#he can shadow-travel all he wants and go back to venice as much as he likes

[chubbybunny25]

Happy Birthday Nico!!

(idc idc it's already past midnight in my place.. so here's an excerpt from my first percy/nico fic When You Think About It, chapter 3... Enjoy!!)

The night is buzzing with upbeat music inside Frank and Hazel’s apartment in New Rome. There’s a lot of food, courtesy of Leo, Piper, and Percy. It’s Nico’s birthday and his friends decided to throw a party for him, no matter how Nico insisted otherwise.

They presented a very strong argument that It’s not just a birthday party, but also some kind of farewell party for him.

Farewell party.

It’s a rather weird concept for Nico to celebrate one’s departure. He had always felt bitter whenever he would have to run away and disappear with the shadows. But this time, he’s going away for a completely different reason. For once, he’s not leaving terrified, disappointed faces, but caring, hopeful ones. They're not worried, but only happy for him. That's a whole new level of trust and acceptance for the son of Hades.

Nico sips his mocktail. It’s a pale green drink, the refreshing taste of cucumber complimenting the tangy flavor of lime, with a hint of sweetness in it. Earlier, he requested Jason and Reyna to only have mocktails for the celebration. While his Italian heritage would welcome alcohol anytime, he wouldn’t want to risk triggering Percy’s bad memories of his first stepfather.

A bizarre feeling settles in Nico’s chest at that thought. He never thought he’d be close to Percy like that—to the point that the son of Poseidon would share stories of his life even before he knew he was a demigod. Nico could only wish he had as much to share.

“Hey. Happy Birthday, Nico.”

Nico spins around to face a smiling Percy. Nico wonders why it’s so easy to smile back. “Thanks,” he responds.

Percy puts down his electric blue drink and gets something from his pocket. He takes Nico’s hand and places something on it. When Nico’s recovered from the sparks that Percy’s touch left his skin, he finds in his hand a small key chain, the most adorable mini skeleton in a dark blue cloak, its back decorated with angel wings.

Nico feels like his heartbeat has just sped up a thousand times. He just gapes, stunned and unable to speak. Fortunately, Percy doesn’t pay attention to how weird Nico’s reaction must be as when Nico looks up, Percy is touching the back of his neck, eyes lowered to the ground.

“I, uh, saw that and it reminded me of you,” Percy tells him.

It takes a really great effort for Nico to bite back his seemingly default response in situations like this: You didn’t have to.

He goes for a simple but sincere “Thank you, Percy.”

Percy stares at him, obviously surprised that Nico easily accepted the gift, and maybe resolutely prepared with all the Percy-reasons why Nico deserves the gift. To be fair, Nico is equally surprised by himself, too.

“Are you sure you’re leaving tomorrow already?” Percy asks curiously.

They had this conversation before, but somehow, Nico feels a tinge of sadness, especially because it’s Percy, so he naturally doesn’t show he’s sad. Classic.

“Didn’t expect you to miss me already.” Again, it surprises him that it has become natural for them to engage in a playful banter like this. 

Percy catches on and grins, “Nah… You wish, di Angelo. You can come and go as you want, you know. I’ve always thought you’re a free spirit, pun intended.”

Nico stifles a laugh at that. “Su—re. Says the guy who asked for Cabin 13.” Another surprise: Percy blushes a little.

“Hades Cabin is supposed to be a home for you, Nico, not a prison.”

And doesn’t Nico’s heart feel like exploding at that?

More than a year ago, when he decided to stay by Percy’s side, he was sure that whatever he’d felt for the son of Poseidon, it had reached its highest form, like it couldn’t get any more beautiful (or more stupid).

He’s gotten so used to staying by Percy’s side that it feels like loving and hurting are two inseparable things. Two enchanted strings irrevocably intertwined with each other that bind the son of Hades’ existence. It had been that way for so many years, it almost feels as natural as breathing.

When Percy and Annabeth broke up and after Percy’s confession about Luke, the most logical step for Nico was to claim what he’s always wanted. That was so so obvious.

But when he looked into the deepest recesses of his heart, he was surprised to find that he was… scared. Accepting that he was in love with Percy and getting into a relationship with Percy, are two very different things. Like parallel lines that never meet.

Just when he thought he couldn’t be any more selfish, Nico seemed to reach another degree of selfishness. He wanted to keep things as they have been—to bask in the comforting friendship that he’s been cherishing with Percy. He didn't want to risk getting hurt and rejected.

He was scared.

If Annabeth Chase, Percy’s Wise Girl, his best friend, had lost it all, what were the chances that Nico won’t be going to meet the same fate? Who was he in Percy’s book anyways? 

No, wait, scratch that. Who was he? Period.

Who is Nico di Angelo besides a brave son of Hades that has always helped and saved Percy? Who is he but a worthy sparring partner for Percy? Who is he but a faithful friend that comforts Percy and even accompanies him to therapy?

When Percy tells stories about his past, the pleasant and horrific parts alike, Nico sees Percy as not the hero, but the loving son, the doting brother, the threatened little kid, the troubled student. He sees… Percy. Even before all his demigod responsibilities, Percy had a life. Percy had… memories.

What does Nico have? What did he have?

And if he ever wants to be more with Percy, can he offer him something more?

Because he wants that. He wants to give more. Percy deserves more.

So yes, just as he thought he can’t fall in love with Percy more deeply, oh he fucking does. So deep that he might consider recommending his heart as an alternative route to the Underworld one of these days.

“Hey man, could you not hog the birthday boy?”

Turns out his musings lasted only seconds when it feels like it lasted for months. Maybe it did.

He sees Leo walking up to them with Hazel.

“Yeah, cake’s waiting.” Hazel chimes, taking Nico's hand.

Percy just smiles brightly, “Can’t keep the cake waiting then.”

While his friends sing “Happy Birthday” in a variety of low and high notes, Nico blows his candles. 

“What did you wish for?” Reyna gazes at him quizzically.

He wishes he could offer more. He wishes he could become his own person. He wishes he could be someone Percy Jackson deserves.

He wishes for a safe trip back to where it all began. Back to the place he first called—and will always call—home.

He wishes that he’ll find answers in Venice.

(Nico di Angelo.. you aren't real, but the happiness and enjoyment your character has given.. that was real. Happy Birthday, Ghost King 💀)

[soleilceirinen]

Ciao, amore (Tom Ripley x fem!reader) - Plein soleil AU.

Summary: Tom tries to convince you to return to America.

A/N: Plein soleil is one of my favorite movies, although I like the book (The talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith) this version is my favorite, perhaps because Tom is played by Alain Delon.

English is not my first language, sorry for any mistake and thanks for reading!

Warning: none besides typical sexist comments of the time (50s-60s).

MASTERLIST

Italy, 1959.

The soft summer breeze moved the white curtains as the sunset casted a golden glow to the room. It was exactly what you were waiting for. 

"Move your head a bit to the right, Tom," you said to the man sitting in your favorite armchair by the balcony. He obeyed but looked at you sideways. "Don't move."

He sighed, relaxing his shoulders. "Are you sure you don't want to go to the party tonight, Y/N?"

You shook your head, already focused on adding color to the canvas. 

Tom was one of the most gorgeous men you had ever seen, since the moment you saw him for the first time, you knew that you had to paint a portrait of him. If you were lucky enough, you could get a bit close to capture the exact blue of his eyes.

"I don't feel like going and pretend that I enjoy being there, answering their stupid questions and faking smiles. They don't even like me, they only want me for my father's money," you muttered as you added a bit of shadows to the painted version of Tom. "You could have gone with Marge and Dickie if you wanted, you can still catch them if you're fast."

"I thought you wanted to go, that's all," he said. You hummed in response. 

The both of you spent about an hour in silence until the sunset was gone and the golden light changed into darkness. 

"Are you going home for Christmas?" asked him, breaking the silence after a while. 

"You already know the answer to that, Tom. I don't want to argue again about this, alright?" 

"Alright, but you should think about it. Your family is worried about you, all alone and so far from home."

You frowned, taking the dirty brushes and starting to clean them with turpentine. The smell of it always made you feel a bit dizzy, so when they were clean enough, you headed to the balcony to get some fresh air. 

Tom followed you, positioned himself against your back, trapping you between his warm body and the balustrade. 

"Why don't you go back home yourself, ah?" you said bitterly, not expecting an answer.

He had nothing to come back, you knew that much. 

His insistence on coming back home was starting to bore you, mostly because you knew the truth. Your father, an utterly wealthy man wanted you to return to America and in order to do that, he had paid a huge amount of money to Tom to convince you. But there was no point. In Italy you were free.

"I will spend the winter traveling through Europe, learning from the great paint masters," you whispered dreamily. 

You had everything planned, starting with going to every Italian city to visit the monuments and museums, copying the greatest artists's artworks. You wanted to learn of the use of color from the venetians, the composition and the light. Your next stop was going to be Venice. 

Tom hummed and hugged you. He leaned his head on the crock of your neck and left a trail of soft kisses down your shoulder. You turned your head to the side to give him some more room. 

He was aware of his attractiveness, and he never doubted to use it in his favor. Your friend Marge always told you that she didn't trust him, that he was weird. You knew that he was sticking with you because he wanted a bounty but you didn’t mind. 

You were young, free and wanted to have fun, so as long as he kept you satisfied, you wouldn't care about his true intentions or his past. 

“I’m not going home, Tom, and this is the last time I’ll have this conversation with you or with anyone else. Am I being clear?”

He kept kissing you, cupping your breasts with his warm hands through the thin fabric of your dress. “It was just a suggestion, maybe you could think about it.”

Suddenly, you weren’t in the mood. With quick movements, you got rid of him and let yourself fall in the armchair with the skirt of your dress flowing gracefully around you. Tom stared at you, leaning against the balustrade. 

“I want to be an artist,” you said softly, playing with the hem of your dress. “And it is something that I can only achieve here. Coming back would mean getting married, giving up on all my dreams and becoming my mother, and that’s my worst nightmare.”

It was true. The moment you set foot in America again, your father would make you marry some stranger in order to increase your family wealthness, have children to inherit the fortune and live for the rest of your life as a housewife, as a trophy to show at parties. But you wanted to be your own self, an artist. 

Tom walked towards you and knelt in front of your legs, grabbing your hands in his bigger ones. “Marry me, then. We could go wherever you want, do whatever you want,” he finished kissing the back of your hand. 

You tried to hide your amusement with a pout. You liked Tom but you would never marry him. Your father would never allow it, you were the heiress of a great fortune and he had nothing, not that you minded but it would drive your father crazy. It was a good reason to do it though, just to annoy the old man, but you weren't stupid. Tom didn’t want to marry you out of love, he just wanted money. 

You caressed his chiseled cheekbones and leaned forward to give him a chaste kiss on the lips. 

“My father will choose the man I marry, and that man is not you, Tom.”

He frowned, trying to keep his face neutral but you knew that your comment had hurt him in a way that you could never understand. Tom let go of your hands and stood up, pacing around the room until he stopped in front of the canvas. 

“You know, Y/N, I’m your best option. With me you could do whatever you wanted, I already told you. By yourself you’d only be a woman. Nobody would take you seriously as an artist.” 

His cold words meant to cause you a similar pain than the one he felt moments earlier, but you counted on that. Whenever he felt hurt or humiliated he seemed to act like a wild animal. 

“I’ll use a pseudonym, a male one. That’s what we women do. We don’t need a man to be successful or independent, we are our own man.” 

Tom seemed to think about something, you could almost see the hinges inside his head turning. 

He was nothing more than a fortune hunter. Even when he tried to hide it under sweet whispers in the night, or soft caresses, the coldness was still there, it never felt real. Instead, wherever Tom was, it felt like he was playing a role. You hadn’t met the real Tom yet, and you doubted that you would ever do. 

For now, you could just play dumb and pretend that you were unaware of his true intentions. After all, you were young and most important, free. The new decade will come soon and you’ll try to enjoy your youth traveling around Europe and making memories with the people you would find in the way. 

Tom would stay by your side until one of you two got bored of the other. To him, you were just the goose that laid the golden eggs. To you, he was nothing more than a pair of blue eyes with some pretty things to say.

You sighed and stood up, walking to him and hugging his waist. “Let’s not fight, alright?”, he was staring at his portrait, with his jaw clenched. “Tom, if you are still in Italy by the end of next month we can go together to Venice. How does that sound?”

Slowly, you felt his muscles relax in your embrace. It could have been unnoticed but you saw him nod. “Venice sounds perfect.”

[livewireprojects]

Sonadow family roadtrip to Christmas gathering idea

Typed this up December 26, 2024 but got distracted.

This idea kind of comes due to occasionally imagining plots for movieverse & gameverse(or at least my version or a version based on mine) Sonic meet in some way. I can explain some plots later if anyone wants but besides that this is only here to explain this came from crossover ideas.

This post is from a crossover idea that can work without the crossover related stuff. I dunno how to word, I'm just saying this post is the idea without the crossover plot.

This contains older Sonadow, mpreg & can be seen as an AU were Venice is Shadow's bio son.(He can still be Mephiles's son but Mephiles isn't involved in this at all though you can imagine him there since I add him to stuff)

The idea is pretty much Shadow & Sonic taking their family(Venice, Spices, Sonic's childhood pet chao & Crescent, a service chao Shadow got trained to help Sonic) to a holiday gathering their friends are having were everyone would be staying together or close by for a couple days then have a Christmas party together. Car was packed up for the few days they'd be there along with presents & baked goods for everyone. It was going to be a while before they got there so Shadow made sure he & his family had snacks & easy meals(like sandwiches) prepared which Sonic handed out when needed.

Shadow was driving & had prepared for the long ride, Sonic was sitting next to him. Sonic is pregnant with Silver who he has to calm down because the little hoglet is getting fussy inside his mom at some point. At some point little Venice fell asleep in his car seat, the 3-4 year old hoglet tired himself out playing & looking out the window at the scenery & snow. Spices is sleeping next to Venice but Crescent is likely sleeping near Sonic just in case.

They probably make a stop here & there since it's a long ride plus a young child & an expecting hedgehog with a need to stretch his legs but they try to limit it as best they can cause they need to get to their destination at some point & especially cause it's winter time.

For some reason I imagine they likely have a van that was made for humans but has stuff put in it so mobians can drive. It's good when human friends(like Chris) ride with them & human cars have a little more room than mobian cars.

I just keep imagining them heading to visit friends/family, Shadow driving, Sonic sitting across from him & rubbing his baby bump, & Venice asleep in his car seat.

When they get there Shadow has someone else help him get stuff into the cabin/house because he doesn't want Sonic carrying too much while pregnant. I'd say Venice helped him via his telekinesis but it's probably late at night so once their stuff is out of the car he's getting woken up to get ready for bed then being place back in bed.

Shadow just being a bit of a protective dad & partner but it's understandable that he'd be worried about Sonic trying to help.

I was mostly imagining them on their ride over & a little bit of the family after getting to their destination but I can't help but imagine them after they got finished unpacking & getting their room setup. All finished preparing for bed, Venice is asleep in his bed maybe with the chao cuddling him. Shadow & Sonic are in bed either both asleep or Shadow is about to sleep, he makes sure Silver calms down for Sonic since it's been a long day & Sonic just glad that they won't be traveling for a few days & can enjoy a nice bed with Shadow.

[cocopuffsstillinside]

Messed Up - fanfic by cocopuffsstillinside

Full fic available on Ao3

Summary - Nico has just moved to the US with his sister Bianca. Their Mama died and now they live with they somewhat involved father. Life isn't going well for little Nico. The constant gay panic and dealing with his fathers favouritism is over whelming. Can life really get any worse?

Set in school AU.

Chapter 1 - Captain Westover

             11 year old Nico’s life was a mess. His mother had fallen terminally ill not long after his tenth birthday and his somewhat absent father had whisked her, him and his sister off to the US in the hopes of finding someway to save her. It was futile. She died not 2 months after they arrived.

             All Nico wanted was to go home to his little village just outside Venice. He knew he couldnt. What didn’t help matters was that when they had arrived, Nico discovered why his Father wasn’t around much. He knew he was a businessman and he travelled for work, so he had just assumed that was it. Unfortunately, it was worse than that, Nico and Bianca where the products of one of Hades’ affairs while he was travelling.

             When they first arrived with their mother, Hades had set up an apartment for them. Both he and his sister thought it odd that he didn’t stay with them, one of the only bright sides Nico could see about the move was that he might have a shot at a normal family life, but no.

             Turns out his father had a pretty little wife here in the States, and she wasn’t best pleased to learn of their existence.

              After their mother finally passed, he and Bianca were moved into the Hades household. It was huge, Nico didn’t realise but it was clear his father had money and by the look and size of the ‘house', there was a lot of it to.

              It didn’t take long for him to notice his Father had a clear favourite between Nico and his sister. Bianca would receive surprise gifts, she would always be greeted first and she would always be the centre of his attention when they were together. Nico however, not so much. If Bianca got a gift, so would he but it was clearly less effort. For example, once he gave her a pair of diamond earrings and Nico had got a new t-shirt. He didn’t care that hers was more expensive or flashier, it was more that his father just saw him as a extra mouth to feed and barely acknowledged Nico’s existence. It hurt - fucking hell it hurt, but after awhile he accepted that this was his life now.

              They had been enrolled at a local private school where, just like at the Hades household – Bianca was miss popular and Nico was nothing but the shadow that would follow her out the car when the chauffeur would drop them off for the day.

               He didn’t mind too much when at school, she would normally check up on him if they passed in the hall or if they bumped into each other at lunch, but other than that they kept apart. It was different at home though, she was always with him, trying to get him to talk about their mother and help him grieve – not that he wanted to, it hurt to much. It was easier to bottle it up and just pretend she was back in Italy.

               Bianca had made some friends that seemed nice enough, they didn't look at Nico like he was a nuisance – unlike his father and stepmother. There was Zoe, Thalia, Grover and Percy. She would hang out with them at school and soon enough was bringing them home to hang out after school.

               She would try to get Nico to join. At first he did, although he mostly just sat in the corner pretending to read while quietly watching the group. After a while he started to try and find excuses to avoid them. “Sorry, got homework” was his typical response - short, sweet and extremely plausible.

               Although, he had a much more secret reason he wanted to avoid the group. He wasn’t sure why but he regularly caught himself staring at Percy. There was just something about his eyes, sea green that sparkled when he laughed. The mischievous grin when he was clearly plotting something that would likely land him in detention, not that he needed to plot it. Trouble had a way of finding him – he seemed to be in detention every other weekend. He had a very sassy attitude that, with Nico’s growing resentment for his life, he could really appreciate. He had oddly sculpted arms for someone his age, on more than one occasion Nico found himself wondering if that was he case with the rest off his body... what! Ewww no, that’s gross! Don’t think like that!

              After being at Westover Hall for a few months, he was in the locker room getting ready for gym with about 15 other boys about his age. He’d noticed how he would stare out the corner of his eye at some of them as they changed when he was sure they weren’t looking, he would then mentally chide himself. Stop that! Don’t be a creep!

               Occasionally, they would try to engage him in conversation, normally something about some comic series or new movie, very generic stuff. Nico had decided early on that he would fake not understanding, so he wouldn’t have to engage in to much conversation and risk saying something that would give away some of his ‘weirdo’ thoughts as he’d taken to calling them.

