#drew the interdimensional traveler

[call-me-cosmic]

*downs his drink* “Now hurry up and get in the car before the cops show up.”

[moonchildstyles]

sin

y/n is an angel and harry is a demon whos taught her how much fun it can be to sin

wordcount: 7.8k+

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The first time (Y/N) floated down from the clouds, she had no idea what a Pocket was, let alone where to find one. That time felt so long ago with the way she could now navigate herself to her favorite Pocket without a second thought. The route had become one of familiarity, guiding butterflies flitting through her stomach the closer she made it with every step. 

Slipping out of sight of the main street, she counted thirteen paces down the quiet alleyway before finding the brick that needed just the right touch before it would show off the hidden doorway she needed. The brick was grainy and rough under her palm, her skin catching on the mortar as she pushed against it until it finally gave away underneath. Just like that, the seemingly solid wall opened up, revealing an entryway for her eyes only. 

(Y/N) felt giddy as she stepped inside, the doorway vanishing behind her when she crossed the threshold. She knew it was secure once more when there was a breeze that skated over her skin and fluffed through her wings, seemingly sealing her away from the rest of the world. In a way, it was, but there was still a waiting invitation to the one other person who knew about this Pocket—the one that had shown her the way in the first place.

Getting comfortable while she waited, (Y/N) was happy to see the place was untouched from her last visit. When she had first seen this Pocket, it was the closest thing she had ever seen to an interdimensional "bachelor pad". There hadn't been much of anything to see that first time, only the bones of someone’s presence though they were too busy to return much. She remembered it had felt stale as if it had been abandoned for years despite the unmade bed in the corner with messy sheets and tufted comforter. 

Harry had told her it was a place he barely used—it was one of the first Pockets he conjured on his own, and he'd since honed the craft into bringing something more extravagant to life. He still visited just to keep the curse fresh, but he otherwise only stayed there if it was necessary and no other options were available. 

His last resort had since become their hideaway. Special for just the two of them; another secret for them to share with one another. 

It had come a long way from when she had first visited with Harry on her tail, leaving behind the less than ideal bed set up, and vacant walls. (Y/N) had used all of her inspiration from seeing countless humans decorate their homes, turning the dreary Pocket into a cozy getaway. Heaven didn't necessarily allow for a lot of individualism when it came to living spaces, seeing as how everything was ordained to be pristine and creamy. Here, (Y/N) got to use as much color as she wanted—as long as it didn't spur any headaches for Harry, anyway. 

Now, there was an actual bed frame holding up a cushy mattress, the pillows feather soft and always cool to the touch. The bedding was a warm orangey color, playing off of the greens and pinks throughout the space. There were pictures—canvases full of paint Harry said he "found" through his travels—pinned to the walls, playing into the bright hues (Y/N) was toying with. A rug now sat in the middle of the room in the shape of a paint blob in a creamy green shade that made her think of Harry's eyes. The kitchen—though near unnecessary given their statuses—was given the same treatment as the rest of the studio-sized space. There were magnets covering the unused fridge, appliances and bowls of always fresh fruit sitting on the counter. A bouquet of flowers that never died were sitting on the bedside table, perfuming the air with a light fragrance that drew her in. Her favorite part was the mirror by the bed, ornate and carved with cherubs. 

Walking in felt like a breath of fresh air. As much as she loved being an angel—guiding humans in need, taking care of those who needed her touch, changing lives for the better—being here in this Pocket was the one thing she could see herself loving more.

It would be a little bit better if she wasn't alone, though. 

Sitting on the edge of the bed, fluffy wings tucked against her back, she fixed her eyes on the doorless portal, waiting for the telltale creek and scrape of concrete that would signal Harry's arrival. This was the bad part of being chronically early, she thought, never being sure when the other would show up and keep her from being lonely. 

Lucky for her, it was only another handful of minutes before her ears picked up on the familiar sound of footsteps trailing over the pavement. Her breath caught when they stopped just outside where the Pocket's door was, a smile unfurling on her features when that first creek sounded through the room. She rose to her feet just in time to see the first uniform crack in the wall before the rest of the doorway came to be. 

Slipping inside, Harry didn't wait for the portal to shut behind him before he was crossing the room to meet her. 

"(Y/N)," he sighed, his grin toothy and completely with dimples, "Sorry I took so long." 

Wrapping his arms around her, (Y/N) melted into his embrace. His hands settled just below her fluffy wings, holding her close while she rested her cheek on his chest. 

"It's okay," she murmured, eyes fluttering to a close as she soaked in his warmth, "I'm happy you're here." 

Harry's response came in the form of a small kiss being dropped on the top of her head, the contact decidedly delicate as opposed to his nature. He'd told her before that she was the only one that could draw that side of him out—the docile side that had no alignment with chaos or sabotage. This side of him was just for her, he'd shared. 

Shifting his hands on her, his fingertips brushing her wings with a shudder shooting down (Y/N)'s spine, Harry repositioned until he had his hands cradling her cheeks as he tipped her head up to face him. His dark eyes shimmered green, taking in each of her features as if it were the first time again. 

"I've missed you," he crooned, "So much, darling. What have you been up to since the last time I saw you?" 

Despite there being no way for anyone, mortal or otherwise to overhear them, every word he spoke to her was uttered like a secret. Just for her. 

"I missed you," she smiled, unlooping her own arms to settle with her hands on his chest, "But, I've been okay. Just doing angel stuff." 

His lips quirked into a lopsided curve, his thumb brushing along the height of her cheekbone. "Always angel stuff with you. No breaks." 

"No breaks," she played along as if she wasn't currently in the middle of a break with him right now, where not even her creator could spot her if she tried, "What about you?" 

"Just the opposite of angel stuff," he teased, managing to bring a smile to her face despite knowing the reality of his joke. He had a certain way of putting it, describing his job, that made it not sound so bad when it came to (Y/N)'s sensibilities. (Truthfully, it could be because she just liked his voice. He could make anything sound heavenly). 

"Fun?" she smiled, letting him walk her back towards the bed. 

"Always," he hummed, escorting her backwards until her legs hit the edge. 

Tumbling back, a bubbling laugh left (Y/N)'s lips as she clung to Harry. He fell atop her, her thighs splitting to settle him between. Underneath, the mattress conformed to the shape of her wings, Harry's hands pressing into the planes of her back as if she wasn't close enough as is. 

Before the world had a chance to settle around her, Harry tipped his chin and pressed his lips to hers. Though she didn't have much to compare it to, (Y/N) had little doubt that there could ever be a better kisser out there than Harry. Her point was proven every time he sealed his mouth to hers, her top lip cradled between his two. 

This was never going to get old, she knew. Not with the bubbling that ignited under her skin at the contact, the way there was nothing more she wanted than to cling to him and bask in his warmth. With every angling and tipping of their heads, movements made in tandem, she was drawn deeper and deeper in everything that was him. Tucked underneath him like this, mouth coming together and parting with soft breaths between, it was hard to think that the universe had crafted them to be enemies. 

Tracing his mouth down from hers, dotting a line over her jaw, Harry murmured in her ear, "I don't have much time, darling." 

"No?" she asked, a pout evident in just the single syllable, "Why not?" 

Harry drew back only to give her an apologetic smile. "Opposite of angel stuff, remember?" 

"Since when does that have a schedule?" She sounded petulant even to her own ears, but if there was one sin she was willing to commit, it was greed when it came to Harry. 

"Since I told Sarah I would meet up with her soon," Harry offered the challenge with a raised brow. Sarah wasn't like the others of his kind, she was more stubborn and would actually go looking for him if he stood her up, if only to wreak havoc for him personally as revenge. 

"To do not-angel stuff that I'll have to clean up later?" she pressed, feeling her attitude leak away now that she knew her time was limited with him. 

His smile was brilliant at her words, wide with bracketing dimples. "Of course. That's why we work so well, darling." 

It was that kind of language, the sweet one that made even demon activities sound silly, that had her splitting into a smile before tipping her chin in hopes of coaxing him into a kiss. It didn't take much convincing for Harry's lips to press into hers, resuming the lingering kissing he'd interrupted before. 

On her back, Harry shifted his hands until he grazed the stem of her wings. The second his fingertips glanced against the base of one fluffy, tightly packed feather, a shudder wormed down her spine. Her breathing stuttered in her chest, a furrow pinching at her brow. From the way he had to keep from smiling against her mouth, she knew he was aware of the effect of his touch—undoubtedly intentional. 

It was the easiest way to get her riled up, and that was exactly what he needed for their time limit. 

Just as he'd surely hoped, there was a change in the pacing of their kissing. (Y/N) leaned into his touch, anticipating another lingering touch against her wings. Her hands slid over his chest, fingers denting the blocky muscles that made up his body, landing on the shelf of his shoulders. Her fingertips hooked into the solid muscle, clinging to him. 

Her heartbeat stutters behind her ribs when she felt his hands shifting on her back. This time, he dared to run his fingers through the feathers, the structure underneath down was grazed by his warm touch. An involuntary moan slipped from her mouth and into his.

Instead of something smug crossing his features, Harry only kissed her harder. His mouth was hot, taking in her sudden pants from his touch. 

"Harry?" she murmured, breathless against his mouth. He didn't bother drawing away from her as he hummed, the pillows of his lips dragging over hers. "Do we have enough time?" 

This finally had his lips quirking. He nodded his head gently, the tip of his nose grazing her own. "I'll make time."

When she felt his hands drift away from her wings, she wanted to complain. She wanted to whine enough for him to know she didn't like that he was moving on, but that need was quieted when she felt his palm settle on the plush of her thigh. His touch was heavy and warm, denting into the soft skin while the other hooked around her waist in a cradle. 

In one fluid motion, he had her on her back with her mouth dropped open in a gasp. Instinctively, she had tightened her grip on him, her legs wrapping around his waist during the roll. By the time Harry was underneath her, her surprise had morphed into laughter, her chest pressed to his as she slumped into him. 

"You scared me," she bubbled, shifting in his lap with her knees bracketing his hips. 

"Sorry, darling," he murmured with a soft smile, the pitch of his pupils blown wide as he took her in. 

Steadying her, he settled his hand on her hips as she planted her hands on his chest to prop herself up above him. She could feel her wings fluff out behind her, no longer confined against the mattress. Harry's eyes followed the span of her feathers, the stretch reaching just slightly wider than her shoulders. He'd told her more than once how cute he thought her wings were—he'd never seen any quite as fluffy as hers, especially compared to his own. 

He looked up at her with reverence in his gaze, something adoring and smothering dancing in his irises as he watched her from below. She felt warm under his eyes, her fingers curling in the fabric of his shirt to keep herself from preening like a dove under his attention.

His adoring gaze translated into his soft hands trailing over the curve of her form, his palms warming the ladder of his ribs with his thumbs brushing the sides of her breasts. Even through her dress, his touch elicited a round of gooseflesh to prickle her skin. Her breath lagged in her lungs. 

Though time hadn't ever felt like much for (Y/N), seeing as she was immortal, Harry had made her impatient. It'd been a handful of days since the last time they had snuck off to their Pocket, but those days had felt like years to her body without his touch. 

The trail of his gaze almost felt tangible, warm and heavy, the longer he watched her. 

"What?" she asked, feeling breathless when he ran his thumbs against the swells of her chest. 

He didn't bother to pull his eyes from where they lingered on her body, especially liking the way her thighs were split around his hips under the hem of her dress. "Nothing," he mumbled, shaking his head against the pillows cushioned underneath, "Jus' haven't had y'on top in a while. I like it." 

She had thought before that greed was the only sin he could inspire in her, but lust was quickly overtaking the top spot. He was right; she didn't usually get a chance to look at him like this. While she loved lying underneath him, at his mercy while he drove himself home between her legs, there was something to be said about the perspective she gained while sitting astride his lap like this. 

His hair laid in soft waves against the linen of this pillows, curling towards his face as if a frame for a portrait. His lashes were long and dark, framing his eyes and drawing his prey in at a glance. There was a spray of freckles glancing off the bridge of his nose, faint against the cream of his skin. Though his eyes were dark, there were shatters of green that could be seen if one were close enough to spot the hues. His body was made of strong lines and angles, his jaw, much of the same despite the soft skin of his lips and the gentle way he admired her. 

He was the perfect demon—the perfect temptation. If not for the fact she knew what was hidden away, she would have argued he was an angel like her. 

"I like it, too," she told him, breathless, "I like it when you look at me like that." 

"Yeah?" he prodded, tucking his bottom lip between his teeth when he finally matched her gaze. His hands on her sides drifted down until he met the hem of her dress, taking the delicate material between his fingers. "Can I see more of you then, darling? Promise I'll keep looking at you like this."

Biting back her smile, she drew her hands away from his chest to grab for the hem of her dress. Moving his own hands back, he watched as she pulled her dress over her head, wings tucked against her back with the material drifting over her feathers. The familiar butterflies that came with revealing her body in a way she had never anticipated she would in her angel life flittered through her stomach. Their fluorescent wings flew high enough to glance over the chambers of her heart, feeling just as real as the warmth of his eyes draping over her newly exposed skin. Between Harry's legs, she felt a ridge thicken, pressing into her core with every drawing breath she pulled into her lungs. 

Throwing her dress to the floor, her form was left with only a dainty pair of underwear sitting on her hips and a matching bra barely covering her breasts. 

Harry's dark eyes seemingly left behind the slight hue of green, instead revealing only pitch black irises that blended seamlessly into his pupils. If any more of his control slipped, the whole of his eyes would match the inky darkness—a sight (Y/N) used to fear that now had her blood pumping. 

He couldn't help himself before he had his hands on her once more. His touch was adoring, lingering and warm. 

"Y'planned for this didn't you?" he mused, raising a brow when he met her eyes. 

"What do you mean?" she asked, canting her head with her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

"You know," he drawled, his hips shifting underneath her own with a cursory roll, "I thought y'were an angel, and here y'are dressing in lingerie to seduce a demon. How'd y'even get into heaven, hm?" 

The way he spoke to her was thrilling in a way that could rival his touch; he made her feel dirty, questioning how someone like the girl in his lap could have snuck into heaven, while touching and looking at her with reverence she could only keen under. 

"I thought you liked it when I did this," she countered, her lips tugging into a faux-frown. 

"Oh, I do, darling. Can't you tell?" 

With that, the slow roll he'd given with his hips morphed into a strong buck against her hips. The ridge she'd felt before was now a bulge, heavy and pushing. Her wings fluttered recalling the last time he had stuffed himself inside her, her legs thrown over his shoulders and tears in her eyes. 

The memory had her shifting her hips against his, rolling her core over the bulge she felt in his lap. Harry's breath hitched just as a petite moan hummed from her chest. His hands on her waist tightened, fingertips denting the soft flesh. 

"Do that again for me, darling," Harry murmured, his voice a low rumble as if it were a secret only to be shared with her, "Put on a pretty show for me." 

Planting her hands on his abdomen, feeling the blocks of muscle underneath his shirt, she steadied herself on him as she began rolling her hips against his once more. The rough texture of his jeans could be felt through her thin panties, both his thickening cock and the seaming of his pants pressing into her clit. Her knees planted on either side of his hips were digging into the mattress, spreading that much wider the more she rocked against him to sink herself onto him that much more. Her wings fluttered behind her, her feathers fanning in a short fluff at her back. 

Under her hands, Harry's stomach was tense, muscles densely bunched together. She glanced up at him to find him watching her with hooded eyes, his gaze feeling just as heavy and tangible as his hands on her waist. The sight had her grinding her hips that much harder against his cock, a shiver thrilling up her spine until a breathless moan fell from her lips. 

"I could watch you all day, darling," Harry mused, his voice rumbling under her hands as much as it reached her ears, "But, we don't have that kind of time, do we?" 

"No," she answered automatically, a whine to her voice as she shook her head. She didn't really feel like thinking about how quickly their time would be cut short. 

His hands on her waist slid down until he reached her hips, his grip solidifying until he had her stopped in her tracks. Her fingers curled in the material of his shirt, her bottom lip sinking under the weight of her teeth. 

"Get me out, darling."

Maybe it was the deep rumble of his voice, or the steadfast contact of his eyes with hers, but (Y/N) could have melted in that moment. Her lungs squeezed with her heart rattling behind her ribs. It was only when a smug smile tugged at the corner of his mouth that she realized she had lingered too long admiring him. 

Unfurling her hands from his top, she fumbled at the waist of his pants. Every shifting of her hips against his lap had her in a daze, making it that much harder to concentrate on following his instructions—something he was well aware of with the way he had his own pelvis rocking upwards as if he didn't know what he was doing. 

Pulling down his jeans enough to expose his black briefs, (Y/N) could have breathed a sigh of relief when she was able to hook her fingers in the waist of his underwear. A spray of goosebumps touched at his skin, his cock visibly jumping when she reached for his cock. 

His skin was heated, shaft thick with his head leaking by the time she had her fist wrapped around him. Shoving his briefs down enough to pull him out, (Y/N) had her attention stolen and pinned to his cock. The head was leaking and red, a pearl of precum glossing from his slit. She instinctively wrapped her hadn't around his shaft, feeling the ridge of his head under her palm and the pumping of the vining vein wrapped around. A heavy breath shuddered through his chest at the touch. (Y/N) couldn't keep her eyes off of him, lusty adrenaline sparking through her system at the thought that he was in this state because of her. 

"You're so cute, darling," Harry said, breathless as he drew her out of her head. 

"Huh?" she murmured, tearing her eyes away from his ruddy cock and the shallow pumps she made around his shaft. 

If he'd had an answer at the ready, he'd cut himself off as he sank into the mattress with a sigh. The pristine pillow compressed under his head when he threw it back in the preludes of ecstasy. 

"Jus' you," he murmured, recovering with his eyes only opening to a slit, "'S always like the first time with, isn't it? Y'always look at me like you've never seen me before—'s cute."

She felt shy all of a sudden, as if she didn't have his cock in her hand. Her wings tucked to her shoulder blades, cocooning her together as if they could shrink and hide her. 

"I like you," she told him, "That's all." 

"Yeah?" he pressed smugly, his cheeks beginning to flush as (Y/N) just laid her hand on him without offering the relief of her fist, "Jus' like me?" 

A bashful tug had her lips curling into a small smile. "I love you." 

"That's what I thought." 

With that, one of his hands on her waist abandoned post only to land on the back of her neck. His palm was a cuff around the warm skin as he curled upwards and tugged her down in the same sweep. His lips met hers in a warm press, his tongue snaking out with the tip dragging along the full of her bottom lip. She didn't have to think before she was opening up for him, running her own tongue across his to get a taste. 

It was (Y/N)'s turn then to get a taste of his pleasure, a moan spilling from his throat and settling on her tongue. Her hand around his cock tightened, the grip snug and clinging. The longer he played with her, his hand tight on the back of her neck as if in fear she would pull away before he was ready, the seat of her panties grew that much more wet. Her toes curled in the bedding at his sides, her free hand pawing at his chest in the lone need to feel him. 

Drawing away just enough to speak, (Y/N)'s lips brushed against his own as she whispered, "I-I want to see you, Harry." 

"'M here, darling," he answered her simply before attempting to dive back in for more. 

"No," she practically pouted, puckering her lips for one more kiss before pleading again, "No, I want more—it's not fair if I'm the only one without my clothes on" 

She could feel him smile into her mouth, his hand offering an affectionate squeeze to the back of her neck before he pulled away. 

"When have I ever been fair, darling?" he prodded, giving her a raised brow as if he wasn't going to give into each and every single one of her demands. 

"You are with me," she countered with a cant to her head.

Something softened in his expression then, as if she didn't have her hand wrapped around his cock. "I suppose I am, aren't I?" 

