#i had a super grand vision for what this piece would look like but it kinda just ended up meh

[jasminebythebay]

thank you for your help 💎

--

By popular demand, this piece is now available as a print! https://jasminebythebay.etsy.com/listing/1707594190

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Damn Kizaru, like VP has a point and you're not acting very cash money right now but that's a cold, cold line I would not be surprised to stumble across in a Kunie Tanaka movie, that's the actor Kizaru's design draws from. I've only seen him apparently have a minor part in Sanjuro which is a great samurai flick but he's a regular in Battles Without Honor or Humanity, that Oda's named as a favorite. I'll have to check those out, especially with how much I'm loving something similar.

1104 was a lot of fun playing with Kuma's arrival. Of course that'd take center stage but it is kinda noteworthy how much it really does. To the point we still don't really see the Straw Hats much. More time for Franky to shine and I'm glad his fans are getting a good arc for him because he doesn't get a lot. There's one big moment for them though that's pretty much the distilled essence of what I care about:

Oh, Luffy just went and vanished now? Okay. That's not suspicious or anything. It's not like stuff like that has been happening more regularly or anything. Definitely totally not the type of thing I've been on about since we were doing subtler versions of it in Wano. What else is there to say? This chapter extends the idea we talked about last time, not quite to the degree of having a Rakugo narrator split us off from the story we were involved in oddly but getting there. Luffy slipped away somehow in the distraction of these big events going on. It was quick but this is what we're watching. Robonosuke is still a factor in this, signs point more and more towards some unknown X factor who had a role in last night we're still playing coy with.

Big picture too, we have another turn that helps tie Wano & Egghead thematically. Saturn breaking down into wanting to crush the entire island. The Buster Call. Specifically because he lost trust in Vegapunk's prior developments. The privileged keep us stuck in the past and dash our visions of a better future if it inconveniences them. That's a great way to incorporate time into the broader themes of One Piece and of course time is a core theme when you go from past land to future island. Ending here:

Just...from an analytical approach. Anyone else think the Buster Call is a little weird to deploy here? Like, it's something we've beaten long ago and the arc already introduced a bigger version of that concept. I can get some logical reasons to excuse the tactical decision to use lesser force. I'm not talking about that necessarily, talking about through the lens of storytelling choices. Why wouldn't the threat be the super weapon?

Well, it could leave you with somewhere to go for one. But it also pulls me back to thinking the Grand Fleet has a role here. Looks like the Navy ships bare minimum have found out how to handle the mecha sea beasts from the looks of it. We also tend to see this shot of Egghead before we step away, who knows what happens next?

[clairecrive]

hi! I just recently found your account and I've been spending all my time reading everything you've written, and I wanted to tell you that I absolutely adore your writing! it's so beautiful.

I also wanted to request a friends to lovers nikolai x reader fic (you don't have to make it friends to lovers if you don't want to!) something along the lines of this: they get seperated after the battle with the darkling at the end of siege and storm and reader has to go with alina but they finally reunite? and everyone is super smug because they knew it would happen.

sorry for such a long ask and no worries if you decide not to do it! I hope you're doing well!!

Fools, pistols blazing and shock

A/n: a promise is a promise and the second most requested fic was Nikolai and angst and so here it is! friends to lovers is not my favorite trope but I enjoyed writing this. I hope you will too x

Thank you so much for your beautiful words btw, they mean the world <3<3

tags: @jupiterandbutterflies , @agentsofsheilds , @for-bebbanburg , @randomoutsiders , @hannaxmaria , @vintagebitc , @story-scribbler , @crowssixof , @odetostep , @lizzie-he4rts , @korol-lantsov , @subjecta13-thefangirl ,@gallysonegoodlung , @a-c-lee , @mriddlemethis , @carnationworld , @thanossexual , @luvxginger , @sanna2020 , @partiesandblurrypolaroids , @edithsvoice , @wafflesandschemingfaces , @snugleo , @sugarmelonwater , @dobwhore, @sassybadqueen , @anything-forourmoony, @snokoi, @imaginingimagines, @vintagebitc_,

SHADOW AND BONE MASTERLIST

"So," he twirled around, "how do I look?" With a theatrical gesture, he stopped in front of you.

You looked at him, head to toe, before saying, "Like a fool I know."

He was imperturbable, by the smirk on his face one would think that you had paid him a compliment. "The answer was far simpler: handsome."

"You look like a prince," you conceded, " but so does your brother so take that as you will." And with that, you walked to your assigned post leaving a scandalized Nikolai behind.

The dinner went by smoothly even if you had to bear Vasily being his annoying self. So far so good. The important thing was that the people around the table were under no threat. The rest was bearable.

And no, it had nothing to do with Nikolai winking at you from time to time. Flirting was second nature to him and Alina's presence by his side was a cold reminder of how things were.

It took one look at her for your face to go as blank as Mal's on the other side of the room.

You had disconnected from the conversation at the table for a second, your attention going to the exit where a Grisha soldier had just walked in to talk to Zoya. If you had been paying attention to Nikolai, you would have known what to expect.

But you hadn't and so the next few seconds were pure chaos.

The unthinkable happened.

Black shadows filled the room, leaving no chance to the people they had appeared before. The Queen's scream brought your attention back to the table and consequently to the Vasily. Or rather, to what was left of him.

Beside him, the kind had crouched down to hide and was cowering behind the throne. The Queen clutched her son's body to her chest wailing and screaming. Then your eyes fell on him, standing tall in front of his parents shooting away.

You didn't know what you were going to do. You didn't think. You just acted and the next thing you knew, you were running towards him shooting fire at whatever tendrils of shadows you could see.

"Nikolai!"

In a moment, you reached his side, covering his back for every possible attack.

"You need to go," you urged him over the sounds of crying and shooting. A shot of light filled the room blinking you for a moment and panic shot through you at the possibility of Alina being hurt.

"Take your parents and Alina and go Nikolai. You can't stay here!" You insisted again, still back to back, unwilling to let anything happen to him. If he meant to argue you didn't know. You heard him speak but his words went unheard over the chaos in the room.

You turned around just in time to see one of those things trying to make their way to him. The tendrils of fire that shot through you slowed it down but it was only a shot of wind coming from a squaller that did the trick and sent it away.

Nodding in the squaller's direction you took Nikolai's shoulders and turned him towards the secret exit behind the throne.

"Stop playing hero and just go for Saint's sake!" Under normal circumstances, he was stronger than you. And well, he still was but too busy worrying about getting his family to safety and covering your back, he ended up succumbing to your shoves.

"I can't leave you here!"

"You can and you surely will! I'll make sure that Alina is safe," ushering him and his parents towards the exit, you didn't give him time to argue. Once they were through the door, you closed it behind them and melted the lock.

You allowed yourself only a moment to worry about him, to mourn him if things were to go downhill for you. Only a second for you to mourn the future that you knew you were never going to get with him.

Then it was over. Your heart locked away and your mind focused solely on the battle ahead. You needed to make sure that Alina was alive and get her to safety whilst also trying to save as many as you could along the way.

A piece of cake.

*+*+*+*+*+*

You knew that he had made it out of Os Alta alive. You had gotten word that he had arrived safe and sound to one of his hiding spots scattered around the country.

Alina and a group of other Grisha, including yourself, had managed to make it out alive out of the capital as well.

All was as well as it could be under these gloomy circumstances. And yet, you couldn't help but feel like you had lost.

Too many had fallen under the Darkling's wrath. Too many had given up their lives in honor of Ravka's freedom. Too many sacrifices for you all to be hiding in the tunnels like scared cats.

But you had a plan. You just needed to be in the same room as Alina, all of you at once, and you were going to make your way up.

It was only a matter of time before you were going to see him again.

*+*+*+*+*+*

It turned out that you were right. It was a matter of time indeed before you saw Nikolai again.

As always, he couldn't help but make a grand entrance while praising his good looks. For once, your eyes didn't roll in mock annoyance. The joy of seeing him again, safe and sound while also saving your asses, prevailed.

And the moment his eyes met yours? Priceless.

Despite being in the middle of running away and fighting the first army's soldiers, you felt like there was only the two of you. Nothing mattered besides Nikolai, his stupid smirk that shone brighter than all the stars combined.

It turned out that that moment came with a price indeed. Your distraction paved the way for an almost fatal mistake.

Too lost in Nikolai's eyes and restraining yourself from throwing yourself at him, you didn't notice the soldier sneaking up behind him. Or well, you didn't until it was too late.

The movement caught your eyes, but the bastard had his pistol already drawn. You had the presence of the spirit of pushing Nikolai out of the way before a shot was fired.

Focusing on the bullet you tried all your might to melt it, but you knew it was a desperate attempt since you had noticed it too late. Trying and losing was better than not trying at all so trying you did.

However, what turned out to be life-saving was Nikolai's counterattack. While you exercised the small science, Nikolai quickly drew his own pistol and shoot at the soldier.

Time seemed to slow down as you stared in front of him, hands in the air while Nikolai moved behind you. Right before your brain registered that while you had indeed managed to burn the bullet, it was still coming your way at high speed, another object entered your field vision.

At that moment you didn't exactly decipher what had happened, you blinked and the bullet was not there anymore. However, your stupor was short-lived as other soldiers were coming your way after hearing the noise.

At that point, Nikolai tugged you away and towards his awaiting ship knowing that the soldiers would surely outnumber you.

It all happened in a blink. One moment you were on the ground hellbent on not dying, and the other you were up in the air.

That, combined with the stress of the last couple of weeks. exhaustion and dehydration put you in a state of shock. Resulting in you staring numbly ahead of you.

Then, when you felt a hand on your face, your brain started working again and your eyes slowly began to focus.

"Are you injured?"

Nikolai was moving your head left and right to check for wounds and after that, he moved down on your neck and vital points. But you weren't hurt.

"It's so typically you to swoop in and save the day in the most dramatic way possible that I shouldn't even be surprised."

Your sarcasm reassured him that you were fine more than the absence of physical wounds. Leaning back on his haunches, he gave you a lazy smirk. "You know me, always read to save damsels in distress."

You almost hated how handsome he looked in that moment but the fact that he basically had saved your life made it really hard for you to get mad at him.

"Not a damsel and not in distress but I appreciated your gesture," you fired back falling naturally into your usual easy banter. "Thank you, Kolya."

"You shouldn't be thanking me. I did it for a whole selfish reason." His features morphed into seriousness which was usually something he left for meetings or that kind of stuff. Seeing it now directed at you, seriously worried you.

"Since when does Nikolai Lanstov shy away from gratefulness and compliments?" You tried to jest but to no avail.

"I'm serious."

"Alright, so why did you do it? You have tons of other Grisha available."

"Because a world without you is not a world I want to live in."

Well, damn. Trust Nikolai to make you completely speechless.

"That must be the shock talking," you murmured still taken back by his words.

"I've almost lost you, y/n, I'm not going to waste any more time avoiding my feelings." Crossing his arms on his chest, Nikolai lightly shook his head. Damn, there was no smirk on his face, no twinkle in his eyes. He must be serious.

"I should be having an epiphany moment since I was the one who almost died," you protested.

"Feel free to declare your undying love for me then."

"Ass. Now I'm tempted not to do it just to prove you wrong," you glared at him but sighed knowing what you needed to do. "But, as much as it pains me, you're right."

Your eyes flickered between yours and the sheer intensity of them gave you enough confidence to bear your heart to him, "I do love you, you know."

"Well, let's be honest, who wouldn't. I'm amazing," with a careless shrug, Nikolai gestured to himself. Which, of course, made you glare at him.

"Joking, I take it back. You're insufferable." Your mock-annoyance did nothing but amuse him to no end. However untruthful they might be, Nikolai played along with your words. While also progressively leaning closer to you.

"Nope, can't do that love. You signed your destiny, you're mine." You would have retired, of course you would have, but the truth is, his lips were more interesting than any witty comeback ever could.

