#hunter (diy au)

[feathersnflowers]

Drawing for @chaoticnebu 's DIYS 🌺 he's kinda hard to draw but he's so cute I don't care

https://www.tumblr.com/chaoticnebu/741414774443753472/i-shouldve-done-this-last-year-when-i-hit-200-on?source=share

[crimeronan]

Camila starts moving away from the alien theory and towards the lab expirment theory, but then Hunter slips up and refers to Spanish as Luz's and Camila's 'human' language.

FJSJDB. i'm imagining luz never even, like, trying to sell camila on hunter being human. at first it doesn't even occur to her that she'd need to explain his appearance, because she's grown up in a society where it's her own ears that need constant explanation. and then she's like well. mami hasn't asked and i kind of really don't want to talk about it

so hunter makes the human language comment & it isn't even really a slip-up. and camila pauses and then is like "okay, i'm just going to come right out and ask. hunter. ARE you human??"

and hunter is like "n... no....?"

and then is like "wait, hang on. my bad. luz. am i supposed to pretend to be human."

[traggalicious]

WIP!!!! Thumbnails r fr from September of 2023 💀

Progress, plus a lil school doodle of the loser as emperor! Speaking of, what name should i give him? Should he simply take the name Emperor Belos? Should he be something else? Bc Emperor Hunter sounds juvenile lmao

[thegnomelord]

Okay fuck after reading @killerkillerkillher 's fic with demon Soap and Price, and angel Ghost and Gaz, it got my own brain worms multiplying (as if I don't have enough going on lol) so here's the au draft that's been rotting for a while lol.

So here's an idea for an au:

Reader is part of a small group of friends that are Ghost hunters/DIY exorcists (read: They're all drop out college students and the ghost hunting youtube channel's putting food on the table). Reader doesn't believe in the supernatural but the friends keep reader around because you're the group's 'ghost deterrent' because spirits GTFO when reader's near and reader thinks the friends are just bullshitting you.

Anyway the group are moving to a bumfuck town in the middle of nowhere where an old haunted house the reader's grandmother left is. Then their pos car breaks down an hour away from town. 'Luckily' the town's mechanic, Johnny, was just driving by and helps you lot out. And ain't he a handsome devil (emphasis on devil) thinking he can con a couple of young and dumb humans out of their souls. Soap's all hooded eyes and husky voice as he lures you away like a lamb to a supply closet, oil darkened hands sliding under your shirt and lips sucking dark hickeys into your throat.

He pulls away when you tug on his mohawk, raising his head until his lips are just inches from your own and you don't even notice him mutter a verbal contract, nor do you understand you've agreed to one when his lips crash on yours like he's drowning.

And Johnny's grinning into the kiss like a loon as he tries to take the soul of the stupid but hot mortal he's just met only to find out he... he can't. No matter how consuming his kisses are or how aroused both of you get your soul sits stubbornly in your chest and doesn't even budge.

When your friend bangs on the door and yells for you to "stop shagging every guy you meet!" you're forced to give an awkward goodbye and scurry away. And Soap's left completely bewildered and confused as fuck wondering what just happened and thinks he needs to tell Price.

Meanwhile, while your car's being fixed up, your friends drag you to the town's only pub that's run by a Simon Riley. He's an intimidating man without trying to be, but he doesn't immediately chase you out like some bar owners. He's quiet, listening to your friends chatter while cleaning a glass rough scarred hands, but the way he looks at you is... odd. Like you're an interesting bauble he's found on his gran's shelf.

He's there to catch you when you trip on a raised floorboard you swear wasn't there before. "Thanks, I owe you one." You say with a small awkward laugh, though for some reason it feels like him catching you had been an excuse to touch you.

"That so?" His thumb traces the dark hickeys across your throat, surprisingly soft, and you can feel your cheeks getting hot. "You let Johnny have fun with you?" His chuckle is rich like aged wine, fingers gently pressing down on a hickey; it feels possessive. "You'd let any old thing like me take from you, yeah?" There's something in his words that has a shiver running down your spine, though from apprehension or arousal you're not sure.

"Ye- eh, yeah." You don't know which question you're agreeing with, and you understand the weight of your words, quickly walking away from him before your friends can embarrass you by wolf whistling at you and him. And you completely forget to ask on how he knows it was the mechanic who gave you the hickeys.

With still some time to burn before sun sets you decide to visit the radio station in town, mainly because your friend swears on his life that those are always haunted or have some decrepit old host that knows all the gossip in town. And when you meet the man you had heard softly yet confidently talking on the radio? He's handsome, pretty brown eyes as enticing as his voice, and you're starting to sense a theme with you meeting all these very nice looking men.

But Kyle, or Gaz as he asks you to call him, is a wealth of knowledge to the point you're not sure where the gossip stops and some crumb of truth begins. He talks all the way into the night with you and your gang of amateur ghost hunters, and you see why he is the radio host because his voice is like the song of angels, silk soft on your ears and you feel like you could fall into the best sleep of your life from listening to him.

And all he wants from you in return for his knowledge? "Nothing much mate, just a small favor, I'm sure you'll manage." Kyle leans in and pecks your lips like he's sealing a promise, or a bargain, but that's just you being stupid after getting kissed by the second hot guy today, surely. Gaz already knows he can't just nab your soul, he has ears in every wall in this town, but at least he can put his own claim on you.

Day, for the most part, well spent you and your friends go to the house for a good night's rest. It isn't any good as you're woken up numerous times and by morning you have several broken vases and an exploded lightbulb — everything you explain away as the house being old as fuck, but your friends claim it to be the work of spirits — your friends drag you to the church on the hill at the asscrack of dawn.

And that's how you meet Father Johnathan Price. (Insert devil in church joke here)

He listens to your friends explain the situation, calm and collected, but you swear his eyes stay on you the entire time. "That's quite a predicament." Price hums, offering to bless you and your friends in hopes of protecting you from evil spirits.

You're the last to go, nearly jumping out of your skin when he grips your chin. "Relax my boy." Those words frazzle your brain enough for him to easily pull on your jaw until your mouth opens, his thumb almost playing with your bottom lip. The look in his eyes is dark, the air between you far heavier than it should be between you and a bloody priest. But Price doesn't see anything wrong with this, pressing a thumb down on your tongue and then putting a wafer on your tongue. "There you go, you are now blessed in the name of a lord. Now consume it, my boy."

You obey automatically. You're not quite sure if a communion wafer is supposed to taste so... weird, it has a coppery and peppery taste to it. Almost like spicy blood or something but that's just you being stupid again, especially as you can feel heat burning between your legs.

Sufficiently embarrassed about getting hard at a priest you give an awkward goodbye and leave, trying to fix your pants before your friends see your... problem.

Johnny appears by Price's side in a small flicker of flames and brimstone when you leave, confident smirk on his face. "Ooh, couldn't resist claiming a piece of him fer yourself?" He smirks, nudging Price on his side.

