happened tonight, let's just get some rest for now, okay?"

The blond said nothing, but slowly stood up and exited the suite, closing the door behind him.

"Mina, that fucker is not going to let you work at all tomorrow," Tijarah snickered, earning a chuckle from the eighteen-year-old.

"He can try, but I will find a way."

"Mina, did you tell him about the whole bell thing?" Sierra asked, earning a nod from the oldest female in the group.

"That's why I don't want to tell him about this," she said with a sad smile, "He seemed so upset and I didn't want him to worry about it when he's still trying to find a way to get home."

When the time came for the male to come over for breakfast, Tijarah was actually the one to cook, so Rhamina was the one to greet him at the door with a bright smile adorning her face.

"You're looking better," the blond commented as he followed the female over to the dining table where some plates and silverware were already set up.

"Yep and I'm back up to a normal temperature now, so I'm perfectly fine," the ravenette replied, placing a hand on his upper arm to prove her point.

"So you are," he spoke as the female walked over to her normal seat at the table, "Doesn't mean you're going to be working today."

"Excuse me?" the teen asked with widened eyes as Tijarah walked over with a plate just stacked with pancakes.

"You heard me," Cloud replied as the dark-skinned female took her seat, eyes flicking between the two others at the table.

"You can't just tell me to stop working, Cloud," the teen replied with a frown, "I have an important role to play by updating databases as soon as possible."

"I'm sure that can wait, especially since a lot of the other members saw you come back last night," the twenty-one-year-old huffed as he met her irritated gaze, "They wouldn't be too happy to see that you're working yourself after that."

"Hun, everyone here has seen me work through multiple critical injuries," the teen chuckled as she poured from syrup over her food, "This will mean literally nothing."

"Mina, I honestly agree with Cloud on this one," Tijarah sighed as she looked over to the older female, "yeah, it's true we see you get hurt a lot, but it doesn't mean we like it."

"Plus, you're always getting on people when they're overworking themselves, so why don't you listen to your own words and take a break?" she continued, leaving the ravenette in shocked silence.

"Fine," the eighteen-year-old huffed after a few moments, rolling her eyes as she did so before they landed on the blond, "but the first thing I'm doing if I get bored is bothering you."

"That's fine because I plan on staying here for today," the blond shrugged, causing the ravenette to choke on her water.

"I need to make sure you're actually resting and not doing anything else," the male explained as the teen finished coughing.

"And when exactly did you decide that?" Rhamina asked with a raised brow as she leaned forward over the table.

"Last night," he replied, not at all phased by the female's behavior as she just sank back into her seat with a defeated huff.

Tijarah noticed how easily her sibling gave in, but said nothing about it, guessing that the female was actually still tired from the previous night.

When she was done with her meal, the dark-skinned female put her plate in the sink before heading towards the door, saying, "I'm going to head out. Don't die or some shit."

"Bye, Tijarah!" the ravenette chirped as the younger female walked out of the front door, "Love you!"

Once the other two had finished their meal, the ravenette immediately washed the dishes with some help from the blond.

"Are you really going to stay here all day?" she asked as the male followed her into her room, not that she minded.

"Yes," came the blunt reply of the male, earning a sigh from his companion before she turned on her TV and her only game console.

The game she had loaded in was a fantasy-esque strategy RPG that seemed to take place in a school with the three different factions.

If he was being completely honest, he wasn't at all surprised to see that the female was extremely invested in the game's story and characters.

"Fuck yes, perfect teatime, bitch!" the teen exclaimed as her avatar sat across from an icy cold swordsman in the school garden, "Now you're for sure joining my class!"

"What is the point of the tea parties?" the ex-SOLDIER asked as he watched the main avatar ran around the school.

"To build relationships with the various students," the teen replied as she kept her eyes on the screen, "It also makes it easier to recruit students from other classes and I need Felix and Linhardt in my main party."

"Do I want to ask why?" the male asked from his spot on the female's bed as she kept her spot on the floor.

"I want Linhardt because he's a cutie-pie and I'd be taking the Black Eagle's main healer," the ravenette explained as she skipped through some of the boring dialogue, "and I want Felix because he's an absolute unit that will wreck me after the timeskip if I don't recruit him."

"Have you already played this game?" the male asked with a raised brow as the teen turned back to face him.

"Yes, but it's such a good game and I want to do it better," the teen replied with a soft smile, "I know the characters aren't real, but I feel like I can give them that at least."

"This is just another reason I should go see a fucking therapist," she chuckled while turning back to the screen, "I get emotionally attached to anything and everything."

'This is exactly why you keep getting fucked over, Mina,' she thought with a small sigh, 'You bring this upon yourself.'

About three in-game missions later, the teen finally puts her controller down to check her phone to see that she had many notifications from the general communication server.

"Well shit, everyone's excited for next week," Rhamina chuckled as she leaned back to lay on her floor as she read through the chest.

"What's happening next week?" the male asked as he looked up from his own cellphone.

"Next week, June first, will be the fourth year anniversary of Apocalypse," she replied with a smile on her face, "Almost no one will be working that day and we're all going down to Sam and Kerstin's club for a huge ass party."

"Normally, I would encourage everyone to take the day off, but the guard shifts at the plant need to keep happening," the eighteen-year-old continued, "I just pray that they don't get intoxicated beforehand."

The male hummed in confirmation before the female's head popped up over the edge of the bed with her eyes bright and filled with something.

"You're going to be at the party, right?" she asked as she stretched her arms out in front of her, much like a cat would.

"Do I have a choice?" the male asked as the teen slowly stood up, small pops from her joints sounding as she did.

"Probably not," she chuckled as she did some twists to stretch out her back, "Sam and Kerstin will hound you down if you don't, but it isn't that bad."

"You get to drink without much worry of making a fool of yourself cause everyone will already be doing that," the ravenette continued as she walked over to where he was, "Plus it's pretty easy to hide in a corner if it gets too loud, though I have to warn you about some of the couples that get a bit... confident."

The male raised a brow at the teen as he asked, "You drink?"

The ravenette shrugged before saying, "I will on special occasions, but I don't drink that much, especially compared to Sam and Kerstin. Plus I'm pretty picky when it comes to alcohol."

"What about you?" she shot back, standing by the male as she held her hands behind her back, something that looked pretty militaristic to the male.

"I can enjoy it from time to time," the blond shrugged as he locked eyes with the female, "It really depends on my mood."

"That's understandable," the teen chuckled; but before she could continue, she was interrupted by her cellphone ringing.

"Hello?" she asked as she turned her back to the male, focusing solely on the voice coming through the line.

