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[moody-alcoholic]

These Violent Delights

Chapter 9 - Nothing Stays the Same

Summary: Poly 141 x fem!reader, a/b/o alternate universe 8.2k words. Why can things never stay the same, the omega just wants to be happy.

CW: a/b/o alternative universe, a/b/o dynamics, typical a/b/o universe tropes (scenting), use of weapons, Non-consensual drugging, blood, descriptions of wounds, horrible military inaccuracies, angst, nightmares, memory blackouts, gaslighting.

AN: This story arc is definitely one of the most fun I have ever written. Chapter's might come out a little quicker since I'm having so much fun writing. (No promises check HERE for updates)

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You wake before the sun is up. You would have to get used to early mornings again after you spent the last week getting as much rest as possible. The sun is just peeking through the clouds as you finish dressing and tiptoe through the barracks. As soon as you make it outside you take in a deep breath of pine filled air as you cross the green over to the lab. As you expected, Dr. Miller is the only one here this early. His head pops up from the desk as soon as you walk in. 

“Good morning.” He smiles as you walk over to him. 

“Good morning.” You smile at him sitting down on a stool next to him as he types something on a laptop. 

“What are we doing today?” you ask, rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. 

“Nothing too serious. Drink this,” he says, handing you a plastic cup filled with what looks like water. 

“What is it?” you ask. He looks up at you quickly, you can smell his alpha now. 

“If I tell you it could change the results. I’ll tell you after you’ve drunk it.” He smiles. You smile at him, swallowing your nerves. You bring it to your lips and drink it down as he watches you. It doesn’t taste of anything. Maybe it’s just water. You think you can taste salt but maybe that’s just your mind trying too hard. You put the empty cup down on the table. He smiles again, turning back to the laptop. 

“So John is your alpha now?” he asks. Your mouth suddenly goes dry. 

“Yeah,” you say, smacking your lips together. 

“What about Professor Hale?” 

You’re hit with a wave of dizziness. Your hand flies to the back of your neck. You cough, looking at Dr. Miller. He turns looking at you. Your body feels heavy. Adrenaline kicks in and you stand up off the stool. 

What’s happening? 

He gets up off his stool too as your vision goes blurry. Your body collapses to the ground. 

“It’s a mild sedative, you won’t remember any of this,” he says as he bends down in front of you, his words echoing in your ears. 

“It didn’t have to be like this,” he sighs. Then everything goes black. 

You jump awake. You’re laid in the bed in the exam room. Your head is spinning, and you don’t remember what happened. There’s a pain at the back of your neck. Your hand goes to feel the familiar indent of John’s mark. You’re alone, the pale yellow walls being lit up with shades of red. 

What happened? 

You came here to see Dr. Miller. 

What happened?

You get up making your way to the door. When it opens and you head to the stairs. You can only smell alpha in the air. It has to be Dr. Miller. You grip the banister as you walk down the steps. You can see the top of his head as you reach the bottom and he turns to look at you.

“Hey, you’re awake,” he calls, smiling at you. “I went to take some blood and you passed out.” 

You look at him, confused, as you make it to the bottom. 

“I’ve never seen you drop so fast. Have you been eating properly?” he asks as he comes over to you. You try to remember the last meal you had. 

“Pork something,” you say, rubbing the back of your neck. 

“The canteen hasn't had the nicest food lately,” he says smiling. You look up at him. He was taking your blood and you passed out. He's looking at you with a concerned look on his face. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You can lay down for a few more minutes if you want?” 

You shake your head. You need to get back to the barracks before anyone notices you’re gone. 

“Take it easy,” he calls after you as you leave the lab. Your hand drops from your neck as you see the sun rising over the top of the trees. You take in a deep breath, and the cool morning air fills your lungs. You can smell the pine, the wet ground. Your head feels fuzzy. 

What the hell happened?

Dr. Piper wakes you up by shaking your shoulder. She's smiling at you as you blink awake.

“It’s almost noon, thought you might want to eat.” 

You nod, swinging your legs out the bed. 

“What’s that?” you ask, looking at a pile of something on your desk. Dr. Piper looks around. 

“Simon got you some books. He and John managed to pull some strings so you would have something to do while they’re away.” 

“While they’re away?” you ask standing up. 

“Yes, I’ll let John explain,” she says, leading you out of the room. You make it into the common room. John is sitting at the table but you can’t see anyone else. 

“‘Afternoon,” he says, smiling as you sit next to him at the table. 

“Tea?” Dr. Piper asks. You shake your head, and John already has a mug in his hands. You both look up at her and she seems to take that as her cue to leave. John puts his hand on your thigh under the table as he waits until the door closes and he’s sure the doctor is gone before talking. 

“We have to go away. For a mission. It shouldn’t take us long, a few days at the most,” he says. You look up at him.  

“What are you doing?” you ask. 

“Nothing you need to worry about,” he says 

“You’re a soldier,” you say, swallowing away the lump in your throat.

“Yeah, but it’s better if you don’t know.” 

“I don’t want you to get hurt.” You feel sick again. The thought of John or anyone in your pack getting hurt makes a knot form in your stomach. You want John to say something. You want him to tell you it’s all going to be okay. He doesn’t say anything though, and it feels like the seconds are dragging on. 

“We may be soldiers but we’re special forces. Counter-terrorism. We stop the worst of the worst people,” he says. You look up at him waiting for him to continue. You remember what Dr. Miller said that one time: ‘They will kill for you, they have killed for you.’

“You kill the bad guys,” you say, forcing a smile. 

“Exactly, you don’t need to worry. We’re experts,” he says. 

“How long will you be gone for?” 

“A few days. 2 at the most.” 

“Let me guess, you can’t tell me where,” you say, smiling, trying to lighten the mood. You want him to know you’re okay with this. It’s just a part of their life you need to accept.

“California. That’s all I can tell you,” he says, and you smile. You get the feeling he wasn’t supposed to tell you even that. Who would you tell though, Dr. Piper? She probably already knows. Dr. Miller? What’s he going to do? 

“Bring me a souvenir?” You smile at him, trying to keep the mood light. He smiles. 

“Thank you for the books,” you say. He squeezes your thigh. 

“It was Simon who suggested it actually, made the boys take a trip to a charity shop. I’m sorry if you’ve read some of them already. 

“It’s fine honestly, thank you.” You’re grateful for something to do other than watching TV. 

“When we come back would you be interested in helping with some more training?” he asks. You nod. You like being helpful, especially if you can help them. His hand leaves your leg, and he gets up. 

“Lunch?” he asks. You nod, following him out.

Ghost walks towards the top of the hill backing up on the house they were due to raid. Soap was by his side. Price and Gaz were on the other side of the building with SWAT.

“Hill’s a pain in the ass,” Soap pants as they make it to the overview point. 

“You need to workout more,” Ghost sighs, getting into position laying down and setting up his sniper. Soap lays next to him pulling out some binoculars. 

“Nice house, could you imagine something like that LT?” 

Ghost sighs looking down at the massive house with the immaculately mowed garden. There’s a pool and gazebo. Why have a pool when you live less than a kilometer from the beach.

“Bravo-2 in position,” Ghost says over the radio, ignoring Soap’s comments. 

“A mansion with a pool, a nice big lawn, surrounded by greenery,” Soap says. The light is low in the sky. It’s still early morning. The best time to catch this guy. 

“Get in position, Soap,” he says without looking over at him. He hears Soap sigh shuffling down the hill to drop behind the wall surrounding the garden. Ghost’s watching the house for signs of life. His job is to watch their backs to make sure there are no surprises.

“Bravo-1 in position. Any movement?” Price’s voice comes in Ghost’s ear. He looks through his scope checking the windows again. 

“Negative,” he responds as he sees Soap jump the wall. 

“Remember boys, as soon as the place is clear we’ll send in the locals,” Laswell’s voice states over the comms. They didn’t need to be here for this. Ghost and Price knew that. This could have easily been done by the local constabulary. Or even Shadow Company. Shepherd is doing this on purpose to get them off the base.

It felt wrong leaving the omega alone with the threat of Professor Hale hanging over them. Price had spoken with Dr. Montgomery though. She wasn’t a soldier but she was willing to protect the omega with her life and that’s all they needed. The sound of dogs barking pulls Ghost’s attention to the backdoor. 

“Shite, no one said anything about a dog,” Soap says, moving away from the back door. There are lights coming on in the house now. 

“Got movement, upstairs,” Ghost relays. Shit, they’ve been caught. 

“Watcher, call in the troops we’re going in hot,” Price says as Ghost starts to put his rifle away. “Ghost, Soap, take the back door.” 

Ghost’s not even paying attention as he puts the rifle down, sliding down the hill and jumping the wall to meet with Soap. The dogs are barking again as downstairs lights are being turned on. 

“Bravo-2, we’ve got movement here.” 

“Remember, there are civilians inside with the mark,” Price says.

“The mark is a male, 40, is to be considered armed and dangerous,” Laswell says. 

“Copy,” Ghost replies as he stacks up on the door with Soap. Price starts a countdown as Ghost can hear the man inside trying to wrangle the dogs. The countdown stops and on zero Soap kicks the door in.

Everything happens fast: there’s shouting, banging, voices of people from different parts of the house. Soap has a man in the kitchen on his stomach, hands behind his back in zipties. As Ghost makes it through the massive kitchen and dining room to a door, he spies Price and the rest of the officers fanning out. Soap comes up beside him.

“Where do you reckon the dogs are?” he asks as Ghost scans the adjoining room. 

“Garage by the sound of it,” he replies. That's good that they’re out of the way for now.

“We’ve got one civilian in the kitchen,” Soap relays over the radio. There's a steady stream of information coming through the radio now. Price and Gaz finish securing the ground floor before meeting with Ghost and Soap in the living room. Police and SWAT were moving around the house securing the civilians. No sign of their main man though.   

“LT wanna clear the garage?” Soap shouts. Ghost turns to nod at him. He walks back through the kitchen and SWAT are talking to the man Soap tied up earlier. Ghost gets a good look at him as he passes, following Soap to a door. Definitely not the mark, too young, not tall enough.  

Soap stacks up on one side of the door while Ghost takes the other, moving his weapon to fit more comfortably in his hands. 

“I hate shooting dogs,” Soap says. 

“Don’t. I'll do it then,” Ghost says.

“You’re a cold bastard sometimes you know,” Soap says, tipping his head. Ghost rolls his eyes pressing down on the door handle as he pushes it open. He scans with his weapon and there are 2 cars in the massive garage. He walks in with Soap behind him, there very well could be someone in here.

They still haven't found the mark and there are no signs of the dogs. Ghost and Soap split, with Ghost walking behind the cars and Soap walking in front of them. They walk in sync, slow as they scan each corner. 

It’s when they’re standing between the cars that someone springs out. Ghost doesn’t have much time to determine if it’s a threat or not. He sees the weapon in his hands. Soap is shouting at him over the hood of the car. Shots ring out, and the man drops.

“Contact, garage,” Ghost shouts as he hears people rushing in. He looks over at Soap. He can smell the blood in the air, he can smell pain.

“Johnny!” Simon calls for his attention as they walk round to check the body. Ghost watches him looking for where Soap is injured. There’s the body of the man, blood pooling from his head. 

“Watcher, target eliminated,” Ghost says as he watches Soap lower his weapon, his hand pressing on his shoulder. Now he can see the blood.  

“Good job boys, sending exfil, we’ll leave the clean up to the locals,” Laswell says in his ear. 

“Ghost what’s the sitrep?” Price asks.

“Mark down, Soap’s hit,” Ghost says, letting his weapon swing down going over to him. 

“I’m good LT, it’s just a scratch.” 

“Yeah, I’ll be the judge of that,” Ghost says, half dragging him out of the garage and back into the building. He pushes him down on the first available seat. Soap is still protesting when Gaz comes round the corner.

“What’d ya do Soap?” he asks as Ghost pulls his sleeve up. He’s been shot through the shoulder. 

“How do you feel?” Ghost asks. 

“I’m fine LT, don’t need you fussing,” Soap says as he looks up at Ghost. A shoulder shot could take him out the field for weeks. Ghost starts pressing bandages into the wound as Soap winces.

“Holy shit,” Gaz says looking at the back of his shoulder where the exit wound should be. “It was through and through right?” Gaz looks up at Ghost who looks confused, he moves to see what Gaz is looking at. It’s definitely through and through but the bleeding has stopped. The exit wounds indicate the bullet shattered but the smaller wounds are healing up before their very eyes. Ghost takes the bandage off the entrance wound. It’s stopped bleeding already.

“What is it?” Soap asks, trying to look, but Ghost grabs his arms, keeping him in place. 

“It’s healing already,” Gaz says. 

“How do you feel?” Ghost asks him. Soap stands up moving his shoulder. 

“Fine, we’re super soldiers, remember,” Soap says playfully, nudging Ghost. Price walks round the corner taking the scene in for a second. 

“You solid?” he asks Soap who nods at him. “Gaz, Soap go help SWAT out front. Try not to piss them off before exfil gets here.” He sighs watching Soap pull the skin around his wound. 

“Don’t play with it, it’ll get infected,” Gaz says, swatting his hand away and placing a bandage over it.

“We’re fucking super soldiers mate, a little infection isn’t going to slow me,” Soap says. Ghost shakes his head. He must still have adrenaline running through his system. Price looks up at Ghost moving so Gaz and Soap can leave. Price nods him back to the garage which has been opened out to the garden now. He can see officers and SWAT doing their thing, a tent has been set up with a table and a laptop. Vans are being driven into the driveway.

Price walks down the steps to look over at the body while Ghost follows him, but something catches his eyes and before he reaches Price, he picks up a piece of paper. His stomach sinks. Now that Soap is not in the room, he can smell the familiar smell of blood and death. There’s something else there too. Beta. 

“Look at this,” Ghost says, taking a step and handing the paper to Price. He reads the same thing Ghost read a few seconds earlier.

“Omega initiative. Shit.” He looks back at the body, they both do. Ghost killed him. He had a weapon in his hand, and he shot Soap. 

“Whoever doesn’t go back to work for Hale has a death sentence,” Ghost says as a matter of fact putting the pieces together. 

“Not necessarily, our orders were to take him alive,” Price corrects him. “Back to Graves.” 

“Back to Hale,” Ghost says. Price sighs, turning to him he folds the paper up putting it in one of his vest pockets.

“Seems like Hale’s doing a bit of a recruitment drive.”  

“What are you reading?” Dr. Miller asks as you sit on the stool reading the last few pages of the chapter. 

“Moby-Dick.” You show him the cover, smiling.

“Here, smell this one,” he says, pressing a q-tip under your nose. You wince at the strong smell. 

“Smells like chemicals,” you say, turning the page. He sighs writing something down. 

“Try this one,” he says with a new q-tip and a new smell. You breathe it in. It’s not as strong. 

“Smells like beta,” you say. He sighs again and writes something else down. 

“Stronger or weaker than the last one?” 

“Weaker,” you say, unsure. 

“How’s it going?” you ask. He seems frustrated about something. 

“The scents are either too strong or not strong enough to mask anything.” You watch as he dips a clean q-tip in another clear liquid. He sniffs it then holds it under your nose. 

“Smells sweet, like apple pie,” you say. It’s the smell of your mother. Or at least the smell you used to think was what your mother smelt like. You put the book down, marking your page. It makes you sad. Your head is starting to spin after smelling so many different things.

“Smells like sadness.” You sigh. 

“I’m sure your pack will be back soon. It’s been 2 days,” he says. You nod, standing up. You don’t want to do this anymore. 

“One more, come on,” he says, reaching out and lightly pulling your arm. You sigh, turning back to him, letting him push the q-tip under your nose. You breathe it in. 

“Alpha,” you say. He nods, smiling. 

“You should get some rest. You did good today,” he says. You nod, gripping the book and heading back to the barracks. You hate being in the barracks when your pack’s not around. It just feels empty. You walk in to see Dr. Piper making coffee. Almost as soon as they had left, she had moved a coffee machine in. 

“Hey, where have you been so early?” she asks, stirring a cup of something. 

“Dr. Miller needed my help for the scent blocker.” She looks confused for a second as she sits at the table. 

“Do you help him a lot?” she asks. You shrug. You’re tired now. 

“Not really, I just wish it wasn’t so early,” you say, sitting down opposite her. 

“I’ll have a word with him. You should get a good night's rest,” she says, sipping on her coffee. “How have you been sleeping? Have the nightmares been getting better?” 

You nod. They haven’t been as bad. It feels like everything gets worse when your pack’s not around though. You miss them. 

“When do you think they’ll be back?” you ask. 

“Well, actually Kate told me they should be back tonight. I didn't want to tell you because they still might get held up,” she says. You look up at her smiling. It makes you feel warm thinking about the fact they could be back tonight.

You’re too excited to take a nap now. You smile at her, almost skipping down to your room. You look at the sun rising over the trees, the pile of books and the scent of nature in the air makes you happy. Happier than you’ve been in years. 

You curl up in your nest, feeling the warm bubble inside you get stronger. You end up in your nest with a stack of books. You manage to make it through Moby-Dick before you start feeling sleepy. Your mind wanders to your pack wondering what they’re doing as you find yourself dozing off a few pages into your next book.

You’re back in the lab. You’re laying in a bed. It’s a hospital bed. You can’t smell anything in the air, but you know where you are. You’re back in the bunker, the horrible dark place. The door opens and you expect the Professor to walk in. Instead it’s Dr. Miller. You don’t relax though. 

“What are you doing here?” you ask as you try to move but you can't. You're tied down. He doesn’t say anything, going over to a table and picking something up. You try to move and as you can’t, panic rises in you. You feel sick as you see him turn round. He’s holding a scalpel in his hand. The door opens again and it is Graves, the man who went into your personal space, who ordered your nest destroyed. You stare at him wide eyes, confused as you look back over at Dr. Miller. 

“What’s happening?” you ask, panic rising in your voice as you try to move but you can’t. You’re pinned down too tightly. 

“It didn't have to be like this,” Dr. Miller says, pulling a surgical mask over his face. 

“No, please,” you plead as he nods at Graves whose hands land on your face, pulling your head to the side uncomfortably. The back of your neck is exposed as you can feel Dr. Miller touch your mark. You plead for him to stop, but he doesn’t say anything. You scream as his scalpel makes contact with your skin. Everything goes blurry as tears stream down your face. You’re fighting with Graves’ grip as best as you can, trying to move your head. There’s more pain now, another cut and everything goes black.  

You wake screaming. Your hand flies to the back of your neck. You can feel your mark, the indents John’s teeth left. You’re shaking, panting, it feels like you can’t breathe, your nails digging into your hand. You hear commotion as your door is flung open. Dr. Piper is there. She rushes over, her cool hands finding your face forcing you to look at her as you rub the back of your neck. 

“You’re okay, it’s just a dream,” she says. You’re not listening to her. You smell alpha in the air, and looking behind her you can see Johnny in the doorway. They’re back. You look down at Dr. Piper, trying to take deep breaths but it just comes out as sobs.

She pulls you into her arms as you let your hand drop from the back of your neck. You close your eyes breathing in her calming scent. She’s shushing you, rubbing your back. You open your eyes, blinking the tears away looking over at the doorway. John is there now, standing in the doorway outside the threshold of your space. 

“John,” you breathe. Dr. Piper lets you go as John steps into the room. She turns to look and gets up. 

