#guys i swear avatar 2 is gonna happen!!

[waterfire1848]

An AU where Azula and Katara switch bodies and shenanigans ensue? Or one where Aang and Azula switch?

Hello, @wingchunwaterbender !!! Shout out to @emluckyowl and @akiizayoi4869 for their assistance!

1. The Gaang encounter Team Azula in a trickster spirit’s forest. While Katara and Azula are fighting, the spirit swaps their bodies. Both are awake and know what’s going on so they’re able to see the body swap clear as day. Needless to say, they freak out and their teams are alerted to the problem. (Aang: Katara! What’s wrong? Are you okay? Azula: Get away from me, Avatar! Sokka: Katara? Azula: I will fry you both! Get away from me! Aang: Did you hit your head or…?) However, as quickly as it happens the two swap back. Azula and Katara swear that they swapped bodies but at the same time are desperate for it to have been fake so they assume that they just imagined it. Later that night, Katara lights their campfire and Azula takes a sip of water and they’ve switched again. (Katara, in Azula’s body: Aang, whats going on? Aang: Can I start by saying that it is kinda terrifying to see Azula acting kind? Katara: Aang. Aang: Right! I talked with the spirit and…there’s good news and bad news. Azula, in Katara’s body: Spill it, Avatar. Aang: The good news is it isn’t permanent! You’ll stop swapping bodies eventually! Katara: Thank the spirits. I do not want to be stuck in this body forever. Azula: You think I want to be in your body any longer than I have to? Aang: But! From now until the end of the year, whenever you’re around each other’s elements, you’ll swap bodies and stay that way for 24 hours. Azula & Katara: WHAT?!?!)

2. Azula has no choice really but to travel with the Gaang and, of course, Mai and Ty Lee come along for the ride. For a while, Azula and Katara are constantly in each other’s bodies because Azula needs water and Katara is constantly fighting firebenders. One day, Azula and Katara manage to make it the 24 hours and return to their own bodies. (Azula: How I’ve missed bending a proper element! Katara: I’d waterbend at you but I want to be in my body for a few minutes. Azula: If I were you I’d be clawing to get out of that body and into this one. Katara: If that’s what you want… Azula: No!) That night, the two get to talking and Katara realizes that Azula actually doesn’t know how to do hair which is why Katara’s hair was never done. Katara shows Azula how to do it, making sure to not use her bending, and tells Azula that when they swap, Azula can try practicing on her own head. Later that night, Azula notices Katara shivering because she’s away from the fire and sleeps next to her (Katara: Warm. Azula: Don’t get used to it. I’m only doing this to make sure you don’t freeze to death and- Katara: Shhhhhhh. Warm blanket. Azula: Yeah. I’m the warm blanket.)

3. While the two do grow slightly more civil, there’s still a lot of fighting and when that fighting happens the two get creative with how to handle it. Katara decided to give Azula’s body a Water Tribe tattoo on her back. Azula decided to cut off Katara’s hair loopies. Katara times it perfectly when they’ll switch back and gets Azula a date with a local guy in the village. Azula throws herself into the mud (not fun for her but watching Katara try and drag her out and yell about getting mud on her hair makes it all worth it). When they meet Zuko, Katara starts saying Zuko is the better firebender, the one deserving of the throne, the better sibling, etc and Ty Lee and Mai have to hold Azula back. (Azula: I’ll kill you! Katara: You’d be killing your own body. Azula: I don’t care! You would be dead! Katara: Very harsh words considering you were so nice to your brother two seconds ago. What did you call him? The superior bender? Maybe we should talk the spirit into letting you two swap bodies next. I- Azula: I’M GONNA KILL YOU! *Mai and Ty Lee hold her back*) As revenge against that, Azula decides to flirt with literally every guy in town in the most obvious and embarrassing way possible (Azula decides not to tell anyone that one or two of the lines she used she thought were good pick up lines).

4. Over the next few months, Katara and Azula actually get good at swapping when they need to and staying in their own bodies when need be. That’s not to say there isn’t the occasional…prank (Toph pouring water on Azula, Mai lighting a torch next to Katara and Aang accidentally launching Azula into the ocean) but all in all they start to get a handle on things. The problem comes in when they’re in Ba Sing Se. Azula gets kidnapped by Long Feng and Katara switches their bodies on purpose. (Aang: Katara! Stop! What are you doing? Katara: If I switch with Azula then you guys can find her because she’ll know where her body is. Sokka: Yeah, but you’ll be down there….with Long Feng. Katara: I know, but Azula needs our help). Safe to say that after that, Katara and Azula’s relationship turns from something of a friendship to the two of them having massive crushes on the other. This is very weird when you’re swapping bodies with your crush and technically have a crush on yourself. (Mai once saw Azula practicing pick up lines in front of a mirror while in Katara’s body and Aang saw Katara admiring Azula’s arms while in Azula’s body) (Mai: This madness has to stop. Aang: Agreed).

5. The journey in the Fire Nation is still weird because Azula and Katara are still dancing around their feelings for one another. At the beach and in some villages, Katara gets hit on a lot in Azula’s body. It’s a weird split between being kind of flattered but also pissed because Katara doesn’t want some random guys hitting on Azula. During the party, the two manage to get their own bodies for the night. (Katara: Ready for a night of fun in our own bodies. Azula: I can’t go near any liquid here but other than that, it’ll be a blast. Katara: Sorry. I didn’t choose to be a waterbender. Azula: It’s okay. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something and it’s probably best to do it in my own body. Katara: Hmmm? Azula: I…I want us to, well- Chan: Azula! Over here! Katara: Ah, your boyfriend is calling. Talk later, Zula. Azula: Yeah. Later.) Less than an hour later, Chan gets Azula a drink and the two swap bodies. Katara, now in Azula’s body, has to finish Azula’s date for her which is very weird to Chan because he started the date with Azula talking about world domination and how sharp his outfit was and ended the date with Katara being pretty calm and easy to talk to. (Katara: Guess we’re stuck like this for another 24 hours. I’m sorry your date got messed up. I wish- Azula: I LIKE YOU! *Katara looking at the party which stopped to look at them for a second* Katara, grabbing Azula’s hand and walking away: Maybe we do this talk in private. Azula: I wanted to wait until we were in our own bodies but I can’t and I know it’s weird because in a way I’m saying this to myself but I like you. Katara: Azula- Azula: I know I’m Fire Nation and we’re not even if the right bodies but I- Katara: Azula! I like you too! Azula: Oh. Katara: Oh?? Azula: I can’t help it! My own body and voice just told me it likes me. This is why I wanted to wait until we were in our own bodies!) Maybe it’s not that surprising to the Gaang that Azutara officially stops swapping bodies when the two kiss for the first time (which, once again, feels very weird not only to be kissing themselves but to then open their eyes and be kissing the other person)

[proffesionalalpaca]

So I saw Avatar 2: The Way of Water. 10/10 visuals and 6.5/10 for story. But I’m looking forward to #3 in a few years which is supposedly going to feature a tribe or clan(s) of fire Na’vi/ ‘ash people’. There is next to nothing on these guys in terms of info at the moment besides the fact that they are gonna be the bad guys of the Na’vi.

So everything after this point is basically my head-cannon/speculation/fanfic. Enjoy :)

So I interpreted them as having a nomadic warrior society, not like other Na’vi but far more bloodthirsty in fighting other Na’vi tribes, who live near and around volcanoes.

They have a greyish-purple skin tone with sharp, dark stripes that sometimes form crude spiral shapes with darkened fingertips that end in sharpened claws, filing their nails to needle sharpness with volcanic rock. Their muscular and powerful tails have armoured plates, heavily clustered around the end of the tail and evolved from hair, which can be used as a bludgeoning weapon that can easily crush a human rib cage and femur whilst inflicted deep wounds (picture ancient Aztec obsidian clubs or ankylosaurus). The fire Na’vi tend to have amber to red eyes with dark grey/ black sclera. Compared to other Na’vi sub-species and variants, the fire Na’vi have a larger set of double fangs, a large pair of canines on their upper jaw and a smaller but pronounced set on their lower jaw, they also possess larger pointed ears that are often pierced when they pass the trials of adulthood.

The ash people prefer to keep their hair loose with typically only a few beaded braids and chunky plaits to stylise and manage, each bead has a significance to the person wearing it usually marking a hunt or battle, but sometimes can mark other things like the birth of a child or death of a loved one. When going to battle they will tie their hair into tight styles like braided buns, some even braid their hair around their tswins/queues an extra layer of protection due to inter-clan disputes involving the decapitation of queues as a savage battle tactic or prisoner of war’s punishment. The gesture is more symbolic than practical, even though some swear by the practice. When a person is exiled from the clan their hair is cut short to the scalp as a sign of dishonour, marking them as outcast. (Shorter styles are okay but anything above the ears is an exiles mark).

The fire Na’vi often choose to ride upon large creatures that resemble earth salamanders and some dare to ride upon a rare species of feathered Ikran. Many tribes are almost always accompanied by several large tortoise-like animals, twice the size of the direhorse/ Pa’li, these creatures are much slower but are great beats of burden as the clans often has to pack up their sites to avoid the ever shifting lava flows that litter the region they call home. In times of great hardship ones of these animals will sustain an entire clan for over a week. Moving great distances isn’t common but will happen in the event of larger eruptions which occurs once every few generations so the clans make a habit of moving semi-regularly in order to avoid overusing the lands which would incur Eywa’s wrath.

The ‘ash people’ decorate themselves in fiery colours that reflect the lava that spews from Pandora like blood, using a mixture of glass beads, gems and feathers, an amber like mineral being particularly popular among them.

Due to their warring nature, the warriors of these Na’vi take to wearing the bones of slain enemies as trophies, jewellery and sometimes even fashioned/ incorporated into weapons and tools. Nearly every adult fire Na’vi has scars from hunting or fighting and it is encouraged to have wounds from battle scar over, a member’s first scar from a conflict or life & death struggle is often celebrated by close family and friends as an unofficial first step into adulthood (Their first literal steps being a walk over hot lava rocks).

The ash Na’vi also create their signature red war paint using volcanic ash mixed with blood from a kill, either a great beast they hunted or an enemy Na’vi.

Contrary to popular belief from other Na’vi groups, the ash people do not practice cannibalism though they do use their very sharp double fanged bites to tear out throats should their hands be otherwise occupied.

Their interpretation of Eywa differs greatly from most other Na’vi as they feel that they are subject to her true fury and are thus stronger for it, they believe that all life must be preceded and followed by destruction and death for there to be rebirth or renewal. The fire Na’vi believe that they must always adapt or die, as their way of life requires for them to never be complacent or set too heavily in their ways, though strong cultural traditions have remained for thousands of millennia such as their weaving and culinary techniques.

Hope you enjoyed that little bit of cultural speculation of a fictional alien cat species.

[lektricwhump]

i swear this about has a funny title guys trust me

howdy! been using this blog for a bit now but i’m finally making a proper intro. i go by the names beck, mac, and flynn. i’m 19 and use she/him pronouns (my gender identity is butch woman). proud representative of the bi butch community.

i like and follow from @lektricfergus, and my avatar is by @midlangley. i’m not gonna list any specific dni but i’ll block people if our vibes don’t jive. i may post/reblog nsft content here, properly tagged (as #nsft and/or #nsfwhump), and i ask that minors not interact with those posts.

on to the fun stuff. here’s what you probably will see a lot of on this blog:

- gore and body horror

- defiant whumpees

- whumping the whumper

- substance abuse

- dehumanization

- organized crime

- weirdo immortals and magic users

- urban fantasy

- BUTCH CHARACTERS!!!

of note is that if i tag ladywhump it’s so people can find it, not as a trigger tag. if you need to avoid it i respect that, but my blog may not be for you

here’s what you probably won’t see a lot of, if at all:

- vomit/emeto in detail

- whump of minors

- heavy animalization

- societally normalized bbu/trafficking

that’s it for the important stuff, but there’s a small non-whumpy about under the cut with supplemental beck info

stuff i like:

- ethel cain

- team fortress 2 (shameless plug for my tf2 blog @fineredmist)

- doom engine games and mods for them

- comics/graphic novels

- movies, especially horror and disaster—i’m planning to minor in film and/or screenwriting! some specific movies i love are: the thing (1982), near dark (1987), brain damage (1988), 28 days later (2003), the day after tomorrow (2004), annihilation (2018), and the menu (2022). i also happen to claim school of rock (2003) as one of my favorites, but that doesn’t really fit in that list.

- relating to the above, body horror and practical effects

what else to put here

[seyaryminamoto]

I’ve been rereading, & I noticed Sokka has a ton of scars across his body! I tried to keep up but have lost track lol T.T So my question is, how many does our gladiator have (currently), and the locations if you don’t mind? XD I’m trying to visualize it for some odd reason lol I swear I’m not weird >.< On a more serious note - Will he have the strength to not beat Iroh to a pulp if they cross paths?? Will we ever see Hama? Will Kat ever know about Yon Ra? O.O TYSM for this amazing story! <3

Oh, you're not crazy for noticing this, I actually tried to do a general butt-naked Sokka reference sheet so I could keep track of his scars... and then I never did finish it, oops. Frankly he has a lot of scars, of variable severity, I'd say. There are some that will have faded more easily over time, others that haven't (for instance, the spike through his shoulder, courtesy of Toph back in chapter 17? that one's probably a very noticeable scar). Right now, off the top of my head, the ones I can remember are:

One on his shoulder, caused by Toph, chapter 17.

The burn on his stomach after his fight with Azula back in chapter 2, that then got basically smoothed over in 126, also courtesy of Azula... so his skin there has become smooth, kind of a rare situation where the scar just got flattened and isn't very noticeable anymore.

Light lines over his neck, also Azula's doing back, in chapter 2.

Also scars over his thighs, from Jet's fight in chapter 30.

The scar across his back from his fight against Rhone in chapter 114.

The childhood scar from having two fishhooks in his thumb... :'D

Multiple scars in variable locations from his time in the Amateur League, most of them are bound to have faded plenty by now.

... While he got decent medical assistance for those wounds eventually, I doubt the events from 236 + 242 didn't leave at least a few scars, especially burn marks. They might fade over time, but he definitely must have some lasting marks from it.

... Aside from all of this, I feel like maybe I've had Sokka growing strong enough to avoid serious scars through most of Part 2. While he often falls off places and takes damage when that happens, he's innately resistant to blunt force damage, I'd say (courtesy of canon and its cartoon physics, if they're going to make this man endure all damage miraculously just for shits and giggles, I'm gonna take that and make him OP for REAL).

About your other questions...

It's one hell of a challenge for him, and he absolutely hates being anywhere near the guy... but Sokka does indeed succeed at holding back from attempting to skewer Iroh simply because doing that would severely hamper his possibilities of saving Azula and ending the war. Much as he has told Ursa... saving Azula is his top priority. Revenge isn't what he needs when the person he's trying to save is, for all he knows, in a battle against time against Ozai's perpetual and very dangerous wrath. As far as Sokka is concerned, Iroh's unforgivable role in triggering this disaster will be something for him and Azula to weigh together once they're back with each other... and he firmly believes that, since Azula was the one Iroh's actions hurt most deeply, she's the one who should decide what to do with him.

... Which is a much scarier prospect for Iroh than getting beaten to a pulp by Sokka, I have to say...

Regarding Hama, she has died by now in Gladiator. I tried to think of how to incorporate her into the story long ago, but the more I pondered it, the less likely I found it for her to survive long enough to take up a role in the story. She was already quite old in canon, and we're talking about a survivor of severe torture and terrible imprisonment conditions, which most likely took a toll on her health. As she was found guilty of many deaths with her bloodbending shenanigans of locking people up inside a mountain (since Team Avatar of course wasn't here to stop her), Hama was imprisoned again regardless of her old age... and she passed away at some point afterwards. In a way, not a very different outcome than she faced in canon (she was captured too, presumably turned in to the Domestic Forces eventually), it's just a more definitive one on my part since I do believe she's dead at this point in time, whereas I doubt canon will ever talk about how long Hama lived after being caught in The Puppetmaster. Sorry if you hoped to see her :( but I really do think I would have been pushing believability too far if I brought her up in the story, unfortunately.

As for Katara and Yon Rha... while it's not impossible that she'll learn more about Kya's murder some day, I have no plans of revealing that to her during the story. Worth mentioning that I also don't believe her reaction would be what it was during the show, not only is she older and wiser in many ways, she's also been through certain experiences that would ensure that she doesn't react as impulsively to things as she often did in canon. There's several possible examples of that, but the first one that comes to mind is the strong contrast between her emotional reactions in the swamp when she sees Kya in canon vs. Gladiator: in this story, she realizes it's a mirage, even if it's a very painful one, and she understands it's a spiritual happening that will guide her onwards. In the show, the swamp certainly was being a lot more merciless to them (see what it did to Sokka, ffs...) but there's no instance of self-reflection on Katara's part, she simply breaks down over her vision of Kya. Evidently, she's ten years older at this point in Gladiator, hence the greater maturity, even if she still feels her emotions as powerfully as ever... but she has also faced certain challenges canon sure didn't throw at her, all of which has helped Katara grow stronger in Gladiator, in many ways. Enough that even if her initial impulsive reaction upon hearing about Yon Rha were the same, she wouldn't rush out to act on those impulses at once.

Another thing worth noting is that, in canon, no one but Yon Rha is held responsible for what happened to Kya... in Gladiator, we have our particular explanation of how the Fire Nation found out that there was a waterbender in the South Pole. And the people who are ultimately responsible for orchestrating Kya's death (Azulon, who wanted any new waterbenders killed, and Rhone's parents, who gave away information about Katara's powers to the Fire Nation) are already dead. While it's absolutely possible for Katara to want revenge on Yon Rha, who committed the murder... she would likely also learn that he's not the only person responsible for Kya's death, which muddles matters further here. Doesn't help either that Rhone is ALSO dead, and that learning about what Rhone did (if she ever does, though she's also not going to find out about it for a long time at least, Sokka is hellbent on keeping her from learning about it for the time being) would probably cause her to slow down if she starts craving revenge: Rhone killed his own parents in retaliation for what happened to Kya (though he thought it was Katara who had died, but anyway...), and he spiraled on and on into becoming an attempted mass murderer, an indiscriminate firebender murderer, and his worst choices had repercussions so severe that Azula is still dealing with those consequences to this day... it's not a pretty mirror to look into, and I do think that would give Katara's vengeful urges some pause. If she ever learns about Yon Rha and decides to seek him out, she'll definitely do it from a place of much more restraint than the impulsiveness we saw of her in canon.

(... also, worth noting that our Zuko isn't exactly eager to find Yon Rha just to make Katara like him, he doesn't have that kind of insecurity about his place in the group here, and he can strengthen his usually wobbly friendship with Katara through much healthier means, as he already has across the latest Gladiator arcs, so not having an instigator, ride-or-die, whatever you want to call it for this potential mission would probably make Katara think about that a lot more thoroughly...)

So yep, that's what's up with that :'D

Thank you for the question and I'm glad you've enjoyed the story! :D

[transboysokka]

I’ve lost control of my life it is now 2:30am

(Chris watches Twilight Eclipse for the first time)

Okay fuck it it’s 12:30 am let’s start the annoying love triangle one (I’m guessing)

All I know about anything for the rest of the franchise is bella and Edward will be married and she’ll become a vampire either before or after that and also they will have a creepy baby but I think all that happens in the last book so NO guesses for this movie

At least the budget and therefore quality seem to be getting bigger/better each time

Another cheesy quote from Bella to open us out aight

Like idk she’s a student and I feel like students shouldn’t gotta worry about this marriage shit? Not in high school

It should be illegal to get married before 25 when your brain finishes developing btw

They’re both gonna be so annoying aren’t they, her with wanting to turn and him with wanting to get married, just kill me now

Anyway are they gonna finally resolve that one crazy lady vampire issue from the first movie bc that was really such a tiny problem to drag our

So is it jacob or jake what does he prefer

The music is a little better (so far) at least

Oh fuck not Edward controlling Bella’s movements and friendships GET AWAY FROM HIM BELLA

I get that Charlie has beef w Edward like girl same but also I feel bad for Edward lol

Mom sees that Edward is creepy too

Bella’s lying out in the sun but still just as pale okay

So jealous of T-shirt quilts

Dramatic ass vampire family nothing ever changes

Just get rid of this red hair chick so we can move onto the Vampiric Council villain plot

Teamwork!

