#cool. so like. given that...my tests are now out of date.

[heliosunny]

Heaven’s Gold Noose

Yandere!Sunday x Reader

Life hasn’t been kind to you.

Every job interview ends in rejection.

Every relationship fizzles out.

Even your coffee always spills at the worst possible moment.

But then… he appears.

A man with soft, feathered wings and a halo—Sunday, your newly assigned guardian angel.

"The celestial council has reviewed your past life," he murmurs, "You were a soul of pure kindness. And now, in this life, you’ve been given misfortune as a test."

His fingers brush your cheek, "But don’t worry. I’m here to guide you."

You should feel relieved. But...

Now, he’s sitting across from you at a café, dabbing at his stained white robes with a napkin while giving you a pained but patient smile.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You’re an angel. From Heaven. And you’re here to… what, fix my life?"

"Precisely! Consider me your divine guardian—" "Uh-huh. And how much is this ‘heavenly guidance package’ gonna cost me?"

"I would never—! This is a sacred duty, not some… earthly pyramid scheme!"

You take a long sip of your (third) coffee, squinting. "Prove it."

Without missing a beat, he plucks a feather from his wing and offers it to you. "A token of my sincerity."

You grab it—then yelp as it bursts into golden sparkles in your palm.

"Okay, that was cool. But I still think you’re either a hallucination or a really dedicated cult recruiter."

You wake up the next morning to find your broken phone fully charged, your dead plant thriving, and your cat suddenly fluent in Latin ??

"…Did you just say ‘ave dominus’?"

"Meow." 

Then, Sunday materialized just behind you.

"Ah! I see you’ve noticed my small blessings!"

"Dude! Do you have to pop up like a jump scare?!"

"Apologies. I forget earthly beings are so… fragile."

----

You’re on a terrible date (third one this month—curse your bad luck) when Sunday manifests in the restaurant’s chandelier, glaring daggers at your oblivious companion.

"So, I think splitting the bill is only fair—"

"HERETIC."

"SUNDAY. NO."

"Uh… did you just say ‘Sunday’?"

"Yep! Gotta go! Bye!" 

Outside, Sunday floats beside you, pouting. "That man was unworthy of you."

"Yeah, well, possessing the lighting fixtures isn’t gonna help!"

"But you did leave with me."

"Oh my god—"

----

At first, you thought it was all some elaborate joke—or worse, a scam. A literal angel showing up in your life? Yeah, right.

But after weeks of inexplicable blessings: your rent mysteriously paid, your chronic back pain vanishing overnight, even your perpetually dying houseplants suddenly flourishing... You finally gave in.

"Fine," you muttered one evening, throwing your hands up as Sunday hovered expectantly by your window. "You can stay. But no more weird angel stuff, okay?"

"I shall adhere to your mortal customs... within reason."

You set boundaries, of course. You weren’t religious, and the idea of divine intervention still made you uneasy. But Sunday was... different. He wasn’t preachy or holier-than-thou. He was just... there.

You kept your distance, treating him more like an overly affectionate roommate than a celestial being. He respected your space, though his presence lingered in small ways—freshly brewed tea waiting when you woke up, your favorite snacks restocked before you even realized they were gone, and an unsettlingly perfect knowledge of your schedule.

"You don’t have to do all this" you told him once, frowning at the spotless kitchen.

"But I want to" he replied, "Your happiness is my purpose."

You didn’t know how to respond to that, so you just nodded awkwardly and went about your day.

Then came the day you almost died.

Tires shrieked against asphalt as headlights flooded your vision—too bright. Your coffee cup slipped from numb fingers, hitting the pavement in a burst of scalding liquid. The truck’s grille filled your entire field of view, chrome gleaming like a predator’s smile.

You had half a second to think: This is how I die.

You gasped, blinking as you found yourself standing safely on the sidewalk, Sunday’s arms wrapped tightly around you. His wings were fully unfurled, casting an eerie glow in the dim streetlights.

The sound of screeching metal filled the air as the truck crashed into the guardrail right where your car should have been.

Your legs gave out.

Sunday caught you before you hit the ground, cradling you against his chest.

The warmth of the milk cup seeped into your fingers as you sat curled up on the couch, the near-death experience still fresh in your mind. Sunday sat across from you, his wings now neatly folded behind him, his golden eyes watching you with quiet intensity.

The silence stretched, but this time, it wasn’t uncomfortable.

----

You both returned home after that.

You took a slow sip of your warm cup of milk, then finally spoke.

"So… when are you leaving?"

Sunday blinked, as if the question had never occurred to him. "Leaving?"

"Yeah. Like, is there an expiration date on this guardian angel gig? Do you get reassigned? Or do you just… vanish one day when Heaven decides I’ve had enough blessings?"

"Oh, you misunderstand. I’m not here on a temporary assignment."

"So… you’re stuck with me forever?"

"Not stuck," he corrected gently. "Chosen. My presence isn’t bound by time. I stay as long as you need me."

"Which is…?"

"However long that may be. Perhaps a lifetime. Perhaps longer."

"Okay, next question," you said, shifting topics before your brain could spiral. "Do other angels do this? Just… move in with humans and fix their Wi-Fi and scare off bad dates?"

Sunday tilted his head. "Some do, in their own ways. But most guardians are subtler. They prefer signs, whispers, the occasional miracle. I, however…" He gestured to himself, wings and all. "I believe in a more hands-on approach."

"No kidding." you muttered.

"Besides," he added, "you’re special."

You ignored the way your face warmed at that.

"Last question," you said, pointing at his robes. "Heaven’s got, like, upgrades, right? You guys aren’t all harps and scrolls up there?"

Sunday laughed in a rich, melodic sound. "Oh, we’re quite modern. Cloud computing is literally cloud-based. The Pearly Gates have biometric scanning. And the angels in charge of mortal affairs? They love spreadsheets."

You nearly choked on your milk. "Are you serious?"

"Deadly." He leaned forward, mischief dancing in his gaze. "Would you like to see my divine tablet? I have an app that tracks prayer requests in real time."

You stared. "…You’re joking."

He pulled out a sleek, glowing device from thin air.

"Nope."

As the night wore on, you learned more than you ever expected:

Angels have hobbies. Sunday’s was composing hymns… and binge-watching human dramas.

They adapt to human culture. He preferred loose sweaters over robes at home ("More comfortable for lounging") and had strong opinions about coffee brands.

Heaven does have WiFi. ("But the connection in the mortal realm is terrible.")

At first, you had to remind yourself constantly: Sunday is invisible to everyone else.

You’d catch yourself mid-conversation in public, only to bite your tongue when strangers shot you weird looks. You learned to text him instead of speaking out loud, to nudge him under the table when he laughed too loudly at a restaurant, to pretend you were on a phone call when he whispered warnings in your ear.

But slowly… you stopped caring.

Because Sunday wasn’t just your guardian angel anymore.

He was your best friend.

You’d wake up to find him humming hymns while making breakfast, his wings brushing against the ceiling.

He’d sit beside you on the couch, scrolling through memes on his divine tablet and snickering at cat videos.

When you had nightmares, he’d stroke your hair until you fell back asleep, murmuring, "I’m here."

You started looking forward to coming home—to his warmth, his laughter, the way his eyes softened when he looked at you.

----

One evening, as you lounged together, Sunday suddenly went still.

"There’s something I need to tell you." 

You tensed. That tone never meant anything good.

"You weren’t just randomly assigned to me," he admitted. "You… you’re not entirely mortal."

"What?"

"Your soul—it’s different. " His fingers twitched, like he wanted to reach for you but didn’t dare. "That’s why I was sent. Not just to protect you, but to… prepare you."

"Prepare me for what?"

He hesitated. "One day, you’ll have to decide—stay human, or ascend."

All this time… he’d known.

And he never told you.

"So what, this was all just a mission to you? All the—the tea, the jokes, the saving my life—just part of the job?"

Sunday’s expression shattered. "No. Never." He reached for you, but you flinched away. "I was supposed to guide you, yes, but my feelings—my devotion—that’s real."

"Then why hide the truth?"

"Because I was afraid!" The raw desperation in his voice stunned you. "Afraid you’d hate me. Afraid… you’d choose to leave."

You stared at him.

And yet…

You still didn’t know if you could trust him.

You needed time.

So you did the only thing you could—you walked away.

And Sunday, for once, didn’t follow.

At first, you told yourself it was fine.

But then…

Your coffee went cold because he wasn’t there to reheat it with a touch.

Your nightmares returned, and there were no gentle hands to soothe you.

The apartment felt wrong—too quiet, like the world itself had dimmed.

And worst of all?

You missed him.

Meanwhile, in Heaven…

Sunday stood before the Celestial Council.

"Remove their name from the records," he demanded, "They don’t belong in this trial."

The council murmured amongst themselves.

"The choice was never yours to make, Sunday." 

"You would fall for them?"

Sunday didn’t hesitate.

"Yes."

Three days passed.

Then, on the fourth morning, you woke to the scent of fresh tea and the sound of rustling wings.

Sunday stood at the foot of your bed, his form flickering—like a star about to burn out.

You sat up, "You… you look terrible."

And he did. His glow was dim, his wings frayed at the edges. But his smile was the same.

"I had to see you one last time." he whispered.

"What do you mean, last time?"

"I made a choice. You won’t have to."

And then—

He began to fade.

For weeks, you searched.

You screamed his name into the empty air. You prayed—something you’d never done before. You even tried to bargain with the universe.

"Bring him back. Please."

Until—

It was a rainy afternoon when you saw him.

A man sitting by the window, his eyes scanning the street with an expression so achingly familiar it stole your breath.

But he wasn’t Sunday.

Not quite.

No halo. Just a human—or something close to it—with a faint, lingering glow at the edges of his silhouette.

Your feet moved before your brain could catch up.

You stood in front of him.

He looked up.

"Do I… know you?"

It was him.

And he didn’t remember.

You smiled politely at the stranger with golden eyes, exchanged a few meaningless pleasantries, and walked away.

What else could you do?

He didn’t remember you.

And maybe… that was for the best.

----

That night, he dreamed. Visions of a life he never lived flickered behind his eyelids—a celestial choir, a mortal with your face, the weight of devotion so fierce it burned like holy fire.

He woke gasping, fingers clutching at his chest.

And then—

His voice.

"You loved them enough to fall," whispered the shadow of his former self in the mirror. "Are you really going to let them walk away?"

Piece by piece, the memories returned.

The way you used to scowl at him for hovering too close.

The sound of your laughter when he tried (and failed) to understand mortal slang.

The betrayal in your eyes when he told you the truth.

And worst of all—

The way you looked at him in the café.

Like he was nothing.

Like Sunday had never existed.

-----

He found you again on a stormy evening, standing at your doorstep, drenched and desperate.

"You know me," he said, "Don’t you?"

You froze, keys slipping from your fingers as you tried to insert it to the keyhole.

This wasn’t the same man from the café.

"Sunday?"

"You remember."

"No," you lied, turning away. "I don’t."

The moment you lied—"I don’t know you"—something in Sunday snapped.

Before you could turn the key fully, his hands slammed against the door on either side of you, caging you in. His chest pressed against your back, his breath hot against your ear as he leaned in.

"Liar" he whispered.

His fingers curled into the wood, splintering it slightly as he spoke.

"I gave up everything for you," he hissed. "Heaven cast me out the moment I begged them to spare you from your fate."

His nose brushed against the nape of your neck, sending a traitorous shiver down your spine.

"And you dare pretend I never existed?"

Before you could react, his arms wrapped around you from behind, crushing you against him.

"I don’t regret it," he murmured, lips grazing your skin. "Even if Heaven abandons me forever, even if I have to claw my way through eternity alone—you will never be alone again."

He was no longer an angel.

At first, the changes were small.

Almost kind.

You used to wake up groggy, stumbling to the coffee maker like a half-dead thing. Now, there’s no need. Sunday is already there, pressing a steaming cup into your hands before your eyes even fully open.

"You function better with caffeine before seven," he murmurs, "I’ve timed it perfectly."

He learns your preferences down to the smallest detail. The way you prefer your eggs (soft-scrambled, no pepper). The exact number of seconds you like your toast browned.

(You try not to wonder what else he’s memorized.)

This is where it gets dangerous.

You mention offhand that you don’t like your coworker. The next day, they transfer departments.

You sigh about the noisy neighbors. That night, their apartment goes mysteriously silent.

"Sunday," you say slowly, "are you—?"

"Making your life easier?" He tilts his head, innocent. "Of course. That’s my purpose."

(He doesn’t mention the blood on his hands. You don’t ask.)

Then comes the night you catch him editing your journal.

You freeze in the doorway, watching as his fingers glow faintly over your open notebook—words rewriting themselves under his touch.

"What are you doing?"

Sunday doesn’t startle. He just turns, smiling beatifically.

"Fixing it," he says, as if it’s obvious. "You were too hard on yourself here. And this memory?" He taps a page. "It hurt you. Now it won’t."

"That’s not your choice."

For the first time, his smile falters.

"Isn’t it?" He stands, stepping closer. "Who knows you better than me? Who loves you more?"

His hand cups your cheek.

"Let me perfect you."

You wake up one morning with a gap in your memory.

A childhood birthday party—except now, when you try to recall it, there’s a new figure standing beside you in every photo.

A boy with golden eyes.

That’s not how you remember it.

That time you failed your driving test? Erased. Now it’s Sunday in the passenger seat, guiding your hands on the wheel. "Perfect" he praises.

The funeral you barely survived? Rewritten. He’s there, holding you up, taking the pain away.

You clutch your head, dizzy.

"This isn’t real."

Sunday smiles, stroking your hair.

"Isn’t it better this way?"

You remember now—the truth.

The day you almost died in that car crash.

How Sunday didn’t just save you.

How he leaned over your bleeding body and whispered:

"Let me make it all beautiful."

And then—

Nothing.

Just him.

Always him.

[too-much-tma-stuff]

Finally Getting Help (prt. 10)

Mastterpost

A/N: Thank you all for the well wishes about my dog. Unfortunately he didn't make it and pass away Tuesday morning in the vet's office. I was able to get some writing done but I don't have the energy to edit. Let me know if you find any mistakes.

-----

Jason: hey, thanks for the gun and the tech, it's really cool.

Danny: new phone who dis 😝

Jason: I hope you haven't given too many people guns in the last couple days.

Danny: no I haven't, thanks for texting me Jason. Have you got a chance to try the gun?

Jason: not on anything moving, I've been doing some target practice to get a feel for it though. Looking forward to when I can test it on Vlad.

Danny: aww are you going to avenge my honor 🥺

Jason: if you want me too. I'll bring you his head if you want me too.

Danny: 🥰 you're so sweet. I wouldn't say no to seeing him suffer for what he's done but don't get yourself in any trouble okay? And if you do call me right away. I'll come rescue you 😘

Jason: hey I'm the one offering to protect you! 

Danny: we can protect each other. And fight each other, can you come spar again soon?

Jason: I wouldn't call that sparring, more like brawling.

Danny: eh potato potato, do you want to come fight me again?

Jason: if demon brat won't kill me for it, sure. Can I take you out for dinner afterwards? I have some questions

Danny: It's a date! Just tell me when

Jason: Day after tomorrow? I have some work to take care of first.

Danny: Sounds great! And it is a date right? You don't mind that I'm going to have kids?

Jason: the kids aren't a deal breaker I promise but let's not jump the gun okay? We're going to be family through B so we don't want this to blow up in our faces. Let's hang out, take it slow, see how it goes. You need to be careful about who you let into your life now anyway, you can't just let anyone around you and the babies.

