#dude’s tougher than he looks

[ectospacecadet]

-[Danny’s Powers]-

So we all know Danny’s got a lot of powers, but I feel like a lot of people underestimate how powerful he really is, let’s compare a scene from S1 to S2. Specifically “My Brother’s Keeper” and “Kindred Spirits”.

So Danny in the first clip is angry, so angry he amps up the power of his ghost ray mid-blast, this is just 4 episodes after he gets this power. He’s still learning to use it so this is probably as strong as he can make it currently.

In the 2nd clip Danny totally wipes out everything in a several foot radius, which is way stronger than what his ghost ray was in S1. I decided to do a quick bit of calculation just to see how far Danny shot that ghost ray.

See I initially thought “eh, maybe 30-40 feet” but nope, if Danny’s at least 5ft tall then that puts the blast radius somewhere between 65-70 feet, including the tail of the blast where it would just fade out. That’s with the ground in the way which adds friction, meaning the blast could go much further by possibly 40-50 feet if shot clear off the ground, maybe even further as that’s only scraping along the bottom section of the blast.

I also love Danny’s reaction to this, because even he’s like ‘whoa’ at what he just did, you can hear the panicked breaths in there too, he’s freaking out. This episode also takes place after TUE, so Danny being afraid of his power makes sense here. He’s hurt people with it before: his parents, Sam, Tucker, Valerie and Dash (though he wanted to do that).

Imagine if someone was within that blast range? They’d be more than dead, they’d be erased.

So after seeing that, yeah, I’d get out of there too. If someone saw Danny Phantom could do that in a public space with no evidence of a ghost attack where people are, who knows what they’d say about him in the media?

[hasnomoxxie]

Could you tell us more about Dan from Levity Rises?

YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW LONG I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO ASK ME AB LEVITY RISES

I recently updated the designs for them so I'll talk ab them all if you don't mind :]c

I'll add the most information on Dan though just for you bbg!

I do plan on making a few screenshot redraws (and potentially an intro animatic because an awesome person actually made a theme for this au)

THE MYSTERY TWINS ⇆ THE ORIGINAL MYSTERY TWINS

Stanley and Stanford Pines take on the roles of Dipper and Mabel! Stan's curious and is the more mystery focussed one whereas Ford is more energetic and active than his base counterpart.

Stanley is an adventurous young boy, looking for the next interesting trip to go on, initially thinking spending the summer at Levity Rises was going to be a waste of time. Though after arriving and finding the scrapbooks alongside the anomalies happening across Levity, he and his brother quickly became obsessed with finding out the secrets of the Rises, as well as who the mysterious Smile Pup(swapped with bill cypher) is.

Ford (often going by 'Six' or 'Sixer) is a happy go lucky and optimistic young child who is alot tougher than his base counterpart was at his age. Since it's typically only just been him and his brother, so he's eager to make the best of his summer by meeting new people, though he hides his polydactyly with gloves he changes frequently.

DIPPER ⇆ STANLEY

Dipper takes the role of Grunkle Stan in this au!

Owner of the mystery shack, Grunkle Mason- or (Big) Dipper to people around Levity Rises- is the resident faux scientist of the town. His personality is more eccentric, tending to get hyper fixated on paranormal paraphernalia, to the point in where he does lock himself away for periods at a time.

Not much is known about his origins, he just kind of always existed on the outsidea of the town, but after opening the shack to the public, people quickly accepted his presence due to his quirky personality.

MANLY DAN ⇆ SOOS

Dan actually takes the role of Soos in this au, being the resident handyman of the mystery shack! Though often the lines blur between his role and Wendy's from the original. Wanted to keep it flexible yk?

Dan's a real dude's bro, pretty dim witted and blunt but often chill and level headed- Unless he's challenged- dude's competitive as hell, it's actually crazy. His mother, dubbed 'womanly wendy', is the toughest lady in town, owning a diner, aptly named 'Wendy's'.

Dan enjoys working at the Shack as it's one of the few places that'll let him freely experiment with his logging with the nearby trees for his own projects and adding fixtures onto the shack, which Dipper is pretty thankful for since he can focus his efforts on other things. It's also because of this reason that Dipper puts up with Dan's outbursts and semi airheaded personality. So it's safe to say, he's there the majority of the time.

Stan admires Danny alot and the events of 'Into the bunker' happens with Dan in place of Wendy. This does mean Stan had a passing crush on Danny during the episode, but even afterwards Stan kind of puts him on a pedestal. Ford enjoys Dan's company often being called 'little man' and playfighting on occasion. The twins act like his little hype men and he enjoys hanging with them.

As for Soos in this au, he initially built the mystery shack and is frequently seen around Levity Rises taking on odd jobs and making people as happy as they can be, though it's implied that he hasn't found his true calling yet.

LAZY SUZAN ⇆ WENDY

Lazy Suzan takes the role of Wendy in this au! Hazy Jane is a part time worker at the mystery shack, and is stan's first crush upon arrival to the Rises. She's a bit of an odd soul with a less than perfect memory, but is incredible at making a homely environment for the shack. Despite that, she can be extremely co-dependent in some situations, especially with her boyfriend. Otherwise she's earnest and does her best at her job. The events of 'Soos and the real girl' occur with Jane instead of Soos (and Rumble instead of GIFanny). Despite wanting to help, Stan is incredibly pouty throughout the episode.

Here's the design line up as well as initial notes I made when redoing them!

Hope this answered your question about Dan :]

RAUGH THANKS SO MUCH FOR ASKING THOUGHHHHHH

(EDIT)

SOMEONE SUGGESTED A BETTER SWAP FOR BILL, I JUST HAD TO ADD IT!

(EDIT EDIT)

I'm fixing wording and stuff so it's easier to read soz :p

[thefloorisbalaclava]

Aight I neeeeed more size kink stuff with ghost, I don’t have a specific idea in mind I’m just pathetic

pairing: simon 'ghost' riley x f!reader words: 751 warnings: SMUT [thigh riding, size difference/kink, simon gives off some dom vibes here]

a/n: ain't gonna lie to y'all, i listened to some audio this morning and dude was talking about thigh riding, so that's the only thing on my mind rn. enjoy

[masterlist]

Simon cages you in with his arms, and you blink up at him, breathing heavily. A sly little smirk appears on your face, but he pretends not to see it.

Or, instead, he ignores it to focus on something else.

There has always been something inside of him that reacts when he notices just how small you are to him, mostly in height. He towers over you easily, even more so when you kneel for him.

He thinks he might break you one day, but you’ve proven yourself tougher than some may think. You can handle him. And even when you can’t, you never want him to stop.

“What’s so funny, little girl?” he finally asks, and bite your lip. Without a word, you reach up and put your hands on his forearms. You don’t even try to wrap your hands around them because he knows you can’t, but just seeing how small your hands are compared to his forearms has him taking a deep breath beneath his balaclava.

“Nothing,” you tell him innocently.

“Hm,” he grunts, moving one hand and bringing it to your cheek. He could cover your entire face with one hand and your neck, well, his hand fit as well as any necklace.

He drags his thumb along your lips before pushing it into your mouth. You take it eagerly, biting down gently.

“You like when I make you feel small, love?” he asks, slowly pumping his thumb in and out of your mouth. “Nah…” He pulls his thumb out in favor of slipping two of his fingers in your mouth.

You make a small sound, and he chuckles.

“Too much?” he asks. He slowly slides his thigh between your legs.

“Mm mm,” you mumbled around his fingers, shaking your head.

“Nothing’s too much for my girl, is it?” He presses his thigh up against your crotch. He takes his fingers from your mouth and then uses his hands to pin your hands against the wall as he rubs his thigh against you even harder.

“Look at that. Look how I can use just one of my hands to pin your wrists.” He moves one hand away to show you. “God…the size of you…,” he groans.

“Simon,” you whimper.

“Go on…” He has you on your tiptoes from pressing his thigh between your legs. “Use me. No hands, though.” He glances up at your wrists stuck under his hand.

You grind your pussy against his thick thigh and close your eyes. Simon uses his free hand to grab your face, and you open your eyes.

“Eyes stay on me, love.” He presses his forehead to yours, eyes boring into yours.

“K-Kiss me,” you whine. He moves in, but only the material of his balaclava touches your lips. You can almost make out the shape of his lips through the fabric, so you kiss back reluctantly.

“I’ll give you a proper one once you finish,” he says before looking down at you struggling to move along his thigh. He lets go of your wrists, and your arms fall limply to your sides.

Suddenly, he grabs your hips and, with an almost painful grip, begins to slide you back and forth on his thigh.

“I can move you however I want, can’t I?”

You nod, pouting slightly as the pleasure overwhelms you.

“Aw, is someone not getting her way?” he teases, sliding you back and forth faster. Your toes are barely touching the floor now. Your body starts to tense as you feel the orgasm washing over you. You grab his arms to keep yourself steady, which only eggs him on. Your small fingers dig into the skin of his arms as you cry out for him, your thighs trembling against his.

You rest your head against his chest weakly. The only thing keeping you upright is his thigh and his hands at your hips.

“Good girl,” he says sweetly. He finally pulls the balaclava up and off and kisses you.

“That…was so…unfair,” you say between kisses and catching your breath.

“How do you think it feels when you tease me, hm?” He smiles against your lips when you roll your eyes. As a warning, he presses his thigh between your legs.

You hiss. “Sorry, sorry, sorry! Fuck!”

“Down you get.” He pats your ass as he stands up straight and lets your feet touch the floor again. “Can you stand?” he teases.

“Fuck you, Simon.”

“I was hoping that would happen next,” he says, and you both chuckle.

[warping-realities]

Found Family

The sun was pouring through the dusty window of an old SUV, driven by a beautifull woman in his late thirties. But that light didn’t seem to warm the sour expressions of a couple of boys sitting in the car. The reason for their attitude was right outside the window, in the beautiful coastal town they’d just moved to. After a long and messy divorce, Amanda Sullivan (formerly Williams), the boys’ mom, decided it was time for a fresh start. Being an amazing cook, she chose to move to the picturesque beach town of Santa Maria, where she spent most of her childhood vacations, and open a restaurant there, bringing her kids, Robert and Benjamin, along for the ride. The two weren’t exactly stoked about the whole moving thing. They were in their senior year of high school. Robert, older than his brother by about ten months, had tons of friends and a sort-of girlfriend. Ben, on the other hand, had a tougher time at school and had never dated, which might make someone think he’d be more open to changes, but in reality, it was the opposite; he was even more pissed than his brother because it meant leaving their dad behind. He was always closer to his father than his brother. Amanda's second pregnancy, a few months after the previous one, was complicated and the boy was born prematurely. He remained small for his age, and his father was always his protector. At least he could count on having his brother in the same class to help him. That oddity made his classmates call them twins and the nickname stuck. Everyone called them that, except for their father, who always seemed to have a slight preference for his youngest son. A father who was distant and absent, but still their dad, and he knew the distance would only make things worse.

“Come on, boys, I know you’re bummed, but I promise you’re gonna love it here. I had a blast when I was a kid and loved it even more when I came back to find our new home and the best spot for the restaurant. By the way, this is the first thing I wanna show you: the restaurant space is right over there, close to the beach.” A smiling Amanda said, looking at her two grumpy kids, who got out of the car and followed their mom to an alley near the beach, filled with little shops. The restaurant that their mom had worked so hard to open was situated between an ice cream shop and a surf store.

“So, the place is perfect, right?” She asked in an excited voice toward her kids, who stared back at her with little enthusiasm. “You guys could at least pretend to be happy for me.”

“They won’t need to pretend for long, I’m sure they’ll feel at home in no time.” Said a cheerful male voice. The three members of the small family turned toward that voice and were faced with a handsome guy. He was sitting in front of the surf shop, with a surfboard beside him, in his 40s, with the sculpted physique of a hard-working man, long blonde hair, and a bright smile, radiating the energy of a guy who, despite his age, was still living life to the fullest. “Guys, this is Sean Hale, he’s been a great friend, helped me a lot with everything around here.”

“Happy to help, Amanda, it wasn’t long ago that Ollie and I were in the same boat, and we would’ve loved to have some friendly faces around. Speaking of which, here comes the devil. The boys and their mom turned in the direction Sean was pointing and saw what looked like a younger version of him, in the late teen years. The kid, Olliver, had the same blond hair, an enviable physique, and a youthful vibe.

“Hey, Dad! Mrs. Sullivan! Great to see you again, and I see you finally brought the twins with you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, guys. I know you’re not super hyped about the move, but Santa Maria is a magical place.” The two boys exchanged furtive glances, how the hell did this random dude know so much about them? Quickly, those looks turned angrily toward their mom, as if Amanda had been trash-talking them to her new friends. More pissed off than his brother, Benjamin spoke the first words of his day, although far from friendly.

“Fantastic, Mom, not only did you drag us to the other side of the country, but you also share our private stuff with the first people you meet.” He turned back toward the car, not even glancing at Sean and completely ignoring Olliver’s outstretched arm in a failed attempt at a high-five that was awkwardly met by a shy Robert.

“Hey, um, Ollie? Sorry about Ben’s behavior; just because we didn’t wanna move doesn’t mean we have to be rude to those who welcomed us so nicely. Also, I apologize to you for my brother’s attitude, Mr. Hale.”

“You can call me Sean, Robert, that’s what everyone calls me. And I get it; all this change can be a shock. It’s a shame Benjamin stormed off like that; I would’ve loved to explain to him that I’m not a complete stranger, actually, your mom and I have known each other for many years here on this beach, when we were younger than you guys are now. And we’ve crossed paths again over several summers until she never came back.”

“I had college on the other side of the country to attend, then there was the wedding and the kids, and my ex-husband hates the beach... but the truth is, when everything changed, I ended up being drawn back here, it was almost like a magnet pulling me back to Santa Maria.”

“I get you; when my wife passed away last year, I felt the same. I sold everything I had, moved here with Olliver, and opened the surf shop. I’ve always been passionate about the waves and have been bringing Ollie every summer to teach him how to surf, so it felt natural to open the shop and teach the sport to the tourist kids.”

“You surf, dude?” Olliver asked Robert.

“I can barely swim, Olliver.”

“You can call me Ollie or bro; our parents are old friends, we don’t need formalities. And about not knowing how to swim, let me help you; in no time, you’ll be owning the waves, and trust me, girls love a surfer, even if it is useless to me”

“Um, I’ll think about it, Olliver.”

“No thinking, and call me bro, bro. Let me show you our boards; I bet you’ll wanna grab one and jump in the water as soon as you see them.” Olliver said, dragging Robert inside the shop.

“Ollie, since you’re going in, ask Harry to come here; I’ll need his help unloading Mandy’s stuff.”

“Yeap.” Responded his son, already inside the shop.

“Sean, there’s no need for that; we can handle it ourselves.”

“I know that; from what I gathered, you’ve been managing on your own for a long time, even before the marriage ended, Mandy. But it doesn’t have to be like that; I’m here for you guys.”

“That’s really kind of you, Sean, and I can’t deny the truth in your words, it’s been so tough. Rob is upset, but that should pass soon, but Ben... Ben is different; he still misses his dad a lot, my ex was his idol, so being left behind... he’s really mad, and how does he deal with that? He refuses to admit his dad’s abandonment, so he chose to take that anger out on everyone else, including me.”

“That’ll pass, believe me; if you want, I can try to help, or maybe Ollie; the age proximity might make things easier.”

“Would you do that?”

“Sure, I’ll ask him to drop by your house tonight, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, I don’t mind; I’m really grateful.”

“You don’t need to thank me; it’ll be a great pleasure.” Sean concluded with a radiant smile.

…..

“This is the last one, Mrs. Sullivan.” Said a huge black young man, with a contagious smile, as he dropped the last box at Amanda’s new house. This was Harrison, Sean’s surf shop employee. A young man with massive muscles but an easy laugh and a laid-back vibe, evidenced by his head full of dreadlocks. It was a big shock to discover that a guy that big was only nineteen, having just graduated a few months ago with Olliver. But despite his size, the kid was so friendly and cheerful, exuding so much happiness that even Ben let his guard down a bit when he met him at the beach.

Speaking of Ben, Harry, as he preferred to be called, turned to him. “You’re a senior, Ben? So you’ll be classmates with my brother Micky; I think you guys could hit it off. You both give off the same vibe.”

“Um, thanks.” Ben replied, at least acknowledging it, before heading inside the house.

“I wonder what that vibe would be. Crybaby teen?” commented a much friendlier Robert, who quickly hit it off with Harry and Olliver and started to think that maybe this whole moving thing wasn’t so bad after all.

“I’d say more like a future family killer.” Harry replied, smiling, giving Rob a high-five.

The end of the day didn’t have any other significant events, being filled with the work of organize the house, which was already furnished. Thanks to the chores, even Benjamin loosened up a bit and started chatting, still a bit grumpy, with his mom, while Robert seemed like a different person, chatting excitedly at dinner about thinking over Ollie’s offer to learn to surf.

“You’re a terrible swimmer, Rob; just because you wish for something doesn’t mean you’ll get it, bro!” Ben commented with the first smile of the day.

“I think you’d be surprised at the power a wish has.” Someone said at the dining room door. Standing there was Olliver Hale in all his golden glory.

“Sorry to interrupt, but the door was open, Mrs. Sullivan. My dad asked to see if you needed help with anything.”

“Ollie, sweetheart, don’t worry, you’re very welcome; we’ve got everything sorted. Since you were so kind to come here, would you like to have dinner with us? Tonight I made my famous bolognese lasagna. Since I’ll be serving lighter dishes at the beach, if I were you, I wouldn’t miss out.”

“Oh, I certainly wouldn’t, excuse me.” Said the kid sitting next to Benjamin, who then stood up and stormed out, irritated, without saying a word.

“A tough crowd.” Olliver joked.

“What do you mean by that?” Robert asked.

“My dad asked me to come here and try to befriend you guys to make things easier for both of you. But from what I can see, Benjamin isn’t interested.”

“He’ll get over it; it’s just that things have been intense the last few months.”

“I get it, bro. And until then, I can dedicate all my time to you. Speaking of which, stop by the shop tomorrow after school for your first surf lesson.”

“Hey, I said I’d think about it, Ollie.”