[growup-thatbeautiful]

can you do ‘POV’ by ariana grande for timothée ? I think it’d be super cute !! 🥰

it is super cute! :)) anyway, come scream at me as always

y’all…. i started my first paul fic and i’m so excited about it….

pov

you’ve had three major revelations since you started dating timothee.

first, that you love timmy more than you’ve ever loved anyone else. you knew that basically the first time you saw him, and realized it was true as soon as you knew you were in love with him.

it sent you reeling, but not as much as when you realized that you would gladly take any pain he had on himself doubled on you if it meant he wouldn’t have to be in any. that had been your second revelation.

your third was that he loves you more than you ever have or ever will love yourself. that’s the most terrifying of all, because it means that without him you don’t think you can learn.

he’s trying really hard to get you there, and you’re trying along with him. you’ve found that it helps to take yourself out of the situation. look at yourself from an outside perspective. namely, his perspective.

he can see everything about you before anyone else, especially you.

when you came home from a terrible day at work, he was there within moments of you walking through the door. he took your coat and hat, leading you to the couch and throwing a blanket on top of you rather uncoordinatedly.

then he sat and talked about your day, calling you increasingly ridiculous pet names like my little tea biscuit and morning glory. you’re able to recognize now that he was only trying to make you laugh, which makes the memory even better.

he can read your excitement better than you can too. when you got the news that you got basically your dream job. naturally, you had tried to play it down, say that it was nothing, but he had know better. he knew that you would want to celebrate, want to show your pride.

before timothee, you hadn’t know what to do with positive attention. now, though, he’s taught you that you deserve it and so much more. somethings you had never given yourself a chance to experience, like his full love.

you haven’t regretted a single thing with him. not that way you have in the past, when you let yourself tell someone something personal, intimate, and felt deeply that it was wrong to let them see so much of you.

it scares you, sometimes, how well he knows you. you don’t know yourself as well as he does, and you’re often horrified with the ugly you see writhing within you.

those self-deprecating thoughts are hard to avoid. you know it’s normal to have them, it’s just part of your life. but he can see you crystal clear, and he knows your flaws and weaknesses.

he doesn’t see the same ones you see, though. he sees your short-temper and impatience, he knows those flaws. he would never call your introverted side and anxieties flaws where you would. it’s so much easier for him to see you with 20/20 vision because he’s not living inside your head.

it would be so nice to get out of your head, and he understands that more than anyone else ever has.

you want to love yourself the way he loves you. it’ll take time, it’ll take effort you haven’t given to yourself before, but it’s okay because you’ll have timothee by your side.

just like you do now. you wouldn’t say that today was perfect, but it was pretty damn close. you spend the whole day with timothee, holiday window-shopping and laughing through the day. now, your laying with him in your bed, basking in his glow. he has a hand running through you hair, pieces falling into your eyes. similarly, you can feel yourself quickly falling more and more in love with him. it always surprises you, how you consistently grow to fill your love for him, never reaching a limit.

his eyes are closed, but yours stay open. helping yourself starts with memorizing every detail of him.

[strayen-fx]

Red.

》 HHJ x reader

》 angst, vampirish theme

》 warnings: mentions of blood, hints of physical assault

》 2.1k words

》 a/n: short and simple, after months of writing break. Hope you guys enjoy regardless :)

“Stay away from them, my dear. Save your blood from the horrors of their fangs. Be wary of solitude, and be wary of the crowd.”

It was a day not unlike any other. My morning kicked off lazily, with me waking up almost an hour later than a college freshman was supposed to. Nothing unusual there. I did my usual morning prep, took a cup of grandma’s tea in one gulp, and went my way. I was already late for the train—I had to run after a departing bus with an exceptional speed that would put Olympiads to shame. I got in the room just in time as the bell rang for first period. I came in huffing like an old man, but it’s alright. Way better than walking through the early jam-packed hallways.

The first aberration in my daily humdrum existence happened on my way to fourth period. A student from another department stopped me on my tracks. I knew him; he was a member of the student council. Was I in some sort of trouble?

He introduced himself as Han Jisung, then proceeded to ask if I have seen his friend.

“He’s tall,” Jisung explained. “But like, not super tall. Not the towering-over-people kind. He has a mole under his eye. He’s got black—no wait, I think he dyed his hair again the other day. Anyway, have you seen someone like him? He’s noticeably handsome. I guess. I’m more handsome, though, but you know what I mean.”

The whole school would know who he is talking about. The one and only Hwang Hyunjin: champion swimmer, council member, and just a general talk of the town. The Prince. Even if I did see him around, though, I wouldn’t know. I never pay attention to the people I walk by.

I shook my head and muttered a soft sorry. I did feel bad for Jisung. He looked so worried and dejected, and I can’t blame him—not after after the incident with Seungmin. I can’t really take it against him to worry about his friends. I sauntered off to my next class, my mind still stuck on the fact that a normal person in my school has actually talked to me, and I was able to keep my composure.

Fifth period: P.E. I don’t even know why we still have this subject in college. I opted to take a stroll instead. You see, a huge, dense forest is situated right behind the main school grounds. You could say that the school itself lies within the bosom of greeneries. Unkempt bushes and rows of towering trees stretched over several miles deep, starting from the edge of the campus to god-knows-where. It is my goal to scout the whole area before graduation.

Weighed down by my personal monstrous beast, I trudged through. I walked for at least fifteen minutes before I finally reached the spot—my spot. Sheet of decaying leaves cushioned a huge gray boulder, standing at least ten feet tall, shaped like an odd piece of egg smashed against the forest floor. Against it stood a larger stone, this one dotted with moss and weathered with cracks. They were propped against each other for support, as if stopping one another from tumbling to the ground.

There was a smaller rock at the foot of the smaller stone, and I use it as leverage to climb up and sit on top of the largest boulder. It was my favorite place. Most times I could just pretend that I was alone in my own tiny bubble, at the center of that clearing that nobody else ventures but me. I don’t feel the breath of people suffocating me with every step that I take. I don’t feel my heart thumping with the sight of anyone else. I don’t need to hold back. Here, I don’t feel weird.

But today felt somehow different.

It was awfully silent. The wind felt sharper and colder. Electricity was humming in the air, leaving my skin prickling with discomfort. There was a tension in my veins that I couldn’t quite explain—it felt like an omen of an incoming disaster.

Time ticked slow. A couple hours could have passed—or maybe it has only been five minutes—when a nearby rustling perked up my senses.

Trying to keep my movements as quiet as possible, I hopped down and took up a defensive position, which wasn’t easy to do for a student with no actual weapon aside from an almost-empty bag and a worn-out calligraphy pen. My instincts told me to take cover—but my feet seemed glued to the ground. Sweat trickled from my forehead. My hands started to feel clammy.

And then, just as I was about to scamper away, a figure crashed into view from behind the nearest oak tree. I almost threw my bag towards the person’s direction, until I had a clear view of the intruder’s face.

It was Hwang Hyunjin, wide-eyed and disoriented, with his cheeks and uniform smudged with traces of blood.

“Help me.”

His voice came out as a tiny croak, as if his throat was filled with acid. He stumbled towards me, reaching out his hand for support. I wasn’t able to move an inch—and who could blame me? The situation was way too hard to process.

Hwang Hyunjin, the university prince, was hunched huffing before me, his clothes caked with mud and dried blood, his hair a nest of mess on his head. He had a cut on his cheek, I noticed. His breathing was heavy and labored, as if the mere act of standing on his own two feet required all the effort he could muster.

“Help me,” he repeated.

“What happened to you?” I managed to blurt out. My initial thought was that some random outsiders kicked his butt for stealing their girlfriends. But no—someone like Hyunjin would have been able to handle that. Plus, something in his eyes showed an elaborate fear—something only a beast would be capable of instilling. I should know.

My heart began thumping faster, a colossal drum barreling in my chest.

Just as my schoolmate was about to open his mouth and explain, a loud rustling broke the stillness of the air. Before I could process what was happening, Hyunjin grabbed my hand and bolted away, dragging me with him.

“Don’t look back!” he warned.

I did.

At least a dozen feet behind us was another male, probably as old as Hyunjin. He was sporting our school uniform, walking casually under the shades of trees as if time wasn’t of any matter. What puzzled me, though, was the fact that we can’t seem to distance ourselves from him despite the heavy efforts Hyunjin had been exerting to drag us both away from this newcomer.

I took another glance behind me, and to my surprise, the young man wasn’t there anymore. Nowhere behind us, as if he dissipated without a single trace.

Hyunjin took a sudden stop, causing me to bump my head against his back. I was about to call him out for stopping, but then I saw the looming figure a few meters in front of us.

“You…?” I began, my mind a juggle of unanswered questions. How on earth did that happen? How is he—

Hyunjin's friend, Kim Seungmin, stood before us in his dirty school uniform. He looked pale, his eyes bloodshot, but he was standing there in full grace, very much alive, giving us a toothy grin. “You’re hurting my feelings, Hyun. Why are you running away from me?”

Hyunjin’s grip on my hand went tighter. “Seungmin...”

“Friends are supposed to help each other, am I right?” Seungmin continued, faux dismay dripping in his voice. He bared his fangs, its tips dripping with fresh blood. “So help me, Hyunjin.”

I felt my body run cold. I wanted to scream, run, anything—anything to get away from this. From him. From the two of them. From everything. But Hyunjin's hand remained strong around my wrist, and my legs were close to turning jelly. I could start to feel the fullness in my mouth, the pointy ends of my incisors. Something that only happens when I'm in an extreme hunger or danger.

“Stay away from them,” grandma said. “We are the same kind, but we are different. Weaker. They see us as preys, as special commodities. They can smell your blood despite my concoctions, my dear, remember this!”

Seungmin tilted his head to one side, finally regarding my presence. “And you, over there. I’ve never tried drinking such special blood.” He grinned. “Satiate my thirst.”

The last thing I knew, a strong hand was pressing tightly around my neck, turning my vision green.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°

“Have you heard of the news?”

“What news?”

“Kim Seungmin was safe! They found him in the forest yesterday.”

“Thank goodness! Was he hurt?”

“He had a few gashes, but he’s fine. Hyunjin found him and brought him to the hospital right away.”

Students filled the corridor, everyone bustling and hustling about the news: after his sudden disappearance, Seungmin was finally found by his best friend, Hyunjin. The latter saw him in the forest, hungry and disoriented. They went straight to the hospital to treat his minor wounds, and that was that—nobody bothered to ask how he managed to lose himself in the wilderness, or how we managed to survive seven days on his own. Nobody asked him stupid and unnecessary questions. Seungmin was safe, and that was all that mattered.

I brushed my way past the milling crowd, flinching at every accidental touch. I kept my eyes on the ground, forcing my mind into silence. I was expecting everyone to be in their respective classrooms at this time of the day, but apparently, the news of Seungmin’s return has become enough reason for everyone to wander about and neglect their individual duties. It was a grand miscalculation on my part—I hadn’t braced myself for this huge number of people.

Not here. Not now. Not ever.

I just have to get back home, and then it’ll be over. My insides would stop churning once I’ve drunk grandma’s tea—that has worked for 18 years now. I can stop this. I can stop me.

I made a run towards the comfort room. To my luck, nobody was inside. I washed my face over and over, as if doing so would cleanse me from the impurity stamped on every drop of my blood. The face on the mirror horrified me—I had to stop myself from punching the glass over and over.

The moment I stepped out, I felt his presence.

He was there, leaning against the wall, lurking behind the shadows. There was a faint gleam of terror in his eyes, but at the same time, I can feel it: the hunger. Lust for meat. Thirst for blood.

“Don’t be like him, Hyunjin,” I pleaded. “Don’t be like us.”

He shook his head in resignation. “It’s too late.”

He took a step closer. Another. He kept on walking until he stood right in front of me, too close I can feel him breathe.

Too close I can see the faint traces of blood on his lips.

“I’m still hungry,” he sobbed. “I’m still hungry…”

Fear was apparent in his eyes—fear of what would happen to him, fear of what he had become. “You will be fine,” I offered, taking his hand in mine. “Trust me on this. It will be fine.”