Peeling his shirt off, the material becoming a black puddle on the bed behind her to reveal the tan skin and inked marks covering his musculature. 

(Y/N) had heard time and time again throughout her existence how demons could never be trusted, that they were a creation that an angel like her shouldn't taint themselves by even breathing next to. She had been told they were slimy skinned, rows of teeth stuffed in their mouths, with eyes that could pull you straight to hell if you looked into them long enough. 

Looking at Harry the way he was now beneath her, she could see why her ancestors would craft such tales; if she had known there were creatures out there that looked the way Harry did, she would have tried to find him the first time she floated from the clouds. 

She couldn't help the way her hands drifted up his chest. Her fingers skimmed over his chest, dancing over the butterfly inked on his stomach and he birds up high by his collarbones. There was a flight layer of goosebumps that rose in her wake. 

A breathy laugh that fell from his lips brought her attention back to the surface, pulling her gaze to flick up and match his. Amusement floated in his irises, a slight smile on his raspberry lips. 

"You're cute," he told her simply. 

"I'm not trying to be cute," she answered, a stubborn set to her jaw. 

That only seemed to amuse him more, a dimple now denting his cheek as his smile grew. "Right," he drawled, "As much as I love letting y'touch all over me, I don't think we have enough time left for y'to have too much fun." 

The reminder was enough to have her mouth fixing into a pout. That wasn't what she wanted to hear.

"Oh, yeah," she answered sullenly, stilling her hands on his shoulders with her body leant over his. 

"I know," he said, craning his neck to press a small kiss to the corner of her mouth in a lingerie draw, "Next time we're here, we'll spend all night together. I promise."

A dreamy sigh fanned from her lungs at the thought, her eyes falling closed. It'd been a while since they had been able to spend a whole night in the Pocket together—the last time had left her in love and flying wonky the next day. 

She could hear the smile in his voice when he pressed, "Sound good, darling?" 

"Mhm," she hummed, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip, "I want that now." 

"I know y'do," he murmured, "You'll jus' have to settle for me fucking y'fast, then." 

He said it like it was a punishment, as if her heart wasn't in her throat with adrenaline when he flipped her over once more. She was flat on her back, wings cushioned against the mattress when he sunk in between her spread thighs once more. Now, she could feel the weight of the muscles she had grazed her hands over, the width of his form she had been grinding against. 

The movement had stolen her breath, leaving her chest heaving as he looked down at her. The intensity was back once more, keeping his irises dark as he glazed his eyes over each and every line of her body. He lingered on the line of her bra, surely pinpointing where her rattling heart was scheduled by her ribs. 

"What do y'need from me, darling?" Harry mumbled, the blunt of his nails grazing the soft skin of her stomach as he dragged his hands towards the waist of her panties. 

Speaking through her shudder, she shook her head, "No-Nothing—I want you." 

Harry looked entirely too smug, the curl on his lips one she recognized even as far back as the first time they met. Back then, she couldn't stand the sight—unsure of how a demon could be proud of anything they did. Now, it was one of her favorite things, knowing she had made him feel proud of himself (at least she liked to think of it that way). 

"Y'can have me, darling," he assured her, one of his hands dripping from the waist of her underwear and down between her legs, "But, are y'wet enough for me, or do y'need some help?" 

His thumb grazed her clit, her body jumping at the slight touch. She could feel her insides pulsing, grasping for something that wasn't there yet. 

"I-I don't need help," she stuttered, pushing her hips against his hand in impatience, "Harry, please. I don't want you to leave before we're done." 

A pinch appeared between his brows then as he hooked his fingers into the gusset of her underwear, pulling the material to the side. "I would never leave y'like that, you know that. I'll always take care of m'angel."

As if to prove his point, she watched as he fisted his cock and ran the head along her folds. The air had been seemingly sucked out of the room at that moment, leaving her with a shuddering breath leaving her lungs and eyes fighting to close. She could feel his heavy gaze watching her as he nudged his cock against her pulsing opening, a small tease before he pulled back to slide through her folds once more. 

"Y'sure you're ready for me?" he teased, drawing out his words for just a second longer of the torture. 

"Harry, please," she told him, sounding a bit pathetic to her own ears though there was no guilt in the act. "I need you." 

He loved it when she pleaded with him like that. On longer nights, he would have pressed for more, taken any and every bit of begging she could offer, but she was sure the time limit was in the back of his mind when he didn't continue teasing. 

With a fluid push of his hips, he sunk in between her hips. (Y/N)'s lips fell open at the stretch, a moan getting stuck in her throat to leave nothing more than a heavy puff of air falling from her mouth. Harry's gaze was concentrated on where they were connected, his length disappearing inside her. His hand stretching back her panties let go when he bottomed out, his base pressing into her budding clit. 

His chest was heaving when he finally looked up at her once more. She could see the boundary of his irises beginning to waver, the black bleeding into the sclera. He was losing control in the most thrilling sense, the idea causing her walls to pulse around his splitting length. 

"'S been too long, darling," he told her, voice a low rumble. 

"Uh-huh," she sounded, giving a pathetic nod of her head with her hands fisting the bedding at her sides. She wanted so badly to reach for him, feel his skin under her palms, but feared flying away if she let go before she had her head on straight. 

"Never gonna wait this long again, 'kay?" Rearing back his hips, he grunted when he pushed through her channel once more. 

A puff of air left (Y/N)'s lungs once his hips pressed against hers in a slap, as if he had knocked it right out of her. Settling his hands on the bones of her hips, his thumbs stretched up towards the curve of her waist in a gentle sweeping that opposed the strength of his grip. He held her steady as he curated a fluid pace, knocking the breath out of her each time he sank inside her. 

(Y/N)'s breathing came in puffs every time she felt his tip nudge deep inside her, her body being pushed further and further into the mattress. Without his hands on her body keeping her place, she would have hit her head on the headboard by now, she figured, the thought being one that would have made her laugh if not for the fact that she was in the middle of something. 

"You're so tight," he gritted out, his voice deep and rumbling through his chest, "Thought y'said y'were ready for me." 

"I am, I am," she rushed out, pausing when he gave her a particularly punishing thrust, "I-Its been too long, re-rememeber?" 

His hands squeezed her hips that much more at her words. "I know, darling. Gonna have to make this one last then. Can't stretch y'out every time we fuck, can we?" 

Mindlessly, she shook her head, willing to agree with any and everything he was saying at the moment. She wouldn't mind him taking the time to stretch her out every time he pulled her to bed, but now wasn't the time to get greedy—she already had his cock rearranging her organs, there wasn't much more she could pine for, was there?

Except for maybe touching him herself. 

Not wanting to distract him from his job, (Y/N) unfurled her fingers from the sheets at her sides, reaching towards the thick of his arms. Her fingernails sunk into the skin, leaving small moon shapes that would no doubt still be pink by the time he was having to slip out and meet his friend. She liked the idea, her fingers clenching that much more, that a part of her would remain with him even when they couldn't be together. 

Harry was seemingly spurred on by the touch, hips knocking into hers in heady strokes. She was going to have bruises tomorrow, but she didn't care. Her mouth dropped open, small uh's leaving her parted lips in time with every push of his hips. 

"Harry, I-I," she started, her voice catching in her throat before she could say much more. 

"'M right here, darling, 's alright," he attempted to soothe her though his voice was strained and breathy with every thrust he sunk inside her. 

Her mouth was dry by the time she found her voice again, her eyes fluttering to a close. "I—Can—I want to touch—" 

That was all she managed to get out before a bubbling moan fell from her lips when he dared to grind against her once bottoming out. Through her taut underwear, he pressed against her clit, her body jumping at the touch.

"But you are touching me," he drawled, bringing her back down as he pulled his hips back. 

She knew he was only trying to goad her, get her stubborn and petulant in the way that always made him laugh, but she didn't care. It was going to work, but she would leave her scolding for later. 

"You know what I mean, Harry" she argued, peeling her eyes open to find him looking at her with that smug smile as if he wasn't exerting all of his energy into stealing her breath away. "You're being so mean to me!" 

"I'm being mean to you?" he repeated, the rhythm of his hips slowing just a hair when he brought the intensity of his gaze to match hers. "You really think that right now, darling?" 

"Yes, I do," she whined, now upset by the fact he was slowing down and not letting her touch him. She wrapped her legs around his hips from where he was knelt between her thighs in hopes of spurring him on, feeling the ridge of his length pressing through. 

One of his hands on her hips slid up her body, skating over her tummy and between her breasts until he landed on her neck. His palm laid flat on her collarbones with his fingers wrapping around her throat, a slight pressure. His hips worked in shallow thrusts, barely pulling his length out before he was pushing in once more. 

"Are you sure?" he pressed, a slight pressure closing in on the side of her throat as he squeezed that much more, "If this isn't enough for you, I can show y'how mean I can really be." 

(Y/N) felt her eyes round out as she gazed up at him, her heart stuttering in her chest. Time seemingly stood still in that moment, every detail melting away to leave only Harry in focus. 

"Oh my god," she murmured, her voice squeaking through her throat.

A slow smile tugged up the corner of Harry's lips. "No god, darling. Jus' me." 

(Y/N) couldn't help but to buck her hips against his, urging him for more. She could feel her walls fluttering around him, her wings at her back struggling against the mattress with their own restless energy begging to fluff out. 

Harry kept his hand as an anchoring weight on her throat as he dropped back into the rhythm of his hips, tightening in pulsing squeezes just long enough to have her eyes rolling to the back of her head before lightening up once more. His own control—despite the facade he was offering to (Y/N)—began to waver that much more. His eyes were almost completely black, the inky veins snaking out to envelope the sclera with every punishing thrust. The moment (Y/N) was back on Earth, peeling her eyes open enough, she swore she saw glimpses of his glamor fading, revealing the large black wings shrouding his back. 

He was close, that much she was sure of. 

"A-are you going to cum?" she asked, voice rumbling under his hand.

Shaking his head, he sunk his teeth into his bottom lip. "Not until you, darling. Angels first." 

"But, I can see your wings." 

His breathing came in pants. "I know, but you're still finishing first, darling." 

Taking his hand off her neck, the ghost of his warmth left behind, Harry wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her off the bed. Repositioning himself, he knelt on the mattress as he dragged her into his lap. His cock was snug inside her when she settled over his thighs, feeling just that much deeper with the new angle. 

Wasting no time, he had his hands stationed on her hips once more, setting a pace for her to bounce on his cock. 

"Think y'can fuck yourself like this, darling? Do all the hard work for me?" he murmured, dragging his lips over the same parts of her neck where he had choked her moments before.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," she answered, a mindless reflex as he concentrated on matching his grip. 

Using the leverage of her knees on either side of him, she lifted herself off his cock, allowing his head to stretch through her pulsing walls, before sitting herself back down in a smack of her skin against his. It was a relief to put her hands on him, feeling every inch she could reach. Her palms skimmed over the broad of his shoulders, planes of his back, and the thick of his arms all with her nails following closely behind.

Harry did much of the same, trailing up the curve of her spine until he found the base of her wings. (Y/N) couldn't help but to keen into his touch, back arching through it took everything in her to keep from getting distracted and keep riding him like he had asked. 

The first graze of his fingers over her feathers was enough to get her stomach tightening, and mouth dropping into a moan. She could feel him smiling against her neck, too proud over her reaction. 

"Always so cute, even when y'don't mean to be, you know that?" he murmured, dotting a kiss just below her ear, "All I've got to do is touch your feathers, and you're done for." 

She wanted to say something, tell him that it wasn't that easy, but there was nothing that would escape her lips other than puffs of heavy breath and whining moans.  

Rocking his hips up to meet hers, that much more pleasure settled in her stomach. As much as she wanted to argue with him that she wasn't that easy to make cum, there was some truth behind the fact that she was flying towards the finish line with every brush of his fingers and rock of his hips. 

"I can feel y'squeezing me, darling," he murmured, dragging his mouth over the line of her jaw in a lingering kiss, "Y'gonna cum for me? Did I finally work hard enough for you?" 

Despite the fact he'd asked her a question, there was no way he had been expecting an answer with the way he wiggled his fingertips through the brush of her feathers and coasted along the bony structure underneath. He knew she wouldn't be able to survive that, a long moan choking out from her throat with her stomach too tight to bear. 

(Y/N) tried to keep her pacing as best she could—something she couldn't believe Harry was able to do all the time—, but the rhythm was undoubtedly interrupted as she came around him. She could feel every inch of him as her insides pulsed around him, taking in the ridge of his head and the length that had split her open in the first place. His base was pressed heavily against her clit, rivaling the pressure of his fingers dancing through her feathers. 

She wanted to be present but the heavens called to her then, the Pocket left behind for a few lingering moments. By the time she was floating back down to Earth, Harry's hands settling on her hips as he lifted her off his cock, the sight before her was enough to get her back to square one, wishing they more time. 

Harry's eyes were now completely pitch black, no more white sclera or shatters of green to be seen. His glamour had faded away, leaving the leather stretch of his wings visible, the span much larger than her own as they fanned out around them. The webbing cocooned around them, creating a curtain around her body as if there wasn't enough of him touching her already. 

His cock shone in the low light between them, her slick coating him as he fisted the length. It only took a few passes of his hand before his cum blurted out in thick ropes across her stomach. 

"Fuck—(Y/N)—I—" Nothing of coherence fell from his lips then, every bit of concentration laid to rest as he watched himself cum on an angel. 

A furrow had his brows pinched together, his eyes hooded and dark. His mouth was stagnant in a gape once he stopped trying to speak. 

It wasn't until the remaining spurts of his cum rolled down his shaft and his ruddy head was seemingly beginning to stain purple that he pulled his shaky hands away. Using his wings as well as his hands, he hugged (Y/N) to his chest with his softening cock between them. Even with the mess that was beginning to dry on her stomach, he held her tight, pressing hard kisses to her temple and side of her face until he met her lips. 

"Y'okay?" he panted to her, the tip of his nose nudging against her own. 

"I'm okay," she murmured, wrapping her own arms around his neck. 

"Happy?" he asked, just the same as he always did in these quiet moments after the storm. 

A small smile stretched over her lips. "Happy." 

Gently laying her backwards, Harry kept himself glued to her, wings and all, as they settled among the sheets. Despite the fact he had no discernible pupil, she could feel his gaze traveling over her features and taking her in as he always did. She felt bashful under his eyes, her own wings shyly tucking into her back. 

"What is it, darling?" he asked, sweeping a few stray hairs from her face. 

"Nothing, just... You." 

"Just me?" he countered, reaching blindly for his discarded shirt he'd tossed earlier. 

"Just you," she repeated with a breathy laugh, allowing him to wipe his mess away with his shirt. (How he had the courage to clean her up with it knowing that he'd have to wear it out to meet his friend later, she wasn't sure). "How long can you stay?" 

Harry's features took on a somber set at her words, just the same as she felt. "Not long, darling. Jus' long enough to make sure y'get to sleep, then I'll have to leave." 

"What if I don't fall asleep?" 

The smile he gave her told her that he was very familiar with the game she was beginning to play with him. 

"Guess I'll have to stay." 

Despite the black eyes and leathery bat wings sprouting from his back, the sweet smile and boyish dimples in Harry's cheeks could rival that of any angel in (Y/N)'s opinion. 

That was why they worked, she thought as she snuggled closer to him: she brought out the angel in him and he showed her just how fun sinning could be.

—————

ahhhh I guess this is my little contribution to the valentines day vibe this year! thank u sm for reading, sorry for any mistakes, and if you have any ideas send them in!! I also have more writing available on my patreon if you want more :)

[urgonnaneedabiggership]

Could you make a fic where Miguel gets the female reader pregnant and they're happy but he's worried about her safety? Maybe have a villain find out? Cause some angst?

Risk Something (You're Losing Me)

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara (Spiderman: Across The Spiderverse) x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Language. Spoilers (Miguel's backstory is mentioned). Angst! Alert!, Unplanned pregnancy!Alert.

Word count: 4.3K

A/N: Since I had already established some background and emotional intimacy, I thought I could write this as a sort-of-sequel to my previous one-shot Host of a Ghost. I was so excited to write this, especially because I don't usually write angst but I like to push my boundaries and leave my confort zone. Hope that it pays off and, of course dear anon, that you like it <3

Part III

You’d never really believed in long-distance relationships. After being witness to so many unsuccessful ones, you’d cataloged the entire concept into a box labeled “certain failure” and tucked it away in the back of your head. And yet, with an inconsistency worthy of your friend Hobie, you’d gone and gotten yourself involved in no less than an interdimensional relationship.

How? Well, that was a good question.

All it took was five simple steps:

Step one: Live a regular life. Go to school, graduate, and try to go for a Ph.D. that gets you working near genetically modified insects for just the right amount of time for you to become careless enough to let one crawl onto your backpack, take it to your apartment, and let it sting you. Throw in some negligence, forfeit going to the hospital, and go on about your afternoon. Warning, some side effects like loss of consciousness or intense headaches can be expected.

Step two: Congratulations! You’ve now become a super-powered person with abilities that range from climbing walls and performing gravity-challenging parkour to creating a sticky web-like element that helped you swing from one building to another. Toy around with your new talents, and grow comfortable with them before realizing that you can actually use them to be the much-needed help your city needs.

Step three: Turns out you’re not the only one with this kind of ability out there. There’s a whole Spider-Society full of similarly enhanced people who try and do their best to keep their own dimensions safe, and you’ve not only caught their eye but have actually been invited to join them. Let your new guide Jess Drews show you around, and explain all the benefits that come from joining a team such as theirs. If you decline, you can go back home and that’ll be all.

If you’re interested, it’ll be necessary to convince the leader but they could use some extra help so it shouldn’t be particularly hard. It sounds like an amazing chance. Information you wouldn’t have access to otherwise, mind-blowing facilities where you can polish your newly acquired abilities, possible new friends that actually know what you’re going through…Say you’ll think about it. Right as you’re about to leave, the most fucking gorgeous man you’ve ever seen in your entire life walks past without paying either of you any mind, busy while speaking to another Spider-Person. You ask who that is, turns out he’s the aforementioned leader, “will I ever have to work with him?”, you ask. “Probably, eventually” Replies Jess. Ask when you can start.

Step four: Do your best to earn your place in this elite group. Successfully improve your fighting skills, read everything available on interdimensional traveling and the multiverse. Understand it almost instantly because that’s how smart you are, kudos to you. Realize that for some reason, despite never actually interacting with you, Spider-Society leader Miguel O’Hara tends to stare. A lot. Is it because you’re progressing as fast as Jessica says or because she’s a complete liar and you’re actually doing it all wrong? No idea. All you know is that even during mundane scenarios like laughing in the hall with all the newest additions to the team or in line at the cafeteria, you feel a certain tingle in the back of your head that makes you turn around. Of course, the moment your eyes meet, he turns around and leaves. An odd one, yes. But you’ve also heard things. Rumors, here and there about his life before creating the Society. Whispers about a lost family and some video archives being the only evidence that they even existed in the first place. And, of course, the fault he had in the destruction of their dimension. You sympathize with him, despite his apathetic attitude towards you. You’ve seen him interact with those he’s closer to, and you know there’s more to him than he lets on. You’d be elated if he ever let you take just one look at the smidge of his old self that sometimes peeked out from behind the iron curtain. Well, not really. One look wouldn’t be enough. If anything, it would only cement your feelings for the man.