               Of course he could understand and speak English perfectly fine. He still had a thick accent but could speak clearly without much stumbling. They had been taught the English language at school in Italy as there village was a fairly popular tourist spot and his mother had thought it important, though she never said why – guess it’s obvious now.

              It was one of those days when Percy walked into the locker room.

              He was wearing a blue shirt with the school logo and WOH Swim Team printed on it, with a pair of bleach washed jeans and white trainers.

              So, he’s on the swim team. That would explain a lot, how have I not noticed before now? No, WHY would I have noticed that? He's not my friend and I definitely don’t think about him. No, I definitely don’t think about him at all. He thought to himself as he stared intently into his gym bag.

              Next thing he knew there was a tapping on his shoulder. “A little birdy told me it was your birthday. Happy Birthday man!” said a voice he knew to well. He had dreams of the voice. No. No I don't dream of Jackson's stupid voice. No. Creepy. Weirdo.

              He quickly steeled himself and turned to face Percy. “Thanks, but I asked Bianca to tell anyone.” Nico frowned at him. Nico didn't exactly feel like celebrating. He had no friends, his mother was gone, his father clearly couldn’t care less about him and his step-mother made her hatred for him (and his sister) very clear. The only person he had was his sister, unless you counted the family guard dog, but somehow counting Cerberus seemed a little sad even for him. So no, Nico wasn’t in the birthday mood.

              “oh, sorry. She’s been going on about it all week, so I assumed...” Percy trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck as Nico scowled at him.

               “Going on about what? There’s nothing to ‘go on' about.” Nico retorted with a bit to much apprehension in his voice. He definitely needed to get better control of his tone of voice, he decided to work on that. He didn’t want to be so easily read or people might start to work out some of his other more distasteful feelings.

              Percy just smirked. Damn, he really needs to stop doing that. Certainly not helping my dilemma. 

              Nico opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind. “I don't think it’s anything major. More like she's just looking forward to spending time with you this evening. Hasn't she said anything to you?” Percy tried for reassuring but clearly had no clue how to handle an 11 year old not wanting a birthday.

              Admittedly, it was an unlikely situation, definitely not how Nico would have imagined it a year previous.

              “No. She has been but I kept telling her to let it go.” Nico mumbled “I guess not, great.” New plan for the day, avoid Bianca Di Angelo at all costs.

               He knew the library was a safe bet for lunch, she'd never go in there unless absolutely necessary. ‘It smells like loneliness and boredom’ was her reasoning, but that suited Nico just fine.

               On the way home, he could put his headphones in and pretend he couldn’t hear, but he knew she’d just pull them out his ears... maybe he could just walk home? Bit of a trek but doable and he’d be gone most of the afternoon then it was just a case of sneaking in without her noticing him...

              “ermmm... Nico? Planet earth is this way.” Percy's voice sounded hazy at first but as he got Nico's attention back it became clearer. “Maybe you should just talk to her about it, I'm sure she'll understand.”

             “Well clearly not. If she hasn’t dropped it by now, after me telling her a million times...” Nico growled “I doubt one more conversation about it will do me any good.”

              “Wait... you CAN speck English runt?” came a snarky voice from the door. It was one of the guys from Nico's class, not a pleasant guy either. James was on the larger side, mostly because he'd been held back a year but he was large even for his age. Nearly as tall as Percy and the same dark hair (although in a crew cut), but none of the charm and no where near as cute. Shit, he is not cute!

              Nico froze. He'd been dealing with James making these jokes since day one - short jokes, foreign jokes, looser jokes, nerd jokes... honestly the list could go on forever.

              Nico had just been ignoring it but was surprised to see the look on Percy's face. It was pure hatred. Nico wasn't aware of any history between the two but clearly there was something there.

             “What did you call him, Winters?” Percy spat. Wait, what is happening? Does he think I need protecting or some shit?

             James let out a laugh. “Of course, Jackson has taken on yet another hewlpless wittle looooser!” he said the last part in a mocking baby voice. It made Nico seethe, but what could he do? Lash out? Verbally? Physically? All routes would likely land him in a hospital bed.

             Before he had a chance to process the thought, Percy had stepped in front of him and stood up straight, making his shoulders broader. As far as looking intimidating goes for a thirteen year old, Percy was the picture of it.

             Oh shit! This is not the time to question your sexuality Nico. But fuck. Nope. Nope, I'm not gay. Shit.Shit.Shit.

             “You are not gonna pull your usual shit Winters.” Nico just stared at Percy in awe as he growled at the bully. “You’re nothing but a pathetic coward with mommy issues. I honestly don’t know how you are still here, after the last stunt you pulled. And more to the point what has Nico ever done to deserve your bullshit?”

              James advanced on Percy, with Nico still standing frozen just behind him in full gay panic mode and complete awe. Winters fully squared up to Percy with a shit-eating grin on his face, “It’s basically just the fact he exists really. Plus when he’s in the locker room, he spends most of his time checking out the half naked guys.”

              Nico winced at the comment. There was no way he was that obvious about it, sure he had to check himself a few times but there’s no way James could actually know. Was there?

             “HA! Ohhh we're doing this trick again are we?” snickered Percy “Isn't that one a little played out by now? You’ve made that rumour with Kyle and Sarah! Honestly, you need to get some new material.”

              Maybe James doesn't know then... if there is a god out there somewhere, please let that be the case! Nico thought as he regained some of his composure.

              A sudden burst of confidence filled him. He was tiny in comparison to the meat-head in front of them, so he had no clue what he was going to do. Whatever it was, he better do it and leg it. James was bigger but Nico would bet his life he was faster, and just as he was about to Winters swung for Percy!

             Percy blocked it with his left arm and punched with his right. His fist landed square on Winters nose with a cracking sound. Nico couldn't help but grin as Winters stumbled backwards into the row of lockers behind him. “Holy shit!” Nico gasped. Percy grinned as he stared at James.

            “Anymore Winters? I think you need a reminder of the last time you tried to take me on-one-on one.” Percy smirked at the brute now laying in a heap on the floor with blood running down his mouth.

            “Fuck you, Jackson! You're not always gonna be around the pipsqueak to act as bodyguard.” Winters retorted in a gargled voice.

             “Very true...” he turned to Nico grinning ear to ear. Nico himself probably looked like a awe struck mess at this point. “Dude, I think I'm gonna need to teach you how to throw a punch. Consider it a ‘not-a-gift' for your ‘not-birthday'” Percy offered his hand out to shake a deal.

               Nico just stared at his hand for a second, it was slightly red and maybe a little swollen at the knuckles. Percy Jackson just broke a guys nose for me! And he’s smiling about it!  “Come on man, Winters is staring" he muttered through gritted teeth "Was it the not-a-gift/birthday thing? Was that weird? Hearing it back sounds weird.” he said with a laugh.

               Nico snapped out of his daze and grabbed Percy's hand in a shake, all be it with what could only be explained as a dazed expression on his face. I am so gay. Shit! No, I'm not!

              After Percy asked Nico to accompany him to the medical office. Once they were a good distance from the locker room, Percy turned and said “You don’t actually have to come with me, I was just giving you an easy way out and away from the future roid-head back there.”

             “Oh Okay, sorry I'll just...” Nico trailed off, the suddenly “Actually, were you serious back there?”

             “For once, everything I said was completely genuine. First for everything I guess, why do you ask?” Percy replied with a chuckle.

             “Well, you said you'd teach me how to punch? And has he really done that rumour thing before?” Nico questioned, his thoughts were simple. More ‘one-on-one’ with Percy could be fun and possibly productive. And if Winters was a serial liar, maybe no-one would believe him about the ‘checking out half naked guys in the locker room' thing.

              “Oh, yeah. To both. I'm no professional when it comes to fighting and stuff, but I didn’t always go to this posh-ass wanna be Hogwarts school. My old schools were in a bit of a rough area, so I learnt how to hold my own pretty good rather early. And Winters, well he's all talk really. He looks big and scary but after he did the whole ‘gay' rumour to Kyle, plus a few other rumours with other kids, by the time he did it to Sarah no-one really believed it after they found out who started it.” Percy laughed as they turned the corner of the corridor to the medical office. “Personally, I can't stand bullies and he knows it.”

              “Guess that makes you the school superhero and him your arch nemesis.” Nico chuckled and IMMEDIATELY regretted it! NOT COOL DI ANGELO! He chided himself.

              “Just call me Captain Westover!” Percy snorted as he struck a superman pose.

              Nico laughed. Like, Genuinely laughed and Percy couldnt help but join him. He hadn’t done that since his Mama died. It felt so good, how had he actually forgotten how good this felt?!

................................

This is not a Percio fic, it just takes place in the time period when Nico has his crush on Percy.

[hqmillioncorn]

FFXIVWrite Day Three (freeday): insomnia

"Slept well last night did you?" Hades asked Babycorn. He wasn't all that happy that he had to be the one to look for and then fetch their missing companion. "You must be her familiar. If you can sleep in such uncomfortable places like that." Babycorn yawned and kept walking ahead of Hades. Even if she did finally get a good nights rest yesterday she was still a little sleepy. "Thanks for finding me Emmy." she mumbled.

It turns out that there was not much of a difference between Elpis in the daytime to Elpis at night. Babycorn figured that most of the Concepts would be asleep by now but to her disappointment most of them were still roaming about, ready to attack her at any moment's notice.

“Does everyone work all day?” Babycorn asked no one in particular, “Sounds kinda boring…” 

Since she was all alone with no weapon on her, Babycorn made sure to avoid walking too deep into any areas with them. Which was surprising she was managing to do while not really paying to where she was going at the same time.

She had no idea how far she had walked but considering Babycorn could still see the little building she was offered a place to sleep in-she must not have walked that far. 

Babycorn let out a sigh and decided she didn’t walk anymore, she sat down onto the grassy ground and hugged her legs closer to her, leaning her head on them. 

It made sense, she was exhausted. So much had happened today. Traveling to the past, meeting Hades and Hythlodaeus, being tasked with the job of finding out what happened to Hermes. She was so tired. 

Before she knew it, or could do anything about it, Babycorn’s eyes began to close. 

“Mmmaybe…I…”

Darkness slowly began to overtake her vision. 

Unfortunately like the countless other times she had tried earlier today, the peaceful silence didn’t last long. 

Visions of fire falling against a dark sky. The deafening sounds of people screaming all around her. Shadows all around her, calling her a monster over and over and over again. Her own baby brother taking hold of someone and slowly raising them up to their mouth and-

“STOP!!” Babycorn screamed, thrashing her body around violently, trying to fight back against the imaginary enemies in her head. They weren’t real. She knew this. Babycorn paused, just to end up almost crying again. “...Just stop it…Please just leave me alone…” She wanted desperately to close her eyes and drift off to sleep, to forget this whole mess even happened.

Something deep inside her just wanted to take her memory of the whole thing and rip it right out of her. 

“Wow! It’s a beautiful night out isn’t it?”

“WaAAaaAA?!” Babycorn let out a yelp and fell back in shock. “W-Who’s there?!” She was sure that she hadn’t been followed by anyone the entire time. Maybe someone had seen her walking around and decided to follow her?! Hopefully it wasn’t someone bad, she was pretty much defenseless…

To Babycorn’s sorta-relief it was actually someone she had briefly met before. “It’s meeeee!!” the doll said in a high-pitched tone, “Your best friend Sicily! At your service!” A burst of glitter exploded behind Sicily and Babycorn couldn’t tell if that was real or if she had hit her head just a little too hard when she fell. 

Sicily paused her introduction to bend over and help Babycorn sit up again. “Up and at em’! You don’t wanna get any grass stains on your pretty white robe!” She advised. Unfortunately it was a little too late for that at this point for Babycorn but the effort was still appreciated. 

Sicily took the time to dust Babycorn off. Poor Babycorn was too tired to tell her she didn’t really have to bother doing that. “By the way…” She walked all around Babycorn in a circle, examining her from head to toe, “Where’s the outfit me and Venice gave you? You looked sooooooo cute in it earlier!!” Sicily sniffled and though she was incapable of actual tears on account of being a doll, one look at her face at the moment would have you thinking otherwise.

Babycorn hesitated to answer. The truth of the whole thing was that she had taken it off shortly after parting ways with Sicily and Venice. Since they had both told her they would be leaving soon Babycorn had figured there would be no real danger to not wearing it. Besides people doubting her story of being Azem’s familiar but people seemed to believe it with or without the outfit.

“Umm…” Babycorn nervously looked around for anything that could help her in this situation. Ultimately it all came down to her. She nervously tapped two of her fingers together and looked down, “Its cause…These are my pajamas…? It wasn’t entirely a lie. Wearing this robe was really comfy and felt more like wearing a blanket than a usual robe did. 

Sicily’s eyes instantly lit up. “Ooooohh!! And since you’re out here you didn’t want to get your clothes we gave you dirty so you’re wearing pajamas instead!!! Ooooh!! Babycorn!!!” In an instant her ragdoll arms were wrapped all around Babycorn in a tight hug. 

“AAAuHHHauccK?!?!” Babycorn felt herself being lifted off the ground but weirdly enough it wasn’t too tight a hug. It must have come with the whole thing of Sicily being a soft ragdoll.

Sicily swayed Babycorn in her arms from side to side. “You’re so smart!! And so cute!!” she let out another squeal and finally set Babycorn down on solid ground, “I’m so lucky to have a little sister as adorable as you!!” 

“L-Little sister…?” 

Babycorn had heard both Sicily and Venice refer to each other as siblings but she must have somehow missed the part where they called her a sibling too. Maybe she had too much on her mind at the time?

Sicily grinned, “Little sister!! Maize all made us so we’re all family of course!! That’s what she told us!” 

“Oh, cool…” Sounds like something Cherry would-

“And families have to help each other when they caaaan! Which is why…” Sicily sat down and crossed her legs in between each other in a knot. She patted the ground next to her for Babycorn to sit down next to her. “Which is why I’m here to help you!” Her eyes sparkled with a hint of red to them. 

“Help me? With what?” 

There were a lot of things that Babycorn needed help with. But she couldn’t think of any way that Sicily could help with any of them. Unless this doll somehow was privy to some secrets about Hermes or something.

“You’ve been having trouble sleeping tonight!” 

“H-Huh…?!” Babycorn was so caught off guard by Sicily’s correct guess that she didn’t have the foresight to deny her accusation. 

Sicily covered her mouth and let out a loud giggle. “Don’t try to hide it and pretend everythings okay! We can tell! Because I’m having trouble sleeping too!” Sicily stood up from where she was sitting and rested her hand on Babycorn’s shoulder. 

“And we know it's because of you.” 

There was something chilling about Sicily’s voice. Babycorn didn’t like it.

“How do you-?”

“Oh, I can always tell.”

Babycorn heard another unfamiliar voice behind her. As soon as she had, Sicily froze and fell to the ground in front of her. Like a toy that someone decided they were done playing with. Babycorn let out a scream and stepped back, kicking Sicily away from her. Sicily did not react at all, her eyes were blank and she was as still as a corpse. 

Before Babycorn could turn around and run away she bumped right into someone, which caused her to fall backwards right onto Sicily. 

Babycorn panicked and tried to get away, only to trip over herself and Sicily over and over again. Until she felt someone grab her by her foot and lift her up. Even being upside down she could tell who it was that was holding her up. 

Even if they’ve never met before.

“Azem…” 

‘Azem’ smiled at Babycorn. Or did she frown? Babycorn really couldn’t tell from her upside down vantage point. 

“That’s my title! Don’t wear it out!” Azem grabbed hold of one of Babycorn’s hands in an attempt to flip her back up, when she did that Babycorn could finally tell that she was smiling. “But you can call me Maize! I don’t mind!” Maize lowered Babycorn onto the ground and gave her a small pat on the head.

Babycorn struggled to find the right things to say that wouldn’t get her exposed as being from the future and also a part of Azem’s broke of pieces of the future. “Um…? I thought you were supposed to be somewhere else? You know? Being somewhere that isn’t here?” It was something she had overheard Hades and Hythlodaeus talking about. 

That would surely raise no suspicions.

Maize laughed nervously to herself for a bit. “I-I was! But I heard word that there was a new familiar of mine roaming around Elpis! And helping Emmy and Hihi too!” Babycorn guessed that Emmy and Hihi must have been nicknames for Hades and Hythlodaeus. Maize leaned in closer to Babycorn until she was staring down at her, “A familiar of mine I have no memory of creating.” Her stare was pretty damning. 

“I-I-Is that so? Haha…” Babycorn’s days were numbered, she was so sure of it. This was the end. 

But in a move that could both be described as unexpected and a relief, Maize stood straight up and clasped her hands together in a smile. “And so I headed right back because I just needed to see the new cutie I made!! Don’t tell Emmy and Hihi though! They would never let me live it down! Teehee!” 

Creating dolls in her sleep was nothing new for Maize. It just so happened that most of the sleep created ones happened to be more of a nuisance for everyone involved in contrast to the more friendly ones. So when word had reached her of a new doll taking Elpis by storm, she couldn’t resist making the trip.

Babycorn’s relief was very short-lived as it was replaced by a mild panic when Maize suddenly rushed up to her and grabbed hold of her face.

“Mmmmpppph?!?!” Just what was this lady doing?!

Maize ignored Babycorn’s scowl and simply continued to examine her. “Oooooh! Just look at you!! Your cheeks are so cute and full! And are those freckles I see?! How adorable! And your hair has the same color and consistency as Sicily and Venice.” She paused to laugh to herself about something, “I wonder if your hair would taste the same when boiled and covered in spaghetti sauce?”

“Excuse meeee?!”

Was she going to be the one being eaten instead?! 

“Never mind all that!” Maize waved Babycorn’s worries away and turned Babycorn’s head to the side. “Omigoooosh!! Look at your ears! They’re so different!! I wonder why?” Turning Babycorn’s head to face her again, Maize noticed something else. “And…Your eyes…They’re the same color as…!” She let out a loud gasp and covered her cheeks in embarrassment. 

Babycorn decided to ignore whatever her ancient was doing and rubbed at her face. 

“It wasn’t my imagination then…was it? This doll's texture feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before…” Maize continued to mumble to herself, all while walking in a circle. “Almost as if…as if…” 

Babycorn froze.

“As if…You’re not a doll.”

“I…um…”

There wasn’t really anything Babycorn could say in her defense. And running away screaming at the top of her lungs wasn’t a viable option either. There was nowhere to run!

Maize looked down at her, though the ancient was considered short by this world’s standard it didn’t make a difference to Babycorn, she still towered over her. As most things did. 

Babycorn looked up to meet Maize’s one uncovered eye. It was a bright red. Which did not help in making this entire situation any less scarier. 

“You’re alive. A living concept. Just like most things here, aren’t you?” 

Babycorn remained silent. Mostly out of fear rather than necessity. 

“Which means…”

“Which means??”

“Which means you must be me and Emmy’s daughter from the future?!?!” Maize let out a maniacal laugh and twirled around in place, “Kyaaaaaaaa!! You’re even cuter than I imagined you’d beeee!!!!” 

“NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Babycorn let out a scream so loud that it was almost a shock that it didn’t wake up everyone in the nearby vicinity.  It did scare a couple of birds from their trees though.