And then I felt it, stronger this time—the hunger he was talking about. The thirst. My stomach growled in protest at the sight of Hyunjin’s pale flesh. I can smell his blood—I can feel its steady rhythm as it flowed through his pulsing veins.

I need to get home. Maybe my grandma could do something about Hyunjin, too. Maybe she could produce a stronger tea, and both of us wouldn’t have to worry about our instincts anymore.

We stood next to each other for a full minute before he broke the silence.

“We need each other to survive,” Hyunjin whispered. “If we drink the blood of our own kind, we can last for a month without feeding on others.” He freed his hand from my hold and gripped my shoulders tightly. “I need you. And you need me, too.”Hyunjin leaned down until we were staring at each other at eye level. He closed the distance between us. I closed my eyes, and for the first time, I allowed my monster to take ove.

[mypoisonedvine]

Spoiled | Bruce Banner x reader

(semi-sequel to my fic sugar, but you don’t need to read that to understand this!)

summary: it’s the first time you’ve had your boyfriend all to yourself for Christmas, and he makes sure it’s a holiday you’ll never forget.

word count: 1.8k

warnings: smut!!, infidelity (bruce is married, guys), wedding ring kink, damage to a very expensive dress (lol), daddy kink, sugar daddy relationship

Normally, Christmas is reserved for the wife, as it ought to be.  But this year, Bruce had surprised you with a promise: you could finally spend Christmas day with your boyfriend.  You weren’t sure exactly how he got out of spending the holiday with his wife, but he’d picked you up a few days before and driven you to a gorgeous secluded cabin somewhere upstate.  Obviously you assumed it was a rental, so the fact that he’d bought it along with the four acres it laid on was a bit of a shock.  Still, you were beyond giddy to have a few days alone with him, cuddling up in the big warm bed and admiring the snow-laden forest just outside the windows.

“Merry Christmas,” he murmured against your skin as you just started to wake up— and yes, you remembered that it was Christmas day.  Any day spent waking up in his arms was a good one, Christmas or not.

“Merry Christmas,” you greeted in return as you spun around to kiss him, wrapping your legs around his waist.  

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, pretty girl,” he chuckled as he slid your legs off of him, “don’t you wanna get up and open your presents?”

You rolled your eyes because of course he had to get you something, even when you told him not to.  "I don't need any presents, Bruce, just having you here today is enough."

"Couldn't help myself.  You're so easy to shop for, you look good in everything.  Besides, I like dressing you up almost as much as I like undressing you."

“So it’s something to wear?” you deduced.  

“Just get up and get ready, okay?”

You nodded and slipped out from under the quilt, dashing to the bathroom to splash your face, brush your teeth, and maybe throw on a little makeup so you wouldn’t look like you’d just woken up when you had, in fact, just woken up.

Slipping on a red plaid robe, you returned to the living room and found Bruce lounging beside the tree in his fuzzy house pants, distractingly shirtless.  As much as you were compelled to kneel down and bury your fingers in that black curly hair that deliciously blanketed his chest, your attention was redirected to the long, flat box in his hands.

“Open it,” he encouraged as he handed it to you, circling around to stand behind you and stroke your arms as you gently tore the paper open.  It was just a white cardboard box underneath, lacking in any labels so you had to pop the top off to see the garment inside.  "You like Balmain, right?" he asked softly with a smile.

It was gorgeous; silk, it felt like, in a deep forest green that was almost festive in a way.  "Bruce this is…" you trailed off, dropping the box and holding the dress at the shoulders, letting the fabric unfurl and spill down until you could see the whole dress.  "This is too nice.  I can't let you spend this much on me."

"Oh, it wasn't that expensive," he lied, "now go try it on."

You started to protest, but he cut you off with a kiss, resting his hand on the back of your neck and pulling you closer.  You melted into his arms instantly, completely forgetting where you were and what you’d been talking about as your eyes fluttered shut and your lips slotted against his.  When he pulled back, you were barely aware of what he was talking about when he whispered: “go try it on.”

“The dress!” you remembered.  “I’ll be right back.”

You didn’t really need to leave the room to get dressed, he’d seen you naked plenty of times, but you figured it would make the grand reveal that much more exciting.  Just putting it on made your skin all tingly, the soft fabric making you shiver as it brushed against you so delicately.  The mirror wasn’t super helpful, too small to see how you looked past your shoulders, so you decided that you’d have to trust that you looked as good as you felt.

Seeing your heels just a few feet away, you dashed to grab them; they would perfectly complete the look, because it would be kind of odd to wear Balmain while barefoot.  Sure, they were a bit uncomfortable, but it was worth it to see him turn around to the sound of your clicking heels, his jaw nearly hitting the floor as he watched you step closer.  “What do you think?” you asked shyly.

He got up and approached you, his expression heavy with desire and making you shiver.  He knelt down before you, looking up at you with dark eyes as he slowly— excruciatingly slowly— pushed up the skirt of your dress, his thick, rough fingers tickling your thighs.

You just had a thong underneath, lacy and delicate, meaning you felt it all too well when he licked you through the fabric.

"Ffffuck," you sighed, "Bruce, baby…"

"Y'like that, pretty girl?"

You nodded breathlessly, trying not to let your knees buckle when he did it again, reaching down to dig your fingers into his hair.  "Don't stop, daddy, please."

He did stop, but only for a moment so he could gently hook a finger under the fabric and pull your panties aside, his hot breath tickling the sensitive skin of your mound.  Finally, his lips latched onto your swollen clit, and you moaned lowly.

You were normally pretty good at standing in heels, but this posed a new challenge.

When he found a pattern of sucking your clit, fucking you with his tongue, and doing this positively obscene thing with his teeth that you couldn't describe but made your knees weak, you were soon barreling towards the point of no return.  "Bruce, fuck, I'm close— gonna come, please let me come…"

He only nodded, not stopping his work for even a moment, and you clutched his curls tightly as your hips rocked against his face.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy," you chanted breathlessly as the coil finally snapped, a new gush of warmth spreading between your legs as you quivered above him.  Your vision went black for just a second, head thrown back into a silent moan as you held your breath until all your noises broke forth all at once, somewhere between a scream and a sob and a sigh. 

"Fuck, such a good girl for me," he purred, giving your sore clit one last luck before he instructed: "get on the bed," encouraging you with a little shove back towards it.

You spun to face away from him and get on your hands and knees atop the plushy mattress.  Your face heated up as you heard him laugh.  "I meant on your back, princess.  God, you're a slut."

Embarrassed but aware that his words were more a compliment than anything else, you rolled onto your back and spread your legs as he climbed on top of you and slotted his body between them, shedding himself of his pajama pants until his thick cock bounced back up to slap against his stomach.  You bit down on your lip, wishing he'd given you a chance to put that cock in your mouth (because it looked fucking delicious) but losing that train of thought as he ran his hands all over your body through the silky fabric of his gift to you.

Suddenly, with a deep growl, he grabbed the dress at the neckline and ripped it open right down the front.  "Bruce!" you yelped in protest; your heart broke for the expensive dress destroyed, but your thighs clenched together at the sight of him tearing through it like paper.

"I'll buy you a new one," he sighed flippantly before diving in to roughly grope your breasts, littering your chest with kisses and stopping to teasingly suck your nipples along the way.

"Daddy," you whimpered, "please fuck me."

"Not gonna make you wait much longer, babygirl," he promised, "just tell me you love me."

It made your chest tighten and your cheeks warm, but you were happy to oblige.  "I love you," you whispered.

"Once more, with feeling," he requested.

"I love you," you said again, a little louder.

He grinned, hovering over you as he pushed his cock down to slip inside you.  You gasped and clutched the sheets beneath you as he moved deeper, his lips catching yours in a slow kiss.  "I love you too," he replied gently before he began to fuck you in a way that was… anything but gentle.

"Fuck," you sobbed, wanting more than anything to arch your back and throw your head into the pillow, but you couldn't with your lip caught between his teeth.

You'd adjusted to his cock quite a bit since the first time you hooked up with him nearly two years ago, and yet it still felt like he was stretching you impossibly wide as he fucked you hard and deep.  You figured at this point that you would never become fully accustomed to his size; you sort of hoped you wouldn't, because you liked the edge of pain that danced up your spine each time he entered you.  When he hooked your leg in his arms, lifting it to rest his shoulder, he pushed even deeper and you whined beneath his heavy weight.

"So deep," you whispered.

"I know, baby," he whispered back.  "You feel so fucking good, princess…"

It was impossible to keep track of the flow of time at that point, so it couldn’t been minutes or hours that he spent inside you, taking you apart perfectly piece-by-piece.  You couldn’t keep track of how many times you came, either, aware only of an overload of sensations coming at your body from every angle.

He kissed you as he reached his own peak, mumbling your name somewhere between the movements of his lips against yours until you felt like you were floating just from the way he said it.  You stayed that way for longer than you expected while he caught his breath, before he rolled off of you and you both sighed as you stared up at the ceiling.

"Fuck," he groaned, "that was… intense."

"That's rich coming from you, considering I'm the one that just got my cervix pummeled."

"I wasn't too hard on you, was I?"

"God no, it was amazing," you laughed, "but still… damn."

"I don't know about you but I worked up quite an appetite," he grinned.  "I'm gonna get up and make blueberry pancakes, you want some?"

"Do you even need to ask?" you smirked, and he leaned in to give you a quick peck on the lips before he slipped on his pants again and dashed off to the kitchen.

As far as Christmas mornings go, you weren't sure it could get much better than an expensive gift, getting dicked down like it was the end of the world, and blueberry pancakes.  

[primalsouls]

checkup

albedo x m! reader

⚠️ : none but let me know!

theme: general

note: albedo albedo albedo albedo. i just love albedo and want to write something more general because usually the fics i read tend to be too fluff or too angst and sometimes other fics tend to feel like a super slow. like, im not trying to read an eassy. 💀 jkjk lol anyway, enjoy, hope you like it! and thank you for reading! let me know what you think. :)

⊱ ──────ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰

Dragonspine was never in their bucket list of places to visit. It was deadly cold. Monsters roamed around. Even the Fatui were presented. [Y/N] was surprised how he managed to reached the campus set out by the Chief Alchemist further up the mountain. One would think he would camp out with the group based at the bottom of the mountain. He was a skilled swordman and his vision kept him warm throughout the difficult journey as best as it could. He did broke a sweat when fighting a few monsters but all that was important was his destination. Thus meeting Albedo, the genius Kreideprinz. [Y/N] was new to the Knight of Favonius, started back a few weeks ago. Today he was ordered by the Acting Grand Master to assist the Captain of the Investigation Team in one of his experiments. Or alternatively, Jean worried about the alchemist not taking care of himself and potentially risking failed experiments turn to unwanted results in Dragonspine and Mondstadt.

It was his order to check on the man. But, by the Archons, does he had to camp this far up. [Y/N] groaned when he reached a broken bridge. How was he going to get to the other side? Ah, right. Gliding. With a good running start, he could jump just high enough and glide his way to the other half of the fallen bridge with no added injuries. A flawless plan.

Not.

A scream left his lips when he jumped as best as he could after his run. No wonder he did terrible at mathematics. His calculations were off. And now, he was going to pump down to his end. Just to check on some big-time, smart guy. [Y/N] should had decline. But he wanted to prove himself. For what now? Prove he can see the light firsthand? What a joke. He reached out, his hand inches away from the other broken part of the bridge. He was so focus on reaching something to grab on he didn't hear his own scream leave his mouth nor the abrupted tug on his hand held by another. He came to his senses when he smacked against the wall under the brigde harshly, letting out a groan. [Y/N] looked up. [E/C] eyes met bright teal eyes. Such beautiful eyes. It felt like he was staring into emerald instead. They outshined the blues around Dragonspine. Like sun if the clouds ever go away.

"Are you only going to keep staring or help me pull you up?" He heard, the soothe voice snapping [Y/N] out of their thoughts. A blush bloomed on his face as he cleared his throat, using his other hand to keep himself firm in their hold.