Danny: don't tell me what to do 😠 but you're right. I'm bad about rushing into things. I'm still looking forward to it.

Danny: By the way Jazz uploaded the power point she made about Liminals and Ghosts to the bat’s server thing. You have access to that right? You should read that before we meet and I can fill in the gaps.

Jason: Sounds good, I’ll have a look at it and I’m looking forward to it too. I'll be there at 5 so we can spar before dinner. Don't forget to warn B and your guard dog.

Danny: Damian is a good kid. I'll let them know.

Danny stared at his new phone Tim had given him with apprehension. The chat with Jason had gone very well, and Danny was glad he reached out but there were other people he really needed to reach out to and he was… frankly scared. Sam and Tucker were his best friends and had always been there for him but they both had tempers. Would they be mad that he hadn’t told them he was pregnant? Would they be upset he had left Amity and wasn’t planning on coming back?

He needed to reach out though, the longer he waited the harder it would be to talk to them, and things wouldn’t stay calm as they were now. Vlad would be back to cause trouble again and even though the JLD had control of the portal but he was sure his rogues would find their way through eventually. Vlad had his own portal anyway, and Danny wouldn’t put it past him to open it just to annoy Danny. Maybe try and weaken him a little so Vlad could swoop in and pick him off.

Today was quiet, he needed to take this chance. He sighed and got up off the edge of his bed where he was sitting and ducked out of his room. He didn’t want to do this alone, so he wasn’t surprised when he found himself in the library where Jazz was studying. 

He sat down across from her and reached across, laying his hand, palm up on the table. Without looking up from her book she reached over and placed her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled at her and took a deep breath before putting on his earbuds and sending a message in the group chat.

Danny: When you guys are ready can we call?

Jazz phone went off too and she checked it, smiled at Danny, and then silenced the chat and went back to her book. She didn’t need to be part of this call but at least she knew what he was doing. 

Sam: Yes, let me just grab Tuck. He’s playing Doomed.

Danny took a deep breath and put down his phone while he waited for them to call and tried not to panic.

When the phone buzzed he jumped and reached for it, joining the call quickly. 

“Hey guys,” He said, awkwardly, waving with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone.

“Hey yourself! What the heck happened Danny?! Basically the whole town joined in in chasing Vlad when we found out what he did but why did we have to find out on tv?! Why didn’t you tell us?!” Sam said, but at least she just seemed stressed, not actually angry.

“I’m sorry guys,” Danny said, wincing a little when he heard Tucker sniffling a little. “I hadn’t told anyone yet. I hadn’t even fully accepted it yet honestly.

“I still wasn’t ready to talk about it, bur Cass is really good at reading people's body language and I guess she clocked that I was carrying them by how I kept unconsciously touching my stomach. When she asked me about it it sorta broke through my denial and I broke down which started the ball rolling on… all this,” He said with a vague gesture.”

“All this is right!The justice league really brought the hammer down on Amity. They’re dismantling the GIW and really pissed at the government and basically all the adults in the town for letting this happen. And they arrested your parents!” Sam said sounding almost excited.

“Sam! That was really insensitive! They’re still his parents, what if he didn’t know!?” Tucker broke in furiously. 

“No it’s alright I knew, Jazz told me. She’s here with me,” He said squeezing her hand though she wasn’t paying attention to the call.

“Okaaay so where is Here?” Tucker asked warily. 

“Ya are you safe? We haven’t seen you since all this went down! Are you really with Bruce Wayne?” Sam asked sounding wary.

“Yes I am. He’s got a foster license and since his kids were the one that found out what was going on it just made sense that I’d stay here.”

“And he’s Not another Fruitloop?” Sam asked warily. “You need to be careful with these rich people you know? They’re basically all crazy!”

“Sam you’re rich,” Danny pointed out, amused. 

“Ya, and? My point stands!”

“Fair enough,” Danny laughed. “But no, I did some snooping the first night I was here and it seems okay. And since he’s got close ties to the Justice League he was able to get the help we really needed, and he says he might be able to help me meet Martian Manhunter!”

“Don’t fanboy out too bad,” Tucker teased him.

“Oh ya? And what if I helped you meet Tim Drake? Would you not be just as bad,” Danny accused Tucker.

“Touche,” Tucker said. “Could you though?”

“I mean maybe? He’s my foster brother now and he seems cool. You two are my best friends, if I’m going to stay I’m sure you could come visit me and meet all of them.” 

“Are you really going to stay there though? I mean once the GIW and everything is cleared out you could stay with either of us. I know my parents aren’t your biggest fans but I know they’d let you stay,” Sam said sounding worried. 

“And I know my family doesn't have a ton of money but they adore you, we’d make it work,” Tucker added looking worried.

“No, guys I really appreciate the offer but… I don’t want to come back to Amity. The Justice League said they shut down the portal and I really need a fresh start I think. I think I’d rather stay here. Jazz too, she’s gonna study at Gotham U and intern at Arkham,” He said. She looked up at the mention of her name and gave him a small smile.

“I’m sorry, you guys are my best friends and I’ll miss you, but there are too many… memories in Amity you know?”

“Ya I get that,” Sam said, looking sad and distant.

“We can still call, and play Doomed together, and visit on breaks!” Tucker said, his chipper tone sounding a little forced. “We’re going to say friends!” He insisted and Danny smiled.

“Of course we will Tuck,” He promised. They might grow apart with the distance between them, but he hoped not, they really were his best friends.

“Ya, my parents will probably be thrilled about this development and want me to come over all the time. They love the Waynes,” Sam chuckled though her optimism also seemed a bit forced. Of course she was more of a pessimist, she probably thought they would drift apart, but knew Danny needed them right now. 

“Soo what’s been going on in Amity since I left?” Danny asked, letting them ramble about the drama, the rumours, and the bullshit that was the bullies and everyone in the school sudden;y pretending they cared about Danny soooo much.

After they finished telling him about it there were a few beats of silence and Danny was just about to suggest they hang up when Sam spoke up again. 

“So, what actually happened with Vlad? If you don’t want to talk about it that’s okay but…”

“No, it’s okay. It’s not what- what you’d think. It’s superhero bullshit really. When I wouldn’t be his son he decided to try and clone me, you met Dani with an I right? She was one of the clones. But he didn’t know I was trans, and my DNA got all fucked up in the portal so none of the clones were stable. I have no idea how many he tried to make that died. But when I found out it was because he had lied to Dani and told her he needed me to stabilize her clone brothers. It was a batch of ten.

“But he lied, he didn’t actually care about stabilizing them, he was going to let them all die. I was only able to save the two that were most stable and only by taking their cores into myself. So I’m not normal pregnant, I’m ghost pregnant. 

What is my life huh?” He finished, chuckling awkwardly. 

“Oh fuck,” Sam said her shoulders slumping a little even as her expression went through a range of emotions. “That’s better in a way but still a whole different type of fucked up! I hope they catch him soon.”

“I hope so too but I don’t think they will,” Danny said with a shrug. “Not before he tries something else. I’m not lucky enough to be able to just move past this,” He said with a bitter little laugh.

“Well, we can still hope. And even if he does cause trouble you have more allies now! You’ve been able to handle everything else he’s thrown at you basically on your own, with the Justice League behind you I know there’s nothing you can’t handle. I mean, Vlad is kind of pathetic anyway,” Tucker encouraged making Danny smile. 

“Ya, you’re right, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Thanks guys,” he said fondly. 

“Of course dude! We’re here for you!” Tucker said.

“It’s really good to hear from you too. Don’t be a stranger okay?” Sam said, a bit worried.

“Of course not, I’ll keep you posted I promise.” Danny assured before they said their goodbyes and he hung up. 

He put down his phone and leaned back with a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Next to him Jazz chuckled and there was a soft snap as she closed her book. 

“You did well little brother,” She told him, getting up from her seat she moved behind him and rested her hands on his shoulders.

“How do you know? You weren’t listening.”

“No, but you reached out to your friends and had an honest conversation which isn’t easy. You did well,” She reiterated, squeezing his shoulders.

“Well thanks Jazz. I hope that they’re right that we won’t lose touch, and I’ll be able to handle whatever Vlad does,” He grumbled. 

“I’m sure we will,” Jazz promised. “And either way there’s no point in worrying about it now. Has Jason texted you yet?” She asked, giving Danny the excuse he needed to change the subject and launch into his more petty worries about the upcoming date as she sat back down to listen.

Next

[lexirosewrites]

this is a No Upside Down AU & Not Nancy Wheeler Friendly bc I needed drama

O!Steve is a prolific knitter, his grandma Harrington taught him a thing or 2 but when she passed away she left him all of her unused yarn & knitting needles & without his grandma to guide him thru knitting mistakes he ends up finding a knitting circle tht meets weekly at the Hawkins Public Library made up of knitters of all sorts of genders & ages

It's at this group tht he learns abt The Sweater Curse, for those unfamiliar its a superstition within the knitting/crochet community tht if u begin making a sweater for a significant other the relationship will end before the project can b finished or shortly after the project is finished, so widespread is this superstition tht many won't make anything for their partner till after the 2 r married

Steve learns this but then he starts dating A!Nancy & he feels so in love, so he learns everything he can abt her like her favorite colors or favorite material to wear etc. all in the effort to make a sweater for her for their approaching one yr anniversary,

Only to b blindsided when one day a beta he only knew in passing from Nancy's work, Jonathan Byers, comes to him at his own work when he's locking up the used bookstore to tell him tht Nancy has been cheating on him w Jonathan for several months now & tht Jonathan didn't know the two were together bc Nancy always brushed Jonathan's questions off & tht Jonathan had only learned they were together tht morning & he came by to tell Steve bc Jonathan thinks Steve should know if he doesn't already & tht Jonathan will b ending things w Nancy tht night... Steve cries but thanks Jonathan & accepts the comforting hug the other offers & then........ then Steve & Jonathan hatch a poorly thought out plan

When Nancy gets to Jonathan's apartment tht night Steve is sitting on the couch unraveling the project he'd undertaken for Nancy while Jonathan cooks him & Steve dinner, Jonathan hands Nancy the small bag of things she'd "forgotten" in his apartment & tht he won't say anything at work unless she makes this a problem, then Steve hands Nancy three much bigger bags full of the half-assed courting gifts she'd given him & everything he'd encouraged/allowed her to keep at his own place & tht he wasn't interested in hearing anything she had to say, the 2 then tell Nancy she should leave & she does but not without getting a snide remark out abt Steve being clingy & Jonathan being oblivious

Steve cries after she's left & Jonathan does too but they lean on the other & eat the food Jonathan made them & begin a friendship

A friendship tht slowly morphs into something more & leads to a kiss on Steve's couch almost half a year later & when Steve's heat approaches after the kiss he asks Jonathan to join him & it's full of so much care & Jonathan tells Steve he loves him the day after his heat cools & Steve says it back, they end up exchanging mating bites 3 years later & Steve makes Jonathan a sweater of his favorite colors & the softest cotton yarn & Jonathan is ecstatic to receive it especially when he unfolds it & a positive pregnancy test tumbles out onto his lap

🥰 my stonathan agenda has shown itself

awwwwww🥺 way back when ST first came out, I used to indulge in a stonathan fic or two! then it became harringrove and suddenly it was steddie, but i still love all the Barbies I’ve smashed into (literally) Steve🤭

[invinciblevariant]

my baby , my baby ...

prompt ; distress call . synopsis ; maverick is out on patrol with mark when he receives a frantic call from his partner . pairing ; sinister mark ( referred to as malachi ) x mohawk mark ( referred to as maverick ) . trigger / content warnings ; mpreg , pregnancy loss .

quick disclaimer ; i don't really know anything about the loss of a pregnancy except what i've heard about on tiktok and researched a little bit , so if i get anything wrong , please don't hesitate to inform me politely .

maverick has to admit that as much as he misses his original dimension , getting stuck in this earth and being given a second chance actually feels ... good . mark had been hesitant at first to introduce him and the others to his own little crew of friends and family , which was understandable since , y'know , they all tried to destroy earth and ruin his reputation a mere seven months ago , but surprisingly , both of them found it easy as hell .

almost all of them reminded maverick of his own versions of these people back home ( most notably eve and rex ) , but over time , they grew to accept the others as their own , especially since they all could stop introducing themselves as 'mark from a diffeerent dimension' and actually have some semblance of a unique identity thanks to cecil's brilliant idea of renaming all of them .

it took some time to get adjusted and actually start helping in fixing the very world they'd destroyed , but eventually , with the help of the superheroes ( most of whom became slowly accustomed to these variations of invincible living among them ) , it got done pretty quickly . maverick , along with the others , are now living normally in this world .

almost all of them stopped wearing their suits 24/7 , instead opting for more casual clothing when not doing superhero work much like mark . maverick even convinced mark to let him get some cool piercings on his lips , ears , eyebrow , and nose to stand out a bit more . of course , to further stand out , his style was primarily a goth-style look with mostly blacks and dark blues , much like his costume .

to absolutely no one's surprise at this point , some of them started dating . mason (one of the invincibles who wore no mask) started going steady with a guy who went to upstate university (and just so happened to look very much like william) , mercury (the invincible who previously wore viltrumite attire but without the mustache) and maxwell (the invincible with long hair) ended up together , and maverick began dating malachi (the invincible who everyone used to refer to as 'sinister invincible' or 'sinister mark' , the one with the cape who brutally and ruthlessly murdered angstrom's son in his dimension) .

the former villain has to admit , though , that this new life , this new chapter ? it's ... thrilling . at first , it was admittedly scary to just dive into a new life , a new identity , and a new relationship (especially with a guy , but hey , maverick ain't complaining as long as he and his partner fuck every once in a while , and boy , does malachi deliver on that) , but over time , it became easier to settle down .

hell , cecil even helped them all get places of their own , with mason and his boyfriend being able to stay in the same dorm (of course mason had to enroll himself into college with mark and william's help , deciding on a degree in astronomy) , max and mercury living in a studio apartment in downtown chicago , and maverick and malachi settled comfortably in a two-story house near mark's place (which actually made meeting up with mark to do their scheduled patrols much easier) .

it was around this time that malachi learned that his viltrumite biology allowed him to carry a baby , so he and maverick decided shortly after to stop using condoms when they have sex . it took a couple tries , but eventually , they both were overjoyed when the pregnancy test showed a positive result .

since then , malachi has been more strict to at least try and stick to a ... healthier diet that didn't consist of human flesh , but occasionally , the cravings were too overpowering and he couldn't help himself .

little do they both know that this will lead to a tragic consequence that they'll have to come to terms with ...

" c'mon , man , keep up ! you're going to miss anybody that may need help ! "

maverick rolls his eyes at mark's demand as he puts his phone in his pocket and zips it up , flying faster to catch up to mark . the sun is starting to rise , and he can't help but marvel at the beauty ...

" maverick ! seriously ?! "

" jesus christ , marky , calm the fuck down ! " it's mark's turn to roll his eyes at the nickname that his variant gave him a while back . " not like there's much of anything going on this early . "

" still , you wanna be diligent and focused , just in case . " mark then mutters under his breath , " jesus , you're just like oliver sometimes ... "

maverick groans and switches his position so his back is facing the earth , soon gazing up at the sky that is still kind of dark .

his phone soon rings in his pocket with the familiar ringtone he set specifically for malachi , and mark is about to snap at him again , but maverick holds a finger up to silence him as he answers it .