“Hey,” he says, kneeling down by you. Your nest is a mess. You must have been thrashing around in your sleep. You don’t wait, throwing yourself in his arms almost knocking him over. You see Dr. Piper leave, pulling the door closed and shooing the others away. You need this time now with your alpha. You close your eyes breathing in his scent, letting it fill your lungs. He’s back and he’s safe. 

“I’ve missed you,” you say, gripping him tighter like this is a dream too and he’s going to vanish at any second. 

“We’ve only been gone 2 days, not even 48 hours.” You can hear the smile in his voice as his hands run over you. You break away from the hug. 

“What was the dream about?” he asks. 

“The bunker, Graves was there,” the memory is fading. There was someone else too, but you can’t remember who. The Professor, probably. 

“You’re never going back there. We destroyed it, remember,” he says, smiling at you. You nod. You know the place is gone. It’s not gone in your mind though.

“Want to lie down in my bed?” he asks, and you nod. You do, you want to be near him. You support yourself on him as he helps you off the floor. He holds his hand out and you take it letting him wrap his arm around you. 

“You know Graves is never going to be coming in here again. You’re safe here,” he says. You can see in the common room.  Johnny and Kyle poke their heads round the corner and you smile at them. John presses you into his room, and the place is messier than you’ve ever seen it. A bag half unpacked is in the middle of the room, and there’s an open laptop and weapons on the desk. They make your breath catch in your throat. You walk over and sit on the bed. 

“Did you kill anyone?” you ask as he pulls your chin up to look at him. He shakes his head. You can smell the lie in the air. 

“You don’t have to lie,” you say, swallowing. He looks at you like he’s deciding what to do, letting out a sigh and coming to sit next to you on the bed. 

“You told me you wouldn’t worry,” he says.

“I didn’t worry. I just missed you,” you say as he strokes your thigh. 

“Lay down,” he instructs. You follow his instructions, laying on the side of the bed pressed up against the wall. He lays next to you and you turn your body to the side so you can look at him. 

“So, we have this mission. One guy, suspected to be smuggling and selling large quantities of pharmaceuticals to private buyers. We work with the local police and SWAT but Commander Graves wants him brought in alive. Unfortunately, he managed to get a weapon and took a shot at John-”

“Johnny got shot?” you gasp, propping yourself up in the bad. You feel a wave of nausea wash over you. Someone in your pack got hurt.

“He’s fine,” John says, his hand resting on your shoulder pushing you back down on the bed. Your eyes dart to the door. You saw him in your room, and he did look fine. Maybe he is fine. Your heart still aches for him though, the image of him being injured is swimming around in your head. 

“John’s fine but Simon shot the guy and unfortunately he died. The police secured the house and found the evidence they needed to arrest the other members of the family then we came back,” he finishes explaining. You swallow hard. You knew they were doing horrible things, they’re soldiers. 

“Does that happen a lot? Getting shot?” you ask scooting closer to him. 

“No, we don’t make a habit out of it.” He smiles, his fingers coming to brush hair out of your face. You close your eyes relaxing into the pillow. 

“Dr. Montgomery told me you’ve been helping Dr. Miller?” You nod. “You should get some rest. I’ll wake you up for dinner?” he asks, you nod again. You still feel tired, all the scenting this morning must have really taken it out of you. He leans over and kisses you on the forehead as you get under the covers. He gets up, takes his laptop and leaves the room. You smile rolling over to his side of the bed. His pillows have his scent. You relax, breathing it in, closing your eyes. They’re back and they’re safe. It’s not getting easier though, each time they go away. 

You wake to shouting. John isn’t in the bed, and something is going on in the common room. Your body feels stiff, and you can already tell you’ve been asleep for way more than a few hours.  

“Fuck off!” That’s Johnny, you can hear his accent cutting thick through the air. 

“Shepherd wanted me to deliver the message personally.” It’s Graves. You swallow, opening the door to the hall. You can see John and Simon standing there both with their arms crossed. Johnny is the one who looks back and sees you. He walks up stopping in front of you. You try to look around him, his hand lands on your shoulder. 

“What's going on?” you ask. 

“‘Hey sleepyhead, how ‘bout you go back to bed for a bit,” he says smiling at you. You can see it’s getting dark out. You must have slept for a good few hours.

“Is that her?” you hear Graves call. You freeze, reaching out and gripping Johnny’s arm. John said he would never be back. 

“Time to go Graves. Don’t you have a base to take care of?” John says. 

“You have until the morning,” he says. You swallow hard looking up at Johnny. You can smell him projecting a calming scent. You wonder if he and Kyle have had time to practice. Or maybe they are just naturals. You hear a door close and let go of Johnny’s arm. He smiles, putting his arm around your shoulders, and you stop, nudging it off.

“You were shot Johnny,” you say. He smiles, putting it back round you and continuing to walk you into the common room. 

“Super soldier remember, thanks to that drug of yours.” Simon is still standing with his arms crossed watching Graves walk across the green back towards the main building. John is sitting down at the table with Kyle sipping tea. 

“Sorry we woke you,” Kyle says looking at you sympathetically. You look at John. He looks tired. You feel sad all of a sudden, like you want to reach out and hug him. He looks up at you and meets your eye-line for a second. A shiver runs down your spine. 

“Did you get into trouble?” you ask

“No,” it’s Simon’s voice that speaks up. So harsh in the air you almost jump. John pushes his chair out getting up with his cup of tea. You feel bad, like you’ve done something wrong. You watch as he disappears into his office without saying a word. 

“Sit down, lass,” Johnny says, placing a cup of tea down in front of you. For someone who doesn't drink it, Johnny somehow manages to make the best tea. You nod, sitting down. Simon finally moves. He walks behind you knocking on John’s office. He doesn’t wait for a response though before going in. 

“What did Graves want?” you ask. Johnny and Kyle look at each other then back at you. 

“‘Nothing you need to worry about,” Johnny smiles. You try to ignore the yearning to know more. You wish they wouldn’t be so secretive. You wish they would tell you what they were doing. No, you don’t deserve that information , you remind yourself. You’re not a soldier, just an omega . It only feels like it’s been a few seconds of awkward silence before John and Simon walk back out into the common room. You sip your tea as John sits at the table opposite you. 

“Professor Hale has requested to have contact with you.” You freeze at his words. The tea suddenly tastes horrible in your mouth. You want to spit it out instead you swallow it down letting it burn your throat. 

“You can say no, but he wants you to know the option is there.” It feels like John is looking into your soul, his eyes harsh as he tries to read your reaction. The Professor has always been such a constant in your life. You think back to what Dr. Miller said. Maybe he did love you? Maybe this was his way of saying sorry? Or maybe he’ll let you stay with your pack, watch you from a distance, and then spring when you least expect it. It makes you feel sick. 

“I—” You start but the words catch in your throat. What if this was a test, some weird fucked up experiment. You look up at John. Simon is standing behind him with his arms crossed. You trust them, there’s no way this is a test. Does Dr. Piper know? What would she say? She worked with him for years. Maybe she would like to communicate with him again. You close your eyes, sighing.

“I don’t want to see him,” you say, looking down at your tea, gripping it harder like you’re about to be told you don’t have a choice. You feel guilty. It doesn’t feel real. It’s like it’s the end of a massive part of your life. If you never see him again, will you ever forgive yourself? A hand rests on the top of your back, and you look up seeing Kyle smile down at you. You look over at John. He’s watching you, and you can’t tell if he looks disappointed or not. Simon’s still standing behind him with his arms crossed. You can never tell what he’s thinking.  

“If you ever change your mind.” 

You shake your head. 

“He’s been the only other constant in my life. He did love me. I feel like I should give him the benefit of the doubt.” You look back down.

“You don’t owe him anything,” John says. You don’t know if you believe him or not. The last time you saw the Professor, he was breaking your ankle for trying to leave. Kyle's hand runs across your back. 

“He tortured you. You spent your whole life being hurt. He doesn’t deserve the right to even ask. You never have to see him again. You shouldn’t see him again,” Simon says, his voice is sharp in the air. You look up at him. You’ve come to learn that Simon’s not the most talkative person but he means everything he says.

“He’s right,” Kyle says. “You have no reason to talk to him.”

You look down at your mug. You feel the tears coming, your eyes welling up as you try to stop them, squeezing your eyes shut. You have to be strong, you don’t get to cry for him. Simon’s right and Kyle is right. You never have to see him again. When you open your eyes everything is blurry. You swallow the lump in your throat away. 

You don’t know what happens but the next thing you know Kyle’s hand has left your back and everyone is walking out of the building. John stays seated. You bring your sleeve up to wipe your eyes. You try to hide it but you’re not doing the best job. John waits until the building is empty before getting up and sitting in the seat next to you. He turns your chair to face him slightly. You let go of your cup, as you turn to look at him. His hand comes up to your chin pulling your face up to look at him. He leans down and kisses your forehead. 

“Simon’s right, Professor Hale doesn’t deserve the right to even ask you. If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even be asking,” he says, his thumb stroking your cheek. He brushes one of your tears away. 

“I feel guilty,” you admit. You want to look down but John’s hand on your face won’t let you. John nods.

“You don’t have anything to feel guilty about.” His thumb brushes your cheek. You nod. He stands up, offering you his hand. You take it and he leads you to the sofa. You sit down and you sit next to him. He spreads his arm over the back of the sofa and you smile at him as you lean up against him. He reaches over to pick up the remote. 

“More of the screaming women?” he asks, flicking through the channel as smile.

“You pick,” you say, snuggling up against him more. 

“John?” He hums rubbing your arm. “Are you going to kill the Professor?” There’s silence. You don’t know why you were expecting a quick answer. You don’t know if you’re going to like the answer. 

“I would kill him. If I had to.” You look up at him. He smiles at you. 

“Do you ever regret it? Killing anyone?” 

“From time to time, sometimes people get mixed up in all sorts of things.” 

“How do you do it?” 

“The good outweighs the bad.” He squeezes you tighter. “You don’t need to worry about that kind of stuff.” You sigh, stretching your arm across his stomach. You let yourself relax. You don’t know how you would feel if the Professor was to die. Maybe you would feel relief, or maybe you would feel even more guilty.

John starts talking about what’s happening on the TV but you’re only half paying attention, your mind preoccupied with the Professor. It doesn’t feel like you’ve been laid there for very long when the door to the building opens. John turns and you sit up to see who’s walked in.

“Johnny’s shoulder’s playing up. Si’s taken him to see the doc,” Kyle says as he sticks his head in the door. 

“Dr. Piper?” you ask as you sit up, a lump forming in your stomach. John said he was fine. Kyle nods and John gets up off the sofa. You follow him as he walks out of the building. All of you take a quick walk across the green to the lab. When you get in, a few scientists look over at you all. You see Dr. Miller who smiles at you. 

“She’s upstairs if you’re looking for her,” he says. John thanks him and you make your way up to the medical room. When you walk in, Simon is leaned up against the wall on the far side of the room, his arms crossed. Johnny is sat on the edge of the bed with his shirt off. Dr. Piper’s taking the bandage off his shoulder. You feel blood rush to your cheeks as you see him topless. He’s fitter than John is, and hairier too which you didn’t expect. He winks as you and you look away trying not to feel embarrassed. 

“It’s healed fine. You say it’s still painful?” she asks, pressing down on and around where the scar is. 

“It healed that quickly?” John asks, shocked crossing his arms as he leans in to look. 

“Yeah, one of the wonders of the drug,” she says, smiling. “If it still hurts tomorrow we’ll do an x-ray but it’s most likely your bones just taking a little longer to heal. I’ll get you a sling.” She heads through the door in the room. You peek your head in seeing a bed and some storage. 

“Physical wounds and broken bones will repair themselves relatively quickly, most of the time within 24-48 hours, as long as you’re in good health. Blood is a big factor too. Lose too much of it and you will not be able to repair yourself,” Dr. Piper says as she hands Johnny his shirt back. He pulls it on. 

“What about getting sick?” Kyle asks.

“You have a stronger immune system but you can still get sick, also of course the healthier you are the better it works,” Dr. Piper says. 

“Okay so we don’t have to worry about getting shot in the field,” Johnny chuckles.

“Well if you get shot in the head or the heart, you’ll still probably be dead. Trauma is still trauma,” Dr. Piper says, helping him secure the sling.

“I can show you,” you say looking round the room. They look at you confused for a few seconds. You walk over to a tray and pick up a scalpel.

“Woah, wait!” They all start to protest as you bring the blade to your lower arm.

“It’s okay, the Professor used to make me do it all the time,” you say, shrugging. 

“Stop!” John’s voice is harsh in the air as you look at him waiting for what he will say next. “You don’t have to hurt yourself to show us.” You look up at Dr. Piper who shrugs. You move putting the scalpel back down. You feel the collective sigh in the room as you look around them. 

“Okay, so we still need to continue to treat injuries seriously,” John says to everyone. Johnny jumps down off the bed.

“If you want I can look into maybe making something that can speed up the wound healing process? Professor Hale was pretty close to a breakthrough before you rescued the omega,” Dr. Piper says as she walks around everyone, opening the door to back out to the lab.

“Sure, if you think you can,” John says as everyone piles out. You smile at Dr. Piper as you pass her. 

“You should all get some food before the mess closes,” John says, stopping at the top of the steps. 

“What about you?” you ask him. Now that you think of it, when does he ever get time to eat? You’ve only seen him eat a few times. 

“I’ll catch up, just have to have a word with Dr. Montgomery first,” he says, placing his hand on the small of your back and gently pressing you to the steps. You sigh following Kyle down the steps. The lab is empty. Most of the scientists will have gone for breaks since it is almost midday. Kyle waits for you, holding the door open as you all exit. 

“So did Professor Hale make you hurt yourself a lot?” he asks as you walk next to Kyle across the grass.

“It’s the best way to prove to people it works. He would have people come and I got to show off for them.” 

“What do you mean?” he asks. 

“Well like, he would have these people called ‘investors’ I think, and I would get to dress nice and get out of my room for the day. He would show them around the lab and they would meet all the scientists, and then they would meet me. I would show them the ‘miracles’ of the formula,” you explain as you make it to the mess.  

“Do you remember any of them?” It’s Simon ahead of you who asks the question. You shake your head.

“They were always men, always in such nice clothes. I never knew their names. He would always just call them ‘investor,’” you say, picking up a tray. Simon hums and you follow him and Johnny piling your plate with food and two pudding cups.

“Dr. Piper might know,” you say. Simon nods. You want to be helpful, but a lot of the time when it comes to what happened in the bunker, it can get blurry. You’re never quite sure where the real memories start. Besides, thinking about them upsets you. It’s enough that you have nightmares, you don’t need to worry about it during the day too. You follow Kyle to a table sitting down in front of Simon. You’re so caught up in your thoughts you don’t even realise Simon has pulled the bottom of his mask up. 

You think back to a few days ago when you saw the top of his head and his blonde hair. You’re trying to piece the two together to imagine what his whole face might look like. You’re staring at him, gawking at him as he chews on his food. His head tips to the side as he looks at you, and you watch him swallow as his fork comes back up to his mouth.

“It’s rude to stare,” he says. You immediately feel heat come to your cheeks, looking back down at your tray. Your hands fiddle with the lid on your pudding cup as you let the wave of embarrassment wash over you.

“Be nice LT,” Johnny hisses under his breath, nudging him. You feel like you’ve invaded his privacy. Maybe you should apologize. You look back up at him as you pick up your spoon. You don’t know what to say, so you just spoon some pudding in your mouth. As soon as it hits your tongue it tastes bitter. You almost want to spit it out but you swallow it, frowning as you look at the cup. 

“Not good?” Johnny asks. You look at the flavor, butterscotch. You don’t think you’ve ever tried that one before. 

“I don’t think I like butterscotch,” you say, putting your spoon down. Johnny reaches over picking up the unopened one. 

“That’s not possible.” Johnny smiles at you. You smile back picking up your fork. Guess it serves you right for skipping straight to dessert. You eat your food listening to Johnny and Kyle talk, but you can’t help your eyes wondering to Simon every now and then. You really want to see him smile. You wish you could see him without the mask. Maybe you will, if he’s getting more comfortable around you. At one point he turns and your eyes meet his, you smile at him but instead he ignores you, turning back to listen into the conversation between Johnny and Kyle. 

You spend most of the meal just pushing food around the plate. You’re distracted by something you can’t quite put your finger on. You’re not hungry, just tired. You want to crawl into your nest with a book and sleep. You’ve been sleeping in there more than in your bed. It’s not comfortable sleeping on the floor but you feel like that you have less nightmares when you’re safe in your nest compared to in your bed. 

You excuse yourself from the table, ignoring Kyle’s comments that you’ve hardly eaten anything. When you make it outside, the dark clouds make the air feel electric. Maybe there’s a storm coming. You can hear the distant rumbles as you make your way across the green to the barracks. The lights are off. John must not be back yet. You turn the one in the common room on then walk to your room. 

Your nest is still a mess from earlier. You pull the duvet and pillows off your bed and bend down fixing it. You stack all the pillows back up, laying blankets over them as you arrange everything around. You keep going till it feels right again. You go over to the books on the table. You don’t know what you want to read. You pick up ‘ The Secret Garden’ if not just for the pretty cover. You take it over to your nest climbing in and leaning up against the wall. 

You hear Johnny, Kyle and Simon coming back from the mess a few pages into the book. You hear their voices in the common room, the sound of doors opening and closing. You smile, letting yourself relax, and you read until you fall asleep.

When John makes it back to the barracks Johnny and Kyle are laid out on the sofa. Simon is sat at the table with a mug in his hand. John stands in the doorway as everyone turns to look at him. Simon meets his eye line, John tips his head gesturing outside. 

‘Follow me.’

Simon gets up immediately leaving the table as John steps back outside. He walks away from the building to the wall round the edge of the base. He waits a few seconds before speaking. 

“The labs have been bugged,” John says. 

“Think it’s Graves?” Simon asks. John sighs.

“Don’t know, she only found it yesterday.” 

“Mic? Camera?” 

“Microphone,” he replies. 

“Think there's more?” Simon asks.

“Think so, why only plant one.” 

“What do you want to do?” 

“If it is Graves, I don’t want him to know we’re on to him. It could be something else though.” John sighs scratching his chin. 

“Who? Shepherd?” 

“I don’t know. If the lab is bugged though there’s a chance the barracks are too.”

“Want to search it?” 

“I want to do it without raising suspicion, from Graves, Shepherd, anyone.” 

“What about Soap and Gaz?” Simon asks as they make it back towards the barracks.

“No, let's keep it between us, until we have proof or know who’s doing it. Dr. Montgomery is going to keep an eye out. She’ll let me know if she finds anything,” John says, stopping at the door to the barracks. Kyle and Johnny are still sitting on the sofa as they both walk in. 

“Hey LT, Kyle found the football!” Johnny says enthusiastically. 

“Manchester United, that's the good one right?” Johnny smiles. Simon sighs going back over to the table to get his cup of tea.

“Just keep it down,” John says, going to his office.

“It’s the first match of the league Cap, wanna watch?” Kyle calls. He does but he shakes his head, he has work to do. He watches Simon take his tea over to the sofa chair. He looks down the hall seeing your bedroom door closed, and he takes in a long breath. He can smell you in the air, strawberries. He smiles and walks into his office.

next Dividers by Plum98 & gild-ui Beta reader and editor - rememberwren

[crystalandparrot]

RC9GN x Reader

New Season

Not my art!!

