#disinfectant gate

[andvys]

Dancing with our hands tied | S.H.

Chapter one ⭐︎ Waiting Room

Warnings: slight angst, mentions of death and injuries, mention of physical assault (physical fight), head injuries, mention of bruises and scars, mention of Eddie's almost death. pining. allusions to unrequited love. enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort. lots and lots of tension. slow burn. also, instead of writing summaries, I will name each chapter after a song that fits the vibe of each chapter. Also, mentioning this again, her nickname has nothing to do with her hair color.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x fem!reader

Word count: 6.9k

Author's note: @hellfire--cult you know I will mention you in every chapter, so don't even try to fight me. Thanks for coming up with all these ideas with me mwah! — This is only the beginning, guys. This story will progress into something much more intense after chapter four or five, I can’t wait to share this one with you and get into the good and spicy stuff hehe!

Read the prologue first!

series masterlist ⭐︎ next chapter

♡

Your body was aching and everything inside of you was screaming at you to not open your eyes just yet, you felt as though you were being dragged out of it. All your limbs were hurting, your skin aching, your head was pounding. You could not begin to describe the pain even if you tried, it was unlike anything you had felt before. Your memory was lost, at least that’s what it felt like for the first few seconds. 

Then they started coming back slowly. 

From the gate in the water, to Steve being pulled under.

From the bats trying to bite chunks of his skin to you doing everything in your power to save him. 

From the creepy old Creel house, to Max offering herself as the bait. 

As pictures of her flashed in your mind, you suddenly started to register the smell – the disinfectant, the disgusting smell of hospital. You heard the beeping of the machines next to you, and you felt the wires attached to your body. 

You tried to press your lips together, though tears burned in your eyes when the crack in your lip stung. 

You moved your hand as you slowly opened your eyes to bright lights shining into the room you were in. You squinted them, trying to adjust to the light and the vision in front of you, it took you a moment, everything was still so blurry. 

From the corner of your eye, you could see a mop of dark curls. You slowly moved your head to the left side, restraining a groan when you felt a flash of pain in your head. You blinked a few times, taking in the sight of a bruised and battered Eddie, who was looking down at his rings, twisting and playing with them nervously. 

“Eddie?” You said and only then you felt how dry your throat had felt, how raspy your voice had sounded and how much it was aching. 

You did not notice the movement on your right side.

He straightened up as he lifted his head so suddenly, eyes wide as he looked into yours. Relief flashed his face and a smile appeared on his lips.

“Oh thank god.. Hi sweetheart.. slept well?” 

You stared at him for a good long minute, trying to figure out what had happened to him. By the developing scars on his face and the white bandage around his neck, you had an idea of what had gotten to him. 

Was he on the brink of death just like you had been? 

By the look in his eyes, you could tell that he was. 

“Huh… I’m not dead?” 

He shook his head, eyes filled with relief, “gladly no.”

You rolled your eyes at his words, “well, shucks,” you sighed, like you didn’t fight for your life back at the Creel house. 

Eddie sighed but chuckled, understanding your dark humor better than anyone else – despite only knowing you for a few days. 

A cough finally fell from your lips when you tried to sit up, though losing the strength to, you fell back again.

Eddie instantly reached for the water bottle on the table next to you, pouring some into the plastic cup before he carefully placed it into your hand, trying not to touch the bruises on your knuckles. 

You thanked him with a small smile before you lifted the cup to your lips with shaky hands. 

“Careful,” Eddie whispered as he watched you.

You nodded and closed your eyes as you took a sip of the water, welcoming the feeling of the coldness in your dry throat, you took a few sips before you handed him back the cup. 

“How long was I out?”

The sigh from your right side startled you a little, with furrowed brows, you turned to look only to be caught off guard. 

Steve Harrington.

With his arms crossed, he stood by the window, staring at you with an unreadable look on his face. He took you in, eyes glaring at the wounds on your skin. 

“You had to have surgery. There–... There was a deep concussion in your head and a vessel popped. If they didn’t do it quickly you..” He could not bring himself to finish that sentence, he clenched his jaw and looked down at his hands. 

Your heart fluttered at the sight of him. 

Even in this current state, you could not help but smirk cheekily, though it dropped the moment it appeared when you suddenly could feel all the bruises on your face. Your eyes watered and a wince fell from your lips. 

Steve lifted his head at the sound. 

And Eddie straightened up. 

“Don’t move your face too much, sweets.. It’s…” He stopped as he felt anger and sadness hit him all at once. 

He did not want to tell you how bad it really was – how your skin was bruised, how puffy your eyes were. 

You closed your eyes again and laid your head back. 

“Ah, he got me good, didn’t he?” 

Steve swallowed harshly. 

He pushed away the pain from seeing you like this and cleared his throat. He licked his lips and leaned closer. 

“Yeah, but you got him better.” 

You frowned at his words, not quite understanding. 

Eddie glared at him, not knowing how you would take the news so soon. 

“Huh?”

Steve ignored the look in Eddie’s eyes, he kept his on you. 

“Jason’s dead. He fell onto broken wood… that impaled him.”

Oh. 

Flashes of the night came in a blur. 

The fight. 

His rough hands as he hit you, over and over again, as he held you down and wrapped his merciless fingers around your throat, aiming for the kill. 

You felt your heart beating a little faster at the memory, how scared you were when he pointed a gun at Lucas before you stepped in between them, knowing that he could have shot you, right then and there. How much it hurt when he sliced your cheek open with the stupid ring on his finger as he delivered the first punch, how close to death you were when he choked you. You saw the look in his eyes, the rage, as he called you a traitor for protecting ‘the killer’ of your friend. Tears of frustration and anger fell from your eyes when you almost lost the fight – Lucas’s screams as he called out to Max urged you to fight back, and you did, you used every last bit of your strength to throw him off of you and pushed him away. 

Pushed him into his death. 

You do not feel bad. – Max could have died because of him. He would have killed Lucas. He wanted to kill you. 

“Good,” you murmured as you blinked the tears away that formed in your eyes again, “he was going to kill the kids.. He had a gun.. He had a gun, Steve.”

It was almost weird to hear you call him by his name. 

He instantly rushed to your side and reached for your hand, something that neither of you would ever think back to again. 

“Yeah, and you saved them. Listen, you can’t talk much, you need to heal, Blondie.”

Right. The ache in your neck was not from the lack of water, it was from the bruises, from almost being strangled to death.

“Everything else is being taken care of,” he said as he squeezed your hand. 

You ignored the feeling in your chest and turned to look at Eddie. 

“And you?” 

“Well, you are looking at a free man! A free man that was targeted by Victor Creel himself after he got out of Pennhurst. I trespassed into his home many times and he had a vendetta against me or some shit.”

You felt relief rushing through you. 

Though, you saw the hurt behind his eyes, knowing he had to lie about seeing Creel killing Chrissy. 

He did not want to put the blame on somebody else, he knew what it had felt like to be accused of something he hadn’t done – but there was no other option, he had no choice, he wasn’t given one. People of power had told him what to do. In return, he got his name cleared and had been given a good amount of money for ‘the troubles’. Money that he could live off from for the rest of his life.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Eddie.” 

He smiled at your words, nodding. 

“What happened to you?” 

He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Steve. 

“He played hero when he shouldn’t have.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes at him. 

Hero. There wasn’t only one hero that night. 

Almost in panic, you straightened up. 

“Where’s Max?” 

Steve put his hand on yours again, giving it a pat as he tried to calm you down, though all he gave you was shivers running down your spine from his touch. 

“Healing. He broke one arm and one leg, but she is awake. Robin is with her, she’s been waiting for you to wake up.”

You breathed out a sigh of relief, the weight in your shoulders fell just like that. You felt like crying, but you wouldn’t do it here, in front of them. 

“And everyone else?”

You took in the sight of him, properly this time. 

There were dark circles beneath his eyes, tiredness in his face.

You didn’t know what prompted you to do this, maybe it was the high anesthetic in your system or a spur of the moment – but you lifted your hand, reached out to him to graze your fingertips against his neck, on the mark where the tail of a demobat almost strangled him. 

He did not pull away, but he stared at you with wide eyes, blushing at your action.  

“I-I’m fine.. Everyone else is too,” he said and cleared his throat. 

A scoff on your left pulled you back and you removed your hand from Steve’s neck to look over at Eddie. 

“Speak for yourself, I have like forty stitches all over my body.”

How he managed to joke about that while he was still in so much pain? You did not know. But then again, you were just the same. 

He spared you the details when he began to talk about what happened in the upside down. Steve did not want to revive the story again, seemingly not handling the thought of his new friend dying so cruelly. He left and told you that he’d come back later. 

As Eddie was telling you about the swarm of bats, you felt the pain in your chest, just like when you had found out about Chrissy, just like when you had found out about him. 

Eddie was a new addition to your life, you two are barely even friends, though you do not know how you would handle the news of him not making it. 

“I’m happy you’re here.”

Eddie’s eyes softened, though a smirk tugged at his lips. 

“Going soft on me now, sweets?” He chuckled, surprised to hear such words from you. “Or are you still on drugs? Where’s the little ol’ meanie, I kinda liked her.” 

A pained chuckle fell from your lips. 

“She’ll be back in no time, don’t you worry.”

Your laughter died down when you thought of the way he looked at you. 

Judging by all the pain you were still feeling, you knew that you looked awful. 

“How bad do I look? Be honest, please.”

Eddie shook his head with a pained look on his face. He looked down for a moment. His eyes flashed with anger and sadness. 

“Bad, sweetheart. When we found out that Jason did this to you.. We wanted to revive him only to kill him again,” he said angrily. “Steve wanted to rip his corpse apart, that’s what Robin told me.”

For a moment, you felt cheerful and your eyes had softened. 

For a moment you had thought that he cared. 

But Eddie quickly pulled you back into reality after shattering that illusion. 

“He saw what he did to Lucas, it’s not as bad as you but.. fuck. He was going to kill Max too.”

Steve was angry at Jason because of the teens, not because of what he did to you, never because of you. He wouldn’t have cared if you bleed out on the ground in the Creel house. He wouldn’t have cared if you died. 

You focused on Eddie, on the anger in his features – it made your eyes soften, knowing that you found another friend, one that you should probably protect from the curse that you are. 

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“I can walk now..”

You frown, tilting your head at him before you look down at yourself. 

“How long have I been out?” You asked when you realized that Steve had never answered your question. 

“You’ve been out for a whole week, sweetheart.”

Your eyes widened, you dug your hands into the mattress and pushed yourself up. 

“Whoa, whoa!” Eddie raised his hands as he tried to stop you from sitting up. 

“W-What, oh my god, my sister must be worried!” 

He put his hand on your arm, gently – you had noticed it before, how careful he had been to touch you, like he was afraid of hurting you, like you were something fragile. 

“Yeah, about that–” He never got to finish his sentence as the door burst open and your sister stormed inside the room. 

Your eyes widened at the sight of her, not because you were surprised or confused to see her here, but because it’s been two months since you had last seen her. Besides the concerned look on her face, she was glowing – maybe it was the pregnancy or maybe it was just the fact that she has been much happier since leaving Hawkins behind. 

“Hi hi, honey! Are you okay?” 

That day she had the same concern in her voice as she does now while she talks your ear off about how important it is to go to all your checkups at the Hospital. She is calling every day, just to remind you – and to check on you. 

You are fine. Just fine. 

You survived an attack, you survived surgery, you survived. You made a good recovery and you are getting better each day. Besides, Eddie and Max are on your back about the check-ups just as much, you have no choice but to go to them. 

You’re holding the telephone between your ear and your shoulder as you finish touching up your make up, applying some gloss to your lips before you pick up the brush one more time and carefully go through your hair, trying not to hurt yourself, your head starts hurting at every slightest touch and it’s beginning to frustrate you. 

“I’m telling you, this baby is going to be a little runner.” 

“Is she still kicking?” 

Your sister huffs before she laughs, “she is kicking all the time, sis.”

You smile as you take the telephone and walk towards your window, leaning against the wall as you wait for the Impala to pull up in your driveway. 

“I can’t wait to meet her. I never held a baby before.”

“Well, you’re about to – give it a few more weeks and you’ll turn into an auntie in no time.”

“I am already an auntie,” you chuckle. “How could you forget little Luna? She was your first child.” 

You remember how devastated you were when she took the black cat with her as she moved out of your parents house and left the town, for good. You begged her to leave the cat with you, put on your best puppy face but she wouldn’t have it, it was her cat, after all. 

“Right, sorry sorry.” She laughs. 

You hear rustling in the back and a moment later, a loud crunch sounds through the phone. You don’t have to ask to know what she’s eating. Chips. She is always eating salted chips, now even more so than before. 

“What are you doing today?” She asks with a mouthful. 

Looking down at your outfit, you place your palm on your new denim shorts before you slide your fingers into the pocket. 

“I’m going to a barbecue in a few,” you say. “Max basically forced me to come.”

“Wait, you’re not driving yourself, are you?”

You roll your eyes, shaking your head as a huff falls from your lips. 

You’re not allowed to drive, not yet. Your vision gets blurry sometimes, and you get light headed very easily. Your doctor said that it would pass, but it’s been two weeks since you had been released from the hospital and it hasn’t passed yet. 

Jason truly did a number on you. 

“No, don’t worry. My friends would kill me if I even tried–”

“Don’t say that word,” she cuts you off with a stern voice. “But I agree with them.”

You snort. 

“Anyways, Eddie is picking me up.”

Silence follows for a good thirty seconds before she continues eating her chips. You can practically hear her thoughts, you already know what she’s about to say next. 

“Eddie. He was the cute one with the long hair, right?” She asks, innocently. “The one who brought you chocolate and magazines?” 

Rolling your eyes at her teasing voice, you push yourself away from the wall when you see the black Impala pulling up to your house. 

“Don’t even,” you sigh, scrunching up your face in annoyance. 

She has been waiting, waiting for years for you to finally have a crush on someone, to fall in love, go on dates and get a boyfriend. 

Though, unlike her, you weren’t exactly popular – maybe it was your own fault, but that’s beside the point. Your sister loved having crushes and going on dates. She loved falling in love. 

You? Not so much. 

Love has only brought you pain. 

And you never cared much for dating – not even for fun. You don’t mind being on your own, loving someone from afar and in secret, for probably the rest of your life. 

“What’s wrong with him? Isn’t he super sweet?” She asks. “He brought you chocolate, sat by your side and you seem to like him–”

“Yeah, as a friend.” 

“Oh,” she sighs, humming. “Yeah, you never liked the nice guys, did you?” 

She got you there. Well, kind of. He is nice. He is nice to everyone, but to you. 

“What about the other guy then? What was his name again… Steve?” 

Just the mention of his name has shivers running down your spine, your heart fluttering and your skin crawling in tingles. 

You feel your cheeks glowing but you roll your eyes at the stupid giddiness that you feel, everytime you think of him.

“Mhmm, Steve.” 

“Huh.” You could practically hear the smirk in her voice. “What about him?”

If she only knew. 

Eddie honks the car horn, giving you the perfect excuse to hang up the phone. You walk back to your dresser, putting the phone down. 

“Anyways, I love you, sis. But a very hungry Eddie is waiting for me in the driveway.”

You know that he is hungry, he is always hungry, always eating away all the snacks and stealing leftover fries from everyone’s plates, no matter how much he had eaten already.

“Have fun with uh Steve! Love you, mwah, bye!”

You roll your eyes once again as you hang up the phone. 

Steve and Fun in one sentence just doesn’t sound right. That guy would rather stay miserable for the rest of his life than even try to have fun with you. 

He can’t stand you. 

And well, you can’t stand him either. – At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself, all while knowing that it’s very much a lie, but how else would you stay sane?

You quickly make your way down the stairs, reaching for your keys and your sunglasses on the way out. You skip down the porch steps. You tap the hood of his car before you get into the passenger seat. 

Eddie is already grinning at you, waving his fingers at you. 

“Hey sexy.” 

His brows shoot up and a smirk tugs at his lips. He playfully eyes you up and down. 

You close the door and sit back, greeting him with a mocking smirk. 

“Hello to you too, sweets,” he says in a low and deep voice – one that almost has you laughing. 

“Oh, I wasn’t greeting you,” you say, nonchalantly. “I was talking to Arwen,” you gesture to his beloved, new car, that he of course named after a Lord of the rings character. 

“But, hi Eddie.”

A loud laugh leaves his lips, his brown eyes twinkle with amusement. He grabs the gearstick, shaking his head at you. 

“You ready for some heavy metal heaven?” 

You put on your sunglasses and fasten the seatbelt after he points at you with a stern look on his face. 

“Sure,” you snort, knowing that the drive to the Sinclair house will be anything but uneventful. When Eddie isn’t singing and bobbing his head to the music, he’s shouting over it, telling you a story that he can’t wait to get off his chest. 

Your friendship with him is something you didn’t see coming. You tried to push him away, knowing how your friendships with people you care about usually end, but he wouldn’t have it. He kept coming back, just like Robin, just like the teens. 

You don’t understand why. 

What’s there about you that they want you around so bad? 

You’re never in a happy mood, you’re never entertaining, you don’t bring anything into the friend group. You don’t get along with most people – by most people you only mean Steve Harrington. 

You wonder if it’s because you almost died and they’d feel guilty to exclude you after helping them or if Max forces them to accept you into a friend group you never even wanted to be part of. 

“How’s your head doing?” Eddie asks as he drives on Maple Street. 

“Good, s’not hurting anymore.” You lie. 

He knows. 

Eddie sees the way you react to bright lights, the way you scrunch up your nose a little whenever the sun shines into your eyes or the way you rest your hand against the nearest wall when you seem to get dizzy. 

“When’s your next check-up?” 

He sounds just as concerned as your sister does, it makes you laugh a little. 

Who would have thought that Eddie could be so caring? 

“Tomorrow, 3pm.”

“Want me to drive you?”

You shake your head, “no, it’s fine. I’ll take the bus.”

He scoffs, shooting you a glare as he pulls up into the driveway, parking his car behind the burgundy BMW. 

“You think I’ll let you take the bus? I’ll drive you and then we’ll get burgers.” 

You unbuckle your seatbelt, chuckling as you turn to him, “okay, dad.” 

“Shut up,” he grumbles at you with a glare. 

Laughing at the look on his face, you get out of the car and make your way over to the house. Eddie bumps his shoulder into yours, tilting his head down, he looks at your heart shaped sunglasses. 

“Where’d you get these?” He asks, pointing at them. 

“Macy’s, why? You want some too?” 

“What if I do?” He asks, ringing the doorbell. 

“Then we’ll get you some pink ones.” 

A smirk tugs at his lips, “hell yeah.” 

Robin opens the door with an excited smile on her face, grinning when she sees you. 

“Hi!” She beams at you. “Come on in.” She steps aside, lifting her arm as she waits for you both to step inside. 

You walk in first, and as you do, Robin pulls you into a hug, greeting you once more. 

“Hey,” you mumble as you slowly lift your arms to hug her back. 