" hey , sexy , " he greets , mark groaning in exhaustion next to him as he hears that , " what's up ? did you need—"

" come home , " malachi's voice is unusually shaky , almost as if he's trying not to cry , " please ... i need you here ... "

" hey , " maverick's voice takes on a softer , gentler tone as he halts his flying , " you okay , kai ? "

" just come the hell home , maverick !!! please !!! "

" go , " mark says to him , " i'll see if max or mason can help patrol . "

maverick nods and gives him a small smile before turning and heading back home .

the scream of agony and sound of something breaking before the line goes dead makes his heart drop into his stomach , and he propels himself with a sonic boom , making his flight faster .

maverick's landing is a bit rough as he descends in their front yard , but his thoughts aren't on how the lawn looks when he's nearly breaking the front door off its hinges and rushing upstairs .

his thoughts are only on malachi and what might have happened . however , he's in for a shock as he enters their bathroom , this door already hanging off of the top hinge .

malachi is at the sink , fingers gripping the edge of the marble countertop so hard that his knuckles are turning pale . the mirror is shattered , bits of glass decorating the counter , sink , and floor , and his cell phone is also shattered into pieces at his feet . he's silently crying now , head hung low and tears flowing quickly down his cheeks as his shoulders shake and his breaths come in shudders and harsh gasps .

before addressing his partner , maverick takes a glance around the rest of the bathroom , which looks like a violent tornado ripped through it . however , there's one thing about it that makes his eyes widen in horror and then fill with tears as he draws in a sharp inhale ...

... the menacingly large puddle of blood in front of the toilet . maverick's eyes stay glued to it for what feels like hours before he finds the strength to tear theem away and instead look at his partner .

" ... kai ? "

" ... "

" hey . " he walks over to him as if he's approaching a frightened deer , his fingers cautiously brushing against his shoulder . " baby , i'm here . i'm home . i came as fast as i—"

malachi quickly grabs onto his boyfriend , the wails that penetrate the silence echoing off the walls , and maverick's heart just shatters .

" i'm right here , " he whispers , voice trembling as he himself tries desperately not to just break down . his eyes betray him in that moment , though , as tears begin to run down his face .

there's a buzz coming from his jeans pocket , indicating an incoming text (most likely from mark or cecil) , but he ignores it as he carries malachi over to the bed , feeling his boyfrieend's frame shaking as he lets out wail after wail .

they stay like that for the next few hours , maverick rocking malachi comfortingly , until the sun sets and enshrouds their bedroom in darkness , the only light coming from the moon outside their window , and they both fall asleep restlessly in each other's arms .

author's notes : i hope you guys enjoyed (and your hearts broke like mine did when i wrote this) . this is not the first idea i had for this prompt , but it was too heart-wrenching not to write about . the original idea of sinister mark having a miscarriage goes to @gatorbites-imagines (gotta give credit where it's rightfully due ♡) !

[autismprotocol]

TMAG Theory Board Update (EP 11-12)

Hi guys sorry about the late posting I've just started a new quarter of college and its been pretty hectic. also got into my school design BFA program so pretty stoked about that! Anyways lets get into the Episode Breakdowns because even though not a lot of lore related things happened I still have a lot to talk about

For the breakdown I'll separate each by episode in sequential order

What Happened in Episode 11: Marked

Celias Rude Awakening- we jump right into the weirdness straight away with Celia waking up on the side of the interstate. she indicates that this is not a weird occurrence and ends the scene by telling someone named Jack that she's "on her way." If you remember episode 8 after Celia and Sam talk to Gerry and Gertrude, she mentions stuff about wanting help with her own mystery. When Sam asks about it she says she's looking into Time travel, other dimentions and teleportation. Many people have theorized that maybe Celia is just a super heavy sleepwalker, but I think the she teleports random places out of nowhere. This could be a side effect of her reality hopping if this Celia is originally from The archives universe.

As for the identity of Jack I'm not quite sure about that yet. I cross referenced the name Jack with past episodes of TMA. The only thing that came up was Jack Barnabas from the statement about dating Agnes Montague (aka an avatar of the desolation and Jesus-like figure for the cult of the lightless flame) So Unless Celia is secretly Agnes of Agnes reincarnated , I can't find any way to link Barnabas to Celia. (if anyone has a theory feel free to send it my way.)

Sam Lore- this one is pretty minor story-wise but I thought it was interesting. Before the statement for the episode is presented we get some classic Sam and Alice Banter ™ most of it is pretty lighthearted but I noticed Sam mention something that could indicate he might be an amputee.

These could not mean anything and I find it weird that it hasn't been mentioned until now but thought it was kind of cool and I will probably be drawing sam with a prothetic leg in the future cause I really like this head-canon. It also begs to question if he is missing a leg. it might have anything to do with his past as a Magnus institute test subject but then again could just be a fun character detail added by Jonny and/or Alex .

The Statement- Getting into the statement we get another Ink5oul appearance. Also possible Ink5oul identifying as she/they. (and lets be honest being a fear avatar is pretty non binary core). I found this Episode gave me a feeling of a hybrid between the Vast, Buried and the Flesh some people are theorizing that is might be a new entity called the Deep but I think that the fear of the ocean could easily apply to the vast or buried. Not much to say about this story though pretty standard Magnus horror that also gave us a hint to what Ink5oul's goal could be/which entity they serve.

Post Bonzo- Gwen has a debrief with Lena after her first Externals Liason assignment and her meeting with Mr. Bonzo. Undoubtedly Gwen is still pretty shaken from her encounter, even arriving late to work due to sleeplessness. Gwen is able to ask Lena a few questions mainly she wanted to know who's name was written on the letter given to Bonzo

Lena is largely unhelpful but tells Gwen she should have worked it out by now and if not to pay close attention to the case load for the next couple of days. before the latest episode my guess was Klaus because that is the only person mentioned so far that the OIAR intends to kill. but more on that later

Marked- Now were getting to my favorite thing about this episode. This episode title can have two meanings. The first is the more literal interpretation. Tattoos are marking of the body and the case this episode was all about tattoos so easily a good name would be marked. But I believe this is a red herring meant to misguide listeners who have not consumed all 200 episodes of TMA because if you know the world of Magnus Archives the term Marked takes on a entirely different meaning.

In TMA the term marked is used to indicate that somebody has been influenced by one or more or the fears and are one their way to becoming an Avatar. I think this could be a coded way to tell the audience someone in the OIAR has been marked. I have two potential candidates

Alice Dyer- Alice has been having dreams about the Institute after her and Sam's adventure into the ruins. also she mentions feeling like someone's watching her (common to people influenced or fed upon by the Ceaseless Watcher/The Eye) My guess if she is marked it would be by the Eye.

Gwendolyn Bouchard: Probably the most likely culprit. The main way an entitly tends to mark people is through encounters with other avatars. Gwen has just had an encounter with Mr Bonzo last episode who I strongly believe must be an avatar of some sort.

What Happened in Episode 12: Getting Off

Aww Sam!!- Sam asked Celia out and it was adorably awkward. not much to say I just loved this interaction and I'm longing for a new Magnus brand office romance hopefully is wont be an agonizing slowburn that ends tragically like a certain pair of morons from Archives (I love you Jon and Martin but Jesus christ)

It's Bonzo time bitches!!- Probably one of the most gruesome Magnus statement I've ever listened to (good work Alex) Mr Bonzo completely annihilated some poor dude at his bachelor party. Based on the date of the Incident the I can confidently say that whoever Baz (the groom) was he was our mystery person the OIAR sent Mr Bonzo to get rid of. Along with some of the bloodiest imagery we learned a few things about Bonzo. The most interesting detail is that Bonzo has to be summoned by playing his theme song I think the CD of his theme song acts somewhat like the tapes did in TMA by materialising out of nowhere. Also fun fact you know that torn seam that is right down Bonzo's middle? that is actually is his mouth lined with rows sharp teeth so I guess I know that now (so fun) Moral of the story dont f*ck with Mr. Bonzo

Alice knows something: Theres been this recurring audio glitch throughout TMAGP thatnks to a few extremly observent fans we have started to relize that these glitches are not at all random and are actually letting the audience know when a character is lying (i actually reposted somones deepdive into all the istances of this glitch so far if you guys are intrested in knowing more) why i bring this up now is becuase since we know when any charater is lying we also know when they are being truthful if there is no glitch when they say somthing and at the end of this episode this interaction occurs

Alice goes ahead and makes a joke about this to annoy Gwen but the fact theres no audio glitch when she says "I know" means she does actually know who is behind the OIAR and is activly refusing to share it with Gwen or the others. What do you know Alice!?

and that's about it im already loving these next batch of episodes and am so excited to learn more (ERROR has to show up somtime )

thanks to everyone who resonded the poll on the last update I will continue to include drawings into the breakdown even if it takes me a little bit of time to post. anyways I wrote this all in one sitting and I'm about ready to pass out so thanks again and the ask box and comments are always open for discussion and theory crafting.

-Echo

[piratefishmama]

Fake it Till you Make It | Part 13

“Buckley residence”

“Melissa, my second favourite Buckley! Hi, it’s Steve, is Robin there?”

“Oh Steve! Yes, yes one moment, I’ll just—weren’t you on holiday with your parents aaaand—?” he’d been calling Eddie his ‘partner’ for the week leading up to the big holiday. Never dropping any names, but given he’d found a sort of second home at the Buckleys… they were relentless in finding out who he was dating.

Since it’d never be Robin.

He wasn’t falling for it, no matter how deep they’d been into flower power back in the day. If he came out, Robin would end up coming out in solidarity and he knew she wasn’t ready yet so—“Yep, calling from Chicago airport, bit of a time sensitive call” he wasn’t giving it up.

“Oop, I’ll grab her—” there was a scuffle on the line then a quick “ROBIN, STEVE’S ON THE PHONE” another quick scuffle later and suddenly

“Aren’t you supposed to be on a plane right now, Dingus?”

“I’m in Chicago! Just checkin in on my baaaaaby, how’s my little bun today? Any morning sickness yet?”

“Robin!!”

“Mom get off the phone!!”

“Hahaha I’m kidding Melissa! Can I talk to Robbie alone though?”

“Unbelievable, you kids are turning me grey.”

“You’re as beautiful as ever though!” The other line clicked off, and Robin’s snickering laughter was all that remained. “One day she’s gonna stay on just to call my bluff.”

“But that is not today, again, aren’t you supposed to be on a plane? What’s up?”

“…Okay so, hypothetically, if you were fake dating someone you… I dunno… maybe, sorta… click really well with, can laugh with, and maybe sorta like a little, would you—”

“Steven Leopold Harrington do you have a crush on your boyfriend?”

“Fake, fake boyfriend, Robbie, fake. And that isn’t my middle name.”

“You’re not DENYING it! It's not even been a DAY yet, Steve!”

“No, I’m not—well… I’d call it more an interest than a crush, but that’s why I’m calling you, what would you do?”

“Pine uselessly for years, you know this.”

“Got it, pine uselessly” He could do that. He was doing that already, sort of. He’d watched in squinty eyed rage while a newsstand cashier with a nose ring flirted with his fake boyfriend while he grabbed a drink to down during the wait between flights. It didn’t go anywhere, Eddie barely even noticed, but Steve noticed. Steve noticed everything. “You really should ask Vi—”

“NO. Listen Steve, as the kids would say, you have found an ‘ultimate cheat code’ to asking your crush out, listen closely now, don’t want you to miss it… you’re already dating him!”

“It’s fake though!” Luckily his parents were off showing Eddie a cool mural they found last time they flew through. No chance of them hearing him.

“So?! Just act like it’s real! It’s like a test, you have a week to see if you’re actually growing ooey gooeys for this guy, and at the end of it, you’ll know if you wanna keep him.” Brilliant in theory but one small hiccup

“What if he doesn’t want me at the end of the week?” The fact that he hadn’t had a solid date in forever before the scheme looming over his head and heart like a dark cloud of suffering.

“I will eat my own shoe. Trust me dingus, trust me. He’ll want you, just work that mysterious Harrington Charm I’ve heard so much about. You’re already half-way there, you get to kiss him already.”

“…Okay, it’s gotta be the real stinker shoe though, you know the one.”

“The skunk one?!”

“Yep. The skunk one.”

“But we were gonna use that on—” Kevin, they were gonna hide it in Kevin’s office after he refused every holiday request Robin put in for a month after she, very politely, shot him and his advances down, why they still had it was… a mystery. They kept forgetting to get rid of it. “Fine, the skunk one. I will eat the skunk shoe, that is how confident I am that Eddie will want you, now please go and spend time with your way cooler than you boyfriend before your parents turn him into a normie.”

“Miss you already.”

“Miss you more”

“Miss you most.”

“Hang up.”

“No you han—” she hung up, and Steve couldn’t help but laugh about it knowing that undoubtedly. She’d be laughing on her end too.

The second flight was much easier to get Eddie onto. In fact, after they spent the hour between flights milling around the terminal, Eddie led him down the gangway, hand in hand, demanding he hurry up or “they’ll leave without us, my precious little harlot!!” there was no rush, they were actually first in line at the gate in front of his own parents, whom Eddie beat to the front of the queue, dragging Steve with him, still ribbing him for the mile high club thing.

He was not going to live that down any time soon.

The flight, in theory would give him a lot of time to think though. Nine hours. In seats that were too far apart. His parents in the middle of the cabin in a semi-enclosed pod-like structure comprised of two seats and a desk between them which they both shared to work on some paperwork, and he and Eddie on opposite sides of the plane.

Which sucked. Because he couldn’t hold Eddie’s hand.

He couldn’t make sure Eddie was okay, and that alone really dug into his time to think about things, because his brain was quite stuck on the fact that Eddie was alone on the other side of the cabin likely going through it as the second flight excitement could only last so long, and that just wasn’t okay.

Eddie couldn’t even do anything to pass the time, he’d packed all but one of his notebooks in his checked luggage, Steve was pretty damn sure he'd go insane if he had to just sit there with nothing to do for a whole nine hours.

So, they teamed up. From opposite sides of the cabin, because somehow Eddie just understood what Steve wanted him to do without having to be told.

It took them a joint effort all of one hour into the flight to puppy-dog eye his parents into switching seats with them.

This allowed them to pick at each other’s ‘gourmet’ meals, Eddie stealing several of his steak fries, and Steve stealing both the last bite of his steak, and two of his orange slices, it allowed Eddie to ramble on about the D&D campaign he was plotting to send the kids through when they got back, allowed Steve to subtly plant the idea into Eddie's mind that maybe... maybe he might be interested in seeing what that looked like.

Maybe they could hold the first session at his place when his parents went away again. Plenty of room! He could watch for once, instead of ribbing Dustin for it and purposefully never getting the name of the game right.

All leading to them both settling in their reclining seats, wrapped up in blankets, facing each other's smiling faces, and falling into an incredibly easy food-coma slumber for the remainder of their flight.

Both wishing the seats were just... a little closer.

Part 15

[b4mpyre-k1zz3s]

can you do one where reader is Dunn’s girlfriend amd they are at a party with the crew celebrating the movie or something. Dunn is super touchy the whole night and they end up in the bathroom for a quickie 🙈 if you don’t write suggestive content they can just sneak to the bathroom to have a makeout session

Sneaking (Getting) Off

Jackass: Number Two has just finished filming, and what better way to celebrate than renting out the hottest bar in LA and hosting a kickass wrap party? Well, your boyfriend could think of a few better ways…

Ryan Dunn X Fem!Reader

(Fluff)

1.3k Words

Warnings: Highly suggestive content, drinking, crude language, injury, implied sex, bathroom sex

An: Thank you so much for the request! If I’m being entirely honest, the way I depicted Ryan and Y/N’s relationship in this fics is pretty similar to how I would like my future relationships to look XD I’ve always thought that Dunn would, for lack of a better word, be the kind of person you could spend a lot of time arround. Anyways, thank you for the request, and please keep sending them!!