"I suppose he is more interesting than the usual rabble." Price hums, already imagining of how handsome you'd look laying naked on the altar, and how to get you to that point.

Congrats! Now you've got 4 hot dudes trying to take your soul :D

[valkyrieromanoff]

MASTERLIST: 31 DAYS OF SPOOKY ONESHOTS

⚰️MIDNIGHT AT GRAVEYARD: SAM MONROE X YOU (day 1 of 31)

🍭BOBBING FOR APPLES: WRECKER X YOU (day 2 of 31)

🕸️MOONLIT RIDE: ANAKIN X YOU (day 3 of 31)

👻THE SILENT WATCHER: CAPTAIN REX X YOU (day 4 of 31)

🎃 LATE NIGHT PUMPKIN PIE: FIVES X YOU (day 5 of 31)

⚰️SPOOKY MOVIE MARATHON: SAM MONROE X YOU (day 6 of 31)

⚰️MATCHING COSTUME: SAM MONROE X YOU (day 7 of 31)

🦇COSTUME CONTEST RIVALRY: GENERAL ANAKIN X YOU (day 8 of 31)

☠️DIY COUPLE COSTUME - MODERN AU: CROSSHAIR X YOU (day 9 of 31)

🕸️TRAPPED IN A HAUNTED MANSION: PADAWAN ANAKIN X YOU (day 10 of 31)

👻GHOST OF YOU: FORCE GHOST! ANAKIN X YOU (day 11 of 31)

🤖THE CANDY CONNECTION: TECH X YOU (day 12 of 31)

 🕸️LIBRARY SHADOWS : PADAWAN! ANAKIN  X YOU (day 13 of 31)

⚰️COSTUME MIX-UP: SAM MONROE X YOU (day 14 of 31)

🔪HOCUS POCUS ROMANCE: TBB HUNTER X YOU (day 15 of 31)

🧛 TURNING IN THE NIGHT:  VAMPIRE! SAM MONROE X YOU (day 16 of 31)

👻GHOSTLY ENCOUNTER (+18):  GHOST! ANAKIN SKYWALKER X YOU (day 17 of 31)

🎃FORTUNE TELLER: ARC TROOPER FIVES X JEDI! YOU (day 18 of 31)

🧛‍♂️ BLOODFLOWERS: Vampire! Sam Monroe x you (day 19 of 31)

⚰️HALLWAY GHOST: Sam Monroe x you (day 20 of 31)

🧛DANCING IN THE SHADOWS: Vampire! Anakin  x you (day 21 of 31)

🕯️TRICK OR TREAT: James Kelly  x you (day 22 of 31)

👻LOVE’S SPELL: Captain Rex  x you (day 23 of 31)

☠️COSTUME DILEMMA: TBB Crosshair x you (day 24 of 31)

🔪BAKING SPOOKY TREATS: TBB Hunter x you (day 25 of 31)

⚰️Pumpkin spice and everything nice: Sam Monroe x you (day 26 of 31)

🔪PUMPKIN CARVING CONTEST (modern au): TBB Hunter x you (day 27 of 31)

🦇DECORATE HOME TOGETHER: Dilf! Anakin x you (day 28 of 31)

🕸️LOST IN A CORN MAZE: Padawan! Anakin x padawan! you (day 29 of 31)

🎃⛓️HALLOWEEN COOKIE COMPETITION: DOMINO TWINS (Fives, Echo) x padawan!you (day 30 of 31)

🕯️HALLOWEEN AT MECHANICS: James Kelly x you (day 31 of 31)

[punkeropercyjackson]

hello!!!! I need to know how you imagine ppl from atla dressing in a modern universe.. I think you were the one who said katara was punk and i’d like to see more of that.. and the rest of the gaang!! and even azula mai, ty lee and jet if you have ideas for them too!😋😋😋

mostly ive been wondering abt sokka.. i’ve seen so many different versions of him in a modern setting! same for zuko though I don’t really see him wearing suits like a lot of the modern au art i’ve seen ??

NOT PREP ZUKO😭😭😭😭😭PLEASE THAT'S SO FOUL(and tysm,i've actually been meaning to post about this!!!)

Aang:Solarpunk.Long flowy skirts,shawls,crop tops with radicalist messages,etc.I also imagine he'd wear doc martens with yellow laces(anti-racist)!!

Katara:From rezcore to punk kid!She started making her own clothes and aesthetic getups at 12 with diy skills and dressses pretty typically punk!Spike bracelets and chokers,baggy ripped jeans,edgy ahh shirts,long sleeved stripped tops and her precious battle jacket,which has patches for Kya,Hakoda,Sokka,Aang,Nia,Toph,Zuko,Jet and Mai!!

Zuko:Tradgoth.FUCK normie Zuko,let him be an authentic goth guy with weird ass interests!!Masc-leaning but dosen't mind femiminity so he'll wear chunky skirts and tank tops like he does cargo pants and chunky gothic tops of all variety and ofc wears the makeup too but with japanese twists

Sokka:From rezcore to skapunk!He took a while to catch up to Katara but he got there and blows white skater boys out of the water with his swagger and knowledge

Nia:Pastel punk and kidcore.He dresses and does his makeup completely accurately but with afro/japanese accents to it so closer to a y2k edition than a 2010s one and he also has a pink and black battle vest with patches for Aang,Zuko,Katara,Sokka,Toph,Azula,Ty Lee,Mai,Jet,Yung and Dahla!!Also pink laced Draculaura boots-(Zunia is Dual Kawaii-coded fr fr)

Toph-Cottagepunk and butch.He's basically walkin' around lookin' like a lesbian farmer(flannels,backwards hats,chunky hunter boots),which is accurate because Yung owns a farm and adopts her eventually!!

Jet-Crustpunk.He has a battle jacket that ends up with patches dedicated to the entire Gaang as he joins them and looks like he walked straight out of punk dude redraws memes(acts like it too LMAO)

Team Azula-Visual Kei(Azula),Tradgoth(Mai)and Scene(Ty Lee)trio!!They used to buy their stuff but Nia taught Azula DIY so she passed down the knowledge to her besties!

[carnivorousyandeere]

Werewolf Pack Masterlist

Polyam/Multiple:

Intro:

Intro

Intro Part 2

Character Descriptions and Such

Heights

Ages + Ethnicities

Hana + Mateo Style

Smut:

Mason + Hunter Smut Short

Hunter + Darling + Ace Smut Idea; Hunter Catches Darling + Ace Dirtying the Kitchen

Ace + Darling Dirtying Hunter's Sheets

Ace + Cyrus Sniffing Your Undies

Scenarios/HCs:

So you want to escape…

Trying to Escape Part 2

Driving and Group Vacay HCs

Watching Horror Movies with the Pack

Date Nights with the Pack (Separate and Together)

Cuddle Pile Logistics

Palm Reading + Some Astrology~

Cyrus and Mason in the Mall of America

Hospital Visit

This Place Haunted??