More annoyed about Edward wanting to save Bella’s soul now that I know it’s Mormon propaganda tbhhhh

The thing w the Jacob v Edward drama that I never understood all those years ago is that they’re BOTH bad people!!

I still say they’d make a killer polycule

But I do love the “Edward is my boyfriend, Jacob is my best friend, and they’re jealous of each other”

Loving the lady werewolf

But how many are there now it seems like Too Much

Oh imprinting got it cool

WAIT I SWEAR I saw somewhere that Jacob ends up imprinting on Bella and Edwards daughter?????

Anyway at least lautner is kinda losing the accent at this point. Makes him less annoying

Unresolved Victoria plot, unresolved volturi plot, and now someone new???

Cross-species teamwork to help protect Bella how cute

Loving the historical flashbacks actually, I’d love a movie on the lore

WAIT FUCK jasper is SOKKA in that awful shyamalan avatar movie I’m sndkldjdsjkslskshdhdjdkd

JACOB why would you kiss her she just said she doesn’t love you I hate every man in this franchise

Clueless Charlie is pretty great

Rosalie has been nothing but spout straight up facts this entire franchise so far

Wow what a terribly tragic backstory though damn

So amused that they keep talking about defeating newborns lolol

Why would jasper know more about them than anyone else? They’ve all been newborns at some point? Is it bc he’s the most recently turned?

Oh good, explanation

Oh NOW he has an accent? lmao

Since when does he control emotions, have we seen that yet??

Ugh Jacob just DROP IT

Hahaha the father-daughter talks are so good

Listening to Debussy in preparation for seeing depussy nice

Oh DAMN he cockblocked himself. The damn Mormon influence again

It DOES make sense with the era he’s from etc etc

I just know the fangirlies were going crazy in the theatre w this whole sequence

oh NOW she says yes okayyyy

Okay seriously why is Jacob allergic to shirts

Cuddle for warmth. Classic fanfic trope oh all THREE of them should cuddle

“I am hotter than you” wow the fan girls are losing their minds

Anyway like we all know I stan rpats but he IS a goofy looking guy and I am constantly surprised he got cast for this role

Jacob doesn’t know how not to be a creep Jesus

Nice convo Jacob and Edward now kiss

But anyway that was actually super boring

Are they not even gonna SHOW the battle lmao

This movie feels super long am I wrong?

This fake ass snow

He’s literally making her say she loves him grossssss

What is any of this for like she’s less than 30 minutes of screen time away from marrying Edward right?? What was the ENTIRE point of that Jacob kiss

I actually do like how chill Edward was about it though lol

That is NOT Bryce Dallas Howard why doesn’t it look like her

What’s with the metallic clanking sounds when they die

This would be a great time for bella to get hurt and have to be turned, just saying

Oh DAMN did Bella use the trick from the werewolf story nice

Lol I had no idea vampires were so flammable

No idea what just happened to Jacob tbh like he doesn’t LOOK hurt

Why did they have to kill the girl jesus

The second movie was a gay allegory but this one is a trans allegory for sure

ok so yeah that’s another one done I guess lol

[athina-blaine]

MoMM Update! - What to heck?

Hello, everyone! Unfortunately, Chapter 2 is still under works– the hiatus we mentioned back in our first update post has arrived and MoMM has to take a bit of a backseat for now. I was definitely overzealous in flinging around posting dates the way I did, and I apologize for that; I’d hate to have inflicted any unnecessary disappointment. I promise to practice more reservation in the future!

In the meantime, I’ve decided to go ahead and post the first half of the chapter under this cut– 6k words, 17 pages, I got it all right here for ya. [pats top of post]

Enjoy!

THE MONSTER OF MAGNUS MANOR

CHAPTER 2

THE ESTATE

(Chapter 1 here!)

Martin’s dreams were murky things, cut to the clop of fading hoofbeats and a pair of frightened eyes– eyes that kept locking with his own as the world faded in and out. At some point they’d manifested fully into a man– he was saying something, a string of urgent, unintelligible words that blistered the air around them.

“–tay with me, don’t– no, no, no, no–”

Martin’s vision greyed out before he could make out the rest.

When he resurfaced,  he was lying in a … a bed? Was … this the castle infirmary–? No, he didn’t think even Lord Barclay’s mattress was this comfortable. And the rock slab cots lining the servants’ infirmary didn’t have four poster canopies, either …

Strange dream. Everything wobbled, and grew dark again.

And then he was blinking awake. The bed and its canopy were still there, as lavish as they’d been in his dream. 

“Are you awake properly, this time?”

The unfamiliar voice had Martin lurching upright. Pain zinged through his skull; he groaned, pressing a hand to one eye.

“I don’t know,” he breathed. “I-I guess so?”

The man sitting beside him let out a slow breath, some of the stiffness unwinding from his posture. “You’ve had a few false starts,” he explained. “Understandable, given your head injury.”

Head injury. The events from earlier came rushing back to him– Martin’s vision was still swimming, but he recognised this man, or the colour of his eyes, at least. They were the same shade of brown as the mysterious figure from the fog. He’d since pulled back the hood of his cloak, revealing dark skin marred with pockmarks on one side of his fine-boned face. His hair had been tied up in a silvering bird’s nest of a bun, and a few thin strands had fallen to brush the shoulders of a richly embroidered vest.

Martin tallied it all up: posh manner, fine clothes, the thin, borderline regal cut of his face. Despite the incongruity of his scars and disheveled hair, the facts pointed to one thing– this had to be the lord of that mysterious estate.

A mysterious estate he was now inside, with an injury that had stars dancing before his eyes. “How–” Martin started, then paused to steady his breathing. “How long was I out?”

“Not long.” The man pulled an ornate pocket watch from his vest pocket, squinting. “It’s about five o’clock.”

“In the afternoon?”

“Does it look like five o’clock in the morning to you?” the man demanded, gesturing to the window. He was right; a weak orange sunset had begun staining the sky, casting dark shadows from the treeline over the estate’s grounds.

“No.” The word had been torn from Martin’s mouth with a burst of horror. He scrambled for the sheets, startling a noise from his host.

“What on earth do you think you’re doing?”

Martin wasn’t listening; the image of Lord Barclay’s cold eyes as he told him, in unequivocal terms, that he was sacked had sent a low, buzzing static through his ears. “I’m sorry, thank you for taking me in, but I need t– I need to–” He had to get back– for his mum, if nothing else. Oh, God, if he lost this job now …

“What you need is to lie back down.” Martin’s bare foot had scarcely touched the floor before the man rose to his feet, thrusting a hand against his chest. “Didn’t you hear what I said? You’ve been concussed.”

Martin was unceremoniously shoved back down. He could’ve fought back– the stranger’s wrists were stick-thin where they stuck out past the sleeves of his tunic, and Martin wasn’t exactly small– but the sudden motion sent a wave of dizziness crashing over him, and Martin couldn’t summon the strength for it.

“Let me make one thing perfectly clear,” the man said, eyes fierce. “In your current state, you’ll collapse before you ever make it out of this forest. Is that what you want?”

The words hung in the air between them. Martin swallowed, shaking his head.

“Then lie down.”

Cowed, Martin sank back into the mattress. Once it was clear he wasn’t struggling, the man relaxed, withdrawing his hand from Martin’s chest.

“Thank you,” he said, sitting back down. Then his shoulders sagged. “I … apologise. I’m sure you have somewhere important to be, and you’ve been hurt as a direct result of my actions. Please believe me when I say this was not my intention.”

A heavy note of guilt rang through his voice, and Martin’s chest panged with instinctive sympathy. “I-it’s fine. It was just an accident.”

If anything, the grim set of his host’s mouth worsened. “I should also warn you– your horse ran off. I tried looking for her after bringing you here, but she doesn’t appear to be in the area.”

Oh God, Phillipa. “… she’s resourceful,” Martin said, but it was much weaker this time. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s found her way back home already.“ 

The stranger kept his gaze trained on his hands. “ … I– yes, of course. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about.” Abruptly, he stood once more. “I assume you’re hungry? Now that you’re awake, I can bring you something to eat.”

Martin jumped. “Oh, uh.” It would have been a full day since he’d last eaten, by now. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep anything down. Based on the strange intensity in the man’s eyes, though, only one correct answer existed. “Y-yes, I– um, thank you. Actually some– some tea would be nice?”

A single, sharp nod was his only response; the man turned on his heel, making a beeline for the door. 

Martin held out a hand before he could stop himself. “Wait– wait.”

The man turned, arching one brow, and heat washed over Martin’s face. He hadn’t actually had anything important to say, but they hadn’t even exchanged names.

“Sorry, I just … wanted to thank you. For– for taking me in.” He cleared his throat. “My name is Martin, by the way. Martin Blackwood.”

“A … pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Blackwood.”

Martin flushed. "Oh– just Martin is fine. Um … c-can I ask for your name?” 

Silence stretched taffy-thin between them as his host studied him, expression unreadable. Martin’s breath stilled in his lungs– was he being measured up? Found wanting somehow? He’d only asked for a name–

“Jon.”

Martin stiffened, but with a snap of his cloak, the man vanished, closing the door behind him.

Jon.

Martin wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it hadn’t been that. Jon. It was so … common. Approachable, for such an unapproachable man. Perhaps it was a family name.

Musings about Jon’s name could only distract him for so long, however, with his worst case scenario waiting for him back in the real world. Barclay would make him beg if he wanted to continue working in the castle, especially after last night’s disaster. 

Martin dropped his head in his hands. He was as good as sacked.

Distraction. He needed a good distraction. Anything to take his mind off agonising– not like he could fix anything confined to a bed by a stranger.

Lifting his head, he took a moment to peer around the room. It was bigger than the servants’ dormitory he shared with the others back at Barclay’s castle. To his right was an old, carved wardrobe; the desk and chair beside it had been made out of smooth mahogany. Paintings, their colours dulled by time, were hanging lopsided on some of the walls– a stark contrast to the faded wallpaper beneath them. Settled over it all was a fine layer of dust; only the chair, and the bed Martin was lying in, had been cleared of it.

Obvious disuse aside, even Lord Barclay’s accommodations weren’t this opulent. An unexpected twinge of guilt shot through Martin’s chest, as if he was doing something wrong. Stealing comfort that didn’t belong to him.

By the time Jon came back, the sunset had shifted from orange to a slow-burning red that dappled the sky. Tucked in the crook of his elbow was an unidentifiable bolt of cloth, and in his hands, a dinner tray. A silver dinner tray. “I apologise for the simplicity of the meal,” Jon said. “It’s … been some time since I’ve had the opportunity to cook.”

Had … was Jon implying that he, the lord of this house, had cooked for Martin? Martin swallowed, tearing his gaze from Jon back to the tray. Why wouldn’t the kitchen staff be making his meals?

Jon didn’t hand him the tray so much as he slid it into Martin’s lap; on it was a bowl of boiled vegetables, and next to that, a steaming cup of tea. Simple, yes, but Martin was grateful nonetheless.

“Thank you, really,” said Martin, entirely too genuine. Under the attentive eyes of his host, he shovelled a spoonful of turnip and carrot into his mouth, and started to chew. He stopped.

Jon leaned forward, poised. “How i– er, that is, I hope it’s to your satisfaction.”

Martin steeled himself and kept chewing, scrambling for a neutral expression. While the outside of the vegetables were soggy, their insides crunched against his molars, sending shudders down his spine. Underboiled, his mind supplied helpfully.

It was, perhaps, one of the worst meals he’d eaten in his life.

“It’s great,” he lied, smiling past the curdling in his stomach. Jon had made this himself, and Martin was going to die before he willingly insulted a lord to his face.

Jon released a quiet breath. “That’s … good.” He unwound the cloth draped over his forearm; it was a nightshirt and cap, made of fabric that could’ve been water for how it piled onto the sheets. “These are for you to wear to bed. You can find something to change into tomorrow in the wardrobe. Please inform me if there are any that don’t fit.” He winced. “And you’ll have to excuse me if you find anything that’s been chewed through. It’s impossible, keeping the moths out this time of year.”

“Tha– thank you?”

“You, ah,” Jon hesitated, before clearing his throat. “Seeing you’re here because of me, you’re welcome to stay until you’ve made a full recovery.” His voice grew guarded. “My only stipulation is that you remain in your rooms at night.”

Martin paused.

It wasn’t that unusual of a request– Martin was a stranger, of course Jon didn’t want him wandering about at night. No, what snagged Martin’s attention was the faint, nervous hitch of his shoulders as he said it.

“O-of course.” Martin’s throat bobbed. “Is it– can I ask why?”

Jon’s eyes narrowed. "I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

Oh, hell. “Sorry, sorry, you’re right. I-it’s just, I don’t know …” kind of strange? But the impatient twist of Jon’s mouth stopped him cold.

The silence dragged, then Jon crossed his arms. “I have a dog.”

“A … dog?”

“Yes. Big, vicious thing. He … patrols the manor at night– and he’s not partial to strangers.”

Oh. Well, that … that made sense, didn’t it? Still odd, though– Barclay had a whole team of hunting dogs, and none of them were allowed to wander the grounds without supervision. They weren’t pets, and they certainly weren’t guards. It appeared this one was, though.

“What’s his name?” Martin asked, before he could think better of it.

“What?”

“The dog.” Martin held up his hands in apology. “Sorry, it’s just, I love dogs. My neighbors had one when I was a kid. Ol’ Frankie.”

Jon’s eyes narrowed even further. “John.”

 “… John.”

“Yes.”

“John … the dog?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“You named the dog after yourself?”

The look Jon shot him was equal parts baffled and incredulous, as if he were ludicrous for asking. “I came into possession of the dog after it received its name. And, besides, it’s John, spelled with an H.”

“I … see.” Martin didn’t see. “Obviously.” It had not been obvious.

Jon glowered, daring him to continue, then reached into his pocket. “One last thing. I noticed … well, here.” With an oddly stiff motion, he held out a small glass jar of salve. “For your hands. It would be irresponsible of me, as your host, to let them ulcerate unchecked.”

Startled, Martin glanced down at his hands– they were still covered in blisters from scrubbing last night’s mountain of dishes. He’d forgotten about them in all the chaos.

“Th-thanks,” he said, accepting the jar.

Clearing his throat, Jon stepped back. “I’ll let you finish your meal. You can expect me tomorrow morning with breakfast.” One hand on the door, he hesitated, then added in a soft undertone, “Get some rest.”

Jon was gone before Martin could answer. He was alone once again.

Unscrewing the lid of the jar, Martin gave the ointment an experimental sniff– honey and almonds. He scooped out a dollop and rubbed it into the damaged skin of his hands, sighing as it cooled the sting of his blisters. Astonishing, that Jon had noticed at all– Martin was so used to it, he would have left them to rot on his own.

He finished his dinner, half out of pragmaticism, half because he didn’t want to risk insulting his host. At least the tea was good.

Tray set aside, Martin began unbuttoning his dress shirt. What an unusual sight he must have made, passed out on the ground in formal wear. The clothes Jon had provided were silky against his skin, marred only by the must of disuse– still a luxury for a person with Martin’s background.

It wasn’t enough to distract him from the cold knot of trepidation that twisted inside his stomach. But Jon had been right; even if he had known the way, he would never make it back in his current state, especially without Phillipa. 

At the very least, things couldn’t get much worse. There was solace in that. 

Martin settled back against the pillows. With so many thoughts racing through his head, sleep should’ve been impossible– but the moment he closed his eyes, the rest of the world slipped away.

-

“Here you are!” Martin’s eyes flew open as Charles dropped the tray into his arms. Its contents had been obscured by a covering; Martin couldn’t make heads or tails of what was inside, but whatever it was, it was heavy enough that he buckled under its weight. 

Charles winked. “Better you than me, right?”

“R-right.”

“Well, go on then. He’s hungry!”

Pulse pounding in his ears, Martin scurried into the dark hallway. None of the candles had been lit, but he knew the way by heart. His arm shook under the weight of the tray– carrying it with both hands would’ve been easier, but that wasn’t proper. And Lord Barclay was so particular about being proper …

The grand door leading into the dining hall drew closer, and a coil of apprehension burrowed into Martin’s gut. An unusual smell had started emitting from the platter– sweet and gamey, meat mixed with sugar glaze. His feet moved, relentless, and with every step, that sinking pit of dread at the core of him grew heavier.

He opened the door. The dining hall was empty, save for where Barclay sat at the head of the table. A single lit candle shone down on the dozens of empty plates surrounding him. Barclay wiped his mouth with a pristine napkin, and waved Martin forward.

Martin’s hands were trembling. He placed the tray on the table in front of Barclay, in between the scattered, stained plates. At his Lord’s signal, he removed the covering with as much flourish as he could.

It was empty.

The hairs on the back of Martin’s neck stood on end. Run, his instincts screamed. Get away, now! 

Barclay looked up at him, green eyes glittering dangerously. “Well?”

Martin started– at some point he’d been lowered into a chair. In ginger increments, he leaned over until his head was resting against the cool metal plate, each shuddering breath fogging its silver coating. Barclay reached for his utensils; Martin squeezed his eyes shut, praying that, for once, Barclay wouldn’t start with–

“Eyes open.”

Swallowing, Martin obediently pried them back open. The fork hovered out-of-focus, brushing his eyelashes. 

Somewhere beyond Barclay’s hall, a voice brushed against the edges of his hearing. 

“–Hello?”

The fork plunged down–

-

Martin jolted awake, his hair drenched in sweat. Sunlight was pouring in through the window, illuminating swathes of dust motes floating through each beam. It must have been around mid-morning. Reflexive panic welled in the back of his throat (late, oh God, he was so incredibly late) before the events of yesterday came back to him. The panic slipped away, dulled with leaden resignation.

Sleeping in was nice, at least; when was the last time he’d been this indulgent? Giving in to the mattress’ siren’s call was tempting– he could have slept longer, waited until Jon came to wake him up. But while the dreams’ contents had slipped away faster than he could recall, their weight sat heavy on the back of his tongue. He wasn’t particularly interested in returning.

Taking a chance, he tossed aside his blanket and slid onto his feet. His heart lifted– had he recovered enough to make it back to the castle?

The world spun on its axis, and Martin caught himself against the wooden bed poster before he collapsed. 

Ah. As if he could be so lucky.

With one hand against the wall for support, Martin shuffled his way over to the wardrobe. The hinges creaked as he opened it– Lord, everything here needed a good cleaning. He’d have been tanned for letting a room fall into this much disrepair on Griffiths’ watch. Hopefully, the clothes would be in better–

Martin’s mind blanked. The clothes were indeed in better shape, but the options inside were … far more expensive than he was used to wearing. Was Jon not worried about Martin ruining them? Although they must’ve belonged to someone else– these were all too big for Jon. Whoever they belonged to, Martin prayed they wouldn’t mind him wearing their clothes.

He selected the plainest tunic and trousers he could find among the ornate, embroidered lot. None of them had moth holes, at least; Jon would be happy to hear that.

Speaking of his mysterious host …

As soon as he was confident he could walk without falling over, Martin opened the door to the hallway, glancing out into the hall. No dog; that was a good sign. Jon had mentioned bringing breakfast– the smartest idea was for Martin to wait inside his room, but his curiosity was burning. What did the estate of such an eccentric lord look like, anyway?