NEW SEASON OF RC9GN!!! This takes place AFTER the Sorcerer's defeat

If you would like to know what voice actors I had in mind for the new characters, I'll make a skippable chapter about it.

This is very different from my other stories! This (Y/n) is MAINLY based on Donnie from ROTTMNT. She can be seen as autistic, but for the sake of not writing too many details, I'll stick to the basics. If you want some chapters that have more details about autistic characters, I can write a few one shots. I don't want ANY exclusion. Without spoiling too much, her weapon is also VERY much like Donnie's. Lots of attachments, tools, and things that could further a plot line. A lot of the technology will be the same but it will all have different purposes. This is gonna be really out of my comfort zone, as most (Y/n) I write are somewhat based on me. If it ever gets too confusing or to OOC, let me know. I want to clarify, (Y/n) is NOT Donnie, I just don't see a lot of reader inserts or x readers with a truly intelligent reader and I thought it'd be cool. The Donnie inspiration was mainly because Ben Schwartz voices Leo from ROTTMNT and Randy.

I want to preface as well, if this does not become a Reader insert, this will be a slow burn. Again, getting out of my comfort zone.

"Congratulations! You have punched all the graves!"

With their signature move, Howard Weinerman a Randy Cunningham congratulated each other, but before they could completed said, 'slappage', Howard moved away.

"Now that we've finished the final final Grave Punchers game, we should talk about the Ninja situation." Howard stepped away, leaving Randy with his fist in the air.

"Okay, I know I'm gonna sound like a broken record on this but...there is no Ninja situation?" Randy asked, dropping his hand.

"Exactly! There is no Ninja situation!" Howard pointed to Randy's desk, where the mask and Nomicon lay, the book still disguised by a Math book cover. "Your Ninja stuff has been sitting at that desk all Spring Break! The stuff's probably collected dust by now." Howard complained.

"Pfft!" Randy waved his hand and crossed his arms defiantly. "N-no, no it hasn't."

Howard raised an eyebrow and blew a large gust of air at the Nomicon. A cloud of dust flew off and towards the boys, causing them to cough.

"Okay, okay. You might have a point." Randy walked to his desk and grabbed his mask. The red lines pulsed softly. "But, the Sorcerer's gone. And with him gone, McFist has no reason to fight me." Randy waved his hand for emphasis.

"Doesn't he hate the Ninja?" Howard asked.

Randy guffawed, "No one hates the Ninja!"

"I hate the Ninja!" A scratchy voice boomed throughout the circular room. "I just wanna punch him in his stupid Ninja face." He grumbled, slouching in his chair. The short burly man mashed his fists together angrily for emphasis. The man's face turned bright red, starkly contrast from his dark Judge's robe, hence the name they all knew him by.

"Whoo, take 'er easy there, Judge. You'll get wrinkles." The melodic voice came from the dark skinned woman sitting to the right of the Judge. She was staring into a compact mirror, although her counter parts were unaware as to how seeing as her fluffy hair was covering her eyes completely. With one hand holding the mirror, she used her other hand to apply bright red lipstick, the shade on the bottom read, 'Snake's Blood'.

"Yeah, you're starting to look like McFist." The sassy voice came from a tall tan man with brunette hair, elegantly styled.

"I am not-!!" The Judge angrily stood, his face red. He took a deep breath and sat back down, gently setting down his gavel after he angrily held it over his head. "I am not like Hannibal McFist."

"What's with this obsession over the Ninja lately?" The woman asked, setting her compact mirror back in her purse. "We're perfectly fine with how we're operating things now."

"And it's not like the Ninja notices small crimes, he's more focused on Monsters and Robots, right?" The brunette asked.

"Not anymore." The Judge shook his head. "The Sorcerer's gone, and with him out of the way, those Robots are soon to follow. It won't be long before he gets desperate." The Judge reached across the table and grabbed the small remote that sat in the middle. Pressing the red button, a projection appeared on the wall being the skinny brunette. "Last night. The Ninja overturned our truck of stolen money, the cops found it right after." Pictures of a dark figure, with, what looked like, a large mallet standing on top of the overturned truck, red and lights flashing behind them, making the lines on the suit look purple. The Judge turned off the projection.

"So we gotta go bigger." The woman smirked.

"How do you figure?" The brunette asked.

The woman, about to answer, stopped as her phone rang. She pulled it out of her blazer and answered sweetly, "Deputy Mayor Kranski. Oh, hi, hon!" Kranski giggled quietly, holding her other hand up to the phone to try to conceal her words, "I'm in a meeting, honey!" She stood straight once more, hand back at her side. "Yep, meatloaf is on the top shelf."

"Kranski." The Judge rolled his eyes.

"Okay, love you too. Buh-bye." Kranski smiled sweetly, hanging up.

The brunette looked at his nails out of boredom, then looked back up at Kranski. "You were saying?"

"The Ninja is used to dealing with larger threats. So why don't we give him one?" Kranski smirked, folding her hands together.

The Judge's eyes widened, "And how do you suppose we do that?"

"We don't exactly have the funds to do that. And before you start, I'm a rich designer. You want a guy to build robots, you should have gotten my old roommate." The brunette checked his nails again.

"Once again, you offer no help, Damien." The Judge rolled his eyes.

"But, I did hear that your old high school is having an invention convention in a few days. Maybe we could...sponsor one of the brilliant students to help us?" Damien smirked.

"My old high school..." The Judge looked off in the distance, remembering his old days in school. He rubbed his Norrisville alumni ring as he recalled the happy, the sad, the humiliation...oh the humiliation... "That might just be the best idea you've had yet." The Judge smirked.

The three began laughing, first small, then growing to loud chaotic laughter.

"Just you wait, Ninja. We're coming." The Judge smirked.

"I don't know about this (Y/n)."

"Bucky, you're gonna be fine. I'm a scientist—"

"You're fourteen!" Bucky interrupted.

"Still technically a scientist." (Y/n) poked her head up from behind her desk, goggles plastered on her head. The left lens was wide and red, much closer to the metal band connecting the goggles than the right lens. The right lens was slightly extended past the left and was blue. "Move to the right a bit." She commanded, motioning with her hand for her companion to move to his right.

Buck looked down at the ground and shuffled to the right, now more centered on the red 'X' on the ground.

(Y/n) grinned and gave a thumbs up, a noise of confirmation exiting her lips before she resumed her fast typing.

"So what does this do again?" Bucky asked, looking around at the dangerous equipment aimed at his head.

"Oh this? It's just a simple home alarm." (Y/n) waved her hand above her screens so Bucky could see.

"Simple, right." Buck nodded, but did not agree at all. "Has anyone ever told you that you tend to go a little overboard?" Bucky asked.

(Y/n) peeked around her screens again, goggles now over her eyes, "No, why?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued typing.

Bucky anxiously tapped his arms to his side but stopped once one of the large metal arms adjusted near his head.

"Okay!" (Y/n) clapped her hands and stood, slightly scaring Bucky. "If I did this right, you shouldn't get hurt! At least not too bad." (Y/n) mumbled. Flipping her goggles back onto the top of her head, she added some last minute adjustments.

"What was that?" Bucky asked quickly, sweating in all uncomfortable places.

"And 3, 2,-" Before she could press the 'enter' button on her large complicated keyboard, all of her screens changed to a cute emoticon of her face. The emoticon had half lidded eyes, goggles, and a lazy smirk, much like the counterpart that made it.

'School. School. It's time for the most important time of the day. School. School. As Galileo said,"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them."'

(Y/n) turned off the alarm with a sigh. "As much as I'd love to listen to quotes from famous scholars all day, Galileo is right. It's time to discover new truths!" (Y/n) stood, finger raised in the air boldly. She grabbed her (f/c) satchel (A/N: sorry, just a question. Would you guys want you to have more inclusive things like (f/c) or (f/drink) or should I keep it Donnie-esque? Keep the favorite color purple and the favorite drink flavorless juice.) and Bucky's bag. She pulled her phone out of her (f/c) hoodie and began typing quickly with just her thumb, her previous excitement suddenly disappearing. (Y/n) began walking out of the dimly lit room, eyes trained on the screen. "You might want to follow quickly, because I accidentally pressed the button." (Y/n) said as she rushed out of the room.

The beeping of the mechanical appendages and weapons powering up around Bucky, made him gulp.

[sweet-honey-tears]

🩹Please Be Okay🩼

There’s a mix of both head cannons and a bit of stories. I hope you enjoy it and it’s not too confusing!

Thank you so much for this lovely person for giving me this idea! I had a lot of fun with it! If y’all have any others, please leave them and I hope you enjoy!🤍🤍 this is probably one of my favorite things I’ve written!

PLEASE READ

Warning: Description of wounds, blood, burns, broken ribs, mention of death, disturbing topics, characters are AGED UP, Angst with a happy ending.

○ Dabi ○

Dabi should have figured nothing would be simple, especially with the League. ‘Just a simple-‘ yeah no that’s not how it EVER goes.

Your quirk was similar to Togas in a way, mostly with vocal changes. You were able to lure people in with your song. They called it Siren. It left your throat raw and cracky but it was worth it. To say the least, your quirk relied on you being able to throat.

“ So you have two sets of vocal cords! Can I try!?” You were patient with Toga, and with everyone. Toya never said anything about it, but just ever so lightly grinned.

“Jeez leave ‘em alone will ya?”

You were nice to be around, not annoying or too loud. You also threw it right back at Toya anytime he tried to comment on something you did. But you also called others out of their shit.

“I could always just make you walk to me ya know.” You sighed. Arms slug over his shoulders as the two of you dance to some shitty song you were playing on your phone. Each of you shared an airpod.

“You’d lose your vocal cords if you do.” He tightened his hold on you.

• Injury •

“Dabi” your voice was strained, bubbly as you choked on spit, air, and blood. Burns encased your neck with no particular pattern. Meaning someone was aiming for your throat or head area with a fire-like quirk. Your mouth was sputtering blood. “D-Dabi”. Your body had collided hard with a wall, likely causing a broken rib or hopefully, just some intense bruising. Burns and sizzling skin covered your neck, jaw, and upper chest. Drops of blood slide down to mingle with your charred clothes.

Toya sees red, grating his teeth as he watches a shifted Toga sprint to your side. Her face turned worried, as she touched your shoulders.

Toya knows in the back of his mind it was likely to happen, that the so-called heroes would go for your ‘weak point’ - he would too. But that doesn’t stop him from seeing red. Someone hurt you.

Toya has a small family, and it is the League and you. And you just got injured.

If he notices it was Endeavor that caused this. He’s lost way too far in rage to be consolable.

Blue, complete blue and he doesn’t give a shit who’s caught in the crossfire.

“Why do you destroy everything good? Do you get off on it? By destroying our family.” He’s yelling outputs but no one can hear him due to the sound sod cracking fire.

• Weeks Later •

When you turn your head to face Dabi, your fingers reach out toward his own. His jacket lays crumbled by your face. Something you kept snuggling into m, breathing in the Smokey sent.

“I don’t have to get staples, do I?” You asked, peering out of the black fabric

It causes Dabi to grin. “Not yet doll didn't earn them”

“Thank f-��� you started coughing, your voice straining hard. Davis holding your hand in both of his.

“Take it easy doll.”

• Recovery •

Dabi lets you practice your quirk on him. You have to retrain it a bit after the damage caused by the fire. Though you sometimes wish he wouldn’t let you practice on him, it lets him see you struggle and fail. It angers you. But he’s always there to calm you down.

“Breath doll.”

Dabi allows you to call him, aiming in your wobbly voice to lure him over to you. Allowing you to kiss his lips before you completely let control go. He’ll hold you from behind, sometimes lifting you and saying “C’mon on doll, get out of this.” You have to sing to take it over, causing his body to relax and let you go. Dabi will barely agitate his quirk, giving you the chance to try and Solti him into a dull state of mind to have him stop. tell

“Getting a better doll.”

○ Izuku ○

• Injury •

You were both so close to finishing this damn chase. It had gone on long enough. Your legs sprung you forward, past Izuku as you used more of your strength in your jump. Your target only an arms length away.

“Come on ZuZu!” You yelled out, adding your final stretch.

Izuku lost sight of you for only a minute. His chest burned as he pushed himself farther. He didn’t always like the fact you could go faster than him (your quirk), it made him nervous sometimes. What he if wasn't there in case you needed-

Your screams pierced the air. They were terrifying, bloodcurdling, and horrible. Izuku could feel his breakfast cuddle in his stomach. He felt how is heart momentarily stopped and his lung squeeze. How every breath felt hundred time more Labor-sum and sink into his chest. With his final stretch into the ally you disappeared into, he find you and the target on the ground. The target was more than likely knocked out, seeming motionless. But Izuku could care less. He watched in horror as your body contorted, back arching as your feet pressed into the ground. Your bare fingers attached into the dirty ground. A heavy line of tears rolled down the side of your face, your eyes rolled back. Izuku fell to your side, grabbing your body tightly.

“Y/N! Y/N!”

Your body shook in his hands, you yell for stops and no’s continuing.

• Reaction •

People questioned where the top hero disappeared to, a month had gone by with no sign of Deku or his lover. People questioned your and Izuku's friends, asking either out of concern or anger what happened.

People noticed how Bakugou and others seemed to appear in place of Deku and you on patrol routes. When Bakugou's numbers started rising, the world noticed how he wasn’t flaunting it. He didn’t say anything about how he deserved it, he almost seemed angry at the fact he was rising slightly. No word of Deku.

“Dynamight! Dynamight! What happened to Pro Hero Deku?””

“Why don’t you extras mind your damn business for once.”

“Uravity! Can you tell us what happened to Pro Hero Deku and (hero name)”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not sure.”

• Healing •

You had seen your work nightmares. Things that have happened or never could, but things that scared you to your core. You never told Izuku what you saw, but you woke up one night screaming ‘Eri’.

Izuku took a month off hero work, only able to because of his friend. When news broke to them about what happened to you, everyone came to your side.

After a month you seemed alright, able to function as you use to. But you and Izuku always did patrols together now, there were no ‘lone’ shifts anymore. Which Izuku didn't mind, he got to spend more time with you and just be with you. Ensure you’re safe.

Nighttime was still a struggle, with instances of Izuku staying awake all night to rub his back. On these nights you slept through the whole night. When he holds you while you sleep as well it seems to help.

“I’m so sorry Izuku.”

“Hey- no everything’s okay.”

Izuku got you a weighted blanket and finding out the pressure seemed to help you too.

When you start going to therapy, Izumi is there for you every step of the way.

○ Katsuki Bakugo ○

People thought Bakugous nickname for you was interesting, Bee. People mostly thought of those cute little honey bees. The fluffy ones people take pictures of when they’re a mid-flower. But that’s not where the name came from,

“Ha!? They're not that quiet. Loudest thing around” ironic coming from him.

Bee is a firework, a loud one that twirls in random directions and lets out a high pitch noise. It grabs people's attention, just like you did his. Plus your quirk. One that allowed kick-up sparks when you ran, allowing you to twist your body in the air in a way most would find disturbing. But not Bakugou, man called you money when he first saw you. And on the news.

“Moving like a damn Monkey.”

You and Bakugou had an interesting relationship. Some would say your love language was aggression. But those people didn’t see you both out of the public eye. That was a different story.

• Injury •

It was just another villain attack, something you had both become desensitized to after your time in U.A. You both had already had your near-death experience before you even graduated. It made every day more sacred that you both were still alive.

Your body lay in a crater, an after-effect of a quirk that blasted you into the sky and casted you back down. Heavy needles had shot through your body, exiting and then being retracted. Ejecting you with something while leaving open gaps in your thighs. You were motionless, wheezing breaths as you felt your limbs become something similar to static. Poison. The villain had injected you with Poison. You likely had broken bones. Ribs. Maybe a skull? Had your quirk not allowing you to twist mid-air You’d be dead. You had to maneuver your spine and legs in a certain way to protect yourself from the fast-coming blow. Accumulating just enough friction to slow yourself down slightly. Your fingertips twitched as you gasped. “K-ka-kat-see” you could feel wetness trail down the sides of your face and drop off the shattered ground. Blood or tears, possibly both. Your shattered body wheezing at even the action.

“Sue-key” your upper teeth cut into your bottom lip as the weight behind your eyes grew. Black spots flitter in and out of your vision. The sky was so blue. So pretty. ‘Kat, be okay.’ You willed yourself to look down though at your body, barely catching the notice of twisted limbs before you were pulled back down by gravity.

When the villain you had been chasing found his way to Bakugou, he knew something went wrong.

“Where are they!?”

“In a ditch slowly dying. You’ll see them soon too!”

Fire, You could see the smoke in the distantanve. Feel the Earth shaking of explosions. If the ringing in your ears wasn't so bad, you could probably hear them.

“You’re going to fucking die!”

The rumble shook your body.

He’s broken. Loosing almost all self-control and restraint as his body propels him into the air. Howitzer Impact. A war-like battle cry rips through his throat. Every emotion he felt, anger and fear, came out in that one moment. Maybe if he were in the city, or with civilians, things would have been different.

Your body physically shook, the pain radiating through every cell. You let out a pained scream, shock fully wearing off.

Katsuki wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he found your mangled body. Maybe 5-8 minutes. He slid into the creator, running on wobbly limbs to your limp body. He lashed his arms out, ridding himself of his gauntlets as you slid to your side.

“Wake up! WAKE THE FUCK UP.”

• Infirmary •

“Suki, please just look at me.” Your shaking hand reached for his face, palm cuppings his cheek. Surgery had gone well. Healing quirks also came in use.

“You dumbass.” He grabbed your hand, bringing it to his lip. “You could’ve- I would have” you watched tears trail down his face. Your heart shattering.

“But I’m here Kitkat” you quietly whispered. Pulling at the childish nickname as a resort to try and comfort him.

“Damn straight you are Baby,” Kat spoke with his eyes closed.

• Recovery •

Bakugoi allows himself to hold onto you a bit tighter when he’s helping you with walking. Your legs had been pretty much shattered and if it wasn't for your quirk, you would have lost them both… likely your life.

Bakugou is taking the time off every chance he can get to help you with your physical therapy. Cast- Wheelchair to walker to cane.

He picks you up on days they hurt too much.

Putting you on his back one day while you two were shopping. Your light as air to him, so he’s effortlessly picking up.

Katsuki takes over your patrols for the coming months. Refusing to let you go back even after the wounds had healed

“Kit, I’m okay. Doctors said so”

“So what?”

“So I’m okay to go back to patrol.”

“No, I’ll tell you when you are ready, and you're not”

Doesn’t mean to come off rude and controlling, but it’s kinda how it happens. You know better tho, with the slight gloss in his red eyes.

“Kat-“ your voice is soft, “I can decide when I’m ready to go and I’m ready to go.”

Bakugou would just stare at you, the annoyed look on his face present as he walks up to you grabs your shirt collar, and tugs you towards him. His arms wrap around you as you stand in silence.

“‘M don’t wanna lose you, Bee.”

He talks into your hair since he can’t talk to you face-to-face when he’s being vulnerable

“Please stay home, just for a day or two more.”

[authorautumnbanks]

Accidentally Dating (15)

Summary: A series of accidental dates and meetings between Kagome and Satoru over the years.

Pairing: KagomexGojo

Series Master list

Read Chapter 19 of the Side Stories First!

"Suguru!" Kagome yells, waving a hand in the air as she runs over to him. He stops and watches her with tired eyes. She really does not care for how down Suguru looks. Not that she sees him all that often, but he used to have a little more light to him. A little more umph. "Did you just get done with a mission?"