DIY Piercings and Tats

Research Facility AU

Valentine's with Hunter and Ace

Pregnancy/Raising Children

New Pack Coming Around

Types of Darlings:

Hunter with Ace, Mateo, + Brat Darling

Insecure Darling

MILF/MILF Vibes

PILF

Rich

Mason the Sheriff (he/him):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Teasing Mason at Work (Smutty)

Scenarios/HCs:

Watching Horror Movies With Mason

Mason in the Morning

He....

Roleplay

Types of Darlings:

Hunter (he/him):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Hide and Seek (Short Smut)

Chasing Transmasc Darling Through the Woods (Smut)

Scenarios/HCs:

Short HC

Running up to Hunter and Kissing His Face All Over

Hiding in a Tree, Part 2

You Want to Go on a Rollercoaster

Playfighting

Types of Darlings:

Hunter with a Transfem Darling

Hunter with Insecure Darling (Smut)

Bratty Darling, Part 2

Ace the Delinquent (he/him):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Piss Drinking

Masochist (HC)

Stress Relief (gn, Dom Darling)

Scenarios/HCs:

First Choices to Commit Crimes With

Nipple Piercing Woes

Scent HCs

Types of Darlings:

Cyrus the Nerd (he/him):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Embroidery Hobby Gone Sexual (Not Clickbait)

Smut 😌✨

Scenarios/HCs:

Cyrus as a Naga

Types of Darlings:

Hana the Wannabe Girlboss (she/her):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Scenarios/HCs:

Hana + Her Rabbit Plush

Hana Kidnapping Her Darling~

Naga Hana

Meme

Tats

Types of Darlings:

MILF; More MILF

Mateo the Brat (He/her):

Intro:

Alphabets:

SFW Alphabet

NSFW Alphabet

Smut:

Scenarios/HCs:

Types of Darlings:

[anitoko-17294]

Strawberry Syrup Cookie

Name ~ Sabrina Sanders

- Age ~ 21 (Young Adult) ~

- Birthday ~ April 2nd (4-2, Aries (♈️)) ~

- Occupation ~ Crystal Hunter, Nurse ~

- Likes ~ Cooking, DIY crafts ~

- Dislikes ~ Fighting, Body horror, Big Crowd ~

- Gender ~ Female (She/Her) ~

- Sexuality ~ Straight Ally ~

- Height ~ 6'4 ~

- Weight ~ 192 LBS ~

- Hometown ~ Hollyberry Kingdom ~

Personality

She’s pretty shy and doesn’t like being in big crowds, but it’s kinda hard for her to avoid them due to her being apart of House Strawberry.

Despite this, she has a big heart and became a nurse to help out those who can’t care for themselves, and she also volunteers at a local retirement home on the outskirts of the Hollyberry Kingdom as a side hustle.

Family

Unnamed parents

Strawberry Cookie/Sarah Beryl ~ Younger sister ~

Strawberry Crepe Cookie/Skyler C. Pierre ~ Younger sibling ~

Trivia

Her palette is inspired by Pinkie Pie’s color palette

She's a follower of the St. Pastry Order (THEY'RE NOT A CRAZY CULT BTW IN THIS AU, DON'T WORRY!!)

She’s the cook of the crystal hunters, because Banana Milk Cookie is usually too busy babysitting his younger siblings while Caramel's cooking is shit

She likes to set her DIY projects all over the Crystal Hunters base as a means of making the place look more natural and fun

@rosejigglypuff76 @rainbowcutieyt @xaytheloser @janas0311

[lesbianbanana]

Little piece based on my Roman Empire au. basically it's the gods who didn't shift trying to work out why everyone else did. everyone is sad and lonely and traumatised.

breakdown ⬇️

✨Apollo✨. This au is centred around him. Basically he's trying to work out why everyone around him suddenly went all dark and violent (especially Artemis because Diana is MUCH more witchy scary than her). He goes around the block. Olympus is different. He's a Dii Consente now. Hestia (Vesta) has replaced Dionysus on the council so he goes off to find Dionysus (and finds Bacchus/Liber). He goes to visit Artemis (who is Diana and hates him). He goes to visit his mother (who is Latona and unsure why he keeps insisting she has a daughter called Artemis). He goes to visit Asclepius (who is Aesculapius, and still locked away). He tries to find the muses (who I just can't find mentioned in the Roman era much so they're just gone). Finally he goes to the Fates, and they're like "well, everyone's gone 😊. They're never ever going to come back the way they were 🤗. Bye 🤪" and then he goes and cries and shit but he gets better!!! He has some besties.

Nemesis!! She's goddess of retribution (revenge) so she turns up because Helios (Sol) keeps bitching about Apollo stealing his schmick. (Apollo didn't become associated with the sun until early Roman days). So she comes to Apollo and she's like "girl, this boy won't shut up. Also he hates you." And Apollo, standing with his new house on fire, is like, "YOU THINK???" and somewhere along the way they both work out neither of them switched like everyone else. (Nemesis has been a bit lonely down in the Underworld. Proserpina as Persephone, Pluto as Hades, Trivia as Hecate, Nox as Nyx, Somnus as Hypnos, Mors/Letum as Thanatos). So they both kind of stick together and Nemesis makes Apollo realise that legitimately a lot of people hate him for being a piece of shit back in Greece.

Iris is a messenger for the gods, and she's kind of peeved that MERCURY is getting all the credit for it, especially when Mercury's a little bitch. (didn't she mention in cotg that she wasn't annoyed at Ganymede for taking her role as cupbearer, but was annoyed Hermes had taken over messaging?) But she has first had experience just how much the gods have changed now. (MARS IS CALM?? HMMMM??? NO VIOLENCE ALL THE TIME???) but she's at a lot of the Roman Olympus parties and just kind of watches Apollo get drunk and shit because a) he doesn't want to be there and b) he doesn't want to remember that the family he's there with isn't his family. And at one point she's kind of like alright bitch that's enough, and she forces him to take care of himself <3

Apollo comes across while searching for Dionysus. Ariadne is usually just Ariadne in Roman times but sometimes she's Libera, like how Dionysus is Liber instead of Bacchus at times. So I kind of figured she'd be Libera whenever Dionysus was in Liber form, and be Ariadne whenever he was Bacchus. So as well as her husband being completely crazy, she also blacks out at times to get taken over by another goddess. This stops happening over time but it's still really annoying. Anyway Apollo tries to talk to her after he realises she's Ariadne, and girl gets pissed because why is Apollo the same and her husband completely not? She has this idea or something that Apollo did something to make this happen and Apollo is literally like "I AM JUST AS DISTRESSED AS YOU ARE" but he's also not sure whether it IS his fault or not. anyways Ariadne comes round after a few years and chats to him at a party on Olympus and she sort of gravitates towards his little group because she's very very lonely.