"S-Sorry..." [Y/N] mumbled as he was pulled up. Solid, cold ground was what he felt right away. He looked over his shoulder, grimacing at the sight of the long fall he could had experienced first and last. Cursing the fall away, the knight turned back to his savior, about to thank them until he stopped himself. Upon closer look, his savior was... handsome. Their ashy light blonde hair reached below their shoulders, pulled back in a braided ponytail. It lookes adorable. Soft, even. It makes him want to run his fingers through it. Realizing he was staring again, [Y/N] cleared his throat as he shook his head, his blush increasing in color. Eyes darted to stare at the ground instead. "Uh, thank yo-you... Thank you for saving me back there." The knight said with a small smile, looking back his savior only to see them walk away already. "What?" [Y/N] sat there forzen, not believing what happened. He chuckled weakly, now pissed for the rude manner. "Hey, wait up!" He stood up from the ground, dusting himself off from any snow as he ran up to catch up to the mystery person. "You know, it's really rude to jusf walk away like that!" [Y/N] complained, slowing down as he came up to a campsite. His eyes widen a bit. There were bookshelves lined up again the walls of the cavern. Tables filled with written pages and materials. A small set of art supplies in one area and an crafting table by his side. Did his savior lived here? Wait, was this...?

"Are you the Captain of the Investigation Team, Albedo?" The knight said, walking up to the alchemist who simply nodded with no reply. He was focused on his work, [Y/N] could see that. "Oh okay..." He muttered underneath his breath, raising a brow. Well, here he was. The alchemist looked alright. There was no sight of any failed experiments. Mondstadt was good to stay for another day. But [Y/N] wasn't leaving yet. "My name is [F/N]. I was ordered by the Acting Grand Master to check on you... Which is why I'm here..." Albedo only gave a faint hum. What a conversationalist. "Okaaay..." The young man looked around. He couldn't just leave after what he just experienced. He was still shaky.

"Where are you from?" [Y/N] asked, attempting to make a conversation.

"Here and there." Albedo replied bluntly.

"What do you do?"

"This and that."

"You ever-"

"Now and then."

"Gosh, you're just full of information." [Y/N] grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

"And you're just full of interruptions." Albedo fired back, finally looking away from his work and turned to the knight. His expression was stoic but his beautiful emerald eyes held a hint of annoyance. His comment made the other man pouted and rolled his eyes. "You done your quest. Now, you may leave."

"What the-? Huh?" He couldn't believe it. He was being kicked out? Reasonable, actually. But still. What a rude alchemist. "Okay, look, I have to actually make sure you're okay and Jean said to stay for a few days before I return, anyway." [Y/N] explained. Albedo sighed softly, disinterested from the interaction. The knight clicked his tongue. "So, no, I'm not leaving." The knight huffed, head held high. Albedo hummed again, already looking back at his work. "Oh my- really?" [Y/N] shook his head, running a hand through his hair. He kept studying the area they were in, trying to locate any sort of self-care going on. There was a cook pot but the burned woods look as if it had went out hours ago. "How long had you been working?"

Albedo shrugged, papers being moved around in his area. [Y/N] sighed. He went to stand beside the table, inches away from him to not disturb his work. With the closeup, [Y/N] saw fainted dark circles under his eyes. He looked a little pale, too.

"Have you eaten at all? Rest?" He asked softly, a frown on his face. His gloved hands rest on his waist. [Y/N] looked like a parent scolding their child. Albedo shrugged again. The knight groaned, head tilted back. The lack of responses were starting to pissed him off. "I'll make you something." He grumbled, looking into his traveling bag as he walked over to the pot. Using his Pryo vision, he watched the flames come to alive once more. He pulled out pre-packaged ingredients he made himself before he set off.

Albedo's concentration was fully on his project but the smell of a delicious meal wandered around his nose. It pulled him out of his priority. The scent made his stomach growled. The Geo user stopped what he was doing and turned around. His eyes spotted the knight crouched down beside the pot, stirring around the contents it cooked. The flames illuminated the small cave, the knight's face glowed from it. Hair swayed back, half-lidded eyes stared boredly at the pot. Soft lips pressed into a thin line. It was a pretty sight. A perfect picture. A gorgeous paint on a canvas. His canvas. The scenery needed to be painted in his canvas.

[Y/N] heard movements behind him but he didn't bother to look up. He figured the alchemist was still all over his experiments. Behind his back, Albedo set up his easel, an 18x24 canvas rest nicely on it. His paints, brushes, and palette laid beside him on a stool with a cup of water on it as well. He began to sketch out the sight, a concentrated frown on his face.

"Hmm... I think it's done." [Y/N] muttered to himself, smiling a bit at the cooked stew he made. He was about to get up but a shout stopped him.

"Don't move! I'm not done yet." He heard the alchemist. The Pyro user blinked, confusion written over his face. "Not done..." Albedo continued, his hand moving a brush around. [Y/N] swallowed, wondering what he was doing.

"Why can't I move?" He asked, still in the position.

"Because I'm not finish."

"Finish with what?"

"The painting... It's not finished..." Albedo trailed off, focusing more on the canvas. [Y/N] was dumbfounded. Ah, right. The alchemist had a set of art supplies. But why could he be painting? Was he painting him? He was just sitting around the cook pot, nothing else. What did he capture in his mind to had the urge to paint? So much questions ran through his head and his face rest back to how it was when the knight stared at the pot. Just what Albedo needed to complete his new piece.

Half an hour passed and the flames were small. the pot was sat beside it. No need to have burnt food. [Y/N]'s legs were starting to cramp.

"Are you do-"

"Done." Albedo finished for him, stepping back from his canvas. [Y/N] sighed in relief as he stood up and stretched his limps out, hearing a few joints popped. Surely didn't sounded good but felt good. He walked over to Albedo.

"Can I see, please?" He asked, tilting his head. Albedo stared at the canvas before shifting his eyes over to the knight. He suddenly felt flustered. What a foreign feeling. It was he was embarrassed. He was not embarrassed. His face felt warmed. Was he blushing? What was going on? [Y/N] waited for an answer, raising a brow as he sent a charming smile his way. Why did such a gesture made his chest tightened but in a good way? Like something fluttered inside him. Was his heart beat increasing? Impossible. Feelings were unfamiliar to him. So, why was he experiencing them right now? "Albedo..." His name rolled out of his mouth. It sounded perfect. Did he just noticed it?

"It's not finished..." Albedo replied quickly, throwing [Y/N] off guard.

"But you said-"

"It's not finished." Albedo repeated, clearing his throat. The knight nodded slowly.

"Okaay..." [Y/N] mumbled, looking back at the pot. "Ah, well, dinner is ready. C'mon, let's eat." He said, walking back at the pot to begin serving the meal for both. Albedo watched him, lips parted slightly. His teal eyes moved back to the canvas. Finished. It was finished. He just... didn't want to show the knight but why? It was beautifully painted. A pretty piece. The look he captured from the knight painted there. Admirable.

"Are you coming or what?" [Y/N] called out, already setting the other table for them to eat at. Albedo blinked and nodded a second later. He placed his brush and palette down, taking his gloves off as he made his way over. There they sat. In complete silence. It wasn't awkward, fortunately. It was comfortable atmosphere. No need to exchange words. Albedo seem to like that. Perhaps Jean did a good thing to sent someone out. It felt nice to have company over for once.

[i-need-air]

Hello I really like your hybrid au especially with kirishima

I was wondering if I can request one with kirishima hybrid where reader gets kidnapped because someone from the old ring wants revenge and kirishima is looking for them

Wow, I took some time with this because it was hard to place Kiri in such a situation. I hope I gave it justice. This is not my usual fluff since it's a darker theme, so yeah. Hope it was worth the wait though! Enjoy and tell me if you liked it!! 💕💕

Word count: 4k [ I... I got carried away... and I still feel it's short 💀 ]

Warnings: kidnapping, blood, mentions of abuse, guns, Kiri's past being f'd up, insults [?], hint towards assault;

[ Masterlist ] [ Main Hybrid!Kirishima HCs ]

× this man is all about safety

× asks you to send him a message whenever you arrive safely at home or wherever you're going

× it's super-sweet and really helpful; your well being is everything to him after all

× yet one evening you didn't arrive on time

× no message, nothing

× he was waiting and paying attention to time since he wanted to suggest going out to watch a movie, but you didn't arrive

× one hour later he finds himself frowning at the clock, tapping his foot in wonder

× he sent you a message; the fact that it send but you didn't receive it unsettled him more, to which he decided to call— "The phone you're trying to reach is disconnected or no longer in service."

× did you run out of battery? was that even possible?

× what seals the deal is a DM he receives from a throwaway account on social media he was so active and known on.

× "We've got your little toy. You know where to find us, Red Riot. Come alone or they die." and attached was a pictute of you, on the floor, possibly unconscious, hands tied behind your back.

× a collar was placed by your side; he knew what it was.

× his blood ran cold, a freezing shiver electrified through his spine as he jumped out of the couch, terrorized and more importantly raging mad

× Red Riot: a name he tried to forget; a name people shouted at him in praise as they put bets on his head; a name he's been given as he fought friends and foes; a name that brought back pain and suffering. A name he didn't want to taint his new life with.

× he did not take any time to leave the house in a hurry, his eyes burning with unshed tears.

× Kirishima didn't know where his friends were, so he found himself on his own, outside your apartment complex, taking a deep breath in; he could find you; he had to find you even if it was the last thing he did, yet he had to do it alone.

× he spotted your car in the parking lot— in a blink he was by it's side, just spotting your belongings inside and the car-keys still in

× uncontrollable rage took over him as he still sniffed your scent in the air.

× you've been here and because of him, now you weren't; you're gone; you've been attacked too, the window smashed and blood running down the door

× he sniffed again, noticing how it wasn't your blood— relief didn't come since he did recognize the other scent; his dealer.

× "You fucking mutt!" he growled above the red-haired man chained to the wall, fist closed readied to make impact.

× Kirishima growled lowly, remembering.

× "You fucking made me lose ten fucking grands because you didn't want to finish that fucking beast!" his screams could be heard throughout the hallways.

× He got inside the car.

× "You and your fucking group, you think you're too good to fucking follow MY ORDERS—" a crack could be heard as the punch collided with the hybrid's jaw, yet it did little to no damage to him. Curses followed, making the man almost chuckle, yet chose not to, knowing the damage it would bring. "YOU PATHETIC PIECE OF— I FUCKING BROKE MY HAND, SHIT!" he yanked him by the hair with his other hand, pulling hard. "I'm gonna make you regret the day you were born." And if it weren't for his improvised family, Kirishima would've been regretting that day anyway without his assistance.

× He sped off, fingers whitening on the steering wheel because of his harsh grip. Tears now ran freely on his cheeks with no conscious attempt made to be stopped.

× Only two places haven't been raided by the Hybrid Protection Services came to mind, deemed as abandoned yet for those that knew the insides, the buildings were definitely used mostly as hideouts and for special occasions

× few escaped from being detained by the police, yet word came to him that the bastard, Mawler as he liked to call himself, was caught; it didn't seem to be the case and as he drove, Kirishima could only think he'd make the fucker regret the day he was born; a bitter laugh left his lips, hating himself for a moment. Although the image of a friend came in his mind, imagining him slapping his back in a poor attempt to motivate him. That's what he would say too.

× the self-hatred washed off; for you he'd do anything.

× he rushed to the first location; it used to be a club with an underground arena, in which he himself fought in countless times

× his neck itched as he gritted his teeth; the memory of the electric collar they had to have on while almost killing each other made him want to vomit

× a deep growl left his frame; gutural, dark, menacing; they wanted the Red Riot? it seems they forgot where he really got that name from;

× he only saw blood on the way there.

× he parked not too far but tried to keep a low profile although his big frame didn't help in a stealth situation. Kirishima knew he's in for trouble, but what else could he do?