As soon as Babycorn finished screaming Maize frowned. “Aww…Guess I was wrong…” She was more than a little heartbroken about the fact that she was not talking to her and Hades’ future daughter but she would get over it. Surely this didn’t mean that they weren’t any less destined to be together.

Maize knelt down to Babycorn’s level and brushed some of her loose hairs down. She noticed that her hair was a mess and the bags under her eyes were worse than her own. Not only that, her eyes were red and puffy, as if she had just been crying. Maize was more than familiar with that look.

Babycorn simply looked right at her. The rush of despair of being called Emet-Selch’s daughter still running through her mind. Coupled with the actual realization that she was face to face with her ancient who wanted a child with Emet-Selch had rendered her completely speechless at the moment.

“You must have been so lonely out there.” Maize gently set her hand on Babycorn’s head. “I’m sorry I created you and left you alone for so long.” Had she known she created her, Maize would have canceled her trip and stayed to shower Babycorn with gifts and affection as long as she could.

“It's a scary world out there. Isn’t it?” 

Babycorn was still quiet, speechless. Though this time it was because Maize’s hand was resting on her head. It was a nice feeling. A feeling that Babycorn always secretly wished that people would give her. 

A warm touch to hold her that everything was going to be okay. 

“To journey out there, to places you hardly know with people you can’t trust, I wouldn’t blame you for being so scared of it all.”

Babycorn raised her hands up and grabbed Maize’s wrist, just to make sure that she wouldn’t let go. 

“Losing people is never easy and it never gets any easier. Then to continue living on for them like nothing ever happened? You don’t know how to do that, do you?” 

Babycorn shook her head.

“Aww, sweetie I’m so sorry! I wish there was something I could have done. But I think it's a little too late for me to do anything…”

“It’s okay…”

Maize adjusted her hand “For now. I’ll just relieve you of your worst one!” 

Babycorn’s hands let go of Maize as her arms fell to her side. In an instant, Maize removed her hand, a long glowing thread was attached to the end of her index finger. It wasn’t too long of a thread but it glowed so bright it looked like it was almost on fire. Interlaced around it was another thread, much longer than the first. 

Maize wordlessly moved the thread around in the shape of a circle. From there she could see the memories stored inside of it, all from Babycorn’s point of view. It was a nightmare from what she could see, but the most confusing thing about it was Babycorn’s sympathy for the monsters tearing people apart. 

“Haha! Ew, gross.” was Maize’s only reaction to the whole thing. No wonder her poor little doll hadn’t been able to sleep. “Let’s take care of this!” With a flick of her hand the string collapsed right into her hand alongside the extra one.

Then in an instant and with a clap of her hand, Maize turned the memories into nothing more than dust that she mindlessly sprinkled into the ground. 

As soon as the memories were destroyed Babycorn broke out of her trance with a gasp, only narrowly missing hitting the ground again thanks to being caught by an awakened Sicily.  

“Got ya!” Sicily set Babycorn down on the grassy ground and stepped back. She held her non-existent breath until Babycorn took a breath of her own. Even if Babycorn wasn’t a doll like her it didn’t mean she didn’t care any less about her than before.

“Good job Sicily!” Maize gave her a congratulatory pat on the head and then walked over to inspect Babycorn. 

Babycorn was sleeping soundly on the ground. She had turned herself over on her side, most likely the position she slept in on her own bed. There was a smile on her face and a tear in one of her eyes. 

Maize smiled, “That should do it!” She brushed a part of Babycorn’s hair away from her eyes and stepped back. 

“I hope Babycorn won’t mind that you did that Miss Maize!” Sicily jumped onto Maize’s arm and wrapped her own arms around her. 

“She won’t mind! If she could-I think she would thank me now that she can finally get some sleep!”

“You’re so nice Miss Maize!!!”

“Oh, don’t say that!” Maize chuckled, “After all, I want to get some sleep too!”

[estellardreams]

Chapter 8: There's no "AARGH" in Team

He thought this was going to be easy, just return briefly to gather supplies and then use the shard and warping technology to teleport out. 

... Yeah, that didn't go as planned. Eggforcers were in pursuit, managing to damage his teleportation device. Venice made a break for it, trying to escape with the shard before he was shot down himself. 

The eggforcers took the shard from him, then brought him over to the Chaos Council's headquarters.

The mothership loomed over New Yoke, as the Chaos Council observed the dead silence of their city.

Venice, now shackled, was escorted by two eggforcers into the room to meet with the Council. He had unfortunately been caught after a grueling chase. 

The machines were busy using his technology to build a brand new energy stabilizer to let them travel between worlds. 

"Well, if it isn't our favorite. What are you, anyway? Possum? Weasel?" Done-It drifted over in his seat towards him.

"One, I'm a hedgehog. And two, I'm not in the mood to talk." Venice said. 

"Enough! I have one question. And I need you to answer it very, very carefully." Deep said. 

"You already have my shatter drive technology. What else do you want?" 

"There's a whole Shatterverse of other worlds for us to conquer! And to do that, we need this Mothership fully operational!" Eggman said.

"Figure it out yourselves..."

"Or we can figure out how to take you apart. Piece. By. Piece. It's up to you." Don't threatened.

Babble pffbted, chuckling a little. Venice felt himself tense up at both of their threats. 

The eggforcers continued to blast the ship as everyone ducked for cover. 

"You know these scallywags?" Jewel asked.

"Yes. Long story, but they're after the shard too." Shadow said.

"You mean the Devil's Lighthouse? Let 'em have it! I've already told you I want nothing to do with it!"

More shots were fired, a lot hitting the main mast. It cracked, about to tip over and fall on top of Shadow and Jewel.

He quickly picked her up and ran out of the way before it collapsed, setting her back down on the ground. 

"By the order of the Chaos Council, surrender or be destroyed!" Deep began.

"And you rats better make this easy for us!" Done-It cut in, shoving Deep aside momentarily

Shadow groaned. "This isn't New Yoke City."

"Quiet. We are addressing the captain!" Eggman said.

"He be the capt'n." Daria said.

"Shadow is the captain?"

There was a brief moment of silence before the entire Council burst out laughing.

"Okay, how did you all get here?" Shadow questioned, cutting off their laughter.

"The tides of war have changed. And we got here thanks to your little friend." Deep pulled Venice into view.

Castaway noticeably perked up at him, with Venice staring in stunned silence. Deep then shoved him out of frame. 

"Now, last chance. You surrender, or sink." Eggman said.

"What's the plan, capt'n? Hang 'em from the yard arm? Send them down to Davy Jones? Cleave them to the briskets?" Black asked.

Shadow blinked, unaware of how exactly he knows those terms. So... Hang them, drown them, or cut them to pieces? Then again, these things are robots. It shouldn't be too much of an issue to go all out.

"Any of them. Just smash those robots." he directed.

"Aye aye, capt'n!" Daria said, pulling out her sword before her, Castaway, and Black charged in and onto their ship.

The robots fired at them, trying to get them all knocked down. Shadow leapt onto the ship, trying to summon his chaos powers to help. They fizzled out once again. 

"Oh you gotta be kidding me... It worked before!"

"Do ye need to recharge?" Jewel asked.

"... Unfortunately. I need a sword."

"What about the gun?"

"Out of ammo. Didn't realize it was an intimidation-" he stopped, seeing her hand over some spare gunpowder bullets. He took them, inserting them into his gun before pointing it at an Eggforcers head.

He fired, the bullet bouncing off and ricocheting around. It then miraculously hit a different eggforcer directly in the chest, powering it down instantly. 

"... Okay, good to know the heads can't be broken so easily."

Black smashed an eggforcer to pieces using her hammer, with Castaway throwing two at completely different bots, dual wielding them.

"Wait... Can't you just levitate them and fire them off at them?" Shadow asked.

Castaway stared at him, confused. "I can?"

"Yes! You have psychic powers!"

"I do?"

"... Have you never used them before?"

"Don't even know what those are. Can I fry brains with 'em?"

"No! You levitate things with them!"

"Look, can we talk about this later? We need to slice these blasted barnacles to bits!" Castaway charged back in, throwing the swords and continuing to cut down the eggforcers.

More came from below the ship, beginning to attack once again. Shadow took one of Castaway's swords and thew it directly into an eggforcer. It pierced through, hitting two behind it before the machines exploded. The sword landed back onto the ground.

"Good aim." Castaway complimented.

"While we're on the subject. What happened to you? Also why the name Castaway?"

"That's what me crew calls me."

"Why?"

"Found alone on an island with no memory. Got picked up by a different crew and forced to slavery. Jewel's new crew raided their ship, sunk it, and... Took me in. And I'll swear my loyalty to them for life."

"Ah, that explains a lot."

"Capt'n! They won't stop coming!" Daria called out, continuing to fight back the robots.

Shadow looked around, seeing their overwhelming numbers. He had an idea, but it was definitely risky... It could buy them some time, though. 

He looked up on the ship, noticing a beacon in place that appeared to be powering the ship. If they're forced to make repairs, they'd take enough time for Shadow and the others to reach the shard before them!

Shadow held onto the sword, leaping up onto the orb before stabbing it in. The top exploded, sending him falling to the ground as the ship sank a little.

"POWER SYSTEM FULLY DISABLED." the automated voice said.

"Okay, everyone back to the ship! They'll need to repair their ship if they want to catch us. Black Rose, head Northeast." Shadow directed as everyone returned to the ship.

"And repair the ship." Jewel stared at the broken main frame. Castaway pulled out some string lights, tossing them to her. 

Shadow and Daria pushed the pole back up into position as Jewel wrapped it around, tying the beam down onto the ship so it'd stay still. 

"There. Now we go." he said. 

"Aye, capt'n." Black steered the ship where Shadow was directing it.

The Chaos Council tried to communicate back with their eggforcers, but their connection was breaking up before it crashed. 

"Somethings wrong with the connection!" Deep slammed his fists on the keypad. 

"Oh for the love of quiche!" Done-It said. 

"Ugh. Doesn't matter. We can communicate across the world. Our conquest of the Shatterverse has begun." 

Babble babbled, pounding his fist to his hand as he was ready to give a beat down to whoever stood in their way. 

"Agreed. With our work complete, I'll give the eggforcers a go-ahead on operation: Elimination." 

"Eliminating the hedgehog is a bad idea." Venice commented. Bullet stared him down, but the white hedgehog didn't flinch. 

"Arguing for the life of your friend? What a shocker." Eggman said. 

"We might be friends, but that doesn't mean my point isn't relevant. You'd be fools to get rid of him when the shatterdraft technology isn't perfected."

"It is perfected! We traveled to another shatterspace!" Done-It said. 

"You sent your robots to another shatterspace, big difference." Venice corrected.

"You've barely accomplished what he's been able to do without any technology. He's a living shatter battery. Until we know why he gives off this power, we need him alive." he flew up right to Deep's face. 

Bullet yanked him back by the quills, forcing him in front of an eggforcer who electrocuted him. He winced himself, avoiding eye contact as Venice glared at him. 

"The rats right! Too many questions for us to start playing exterminator. At least, not until we wring out every last shatter juice out of that black varmit." Done-It said. The Council laughed, with Bullet silently pulling Venice to his feet. 

"You okay?" Bullet asked softly. 

"Does it look like I'm okay?!" Venice hissed. 

"... Sorry, kid. But this is just how things have to be." 

"Shall we go faster, capt'n? I could help." Daria offered.

"How?" Shadow asked. 

Daria blew a whistle, with Gale swooping in and perching on a nearby pole like a bird. 

"We need to get to the Devil's Lighthouse. Can you flap yer wings so we'd go faster?" she asked.

"Only of ye can offer something in return." Gale said.

Daria ran under the ship, bringing out a crate. She opened it, revealing some unique trinkets like ceramic teacups, tiny discarded earrings that went unused, sculpted pottery, and a lot more.

His eyes lit up, digging through everything. Daria shooed him back. 

"If you help us, I'll give these to you. All of them." she said.

"Deal! How fast do ye wanna go?"

"As fast as you can. Just keep the wind flowing!"

"On it!" Gale leapt up, flapping his wings and making the ship burst forward.

The gusts caused just about everyone to fall back. Black focused, maintaining the wheel before Jewel flew up to her. 

"I'll take the wheel."

"She's all yours!" Black stepped aside. Jewel held on, keeping her focus on the treasure as they began to approach the rocks.

"Danger dead ahead! Danger dead ahead!" Castaway yelled from the crow's nest. He pointed to the spiked rocks in the distance. 

Just then, the shuttle that came here began to speed up, reaching their speeds. 

"If we go any faster, we could wreck on those rocks!" Castaway said.

"I don't care! Just flap your yellow wings and get us there!" Jewel called out. Gale flapped even harder, trying to speed up as much as he could.

The eggforcers began to fire at their ship. Shadow got over to the canons, pulling Daria, Castaway, and Black Rose over to them.

"Return fire at them!" he directed.

They all fired off canon balls, them soaring into the air. They were blasted out of the sky by Eggforcers. The ship began to swerve, knocking into the shuttle as everything fell into a standstill. Gale stopped, staring at them before looking back at Shadow. 

"Hey, can ye tow the ship?" he asked.

"If my air shoes were working, yes." Shadow said.

"Do you need chaos energy?"

He stared at the blue winged hedgehog in silence. How exactly did he know that he had chaos energy? 

"I can give ye a boost. If ye let me carry you into the sky, first." Gale said.

"Fine. But just for a few seconds."

"Got it!" he tapped his nose, flying into the air. He swooped down and picked Shadow up, soaring above the ship.

"Here! Catch!" Jewel threw a rope up to them that was connected to the ship.

Gale caught it, handing it over to Shadow. He then dropped him, swooping back to the ship and taking the trinkets in the box. 

"... And there he goes." Daria mumbled.

Shadow clicked on his shoes, floating down and above the water. He held onto the rope, trying to charge up enough energy to pull the massive ship. 

The eggforcers were still shooting at it, so he needed to be quick. He began to speed up, trying to go as fast as he could before he began to resort to properly running instead of skating.

His feet became a figure eight blur as water splashed behind him. The ship was yanked forward, everyone skidding back in the process. 

"Well, I'll be a salty sea dog..." Jewel said.

"Everybody to ye battle stations!"

Everyone got in position, beginning to race ahead of the shuttle as it tried to catch up. Jewel helped steer the ship, avoiding the rocks as Shadow pulled it ahead. 

"After today, everyone will know the name Rouge the Jewel and marvel..." she said to herself, keeping everything from going as fast as they could.

The lasers from the shuttle began to fire at Shadow, forcing him to dodge while running on the water. 

"They're going for Shadow!" Daria called out.

"Man the canons! Give 'em everything we got!" Jewel said.

The eggforcers and lasers turned their attention to the pirate crew the moment they got close enough. 

"But we're out of canon balls, capt'n." Castaway said.

"Then figure somethin' out."

"But what could-" he stopped, seeing Black Rose place a barrel of sea dogs beside him. He looked at it, then at her.

"Use the sea dogs!" Daria said, popping open the barrel as everyone loaded the canons.

"Fire!" Black yelled, the sea dogs flying into the air.

The splatted on the ground, slipping up the eggforcers and causing them to trip. They cheered, loading more of them up. 

They continued to fire back, as Shadow began to approach the beacon showing the shard. He sped up even more, the ship ramming into the shuttle. 

Jewel left the wheel, pulling out her sword. "Heave to and prepare to be boarded!"

She charged in, followed by the rest of her crew. Shadow stopped, looking over at them. He looked at his shoes, seeing their prismatic energy going off. 

He couldn't touch the shard, so going to get it himself would be a bad idea. Besides, Jewel and her crew could be hurt because of these machines. 

He dropped the rope, boarding the shuttle as well. He fired off chaos spears, knocking the robots back. 

More eggforcers were deployed, seven flying off and towards the tower. Jewel noticed, knocking some other eggforcers back as everyone continued to fight them. 

"Shadow! Go! They're after the treasure!" Jewel said.

"No, you go. I'll hold them off here." Shadow said.

Jewel nodded, flying to the edge. 

"Oh... It looks too far."

"Then maybe you haven't heard of something called 'Chaos Control'." Shadow said. 

"Chaos Control?" Jewel asked, confused.

Shadow focused his remaining energy, closing his eyes. 

"Chaos... Control!" he commanded. Jewel warped out of his sight as he turned his attention towards the eggforcers.

Castaway threw him a sword. Shadow caught it and prepared himself to continue the fight. 

Jewel was warped into the sky, quickly smashing down the eggforcers still flying after the shard. She flew as fast as she could, three more eggforcers now behind her.

Jewel landed on the ground, looking up the cliff side. She began to scale it, with the eggforcers flying right up beside her. She pulled out her sword, smashing one directly through their core and leaping off of its explosion. 

She reached the top, seeing an eggforcer about to grab the shard. Jewel flew up and drill kicked it to scrap, landing on the ground. She gazed at the beautiful gem in front of her, reaching her hands out to it. 

"At last... She's mine!" she grabbed it, the beacon finally vanishing. The storm raged on around the spot she was at. The other eggforcer attempted to grab the shard, lighting shattering the ground around them.

She yanked it back, kicking the machine into the swirling debris as she held the jewel close. 

The entire crew finished smashing all of the eggforcers, worn down but not defeated. Shadow looked over, seeing the beacon was gone. 

"I'll go help him. You all stay here and make sure no other eggforcers intervene." Shadow instructed.

"Aye." Black agreed, the trio waiting in case more robots were deployed.

Shadow leapt off the shuttle, speeding on the water. Lightning sparked, and he noticed that Jewel had fallen off the cliffside with the shard in her hands.

He sped up, the green aura increasing in intensity momentarily. 

"Shadow!" Infinite called out. He ignored him, running up to the beach and catching her.

The shard fell out of her hands during the fall, flying up just enough as it hit his nose. Shadow was suddenly warped back into the void, with Jewel waking up the moment the storm cleared. 

She grabbed the shard, cheering to herself.

He was flying out of the gateway, a crystal pushed down and stopping his movement. Shadow resteadied himself, seeing Infinite right in front of him. 

"... Oh you gotta be kidding me. How did you even get here?!" Shadow questioned.

"You broke reality, and it's all your FAULT!" Infinite charged in to punch Shadow in the face.

He immediately dodged, knocking the furious jackal back. 

"And here we go again... Just great." 

Gale and Bullet belong to @son1c. Castaway belongs to @starprincejelly.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

[let-me-luve-you]

Don’t Be Clingy

Tom Holland x Sister

Summary: Being Tom’s little sister means getting to go visit the Spider-Man set. You want to spend as much time with Tom as possible, but everyone else don’t think you should. 

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, cussing, Rude af brother and spiderman cast, Tom being the best big brother ever

A/N: I don’t think Harry or Zendaya or Jacob or any of the Spider-Man cast would actually act like this. It’s just for the story. Also, I just googled Smok’d. Idk the age limits in England. If I’m wrong, just pretend for the story. 

MASTERLIST

With Tom filming Far From Home mostly in London, it means you get to go to set often. Kevin Feige had met you on multiple occasions and he knew you wouldn’t tell any Marvel secrets. He allowed you to come to the set whenever. Unlike the rest of your family, they could only come on certain days.