Britomartis is a Hunter of Artemis and doesn't generally hate Apollo, but doesn't like him either. But she, like all the other hunters, is 100% caught off guard when Artemis switches to Diana. And Apollo is around a lot because he wants to work out Diana and doesn't want her to hate him (which she does). Idk. Diana is very volatile in my head (at least during Roman Empire days) and gets very annoyed when her hunter's call her Artemis, so Britomartis sort of slips away and starts hanging out with Apollo, mainly because she's a little bit worried about him, and mainly because she knows Artemis would want him to be okay, even if Diana didn't care.

Ganymede probably got so much whiplash from this whole thing poor kid. Like, he's one of the newest gods to the pantheon, and suddenly everyone just shifts up and is super ANGRY. and bros like I am literally fourteen chill please. but he's up front with a lot of the gods as their cupbearer, so he sort of has to internalize his breakdown until he goes to Apollo and is like "get me tf out of here". And Apollo's like slowly recovering and is like holy fuck this boy traumatised, so he takes Ganymede under his wing and eventually just kidnaps him away from Jupiter. (he's a protector of youth, so I like to think he helped Ganymede settle in after his abduction).

Triton is pulled along by Iris. He's a messenger too and Iris kept messaging as a little defiance because there's no way the little punk Mercury is going to take her job. So she keeps in touch with all her friends and realises quite quickly that Triton is still Triton. Actually a lot of the sea deities stay the same, except mainly Poseidon as Neptune and Amphitrite as Salacia. And obviously Triton is the most affected by their change as they're his parents. He's not on the verge of fading but.. he is. Romans don't worship minor sea deities (which is why a lot of them didn't change) and he's kind of losing his will to go on while feeling like a stranger in his own house. So Iris pulls him away and up to hang out with all the others and he gets less lonely <3

Thetis was like a butterfly effect. Iris pulled Triton and Triton was like fuck it you're coming too. It's a little.. tense to say the least between Thetis and Apollo, but they warm up over time (centuries). It also gives Apollo the chance of redemption there. Also thetis doesn't like looking human and never has since she was forced to be with Peleus for a year. Thetis also like being a little shit and she will use that against Apollo.

Psyche!!! I love her. Obviously the switch up between Eros and Cupid is crazy. I cannot imagine Psyche being amused with her husband being a little child thing. And she didn't hate him, because she's all about loving the soul and stuff, but it did fed her up, so she kind of gravitated towards the gang. Psyche and Ariadne were probably friends before everything anyway since they could've bonded over both originally being mortals. Also Apollo being a little "she's the wife of the guy that cursed me and Daphne" character development

[polyhexian]

Bvb au jasper describing Hunter’s creation as a diy project and Darius just wonder how weird Jasper’s pregnancy was to require multiple nitrogen testing strips

Darius doesn't know enough about pregnancy to dispute it

[peonierose]

Strange Encounters

Chapter 2

Nightbound AU vs. Hänsel & Gretel

Book: Nightbound

Characters involved: Hänsel van Andresen (M!OC), Gretel van Andresen (F!OC), Grey (M!OC), Nik Ryder (M!MC), Katherine (F!MC)

Words: 3,000+

Type: Series

Rating: Teen / A few curse words

Summary: Hänsel and Gretel arrive in New Orleans and meet some old friends. Will they be able to help them with the case?

A/N: Side note: This story has been a year in the making and I hope you’ll give it a chance. A massive thank you to these wonderful people for being super excited for this story and helping me with it. @annieruok94 ���️ @doriopenheart 🧡

Side note: In case you missed Chapter 1

If you’d like to listen to the songs that inspired for this chapter here’s a list

Strange encounters

We flew in from the Black Forest in Germany and landed in New Orleans after a ten-hour flight. We had to make a stop in London, then continued to New Orleans.

Which my dearest brother complained all the way.

”Do you think we’re close?“ Hänsel asked.

I roll my eyes at my brother.

”You can be in a stake-out for hours? But can’t be on a ten-hour flight?“ I ask him while I try to eat some of the food on the plane.

He just shrugs and puts his headphones on.

We’re currently at The Graveyard Shift right in the heart of the French Quarter. Owned by none other than Garrus. A Fae who’s no longer living among his kind.

Garrus was the heir of a Fae viscount before the Fae cast him out. He remains exiled until this day. He was banished for running cons and swindling magic off the upper crust

Garrus is an incredible guy. He greeted us at the door with hugs and even gave Hänsel a kiss.

Hänsel was weirded out, to say the least, but he got over it.

The bar is dimly lit. We’re both sitting on wooden chairs at a table in the far back enjoying our drinks.

I lean back in my chair while flipping through a magazine I bought at the airport. As we’re waiting for Nik and Katherine to arrive. Nighthunters.

Nighthunters are as the name is already giving away hunters. They hunt all supernaturals. Just like Hänsel and I. Though we don’t call ourselves Nighthunters. We’re simply known as Hänsel & Gretel.

“I missed New Orleans,“ I say while I devour a beignet. Sighing in pure contentment. Oh my god. I could eat beignets every single day. Sugary goodness.

Hänsel scoffs and squats away at a mosquito.

“Yeah. The mosquitos. The heat. Real great,“ he says.

I take an apple I bought from a vendor earlier and hand it to Hänsel.

“Don’t be a downer. Here have an apple,“ I say.

He looks at the apple suspiciously.

”It’s not the snow white effect. Just take the apple,“ I say and offer it to him.

“Thank you loveliest sister of mine,“ he says through a bite.

I sigh.

“Shut up and eat,“ I flip to another page without looking up.

“Geez. You compliment a woman and she almost beats you over the head with it. Women are mysterious,“ he’s finished the apple. All that’s left is the core.

I give him a stare and smile softly.

“That’s because you haven’t figured us out yet dearest brother of mine,“ I wink and he rolls his eyes at me.

“Whatever,“ he replies and I chuckle in response.

I’m going through the magazine. An article about a DIY foaming face mask catches my attention while I’m listening with one ear to Hänsel’s ramblings.

I notice Hänsel stopped talking and walked over to the bar to talk to a woman who was sipping on her mimosa and I roll my eyes at him.

The chair that’s been occupied by Hänsel mere seconds ago is now seating a different person.

Nik Ryder himself. His blond hair was held back by gel and his blue eyes sparkling like the deep blue sea stare back at me.

He smirks and I put the magazine down on the wooden table.

“Funny meeting you here,“ he says and leans back in his chair, his legs stretched out and his leather jacket billowing behind him as if a soft breeze swirled it back.

I laugh.

“In New Orleans? What are the off chances of that? Hmm,“ I keep smiling.

He laughs.

“Bitch,“ he says.

“Jerk,“ I reply in turn and we both share a laugh.

He clasps my hand as a way of greeting me.

“It’s good to see you again,“ he smiles warmly.

“Likewise. I wish it was under different circumstances though,“ I say.