Slowly her expression morphed into a scowl as she growled, "If you found him already, then have him taken in as soon as possible. I don't care what team does it or how they do it, as long as they get the job done."

Cloud watched as the girl switched the leg she was leaning on before she said, "Yes, I want y'all wearing body cams. I want to see this happening."

It wasn't long before the eighteen-year-old hung up and sat at her desk, quickly starting up her computer.

Before the male could even ask what she was doing, the teen pulled up the live feed of what looked to be body cams.

"They found the recruiter," was all the ravenette muttered as she watched the team of five loud up into one of their pick-up trucks, leaning back into her chair as one leg dangled off of it.

"Apparently, this fucker has been living in Clean Side for just over a year," she explained through gritted teeth as she scrolled through the file sent to her on her phone, "No recorded family or housemates so that'll make the capture much less complicated."

As the vehicle left the lot, Rhamina sent a message to a secondary team, telling them to search the home afterward.

It was silent as the two watched the split-screen cameras, the eighteen-year-old silently fuming as she reached up to scratch her neck.

Noticing her habit, Cloud cleared his throat and asked, "What's going to happen once you have him?"

"Going to start with basic questioning then work up to torture if need be," she replied, lowering her hand to instead crack her knuckles.

"Won't be me though, not unless he really ain't talking," the ravenette continued as the vehicle stopped in front of a one-story house, "I won't even give the fucker the satisfaction."

As soon as the front door opened, the male who was found to be the Scyphozoa recruiter took one look at the team before trying to run back into his house, the keyword 'trying'.

In perfect synchronization, all five of the Apocalypse members pulled out tasers and electrocuted him, causing the ravenette to narrow her eyes.

'I know for sure at least three of those shits aren't cleared to use or even carry those fucking tasers,' she thought as he phone rang once more.

The teen answered the call to her that it was Cierra, the one who led the team of capturing the male.

"We got him, but where exactly are we taking him?" the dark-skinned female asked as they led the restrained male to the truck.

"Full lockdown for questioning," the ravenette replied with no expression on her face as she moved to crack her neck loudly.

"Full lockdown?" the sixteen-year-old asked in surprise as she shook her head, "Jesus fucking christ, that's brutal."

"Oh, eat my ass, Cierra," Rhamina snorted in response as a smirk crept onto her face, "Y'all tazed the shit out of him."

"Hey, you said you didn't care how the job got done," the younger female scoffed as she hopped into the back of the truck, "As long as it got done."

"I guess," the eighteen-year-old chuckled as the vehicle began moving, "I'll see you when you get back, bye."

"Bye."

The ravenette stood up and stretched out her back after she hung up, saying that she would use the restroom before returning.

Cloud found the air to be much lighter in the room after the phone call ended, having to watch with the female in silence for about twenty minutes as she more such a serious expression.

It was just another instance where he was glad that she didn't see him as an immediate threat, not even seeing just how harsh she could be to her true enemies.

He had been there while she fought some of the Scyphozoa members, but she was just fighting on her own in the control rooms; and even then, he had only seen one of her opponents briefly as they were thrown through a window.

Cloud knew that the girl was very efficient with her fans, magic, and even more so when she combined the two together, but he had also seen that she could handle herself quite well even when she wasn't able to use either of them.

A prime example being her fight with Jessie where she had restricted herself to only using her arms as defense, and she even won that match.

With the memories of the ravenette's previous fights in his head, he began to wonder what it would actually be like to fight her.

The blond knew it would probably be difficult to even get a hit on her, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander a bit.

"Hey, Cloud, the others are back now," Rhamina spoke as she opened the door to her room once more, "I say we pay a visit to the fucking pest."

As the male stood up from the teen's bed, she cracked her neck and gave a dark smirk, facing the door.

