#edit: sorry not done. HE OWNS HIS OWN FUCKING LABS AND HOUSES. All over the world he owns his own property. He is the smart guy of the

[smartzelda]

Pouring one out for the fox-boy (Tails) enjoyers who also hate watching people take every excuse possible to depict him as a lil uwu baby boy who doesn't know anything about anything and is super naive and is team little brother when depicting him in canon/post canon settings

[extremelyblackandwhite]

scrubs - 7.

PAIRING: doctor!sebastian stan x biomedical scientist!reader

WARNINGS: fluff

A/N: have fun everybody xx

< previous chapter

She was stubborn. She’d always been stubborn from the moment he’d first seen her a few years ago and while he knew so many staff over his very long period at the hospital which had seen him do his own residency, he could not forget the first time he saw her. The first thought that popped into his mind was how cute she was in a clearly oversized lab coat as she followed her supervisor around carrying some stock. He’d offered to help her out yet she merely looked him up and down with a sarcastic smile before telling him she didn’t need his help. The exact same sarcastic smile she was wearing right now. 

Time had barely weighed on her, after all, it hadn’t been that long ago and while her hair had changed, her defiance had remained. There weren’t a lot of people who defied doctors or even nurses, they had this sort of mystical tsar like dominance inside hospital walls yet not only she defied him, but she also had almost always the upper hand. 

     - Why would I do that? - she cocked her head to the side, eyebrow raised up as she taunted him. 

     - Because ... - he stood close to him, way too close for her to feel his breathe on her face. His finger traced the side of her jaw, slowly and with torturous intent before he leaned down to her ear. - You really get keyed up when I’m not inside you, doll.

Y/N’s cheeks heated up but she remained her composure, studying her opononent as if this was a chess match. Her eyes looked up at him, a small smile on her lips before she leaned in to kiss him. He melted into her kiss, pressing her against the wall as it became more intimate and lustful, yet it wasn’t messy. She was merely pressed against that wall, his lips molding with hers as his hands rested on her waist. Her hands rubbed up and down his chest, one of them resting upon the hard on visible from his scrubs. She squeezed his through his scrubs as her kisses leaned down from his lips to his jaw and neck, leaving enough lipstick marks to have people wonder. 

    - I guess I’m gonna be keyed up ... - she stopped the kiss before slipping from under him, her hand resting on the knob. - Knock yourself off, Dr. Stan. 

Sebastian remained speechless as he watched her leave. Oh, oh she was wanting to be chased? He smirked to himself, grabbing his jacket before looking down at his erection. That was going to be a fun lunch break, he thought to himself. He allowed her to remain in his mind through his whole shift yet not on the way it usually remained. He wasn’t annoyed at her, it was something else. Maybe he did have an idea of what to do. 

She on the other hand was busy dealing with her ever rushing thoughts about the doctor. She had a bright smile on her face every once in a while every time she thought about what she’d done. Sure, she knew she’d probably deal with the consequences of it the next time they spoke or when HR found out she kissed him in the middle of the reception hall but that was a future problem. She continued with that little smile even as she grabbed her bag, walking down the stairs down to her car, only to find the same man on her mind sat on the boot.

   - Dr. Stan, you do realise you have to enter the car to actually drive it, correct?

   - You are the most difficult woman I’ve ever met. 

   - I didn’t realise we were still fighting over the obvious. - she fished her purse for her keys. 

   - Let’s go on a date. - he jumped off the car. - Hopefully, you’ll end up in my bed as well. 

   - A date? Doctor Stan, the only thing I want to do is get takeaway from the little Italian restaurant next to my house and watch Netflix.

   - Come on, doll. You gave me blue balls the whole day, least thing you can do is have a bite with me. 

She poundered over the question for a little bit. Surely she wouldn’t want this going around the hospital or she would lose the little credibility she had in those halls yet, at the same time, she did enjoy her time with him no matter how much he attempted to get on her last nerve. She lowered her shoulder, letting out a sigh before holding up her keys in her fingers. 

  - You’re driving. 

  - I can’t drive such a tiny car. - he pointed at her baby blue Fiat 500, the very first car she’d ever bought and the only car she’ll ever have for all she cared. 

   - They say men with big cars are compensating for something. Got anything to hide, Dr. Stan? - she smirked as she opened her passenger door. 

  - You would know, wouldn’t you doll? - he caught the keys from her, pushing the driver’s seat back before closing the door. - Damn, this is a tiny car.

  - You’re a tiny car.

  - Is that all you have? I expected a better come back from you.

  - Like you expected me to make you cum earlier? 

He smiled to himself as he started the car. Sebastian honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d driven with someone by his side, much less a woman whom he wasn’t related to. Her car had such an aura to it, the aura of who she was outside of work. He’d never stopped to wonder who she was off work, what she liked, what she disliked; however, her playlist gave a quick peak into a bit of her tastes, a mix between musical theatre, sad pop music, c;assic music and Britney Spears. It made her rounded, more than the woman she was at the laboratory, more than the supervisor Y/N he was so used to have petty fights with. Everything in the car just yelled out who she was, from the little vanilla scent dangling off the mirror, the lipgloss on the side, a few books in the backseat and the car itself. He thought his car was so dull compared to hers, always so unlived in. 

   - Are we going to sit in silence or ... ?  -  she leaned against the head rest.

   - Oh no, doll. I like not talking to you, you normally end up kissing me out of the blue. I could get used to that. 

   - That happened because you were a dick to me. 

   - That happened because you were jealous. Admit it, you like me. 

She remained silent, looking at him through the corner of her eye with a childish smile. He drove past her favourite Italian, getting her reserved order before deciding to take them to his apartment. Sebastian was sure she wouldn’t want him in her flat, no one had really been there. She was a quiet person outside of her job, no one really knew what she exactly did or what she liked. He wondered what type of person she was outside of work but he could only imagine she had that same spark. That little thing which just made her the person he knew.She was always too big for that little hospital.

  - You passed my street.

  - I know. We’re going to my place. I know you’re a private person. 

  - Oh ... - she bite the inside of her lip, looking out the window. - That’s awfully thoughtful of you.

  - Everything ok? - he asked but she merely nodded, leaning on her own hand yet the answer didn’t satisfy him. - You can talk to me, you know? I’m not all bad. 

  - I didn’t know you were a psychologist. 

  - Do you even have anyone to talk to? - he questioned, more in a joking manner than in a serious manner yet her face dropped. Her eyes darting to look out the window as she forced laughter. - C’mon people talk on dates.

  - I have my parents but they’re not in the country. - she answered, pulling at the edge of her cuffs. - It’s only glamorous to work in a hospital if you’re a white male doctor. 

  - Something happened?

  - Not important. - she changed the topic. - Pay attention to the road before you wreck my car. 

Sebastian wanted to ask her, he really did, yet he doubtted she would open up to him. Maybe for good reason, after all, their relationship had been, somewhat, strictly professional for years. Nevertheless, it still tugged at the back of his mind even as he parked. Sebastian existed the car, carrying whatever it was she had ordered before opening the door for her. 

Maybe it was the fact she had been extremely drunk the last time or that she was much more focused on getting him to fuck her but the view from his penthouse flat was something breath taking. She took small steps towards the balcony, holding out the rail as she looked up the city from the top. Everything looked so small, like her own personal sky full of stars. She could just look at it for hours and forget everything.

   - Do you wanna eat out the packaging or do you want me to plate it? - he spoke to her from the kitchen. - Y/N?

   - Whatever’s better for you. - she looked out her shoulder before returning to look at the city. Sebastian dropped the plates onto the marble countertops, abandoning his task to go and join her. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, as if questioning what he was doing by her side. 

   - What’s bothering you? 

   - Nothing’s bothering me.

   - You haven’t bullied me yet. You’re either really trying to get into my pants which is not hard at all, really just need to ask or you’re upset. Either way, I wanna help.

    - You wouldn’t understand. - she leaned her arms on the railing. 

    - I don’t need to understand, I just wanna be there for you.

    - So you wanna be my therapist? - she dryly chuckled. - I’ve just been hating my job.

    - Everyone hates their job.

    - I was the first in the family to go to university, the smart kid. I always did my best, gave up on a regular growing up because I needed to be the best to merely get the opportunities other people had. I worked hard, graduated top of my class and when I got this job I was so happy. - she shakily sighed. - But now I just hate it. I do everything I can, I do the best and beyond, edit company SOPs and training forms and I’m still treated like scum. I just thought that with a degree I would do what I like but instead I’m stuck in that job, unable to do what I like because it doesn’t pay the bills. I interview all the time and it’s always a no. I’m just unhappy, alone and lonely.

  - You’re not alone. You have that friend ... what’s her name? 

  - Miriam? Try being friends with someone who’s recently engaged.

  - I’m sorry. - he scratched the back of his neck. - I didn’t know you felt that way, Y/N. That’s awful. 

  - Thanks, Dr. Stan. I appreciate it. - she saluted him sarcastically. 

  - You need to let people in. 

  - I’ve already let you in. 

  - Not like that. - he chuckled. - You’re always so uptight. Don’t get me wrong, I love it but other people don’t.

  - I don’t really care if people like me. I’m used to it. 

  - Thank god I like you then. - he kissed her shoulder. - And not just when you’re naked and under me. I like talking to you, baby doll. You should quit that job. 

  - And you’d pay for my tiny flat?

  - No. You’d move here and walk around naked with your glasses talking to me about how dumb I am about microbiology.

  - Is that what turns you on?

  - You’ll be ok. I promise you. - he pulled her close to him. - Besides, if anyone ever treats you like scum, you let me know and I will make their life very hard. I can be a nuissance. 

  - I know. - she leaned her head against his shoulder. - It’s a date now.

taglist: @rebekahdawkins​

[miss-nov]

Over-Emotional: Danny Phantom Oneshot.

Original idea by @amabsis on their post right here!!

[Originally written on a reblog of the prompt but it went all screwy and left an incomplete version so I made it it's own post and I've made a few grammar and spelling edits. Sorry for any confusion!!]

(This is the first thing I've ever written for the DP Phandom so I apologize if it's a little OOC)

⚠️(TW: DESCRIPTIONS OF A PANIC ATTACK AND GORE!!!!!)⚠️

  Danny drifted through the skies of Amity Park, following the streets which were slick with recent rain. The stars twinkled merrily above and the beams from the street lights seemed to buzz through the comforting, crisp air. Not a sound disrupted the mellow atmosphere and ghosts had appeared to leave tonight alone and retired to their lairs. A soothing night such as this would have been Danny's favorite; it would have been a much needed break from his overly stressful life.

  Yet Danny couldn't shake off the creeping apprehension even as he twisted in and out of alleyways back into the lit roads.

  His parents had been working tirelessly  on a project that they wouldn't tell him and Jazz about. Jack, their father, would always jump at the chance to describe what he was doing and couldn't keep his antics quiet for long. Maddie's, their mother, eyes would have brightened as she recounted the innovate idea she had conjured and the necessary calculations she could toy around with. These facts coupled with Jazz and Danny casually inquiring about their latest project would make them incredibly ecstatic.

  But whenever the two had asked about it, put off by the unusual quiet of the parents, had only been given an amused smile and an occasional wink.

  Tonight, before Danny's patrol and during dinner, Jazz had managed to weasel some information out of them. Though, it left more questions than answers.

  "So, you guys have been in the lab a lot recently," Jazz said conversationally. "Working on some new ghost stuff? It seems important if you're spending most of the day down there."

  Maddie had given her a deliberate look like someone who'd finally decided to take a second cookie.

  "It's our greatest invention yet," she said lowly and excitedly. "I think your dad and I have found the solution to our little ghost problem."

  The siblings gulped and tried to suppress their shudders.

  "It's not going to hurt them is it? Phantom and the other ghosts." Jazz's voice was even and didn't show a hint of a tone shift.

  "Surprisingly, no. No harm will be dealt to them. It's not like they can feel anyway. That's exactly the problem," Jack chimed excitedly before going back to his ectoplasm contaminated lasagna.

  "Besides, we wouldn't want to hurt the object of our daughter's affection.  We all know about your crush on Phantom," Maddie teased but then added with a small frown. "Though it's not healthy to have a crush on ghosts at all."

 Jazz gave an aggressive gagging noise and Danny was torn between hysterical laughter and a gag of his own. Dinner resumed as normal —well, as normal as you could get being a Fenton— and Danny took note of the fact his parents had refused to say anymore.

  Danny was busy going over and dissecting the conversation and lax in his attention to his surroundings by the inactivity that he didn't notice the two shadow-cloaked figures tailing him. The taller one with a broader build was holding an intimidating gun, that looked like it was straight out of an eighties sci-fi movie, on his back.

  Maybe I should head back, Danny thought to himself. I have so much homework due and a test tomorrow. A pop quiz in calculus and a lab in science. I have to meet Nathan at my study hall period and at lunch. Liz needs my help…

  On and on the list went as Danny subtlety started flying home. Just thinking of things that needed done was making him more anxious and tired.

  "Phantom, we'll have you now," Jack cried, his voice echoing in the hollow streets.

  Danny turned around, slightly aggravated when he was struck by a violet beam and plummeted, crashing to the sidewalk.

  "Jack! I told you to wait," Maddie chastised as they walked over to Danny who had barely sat up.

  His head swam and Maddie and Jack looked like the reflections of a carnival fun house mirror. Though his vision corrected itself quickly.

  "I think you might have given him a concussion. But that doesn't make sense, ghosts don't have brains," Maddie said, slightly confused. She reached out to gingerly place her fingertips on Danny's temple and he flinched.

  "Don't touch me!!" Danny had yelled louder then he meant to and his voice came out with an extra echo; like he had been about to use his ghostly wail. The three stilled before Danny began crawling backwards, keeping his eyes on Jack and Maddie at all times.

  "I don't wanna hurt you," Danny whimpered and tears sprang to eyes like a line of men ready to battle. Why the hell was he crying!? He didn't cry easy, at least not of late, and he'd been in these situations and worse without crying so why was he breaking down now??

  Maddie looked at him with wide eyes and her hand, which had still been suspended in shock, dropped to her belt and Danny panicked.

  "Don't hurt me!" Danny tried to pick himself up to fly, to get the hell out of dodge but when he went to stand his vision and black an —god why were his veins burning with adrenaline???

  Danny's chest was caving, that was the only explanation as his ribs seized and threatened to crush his lungs. His heart had left its place and sprinted from the back of his throat down to right beneath his collarbone before starting all over again. Has his hands always been this sweaty??? Tremors wracked through his limbs —he couldn't deal with this now!! He needed to finish his Hamlet essay, and review his history notes, and hadn't Liz asked him to buy popsicle sticks for their art project??? That's what he had forgotten!! He can't think of this now!! Maddie and Jack could easily catch him now —but oh, God was he screwed when —if— when he went to school the next day.

  "Phantom, you're having a panic attack," Maddie said calmly.

  "No, shit there, Sherlock." Danny bit his bottom lip to prevent another scathing comment from escaping. Usually he had better control of his mouth believe it or not. He put his head between his knees, closing his eyes and trying to focus on, well, nothing. He felt tears slip from his eyes and barely stopped himself from screaming.

  "You know what a panic attack is?" Jack titled his head as he scanned over his shaking form.

  "Jack did you put the settings up too high while we were following him?"

  "Of course not! I was very careful not to bounce anything out of place. You've Done the math, four times, it should be perfectly calibrated." Jack twisted the purple and silver metallic gun in his hands, giving it a thorough look over.

  "What the fuck are you two talking about!!" The scientists' head whipped back to see Danny's eyes glowing a tad brighter than before and his mouth transfixed into a snarl. Maddie slid a careful hand to her holster.

  "Our newest invention. Ghosts, well most of them, are just whispers of feelings that people once had. They can't actually feel and so they do bad things or... or they mimic human behaviors really well to make it seem like they do, like they're human." Maddie's voice trailed off at the end as if seeing if he would explode.

  Danny felt that normally he would have but he started to hyperventilate. How was he going to reverse it??? Was there even a way to do so or did they not include a reverse button by mistake (on purpose?) like they had mistakenly put the 'on' button inside the portal??

  "We're going to take you to the lab. Check your... concussion and to stabilize your mood. Run a few tests..."

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodoh—

   They would strap him down and cut and lay his chest open like a butterfly steak and their hungry eyes would roam over him and their hands would devour him by pulling at his nerve endings and removing his organs and Danny would scream until his voice was hoarse and then some like a helpless lamb. Would he bleed blood or ectoplasm when they drained him? Would they take turns as he bleed out?? Or would they flow out together like some sort of demented, holiday dinner?? Or—

  "Phantom! You need to calm down." Maddie was at his side (when had she gotten there?) and was squeezing his hand. Danny briefly noted her eyes were filled with worry as her goggles hung at her neck. "Just breathe with me okay, please."

  "Breathe with her, buddy" Jack, who sat on the other side of Danny, whispered as he gently rubbed circles on the boy's lower back. "It's gonna be okay. We aren't going to hurt you."

  Danny wanted to say a smart aleck remark about them not having the same sentiment five minutes ago but instead focused on his breathing. He faced his head skyward and tried to count the stars. Nothing but him and the stars, no home— just the stars.

  Danny was reminded of the time he went stargazing with the rest of his family. A rare occasion as Maddie and Jack seemed to always be working. They had smiled so big at him as he pointed out constellations, awestruck. Jazz had nodded along as she listened attentively with a smile of her own. The night hadn't been more clear in months and more stars then usually were out. The picnic blanket they laid on was soft and him and Jazz had rested in between their parents and God they had been so happy then—

  Danny let out an involuntary sob. The melancholy seemed to come from the depths of his chest but at least it seemed to push out the panic.

  "Phantom," Maddie asked as she huddled closer to him. Phantom, not Danny. It hadn't really bothered him before; they didn't know it was him so why would they call him by his name?

  But it still made him cry harder. He wanted to tell them. He wanted to so, so bad.

  Jazz had urged him to tell them. But Danny had always been afraid. Scared that they wouldn't want him anymore.

  Now the sadness had overwhelmed the fear and the panic. He felt so isolated even when his parents were next to him, right there, trying to coax him into being calm. He had to tell them. He had to do it now because he wouldn't be this impulsive again.

  He felt the white rings gloss over him and heard Jack yell out "Phantom". When it was over he heard them gasp.

  "D-Danny," Maddie choked out.

   "I'm so sorry," Danny said through his tears. He chanted it over and over again as his parents reassured him that he had nothing to be sorry for and that they should apologize.

  The three sat there for quite some time, huddled close and crying together.

  Soon they would head home and take care of Danny's quickly healing concussion and reverse the effects of the gun. They would ask questions tomorrow after school but, for now, they tucked him into bed, something they hadn't done since he was eleven, and gave him their good night kisses on his temple before creeping to their room unaware of Jazz watching them from her bedroom door. She would text Sam and Tucker an explanation and ask them to give Danny the answers to the homework in the morning. She slipped into bed and fell asleep.

  The streets were barely slick with rain anymore. The stars twinkled merrily and the street lights buzzed. The crisp, cool air was calm and mellow. The night soothing and the Fentons were a family once again.

[darkmulti]

Mine

Ex boyfriendYandere!San x female reader

⚠️Warnings: possessive behaviour, horror au, language, spanking, fear kink, ddlg, kidnapping, mentions of non con, torture, death, blood, physical abuse (slapping, spanking, pinching, kicking), mental abuse, not a full smut but talks about a little, fluff ending❣️

Please read at your own risk, some parts may be triggering.

Part 2 on masterlist 

——————————————————————————

“YOU FUCKING KNEW I WOULD BE FUCKING ANGRY, BUT YOU STILL WENT!”

Currently San had you against the wall with his hand tightly wrapped around your throat. Tears falling from your eyes and your breath hitches.

“P-please, San. I’m-I’m so-sorry.”

You whimper out.

You were petrified of him. Shivering from fear. You suddenly felt so cold. It was a horrid feeling. The feeling of being alone, in the dark, frightened by his dominant presences. He had too much control of you, it was concerning.

“Why are you apologizing to me now? You already went on the date.”

Suddenly a hard slap lands on your face making it slant to the side. He grabs you jaw aggressively and moves closer to your face. You can feel his hot breath on your nose.

“Answer me when I talk to you. You know how much I hate to repeat myself.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gone on the date.”

He slaps you again and spits on your face.

“A ‘sorry’ is not going to fix anything. You already did it. I have to punish you. Go into the fucking car. NOW!”

He let go of your neck, expecting you to obey him, but instead you bolt to your bedroom. You heard him close behind but made it just in time. If you were any slower he would’ve catched you. You slam your room door and lock it.

Why was this happening?

Why couldn’t he let you go?

His behaviour toward you had ruined your mental health. What more could he want?

You and San started dating in the last year of high school. He was a pure angel, and treated you like a princess. It was until the last year of university, he got more and more possessive of you and you had to let go.

He was extremely proprietorial of you. It constantly made you question your relationship.

Does he even trust you?

The reason why San was provoked now, was because you had gone on a date with one of your classmates. That’s only because you’re not together with him anymore.

You couldn’t condone his behaviour anymore and broke up with him. He had an uncontrollable rage, especially if it was about you. Therefore you ended it.

Unfortunately for you, San didn’t take it like that. He thought it was just a break and left you alone for one week. The next week, he came roaming around, right back to you.

When you tell him that it’s over, you’re done. He pinned you against the wall and took you right there. You being into the moment, let it happen just one more time.

Well you thought it was just gonna be that one time. But he always did it. He fucked you under the bleachers during a football game. In the chem lab, the sleeping pods. You would always tell him no, but he didn’t take it as an answer.

Thus, you didn’t fight it anymore. Except now. He was taking it to another level and you didn’t need that right now.

“San please leave me alone!”

You pleaded on one side of the door.

Your voice was met with nothing but silence. You lay on the floor to look under the little opening of the bottom of the door, looking for his feet.

You saw nothing. Maybe he left.

“What’re you doing on the floor?”

You jolt up and look behind you. San was in your room. You looked behind him and the window was open.

You scurried up and unlocked the door, but San was faster and closed it from behind you. He roughly grabbed your shoulders and flipped you around to face him.

“You can’t escape me. You’re MINE! How many fucking times do I have to tell you?”

He was furious. His face was red and he looked like he could cry from frustration. Knowing him well, you knew he would absolutely lose it if you apologized to him one more time.

Instead you cup his cheeks and rub them softly. You move closer to him, hoping he would wrap his arms around you, pick you up and forgive you. So this nightmare can be over and you can be one again.

You were exhausted. But hey, at least he’s loyal. Not a lot of men have loyalty. You wouldn’t die if you stayed with San. He would at least protect you.

You tried to think of his good traits.

San sighs and pulls you closer to him.

“Now you wanna act all innocent? You’ve angered beyond my limit. I am still going to punish you for that. Bad girls like you, need to be put in their place. Understood?”

“Yes”

You whisper in his ear and let him take you back to his car.

This was you giving up. You can’t continue to fight. Not like this. This was tormenting you. Maybe the one causing all of this suffering can bring you out of it. You kept a little hope in San, thinking that he may make you the happiest girl in the world one day.

San enters into the car with a bag and throws it in the back.

“What’s that?”

“Some clothes and my favourite lingerie.”

Upon saying this a grin was forming on his lips.

His hand made its way over to your thighs and harshly slaps his.

You flinch up not expecting that.

“Why don’t you remind me the 9 strict rules I had for you? If you get it wrong I will slap these beautiful, soft thighs until they’re bruised. Understand?”

“Yes daddy. Rule number one is to call you daddy or master.”

“Good girl”

“Rule number two is to listen and obey daddy at all times. Rule number three is ask daddy permission for everything. Rule number four is to not back talk or act like a brat to daddy. Rule number five, is- uhh”

You yelp up and feel a sting on your thigh. You hiss out in pain.

“What’s rule number five, whore.”

“It’s too......”

Another slap lays on your thighs.

You start panicking because you forgot what rule number five is. Your heart rate gets faster and you can’t help but fidget around. A lump forms in your throat and you try you best to blink away tears.

Why was he this horrifying to you?

“You forgot didn’t you?”