“And I said don’t think. So, no arguments, surf lesson tomorrow afternoon. Wow, this is the best food I’ve ever had, Mrs. Sullivan; trust me, I’ll be spending a lot of time here. A new bro and food like this, I’ll be calling your place home soon.”

…..

Ben woke up with a bitter taste in his mouth after his impromptu exit from the dining room the night before; he locked himself in his room, kicked the bed, lay down, and cried himself to sleep, mad about his situation, missing his dad, and also embarrassed about his attitude toward Olliver. He and his dad seemed like cool guys, but they represented everything he hated most at that moment. Still, he would have to apologize to them for his behavior.

After a quick shower, he got ready for school and headed down to the kitchen for breakfast. And to his surprise, he found himself face to face with Olliver, in an animated conversation with Rob. “I can’t wait for my first class, bro. Surfing is so awesome...”

“What’s going on? What are you doing here?” Benjamin abruptly interrupted, suddenly abandoning all thoughts of apologizing.

“Enough, Ben. Ollie stayed up late last night chatting with me, and I invited him to sleep here. We all get that you’re bummed, but that doesn’t mean you have to be rude!”

“Until yesterday, you didn’t want to be here either, and now you’re all happy and making friends; I thought we’d find a way to go back home.”

“Grow up, Benjamin; this is our home now, you said that yesterday, just because you wish for something doesn’t mean it’s gonna happen.”

“Bro, chill. Ben, can I call you that? I understand what you’re going through; when my mom died and my dad decided to move here, I wasn’t happy either, and I’ve known Santa Maria my whole life, but let me tell you, it’s a magical place...”

“Magical place, you’ve told me that already. And look, I’m sorry for my behavior, but... Hey, there’s someone at the window!”

“What?” the other two boys said in unison, turning to the kitchen window, but there was no one there.

“Ben, just apologize and we can move on with our lives.” Rob said to his younger brother.

“But it’s true, there was a black kid standing right there...”

“Alright, the choice is yours, bro.”

“But I...”

“Ollie offered to give us a ride to school; grab your stuff and let’s go; he’ll pick us up when we’re done so we can start surfing lessons.”

“I didn’t agree to that, and besides, I’d rather go to school alone.” Ben replied, leaving without having breakfast.

“A really tough crowd.” Olliver commented, watching the other boy leave the room.

Ben almost regretted refusing Olliver’s ride; it was tough finding his way to school, but he finally made it. The first days of school are always the same boring routine, and Benjamin thought he could count on Rob, but at that moment, he wanted to be as far away from his brother as possible, sitting as far from him as he could. Throughout their lives, they’d always been there for each other. But now Rob was a traitor, selling out for a friendship with a brainless surfer and the promise of learning a sport he had no talent for. And thinking about how much water his brother would have to swallow, with a certain malicious satisfaction, he scanned the rest of the room. To his surprise, sitting right in front of the class, looking at him with an unreadable expression, was the kid he saw at the window during breakfast.

Ben found out the kid’s name was Michael, but he had to wait until the end of class to ask what he was doing at the window in the morning. Which wasn’t an easy task, since the kid seemed to disappear from the world, leaving the classroom as soon as the bell rang. It was only during the period before lunch that he finally got his chance, when he walked into the classroom and saw the kid again and chose to sit next to the classroom door, blocking him from leaving without passing Ben. And that’s exactly what he did; when the kid walked past him without saying anything, Ben pulled him aside, trying to get some answers. But he was caught off guard by the kid’s expression; there was so much fear in his eyes.

“Let me go, please, I promise I’ll stay away, don’t do anything to me, I swear I’ll stop trying to figure it out...”

“Figure out what? What are you talking about?”

“I saw you with them yesterday at the beach. You’re one of them.”

“What do you mean by ‘one of them’? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“If you’re not one of them yet, you will be soon; you’re too close to them. Now let me go.” The other kid finished, breaking free and running away.

“Michael, come back here, MICHAEL!!! What the hell is going on?”

……

Ben decided to ignore his brother’s text messages, first asking about lunch and then what he was doing after school. He also ignored his mom’s worried messages, opting to walk along the beach in an attempt to figure out what the hell was happening. It wasn’t until Amanda left an angry message saying she was really worried about him and that if he didn’t show up in the next fifteen minutes she’d call the cops, that a reluctant Benjamin called her to say he was heading home.

After a long lecture about her son’s childish behavior, she informed him that she would be staying late at the restaurant preparing things for the opening that would happen that weekend, but that there was food ready and that Rob was already home. With one last motherly plea, she asked Ben to make an effort to at least sort things out with his brother since apparently, that wasn’t going to happen with her anytime soon.

Sighing heavily, Ben entered the living room of the house, and upon doing so, received the biggest shock of his life. Sitting at the table, studying, was Rob, but this wasn’t the same Rob from that morning. Shirtless, with the sun-kissed skin of someone who spends a lot of time outdoors, extra pounds of muscle, and light blonde hair almost golden, anyone would think it was another person, but the face and aura were all Rob, altered, but still him.

“What the hell happened to you, Robert?” Asked a truly desperate Ben upon seeing this totally strange version of his older brother.

“What happened is that I got tired of waiting, bro. If you don’t wanna hang out with me anymore, fine. So, once you grow up and stop acting like a crybaby, you can come talk to me.”

“I... I’m not talking about that, Rob. Your hair, your skin, your muscles, how did this happen?”

“Dude, this is what happens when you go out and live your life. If you had gone surfing today, I would’ve shown you how great it is.”

“But that’s impossible... Rob, there’s no way such a change can happen in a single day.”

“What are you talking about, Ben? Of course, it can’t happen in a day. I’ve been surfing for almost a year now, ever since our parents split and I moved in with Uncle Sean.”

“Uncle Sean? Rob, that doesn’t make sense. Sean isn’t our uncle, and we moved here yesterday. We met him yesterday. None of this makes sense.”

Apparently, Ben didn’t make sense to this different Rob either. Because he stared at Ben with a look that was probably a mirror of what Ben had at that moment. And with a sigh, he finally said, “Alright, Ben, if that’s how you want things, fine. When you’re ready, you can come talk to me, bro. I’m your brother, we are the twins, try to remember. I’ll always be here for you, as long as you don’t push me away like you’re doing now. I’m done studying, I’ll go help Mom with the restaurant stuff. Don’t wait for us, but if you decide to be yourself again, stop by to help; we’ll be really grateful for both decisions.” Concluded Rob, getting up, putting on a shirt, and walking out the door without looking back, leaving a stunned Benjamin standing there with his mouth agape in the middle of the living room.

….

Ben needed answers, more than that, he needed a way to get his brother back to normal so they could get out of there together. Talking to their mom was out of the question; she was probably the first one to be... dominated? Hypnotized? One person popped into his mind. Michael, he knew what was happening and thought Benjamin was part of it. He needed to find Michael and convince him to tell him everything he knew and fast.

The next morning, he woke up before sunrise, after a sleepless night where he had to pretend to be sleeping when his mom came to say goodnight. He hated doing that to her but wasn’t sure if she was infected or not; unlike Rob, she hadn’t shown any significant changes in behavior or appearance, unless you counted her sudden desire to settle in Santa Maria, which, despite his disapproval, was nothing compared to what happened with his brother.

Sneaking out quietly to avoid being seen, he headed to school, praying that Michael hadn’t freaked out enough to decide to skip classes. Apparently, some higher power heard his prayers, as Michael not only showed up for class that day but after a bit of persuasion agreed to talk to Ben. In an empty classroom, Ben started his plea for any kind of answer.

“I swear I’m not infected or zombified or whatever the hell is going on, but they took my brother and maybe my mom too; you’re the only one who seems to know something about what’s going on, so please, help me.”

Michael looked at Ben with unreadable eyes for a few seconds before sighing and speaking. “Okay, let’s say I believe you; what happened to your brother?”

“Long story short. My parents split up last year, after which my mom got it in her head to move us here and open a restaurant by the beach, dragging my brother and me along with her. Something neither of us agreed to. We didn’t even like the beach. Until we arrived here two days ago at least, when Rob started hanging out with Olliver Hale, and since then he’s been acting different, but that’s not the worst part; he seems different and acts like things have always been this way. Calling Olliver’s father ‘Uncle’ and we barely know the guy.” Benjamin replied in one breath, afraid of sounding ridiculous. But Michael just asked another question: “Have you met my brother, Harrison?”

“Harrison? Harry? The surf shop employee? Wait a minute, are you the Micky he was talking about?”

“No one, no one has ever called me that, at least not until a few months ago. So, please, keep calling me Michael. But yeah, that Harry. So let me tell you my story. Although I still don’t have the slightest idea if you have bad intentions...”

“I promise I’m not lying; you saw my brother at the kitchen window yesterday, and don’t deny it, because now I’m sure it was you. Wait until he shows up at school, and you’ll see the difference in him. Believing me is your choice, but you heard my story. I think I’ll lose my mind if I don’t understand what’s going on.”

“Then I’m sorry to disappoint you, because I don’t have the faintest idea of what’s going on. I can only tell you what happened to me. But before I continue, you told me you met Harry. Take a look at this photo here and tell me what you see.” Michael said, handing Benjamin a worn-out photo. It was a picture of two skinny Black boys, both wearing glasses; one of them was clearly Michael, while the other could be some other brother or close relative, as the resemblance was striking.

“Benjamin, you’ve met Harry; now I present to you Harrison. We took this photo together a few months ago; it’s worn out because I keep it with me so often just to make sure I’m not crazy.”

“I don’t get it; this isn’t possible...” There was no way the kid in the photo was the giant Ben knew, even with steroids; there was still the height issue, Harry was at least a foot taller, and the hair, hair like that doesn’t grow overnight, even if it was some kind of wig...

“Think, Benjamin, you just told me about your brother; I’m telling you what happened to mine. I thought finally someone would believe me; you have no idea how many times I’ve tried to show this photo, without success, but no one believes me. It’s not like I have many people to support me; since our parents died, it’s always been Harrison and me, taking care of our grandma. Even so, I thought someone would remember, that someone would look at the photo and help me. All the other photos and videos show Harry, not Harrison; for some reason, only that one remained. But people think I’m trying to pull a prank or something stupid like that.”

“Michael, that’s not possible; no one changes that much...” Ben repeated.

“Your brother hasn’t changed?”

“Yeah, but he’s still... him. Maybe he already gained those muscles and I didn’t notice, and his hair might be dyed, and he could have a fake tan... maybe this is all a huge prank in response to my behavior... and maybe you’re in on it too; yeah, confess, Harry asked you to do this, didn’t he?”

“Don’t try to rationalize, Benjamin; I tried, and it just frustrated me even more; there’s no space for reason in what’s happening. But there’s an easy way for me to prove to you that I’m not messing with you. Tell me, have you seen your brother today?”

“No, that’s impossible; there’s no way this is real. You’re joking; you’re all joking. I get it, I’ve been unbearable the last few days, but doing this to me is bullshit. Stop messing around, Michael, I promise I’ll go home and apologize to my mom and Rob, and then I’ll apologize to Sean and Olliver too.”

“No, don’t do that; they’ll find a way to grab you too; I’ve been feeling that they’re close to getting me; I feel it’s an increasing attraction every time Harry is near me or when I get close to his work; they want you too, and if they took your brother and your mom, they definitely want you.”

“Why? Why us?”

“Because you must have something they care about. Let me finish my story. It all started when the Hales moved here a few months ago. Harrison was almost done with his last year, probably would’ve been the class speaker and would’ve landed a scholarship at a good college. He worried about what would happen to me, being left alone at home with a sick grandma. But I always told him those were opportunities he couldn’t miss. But then the Hales showed up, and Olliver became Harrison’s classmate. And my brother felt attracted to him like a moth to a flame. After that, everything happened so quickly; one moment Harrison was going to college, the next he was kissing Olliver Hale, talking as if he’d known him for years, and finally... finally he was Harry, like you knew him, that mountain of muscles, all smiles and joy, without a care in the world other than surfing, working a mediocre job, dating the owner’s son, and... me, I guess. Harry seems to like me just as much as Harrison liked him, but I... I can’t like him back... I need my brother, not him.”

“Wait a minute, you’re telling me Harry and Olliver are together?”

“Seriously, out of everything I told you, you choose to worry about two dudes being together?”

“No, that’s not it; do you think this... thing... happened to your brother because Olliver was into him? Because Sean seems pretty interested in my mom; on the day we arrived, I watched them from a distance, and he was flirting with her the whole time. Still... I don’t know what to say; I want to believe you because you believed in me, Michael, but this is too much.”

“Do you know where your brother’s locker is, Benjamin? Let’s go there.” Concluded Michael as Ben nodded.

There were still a few minutes until the bell, but standing in front of Rob’s locker was a big blonde kid with his back turned to the two approaching. When he turned around, Benjamin was even more surprised than the night before. It was Rob, but not really. This Rob looked way more like Olliver Hale’s younger brother than Benjamin’s brother.

“Good morning, bro, good morning, Micky. So good to see you guys getting along; if I’d bet with Harry, I would’ve lost!”

“R-Rob?”

“Sorry, bro, but I gotta head to football practice. Mom and Dad will be stoked to know you’re making an effort just like Harry, Micky, as long as you guys aren’t up to anything! See you at lunch, Ben?”

“I don’t...”

“No, no, bro, we’re having lunch the three of us, and after school, I wanna see you two at the shop. Mom and Dad had to leave town and won’t be back until tomorrow, so we can do something just us. I wanna introduce you to someone important, bro. See ya, please don’t leave me hanging.” And he walked towards the classroom, leaving behind two stunned boys. “What the hell was he talking about, about Mom and Dad? Our dad’s not here; he’s on the other side of the country, and they’d never hang out again, not after the divorce.”

“I don’t know, but I bet you’ll figure it out soon. And did you see how he talked to me, like he knew me, and I can assure you I never spoke to him in my life.”

“This whole situation is so complicated... At least we have proof we were telling the truth. Which leaves us with one question: what the hell are we gonna do about this?…” Michael and Benjamin decided to keep as far away from their brothers as possible until they had some idea of what to do; the problem was precisely that: they had no clue what to do. They vaguely discussed the possibility of investigating the surf shop, but that would put them directly in the enemy’s den. There was also the issue that, even if Michael wasn’t affected yet, that didn’t mean the same would happen to Ben, especially with him being so close to the center of everything. The two skipped lunch, and after class ended, Ben ran home, stopping to grab something to eat and locking himself in his room, hoping to avoid any conflict. Unfortunately, as soon as he got home, he found himself face to face with an irritated Rob.

“I don’t know why I was so dumb to think things were getting better, bro. I thought that after our talk yesterday, you’d make an effort to try to adjust, and when I saw you and Micky together, I thought you were finally starting to accept that this is our new reality.”

“Rob, how can’t you see what’s going on? You’ve completely changed!”

“Enough, Ben. I get that you’re bummed because our mom decided to move back in with my dad after all this time. But I want you to remember I was by your side when Ollie decided to move in with our dad because his relationship with your dad was crap. I stuck around for you. I expected the bare minimum of effort from you, just a little gratitude!”

“Rob, let me...”

“No, let me tell you something. My dad may not be your dad, but our mom decided to go back to him for a reason, and yeah, Ollie and I are super happy about it, and I repeat, we understand why you might be feeling bad. Ollie felt the same way when Mom married your dad; I was too young to remember, but I bet I felt the same way too. So, we get it, bro. And I’m sorry, but your dad’s a piece of work; he doesn’t give a damn about you, but my dad is here for you, just like he is for Ollie and me, if you let him.”

Ben was once again stunned by what he heard, to the point of standing there in the middle of the room, speechless, just staring at what should be his brother. “You’ve got nothing to say, Benjamin? Great! Then you can go to your room and lock yourself in there like you’ve been doing for the last few days. I was gonna introduce you to Jessica tonight and then take you to your first beach party, but you don’t deserve any of that.” Not knowing what to do, Benjamin went to his room, sat on the bed, and cried, for his brother, for his mom, but also because that distorted version of Rob was speaking the truth: his dad didn’t give a shit about him. And, most likely, Sean Hale would be a good dad, so maybe... But before he could finish that thought, he was distracted by a noise outside his room. Standing at the window, just like the first time he saw him, was Michael, waving and seemingly asking Ben to meet him outside the house. Benjamin quietly slipped out to meet his new friend.

“What? Why the hell are you here? You could’ve sent me a message.”

“I did! I sent several messages; when you didn’t reply, I decided to come find you. Sean’s out…”

“Yeah, I know, and apparently now he and my mom are the parents of Rob and Ollie. That’s what Rob was talking about this morning when he said Mom and Dad were leaving for a day. Dude, this is so fucked up. I lost my brother!”

“I know, I’ve had that same thought for months. Look, Harry asked me to go to some kind of party on the other side of the beach; Olliver and your brother are going too. With Sean out, this is our chance to at least check out the surf shop; it’s a long shot, but…”

“But it’s all we’ve got. And besides, I don’t know how much longer I can take this; I was about to give up when you showed up.”

“I know, I almost agreed to hang out with Harry when he hugged me. Dude, I just want my brother back.”

“And what’s worse is that they seem so happy.” Ben said, pointing to Rob leaving the house at that moment, accompanied by a pretty girl, both smiling and radiating total happiness.

“Dude, it looks like his hair grew even more in the last few minutes; this is so…”

“Fucked up, I know. Let’s go.” …

The two boys ran to the beach, with Michael leading Benjamin to the back of Sean Hale’s surf shop.

“How are we gonna get in?”

“I grabbed these keys when Harry hugged me.” Michael said, showing a set of keys with a mischievous grin, the first one Benjamin had seen. As soon as they entered the shop, Benjamin turned to Michael again and asked, “So, what are we looking for? Some kind of device, a spell book, some alien goo?”

“Maybe a bit of common sense?” Interrupted a deep, serious voice. Standing in front of the two, with an irritated expression, was Harry. “Boys, you’ve crossed every imaginable line. Michael, it’s about time we caught up, bro. Benjamin, your brothers are waiting for you in front of the shop so you can settle in too.” He said, holding Michael by the shoulders.

Benjamin took a good look at his friend’s face and, with an apologetic expression, ran out the back door. And he ran, ran until his legs hurt so much he forced himself to stop, collapsing in the sand and crying for the second time that day. And that’s how he stayed for hours until he fell asleep in the sand.