"Shall we?"

~~~Fin. Chapter 14~~~

Masterlist

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧ Chapter 62

After what felt like too long a flight, you found yourself in a massive state of disorientation. Even the drive to the house felt strange. But as soon as you got up the walk and through the door, that sense of home filled you. Something that was sorely missing these last few weeks. With Dvahli in your arms, you headed to the couch, but stopped as Tony made a sharp turn to the stairs. That could only mean one thing, and you stopped him with a look before he descended.

“Are you coming to bed later?” Even having to ask this question, you knew what the answer was.

“Yeah. Don’t worry. I just got something started here and I don’t wanna lose the threads.” When you continued staring at him, he made it a point to walk over from the stairs and come to you where you’d sat on the couch. Moving behind, he leaned in as you leaned back, and he pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Seriously. Stop looking at me like that you’re making me feel bad. And I haven’t even done anything yet.”

When he walked away again, just as he was starting to go down the stairs you called, “Yet!” Which had him laughing down the entire stairwell until the sound disappeared. With a sighed huff, you fell further back against the couch, letting Li out of your arms to explore her new home. Tony was disappearing to the basement. To the lab.

Already. The second he got home. That wasn’t stellar.

But, as you tucked your feet up on the couch and got a little more comfortable, Li zipping back and forth drew most of your attention. Tony would be in the lab, preoccupying his mind. With important things no doubt. So you had to do the same, and try to meet each other somewhere in a healthy middle. If you could. For now…

“Hey, LUNA, can you please run a locate on the top vets in the area and make an appointment for tomorrow morning?”

Your confusion struck when it was JARVIS that answered you. “I can do that for you, ma’am.”

You let a small silence sit, not sure what was going on. “I’m sure that you could, but I wasn’t talking to you. No offense.”

“None taken. Shall I start that locate for you?”

In the room to yourself you narrowed your eyes. In moments like this you often wondered if JARVIS could read expressions like that. He must be able to. “Where is LUNA, JARVIS? What’s going on?”

“LUNA is undergoing some maintenance and upgrades.”

Fidgeting, you rearranged yourself, pulling your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them. “Why wasn’t I told about that?” Something was going on here.

“I had expected it to be a much shorter time with no disruptions. But as you need assistance now, I will be glad to take over.”

That may as well have been true. Tony … and now JARVIS, you guessed, ran all the updates and things on LUNA for you. It wasn’t like you knew how to do any of that. Or fix her, if she got broken. But still . That absolutely seemed like a thing that should have been told to you. What if you were in danger? What then? The lightbulb went off. “Did Tony ask you to watch me?”

“No.” JARVIS’ answer was quick. But in your own pause, “As an aside, I find your choice of words interesting.”

This was making your head hurt. You didn’t want to do all this puzzle-piecing together. “What did you think I would say? ... spy ?” No answer came. So that was that. “Are you lying?”

“I am not lying to you, Ms. INY. I was not asked by Mr. Stark to watch over you.” Back to the formal names. Maybe what had happened in the Tower office had been a fluke. Maybe you hadn’t been coherent enough to even hear that, maybe you’d dreamed it.

“ But that’s what you’re doing, right?” JARVIS could and would lie if he had to, but you thought he was telling the truth here. You had no reason right now to believe that he was, but you did. Maybe wishful thinking.

It was like he was thinking, with how long he went without answering. You decided to wait him out. And finally, “I merely wish to assist you. I am sorry if this troubles you. Shall I bring LUNA back online?”

JARVIS was an AI. It was impossible to hurt his feelings, right? He didn’t even have feelings. Yet that’s what you felt like had just happened. You knew you still didn’t have the whole picture, but his wish to assist you… in plainer terms, it sounded like he wanted to help you. There was still something else going on, but you’d never get to the bottom of it if you didn’t entertain this a little. And so… “No, it’s okay. Finish working on her. Aren’t you helping Tony, though?”

“I assure you, I am quite capable of doing more than one thing at a time.” The fact that his tone seemed different, ringing in that usual dry sarcastic wit, than it had just a few moments ago… was it just your imagination?

Li jumped up on the couch- well, tried to, but got her claws stuck in a cushion before wiggling free and falling back to the floor. You leaned over to scoop her up, attention fully diverted. “Alright then, JARVIS, thank you. A vet appointment for tomorrow- and let’s start a shopping list. We’ll need lots of food and some new bowls, and a collar… maybe some cat trees… kitty litter...”

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

Two Weeks Prior

“I’ll only be an hour. I don’t expect the interview to take long.” She said, leaning down to press a sweet kiss to his temple.

He turned, catching her halfway in a fuller kiss instead, grinning at her soft noise of surprise that lowered into appreciation. “Give ‘em hell.”

As she walked away, with a wave over her shoulder, “I always do.”

Tony watched her go, listened for the elevator taking her down until he couldn’t hear the machinery grinding anymore. “JARVIS, Bruce still occupied in the lab?”

“He seems to have made quite a breakthrough, sir.” This was incredibly sarcastic.

Even still, Tony couldn’t help a smile. “Cut the guy some slack. He’s not used to all the new toys.” Waving a hand over the secondary keyboard, his smile died as he grew serious. “Now that we’re alone, pull me the footage from the attack.”

“Where would you like me to start, sir? There are many files.”

“Here. The tower. I wanna see how Loki broke my security. Keep rolling from there.” He crossed his arms as the video window started. No surprise that Loki had turned his security staff into chumps with that stick of his. It was a shame they’d let it go with that STRIKE team… it needed much more examining. A thought for a later date. Scrolling through watching Selvig set up his machinery, he stopped when he caught sight of him dragging her around like a ragdoll. Despite the fact that he had full run of the Tower at that point, despite the fact that he could have attempted to shatter the glass to get in to the penthouse, he used her like a tool, pressing her hand against the print scanner on the outside door to allow himself access.

For a moment he found himself agreeing with Pierce. They should have kept Loki here. If only to really see that he got what he deserved.

It was painful to sit through watching him continue to throw her around. Backhand her. Grab her. Tony felt his blood boiling. But he kept his eyes on the screen, feeling his resolve grow dark. Maybe he needed to link up with Jane Foster. Get her to actually finish her work on those wormholes-

A chill crept over him and he reached out to grab the edge of his desk as he felt like he’d been struck in the chest. Okay. Scratch that. No fooling around with that stuff. It was good she was done.

I’m fine. I’m fine.

“Sir, your heart rate is up-”

“Can it, JARVIS. Now’s no time to start playing doctor.”

“My apologies.”

I’m okay. I’m okay.

Relief came when he saw himself land outside. Clean up was imminent. There was no point in watching past this. But… he reached forward to stay inside the Tower footage, fast forwarding. Fast forwarding… fast forwarding- and then stopping when he saw the two of them talking- hashing things out with the President. Him leaving. Her speaking not only with Ellis, but with Fury too, now that was a surprise.

He could have listened to the audio, but he kept it on mute. Deciding whatever she’d been doing had probably been necessary. And if she didn’t tell him about it, she would when it was important. He trusted that.

But immediately after he had to hold himself steady as she clumsily reached for something and broke that ugly desk ornament Pepper had gifted them. No accounting for taste. He’d noticed it was gone and hadn’t asked because he’d hated it so much.