“Yes daddy.”

“When we get home, that’s 10 spankings on the ass. Understand?”

“Yes, daddy.”

“Okay, moving on what’s rule number six?”

“Tell daddy, if there’s something wrong. Always talk to daddy because he’s here to listen.”

“Seven”

“Never touch myself”

“Eight”

“Be thankful for everything my daddy has provided me and be thankful for my daddy.”

“Nine.”

You gulp not remembering what it was. This was the new rule San had added, but a week later you broke up with him.

“Daddy, I don’t remember nine. I truly am sorry.”

You speak in the most baby voice you can pull off.

He didn’t acknowledge it and spanks your thighs 10 times, each time getting harder and harder.

You hold in your cries and finally see that you have reached his mansion.

He parks at the front and says to you

“Stay in the car, I'll come around.”

You obey and he comes around opening the door and pulling you out. He slams the car door, and with a tight grip on your arm, pulls you inside.

———-

3 months later

You had completely lost all hope. This time your punishment was much more physical. He kicked you. After fucking you for what seemed like days, he cummed all over you and kicked your legs, back and stomach. After that he left.

You lay on the concrete floor, bawling your eyes out. Why was he this cruel?! Since the day you entered this house, you’ve been locked up in the punishment room.

At this point San was using you as a sex slave. His little cum slut. You had a massive amount of hatred toward him now. You will be able to love again!

He broke you. He was starting to get physical now. He would feed you a meal every two days and the water was the faucet water from the bathroom. He still allowed you to keep your hygiene up because at the end of the day, he was still fucking you. You didn’t have clothes to wear and just walked around nude.

You had a collar on and San sometimes put a leash on you while fucking you.

It was hell. You couldn’t take it anymore!

You start crying even harder, trembling in fear. Your sobs become a little louder and before you knew it you were wailing.

The door immediately opens and San is standing at the doorway.

“Why’re you crying without my permission? You want me to punish you again? You just seem like you can’t get enough of me. Am I that handsome or am I just that good at fucking you?”

You immediately stop and don’t reply. What does he want you to say to that? That you like him making you feel like a worthless piece of shit?

“Not replying I see. Tsk tsk tsk. Get up and bend over on the bed.”

In a flash you stand up and bend over the bed.

San pulls you back and spits in your mouth.

“Swallow.”

You gulp it down.

“Good girl.”

He praised you and petted your head.

“Now count for me, babygirl.”

He spanks you up to ten and you don’t react. It hurt, but in a way you were already used to it. Your ass was bruised. You couldn’t sit on it or lay on it. It was terrible.

San rubs your ass and picks up a blanket. He wrapped you around in it and carries you upstairs to his room you’re assuming. He lays you on the bed and kisses you all over your face.

“Tomorrow was supposed to be your last day in the punishment room. But since my princess was crying, I will end it today. This is our shared room and your clothes are in our closet. How about you go shower, then we can eat dinner, then cuddle.”

What the fuck?

How did he suddenly change like that?

You were still afraid of him and kept your distance, but he started taking you out on dates and buying you stuff.

He even bought you a promise ring. It matched with his. He would buy you couples outfits and was attached to your side.

“Babygirl can you look at me?”

You turn your head to face San.

He gently kisses you and pulls away saying

“I love you, princess.”

“I love you too, Sannie.”

You smile and kiss him back.

Maybe the hard parts over.

—————————————————————————— edited🔐

[fromchaosfromscience]

Can Three Idiots Beat Pokemon Infinity (Part IA)

Juuuust gonna let Key’s copypasta’d commentary take over from here, this is what it says on the tin, kiddos! 

TAKE IT AWAY, KEY, BEFORE I KILL YOU

Mmmkay. 

Key here, and this is the beginning of what will probably be one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but here we are.  And Ethan, let it be known that if you edit any of my commentary to make it into dick jokes or otherwise anything that will make me regret not just posting this part on my own blog, I will burn down everything you love right in front of you.

So anyway, it should be noted that we’re going into this fangame completely blind.  I know a FEW things about it from its description, that it’s full of fan mons and alternative/regional forms, which I personally take to be a good thing.  I actually enjoy Fakemon when they’re done properly, which most... nine times out of ten, they’re done well because the Pokemon community is fucking insane when it comes to designs.  I don’t know anything else about this, though, so let’s go ahead and jump on in.

We decided via vote what the player character would be in terms of gender and name.  8)  And yes, it’s a huge inside joke.

Moseying right along (and ignoring Raven’s agonized screams in the distance)...

After waking up in the woods, apparently with no knowledge as to how I got there or what the actual fuck is happening, I’m taken to a little place in a nearby town to rest - and taken back to early 2000s while I’m at it because that music is DEFINITELY from the Pokemon Colosseum series.  I kind of love this already, but let’s get on with the adventure.  I read the note left by Wormwood and head up to his lab.

...Hold up.  Is that a regional variant of Marill?  ;A;  I ALREADY WANT IT. 

But alas, we are just here for our starter, and so the toughest decision of ANY Pokemon game goes underway.

Annnnd it looks like the three starters are actually regional variants of Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle!  Ethan is harassing me as I type this to choose Squirtle, so of course that’s not happening.  =D  Eat shit, Ethan.

Charmander it is!  Our first companion on our journey!

Fire/dragon!  Not bad!  :T

Also she has a timid nature!!  Which isn’t bad on a standard Charmander!  No idea if it’ll be worth anything on THIS Charmander, but we shall see.  =D;

And I have to say I’m liking this plot so far.  Like, as cliche as the whole AMNESIA thing is, still, it’s... more interesting than what I’d expect from a mainline Pokemon game these days.  Lmao sorry that’s a little harsh, but moving right along, we’re off to get answers about wtf we can’t remember coming to this tiny island region in the middle of bumblefuck.

On the way to the light house to talk to Professor Thorn, I’m given a quick TL;DR from prospective rival Teal on the Egho Council, who are apparently standing in for gyms in this region.  Cool cool! 

Now given that the Nuzlocke hasn’t started yet, and won’t start until I’m given pokeballs or able to buy them, I take this time to grind Azure up a bit.

And it’s in this battle that I learn her ability is actually Competitive, which... is pretty insane, to be honest.  Hot damn.

......welp.

Guess that means potential death time is now.  =D;;  And because Ethan is a complete dick, he just told me that yes, this does indeed count and the Nuzlocke begins now.  Azure please don’t die.

A couple of trainer battles later though, and I have her at level 7 and I’m feeling pretty good about it.  Annnd our first encounter is...!

A Rattata. 

You know what, I can work with this, it’s fine, I thought to myself going in.  Oh, you’re going to heal with an oran berry?  Well, I’ll just knock you down to red again.  Oh, you’re going to growl at me?  Well, that just sharply raises Azure’s special attack.  So not bearing that in mind at all, I’m just going to attack with Ember like an idiot and kill it.

Yeah.

I botched the first encounter.  :I  I COMPLETELY FORGOT about Competitive and wasn’t paying attention, yes, I am an idiot, cast your tomatoes forth, all tomatoes and shame be upon me.

MOVING ON.

We get to Merchant’s Ridge, where another trainer battle awaits, and a fresh new encounter and hopefully... redemption?  =D;;

Yes!  A pidgey!

please don’t kill it please don’t kill it please don’t kill it

AND AFTER ONLY *ALMOST* KILLING IT, we have found redemption!

No really.

We mosey on over to Searidge Town, but not without being given an Old Gadget and free heals from Lucy, and battling a foolish old sailor who thought HIS inferior boring regular pidgey was a match for REDEMPTION.

It was not.

Very nice town we got here!  And after some exploring, I come across this guy who gives me a... very interesting little tidbit.

....Does this mean what I think it means?  HM.

We get to Stonedust Trail, where we run into none other than...

Ekans!  Who quickly becomes our third member, Scaley!

And after Redeem has a near death experience with poison - that’s quickly amended with Antidote because Professor Wormwood is an absolute angel - we hurry on.

But not without a run-in from...

Oh christ almighty here we go.

Starly, a match for REDEMPTION?  Kiss my ass.  I send out Scaley to intimidate the Patrat she’s carrying, but its bite does a little too much damage for my liking, so I send out Azure to finish the job.  I also end up keeping her out to face down Teal’s Squirtle, whose typing I can only assume is water/flying, but Azure is fire/dragon, so I assume she’ll be okay taking neutral damage from any water moves.

The Squirtle ends up using a move called Nimbus Fist, which doesn’t do a whole lot of damage, but it DOES lower Azure’s accuracy so it turns into a pain in the ass to deal with.  The good news though is that Azure’s special attack gets pretty juiced up from taking enough Nimbus Fists that her ember is enough to whittle off the last remaining bit of health Squirtle has left.

So thankfully, no deaths!  =D;  Y...yay.

I think I’m about played out for the time being, so yeah, I’ll be continuing this in another part.  :T  Pray for us.  No really, pray for us.

- Key

[alicemarion]

OUTLAST :  THE  MURKOFF  ACCOUNT  (  PART 2  )   sentence starters !

this  prompt  was  made  using  dialogue  from  issues  #4 ,    #5  and  #6  of  outlast :  the  murkoff  account  by  red  barrels .    feel  free  to  edit  any  of  these  to  make  them  more  suitable !

“  _____  wasn’t  fucking  around  about  disappearing .  ”

“  our  chances  of  finding  a  lead  in  this  are  vanishingly  slim .  ”

“  what  you  got  there ?  ”

“  i  hate  it  when  they  have  families .  ”

“  since  when  did  _____  hurt  women  and  kids ?  ”

“  sorry ,    that  was  in  bad  taste .  ”

“  he’s  been  gone  for  a  while  now .  ”

“  i  saw  him  back  just  last  night .  ”

“  i  saw  him ,     standing  right  over  there .  ”

“  drove  my  dogs  batshit ,    which  is  weird .  ” 

“  they  always  used  to  like  him .  ”

“  _____  said  _____  was  here  last  night .  ”

“  it’d  take  us  days  to  find  him  under  all  this  shit  if  he  was .  ”

“  guess  we  better  get  started  then .  ”

“  it’s  garbage .  ”

“  is  ...    is  some  of  this  garbage  moving ?  ”

“  ants .    the  place  is  infested .  ”

“  what  do  you  mean ?  ”

“  emailed  him  ants .    not  the  strangest  thing  i’ve  seen .  ”

“  these  look  like  passwords .  ”

“  ouch !  ”

“  little  fucker  bit  me .  ”

“  black  ants  don’t  bite .  ”

“  motherfucker !    motherfuckfuckfuck -  ”

“  they’re  all  over  me !    jesus !  ”

“  not  there !    not  there !  ”

“  water !    water !  ”

“  goddammit !    make  room !    i’m  coming  in !  ”

“  fuck  this !  ”

“  it’s  not  working !  ”

“  we  need  fire !  ”

“  take  your  fucking  clothes  off !  ”

“  now  do  me !  ”

“  got  anything  i  could  wear ?  ”

“  nope .  ”

“  what  the  fuck  am  i  gonna  do ?  ”

“  hey ,    that’s  the  same  homeless  guy .  ”

“  that’s  not  possible .  ”

“  i’m  sure  it’s  him .    he’s  following  us .  ”

“  hey !    stop !  ”

“  where’d  you  go  ...   ?  ”

“  you  work  for  _____  ,    don’t  you ?  ”

“  ...    who  are  you ?  ”

“  i  believe  you’ve  heard  of  me .  ”

“  you’ve  been  following  us .  ”

“  what’s  your  name ?  ”

“  yes .    i’ve  been  watching  you .  ”

“  you’ve  got  something  most  running  dog  mercenaries  don’t .  ”

“  i’m  not  a  mercenary .  ”

“  you’ve  got  shame .   you  know  what  you’re  doing  is  wrong .  ”

“  it’s  a  job .  ”

“  but  you’re  somebody  who’d  chase  after  me  ,    despite  the  fact  that  you’re  injured  and  naked .    who  does  that ?  ”

“  ...    i  can’t  stand  not  knowing .  ”

“  tell  me  your  name .  ”

“  i’ve  read  your  files  ,    _____ .  ”

“  six  years  ago  you  leaked  company  files  and  vanished .  ”

“  been  off  the  map  ever  since  ,    encouraging  other  whistleblowers .  ”

“  you’re  trying  to  destroy  _____ .  ”

“  of  course  i  am .  ”

“  they’re  evil .    you  work  for  the  devil .  ”

“  you’re  protecting  _____ ?  ”

“  you’ll  never  find  him .  ”

“  i  couldn’t  tell  you  if  i  knew .  ”

“  willful  ignorance .    i  remember  that .    almost  let  me  sleep  some  nights .  ”

“  how  do  you  sleep ?  ”  

“  how  do  you  justify  working  for  people  you  know  are  evil ?   ”

“  _____  was  a  pebble  in  a  pond .  ”

“  that  is  where  the  real  sickness  spreads .  ”

“  those  are  coordinates .  ”

“  if  you  cannot  look  at  what’s  there  and  not  eat  yourself  hollow  with  shame  ,    you’re  not  human  anymore .  ”

“  i  need  your  help .  ”

“  i  need  somebody  still  inside  _____ .  ”

“  i’m  not  asking  ,    i’m  telling  you .   you’re  going  to  help  me .  ”

“  ...    i  have  to  do  my  job .  ”

“  what  are  you  ...    the  fuck ?!  ”

“  freeze !    i  said  freeze  ,    motherfucker !  ”

“  i’m  leaving .  ”

“  please  don’t  make  me  hurt  you .  ”

“  he’s  ...    a  monster .  ”

“  what  was  he  shoving  in  your  face ?  ”

“  fucked  if  i  know .  ”

“  let’s  get  you  some  clothes  before  i  get  too  turned  on .  ”

“  dental  records .   my  identification .   he  wasn’t  done  with  me .  ”

“  and  we  weren’t  done  with  him .  ”

“  this  make  any  kind  of  sense  to  you ?  ”

“  nothing  i  feel  good  about .  ”

“  but  at  least  it  closes  the  books  for  now .  ”

“  the  evidence  couldn’t  get  any  more  thoroughly  destroyed .  ”

“  there  is  one  more  thing .  ”

“  nothing  i  know  of .  ”

“  i  wouldn’t  put  too  much  faith  in  anything  i  heard  from  an  animated  pile  of  maggots .  ”

“  maybe  we  should  check  it  out .  ”

“  nah  ,    leave  it  alone .  ”

“  you  should  get  home  ,    spend  some  time  with  your  daughter  ...    make  sure  she  doesn’t  grow  up  to  be  somebody  like  me .  ”

“  he  ain’t  gonna  let  us  get  away .  ”

“  every  step  we  take  ,    the  less  power  he  got .  ”

“  we’ll  get  to  the  wicked  part  of  the  world  ,    and  god  hisself  ain’t  even  gonna  be  able  to  find  us .  ”

“  do  you  know  if  yeshua - ha  nostri  was  a  real  person ?   like  ,    in  the  bible ?  ”

“  never  heard  of  him .  ”

“  when’s  that  book  report  due ?  ”

“  you’re  getting  an  early  jump .  ”

“  figured  i’d  be  too  beat  to  work  on  wednesday .  ”

“  you  didn’t  touch  your  dinner .  ”

“  i  wasn’t  hungry .   it’s  not  like  i  need  the  extra  calories .  ”

“  _____  ,    honey  ,    that’s  crazy .  ”

“  you’re  a  string  bean .    a  beautiful  string  bean .  ”

“  shut  up  ,    _____  ,    god  ...    ”

“  there’s  somebody  messing  with  our  mailbox .  ”

“  your  daughter  is  connected .  ”

“  my  partner  and  i  had  agreed  not  to  investigate .  ”

“  turns  out  i  was  lying .  ”

“  i  hear  you  now .    where  are  you ?    it’s  noisy .  ”

“  sorry  to  interrupt  you  on  a  sunday  ...    ”

“  you’re  not  interrupting  anything .  ”

“  i  was  just  ...    folding  laundry  ,    listening  to  prairie  home  companion .  ”

“  i  don’t  think  i’m  gonna  make  it  into  the  office  tomorrow .  ”

“  i  need  to  spend  some  time  with  _____ .  ”

“  no  worries .    we  all  need  personal  time .  ”

“  fuck  me  ...    no  service !  ”

“  i  guess  the  heat  and  the  sun  got  to  me .  ”

“  heavenly  god .  ”

“  _____ ?    what’s  wrong ?  ”

“  are  they  out  of  hot  chocolate ?  ”

“  multiple  perforations  of  the  intestines  ...    spread  throughout  her  blood  ...    had  to  induce  a  coma  in  order  to  arrest  progress  ...    internal  bleeding  ...  ”  

“  surgery  is  no  longer  an  option .  ”    

“  _____  is  dead .    i’m  so  sorry .  ”

“  aiiee !  ”

“  i’m  so  sorry  honey  ,    i  didn’t  mean  ...  ”

“  we  don’t  want  no  trouble !  ”

“  i’m  just  gon’  take  your  pistol .  ”

“  hey  ,    hey  ,    take  it  easy .    jesus  fucking  christ  ...  ”

“  don’t  you  take  that  name  in  vain !  ”

“  safety’s  on .  ”

“  who’s  the  girl ?  ”

“  jesus  ,    how  pregnant  is  she ?  ”

“  god  have  mercy  on  your  soul .  ”

“  i’m  not  going  to  hurt  you .  ”

“  you  need  helllll  ...    ”

“  mmm - hmm .  ”

“  that’s  all  you  got ?    ‘ mmm - hmm ? ’  ”

“  i  heard  you .   it’s  the  least  crazy�� thing  you’ve  told  me  so  far .  ”

“  fair  enough .  ”

“  you  are  in  such  deep  shit .  ”

“  i  know .  ”

“  you  lied  to  me  ,    you  went  off  the  reservation .  ”

“  what  the  fuck  are  you  doing  ,    _____ ?  ”

“  i  fucked  up .  ”

“  don’t  fuck  yourself  any  deeper .    i’m  on  my  way .  ”

“  spill .  ”

“  okay  ,    number  one  ,    you  work  for  _____  ,    not  _____ .  ”

“  number  two  ,    you  don’t  interfere  with  ongoing  experiments .  ”

“  we  only  enter  the  equation  when  the  science  is  done  and  the  side  effects  need  mopping  up .  ”

“  shit  ,    you  don’t  even  know  if  this  is  an  experiment .  ”

“  and  number  three  ,    fuck  you .  ”

“  you  don’t  work  without  me .    we’re  partners  ,    you  stupid  motherfucker .  ”

“  sorr  ...    ”

“  don’t  say  you’re  sorry .    i  hate  that .  ”

“  you  want  the  silver  lining  to  your  shit  show ?  ”

“  you  don’t  suppose  you  brought  me  a  suit ?  ”

“  i  even  brought  you  a  tie .    hope  yellow’s  alright .  ”

“  you  called  it  a  ‘ vision ’ .    not  a  hallucination .  ”

“  it  felt  real .  ”

“  first  rule  in  the  playbook  is  don’t  get  high  on  your  own  product .  ”

“  what  about  brain  injury ?  ”

“  the  scan  must  have  been  corrupted .  ”

“  is  there  more  to  your  testimony ?  ”

“  yes  ,    of  course  ,    excuse  me .    i  was  just  ...    ”

“  could  we  see  those  brain  scans ?  ”

“  they’re  already  off  to  the  lab  ,    but  we  have  copies .  ”

“  evidence  ,    all  of  it .    this  had  become  a  matter  of  containment .  ”

“  we’d  love  to  meet  the  patient .  ”

“  the  little  guy  in  here  has  been  kicking  up  a  storm .  ”

“  is  that  a  tattoo ?  ”

“  a  globe .    no  ,    wheels .    ‘ wheels  within  wheels ’ .    that’s  biblical  ,    from  the  book  of  ...    ezekiel .  ”

“  you  can’t  have  him !    you  can’t .    i’ll  die  before  i’ll  let  you  kill  him .  ”

“  i  seen  the  messenger  and  i  know  i  ain’t  burdened  with  the  enemy .  ”

“  my  blood  is  true  ,    i’ve  sipped  at  the  fountain  and  borne  the  pain  and  marks  of  salvation .   ”

“  you  ain’t  gonna  take  my  baby  ,    you  ain’t  ...    ain’t  ...    ”

“  get  a  doctor !  ”

“  doctor !  ”

“  we  lost  her .    we  need  to  leave  ,    now .  ”

“  she’s  dead  ,    gone .    there  was  nothing  we  could  do .  ”    

“  minimal  footprint .  ”

“  i  realized  too  late  i  was  operating  above  my  security  clearance .  ”

“  are  you  sure  she  was  dead ?  ”

“  yeah  ,    case  closed .  ”

“  it’s  sad .  ”

“  still  ,    i  gotta  get  home .    i  said  i’d  be  there .  ”

“  you’re  a  good  dad  ...    you  always  take  care  of  your  girl .  ”

“  _____ !    you  home ?!  ”

“  you  work  for  us  now .  ”

“  we  didn’t  find  dick .  ”

“  there  we  go  ,    my  child .    every  last  drop  of  salvation .    your  children  are  waiting  for  you  in  heaven .  ”

“  god  does  not  pour  half  measures .  ”

“  the  storm  is  abating .    all  these  undeserved  blessings .  ”

“  he’s  still  not  answering .  ”

“  send  people  to  his  house .  ”

“  they’ve  been  feeding  _____  information .  ”

“  that’s  no  good .  ”

“  i’d  put  my  money  on  _____ .  ”

“  if  we  find  him  ,    i’ll  put  electrodes  on  _____ .  ”

“  how  many  bodies  we  looking  at ?  ”

“  hundreds .    it’ll  take  us  days  to  get  them  all  sorted .  ”

“  lot  of  these  local  corpses  show  signs  of  cyanide  poisoning .  ”

“  god  damn  this  guy’s  heavy  ...    ”

“  that  doesn’t  look  like  cyanide .  ”

“  yeah  ,    a  lot  of  them  got  creative  about  dying .  ”

“  took  a  lot  of  what  killed  her  to  get  the  job  done .  ”

“  last  name  sounds  like  a  crustacean  you’re  not  supposed  to  eat .  ”

“  how  did  you  know ?  ”

“  he  was  supposed  to  be  making  sure  they  didn’t  find  this  place .  ”

“  we  got  one  breathing  here !  ”

“  ‘ and  i  only  am  escaped  alone  to  tell  thee . ’  ”

“  is  that  from  wrath  of  khan ?  ”

“  it’s  actually  book  of  job  ,    by  way  of  moby  ...    ”

“  i  know  what  it  is  ,    you  don’t  have  to  try  and  impress  me .  ”

“  well  ,    holy  shit .  ”

“  his  eyes  are  all  pupil .    completely  catatonic .  ”

“  we  need  to  dig  in  his  head .    don’t  be  gentle .  ”

“  they  rarely  are .  ”

“  there’s  blood  on  the  walls .    looks  like  something  was  written  and  smeared  away .  ”

“  what  do  you  want  to  do ?  ”

“  actually  ,    no .    do  me  a  favor  and  find  his  corpse  ,    because  if  he’s  still  alive  ,    he’s  fucking  dangerous .  ”

“  where’s  _____ ?  ”

“  you’re  asking  the  wrong  question .  ”

“  i’ll  still  help  you  find  the  answer  ,    but  you’ll  need  to  trust  me .  ”

“  dead  ,    twice .  ”

“  how  about  you  just  tell  me  whatever  it  is  you  want  to  tell  me .  ”

“  it’s  not  surprising  religion  would  be  such  an  effective  delivery  mechanism .  ”

“  gods  communicating  with  men  ,    gods  dividing  themselves  into  components  that  men  could  understand .    a  trinity .  ”

“  in  the  name  of  the  father  ...    and  of  the  son  ...    and  of  the  holy  spirit .    amen .  ”

[panharmonium]

stranger things 3, a visual summary:

more coherent thoughts under the cut, because wow.