You loved being able to watch the movie be made. The whole process blew your mind. You are only ten years old and you already knew that you wanted to make movies when you were older. Tom loved having you on set. You were this ball of energy and when he needed a little pick me up, he would talk to you about what you had learned and what you thought worked and didn’t work. He would always listen and if you said an idea, he would usually mention it to Jon to see what he saw. A few of your ideas were actually going to be in the movie.

This was the last week that the cast and crew were going to be in London before they ventured off to other countries. They flew out on Tuesday to go to Berlin. Tom was kind of disappointed he had to leave his home and family, especially you, but he knew he would be back once the movie was done filming.

It was Friday afternoon and the cast was almost done for the day. You were sitting in Tom’s chair watching the final scene being filmed. Between takes you could hear Tom and Jacob talking about going out to dinner tonight. You knew you had to ask Tom if you could join. You watched Harry walk over to Tom and Jacob while they fixed the lighting.

“Where are we going tonight? First rounds on me.” Harry said.

“Thinking maybe we could go to Smok’d and then maybe find another pub.” Tom said.

“Sounds good to me. You know where the best places are.” Jacob said. “We can get everyone else to join us too.

“Okay. Ready on set.” Jon said. Harry looked over to him and nodded before walking off set. Tom and Jacob getting back into character. The scene filmed on for another thirty minutes. When it was over, Tom walked over to you and held a hand out to help you down from his chair.

“You have fun today bug?” Tom asked you as he guided you to his trailer.

“I did.” You beamed at him. “I wish I could go with you to Berlin.”

“Mum and Dad are flying out when we go to Venice. They are using it as a minivacation, but I’ll tell them to bring you and you can stay with me and come to set with us.” Tom said. He moved to the bedroom part of the trailer to change out of his Peter Parker clothes. When he was in his own clothes, he walked out and asked, “ready to go home?”

You nodded and followed him out. When you walked out of his trailer you saw Jacob, Harry, Zendaya, Jake, and Angourie standing in a circle talking. “Can I go with you to dinner tonight?” You asked Tom as you walked up to the group. The whole group heard you and you saw the awkward glances of everyone.

“No Y/N. You’re going home.” Harry said flatly. “We don’t need to babysit a kid on our last Friday night in town.” Tom gave him a what the heck look before he turned to you.

“What Harry means to say is, we are going to do adult stuff tonight. It would be safer if you stayed home.” Tom said with a gentle voice.

“But I want to hangout with everyone. I’ll be good I promise.” You begged. Everyone stood awkwardly and watched the oldest Holland and youngest talk it through.

“I know you would, but you need to be 18 to get into here.” Tom said. “You’re eight years short of that.” Tom grabbed you by the shoulder and led you away from the group. When they thought you were out of ear shot Harry spoke up.

“She’s so clingy. Hopefully Tom can distract her so she’ll leave us alone tonight.” Harry said with a laugh. The whole group laughed with him. “I can’t stand when she’s always around. That’s why I always travel with Tom.”

“Come on man. That’s your sister.” Zendaya said. “But you’re right. Tom’s been too nice to her and letting her come around too much.”

“Yeah. Doesn’t she have Barbies or something to play with? Why is she always here. I’d hate to be Tom and have a shadow following me when I’m trying to do my job.” Jacob said.

Everyone kept talking about you and it broke your heart. You fought the tears that were wanting to escape. Tom also heard these things. He felt you tense up next to him. He looked down at you not knowing what to say. You refused to look up. You found your shoes way more interesting.

“Is mum here yet?” You asked quietly. Worried if you spoke louder that you would start crying.

Tom looked around the lot and saw Nikki talking with a guard. “Yeah. She’s over there. But list-” You ignored Tom and walked away from him. He was shocked you didn’t even say goodbye. “Y/N come back here.” He said chasing you down and grabbing you by the arm to stop you. “Look, what they said back there, it wasn’t okay. I’m going to let them know that.”

“I’ll talk to you later.” You said yanking your arm from Tom’s grasp. He watched you walk to your mum and hop in the back of the car. Nikki looked over at Tom with a confused look. When she saw the pain in her eldest son’s eyes, she knew today wasn’t a good day for you.

Tom walked back over to the group. He was pissed at what Harry had said. Pissed at what his friends had said. As he got closer he realized he needed to cool off some before he said something he didn’t mean. He kept walking towards his trailer and Harry called out to him.

“Yo div. Are you coming with us or driving yourself?” Tom ignored him and slammed the door of his trailer. He started to pace the length of it when Harry barged in. “Dude. What’s up with you? Y/N say she hates you or something?”

“No.” Tom said shortly.

“Okay? What’s your problem? You were fine just before that whole situation.” Harry said.

“You really had to say those things about Y/N?” Tom asked, finally looking at his younger brother.

“I didn’t mean anything by them. I was just joking around.” Harry said defensively.

“She’s hurt, man. You started something that got everyone else involved. Y/N will never want to come to another set again. She thinks the whole cast hates her and thinks she's annoying.” Tom said, starting to raise his voice.

“She doesn’t need to come to set so much anyway.” Harry said, acting like he didn’t hear anything else.

“Dude..” Tom said with disgust. “She’s our sister. She loves us. I love her. I want her around. This is the only set she can come to because this movie is kid friendly. I’m going into movies after this that she won’t be able to visit, which means months without seeing her in person unless I fly from the US back home on a weekend.”

“I know, but all this hollywood stuff is too much for her.” Harry said.

“Have you even talked to her when she’s been here?” Tom asked. Harry shook his head no. Saying he was too busy working. “She’s observant as fuck. She’s seeing things that Jon isn’t. She’s told me things between takes and I’ve mentioned them to Jon and he has used the ideas. I don’t know when you started to think she was a thorn in your side, but you need to apologize to her.”

“I didn’t do anything wrong.” Harry stormed to the door. “Catch your own ride to Smok’d. We will see you there.” Harry paused halfway out the door, “And check the attitude.”

Tom sighed as he fell back onto the couch. He was so frustrated at Harry for not seeing what he did to you. Tom knew he had to make it right, so he got up and went to his car. He drove straight to your favorite restaurant and got your favorite meals and desserts.

Driving home, you stayed silent. You didn’t want to cry from the rude words you heard. You definitely didn’t want your mum to see you cry and get mad at Tom. So the whole 45 minute drive, you stared out the window.

“Y/N, can you tell me what happened?” Nikki asked gently. She looked in the rearview mirror and saw you shake your head no. She sighed and decided to leave it for now. When she pulled into the drive, you immediately went up to your room and slammed the door. You weren’t supposed to lock it, but you did anyway. You fell onto your bed and finally let the tears fall down your face.

“I thought we had a couple of more years before she started acting like this.” Dom said, trying to make a joke.

“She didn’t have a good day. She wouldn’t tell me what happened. Tom looked upset too, so I’m not sure. I’m going to give him a ring.” She said, setting her purse onto the kitchen counter and took her phone out. Tom answered after a couple of rings.

“Hey mum.” He said with a sigh.

“Tom, dear, what happened today?” She asked.

“She wanted to go to Smok’d with us.” Tom answered honestly.

“She can’t get in there.”

“I know. I was trying to explain it to her, but almost the whole cast was standing there so I pulled her away. As we were walking away, things were said about her being clingy.” Nikki gasped as she heard people were talking ill of her daughter. “I tried to tell her it wasn’t true, but she walked off before I could get it through her head. I’m getting her food right now and headed over.”

“Tom, that’s sweet of you, but maybe give her the night to calm down. She’s really upset. How about just drop the food off with us and we will give it to her. You can go to Smok’d with everyone else.”

“Maybe. I’m not really in the mood to go out now. Especially after my fight with Harry.” Tom said. He cringed wanting to keep Harry out of this with his mum.

“What about Harry? Why did you two fight?”

“Nothing. Just a rough day is all. I’ll see you in a few, mum.” Tom said, hanging up before she even got another word in. He knew he would pay for it, but he was fine to take any punishment. After fifteen minutes, he pulled into his parents’ driveway. He stared at the house trying to gather the courage to face his protective mum and his hurt little sister. He finally got out and reached into the backseat for the bag full of goodies. He walked into the house and walked straight for the kitchen.

“What did you and Harry fight about?” Nikki asked when he walked in. He sighed.

“He said some hurtful things and thinks she’s overreacting. Thinks she has no business on the set anyways. I got mad at him because his words started everyone else's.” Tom said.

“What?” Nikki asked, shocked.

“I know. Where is she? I want to go talk to her.” Tom said looking in the living room.

“She’s in her room. Hasn’t come out since she got home.” Nikki said pointing to the stairs. “But I really think you should let her calm down a bit. Go out with the cas-”

“I don’t want to see any of them right now. I have to make sure Y/N is okay.” Tom said with pleading eyes. Nikki whispered okay and nodded her head for him to head up. She was proud of Tom for caring for his sister. She was happy she raised him to care for others.

Tom walked slowly up the stairs. When he got to your door he could hear your quiet cries. His heart hurt hearing it knowing he shouldn’t have ever let it get to this point. He should have called Harry and everyone else out on their shit the second he heard it. Tom tried the door and noticed it was locked. Tom knew about the strict no locking the door rule because he was the reason for it. He knocked and waited for an answer.

Tom heard the cries stop. Like his sister was muffling it with her hands. He knew she was hoping whoever was at the door, they would leave. “Y/N/N baby, please let me in.” Tom said. He didn’t hear any movement. “Please. I have a surprise for you.” Again nothing. “That’s it. Y/F/N Y/M/N, you know you aren’t supposed to lock this door, so let me in before I get dad.” That did it. Tom heard you get off your bed before he heard the lock unclick.

He tried the door again after a second and when he walked in he saw you in bed with the covers over your head. He walked over and gently sat next to you. He put his hand on your shoulder and turned you to face him. He pulled the covers down and saw the broken look on your face.

“Go away.” You whispered and tried to turn away from him again. He wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m not going anywhere. I want to have a movie night. I have all your favorites for dinner. Even got desserts.” He said trying to bribe you.

“Keep it. Throw it away. I don’t want it.” You said not looking at him.

“Come on. I can’t apologize for what they said, only they can. But I can say what they said isn’t true. I love that you are on set. You are the pick me up I need between takes. You are seeing these things for the first time and you bring new light to it. I told Jon all of your ideas. He’s using a lot of them. Did you notice that?” Tom asked, pushing some of your hair out of your face.

You shook your head no. “I love having you there. I really do. You make it so much better. When you aren’t there, it’s just a job. When you are, I can share that experience with you and we can discuss things. I love having you on set. If Harry wasn’t helping the crew, I would exchange him for you.”

“Hey now.” You turned towards the door to see Harry.

“Why are you here?” Tom asked him.

“You never showed. Came to check on you.” Harry said before turning to you. “Also came to apologize. What I said wasn’t true. It was rude.”

“No. You don’t like me.” You said with a pout. “That’s why you are always gone.”  

“No it’s not. I just said that as a joke. It was a bad joke and it was horrible to say. I shouldn’t have said it. I love having you around. I get to watch you grow into this beautiful young girl. I just wanted a night with our crew where we could do whatever and not have to worry about you.” Harry said kneeling beside your bed.

“I’m sorry I always tag along. I won’t do it again.” You said look from Harry to Tom.

“No, no, no, no.” Tom was quick to say. “We want you around. We love taking you out to dinner with the cast, but sometimes, we need to be able to do some things without you. It isn’t because we don’t want you around, it’s because we just want to let loose of responsibilities for a little bit.”

“It’s like when you go into your treehouse to read. You just want to be away from things.” Harry added.

“Oh. I think I understand it now.” You said.

“I’ll always love you. You’re my best friend.” Tom said leaning over to kiss your forehead.

“Can you do me a favor?” You asked looking from both brothers. They both nodded. “Go out to Smok’d. Have fun with your friends. I’ll stay here and eat all the food Tom bought me.”

“No, I can’t do th-” Tom said before you interrupted.

“You can hangout with me this weekend before you go. Go join the cast for a fun night. I promise I’m no longer upset.” You said. “Please, for me?” You begged. Both Tom and Harry sighed before looking at each other.

“On one condition.” Tom said. You looked at him confused. “Come stay with me until I leave. Sam can cook us food and we can watch movies, go to the arcade, or do whatever you want. We can even build a fort in the living room like we did a few months ago.”

You smiled widely at Tom’s one request. “Okay. Yeah. Maybe mum can run me to the store so I can get us snacks.” Tom laughed as you started planning. “Now please go have fun. I’ll see you tomorrow.” You said hugging Harry before hugging Tom.

“Okay, we’ll go now. Go eat that food I bought. I don’t want it to go to waste.” Tom said as he stood up to follow Harry out the door. “Love you Y/N.”

“Love you too Tom.” You said with a smile.

[celiabowens]

underrated SFF books (YA and Adult)

So uhm, since I keep seeing the same books on my dash all the time (and I like them too, just...there’s more! to read!) here’s a list of less popular SFF books, divided into YA and Adult. I’ve tried to mention when there is lgbt rep and the trigger warnings. Also, books written by poc will be in bold. Please point out any typo or mistake or if I’ve forgotten specific rep/tw mentions.

All of these are books that I’ve read and enjoyed (by enjoyed I mean anything from 3 stars and above), but if anyone wants to add titles please feel free to do so!!

YA:

The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi: beautifully written, fairytale-like story rich in mythology (inspired by several Hindu myths. There’s a full list on goodreads indicated by the author herself). Roshani’s prose is gorgeous.

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi: it’s a companion novel to The Star-Touched Queen, but both can be read as a standalone. I liked this one more than its companion and I particularly loved how the romance was written (slow burn, but specifically, the author really highlights the mutual respect between the characters, we love to see it).

The Young Elites by Marie Lu: fantasy trilogy set in a world inspired by Renaissance Italy, in which children who survived a mysterious and deadly illness ended up with strange and dangerous powers. Secret societies and a female villain!

The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu: historical fantasy following Mozart’s sister, Nannerl, a girl as talented as her brother, but afraid of being forgotten because of the lack of opportunities she has to be seen and heard. Nuanced sibling relationship, no romance.  

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski: fantasy f/f romance! Both a coming of age story set in a society with a rigid class system and a slow burn f/f romance with a lot of banter. TW: abuse.

The Weight of Feathers by Anna-Marie McLemore: magical realism. The book follows two families of traveling performers that have been locked in a feud for over a generation. This was the author’s debut and I remember getting an arc of it and being impressed by both the prose and how the forbidden love trope was handled.

When the Moon was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore: another magical realism novel. One of the main characters is a trans boy and the book focuses on issues of racism and gender. One of my favorite YA!

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton: fantasy romance set in a village that periodically sacrifices a young man in order to keep a deal with the devil that ensures their prosperity. Also, polyamorous and non-binary rep.

The Rise of Kyoshi by F.C. Yee: first book in a duology following avatar Kyoshi’s life. It explores the political and cultural aspect of the Earth Kingdom and Kyoshi’s past. Bisexual rep.

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He: sort of a murder mystery fantasy, as the main character finds herself suddenly thrust into power once her father has been murdered. The story has a slow build up to a last part full of twists and machinations and it features lots of court intrigue. Warning: the ending is quite open and afaik there isn’t a sequel planned as of now.

The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones: a quite unique take on zombies influenced by Welsh mythology (it’s super cool). The novel follows Ryn and their siblings, as they try to get by after their parents’ death by working as gravediggers. Only well, the dead don’t always stay dead. The characters read a bit younger than they are imo. There is chronic pain rep.

The Magnolia Sword by Sherry Thomas: retelling of the original ballad of Mulan. The book follows Mulan, who’s trained her whole life to win a duel for a priceless heirloom, as she joins the army. There’s a lot of political and historical details, which I really appreciated. Do not go into it expecting a fun adventure though. The descriptions of war aren’t extremely graphic, but be aware of the fact that most of the book is set during a conflict.

The Candle and The Flame by Nafiza Azad: standalone fantasy set in a city on the Silk Road! It’s a quite slow-paced tale about love, family and politics. It has lush descriptions of landscapes and cultures (and FOOD, there are some really great descriptions of food). It’s a very atmospheric book and while I struggled a bit with the pace I’d still recommend it.

Forest of a Thousand Lanters by Julie C. Dao: sort of an East Asian inspired retelling of Snow White, but following the Evil Queen before she became Snow White’s stepmother. I honestly haven’t read its sequel (which should focus on Snow White herself), but I do think this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone too.

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner: it’s hard to point out exactly what this series is about because it has evolved so much with time. It starts out as classic quest/adventure series with The Thief (which may seem a classic and simple book, but is actually full of foreshadowing and has a really clever set up), but develops into a complex and intriguing political fantasy in The Queen of Attolia and The King of Attolia (and then goes back to the quest theme in book 5, Thick as Thieves).

Adult:

A Fist of Permutations in Lightning and Wildflowers by Alyssa Wong: I’m cheating with this one because it’s technically a short story but I love Alyssa Wong’s stories so I’m putting it here anyway. It can be read for free and you should just...read it.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang: grimdark fantasy (TW: abuse, self harm, rape, drug abuse), inspired by Chinese history. It’s adult, but follows younger MCs and the unique blend of different historical periods/inspirations makes it extremely interesting. The characters are extremely fucked up in the best possible way, plus the use of shamanism is awesome. Please make sure you check all the TW before reading.

The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang: a Japanese-inspired militaristic fantasy, with elemental magic, a badass housewife dealing with her past and hiding a sword in her kitchen’s floor. It has interesting and nuanced family dynamics and a great reflection on propaganda and the use of narratives.

Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri: first book in an epic fantasy duology inspired by Mughal India (TW: abuse, slavery). I really liked both Empire of Sand and its companion and I find them pretty underrated. Both books have great slow burn romance (with a focus on mutual trust and respect) and focus on culture, religion, self acceptance and politics.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: a fantasy bildungsroman set in Mexico during the Jazz age. It’s a great approach to adult SFF as it follows a young girl on a life changing adventure. It features Mayan mythology and a god slowly becoming human (this trope is everything!).

The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: a coming of age story inspired by Russian folklore. The trilogy as a whole has one of the best arcs I’ve ever seen: each book is perfectly self-contained and has its own arc, but also fits perfectly in the bigger picture of the trilogy. The atmosphere is amazing, the cast of characters is extremely well developed. Also frost demons are better than men.

The Binding by Bridget Collins: historical fantasy, but with very minimal fantasy elements. It’s set in a world vaguely reminiscent of 19th century England. I’d say this book is about humans and self discovery. It’s about cowardice and the lies we tell ourselves and those we wish we could tell ourselves. Gay rep. (TW: abuse, sexual assault, pretty graphic suicide scene).

The Divine Cities trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett: starting with City of Stairs, it follows a female diplomat and spymaster(!!). The whole trilogy features an interesting discussion about godhood, religion, fanatism, politics, without ever being boring or preachy. It has complex and rich world building and a pretty compelling mystery.

Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett: heist fantasy following a thief as she’s hired to steal a powerful artifact that may change magical technology as she knows it. Set in a Venice-like merchant city. Also, slow burn f/f romance.

Jade City by Fonda Lee: sort of a gangster urban fantasy, heavily inspired by wuxia and set in an Asian-inspired metropolis. It follows a pretty big cast of characters, each with their own journey and development. It features nuanced family dynamics and a lot of political and economical subplots. Not extremely prominent, but book 2 features m/m side rep.

Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse: inspired by Native American culture and specifically by the idea of subsequent worlds. It has a kickass MC and a good mix of original elements and typical UF tropes. TW: the book isn’t extremely violent but there is death and some gore.

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine: space opera inspired by the Mexica and middle period Byzantium. It focuses on topics like colonialism and the power of narratives and language. It has one of the best descriptions of what it’s like to live in between spaces I’ve ever read. Also very interesting political intrigue and has a slow burn f/f romance (and a poly relationship recalled through flashbacks). I ranted a lot about it already.

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee: a Korean-inspired space opera with a magic system based on math. It’s honestly quite convoluted and difficult to follow, but it also features some of the best political intrigue I’ve ever read. Plenty of lying, backstabbing and mind games. It also features lesbian and bisexual rep and an aroace side character (TW: mass shooting, sexual assault, abuse). I also really recommend Yoon Ha Lee’s short-story collection Conservation of Shadows.

The long way to a small angry planet by Becky Chambers: character driven space opera featuring a found family journeying through space. A fun read, that also deals with topics such as sexuality and race. Quite easy to go through, as the world building and plot aren’t particularly complex themselves. f/f romance.  

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo: an Asian-inspired fantasy novella that gives a voice to people usually silenced by history. It follows a cleric (non binary rep) as they chronicle the story of the late empress, retold through objects that she used in her life. It focuses on bonds between women and the power that lies in being unnoticed. f/f side rep.

The Black God’s Drums by P. Djèlí Clark: an urban fantasy novella, based on Orisha mythology and set in an alternate, sort of steampunk, New Orleans. I really like how creative Clark’s worlds are and how good he is at writing female characters (which rarely happens with male authors).

The haunting of tram car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark: novella set in an alternate steampunk Cairo populated by supernatural entities. It’s set in the same world of a Dead Djinn in Cairo, which is a short story you can read for free.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: epistolary novella set during a time-travel war. It has gorgeous writing and an amazing f/f romance. As a novella, it’s quite short but it’s beautifully crafted and so complex for such a short book!

The Citadel of Weeping Pearls by Aliette de Bodard: a novella set in the Xuya universe (a series of novellas/short stories set in a timeline where Asia became dominant, and where the space age has empires of Vietnamese and Chinese inspiration), but can be read as a standalone. It’s a space opera featuring a disappeared citadel and the complex relationship between the empress and her daughter as war threatens her empire.

One for My Enemy by Olivie Blake: self-published urban fantasy following two rival families in New York. Sort of a Romeo and Juliette retelling but with gangster families and magic. Honestly recommend all of her books, I love how Olivie writes and especially how she writes female characters.

[surge-the-tenrec]

welcome to my saw trap where i ramble at you abt my silver hcsanyways, meet his family! theyre all kids (except for mama izu) born with special chaos powers, all from different ruined/deleted timelines.

many years ago a teenage izu, who has the power to weave "fate webs", originally used pieces of a shattered master emerald to build her own safe haven semi outside of the main timeline stream with her plan being to use her powers to travel to different ruined or doomed futures and prevent them. a few years later, she found two echidna children and a dying master emerald that were in a timeline beyond repair and took them back with her. over time she just kept... collecting kids, to the point she just has a lil family now. the healed master emerald just adds a new room onto their haven whenever she finds a new child. after a while, the kids start growing up and they wanna help her out in saving the future - which is how silver keeps coming back, and also where he goes once he saves the world

izu the spider is based on a juro spider. theyre a real cool lookin spider and ive wanted to make an oc of one for a while! in terms of personality izu is quite,,, spacey. she's spent a lot of time alone and a lot more in desolute timelines and its left her a lil traumatized - but she loves her kids so much, and would do anything for them. shes very fun and playful and has an odd habit of thinking out loud.

reutov the raccoon dog (ignore how i mispelt raccoon it is so late). the youngest member of the family at 8, and an absolute little shit. they have "kid on fortnite" energy. literally the cringest little baby i love them so much. reutov's chaos power is they can sorta teleport by breaking themself down on a molecular level and reassemble somewhere else. they also got lightning powers that they get by vibrating their atoms really quick. since they were a baby when their future was destroyed they dont really remember it or where they came from.

mirador the echidna is the older of the echinda sibs, and i designed her before but heres a quick redesign. same personality: deadpan, duty driven, big ole strong girl. she can control shadows. both mirador and her brother lucea were raised by a spirit inside the emerald (tikal) who kept them safe as she could and taught them what they needed to know before izu found them. being the first to be adopted by izu and coming as a pair, mira originally clung to her brother and didn't want them forming bonds with the other kids. this softened over time, but still she tries to keep the others a little at arms length - lucea may have forgotten how the world fell to ruin, but mirador didn't.

lucea the echidna is the younger echidna sib. he hates everything about being stuck at home guarding the master emerald for a lotta reasons, the big one being she cant use her chaos power - the ability to manipulate solar energy into a physical shape - since their home is outside of time and thus no sun. he's pretty mean, but in a sibling sorta way and usually doesnt go too far. lucea is massively insecure and covers it up by pretending shes the coolest kid in the world. gets on great with reutov

venice the hedgehog. yeah, turns out silver is a nickname! most of his family call him silver, the exception being izu or if hes in trouble or about to get pranked. almost got wiped outta existence due to the stable timeloop in 06, but blaze managed to get him sent as a baby to izu.

florence the tenrec is gold the tenrec from archie. she probably started the same as archie gold, kinda meek and shy but her time with her family made her a lot bolder - she and lucea can be nightmarish together. originally i had her telepathy active and she was encouraging silver to fight lucea but since this is a ref photo i decided against it. also a slightly different outfit - she probably still has her canon outfit, this is just,, easier for me to draw tbh

[darkmindsotome]

On the Riverbank

Title: On the Riverbank

Fandom: Love365 Masquerade Kiss

Pairing:  Kei Soejima x MC

 Word count:3,963

Warning: NSFW Smut

Written by: darkmindsotome

Summary: After suffering from cabin fever a date is in order. Only this simple date plan is going to get spicy.

Tagging @voltage-vixen as requested. Prompt #15: Free Prompt (Picnic on the River)

---

 I was willing to blame uncontrollable events on the fact that we hadn’t managed to go on a date in a while. Between work and recovering from work, it had been impossible to plan anything. However, it had become the new norm for us to remain living together at Kei’s rooms in Raven.

At some point, I began to feel like I had cabin fever. I was happy to be with Kei and a secret part of me loved being at home with him 24/7. To think there was a time when I thought this was a prison sentence. I couldn’t deny the fact I wanted to go out and do something now things had settled down though.

After looking out of the large windows in the suite over the streets of London, sighing for what must have been the sixth or seventh time, into my nighttime cup of tea. Kei put down his book and announced we would be going on a date. Later that night I curled up happily in bed wrapped in his arms and fell fast asleep.

The next day I woke up alone. My mysterious man had vanished before I could say so much as a good morning or ask about our date plans. Patting down the sheet on his side of the bed resulted in me finding them stone cold. He was always an early riser but this was ridiculous. I then noticed a note left on his pillow.

“Good morning, forgive me I had some things to tend to. I have arranged a car to bring you to our date. K”

I rubbed my fingers over his beautiful cursive writing just as a courier arrived at the door and delivered a beautifully wrapped box. The duck egg blue container was almost pearlescent with a thick cream coloured satin ribbon all perfectly tied around it.

The timing was so perfect I really had to marvel at the man organising this and wonder if I was always this predictable or if I would discover a hidden camera somewhere in the room. Opening the box up revealed a single white rose with a card resting on top of a black dress that fitted Kei’s tastes perfectly.

“I can’t wait to see you. K”

The message had me smiling long before I took the dress out of the box. It was a vintage style tea dress with little cap sleeves made from some of the most delicate lace I’d ever seen. It looked almost like patterned smoke.  

There was something different about getting ready for a mission and getting ready for a date. The feeling I got from both was similar but I found I was much more nervous about a date than a life-threatening mission. I rushed through my prep stage of shower, hair and make-up.  

Slipping into the dress I instantly fell in love with it. Kei knew my measurements off by heart and I was pretty sure he had them on file with his usual tailor so he could get the outfits he gifted me perfect right down to the last stitch.

Walking into the closet to find a pair of suitable shoes I discovered some already sitting out. They were naturally also black with the addition of ribbons that wrapped around my ankles. Securing the bows, I couldn’t help but make the comparison between them and cuffs. I felt heat climbing up from them at the thought. I imagined Kei and what was probably going through his head as he picked them out for me. How his fingers would have traced the shoes and the ribbon. The idea of tying me up was never far from his mind and with these shoes, it felt like he had already started.

Shaking my head, I looked at my watch and doubled checked my reflection in the mirror before leaving to go get in the car. I watched from the back seat absentmindedly playing with my choker as the car took me away from the centre of the metropolis. 

The modern landscape changed slowly into something that felt more historic. The buildings looked older; the concrete jungle had passed into something more like a tv drama set. In fact, if I hadn’t known how far I had travelled I might have thought I was somewhere else entirely.

My eyes caught a familiar figure standing near the roadside. He was dressed in more casual clothes. The white trousers, cream coloured cricket jumper with a blue stripe around the collar and the light blue shirt under it all made him look like a student. The car slowed until the backdoors aligned perfectly with him. I had seconds to smooth down my dress and mentally brush off some of the nervous excitement before the door was opened.

“M’lady.” I smiled at the Princely Kei as he offered me his hand. It was all too easy to forget what he truly was like even for me. Yes, I loved his sweet and angelic side, but I also loved that tricky Devil he hid behind his mask too.

“Thank you.”

Kei guided me to his side, away from the car, and sent it on its way. Now completely alone he used our still joined hands to make me twirl for him as he looking me over from head to toe.

“You look even better than I imagined.” Kei smiled and brought me closer to him. Sweeping some of my hair away from my neck so he could brush his fingers along the neckline of the dress and the choker around my neck.

I once more felt the difference in attire. I was all dressed up and felt far more formal than he did. The idea of him being a student once more flitted through my mind conjuring up kinky scenarios of a socialite sneaking off for a romantic rendezvous with a hidden student lover. It was silly, Kei was older than me even if there were times it was hard to tell that from appearance alone.  

“Careful now or you might start sounding like Kazuomi.” I joked attempting to forget the thoughts going through my mind.

My eyes naturally fluttered shut. His cold elegant fingers ghosting over my skin was enough to remind me of the many nights we spent together. Where he had dyed me in his own colours and shown me the abyss behind the door to depravity. Joining me as we fell through purgatory to our own private Eden.

“Perish the thought.” He let go of me. A sensation that left me feeling the need to chase him.

Opening my eyes, I saw that impish look on his face. He was slowly becoming more and more adjusted to life outside of his own nightmares and past. It was still obvious he was a little lost and confused at times but when he was like this, I could almost imagine him as a little boy. It made my heart sing to think we could stand here now together and I could enjoy such a candid fragment of my elusive boyfriend.

“Come now we should get this date started.” Kei laced our fingers and matched his pace to mine.

We walked through some trees and right up to the side of a riverbank. There in front of us was a beautiful craft floating on the water. Inside were some large cushions a few blankets and a basket.

“I thought I would show you a little hospitality and tradition.” Kei let go of my hand briefly to climb onto the small craft and then held out his hand again to help me get on board as well.

“We are going boating?” I giggled as the whole thing rocked under my feet. The idea of mixing something traditional from his own country and a date was so him it made me happy.  

“Punting. It is quite different but I trust you will enjoy yourself.” Kei’s correction came with all the patience I had come to expect from someone who knew so much and was used to sharing it in the course of his work.

“I think I’ve seen it before. It looked like the river had turned into Venice or something.” I sat down carefully feeling rather small when I looked back up at Kei.

“I can understand your comparison and whilst you can use a pole on both vessels a Punt is different to a Gondola.” He smiled and retrieved the long pole from the riverbank using it to cast off.

I watched him standing near my feet moving the pole through his hands with little effort. If you were really quiet you could hear the smooth wood, polished with years of use, slipping through the water and his palms.

“It doesn’t feel as safe as I thought it would.” I commented as the pole in his hand seemed to get stuck on something under the water and give a little tug that made the punt slightly rock.

“I assure you that I am an excellent Punter.” Kei’s expression was so deadpan and relaxed as he declared this I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“I get the feeling your friends would be doubling over in laughter right about now hearing you say that.”

“Yes, they probably would. Thankfully they aren’t or I would have tipped them both into the Thames and made them swim.” He looked down at me. The shadows from the trees we were moving through were casting shadows on his pale skin. I didn’t miss how his playful eyes shone through the shade.

“You wouldn’t…”

“Just sit back and enjoy the ride. I did consider placing the seat facing forward but selfishness prevented me from doing so. I wanted to see your face, forgive me.” The Devil faded in the light once more replaced by the charming Prince.

“You know I never once pictured you doing this?” I sunk back into the cushions, finding them much more comfortable than I thought they would be. The blankets as well were a mixture of textures but each one was thick and luxurious.

“Oh? Punting has been a traditional pastime in England since the 1860’s it really caught on by the 1880s and 1900s though. Before they became used for recreation these little crafts were used as part of the transporting of traders.” He spoke as he manoeuvred the pole and pushed us forward in the water. “Are you familiar with Alice in Wonderland?”

“Yes of course it’s a children’s classic.” I happily nodded. I know it is kind of a strange thing to enjoy but I did genuinely love how knowledgeable he was and how he explained things. It was like having my own personal tour guide and professor.

“Quite so. Well, the author Lewis Carroll used to punt along the Thames and during one of his outings where he was with a friend’s children he started to tell the story of a curious little girl who followed a rabbit. He later put pen to paper and created the beloved tale as a gift.” He lowered his voice as if he had just shared a piece of information vital to national security.

“I didn’t know that.” I don’t know what face I was showing him when he looked down at me. His face seemed to soften, although it could also have been my imagination.

“Literature aside I thought I would show you some more of England than the inside of Raven or shopping in the capital.” I looked around at the countryside slowly passing. I knew there was more to London than concrete and cars but I didn’t think there was this much greenery.

“I thought the Thames was larger than this.” I mused and put my hand over the side dipping it in the cool water playing with the ripples made by the punt as it moved.

“It is. We are currently on one of its many streams. Still part of the river but not as heavy with the tourist trade. You will also know of the boating traditions between Oxford and Cambridge, yes?” Kei always seemed to become a little more animated when talking like this. It was like he suddenly had an outlet for all the bottled-up information and facts he had in that well-read brain of his.

“The boat race?” I titled my head against the sun and saw him nodding happily.

“Yes, it is covered by the media extensively at the time. Well, the competition between the two on these waters doesn’t stop with rowing. There is a traditional Oxford way to Punt and then there is the traditional Cambridge version.” Kei grimaced theatrically as he explained.

“Haha, you don’t sound like you approve of the Cambridge way.”

“I am an Oxford man.” He almost seemed to stand up straighter as he said that. “The flat raised planking behind you is called the Till. A Cambridge man would stand on the Till and punt like so.” He stepped over me and demonstrated what he meant. It caused the punt to lurch which had me clinging to the sides of it thinking it might tip us both in the water. “Whereas an Oxford man, He will stand in the punt and work from here.” Kei stepped back into the punt and resumed moving us from inside. The vessel settled back down and I ended up breathing a sigh of relief. “Also a notable difference is the till. Following Oxford tradition, it is always facing front in the direction one is moving."

"I had no idea there were so many traditions.”

“There are more but I fear any more information will bore you under this hot sun. Here should be suitable.” He pushed the punt so it brushed up against the bank again this time next to what looked like a very secluded spot. The grass was short and looked to be recently cut. Surrounding it were high hedges and some trees.

“What is this place?” I asked as we left the punt for more stable ground.

“You will find them all around. They are locations people usually used for picnics.” Kei spoke as he stuck the pole into the bank and tied the punt to it.

“Are they all this well maintained?” I was still looking around. I don’t think I have ever been to a part of London that has ever made me feel so totally alone. It was pleasantly unusual.

“The ones that are owned are yes. This is one of my family’s spots.” He leant over and scooped up the basket and grabbed a blanket. With them in hand, he then walked into the centre of the grass and quickly set up.

“What do you have hidden away in your basket of tricks?” I sat down on the blanket and waited for him to reveal his secrets.

“We have tea, the very seasonal and traditional strawberries and cream.” He placed a flask down next to the punnet of fresh fruit and a pot of thick white cream. “We also have peanut butter sandwiches…”

“You made this picnic, didn’t you?” I couldn’t help but giggle. When he said he had things to do in his note I thought it would have been work-related. Now I had visions of him shopping and preparing this picnic instead.

“What is wrong with it?” He asked. His golden hair shining like a halo under the sun.

“Nothing just it's very you. If you had brought the basket from somewhere or had someone else make it, I doubt peanut butter would have made it on the menu.” It was true he could have ordered it from room service or had it made up somewhere in town and just brought it along. The fact that he actually made anything himself was endearing.

“Did you want something different?” His expression shifted and he looked like a child that was waiting to be scolded.

“No this is perfect.” I reached over and took one of the sandwiches from the plate in his hands.

“I did think of bringing some Pimms but I reconsidered.” Kei recovered fast, the cracks in his mask reformed.

“Why?”

“The time of day for one thing. I mean as Kazuomi would argue it's five o’clock somewhere but I would hate for you to be so drunk you fell overboard.”  He poured some tea from the flask and handed it to me. Our fingers touching for a second, more than long enough for me to realise his body temperature was still as cold as normal.

“We both know I have a better tolerance to alcohol than that.” How can he do that? It was so hot the world could be melting and Kei would still be sitting there in a pullover surrounded by his own internal climate control. “You said this was one of the quieter parts of the River. Why come here? Oops!”

I had been so concerned with not spilling the tea he had given me I had completely misjudged the integrity of the sandwich in my hand. Part of it failed to make it to my mouth and vanish down the neckline of the dress. Embarrassment threatened to bloom inside me and I really hoped Kei had missed what I had just done.

“Is it a crime to want to spend some time alone with my girlfriend?” His voice was so close and I hadn’t felt the blanket move or even seen him shift. Yet he was right next to me his face so close to mine I could feel his breath in my ear. “Honestly I did think of following one of the other paths of the river. There are more pubs and places to go along them but I wanted to enjoy something more scenic with you.” He trailed his fingers along my choker and then slipped them down the front of my dress. “Now I’m glad I made this choice.”

“Something about how you just said that makes me think you weren’t referring to a quiet picnic together.” I acted cooler than I felt. I knew he could feel my heart beating and see the pulse running wild in my neck. All the time I faked being calm as his fingers extradited the rogue peanut butter sandwich from my body.

“You always were very observant.” I followed his hand as it carried the salvaged food to his own mouth. Those eyes of his locked on me looking like pools of golden lust.

They drew me to him like a spell and held me there as he locked me up in his arms, his hands roamed freely over me. Tumbling back together onto the blanket the picnic was threatening to be forgotten.

“Mmm Kei.” My breathy cry came out as he nibbled on my collarbone and began moving a hand up my leg under the fabric of the dress.

“Careful now. It might be a secluded spot but there is no telling who you might summon with a voice like that.” He teased as his fingers did some teasing of their own. Rubbing the outline of my sex through the sheer fabric of his favourite lace panties.