Eddie chuckles at the confused frown on your face, he follows inside and closes the door. 

“C’mon, Steve is already bitching about you two being late.” 

And just like that, your heart jumps a little. You hate yourself a little in these moments. 

Pushing your sunglasses up on your head, you and Eddie follow her out into the garden. 

You can hear the music outside, laughter and Steve’s stern voice as he scolds Dustin, as always. The smell of smoke lingers in the air and as you step outside, you catch sight of Steve, standing behind the grill, with one hand on his hip and the other pointing at Dustin with the grill tong. 

His hair is messy, a spit curl falling before his eyes. He is wearing his black sunglasses, green khaki pants, a gray tank top,– oh god. This is going to be a long day. 

You swallow as you tear your eyes away from him, looking around with squinted eyes, the sun is harsh and you instantly put your sunglasses back on.

“Are the Sinclair’s around?” You ask, meaning Lucas’s and Erica’s parents. 

Robin shakes her head, “no, they’re out in Indianapolis until tomorrow, Steve is probably gonna stay the night.”

You nod. 

You hear your name being called and you turn to your right to see Lucas waving at you with a smile on his face. He is sitting on the lounger Max is laying on, still with casts on her leg and her arm. She pushes herself up on her elbows, looking in your direction, a smile appears on her face and she greets you just as kindly as her boyfriend did. 

Robin leaves your side, walking towards Dustin who plays with his new, portable Stereo. 

As you pass by Steve, he turns around to greet Eddie with a smile and you with nothing more than a nod and low grumble, “Blondie.” 

Whenever he seems moody or pissed off, you feel the urge to make it even worse. And you do, every single time. 

You walk around him and look at the meat on the grill, whining.

“I don’t eat meat.”

He turns to you, eyes growing wide at your words. He didn’t know. And he already feels guilty for not asking you first. He pushes his sunglasses up into his hair as an apologetic look crosses his face. 

“Fuck… I-I didn’t know–” he stops when he notices the smug look on your face and hears Eddie chuckle over his shoulder. 

He should’ve known. 

With a groan, he rolls his eyes and pushes his sunglasses back down as he turns back to the grill. 

“Hey Eddie!” Dustin calls out to him, already grinning at Steve. “Check this out!” 

“Don’t you dare, Dustin–” Robin gets cut off by a scream as it blasts from the stereo. She smacks him lightly on his head, yelling at him to turn it off. 

Eddie laughs loudly, leaving yours and Steve’s side. 

“Jesus christ,” Steve mumbles, scrunching his face up at the music. “That shrimp has been doing that all day. Eddie really is a bad influence.” 

“Aw, poor Steve,” you pout at him, “are you mad that you can’t listen to Madonna?” 

He scoffs at you, though he doesn’t say anything and focuses on the sizzling burgers as he turns them over. 

You press your lips together, ignoring the tugging in your chest or the feeling in your stomach as you use his distraction to look at him. 

It’s only nearing the end of April, but it already feels like the beginning of summer. Steve’s skin is already sun kissed. You hide your eyes behind your sunglasses as you ogle him. Taking in the sight of his veiny hands, his arms that have just the perfect amount of muscle, his chest hair that you always tease him for, the silver chain around his neck. 

You swallow. 

Cursing inwardly when you feel your stomach fluttering. 

He turns to face you again, totally catching you and your staring. 

Fuck. 

“Like what you see?” He smirks down at you. 

You bite the inside of your cheeks, trying not to blush under his gaze. 

He is feeling smug. Not because he likes you staring at him, but because he’s been waiting for a moment to embarrass you with something. 

He expects you to stutter, to step back and answer his question with a shaky and squeaky voice, because that is what he must be used to, but you wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. You take a step closer to him, biting your lip as you eye him up and down. 

You can tell that it catches him off guard a little, but unlike you, he isn’t blushing. 

“Yeah, actually,” you whisper and put your hand on his shoulder as you lean closer to the small table where he left his coke. You wrap your hand around the can, it’s cold against your palm and you hum in satisfaction as you raise it up to your lips, taking a sip of his drink. “Mmmh, perfect.” 

You turn around, and walk away without another word, leaving him huffing and glaring at you. 

You fail to notice or feel his eyes on you, the way they rake down your body, the way he licks his lips before he forces his eyes away from you. 

You greet Lucas and Max properly, hugging the latter before you take a seat on the lounger next to her, choosing the one that is half in the shadow, so you can hide your face from the sun. 

You easily fall into a conversation with the teens. You had always been close with Max, even before you were dragged into all of this. 

Being friends with her, also brought Lucas into your life. Unlike Dustin, who is always somehow trying to get on your nerves by teasing you with crushes that don’t exist or annoying you like a younger brother would do, Lucas is always very kind. 

“I can’t wait for you to get your car back.” 

Chuckling at Lucas’s words, you take off your sunglasses and put them down beside you. 

“Why’s that?” 

“So you can drive us around again,” he shrugs as he flashes you a smile. 

“Are Steve and Eddie not good enough for you?” You snort. 

Max scoffs loudly, rolling her eyes as she turns to you. 

“Steve is always whining about something!” 

“Yeah, and Eddie drives like a maniac,” Lucas groans, throwing his hands up. 

Max purses her lips, looking down at her cast. 

“Yeah, like your girlfriend,” you laugh, glancing at Lucas. “I wonder who will teach her how to drive properly.” 

“First of all, I don’t drive like a maniac,” says Max. “Second, why don’t you teach me how to drive?” 

You raise your brows at her, shaking your head, “sorry girl, but I am not a good teacher.” 

“But you’re like a big sister to me, you’re supposed to teach me,” she teases, though she looks at you with her best puppy eyes. “Besides, we can take Billy’s car.”

Shaking your head at her, you lay your head back and close your eyes, “don’t even try, Max. We’ll both end up in a ditch, we barely made it out last time.” 

She snorts at your words while Lucas looks between the two of you with disapproval on his face. 

“I’m starting to think that neither of you should ever drive again.” 

“I actually agree with you,” Robin chimes in as she joins the three of you. “I’ve heard of Max’s driving skills and uh… you lady,” she points at you, moving your legs to the side as she takes a seat on your lounder, “are danger in person.” 

“Me?” You gasp, putting your hand on your chest. 

“Yeah, you!” 

Steve watches you from afar, ignoring the heavy metal music and the curly heads behind him, who are going crazy over a song he just can’t find a liking to. 

He watches you – the way you crack a smile and shake your head with an amused look on your face. 

He watches you talk to the teens and to his best friend, easily falling into conversations. He rarely sees you like this – smiling and carefree. You’re usually always tense, annoyed and wearing a permanent frown on your face. Mostly around him. 

Steve will never know what it’s like to have a normal conversation with you, to see you smiling at him, not in a teasing way, in a real way. He is not sure if he ever even saw a real smile on your face – not even the one you are wearing now is real. 

But, why does he even care? You two have never gotten along, you hated each other, at first glance. 

With a sigh, he turns off the grill. He carries the tray filled with food over to where everyone is sitting, motioning for Eddie and Dustin to follow. 

Steve walks past you, not paying attention to how close he is to you, he accidentally bumps you in the head with the corner of the tray. He doesn’t even notice that he did – not until, you duck your head down and raise your hand to touch the side of your head. 

Max snaps her head up at him with a glare on her face. Lucas freezes when he sees how angry she is. 

He looks down at you, to see you looking up at him already. 

“I’m sorry..” He murmurs. 

You don’t speak, instead you look up at him with big eyes and a pained look on your face. 

“Oh come on, I barely even touched you,” he says, nervously. 

Eddie and Robin glance at each other, confused and worried. 

He rolls his eyes at you, knowing that this is another one of your little games that you always play, whenever you get bored. 

“Are you fucking with me again?”

Max shoots out of her seat, almost falling over due to the cast on her leg, her cheeks grow red in anger as her eyes burn into Steve. 

“Her head! You hit her head, you stupid idiot!” She points at him with rage in her voice. 

Steve’s eyes widen as deep guilt rushes through him, he instantly drops the tray on the table before he crouches down in front of you, shakily laying his palm on your shoulder as Max continues to curse at him. 

He wasn’t thinking. He didn’t think of that. 

“S-Shit,” he mumbles, looking at you apologetically. 

How could he forget? The doctor told you how sensitive you would be at every slightest touch to your head, how every slightest bump could cause nausea, dizziness or even a migraine. He was there, he heard him say it loud and clearly, yet he forgot.

Only now does he notice the hurt in your eyes as you place your palm over your ear – your ear that is ringing, for a moment it feels as though you’ve been pulled under water, and still you hear Max yelling at Steve. 

It’s not his fault, it was an accident. 

“Max! It wasn’t his fault, he didn’t do it on purpose! J-Just fuck…” You curse at the pain, not even recognizing your own voice for a moment. Who would’ve thought that you would be this sensitive? You feel his hand on your shoulder, maybe it eases the pain a little, or maybe it’s just the comfort that you feel from only his touch. 

“I-I’m gonna get you some ice,” Steve mumbles and rushes into the house, with Eddie following close behind. 

He throws his sunglasses on the counter and huffs in frustration as he tugs at his hair. He opens the freezer and gets an ice pack out. 

“Steve–”

“Fuck, Eddie. I didn’t know, I thought she was fucking with me again,” he stammers, wrapping the icepack into a cloth. “She always does this a-and I wasn’t thinking of the fucking injury.”

Steve is cursing at himself and at Jason who caused all of this, who did this to you. 

Eddie takes a step closer to him, placing his hand on his shoulder, trying to calm his friend down. 

“Steve,” he sighs but he won’t look at him. “You didn’t know, i-it’s just a migraine, nothing else–”

“Nothing else?” Steve scoffs, frowning at Eddie. 

How could this be nothing else? He caused you pain with the slightest touch, something that reminded you of what you had been through, only a few weeks back. And he might have just triggered even more than a migraine, he might have triggered some thoughts to come back that you tried to not think of. 

He rushes back out to you. 

When you see him, you are already reaching for the ice pack, waving your hand at him to give it to you but he pulls it back, not handing it to you. 

You huff in annoyance, looking at him in disbelief. 

Max is standing with a hand on her hip, extending her arm as well as she glares at him in annoyance. 

Lucas and Dustin glance at each other, like they are afraid to move or even say anything as they quietly eat their food. 

“Lego head, give me the ice pack–”

He startles you a little by sitting down right behind you, “where do I press?” He asks. 

You’re taken aback by his words and his action, you’re taken aback by his touch. 

“Huh?”

“Where do I press the ice pack?” He asks again, breathing down your neck. 

You glance up at Max, she raises her eyebrows at you. Normally, she is the one who helps you, sometimes it’s Eddie or Robin, but Steve? Steve never helped you. 

She eyes Steve and the look in his eyes, the guilt and the pain from hurting someone when normally, he tries to do everything in his power to protect people, even the ones that he doesn’t like. 

With a sigh, she slowly sits down. 

Despite the pain that is pulsating in your head, you feel shivers running down your spine when Steve moves your hair to the side, his fingertips grazing your skin. 

“Where?”

“I uh–... here,” you mumble, quietly as you point to the spot where it hurts the most. 

“Okay,” he whispers and scoots even closer to you, he presses the ice pack against the back of your head. 

You sigh and relax a little, closing your eyes as you welcome the coldness. 

Your heart flutters in your chest when he presses his free hand on your shoulder, touching you gently. 

“Max, you should eat something,” Robin says, trying to smile at the angry teen. 

“Yeah, you’re gonna heal faster if you eat a burger,” Eddie grins, trying to ease the tension as he hands her the plate. 

“A burger will help me heal, really?” She scrunches her face up but grabs the plate, nonetheless. 

“Yeah, actually. It’ll give you some of the strength back,” Dustin winks at her before he takes a bite of his burger. 

She snorts, shaking her head at them. 

You listen to your friends chatter as you keep your eyes closed. Tilting your head to the side, you lean back slightly, – wishing you could just lean into him. You can sense how tense he is, you are almost certain that you can hear his thoughts, how he is cursing at himself for this, for hurting someone – even if it’s just you. 

“Stop stressing about it, Harrington. It’s nothing,” you sigh, trying to ease some of his tension. 

He rolls his eyes, shaking his head, “You and Eddie, I swear if you keep saying this is nothing..” He huffs in frustration. 

Not only does he hate all of this – he also hates the feeling of your soft skin beneath his touch, the smell of your perfume, the smell of your body wash that he is close enough to smell – and fuck, does it smell good, good enough to make his stomach feel all weird again. 

You try to chuckle, though he can tell that it’s pained. 

“What, you worried about me, Lego head? Thought I didn’t affect your life at all?” You ask smugly, as though it’s a joke to you. 

Your words feel like a punch to his gut, even though he was the one who said these words to you, it hurts for some reason, because maybe, these words aren’t true in the slightest. 

You might not be someone important to him, you might not be special to him. 

Yet it doesn’t change the feeling he had felt in his gut when he found out that you were on the brink of death, that night. When he saw you in the hospital room hours after your surgery, how lost and empty he had felt when he saw the state you were in. How he sat beside you for hours before the nurses finally kicked him out and told him to go home and rest. 

He clenches his jaw.

“Yes, I’m worried,” he huffs. “So shut up because you will make it worse, Blondie.” He says with full expectation to hear some smartass comment back from you. 

But you stay quiet, fully quiet. 

You open your eyes and you look down at your hands in sadness. 

You wish he didn’t say that to you. You wish he kept the hate comments instead, that he left you with the idea of hating you completely, not showing an ounce of worry towards you. Because this is ruining you. The act of kindness is completely destroying you, and he doesn’t even know. He doesn’t feel it either. 

You really are hopeless. 

>> next chapter

[sara-scribbles]

The Littlest Dragon (Part 1)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland Malleus Draconia/GN!Reader Summary: Your quiet life as a herbalist is disrupted when you take in an injured dragon Word Count: 5,768 Notes: I just really want a mini-dragon Warnings: None

Part 1, Part 2 Part 3

You almost mistake the bundle of black for a pile of cloth. Upon closer inspection, you can see shiny obsidian scales that shimmer in the light. The creature is larger than a squirrel but smaller than a house cat. Unsure what to do, you approach him cautiously but he doesn’t move.

Gently turning him over, your eyes widen. “A dragon?” Despite his small size, he has definite features of the powerful beasts just squished together in a smaller form.

A quick once over, you can see a twisted front leg and one wing bent at an odd angle. The creature's chest moves up and down but you can almost make out a pained gasp. Making a snap decision, you carefully wrap the dragon in your coat before rushing back home. Your half filled basket of herbs forgotten.

Bursting through the gate, you startle the three chickens resting nearby. The cluck loudly as you give a quick apology. Setting the dragon down on your table inside the cottage, you wash your hands before grabbing what you need.

Setting the armload of potions, salves and bandages, you get to work patching up the dragon. Thankfully the little guy stays passed out throughout the process. You clean and disinfect the wounds before applying salves. You create a makeshift splint for the front leg and wing. After finally satisfied, you slump down in a chair.

Watching the creature curiously, you decide to let him rest until he wakes up. You aren’t sure about the healing rate of dragons let alone such a small one.

Resting your cheek on the table, you gently stroke the top of his head. You’re fascinated by the two horns that curl back into his head. “I didn’t realize they could be so small,” you mumble.

Letting out a deep sigh, you take the dragon upstairs to your bedroom. You place a pillow on a chair in the corner of your room and set him down. Recalling a lesson on dragons, you bundle a spare blanket around him for a makeshift nest. Leaving the creature to rest, you return downstairs to clean up.

---

A few days go by but the dragon remains asleep. You periodically check in on him to change the dressings and reapply the salves. You’re happy to say the wounds are healing nicely. However, you’re starting to worry if the dragon will ever wake up.

It’s the middle of the night when you’re roused from sleep. Blearily opening your eyes, you meet the deep green gaze of the dragon. He stands on the pillow next to your own. His tongue flicks out making you flinch.

“Oh, you’re finally awake,” you mutter. Rubbing the sleep from your eyes, you sit up, which causes the dragon to step back. “How’d you even get over here?” You finally notice the bandages on the wing missing, but he seems perfectly fine.

He tilts his head to one side. Dragons are said to be intelligent creatures, you recall. “Do you want something to eat? I assume you’re probably hungry after sleeping for five days.”

Without waiting for an answer, you get out of bed and head downstairs with the little creature flying after you. You manage to make a simple plate of beef and vegetables. Watching the dragon attack the meal with such ferocity, you realize he must have been starving despite seeming so calm. Once he finishes the meal, he sits back with his claws on his stomach.

“Satisfied?” You chuckle as you notice food all over his face. He stays completely still as you clean his face.

Leaning an elbow on the table, you both stare at each other. “So… what do I call you?” He only lets out a gurgling of growls in response. “How about Tsunotarou?” He seems to nod as if your silly name is an acceptable one for a dragon.

“Well, it seems like your wing is healed, but your front leg still needs a bit of time. If you want, you can stay here until then,” you offer.

He says something you don’t understand once more, but looks satisfied as he decides to perch on your shoulder. “Alright, let's go back to bed. I have an early morning.” Yawning, you head back upstairs for some sleep.

---

You live in a cottage away from others. It was a gift from your late parents. Small but cozy, you don’t mind the solitude. In the front, you have a chicken coop with three hens. You also have a small barn for your goat, Phillis. In the back, your garden grows a few vegetables, fruits and herbs. The woods nearby provide you with wild herbs and berries. Anything else you need, you can go into town or ask Ace and Deuce to bring them.

As a herbalist, you create salves and potions, which you sell in town once a week. Unlike most herbalists, you lack magic. However, that’s never stopped you from doing your job. Plus you were taught by the best of the best, so the quality of your work is great. 

The usual day consists of you getting up early to feed the chickens and goat. Then you take stock of your inventory. After, you usually head into the woods to gather herbs. The rest of the day consists of brewing potions and salves, and tending to the garden. At night, you make dinner, make sure the chickens are in their coop, and do some light reading before bed. Rinse and repeat.

It may seem dull to most, but you enjoy the routine. Sometimes your day is broken up by a visit from Ace and Deuce, an adventuring duo, who you’ve known since school. They argue and fight, but ultimately work well as a team when needed. Their antics never fail to make your day entertaining.

Today when you get up, the dragon follows you. In the kitchen you make a breakfast of eggs and a fruit bowl. It seems Tsunotarou isn’t too picky on what you feed him as he gobbles everything up. After a quick cleanup, you and your new companion head outside. Your three chickens are already awake. They strut around the front yard as you grab a bag of feed.

“Alright, ladies, time for breakfast,” you call. Sprinkling the food, the three descend near you in a flurry of white and brown feathers.

Tsunotarou, who perched himself on your shoulder, leans forward watching in rapt interest. “Do you want to try to feed them?” you ask, holding the bag of feed up.

Using his good claw, he picks up a small handful before tossing them in the air. Most of the feed falls on the ground, though some does fall on the chickens. “Maybe aim a little more toward the ground,” you chuckle.