Typically, when Ryan and you were together, things could not be more chill. In essence, your relationship could be described as friends who shared the same bed; It wasn’t like a friends with benefits situation, you just weren't constantly on each other and overly affectionate like most couples are, and that low maintenance thing cut through the shit parts of dating. Now, note I specified ‘typically’, because once in a while- for a reason you couldn’t place- Dunn would get this weird bug up his ass and just couldn’t keep his hands off of you, like a male version of baby fever. This isn’t to say you didn’t enjoy it because you enjoyed it a great deal, thank you very much- but it wasn’t always the most convenient thing. Take, for example, tonight.

You arrived fashionably late, as you did to any event you attended. It was hot and muggy, as were most nights in LA, and the moment you stepped into the bar, you were greeted by Bam (one of Dunn’s dumb little buddies), who was visibly a few deep and had a fistful of darts in one hand and a beer in another, “Heyy, Ry! Me an’ the guys’re throwin’ darts at Steve-O’s ass- you gotta come check it out!” Politely palming the beer that was thrust in his direction, Ryan shook him off in the nicest way possible, “Yeah, that sounds cool! But I’ll, uh-“ From behind his shades, he shot a glance down at where he had you on his arm before turning back to Bam, ”I’ll catch up with you later. See ya, man.” Not dejected in the slightest, he just went back to doing whatever dumb shit he was occupied with before you showed up and you and Dunn went to grab a drink.

With how Ryan was stuck to your side like some needy dog that was begging for attention, you would’ve thought one of his dumb little buddies got into the superglue, but it’s not like you minded. You sat at the bar and chatted about the torture he had to endure for this movie, including him showing off some pretty questionable scars. There was something so enthralling about hearing him speak, and the way he looked at you as if you were the only girl in the room helped given the grisly subject matter. “This one’s from that stupid cacti jump stunt, and these-“ Dunn sat up from where he was leaning against the bar top and tugged up the bottom of his shirt, exposing the little red half moon scars that littered the pale skin of his stomach, “These’re from the riot control test. God, that one sucked so bad.” You winced in empathy, inhaling through your teeth. Taking a sip of your drink, you quickly shook it off and shifted the topic to something that had been on your mind for a while now, “Y’know, you can go hang out with your friends if you want. I mean, it’s your party after all.” There wasn’t a trace of sarcasm in your words. Dunn just shrugged, cracking an amused smile as if you suggested something totally ridiculous, “Nah- I’m alright with you.”

It got to the point that you had to practically drag him to where the guys were clustered around a pool table and actively force him to hang out with his friends, but still, your efforts were ineffective. See, your boyfriend can be pretty quiet when it comes to wanting attention. To illustrate this, let’s compare him to Bam. If Bam wanted attention from his girlfriend, he would likely do some ridiculous stunt and end up hurting himself to force her to patch him up or slide up next to her if she was talking to another guy and get real handsy to make a big show of the fact that she was his. Ryan, on the other hand, didn’t look at you like that. In general, he was more subtle. Take for example, the way that he had been eyeing you from across the room even while he was off with his friends. Their stories about sleeping with strippers and getting their stomachs pumped went in one ear and out the other because he was so totally focused on you that night. And you were perceptive to this stuff because you knew Ryan. You knew all of his tells.

After maybe thirty minutes of drinking alone, you picked up on his voice from across the room, “Yeah- I'm gonna go get another drink. I’ll be right back!” You didn’t even need to look over to the previously empty stool at your side to know who sat down next to you. “What do you want?” Raising an eyebrow at your sarcasm, Dunn slipped a hand on your thigh, making you feel even warmer under the incandescent lights that hung above your heads, “You look hot.” Taking a swig of your drink, you turned so that you were face to face and dropped your voice down so as not to be heard over the chatter of the bar, “You’ve been starin’ at me all night like some lost puppy, and that’s the best pick up line you could come up with?” Your boyfriend chuckled, leaning in towards you so there was about an inch of room between your bodies. His hushed words were tinged with this conspiritory tone as he murmured, almost directly in your ear, “I think you know what I want.”

If there was one thing Ryan loved about you, it was how you could keep up with him. It was like some sexy Abott and Costello routine the two of you had- this ceaseless back and forth until one of you caved. Running your hand across the sticky, wooden countertop, you cooed your words slow and heavy with implication, “Right here? Right here on the bar?” Out of the corner of your eye, you could see some of the guys eyeing what was happening at the bar, which only served to fuel your teasing further, “Or what about the pool table over there? With all your friends watching us…” Despite the whole exhebitionism thing and the latent sexual appeal of green felt, Ryan had other plans in mind. Standing up, he cleared his throat before patting you on the back and scanning the room for something, “Nah- you’re a lady with class. I gotta better place.”

What a gentleman your boyfriend is, taking his woman of refinement off to the bathroom to screw. Hell, you couldn’t even say that, because you didn’t even make it into the stall before you were on each other. Yep, he caved all right. Hands on bodies, mouths on bodies- in this hormone fueled haze, it was hard to tell who began where as Dunn had you pressed against the cold tiled wall. The astringent scent of disinfectant mingled with cheap booze and desire as you practically tripped over each other’s feet. Ryan had you by the waist and your hands fisted into the fabric of his shirt and you practically tumbled into the nearest stall, clumsily locking it behind you. It was frantic and passionate- and fuck, it was hot.

Outside the ladies room, however, things were not nearly as sexy. Yep, the guys were still standing around, idly chatting and getting trashed with the occasional prank sprinkled on- think pissing on someone’s leg or sneaking up behind them with a pair of electric clippers. So consumed in their benign antics, it was half an hour before anyone noticed you were gone. It was Bam, funnily enough, who brought this to everyone’s attention. “Hey, has anyone seen Dunn?” Almost as if on cue, there you come totally not suspiciously stumbling out of the bathroom, adjusting your hair and buttoning up your top with Ryan right behind you. Yep, everyone knew. And the worst part was, you didn’t really care.

[basicallykiyotaka]

So, you know how my most popular post on here to date is all about soudam and how much I love them, right? Well...

that post has actually spawned a long-fic! This story is being written in collaboration with @eyedovesart and he's pretty cool. He draws art for some of the scenes sometimes. We've just posted chapter ten today but you can read chapter one right here in this post!

AO3 STORY LINK:: Click Here!

Glass Houses - 82, 525 words - 10/30+ chapters Rating:: Mature Fandom:: Danganronpa Relationship:: Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham Characters:: Soda Kazuichi, Tanaka Gundham, Hinata Hajime, Nidai Nekomaru, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko, Koizumi Mahiru, Saionji Hiyoko, Sonia Nevermind, Pekoyama Peko Tags:: Post-Game(s), Post Canon, Present Tense, Developing Feelings, Mutual Pining, Trust Issues, Idiots in Love, Feelings Realisation, Eventual Smut, Making Out, From Sex to Love, Past Abuse, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn Other Notes:: Gundham and Kazuichi are rather explicitly autistic in this story so it comes up occasionally. This story does explore their past relationship as remnants however what happened between them is implied rather than explicitly shown/stated. And as stated above, there will be NSFW in this story - not quite to the explicitness of a smutshot but it will certainly be there when we get to it. This all takes place after the games but before the end of Future Arc so they're all close to their mid twenties.

Chapter One Below!

Gundham sips his juice pouch. He isn't especially fond of hospitals, and technically this isn't one, but he'd still been stripped down to a patient's yukata upon pod-extraction and given a once-over on his way out. He's also been receiving regular 'Do you know what day of the week it is? The year?' sort of questions since then, along with other similar tests of his cognitive abilities, his memory, and physicality. He wasn't 'in there' for long, and 'dead' within it even shorter, but long enough for it to take some toll. It took him a day to regain his ability to speak, and he's harshly aware that the bits and pieces of human language he had picked up over the past few years have fled his consciousness, much like he'd been a half a decade ago. It feels odd to compare himself to 16-year-old Gundham, but that is who he's been most recently, isn't it? And so it makes sense that that's who he'd feel most like. He certainly doesn't want to feel like Gundham from only weeks ago. He squeezes it and chews hard on the straw. The juice is gone, but he's still gnawing away - he's not entirely ready to talk to anyone yet and knows it will be expected of him the moment his mouth is free to the world again. Besides, if by chance some extreme amount of eviscerating plastic with his teeth would get him released from the faux-sterile prison, he would like to at least give it a shot. Maybe they'll return him to his cabin now?

When he looks up there are eyes on him, and they do not seem to be ones ready to hand him a cottage key. Hands folded politely in his lap, Nekomaru is staring down at him with great force, and Gundham is holding his gaze right back, squinting, scowling, making himself look busy with his juice pouch. They weren't able to recover any more of his clothes. The place he'd told them about, where he'd been holed up before it was determined that they should 'turn themselves in', has been destroyed in the time since his capture. The Future Foundation scarcely enjoys knowing he is alive, and so it logically follows that he'd be told that they would absolutely not spare members to search through rubble for his comfortable boots or his custom-tailored coat. Disappointing nonetheless - so for now it's generic clothing that makes him feel underdressed. Exposed. Plain. Masked. He has his scarf, though. It still smells vaguely of gasoline, and provides some cover for when he'd like to hide away. He doesn't get away with his juice gambit forever. He knew he wouldn't, but the fact it's all over in one small, fatal mistake of idly lifting the scarf's edge up to his nose and burying part of his face in it, which seems to indicate in the (no longer) tinman's eyes that he's ready to take on the day, is crushing.

"You feelin' better?" Gundham grunts a negative, but his rehabilitator must take it as an affirmative, because he claps a hand onto his back and shakes him around with a laugh, "Good! Told you you were probably just runnin' a little low on fuel. Know how that feels." Nekomaru nudges him but it’s really not that funny. "Ready to get a move on, then?"

The exercise portion of his easing back into analogue life has been rough enough...Gundham's logic goes straight to the next possible alternative, and the iciness of anxiety that blooms out of his black hole core begins to draw him in. His knees lift off of the floor onto the side of the cot he's sat on and he pulls them into his chest, guarding the frigid hole there. Maybe he can backtrack. "...If the heavenly mare has drawn aback the coast's silver-foam fractal—"

"It's high tide, anyway. You're movin' alright, I want to get you talkin'!"

Fuck. In a fraction of a moment, he assesses all the possible implications. There are some that have still yet to awaken from their simulation-induced comatose states: Mikan (her 'unstable reference of reality' had been noted as a potential cause, citing Gundham's own experiences, which he's not too keen to re-explain, especially with the Alter Ego program so chipper and ready to spell out to him his various neurotic tendencies - and her absence is hence the reason Nekomaru is in charge of his...rehabilitation), Ibuki (something to do with Despair Disease and its complications on the physical body, potentially), Byakuya - Ryota? - The Nameless One and Teruteru (both still having their simulated actions monitored), and Nagito  (under near-constant medical surveillance, usually by Hajime (‘Izuru’?), but occasionally handed off to the next-nearest capable technician). They are off the table. Even if they weren't, his interest in them is...minimal. Unless they've suddenly made a very large decision and he's going to be carted off to speak with the Future Foundation members again, the most comfortable interaction of ‘ talkin'’ he can hope for is Peko or Sonia. And despite the talks they've had, briefly and against Gundham's better judgement (and perhaps his will, if one were generous in allowing him to still have one), Kazuichi has been...

...on the roster. Of potential alive-and-well candidates to re-introduce Gundham to.

Mostly-scarf, he looks up with as rancid an aura as he can possibly radiate up at Nekomaru, who's already standing. It's too early, surely. Surely Kazuichi is in some throes of sleeplessness so intense that introducing a companion would be foolhardy and fruitless. Or perhaps asleep! Maybe he's even still in bed! Gundham hasn't been given the time to put on his face. It's all raw, rough and scarred and covered in too-pale, overblown, shaky-handed jagged tattoo lines and eyebags that aren't even cool looking , just sickly.

The good-naturedness vacates Nekomaru's face. Gundham doubles down. Remains seated. "Listen, we can do this the easy way if you wanna."

"There is no easy path to redemption."

"You said it! So we're doing it the hard way, then? Brave! I like it!"

"I will not be taking consultations under the current moon phase."

"Moon better change within the next ten minutes, because that's just about how long I'm giving you before we wrestle it out again."

"Power is not my limiting factor! You know for certain I would destroy you!"

"Gundham, pal."

The look says all it needs to. To spend eternity locked with what is to remain of the squad of archdevils is his fate, and the sooner he comes to terms with their confinement here with him, the sooner he may begin to fraternise again. It did feel nice, once. Perhaps somewhat uniquely among his peers, he was sent into the Program with a deep heartache that mirrored that in his young self in many ways - lonely then, and lonely now. The feeling of having hope after so long is still tantalisingly close. It feels closer and realer than that of the before-times, anyway, not that he can rely on this relativity forever. No, inevitably, there will be more misfortune. Misfortune that he has the ability to allay by his own hand if he is to just lock himself away. What a lot of good isolation did him, though.

The tinman, back in his fleshen suit, sighs heavily and puts the meat on his mechanical bones to awful use. "We're doin' this as a team. I know we scuffed it the last couple tries, but that just means we oughta try again. I know you're screwed up," Gundham tries to parse the expression on his face, but is too distracted in scowling at the way Nekomaru insists upon having his pinkie finger up one nostril, "but you don't have to be perfect to get out there."

Gundham squints.

"...Come on, are you gonna step all over the gifts you've been given?"

That one hurts. He scoffs and averts his eyes, looking at the corner of the room. Naegi - yes, despite being his underclassman, he feels it necessary to refer to him with a little bit of tact - has given him too much. More than he deserves. A considerably large cage stands by the door, and a great racket radiates as its inhabitants in each section prepare separately for their slumber. Hajime has given him too much. Nekomaru has given him too much. It's not unlike having a bowl of food set expectantly in front of him, to see Nekomaru stand by the open door - thankfully, when he flicks the detritus he's dug out of his cranium it's outside of Gundham's temporary quarters and into the hall instead - all but begging him. But isn't Kazuichi also behind the clatter of glassware? Is he not stood there, pleading more quietly, to let him alone? To leave him to his devices? Surely. Gundham stands up. If he's going to do it, he's going to be efficient about it, and he is not going to pout further. He will clean himself up and face the battle ahead. 

Nekomaru flashes him a grin. "That's right. I know forcing you doesn't make it feel like any accomplishment...but being able to do it at all is good for ya."

"The tourmaline maul…" What remains of his lineage of Devas are coming off of quite a break from close husbandry efforts, but he has not been stopped from bringing them everywhere with him yet. "...are you spontaneously darkening his doorstep with the Hells' finest?"

"...what? No..."

Gundham coaxes curious hamsters into his sleeves, expecting Nekomaru to explain, but he does not. He huffs, closes the cage door, and stands, relieved slightly by the little feet and claws on his skin as his soldiers find their formation. He bows and flourishes Nekomaru out of the room. He'd take the lead if he knew where they were going, but he's been trying his best to keep from being privy to Kazuichi's day-to-day activities. If he were, his excuses to stay away from him would number less and less. Please have it be so that Nekomaru had at least warned Kazuichi of their arrival.