Surely he could risk a quick look around before Jon arrived.

Martin closed the door behind him with a gentle click, eyes roving over the hallway.

It appeared that the estate of a lord like Jon looked incredibly dusty.

Martin dragged an experimental finger over the surface of a nearby windowpane; it came back smeared with grime. Griffiths would’ve died on the spot– what on earth was Jon’s staff doing? Taking advantage of Jon’s generosity and shirking their responsibilities?

He picked a direction at random and began to walk, keeping one eye peeled for someone who could point him in a useful direction. This section of the manor appeared to have been functionally abandoned, though; perhaps Jon had wanted to ensure Martin’s privacy, although that seemed like an unnecessary effort.

By the time he reached what must have been the grand staircase of a foyer, he still hadn’t encountered another living being. Martin faltered, eyes grazing over the crusted windows, before dipping to linger on an old, broken gramophone at the bottom floor.

Where was everybody?

He continued trailing through the manor, more apprehensive now. Each step brought with it the sense he was a misplaced ghost; alone and drifting, untethered from reality. The layout of the hallways had a labyrinthian element to their design– a wise man would have turned back at risk of becoming lost, but … 

It was as if someone had wrapped a string around his joints, tugging his feet forward. Martin couldn’t have turned back even if he’d wanted to.

His footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, crescendoing until they threatened to drive knives into his eardrums. No other noise penetrated the corridors; even the milky light filtering through the manor’s windows couldn’t reach him. The outside world had been choked off, as effectively as it had in the fog.

Panic swelled inside his lungs. Was there really nobody here? In a desperate bid, Martin threw open the first door to his left, hoping someone, anyone, would be on the other side.

Instead, he found the library. 

Stumbling backwards, his jaw went slack.

Martin had only seen two libraries in his life: the small, tattered bookshelf in the back of his mother’s church, and Lord Barclay’s personal collection– although the servants couldn’t make any selections for themselves. An entire room full of books, Martin had assumed it was among the largest collections of its kind.

He’d been wrong.

What stood before of him now were two stories worth of wall-to-wall bookshelves, brimming with texts and tomes in exquisite leather bindings. The scent of old parchment tickled Martin’s nose, sending him back to that dusty corner of the church, escaping through tattered parables and hymns.

Entranced, Martin stepped into the enormous room, leaving the door hanging open behind him. Giddy compulsion had him plucking out the first book he laid eyes on. A cookbook; although the language inside was unfamiliar, every page had been filled with mouthwatering illustrations. He selected another book at random: this time, a book of astronomy. And after that, a love story. Martin fought the urge to laugh, breathless. Just how many different books did Jon have?

Tucking all three in the crook of his arm, he continued down the aisle, reverent fingers brushing over each spine as he passed. A vast majority of them had been left untouched; preserved, perhaps, to maintain the appearance of esteem. That was the only reason Barclay ever added to his works. But occasionally, he’d come across a book with frayed pages, its spine threadbare.

Not mishandled, though. None of the pages had been dogeared, or the bindings broken. No, these carried the air of a book well-loved, read so many times over the years they’d been worn down to the glue. Martin took those with him as well, adding them to the growing collection in his arms.

When the first throbs of a sharp ache began pulsing at the back of his head, Martin ignored it. He couldn’t just leave, not with so much begging for his attention. When would he ever come across an opportunity to browse through a collection like this again? No, he had to make the most of it, while he still could.

But as Martin reached the far corner of the library, he slowed. A door was tucked away here, in a corner where no sunlight reached. It was nondescript, out of place in its simplicity– and yet, something about it drew Martin closer. Cool air seeped from between the door’s cracks, beckoning his curiosity.

His fingers grazed the brass handle–

“Don’t touch that.”

Martin yelped, books crashing to the ground.

Jon was standing at the end of the aisle with eyes like chips of ice. Heat bloomed across Martin’s face. This hadn’t been how he’d planned to encounter his host again: caught like a child sneaking sweets from the pantry.

“Sorry,” he stammered, scrambling to scoop up the fallen books. God, he’d dropped them. “I-I wasn’t– I didn’t mean to–”

“How many times do I have to say the word concussed before it sinks in?” With a sigh, Jon bent over to pick up the remaining books, depositing them on a random bookshelf before swiping the rest from Martin’s hands. Martin flinched, and the lines around Jon’s mouth deepened. "You’re in no condition to be wandering, let alone nosing around into places you shouldn’t.”

“I– I wasn’t trying to, to snoop or anything–”

“Really.” Jon shot a cool, pointed glance at the door. The flush crawled down to Martin’s neck, prickling in time with his erratic pulse. 

“Sorry,” he said again, lamely. “I really didn’t mean to– I-I was just … curious.”

“Curious. Of course.” With a sigh, Jon dropped the remaining books into another untidy stack, clapping dust off his hands. “I’ll show you back to your rooms– breakfast is waiting for you.”

Jon shouldered his way back out of the aisle, leaving Martin no choice but to follow. He was too embarrassed to protest even if he wanted to, but– his eyes lingered on the stack of books as they passed, mournful. It would have been nice to read at least one.

Jon urged him back into bed as soon as they reached Martin’s rooms, then turned to the breakfast tray he’d left on the desk. Martin fought down the growing dread at what Jon could have possibly prepared for this morning– but when Jon placed the tray on the bed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Bread, butter, and a bowl of chestnuts. Absolutely no risk of anything overboiled here. And the bread was fresh, too– delicate wisps of steam rose to curl in the dusty air. Had Jon made this himself as well? It had come out better than the first meal, that was certain.

“Thank you,” Martin mumbled, picking up the bread knife to smear butter over a slice. 

Jon’s frosty expression didn’t change. "Why in the world did– I can’t imagine what possessed you to roam around this morning. Do you have any idea what I experienced when I found you gone?”

A spasm of guilt tangled in Martin’s gut. “S-sorry. I just … wanted to look around, a little.”

“There’s nothing worth looking at. This place may as well be a mausoleum.” 

Martin’s head whipped up. "You can’t mean that.”

A wry silence.

“Seriously? But your– your library is amazing! I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.”

“Th– the library?” Some of the severity in Jon’s expression vanished; he blinked, opening and closing his mouth. “ … Oh. Well, thank you, I suppose. But I’m, ah … I’m not the owner of that collection.” A shy, almost pleased note crept into his voice. “I did help retrieve a few of the rarer tomes, however. ” 

Slice of bread halfway to his mouth, Martin paused. “You … but I thought …?” 

One arched brow crept toward Jon’s hairline. “You thought … ?” 

“I’m sorry, but– aren’t you the lord of this place?” 

“No.”

Martin took a moment to process this sudden collapse of his mental image for Jon. “But then who … why are you …?”

For someone so young, Jon had far too much stress lining his face. “It’s … complicated. You could say I inherited this place from its previous owner.” 

“Your father?”

“No,” Jon said, blanching. Then, without warning, he pitched forward. “I’ve been wondering if you’ll entertain a question from me.” 

Martin jolted, taken aback by the sudden shift in conversation. “Y-yes?” 

Jon smoothed a hand over one of his cuffs. “You were dressed too nicely to be working in someplace like a smithy. But your hands … I assume you’re a labourer of some kind?” 

“Oh.” Flustered, Martin set down the piece of bread. Why would Jon want to know a mundane thing like that? “I’m, um, I’m a server in Lord Barclay’s estate, actually.” 

“Barclay?”  

“Yes, Lord Barclay. Lord Frederick Barclay?” Jon was still frowning. “Your Lord. Your Lord, if you live in this region.”

“You really expect me to know the name of every noble that goes parading themselves around these parts like an arsehole?”

“I-I … suppose not?” Martin didn’t understand how Jon couldn’t know, though. What about his taxes? “H-how about you?” 

“Pardon?” 

“Well, you said the library wasn’t yours, right? And … you said you’re not the lord of the estate, yeah?” 

“In a legal sense, no.” 

Well that was an interesting answer, but Martin was learning not to ask for elaboration. “So, what do you … do?” 

Jon scowled. “I don’t see why it matters.”

“S-sorry.” 

“You apologise a great deal, you’re aware of this?”

“S–” Martin bit it back just in time, and Jon blew out a haggard, long-suffering sigh. 

“But I suppose it’s only a fair trade. If you really must know, I was – am, I suppose – the Head Archivist of this estate.”

Martin’s brows flew up�� Head Archivist? That had to be rather prestigious. Did Barclay have a similar role anywhere present in his staff? The only thing Martin could think of that compared was … “So, like a librarian?”

“Not like a librarian.” But Jon’s mouth twitched. “I suppose there is some overlap. It was more than just filing books and keeping things tidy, though. We were also researchers.”

Martin perked up. “We?”

“… Yes. I … I did have a team working alongside me, previously. We researched unusual encounters, on behalf of our patron.”

“What kind of unusual encounters?” Fascinated, Martin leaned forward. “You mean like, like love affairs?”

“Nothing as salacious as that.” A slight smile broke out across his lips. “Although there– there was one time … ”

He stilled, trailing off. The fragile warmth that had been growing behind his eyes shuttered.

“Although … ?” Martin prompted after a beat.

Jon’s expression could’ve been carved from stone. He said nothing, shoulders hunched under some unseen burden.

A suspicion had been brewing in the back of Martin’s mind since his crawl through the manor’s hallways, and now, with Jon coiled tense as a spring in front of him, it came roaring back full force. Well, if there was ever a time for inquiries … “Can I ask you something?”

Jon huffed, and Martin winced. 

“Right. Um. I guess I just wanted to ask–” oh, how to phrase it …? “–is … is there anyone else … here?” 

Jon’s eyes lowered to rest on his hands. “No,” he said. “It’s just me. And now you, I suppose.”

And all at once, the pieces fell into place. Jon’s cooking, his nonchalance about the borrowed clothes, the dust that had settled in a thick carpet over everything Martin, or Jon himself, hadn’t touched. For the second time today Martin was left staring, dumbfounded. “… I don’t understand.”

“What’s there to understand?”

“This place is gigantic. Don’t you …” Martin glanced down at his lap, thumbing a loose thread in the duvet. “There’s really no one here?”

It was the wrong thing to say. Jon’s eyes flashed. “I don’t need your pity. Why else would I be here if I didn’t prefer it this way?”

Martin opened his mouth, but Jon stood before he could reply, stormclouds thundering in his eyes. “This has been more than enough excitement for one day– I’ll let you get some rest.”

He’d already made it to the door when Martin regained control of his voice. “Thank you for the ointment.”

Jon stopped, one hand frozen on the door’s handle. “Pardon?”

“The hand cream. It, uh, it helped. Thank you for noticing. And … and I’m sorry for … everything, I guess.”

Jon stared at him for a long moment, then lifted his chin. “Glad I could be of some service.”

The door clicked shut behind him, and Martin counted his footsteps until even their echoes faded down the hall entirely. 

It was probably for the best that he followed Jon’s instructions and got some rest. He had the gnawing sense that he was wearing out his welcome, fast.

He’d already nestled back into the mattress when a flash outside his window made him shoot back up.

Snow. Fluttering snowflakes were dancing on an invisible wind just beyond the glass. Martin rubbed his eyes– once, twice– but they were still there.

A trick of the light– it had to be. Some … half-asleep hallucination. He still had a ways to go before he was recovered, after all. Imagine– snow, at this time of year.

Putting it out of his mind, Martin pulled the duvet over him, and, with very little effort, drifted away again.

-

“–Hello?”

Martin stumbled to a halt, dinner tray in hand. What the hell was he doing? He didn’t have time to stop– there was still so much of the hallway left to go. But …

There. A door had appeared in the hall. Or had it always been there? For the life of him he couldn’t remember. Why couldn’t he remember …?

“You’re going to be late,” Charles said, somewhere off in the distance.

Late. Yes: Barclay’s dinner. He … he needed to leave. He was going to get everybody in trouble–

“–go.”

There it was again. Martin’s legs were stone; unable to move to the door, unable to move down the hallway. They had said go, right? He had to deliver Barclay’s dinner. But …

“You’re going to be late,” Mum said. Her eyes were hazy, unclear. What a wretched son he was; couldn’t even recall the colour of his own mother’s eyes …

“I’m sorry,” he said, but even he couldn’t tell who it was for.

-

Martin woke with aching arms and gummed eyes. Sunbeams were once again pouring in through his window, and this time, the accompanying disorientation faded faster.

Was it already morning? He must’ve slept right through dinner– this bloody mattress made it too easy.

And for once he was actually hungry. Properly hungry, too, without the accompanying nausea or weakness he’d grown accustomed to during his morning routine at the castle.

Today the silver tray was waiting for him on the desk– Jon had already come through this morning, likely an effort to keep him from waking, or wandering off again.

It was only as Martin was reaching for the tray that he noticed the books. Three of them, stacked on top of each other. Next to them were several pieces of folded parchment.

Martin, the letter started, with graceful, cursive handwriting, and something in Martin’s chest swooped low.

Here are some collections from the library, should you find yourself in need of entertainment. I had some difficulty choosing a recommendation, but I feel that these three have fairly universal appeal. Please take your injury into consideration, but I trust you to do what feels right for yourself.

Kinsey’s Survival on the Front Lines, especially, I find quite compelling. It’s a collection of memoirs from Kinsey’s time in war, and while a few have criticised his writing style as a bit dry, I find the contrast between his straightforwardness against the reality of war is how he’s able to make his point so clearly …

Martin read slowly, eyebrows climbing higher and higher with each word. 

The letter was five pages total, front and back. All detailing Jon’s reasoning for the selections he’d made, from their historical relevance, to his opinion on their style of prose. Was there anything in Martin’s life that he could talk about for so long? That he was so passionate about? Maybe his poetry, mediocre as it was, but not with half as much eloquence.

Buried in the text, tucked between hesitant, tentative platitudes, were Jon’s personal reasons for enjoying each book, such as I would often find myself returning to this text during my apprenticeship, and Some might consider Williamson’s humour a bit crude, but I still found it enjoyable.

Martin lingered longest on these, drinking in each tidbit with the avidity of a book-starved scholar.

The letter concluded with,

By now I’ve realised I needn’t have gone on for so long, but I’ve already spent two hours writing this, and it seems a wasted effort if I just tossed it, so … there you are. If you made it this far, anyway. Admirable, if you have.

If the choice between the three books still proves to be too much, I would suggest Sutherland’s Mythos of the Ages as a start. It’s simple, but, as I’ve mentioned, the illustrative work is astounding, and although it’s rather sentimental, I find the tales of some comfort to me. 

Jon

Martin traced the elegant swoop of the J, heart ballooning in his chest until he might burst.

Oh.

–

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PART 2

The gods with us

Moon knight x reader

Warnings: Spoilers, cursing, violence, god and goddess things, anxiety and depression, mental issues, eventual smut, tension, intimacy, age gap.

Last part <-

Walking through the museum with a god was difficult. Trying to not look crazy while this cat - woman walked beside you. Nobody else could see her just you apparently, others walked past like nothing was happening.

“Odd” she muttered glancing around before quickly going in one direction. You followed as quick as you good as she stood in front of the gift shop. The man screamed and you froze as he stared at Bastet also then to you. He pointed to her and you nodded nervously feeling your heart race.

“Interesting” Bastet said tail swishing side to side before another voice came.

“Do you always scare other avatars?” You held back your scream now at the thing beside you. A large mummy looking creature with a large staff and bird skull as his head. The man behind the counter looked equally terrified as you tried to calm your raving heart. He lifted his hand beckoning you over and you did hiding behind the counter with him. He held your hand to your surprise gripping it tightly as Bastet had a stare off with this other creature.

“Oh my god” he muttered hand shaking in yours. You held his arm tightly trying to calm him and yourself.

“Your avatar?” Bastet asked looking to you both, head tilted making you frown.

“Shut it cat” the crow man spoke and Bastet hissed.

“We should go yeah?” He whispered to you and you nodded. You still held onto his arm as you both left the museum and into the streets.

“Bloody hell” he said looking back to the museum.

“Oh she’s gonna kill me” he whined.

“Who? Bastet? Crow man?” You asked worried.

“My boss!” He exclaimed.

“Well she can suck it up we- just saw things” you said.

“Gods” he said and you sighed.

“No they’re actual gods” he added voice different making you frown.

“Bastet and Khonshu, we’re their avatars” he said voice definitely changed.

“Hang on-“ you said unclasping your hand from his. You looked at him, his face was stern and held differently.

“What?” You muttered confused.

“Oh good the worms gone” you yelped at the voice behind you and scurried forward only to stop as Bastet appeared.

“Stop scaring her!” Bastet hissed also now having a staff.

“Quiet cat” The crow man spat looking to his avatar.

“Deal with this would you?” He said then disappeared.

“Khonshu!” The man said before huffing.

“Deal with this? I swear I’ll strangle his stupid non-existent neck” Bastet growled.

“I’ll join you” the man muttered.

“Can somebody please enlighten me on what the actual hell is going on?” You asked.

“Calm down, sweetheart” he said and you turned to glare at him.

“Do not. Sweetheart me” you said voice low.

“Oh boy” the man sighed.

“You should listen to her” Bastet said something growling by your side. You flinched seeing a black panther by your side a strange symbol in the middle of its head.

“There’s just always something more” you said nervously.

“Can we just talk please? I am about to collapse” you said. Your body hadn’t stopped shaking from the moment she appeared really. The man in front of you frowned and held out his hand.

“No- no” you said and he nodded as you walked to the small garden area and sat on the edge of the brick wall.

“Now please, explain!” You said head resting in your hands.

“I am Khonshus avatar, we have some unfinished business” the man sighed sitting down.

“That’s great, why am I an avatar?!” You said feeling the panic coming on.

“I don’t know how the gods pick their avatars, might wanna chat with your goddess” he shrugged.

“Well?!” You looked to her.

“What am I to do? Fight people?” You snapped.

“News flash! I can’t fight, I can barely walk around the block ok, I do not wish to punch some bad guys and deal with this!” You yelled gaining peoples attention.

“Im going home” you stated pulling out your phone and messaging your mum.

“Hang on-“ the man stole your phone and you glared going to grab it. He held it up and you stood and he did too, holding it above your head. You glared as he looked down at you. You punched his gut and he curled in, you snatched your phone and ran off quickly. You messaged your mum quickly saying you’d take the bus and sighed looking for the closest bus stop. You turned around and saw the man walking towards you with a stern face and tense body.

“Uh oh” you muttered but he stopped suddenly. His face was confused before it turned.

“Hah! I did it!” His voice had changed back as he fist bumped the air and looked around. He landed on you and walked over.

You backed away quickly and he stopped.

“Oh, oh no! No I’m sorry I uh-“ he stumbled over his words making you frown.

“Listen I don’t know what’s going on either, oh cat lady’s still here” he muttered the last part as he came closer.

“Anyway, look I’ll try and explain-“ he began to seize up and his face went back to stern.

“You won’t be explaining anything” he said voice back again.

“Do not punch me again” he said and you glared.

“Don’t take my phone again!” You said and he sighed.

“Look you’re clearly exhausted and confused, just go home and I’ll deal with this” he said pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Deal with it? Hang on, this is my god not yours you have bird skull man” you said and he raised an eyebrow.

“You tell him!” Bastet said and you sighed hanging your head.

“Do you have a phone?” You asked quietly and he handed it to you after unlocking it. You went to his contacts and put your name in there before handing it back.

“Text me when you decide you want to explain something” you muttered feeling exhaustion take over. He said your name and you nodded shoving your hands in your pockets.

“Marc” he said.

“Ok, Marc” you muttered as you saw the bus.

“I’m going home to nap” you said walking to the bus.

“Goodbye Marc” you said.