× —

× you blinked, blinded by the light that shined harshly in your face

× "Would you look at that, fellas? Guess who's wakin' up?" you had no time to panic, just flashes of the quick encounter just by your house appearing in your mind as a boot collided with your stomach, making you wince in pain

× What was going on? What the hell happened?

× "Aww, don't make that face..." someone mocked. "Save it for when Red Riot comes along, baby." he whispered harshly at you, venom in his voice.

× you muttered "—Riot?" in daze, placing your knees as close to your chest for protection; your head hurt badly, a throbbing pain coming from the back of it.

× laughed echoed around you; "He didn't fucking tell you? How much of a fucking BEAST he was?!"; other voices joined in... two more voices, but you couldn't be sure

× memories came back at you; how you were arriving late but decided to not send any message since you were driving; parking, gathering your stuff, the sound of crystal breaking—

× but nothing else;

× "You don't fucking know what your piece of shit of a mutt even did before acting like a perfect little boyfriend, didn't ya?" the same venom filled voice came closer to you, giving you the chance to finally see his ugly scowl and to imprint his stupidly face in your mind;

× were they talking about Kirishima? Your Kirishima? He never really got into detail about his previous life yet made it clear he was forced to fight for the entertainment of others— did they fucking think he had a choice?

× yet you remained silent; it seems Kiri knew you'd be there and your concussion didn't really help you to think straight and form any plan;

× something could be heard outside, a crash of some sort and everyone stood still for a good second.

× "He—... He's here already?" one of them whispered. A clicking made you freeze. You snapped your head up in terror, only knowing that sound from movies, a sound so scary you really didn't think you'd hear it in real life; guns.

× "I fucking send that message 20 minutes ago..." Ugly Scowl said, taken back in surprise. His eyes, dark and void of goodness snapped on you, an unsure smile painting over him. "I wanted to have some fun with ya."

× your body couldn't control the shiver that ran through it, from head to toes, and he noticed, turning his uncertain smile into a sadistic one; your face was probably a dead giveaway too.

× but Eijirou was there and deep down you knew there was nothing to fear; except for the guns.

× the red-head wasn't dumb, he knew this world a million times better than you, so he must've known; with a flood of nervousness piling up in your stomach, you blinked the stinging feeling in your eyes away and hoped for the best.

× "Go check that fucking sound, retards!" he then screamed, two sets of footsteps rushing at his orders; it seemed he was the "boss" of whatever the hell this small group of pieces of shit was and hated your boyfriend's guts.

× should you talk? should you not? what's the best possible outcome out of this?

× your wrists stung, locked harshly with what felt like a rope; in a poor attempt to move your fingers to feel if you could, in an ideal world, free your hands, the man caught your movements instantly; he yanked you by the neck, lifting you off the ground with no difficulty and that's when you noticed he was strong, muscular, big; his frame wasn't as massive as Eijirou's by any chance but massive enough to make you reconsider any attempt to escape. "Don't even fucking think about it, dear."

× his breath, foul and heavy, hit your face and you almost gagged; he was watching you, observing your face in search of something. Through a nod he hummed at himself.

× "Not bad, Riot." his nose hit your cheek as he breathed you in and a whimper left you, guts screaming danger; he snickered. "It's okay, I like them when they cry." he mocked your tears in a heavy whisper, which you didn't notice until he pointed them out.

× a snap could be heard from inside the building, possibly on the floor above; were you underground?

× the disgusting man by your side lifted himself up, throwing you on the floor like garbage. He lifted his gun and narrowed his eyes towards the stairs.

× "Be good and maybe I'll keep you for myself after I hunt your mutt down." he said between gritted teeth. You just started praying for the man you loved, still trying to figure out a way to at least hide before this scum used you as a threat more than he did already.

× —

× Kirishima watched them from the shadows; his breath was heavy yet silent, his enhanced vision saw the two low-life mobs he sometimes noticed following Mawler whenever he went; he took in consideration their stance; of course they'd bring weapons—

× his mind drifted to one of his trainers, EraserHead, and on the few moments of aloofness he let himself have around the younger ones put in his charge; "Humans are easily fooled—" he'd grin lazily. "And very easy to scare."

× with determination like he's never had before, he grabbed a rock; if he had to reach you, he'd have to do the only thing he was never good at: being stealthy.

× he rushed to the left of the back entrance, hidden behind a beaten up car as he threw the small rock in the opposite direction and in any other situation he'd find himself amused, EraserHead's words on replay in his mind. One of the guys almost jumped in place at the sound, gun fastly jerked into its general direction with trembling hands.

× with no second to spare, he entered the building, his speed impressive—

× no sound was made, but what helped him greatly was that one of them started talking into the nothingness; "We know you're there, you bastard!"

× the other one was now searching inside the building, yet his head turned towards his companion outside; sadly for the poor idiot, it only took a punch in the jaw to immobilize him and knock him out entirely. He took the guns from the now unconscious body and put them in his belt and pocket, yet had no intention to use any.

× the second one left outside was still talking a whole monologue, making the man sweat drop; was this Mawler's plan? he wasn't known to use his brain much...

× yet he wasn't as easy to take down as Kirishima wanted it to be; he turned around, probably uneased by the lack of response of his partner, suspicious and more on the edge; he could feel it, his nervousness, his fear; another bitter grin appeared on Eijirou's features.

× "Jackal?" his voice hid fear behind it.

× they definitely knew the damage he could do and the hybrid was glad they did, wanting them to be terrified, his predator instincts washing over.

× he jumped on him, kicking the pistol out of his hands in a heartbeat and making him stumble backwards, losing his balance; it happened in a blurr, old feeling of being in the ring, fist to fist, tail low and ready to pounce. He was in his element once again and God, he hated himself when he let go of all the pain and broke his arm, the sweet image of your smiling face as you burried yourself into the same arms he hurt people with always in the back of his mind.

× before he could realize, the other woke up from the knockout; he heard rushed steps towards him and a snapping sound. The blabbering idiot was on the ground now, breathing but beaten to a pulp and everything stood still for a good second.

× he got hit? in the back of his head? With just one glance he saw a broken wooden plank and blinked stupidly; did he seriously think—?

× Kirishima grinned and in an instant he grabbed Jackal's head and smashed it into his knee.

× —

× you could hear his steps; you knew it was him; heavy yet trying to conceal them poorly; your man was walking around the floor above and you sniffled your nose at the thought.

× he was absolutely massive and nothing about him was silent; gentle, yes, but silent? laughable. Even in this horrendous situation you closed your eyes lovingly at the thought. He's here.

× "Those damned fucking useless pieces of shit—" Oh, yeah. Him.

× the barrel was suddently pointed at your head and any thoughts you had abandoned your brain completely

× utter terror overwashed your senses in every way as you stared at it with wide eyes

× "Let's see if he fucking likes this—"

× —

× the only way down for the public was the stairway; not even those useless guards knew the hidden entrance his friends and him used once; they had to come back though, the guilt and knowledge that if they're found to be gone would make Mawler execute everyone else.

× a low window painted black that led to a storage room behind the filthy bathrooms and the place they'd be kept in cages; he ran on the first floor, approaching the stairs before jumping on the dusty metal bar, now completely silent and praying his poor attempt at a bait worked.

× in no time he was outside again and in even less of a second he found himself by said window leading to the underground arena.

× —

× "Maybe if I hurt you a little bit, he'll come to his senses." He grinned, gun's safety lever clicked, now pointed at your stomach.

× you saw your vision blurr and you really, really wanted to say something but didn't know what to; your lips trembled and you bit them in the hopes of showing at least some courage before getting shot but you couldn't help closing your eyes.

× the sound was so loud; an obnoxiously loud bang shook the room or maybe just shook you to the core, then warmth engulfed you wholly.

× it gripped into you so strongly yet no damage came; "I got you, baby." came as a whisper in your ear and just as you snapped your eyes to see his red, sweet, gorgeous red eyes look at you tenderly, he was gone.

× nothing was said; just a rush of screams and silence; your kidnapper tried to shoot again or so you saw but he was jumped on instantly; that's when you noticed Eijirou was growling like a wild animal and was covered with blood.

× he was like a hurricane, like a bulldozer, like an unstoppable force that destroyed with no mercy; covered in red and splatters due to his constant attacks just painted him with more of it;

× you were looking at Red Riot and your stomach dropped; this is what he was made to be and you cried when he did not stop beating the man underneath him.

× "Baby, stop—" you'd whisper, really trying to get up and barely making it to stay in a seating position, kinda desperate; and he indeed stopped at your plea, froze actually.

× the poor devil under him was groaning, gargling whatevers but it didn't matter; he was looking at you, shocked and you could see the fear in his eyes...

× was it bad that it didn't matter to you? as long as he didn't kill them, as long as justice got to them and furthermore kept Kirishima by your side forever, it didn't matter to you; it was instant, that thought.

× but as he stood there frozen, taking in your nerves and sudden relief, your crying face filled with worry; you took him in too... how his back was getting soaked in blood, running through his shirt down, and down, leaking...

× he got shot for you;

× "Please, leave him, help me and—" he turned a little, ashamed yet mute.

× like a scolded child, unsure; he was bleeding but he was scared of you; he had a hole in his back but he was hurting for your reaction.

× you sniffled again, getting on your knees, pain striking in your stomach but ignoring it; "Eijirou, come to me, please."

× and he did, all so gracefully, so fast and without a single wince; as if he knew pain more than he should've.

× your hands were instantly freed

× his silence killed you inside, it really did. This man, this amazing creature that beamed like the brightest star in the sky was now somber, dull...

× your phone was thrown on the floor as they tampered with it and you rushed, with trembling hands and uncertainty at his attitude to call the police; he was still to say anything, just staying on his knees in front of you, head low and teary eyes.

× he just muttered the location when they asked you about it but that's it; the operator asked questions yet you didn't care to answer them, just saying you need an ambulance too before closing the call to crawl towards him, taking his torso into your arms careful not to touch the wound on his back.

× he then cried harder into your neck, almost falling into your embrace, accepting it but his hands didn't move to touch you, laying unmoving on his sides.

× "I'm so—" he hiccuped. "I'm so sorry, [Y/N]." His frame was shaking more and more;

× "I love you, Eijirou." It's all you could say. Really, your brain just screamed for you to tell him that, as if you felt it's what he needed to hear the most.

× guilty; blaming himself; putting himself down;

× he shuddered into you as your hands, tired and sore, reached for his sweat soaked hair to stroke it gently.

× "You came for me. You saved me. Thank yo—"

× "Don't! It's all my fault—" his voice broke for a second, hands turning into fists and the only thing grounding him was your scent invading his nostrils. "You're hurt because of me..."

× you cried with him too, gluing his head more into you, peppering his face with shaky butterfly kisses.

× "It's not your fault, it was never your fault, Eijirou." you shook in place as you reassured him. Word by word, sentence by sentence, you let him know he's just as much of a victim being chased by his past, a past he was forced to have; he came for you, he rushed to save you, he took a bullet for you and yet again, he acted like it was nothing, as if the pain of putting you in danger was greater than any damage he could take.

× his hands encircled you and for the first time since you saw him after waking up to this nightmare, he winced in pain but did not let you go. Instead, he pressed your body into his, fearing you'd dissapear.

× you asked him if you should cover the wound, not really knowing what to do for now; you'd have time to talk, you'd have time to reassure him again and again and again, but now you had to make sure he was fine.

× he shook his head, feeling his nose tickle your neck in the process; "Leave it, I've taken worse." And with that statement you cried harder.

× the police sirens could be heard in the distance, accompanied by the ambulance one...

× —

× so much time passed; so many hours without sleep; police station, explanations, Kirishima almost getting arrested in the spot and being incarcerated, hospital, lawyers, more questioning...

× everything was explained, everything kinda settled for the never-ending day, knowing it wouldn't be the last time you'd have to visit said police station, already sure you'd follow Kirishima there without hesitancy to make sure he's treated correctly, but for now... home.