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

"...you're kidding, right? What does Gundham's rehabilitation have to do with me?" Kazuichi was staring at Hajime as if he had said the strangest thing in the world, wires still in his hands from an automatic door he was messing with on request of his other classmates. It'd been a little while since the man in question had emerged from the program, much to the joy of everyone. Kazuichi's certainly glad he's alive, but it's not like they talked. They just didn't really have that kind of relationship, at least he didn't think so. In the Program itself, he and Gundham hadn't been close. They hardly spoke, and when they did, they'd just argued. Those memories were the freshest in his mind and while there were plenty of older ones that confirmed that dynamic, there were other ones that gave him weird feelings. Ones that made him feel like...they weren't friends but they weren't not friends either. Anything complicated like that, Kazuichi has opted to shove away for the time being. Contradictory school memories and most of his time as a 'remnant' were things he'd rather not pay attention to with far more important things to worry about. In other words, he was trying to be as mature and put together as his peers were. Not that it always worked.

"Nekomaru thinks it would be a good idea." Hajime had explained. "You two will be seeing each other more sooner or later, and as his support, I trust his judgement."

"I get you're super smart now, but seriously? That guy doesn't exactly like me."

"That's not the point. It could be helpful for you, too."

"In what way? Besides, I'm—"

"Not busy with anything I can't handle."

Kazuichi frowns. While it was pretty cool his friend had become a super genius, it did make him feel a bit less useful. The one thing he provided for the group wasn't even uniquely his anymore so it left him with… Feelings he could unpack at a much later date.

"Consider it practise. All you need to do is do what you always do. Showing them some normalcy can be helpful."

But wouldn't normalcy with Gundham just make everyone involved stressed out? He doesn’t want to outright say no, but it's not like he has any idea on what he should even say to the guy. It'd be weird if they had a regular conversation. Had they ever had a regular conversation? So he sat fiddling with a wall clock as he waited for Nekomaru and… well, it felt a little rude to call Gundham any sort of nickname right now, even in his head. They might not be on good terms, but Kazuichi is deeply aware of what everyone is going through right now and sort of feels like he might be cursed with cosmic karma if he makes fun of someone so casually right now. He waves when he sees them, his smile turning awkward as he and Gundham make eye contact. He looks worse for wear, the intense glare that are his eyes not at all helping. Maybe it’s a mix of poor sleep and depression, but Kazuichi is hit by an aura that makes him uncomfortable. And he had to hang out with this guy for how long? "Hey, Nekomaru," the awkward feeling is in his tone and he busies his hands with his screwdriver as he tries not to direct too much attention to the other man, "You needed my help, right?"

Anguish.

At least it's a relatively quiet area. Neutral ground. Good for introducing animals to each other - no established territory. Gundham can't help but still feel distressingly submissive to the gaze, though, and so...holds it. Strongly. He doesn't pull it up, but he does lower his face into the scarf around his neck while he stares with great intensity at Kazuichi. He's not been addressed. He won't say anything… "Wise action," he mutters, referring to the way Kazuichi avoids his eye and directs questions away from him. But that's all he'll say! That's it. He just needed the one.

Nekomaru touches him again, giving him a pat on the back, and his expression somehow continues to harden. "Yeah! Here. Sit down," the hand on Gundham's back guides him to one of the breakroom chairs. He doesn't sit at first - just squints at Kazuichi, trying to convey that he's quite resentful of the whole interaction, and so, as a result, if Kazuichi is also quite miserable, it's only mostly his fault, but not entirely. Nekomaru has no small part in it. Kazuichi can't at all hide his visible discomfort. He knows Gundham doesn’t like him,  but…this is a lot more dislike than he had anticipated. He can’t exactly blame him, but it made this whole thing a lot harder. How could he play nice if the guy looked like he was trying to make him drop dead with just a look?

"I'm gettin' breakfast for real. You eaten yet, Kazuichi? I know Gundham hasn't." Nekomaru breaks the ice for them.

"Of course I ate!" Kazuichi says rather proudly as he moves all the parts of the clock he has scattered around the table closer. "I needed to fix a door this morning so I had to eat early." Not that Nekomaru would approve of how much he had eaten, exactly, but he decided he didn't need to know that part. He glances over at Gundham again. Does he really need to be burning holes into him like that? He knew he wouldn't want to talk to him, but it was way worse than he thought it would be. Maybe it isn't just him; Gundham is pretty antisocial after all. They make eye contact. Kazuichi feels like he should say something yet nothing comes, his eyes darting around only to settle back on his little project. He picks up one of the gears of the clock. It wouldn't distract him for very long, but it would help. As long as Nekomaru doesn't leave them alone. It would be bearable.

…But of course, the next time he looks up it's just Gundham left in the room.

The look on Gundham's face softens… a little. His average look still includes a dark lingering shadow under his brow and permanent lines in his forehead, but he takes this time to avert his eyes, finally giving both of them a break. He knows it wasn't pretending - that while they'd spent time together in the Dream, they didn't know each other. It wasn't a conscious effort to ignore and be ignored, and so if it were to stop now, that would make the most sense. Like initiating a greeting after a long absence. And if he doesn't, likely, the spiral will continue from there, ever onward, worse and worse, until the rift between them is too wide. Would he mind that terribly, though? He raises a hand to scratch at his cheek. The noise causes one of his soldiers to move to that locale and sit, warm, under his ear. He turns his head to put his lips upon them and gives them a quiet kiss on top of the head. It helps the pounding of his heart. A little. "You may speak," he says, eventually, lifting his face from his scarf, coursing with momentary confidence as he folds his hands on the table. "Align yourself with the trajectory you most desire and bask in the benevolent whim of the reborn son, who will fall in your pace this once."

That causes Kazuichi to frown. It's nice to know Gundham isn't different, but it also serves to annoy him. "I wasn't waiting for permission." It's weird, really. In recent memory, he hardly grasped any of that flowery language but now he suddenly does. It makes sense, he would've spent more time with him in the past, but it hurts his brain to just know things now . "You don't want to be here any more than I do, so there's nothing to talk about." Asking the basic questions would just lead them in circles and it's not like he knew enough about Gundham to know anything they could even discuss. Though, him initiating the conversation like that implies they're not going to be separated for a little while yet. Annoying. Soon, the ticking of the clock joins their silence, a smile spreading over Kazuichi's face as he turns it over to watch the hands move. With everything he's built, pulling apart and putting back together a clock is a breeze, but it doesn't stop the spark of joy he gets from completing it. "Now we can actually read the time." He says to himself, standing up and walking over to a far table that he climbs on top of in order to remount the thing. He seems awfully proud of himself, wandering back over only for his mood to easily sour upon remembering the situation.  "...the, uh...that clock apparently stopped working, so I was fixing it." He awkwardly explains as if Gundham couldn't have guessed that.

Gundham follows him with his eyes. The dry irritation doesn't quite make it through, and he knows it. "What necessity of time telling do we have in the enemy's lair," he mutters - it's...sort of a joke, sort of intended to...he doesn't know. Engage? "Tossing you clocks for your scheduled enrichment..." He makes a little scoffing noise, and, now focused on watching the second hand tick around, looks at Kazuichi only briefly out of the corner of his eye, "You're sure its mechanism only failed? Have you not learned your lesson in sniffing about for foul play?" Maybe it's a distasteful joke, but he's been hanging around Nekomaru, who's been routinely making much worse ones.

"...yeah, I'm pretty sure it failed." Kazuichi gives him a weird look, an uncomfortable one. "It just had a couple of loose parts." He'd much rather not imagine someone was messing with the clock intentionally. After everything that had happened...it would just be horrifying if anyone was thinking like that. "Besides, kind of need to know the time if we need to have any meetings. Aren't schedules important for your animals or whatever?"

"Kff..." Gundham steels his nerves, but the slight deflating of his confident figure is still noticeable. He loosens up a little with a roll of his shoulders. There's so little to look at in here...at least within the Dream things were constantly happening. If Fuyuhiko had gone to bed when he should, and if as a result Gundham had forfeited his body...at the very least, his life would be much more straightforward from here. Certainly wouldn't be dealing with this, all for someone to bring him breakfast he'll likely be struggling to keep down later, anyway.  Today is not a good day for this. He shouldn't be here. His mere presence poisons the room. "They...are indeed. Your enrichment is still a honed talent and necessary service," he gives in through a clenched jaw, not quite disgusted with himself enough to shut up. After a period of time much too short to truly think through the consequences of such an action, he says, "...How is it you've distinguished between the unrelenting and eternal ill hand you were dealt since the conception of your being, and curses bestowed in despairing haste, ones that yet may lift with effort?"

Kazuichi stares at Gundham blankly. He might be a bit better at understanding him, but that didn't mean he could catch everything. He groans, leaning back on the chair. "Yeah man, you sound like you're spouting nonsense," He narrows his eyes, a long silence between them as he tries to decipher even one thing from the question. "...nope, I got nothing." He shakes his head. "I kind of get it, but the words you're saying in that order don't really..." Kazuichi frowns, awkwardly rubbing his neck. He should be patient. That's something he is trying to be better about.

A cold sweat breaks out over Gundham, and he crosses his arms over his chest while he tries to think of another way to phrase the question – not an easy task. He stares past him for a moment and, less than politely, tries again with slight variation: "...You have a sense now for which runes inscribed upon your soul are permanent and familiar. Which ones spurred your rebellion and bolstered your defences long ago...and which...and which to carve away. Which were designed at the gem-studded serpent queen's behest. Yes?"

Kazuichi looks even more confused. "Are you trying to give me a puzzle? I know you can speak normally, dude." He leans forward, resting his head on his hand as he closes his eyes tight. "You're saying..." He pouts in concentration. "That now that I have my memories...how do I...know what's real?" He opens one eye as if to try and gauge Gundham's expression, scratching his head in frustration. "Man, if that's all you wanted to ask, you could be a lot more straightforward! It's too early for brainteasers! How do you even think them up so easily..." Regardless of if he was right or not, it's what Kazuichi has gathered from it and he isn't going to deal with another unnecessarily long question. "...I guess...I don't? I don't think anyone does." He stares off at a wall, the conversation much more serious than he is personally eager about. "Why? Are you worried about something?"

Gundham opens his mouth to correct him, but finds that either way, the conversation seems to be nearing the points he'd intended to hit. It's understandable that the others aren't keenly interested in sharing thoughts of their purposeful transgressions to humanity's very essence, but...but he can't figure out how they can just move on, either! He can't. It taints his every breath. "It would be foolish if I weren't." While true, he glosses over that admittance and continues, his crossed arms turning more into a self-hug. It's cold in here - he's cold. That's all. "You experienced these distortions more linearly than I did, right?" Kazuichi was one of the survivors. Gundham remembers very little except a great scrambled mess from after his passing, including the grand image of their Ultimate Blueprint; Miss Enoshima. "And so something in that time unlocked within you a hunger strong enough to awaken you, even to the prospect of reparation that awaited beyond the veil. And so you did, willingly, with fervour. "I just wonder how. What really changed? I'm still the same being I was, anyway." He's already had this conversation with others, to varying degrees of success. None of them have had answers that satisfied him.

"I think you have the wrong idea. The only person who really changed was Hajime." Kazuichi looks uncomfortable just thinking about it, grabbing his braid and tugging on it. "I did what I had to to get to reality, yeah, but it's not like any of it is gone..." How should he put this? He hadn't really talked about any of his feelings with anyone. Gundham was actually the first one to even ask a question close to how he was doing and he gets the feeling it's more for personal closure than anything else. It's not that anything in him had changed, he was just following the tide. He was doing what he needed to do to help his classmates and Future Foundation. If he stops to really think about anything he'll probably be just as depressed as Gundham is, so it isn’t an option. The world is still in disarray and his life is still on the line. In many ways, it's like he'd never left the killing game in the first place. Though, instead of explaining any of that and telling Gundham how he was being so headstrong about it all, he groans in a rather defensive manner, "Why are you asking me, anyway? If you're looking for advice I'm the absolute wrong person to ask. You've got friends, ask them!"

Even with the venomous answer, Gundham mentally notes it. No one has changed. It's new, at least. Sure, it's probably true in a strictly logical sense, but there's been so much talk of being renewed, second chances, renewed hearts and minds. Even the more morose of them - Sonia, notably - has told him about some sort of switch inside, as if there were something he could do to flip it back to 'hope' should he just dig around enough. It is selfish in nature, but the fact that Kazuichi has said anything other than 'you have to find it yourself', or even 'here's how I figured it out' and then went on to say things that Gundham had either already tried or didn't understand, is fascinating. He places his sock-covered heels onto the chair beside him and rubs his knees. It looks painfully casual in these clothes, a motion that's meant to make him feel powerful and intimidating. He hums an acknowledgement. "I have ," He can't help the way his voice rises - in fact, if he even notices, it's not clear, because his tone isn't especially angry, just intense. "Whatever journey they are on, it is not shared with mine. Not an uncommon occurrence in the unlife of Tartarus' warden, but it- sucks ."

Honestly, Kazuichi is just surprised Gundham had said that in such an easy to understand way. And he sort of understands; having people you care about but none of them being open with you about what was going on. That was something that happened often in his own life. Not because he didn't ask, but because he just...wasn't someone people went to to vent. This isn't the conversation he had expected them to have, but at the very least it felt normal. He feels like for the first time in a while, he and Gundham are just two people. They don't really show each other vulnerability and Kazuichi isn't someone who found such things easy to handle, but...it is better than just being annoyed. He stares at the table. "There's a reason I'm not helping rehabilitate you guys so...don't take this super seriously." He doesn't even glance up, looking like he's actually having a hard time coming up with his next sentence, "But we're kind of...just not trying to think about it." At least that's what he's doing, so he assumes that's what was going on with everyone else. "Naegi is doing what he can to make sure we're not gunned down, and we're all working to get everyone together again. After that, there'll be talk of rebuilding Japan..." He looks exhausted just thinking about it. "There's not really any time to be down in the dumps about anything."

"What then for the pit-beast who has spent his aeons at the apex of the antlion's trap?!" It's much easier to get a little snappy with Kazuichi than it is with Sonia or Peko, he finds. "Scarcely do I remember how I escaped the dumps in the time spent fighting it." He remembers caring for his classmates, his stewardess, and his holy mother. Dearly. With the trinity scant a third of what it'd been, he sees more clearly that he'd always been... like that. He squints at Kazuichi and has a sudden desire for an equivalent exchange to take place as the universe works through him. "...but your reason is ? Who determined your unfit nature for such a thing?"

Kazuichi straightens up, getting more defensive now that Gundham’s sounding more upset. He thought he was being pretty reasonable in what he was saying, what made him feel like he had be angry with him about any of this? "Hajime...and Fuyuhiko...and Sonia... myself ." He sort of mumbles before shaking his head with a groan, "What's it to you, anyway? You clearly don't like or want my help, so why do you care if I'm helping with any of the mental stuff?!" Besides, his other question wasn't one Kazuichi could even answer. How do you stop feeling sad? The answer was you just don't , at least in his experience. You forget about it, but it's not gone. Even if he told Gundham that, he doubted he'd like the answer much. Or maybe he would – at least it’s realistic – but still . He'd practically admitted to only asking him as a last resort, so what’s he even looking for?

"The well from which I drink no longer matters to me. A desiccated spirit takes what it's capable of receiving." Really, it doesn't matter if it comes from Kazuichi or not. It'd be the same either way. But the information itself has value. The contact itself has value. Gundham shrugs, becoming defensive himself. Who cares why he's asking? He just is. He just wants to know. He would know better than any other what sort of input he needs in order to forge his own path, wouldn't he? Has he not made it excruciatingly clear enough that his mind doesn't operate on the same wavelength as mortal kind? "Through the haze of the Dream's domain though held on the riverbed I was, I still saw 'it'. Was not the ongoing action a plan to induce camaraderie?"