The three start trying to eat the feed off each other's backs, which causes a lot of squawking. One pecks another on the head rather viciously. “Flora, that’s not nice! Now apologize to Merryweather,” Scolding the chicken, she seems to deflate a bit before sulkily wandering off with a sad cluck.

Shaking your head, you set aside the chicken feed to grab food for Phillis. “Those two always seem to be fighting,” you tell Tsunotarou, who continues to watch the three hens. “Fauna is the mild mannered one of the group, thankfully. I guess she balances them out.”

Phillis comes trotting over the moment you're within sight. Patting her head, you scratch her behind the ears. “Morning, princess.” She bleats happily at the attention. The little dragon flies off your shoulder to get a better look at Phillis. She noses his stomach curiously as he reaches out to pat her on the snout.

“She’s a gentle one.” You smile as she nudges your side to hurry you up on getting her breakfast. “Okay, okay! I’m getting there.”

Once you give her food and water, you head back inside to your work room. You go through your current stock of ingredients while Tsunotarou flips through the thick tome of recipes. You wonder briefly if dragons can read, but knowing how highly intelligent they are, it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.

“That was given to me by my former teacher, Crewel. He taught me everything I know about brewing potions,” you explain as you check things off. “He was a tough teacher, but I learned from the best. I still have nightmares about that riding crop…” Not that he ever used it on you, but when he wanted to make a point, he made one.

You continue, “The potion and salve I used for you is for speeding up the healing process. It supposedly works on all living creatures, so I was hoping it would work on dragons.”

Tsunotarou leaves the tome to come over to your side. You shake your head as you reread your lists. “I seem to be out of a lot of stuff,” you mutter to yourself.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you sigh. “I’ll have to make a trip into town.” Glancing at the creature on your shoulder, you regard him silently. His intelligent green eyes stare back as he stretches his wings.

“So, I either have to leave you here alone.” He bristles, eyes narrowing. “Or, you have to stay hidden until we get back from town.” You aren’t sure how people would react if they saw a small dragon on your shoulder. It would be better not to take the chance of possibly causing a commotion.

He agrees to your second option as he flies off your shoulder and lands in the satchel you keep hung up near the front door. His head pokes out when you don’t move. “I’m coming. I’m coming.”

You leave for the main shopping center with the dragon in tow. A bit nervous, you try to calm yourself through the walk. Tsunotarou pokes his head out taking in the scenery. At least someone is feeling fine.

The hustle and bustle of the town can be heard as you near the gate. The guards let you through without much of a glance. Here, adventures and merchants can check in the numerous guilds while stocking up on supply. It’s always busy as people move in and out. You only really stop here every few months to get supplies. By now, the shops you frequent are familiar with what you need, which makes shopping a little easier.

First stop is to pick up some herbs. Looking at your herb list, you easily weave your way through the streets. “I was dangerously low on four leaf clovers and died mandrakes…”

“Hello?” The greenhouse is quiet as you don’t see anyone. “Jack?” You tap the little bell on the front counter.

Finally, someone comes to the front. “Hey, (Y/N),” Jack greets with a nod. Though just a part-timer, he knows the greenhouse inside and out. 

Smiling, you point to your list. “Just need to restock a few things.” Handing the list over, he quickly looks everything over.

“I’ll be right back with everything.” He’s gone in a flash.

You feel Tsunotarou wiggle around in the satchel before poking his head out. “You have to stay hidden,” you whisper, placing a finger over your lips.

His head turns this way and that way before he retreats back into the bag. Just in time too as Jack returns with your things. Scratching his head, his ears twitch. “Uh, sorry we’re out of powdered death caps. We oughta be getting some next week.”

“That’s fine. I don’t think I’ll be needing them right away. Can you put me on the list to set some aside when they come in?” He leans over to hand you the other items. He pauses for a moment, his brows drawing together as his eyes dart around.

“Jack?” You inch back a bit. You can only hope he’ll ignore whatever he’s smelling.

Seeming to remember himself, he pulls back with an awkward cough. “S-sorry…” He hastily scribbles your name down in a small book. “That’ll be thirty-three for the rest.”

As you reach in your satchel for your coin purse, your hand brushes against the dragon hiding there. Freezing up, your gaze darts over to Jack, who thankfully is busy doing something else. You feel coins being pressed into your hand. Glancing inside your bag, Tsunotarou looks up at you expectantly. He flicks his tongue out a few times.

Counting the coins in your hand, you can’t help the grin spreading across your face. He had given your exact change. “Somethin’ up?” Jack inquires, noting the way you’re looking down.

Snapping your attention back to him, you shake your head. “Nope. Here’s the money.” You hurriedly hand him the coins. “I’ll see you next week, Jack.” Giving him a rushed wave, you quickly leave the greenhouse.

Once a good distance away, you let out a deep sigh. “I think that went well.” Opening your satchel a bit, you’re met with judging green eyes. “Don’t look at me like that! I panicked!” 

Shoving the bag of herbs into a corner of the satchel, Tsunotarou curls deeper into the bag. Letting the satchel bag flap fall back down, you return to the other lists you made. “Guess we’ll visit Sam’s shop next…”

Sam’s is busy as usual when you arrive. Pushing through the throng of customers, you make your way to the shelf filled with bottles. Picking out a few that you need for potions, you move on to the jars. By the time you go to checkout, you can feel Tsunotarou squirming inside the satchel. He pokes his head out every now and then, but only does it when there aren’t many people around. People are too busy with their own shopping, they don’t even glance your way. 

“Welcome back, little imp!” Sam greets.

You return the greeting with a wide smile. “Hey, Sam. Just the usual.” As Sam wraps each glass bottle in brown paper, you mentally do the math of how much you owe.

He carefully splits your items into two bags. “That’ll be one-hundred unless you’re looking for something out of stock?”

“No, I’m good for today.” You reach into your satchel and Tsunotarou presses the coins into your hand. “Here you go.”

Sam eyes your bag with interest but doesn’t say anything. “See you next time!”

You’re thankful that Sam doesn’t pry. The next stores are all uneventful. By the time you’re walking back home, you have an armload of bags. Your satchel can usually hold more, but the extra guest makes it difficult to fit anything beyond the herbs in there.

Once home, you put everything away before feeding everyone. Later, you’re stretched out in front of the fireplace with a botany book in hand. Tsunotarou is curled up on your lap while you read and take notes along the pages. Though you’re used to being alone, it’s like a familiar comfort to feel his weight on your lap. 

When it’s time for bed, you carry the still sleeping dragon upstairs. Putting Tsunotarou in the makeshift nest, you climb into bed. However, before you can fall asleep, Tsunotarou flies over with the blanket in his mouth. Standing at the edge of the bed, it’s almost like he’s giving you puppy dog eyes.

Rolling your eyes, you pat the empty spot near your pillow. “Fine, come on.”

He lets out a satisfied chirp. He wraps the blanket in a neat pile before laying down. Laying on your side, you chuckle while scratching the top of his head. “Good night, Tsunotarou.”

---

At the end of the month you’re preparing a few potions that need to be bathed in moonlight. Tsunotarou sets down the vials you’ve finished in the rack on the windowsill near the front door. You're grateful to have the extra…claws while juggling a few other things at once.

“One more glamor potion and that should be the last of the orders,” you tell Tsunotarou as he perches on your shoulder while you’re stirring the cauldron. “Thanks for the help.” You give him a little scratch under his chin. 

You swear he purrs with the way you feel his body vibrate. “I swear you’re a cat disguised as a dragon,” you chortle while bopping him on the nose.

He stares back at you before slowly blinking in return. “You can’t blame me for making the connection. You even caught a snake and left it as a gift,” you continue while sprinkling in some crushed rose petals. “Also, you shouldn’t do that again.”

The dragon grumbles deep within his chest. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the gesture, but let's leave the wildlife alone.” 

Pouring the potion into a vial and sealing it, you hand it off to Tsunotarou, who takes it into his paws before flying off to put it in the rack. Taking a seat, you lean back with a deep sigh. 

Tsunotarou returns, taking a seat on the table. His front paw is fully healed and is no longer wrapped in bandages. Despite being back to full health, it doesn’t seem like he plans to go anywhere.

Suddenly there’s a commotion of loud squawking before the front door is thrown open. “Oi! (Y/N), we’re back!” Ace shouts while letting the door bang.

You tumble back in the chair and hit the ground. “Ahhhkk-ow!” Your head rebounds off the floor with a loud smack.

Two things happen at once. Deuce, who’s behind Ace, rushes over to help you up; however, he’s met with a hissing dragon blocking him that spits red flames at him. His sleeve automatically catches fire and the cottage is filled with panicked, confused screaming.

“Ahhhahhhhhck! Put it out!”

“Is that a dragon!?”

While the two run around screaming, you stare in a daze at the ceiling. Tsunotarou’s face suddenly fills your vision. He chirps a few times before you finally respond with a pat on his head. “I’m okay…”

Slowly sitting up, you notice the two idiots are now quiet. Deuce is no longer on fire, thankfully. However, they take in the sight of Tsunotarou sitting on your shoulder from a safe distance. You wince when you touch the already forming lump on the back of your head.

You huff before glaring at the redhead. “What did I say about suddenly bursting through the front door, Ace?! Can’t you knock like a normal person?”

“Well…I-I…!” Ace sputters unintelligibly before he jabs a finger at the dragon on your shoulder. “Forget about me for a second! What’s that thing?!”

Tsunotarou bares his teeth with a low growl. “We are going to have this conversation later,” you tell him before shifting gears. “This is Tsunotarou. I found him in the forest a little over a month ago.”

“Is he like a baby dragon?” Deuce asks, eyes wide.

Picking up the fallen chair, you shake your head. “I don’t think so. Anyways, baby dragons are much larger. Maybe he’s just a special type of dragon?”

Ace leans closer but pulls back when Tsunotarou snaps at him. “Kinda vicious. He almost barbecued poor Deucy.”

“You also busted in here suddenly. He probably thought you two were threats,” you point out. “Anyways, What trouble did you get into this time?”

“Psssh! Why’d you think we got in trouble?”

“Because you have an infected, bleeding wound on your arm, Ace.” Rolling your eyes, you go to your workroom before returning with a handful of potions, salves, and bandages. “Sit.”

As they plop down, you hand them each a potion. “We had a commission to take down some orcs that were terrorizing a small village,” Deuce explains. “But, uh, turns out it was actually a colony of orcs.”

“So you got beat up?” You clean Deuce’s cuts, which are mostly minor. A few do need some salve and bandages.

You move on to Ace, who looks the worse between the two. “We didn’t get beat up,” Ace grumbles. “We took them down! Aaaa-ouch!!” Biting your lip, you continue to dab his infected wound. 

“You two get into more trouble than anyone I know. Did you at least get a good reward?”

“Of course!” Ace pulls out a hefty coin purse and lets it fall on the table. “All in a day's work.” He grins smugly with his nose in the air.

Flicking his nose, you shake your head as he covers his face. “Don’t freely show that off or you’ll get mugged. Again.” Finished with his wounds, you place a small container of salve in his hand. “Use this once a day until everything is gone. It should, hopefully, not scar.”

“Um, (Y/N), can we crash here?” Deuce asks. He shrinks back when you give him a look.

Rubbing your temples, you sigh, “Fine. But one of you is gonna be sleeping on the floor cause I only have one couch.”

Ace jumps up. “Dibs!”

“Wait, you got the couch the last time! It’s my turn!” Leaving the two bickering adventurers, you head upstairs to find some spare blankets.

Tsunotarou gives you a questioning look as you rummage around in your closet. “They’re good friends. A little annoying at times, but they’ve always had my back.” You can’t count how many times they’ve slept at your place.

“They’re just as rowdy as they were in school,” you mutter as you head back down with two pillows and some blankets.

---

You can’t sleep. Tossing and turning, you finally settle on your back to glare at the ceiling. Ace and Deuce both snore loud enough to be heard from your bedroom. Tsunotarou had disappeared though you weren’t too worried. He would sometimes leave in the middle of the night, most likely to hunt, but he would always return by the time you got up.

Sitting up, you carefully make your way downstairs. “Maybe something to eat will help,” you mumble. You spot Ace hanging off the couch, so you know who lost the argument.

Just as you’re about to tiptoe around Deuce, you hear some loud clucking. Eyes furrowing, you wonder why the hens are up at this hour. Forgetting about your midnight snack, you head to the front door. Stepping outside, the air is warm but nice enough for early summer. Before you can move, you notice a figure standing near the chicken coop.

Not only is it strange to see a person at this time, but there’s also one other thing making you pause and rethink your plans. The moon hangs large in the sky and bathes the world in an ethereal silvery glow. The stranger stands there, head tilted upward to the sky, completely still.

And completely naked.

Slowly closing the door, you slide the deadbolt in place with a muffled click. Hopefully the naked stranger will leave. You doubt the deadbolt would keep anyone out if they actually wanted to break in. However, the act of using it at least gives you a small peace of mind.

Deciding the hens can take care of themselves, you head back to bed. You’re far too tired to deal with whatever nonsense is happening outside. As you drift off to sleep, your last thought is of Tsunotarou. You send a small prayer to whoever is listening that he’s alright.

However, you're woken by a loud crash. And then. “AHHHHHH!!!” “DO SOMETHING!!!”

Bolting out of bed, sunlight filters through the window. Despite feeling like you didn’t sleep at all, it’s morning. You grab the nearest object, a broom, before rushing downstairs. In your haste you nearly slip but manage to catch yourself. Wielding the broom, you’re ready to smack whatever intruder is causing trouble.

Instead of a naked intruder, you witness Ace trying to put out a fire with one of your spare pillows. Deuce is rushing over with a cup of water and dumps it on the flaming blanket. It goes out with a loud sizzle. Both boys let out a relieved sigh as you set the broom down.

“Mind telling me what’s going on?” you ask, not amused.

“Your overgrown lizard,” Ace jabs a finger at Tsunotarou, who is sitting on top of the table, “tried to set me on fire! He tried to murder me!!”

You glance at Deuce, who is still clutching the cup, then back at the frazzled redhead. “Did you do anything to him? Tsunotarou doesn’t just attack people out of nowhere.”

Ace rubs the back of his neck as he suddenly loses the fire in his eyes. “I…I might have said he got fat… And that you should get rid of him,” he admits. “B-But! I’m not wrong! He’s gotten bigger overnight. Soon he’ll be too big for your house!”

Your attention goes to the dragon, who sits patiently while watching the scene. You can’t deny that he’s gotten bigger. Now he’s the size of a large cat, possibly even bigger. “Do dragons usually have growth spurts?” you wonder aloud.

“I don’t remember reading about this at school,” Deuce says, nodding thoughtfully.

“Would you two think about the bigger issue!? He’s gonna grow too big and probably eat us all! That’s what dragons do!” Ace shouts, waving his hands around wildly. 

Walking over to Tsunotarou, you gently stroke his head. “You wouldn’t do that would you?” He gurgles happily, leaning into your touch. “See. He wouldn’t eat us. We’re not very tasty anyways.”

Ace slaps a hand over his face. “(Y/N), he’s a dragon! Not a pet!”

“I know. And dragons are highly intelligent, which means they can understand us.” You chuckle when he rubs against your arm. “I’m pretty sure if Tsunotarou wanted to eat us, he would’ve burned us all alive by now.”

Deuce shudders. “Morbid…”

“Oh yeah!” You completely ignore the last comment. “There’s possibly a naked stranger wandering around this area. I saw him standing near the chicken coop last night.” Tsunotarou makes a noise in the back of his throat.

“...what?” Both boys stare at you before scrambling for the front door.

“Pretty sure he left already!” They don’t hear you as they race outside still in their sleepwear. Lifting Tsunotarou into your arms, you huff, “You’ve gotten heavier too. I’m not sure if you’ll be able to fit in my satchel now.” He only nuzzles your face with his scaly snout.

Coming outside, the hens are just fine. Tsunotarou flies out of your arms to grab the bag of feed. Deuce watches in rapt interest as he throws chicken feed in front of the hens. “He actually helps out?” he asks, surprised. 

It really is a sight to see. “Yup. He’s been helping with small things here and there. He even hands me ingredients when I make potions.”

Once the hens are properly fed, he flies off to take care of Phillis. Despite her initial fear of him, Phillis seems to have gotten used to him. You two follow behind to Phillis's pen. Tsunotarou pats the top of her head while she eats.

“I never thought I’d see a dragon taking care of a goat instead of eating one…” Deuce looks both perplexed and awed.

“Hey!” Ace storms over with twigs and leaves in his hair. “What the hell, Deuce!”

“Huh??”

“I thought we were looking for the weirdo (Y/N) saw. Instead you leave me to do the work.” he grumbles.

Deuce gestures over to Tsunotarou. “I-I got distracted,” he sputters.

The redhead barely passes a glance over to the dragon. “Excuses like always, Deucy.”

“Did you find anything,” you ask, distracting Ace.

“Nah. Think whoever it was left.” Ace shakes his head.

Resisting the urge to say “I told you so” because he didn’t listen, you head back inside. “Come on, unless you wanna stay in your pajamas.”

While Ace gets cleaned up in the bath, Deuce helps with getting breakfast ready. “Hey, do you want us to ask Riddle to come over?”

You hand a plate to Tsunotarou to bring to the table.“Why?”

“To get some protective runes made around the perimeter of your place. Maybe it’ll keep the weirdo you saw out.” There’s a huff and light growl from behind him. “Uh… is he okay?” He inches away from the irritated dragon.

You scratch the top of Tsunotarou’s head, which causes him to almost vibrate. “Something wrong, Tsunotarou? Are you worried about the weirdo too?” You chuckle when he butts your arm with his head.

“You don’t seem too worried,” Deuce points out.

“Milk or orange juice?” You hold up two jugs.

“Milk, please.”

“I mean, I think if that stranger wanted to hurt us, he would've broken down the door. The deadbolt doesn’t do much,” you say while setting down glasses. “I’ll be fine, Deuce, so don’t worry.”

“...sure,” he agrees hesitantly. You can still see the concern on his face, but before you can say anything more, Ace comes down.

“Breakfast ready?” He slides into a chair looking around expectantly.

You hand him a bowl of fruit. “No thanks to you.”

Breakfast is a lively affair with the two extra guests. Ace and Deuce keep the conversation going as they regale you with their latest adventure in detail. It goes by far too quickly for your taste. Sure your days aren’t so quiet with Tsunotarou, but it does get somewhat lonely having a one-sided conversation.

“Well, Tsunotarou, it’s just you, me and the girls again,” you say with a deep sigh. You set him on the ground with a groan. “Okay, buddy, you’re a little too heavy to hold for long periods now.”

He lets out a pitiful sound before rubbing his head against your thigh. “Come on, let's get the rest of the day started.” As you go back into the house, Tsunotarou doesn’t immediately follow.

His sharp green eyes survey the area around your home. Tongue flickering out, a low snarl starts in his chest. Something catches his eye in the trees just beyond your fence. His back bristles as he opens his mouth. Green flames swirl around his mouth as his eyes narrow.