It was late evening when he was awakened by a deep voice. “Finally I found you. Hey, bro, what are you doing here? I know things aren’t great, but I thought we were friends; you know you can always count on me, Benji.” Benjamin, wiping the sand from his eyes, found himself facing a muscular black kid who looks... just like his brother.

“Mi-Michael?”

“Micky, dude. Don’t say it like we don’t know each other our whole lives.” Ben didn’t even try to argue this time, too worn out from all the weirdness; he just turned and run again. However, when he arrived at the main street he came face to face with Rob and Ollie waiting for him.

“Thinking about sneaking out again? No way, little bro. We’re going home; Dad wants to talk to you, and I can add that I’ve never seen him like this. Good luck.” Thinking it was better to just get it over with, Benjamin gave up and followed them...

Benjamin stayed quiet during the whole journey, he didn’t wanna argue with anyone; besides, he felt overwhelmed by equally large amounts of shame for ditching the closest thing to a friend he’d made in this town, guilt for what had happened to that person, and anxiety about what would happen to him. All of this was made worse by the fact that this new version of Michael - Micky - was nothing like the Michael Benjamin had known; Micky was cheerful, playful, and outgoing, and genuinely seemed hurt by being ignored by his supposed best friend. It was unbearable how nice he was, to the point that Ben couldn’t help but return the hand touch and the farewell hug offered by him when they finally reached their destination.

“See ya, bro. Chill, everything will be alright.” That was Micky’s farewell phrase. Before Robert turned to Benjamin.

"Benji, I don't know what's happening to you, but I'm really worried, bro. This isn't you, talk to dad and let him help you, little brother. I want my twin back." And then he hugged him, easily wrapping Benjamin's body with his long arms, and as much as he wanted to get away, he felt comfortable in that place. His brother smelled of coconut and salt, but underneath it there was still his own scent, which Benjamin knew so well.

Wiping away the new torrent of tears, he turned around and without looking back entered the house. As he entered the living room he found himself facing Sean Hale, sitting shirtless on the couch with a worried look on his face.

What do these people have against shirts? Was the first thought that crossed Benjamin's mind before he was hit with another feeling: the most intense anger he’d ever felt in his life. Standing in front of him was the guy responsible for the absurd situation he was in. But before he could say or do anything, Sean turned to him: “I think I owe you an explanation. I’m really sorry, Benjamin; it’s all my fault, I didn’t think it was necessary. But apparently, just like your buddy Micky, you have this crazy resistance to change, and for things to go the way they’re supposed to, changes need to be embraced.”

“You know when I’m gonna accept that? Only in your wildest dreams.”

“It’s funny you mention my dreams, Benjamin, because my part in this story actually starts with my dreams. My dreams of a big, happy family. But this story, our story, goes way back. Do you know why this town is called Santa Maria, Benji?”

“Don’t call me that, and I don’t care what this town’s called; I just want my brother and my life back.”

“And you’ll get it if you listen to me. Santa Maria was the name given by Spanish conquistadors to this land in an attempt to assimilate the native peoples into the Catholic faith when this part of the country was still under Mexico’s rule. When they got here, they heard a legend about a local female deity. A woman whose son had been killed and who, in her grief, threw herself off a cliff into one of the caves along the coast. Over time, this cave became a pilgrimage site for native women seeking help with their children. For Catholic preachers, the association with the Virgin Mary was obvious, and so a church in honor of the Mother of God was built on a hill, giving the town its name. The church was destroyed when the region was integrated into the United States. But secretly, over the years, countless generations of mothers sought out the old cave, praying to the virgin or the mother of the legend to intercede for their kids. When you’re a mom and you need divine intervention, the source of that intervention doesn’t matter.”

“I don’t get where this is going...”

“Please, just chill, Benjamin; you’ll understand soon enough. Your mom and I actually met when we were kids on this beach, and we heard all about the old legend together. Our paths diverged; your mom met your dad, and I met Lilly, my late wife, although, at this moment, that story is being rewritten, and soon I’ll forget it, which hurts me so much. But this is the path Lilly set for us. She and I came here every summer for our vacations. The tradition continued after Olliver was born, and the three of us were really happy here. But about a year ago, around the same time your parents started the divorce process, something terrible happened to us. Olliver came out, which wasn’t a problem for us; parents usually know about these things long before their kids, and we’ve always loved him as he is. But not everyone’s like that. One day, those who were supposed to be my son’s friends pulled what they thought was a prank on him, basically a huge act of homophobia. Ollie didn’t take it well, and one thing led to another, in this case, a beating followed by a coma. You have no idea how horrible it is to see your kid lying unconscious, fighting for his life, with doctors saying there’s no chance of survival. It tears you apart inside.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Sean, but I still don’t get what the point of all this is...”

“Hang tight, I’ll get to that part. Over the years, my wife also heard about the legend, and in her desperation, she went to the mother’s cave to ask for help. But the legends she heard were wrong; they spoke of blood sacrifices, of one life for another... and in her hopelessness, Lilly jumped into the abyss.”

“Oh my God.”

“Yeah, a terrible, sad decision, I think she decided she couldn’t live without our son... But her sacrifice awakened something, or someone. Santa Maria really is a magical place. And you and I both experienced it. The next morning, Oliver woke up, and within a few days, he was literally brand new, healthier than ever, stronger, taller. And only I seemed to notice. As for Lilly, her body was never found. I thought I’d never set foot on this land again, but a strange feeling in my chest, like a pull, kept bringing me back here. Until I finally gave in and came. The day my shop opened, that pull reached its peak, guiding me to the cave. And inside it, kneeling in prayer, was your mom, asking for help with her kids. So I knew what to do; I approached her and offered the help she needed. At that moment, I didn’t know something like what’s happening now was possible. Of course, not long after, Ollie met Harrison, and suddenly, I had an employee named Harry who was also my son’s boyfriend. Still, when you guys came here, I thought things would just flow naturally. But I realized I was wrong again when I watched the transformation happen with Rob, with a new set of memories about him entering my head, first of him knowing me his whole life and moving in with me right after Amanda’s divorce. Then the memory changed again, Rob and Olliver became my sons with Amanda, as if Lilly had never existed. At the same time this situation infuriated me, it also scared me. I looked for your mom at the same time she was looking for me, and when we were together, we both felt that pull again, so we came to the same conclusion: we should go to the cave.” He sighed and looked at Benjamin, his eyes sympathetic. “Now things get really complicated, Benjamin. When we arrived at the cave, both Amanda and I were overtaken by a force, something much bigger than the two of us. We were invaded by alien memories, of a mother hugging her son and her lover, both dead, in that same cave, and jumping off the cliff. Then, countless mothers kneeling there, begging for their children, the intervals between those visits getting longer and longer. Until the consciousness that was there fell asleep. Then, Lilly... I was forced to witness the prayer and sacrifice of my wife, Benjamin. In her final moments, she didn’t just pray for our son’s life but also for my happiness, so that I could find a family like I always wanted. She shouldn’t have done that; Lilly’s sacrifice gave the entity more power than it had in centuries, and it used it. It found another desperate mother seeking help and put her in my path, ensuring that Lilly’s last wishes were fulfilled. Ollie is happy with the boyfriend he always wanted. Harry never had the courage to come out until he met Ollie and always worried about leaving his brother alone with a sick grandma when going to college. Your mom wanted a stable father for her kids. Rob wanted friends and a girlfriend. Micky wanted a brother he could connect with. And me, I just want a family, a big happy family. So now it’s your turn, what do you want, Benjamin?”

“I want my dad back, my brother, and the life we had.”

“I figured you’d say that. But that’s not possible. The entity can’t grasp the concept of love between a father and son. The father of her son was the one who killed him when he found out about his relationship with another man. She made it very clear to me that I only got what I wanted because it was what was best for your mom and our kids. But understand, Benjamin, the power from Lilly’s sacrifice is running out. That’s why she summoned us to the cave; she doesn’t have much time to fit you in. I’m afraid your dad’s absence in the last few months is a side effect of my wife’s desire. Your mom would’ve liked to be here and tell you all this in person, but she took the first flight back to her old city this morning, trying to track down your dad, and she was successful... Benjamin, I’m sorry, but he doesn’t remember you or your brother; he’s got another family and another life.”

“No, no, you’re lying.”

“Look into my eyes, Benjamin. I’m not lying. I care about what happens to you just like I care about my other kids. Understand, the entity can’t be guided or have its power reversed. At this point, I have two sets of memories in my mind; in one, I’m the father of two boys; in the other, I have three. Your mom is going through the same thing; she’s desperate, Benjamin, please accept what’s being offered to you!

“I don’t know...”

“You want a dad and a mom who love you and are by your side; you want your brother by your side. Even if the flow of events were reversed, it wouldn’t happen the way you want, Benjamin; your dad and mom weren’t happy in their marriage. They were hurting each other, and if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll admit they were hurting you too. So I’m begging you, let me be the dad you so need. I want the set of memories with the three boys to be real. I’ll also be letting go of an important person in my life; Lilly will cease to exist for me, but it’ll be worth it; you’re worth it.”

“I... I...” Unable to respond, Benjamin closed his eyes and just nodded as he felt the tight embrace of strong arms around him...

…..

The sunlight streamed through the kitchen window of a big beach house, lighting up the space and an eighteen-year-old kid busy preparing breakfast for the rest of his family. This kid had golden hair like the sun shining on him and a smile so bright. He seemed carefree, humming a happy tune while setting the breakfast table. Distracted for a moment while making pancakes, he didn’t notice the handsome blonde man standing at the door, watching him with an admiring smile. “Good morning, Benji!” said the man, finally deciding to interrupt the kid.

“Dad, you scared the hell out of me.”

“Watch your language, kid.” replied the dad, still smiling. “It’s just that you remind me so much of your mom when she cooks.” Of his three children, Benji was the most physically similar to him, a little shorter than his brothers and with a more robust build. But his behavior was all Amanda.

“Someone had to learn how to cook since you and none of my brothers can whip up a dish that doesn’t make everyone sick.”

“Oh, the harsh truth. Speaking of your brothers, where are they?”

“Ollie hasn’t woken up yet, and Bobby spent the night with Jessica, so it looks like it’ll just be us for breakfast.”

“Couldn’t ask for better company, son. So, what’s on your plans for today?” said Sean, stacking pancakes and pouring a generous amount of syrup on top.

“Nothing much, Bobby will meet me here so we can go to school together, Micky will meet us on the way. This afternoon we’re gonna surf, and I promised to help Mom with the restaurant tonight.”

“Hey, how come I don’t get a hand at the shop?”

“Because you’ve got an employee and your two other kids to help you with that, and both of them are incapable of frying an egg so that’s up to me. Aaand do I need to remind you I’m already giving surf lessons to the younger kids with Micky?

“Alright, you win. You win.” Sean replied, still smiling.

“I always win, Dad; Mom always says I’ve got your face but her brains, and her brains always beat you.”

“Smart woman. But we’re talking about you, kid. And I just want you to know I love you tons and I’m super proud of you, son. You’re everything a dad could want.”

“I love you too, Dad, and I couldn’t ask for a better one.” Benji replied, finishing his meal in a hurry and getting up from the table.

“What’s the rush?”

“We gotta swing by Micky’s place before school, and you know how he is; he can take longer than Ollie in the morning, and I don’t wanna be late, we have football practice.”

“I get you’ve got a busy day, but stop by the shop before heading to your mom’s restaurant.”

“Sure, see ya later, Dad.”

He said as he ran out of the kitchen. In a few minutes he was back with his backpack on his shoulders and heading out the door to meet his brother who was waiting for him on the sidewalk. He was followed the whole time by the gaze of his father who, upon seeing his sons greet each other with the greeting of the moment, could not resist calling them, making them both turn around.

“Boys!!! Before you go, where’s my hug?” He asked, which was met with all the affection from his sons.

…..

That afternoon, Sean and Amanda were at the beach, watching their three sons running after each other like they were still little kids, the resemblance between them was so strong that anyone looking from the outside might think they were triplets. It was only on closer inspection that an outsider would realize that one of the boys was slightly older than the other two. After Ollie they had longed for a girl, but But what was the surprise for both of them when they discovered that they would be parents of twins? The pregnancy had been complicated and they had gone through some tough times but somehow everything worked out and the boys were now grown men or should have been...

“Looks like these kids are never gonna grow up.” Sean commented to his wife.

“What did you expect? Their dad never grew up.” was Amanda’s cutting reply.

“Ouch! That hurt.”

“Stop whining. You know very well I prefer it this way. I wouldn’t have married you for almost twenty years if I didn’t love that goofy surfer vibe of yours.”

“So, no regrets about not going to college to be with me?”

“You know I don’t regret it; I have everything I could want, a job I love, three wonderful boys, perfect copies of their dad, the love of my life. I’m sure some higher power guided our destiny. And you, aren’t you happy with everything we’ve achieved?”

“I’m the happiest man in the world. And I’m super grateful for everything we’ve got. I think even in other lives I wouldn’t find a better family.”

…………..

One last word

So, this is a revised repost of a story I've always liked but didn’t get much attention around here, maybe 'cause it ain't an erotic story. Anyway, since most of my work is that kind of stuff, I rewrote this one so none of the characters are underage. If you’re older, you probably caught the 'The Lost Boys' vibe in this story, and yeah, that was totally my inspo. That was one of my fave flicks growing up, and being the weirdo I am, I always hoped the vampire boss would win and the kids would join his fam so they could all be happy draining blood on the California coast. My story ended up being way less bloody, of course, but still, it’s kinda how I wished the movie would’ve wrapped up. Judge me if you want!"

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

The Lonely Souls Club 5

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as stalking, loneliness, noncon, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Two lost souls cross, but not all those are lost, want to be found.

Characters: Bucky Barnes

Note: can't stop today.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

Bucky

“Dammit, that smarts,” Sam rubs his shoulder as he pulls of his mask, “you didn’t say she’d be armed.”

Bucky can’t help a snort. She’s even tougher than he thought. He never thought of the cane that way but it makes him happier to know she has it.

“Sorry, buddy, I’ll make it up to you,” he promises.

“Make it up to me? This isn’t exactly how I pick up girls,” Sam scoffs. Bucky gives him a look. Sam shrugs and chuckles, “I gotta give it to you, it’s creative, but did you ever think of just looking at her with those baby blues,” Sam narrows his eyes and squares his jaw, “give her the Zoolander–”

“I don’t know what that means,” Bucky grits and bites down.

“That’s the look,” Sam points at him, “anyway, dude, you owe me big time. Cap can’t be going around committing misdemeanours.”

“I told you, I’ll make it up to you,” he sniffs and rolls his shoulders, “I should go check on her.”

“Oh yeah, go play hero,” Sam winks.

Bucky tilts his head wryly but only gets another snicker in return.

“Hey, who knew you were such a softie,” Sam teases, “but you do strike me as the type to scoop up a broken bird from the gutter and help it fly again.”

“She’s not broken,” Bucky crosses his arms.

“I didn’t mean that–”

“Go,” Bucky snarls.

Sam sighs, “alright, just… I really hope this isn’t something weird.”

“I just… I want to talk to her.”

“Just talk,” Sam nods knowingly, “alright,” he raises his hands, “got it. I’m gonna go get some sleep. Do you remember what that is?”

Bucky just growls and glares. Sam snorts and struts off, rubbing his shoulder as he disappears onto the street.

Bucky turns and heads back down the alley. He slows his step as his lips move in silent conversation. He’s trying to figure out what to say. He goes to the door and hesitates, knuckles hovering by the grate.

He looks down at his gloved hands. He switches to his real hand and taps on the iron door, rattling it.

“Hello,” he calls through, “I… I got rid of that guy.”

He waits and sees the curtain move. There’s a lull as he stands anxiously, wondering if she’ll even face him. The locks twist back and she inches open the door, peeking through a narrow slit.

“Hello?” She squeaks shakily. He can hear the fear quaver in her voice, hear it thumping in her heart.

“Sorry, er, he ran off,” he explains, “but… but I scared him.”

She looks at him. Her eyes are doelike and gleaming in the moonlight.

“Who are you?” She asks.

He stretches his hand at his side and takes a breath, “Bucky. Bucky Barnes…” he answers. If they don’t recognise his face, they know his name.

“Bucky?” She repeats, then offers her own name, “thank you, sir.”

“Yeah, it’s my job,” he says coolly.

She’s quiet again before she replies, “it is?”

She doesn’t know him. She doesn’t know Bucky Barnes; howling commando, Cap’s henchman, the Winter Soldier. She has no idea and why would she? She has bigger worries.

“Kinda,” he answers.

“You’re a cop?” She asks.

“Not exactly.”

She lets the inner door open all the way and she uses the cane to get herself closer to the iron grate. She peers through at him, blinking in the darkness. He must be a shadow to her.

“You saved me,” she ekes out, “do you… I don’t have much, but do you like tea?”

His heart lurches. He has to keep from jumping and dancing. He has to stay calm. He swallows.

“Thank you, miss, that’s very nice–”

“I feel like… I owe you,” she says, “I can’t…” she looks down, “I couldn’t have done it myself.”

“I’m happy I heard the commotion,” he intones, “what kinda monster breaks into a nice girl’s place, huh?” He rubs his fingertips together, “if it isn’t too much, that tea sounds good.”

“Sure, uh,” she twists the inside handle but struggles to get the heavy door outward. He grabs it from the other side. She looks so frail the closer he gets. “Sorry, uh,” she retreats, backing up with a hand on her hip as she looks sheepishly around, “erm… small place…” she’s embarrassed, “I… I’m a bit slow, so give me a minute.”

He enters as she maneuvers herself with the cane. She wears a pair of sweatpants and a loose tank. She's stiff as she moves around, stopping to turn on the lamp before she goes to the kitchen. He closes the doors, securing them before he faces her again.

She puts the kettle on to boil and leans on the counter. He hears her laboured breath. She's in pain.

"I could take care of the tea," he cross the room, "just tell me where everything is..."

"No, I got it," she insists, pivoting as she plants her cane, "I'm fine."

He winces. He doesn't want to come on too strong or for her to think he doesn't know she can do it on her own. That's she has been.