"That doesn't make any goddamn sense!" Kazuichi yanks his beanie off in frustration, stretching the material in his hands with an annoyed look. The dark roots of his hair that are showing are probably the only visual indication that he isn’t the same person he was several years ago. Not that he really acts like it. "There isn't some magic solution to make you stop being sad, so why are you getting angry at me about it?! You've got way more distractions than I do, why don't you focus on that? You can look at any god damn bird and list facts about it for hours, that's literally the easiest distraction any of us could have! Plus, people want to talk to you, so I don't know, maybe engage?" He can't exactly say why he's so upset, but he is, and...Kazuichi hadn't had time to create a verbal filter for himself. "You're asking how to stop being depressed, but fuck, that attitude is so annoying! Assuming I've got it all figured out and I'm just withholding it from you. You've got so much already right in front of you and instead of confiding with your friends and trying to be normal, you're acting like I'm a bad therapist! Yeah, all this is fucked up, we're all fucked up from it, but you actually have the privilege of being able to sit there and think about it so, I don't know, shut up about it for a while!?"

Gundham reacts with frustration, but no surprise. His shoulders, while before slowly tightening into a hunch, now drop with great drama. "What does it look like I'm doing?!" He sets his elbow on the table and leans his chin into it, "You run your mouth without knowing a single facet of what ‘ confiding’ I've been doing! I told you of my efforts! Oh, for shame, that I resist engulfing you in the depths of the frigid miasma!" He's not usually a sarcastic person, he's not sure why it's coming out this way, there's just something that nags him when it's Kazuichi doing the arguing. "My time dilates separately from the rest of you, but still have my few days passed before a blink of the eternal eye can take place!" Come on! Give him a break! He's less than a week out of the Stockade! "Not to mention no scry of mine upon your capabilities – beyond praise for your handiwork – has been made! Banish the thought! As if it isn't equally 'annoying'!"

"What it looks like is you're getting annoyed at me for giving you the best answer I can. Fucks sake, I watched you die! Pretty reasonable that I'm not open to talking about that and maybe you shouldn't be either! Unlike you, I'm busy. I have things I need to be doing to make sure we don't die for real, there's only so much I can offer you. I'm not your friend, and I sure as hell have no clue what I'm doing. I said that the way I'm dealing with it is ‘ I'm not’, why are you upset about that?" He can't even tell if they're really listening to each other, though him not really grasping exactly what Gundham is saying surely isn't helping their communication. He told him not to rely on his advice, and now he's getting upset that he’s been given bad advice. "Instead of wasting your time talking to me, spend time with your actual friends! Pretend that nothing bad ever happened, because that's literally the only thing keeping anyone sane right now! Focus in on the fact that the last thing you did was heroic compared to everyone else and put your damn narcissism to good use for once!"

Gundham puts his feet on the floor. Don't stand up. Don't stand up. Don't escalate this. "Then go ahead and replay the scene within your mind's eye as often as you need to find yourself peace in the karmic balance of it all! I do, quite often! 'Heroic'? Only in its end! In its intent, I was to fulfil my cosmic purpose! To bring about the End of All Things!" That's – not something he's admitted before. Sonia had spoken to him and spent so much time so absolutely convinced, giving him no breathing room to deny her – that the reason he had done what he did was solely, and entirely, a selfless act. And it was, in a way. He was not crushed by the outcome. He had weighed it as a possibility the entire time. If he had not been able to handle any of the possible ends to his journey he would not have set off upon it, but when it's directly in front of him, he won't say otherwise. No, the optimal outcome was his survival. Obviously. He didn't want to die. He was perfectly content with trading the remaining lives for his own. Again: if he wasn't, he wouldn't have done it. His voice is muffled as he shoves himself into his scarf, the clarity of his speech not helped by the fact that he's stopped shouting. "Being recognized for such a deed could bring me no comfort. How is bearing yet another mark of a killer forevermore a boon? I have failed in every sense of the word." Not even touching the fucking idea that he thought once that this is what he wanted so deeply, that his entire being is built upon the skeleton, calcified over great time in the hyper-concentrated evil solution he's been submerged in from birth. The idea that not wanting that mark in itself is a failure. Having been caught is a failure. Having been revived without Enoshima in his body was a failure.

Kazuichi glares at him, his heart beating in his stomach as he huffs. At least they both had the sense to not push this to where it became explosive. He pulls his hat back onto his head, looking off to the side as he grumbles to himself. "...you know, you're almost as bad as Komeada, with the way you talk about yourself."  And based on how they both feel about that guy, it is far from anything positive, "Yeah. It's kind of fucked up what you did. Wild that I was someone defending you before you admitted it. But...the fact that you folded so easily and let yourself be voted out says that you're not as evil as you say you are. Someone truly evil would've denied it to the very end and not show any guilt at all. You said yourself that you despise murder and those who commit it...so I don't think you would've been able to live with yourself if you'd won."

"You don't know true evil..." Maybe he...was proud of it...! How about that?! And that's why he gave in. Maybe it was hubris. But he doesn't say this, and from what he knows of the hex upon his mouth, if he can not say it aloud, it defies all reality. "That bothers me little. The entire act was crafted so to provide me minimal guilt no matter its outcome," Really, truly, he'd love to get off of this topic. The discomfort he feels about the idea that Kazuichi, despite his snivelling and crying and Sonia-centric mind state at the time, could still recall Gundham's (at the time very heartfelt) cry for understanding in his last moments among his classmates may well freeze him solid if he dwells on it too long. It was not a speech meant for him. The fact that he had digested it like that anyway is… disconcerting.

"If everyone is saying what you did was good and not your fault and whatever else...isn't it better to believe them?" Kazuichi won't admit how much he had thought about that case after it had taken place. It was a mess, and even if he wasn't on great terms with Gundham, it felt wrong to watch him die and be labelled a murderer. People liked him. He was considered an all round good person by everyone in their class. No matter how many times Gundham called himself a ‘Dark Lord’, it wouldn't change the fact that he loved animals. As sure of a sign as any that he wasn't a sociopath.

Another thing Gundham would love to say is that he is not in the business of simply believing and adopting the image that others project upon him, but here they are, his being constructed out of that exact thing, and there's very little that he can do to protect himself from the blowback that blatant a lie would cause. Although, the fact that his actions would have consequences is comforting in a way. Gundham shakes his head a little. "I'm not used to it." To praise upon his moral standings, he means, "Say I accept the nobility attributed to my acts, that because of my punishment I have been cleansed in the eyes of the council…" He's not sure he wants to go down that path, actually. He grinds his teeth audibly. One of the hamsters in his scarf nibbles on his jaw. Normally it may call attention to the action and allow him to release the tension - at this moment all it does is serve to annoy him. He puts a hand under the scarf and palms the little beast, petting it atop the head with his thumb. "...little would be left of me. Before you baulk, listen hither - I am well aware of the disbelief held about the contents of my blood. No show of magical force or paranormal pomp can portray to those without senses to pick up on such power the true essence of my being. I understand this. But this does not change the nature of the black hole that powers my flesh." The magic bit is 'put up with' at best, and I realise that. But it is the only frame of reference for a sense of self that I have.

Kazuichi is doing his very best to grant the conversation the seriousness it deserves, but he finds himself laughing despite the painful expression that spreads across his face. "Didn't think I'd agree with you on something like that..." He refuses to elaborate, though the way he looks down and swallows hard might be more than enough. Taking a deep breath, he leans back again, crossing his arms over his chest. "Bluntly, yeah, you did kill someone. A video game version of a robot, but still someone. That's fucked up. It's fucked up that you didn't tell anyone and it's fucked up that you made it so complicated. Nekomaru holds some blame in it, but maybe you guys were just too prideful." He sighs...this is so hard, "But you also did what you had to to survive. Fell into the psychological trap the program wanted you to fall into. It sucks, but it's natural. Whether we wanted to or not, all of us fucked up. But nothing at all is going to change it now, we just gotta...suck it up and try to be normal again." Kazuichi is full of that guilt and self loathing too. It was traumatic what had happened and the things he'd have nightmares about, but he couldn't surrender to the feeling eating away at him just yet. Every second of every day he feels like he wants to have a breakdown and tear out his own insides. He feels like he was just as bad as Despair made him out to be and hardly deserves the title of survivor. But what can he really do? If he lets himself fully process it, he'll feel worse and spiral into depression, so he acts like those memories aren't there. "Nothing you do will get rid of anything that happened or change who you are. But...if it helps you to tell yourself how much of a victim you really are, it's better to hold onto that and move forward." Then he pauses, groaning to himself, "God, I sound like Hajime…"

"Khh. Victim," Gundham doesn't like the word, but he isn't going to argue that it certainly sounds like that's what he's been unintentionally aiming for. He scrubs both hands through his hair, glad he hadn't had the chance to make it up yet this morning. The whole front goes grey, all of the white strands diffusing in tangles with the rest. When he's done it seems he's unaware that one of the hamsters has emerged from his sleeve and sat in the rat's nest atop his head because he looks down suddenly enough that it struggles to hold on and keep its balance, taking little handfuls of hair to steady itself.

His face in his hands, he just breathes for a moment.

If you enjoyed this, please support the story on AO3! We don't have a strict upload schedule but we try to update every week. AO3 STORY LINK:: Click Here!

[siblingshuffle]

Because it’s still gonna be a couple days till October 1…

Have some more assorted lore?

Bass has a fast-running high-powered processor. It just happens that “brain runs fast” doesn’t translate directly into “really smart”, more like “able to decide within a couple seconds of reading a news article that it’s dumb and boring”.

Dr. LaLinde used to dye all of her hair purple in college. Later, she settled on just dying a streak (less messy & time-consuming, but still makes her feel cool)

Robot Masters don’t have a sense of taste. Because they can’t digest human food (and therefore really shouldn’t eat), none of them tend to really take note of this… except for Dustman, who is VERY thankful to not be able to taste all the junk he sticks in his mouth lol.

King is an SWN. (He carries the hallmarks of one: purple face marking, ability to defy orders indicating a lack of the 3 laws, and this version also is powered by Pianium).

Piano likes to visit museums. The first time she & Roll encountered casually at a museum, it was Piano’s “day off” (she decided she wanted to check out the Robot Museum & what was anyone gonna do? Stop her?), and they had a surprisingly good, chill time (despite Roll following her around the whole time to make sure she wasn’t about to cause any trouble).

Ice Man doesn’t have a crush on Roll. He’s just closest to her out of all his siblings. This, as one might imagine, does change the plot of Cold Crush somewhat… I mean for one thing, it’d probably no longer be a Valentine’s Day story lol

Expiration Dates aren’t assigned at the day of activation or anything. They’re assigned by the companies that own them and at their behest. So, really the game 9 Robot Masters were more “given up” than “reached a point of time that they knew their lives would end”. My reason for that is it made more sense to me.

As part of pitching Robot Masters to various companies, Roll (the latest model at the time) passed the Turing Test. (Blues would’ve also passed if he underwent it.)

Dr. Light’s sinuses were a little congested during game 8 lol

Not long after game 4, Rhythm found the old recordings of Tempo pre-accident. She’d been told that Tempo wasn’t always quite like she was now, but seeing it for herself was…something else entirely.

[homestuckreplay]

WV: Turn on your location.

(page 739-754)

These pages explicitly confirm that the appearifier can appearify anything at the coordinates and time it’s set to, and that the righthand button sets the coordinates to this facility’s location. We also get new information – an appearifier cannot also disappearify, as that’s a totally separate machine, and, if appearifying something would create a time paradox (for example, that thing was already eaten in the past by a hungry creature), it will instead paradoxify, creating a green slime ghost imprint of the object.

A green slime ghost. Now where have I heard that one before.

John would be so so excited to get his hands on one of these contraptions, he could create all kinds of cool slimes. To be honest, I love how Homestuck lets characters be excited about the mechanics they’re discovering. WV’s narration being ‘this mysterious gourd was transported (appearified!!!)… You wonder if the machine (APPEARIFIER!!!)’ (p.739) is holding hands with John’s being ‘Get all this shit out of the way, you're about to make something sweet!’ (p.633). On a similar note, WV poking and prodding the appearifier with the HANDY RULER (p.736) is holding hands with John examining the alchemiter ‘in a cautious manner’ by just standing on it (p.161). Separated by time and species, they share a thrilling scientific curiosity.

It is, I think, extremely intentional that the precise coordinates and time of this facility are partially obscured to us. We see the latitude, 44.517677, the longitude only after the decimal point, ???.821422, the elevation, 350.7 at ground level, and the final digits of the time, ?6:13 (surely 16:13). We don’t see the crucial first digits of the longitude, or the date.

Andrew Hussie is testing me and I think I can win. IF we assume that the bunker roughly corresponds to the location of a known Sburb player – John, Rose or Dave – the options are fairly limited.

John lives in PDT, so for the bunker to be in his location, it would have to be in northern Oregon – between -123.821422 and -117.821422. However, northern Oregon is open and foresty and best I can tell, none of these numbers would correspond to a suburb. This would rule out John’s location.

Dave lives two timezones ahead of John, in CDT, and in a city. -92.821422 is close to Minneapolis-St Paul, but not quite there. -87.821422 is in Green Bay, Wisconsin, home of the Green Bay Packers – by far the most transmasc name of any NFL team so a great place for Dave to live. However, we know the elevation is in meters, and elevation at this point of Green Bay is only 205.8m. Additionally, it’s unlikely it’d be so hot that far north in April. This would rule out Dave’s location.

Rose lives three timezones ahead of John, in EDT. She’s in a rural area, and specifically refers to herself as on the east coast. This could put her in upstate New York, Vermont, or Maine – between -74.821422 and -67.821422. Out of these options, by far the closest in elevation is -74.821422, with an elevation of 343.6. This is indeed a rural area, and it’s even directly next to a river, just as Rose’s house is. So the bunker could be in Rose’s location, and would place her house by the Racquette River in St. Lawrence County, New York.

Of course, the bunker could have nothing to do with our known characters. It could be in France at 0.821422 longitude, perhaps implying a French language edition of Sburb. But given how deliberate and interconnected this story has been, I’m placing my bets on this bunker being in the ruins of Rose’s house.

Some foreshadowing in these pages – the symbol carved into the appearified pumpkin is focused on, with the narrator saying that ‘you doubt it will ever prove to be relevant in any way.’ (p.739) It looks like a creature of some kind, with ears on top and two tufts of fur or whiskers on the sides, but is too abstracted to guess much further. We know that this pumpkin came from GG, and that GG has a pet of some kind – a ‘devilbeast’, according to Dave (p.382) – so she could have carved its likeness into a pumpkin.

Also, ‘you have an uncanny knack for tracking precise distances you have already traversed, in whatever units you choose’ (p.743) – what the fuck does this mean. It’s so blatantly narratively convenient in the moment that it feels like it HAS to come up again sometime. Unless it’s a chess reference, referring to tracking previous moves. It’s also immediately proven true – WV might not be great at commanding John, opening cans, or focusing on reality, but they have an absolute gift for appearifying things from precise locations. Getting the firefly out of the amber needs precision on the scale of a couple millimeters, and they make it look easy.

Serenity is beautiful, and I’m glad she’s free. For what it’s worth, a quick search says that in some species of flashing lightning bugs, the male fireflies fly around and flash, while the females mostly remain static and flash back from their given location. So I am choosing to interpret Serenity as a transgender firefly, which I'm certain is not an intended reading but it's a very fun one.