× the bullet didn't reach any vital organ even if he was hit square in the back and for a normal human it would've meant a hit in one of the lungs, but not for a hybrid—

× still, it didn't hurt less to see him in that state;

× your car was sealed and taken away as evidence, so a taxi home was your only way there.

× hands locked and much, so much to talk about ahead of you but one thing sure

× "I love you." You squeezed his hand, catching his attention, loving how his lips curled in a small smile, not as bright as usual, but still, his smile.

× "I love you more." Was his usual response yet this time it was shy, not looking into your eyes but somewhere behind you, out the window. You frowned and shook his hand to catch the attention fully.

× "No. You don't seem to get it." You led his big, strong, scarred hand to your lips, kissing the back of it softly. "I love you, Kirishima Eijirou. So much."

× the car ride was silent as he took in your words and you couldn't help but enjoy the way his eyes widened, now having his full attention as his cheeks reddened slightly, knowing he's been caught putting himself down.

× he let out a breathless chuckle, so small but with it his shoulders fell in relief. He nodded, watching his hand holding yours and gulped, your words repeating in a loop in his mind.

× Eijirou was so easy to read, so transparent and honest and it warmed heart to ser him accept your words, words you've said countless times before this incident and without a doubt in the future until they engraved permanently in his heart.

× he chuckled again at your expression, catching your gaze and holding it until a smile broke on his face, this time big and warm, just like him. The smile you wanted to see all along.

× he cried again through it, passing his free palm over his eyes for a second; "You're my everything, [Y/N]." he'd pull you into his chest, inhaling your scent. "I love you." he squeezed you close.

[mommymooze]

Angelic Vision

Claude x Reader

Angelic Vision

“You look like an angel. Have you come to take me to heaven?“ Claude lies on the ground, the back of his hand across his brow.

“No, but when I pull that arrow out of you it’s going to hurt like hell.” You say as you put your knee on his chest and with both hands pull the arrow back out of Claude’s shoulder.

“Yeeowch!” Claude hollers.

You then pour healing magic into his shoulder, feeling the muscles weaving themselves back together. You stand up reaching out your hand for his other hand to help Claude up from the ground.

“Go easy on it. If you reinjure it, go find Marianne because I’m not going to fix it again.” You tell him before running off to the next injured party.

Hilda walks up to stand by the House Leader of the Golden Deer. “Why do the super smart ones always have to be so pissy?”

“Beats me, if they would loosen up or relax a little, they would have a lot more fun.” Claude shrugs.

Mail is delivered and there is a shipment of three boxes for you. Pretty darn heavy boxes. You carry them one at a time from the front gate to your room. Unlocking and opening your door you suddenly find you are not alone. Claude gives a look of shock at the number of books in your room. One entire wall is nothing but books.

“You do know they have a library here.” Claude quips

“It is useless for my research.” You grumble. “The books are old and out of date. They also do not have any ancient texts that may have useful yet forgotten applications.”

Claude is looking at the subjects and titles. “Hey mind if I borrow a few?” You raise an eyebrow at him. “I’ll think about it. “

You’ve been hanging out with Linhardt a lot lately. He’s supposed to be helping with a project you’re working on.

“When I saw them in the library, they were getting pretty cozy.” Hilda snarkily jests.

Claude decides there is a book that he must have right now from the library. He walks in to see you back to back with a very unconscious Linhardt. You’re trying to support him with your back so he doesn’t fall over completely while you are still reading your book. You look trapped?

“Having fun?” Claude grins.

“Yeah. When Lin’s on empty he just crashes. Since Caspar isn’t here, well, I don’t want him to fall and get hurt. I can’t move him.” You groan

Claude helps you get the sleeping cleric to a couch to catch his z’s.

“Thanks. Squishy magic users don’t quite have the strength for these things.”

“I’d be happy to help you out with anything.” Claude smiles. “Call me and I’ll be there!”

You spend the afternoon gathering plants and mushrooms in the nearby woods for your studies. You’ve been working on creating antitoxins and other cures for poisons. You have several bags tied to your waist with different plants in them. Just as you’re about to reach for a particularly ugly and poisonous mushroom you hear a voice calling out your name.

“Hey! Those are really poisonous. You better watch out!”

“Oh Claude, of course I know they are poisonous. How am I supposed to make a potion to neutralize them if I don’t collect them?” You roll your eyes at him.

“Since when have you been interested in poisons?” He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Since Leonie took that poison arrow last battle. We didn’t have anything to counteract it and she had to suffer for over a week until the poison made it through her system.”

“You’re right. He muses. “Maybe we can work together on them sometime?”

An envelope is sealed and addressed to you. It’s the regular update from your father. Sitting down in the dining hall you groan miserably as you read.

Hilda has to know what is troubling you. “Family feud?”

“Just kill me now.” You whine.

She pats you on the shoulder. “Can’t be that bad, can it?”

“My father. I love him dearly but he meddles so much. He agreed that I could come here to further my learning. But…” You hesitate.

She looks at you, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“He told me I have to find myself a husband, preferably a noble while here. I am extremely busy with class work, spell practice, spell development, antidote, and concoction creation. I hardly have time to sleep. Oh, and don’t forget Byleth’s special projects. The guys want someone fun and outgoing like you. You’re cute and entertaining and I’m a dowdy old bookworm.”

“Awww. I am pretty awesome, that’s true.” Hilda grins. “You just need a fake boyfriend while your father is here. I bet I can find someone to help you.”

“Not Sylvain. I will kill myself.” You frown.

“I gotcha fam. Give me the deets and I will set you up.”

“Thanks Hils I owe ya.” You curtsey to her.

“Sky watch for the next month to start, hmmmm…” She ponders.

Later that evening Hilda corners Claude. “One big fat amazing opportunity has just dropped into your lap, loverboy. You better not mess this up!”

“Do tell…” Claude winks.

Tomorrow is the day your father is to arrive. You find Hilda to see if she has anything set for you. Hilda says she’s got everything under control. You’re shaking in your boots, the only thing going through your mind is that your father is going to drag you out of here kicking and screaming because you don’t have a boyfriend.

The day arrives. Standing next to the gatekeeper you watch as the carriage rolls closer and closer to the front gate. Suddenly an arm slides around your back and a familiar voice speaks, “Shouldn’t we go down and greet your father, my deer?” You look up into the sparkling emerald green eyes of Claude. Blushing terribly, you can only nod as you walk down the steps to greet your father.

Your father rushes to you with both arms open to give you a hug and spin you half way around in a circle. “My baby. It’s been so long. In these few short months I daresay you’ve grown in to a fine woman. So beautiful.” Your fathers’ cheeks are rosy and eyes are filled with love for his only daughter. “And who is this young man?” He curiously asks.

“My apologies, father.” You are gasping for breath. “This is Claude von Riegan.

Grandson to-”

Your father finishes your statement. “The Duke of the Leister Alliance!”

“And her beau.” Claude announces proudly, first bowing to your father then taking your hand and intertwines your fingers before placing a gentle kiss onto your knuckles. Your face flushes redder than a summer tomato.

Claude continues to hold your hand as he escorts the both of you to your room. The future Duke and your father are already excitedly discussing Leister business, trade and the safety of trade routes.

“I will leave you to your visit. I’ll be back in time to take you both for a grand lunch in town just across the way.” Claude smiles as he bows to your father and kisses your hand again before he leaves, his cape swishing as he turns.

You open your door to find a small table with a pitcher of ice cold water and lemons as well as two glasses and a small stack of cakes. A beautiful bouquet of daisies and roses accompanies them. Two comfortable and decorative chairs are alongside of the table. You swear you recall those chairs were in Seteth’s office not too long ago.

“Please take a seat, father.” You pour him some of the deliciously refreshing chilled water. “Tell me about your trip.” Trying to keep him focused on what has been going on at home. Every time he tries to ask about your relationship with Claude, you ask about your brothers or your aunt, anything to steer the conversation away from you. An opportune knock on the door disrupts your fathers latest attempt to discuss your relationship with the grandson of Duke Riegan.

“My apologies, we do have a reservation for lunch in town.” Claude bows deeply to the both of you. As you leave your room, Claude swiftly takes your hand. You smile nervously at him. This man is a master of deception.

Claude manages the conversation with entertaining stories of Byleth and the Golden Deer. He makes certain to include some accounts of your healing accomplishments, swearing that none of the deer would be here without your amazing abilities. You spend the entire time blushing or begging Claude to stop praising you, but he keeps going, his smile wider and wider.

At the restaurant, the waitress brings you to the table and Claude attends your chair for you. The waitress comments that it is always lovely to see you two lovebirds in here again. Does Claude have the entire town in on this? Geeez. Claude orders lunch for the both of you, as if he has done this a hundred times.

Lunch is anxious yet enjoyable. You are on the edge of your seat at all times. Claude explains how you met through the Golden Deer. You’re both supportive and loyal to the class. You found common interests in seeking cures for poisons and are very supportive of each other in battle, that you fell for his charm and good looks and that he is incredibly impressed by your intelligence and knowledge. Nothing he says is a lie, except that you two aren’t really together.

The waitress asks about dessert. Your father declines, Claude tells her the usual and your eyes get big. He squeezes your hand that he has clasped in his on the table and gives you a wink.

A small cake with two forks is placed between you. Claude quickly takes a fork and holds a piece of cake in front of your lips. You glance at him and your father. Feeding you? That’s pretty intimate. Claude smiles wider as you open slowly while he feeds you a bit of cake. You look into his eyes and tell him it is wonderful.

He cuts off another bit and takes a bite. “Delicious.” Is that an indirect kiss?

Your father is grinning at you as the cake is finished. You slightly roll your eyes with embarrassment and that fact that you can’t believe Claude is doing this.

The men argue a minute over who will pay the tab, Claude graciously thanking your father for a delightful lunch as your father foots the bill. Your father commenting that this has been the best and most entertaining lunch he has had in a long time makes you blush harder.

The conversation is quieter as everyone his happily full walking back to the monastery. Claude happily swings your hands back and forth together as you walk. Your father asks what things you will be doing soon. Claude advises they have a mission at the end of the month, and also the two of you have a date this Saturday just before sunset.

As you head back to the grounds, your father’s carriage is ready to go. Saying your goodbyes, your father gives you a long hug and whispers “Don’t let this one go, he’s a great catch.” He steps back and gives you one long admiring look.

He shakes Claude’s hand warmly, asking him to watch out for his baby girl.

“I’ll do everything in my power to protect her, sir. You can count on that.” Claude gives him one of his classic winks.

Standing at the gate, holding hands, you both wave as your father’s carriage rolls out of sight.

Claude holds his hands out to you, “A kiss for your boyfriend?” he says as he closes his eyes and puckers his lips. You laugh as you lightly slap his shoulder.

“I cannot believe you pulled this off! I thought for sure I’d be riding back with him, but you actually had him eating out of your hand!”. You laugh as you walk away. “Maybe you should see about getting into acting or the opera. I don’t think Dorothea could have pulled off a performance like that.”

You get back to your room and thankfully Seteth’s chairs are missing. The pitcher of water is still there and the flowers. You didn’t notice before, but there was a card with them.

Every day is heaven with you, my angel ~Claude.

P.S. You keep the date on Saturday at sunset.

[immabethehero]

Marvin’s MegaBirthday Story

Guess who made a Megamind AU with Marvin as the title character?

Here’s a quick list of characters so you won’t get confused about who’s who:

Marvin, The Malevolent Magician - Megamind

Dr. Schneeplestein, the Doctor - Minion, but human

The Brighton Shepherd - Metro Man

Jackieboy Man, the Red Marauder - Sidekick to the Shepherd, original role of sorts

Chase Brody, news reporter - Roxanne Ritchi

Anthony/Anti - Hal Stewart, without the creepy simping

CW: Police brutality, hints of starvation, strangulation and mentions of electrocution

It was a glorious day in Brighton City. Even the weather seemed aware of it as the sun shone down brightly on the silver skyscrapers and the brand new museum built into the city square.

 To celebrate the city’s greatest superhero, the grand, new museum had been dedicated to the city’s greatest hero: The Brighton Shepherd. In between the two buildings was a giant curtain, hiding a 55 foot statue for the superhero.