Next part ->

[bitch-im-your-biggest-nightmare]

No! This isn’t how you’re supposed to play the game! [Father!Corpse x Child!Reader]

Part 2 of Goddamnit kid, now they know I’m a single father! Warnings: None Summary: While streaming Among Us, Corpse decides to teach his kid Y/N how to play the game! A/N: And yes my warnings have the non-warning as well, just so you know what to expect from the story. Also, Requests for Cr1tiKal and Corpse Husband are always open! Ask or message me if you have any ideas. Also, message or ask if you’d like to be tagged- just please state what kind of fics you wanna be tagged be on. I’m always open to tag people! Request: Yes  Tag list:  @save-the-sky @alilshit @whatifwedo @hughugh20 @fleurmoon @bi-andready-tocry @itsminniekat @yoongi-holland @loraleiix @hacker-ghost @fanworrior @marvelous-musicals @annshit @unknown-and-invisible @letsloveimagines @hairbrush-anon @babyhoneystvles 

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“Oh by the way guys I have Y/N here for the stream today.” Corpse said to his chat as he moved his little guy around in Among Us. “Hai!” Y/N said happily. Corpse had them sitting on his lap just chilling and watching their father play. It has been a couple months since the announcement of Y/Ns existence happened and everyone fell in love. Corpse did have to tell Y/N how to deal with it and not to share his identity to anyone who asks. He was enjoying a happy life, getting so much support by his fans and his friends. Life was good, for once. But with happiness comes sadness, and of course with friendliness comes hatred. And there was hate.

People did not trust Corpse with a child, sadly. The hashtag ‘CorpseCPS’ trended on Twitter before someone came out and told everyone to fuck off. But even if that hashtag stopped, that didn’t stop the haters. People still tweeted about it, hated on Corpses kid, and just been assholes. 

“Corpse Husband is not fit to be a father. He already told a majority of his fans about his mental problems, so do you really think he will raise that kid properly? #CorpseCPS” 

“Wouldn’t be surprised if Y/N will grow up to not be able to sleep at night. Just like their father.”

“I stg I bet Y/N is terrified of Corpse. Have you heard his music and seen his videos? I wouldn’t trust someone like him with a child, he could emotionally abuse them. Someone call CPS!!! #CorpseCPS”

“Who the fuck is accepting single fathers? Children belong to their mothers, not their fathers. I hope @Corpse_Husband realized how he fucked up and gives that poor kid back to its mother.”

“Bet that the mother of Corpses kid fought so much for custody on that poor child on god.”

“Someone save this child. #CorpseCPS”

It really got to Corpse, making him think he wasn’t capable of raising Y/N. Was everybody right? Was he going to mess this child up? He didn’t like thinking about, but his mind always trailed back to it. It worried him, the only thing he wanted was to make his kid happy. Was he doing a bad job? Was his kid going to grow up wrong? 

“Can you guys please let me live my life and raise my kid? Don’t think you’d feel good if someone said you weren’t capable of raising the kid you had. Jesus.”

Corpse Tweeted that when the anxiety and bad thoughts got too much for him, hoping this would calm them down. But one small Tweet doesn’t go a long way sometimes. He was glad most of his fanbase supported him, at least his friends did. And now he didn’t have to worry about the haters. Right now, it was streaming with Y/N time.

“Alright Y/N, you control the little astronaut like this..” Corpse put Y/Ns hand on the mouse and put his over it, moving his horned avatar through the halls on the screen. “Those red words are my gamer tag, Corpse. Red means im an imposter and white means crewmate. The goal of the game as an imposter is to kill everyone without them finding out its you. The crewmates need to find out who the imposter is an eject them.” 

“Okeh!” Y/N said excitedly and laughed.

Corpse smiled fondly. He loved Y/Ns laugh, it melted his heart. “Ok, see those cameras?” Y/N nodded, “You gotta be careful killing people around those, someone could be watching.” Corpse moved to electrical, “See? This is electrical. And there's, felix. Whoop, now hes dead.” 

“That was mean!” Y/N whined. 

“It’s the point of the game though!” Corpse quickly vented. “Okay, to kill people, you click this.” He showed Y/N how to kill people, “And to hop into a vent to get away, you click this.” He showed Y/N how to vent. “Now, during an emergency meeting you need an alibi.” 

“Whats an alibi?” Y/N asked, glancing up at their fathers face. 

“If someone blames you for wiping someone out, you have to have an excuse to why you didn’t do it. That’s an alibi.” Corpse explained, heading down the hallway. “So next time after the next emergency meeting, you will play! Sound fun?” He smiled when Y/N replied with an upbeat yes. Then a body was reported, “Ok Y/N, don’t tell anyone it was us, alright?” Y/N nodded. 

“Where was the body?” Poki asked. 

“I found it in electrical.” Sykkuno replied. 

“I did see Sean go that way.” Corpse said, making Sean instantly reply. 

“I was just passing by!” Sean argued, “What about you Corpse? Didn’t you go near electrical?” 

“It was you Sean I saw it wit my own 2 eyes!” Y/N called out, making everyone nearly die. 

“Well you can’t really argue with that one Sean.” Charlie chuckled.

“Vote Sean the council has decided.” Sykkuno declared. 

“Wha-- I- B--” Sean stuttered as everyone vote for him. Soon, they all watched him float into the abyss of space.

Corpse chuckled, “You’re my superpower Y/N. Ok, I’ll guide you along but its your turn to play.”

Y/N made a happy squeal, putting their hand over the mouse and moving the astronaut across the screen excitedly. Corpse guided them along, having his hand placed over theirs. “Ok Y/N, be careful. remember, there are cameras.” 

“Okie.” Y/N said, heading down the hallway. They walked around for a bit and Corpse helped them fake tasks. “Ok, see Toast? We’re gonna kill him.” Corpse checked for cameras, “Do you remember how?” Corpse asked. 

“Yah!” Y/N moved the astronaut forward, killing Toast. 

“Ok now vent, vent vent vent!” Corpse said, leaning forward and moving the astronaut to hover over the vent. Y/N stalled but clicked the right button, quickly venting right when Poki walked in. A dead body was reported, and they were back at the emergency meeting.

“It was Corpse!! It was Corpse!! I saw him vent!” Poki screamed, being way too loud to Corpse, but he didn’t mind anymore. 

“That wasn’t me.” Corpse lied, “Where was the body?” 

“I found it it navigation! You vented!” Poki said. 

“Mmm nah it wasn’t me. I was in storage.” Corpse lied again, making Y/N feel pretty damn bad. I swear, this child was so innocent. They couldn’t stand seeing lies and murders happening. So, they said “It was dad!” 

“HAH! They just exposed you!” Sean laughed loudly. 

“Oh my god the betrayal.” Charlie laughed as well. 

“Vote Corpse!” Poki yelled, “I told you!” 

“Y/N knows whats right.” Sykkuno said, voting for Corpse. 

Corpse gasped, “Noo! that’s not how’re supposed to play the game!” Corpse sighed, watching as everyone voted for him. Y/N frowned, “Im sorry..” Corpse hugged Y/N, “no no it’s fine. Just don’t betray me like that.” he chuckled, watching his astronaut float through space. He sighed again, “Better luck next time. Guess I have to train you how to be a ghost.” 

Y/Ns eyes lit up, “Yaaaayyyy!~”

~The End~

[thebadchoicemachine]

Yall want some MYCT Magnus Archive Headcanons I may or may not draw? (Pt 1?)

I will try to include individual trigger warnings at the beginning of each explanation as much as I can think of. They may seem a little overboard but better safe than sorry. Remember, TMA is a horror podcast. 

(ALSO, EVERYTHING HERE IS /RP. EVEN WHEN I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT A ROLEPLAY VIDEO PLEASE KNOW I’M MAKING UP A CHARACTER BASED OFF THEIR CHANNEL AND AM NOT ACTUALLY ACCUSING THEM OF BEING A SERVANT TO A MALEVOLENT FEAR ENTITY.)

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Philza 

1. An End Avatar (TW, Numb/Apathetic Mindset)

He’s a reaper. An immortal. You only live once but life’s become, not meaningless, more like desaturated. He doesn’t care in a cheery “oh well” way. He’s pretty chill about it. He’s extremely chill about it. He is disturbingly chill about it. At first it seems great, he’s just a nice chill guy! No evil schemes or vicious plots. Just spending time with him seems to calm your nerves. And then you spend more time and you begin to understand why, things aren’t as important as you make them seem. You catastrophize a lot. Then a catastrophe happens and you’re not... upset. Why... why would you be? It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t. It won’t in a hundred years and it doesn’t now. would end the same anyways. And then he starts to be less and less relatable. Why is he so happy? Why does he bother to go meet people and smile and eat or laugh or frown. You can’t belive you ever complained that he was so mild about everything, any amount is more than is worth. Why bother? Why... bother...

2. A Vast Avatar (TW, Heights?)

He just fucking tosses people into the sky instead of being upset with them. Do anything he doesn’t like? SWOOSH. It’s to the point it’s not even a malicious thing, it’s just routine. He gets up, goes to the store, picks up some groceries, sends a person who cut in line to a void of dusk with swirling black clouds where you fall so long you can’t tell if you’re flying up or down or left or right, maybe gets some mints, goes home, puts groceries away, does the dishes, etc. 

(the rest of the cast below the cut)

Tubbo

1. A Corruption Avatar (TW, Body Horror Surrounding Lungs, Swarming Insects, Implied Murder.) 

He has bees in his lungs and he loves them very much. If he ever gets something stuck in his throat or has water go down the wrong pipe he will FEAK OUT. He often has to cough up honey (and sometimes bees). It’s... a process. He just sits over a bucket or jar and hacks his little heart out. He sometimes saves the honey and offers it to people. Amazingly, his friends never take him up on the offer. Unsuspecting people who don’t know the.. supernatural origin of the honey find they have some... unpleasant side effects. (Bees. The side effect is bees. Specifically ones trying to fly down their throat.) Oh well, being a part of a hive isn’t for everyone. The really unfortunate ones make good fertilizer for his flowers, though! His lungs are literally a hive. If you tried to listen to his heartbeat you’d hear buzzing. He will sometimes hold flowers over his open mouth to let the bees get some easy pollon. He doesn’t usually actively seek out “prey” but when he is trying to feed on that good old fear he’ll act super sweet, too sweet, and then open his mouth and let the bees fly out. It’s very creepy but to him it’s just funny. (Also, all of the bees have names and he has a funeral for every single one that get’s killed.)

Quackity

1. A Spiral Avatar

I- I mean have you seen a single one of his videos?

2. A Stranger Avatar (TW, Unreality Depersonalization )

He mocks people as their own reflection, hopping from pond to mirror to camera to scream at them (sometimes literally) that they do not know who they are. It starts off subtle (Wasn’t your hair a bit longer? Weren’t your eyes a shade lighter? Did you always have that birthmark?”) but grows and changes until it gets to the point you stand in front of a mirror and every time you blink you look completely different. You feel your face, you look at your hands, but it’s no help. They change too fast. Your pictures change too, every single post on all your social media looks like different people posted it- wait... did you always have this platform? You don’t remember ever using it before. You have so many posts... none of them match up. You throw your phone away, noticing you never had the case on it. You turn to real photos for help but they are none. Of course not. You feel like just giving up as you shuffle through photo after photo, you don’t know what you really look like, so what? But then something catches your eye. A photo of you in the 5th grade concert. You don’t remember going to that school. You’ve never played an instrument, have you? Something screams yes and no at the same time. You throw the box down and grab your phone. You need to call someone. You pace throughout a house you recognize less and less searching for clues, reminders, as the phone rings. Your best friend answers. You throw the phone down again. You don’t have a best friend. You’ve never really been one for friends. No, that’s not true, you had a few really good ones but you’ve grown apart. No, that’s not true, you only have one real friend, your boyfriend. No, you don’t have a boyfriend, just a close friend. No, you have many friends just none that are close enough for this bullshit. You stop. No. No you don’t like swearing, do you? Do you? Who are you? Who are you? Your reflection laughs. It’s eating popcorn and making you do a stupid dance. What a bitch.

3. A Flesh Avatar (TW, Body Horror Surrounding Faces and Skin)

You’re a piece of meat, he’s a piece of meat, everyone’s meat. Like Chicken Nuggets.He’ll steal your face right off it’s skull and dance with one in each hand. He’ll put words in your mouth like you’re a puppet with bones. He’ll make you say the dumbest shit because it’s funny. Even when it’s obviously not YOU talking. 

Technoblade 

1.  A Hunt Avatar (TW, Stalking/Genocide) 

Many people have suggested a slaughter avatar but I don’t see it. Yeah, he kills (blood for the blood god and all that) but I don’t see it. The Slaughter is about the moment. The unplanned snap. The sudden outbursts. I don’t see that in techno. You know what I DO see that also involves quite a bit of bloodlust? The chase. The planning, the target, the unstoppable dread and panic that overtakes his victims once they realize who is after them. The power. Calculated genocide of victim after victim. The HUNT. My two pain points of evidence: His potato war videos, that time he took over the world, and his stalking speech to Quackity. Go watch an animatic of Technoblade chasing down Quackity and tell me he is not a Hunt Avatar. 

Wilbur

1. A Desolation Avatar (TW, Abuse/Torture)

Everything he touches burns and hurts. Sometimes it’s on purpose, sometimes on accident, but either way he’s caught up in enjoying the drama. I’m gonna be honest, my main inspiration was the Villainbur aesthetic but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Look at nearly any of his 100 player videos; designed to create maximum pain for hs enjoyment. Even the Dream SMP where he was mostly a good guy and more tragic than anything else fits. Maybe that Villain Arc was his first dabble as an avatar of destruction and pain. Even making his own father kill him could have been along the lines of “how can I milk as much despair out of this as possible.”

TommyInnit

1. A Slaughter Avatar (TW, Straight Up Murder)

Now HERE is a character right up that slaughter’s alley. No thoughts, not plans, just unbridled passion and rage and violence. He just stabs people whenever he feels like it (which is often) sometimes just with sticks. Like a rabid raccoon just jumps straight at people’s faces out of nowhere, always starting shit and stoking fires to make people angry at each other. 

2. A Buried Avatar (TW, small tight spaces)

Tunnels and caves and sticks and spots. He’ll burry you under a mountain, he’ll lock you in a tree. Dirt man. His usual MO is trapping people under an avalanche of stones and rocks and rubble. Basically just lava casting your bones. Everything he makes is ugly but not just in a ”that’s literally a pile of rocks in the middle of the road” way in a bit of an indescribable “looking at that makes me feel like I’m breathing in straight gravel.” 

Bonus: Ranboo as a Dark Avatar/Victim. He is not a willing avatar like Jude or Helen, he’s more along the lines of Oliver and Jon.

[catsandstrawberries]

Rogue Firebender

Pairing: Firebending! Jeon Jungkook x Firebending! Fem! Reader

Summary: After spending time as a fire nation general you decide to go rogue and rebel against the genicide the nation is causing against the other elements. But a mission to save an earth bending group goes wrong when your worst enemy shows up. Jeon Jungkook.

Warnings: Enemies to lovers (Enemies to sex friends?), vaginal sex, oral sex (fem receiving), spit kink, slight FemDom, Violence, some mentions of gore but nothing to bad, swear words, Jungkooks kind of an asshole.

Based on Avatar the Last Airbender

Part 2 

This wasn't my best plan.

I'd like to say I'm good at making plans, and by making plans, I mean split minute life or death decisions, but today was going downhill fast.

I didn't calculate a multitude of things that day.

I didn't calculate how absolutely frustrated I would be and how that would cloud my mind.

I didn't calculate the sheer amount of earthbending slaves the squadron had captured, and I definitely didn't calculate the firebender that would ambush me.

Jeon Jungkook.

The issue with Jungkook was that despite being the same age as me he was practically the fire lords next in line. A dog, willing to bend at the rules and orders as long as he was given a treat and praised like a good little puppy.

Jeon Jungkook was also one of the most talented firebenders I had ever met, and it was a shock to the four nations that I had escaped him for so long.

But that was their fault for underestimating me.

Shackles clanged against the ground, the sound reverberating through the mountainside as soldiers led woman, men, children all in a line towards deaths row.

I defined myself as a freedom fighter, fighting to free those enslaved by the fire nation who used them for their personal gain.

But I was more commonly known as the rogue firebender on every wanted sign in the four nations.

A small child grasped onto his mother's hand, elephant tears slipping past his eyelashes, a monkey stuffy clutched in his hand as he scanned the empty scenery.

Empty, save for me.

I had intercepted a fire nation transcript of them transferring and killing slaves, but there were three times the amount then I expected. Freeing them would be a hassle if I wanted to bring them all back to the mainland and away from fire nation reign.

I grumbled in frustration under my breath. Getting frustrated had always been an issue of mine and my mood just seemed to boil with annoyance.

Four guards led the group, four guards are easy when they don't involve innocents, but I had a sneaking suspicion these guys wouldn't play fair.

I had learned from my previous encounters that jumping up and shouting 'hey ugly!' wasn't the best way to get their attention, so I'm attempting a more solid approach.

My foot made direct impact with the soldier's face and I smirked at the harsh smack that followed.

I threw a serious of fireballs towards the three soldiers, screams, and shouts from the earthbenders filling my ears as fire soared over their heads.

I leaned back as colors of red and orange flew by me, barely evading the destructive flame. I dropped to my knees and swung my leg out to knock the solider off guard, smirking in satisfaction while they all groaned in pain on the ground.

Breaking away from the soldiers I rushed to the group of earth benders, wincing when they all recoiled back from me.

"I won't hurt you, I want to help you."

That was another issue with being a rogue firebender, nobody trusted you, even if you were saving people's lives. I was still a fire bender.

I held my hand below the chains, a small flameworking at the metal until it seared and broke in half.

"Listen, get to the checkpoint, someone will be there to help you cross back into earth kingdom territory, but you need to hurry."

They nodded as a collective and went running in the opposite direction, the little boy giving me a shy wave as he disappeared. Relief passed through my body as I watched them leave, well...until I heard his voice.

"Such a noble act, little rebel."

My body froze and a tingling feeling spread over my skin. The fire in my bones warming at the sound of his voice.

"Taking out four soldiers at once, impressive. But hears the thing, I may be one person, but even you know I'm stronger than all four of them combined."

I slowly turned around, a mop of black hair and olive skin greeting me, red eyes filled with speckles of gold gleaming my way. His fancy robes of red and black stuck to his skin, his mark of nobility. I hated him.

"If you're stronger than all of them then how come I've won every fight?"

His calm composure faltered for a moment, a snarl curling onto his face, "because you love to run."

Speaking of running...

Although I loved getting in a brawl with the attractive 21-year-old who had a jawline sharper than any cooking knife, I was exhausted.

Tracking down secret human trade routes was a lot of work, and though I made fighting four men look easy it took energy.

So for the first time in my life, I took Jungkooks advice,

I ran.

"Shit." I briefly heard him mumble followed by the harsh sound of his boots on the dirt.

I kept a strong pace ahead of Jungkook, I was more agile than him, faster than him, everything was stacked on me getting away.

Except for terrain.

Leaves and branches cut against the skin of my arms as I pushed through the multicolored forest near the edge of the mountainside.

Prickly bushes and plants caught on the fabric of my pants and rocks stung against the bareness of my feet.

Despite the not so good situation, I was smiling. Maybe I was cocky, but I was happy because I knew I was gonna win. I knew that I was faster and better then Jungkook and he would never, ever, bring me back.

But the sudden terrain no longer held flat ground but a deep drop towards a glistening pool of water. My heels dug into the ground as I skidded to a stop, my heart rapidly pounding in my ears as I looked for an escape route. Just before I could jump, a body collided against my back, and a scream escaped my lips. The two of us tumbled down towards the water, dirt sticking to our skin and rocks cutting against our bodies as we rolled and eventually hit the water.