......okay.  that was a Trainwreck.  an absolute mess.

i remember when my coworkers were watching S3 (and still urging me to start season 1) and they were saying how amazing the latest season was, and honestly i think there must just be a difference in people who watch tv just to be entertained and people who watch tv and automatically evaluate the story (aka fandom veterans and English majors, lol - cue Me twice), because WHO could watch this critically and praise it that way?

it's honestly hard to know where to even begin; i've been sending frustrated notes to @brambleberrycottage ever since episode three and now that i'm done with episode 8 there's just......so much more to say

first, good things:

erica is a great character.  she's what max should have been (aka, uh.......interesting!)  i liked the realization moment where dustin was like "you're a NERD!"

that entire sequence where will is so upset with lucas and mike for not being engaged with the dnd game was very well done, especially the conversation he has with mike out in the rain.  i loved that moment where mike asked him "did you think we were just going to hang out in my basement playing games forever?" and will said, "yeah.  yeah, i guess i did."  i really felt that.  [edit, now that i've finished: this was never resolved.  will giving away his dnd books at the end was not an actual resolution to this conflict.]

steve is still a good dude, and robin was pretty cool.  i'm down for them being super friends.  but i'm still mourning the steve+nancy+jonathan trio that was a thing for like 5 seconds and then never returned.

i loved how genuinely excited steve was to see dustin when dustin came back from camp.  that was adorable.  "HENDERSON!!!!"  "how many children are you friends with?"

and uh. yeah.  i had more problems with this season than praise-bestowing moments, so.  here goes that bit.

OVERARCHING PROBLEMS:

1. keep it simple, stupid

remember in the office when dwight quoted the above advice to ryan as michael's rule for making a sale?  the same advice applies to storytelling.

season 1 of stranger things is so simple.  there is One Monster.  that is the danger.  and somehow, that single monster manages to be a thousand times more terrifying than all of these new "bigger, scarier, more epic" threats crammed into the second two seasons.

how goofy is the stranger things season 3 plot, seriously?  russians are blackmailing a small-town mayor so they can buy up land to steal power from the town while operating a secret lab under the mall to open a gate to the Upside Down (WHY?), while simultaneously a remnant of the malevolent force that was "defeated" last season has reanimated itself and is making people scarf chemicals (WHY?), and then it possesses one of them and uses that person to possess a bunch of other people in order to build itself a body made out of melted people, in order to kill el, whose only story this season is breaking up with her boyfriend, and we have to infiltrate this russian base in order to close the gate (same endgame as last season - BIG NO-NO) to kill the goo monster, except last time the "mindflayer” survived the gate being closed, so why would this even WORK, and -

the fact that there are so many "round-up/info dump" scenes where characters summarize what's going on and make implausibly accurate connections/guesses about what it all must mean is a red flag.  the characters shouldn’t have to tell your story to the audience.  if it's too complicated for us to keep straight on our own, it's too complicated.  

the amount of energy that goes into trying to lash together a Chaos Plot with too many shaky legs leaves nothing left over for nuanced character development or mood establishment.  you're constantly running to catch up to your own flimsy story before it collapses on top of itself.

2. the horror!

S1 of stranger things was the scariest thing i'd ever seen.

granted, i don't watch a lot of horror, because i don't like it.  i get scared too easily and then i legitimately can't sleep.  i watched a horror movie five years ago that i still think about every time the lights are off in my house.  but still, ST1 was something i had never experienced before.

it wasn't creature horror, and it wasn't just suspense.  it was the UNSETTLINGNESS of it all.  it wasn't really about the monster.  it was about the Upside Down.

the reason ST1 is so successful is because of how much we don’t know.  it's the horror of not understanding what is happening, and the terror of knowing that nobody thinks it’s real.  feeling like you're going crazy and being cut off from all assistance.  the conspiracy and the cover-up.  and the sheer unsettlingness of the whole parallel worlds things just tipped me over the edge - the idea that you can take one wrong step and then be suddenly and without warning completely off the map, simultaneously right next to the people you want to get to and also utterly beyond their reach.  that was fucking scary!!!!  

and they do it all with so little.  i have literally never been more scared in my life than when i would see those christmas lights start flickering.  and they're just LIGHTS!  yes, we see the monster later, but it's the uncertainty that's most frightening.  we don't understand how it arrives in our world, and we don’t know where it will show up next.  it could be right next to you - on the other side.  you could be standing on top of it.  you just don't know.  it’s like what jonathan says to nancy in her bedroom - “it can’t get us in here.”  and she says, “we don’t know that.”

the later seasons of stranger things, by comparison, did not scare me at all.  season two was like a zombie movie - hordes of weak enemies that you can just shoot with a gun.  and season 3 was even less frightening - upping the ante and making things gorier, more explosive, and bigger just isn't the vibe they set in S1.  i'm not scared of that giant goop monster.  it's like godzilla.  it's not horror; it's just a lot of noise.

the unsettling, "creep" factor that made season 1 so effective was gone.  it just turned into a regular old monster movie, and i didn't find that particularly interesting.

3. illogical, captain

a while ago there was a wave of pushback against people complaining about plot holes, but you know what?  there is, in fact, an appropriate place for us to talk about plausibility, as well as the point at which our suspension of disbelief collapses.

ST3 is a bona fide plausibility disaster.  i did not believe half of the story, because it was not unfolding in a believable way.

half of the plot points in this season would not have happened if the characters had been behaving with any kind of sense.  it is absolutely impossible for me to believe that none of these children IMMEDIATELY went to joyce or hopper the minute they knew something weird was going on.  it makes no sense.  after the shit they've seen?  it makes sense in season 1, because the kids are still so young that they have that kind of magical thinking that makes all of this seem kind of like an adventure.  but they're teenagers now, and developmentally, they’re past that stage.  they know the evil creature is back and they're pretty sure it's possessing billy?  for some unfathomable reason, they don't go to an adult, but try to trap billy in the sauna and just see what happens.  the other group has actual proof that russian soldiers are up to something shady in the mall?  they don't tell an adult; they send a TEN YEAR-OLD in through the AIR DUCTS to investigate the secret room guarded by MEN WITH GUNS.

this is ridiculous.  none of this should have happened.  none of this WOULD have happened.  it breaks the boundaries of disbelief.  it completely sabotages the audience’s engagement with the story - joyce and hopper's whole detour with alexei and murray is so dull, because its entire purpose is to bring hop and joyce up to speed on something that we, the audience, already know.  the other characters already found out this stuff, but did not communicate it - the gate is being opened again in a russian lab underground.  there's no suspense for us.  nothing new is revealed.  we're just waiting for them to hurry up and finish finding out so we can move on to the next thing.

moreover: there are so many other problems besides just "these characters would have talked to each other."  why on earth would murray, whose sole characteristic is extreme paranoia, take alexei wandering around the festival for hot dogs and carnival games.  why would hopper be so virulently against the possibility that weird shit might be happening again?  does he remember the past year or what?  how on earth would the kids be able to fight off that massive monster with an ax and a hunting rifle?  it's made out of dead guts and bones; why does it care if they shoot it?!  how in the WORLD is this russian facility so penetrable?  i'm sorry, it's just - beyond believable.  it doesn't have cameras?  the russians guards really can't tell that murray isn't a native speaker?  they don't check his id when they don't recognize him?  joyce and hopper really just got that lucky, to be asked a question and have “smile and nod” be the right answer?  nobody ever got shot?  it's silly.  it's just silly.  so many things - erica uses the "Open" button to open the elevator door in order to let steve and robin and dustin inside, but once the elevator is at the bottom of the shaft, robin explains the door's inexplicable non-opening because......you apparently need a keycard to use the buttons????  THAT MAKES NO SENSE; ERICA JUST USED THE BUTTONS A SECOND AGO.

even the entire endgame of this season is a contradiction!  if the mind-flayer survived el closing the gate last time, it doesn't make sense that closing the gate this time would kill it.  literally the entire plot of last season was "we need to get this thing out of will, because the creature will die once the gate is closed, and we want to make sure will doesn't die with it."  but apparently the creature didn't die upon closing the gate; it just got trapped in our dimension.  but now apparently it WILL die upon closing the gate.  for whatever fucking reason.

i'm sorry, but that’s a mess.  that’s a bona fide mess.

4. watch your tone

i honestly think the tonal change is the thing that made me the most frustrated about this season.  it's possible to have a terrible plot and still stay relatively true to your characters - you'll still have a bad season, but at least you didn't bastardize your characters in the process.

i had issues with S2 and i definitely was not as impressed with it as i was with S1, but at least in S2 joyce and hopper were recognizable.  in S3, i felt like i was watching strangers.  the tonal shift was bizarre and off-putting, more so with hopper than joyce, but it affected both of them.  

even as early as the very beginning of this season, i was feeling weird about how often hopper was being used for comedy.  and as the season progressed, this trend only became more pronounced.  almost every scene we had of him felt silly - and not like there was just something funny in the scene for me to laugh at, but like the audience was almost being asked to laugh AT him.  like he was constantly the butt of the joke.  

this really bothered me.  from that incredibly sincere and heart-wrenching portrayal of him in season 1, when they kept him rooted in the trauma of losing his daughter and the breakdown of his marriage, and then how that same trauma made him so driven to save will and protect the kids - what a change.  even in season 2 i was frustrated how the throughline of his daughter wasn’t touched again until the very last episode, and now in season 3 we’ve left that part of him so far behind that he's just there for us to laugh at.  we're supposed to laugh at scenes of him being drunk and a mess.  every scene he's in is either him arguing with joyce for comedic relief or being way over the top with alexei or the mayor.  he was like a caricature of himself, and i didn't recognize him.  

joyce suffered from the same thing, just by virtue of proximity.  she spent almost all of her time in this season with hopper, and virtually all of that time was taken up with silly shenanigans or comically overblown arguing.  what a departure from the desperate mother of season 1, who was maligned by everyone in town and only taken seriously by the audience.  now it’s the audience who are supposed to be chuckling at her.  

i dunno.  the tone shift was very dramatic, very obvious, and it impacted the entire season.  are we supposed to be taking this seriously or is it supposed to be a joke?  a little bit of humor to break tension can be a good thing, but when it's constant, it confuses the mood.  

and i personally don't think it was appropriate or respectful to either of these characters, in this case.

SMALLER THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME:

this show has 100% hit maximum character saturation.  by the end of this season there were 13 core characters onscreen at the same time, in the same scene!  it’s too many people!  they cannot reasonably develop that many people in the space allotted.

i still am not interested in max.  i don't feel anything for her.  she doesn't feel real.  i don't hate her, but she's just an empty vessel, and i really do think she's superfluous to this show.  i think you could remove her with very little reworking and the show would be stronger for it.  (they TRIED to do something interesting with billy, and i might have cared if we had been given literally any reason to care about him previously, but there was no investment earned there.  they didn't do the front-end work to make him somebody we were interested in.)

weird relationship sunderings from previous seasons.  i felt very strange about jonathan barely even seeing will this entire season.  i felt very strange about steve having almost zero contact with nancy.  i felt very strange about joyce hardly ever interacting with her kids.  all of these were core relationships - the characters were BUILT on those relationships, and they don't feel real outside of them.  not seeing these characters devote time to these relationships makes it feel like i'm watching a slightly different show.

the VIOLENCE.  apparently this is a beat-em-up now???  i really felt like every other scene somebody was getting beaten to a bloody pulp.  there was SO much smashing and bashing and throwing people into walls and fistfights and head trauma like - first of all, i find that stuff pretty boring, and second of all, all of these people should be in the hospital.  

the GORE.  other people’s mileage may vary, obviously; i just didn't like that.  i looked away at the scene with the rat, and all this...goopy dissolving human shit, and the stabbings, and just...general grossness level - season 1 managed to be bloodcurdlingly terrifying without any of this stuff.

i know this borders on nitpicky, but yet more medical malfeasance - another example of someone receiving an injection via the mysterious 90 degree angle neck route, plus - was anyone else losing it at the fact that steve and robin “puked up” a drug they received……..via injection??????  IT’S NOT IN THEIR STOMACHS, FOLKS!  THEY CAN’T PUKE IT UP!  IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT!

the complete lack of follow-up to last season.  the whole S3 plotline (such as it is) feels like a weird side quest.  last season seemed to be furthering the mythos and setting us up for "there are other children like el/brenner is alive" - but this season, that fact appears to have been forgotten by everyone (even el!!!) and has nothing to do with the story that we're given, which is a goofy and redundant story about russians opening a secret lab under the mall which requires us to solve the exact same problem as last season (closing the gate).

this show's inability to keep certain throughlines in its headlights/keep things visible on the periphery instead of dropping them completely and then bringing them back whenever they feel like they need it again.   i already talked about hopper’s daughter as an example of this (done well in S1 and poorly in S2 and S3).  another example is that scene with nancy and her mom - it’s such a good scene, and yet it misses out on so much resonance, because they completely dropped the plotline of karen feeling locked out of her kids’ lives and desperately wanting to connect with them.  if they had continued to reference that throughout season 2, then this scene would have been so much more powerful.   as a third example, season 3 starts with a clear context/premise, and it’s INTERESTING - the town landscape changing because of the mall, business slow to non-existent, small town discontent over big corporations moving in, hopper pressured to break up the protest against mayor kline when he should have let it proceed - and then the show just drops that entire context.  you expect season 3 to stay rooted in the "our small town is being strangled by this mall" and then to eventually deal with the revitalization of hawkins, but nah.  it's never mentioned again.

LASTLY:

i'm not really gonna get into hopper "dying," because he's, like...clearly not dead.  but the whole situation was stupid and contrived (i was so sick of that arnold schwarzenegger lookalike by the last episode, god that whole thing was so dumb) and it's even cheaper knowing that he'll obviously be back.

what i AM gonna say is that i was livid that they brought back that peter gabriel cover of "heroes" to end this season.  their use of that song in S1 blew my mind - it had me stunned with how GORGEOUS it was and just, the way it worked in that particular scene - absolutely incredible.  floored me.  gave me chills.  to recycle it at the end of such a poorly constructed season made me so mad.  yOU CAN'T MAKE ME FEEL THINGS JUST BY REUSING THIS SONG.  I REFUSE TO HAVE EMOTIONS JUST BECAUSE YOU PULL OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL TRACK THAT YOU ONCE USED TO GREAT EFFECT; YOUR STORY WAS STILL TERRIBLE THIS TIME AROUND; DO NOT TRY TO TRICK FEELINGS OUT OF US THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EARNED.  

and that's it.  i’m sure later i’ll think of other things i neglected to mention here, but...yeah.  i was not impressed.  

[justjessame]

A Reluctant Hero Chapter 7

Kelsey followed me home when I retrieved my car from the bar parking lot. Once at the house, she mentioned she was going to take a nap, and I rolled my eyes as she gave my cell phone a loaded glance. Honestly, just because I had JD’s number now, didn’t mean I was going to call him. I wasn’t sure I wanted to, aside from the fact that even drunk me had great taste in wanting him naked and sweaty, I hadn’t exactly been at my best when we met. And knowing that he was fresh out of a situation of his own wasn’t all that inspiring for starting up something with him.

Rebound. That’s what we’d be for one another. If I called him up, if we pursued whatever spark we might have felt, it would flare hot and bright and then fizzle out. That’s what rebounds were. The way to cleanse the palette before you find a lasting relationship. Hell, books were written about this shit. Not that I’d ever read them, but still. It was common fucking knowledge. No matter the age, you don’t stay with whomever comes right after a breakup.

With that in mind, I didn’t call him. I tried very fucking hard to NOT think about him between shit I did to keep busy. Stuff like editing my newest book, or starting another story. No, JD Richter was NOT going to work for a rebound. IF I gave him a call, it wouldn’t be for a fast and hot affair, because even drunk, hungover, and a tad bit stupid, I knew that JD would be wasted as a rebound fling. He was the type of man that a woman should want to hook, mount, and keep forever. Anyone who didn’t see that was a fucking idiot.

He broke first. Four days after I woke up in his bed, my phone rang and I didn’t even pay attention to who the caller was because I was engrossed in the writing of a new chapter to a new book. Answering it almost absently, it took a moment for my brain to disengage from the computer in front of me and HEAR the voice speaking to me.

“I’m sorry, who did you say was calling?” No, I thought, it couldn’t be-

That deep rumble of a laugh and I could swear it vibrated through the phone and I could feel it in my toes. “Forgot me already, Ani? That stings.” I swallowed loudly. Shit. “JD? Kelsey’s dad? Prince Charming since I put Cinderella’s shoes back on?”

I had to shake my head at that comparison. “Pretty sure Cindi didn’t lose her shoes because she was shitfaced, but I won’t deny that you were my hero.” Another chuckle from his end. “Sorry I was in the middle of writing and-”

“I should let you go?” He was asking, not agreeing.

“No,” my voice had grown quiet, and I wanted to smack myself from how needy I sounded. “It’s fine, I can pick it back up anytime.”

“I’m sorry I had to rush out the other day,” he offered, and I thought I heard the sound of liquid flowing into a glass. “Work, it never ends.” Kelsey had filled me in on how he’d lost his license, but after the truth had come out, fought to get it back.

‘Work’s important. Pays the bills, right?” I stood up from my desk and wandered to my kitchen. “I hope it wasn’t something gruesome.”

We chatted about what he did for a living, and as we spoke, I made a late lunch. “What’s that noise on your end?” He asked, clearly picking up the sound of me setting the pan on my stove, and the sounds of me assembling my ingredients.

“I’m making lunch,” looking at how late it was, I realized it was too late for even the latest lunch. “Maybe dinner, actually.”

“You cook?” The interest in his voice was clear.

I grinned as I worked at chopping and measuring. “Well, I have to eat, so learning to make something a little more filling than peanut butter sandwiches seemed like a good idea.” I could swear I heard him smile. “You don’t cook?”

“Never seem to have the time,” he answered and it was my turn to smile. “I haven’t had a home cooked meal-”

“Are you jockeying for an invitation, JD?” It went quiet on his end, and I considered taking it back, but then I thought fuck it. “There’s more than enough for two.”

I heard rustling from his end, and then the telltale jingle of a set of keys. “I’ll be right over.”

Once I had dinner steadily bubbling and baking, I took a look at my appearance and was thankful that I’d taken that very cold shower earlier. Rushing to my bedroom, I grabbed something that was attractive, but not overly done up. Another pair of skinny pants, this time in a faux buttery leather and a loose fitting tank, my hair was piled up on my head and I forewent shoes. My house, no need for heels.

I was back in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the simmering pots, when my visitor was announced. Giving the OK for him to enter, I waited as he made his way to the dining room, and called out for him to take the door to the right. I made a note to have my AI, Pandi, freeze frame the look on JD’s face when he walked into the room.

My kitchen, like the rest of my house, was dark wood and rustic looking. The stove wouldn’t have looked out of place in a restaurant, nor would the refrigerator and the huge stone sink was always an eye opener. I gestured for him to have a seat on one of the stools lining the huge island, and asked him what he’d like to drink.

“I thought the rest of your house was impressive, but this?” He was still taking in details, and I smirked as he finally met my eyes. “Wow.” Giggling, I asked him what his drink preference was again, and he finally accepted a beer.

I waited until he took a long drink, and shook my head at how easily and comfortable he seemed to fit into my house. I had a glass of tea, since I was planning on keeping clear of any type of alcohol for the foreseeable future, I moved back to the stove and once again we fell into conversation.

I was taking out a dish from the oven, along with the bread I’d put in to warm, when he finally asked the most important question of all. “What are we having, Ani?”

Italian, my preference on any given day, was what we were having. And we ate at the island, side by side, talking as he complimented me on every single part of our meal. I loved watching people appreciate the meals I cooked, Kelsey raved every time she came over for lunch or dinner, and her dad was no different. I had a flash of Roger not being all that interested in what I cooked, his focus more on eating things that would keep him fit and trim, clearly to catch all those willing coeds.

“You just flinched,” he offered, as he swallowed another bite. “What were you thinking about?”

I huffed out a breath that was a cross between a laugh and a snort. “Roger, the ex.” He was studying me. “I just realized, he never seemed to like what I cooked.”

“Fucking idiot.” JD muttered, and I smiled. “That man must have been blind and stupid.” He was still staring, I could feel the heat of his gaze even as my attention returned to my own plate. “What kind of moron screws around on-”

I stopped him. Too dangerous territory. Too close to crossing that invisible line that I wanted him to fucking know existed. “Yeah, well, hindsight.” Taking a sip from my glass, I changed the subject to work.

He helped me clean up, putting leftovers in bowls, one of which I insisted he take with him and loading the dishwasher. We were seated in my living room, a fire flickering in the fireplace because that’s the entire point of having a fireplace, JD nursing a second beer and me still drinking tea.

“Tell me about your family,” he asked, his chair facing the sofa I was lounging on.

I sat up and set my glass on the coffee table. “My family?” Leaning back again, I thought about it. “My mom died when I was really little,” I was five, she had passed away after a long illness, one that even my dad couldn’t fix. “Dad’s a doctor, infectious diseases, and he didn’t really understand my artsy nature.” I smirked, thinking about how aghast he’d been when I came up with a B- for my science classes, and that C for math would forever haunt him. “He liked the outdoors, and since I’m his only kid, I learned to like them too.” I loved the outdoors, the forests, the rivers. Lakes and mountains were my playground growing up. “He really didn’t understand my choice in men.” Like Dr. Aaron Myles, his coworker who was very slightly younger than him, who he caught bending me over a lab table when I was nineteen. “Other than my parents, the extended family isn’t really close. Reunions, holiday cards, you know, the normal.”

“Other than the idiot box you dated recently,” I chuckled at the description. “What wasn’t understandable about your choices?”

Damn inquisitive minds, I thought, but shrugged. What the hell, let’s warn him ahead of time. “Older men, usually his colleagues.” I heard, rather than saw, JD’s inhale. “I was an adult, I swear,” most of the time, I flashed on that one fling and felt a blush rise. “It’s just that-” I was very very irritable at the idea that I had daddy issues, so I had this conversation a LOT over the years. “Men who have more experience, tend to treat women better, you know?”

My eyes met his and I realized that JD was older than me. Maybe not as old as my dad, maybe not as old as my oldest lover, but he was. And his eye color, that molten caramel that had drawn my interest when I’d finally been able to focus my eyes, had gone so dark that pinpointing his pupils would have been a challenge. I bit my lip and his eyes focused on the movement. Shit. Not good.

“How about your family?” I tossed out before we both did something that I would fucking regret when it went to shit.

JD smirked, clearly understanding my attempts at diverting the conversation into safer territories, but I had to think he didn’t really know why. He reminded me that I knew Kelsey and had met his ex wife, but I shook my head. “So you were hatched from an egg and didn’t know your parents?”

He laughed, full bodied at my silly joke. Then he told me about his upbringing. His stint in the military. His path to his current profession. He gave out his life’s story as easily as I did, which wasn’t as common as people might think.

“And you just got out of a-” I stopped, shocked at my line of questioning. Shit. Nope, Ani, not that.

“Molly,” he offered, his eyes still on mine. “Molly Woods.” I nodded. “That was a very weird situation.”

I waited, unsure if I wanted to hear about the woman he kept company with before. I knew his ex wife, the mother of his daughter, but this was fresh. “You don’t have to-”

“It’s ok,” he smiled at me and I had to return it. “I’m a grown up, I can handle talking about it.”

I nodded and he told me about meeting her at a crime scene. How he thought she was insane, given where she’d been staying it made sense, but then he found out the victim had been pregnant, just like she’d warned. He told me how it went from her roofieing him to him being called a terrorist for helping her. How that snowballed into intimacy and how, eventually, he realized that she needed her people more than the two of them needed one another.

“Do you still talk?” My fucking curiosity was going to make me want to jump off a cliff soon.

“Not much,” he answered, leaning forward to sit his beer down on the coffee table. “What we had wasn’t supposed to last, Ani, but we became friends.”

I smiled and let my eyes focus on the view behind him, outside the panel of glass. The green of the forest creeping closer, the darkness not obscuring the leaves that seemed close enough to touch.

“Ani,” my eyes found his again, and I swallowed at the look in his eyes. “Come here.”

Oh no, not happening. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” My tongue felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

He bit his lip as he studied me and I felt the burn from that simple gesture all the way down my body. “Why isn’t it?” Shit.