Step five: Curiosity killed the cat. We all know that. You know that. And yet, you decided to go snooping around Miguel O’Hara’s computer and personal files until you accidentally switch his computer on for long enough to let the videos he’s always watching start playing. He…his daughter…an entire lost life gone before his eyes. Then, before you could do the right thing and turn the computer off, an eerily familiar voice called at him from behind the camera. So, of course, you had to keep watching. Long story short? All those oddly constant stares, that coldness towards you, unwillingness to look you in the eye, was because of two reasons: first, you were a nearly identical interdimensional variant of the wife he’d lost in the dimension he unwittingly erased from existence. Two, as he’d confessed after realizing you’d found out about the truth, Miguel had come to terms with the fact that he was in love with you, not as a replacement for somebody from his past but as a new presence in his life that he’d been struggling to watch from afar, unwilling to let all his repressed feelings spill out like water from a broken dam. Until that night, of course.

Now, eight months later, you’d come to realize there was actually a sixth step you’d never actually considered until now that you were in this…situationship.

Step six: Uncomfortably avoid every and all circumstances in which interdimensional disparities and canon consistency regarding your relationship could come up. Don’t say anything like “Well, it’s been nice but I’ve got to go back to my own dimension” because that would remind him that his dimension was not yours too. That you were after all still a stranger in a strange land. Which of course also meant never inviting him to stay in your dimension.

Deep inside, you knew that all those details would eventually cause problems, especially regarding the inner conflict Miguel was always dealing with knowing what he was doing…what you were both doing, went against his strongest principle. But by God he was happy. Happier than he’d thought he could ever feel again. More than he deserved. So he just ignored those intrusive thoughts and focused on whatever task was at hand. And you were too. Even after just eight months, life without him already seemed unimaginable. He was your first thought in the morning and your last before you went to sleep, and more than once his presence beside you had been not just a figment of your imagination, but a part of your reality as you felt his strong arms wrap around your waist and pull you closer whenever you strayed too far from him in bed as he groggily whispered, “¿Y a dónde crees que vas, preciosa?”, Or when he buried his nose in the crook of your neck, lining it up with soft kisses that sometimes ended up in both of you being late for your assigned tasks. With so much on the line, you were more than happy to avoid those spiky subjects. It seemed like such a small price to pay with all you were getting in return.  

You weren’t sure of where all this was going, but none of that mattered. Right now, you were together. Inside the Spider-Society you were a great team and each one was a valuable asset. Outside, every second spent in your arms was enough to make him forget Spider-Man. To you, he was Miguel and nothing more. And that was all you needed.

Life was good. You were happy with the way things were. Until, as it usually happens, a necessary disruption came quite literally crashing into your life in the shape of a fifteen-year-old that carelessly swung around a corner and crashed into you after you’d been chasing him like the rest of the Spider-People after receiving Miguel’s message.

“Miles?” You asked, recalling his name, which you’d actually been hearing for quite some time since the circumstances of his existence started being a problem for your boyfriend. The boy didn’t answer. He just looked at you, his eyes filled with confusion and fear until you hesitantly took a step aside to leave the escape route open for him. If anything he looked even more baffled, but when the noise of his pursuers reached your ears he rushed down the hall and you lost him after he took a sharp turn.

Before you could be spotted, you ran in the opposite direction and hid around a corner as you tried to call Miguel on your watch. Of course, it was in vain. Well, Plan B. Fortunately, this time you did get a reply.

“(Y/N)?”

“Peter! Yes, it’s me! Where are you?”

“Where do you think? I’m going after him like everybody else. I need to get to him before…sweetie, please just get back in there, Daddy’s on the phone right now…I need to get to him before- “

“He’s already left the headquarters,” You informed him.

“Wait, you saw him?”

“About a minute ago. He was on his way to the North exit.”

“(Y/N), are you sure you should be a part of this chase right now?”

“Why not? Jessica is there, isn’t she?” You replied, smiling to yourself. Good old Peter B., looking out for you like some sort of self-appointed brother figure.

“Well yeah, but she’s not running, kid. Although I don’t think she should be on one of those death machines either, I don’t what she’s…”

While he kept on rambling for a bit, you looked around and wondered if you’d ever seen the building this empty.

Empty.

Your eyes slowly ran along the pearly white walls until they landed on the hallway that led to the room where the Go Home Machine was kept. Practically unchecked, if Spider-Byte had joined the pursuit.

“P.B., I’ll talk to you later,” You absent-mindedly replied, hanging up on him without waiting for an answer as you dashed down the hallway.

You kept thinking about that poor kid’s eyes. After having all that information unloaded onto him, instead being given enough time to somewhat process everything he now had to escape from the very people he was supposed to feel safe amongst. When he sat on the floor right in front of you right after the crash, he was sure you would immediately hand him over. Maybe a few months ago you would’ve done it without hesitation but now…things had changed.

There it was. The Go-Home Machine. You thought you saw a purple blast inside that let you know Byte was still there. However, if your theory was correct, Miles would have to go through that hall and therefore, you. A few minutes later, a sudden voice booming from your watch startled you.

“(Y/N)!”

“Miguel? Where are you? I’ve been trying to…”

“(Y/N), listen to me! Miles lured everybody out on purpose, he’s trying to get to the machine. I can see your location back at the headquarters and he should be coming your way in less than a minute!”

“Alright. I’ll handle it.” You replied, ending the call before he could ask you to elaborate on that.

Sure enough, light footsteps came in your direction shortly after. Right as Miles entered your field of view, an alert issued by your watch made your stomach drop and a dreadful feeling fill your chest. However, you’d made up your mind. There was no going back now.

Mile spotted you at the end of the hall and stopped in his tracks. His eyes were determined, not as afraid as a few moments earlier. If he was there that meant he’d somehow gotten past Miguel. You fought back a smile when you wondered how pissed he’d be about it. Having his ass kicked by a teenager was something that, maybe under different circumstances, you could tease him about.

“He’s a delight, isn’t he?” You finally spoke, trying to somewhat lighten the mood while taking a step toward the kid. However, he got in a defensive stance, furrowing his eyebrows in distrust.

“It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk.” You assured, showing him both your hands, “Miles, listen very carefully. This is exactly what Miguel was talking about a while ago. At this very moment. Right now, I’m supposed to stop you from getting to that machine and handing you over,”

Of course, he took another step back.

“Miles I’m not going to do that,” You assured him.

“Why not?” He immediately asked, constantly looking behind him, wondering if this was just you trying to stall him like, unbeknownst to you, he thought Peter had tried to do a while ago.

“Because I’m sure there’s a better way to go about all this. I love him so much, I do, but he’s so afraid that I don’t think he’s willing to see other possibilities and by the time he does, it might be too late for you. Now go before anybody else gets here.”

You didn’t have to tell him twice. Miles darted past you as soon as you finished talking, taking a second to look back before reaching the dimly lit room where his ticket home was. His eyes scanned your face and darted down for one second before he looked up at you, a new worry in his eyes that had you wondering whether his spider-sense was strong enough to perceive something you’d just found out yourself.  

“Are you going to be okay?” Miles asked, his eyes looking down for a moment once again. Did he know? Did he mean “you” as in just you or as in…?

“Yes, don’t worry. Now get out of here.” You insisted. With one last hasty “thanks”, he ran into the room as your left in the opposite direction. You weren’t worried about Spider-Byte. She was a good kid, and she’d do the right thing.

The right thing. What did that even mean anymore?

You’d deal with the moral implications later. For now, as you found yourself on the other side of the headquarters, your mind was set on finding Miguel. Maybe you could try and talk some sense into him, make him reconsider whether this was…

“What the hell was that?”

By now you’d gotten used to Miguel’s habit of sneaking up on you. Usually, hearing his voice coming out of nowhere brought a smile to your face. This time, you closed your eyes and winced as you felt his presence behind you.

“Don’t even try lying. I know that voice you used in the call. The one for when you’re about to ignore whatever order I’m about to give you, so I checked the cameras.”

“Miguel, I…” You began to explain yourself just to be harshly cut off.

“(Y/N), what were you thinking? Do you realize what you just did? Do you have the slightest idea of the consequences…?”

“I do realize that you just asked a fifteen-year-old child to stand by and let his father get killed right before calling his existence a mistake, Miguel. What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking of our safety, and that includes Miles’. You’re right, he’s a kid and that means he’s selfish and immature enough to endanger everything we’ve all been risking our lives to protect for years.”

“Miguel, listen to me,” You insisted, “You’re scared. I know. I am, too, but have you ever considered that maybe there’s another solution? Do we even know for sure that allowing the kid to go and try to save his father is going to cause any real damage?”

“What if it does? Are you just going to tell me “Sorry, Miguel, you were right” and that’s all? (Y/N), Dios mío, piensa. Gwen said the same thing but we couldn’t trust her with being objective because he’s her friend,”

“Wait, what do you mean couldn’t?” You asked. Miguel clenched his jaw and turned away, unable or unwilling to look at you.

“Miguel, please tell me you didn’t send her back. Not with how she left things back there,”

His absolute silence told you everything. Shaken, you took a step back.

“What is wrong with you?” You hissed the disappointed look in your eyes hurting like a sharp dagger to his chest.

“(Y/N), mi amor, I’m just trying to…”

“You’re such a hypocrite,” You angrily spat out, “You go around preaching about how important sticking to your stupid canon is and the delicate balance of the multiverse when you know damn well that what we’re doing goes against every single one of those things,”

“No, no, that’s very different,” Miguel disputed,

“How is it different?” You argued back, boldly moving closer to him wishing you were taller so you could face him, “I’m from another dimension, there is no way that we were supposed to meet from the beginning. You had your world, this world, and when you tried to live another life in a different one, an entire dimension was destroyed. I had my world, and for all I know maybe there was somebody there that I was supposed to meet but thankfully I ended up here first so I could meet you. But you know what? My universe is fine, yours is too and I swear I had never been happier in my entire life.”

“You’re right.” He muttered in deep thought.

“Yes, I am. And maybe…” You started to say, a relieved smile tugging at the edges of your mouth until he looked up and the expression in his eyes made your throat dry up.

“We’ve been messing with fire all this time. There is probably somebody you can be with without endangering your entire dimension. And this…this is the hand I was dealt and I should just accept it and live with it. You’re right. Maybe this was all a mistake from the beginning.”

“No. No, come on, you don’t mean that.” You shook your head in denial, lifting both your hands to cup his face in your hands, to bring him close like he had done the night you finally could let all the love you felt for him escape its confinement in your chest.

Miguel grabbed your hands before you could touch him and moved away from you before releasing them as he finally built up the courage to look you in the eye.

“Are you serious?” You asked, your voice quivering with anger as you felt tears begin to dwell in your eyes, “So that’s it? You’d rather sacrifice us than find a different way to solve this?”

“Well, what did you think was going to happen, (Y/N)? That this would go on forever and we’d keep pretending everything is fine and that you don’t have to wear a fucking machine on your wrist every time you come to see me because even the cells in your body know you were never supposed to be here?”  

“Oh, right, so you expect me to believe that you always knew this was going to be temporary? Then what was this? Something to take the edge off after a rough day until you decided it was time to stop fooling around and just be done with it?”

Deep inside, you knew what his response was going to be, but every inch of your heart silently pleaded for you to be wrong. To pull you into his arms and apologize for trying to send you away and promise that you’d get through this because you loved each other and that was all that mattered.

“I don’t know why you thought it was anything else,”

For a minute, you wondered if this was all actually happening. Maybe this was all a nightmare fueled by all the training simulations you’d gone over lately, and you’d wake up crying just to find Miguel asleep next to you, his wide back slowly rising and sinking with every calm breath he took. Your crying would wake him up and he’d furrow his eyebrows and ask what had happened.

“I had a nightmare, that’s all,” You’d say, wiping your tears off and trying to downplay it. But he knew better. He always knew better. He would pull you close and bury your head in his chest, placing a kiss on top of your head while warning you that he was the only one allowed to have nightmares because otherwise he’d have to start comforting you too and neither would get a full night of rest. And you would laugh softly as you drifted off, lulled by the warmth of his chest and his smell of sage lotion and cheap fabric softener.

But no. You were very much awake, and instead of comforting you with promises and reassurances, he was walking away from you after delivering the final blow to your heart.

Since he had his back turned to you, you felt free to let the repressed tears freely fall down your face as you helplessly watch him go until he disappeared around a corner. All of a sudden, you felt as if the walls of the headquarters had begun to close around you to asphyxiate you, and the sound of the returning Spider-People made you realize you didn’t want to be there for one more second.

Thanks to your watch, you were back “home” in a few seconds.

“Home”. Your empty apartment where you’d lived alone for years. Where he’d never set foot, and at least in that way it was free of his memory. Or so you thought until you looked over your shoulder at the ajar bathroom door. Inside, atop the porcelain sink, still rested the positive pregnancy test you’d left there before having to rush over to the headquarters to help with the latest anomaly.

That memory felt so distant now. As if it had happened years ago, in a different life. You suppose in a way, it did belong to another life. A life that was over now.

Numbly, you made your way toward the ragged sofa, collapsing on top of it as soon as you were close enough. It was only then that the full weight of the last day and a half sank in and, as you gently wrapped your arms around your stomach, you let the tears fall until your throat burned, the dusty cushions muffling your broken sobs.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard correctly, you did what?”

The seriousness of the situation was enough for Peter to fasten a small strap in Mayday’s baby carrier to make sure she won’t go anywhere for a few minutes as he waited for his friend’s platform to reach ground level. He couldn’t be chasing his toddler around and ripping Miguel a new one at the same time.

“I did what I had to do. It’s for her own good,”

“Right, because you’re such an arrogant…” He paused to carefully place his hands over Mayday’s tiny ears, “…such an arrogant dick that you think you know what’s best for everyone, including a fully grown, intelligent, woman like (Y/N)”

“Shit, Parker, do you think it was easy for me?” Miguel uttered, pinching the bridge of his nose before resting his face against the palm of his hand, “What I said about this being the hand I was dealt…I don’t know how I’m supposed to deal with that. Hell, I don’t even know how I’m going to keep myself from showing up at her dimension to try and get her back here the first chance I get.”

“And why would you have to keep yourself from doing that?” Peter asked patiently. It sounded like a better alternative to “Miguel, I love you man but I swear you’ve got the emotional availability of a tree stump. Beats me how (Y/N) was able to get you to admit your feelings without prying your chest open with a jigsaw to see your pounding heart for herself.”

“She was right. We were never supposed to meet in the first place. Not like this. It’s not…”

“Miguel, I swear if I hear the word ‘canon’ even once in this conversation I’m going to drive my head through a wall,”

“Just because you don’t take anything seriously doesn’t mean everybody’s the same,” Miguel hissed back.

“That’s where you’re wrong. Last time I didn’t take something seriously, I ended up just like you will unless you get your priorities sorted out. Alone, and regretting not focusing on what was important,”

“This is important,” Miguel stubbornly argued.

“More important than what you had? Look at yourself. Just forty-eight hours ago you were as happy with (Y/N) as you’d been for the past eight months. And as happy as I’ve been with Mayday and my wife who, by the way, wouldn’t even be with me if it wasn’t for that kid you just called a mistake. And do you see my dimension going up in flames? Or yours? Or hers?”

Unable to find an argument against that, Miguel remained silent, his eyes fixed on an empty spot on the wall in front of him.

“Listen, I know you’re afraid. You don’t want her to get hurt, but if you love her as much as you claim to, then you’re taking the choice of a coward right now. And you can’t afford to be one, especially now.”

“Especially now?” Miguel inquired, turning to look at his friend who, much to his surprise, pressed his lips together as if he’d made a mistake and instead focused on getting Mayday’s hair out of her face.

“My point is; I know you well enough to know you worship that woman. And she thinks you’re pretty decent too. And I can tell you from experience that you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life if you let this come between you.”

Not knowing what else to add, Peter gently patted Miguel’s shoulder before leaving the room, hoping he’d given him enough to think about. Hopefully, enough to make him change his mind.

Meanwhile, Miguel hadn’t moved since Peter left the room, mulling his words over.

Two, particularly, had stuck with him for some reason.

Especially now.

[pinkanonwrites]

HEHEHE I LOVE THE RODIMUS STORYY I'm obsessed with all the first contact au stories with rodimus and I would love if you could please do more if you ever feel like it 😭 the ones with language barrier and size difference are muah 🤌💫

If youre ever up for it or would feel comfortable, would you be willing to please write one where maybe the reader is sick with the flu and is either about to or actually does throw up and rodimus has no idea what the flu is or what throwing up is for humans and he has no idea how to deal with it 😅 and ofc the human can't explain bc language barrier.

Or any other rodimus with lil human stuff you can post I will happily gobble up hehe

I liked this idea too much for it to just be in bullet points, so it turned into a mini fic. Hope you enjoy!

Rodimus/Reader First Contact AU, Human Reader, GN Pronouns, Sickfic, emeto mention

Gazing blearily up at the ceiling as fluorescent lighting above whizzed past, you couldn’t fully tell if the nauseating pitch and wave of your surroundings was just from your sickness, or if panic was making Rodimus significantly less gentle than usual. Either way, if you had anything left in your stomach you probably would have thrown up again by now.

How foolish you were, to assume that being on an interdimensional traveling spaceship meant you would be less likely to suffer from the illnesses and maladies that you would normally find on Earth. No, now you were subject to an entire galaxy’s worth of potential contractible ailments instead. And though you could compare this one to some of the worse stomach viruses you’d had throughout your life back home, you didn’t really have a way to communicate to Rodimus that you weren’t, in fact, dying. No matter how much it felt like you were.

The hiss of a hydraulic powered door was almost drowned out by your caretaker’s panicked boops and screeches as he ran up to another one of the bots aboard the ship. A black helm and a shoulder-mounted cannon stepped into your nausea-warped vision, and a familiar gleam of a single, blue lens stared down at you. One of the scientist bots, the nicer one of the two that had poked and prodded at you when Rodimus first presented you to them. His name was… Perceptor?

But when he reached out a giant metal finger to you, Rodimus was quick to pull you back against his chest and out of the other’s reach. A kind gesture, but one that left you nearly gagging from the sudden wave of vertigo that racked your system. You winced at the feeling of Rodimus’s thumb brushing your cheek, the sticky pull of sweaty skin against hot metal, and the warble he let out in response sounded absolutely heartbroken. Through your hazy vision you could see tense corners of his mouth pull down, the soft glow of his eyes looking dimmer than usual as he cradled you. Then, with as much care as he could muster, he laid you so delicately upon Perceptor’s desk. His fingers stroked the top of your head, hands still bracketing you as if he was afraid you’d slip through his fingertips and right off the edge of the table as soon as he let his guard down. Despite everything, you couldn’t help but feel safer knowing he was worried about you. It was hard to imagine many worse scenarios than getting sick in outer space, but getting sick alone in outer space seemed pretty high up there.

So you let yourself be gently prodded at and scanned by Perceptor, Rodimus’s hands never straying far enough for you to not reach him. They murmured back and forth to each other all the while, a chittering of mechanical whirs and buzzes like an old fax machine pumping out a distant message. The chill of the metal surface under your back left goosebumps crawling up your skin, another detail that quickly drew Perceptor’s curiosity. After an amount of time you couldn’t possibly have estimated with your sickness-addled, swimming mind working at less than half the capacity of usual, both bots leaned away from the table to discuss something, like they were afraid you’d somehow overhear.

The sudden, harsh glow of the ceiling lights above left you squinting, a soft whimper escaping your throat despite yourself. Immediately Rodimus was upon you again, his giant chin resting on the edge of the table as his eyes flitted about over your shaking, exhausted frame. His hands hovered around you, fingers tense like he wasn’t sure if he should pick you up or not. But the warmth of his massive hands was a lot more comforting right now than the sterile chill of the tabletop, so with a great amount of effort you wormed your way back into his grasp.