“As long as one of the people I summon is you I don’t care.” I was done with coy. Coy and demure didn’t get you anywhere fast with this man. There was a time and place for all that and when we were alone and things were heating up was not one of those times.

“Mmm, have I ever told you how stunning you are when you are honest with your desires?” He slipped his fingers past the lace pressing his thumb onto my clit before pumping a couple of digits inside me. I wanted to moan louder but his warning from before made me stop.

I looked up and found him smirking. He knew I was holding back. He knew I was trying to be a good girl but damn him if he wasn’t trying to break me.

“I don’t think I can remember.” Two could play that game and I tried to make it look like I was still in control. With every stroke from his hand, I was losing my sanity, but I kept up a strong front and played the game.

“Then I’ll have to take my time and remind you.” He moved on top of me his hand still driving a fever through my core as he spread my legs wide with his own.

“What about the picnic?”

“There is time enough for both. I don’t intend to let anything here on this blanket go to waste.”

His voice purred erotically as he slid the zip on the dress down my back and dragged the bodice low enough to expose my breasts. The cap sleeves I had thought were a nice addition were now part of the binding of fabric that was preventing my arms from freely moving.

Kei brushed his fingers over the lace of the bra and once more slid his hand inside. Treating each nipple to a firm pinch as he ravished my mouth with his tongue. I squirmed under him trying to wrap my legs around his and return the restraint in kind.

“Hehe, you really are the only one that has ever tried to dominate me.” His laugh was like a clear bell whilst the things he was doing to me had my head crashing like a drum.

“Kei… please stop teasing me already.” I moved some more only to find his weight was gone. He had stopped touching me completely and was sitting back on his heels looking at me.

“As My Lady commands.”

I watched as he licked his hand clean and used the other to undo his belt and trousers. It wasn’t unusual for him to remain clothed but it rarely happened where it was so bright.  I bit my lip as he rolled my dress higher exposing all of me. He said nothing as he undid the strings on the panties and placed them into his pocket. The silence was deafening given how aroused I was. He leaned over and dipped a strawberry into the thick cream holding it just out of reach of my mouth.

“Eat it.” His command seemed absolute even if it was given in a sugary-sweet tone.  I tried to stretch for it but couldn’t. His eyes twinkled and his smile became more wicked. “I guess if you can’t be a good girl then I’ll just have to treat you like a bad one instead.”

I felt my core tighten as he brought his palm down with a crack against my bare thigh. He pressed down on me again. His mouth connecting with mine. Fruit and cream filled my senses as he used his own mouth to feed me. The escaped juices were lapped up by his tongue as he arranged himself to take this to the next level.

“Ah!” A slight sharpness ripped through my body and was quickly numbed as the pleasure of us finally connecting took over. With each rock of his body, it moved my body against the ground far more than the swaying of any boat.

Our mouths connected again and again at different angles to the point where I was sure I had forgotten to breathe. His fingers ran through my hair sometimes pulling grabbing at it but each time it only emphasised his desire for me and made my whole body tingle.

I never did find out if anyone else was around as Kei had said or if it was all just another layer to his devilish lies to set the mood. I did discover that I would never be able to eat a picnic again without the addition of a peanut sandwich.

---

[captain-yeet]

A Beautiful Way To Die

Pairing: Heidi x Fem!Reader

Summary; When you thought of death or the possibility of you dying, you never seriously considered the possibility of dying at the hands of a gorgeous vampire.

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: swearing, Heidi accidentally being creepy give her a break she's new to interacting with mortals and NOT eating them

Author's note: I've been wanting to write about Heidi for a while now because her character, even though we got so very little of it is fascinating (again thanks smeyer for making your side characters more interesting than the main ones). Also, am a simple gay.

Arising from your jet-lagged slumber, you'd hoped the beautiful blue, sunny skies you enjoyed yesterday would still be there. Sadly, your luck was out the window along with the welcoming warm weather.

You'd travelled to Italy with the intention of finally getting out into the world and having the freedom to explore and go your own path. Looking online for travel destinations was both a struggle and exciting! "Where should I go?" you wondered while scrolling through all your proposed options. None caught your eye until you landed on one listing;

Enjoy an enriching, quaint experience in the city of Volterra!

Nestled in the country hillsides of Italy, Volterra has a host of activities for you to enjoy, from historical site tours and many shopping locales, bars and more. From the Palazzo di Priori to the Volterra Cathedral... Come, and lose yourself in a city who's architecture is frozen in time.

You wandered the town, taking in the sites of all the old buildings around you. Even with the clouded sky above your head, Volterra was still a breathtaking place.

After an hour of wandering you came to a stop in the Palazzo, plopping down to sit by the large fountain. Hands resting under your chin, you entered a blissful, happy daydream.

Sighing dreamily, you let your eyes close.

You didn't notice the woman watching you attentively.

Heidi had been tasked with finding more humans to feed the guards and the masters themselves, her own hunger growing more ravenous by the day. She'd managed to lure in a few stray helpless tourists, but she still needed just a few more.

Striding through the streets with confidence, she halted as a sudden alluring scent hit her like wave. Mouth pooling with venomous saliva, she held in an instinctive growl. Where is that scent coming from? More so... who?

Following the mouthwatering aroma, she let herself be guided through the cobblestone streets of Volterra, the beast within her growling with glee as she got closer and closer to the human. Heidi had had many victims, many catches that she's reeled in from her "fishing" that have satisfied her, but none that made her yearn for blood more so than whoever it was that smelt like this.

She found herself in the Palazzo, her eyes desperately scanning every face, every scent of anyone who was nearby. She needed to know which it was.

Taking in another deep breath through her nose, the scent hit her again, and she found the poor helpless human.

A woman, who smelt better than anything she'd ever had before. Heidi sunk into the shadows of a nearby alley and studied you. You were plain, simple clothes and your eyes were currently closed as you enjoyed some blissful daydream. Her throat burned with thirst by this point, and as she watched you... something else began to grow.

Curiosity, was it? Heidi couldn't put her finger on it. Letting out an unnecessary huff, she decided to approach. I'll make sure to let Felix and Demetri know that this snack is strictly mine alone. Heidi put on her best smile and sauntered over to the human.

 “Pardon me, Miss?” a smooth voice called your attention away from your daydreaming. 

You jump in surprise as you turn your attention to the source of the voice that startled you. The owner of the voice was equally startling; her beauty blinded you, as she stood directly in front of the faint rays of sunlight you swore she was literally shining. The red dress she wore clung nicely to her body, an off the shoulder piece that only highlighted her best assets. Violet eyes gazed at you curiously, flicking from the art book open in your lap to your face. 

If angels were real, you’d believe this woman was one.

Unbeknownst to you, but the shock went both ways. Now that she was face-to-face with you, Heidi’s painted red lips had parted, an inaudible gasp to your ears escaping them.

A pull she had never experienced before took hold of the vampire. She needed to be near you - not just in the hunger sense, but more of a “If I am separated from this woman for any reason I will rip someone’s arm off” kind of way. At least, that is how Heidi would describe it.

Trying to shake herself out of her jumbled train of thought, she flashed you a quick smile, savouring the way it made your heart stutter. “I couldn’t help but notice you sitting here, are you new to Volterra?”

You nodded, gently smiling at the pretty woman. “I am, just passing through on my way to Venice.”

Heidi giggled. "Venice? That's quite the destination. And what brings you to Volterra?"

"I'm going on a tour here before I leave for Venice," you explained, none the wiser to the sudden shift in Heidi's demeanor. "I needed a place to stay since it was such a long trip, and..."

"What tour, if you don't mind my asking?"

You blinked. The woman was now very serious, the playful almost-flirtatious air about her gone. "In there, actually," you reply, pointing to the castle-like cathedral just behind her.

"I see."

Shit. Shit, shit, fuck! A string of curse words swam in Heidi's head in multiple languages. She can't go in there! But she's booked already, they'll be expecting her and we don't often get cancellations and if we do -

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" You ask, growing more confused by the pretty lady as the seconds went by.

"Ah, hello Heidi."

You both turn your head to the rather tall man who had appeared at Heidi's side. He was quite the looker - very tall, heavy build and looked like he could break you in half with one hand.

"Felix, what are you doing here?" The woman - Heidi - says to her companion with an airy smile.

You didn't fail to notice the sharp look she had in her eyes.

"Just roaming about the city is all," the man replied coolly, a grin on his face that faltered into a curious smile when his gaze shifted to you. “And who might this lovely lady be? Perhaps a tour guest of the castle?”

With a laugh, Heidi linked her arm into Felix’s bicep, her fingernails digging deep into his arm. Under his breath Felix hissed and looked at Heidi with wide, confused eyes but she kept her airy exterior up perfectly.

 “Our tour bookings are full, Felix,” she said pointedly.

You looked on at the exchange feeling lost. There seemed to be some animosity between the two but why? You didn’t know. Maybe they were exes.

 “I see.” A thin, curt smile replaced his cocky grin from just moments ago. “Well then, I’ll meet up with you later. We’ll talk more then.” 

As the man left, Heidi left out a small huff and then turned back toward you, her brilliant smile bewitching you again. "Forgive him, he's always prowling during the tours for pretty young women to bore to death with his rants about his hobbies."

You giggled, grinning back at her. "I'll be sure to try and stay off his radar when tomorrow's tour begins."

Tomorrow's tour, Heidi's thoughts echoed your words. So she's coming in on that tour. Keeping her composure cool, she tilted her head down and gazed at you from beneath her eyelashes. Seduction tactics, only this time she was trying to steer her prey away. "Please beautiful, I want you to listen to me very closely."

Frowning at her sudden serious nature, you began to stand up from where you were perched, listening intently.

"Volterra has a lot to offer tourists, many fascinating sites to see. Our cathedral however... don't come. Please," she pleaded, her voice low and silky, "find somewhere else to go sight seeing."

You froze mid-way through putting away your art book. Her serious tone and the look in her eyes... something about the look in her eyes sent a chill down your spine. "I - I'll consider it."

The corner of Heidi's mouth twitched. She then straightened herself up and the deadly serious disposition left as quickly as it had appeared, the friendly seductress returning once more. "Well, I suppose all I can do is steer you away," she chuckled, more to herself.

You smiled politely back, your eyes flickering to your surroundings briefly. As you took in how the sky had gone much darker than it was before, you gasped. "Oh damn, it looks like its going to rain!"

Sure enough, as soon as the word "rain" left your lips, Heidi felt a droplet from the sky land on her cheek.

"I had better get going, it was really nice meeting you!" You began saying your farewells to the beautiful lady, pulling your backpack hastily up onto your back. You didn't want to get potentially drenched in the downpour.

"Wait!"

Ice gripped your wrist abruptly, sending a shock up your arm and making a surprised gasp escape your lips. The fuck?

Oh.

Heidi had grabbed your wrist. She must have some bad circulation, you vaguely thought to yourself.

"I never got your name." The word were desperate, to Heidi pitiful even.

"It's Y/N," you breathed, taken back by Heidi's behavior.

She let go of your wrist, a half smile appearing. "Y/N," she repeated, your name leaving her mouth - in your mind anyway - almost reverently. "Beautiful name, cara mia... anyway, we should head our separate ways! The rain is sure to stat pouring any moment now."

You hummed in agreement, internally trying to shake yourself out of the stupor you now found yourself in. God damn, this woman... help. She's pretty. So pretty. I am very gay.

"It was nice meeting you, Heidi. Maybe I'll see you around?" You offered with a hopeful smile, trying to shut out your internal screaming.

As you quickly walked away, Heidi carefully breathed in after holding her breath. The air stung her throat, your scent, your blood, making her moan wantonly.

She only hoped for two things; one, that she would get the pleasure of seeing your exquisite face again, and secondly and most importantly, that you would heed her warning not to come to the Volterra Cathedral tour tomorrow.

[wri0thesley]

Forever- Vampire!Lisa Lisa x Fem!Reader (Kinktober Day #16: Biting)

NSFW. 18+ ONLY. AFAB reader. Fem pronouns. Vampire Lisa Lisa, biting, blood, possible dub-con/hypnosis (your mileage may vary depending on how you read it - i think of this all as entirely consensual). 

You are in search of the Lady of the Island.

The man steering the boat had not wanted to take you out to Air Supplena Island. He had been most insistent of the fact that the moment your feet touched solid ground on the island, he would be turning back - his mouth had set in a grim line, his eyes shadowed. 

“I ain’t gonna be responsible for her findin’ me trespassing on her land,” he’d said. “N’ if you ask me, you’re a damn fool to be goin’ no matter what.”

You had still tipped him, of course. He had been the only man with a boat who’d been willing to even make the trip, as little time as he would spend on Air Supplena Island’s shore notwithstanding. You had sat in his boat with your hands folded in your lap and your posture ramrod-straight, anxiety gnawing through to your bones; but you would not rest. You would not turn back. You had followed the legends and the whispers of who the lady of the island was for too long and tried too hard to waste all of your hard work because your fear held you back at the last moment. 

You step off his boat and onto the island proper with your purse significantly lighter and evening filtering out the last vestiges of the day’s sunlight. You turn to thank the man who brought you here, feeling unsteady and afraid - to see that he has turned around with a second glance at you. 

He thinks you are mad, and perhaps you are. 

You are slow as you approach the buildings themselves, aware that night is falling all around you. All of this, from one brief encounter in a warm speakeasy and a beautiful woman at your side? 

She had kissed you, once, and you had tasted danger on her lips and felt it when her hands had caressed the shape of you in your ugly dress. The entirety of the world had seemed to stop - everything had become unimportant to you, except her lips and the way her eyes seemed to shift ruby tones in the low candlelight. You had been dragged here by the young lady you had been hired to be the ladies companion of; whilst her parents had clearly thought you’d be a good influence on her, they had also not reckoned on the wild streak in her nature. 

So you had been dragged along to all kinds of seedy underground places she should not have known about. You had always stayed in the background, watched, tried to make sure she did not get into too much trouble, waiting to intervene just in case she overstepped that small boundary. But it had been in a smoky underground cavern in Paris (“The fashion capital of the world!” Your charge and companion had told you. “You simply must wear something more fetching than that old thing.” You had not acquiesced.) that had changed you forever. 

“Come find me,” she’d breathed against your neck, and you had felt something sharp scratch briefly across the join where your neck and shoulder met. “You could be so much more than this. I’ll show you.”

And she had gone, and you had not been able to shake her lips from your mind for months. 

Your companion had noticed but thought it prudent not to say anything; even in the free-spirited nineteen thirties, she was not quite ready to accept that she had seen your eyes glaze and your mouth part for another woman. But she had noticed your distraction; that you were less hard on her for going against her parent’s wishes, that you were wistful and maudlin and daydreaming about the night - eventually, she had taken pity on you and come to you to relieve you of your service with an early pay packet of far more than you’d expected.

“I went back,” she said, off-handedly, though her shoulders were tense. “To that seedy little place in Paris. They told me her name was Lisa Lisa - the lady of yours. They called her the Lady of the Island, though I don’t know which one. She’s Italian, apparently - or she makes her home there, now. Don’t ask me anything else. I don’t know it.”

You’d looked at her, slowly, some of your lethargy fading away as you’d felt a hum beneath your skin of promise. 

“Thank you,” you’d said - and you’d left the next day for Italy. 

It had not been easy. Though your purse was heavy with your payment for a year spent travelling Europe, you were aware that you were plain and simple and prime victim material for shoplifters and men of opportunity. You had stayed in lodgings that were out of the way, perhaps shoddier than what you could and should have afforded, giving them all the same story; you were in search of an older brother who had ran away and had last been seen in the company of a lady that he called the ‘Lady of the Island’. 

You did not get your first bite until you had found yourself in Venice, in a small art shop by a canal. The piece itself was of an island, all gothic cathedral imagery and towering columns; you’d been looking at it, and the proprietor and artist had come to stand beside you. 

“That’s Air Supplena Island,” he had said to you, obviously able to tell that you were not a local. “They say that the Lady of the Island lives there and slaughters anyone who comes close.” He had shrugged broad shoulders. “I don’t believe it myself, but people will cling to their stories, won’t they?”

You’d beseeched him to tell you more, trotting out that tired old story - that you had become tired of telling, as weeks had grown into months - and his nose had wrinkled, brows drawn down. 

“Oh, the Lady of the Island isn’t interested in men,” he’d said, and the stress he’d put on the last word had convinced you that you were on the right track. You had done your best to tamp down enthusiasm as you’d asked and probed about Air Supplena Island - and as you left, you hid your smile behind your hand as you’d bid the man a good night. 

You had wanted to employ somebody to take you to the Island as soon as you could, but you had done your best to be sensible. You asked around a little more, probing for information about this Lady - having your suspicions of her legend confirmed. 

“They say that she bathes in the blood of virgins,” one older woman had told you. “They say that she will drink a man dry if he so much as breathes in her presence,” - another. “They say that the buildings on her land are made of bones and teeth.”

They confirm what you had thought; that  the woman you met in the smoky jazz and the press of bodies is something more than human. The idea should fill you with fear. You should have gotten as far away from Italy as you could; instead, the thought of her inhumanity sets heat aflame between your thighs and makes your heart hammer in your chest. 

If she kills you, you think, you will die happy. At least you won’t dream about her any more - the silky sweep of her hair, the curve of her lips, pinpricks sliding into the soft flesh of your thighs. Your shoes sound very loud on the stone, as shadows begin to claim the island entirely. You continue to walk. 

You imagine you hear whispers, rustling, the sound of shadows converging and waiting to be told to jump upon you and consume you entirely - still, you walk. And when the foreboding wooden doors that you think give entrance to the vast majority of the building that dominates Air Supplena Island open as if by unseen forces, you do not question yourself - you walk forward, into the entrance hall. 

“I thought you’d come.”

The voice is amused. It is low, and deep - shivering with suggestion in every syllable. You recognise it as the same voice that has haunted your dreams since the first time you heard it. You stop where you are, transfixed as she seems to melt from the shadows, just as beautiful and statuesque as you remember. Her skin seems to shimmer like mother of pearl in the moonlight; her lips are redder than blood, her eyes dark and beautiful. She looks at you and smiles, and you see the faintest flash of sharp eye teeth - and immediately, a rush of confusing feelings tumblr all around inside you.

She’s beautiful. She’s terrifying. You know the rumours are true, from her easy stance and her elegance and how she looks at you like a cat stalking a canary - but you cannot find it in yourself to be afraid. Instead, you feel your thighs slick with desire and your body ache to be touched. If she wished to bathe in your blood . . . you think you would open your veins for her. All she need do is ask.

She steps towards you like a leopard hunting her prey, though you have no intention of running anywhere. Her hips move seductively with each step, her eyes not moving from you for a moment - you take in a deep, shuddering breath as she gets closer and closer to you, waiting for her to pounce. You imagine you’ll see your own neck snap as if from very far away - you wonder if the man who brought you here on his boat is even now laughing at your terrible fate.

“Oh,” she breathes, as she gets closer. “Look at you. You found me all on your own, hmm? I knew that you’d be a perfect choice.”

“Are you going to kill me?” You ask her, softly. She stops in front of you, raising a hand to your face - her thumb ghosts your cheekbone, traces the lines of your lips, and all you can do is let her. Everywhere she touches you feel trails of fire spring up in her wake, your body singing in a way that you don’t think it ever has. 