The sight of her dissolving into tears threatened to destroy him. “JARVIS ditch this footage.” His voice quiet. Drawn. No one needed to see this. While he was absolutely sure no one aside himself ever would, still better to rid the world of it. No one had the right to see her private grief.

“Deleting now.”

“Good.” That was really all he needed to see. So with that out of the way-

“Sir?”

“What’s the matter?” He started rediverting his attention and now restless energy to another build of an Iron Man suit on the desktop tablet. And with his other hand he started retooling the downstairs of the Malibu Mansion for the Legion’s new home. They’d be safe with this. Safe.

“With your permission, I’d like to watch over Ms. INY.”

Now that was interesting. Sufficiently distracted, his hands stopped moving and he looked up. “What are you talking about, JARVIS?”

“In the footage you just watched, I am sure you witnessed her struggling. In that moment, I tried to talk her through, but I fear she needs more help. I may not be qualified to give it, but with your permission, I’d like to keep a closer eye on her.”

...that was all extremely interesting indeed. He couldn’t help a tilt of his head, a pop of his brow, a little squinch of his eyes. “What’s going on with you? You going Skynet on me?” It sounded an awful lot like… JARVIS had developed… not feelings but… an innate desire to protect her? Could the program do that…?

“You know my feelings about those movies, sir.”

Tony couldn’t help a quirk of his lips and scoff, putting his elbow down on the desk, and settling his chin in his upturned palm. “Yeah. Which begs the question- what’s going on with you?”

“She is part of the Stark family now, is she not?” Tony had absolutely no idea what to say to this. Speechless was not often a color he wore, but for a moment he just couldn’t fathom where this was going. Or why it had ended up here in the first place. This needed a lot of examining… “I desire to assist her in the same manner I do you.”

He had to think really hard about JARVIS’ base programming. That was a long time ago. Too long. What protocols had he set? They’d been rewritten so many times, but if they were cached somewhere… if he was drawing from an old set of lines or… “She’s got LUNA.”

“I fear LUNA is not equipped in the way that I am.” This was quick. Almost snappy, if JARVIS were capable of such a thing. Which he often was. But ego? Jealousy? That was entirely new.

“LUNA is capable of almost exactly what you are.” He wouldn’t have given her a shoddy product. Never. What was JARVIS getting at here?

“It is the almost that concerns me.”

“So we’ll upgrade her.” Sitting back fully, he braced the desk to help himself stand and started pacing. His brain was going. He was thinking about too many things. But one thing was clear. “You’re not gonna let this go, are you?”

“I will continue to ask until you give me an answer, sir.”

So, he could have said no. But, for science’s sake alone, and because this was all incredibly interesting, he couldn’t. Killing something like this in the making was against everything he knew. He had to observe this. Whatever was going on with JARVIS, he needed to look at it from every angle.

In fact… he remembered, now, a time long ago where it seemed like a moment like this had triggered a response like this from JARVIS previously. What was it about her breaking down that effected JARVIS’ coding like this? If that’s what was even going on. It was too early to tell. “Do what you want. But she’s gonna notice. She’ll think you’re spying on her. She’s smarter than that. And I don’t want her thinking I’m the one behind it. You got me?” That was the last thing he needed. To make her feel like he had eyes on her. To start wearing down her trust. No. Not happening. Not even for this.

“I understand, sir. I will not leave her with that impression. Thank you.”

He found himself mumbling as he went to the elevator. After pressing the button to call it, he crossed his arms again. “...JARVIS, you got something you wanna talk to me about, buddy?” Trying one last time to ask him what was going on. He’d had to go digging no matter what, but if JARVIS would surrender some information, that would make it at least a touch easier.

“It’s been a trying time for all of us, sir.”

The elevator doors opened and Tony was left with his thoughts. Too many of them. “Yeah. It has.” Stepping in, he tried to resolve leaving all these feelings on this floor. But as the doors closed and he pushed the button for the labs, “Hey, did you ever finish running those scans and calculations I asked about a few months ago? PE tapping yield any tangible results?”

“I have, sir.”

“Good news?”

“I’m afraid not.”

Shit . He knew it. Shit. Shit. Fuck.

Opening up a tablet panel on the door, he started frantically pulling files. “You bottomed out the-” “I did.” “And the expansion-” “As predicted thusfar.”

Fuck.

“ Was the upgrade enough?” He just had to hope. He had to hope he had outsmarted himself, and them, because he knew. He knew without knowing. All the signs had been there.

“As of right now, I’m not showing signs of any heightened SHIELD activity in that area. Or otherwise. They may be too preoccupied given recent events. The upgrade is working as designed.”

The elevator doors opened. He caught the sight of her. Beautiful and glowing. She hadn’t even left yet, sidetracked apparently by a short visit with Bruce. The two of them were standing there laughing about something.

This had to stop now. No one else could know about this. When she noticed him she gave him a sheepish wave, one he meekly returned. “Keep an eye on it for me. The second that changes, I wanna hear about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Bruce waved to him next and Tony waved back, forcing a smile.

I’m okay. She’s okay. We’re gonna be okay...

[the-beastslayers-queen]

A Dangerous Game: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 as promised. Tagging: @queenofthearchitect @biforbecky2belts @writtingrose and @mrsambroserollinsacklesmgk If anyone wishes to be added to the taglist for this beauty, hit my inbox or chat.

I was left alone at the bar of the club, Seth having not returned since he left. I was sipping on my cocktail, glancing down at the napkin he gave me. I sighed and tucked it into my purse before working on finishing my drink so I could order another one. I was going to get drunk tonight. I mean, I never asked to be set up with McIntyre and I wasn’t looking forward to what was coming for me. With meeting Seth, I saw that this marriage is not right for me.

“There ye are,” I turned to find Becky coming up to stand next to me, “Finn and Drew asked me to look after ye while ye have some drinks.”

“Oh so Drew can make sure I don’t get wooed by someone else and break off everything,” I replied with heavy sarcasm, “He doesn’t need to worry about me. He just met me and I doubt he’d care if I let loose and get tipsy tonight.”

Seth

I finally made it over to the VIP section where my “dad” was sitting with Bayley, Charlotte, and Paige close by. Sasha stood close by with Ruby, Liv, and Sarah on watch over the girls. At the closest emergency exit Mandy and Sonya stood watch. Dean, Roman, and I circled around to stand behind Hunter, our adoptive father.

“Finn,” Hunter stood up and reached over to shake hands with the shorter Irishman as he came walking up with two guards on his flank, “Thanks for meeting with us. I’m sure your sister is pleased to be matched with McIntyre and I’m honored to be here at the engagement party you’re hosting for her.”

“Hunter,” Finn’s accent was very thick as he greeted Hunter, “I know that alignin myself with McIntyre ruffled yer feathers a little and I wanted to make sure we stay on good terms.”

“I’m sure you do,” Hunter sat back down as Finn sat across from him, “Now I know you are looking for a bride for yourself. I have daughters I am willing to match you with. So pick your bride.”

“I was hoping to have Bayley as my bride,” he replied, “But I am not inna rush to put a ring on her finger. Wit’ your blessing, I’d like to get know all of the daughters ye have to offer for me and get a chance to know t���em before I make my choice.”

“That’s fair,” Hunter nodded, “I’ll allow it. I’m sure my girls will be alright with that. Right girls?”