“Tsunotarou, are you still out here?” you call, coming back outside. Lifting him up, you don’t notice the way his gaze is focused on something else. “Are you mad that I can’t carry you?” you ask with a chuckle.

The dragon doesn’t respond as he rests his snout on your shoulder. As you close the door, his gaze never leaves the line of trees. There’s a flash of yellow before the door is firmly shut.

---

To your surprise Ace and Deuce return a few days later. And even more of a surprise, Riddle is with them. You nearly slam the door in their face when you see them. Nervously looking between the two adventures, you can feel heat prickling the back of your neck. Ace avoids eye contact while Deuce sheepishly mouths an apology.

Riddle is the first to speak up. “These two let it slip that you’re harboring a dragon. Being the head of the Heartslabyul Guild, I thought it would be prudent for me to check. Rule 134 states no unregistered magical creatures within 10 miles of the guild are allowed. They must be taken to the appropriate handlers.”

Casting dirty looks at the two, you open the door wider. “Please come in, Riddle.” You rather like having your door on its hinges.

As he enters, he looks around before his gaze zeroes in on the dragon resting on the couch. “It really is a dragon…”

Ace and Deuce carefully slink past you before you shut the door. “As you can see, Riddle, he’s not a danger to anyone.” You try to smile as innocently as possible.

He turns to you. “I realize the rules may not apply to you, (Y/N), since you’re not a part of  our guild, but a dragon is dangerous regardless of its size. Ace mentioned he grew bigger last night. Who’s to say he won’t stop growing and then lay waste to everything?”

Said redhead suddenly has a keen interest in your hanging herbs. “Tsunotarou isn’t like that,” you argue. “He’s never hurt anyone and he’s been living with me of all people.” The magicless human who would be a prime target for magical creatures.

Riddle walks over to the now awake dragon. Tsunotarou regards him with keen interest unlike Ace and Deuce. They both size each other up. Riddle’s brows draw together as he continues to observe him.

“Everything okay?” you ask when the staring seems to drag on.

“Did you know there’s a curse on him?” He walks around the couch to observe Tsunotarou on all sides. The dragon doesn’t move an inch but seems fairly relaxed despite Riddle being a complete stranger.

You and the two boys share a look. “No, I didn’t. Is that why he’s so small?”

“Maybe.” He’s unsure. “It’s old magic and very powerful. I honestly don’t know what kind of curse it is.” Standing in front of Tsunotarou once more, Riddle sighs while touching his head. “This is more complicated than I thought. I’ll need to do some research before trying to determine the curse. I might have to ask Vil for his help on this.”

Sitting on the arm of the couch, you stroke Tsunotarou’s head. “Are you cursed?” you ask him. His head bobs up and down. “How come you two didn’t notice?” Your question is directed at the two bean spillers.

“They probably wrote it off as the creature's magical powers leaving a residue,” Riddle answers. He gives them a stern look. “They’ll need to go through more training later.”

Both stiffen as the color drains from their faces.

“So what now?”

Shaking his head, Riddle glances at his pocket watch. “I need to head back to the guild for tea. I’ll look into curses and consult Vil about this as well. For now, just make sure no one else sees him. We don’t want people to think a dangerous creature is on the loose and panic.”

“Alright. Thank you!” At least he’s going to try and help. You know Riddle could have decided Tsunotarou was a danger and taken him away. 

When they’re gone, you plop down on the couch. Tsunotarou immediately climbs into your lap and makes himself comfortable. “Cursed huh?” You lift his face so you can look into his eyes. “Are you secretly a prince who got cursed by an evil sorcerer and only true love's kiss can break the spell?” you ask with a teasing grin.

He stares back before blinking slowly. Laughing at the ridiculous thought, you bop his nose affectionately. “I hope Riddle figures out your curse. I’d love to see your full form.” 

[thebusytypewriter]

hello hello congrats on the followers!! for the event could i request a long kamukura x reader fic where he’s basically baby duck imprinted on reader? i imagine that after being locked in a cell and mistreated by hopes peak even an iota of basic human kindness has him clinging

YIPPEE I've been brainrotting about this one for AGES I'm so sorry for the wait anon!! I'm also sorry that you were probably expecting fluff with this and while there is some, uhhhh........... angstnohappyendOKAYENJOYBYE--

No, I’m not falling for you

So please have mercy on me

The night of the Tragedy—the first one—you were there. That was something Izuru Kamukura didn’t expect.

You weren’t exactly there, not in the classroom where it all went down; things would’ve been much different if you were. No, you were some Reserve Course student who’d found their way just outside of the Main Course gates past curfew.

In fact, it was well past that point, nearly midnight by then. Enoshima had yet to return from her place in the security office, Ikusaba likely with her. This left Kamukura alone outside to ponder what had just transpired.

The gruesome deaths of the thirteen Ultimate students replayed over and over within his perfect memory, everything from gunshot to impaling to chainsaw. He’d expected each and every one of them to turn away from Enoshima’s “motives,” since innocent lives logically outweighed petty hearsay, no matter how damaging it would be.

Such intense emotion on their faces when first attacks were made… He couldn’t understand it.

Wind whistled past his stony face as he strolled, the force tossing around his hair in every direction. Even if he had the capacity to care about it, he wouldn’t. There were far more pressing things to worry about.

The sound of rubber soles on stone alerted him to an approaching individual, so Kamukura swiftly moved behind one of the few trees lining the outer wall and watched.

You were far out of dress code for a Reserve Course student, but he figured that you didn’t care with it being after hours. A large hoodie covered you, engulfing your upper half in the softest fabric he’d ever seen, and your yoga pants were just as large and cozy-looking. The only thing that indicated you as part of the Reserve Course was the student ID faintly peeking out from under your collar.

He could see the bags under your eyes from his place a dozen feet away, and the slouch in your walk alerted his health-related talents of your likely insomnia.

“Hello?” you called out, almost timidly, not too soft to go unheard but not too loud to alert any remaining security. “I was just out for a walk when I, um, heard you. I know it’s late, I just want to make sure you’re okay. It’s not a good idea to leave Main Course grounds after dark, okay?”

Kamukura faintly wondered if you’d ever had a chance of being an Ultimate regarding empathy or safety. It would suit you.

“I go here,” you continued, “so don’t worry, I just want to help.”

His nail lightly scratched at the tree’s bark in contemplation. Two abnormal events in the same night… Perhaps he couldn’t let that go.

Letting his definitive steps announce his presence, Kamukura stepped out and into the dull light of the street lamps. He said nothing and simply blinked at you.

You inhaled sharply, clearly startled as you caught sight of him. There was only a brief moment of panic in your eyes before it switched over to concern, your gaze locking on something just below his own, slightly to his right. “Oh my god, are you okay?”

Ah. In the excitement of your arrival, he’d forgotten about the bullet graze wound across his cheek. He raised a hand and felt around the area, unsurprised to find it mostly still wet with blood. “And why would you be concerned about me? You’ll get nothing in return.”

“Nothing in…?” Your brow pinched further, now from both concern and confusion. “Dude, you’re bleeding. Like a lot. Like you might need stitches.”

“No. I’ll apply some disinfectant shortly, and it’ll heal just fine. You should be more concerned with your own safety, being out this late at night, instead of fussing over a stranger.”

“I-I’m not fussing,” you argued, cheeks now puffing out in your annoyance.

You reminded him of a chipmunk.

Cute.

Something in him halted at the thought before reassuring himself that it was simply fact. There were no opinions within him. You were being kind to him, that was all. It was… unfamiliar.

Unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.

“Oh!” Your voice pulled him from his thoughts. “How rude of me. I didn’t even introduce myself.” With a statement of your name—something he already knew from observing your student ID—you extended a hand while asking for his own.

In a handful of milliseconds, he considered what to tell you. He could tell you nothing and walk away, leaving you out of the insanity but leaving this odd new itch behind. He could tell you Kamukura, but there were far too many things attached to that name on Hope’s Peak campus. You were Reserve Course, not stupid. 

“Call me Izuru,” he stated. “For your safety, I’ll leave it at that.”

Your eyebrows shot up to your hairline. “Ah… okay? Nice to meet you then, Izuru.”

“You as well.”

“Aaaand your reason for being out here…?”

“Nightly walk.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie, but you didn’t need to know that. “I was in the process of returning to my quarters when you appeared. I am in no danger, I assure you.”

You nodded, hesitant but understanding. “Gotcha. Well… just be careful, okay? There are some real weirdos out here at night.”

The irony of your statement almost made him laugh. Almost. “I understand, thank you. Would you like an escort back to the Reserve Course dormitory?”

“Oh, uh, no thanks. Pepper spray’s got my back.”

“If you insist. Good night, then.” Kamukura gave the slightest of bows before turning to reenter the Main Course grounds and rendezvous with Enoshima. Your return of the phrase met his ears, but he continued on.

He tried not to feel your gaze boring into his back as he did so.

He tried not to look back when he heard your footsteps retreat.

Izuru Kamukura failed for the first and second time that night.

‘Cause it’s not romantic, I swear

I’m not gasping for air

After moving from one underground bunker to another, Kamukura quickly found himself to be once again bored out of his mind. The only thing that kept his attention, that lingered in his mind, was you.

He’d never seen your face among the rioters from newsfeed alone, leading him to the conclusion that you were abstaining from it all. You were safe, presumably. Given how kind you were to him when you met, he decided that you deserved it—the safety from Despair. Someone like you needed to be protected.

And yet, he still thought about what it would be like for you to stay in that bunker with him. Kamukura wasn’t alone there, of course not; among its occupants was Enoshima, Ikusaba, Mitarai, and the nurse that was dragged in—Tsumiki. Of these, Enoshima was the only one who engaged in conversation with him, as one-sided as it was, and as annoying as she was.

Despite himself, despite his programming, Kamukura missed you.

He knew that Enoshima had noticed his change of demeanor after that night. He knew that she’d look into what happened, badgering him until she inevitably gave up.

What he didn’t know was how invested she’d be in the situation.

In the midst of his purusing old documents within the bunker, he was met with the sound of Enoshima’s delighted hum growing closer… then farther. It was odd. There weren’t many rooms in the bunker, and there were even fewer rooms that Junko Enoshima herself would enter. If they were dirty, she sent Ikusaba in. If they were hazardous, she sent Tsumiki in.

So where was she going?

Damn it, his interest was piqued.

Cautiously and quietly, Kamukura followed the Ultimate Despair down a corridor he’d never seen her traverse before. She hummed the whole way, a slight bounce in her step, before stopping at a closed iron door. It had a small square window at head level, but that seemed to be the only way one could see in or out of the room. Enoshima slid the massive bar lock out of place and pushed her way inside, letting the door close behind her.

He stalked up to the solid barrier and peered through the window, careful not to let more of himself show than what was unavoidable. As Kamukura’s gaze settled on the pigtailed frame he’d watched enter, her voice met his ears.

“Just checkin’ on ya, sweetheart! Can’t have you dying on me just yet, right? You just got here!”

Then, a second voice followed hers, one that made his blood run cold.

“I-I think you’ve got the wrong person,” you stammered, teeth audibly clacking together in the cold concrete room. “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know why you brought me here, I haven’t done anything wrong—”

“Of course not, silly!” Enoshima strode forward in faux contemplation, manicured hands clasped behind her back. “Consider this a… witness care program. We take care of our witnesses!”

With the Despair’s movement, Kamukura was able to get a full view of you. You were still in your pajamas, just a tank top and fuzzy pants, implying that you’d been abducted either in your room or within the dorm in general. Your feet were bare and pale—borderline blue—against the gray floor. (He understood then why you were shivering.) From that angle, he was able to notice your hands wrenched behind your back as you sat by a pole, and he deduced that Enoshima—or maybe Ikusaba—had tied you to said pole to restrict movement. How cliche.

“Witness care?” You blinked, fluorescent light sparkling in your eyes. “So you’re protecting me then?”

“Well, aren’t you just a little ray of hope?” Enoshima reached out and pitched your cheek with enthusiasm. “Cutie pie! I could just eat you up!” Her grin dropped abruptly, and Kamukura saw a few little beads of blood spring up on your skin where she held you. “…And then I would immediately vomit. Your gross little rainbows and sparkles make me sick, y’hear me? What the hell does a god like Kamukura see in a worthless Reserve Course chump?”

Your brow furrowed. “I’m sorry, who’s… Kamukura? Like, the founder of Hope’s Peak?”

“No, silly,” she snorted. “Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome. The one you met a few days ago. What exactly did he say his name was?”

He watched your mouth open to answer, then slowly close as you appeared to connect the dots she’d presented. Your response came out quiet and disbelieving. “…Izuru.”

Enoshima’s free hand flew up in mocking celebration. “Give the kid a prize! This might come as a shock to you—who am I kidding, it so will—but the Izuru Kamukura you talked to is a lab experiment gone horrifically right. He’s a god among men, the Ultimate Hope. And that makes it all the more confusing as to why he’s chosen to latch onto you of all people. Kinda silly if you ask me.”

Much to his odd delight, all traces of fear left your face at the statement, and you snarled at her. “Well if you admire him so much, then why does it sound to me like you’re doubting his judgment? I’ll be sure to let him know when I see him next. Whose word will he believe—mine or yours?”

Enoshima’s hand ripped away as she recoiled. “Ugh! God, you’d get along really well with the know-it-all detective in my class. Keep holding your head up like that, and you’re ten times more likely to get smacked by a bat. It’s just statistics!”

The twitch of your brow betrayed your returning terror.

“Anyway,” she drew out, “I wouldn’t get comfy, m’kay? Even though you’re here as a present for my beloved Kamukura, I still have an agenda. Maybe look up the phrase ‘take care of’ in the dictionary! Oh, wait, you can’t do that here. Hm! Your problem, not mine.”

Kamukura ducked out of the window just as Enoshima turned, forgoing the remainder of the conversation to preserve his assumed innocence. In his brisk return down the hallway, he felt an odd tingling sensation rising from the midst of his throat all the way to his skull. It reminded him of an ant colony, one that disturbed the neutrality within him.

He then noticed how tense his brow had been the entire time. How clenched his fists were. How much he itched to burst through the door and rescue your kind self from Despair incarnate.

Some Ultimate Psychologist within him ticked off some boxes and raised a finger to share the new discovery, but he ignored it.

He had to.

The Ultimate Hope did not get attached.

I want you to be here, but please don’t come near

‘Cause even though I’m pretty sure my head’s exploding

I’m not ready for hand holding

Kamukura was attached.

Within the couple of weeks between his discovery of your presence—when he was sure that Enoshima and Ikusaba weren’t in the bunker, and Mitarai and Tsumiki were stationed in the former’s workspace—he often found himself visiting you.

The first time he made an appearance and explained what he could, he’d been expecting your immediate response.

“So you’ll let me go?”

He shook his head. “As much as I am of the mind that you should be given your freedom, there is a strong chance Enoshima may just hunt you down again and kill you. A far from ideal outcome, wouldn’t you agree?”

You did, and he was relieved.

…What?

Ah, yes. That was the recurring problem around you; Kamukura found himself feeling things. At first, he was convinced that he could become desensitized by visiting you more. It only made things worse. He got to know you then, all your hobbies and quirks and everything that made you unique in his eyes.

Not to mention your kindness. God, all the harsh interactions with immoral scientist after immoral scientist made him realize how truly important you were.

You invaded all of his waking thoughts, and Kamukura expected that he was doing a good job at hiding it.

He was created to have perfect judgment.

It’s not love, I swear

“Oh, Kamukura darling! I have a surprise for you!”

He let himself sigh as he turned from his absentminded file browsing to meet Enoshima’s wide grin. “I have no interest in your presents.” Not to mention he already knew to whom she was referring.

The grin flipped on a dime to a childish pout. “You don’t have to be so mean about it! And here I thought you’d actually like this one.”

“If you’re going to pester me about this surprise regardless, then I suppose I have little choice. Get on with it.”

Enoshima immediately perked up again, much like a dog whose master said the word ‘treat’ aloud. (What a hellish dog the Ultimate Despair would make, Kamukura thought to himself. He’d have to tell you that one later.) “Okie dokie! You’re gonna love it.”

“Doubtful. I am incapable of love.”

Incapability, the Ultimate Dictionary part of him said, is another word for inability, which is the lack of ability to do something. Denial is an unwillingness to accept that something is true.

He stubbornly shoved the thought away and followed behind the bouncing girl.

Love clouds even the most objectively perfect judgment.

They continued on to a section of the bunker that Kamukura was slightly less familiar with, as it was usually occupied by the other inhabitants, and he wasn’t one to socialize with them. (He wasn’t one to socialize with Enoshima, either, but she forced it upon him.) At some time, he’d heard the sounds of panic and stress echoing from that same direction, but it was her business, not his. It appeared that it was about to be his business, though.

Enoshima led him into an offshoot of the main hallway, her deranged humming increasing as they moved. It was never a good sign when she was so pleased.

The distorted music he’d listened to her perfect met his ears, laced with the edited screams of Ultimate students. Why was she playing the Despair-inducing video? Was there a “guest” he wasn’t aware of?

…Wait.

There would be.

If he wasn’t already aware of them.

“You’ve been so pressed over the battle of Hope and Despair, and I wanted to help you along—” Enoshima pushed a door open, and the sounds became clearer— “so you get to see Despair in action!”

A dim concrete room greeted the two of them, bathed only in the flashing lights and red glow of her video. In the center, a single chair sat askew with what appeared to be leather straps dangling from its arms and legs. The quick inspection with his Ultimate Analyst talent revealed a lack of tears in the leather outside of the usual signs of torture—fraying and scuffing. The occupant didn’t escape their containment, but they were released.

Speaking of, Kamukura’s gaze fell upon a figure settled on the floor, head pressed against their knees. It was reminiscent of a traditional Japanese deep bow—zarei, that is—but they were tense, shaking. Their hands dug into their hair and pulled against their scalp in this panicked manner, and that wasn’t even the part that set him off.

This figure, the victim of Junko Enoshima’s Despair-inducing video, was you.

“Turn it off.”

“Eh?”

His fist closed around Enoshima’s throat and tugged her close in an instant, dragging a garbled noise of surprise from her. “Turn the video off, or I will do it myself.”

Her eyes were wide at this new display, one he himself was quite unsure about, and she burst out in startled laughter. “Woooow! Okay, Mr. Assertive! It’s done the job anyway. This was mostly just for theatrics and funsies, to give a little pizzazz to your present—Hey, are you even listening?”

Kamukura was not. Oh, how he thought about bashing in her head at that moment. It would be quick and effortless on his part, ultimately ridding the world of her sick plan. But Enoshima wasn’t his priority; he was already crossing the floor toward your crumpled form, an uncharacteristically-loud heartbeat pounding in his ears. Odds of your being unharmed were slim, to say the least, and only dropping every second you didn’t move, but he called upon his Ultimate Luck to combat them.

Pristine black dress pants rubbed against the concrete as he settled on his knees next to you. Kamukura’s hand hovered over your back while he debated on the best course of action. What would he do if you were lost? Could he bring himself to hand you over to Enoshima, or would he go directly against her to repair a broken mind? Was it even possible for him to do such a thing?