He presses his lips together and then dips his head. "Yeah, I took care of the curse." He stuffs his hands in his pockets as though he isn't quite sure how to act without Satoru there as a buffer.

This is the first time she has seen Suguru without Satoru.

"So, are you all done, then?"

"Uh..."

"Come on!" Kagome grabs his arm and tugs him along. She sniffs. His cologne is similar to the brand Satoru wears, but cheaper? "Do you like games?" There should be some crane games around the block or maybe Suguru would prefer an arcade?

"Uh..." Suguru coughs. "Yes, I like games, but... uh... Satoru isn't around."

"Hm? Oh yeah, Satoru is still busy with his missions. He texted me not too long ago. InuYasha is with him." Kagome rolls her eyes. Those two are always at each other's throats, but whenever Satoru has a mission—which is all the time these days— and InuYasha is around, then InuYasha insists on going with him because Satoru is allegedly lonely without InuYasha's company.

"And you still want to hang out with me?"

"You're Satoru's best friend," she says, confused by what the problem is.

"Ah, but Satoru doesn't want us hanging out together alone."

He doesn't? Kagome frowns. This is the first she's ever heard of this. Okay, well, Satoru complains a lot about Suguru and other men, but he also complains to complain. Still, Suguru's words don't match what Satoru told her. He's worried about Suguru and with all these missions being thrown at him, Satoru hasn't been spending that much time with Suguru.

"I'll send him a message and let him know we're hanging out. And Satoru is just being silly. He thinks you like me." Kagome laughs. Satoru thinks everyone wants her when that is not true. "Besides, you look like you need a pick me up." Kagome drags Suguru along because he drags his feet when she's not tugging on his arm. Whatever is going on with Suguru needs to be resolved like asap.

When they get to the arcade, Kagome promptly drops her hold on Suguru's arm and sends a quick message to Satoru.

Satoru: ? What do you mean you and Suguru are at an arcade?

Kagome: You can't be serious.

Satoru: Which one? I'll be there after this mission.

Kagome: You're not even in Tokyo. No way we'll gonna stay here that long.

Satoru: I can teleport.

Kagome rolls her eyes and shakes her head. Why is he always like this?

Kagome: Last time you teleported, you crashed into Goshinboku. I'm just trying to cheer Suguru up. He looks really down.

Satoru: That was one time and fine. I guess. But if he starts acting strange, you get out of there. He's my friend, but you're my girl, alright?

His girl.

Kagome bites her lip. Her cheeks flush pink in remembrance of that Satoru. Adult Satoru. She wonders what she looks like in the future. Does she look the same? Taller? As long as she doesn't look more like Kikyo, then it doesn't matter.

Kagome: Let me know when you're done with that mission.

She tucks her phone into her pink and gold Sailor Moon purse. Papa got it for her when he and Mom came back from their trip to Italy. Kagome flashes Suguru a smile bright enough for both of them. He turns his head away and rubs the back of his neck.

"So, when will Satoru be here?"

"He's not," Kagome replies, leading them over to a crane game. These games are soooo addicting. "Well, he wanted to teleport to us, but last time he tried that, he hit one of the trees at the shrine. Besides, he's got InuYasha with him and he can't exactly leave him behind. InuYasha left alone to his own devices here, is a terrible idea." She huffs. Dang it! She wanted that fox plushie for Shippo. "Ugh! I can't get it."

"Here, let me try." Suguru stares at the machine with such attention that it's as if he is staring down a curse and not a crane machine. He moves the control with a precision that gives Kagome a small spark of jealousy, because why does he make it look so easy? It's not fair. "You know these are rigged, right? It's not you." He bends down and pulls the fox, a gray one, plushie from the machine and deposits it into her hands. "So, Satoru is making progress with teleporting, huh? He'll be teleporting around in no time. He's gotten even stronger now."

Kagome holds the plushie to her chest. Is that what this is about? Satoru getting stronger and Suguru becoming stagnant? Her shoulders droop for a moment. No, this will not do. Kagome reaches out and squeezes his arm. "We don't have to play games if you don't want. I could help you train instead."

He blinks. Once. Twice. Five more times.

"What? You're worried about Satoru getting stronger without you, right? I know how to train." She leans in forward and lowers her voice. "I mainly fight demons, but I can handle curses, too. We can go to the shrine. I'd rather not go to the school if I can help it."

"... You fight demons?" His brows are taunt, but there's a hint of curiosity on his face now. "I can't imagine you fighting anything. Satoru is so..."

"He's always been like that." Kagome leans back and drops her hand. "He didn't tell you how I saved him when we were younger. It was a curse user."

Suguru looks around the arcade and then back to her. "Is there anyone else at the shrine?"

What a weird question. Kagome shrugs. "Maybe. Sometimes Mama spends time at the clan house, but she was at the shrine when I left. Why?"

"No reason," he says slowly. "I... I need to talk to Satoru. Give me a moment." He pulls out his phone and walks away from her.

Why does he need to talk to Satoru? Is it really that big of a deal? OH! Suguru probably wants to train with both of them. She nods to herself. That makes more sense. Kagome clutches the plushie and waits for Suguru to get off the phone.

"Hey there, beautiful," a man says with a slur. He staggers over to her with his jacket unbuttoned and grease stains in the middle of his white shirt. He smells like burgers and beer. Kagome wrinkles her nose and takes a step to the side. "Don't fuckin ignore me!" He darts a hand out and then screams. Suguru twists his hand back until there's an audible crack.

"Fuck off," Suguru says, letting the man's hand go, and then shoves him back. "We're leaving."

Kagome glances at the man with his balding hair and how he cries while cradling his hand with his other. The man would have never hit her, or rather he would have hit the barrier she put up and eventually moved on. He's not the first creep she's dealt with and she doubts he'll be the last.

"Kagome," Suguru says sharply. "Let's go."

Oh right.

"You know, he would have moved on," she points out. "I put a barrier around myself. I wasn't in any danger."

"A barrier? Like what you put up that one time?" Suguru sucks his teeth and then blows out a breath. "Sorry, you had to see that."

"Oh, that's nothing. Quite tame, really. I mean, I've seen InuYasha with a hole in his stomach and guts out. Lots of guts out. It was such a mess." She holds the plushie with one hand and on to the purse strap with her other. "And Satoru would have done way worse. He can be a bit unhinged at times."

"A hole in his stomach? Does he have rct?"

"No," Kagome says slowly. "That's something sorcerers have, but InuYasha is a half-demon, so his healing is pretty good." She assesses him. "Do you have rct?"

"No," he replies sharply. "It's not something I can do."

"Ah, you mean it's not something you know how to do, but you could do it. Maybe you need another life or death situation to really trigger it?" She presses her lips together in contemplation. "I won't kill you, obviously, but maybe training will jump start something for you. Nothing like a couple of arrows to the gut to get you thinking of new ways to survive."

"Uh... maybe I'll just end up dead," he says with a laugh. "If the arrows don't do me in, then Satoru will surely kill me for laying a finger on you."

"He wouldn't kill you."

"It's Satoru."

"I'd tell him not to," Kagome stresses. "He listens to me for the most part." She frowns. Does he listen to her? Kind of. Maybe. Okay, so he doesn't listen to her all that much, but he won't kill Suguru if she begs him not to, and if he tries, then she'll just threaten him with his own subjugation beads. "Don't worry about it. We're just training and besides, even if you come at me with a special grade, it's no problem. They're not much compared to demons." She stops and then gives Suguru a sheepish grin. "Let's keep that between us. Satoru doesn't know I've taken care of some curses here and there."

"A secret between friends, then."

----

Kagome gives Suguru a thumbs up to proceed with training. Her hair is pulled into a high ponytail, and for the sake of training, she's now wearing her priestess outfit instead of a skirt. "Ready when you are," she says when Suguru hesitates. Ookay, guess she's gonna have to start this off since Suguru seems reluctant. No worries, even if she hits Suguru with an arrow, it won't be enough to kill him.

"This feels wrong," Suguru admits. "Like I'm fighting a—shit!" He jumps back. The arrow lies on the ground, but there's smoke coming from the head. Suguru stiffens and stares at her with something she can't quite put her finger on. It doesn't look like fear. Maybe some wariness? Either way, if Suguru wants to catch back up to Satoru, then he needs to take this seriously.

"That was a warning shot. The next one will hit you," Kagome says, notching another arrow.

"W-wait!" He holds his hands out in front of him, takes a step towards her, and then winces when his foot touches the arrow. "I didn't think you were serious about this. I can't—"

Kagome shoots the arrow, hitting Suguru in the leg. She sighs and lowers the bow. Okay, now what? Suguru doesn't want to train... he doesn't want to train with her and the arcade was a dud. How the heck is she supposed to cheer this guy up?

"Don't pull that out," Kagome says, walking over to him. She squats and wraps her fingers around the arrow. "I'm going to pull it out, and I want you to at least try to heal it."

"You shot me!"

"Ready?"

He closes his mouth and nods his head. "You're just as insane as Satoru." His jaw ticks. The only reaction to Kagome pulling the arrow free. "Focus on healing. You make it seem like it's so easy to do," he mutters, holding his leg with both hands.

"I feel my energy in my gut. Concentrate on yours and push it towards your leg."

Suguru huffs. "So, you fight demons, huh? What's the difference between them and a curse?"

"A demon can be born in a number of ways. Like you and me, or you could have someone that offers their body up to several low-level demons, which would create a half-demon. InuYasha is a half-demon, but he has a demon father and a human mother. A curse is born from negative human emotions." Kagome eyes Suguru's leg. How the blood slows down. "Both are another form of the cycle, I guess. Curses prey on humans and sorcerers take out the curses. Demons prey on humans if they want or curses. They're similar to humans in the sense they have their own personalities, wants, and desires. A curse just wants to kill like a bear would in search of food."

Suguru lifts his head. "And what are you?"

"A priestess." Kagome gasps and snaps her fingers. She's been going about this all wrong. "You take in the curses, right? I was half-listening when Satoru was explaining. He tends to geek out on jujutsu and sometimes it's a little overwhelming."

"Uh... yeah. I swallow the curses in order to make them mine. Why?" He drops his hands and stretches his leg out. "That actually worked."

"Of course, it worked." Kagome sniffs. "Come on, I've got another idea. This one will work for sure." She holds out a hand and pulls him up. "Sorry, I didn't think about this before. It's not something I..." she trails off. What she wants to say is that blessing others and purifying them is not something she typically does in the modern world, but it's probably best to leave that can of worms alone. Suguru knows about the multiverse now, but telling him she travels to the past might be too much. She wrinkles her nose. Wait, does he know she can time travel? There was so much going on when that other Satoru dropped in.

"It's not something, you what?" Suguru prompts, following her into the house. He stands awkwardly in the kitchen while Kagome ruffles through the cabinets.

"Aha! Found it." She holds up a bag of suckers. "Okay, this will have to do for now until I can make you some kind of charm to help counteract all that negative energy you are taking in."

"Suckers are going to help me?"

"I'm going to bless them." She rolls her eyes. "Honestly, if you weren't Satoru's best friend." She places the bag on the counter. "Do you mind asking him to bring some more of these when he comes home while I bless this bag?"

"Okay," Suguru says slowly. "Is he on his way back?"

"Last I messaged him; he said he was almost done." Kagome places her hand on the bag and closes her eyes. She doesn't need to close her eyes to bless the bag, but it's easier to drown out everything around her so she can focus on the task at hand.

Crash!

Huh?

She opens her eyes and blinks at the mess on the floor. Dust. So much dust. And the cabinets are gone. Destroyed. There's no amount of glueing that will put them back together. Not to mention the wall. It has a hole in the middle, shaped like Satoru and InuYasha. Kagome pinches the bridge of her nose and counts to ten. Satoru stands and dusts his pants off while InuYasha lies on the floor passed out.

"Yo!" Satoru chuckles. "I was—"

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TELEPORT HERE!"

Satoru shrinks and then turns his attention to Suguru. "Oi! What are you still doing here? And that's my candy."

Suguru makes a show of looking at the ruined kitchen. At InuYasha, who is still passed out from the trip or maybe from the dust. He opens the bag and pulls out a sucker. "Kagome-chan blessed these for me," he says with a quirk of his lips. He unwraps the sucker and plops it in his mouth. His eyes widen and then dart over to her.

"That's just temporary," Kagome says. "I'm going to make you a proper charm to offset the cons of your curse technique." She turns to Satoru and plants her hands on her hips. "And you! Stop teleporting from far away before you end up hurting yourself."

Satoru pokes out his bottom lip. "Sorry. I wanted to see you." He steps over InuYasha and pulls her into a hug. "Promise to stick to short distances for now." He brushes his lips across her forehead. "Missed you."

She should be mad, but Kagome leans into Satoru. Her fingers clutch the back of his jacket. "Why do you feel harder?"

Suguru coughs loudly. Satoru squeezes Kagome tighter, but his body is shaking. Was it something she said? He does feel harder, like he's been hitting the weights.

"Did Suguru do anything? I can kick his ass."

"No, he didn't—"

"She shot me!"

"Heh. Well, you deserved it." Satoru pulls back but keeps an arm wrapped around her. "Shoot him again so I can laugh."

"You two are insane," Suguru mutters, reaching into the bag for another sucker. There's color to his cheeks now.

Huh, turns out, Suguru needed Satoru to cheer up. Kagome rests her head against Satoru. Everything is going to be fine now...well, at least until Mom and Dad come back and see the kitchen.

----

Suguru looks up at the sky. It's dark out now and Kagome's mom never came back to the house. A shame, since he wanted to see someone else yell at Satoru. He tightens his fingers around the bag of suckers and various other candies. Blessed candy. He laughs. The absurdity of this day is getting to him.

"Oi! Suguru, wait up."

Suguru turns and waits for Satoru. "Walking me down the steps?"

"Yeah, let's have a talk." Satoru takes his shades off and hangs them on his white shirt. "Something different about you."

Different?

Suguru stares at his feet as he takes one step. Two steps. If he counts all the steps and ignores Satoru, maybe Satoru will drop it.

"Oi!"

Or not.

"I figured out how to use rct." He peeks at Satoru from the corner of his eyes. "Kagome helped me. That's why she shot me with an arrow. How long have you known... that she could neutralize cursed energy?"

"The first day we met, she hit this curse user so hard, his cursed energy vanished. I found him later. Tracked him down, and it's not a permanent effect." Satoru shrugs. "But I wasn't asking about that. I meant you. How are you?"

Suguru nearly trips on the next step. Satoru's words are clumsy, but it sounds as though Satoru is concerned about him?

"I'm fine—"

"Bullshit."

Suguru plasters a smile on his face and stops on the 50th step. "Satoru, I am fine. Better now, really." He holds up the bag of goods and jostles it. "Why doesn't Kagome help Jujutsu? She can bless candy," he says with a laugh. The despair from eating that curse earlier today is gone, replaced with the warm feeling of basking in the sun. "She can disrupt curse energy, so surely she could take out a curse or two."

Satoru's upper lift curls up before smoothing over. It happens so quickly, Suguru doubts Satoru is aware of the reaction.

"It's not about helping Jujutsu. It's about keeping her away from the higher ups. They're a pain and shitty." Satoru crosses his arms and then exhales. "But more importantly, Kagome doesn't want it. She likes that." He motions to the bag. "She reaches more people blessing items for the shrine than if she were to go on a mission."

Suguru nods. "And yet she fights demons."

Satoru shrugs again. "Trust me, you don't want to fight one. Actually, you should fight InuYasha. If Kagome shooting you helped you, then surely fighting InuYasha would do more for you." He punches Suguru's arm. "There's always going to be someone or something stronger than us, so we gotta do what we can and keep pushing ourselves harder."

Stronger than them?

"I can't believe you, of all people, would admit something like that."

"Next mission, either I or InuYasha will come with," Satoru says, ignoring Suguru's last comment. "We're the strongest trio."

"Now we're a trio?" Suguru shakes his head. When they get to the last step, Suguru glances over his shoulder in the direction of Jujutsu high and then back at Satoru.

"InuYasha's party is on Saturday. You should—I want you there."

Satoru must have knocked something loose when he hit the side of the house.

"I have missions all week, Satoru. Like you. There's no guarantee I'll be able to."

"Let me handle that. I want you there." Satoru smiles and then jerks his thumb back at the stairs. "Oh, and Suguru, no more dates with my girl. Got it."

Date?

Suguru huffs. "I was taken as a hostage. It wasn't a date." He waves goodbye and heads back to the school and away from Satoru. It's only when he's alone in his room that his shoulders slump and the bag full of candy drops to the floor. He slides his hands down his face and muffles the sigh.

This is a problem.

***

A/N: If you're confused, please go back and read chapter 19 of the side stories.

"Does that mean Kagome is Benzaiten's priestess?" - I'm not sure if I will introduce any more gods...okay maybe Inari, but other than that there probably won't be any more gods introduced because then it would just be the gods fighting lol.

"Is there a celestial maiden Kagome that falls in love with Satoru?" - Can you imagine the ego on that Satoru? Bragging about how he has a celestial maiden as his girl?

"Have you seen Noein: To Your Other Self?" - I have not, but I bookmarked it so I won't forget.

"Is Naoya invited to that party?" - We just might get a spar between Naoya and InuYasha.

This chapter ended up being a bit longer than I thought. Still working on the next chapter of Brat Tamer. I thought I was going to get way more writing done this week, but I guess my body needed the rest more. Thanks for the honey garlic remedy, I'll have to pick up some garlic the next time I go the store. We've been getting hit hard this year with colds. My kid got a double ear infection this week.

Take care and have a wonderful week ahead! Get plenty of rest and stay hydrated! I'll be back to updating the Christmas Wish since Christmas is next month.

[eriscary]

Hewo!! I rlly love your sans, Tear!! He's such a creative and inspirational character! Just curious, what were some of your inspirations, when designing him?

-vibrates in excitement- I will use this chance to yap A LOT about Tear's overall creation, story and visuals. I'm sorry for this essay…

______

I returned to the Undertale fandom super recently. It’s 8-9 years after the game was released I think. I started to joke with a friend how I will make an OC only now. 3 days later it was not a joke anymore and Tear came to be.

I think what influenced the story I created is the fact that I adore isekai, reincarnation and reliving same life kind of stories. I love the feeling of being able to experience what being a specific character is like, be it through my own eyes or another character's. Because a lot of people enjoy superpowers, want to feel cool, want to become important in something/story, want to see characters deal with this type of confusion etc.... Yes, I read Sans variant reincarnation/isekai stories too. I thought, who wouldn't be interested into experiencing an exciting life (minus the stress and trauma that comes with it, but that makes it a fun read).

In the moment of me joking about creating an OC, I was trying to come up with funny scenarios that would make me laugh from how absolutely ridiculous it is. It was only to have a few laughs with a friend. Revisiting the utmv fandom, it is pretty clear it's legit ruled by Sanses and barely anything else. Somehow the idea of using my favorite character, Napstablook, just clicked with my reincarnation/isekai addiction. A character that, just like all the people consuming the same content I liked, wishes to experience what they consider exciting. That is, the life all these Sanses have. They only ever saw Sanses be 'special'. I hoped it would make Tear relatable. That Tear would be a character which is entertaining to follow, because we know what the multiverse is like as viewers, but they do not. Someone who could be cheered on because of it (just like in the game wow -cough cough- sorry). And then the idea with ripping Error's plushies hit me. I was so overly entertained by it, that it was basically the point where the whole thing stopped being a joke.