Perceptor let out another, stern sounding buzz. Rodimus brought you back to his chest, resting your cheek against the smooth slope of metal as he responded in kind. You let your eyelids flutter shut as they continued to chatter. Whatever they were talking about didn’t really matter to you right now. Regardless of whatever was going on, you knew Rodimus would take care of you.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“And it’s not atrophosia? You’re sure?”

“Just because atrophosia comes from organics, Rodimus, does not mean they can contract it. No, what we’re looking at seems to be some form of organic virus.”

“That’s good, right?” Rodimus peeked at Perceptor from the corner of his optic, unwilling to take his full attention off of you for too long. Your little frame was sprawled weakly across the scientist’s desk, organic coolant and these strange, microscopic bumps beading across your body. Perceptor let out a curious hum, lifting your tiny servo up with the tip of his pen. Rodimus stifled the urge to slap it away. “If it’s a virus, it can be removed, right?”

“It’s not quite that simple. Organics don’t have accessible coding to allow ourselves entry. Their only solution is the old fashioned way, get plenty of recharge and wait it out.”

“But look at them! They’re all shaky and covered in coolant! A-And just earlier today, they purged their tanks!”

“That’s a good thing. Organics will purge their tanks as an emergency reflex to intrusive disease or illness. There’s actually a fascinating organic, a form of amphibian which can expel their entire tank when in-”

“Great! Cool! Love the fun facts, Perceptor! But are they-” And here Rodimus gestured to your small, shivering frame, “-going to be okay?”

“I’ve acquired some information on human illness- from Swerve of all bots, if you’d believe it. When humans are ill they require copious recharge, plenty of clean, desalinated water, and, apparently, a fuel comprised of the boiled carcass of an Earth bird and various edible flora.”

“I don’t have any Earth birds! Earth has the Earth birds!” Rodimus sat up with a jolt, a bristling wave of heat rolling off of his frame that was swiftly ignored by Perceptor.

“I am certain the replicator could produce a suitable substitute. It has worked for providing nourishment thus far.”

Both bots’ attention snapped back to you when you let out a small whine, squinting under the blaring light of the overhead systems. 

“Oh, hey, I’m sorry bud!” Rodimus’s voice dropped to a soft coo as he hovered his servos back around your frame. “Is it too bright in here, your optics sensitive?”

“Perhaps it would be good for the human to rest here, where they can be monitored. You have other duties aboard the ship, after all.”

“Yeah, but…” Rodimus stared as you dragged yourself across the table, curling weakly into the crook of his servo with a soft sigh. He cradled you again, letting you rest your helm upon his chassis as he supported you with both arms. “I- I think I’ll keep an optic on them. What if being in here makes them nervous? Then they can’t recharge properly.”

Perceptor let out a soft huff, pinching the bridge of his olfactory ridge between two digits. “...Whatever you insist, Rodimus. But do allow them to rest. No joyrides.”

As Rodimus looked down at your frame in his arms, for once, joyriding was the last thing on his mind.

[addicted-to-dc]

Spider-Man 2099/Miguel O’Hara X Spider!Reader - Twice Bitten (Part 2)

Here’s part 2!! I am so exited to keep this series going. No idea when I’ll have time to do the next part, but I’m sure it’ll be soon. I’m too obsessed to leave this alone. 

Link to Part 1 --- Link to Part 3

Contents: Angst, fluff, sexual tension, light body horror(?). It’s Miguel O’Hara, I think he warrants a warning himself. Friends (ish) to lovers.

Word Count: 1,700

You groggily wake up and push yourself out of the bed. Scratching your face, you immediately walk onto the wall and do your morning stretches. One pop here, a LOUD pop there, and you’re groaning against the wall as your tense muscles finally relax. Walking up the wall and onto the ceiling, you notice how your suit feels more snug than it should.

Hopping down, you land on the ground and head to the nearest reflective surface you can find. Your eyes nearly bulge out of your head at the sight of you. The suit is ruined with tears you don’t even remember getting. Do you look… bigger?

Your muscles have grown, but how is that possible? You feel like you’re going through the bite all over again, your body once again changing overnight. The next thing you notice is your neck. The bite is still there but scarred over where his teeth punctured the deepest. You pinch the bridge of your nose. How the hell are you going to deal with this?

A fresh suit lays folded on a nearby table. As soon as you grab it it retreats back into a bracelet. You pick it up and examine it. Your eyes drift back down to the table again, spotting tight underclothes. Looking down, you slowly take off your suit and finally see the all of the damage.

Your veins are practically neon, barely noticeable to the naked eye. Leaning closer to the mirror, you examine the bite. The neon is at its strongest there, but it’s overwhelming with your eyes. You lean forward, examining them. The whites of your eyes are gone, replaced with the same neon hue. Your normal eye color is gone, a haunting red staring right back at you.

Shoving your worried thoughts aside, you quickly change and place the new bracelet on. With the flick of your wrist, the suit rematerializes. You let out a sigh of relief when you recognize the same suit design. Your attention shifts back to the bracelet, now blending perfectly with the suit. Your brain itches to explore this new piece of tech, but the door opens before your self-restraint went out the window.

“I see you’re awake, good,” Miguel says, entering the room. “How are you feeling?”

“Like my 15-year-old self again,” you sigh, finally finding the button that removes your mask. It instantly disappears, leaving your curiously confused face behind.

Miguel lets out a laugh, one that shakes his upper body. He stops a few paces away from you, almost hesitant to get close. You watch as his face falls slightly, finally seeing how much he’s changed you.

“My bite doesn’t do this,” he says quietly, his eyes drifting away from you.

You close the distance, placing a hand on his shoulder, “The bite may have changed me, but we still don’t know why. What does it usually do?”

“It’s venomous, usually paralysis follows.”

You try to bite your lip to think, but the fangs immediately poke you. Wincing, you sigh and massage your temples, “It could be a million things. The interdimensional travel, maybe substances from different dimensions have different reactions, or just my DNA just reacts this way. I’ve had my suspicions from… previous experiences.”

His eyes darken at your hesitant look, shame burning across your face as you think about the symbiote locked away. Your symbiote. You push the memories down, forcing yourself to look at Miguel.

Miguel knows, he made it his mission the whole night to learn everything about you. Your story isn’t a common one, an outlier to all of the Peter Parkers, Gwen Stacys, and even Jessica Drews. There were whispers of your dimension from the others, but they all stayed away. Some have no idea how you’re still alive, the Spider that went too far and somehow came back.

“We’ll figure this out,” Miguel sighs tiredly, now his turn to pinch the bridge of his nose. “I’ll give you the tour, some food, and then we’ll deal with this at my lab.”

Your melancholy demeanor instantly shifts, a smirk growing on your face as your eyes light up. He nearly loses it when the tips of your fangs poke out from under your lips. “Gonna get me that dinner you promised?”

“I didn’t promise anything,” he mumbles, the smile on his face betraying his tone. “Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover.”

The door opens, flashing a bright light. You wince, lifting a hand up as you follow him out of the room. Your mask reappears, the covering on your eyes softening the overwhelming brightness. Once your eyes finally adjust, your eyes widen at the sight before you.

Hundreds, no, thousands of different Spideys walk along the numerous pathways that lead to who knows where. Miguel’s words knock you back into reality.

“Sensitivity to light, I hope you have sunglasses.”

You look at him, who also has his mask on. “Are you a vampire? A spider vampire?”

“Spiders have fangs,” he states matter-of-factly.

You know he’s defending himself. Did you strike a nerve? A searing pain erupts in the back of your head, your spider-sense going haywire as more and more Spiders walk near you. It’s like your senses have been dialed to one thousand. You feel him grab your shoulders, guiding you back up as the pain stops as quickly as it started.

Your brain goes a million miles per hour, trying to think of some explanation why this is happening. You were perfectly fine alone and with Miguel, why are your senses going haywire?

“You’re different than the rest, aren’t you?” you ask, the puzzle pieces finally fitting together. “You weren’t bitten by a radioactive spider, you…” Your words fade away, unwilling to finish the sentence.

You clutch your head again as more and more people pass by. Miguel quickly wraps his arm around your waist and swings away, the pain alleviating as you get further and further from the crowd.

“I’m fine, just let me-” Your words die as soon as you crush your web shooters, small sparks and web fluid flying everywhere as he swings up to a platform.

As soon as he lands you slump to the floor, staring at the broken web shooter. You used the same pressure you always have, it was designed to resist-

Miguel’s hand covers the broken tech, his other wiping the foreign tears off of your face. You didn’t even realize your mask is gone. You finally realize that it’s dark in here, probably for his comfort. Without a word, he gently removes both of your web shooters and sets them onto a nearby table. His hand returns with new ones. They seamlessly adhere to the suit.

“You’re awfully quiet for a Spider-Man,” you joke, your voice cracking when he pulls his hands away.

He remains silent for a few moments, as if he’s running with the bit, but he finally speaks. “Lyla, can you send some breakfast up here… Please.”

A hologram of a woman with a bright white coat and huge heart glasses appears in your face, scaring the shit out of you as you hit your head against the table behind you.

“Sorry,” Lyla apologizes to you. Her attention then diverts to Miguel, leaning close. “What’s gotten into you? So polite, is it because-”

“Lyla, please,” Miguel interrupts, his tired look silencing Lyla.

She looks between you two, her confused look morphing into a smirk. “I see where this is going. Don’t stop on my account.”

Your attention moves to the bracelet, fiddling with it as she drones on and on, congratulating Miguel for opening up again. You accidentally make your gloves disappear with a push of a random button. You move to fix it but Miguel’s growl paralyses you.

Miguel goes to slash at her, but she’s already gone. You stare at his talons, baffled at his control. You immediately snatch his hand, examining it. His talons retract, making you look back at him. You release his hand with a smile. “Sorry.”

“You got it right.”

“I got what right?” you question him, moving to sit across from him.

“I’m not like the others,” Miguel explains, his mask fading away. “I wasn’t bitten by a spider, more like… I had to splice my DNA with one.”

“So,” you begin, “you’re more spider than the rest of them?”

“I think you now have that title,” he whispers, his face disappearing as he covers it with his hands. “I’m supposed to fix anomalies, not create more.”

He mutters a few things under his breath, some Spanish that goes in one ear and out the other. You can tell he’s beating himself up. Whatever is haunting him, you know it’s the reason why he’s working himself to the bone to keep order. Your head tilts, confusion dominating your features once again. How do you know that?

Miguel’s face reappears, his brows furrowing. “Did you say something?”

“No, why?” you ask.

“How do you know what?”

You lean back in shock, “Did you just fucking read my mind?” It’s like the floodgates in your brain finally open, immediately standing up to pace around the platform. You forgo biting your lip and bite onto your finger, trying to figure out how exactly your minds can be connected like this. Is it because of the bite? Is he lying about being a spider vampire? Honestly that would be kind of hot-

Your pacing ceases as you accidentally bite too hard on your finger, puncturing deep with a hiss. You’re too busy examining the wound to look at Miguel. Your spider-sense goes off, urging you to turn around.

Miguel invades your personal space, his eyes completely glowing as he leans in close. As soon as his face is mere centimeters from yours the warning goes away. His warmth is intoxicating despite you feeling like a furnace right now. You feel him grasp your bleeding hand, guiding it up to his mouth as he licks the blood off of your wound.

Your entire body shivers, the urge to bite growing more and more tempting as his lips relocate to your ear.

“I’ve already bitten you once, I think it’s fair to return the favor.”

[karmaduck]

If you are still taking requests,

Tigerghost. Manny gives Danny his very own beltbuckle after hearing about his wardrobe malfunctions. Please.

I'M SO HAPPY WITH THE WAY THIS ONE TURNED OUT 👉👈 My beta readers gave me a lot of suggestions and did a great job correcting me here and there, so I really hope you enjoy it.

For age reference

Timmy - 19

Jimmy - 20

Spongebob - 36

Danny - 23

Manny - 22

Little warning: My first language isn't English, I apologize in case something doesn't make sense.

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

When Manny received an invitation from Jimmy Neutron to be a part of their interdimensional club or whatever it was, he was certain nothing interesting would come out of it. Sure the idea of different dimensions and adventures was luring, but he had enough of those at home, what could they offer him that he didn’t already have? The only reason he ended up agreeing to meet them was to reject the invitation properly, he wasn’t interested at all… At least that’s what he told himself, yet regardless of his feelings on the matter, he had a sudden change of heart upon meeting the team members, or rather, one of them.

Jimmy Neutron was the brain of the team, clearly, he had a laboratory, a robot dog named Goddard, and he was the one who gave him the device to travel through universes, he was interesting, but not the reason for his change of heart.

Timmy Turner was the youngest team member, only by a year, but still; he had these two creatures following him around, “fairies”, he said, Manny wasn’t entirely sure if he believed that, but it was interesting nonetheless… still not the reason though.

Next, and this one was a surprise, a talking sponge… Spongebob Squarepants, the oldest (for real?) member of the team, with a distinguished laughter and a love for his job and jellyfishing, whatever that was; as fun as it sounded to meet a talking sponge, he still wasn't the reason for himself to be debating the decision so much.

Danny Fenton, now that was the guy, half ghost half human, a strange accident made him like that, and his powers were amazing for sure, but what drew his attention the most was just… him. There was something about him that felt kind of magnetic, and he wanted to be with him, listen to his stories and, who knows, fight some bad guys together? These guys were all heroes, right? He could do that.

Danny was undeniably fun, but there was more to him, one could say he was… cute. Especially when he got nervous. He didn’t see that shy bit of him often, even after spending some time together, Danny carried himself with confidence most of the time, maybe because he had nothing to hide from his friends (which now included him), maybe that was just the way he was; he’d only seen Danny nervous two or three times.

The first time was when he accidentally broke one of Jimmy’s inventions and didn’t know how to tell him, he’d run to him to ask for help trying to fix it… needless to say that didn’t work well and he had to tell Jimmy about it, he’d been pretty nervous about that, and terribly apologetic too; he blushed embarrassed about his uncharacteristic clumsiness when he told Jimmy how he’d broken his invention.

Then there was the time when he lost his fish net the day Spongebob asked them to go jellyfishing with him, apparently, the two of them were pretty close friends and he didn’t want to hurt his feelings or fail him in an activity the sponge seemed to enjoy a lot, but when he was unable to find it, he’d sheepishly asked Spongebob if he had a spare for him.

The last time was something else though. They’d been chatting for what felt like hours, just having a nice time sharing stories of their fights or complaining about more mundane things such as their schools. Everything was normal up till the moment in which their hands accidentally made contact; Manny wasn’t one to shy away from contact, especially not from a cute guy, but Danny had blushed on the spot and his hand went ghost, it wouldn’t have been so funny if Danny hadn’t been leaning his weight on the table on it, the poor guy almost hit his face against it, then he tried to play it cool and stand up to go get sodas, but his legs were the next thing to go ghost, the next thing he knew his pants were on the floor. Now, as funny as that was, he didn’t find this as cute as the other times, Danny wasn’t his usual type of nervous, he was mortified and Manny found himself immediately disliking that ashamed look in his face, especially after Danny ran away.

Manny was about to go after him, but just then the new recruit, Jenny, came in with the rest of the team and he was forced to stay to meet her and chat with everyone, although he couldn’t say he paid attention, his whole mind was on Danny and what to do to make him feel better and understand he wouldn’t have laughed at him.

As it got late everyone said their goodbyes and returned to their own universes, but Danny was nowhere to be found, it wouldn’t surprise Manny if he’d decided to go home right after that incident, so he didn’t question it and returned to Miracle City. For a second he considered asking someone for advice, maybe Frida, his best friend would surely help out! Or his dad! Hell, he’d even take advice from Black Cuervo on this one as long as it helped him find a way to cheer Danny up… he quickly decided against it though, what could he tell them? That the cute guy he’d been chatting with suddenly lost his pants? Hell nah, at best they’d laugh or focus on the unnecessary details, at worst they’d misinterpret everything and it’d become awkward, not to mention he didn’t feel comfortable outing this situation to anyone, he didn’t think Danny would appreciate it, so it was up to him and to him alone to find the solution to the issue at hand.

His thoughts must have summoned Black Cuervo because that same night she decided to attack, and it was up to El Tigre to take care of everything. Thankfully, his fight against the villain brought some ideas and clarity to his situation.

Who would’ve thought, he chuckled to himself, Black Cuervo actually helped with this, and I didn’t even have to ask.

No longer than a day had passed and getting the gift was far easier than remembering the universe and city Danny came from, he was used to hanging out with him in Jimmy’s universe after all, but Danny had told him about his universe. Chingada madre, what was the name? Started with A… ability? Army?... Amity! Amity Park (what kind of name was that for a city?), if he remembered correctly, it was time for a little expedition out of this world for El Tigre.

Jimmy said the transporting device would take them somewhere near to the universe resident’s base in order to avoid issues in case someone was there, which meant he wouldn’t appear in Danny’s house, but close enough, no problem, he was ready to look for hours if needed, so knowing he’d be nearby would save him a lot of time.

Crossing the portal, he was greeted with another universe, different from his own and Jimmy’s, whose he’d gotten used to by now, high buildings and many houses raised before him as he came out from the alleyway in which he’d appear. Huh… Well, with so many houses how was he supposed to find Danny’s if the only clue was that it was near? He took back what he said earlier, this was going to be a pain in the ass.

Manny wasn’t particularly patient, so the idea of walking around until luck smiled at him and helped him find Danny’s place was giving him a headache; this was a job for El Tigre! Besides, in the worst case scenario he was sure Danny would end up finding out about a dude in a tiger suit leaping around if he didn’t find him first, and then Danny would find him; nothing could possibly go wrong.

Or that’s what he thought.

Of course, he jinxed it.

After a while looking for his friend, he found himself muttering and groaning because Danny just was nowhere to be found, and through his mind ran the possibility that Danny actually knew he was there and was just keeping himself invisible to avoid him. It was unlike him, but at the rate things were going Manny was willing to entertain the idea, if only to get that out of his head as soon as possible.

“Alright,” he took a deep breath and sat down on the roof of the building he had just landed on, “Danny, if you can hear me, I really need to talk to you right now, hombre!”

…

…

Nothing.

Of course, if Danny was avoiding him he wouldn’t reply, but-

A shudder ran through his body, the ambience growing colder than it was before; Danny had given him this feeling many times before, that was how one felt when a ghost was close. He sighed relieved, figuring if there was any ghost nearby it had to be Danny, and that meant he had listened to him. He stood up and smiled, preparing the little speech he had rehearsed for this moment, but when he turned around, whoever that was, it wasn’t Danny.

“Danny Phantom?” He asked with a smirk, “You know him, boy?”

“What’s it to ya?” Manny hissed in response, getting ready for a fight.

“You must be one of his friends! Oh, this must be my lucky day! Finally, that child will learn a thing or two about respecting elder ghosts!”

Before he could react, the ghost had a tight grip on him, lifting him off his feet and flying away from the roof; Manny tried almost every trick he’d learned as El Tigre to free himself, but there was no use, he couldn’t touch the damn spirit with his claws; for a second he considered summoning the Ancient tiger spirit, guessing that if anything could touch a spirit it just had to be another, but as soon as he was to try that theory the man he was looking for appeared.

“Well, well, well! If it isn’t Danny Phantom! I knew you wouldn’t resist coming for your friend!”

“Let him go!”

“As you wish, child!”

Being dropped from the sky wouldn’t be funny if he was a normal guy, but Manny Rivera was no normal guy, he was sure he could land relatively safely and Danny would take care of the ghost no problem, but he supposed it would be impossible for someone like Danny to ignore one of his friends falling, because the next thing he knew, he was caught by the halfa.

