#i found one before and called it out but couldnt cut it so i left when someone else showed up 😭

[lelianaslefthand]

how i feel finding a flow tree in palia

[cmncisspnandmore]

All Hands on Deck- Part 2

Pairings: Poly!141 X Wife!Reader.

Warnings: Smut, this whole things is filth, some angst and fluff thrown in.

A/N: I had no intentions of this Poly141 one shot i wrote turning into a series, but i couldnt get their family out of my head so i started writing and now look at us. 9k words into a part 2. Ooopssss. This is also not beta read, all mistakes are mine.

Word Count: 9713

Part 1

“It’s really not that complicated, Johnny,” Simon sighs, resting his head in his hands, his fingers pushing through the unkempt blonde locks.

“Sod Off,” the scotsman huffs as he grabs the three strands of hair on Kira's head again. You watch over the top of your mug. Two of your husbands are sitting on the couch, your oldest twin Kira sitting on the floor between her Da’s legs. One of your middle children, Isla sat between Simons. Johnny had been trying to learn to braid her hair, something you or Simon did most days.

“Left, over middle, right, over middle, and just repeat,” Simon coaches him, showing him once again on Islas long brown hair. 

“Yeah yeah,” Soap grumbles as he tries again, earning a yelp from Kira.

“Ouch! You pulled my hair!” her hands on top of her head as she turns to glare up at her father. 

“Sorry hen, didn't mean ta,” Soap apologizes leaning down to kiss her forehead. Simon finishes the braids in Islas hair, the 6 year old leaning back against his shins. 

“Daddy i’m bored, can i go play with Theo and Joseph now?” She whines, batting her lashes at him. Simon gives her a small nod, and her smile grows. “Thank you Daddy, good luck Da!” she calls as she scrambles to her feet and flees from the room.

“Isla lets play cops and robbers!” Joseph yells as he meets her in the hallway, he peeks into the room giving you and the others a small wave before he bounds off after his sister.

You take a small sip of your caffeinated beverage, the warm liquid warming your stomach as you drink. John had made you a cup and promptly deposited it into your hands as you walked down the stairs this morning,you were still in your sleep clothes. He had murmured about having to go finish some papers in the office on the 3rd floor before he disappeared. 

“Aye! Look at that!” Johnny exclaims as he ties the hair band around the end of the horribly loose and uneven braid going down Kira’s back. Kira’s hands go to the braid, small fingers running over it, she looks over at Simon, a frown on her face. 

“Well you tried,” Simon laughs, before motioning for Kira to sit in front of him. His large hands carefully pulled the hair band from her hair. He runs his fingers through it and quickly re braids it into a neat french braid. 

“You make it look so easy,” Johnny sighs, looking over at you, “both you and Si can work some witchcraft on their hair that I just can't get the hang of.” 

“It’s alright love,” You smile as you walk over, sitting on the couch next to him. Satisfied with her braid Kira slips from the room, off to join her siblings in their games.

“I just want ta help,” Johnny mumbles, his arm slipping around your waist as he pulls you into his side. 

“I know, but hair is not your thing, and that's okay, you help in many other ways,” you press your lips to his cheek, earning a small smile from him. “It took Simon a while to learn too.”

“Really?” Johnny murmurs his lip brushing across your cheek.

“Oh yeah, after we found out about the twins, and that we were having a girl, I think he spent every night until they were born practicing on my hair. Don't let him tell you he’s just good at it, there were lots of terrible braids and my hair being pulled,” you narrow your eyes at Simon and he gives you a small smirk.

Simon had spent almost every night braiding your hair, or well, trying to braid your hair. The first few weeks he mainly just yanked your hair out while you tried to explain the process to him. Once he made such a huge knot in your hair you were afraid you were going to have to cut it out. Kyle had found you sitting on the bathroom counter, sobbing because you couldn't get the snarls out. Thankfully after an hour of you and Kyle working on the knots you were able to get it out. 

Simon had felt terrible about it, and didn't touch your hair for a week after that. It took you begging him to try again for the man to even brush your hair for you. Eventually he got good at the basic braid and you taught him how to do a french braid and a few other hairstyles. 

“Does that mean i can practice on ye?” Johnny's big blue eyes flutter at you, earning a harsh roll of your own.

“Maybe, if you're good.”

Simon stands from the couch, stretching his large body, black tee shirt pulling taught against his chest. “I’m gonna go shower, Lovie, do you need anything?” He looks down at you in Johnny arms, your head resting on his shoulder.

“No, thank you,” you flash him one of your signature smiles, his own lips curling up slightly at the edges. Simon leans down, his large hands cupping your face as he presses a long slow kiss to your lips. Love, adoration and happiness poured into the kiss, he nips your bottom lip gently as he pulls away. Johnny letting out a low groan at the display.

“Steamin’ Jesus..” the Scotsman groans, his head flopping back against the couch as Simon walks away, your cheeks flushed.

“Such a perv Mactavish,” You laugh, and he lifts his head, narrowing those baby blues at you.

“Can’t help it Mo Chridhe, watching you kiss the others does something to me,” he whispers, large calloused hands gripping your waist as he hauls you into his lap. Your knees settle on either side of his muscular thighs. Your hands resting on his shoulders as he blatantly stares at your breasts. “Shame, Hope’s weaning, I fuckin’ love your tits like this.” 

Air rushes from your lungs, your eyes fluttering shut as Johnny nips at the sensitive skin of your breasts. Your forehead rests on top of his head as his lips tease at the tops of your breasts, “Johnny…” you breathe.

“Miss you hen,” Johnny’s breath tickles your skin as he trails kisses up your chest to your neck. His hands knead the flesh of your waist as he pulls you down against his lap, his cock pressing against you through the fabric of his jeans. 

“The kids…” You breathe, your breath coming out in small pants as his lips sucks on the curve of your neck and shoulder. 

“The others can watch em’ they got their turn with you last night,” He mumbles.

He wasn't wrong, last night Kyle and John ravaged your body like it was lost treasure, the pair of them having cornered you in the kitchen after the kids had gone to bed. Simon was trapped in Theo’s room with the toddler sleeping against his chest, Theo had a cold and had been right miserable all day. Needing to be held by you or one of his dads. Johnny was putting Hope to bed, the now 14 month old going through a sleep regression, needing to be rocked to sleep. You werent exactly quiet as John and Kyle fucked you over the kitchen counter. Taking turns slamming into you, your screams and moans floating up the stairs. You know Simon and Johnny heard you, and it only added to your pleasure. 

A startled squeak leaves your lips and Johnny shifts you, tossing you over his shoulder as he stands from the couch. His hand coming down on your ass with a sharp crack. He carried you through the house, you slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. You passed the kids in the playroom, Kyle sitting in a chair in the corner, his eyes lifting from his book as you pass. 

“Da? Why is Mama up there? Was she naughty? Is she going to time out?” Isla wonders, coming to stand in the doorway of the playroom. Her big blue eyes gazing up at you, although your view is mostly upside down you still see Kyle's smug smirk from the chair. 

“Aye Bonnie, She needs a time out,” Soap ruffles her hair with the hand that isn't hooked around your knees. “I’m just bringing her to her room, go play with your siblings. Maybe Dad will bring the lot of you downstairs into the basement for a movie in the theater.”

“Can we watch Encanto?!?! Please Dad!!” Isla yells, bounding over to her Dad. Kyle glares at Johnny, as your children swarm him all calling out different movies they want to watch. Even hope babbles happily at his feet. You give a small wave as Johnny carries you up the stairs towards the master bedroom. 

He flops you down in the middle of the giant bed you had custom made for all of you. You bounce slightly on the light green duvet, a laugh floating through the air. Johnny kicks the door closed, his hands finding the hem of his light blue shirt as he drags it off him. His toned stomach and chest are on display. He stalks towards you, like a lion hunting prey, his blue eyes dark with desire. 

Your cheeks flame, heart pounding against your ribs. Johnny cage's you against the bed, strong arms locking your wrists above your head. His lips brush against yours as he slots his knee in between your thighs. 

“Mmm.. want me all to yourself Johnny?” You whisper, looking at his face through half lidded eyes. 

“For now.. Haven't had you all alone for a while. Not that I mind sharing you with the others… I love watching them work you up, making you moan, bring you to the edge with their fingers, tongue and cocks…” His soft pink lips brush against your skin with each word. A shiver shudders through your body at his words. 

He shifts to hold your wrists with one of his hands, his other coming to squeeze at your breast. He kneads the soft flesh there, a moan dragging from your lips. A small smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

“Steamin’ Jesus, you’re beautiful,” he groans, pressing his face into the side of your neck. Your hips lift to brush against his, earning another small moan your Scottish husband. Johnny kisses up your neck to your mouth, his tongue invading your mouth. Your tongue tangles with his, your breath mingling. Heat sweeps through your body as you grind yourself on Johnny knee between your legs. 

“Need you Johnny…” You whine softly as he slips his hand under your shirt. His cool fingers toying with your nipple. You’ve never been so glad you didn't wear a bra in your life. Your hands are numb from the tight grip he has on your wrists. Body trembling as he kisses you senseless. 

Johnny wasn't always gentle with you in bed, he loved to overstimulate you, pushing you to the edge. He’d love to watch tears roll down your cheeks as you begged him to let you cum. He was probably the worst when it came to edging you, he would go for hours if one of the others didn't step in and save you. He was too impatient for that today, his large hands travel down your body, over the curve of your hips. Fingers slip into the waistband of your sleep short as he harshly tugs them down your legs. 

“So wet for me already, want me to stuff you with my cock? Make you cum all over it?” His voice is raspy as he slides a finger into your slick heat. God those fingers were something else. He always knew exactly where to touch you to make you squirm. 

“Please…” you pant, cheeks flushed, chest heaving.

He curls his fingers inside you before adding 2 more. Your legs tremble as you peek up at him from the mattress. His blue eyes burn into you, white teeth flashing behind his pink lips as he smiles at you. 

“‘M gonna fill you up, put another baby in you just so i can watch your gorgeous tits grow again,” he shifts letting go of your wrists. Your hands tingle and burn as blood rushes back into them. The sound of a belt hitting the floor, the bed dips under his weight as he climbs back over you. His calloused hand grabs the puffy flesh of your thigh, hooking it over his hip.

Johnny moans softly as his hand glides over his thick cock a few times, the tip red and swollen. Precum leaking onto the bed between your thighs. You swore each of your men were hand carved by gods. Your cheeks burn as Johnny looks down at you, your shirt bunched up over your breasts, pupils blown wide.

“Can’t wait anymore Hen, I gotta be inside ya,” Johnny moans, leaning over you once again, his chest brushing yours. The smooth skin of his chest sends tiny jolts of pleasure through you as it drags across your sensitive nipples. You gasp as he slips through your wet folds, a low groan pulled from his lips as he thrusts into you. 

“Fuck, harder,” you moan out, eyes rolling back into your head as he stretches you open. 

You didn't have to tell him twice, he picks up speed, sitting back on his legs as he grips your hips in his large hands. He uses his hands to pull you up his thighs, pounding into you mercilessly. Red hot desire burns in your core, your walls fluttering around his cock. Each thrust brings you closer and closer to your release. He pushes one of your knees to your chest, changing the angle to hit deeper. His right hand leaves your hip so he can use his fingers to circle your swollen clit. 

“You’re like a vice grip on me, dinnae if i can last long Mo Chridhe, you feel too good wrapped around me,” he breathes, his pace brutal.

“Cum for me baby,” You whimper, your own high teetering on the edge. 

His expert fingers circle your clit faster, adding more pressure as he slams his hips into yours. It only takes a few more thrusts before you’re tumbling over the  edge, Johnny groaning his release as falls forward. Shaky arms on either side of your head as his face dips into the curve of your neck.

You both lay there on the bed, Johnny half hard cock still nestled inside you, your chests heaving as you both catch your breath. You trail your hands up his back, fingers sliding into the hair of his mohawk. The damp strands catch on the diamond of your ring.

“You alright?” you laugh slightly, Johnny's entire body weight resting on you. His large form crushing you, but in the best way.

“Think i died and ended up in heaven, must be my guardian angel,” his lips brush against your neck, his stubble tickling you.

“Get off my wife, MacTavish,” Price's voice breaks through your post orgasm haze. The older man stands in the doorway, his back against the white wood door. His arms crossed over his chest, a teasing smile on his lips as he looked over your half naked state and Soaps bare ass.

“Sorry Cap’n, something about this vixen makes me wild,” Soap laughs as he gently pulls out of you, and rolls off you. He flops over on his back, lower stomach glistening with your mess. John rolls his eyes, and leans down plucking a towel from the half full laundry basket by the door and tosses it at Soap. 

“Clean yourself up, Kyle’s stuck in the theater with the kids watching some princess film, and Hope needs a nap.” John walks to the bed, his thighs hitting the edge of the mattress as he wraps a hand around your ankle and yanks you down the bed to him. His light blue eyes trail over your body, his gaze settling on the glistening apex of your thighs. A flare of desire passes over his face before he meets your gaze again. 

“I’ll rescue him, need me some baby cuddles anyways,” Johnny laughs as he pulls on his clothes. He leans over the edge of the bed and presses a chaste kiss to your lips, giving you a wink. “I love you Mo Chridhe,” he smiles, his hand ghosting over your lower stomach as he stands.

You blink a few times, head still fuzzy from your activities with Johnny. The bedroom door closes with a soft click, leaving you alone with John. His rough fingers trail up the smooth skin of your calf to your thigh. Skimming over the curve of your hip and settling on the side of your ribcage. His palm rising and falling with each of your breaths.

“Johnny take care of you Darlin?” He murmurs, thumb brushing over the side of your breast.

“He did, are you here to have your way with me too?” You breathe, teeth sinking into your plush bottom lip as you blink up at him. 

“I wish I could Darling, I want nothing more than to make you scream my name, have my cum dripping out of you. But I have to get to base, Laswell called and said she had something for me to look at, but couldn't discuss it on the phone.” He sighs, his fingers trailing to your hands and he gently pulls you up. 

God he hates the way your brows furrow, a small frown on your beautiful lips. He hates that he has to go, but they’ve been home for almost 5 months now. It was only a matter of time before something like this came up. He wished he could retire, the entire task force. But they were needed. He knew it. The rest of them knew it. You knew it. But it didn't make it any easier, knowing that one day your perfect bubble would pop. That your men would have to rush out the door at some ungodly hour to run headfirst into danger. It seemed to get harder and harder as each kid grew to understand what their dads did. How they might not come back. 

You let out a long breath, and force a smile onto your face. “I understand, can I entice you into a shower with me before you leave?” 

The look on your face was enough to make any man fold, let alone one as hopelessly in love with you as John was. He couldn't resist your big wide eyes blinking up at him, thick long lashes fluttering. He couldn't say no to you, even if he would get his ass chewed out by Laswell for being late.

“Simon better make room,” He chuckles, hands gripping your waist as he hauls you into his arms. Not caring that your bare cunt is leaking cum all over his shirt and jeans. He tosses his boonie hat onto the bed, your legs wrapping around his waist as you press your face into the side of his neck. His beard tickles your skin, as he shoves open the bathroom door. 

Simon glances up in the mirror, a light gray towel slung low on his hips. Board chest and back on full display as he watches his captain carry you into the steam filled bathroom. His brown eyes track you in the mirror until Price sets you down on the cool quartz countertop next to him. 

“Hi Lovie, you look thoroughly fucked, did John do this to you?” Simon muses, his chapped lips brushing your temple.

“No,” you chirp, a blush creeping up your cheeks. “Johnny got his hands on me, John’s going to shower with me. Care to take another?” You muse, earning a small chuckle from the tall blonde next to you.

“Wish i could Lovie, but I promised a very persistent 7 year old I would take her and her twin to the library so they can get a new book,” he roughly towel dries his hair with a smaller towel before he hangs it on a hook. 

Yu jut out your lower lip, “okay, fine,” you pout. 

“Don’t pout, your mouth is far too pretty for that. I’d much rather it be wrapped around my dick tonight,” Simon practically purrs in your ear. His teeth nipping your earlobe in promise. Price returns, and shares a look with Simon in the mirror before he stacks a fresh set of clothes for the both of you on the counter. 