"Yeah, no problem," he backs off. "Uh, rude awakening, huh?"

She doesn't answer. Nervously he watches her turn her back to him. She hangs her head and sniffles. Oh, she's crying.

"Sorry," she croaks, "I just... it's sinking in..." she shivers, "I... what would he have done if... if you..." She shakes her head, "you said this is your job. What does that mean?"

"Um, well, I... I'm supposed to protect people, you know?"

"But you said... you're not a cop."

"I work with some," he offers, not knowing how to explain what he is.

"So like... CIA?" She angles herself around.

"Something like that," he shrugs.

She nods, her eyes sparkling with confusion and unspent tears. She touches her hip again and hunches. She returns her attention to the counter as the kettle clicks. She pours a single cup of tea, "do you like anything in your tea?"

"No, I'm okay," he says.

He knows she measures out her milk and sugar particularly. Even then, she hasn't brewed a cup for herself. He feels bad but he doesn't want to make her feel worse, so he accepts it.

He goes back to the door and flips the lock back and forth. It's loose. He blows over the mug and hums.

"Looks like he did a number on the door," he says, "I can fix it... have to wait until something's open and I can grab a new latch."

"I'll call the landlord," she groans and he hears the metal frame of the pullout creak.

He looks at her, "well, I'll stay for a bit. Can't have someone else just waltzing in."

"Yeah," she shudders and grips the top of the can with both hands.

They stew in silence. He doesn't know what to say. He can hear her heart thumping still. His isn't much calmer.

"Do you mind if I lay down?" She asks with a sniffle, "my... my hips are... well, you can see me."

He does see her. He sees how beautiful she is. He sees how much she needs him. He sees them together. Taking care of each other.

"Yeah, that's fine," he retreats to the window, "I'll just keep an eye out."

The couch whines as she spreads her weight out. She suppresses a sob and it escapes her in a moan.

"Thank you," she ekes out and he hears her roll over. Despite her efforts to hide it, he can hear her weeping.

Her

Your head swells as your tears dry up. The sleepless night adds to the aches in your body and leaves you hollow. You let yourself onto your back, unable to repress a groan as your hips pang.

He's still there, standing silently at the window. It's been hours by now. You feel bad that he's stayed so long.

You sit up with effort, dragging your self against the back rest. You're dizzy from crying and the lack of sleep. You rub your temples.

"You don't have to stay, it's getting light out."

He looks at you. His blue eyes shine in the shadowy circles that surround them. He must be tired too.

"I could fix the lock..." he suggests again.

"I can't... ask that," you turn your legs over the edge of the mattress and reach for your cane, your fumbling fingers sending it to the floor.

He's quick. He strides over and picks up your cane, offering it to your reaching hand. You accept it and get yourself to your feet, sensing how he holds back from helping you.

"Thanks," you murmur.

He nods as you try to stretch your legs out, taking an uneven gait around the cramped space. He goes to the kitchen and rinses his empty mug. You glance over at him. He's strangely familiar.

His jaw is square and chiseled, he's broad and well-built. You can't help the glint of envy in you. You can hardly remember what it's like not to be this way.

"You okay?" He asks, catching you staring.

"Look," you rasp through your dry throat, "I appreciate it but... you don't needa feel sorry for me. I manage--"

"I don't," he insists.

"You must," you deflate, "I get it, but... feeling bad doesn't help me."

He lowers his chin. He moves his hands, watching his fingers open and close as he brings them before him. You didn't notice before the gloves he wore. Odd.

He grips the left one and tugs it, slipping it off as he takes a step towards you. He shows you his fingers, metal digits in black and gold.

"I don't feel bad," he says, "I just know what it's like."

You lean in to look at his hand. Not really his, it's metal but it moves like it's real. You marvel and peek up at his face.

"You can touch it," he says.

"Oh, I..." you give a soft chuckle, surprised by the suggestion.

"I can feel it," he wiggles his fingers.

"You can?" You blink at his shiny palm.

"Yeah, I know it's... insane," he says.

"Is that... part of your job?"

"Yeah," he keeps his hand out, "guess it is."

You consider his hand and shyly reach, touching his pinkie before quickly recoiling. How amazingly strange. You've never seen anything like that.

"You know, that lock will take me like twenty minutes to fix," he retracts his hand and points over his shoulder. "There's a hardware store close by..."

"I don't know," you scrunch your lips up.

"I can't leave you with a broken door," he clucks.

You rub your neck and heave, "I suppose... but I... I can pay you. Erm, I think..."

You go over to the draw and fish out the little tin labeled thumb tacks. Your emergency fund. You flinch as he approaches you quickly, holding his hand out over yours.

"Please, no, I don't want your money," he says.

"But..."

"Keep it, please," he insists. You look around, it's plain enough to see you need it. You put the tin back in the drawer. "Not that you owe me but you could do me one favour."

"Oh, sure."

"Will you have lunch with me?" He asks and your brows pop up in surprise. Huh?

"Lunch?"

"Sure, there's this noodle shop I love but... I'm starting to get stares, you know?"

"I..." you bite down on your cheeks.

"My treat," he chuckles nervously, "I... It's been a while since I had someone to eat with."

You swallow and let your hand drift down to your stomach, "I guess I could do that.”

[luffyvace]

omg i literally love ur blog can i just have luffy zoro and ace x male amab reader hcs like just do whatever u want

Thank you lots dear!! I’m so happy to hear you appreciate my work!! 💞

Just as you requested~…

Luffy!! 🏴‍☠️⚓️

Luffy is the main one who doesn’t care abt gender. No. He’s the KING. (The pirate king 😉) so its pretty much just gonna sound like I’m writing regular hcs for him but keep in mind it’s amab <3

i might end up mentioning it once or twice tho idk

but let me say this, if you change your gender he’s gonna get it right? “Oh so you’re a girl now?” (Example) But this dude cannot comprehend the more “complex” umbrellas of sexuality and romantic attractions. “You’re non-binary..? What’s that? /… / ohhh so your basically neither? Oh okay! what does that do?”

HELP 😂😅

At the end of the day just say you’re like Bon-Chan and he’ll figure out it’s something like that! I mean Bon Clay himself said he borders along genders and Luffy had absolutelyyyy……...no reaction! 😲👏👏👏

so overall it’s kinda the same with you 😅

not in a mean way ofc!! If you didn’t come out before you met the strawhats and you finally do, all you have to do is explain it takes a lot of courage and effort to come out sometimes, and he’ll be more than happy to party and celebrate with you! ☺️💖

It’s practically canon that Luffy drags you everywhere. Like it’s just inevitable accept your fate 🙏

Luffy shows affection of all sorts! The main being hugs, quality time and occasional gifts <3

You’re the main one who has to answer Luffy’s weird and random (-sometimes dumb) questions! 😆👏👏👏

“If frogs can breathe in the water AND air can they breathe in the ground too??? what about in mud?! 😆”

“If I taped a banana peel back together do you think a monkey would get confused when there’s no banana in it? Shishishishishi!! I’m gonna go try it out!” 🏃

“If you slide down a rainbow will your butt be rainbow or would you just erase the rainbow?”

Luffy takes you on adventures no matter how dangerous it is 🤪

Luffy really is trying to be thoughtful when he does things for you. He just ends up messing around and, well- messing things up! Like how he tried to bake you a cake in the middle of the night since Sanjiwould never let him in the day! 😊 (The kitchen almost burned down. Franky had to repair it 😬)

Luffy was banned from a number of things after that but he did make you a mud pie! He used to make them all the time when he was younger and he figured you’d like one! Here ya go! 😃👍

Luffy and you barely have and slow and relaxing moments but when you do it’s very comforting. Usually in the middle of the night during a rare occasion that Luffy ate enough so he doesn’t get up for snacks or adventure

but you get up, and you see how calm and peaceful he looks while sleeping. You lovingly observe his face for a bit before going back to sleep <3

Luffy always has to have you around when he eats. if your far away and he sees you, he pulls you close with his stretchy limbs. even if you are close he’ll basically have you in a literal choke hold as he balloons from overeating 😅😭

he burps, laughs, kisses you on the temple and keeps eating. In that order. 💕

Luffy will obv still eat if your not around but as soon as your in sight he’s pulling you over

It’s the best feeling ever to be surrounded by both food and YOU!! Double whammy! 🤪🙏

Zoro!! ⚔️🗡️

Zoro isn’t really all that much softer or tougher based off gender other than him going easy on women

so your relationship is pretty laid back unless your very loud with your affections

he’s very casual and shows his love subconsciously in little ways. He’s not insecure so he doesn’t feel the need to go out of his way and show it, he just thinks it’s an automatic thing you both know is there.

Which, it should be right? Otherwise why would you have accepted his confession?

And since this is amab he’d be pretty down if you changed from your original gender

doesn’t make or break anything for him 👌

The number one thing he cares about in a relationship is loyalty tbh. Like it’s so obvious that it’s important to him by the way he’s so loyal to Luffy.

on that note he’s just as loyal to you as he is to Luffy so rest assured 👍

his no. 1 love language is quality time bc it’s really causal and not lovey dovey n stuff yk? You could even do it in public and no one would question! It’s not embarrassing at all and is a normal thing to do, so it’s perfect in this relationship!

Actually finds cuddles rather enjoyable but like idk how to explain it? Not in a cuddle way?? (Then how brook 🗿) IDK!! 😭🗣️

no but fr tho (😭) he wouldn’t mind if you just so happened to get tangled up with him while sleeping yk? It’s just kinda warm (not that he would ever have problems with being cold from all that muscle and previous training while frigid 🗿) and I have a feeling he would like skin to skin contact- only when your relaxing tho

the only gifts you really ever bring him is new swords and beer 🍻 cuz what else is going through his head? 🤷‍♀️

wont force you to train with him but kinda will 😲

like you just have to! How else are you gonna get stronger? 🤨

at the least he don’t gotta worry abt Sanji swooning over you cuz the crew obv know you were born a man! y’all are super close! That way sanji won’t be attracted to you (not in a bad way like the okama/island of women situation- 😀 your relationship with Sanji is more like chopper/luffy/usopp depending on your personality)

Another thing Zoro does is seek you out. Which is ironic cuz he’s always getting lost.

you either gotta keep him close, go with him or wait til you meet up later 💃

if you’ve been together a while he’s grateful when you clean his swords for him. He always makes sure to keep up with they’re hygiene (better than his own) but when you happen to beat him to it he feels a sense of pride?

I guess maybe cuz it’s like “hmph! 😼 my s/o is cleaning my swords for me”

Ace!! 🔥❤️‍🔥

Ace is the most aware ? (Idk how to word it) If you change your gender. He knows all the terms n such, mostly cuz I feel like out of ALL THOSE DARN PIRATES- you mean to tell me not ONE of them is QUEER?! 🤨😐 I DONT THINK SOOOOO 🗣️🗣️

he’s very supportive and anyone who doesn’t want to be turned into pot roast better be too! ☺️

I hc him as Bi but if your something other than a man or woman you just broke the scale cuz your mans no longer cares 🤷‍♀️

he doesn’t date for gender anyway, he dates for genuine love ❤️

especially since he was deprived of it til his brothers & WBP (before then was too unstable)

also! I said “date” but tbh I don’t think he dated anyone before you soooo :T

tbh idk if Marco knows how to do top/bottom surgery but if he doesn’t Ace will def help you find someone who does‼️

you could probably even ask around on the ship to see who others got they’re surgeries from!! <3

btw if your not trans that’s just fine too 😊

like I said it’s not about gender its about YOU.

cuz hot dang. 😜

GET IT? HOT DANG?! (LOLL it was funnyyyy cmon guys laugh 😭)

fine back to your hcs 🙁

Ace isn’t necessarily clingy he just likes to be around you. He loves the natural love he feels when he’s around you. He could spend all day doing absolutely nothing with you and he would be 100% fulfilled.

wym you wasted today lazying around?! Today was a great day!! 😁

Ace’s main love languages are acts of service and quality time. He’ll do any thing reasonable (and probably unreasonable too) that you ask of him!

whenever one of the WBP are looking for one of you they either ask the opposite of who they’re looking for, bc you always know where the other is- OR try and find both of you cuz your always together 😂💞

Ace loves making you laugh, he thinks it’s such a wonderful melody. Not even in a cheesy way, it just makes him happy the same way hearing your fav character’s laugh makes you happy!

He tickles you randomly and you have all our tickle wars. So unless you’re looking for it to go on for the next 2 days (or longer) til one of you end it by calling uncle, prepare to be laughing a wholeeee lot! 🤗

Ace always seems to be smiling around you. Technically he’s always smiling, but you hardly catch him with even a straight face when your in his perimeter

He yaps abt you to EVERYONE. They’re not sick of him tho cuz your awesome and he’s great at storytelling + he never says the same thing twice but BRO-

anytime he makes a new friend, they’re practically YOUR new friend too by the time you meet them bc they already love you from hearing all sorts of stories abt you!! 🤗💝

he does this with both you and Luffy :)

Ace has a tendency to forget things so he writes down any important dates you tell him about on his calendar and starts planning ahead of time for them.

happy or sad! He has your birthday and anniversary memorized, but if something traumatic happened around a certain time and he knows you’ll feel sad on that day (a parental death, for example) then he plans something to keep you distracted, happy or even something to help you feel better! Helping start to heal from it ❤️‍🩹 yk? Something that may bring you peace and put you at ease 💖

Ace feels whatever you feel, but tweaked a bit. If you’re feeling sad he’s angry at whatever makes you sad. If you’re happy he’s ecstatic! If your angry he’s livid, if your disgusted- well, in this case he might find it funny 😂🤦‍♀️

I don’t think he’d be disgusted of very many things so he doesn’t exactly feel you on that one- But!! You get the point! 💓

Ace loves going on adventures with you and causing chaos. Bothering Marco, Izo, Jozu, thatch, Vista and even Whitebeard- LOL 😃

bro is the fearless one 🗿

it’s nothing that would get them seriously angry ofc but he would love if you joined him on his antics

just don’t pin it against him. You WILL start a war. I hope your not stubborn bc unless you admit you were wrong and do what he wants for a whole day to make up for it- it’ll never end 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

he gets you when you least expect it. Still harmless, ofc, you’re his fav!! 😊 (⬇️)

BUT THIS MEANS WAAAR!! 👹

Your so real for requesting these 3 together

AND I GOT LUFFY ZORO AND ACE I CALL THEM THE TRIPLE THREAT‼️🗣️

If ykyk..

[butterscotchpiesandguys]

Dealing

(Short story for @swappingbryn, check them out they're p cool!)

I was never really one for police, always thinking they're some abusive force. Really just never liked them. But one of my old friends got arrested last night and wanted me to talk to him. Or at least try... I wasn't too keen on that either but he said he would pay me back. So you know what? I did.

I went to the station and saw him, he looked... different from when I saw him last. Buffer, had a beard going for him, short hair... really seemed tougher. And so I asked him the question that got on my mind "And... what did you get put in jail for?" It was a simple question.

"Do I really have to say?" He grumbled.

"Kinser, just tell me already."

He sighed and started to recollect. "Okay but first? I need you to take one of these." He smiled as he pushed a pill through the small slot in the booth. It was labeled KR-0034.

I looked at him nervously before sighing and putting it in my mouth... god... tasted like ass... like sweat or something. I felt somewhat sick and looked at him, he was happy. "Okay, dude. Good. You're gonna be a big help out there."

"What do you -Urgh!" I felt my chest tingle before feeling like I got shot... my muscles were tightening, expanding, growing! My arms went from scrawny to giant! Just like... his? My face... my jaw started to get sore, some drool going down before my stubble grew as my chin grew some definition.

My hair shrunk to a buzz kind of style. I was a giant... but in the reflection of the glass I saw Kinser's face. "What did you..."

"Aight, so I'm gonna need to tell you this quick so the guards don't hear." He snapped drawing my attention. "Yeah I just gave you a cloner tablet. Made with my spit. You now look just like me. You know that job I got? The construction yard? Well I got promoted. I was given enhancements by my boss. That's how I'm as perfect as ya see me." What the fuck was he talking about? "And now... I'm recruitin you for the time being. You are gonna deal in my place until I get out."

Deal? As in... "Like what I was sellin. I snuck my phone in here... so I'll text the boss that you'll be comin later... Kaleb. We're gonna be cool about this right?" He waited. "Right, Kaleb?" I nodded... I felt a buzz... it was a location. "Blue maple is where they're meetin tonight. Don't be late for your first day."

4 MONTHS LATER

By now I was intertwined with the gang that I was forced into joining. They know me as Kaleb Pennimen. Another dumb dealer for them. The bosses like me, and Kinser? Well he's still in jail but we talk more than I ever had before. He's acting dumb now too... says it's part of the pill or whatever. I used to try and understand these things but now? I just sell em. Way easier that way. Thinkin isn't really for us now... So what are ya gonna do? You buyin or what? I don't have all night.

[gachagon]

I love it when characters who were previously incredibly pompous and egotistical realize that the pedestal they've placed themselves on is actually worthless given the current situation they're now in.

Kaiser is realizing now that his idea of what it takes to be on top, to be the best striker is wrong and that it's probably been wrong for a while. And that's really got to suck, because while Kaiser has accomplished a lot of great things, ultimately his goal pales in comparison to the people he now has to go up against. Isagi and the other Blue Locker's aren't just there to rise up the ranks slowly, this is a last man standing program and Kaiser isn't strong enough to stand on his own.

He had become a great player, but he's not the best player. And he needs to be better in order to even have that position of acclaim in the first place. I am reminded of what Isagi taunted him with earlier, calling him a "Naked Emperor/King" which is an obvious reference to the "Emperor's New Clothes".

In that short story, a king orders himself new clothing that outshines everyone else and so the court creates "Invisible Clothing that only he can see" for the King. The king accepts the clothes and "wears" them, and so to him he is wearing the finest cloak imaginable, but to everyone else he is just a naked man making a fool of himself.

In a way, Kaiser ended up being the naked emperor in that he only came to the realization that his past achievements weren't good enough to stay in the team until this very game with Isagi.

I really think that fear of losing everything he worked for was always holding him back from really going above and beyond as well, because while he does have the support of a partner to do passes for him and he's able to read the field accurately, he doesn't take chances that tougher opponents hand him.