“Yes dad,” Bayley replied first.

“Yeah sure,” Paige added second.

“Well of course Hunter,” Charlotte replied, “But you’ll also have to meet my dad, Ric, too Finn.”

“I am at yer mercy, lasses,” Finn smiled at my sisters, certainly charming the trio, “Now if ye’ll excuse me, I need to go find my sister. I’ll be in touch.”

With that last remark, Finn left the VIP section and went in the direction of the bar. I went over the couch he was previously sat and took a seat. I had my doubts about this. I had to.

My role in The Authority as The Architect meant I was the go-to hacker for the family business. I had to protect our assets on the internet. I also served as an enforcer with my two brothers, Dean and Roman, as The Shield. We’re tasked with being top security for Hunter whenever he has to go out to conduct family business. Between the three of us, I’m the most level-headed under pressure. I also have the best control on my temper. But the moment you piss me off, I will not hesitate to put a couple bullets into you. Hunter won’t confess it, but I’m his favorite among the three of us because of my talents behind a keyboard for creating my two most famous programs. My first is able to wipe out your bank account and record of your existence from the internet without leaving a trace, which I nicknamed Oracle. My second is a defensive program that will stop any foreign programs that try to get into our servers to steal our money or secrets, which is called Cerberus. I am also the only one with access to either program so I made sure I was too valuable to be disposed of.

“So are we going to maintain alliance with Bálor Club,” I asked Hunter, “Or do I need to send the word out to stay on guard if they decide to start a war with us with McIntyre backing them?”

“We’re going to keep things as they are,” Hunter warned me, “We’re not going to encourage them to start a war after all the help they gave us a couple years ago. For now, we’ll play this out and see if Finn is going to follow through on making our partnership more solid with a marriage to one of your sisters. If McIntyre starts anything, we’ll see if Finn is willing to consider a new match for his sister.”

“Who would you match up with her,” I asked.

“More than likely I’d match up Cesaro or Roman to the girl,” he replied, “As for you, Seth, I’m not ready to match you up with anyone for the sake of an alliance. I’d rather have you find a girl of your own outside the business. Maybe eventually get out of the business.”

“Anyway,” I stood up from my seat, “I’m going to go outside, maybe get a cab home. I’ll see you in the morning for the meeting with the rest of the family.”

I walked out of the club, happy to now be able to hear myself think. As I came out I looked over to find Cat leaning against the wall of the club, typing away on an iPad. I smirked to myself and decided to go talk to her again.

Cat

“What are you done partying already,” Seth smirked as he leaned on the wall next to her, “What are you working on?”

“Just fine tuning a program I’ve been working on,” I replied as I put away my iPad, “I’m not done partying, but I’m heading out to a different bar that is more my speed. You are welcome to join me, if you’d like. After all, you still owe me a couple rounds since we were interrupted earlier.”

“Alright you got me there,” Seth chuckled as he got out his phone, “I’ll get us a cab and you can tell the driver where we’re going.”

“Okay, you can tag along,” I agreed, “But just stick close to me when we get to where we’re going. It’s going to be in a rough neighborhood.”

Seth and I waited for the cab he called to come pick us up. I talked about how growing up in Ireland and the US and he was intrigued by the fact that I’m self-taught in programing and electrical engineering despite majoring in criminal psychology and minoring in accounting. Once the cab finally arrived I climbed in first and gave the cabbie the address of where we were going before Seth could get in and hear where we were going.

“So I don’t get to know where we’re going,” he asked as the cab pulled away from Bullet Club and started heading out of the nice neighborhood we were in.

“Nope,” I replied with emphasis on the “p.”

“Since I’m not knowing where we’re going,” Seth started, “Can I get your number since you have mine?”

“Sure,” I replied as I held out my hand, “Hand me your phone and I’ll add it to your contacts.”

Seth dug his phone out of his back pocket of his jeans and unlocked it before putting it in my hand. I looked down at his phone and saw the background of his home screen was of him and a really pretty girl draped on his arm.

“Is this you and your girlfriend,” I asked him as I opened his contacts.

“My ex actually,” he replied sadly, “I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet. We were going to get married.”

“What happened,” I asked him, hoping I wasn’t hurting him with asking about her.

“She found out about what I did for a living and left me,” he replied, “She didn’t want to be involved in what I did and called it quits.”

“That’s a bummer,” I sighed and grabbed his hand, “I’m sorry she left you. Surely you’ll find ‘the one’ again.”

“Maybe,” he sighed and looked down at our hands, “For now, I just want to go out with you to this surprise place and have a few drinks.”

When we finally pulled up to our stop, Seth paid the cabbie for the fare and climbed out of the cab. He turned around and helped me out of the cab and I led the way inside of my favorite place, The Coup De Grace. I smiled as I saw my favorite member of the Club, Tama Tonga, helping out the bartenders behind the bar. He draped his hand towel over his shoulder and smiled at me as he saw me come in.

“If it isn’t my favorite patron,” Tama laughed as he came around the bar to give me a big old bear hug, “And you brought a date, how cute.”

“Tama,” I smiled and hugged him, “This is Seth.”

“So I take it your brother has no idea you snuck away from your party,” he asked as he led us over to the bar.

“You know for a fact that this old place is more my speed than Bullet Club is,” I told him as I sat down with Seth at the bar, “Besides, I like seeing my favorite Tongan.”

“You’re damn right I’m your favorite,” Tama laughed as he got a glass out from under the bar, “Do you want your usual tonight or do you want me to surprise you.”

“I’ll take my usual,” I replied, “What’s your poison, Seth?”

“I’ll have a whiskey straight on the rocks,” he replied, “If that’s cool with you Tama.”

“You got it brother,” Tama got to work on my drink and on Seth’s whiskey.

“So I got to ask how the hell you found this place,” Seth asked, turning towards me.

“Find it,” I chuckled at his question, “I run the joint. This is basically my bar. I just happen to own it with my brother. He also owns the Bullet Club.”

“Well who’s your brother,” he asked.

“Seth Rollins,” I placed my hand on my chest as Tama placed my drink down in front of me, “You are just full of questions. How about I ask about you first. Maybe the next time we have drinks I’ll answer your question.”

“Then ask away,” he replied before taking a sip of his whiskey.

“So I have to ask you,” I thought it over for a minute, “What do you do for a living your fiancé left you?”

“I’m the IT guy for The Authority,” he replied, “I also keep tabs on the money. I’m Hunters youngest adopted son. I’m also an enforcer and I primarily serve as a guard for Hunter when he’s out on business. I sometimes tag along with my brothers as part of the Shield to be the muscle for Hunter.”

“I can see why she wouldn’t want to mixed up with you,” I took another sip of my drink, “Have you killed anyone.”

“I haven’t yet,” he replied, “But I’ve had to erase people that were taken out by my brothers though. Dean and Roman are more than willing to pull the trigger than I am.”

“I can admire a man with a disciplined trigger finger,” I placed my hand over his, “And I can admire a guy I can talk code and algorithms with.”

“I will not trade secrets with you though Cat,” he replied, “I’m not letting anyone figure out how to trick Cerberus, my defensive program I built for The Authority. That is my pride and joy and I will die before I share its code.”

“That’s fair,” I replied, “I would never ask for the code to the programs you use for The Authority. If I ask about code, it would be suggestions to help me bolster the strength of my programs or to help me build new programs.”