Might still be in shock, he reminded himself. It was entirely possible that Enoshima had been bluffing. You were fine.

You had to be.

He let his hand run over your spine once. Twice. You remained, head pressed to your knees, though you shuddered at the touch.

Just ahead, the Despair-inducing video clicked off. Finally. He shot a glare at Enoshima and, by virtue of her sudden appearance, Ikusaba. Additionally, Tsumiki appeared to be peeking in from the doorway, and her twisted smile did nothing to calm his anxieties.

…Anxieties? The Ultimate Psychologist in his head once again raised a finger to say I told you so, but he ignored it.

Kamukura called for you, quietly at first. When he received no answer, he tried again, louder.

Something finally spilled from your lips, unintelligible and hushed. He wondered for a moment if what he felt at the sound was hope, but it quickly snapped away as your garbled noises continued and then transitioned into an objectively worse sound.

You were laughing.

No, you were crying.

It was both. You were hysterical.

Finally, finally, you sat up, and the “no signal” screen previously playing that maddening video kept your face under an eerie red light. The color illuminated the teartracks down your cheeks, and his heart clenched. Your gaze met his, and it sank.

Those kind eyes, the ones that made him feel warm, feel anything… were hazy and unfocused. The smile that set off the butterflies in his stomach, however few they were, twisted with insanity.

Tainted.

She’d broken you.

You. The one good thing in this spiraling world.

Kamukura cupped your cheek as you giggled something about his expression. He didn’t care to listen. He ran through the possible ways of repairing your mind and found that the list was both shorter and less possible than he’d initially thought. Human beings are fragile creatures, he reminded himself. You can’t hold one too tightly, or else it’ll hurt more when they break.

Perhaps this wasn’t what Enoshima had meant by seeing her work in action, but it got the point across.

His tears fell alongside yours.

It might be closer to Despair . . .

[ninjaturtlemaniac]

Thank you! I live for the dad Branch scenarios and headcanons! Do you think he is an overprotective dad? Especially with Harmony because she's his first child. Have he ever made her that weird outfit/armor which protects but poor kid can't move in it?😅

Dad Branch gives me life.

Poor worried Branch just had to go and make babies with a troublesome woman and make hyperactive troublesome babies.

Grey hairs will definitely be coming early for Branch.

I imagine he was VERY overprotective.

Not just from the general Branch anxiety + new dad anxiety but he is also raising the next Queen of the Pop Trolls!

He seriously not seriously considered a padded nursery.

Or a nursery bunker....?

I imagine he read all the parenting books he could find cover-to-cover.

Protective armor.

He has sketches for some. Poppy won't let him make it.

Baby gates and locks that John Dory can't open.

Security cameras everywhere.

Disinfecting everything over and over.

Maybe at some point something DOES happen to Harmony?

Maybe like her first fever or something?

Poppy has a talk with him about how they can protect her from the world as much as they want but the best thing they can do is help her when she does need it and teach her how to handle things when she does get's hurt.

[sweetyluvs]

Hi!!! i hope ur doing well, remember to take care of urself💕💘can i please request 7 with ellie where she’s still been living in jackson for maybe a little over a yr & a half, and she and reader are like 17 and they aren’t really friends but like eachother secretly and reader is a medic trainee, and is the one to fix up ellie? tysm!

𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫

ellie williams x fem! reader - drabble

hi! thank you for requesting. I honestly i appreciate your words! i don’t really like how i wrote this, but I hope you do! but anyways, enjoy🌷💕

tags - blood, bruises, slight/medic! reader, Soft! ellie, lowkey ooc! ellie, make out, remind me if i forgot any!!

Your eyes scanned the opening wooden gates of the entrance to Jackson, watching the most recent patrol come back. Ellie was apart of that patrol, you weren't exactly friends with her, but you two had a few conversations. the first time you spoke, She was funny, very nervous, red faced, sarcastic, but, overall, rather kind. she was your age, back when you were 15, and as such, your parents had urged you to make her feel welcomed since she had only been there for a few months.

It had been a little over a year and a half that she'd been staying in Jackson with Joel, and yet your parents are still continuously urging you to befriend her; even though you both have mutual friends. You don't know what your parents psycho-crazy obsession with you befriending ellie is, but you didn't exactly have a direct issue with it. besides the constant nagging. but what you hadn’t expected, was to feel an all too familiar pounding in your chest. you hadn’t expected to fall for Ellie, and now you had to live with the feelings.

Your name was called back to the Medical house, asking if you could assist in bandaging a quick cut before the patrol comes in for an injury check. you accepted, rushing over.

"Hello," you smile down to the little girl sitting in the chair, her cheeks stained with tears. "how'd this happen?" you question, eyes moving to the small scrape on her pointer finger.

"i-i was playing and-and i fell and hurt my finger," she says through light cries. You smiled sympathy, reaching over for some disinfectant and a bandage. "oh, no. well, luckily it's not bad. l'll just put some of this stuff," you hold up the disinfectant, watching as the little girls blue eyes snap to it.

"on it, and it'll make it feel much, much better." you announce, nodding your head with the girls upon her approval.

You put a small amount of the disinfectant cream on her finger gently, laughing lightly as she let out a dramatic flinch. she watched carefully as you than took the bandaid and wrapping it carefully around her finger.

"there, all better." the little girl smiles, her cheeks rosy. “thank you!” she grins, jumping off from her seat at the medical table and rushing to her mom, showing her the bandage on her hand. you sent a friendly smile to the mother, earning one in return before loud voices flooded the room.

You spun on your heal, hair moving lightly as your eyes scanned the small group of people.

Jesse, Dina, Ellie, Joel, Tommy and Maria, the big group that all, somehow, had connections to each other. You let out a sigh, preparing yourself to treat the ones who are actually hurt.

you glanced to the other doctor, seeing as how she was busy, you decided to take initiative. you walked up to them, nervously, and caught their attention.

"hi, if you are wounded please come with me," you interrupted politely, shoving down the nervous bubble in your tummy. "and if you aren't, i'm going to have to ask you to leave." Tommy smiled, patting your shoulder. "alright, you heard her ya'll, let's head out." he announced, wrapping his arm around his brothers shoulder, Maria rolling her eyes at the action, following after the two. Jesse and Dina not far behind.

you turned to the only remaining person; Ellie. she seemed fine, only light specks of blood you knew weren't hers littered on her cheek. you sent her a friendly smile before motioning for her to follow you. She did, tripping over her untied shoe laces shortly before stuttering after you.

You offered her to sit down in a private room, closing the curtains as to not disturb the other wounded.

“How was your patrol today?” you questions easily, fixing up some more disinfectant and some bandages, along with other supplies. “uh— it was good.. you know, the usual..” she says, voice crackling lightly before she clears her throat. “how was your day?”

you smiled at her question, even though she couldn’t see it. “It was okay, thank you. I’m glad to hear your patrol didn’t go terribly wrong.” ellie huffed, nodding her head. “me too. Tommy and Joel’s was bad the other day.”

“i heard about that. Joel came in here with a big gash on his arm. had to stich it up for him. hows he doing, by the way?” you turn on your heal to face her, seeing the way she snapped her staring green eyes to the floor quickly, making you fight a small grin.

“uh— he’s good. he was saying how when you stitched him up it didn’t hurt and you did a ‘very professional job.’” she quotes, and you crack a laugh; missing how her eyes stare at the details of your smile. “I’m glad he thought so.” you met her eyes and she went red. “where are your injuries?” you move on, watching as she shakes her head to, most likely, clear her head. “uh— on my knees.”

you nod, approaching her with your prepared supplies. You get on your knees, missing how ellie’s eyes blow wide and cheeks spew with the cherry blossom color of flush. “do you mind?” you ask softly, hands reaching for the bottom of her jeans to roll them up. She’s completely silent for a moment before she stutters out. “u-uh no, nope. go ahead.”

you huff a laugh, rolling up her pants. Her skin was rather pale on her legs, most likely due to wearing jeans most of her days out in the sun. The pants rolled above , revealing a few nasty cuts and scrapes. “ouch.” you grimace, reaching for the disinfectant. “how’d this happen? did you fall?”

Ellie was so entranced by seeing you bending down by her legs, your words almost didn’t make her ears. She blinked comedically, nodding her head although you couldn’t see it. “Y-yeah. Had a bunch of infected running after me and jesse. we had to crawl into this small space and once we came out i slipped.. and fell on the ground.” she embarrassingly admitted, face now rosy from the humiliation. “hey, at least these aren’t bad. A few weeks and you’ll be good as knew.” you affirmed, finally gently wrapping the bandage around her. you could feel her lightly shaking, but you blamed it on the chilly autumn air.

you finished up and moved on your knees to get to her other leg, rolling up her jeans— this time you were met with a massive, newly forming bruise alongside a slice.

“oh, wow.” you whispered, and ellie shuttered. “This looks really painful. Don’t worry, you got me.” you joked, giggling at ellie’s nervous laugh. You reached for the ice pack, halting lightly.

ellie noticed, brow raising. “what happened?” you looked up to her, and something about seeing you do so sent her heart into cardiac arrest. “well, you can’t really put bandaids or anything on bruises, so when i was little my mom would..” you cut off, looking down and squinting, contemplating your words. Ellie continued to look at you, a growing knot in her throat.

you placed down the ice pack beside your knee, scooting a little closer to ellie’s and gently placing both your hands on either side of her knee to avoid her bruise. You caught onto how she became a little more shaky, her breaths becoming lightly more loud.

you bent your neck forward, you lips meeting her bruise. You stayed like that for a few seconds, feeling ellie stiffen under your touch. You pulled away with a light ‘puck’.

you blinked a few times, moving your fingers around her wound gently before removing your hands. You looked up, and her auburn green eyes were staring at you wide; shock, along with something else you didn’t know, present in her pupils. Her lips were lightly parted, face redder than any tomato you’ve ever seen.

“she’d kiss it better.” you whispered, almost in a trance from looking to her eyes. You’ve seen how beautiful her eyes were, the green swirling in them like a forest of beauty; the colors bringing out her auburn hair and cute spotted cheeks.

your eyes refused to look from hers, it was almost scary how much you couldn’t help but look. A breaking bottle from the wall beside you snapped you out of your trance, whipping your eyes down to the ice pad.

“um.. you can ice it for the next few days to help it heal faster.” you mumbled, your voice suddenly evaporating.

you stood from your knees, avoiding Ellie’s staring eyes and the blush on your cheeks while reaching out for her to take the ice pack.

but, she doesn’t. your arm is continuously outstretched, waiting. when her hand never takes what you offered, you hesitantly turn back to her.

oh god.

the look in her eyes matched yours when you saw her. the love swirling in her pupils, patches of admiration and compassion flooding them; want and desire.. you saw yourself in the reflection, and before you knew it— you’d tossed the ice pack to the floor— hands reaching for ellie’s face as you pushed your lips on hers.

Ellie didn’t hesitate to kiss you back, shock flooding her body for only a second before her lips desperately tried to taste yours more and more. You stepped impossibly closer, standing between her now spread legs. The kiss was innocent, yet desperate; unsaid words spilling out of you through your lips on one another’s. Her hands were mid air for a few moments, unsure of where to go before they find an awkward place on your elbows, pulling you closer.

ellie’s lips dig into yours, sounds of your mouth on hers filling the silent room rather loudly. Gosh, you knew this was unprofessional, but you couldn’t exactly stop.

you pushed yourself against her, allowing her hands to slide from your elbows down to your waist, grabbing your shirt. you hummed into the make out, turning your head to the left to get a better angle of the kiss. your tongue had just began to meet hers for the first time when your body’s need for oxygen had never upset you as much as it had now, ushering you to pull back as you took in a large inhale— Panting as the line of saliva disconnected between you and ellie. she was panting too, her face somehow even more red, hands still on your waist as you removed yours from her face to wipe your lips.

suddenly, what you’d done hit you like a truck, and you basically flew out of her grasp.

“god— i’m so sorry, i-i don’t know what just happened! one second i was there then i kissed you and—”

You were cut off once again when she stood up and shut you up by placing a softer kiss to your lips, the small action making you stare at her.

“it’s okay— i.. i liked it.” she said, having a hard time meeting your eyes. “i like you.”

as though time had stopped, you listend as she confessed and you saw heaven.

“what?”

“i.. like you.”

you laughed a little, watching as a confused look crossed her face. “i like you, too, ellie.” now it was her turn to be surprised, although you would’ve guessed she knew by the fact you just made out with her.

she laughed along with you, blush coating your cheeks at the nervous confessions you both had admitted to.

“you definitely kissed me better,” Ellie teased, her voice shy and nervous, but confident.

you rolled your eyes lightly. “shut up, dork.” you pulled her closer, latching your lips to hers again.

[towriteloveontheirarms]

Hi I really loved your Xavier one shot and I wanted to request one if you don’t mind <3 So it’s Wednesdays birthday she invites reader and enid who are her roommates to a girls night out but she was lying to them and turns out she was taking them to the old gates mansion to investigate ( basically the scene were Wednesday and enid get in the car with Tyler and end up at the gates mansion just add the reader ) and once there and the monster attacks them reader gets hurt while jumping from the fence and they meet Xavier and go to Tyler’s house and Xavier helps reader clean her arm and when they go back to nevermore he offers her to sleep in his dorm because he had seen the panic she’s in when enids phone rang and she jumped <3 ( sorry it’s really long and detailed I hope u don’t mind it’s friends to lovers btw ) 

It´s done, anon. <3 I ended up changing it up a teeny tiny bit, but I hope you still like it!

You could have called me

pairing: Xavier Thorpe x fem!reader

synopsis: You get hurt while exploring the Gates mansion. What comes out of it is something much happier.

warnings: mentions of injury

word count: 1.2k

You suck in a harsh breath as you first feel the sting of the disinfectant on your wound. Your arm instinctively flinching away from Xaviers gentle hands. It isn´t too deep, you were lucky he tells you, but it still hurts like hell.

“I´m sorry.” He whispers in an apologetic tone.

“It´s okay.” You assure him to continue. Your voice barely above a breath as it forces its way through your clenched teeth. Trying to take deep, calming breaths as the alcohol continues to sting your wounds.

“Does it hurt much? The wound?” He asks while taking a bandage to your arm.

You shake your head no. “I can barely feel it. Probably still the shock…”

“Yeah, probably.” Xavier goes back to concentrating on patching you up for a bit.

The silence between you that always had been comfortable now makes you feel on edge.

“Will it look like yours once it is healed?” You let your fingers run over his neck, where his scars stand out from the rest of his pale skin in a pink hue, softly.

“Yeah, I think. It should be deep enough to scar. The monster got you pretty good.” The two of you each huff a laugh.

It feels so good to laugh and as he moves to tie up the bandage you rest your hand on his cheek. His face is so close, that for a moment it feels like you are about to kiss.

That moment immediately gets destroyed by steps coming closer.

“We gotta go.” Wednesday informs you in her usual monotone voice. If tonight has affected her in any way, her face doesn´t show a single bit of it.

You nod, taking your ripped jacket of the chair and heading out of the house. Xavier following close.

The four of you make your way half way back to the school when Enid´s phone rings. The quiet of the night makes the sound seem even louder than it. The suddenness of it, makes you jump.

“Hey, you´re okay. You´re safe.” Xaviers soothing voice brings you back to reality. A reality where you have grabbed onto his arm and your body trembles.

“Sorry…” This time it is your turn to apologize.

“It´s okay.” He murmurs, secretly wishing for you to hold onto him longer as your fingers let go of his arm.

The rest of your way back luckily goes by without any more instances, though you never quite relax.

It´s hard from parting your friends, but especially the safety Xavier´s presence brings you, when you reach the dorms. Wednesday and Enid are quick to leave the two of you out in the dark. In silence.

“I…” You try to say something, but the words die in your throat.

“Do you maybe want to stay with me tonight? Just to calm the nerves…” He speaks slowly. Carefully choosing his words.

“That would be nice.” A thankful expression takes over your face.

He takes your hand and pulls you with him. The contact making your skin feel warm and a sense of calm take over your body.

Xavier leads you up to his room where he lets go of your hand to prepare the empty second bed for you to sleep in.

“Thank you, for letting me sleep here, Xav.” You lay down carefully as to not lay on the wounded arm and hurt yourself more.

“Anything for you. If you need anything else just tell me, alright?” He asks, worry still apparent in his tone.

“Alright…” You echo quietly.

“Do you want the lights on or off?” He looks at you with soft eyes and an even softer voice.

“On, please. If that´s okay.” You hum in response.

“Of course it is. Try to sleep now. Your body will need it to heal.” He sighs and goes over to his own bed.

The lights from his bedside table and desk lamp tinge the room in a soft, warm glow. Under different circumstances you would have thought it to be comfortable or even romantic, but right now as you stare at the ceiling it helps little to lift the anxiety off your chest. The room gets shrouded in silence once more pictures start to flash behind your eyes. Pictures of the gates mention, of running for your life and how those claws tore at your skin.

You don´t remember when your eyes must have fallen shut, but when you look at the time on your phone it hasn´t been long. Your heart is beating out of your chest and a light sheen of sweat covers your body.

With heavy limbs you kick the blanket off and move to the bathroom. The cold water feels nice on your face and helps you think clearly again. Yet, when you step back inside the room, you can´t bring yourself to crawl back into that lonely bed again.

“Xavi?” You whisper. “Xav, are you awake?”

“I am. What do you need?” Comes his answer from beneath the sheets.

“I can´t sleep alone. Can I lie with you? Only for a bit.” You shift your weight from one foot to the other and play with your fingers as you wait for his answer.

His reply comes in the form of wordlessly rolling over to make room for you.

The bed is small and so it forces you into a very close proximity already, but you cuddle up as close to him as possible. His arms laid around your middle and yours on top of his. Your fingertips run over his arms with feather light motions. It´s calming, helps forget the images in your head. Moving up slowly until you reach the side of his neck again. Laying your hand against it, you realize how close you truly are. Xavier´s warm breath fans over your face as you hold yours and then as if you had the same thought at the same moment, you move in for a kiss. It´s languid, but comfortable. It feels like your lips were made for his surprisingly soft ones only. The slow movements never speed up. It´s just you two in your own perfect, safe, little world.

When you eventually do part from each other, your breath comes in heavy bursts. Your eyes switching between his olive ones. Tracing the brown surroundings of his pupil. Neither of them can think of anything to say. Not a single word.

“I could´ve lost you today.” Xavier breathes first. “I love you.”

His confession is overwhelming. “I love you too. You´ll never lose me.”

“No, but I could have. What if that… thing had gotten to you. Or I don´t know something else could have gone wrong. That house is old, you shouldn´t have gone in there no matter for what.”

“Shhh, I know. I didn´t even know where we were going and when I did it was too late to leave. Wednesday was so hellbent on going in the mansion I couldn´t let her and Enid go alone. Not with Tyler. The only one of them wo knows self-defense is Wednesday and even she couldn´t fight off a monster alone.”