[princesspastel8]

Chapter 3: Secrets

Dipper POV

My grunkles thought it would be a great idea to take everyone out to eat. They claim it would bring us closer together and catch up on what me and Mable been up to since we left. We are at the diner where Susan works.

I stare out the window with my chin resting in the palm oh my hand. I feel as if something bad is going to happen while I'm here. I just want to go home.

"So how has it been with you two kiddos?" Stan asks while looking at us, mainly Mable.

"School was so much fun, grunkle Stan! I met so many guys, but they were all jerks. I made many friends that I'm still in contact with, too! Prom was so much fun too. I had a pink dress and my date was so cute! Oh, and waddles had kids with another pig, but we had to give them away...." Mable said, pouting at the end.

"Well, that's something. I would've given those boys that did you wrong a knocking to! Haha!" Stan said while trying to flex the muscles that he barely has.

"What about you, Dipper?" Ford asks while writing something about a two-headed squirrel.

"Grow any chest hair?" Stanley jokes.

Mable giggles, "I highly doubt he has. I still have that small curly hair in my scrapbook."

I groan as I begin tapping my leg. "You know I'm not a fan of chest hair nor any kind of hair except the hair on my head and face."

"Oh come oooooon Dipper! Lighten up." Mable pouts while nudging my arm.

I tense up and turn my head, giving her a warning look. Just how many times do I have to remind her not to fucking touch me?!

Mable stops, nodding her head. "Sorry, dip dot."

"What happened just now?" Ford asked.

"Oh, nothing! But yeah, Dipper, do you or do you not have chest hair? I bet it's still the same as it was when we were 12!"

Mable and Stan laugh while Ford is to focus on that damn squirrel. I groan, pulling my hoodie off in front of them. I look at their blank expression, my lips in a thin line. "Happy now?"

Mable and Stan look shock while Ford stares at me. "Oh wow, Dipper, I didn't know you had abs!"

"Well damn kid, you did grow chest hair, even though it's stubble. You're one of those kids who shave chest hair." Stan sighs disappointly.

"Dipper, what is that on you back?" Ford asks.

My eyes widen slightly, but I keep my blank stare. "Nothing, Ford."

"Mable, what's on his back?"

Mable looks as her eyes widen. "U-uh....It's Bill's wheel grunkle Ford."

"Why would you get such a thing done to you, Dipper?!" He shouts.

"Quite down, Stanford. Don't draw attention to us." Stanley comments.

I frown once more, quickly putting my hoodie back on. "I was bored and got drunk one night. Everything else is a blur after that...." I said, lowering my head, memories of that day traveling back.

Mable coughs to clear the air. "I'm sure Dipper only got it because it looks cool!"

"Yeah....let's just order." Stan said.

"Oh hi, Stanley!" Susan chirps.

Stan groans as Ford and mable chuckles. "We would like to order." Said Ford.

"Two pancakes." ,said Stan and Ford.

"A pancake, eggs, and bacon!"

"Monster stack." I said blankly.

"Whoa! Do you think you can handle that? I remember when you were just a boy!"

"Yeah, kid, I don't think you can handle that -"

I cut Stan off by slamming my fist on the table. I jump over Mable and walk over to that damn manly test machine that I could barely ring. I pick up the hammer and slam it down on the button. I watch as the ball inside the machine hits the bell so hard that it cracks and breaks apart. I hiss, placing my hand on the side of my left face.

"Stay calm, Dipper....Just stay calm." I whisper to myself while taking slow, deep breaths.

I walk back over to my family. "I lost my appetite, but as you can see, I'm no longer a kid. So I would appreciate it if you all stopped calling me that. Anyways....I'll be out for awhile." I said, walking out of the diner as quickly as I can.

I walk towards the forest, pulling at my hair with both of my hands. "Ugh damnit! I'm not a fucking kid I'm a grown ass man!" I shout, punching the nearest thing next to me which is a tree.

I look at my bloody knuckle and sigh, chuckling. "Christ Bill, I think your short temper is rubbing off on me."

I rub my fingers over the dent I made in the tree. "Why don't I go blow off some steam, yeah?"

○○○○

I step over the 'keep out' tap that's tapped all over the trees surrounding the minigolf court. I walk towards the center and whistle with my two fingers.

"ATTACK!!" I hear one shout as they begin to throw sticks at me.

I smirk and stomp on the first set of fighters, blue color liquid splashing on my shoes. I watch as many begin to crawl up my leg. I reach down to grab five of these damn things. I shove them into my pocket and run out of there. I'm not stupid, I can't take on thousands of those mini shitty golf heads.

I laugh loudly, whipping the sweat off my forehead. That was so cool. The sound of golf heads crushing under my boot brings satisfaction throughout my whole being! Well, next on the list is the nom vomit. I walk down the trail I remember that leads to the noms hideout. Once I get there, I knock on one of the trees, one nom coming out, and to my dislike, it's the one that talks a lot.

"Oh wow, look at this! Dipper, is that You? Wow, it's been a while since I last saw you. How is your sister doing? You know the offer to still marry her is on the table -"

I cut him off by kicking him in the stomach. He groans and leans over, clutching his stomach in pain. I pull a jar from my duffle bag and place it in front of him.

"You talk too much. Now be of use and hack it up before I kick you again."

He looks at me with fear clouding his eyes and begins to throw up rainbow crap they call vomit. I take the jar and close it, placing it back into my bag once he's done. I walk away, heading back towards the diner. When I made it to the end of the forest, its nightfall.

I reach into my pocket, pulling out a minigolf creature. I smirk as I hold it by its head, placing my two fingers on its body. I watch as it cries, feeling the fear through my fingertips.

"Remove the body slowly from the head." I said, remembering the intrusions given by the journal.

I slowly pull, biting my lip at the sound of the cracks and snaps. "The eyes and mouth will wither from its holes, leaving access to the soul of the sacrifices."

I pull out a different jar, placing the head inside of it. I repeat the process four more times before reaching in my bag for my change of clothes I picked up from the shack as well as my other things. I change into a black pair of pants, a black hoodie, and place leather glove on my hands. I pull out my favorite knife and walk towards the diner.

I can hear Susan's annoying humming from here. I rub my finger over the blade that I place in my pocket. I place the jar on the bar stand as I let out a chuckle.

"O-oh my! Who's there?!" I hear her shout from the kitchen area.

"Come and find out. I think you'll like the surprise." I chuckle, trying to control my laughter.

I watch as she stupidly listens to me. I walk towards her, slowly pulling out my knife. She looks down at the blade, her eyes widening.

Before she can scream, I jump on her, causing both of us to fall. I place my hand over her mouth, raising my blade that in the air.

"Do I still look like that kid you remember, Susan?" I laugh as I stab her over and over again, drops of blood splashing on my face.

I slit her throat for good measure, watching the blood ooze from her body. I stand up, holding my head as I feel a slight pressure as if something is forcing its way into my skull.

"B-Bill....is this you d-doing this? B-but I didn't - "

"It's ok, pinetree! The more sacrifices you kill, the more I'm able to use my power beyond the mindscape, but we have company..." I hear Bill's darken voice ring through my ears. I look at the door, my eyes widen in shock.

"D-dipper?" Pacifica shudders, her voice barely above a whisper.

She looks between my knife, Dead Susan, and the door. She quickly grabs the door handle, but I stop her. She freezes and looks back at the wall, noticing the knife next to her head.

She touches her cheek and looks at her fingers. She screams, but I run to her and place my hand over her mouth, squeezing her jawline. She whimpers as I bag her head against the wall, pulling my knife out from it.

"Pacifica Pacifica Pacifica....isn't this the meaning of 'at the wrong at the wrong time'?" I laugh.

She whimpers, digging her nails into my hoodie. I laugh, my vision changing from clear to red. "Oh, I could just kill you right now! Ooooooooooh, but what's the fun in that? Oh yes, yes, yes! Stare at me with those fearful eyes! I think I'm addicted to this-ahahahahahaha!"

I remove my hand from her mouth and placing it on her throat. She gasp, her hands now crawling at my wrist. I laugh louder in her face while placing my knife in between my fingers and rubbing my bloody glove down my face. My eyes roll back as my vision goes from red to yellow, my voice distorted.

"L-let's make a deeeeeeeeeal! You don't tell anyone my pinetree did this, and I promise he won't kill you? Deal?"

She nods her head, gasping as my grip tightens.

"Let's shake on it, llama sweater!" I cheer, placing the knife back into the wall as I hold my hand out while my body begins to twitch.

She quickly grabs it and shakes my hand, blue flames covering it. I drop her to the ground, watching her gasp for air. I watch as she stands and runs out of the diner as fast as she can while the lights in the diner begin to flicker.

"And remember! We'll be watching yoooooooou-ahahahahahaha-HAHAGAGAHA!"

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

I'm just gonna throw it out there cuz idk how many people have given you crap about this:

1). Solar labeled himself a "cousin" at EARTHS INSISTENCE. He straight up says that thinking about it in a "familial relationship" way doesnt work and is confusing see KC Eclipse Lunar Bloodmoon etc and hes only told that to Earth. Frankly, I think he, Moon and Sun think of Solar as "member of this family". Also, robots.

2). Moon can still develop feelings for someone, even if he's still aro/ace. I cant see Moon as EVER being the romantic type, and pretty much everyone in THIS show finds any sort of "physical" relationship weird and/or gross. Frankly, I read Solar as aro/ace too, cuz while the dude is CLEARLY capable of pining he really doesn't seem like the romantic type. So shipping Moon and Solar doesnt invalidate anyone's identity, especially since falling in love doesn't have to be romantic or physical *glares judgingly at society*

Also, imagine Solar and Moon going on non-romantic dates. Like they go to an anime convention or something and Moons completely needing out and Solars just like "you're a loser *heart eyes*"

WAIT NO BETTER IDEA!

Sun, who IS a romantic type, is like "I want my brother to have the best so I'm gonna help you guys get together" and Solars just like "pls no" and Sun tries to help make the perfect date, but both members are AGGRESSIVELY romantic and by the end Solar and Moon ditch Sun and like go play God of War or something X3

AH!

Surprisingly, no one has been giving me crap about much. I'm actually surprised with how chill everyone has been and how much on board they are with my silly little ship train idea. I'm actually happy everyone has been really cool and accepting so far.

And yes, this is true, and I went into a few posts about it. One post I went into specifics on the flexibility and "subject to change" nature about relationships in Robots. But agreed.

2. And yeah! Exactly. Back in the Early days of the show, Sun tried to pair Moon up on dates all the time, so it could have been a possibility that the old Moon was Romantic, or he wasn't, and Sun was just misreading the situation.... Also I never got his goal in trying to ship his brother with Roxanne other then to just be a voyeur because he's the one who liked her

And the only reason in my shipping Scenarios why Solar doesn't test his boundaries isn't cause he's acephobic in a majority of my scenarios. but moreso he doesn't want to violate Moon's trust or test his limits. Moon has given him so much, he doesn't want to ruin his friendship or the only home he's ever known.

Also NewMoon said he's "Questioning" right now, and that's also fine. And most likely i'll just draw from my own demi/ace experiences in a lot of ships I like/portray. Because I only know how to write my own experiences. It's not to invalidate others. I'm not every ace person in existence and it's such a wide spectrum so I can't account for everyone. I just write and brainstorm what feels right to me.

And. 3. gehaoghawefh Cute idea.

[moonlitlamps]

I got a bit creative with my vanilla Minecraft server announcement.

So I wanted to start a new private whitelisted vanilla Minecraft server, but I wanted the announcement to be a tiny bit special. I made a portrait icon for the Discord-Minecraft chatbot and I made a cool little story about her, Here's the post with the server addresses redacted. I hope you enjoy the read.

== You Got Mail! == Testing, Testing, Hello? Oh good it's working. This is Jane speaking, I don't know where I am, or frankly how I got stuck in this yellow void. I don't even know who I am. But I see a terminal in front of me. (What's a terminal?) I don't know how I know that. Regardless, I've been pushing some buttons and I have so far managed to make a digital universe. I know! shocking, I didn't know CRT 'puters could do that kind of shit. I mean, I think I remember working with computers before, but this is a whole new level of weird. There seems to be cubes and planes in this world, I can't access it, given that I'm a higher layer of abstraction away from this reality, but I can communicate with this world through some sort of "bridge" or interface. What's a Discord? Is that where I'm in? I think there was… some sort of accident. Yes, maybe I was torn from reality whilst dabbling in unrealities and abstractions. Now I'm stuck here, but at least I can communicate. I'll be honest, it's been real lonely from where I'm standing. I've walked about 500 to 1000 steps away from this terminal, I can't measure with standard units given the lack of reference points, I can use my body to estimate the distance however, but I'm too chicken to go further out and risking losing the terminal from my line of sight so I'm stuck within this radius. Nothing has happened for the past 20… 30 days? I haven't starved or feel like starving yet, so I think my natural biological cycles have suspended, yet normal physical displacement via movement over time is allowed, curious. At least I can interact with this digital 'verse. I call it Mine Craft, because I made it, and I can craft stuff in it. I love crafting games. This interface is empty at the moment but I notice "Friends" and "Servers" on the menus. I don't remember adding that, but with hope I think I can reach out to anyone, any other intelligence while I sit here on my yellow ass plane of existence. Here's a selfie from me using the integrated webcam of this terminal. The resolution is god awful, I think it has something to do with how dated this technology is. I hope someone receives this message. Nonetheless I will continue journaling this miserable existence, maybe I can make a second universe? The address to this terminal is [IP ADDRESS REDACTED], I managed to even hack into the networking and changed the user profile to [ADDRESS RESTRICTED] which I agree is more cooler than these lunar themed folders in this terminal. I don't want just about anyone snooping around in my space though, so if you manage to see this, hit me up with your name and tell me about yourself. If I think you're an alright entity I will let you into my personal universe. Okay, back to figuring out where I am and what the hell to do next.

~Jane [REDACTED] [NULL] Nowhere The Yellowverse

I'll be sure to make updates and post more of her and her silly adventures in Minecraft and being a server host. I will also start posting her as a full body OC some time in the future. Her full name is Jane Vanilla. That's all folks, have a good day.

[rinwritiesbutitssecret]

new story part one!!!!

Today was a good day, until it wasn’t.

I suppose it started when I woke up at 7. 7 pm.

Late for most, not for me. 

I should be attending school, but I really can’t be bothered. 

My day was pretty normal, until I drove my motorcycle off a mountain. 

Now I’m not saying I was trying, but I definitely wasn’t stopping myself. I just wanted to test it, y’know?

I guess I should give some background information. 

106 years ago, I died. Kinda.

I fell off the roof of my house and hit my head.

I technically died for a bit, then I was in a coma for 3 days. 

But apart from my body, my being took a different path. I was given the choice to come back, and I said yes.

Comatosis was honestly nice and relaxing. But the time after I woke up was anything but. 

People treated me very differently than how I was treated previously. They treated me like fine china, a glass structure that’ll break with any touch. 

Except, I literally can’t break.

Present: So yeah, I’m immortal. And every time I hit 100, I reset. Of course, it’s only happened once, so who’s to tell me when?

Honestly, it’s a bit inconvenient considering that so far I’ve been born in the wrong body twice. I am a boy. I promise. Just I don’t exactly match that body-wise. 

I thought it’d be fixed by the time I reset, but sadly, it hasn’t. 

So yeah, I’m Aster, I’m 114, and I’m immortal. 

I guess that's enough for me. 

I like to test my powers sometimes with big stunts like driving motorcycles off mountains. But in the back of my mind, there’s always a small worry—a small worry that I won’t wake up. 