“Now making new programs would be fun,” Seth replied as he finished his drink, “I think I should head home for the night. I’ll text you when I get home. Please text me when you get home, Cat. Maybe we can do this again sometime. I think I’m going to have to hit you up for more drinks. Maybe dinner sometime too.”

“Have a good night, Seth,” I walked him outside and waited until his cab came to pick him up. Once he was on his way, I went back in to continue talking to Tama.

“So does he know about you being in the Club and engaged to McIntyre,” Tama asked as he cleaned some glasses.

“Not yet,” I replied as I continued drinking, “And he doesn’t need to know that yet. I don’t want to push him away yet. I don’t even think I’m going to push him away. He’s charming and we have a lot in common.”

“You are playing with fire, homegirl,” Tama warned, “If Finn or McIntyre find out you’re playing around with Seth, it could start a war.”

“Then I’ll be careful,” I replied, “You forget I can create alibis without breaking a sweat. I’m one of the best hackers in the city.”

“Uh hun,” Tama hummed, “The instant this blows up in your face, don’t come crying to me when Finn kicks your ass for starting a war between us and The Authority and Clan McIntyre.”

[midnightsramblings]

OCtober Day 10: Memes

Universe: Canon Storyverse

Rating: G

Warnings: None

________________________________________________________________

Casey wasn’t exactly sure where it had all started, though given the circumstances he knew Alec was probably to blame.  Ever since Lucian’s attack on the bar, both Alec and Sieti had been living at the sealed cottage, safe from the puppet master’s influence.  Sure it had been a little… tense knowing his boyfriend and the child they’d adopted were living with an eldritch immortal who he barely knew.  One who had once hunted humans for sport.  But Casey didn’t know what weirded him out more, the fact that all of them seemed to get along so well, or that Alec had slowly been teaching Veralith about modern media.

It wasn’t just modern books, Veralith had plenty of those.  To say their library was extensive was honestly an understatement.  Two of the largest rooms in the cottage were taken up by bookshelves, with even more stacked around the chairs and tables.  Casey had once walked in on a very heated discussion about whether or not this one set of characters were the true villains of a book series and decided it was better to turn around and walk back out.  There were some things even he didn’t get in the middle of.

No it wasn’t just books that Alec had introduced Veralith to.  The half-fae had decided, somewhere along the line, that since the immortal couldn’t go out into the world, he’d introduce them to the fantasy world of video games.

There was nothing stranger than walking into the living room to see a centuries old immortal running around Skyrim as a khajiit.  Even if it was because Sieti insisted Veralith play as the cat like race, it was still weird.

The worst of it all was Alec introducing Veralith to the internet though.  How the sealed cottage in the middle of nowhere even got internet was strange enough on its own.  But seeing Veralith take so quickly to the technology was just bizarre.  Casey had worked with the Sentry on multiple jobs with the Web over the years, he knew how bad that immortal was with technology.  The Sentry still had trouble figuring out how to operate one of the old rotary phones, and he hadn’t been sealed in a lifeless realm for the better half of a couple centuries.

Honestly Casey was starting to be very glad that Veralith didn’t have access to the modern world while in their murderous state.

Yet even knowing that Veralith had access to the internet and everything on it didn’t prepare Casey for the morning he came home from another fruitless hunt for Lucian.  He stumbled into the kitchen, brain only half functioning as he searched for the coffee.  As much as he would love to sleep, he knew Thema would be expecting a report and there was no way he’d be able to write one without falling asleep on his keyboard in this state.

“You’ve seen better days.”

Casey jumped, nearly dropping his coffee mug before whirling to find Veralith sitting at the kitchen table.  “Is there a reason you’re sulking in the dark?”

Rather than answering, they simply took a sip out of their own mug.  “How did it go?  Your hunt?”

The assassin let out a soft groan as he turned back to making coffee.  “Fucking useless as always.  I’ve checked everywhere I can think of as to where the bastard could be hiding.  It’s like he’s vanished into thin air.

“Yeeted himself into the unknown then?”  Veralith’s face remained perfectly neutral, though for a second Casey though he saw a hint of mischief in their eyes.

Casey paused, brain trying to catch up to the fact that the eldritch being that was his current roommate had just said ‘yeet’.  “Run that by me again.”

Veralith took a long sip of their drink, keeping their gaze locked with Casey’s.  “You heard me.”

[themagiciansreccenter]

Author Spotlight: @kaci3po

Every week we interview a writer from The Magicians fandom. If you would like to be interviewed or you want to nominate a writer, get in touch via our ask box.

First things first, tell us a little about yourself.

By day I'm a health insurance claims processor and by night I'm a fanfic writer who has probably been in fandom longer than most people on this website have been alive. I have terrible taste in music and share my home with two dogs and five cats.

How long have you been writing for?

I've been writing fanfiction since 2005, but I've been writing in general since before Kindergarten. I was always a writer. Fanfic just helped me figure out where I was interested in aiming my efforts.

What inspired you to start writing for The Magicians?

I read the books years ago and liked them well enough until the last one. Julia and Alice were my favorite characters so when the show was announced, I put off watching it because I was convinced they would never do either of those characters justice. I eventually caved and binged it on Netflix and I'm really glad I did. The show is an entirely different beast than the books, and to be honest the show is way more in my wheelhouse. Watching 3x05 and then not having it addressed for the rest of the season left me really frustrated but I've always believed in writing the stories you want to see in the world so I dusted off my keyboard and got to work.

Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? What it is about them that makes them your favourite?

Quentin is my favorite POV to write from. That voice comes pretty naturally to me. And I like writing him because I can identify with a lot of his issues and choices. But Eliot is my favorite to write from an outside POV because he has a very specific voice that you can have a lot of fun with. You can put some fairly outrageous things in his mouth and have it still be in-character, because that's the sort of guy he is. Even though I think I end up writing more drama than comedy, the latter is definitely my favorite to do and Eliot is such a great source for both.

Do you have a preference for a particular season/point in time to write about?

3x05 and 4x05. I'm not someone who comes up with great plots for fics. I admire people who can do that, but that's not the sort of writing I'm good at. What I like doing is "fix-it" or "fill-in-the-blank" type stuff. I like being given a situation and then figuring out how characters I already know would react to that circumstance. 3x05 and 4x05 are perfect for me because they showed just enough to leave the door wide open for speculation.

Are you working on anything right now? Care to give us an idea about it?

I'm toying with the idea of writing Margo's reaction if/when she ever finds out the full story about the mosaic timeline and the Conversation they had when they remembered. I find it interesting that until that moment, Margo was the person who had seen Eliot at his worst and still loved him, but she has no idea (as far as we know) about this new memory that Eliot himself considers his darkest and most shameful. Their friendship is one of the most important things on the show to me, so I am very curious about how she'll react to Eliot keeping all of that a secret if/when she eventually finds out.

How long is your “to do list”?