Meaning the missing person case that’s brought both me and Hänsel to New Orleans.

His smile dims.

“You and me both. As to the case, I don’t have much to tell you. Actually, make that nothing at all. I did grill the police but they don’t have anything. Or they don’t want to tell me. Which is worrisome,“ he says.

“I was afraid you’d say that,“ my shoulders sag. I was hoping he could dig up something.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t deliver better news,“ Nik smiles sadly at me.

He said just that when he was joined by a beautiful-looking woman.

Dressed from head to toe in black leather. Her dark wavy hair adorned her soft face. Her slightly darker skin tone is flawless. Her amber brown eyes glow as if from deep within.

She smiles at us and takes a sip of my drink.

“Good seeing you in one piece Gret,“ she says and her whiskey brown eyes sparkle.

I grin.

“You too Katie,“ I say because I can’t resist riling her up a bit.

She sighs and looks at Nik.

“See what you did? Now everyone calls me Katie. No one’s going to take me seriously with that name,“ she takes another sip.

I smile at her and say.

“We love you that’s why we call you Katie,“ I say.

She groans.

“Small children are called Katie. I’m a grown-ass woman,“ she says matter-of-factly.

Hänsel leans over her shoulder.

“A good-looking one at that,“ he says and she swats him away like a fly.

“And you just got more annoying,“ she says chuckling.

Hänsel gasps in shock.

“Pie-boy is getting roasted. I knew something was missing,“ Nik says grinning.

Hänsel cracks his knuckles.

“Bite me blondie,“ Hänsel says.

Niks grin widens and he just smiles at my brother.

“I’m afraid you’re not my type,“ he winks.

Katie looks between the guys and says.

“If you could stop your little pissing match. Maybe we could turn to more important matters?“ she says and pulls out a dark purple leather-bound notebook.

She’s jotting something down and I furrow my brow at her.

Nik notices my gaze and explains.

“Her way of keeping track of things,“ he says and I nod.

Katie looks up.

“This way I have everything I need. I don’t think I’m of much help regarding your case, but I can keep my ears to the ground. If I hear anything I’ll let you know,“ she says and closes her notebook, and puts it back in her bag. One I haven’t noticed before.

I sigh deeply.

“Why has the police not opened up an investigation? I mean it’s not just one person. We’re talking about at least a dozen people here. Don’t they think that’s suspicious?“ I ask around the table.

Both Nik and Katie share a long look. Silently communicating.

“What was that look?“ I point with my index finger between them.

Nik rubs his neck as if he’s embarrassed for some reason. A tinge of pink showed in his high-cheek bones.

“The police have a tight budget. When they learned about the disappearances they saw it was mostly homeless people. They didn’t think it was worth investigating. Spending money they don’t have on a case that’s probably going to lead nowhere? Yeah, not happening,“ he says with a frustrated gaze.

I’m about to get up when I feel Katherine’s hand on my own.

“I know how you feel. Trust me. We don’t like it any more than you do. However, just because the police can’t help, doesn’t mean we can’t. We can combine our strengths to solve this case,“ she says.

That’s when I remember Vera Reimonenq. Our mutual friend who has the Reimonenq touch. By touching someone with her bare hands, the basic outcome is death. She hasn’t learned to control her powers as her mother has. That’s also the reason why she wears gloves. At all times. You will never catch her without them.

Though Vera might have some ideas. She knows New Orleans better than anyone. Her family dates back generations. Vera’s great-great-grandfather, Derek Reimonenq murdered a coven of witches and their families, the witches in turn cursed the Reimonenqs. The curse prevents anyone in Vera’s family to touch anyone with their bare hands. Otherwise, the person they touch will die.

Vera’s mother who is also known as Lady Smoke is running the underworld. She’s got to know something.

That’s why I ask Nik and Katie.

“What about Vera?“

Nik already shakes his head.

“Vera and her mother are on some sort of trip. Looking for an artifact. No idea what though. They didn’t exactly provide us with any details,“ he says and shrugs.

I humm.

Katie looks intently at the door and whispers.

“There might be someone we could ask,“ she says.

“Who?“ I ask curiously.

Katie bites down on her lower lip.

“He’s known as The Shadow,“ she whispers.

Nik is shaking his head wildly at Katie.

“Are you crazy? He’s dangerous. It’s better to not get him involved,“ his lips pressed into a firm line.

Katie raises an eyebrow.

“What are our options?“ she asks and when Nik doesn’t reply she continues “Just because you butted heads a few times doesn’t mean he won’t be able to help us out,“ she says finishing off my drink.

“It’s still a no,“ Nik says.

Hänsel and I look between them.

“Sorry to interrupt your little love fest squabble but who are we talking about?“ I ask.

Katie turns to me with a serious look in her chestnut brown eyes.

“As I said. He’s called The Shadow…“ she doesn’t get to finish her sentence when someone loudly clears their throat.

We all look up and see Garrus. Who is pointing towards the back room of the bar with his head, indicating we should go to the back of the bar.

We all stand up and silently follow Garrus to the back of the bar.

When we’re safely inside Garrus loses the door and takes a look at each of us.

“You should be careful when you talk about him. He’s the most cunning supernatural I’ve ever met,“ he says.

Katie holds up her hands and stares at Garrus.

“Wait a minute. You guys met? When? And how come you didn’t say anything?“

Garrus sighs from deep within.

“Well, I swore an oath to not talk about it. This is as far as I can go,“ he admits. Fae love a good deal. Always making up their own little loopholes, that’s why you’ve got to be very careful when you make a deal with the Fae.

I hold up a hand.

“Well, Hänsel and I still don’t know who that is,“ I say more confused than ever.

Garrus’s ice-blue gaze holds my own hazel one.

“That’s because there’s not much to be known about him. He’s called The Shadow and he’s hard to find. But trust me when I say if he wants to find you? He will,“ he says.

Why does that excite me for some reason? Get your head out of the gutter Gretel. We’re here to solve a case and not get wild in the sheets with some Fae guy.

“Then let’s go find him. Hänsel you coming?“ I ask my brother.

Hänsel looks over at me and slowly retreats back to the door.

“Yeah. No. I know that look. I’m not helping you streak through the dark looking for trouble. That sounds like way too much work for my taste. And I’d rather spend some time with those nymph twins I saw earlier. I think I’m going to choose option number two and have some fun,“ he says.

“Seriously Hänsel? Can you for once in your life focus and think with your head and not with your dick?“

Everyone’s laughs turn into coughs when Hänsel gives them a look.

“You haven’t changed a bit pie-boy,“ Nik shakes with laughter.

Hänsel just looks at him.

“A) That’s really rude. B) That’s not true and C) Stop calling me pie boy,“ he says.

While Hänsel mutters to himself and walks out of the bar.

I sigh.

“I’m sorry about my brother. He’s usually not like that,“ I say to everyone else.

Nik turns serious.

“About The Shadow. He’s dangerous…“

I snort.