My vision exploded with colors before briefly going black, my senses only comprehending my heavy breathing and the dragging and pulling consciousness of my mind.

Did I mention I fucking hate Jeon Jungkook?

My back stung as if hundreds of needles were being stabbed into my skin, my throat constricting as a pressure pulsed on my chest. My vision which had previously consisted of darkness suddenly sprung to life when I rolled on my side, coughing out the water that had invaded my lungs and rubbing at my red eyes.

Then I noticed him.

Hovering directly above me, his mouth glistening with water and his hands hovering over my chest. The realization suddenly dawned on me and I harshly pushed him, my hand swinging back to spew a fire attack on him only for his hand to catch my wrist. Calloused fingers tightening around my tensed arm.

"I save your life and this is what I get?" His gruff voice showed no ounce of sympathy and I fired back,

"you were the one who pushed us off that cliff, you idiot." At my words, I fully take him in, a layer of clothing is missing so now he's only in a simple black tunic and his normal fire nation general pants. His hair is dripping with water and a trail of blood leaks from a cut on his lip. I openly smirk at his wound.

"Thanks so much for trying to ruin my life, but I'm leaving."

As soon as my body puts pressure on my right ankle, a broken sob is escaping my lips and I'm collapsing back onto the pebbly surface.

Jungkook stands and watches, a blank look on his face until I collapse and his lips curl in a smirk.

"I don't think so little rebel. You're coming with me back to the fire nation."

My blood turns cold, my eyes gaping at the man who I had so expertly evaded for so long, had finally won?  

"You are a monster." I seethed, wide eyes now narrowing in on him as he kneeled down to my level, fingers harshly grabbing at my chin,

"there's a reason you're on every wanted poster in the nations. If anything, you're the monster (y/n)." I hate the way he says my name. I hate the way he looks at me as if he can control me, and as if he's won. The fire nation will never win if I have anything to say for it. So I do what any other person would do, I spit in his face.

Jungkook had another thing coming if he thought getting me back to the fire nation would be easy. I couldn't bend myself out of the situation because of the fact I couldn't walk. No walking means no running. So instead I decided to be the most annoying prisoner he ever had until I figured out a way to escape.

"Get on the stupid horse."

"It's not a horse, its an alpaca, and they have feelings unlike you so stop insulting it." Jungkook spluttered while I sat on the ground in front of the barn we had found.

Since I couldn't walk Jungkook had forcefully carried me on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes until we found civilization, and we just so happened to stumble upon an alpaca farmer willing to sell.

"I don't care what it is, get on it or your gonna be dragged back." He seethed and I held up my bound hands, nothing but a rope that I could easily burn through stopping me from escaping. Well, that and my twisted ankle.

"You expect me to get on that thing by myself? I'm incapable." I said with big eyes and a pout forming on my face.

Jungkook, ever the gentleman, picked me up suddenly and threw me onto the alpaca, an oooof breaking from my mouth at the sudden change.

"Their. Let's go."

Jungkook had, for some reason, taken a long way around, and before we could cross into fire nation territory, we would have to pass an earth bending town run by the fire nation.

The closer we got into town the more Jungkook seemed to tense. Steering the alpaca closer to him by the reigns. Jungkook gave me a glare and mumbled,

"I'll be right back." To where I have no idea. The fact he was leaving me alone was unsettling on many fronts, but I had a sneaking suspicion he was still watching me.

People walked by in waves, barely paying any attention to me who had one of Jungkooks generals robes pulled on my shoulders. If anything they refused to look at me assuming I was a fire nation general than an ally.

I hated it.

"Did you hear about what happened? They found a few of them."

A stranger spoke and without anything better to do, I listened in.

"That's horrible! What's happening to them."

"The fire nation is taking them to the town center probably for an-"

Jungkook suddenly appeared in front of me, a black hat in hand while he attempted to fit it on my head.

"Stop moving." He grumbled.

"Why do I need a hat?" I asked while he messed with strands of hair, his face inches from mine.

"Because if people recognize you they'll be a riot." I scoffed and tore my face away from him, tempted to spit in his face again.

"(Y/N)." For the first time since we've been together since the fall, he spoke earnestly, softly.

"Don't do anything stupid, I won't stop them if a guard tries to kill you." The feeling of hope that Jungkook had changed, suddenly disappeared and a frown spread on my face.

Jungkook led the alpaca in silence, bordering around the large crowds that started to form in the center of town.

"What's happening?" I asked. Jungkook disregarded my question, nothing but a silent look given to me before he responded,

"nothing."

A scream erupted from somewhere and the crowd started to murmur,

"What aren't you telling me!?" I whisper shouted above the noise.

Jungkook opens and closed his mouth, suddenly at a loss for words, and on my own accord, I scanned the crowd, searching for answers or a sign, and then I saw it.  

A small monkey stuffy and elephant tears.

"This is an execution. They're gonna kill them." I spoke breathlessly.

"People of the earth kingdom, these slaves were found on the run, and by order of the fire nation, they are to be publicly executed. Rebellion is unacceptable and anyone associated with the rebellion will be killed."

My head shot to Jungkook at the soldier's words,

"Jungkook we need to do something. They're innocent." Jungkook refused to look at me, the only answer I got from him was the head of black hair.

"Jungkook there are children about to be murdered."

"I know! But we need to ignore it!" He shouted, sounding as if he needed to convince himself rather than me.

"Ignore it? Jungkook you will never be more than anything but a dog to the fire nation. A rug the fire lord will wipe his feet on, simply because you are too blind to the injustice around you."

Hurt flashed in Jungkook gold-flecked eyes, his eyes going wide much like a puppy. I didn't dote on it and instead lit the rope tying my hands together, kicking fire towards Jungkook who barely avoided the attack.

I hopped off the Alpaca, pain shooting up my leg as my ankle throbbed against the ground. Instead of putting pressure on it, I started to hop forward, ignoring Jungkooks shouts and swears from behind me.

I pushed past the crowd, tripping over people, and racing to get to the child before the guard could.

It was my fault they were found, I couldn't let them die.

It was the boy and his mother, both hugging each other as a fire nation guard stalked around them. Taunting his prey before he would publicly burn them to a crisp.

That bastard.

I saw the flame escape his palm first, a grunt escaping my mouth as I lunged forward towards the mother and son. Sweat dripping down my skin as I caught the flame, redirecting it back towards the solider.

Murmurs spread across the crowd, a few shouts of the rogue firebender igniting the area before the general let out an annoyed shout, a flame spreading around him in a circle.

I must not have realized how much energy I used because before he even stalked towards me my legs were collapsing under me. I weakly pushed a flame toward the general stalking towards me, blocking my body in front of the duo behind me.

He ignored my weak attempt to protect them and grabbed me by the throat. I scratched at his hands while he lifted me into the air, my windpipes struggling to take in air.

"You think she can save you?!" I gasped in pain when my body slammed into the ground, fighting to gather my breath as my body blended into the dirt. My body igniting with shock at the sudden drop.

"She is nothing. Anyone who associates with her will die." From the corner of my vision, I watched him reach out towards the boy, his stance flowing backward in a sign of pre-bending. Before I could do anything a voice broke through the crowd.

"Stand down general." Jungkook appeared in the center of the ring, his hand enclosed around the wrist of the general while the boy and his mother cowered behind him. Sobs escaping their mouths.

"Major Jeon-" The general fell into a low bow.

"Sir these slaves were found running from the fire nation, punishable by execution under the fire nat-"

"I've pardoned them." I would have had a similar reaction to the general if I was able to fully move. His head whipping up and his brows furrowing in confusion.

"But-"

"I am taking the rebel to fire lord Ozai, he will need witnesses and requests to speak to the slaves themselves."

"Sir-"

"Are you defying a direct order from the fire lord?" Jungkook maintained a calm composure, an annoyed scowl on his face while the general groveled on the ground at his feet.

"Of course not sir-"

"Leave, all of you!" Jungkook shouted unemotionally to the crowd who filed out as soon as the command left his mouth, the general following after them.

Jungkook walked over to me, kneeling down and placing one of my arms over his shoulders.

"You're an idiot." He mumbled while I leaned on him for support,

"look whos talking Mr. 'I won't stop them if a guard tries to kill you'." The mother shook violently with tears as we approached them, the boy looking at us in confusion as he clutched his monkey.

"We aren't taking you to the fire nation," I spoke with earnest, Jungkook shooting me a look that I ignored.

"But you do need to leave, get as far away as you can, and don't stop until you're in Ba Sing Se." The mother fell into my arms, a difficult position considering I was still leaning on Jungkook, 'thank you's' spewing from her mouth and a combination of snot and tears wetting my shirt. When she had collected herself the little boy stepped forward, and for a moment I thought he was going to hug me. But his little arms wrapped around Jungkooks leg, a smile on his face as he peered up at him, "thank you for saving mommy, monkey and me." He snuggled his face into Jungkooks leg and I analyzed Jungkook's reaction, watching his shoulders slump and his eyes fall before he gently placed a hand on the boy's head full of blonde hair.

Once the two had successfully left, Jungkook silently forced me on his back, leading us down a random trail through the woods.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He didn't respond and only started to walk faster.

"Jungkook where are you going?"

"Shut up."

Jungkook walked ahead another mile or so before he finally placed me down in a clearing, the sun starting to set behind us.

"Jungkook?"

"Do you ever shut up?" He said as he started a fire, sitting down directly in front of me and placing my ankle onto his lap. He handed me a stick and gently prodded my mouth open, his thumb tracing the outline of my bottom lip. "Bite down on this."

I followed as he said until a strangled scream escaped my throat, my back flinging backward as Jungkook suddenly snapped my ankle back into place.

"Fuck you, Jeon!" I heaved out, crawling onto my knees and glaring up at him.

"I just saved your life." He fired back, eyes raging,

"You didn't save my life you saved yours! If I died there then you wouldn't get to bring your prize back to daddy Ozai!"

"Shut up!"

I rolled out of the way as a red and orange flame shot towards me, and without thinking I flung my body at Jungkook, the two of us falling to the ground. I threw a series of punches at him, most of them hitting his chest and one hitting him square in the jaw. Jungkook grabbed at my waist and flipped us, his fingers grabbing my wrist and pinning them against the ground.

Our chests rose and fell with exhaustion and Jungkooks face suddenly fell into the crook of my neck, his grip still strong on my wrists.

"What happened to you? You used to be the best major in the fire kingdom?" He spoke softly while my brain went haywire. My past in the fire nation was dark, I did things for them I regret. Bad things I believed to be good, but even when I started to suspect they were bad, I still did them. I used to be the best, yes, at killing people, hunting people down.

"Look at my stomach." Jungkook looked at me wide-eyed as if asking for confirmation before letting go of my hands. Peeling away the fabric against my torso only to suddenly pull it down.

"Who did that to you?"

My fingers softly played with the fabric,

"Ozai. I publicly disobeyed his orders, he wanted me to teach his son a lesson. Beat him up. I couldn't. So he burned me." I lifted the fabric over my head, Jungkook harshly looking away from me.

"Jungkook. Look at me." Jungkook slowly took me in, nothing but a bra, pants, and a scolding burn against the skin of my torso.

"The fire nation kills innocents, and he's gonna kill you too if that means he gets his way."

Jungkook looked at me with unshed tears in his eyes,

"It's all I've ever known."

"I know." My answer was automatic because I've been in Jungkook's shoes. Faced the issues and controversy in my own mind, but I no longer saw it as betraying my own nation but helping save it.

"C'mere." He mumbled, pulling me into his lap. The soft pads of his fingers tracing the outline of my scar that glowed by the light of the fire.

His hands caressed the sides of my ribs leaving ripples of touch in his wake. His eyes straying upwards to my eyes, big brown doe eyes locking onto mine as if I was the key to all of his issues. All of his pain.

"Let me touch you." Jungkook was straightforward in life, and I don't know why his words shocked me so much, but they did. The want pouring from his eyes and the warmth emitting from his body clouded my brain, clouded my mind until I whispered,

"Okay."

Jungkook leaned forward, his mouth ghosting over mine before he leaned in, connecting our plump lips to one another. Melding our moves in a dance of fire and passion. My hands traveled up towards his head, curling my fingertips around his dark hair and pulling when he knawed against my bottom lip.

He groaned under my ministrations and gave me a half-lidded look,

his hands picking at the fabric of my bra.

Getting the message I grabbed at the fabric and pulled it overhead, Jungkooks eyes widening at my breasts that bounced with the freedom. His hands traced upwards until his thumbs toyed with my nipples. A hiss passing through my lips while a smirk spread on his face.

"Look at you little rebel, getting all red and responsive under me. I'm gonna make you feel so good." He mumbled just before taking the bud in his mouth, sucking and grazing it with his teeth.

"Kook" I muttered while I watched him switch breasts, my legs twitching at the sight of him looking up at me with my nipple in his mouth.

"Take your shirt off." Jungkook gave me a wink at my command and reached for the back of his shirt, pulling it up and over his shoulders.

"Yes, commander." I paid little attention to his joke, my eyes tracing the ridges and outlines of his stomach. Admired his toned section as well as the beautiful tummy fat that had started to form.  

"I want to make you scream, little rebel." His fingers pushed down at the pants that stuck to my skin and he gently pushed me down on the ground, the dirt scratching against my bareback.

"I want to see this beautiful little pussy."

Self-consciousness suddenly passed through my body in waves and my legs crossed at the sudden chill of the night air. A red flush spreading over my face as memories of the girls Jungkook attracted through his time as a general. When we were both at the fire nation Jungkook was known for getting the prettiest girls, fucking the best girls. Was I a good fuck?

"Hey." As if Jungkook could sense my stress his hands cupped at my cheeks, his eyes locked onto mine.

"You're beautiful."

The redness of my checks only seemed to darken, and I twisted my head to the side so he wouldn't get the satisfaction of looking at me.

"Shut up and make me feel good."

I didn't hear a response from Jungkook but I felt his response. His fingers trailing down to between my legs. His other hand spreading my legs apart while he laid himself down on his stomach, fingers gently spreading my folds apart in front of him.

"So pretty." He mumbled above the ringing and embarrassment in my ears.

"Jungkoo-ok." I half groaned half moaned while he inserted his middle finger into my cunt, adding his ring finger with the help of my wetness forming around his fingers.

"You're so wet for me rebel." A wet feeling spread from my inner thigh to the edge of my folds, my body jerked at the feeling.

His fingers spread in v like motion and a broken sob escaped my mouth, an annoyed yell following when he pulled his fingers out.

"Jungk-!" I gasped as he dragged me closer to his mouth, his fingers wrapping around my hips and a quick slob of spit falling onto my clit.

"I can't wait to taste you rebel, are you gonna cum on my mouth? You better." His thumb rolled around the bud of my clit, the moisture of his spit allowing his thumb to roll in all directions.

And then his mouth was on me. His tongue licking a long strip up my pussy, encircling my folds and sticking it in my hole as if it was his fingers. My back arched under his ministrations and tears formed in the corner of my eyes,

"cum baby" Jungkook muttered against my pussy, wiggling his lips further into my cunt, glistening juices covering his lips and dripping onto his nose.

"I'm so close," I mumbled out incoherently while Jungkook added a ring finger, his mouth engulfing my bud into his mouth and sucking harshly.

My mouth fell open and my legs shock while Jungkook coerced my orgasm, my head falling back onto the ground and a broken moan responding to the juices that flew through my body. My hips grinded upwards before falling to the ground, twitching in the aftermath of my orgasm.

"I was right. You taste like heaven little rebel." Jungkook wiped at his glistening mouth and my belly couldn't help but do flips at the sight, energy shooting down to my core despite the exertion I had just been through.

"Take your pants off Kook." Jungkook smirked at me and raised an eyebrow, "I'd rather have you take them off." I glared at him but he still listened, but before we could do anything I suddenly winced at the soreness of my back. I couldn't stay like this for another round.

I flipped myself over Jungkook, his eyes widening in surprise as we switched positions.

"That's better."

My eyes traveled downwards to Jungkooks dick. It was long and curved, the girth enough for my hand to fit around it, enough to fill me up and give me relief.

I threw a leg over his hip and pumped his length twice, watching his eyes clench, and his tongue pokes against the inside of his cheek.

"As much as I'd love to get a handjob right now, I really want you to sit on my dick."

I took Jungkook advice to heart, rubbing myself against his head and finally sinking down on his dick. A moan escaping the two of us as I bottomed out on his lap.

"Fuck you're so full."

I clenched harshly against him, the new feeling of being filled sending my senses into overdrive as they tried to accommodate to him inside me.

"Fuck." Jungkook whined, his head falling backward,

"if you do that again I'm gonna nut inside you." I almost chuckled at his statement but my body was working before my brain could process, my hips lifting before pushing back down. A constant flow starting while Jungkooks hands gripped at my waist, helping me bounce against him.

"Fuck Jungkook, why do you have to be such a fucking idiot." I breathed out in between moans.

"Do we really have to do this now?" He spoke in gasps.

"Maybe if you came with me..." Jungkook thrust upwards and my hands shot to his chest to sturdy me.

"I don't want you to die (y/n)" he growled and thrust upwards once more before I caught my bearing, flipping my hair to my right shoulder and rolling my hips against his while he stuttered.

"Fuck I'm cuming." Jungkooks cum shot through me in waves, squirting into my body, just as he suddenly sat up and rubbed his thumb against my clit in harsh circles.

I grabbed at his wrist to anchor me while I sobbed at the onslaught of pleasure, my own orgasm shortly following while I collapsed onto him.

After a solid minute of the two of us catching our breath, we rolled onto the ground, our chests falling and rising in sync.

"Go rogue with me," I whispered, afraid of his reaction while his eyes downcast.

"I can't, we still have to go back. I'll help you though, I'll tell Ozai you should be commissioned back into a position of power. You can be a general again."

Hurt washed through me in waves. Hurt at how naive Jungkook is, and how conditioned he had been by the fire nation, he was the golden boy of the fire lord. How could I think he would change for me?

"I'm sorry Jungkook."

"For what?" The rock in my hand slammed against the side of his head. Hard enough for his eyes to fall shut and for him to have a horrible headache in the morning, but not hard enough for him to die.

I dressed quickly, sending Jungkook one last look before racing into the forest. I knew this wouldn't be the last time I would see him, I just hopped one day he would change, for his sake and mine.

"See you later Jungkook."

Taglist: @rebeccawoodrow​ @gee-nee​ @koochiekoo​

[damn-stark]

Fire pt.2

Diego Hargreeves x reader

Requested by anon: “Can you do a season 1 Diego Hargreeves x female reader one-shot where reader is his girlfriend, is a forensic scientist and met him when he was a cop, was born on the same day as him but wasn’t adopted by Reginald and can control fire, and she’s there when he reunites with his siblings after Reginald dies and gives him a comforting hug from behind when he cries and stutters as he turns Grace off? She’s basically a real life firebender from Avatar: The Last Airbender.”

A/N- it’s finally out hope you all like it ❤️ hope you like it too anon :)

Warning- violence, angst, light fluff

Tagged- @alexander-hamilhoe

———-

“Come on talk to me.” Diego kept pressing on, trying to catch up to you as you rushed to the passenger seat with your arms crossed over your chest, still very much pissed on the stunt he pulled earlier today. Yes, you understood that he didn’t really like his father, but what he did, the fight he got in with his brother was uncalled for and disrespectful. If he wanted to fight couldn’t he have done so any other time? Or at least just have listened to you and the rest of his siblings to stop? “Look I’m sorry, I know it was wrong and I’m sorry, please talk to me.”