“Rebounds are never a good idea, JD.” Still sounded as dry mouthed as when I woke up in his bed. The thought of a bed and JD increased the burn.

“Then don’t call it a rebound, Ani.” Fucker, I thought, trying for logic and wordplay. “Come here.” He crooked his finger this time and I could swear he had a fucking string attached to it and my body, the yearning was so strong to give in.

“No,” I wanted it to come out strong and clear, but instead it sounded scared and uncertain. “You come here,” wait, what? Fuck, Ani, not helping.

And then he was over top of me, his weight pressing down on mine, and at the first touch of his lips on mine, I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I had fucked up majorly. Because I had no fucking doubt whatsoever that when this ended, I’d be crushed. Fucking crushed, because with one kiss, I was addicted to JD Richter, and we weren’t even fucking naked.

We didn’t get naked. Not when Kelsey’s voice called out from the door that connected her apartment to the house.

“Ani?” She was growing closer, and JD had pulled back and was grinning as he stayed hovering over me. “I saw Dad’s truck outside and-” She was standing in the threshold of the living room when she stopped speaking and I felt the burn go from lust to embarrassment that his daughter and my best friend had caught him on top of me, with my hands locked around his neck and his slithering under my shirt. “Ah, hey, Dad.”

He was chuckling as he answered her greeting, and I felt like sinking into the sofa and dying. It was one thing for Kels to tell me that she was alright with the two of us, but catching us? That was too fucking much.

JD left a little later with his leftovers, and I had to shake my head as he ignored his daughter’s presence and kissed me with enough passion to make the wood of my house catch fire. Then he smirked down at me, promised to call, and was gone.

I turned to face Kelsey and rolled my eyes at her trying to hold back her own laughter. “Really?” I asked, shaking my head and heading back to the kitchen. “Want me to heat up dinner?”

“Gonna use your face?” She offered, still laughing. “The red of that blush is throwing off enough heat that I have to believe the microwave won’t be needed.” If I keep rolling my eyes, they’re gonna stick that way. “Jesus, you’re a fucking adult, Ani, why are you so embarrassed?”

I shot her a look. “Because he’s your DAD, Kels.”

Shrugging, she took the plate I’d fixed for her from my hands and sat on the same stool her dad had earlier. “So? He’s not YOUR dad, Ani, that would be cause for fucking embarrassment.”

Jesus, the Richters were going to be the death of me.

[prettyyoungtragedy]

Written in the Stars (12)

Characters: Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: You’re the type of woman who is headstrong and fiercely independent. Heiress to a fortune and one of the most brilliant minds of the 21st century. Until you’re forced into witness protection. Your “Protection” turns out to be 220 pounds of dreamy, sassy, delightful Bucky Barnes. Whatever could go wrong?

Warnings: Angst, violence

A/N: Of course with all the fluff in the previous chapter I had to crush you guys a little with some angst! I hope you like this chapter, it took me a while to edit this and make it perfect so if you drop me a comment or reblog I will love you!

This was generously Beta’d by my beta @suz-123 , without whom this fic wouldn’t get done!

Links are being a bitch so you can find the whole fic in my WIP masterlist in my bio!

Taglist is closed, Sorry guys!

“Wait, let me explain,” Bucky said, an urgency in his voice as you stormed away from him.

“Go away,” You snapped shrugging his hand off your shoulder as you barged into the bedroom,

“I didn’t mean anything by-”

“By what, Bucky? By the fact that I am just a job to you?!” You whirled around in anger, startling him slightly, and Bucky stepped back,

“No, that’s not, you are not- I ..Just let me explain-”

“I don’t want your fucking explanation, it means nothing to me. I am just a job, so tell me do you fuck all your protection details, or am I the unlucky exception?”

“Jesus Christ, no, I couldn’t tell Steve, it's so unprofessio-”

“Don’t you fucking dare say unprofessional!” You raised your voice an octave, anger surging through you.

“I should have never let my emotions cloud my judgment like this, I fucking knew this would happen.”

“You are a piece of fucking work, Bucky Barnes, I am just a job to you, was this part of the plan?  Reel me in with all the charm and sweetness, because that’s how you work, right?”

“You’re not being fair-”

“I am not being fair?!” You yelled this time, utterly bewildered that he was calling you unfair at that moment, “Me? Are you listening to yourself?!”

“I am sorry!” He exclaimed running his fingers frustratedly through his hair as he was unable to get his point across. He fucked up.

“I don’t want your apologies.”

“You have to understand how this affects things, I can’t protect you if I am in lo-”

“Don't you dare fucking finish that sentence,” You snarled at him and Bucky stopped he looked at you. His expression pained and panicked, you can see the emotions running wild across him but you are too angry to care.

“I’m sorry, I am so sorry.”

“Stop saying sorry, it means nothing to me.”

“I never meant for this to happen, or for you to hear that,”

The moment he says those words your anger takes over, and, before you realized what you were doing, you raised your fist and smashed it across his jaw. Neither of you expected it, Bucky certainly didn’t. He stumbled back, startled, his lip split, but it was you that took more of the force of his strong jaw.

Your knuckles cracked, and the skin split, red blood immediately dripping out of the wound. You swore violently and backed away from him clutching your hand to your chest in pain. Bucky held his jaw, you see the blood dribble down his chin from his lip, and his wide eyes stared at you.

He looked shocked at the force you’d hit him with.

“FRIDAY?” You called out through gritted teeth, your vision swimming a little from the pain radiating from your wrist. 

“Yes?” She immediately replied,

“Tell Captain Rogers and Mr. Stark I am leaving with them.”

“Right away.”

Bucky moved towards you but the look you gave him halted him in place. His eyes moved to your hand, which was now bleeding, knuckles oozing blood and bruising already forming on the skin, and you knew you had broken at least one or two bones in your hand from punching him.

“Your hand,” Bucky said softly, “Let me see your hand,”

“No, fuck off, Bucky, don’t touch me.” You snarled at him,

Before he could respond, Tony and Steve appeared behind him. Concerned looks on their faces as they looked between the two of you. Clearly, they had heard the two of you arguing, Steve’s eyes go from Bucky’s bleeding lip and your bloodied hand and his eyes widened.

“What the hell happened?” He exclaimed rushing to your side while Tony moved to Bucky’s.

“Nothing, I want to go back to the city.” You said plainly, you let Steve touch your hand grimacing in pain when he touched it and turned it around to examine the damage.

Steve exchanged a glance with Tony, who just sighed and shook his head,

“I’ll pack up your things, Tony go fix her hand up so we can get her to a hospital to x-ray that.” Steve said calmly, “Bucky, go wash the blood off your face, and then come with me.”

“Wait, I’m so-” Bucky tried to talk to you, but Steve cuts him off by stepping in front of him, blocking you from his view as Tony helped you walk out the room as you clutched your hand.

“Stop Bucky, just...stop.” Steve sighed.

~~~

The ground was covered in snow, grey clouds blanketed the sky and mist hung low over of the city. Winter had clearly come to New York City, and it was merciless, with the temperature dropping below zero.

You were home, finally. Your home, the beautiful Upper East Side penthouse that you owned. It was still protected like a goddamn fortress, but you were elated to be allowed back here. It had been four days since you’d left Bucky’s lake house and, as happy as you were to be back home in New York, it felt like something was missing.

Steve had arranged for Arcas and Achilles to be your detail again, and you welcomed them back with annoying comments and tedious complaining, but the two men took it in their stride with polite smiles and soft chuckles.

But neither of them were Bucky, they didn’t argue with you, or shake their heads at your lame jokes and when you wanted to go out, they took you out, with no arguing. They watched you at all times, but from a distance and sometimes you even forgot they were there, they were so quiet.

You missed Bucky Barnes, bodyguard or not.

“Arcas?” You said looking up from your pile of work that was left at your home office for you,

“Yes Ma’am?” He replied instantly, standing a little taller.

“I’d like to go to the lab today at some point, there’s probably a backlog of work there, and I have a board meeting.”

“Yes Ma’am, any specific time?”

“Let’s say when the snow stops falling?” You gestured to the windows covered in frost and to the now falling flurries floating through the air.

“Of course,” he gave you a curt nod, before he resumed his quiet stance near the window.

You sighed, and tried to go back to your work but you couldn’t stop thinking about the time spent with Bucky at the lake house. Your mind wandering through the memories of his kisses, and touches, and the words he’d said to you.

“I want you, all of you,”

Scrubbing your face annoyedly, to rid yourself of the memory of his lips on your body, you sighed but it sounded more like a moan, and you slammed your head with the palm of your left hand.

God why did he have to make you feel so many things, your heart felt like it went through a blender. You hated how much you missed him, and how he’d become such an integral part of your being. You wanted nothing more than to see him and speak to him again but you knew that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. Especially after you practically punched his lights out the last time you saw him.

You looked at your right hand which was now in a black cast after you’d broken two knuckles and cracked two bones in your hand punching Bucky, and you sighed again. This was proving harder than you’d thought it would be, you wanted to see him, you wanted him to call you, to talk to you, to say something, anything, but it had been four days and nothing.

Fucking Bucky Barnes, You always knew he was going to ruin you.

~~~

“Good Morning, Sergeant Barnes,” Steve’s chipper secretary greeted him as he stalked off the elevator.

He doesn’t acknowledge her, he brushed past her with a thunderous expression on his face. He isn’t in the mood for anyone or anything today, he’d woken up in the worst mood, and all he wanted to do was punch something, or see you.

To make it worse, Fury wanted to see him. He knew what this meant, he was about to walk into a meeting where Steve and Fury were going to  knock his lights out for getting emotionally involved with an assignment.

He was fired, so fucking fired.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the door to Steve’s office and walked in. He finds Steve there, alone, which surprises him. Nick Fury is never late.

“Hey, Buck,” Steve greeted him waving him in and motioning he was on the phone. Bucky walked in and dropped down onto the nearby couch, he sighed and closed his eyes, leaning his head back on the smooth leather of the expensive couch.

He is fucking tired, he hadn’t slept properly since the fight he’d had with you and it was eating him up inside that you weren’t around him. Steve had cautioned him not to press the issue with you, he already had to explain the bruised face and busted lip to Natasha who threw multiple punches at him as well, and now, with Fury coming, in the last thing they needed was everyone finding out what happened. 

Bucky told Steve everything, he told him from the moment he realized he developed feelings for you, he told him how much it scared him, the idea of losing you, or being unable to protect you, he told him how much he wanted to fuck you in that red dress when he saw you, most of all he told Steve how truly deeply head over heels he was for you and that stopped Steve from punching Bucky.

He’d never heard him say he was in love, he’d said he loved women before, like Natasha, and some girl name Jane he met a while ago, or the Hydra scientist he apparently loved before they wiped him, but he never said in love.

In all the decades of knowing this man, Steve Rogers had never heard him say he was in love with a woman and that, that was the reason he knew he had to help Bucky.

“Sorry about that,” Steve said rising to his feet and coming over to where Bucky half lay on the couch,

“It’s fine, where’s Fury?” he asked.

“He’s not coming, issues in DC he had to handle. Apparently, Carol is paying him a visit and she’s not happy, some intergalactic shit.”

“Always fun when she visits,”

“Hmmm…”

“So...why am I here then?”

“I wanted to talk to you about something that has been bothering me,” Steve said slowly,

“Steve, if this is about her and I, I am leaving-”

“No, no, just wait a minute let me talk, you goddamn hothead!”

Bucky grumbled under his breath, cursing Steve for being a pain in his ass, but remained quiet, pointedly waiting for Steve to continue.

Steve placed a file in Bucky’s lap, and pointed to it before talking.

“This is everything we have on Jasper Sitwell, and I mean everything. Tony scoured every inch of the globe for information on this man. Where he was born, who his parents were, everything. And, while there is proof he was Hydra, this man knew nothing about explosives. We found nothing in his apartment to even indicate that he made the bomb,”

“So what are you saying?” Bucky frowned, flipping through the file.

“Buck, you-we- missed something…”

“Not possible, Steve we covered every person in her life. We have ran background, facial recognition, biometric scans, we have done everything we know to ensure that Jasper was our guy.”

“There’s another agent in her life, and I think Jasper Sitwell wasn’t the only one, the attack on the car? Jasper couldn’t have been at two places at once he was in Boston at the time, the man had no weapons training,”

“He gave the location to someone who could have?”

“Exactly, so who's our shooter?”

Bucky froze, his entire body felt like someone had thrown ice water over him as his mind ran through every second from the moment he met you up till the day he took you to the lake house.

“Bucky? You okay?” Steve asked concern lacing his tone,

“How? How could we have missed this. Of course, there were two of them, how did I not see this before. It’s been so glaringly obvious!”

“What is it?” Steve frowned,

“The bullets used by the sniper, what were they?”

Steve paused for a moment as he tried to remember, “Soviet slugs, no rifling.”

“And who was the one person you knew who used those bullets in all of history?”

Steve’s eyes met Bucky’s, and he froze.

“The Winter Soldier,” Steve said quietly, the evidence suddenly glaringly obvious as to why Bucky had missed this kind of lead.

~~~

It had been a week since you returned home, and your life was slowly becoming normal again. Arcas escorted you to work, Steve checked up on you everyday, Sam brought you home. Achilles stayed over and switched shifts with Arcas in the morning.

It was a daily routine, seeing these four men in your life, but not one day did you see the one man you actually wanted to. Every day, when that knock on your apartment door came, your heart would jump in your chest, and you secretly hoped Bucky Barnes would be standing there, and, every day, you were disappointed.

Today was no different, you got dressed and ate breakfast the chef had made you just as you heard the front door bell ring. You quickly gathered up your handbag and the sleek phone Bucky had given you almost a year ago and walked to the door.

When you opened it, Arcas stood there in his crisp black suit and smiled at you.

“Morning, Ma’am.” He said, stepping aside as you walked out,

“Hi, Arcas,” You said, sounding a little disappointed.

“Where to this morning?” He asked, he walked two feet in front of you, almost robotically.

“I have a meeting downtown, think you could get me there before eight?” You threw a grin at him as he looked at his watch, it was Seven thirty.

“I mean we can try, no promises.”

You laughed, “It’s fine if we’re late. I own the company, they can’t fire me.”

Arcas just smiled at you as the elevator dinged on the basement floor. The two of you stepped off and, as you looked up at the car that had been pulled out in front of the elevator waiting for you, you stopped dead in your tracks.

Bucky leaned against the front door of the car, he was staring at the ground arms crossed over his chest, dark hair falling into his face and of course, he wore black, head to toe.

“Sergeant Barnes,” Arcas said sounding surprised, “I didn’t know you were coming on detail this morning, sir,”

“Yeah, change of plans. I’ll take detail this morning, You’re with Steve tonight.” Bucky said standing up to his full height.

“Of course, sir,” Arcas nodded,

You didn’t say anything, you couldn’t find the words at that moment. Bucky looked so good, so, so, good. You just stood there like an idiot staring at him, and then he looked at you.

God damn it, he just looked at you, and you felt that feeling that only Bucky ever gave you run straight through your spine.

“Hi,” His voice graveled and husky,

“Hi…” Why the fuck did you sound do breathless.

“How are you?”

Did he really just ask that? After basically abandoning you? He is an idiot.

“I’m fine, you?”

“Good, good.”

You stood awkwardly in front of each other for a moment until he moved aside and opened the car door for you, waiting for you to get in. The moment you got in you sighed and grimaced, why the fuck had that been so awkward. And outside the car, Bucky was having similar thoughts before he gathered himself and got into the car beside you.

~~~

After the quietest car ride you had ever experienced in your life, Bucky escorted you to your meeting downtown. He says nothing as he walked you up to the front of the building, into the elevator, and right to the door of the boardroom you would be in.

“I’ll wait outside,” Was all he said before he walked off again, leaving you staring at him confusedly.

You had no idea how to even react to this, here he was pretending like nothing had happened between the two of you, and going about his business like you were just work to him.

Of course, you were just work, he had said it. Fucking idiot.

You shake your head and sign before walking into the boardroom, ridding yourself of thoughts of you and Bucky, you had a job to do, and you couldn’t let that distract you today.

~~~

“Are you hungry?” You asked Bucky, walking up to where he sat in the waiting area, after your meeting.

He looked up at you in surprise, quickly rising to his feet and tucking the book in his hand under his arm.

“Yeah, I could eat.” He nodded,

“Good, we’re going to get tacos from across the street,”

Another surprised look flashed across his face, “You want food that isn't prepared in a five star kitchen?”

“Yes, Bucky, I want tacos, lets go.” Even though you really were just looking for an excuse to be alone with him for a moment. 

Bucky chuckled and nodded, taking the lead and walking you towards the elevator. The two of you were quiet as you rode it down to the lobby, and then walked across the street to the little Mexican restaurant that was there.

The little restaurant wasn’t what you were expecting at all, it was colorfully decorated with bright pinks and yellows and greens, there was artwork painted all the walls, skulls decorated in flowers and other various drawings.

Bucky of course picked the safest table, with the easiest access to all the entrance and exit points and where you’d be safest. Furthest from the window closest to the back. The waitress takes both your orders and then disappears to go collect your drinks leaving you both alone again.

“What are you eating to feed an army?” You asked Bucky after he’d ordered, like, five tacos,

“I’m 240 pounds, with a metabolism that burns faster than the average person. I need to eat like I am feeding an army,” Bucky replied, amusement in his blue eyes.

“Does all that food just go to your chest because it’s like a fucking brick shithouse these days.”

Bucky let out a laugh at your comment and your heart jumped, you missed his laugh.

“Have you been eating? Because you look starved,”

“Well my bodyguard slash Chef abandoned me to Steve Rogers who can’t cook for shit, and Sam Wilson who insists pizza is a breakfast food so, yeah, I am kind of starved,” You retorted, it sounded harsher than you’d meant it to.

All the humor vanished from his face, and his eyes dropped to his hands which were clasped on the table before him.

“I’m sorry,” He said softly, “I just thought it’d be-”

“Better that way, I know.” You finished his sentence for him,

Bucky looked up at you, those starlight blue eyes of his unreadable as he did. Just looking at him now made your heart ache for him. Fuck, why the hell did you have to fall in love with the one person who was completely wrong, yet so right, for you.

“How’s your hand doing?” He asked gesturing towards the hand you’d punched him with, which was not in a black brace after your knuckles cracked from punching him.

“It’s fine, I barely felt it.”

“Tough cookie, my jaw took quite the hit,” He tried to make a joke but Bucky felt miserable knowing he’d done that to you.

“Well you deserved it, you’re an asshole.”

“I know, and I am sorry,”

“Stop saying you’re fucking sorry, Bucky,”

He was about to reply when the waitress returned to the table with your drinks. She placed them down, while the two of you stared at each other, you hadn’t planned on having an argument with him at that moment in fact quite the opposite. You just wanted to be around him, even for a little bit, but, obviously, you were still upset with him.

“What do you want me to do?” He asked sounding exasperated, “I can’t let anything happen to you, and me being with you only leads to something bad happening to you,”

“So that’s it then, just fuck me a couple of times, satisfy yourself, and you’re done?”

“Come on, you know that’s not, it never was...it’s not like that,” Bucky sighed, he was doing a shitty job of expressing his feelings at that moment,

“Forget it, I don’t care.”

“Please understand, I’m doing this for your safety,” Bucky said, his voice almost pleading with you now,

“I want Arcas back tomorrow, I don’t want to see you.” You said coldly, “And I want to leave now, take me home.”

“Don’t you want to eat first?”

“No, just take me home.”

You rose to your feet, and Bucky sighed deeply signalling the waitress over. This was not the way he pictured this lunch going but, then again, he wasn’t doing a very good job at explaining things to you right then.

After getting the food to go, he takes you back to the car and tells the driver to head home. Once again the deafening silence filling the car and the space between the two of you

~~~

Another week goes by and you don’t see Bucky, your life feels normal again. But it’s the furthest thing from normal, Steve is constantly around now, and he’s always pacing, he never tells you why and when he leaves he always gives you a reassuring smile and says,

“A few more days, and you’ll be rid of all of us,”

Then walks out, leaving you to ponder just what the hell was going on. If Jasper was dead then why did you still need protection, why were you constantly being escorted around, and what was with all the hushed talking around you and nervous eyes.

None of this was making any sense to you, this whole ordeal should be over by now.

You had just come back from an event, a charity benefiting the Bronx School of Science. It was a relatively nice evening with Steve on your arm, it turned out better than you’d hoped. But the entire time all you could think about was Bucky, and you found yourself fighting the urge to ask about him until you couldn’t anymore.

“Steve?” You said softly as he walked you to your front door,

“Yes?”

“How’s...is…” You voice trailed off and  you sighed,

“He’s fine, just a little preoccupied at the moment. Some new things came to light on a case he’s working, and it’s taking up all his time. He’ll come around soon enough,” Steve instinctively knew what you were trying to ask and you give him a small smile in response.

You knew that wasn’t the reason Bucky had basically abandoned you, but you were grateful Steve was polite enough not to say the real reason to you.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight,” You said,

“Of course, It’s my job, and my pleasure.” He smiled at you, as he walked around the apartment scanning it quickly before walking back to the front door.

Right...it was his job, just like it had been Bucky’s to protect you, and now he’d left you.

“Achilles will be on duty tonight with you, and if you need anything, as always, FRIDAY is a call away,”

“Goodnight Steve,”

“Ma’am.”

You give him one last smile before he walked out and locked the door behind him. You sighed softly, before kicking off your heels and tugging the zipper to the long formal dress you wore, down.

You make your way through the apartment, heading towards the kitchen. You were in the mood for some hot cocoa and for once in your life you wanted to make it yourself. You slowly removed the diamond earrings you wore dropping them onto the kitchen counter, then the necklace. You moved to the fridge and pulled out the milk, setting it out the counter beside the stove and reached for a mug.

As you waited for the milk to heat up on the stove, you began to remove the emerald bracelets on your wrists and without thinking  you undid the watch Bucky had given you, and dropped it onto the counter as well.

The milk had begun to bubble, so you quickly removed it from the stove, pouring it into the mug which contained the hot cocoa in it. Your mind was elsewhere while you stirred the mixture together, your thoughts wandering to Bucky and the night you’d danced with him.

A smile came over your features as you remembered what a great dancer he was, and how handsome he looked in that tuxedo of his. Picking up your mug you turned around, and suddenly screamed with fright almost dropping the mug in your hands.

“Arcas!” You yelped stumbling backwards upon seeing the agent standing there, he was in the doorway fully armed, with a scowl on his face, “What the hell, announce yourself. You damn near gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry Ma’am.” He said almost robotically, unmoving from his position in the doorway.

“What are you doing here? I thought Achilles was on duty tonight?” You asked with a frown, why the hell were there suddenly alarm bells going off inside your head. The way Arcas stood there, and just stared at you, unmoving, seemingly expressionless.

He seemed taller, larger...colder.

“I relieved Achilles tonight, something came up.” Arcas said, he took one slow step towards you, and your heart jumped.

“Oh, Captain Rogers didn’t mention-”

“He was the one who made the switch,” He interrupted you, and takes another step closer. Suddenly you felt vulnerable, he was blocking the exit to the kitchen, and your only weapon against him was the mug of cocoa in your hand.

“Weird that he never told me,” You mumbled, your heart was thundering in your chest at that moment.

“You aren’t wearing your watch,” Arcas commented his eyes going to the watch on the counter, of which he now stood just a foot away from.

“I should probably put it back on,” Your voice jumped slightly and Arcas noticed this. He picked up the watch slowly and looked at it then at you, a cold expression on his face now.

“Not necessary,” Was all he said before he tucked the watch into his pocket, and stalked closer to you. You immediately backed away, stumbling backwards, your dress catching beneath your feet.

“I’m...I should go to bed,” Your voice comes out breathless, as your heart hammered in your chest.

Something was wrong, you could feel it, like your spidey senses were tingling. Nothing about this made you feel safe.

“I think you’d better come with me,” Arcas said in a low voice, he moved closer and your back hit the counter behind you. He’d cornered you without you even realizing.