“Y’know, I could’ve handled that. Thanks though.”

“What the hell are you even doing here?!”

“Geez, I’m glad to see you too!”

“Are you boys done chatting?” The ghost, now angry at being ignored launched itself to attack Danny.

“Okay, we’ll talk about this later, I’ll take care of this loser first!”

Earlier in their relationship, Manny had wanted to fight side by side with him, but being held as Danny took care of everything wasn’t exactly how he pictured it, he’d imagined it more… epic, having each other’s backs as they defeated some baddie; granted, this was cool too, he could see Danny use his ghost powers from pretty close, but he wasn’t contributing much to the fight, and he was sure Frida would laugh if she could see him like this, it was a bit embarrassing.

By the end of the battle the ghost was captured in a thermos and Danny was pretty much unscathed, with only a few scratches to worry about. The two landed in the nearby roof and transformed back, finally, Manny could talk with Danny.

“For the record, getting kidnapped wasn’t in my plans when I came.”

“Why did you come?” He didn’t sound upset, which Manny counted as a small victory, but he still seemed pretty ashamed about what had happened.

“Hey…” Manny held his hand and offered a smile, “listen, about what happened; there’s nothing to be ashamed of, ‘kay? I wasn’t going to laugh.”

“Bullshit.”

“Aw, c’mon, man, give me some credit, I really wasn’t! I was going to tell you that, but you ran away and then the new team member came and I couldn’t follow after you.”

“… Alright… so you just came to tell me that?”

“Not exactly,” he chuckled as he fished from his pocket the gift he’d brought for him, placing it in Danny’s hand, “cool, right?”

“… It’s a belt buckle.”

“It is! A bit like my own, but it has a P, y’know, for Phantom. Made it myself. It’s not magical like mine, but I thought it might come in handy.”

“You made me a belt buckle?”

“Yeah! Like I said, I really wasn’t going to laugh, but you seemed mortified, and I thought this might help a bit.”

“… Huh…”

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that! This is just… it’s pretty thoughtful, I don’t know what to say! Thank you…”

Ah… that was a different kind of blush, one he hadn’t seen on Danny…

This was by far his favorite one…

[aclevername8]

It's been a hot minute since I posted here lol, so I thought I'd share a bunch of art I've gotten of my AU over the last few months since then--starting with this piece (my now girlfriend) @aynek-draw drew for me back in October to celebrate the two-year anniversary of my AU!

And to begin, here's a 'quick' overview of all the currently planned main characters of my AU, all of whom were drawn/designed by my good friend @wolfcha1k!

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

Ratchet and Rivet, the prime protagonists of my AU, who need no introduction.

Basically, everything happens as is in canon until before Rift Apart/after Into the Nexus, where Clank gives Ratchet the opportunity to meet the Lombaxes by privately giving him the repaired Dimensionator in their Veldin home, and Ratchet actually accepts it.

And upon meeting the Lombaxes, he finds that his father had been alive the entire time, and after reuniting with him, now spends time with the father and species he never knew, on top of being officially ordained as a fellow Keeper of the Dimensionator for his valiant efforts in defeating Tachyon and avenging their species.

In an effort to revitalize the since-defunct Interdimensional Divsion of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research, Ratchet and Kaden travel to the Archives a month after his arrival to grab some items before getting caught up in an adventure against Emperor Nefarious, and meeting Rivet and Kit along the way.

After helping her defeat Nefarious, they allow her to meet her birth uncle, Mags, on top of getting to know the Lombaxes as well--but developing a crush on Ratchet along the way, with the two having love at first sight.

After getting to know each other better (like building the brand-new RYNO 8 together), they would finally start dating to the obviousness of literally everyone around them, and eventually, marrying and having two children together, an older daughter and a younger son.

Ultimately, they'd retire from all the heroics, having had enough of an exciting lifestyle, and instead running a humble mechanic shop on Ratchet's home of Veldin, with the slogan of "Giving Your Ships A Little R&R!" and a greenhouse in the back for Rivet and Kit to partake in their favorite hobby of gardening.

Kaden, another prime protagonist and whole inspiration to even make this AU so that he can live and be the best dad he can, goddammit.

Described by many as a cocky smartass, no one can say Kaden is underdeserving of praise at being an accomplished Praetorian General, Elder Councilman, Cohead of the Interdimensional Division, and most importantly, Keeper of the Dimensionator. But even with so many renowned titles, Kaden's favorite one is the title of 'father'.

When Tachyon attacked and took nearly everything from him, Kaden was lucky enough to have his son spared, but at the cost of his wife's life, Marie, who with her last words, made him promise to do anything to protect their son. Following her words, Kaden left him on the planet Veldin for his own safety before fighting Tachyon to what he thought was his death after staying behind to protect the Lombaxes.

Although he lost, he was unexpectedly saved by his friends, Mags and Julie, when they built an illegal Dimensionator to retrieve him before he could die. Unfortunately, the Council was so spooked by Tachyon that they banned Dimensionators outright to prevent anyone from returning to the original dimension to eliminate any chance of Tachyon following them through--stranding Kaden from his son.

Even though Kaden did all he could to try and go back--even ending up in prison for a short time for being caught building his own Dimensionator--all he could do was appeal to them every single month for twenty years in the vain hope his son was still alive.

Thankfully, Ratchet would reunite with him when he returned to the Lombaxes, allowign Kaden to fulfill his promise he made to Marie all those years ago. And with Ratchet's arrival, came the unexpected consequence of being able to meet a new friend and eventual new wife, Chief Alice Wells, and later (accidentally) having a second child with her, their daughter Lucy.

Over the years, Kaden would find himself from making peace with the fact he'd die alone as a failed father to the patriarch and great-grandfather of a large and extremely crazy family that he wouldn't trade anything in the entire multiverse for loving every single one of them with all his heart.

Kaden's best friends, Julie and Mags, the head and cohead of the Center's Weapons and Interdimensional Divisions, respectfully, who saved Kaden at the last minute from Tachyon by building a dimensionator to retrieve him before death.

While Mags is known to everyone else as the Lombax that helped Kaden find their new home in the Great Exodus, those closest to him know him as one of the best, most loyal friends you can ever have. Intelligent, enthusiastic about both ships and the interdimensional, he can be a little awkward at times, but makes for a fun friend if you can understand half the jargon he talks about.

Although he once had a twin sister who he was close to that died in a freak accident during the Great Exodus, Mags was extremely lucky to eventually find out that her daughter, his niece, Rivet (or Rosie, as she would have been named) survived, allowing himself to be the uncle he always wanted to be.

And right alongside him is Julie (or Cool Aunt Julie, as she wishes to be called from both Ratchet and Rivet), who is aptly described as a living ball of chaos that if left alone would probably find a way to explode something in the name of science and badassery in an effort to find yet another insane idea for a gun.

But even her mere existence can be argued as a health hazard for others in the room, she is fiercely loyal to anybody she latches onto, being Mags and Kaden 99% of the time, even if she bickers with them both about nearly everything--especially on the topic of convincing them to build a gun into the Dimensionator "Because it'd be so cool, just think about it!"

Even despite the fact that she and Mags have been bickering nonstop for the years they've known each other, they eventually started dating and married after years of working at the Center made them undateable to normal people, which suited them just fine.

Along with Kaden, they are extremely close three peas in a pod that have an unbreakable bond after supporting each other through post-Tachyon misery for over twenty years.

Chief (Alice) Wells of the Lombax City Guard, who has a tough-as-nails attitude, but a secret softie side that only a few are permitted to see.

Sick of her mens' shit from growing extremely complacent over the years after the newly-bolstered post-Tachyon Praetorian Guard made New Fastoon one of the safest planets ever, Wells has grown one hell of a temper, being able to come up with very creative insults and punishments (including tazing her own men without hesitation after they call her a bitch under his breath), almost everyone who meets her is scared of her. Almost.

If there's anything she hates most, it is little punks who treat the law as a mere suggestion, and as such, it was natural for her and Ratchet (and eventually Rivet (AKA Punk and Missy)) to have an intense feud that make them hate each other's guts--especially Ratchet's, after his arrival to the Lombaxes caused a city-wide chase that made the City Guard look like fools.

But even then, she and Kaden soon found themselves in an unexpected friendship, and even more unexpectedly, a relationship that would eventually have them married and have a surprise daughter, Lucy.

Even though Wells would say she HATES being the Punk's stepmom out of technicality, deep down, she (and Ratchet) grow a soft spot for each other that would have them respect each other somewhat--as long as no one else would be able to see.

But if you asked her if she loved Ratchet's children, she would say with no hesitation that she loves her grandbabies with all her heart.

Ratchet's kind (and short) yet unfortunately deceased mother, Marie.

When she and Kaden first met as teenagers at the Academy, it was love at first sight, and after being sick of being forced to watch them awkwardly flirt and dance around their mutual crush, their best friends Lorna and Alister pushed them to finally date, and the rest was history.

Dating through the Academy, Kaden's Praetorian training and induction to the Center, Marie's graduation from Vapedia's college, the two married, and their lives couldn't be any happier.

But when Marie announced she was pregnant (by accident after a night of drunken celebration of Kaden's promotion to General), Kaden was admittedly scared and disliked the idea of being a father, but voiced no such thoughts at seeing Marie be so happy at being a mother.

But thankfully, when Ratchet (or Kipler, as he was to be named) was born, Kaden's fear turned to ecstasy and unspeakable joy, wishing right alongside Marie to be the best parent ever.

However, when Tachyon attacked, Marie died saving Ratchet from their collapsing home, and with her final words, told Kaden to promise her to protect their son, a promise Kaden upholds to this day, even as he sees himself become a great-grandfather.

And although Kaden now finds himself with a new wife and second child, he still loves Marie with all his heart, and now loves her through their son that shares her blood--and her height, never failing to make jokes at Ratchet's expense, as "If not even your mom never got to escape my jokes, then neither should you, shorty."

Rivet's deceased parents, Dex and Kayla, the respective head of maintenance and high-ranking interdimensional researcher at the Lombaxes' Interdimensional Research Colony on Savali in Rivet's dimension.

Back before Tachyon attacked, some Lombaxes lived and operated in a research colony on the planet Savali, home of the Interdimensional Archives, and headed at the time by Mags, being his responsiblity as cohead of the Interdimensional Division.

Although Kayla, his twin sister, was just as bright as him and fully capable of such a role, she was content with just being a researcher, always avid to learn about the next breakthrough. But as a result, she had a tendency to be quite awkward at times, especially when it came to her eventual crush on the colony's head of maintenance/local handyman, Dex, responsible for fixing anything that breaks in the colony, from integral machinery to coffeemakers.

Instead of trying to talk to him like a normal person, Kayla had an ingenious idea of intentionally destroying her appliances and calling him over to fix it, where they would 'happen' to chat as he repaired her stuff, which worked quite well for a while until Dex asked her out because "It sounds nicer to talk to you over a nice dinner than over me fixing your toaster that 'accidentally' fell onto a hammer about eight times for the third time this week, right?"

The two would go on to marry, and eventually, have a little girl that they and Mags absolutely adored. Disaster would strike during the Great Exodus, where while they were returning back to Savali from an off-planet trip, they would fly into the territory of a new 'Empire' and be shot down over Sargasso with Mags watching their final moments over a call urging them to come back home ASAP, leading him to believe his family had died in front of him.

However, while the call had ended from their crashing ship, they had placed their infant daughter in an escape pod in the nick of time, sacrificing themselves, but saving Rivet. She safely landed on Sargasso to be eventually raised by the Morts, and even later, aided by Ratchet and Kaden to overthrow the Nefarious Empire that unknowingly killed her parents, and allowed her the chance to meet her Uncle Mags that she never knew existed.

Ratchet and Rivet's (taller) firstborn child and rambunctious daughter, Mallet-Marie (nicknamed Mallarie).

When Ratchet and Rivet found out they were pregnant, they initially wanted to name their daughter 'Mallet' similarly to their own tool names they themselves had. Kaden, however, argued against it, saying that while they might not have grown up 'normally', their daughter will, and she 'at least needs a normal name to not be bullied with, please.' So, they compromised, and gave her both a tool name and a normal name, of which they named in honor of Ratchet's late mother--who she happened to have great resemblance to as well, to their pleasant surprise. Needless to say, Kaden was very happy with her name.

Growing up as the daughter to a family of renowned heroes from her intergalactically famous father, Ratchet, her mother that led a resistance to overthrow an entire galactic empire, Rivet, and her heroic grandfather that helped save and protect their entire species, Kaden, Mallarie sought to follow in their footsteps, thirsting for a life of adventure and--most importantly--fun.

As a result, she loves mischief and unwise ideas (with Ratchet and Rivet believing that it was karma against them for the hell they themselves raised growing up), always up for the first sign of adventure, no matter how dangerous or impulsive it may be.

And when her 'nerdy' brother, Miter-Mags, came along (via 4-year-old Mallarie poking holes in 'mommy and daddy's funny balloons' as a prank), her secondary objective was to 'de-nerdify' him by dragging him along on her adventures whenever she could, even if he protested against it, complaining that he wasn't into the idea of sharing their parents' exciting lifestyles.

However, Mallarie's impulsiveness to drag Miter on her dangerous adventures would catch up to her, and on an adventure gone wrong, Miter would lose his leg saving Mallarie from being killed. To say Ratchet and Rivet were furious is an understatement, and feeling ashamed and miserable that she nearly killed her brother, Mallarie would flee to Savali to be alone--but with her Aunt Kit following her.

Kit would help Mallarie deal with the all-too-familiar feeling of nearly killing a loved one and causing them to lose a limb--admitting the truth of her mother's missing arm was because Kit shot her a long time ago. And so, after a few weeks of talking and reflection, Mallarie came back home to face her family for forgiveness--only to find that her brother was not mad at her at all, saying he'd gladly lose his other leg if it meant his sister would still be alive. And upon seeing his forgiveness, Ratchet and Rivet apologized to Mallarie for unfairly blaming her completely for the accident, and the family would move on stronger than they were before.

Although the experience sobered Mallarie to her adventuring ways, it didn't kill her mischievous spirit, and upon meeting a wannabe rebel in Jett, a Lombax she met while sitting in jail yet again, proceeded to try and teach him the ways of being a rebel punk like her.

But what she didn't expect, however, was find a kind, loving gentleman in him that made her want to settle down with him, eventually becoming her boyfriend. And when her brother accidentally had a child, they both talked about their future together, and decided they wanted to marry and have a family.

As a result, Mallarie cleaned up her act and enlisted in the Praetorian Guard, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become a General like her grandpa to support her eventual twin daughters Allie and Rose, getting all the adventure she ever wanted.

But even grown up as a respected General and all they've been through, Mallarie still teases her brother about being a 'dumb nerd' to this day.

Ratchet and Rivet's second (just as short) child and intelligent, voice-of-reason son, Miter-Mags.

Named similarly after Mallarie, and in honor of Rivet's uncle, Mags, Miter takes much after him in terms of intelligence and curiosity. Unlike the rest of his immediate family, Miter enjoys a quieter lifestyle, interested not in guns and adventures, but in books and the unknowns of science.

With encouragement from his grandpa Kaden and great-uncle Mags, Miter graduated all the way from college with the Lombaxes to eventually work under them at the Center for Advanced Lombax Research in the Interdimensional Division.

However, this and his interested made him a 'boring nerd' in his sister's eyes, and as such, was unable to completely escape his family's lifestyle, finding himself begrudgingly dragged away on dangerous adventures by his sister in an effort to make him 'cooler', forcing him to learn a thing or two about fighting in the process.

However, disaster would strike one day when he lost a leg protecting his sister on an adventure gone wrong. Being blamed by their parents, Mallarie fled from home while Miter remained to recover from his injury, Rivet being there the most from him, and hating the fact that her son suffered the same fate she did, losing a leg while she lost an arm.

But while Rivet helped him get over the loss of a limb, Miter similarly helped his parents get over the anger they felt towards Mallarie, as he hated seeing her sister in so much distress, and seeing his family being divided, and slowly convinced them that it wasn't her fault since he could have simply refused to go, and saying that they should be thankful that they are both still alive.

Thankfully, Mallarie eventually returned, allowing everyone to make up and apologize for regrettable things that have been said, and to better help move on from the incident, everyone pitched in to help build Miter a yellow prosthetic similar to Rivet's, a symbol of their love overcoming a struggle as great as this one.

And as it turned out, his amputation was a blessing in disguise, as when he returned to work, a very shy coworker of his, Estelle, was the most concerned about his accident, asking if he was okay, and always being there to help him whenever he needed it, her worry overpowering her ordinary shyness.

After a while of getting to know each other, the two would start dating, and upon finding out and enjoying his new girlfriend's secretly extremely high libido, the two would accidentally end up having a child together--something that literally everyone expected Mallarie to do and not 'actually sensible and reasonable Miter'.

Thankfully, it was a happy accident, and Miter and Estelle would marry and happily raise their son, Jules, with Miter eventually being handed the mantle of Keeper of the Dimensionator after his grandfather retires from the profession.

And even though Miter found himself at the butt of his sister's short jokes for his entire life, with her escaping their parents' acquired genes of shorter height to his chagrin, he found that a second blessing in disguise of his amputation was that kicking his sister's shins in response was much more effective with a metal prosthetic than his natural foot.

Kaden and Wells' open softie yet fiery-on-the-inside daughter, Lucille 'Lucy' Wells.

Accidentally entering the world when her mother demanded Kaden a 'destressing' session after a particularly bad day, with Wells neglecting protection in her fervor because 'we're probably too old to have kids anyway, just get over here and take off your pants already', Lucy was quite an unexpected development in her family's life, but far from unwelcome.

Although, Wells initially feared being a mother (and Ratchet loathed the idea of getting a half-sister from The Bitch™) due to the responsibility that comes with it, with her always denying the fact that she was pregnant despite the obvious symptoms, like morning sickness (she just had a long-lasting flu), her strange nighttime cravings (it's totally normal to eat pickles and tutti-frutti ice cream at midnight, KADEN), and gaining some weight (it's just too many pickles and tutti-frutti ice cream). Eventually, though, thanks to many talks from Kaden and new mother herself, Rivet, Wells would come to accept her new daughter (who would earn the pet names Pickles and Tutti Frutti due to being the blamed cause of Wells' baby bump).

Due to the timing of her birth, Lucy grew up quite close with Mallarie and Miter (of whom would be her niece and nephew, despite the fact that Mallarie was older than her by a year or two), often being confused as their sister, although she honestly was close enough to be one.

And as Kaden and Wells would find out, even though Lucy was as cute as a button and outwardly very sweet and loving of cute things, she had also inherited her mother's Wrath of Wells, giving her a bit of a temperament and capacity to unleash hell on any unfortunate soul dumb who pissed her off.

In her childhood, Kaden got her a pink Protopet as a gift, given by Angela Cross (who had in fact fled to the Lombaxes years prior, working as a biologist at the Center), and Lucy immediately fell in love with her and named her Pinky. Wells, while initially irritated that Kaden got a pet without talking to her first, would come to actually love Pinky as well--especially once she saw how terrified of it Ratchet was due to his past experience with Protopets. Thankfully, Ratchet too would come to like Pinky--but only after they locked him in a room with her until he stopped screaming once they were tired of him refusing to let him or his children even step near their house after they got her.

And in her teenage years, Lucy eventually found herself head over heels with a girl in her class, Cecily, finding her goth fashion, intelligence in poetry and philosophy, and (most importantly) big breasts quite attractive. Unfortunately for her, just like her half-brother and father, she was an awkward mess with romance, and struggled to talk to her. Fortuantely, though, Cecily (or Cee Cee, as a nickname) loved Pinky, and the two eventually bonded when Pinky ran away from home with Cecily finding her, leading to them dating, and later on, marrying.