“If I were going to do that, dear heart,” she whispers, “you would have been dead before you step foot on my island.”

You swallow as she tips your face upwards, studying you in the pale moonlight. You wonder if you’re pleasing to her - the thought makes you feel curiously hot and bothered. You have never put much stock in your appearance, but if it has helped to win her attentions . . . surely you cannot be that unfortunate to look upon?

She laughs as if she can read your mind. 

“You’re extremely pleasing,” she says - and then, she kisses you. 

-

Lisa Lisa - she gives you her name like a secret, and you whisper it against the cool marble of her collarbone, marvelling at how it rolls around in your mouth - has you in her chambers in what feels like moments, though you know it must be longer. Her fingers dance over your skin, working open the buttons and hooks of your plain dress - when it falls from your body, you want to pull yourself in and shy away, but she is above you on the bed and she sighs against you, her breath cool. 

“Look at you, little flower,” she murmurs. “You’re beautiful. Ripe for the plucking.”

Her nails scratch sharp across your sides as she caresses the curve and dip of your hips and waist. Her hands take hold of your breasts, testing their warmth and weight, squeezing them so that your back arches and a soft noise of surprise escapes you. She bends her head and the sheet of her hair falls across your skin, a silky sweep that has goosebumps rising along your newly bared flesh. 

Her mouth fastens about one nipple, her tongue teasing the nubs to hardness. You have only ever touched yourself under sacrosanct cover of darkness, chaste and afraid - but Lisa Lisa is not at all shamed by how she enjoys your body. She holds you as if it’s perfectly natural to do so, and though you feel exposed, you also feel . . . beautiful. Like something precious to be held against her and kissed and stroked. 

“You’ll do beautifully,” she whispers, moving her mouth from your breast to kiss up your collarbones, to trace the fluttering pulse point in your neck. She traces your jawline with her lips, up to your ear - you gasp as she nips at your earlobe. “Oh, you were wasted anywhere but by my side.”

“What will you do to me?” You ask her, breathlessly, as she rears up onto her knees and reaches to tug off her own clothes. You are transfixed by her figure, slowly revealed to you beneath the fine fabrics she’s wearing. She’s like a Greek statue - marble, untouchable, unmarked. Only . . . she takes your hands, brings them to her hips, lets you feel how smooth and cool and soft she is. 

“Nothing you won’t like,” she says - and as she dives back down to kiss you again with the hunger of someone who’s been starved for a week, you do not doubt her. 

As she kisses you, nipping with her blunt front teeth at your lower lip, her hands urge your thighs apart. You feel ashamed to spread them - especially as you hear the wet sounds of them parting - but she breaks the kiss to inhale deeply. 

“I forget, that mortals are so warm,” she says, as one of her hands slides up your inner thigh, nails teasing at the sensitive skin. “You’re boiling to the touch, my darling. You’re hot and warm and soaking wet - did you know?” The last words are conversational, her middle finger swiping through your damp slit, briefly parting your labia lips as your hips arch and a whimper falls unbidden from your lips. 

“I haven’t done this before . . .” You say, your cheeks uncomfortably warm - and Lisa Lisa laughs, a rich, deep noise that feels like black silk running down your spine. 

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she tells you. “I’ve done this many times - and you’ll have plenty of time to learn it too. For now . . . relax, dearest. Lay back on the bed. Let me take care of you.”

There’s a sharp edge to the words; even as you let yourself relax into the soft coverlets beneath you, you feel like she is asking for permission for more than she lets on. Still - you cannot think, at this moment, what you would deny her. Not as she spreads your thighs even wider, those same nails scratching at your skin so your spine prickles, her fingertips leaving blazing trails despite how cool they feel against you. 

She makes sweet, soft noises - like placating a baby animal - as your thighs jump as she parts the lips of your sex, exposing those slickened folds to the chill of the air. 

“Look at you,” she says, enthralled. “Oh, I have picked beautifully--”

You do not know what she means, when she speaks of choosing you. But her fingers are stroking your folds, now - teasing at your clit and your entrance, making your entire body sing, and you cannot concentrate on anything but how that feels and the way that the fabric beneath your fingers bunches up as you fist hands into sheets. 

You are sensitive. Your body reacts with shivers and shudders; little electrical currents going straight from the place between your legs to every other part of you, sending signals of white-hot pleasure to your brain. As she slides one elegant finger inside you and your sex clamps tightly about her, she laughs a noise of soft amusement. 

“We’ll train you to take more, my dear,” she says, and she pumps the lone finger in and out of you, rubbing against sensitive patches inside of you that have your hips wriggling. You’re aware that you are making little noises - whimpering and moaning, gasping out noises intended to be words. Her lips are a dark red curve in the white of her face. Her thumb swipes across your clit, rolling the bud beneath the pad, toying with the swollen little bundle until you whine. 

“You’ll take another,” she says, softly, and you nod - a sob bubbles in your throat at the brief stretch of two, scissoring you open and wider for her - but it quickly devolves into a groan as your hips cant forwards towards her, urging her to be more thorough in how she’s thrusting the fingers and and out of you. She makes a little chastising noise, clicking her tongue - but you can hear the pleasure in her tone as she murmurs. “Now, now. One thing at a time.”

It’s good. It’s so good. The way her thumb grinds against your clit, the way that her fingers rub against those sweet spots inside of you, the feeling of fullness and the sweep of her hair and the knowledge of who it is and what she is that’s making you feel like this . . . Your body seems to seize up, teetering on the edge of something - and, abruptly, fingers are pulled out of you and the pressure on your clit ceases. You whimper out a noise of confusion and distress; that you were so close to something wonderful, and had it torn away--

“One more thing, before I let you come,” Lisa Lisa says, her lips that perfect red curve again. “Creatures like me do not do things for free, you see.”

“I’ll do it,” you say, feverishly - her index finger lazily strokes your folds, toying with your clit in a way that makes you shudder and your head feel cloudy and strange. “Wh-whatever it is . . .”

Lisa Lisa leans down, kissing the mound of your sex. Your back arches as her tongue flicks out, briefly darting to taste you. She makes a noise of sheer pleasure at the wetness on her tongue that intensifies the ache inside of you and makes you feel as if a curtain is descending all over your judgement. Slowly, she laps at you again - her tongue rolling your clit luxuriously, slow rocks of pleasure overwhelming you. 

“You’d agree before hearing my terms?” She says, though she does not sound at all surprised - if anything, her tone is pleased. “You’d trust me so completely, even knowing what I am?”

She does not tell you what she is. She hasn’t - you have known since far before you stepped foot onto her island, and perhaps even before you’d made it to Italy. She knows that you know.

“You can have my blood,” you tell her, wildly, without thinking. “Just, please--”

She pulls back again. Her body moves over you like a cat once more, so that her face is close to yours and her cool breath brushes your cheek. Her breasts press against your own, one marble-smooth thigh between your own legs. 

“I want more than blood from you,” she says. “I want you to stay with me, here. Forever.” Her hands trace your hips, cold as she grasps you. “You deserve more than a boring little life and a boring little husband. I can make you a Goddess, my darling. I can make you feared and loved and reviled; I can make you like me. I can give you a life by my side.” She lowers her mouth, pressing her lips to your cheek. Your entire body feels like stone. 

“You already knew what I wanted from you, didn’t you, my clever girl?” Hands sliding over your thighs, her body moving. Your legs spread wider, urging her hand and her fingers back between them. She laughs, like a bell tolling. “You’ve known since you walked into my home.”

“Yes,” you say. “Yes. To all of it.”

(You have known, this whole time - since those first words and the promise you were made for better things than this. It had taken her touching you and feeling you and driving you to the brink of release to see it clearly, but now you can - you can see you by her side for eternity.)

“My good girl,” she breathes - and, as her fingers dive inside you again, three pressing against the walls of your sex and clenching around her, her thumb grinds back into your clit. Her fangs slide into your throat. 

Both of them feel like fireworks in entirely different ways - low between your thighs, like a man diving into the sea, your body all flaming hot wetness as a tidal wave of heat and need crash over you. In your throat, an explosion of colours and sounds as your head is tipped back and you feel the wetness and heat of your own blood cascade down your body. The rhythmic sucking of Lisa Lisa’s lips against you coupled with the rhythmic way she rocks her fingers into you.

You let your eyes close, the sensations wash over you. It’s the first of many, she said. The first day of the rest of your life. 

The two of you have an eternity now, after all.

[snatcher-no-snatching]

Had another dream in which hk and bk were my little siblings, though mainly involving hk (and also Empress?)

The three of us lived in a lil house in a city that I can only describe as Venice-like? As in, there were no roadways but lots of canals for people to get around in boats. The city was very colourful and lively, lots of art and music on display for all to enjoy. Strangely, we seemed to be the only human inhabitants. The earliest part of the dream I can remember involved us arriving home after grocery shopping to prepare dinner, but Hat Kid saying she wanted to go out exploring a little more. So she went out while Bow and I cooked, but rather than a boat of her own she had... some sort of friendly buoyant animal? It basically looked like a big, round, inflatable pool toy, yellow, and vaguely whale shaped but with lil cat ears. Strange but cute.

Anyway, Hat Kid rode around the canals on this thing, eventually arriving at a restaurant of some sort. The guy behind the counter was apparently familiar with her, 'cause he offered her some pancakes like she was a regular (There was also a sequence here where another server made the mistake of offering her a caffeinated beverage, but I'm skipping that for brevity's sake). So like, after eating n stuff she went outside and saw her buoyant lil friend had apparently floated away, leaving her effectively stranded. She asked around the restaurant if anyone had seen her friend, and eventually ended up in the bar next door. No one there had seen her lil buddy either, but the tall, sly looking cat behind the counter said her shift was over soon, so she wouldn't mind giving her a lift back home. Hat Kid accepted, and the cat introduced herself as "The Empress".

They got on Empress'.... "boat", which was really more of a floating cube? Anyway, it was dark as they travelled the waterways, mostly illuminated by the many art installations they passed by along the way. This is the part of the dream I remember most vividly, and it was very strange. The lighting cast dark shadows on the walls, and tall statues of bronze and stone surrounded them, depicting great battles and graceful dancing figures. Maybe it was a trick of the light and the clashing colours, but I could swear I saw some of them moving. Really, it's hard to describe just how surreal and beautiful it was, grotesque and amazing.

Regardless, Hat Kid was so entranced that it took a while before she noticed they weren't going in the direction of her house. When questioned, the Empress only replied with "....I have something I want to show you". Only a little apprehensive, Hat Kid didn't have much of a choice but to see where she was being taken, and was surprised to see they'd arrived at a grand museum. She was childishly excited, like "ooh, I know this museum! I come here with my siblings sometimes!" but went back to being confused as they went around back to a secret entrance. Empress said something to the effect of "My lab is down here", to which Hat Kid was once again naively excited, like "That's so cool, I have a lab too! I love science!" But as they disembarked and made their way under the building she was like "...So why was your lab built under the museum?" Empress only laughed: "More like the museum was built on top of my lab!" And said nothing else on the matter

They made it to a dark room, whith only some chairs and a mysterious drawn curtain. Empress took a seat and gestured for Hat Kid to open the curtains. I remember feeling kind of scared at this point, but still so curious, and also as if I didn't have any choice in the matter anyway. So Hat Kid opened them, and was very shocked to see a man, skinny and ill-looking, lying in a bed, hooked up to multiple machines that appeared to be either pumping or extracting a pink fluid to/from him. Not sure which. The fluid glowed brightly, basically illuminating the room, and the man had his eyes open, but didn't seem conscious. Despite all this, the thing that stuck out most was that he was human.

Horrified for reasons unknown, Hat kid turned to look at Empress for answers. "This man is like you," She said. I can't remember what she called it, but she gestured to the tanks of the pink liquid and said that he needed it to live, and so will Hat kid, eventually. She said she needed help gathering more of it, and that she's willing to employ HK's to do so. Before the conversation could continue any further, Bow and myself burst through the doors in a very dramatic "get away from her!" sort of moment. Empress whispered something to Hat Kid, then backed away as instructed. I picked both my little siblings up and the three of us made our getaway (I had a motorcycle, but like, a water motorcycle. Yes, it was very cool.)

It was around here that I gradually woke up, so it gets a lil foggy. Some days pass completely normally, except I notice Hat Kid getting gradually more and more tired during the day, and suspect she's been sneaking out at night. As a narrative, it'd make sense that she's going to see Empress, but I wouldn't know, 'cause like I said I was waking up at that point. Aaand... yep that's pretty much it thank you for your time

[livewireprojects]

Big and Blaze

I don't bring Big up that much & found more images I haven't posted yet.

So I mentioned in the past depending on the post(especially since I need to remember not everyone pays attention to every post) I like to be vague/hide who Venice & Silver's parents are to keep it a mystery plus it's funny if people that are unaware of the other posts & wonder who the parents are. I guess the same can be said about Blaze since I tried hiding her dad & left implications.(Except for this pic)

Someone kind of already figured it out but yes Big is meant to be Blaze's missing dad in my Lost Prince AU. In my Lost Prince AU Blaze is not only from another world but from it's future as well.

I admitted it when someone asked but I thought I'd mention it now because I've admitted to Shadow & Sonic being Silver's parents in the past & I have some images to post still that need slight context.

Here's Blaze when she was a toddler, I mentioned in the past that Blaze's mom(link to her ref) Flare left with Blaze to her home world/dimension at some point so she could force train Blaze to become the next in line for the throne. This is Blaze when they first returned to Flare's home world.

I posted this already but I thought it'd be fitting if I posted it here with the other pics.

Big cares a lot for his daughter, Flare allowed him to care for Blaze before eventually disappearing with their daughter. Big might be a goofy large cat but he is a great father. Here he is introducing Blaze to Froggy, she might be a toddler but she's old enough to interact with him now.

This was suppose to be when Blaze reunited with Big. This has been scrapped because I chose to change some things.

Originally Silver, Blaze, Venice & Marine were going to find themselves back in Sonic's world for the first time when they're all their present ages.(For context Flare took Blaze to her world when Blaze was at least 3 or so. Eggman sent Venice & Silver to Blaze's world when they were 6 & 2, originally they were going to be 5 & 1. Silver is the same age as Blaze.) So Blaze is reuniting with Big when she's 14.

I scrapped this & had it so present day(so future since this is further into Sonic's timeline) Silver used time travel to help younger Venice & Silver find a way home which took a few months. I imagine Venice was maybe 10 & Silver(along with Blaze) was 6 when "present day" Silver finally got them home.

Blaze tagged along because she didn't want to leave her friends & had a big fight with her mom thanks to Venice & Silver giving her the strength to finally defy Flare. Blaze wanted to be anywhere but home & she hoped their parents would let her stay. Little did the three know that Blaze would meet the father she was separated from years ago.(Along with the fact this was the last time she'd see her mom)

So anyway yeah Big reuniting with Blaze, happy to see his daughter after all this time. Blaze would stay with him for a while(in the new/current version was raised by him) before eventually returning to Flare's world & taking up training/responsibilities there. She visits when possible but for the most part Silver(sometimes Venice or their family) goes to visit her.

For a while I imagined Big would visit with Silver's help but I now kind of imagine he ended up moving to her world so they wouldn't have to separated again. He sometimes returns to his home dimension to visit everyone.

Flare's past actions have affected Blaze leading to her becoming serious(especially due to her duties as the princess & guardian of the sol gems) but Big & her friends have helped her recover. Also helps that she's kind of taken in a certain raccoon after present day Sonic(so when he was 15) ended up in Blaze's time/dimension during the events of Sonic Rush Adventure.

[einsteinsugly]

Taking some genealogy tests, Eric's historical ramblings, and more, circa 2020-ish...

Donna: My goal is to travel where my ancestors came from, after the pandemic is over. Milan, Venice, Rome...

Eric (looking at her results): Your ancestors didn't come from Rome.

Donna: We might as well go while we're there, Eric.

Eric: Well, with me, you can travel to the British Isles and southern Sweden. If I followed her brochure, there's just a tiny little blob in Edinburgh.

Jackie: You can add Amsterdam, northern France, and most of Germany if you include me.

Eric: Well, Donna has more German than one would expect, so we can travel much of Germany without you, thank you very much. Blame the Germanic hordes, gobbling up whatever the western Roman Empire had left.

Hyde: But Forman, Jackie's got Amsterdam. The world's weed capital.

Eric: Eh, it's just a bunch of windmills and bicycles over there. And Hyde, you've got some sub-Saharan sights in your brochure I wouldn't want to visit, at least on vacation. A helping hand as a humanitarian, like Jimmy Carter did back in the day? Yes, and...

Jackie (looking at Donna's page, with a loud scoff, interrupting): I don't think you'd want to travel to Syria, either.

Eric (hearing the conversation): Ah, the whole 'ol cradle of civilization has been destroyed in modern times...

Hyde: By the hands of the white man.

Eric: Hyde, you're half-white. Or technically, sixty percent white.

Hyde: Most of it's Irish, and they were England's first victims.

Eric: Considering England held half of France at one point in time, I think England's first victims were the French, but technically the Normans were French and they conquered the English, so...

Jackie: What's he rambling on and on about?

Hyde: Some old feud between France and England.

Eric: But then again, the Vikings conquered most of England too, and...well, England's early history is peppered with being the reluctant subjects of various empires, not the colonial overlords. The Romans, the Anglo-Saxons, the Vikings, the Normans...and eventually, by acquiring Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, they amassed the power to rule and ruin the world.

Hyde: Then they lost most of Ireland.

Eric: Naturally, yes.

Hyde: All I hear is a bunch of loaves of white bread fightin' each other.

Eric: What is the sound of loaves of white bread literally fighting each other?

Hyde (flatly): It's boring and predictable.

Donna: Hey, I'm at least have a bit of wheat bread. I have some middle-eastern roots.

Hyde: Yeah, three percent wheat bread.

Eric: You're sixty percent white bread.

Hyde: Whatever. Some of it's acquired through questionable means, at fuckin' best...fuckin' slavery, man. Your ancestries are all like college brochures. Clean and happy, with at worst some frat boys and some hazin' going on underneath. My ancestry's a world of hurt and pain. Some of it's in documentaries, and the rest of it's hidden in the shadows. Forman and Donna, have fun backpackin' through Europe. Me and Jackie are bookin' a trip to Amsterdam.

Jackie: And it's going to be so much fun.

Eric: Well, we're going to Rome. If we want to, and we're going to roam around the world...well, Europe, whatever.

Jackie: Whatever, our trip to Amsterdam is going to be so much better than your boring trek through northern Italy.

Donna: And Rome.

Jackie: Whatever. Let's go, Steven. Jackie and Hyde swiftly depart, leaving Eric and Donna alone. Eric: Okay, then. Awkward. *With a dramatic pause* I feel like one of Hannibal's elephants, dying up in the Alps.

Donna: Didn't a few make it to the other side?

Eric: Yeah, only one. But that's not the point. I'm the one of many that didn't.

[junipersgarden]

metanoia 1. | Recover

PAIRING: Peter Parker x Superhero!Reader

SUMMARY: 8 months later from Tony’s funeral and the promise Peter and you made, where do you two stand now?

WORD COUNT: 4119 words

WARNINGS: N/A?

a/n: i did not expect this to blow up so quickly so thank you all sm!! ill be updating every Friday/ re uploading from Wattpad and converting it to here!! hope you enjoy this chapter and ill see you next Friday ; )

[NOT MY GIF] 

...