His backstory as a thief really puts this into perspective too because thieves wait for the right moment to strike instead of going out into the open to steal. And just like a thief, everything they get is "unearned" because they just take it from other people. In a way, you could almost say Kaiser's position as the best and the king was unearned because he hadn't actually done what needed to be done in order to get to that level.

And that's why I think this makes him so upset when Ness rattles off all of the thing's he's done, because ultimately none of those things will really amount to anything if he can't keep control of this team and be the best among them. It won't matter if he's scored a goal in every match, or if he's gotten offers from top teams, his goal is to be better than everyone and right now some dude from a no name prefecture in Japan is wiping the floor with him, and easily.

You really gotta feel sorry for Ness too, because he thinks of himself as one of Kaiser's "accomplishments" in a way, but Kaiser literally doesn't care about him enough. He just see's Ness as a tool to use, someone who's easily replaceable and loyal like a dog.

My moot (@miyamiwu) made a really good observation about how Ness might just leave Kaiser soon if he doesn't keep playing in that magical way that captured Ness in the first place, and I think that's true now especially since Kaiser himself seems to also realize it. When he's thinking about all of the achievements he could potentially lose if he doesn't win this, Ness is one of them.

"I thought I was becoming human." Is so sad too because I think deep down he really did think that by being close to Ness that he was truly becoming a normal player, that he was on the fast track to achieving his goals. But because he doesn't really know what that goal is anymore, the rug has been pulled from under him now and he has to literally reevaluate what is probably years worth of self reflection.

I also think this chapter is Kaiser ditching the rose as a symbol of his ego because he's truly looking back on things and realizing that the object that really gave him solace wasn't that symbol of the impossible, but the soccer ball itself. He is coming to terms with the fact that without soccer, he doesn't have anything at all, and that it is the only reason he was even able to get this far or have the courage to fight back against his abusive shitty dad.

Instead of the rose tattoo being here, we see there's a new tattoo that's prominent now and it's in the shape of a crown. And rather than being in a place where he's most vulnerable (his neck), the tattoo is on his hand, which I think symbolizes how he is able to take his own freedom and by extension his own place as a king with his own two hands.

Kaiser's solitude is something he really needs to become the best, because if he can't do it alone, than he can't do it at all. He is clinging desperately to the things he has managed to gather throughout these years, including Ness' loyalty and he's so afraid of losing even one of those things that it's making him a worse player.

However, whether or not being totally alone is what he needs to heal as a person is another thing entirely, which is ultimately why I don't think Kaiser will ever beat Isagi and that if he does it'd actually be the worst ending for him. Throughout this entire manga, Kaiser comes off as a really calculated person who's always thinking ten steps ahead, but inside he is just a damaged kid who is using soccer as his one means of coping with the trauma he faced as child.

And that phrasing "I thought I was becoming human" really just makes me feel so sad for Kaiser, because to him if he doesn't have soccer he is less than human and has nothing to give back to the world. He has never allowed himself any time to just be a normal teenager and just make friends in a healthy way, and the one friend he does have might just up and leave if he's not playing in a groundbreaking way. He thinks so lowly of himself that he hinges his entire identity around how other people perceive his abilities in the game, and if he's not the best at the game, he surely can't matter that much as a player, no matter how much Ness tries to placate him with words about how he's "already done enough".

Ego Jinpachi said it as well after Nagi made his really good goal, that some people are content with just being average and "good" instead of being great. And that it's because they're content with where they are in life, that they never advance at all. The idea that they are totally fine in their current position makes them lose the drive they normally would have if they weren't still thinking about trying to get better.

And Blue Lock's philosophy hinges on the player wanting to always get better and better and beat the other players on the field. Being "good" is never enough, hell being "Great" isn't enough at times, you need to be the best forever. You need to make it so that dethroning you is an uphill battle.

[artiststarme]

I've seen a few people talking about how cool a hellfire 'adopting' steve fic would be and since youre my favorite steddie writer I immediately thought of you. If you want to, I think you'd write that situation really well

Thank you! I'm really glad that you like reading my fics and I hope this meets your expectations!

~*~*~*~

​​Eddie was long in the business of collecting lost sheep. He himself knew what it was like to be alone, to be ostracized and isolated for being a little bit too different in a town as bland as Hawkins. So whenever he could, he tried to help people. He looked for those that needed support the most and tried to befriend them because he knew what it was like to go through life without it. If he could be the shepherd needed to guide the lost sheep, he would. 

In the late fall of Eddie’s senior year, something happened that no one could have predicted, an event so shocking that it shook the entire town. All of Hawkins was in a state of surprise, and all of the students at the high school were rattled. Steve Harrington had lost his title of King. He went from having throes of close friends and confidants at the top of the social hierarchy to having no one and resting at the bottom. 

Eddie didn’t know what had happened over a single weekend to make King Steve lose everything but when he saw him sitting all alone at one of the empty tables in the corner at lunch, exiled by his peers and poking at his food, Eddie felt compelled to step in. 

He stood up from his seat at the head of the Freak table with his eyes still on Steve. He took one step before a hand grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks. 

“What are you doing?” Gareth hissed at him, trying to plant him back in his seat. 

“I’m going to go talk to Steve.”

“Harrington? What the hell is the matter with you? Are you insane? He was bullying us just last week!” Grant whisper-yelled at him. 

“Okay, no he wasn’t,” Eddie defended. “He didn’t say anything and he told Tommy H to leave us alone when he was messing with us.”

That didn’t seem to help his case as much as he thought it would and he sighed. “Look guys, something obviously happened to him since he’s sitting there alone and picking at a bag of peanuts while all of his old friends are ignoring him and enjoying their lunches. We don’t judge here and we don’t know Steve enough to form an accurate opinion. So, I’m going to go get him and you’re all going to be nice. I have a feeling he needs that right now.”

His friends blinked at him wordlessly and he nodded. “I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. I’m going to go get him.”

And with that, he stalked over to the fallen king with the entire student body glaring at him in appall. He stopped just short of Steve’s chair and flashed his biggest grin at him. Upon seeing Steve’s concern however, he muted his grin into something less ‘I’m a maniac’ and more ‘you should be my friend’. 

“Hey Harrington, how are you today?” Eddie asked him. 

Steve just blinked up at him for a moment. His eye was bruised and his cheekbone was bloody. He looked like utter shit and that was saying something coming from Eddie. 

“Um, I’m alright. How are you?”

Eddie’s smile brightened, “I’m great! How are you?”

“Still alright? Can I help you with something?” Steve asked him in confusion. 

“Yes, I saw you over here by your lonesome and decided to sequester you to my table instead. Your former court doesn’t deserve to feast on the sight of your suffering.” Eddie may have gone a little bit overboard on that one. 

Steve squinted at him. “Dude, I might still have a concussion but that didn’t make any sense at all.”

“You have a concussion?” Eddie asked in concern.

“Um, yeah. Byers has a mean right hook. He’s tougher than people give him credit for, I guess.”

“Byers? Like Jonathan Byers?” Eddie’s eyes widened. What the fuck had he done to piss of Jonathan ‘The Wallflower’ Byers?

“No, his little brother Will. Yes, Jonathan Byers,” Steve snarked sassily. 

“Jesus Christ, I did not know he had it in him. He looks more like a lover than a fighter, you know?”

“Not really?” Steve shook his head slightly. 

“Anyways, I feel like we’ve bonded. So since we’re friends now, do you want to come sit at my table? We hoard chocolate pudding, gossip about the popular kids, and play the amazing fantasy game that Christian mothers everywhere like to hate. You in?”

Steve watched him for a moment before biting his lip in thought. “How much chocolate pudding are we talking?”

“Tons. Grant’s mom is the lunch lady so we have a near endless supply and an ally on the dark side. We also get extra apple juice and all of the carrots one could ever want. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.” That was a bit of an over-exaggeration considering Grant had to steal her work key to get them the food but it was still kind of true. 

Steve grabbed his bag of chex mix and his backpack and stood toe to toe with Eddie. “Now that’s an offer that I can’t refuse. Lead the way, Munson.”

Eddie smiled, he’d added another lost sheep to his herd. “After me, Harrington!”

They both stalked across the now-silent lunch room back to his table. Jeff, Gareth, and Grant were looking up at the two of them in surprise like they hadn’t expected his amazing personality to win over Steve Harrington. 

“Alright, this is Jeff, Gareth, and Grant. Boys, this is Steve. Steve-O, take a seat!” Eddie announced boisterously. He pushed Gareth off his chair and motioned for Steve to take it. “Oh, look! An empty chair right next to my seat! Steve, you can sit right here!”

He saw Steve give a sympathetic look to Gareth but he sat down regardless. Eddie planted a cup of chocolate pudding right in front of him and smiled deviously. “Now Steve, what do you know about Dungeons & Dragons?”

“Um, I know that the kids I babysit like to play it and it’s some sort of storytelling game with lots of math?” he muttered.

Eddie just gasped along with the rest of Hellfire. “‘Some sort of storytelling game’? That’s the worst possible way you could’ve described it, Harrington! It’s not a game, it’s an experience!”

All three of the guys defended it at once.

“I can’t believe he just said that!”

“Lots of math? It’s a reasonable amount!”

“Next he’s going to say he doesn’t know what a dungeon master is!”

“Oh is that some sort of dice?” Steve asked them in confusion. 

“Jesus fucking Christ,” one of the guys muttered.

“No, I’m the Dungeon Master. I tell-” Eddie tried to explain. 

“Sounds kinky.”

“What the fuck-” Eddie yelled. Looking at the smile on Steve’s face, he knew that bringing him into Hellfire's fold was a good idea. He was a little concerned at just how easy he was riling up the guys but he had a good feeling about this sheep. Very good, indeed.

(Eddie starts dating him two weeks later after Steve lets it slip that he knows what a paladin is. How is Eddie not supposed to kiss him when he made his way to his little nerd heart?)

[thyme-in-a-bubble]

I love your angel and devil au sm omgomgomg

Imagine Eddie mocking the readers moans/begging just during the day when he’s feeling mean and reader will tear up and run to Steve to hide her face in his chest and Steve just looks at Eddie and goes “Shes sensitive, you need to be nicer to her” and he’d grab her tear stained face “isn’t that right baby?” Meanwhile Eddie’s irritated so later when things are getting heated Eddie is tougher than usual bc he’s pissed Abt reader thinking she can always run to Steve

A/N: i have no words. he's such a dick, but I love him.

∼ gentle reminder that feedback, but especially reblogs are the way you support writers on here ∽

masterlist | join my taglist | devil & angel AU masterlist

“No, no, no, no, you’re not going anywhere,” Eddie yanked your overly sensitive pussy back for him to dive back in, ruthlessly pounding into your trembling hole as you clawed against the sheets, “don’t you already know?” he smacked your flushed face just a little harder than usual, “you can’t run from me. You can never get away from me no matter how hard you try, no matter how often you go crying to Steve, I’ll always be right here ready to pick up where we left off.”

“Dude,” the angel tried as the harsh words woke him just enough from his post-orgasm haze to react. 

“Oh, shut up you celestial jerk!” Eddie groaned, throwing his head back in annoyance as his hips kept up their brutal pace, making your whole body jerk from the overstimulation, “just let me have my fun and then you can patch her up afterwards, alright?”

© 2023 thyme-in-a-bubble

[gayfromusa]

Climbing Partners

[ Art from ksk199999 on DeviantArt, story by me ]

Brandon and Jordan (both 21) had been climbing buddies for about three years. Jordan always wanted a higher, tougher climb, and Brandon was always went along. Brandon loved the time he spent with his buddy, but wasn’t always enthusiastic about traveling so frequently to the mountains each summer. While he enjoyed the challenge, sometimes he just wanted to relax in the sun for a week instead of busting his ass climbing as a vacation.

On one sunny summer day at Brandon’s apartment pool during their breaks from college, Jordan asked Brandon about going for another climb.

“Hey man, how do you feel about going for a climb this weekend?”

“That sounds like a great time, but why don’t we just chill by the pool this weekend? I’d love to just hang with you. We can totally go on a climb next weekend though.” Brandon responded.

While his request was very reasonable, Jordan still couldn’t let go of the idea of reaching a new death-defying height and seeing the incredible views. Jordan made his point known to Brandon, “Dude, there’s always more time to relax, we won’t always be able to climb. C’mon, let’s do it dude.”

Just before Brandon could say something, he got a spam on his phone reading, “Buy now! The brand new Size Gun uses atomic energy technology to transform the size of those around you, to any height within the range! Only $50! Get it before the price goes up!” He showed Jordan before he tried to delete it.

“Dude, look at this bullshit!” Brandon laughed.

Jordan smiled, “Imagine if that was real dude, we could both have the weekend we want.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you could relax all day by the pool, and I could be shrunk to make you the size of a mountain. Honestly the view of your apartment complex would be spectacular from a new perspective.”

Brandon started thinking. It was Tuesday, he just got a bonus from last week’s paycheck, and Jordan was absolutely right. He honestly was excited at even the possibility of a real man being the size of a toy in his hand. “You know, what if this thing is legit? There has to be some sort of legal thing preventing them from selling this, so why not try and get my hands on it before they get caught? And honestly it’s so cheap for what it’s offering.”

“There’s no way though, right?”

“I don’t know man, but even if there’s a small chance, I’d bet something for it. Let’s see if this is real.” Right then, Brandon clicked the link and ordered the product. He put priority shipping on it. “It’ll be here Friday. If this thing doesn’t work, then we‘ll spend Saturday climbing and Sunday relaxing, deal?”

“Dude, I’m so in. This could be sick.”

——————

Friday came and a package arrived. Brandon spent the night figuring it out and texted for Jordan to come over the next morning for a surprise.

On Saturday, Jordan knocked on the door of the apartment, and Brandon opened. “Is it real dude?!” Jordan asked with excitement.

“Well come inside and see!”

Jordan walked in and closed the door. Brandon led him to the living room where on the table sat a sci-fi-looking gun of sorts. “How does it even work??”

“Well I tried reading the instructions to find out, but they were in Chinese. Found a YouTube video where they basically said they can’t release how it works due to it being such a new technology. Anyways, it only works on biological matter. It’s not able to make anyone taller than their normal height, unless someone else is shrunk, then the height can be transferred to whoever. The limit on shrinking is currently an inch tall. It’s also supposed to make the person a bit more durable than you expect since it makes them more dense, but the guy said to still be extremely careful if ever handling a shrunken person.”

“One inch seems a bit tiny for climbing you, maybe we could do two inches instead?”

“Yeah sure, but don’t be shocked if you get there later.”

Jordan laughed off that last comment, “Dude I am so excited. I’ve kept on thinking about everything ever since earlier this week. Can we test it out?”

“Yeah man! It connects to my phone, then I have to make a profile for you. I made one for myself already. I’ll input your height and scan you with the gun. I hope you’re chill with it man, you have to be naked for the scan.”

Jordan nodded his head.

“Alright go ahead and strip.”

Jordan blushed slightly while he awkwardly got naked. He heard Brandon say it only shrank biological matter, so he’d be naked when he shrinks anyways. He really did want a climbing challenge, and only brought up this idea as a joke. Now that he is about to actually be able to do this, he started thinking about Brandon’s body. Brandon stood at a good 6’0”, and Jordan at a below average 5’8”. Brandon had impressive muscles, and occasionally Jordan wished he could feel them, but always wanted to respect Brandon and never asked.

But now Jordan was going to feel Brandon’s muscles up close, for maybe even a few hours. Even more pressed in his mind was Brandon’s specific features he might get to climb on. His feet, his pecs, his biceps, and maybe even other parts of his body. Thinking about all this gave Jordan a boner that he didn’t even notice, and he was already in just his underwear.

“You excited for today lil’ buddy?” Brandon smirked.

“I-“ Jordan blushed a bright red.

“Hey dude it’s alright, to be perfectly honest, I haven’t gotten the thought of you as a living toy out of my head”

“Oh, uh.. then let’s do this.” Jordan nervously took off his underwear.

Jordan, fully nude, stood before Brandon. Brandon pointed the gun and a fast burst of light emitted from it. Brandon set it down, while Jordan clothed himself.

“Why are you getting dressed? Your clothes won’t shrink.” Asked Brandon

“I wanna feel them get bigger on me.” Jordan said.

Brandon chuckled a bit, “Fair enough I guess.”

Brandon looked at the app on his phone. Jordan filled his profile for the app. He input his height, weight, sex, his feet size, then left blank the desired height spot for Brandon to fill out.

“I wanna start by just making you just slightly shorter, just to see if it works, how does 5’0” sound to you?”

“I mean 8 inches seems like a lot, but yeah let’s do it!”

Brandon once again pointed the gun, he pressed the trigger and the light flashed. No sounds or anything.

“Did it work?” Asked Jordan.

“I think so.. it’s not supposed to be instant, but shouldn’t take too- oh there ya go.” Brandon noticed Jordan’s eyes shrink down a bit.

Jordan felt a sensation through his body. His previously snug shirt and shorts now a bit loose. “Holy fuck dude it worked!!” Jordan reacted.

“Damn dude, my shorty got even smaller.” Brandon jokingly smiled.

“Dude I wasn’t short before. 5’8” isn’t short.”

“Maybe, but an angry 5’0” sure is cute.” Brandon began to laugh a little bit started messing with his friend’s hair.

Jordan’s face got a bit red again, then he pushed Brandon’s hand off his head.

Brandon didn’t say anything, just smirked and started inputting stuff into the app again.

“Hey! What are you doing now?”

Brandon pointed the gun and fired the silent blast again. “Made you small enough so you can’t fight back.” Brandon smiled.

Before Jordan could do something, he felt the sensation and this time got a bit dizzy. He fell back a bit, then his shorts fell down his legs and he tripped on them “What the- how big am I now?” Sitting with his butt on the ground, Jordan looked up and saw a staggering figure. His friend seemed more than twice the size of a normal human. He began to cower a bit as Brandon’s hands reached down.

Brandon laughed at Jordan’s choice of words as he crouched down and helped the little guy up. “You’re 2 feet small now.” Brandon laughed once Jordan was on his feet, seeing the huge oversized shirt on his friend was hilarious. He snapped a picture then removed the shirt from Jordan. “There you are again! All your glory. Still excited I see.” Brandon poked Jordan’s dick, Jordan tried to fight Brandon’s hand again but ended up pushing himself back more than doing anything to stop Brandon.