After I had the basis of the story to work with, I moved to designing their look. I pulled up a picture of every. single. popular. sans. variant. that I could remember from utmv early days. I wanted Tear to be able to legit fit in so well among them, because their wish was to be like them, blend with them in such a way. To be a Sans, a cool traveler to meet many others, be loved etc etc. For this plan, the design had to have not too much detail or too little. Most utmv designs aren't that complex. Napstablook only has a few visually distinctive features, so I tried to keep them in mind. Those being their line between the eyes and the sheet waves/frills at the end of their body. So the only initial plan was... sketch a normal sans, slap the usual shorts and shirt that all these OC variants barely change and figure it out from there. A lot of mainstream characters still wore a kind of a hoodie/jacket, so a hoodie was a must for me. I added the waves at the bottom of it, to resemble Napstablook's body, and that forehead line in the form of stitches. It still didn't feel enough. I wanted it to be extremely obvious who they are visually at first glance, with 0 prior knowledge (Napstablook Sans variant). Headphones were my biggest cherry on the top, because I don't think it gets more clear than that if I shape them to look like Blooky themselves. I later on decided I want some design references to Blooky crying too. So I added a scarf, made it drop it's ends approximately in the center of the character, as well as made the edges rounded slightly. All so it would resemble -drum rolls- a tear. Very, very subtly. The tear heart in the back was also a not so subtle tribute to it too. Because Blooky is fully paper white, Tear had to be mostly in the same colors. I admit I wanted to make their purples blue instead (to match their house colors) but I'm a sucker for the purple color and there is an inside joke with another friend how everything I ever design has some sort of purple tint to it. It's something I stopped fighting long ago and just embraced it as my little art quirk. At this point I adopt it on purpose if I catch myself doing it subconsciously. So my blue became purple instead. This was all inspired by OG Blooky and no one specific directly.

Once the design was already settled, I actually did end up taking inspiration from Dust Sans. This is the only character I directly took inspo from. I loved the idea of dramatic shadows being cast by his hood and it was perfect for what I have in store. So I expanded my ref sheet with such a drawing. I wanted the usual Tear to have a completely different vibe visually from the one that could be fought. I wanted to kill some of Tear's overall softness by making their gaze feel off. Wide eyed stare, with drastic shadows and glowing eyes. Tho they cannot and do not glow for the same reasons as Classic Sans. I recently mentioned it HERE. There is another inspiration I took from Dust, not connected to the design, but as of now I cannot mention it. It will be revealed soon if all works out.

After that, I just started writing the character info on the google doc and polishing it. The story just kept coming and consuming my brain. I never planned to make a comic out of this little idea. I was only gonna post Tear’s info sheet, maybe draw Tear 2-3 more times and move on. It was an impulse decision. All because I couldn’t stop chuckling about the Error bit and the consequences of it. Now Tear became somewhat of a comfort character and gave me a hyperfixation of a truck

[litrumi]

"A Drop of Light in the Night" (Catnap X Dogday): Beginner's Overview

I might as well make some sort of pin-able post for my profile for any fresh faces. Goose morning/aftermoose/ewening, I'm Litrumi. Or I guess "HeroicRumi" too, but only for Wattpad. The title you see above is the name for my fanfic (<- hyper linked to those words) and is my current project as a budding writer trying to figure out how to write.

Anyway, it's time to explain my first ever Smiling Critters story involving my favorite duo fixation right now. Currently termed the "Understand Me AU" but that might not be all there is to it...

In essence, this story is about a lonely Catnap, trying to find his place in the world. Notably, these are the cartoon variations of the characters (as the world setting is basically like the cartoon itself, too), but BEAR IN MIND that all depictions of these characters are 18+ (but the stuff involved is "not 18+" if you know what I'm saying. It's JUST hand holding, hugs, and kisses around these parts). I don't care one eeny weeny tiny bit about the "actual lore" and refuse to acknowledge any of the non-adult characters or their spirits or whatever the heck- from the game. I'm forming a wholesome and dramatic narrative based on concepts that I personally like, so I'm picking and choosing what I want to be in my story. With me so far?

Putting that aside, all you need to know is that Catnap is seen as "mysterious and creepy." All of the other Smiling Critters are simply off-put with him because they think he's too "scary and dangerous." But truth be told, Catnap has never done anything to actually make them think all of this in the first place. In fact, he's tried time and time again to be a "good friend," whatever that means, since it's not something he knows about for sure. Yet, none of the others are willing to give him a chance at all. Not to mention, they hardly understand anything he says. You see, when Catnap speaks, the way that he talks is just too "intricate and complicated." He uses too many big words that basically confuse the heck out of everyone. It's hard for any of them to really know what he's thinking. No matter what he does, all seems hopeless for the poor cat...

Well, things WOULD be hopeless if there wasn't a certain canine leader that hangs out with him every so often. Dogday tries to include him at every turn, and he tries to get the others to believe that the feline isn't so bad. He's the only one who trusts Catnap, being the only one to give him his attention at any time of day.

One night, Catnap expresses his bitter feelings of being such an outcast of the group. He tells Dogday that he just wishes he could be "normal" like everyone else. The dog thinks for a moment, wondering what options there were. Then, an idea strikes. "Why don't I help you?" The dog asks of the purple critter.

...And the rest is history.

-Starting Characterization-

(s.) Catnap:

-He's seen as "mysterious and creepy" but the truth is, he's JUST misunderstood, he never asked to be hated or feared: ->He actually just really wants to be everyone's friend!

-Starts off in the story with complex language one might expect of another intelligent critter (*Cough* Bubba. But honestly he might give Bubba a run for his money on being "smart"). Gets lessons from Dogday on "how to talk like everyone else."

-He's actually very observant since he doesn't have many "friends." He watches the other critters play and get to know each other better, all the time. So he knows a little about them, but nothing really on a personal level.

-The only person he trusts the most is Dogday, seeing as he's the only one he gets to talk to on a regular basis.

-He does HAVE the red smoke ability, but... For some reason, he really really REALLY hates the idea of using it. He's not entirely sure why. (But his own "dreams" leave much to be desired).

-He wants to be able to see himself as a real member of the Smiling Critters, being a good and normal friend just like all the rest of them. (But for the time being, he has a ways to go).

-He's very logical. A "clever cat" if you will. But he proves to be someone who actually "overthinks" at the best of times.

-He doesn't really understand emotions, or rather, other people's emotions. He might not even understand his own as he hides them from others, feeling that he would just be a burden to them otherwise. He feels like everything "has to make sense" in one way or another. But he has a lot to learn about his "own feelings."

-Has his own history that he can hardly recall.

-"Admires" how amazing Dogday is, seeing as he wishes he could act more like the canine than himself.

Example Quote(s):

"It feels a tad wrong to forgo vernacular in favor of time efficiency and risk a chance of misunderstanding."

Correcting himself: "It feels... bad... to... um... not say... what I really mean...?"

+

(s.) Dogday:

-The leader of the Smiling Critters (naturally).

-He's practically already friends with everyone. But he can't wait to help Catnap feel included as someone who could also be friends with "everyone."

-A headstrong, optimistic softie with a big heart. He has a great intuition when it comes to resolving emotional conflicts and fixing friendly relationships, but he’s still naive and he might not really think things through at the best of times...

-He's actually EXTREMELY good at understanding others' emotions, having experience with so many different individuals across the board. But in turn, he himself can be quite the emotional sap. He hides it from the others, feeling that his feelings would be troublesome. But if there's anyone he does show them to, even if unintentionally, it's around his best friend.

-More than anything, he wants to be there for Catnap, who he can tell is struggling with a lot that he's been keeping to himself.

-He might actually have a few things he still has to learn for himself, but he's usually not his own priority. Typically, he puts others before himself. (He's a huge people pleaser).

-Easily impressed with any new thing he learns about Catnap. He may even aspire to be like the cat in some ways.

-He may already know a few things that Catnap hasn't realized... (Usually does not forget past memories).

-Potentially "already reeled in."

Example Quote(s):

"Yeah, because they all make me happy! Especially when I see them happy! Same goes for you, ya know! I really like seeing you too, Catnap!"

"I hope you can still rely on me... I'll be super happy whenever you can do whatever it is you wanna do on your own... but if you ever need help, I'm not going anywhere else any time soon."

== Characterization Over ==

That's all you gotta know as a first-timer who hasn't looked into the story yet! If there's anything to know about ME, well... I don't do "simple."

I'm always extra. Always. And if you think you've already got my story figured out... GUESS AGAIN. (I hope you didn't, at least-). After all, the goal is a heart-filled story with romance but also drama and unexpected detours! I can't give out happiness like it's candy!

If you take an interest in the story, then thank you so-so-so much! I know that the way I'm writing the characters is so much more different than all the other really cool and interesting ways I've seen others use them, but I'm still happy with what I have (and you never know... I just said I'm "extra"). For now, at least. I'd also be willing to clear up any confusions, should they arise, as long as it doesn't spoil anything.

And will edit various things as needed.

Take care!

-

New hyperlinks for relevant stuff:

Ability Compendium |

[itjazzbicch]

Fighting With Destiny PT. 4

Pairing:  Reiko x Umgadi!Fem Reader 

Summary: Fighting With Destiny PT. 1 - Fighting With Destiny PT. 2 - Fighting with Destiny PT. 3

Facing death and waking up to a roaring battle with Mileena taking a stance on the battlefield given the last battles events in the Outworld Civil War, the reader tries to fight, but this time, Reiko is the one to step up to the Royal Family and Empress herself, keeping his word to the reader as the truth to these events is unveiled and they focus on their future as they can finally be together...

Warnings:  Fighting, War Battle, mentions of blood, injuries

Word Count: 1.3k 

“That’s so amazing,” These Umgadi never ceased to leave me in awe; listening to their stories and hearing about Outworld's past before I was born was astounding; chuckling nervously, “I don’t know if my stories will live up to yours.”

“What do you mean?” The one beside me laughed, bumping shoulders with me, “You still have your own story to finish.”

“Huh?” I was confused, looking at her, then the umgadi across from me, her face starting to fade, but she was smiling at me, encouraging:

“Your time has not come yet, Y/N.”

-------

Everything went black again, but there was this shooting pain in my back, the worst pain I’ve ever experienced physically, groaning at the loud screaming and yelling I could hear from a distance.

I had no idea what was happening or where I was, my eyes not wanting to open, barely able to see as I knew Reiko’s voice:

“If you want her, you’ll have to kill me first, Mileena!”

Mileena? Reiko’s voice made me remember where I was, but what was Mileena doing here?

“You will die here today, Reiko!”

This civil war was only getting worse. Mileena being on the battlefield was an obvious sign of that.

I didn’t want things to be this way, trying my hardest to get up, crying and screaming through the shooting pains in my back, all the noise from outside drowning it out, but I could still hear Mileena’s words:

“Why Y/N fell for a fool like you is beyond me! And after what she’s done, I’m disbanding the Umgadi! What she’s done is treasonous!”

“She has nothing to do with the choices I’ve made!” Reiko had never sounded so emotional; his words put tears in my eyes, “But I will gladly free her from the slavery that you call Umgadi by ending you!”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Mileena scowled, her tone giving away that she was ready for combat, “I’ll just kill you both, then Shao and this rebellion will end!”

Hearing Mileena saying she’d kill me cut my heart deeply. I remember us growing up together, always guarding her and Kitana. She could throw that all away as if it were meaningless.

Finally, I saw Mileena and the royal family through Reiko’s eyes. Still feeling the pain in my back, the weird feeling that I felt before Kitana stabbed me flowed through my body again, and then this snap.

“Enough talk! Just DIE!” Mileena shrieked, going to stab Reiko with her sai, but my hand swatted them away like a fly. No feeling in my body, but my hand clenched around her throat and nearly snapped her neck as I growled:

“You touch a single hair on his head, and yours will be on the ground next.”

I was on my death bed, and to suddenly be standing, let alone face to face with Mileena, everyone stopped and stared.

“Y/N?!” Reiko couldn’t believe his eyes, “How are you- “

“B-Behand me-e-" Mileena was struggling to breathe, staring in fear as she saw something I couldn’t, my eyes glowing as I squeezed harder, growling:

“What was that? I could’ve sworn you just threatened to kill me. Why would I do something so idiotic by letting you go?”

“Empress!”

Her army didn’t stay stationary for long; the only reason I let her go was because of an arrow that flew past my back, the pain of my wound snapping me back into the horrible pain.

Mileena dropped, coughing and spitting from how hard I was choking her, but making sure that she spit out:

"You will p-pay for your treason and for what you did to Kitana!"

Kitana? I had no idea what happened after I collapsed on the battlefield, not having the time to think as Reiko scooped me. Mileena made it to her feet, but he sent her reeling with a kick, clinging to him and crying out as the movement made the pain worse.

"I'm sorry, love," He huffed, still ready to fight and placing me down near one of the tents they had set up, commanding to one of the rebels, "You protect her with your life till I'm done with this witch! You understand?!"

"Yes, sir!" They followed their orders without any hesitation, and the sight of Mileena prepared for him had me crying out:

"REIKO"

"This is for you, my love," He said to me, facing off with Mileena, "Tonight, we will finally be free."

All I could do was cry as I watched him start to exchange blows with Mileena. My sobs and hysteria grew as I tried to get up, wanting to end this battle, but my body wouldn't allow me.

"You shouldn't be moving!" This rebel was trying to keep me still as my wounds were still rather fatal, but I kept watching Reiko, infuriated that my body was giving up on me, the loud noises dying down, and my vision blurring again.

I couldn't see what was happening, but I remembered crying so hard that I couldn't breathe, seeing blood spatter between Reiko and Mileena, crying out to him as my heart finally knew what it wanted:

"Just win, Reiko! Please!"

------

"K-Keep moving, men. We're almost there."

"Huh?" I passed out again, my eyes stinging at a bright light. It was the sun.

"I know it's uncomfortable, but I have you," Reiko's voice was low and deep. He sounded exhausted, blinking to see a terrible cut on his face, and the night before finally occurred to me.

"By the gods," I gasped quickly, trying to sit up to realize that I was in his arms, and he kept me snug so that I couldn't. His arms were covered in cuts, too and before I could say more, he huffed out:

"I'm fine, Y/N, but you're still injured. So please, stay still. We're almost there."

"Reiko," I had never seen him in such a state, shaking as I asked, "What happened?"

"Mileena retreated. She learned firsthand that I am not easily defeated."

There was so much that I wanted to know, but this wasn't the time. I was only grateful that he and I were alive and together. That's all that mattered to me.

"That night, I left to send a message, and when I came back, you were gone," He began to explain what led to all this, and I had never felt so guilty.

He never truly left me, but that's what I thought. Now, look at us. Just the look in his eyes showed that it was the truth, and I couldn't believe it.

"I'm such a fool," Crying again, I began to blame myself. This all could've been prevented if I had just waited a while longer, "I'm so sorry, Reiko-"

"There's nothing to be sorry for," He huffed, looking to see that we were on a massive hilltop, his resiliency astonishing considering he carried me all this way while wounded, taking his words in sincerely, "I've made mistakes, and you almost died for me because of it."

"No, Reiko-" I truly felt that this was all my fault, but his following words kept me silent:

"Mileena showed her true colors, and she may have made me bleed, but I kept my word. She will never suppress us again."

Standing still for a deep breath, the sun shone down on us, tears beading down my face as he looked up to the sky, not a single fear in his eyes, no more bad thoughts, if anything, happiness, smiling softly at the sky:

"Everything happens for a reason. So, don't worry anymore. We're free from the chains that shackled us, love."

The heart wants what it wants, and mine only wanted Reiko. After these two horrific days, after everything that happened, I finally reached clarity.

Using all my strength and ignoring the pain, I hugged his head as tight as I could, letting him know:

"I'll never leave your side again, Reiko."

"As I will never leave yours," Nuzzling his head against mine, he kissed my cheek, assuring me, "Just be patient a while longer. I am going to take care of you, I swear."

"How can I worry," This time, my tears were filled with joy, caressing the cut on his cheek as he smiled at my words, "When I'm in the arms of the realm's strongest solider?" 

2023 © itjazzbicch — do not repost or translate my work. Likes, reblogs, and comments are always welcome 

[kimpossibly]

DON'T LOOK DOWN -> the last of us

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi...so I'm absolutely losing my mind over this show. I have some friends who have played the game that are head over heels for it as well, but as someone who's never played, I'm SOLD. I'm in love with the world, with the characters, with the set design, EVERYTHING. Ever since I saw episode one I've had an idea rattling around in my head for an OC, so I did what I always do — come to Tumblr to flesh them out! I hope you enjoy this and please let me know if you do through comments or reblogs!! Remember that if you like a fic or any post for that matter, you should like and REBLOG it, because likes mean next to nothing. Support your fellow artists and spread the love!! Enjoy, my lovely readers &lt;3

PAIRING: PLATONIC joel miller x fem!reader (I'm talking some SERIOUS found family stuff here) WARNINGS: Heavy use of guns and weapons, mentions of the apocalypse, DETAILED descriptions of violence, trauma, and death. Family member death. I definitely sobbed while writing this SUMMARY: After losing her family and getting found by the Fireflies, Y/n goes with Ellie and Joel on a treacherous journey to Salt Lake City.

"I spy with my little eye...something blue."

"Is it the sky?"

"No, dipshit, that's too obvious." Ellie said with an eye roll.

Y/n just scoffed, shaking her head. "Joel, you got any ideas?"

"How 'bout we start with making this the last round of this game?" he said gruffly. Ellie just gave him a glare and muttered something about him being a killjoy underneath her breath. Joel cleared his throat, looking around them — the open field to the left, the forest to the right. "You got me."

Ellie groaned, her head dropping. "It was Y/n's backpack, duh." she said. "Which, I'd like to add, has two guns in it. Not one. Two."

"Cause I actually know how to use them, genius." Y/n replied. "I'm kind of shit at aiming, but I can't point and shoot until the cows come home. If there's one good thing about the apocalypse, it's that it taught me some basic life skills really damn fast.

"Aren't you from Arizona? Hunting season's pretty much year-round down there. Didn't your dad take you out hunting or something?" Joel asked.

At those words, something in Y/n's eyes glazed over. "No. No he didn't." she said, her voice flat. After a moment, she sniffed and rubbed at her nose, turning her head away so as not to let them notice. But Joel saw. She coughed. "Come on, we should pick up the pace if we want to make it to Bill's by sundown."

With that, she sped up until she was walking a good ten feet in front of them. Joel watched her with confusion, which Ellie noted.

"She does that when she doesn't want anyone to see her cry," she explained quietly. "She's got some rough family stories."

"We all do." Joel replied.

But Ellie just shook her head, glancing back at Y/n. "Not like hers."

Ellie and Y/n huddled behind the hole in the wall, listening to the sounds of gunfire come and go. Pop, pop. Silence. Pop. Y/n could barely stand it. She flinched at the familiar sound of gunfire now.

Y/n popped out above from hers and Ellie's hideout and fired a few times into the open, not sticking around to see if she'd actually hit one of their attackers. She always figured it was better if she didn't know. Based on the number of shots coming from their end, she could tell that Joel was wildly outnumbered. They weren't FEDRA or Fireflies, but they had a big enough group to overwhelm one man. Glass shattered as a bullet from the other side shattered through the truck's windshield. Y/n peeked out as glass rained down on Joel. He was alone as the enemy approached. And Y/n couldn't let that happen.