“Be a good girl, I love you,” Simon kisses your lips softly before he leaves the bathroom.

“Love you,” You call after him as steam starts to billow out of the large walk-in shower, hot water cascading from the multiple shower heads. John settles between your thighs and grips the hem of your pajama top, pulling it over your head in one swift motion. Your own hands travel to the buckle of his belt as you quickly unlatch it, yanking it from the waist of his jeans and letting it tumble to the floor with a metallic clink.

Your deft fingers quickly undo the button and fly, one hand slipping into the opening to palm his half hard cock through his boxers. Your tongue darts out as you notice the wet spot on the front of his jeans from your and Johnny's mixed releases.  John inhales sharply, large hands wrapping around your wrist.

“Darling,” he warns, his voice low and tight.

“What?” You blink up at him, feigning innocence.

“We have to shower now if you want me to join you, can’t keep Laswell waiting all day..” He warns, but you don't stop. His cock growing under your tender touches. 

“We can shower…”  You purr, leaning forward your lips gently grazing the top of his boxers. John's abs contract as your breath tickles his happy trail, the smattering of dark hair that disappears under his boxers. Your tongue pokes out, licking a small wet line over his boxers, his now hard cock jumping as your warm tongue flicks over the tip through the fabric. 

The growl that leaves John's lips is almost feral as he grabs your hips and yanks you off the bathroom counter. He spins you, your hip bones hitting the edge of the counter, a delicious sting as they bite into the corner. John's gaze meets your in the mirror, his jaw set in a hard line, one hand pressing into the space between your shoulder blades. He forces you to bend over the counter, his gaze never leaving yours. 

“You spoiled brat, you want to be fucked is that it?” He grabs a fistful of your hair and yanks your head back. “Want me to fuck you into the bathroom counter like the slut you are?” He tugs sharply on your hair, a gasp forcing itself from you.

“Yes, god, yes,” You moan, nipples hardening as they slide against the cold counter.

“I won't be gentle with you, I have things to do, I'm a busy man,” he warns, but it does nothing but excite you. It wasn't often you pushed John, you usually understood when he said he had things to do. But a part of you craved it when he was rough with you. John was most always gentle with you. As if he was afraid to break you, treating you like something to be savored. It was Simon who you often turned to when you needed someone to throw you around, leaving bruises on your skin. But there was a side to Price only you could draw out, when you knew he was stuck in his head of the things he needed to do. Lost in the responsibility of being Captain to the others, the one who inevitably makes the call for them to leave your home and storm into a warzone.

It didn't take much sometimes, just a little bratty behavior when you knew he was in a hurry. If you had been a good girl like Simon suggested you would have climbed into the shower without protest. Let John wash you tenderly under the stream of the shower and kiss you goodbye as you blow dried your hair. But instead you had pressed him, edging the line of his control by palming him through his boxers. The kitten lick through the thin fabric was the final straw for him. 

Now as he pulled his shirt off, and shoved his jeans and boxers down to the floor you can't help but pant. You never take your eyes off him as he glares at you through the fogging mirror. One hand gripped in your hair, the other wrapped around his throbbing cock. 

“This what you wanted? Getting me all worked up when you know I have to leave?” He asks, giving himself a few harsh strokes. Your eyes trail over his hand, your brain short circuiting as you watch him jerk his cock.

A sharp sting across your ass makes you yelp, johns palm cracking across the silky smooth flesh. “Asked you a question, I expect an answer,” he grinds out.

Y-yes sir,” your words tumble from your dry lips, tongue feeling stuck as he lines himself up with your still wet pussy. He nudges your entrance, and your eyes flutter shut. The tip of his cock slipping between your wet folds.

“Eyes on me,” he demands, and your eyes fly open at the exact moment he slams his hips home. A loud moan falling from your lips as he pounds into you. His hand is still gripping your hair. Your hip bones bite into the rounded edge of the sink. The sound of your skin slapping together fills the bathroom along with the water in the shower. The mirror starts to fog with your breath and the steam from the hot water. The mix of John’s cock driving into you and the humid air of the bathroom makes you dizzy. Your fingers dig into the smooth sink, grasping for purchase. John's cheeks flush as he continues his harsh assault on your body. 

“You take my cock so well, such a good little cum slut,” He rasps. Your eyes roll back into your head as he releases your hair. His hands wrap around the curve of your hips so he can thrust into you harder. You were definitely going to be bruised later. But you didn't care, the sight of John losing himself in you was everything to you. 

His fingers dig into your hip bones, short nails leaving small crescent shapes on the delicate flesh. “You like it don't you? Huh? Like the feel of my cock filling you up, want my cum to drip from your tight cunt like Johnnys, huh Darling? Want us to fuck another baby into you?’ his hand comes down on your already red ass cheek, a biting sting, he doesn't bother to soothe the red skin. His smile grows as his hand print leaves a raised welt, if there was one thing in common between all of your husbands was they loved marking you. 

Whether it was Kyle leaving tiny love bites across your stomach and thighs. Simon's finger prints bruised into your waist. John's handprints on your ass. Or Johnny's teeth marks across the plains of your breasts. They all had their subtle or well not so subtle ways of letting the others know they were there.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum already, you’re so fuckin’ tight,” John pants, his thrusts becoming erratic as he gets closer to the edge. “Touch yourself, make yourself cum all over my cock like the good little slut you are.” 

Your eyes watch his face in the mirror as you slide a hand between your thighs and rub fast, tight circles on your clit. Your fingers gliding effortlessly over the swollen nub, the mix of you and Johnny making the perfect lubricant. It only takes you moments to work yourself to the edge, your body practically humming already. 

John shifts his hips slightly, hitting that spot inside you that drives you crazy. You both fall over the edge with a shout. John's hips slamming into yours with one last rough thrust as he stills inside you. His cock twitching, your walls milking him. You collapse forward, gasping breaths wracking your body. 

John reaches forward, brushing the hair from your cheek. His fingers tuck the loose strands behind your ear. “Didn't hurt you, right?”

Your other cheek is pressed firmly against the smooth bathroom counter, the overhead lighting reflecting off the mica embedded in the white quartz. You give a small shake of your head. “No, I knew what I was getting myself into,” You push yourself up on shaky arms as John  slips from between your legs. The mixture of his and Johnny's cum dripping down your thighs. 

A harsh knock on the bathroom door breaks the moment.

“Price? Laswell called again, said she couldn't get ahold of you, asked me to tell you she needs you on base Asap,” Kyle's voice drifts through the bathroom door and you groan, turning to face John.

“Rain check on the shower, Darling?” Price’s fingers grab your chin softly.

“Rain check,” You agree leaning up on your toes to press a kiss to his mouth. He pulls away all too soon for your liking, wiping himself off with a towel before pulling on his clothes. Pulling open the shower door you step into the hot stream, your body shaky and numb from the mind blowing orgasms. You tip your head back allowing the hot water to wet your hair, your eyes closed. 

A soft hand slips around your waist, your eyes popping open to see Kyle. His short black hair is dotted with water that bounces off you. A smile forms on your lips as he gently pulls you toward him. The hard expanse of his chest is a welcome home for your head. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, just holds you under the hot stream. His fingers absentmindedly stroking your soft skin. 

“It sounds to me like you had a very eventful morning,” Kyle teases, his lips brushing your forehead. 

“Oh? What makes you say that?”

“You know how Johnny is after he gets his way with you, he's like a kid in a candy store. He’s put Hope down for her nap and then proceeded to offer to bake cookies with Isla and Theo. Knowing full well he was going to have to clean the kitchen after that fiasco.” Kyle laughs, “and you weren't exactly quiet with John a moment ago.” 

Your cheeks grow hot, even after all this time you still couldn't help but feel shy when the other men knew what happened without them. It's not that you were ashamed, it was more to do with your upbringing. Your parents were strict, sex was a taboo subject, you didn't even know the basics until they taught you in health class. Your parents weren't a huge part of your life, they chose to put distance between you and your family when they found out you were dating 4 men.

They showed face at your wedding though, playing the doting parents of the bride. But the cold shoulder your mother gave you when you told her you were expecting her first grandchildren told you everything you needed to know. They weren’t okay with how you chose to live your life, they just cared more about their image.

“Where did you just go?” Kyle asks, his fingers under your chin tipping your face up to his.

“Hmm?” you hum, brows furrowed. 

“You got stuck in your head, where did you go?” His own brows furrow as he studies you. His long fingers brushing a drop of water from your cheek.

“I was just thinking about my parents…” you shrug halfheartedly. You tried not to let them bother you, telling yourself that you were better off without them. That your kids didn't need that in their life, they had 2 sets of wonderful grandparents who loved them more than anything. Johnny and Kyle's parents would find a way to give the kids all the stars in the sky if they could. 

“Baby,” Kyle breathes, his face coming closer to yours. “You don't need them, don't get lost in their ignorance.”

“I know.. Just.. I don't know,” You mumble, biting the inside of your cheek hard, the coppery tang of blood distracting you.

“Let me make it better,” he whispers, lips skimming yours. Kyle's kisses were always soft and sweet, just like him. His lips are as smooth as butter, as soft as cotton candy. He always took his time with you. Each movement is carefully thought out to bring you the most pleasure. His hands tangle in your wet hair, but unlike John there's no sharp sting. Just tender touches along your scalp as he slips his tongue into your mouth. 

The low moan that vibrates through your chest is enough to encourage him to continue. Kyle's fingers trail down your neck and spine to the curve of your ass. His fingers knead the soft flesh there, soothing the raised handprints left by Price. His fingers grip your thigh softly as he hikes it up over his hip, allowing his hard cock to brush against you.

“Kyle… please,” You whisper, rolling your hips into him.

“I’ve got you, Baby,” he whispers against your mouth. He turns you slowly, your back hitting the cool tile wall of the shower. He captures your swollen lips in another searing kiss, as one arm lips behind your back, causing you to arch into him. His other hand wraps around his thick cock as he slides into you. You moan into his mouth, your kiss becoming more clashing teeth and harsh breathing than before. Your hand grip his muscular shoulders, your nails biting into the smooth brown skin. You can feel his muscles flex and contract under your fingers as he languidly slides in and out of you. 

“You’re so good to us,” he whispers against your skin, ‘always taking care of us, take such good care of our babies when we're away. You’re ethereal, a true goddess on earth just for us.” 

Kyle's praise brings tears to your eyes, what did you possibly do to deserve him? Or any of them? Kyle drags his hips along yours, and your legs begin to shake. Your body was spent, between Soap and Price, you weren't sure if you had any more in you. But it doesn't stop Gaz, he just picks up his pace slightly. Nothing compared to either of the men before him, but enough that the coil in your stomach is now twisting tighter, and it’ll only be a matter of moments before you shatter in his arms. 

Gaz’z lips trail down your jaw and neck as he sucks along the smooth skin there. Quiet pants being coaxed out of you with each one. His lips seal around your nipple, sending a jolt of electricity skittering across your skin. 

“Fuck, Ky- I cant,” you whine, the burning in your core too much, as he drags his cock out of you before pushing back in at an agonizingly slow pace. His teeth graze your nipple as he pulls away. His mouth peppering your chest with wet open mouth kisses. His saliva mixes with the warm water leaving your chest shiny under the bathroom lights. 

“Yes you can Baby, I know you can. Just one more, for me,” he coaxes, his hand slipping between you, to rub your overly sensitive clit. His fingers tapping with the lightest of touches, and you break. Your walls are clamping down on him. Tears roll down your cheeks as you come with his name on your lips. 

His hips stutter as he follows you over the cliff, his own orgasm ripping through him as he lets your leg fall. Both your feet now firmly on the ground as he presses his forehead to yours. You both pants, the air between you becoming stifling with the humidity from the shower. You wrap your arms around his chest, allowing your head to lay over his rapidly beating heart. Your hair clinging to his skin as he adjusts the shower head above you, allowing more hot water to pour over the both of you. 

You stay like that until you're both able to breathe normally, and Kyle begins to gently wash you. He brushes the plush washcloth that's lathered in vanilla scented body wash over your body. He kneels in front of you, gliding the cloth up your legs to your thighs and ass. He's gentle where prices hands have left a mark. 

He presses small kisses to the bruises that are forming on your hips from the countertop. Before he stands, pouring some strawberry scented shampoo into his hands and working a rich lather into your hair.You both enjoy the quiet, neither one talking much except for when giving instructions to rinse off. 

After you return the favor of washing Gaz, he gets out of the shower, pulling two towels from the warming rack and wrapping one around his waist. The other he secures around yours. He spends the next 30 minutes lathering you with lotions and blow drying your hair. He glances at you through the bathroom mirror as he pushes up the sleeves of his shirt. His white teeth flashing at you as he smiles.

“You alright baby?” 

You nod, pulling on one of Simon's oversized black hoodies. It falls to the tops of your thighs, and you have to roll the cuffs of the sleeves up so you can use your hands. Kyle presses a kiss to your cheek, his warm lips lingering on your cheek for a moment.

“You look tired. Why don't you lay down for a nap?” he suggests, his fingers twirling a piece of your hair. 

You could use a nap, but you have things to do. Anxiety gnaws at you, you know that they’ll be leaving soon. It's not hard to interpret the messages behind Kate wanting to see John on base. That's how it normally went, she would ask him to come to base to discuss something. John would disappear for a few hours, sometimes late into the night before he came home.  He would talk to the others first, usually Simon, then Kyle or Johnny whoever he could find first. Then he would seek you out. He’d pull you into him, his beard tickling your cheeks as he peppered your face with kisses. 

Then he’d lay it on you, tell you that they were shipping out, either in the morning or in the next few days. You always tried to be strong, to put on a brave face especially if the children were still awake. Then you would watch as he told each of the children what was going on. Kira and Joseph would hold their younger siblings as they cried, begging their fathers not to go. Your heart shattering in your chest as you watch the four men in your life try to reassure them that they would be back. Eventually the younger kids would settle, the twins distracting them with games or snacks. 

It wasn't until they had left, and the kids were all in bed that you allowed yourself to fall apart. Huddled alone in your giant bed, surrounded by their pillows that you would let the tears fall. Sometimes one of the kids would climb into bed with you, their own attempts at comforting themselves. The time where your husbands were gone felt like wading through chest high mud. Each action needs twice the amount of effort than normal. You didn't have enough hands it seemed, there was always someone needing something. Someone had practice or a project they needed done. A baby was sick or going through a milestone. A faucet would leak or you’d forget entire meals when grocery shopping. You chew your bottom lip, spinning your engagement ring and wedding band around your ring finger. 

“No i'm okay, I’m gonna go see if Johnny needs any help with Theo and Isla,” you smile softly pressing a quick kiss to Kyle’s cheek before slipping out of the bathroom.

You can hear Johnny talking with Isla and Theo, his accented voice easy to pick out. You pad down the hallway to the kitchen. From the large archway you see Johnny standing behind Isla and Theo who stand on little helper stools. Theos light brown skin is dusted with flour, and his brown curls are pushed out of his face with a pair of bright purple bunny ears. Isla peers over the bowl, her finger dipping into the dough. A glob of cookie dough makes it way into her mouth, a sly smirk on her lips as she thinks Johnny didn’t see her.

But the demolition expert did see it, you can tell by the way his mouth slants upwards, the slight shake of his head. Theo reaches into the bowl, his little fist gripping the chocolate chip cookie dough like it was a life line. But instead of shoving it into his mouth he uses his other hand, attempting to roll the dough into a ball. It squishes through his fingers and lands with a wet plop on the counter. His big brown eyes look up in panic as the sticky dough clings to his hands. 

“Oi lad made a fine mess of yerself don’t ya?” Johnny laughs, scraping the excess dough from Theos outstretched hands. 

“Da, do you think mama will like the cookies?” Isla wonders, using a dough scoop to scoop out portions of cookie dough, she plops them on a baking sheet. A little too close together but Johnny just moves the small mounds over a bit.

“I think she’ll love em, your mama loves everything you make for her,” he ruffled her hair with his clean hands. Coming to stand behind Theo as he helps him scoop out his own dough with another scoop.