As for a career, Lucy wanted to follow her mother's footsteps in joining the City Guard to help make the world a safer place for the average citizen, sharing her family's willingness to do good, and found that her mother gave absolutely zero preferential treatment towards her daughter, treating her as just a normal recruit.

While it was a struggle at first adapting to her mother yelling at her after being used to her being sweet with her, it only served to make Lucy quite an effective officer, and with the edge that the Wrath of Wells gave her on her job to enforce order and justice, she quickly rose through the ranks of City Guard. Soon, she would be promoted to Chief of the City Guard to protect their sister dimension's city once Lombaxes return to the old Fastoon to rebuild their ancestral home, and even later on, fully succeeding her mother in leading the City Guard across two dimensions.

Even then, though, she never did escape Mallarie's teasing, from being called 'Copper' for both her fur color and profession, having to deal with constantly arresting Mallarie herself (alongside Wells) during her rebellious years, and once promoted to Chief, Mallarie teasing how she was just a 'lowly Chief' while she herself was 'an awesome General' in the Praetorians. Luckily for Lucy, though, she was raised by one of the biggest smartasses on Fastoon, so she'd always be sure to throw a comeback that'd make her father proud.

Born as Jeremiah, Jett wants nothing to do with the family he's been given, wanting to be as far away as possible from them.

Although one would think that being born in an elite, aristocratic family with its patriarch having a seat on the Council of the Center for Advanced Lombax Research would be a one-way ticket to an easy life, it is anything but for Jett.

Being raised by parents who don't want him and a grandfather that cares not about Jett's desires to be anything other than the future Councilman they all want him to be, to say that Jett hates his family is an understatement. Although he does want to do good to help people, with his family arguing that the best way to go about it is being a Councilman to enact laws and such, Jett wants to help people directly, and he feels as though being a Councilman only serves to help his privileged family remain privileged, helping the elite more than the people.

And between his loveless, misogynistic father that brings home a different woman every week, his perpetually drunken mother that numbs her life with luxuries, and his cold, elderly Councilman grandfather that seems to make decisions 'for the greater good' without caring about those that they hurt, and the slew of shallow aristocrates they all meet with, Jett is sick of the elite lifestyle.

So, stating that his name was no longer Jeremiah and now Jett, he entered a rebellious phase to finally gain all the freedom he ever wanted, trying to act as rebels are supposed to do, from joyriding his parents' stolen ships and graffiti. Only problem was that, quite franky, he sucked at being a punk instead of a gentleman, and didn't know what to do.

However, after sitting in jail from a joyride, he happened to meet Mallarie (who immediately nicknamed him 'Spot' over his fur marking on his eye), who upon learning his want to be a rebel to escape his 'asshole family', took him under her wing to teach him how to have real fun, making him tag along on her adventures and mischievous escapades to teach him how to be a rebel.

However, Jett found himself falling in love with Mallarie, especially after meeting her family and getting a taste of what it's like to have relatives that love you unconditionally--especially if she too had a Councilman grandfather that had the capacity to be a loving patriarch. And after opening up about his own loveless family, he was unofficially accepted into Mallarie's shortly after they started dating, who he now considered to be his real family now.

Once Jett's family learned of him and Mallarie dating, they sought to make him date 'within your own class' by trying to set him up with an aristocratic snob, Brittney. Jett, however, hated being forced on dates with her by his family, and it was the final straw to make him leave them all for good.

Now with a family where he was actually loved and accepted for who he was, he and Mallarie talked about their future together, and decided to have a family of their own, with Mallarie getting a career in the Praetorians to help support them.

When they had their twin daughters, Allie and Rose, Jett became a stay-at-home dad, wanting to be in their lives for as much as possible, wanting to be the best parent he never got, loving his children with the love he so desperately wished to have himself growing up.

But when they got older, and the task of being a full-time parent was no longer needed, Jett decided that he wanted to fulfill his desire to help people once more, but this time, instead of going on heroic adventures with Mallarie, he decided to pursue a career as a Councilman, now on his terms instead of his family's.

Although he wished he had a family like Mallarie's growing up, he is more than happy that he was able to ensure that his own daughters grew up with the happy childhood he never had.

Estelle--It's always the quiet ones.

Growing up with intense social anxiety all her life, being a quiet, shy, wallflower bookworm, no one would suspect sweet and intelligent Estelle to consistently have the highest libido in the room.

Whenever she isn't dedicated herself to the pursuit of interdimensional knowledge, quickly finding herself a job as a high-ranking researcher in the Interdimensional Division, she is indulging in her favorite hobby of reading smutty romance novels, having quite the collection.

While working in the Interdimensional Division, she found herself getting a crush on her coworker, Miter, always loving his charm and intellect, but always being to shy to say more than a few passing words to him. But after he suffered from his accident and not being able to show up to work for a month, only getting updates from his grandfather Kaden and great-uncle Mags who also worked there, Estelle grew very worried about him.

Luckily, he eventually came back, but upon seeing him missing a leg with a new prosthetic, Estelle's worry overpowered her anxiety, wanting to make sure that he was alright, sparking their first real conversation together. Ever since then, Estelle was always willing to help Miter out whenever he needed it, and being braver to actually talk to him now that they actually somewhat knew each other, allowing them both to work more closely together. And soon enough, Estelle mustered up the guts to ask him out--something that made Miter a bit sore because he too was trying to get enough nerve to ask her out only to be beaten by her.

He quickly found out just how much of a sex drive his seemingly innocent girlfriend had, on top of learning of her hobby for smutty and romantic novels, but luckily for her, he did not judge her one bit for her somewhat embarrassing hobby--especially when he found the smut she had secretly written about them as well. He was more than happy to help her indulge in her libido, however.

But it was said indulgence that led to an accidental pregnancy with their child, but thankfully, Miter and Estelle felt up to the task, and decided to marry and raise their unexpected son, Jules.

Although the incident served as a stark reminder for the importance of protection, it did nothing to stifle Estelle's sex drive, always loving the fact that she was able to find true love like all the girls of her smutty romance novels did--except her one true love was a short scientist instead of a broad, scantily-clad burly hunk.

Cecily is a true example of don't judge a book by its cover--nor by its taste in music and fashion.

Although one would think that with her goth outfit and many piercings that Cecily (or Cee Cee, as those closest to her also call her) is a punk, you wouldn't be further from the truth. In stark contrast to her fashion sense and preferred taste of heavy metal music, Cecily is often a quiet and stoic individual, not by any sense of anxiety, but rather from a mindset of not needing to speak unless she has something to say.

And thanks to her love of poetry and philosophy, much of what Cecily has to say is quite meaningful and full of beauty--which is exactly why Lucy fell in love with her in the first place, on top of finding her quite physically attractive as well.

Contrary to what Lucy thought, Cecily did know she existed, and also found her awkward attempts at getting to know her quite endearing. And luckily, Lucy's pet protopet, Pinky, similarly loved Cecily, and happened to run to her when she ran away one day, allowing her and Lucy a perfect opportunity to talk.

And much like Marie and Ratchet's partners, Cecily did too find Lucy's inherited romantic awkwardness very cute and charming, and soon began dating Lucy, finding her to be an extremely dedicated and loving partner.

While Lucy would go on to find a career in the City Guard as an officer and eventual Chief, Cecily instead pursued her passion in writing and poetry, and while not becoming as popular so as to go down in the history books, found enough success that she can be happy with a job, wife, and cute and cuddly pet that she loves.

From Kaden, his own family, and pretty much everyone else that meets him, they all agree on one thing; Harold is undoubtedly the epitome of a crotchety old man.

Already having a bit of gruffness to him in his younger days, it was only made worse when Tachyon attacked, killing his beloved wife, Cynthia, and nearly destroying the planet that he loved. As a result, Councilman Harold was the most vocal proponent to banning Dimensionators outright to prevent any chance of encountering Tachyon ever again.

As a result, however, him and fellow Councilman Kaden had a bitter rivalry, with Harold always standing as Kaden's biggest obstacle between him and retrieving his son for the twenty whole years they were separated. Harold did not care, however, as he always stood for doing what was for the greater good of all Lombaxes--even if it meant crushing the dreams of others.

When Ratchet arrived to prove Harold wrong that Ratchet was not in fact a 'dead and rotting pile of bones that Tachyon has undoubtedly dealt with by now, Kaden', it did nothing to change his attitude or demeanor, only making him agree that it was like father, like son: They were both smartasses that annoyed him to no end.

But while he was a respected Councilman, albeit agreeable, his home life fared no better, with the death of his wife making him a cold man towards his own family to their own detriment, especially towards his rebellious grandson.

As his son, Felix, and his daughter-in-law, Ophelia, were questionable in their parenting skills in the best of times, Harold was one of the most present relatives in Jett's life that showed him the most love--which was not saying much. Even though they used to be close, Jett's disillusionment to his family's lifestyle and expectations of him drove them apart, coming to a head when Jett firmly denounced his entire family to say that he was leaving them--for Kaden's family.

To hear his own grandson say that Harold's most bitter rival was a better grandparent than he ever was stung more than he thought, especially when Kaden himself reamed into Harold one time for squandering the family he had while Kaden fought him for the right to even have one for twenty whole years.

Having his most loved relative abandon him began a period of reflection in Harold's life, which was unfortunately not for much longer. On his deathbed, he asked for Jett to see him, and in an emotional conversation, apologized to Jett for not giving him the love that he should have been given, and even though he knew it was too late to give it now, he was happy to see that he had found it with Mallarie and the rest of Kaden's family, and made Jett promise to be a better man than both him and his father.

Although the experience would leave Jett with bittersweet feelings, it at least made him feel more at peace with his decision to leave his family with his grandfather's blessing and love, making the few happy memories he had with him all the sweeter.

The epitome of a dysfunctional and loveless family, Felix and Ophelia.

Thanks to his father Harold's more neglectful style of parenthood due to his wife's death during Tachyon's attack, Felix unfortunately grew up with some bad habits--particularly, having the same neglectful mindset of being a parent.

Ophelia was actually of a lower class than Harold's more aristrocratic background, and when the two started dating, she was pressured into marrying him to secure her own place with the elite, but finding out much too late that with Felix and his misogynistic beliefs and bitter attitude, she made a poor choice.

In an effort to save their marriage, the two had a child, Jeremiah (later deeming himself 'Jett'), only to find that it amplified the problems with Felix being an absent, harsh father that soon found a regular hobby of bringing escorts home, and Ophelia numbing her loathsome life with drinking and empty pleasures of a wealthy lifestyle, also opting to neglect their son.

While the two of them fell out of love long ago, now trapped in a loveless marriage, the only thing they could agree on was that their son would be a disappointment if he never became a Councilman to further secure their class status once Harold dies. They made sure to voice this to Jett for his whole life, on top of the odd insult and statement that they would have probably been happier if they never had him in the first place.

With parents like these, it was no surprise when Jett disowned himself and never looked back, and while Harold was the only one who was most hurt by it, Felix and Ophelia were simply annoyed and opted for a 'good riddance' attitude.

However, seeing Jett leave their family gave Ophelia enough courage to finally leave her loveless and long-since-dead marriage, and left Felix with his constant weekly escorts to try and find her own happiness in life.

Wherever she or Felix ended up after Jett left, however, he doesn't really know, nor does he care at all, only that they remain out of his and his children's life forever.

With the both of them being among the most insufferable and vapid people one can meet, Brad and Brittney truly are made for each other.

Ever since puberty, Brad's main goal in life is to get laid whenever he can--guys, girls, doesn't matter as long as he has a good time. As a result, he has racked up one hell of a body count over the years, and broken-hearted exes to go with it. And even though he gained a reputation from his countless conquests, that he cares more about maintaining his admittedly attractive looks than his actual partner for the week, Mallarie neglected to listen when he asked her out, believing that she could 'fix him'.

The fact that he flirted with both her parents, her brother, and her (lesbian) aunt Lucy upon introducing him wasn't enough to deter Mallarie despite literally everyone telling her she should run. But thankfully, the situation 'fixed' itself once she turned down Brad's instent offer to finally have sex--Mallarie arguing that if she was losing her virginity, it wasn't in the back of a ship after getting fast food--and upon seeing that Mallarie wasn't going to be an easy conquest, he dumped her, forever cementing the family's hate towards him.

Brittney, on the other hand, was born in a high-class family, and as such, finds anyone one poorer and/or of lower-class far beneath her, and has had everything handed to her on a silver platter. Her family tried to set her up to date Jett as a ploy from his family to try and get him away from Mallarie.

Unsurprisingly, Jett paid no attention to Brittney on their forced dates, both from the fact that he already had a girlfriend, and the fact that he hated Brittney's vapid, selfish, and elitist personality. So after one last date crashed with Mallarie's aid, Jett left Brittney behind, which upset her greatly in thinking that she wasn't good enough.

She decided to drown her sorrows in a high-class bar later that night, where she happened to run into Brad, who upon convincing her that he was totally some rich dude that's clearly in the same class status of her, they had a one-night stand. But after being so lucky for so long, Brad's luck ran out as Brittney ended up pregnant to both of their dismay.

However, as the reality of him being a father began to hit him, something changed inside of Brad, making him decide to try and turn around his ways to be the best dad he can be to provide for his family. Luckily, Brittney's CEO dad (who was very displeased about the pregnancy as well) got him a job at his company's mailroom, and thanks to Brad's natural charisma, managed to work his way up to a respectable managerial position in the company over the years to support their son, Oliver.

And although his and Brittney's relationship was rocky at the start, neither wishing for a relationship nor even a child together, they did all they could to try and make it work together, which thankfully, they did, their new child and marriage doing wonders to change their otherwise selfish ways and grow to be better people.

Brad and Brittney would even later run into Mallarie and Jett, respectively, and apologize to them for their shitty selves they had to deal with when they had to 'date' them, saying that they had grown up and matured since then.

To this day, the two couples are actually good friends, allowing their children to grow up playing with each other and becoming best friends--and even allowing a budding romance to blossom between them as well.

However, it doesn't make it any less awkward when Brad still runs into one of his many exes on his day-to-day.

Ratchet and Rivet's grandchildren; Allie, Rose, and Jules.

To be honest, I decided that this generation is my cutoff point for developing my AU, as if I went beyond this, I know I would never stop making this family huge, so not every much is decided on what they actually do as it doesn't really matter lmao

Allie and Rose are Mallarie and Jett's twin daughters, named after Wells and Rivet, respectively (with Wells' first name being Alice and Rivet's original birth name being Rosie). Allie would grow up to be more headstrong while Rose woudl grow up more shy and reserved.

Jules is Miter and Estelle's son (and the oldest of his cousins), and he is named after Julie--mostly because she was very butthurt that Kaden and Ratchet didn't name any of their children after her. Needless to say, she was very happy.

Brad and Brittney's son, Oliver, or 'Oli' as everyone calls him.

Similar to Allie/Rose/Jules, Oliver is in the generation that I am deciding not to develop to stop myself from going overboard, so not much is decided about him outside of the fact that he is Allie and Rose's childhood friend, and that he ends up in a relationship with one of them (probably Allie).

And don't worry, he isn't a vapid asshole like his parents were.

Jett's grandma/Harold's late wife, Cynthia.

Not much is developed of her because of the fact that she's been dead and honestly doesn't have much bearing on the AU as a whole, but Harold used to be not as crotchety and cold when she was around, and she was quite the gossip, but an otherwise sweet and kind lady.

Wells' late ex-Praetorian father, Ulysses.

Ulysses used to be a respected Praetorian captain back in his day before retiring to spend more time with his family, including Wells when she was a little girl, who looked up to him very much.

But when Tachyon attacked, while his family evacuated, he stayed behind to aid his fellow Praetorians in the evacuation, but unfortunately was killed by Tachyons' forces. As a result, Wells vowed to follow her father's footsteps in wanting to make the world a better, safer place, sparking her fire in pursuing a career in the City Guard--opting to enlist with them rather than the Praetorians because Wells felt as though the City Guard makes more of an impact on the average person's life, being able to better see the fruits of her labor for herself.

Wells' mother (or sister?), Sierra.

At first, Sierra was drawn to be Wells' mother (as my friend wanted to know more about Wells' backstory), and that she died with her father to better establish her motivations to want to do good--mostly by the fact that they accidentally instilled a workaholic mentality into Wells before they died.

But then another friend thought of the juicy idea of Sierra being alive purely so that she and Ratchet (and Rivet) actually bond so that Wells would have to watch with horror as her mom would become frineds with The Punk and Missy.

But then I had the idea of what if Sierra was Wells' older and more fun-loving sister for those juicy sisterly dynamics, still making her and Ratchet pals, but also so that Kaden can ask her for dating advice.

I am still on the fence about how she is related to Wells, so she's a work-in-progress lol

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

And so, that was the "short" character overview of all the (current) main characters currently planned in my AU!

If you're interested in reading more, read the series so far here on AO3!

[howlingday]

A GL can do anything they can conceive of and have sufficient willpower to enact. Interdimensional travel is something that Hal Jordan has done before, but it's not something he does often as it is a struggle. So how long after the RWBY x Justice League crossover do you think it will take before Jessica opens a portal so she can visit her knight?

"Okay, here goes."

Jessica closed her eyes and focused her mind on a singular figure, a singular point within space and time. Her heart swelled as her throat tightened. She felt like she was going to explode and crumple at the same time!

She placed a hand on her forearm as she felt her power build within her.

"In brightest day, in blackest night,"

Her body warmed itself until it felt like an inferno at her fingers.

"No evil shall escape my sight,"

Shining blue eyes smiled at her, temporarily breaking her focus, but she doubled down.

"Those who worship evil's might, beware my power!"

Her eyes shot open as she reeled her fist back and punched forward!

"GREEN LANTERN'S LIGHT!"

A green portal swirled open before her. Sweat beaded on her brow as she panted. This was her first time using her ring for something on this scale. She huffed as she looked to her ring. She could feel most of it's power was drained, but she came prepared. Her lantern hung on her belt, fully charged and ready to recharge her ring.

The portal shook, but held. Inside, she saw it; Remnant was on the other side. In the distance, she saw someone running across a sunlit field. Behind them was one of those terrible, black monsters known as the Grimm. She didn't hesitate, even as the portal shut behind her.

The Grimm ran on all fours like something out of a nightmare, but it wouldn't be the first time she fought one of them. Focusing her ring, she charged forward with the train's cowcatcher in front of her. The creature was hit and rolled some distance away.

Jessica blinked and she suddenly felt heavy. She could feel her ring's power fading. The portal must have taken more out of her than she thought. She looked up to find fiery red eyes glaring at her, getting closer. She tried to muster enough strength for a barrier, but she couldn't.

As it drew closer, Jessica felt something in her heart. It's imposing size towered over her, and she recognized the feeling. It was fear. And it was terrifying. She shut her eyes as it snarled and lunged at her.

"Are you oka- Jessica?"

Her heart fluttered, shifting from fear to joy as she looked up to see those beautiful blue eyes once more.

"Jaune!" She smiled. Reaching up, she took his hand, feeling him pull her up with modest strength.

"What are you doing here?" Jaune asked. There was a bit of stubble growing on his chin. How much time had passed?

"I... I came to see you." Jussica blushed, earning a blush from the knight as well. White armor had expanded since she last saw him, reaching down his chest and covering his thighs. "Sorry I didn't call ahead."

"Uh, yeah, it's fine." He looked her up and down. "Did you get taller?"