“No, I think I’ll call Captain Rogers, first,” The fear in your voice is evident now,

Suddenly he drew a gun from his side and held it to your face, a small cry of terror escaped your throat and you dropped the mug in your hands and it hit the floor smashing into a hundred little pieces, instinctively raising them.

“Oh god,” You said softly, terror gripping you tightly as you looked at the barrel aimed between your eyes.

“I don’t want to kill you, at least not yet…” Arcas said in a sinister voice, a slow smile spreading across his features and he looked terrifying, “So comply and you will stay alive,” 

Before you could respond, he raised the pistol in his hand and whipped it across your temple, pain lanced across your head, and you let out a soft scream, falling to the floor, where you blacked out immediately.

~~~

The middle of winter always cast a dark shadow of the City, but Bucky loved it. He got to escape life for a moment, and hide himself away in the darkness, burrowing himself in a book, or some other quiet activity.

Lately, he hadn’t been able to do that and find any comfort in it. His mind always going back to you and your safety, he would check his phone every few minutes ensuring you were okay, and that you were safe.

The minute Sam or Steve came back from escorting you somewhere Bucky would be around them asking a hundred questions. Were you okay? Did you eat? Did you look tired? Who was with you now? Is the apartment safe?

Steve answered them patiently while Sam just argued with Bucky until he finally gave in and gave Bucky some peace of mind that his lady love was fine and alive.

None of this eased the unrest in his heart, Bucky wanted to see you so badly, but he knew he couldn't. Not until he found the sleeper Winter Soldier, who was clearly hiding in plain sight before them.

Bucky lay on his bed, holding a file in his hands as he read through it, again and again. It was the incident report from the day the car had been attacked, he was looking for something, anything, in the report that could give them an idea or even a clue to point them in the right direction.

He got to the end of the report and sighed, his eyes running over the agents who signed it. He read it once, not thinking anything of it, then he paused, and quickly sat upright, squinting down at the page, again.

He frowned at the name and froze, his brain trying to run through the incident to make sure he didn’t miss this agent being there, and the the realization suddenly hits him like a ton of bricks.

No. No. No. he couldn't have missed this detail.

Bucky practically dove off the bed, scrambling towards the door, and ripped it open, before sprinting down the hallway to Steve’s room. He banged loudly on Steve’s bedroom door before he heard his friend mutter a string of curses, and a muffled thud and the door swung open to reveal a squinting disheveled Steve who had clearly just awoken from his sleep.

“What Buck-” Steve began to say but he sees the look on Bucky’s face and is immediately wide awake, “What happened?”

“Arcas!”

“What?”

“Arcas is the sleeper Winter Soldier!”

“What? How? I don’t understand,” Steve looked confused,

“He was on the report for the assassination attempt, he signed her in. But Arcas wasn’t supposed to be there,” Bucky said breathlessly showing Steve the file and pointing to Arcas’ signature, “I know this for a fact because he was supposed to be in DC that day.”

“Fuckin’ hell!” Steve swore and was immediately pulling on a sweater and his shoes, both of them rushing down the hallway to wake up the rest of the team.

“Where is he?” Bucky demanded,

“Bucky…” Steve said quietly, the slow horror of where Arcas was dawning over him as he had relieved Achilles on your protection duty tonight and allowed Arcas to take his place after Achilles called in sick.

“Steve, where is he?” Bucky asked slowly, quietly. His heart hammering in his chest as he silently prayed Steve wasn’t going to say those two words he didn’t want to hear.

“With her…”

[shookethbrooketh]

seven days

day three

summary: dan is stuck in the wrong timeline. one day, he kisses phil goodnight. the next morning, he’s completely alone. he doesn’t even recognize where he wakes up, and little details in the world around him have changed. he has no clue what’s happening or where to go next in an effort to fix it; all he knows is that he has to find phil.

genre: sci-fi, a lil bit of angst, happy ending

warnings: just some swearing! 

fic word count: 7.7k chapter word count: 2.2k

written for the @phandomreversebang ! inspired by the awesome moodboard/edits by @maybeformepersonally ! beta’d (beginning to end) by @i-might-just-leave-soon !

dan rolled over in his hotel bed and pulled up netflix on his television, feeling his depression setting in with every passing second. “maybe in the next universe.”

read it on ao3

Dan blinked his eyes open and found himself sprawled across a king size bed. He jumped for just a moment, but then he remembered the situation he’d somehow found himself in. At that realization, he barely felt like moving at all. Dan had had enough depression days in his life to identify a day that was a complete lost cause, and this was one. He settled into the bed, closing his eyes again. He’d have plenty of different universes to try and find Phil in; he didn’t need this one. 

“Dan, honey, get up! You’re going to be late!” came a call from across the room. He furrowed his brow and looked up; there was a WOMAN standing in front of him. “The kids are almost ready; you have to drive them today,” she said, passing him by and going into the bathroom. 

“Kids?” he whispered to himself. He poked his head out from under the bedsheets and looked around the room. There were pictures of him scattered about, each showing him with this woman and two kids - one curly-haired boy and one blonde girl. Oh, HELL no. 

“I don’t feel well today,” he said, disappearing again. If he wasn’t already adverse to this day, he certainly was after discovering “his” family. 

“Oh, Dan, I’m sorry,” the woman who he assumed was “his” wife said, re-emerging from the bathroom to show him an empathetic look. “I really can’t drive them today, though. I’ve got an important meeting, and you know I’m already on thin ice at work. Do you think you can just take them to school? Then you can call in and come home.” He took a quick look at her before disappearing back beneath the sheets; she was quite conventionally attractive; she had short, dirty blonde hair, green eyes, and a sweet smile. Good for straight Dan, he supposed. 

Under the duvet, Dan exhaled. He really couldn’t ruin the life of a random woman someone who happened to look exactly like him was in love with, although he really didn’t see the appeal. 

He physically rolled out of bed, barely standing himself up before hitting the floor. He had to stand there and blink for a moment; it had been quite a while since he’d had such a bad depression day, and much longer since he’d tried to pull himself out of one. He knew fully that it was a horrible idea, but he could hope that he’d be able to handle just a few minutes of going before he crashed again. The Dan he’d embodied had gone to bed in just boxers, so he had to go to the closet to find something to throw on. When he opened the door, he found suit after suit after suit. “Damnit,” he whispered, “I’m a lawyer.” 

Sure, there were other reasons he could have had the suits, but he could tell. This was an alternate universe in which he had continued university and met a girl. He still failed to comprehend it in any capacity but that, but he supposed it was the truth that some versions of him were attracted to women. 

He found a trashy t-shirt and some shorts and threw them on before rushing out, herding the two kids into the car in the driveway and taking off. It was at this point that Dan realized he didn’t REALLY know how to drive, but he had two small children in the back seat, so there really wasn’t much to be done at that point. 

“Daddy, why is it so jerky?” the little girl, who couldn’t have been older than eight, asked.

“Yeah, Dad, why does your driving suck?” The boy was clearly more like eleven or twelve. 

“Don’t say that!” Dan quipped back, assuming that was the correct parental answer. “Uh- the pedals are acting weird.” He slammed on the brakes for a red light. “Like that.” 

The kids seemed suspicious but chose to ignore it in favor of teasing each other. Dan was unbothered; he was quickly running out of energy. 

“Daddy, you missed the turn!” Dan squeezed his eyes closed in regretful realization before remembering he probably should have been looking at the road. He had no idea where the kids’ school was. He looped around at the next street and took off down the street the girl pointed out, and he soon managed to find a primary school. He pulled up at what he assumed was the dropoff circle, and, thankfully, the kids got out of the car. He was ready to pull away from the school when his eye caught the car parked in front of him. 

There was a tall, ginger man opening the door and helping a small child out of the backseat; the girl seemed to have a broken leg, and they were moving quickly so as to not annoy Dan waiting behind them. Dan, however, was the opposite of annoyed. When the girl was on her way, the man turned back to wave at him as a gesture of gratitude for waiting, and his suspicions were confirmed; it was Phil.

Suddenly, his body seemed to refill with energy. It was inexplicable, as if seeing Phil even from a distance suddenly made him feel human again. Usually, his battle with his depression was mostly clinical. He just HAD it. This time, though, it felt different; it felt as if this bout was situational, and just seeing Phil standing in front of him was helping to resolve it. 

He had to do something to preserve this feeling, so when Phil pulled out of the dropoff circle, he followed him. He followed him for fifteen minutes to a suburb on the outskirts of London. Finally, Phil pulled into his driveway, and it hit Dan that he had to find somewhere to be. He didn’t doubt that Phil was smart enough to be getting suspicious, so he simply kept driving. He hadn’t a clue where he was driving to, but he drove. After a moment of awkward acceleration, he parked the car around the corner and tried to sneak down the sidewalk towards the house Phil pulled into. 

“Hey, you!” he heard Phil shout. Dan never had been good at being sneaky. “What the hell are you doing here?” 

Naturally, he panicked. “PTO! I’m trying to get on the ballot for president, and I meant to catch you at school, but you drove off too quickly.” 

“Howell, I wouldn’t vote for you if you were the only person on the ballot.” 

Dan’s eyes widened. “I’m sorry if I did something to offend you-” 

“OFFEND me?” Phil shouted. “You hit my daughter with your fucking car!” 

Uh oh. “I’ve told you so many times that I’m so sorry for that-”

“No, you haven’t! You have yet to apologize even once!” 

Dan stood there in shock for a moment. What kind of jackass lawyer was he? “Okay, listen. I’m going to be honest with you. This isn’t me. None of this is me. I’m confused, I don’t know what’s happening, and I just need to talk to you.” 

“No, you need mental help,” Phil said, disappearing into the side door in his garage. Dan charged up to the door almost on instinct. He was so close; he couldn’t give up now. He started knocking on the door and peering through its window, but before he could get a good look inside, Phil came back up to the door. “Hey, get away from here! This is private!” 

With the door open, Dan could see more inside the garage. “What is all this?” 

Phil sighed and stepped aside, allowing Dan to come inside. “This is my science lab. I work here every day.” 

Dan took a step forward in awe. “This is amazing!” 

“Be careful!” Phil yelped, pulling Dan back away from his equipment. Dan’s heart fluttered for a moment at Phil’s touch. “This stuff can be dangerous.”

Dan looked around for another moment, and something hit him: the day before, in their meetup, Phil had expressed that he was a scientist. “Hey, Phil,” he said almost distractedly, turning to the other man. Phil’s expression had softened by this point, although he could tell Phil still wasn’t exactly his best friend. “What kind of science do you do here?” 

“I-don’t wanna talk about it,” Phil stuttered. At this, he seemed to remember the fact that this universe’s Dan nearly committed vehicular manslaughter to his own daughter. “You shouldn’t be here anyway. Go, get out.” He started shooing Dan towards the door, and panic set back in. 

“No, please, wait! It’s important!” 

“Yeah, and so was the money for my daughter’s medical bills that you fought in court. Out!” 

“Yikes,” Dan said out loud, ignoring the fact that Phil thought that was really him. “Listen, I’m not the Dan you know.” 

“Clearly,” he said, looking him up and down. It occurred to him that Phil knew him as a hardened, rude lawyer, and he’d shown up on his doorstep begging in a t-shirt and shorts. 

“I’m from another timeline. Every night, when I fall asleep, I wake up in a different timeline. This is the third day. First I was in a flat in London with a completely different life, then I was a makeup YouTuber at Vidcon, and now I’m here. I need you-your help,” he stuttered out, realizing he couldn’t reveal his true intentions to Phil. In this timeline, he was married, and he assumed Phil was too. He wasn’t even sure if this Phil liked men. He had to keep his plea purely scientific if he wanted to have any chance of getting home. 

“A timeline change?” his eyes lit up with a mixture of fear and excitement, and he ushered Dan back into the garage. “Sit down.” 

Dan took a seat on what appeared to be a bucket, and Phil plopped down in a rolling chair and rolled over to him. “You say this happened three days ago?” Dan nodded. “Three days ago was my first attempt at any sort of time travel. I sent back a simple apple, but that would be enough to mess with the timeline. However, I don’t know how that could have brought you into it.” Dan listened attentively; there wasn’t much else he could do. Phil sat for a moment, seeming to be deep in thought. “Maybe it was one of the other Phils!” he exclaimed, moving frantically as if he was looking for something that didn’t seem to exist. 

“I know we don’t know each other very well,” Phil said, and Dan gulped, “but I think the you of another timeline is very close to the Phil of another timeline. I know very little about the other Phils, but I know we’re all scientists. 

“All? Even m-my friend Phil?” Dan spit out, trying to save himself. 

Phil chuckled. “No, just the Phils that share my DNA. Every version of me specifically is a scientist, and we’re all working towards time travel. We’ve discovered that we’re all scientists for that reason, but that’s something I’m not going to get into.” 

Dan was in awe. He and Phil had been together for nearly ten years, and he’d never even mentioned anything scientific. How could Phil keep that big of a secret from him. 

“Dan, you with me?” he asked, snapping Dan out of his state of confusion and near despair. “We were all working towards time travel, and I think we were all around the same place in our research. However, I think each of us may have made some different decisions. Where I sent an apple, another Phil sent, well… you.” 

“What?!” Dan exclaimed. “I certainly don’t remember time traveling.” 

“Well, that’s because YOU didn’t. Another timeline’s version of you did. That action affected every version of you throughout all the timelines.” 

“Well, now what?” 

“Well,” Phil said, “I don’t exactly know. I don’t know what timeline you came from, and I don’t know how to get you back to it. I do know, though, that every timeline you go through is not without purpose. The entire time travel journey is planned, and everything that happens is according to that plan. We don’t know the plan, but we can feel it, and I can feel that you’re a part of it.” 

Dan blinked hard. “What the hell does that mean?” 

“Your timelines are familiar to each other and to you. They make sense, in some way. If you follow them right, you will find your way home.” 

Dan looked over at the contraption to his left. It looked like a portal, and it was large enough for him to walk through. “Or you could just send me through that and see what happens.” 

Phil looked at the portal and back at him. “That, somehow, is a valid option. But you need to understand that there’s risks to this. I don’t know if my portal is exactly the same as the one that the first Dan went through, so you might end up a bit ill, or, um-dead.”

“Just hit the switch, Lester,” he said, climbing into the portal. 

Phil sighed and pulled out a keyboard that appeared to be full of different buttons and switches. He hit a few buttons, input a code, and readied his hand over the switch. “Good luck.”

[caiuscassiuss]

Well Played (basketball player au! NCT Johnny)

Genre: basketball player! au fluff

Member(s): Johnny ft. the rest of NCT as his basketball team

WC: 3.5k

Warnings: swearing

Description: In which you are a yearbook photographer in denial and 600% done with the basketball captain’s antics.

masterlist | requests | updates

_______________________________________________________________________

(A/N: I always wondered what it’d be like to go to American highschool with Johnny so here’s a hot basketball captain Johnny for you thirsty hoes)

You sighed as you look at the yearbook spread you helped edit. 

It was of the annual Fall Festival the Key Club put out, and there were many pictures filled with autumn amusement and merriment and it turned out fucking great but your unusually strict yearbook advisor demanded a complete redo of the pages. Apparently, it wasn’t “festive” enough, whatever the hell that meant. Because none of the yearbook staff actually do what they’re supposed to do, it looks like it’s Y/N to the rescue (for 28723847th time)!! Even though it wasn’t your job!!!

You quickly got back on a desktop in a quest to somehow make people picking pumpkins more “festive” when you suddenly heard a yell from the office.

“Y/N! Tonight is the Semi-Final State Basketball Championship and you have to shoot it at Deerfield!”

You made a sour face then walked over to your advisor’s, Mrs. Weather’s, office.

“Do I at least get free tickets?”

“No, but you have a yearbook pass which is just as good!”

“Ugh,” you murmured quietly as you went back to the desktop.

“C’mon, they chase away any photographer that isn’t you! The boys love you, especially that captain boy… what was his name again? Jake? Justin?”

“Johnny, Mrs. Weathers.”

“See! You even remember his name! Maybe his feelings are reciprocated, hm?”

“Mrs. Weathers,” you whined. We’re not all forgetful like you, you passive-aggressive old bat!

“If I were 40 years younger…” she chuckled.

Oh ewww. Like, double ewwww.

Glenbrook North’s Boys Basketball Team (the Spartans) is Chicago’s #1 basketball team in the city and state, winning both championships for the past 3 years. They’re even more funded than the football team, which basically never happens in American high school. They’re great and all but their captain…

Johnny Seo. A 6’1 senior sometimes called “Yao Ming Ming” for being Asian, tall, and really good at basketball. He was a rich kid, and incredibly popular for being funny and relatable. A lot of girls somehow found him and to be one of the hottest guys in school. And unfortunately, he was the son of your parents’ good friends.

You didn’t like taking pictures of the basketball team. Sure, some of the members like Mark or Sicheng were sweet and too pure for this world, but some members like Yuta and Johnny annoyed the hell out of you. It’s not as if like Johnny, or anything like that. You were always stuck with them because they always played tricks on other photographers so you were sent out in their stead.

The bell rang and you quickly packed up your stuff and saved your progress then walked out of the computer lab. You had a Socratic seminar in AP Lang next, and you had to be early so you could sit at the front. Normally, you would be in the middle, but your teacher had threatened to take points off of people not actively participating, and this bitch ain’t losing her GPA. You strode quickly through the crowded hallways.

“Hey! Y/N!!”

Your quick stride faltered as you froze at the voice. You turned around slowly to see Johnny in a Chicago Bulls windbreaker with some black skinny jeans and Vans. He had an easy gait as people parted for him like the goddamn red sea, his backpack casually slung over one of his broad shoulders.

“Yo broski,” he greeted as he caught up to you.

Sigh. “Hi, Johnny.”

“Can you at least sound excited to see me? I mean, we’ve known each other since we were 4.” Johnny huffed as he slung an arm around your shoulder.

You rolled your eyes.

“Exactly.”

“Oof, right in the gut!” Johnny dramatically pretended to bend over his injured gut as you walked.

“I’d give you real pain if it weren’t for your game,” you snarked.

“Aww worried about me? I’m flattered! Anyway, you know about the game? I thought you didn’t like sports.”

“I don’t. Mrs. Weathers ordered me to shoot the game for your inevitable state championship 4-page spread.”

“That passive-aggressive old-bat?”

“You got that right,” you barked out a laugh.

You turned towards him and looked up at his totally not handsome face. His cheekbones are totally not my aesthetic. Nope, that piece of brown hair flopping over his eye is not attractive. Noppity nope nope nope.

“Hey did your parents confirm that they’re going to dinner at Morton’s?” you asked as you turned left into the Lit hallway.

“Oh yeah, I think they did this morning.”

“Are you sure you can make it after your game?”

“When you’re involved? Totally, babe.” Johnny winked causing you to blush.

“Shut up-” you slapped him on his totally not hard biceps- “No, but really? I don’t want to be the only teen there to be interrogated about my life.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there. Hey, if you want a ride there you can just ride with me and I’ll stop at your house so you can get ready.” Johnny offered as you slowed down, seeing the entrance to your classroom in a few minutes.

“Oh, thanks! I’ll see you later Johnny.”

He smiled as you turned towards your classroom. The warning bell sounded, so he increased his pace to his AP Calc class which was 2 hallways down. He plopped down at his desk that was uncomfortably small for him next to Taeyong.

“Bro why are you so late?”

“Um, I just had to do… something,” Johnny fibbed.

“Liar,” Doyoung interjected from the back.

“He walked y/n to class in the Lit hallway,” Doyoung laughed as he spun his mechanical pencil around.

“The fuck bro? Are you stalking me?” Johnny leaned away from the dude who’s face looked like a rabbit and happened to be his point guard.

“Nah, I just saw you walking down the hallway with her.”

“He’s not the one doing the stalking here, Johnny, you are,” Taeyong said and Doyoung cackled and offered a high five.

“Like seriously Johnny boy, can you make your crush on her any less apparent than the past 4 years?” Doyoung wondered as Johnny was digging around for his graphing calculator.

“He’s whipped.” Taeyong laughed as he downed some water from his bottle.

“Shut up or I’ll bench you for the 2nd quarter.” Johnny threw an eraser at Taeyong who merely smiled innocently and opened his textbook.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Oh fuck!” you cursed as you looked through your bag while sitting in your Mom’s car. She was pulling into the roundabout of Deerfield High school where your school was playing against their hometeam.

“Language! Anyway, what’s wrong sweetie?”

You sighed as you turned to face her.

“I forgot my yearbook pass at school to get into the game.”

“Oh no! Well, that’s a problem. Hm… why don’t you ask Johnny to let you into the game? It’s his team playing after all.”

“That’s not how it works mom.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, young lady!”

“Sorry.”

Your mom put her hands on the driver's wheel in thought. “Ok, $10 dollars isn’t that bad.”

“Mmm-” not when you’re a brokeass teen “-kay, bye mom!”

“I love you! Make sure you go to Morton’s immediately after- wait, hold on, how are you getting there?”

“Johnny’s driving me,” you murmured absent-mindedly as you collected your camera equipment from the back seat.

As busy as you were, you didn’t see the secretive smile that crept up your mother’s face.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Aight team, warm-up on the court in five! Get your asses out there!” Johnny shouted at the locker room full of boys. They all murmured in consent as they quickly put on their notorious dark green and silver track pants and jacket for the warm-up. They all filed out of the locker room to the arena where the stands were already bursting with people.

A roar rose up when crowd favorite entered. Even though they were at an away game, more than half of the crowd were Spartan fans. Even some people who attended Deerfield liked the Spartans better, because a lot of them were supposedly attractive and skilled when they played. All you saw was a goddamn headache.

As per their pregame ritual, someone grabbed one ball and they all stood in a line. The first person bounced the basketball on the headboard, which bounced back and into the hands of the second person, who did the same thing and so on. From the sidelines next to the coach you took some pictures of the boys standing in line. Some of them caught sight of you and waved hi, while others pulled funny faces which made you giggle. You checked the screen of your camera to check the lighting. In a few minutes, the whole team dispersed to do their own thing and took advantage of the cart of basketballs available.

“Y/n!”

You looked up and some hair went in your face. You huffed the rebellious stand of your face.

“Hey, Johnny!”

He jogged over to your position right under the headboard, his usually defiant brown hair contained in a headband just imagine Johnny at the NBA photoshoot

“Um, at the end of the game, just meet me near the entrance. I promise I’ll be there quickly.” He smiled sheepishly at you as he scratched the back of his head.

“Yeah, sure.”

Your eyes suddenly narrowed as you pushed a finger to his chest.

“I had to spend 10 whole dollars to get into your game. 10. Whole. Dollars. Money I could’ve spent on fried chicken or food or whatever.”

“What happened to your yearbook pass?”

“I fucking forgot it at school,” you pouted, secretly embarrassed.

She looks fucking adorable, fuck. Johnny thought as he laughed, his normally booming laughter drowned out by the crowd.

“The only reason I was allowed onto the court was that your coach recognized me!” you lamented, shifting your weight on one foot. You had to crane your neck to look up to him because he was a good 1 and a half heads taller than you.

“Captain! Stop flirting with y/n and get on the court!” Johnny’s vice-captain, Kun, yelled out as he sunk a shot from the 3 point line.

“Fucking hell- I’ll see you later.”

“Sure,” You smiled at him.

As the toss-up began and the game progressed, you moved quickly over the court to take some epic action shots. You could use this for your portfolio for art club, so you were really focused on taking good quality photos.

When the players switched offense to defense or vice versa and ran across the court, they made weird faces at you. Taeyong stuck his tongue at you, Doyoung creep-smiled complete with a double chin, and many more antics that made you lament over the wasted pictures.

When a picture of Lucas completing a lay-up with a meme expression on his tanned face popped up on your viewfinder, you sighed. When you saw Johnny, you were going to make some sort of complaint because you could not use a shot of Mark dabbing on your yearbook spread, and certainly not in your art portfolio.

You came across a shot of Johnny setting up a screen. He certainly did not look hot. No, he was not attractive when sweat dripped down his face and body and made his muscles stand out mo- Fuck this, ugh.