“Sometimes when all of you leave, I can hear Mama crying… Papa left to go see aunt Kate.. that means you’ll leave again soon…” Isla looks down at the cookie sheet, her bottom lip between her teeth. You can see her shoulders rise as she takes a deep breath.

“It’s okay to be sad when we leave, lala girl. Sometimes Mama’s get sad too,” he crouches down next to her, his finger hooking up her chin as he looks at her.

“Why do you leave if it makes Mama and us sad?” She leans into his hand, her smaller hands coming to rest on his cheeks. Theo jams the cookie scoop into the bowl too young to understand the conversation.

“Well, papa, Daddy, Dad and I have really important jobs. And those jobs sometimes make it so we have to go far away to capture bad people, and stop them from hurtin others. Like how Batman stops the joker, and police officers catch bad guys.”

“Olice Officer! Wee woo wee woo!” Theo yells, the scoop clattering to the counter, as he claps.

“That’s right, “ Johnny laughs, “but we’ll always come back to you, you guys and your Mama are the most important things in the world to us. So we try our hardest to always come back. Can you do me a favor tho Lala girl?” He asks, and Isla nods eagerly.

“The next time you hear your Mama cryin’ I want you to give her the biggest hug ever okay? And don’t be afraid to tell her it’s okay to be sad too. I think sometimes Mama forgets she can be sad, because she’s so busy trying to make sure none of you bairns are sad.” Johnny gives her a soft smile.

“I can do that Da, can we finish the cookies now?” She grabs the scoop again and looks at Theo and Soap.

“Of course,” he smiles again and you duck out of the archway, just out of sight. Your eyes burn, but you blink back the tears and take a moment to compose yourself. You didn’t realize that Isla had heard you crying. You tried desperately to be quiet, but Islas' room was across the hall and she must've heard you while she went to the bathroom. 

You take another deep breath and step out into the kitchen with a smile on your face as you walk to the large kitchen island.

“Mama! Mama!” Theo yells, “We are making you cookies!” 

“Cookies? For me? Thank you baby,” You lean down pressing a kiss to his messy curls, the purple bunny ears poking you in the face. You look over the 4 large cookie sheets that are dotted with cookie dough.

“Wow it looks like you guys made enough for everyone, huh?” You smile at Isla and she nods. 

“Yeah! Da said we had to triple the recipe because there are soooo many of us,” She explains, scooping another ball of dough from the large metal bowl. 

“That's true, there are a lot of people in our house. Do you know how many?” You slip into a bar stool, your eyes catching Soaps above Theos head. He gives you a panty dropping smile and a wink.

“Uh,” Isla thinks hard for a moment, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. “Theres Me, Theo, Kira, Joseph and Hope, that's 5… Mama, Papa, Dad, Daddy and Da. That's 5 too… and 5 plus 5 makes 10!” She beams. “There's 10 people who live in our house. Right Da?”  She looks over her shoulder.

“That's right Lass, 10 people so far,” he raises his eyebrows suggestively at you.

“So far? What does that mean? Why are Mama’s cheeks so red?” She scrunched her brows looking between you and Johnny.

“Nothing baby, Da is just being silly,” you roll your eyes. Isla shrugs and goes back to her job. Between her and Theo it doesn't take long for the cookie dough to be laid out on every cookie sheet you own. You help Johnny by putting them in the large commercial size stove, even with your giant oven you can only fit 4 cookie sheets at a time. After Johnny cleans up Theo and Isla he starts to work on the dishes, you perch yourself on a bar stool and watch as he methodically washes each dish. 

The sounds of Theo and Isla playing floats through the house as they play in the large playroom at the front of the house. Kyle comes into the kitchen and places his hands on your hips, dropping a kiss to the top of your head. 

“The cookies smell good, good to know Johnny didn't mess them up,” he teases. Johnny looks over his shoulder narrowing his eyes at Gaz.

“Oi, it was one time, and it wasn't even my fault!” He huffs.

“No you’re right you just decided to let the twins measure everything out and they put half a cup of salt instead of a teaspoon,” Kyle laughs.

“Shall we talk about your lasagna, then?” You look up at Kyle and his smile drops.

“You said you wouldn't bring that up,” he grumbles, his hands squeezing your waist softly.

“Did i?” You feign innocence, batting your lashes at him.

“Cheeky woman,” Kyle mutters, peppering your face with feather light kisses.

“Keep that up and I might have to steal you for round 2..” Soap's voice is rough and low as he looks at you and Kyle.

Your cheeks blush for what feels like the millionth time today, and you shake your head. “You’re insatiable,” you roll your eyes, slipping from the stool and walking towards the door. “Don't let the cookies burn!” You call over your shoulder.

“Ah Steamin’ Jesus!” Johnny curses.

You walk down the hall, peeking your head into the playroom, to see Isla and Theo sitting in a large bean bag chair, Theo peering over the edge of the learning tablet Isla is playing with. A smile plays at the corner of your lips as you walk towards the staircase. You slowly climb the stairs, pausing briefly at Hope's bedroom door to look in. The 14 month old lays on her stomach, her bum up in the air, stuffed bunny tucked in her arms as she sleeps. You quietly close the door and climb the second staircase up to the 3rd floor of your house. There were 3 rooms up here, a small half bath, John’s office, and a guest room used only when Kyle or Johnny's parents came to visit. 

You pull open the french doors to John’s office, stepping into the warm room. The hunter green walls lined with heavy oak bookshelves, his large desk sat in the middle of the room facing the floor to ceiling window. An old leather couch sits along one wall and you sink into the soft brown leather. Your fingers brushing across the cracked and worn material. You pull the fluffy green blanket off the back and wrap it around yourself. Your knees pulled up to your chest, your chin resting on top of them as you stare at the landscape outside the window.

Your fingers picking at the loose threads on the blankets. You came up here to get some alone time. No one usually ventures into John's office when he isn't home. Your mind drifts as you watch the fluffy white clouds roll by. Your eyes grow heavy as you enjoy the quiet.

You must've dozed off, your body jolting awake when a hand touches your shoulder. Your head whips up, eyes meeting a pair of dark brown ones.

Simon. Those eyes belonged to Simon.

The tension leaves your shoulders as he crouches next to the couch, his broad shoulders block the light from the window. His blonde eyebrows furrowed as he looks at you. Those dark eyes studying every part of your face. 

“Hi,” you whisper, voice still thick with sleep.

“Hi Lovie, you alright?” He asks, his large hand taking your much smaller ones.

“I’m okay, tired,” you shrug, your fingers wiggling against his palm. “How was the library?”

“Good, Kira and Joseph got 2 books each, and they brought home a few for the younger kids. They’re all in the kitchen eating cookies with Kyle and Johnny. Are you sure you’re okay?” He squeezes your hands again. 

You sigh, Simon had a way of seeing right through you. Your other husbands did too, but they often erred on the side of caution when it came to confronting you about it. At some point or another they had pushed just a little too hard when you were having a bad day and you snapped. Basically chewing their heads off before you burst into tears. The other 3 had panicked, not sure what to do, their efforts to comfort you had ended with you hitting their chest as you told them to go away. Cursing at them for pushing you on things you weren't ready to talk about. They had quickly learnt that you would come to them when you were ready. But Simon on the other hand didn't care. He welcomed your outburst, taking each emotion with stride. He’d let you beat on his chest until your arms hurt. Until your anger gave way to your true emotions. 

“No.. im not okay,” you relent. Simon just looks at you, waiting for you to explain.

“I know you're going to be leaving soon, and I know at this point I should be used to it. It's been 8 years of deployments. But it doesn't get any easier.. And now the kids are starting to get to the age where they ask questions, wanting to know what you guys do while you're gone. They're starting to understand that what you're doing is dangerous. I don't know how I'm supposed to explain to them what happens if one of you doesn't come home…” you trail off, feeling a weight settle on your chest.

“I can't promise we’ll come home, I won't lie to you and tell you that we will. I’ve never sugar coated that. But you’re stronger than you think Lovie, I know that you can handle everything here. You’re an amazing Mum to our kids. You’re so kind to them, so patient. I know it's hard when we're away. But I promise we won't be doing as many missions as before. Price has had a few meetings with Kate about us stepping back, training a new team to take our place. We don't want to lose any more time with you and the kids. Besides, I've heard through the grapevine that we have a more important mission here.” He brushes a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Oh? What's that?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Something about knocking you up again,” he smiles like a cat who got the canary. He shifts forward on his knees. Large hands pawing at your sides as he drags you down the couch. His hand flicking open the button of your jeans. Your chest heaves as he leans forward pressing a soft kiss to the skin below your navel. Goosebumps erupt on your skin Simon flicks his tongue out, wetting your skin.

“Simon…” You breathe, your hands tangling in his soft blonde hair. 

“I know Love,” he murmurs against your skin, his fingers dipping into the waistband of your jeans and panties, tugging them down in one swift motion. You reach for his own waistband, undoing his belt in one swift motion. His brown eyes burn into you as he slides his hand up the inside of your thighs and drags them through the wetness that pools between them.

“Such a good girl for me, always so ready for me,” Simon praises, his eyes straying to the bruise marks on your hips from when John fucked you into the bathroom counter. “Looks like someone already played rough with you today. How did that to you Love? Those weren't there when i left you in the bathroom this morning, tell me was it Kyle or John who bruised that pretty skin of yours.” He slips a finger into you, and you groan, your inner walls fluttering around his thick digits.

“John..” you moan as he curls his fingers into you hitting that spot that makes you see stars.

“Did Kyle fuck you too?” He asks, his other hand palming his hard cock through his boxers. 

“Mmmm, yes..” you pant, your hands wrapping around his wrist as he fucks you with his fingers. 

“Must be my turn then, huh,” he kisses you softly, his lips slanting over yours for a moment, stealing your breath away. “Want me to fill you up? Stuff you full of my cum like the others? Fuck a baby into you?” 

“Ahh- yes, Si.. Please,” you gasp and pant. Back arching off the couch as you press your hips into his hand. Grinding your clit against the heel of his palm.

“Fuckin’ hell, such a good girl,” Simon groans as he pulls his hand from your dripping pussy. Shoving his jeans down his thick thighs, he grabs your ankles spinning you on the couch so your back presses into the cushions. Your thighs spread, ass hanging off the seat. He leans up on his knees, his cock nudging your tight entrance. One hand grips the flesh of your thigh as he holds you from falling off the couch. The other wraps around the column of your throat. He gives it a gentle squeeze, not enough to cut off oxygen just enough to restrict it as he bullies his cock into you. 

Your vision blurs as he thrusts into you, his pace steady and even as he fucks you into the couch. Loud moans tear from your throat as he pounds into you. Your body trembles as his cock rubs against your walls. 

“Cum for me beautiful,” He grunts, applying more pressure to your throat. Tiny black pin pricks dance in your vision as he picks up his pace. Your legs trembling, Simon's brown eyes stare into you, his hips faltering as he gets closer to the edge. You moan loudly, air flooding your lungs as he releases your throat, and rubs tight fast circles on your clit. Your body tingles from head to toe as your orgasm rips through you. 

“Fuck!” Simon shouts as he stills inside you, his release painting your walls with thick white ropes of cum. He leans down pressing his forehead to yours as he breathes heavily. You stay like that for a moment, catching your breath as your legs stop trembling. 

“I love you,” you whisper, pressing your lips to his once more.

“I love you too,” he whispers back.

You and Simon change into your clothes, and he settles you in his lap, big arms wrapped around your waist as you snuggle into him. Your quiet moment doesn't last long, the tell tale sound of boots on the stairs causes both of you to look over at the glass doors. John stands just outside of them, Hope resting on his hip, a small smile on his face as he takes in the sight of you and Simon on the couch. Hope babbles happily in his arms, her chubby fingers grabbing at the brim of his Boonie hat. He pulls open the doors and steps into the room. Hope clapping her hands as she sees you. 

“Mamamamama” She babbles, reaching out to you, and you open your arms for her. John carefully puts her in your lap and brushes his fingers along your cheek. You glance up your eyes meeting his own, and that's when you see it, the hard lines around his eyes, the rigid set of his jaw as he watches you. 

“When do you leave?” You ask softly, focusing your attention on the baby in your arms as she yanks on your shirt.

“Later tonight, after the kids are in bed,” he sighs, “I'm sorry Darling, I tried to get out of it. But Laswell needs us.” 

Simon presses his face into your shoulder. There goes your bubble. Popped.

Next: Part 3

[talieee]

Card Tricks (Remy Labeau x Reader)

A/N: bro i wont lie this kinda sucks but I loved thinking about it in my head so i hope you like this too! couldnt bring myself to write the nsfw bit into this version but i think I eventually will come up with the audacity...? tbd. if you enjoy please reblog im very scared of putting this out there but if people like it ive got more where this came from. I'd like to thank @thirtysomethingloser92 for being that voice in me just fucking all and writing this :') youre my biggest remy inspo love you all <3

warnings: mild fixation of hands ( god i love them so much)

=======

It was one of those rare days where absolutely nothing was happening,a comfortable silence whelmed the mansion with the occasional muttering of some passing students. The professor had decided on a short weekend for everyone and many had taken the opportunity to spend it in their rooms.You sat comfortably on the large sofa of the common area of the x mansion, headphones in listening to some podcast and sketching out a design on a little notepad, oblivious to the menace that is Remy Labeau, who unbeknownst to you, had spotted you whilst he was wandering around aimlessly.

“Cher~” 

he sashays towards you, hand reaching into his coat pocket to draw out a deck of cards, fiddling as he approaches. He stops right in front of you and awaits your response. You, now recognizing that someone is calling out, moved to pluck out your headphones; looking up to the source of the voice and finally acknowledging Remy silently. Remy, unfazed by the lack of a vocal response, moves to sit down next to you. His hands shuffled and manoeuvring the cards skillfully, “wanna see Gambit do a lil card trick?” 

“Hm ...be my guest pretty boy, wow me” You shuffle around to face him, abandoning the notepad and the headphones to focus on Remy’s deck of cards. 

You watch a small smirk press itself on his face, before he briefly shuffles the cards and hands you the deck “pick a card cher, and don't show it to me. Then put it back in and shuffle to your liking”

You squint in suspicion, repeating what he had instructed, taking a glance and returning the deck to him.

Remy nods a soft thanks, eyes glinting mischievously as he takes the deck back. He then starts to shuffle and cut the cards, his hands moving swiftly and nimbly. His eyes occasionally glance up at you before returning to the deck, watching your face for any kind of change in expression. You, completely fixated on the way he shuffles, could not help admiring the nimble fingers; thin and lengthy, gliding across the cards calmly seemingly bending the deck to his will. Remy almost immediately picked this up; very much enjoying the glances on his fingers and the very obvious gulp and licking of lips that he could not help but smirk and comment on, “like whatcha see cher?” his voice low and thick with the classic Cajun he carried about. You hum in agreement, continuing to focus on his movements. Eventually he finishes shuffling after a few more unnecessary movements, cutting the deck and setting both decks down on the table.

“Which one dya think it is hm?”

You think carefully , “why am I choosin’, you're the magician-”

Remy chuckles, “ butcha a smart one ma belle, i'm sure you know where it is~”

You frown “you're just gonna make me tell you the card i picked and scour for it?”

Remy mock pouts looking at you with those red eyes “awhhh cher tsk you've gotta have a little more faith in lil old gambit~” you roll your eyes and scoff at his response” ~maybe i've found it a’ready and m just messin witcha….ya disappointed?”

You couldn't help but chuckle “i'm disappointed that you're takin this long..” 

Remy feigns offence “and i thought you were enjoying the show ma belle….” he sighs, gesturing at the decks again. 

You squint at the deck judgmentally, and eventually point to the left deck “that one”

Remy hums, reaching to draw the first card of the left deck, displaying….the exact card you had drawn. “This one?” You nod, applauding “heh, toldya you're smart enuf” he chuckles, picking up the remaining of the deck and keeping the deck, basking in the applause. “See cher? Trust and faith”

You scoffed crossing your arms, “never doubted pretty boy”

Gambit’s smirk only grows wider, both at your words and the nickname you’ve chosen to address him as.