Reporters came to the site as early as 6 am before the crowds could roll in. Among them was the up-and-coming journalist, Chase Brody, who ran the news vlog: “Just Your Average Report”. Wearing a brand new grey and white suit to honour the Shepherd’s signature colour, Chase did vocal warm-ups while his cameraman, Anthony, set up the equipment. Unlike Chase, who had dressed handsomely for the occasion, Anthony simply wore a graphic t-shirt and a fishing vest with blue jeans. Chase tried not to let that get to him. In all the fifteen months he’d known Anthony, Chase had never seen the man wear anything other than graphic tees and the fishing vest. Today obviously wasn’t much different to Anthony.

“We’re on!” Anthony said. Chase held up his microphone in time for the camera light to turn red; he exclaimed, “Happy Brighton Shepherd Day, Brighton City! It’s a beautiful day in our  beautiful downtown, where we’re here to honour a beautiful man: The Brighton Shepherd. His heart is as big as an ocean that’s inside a bigger ocean. For years, he’s been watching us with his super-vision, saving us with his super strength, and caring for us with his super heart. Now, it’s our turn to give something back! This is Chase Brody, reporting live from the dedication of the Brighton Shepherd Museum.”

Chase signaled to Anthony, who snorted as he turned the camera off.

“Damn, the stuff the producers make you read nowadays is incredibly cheesy. Have you considered writing your own stuff?”

“I have. That was one of my pieces,” Chase said with a grin. He reveled in Anthony’s look of horror.

“I mean… I can’t believe that in our modern day society, they let… actual art get onto the news,” Anthony stammered out.

“Nice save, Anthony.”

“Cool. Can we go get a coffee now?”

“Come on, it’s time to get into the Brighton Shepherd Day spirit!” Chase said, nudging his coworker.

Anthony rolled his eyes. “Please. If the Brighton Shepherd really was all that great, he’d be able to properly protect you from the Malevolent and his crazy Doctor. For someone who gets kidnapped and rescued all the time, you sure don’t have good security.”

Chase sighed. This debate again. “I mean, it’s good for my channel! I get to film bits and pieces of the Malevolent’s laboratory! Great publicity.”

“You take too many chances with that man, I swear. What happens if the Malevolent snaps and gets violent with you? The Shepherd and his sidekick won’t be there to protect you. You could die, Chase.”

“The Malevolent won’t hurt me. If he truly wanted to, he would have done so the first time he kidnapped me,” Chase snapped. “If anything, he just wants me for more publicity. I am a popular news source.”

“Yeah? Well, they don’t always strike at first sight, Lois Lane. The dude might be waiting for the perfect moment to torture you,” Anthony continued. “I mean, even if he doesn’t invent the machines, his sidekick is smart enough to make them! I swear that man has seen some stuff and wants to inflict it on the city.”

“The Malevolent and Doctor never want to torture. Their machines may look scary at first, but they’re useless. They only want to scare.”

Anthony began loading up the truck. “You’re too trusting.The Malevolent Magician has the power to mutilate and kill in ways your “friendship-is-magic” brain could never comprehend. The Doctor is no better. They’re both just waiting to strike. Once they do, the Shepherd’s presence won’t feel so reassuring, hm?”

Anthony had his back turned long enough for Chase to feel a cold presence beside him. The smell of gas flooded his senses. The reporter turned to hear a window roll down, though he didn’t see a car. Odd.

Instead a white plague doctor mask glared back at him. Chase groaned. Here he thought he might be able to avoid being kidnapped and used as leverage by the Malevolent Magician. Apparently not! The Malevolent’s sidekick, simply known as the Doctor, was here to claim his damsel in distress. 

The Doctor raised a spray bottle and squirted it directly in Chase’s face. Chase barely had time to scream as a sudden drowsiness overtook him and the whole world went dark.

*

Step one was complete. The annoying vlogger was in the back of the van. With that accomplished, it was time to pick up the villain. Dr. Henrik von Schneeplestein, known to the city as the sidekick to the Malevolent Magician, drove through the busy town square and out of the main city.

The prison where the Malevolent lay was outside of town in a secluded location, or rather, in the middle of the highway leading into the city. Despite its odd location, the security was incredible. 200 security officers patrolled the site, with at least three officers supervising a special room under intense lock and key. The Malevolent himself was usually locked in large chains that only unlocked at certain times, or if Mal had behaved himself for a certain amount of time.

Schneep arrived to see the prison in chaos. Sirens blared loud enough to burst a person’s eardrums while police ran into the grey building, yelling to each other and pulling out their guns.

Amid all the chaos stood a man with a thick white moustache, standing in front of the large electrical gates, The man held up his wrist enough for Schneep to spy a silver watch on his wrist and sighed in relief. The watch had worked.

“Well, hello, good looking. Need a ride?” Schneep said, opening the door.

“Always, my dear doctor!” the man said as he hopped in. He slammed the door closed as Schneep slammed his foot on the gas and flew off.

The man twisted the watch’s case and transformed back into Malevolent. The supervillain turned to Schneep with an evil grin. “Nice job sending me the watch, Doctor! Let’s ride!”

“As you wish, my Wickedness!” Schneep yelled.

The maltreatment Mal received from the prison was not lost on the doctor. His sharp cheekbones were grimy and more pronounced, and his wrists were almost skeletal. Dark shadows hung below his eyes, and it was not from eyeliner. Schneep held back a sad sigh. Thank goodness he left a snack for Mal when they returned to the evil lair. That part could be solved.

*

Back at Brighton City Square, the show was ready to begin. As city officials made their speeches, two superheroes waited behind a painted brick wall to make an entrance.

The illustrious Brighton Shepherd fixed his mask and combed his dark brown hair back. Beside him was his sidekick: the Red Marauder, clad in red, green, and blue leather. Marauder kept peeking behind the wall.

“Malevolent is safe behind bars as of right now, you can relax, Jackie,” Shepherd said, rubbing his protégé’s back.

“I can’t find Chase!” Marauder whispered back. “I’ve scanned the crowds three times and there’s no sign of his face.”

“Perhaps he’s stuck in traffic?” Shepherd said, smoothing out the creases in Marauder’s blue cape. His sidekick really needed to learn how to take care of himself.

“He would have sent me a text if that had happened,” Marauder said with a sigh.

“Went for a cup of coffee with Anthony?”

Marauder turned to the crowd. “Anthony is currently eating a donut by one of the food vendors. I think Malevolent and the Doctor kidnapped Chase again!” His eyes filled with tears.

The Shepherd sighed and put a hand on Marauder’s shoulder. “Okay, when the mayor does her speech, we’ll do a quick speedrun through town. He can’t be far. Don’t worry, we’ll get him back.”

Marauder nodded, blinking back tears. No time to cry when there’s a battle.

“Shepherd? It’s time,” an employee whispered. The Brighton Shepherd cracked his neck.

“Show time, baby.” He punched the painted brick wall concealing him, creating a perfect hole. “Alright, put your hands in the air!” he yelled to the crowd.

*

The lair lit up as the car entered and parked in its appointed place. Marvin threw the door open and breathed in the familiar smell of the evil, abandoned, Monster Munch snack factory. A long time ago, it smelled of moldy cheese puffs and rat manure, but now it smelled of malevolence, metal, and a whole lot of cologne.

No matter how many times he arrived, the sweet scent always relaxed the supervillain after a hard day in jail or fighting the Shepherd. “Oh Doc, there’s no place like our evil lair!”

“I’ve kept it cold and damp, just the way you like it!” Schneep said, hauling the sleeping Chase out of the car.

A swarm of tiny robots flew over to Marvin, their engines whirring with delight. The model was a small purple circle with four robotic legs that could grip and lift up to 1,000 pounds. Of course, each had cat ears attached to the sides of their heads and a cat tail at the back. The CATs,  Marvin had fondly called them. Their singular glowing yellow eyes in the center of their body looked up at their darling master.

“The CATs have certainly missed you, sir!” Schneep exclaimed.

Marvin bent down to caress their smooth heads. “Did you miss your daddy? Who’s a menacing little android? You are, yes, you are!”

One CAT held up a ball of twine. Marvin grabbed it and tossed it across the lair, the CATs trailing after it.

Two older models of the CATs held up a curtain while two others held up Marvin’s new suit. Marvin gratefully ripped off the ugly bluish-grey prison rags and changed into his white button-up, black dress pants, and sparkly purple vest. A CAT draped his famous black cloak with magenta lining around his shoulders while another handed him his beautiful cat mask with the magician’s card designs drawn on. He happily donned the mask with pride and stepped out.

“How do I look, Doctor? Do I look evil?” Marvin asked, spinning.

“Horrifyingly striking, sir,” Schneep said. He opened a small gate to an elevator platform, “Shall we?”

At the top, Schneep set Chase down on a chair while Marvin checked all the monitors and buttons.

“Everything ready?”

“Of course! I would never leave anything unchecked before a big event!” Schneep said. Beside the doctor, Chase began to stir, grunting and yelling muffled by the bag.

“He’s awake! Quick everyone, places!” Marvin ordered. He jumped onto his chair and motioned a small CAT to lie down in his lap while he fixed his hair once more.

Schneep ripped the bag off of Chase’s head as Marvin twirled his chair around, menacingly stroking the CAT. “Mr. Brody, we meet again.”

“Would it kill you to wash the bag?” Chase complained, “it fucking stinks and the spray bottle is no better!”

“You can scream all you want, Brody, I’m afraid no one can hear you!” Malevolent announced. Chase remained stone-faced.

Marvin frowned. “Why isn’t he screaming?”

Schneep sighed exasperatedly and bent down next to Chase, “Mr. Brody, if you don’t mind-”

“Screaming sounds a lot like this: aaaahhhhh!” Malevolent demonstrated. “I mean, that’s a poor example but-”

The CAT sitting on his lap bit his hand. Malevolent emitted a high-pitched shriek as he tried to shake the little robot off.

“Not to sound like a sadist but it’s more fun when you do it,” Chase deadpanned.

“Very funny,” the Doctor snapped. “You’ll be singing a different tune when the Brighton Shepherd is defeated right before your eyes!”

Ignoring both of them, Chase decided to examine the observatory, the usual spot for Malevolent and Shepherd’s battles. Most of it was the usual, a long control booth circling the room, full of buttons and levers that would release death traps, lasers, and other lame inventions. Above the panel were monitors of different sizes. On one side of the elevator was a broken vending machine where Doctor grabbed his sleeping spray, while on the other side was a strange metal sphere with axes and spikes sticking out of it (Chase asked and even Malevolent had no idea what it was).

“Speaking of watching, do you have your camera set up?” Malevolent asked, finally yanking off the biting CAT.

“Yup! It’s in the pin this time! Anthony helped me set it up!” Chase puffed his chest out to show it off.

Malevolent ran a hand through his thick black hair and twirled around, letting his cape fly in the wind.

“So guys, what’s on the menu for today? Robosheep? Typhoon cheese? A big ball of aluminum that will roll around town?” Chase asked.

Behind his plague doctor mask, Schneeplestein grinned. It was his time to shine! “Actually, we created a cool ray that uses the sun to make explosive lasers, wanna see?!” He excitedly rushed over to the main control booth and began typing in the passcode to turn it on.

Marvin yelped and pulled Schneep away from the booth, “Easy there, Doc, we’ll show it in time!”

“Brody wanted to see it!” Schneep protested. “It’s not like it would hurt, would it?”

“Think, Doctor! He’s using his nosy reporter skills to find out all our secrets!” Malevolent accused, snarling at Chase.

Chase rolled his eyes, chuckling. These two could be quite entertaining. “What secrets?! You’re so predictable!”

“Oh, that’s the insult for today?! Tell me, my dear Brody, would you call this predictable?” Marvin pulled down a lever and the floor around Chase opened up.

“Your alligators, yes!” Chase nodded in greeting to the snapping reptiles. “Yeah, I was just thinking about these guys on the way over!”