“As opposed to what? All the other supernaturals that are roaming the night?“

“He’s Fae. That of itself is dangerous,“ he quickly looks at Garrus.

“No offense man,“ he seems apologetic.

“It’s all good,“ Garrus replies.

“Does anyone else want to tag along?“ I ask around.

Katie and Nik both look at me and I know they won’t be able to help. I sigh.

“I wish I could but Nikki and I have a little project we’re working on. So we’ll be out of town for a few days,“ she says and Nik nods in agreement, but turns back and gives me a key.

“It’s the key to my place. You and Hänsel can crash there if you want,“ with those words he’s gone before I can even mutter a thank you. I smile to myself.

Now it’s just me and Garrus.

When the silence stretches on for too long I can see him giving me a long look before he wriggles his finger and tells me to follow him inside the bar.

I sit down on one of the bar stools and he begins wiping down the counter.

“Alright my little butterfly. What do you want to know?“ he asks and puts some dirty dishes into the sink.

“What do you know about that Fae?“ I ask leaning my elbows on the counter of the bar. I’m not sugarcoating things. Getting straight to business.

He dries a plate with a dish towel that was draped over his shoulder.

I lean closer to him to catch everything he has to say.

“I know his name is Grey. He and his little group of misfits collect from the highest bidder.“

I lean back and think about that for a few seconds.

“Doing what? Collecting artifacts? Sounds like the job of a bounty hunter to me,“ I look at him closely, but his face doesn’t reveal anything.

Garrus smiles at me.

“They collect anything and anyone. Making deals left and right. Anyone who’ll hire them, they’ll accept. The last thing I heard was they collected a rare gem. Made by Fae hands. I don’t know all the details. All I know is it’s pretty rare and priceless. Be careful when you go looking for him. You shouldn’t underestimate him,“ there’s a warning laced in his tone.

“I’ve dealt with worse,“ I say.

Garrus looks left and right. As if scared he would be overheard.

“That might be true rose petal. But you have never met a guy like him,“ he says done with cleaning and drying dishes.

I furrow my brow.

“Why is everyone so scared of him?“ I ask in wonderment.

“Because he moves like a shadow. You never see him coming. Others said that his beauty is out of this world. Making you do anything for him,“ he says pointedly.

“That sounds more like someone’s got a crush on him and hasn’t gotten laid in a while,“ I say.

He breaks out into laughter. After he recovered he hands me a shot glass. Shimmering with a blue opal-like liquid. It almost looks as if the liquid is swirling inside the shot glass.

“A little something on the house…“ he says.

I knock it back and smile at him while I leave the bar.

I’m almost out the door when his voice stops me.

“One other thing. Be careful little tulip,“ are his departing words.

I nod and then I’m out in the middle of the busy street. Right in the middle of the French Quarter.

The sun is slowly sinking and making way for the night. I’ve never liked the night. Daylight is my preferred time of day thank you very much.

The longer I walk the later it gets.

I’m walking through the French Quarter. Past busy bars that are open and bursting with partygoers.

All I encounter are drunken people and others looking for a hookup.

The deeper I move into the quieter parts of the city the less noise I hear. It’s as if all the noise from before got sucked out. The pale moonlight illuminated my way ahead. The soft taps of hooves moving past me on the cobblestones make me look to my right.

A white, open carriage is passing me by. An elderly couple is sitting and chatting animatedly inside.

The man manning the carriage taps his top hat slightly and smiles warmly at me as he moves past me. I smile and wave back at him.

A sudden gust of wind is blowing, making me shiver in my green leather coat. I walk by a dark alley, feeling as if my eyes are watching my every move.

Before I can even get my dagger out an arm jots out and grips me only to pin me against the brick wall in a nearby alley. The air leaves my body from the hard throw at the wall.

I look up and see a tall, hooded figure standing in front of me. Almost being one with the shadows.

“Why do you keep asking questions about me?“ he asks in a deep voice.

When I don’t answer he leans in closer.

”Stop following me!“ He says.

I try to break free of his grip. But it’s as if I was being held by steel. I can’t move an inch.

“I’m not following you. I’m looking for someone. You happened to be here,“ I retort.

He loses his grip and I can breathe a little easier again.

“Maybe the person you’re looking for doesn’t want to be found. Ever thought of that?“ he asks.

I’m trying to catch a glimpse of his face but he moves so fast through the shadows making it impossible to see anything.

“How do you know who I’m looking for? News flash you can’t order me around. So get out of my way,“ I say through gritted teeth.

He chuckles darkly. A chuckle that sends goosebumps all across my body.

“So we’re doing this the hard way. I really thought we could’ve avoided that,“ he says almost ruefully.

I try and slightly pull away his hood and see his pointy ears.His hair is as pale as moonlight.

He hisses under his breath and the next thing I know a purple haze is covering my eyes.

Then my whole world turns black and I’m out like a light.

[1-800-sexy-mad]

Okay this post got more attention than I expected so here's a little elaboration beneath the cut! :)

The au takes place in the distant future in a divergent timeline from our own with more advanced technology thanks to a tech singularity. Think cybernetics, brain chips, etc.

Consequently people are super dependent on technology to just get through the day or keep entire parts of their body functioning. all the power for this tech comes largely from solar energy, or just 'solar' in slang

The city of Sycamore, where this fic takes place, was overcrowded before the singularity but got even worse afterwards. In the past several years, more and more apartments have been built on top of existing buildings until some are 50 stories tall with apartment after apartment haphazardly built on top of one another. the rich live up high, where the sunlight is, and the poor live below, where it's much darker.

Thanks to a government upheaval around 20 years before the story, there are no public accessible places for sunlight any more :(

This leads to Willow (c!wilbur but I made her transgender), otherwise known as the hacker W1L, starting the Movement for Obtainable Free Solar, or MOFS, and recruiting most of the main (lmanburg leaning) cast of dsmp characters!

Tommy is a scrapper who gives some of his findings to Tubbo in exchange for a couch to crash on. He also acts as Tubbo's sunlight gatherer, since he long ago figured out a way up to the rooftops to get sunlight (dodging security bots on the rooftops and deterrents for people like him along the way) He's also attached to retro tech like a Walkman he stole (unknowingly, from Willow) years ago, and Tubbo laughs at him for this. I also keep wanting to write in that he and Tubbo watch Seinfeld together for some reason it's like I'm being called to do it but I can't justify it in this universe He also has an AI assistant in his brain that he named Clementine who is there to be his friend and partner in monologuing and I love her

Tubbo is a DIYer (someone who makes, and often implements, their own cybernetics) who replaced an arm and a leg with guns and also replaced both of his eyes. He works as a contractor for Schlatt Co., one of the largest cybernetics manufacturers, and has never been higher than five floors off the ground. Truthfully, he prefers the darkness and solidity of his workshop to anything close to the sky, anyways.