“Pretty boy, eh? You’re not so bad yourself, ma belle.” He hides the cards, now crossing his arms expectantly “Now that I’ve impressed you with my card trick, how about you show me one of yours? I’m sure you have a few tricks up your sleeve, petite…"

You couldn't help but giggle, “ what's this show and tell?” but promptly giving into his request, pulling out your deck of cards “hows abouts i read your fortune pretty boy?”

Remy raises a brow, clearly intrigued. He grins as he leans in a bit, resting his chin on one hand. "Oh? Now you've got my attention. You'd read my future, ma belle?" You nod and begin to shuffle the tarot cards, nothing as showy as Gambit’s was, shuffling and closing your eyes to take a few deep breaths to maintain a calming presence to the shuffling deck; after all, maintaining a calm allows the cards to pick up on the other being read upon.

“Impressive. I hope my future isn't as bleak as some fortune tellers have claimed." Slowly, you spread the cards thin across the table before turning to Remy.

“Heh” you joke “I don't know Remy...ya giving off some hella bad juju” Remy chuckles, amused by your bluntness "Bad juju, eh? Ouch. And here I thought you were starting to like me, petite."

You ignore his comment, “Pick three of them and turn them as you see fit.” 

Remy grins, his smirk never seeming to leave his face. He looks at the cards in front of him, eyeing them carefully. With a chuckle, he reaches out and tentatively picks 3 cards, flipping them over as you collect the deck to study the three he had chosen and you couldn't help but laugh at the irony of his statement, “well this one” you begin, pointing to the first card: the Death. “This sucks but...its the first card so it describes your past…?” You mutter and look at him for confirmation. Remy lets out a low whistle, most definitely not expecting something as accurate as that.

“Well Cher ...couldn't be closer to the truth yea?” 

“Have faith in me yea?” you replied, mimicking his earlier comment which had made him chuckle as you glance at the second card: The Five of Cups, inverted. “What does that mean?” Remy picks it up, waving it and glancing at the design. You snatched it from him as you noticed the tell tale sign of his purple hues of him charging the card “do not charge my cards Labeau-” Remy raises his hand in surrender “-now this card suggests your current state of being…which isn't the best. This symbolises a sort of disruption in your life and you feel disconnected…perhaps its time for you to focus on yourself labeau..”

Remy’s smirk slowly fade as you comment. “I feel highly targeted by al’ this- its like ‘m an open book for ya cher…which I very much am not”

You ignore his comment, clearly moving onto this last card would perhaps lift his spirits up: The Ace of Cups. “This” you say softly “This is your future…” Remy turns his attention to the third card. The card that represents love and happiness. He stares at it for a moment, then looks at you. The smirk from earlier returning to his face “love an’ happiness? Quite unexpected i’d say chere…not quite what i was expecting”

You shrug, taking away the cards and offering them to Remy to fiddle with “well, expect the unexpected Labeau”

He takes the cards, flipping through all of them to glance at all their different designs as he continued “hmmm~ you really know what to say to cheer a man up ma belle...would you be able to read on who would be involved in the ‘love and happiness’?” 

You motion towards the cards, and he returns them to you and draws the first card per your instructions: The Queen of Wands. You glance at it, humming, “hm, someone who’s upbeat, courageous…someone who seems to be able to play with their strengths and weaknesses….”

Remy listens and acknowledges, playing with the card that he had drawn, “so jus’ someone like me but in more control of their’ lives yea cher?” unconsciously, he had begun charging the card but you’d been distracted shuffling to get more comfortable on the sofa that when you realised the issue it was too late. Remy had put down the card and the moment his hand left the card- bomfph. A cloud of purple smoke puffed up on the table, and the both of you moved to swat away the cloud. 

“Remy Labeau I told you-”

“M’ so sorry cher I didn’t mean to-”

“Meow”

The both of you stopped abruptly and glanced at the table. In place of the card was now an orange cat- but it had a slight glowy tinge to it. A sharp breath was sucked in…would it attack? It tilted its head at the two of you and lept right into Remy’s arms, purring as it rubbed itself against him, kneading its paws before curling up on his lap.

“Thats….what the-” you sputter “Gambit what the hell did you do to my card” 

“Cher I don't know, does ya think lil ol’ Gambit knew he was capable of creating this??” he motions to the cat, whispering softly trying not to wake it up but completely failing. The oyen arose, shuffling towards you instead and repeating its process and eventually curling up to sleep. The both of you immediately plunged into silence, completely unsure of what to do. The cat, now completely asleep and in peace in your lap and clearly had no intentions of harming. 

“Gambit thinks he should-” “Remy Labeau if you leave me with a glowing cat I will come for you and you will pay for abandoning your problem”

"...does this mean this is our child"

=============

banner: pinterest

[the-record]

COWBOYS LIKE ME

SYNOPSIS: youll never stop letting her in.

PAIRING: cowboy!abby x reader

WARNINGS: none??

A/N: yall remember when i wrote some fics and made a ton of ideas and series and then disappeared??? WOOPS!! heres a little holiday present!! maybe there will be more, idk

my masterlist

after that last night, abby hadnt shown at your door again. she knew she was wrong for it, for everything. all you had done was love and care for her, treating her with sweet southern kindness. she hated herself for leaving you.

you couldn’t find it within your heart to hate her. she didn’t lie when she said it wasn’t safe for the two of you beyond the farm. it still didn’t make it hurt any less when she left without a word.

you gave up after three months and she didnt come by even once. you fell back into your regular routine. afternoon tea, church, chores. you even found a bookstore that would fill the quiet hours between tasks.

abby didn’t forget about you though, how could she? she had people all around town keeping an eye on you, ensuring you were never around danger. subtle misdirections and such. just because she couldn’t be there didn’t mean she doesn’t care.

you’d attempted to forget her, and almost had.

but it was cold and snowy out, just days before christmas, and abby found herself close to the only place she could call home.

you werent shocked to hear a knock ok your door so late in the evening, figuring one of the ladies had stopped by with news and a gift. but seeing her at your door stopped your heart.

“can i come in?” you ushered her in, taking in her shivering frame. “im really sorry if im putting you out, but could i stay here? just for a night if thats all you please.”

you nodded, just enough to see, still starstruck. she smiled softly and knocked you out of your state. you grabbed the snowy coat off her shoulders, helping her take off those boots you knew didnt do much in this cold. you pulled her to the fire place, setting her beside it and finding a blanket to wrap around her body.

she laughed as you sat beside her, just staring. “gotta love southern hospitality.” she joked, but you barely laughed. abby sighed and picked at her fingers, “i really am sorry. i feel i cant stop hurting you.”

you merely nodded before getting up. heading to the kitchen, your head clouded as you fell into routine. as you put the kettle on, you couldnt help but wonder why she was back on your doorstep. you didnt stop wondering even as you watched the tea steep, when you brought it back to the now warmer blonde.

but when you held it out to her, you didnt let go. “are you gonna leave again?” her silence was answer enough. your hand dropped and you turned, leaving for your room.

abby flinched when your door slammed.

her boots still sat beneath your bed, gathering dust, fingerprints still visible from the last time you missed her. you listened to her footsteps as your fingers brushed all over the shoes.

she roamed the kitchen, cleaning it the best she could before she made her way upstairs. abby didnt want to hurt you. she loved you, even if she struggled to say it. when she knocked she heard a quiet ‘come in’, yet she still hesitated at the door.

the door opened for her. you staring up at her blank face, a tear stain she wanted to wash away and never see again.

“i love you.”

when the sun streamed in the next morning, it didnt fall on just you. a weight slung over your stomach, one of abby’s arms dead weight across you. you couldn’t help but smile.

when it snowed again the next day, the bed was cold, but the house wasn’t. downstairs, abby had the fire going and breakfast on the stove for the both of you.

and when the sun shown and the birds sang months later, she laid in bed watching your peaceful sleep.

her cuts and bruises had long disappeared. that chill she had that made her shake, warmed. the emptiness she had felt for all those years, had been filled with love and care she yearned for her whole life.

she felt it when she saw you.

[pokemon-ash-aus]

I'm more curious on what reverse betrayal AU is, i couldn't really find anything in the tags sorry

Damn i SWEAR i wrote it down already. I guess Tumblr's tags are extra extra broken.

OKAY 👏

So everyone knows the canonical fanfiction trope of Betrayal AU's yes? Where the Main character of any fandom (in this case Ash) gets abandoned and spit on by their friends and partners except for the brief few that usually end up being the love interest?

In this case it's

Ash's friends leave him, ash's pokemon leave him except for the strong ones (pikachu is usually leaving him behind but i call bull so whatevs), Ash gets new pokemon, stronger and so much better (also legendaries, whoda thunk), he gets a love interest or a harem (cause why not) and then gets WICKED OP to the point its a bit unbelievable. Theb the betrayers come back and Ash wipes the floor with them while mocking them the whole time.

Its a well known trope, one that i used to adore myself, but i found it lacking after a hot min. The characters were always OOC, and the progression of events started to lean on terrible for me. No hate to the trope, i wrote one nyself once upon a time (unfinished), but it's nit in my wheelhouse anymore.

And so i made the Reverse Betrayal AU, mostly as a kick but really it started on the same premise but executed differently.

Ash's friends gather round, in this case, it had only gone up to alola so im sticking by that. My reasoning was that the little field trip down in Kanto was an excellent opportunity to get the rest of Ash's friends down there as a surprise!

Now, i want to point out the crucial information that Ash acts differently with each friend group. Not intentionally being deceitful, but more of, trying to fit into the type of person they need. For Misty that was a Brat, for May that was a Mentor, for Dawn a Sibling, for Iris an idiot, for Serena a hero. Etc etc.

Alola was the place where Ash *couldnt* do that so he finds himself in a mix of Mentor/friend/sibling role.

But when they all are there, Ash has a hard time trying to figure out what he should be and what he should stray into. And that leans into him being a Brat because Misty is a VERY loud personality in a way no one else was.

And boy do they grate on each other's nerves.

Misty is teasing him playfully, but Ash is biting back HARD. Not because he wants too, but the stress of the situation makes it hard for him to fight back just as playful. Especially with Iris there since her words used to cut before, but now he's painting Misty with the same brush but twice as deep.

And Misty doesnt appreciate this right, so this playfight on her end turns into actual fighting, words of anger and resentment speaking out on both sides.

"I WISH I NEVER MET YOU." Get's thrown out and the entire field goes quiet.

"Ditto." Ash growls.

And they turn away from each other.

And Brock is already trying to placate, he's seen this before a million times but then...

Everyone else jumps in.

Accusations are thrown, some side with Misty some side with Ash. None of these people are friends with each other, they all are connected through Ash.

And so Brock cuts them all off, cause the two were BOTH being uncalled for. And when he turns to Ash to ask what he was thinking.

The kid is outright gone.

No words no nothing and that leaves a deep deep dread in Brock's stomach.

"Oh he left, just like a little kid." Iris sighs, shaking her head as the others glare at her.

"No," Brock's voice trembles and that stops everyone else from really saying anything. "Ash can be rude and angry and wrong all he wants but he doesnt ever leave a conversation mod way- hell he doesnt even run away from a confrontation- this- this isnt right."

And while they look for him it starts ti become more and more clear that... None of these people are /friends/. They know Ash and Ash only.

And that starts *arguments*, screams of whose right and whose wrong and why Ash doesnt need to have a friend like *you.*

Its the take of, instead of Ashbeing abandoned by his friends. Its instead Ash 'abandoning' his friends instead. But its not really true, cause Ash wabts to be with his friends he's just...

Very mad right now.

Whoo i went on a tangent. I have more- somewhere- so ill need to look for it.

[denziezwhattfuck]

You found out 141 and Los Vaqueros was inlove with you, you decided to flirt with but things get a little too much..

Task Force 141 X M!Reader X Los Vaqueros

FEM ALIGNED DNI!

-

When you found out everyone in the team was inlove with you, you knew you had to do a little bit of fun with that, you were bored one day looking at your phone, you thought If they all loved you you wanted to have some fun, you then went outside your room your phone on your desk, locking the door on your quarters, you walked through the halls, you saw Ghost shooting some dummies from the firing range, you then went beside him watching him shoot with a sniper on his hand, as he perfectly shot the dummies on the head you complimented him, "Nice shot, Simon!" He didnt notice you from beside him yet, he was quite surprised when you were there, you even called him by his real name It made kinda flustered, "Oh (Y/N) didnt know you were there?" He looked at you through his mask his gaze was soft, "Just wanted to watch you dear." You gave him a smile, looking above to see him starring at you, he was shocked from the name you gave him, he slightly blushed behind his mask, "Oh, alright." He said as he kept his eyes on you, you then went close to his face, though you couldnt see him behind his mask you knew you made him blush, you then smirked "How ya holding up?~" Quite a flirtatious tone you went slightly close to his face, your nose touched against his, you then pulled away from him, "Wonder how you look with me in bed, Sir?~" you then winked at him still having a smirk on your face, now that ultimately made him blush he thought of something else, "Gotta go darling~" you walked away from the range giving him a flying kiss before going out, he then thought It was a dream where he had been flirted by you, he couldnt believe It the thought was raining his brain alot, he continued doing shots on dummies but with a tint on his face, you chuckled as you went out looking for the next victim to flirt with, you saw Alejandro from the distance talking with rudy, nice a double kill your charms are about to blow these two up, you then walked towards them confidently, you fixed your hair as you did, they heard footsteps from beside them they looked over at you with a grin on your face, "Hi (Y/N) what brings you here?" Rudy asks looking at you questionably, "Oh just wanted to look for my boyfriends." You said looking at them with a wide grin on your face, they both got flustered from when you said that, "Boyfriends?" They both said in unison, you just chuckled infront of them, "Oh, right soon to be.." you said whispering from the back with a slight smirk on your face, they gave you a concerned look on their faces, you then looked back at them with a sly smile on your face, "Can I have both of you though." You laughed a little with a finger on your mouth, they again had a blush on their faces, "Gotta go now, see ya later lovelies~" you let out a sound on your lips waving them goodbye also giving them a wink, everything happened so quickly, they were questioning If everything that happened was real, they looked at you as you'd gotten away from their sights, they both looked at each other with eyes widened from what happened covering their mouths with a left out blush on their faces, Ghost then went to the hall just to see both Alejandro and Rudy talking about you, he then went up to them "What happened?" He asks, "I think (Y/N) tried to flirt with us." Rudy responded looking at Ghost with a dumbfounded expression, "Ahh he did the same to me earlier." Their eyes widened, "Oh, really?" In unison, they were really confused on why you flirted with them, "Do you think he knows?" Alejandro asks whispering through Rudy's ears, "I think so.." he responded, Ghost then raised an eyebrow looking down with a finger on his chin, "He's playing with us..." Ghost thought moving his finger out of his chin replacing It with a crossed arm..

-

Part 2 will be coming soon!

(SO SORRY IF I CUT OUT SOME OF MY STORIES I PROMISE ILL UPDATE SOME PARTS SOON)

[bridgyrose]

Greetings and Salutations, Bridgy. If it is not too much trouble, once more do I request the next part of either transfer student, penpals, blind!weiss or guardian!heiress, whichever one you wish to write. Please, have a nice day.

Weiss raced across the rooftops as she followed Blake, cursing to herself as she tried to find Ruby. What was supposed to be a day to relax had turned into a day of trying to babysit her team and trying to get a lunch date together. Though she did have to admit, her team did seem to be a bit more capable than expected. 

Keeping up with Blake was a challenge as she watched her use her semblance to hop across rooftops more effectively while also keeping watch on the road below. Though she wasnt sure how well Blake was able to see anything on the roads, it was hard to argue that it wasnt working. 

“Rose petals to our left,” Blake said as she stopped and put a hand up. “She shouldnt be too far ahead.” 

Weiss stopped next to Blake and sighed as she watched the petals flutter in the wind. “How can you tell if they’re hers?” 

“Unlike real rose petals, hers shine in the light before they disappear.” 

“And you can tell from up here?” 

“Of course. My eyesight is better than- you’re going to have to trust me on this. I’ve spent a year with Ruby, I know how things look for her.” 

“Fine,” Weiss said as she rolled her eyes. “I’ll trust you on this. So which way now?” 

Blake scanned the streets as she looked out over the city and started heading in the direction she saw more petals come from. “This way!” 