“You could have called me…”

Only then it dawns on you both, what you have just confessed with a nonchalance as if you had spoken the words a hundred times before. `I love you´. The three words hang in the air between you. He presses his lips to yours once more. The rest was a conversation for when you had recovered from the night.

[turbulentscrawl]

Teehee hello hello!

Can I request Norton Campbell with an s/o (preferably male but gender neutral is fine too) born from nobility that acts like the opposite of him. They've been through so much in life, almost at par with his or probably worse. And yet they still care about the others, putting everyone else first before them. They are also a little too reckless, often doing body blocks from the hunter. They know how people can be cruel but they're still generous and thoughtful, although knowing when to stop and prevent themselves from being trampled over.

This is the first request I ever received here!

Just to be totally transparent, this one took so long to fill because I honestly don’t like the noble/wealthy reader x Norton dynamic. (As I’ve said several times before, he hates the rich. And being “the exception” to hatred/bias is neither a safe nor a healthy relationship.)  I’m still willing to accept requests for it…but the time I spend filling them will be far between, and frankly they won’t be the sweetest things you’ve ever read.

“So what the fuck was that supposed to be?” Norton asks as he approaches you in the infirmary. You look at him quizzically, and it’s a welcome distraction from Emily’s aching efforts to remove the spikes lodged in your back.

“What do you mean?” you ask.

“Don’t,” Norton snaps, though a bit more quietly after a pointed look from Emily. “Don’t play dumb. I’m talking about your reckless behavior in that match. In ALL the matches. We already had a win. We were at. The. Gate. And you went back? Against the fastest Hunters possible, no less.” To be more precise, you, Norton, and Emma were at the gate. Three of your four-man team.

“I wasn’t going to leave Jose like that,” you explain, recalling how he’d struggled against the restraints of the rocket chair. People’s desperation in those moments always made your heart bleed. Jose didn’t want to die anymore than you or anyone else did. Regardless of the method.

“So you thought it was smart to go marching back out to try and collect him,” Norton says. Emily is trying very hard to look like she isn’t taking in any of your conversation. One of those spikes finally comes out, and you hiss at the sting. Emily applies a disinfectant, and presses hard on your back to staunch the flow of blood. Norton somehow scowls more at your pained expression, and you have to remind yourself it was mostly out of concern.

“I did collect him,” you correct through pain-clenched teeth.

“And nearly got yourself chaired in the process. Then what? We’d still have a three-man win, plus the injuries to attend to.”

“But I didn’t, and now we’ve a four-man win,” you express softly. Norton throws his hands in the air, looking about ready to toss the infirmary. You have to remind yourself, too, about all he’s been through. By himself. That the selfish mindsets he has are born of strategy and survival, and not empathy.

Norton pauses in his pacing and looks at Emily. She finishes applying the bandage to the wound she’d opened, saying, “Don’t take too long. I still have to dig out all the little broken pieces.” You almost tell her not to worry, that they’ll be gone and healed tomorrow, but suspect she runs this infirmary to keep her own skills sharp as much as for everyone’s comfort. When the door was shut, Norton dragged a chair in front of your bed and sat down, straddling it backwards.

“You have to stop assuming you’ll be able to accomplish every good deed your head conjures up,” he says, cutting to the point. You’ve had this conversation many times before, and it always hurts when he brings it up again.

“I can’t, Norton,” you say. “You know I can’t.”

“You can,” he insists. “If I can get over my distaste of you being rich, if I can work with people I don’t like, keep the hunters off them in the middle of matches, then you can stop trying to play knight-in-shining-armor. Everyone here knows what we’re in for and that sacrifices have to be made sometimes. Yeah, sometimes your little plans work out for you. Today it did. But your plans have gone ass-up sometimes, too, and it costs us. A draw is not a win, okay? And at the end of the day, we’re all still hoping for some kind of reward for these wins. So if we have a win already, take it. I already hate you gambling your own safety, but it’s more than that too.”

“I can’t just accept that,” you finally say to him after a long, thinking pause. “This place…is so awful. If we don’t try to look out for one another, we’ve got nothing. When I see the others hurt, or scared…I can’t just leave them to think they’re suffering that alone. And it’s not like I just let everyone walk all over me.” Norton grunts a bit and stands from his seat. He’s clearly annoyed, but he ruffles your hair a bit in spite of that. A sign that he just needs time to calm down.

“Looking out for people doesn’t just mean bleeding for them,” he says, turning to leave the room. “I’ll send the doc back in. Rest up, see you at dinner.”

He shuts the door behind himself, leaving you in a quiet, white room, with no solution in sight to this repeat disagreement.

[verdemoun]

I can’t see all of them being able to drive well but I also can’t see that fact stopping them. Maybe for some angst, who is the first in a car accident?

oh two part-er

first while not technically a car accident kieran was very literally hit by a car his first day in timewarp, and not a light tap. he was thrown, broken arm, bruised ribs, head slammed into the asphalt so hard he saw spots and passed out. his introduction to modern era was the chaotic horror of an emergency room, searing fluorescent lights, the stink of disinfectant and strangers in alien hospital uniform repeatedly asking what his name was.

kieran duffy wasn't remembered as a van der linde. he wasn't remembered at all. bessie had no way of connecting the dots that so much of mary-beth's novels were true until lenny started reading them. so with the hospital mandated bare minimum to a seemingly homeless man who stammered about O'Driscolls and his gang, he got turned back out onto the streets with a few days of painkillers and a shoddy cast on his arm.

everyone else gets the comfort of waking up to the smiling faces of loved ones or at least a friendly mad woman chasing you down the street knowing your name. kieran sleeps rough for weeks, lurking around the modern era shady belle because it's the only thing familiar but being chased off the gated property the second he's noticed.

when hosea and lenny happen across him by chance, he's more bruised and battered than his corpse was riding headless back into shady belle, and more terrified than he ever was being their prisoner in colter.

it is months before he can get in a car without looking like he's being held at gunpoint

but the first van der linde car accident, hmm: well obviously the gang pick up driving very differently.

hosea is the perpetual old man driving 10 under the speed limit when you're already running late to work. but bessie lets him drive the chevy on sundays and they just enjoy one another's quiet company on the open road.

lenny is the only one who can drive without bessie clutching the door. he is also the first to buy his own car and understands they serve the same purpose as a horse. even forms an emotional connection to his car, is slightly upset it doesn't love him back like maggie did.

they put off teaching sean to drive as long as possible and true to form he proves their greatest fears being a horrible driver - but the pizzeria never had to pay a late delivery fee again.

kieran sat behind in the wheel in an empty lot, let the car roll a hundred yards before pulling the handbrake and having a panic attack. never again. passenger princess/walks everywhere.

as much as he loves learning about the engineering of cars, arthur is not a natural driver. he insisted on learning to drive in a truck because people already looked at him and assumed he had a truck. as a result, no parking lot trolley return was safe. his truck is as dented as his spine is ruined.

so no one expected it to be lenny who was running late one night: or a phone call from an unknown number, saying there'd been an accident. not lenny's fault, of course. another driver, too drunk or too tired to realize the light was red and slammed straight into the driver side of his car.

most of the gang have been lucky enough to avoid a hospital, and as a result it's chaos. bessie is so distressed worrying about her son that she forgets she's the only one who knows what to do. hosea is panicky asking reception what happened, where's lenny, where's his boy. and sean is just. silent. nothing. no bouncing. no anxious fidgeting. he's silent, and still.

and lenny's asleep. general anasthetic or some sort of sedative, unnaturally still and more bandages than flesh. just a strange, bulky hospital bed and blue hospital blanket. tubes and a heart beat monitor that they naively thought only existed on tv.

hosea chases bessie, who has to remove herself because she doesn't want to be the only one in the room crying. it doesn't seem fair how upset she finds it when she has known lenny for so much shorter than the rest.

just sean. sitting with unnatural calmness in a plastic chair beside lenny in a hospital bed. afraid to hold his hand in case he hurts him. cracks a few jokes about being glad lenny has always only ever loved reading, because if he wanted to learn to play piano he'd be mortified by his broken, swollen fingers.

lenny doesn't laugh. the heart rate monitor stays at a constant, steady beep.

some old, painful memory digs its way to sean's consciousness. he can hear bessie sobbing in the hallway, hosea bracing her weight in an embrace like she'll collapse without him. sean instinctively opens the windows and moves his chair so as to not be in between lenny and the night air. his eyes bounce for a moment between the clock and the heart rate monitor. he offers him confession, like a good catholic boy, and when no answer comes, begins to sing old irish blessings only loud enough for the two of them to hear.

lenny is fine and makes a full recovery!! discharged days later, recognises he's lucky and it could have easily been so much worse. he's more annoyed about the hospital getting his family worked up for no reason. whatever drugs they gave him, it was the damn best sleep he ever had. he's more upset over the hospital bill than his car being wrecked, and wasting a joke about 'all the bleeding was internal, that's where blood is meant to be' on sean, who doesn't get it

recognises the tune next time sean is humming irish blessings to himself. doesn't know where.

[empirearchives]

Napoleon and Sewers and Sanitation

Excerpt from the book Aaron Burr in Exile: A Pariah in Paris, 1810-1811, by Jane Merrill and John Endicott

Napoleon began in 1805 to build a modern vaulted underground sewer system in Paris, following the topography of the streets. Practical changes for the better were already in place when Burr was in Paris. Sewer floors were lowered and new lines were created everywhere between 1805 and 1812, while at the same time the existing sewers were disinfected and the flow of water purified.

During the Enlightenment there was a movement for improved hygiene in France, and investigations of public health. Napoleon was a forerunner of hygiene for his armies and for Paris. In the first place he paved streets and did away with the flowing gutters in the middle of the road. Second, he wanted to give Parisians clean water. In 1802, he commissioned Pierre-Emmanuel Bruneseau as his inspector of works for the City of Paris to chart the sewer system and also keep them clean. Under Napoleon, the existing network was extended, 19 new miles of sewers were added. By 1812, vast improvements had been made.

Bruneseau died in 1819, but Baron Haussmann studied Bruneseau’s maps in the mid-century, rebuilding, constructing new gas-lit and vented sewers. The sanitation models of Paris were adopted by other cities in France and around the world.

A survey of 50 kilometers took seven years. It was dangerous as well as putrid work. While Bruneseau was hailed as an intrepid adventurer, he had difficulty all along with hiring assistants to keep up with him. Victor Hugo was Bruneseau’s friend and hailed him as an adventurer. The engineer inspired Hugo to write the portion of Les Misérables in which Jean Valjean carries Marius, wounded at the Barricades in 1832, through the sewers to safety. Hugo called the sewers “the conscience of the city” and created a whole metaphor around the sewer system: “A sewer is a cynic. It tells everything.” It wouldn’t have been possible for Jean Valjean to make his way carrying Marius through the sewers before the curage methods introduced by Bruneseau. The rushing water when gates are opened to clean the sewers with great hydraulic force, as well as the manholes and dripping pipes, are well described in the novel.

[Bold italics for quotations by me]

[ems-roleplay-blog]

This whole thing was fucked. Totally and entirely fucked. Maybe he shouldn’t have had the expectation that they would all come out alive, but he had thought that that was the bare minimum here. As the minutes passed on, though, it was looking like that had been to much to hope. Unscathed? Not a snowball’s chance in hell that was going to happen. But he had at least thought they’d all be like… alive.

Eddie was starting to get closer and closer to the whole “not being alive” part, and that was starting to freak him the hell out. Everyone had been yelling at each other as they lugged Eddie to the gate and then all the way into the boathouse, and here they were. A bunch of teenagers trying to figure out how to use first aid from health class to keep their friend from dying. “Come on, man, stay with us.” They’d ripped off the sleeve of someone’s jacket, Steve really couldn’t remember who, and he was using it to press on what seemed like the worst of the bleeding.

“How do we disinfect it? We should probably do that, right? Do we sew it up? Does anyone have like… I don’t fucking know, a needle and thread? Maybe there’s on in here somewhere. Maybe there’s like… uh… a first aid kit! In the boat?” He was frantic. They were all frantic. This was stressful as hell.

@hawkinshellraiser

[fastcardotmp3]

truman show esque "trapped in a reality you think is The reality when it is, in fact, just an experiment in which you are the subject" situation except when Steve gets dragged through the gate at Lover's Lake, when the rest of them follow him into the Upside Down, it's like the place has been adapting since the last time any of their people were here.

The Upside Down made itself into a mirror of Hawkins for a boy who it wanted to keep, but it didn't do so great the first time around. Vines and thick air and cold, it may have memorized the map of the place it was emulating, but it never quite got the details right.

The thing is, it's had time to learn. It was in Will's head, for fuck's sake, took over the bodies of countless Hawkins residents during the Starcourt fiasco of '85, so by the time Spring Break of '86 rolls around, the Upside Down knows.

It's a living thing and it knows better how to be a mirror, how to maybe better keep that boy here next time it gets ahold of him. Only before Will Byers has the chance to stumble his way back through one of the gates being created just for him, just for him and his sister, there are four others who are maybe a good trial run.

It's confusing for them, on the other side of being dragged to the bottom of a lake. It's confusing because it actually looks like Hawkins, smells like it, the water is the same in the lake and the mud feels the same on the shore.

It's less like being dragged to the bottom at all, actually, because the water makes them weightless, makes the transition disorienting rather than a clear crossing between worlds, so when they resurface and it looks the same it's. It's not the Upside Down the way Steve saw it in the tunnels, it's not the Upside Down the way Will or Joyce or Hopper or El described it.

Maybe there are hints and clues out and about-- unnatural chill for the season and tree roots that kick up out of the earth a bit more frequently, a haze to both nighttime and daylight that makes it feel gray and-- artificial almost? But none of that is enough to combat the sense of disorientation, the knowledge in their heads of what the UD actually looks like, and there's this fog in their heads...

There's this fog...

Their people aren't on the shore waiting for them under that starless night sky, but that's actually-- were there people waiting here for them at all?

It was just the four of them, right? It was just--

There are people here, when they decide to, um, "how did you hurt yourself, Steve? We need to-- shit, that needs to be disinfected, like, yesterday."

Robin's worried about rabies but Steve reminds her, "that's an animals thing, I just, like, fell on, uh-- those rocks at the lake? When we were swimming?"

It's too hard to question why they all went swimming in their clothes when it's this cold and dark. The fog is-- it's thick but also untraceable, it's like trying to make a logical decision in the middle of the most absurd of dreams.

It's like darkness encroaching in on your vision when you're involuntarily losing consciousness...

There are people here, when they decide to go find a first aid kit at Nancy's place because it's closest. There are a handful of cars driving around town, Mrs. Brady putting out her trash down the street when they sneak past.

Mrs. Brady, she was-- she is-- she-- but last summer during the-- the issue with-- there was a whole thing and she di--

Nancy's parents are out.

Steve's bites scrapes are oozing and painful and Nancy slaps at Eddie's hand when he tries to snoop at her diary.

The sun rises. The sun only just set. There are people here but they're-- were there people waiting for them on the shore?

There was something, some reason, why they were at the lake and that's important. That has to be important, somewhere beyond the fog.

When they fall asleep in the light of a too-quick morning, like the sun turned on rather than rose, it's not weird that there's no one else in the Wheeler house.

"Stop looking at me, I can feel you," Robin mutters as she dozes off to sleep on the bed beside Nancy, the boys on a spare mattress on the floor.

Everyone else is already asleep.

[helloalycia]

the king’s ward [three] // morgana pendragon

summary: as you wait for your brother to recover, you're stuck in Camelot and happen to get spend a little more time with Morgana in the process.

warning/s: mentions of blood, injury and kidnapping.

author's note: and here’s part 3! a lil cute one for those reading 🥰

one / two / four / masterlist / wattpad

By the time we reached Camelot, Y/B/N could barely stand, instead slipping from Gwen's grasp. When we passed the threshold of the front gates, I had to let Gwen and Morgana get him help as I stayed with him. He was unconscious, a puddle of blood on the back of his shirt and the arrow still lodged in his skin, stained. It could have looked worse than it was, but I was no healer, so I didn't know.

Soon enough, some knights returned and carried him on a stretcher, letting me follow. We were taken to the court physician, a kind man called Gaius who immediately got to work in treating my brother's wound. I tried to stay out of the way as he worked, but my eyes kept peering around as he removed the arrow, disinfected the wound, bandaged him up... the blood was a lot. Enough to concern me of his well-being.

"He just needs to rest," Gaius assured me, probably noticing my staring. "I've stopped the bleeding, though the arrow actually did most of that. You were right not to take it out."

I breathed out slowly, relieved. "Thank you so much, Gaius. I don't know what I would've done without your help. I thought he..." I couldn't even fathom it. Shaking my head, I met Gaius' stare. "Thank you."

He smiled and nodded. "Anything to help. Especially for the heroes who rescued the Lady Morgana and her handmaiden."

I didn't know what to say, not fond of the praise, so I took a seat beside Y/B/N's cot, watching as he slept. Sweaty, fatigued and bandaged, but alive.

It wasn't long before the doors to Gaius' quarters were opened suddenly, earning my attention. To my surprise, it was Prince Arthur himself, followed by Merlin. When Merlin caught my gaze, he offered a bright smile and a little wave, making me smile in return. Arthur looked both surprised and relieved to see me.

"Your highness," I said respectfully, bowing.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," he admitted. "But... thank you. You brought Morgana and Gwen home safe. Something not even my men and I could do."

"We couldn't just leave them," I said nonchalantly.

At the mention of my brother, his expression softened and he looked behind me. "How is he?"

"He'll be okay," I assured him. "Gaius did a perfect job. I'm grateful."

Arthur nodded. "Gaius is our very best physician. I'm glad he could get to your brother before it was too late." He paused, before asking, "What were you both doing out there?"

I shrugged, rubbing my arm with discomfort. "We were travelling, finding work. We take odd jobs, usually hired protection or entertainment. It's quick money. And plays to our best strengths."

Arthur cracked a smile, looking down with his hands on his hips. "I suppose you were always a good fighter."

I quirked a brow, wondering if he remembered when I quite literally kicked his arse, but chose not to comment.

"This will bring about a heavy reward," he continued, looking to me. "I'll see to it myself."

I shook my head. "You may have mistaken my words. I wasn't implying anything. I don't want a reward."

"You saved the King's Ward," he reminded me. "That's worth a lot."

"Her life is safe, as is Gwen's," I stated. "That's reward enough. I just want my brother to be okay."

He frowned, confused, but nodded. "If you're sure..."

"I am."

"Okay, well the King would love to thank you properly," he said, crossing his arms. "I'm sure you've had a long journey and will want to stay with your brother. The formalities can wait until tomorrow, if that's okay with you?"

I didn't want any formalities at all to be quite honest, but he was trying to be nice, so I simply nodded.

"Great," he said with finality, before nodding. "Merlin can set you up with a room for the night–"

"I'd prefer to stay with my brother tonight, if that's okay," I interrupted.