Niki is the daughter of two engineers, and consequently the most technophobic person around. She's the only person in the group who has no cybernetics or tech at all. This makes her the best candidate in the group for infiltrating high society, since most of the elite don't show off their cybernetics and prefer to appear entirely human. Also she has a real gun with real bullets as opposed to the more advanced, light- or laser-based guns most people carry now.

Jack Manifold is a former security robot who was pushed off of the roof he was guarding by Tommy about a year ago. Niki found him and repaired him enough that he could function again, but he also developed a personality, wants, and desires. His main desire, currently, is to kill Tommy, who has no memory of pushing Jack off the roof at all.

Technoblade is a massive hunk of metal. He used to be a regular guy (and, decades ago, a bounty hunter-for-hire working with corrupt corporations), but has slowly modded his entire body until he's become nearly completely robotic. His brain is the only thing left of his original body, and that's only because he can't exactly DIY his own brain away, but he's working on it.

Willow is an idealistic hacker, daughter of Philza, and leader of M.O.F.S. She has big dreams but is a little erratic and all over the place in their execution. Over the course of the story she comes to care for the members of her movement, but despite this, her actions become increasingly detrimental not only to herself but to everyone around her.

So that's my #brief summary of my cyberpunk au!! If you have any questions feel free to send me an ask or something I LOVEEE TALKING ABOUT THIS!!! Also thank you to everyone who showed interest on the og vers of this post ive been working on this with my friends for a few months and its been great to know people wanna read it :)

the year is 2024 I am writing a dsmp cyberpunk au that has way too much thought put into it and no resemblance to the original story of dsmp. maybe 4 people ever will read it. this is who I was always meant to be

[edoro]

the most tragic thing about the Wittebanes is that Caleb was born, lived, and died far FAR too early to rock up in the hardware store in jeans, utility belt, steel-toed boots, tanktop, and leather motorcycle jacket and secure her rightful place as Hottest Butch In A Ten Mile Radius

[traggalicious]

Hunter design overhaul WIPs ‼️‼️

ALSO:

[drabbles-of-writing]

So I’m making a Hunter cosplay. Shocker, I know, who could’ve seen that coming? The writer who has entire AU’s dedicated around this kid and the Golden Guards? Surely he never thought about making a cosplay, of course not.

Here’s the situation. I’ve ordered a white cloak from Amazon, because unfortunately Etsy is extremely expensive, but it’s the only thing I got on Amazon. Did I order it a little late? Sure, most definitely, but the point is that I ordered it before Halloween. I currently have a hand-made DIY cloak me and my dad cut and stitched together with some white shirts he’s not using anymore, which is probably the most Hunter thing I’ve done in my life, but the DIY-cloak was only meant to be used yesterday, and today I was supposed to use the actual cloak for an event I’m going to. Because the cloak was supposed to arrive yesterday.

It did not arrive yesterday. I was confused, because we were told it would arrive on Friday. It’s almost nine PM on a Friday night, and no package. Confused, I go to my dad watching TV with my mom, and ask him to check if the package got delayed. Annoying, but I still had the hand-made cloak, so I’d just have to wait a little longer.

Amazon says the package was delivered. We squint at it. I go outside. I check the boxes of other packages we received yesterday, as if somehow there was an unopened box among them we just left on the front porch. I wonder if someone took a box inside and stashed it somewhere and forgot about it.

My dad tells me to come back inside. He knows what happened. At this point I’m thinking, well, maybe we accidentally sent it to the wrong address. We’ve sent packages to friends before, all except one who lived within an hour of us, so that’d just be an amusing accident. Maybe Amazon automatically shipped the package to whoever we’d delivered to last, and we just didn’t think to check.

We look at the address. We stare. My dad looks at me. I am about ready to lose my entire shit.

The package went to my high school.

A singular, twenty dollar white cloak, was sent to my high school’s mail. It is currently sitting in my high school’s mail. It has been sitting there since it first arrived. It had likely arrived as I was already leaving school that very day.

Many questions come to mind. First of all, we have never, in our entire lives, sent a package directly to my high school. Not once. I didn’t even know you could just do that, send a random package to a random high school. Why, in fucks name, did Amazon automatically send a white cloak to my school. How did neither me, nor my dad, who were present for the ordering of this cloak, not notice that the address was different. It is clearly not our address. It’s not even close.

I’m pissed off. Mainly just at the circumstances, because really, what the hell is my life. Who does this. Who orders a white cloak much later than they should have and ends up sending it to their high school. Am I going to have some guys with cameras hiding behind the bushes filming this sitcom I’ve found myself in.

I go back upstairs. I open my computer. In the most regretful email I’ve ever made, I tell my counsellor of my mistake. I ask her if I could pretty please come by and pick up my accidental gift sometime tomorrow.

I remember that it’s Friday. It’s late at night. Nobody on staff is answering any emails or calls over the weekend. I agree with this, it’s a good plan, I support not doing any work when you’re not on the clock. However, right now, it’s making me worried. Because there is a random package this school did not ask for sitting in their mail.

I call the main office. They are also not answering, because of course they aren’t. I call the registrar office for...some reason. I was hoping that maybe she would pick up the phone. Why would she answer when my counsellor and main office wouldn’t? I have no idea.

So now I am here. With one email in my counsellors inbox, two voice mails for the main office and the registrar attendee, and a singular cloak sitting in their physical mail. Which will likely not see the light of day until Monday, maybe not even Tuesday.

I’ve had some weird things happen to me before. I’ve been part of and witnessed some bizarre situations in my, frankly, pretty short life on this planet. This isn’t even the weirdest. It is, however, pretty damn baffling. Maybe even in the top ten “how did that even happen in the first place” situations. 

With all that said. Have a happy Halloween, everyone. Make sure to double check where you’re sending orders, and if you have even an inkling of an idea to order something you really want, either order it then, or set reminders to order it within the next 24 hours. Because then you will forget for days on end, and then you will order it late, and then you’ll somehow miss that the address changed to something entirely different despite you never touching it.

But aside from that, the cosplay is actually coming together pretty well. So, y’know, I’ve got that going for me.

[valkyrieromanoff]

☠️DIY COUPLE COSTUME - MODERN AU: CROSSHAIR X YOU (day 9 of 31)

synopsis: you and Crosshair needed to create a last-minute costume for a Halloween party

warning: fluffy, establish relationship.

 a/n: Hello there, grumpy and affectionate boyfriend is my headcanon for Crosshair,  hope you like it💖

ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍɪᴅᴅʟᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ꜱᴇᴇ

ꜱɪʟᴠᴇʀ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴛʀᴇᴇᴛꜱ

ʏᴏᴜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪɴᴇꜱᴛ ᴛᴏɴɪɢʜᴛ ɪ ᴅᴏɴᴇ ꜱᴇᴇɴ

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Crosshair’s voice carried that familiar edge of irritation, his long fingers rifling through the clothes in your shared closet, tossing them onto the bed without care. Each discarded item added to the growing pile, and every glance he gave himself in the mirror was accompanied by a scowl before he’d hurl the next piece aside.