Weiss nodded and used her glyphs to keep up with Blake, still not quite sure how Blake was tracking Ruby. It was hard enough to see the rose petals even with them glittering in the sun, but being able to tell where they were coming from in a busy city like this? That would take more than just being able to see well. 

Still, she continued to follow Blake through the city until, finally, Ruby could be seen running through the street, using her semblance to weave through the crowds. Weiss stopped for a moment when she saw a flash of green along the streets as well. But when she looked for that flash of green, all she could see was Ruby rushing out of sight. 

“Are you coming?” Blake asked as she turned around. “I thought you werent going to slow me down.” 

“Y-yeah, I’m coming,” Weiss answered back as she started to run again. 

“Good. We dont want to lose her.” 

Weiss nodded and made her way down to the streets. “You keep following from the roof, I’m going to see if I can catch her on the streets.” 

“You really think you’ll be able to follow her?” 

“No, but I think I can cut her off.” 

“I’ll call you once I catch her.” 

Weiss started to race down the street and took a side alley to try to cut off Ruby. She used her semblance to push off the wall next to her and to round the corner as fast as she could. A smile crossed her lips as she saw more rose petals in front of her, following them forward. She raced through the crowds until the rose petals finally stopped and she saw Ruby standing near the docks. 

She quickly sent a message to Yang and Blake that Ruby had been found and slowly walked over to her. “Everything okay?” 

“I… I thought I saw her,” Ruby answered as she looked at her scroll. “I saw Penny. She’s here.” 

Weiss looked at her curiously. “Your missing teammate Penny?” 

“Yes!” 

“Are you sure you’re not seeing things?” 

Ruby glared. “Of course I’m not!” 

“I know what its like to see the people you miss.” Weiss looked away from Ruby and held her arm to her chest. Her voice cracked as she spoke and her hand started to shake. “I see the people that I care about, the ones that I couldnt save. Maybe… maybe I just want to see them smile once more or just hear them laugh again.” 

“I know I’m not seeing things. I saw her, I heard her… she was right there.” 

“Greif is powerful-” 

“Its not…” Ruby sighed and started to walk back the way she came. “Forget I said anything.” 

“Wait, Ruby.” Weiss put a hand on Ruby’s shoulder to stop her. Her fingers practically shook as she held her teammate’s shoulder and her voice started to go quiet as she spoke again. “I lost my team before I came to Beacon. I get what it means to miss the person you care about. And I… I want to help.” 

“Then help me find her.” 

“But she’s-” Weiss’s words stopped as Ruby pulled out her scroll and showed a picture of a girl with red hair running through a crowd. “Who’s that?” 

“Penny,” Ruby answered. “She was just here and I need to find her.”

[star-railfanboy]

His Hero Pt 1

|Hello Everyone who comes across this. I saw some fan art drawing Dan Heng as Spider-Man and my brain refuses to let go of the thought. Dan Heng is my Favorite Star Rail character and Spider-Man is my favorite superhero so I'm mixing the two in this au. It will be more than one part. The reader will be shorter than Dan Heng. Anyways as always feel free to change the pronouns to fit you own. Enjoy and I hope you have a wonderful day or night.

Scenario: He got bitten by a radio active spider. Before that happened he was a standard college book nerd. He was working on his biology degree. He has a high moral obligation when it comes to people in need. That is if he is able to do something. He somehow manages to find a balance between his life and his life as a vigilante. Though getting closer to his crush is a bonus to the chaos that is his life.

Dan Heng x A Male Reader

Warnings: minor spoilers for Dan Heng and Blade's lore as well as the main story quest, mentions of death, injuries, minor angst, and very long|

Dan Heng:

Dan Heng had gotten injured during his last battle. He never expected he'd get into that situation. He was against a new organization that had arisen in his city recently. They claimed their leader could predict the future.

He was against the person named Blade from the group. He looked familiar to Dan Heng. The hero couldnt place his finger on the familiarity until he said something. The thing happened to catch him off guard. Blade called him by his dead brother who caused a lot of problems for him. It made his blood run cold and muddled his mind for a moment which lead him arm getting cut.

His late brother was the reason he wasn't living a normal life. He was the one that raised Dan Heng. He had cause a lot of issues for a lot of people. Dan Heng unfortunately looked similar to his brother that many mistook him for the other. He did a lot of things that upset a lot of people. However before things went down hill he was considered a hero and highly respected. He wished to not be his brother's shadow anymore.

His brother was the original Spider-Man. He bitten and relied on two of his friends. They were named Yingxing and Jiang Yuan. Dan Heng sort of remembered them but somethings happened when his brother had his down fall and his memories were scattered about.

He never met the two as he always hid in his room when they were over. He had seen them a couple of times when he peaked out of his room to see if they had left yet but they never saw him. With Yingxing he never saw the other's face while once or twice he caught a glimpse of Jiang Yuan's face. His brother also never mentioned him as they had a rocky relationship.

Dan Heng only found out about his brother being a hero because he came home injured. He took care of the wound. Though he had no clue about the experiments his brother was conducting until he found himself bitten by a radioactive spider that bit his brother. He remembered not wishing to even be in his brother's lab but Yinyue Jun forgot something important at home. He brought to his brother. His sort of remembered Yingxing being there but he doesnt trust his memory of the incident. After all his mind became hazy and memories fragmented.

He hadn't seen nor heard anything involving Yingxing since Yinyue Jun had died. Which happened not soon after he visited the lab. While Jiang Yuan mistook Dan Heng for his brother and arrested him for a short period of time. The arrest was removed off his record when they discovered that he was Dan Heng not Yinyue Jun. Jiang Yuan is kind and wished to help Dan Heng if he needed but the dark haired male was always mistaken as his brother.

Dan Heng also sense the white haired male held guilt for anything that happened involving his brother. He remembered everyone talking about his brother at the funeral. So many mixed emotions and opinions that he couldn't make heads or tails about. With his memories scattered it was hard to sort his thoughts and memories about the other. He choose to separate himself from his brother but people still claimed he was just living in Yinyue Jun's shadow.

He managed to make it out of the fight just fine. He had taken Blade down though he figured it wouldn't be for long as one of his comrades showed up. He had left quickly as Kafka was one of their group he didnt like messing with. He was safe from the two but he was still shaken up. Dan Heng hadn't changed out of his suit just yet. He just found himself in an alleyway hidden from sight trying to calm himself. He was trying to organize his thoughts. While he didn't sense any danger he heard footsteps approaching.

Dan Heng gave a sigh just what he needed. It was bad enough his vigilante side gig was exposed cause he ran into March 7th one night. Of course she thought he was Yinyue Jun as he reused his brother's suit design. He was now the same height as his brother once was. The general public minus Jiang Yuan thought he was still the original Spider-Man. The only difference was he refused to work during the day to avoid being seen. His brother was once again the original hero.

He wanted to leave before he was seen by this new person. He readied himself to swing out of there bracing himself for the sting that will occur. "Wait a second!" The person called out. He mentally cursed to himself.

For the second time that night his blood when cold. He'd recognize that voice anywhere. It was someone he holds dear. They met because of group project the shorter male had to work on with his roommates. Stelle and Caelus had fought over who was his friend. March wasn't home that day. They got acquainted then but didn't become close until he started his job at the local library. They were studying science and history. Which was very fitting for the other.

While he was reminiscing at how they met he felt a hand on his wrist. (Eye colored) eyes staring at him. "Look I'm sure you prefer not to be touched but I noticed a gash on your arm. My friends are constantly talking about you. You saved two of them once so I dont think youre a bad person. I know you're a hero and most likely wish to keep your identity hidden which I fully respect. Just hear me out please. I want take you to my home to patch you up. It's not far from here. I just worry about you swinging about with that wound Spider-Man." The shorter male said with a worried look. His eyes staring at the gash with a frown.

Dan Heng started thinking about everything. He knew (Name) was trustworthy. After the two became friends he learned the shorter of the two was very kind and gentle. He was also someone the hero would trust his life to if the situation called for it. Dan Heng thought it would best to just nod. He knew the other would lose sleep from worry. He saw relief flood into the other's eyes.

He was lead to (Name)'s home. It wasn't far and he was positive no one saw them. Dan Heng became a bit red under his mask due to the fact (Name) hadn't let go of his hand yet. The smaller male had sat him down. "Make yourself at home while I go get my first aid kit. Is it also possible to pull your arm out of your suit? If so pull it out please. I don't wish to damage your suit further but I want to make sure your arm is properly wrapped." (Name) said letting go and

"Caelus and Stelle are going to kill me if they find out about this. It'll be even worse for me if they tell Dan Heng." Dan Heng heard him mutter to himself while grabbing the first aid kit from the bathroom. While he was grabbing it Dan Heng pulled his arm out of his suit. It was made with the mask and body suit were separate. Had he not ran into (Name) then he'd be in that alleyway still.

He was rather nervous about this. (Name) came back and accessed the wound. He quickly began tending to the wound. "It may sting for a second. I'm going fo clean it." His soft voice said. The hero thought his voice had eased his mind a bit. He winced slightly from the disinfectant.

"If this happens again feel free to come here to get taken care of. Both of my parents are both in the medical field. I learned a lot from them. They taught me since some of my friends were constantly getting hurt when we were kids." (Name) couldn't believe he just offered that.

The (eye colored) male knew his friends would yell at him for this but he couldn't help it. The hero saved March and Caelus both in the past. His identity was a secret so getting help must be hard. It must be so lonely and hard. He had no interest in prying at all. He took care of his wound with ease. The hero was gone quickly after with a soft thanks.

What he just offered had finally sunk in what he offered. The adrenaline of seeing the wound and his need to help others died down. He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Himiko. 'Hey Himiko I may have done something extremely dumb.' He quickly typed out. He couldn't go to his other friends after all. They'd make a trip this late to come scold him.

'Is everything alright? Do you need me to send Welt to stay over for a bit?' Himiko quickly replied as he cleaned everything up. This was going to be stuck in his mind for awhile. He just hoped making a deal to aide the hero wouldn't come to bite him in the butt. He chatted with Himiko for awhile until he was able to relax about the situation.

Dan Heng swung through the city until he snuck his way back home. His other three roommates didn't know about him being Spider-Man. In fact the only ones who did know were the oldest of the friend group. Himiko and Welt helped him immensely from making his suit to improving his gear.

After he got changed out of the suit he leaned on a wall. He had tossed his phone on his bed to not think about it. He covered his now extremely red face. There's no possible way he'd actually take (Name) on his offer to patched up as much as he yearned for it. It would put the smaller male at risk if anyone saw him heading there to get help.

He was trying to calm his racing heart when he noticed his phone light up signaling a message. He picked it up to check who could be messaging him. His eyes widened when he saw Himiko asking if he was ok. It was as if she had a second sense. 'I am fine you don't need to worry about me.' He responded.

'Glad you are ok.

A little birdy told me our dear (Name) patched up your wound and offered for you to come to him in the future. Though you did make him worry and freak out afterwards.

He messaged me freaking out because he offered to help a certain hero.

He was worried because he knows nothing about the hero but had a run in with him being injured tonight. I am relieved he patched you up regardless. Anyways get some rest and good night Dan Heng.' Himiko messaged.

Dan Heng gave a sigh. The smaller male was too kind for his own good. He'd be extremely worried had it been anyone else that was Spider-Man. He should plan something as his hero alter ego to thank him for patching him up. He also makes a mental note to persuaded him to not offer that. It could very much put him into dangers sights.

His hand subconsciously went to the bandages on his arm. He remembered the soft tone and gentle hands. His heart sped up once again for that night. He'd just realized he'd never been at the other's home. His face started heating up. He hoped he wouldn't have any late night knocks on his door from his roommates.

Needless to say the two males were up for the rest of the night. Dan Heng thinking about the shorter male. While (Name) was thinking of him without knowing know it. The following day started off normal for Dan Heng which was nice after a night of fighting crime.

His roommates had left their shared home earlier for classes or work. Making him the only one home. He didn't have any classes to attend that day which he was happy about. It also meant his arm would be able to heal more easily. At least for one day. He replaced the bandages on his arm carefully

All Dan Heng had to do was work his shift at the library. Which was a relief for him considering how much sitting in a lecture hall coping notes may irritate his cut. He heard a small knock on the door. Which he went to go answer. He looked slightly surprised seeing (Name) upon opening the door. His expression went back to his typical stoic one.

"Hey Dan Heng is Stelle here? She left something at my house the other day. I wanted to meet up with her but she hasn't been answering my texts. I think she's mad at me after Caelus made me draw for him in their gatcha game. Caelus got the character she wanted. She got a duplicate and blamed it on me rolling for the other." The shorter male said with a smile. Dan Heng shook his head.

"She has already left for her classes. Would you like me to put it on the counter for her? You also might have to roll for her later. Next time tell them both anything that happens isn't your fault." He said knowing how those two are. The shorter male nods. He gave a smile glad to have ran into Dan Heng. He was invited in for a moment. "Do you work today? If so and our shifts align we should walk there together." His gentle voice said.

"I am closing tonight so I won't be in until later. However I am happy to walk you there if you work earlier." Dan Heng answered setting the notebook on the counter and leaving a quick note for Stelle. It just meant more time they can spend together. He looked into shining (eye color) eyes. Dan Heng had a fond look in his eyes. He would deny it if anyone asked but he could get lost in those eyes.

"That would be appreciated. I am a mid shift today so when you clock in I'll be clocking out. If it's no hassle for you." The shorter male answered rubbing his neck. Dan Heng noticed his posture seemed timid. He tiled his head concerned. The other had a habit of not liking to bother others. He was worried someone was harassing his friend.

"Is everything ok?" The taller male asked with a worried look. His ocean eyes watched the other look away. "You know you can tell me whatever is troubling you. I'm always willing to lend an ear if you need one." He said softly. The other gave a sigh. His tone make the shorter male's heart skip a beat. "Promise not to get angry?" The response caught the hero off guard.

"If you're in danger or anything I won't be angry just worried. I can arrange for myself Caelus or Stelle to pick you up and walk you to work if you need. If none of us are available we can ask Mr. Yang." Dan Heng answered coming closer to the other. He was observing any movements that might spark concern.

The shorter male shook his head. "I'm not in danger I promise. It's just I have been feeling as though someone is watching me lately. Plus I want to spend more time with you as I haven't seen you very much." He lied for the first half of his sentence. It felt like something was amiss but Dan Heng couldn't place a finger on it.

Dan Heng frowned hearing his response. "If you have that feeling why didn't you ask sooner? I am happy to walk you. After you get off come here someone should be home. Wait for me here and we'll talk with the rest of our friends if we can work something out until the feeling is gone alright?" He offered a reassuring look.

"I'm fine with waiting at the library until you get off. I have some exams to study for anyways." (Name) said. He was happy go be around the dark haired male. His presence soothed him for some reason. He loved being around the young biologist. He was glad they met. He gave a nod in agreement.

"I am happy to help. It's better safe than sorry in this kind of situation. If it's just a feeling it should subside soon. Let me get ready and I'll stay with you for the rest of the day. I don't have any classes today and wasn't planning on doing much." Dan Heng got a nod in response. He'd make sure nothing would happen to the other.

"Also if the feeling is truly nothing then that's ok as well. I'd rather you feel safe. I can also teach you some self defense just in case if you want." Dan Heng stated. The other quickly shook his head no. His face was slightly pink. "Though it wouldn't hurt to learn I don't think we need to go that far." (Name) said looking away.

The two walked to the library chatting a bit. There was periods of silence but it was very comfortable. The two walked together as if it's was natural for them to be by each other's side. It has always been this way since they became close. As they were walking Dan Heng sensed danger and pulled the shorter male closer to him.

He winced and gave a sharp breath. He grabbed the other with his injured arm. "Dan Heng?" The shorter male asked worried. He felt safe in the other's arms but that sharp breath worried him. "Don't worry about me." He said still holding the other close. He looked around trying to find the danger it was in the middle of the day so there wasn't many people around.

He got slapped on his injured arm. He took another sharp breath. "What are you so on guard about Dan Heng?" March asked while looking at him holding (Name). She quickly took a picture. "You both are together and didn't tell me? How rude!" She shouted. She watched the shorter male go super red. While her stoic roommate had a faint blush. He quickly let go of the other.