You stop in front of the car door with your hand hovering over the handle and meet his pleading gaze to finally speak. “You’re unbelievable, one thing is hating your father but the other is fighting with your brother while they tried to have a nice memorial after they told you to stop! Not only that but you hurt your brother too.”

“It was an accident.” Diego interjected, trying to defend himself.

You huff and open the car door and go inside before slamming it and sighing louder as he climbed onto the driver's seat. “It doesn’t matter—” just before you could say more the sound of Klaus opening the car door cuts you off whilst also making Diego sigh and look away from you.

“Hey! Diego.” Klaus says as he climbs in the back not hesitating to continue, “I’m sorry did I interrupt something?”

You shake your head and mutter, “no.”

While Diego says the opposite. “Yes.”

Not like it mattered, Klaus seemed persistent on staying and switching the subject. “You know every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It’s terrifying!”

Diego starts the car and sighs, “terrific.”

——

“So, how long have you been with Diego?” Diego’s brother, Klaus asks from the back seat, his kid like curiosity lacing in his voice.

You look away from the man you were talking about out by the water and look to Klaus through the rear view mirror. “A couple years.”

Klaus pulls himself off the seat and pulls himself closer to you, “and no ring yet?”

You scoff but can’t help the laugh that leaves you, “no, not yet.”

“Well,” he continues in a serious tone, “I say if he doesn’t propose by this year, just break up with him. Just get rid of the tension he gives off.”

You answer with a lighthearted scoff and leave his comment unanswered. You knew it was just a temporary thing, this “tension” as Klaus mentions wasn’t going to last forever, it happens, Diego has a way to get under your skin more than once, but it never leads to a big break up. You loved that man, the thought of not being with him saddedned you already, you can’t even mention what it would be like without him.

“Yoo-boo, Diego! I hate to rush you through any kind of brooding moment you might be having, but come on man, we’re starving!” Klaus comes back into the car and exhales deeply, muttering to himself or...someone? “I’m craving...eggs.” He clicks his tongue, “no! Wait, it's too late for eggs. Waffles. Huh? You like waffles, right?”

Your lips part in confusion to his quiet muttering, watching him talk to himself through the rear view mirror. “Everyone likes waffles.”

Your eyebrows furrow and you choose to question him even if you were hesitating to actually know. “Uh—”

“Y/N, this is detective patch, we need you to come for work. Gunshots were reported on the 400 block of Milton Avenue, Griddys Doughnuts.”

You sigh but have no choice to answer. Work was work. “Okay I’ll be there.” Opening the car door you like your head out and groan softly before speaking to Diego. “Hey, Diego, could we leave! They need me at work!”

He turns around and you swear you notice a small smug smile. Because of course the sound and idea of doing something he’s not supposed gets him excited.

“Diego, thank you for joining us, we have decided on, drum roll, waffles.” Klaus finally speaks up to an actual existing person.

“I’m gonna drop you off at the bus stop. I gotta get back to work.”

“What, breaking bones and cracking skulls?” Klaus chuckles softly.

“Saving lives, baby.”

You scoff. “You’re going to work?”

His head turns to you and he nods, “we.”

“You’re not supposed to be at crime locations Diego, you’re going to get in trouble one day.”

He shrugs and smiles, “you’ll get me out.”

Rolling your eyes you turn to look out the window and hide your threatening smile right as you also added what you’ve been meaning to say since he came here. “we’ll talk after work.”

——

Truthfully you hadn’t planned spending so much time at work like you did for the past two days, but it was also something inevitable since out of nowhere these nameless people in kids masks have shown up. Causing nothing but trouble and late nights, keeping you from doing the simplest thing like talking to your boyfriend.

At Least you had time now and hopefully those people in kid masks were going to show up to ruin the day.

“Hello, Pogo, is Diego here? He said he was going to be here today?” You ask the...ape at the door.

Pogo nods and moves to the side to let you walk in, “you’re welcome to look for him inside. He’ll be around somewhere.”

You smile and respond with a soft thank you before you walk up the stairs, walking slowly and examining the area, noticing the silence that basked every square inch of this enormous place. Beginning to feel anxious about not finding Diego anywhere you looked, recalling on the phone call from before, not remembering if he said he’ll be here at this house or at your apartment...shoot.

Maybe now that you’re thinking about it he said he was going to be actually home—

“Y/N, you’re finally here.”

Oh good.

Stopping as he walked out of one of the many halls you nod, “finally managed to get out of work, I came here as soon as I could. To talk.”

“Good, come on, we can go to my room.” Diego takes your hand and pulls you with him, guiding you to a small room with nothing really to it but a bed and a couple pieces of furniture, looking boyish as well. You couldn’t help but laugh.

“Wow, it’s about time you brought me to your room. It feels like I’m a teenager again.” You chuckle, “should I sit at the edge of your bed and just awkwardly sit there and look around?”

Diego chuckles and takes a seat on his bed, making you sit beside with the same amused smile that falls as he talks about the subject that had been put on hold. “I want to say I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have acted like that. I stepped out of line, I should’ve respected the funeral no matter what he did.”

You sigh and interlock your fingers with his, glancing down at your intertwined hands for a brief moment before you met his gaze. “It’s not just that Diego, it’s the fact that you acted like that with your siblings. And I know it’s not my business, but you could’ve hurt him worse than you did and you have to understand that everyone has different thoughts of your father. Yes he may have treated you all the same, but it’s obvious some more than others are more attached. Just,” you inhale and exhale deeply, “just don’t do anything that you’re going to regret, I know you love them and I know if something happens to them you’re going to regret it and blame yourself.”

He sighs and nods, “yeah I know. Thank you for sticking around.”

Leaning your head on his shoulder you whisper, “always.”

He kisses the top of your head before he rests his own head on top of yours, staying exactly in that position for a moment longer until he pulled you to follow him in search for something he didn’t get to explain as you exited out the hall, their in end of the hall were two people in masks.

Of course they had to ruin the day.

The moment they saw you, their guns rose and they began shooting, catching Diego and you off guard for a split second until he threw his knives their way and then pulled you to hide behind a wall.

“Are those the same people running around the city?!” You pant.

Diego peeks head over the wall but answers regardless, “yeah I think so. Stay here they’re coming.”

“What?” You snap in a sharp whisper, “but I can help—” before your sentence was fully finished Diego ran forward and began to attack the one with the bear mask, twisting its arm and taking its gun and throwing it to the aside, beginning to do all types of moves that barely worked since it was such a big person. The only thing that worked was when Diego kicked them back, again taking your hand to pull you with him.

“Hey, you know maybe you could use your fire to attack them!” Diego suggested over his shoulder.

You scoff, “do you want me to burn your house down?”

“Jump!” Out of sudden Diego jumps off the second floor and lands on the couch, waving you over until you do the same. Hearing footsteps approach shortly after the both of you hid behind the couch, hearing shooting moments later they heard the smallest movement and didn’t stop until two others seemed to appear too; punching and kicking them, groaning and grunting as punches and kicks were thrown.

Sounds that finally let Diego and you jump out and help Allison being choked by the person in the bear mask until Luther came and threw them out of the room with ease.

“Who are these guys?” Allison asked in the short moment of peace.

“You’re welcome.” Luther then cut her off to talk to Diego.

“I was doing fine.”

“Oh, yeah, you really had them—”

“Ever hear of a rope—a—dope?”

During the argument the shooting began again and you threw yourself behind a couch, hiding your head until it stopped and you were able to move to hide behind the bar, waiting anxiously for the person who was in here to walk out. Being surprised as you heard, Diego’s other sister, Vanya enter the same room. Her pained grunt making you get out of hiding and throw a fireball at the bear mask; the action distracting them and letting you get Vanya without a second thought to take her to hide close by. Not wanting to do more for her sake.

Waiting in silence for what seemed hours until Luther rounded the corner, looking completely different than before. Almost ape like.

“Y/N! Hey, are you okay?” Diego asked in concern as he came to stand before you, his eyes studying your face and body for any wounds.

Nodding you respond with the same question he had asked. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” Diego then presses a small kiss on your lips before he pulls away and his eyebrows furrow deeply on his face. “Shit. Mom.” Without saying more he rushes up the stairs, leaving you to follow even if he didn’t ask. Staying behind nonetheless as Diego approached her and asked her about what had gone on, receiving answers that visibly upset him and made him go quiet for a moment that you took to walk up behind him. Meeting his gaze and grabbing his shoulder as he began to take his mother’s hand and his breath began to shake.

“Diego? What are you doing?” Grace asked as she watched like you were, Diego cut her arm, showing capables that run under her skin and blue thick liquid that spilled out like blood.

“It’s gonna be o—” Diego cried and stuttered.

“Remember what we worked on. Just picture the word in your mind.” His mother didn’t hesitate to interject sweetly.

“It’s gonna be okay…..mom”. He then moves his hands to switch something off inside her, causing the beeping blue lights to stop and her whole body to begin to shut down. Causing Diego to cry harder and you to embrace him tightly from behind, feeling your own tears fall down your cheeks.

“Di—e—go...re..mem...ber.” Not a second to spare later, her eyes glowed blue until they didn’t show at all. Leaving Diego in a stunned and emotional state that he took to grab your arms wrapped around him and cry a moment longer.

You try to hide your crying to assure him, to be the support he needed. But it was hard to be strong when he cried, he usually never did. “I’m so sorry, Diego.” You proceeded to whisper by his ear, kissing the side of his head before whispering again. “I’m so sorry.”

[thedevildomdaily]

Demonic Possessions Ch4: Drooling in Majolish

Find previous chapters HERE! Sorry for posting this one late. Hectic week! This chapter had was a way to show off how the triplets get along and for the OM! characters to learn about them. Things happening in between ***** are meant to show that it is happening at the same time as the rest of the story. People blankly watching as idiots do their thing.

Warnings: None. Just swearing this chapter. Lemony goodness will happen, just gotta build those relationships yo! n_<

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After 2 more classes, Lena and Leviathan met with the twins on their way to lunch. Of course they had to make haste in order to keep up after Beelzebub. He was excited for whatever was on special, or so he said. Satan clarified that he was excited for anything he could eat.

“Even the atrocious slop Solomon ‘cooks up’?” Lena asked. Immediately the three brothers at her side laughed. So it wasn’t just with the Devildom ingredients. ‘To be fair, Sol’s always had servants prepare his meals. Being this independent is a first for him…”

Just as they entered the cafeteria, Lena was able to spot the rest of the people she'd met in the Devildom, along with her brothers, and Solomon.

“Well, speak of the Devil…-contracting imp!” she chuckled. She returned a wave to him and approached the giant table they were congregating around. Before she could get a word out, Azri intercepted his sister.

“Le, who did you hair?” there was a serious look on the towering nephilim's face. There was over a foot and a half height distance between the two of them. “Oh, Asmo did it! He did a great job. And he braided it the night before so I had no tangles…”

Azri gave a sigh of relief and continued to examine her. The rest of the table and a few passers-by observed the siblings. “Dude, will you stop!? People are staring and you are embarrassing me…” Lena said with gritted teeth.

“Oh ignore them Le, I am just looking at this uniform of yours. It does suit you well...though this material is, well, a choice. And the color of the shirt...I don’t get what we’re going for. A Totalitarian....Spring? I just can’t! At least this shade of green brings out our eye color.”

“And I’m about to bring out your eyes with my fork if you don’t sit the fuck down and eat lunch!” The female nephilim took her seat between Lilly and Asmodeus, who wrapped his arm around her as a welcome. They and everyone else were taken aback by her threatening words except for Zak and Solomon who were chuckling as they began to eat.

Zak finally spoke, “Don’t take Lena so seriously guys. She’d have done that without warning if she was really pissed.”

“Yes, you should have seen her back in ancient Rome…”

“Don’t talk about Rome Sol!” Lena warned. “Seriously, you guys live to embarrass me don’t you? No! Don’t even answer.”

Azriel took a seat across the table from Asmodeus. Zak was to his left, and Mammon to his right. He had most of his classes with Lilly, Mammon, Asmo, and Satan. There were also the angels who were now joining the table.

“Asmo, you did a wonderful job managing Lena’s hair. It can be quite unruly for the untrained...and for her. Can you continue the upkeep since we aren’t staying together?” he really was the worrisome mother hen of the triplets.

The Avatar of Lust gave a sly smile and nodded, “Of course! It’s nice to finally have someone with long hair to play with. And she is quite the patient customer at salon de Asmo.”

“Don’t talk as if I’m not here…” Lena reminded them, “Though I am really grateful to you for helping me. Nephilim hair grows back within 10 minutes of cutting it. And all dye is temporary. We have cursed locks I swear!”

The rest of lunch was full of banter. Mammon and Satan got into it again over the book that was stolen and pawned. Asmo, Azri, and Lilly discussed fashion. Lena chimed-in every now and then, but had moved to see what Leviathan was playing. She ate half of her food and gave the rest over to the bottomless pit that was Beel. Lastly. Zak was talking to Simeon, Luke, Solomon, and Satan. He was a huge history buff and wanted to know things about both the Celestial Realm and the Devildom.

Before they all split up again for the day, a meeting place and invite for everyone was made. Lena decided to show pictures of her attic room to Azri so he might faint, just to spite him for that earlier embarrassment. Zak was interested in learning about the cool hang-outs and to get in on some Devildom poker and street racing. Of course Mammon had all of the information he wanted for that. Lilly made the demon agree not to go without her, their chaperone after the shopping ended.

~

When their last classes ended, Mammon flew down the hall to meet Asmo, Lena, and Leviathan. Lilly was left in the dust, trying to catch up to him.

“We need to hurry guys!” He exclaimed.

His brothers didn’t budge. “You’re trying to hurry off to collect your check from Hell’s kitchen so you can spend it before Satan takes it. LAME!” Leviathan called him out, hitting the nail on the head with his older brother.

“Dude, that’s really cold. To your own brother!” Lena shook her head, feigning deep disappointment.

“Ah, I dun wanna hear that from someone who threatened her sibling’s eye removal at the lunch table…” he narrowed his bright eyes at the short nephilim.

“I’d say touche, but he did provoke me…” was her only response. She wasn’t sure if they should go on ahead, or meet outside of RAD like they’d agreed.

Lilly frogged Mammon’s arm when she caught up to the small group. “Thanks for taking off on me you ass!” He barely felt anything from the tiny human, but was annoyed nonetheless. “Hey!”

“Let’s just go towards the meeting location,” Asmo said with a slightly annoyed tone, “If you wanna take off, then go. Just don’t involve us. If Satan asks, then I’m going to tell him what you’re scheming.”

Leviathan nodded, “Yeah, it’d be the wrong route choice siding with you over Satan.” They didn’t want the Avatar of Wrath on their case.

Mammon sighed and then decided to bolt anyways.

The small group went ahead to the meeting spot. Everyone was there, save for Lucifer, from the House of Lamentation. Satan had anticipated that Mammon would try an escape. Azri, Zak, and the rest of Purgatory Hall arrived shortly, and they all left together.

~

When they arrived at Majolish, a couple employees instantly greeted them and rushed to Asmodeus. They were all blushes and giggles while Asmo proceeded to charm them over and talk about his recent collaborations.

Lena and Lilly both ran over to the shoes. “A girl after my own heart!” The human shouted. They were both major shoe collectors. And, what was even better, the two learned they had the same size. “We can swap!” Lena insisted.

“You know what, I’m not gonna say ‘no’. Normally I wouldn’t want to risk it for the biscuit when it comes to borrowing expensive things...but shoooooeeeessssss!” Lilly squinted.

Azriel stood in the center of the store, with an index finger drawn to his face to indicate how deep in thought he was. He was observing all the textiles the store carried. He noted the locations of all accessories, the jewelry, the perfume. He looked intense, like a predator about to strike.

Then he instantly rushed to Lena’s side and told her to grab 4 specific pairs of shoes. Great, she was about to be dragged around. Mammon had been sulking in the entry way, watching everyone else happily shop. Seeing two of the nephilim start racking-up items made his eyes widen slightly. “Look at em go…”

*****

He was half talking to a sleepy Belphegor that didn’t feel like browsing, and Leviathan who was waiting to get to the crane game he’d mentioned to Lena. They both looked over to the siblings. Lena was becoming a walking stack of clothes.

“Weird……” Belphegor mumbled.

Lilly joined them, unable to keep up with what was happening. “It’s not weird...it’s cute.” since they didn’t have parents and Lucifer was hypercritical most of the time, it made sense that the brothers wouldn’t understand the way Azri was taking care of his sister, wanting her to look perfect. Which, in Lilly’s opinion, was unnecessary since Lena was stunning already.

“Yes, he is taking care of his little sister the way you and Beel take care of each other.” Simeon joined in their conversation. “Though it seems like he’s a little too involved.”

“LOL. He’s literally smothering her...with clothes!’ Leviathan laughed. “It looks like he's about to lose the game of Tetris he’s made out of her stack of clothes.”

“Did you guys notice it though…?” Lilly asked, “Lena is only a bit taller than me...and yeah I know she’s curvier than me, but look at how easily she’s managing.” They all nodded. So this was a tiny bit of her power on display.

*****

Zak had picked a couple of things out for himself, talking to Beel, Luke, and Solomon. When he caught his siblings in the corner of his eye, he let out a huge sigh, “Excuse me for a moment guys. Looks like I need to intervene.” He left his stuff at a counter with his new friends.

“Hey Azri, you’re going nuts with the clothes…” he called to his brother. It was no use though. Azriel was possessed by all things fashion. He wanted to know how things felt. The durability and the way they folded. What sewing techniques they used!

Taking half of Lena’s stack so they could actually see her face again, Zak cleared his throat loudly. He was trying to stay calm and civilized. It didn’t help that Lena was in a zombie-like state with the dumbest grin he’d ever seen. Was that drool?!

“Well I’m certain that’s a first!” Asmodeus appeared out of nowhere, “Someone is actually drooling in Majolish after my line of clothes!” Of course that boosted his ego even further. “You look so cute Lena Darling!” He quickly went to take her stuff for her.

“NO! She needs to try that on.” Azri came out of his fashion trance to stop Asmo, before continuing on enchanting cotton, latex, leather, velvet is gross, real silk.

Zack quickly put the stack he’d grabbed from his sister onto the counter at the checkout and returned to his deranged siblings. “OI, Azri! You are not wasting everyone’s time by making Lena try all of this stuff on. It’s not like this is our only day to shop!”

“B-But the Mary-janes, the stilettos with the skulls...batty boots! Zak, they have batty boots!” Lena whined. Zak was embarrassed, rolling his eyes as he took his sister’s hand.

He led her over to sit by Mammon. “Guys. Watch her for a moment. Do NOT let her wonder off.” There were a few nods.

Zak went back to Azri and Asmodeus, telling the demon to add the stuff he was holding to the pile at the checkout. It was no exaggeration that Azri and Lena picked one of every single thing out in Majolish. And this was their first store. They hadn’t actually bought any amenities for their rooms. And that was the only goal of their trip. “AZRIEL VAN HELSING!” he shouted.

Azri snapped out of it, “Oh my. What do you need Zak?” he looked as if he had no idea where he was. After looking around for a moment, he sighed, “I went over board-”

“You went overboard.” -_-

“I’m so sorry.” he scratched his head sheepishly, then bowed to the Majolish employees standing around dumbfoundedly by what was happening, and to his new companions who were just enjoying the show. “Let’s hurry and pay for this. Lena needs sheets and curtains and a proper dresser…” He was already starting to chant items to buy at the next store without knowing where it was.

*****

Mammon’s eyes widened so much, Belphegor had to ask what had him so shocked. “D-D-Did you just see...they have a Black Royal card!!!”

“What?! OMFD!” Leviathan responded equally as shocked. Of course Lilly didn’t know what that meant at all.