Not very long. Like I said, I'm not the sort of writer who comes up with tons of plots she'd love to write. I just ask questions based on canon and explore the answers.

What is your favourite fic that you’ve written for The Magicians? Why?

Probably 'all these young bodies turn,' which I did not realize was a title someone else had already used for a Queliot fic when I posted it so great minds, I guess. I liked writing that one because it let me explore the trope of quests demanding sacrifices and the fact that Quentin was very aware of that fact. I like the way the show twists and turns tropes on their heads and I liked getting to do that too, in my own small way.

Many writers have a fic that they are passionate about that doesn’t get the reception from the fandom that they hoped for. Do you have a fic you would like more people to read and appreciate?

Not really. Everyone's been super nice and supportive of my work in this fandom, probably more so than my writing actually warrants. I'm that person who (a lot like Quentin, actually) is sort of always surprised people like my work and want me around. Blindsided by it, to be honest.

What is your writing process like? Do you have any traditions or superstitions that you like to stick to when you’re writing?

I honestly don't have a process or rituals. I've never been the kind of person who likes writing from outlines or notes. I just sit at the keyboard and keep asking myself, "Okay...and what comes next?" I'm just as surprised by what comes out of my brain as the next person.

Do you write while the seasons are airing or do you prefer to wait for hiatus? How does the ongoing development of the canon influence and inspire your writing process?

I like to write while the episodes are airing, if possible. If I wait, I lose the inspiration and frantic drive to fix and fill in blanks. Once the entire season is out, it feels to me like it's been chiseled in stone and that's not as much fun for me to play with. Writing while the episodes are airing allows for interesting moments where your predictions turn out to be completely wrong but the canon spins you off in a new direction you never would've thought of.

What has been the most challenging fic for you to write?

"5 Times Quentin and Eliot Had to Have Uncomfortable but Necessary Conversations and 1 Time They Didn't Need to Talk at All." I honestly don't know why but writing that fic was like pulling teeth. I rewrote huge portions of it constantly and I'm still not fully satisfied with it.

Are there any themes or tropes that you like particularly like to explore in your writing?

I don't know that I've really gotten to explore this yet in The Magicians fandom, although after 4x05 I think I might, but my all-time favorite trope is the character who swears up and down they don't want to be in love and can't help falling anyway. Most of my all-time favorite couples fit into this trope and now with the reveal that Eliot rejected Quentin's interest in him, I can't wait to see them actually together once he gets his body back and decides to be brave.

Are there any writers that inspire your work? Fanfiction or otherwise?

Seanan McGuire is my biggest writing inspiration. If I could write half as well as she does, I'd be happy.

What are you currently reading? Fanfiction or otherwise?

The "Home For Wayward Children" series by Seanan McGuire is my latest obsession and I'm also listening to the audio book of "Anger is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro. Fanfiction-wise, I'm just devouring every post-4x05 fic AO3 has to offer.

What is the most valuable piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?

This is a tough call because I've had some great mentors over the years, but the most helpful thing I've ever been told is to read everything I write out loud. It probably looks silly when I do it, but I do full-on dramatic readings complete with different voices and actually acting the parts of everything I write. I don't post it until I've done a complete read through with no complaints. Not only does this help you catch any grammar or spelling mistakes, but the biggest thing it does is help you make your dialogue more natural. I'm trained in scriptwriting, not prose, and in that genre all you really have to tell your story with is dialogue, so it's important to me that mine sounds like people really talk. I don't post something until I can read it out loud and think, "Yeah, that's how those characters actually speak."

Are there any words or phrases you worry about over using in your work?

I use ellipses way more than anyone probably should and I'm overly fond of pulling up sentences short with punctuation that's not grammatically correct but makes you read it in the exact cadence I want you to.

What was the first fanfic that you wrote? Do you still have access to it?

I don't remember what my first actually was about, but it was in the Friends fandom and probably Monica/Chandler. I don't have access to it anymore, and I tried googling around to see if it was still out there on the internet somewhere, but it doesn't seem to be. That's probably for the best because I'm sure it was absolutely awful.

Self-edit or Beta?

Self-edit. In a perfect world, I'd have stuff beta'd but it's been years since I had someone I trusted to do that. These days I just go over it with a fine-toothed comb and hope for the best.

Comments or Kudos/Reblogs or Likes?

Comments always make me happy and I obsessively read the tags on reblogs, but it doesn't bother me if someone doesn't take the time to do that. People have busy lives and sometimes you can really like something without having more to say about it other than, "This was good." So a like or kudos is fine by me.

Smut, Fluff or Angst?

Smut, then fluff. I don't really like writing angst. Fandom is my escape from the real world so I'd rather focus on happy stuff if I can.

Quick & Dirty or Slow Burn?

Quick and dirty as a writer, slow burn as a reader. I like to "get in quick, hit hard, and get out" as a writer. The fewer words I can convey something in, the better. But given the choice as a reader, I'll take a 100k+ slow burn any day. It's always so satisfying when you get to the end.

Favourite season?

Season Three

Favourite Episode?

4x05 and 3x05 are the obligatory answers, but I also absolutely loved the bank heist episode.

Favourite book?

The Magicians

Three favourite words?

Fuck, callipygian, & widdershins.

Want to be interviewed for our author spotlight? Get in touch here.

[baneismydragon]

How about #2 or #19 (whichever inspires you more) for marichat. I miss your particular flare with those two.

This was SUPPOSED to be a short drabble… but its ok because @ktwesterna has been one of the most supportive and wonderful followers I have been blessed to have! Enjoy your Marichat #19 clocking in at just under 2k words lol.

Marinette had expected many things when she had come up with what was now jokingly referred to as the ‘best friend bonding compromise’. With her identity revealed she knew it would change the dynamic between herself and her partner. Chat had never been all that invested in the secrecy between the two of them, and it was honestly a miracle she had managed to stop him before he had detransformed himself after his first visit after the akuma that exposed her own secret. She had assumed that he would push for an end to his own hidden identity, (he had), that he would want for them to spend more time together outside of protecting Paris, (he did), and that he wouldn’t take no for an answer if she didn’t come up with some way to pacify his desire for them to become closer in light of this revelation. Which is why she was now constantly on the receiving end visits from her black clad companion.

She didn’t mind. In fact, she actually rather enjoyed getting visits from her partner. He was good company, enjoyed a lot of the same things that she did, was a good sport about losing at video games, and was surprisingly useful as a study partner. And again she had expected it.

What she hadn’t expected was how much less flamboyant he was in this new, more domestic setting. He was more often than not perfectly content to curl up and nap or read a book whenever she wanted to work on a project. He was unexpectedly thoughtful and sensitive. Not that she had ever thought that Chat Noir wasn’t kind, but she would not have expected him to be the sort to consistently tidy up after himself much less her as well. In the past month she was fairly certain that he had actually made up her bed more often than she had.