“I- I’m so sorry Brandon,” Jordan tried his best to cover the hard-on, “This is all so new to me, and seeing you so huge is kinda turning me on. We can stop if you want to, I don’t wanna do anything you’re not okay with.”

“Well I saw your hard dick earlier too bud, I kinda figured this was turning you on. Now that you’re tiny I can say that this is also really hot to me. I’m not gonna stop, no matter what you’re going down to two inches.” Brandon said with a hint of seriousness that hadn’t been there before.

Jordan was shocked. Brandon was speaking with such authority over him. He felt like a child, any sense of control was lost in that tone. A fear set in, he was at the mercy of this man. There was nothing he could do to stop his friend if he wanted to. Thankfully he didn’t want to.

Brandon shot the gun at Jordan one final time, then Jordan passed out.

——————

After what seemed like hours, Jordan woke up. He was outside, laying on a cloth surface of some sort. It was hot outside, around 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so still pretty bearable.

Jordan sat up and looked around. He was on a humungous beach towel that was flat on the ground. He looked up and saw Brandon laying back on a pool chair in just his swimsuit. He was sound asleep with his hands behind his head, feet on the ground touching the opposite end of the towel.

Jordan grew excited, it was time to climb his friend. The moment he’d been waiting for. He began to run to Brandon’s right foot, realizing the distance, he slowed to a better pace.

Jordan had never in his life imagined a foot this massive. Size 13 was big, but it had never seemed this big. Still, once Jordan reached the foot he realized he could at least climb onto the foot with relative ease. The smell was prominent, but Jordan didn’t think it smelled bad by any means.

He paused though, and decided to explore the foot a bit before venturing upwards. Starting with the pinky toe, Jordan compared his own body to it, roughy half his size. He was amazed at the size. Moving to each bigger toe, Jordan found the sizes so hot. Reaching the big toe, he laid down next to it for a moment. It was bigger than he was. He stood up and bent over onto the toe and spread his arms, feeling the massive toenail. He then went to the side of the foot, and positioned himself under Brandon’s arch, nuzzling into the soft skin a bit, and noticed that Brandon was a bit sweaty already, just from laying in the heat. Jordan didn’t want to leave, but he decided to keep going before the sweat got too much worse.

Jordan got up and walked back to the pinky toe to climb onto the foot, and crawled his way towards the leg hair. The hairs didn’t contain a lot of traction, so Jordan had to sort of wrap one around his hand and pull himself up little by little. Getting past the knee, Brandon’s thigh was much easier due to the less harsh angle. It was still tough, but not as difficult.

He then reached the next challenge of his journey, Brandon’s swim shorts. They were made of a waterproof material without a lot of traction for the tiny man to grab onto, so Jordan decided to crawl under the shorts. What was one more detour? The man was seemingly sound asleep, and seemed pretty comfortable with Jordan’s hard-on earlier, so why not stop by and see Brandon’s beast for a moment?

Jordan slipped under the shorts and made his way towards it in the darkness. Before that, there was a sort of net/mesh barrier he needed to get through. Managing to push it up and squeeze underneath, he was safe from falling because of the barrier. The overwhelming musky scent of Brandon’s cock began to hit, it put Jordan into a horny state of mind. Climbing over just a bit more, he bumped into the semi-hard anaconda. Pausing for a moment to reflect on what he was doing, he continued. Jordan began to nuzzle up against it, and attempted to reach his arms around, but was far too small to reach around the girth. Still he tried to squeeze. It began to grow a bit harder from the sensation he was giving it, that’s when Jordan backed off and decided to keep going.

Climbing upwards a bit more another issue arose, the elastic band around the swim shorts were skin tight to Brandon’s waste. He went in arms and head first and tried to army crawl under the obstacle. It took a few minutes but eventually he crawled up the other side, revealing a glorious landscape Jordan rarely got to see; Brandon’s beautifully toned and tanned abs.

He paused to catch his breath, and at the same time turned around. Jordan saw the whole apartment complex’s pool space. Given it was a nice weekend day in the middle of summer, there was actually quite a few people. Some families, a lifeguard, and even some pretty big guys, all enjoying the pool and the sun. Thankfully Brandon picked a spot away from most people which wasn’t by the edge of the pool. He was the only person in this corner. Seeing all the ginormous people going about their day, not realizing a tiny person was climbing the man tanning in the corner, was intriguing.

Jordan wondered to himself if Brandon was going to grow him back after this. The way Brandon seemed so eager to have power over him made him wonder if he should climb down now and try and find someone who would certainly help him get back. Then Jordan realized, these people might not see him, they could crush him and just think he was a bug. But even if he found someone who wanted to help, Jordan couldn’t grow back without the mass stored in Brandon’s machine, and without Brandon’s app. Brandon had all the power, even if Jordan was in someone else’s hands.

He turned back to the giant he was climbing and accepted his fate, feeling someone content. Brandon would certainly grow him back, he beat himself up mentally for considering that Brandon didn’t have his best interest in mind. After all, Jordan asked for this. Besides, Brandon’s abs were hot. Jordan climbed up a bit onto his friend’s belly and laid there for a moment. Spreading himself and feeling the muscles. He then got up and kept going.

Knowing his end goal was the top of Brandon’s head, Jordan realized he could never climb straight up Brandon’s neck, he’d have to climb onto his biceps and forearm to reach Brandon’s head. But now Jordan felt he needed to hurry, if Brandon woke up, Jordan would certainly fall flat onto the concrete below.

But Jordan couldn’t help himself when he reached Brandon’s pecs, again he laid down for a moment then spread himself out between them. His mind going back and forth, Jordan got up and kept going. Finally being able to stand when reaching the collar bone, Jordan moved pretty quickly towards the bicep. He laid against the muscle for a moment, feeling it with his arms spread yet again, and then his footing slipped.

Jordan fell what felt like almost ten feet, but was actually just down to Brandon’s rank armpits. Definitely no deodorant used today, not that Jordan was complaining. He had caught himself using the armpit hairs. And used the same strategy from before, and began to wrap his hands around the hairs to secure himself and climb up. He made his way up and this time didn’t fondle with Brandon’s ginormous arms this time, and instead kept climbing.

Using the last bit of his strength, Jordan finally reached the end. And laid on top of Brandon’s head in relief. Immediately, Brandon’s massive hand made a move to scoop Jordan. The hand enclosed around him and Jordan could barely move. He struggled for a bit but gave up upon realizing Brandon was up and walking, likely back to the apartment.

——————

Brandon opened his hand and placed Jordan on the desk in his room. Jordan collected his composure to the best of his ability and stood up and watched Brandon.

Brandon walked around the room a bit, picked up an old pair of socks off the floor and placed them in the laundry. He then took off his swimsuit, this time turned around revealing his muscles butt to Jordan. He threw the swimsuit into the laundry then turned and went to stand at the end of the desk. Jordan while on the desk was eye level with the head of Brandon’s dangling cock. His dick now appeared much more massive when it was freed from its mesh cage.

Jordan stared at the dick in front of his face for a moment, then began to lean his head back to look up at Brandon. Brandon was looking down at him with a pondering look in his eyes.

“Just so you know, I was awake the whole time.” Brandon stated.

“So you almost let me fall off your bicep??” Jordan seemed shocked. Why wouldn’t Brandon save his friend?

Brandon replied, “You caught yourself, I almost flinched, but I’ve seen your reflexes before and knew you could handle it. But regardless, do you remember the other parts of the journey?”

“The uh- oh, um..”

“It seems you rather enjoyed my feet, my abs, my pecs, my biceps, and not to mention my eight inch cock. I’m glad you took a fascination to me.”

“Wait, why are we in your room? Are you going to grow me back?”

“Not today. We said the weekend, remember? I want to play with you since you got to play with me.”

“Brandon, I-“ Jordan was shocked. He was reminded of his powerlessness from Brandon’s tone of voice. He had never seen this side of Brandon before today, and felt completely helpless to do anything besides comply. His dick got hard again.

“Jordan you are enjoying this more than I am, let me have some fun, okay?” Brandon left the room for a moment and returned with the gun, “To be honest, I wish I could make you smaller than an inch, but it’ll have to do.” The light flashed and Jordan felt himself dwindle down even tinier.

Brandon picked up Jordan with a hand that now felt twice the size. Brandon sat down on the carpet of the room and opened his hand and smiled.

“You are so cute, I’m so glad we did this.” Brandon said with a bit of a smile.

Jordan felt uneasy and turned on at the same time. He didn’t want to be like this tiny all weekend, but that thought started to fade when Brandon set him down. He tried to figure out where for a moment, but then realized he was laying between Brandon’s feet that were placed together. Brandon winked at Jordan then closed his feet softly.

Jordan could opened his mouth a bit and could taste the sweat from the gargantuan feet. Brandon slowly rubbed his feet back and forth a little bit, which caused such a pleasurable sensation for Jordan that he began to moan. Brandon heard the moans and stopped, picking out Jordan from his feet and bringing him over to his armpit.

“You know, I probably could have saved you now that I think about it, my armpit is pretty soft and could have protected you pretty well. Hope you enjoy bud.” Brandon said with a smirk.

Jordan was placed in Brandon’s pit once again, this time when Jordan grabbed the hair from the pit, Brandon closed his arm shut. The smell was ten times more potent, and the feeling of being enclosed under such a monstrous bicep was magnificent. The heat, sweat, and pressure only added to the experience. He had never felt more comfort, safety, vulnerability, and helplessness all at once. It was wonderful.

Jordan expected this to only last a minute or so, but instead it went on for ten or fifteen as Brandon walked around with Jordan before he could finally breathe normally again. He was plucked out of the pit, now smelling like it from the sweat, and held in front of Brandon again.

“I hope you enjoyed, I think I felt you ejaculate almost as soon as I closed my arm, but you’re still hard. Guess you wanna keep going.”

Brandon then brought his hand with Jordan in it down to the his dick. Without hesitation, Brandon grabbed his cock with the hand he was holding Jordan in, and began to masturbate. The cock was fully erect already, and Brandon slowly moved his hand up and down with Jordan being used as a sex toy.

Brandon then stopped for a moment to set Jordan down onto the desk once more, before continuing to masturbate at an increased speed and harder grip. Jordan sat watching the event transpire, only realizing a second before the climax what was about to happen as Brandon came all over Jordan’s helpless body, knocking him down. Brandon moaned as he released the cum.

He grabbed Jordan and brought him up to his mouth where he licked off the cum from Jordan’s back, then his front. The mouth and tongue were so huge to Jordan, and he could hardly process what was happened as he was receiving a sensory overload. When the second lick happened, Jordan came again.

Jordan was set on the desk once more as Brandon sat down in his chair and looked at Jordan. Brandon was smiling and had a look of glee in his eyes, “That was amazing, thank you for coming up with the idea for this weekend. I’m so glad I have you.”

[silassinclair]

Michael's Girl PT. 3 \\ PolyLostBoys + Michael x Reader

Summary: You're put to the test by David to see if you are truly worthy of being a vampire. And you witness a horror you could never imagine. CW: Blood, Gore, Vampires being Vampires

Previous Part <- 🖤 -> Next Part

Tonight was a night of celebration. Music blasted from Paul's boombox, Dwayne was doing skate tricks around the fountain, and Marko had returned with some food.

"Chinese again? Seriously? You better not be do what I think you're gonna do David." Michael said and looked over at the leader with an annoyed look.

David only shrugged. "What Michael? Worried your little girlfriend really isn't up for it?"

Michael glared at the blonde. Meanwhile you looked back and forth at the two in confusion. What exactly did David do to Michael? Your boyfriend didn't go into specifics with his whole vampire transformation process but you assumed it wasn't fun.

"She'll take whatever you throw at her, trust me. She's tougher than she looks. Brave too." Michael smiled pridefully and kissed your head.

David looks you in the eyes as he ushers for Marko to come forward with the food. "I can tell Michael. After all she did walk into a vampires den knowing full well the dangers of it all. She'll fit into our pack perfectly if she can pass my tests."

Marko handed everyone a white box carton of rice and noodles. While Michael ate his noodles with a fork you used chopsticks like David.

"So Y/n, how do those worms taste huh?"

The girl looked down at her open box of noodles, or rather, wiggling earth worms. She felt like she wanted to gag, she just ate one! But it didn't taste like worms, it still tasted like noodles. This had to be some kind of trick, most likely why Michael looked bothered when Marko brought back Chinese food.

You look up at David with a smirk of your own. "They taste divine David."

Vampires were still a mystery to you. But you assumed that some vampires had special abilities. Meaning that this was most likely an illusion created by David to scare you. However it didn't work, you saw right through it.

Taking another bite of the "worms" Paul and Dwayne started laughing.

"Damn! Tough chick dude. She didn't even gag. Unlike our buddy Mikey here, remember the first time David fucked with your head and made you think you were eating maggots? You coughed that shit up so quick!" Paul said while pointing his fork at Michael. Michael only rolled his eyes.

"Shut up. I didn't know alright?"

David smiles as he continues to eat his food. “You got guts girlie. You passed my first test. It’ll only get more difficult from here on…”

.

.

.

This week has been absolute INSANITY for me. First David makes me hang off the bottom of a bridge while a train comes by and I FALL but luckily he catches me, and second… Well second is about to happen soon I think.

I’m holding onto Michael while he follows along with the rest of the boys on their bikes. No one told me where we were going but only that this was one of the final tests. And I was nervous. Eventually we reach a clearing in the woods ways outside of the boardwalk. A giant bonfire is lit and surf nazi punks are dancing around the giant flames as a boombox plays music.

The boys and Michael get off their bikes and climb up a tree to scout out the surf nazis.

Less fluidly and easily as them I also climb up the tree. Dwayne sees me struggle and takes my hand to help pull me up the rest of the way.

“Thanks..” I mutter. He only nods.

I feel Michael's hands grab my hips and he helps move me so I sit next to him on a large branch. The other boys stand menacingly, their eyes glow in as they look at the flames of the bonfire the surf nazis dance around.

"What are we doing here?" I ask. Michael gives me a sympathetic look and I know that something bad is about to happen.

"This is your second to final test." David says with his signature sly smirk. "Let's see if you can handle what you're about to witness."

"After all-" Paul cuts in, "This is gonna be your everyday life. So don't get queasy on us okay dolly?"

I nod nervously. The tension grows tight around me. The five boy's auras have changed, I can feel it. Something is different. I look up worriedly at Michael only to gasp slightly when I see his vampiric face again. I look around at the others, all of their features sharp, eyes yellow, and teeth pointed.

They were gonna eat these people.

Right in front of me.

"Let's go boys!" David hollers and in the blink of an eye all five of them swoop down and pounce on their victims. Blood flies, flesh rips, heads roll. The scene was absolutely vile. The boys ate like animals, they didn't hesitate to rip limbs and let the blood fly. Michael however ate more neatly, for my sake most likely. Frozen I was, perched up on the branch where I sat.

My mind felt blank. Watching people of my own species get torn apart by pure predators. Human kind was the top of the food chain, but tonight proved to me otherwise.

When every nazi was dead all the boys but Michael cheered. Blood covered their clothes and gore and bones scattered about. My heart was racing and I knew they could hear it. It thumped like a battle drum, and I was ready to surrender that battle and run away. My legs had a mind of their own and screamed at me to run. Run away from the danger.

But my mind knew better. If I ran now then I would fail. And if I fail then I fail Michael and our relationship. I can't back down now, not after all I went through.

I hop down from the tree and approach Michael. My legs shake for every step I take closer to where the massacre occurred. I feel the crunch of bone snap under my shoe and I flinch.

"Y/n are you okay?" Michael asks worriedly. His face was morphed back to his human one, but blood was still smeared across his lips and the hands that held me.

My mind felt like it was floating away, but Michael caught it and brought it back to me with a kiss to my cheek. Snapping out of it I shakily reply, "I-I'm fine... After all this is what I'm gonna see for the rest of eternity right? So I better get used to it." I laugh light heartily.

"The sound of your heartbeat says otherwise." David says. He stands behind me with his three brothers beside him. Their hair is disheveled and even more blood coats their clothing and skin.

Michael gently holds me to him, his arms around me protectively hugging me to his waist. "She passed the test David, she didn't scream or run off. And it's only natural for her to be afraid, so give it a damn break."

"Oooo" Marko giggles, "Mikey's defending his girl. We've never seen you so ticked off before."

Paul and Dwayne laugh too but are silenced by David. "He's right. She passed, but let's see if she'll change her mind after seeing what she saw tonight."

.

.

.

You couldn't sleep. Even with Michael holding you protectively under the covers you still couldn't sleep. How could you? Every time you closed your eyes you heard the screams of men and saw their parts ooze and fly. Flashes of the boys and their vampiric faces, their teeth sinking into the flesh of human beings.

"Baby..." Michael said tiredly. His rough hands rubbed up and down your bare arm. "Your heartbeat is loud... What's wrong?" Michael says as he rubs the sleep form his eyes.

"What do you mean 'what is it?'" You say with a firm frown. "I saw people die tonight Michael. I know I shouldn't be fazed by it but I am! I'm scared!"

Your boyfriend leans up and tries to look at your face, but you're turned away.

"Please look at me baby. Don't turn your back to me now. Especially not now."

You turn around to face him and he softens. You've been crying. Red swollen eyes and puffy cheeks.

"Don't tell yourself that you have to not feel fazed. Because it's your human instinct telling you something is wrong, and that's okay. Let yourself be scared, let yourself cry, I'll be here for you the whole way through okay?"

Letting out a shaken breath you let yourself crumble against Michael's bear chest. Broken hiccups and sobs escape your lips and Michael combs his fingers through your hair.

"Shhh shhh shhh, it's okay baby. You're gonna be okay. I know you're scared, I understand because I've been there too. But it won't be so bad, I won't leave your side okay?"

You nod against Michael's chest, not wanting to be even a millimeter apart from him.

"I know I can do this Michael... But I don't have it in me to take someone's life."

Michael thinks for a moment. Until he calms your nerves by gently petting your head. "I think I have a temporary solution." Michael says.

"Like what?"