Joel carefully made his way to the other side of the truck as someone stepped in through the obliterated doorway of the laundromat. Glass crunched under his feet. Every step he took brought him closer and closer to discovering Joel. They were running out of time.

Y/n turned to Ellie suddenly, startling her. She put her hands on either sides of Ellie's face, looking at her with an expression so serious that she knew it was in her own best interest to shut the hell up. "Listen to me, you need to stay here. Don't get up. Don't move. Don't even think about it. Don't get a bright idea and try to play hero, alright?"

Ellie gave a quick nod and Y/n stooped down, unzipping her backpack as quietly as she could and pulling out one of her pistols. She began to creep to the hole in the wall, but Ellie grabbed her sleeve before she could come into view. "What are you doing?"

Y/n turned back, trying not to let the fear coursing through her show to the younger girl. "I got a bright idea."

Y/n crept carefully through the hole in the wall as the man stepped closer towards Joel's hiding place. She held her breath, both hands wrapped around the pistol, her pointer finger on the trigger.

Crunch.

The man wheeled around, and Y/n, caught off-guard, abandoned the gun, placing a strong kick to the man's stomach. He stumbled back and the gunfire resumed, stronger now than ever. Joel used this moment to leap out of his hiding spot, jamming the butt of his rifle into the back of the man's head. He crumpled on the spot, blood pouring from the point of impact.

"I told you to stay there." Joel said angrily.

"I don't listen." Y/n said. A single gunshot whizzed past them and they crouched down to avoid it.

"If you go leaping into open fire, what's to stop Ellie from doing the same, huh?"

"She wouldn't follow me out here."

"How do you know?"

"Because I told her not to."

"I told you not to. And you didn't listen." Joel said, reaching up to fire. There was a yell as his bullet met its target, and the gunfire ceased instantly. He went to reload, but found the barrel had jammed.

Y/n stood up, glaring at Joel. "She listens to me. She trusts me." she said. "You're just the guy in charge of taking us from Point A to Point B."

"Trust isn't the point here, okay?" Joel replied, standing. "You're not setting a good example for her."

"You're not my dad, Joel!" Y/n replied, her tone low and harsh. "Ellie is the closest thing I've got to family. Once we reach Salt Lake City, I'm going to be the only one she has, and I'll be damned if I take that away from her. I can protect myself. So worry about yourself."

Joel had no answer for that. Suddenly the silence they were surrounded by seemed impossibly loud. Either they had killed their attackers or frightened them enough to make them turn around and run. Y/n wasn't sure which she'd prefer.

"Are you guys done arguing so I can come out now?" Ellie's voice came out muffled.

Y/n gave Joel one last pissed off look and turned around. "Hang on, I'm coming to get ya!" she said, heading back to the hole in the wall. "Here, hand me your stuff and I'll—"

The sudden sound of the back door to the laundromat bursting open silenced her. There was a gunshot and a yell — whether it was from Joel or his attacker, she couldn't tell. Y/n didn't wait to see what was happening before she practically shoved Ellie back into the hiding spot to keep her out of harm's way.

Y/n turned as someone in dark clothing knocked Joel to the ground, scrambling on top of him pressing his rifle to his neck to choke him. "Now you're gonna fucking pay! What you fucking did, you fucking killed yourself, motherfucker!" the guy shouted, his voice filled with rage. Joel struggled against him, but his grip stayed firm, pressing harder and harder down on his throat. His shoes squeaked against the floor as he tried desperately to move away, but it was useless.

The gun weighed heavy as Y/n lifted it. Arms straight out, finger over the trigger. Joel's struggling was becoming weaker and weaker with every passing second. Beads of sweat collected on Y/n brow. This was no time for indecision. No time for fear. She grit her teeth and gripped the gun even tighter.

Bang.

The man let out a yell as he fell to the side, slumped against the wall. Joel immediately began to gasp and wheeze, taking in heaving breaths of air. Y/n stepped closer, the gun still held out, and she saw that she hadn't killed the man.

He was leaning against the wall, his chest heaving violently. When he removed his hands from under him, they were slick, coated with blood. He struggled to get himself up, grimacing at the pain, and Y/n realized with horror that he couldn't have been much older than she was.

He was just a kid.

"No, no, no, no, no! It's okay! It's okay. It's over. We're not fighting anymore." he shouted frantically, holding a bloodstained hand out to stop her. His voice had completely changed from before. What had been violent rage was now desperate pleading. "I'm gonna go home. I'll tell everyone you're good." he said, his voice choked with tears.

Y/n swallowed, refusing to lower her weapon as a lump in her throat began to form.

Suddenly he sobbed, his voice becoming high-pitched in distraught terror. "I don't know what to do. My legs don't work."

She had shot him in the spine. She must've paralyzed him.

"My mom isn't far, if you could get me to her." he cried.

Joel slowly began to get up, but Y/n was frozen in fear. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe. All she could do was watch this terrified kid beg for his life.

"We could trade with you guys. We could be friends. I didn't know!" he said, panting through tears. "I'm Bryan! I'm Bryan. What's your name?"

Y/n's throat constricted. Tears rushed to her eyes and she didn't stop them, but her body knew better. Tears were weakness. She pushed them away almost as an instinct, but something was still weighing heavy in her chest. Bryan.

Joel's hand suddenly reached out, grabbing the pistol from the top. Y/n suddenly became aware, her eyes darting to Joel's. He said nothing, but the look on his face said all she needed to know: You know what I have to do.

Slowly, she let go of the pistol and found that her hands were shaking violently. He turned back around, causing Bryan to panic. "Wait, wait, wait!" he shouted, doing his best to drag himself further away. all he was doing was backing himself further into a corner. Suddenly he reached into a holster and pulled out a large hunting knife, dropping it to the ground. "You can have it...It's a good knife." he said, his voice becoming even more ragged.

Joel bent down and took the knife from him. Y/n was feeling something she hadn't felt in a long time. Not since the time she watched her mother's eyes close for the last time.

Joel turned to her. "Get back behind the wall." he said.

"No, no, no, no! I'm sorry! Please, please. We could just talk! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Bryan shouted, holding his hand out as if to shield himself from them.

Y/n tried to speak, but choked on her words. She paused, not sure what to say. "Joel," she said finally, her voice coming out as nothing more than a rough whisper.

Joel's expression hardened. "Y/n. Get back."

But she couldn't leave. Bryan was crying out to her, apologizing to her, begging for help. There was nothing they could do to help him, and there was nothing he could do to hurt them. But he had seen their faces, and now he knew their names. And that kind of information was deadly.

Y/n just shook her head, her eyes glazing over just as they had earlier. Joel realized then that there was no convincing her. The damage had already been done. So he turned away from her and cocked the pistol.

"No, please! Please! I'm sorry!" Bryan's cries became even more frantic. "Please! You don't have to! No, no, no! We can just talk!"

He was babbling now. Y/n couldn't move. She looked at Bryan, and for and for one fleeting instant, she saw herself that one December night seven years ago. The night she lost everything but her life.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!"

Bang.

Two days. It had been two days since Y/n had said a word to Joel or Ellie. It had also been two days since Joel had put a bullet in Bryan's head.

She walked like someone possessed, eyes staring blankly ahead, face frozen with no expression.

Ellie did her best to goad her into conversation, but she may as well have been talking to a brick wall. Y/n never replied to her questions or laughed at her jokes. Ellie didn't scare easily, but now she was terrified. Nothing quite like this had ever happened.

The only time they ever heard a sound from her was late into the night, when she thought they were both asleep. That was when she allowed herself to cry.

Joel awoke on the third night to complete silence. As the forest floor came into focus around him, he saw Y/n sleeping bag laying flat on the ground, empty.

He sat up, images of the worst immediately coming to mind. He looked to his other side and saw Ellie, fast asleep in her bedroll. `That calmed some of his nerves, but left a lot of his questions unanswered.

The sun was just barely beginning to rise in the east when he got up, looking around himself for any sign of Y/n. There were none. So, after glancing back one more time to make sure Ellie was safe, he picked a direction and began to walk, hoping to find the elder Pain in His Ass.

He wasn't sure how long he had walked before he found her. She was sitting on the forest floor with her back against the thick trunk of a tree, her knees tucked up to her chest with Joel's jacket draped over them. She looked up when he came around, her eyes red-rimmed and swollen.

For a moment, neither of them said anything, merely accepting the others' presence.

"I'm sorry I took your jacket." Y/n said. Her voice was rough and gravelly, and Joel discovered with surprise that he had almost forgotten what it sounded like.

"Don't worry about it." he replied. "Mind if I sit?"

She said nothing, giving a small nod and turning back to stare off into the distance. Joel moved to sit down next to her, grimacing at the pain in his joints as he did so. Y/n continued to sit like there was no one else there, her blank gaze focused on the horizon.

Joel had a pretty good idea what was bothering her. She had shot someone. And what was worse, she'd left them in pain. He almost thought it would've been better if she'd have killed him with the first bullet.

"Y/n—"

"He was crying for his mom." she said suddenly, cutting him off. "He was crying for his mom and you shot him."

Joel went silent for a moment. He'd had to do things he never imagined himself doing — that had been one of them. "I couldn't take the risk."

She knew what he meant, of course. She understood why he'd done it. And, most of all, she was almost sure that if she'd been in his position, she'd have done the same thing. But seeing firsthand what it looked like to beg for your life reminded her of things she'd rather leave in the past.

"My father was a smuggler." Y/n said, her voice hollow. "We never asked what he did; we just knew that, because of what he did, we lived a lot better than a lot of other people. I'm not really sure what he did — if he had made a bad deal, or double crossed someone that shouldn't be crossed, but I woke up on Christmas morning to gunshots coming from my living room. I should've stayed in my room, I know. But I couldn't just sit there and wait. My whole family was down there. So, I went to see if my dad was okay. He was dead before I got down the stairs. My mom grabbed me and my sister as these three guys pointed guns at our faces. She was screaming at them, begging them not to take her children, begging them to take mercy on us. All three of them shot at once."

Her voice stayed firm and toneless as she spoke. "By the time the bullet hit, I had accepted that I was going to die. My eyes shut and I never once thought they'd open again. But..." Y/n pulled down the hemline of her shirt an inch to reveal a thick white scar just below her collarbone, "fate took pity on me that day. Marlene found me just before I bled out. She kept me alive. And when I woke up, I was in the worst pain I'd ever experienced. All I could do was scream for my mom, ask if she was okay. I never got a straight answer, but I already knew what had happened. I just didn't want to believe it."

Joel listened carefully, his and Ellie's conversation echoing in his mind:

"She's got some rough family stories."

"We all do."

"Not like hers."

She was only seventeen years old — he knew that from the beginning. But now that truly seemed to sink in as he looked at her, sitting with her knees tucked to her chest, huddled under his blanket like it was a coat of armor.

"You shouldn't have had to see that," he said. "No one should."

Y/n nodded in agreement. She knew that it wasn't fair. That none of this was fair. But that didn't change that it had happened, or that she'd have to carry it with her wherever she went. It never really got lighter — that was the thing. All the memories did was get harder and harder to hold.

Her glass expression shattered then as she turned to him, tears falling out of her eyes before she could stop them. "I'm trying so hard to hang on, Joel, I really am," she said, her voice finally breaking. She all but collapsed, leaning her head on his shoulder as hers began to shake with sobs.

It had taken Joel years not to see Sarah in every kid he met — but things always fell through the cracks. When he'd least expect it, a sudden laugh or sarcastic comment would take him back to Austin, back to his daughter, and for a moment he'd almost forget that she was gone.

This was one of those times.

"Oh, Y/n," Joel said quietly, wrapping an arm around her. This girl was not Sarah. No one would ever be Sarah. But right then, Joel was almost sure that she was the closest he was ever going to get at a second chance.

"I'm sorry I don't listen," Y/n said through tears. "I know I need to set a good example for Ellie, but if we lose you...I can't be sure I can get her to the Fireflies by myself. We need you. I..."

She stopped herself just short of saying I need you.

"Hey, it's alright. It's okay. You're not gonna lose me." Joel said. "And sometimes...sometimes you just can't listen. You can't take unnecessary risks, but sometimes the situation demands them. You have the sense to know when that is. The world needs more people like that. Like you.

"Don't even think about losing anyone, okay? You just can't. This whole thing, it's like walking on a tight rope. You look down, that's where you're going. So don't look down."

Y/n was coming back to her senses by now, her shoulders stilling and her tears coming to a steady stop. She nodded, wiping away at the last few stray tears and sitting up. "Don't look down," she repeated. "Is that why you're so grumpy all the time? Because you're always looking down?"

She sort of half-smiled in a way that reminded him so starkly of Sarah that he almost forgot to breathe. But he recovered, giving her a wry grin in return. "It's questions like that that make me want to throw you in a lake."

"Please, with your balance, you'd throw yourself in before anyone else."

[anglesideangle]

A Study in Sonder

a short story by livy taillon

please give me feedback and stuff id love to hear (read?) it

small warning for the tiniest mention of blood

ok here it is

Hal Avalos loves people-watching. He relishes going on drives around his city of Philadelphia, observing the intricacies of city life like he’s done for the past 48 years—ever since he could drive. He prefers to walk, but at his age, he is limited, which is a shame. It’s easier to hear conversations and see the details of a face while walking.

Hal finds something interesting in nearly every interaction he watches, which separates him from other people. Just last Saturday on a brunch outing with his friends from Bingo club, he shared a story that made his eyes well up with tears:

He was driving to the park when he stopped at an intersection. He saw a woman walking across the street accidentally drop her wallet, only noticing this once she was on the other side. A car stopped just before running it over and the driver got out, grabbed the wallet, and handed it to the woman. As the car drove away, the woman smiled and waved with genuine gratitude.

After he was finished telling his story, however, his friends sat in silence and stared at him. Jerry, a large man in his early 70s, gave a loud cough.

“So, what is everyone getting to eat? I can’t decide between the sausage and the hashbrowns myself,” said Jerry. Hal was confused at first. Why was no one acknowledging his story? Why were they all staring like he was some demented nutcase? The conversation started up again, and Hal realized they truly thought he was crazy. They thought the events he’d witnessed were ordinary and mundane. He thought this was incredibly dismissive and shallow of them. He also felt a small pang of pity for them that they can’t see others in the way he does; they ignore the interesting people and things all around them. Most people, Hal discovered, have never experienced sonder. Sonder is the realization that everyone, including strangers passing in the street, have lives as complex and intricate as one’s own. Hal himself never realized this; he’s always known it. He was born with intense fascination that extended all the way to passersby.

An extension of his people-watching, Hal enjoys filming people. He films interactions between lovers, friends, families, strangers, and even enemies. Occasionally, when he doesn’t feel like going out to people-watch, he watches his films instead. When he considers a film too good not to share, he creates a new Youtube account with a name that isn’t his and posts the video. He does this because he knows the conventional wisdom says filming strangers without their knowledge is weird and creepy, but documenting one wholesome moment isn’t. A few of his videos have gone viral, but on account of his commitment to staying anonymous, Hal never benefits from it. Despite the lack of profit he gains from it, Hal considers his photography and filmography a very fine art. He considers himself similar to a wildlife photographer filming and documenting animals’ daily lives. Wildlife photographers, however, never interact with their subjects. Whether it is to hurt or help them, those people only watch.

Hal has a different philosophy.

Anna Keens, a 32-year-old woman from Center City, appears in three different videos across the internet. In one of them, posted by William Myers (an account with no other posts and no profile picture) on Facebook, she is seen having a heated dispute with Dante Fox, her ex-boyfriend. In the video, he threatens her and reveals a handgun on his hip. The video ends before Anna’s reaction to this, which worries everyone who sees it. In fact, everyone is too worried about what happens next to wonder about the person behind the camera.

The video of Anna Keens was posted three days after she was reported missing by her sister. During those three days, Anna’s disappearance was beginning to gain traction on social media. The masses were suspicious of Dante Fox, and after the video was posted, they believed their suspicions were right. The police further confirmed speculations when they gained a warrant to search Fox’s apartment. There, they found three of Anna’s teeth, Anna’s blood on a shirt and pair of sneakers, a handgun (the one seen in the video), and a clump of Anna’s red hair along with a bit of scalp in Fox’s trash.

“Dante Fox is a sick man who kept trophies of his heinous crime,” said the chief of police to the press.

Fox pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. He received a life sentence with no possibility of parole.

Hal sighed in relief when he read the news. Normally, people like Anna went overlooked, but Hal supposed Anna was slightly different from the rest of them. She was young, pretty, and had her whole life ahead of her; which made her murder more enraging. Hal doesn’t really see things this way. To him, all of them are equal.

Hal has filmed many others. Sometimes, their faces show up on the Missing In Philly Facebook group he’s a member of. Others show up on the news, on telephone poles, or even (twice) on billboards. But all of them star in videos of Hal’s—some private, many public. Nobody ever considers it strange how many missing and murdered people can be seen on the internet, made famous by accounts that aren’t their own. To Hal, this shows the general public’s thoughtlessness and lack of critical thinking, but he is glad for their disregard. After all, Hal doesn’t want to be caught. He wants people to keep thinking he’s just an old man in retirement, sitting peacefully on a park bench in Philly, listening to the children playing, watching the birds, and engaging in a little harmless people-watching.

ok so that was my story. hoped you liked it and please leave a comment or something! i may or may not continue sharing my writing here depending on how this does

tags

[messedupfan]

The Multiverse

Summary: A mission to travel through the Multiverse.

A/N: I hope y'all are enjoying this series! Let me know your thoughts!

Masterlist | All Chapters | All Stories Taglist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping off of the plate you look to Vision and ask him if the two of you landed close. You are standing in front of what looks to be an abandoned building. Why would a Nexus Being live here? The advanced synthezoid scans the area and nods to confirm. 

“They’re hiding inside of there,” he points to the old and seemingly rundown building. The two of you take cautious steps toward the structure but don’t make it close enough before falling into the ground. You are startled as you ride a slide to an unknown location, not sure if what you’ll find when you land will be pleasant or not. Luckily, you land on a mountain of soft cushions. 

“It works!” A young kid cheers from the otherside of the room. You stand up and look at him with confusion. There was no way that he was the Nexus that the two of you were sent here to grab. “No one ever comes this far! I’ve never been able to test it myself, since it recognizes me. But wow! I cannot believe it works!” 

You look to Vision to confirm that this was the person that the two of you were sent to find but he is preoccupied with something else. “Reality warping,” he says in a low volume. “It feels so familiar,” he takes several steps towards the little boy. 

“Excuse me,” the boy says. Seemingly frightened by the robot standing so close to him. 

“Franklin Richards, stop the cartoons,” your partner demands. “Show us the real you.” 

The boy pretends to not know what he is talking about but Vision is in no mood to play such games. Without physically touching him, Vision lifts the little boy in the air by his throat with a force so strong it disrupts his reality warping abilities. The space that was empty was then filled with steaming lava, then it was turned into an empty amusement park, and finally a high tech laboratory. The boy was now the man that the two of you were sent for. Vision drops him to the ground, coughing and weak. 

This still couldn’t be the one, but it was. What had happened to him? Why couldn’t he have fought off Vision's abilities. You kneel down and conjure a healing glass of water for the man. He refuses, “That only makes it worse now.” 