"You're misunderstanding March. I am just walking him to work. I felt something was off and then you appeared. Also delete that picture" Dan Heng said. He shook his head at March 7th. While (Name) looked concerned. "Did you injure your arm? I can look at it if you need." The shorter male quickly asked grabbing his hand which made his blush darker slightly. He couldn't let the other see his arm since the other may piece together his identity.

"Some of my books fell on me last night while I was organizing my shelves. Which bruised my arm a bit. I am fine. Again dont worry about me." He stated. There was the worry in the his friends' eyes. "It'll heal soon I'm ok I promise." He reiterated. He didn't need March seeing it too. He was still high alert and his senses were going crazy. He wanted to ensure his friends safety.

The shorter two started walking. They were barely in front of the taller male. March wrapped her arm around (Name)'s basically dragging him. Dan Heng followed and out of there corner of his eye he spotted long black hair disappearing into an nearby alleyway. He knew it belonged to as well. A frown appeared on his face.

He heard a creaking sound and reacted quickly by pulling his two friends back into his chest. "Hey what's the big idea!?" March yelled. She was about to go off more until a very old looking sign fell onto the ground. Had he not pulled them back it would've fell on the shorter two. March immediately looked at him wide eyed. "Do you have super powers or something?" She asked.

Dan Heng looked at the building. It was very old and looked abandoned which is probably why the sign fell. "I just have a good intuition. Are you both alright?" He asked letting go of them both. (Name) just looked at the crumbled sign in shock for a moment. "Dan Heng you're amazing for saving us. You're always so reliable!" He said turning to his dark haired friend. His eyes shining in awe.

Dan Heng looked away his face a bit pink. "Let's get you to work and talk about this later. I don't want you being late." He mumbled. March stared at the other. She started plotting in her mind since these two obviously liked each other. They were about to start walking again when a police car pulled over. "Are you three alright?" The cop asked getting out and coming over.

Dan Heng recognized that voice and sighed. "We are fine Jiang Yuan. Do you need a statement from us?" He asked glancing at the other. March looked between the two in surprise. She was shocked Dan Heng new this person at all. He was so anti social she thought he only knew those of their little friend group.

The white haired man shook his head no. "I saw everything that happened so no need as long as you're all fine." He stated with a relaxed smile. Dan Heng gave a quick nod ready to leave. "How do you know Dan Heng?" March asked before they were able to leave.

Jiang Yuan gave a small head tilt and another smile. "I was long time friends with his older brother. How have you been doing by the way? You ignore my messages so much that I worry." He said. Dan Heng sighed. "I'm fine and March before you ask I don't wish to talk about my brother. Now if you'll excuse us we'll be off." He said quickly. Which cause Jiang Yuan to frown a bit.

"I'll talk to you later Jiang Yuan." Dan Heng said as they started walking off towards the library. He should ask the other if there was anyone other than him and Yingxing that knew who Spider-Man was before him. That would help him when dealing with Blade and may lead to the stellaron hunters' fall.

They made it to the library without further delay. After the sign fell Dan Heng's sense stopped sending warning signals. When (Name) was safely in the library he dropped March off where she needed to go. She had tried pestering him to learn information about his brother until dropping it when he said nothing.

When he was alone he pulled his phone out and called Jiang Yuan. Who to his surprise answered immediately. "Dan Heng I didn't think you'd actually talk with me. This is a pleasant surprise. I had gotten off work not that long ago so I can chat for as long as you need." He said in his usual tone. Dan Heng just listened for a bit. "Could we meet up I have some questions involving your old group with Yinyue Jun?" He asked.

"Certainly. Where would you like to meet? I am free for the rest of the day. It sounds serious though. If I may be so bold to ask. Is everything ok?" He answered. "I am unsure at the moment. You know Himiko's coffee shop? Let's meet there." Was the response he got back.

Dan Heng felt himself grow anxious at this meeting. He wondered if he was actually going to get the answers to some of the questions that have been on his mind for awhile. He ordered himself a coffee and sat in the corner of the shop waiting for the other. He had started texting Caelus while waiting.

After 15 minutes Jiang Yuan showed up. He ordered a tea and then came over and sat across Dan Heng. "So what do you need to ask?" He said giving his full attention to the younger male.

Dan Heng sent a quick got to go message to Caelus before putting his phone away. "Did anyone know about my brother's side gig other than you and Yingxing?" He asked. His eyes watched golden ones look surprised. He must've caught the other off guard with his question.

"How did you find out about his side gig? As far as I was aware he kept it a secret from everyone but Yingxing and I." Jiang Yuan said. He placed his arms on the table and rested his face on his palm. He thought that Dan Heng had no clue who he was when they met for the first time. Much less Yingxing.

"I knew cause he messed up and came home bloody. Before his passing I got bit by a spider like him. As I'm sure you're aware from reports the hero is still active." Dan Heng said. Even though they plus Himiko were the only ones in the shop they were still in public. Which made Dan Heng keep things as vague as he could.

Jiang Yuan gave a nod and an understanding look. "Only Yingxing and I knew. Yingxing was the one who made all of his tools and I'd help him stay out of trouble with the law. Your brother didn't trust our other two friends with the information. Even I wasnt given all of the details. Yingxing was the one that every secret was entrusted to and the same goes for vice versa. Anything else you wish to know?" He explained.

He watched the younger male frown and go into a deep thought. Jiang Yuan grabbed his cup and took a sip waiting for the other to process the information. Dan Heng wondered if Jiang Yuan knew of Yingxing's where abouts. "Where is he now?" Dan Heng asked when the older male placed his cup down.

"He's presumably dead. With Yinyue Jun being his murder. Which is why our first meeting was less than Ideal. I had no clue he even had any living relatives after all." Jiang Yuan answered. Dan Heng's stoic expression changed to a perplexed one for a second. "What's the matter?"

"Did my older brother fight a bad guy with red eyes and long hair? He goes by the name Blade." Dan Heng asked. He was trying to make sense how Blade knew his brother's name while he was suited up. Jiang Yuan put a hand to his chin to think for a moment. "That description doesn't fit any of the villains he fought. Why do you ask?" The white haired male tilted his head again.

"I fought him last night and in the middle of battle he called out my brother's name. He laughed like a mad man while lunging at me with cracked sword. It looked as if it had been repaired with gold." Dan Heng explained. Jiang Yuan frowned.

"I wonder if my old friend is still alive. Which would make me more curious about what happened when your brother died. Yingxing had several conditions and was nearing his death bed when your brother started to fall from his title as a hero. Unfortunately I am unable to provide any more details as I dont know them." Jiang Yuan said. He noticed the younger male going back into a deep thought.

"Looks like it's time to permanently change my suit. If I encounter Blade again I'll try taking a picture for you to confirm or deny. I wish to right the wrongs caused by my brother if possible. Would you mind if I worked with you for a bit?" Dan Heng asked. Jiang Yuan agreed happily. He seemed fine with the idea of being relied on.

After the older male left. He spoke with Himiko about them working on a new suit design that fits him better with Welt. She seemed to agree eager to dress him up in different styles. He looked at the time and noticed it was close to his shift so he made his way back to the library. He quickly clocked in for work greeting his coworkers who just got off. He was working the front desk today.

When he arrived to the front desk he was an unhappy Stelle standing at the front desk with her friend Gepard from one of her classes. "Why didn't you tell anyone that you brought an injured super hero home last night? Then you chose not to tell any of us? I only found out because Gepard had seen you with Spider-Man in an alleyway while he was picking something up for his sister." They asked crossing their arms.

"Because you and the other over protective members of our group would scold me. He was injured and I couldn't just leave him to bleed out." (Name) said quietly looking away. "Of course we would." They said with a blank look. He was treating it like it wasn't a big deal.

"That's extremely dangerous (Name). Is that why you've been feeling like someone has been following you? If so you should've told me earlier. What if you became a target." Dan Heng stated as if he had no clue. (Name)'s eyes widened and Gepard had jumped being startled by the dark haired male. The shorter male looked down defeated he definitely didn't want Dan Heng knowing.

"I know but the hero had saved both March and Caelus before. He's not a bad person. Anyways what's done is done. Even if I could go back amd change it I wouldn't. Doesn't matter how angry you all are at me. I gotta clock off." (Name) said quickly getting up.

Stelle and Dan Heng exchanged looks. They gave a nod to the other. Gepard looked confused as if the two had a whole conversation without exchanging any words. "I'll leave it to you then. You better bring him home with you tonight so he's not at risk. Caelus will also be informed." They said turning to leave. They both knew he'd handle it. Seems he wasn't as careful as he thought to not be seen.

(Name) returned holding his head low. He refused to look at Dan Heng. "I don't wanna talk about it." He muttered pulling out one of his text books. He looked defeated. Dan Heng wouldn't admit it but he felt hurt when the other refused to look at him.

"I won't scold you anymore but please be more careful in the future. If Spider-Man puts you in danger I have no clue what I'd do if you got hurt. While it's great you helped him take better care of your own safety ok?" Dan Heng said with a sign. He started scanning books that were recently returned.

"I will thanks Dan Heng." (Name) muttered. Some of the taller male's words had made his heart stutter. It was going to be ok. "Hey Dan Heng would you mind spending the night? I'm honestly paranoid about being alone. Having you with me will put my mind at ease." Though his voice was quiet Dan Heng heard every word perfectly.

Dan Heng smiled thinking about how much he was trusted. He was entering things into the library's data base. "Only if you agree to stop avoiding looking at me." He answered. He glanced at the chair (Name) were sitting in to see his (eye color) eyes looking up at him. His face becoming red as they met the other's ocean blue colored eyes. "I promise I'll stop." He muttered going back to studying.

Dan Heng thought he was cute when he was all pouty like that. He was going to skip his vigilante duties for just one night. It wouldn't hurt anything right? He hoped but his moral obligation was guiltiling him from the inside. He would just go out while the other slept. Couldn't hurt right?

[renzieluvsvt]

start of something new

pairing: jeonghan x fem!reader

genre: angst (at the end of jeonghan), fluff

summary: an act of your past bully in the present day touches your heart. who knew the reason why he bullied you during your school years was simply because you had hurt his ego by making him fall for you during the middle school.

a/n: college!au, jeonghan is an arrogant rich ass whereas the reader is from the middle class which is why the "ego" has been mentioned

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it was your second day of your menstruation cycle. you just came for the class in your uni, ignoring the cramps you had. you thought you were strong enough to bear the mild cramps but who knew it would get worst once you reached your uni. you decided to remain for the classes as you only had three classes but you regretted choosing to wear a short shirt over jeans which just ended over your waistline. everything pissed you off.

after the third class ended, wen and yuki, your two best friends, left the class before you as you had some work and they had their fourth class. they insisted on waiting for you and to drop you till the gate knowing how unwell you were but you knew you would take longer time than usual to pack your stuff. "y/n" as you were the last one to walk out of the class it took you by surprise when someone called out for you.

you turned to see the owner of the voice and you were met with the eyes of a familiar person. you didn't like him at all. yuck. why? simply because he was yoon jeonghan. your middle school bully. he never changed even after that. you didnt understand why. once when you asked him the reason, he just flicked your forehead and said "because you are y/n" what? so basically according to him, it was a sin for you to be you? like wow. but what you didnt know about was how he had a tiny crush on you since the middle school! he liked you since the day he saw you in a pretty lavender frock with two ponytails on some school ocassion. your middle school self who was too busy being embarrassed, didn't know that you had a batchmate of yours fall for you. but jeonghan wasnt less. he couldnt believe that his 'rich superior self' could fall for anyone especially someone like you for such a mere thing like two ponytails and a lavender frock. 'what could be so likeable about it?' he asked himself and turned to look at you again but he felt his heart skip a beat when he saw you giggling with your friends. he was sure he fell for you. he knew you were a threat to his little ego that was why he bothered you even in the high school by keeping your diary where you had mentioned about your crush on joshua, the new exchange student. he blackmailed you and made you do all of his homework and projects. you did like him too in the starting of the middle school but all of his merciless acts and attitude helped you to overcome this feeling. his tomenting continued until one day.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

"oi y/n" you knew this voice brought you trouble. you avoided him intentionally and walk passed in the corridor.

"ayy josh~ how have you been?" it stopped you on your feet. "you know josh i had this tea about someo-"

"jeonghan!!" you ran to him and stepped on his foot intentionally when you decreased your speed. "ouch fuc-" "jeonghan, i finally found the material to help you with the project lets go. hi josh" after that you pulled him to your class. you hit him on his shoulder and asked him whats wrong with him suddenly. "you know it well that i have two projects due so i wa-" you cut him off, "so i wasnt wrong about you needing help in the projects." "yes y/n, so please do the needful. i will send you the details later" he was just about to open the door and leave when you held onto his arm desperately. too desperately. "what the hell do you wa-" he turned all frustrated but when he realised how closed you were to him he couldnt continue his sentence. you held on to his arm too tightly that he could feel your breast. you were too oblivious because all you wanted was to free yourself from the double work. "jeonghan please i have my work to do too. i have two projects too. how do you expect me to complete four projects by tomorrow morning?" you speak out in a soft tone to get his pity. but he didn't listen to any of your words properly because he was too flushed out with the distance between you two. seeing you on your toes while holding onto his arms tightly and begging him did something to him. he was sure that he turned all red but wasnt sure if you saw that. reality clicked and he swayed your hands away from his arm. "shutupjustdowhatwastold" he spoke rapidly then rushed out of the class. you couldn't understand what made him speak like that but all you knew was you had to buy alot of caffeine for tonight.

(the next day)

you went to the school with an extreme headache. you knew that it was all because of the caffeine you consumed when you pulled an all nighter last night to complete four projects. you went to the school because you had to submit your projects. the teacher was too cruel for not letting you submit your project through your friends.

"ayy y/n" said jeonghan, "are you done with my project?" you handed over his projects. he called you in the class during the break, when there was no one so that he couldnt be caught. "what is wrong with the fonts? such a poor taste" "shut up" you tried to fight back. "i guess i should really consider again whether to make you do my work..." he ranted on his own while everything started to be vague to you. and then you blacked out.

"y/n!" he caught you. jeonghan panicked. "oi y/n" he then carried you down to the medical room. "what is wrong with y/n?" asked the teacher. "she just blacked out" "please lay her down on the bed" requested the teacher before she left. as he was laying you down on the bed, his chain got stuck on your sweater lessening the distance between you two. he looked at you and got too flushed out again. he found you too pretty even with your eyes shut. he then speedily detached his chain from your sweater and sat on a nearby bench. the teacher entered the medical room. as jeonghan watched the teacher treat you, guilt rushed over him. he knew it was all because of him ordering you around to complete his projects. he knew you must have not slept a single bit. he couldn't even face your sleeping figure. "i'll be back teacher" said jeonghan and went out of the room.

after you gained consciousness, the teacher greeted you with a smile. "hi y/n how are you feeling now?" "better" you tried to lift yourself when you felt a hand stopping you on your shoulder. "just lay down y/n" it was jeonghan. "your boyfriend must be really worried about you miss" you grossed out at the idea. as you were about to defend yourself he cut you off by agreeing. "yes teacher i couldnt help but care for her" he said while he caressed your head. you gave out a shocked expression to him and the teacher. "i'll leave the both of you alone then", the teacher giggled and left.

"what the fuck jeonghan!? my boyfriend? really? you really had to agree with her?" you spoke out angrily. "why? would you have loved it if it was josh and not me?" he asked. "yes ofcourse!" you answered too soon for his liking. it hurt him somehow. "anyways that's not important. i would like to apologise and thank you for everything you have done till day. be happy that im leaving you free now" he said as he handed you over your diary. "what really!?" you sit on the bed all excited. "yes" he agreed. "now take care" he left soon after he spoke those words. "eh? what's wrong with him now" you asked yourself. you didn't understand how he became so merciful but all you knew was that you were free from all the double works now.

jeonghan avoided you since that day. you simply didn't care though and that hurt jeonghan more. even after the high school ended, jeonghan couldn't get you off his mind. maybe he truly loved spending time with you no matter how it was spent or maybe he just loved you for real. maybe yes it was love or else it wouldnt have been too hard for him to move on. even though he dated many to distract himself from you yet your memories with him always had a place in his heart. he still wished for you to be his but he knew you didn't see him the same way.

he saw you date joshua. he saw you breaking up with him. he saw you all heartbroken. all of this broke him too because he knew you deserved better. because he knew he could treat you better. alot better than anyone. he knew that he could love you better than anyone else. he knew how loved he could make you feel yet you were a blind eye to him and his feelings.

when the first year of uni started, he felt mixed emotions to see you in the same class. you saw him too but never approached him because you didn't like him for the times he troubled you. also you felt it would be awkward between you two. jeonghan's heart ached even more on realising it.