The game ended and as usual, the Spartans beat the Deerfield warriors by a large margin, 100 to 76. You packed up your equipment into your bag and left the court as soon as the crowd left the arena and waited near the entrance, the cold autumn air permeating through your lined denim jacket.

Johnny exited the school, some of his team laughing with him with their arms slung around his shoulders.

“Johnny!” you called out when you saw him in his tracksuit.

The little group’s attention turned toward you as his face turned red in the dim lights. Yuta grinned and said something in Johnny’s ear that made Johnny slap him upside the head, Yuta still grinning the whole time.

Johnny walked over to you and you both walked to his mustang that his dad bought for him the previous year for winning the state championship. He opened your door for you and you both sped off into the streets of suburbia.

_______________________________________________________________________

When you both were led by the maitre’d to the private, reserved table and no one was there, you both groaned. Earlier, he had stopped at your house and you both got ready (he brought his clothes with him). You put on a nice white lace sundress with some nude heels complimented with light makeup. Johnny, on the other hand, wore a white oxford shirt with an unbuttoned, navy blazer. paired with khaki slacks underneath and some smart leather shoes. Nope, not hot at all. He didn’t look like a snack. y'all probably looked like some rich suburban couple lol

“Oh my god. My parents had like 4 hours to get ready and they’re still not ready? Ugh,” you curse.d.

“Rip. Well, we’ll just have to wait for them”

He pulled out your chair for you WHAT A GENTLEMAN and you both sat down to look over the menu. After you ordered water with lemon and he ordered Sprite, you two struck up easy conversation.

It was when he recounted the time when his underclassman friends, Jeno and Jaemin, got detention for duct-taping someone’s phone to the ceiling, he cracked up. You looked at his laughing face and blushed.

Honestly, you really didn’t know your feelings for Johnny. Yeah, he was annoying and kind of a smartass most of the time, but he was funny and always seemed to care about you. Not to mention you’ve known him since forever; your families always went on did stuff together so you kind of were forced to interact. You always saw him as Mr. and Mrs. Seo’s son who played piano really well but in freshman year it kind of all just… changed. He quickly became popular. Johnny shot up until he was a fucking tree and his facial features became more defined and chiseled, so whenever you saw him, whether it was at a restaurant or a gala or a game, your heart beat out of your chest.

You stirred your straw around in your drink and sighed. Your friends always had sworn up and down he had a crush on you, but you never believed them. Why would he like you, the girl that he’s known since she was in her awkward braces phase, the girl that always seemed annoyed by him, when he could probably hook up with anyone in the grade?

“Y/n! Johnny! We’re so sorry we’re late, but traffic was just so bad downtown!”

Mr. and Mrs. Seo walked towards your table with your parents in tow.

It was not like you were 30 minutes late and forced me to stay with Mr. my-hair-flops-a-lot-and-covers-my-eye-and-makes-me-look-really-attractive.

They all sat down and when you engaged in conversation with Mr. Seo about your photography competition, you didn’t notice the triplet of smirks passed around by your parents and Mrs. Seo when Johnny stared at you over the rim of his drink, an adoring look in his eye.

_______________________________________________________________________

“Y/n, you know what tonight is?” Mrs. Weathers voice warbled from the office.

“Yes, today is the Boys Basketball State championship,” you sighed.

How could you forget? With your dads’ passion for basketball, yours and Johnny’s parents were attending the state game tonight.

“Well, you know what you have to do!”

“Yes, Mrs. Weathers.”

Hopefully they didn’t joke around this time. It was the State Championship game, for god’s sake.

_______________________________________________________________________

Sike. They did. From pre-game warm-ups to the time they had scored their winning baskets, they had some really fucking weird faces in store for you.

Of course, the Spartans of Glenbrook North’s Boys Basketball team crushed their opposing team. I mean, you didn’t particularly have a lot of school pride, but you still felt something warm in your chest when you saw them hugging each other as the final buzzer rang out and the crowd went wild. Not to mention it was kinda funny watching the normally “manly man” team lowkey crying.

You were waiting for your friend to pick you up to attend Jaehyun’s post-game party at his ginormous house when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

It was the man of the hour, Johnny Seo.

“Oh hey, Johnny! Congrats man, I’m so proud of you!” You smiled as you pulled the man behind you into a hug.

“Thanks, y/n.”

You looked up at his face which was kind of… tense?

“I can’t believe your team put up with you for all these years. If I were Sicheng I would’ve skrt skrted the day you joined as center.”

His unusually tense facade broke for a minute as he flicked you in the forehead.

“Shut up!”

You both laughed and fell silent, hearing the loud chatterings of excited people near you. His face quickly grew tense again.

“Y/n… I… uh… this is going to sound weird, okay?”

“Well you were always weird in the first place, so no surprises there.”

He smiled slightly and took your hands in his. His calloused hands felt rough, but soothing at the same time. You blushed from the contact and looked down for a moment.

“So… I’ve kind of liked you for the past 4 years, y/n. And probably more than that.”

Your head snapped up quickly in shock. Johnny? Johnny Seo? Seo Youngho? Likes me? Plain old me? What the fuck.

“Um, I know it’s alright if you don’t share my feelings but I figured since it was the last game of my high school career, I’d thought I just get this off my chest-”

“Johnny, I like you too.” You smiled at him, and slight blush still adorning your cheeks.

His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.

“Holy shit. Fuck. I did not expect this to happen, I thought you were going to reject me since you’ve always been annoyed with me, god-”

“Johnny I’ve always been annoyed with you because, well, I’ve liked you since freshman year too.” Your arms snaked around his corded neck and played with his slightly damp hair from his shower. You couldn’t even describe your feelings right now. You felt like you were high, and every nerve in your body tingled. Holy pigs on a stick Johnny likes meeeeee!

Johnny smirked as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you close to his body, against the dim lights of the school lamps. The harsh light defined his features even more (if that was even possible), and made his eyes sparkle.

“Well, damn,” he whispered as he swooped down to capture your lips in his.

Yeah, there were no fireworks but there was definitely heat. The heat in his gaze you saw when he played on the court, the heat in his gaze when he played a particularly difficult run on the piano you could feel all around you when you closed your eyes and kissed him. Those longing looks you always sent towards each other and the shy brushes of your touches felt absolved as you kissed each other for quite some time.

“DAYUM JOHNNY BE GETTING SOME!!!”

Your make-out session was broken when both of your heads snapped in the direction of the noise. Johnny’s whole basketball team stood cheering in the parking lot, with a lot of girls giggling next to them.

“FUCKING FINALLY,” shouted Sicheng.

“JOHNNY GREW SOME BALLS!” Mark laughed as the whole team went wild over their captain, who they had known to crush on you for a long time and had to deal with his whole she-doesn’t-like-me-and-never-will deal.

“MARK!” Johnny shouted as his grip on you tightened.

You laughed and settled his head in his broad chest.

_______________________________________________________________________

The whole school basically rioted when they found out the next day. A bunch of people was congratulating you guys in the hallways because of his popularity, and he walked you to class and y’all held hands. His teammates kept on sending you guys sly glances throughout the whole day. Hell, even your teachers (including Mrs. Weathers) congratulated you. However, they weren’t as bad as your parents.

Your parents, when they found out, as you told them while holding hands, cried. They congratulated you like you had announced you were going to get married. Mr. Seo and your dad patted Johnny on the back and jokingly threatened to kill him if he hurt you, while Mrs. Seo and your mom hugged you tightly and cried into your shoulder.

“Oh, my sweet baby, I have been waiting for this for years!” your mum wiped a tear from her eyes.

Hold on… years? The pieces of the puzzle quickly clicked together in your mind and you gasped.

“Wait… were you deliberately late to the restaurant after the semi-final game?!”

_______________________________________________________________________

Later, when you were in Johnny’s arms and watching a movie you slapped him in the chest.

“Ow! Babe, what was that for!” Johnny laughed as he snuggled his face into the crook of your neck.

“I told you earlier I wanted game faces, not meme faces!”

[villainousimagines]

Hey, sorry this isn’t art. I’m not as good at drawing as I am writing, but I hope you enjoy. Sorry this isn’t edited

Black Hat

Warmth, softness, and silk, this was your new morning experience every day since you had found out you were pregnant.

It had been a not so good day for you. Hunger, anger, nausea had been bearing down on you since you woke up. You snapped at everyone and anyone who came close to you, had to run to the bathroom at least four times to puke, and had eaten enough to kill you, it sucked. You had thought you had come down with an extremely potent virus, so you went to see Dr. Flug.

He wasn’t a medical doctor, but he had to know something about your affliction. You talked to him for a good ten minutes until he called for 505 to run out to the store to buy something. Medicine, you immediately assumed. Good riddance, the faster you could be back to normal, the better.

It wasn’t medicine though, 505 came back with a little pink box. He handed it to you and Dr. Flug instructed you on what to do.

Now, you weren’t as smart as Dr. Flug, but you knew when things were ridiculous. Pregnant? Hah! Yeah, right! You and Black Hat were different species, there was no way you both had any type of compatibility. You tried to tell Dr. Flug this, but he wouldn’t listen.

“Just go do it.” He said. Fine, you would. You were gonna show him that you were right.

You were wrong. The test came back positive. Heh, it was probably just a defective good. You brought it out about to tell him that, but 505 shoved another box in your hand. The bear gave you a knowing look.

Whatever you thought and did the test again…. positive.

You went back out and 505 kept handing you more boxes. Again and again and again, positive, positive, positive.

….Fuck.

You didn’t know what you were gonna tell Black Hat. How could this have happened? An Eldritch and human shouldn’t be able to conceive at all.

You sat catatonic in the lab for hours until Black Hat found you. He called out to you several times until you finally acknowledged him. Garbled words and a fuzzy face was all you could comprehend from him. You stared at him trying to bring yourself together and remembering why you were like this.

“Pregnant.” tumbled out from your lips as it all clicked together.

You could clearly see his face now and it was frozen in shock.

“…What?” Fell limply from his lips.

“Pregnant.” You repeated numbly. “I’m… pregnant.”

You looked up at him and grabbed his face softly. Tears pricked at the edge of your eyes as joy welled up in your chest.

“I’m pregnant!!”

His face broke out into a huge smile. Beaming, he picked you up and laughed happily as he spun you around. You laughed with him and hugged him when he let you down.

Neither of you said anything, but you both knew the other was ecstatic.

That had been a nice end to a shitty day and from then on, he was inseparable from your side. No one was allowed to be close to you, look at you, acknowledge you.

You were to be protected, which brought you back to the present.

You were laying down on your shared bed,  cuddled up under several blankets and Black Hat’s arms. He was looking fondly at you as you scooted closer to him. He grabbed at your back and pulled you even closer.

He was gonna protect you and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Dr. Flug

Ever since he found out you were pregnant, Dr. Flug has been more frazzled and stressed than ever. During work, he tinkers endlessly on the commissions needed for the customers. During his free time, he builds and plans religiously for the upcoming baby. His first completed project was a collapsible room for you to rest in while he works, so he could keep an eye on you. Others were security stuffed animals that could take down any threats to the baby, indestructible blankets, tracker clothes, anything he could think of.

It was obvious to you that he was running himself ragged trying to juggle both work and these projects. You were happy that he was going through all this trouble to protect your baby, but you needed him to be still alive when the baby was born.

You approach behind him as he is examining a bubble/laser gun and wrap your arms around his middle. He jumps in your grasp and you nuzzle your face into his back.

“Please, take a break.” You plea to him.

“I can’t! We need to be prepared for anything that can happen! What if heroes take them? What if villains try to kill them? What if-”

You cut him off by spinning him around and kissing him softly.

“You done enough right now. Please don’t kill yourself before our baby is even born.”

He sighs defeated and wraps his arms around you, resting his head on yours. You take that as his affirmation and lead him to the living room.

Taking your seat, you pull him down to sit next to you and hug him. You can hear his heart beating erratically in his chest. His fingers are tapping incessantly on the arm rests. You sigh, his thoughts are running wild with fear.

You move over on the couch, leaving a wide area between you both and motion for him to lay down. He stares at you confused with his eyebrows raised, but ultimately follows your instructions. His head is laying on the cushion and his feet as hanging off the arm rests.

You click your tongue at him and pull his head onto your lap. You run your hands through his hair as you speak softly to him.

“I know that you are scared for the future and what will happen with this baby, but please calm down. Everything will be fine. I trust you and I know the baby will trust you as well. You’ll be an excellent father and I can’t wait to be there with you every step of the way. Take care of yourself because running yourself into the ground won’t help any of us.”

You move your hand to caress his cheek and give him a loving smile.

“I love you.”

He gives you a large smile back and grabs the hand on his face, lightly caressing you back.

“And I know our baby loves you too”

You move your hand to be on top of his and bring it to your stomach. You can see him gulp a little as his hand touches your stomach. He’s nervous to be this close to the baby, but he begins to smile when you both feel a kick.

He looks up at you in excitement and you smile brightly as he moves your hand to lips and gives it a quick kiss. He, then moves his head down to where the baby kicked and kisses there as well.

“I love you both too.”

Demencia

You flush the toilet after the morning’s scheduled sickness. Today was gonna be so great you think sarcastically. You wish Demencia was still here, she left earlier that morning to go do something. You weren’t sure what, you hasn’t been awake fully to hear. You just knew it was something to do with work.

You sigh and pick yourself off the ground. It was time to get something to eat as your stomach was telling you to do. You were seriously craving some strawberries right now. It was one of the side effects of Demencia’s lizard genes, you always wanted some kind of fruit or greenery. At least it was healthy cravings you think with a shrug.

You waddle your way to the door. Moving around was a little harder to do since you were quite a ways along in your pregnancy. Your stomach was pretty big now and you always worried that you weren’t beautiful anymore. Luckily for you, your girlfriend made sure to remind you how gorgeous you were to her. You missed her.

You open the door to head to the kitchen, but find 505 in front with his paw raised to knock on the door. Behind him is a little cart with something on top you can’t see.

“Heya bluebeary! What’s up?”

He gestures to the cart and moves to start wheeling it into the door.

Startled, you begin to ask what he was doing, but stop when the scent of strawberries hits your nose.

On top of the cart was a huge pile of strawberry pancakes with a side of fresh strawberries. Your mouth waters uncontrollably as you fight to keep yourself from attacking the food.

505 hands you a card. It’s written in bright neon sharpies and smells heavily of Demencia’s perfume.

‘Morning bon-bon! I made you some breakfast, I’ll be back soon’

God, she knew you so well. 505 heads out and closes the door as you begin to eat. You loved Demencia’s food. She used to not be able to boil water without burning the house down, but once you both found out you were pregnant, she started learning to cook eagerly. It was downright terrible at first. You would admit to puking whenever you ate it, but eventually it became a downright delicacy.

She says it was due to your and the baby’s support, but you would argue it was her own hard work. Either way, it was amazing. You finish the meal in record time and lay down in your little nest.

Demencia had made it when you complained about back pain when sleeping, so she gathered as many pillows and blankets as she could fit on the bed. It took a few days, but she was able to arrange it in a way that completely negated your pain.

Many would say that she was unfit to be a parent because of how childish she was, but you would punch everyone of them in the mouth. She was immature and played pranks on everyone, but she loved and cared for you. She was doing everything she could to help you and the baby be healthy. If that didn’t say fit to be a parent, you didn’t know what would.

Getting comfy and huddling under the blankets, you fall asleep to the thought of Demencia and your guy’s baby.

-(http://cutiefangs.tumblr.com/)

Oh my god, this is magnificent. Thank you so much for writing this masterpiece!!- 🦎

[velvet-tread]

Unfiltered sweary mess: 507 edition

I had thoughts so I decided to this again. Let’s hope it doesn’t become a habit.

Let’s start with the Bellarke of it all, and the sheer joy of seeing them hustle up a plan together on the fly. AND LISTEN I am not on the #bellamysucksnow train, or the #bellarkeisdead train either and as such fair warning there is squee incoming. It feels like the core of the show has returned to us after s4’s barren years and IT IS GREAT. And honestly? I don’t care that romance isn’t in the air between them RIGHT NOW. I thought I would mind but I don’t. It feels right. It feels true to Bellamy, and it feels true to Clarke, and it feels exactly like the vibe I’d expect and want between two characters who love and respect each other and their choices, who have been apart for so long and need to reconnect. Let’s do right by Clarke and Bellamy, yeah? We’ve waited for 4 seasons (the last of which gave us sweet fa) we can wait a little longer.

And seriously, even if it turns out they are just beautiful co-leaders with a lot of professional respect for each other (yeah RIGHT) they could never, ever kill that relationship for me as long as they are in scenes together like this. I don’t care if they don’t bang (call me out on my lies someone), but the concurrent Bellarke scenes in the dining hall, and the triffid room, and then on Echo-watch just gave me so many OTP vibes. Bellarke are at their most effective when they’re together, even better when they have the support of their genius friends. And we got a return of the Bellarke dry-as comedy double act WTF @the100writersroom are you trying to be good at your jobs or something.

Top bantz, as we’d say in Essex.

Too bad the Bellarke unity ain’t gonna last, but thankfully, Bellarke are just as awesome when they are just…very angry and exasperated with each other ok, but DON’T HURT YOUR PRECIOUS SELF I MAY BE FURIOUS BUT WHEN DID YOU LAST SLEEP AND DO YOU NEED SOMETHING TO EAT

Great to have Monty back in the frame cutting through everyone’s bullshit. I thought he’d been relegated to a bit part this season. Oh ye of little faith. Does anyone realise that Monty is the biological weapon earth forgot? Put that angry face in a room with Octavia and see how long it takes for her to crack and wither from Monty’s externalised disappointment with everyone and everything.

Bellamy burning Octavia ow ow ow. I’ve already spoken about this at some length but damn that hurt. And it was deserved, but still spoke to the depth of his contempt for Blodreina.

Which brings me to…BELLARKE V BLODREINA: GRUDGE MATCH

And man, was this grudge match some time coming. To make sure the audience was VERY CLEAR on EVERYONE’S MORAL STANDING, the show helpfully prepped us with some little reminders that Bellamy helped commit a massacre, and Clarke did a load of horrible human testing in Becca’s lab last season. Thanks show.

So, all armed and loaded, the mud slinging began, and boy was it awesome.  First of all Bellarke takes Octavia to task about the worms and TURNS OUT OCTAVIA DIDN’T KNOW which get a grip on power here Octavia because it’s slipping from your grasp faster than you can say Wonkru Barbecue (shoutout to @mego42 – your time is coming). But Miller obviously watched the earlier part of the show and recapped for Octavia just in time because she’s ready for that shit and fires everyone’s dark past back at them. Cue: Bellamy’s best frowny face and Eliza Taylor’s saddest, most regretful Clarke eyes.

Bellarke disarmed and cowed (for now) live to fight another war they don’t want to fight.

But Octavia’s grudge match continues in her office when Indra enters with the intention of being reasonable, which is exactly the kind of shit Blodreina has warned her about before so help her god.

Indra is, obviously, the Queen of Everything and My Heart and delivers some bitchass Truths as Indra is wont to do and Octavia rewards her by throwing what my mind remembers as a skull but was probably a paperweight because why would Octavia have a skull in her office *nervous laughter*

Indra leaves, still Queen of Everything and My Heart, but not before delivering a portentous warning about losing yourself in the dark, which obviously Octavia is not going to listen to because DAUGHTERS, MAN.

Talking of daughters, Madi trying to suck at training was the most adorbs thing I’ve seen in a long time, guys and I am subscribed to a LOT of cat blogs. And man I felt for her. Sucking at anything sucks, and sucking on PURPOSE is just the height of unfair. And she’s in a new school! And the other kids are mean! And maybe they eat people!

Serious question though: from whence did Madi learn her swordswomanship? Clarke? Helios? Roan? (too soon?).

But don’t blame Clarke, Madi! Clarke’s Madi feels are pretty much on a par with mine which means she wants to cry every time she looks at her earnest little face AND CLARKE I FEEL THAT SO HARD YOUR BABY IS ADORABADASS. Which also means MAMA MODE ACTIVATED when Vodka Aunt Octavia starts messing up that precious braid she put in Madi’s hair earlier.

Hey Vodka Aunt, you don’t just get to come in here and make executive choices about Madi’s career, especially given your past efforts at parenting *looks at Ethan*

Oh, oh, oh and WE GOT A RETURN OF THE MUSICAL INTERLUDE! It was like Knocking on Heaven’s Door and Early Seasons feels all over again. But I gotta say Jason, fresh from the Sense8 finale my musical interlude expectations are higher these days and I was a bit disappointed there wasn’t a dance off. Perhaps an orgy or an endgame B/C/E triad instead? *Wanheda jaw clench*

But anyway that whole sequence of Clarke sending Madi off to her first day of training sent me in to a spiral of sadness that lasted for a lot of minutes I wasn’t counting. It was very sad and I am sad about it. Poor Clarke.  Just as well Octavia helped her remember she’s motherfucking Wanheda.

MY GIRL ECHO MY GIRLING UP THE HOUSE.

Let’s just take a moment to appreciate what a babe Echo kom Spacekru nee Azgeda is.  First of all: EVIDENCE OF SPACE GIRL SQUAD and I am all here for that. Second of all Echo is officially the first person on the show to get one over of Colonel Charmaine Diyoza SOMEONE GET ME A FUCKING SHOT.

And listen up everyone who bashes at their keyboards dribbling with rage about the things other women like on television: I love ladies with swords and if you want an apology for that you’ll have to prise it out of my cold dead body. But can we just take a (second) moment to appreciate that for all of Echo’s badass sword skills, she is Clarke Griffining up this joint like a motherfucker. Echo is as Slytherin as Clarke and as sneaky as Clarke and as smart as Clarke and that manoeuvre she executed with Zeke and Raven was 100% a Clarke Griffin move, don’t @ me.

It’s almost like….they’re similar….on purpose….

Shout out to all the smart, insecure girls who aren’t sure if they belong. Learn to swordfight, use your brain, and get yourself a girl squad and a soft space dad boyfriend.

Sidebar: Clarke’s faith that Echo would take the eye down and her admiration when she does will keep me in Clecho feels for months.

But friends…I am the most fervent of Echo stans and Becho shippers and I am AFEARED. She is very much circling the abyss here and it gives me a sick feeling in my stomach. I believe Raven will forgive her (FOR WHAT CAN SOMEONE PLS ENLIGHTEN ME AS TO WHAT RAVEN IS SO PISSED ABOUT??) and I believe the rest of Spacekru will 100% understand what she did because it was presented to us as an understandable choice.  But but but… what’s next?  Diyoza ain’t gonna take the turn the other cheek approach to learning that Echo took down her eye in the sky. What if her next move is to make *Echo* her eyes in exchange for safe passage for Spacekru?

*sweats forever*

That seems like a Diyoza move. And like…where would that leave Echo with Bellamy? Her choice would be: tell him and risk the whole mission and/or turn him into a lying liar to his sister too, or not tell him and risk their entire relationship and hurt him very badly. I think I know which one my loyal girl would choose and how that would end.

Fuck fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck.

*ugly crying*

I’m not ready.

Okay it’s time for a Raven rant. What the hell is going on with Raven this season? Raven has had some beautifully executed arcs in the past, and I am high key here for her to finally get some NC-17 action now she’s done all that Work On Herself, but if Raven’s arc in s5 amounts to RAVEN DIDN’T GET BONED FOR 6 YEARS AND NOW SHE’S GETTING BONED then Imma flip a table.

Sidebar#2 obviously Raven got boned on the Ring, it’s not like they would have had a space orgy without her, come ON.

And just… I’m sorry I don’t get the Zaven. When they released the s5 pics I thought WOWZA these two are gonna be gr9 together and LOOK HE’S A SPACE EXPLORER. How could this possibly go wrong?  But somehow, they’ve managed to introduce a character who, on his own, is 10x as compelling as Wick, but has about -100% of the chemistry with Raven. Which is???? Some kind of alchemy??? how has that happened? I love Zeke! I love Raven!!! They’re both MAGNETIC on screen. On paper they should be a perfect fit but it’s like whenever they’re in the same scene together I have the sudden urge to check my emails.