“What do you mean?” You ask curiously. 

“I didn’t abide by the limitations of my abilities,” he coughs. “I played with fate too much and now I’m banished here, all alone, sick, and any attempt to heal myself… it won’t kill me but it will make the suffering worse.” At his explanation you disenchant the water and offer it to him again. He accepts the glass. You look up at Vision who was already setting the next location. Franklin was going to be no use to the cause. You wish that there was something that you could do to help the poor man but he doesn’t look like he wants any. 

“Sorry for bothering you,” you say as you stand up. 

Moving onto the next universe, you and Vision land in the alley and walk onto a busy sidewalk. Everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere and they rudely bump into you and the synthezoid as the two of you figure out where you’re supposed to go. 

“Couldn’t you have programmed these things to be exact on the location?” You grumble after the fifth person has shoved you aside. “Jean and Raven landed in my backyard, why couldn’t we have been that close?” 

Vision looks at the device with concern because the two of you should have landed close by the home of the Nexus that the two of you are searching for. Not in a busy street in front of businesses and apartment buildings. Using his x-ray vision, Vision scans you then he scans the buildings searching for similar energy. 

When he finds it, he is astonished to find that the Nexus can't be more than a few months old. Which meant the adult Nexus that the two of you were searching for had perished. There was no telling how or when. Other than to infer that they were lucky enough to have sent their powers to their successor.“We have to move on,” Vision says as he puts the settings in. “She could be here, we must go before she senses us.”

You hop onto the platform without questioning him and the two of you are sent to the next location. This time, you land in a backyard. One that mirrors the one you have. Exactly. If you looked at your backyard through a mirror and stepped in, this is what it would look like. You were starting to feel dizzy. You would collapse if it weren't for the tall boy that walked out of the back door of the house. 

“Can I help you?” He is irritated. “Look, if you think you can lock up my mother after she tried to warn you, you have another thing coming!” He does a couple hand motions that conjure up magic shields. 

“Refresh our memory, what did your mother warn us about?” You calmly say with your hands up in surrender. 

The boy shakes his head, “I know what you're trying to do! You're trying to make me hear how crazy she sounds. But I won't! Okay? I'm not you!” The way he practically spits at you tells you that the two of you have a history in this universe. “I won't give up on her like you did!” He motions to blast you with his magic. 

“Woah, woah, hold on!” You shout. “I believe you! I believe her!” Your pleas don't stop the boy but you're able to dodge the deadly energy he sends your way. 

Vision is annoyed by the boys’ dramatics. “Are you William—”

“Don't pretend like you don't know who I am!” The boy shouts before Vision could finish his name. This time he aims his powers towards Vision. The synthezoid isn't happy to be blocking the hit and he looks at you with a glare. 

Not sure what he expects you to do, so you look back at the boy and clear your throat as you stand taller. “We aren't who you think we are. And we're here to discuss the multiverse with you. Please, hear us out. We need your help.”

The crazed look in the boy's eyes tells you that there might not be anything to convince him that you're telling the truth. “No,” he whispers bitterly. “No! You think I'm going to let you in? You think you're going to convince me to trust you? No! I won't put my mother in danger like that! Now go! Get out of here and stay away! We don't need you! The day you left was the best day of our lives!” He looks at you with daggers of hatred in his eyes. “Why couldn't you have just stayed gone?” 

You step forward to say something but Vision stops you. “Another lost cause,” he says, “We better get going.”

“No, I think I can—”

“It's no use, Y/n. Even if you convince him to come with us, he's not going to want to fight against the Scarlet Witch,” Vision elaborates. 

“How are you so sure?” you challenge. 

“Billy, who's there?” A new voice, that sends shivers down your spine, calls the boy from the house. The answer to your confusion stands on the back porch of the house. 

“It’s nobody, mom. Go back inside please,” the boy — Billy — keeps a guarded stance towards you as he speaks softly to his mother. Wanda. 

“That's them!” Wanda says as she races down to you and Vision. She is much older than the Wanda you’re married to and she is very thin. An unhealthy amount, as if she hardly ate if at all. But the resemblance is still uncanny. You looked to the boy to see that he wasn’t doing well for himself either. You begin to wonder if this is what the people just look like in this universe or if these two need a lot more help than just each other. You felt bad for the two of them as you realize the house was a lot more rundown than you initially thought. The longer you paide attention the more things began to deteriorate. You wanted to help them get out of here, it looked like they really needed it. 

“Mom, no! It's a trap!” Billy tries to catch her but she shoos him away. He shakes his head and prepares to hit either of you with a powerful blast if he needs to. 

“You came for my boy, yes?” She asks in a thick Sokovian accent. She must not have felt the need to lose the accent in this universe which you’re happy about for her. You missed her accent, and though there is a hint of it here and there with your Wanda, it’s not nearly as strong. And she would mention to you about feeling a loss of her former identity, of where she came from. But she never made much of an effort to find it again because it didn’t feel right to the person she has grown to be. “He’s like you. He is powerful. You need him, yes?” She directs her questions to you. 

“Yes, we could use someone like him on our side,” you confirm. 

“My apologies to your team. I need him more than you do. But you will defeat her without him. I know this,” she says and she puts her hands on your face. “You will be the one to stop her because you have to stop her,” Wanda tells you and you nod. An eerie feeling makes your skin crawl at her words but you try not to let the effect last. To please her, you promise that you will stop the Scarlet Witch and she steps away. Vision sets the machine to go to move on and you join him on the platform getting one last look at the family you haven't had the chance to create yet. You hope that when you do, you'll appreciate it more than this version of you apparently has.

Landing in front of a building of the fourth and final Nexus on your list, you start to feel the effects of the trip. “Hold on,” you stumble away from Vision to vomit in the bushes in front of you. “Strange,” you move your tongue around in your mouth. “I don’t taste a thing.” You look to the synthezoid who is preoccupied with looking over his notes. “I know this is a different universe but, no taste? I had no idea that could be taken from us. Well, from me, I have no idea if you even have taste since your uh… a robot.” 

When you turn to look at Vision, you are met with his unimpressed glare and you straighten up with an apologetic grimace. “You weren’t created here so that's a strange thing for you. But to anyone from here, flavor is weird,” Vision explains. “Are you okay to go inside now? Or would you rather lose to the witch because you couldn’t get over that you lost the ability to taste your own vomit?” 

“Sorry, yeah, uh, lets go.” You gesture for him to lead the way. He slaps your chest with a piece of paper that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere grumbling to you that you have to stick to this script from now on. Not in the mood to put up much of a fight about it, you read it over as the two of you walk inside of the building. Before getting to your destination, the two of you are instantly stopped by the receptionist. 

“We have an appointment with Ms. Romanova,” Vision informs the woman at the front desk as he manipulates the computer to add your names to the system. “We’re under Vision and Y/n Y/l/n.” 

The woman narrows her eyes at the both of you before she types something into the computer to confirm. “She’s in an important meeting. It’s going to be a while. The two of you can wait in her office on the top floor.”

The two of you take a seat before the desk as you wait for the Nexus to come through. Which surprisingly isn't a long wait at all. Natalia Romanova struts through the door in a dark pantsuit and short blonde hair. The Natasha Romanoff you knew had long fiery red hair and if she wasn’t in her uniform, she was in active wear. Unless she was on a mission where she had to dress up to catch the eye of her target. And she had dropped the original version of her name a long time ago. “What did I say about messing with my system? I don’t care how important–” She tosses a tablet onto her desk and narrows her eyes. “I take that back. I don't believe I've ever told the two of you anything.” She stands at the front of the desk and leans against the edge of the glass with her arms crossed. “Who are you really? And what do you want?”

“I’m Y/n Y/l/n, and I'm here to ask if you have been having any nightmares,” you go by the script that Vision curated.  

Natalia's eyebrows move as she purses her lips. “I run the most successful business in this city. Of course I have nightmares. What's it to you?”

You look at Vision before you clear your throat and conjure an image of the Scarlet Witch, “Does this woman ever appear in them?”

She barely looks at the magical holograph before she shakes her head with a smirk. “Come on, what is this? Did Hill order the two of you as some sort of magic act to distract me? I mean, I know how much she cares about my birthday but this is a little much.” 

“Please Ms. Romanova, it will help us to explain our presence if you answer our question. Has this woman appeared in your nightmares before?” Vision cuts in with a serious tone that makes Natalia lose the humor from her features. She sighs and shakes her head.

“No, I don’t dream about my friend in a weird costume,” she answers with an annoyed expression. “Stop with the slow introduction and cut to the chase already. Why do you look similar to my friends but it’s clear that you’re not them? Why do you care if I have strange dreams? Why are you people here?” 

“You’re right, let’s,” you ignore Vision’s glare as you sit up to go off script. “We came here from different universes. We are trying to put together a team to save every universe from a threat and we could use someone with your abilities,” you explain. 

“No can do,” she says as she pushes off of the desk and walks around the piece of furniture. “For one, I don’t believe any of that. And two,” she holds up a pistol that she had stashed in her desk, “you have five seconds to leave here alive.” The small weapon makes you and Vision laugh and you turn it into a water gun with a wink. “Cute,” she says and the bright green toy glows in her hand before she shoots your arm. The acid seeps through your sleeve and burns your skin, you don’t let it show to save face. “Now go, before I give you a hell of an audition for your team,” she says sarcastically. 

“Now hold on,” Vision starts as you continue to pretend that the acid isn’t hurting at all but you want to scream. You haven’t felt pain like this in years. “We can prove it to you–”

“Oh,” she begins chuckling cynically. “It’s not a matter of believing you,” she smirks as her clothing starts to burn away being replaced by a deep red material. “It’s about stopping you.” When her clothing is transformed into an outfit you’ve only ever seen in your dreams before you stop breathing. Her smile stretches further like a cheshire cat and her eyes glow red. Her short blonde hair grows out red and her face morphs into Wanda’s – no, the Scarlet Witch. A dark red crown materializes and frames her face. You begin to feel conflicted. Not certain whether to run or to try to reason with her or try to fight her. Right here. Right now. 

“What have I told you two – What is happening?” The real Natalia stops at the entrance of the office. You jump from your seat as the Scarlet Witch fires a ball of energy in her direction and block it with an energy shield of your own. You turn to Vision who is floating in the air firing a beam from the stone in his forehead. 

“Get her out of here!” he shouts as he swerves from a blast. You nod once as you grab Natalia and teleport her out of the building. 

“We need your help fighting that woman in your office. Your best chance is to come with us,” you rush out as soon as you land in a safe space a few blocks away. 

“Are you crazy? Leave!? I have to get back there! You have to help me fight her here!” Natalia pushes your hands off of her. 

“No! You’re not listening! We can’t defeat her on our own! We came here to ask for your help, we have a plan.” You demand that she listens to you but she won’t. 

Vision bursts out of the top of the building in the distance, as does the Scarlet Witch. She lifts two nearby buildings from the ground intending to sandwich Vision between them but you open a portal to save him. He flies through it and falls in front of you. “We have our work cut out for us,” he says. “Ms. Romanova, we need to get you out of here now.” 

“No,” she snaps, “I’m not running away this time. I’m staying and I’m fighting. Besides, if I fail, I’ll just wake up.” She rips her business suit off, revealing her sleek suit of armor. 

“Ms. Romanov, I’m afraid this isn’t a dream. If you lose to her, it won't be the end of just you. That will be the end of everyone and everything,” Vision explains urgently. 

“It’s a good thing I’m not alone then, right?” She looks between you and Vision but neither of you are certain you can stay to fight. Maybe the three of you had a chance to get rid of her now. Maybe there was a team here that could show up and help with the fight. However, the option to stay seemed to be too much of a risk and you want to grab the woman and take her with you regardless of her protests. Before you can make a decision, one of those buildings land right on top of Natalia. You and Vision decide to save the fight for another day and jump to three different universes before heading back to the one they had set up base. 

By the time the two of you find the universe on the map, the numbers and zone are in red. You sigh as you excuse yourself to your room. You stare at the ceiling as you process the last trip. Process being face to face with her. You were starting to doubt your involvement in this mission. Maybe you should go back and hope they can take it from here. You couldn't even hit her with anything. You reacted too slowly. Your head wasn't in the game. Not with her looking exactly like the woman you love. 

Not only was it bad that you didn't put up much of a fight against her. Now she knows too much information about the plan. That could cut the time to prepare dramatically. She could be here within days when they were hoping for at least a couple months to get ready. If you were to leave after having failed at bringing anyone else to the team, what kind of person would that make you? Besides, if she won here it was only a matter of time that she'd find you right after. 

No, that's not how you were going to go out. If you were going to lose this battle, it was going to be with your team. 

Once you were done with your pity party, you got out of the dorm room and headed back to the war room. On the way there you spotted an annoyed redhead and a man that seemed to be bothering her with many people carrying bags as they walked out the entrance. You step closer to see what was happening. 

“I’m just reminding you, that you have options, honey. I'm not going to stay, if what Raven said was true I think you guys have it handled. But once it's over, call me. You're too pretty to die alone,” Scott says and he caresses Jean's cheek with the back of his hand. 

“Huh, I take it that we weren't friends in this universe either,” you say as you stand close to Jean. Scott's mouth quivers and his eyebrows raise as he stumbles on his words. Shocked to see your face once again. “It's okay, I'm not back from the dead,” you put your arm around Jean and dip your fingers in the front pocket of your pants. “Or am I?” You lean forward, “Boo!” Scott stumbles back and says one more goodbye to Jean before running out of the building. 

The two of you share a laugh. “I still don't believe that I chose him over you in your universe,” Jean says. 

You shrug, “I couldn't believe it for years either.” There's a quiet moment between the two of you when you stop laughing and gaze into each other's eyes. She was brought back to the last night that she had with Y/n. The two of them had just worked through an argument and Y/n caught her as she was going to pass them. Jean was laughing as she was in their arms. Their face was about as close to hers as yours is right now. Y/n told her that they loved her and that they couldn't believe how lucky they were to have a life with her. Lost in that memory, Jean starts to lean in but you step back and remove your arm from her shoulders. “Come on, Vision and I had quite an experience on our trip and we have a lot to catch everyone up on,” you say, pretending that you didn't notice her trying to kiss you. “Were you and Simon able to recruit anyone?” Jean shakes her head, both to tell you no and to break herself out of her head. 

Walking into the meeting room you are met with a very happy Wanda. She tries to greet you with a quick kiss on the lips but you turn and her lips land on your cheek. She doesn't allow the move to phase her as she lets you know that she and Carol had a lot of fun on their mission. “And we got a guy,” she says. “Thor was very willing to come with us!” 

“Oh, that's great! Where is he?” You say as you look around the room. 

“Carol is showing him to his room,” she shrugs. 

“Maximoff!” Raven storms through the room. “You left Hank behind?” 

Wanda pretends to take a second to think, “I don't know who that is.” Carol walks into the room with the God of Thunder towering behind her. “Danvers, do you know about this Hank business?” She air quotes his name and Carol makes a confused expression. 

“No, that name doesn't ring a bell. Was he on the list?” She says just as confused with a godly man towering behind her.

“He was your chaperone!” Raven snaps. 

“Well we didn't need one of those, so we didn't have one,” Carol retorts. Raven rolls her eyes and grabs Carol by the wrist. 

“You’re coming with me to pick him up,” Raven pulls the other woman out of the room angrily. 

You shake your head at Wanda and ask how long the poor scientist lasted. “Second location, he kept going on and on about this and that. We couldn't hear it anymore, honestly, I think we did everyone here a favor.” You force a laugh as you avoid eye contact with your wife and comment on how adorable she is when she's happy. Wanda's grin wavers as she begins to worry.

“But seriously, no more pranks. We barely had time for them before but now we're really going to have to buckle down,” you tell her. “Every second counts now.”

Your tone brings Wanda's mood down even further, “What are you talking about?”

“We,” you look over at your mission partner and notice that he is tinkering with his arm and sigh, “I think we might be in way over our heads. ”

The Training

Taglist: @madamevirgo @wqndanat @thisischaismagic @artisannat @olsensnpm @evenbeingcrazy1998 @bentleywolf29 @awkwardmandalorian @agaymilflover @sayah13 @princessprudy  @likefirenrain @tearsofglitter @feltlikethat @piningismymiddlename @the-writer-arcane @diaryoflife @natashasilverfox @karsonromanoff @lovelyy-moonlight @red1culous @jovialsublimecomputer @natasha-maximoff @iliketozoneout @doudouneverte @aloneodi @druggedduck @notbornbutforged @when-wolves-howl @lifespectator @justyourwritter69 @wandaromamoff69

[fandom-gt]

FANDOM: How To Train Your Dragon

REQUESTED SUMMARY: ”This story would be set in the How To Train Your Dragon movies, specifically right before the second film. The main character is a villager on Berk that's a year younger than Astrid. She is essentially like a mentor to him, having taught him how to fly on his dragon due to both of them having Deadly Nadders. One day, he's on the way to visit her after a Dragon Race when he encounters a strange dragon and is shrunk by it. After making it into Astrid's house, he sees that she isn't there. She does end up returning after about an hour after finishing the dragon race. Exhausted, she takes off her boots to air out her sweaty feet. He decides to approach her at that moment and, after arriving at her feet, is tempted to indulge in his usually hidden desire towards feet as he's never seen hers before. Reasoning with himself that she has some extra time as she'll be relaxing for a while, he gives in and takes in their scent. After getting closer to touch them and feel how warm her soles are, her foot then presses down on him and pins him to the ground, which leads directly to the second part.”

CHARACTERS: Astrid, Berk Villager OC

WARNINGS: Feet, Unaware, Femdom

COMMISSION TYPE: Full Page + 2 Add-On

——

Despite what his peers would have you believe, Kolskegg is not in love with Astrid. She’s his mentor, which is a completely different, wholly separate thing. They’re bonded to the same breed of dragon, is all, and she was there for him when pretty much nobody else was. She was able to teach him how to ride, and she’s been looking out for him ever since she took him under her wing, and he respects her. That’s completely different from being in love, and besides, Astrid has a boyfriend that’s pretty much like the coolest, smartest, most famous guy in the village now. Kol barely ranks on the radar compared to Hiccup, and he knows it.

So yeah, maybe she looked super awesome and cool during the dragon race, and maybe he was cheering her on the entire time – but that’s just what mentees are supposed to do. They cheer for their mentors. And yeah, maybe he’s headed to her house to congratulate her on her big win, but that’s just a completely normal, not remotely sad or pathetic friend thing. And if he’s been rehearsing what he plans to say to her during the entire walk over, that’s just because he’s bad at talking sometimes and he doesn’t want to look like a moron.

He’s so consumed with his recitations, actually, that he doesn’t notice the creature obstructing his path until he literally walks straight into it – bouncing off of the scaly hide so hard it sends him sprawling backward onto his butt along the dirt path leading to Astrid’s house.

There’s a dragon parked on her lawn, he realizes belatedly, stupidly. A dragon he’s never seen before, a species type he doesn’t recognize, which in and of itself isn’t hugely shocking – they’re still discovering new types every day. It’s just that, apparently, this one is skittish, far more so than his Deadly Nadder.

Despite the fact that Kol’s small form barely even nudged the massive dragon’s thigh, it still squawks out an alarmed sound, jolts, and whirls around to cough a thick cloud of something blue, and sparkly, and choking directly into Kol’s face. And then it bolts, flapping swiftly away from the lawn, leaving Kol to wheeze around the dust particles immediately flooding his lungs.