“I didn’t know it was a costume party,” you replied, trying to sound calm as you sat cross-legged on the floor, rummaging through a drawer in a desperate search for anything costume-worthy.

Crosshair huffed, his sharp eyes narrowing. “It’s Halloween, darling. Obviously, it’s a costume party.” His tone was sharper than usual, revealing how on edge he was. He already wasn’t a fan of parties—too loud, too crowded—but the idea of going without preparation was enough to send his stress skyrocketing. His usual brooding mood had become something far darker, and you could feel the tension radiating off him.

You shrugged, still sifting through the mess of clothes. “With your brother organizing it? Nothing is obvious.” You paused, holding up a tie to your neck and squinting at your reflection. “It’s Hunter, after all.”

Crosshair stopped rifling through the closet for a moment, and you could see the exasperation settle on his face. “This is literally Hunter we’re talking about. There’s no one more obvious than him.” He ran his hand through his silver-gray hair, now tousled from his stress. The thought of showing up unprepared to anything—especially one of Hunter’s events—was gnawing at him.

You gave a thoughtful hum before responding, “True. He’s not exactly subtle.” You stood, walking over to him, guilt creeping into your voice. “I’m sorry, honey. I misread the invitation. I swore it said next week.”

Crosshair’s body softened slightly, though his expression remained distant. “Darling, you’d miss a party even if your life depended on it,” he murmured with an amused smirk. You could feel his tension easing as his long fingers absentmindedly ran through your hair. 

You leaned into his touch, letting out a soft sigh. “That’s probably true.” You pulled out your phone, scrolling through Pinterest, searching for last-minute costume ideas. You held it up, showing him the first few you thought might work. “What about this?”

He glanced at it briefly, and his expression instantly soured. “I’m not dressing up as ketchup,” he grumbled. “Or mustard, for that matter.”

You bit back a laugh and swiped to the next idea. “How about this? We could be soap and a bath loofah.”

Crosshair’s reaction was immediate. “Hand me that,” he said, grabbing the phone. “Apparently, you’ve lost the ability to make good decisions.”

You flopped onto the bed, resting your chin on his chest while he scrolled through TikTok, looking for something that didn’t make him want to crawl out of his own skin. After a few moments, he snorted in frustration. “These so-called ‘easy’ costumes would take more effort than building a new rifle.”

You grinned, tracing random shapes on his sweatshirt with your finger. “How about Backyardigans?”

His look of utter disbelief was priceless. “No.”

“ETs from Toy Story?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Nail polish bottles?”

Crosshair narrowed his eyes at you. “Now you’re just suggesting the most absurd things on purpose.”

You giggled, propping yourself up on your elbows. “So, Mr. Costume Critic, what’s your brilliant idea?”

He stayed silent for a moment, his brow furrowed as he scanned the room for inspiration. His gaze landed on the *Pulp Fiction* poster hanging on the wall. His lips quirked into a half-smile, and he pointed at it. “There. Mia Wallace and Vincent Vega. Simple, but classic.”

You followed his line of sight, grinning as the idea clicked into place. “Not the most original, but it’ll work.”

A few minutes later, you both set to work, rifling through your clothes for the right pieces. Luckily, the thrift store trip last weekend had left Crosshair with a black suit and dress pants. He was already wearing a white shirt, so you added the final touch—a slim black tie, which you carefully tied around his neck. 

“Don’t tell me you forgot how to tie a knot,” you teased, your fingers deftly tightening the tie.

Crosshair smirked, his brown eyes softening for the first time that night. “I know how. I just like when you do it.”

You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving him away. He chuckled, then threw you one of his oversized white dress shirts. “Here. Wear this over your—” his gaze briefly flickered to the black bra you were already wearing “—Mia Wallace look.”

You slipped into the shirt, fastening only a few buttons, then followed him to the bathroom where your makeup bag was waiting on the sink. Crosshair slicked his silver-gray hair back with gel, while you applied a bold red lipstick, adding the final touch with fake blood under your nose.

“Get down here,” you murmured, gesturing to your boyfriend. He knelt before you, wrapping his arms around your waist, resting his head briefly against your belly. The rare intimacy of the gesture made your heart flutter. When he pulled back, you gently started working on his makeup, adding a black eye and a few cuts with fake blood and eyeshadow. 

“Perfect,” you whispered, admiring your handiwork. Crosshair looked up at you with a faint smile. His sharp features were softened by the lighting, the usual intensity in his gaze replaced by something... warmer.

Before he stood, he tilted his head up, capturing your lips in a soft kiss. “Careful,” he murmured, “I don’t want to ruin your lipstick.”

You smiled against his mouth, brushing your nose against his before pulling back. “Maybe I’ll ruin yours.”

Crosshair smirked as he stood up, grabbing the fake blood and splattering it on your white shirt. The red drops sprayed across the bathroom tiles, but neither of you cared. When the costumes were finally ready, you both stepped back, admiring yourselves in the mirror.

“For something last-minute,” you said, adjusting your collar, “we did pretty damn well.”

“Good enough,” Crosshair muttered, taking your hand and pulling you out of the bathroom, leaving the mess of makeup and brushes behind. As you stepped out of the apartment, he glanced at you, his lips twitching in that small, almost hidden smile he reserved just for you. “Let’s hope the party’s worth it.”

Despite the stress of the evening, there was a contentment settling between you. It wasn’t about the party anymore. It was about the two of you, together, navigating whatever chaos life threw your way. As much as he grumbled, you knew Crosshair had enjoyed working through this mess with you. He would never say it, but you could feel it in the way he’d held you close, the way his irritation melted into quiet amusement.

And when you arrived at Hunter’s place, you could only laugh. His costume was a tank top, army pants, and his usual bandana—he claimed he was Rambo. Wrecker’s attempt at a dragon costume was endearing but turned out more abstract than anything else, while Tech and Phee had gone all out with matching steampunk outfits, clearly having prepared for weeks. Echo simply stood off to the side, arms crossed, his face set in his usual stoic expression. “I’m too old for this,” he muttered, though no one dared disagree.

Crosshair sighed, glancing around at his brothers’ half-hearted attempts. “I put in all this effort, and for what?”

You grinned, nudging him gently. “For Omega.”

His expression softened at the mention of her, and he gave a small, resigned nod. “Yeah, for Omega.”

As the night went on, you stayed close to Crosshair, laughing with the others, sipping drinks, and occasionally stealing moments together where no one was watching. And while it hadn’t been the evening Crosshair had planned, he found himself admitting that, maybe, it wasn’t so bad after all. Being with you, solving things together, that was all he really needed.

“Remind me to read the next invitation properly,” you whispered, leaning into him.

Crosshair smirked, his arm slipping around your waist. “No need. I’ve got you covered.”