"You could say that." She giggled. Years had passed since their farewell. Along with her growth in height, she'd also grown a bit elsewhere, too. This was his first time seeing her with longer hair. "I... I missed you."

He smiled. "I missed you, too."

[parachutingkitten]

14 Seconds

pixal's pov of the merge

However severe this mystery storm was, the portal which had brought it seemed to be growing increasingly unstable. It was impossible to say whether the collapse would put an end to the chaos or perpetuate it further, but by my calculations whatever outcome awaited us was coming in just under 14 seconds now.

The eye slits which had opened to peer down on Ninjago brought with them a dense purple haze and an unearthly wind which seemed to be carrying pieces of the world up into its grasp. To where? I couldn’t say. Perhaps it was all simply rising to be destroyed in the vortex of white energy which now adorned our sky. Our mission for the few minutes that had just passed was to minimize damage while attempting to find a way to put an end to the unnatural disaster. While flying pedestrians back to safety, I was able to pick up the interdimensional energy radiating from the cracks in the sky. It was similar to the readings my systems would give me in the presence of traveler’s tea, but this was much more erratic. If I had more time, or less lives to save, perhaps I would have been able to glean a way to coax the rip in space to heal itself properly; but that wasn’t an option at this point. All that was left to me was 12 seconds.

I glanced around at the veritable battlefield that had spun up around me. The city had already sustained a substantial amount of destruction. The team was doing their best to mitigate things, but there were full buildings that we had lost to the sky. In just 7 minutes and 24 seconds these portals had taken not only homes and land, but people. There were civilians subject to whatever was on the other side of this violent, potent, unpredictable realm energy. The number we had lost was already too high. We certainly couldn’t afford to lose more to whatever boiling point we would reach in just 11 more seconds.

The Bounty wasn’t hard to find. It was at the center of where damage was worst. I tried to make out my teammates through the storm- something made slightly easier by their individual elemental glow. Red, green, orange, and two blue, plus the lightning mech makes six. A small stress lifted off of my systems. They were all still here.

…They were all still here.

8 Seconds.

My attention turned back to the unstable bunch of crackling energy in the sky. Realm energy. I stared at it, attempting to rush the calculations for what lay on the other side, but I knew it was pointless. I only had 7 seconds.

Against what some might call my better judgment, I activated my boosters, heading toward the center of the tears in the sky. I could feel the power increase as I drew closer. It was denser closer to the source, but we were also getting closer to meltdown. We were 5 seconds away. Hopefully that would be enough time.

The energy began to affect my systems. I was losing concentration, but I knew I could keep on holding the thrusters. Just for 4 more seconds.

As the light from the source enveloped my vision, I thought of my friends. I didn’t have a chance to tell them. I hope they might be able to understand.

3 Seconds.

It was a risk. There was a decent probability I was flying into my own death, but I was willing to take my chances on that.

2 Seconds.

Because if there was somewhere else that this storm was taking things, taking people

1 Second.

...Someone needed to be on the other side.

[dark-overlord-of-rainbows]

Drawn July 11 2024 some random ocs, no relation to one another

Blond hair: is Owen. Some old oc in a world where everyone had two superpowers. Not a bad idea inherently but the reason I wrote it that way and the way I executed it were dumb. They also had two like, fantasy traits? idk how to describe it but Owen's are his colourful star shaped freckles I don't yet know how to represent and (I think) the very shiny hair (it might've not been a trait of his actually and came from the later incarnation of his character with a different name, Will, which I might swap their names tbh.) The hair would've been rendered differently to others to make his hair look metallic in comparison Anyway. I just wanted to try drawing a top hat with things dangling from it. Rainbow Hair: More Aurum. More-um. Whatever. Antlers: Some demon royal (or maybe nobility). The smaller one with the purple/yellow palette is more in line with my initial idea but the big one was just some palette I also wanted to try out and it's a lot more complicated so I needed the extra space for detail Icecream: She uh. turned out a little more creepy than I was initially going for but I'm not gonna change it. Anyway my current idea for her is I am taking inspiration from my fucking self insert (very literally) from when I was like 10 but giving that story to this design based on some toy He (the self insert) was a shounen protagonist in a story whose main plot was something something "we gotta collect all the powerful plot coupons/macguffins so they don't fall into the wrong hands!". I never fleshed it out, of course I wouldn't! Anyway they were some half-water dragon who was the strongest boy and also the best mage in the whole world. Defeated every opponent with ease. He could also travel into stories with a magical key he had (it was a toy I had) (this was so I could put my self insert into whatever story I was ADHD about at the time) The magic macguffins were in fact from different stories/games I liked, but the travelling into stories was a completely separate canon I think (even if it wasn't, nobody else to my knowledge had that ability?), so I don't even know why they were there... I did have the ending planned out though, upon the heroes collecting all of the plot coupons, my big boy self insert revealed himself to be evil, actually, and then the story just ends there because like. Even if they weren't my self insert, he was already undefeatable and now has the plot-coupons-of-makes-you-all-powerful. I wasn't gonna go anywhere from there. Child me I admire your ambitions of evil however you need to work on satisfying story endings. Also please write down your stories please please please please (< that last bit also directed at me now) Back to the oc I actually drew! Uhh I'm taking the fact that my self insert was powerful, an interdimensional traveller and evil (and did have a sword) and giving that to this girl because why not. I haven't decided on a name just yet but I was thinking "[some poisonous fruit] ice"

[duskdragonxiii]

I had a dream I did a gothic magical girl comic so i drew a fre concepts from it.

Ebony is a young girl who's chosen to be a protector of interdimensional travel, which is done by interdimensional trains. Recently however the interrail travel accross worlds has come under threat from a creature called "the Dragon" which is disrupting the rails. It preys on passengers and destroys trains. The Dragon cannot enter the train carraiges. it simply tries to dislodge them from the rails and pick off passangers that try to escape. We don't know the origin of this creature or why it does what it does, but Ebony is the one employed to destroy it with her magical abilities.

While the trains have set routes between worlds, The Dragon can cut through dimensional borders by setting itself on fire. It travels faster than any of the trains. This is called the Dragons "Breath" and it leaves a trail that Ebony has to follow to track it.

[citrovi]

[ The Interdimensional Traveller ]

!! MAGOLOR EPILOUGE SPOILERS AHEAD !! This is probably my very first Kirby fanart after the 30th anniversary art that I did last year, this time it's an illustration of the extra game mode from the 2023 remake of a Wii game known as Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe. This took quite some effort to put in as I drew most of the background resembling the location where Magolor was sent after his defeat alongside with four Doomers on the back of Magolor (depowered). I also added the Fruit Fragment to the illustration as it is the important item in the game where Magolor has to collect five of them in that said game. I was never expected for this illustration to come as it took me a couple of hours to make and it was quite worth the try to do it. ------- Kirby © HAL Laboratory Inc. / Nintendo

© 2023 Gadeton, All Rights Reserved

[superthatguy62]

Onion Knight & Ingus: Scarlet Duet

(No, it won't be 2.5D. If it even happens.)

With the New Year incoming, I have decided to undertake a different project from the usual Fanfics and such for 2024: I've decided to make a fangame. Or at least a demo.

The loose pitch can be found under the Read More.

Scarlet Duet concepts

(NOTES: Regarding 2.5D and 2D: I had considered the possibility of making the game 2.5D (ala Octopath Traveler or Star Ocean but with less bloom) in Godot. However, the OO map I tried to load did not load correctly (or rather, I did not know how to apply the textures and such) + my general inexperience with 3D led me, for simplicity’s sake, to go with full-on 2D. However, I won’t totally write off the possibility yet.)

Storyline:

A Thief named Gilgamesh has been eyeing the legendary arms of each of the kingdoms. With Argus and Saronia's weapons stolen, Princess Sara is determined to not let Sasune's Wightslayer get taken. However, while dealing with the thief, a Torsion opens, pulling Gilgamesh, Sara, Onion Knight and Ingus into the Interdimensional Rift: The gap between in-between dimensions that is easy to get banished to, but difficult to return from. They end up in the Interdimensional Castle under the control of a man named "Ryu". From there, Onion Knight and Ingus have two objectives: Retrieve Wightslayer and the other Royal Arms from Gilgamesh and find a means of escaping the Interdimensional Rift.

Gameplay Loop:

Simple: Ingus & Onion Knight + Guests: Parties consist of Two-usually of Ingus and Onion Knight. Sara can be called upon for bonus attacks/abilities. Further party members can temporarily be summoned by Manikin Crystals when the respective character’s [Memory] is gained: Some come from spirits wandering the Rift while others come from Onion Knight and Ingus’ previous lives.

Onion Knight and Ingus’ movesets can be influenced in two ways: Materia and Styles.

Materia is equipped before entering a Sector and can be used to preload commands onto Ingus and Onion Knight.

Styles can be applied during battle as an evoker effect. These change Onion Knight and Ingus’ list of commands to be based on whatever character they drew upon (think Command Decks from KH BBS)

Summons come in different forms for different types: Phantom Summons are the traditional FF summons such as Bahamut, Ifrit, Shiva, etc. These have the same effects as in FF3: Black, White and Summon effects. Memory Summons are slightly different: They have three effects depending on the level:

- Level 1: The memory uses a special ability. Drains the gauge 3/4ths of the way.

- Level 2: A Style is applied to either Ingus or Onion Knight based on that character. Drains the gauge halfway.

- Level 3: The character based on the Memory is summoned as a party member. Lasts for a number of turns (?) or until KO. Drains the gauge entirely.

Main Cast:

Onion Knight: One of the two main party members, a boy who feels he has much to prove. Sometimes he’s a smart alack, other times he’s a grouch, But deep down, he’s just a boy who wishes to prove himself… and one who is less certain of his own existence than he cares to admit.

Ingus: The second of the two party members, a soldier who serves Castle Sasune. He has been devoted to the crown his entire life. Normally, this works out well enough. However, as of late he desires to take a sabbatical to his home town of Falgabard to study Dark Blades. Naturally, this conflict eats away at him inside and he has no idea of how to properly break this to his superiors (namely Sara) either. The whole “getting lost in-between dimensions” thing is not helping too, even as he vows to get Sara back home come hell or highwater.

Sara: The Princess of Sasune, Sara decides to take an active role in apprehending the thief stealing weapons from kingdoms. This backfires, as her impulsiveness leads her to leap right into a Torsion, sending her (and Ingus and Onion Knight) into the Interdimensional Rift. While she knows that there’s no way Ingus and Onion Knight would allow her to get to heavily involved, she is still determined to help however she can. And while the possibility of never seeing her kingdom again frightens her, she is intrigued by all of the new places to see.

Gilgamesh: The major antagonist. He’s a goofy figure who acts like a renowned fighter sword collector. Despite his comical atmosphere, he is surprisingly competent in battle and his hunger for it speaks to how dangerous he can be. Gilgamesh initially appears in Sasune to steal the Wightslayer, to go with the Royal Sword and Gungir before being swallowed by a Torsion. He ends up locking himself into the inner sanctum of Ryu’s castle and his repeated run-ins with the duo make it clear that he’s trying to get out of it just as badly as they’re trying to get in. Still, he won’t just hand over the weapons without a fight.

“Ryu”: A mysterious figure who claims to own the castle that Onion Knight, Ingus and Sara find themselves in. He describes himself as a fellow adventurer who merely wishes to see the world as others see it. However, there is much more to Ryu than meets the eye...

Emperor of Saronia: A former ruler of Saronia who found himself within the Rift. He claims to be working on a project that can open a door back to the heroes’ world, although he needs Ingus and Onion Knight’s co-operation to do so.

[REDACTED]: ???

A Brief List of Commands:

Attack: Attacks.

Magic: Allows Ingus and Onion Knight to cast Magic.

Items: Allows Ingus and Onion Knight to use an item.

Jump: Onion Knight or Ingus leaps into the air. After some time, he crashes down on the enemy.

Technique: Uses a particular attack with an added effect, such as the Break line.

Drink: Allows for the drinking of Tonics, Drinks, and other such items

Item Lore: Doubles the effectiveness of an item.

Darkness: Applies self-damage to hit all targets with Dark damage.

And much more.

Worlds:

The Dimensional Castle more than lives up to its name this time around. Various wings of the castle contain the ‘Memory’ of different worlds, creating facsimilies of them.

(Theoretically differs between 2.5 and 2D, Different Worlds will be noted as such)

World 0: Sasune (Grasslands + Castle + Interdimensional Rift)

World 1: Cornelia (Grasslands + Ruins)

World 2: Demon (Castle ExDeath + Pandemonium)

World 3: Ruin (Sky Castle + Ronka)(2D)

World 3: Reactor (Insomnia + Reactor)(2.5D)

World 4: Lunar (Moon + Cavern + Baron Castle)

World 5: Machine (Owen’s Tower + Fire-Powered Ship + Dreadnaught)(2D)

World 5: Ruins (Ronka + Owen)(2.5D)

World 6: Chaos (World of Darkness + Interdimensional Rift + Chaos Shrine)

World 7: Bonus

Bosses:

Gilgamesh (+ Enkidu)/Shin Gilgamesh

Emperor/Hell Arisen Emperor

Xande + Doga (Transformed) + Unei (Transformed)

Golbez + Shadow Dragon

Kaiser Dragon

[REDACTED]

[REDACTED]

And much more.

Reports:

Papers scattered across the Ryu’s castle. These papers describe events that are going on in the background of the main game. Collecting all of them may unlock areas or bosses.

“Ryu’s Reports”: Reports written from Ryu’s perspective. These detail Ryu’s thoughts and wanderings.

[REDACTED]: Effectively Ryu’s Reports after a certain point. They detail what is truly going on.

“Arc’s Journal”: Pages of Arc’s journal which somehow end up in the rift. These detail what has happened since Sara, Onion Knight and Ingus’ disappearance and Luneth, Arc and Refia's efforts to find them.

“Saronia Missives”: Pages of Reports by an unknown third party with a connection to Saronia. These detail the nature of the Rift, among other things.

Other elements to consider:

Dungeons (Map-style? God forbid, SaGa Unlimited style?)

Battle System finer points (enemy health, Octopath sytle weakness/break system?, more later).

How many characters?

Enemies & Bosses and how they fight.

Again: All of this is more akin to a pitch than anything. I still need to learn the engine I'm targeting (Godot) as well as struggling with general inexperience and impatience. Maybe one day this'll be a full-fledged thing. Or maybe I'll fizzle out before even getting a prototype finished. We'll see.

And SE owns all the assets, characters, etc etc.

[the-veil-offical]

the (overly convoluted) development of the veil

the veil first originated in late 2020/early 2021, from a dream I had about a guy who accidentally summoned a demon, but instead of being evil, it was just mildly annoying.

i liked the idea enough that i soon drew some concept art, containing the earliest drawings of Anya, Erin and Aiden.

this concept eventually split into two different stories, one which focused more on the "supernatural adventure" part (which became the veil), and another which focused on the demon plot (which became an entirely different comic which i may or may not release at some point).

some old storyboards from that second comic:

the "interdimensional travel" part of the veil's story was much more heavily leaned towards in early drafts, and many character's original designs featured non-human characteristics, and the comic featured many non-human characters as well.

the very first iteration of the veil was uploaded to DeviantArt in June of 2021, and updated regularly until July, containing 13 pages. it can still be read here.

the veil was later reworked to have a human cast, but characters from certain dimensions still retain certain traits and abilities (i.e. April has oval pupils)

much of the story was also reworked during this time, so that there was more of a story rather than just being a simple adventure comic strip.

the second iteration of the veil lasted for nine pages before being scrapped. it was never uploaded to anywhere at the time, but can now be read here.

finally, after even more reworking of the story and characters, the veil started releasing here on Tumblr on November 11th, 2023!

[maddieautobot273]

Silk & Cologne (47)

A Miguel O'Hara x OC - link to AO3 (X)

Chapter 47: Slumber - previous chapter (X)

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Female OC

Words: 4.1K + words

Warnings: Slight implied sexual content, intimacy, overall fluff and therapy/healthy communication

Summary: Miguel visits Lisa for the night.

/////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Miguel had finished reviewing the mission reports as requested, only to find over a dozen errors in the multiverse monitoring software. It seemed Gabriel had implemented a software update and didn’t tell him about it. Or Miguel was so swamped with the incoming stream of messages from other Spiders that he must have missed it in the flood and didn’t go back to read it even after silently reminding himself to do so. 

Nonetheless, it was enough to get under Miguel’s skin to the point he felt like he was near the verge of snapping. Hunched over, his back muscles tense and throbbing as he took deep breaths, trying to fight off the urge to punch or throw something if something went wrong in the next 10 seconds. No matter how efficiently he worked, something always came up. 

He didn’t want Lisa to see him so tense and agitated after he went the extra mile to initiate a date night. Miguel knew he had to calm himself down, telling himself that Lisa deserved better than how he was acting, so Miguel decided to quickly pop by the training center and work out the stress in his body. He ran laps around the center, followed by a series of pushups, situps, and a few rounds on the punching back for good measure. 

He had managed to get a few sets in, listening to Lisa’s playlist to help himself calm down as he took big, steady breaths as he lifted some weights to end his routine. He finished his last set, setting the weights down, his body covered in sweat as he wiped his head with a cool towel. Footsteps caught his ear, and he was praying that it wasn’t Peter B. with another security report. 

If he sets me off and I gotta do all of this again–! 

“Don’t you need to be somewhere?” Jessica Drew spoke up. 

Prayers answered. 

Miguel glanced over, seeing Drew standing there. One hand on her hip, the other hand gently over her baby bump. But the look she gave Migue through her spider-shades made him question that perhaps he should prefer seeing Peter B. over her. 

“Lisa and I planned for 8. I got time,” He quickly reassured her, gently brushing her off as he grabbed his bag and began to walk away. 

“It’s almost 9, Miguel,” Drew stared at his backside, watching the second his muscles seized up and twitched at her words. 

Oh shock! 

“Thanks, Jess!” Miguel immediately runs off, not giving Jessica a chance to say anything else. 

He runs off to his private room, quickly showering to wash the sweat and gym smell off of him.  Once cleaned, he changed into some casual clothes whilst combing through his messages, finding Gabriel’s contact. Instead of wine, he recommended a champagne bottle, something light, but simple. 

He went for his wine cabinet, finding the champagne bottle. He quickly huffed some breath onto his palm, smelling it. Seemed fine, but he popped a breath mint just in case. 

Miguel typed in the coordinates for Lisa’s dimension, locking on to her apartment on his gizmo. Simultaneously, he opened up a separate chat box window, quickly typing up a message. The chat was labeled, ‘Team Louvre’. 

“At ease for the night team. I can take it from here,” - Miguel 

Miguel didn’t wait for a response before a portal opened before him. Sucking in one more quick breath, he steeled his nerves and jumped through the portal. Traveling through the interdimensional tunnel, he emerged at the otherside, arriving in Lisa’s apartment. 

But something was different. Not quite off, but different. Most of the lights were off or dimmed to a low setting as his sensitive eyes adjusted to the lowly dark room. The blankets Lisa usually kept on the couch had been moved to her bed, the curtain pulled back. There was a scented candle on the coffee table in the living room area, it smelled like. . . lavender? 

Footsteps caught Miguel’s attention as a female figure emerged from the kitchen. Lisa stepped towards him, arms crossed over her chest, wearing comfy sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt. She looked so cute and Miguel wanted nothing more than to hug her tightly and apologize profusely, but he held himself back.

Miguel tried to get a read on her, analyzing the look on her face. A neutral expression, lips in a thin line. She raised a brow towards him. 

Here we go. . . 

“Held up at work?” She asked him, her head tilting slightly to the side. 