8 Months Later...

...

"I have a plan. Okay. First, I sit next to Y/N on the flight."

"Mhm."

"Second,  I'm gonna buy a dual head phone adapter and watch movies with her the whole time."

"Okay."

"Three, when we go to Venice; Venice is super famous for making stuff out of glass right?"

"True."

"So I'm going to buy her a white gardenia necklace because it's a really pretty flower and... because... well-"

"Is it because of the-?"

"Because of its meaning yeah. Step 4 is when we're in Paris, I'm going to take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, give her the necklace and 5, I'm gonna tell her how I feel. And 6, hopefully she tells me she feels the same way."

"And don't forget Step 7."

"Step 7?" Peter questions and clicks the top of his pen to write down Step 7, ears perked to listen to Ned.

"Don't do any of that."

Peter lets out an annoyed and frustrated sigh as Ned gave him a look that expressed 'what? what did i do?'

"Why?"

"Because we're gonna be bachelors in Europe Peter!"

"Ned."

"Look, I may not know much, but I do know Europeans love Americans."

Peter had little belief in Ned's statement that he scrunched up his face and looked at Ned.

"Really?"

"-And more than half of them are women!" Ned exclaims to make his point.

"...Sure but, I really like Y/N man. She's awesome, she's super funny like in a kind of dork way, and whenever she looks at me I feel like- she's coming over don't say anything!" Peter quickly shuts himself up.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Don't say anything!" Is the only thing you hear as you walked up to Peter and Ned's table.

"Sup guys? You excited for the science trip?" You greet them, rocking your body with a smile planted on your face, your assignment folder occupying your hands. Technically you got up from your, F/N's and MJ's table so you could photo copy your guy's group project but you heard Peter and Ned rambling about Europe and thought you could start up a conversation.

"Hey! Uh, yeah! We're just talking about the trip."

"Yeah and Peter's Plan." Ned confidently slides in the conversation.

Peter's Plan?

You stop moving and shift yourself to Peter, averting your eyes so yours meet his.

"...You have a plan? For what?" You nervously smile and laugh at him, playing with your bracelet on your wrist. The bracelet was silver but held a black cross (similar to a crucifix) in the middle of it.

"I- I don't have a plan." Peter mumbles, fiddling with his pen and looking at you with anxious eyes.

"No he's just gonna collect tiny statues while we're travelling to other countries." Ned blurts out and you can see he exchanged a look to Peter.

"I didn't know you liked-" You stopped speaking immediately, your response lost in your mind, something else distracting you.

You looked past Peter's head and your eyes meet with the dozens of drawings and tributes to Iron Man, to Tony and his sacrifice.

It seemed like yesterday you were on the battlefield, when you found out Peter was Spider-Man and all of those emotions and memories swept and flooded your mind in a tidal wave.

You can feel the whole room spinning even though your feet were planted on the ground, the voices of Peter and Ned fading as the sobs of Peter replaced them and Tony's dying breath.

It's been 8 months and you thought you had finally moved on from all the grief and suffering, the sleepless nights full of insidious nightmares and the suffocating feeling that came from all those panic attacks.

"You can rest now..."

"Did you photo copy it?" Someone asks and you whirl yourself around suddenly and possibly too fast, loosing balance and landing into someone's arms. F/N.

"Oh shoot sorry F/N I was talking to Ned and Peter about Europe and got side tracked?"

"It's okay! I was just checking since MJ was sorta getting antsy since she wanted it to all be done before you guys leave tomorrow." F/N beams at you, still holding you up.

"I-I'll go do it now-"

"Y/L/N, did you firstly ask me and secondly get a hall pass?" Ms. Warren spoke up and alarmed you. She was sitting at her desk and was staring at the 4 of you.

"N-No Ms. Warren..."

"I'll go!" Peter shot straight up from his seat. Ned shook his head and F/N laughed at his eagerness.

"No Parker you've got work to do. Y/L/N, Davis can take you."

Davis... Brad Davis?

Just on cue, Brad lifted his head up from being preoccupied at his desk and sent you a friendly smile and wave. He stood up immediately and from his demeanor, seemed over the top that the teacher asked him to escort you to the printers. He looked so familiar but no matter how heard you tried, you couldn't conjure where you'd seen him from.

Brad walked over to you and was still smiling from before so you nicely smiled back. Brad offered you to go first so you walked to Ms. Warren's desk and grabbed the huge hall pass with Brad trailing after you.

"We won't be long Ms. Warren!" Brad yelled out as he closed the classroom door.

You shot F/N a look that said 'okay guess i go and also what just happened?' and F/N shrugged back with no explanation and return back to MJ. You saw Peter looking at you as you left and saw him sigh heavily and immediately get back to his work. I hope Peter's okay.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The cold, crisp breeze whirled through the dim lit streets of Queens as you walked back home;  the streets were always alive at night with people hurrying from one place to another, lights shine brightly, beaming against tall, towering buildings and billboards, apartments until rooftops could reach the sky. New York was always cold in the night and what lurked in the darkness was even colder. Robberies, assaults and muggings were a regular sighting in alleyways but with yourself as Saviour and Peter as Spider-Man, the number has been decreasing over time thanks to the both of you. School was weird today with the whole Peter and Ned thing and especially with Brad. He was nice taking you to the printers but he kept asking way to many questions about you and you caught him staring a couple of times... weird.

You gripped your coat tightly around you, wrapping it as much as you could around your body to fight the wind, shivers being sent down your spine. Your mind had been blurry lately; balancing the lifestyle of school, social life and duties into one while trying to properly rest and to be there whenever anyone needed you was a struggle; the biggest fear you had was if you just took one, innocent day off that'd you regret it for the rest of your life. You also found it hard to escape your thoughts,  insecurities and nightmares whenever you'd zoned out or even closed your eyes for a second. Despite it all you had your anchors though; the people who were holding you down from losing yourself from all the madness happening. You slip out a smile at the thought of those special individuals; friends that you put above anything or anyone else. Peter, Ned and even Michelle were all you had and all you were relying on to help you back up.

"Help! Someone!" A stranger cries into the night, pleading for a saviour, followed by the sound of gunshots and glass shattering.

Show time.

Reacting instantly, you check for your surroundings before fleeing into the shadows of a lonesome alley and with a single flick of your bracelet, it lets of a white glow, letting you know its activated.

"Hello Ms. L/N, how may I assist you tonight?"

"You know the drill ARIS: suit up."

"Right away Y/N."

On command, the familiar cool and sensational feeling of the nano tech being released from your bracelet began spreading all across your body; you loved the feeling of your suit coming alive just by wishing it, AI on the ready and that the suit was also with you, being a part of you.

As you relished in the moment your suit was fully on your body, you rushed out of the alleyway, concealing your true identity under your mask, prepared to fight,  you begin to follow the cries of the citizen in need.

You felt your heart beat and pace fasten, senses heightened and the adrenaline coursing through your veins.

A shift in your vision changes as you feel your pupils fill fully black and steady themselves with your mask lenses,  you exert all your energy into a singular jump and successfully land on the rooftop.

"ARIS, scan for location of activity."

"The distress signal appeared from 21st Street."

Ahhh, classic bank robbery.

"Okay ARIS, are all systems ready to go?"

"Affirmative. Initiating heads up display and initializing flight power."

You roll your head back and crack your knuckles, jumping up and down on the spot, ready for take off.

Nodding your head, you extend your arms out and feel the palms opening up and see the infinite blue glow from your thrustsers and feel the energy spreading and going to the soles of your suit.

Staring down the run way of the roof, you start walking before speeding up into a full sprint, running across the abandoned roof top. Steps quickening, you can see the end of the roof nearing with each step you take; you're going to jump. Before you know it you've leapt off the roof and it feels like time has stopped and you're floating on nothing; it's only you, the sky and the city's blurred noises and lights.

"Flight power fully restored."  ARIS states, crashing and hauling you back into reality.

The euphoria of you floating has started to turn into the immense awareness that you are plummeting straight down with such speed to the lively streets and roads of New York below.

Extending your arms and legs, you point them into the direction of 21st Street and hear the whirring of your suit taking control and then, you're off. You're flying, just like Tony did, in the late night sky of New York City to stop a robbery.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Positioning yourself, your eyes meet with the victim in front of you; the typical situation.

"Hey."

The criminals all stop with their actions and immediately turn their heads to you. The hostages look up at you with hope and desperate, tears of fear and joy being to stream from their eyes.

"Looks like you forgot your credit cards huh fellas?"

2 out of the 4 robbers stand up and you took the chance to fire an energy blast, distracting them you slide on your knees towards the captives.

"Go! Go!" You beckon as you freed them from their constraints, they hurried out of the door shouting 'thank you's'  and praises for your service and gratitude.

Getting up from the ground quickly, you turn around and see the 2 robbers running toward you.

You spring off the floor, back onto your feet and observe your surroundings; the 2 robbers are still sprinting towards you. You ball your fists and stance yourself ready to fight.

"Guys, guys, guys! You can either return back the money and nothing happens or we can do this the annoying and hard way."

One of the robbers racing towards you pulls back their gun and you hear a gunshot and feel a little ting and flick on your suit; the robber was really dumb enough to shoot you and your bulletproof suit.

"Well, guess you chose the hard way."

The 2 robbers still at full speed rush towards you but before they can even touch you, you step to the side and they loose control and crash into the wall.

"Ooooh! That's at least gotta leave a bruise.' You mock them.

You dart towards the fallen robbers, dizzy and dazed from the impact. You hit your right wrist twice on your suit and it opens up and greets you with what you were looking for; your trusty tool and invention of electric rope. The rope appeared as a blue wire with white sparks that shot out of it and you used it to tie up criminals and lets say if they were to hesitate or make a runner, they'd get a bit of a shock.

Grabbing the 1st and 2nd robber's hands, you wrap the wire around them both so they are both stuck together and unable to escape.

2 down, 2 to go.

The other 2 robbers that were still looting money had stopped since they'd heard the crash and the groaning of pain from the one's you'd taken on.

One robber stands up and places his fingers in his mouth and whistles.

You tilt your head in confusion but see that 3 more step out from the remaining safes.

"Aww brought more of your friends for me? How sweet..."

They all attack you at once, bullets ricochet off you and bounce back, flying back at them.

In unison they all duck down behind a counter from the bullets and curse out profanities and you take the opportunity to dash forward and leap onto the counter and land in front of them.

They all jump to their feet and a robber steps in front of you and tries to land a hit. You grab their arm and twist it and they let off a howl of anguish, you tasered him with your bracelet and flipping and throwing him to the floor.

Another takes his place and goes to hit you but one from behind tackles you and pins your arms, locking them in a firm and harsh grip.

Even through the suit, you can feel sharp fingernails attempting to latch and pierce you.

The guy in front of you clutches a solid grasp on both of your shoulders, forcefully yanks you down into his knee and hits your stomach. Already you can feel a bruise forming on your lower abdomen.

Jesus this one will be hard to cover...

You groan at the extensive, burning sensation building, your skin becoming tender and aching from the hit. The guy holding your arms down is tightening his grip and

"Given up huh Saviour?" The robber in front of you spits.

"T-that's the thing...." You let out a breathless chuckle, "I'm only getting started."

The robbers stare at each other and back before laughing furiously at you, the rest approaching you with guns.

What the robbers were thinking is that they'd won; they had successfully robbed Queens County Saving Bank and had taken down one of Queen's own superheroes. You on the other hand, had plans and knew perfectly well how criminal's minds worked; allow them to think they've won, they'll loose all focus and control on the situation, so you'd gotten them in the spot you wanted them: busy getting ready to celebrate a fake victory and not realizing the black smoke manifesting around them.

"As I said, I'm just getting started." A smirk lies on your covered face as you look deeply into the taunting robber's eyes full of bewilderment and fear.

The black smoke begins flurrying around your body finds it way around the robber's hands, instantly making him let go you. You lunge forward and punch the one in front of you with full power, he stumbles back and falls to the ground defeated. You then sharply turn and kick the other in the face.

The two out of the three still left go to attack you but you raise your arm in defense and send a gust of smoke flying to them. They stagger back and remain frozen as the smoke curls around and drags them to the ground. You rush over and deploy more of your rope onto the two and wrap it tightly around them, restraining them to the one place.

The last robber you spot is kneeling on the ground, trembling slightly with fear and piling as much money possible into one bag, trying to make a clean getaway.

Slowly and antagonistically, you make your way over to him and stand there, staring at him and waiting for him to notice. So busy and frantically he continues filling the bag he doesn't take care of his surroundings or even the cries of his comrades.

"I'll take that thank you." You cleanly snatch the bag and kick him to the ground with your heel.

He lands flat on his chest, hands out to the side you grab them and wrap them around once more.

People emerge from hiding and cry out cheers of joy and appreciation, a few giving you a pat on the shoulder, hugging you and the occasional asking for photos. The sound of police sirens ring in the distance, signaling its time to go. Waving your goodbyes, you turn to flee the scene but you hear and notice the vibration of a tap being played on your suit. You pivot back around and see one of the bank accountant's smiling frailly at you, evidently anxious and nervous in your presence.

"T-thank you so much Saviour, how ever can we repay you?" The accountant's eyes full of tears and lost distress begged.

"You don't need too; this is my job. Saving people's lives is what I do." You reply to the accountant, taking off into the night.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You did quite an excellent job tonight might I say so myself Y/N."

"Why thank you my Another, Rather, Intelligent System."

"Was that perhaps what you call, a flex?"

"...Yes ARIS, that was a flex." You mumble with a hint of embarrassment.

Currently soaring in the air with another criminal taken down, the fresh and cool wind rattles against you. Patrols were always 'relaxing' in a sense to you; gliding around the city and if your AI or you come to the attention of any law breaking activity, you swoop in (literally) and handle it. At times, you would bump into now and then into Spider-Man and the two of you mixed with your skills, would work together as a dynamic duo to take down the enemy. Queens loved and adored the both of you as individuals but as partners as well. Before knowing Peter was Spider-Man, there was a bit of tension and jealously and bickering from both of you: 'Dibs I had him first!' 'No, you know I patrol this area!' arguments occurred so many times that even the Avengers were pulled into it.

"I apologize for interrupting your thinking but it seems to be you have approximately 3 missed calls from your mother and from Pepper Potts accordingly."  

Missed calls from Mum is bad but wait- Pepper called?

"W-when did they call ARIS? Any voicemails?"

"Your mother called to say to be home earlier from 'study group' to prepare for Europe tomorrow and that not to miss dinner again... which you did and Ms. Potts left nothing for you."

"C-can you auto text Mum that study group when longer than expected and that Y/F/N's offered dinner so I stayed and that I'll be home soon?"

"Already on it and for Pepper?"

"Don't text her anything."

"Text sent."

Pepper? The Pepper Potts? It's been 8 months; what does she want and is that Peter?

Drifting down from the air, you land quietly behind a wall and crouch down behind it,  peering out carefully and you see Peter in his Iron Spider suit, eyes red and wet with tears as he stares at a piece of graffiti.

What's so bad about- oh.

The piece of artwork was of Tony; no wonder he was so distraught.

"You okay Spider-Man?"

"Y-yeah, I j-just c-crashed into a w-wall?" His voice high pitched, obviously lying.

"Uh huh... mind if I sit?"

"O-oh uh... no! No, you can sit!"

Giggling at Peter's awkwardness, you slide next to him and take a seat. You knew something was wrong by the way he was breathing and that his eyes were wet and red but how do you bring it up?

"So..."

"So...?"

"H-how is everything Spidey?" God that was awful.

"T-things could be s-so much better... just, the whole Blip thing is, it's getting to me."

"Blip?"

"The Blip? W-where the alien guy on Titan s-snapped his fingers and e-everyone d-disappeared?"

"Wait that's called the Blip?"

"Well that's what everyone is calling it."

"It sounds better than something to do with a maniac murdering half of the Earth's population... plus it's easy to say and remember."

And for the first time in a long time, you actually heard Spider-Man and Peter laugh. It was more of a sad and dry chuckle but, at least it was something.

"I'm assuming you didn't hear about 21st Street then?"

"21st Street what now?"

"Just now there was a robbery; apparently some of uhhh, what's his name? The macho, pacho penguin looking guy? Sends out his henchmen to do all the dirty work?"

"K-Kingpin?"

"Yeah! Pretty sure that's the one! But, really? Kingpin? Sounds really dumb; reminds me of bowling or something instead of an evil business man."

"His head does look like a bowling ball..." Peter murmured quietly.

You smiled brightly and threw your head back as you laughed; that's the Peter and Spider-Man I know.

From his mask, you could tell he was smiling since the corner of his mouth was showing the little peaks from out of it.

Your and his laughter began to die down you two just stayed silence  and looked up into the cloudless sky.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"It really is... makes my night."

"And mine as well, I mean besides your company." Spider-Man, well more like Peter coughed, trying to cover up what he said.

"T-thank you though.. this was a nice chat Saviour. Not to alarm you or anything, but I'm not gonna be here much longer-"

"W-woah, what the hell do you mean-"

"N-no! Sorry, I worded that wrong don't panic! What I meant to say is I'm not going to be here because, I'm going on vacation."

Parker I swear...

You lightly hit his shoulder and let out a breath of relief. "Don't scare me like that! I did not need that!"

"S-sorry! B-but yeah... I'm going on vacation.. can you handle Queens without me?"

"I already do. Besides, there's always the other Avengers who can."

"Y-yeah... the Avengers... a-anyways Saviour, I-I'm gonna go now. I'll s-see you soon?"

"See ya Spidey and don't go crashing into any walls!"

"When did I- oh."

"Ratted yourself out. Bye Spideyyyyy!" You call out and wave as you watch him swing away and make tracks home yourself.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I dunno how I did it, but I snuck back in ARIS."

"Well, your mother is asleep-"

"Shhh lemme have this!"

"... Congratulations Y/N."

"Thank you ARIS-"

"Even though I do not condone this behaviour."

Rolling your eyes, you shrug your body and switch your bracelet and your suit slowly peels away from your body, the nano- tech shrinking so it all fits inside the bracelet. You stretch your body but wince from your stomach. Cautiously, you lift your shirt and see the enormous bruise left on you from the robber and his knee.

Bye, bye crop tops...

Plopping yourself on your bed, you lie down and sigh in exhaustion. Closing your eyes slowly, you feel yourself falling to asleep. Until the chime of your best friend's ringtone plays from your phone which causes you to lurch up and open your phone to look at the text.

from: F/N ✌️

yeah.... i'm really sorry that I can't go to Europe...

from: you  

i get it, it's totally fine! your family needs you.

don't feel bad trust me it's all g.

from: F/N ✌️

...if you say so dude. just, have a great time,

take photos and promise to text me when you can?

from: you

you know I will 😤

from: F/N ✌️

kk. well, I better go. it's late and unlike you, people have school tomorrow.

from: you

haha, very funny... well, goodnight nub > : (

from: F/N ✌️

see ya geek : P

Reaching over you place your phone back on the charger and look at the ceiling and sigh.

New York has been chaotic since the Snap- Blip. The Blip. And the amount of crimes has only doubled since before then and everything with school and my friends, Ned, MJ, F/N and Peter and oh god...

Hopefully Europe gives me a break.

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