And someone, please, just tell me what work Zaven is doing for either of these characters. What’s Raven’s conflict? How does Zeke resolve it? Is it *literally* Raven being presented with a hot dude with a similar skill set? Sorry I’m out.

And before anyone comes at me with the usual packet of whining about how Echo has stolen all of Raven’s screentime, I’d beg you all to remember that there is no law saying that one woman’s time on tv has to be at the expense of another and this is a GIANT SEXIST TRAP DO NOT FALL FOR IT.

Talking of out, Kabby is also circling the drain and [averts eyes from discourse].

But I’m calling Diyoza’s ship name, and if she bangs Kane I hereby pronounce it TEQUILA [whatever Kane’s ship name is, someone hmu].

OK I need to talk about Gaia now before I get shot down by a thunderbolt. The girl creeps me tf out but I SOMEHOW LOVE HER NOW. This is new and unnerving because feverish religious types are not usually my jam ESPECIALLY if they present Clarke’s daughter with a creepy sacred flash drive that they want to insert in her neck, but somehow Tati Gabrielle nails that line, even if my reaction seeing the Flame was exactly the same as my reaction to seeing the worms.

But I believe Gaia’s intentions, while creepy, are pure. And WHO PICKED UP on how fluid her loyalty is? She will serve Blodreina faithfully as long as she reigns. Huh.

In other news McCreary, and more importantly McCreary’s undercut, were absent from this episode I hope they are both enjoying Memori’s couples counselling retreat. I look forward to seeing his glazed expression next week as I cry my Becho tears.

[tinymatsu]

A Rick and Morty prompt where Morty is broken down and gets a surprise hug from his grandpa

I had this one done early, but I kept editing the beginning in and out. I got carried away with the breakdown part, and I’m nervous about it. I’m also not experienced with writing Rick’s drunk dialogue (or Morty’s really), so sorry for that!

(Link to prompt post)

So, warnings for existential anxiety, dissociation, implied/referenced pornography, and mentions of alcohol/alcoholism under the cut!

Morty fidgeted with the collar in his hands. He wasn’t sure why he’d kept them all this time, or why he played with them when he couldn’t sleep. He’d developed a bad habit of collecting the little mementos from their adventures, and an even worse habit of letting them keep him up at night. Among these trinkets were the three time-stabilizing collars he, Rick and Summer had needed to wear to regain certainty. They didn’t do anything now that their time was mended, whatever that meant.

The events of their time split were still confusing. Whenever he tried to remember, it felt like he was trying to untangle knotted yarn made out of fog. Foggy yarn shouldn’t even get tangled, shouldn’t exist in the first place.

If there was one thing Morty had come to know as truth - perhaps the only truth there was to be know - it was that nothing could ever “make sense”. Things didn’t have to make sense to exist, and a knotted yarn ball made of fog was a perfectly reasonable metaphor.

Morty clicked the collar open and shut a few times, peripherally noticing the occasional catch in the latch every couple of times. Somewhere, the knot loosened a little, telling him that the catch was somehow significant. By now, the boy should know better than to pull at the thread. But, hey, what do you expect from a Morty? They’re not exactly known for being smart.

Whenever Morty followed a memory, it would just dissipate and fall through the other strands, somehow ending up with a tighter knot. The tight knots tended to lodge in his throat.There was no way he would ever detangle those memories. What was certainty, the present time, reality?  Everything the happened, didn’t. How was that possible? Why, after all of the adventures Rick and taken him on, was Morty still finding things surprising and difficult?

“The answer is, don’t think about it.”

If only it were that easy. Rick always told his grandson not to think about the incomprehensible things they saw and did, as if he thought it was. Maybe it was because Rick was so much smarter and more experienced with these concepts, more experienced with life in general. Maybe it was just because Rick had his flask. Morty wished he had his grandpa’s coping skills to keep the weight of the entire universe’s uncertainty from suffocating him, or at least find a way to get off on the choking until it finally killed him.

Was it the pressure of the unknown squeezing Morty’s chest too? More literally, it was probably his heartbeat, but what’s the difference? Does it matter? Somewhere out there, a timeline exists where everything is the same, except that Morty’s heartbeat is a tick off from his own. And in that timeline, that Morty also lives with the uncertainty capable of shattering time itself. That Morty’s family could be just like his, but another Morty’s family may not exist, or may have existed at one point but something horrible happened, or maybe they all had two butts, one eye, and a heart shaped like a duck’s penis.

“They’re clones from an alternate reality possessed by demonic alien spirits from another dimension’s future!”

Everything was both possible and impossible; this and these were simultaneously fact and fiction, real and not.

Morty clicked the collar shut on his index finger. It didn’t hurt really, just a little bit of pressure to ground himself. He was real, at least for all that mattered.

“Nobody exists on purpose, nobody belongs anywhere, everybody’s gonna die.”

Is that true? Morty had told Summer (whichever code number version of his sister this was) the words she’d needed to hear, but right now, they sounded too solid to be true. Solid like the footsteps clumsily sneaking up the stairs. Were they? Did it matter? What about the doorknob shaking? Who else was in the house? What else?

“Hey! Hey Mo~rty, check this out!” Rick threw the door open noisily “Do you- you remember tha-that thing? L-l-look!” he waved around a tube and something that looked like a pearl the size of a fist, failing to notice that his grandson had barely responded to his loud entrance.

“Those m-mer~maids from-from Atlantis, Morty! The green chick, she-she gave me this! If you use this-this tur~bulent juice on it, you can- Morty, it’s like a free mermaid ca-cam show! Wa~nna check out some-some more mermaid ti~titties with grandpa?” Rick obliviously strolled over to sit on the bed next to Morty, staring at the pearl still.

“And I won’t go into d-detail, but hypo~thetically, if someone were to-to put this-” Rick’s excitement tapered off when he saw that Morty was still fixated on the collar in his hand. “M-mo~rty, are-are you listening to me? W-why do you have that stu~pid thing?”

Maybe Morty was tired, maybe part of him hated that Rick had forced this kind of knowledge on him, maybe he was just really frustrated the he could not enjoy the aquatic pleasures of the interdimensional right now. Probably for all of those reasons and none of them, Morty slapped the ball out of his grandfather’s hands. Rick tried to catch the ball, dropping the tube of turbulent juice on the bed. “Morty, what the fu~ck?!”

“D-d-dammit R-rick!” Morty shouted, the sudden anger causing tears he hadn’t previously been aware of to sting his eyes. “Y’know, m-m-maybe I- maybe I don’t give a f-fuck! I-i-i didn’t ask for mermaid t-tits or-or-or your bullshit ad-adventures! I- geez I-I’m fourteen! I-i want to-to l-look at human girls and-and go to school, and w-w-want to-to sleep at night and not deal with- with this and-and also with w-w-whatever the f-fuck y-you spilled on my bed and I-I’m tired, I-i-i-i’m-”

Morty was cut off by an overwhelming stench of alcohol. The unpleasant scent, which Morty reluctantly associated with home, was brought to his senses as his face was shoved straight into his grandpa’s flask tucked into the lab coat.

Frozen in the grip of the mad scientist, Morty hardly bothered to wonder why it was happening. Morty knew that somewhere beneath all of Rick’s intelligence and booze was something just as human as himself. That something once knew what it was like to be afraid and uncertain, but that now Rick could no longer afford the consequences of giving into. For some weird reason, that comforted Morty. Knowing that he wouldn’t be afraid forever made the current cloud of worried fade back into their usual untouched know. Slowly, Morty accepted the pressure of the hug, somehow feeling a little less suffocated.

[mx-jinxous]

mick is on the waverider, trying to sleep. leonard snart is in his mind. he can't stop hallucinating him. the rest of the group is off in their homes for a day off. mick doesn't have a reason to go into the city however. the timeship was currently cloaked in central city 2017. rip and him were the only two on board. len has just finished helping barry with savitar (at least for now) when cisco tells him he got a call from rip hunter that they'd be in town for the day.

Okay, first off I am sorry for the wait. It been hectic. I had graduation two weeks in a row and I also do conventions. The cons in a month and I’m crunching to finish my costumes.

I went a weird direction with this and I hope you enjoy.

He thought that after they returned past Len to his rightful place he’d stop having these hallucination. Unfortunately they only changed into a more aggressive hallucination, more constant. Currently the team was docked in 2017, visiting friends and families, this leaving Mick and Rip as the only two on the ship. Mick was currently laying in bed, sweat dripping down his shirtless chest. He had just awoken from a dream involving Len, a memory of him sticking that ice sickle through his parallel self. No one knew or really cared to pay attention to the toll it has taken on mentally and physically.

Mick swallowed, laying back as he slowly breathed in to replace what he had screamed out. He was so glad Rip had made sure they had privacy, or Mick would be denying the noise. Closing his eyes it was only a moment before a hand brushed against his arm. He didn’t need to open his eyes, he knew who it was…well who it wasn’t. He gripped the blankets, trying his best to ignore the hallucination of his old partner. “Mick…open your eyes and look at me. I swear, being all buddy buddy with these guys is starting to make you a pain in my ass. I mean seriously! You reset the timeline like a good little dog…the least you can do is man up and look me straight in the eyes.” Mick did the opposite, covering his eyes with his arm. Len sighed, watching as Mick tried to choke down the shivering breath, not doing so well. “I should have had a second chance! I should have let you sacrifice yourself! All you ever did was get in the way!” Mick broke, letting tears fall.

“Stop. Please…please stop Leonard.” He begged, the hallucination leaning over him. “I don’t know what I saw in a pathetic, weak, moron of a man like you.”

A sudden knock on the door cut Mick’s tears short, opening his eyes Len was gone. “Mr. Rory is everything alright?”

Mick quickly wiped his tears away, swallowing the lump in his throat. “What do you want you limey Brit.”

“Mr. Ramon sent us message, requesting the Legends come visit. Being it is just us I figure it’d be best to get of the ship.”

“Why should I care?”

“He says he had a surprise on a time limit. Knowing them I am both curious and afraid for my life. It’s not a bad thing to want to visit home.”

“I don’t have a home.” Mick mumbled as he turned in his sheets.

“Mr. Rory…I worry about your mental state. If you won’t go I won’t make you.” Mick heard footsteps leading away from the door. Closing his eyes Mick remained silent, but heard the tapping of foot against metal.

“Mick, Mick, Mick. I’m sorry to say you’ve become more of a shut in. Do you miss me so much that you’d stay shut in your room?” The boots hit the floor, Len walking towards Mick. “You want to hear the truth and suffer in pain. You want to know that because of you I am dead and I will never come back!” Mick slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Len. “You were always the dog that begged at my feet, so loyal. I guess it doesn’t seem surprising that you’d want to spend your pathetic days waiting for me.” Mick laid there for a second more before throwing his blanket on the floor, grabbing his shirt and gun before marching out after Rip.

“Limey!” He yelled, seeing Rip jump and turn. “Are we getting a lift or do we have to walk?”

“We are not far away. I told Mr. Ramon that we’d walk.”

“As long as they have good I don’t care.” Mick said, walking away from his room with Rip.

The walk was quiet between the men, Mick keeping us eye on his environment. He saw Len amongst the trees, pure anger in his face. When they reached Star Labs they were met by Cisco, they young technician reaching out and shaking his hand. “How has it been?”

“Far too busy. How goes the fort?”

“Well…how can I say this?” Cisco said as he led the two to the elevator. “This Savitar business is a mess. Caitlin’s went all frosty and joined him, today is Iris’ death day.” Cisco pressed one of the buttons, leaning back as the elevator descended.

“That is quite unfortunate, can we hide her among the Waverider?”

“The issue with that is that Savitar is a future time remnant of Barry. Anything we do we have to do behind Barry’s back.”

“Red goes big and bad in the future? Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Well we’re desperate and Barry may have time traveled…twice.” At the Rip glared, crossing his arms.

“I have been notified about Flashpoint. I thought there was a line set.”

“There was, but we needed information from the future and needed someone from our past…a mastermind thief that is no longer with us.” Cisco said with a sheepish look towards Mick, the man raising a brow.

“So what? You went back in time and talked to Len?”

“Well actually-.” The elevator doors dinged and opened slowly. Mick heard talking, a stern voice echoing through the long hallway. Cisco led the way down the hallway, Mick picking up the tone of the voice as he got closer and his heart began pounding. As they turned the corner both Mick and Rip stopped, seeing Len standing at the dry erase board, explaining a plan.

“Mr. Snart?”

“2016 edition.” Cisco said with a nervous smile.

“Time travel? Mr. Allen, I was under the impression that you would sustain against time travel.” This is where Mick ignored him, blocking out everything that wasn’t Len. He watched the man explain to the rest of the people. He smiled over at Mick, turning slowly, raising his parka a little bit, enough to give Mick a nice view of his ass. No one else seemed to notice and Mick froze, emotions running through him. The betrayal from 2014 Len, but the attraction to his partner, the one he lost. Suddenly Mick watched Len walking towards him. His body reacted when Len was in reaching length, brushing his fingers against Mick’s scarred skin.

“Did you guys follow me?”

“What?” Rip asked, Barry smiling at him. “Mr. Snart…we are not the Legends of 2016.”

“Oh, then I hope you didn’t bring me, because the cardinal rule.”

“Nope…you're…you’re away on your own journey.” Mick said, eye twitching to keep the tears the fought him at bay.

“Cool.” God the puns hurt, Len noticing right away. “Mind catching up?”

“Ya. It’s been awhile.” Len reached out and grabbed Mick’s hand. He led him to the elevator, away from the others. Len said something to the others before dragging the larger man into the elevator when the doors shut Len immediately took his gun out, blasting the camera. He proceeded to shove Mick into the elevator wall, pulling him down into a hungry kiss. The older man moaned in surprise, grabbing Len around the waist with one arm, the other holding him by the back of the Len’s neck. “Mick…you’re not into it. Are you still angry with me?” Len asked when he pulled away, brow raised.

“No…we just…left on bad term.” Swallowing a tear came to his eye. Len just stared up at him, looking for the truth in his eyes.

There was a moment of silence between them before the elevator dinged, doors opening. Len didn’t take his eyes away, letting a hand caress Mick’s chest. “Do you remember that safe house we hid in when we did our first heist? The one I messed up on?”

“You didn’t mess up, it was unexpected.” Len smiled, Mick always defending him.

“Do you remember…when we were fighting with one another about the stupid rings we managed to get.” A smiled came to Mick’s face as Len led them out.

“You were so angry and heartbroken that it was a bust. You started crying.”

“I did not.” Len said, but smiled. “I think I paid in advance. I wanted to surprise you when this time travel thing done.”

“What?”

“I bought the apartment and spent weeks renovating it. I want to show you it.” Len grabbed his hand, pulling Mick towards the exit.

The travel didn’t take long and they were able to get in without being seen. Mick was surprised. The apartment was painted in reds and blue and decorated in pictures of them and their loved ones. There was a large sofa sitting in front of a rather large flat screen, collecting dust. Beside the sofa, on an end table was a picture of Mick with his mother and father. He just stared, Len wrapping his arms around the man.

“That night, after the heist and fight I realized what went wrong. That was the first time we had real sex, none of that juvie crap. That’s when I swore that no matter what, I’d protect you. I failed. I ditched you for the team and I can see that harmed our relationship. I want you to track my stupid ass down and make up with me.”

“It was a stupid fight we had…we agreed to split up. You wanted the game…I wanted a family.”

“I may be smart, but I’m an idiot to emotions Mick. I love you.” He said, bringing a smile the his face.

“I love you to Len. Life has been a fucking wreck lately and without you around…”

“Don’t ever doubt yourself. No matter what the others say.” Len said, pulling Mick into their bedroom. Mick’s eyes widening at the paintings decorating the walls. It was some of their favorites they couldn’t part from. The bed was a queen, the sheets Egyptian cotton. Suddenly Mick was pushed back onto the bed, Len climbing up and straddling Mick. “It’s been awhile since you came back and we haven’t touched each other. You want nothing to do with me. I know I messed up, siding with the others. I just…I just…I can’t think about how to reach you. I know knowing the future is bad, but how did we make up?” Len asked, placing his forehead against Mick’s. The man brought a hand up and cupped Len’s cheek.

“You left me…I realized that no matter what happened between us we’d always be willing to die for the other. It wasn’t till it was too late to realize this and every day I hate myself for never telling you that I forgave you a long time ago.”

“You got your chance…I need to patch things up when I get back.” Len said, laying his head against Mick’s chest.

“Why are you here? The Flash snatched you for a reason.”

“He needs help stealing something. A nice surprise for me.” Len said, raking his hand up Mick’s chest. He closed his eyes, feeling like he was drifting. This was silence for a few moments, just the sound of breathing. Suddenly Len was felt with a strong sense of anger, hatred, and sadness. There was a sense of betrayal and heartbreak. He opened his eyes and saw Mick with his back to him, almost not noticing it was his lover with the uniform, which he noted that he was looking hot. Suddenly he heard his cold gun power up and in a second he shot Mick in the back, and icicle petrifying from him.

Len shot up, scaring Mick and causing him to launch up. He grabbed Len, holding him in a hug. “Mick! Mick! I just killed-,” Mick shook his partner, waking Len up.

“Hey. Len it’s alright.” He said, kissing the youngest forehead. Len looked up, tears in his eyes.

“Mick!” He yelled, wrapping his arms around the man.

“It’s alright. I’m right here.” He mumbled.

“I thought I killed you. You know I’d shoot myself before I ever shoot you.” Mick held Len close, knowing what he meant. He saw his body that day with the ice in his chest. Sure the memories were wiped, but not everything’s a 100 percent thing.

“I know that. It was just a bad dream.” Mick lied, patting Len’s back.

“What time is it?”

“Around five at night.”

“Shit.” Len mumbled, wiggling his way out of the hold. “I’ve got to go help the Flash. I hope I come back for you Mick.” Len said, leaning and kissing the older.

“I love you.” Mick said, pulling him back down. He gave him a goodbye kiss, one that let Len know how much he really. He felt Len try to fight pressing nearer to Mick. He knew he would want to stay, so Mick pulled away. “Okay, good luck. I’ve got to go back to the limey. We’ve got our own mission.” Mick got up, Len smiling at him.

“I’m proud of who you’ve become.”

“I’m proud of who you are…and your ass.” Len smacked Mick playfully before dragging him out of the apartment.

The Flash had just dropped Len back in Serbia, the plan going off with a few bumps, but became a success. Now he was back on the Waverider, a few bumps here and there. “There you are. Rip’s been looking for you.” Sara said, taking in Len’s appearance.

“Took a trip to help the Flash. Back now, let’s go.” Len said, walking away from her. He walked around the corner, running into Mick. The beer he held spilled on him, leading to a glare from the older man. Len’s eyes widened, the dream coming back to him. He knew better, he’d suffered many nightmares of all sorts, but this wasn’t a nightmare and Mick couldn’t make him believe it. Somewhere, some time, he’s destined to kill Mick. Seeing him now, like this was heartbreaking. “Mick, I need to talk to you in private.”

“Shove it in your ass.” Mick went to punch Len, fist freezing when he saw fear in his face. The hand fell, Mick dropping his head. “Bedrooms this way.” The walk over was silent, Len waiting till Mick shut his bedroom door to speak. Sadly words couldn’t form. Mick turned, eyes going wide in shock. Tears ran down Len’s cheeks, something Mick hadn’t seen since juvie.

“I love you Mick.” He cried. “I am so sorry for choosing the team over you. I just…I just…I want you to know I’d die for you.”

“Don’t-don’t say that.” Mick said, pulling Len into a hug. “Don’t be an idiot to get yourself killed for me.” The younger man held on to Mick, snuggling into Mick’s chest. “I forgave you long ago. I will never let you die for me.” Mick mumbled, feeling Len press against him, collecting his warmth. “Just because of what happened doesn’t mean I stopped loving you.”

“I don’t blame you for wanting to kill me. That’s how we are.”

“We get pissed off and we fight it out…then we have makeup sex.” Mick said, Len pulling away with a tear stained face and a smile. He wiped away his tears, hand rubbing up Mick’s chest.

“Can we skip ahead?”

“After we take down the time masters. We’ll come back and make these walls less soundproof by the hours.” Len smiled wider, his future brightening up.

He never did get that moment. He sacrificed himself to protect the team and get rid of the time masters-to save Mick. Mick never felt whole after that, trying to fill the void with food and alcohol…secretly hoping the next mission will be his last, just so he could be with Len again. Until then he’s trying to save the world, make Len proud of him.

[theadasave]

kavi’s house

Lunch - 10/01/2017

Kavi straight up fell over backwards in surprise, right into another pile of trash.  They blink up at Bill, an empty soda can balancing on their head for a few moments before rolling off.  Clink clonk! "Geeze, warn a poor soul before you do that!"  They stand up, dusting off bits of confetti and empty candy wrappers. "I'm pretty sure I'm the only person out here, so I dunno if that's something normal folks are entirely able to do? Maybe." They shrug.  "Doubt anyone actually wants to live out here."(edited)

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Sorry, Prisoner! Making morals pee their pants in fear just comes naturally to me. Consider it a friendly jumpscare." He puts his little hands on his hips and zips from one corner of the room to another, taking in the finer details then doing the same with all other rooms in the house. And pop! He's back, moving so quickly that his outlines are a blur until he's still again. "Oh people can survive out here, although, as far as I know, Sixer and this one are the only humans to stick around for long. Most of them get eaten not long after stepping in."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

[  It's a fairly ordinary house, about middling size.  Two stories, four bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms.    The largest rooms are the combo kitchen/living room space they're in now and the finished basement underneath it.

One bedroom is on the main floor, and judging from the horribly messy state, that's probably the one Kavi uses.  A large master bath is en suite.  A half bathroom is also on this floor, out near the kitchen. Upstairs are three smaller bedrooms and a bathroom.  There's also a ladder at the end of the hallway that goes up to a rooftop deck.  It seems very dusty, probably hasn't been used recently, if at all.  One of the rooms up here has been turned into a small library. The other two lie empty. As with the main living area, all the furniture in the rest of the house is a hodgepodge as far as style goes.  Most pieces are aimed for ease of use or comfort.  There are various oddities along the walls, probably things that caught Kavi's eye. The basement is kitted out as a game room.  Pool table, pinball, even a skee-ball machine.  The skee-ball machine has a cracked screen in multiple places, thanks to SOMEONE being over-enthusiastic with their throws.  There's also a wet bar, popcorn machine, slush machine, and another large sofa/tv combo. ](edited)[ The house is contained inside a large geodesic dome, made with hefty metal struts and thick glass panels.  There's lighting coming from somewhere near the very top of the curve, but there's no visible source to be seen.  The lighting appears to be on a 24-hour cycle. The dome contains about 3 acres of land.  The rim is dotted with pine trees and scrub, with the middle cleared out for Kavi's house and for the enormous concrete bunker that holds their lab.  There's a 'garden' around the house; it really just looks like a bunch of plants decided to riot around in a semi-controlled manner. The concrete bunker remains closed and locked.  There are no windows. ](edited)

NULL

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10/01/2017

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10/01/2017

Barbor - 10/01/2017

Bor clenched their mandibles together with a small flutter of their wings, they're trying to wonder why humans can't be here for so long. But hey, it might not be best to think about it too hard, the void is weird and they've only been here for a short time. "I think that's good! It might show who and who isn't adaptable enough to live here," Bor jumped on the Twinky and started to do a little dance "and this guy is doing super well from what it looks like~"

NULL - 10/01/2017

"It does make me wonder how this place ended up right on the border of the Nightmare Realm and this mostly empty, less horrifically moldable portion people keep calling the void." Bill rubs under his projected eye thoughtfully. "I'd describe this as a biome. Hey Kavi, how much of this are you responsible for?"

Lunch - 10/01/2017