"Well, what if for the first weeks that you're a vampire, I'll make the kills for you? All you have to do is eat what I kill. You can do that right?"

"Uhm." You think for a moment. Eating people was okay to you if you were a vampire, that part didn’t gross you out like you expected it would. Just the killing factor frightened you.

“That’ll work.” You respond with a hesitant smile. “But will David be okay with that?”

Michael rolls his eyes. “Screw David. If my girl wants to take it slow and easy for her first weeks of being a vampire then she can. David can go crawl in his cave and pout all he wants for all I care.” His hands caress your face, fingertips gliding along all his favorite features.

You place a kiss to his fingers when they glide across your lips. “Thank you Michael. What would I do without you?”

He only smiles and brings your face forward for a warm kiss.

You woke up not to the sun, but instead sunset. Michael also rose and stretched with a yawn.

“Hey baby, sunrise and shine.” He says with a corny grin.

Instead of getting up like your boyfriend you hide under his bedsheets. “I’m never gonna get used to your vampire schedule.”

He laughs lightly and kisses your hair that peeks from the top of your sheets. “That’s what I thought at first, but soon enough you’ll adjust just fine. Now come on baby, we gotta go to the cave and meet the guys to see if you’re ready to drink from the bottle.”

You assumed the bottle he was talking about was the bottle of blood he was tricked into drinking.

"So it really is blood huh?" You say and poke your head out through the bundle of blankets you took sanctuary under.

Giving you a sad smile Michael embraces you through the bundle of blankets you're under, making you get warm fast.

"Mhm. Yeah it's true sweetheart. But it isn't so bad. Maybe you can take a hit off of Paul's blunt to make it not as bad? That's what I did at least." Michael grins cockily as he rocks you back and forth.

"Michaeeelll" You whine, "I'm still nervous."

In one sudden motion he rips the blankets off of you making you scream and curl in on yourself to keep whatever warmth you still have inside. Suddenly your boyfriend huffs and picks you up with his strength.

"Michael stop it! Put me down you big stud!" Though you're smacking him to put you down your laughter counters your physical attacks on him.

"No can do baby, gotta shake the nerves outta you."

Michael then holds you like a bride and rocks you back and forth like a baby, making you blush embarrassingly bright.

"Okay okay stop rocking me! I'm not a baby you buffoon!" You start to flail around more in his arms making him grunt and plop you down onto the bed.

Michael gives you his million dollar smile and quietly asks, "You feeling better now?"

Sitting on your knees you sit up and press a soft kiss to Michael's chin. "Yeah, you're little therapy worked surprisingly. I'm surprised I didn't get motion sick!"

Michael rolls his eyes and grabs your hands to help you off the bed in one swift swoop.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get you turned babe."

(sorry this was short yall. Kinda rushed and I wanted to get David's silly shenanigans out of the way. Not proof read btw.)

[kawaiianimekitten]

Cute Tsukishima Headcannons

He likes people who are shorter then him (not very hard. This dude is like 6'2)

If you're the same height or taller than him, he'll be a little more tougher around the edges (he feels a little threatened, but it's cute. If you pin him against a wall, he'll blush super hard and start stuttering out insults while being unable to make eye contact)

He'll set his chin on your head or shoulder and wrap his arms around you

Let's you steal his extra pair of glasses

He'll tell you you look ugly with them on, but you'll know he's lying because his face will be red

Same thing with his cloths

He'll act like he hates it when you steal his stuff but he loves it

Will make his stuff easily steal able because he wants you to take it and wear it

Loves it when you watch him practice or go to his games

He'll put in more effort than usual when you're there

He tries his best to appear strong and confident, especially in front of you. It's not that he doesn't trust you, he just wants to seem reliable for you

If you catch him on an off day, though, it's a lot easier to see just how insecure he is

If you hold him and tell him about what you like about him and try to boost his confidence while on those off days, he'll slowly start opening up more

Not big on PDA, but completely fine with holding your hand, if you want

But, if he gets jealous, he won't hesitate to wrap his arms around you and kiss you're shoulder while glaring at the person

You'll find little gifts in your locker from him, with a small note quite often

Some of the notes have little complements on them, others are just little things like "have a good day" or "I love you" and occasional you'll even get a full love note (1+ pages)

Will do little things for you, like give you reminders so you don't forget things, or carry your stuff for you, or even give you a massage if you look super tense

Walks you home and will invite you to watch movies with him at his place or have dinner with him and his family

His pets adore you

Only he's allowed to pick on you. No one else (with the exception of your close friends)

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Total$hit$how: Hail Mary

in which Benji tries to make a friend

cw: referenced torture/interrogation, death mention, adult language

previous /// masterlist /// next

×~×~×

They were summoned to the briefing room instead of the training bay that morning, and Benji stumbled through the door sleepy and uneasy, stuck with a pit in his stomach that had formed the second Vic pushed play on the video. It hadn’t exactly gotten worse since, but he had a feeling it wasn’t going away anytime soon.

He was happy Sahota was safe and not-currently-being-tortured, he was, but he didn't know how to respond to the whole situation. What did you say to someone who'd just escaped a brutal interrogation session? Literally hours ago? It wasn't the kind of event they made greeting cards for.

After last night, he could kinda get why their trainer was so intense all the time. What kind of sane person went through that and then, as Kaius said, just walked it off? Vic was right. None of them were used to he and Sahota's brutal lifestyle, least of all Benji. Even after Sahota had made it back, he'd still had nightmares about that stupid video. And as much as he felt bad for the guy, he was still every bit as scary as he'd always been. Maybe scarier.

Benji hoped their trainer wouldn't be in the meeting at all, that he'd take the day off, but he knew neither of them were that lucky. And sure enough, when he stepped into the briefing room to take a seat beside Kaius, their trainer was standing at the head of the table, looking over the contents of the Important Folder, face impassive as ever despite the bruises that covered it. 

Shit, how was he standing? It wasn't even like he had to stand; there were plenty of seats. Did he just like standing that much? Or was this some kind of posturing? A ‘yeah I'm tougher than you, so what?’ type of intimidation tactic. If it was, it was working.

Still, it only seemed polite to congratulate him on the whole not-being-captured thing.

Benji cleared his throat.

“How are you feeling on this fine morning?” he asked, trying to keep his tone lighthearted. He had the feeling Sahota wouldn't appreciate something as pitiful as concern.

“Fine,” he replied flatly, and that seemed to be the end of it.

“If I were you, I would've stayed in bed,” Benji tried, and didn't know why. The guy clearly wasn't in the mood to discuss it. Maybe this really was as common an occurrence as Vic had implied. Just another Tuesday morning.

“You're not me,” Sahota replied, his eyes glued to the folder in his hands.

Okay, he'd take the hint and shut up now. If there was one person he didn't want to see pissed off, it was Sahota. Well… Sahota and Vic. As friendly as he normally was, Vic had shown he could be pretty scary when he wanted, and every threat he made was backed up by the cold hard fact that their lives actually were in his hands.

Kaius was silent beside him, and Benji wondered if he'd been similarly shut down by their trainer. Probably not. Kaius had probably read the room a little better and been quiet from the start.

Joy and Jericho were the next to enter, and he heard one of them wince in sympathy.

“Sahota…”

“Shit, dude.”

If Sahota recognized their less-than-nuanced reactions at all, he didn't address it. “Take your seats. Once Harbor arrives, we'll go over the new findings.”

Joy sat beside Benji, and when he saw her start to open her mouth, he tried to nudge her under the table in warning, but she ignored him.

“You're not looking so hot,” she said. “Maybe you should sit down.”

“I'm fine,” Sahota replied.

“Like fuck you are,” Joy said. “Isn't there a medic or something on this base? You should—”

“I'm fine,” Sahota spat. “It's not your place to tell me what I should or shouldn't do, Cavan. If I hear any more insistent comments, I'll meet you all on the sparring mats after this.”

Jericho’s face turned a shade more worried. “Now?”

“You think I can't?” When no one answered, he snapped the folder shut and tucked it under his arm. “I'll thank you all to remain on track.”

His touchiness about the subject seemed like more than just annoyance. Was he embarrassed?

Benji got that. A feeling like scraping your knee as a kid and wanting to hide your tears from your friends. Only Sahota wasn't crying. Benji wasn't even entirely sure he was capable of such a feat.

The door swung open and Vic strolled inside, Harbor on his heels. They'd been spending a decent chunk of time together. Private tutoring, or whatever. Maybe more than just that, judging by the way Harbor looked at Vic like he was made of gold. Not really his business either way. If Harbor was happy cozying up to the scary spy man, Benji wasn't gonna judge him for it.

“Good morning, everyone. Glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Benji said. What would happen if he did miss it? Would Sahota get in his face and threaten him again? Drag him out of bed? Would Vic coolly remind him that the alternative was prison?

“We've recently acquired new intel.” Vic crossed the room, taking the folder from Sahota and laying it in the center of the table. “Sahota will brief you, and then we'll be requiring some of your skills in order to refine it. Questions?”

A heavy silence answered him. Not even Joy raised her hand.

“Wonderful. I’ll leave you in his capable hands.” Vic clapped Sahota on the back, in a gesture that might’ve been friendly if it weren’t for the wounds Benji knew were hiding under his shirt. Their trainer stifled a yelp, his expression flickering from stony to pained, then back to stony in the blink of an eye.

“Ah, my apologies,” Vic said, though something in his voice had Benji wondering if he'd done it on purpose. Like some kind of inside joke. A little ‘gotcha’. Vic threw a smile at Sahota on his way out, closing the door behind him. Their trainer didn't acknowledge it.

Sahota moved to the table, opening the folder and fanning out its contents. It was only then that Benji saw the bandages on his right hand, carefully hidden in his jacket sleeve before now, binding three of his fingers together in a stiff white mass. When he glanced down, he saw a flash of white on his other hand, too.

Jeez.

“I’ve narrowed down our target to a single spot,” Sahota said, tapping one of the papers. “Rotorworx’s northwestern location. The Elysium Building.”

Benji swallowed down the unhelpful pang of sympathy that was attempting to shake him like a tambourine. Elysium. He knew of the place, vaguely. He wasn’t a city native, hadn’t even set foot in San Arbos before getting this bizarre excuse of a job offer, but when you’d been staging high-end robberies for over a decade, you tended to notice the shinier buildings when you wound up somewhere new.

Sahota slid a second paper from the pile. “They use a custom security program, but I managed to work out a few of the specs. Aside from that…” He pushed forward a third page. “I also compiled a list of names. Individuals who may be connected to the development of the Reality Cage.” He slid one page over to Jericho. “Davis, Cavan, I want you on security. See Vic about getting computer access.”

Jericho took the page, and Joy leaned over in her chair to peer at it over his shoulder.

Sahota passed the other paper to Kaius. “Manak, sift through the names and see if anyone listed is particularly relevant. Cross-reference with our database to find any knowns. We may be able to bribe an insider.”

Kaius’s expression darkened when Sahota added,

“Take Harbor with you.”

It was almost enough to make Benji chuckle, but not quite.

“Find out what you can,” Sahota finished. “We’ll reconvene at 1600.”

Each pair scurried off, assignments in hand, like elementary schoolers who’d just been tasked with a group project. Which left only Benji, shifting awkwardly in his chair as Sahota took the seat opposite him.

Shhhit, was he in trouble? He pored over any recent maybe-offenses, his stellar anti-confrontational brain at the ready to create an excuse or explanation or outright lie that would put him in the clear.

But… he hadn’t actually done anything, had he? Unless this was about how useless he’d been in the maze yesterday. Would Sahota even know about that?

“Um,” he began.

“Ruebin,” Sahota said at the same time, and Benji quickly shut his mouth.

“I need your skills for another task.” His hand dipped under the table, coming back with a little metal box, roughly the size of a zippo lighter. Its seam was so fine it was nearly invisible, a teeny-tiny lock on one end. A tubular cam in miniature.

“I’m guessing you want me to pop that open?” Benji said, holding out his hand. Sahota made no move to give him the box.

“Inside is a micro-USB with Elysium’s full floorplans on it. The box is titanium. Unable to be opened without the key or application of powertools. Brute force could destroy the intel within. The wrong key will destroy the lock and render it inoperable.”

Benji let out a low whistle. “That’s some real spy shit, huh?”

“I don’t currently have the finesse required to pick the lock,” Sahota continued, ignoring his comment in a way that Benji would normally consider rude, but since this was Sahota, it was pretty par for the course.

“What happened to the key?” he asked, deciding it was better to question that than Sahota’s lack of finesse. He already knew the explanation there.

“I had to destroy it.”

Benji raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t have, like, an extra one laying around here somewhere..?”

“Defeats the purpose of the real spy shit, doesn’t it?” Sahota muttered. “I need you to get it open.” At long last, he placed the box on the table and nudged it towards Benji. He picked it up, smooth metal still warm from Sahota’s palm.

“Hand tools are available for your use. Take all the time you need.” He laid a small leather booklet on the table, lockpicks the size of needles nestled within. “If you screw it up, chances are high that we lose the information inside.” His eyes met Benji’s, looking darker than usual against his bruised skin. “Don’t screw it up.”

Benji swallowed, closing the thing in his fist. “Roger that.”

It was bad enough being tasked with something that was both so critical and so easy to fuck up. It became a million times worse when Sahota made no move to leave, instead settling back in the chair across from him and sifting through the folder. 

Benji cleared his throat. “Um…”

“What?”

Benji shrugged. “I, ah, don’t usually do this for an audience,” he said. Not entirely true, but he wasn’t about to tell Sahota that he made him nervous. “My best work has always come out of solo acts, so if you wouldn’t mind…?”

“I do mind.” A paper rustled in his hand as he turned it over. “For the purpose of the mission, the contents of that box are top secret. I’m not letting it out of my sight.”

Benji let out a heavy sigh before he could stop himself, but if Sahota noticed, he didn’t seem to care. He set the box on the table and pulled the lockpicks closer. A half-diamond pick would probably be a good place to start, at least for probing. Benji twirled the tiny thing between two fingers, trying to plant his gaze on the lock itself, and not on the man across from him.

Fuck, Sahota’s presence just made him more anxious about this. Stupid or not, his brain found solace in distance, reasoning that if he did fuck up, at least he had a head start on running away. As it was, he was sitting closer to an arm’s length. Within punching distance. Hair-grabbing distance. Sahota had already done that once, and that had been for the crime of fake-surrendering. What would he do if Benji messed up some actually-critical shit?

He was almost too nervous to hold the pick right. 

Really, this was perfect. What was better than being stuck in a room with someone you were slightly terrified of? Being stuck in a room with someone you were terrified of but also kinda felt bad for, of course. If he hadn’t just watched Sahota get tortured, he might be able to sit quiet and pick the lock in an anxiety-fueled haze. If it were anyone else in his trainer’s position, he could just talk to them and make sure they were okay. But those two concepts just didn’t mix right, and the longer he sat in silence, the more the bizarre cocktail of worry and care and fear shook up inside him.

He had to say something. So far, none of them had really been conversational with their trainer, only interacting with him during the training itself. Maybe that was the root issue. Maybe a little chit-chat would make them both feel better, and kickstart Sahota’s defrost cycle.

“Crazy weather we’ve been having, huh?” Benji said, easing in the lockpick. A darting glance up told him Sahota was choosing to ignore the remark. Benji chose to ignore his ignorance.

“That was a joke,” he said. “Y’know, because I haven’t been outside in a week.”

Again, no response, but he didn’t look particularly pissed off, so Benji continued.

“Is this what your normal routine is like? 90-10, indoor-outdoor—?”

“Are you not capable of doing this quietly?”

Benji paused in his lockpicking endeavors. “Well no, not really. If I do have an audience, it’s polite to engage in conversation.” And for a lot of his sleight-of-hand tricks, it was necessary, a subtle distraction. It wasn’t like he was capable of fooling Sahota in this particular instance, but it sure made him feel more comfortable. If only he could say the same for his trainer.

“If you insist on talking, at least talk about something useful.”

“Like what?”

“Walk me through your steps. Recite fun facts. I don’t fucking know.”

“Or,” Benji said, swapping out picks, “we could get to know each other. Do you have a favorite food? Mine’s pad thai.”

He didn’t know how it was even possible, but Sahota’s glare got even more glare-y. “No.”

“No favorite food?” Were spies just quakers with guns?

“No, I don’t want to get to know you.”

Okay, ouch. “Not even a little bit? I mean I’m 20% of your prize team—”

“You’re a criminal we chose at random for your skillset and proximity,” Sahota said evenly. “You aren’t special.”

Wow. This was going so great. “And I suppose you are?”

“I’ve been doing this job for twelve years.”

Benji huffed. “Well I’ve been stealing and shit for like, ten. Can’t we agree that we’re both special in wholly unique ways?”

Sahota didn’t reply. Benji let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh, and set his attention back on the lockbox. He was almost tempted to try on the silence; the icy friend-rejecting attitude the other man wore so easily. But… in for a penny, in for a pound.

“How’d you get started on the job anyway?” he asked. “I doubt there’s many ‘help wanted’ signs out there for this gig.”

“I was recruited in the field,” Sahota answered after a pause.

“Recruited in the field,” Benji repeated. “Is that like, spy code for ‘recommended by a family member’, or..?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Were you recruited by Vic?”

“Yes.”

“So what, he just saw you in the field and was like, ‘I like the cut of your jib, kid’?”

“Yes.” 

Benji slumped forward on the table, careful not to jostle the lockpicks. “Okay. Cool.” The conversation piece was way harder to traverse than he would’ve thought. Sahota seemed hellishly determined to remain as frigid and distant as possible, but Benji had one final hail mary.

“Is the job like this a lot?”

Sahota didn’t look up. “Like what?”

He gestured vaguely at the other man. “That. Y’know, violent. Sending you home with bruises.”

The trainer’s eyes closed, the corner of his mouth tightening. “What did I say about—?”

“I’m not insisting on anything,” Benji said quickly. “Obviously you can handle it and obviously you’re fine, but… I don’t know. You’re our teacher. Part of the team, technically. Aren’t we allowed to worry a little bit?”

When Sahota didn’t answer, Benji sighed, taking up the lock again. He’d tried. So much for his supposed ‘get along with everyone’ superpower. The two of them sat in silence for a good several minutes, nothing but the tiny click of lockpicks at work and the faint, occasional rustle of a paper being turned over or tucked away.