Miguel didn’t detect any sign of hurt or tiredness in her voice. A tiny part of him felt relieved, but that was what scared him the most. Sure there could be slip ups here and there when couples first start dating, but this felt like a fumble if anything. 

“Mi Mona Lisa, I’m so sorry I’m late,” He apologized, his gaze pouring into hers. 

“What happened?” Lisa asked him with a calm expression, her arms lowering to her sides. 

“I finished reading the reports, but there were errors in the monitoring system I had to fix that I wasn’t made aware of,” Miguel sighed deeply, doing his best to keep his frustration in check. “By the time I fixed everything, I was tense and agitated I– I didn’t want all that seeping on to you so I went to work out and get it out of my system,”

“As you were doing that, you lost track of time?” She asked him for clarification. 

He nodded softly, relief coursing through him that she had spoken his explanation in much more simple terms. “Yes,”

Please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad, please don’t be mad. . . 

Lisa seemed to stare at him, evaluating him for what felt like unbearable seconds. Until she finally spoke, her voice soft, “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t getting any sleep?”

Miguel froze, his eyes widening. She wasn’t mad? She wasn’t going to yell or scream at him?

You are in so much trouble young man! Faintly fluttered through his mind. His mothers voice. 

He shuddered briefly at the memory. “You’re not mad. . .?” Miguel’s voice muttered, wandering off. 

“Miguel?” Lisa called out to him, snapping him back to reality. 

His gaze fell upon her sulk expression and his heart nearly shattered. “Lisa, I’m sorry, I know it sounds like an excuse, but I– I didn’t want you to worry,”

Lisa sighed, shaking her head, “Miguel, as I keep gently reminding you,” She steered her gaze back to him, a calm expression on her face. “You can talk to me, you know that,”

“I do know that, I swear,” Miguel insisted heavily, inching a step closer as his grip on the champagne bottle tightened at his side. 

“Then why didn’t you tell me back when I was visiting you in the lab today?” She asked him. “Or the day before?”

Miguel managed several deep, calming breaths to keep his emotions in check. His mind was spiraling. Lisa wasn’t blowing up on him. Not like her, but she was talking to him. 

“You can’t keep hiding things like this, Miguel,” She spoke gently. 

Just like Xina did. . . 

////////

Earth-928 - Nueva York - Babylon Towers - 5 years ago 

Miguel arrived home later than normal that night. After working a long shift at Alchemax, he had stopped by the psych ward to visit his mother, Conchata, with his little brother, Gabriel. As always, Gabriel was the sunshine son that could do no wrong, but Miguel. . .

Well, it was better to not repeat those things. All the words and insults she said, once was enough in Miguel’s mind. But he always came back, for Gabriel’s sake. 

Miguel was tired, exhausted even. He let out a deep sigh as he shut the door behind him. Xina had to be long asleep by now, and didn’t want to risk waking her, or the baby. 

Soft whimpering caught his ear, as Miguel glanced over, peering into the dark living room to see a baby crib, tiny hands beginning to fidget. His lips curled into a soft smile as he set aside his house key card, taking long, quiet steps towards the crib. He peered down at the little body, its bottom half swaddled in a blanket. 

Little baby Gabriela. 

“Hey, sssshh, it’s okay, mija,” Miguel’s voice was a soft whisper as he carefully picked her up in his large, warm, protective hands, “It’s only papa,” - darling

He cuddled her close to his chest, calming her down as he rubbed his hands up and down her small back, humming affectionately. It took a few minutes, but eventually Gabriela stopped whimpering, making soft little noises as her tiny eyes peered up towards Miguel. Miguel smiled softly at her, gently rocking her. 

“It’s okay,” he whispered gently, “Go back to sleep. Wouldn’t want to wake up mama now, would we?”

As if on command, her little eyes started to droop down, her little body snuggling in her blanket as Miguel carefully adjusted it for her. He set her back down in the crib gently, brushing a large finger along her head. Miguel swore he would have melted in a puddle right there and then. 

If not for the sound of footsteps coming from the master bedroom of the penthouse apartment. “I was worried something had happened,”

Miguel’s heart stopped as he turned, taking in the form of the Cantonese woman wearing PJ’s with a silk robe overtop. Her long, silky black hair draped past her shoulders. No matter the time of day, Xina Kwan-O’Hara always looked so angelic to him. 

“Mi amor. . .” Miguel greeted her softly. - my love 

Xina offered Miguel a soft nod, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she walked closer towards him. A hand snaked up his back in a loving manner as the both of them turned to glance down at Gabriela who had fallen back asleep. “Did something happen at work?” She asked. 

“No, everything was fine, just the usual, fixing everybody’s mess,” Miguel answered softly, keeping his gaze locked to the baby. “I was just. . . out with Gabriel tonight. I meant to message you about it, but. . . time got away from me,”

“. . . You two were visiting your mother tonight?” Xina asked him, her hand brushing up to his shoulder. “How is she?”

“Yes, she’s. . . the same as she always is,” Miguel nodded. 

Xina hesitated briefly, before her fingers curled over against the fabric of Miguel’s jacket. “You haven’t told Gabriel yet. . . that you want to take a break from seeing her?”

A wave of shame coursed through Miguel as he curled his fingers into a fist at his side, steering his gaze away from his daughter. His eyes briefly met Xina’s before lowering them to look at the floor. “No. . .”

Xina sighed quietly, muttering a prayer in her native tongue as her hand snaked down his arm, engulfing her fingers around his. “You can’t keep hiding things like this, Miguel,” She spoke gently.

Her voice was calm, but direct. A little blunt. But that’s how Xina was. 

Most days Miguel felt that Xina was his rock, his very conscience if he dared to go so far. It was enough to make Miguel steer his face from the floor to look at her square in the face. Xina was so smart, confident that he hated the idea of making her worry about him. 

“I know, Xina. . .” Miguel’s gaze softened as he gently pulled Xina closer to him, their bodies brushing against one another. 

“We’ve talked about this,” Xina insisted, “You need to talk to Gabriel about setting boundaries for the two of you. I know your protective big brother instincts always kick in when its the three of you,” 

“It’s just. . . she is the light of his world as much as he is hers,” Miguel sighed. “I. . . don’t want to ruin that for him, because a part of me never got that from her,”

“You may not have gotten it from her, and honestly, she’s an adult, she was the parent, she chose to be this way and that’s on her,” Xina\s voice was calm, but her expression stern as she lifted a hand to cup Miguel’s cheek. “But you found that light elsewhere, here, with her,”

She steered her gaze down towards Gabriela’s sleeping form and Miguel smiled. He didn’t remember smiling this much growing up. He loved this feeling, and would fight tooth and nail to keep it. 

“Talk to Gabriel,” Xina instructed with loving authority. “He’s smarter than you let on about what’s been going on between the two of you, and I know you’re smarter than to keep this bottled up. He’ll understand. He’s your brother,”

Miguel took a long deep breath, taking it all in. The place he was standing in, the words that fluttered from Xina’s mouth. When he exhaled, he felt this weight lift from his shoulders and suddenly didn’t feel so stiff anymore. 

“Alright,” he nodded softly. 

“Yes?” Xina raised a brow at the man. 

“I’ll talk to him in the morning,” Miguel went on. 

“Good,” Xina patted him on the cheek before glancing down at Gabriela. “Kiss your daughter goodnight and come get ready for bed,”

“Yes ma’am,” Miguel chuckled with a faint smirk as he brought a hand up to cup XIna’s chin, offering her a soft, loving kiss on the lips. “Remind me again why she can’t still sleep with us?”

“She needs her own space, Miguel,” Xina smirked up at him. “But she knows papa isn’t too far away if she needs him,”

Xina smiled at Miguel’s romantic gesture before walking off back to their shared bedroom. Miguel watched her leave before glancing back down into the crib, snagging one last look at his baby daughter. He carefully lowered his upper body down into the crib, his lips brushing gently on her forehead. 

“Dulces sueños pequeña,” Miguel whispered softly, his voice warm like another blanket being tucked around her. - Sweet dreams little one 

Miguel walked off into their room, immediately pulling his shirt off. He was about to make his way over to the dresser when Xina beckoned him over. “Come’ere,”

“What?” Miguel smirked over at her sitting on the bed with a curious glint in his eyes. 

“It’s not about that, Miguel,” Xina rolled her eyes at the man as he sat at the edge of the bed. “You’re not going to bed when you’re still clearly feeling tense,”

Miguel immediately clued into what Xina was talking about as he turned her back towards her, reaching down to pull off his socks from his feet. “Give me a second to–” But the sentence halted from his lips as she felt Xina’s delicate hands begin to massage his shoulders. 

The soft groan of relaxation that left him was everything Xina could have hoped for. “Now how do you feel?”

The corner of Miguel’s mouth curled into a smile, “A little to the left?”

Xina followed his request as she shifted her hands over as she slowly worked down his back and another sigh of relaxed pleasure fluttered from his throat. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” He asked her, turning his head towards her. 

“Everything and more,” Xina smiled before pressing one more kiss to his lips. “I’ll be here to help you, you know that. Just promise me you’ll put in the effort to take care of yourself, Miguel?”

“. . . I promise,” 

///////

Earth-12128 - New York City - Lisa’s Apartment - Present Day

“Miguel?” Lisa’s voice brought Miguel back to the present as she gently took the champagne bottle from his hand. “We’re partners, right?”

“Yes?” he nodded softly. 

“As partners, we should look out for each other’s well-being, right?” She went on, smiling softly at him. 

“Right . . .?” Miguel answered again, yet more slowly as he drew out the word. 

Where is she going with this? 

“You’ve constantly looked out for me, so, let me do the same for you,” Lisa stated. “You made a promise to me that you’d take better care of yourself, and in turn, I promised I’d make sure that you do just that,”

Miguel’s fingers seemed to twitch as he mustered all the strength he had to not tackle Lisa in a bear crushing hug and kiss her silly. 

What did I do to deserve her? 

“So, change of plans for tonight,” Lisa spoke up as she set the champagne bottle aside, setting it on the kitchen counter. “When was the last time you got a full night's sleep?”

Miguel’s heart began to flutter in his chest, his palms sweating as his eyes glancing around at nothing in particular. “Uh. . . Does it matter?”

“How many, Miguel?” She asked him. 

“. . . 2 days,” He answered after a brief hesitation. 

“And in those two days you haven’t gotten any sort of rest?” Lisa pressed on gently. 

Miguel shook his head, sulking like a child that was about to get reprimanded by their mother. 

Lisa nodded softly, glancing down at the floor, “Alright then,” She returned her gaze to him as Lisa dared one step closer towards him, then slowly another, “So, Miguel, I know you’re a very smart man. What happens when our human bodies don’t get enough sleep?”

Miguel processed the question, the gears of his mind turning with the strength and energy he had left in the day. “Are you genuinely asking or are you quoting Big Bang Theory?”

“Both,” Lisa managed a soft grin before it loosened, “Now answer the question, smart boy,”

Miguel couldn’t stop his cheeks from flushing at the comment, his mind scrambling. “They. . . lose their sensitivity to serotonin and norepinephrine, receiving less signals from the brain,”

“Which then leads to?” Lisa dared another step closer.

“Impaired cognitive function?” Miguel’s cheeks started to burn. 

“That’s exactly right,” Lisa nodded, her head motioning towards the bathroom door. “So, instead of a movie, I’ll hold onto the champagne for another night. You’re going to be a big man, march over there and brush your teeth, and go to bed and spend the night here,”

Wait. . . she’s not mad? She doesn’t sound like she’s mad, does she?

Miguel had a frazzled look on his face, daring to scoff even as he raised a brow at the lady before him. “Seriously?”

“I had the sheets cleaned, pillows fluffed, extra blankets in case you get cold, and scented candles to help soothe the senses,” Lisa smirked, feeling accomplished with her tasks. “I just hope the candle smell isn’t too sensitive,”

There was a playful glint in her eyes as she suddenly smirked up at him. First Miguel was surprised. Now he was scared. 

“You didn’t have to do all this,” As reluctant as he was, Miguel couldn’t help but smile at what Lisa had done. She had done all of this for him. “Can’t we stay up just a little longer?”

“I’m going to count to 3,” She taunted. 

Miguel’s mouth gaped open, his jaw nearly dropping to the floor. “You wouldn’t dare–!”

“Try me,” Lisa grinned. The pair locked eyes, provoking a staring contest as they both waited to see who would crack first.  “. . . 1–”

“You are not–” Miguel gawked at the woman. 

“2–?” Lisa raised her voice an octave as the look in her eyes told him that she wasn’t playing around. 

“Alright, alright, I’m going!” He surrendered, his head and hands shaking with a surprised laughter as he sauntered into the bathroom. 

“Your spare toothbrush is in the cabinet,” There was a hint of a grin on Lisa’s voice as her voice fluttered over the sound of Miguel shutting the door behind him. 

Miguel found everything he needed, brushing his teeth and quickly rinsing off his face. Flicking his finger across the touch screen of his gizmo, his clothes changed into a comfy t-shirt and sweatpants before he stepped out of the bathroom and walked over towards the bedroom. Lisa was already sitting on her side, gently patting her hand on the mattress for him to join her. 

“Come on,” She beckoned him. 

“I don’t need to be told twice,” He teased, grinning at her as he carefully crawled across to the other end, plopping down on his back. 

Lisa pulled back the covers for him as Miguel adjusted himself, tucking his lower body under the sheets. Everything felt warm, and silky smooth. His pillow smelt clean, feeling cool against his skin. It was only then he realized how tired he truly was. 

He contemplated passing out right there and then, but he willed his eyes to stay open. He wanted to see Lisa, talk to her, just be with her. Miguel reached a hand out, his large fingers brushing against her cheek as she reached up and held his hand with her delicate fingers. 

“What did I do to deserve you?” His voice was quiet, soft, and low as he cupped her cheek. 

“Everything. . . and more, Miguel,” Lisa smiled softly at him. 

He smiled softly back at her. Lisa’s body shifted, and at first Miguel thought that she was settling in beside him so they’d both get some sleep. But she scooted over and suddenly straddled in his lap, Miguel’s eyes went wide, his cheeks turning pink. “Lisa, what are you doing?”

“I’m making sure you actually go to sleep and stay that way,” She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to appear authoritative and intimidating as she narrowed her gaze down towards him. “That means no getting up in the middle of the night to sneak in more work, or calls. Just sleep,”

“You’re going to stay there until I do?” he asked her with a curious look in his eyes. “Like, watch me sleep?”

“If that’s what it takes,” Lisa stated. 

The pair seemed to be stuck in an intimidating staring contest for what felt like long minutes. The curious glint stayed in Miguel’s gaze as his smirk slowly grew. He wanted to test Lisa’s claim for himself. 

“Miguel. . .” Lisa’s voice gives off an audible warning drawl.

Miguel tries to sit up, but is stopped short when Lisa quickly stretches her arms out. Her hands grip his shoulders and push him back down. Miguel was genuinely caught by surprise by her strength as she pins him back down to the mattress, the back of Miguel’s head falling into place on the pillow. 

“Miguel O’Hara!” Her lips flickered into a grin, staring down at him as she called him out for his attempted defiance. 

Her long brown hair dangles on the side of her face, and try as he might, Miguel couldn’t hold himself back as his gaze began to linger down. He loved Lisa’s face, her sweet, almost innocent looking gaze, her soft expressions and loving smile. But Miguel would be lying to himself if his mind wasn’t screaming at him to, at least once, admire and appreciate Lisa’s body. 

Elegant curves, a strong form, he couldn’t be more proud of her and the progress she had made since joining the Spider Society. In Miguel’s eyes, Lisa was beautiful inside and out. When his gaze retracted back to her own, and he saw the realization in her eyes of what he had done, there was. .  hesitancy, doubt even as her cheeks flushed, and her grip on his shoulders loosened. 

Was there a part of her that didn’t believe what Miguel saw in her?

Miguel’s expression faltered for a split second. Right now was probably not the correct time to discuss something like that. Tonight was about taking care of him and his health, Lisa had made that very clear. 

“Fine, I’ll get some rest,” Miguel sighed deeply, his body relaxing into the mattress as Lisa’s hands snaked away from his shoulders, across his chest. 

“Good,” Lisa nodded her head. 

Miguel’s smirk was playful as his arm hooked around her back and gently pulled her down. Lisa landed with a soft ‘PLOP’ along Miguel’s chest, her head tucked under his. “Especially now that I have my favourite body pillow,”

His low rumbling laughter caused Lisa’s cheeks to burn as his hand gently stroked along her back. If Miguel was going down, he was taking Lisa down with him. Two could play at this game. 

“Miguel O’Hara, go to sleep!” She ordered, hiding her face in the fabric of his nearly skin tight shirt. 

“Yes, mi Mona Lisa,” Miguel’s voice drawled as his laughter quieted down. 

Miguel reached over with his free hand, grabbing a spare blanket and pulling it over Lisa. He made sure she was snuggly and warm before he kissed the top of her head, holding her close. Slumber took hold of him minutes later and when he breathed in deeply and snored for the first time, Lisa truly relaxed, nuzzling against him completely as sleep overcame her as well. 

//////////

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[aquietwritingcorner]

Survivor’s Guilt

Title: Survivor’s Guilt Day: Febuwhump 2023, Day 27: Survivor’s Guilt Fandom:  TMNT 2003 Word Count: 504   Author: aquietwritingcorner/realitybreakgirl Rating:  T Characters: Donatello Warning: NA Summary: Don stared up at the sky, holding the drawing in his hand. He wondered how different the sky Kirby was looking at was.   Notes:   ff.net || AO3  

Survivor’s Guilt

Don sat on the rooftop, gazing up at the stars. There weren’t many that could be seen through the light pollution of New York City, but he stared anyway. They twinkled as much as they could, struggling through the brightness of the city. How many of them were still there, unseen, never to be seen by the people of the city? If he could get out of the city how many would he see? How different would the night sky look?

He wondered what the night sky looked like where Kirby was.

Donatello held the note in his hand firmly. He never had gotten to see what the night sky looked like in that world. He’d barely gotten to see any of that world. He didn’t even know what its people were like, not really. They had seemed nice enough, but it was only a glimpse of them.

Would they be good to Kirby? If that crystal ran out of power and he wasn’t able to be a wizard to them anymore, would they still welcome him? When they found out that he was the one who drew those monsters in the first place, would they still welcome him?

If they didn’t, Kirby had no way home. He was trapped there. He was trapped din an alien place. No familiar food, no familiar culture, no familiar skies or landscapes or anything at all. Everything there was strange, and he wouldn’t have anyone to share it with.

Would he mourn the loss? Would he mourn that his world no longer existed for him? Would he blame Don for leaving him there, all alone?

What if Don had stayed? Maybe he could have helped Kirby find a way back home. Maybe he and Kirby both could have made it back if only Don had stayed with him, let the portal close and then started looking for a way home. At the least, at least Kirby wouldn’t have been all alone and would have had someone familiar with him.

Or maybe Don should have pushed Kirby through first. Kirby wasn’t a scientist like Don was. Don stood a greater chance of understanding the technology and intricacies of interdimensional travel. He was more likely to find a way back home than Kirby was.

He shouldn’t have left him. Don shouldn’t have left him there. Don should have stayed with him. He should have found a way to bring them both home. He should have! He had just viewed it as a fun adventure, but he should have been taking it more seriously. He should have been more careful! It was his fault that Kirby went through in the first place, and it was his fault that he got left behind, all alone.

Don looked down at the drawing again, bring it a bit closer to himself.  One day he’d find a way to bring Kirby back. He swore it.

After all, it was his fault that Kirby was there, all alone, when Don was the one that should have been there instead.