Kavi sticks their tongue out at Bill.  "Friendly jumpscares are a lie, all jumpscares are evil.  Pure evil.  STAY OUTTA MY BATHROOM!" The last part is called after him as he zips away, the human grumbling and flopping back onto the couch. "Oh, right.  Ford was gonna get me universal cable or something? So, roachbuddy, we could get even more channels."  Another high-one is offered, though they divert their attention back up to Bill after a moment. "Eh? Oh!  Initial construction was done by someone else.  I snuck in during the building process to replace all the materials they were using with exact replicas made with even stronger stuff.  Is it really on the border of the Nightmare Realm?" They scratch at their head a moment, then shrug.  "Didn't know.  I just picked whichever point I was floating through most recently. Anyways, they built it, then I stole it.  Really really large runic transportation circle.  Like I told that guy--," gestures towards Barbor, "-- drained me out for three months.  Couldn't even move."

NULL - 10/01/2017

"That's impressive! It reminds me a little bit of something... oh right, Dalaran!" He claps his hands together and nods by wiggling the top portion of his triangular form. "Anyway, if this location was random, you're really lucky it wasn't a smidge that way." A jerk of his thumb. "Otherwise you'd be completely in my jurisdiction."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"And what would that do?" Squints.

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"I think that means he's the mayor of you." tilts their head "I think??"(edited)

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"...Fuck that, I ain't paying any taxes." Squints even harder.

NULL - 10/01/2017

"It would mean you'd have to pay me taxes, but since you're just a little bit out of bounds, you don't. Lucky you." And who knows what taxes would mean to Bill Cipher. Close call.

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Thank whatever gods still exist.  This place is way too big, I don't have nearly that kind of money.   Or, really, I don't think I have any, if I had to pay in Nightmare money."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"...Nightmare money sounds like sanity..."  They looked down on their twinky and didn't really feel hungry for that now "Dude, he's right, you're extremely lucky to just be a inch away from his place."

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Yeah, Bor's probably got the right idea. It's still neat to have neighbors though! I'm not sure how I missed you out here. The bubble is visible from the edge of my realm. Oh well! How do you feel about house parties?" He mimes leaning against a wall even though his projection can't really lean on anything without phasing through it.

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Dude, I told you, you can come over whenever."  Kavi shrugs, glancing around the big, empty home.  "I don't...really need all this space.  It's nice to have people over for once.  Usually I have to try and port somewhere just to get some kind of interaction.  Also I uh-- may have put a bit of a cloaking device on this.  I'd rather it not get swallowed whole by a void whale." Are there actually void whales? Who knows.  They're making that up but maybe they exist.

"Does it count as a party if we've only got like, three people? Or are you up to something?"

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Oh I was just asking if we could use your place for occasional parties when I'm not sure if I can trust all of the attendees to hang out in the Fearamid without causing trouble." He hovers near Kavi's head. "Not that I have a lot of friends right now! I'm working on that. At least I have you two, Dove and Ribbons, huh? Although, I think Dove's still a tiny bit upset with me."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"Aw, then he has too clean up all this cool junk..." the roach let out a trill of chirps to sound like a raspberry, but they didn't mind though it wasn't their place to clean up anyway. "Why would your friend be mad at you? Did you try to steal someone's soul or somethin?" They chuckled in a half-kidding type of way.

NULL - 10/01/2017

Bill does a so-so gesture with his hand and lets out one of those mischevious laughs of his own. "Sort of! She's the kid I kidnapped. I can see why she might be a little worked up over the fact that I originally intended to kill her friends, even though she eventually talked me out of it."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Ugh, I haven't cleaned this place in like....years." Kavi wrinkles their nose, giving a glance around and looking a bit despairing.   "...I'm so glad there's no mold or anything out here." "Oh! She was the one we were there to save or somethin', right?"  Kavi doesn't actually know.

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Yeah! "Save". Sure." He shrugs. Sounds like he's pretty sure she was better off where he had her. "Cleaning huh? Well, I might be able to help with that if it's something you're into, but frankly, I don't really mind the mess."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Sweet! No cleaning it is!" They're way too pleased at that.  Kavi, please clean your rooms.  Please.

Barbor - 10/01/2017

Bor screes in delightfully, everybody likes the mess! "Yes!~ Cleaning is for squares!!~" the bug kicked some crumbs off the twinky to contribute with the mess here.

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"FUCK YEAH!" CHEERS. "But yeah. Feel free to have a party here whenever, my dude.  Just, y'know.  If you break it, you translocate a new one in.  The usual.  It's a real pain in the ass for big things like the skee ball machine."

NULL - 10/01/2017

For some reason, Bill feels the need to press himself up against Kavi. His projection gives off static and warmth, but is decidedly intangable. "Oh I can do that for sure! This place is close enough to my realm that I can make whatever I want over there and have it transported easily."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

Kavi immediately tries hold him in a similar fashion to how they had during movie night, but quickly realizes he's intangible.  Gentle paps at the air around him will have to do instead. "Sweet.  Go nuts, dude.  Oh, uh-- house is free reign.  Lab is off limits.  Creepy forest surrounding my house is free for all."

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Creepy forest, wooo!" He "taps" a warm, buzzing but not-at-all-solid finger to their forehead. "Hey, have you ever been possessed?"(edited)

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Nope! That's what I've got these for."  Kavi lifts up their shirt immediately.  Thankfully there's a tight wrap beneath it, over their chest.  Still, it reveals many of the tattoos she's carrying. "All of these are protection wards.  Whatever I could find.  I still have space, in case I need any others.  Most of it's to ward off evil spirits, the evil eye, demons, whatever.  It's kinda necessary in my line of work."

NULL - 10/01/2017

"You have a good point. Yeah, these would definitely keep me out if you hadn't shaken my hand. Good for you." He's still not trying to invade without permission, though. There wouldn't be much to gain from it right now, and Red had... maybe a small point with going for the throat of Bill's lonliness.

Lunch - 10/01/2017

Kavi flashes a double thumbs up and a grin.  "Sure would be a new experience.  If you do, just be careful not to die.  I don't even wanna know how that would affect all the fuckery that is death."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"It's actually pretty fun!~ It's how I'm controlling this bug," They did a little wing shimmy, "*I did it once to a human, too! But they wanted me to erase her memories though."

NULL - 10/01/2017

"Well you are my FAVORITE prisoner. I'd like to avoid getting you killed, so don't worry about it! I'll even opt out of slamming my hand in kitchen drawers and throwing myself down stairs, as hard as those things are to resist." He looks like he thinks he's doing someone a great favor.

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Pfft, you're such a dear." Kavi snorts in amusement, giving Bill an extra good pat on the topmost angle.  "Thanks for that, I don't really have any super healing powers unless I'm dead." "Huh.  Whadda you look like out of bug form, Bor?  Can you show us or is it not possible?" They watch the little roach with genuine curiousity, head canting to the side.

NULL - 10/01/2017

"I do! I can regenerate just about anything. The only thing I have any trouble fixing is my eye, and even that's not impossible. It just takes a long time." He turns himself upside-down with another of those breakneck-quick movements. "I was wondering about that myself. Cockroaches are adorable, but I would like to see what our friend here looks like on their own."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"oh! eh hahah... I-I guess it's not too bad get out of this bug for a bit," Bor bug body went limp and in a blink of an eye was a tall lanky looking baphomet, they had permanent smile plastered on it's face too. "Ta-dah~ I usually stay in the bug body since all the humans tend spook easily..." they mutter begrudgingly while taking their vessel off the twinky and eating in one bite.

NULL - 10/01/2017

Bill eye-smiles. "Humans are ridiculous! You're gorgeous. I get it though. I don't really look the way I usually manifest either. It's hard to talk to people when they're screaming."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"HOT BOI!"  Thanks, Kavi.

NULL - 10/01/2017

"HOTBOI!"

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"You look fine to me, Bor.  But I deal with possession and rogue demon incidents for a living, so." They shrug.  "I'm probably uh.  A little biased."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

Bor looked sorta... surprised to get this type of reaction though they can't say they don't like it though, their ears perk up slightly while doing those happy squints cats do when their content... Wait... Were they purring too? "Aw shucks guys, thanks!~" they're super glad that they're around beings they don't mind their appearance and understood them. "Some humans are kinda ridiculous aren't they, hehe~"

Lunch - 10/01/2017

"Dude, are you purring?" Kavi perks up.  "That's awesome! I don't think I've ever heard a demon purr.  And yeah, most humans are pretty ridonkulous.  And bland? I dunno.  They all look the same.  At least monsters look interesting." Shruggio.  "Again, though.  Biased."

Barbor - 10/01/2017

"I-I s-shit you heard that?" they covered their mouth, Bor looked sorta embarrassed that Kevi heard that but at least they're not teasing them about it. "Y-Yeah I do, but I don't see any other demons purr but the feline aligned entities I've seen."

Lunch - 10/01/2017

Kavi grins over at him and taptaps her ear.  "Got an aural enhancemet device tucked in here, picked that up loud and clear.  Don't worry, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to."

Barbor - 10/02/2017

Bor thought on it with another bag of doritos in their claws, "N-No it's fine, I just didn't expect anyone to hear it to be honest." they opened it and tossed some of it in their mouth. "Plus I don't think goat demons are even supposed to purr, but hey there's a chance for everything, right?"

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"Maybe it's a really quiet 'baaa' deep in your chest? Or a purr! Maybe you have some feline demon in you?" Kavi shifts around Bill, moving over to Barbor and stealing a Dorito. "Or maybe it's a special talent of yours!"

Barbor - 10/02/2017

They tiled the bag towards them, though the baph's eyes were empty they still looked almost puzzled some how. "It doesn't feel like a 'baaa', It's kinda constant depending how I'm feeling and how long." "It could be though, my creator didn't really told me the specifics about how she made me. I try not to pry into it too much either." they said with a slight shrug.

Lunch - 10/02/2017

Kavi absent-mindedly grabs another chip.  Cronch monch. "Sounds like a purr to me!  Must be something they put together, then. You were created?"

Barbor - 10/02/2017

"Yeah, believe it or not, I used to be... a human?? I made a super stupid deal to get out a really... Really crummy situation..." They slightly growled a tiny bit while munching on some chips of their own, "But that's in the past now, being a demon is a lot more fun."

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"I bet! Plus, folks make deals all the time to get out of crappy situations." Sloooowly turns to stare at Bill.  The mechanical eye rotates lethargically outwards until they're going wall-eyed.(edited)

Barbor - 10/02/2017

Bor took a glance at Kavi and back at Bill,  but seeing their eye doing it's own thing made the baph chuckle and it ultimately led into a full blown giggle fit. "Kavi, what the heck~"

Lunch - 10/02/2017

Kavi snickers, the mechanical eye quickly rolling back into place and the shutter-lens flicking about as it re-aligned itself.  "Fuck that's always really disorienting.  Humans are not built for chameleon eyes.  Worth it for the laugh, though."

NULL - 10/02/2017

"I remember somebody else who makes that face! Speaking of, I'm predicting a high chance of him showing up here, so I'm going to skedaddle before things get messy!" Bill tips his hat. "I'll see you two around soon. Reaaal soon." He is gone.

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"Well, that was ominous.  But hey, cable guy is coming soon!" CHEERING.

Barbor - 10/02/2017

"Cable guy? You mean the sixer guy you and bill talked about?" they were confused but they were still generally happy that they get to have multi-universal tv

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"Uhhhh.  Maybe? Or-- Hm.  I dunno.  I think his name's Rick?  I don't think Rick is Sixer.  I think Sixer is Ford.  Or maybe Bill calls a bunch of people Sixer?" Scritchety scratches their head."Okay, yeah.  Ford is Sixer, not cable guy." Kavi glances up from their phone and gives Bor a thumbs up.

NULL - 10/02/2017

Aaand... Rick! The portal opens, he steps through, then it closes. He's got some kind of fancy cable box and a belt full of tools. He smells strongly of vodka now. Thanks Red. "Hhhey wh-what's up? I'm Cable Guy Rick!"

Barbor - 10/02/2017

The demon finished the chips and looked in the bag to see if there's any more, but there wasn't so they ate the bag itself. The smell of vodka made the demon reared their head back slightly "J-Just chillin, you smell like you had a good time"

Lunch - 10/02/2017

Kavi whirls around, beaming happily at Rick and offering a half-assed salute. "Yo, dude! Nice t'see you! Glad you could find the place okay.  And not get swallowed by void whales."  Kavi glances over their shoulder towards Barbor. "From what I saw yesterday, the booze smell may or may not just be his everyday norm."

NULL - 10/02/2017

"Y-yeah, the last guy I installed for t-took me to a bar and I couldn't resist. O-only four shots though, I-I can still work on four shots." Rick laughs. "D-don't rub it in, wh-where's the TV? U-unless you wanted me to install this UP YOUR BUTT. Haha! Owned."(edited)

Lunch - 10/02/2017

Kavi snorts, making a spinning motion with their finger.  "Owned but at least I'm not blind. Bam.Turn around dude, right behind you.  There's a second one downstairs, but I can easily figure somethin' out t'connect the two once y'get that set up. Actually..." Kavi scratches their chin, blinking.  "...I should take the satellite dish off the roof, huh?"

NULL - 10/02/2017

"I-I wouldn't worry about it. Y-you won't need the dish anymore but it's not hurting anything by being-by being up there." He belches, turns around and sets to work with the installation. "S-so how do you know Stanford and why are you living on the edge of the Nightmare Realm? A-are those two answers connected? Lay it on me."

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"Nope! Not connected at all."  Kavi pauses a moment, offering Barbor the bag of Doritos they'd brought over for themself.  There's still half a bag left, if he wants them! "I moved here a whiiiiile ago.  Only just recently met Ford when I tried to find a bathroom and accidentally popped in on movie night instead.  Cool shit to watch, though!  The location of the house is basically 'cause this is where I was at when I ported everything in." Shrugs.

NULL - 10/02/2017

"W-weird coincidence. Do yourse-" Burp. "Do yourself a big favor and don't let this place drift sixteen feet to our left." This guys carrying and making use of some seriously high tech looking tools. A few sparks fly from the TV and he utters a flat "Oh shit." before taking yet another device to it that undoes any damage to it in a matter of seconds. "Haha, fleeb." Rick shakes his head and pats the side of the TV before testing it. On it goes, and there it is, multiversal cable.

Barbor - 10/02/2017

The Baphamet happily took the bag and stuff their muzzle into it and munched the contents, hearing the sparks fly around bor scooted away from TV and sat behind the coffee table.  "Does he have to anchor this place down to prevent that from happening?" Once the multiuniversal TV comes on they tilted their head from side to side "W-what the fuck is a fleeb?"

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"No worries.  It's locked in position already, otherwise I'd get lost trying to get back to it.  Nice dude, thanks for the hook up!  Here, lemme--"  They disappear a moment into the kitchen, returning with a dusty bottle and offering it out to Rick. "Payment.  Hope it's okay if the booze is haunted.  Ghost shouldn't bother you too much, though, I made sure it wasn't malignant.  I just really hate the taste of tequila."

NULL - 10/02/2017

"I-it's a creature that excreets Fleeb Juice which is necessary tool for-for the creation of Plumbuses among other things. I-it's also good for rigging old television sets to support new tech." He stands up, gathers his things and draws in a deep breath. "All done here! Good luck, here's my number if you need any fuckin' uhhhhh..." He goes wall-eyed for a moment. "R-right, payment. Gh-ghost booze, huh? P-perfect for sexy butts. I'll see yooou later." He fingerguns backwards through a new portal after leaving a scrap of paper with his cell number atop the TV set.

Barbor - 10/02/2017

Bor lets out a small, "Thanks!" and "bye!" when he finger guns his way out of here.

"* He's... Cool?"  the baph loafs on the floor and rests their chin on the table while "watching" TV. "I can't believe he did it so quickly though, he just came in not a second ago.*"(edited)

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"See you dude!" Another half-assed salute, and then he's gone. "Dude's really smart or something, apparently? I wish I had an intellect for more than just, like...one thing.  But hey, free cable! Fuck yeah!  Lemme see if I can find..." Kavi grabs a nearby remote and flips through the channels at top speed, squinting as the listings race by.  "No....No....Wai-- Nope, nope-- AHA!"  The Gravity Falls channels! "TIGER FIST!"((

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFY6-qD7igA

))

YouTube

CartoonMoments

Gravity Falls - Tiger Fist

Barbor - 10/02/2017

[[ XDDDD gosh! ]] "FREE CABLE!~" Bor wooped gleefully, they perked up their ears to listen to the channels changing. Some of those listings that went by sounded interesting but they didn't want to object. "Tiger fist?.... TIGER FIIIIST!  What a strong tiger~"

Lunch - 10/02/2017

"TIGER FISSSSST!" "I saw it when we were watching that stuff about the Pines twins and Gravity Falls and thought it looked cool. I mean, c'mon.  A tiger with a fist? Obviously awesome."  They wiggle with excitement as the show starts to play.(edited)

NULL - 10/02/2017

https://youtu.be/fxyua6G_s9c

YouTube

Tumee

Rick and morty - Best moments - Inter dimensional cable - Part 1

Barbor - 10/02/2017

The eye brow wiggling got a chortle out of bor "It is pretty awesome, I gotta admit, but why just stop with a normal human fist? Why didn't they put some bear arms on the tiger?~"

Those strawberry sniggles looked pretty yummy to have right about now~

Barbor - 10/03/2017

A degraded looking  letter fluttered onto coffee table.

Lunch - 10/03/2017

Kavi is shoving Twinkies into their face and scowling as they watch the show by themself. The tiny note makes them smile a little.  Okay, maybe only one more Twinkie after this one.

Lunch - 10/03/2017

Kavi stomps outside of their house and out into the pine forest.  They climb one of the trees and plop onto one of the branches. And promptly....scream at the top of their lungs.  LET IT ALL OUT.

Barbor - 10/03/2017

Poofs near were Kavi is and gives a light poke... And then head-butts softly in a greeting manner.

Lunch - 10/03/2017

Kavi sighs, gently patting Bor's head.  They're about fifty feet up off the ground and not entirely sure about returning the headbutting movement. "Hey bud.  Feel free to crash on the couch or in one of the rooms, yeah?  I just need a bit of quiet time."

Barbor - 10/03/2017

Their ears lower and let out a sigh that almost sounded like a "oh",  the head pats were greatly welcomed but still... their curiosity is bugging  them to ask this human about what happened at movie night. "Thanks, I will, but I gotta ask..." they tapped their claws together before continuing "Do you want to talk about it?"

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"...Maybe.  Just-- not at the moment.  I probably should, I guess? I dunno. I'll come back down in a bit for a chat." They hug their arms to themself, sighing.

Barbor - 10/03/2017

"Alright, I'll be all ears," their ears wiggled slightly when they made that pun "if you decided to come back inside.~  Till then I'm gonna find a room to make my own,*"  They said before waving them off and heading inside, they're totes gonna take one of the rooms in the top floor.

NULL - 10/03/2017

Bill projects his wire-frame hologram form out of the artistic Dorito once again. "Hey guys! I just thought of something! Something either of you could do for me since I helped you out of Dove's bubble in the Nightmare Realm! What do you say, are either of you up to a task?"(edited)

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"Heh.  Pick any of them that you want, though the library might be a bit awkward to sleep in."  They sat there a few hours, just watching everything around them.

Kavi finally clambered back down from the pine tree once the lighting had shifted and started up the day cycle, getting back home just in time to see Bill pop on in.  They gave a tired wave with a hand covered in sap and bark bits. "Hey Bill. Sec."  Kavi heads for the staircase, pausing at the bottom and trying to fiddle a twig out of their hair as they call up to the second story.  "BOR! BILL'S HERE! GOT SOMETHIN' FOR ONE OF US TO DO!"

Barbor - 10/03/2017

The baphomet came trotting down the stairs on all fours, it was much better traverse instead of ducking all the time.  Bor plopped themselves on the couch while chewing on dismembered arm as they listened intently what Bill got in store for them.

NULL - 10/03/2017

"Oh hey what's up Bor? Sleep well? You're still looking great. So anyway! This is really only a one-person task so it'll only count for one of you, but if the other wants to tag along for shits, who am I to complain?" He's very animated right now, occasionally spinning an equally holographic cane, zipping from one spot to another, or turning himself upside-down just because he can. "There's something that belongs to me in Gravity Falls, something I was forced to leave behind when I made my involuntary exit that you no doubt know about by now. I'm not going to ask you to get it back for me because that's a task way more complicated than what I did for you. What I will ask you to do is gather up some pretty rocks and leave a trail of them from one location to the location where my physical form is hidden."(edited)

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"Pretty...rocks?"  Kavi gives a confused squint.

Barbor - 10/03/2017

"That sounds kinda easy? But who's this trail for?"They spoke clearly regardless if their mouth is stuffed with food.

NULL - 10/03/2017

"I've got a dragon sending a gift my way and I want to make sure that gift finds her way to me naturally. When I say pretty rocks that's not a metaphore. I mean it literally. Just collect some nice looking stones and other shiny things and leave a trail of them from where she is to where I am. That's all I want you to do." He adjusts his tie. "Easy enough if you're not concerned with the consequences, and neither of you seem particularly attached to that little hick town or anyone in it, right? So, what do you say? Can I count on my friends?"

Lunch - 10/03/2017

Kavi stops by the sink, trying to wash as much sap off their hands as possible.  And bark.  And pine needles.  And dirt.  And literally everything because holy shit pine sap is the worst. "I could not care less, yeah.  Unless Bor's attached to anyone there, we could go together 'n then stop by a dimension with a food store on the way home.  What do you think, roachdude?"

Barbor - 10/03/2017

"I'm not attached to anyone in that town so I'm all for it!~"  The baphomet disappeared and the dead bug on the table reanimates again, chirping and screeching like the day before.

"So we just gotta find some cool pretty stones? Would gemstones work too?"  the roach asked while it starts to stretch out it's legs and wings.

NULL - 10/03/2017

"Gemstones would be perfect if you can find any, just try to keep them somewhat natural looking. I don't want some irrelevant nobody picking up the trail before she does. Try to stay out of sight. If anybody asks questions, play dumb. Oh, and you might want to wear your roach suit, Bor. The locals are jumpy." Bill vibrates just slightly. "I don't have it all down on paper just yet, but I do have some vague ideas on how I might piece myself back together without the help of uncooperative pieces of my consciousness that've changed too much on their own to serve me well anyway."

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"Sweet!  Wait, Bor, do you just have gemstones laying around?  I was gonna just go smash a bottle and use glass bits.  Those are pretty shiny.  Gemstones might be a better option, though." Shrugs. "Anyone in particular we should be avoiding on sight?"

Barbor - 10/03/2017

"I don't! But illusions is something I'm good at," They clicked happily while doing a few body bobs, "You can break those glass bits anyway, I'll just put a sigil on it to make it look like a nice gemstone~" "And yeah, should we be on a look out for any humans there, Bill?"(edited)

NULL - 10/03/2017

"Glass isn't good enough. They have to be natural stones. We're not necessarily talking precious ones, just pretty ones off the ground. No fooling her and ripping her off, even if it's easy. I want her to get real, non-illusionary rocks. I have standards, you know!" Bill folds his arms. "I wouldn't worry about anybody in particular. They don't have a way of knowing what you're up to as long as you're not obvious about it. I trust you two to use your brains." Which might be a mistake, since they already thought of using broken glass instead of the stones he specifically requested.

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"Ugh.  Guess we'll have to make a stop at a mountain or something before we go near the forest.  Doubt we'll be able to find many underneath all the leaf litter.  Not easily, at least.  Should be a few nearby rock formations, at least." Pauses to think.  "...Mountain lake, maybe?  Lakeshores are usually great for finding pretty stones.  Or streams."  They're basically mumbling to themselves at this point.

NULL - 10/03/2017

"There's a lake, there are mountains. For fucks sake, guys, have fun with it. I'm not asking you to move entire mountains here, I'm asking you to go on a little vacation to a nice place and drop some rocks. You could probably fish them out of the gravel in somebody's driveway." Bill sighs. Why are minions so difficult?

Lunch - 10/03/2017

"Oh hush, not like we're wasting time, dude.  If you didn't notice, it doesn't really pass around here the same as it does elsewhere.  No need to get your panties twisted."  Flashes of their earlier foul mood pop up, though they quickly turn and head for the door to their room. "Lemme go grab my shit, then we'll go."