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(present day)

jeonghan took a step closer to you and took you into the empty class by your wrist which got you confused and quite pissed as it gave you a deja vu. you looked at him with mixed emotions of confusion and agitation. he suddenly then removed his shirt and wrapped it around your waist. it caught you off guard. "jeong-" "there's a stain" he cut you off. it didnt take you time to realise what he was talking about. "ah-" you were too embarrased. "um thank you so much" you thanked him. "nevermind, forget about it" he said to ease you. you realised he wasnt that jerk anymore who would laugh on the situation or on your embarrassed face. his act touched your heart.

"how have you been tho?" you asked him. "ow me? im all fine. how about you tho? its been years i havent spoken to you" he replied. he couldn't believe it that he was finally facing you. he realised that you were even more prettier now. "im obviously not fine right now but thanks to you once again for today. i see that you arent the same old jeonghan now" you said while hitting him on his shoulders in a teasing manner.

"if you really are thankful then treat me with a cup of coffee" he said with that sly smirk of his. 'okay he isnt that changed' you thought to yourself. but something inside you felt glad to talk to someone you knew way back before. someone you liked as a kid. "are you asking me out?" you teased back. he got all red. you saw it this time. "oh- you really are asking me out?" you asked him again in disbelief. "yes" jeonghan said. you didnt mind it and you knew this was a start of something new. "okay then" you said.

[kiiamn]

The innocence of pies

It was wrong. All wrong.

I sat at the end of the table, and looked at the end of this years thanksgiving feast.

We were having apple pie and ice cream, and my aunt was getting a knife to slice it up, for everyone to… enjoy.

…

My aunt found the knives. calm down, calm down

…

She returned. im not calming down

…

She's about to slice into the–

"No!" The words slipped out if my mouth. The screams of my mind unable to be contained. And… and everyone was looking at me now.

"We… shouldnt cut open the pie," I said. Everyone was looking at me blankly. My heart was pounding but I couldnt stop now.

So I spoke, each sentence becoming more desperate than the next.

"We shouldnt cut it open! We shouldnt– distribute its pieces among the family! And most of all, we shouldnt consume its flesh, because why should we‽"

Then I screamed.

"The pie. is. Guiltless! Without guilt! It has never hurt its fellow man, it has always been fair in its dealings!"

I turned. Slowly. Making eye contact with everyone. People Id thought to call family.

"The pie was a better man than any of you were." I spat.

They were looking away now, save my father, trembling in anger, and trying to bore a hole though my head with his glare.

No.

I slammed my fist on the table, thankfully misssing the cultry. He flinched.

"The pie is innocent! You cannot do this and call yourself good men," I sneered.

But I was loosing them, more defiant faces than not. They didn't care about the… the heinous nature of this act.

This isnt working. I should leave. I'm too emotional right now. They hate me. I should leave, I should–

I took a deep breath, and got up.

Im going to leave

Before I left, I said one last thing. Repeating myself, yes, but it beared repeating.

"The pie has done nothing wrong. You all know this. And yet you will consume its flesh." I said. "But I suppose thats all I can hope for, for you to acknowledge that, well,"

I took another breath.

"that the sin of pie, is zero."

[stovetoast]

a year ago today, kirby and the forgotten land released worldwide. i didnt have energy for a full drawing, so i wrote a little something under the cut to celebrate.

it feels strange. i still remember all of those months of waiting. theorizing. hoping. discussing. watching failboats reactions over and over. the day it was leaked, i typed KIRBYDISCOVERY into my calculator because i couldnt calm myself down from the news. its all so vivid, as if it happened yesterday, but... no. the game's been out for a year. to say that leaves a smile on my face.

the smile on my face is one of fondness. its been out for a year, and im growing along with it. i was 15, now i turn 17 in almost exactly 3 months. welcome to the new world was new to me, now i know how to pronounce most of the fake lyrics because of how much ive listened to it. i had short hair, now its down to my shoulders. people were unsure about elfilin, now theyre a beloved part of the franchise. i have a kirby hoodie now, my childhood dream. i can stand up for myself more. im growing. forgotten land won best family game of 2022. the start of a new world. the franchise is growing, and ive never been happier with my choice to live for it.

im not exaggerating when i say kirby and the forgotten land is what kept me alive in the months before its release. i was hurting, so badly, but i couldnt die. i didnt want to die. the idea of missing such an important addition to my favorite series, a milestone, a new start... it was torture. i had to keep going. and i still press on, even after i got my final waddle dee. i still press on, because why choose to live for something at all if youre going to take it back when the rest of the world seems to have moved on? i didnt. and i dont think i ever will.

every second of this game is an experience. every waddle dee you save, every note that plays, every hit you squeeze in on a boss. is it a perfect game? no, but it never had to be. i dont want it to be. i dont want a patch. i dont want an update. i dont want dlc. i dont want perfection. i want my unbridled love for this game to be questioned, because whats more human than finding beauty in mistakes? whats the point of singing karaoke with your friends if everyone hits every note? whats the point of skin if every mark is covered? whats the point of a funny exploit if its patched out? i still teach my friends the hammer jump glitch, because why should something like that stay hidden when its brought people joy?

forgotten land, its reception, its story, and the people who were so enthralled by its beauty that they stuck around... it captures the human experience better than any other installment in the franchise. the ties to the lore. the fake language. the music. the world. the way the waddle dees found the resources to build a town and start fresh. the way it was previously left behind, not out of malice, but out of curiosity. in japan, this game is known as kirby of the stars: discovery. the people who made interdimensional travel possible in-universe worked at a place called lab discovera. youre encouraged to explore, to find, to search.

this game is about discovering something new, whether it be something as grand as a reason to live, or as small as a rare stone hidden around the town. thats what life is all about too, isnt it?

yet most that care enough have already reached 100% completion, including me. people arent tagging spoilers anymore. everyone knows who fecto elfilis is. theres no anticipation for why it has a fear warning. its meant to be experienced as if it were new, but... its not anymore. maybe thats why my smile isnt as big as it should be. my mind wants to move on with the rest of the crowd, but i dont want to. i never want to.

i dont know how to close this in a clean way, mostly because i dont want to close it at all. theres so much more i want to say but if i did id be here for hours, so... ill leave you with this: if youre still reading by this point, thank you. if you played this game, thank you. if you voted for it in the game awards, thank you. if you suggested it to a friend, thank you. thank you. thank you. i have never held a game this close to my heart, at least not enough to wrote about it in this way. im overjoyed that hal labs loves their games in the way they do, and hope that they continue to stay this passionate for years to come. do they know we can feel their love? do they know how much theyve done for me? for us? maybe, maybe not.

to anyone involved in forgotten land... thank you. you made me feel human again, even if only for a week, and thats a sort of debt i will never be able to repay.

[specialmouse]

I know you just posted paragraphs but do you have more tidbits about your OCs?

I do ofc ofc.. i'll give you everything i know..

davyne and opal arent all that fleshed out tbh like idk their backstories or anything. The script is about davyne realizing no one is watching her sets anymore so she puts blood capsules in her mouth before performing and pretends to cough up blood during dont let me be misunderstood by nina simone. Davyne pretends shes dying and opal posts the video to tiktok and it goes (relatively) viral (idk if tiktok would actually allow something they thought was real blood up there but idk and idk if this would even go viral LMAO), and the next gig she has the bar is completely packed and people are filming. Then davyne does a dramatic monologue, puts two blood capsules between her teeth and bites them then spits into the crowd, and starts lipsyncing to maybe this time LMAO it’s very heavyhanded. I titled it hard pill

The script with maryam and chunxiu are from is called venture. Chunxiu is 36, mixed as fuck because it’s 200 years later but his mom values her chinese heritage so she named him that. He was born on a wealthy space station and had access to the best education. He’s quite conceited and completely unaware of it; he thinks he earned his degree because he was smart, and he is, but it’s mostly because he was rich and had connections. Maryam is from Lebanon, which technically doesn’t exist anymore but the people there carry the name on (is lebanon an exonym? I couldnt really find an answer in the brief search i just did). They are one of the recipients of the rimco intergalactic scholar awards, which is where they take up 100 kids from earth each year based on their “academic promise”; it’s really a pr thing, because no one goes to school anymore. Maryam has been in space for 9 years when the script starts.

basically they go to a planet that's made just of a gelatinous clear ocean and a beach made of glass shards, with volcanoes on the seabed. it's like, literally nothing. it's supposed to be a one and done mission, in and out. chunxiu at this point has been to 30 planets to scout for a lack of life and he's getting angry at all of this; he's a biologist, he has a phd, he's meant for more than scanning things and finding nothing! he had actually found something a few years prior, several species of cyanobacteria, and it meant he had found alien life in the universe; then rimco had the laws changed as to what constituted life and it meant that he actually hadn't. so he's incredibly salty about that. anyway chunxiu and maryam have a discussion that reveals their disparate backgrounds and it goes into the ravaging of earth that the corporations have left behind, highlighting chunxiu's (and by extension anyone rich enough to life in space's) ignorance to what the corporations are up to, and have done in the past. they go to sleep, wake up, and it cuts to the pilot sent to retrieve them doing "peer review" (lazily doing their job again)-- and out in the ocean they see this blob creature with eyes like the moon that orbits the planet, and they're like HOLY SHIT LOOK LOOK WHAT IS THAT and the pilot kills it immediately. and theyre like WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU and hes like do yall not know protocol..? oh wait i forgot they dont tell the techies shit. and walks away and theyre left there to be like ohhhh fuck. even if we find it they're killing it and we're not even important enough for them to tell us anything. and that's where it ends but i imagine they'd go on to start a revolution or something idk. havent gotten there yet

sooo about the harrisons... i named cash after cash bundren from as i lay dying by faulkner, silas and celeste were from my great-great grandparents and i named andy that because he wants to go by andrew to seem more manly but everyone still calls him andy. i might change his name to laurie/laurence for the same effect. andy is older than cash but cash was always the more masculine one, he was a massive bully but handsome enough and he got more girls and more attention than andy ever did, who was more sensitive and shy.

andy moved out of the town when he was 23 to new york to become a writer (this was in the late seventies, mind) and while he was able to find work as a journalist, he never really became a published author, and wasn't of much acclaim either. celeste was one of the prettiest girls in town growing up but she didn't have much aspiration. everyone in the town was poor but celeste was even poorer. she married cash when she was 18 and cash was 24; andy was 27 at this point. they had a series of miscarriages for five years straight until they had silas. cash had become a cadet in that time and was working his way up the police force. as soon as silas was born, cash's anger turned into abuse; physical abuse as well as alcohol. andy only came home to go to their great-aunt's funeral (used it as an excuse to get out of doing a pop culture piece he found distasteful; i'll figure out what it would be in 1989 with some google searches, idk). in 1997 cash shoots himself in the head in their garage after a drunken bender, but not before penning a three page letter to andy. the content of the letter is nonsense, blaming everyone in his life for his struggles, saying they (celeste, his coworkers, silas, the child celeste is pregnant with (that's not actually his), the dogs) are of the devil, saying he's fighting against children of satan, etc. andy, who is now in his 40s, hasn't had a major relationship in 10 years and is rather worse for wear. he receives the letter, and uses it as an excuse to visit celeste, who is now widowed. he doesn't see this as him taking his husband's widow, but rather him saving her from a life of single motherhood. the script is celeste and andy talking to each other and it becoming increasingly clear what andy's motives are. the conversation gets more and more tense as his not-so-pure intentions are laid bare to the grieving, over-worked celeste, and she throws him out. as andy drives away, he sees a kid beating up another child in the front lawn of the neighbor's. the kid leaves the other on the ground and makes eye contact with andy as he's come to a stop. it is clear (through dialogue from earlier in the script) that this is silas, and that his father's ways have already been instilled in him. end of script!

[fictionfixations]

twst spoilers (im looking through this through the lens of twisted wonderland)

I have a bunch of movie DVDs so I’m watching them.

watched part of the little mermaid (i ended up stopping cause the rest of the audio after the deal was just gone and there were more and more frame freezes and cuts)

and then aladdin

Anyway since I’m on a twisted wonderland fixation I wanted to watch the movies I had. So I’m going through little mermaid. I don’t think I have the second

..there’s one at 80 mins. It says disc 1. The other is titled ‘Ariel’s beginning’ idk the difference??? apparently ariel's beginning is the third movie, and a prequel. i didnt get around to watching it cause at this point im tired)

Guppy is an insult (i swear ive heard floyd call someone a guppy but im not sure where)

THE TWEELS EYESSS (and the white glowed yellow???? Or is that an artistic choice??? i have no idea what they did because i couldnt hear them and i didnt figure out how to turn on subtitles or rewind )

I love the yellow fish so much (hes just explaining it while lacking so many details you cant really follow)

Triton a shit father???? No I hate the crab (hes. kind of a bad influence.)

Ariel can. Be out of water with her tail? And speak? And

breathe???????? huh!?

SHES ON SAND AND ISNT DRYING OUT??? (so her only problem with it is that shes not human. and thinks he'll only get with her if she's human. it feels kind of dumb but i guess it kind of isnt if they have this huge thing against merpeople but they dont even know they exist? although there could be negative consequences ofc if they did find out but i really dont think ariel's aware of that. or if she is, then whyd she go so close if she knows they could be a danger??? ???

..i mean. its better than signing away your best magic for TEST answers. and then working for the lounge for the rest of your years at school??? with probably no pay. like. seriously?? people just accept things?? i mean i know nrc wouldnt accept kindness. but. ..apparently accept azuls deals without reading...)

'Beautiful girl singing.' (or it was beautiful singing voice) (What if she was a siren???? like cmonn) I couldn’t hear what happened to Ursula that left her away from the others ngl

...Tritons really the kind of dad to destroy Ariel’s stuff when she reveals she’s in love with a human. Okay yeah I don’t take back my thought of him being a bad dad

Well it’s human stuff but srsly???

THE FAN TURNED ON (curse non-soundproof walls) DURING MEETING URSULA ('poor unfortunate soulsss') IM CRYING NOOOOO (i didnt know how to turn on subtitles. i only figured it partway around watching aladdin :( )

I can’t hear the deal :(

Weird that Ariel still got married (and had like the foundation thing that helps merpeople get used to land??? i forgot what it was but it was because a princess in like the sunshine lands blah blah blah) Meanwhile Ursula is just. Admired fo being so kind. Do they not know??? then again they do admire jafar while he also still lost. ..i mean the stories twisted ig so we cant really know what happened. if it followed the movie or if something else happened. In twst* Sound disappeared. I think it’s the movie dvd cause there are weird cuts

im. gonna end it there because otherwise im not gonna understand a thing

aladdin go brr

The frame froze on jafar closing the parrots mouth 😭

I FOUND WHERE THE SUBTITLES ARE oh my god were the crackers a reference (in the game kalim kept shoving crackers in grims mouth and i was just so confused???) I just wanna give the tiger a hug (i dont remember what gender but so so cute when turned into smol bby)

I can’t really blame animal sidekicks that cause an issue in stuff (and kind of annoying) since I got attached to grim and I hated him for the longest time lol (anyway abu ended up helping out by stealing the lamp anyway when before there liekly wouldnt have been a chance. so. good on him)

Jafar just keeps calling him Abooboo throughout the movie. …i cant take it seriously its the funniest thing ever

Why is jasmine surprised (or at least look surprised) she could’ve just assumed jafar was mistaken since Aladdin said he went in disguise and stuff to hide why he was there????

Who the hell would believe jafar’s word? The sultan. But jasmine hates jafar!