He seemed to understand. "Very well. We'll have it ready for you tomorrow then. Good evening, Y/N."

"See you tomorrow, my lord," I said with a small smile, before watching him leave.

I returned to my seat beside Y/B/N, staying close by just in case he needed me. Though now that I knew he'd be okay, all I could think about was Morgana and how she was doing. It had been so long since I'd seen her last – I was certain I'd never see her again, no matter how often I thought of her. And the way in which we met again wasn't one I ever could have imagined. The whole ordeal must have been terrifying – for both her and Gwen. I was only lucky Y/B/N and I found them when we did.

An hour passed with me sat with Y/B/N, thinking about everything and nothing at once; how we'd ended up back here in Camelot, or how long it would take for Y/B/N to get better before we had to leave; or what the King would say to me tomorrow, given the fact that he had never liked me; or about the Lady Morgana and that familiar warmth that spread through my chest when I saw her after so long.

And then just like that, the girl in question appeared at the door of Gaius' room, making me wonder if she was actually there or if my thoughts were running away from me.

"Y/N," she breathed out when she saw me, then let herself in.

Gaius, who was reading from one of his books at his desk, glanced up when he saw Morgana. She flashed him a smile, the two having seen each other earlier when he went to check over her and Gwen for injuries, and then returned her attention to me.

"How is he?" she asked with concern, grabbing a chair from the dining table and pulling it to sit beside me.

"Sleeping, but well," I answered with a tired smile. "Thanks to Gaius."

Relaxing, she smiled, and that's when I noticed how much more comfortable she looked now that she'd freshened up. "Good. I'm glad." And then her eyes flickered down my face, to my body, and to my arm. "You're hurt."

I furrowed my brows, following her stare, and realised there was a clean cut on my bicep, right through the fabric and slicing my skin. Deep maroon dried blood coated the frays of the fabric, along with my arm, and I barely felt anything signalling there was a wound. Shrugging, I looked back to Morgana.

"It's nothing," I told her, planning to leave it as is, though I knew the dangers of doing so. I was just too tired to do much more.

"It's an open wound, not nothing," she said with disapproval, dark eyes fixing me with a stare. "Gaius!"

"Morgana–"

"Yes?" Gaius called back, and I sighed when she began to ask him for help.

After narrowing my eyes at her, which didn't seem to faze her at all, I was forced to allow Gaius to clean and bandage my arm, as well as check me out for any other hidden injuries I'd missed. Once I was deemed okay by both him and Morgana, I was allowed to return to my seat.

"Satisfied?" I asked rhetorically when Morgana took her seat beside me.

"Very," she answered anyway. "I'm sure your brother would be, too."

I huffed quietly, leaning back in my seat as I stared at him. A silence fell between us and though I'd usually want to speak to her, I was too exhausted to think of anything to say.

"I owe you my life," she said, and I looked to her, unprepared to be met with how stunning she looked by the candlelight.

"You don't," I told her, recovering from my temporary stupor. "You were in danger and I helped. That's all."

Her eyes didn't leave mine, a golden-green piercing me with intrigue. "You're even better than before. Your fighting, I mean. There were half a dozen bandits and you fought them off easily."

I shrugged, unsure what to say, and forced myself to look away. She was making me nervous all of a sudden.

"What have you been up to all this time?" she asked curiously.

I told her just as I'd told Arthur, though it was a little embarrassing this time around, solely because it wasn't impressive to her and all I wanted was to do just that.

"Y/B/N takes the lead in arranging any jobs we get," I finished, my eyes fixed on my hands playing before me. "Nobody trusts a woman to handle a sword, hence the masks. If they think I'm a guy, they pay us."

"That's their loss then," she said with conviction, and it made me smile because her belief in me had always been sweeter than I deserved.

Not wanting to talk about me any longer, I glanced up at her. "You look well."

She shrugged. "I've been okay. I'm just glad to see you again."

And there was that warmth again, blossoming in my chest at both her words and the way she was looking at me. It could have been my tiredness or simply the fact that she was the most beautiful person I'd ever laid eyes on, ever, but I couldn't look away from her. The golden glow of the flickering candles made shadows dance across her cheekbones and her eyes were shards of emerald glass, twinkling and sharp as they stared through me. Suddenly, it didn't matter how we'd ended up here, just that we did, for it meant I could witness her beauty one more time.

"Y/N, if you wish to stay here tonight, you can have Merlin's bed," Gaius informed me, pulling me from my moment of admiration. Probably for the best, otherwise it would have been way too easy to get lost in Morgana.

"Thank you, Gaius, I appreciate it," I said, looking over at him in his corner of the room.

He nodded briefly before busying himself with work once more. Meanwhile, Morgana seemed to realise how late it was and reluctantly looked away, pressing her lips together. I forced myself to look away, pushing any thoughts of kissing her from my mind.

"I can't imagine how tired you must be," she said softly. "I'll leave you to it, Y/N. Sleep tight."

"You too," I returned, a heat creeping up my neck the longer I studied her figure; the purse of her lips, the shape of her jaw, the cut of her dress that exposed her collarbone and the milky-white of her pale skin.

Her hand suddenly pressed to mine and she squeezed gently, lips curving into a small smile, before she let go and left. I exhaled slowly, glad she'd left because my feelings for her were only heightening with every interaction we shared and I didn't know what to do.

When I found myself stood before the King the next morning, I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. I missed Y/B/N, who was given bed rest until his injury got better, and I didn't want to stand here as the King struggled to thank me for something I didn't want thanks for.

"It wasn't a problem," I told him after he managed to muster the words. "Quite easy, in fact. I'm just glad the Lady Morgana and Gwen are safe."

Uther nodded, side-eyeing me. "I'm sure. Those bandits... they took my knights by surprise. Otherwise they would have had it under control."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his need to justify everything. "I'm sure of it, my lord."

Clearly unimpressed, the King met my gaze with a tense jaw. "Here's your reward."

As he nodded to his left, a servant stepped forward holding a bag – of money, no doubt.

"I don't want anything," I said as politely as I could. Especially not from him, I wanted to add.

"Y/N, please reconsider," Arthur said, stepping forward and giving me a pleading look. "We can't send you away with nothing."

"You're not," I told him. "My brother has somewhere to rest up and I have somewhere to stay until he is better. That's all I need and I'm grateful. I'll be on my way as soon as he's okay."

"Fine," the King gave in, bored.

"Y/N," Arthur tried again, but I shook my head, making him sigh. "Okay... if you need anything whilst you're here, don't be afraid to let us know."

I smiled, appreciating his generosity. Mostly because he meant it, unlike his father who was only acting out of some forced sense of duty. "I will, I promise. Thank you."

Content with my response, he nodded and motioned with his hand. "Somebody show her to her room, please."

And just like that, I was led to my new quarters that I'd be staying in for the next few days.

With Y/B/N bed-bound, I had nobody to hang around with which meant I was stuck wandering the streets of Camelot and the castle grounds. As I did, I lingered by the training grounds, recognising it from when Y/B/N and I practiced there during the tournament. That seemed like so long ago now.

Today, Arthur was sparring with his one of his knights, the two engaged in a sword fight as the others stood by and observed. I was intrigued, unable to stop myself from lingering and studying their manoeuvres and methods. After the fight ended with Arthur winning, his opponent was getting helped off to the side, another one about to take his place.

"You bored?" Arthur asked when he spotted me, quirking a brow.

I smiled with amusement, crossing my arms. "Just observing."

He wiped his face, sweaty from training, and gave me a knowing look. "I can't get you involved unfortunately."

I shrugged. "I know."

He nodded, gaze lingering on me with partial confusion, before turning to face his next opponent, another knight. They began to fight and I continued to watch, genuinely just observing out of pure interest and because it put my boredom to rest. But then Arthur groaned loudly, still fighting.

"I can't stand your staring!" he shouted between swings, glancing at me.

A laugh escaped me as my presence clearly frustrated him. "I'm just watching, is that a crime?"

He rolled his eyes before disarming his opponent in a matter of seconds. Before the knight could react, Arthur tossed the sword in the air towards me and I caught it instinctively.

"C'mon," he said to me, surprising all the knights and myself. "At least give me a challenge."

Not giving him a second to doubt himself, I quickly moved onto the grounds, grabbing whatever armour wasn't too big and heavy on me, then got into position. Arthur engaged in a challenge straight away, giving the fight his all as if he were compensating for his last defeat against me. There were many close calls for the both of us, but I was able to counter any and all his moves before he could land a strike.

When I realised the fight was going nowhere other than the two of us holding each other at bay, I decided enough was enough and let him land a hit. His sword clanged against my chest plate, knocking me on my back on the grass. Arthur immediately pressed his knee on top, sword at my throat, and cheering and clapping erupted from his fellow knights.

I expected him to be smiling when he helped me up and pulled off his helmet, but only I could see he wasn't. Instead, he leaned close, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You let me win," he stated.

I shrugged, wiping my face with my arm. "I don't want your father's lie to be disproven, do I? You're the better fighter, your highness."

He rolled his eyes, shaking his head, though he wasn't angry. "One day, we're going to fight for real and I'm going to win."

I grinned. "One day."

He shoved me in the shoulder playfully, cracking a smile, before waving his sword dismissively. "Get out of here before my father finds out about this and we're both in trouble."

I bowed sarcastically before leaving the armour and sword behind and returning to the castle to bathe. After getting everything ready for my bath, all that was left to do was get some water. As I was bringing in a bucket from the well in town, Gwen bumped into me in the castle hallway.

"Er, what are you doing?" she asked, eyes studying me with confusion.

I looked down at the bucket like it was obvious. "Filling the tub in my room?"

She sighed quietly, before attempting to grab it off me, but I declined. "That's what I'm for," she reminded me.

"I'm perfectly capable of filling my own bath tub, Gwen, don't worry," I assured her.

"It's my job," she said, tilting her head towards me with disapproval.

"You're Morgana's handmaiden, not mine," I said with a small smile. "Thank you though."

With a reluctant nod, she stepped to the side to let me pass and I continued my task of washing off the sweat I'd built up from fighting with Arthur. After doing that and replacing my bandage on my arm, I realised I was getting hungry.

Wandering around the castle halls once more, I struggled to find someone who could help me locate the kitchens.

"Are you lost?"

I spun around at the sound of a familiar voice, surprised but glad that Morgana was there. "Hi. Yes. I'm looking for the kitchen."

She chuckled, approaching me. "If it's food you're after, I can have Gwen bring some to your room."

Lifting a brow playfully, I asked, "Does Gwen do everything around here? She offered to fill my bath for me earlier."

Morgana suppressed her smile. "Hmm, very well. Let's go find the kitchen then, shall we?"

I stepped to side, motioning for her to lead the way, and she rolled her eyes playfully. Falling into step with her, she led me down some identical hallways whilst making conversation.

"I heard Arthur beat you at sword fighting earlier," she commented indifferently.

Keeping to the prince and I's agreement, I hummed. "Yep. He's good."

She scoffed quietly, earning my attention. "Y/N, you let him win."

Playing dumb, I said, "Me? Let him win? Why would I do such a thing?!"

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at me with disbelief, and I winked playfully, making her roll her eyes yet again. Though this time, a beautiful smile ghosted her lips.

"How's your arm?" she asked, changing the subject slightly.

I wiggled it between us. "Still attached."

"For goodness sake, are you always this annoying?" she asked lightheartedly.

"Apparently," I answered truthfully. "Y/B/N may attest to that, but he hardly counts. He's biased, you see. I'm the more interesting twin so he has to say that."

She massaged the bridge of her nose as she held in a laugh, and I bit my lip to contain my smile. I'd keep spouting absolute nonsense if it meant watching her fight her own amusement.

After what didn't feel like long enough, though that was to my dismay, we finally reached the castle kitchens. There were a few cooks milling about and Morgana had a quick word with one of them, to which they immediately jumped into action. Soon enough, I was presented with a plate of a variety of meats, cheese and fruit.

"Oh, er, thank you," I said, accepting the plate unexpectedly. Then I looked down. "That's a lot."

"It's good for you," Morgana encouraged.

I tried not to laugh before meeting her eyes appreciatively. "Thank you." Looking down again, I knew it was still too much food. "I'll go give some to Y/B/N. He never turns down food."

She smiled. "Sounds like a plan. He's in good hands, y'know. Gaius is the best. He's helped me far more times than I can count."

"He's been far too generous than he needs to be," I agreed. "It's good to know though, thank you."

"I'll leave you to visit your brother, but take care, yeah?" she asked, resting a hand on my arm.

"I will," I promised, smiling when her eyes met mine.

She nodded as a farewell before leaving me be. I ate some food off the plate, my hunger getting the better of me, before taking the rest of it with me to Gaius' quarters where Y/B/N was still resting. He was awake when I arrived, sat up in his makeshift bed and staring at nothing. Though when he spotted me, a bright smile appeared on his lips.

"Somebody's looking a lot better," I said, mirroring his expression. And it was true – though anything looked better than the sight of him bleeding out with an arrow sticking from his back.

"Still a little weak, but almost as good as new," he promised, before eyeing the plate in my hand. "So, whatcha got there?"

I laughed and took a seat beside him, offering him the plate. "Some food for you. Knew you couldn't resist."

As he ate, I talked and he listened. I told him about the never ending hallways of the castle and the giant room Arthur had given me for the next few days and how I could ask for anything and just get it like that and how strange it was to experience.

"That's hardly fair," was all he said afterwards, mouth full of cheese. "I'm stuck in here whilst you get to have fancy food and sleep in a fancy bed."

I stroked my chin and looked up sarcastically. "Hmm, I don't know. Maybe don't get hit by a damn arrow next time?"

He shoved me in the side and I almost fell off my chair, but the laughter still came and soon enough, his eyes were crinkling with amusement.

Half a week later and I'd already felt like we'd overstayed our welcome. Or maybe it was just the discomfort of living somewhere we didn't belong. Y/B/N was still extremely weak, but he could walk, and after much discussion, we decided to leave whilst we could.

I'd enjoyed the past few days here, between not fearing whether I'd get a next meal or being able to see and talk to Morgana whenever I wanted, but it wasn't home. I wasn't so sure where that was yet, but this place was only temporary and the last thing I wanted was to get attached. Though I feared that had already begun.

Though Y/B/N and I had declined any reward from Arthur, he still felt the need to gift us both a horse and enough supplies to last us the week. It was much more than we deserved, but we actually needed this stuff so it was harder to decline. Especially when Arthur insisted.

"I'm not taking no for an answer," he said, stopping by the horses to see us off. "You need to get around with ease. Plus, these are some pretty good horses. They'll love you in no time."

Y/B/N and I exchanged glances before I looked to Arthur with gratitude. "You didn't need to, my lord, but we're appreciative."

He nodded before pointing to my brother. "You, take care of yourself. You're not fully recovered." Then he pointed to me. "And you... you owe me a real fight some day. Don't forget it."

I cracked a smile. "I don't think I will."

Arthur seemed content with that answer, a small smile curling at his lips before he turned to stand to the side. Merlin approached us to help Y/B/N load our supplies on the horses saddles. Meanwhile, Morgana stepped forward and took me by surprise when she hugged me.

"Goodbye," she muttered in my ear, arms wrapped around my shoulders.

I returned the hug, goosebumps spreading along my skin as I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her close. She shouldn't have fit so perfectly, was all I kept thinking.

"Be safe," she added once she pulled back, close enough for me to make out the swirls of blue and green in her irises.

"I'll try," I promised.

She smiled, eyes flickering between mine, before fully letting go of my shoulders. "I hope you return one day. I'd really like that."

"I would, too," I admitted, "but the King doesn't seem to like me very much."

"Yeah, he never really was good at reading people," she said quietly. "But I am."

My heart began to race a little, the longer she stared at me, and for someone who was usually so confident, I was beginning to feel nervous. Thankfully, a pat on the shoulder from Y/B/N forced us to break eye contact and the rush of heat up my neck faded with it.

Reluctantly, I moved to mount my horse as Y/B/N did the same. The others lined up and began to wave as we said our goodbyes once more. Y/B/N took the lead and I glanced over my shoulder once more as I followed after him, eyes finding Morgana's. She was already looking my way, smiling softly as she waved goodbye, and I found myself waving back, mirroring her smile. I'd committed her to memory without even realising.

[stardust-swan]

How to Fly Like a Hollywood Star - Part 3: On the Plane

[Part 1: Packing] [Part 2: Before the Airport and at the Airport]

🛩 Food can be expensive on planes so bring something to eat, like a mozarella and sun-dried tomato sandwich on olive bread, some almonds, a fresh fruit, or even a whole bento box. Herbal teabags are also a good idea, just ask the cabin crew for a cup of hot water. Peppermint (to stay awake), chamomile (to make you feel calm), and ginger (for nausea) are all perfect.

🛩 Neck pillows work wonders for international flights (bring a pillow case from home to go over said pillow. Keep it in your bag until the flight to stop it from getting gross). Eyemasks and ear plugs/noise cancelling headphones are a good idea too.

🛩 Bring a cashmere wrap, or small cashmere blanket on board. Audrey Hepburn always had one throughout the years to keep her comfy on film sets and planes.

🛩 Try to pee before getting on the plane

🛩 Drink lots of water and bring a lip balm, small moisturiser, or even a couple of sheet masks, as the cabin air is quite dry. Food and drink high in electrolytes, such as nuts, tomato juice, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, coconut water, and sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade also help combat dehydration. You can bring electrolyte tablets instead if you want.

🛩 Compression socks can help prevent your legs swelling and bruising.

🛩 Pay attention to the safety demonstration, and know how many rows away your seat is from the nearest exit (which may be behind or before you).

🛩 Download the Timeshifter app (for Apple and Android) to help combat jet lag. I can't recommend it enough.

🛩 If you choose to drink alcohol, remember that one drink on the ground is two in the sky. You will feel the alcohol a lot more when flying due to the altitude and cabin pressure.

🛩 Pass the time by reading a book with beautiful prose or listening to some relaxing music (Part 2 has links to sites you can use to download literature and music).

🛩 When you start the climb to cruising altitude, chew some gum to stop you ears popping. Pinching your nose shut and trying very hard to breathe out of your nose helps alleviate ear pressure/pain.

🛩 Bring hand sanitiser or antibacterial wipes if the airline allows them (Naomi Campbell is in the habit of disinfecting her entire seat!)

🛩 Turbulence is normal and has never crashed a plane. If you get nervous, close your eyes and pretend you're on a bus/car. It will feel like you're just driving over a bumpy road.

🛩 Be nice to airline and airport employees. Even if things are going wrong, it’s usually not their fault. Being nice can get you better service sometimes (meal vouchers during delays, better seats, an earlier flight, etc.).

🛩 If you're travelling alone, and planning to sleep on your flight, ask the ticket counter when you check in if you can be put in an empty row. When you get to the gate, ask if the row is still empty, and if it's not, to be moved to an empty row. Take some melatonin and a night time ibuprofen after your meal, lay across the row, and get some sleep.

🛩 Don't sleep with your legs crossed.