“Chana dal,” Sahota said, and Benji looked up from his work, squinting at him in confusion.

“Huh?”

“You asked for my favorite food. Chana dal.”

“Oh.” He nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good one, that’s… the one with the lentils, right?”

“Have you never tried it?” To his surprise, Sahota actually glanced up at him with the question.

“I probably have,” Benji said. “I just don’t fully remember.” He put on as harmless an expression as he could. “Have you ever made it here? Not to shit on Vic’s cooking, but it’s kinda… bland.”

He swore that almost got a smile out of Sahota. Almost. 

“Vic does what’s necessary,” he said. “I’ve made it before. Usually comes out decent, but nowhere near as good as…” He paused, dropping his eyes back to the papers, the muscle in his jaw tensing. “I’ve had better.”

“I probably haven’t,” Benji said, carefully breezing past whatever Sahota was trying to keep down. What had he been about to say? A name? A restaurant? Something he missed, probably, maybe a family member. Benji knew that ache well enough, but Sahota’s own wasn’t his business. Not yet. 

“Maybe you could make it for the team one of these days?” he said, readjusting the lockpick. “For luck.”

“Maybe.”

Click. The tiny metallic sound rang out from the box in his palm, and Benji looked down at it in surprise. 

“Shoot. I… I think I got it.”

Sahota leaned forward. “Really?”

Benji pressed his thumb into the top half of the little box, gently pushing it open. Inside, in a felt-lined compartment that looked like it was molded to be an exact fit, a micro-USB was nestled like a sleeping puppy.

“Quicker than I'd expected.” Sahota opened his palm, and Benji set the USB in it, box and all, freely wearing a proud smile.

Look at him go, using his skills for critical work and shit. “I told you I was special, didn't I?”

Sahota's expression shifted oh-so slightly, reflecting something that Benji could almost read as impressed if he squinted.

“I guess you did.”

~~

The others filed back inside eventually; Joy and Jericho with what he described as an ‘outline of an outline’ of a plan to hack the system, and Kaius with new notes written in the margins of the list he’d been given. Harbor trudged in after him, just as quiet as he’d been the last few days. Benji could’ve sworn the guy had been louder at the start, almost like he was trying to impress the rest of them with a wannabe-punk attitude. Maybe it had just been first-day nerves.

Kaius stepped forward to lay his paper flat on the table. 

“Our findings indicate every name on this list has some level of involvement with the Reality Cage,” he began. “Interns, security, research assistants, and the like. Of this group, one individual sticks out. Rebecca Finley.”

“What's so special about her?” Benji asked.

“From what we can tell, she's the only one who overtly operates outside the law. She's a supplier for rare metals, synthetic gasses, and other materials that may have been used to craft the Reality Cage. Of the listed individuals, she'd likely have the best idea of how to destroy it, and may well be familiar with the comings and goings of the Elysium Building.”

Benji shrugged. “You got me there.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“Locate Finley. See if she'll cooperate.”

“If she doesn't?”

Kaius pressed his lips together. “We'll explore other options.”

On the far side of the room, Vic pushed himself up from the wall he was leaning on. “Finley doesn’t seem like the sort who’s willing to take a bribe.”

“She’s a direct line to Rotorworx's under-the-table technologies,” Kaius replied. “If we can’t bribe her, perhaps we can convince her in other ways.”

Vic rubbed his chin. “You could also kill her and steal whatever data she has on her person.”

Benji's mouth was suddenly dry. “Kill her? Like, kill her kill her?”

“I wasn't aware there was more than one variant,” Vic said, raising an eyebrow.

“Is… is that really necessary?”

“That method will get you answers far quicker than talking.”

Benji swallowed. “Okay, so maybe we should go after someone else?”

“Who else would you suggest, Ruebin?” Kaius asked, his eyes a level glare.

“Well, maybe no one. We've got the security info and the floorplans and the building. Isn't that enough?”

“You want to run in blind?”

“I want to not kill people.”

Kaius glanced at Vic briefly. “If that's our best option, it may be necessary. How do you plan on destroying it without insider intelligence? Hit it with a hammer?”

Something along those lines. “That usually works.”

“And just how many world-bending machines have you destroyed, Ruebin?”

“None, obviously, but I seriously don't think we need to—”

“Hey.” Joy held her hands in a time-out motion. “We can try and play it smart. Talk to Finley and figure out if she knows anything without revealing who we are”

Vic clicked his tongue. “And if she doesn't reveal anything herself, don't you think that's a waste of time?”

“I think it's worth a shot,” offered Benji, who really didn't want to have anything to do with the casual murder of someone.

Joy fixed her eyes on Kaius. “So? What's the plan? Do you have her address or something?”

“Or something,” Kaius murmured, tapping a line scrawled in pen on the paper. “A drop site. Supposedly where Finley picks up material requests from hopeful customers.”

And how exactly had Kaius figured that out? Seemed like a weird detail to find. Benji would've assumed a place of residence, or relatives, or even an officially listed job, especially if they'd had access to whatever database Sahota had promised.

“Material requests, hm?” Vic tapped at his chin. “Chances are you'd get more information from those than you'd ever be able to squeeze out of Finley.”

Kaius frowned. “I don't believe it's a literal drop site, just a meeting place.”

“Great,” Benji said through an exhale. “So let’s meet her there and talk.”

“We're on a tight schedule,” Vic said. “A fruitful interrogation is a drawn-out affair.”

“Whoa, I'm not even saying interrogate her," Benji said. "Why not just… y'know, have a conversation? Maybe she'll cooperate.”

“I can promise you, she won't,” Vic said. 

“You don't know that for sure—”

“I do. She makes a living off of dangerous deals with dangerous people.” He slid the sheet of paper away from Kaius, glancing it over. “She won't give anything up.”

“But—”

“Kill her,” Vic cut him off. “Or move on. We don't have time to waste.” He set the paper back on the table and turned his back, leaving behind a roomful of uncomfortable silence.

Benji glanced around, looking for someone to make eye contact with, someone he could pin with a silent, this is crazy, right? Kaius was looking at the paper, Harbor was looking at his hands, and Jericho and Joy seemed to have their eyes fixed on the floor, expressions undecipherable. Finally, his gaze landed on Sahota.

“We're… we aren't actually going to kill her, are we?”

“Pursuing her as a lead isn't necessary,” Sahota replied. “At the end of the day, it's up to you to decide what intel you'll need for the mission. You can disregard the list completely if it suits you.”

Kaius frowned. “You bled for it.”

“I've bled for less. There are other options.”

Joy let out a heavy sigh. “It sounds like we'd get the most from Finley. Why can't we just talk? She doesn't need to know why we want to know anything. We can just make something up. Pretend to be customers or some shit.”

“You heard Vic.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I'm not killing anyone.”

Jericho was already nodding. “What Vic doesn't know won't kill him, right?”

“You're underestimating what Vic is able to figure out,” Sahota said.

“At the end of the day, it's up to us to decide what we want, right?” Benji ventured. “You just said—”

“That doesn't mean going against orders,” Sahota shot back, moving to the table to collect the papers.

“Just let us talk to her,” Joy said.

“You think she'll listen? She'll see right through you.”

“Fine then.” Joy threw her hands up. “Maybe we will interrogate her.”

“It won't work.”

“Well you won't know that for sure if we don't try—”

“I do know for sure.” Sahota dropped the folder onto the table, looking like he was about to follow Vic out the door. “Like Vic said. You can kill her, or—”

“How do you know?” Joy stood. “You might be smart, and a ruthless operator, and all that shit, but you don't know all there is to know about us.”

Sahota stopped. “You want me to prove it?”

“Yes.”

He turned around, sweeping the room with a cool gaze. Benji wasn't sure he liked where this was going. Sometimes he wished Joy wouldn't push the envelope. They'd probably be fine if they listened to Vic and just left it alone, they didn't need need Finley, did they?

“Show me what you've got,” Sahota said. “If you can prove me wrong, I'll let you try it. If you can't, I'll kill Finley myself.”

Joy frowned. “So, what? You want me to have a conversation with you?”

“No.” He rolled his shoulders like he was warming up for something, and Benji couldn’t help but cringe at the next words that left his mouth.

 “I want you to interrogate me.”

×~×~×

tag list:

@theonewithallthefixations , @violets-whumperflies , @whump-me , @pirefyrelight , @soheavyaburden , @snakebites-and-ink , @whumpsday

[nyehilismwriting]

do you have a favorite character to write?

I love all my children equally😇

BUT t b h it's whoever I've been writing most recently/most indepth!

writing Nash comes very easy to me - I don't often have to stop and really think about their characterisation, particularly their conversations with the operative, and that's a dynamic I never get tired of writing.

rohan is always always fun. xe can be a bit tougher to characterise than nash, since xe has a lot more.....layers, but I love xem and thinking about xir reactions to stuff is always a good time, even (especially) when xe's being....irrational, or kind of a dick.

leanna is also a joy to write, she's a nice break from the intensity and, tbh, bullshit of the first two. she's very straightforward and very refreshing, and I like writing a character who is more mature and knows what she wants and what she's looking for in a scene.

ki-ha is my specialest little man and I love him- he's great fun to write, and he has a lot of context to him that you guys aren't aware of yet, which makes him super fun to drop hints about👀 he is also, like leanna, one of the more straightforward characters, and I find his dynamic with the operative really satisfying.

rhaxa and imxa are just FUN! I love exploring the nonhuman axis there, with different body language and different experiences and how those colour their interactions with the op. you all haven't met imxa yet, but she's just kind of a dick, which is a thing I (obviously) enjoy writing, while rhaxa has a very different perspective from characters I usually write.

so, yeah! no favourite just my arms full of little dudes<3

[cryptids-and-muses]

I watched return of the jedi for the first time in 4 years and here are my thoughts:

I know the line between sci-fi and fantasy is already super blurry but Star Wars truly feels like a fantasy movie. It’s in the costumes, the worldbuilding, the vibe, the odd encounters, palpatine’s entire character. And while there is futuristic tech the world of Star Wars doesn’t feel particularly Futuristic™️, if that makes sense.

There’s this one imperial officer Bacar interacts with at the start of the movie who acts his ASS off. Seriously give this man an Oscar. The fear!! The subtly!! The little gulp he does before facing Vadar!!! The palpable terror at the idea of the emperor coming there!!! This dude single handedly sets up palpatine as a threat

PRACTICAL SETS!!! All the practical sets!!! There’s so many sequences, especially in jabba’s palace but they’re throughout, where the characters casually interact with the world around them, and it’s such a small detail but it means so much to me. They really feel like they’re part of the world. My favorites were the Hall of Horrors C-3PO walks through in Jabba’s palace and Luke interacting with his x-wing on dagoba

It’s not all this great though, the green screen to the sarlack pit was awful. I found it endearing.

Also I love how there’s so much this movie doesn’t explain to you. There’s this weird robot spider thing in Jabba’s palace that we see when R2 and C-3PO walk in!!! What does it do!!! There’s a guy who’s super upset when Luke kills that monster!!! Who is he!!! And a bunch of other weird little things that just aren’t elaborated on. On top of that there’s just all these strange aliens just chilling, living their lives, some of which I don’t think we see again. It all comes together to make the world feel so much bigger than what we see.

I’d heard the analysis that Luke wears black in return of the Jedi to allude to a possible fall to the dark side, but that analysis hadn’t really clicked for me until this watch through. Like dude’s introduction was him force choking someone

Honestly like has this kind of subdued confidence this whole movie and I love it. He knows he’s good but doesn’t need to flaunt it.

Like his grin when he says “you should have bargained jabba. It’s the last mistake you’ll ever make” I love it

Luke is actually really subdued this entire movie, which tracks with all the internal conflict he’s dealing with. The biggest displays of emotion we see from him are when he’s reuniting with friends or when he goes OFF on Vadar at the end for threatening leia

Chewbacca and Han’s reunion 😭, they care so much about each other, chewy pets his head

In general everyone is so happy to see each other in this movie, every time someone shows up after being separated everyone is so excited to see them. There’s so many hugs. You can really tell they care about each other.

Due to some of the framing, I don’t think leia slaughtering Jabba was part of the plan. I think she just saw an opportunity and took it. Girlboss.

I noticed Luke’s fighting style with his lightsaber is much tougher around the edges, it’s less elegant, which tracks with him having much less official training with it. I like it

Yoda trying to use dying as a way to avoid Luke’s questions. Iconic.

Yoda’s choked out dying words of “there is another skywalker” become so much funnier when you remember he becomes a force ghost. The man could just peacefully pass then come back 10 minutes later and continue the conversation, he doesn’t need to try this hard to get the words out. Then again that would take some of the drama out of it.

Han is just so great in this movie, he’s got a reputation for being this suave sarcastic outlaw, which to be fair he kind of was in new hope, but here he’s just so sweet. He’s the one telling Luke to be more optimistic! When lando gets his promotion to general he doesn’t tell him about his own, and looks genuinely bashful when it’s brought up in front of the group! He goes to check on leia after she talks with Luke! He gives lando the falcon because he knows it’ll help him even though the ship means so much to him and is scared of it getting destroyed! When he thinks leia has feelings for Luke he offers to step aside and not get in the way! This man cares about his friends!

Speaking of that moment with leia after Luke leaves, that’s the one moment we see him being a dick, he lashes out with “but you could tell Luke? Is that who you could tell?!” But then immediately apologizes and comforts her when she asks for it. He loves leia so much and it’s so obvious the entire time

My man thought he was in this love triangle and was doing his best, and was fully prepared to step aside and let leia be happy with Luke. And the face journey he goes on when leia tells him luke is her brother. It’s gold. It’s that math meme but even better.

For the mission to endor, Luke and leia are both in these camo space ponchos and helmets but apparently Han’s outfit was to iconic to change because he just puts on a camo trench coat over his usual outfit

The first speeder chase through the woods of endor struck me as much more low key then it would have been if it was made today. This isn’t a bad thing, but I know if it was made today it would have been much more dramatic, a set piece

When leia goes missing Han, Luke, and chewy immediately peel off from the group to go find her. Good friends but you are LEADING THE MISSION

Leia meeting the ewok is a fun sequence and it’s funny how she just rolls with it. She does not question it, just accepts this little guy is here now and starts following him. It’s funny to contrast this with when Luke, Han, and chewy rescued her in a new hope and she fought every step of the way

In general the Ewoks are such a strange and whimsical inclusion. Like this is part 3 in a space opera and a huge chunk of it has these little furry dudes who live and fight like the lost boys from Peter Pan that we’ve literally never seen before. It’s weird

Luke is so delighted by the Ewoks, from his little smile when the first surround them to trying to hide his laughter at them thinking C-3PO is a god

Also we should not ignore how hilarious his idea to scare the Ewoks into listening was. And the man knew it too, you could tell from his smile. The little shit.

The storytelling sequence!!! I love it!! I love how C-3PO uses the sound effects! I love how everyone is huddled together! I love how we the audience can tell what’s being said from context clues even if we don’t understand all the words!!

Luke peacing out like “it’s time to angst😔”

I do think the bridge scene between luke and leia could have been done a bit better but it wasn’t bad, just a bit flat for the gravity of what was being revealed. Leia and Han are great though

I love luke and vadar’s back and forths even if they can get repetitive

The writers really used “search your feelings” or “your feelings betray you” as shortcuts to avoid hard writing huh

The emperor was such a little gremlin, he did nothing but talk about how luke was going to fall to him, how he knew everything was gonna happen and it’s all according to his plan, he really didn’t do anything but talk shit until the very end with the force lightning

To be fair, Vadar didn’t do anything until the force lightning either

Neither of these points are complaints, palpatine is supposed to be a shadowy scheming villain that others do the dirty work for and the really pull it off. And vadar’s passivity in this movie I think demonstrates the conflict he’s feeling. Despite his words about how he must do his emperor’s will, he’s not really doing that right now, is he? He’s not really defying orders either but something is different

Something I noticed!!! When Han’s team first make it in to the back door, off in the corner as they go inside we see a storm trooper adjusting his armor and taking his position again. One of the rebels stole the storm troopers armor and took their place. This doesn’t lead up to anything but it’s SUCH a cool detail

The true hero’s of this movie are the Ewoks, palpatine had Han’s team captured and the air fleet on the ropes before the Ewoks stepped in and saved Han and co. Palpatine would probably have won if it weren’t for them. It’s great.

I really love luke so much, he’s just so compassionate. For his friends, for his father, for everyone. This is the trait that makes him a hero. It’s literally what palpatine tried to use to turn him, the anger he’d feel at watching his friends die because he loves them so much

“No, you’re wrong. I am a Jedi, like my father before me” not gonna lie, this was kinda hot. It’s that quiet confidence I was talking about earlier. Also the way he nods towards vadar when he mentions his father

“….so be it, Jedi” THIS!!!! THIS!!!! I love this so much!! Because the entire movie palpatine has been talking about how Luke is going to fall to him, how it’s inevitable, how Luke is foolish to think otherwise. But this moment right here, is him acknowledging he’s wrong. He won’t be able to turn Luke, he failed. Luke truly is a Jedi and even palpatine cannot away him. It’s so fucking good

When vadar lifts up palpatine to stop him, we get a reaction shot for Luke who just looks so confused. Appropriate reaction.

As luke is dragging vadar to his ship we see imperial officers and storm troopers running around to try and escape and I just want to know what the fuck was going through their heads when they saw Luke and vadar

I know the falcon surviving doesn’t make sense but it makes me happy

Something important I realized towards the end: AT NO POINT IN THIS MOVIE DID ANYONE TELL HAN VADAR WAS LUKE’S DAD

CHEWY AND LANDO WEREN’T TOLD EITHER FOR THAT MATTER

THEY DON’T KNOW

Presumably they were told later but holy fuck why is no one talking about this.

Again….those reunions, hugs all around, everyone is so happy and relieved and I love it

I know it doesn’t end here, which makes be kinda sad, because this is such a beautiful and hopeful ending

All in all, with all the Star Wars fatigue and what Disney has been doing, this really reminded me what I love about Star Wars. I felt like I could appreciate the movie a lot more on this watch through and had a wonderful time