Simeon chuckled softly and volunteered to explain, “A Black Royal card is the only thing that trumps Mammon’s Goldie..er gold card. It’s so rare that I believe only Lord Diavolo and possibly Lucifer has one. If he does have one, I’d imagine he never uses it on account of being extremely frugal compared to these two.” He referred, of course, to Mammon and Leviathan.

Those two brothers had the biggest track records for blowing lots of cash on nonsense. The third worst was Beelzebub with food costs being outrageous. His saving grace is going to places that offer free meals for completing eating challenges. They were starting to pop up less frequently thanks to the parfait incident when the carnival came to town.

“Oh I see. Yeah, Lena told me that the Van Helsing family was loaded. They are, after all, the princes and princess of Solitva.”

“A p-p-princess?” Leviathan gasped, “She came from another world against her will to live with demon lords...this is just like that manga I told you about!”

“Ya know what, Levi, you’ve actually got a point with this one!” Lilly laughed. Lena had actually made the same remark when she was talking to her about it.

They watch in awe as the triplets paid for all of the clothes, with a promise to return soon. Zak lectured Azri, since he was the one in charge of family finances. “Ya know it’s pretty bad when I become the voice of reason!” His arms were loaded with bags. So were Azri’s, Lena’s, Solomon’s, Simeon’s, Lilly’s, and even Luke’s.

“I don’t know how we’re gonna even make it to the next store…”Lena sighed, feeling tons of regret.

“I’d carry it all back for you sis, but you know Azri will go nuts if I leave…” Zak said with a sigh.

Solomon gave his signature smile at the siblings. The smile that stopped them both in their tracks. Clearly the genius sorcerer had a solution and was waiting for them to ask.

“Okay Sol, spill the beans…” Lena said, taking the bait.

Beel perked up, “Beans? Where?” It bummed the redheaded hungry machine to learn from Lilly that it was just a figure of speech which caused Leviathan and Asmodeus to laugh.

“I have the perfect people for the job so you can continue your shopping trip..” In a flash, Solomon summoned 6 lesser demons he clearly had a contract with. “They will take your stuff to The House of Lamentation and Purgatory Hall for you…”

“HEY! Why don’t ya ever do that for any of us!?” Mammon complained. Asmo and Levi agreed since they were also avid shopaholics, ‘Yeah why not lend us some helpers?”

Azri handed his bags over and took the ones Luke and Simeon had and gave them to one of the lesser demons. Nonchalantly, he answered the brothers, “Probably because he doesn’t owe any of you an eternal debt of gratitude…” He flipped his long, flowing hair as he glanced at himself in the windows of Majolish, “And I do mean that.”

Solomon didn’t give a reaction; ever the poker-player. Asmo, on the other hand, had a good idea about that debt. It involved Rome, a certain female nephilim, tigers, and a huge fire. He grinned mischievously at Lena, but received a pair of sky blue eyes glaring back. They told him not to say a word, and he would keep his promise not to.

~

After the shopping bags were no-longer a burden on anyone, the large group finished the day of spending by getting all of their bedroom furnishings and extra amenities. Azri went into another designer-obsessed mania trip while Lena floated around in her zombie state. Zak chased his lunatic siblings about, but they ended everything on a high note.

“And you were all worried about them!” Lilly said to Belphegor as they all spectated the scene, “I see no difference between them and you guys getting into silly situations…”

Belphegor could see it. And after spending some classes with them, began to lift some of his suspension for the time being. He also wasn’t salty with Lena any longer for getting his Attic hang-out. She described the dorms at Belmont Academy, their supernatural school, that she shared a room with 4 others for years. He couldn’t imagine sharing a room with any of his other brothers besides Beel.

The group agreed that their next stop was going to be Hell’s Kitchen. Satan called ahead so they could reserve a large seating area and to warn them that Beelzebub was on his way. His excitement was so apparent that it spread over to Lena. She was a bit of a foodie herself.

The two of them seemed to rush ahead of the group. Beel was smiling, listing off all the menu items to her, recommending everything basically. Her mouth was watering after the weird-as-well-you-know ingredients she was about to devour.

Mammon was in third, after them, with an angry Satan on his heels. It was obvious that he planned to rush in, collect his check, then slip out during their meal to A. avoid paying for his own meal and B. void paying Satan his whole check for the dick move he pulled by selling his brother’s tome.

Too bad he picked the wrong one to screw over. The intellect; the crafty one; the avatar of WRATH! Was not someone that easily forgot who did him wrong. Not only did he see through his older brother’s schemes, he was going after him to make sure he did get his check and to directly hand it over to him. “MAMMMOOOOOOON!”

[eddiestattoos]

To quote Lois in season 8 or whatever "big cool headline here"

"Calling another woman at this hour. What would the industrious Lois Lane think?"

"There's another Lex on the loose"

Earth 2 Clark really getting it

So earth 2 Clark and Tess are siblings and lovers? Lovely

"Last time I checked you're still adopted and I'm still as red headed bastard as it gets"

Ok you know what I've actually wanted at least one Clark and Tess moment so this is a little fun for me

"This alternate earth. It's a blast"

I'm always down for bad boy Clark kinda hot not gonna lie

Why is earth 2 Lionel actually funny?

Clark's little realizations walking through earth 2 "I killed Lex" "Lionel made me a killer"

"There's gotta be somebody out there better than me" but Ollie there isn't

Clark just sweeping Lois from Oliver

Clark getting to earth 2 Lois yesss

"That name sucks by the way did it look good on paper"

Earth 2 Ollie really has watchtower equipped

"Maniac and he's delusional. Makes me feel better about being the enemy of Smallville"

"I got a mouse trap set up for your rat ass in every major city"

"Yeah I know, you're the good one, just go the hell home already will ya"

The drama of Clark being reunited with his proper earth

Clark looks exceptionally good in this ep

"The Luthor blood is poison. That's what I said to you before things got weird"

Ok how did Lionel end up back too? Concern. Grave concern

"You're not wearing a sport coat" *runs and changes*

"I promise even if I have to run to Madrid I'll get you churros and hot chocolate for dessert" Clark the romantic

THE ROMANCE. THE PHONE BOOTH. HE PROPOSED AT THE PHONE BOOTH THIS WAS PERFECT

Though if that's how the ep started there's only one way to go from here and that scares me

"Really? Nothing?"

"You and Ollie. You're busy with work. Hes really busy with work"

Chloe!!!!

Oh of course Cat is going to be the first to know please end her

"Are you expecting" "spread that rumour and you can expect my first in your face"

Oliver: hey Clark I'd love to be at your wedding but I gotta go off the grid. Clark: but I was just going to ask you to be my best man. Oliver: shit ok yeah no way I'm missing that

"When it comes to planning the wedding, just nod. A lot"

"You're not gonna hug me now are ya" "no" "ok" I'll miss Oliver and hawkman

"If I've learned anything in the last, oh, 30000 years"

Aaaaaand here comes the bad stuff

This is bs I hate this

"Don't tell me your thinking about cancelling the wedding, because I gotta tell ya, I just started working on the speech and it's looking good"

"You're not supposed to be here" "neither are you alright so I guess that makes 3 of us"

"We can't even follow orders..... even if we made them"

"Couldn't you stare at me in my office"

"Some sort of ninja smoke bomb"

"I have got to get the name of her custom closet guy"

"It's just a slide. You love slides Lois. I hate slides" I love Lois

How'd the boys get into slade's office?

"You miss the telegraph. Just get away 8 track" Oliver bickering to hawkman

So, um, whatever happened to Ollie's apartment? I miss it

Can slade please die

Thank you I think

*opens wing to reveal Lois* Carter!! I forgot his actual name for a while

"I'm a pro at dying remember" thank you for making your death less difficult hawk. Carter I'll miss you

Carter's funeral omg the feels. They really took him back to Egypt. In full hero gear.

Courtney *is hugging Dinah* Lois *holding Clark's hand* Oliver *stands alone, head down* my poor love

Ok that's really how they're ending the ep???

Ok at least Lois is free???

The on hold music

"I am a general's daughter I don't even know how to get huffy, ok. I do happy, I do sad, and I do stop giving me the runaround bitch or I will. Come. For you"

And Clark's good!!

Wait his powers are gone??? He's not good. Damn

CHLOE?!

I swear If Oliver ends up on another drinking binge

Chloe?!

3 weeks???

Oh it's worse than an alcoholic binge excellent

CHLOE??

"Not sure what these drugs are called but they're working"

"You're not hallucinating" "really well that's kinda hard to believe considering you just materialized out of a wall"

You know I knew Chloe would return at some point. This was not my expectation

Oh wait they're all just in a hallucination none of this is real love it

*straightjacket just vanishes*

"Alright Alice where's the rabbit hole out of this place"

Dammmn virtual Chloe

CLARK NO

Go virtual Chlo

"I told you Dorothy this is all a dream"

"Whatever happens in cyberspace stays in cyberspace"

Yes Lois convincing Clark "Clark Kent's heart is always right" help I love them

NO NO NO SOMEONE GET CLARK OUT I'M READY TO SCREAM

Oh thank god Lois yes

I don't know who these guys working with Chloe are but I love them

Ollie saving his girl!!!

Canary just cartwheeling

How many Chloe avatars did they make?

The drama of Clois' leap

5 years????

Oh wait she meant since high school who's the dumbass now. Moi

Ohhhh it was them working with Chloe. Huh I did not recognize em

"And to think you're the same Chloe that's in that picture"

"Can I ask you something?" "Oh this never ends well" I've missed Chloe

Chloe and Clark talking about when she trusted him even when he was lying to her. I love her

"Sorry I'm late but unlike the virtual world I can't leap traffic jams in a single bound"

"I think you might wanna, uh, put these in water. I'm pretty sure they're real"

"Ok I finished picking out that flowers and the bridesmaid dresses you can come back in the house now"

"You made me fly. Even if it was in cyberspace"

[smallestclowninthecircus]

Tma season 2 notes baybeee

I made myself take several breaks so I could give my frie d who is listening to it at the same time as me a chance to catch up. Honestly just posting them so I have them saved somewhere but whatever.

ep 41: real graham wrote keep watching before he was replaced. Jon feels like he's being watched. But they werent replaced by things related to the eye. It's the web that's on the box that replaces them. Endless hallways and doors to nowhere. I bet nicholas will have ideas what entity this relates to. If it even does. They're like the tunnels in the one with the builder guy. Tunnels closing in etc. Also like the cave diving one. He's assuming it's just one

ep 42: so 100 gecs? (IM SORRY I LIKE 100 GECS BUT LMAO) so there's some entity related to music right? There's the piper episode and the 27 w/ the calliope. Ah yes, this season is gonna be the season of Paranoid!Jon

ep 43: section 31? fucking books. god no. smashed lights? cult lady did that. covered the lights too. she mentioned a spooky clown doll. thats not random.

ep 44: is this that same circus that got mentioned before? it is! the pipe organ! pop off organ! pipe off! mouth on the stomach! yes! mouths in unusual places my beloved!

ep 45: antiques! like that one ep!

ep 46: every time books get mentioned i sigh. hhh sus smells. it got brighter. I get the vibes occasionally that the dark and the eye are sorta at odds with eachother. GRRR BARK BARK LEITNER. ayyy ex altiora. entity go brr. which entity do we thing it is? my guess is The Dark. The book buyer's name is Mike. He has scars? Electricity? The childhood friend of the guy who got it later on perhaps? The Vast? its formatted like an entity idk. This happened before the other one. He got trapped in the wood carving. a win for the web lol spiders go brr

ep 47: did i hear spiral? ITS THE NOT THING FROM THE EPISODE WITH NOT GRAHAM "it didnt move, it shifted" is like the exact same sentence as before. ay john's starting to remember. the laughing woah thats weird. is "michael" one of the entities? "you make it seem like theres a war" supports my theory that theres a struggle between a couple of the entities. I said i thought it was the eye and the dark i believe but im not sure. its whatever entity michael is vs the worms? what did nicholas say the worms were again? The Corruption? still dont know which one michael is tho.

Had to take a break after that episode. smth about the quality of michael's voice makes me feel like im gonna slip into one of those states where it feels like nothing is real, so i got a nice cold glass of water.

ep 48: jesus ok this one's kidna corny. you're telling me love made the crowd go away come on now. Ur losing it big J. also shouldnt it be more sus that "sasha" is so unaffected by the worm incident/ finding of gertrude's body

ep 49: haven't we heard hector's name before? oh is he the crime guy? fucking jared... so it's a throat? chompa chompa. (it's just a little bit hot) the good part about these episodes is that we know whoever's telling the story isn't gonna die. even if it's a close call, they're not dead. hotworth? ok not jared keay. it bothers me how theres so many repeated names, can they not come up with other names? "sasha"'s computer is breaking... sus. Elias our favorite weed man! jon ur so paranoid lmao

ep 50: robert smirk, at it again. this is like that one episode with the old dude who locked his door. who said idle beforehand? was it smirk? fingertips. thats so weird lmao. bahahah tim

ep 51: simon fairchild. im sure jon will mention the name at the end i cant remember where we've heard it. this is just like the cavediving episode. a hand? there was a hand in the last one right? the scalpel! and an eye thing. she's trying to throw them off.

ep 52: thats the guy from before! with the hearts! god i hate this guy writing the statement hh. lights blowing, and brackish water. we know how this ends but its still tense. rainer? reigner? rain man. we've seen him before

ep 53: pls not a leitner. oh boy mans scratched out his eyes. rip skelly. why would gertrude have had this statement off the books? jon stabbed himself?? bruh im? big man are you okay

ep 54: cockney boys! ayy its our favorite delivery men. she cut out their eyes. she knew that the eye was a thing?

ep 55: oily residue like the retirement home!

ep 56: worms? no. spiders?? bruhh. aaah yelling :(( aww martin anyways yeah i called it about paranoid!jon he needs to take a nap and drink some hot chocolate and calm down for once please

ep 57: just remembered, i think theres an entity called The Lonely?? This feels pretty lonely idk. fairchild, lukas/ lucas, some spooky place in norway idk. "sasha" knew he was recordinig hmm suspicious cmon jon figure it out. Sasha and tom. hm sus. for records sake i feel liek i should note here that I did have it spoiled to me simply that that's not sasha, but thats really all. i assumed it was like the thing that happened to graham in S1

ep 58: i feel like i recognize the name eustice (?) wick. someone please tell me im not just watching jon's descent into madness over the course of this podcast. im hoping it isnt so but, (and pardon the dsmp reference) im getting real wilbur vibes from this one.

ep 59: oh dear ok account from the fielding house. swirling designs? Spiral time? oh boyy. oh wait! 6 inch hole in the middle! is it not a spiderweb type design on the table? thats what i had assumed but that description sounds more like a spiral thing. cobwebs is a Web thing. ayy nicholas was right! the box goes in the table! the place that she kissed him was burning. Raymond is an avatar of The Web and agnes is the burning one. Lightless Flame! Why did she save him? i guess she was against this guy eating ppl or wtvr but why was she at the halfway house then? I think she's like michael.

ep 60: the eye go brr

ep 61: breacon and hope once again. tom. sasha's boyfriend. vampires sleep in coffins. the guy just walking in seems similar to the mind control of the vampires

ep 62: bones! its that one leitner. is this mother keay? the mom of gerard? this is what happened to her right? her skin was found on hooks? oh yeah thats what i thought the pages are made of skin. yeesh. The End!! sounds like an entity. phrased like one, and i think i remember it. are the people trapped in the pages? or... kept?

ep 63: eaten by the darkness! cavediving episode! (just like eaten by the sky) did my brain make up one called The Vast? it feels like it should be one, and all these episodes have some similar description about their feelings when they do whatever chosen hobby they have. ok now this one kinda feels like the dark. lights going out and all that. ok so not really a The Vast thing, its more of a Dark thing. feckin smirk gah.

ep 64: dice! the death guy! the death game thing! the person tricked somebody else into becoming death and then they were immortal? but if the egyptians wanted to kill him or punish him or whatever couldnt they just kill him? it worked in the end when he had the person giving the statement stab him, that did the job and actually killed him

ep 65: finally jon is actually acknowledging something is wrong.

So we know Mary Keay was revived most likely with the book by gerard.

Gertrude was way more aware of the entities than Jon. mary keay referenced The End openly and she cut the eyes out of her magazines and all that which makes me think she was aware of The Eye

ep 66: please not buried alive pleeaase not buried alive. lukas of the tundra? didnt we hear the name lukas before? she wanted it to be difficult to find important files because that way bad people couldnt find them?

ep 67: agnes... the girl in the hilltop house? agnes poppin off!! he's really not gonna question how she knew where he lived?? oh no D: the tree. were they the ones working on the house? aww they kissi- OH DEAR. why did she kiss him? it seemed like she cared about him? also she could kiss that other dude on the cheek and he was fine, but maybe it was cuz she was younger? lightless flame go brrrrr.

ep 68: oh god books. yup its bitchboy leitner. mans said "this seems supernatural, its a werd book!" bruuh.

ep 69: heh nice. aw cmon jon listen to martin. gahhh spiders. is that the class we heard about in the other doctor one with the teeth apple? some kind of psych class? oh dear. fucking spiders. aaaah. web do be goin brr. it's like the girl in the homeless shelter! who made the guy leave and she took his bed.

ep 70: is this gonna be the book that mary keay had? Most likely a leitner no matter what. Oh boy latin. Why did it start in latin then become old English? I'm guessing people put them in the book? He cant burn it. Phrophecies go brr. He says eh it's a decade in the future it's fine. Its gonna have changed. Ayy called it. Just accept it, it's a magic book. His death is getting closer. Leitner didnt make them but just collected them? Gertrude burned the book! She burned them down there so no one would know.

ep 71: oh boy tunnels. Our favorite thing /s. is The Buried a thing? Idk this seems pretty buried. Oh dear he's trapped here isnt he. "Not enough space to move, never enough to breathe" is that from the computer episode? With the guy who uploaded his consciousness? Somebody living down there. Hmmmm. Guesses: tom, sasha's boyfriend. Gertrude herself? (Though I doubt it)

ep 72: sweeney todd moment. Meat. The slaughter? Idk we'll see what the supernatural part is. Meat is meat. Similar to the slaughterhouse episode. Is it fucking Jared I swear to God it better not be. Hooligan teenagers, you know how it is. Meat is me lmao. Is the kid gonna be in the freezer. Ok that's good. OWW. Oddly textured candles. Made from people? Human fat or smth? Tom from the meat processing plant!

ep 73: outer bay shipping. Bet it's a subset of breacon and hope delivery. The Dark go brrr. Uh oh mans is gonna die. Leo or whatever. Cult ppl go brr. The people's church of the divine host. Who is the divine host? Is it reigner or whatever his name is? I dont think Jon can quit tbh. Probably an anonymous tip but from who?? One of the entities?

ep 74: fucking teeth hhh. I dont know which entity is related to teeth. Spiral. Isnt the spiral an entity. It feels like it could be related to many things idk. Yeah this sounds like the spiral. Heart attack at 29? Jesus... michael! That's kinda what I was thinking. Sasha goin in the tunnels. Hmm sus. They move the floor. Wack. Bet its tom.

ep 75: Man with a lightning scar. Has one of the leitner books. The childhood friend of the one who first introduced us to leitner. Oh my god that sounds terrifying. Michael crew.

ep 76: scalpel? Hmm spooky. NotSasha... think jon think.

ep 77: another double! NotThem, The Stranger. Not related to the table?

ep 78: what was that at the beginning? Question mark?? Oh boy more NotThem. Decker... what is the deal with the table. Does it contain the creature? Fucking Michael. Bitchboi himself.

ep 79: yes pop off martin. Ugh fucking Michael just leave man. I hate that dude. New person. Hmm. No idea who it is.

ep 80: shitener himself! Ok sir tell us the entities. Ayy The Spiral. Ok we know what that one is. The Eye is the beholding! Oooh. The Stranger. Did elias just kill leitner? Popping off honestly.