🛩 Changing into pyjamas on a night time flight will make the flight comfier, and you'll feel refreshed when you change back into your street clothes.

🛩 Meditate. Or close your eyes and just breathe. Take advantage of the fact that you are miles away from your everyday life, and no one can find you.

🛩 When flying private, act casual. Asking where the flight is departing from is acceptable. Asking "Wow! Is this yours?" is not.

🛩 And most importantly, enjoy your trip!

[madiomens]

Just Pretend [n.s.]

Summary: Maddie Lane is a 25 year old nurse who primarily works between the hospital and music festivals that happen around where she lives. She loves her job and what she does, it's what she was always meant to do.

So, what happens when she gets offered to combine her two jobs and go around the world with Bad Omens as their tour nurse? The road is lonely, and Maddie and Noah know the feeling all too well when they're constantly alone with each other. They aren't in relationships but maybe with each other they can Just Pretend until it turns into something more.

Warnings: Angst, smut, unprotected sex (wrap it up people!!), mention of past abuse, heavy language

Pairing: Noah SebastianxOFC

All the chapters will be found on my master list posted at the top of my profile! Enjoy <3

Chapter One

I slid my medical personnel lanyard around my neck as I walked through the gate of Aftershock, running my fingers through my loose curls as I pulled my hair out from underneath it. California is technically never cold but it is October and chillier than usual so I opted for a pair of navy scrubs with a long sleeve fitted shirt underneath. Instant happiness washed over me as I was met with the sound of different bands playing throughout the area. A worker pointed me to the medical tent and I gave them a thanks before making my way to the others.

"Hi! Name and title?" A lady checking us in questioned.

"Maddie Lane, RN." I said with a smile.

She slid her finger down the page before nodding and placing a check beside my name. "Welcome and thank you for helping! Behind me you will find backpacks with all the supplies you might need inside them. These include splints, bandaids, gauze, disinfectant, two green whistles, IV kits, and a few other things. Since you are an RN you will be able to administer pain medication as well as some injections if needed, you just have to get them from any medical table you see. You get free food and refreshments while you are here, just show them your lanyard. We like to just make our way around the crowds and check them out. You have full access to in front of the barriers along with backstage, so I would make at least one round backstage per stage to check on the performers and make sure all is well. You can find banana bags back there on carts if any of them are dehydrated. Come see me if you have any questions! My name is Peggy. "

I smiled at her. "Thank you, Peggy."

"You're welcome! Oh, pick up one of the radios too." She said.

I made my way behind her table to grab a lime green backpack and slung it around my shoulders, tightening the straps so it sat comfortably on my back. I took my sunglasses off my scrub top and placed them on my face, the bright California sun straining my eyes. I started making my way to the first stage next to us and walking around the crowd. A couple girls came up to ask me if there was any water close by so I went and grabbed them a couple bottles at a medical tent, receiving enthusiastic thank you's in return. I smiled at them before making my way around the rest of the crowd, everyone on the outside looking good to go. I walked to the side of the stage and showed security my lanyard before being shuffled backstage so I could check on the workers and performers at that area.

I introduced myself to a few of the workers, telling them to let me know if they needed anything. They thanked me for my help before I began making my way further backstage to find any performers who might've indulged in a few too many drinks before showtime. I rounded a corner and saw a sitting area, a man laying on a long red couch with his arm over his eyes. I walked to his side and crouched down, taking my backpack off to set on the floor beside me. I placed my hand gently on his shoulder, causing him to jump and uncover his squinted eyes.

"Hi, my name is Maddie. I'm a nurse working the festival today. Are you alright?" I questioned, looking into his dark brown eyes.

He shook his head no and squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't think so. I feel weird."

"Ok." I said, unzipping my backpack. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Daniel." He mumbled as he covered his eyes again.

"Have you drank any water today, Daniel?" I questioned, finding an IV kit in the bag. He shook his head no and I nodded in confirmation. "Alright, Daniel. When do you go on?"

He uncovered his eyes to check his watch, squinting to try and focus on it. "Thirty minutes."

I sighed and pushed myself off the ground to grab a banana bag off the cart behind me, returning to his side and sitting back down. "I'm gonna start an IV and try and get some fluids into you before then."

He groaned into his arm, causing me to chuckle. "A needle?"

I opened the IV kit with a laugh, slipping on some gloves from my bag. "It'll be quick and minimal pain, I promise."

He signed and laid his arm onto the couch beside me so I could look it over. "Ok, but if it's super painful I'm telling the whole crowd you hurt me."

I laughed as I rubbed an alcohol swab over a vein I chose. "Deal." I prepped the tubing for the bag before opening the needle. "Ready?"

He nodded and looked away from the needle as I anchored my finger on his skin. I smoothly inserted the IV, advancing the catheter and removing the needle from his skin before taping everything down. I hooked up all of the tubing and hung the bag from a clothing rack that was beside the couch before pushing myself off the ground, patting the man on his shoulder.

"This will be done by the time you're due on stage. There's medical staff running around who can take out the catheter for you." I said, zipping my bag up and tossing it onto my back.

"Thank you, Maddie." He said, giving me a nod.

I smiled at him. "Of course." I said before walking away and making my way around the back of the rest of the stage area.

Everyone denied any needs, so I left the backstage area to make my way to another concert area. I slowed my stride as I looked around, taking in all the music surrounding me. A content smile slid onto my face at the sound of all the music. I'm a big music fan but hold a special place in my heart for the metal and rock genres. I made my way around the next crowd, noticing a group was waving me to the front of the barricade. I picked up my pace to make it to the front, excusing myself when I'd bump into people. I briefly looked up at the stage to see who was playing, seeing none other than Noah Sebastian with his siren voice putting on the show of his life with the rest of the band. I forced myself to look away and push down the fan inside me as I made it to the front of the barricade.

Security had pulled a girl over so that she was standing in front of it, leaned over bracing herself on her knees as she struggled to breathe. I laid my hand on her back once I made it to her side, causing her to look over at me. Panic was written all over her face, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open, trying to take in as much oxygen as she could.

"Hi, I'm Maddie." I said, showing her my RN lanyard. "You having trouble breathing?"

She nodded frantically at me, grabbing at her chest before taking one deep breath and collapsing on the ground. Gasps echoed over the music as I grabbed her head before it hit the ground and I went to my knees beside her. I checked her pulse and noticed she no longer had one and immediately snapped into crisis mode, throwing my backpack off. I put my hands on her chest to begin compressions, counting to myself each one I did.

"Somebody radio for more help and have them bring an ambu bag." I said through my heavy breathing.

I went into tunnel vision as I continued pumping her chest, stopping every 30 to check her pulse. A group of medical personnel joined my side after a little bit, oxygenating her for me as I switched out with another worker. I took deep breaths through my nose and let them out through my mouth while I checked her pulse, letting the worker know she still didn't have one. They continued to perform compressions as I placed the AED pads on her chest. I switched back in to perform more compressions, counting out loud so they could monitor them. The AED let out a loud beeping from beside me and I turned to look at it, the screen signaling that we got a pulse back. I took my hands off her chest and rested them on my thighs, sitting back on my heels as my chest heaved up and down. The girl's eyes slowly opened and she looked at me in confusion.

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Hey, you're ok. We've got you."

She grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut. "Ow." She said, causing me to chuckle and let out a sigh of relief.

Cheers erupted around us and I looked up to notice Bad Omens had stopped their set and were cheering along with the crowd. I slightly grinned at the lead singer before turning back to the crowd and giving them a small wave as the girl was put on a gurney and rolled off to the ambulance. The other workers pat me on the back as I picked my backpack back up and I sent them smiles in return.

"Everything ok now?" Noah asked me, crouched down so he could talk to me without the mic.

I nodded. "All under control."

"Good job." He said with a crooked grin before standing back up and continuing their set.

I stifled my grin before making my way backstage to check on other artists back there. I set up three IV's before Bad Omens came off stage, hyped up off of the high from performing in front of all those people. I paused my conversation with the performer I was hooking up to fluids to look at the band. The drummer high fived all the boys before quickly running over to the closest trash can, emptying the contents of his stomach into it. I patted the shoulder of the man I was helping before grabbing my bag and walking over to him, placing my hand on his back as he caught his breath.

"Why don't you come lay down." I said, rubbing his back softly as I guided him to the couch beside him. He laid down on it and threw his arm over his eyes with a groan. "Have you drank water today?"

"Does beer count?" He mumbled, causing me to chuckle.

"Not at all." I said as I unzipped my backpack.

He turned to look at me with furrowed brows when he heard the sound of packages being opened. "What are you doing?"

"I gotta get you hydrated." I said, grabbing a bag of saline off of the side table.

He groaned and poked his bottom lip out. "Do you have to?"

"If you don't want to stroke out, yes." I said, looking at him as he pouted.

His eyes got wide before nodding his head. "Ok yes please help needle mommy."

I laughed out loud as I opened everything and started looking over the veins in his arm. "My name's Maddie."

"Hi Maddie, I'm Nick. Or Folio. Or drummer." He said, causing me to chuckle again.

"Hi Nick. I'm going to poke you now." I said, giving him a warning before inserting the IV.

He grimaced before relaxing more into the couch. I hung up the bag on a stand before injecting some anti-nausea medications with some vitamins into the bag, turning it a bright shade of yellow.

Nick turned to me, color already returning to his face as the fluids entered his veins. "You're the one who saved that girl, aren't you?"

I grinned at him as I made sure the tape was secure on his arm. "I had help."

"But you jumped in without any hesitation. It was impressive." He said, a high pitched chuckle escaping him.

I smiled at him as I fully sat down, criss crossing my legs. "Thank you."

He closed his eyes with a sigh, relaxation taking over him. A tall shadow washed over me before I turned to see Noah squatting down beside me. "I'm Noah." He said, extending his hand to me.

I shook it with a smile. "Maddie. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. He gonna be alright?" He asked, gesturing to Nick.

I looked over at the sleeping man, nodding my head with a breathy laugh. "He should live to drum another day."

"Good. Thank you, Maddie." Noah said, squeezing my shoulder as I smiled at him. "That was pretty impressive what you did outside earlier."

"It was nothing." I said, breaking eye contact as my inability to accept compliments rose up.

"It wasn't nothing, but you're welcome." Noah said with a chuckle.

I cut my eyes at him before I could stop myself, causing him to laugh louder once I realized what I did.

"Noah your laugh is too loud right now." Nick said behind his arm.

Noah jutted his head to the side, motioning for me to follow him further into the backstage area. I zipped up my bag and followed him, quickly checking on the others who were receiving fluids as well. He stopped at the hydration station to fill up a cup of water, handing me one as well. I smiled at him in thanks before gulping it down, cotton mouth almost taking over.

"So is this all that you do, or do you work as a nurse somewhere else?" He questioned as he leaned against the table.

"Oh, I work at the hospital. I don't get paid for this." I said with a chuckle.

His eyes got wide. "You put in all this work for nothing in return?"

I laughed. "I help because I can."

"Very selfless of you." He said, filling his cup up with more water.

I smiled at him as I took another sip of water. "Thank you, I think."

"So, I have a crazy idea." He said, tossing his empty cup in the trash and turning to face me.

I tossed my own into the trash and furrowed my brows at him. "I'm listening."

"How would you feel about coming along with us on tour and being a tour nurse?" He questioned, crossing his arms across his chest. "That is, if you're not too attached to the hospital."

My eyes widened at his question. "Me?"

He chuckled with a nod. "Yes, Maddie, you."

I thought about the idea for a few moments before answering. "The only thing I love more than working in the ER is music."

"Then come pursue your first love with us." He said, eyes boring deeply into mine.

"I would need time to put in my notice." I said.

He shrugged. "We have a month before tour."

I chewed on the inside of my lip before answering. "I'm in."

[k4ng31]

✦ ~DILUC X READER~ ✦

3 A beautiful event

˚. 　 　✦　　.　　‧˚₊⋅ ୨୧ ⋅₊˚‧. 　 ˚　.　　°　　　 .

You woke up quite early, so you had plenty of time to prepare for the meeting with your beloved. You did your morning routine, got dressed, did your hair, and were ready to go. Diluc said yesterday that you can meet in front of the winery at 10 o'clock and then you will go sightseeing together. You looked at your watch. It was 8:33 a.m. You still had a lot of time. All the while you've been thinking about what you could do with Diluck to get closer to him. When it was already 9:40 a.m., you decided to go in front of the winery. It's better to be sooner than later. You went down the stairs, and you went outside. While waiting for Diluc, you were looking at what life in mondstadt was like. Diluc came in at 9:55 a.m. Seeing him from a distance, you blushed and a smile appeared on your face. He walked over to you and smiled.

- Ready for today?

-Ready! I can't wait!

You made your way to the gate. You have passed through the gate. You were always following Diluck. You walked along a path through a meadow and then through a forest. Then Diluc decided to take you to the statue. It was really beautiful, you sat together and looked down at the view. It was great, Diluc was looking straight ahead and you were looking at him. You couldn't take your eyes off him. He was perfect. Diluc turned to you, and you quickly turned your head. You blushed and stared at the view. Now it was Diluc who was looking at you, not you at him. You could feel his eyes on you.

-You have beautiful eyes. - He said to you. He was all flushed.

You turned to him. You were all red, staring at him and he was avoiding eye contact

-Thank you- you said modestly, you were still blushing.

You sat in silence, looking straight ahead. After a while, Diluc suggested training. You agreed, you couldn't wait. Diluc drew his sword and you drew yours.

-You have a beautiful sword. I see that it is from the blacksmith from Liyue. - Diluc said with fascination.

- How did you know that? -

-I used to be in Liyue.

Diluc said blushing. He looked at you.

-It's time to start training

Diluc grabbed his sword. You've started training. Diluc has shown you a lot of useful tricks. You tried to kick yourself in training, but it was so difficult. When Diluc touched your hand to show you how to hold your sword comfortably, or when he grabbed your hips, you couldn't focus. When he spoke to you with one hand on your shoulder and one hand on your hip, you melted.

-What are you up to the fight? - Diluc said.

- Sure, that's a great idea!

You've started the fight. You've seen that Diluc fights so that you win. Sword bounced against sword. Suddenly, Diluc accidentally hit your hand. Your sword has fallen out. And you fell to the ground. You looked down at your hand. You had a wound on it that was bleeding. Diluc will react right away

-I'm sorry I'm sorry are all right? You could see the terror in his eyes. He crouched in front of you. He looked at your wound and ran over to get your bag. He had a first aid kit in it, from which he took out disinfectant and dressings. He disinfected your wound and started applying bandages. You weren't mad at him or anything like that. You looked at him, you stared at him, you dreamed of him. He was perfect..

When he dressed your wound, he looked at you.

-Y/n better?

-I'm fine.

You said with a smile. Diluc blushed.

-Let's go back, it's getting late

Diluc took his bag, helped you up, and you walked back to Mondstadt.

You were before the winery.

-It was really wonderful, you have to do it again! - You said to Diluc.

- Sure, we'll do it again someday.

Diluc was looking at you. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. Diluc approached you and kissed you. You didn't know what to do, you just stood there blushing more and more. You could feel his lips on yours. It was wonderful.. You thought you were going to pass out. When he stopped, he was all red in the face. You looked at him and he looked at you. Under the pressure, you didn't know what to do. You fled to your room, sat down on the bed

OMG. OMG OMG OMG OMG. I KISSED DILUCK.

You lay down on the bed face down on the pillow and flailed your legs.

OMGGG THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL!

You felt great. But what about Diluck. AFTER ALL, YOU RAN AWAY FROM HIM!

˚. 　 　✦　　.　　‧˚₊⋅ ୨୧ ⋅₊˚‧. 　 ˚　.　　°　　　 .

@inaribu00

[queewp]

So, about your Infected Space AU, does that mean the turtles(Raph, Leo, Don, and Mikey) aren't brothers? Or, they are, but the two of them got infected just recently without having the rest knowing?

This somehow reminds me of a folktale I heard that came from other countries, of fae taking a newborn human child, and replace them with a changeling. I'm not sure whether I'm on spot though.

Your AU is pretty interesting.

They're all brothers!! Raph and Leo just got infected :)

I have drafted the actual scene- its just kinda bad and i plan on rewriting it lol:

They entered another door, Leo muttered to himself as he looked around. Disinfecting sprayed them, suddenly covering their visors in a thin layer of liquid. At least the place was somewhat intact. Raph huffed, shaking his head in an attempt to wipe it off. The doors opened again, leading down a hall with a glowing floor. From inspecting it, Leo realized it was above a large pool of magma. Leo shuddered at the thought of falling in and quickly shuffled forward. They entered another room, this one actually having a light source inside of it. 

Leo grumbled when he yet again, found no one. “You’d expect a place as large as this to have at least a dozen people,” Leo complained, turning his flashlight off, and letting his helmet compact back into the suit. Raph grunted, placing the box down on a table and doing the same. He was pretty glad when he could see clearly again. 

“Maybe they’re all in one spot?” Raph said, trying to sound hopeful, his voice sounding alot more organic than it had previously. 

Leo rolled his eyes, fists clenching. “I doubt that. There’s literally dust forming on this table, I don’t think they’ve been here in a bit.” Raph winced at the annoyance in Leo’s voice. “This is stupid! Why are we even in here right now, we should’ve left when we found no one at the gates!” He yelled, turning around swiftly. Raph’s eyes widened when a glass cylinder started to topple. 

“Leo- the glass!” Leo turned around and managed to save the glass from falling off the table. They both let out a sigh of relief, as he went to place it back. Ting. Something sounded, as another glass container fell over. Both watched in horror as it played dominos with the other fragile-looking objects on the table, and as dozens of items smashed to the ground. Liquid splashed onto the floor, and oddly shaped blobs laid on the floor.

The sound of glass shattering soon stopped, and the eerie silence of the place returned. They turned to look at the mess they made, a worried frown spreading over Raph’s features. 

“What are we supposed to do? Clean it up?” Raph asked, taking a step away from the mess. 

Leo rolled his eyes. “No one’s here anyways. These experiments must be ages old anyways. Let’s just leave.” Leo turned his back from the glass when he suddenly felt something slam against his back.

He let out a surprised yelp as he turned around to try and get it off, the creature slipping away from his grasp and sliding closer to his face. He gasped, as Raph tore the attacker from him, struggling to keep it in his hands. Whatever it was, it was dark pink, gooey, and deformed. It had tentacle-like limbs wriggling around, and it was producing a loud, high-pitched squealing. Raph screamed as it escaped from his grasp, launching itself onto his face. 

Leo's breath stuttered in his throat before he finally realized what was happening. He sprinted forward, tackling Raph in an attempt to get the creature off. It slipped through his fingers multiple times before he pried it off of Raph’s eye. It screeched, clinging onto his arm, an acute pain coming from where it was. He yelled, slamming it to the ground and backing away. 

He watched as the tiny monster tried to regain its composure, but was instantly interrupted when Raph’s boot smashed it. He stomped on it again, the movements of the creature soon stopped to a halt.