Jafar only wanted to be with jasmine to get power??? So why does he want her now? I refuse to believe he’s in love ew

EWWWW THEY KISSED (well she did it to distract him while aladdin was making his way on the plan to stop jafar. but EWW it didnt even work because he saw aladdin's reflection in the crown!)

So gross HOW OLD IS HE!?

So glad jamil wasn’t like that but also it’s not a romance game thank fuck

'Still just second best’ OUCH thats rough hearing that insult

and its deserved. but also knowing jamils backstory makes it ow, although jamil never really. went as far. ....like. nobody actually dies. theres no attempt at killing someone excluding overblot actions and actions pre-blot BECAUSE its on the way about to overblot that what you normally wouldn't do you kind of do, and i really doubt you can be blamed for that when it kind of just. removes your morals, sort of? lowers your inhibitions. but like. makes what caused it so much more intense so then you break and boom overblot

something like that.

[frozenflmes]

I keep mistaking your icon for an Alolan Ninetails. — @hexoskeleton-anonymous

nope! thats my beartic, choochoo ^v^

but u bringing up alolan ninetales reminds me of a thing thats been going on 4 a while, n that were only starting 2 figure out how 2 fix it. ill give u a quick summary, but u can also see all the posts abt it ive made by going into the ninetales saga tag.

warning under the cut 4 evil teams, pokémon abuse, n... brainwashing? ig? uh also some crime stuff like pokémon theft n trafficking. if the stuff team rocket or team cipher does is 2 much 4 u, u should back out now.

it all started (4 me anyway) when a bag was left on the door of the icirrus gym w a pokéball n a note in it. the note was anonymous, n just said that the person who wrote it couldnt take care of this "alolan ninetales" anymore.

it wasnt actually an alolan ninetales. it was a shiny kantonian one. n i noticed rite away that smth was wrong w her. basically the only thing she was doing wo instruction was breathing, n w instruction she was too compliant. i kno what well behaved looks like bc i have lace. this wasnt just "well behaved." im not going 2 get into the details of her behavior, but u can probably guess.

i wasnt the only one who got a pokémon like that. some other ppl including @pkmnsciencej, @iheartnimbassacity, and @caoimhe-from-hoenn got pokémon like that 2.

caoimhe was p notable bc up until they got theirs we all thought this was just some kind of horrible shiny mill doing this. but then caoimhe was part of a raid on a warehouse used 4 pokémon trafficking n along w rescuing some pokémon they also found out that this was tied 2 smth called "glimmer," which we found out later was a crime group called team glimmer. theres some details abt them but the short version is theyre terrible ppl n kinda like if team rocket had team flares ideas abt beauty.

fast forward n were trying 2 figure out what exactly happened. we get the word "perfected" with some help from @ask-spamton-gpory-spamgon, which is kinda creepy but also the best name we have 4 these pokémon atm. n the people on the science end start trying 2 work out what happened physically.

then dave gets attacked by some team glimmer grunts n they steal his rotom, quincy. she comes back a few days later, but glimmer "perfects" her before that happens. which is obvs not good n it also tells us that this is smth that can be done 2 adult pokémon n theyre not just fucking w eggs.

one person brings up shadow pokémon, n i figure its as good a lead as any n ask if theres anyone who knos abt them who can help. 4 some reason @ariadosanon comes on my post n i dont like her 4 obvious reasons but she also does kno stuff abt shadow pokémon so there was a short talk. n she says these arent shadow pokémon n their hearts arent closed, but smth else mite b.

oh yea n ren @eartheats managed 2 find a way 2 start breaking the conditioning w getting them 2 pick favorites n stuff ^v^

[nagdabbit]

we collide with shoulder and steel: chapter 2/25

rating: m, to be safe. intentionally dehumanizing language

words: 2k

also on ao3

i couldnt wait to share, have it early cuz im stuck in a zoom call

It was strange how big things looked from below. An unclimbable tree looked monstrous and intimidating, until it found itself felled by lightning. A father towered above his child, until aged felled him, too. Standing in the valley below, ankle deep in ash, a stone manor on a once-verdant ledge looked like some great castle sitting atop a mountain's peak. 

It had looked far grander before he'd grown enough to make the climb and see it all for what it was.

The mountain was so much smaller than he'd once imagined—even it, past the ruins and the rubble, it continued on higher into the sky than he'd ever been able to see from his vantage point. When he’d been a kid, the ruins far above had looked daunting and unreachable, stretching so far into the sky that he thought he might’ve been able to touch the stars if he stood atop them. It had been a tower of dark, crumbling rock, holding aloft the ruins of a once-grand castle and the cursed king within who would one day heal what magic had broken.

But his world had been small, then. He hadn’t peeked around the mountain to spy the rest of the range looming to the north, stretching on into the distance, let alone thought much of the size of the world beyond the village. But as his surroundings began to dwindle, as homes emptied and fields grew barren, the great bulk of the world began to creep in. Cities and towns and people in the far distance, with wheat in their fields and fruit in their stores, who had no fear of the creeping death that poisoned the land. They didn't have the ash and illness, they had food and water. Miles and miles beyond where he had the strength to walk, the grass was sweet and the rivers ran cool and clear. There were people and crowded streets and busy roads, farmers and traders and everyone in between.

He'd been raised in the dregs of a village, nothing much more than a smear of houses left in the middle of a desolate waste. One last generation to slowly die, with ash in their lungs.

The mountain wasn’t as tall as he’d once feared.

Up close, what had been a castle looked to be nothing much more than a once-grand house, slowly crumbling away. The home of a viscount or baron, not a king. Grand enough for barracks and a chapel, but no true curtain wall beyond a few scattered stones and the rough mountain climb. Grand, but not grand enough for the power so many husband hunters had gone looking for. 

The ruins were so much less frightening than he’d always imagined them to be. Cold and lonely, rather than ominous and foreboding. The high stone gatehouse was slowly collapsing, the thick, decaying stones flecked with moss and lichen that had dried out and died long, long ago.

It looked like a corpse, forgotten and rotted into bone. There was nothing much left to even be afraid of.

Nothing moved as he stepped carefully through the stone arch, not like in the stories. The path didn’t close up behind him, no thorns or vines slithered around at his back. There was no inky darkness, no oppressive shroud of fog, no shadows tracking his every step. Just a scrubby glade and disintegrating house, beneath a clear, evening sky. It was, if anything, peaceful.

In front of him, some forty meters up the uneven stone path, the ruins loomed tall. He could see fresh patchwork on places, wooden slats patched over holes in the roof, some attempts at clearing away rubble and debris. The great, wooden door, still flecked with ancient slivers of dark, red paint, bore deep scratches and cuts. From far away, it looked like claw marks. He could see a flicker of light through one of the cracked windows, like a candle dying in the distance.

He took a few steps across the courtyard. And when no great, hulking monster jumped out to accost him, he took a few more. 

Coming up the steep, crumbling road, he’d been able to pick out the steward’s house and barracks where they sat upon the mountain ledge. They had once connected to the gatehouse, a makeshift wall to keep intruders at bay, but he could only see a pile of stones and rotted, silvery wood left. If time didn’t erase what was left of them, the ledge beneath them would fall away one day soon. Past the gate, he found the remnants of a smithy, not much more than a pile of rust and coal. Stables that had nearly collapsed, a chapel that had been repaired in recent years, a well that had likely run dry. The courtyard was wide, littered with the detritus of a past life. He could almost imagine the bustle of people, the sounds of animals, the scent of baked bread wafting from the kitchens. 

Age-old grass, brittle and dry, crackled away beneath his feet.

He had made it most of the way to the door, eyes scanning the wide, quiet glade, when something most unexpected caught his eye. Something he hadn’t seen in those parts in almost his entire life. Green. 

Everything atop the mountain had been drained of life, yet the garden flourished. 

He stumbled forward, letting his pack drop to the ground, too drawn by the sight to bother remembering his reasons for even making the climb. He spied more than greenery, more than just the soft grasses and sweet clover. Bursts of color in a verdant sea. 

The deep, liquid burgundy of roses, bushes overgrown and unkempt. The bright, jammy gold of apricots, weighing down the thin branches of a young tree, barely taller than himself. He caught the creamy scent of honeysuckle, spied the red of wild raspberries, the brilliant blue cornflowers, dainty purple musk mallow, great bushes covered with wide puffs of elderflowers. 

Beds that once held lilies and tulips, were overgrown with fragrant herbs and hearty greens. Purslane and dock, spinach, rocket and nodding onion. He spied sumac and gooseberries, even a trove of morels that made his mouth water.

The garden wasn't simply overgrown, it was bursting forth with treasures he had always thought long-dead, things he and the other children had hunted in the dying woods like precious gemstones. Before him stretched a bounty, a feast of greenery he had only read about in books and tall tales. 

What a cruel thing to find so close within reach, when he'd been born half-starved. 

He wasn't given much time to gawk at the display. A snap of a twig behind him, the heat of breath on his neck, the scrape of talons between his shoulder blades. Between one second and the next, he found himself thrown backward, skidding across the dry grass.

Dust coated his lungs as he sucked in a breath, trying to right himself. He heard a strange voice, demanding something from him in a low growl. A voice thick and slow, like speaking through a mouthful of too many teeth, and rough from disuse. 

He wheezed another coughing breath, and finally set his gaze upon the monster.

The eyes caught him first. A human shade of blue, the cold slate of a clouded sky, beset with strange, goat-like pupils. They were set into an almost human face—if not for the long, caprine nose and too-wide mouth. Ram's horns, four of them curling and pointing into different directions, emerged from its bulking, furred head. Almost human arms and shoulders, save for the breadth of them, save for the fur. 

Long, bear-like claws sprouted from the ends of its fingers, like daggers. He could feel blood welling from the thin cuts on his back.

It was a ramshackle beast, thrown together by a haphazard hand.

It stepped forward on cloven hooves, looming and dangerous, legs clad in the tattered remains of breeches, like it was trying to cling to the last shreds of humanity. Its lip lifted in a snarl, revealing a row of sharp, wolven teeth. "Who are you?" it demanded again, heat and smoke and fire beginning to curl from its nostrils.

He snarled back and scrambled to his feet. Don't back down, you don't need to run, that's what some of the survivors said. The few who hadn't gone with swords or fire or machinations of grandeur. It wouldn't matter even if you did. "Who are you?"

A grimace of a smirk squirmed across a wade, feline mouth. "This place is mine," it ground out, bending low to press its face close. "You're trespassing. I'll ask you one more time before I throw you back down the mountain. Who are you?"

He glared up into the thing's face, refusing to shrink back or shiver beneath the strange gaze. "My name is Daniel."

"And what are you doing here, little Daniel?" The goat-like face leaned in even closer, breath hot and sour. Tense and ready to pounce, ready to pin Danny down in the bed of cool clover, rip him open and bleed him dry. Goats shouldn't have claws, shouldn't have wolf-sharp teeth, shouldn't breathe smoke and flame. "Come monster hunting? Need a pelt for your bounty?"

He fought down the bile threatening to rise up his throat, the roiling fear and disgust in his belly. He shoved closer, like it was some common street fight. Like he had Jericho and his men at his back, like he had the firepower to back up his bravado. "I'm not here for you."

"No? You don't want to be king? You don't want wealth and power?" 

"No king ever lived here," he scoffed, casting his gaze away from the monster and across the ruins. "A baron at best, and clearly not one with enough connections to make the effort worth much at all."

He expected a snarl of offense, or a nasty laugh. Anything more than a head tilt and the narrowing of those uncanny blue eyes. "Not some hopeful curse breaker?"

"I don't give two entire shits about you or this fuckin' curse," he snapped, brushing himself off, trying to brush the revulsion and discomfort off along with the dust and dirt. What good was a part if he couldn't even play it? "I'm looking for answers."

That uncanny face looked more curious than deadly, and Danny didn't know whether that was a comfort or not. "What's the question?"

"What happened to them?" he lied, hoping his indignation might cover any of his tells. He pointed back down the mountainside, toward the ghost of where he'd grown up. "Why did they have to die, when you were the one cursed? Why did I come back to a barren ghost town, while you get to feast on true riches?"

The thing's expression shuttered, as much as it was able. Those strange eyes turned away, sharp teeth grinding. "You should leave while there's still some place for you to go," he ground out through a snarl.

Some stories said the thing was vicious and dangerous. No empathy, no conscience, nothing but a bloodthirsty beast, hellbent on killing anything that stumbled upon its burrow. Others called it cold and uncaring, as unmoved as the statues slowly crumbling to pieces in the graveyard of a garden. Others still called it evil and conniving. A beast in the worst sense of the word, playing games with those stupid enough to step foot up the mountain, menacing and hungry.

But it had demanded Daniel's name, discouraged him from staying, and left him only with a few scratches and bruises. Maybe it was nothing like the stories, maybe it was a bit of all of them. 

"Just because I can go, doesn't mean there's somewhere for me." 

"Well, there's certainly nothing for you here." The thing turned away, stomping back through the overgrowth, briars and thorns catching in its fur. Bear like claws, cloven hooves, the rough, silvery fur of a badger down its back. A horrible, monstrous thing to behold, as it stepped delicately through the clover.

He wanted to run, the task ahead almost too heavy to bear, but he followed along instead. "I'm not leaving, not until I know what happened."

"They died," it called out, not bothering to look back. "Leave, before you do the same."

[bridgyrose]

and au wehre cinder find the summer maidne but cant do any thing cause she a baby

Cinder sighed as she made her way through the dark streets of Vacuo and pulled her hood over her head. After her failure at Haven, she figured preparing for Salem’s arrival at Vacuo would be her best plan. After all, if everything went well, she’d be able to get the summer maiden powers as well before Salem’s arrival and everything would be in place for Vacuo to fall just like Beacon. 

A grin crossed her lips as she made it to the building rumored to house a child with powers that people couldnt explain. Fires starting on a whim, wind swirling around rooms and ice pelting the inside walls… all of it a sign that a maiden was nearby. Cinder slowly opened up the door, keeping in the shadows as night fell across the city. She crept up the stairs, her grimm clawed fingers scraped across the wall with each step she took. She slowly opened the door and paused when she looked through the room. “This… this has to be a joke.” 

The walls were a dull pink in the candle lit room, a crib sat in the middle of the room. Toys littered the damp floor and the wall paper seemed to be tearing off the wall as shards of ice slowly melted. The room was nearly trashed and the rumored maiden she was after nothing but a child. 

Cinder sighed and walked over to the crib, gently picking up the sleeping child. “Normally I’d steal the powers from someone like you. However…” her voice trailed off as she looked around the room, her stomach sinking as she felt a reminder of her own past come to the front of her mind. “You deserve better than this.” 

With a snap of her fingers, Cinder created a small fireball in her hand and pressed it against the wall of the room. Her eyes lit up as the fire took and started to burn the house. A smile crossed her lips as the flames wrapped around her and the child, her body relaxing as a claw gently ran across the baby’s cheek. 

“And I’ll make sure you’re trained so no one will use you.” 

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months had passed and Cinder had started to worry about whether or not Salem would accept her back. In that time, she had found a group that called themselves “The Crown”, who she had managed to convince to lay low so they wouldnt disrupt any of her plans. She had also taken a liking to the child she had picked up, keeping her close and protected. 

With a heavy sigh, Cinder sat down next to the makeshift bed she made for the child, exhausted. “Salem will be here any day now and I’ll finally be able to take you somewhere else. Somewhere you can live without being used.” 

A knock on the door of the room she had rented from the inn sounded loudly. 

Cinder picked herself up and answered the door, coming face to face with Carmine. “This had better be good.” 

“Oh, I think this will be up your alley.” Carmine pulled out her scroll with a recording of an emergency broadcast. “Sounds like Atlas is falling.” 

Cinder took the scroll and watched the video, a frown crossing her lips as she listened to Ruby talk about Salem in Atlas and how they were in trouble. Once the video cut off, she melted the scroll with her hand and let out a heavy sigh. “Great, just great.” 

“Something the matter?” 

“Just a small change of plans. Let Jax and Gillian know that we’re about ready to move.” 

Carmine nodded and left. 

Cinder sighed and dug her claws into the wooden wall once she was sure Carmine had left. “Atlas wasnt the plan. But if Atlas is falling now, then it’ll be time to prepare Vacuo and the relic.”