The motorcycle was a bit much, but it’s a trashy one I made myself and was probably going to explode next week anyway. 

My best friend, Rae, is not very similar to me. They prefer school and staying indoors, but that’s how we balance out.

She helps me navigate the logistics part of being immortal, ID's, and such. The afterlife committee issued me a special ID, meaning I act like a 14-year-old, and the government considers me a 14-year-old. 

The afterlife committee is a lot. It consists of a lot of people, all deciding who stays and goes. Why me? I really don’t know. But I like to think it’s because I have a purpose. 

“Rae-rae….”

“Yes, Ast?”

“Can I have your math homework?”

“Aster! You have to do it yourself!”

“What fun is there in that?”

We’re lying on their bed, holding hands. We kind of just do it. I don’t know why. 

A lot of people ask if we’re dating, but I just... I don’t feel any of that sort of stuff. Rae, on the other hand, likes a lot of people. 

Again, balance. 

Monday:

Today, I’m actually attending school.

I put on my favourite black cargos, chains, and trinkets dangling off of my belt loops and pockets. I chose a white tank top I drew on in a Sharpie. And finally a nice green hoodie because it is December. 

Today is something special, hence why I’m attending. Big Man Rae-rae is having a presentation. 

I also have a presentation, technically, but with no slides and no script, I plan to do a more unique presentation style, improv.

Y’know, school isn’t that worth it to me. Math is cool and all, but the real stuff is engineering. And like, yeah, should I know math for that? Probably, but I can already code and stuff, so it’s fine.

Rae, perfectly together as always, does a great job and gets an A reporting on some smart people's book.

I, on the other hand, make up a 30 second speech on the one book I’ve read in my life, and then sit down dramatically. 

Shockingly, I fail, miserably. Lucky for me, there is no guardian to call in and instead I sit in the principal's office for like 5 minutes and promise to be better. 

“Rae-rae!”

“Yes?” The person that turns around is very much not Rae. Instead, it’s a kid I’ve never seen.

“Y- you’re not Rae…”

“Yeah. I’m Aspen.”

This Aspen kid, xyr special. I don’t know why really. Just a feeling.

Rae, in an ever spiralling romantic situation with this girl Emma, is happy to know I also have a new friend. I wonder if it’s because she wants to dump our friendship. 

She’s hoping Aspen and I will start dating. 

Aspen and I fit together like a puzzle. 

That’s how I think about it. 

Rae is my best friend, always will be, but Aspen is like best friend plus more. 

I wouldn’t say we’re dating, but definitely something close to it. 

I don’t often understand what I’m feeling. I’m weird like that. But recently, well, ever since Aspen, I haven’t really been able to describe what I feel for Xem. 

My other issue is that Aspen doesn’t exactly know I’m immortal. And if we are to extend our relationship, I feel like that could be important.

And it’s not that I don’t want to tell Xem, but I don’t know how I’m meant to bring that up. With Rae, it kinda just. Came out?

Oh, and issue number three, which, considering its importance, I probably should’ve remembered, but whatever. I’ve been summoned to the afterlife committee, meaning I’ve either royally messed up or they decided to revoke my immortality. Both aren’t great options.

[lukaothetornadowolfomegaverse]

Ian and Hazel's Wonderful Family! - Part 1

Ian Sweeney, you have to learn that SuperFruiter is a stupid bastard and that he needs to be arrested for hurting me! If you unblock me, I will CREATE your OC running really hard like the tornado, okay? I hope you all enjoy the wonderful story.

In 1998, Ian and Hazel were born in each of the maternity wards, the parents are happy to see them for the first time. Everything was going swimmingly, when suddenly, Ian's mother said: Honey, we have good news for you! You're going to have a beautiful little sister!

Young Ian: A little sister? I will have a little sister?! It's wonderful!

In the maternity ward, when Sally was born, Ian was so happy that he even cried with joy. Ian's dad consoled him lovingly with affection and good heart.

There at school, Ian met Hazel for the first time, it was a wonderful moment to begin their friendship. After years studying and getting higher grades, they finally graduated to the High School. During recess, Ian beat up the evil bully Kuromi and saved Hazel. The principal gave him a gold medal for saving his friends from the bullies. Even his parents were amazed and proud too.

When the last year of middle school arrived before graduation, they finally had their dream trip, Ian and Hazel met, dated and took pictures together with their friends. Hazel's parents were amazed to learn that they were dating. When Ian's grandfather died in 2013, Hazel comforted Ian and Sally as they cried and were very sad. Everyone knows that when someone we love dies, our hearts start to ache and we feel very sad.

After graduation of When high school arrived, Ian had never been to another school because everything was very different, the habits, customs and students were very different too. But Ian managed to study and had to put his relationship aside and got good and top grades. Some within the average too. Even Hazel managed to get good and top grades too.

Many years of study later, Ian and Hazel graduated with joy and excitement, everyone was amazed and overwhelmed with happiness.

On the wedding day, Ian showed up wearing a black suit that his father had given him and saw Hazel arrive wearing a wonderful and perfect wedding dress. All the guests cried with joy and emotion at the same time, the priest said: So, Ian. Do you take your beloved Hazel for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, loving and respecting her as a good wife?

Ian Sweeney: I do.

Priest: And you, Hazel? Do you take Ian to be your beloved husband for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, in joy and in sorrow, loving and respecting him?

Hazel: Yes, I do, Father!

Priest: Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.

Everyone celebrated Ian and Hazel's super cool wedding with joy and emotion. It was hard to have to leave their families to start a new life, until one day, they found the house that belonged to their late grandfather and were able to live there. With the money they earned, they were able to improve their grandparents' house and add a double bedroom that belonged to their grandparents.

Everything was going well, even at work, when suddenly, Hazel started getting pregnant and Ian was shocked: Am I going to be a dad?! How wonderful, honey!

Hazel: I know that, the doctor said my pregnancy test was positive!

Ian: Will it be a boy or a girl?

Hazel: I don't know.

In Hazel's 16th week of pregnancy, everyone had a gender reveal party to find out if it was going to be a boy or a girl. Even Hazel's parents showed up happy. At the time of the reveal, blue smoke appeared in the sky; it was a boy named Ian Jr., a father's name for his son.

The whole family decorated their son Ian Jr.'s room before he was born, it took a lot of help, effort, sweat and tears too, suddenly Hazel felt her water break, everyone rushed to the hospital as fast as they could. Hazel and Ian's parents were worried about whether everything was going to be okay with Hazel and the baby. In the delivery room, Ian said: You can do it, Hazel, push! I trust you.

Hazel: Crying in pain It hurts so much, Ian! I can't do it!

Doctor: I know it hurts, Hazel! But you're doing well, the head managed to came out. Just give one more push to get the shoulders out and it's over, okay?

Ian: Come on, honey. You're almost there, go! Keep going!

Hazel: Take a deep breath and push really hard, feeling the baby start to slide out

Sound of baby boy crying

Doctor: It's a boy!

Ian: You did it, honey! He's a beautiful boy!

Hazel: Cries with joy He's so beautiful.

Ian: How name will gave to him?

Hazel: How about Ian Jr.? It's a great honour to you.

Hours later, the families were amazed to see their grandson Ian Jr. for the first time. Even Hazel's father cried with joy and emotion and said: Congratulations, my daughter. We are so proud of you.

Many months later, Ian Jr. began to cry a lot, Hazel became worried and called the doctor to find out what happened to him. When he arrived, the doctor said: It's nothing serious, but I think he needs to rest for several days. Sometimes vaccines can cause symptoms too.

Hazel: Thank you very much, doctor. Thank you.

A few months later, Ian Jr. was able to walking and said his first word while babbling and cooing. Ian cried of joy when saw the first word: "Da-da."

Ian: You said daddy, Ian Jr.? It's wonderful! Cries of joy hugging his son Ian Jr.

Hazel: He's super cute.

Hanzo: Indeed yes, it's my grandson dear. We're very proud.

Ian Jr.: Mess his nappy Uh-oh!

Ian: Chuckles Don't worry, Ian Jr.. Daddy will change your nappy, okay?

When Ian Jr.'s first birthday came, everyone was super happy with the children's party theme, everyone sang, danced and even imitated funny characters. Even Ian Jr. managed to say "I love you guys!" because he is super cute.

When Ian turned 1 year and 6 months old, Mommy Hazel brought to his son Ian Jr. a potty to save on diaper changes. Ian Jr. got scared and started crying. Daddy Ian said, It's okay, Ian Jr. The potty won't hurt you, okay?

Ian Jr.: Daddy! I'm scared!

Hazel: There, there, Ian Jr.. Mommy's got you. Calms him lovingly

Well, fear can happen to anyone, okay?

The next morning, Ian Jr. woke up and said, "Mommy!"

Hazel: What's wrong, Ian Jr.?

Ian Jr.: I want to go potty!

Hazel: Okay, baby boy. Mommy's going to take you to potty, okay?

In the bathroom, Hazel picked up Ian Jr., took off his diapers and put him on the potty. Ian Jr. started to feel scared, but he gradually got over it. Hazel said as she helped Ian Jr. onto the potty: You can do it, push yourself, go.

Ian Jr.: Pushes very harder [Plop!]

Hazel: Yay! You did it, Ian Jr.!

Ian Jr.: Claps happily I did it!

Hazel: Whoa! It's a bigger poopy, huh? Say hello to the poopy.

Ian Jr.: Hiya poopy.

Hazel took the wet wipes and cleaned Ian Jr.'s bottom. He laughed at the tickle. Hazel emptied the potty waste into the toilet and flushed it, Ian Jr. said, Bye, pee, bye poopy. Hazel closed the toilet lid.

Later, Hazel turned on the tap and Ian Jr. washed his hands. Then Ian Jr. turned off the tap and wiped his hands with the washcloth. Hazel said, I'm so proud of you, son. You're super great! Blows raspberries on Ian Jr.'s tummy

Ian Jr.: Laughs feeling tickles That tickles, mommy!

End of part 1…

[hydrangeyes]

Snowball Fight

So if you don't know, Yes this already existed, my old account was deleted (accident but I can tell I won't be getting it back), and am reposting my old x male reader works!

I don't know if I saved all of them but here is one that was saved to my AO3 account.

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This is a barely edited rambly cliché, empty brain hrs, I’ll edit this out if there isn’t any. Anyway, I’ve been called in early for work so this will be hella late.

Hawks x Male reader, demon quirk (it’s not that important)

headcanon that keigo does not like cold weather, that yeah cool air on his wings are great but ice cold about to make icicles cold? hard pass.

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It was a crisp freezing cold Christmas week. Monday to be exact. Everything was covered in snow and the few brave (or stupid) souls out that afternoon were running about last minute Christmas shopping. It was this upcoming  thursday after all.

And thank whoever up there Keigo found himself off for the holidays, because he did not like the cold weather. See his wings can keep him warm but his wings themselves couldn’t take how harsh the winter air gets in the sky. So he’s been dubbed “useless unless it’s an emergency”. After all, it’s not like there’s gloves for every individual feather.

Letting out a bored sigh, he thinks about what he can do right now, not going to his apartment was one. Days off were a blessing but how empty his place was around this time made him antsy. A thought to call- no. Just pick up a bucket of chicken and go home, not think about- a dull wack to the back of his head sends him tumbling forward.

“P-pfft!! Hahahaha!!!” A familiar laugh coming from behind him. Keigo straightens turning with a fake smile. There behind him was his current avoidance. Y/n L/n, a good friend turned benefits that well…He was catching feelings for.  They started out as work buddies, Enji asking him to test a new recruit with a ‘demon’ like quirk.

And boy was he a beast. A tall 6’0, tight but soft muscles, hooded f/c eyes, and black hair styled up to reveal an undershave. Y/n’ whole look fit his sharp teeth, horned head, magic quirk. To be honest, hawks was a little bit surprised that y/n was a hero. Given he looked more on the villain side, he was surprised y/n got this far.

But after the test it didn’t take long for them to start up a casual friendship. Keigo smiled a little at the thought. Y/n was easy going and fun to be around. He didn’t expect anything from him and that just broke down a lot of the reservation keigo had. To say it took long for him to catch some type of feelings from their fuck friends arrangement, would be a fat lie.

It was fun and had him dazed easily. But it was the softness after and the hang outs that felt like dates that made him feel like he needed to run.

Which was his current problem. Having all avoided the man for a few weeks now to figure out what to do with these new emotions. Keigo felt guilty about it but well he was never taught how to handle these types of emotions…. In a good, healthy way at least.

“So much for being the quickest baby bird.” Y/n teases once he’s close enough. Snapping back to the present Keigo huffs pretending to be annoyed, his growing blush at the closeness kind of giving him away. “Mah, what has you so distracted?” Y/n asks, chuckling as Keigo gets redder. Scowling slightly, Keigo picks up a handful of snow and quickly packs it with a swing.

Y/n yelps as it hits his face. And seeing Y/n with such a surprised expression sends Keigo into a snort of laughter. Y/n blinks looking at his friend laughing up a storm, his wings drooping in the release of tension and grins. Good, he missed his idiot.

“Oh it’s on.” Y/n said, starting a mini snowball fight war, that grew as fans and kids joined in. Keigo can’t exactly say when he’s felt this light and happy (outside of learning he was gonna meet endeavor as an equal). As it got darker, things started to slow and with some pictures taken and left alone to catch their breaths.  It ended with just him and Y/n.

Let out one more breath before slinging an arm over Keigo’s shoulders, this was not where he was trying to go with looking for Keigo but- Y/n hums as Keigo presses into him freely as the wind starts to pick up. -This was perfect.

“Hey. My place?” Y/n mumbles hopefully

Suddenly Keigo couldn’t help but want to be working rather than having to answer that.  Adrenaline came back and he pulled away a bit unsure. Y/n sighs feeling the tension come back.

“What did I do?” Keigo quickly looks up at in confused “Wha-”

“Look I know when someone is avoiding me. So I’m guessing you want to break this whole arrangement off or something?” Y/n say as calmly as he could, but there was an edge of defeat in his tone. Keigo felt his wings ruffle and try to curl around the both of them. It was old, dark, and too public (they were in a park the back of his mind whispered). 

He would at least have this conversation somewhere warm and private. “Can we talk…at your place?” his eyes focused on y/n’s shoulder. “Yeah.” Y/n mumbles back, with a flick of his hand opening a portal to his living room and shuffling them in. Keigo shivers at the shift in temperatures kicking off his boots and plopping onto the couch, as y/n does the same with his shoes following after.

“Than-”

Y/n leans down pressing a kiss to keigo’s lips. Balancing himself with one hand on the couch a bit hunched over. He kept his body relaxed just in case keigo wanted to push him away. But he didn’t, instead gripping his coat and using it to tug him closer, deepening the kiss.

(Watch as my writing changes now that I found mood music, at least to me it does)

“I love you. I fell in love with you and I’m terrified” Keigo whispers softly, the words ringing through the nearly empty apartment. Keigo chuckles wetly as he felt himself tremble but he held on and nipped at y/n’s bottom lip. Y/n stares down at him, eyes unmoving breath escalating. 

“Heh…heheheh-” Y/n sucks in a breath as euphoria courses through him in a wave and he knocks keigo back full onto the couch kissing him recklessly. “My sweet, beautiful keigo.. I love you too. And there is nothing you need to be scared of.” Y/n whispers back at a startled keigo.

Both gave each other shaky smiles, neither able to articulate the sheer happiness they were feeling. So with another boost of adrenaline, Y/n leans down to start his journey loving every bit of Keigo freely.