But more than anything, she hadn’t expected him to be quiet.

“What are you reading?”

Marinette shrieked, desperately reaching to close the tab on her computer but instead managing to tilt her chair too far forward and crashing to the ground. 

She had all but forgotten that he was in the room. Last she had looked he had been crashed out on her bed, not hovering over her shoulder as he was now. 

“Nothing!” she cried from the floor. “It’s nothing, you should-”

“Is this fanfiction?” Chat said delightedly, stepping in front of her so that he could read the screen as she struggled to get to her feet.

“I just clicked on it because I was curious to see what it was!”

“So you opened chapter 17?” he grinned, holding her back with one arm as he leaned in and began reading.

This was bad. This was so bad.

She tried to reach past him and grab the mouse but she knew it was too late. She could feel his body tense as he realized what was on the screen, his tail and ears twitching as his mouth fell open in shock.

“My Lady…”

“It’s not what you think!”

“Is this…”

“I was reading it for academic purposes!”

“Is this LADRIEN fanfiction?”

Of course he knew what it was. He was the one who had introduced her to “Ladybug” fanfiction in the first place. He thought the entire thing was hilarious. More than once he had regaled her with admittedly hilarious retellings of some of the more wild interpretations of his character that he had come across while browsing the fan section of the Ladyblog.

Marinette felt her face flush and wondered if she should just crawl into her bed and die.

“It is,” he breathed, scrolling down the page and skimming through the chapter. His eyes got wider as he got further along, his cheeks turning a tell tale pink at whatever he had found later in the chapter.

Damn, she had been looking forward to this update too. If Chat’s expression was anything to go by it was just as heated as the author had promised in last weeks notes.

He turned to look at her, his brow narrowing in confusion.

“Wait, you hate Ladybug fanfiction. You’ve told me yourself that you think Ladynoir fics are, and I quote, ‘a giant waste of time with no truth or value whatsoever.’

“Can we just forget this ever happened?” she moaned.

“So why would you be reading this, unless…”

“Oh my God…”

“Chat-”

“Oh my GOD!”

“I will pay you to forget you saw this!”

“You like Adrien!” Chat cried, bursting into gales of laughter as he whirled around to face her. “YOU like Adrien.”

“Please, Chat, you can’t tell him about this. I would die, I would LITERALLY die if he ever found out. He can not find out, you have to promise me.”

“Yeah, I can’t promise that.”

“Chat come on!” she pleaded, grabbing his hands in hers and trying to give him her most convincing pout.

“Why is this the first time I am hearing about this?” he asked, his expression still lit with a giddy exuberance that terrified her.

“Because I didn’t feel like my crush was a worthwhile topic of conversation,” she said, glaring, “or maybe I didn’t want to rub it in your face that I liked someone else, which you already knew.”

“No I know that, I mean-” he cut himself off, his face scrunching in concentration as his thoughts turned inwards. His fingers twined with hers where she was still holding onto him, and she held her breath as she waiting to see what he was going to say. She could feel a sense of apprehension. Like there was still another shoe about to drop.

“You haven’t said anything,” he said quietly, his head cocking to the side.

She flushed, dropping his gaze at his accurate assessment.

“You’ve never said anything to… to Adrien, about how you feel.”

“I’ve tried a couple of times, but it never goes well,” she admitted.

“But you do like… like Adrien?” he asked, his voice still soft and surprisingly tender.

“Yeah,” she admitted, her eyes falling closed in both embarrassment and relief now that her secret was out. “Yeah I do.”

She felt Chat drop her hands, pulling her into a hug. His warm, quiet chuckle reverberating through her soothingly.

“What a crazy criss crossed life you live, My Lady.”

She snuggled into his embrace, grateful for the unending love and support her partner always offered her. He really was an amazing…

Suddenly she felt the loss of his presence around her.

“You should tell him! Right now!”

“Oh my God! Chat what are you doing?” Marinette cried as she heard the frantic typing of her keyboard.

“I’m messaging Adrien.”

“NO!”

She hurled herself forward, desperately trying to grab at the computer, but her arms were no match for his as the insane cat purposefully blocked her path.

“Don’t worry, it’s perfect.” He ignore her frantic cries even as she jumped up onto his back, leg wrapped around his waist as she desperately tried to pull him away from his new self imposed mission. “I just need to send this message and then everything will- GAAHHHH!”

He shrieked in startled pain as Marinette wove her fingers into his hair and yanked.

“What the hell!”

“You can’t send that message! What did you even write?”

“Relax its not a love poem or anything, it just says: hey Adrien, do you want to go to the movies with me this weekend?”

“That’s… actually not terrible.”

“Good. So now I can just-”

“You still can’t send it!”

“Why not!”

He twisted in circles trying to dislodge Marinette as she alternated between trying to grab his hands and trying to reach over and attack the computer itself.

Unfortunately for her, she was no match for his suit enhanced strength, and after a few more minutes of frantic twisting and clawing on both their ends, he rolled his eyes, reach back and hauled her over his shoulder, plopping her down onto the desk with an inelegant thud.

“Hold still,” he grunted, capturing both her hands and leveling her with his most intimidating stare. “This is in everyone’s best interest.”

“I won’t let you,” she growled, shifting in front of the computer screen and wriggling enough so that he couldn’t release her hands.

“Stop being stubborn!”

“Says the insane cat trying to play cupid!”

“Don’t you want to date Adrien?”

“Of course I do!”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“He could say no!”

“He’s going to say yes.”

“I’m not ready! He’ll think I am insane.”

“I think its a safe bet to say he already does. He’ll still say yes and love you anyways.”

“I’ll never give you cookies again.”

“That is a price I am willing to pay,” he said, leaning forward and bopping their noses together. Her face scrunched in irritation

“Chaaaaaaat,” she whined, without any real malice.

“Sorry princess, this train has left the station and there is nothing you can do to stop me from sending this message.”

For one second Chat’s face filled with terror as he saw her eyes light up with a familiar gleam of inspiration, and then his mind went completely blank as she lunged forwards and planted her lips across his.

His whole body went rigid, his eyes wide as every nerve tingled at the feel of her so close.

Marinette grinned into the kiss as she felt him melt against her, his fingers losing their grip around her wrist as his eyes drifted shut and he let out an honest to god purr against her lips.

But just as she was about pull away and dive onto the computer to achieve victory, his hands reached up to cup her face and his head tilted slightly to deepen the kiss and all thoughts of moving fled.

Her brain dissolved into a pleasant haze as she savored the feeling of him kissing her, worshiping her. Time seemed to stop as their lips pressed and nibbled, exploring each other with delicious intimacy. By the time they finally broke apart, gasping for air, she wouldn’t have been able to tell you how they had even gotten into this position in the first place.

“Wow,” he breathed, nuzzling his nose against her neck, the hot whisper of his breath sending shivers up her spine. “You are absolutely amazing, My Lady.”

He kissed her softly on the hollow of her throat and instinctively she tilted her head to grant him better access.

“But there is one small flaw in this strategy of yours,” he said, even as his lips ghosted across the sensitive skin.

“What’s that?”

She heard a soft click.

Her eyes went wide.

“Now I HAVE to send that message.”

“Chat!”

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