[rosesvioletshardy]

life as we know it - b.h. - chapter 7

i originally planned on this chapter posting yesterday but i got caught up watching avatar the last airbender on netflix again so it ended up a little late. this chapter is also a little heavy on some subjects so if it bothers you please skip it. i tried not to put it too much seeing that it also made me a little uncomfortable so i hope it doesn’t bother y’all too much. 

masterlist

summary: when their two best friends die, it’s up to ben and y/n to take care of their goddaughter and face the challenges that come with it.

# of words: 3,427 (about)

warnings: talks of poop, mentions of vomiting, anxiety / panic attacks, fluff

taglist: @myfatbottomedgirls , @evemarie05, @suckerfor-fanfics

(message or inbox me if you want to added to the taglist for this fanfic)

---

(basically what ben wore to the guardianship hearing)

late may 2017 (charlie is 8 months)

ben was the first to awake, seeing that he couldn’t sleep anymore and decided he needed to go for a run after not having been on one for a while and took frankie with him. when he left, the sound of the door closing woke y/n up. getting out of the bed, she went to charlie’s room and found her already awake. after changing her diaper and clothes, they went downstairs to fix breakfast like they do every morning from now on

“okay charlie girl what do you want today? avocado and peas or oatmeal?” 

y/n didn’t get an answer but charlie just hitting her teething ring on the table of her high chair and babbled. charlie still hadn’t said her first word or started to walk and they feared that they hadn't been encouraging it enough to say her first words. 

“okay you’ll have the oatmeal today and avocado tomorrow. deal?” 

she had managed to feed both her and charlie and get breakfast ready for ben and frankie for when they came back. during the extra time she had, she put on some music and started to sing and dance along. picking charlie up from her and started to dance around causing her to giggle and squeal. ben came back from his run walking into the kitchen and seeing charlie and y/n dancing while she sang along before she turned around and saw ben recording her and laughing. when the song ended, y/n put charlie back into her high chair and ben went upstairs to shower and get ready. 

ben was about to leave for a meeting with his agent about a new movie after finishing breakfast and give charlie to y/n after having her on his lap, when he stopped dead in his tracks when he felt something heavy in charlie’s diaper and smelt something bad.

“do you smell that?” 

“smell what?” y/n asked him as she dried her hands off 

“her. do you smell that smell coming off her?” 

“oh maybe she pooped! she didn’t do it overnight or anything and i changed her diaper this morning but i didn’t think she would do it that quick.”

ben lifted her up to check to see and immediately regretted his thoughts as he pushed charlie towards her and started to gag

“yeah she needs a change. oh my god. my eyes are starting to water so bad.” 

“stop being a baby. c’mon let’s go” she said as they walked up the stairs to charlie’s room

ben laid her down on the changing table and took off her the pants she was wearing and unbuttoned the shirt. 

“okay. go on, do the thing.” he gestured to her as she stood next to him covering her nose

“what? why me? because i’m the girl?”

“yeah.”

“well i can’t-”

“ben you need to learn how to do something with her besides play! i’ve changed her diaper so many times since we had her and bathed her as well.” she said before continuing

“get in there. go ahead.”

“okay, fine. You know what? easy. if i can act, then i can do this. It’s not that -”

“it’s something you can check off your checklist. Check” y/n said as she did a check notion in the air

“what are you doing?”

“i don’t know what i’m doing. it’s not a bra that i’m taking off a girl. It’s a diaper that i’m taking off a baby, okay? is there a box of instructions?” 

“it’s not rocket science. just take the tabs off.”

“see those little tabs? just undo them.”

as ben undid the tabs and pulled the diaper away, both him and y/n were hit with a big surprise from charlie causing them to start gagging while she just laid there and giggled

“don’t do that! you’re going to make me vomit!”

“it’s like slumdog millionaire in there.”

“you’re going to make me throw up”

“she didn’t eat enough to even produce that! she had like two pieces of those cracker things-” ben started to yell as she started to hit him

“she’s getting it in her toes!”

“okay, okay, okay! give me those wipes! give me more” ben stated as she kept handing him wipes

“what, it’s like a poop suit.” ben started to say as they heard the doorbell ring making him run to go get it

“ben!? don’t leave me here!” y/n yelled

as ben ran down the stairs, their neighbors were arguing before the door opened

“i’m getting the feeling this is some kind of reconnaissance mission.” zachary, rachel’s husband said

“no one else is thinking this.” rachel said before ben quickly opened the door

“oh, hi!!” they all said

“Hey”

“we’re just, you know...here comes the street”

“what’s going on?” ben asked

“just uh, you know, bringing you some dishes, and whatnot. new parents have to stock the fridge. one, two, three. just because” rachel said laughing

ben knew exactly what they wanted which was them wanting to come inside. he gave in and told them to come in. this made him remember that he a meeting to go to and according to his agent it could be a big one

“come on it.” he said moving out of the way

“oh how unexpected! hope it’s not  bad time” amber said

“if you could all excuse me for just one minute while i make a phone call” ben politely said

ben left the room and went upstairs to find y/n cleaning up charlie and put her in a new onesie

“hey, the neighborhood watch is here. they brought us some-” ben said with his phone against his ear waiting for his agent to pick up stopping as soon as he saw her and pointed

she turned around for ben to find some of charlie’s poop on her cheek

“what? she’s perfect. no thanks to you. big coward” she said

ben tried to warn her about the shit on her face before talking to his agent and they walked down the stairs. ben giggled with charlie before following her down to where everyone was

“auntie y/n is in for a big surprise” ben giggled to charlie

y/n walked down the stairs to find a few of the neighbors that were at the funeral and reception there holding containers filled with food. when she reached the bottom, everyone cheered until what they saw on her face

“oh” 

“what?” she asked confused as to why everyone was looking at her funny

“Well honey, you have shit on your face.” who she recognized as rachel said

y/n’s eyes bugged out of her face as she began to touch her face to find the poop on her right cheek while ben stood there smiling.

walking back upstairs, she passed the mirror as she looked and almost screamed

“fuck, fuck, fuck. that’s so gross! how did i not notice? how did that even happen?” she started to whisper yell 

she quickly ran back to find one of the wipes and wipe the poop off her face causing her makeup to come off as well. she then ran back to the bathroom in a panicked state looking for her makeup to fix it. as she was putting another layer on, ben came into the bathroom telling to hurry up

“you got a little more. on the right.” ben started to say helping her

“just shut up. i swear”

“c’mon. the faster you finish, the faster we can get them out and i can go to the meeting. i only managed to get myself one more hour before i don’t get this. i’m just trying to help” ben said as she walked passed him and he laughed quietly to charlie

“well, if you stayed and helped this might not have happened” she stated as they walked down the stairs

when they walked down the stairs, they saw everything set up for breakfast that the neighbors had prepared. ben stopped in his tracks as he got a text saying it was his lucky day that the meeting got postponed to later in the evening as they got busy with a personal matter

y/n started to pour out coffee for all the adults as ben moved the playpen near them and put her inside it with a few of her toys

“are you guys doing okay with charlie? you look a little tired?” 

“oh yeah, that would be the not sleeping.” ben said

“it doesn’t show at all” everyone started to agree

“you don’t look that tired.” mike told ben

“don’t worry, because you’re not gonna sleep for 10 years.” rachel told them

“and you’re not never gonna get used to the children’s music.” zachary said

“i don’t think any of us knew what we’re doing when we become new parents” amber told them

“we had nine months to get ready and we still screw up about half the time”

“do you know what? i’m gonna get real serious. you have to get two things straight and i’m going to say: 1. get a sitter,” rachel started 

“and a backup”

“absolutely” 

“Number 2: you can never have enough paper towels” rachel finished

“when you shop at the shop now. they’re always out of milk and they don’t carry the unscented wipes” robert said

“that is true.” tom, robert’s husband agreed

“when you order motrin, or buy it, make sure you get the dye free”

“No BPAs. sippy cups, any plastics. you don’t want those chemicals”

everyone was hurling all this information on what to do and what to get to the point where y/n ran out of the room and straight to the bathroom to throw up from her anxiety. all the adults stopped talking and stared at her before turning to ben who followed her straight to the bathroom. softly knocking at the door, he entered to find her leaning against the tub, breathing heavily

“hey you alright?” ben asked

“i would say yeah, but then i’d just be lying to the both of us.” she told him

“what happened? what’s wrong?”

“nothing. i guess being a parent is more than we thought of and i think all the stress and nervousness from them talking about what wipes to get or what cups she should be using just got to me.”

“well you’re not alone on this. you got me too. same with jack and melissa, we can always ask my mum, there’s articles online. there’s a bunch of different resources to use. we don’t have to exactly listen to them, there are other sources.” he told her as she threw up again, holding her hair in a makeshift ponytail

“i guess.”

“now, we have people to entertain and finish talking to because the sooner that happens, the sooner we can go back to being alone and going to work or whatever.” ben told her getting up and offering her a hand

“you’re right. i hate it when you’re right.” she said as she began to wash her mouth out

“no i think you love it when i’m right.” he said in a cocky tone as they went back downstairs

charlie was now sitting in amber’s lap as they played with one of her toys while the other adults talked

“hey, how you feeling? what happened?” 

“are you okay? are you pregnant?” 

questions were being hurled at her like the comments before but y/n had managed to keep the vomit down this time

“i’m fine and no, i'm not pregnant. hopefully not for a while. most likely was from last night's dinner, maybe something bad.” 

“that’s good. hope you feel better. well, i think it’s time for us to leave. we all have work, and i know you both do too.” amber said handing back charlie to y/n

“thank you for coming. the food was delicious.” she tells them as they all head for the door

they all said their goodbyes and ben and y/n have never felt so tired in the morning like this. they were somewhat used to this now due to charlie teething at the moment so there are times in the middle of the night where they wake up to help her soothe her gums. ben went to go take charlie upstairs for her nap while she decided to check her phone while finishing getting ready after cleaning the table and putting the leftover breakfast in the fridge and dishes in the dishwasher. as she scrolled through the news, she saw a rather interesting article about ben from The Daily Mail, which she has learned to hate. when she clicked on it, she started to choke on her coffee when she read the headline. after pulling herself together, she reread the headline to make sure it was right,

 “eastenders actor ben hardy with a secret girlfriend and baby strolling london?” 

she took a deep breath and pressed on the article to read it knowing that it won’t be the best idea

“Earlier this week, former EastEnders actor Ben Hardy was caught strolling in London for lunch with bakery owner y/n l/n, their dog, and their child. it is unknown whether or not how long they have been together. They were seen by a source going into l/n’s bakery, Eats ‘n’ Treats for lunch and stayed there for a couple of hours before leaving and taking a small stroll around Hyde Park. A month ago, Hardy and L/N’s friends were killed in a car incident. Hardy recently starred in an episode of “Drunk History” where he played King Arthur and as Archangel in the Marvel movie “X-Men: Apocalypse.”

ben walked back down to see y/n clutching her phone to the point where if she had any more strength, it would break. her face was pale too, eyes bugging out. he went to her to see what was wrong where all she could do was hand her phone to ben. he seemed confused at first before he read what she was reading. he had never liked gossip sites, no matter what they were or who. he sat down next to her and they thought about how they could tell people the truth about their situation. he looked at her and without even having to open their mouths, she nodded knowing it would be the right thing to do. ben got out his phone and opened Instagram and picked out a photo of him, y/n, and charlie all together from when she was first born. he spent a few minutes on the caption and making sure there weren’t any mistakes, and posted the picture. the two didn’t say another word and he watched her as she left for work. ben was pretty sure that his agent was going to be bringing it up at the meeting later in the evening. 

ben hadn’t looked at his phone all day or called her. she hadn't done the same either. tyler had tried to talk to her about it but he knew she didn’t want to and respected his friends' choices. her shop became more crowded than usual after the article, specifically fans of ben. she decided it would be best for her to go into her office to work and be in the back until the shop closed. ben had stayed home with charlie and cleaned up around the house and cooked dinner or at least tried to. he wanted to apologize for dragging her and charlie into the mess he calls his life as an actor and wanted to at least make up for it. the one thing he didn’t think of was what would sean think of the article. he couldn’t believe that he would be that dense to believe anything a gossip article would say. 

y/n had managed to arrive back home a few minutes later than usual and entered to see the table set up with dinner and candles lit up. she dropped her bag off at the couch and took her heels off and walked into the kitchen to find ben pouring some wine. white, this time so nothing would happen like what would happen when she drank red. 

“why did you do this?” she asked him

“i wanted to apologize to everything that has happened recently. Specifically what we read this morning from the tabloids. i tried using a cookbook to follow everything to the point where i think i just ended up guessing on everything. hopefully i won’t try to poison us and i hope it doesn't.” ben said all in one breath

all she could do was let out a small laugh and go to one side of the table admiring the food he made. it didn’t look bad and it didn’t smell bad either. “he really outdid himself, huh?” she thought

ben walked over to her and placed the glass of wine in front of her and pulled out her chair for her to sit. she kindly did so and watched as he went to sit next to her. she began to have this feeling in her stomach. a feeling she used to have with sean when they first began to date but not as much anymore. y/n quickly shook her thoughts away and watched as he began to put some of the spaghetti carbonara on her plate. the two ate in silence before she spoke up.

“it’s really good. but why did you do this? an apology would’ve just been enough.” 

“yes, but i know you’ve been working more hard on everything the past couple months that i felt like you deserve something better. i know we have our ups and downs but-” ben started to say until his phone ringing interrupted him

“answer it. it sounds important.” she told him as she saw that the contact name was his agent

ben gave her a small, sorry, smile before leaving the room. y/n tried to finish the rest of her food but she had too much going on in her mind before snapping out of her thoughts when ben came back in.

“i’m really sorry i have to do this but i have a meeting to go to. it’s something about a new movie and they want to talk to me about it before getting me an audition in a couple of months.” ben said with a sorrowful look on his already feeling more guilty

“no, ben it’s fine. you’re getting bigger and i couldn’t be more proud. just go, i’ll clean up. the food was great though. thank you.” she told him standing up

“are you-”

“yes. ben i’m sure. now go. i don’t want you to miss out on a big opportunity like this.” 

ben gave her a small smile apologizing again before putting his shoes on and walking out the door and glanced over his shoulder, back at her to find her putting the dishes in the sink and the food in a tupperware. he closed the door and headed towards his car to go to his agent's house. when she was done with the rest of the dishes, she drank the rest of her glass of wine and went to check on charlie seeing that she hadn't seen her since the morning. 

upon entering her room, frankie quickly got up to see who the intruder was. after smelling the scent of the person and knowing who it was, she went back to her spot near charlie’s crib. y/n walked over to find her peacefully sleeping and lightly brushing the frame of her face. she looked at her for a few more minutes before looking around the room and seeing the picture of christian and lennon. picking it up, she held the picture close to her for a few minutes before setting it back down and heading back downstairs. she tried to watch some TV to distract herself but there wasn’t anything good for her so she just left it on with the volume on low and found herself slowly falling asleep on the couch.

when ben came back home, it was late, almost 12 am. he quietly closed and locked the door before hearing noises coming from the living room and realizing it was the tv. he walked over to turn it off before he saw y/n asleep on the couch. he turned the show off and went over to her and softly picked her up to take her to her to her room. closing the door, he went to change out of his clothes and got ready for bed himself.

[thepeanutbutterwizard]

Ninjago/Avatar au Pt 2

aka what Wu’s been up to.

(Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5)

Before I go on with whats going on with the Garmadon and Smith families in the South Pole, lets back-track and see to what happened to Wu in the Fire Nation after Garm got banished. (Spoiler alert, I have some serious mixed feelings on Wu in cannon but I kinda like the guy, sorta, it’s complicated, so I’m not gonna make him overly antagonistic)

So Wu was like, 12 when Garm got banished. He was upset and hurt bc he loves his brother (they were pretty close to each other as kids) but more than anything he was scared. He thought that their father loved them, despite being busy with being Firelord and him being distant when he was around them, Wu thought that deep down he cared at least a little about his sons.

And then he watched his father humiliate and scar his big brother (decided that I am giving Garm a scar. It’s not going to be over his eye like Zukos, it’s on his cheek and down his neck) in front of a crowd of people before sending him off to go do the impossible. He heard the generals laughing about Garm and his search for months after he was gone. They never even got to say goodbye to each other.

Wu’s studies and training increased after that, since he was now next in line for the throne. He started writing letters to his brother, sometimes venting about other people, sometimes talking about what he learned or did that day, (I was able to feed the baby turtleducks today. You would have loved it brother!) just anything and everything. He burned all of them as soon as the ink was done drying.

When Wu learned that Garm had ‘died’, he held it together all day before breaking down in his room that night. Years passed, and Wu became more involved in the Fire Nations military. He didn’t like it much, but he had to do what his father wanted, and he was actually very good at it.

When he gets to the age where he gets pestered to ‘produce an heir’, he develops a habit of going on long walks wherever he is, consequences be damned. He was almost captured by some Earth Kingdom soldiers once when he was abroad. Its on one of these walk that he finds a young half-starved urchin who tried to jump him in the woods and steal any money he had.

Something about this scrappy, angry, nonbender kid who had been alone for years and didn’t even remember his parents struck a chord in Wu’s soul, so he decided he would keep him and raise him. He begged his father and managed to get him to let Wu keep the child. And that’s how Morro came to live in the Fire Nation. He doesn’t have the same status he would have if he was Wu’s biological child, but he has food and a safe place to sleep, and once he’s able to adjust and open up more, he has a parent who genuinely loves him and wants the best for him.

When he gets older, Morro wants to prove himself. Prove that Wu was right to take him in, give him a chance at life. Prove that he can be great. So when Lloyd first bends in the Southern Water Tribe, and the Fire Sages learn that the Avatar is back, Morro jumps at the chance to search for him.

Wu does not like this. But he knows that if he flat out bans Morro from searching for the Avatar, he’ll just sneak out half cocked with no supplies and no plan and get himself killed just like Garm. So Wu says Morro can search for the Avatar as long as he doesn’t mind Wu tagging along.

Morro does not like this. But he thought he’d have to go behind Wu’s back in order to go after the Avatar, so he’s going to take this chance, swearing to Wu that he won’t disappoint him.

They spend three years searching, working their way south and eventually making it to the South Pole. Wu really does not like this, and tries very hard to get Morro leave ASAP. He doesn’t tell Morro why he wants to leave the South Pole, bc admitting he’s still upset about his brothers banishment and ‘death’ and that having his son be in the same place and doing the same thing as Garm all those years ago is very distressing for him would be seen as him admitting weakness and it could get back to his father and things could get bad for him and Morro if he is anything less than perfect.

Originally the ship wasn’t going to stop at the Southern Water Tribe, or at least they were going to be sneaky about being there, but while they were fishing for food they found something...interesting. When Ray and Garm first started living with the Southern Water Tribe, they bundled up all of their armor and Fire Nation clothing and took it out in a boat and dumped it in the ocean to try and hide it. This bundle was dredged up by Wu and Morro’s ship.

Most of the crew shrugs it off as just some weird leftover from one of the many times that the Fire Nation had been to the South Pole, but Wu immediately sees that one of the sets of armor, despite all the damage from being underwater for so long, was a special set only available to a member of the royal family. And the only member of the Fire Nation royal family to have been to the South Pole recently was Garmadon. But since he fell overboard and drowned, if they found his armor they should have found his body...

Meanwhile, Lloyd is getting into trouble and probably roping Kai and Nya into it, and he ends up setting off the flare booby-trap in the old beached Fire Nation ship, and it’s spotted by Wu and Morro’s ship, which then heads straight for the Southern Water Tribe. During the trip to the village, Wu take the time to write one of his letters to Garmadon. But for the first time, he doesn’t burn it.