By the time his coughing fit dies, by the time he can rub his watery eyes and actually see again, the world around him is… very, very different than it was a moment ago. For a silly, confused second he’s half-convinced he’s been teleported, or snatched up by the strange dragon and dropped off somewhere entirely different – but no. No, both of those things would have been better than the truth.

Vertigo lurches through him; shock ripples alongside waves of disbelief. His vision vignettes at the edges, his breathing picking up pace to something just this side of hyperventilation. He’s in exactly the same spot he’d landed, it’s just– stretched. Scaled up, vast, larger by miles. Incomprehensibly huge, to the extent that Astrid’s home is no longer a modest hut, but rather a towering mountain too vast for his eyes to fully perceive from where he sits.

Slowly, uncertainly, he pulls himself to his feet. His knees wobble for a cowardly moment, until he takes a deep breath and steels himself. This isn’t what Astrid taught him – she’s fierce, and she’s been teaching him to be fierce. To be brave. To be worthy of the Deadly Nadders they both ride. Squaring his shoulders, steeling his nerves, he musters up as much of his composure as he can and marches determinedly forward.

Astrid will be able to help him. He’s lucky, actually, that this happened so close to her house. All he has to do is get inside, get her attention, and explain what happened. She’ll be able to hunt down the dragon that did this to him, and her super genius boyfriend should be able to find a way to reverse it, right? Right. It’s not even that big of a deal. It’s fine. Everything’s going to be fine.

Mostly. It’s going to be mostly fine, he concedes, after forty minutes of rigorous athletic exertion, huffing and puffing, straining himself just to get up the path, up her stairs, and wriggling beneath the gap under her front door. What should have only been a few seconds and a few easy steps transformed into an entire freaking journey, and by the time he collapses onto his back, sweating and struggling to catch his breath, it’s been nearly an hour since the dragon race has ended.

She must have stopped to chat, or to take care of her dragon, or to meet up with Hiccup after, he thinks – right on time for the first thunderous quake to gently reverberate through the hardwood underneath his back. It’s subtle, distant, but it doesn’t stay that way for long. One after another, rhythmic and undeniably approaching, the quakes grow in strength. The moment they reach climactic crescendo, Astrid’s door us thrown open with such force, the gust of it sends Kol’s tiny body tumbling end over end across her living room.

Probably for the best, he realizes belatedly from his sprawled position on his stomach, watching her kick off her boots and begin to tread directly where his tiny little body had been only seconds before. He’s not sure how durable he is at this size, but there’s a distinct possibility she might’ve flattened him without even noticing him.

He drags himself slowly to his feet, awe beginning to replace the panic in his mind as she flops into a safe, stable position on her couch. When she’s not moving, when there’s no chaotic tornado of sound and momentum, when she’s still, he has time to appreciate the magnitude of her. She is… enormous.

She is so staggeringly large, he can’t really see all of her in one go without craning his neck, and he finds himself slowly drawn toward her as though in a spell. As though compelled, as though at her scale she has her own gravitational pull – and it specifically attracts stupid little mentees with no better common sense.

She’s beautiful, he thinks, in the way that acts of nature are both beautiful and terrible. The way infernos are beautiful, the way storms are beautiful, the way tidal waves and hurricanes are beautiful, even though they’re deadly and devastating. Maybe it’s not smart of him to be wandering mindlessly toward her like this, but… she’s his mentor, right? He’d feel drawn regardless, even without whatever… weird… pheromone-induced stupor keeps trying to dull his senses. She’s the one that’s going to help him. All he has to do, he reasons, is get her attention, and then it’s all downhill from there.

It feels like a perfectly sensible plan – right up until he finally clears the underside of her coffee table, and comes face to face with the soles of her feet, crossed at the ankles and propped lazily on her heels. Those, he hadn’t managed to see from his perspective until right now. Not up close, not like this, not with the same detail and immensity as the rest of her towering body. Now, they’re right there, directly across the flat surface of her floor, and he…

Lied. He lied. Earlier, he may have slightly lied when he went on that whole tangent about how he totally definitely super was not in love with her. He might be a little in love with her, and he also might have a very… unique and specific thing for feet. He’s never seen hers before, though, not until right now, and this very first introduction he’s getting to them?

It’s unlike anything he’s ever experienced before. Even the ones he’s gotten to see up close and personal were at a far smaller, far less impressive scale. Hers are so – they’re so – they’re just–

They’re everything, they’re all-encompassing, they’re massive, and the closer he gets, the less he can focus on anything else. Even the smell of them is oppressive, stealing his attention and blanking out his mind, until the next thing he knows, he’s standing directly in front of her arch, still sweaty from the exertion she put into her dragon race, absently flexing and gently dragging along the hardwood floor in front of him in a move he’s almost certain is unconscious on her part. Such a large movement for him, disruptive enough to lightly shake the ground beneath him, and she doesn’t even realize she’s doing it.

Look, she’s relaxing, right? She just got home. She’s bound to take at least, what, ten minutes to catch her breath? Fifteen, maybe? Probably twenty, even – which means he has plenty of time, doesn’t it? When is he ever going to have this opportunity again? After she helps fix him, he’ll never again be at a scale where he can truly appreciate her feet like this, at this scale, with this much- presence. It won’t hurt anything, she probably won’t even notice; and if she does, he can just say that he was trying to get her attention, which is mostly kind of objectively true, isn’t it?

Right? Right. Okay, that’s settled then, glad we’re all in agreement, he thinks diplomatically, before reaching out a trembling hand to gently, gently place his palm against the leathery sole. It is, in a way, a little bit like taming a dragon. They’re similar in scale, the texture isn’t too hugely different, the smell is equally as omnipresent and the movements equally unpredictable. For a wild and ridiculous moment, his imagination is assaulted with the idea of riding her feet the same way he rides his Deadly Nadder, and he can’t help the rush of heat that runs through his cheeks, down his spine, all the way down to his belly, where it uncoils fiercely.

They’re so warm beneath his hand, and just a little damp from sweat, and-

Moving. They’re moving. Wait, oh crap, they’re moving- reality snaps back into place a beat too late. Try as he might to retract his hand and stagger backward, he isn’t fast enough. Her towering sole begins to descend swiftly as Astrid mindlessly uncrosses her ankles and braces her feet on the floor.

One of them, of course, settles directly on top of Kol. He’s pinned to the hardwood, trapped by the weight of it, and all but invisible now beneath its mass.

This is probably not good. This is probably a very, very bad thing…

And yet…

You know… he isn’t really all that broken up about it…

[faun-the-fawn77]

New Short Story Idea?

Okay so when I finish the Rengoku fic in my drafts I kinda wanna start a mini(?) story of something that has been in my mind for a bit now.

I've been reading a lot, and I mean A LOT, of fanfics centered around isekai!reader x various and now I want to do something similar! Who doesn't love a modern girl falling into a world they love? This post will be the first of two. There will be a poll below so you can vote for what it asks!

Now, onto the plot(?) of the story.

We got modern girl waking up in new world. The part of the timeline? I kinda wanna start it near where the trio are at that mansion with drum demon. I'll have them wake up in the forest nearby and wander towards the noise. She's adventurous and the way she woke up into the KNY world is maybe she went out into the forest she normally goes and its an alice in wonderland situation where she falls into a hole and after falling for so long she passes out. She has a backpack that she usually takes with her so its got essentials. I haven't really come across any fics where the reader has like their phone or anything modern with them except for their outfit. I think it would be interesting if she had her phone and of course other modern things in her pack. Maybe food from her time, water bottle, battery pack with cords, polaroid camera(?), another set of clothes, and MAYBE a few of the KNY manga. It'd be cool if the art inside the books disappeared and were just blank? OR they stay the way they are and they show Amane who describes the scenes they open up to to Kagaya? And then he and his family is kind of the only people who know that she knows the future and he trusts her to let things take its course but she obviously will save the ones that she wants... cough cough rengoku cough cough... anyway!

it'll just follow the plot but with a new character from the modern world who spouts nonsense(Gen Z slang cause it would be funny seeing their confused faces when reader/oc starts dropping words like "rizz" and "gyat"). Maybe have that language barrier as well. Make reader/oc learn japanese(she'll only know the basics at first and definitely every curse word cause thats amazing). The few manga she has with her? Lets say she has volumes 18-20. Amane chooses the 20th volume to skim through.

Now, for the characters main characteristics(?) I guess. The obvious one being her breathing style. I would have gone with my main thing and choose ice but it's kind of generic cause i've seen quite a bit of fanfics with the reader/oc having that breath style. I kinda wanted to go with a more animal-like one like Obanai. He's the only one who has a style that's animal related and it would be amazing if we could get someone else who has an animal breath style. I actually might make three posts and have this one be about the breath styles to choose from.

Yeah, we're gonna do breath styles first so I can get an image of reader/oc's personality.

Poll below:)

I was gonna go for ten but I think these 8 are the most interesting to me. Dragon is actually calling to me but thats because I've been watching a lot of Game of Thrones...I'm actually putting it off because I've heard that the "Red Wedding" is the worst thing to ever witness and while I have not been spoiled for it, the reactions I have seen from people who were watching it for the first time made me scared but also insanely curious. If it really is bad then I feel prepared but that's because I'm going with it being as bad as me watching all three Human Centipede movies at a not appropriate age to watch said movies. That was off topic, I'm sorry.

Vote away! Next post will be to choose if you want it to be an "x reader" or an OC that I can create cause I love doing that and it makes me happy and gives me a chance to pick up my Apple Pen again.

The last poll will be the love interest(s). Do we want one or all? We will see>:)

[sharpsuite]

you must think i’m crazy. / in the hospital post-borderlands maybe?? for either

↳ NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS SENTENCES

   “ I think under current circumstances, this hardly qualifies as crazy. A meteorite striking Japan without notice was crazy. “ It’s still hard to comprehend in some ways. He tilts his head upwards, squinting towards the sky in silence for a moment. The nurses had practically ordered him to go outside for a little bit with lectures that it’d be good for his health. As if he wasn’t a doctor. It made him want to roll his eyes, but it WAS a nice reprieve from a certain someone’s coughing. ( Which, on the thought, Chishiya was confident he did sometimes just to annoy him. ) “ But it is rather ABSURD. “ Chishiya adds when he drops his gaze back to study the woman beside him.

  Chishiya was good at recognizing faces and retaining information; that was different than feeling like he knew someone. It was puzzling enough to recognize faces that he can’t recall having ever seen. Pat was an infinitely more confusing puzzle to try to understand because he KNEW her. Somehow, he knew her in a way that didn’t extent to even some of the people he recognized. It was a gut instinct, absurd and illogical, yet relevant all the same.

   “ In the wake of traumatic experiences, the brain is prone to make connections and stories. “ He remarks calmly, leaning back against the bench. His hands move to bury themselves in his pockets only to draw up a PERPLEXED frown. He doesn’t have pockets. He ends up folding them across his chest instead. “ What is crazy is the fact that I believe you. “ He turns his gaze forwards to the other patients lingering outside on the hospital grounds. He’d noticed it – people gravitating towards certain interactions and avoiding others like there was an invisible history influencing behavior.

   It’s interesting. Interesting is good. Chishiya offers a sly grin towards her. “ And because of that and the feeling I get that I know you, I presume you are not against being nosy to find out more information? “ It’s not a TEST, but he has a feeling he already knows the answer. She just has to agree. “ After all, it seems like there’s something more going on than we think. “ / @cartelheir

[myrammmortal]

Chapter 39, either the writing has gotten better or this is the hacker chapter

Disclaimer: I do not own the HP series and I am not the real XXXbloodyrists666XXX.

AN// I am an extremely immature pathetic idiot girl, I know. Out of boredom, I crack this girl's passy for fun (and it took less than 8 minutes to do it too) and will probably get in a shitload of trouble. Which I probably deserve 'cause I'm being a troll right now. Meh.

And I present to you MY crappy part in this story. (And take note I haven't even finished reading this fic yet, but instead skip over to skim chapter 38.) Flame, laugh, do whatever you want "preps."

I, the American retail wearing british-german vampire Sue, coughed up blood.

Satan kneeled down beside me.

"Noooooooooooooooo! Don't die!"

I gave him a rueful smile. "I'm sorry. It's something I had to do, to fufill my duty as the noble gothic Mary Sue."

Satan sobbed. "I love you Paul Darkness Omnipotentia Brick Face Landers."

"I love you two. I'll...I'll see you in hell." I mumbled, already finding my surroundings fading to black.

Frau Schneider suddenly popped into the room for no apparent reason. She frowned when she realized the room was oddly quiet, but at the sight of Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers' lifeless body, she screamed. Her face became pale with horror. She screamed for the healers, Daddy Till, Mcgoogle, and every single gothic person she could think of. It was a long, long, long, long, long, list. Still not sure why her parents old neighbours were here.

Suddenly, a glow started to surround the body of Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers. Everyone stared in shock. Her body started to lift ever so slowly and then, to everyone's shock, it started to incinerate.

When everyone realized what was happening, they rushed over to try to rescue the body, but it was too late, the Sue became nothing more then a pile of ashes.

A loud resounding of everyone bellowing "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...!!" filled the room.

A flash of white light from the ashes then started to bounce around the room. Everyone cowered in fear and were temporarily blinded. When it was all over, things changed.

All the silly goth clothes dropped from everyone's bodies (AN//I will refuse to explain how the hell that happened. EN: thank goodness because I don't want to know) and, in their place, clothes the characters would normally wear in canon appeared on their bodies.

When everyone got over the shock of becoming free of the gofick power, everybody cheered. Everyone started singing 'Ding dong the sue is dead...' Well, that is, until all the HP characters realized the true implications of becoming more canon like again.

All the characters who were supposed to be dead fell to the floor, their bodies cold and lifeless. Harry and Voldemort started dueling. On the left side of the two, the battle of the Light Side and the Dark Side were reaching a climax.

And, because the replacement author also likes to screw around with canon, Richard and Frau Schneider fled the scene and got married.

Meanwhile...

Down in hell, Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers shed a single tear because of her current situation. A situation that would live on for all eternity. Or at least until the end of fanfiction time.

She lost it all, but she knew she had to remain strong. Nothing would ever break her down.

She looked down over her pale body, and frowned. 'Where are my emo clothes?' She asked herself in confusion.

And then it occured to her...

For her shirt, she was wearing a bright pink polo with a little seagull on the (right or left? I can't remember) side. Below that, she was wearing a denim miniskirt with the "destroyed" look on it. Paired underneath that skirt were leggings with a little moose at the bottom. And then Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers realized, on her shoulder, she was carrying a pretty bag with an eagle on it that said Live Your Life written all over the bag.

Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers supressed the urge to scream. Here she was decked out in clothes prep to the extreme wearing stuff from Abercrombie and Fitch, American Eagle, AND Hollister.

Panicked, Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers hastily tried to take off the Hollister polo, but underneath it, there was another Hollister polo underneath. Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers frowned, and looked under her shirt. All she saw was a bra underneath (dare I point out it's from the Aerie line available at American Eagle?). Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers tried to remove the shirt again. But to her frustration, there was yet again another polo to replace it. Every polo more preppy and pink than the last.

"THIS IS UNLOGICAL AND DOES NOT MAKE ANY SENSE!!" Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers bellowed out to the air. She failed to see the irony in her statement, how hypocrytical her words were, seeing as she was practically calling the kettle black here.

Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers slit her writs and mumbled to herself, "Omigod."

/End Crap Fic.

AN// Oh yeah, if you wanna see the original content this chick had planned for this chapter, I accessed it through the document manager thingy, which I copied and pasted, so you can read it tomorrow

Editors Note: Thank you to whoever added the smallest bit of sanity to my perfect hell. I wish the whole "story" would've ended here but then again, I can't live without Daddy Till, Evil Twin of Flake, Sometimes Flake, Frau Schneider, Oliver Who Was Once Named Navel, Richard and Paul Darkness Alzheimer Birdflu Landers.

[wandering-wolf23]

5). To Be a Queen (Middle Grade Lion fiction)?

To Be a Queen is basically my love letter to early 2010s Lion King fanfic. Especially all the fan prides made and RP sites that ended in ".webs.com". I don't think that Webs is really a thing anymore - IIRC, it's basically been deleted. There's a lot of lost media from those that would make for interesting reading if anyone ever finds it. TBaQ is my take on Simba's story, but Simba is a girl (Jasiri) and her pride has been invaded by an outside force. Baya, who is basically an older, slightly healthier Nuka, winds up finding her and helps her get her pride back. Along the way, they fall in love.

The snippet (actually half of Ch 4):

Jasiri dragged herself into another crevice, grimacing as she did so. She hadn’t realized she was so hurt until a few days after the fact. Aches and pains stabbed all over her body, from the tip of her tail to the cuts on her paw pads. Even her mouth tasted like copper. Jasiri coughed and wiped her muzzle on her fur. Then she lay down again, her golden gaze focused on the sky. Unease rippled across her. It buried itself deep in her fur and bit her skin like a wood ant.

She didn’t like being alone. A lioness in a pride was never left to herself. There was always at least one other with her. Sometimes they might be an aunt, a sister, a friend, or even a low-ranking male assigned to guard them. At the time, Jasiri hated it. Even now, the thought of that suffocating closeness made her growl. Jasiri swallowed it back. She forced a neutral look on her face as she watched the grasslands. Baya and Dani had to get back soon, right? They wouldn’t just leave her here, not after all the trouble they took to get her over here.

“Baya?” a new voice called. “Baya!”

Jasiri tensed. She pressed her belly to the stone and slowly extended her claws.

Footsteps came closer to her. She could barely see a cat, prowling on the other side of the rock. It was too small to be a lion (maybe it was a marozi? Jasiri thought they were all dead, though) and the flashes of fur she saw were cream and red rather than brown.

“Oh, confound it all!” the intruder said. They sighed. “Where is that lion? I’ll even settle for Dani at this point!”

Jasiri kept quiet. She dragged herself up so she sat on her haunches and waited. Seconds dragged by like hours. A few flies buzzed around her, their annoying sound nearly drowning out anything else. Jasiri stayed quiet. She waited, her ears trembling, for the intruder to come near her. If it was a marozi, Jasiri intended to pounce first and ask questions never. She bared her teeth in anticipation, even as her heart pounded. Exhaustion threatened to drag her back to the ground. Jasiri fought it off and steeled herself for the coming fight.

The intruder walked around the rock, saw her, and froze. Jasiri stared back. The red leopard’s mouth dropped open and his tail fell straight down.

“Baya has a girlfriend?” he asked. “I thought he and Dani were a thing.”

“Who are you?” Jasiri asked.

“Touko.” Touko sat down and licked his chest. “I, uh, was looking for my friend.”

“Yeah, I heard.” Jasiri didn’t sit and bared her fangs. “Now what do you want?”

“Uh, I want to know where Baya is?” Touko asked. His tail gestured wildly as he spoke. “We were supposed to go fishing. But he’s nowhere to be found and I really don’t want to go swimming without a backup, you know?”

“No, I don’t know,” Jasiri hissed. “Next time, be careful. I thought you were a marozi.”

Touko stared at her, confusion in his golden eyes. “A what now?”

“Marozi.” Jasiri grimaced. “They’re not very nice. It’s like a nasty lion had a baby with a nastier leopardess.”

Touko nodded like he understood. “Right… I’ll just wait up here, I guess. I am not walking back to the river. Not in this heat.”