Truth be told, Chase was dreaming of riding a large parrot to Disney World while in the car. But Malevolent didn’t need to know that.

Marvin turned back to the panel. How dare Chase see through his armour?! He quickly slammed a button. “What about this?”

A sharp razor painted blood red danced in Chase’s face. “That’s kind of tacky.”

Marvin punched another button and a junky invention of multiple chainsaws attached to the ceiling lowered down. The chainsaws had gotten their chains stuck to each other and could barely move. Chase pretended to contemplate it. “Mm, juvenile.”

Marvin pulled another lever. “What about this?!”

A giant fart gun shot green gas out. Chase gagged. “Gross and immature!”

“What’s this one do?!” A weak fire machine coughed out small bits of fire.

“That’s just sad,” Chase said. He looked up and nearly jumped out of his seat. A small spider floated downwards. “Is the spider new?”

Marvin turned to Schneeplestein, who merely shrugged. When this was all over, Marvin was going to give him a stern talking to about bug extermination in the lair.

“Ah yes, the spe-dair-a,” Marvin whispered as he advanced closer to Chase. “Even the smallest bite from Arachnis Deathicus will instantly paralyze-”

Chase blew the spider onto Marvin’s cheek, causing him to scream again. Schneep punched him hard enough to knock him over.

“GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!!!! IT BIT MEEEEE!!!” Marvin screamed as Schneep continually smacked him with a newspaper. The spider fell off of Marvin’s cheek and began advancing to the control panel.

“STOP IT BEFORE IT DISAPPEARS!” Marvin howled as he crawled away from the disgusting creature.

After five minutes of Marvin’s dramatic wails and crawling and Schneep swearing like a sailor, Chase finally put an end to the spider’s life by stomping on it when it got close enough.

Marvin crawled over to Chase and grovelled at his bound feet. “Thank you, you are a lifesaver!” He suddenly spied the pin. “Is that still on?”

Chase smiled smugly, “I’ll burn the evidence if you let me go and we’ll never speak of it again.”

Marvin stood up, scowling, “Absolutely not! We haven’t even gotten to the fun part! Let’s pay your boyfriend and godfather a visit, shall we?”

*

Back at the town square, the mayor had finished up her rather short speech, “It is with great pleasure that I present Brighton Shepherd to his new museum! When you’re ready!”

Shepherd’s laser eyes cut the rope and the great curtains fell, revealing the giant statue of the superhero. A brass band played loudly over the sound of a cheering crowd.

Jackie applauded happily for his mentor, but couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous. In all fairness, the Shepherd had been around longer than he had, and he was still familiarizing himself with the city.

A sudden chill running up his arms woke Jackie from his thoughts. He looked up and gasped. Dark clouds quickly enveloped the museum. People shrieked in terror as a big, black blimp hovered above the great building, rolling down two large projection screens underneath. Once positioned on each side of the magnificent statue, a small circular robot holding a camera turned the screens on, showing the face of the one to blame for the chaos: the Malevolent.

The Brighton Shepherd and the Red Marauder flew up, Shepherd holding up a microphone.

“If it isn’t the Malevolent!”

“Bravo, Brighton Shepherd! Congratulations on your new museum!” Malevolent drawled, clapping slowly.

The crowd began to boo loudly. Malevolent blew a raspberry at the crowd, “So immature!” he scoffed.

“Should have known you’d try and crash the party!” Shepherd said.

“Oh, I intend to do more than crash it! This will be a historic day you, and Brighton City, will not soon forget!”

“We all know how this ends!” Shepherd said. “With you behind bars!”

“Ooh, I tremble in my kitten-skinned cape,” Malevolent hissed, playfully wrapping himself up in his cape. The cape was actually made from cotton, but the city didn’t need to know that.

“What do you want with us, Mal?” Shepherd demanded.

“First off, don’t call me ‘Mal’,” Malevolent snapped. “Secondly, if you and your tomato sidekick don’t leave town in an hour, then this will be the last you ever hear of Chase Brody!” Malevolent punched a button and the left screen presented the kidnapped Chase tied to a chair.

“I knew it!” Jackie muttered behind his mask.

“Don’t panic Chase! We’re on our way!” Shepherd cried out, earning a cheer from the crowd.

“I’m not panicking!” Chase responded, smiling.

Malevolent pretended to gag. “Oh, please. You have to find us first before you save Chase.”

“We’re at the abandoned observatory!” Chase quickly called out.

Malevolent suddenly turned off Chase’s camera, yelping, “WAIT DON’T TO LISTEN TO HIM-”

It was too late. Shepherd and Marauder were already flying above the dark grey smoke. Shepherd quickly spotted the broken down space observatory near the dangerous part of Brighton City beach and pointed it to Marauder. The two began their flight.

Back at the lair, Schneep watched the superheroes from his monitor. “Shepherd and Marauder approaching, sir!”

Marvin turned to Chase, who shot him a smug grin. Marvin only smiled in return.

“Like we said, you’ll be singing a different tune when you see what we have planned!”

The Shepherd would almost be here. Chase closed his eyes and ducked his head for the inevitable ceiling crash.

Shepherd and Marauder flew through the opening of the observatory and landed. Or rather, Shepherd landed gracefully on his feet while Marauder tripped and fell over. Behind them, the heavy doors slid shut.

Shepherd looked around. The place was quiet and eerily empty. No sound of any cat-bots. No evil laughter from the Malevolent.

“Something’s wrong…” Shepherd muttered. He turned to the doors. Were they locked in?! He ran over to check.

Puzzled, Chase looked up. Where were they?

Malevolent reveled in Brody’s confused expression. He fiddled with the control panel, opening up one of the walls.

“You didn’t think we were in the real observatory… did you?!”

Chase could stare in horror as he spotted the real observatory. He couldn’t believe it. He had led the two superheroes right into a trap.

Malevolent laughed triumphantly. “Ready the Death Ray, Doctor!”

Doctor typed in the passcode and pulled the lever down. “Death Ray ready-ing!”

In the real abandoned observatory, Shepherd and Marauder desperately tried to get the doors open.

“I can’t believe Malevolent actually tricked us! How did he seal the doors?!” Marauder moaned.

“Don’t worry Red, we’ll find a way out,” Shepherd said, smiling.

“Over here, boys,” a voice like ice called out. The superheroes turned to see a large projection of Malevolent smiling down on them.

“In case you haven’t noticed, you’ve fallen right into my trap!” Malevolent boasted.

The Shepherd motioned Marauder to find an escape before turning to Malevolent. “You can’t trap justice! It’s an idea! A belief!”

“Well sometimes the most heartfelt belief can be corroded over time!” Malevolent responded.

“Justice is a non-corrosive metal!”

“Then I will just melt it with the heat of revenge!”

“FYI, revenge is best served cold!” Shepherd corrected him. From the side, Marauder shook his head. As much as he respected his mentor and feared Malevolent, their “witty back-and-forth banter” was lame.

“It can easily be reheated in the microwave of evil! Don’t doubt me!” Malevolent snarled.

“Well I think your warranty is about to expire!” Shepherd declared.

“Fuck you, I have an extended warranty!” Malevolent retaliated.

“Language, my dear sir! And warranties are invalid if you don’t use the product for its intended purpose!” Shepherd roared.

“OH! Girls, girls, you’re both pretty!” Chase yelled from his seat. He turned to Malevolent, exasperated, “My whole body is sore. Can I just go home now?!”

Malevolent turned around to throw an empty can of Cola at Chase. It bonked off the side of his head.

“You’ll just have to wait, dear Brody! Your beloved superheroes first must prove if they can escape the inevitable power of the sun! Fire!”

Marauder conjured a shield for himself and Shepherd. When the Shepherd made no move to protect himself, Marauder realized nothing was coming. What happened?

Meanwhile, Marvin approached Schneep and the machine. Schneep learned against the panel, snoring softly. Marvin poked him, “Doctor, wake up!”

Schneep startled, “Oh! Sorry!” He turned to the machine, “The machine is still warming up. I expect we have a few more minutes before it fires.”

Marvin’s face turned as red as Marauder’s suit. “Warming up?! The sun is warming up?!”

Chase started laughing, “The sore arms and legs are definitely worth this riot. Just you wait, the Shepherd and Marauder will be on you in min-”

Malevolent tossed another empty can at Chase. Chase immediately shut up. “That’s better.”

“Don’t worry Chase, we’re on our way!” Marauder yelled from the monitor.

Malevolent stomped over to the camera, “Get here faster, I’m this close to throwing his stupid ass off the balcony!”

This caused Marauder to flip. “Hang in there Chase, I’m coming!” He rocketed up to fly out, only to crash into the ceiling and fall back down unceremoniously.

“Marauder, we’ve talked about this! You need to think before you do anything!” Shepherd lightly scolded. “Now, what do we have that can create a hole in the wall?”

“This whole day is a mess…” Doctor muttered from his spot at the panel.

“I’m sorry, whose side are you on?!” Malevolent demanded.

“The losing side!” Chase interjected.

“Everybody shut up,” Malevolent ordered. He sighed, rubbing his temples. “You know what? I need to take a nap. Call me when the ray is ready!”

“The ray is ready!” Doctor announced. In seconds a bright beam of yellow flew down, destroying the observatory in seconds. Fire and burning metal fell out of the demolished observatory, some of it flying directly towards the lair.

Malevolent quickly waved his hands in a circular motion, muttering. A shimmering purple bubble wrapped around Doctor and Chase. As debris rained down, Malevolent deflected them with bursts of purple fireworks. Chase watched in amazement, gaping.

“I keep forgetting he can do magic...” Chase muttered. “He uses so much technology instead.”

Doctor laughed, “Well, he’s not called the Magician for nothing.”

When the commotion calmed down and the debris stopped coming, Marvin twirled around, blowing a stray hair out his eye. The bright glow of the burning observatory behind the magician outlined his epic form. “Did your camera get that, Brody?”

Two more pieces of falling debris gracelessly smashed into Marvin. Chase happily squealed upon seeing the dusty forms of the Brighton Shepherd and the Red Marauder.

“I… should have seen that coming,” Marvin squeaked. “How did you escape so fast?”

“Laser eyes are a wonderful thing!” Marauder answered, giving Marvin a playful wink as he stood up. Marvin stuck his tongue out.

“The gig is up, Mal. We’re taking you back to jail, where you belong!” Shepherd declared. Marvin sighed and slammed his head down on the floor. Naturally, he lost. Again.

Schneep’s distressed cries snapped Marvin back to attention. He turned to his head to see Marauder on top of a struggling Schneep. Schneep’s whimpers and half-sobs were lost on Marauder, who continued tying his wrists behind him.

“Might as well send the Malevolent’s accomplice to jail as well! That way he won’t escape again!” the sidekick reasoned.

Something in Marvin snapped. “NO!” he screamed, startling the Shepherd. With his nemesis off his back, Marvin set his eyes on Brody and magically put the reporter in a choke hold.

Chase gasped raggedly as the air left his lungs.

Marvin whirled around to face Marauder, growling, “Let the doctor go!”

“Get your hands off Chase!” Marauder yelped, staring helplessly at his struggling brother.

“First, free the doctor!” Marvin shouted. He tightened his grip on Chase, lifting him out of the chair.

“Put Chase down!” Marauder roared, eyes glowing red.

Chase wheezed pathetically, black spots darting in his vision. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t breathe. He let out a strangled sob, tears falling. In all his time with Malevolent… he had never felt so scared.

Jackie’s eyes lost their glow and he loosened his grip on the Doctor. Underneath him, the Doctor moaned in pain.

“Let him go, Red.” Jackie turned to Shepherd in shock. The usually optimistic and brightly-smiling superhero had a grim expression on his face. Jackie spluttered.

“B- but- The Doctor will just free the Malevolent again! We could stop them both once and for all-”

“You heard me. Let him go,” Shepherd ordered. Reluctantly, Jackie stood up and backed away from the Doctor. The shaking man took no time running to the stairs and quickly disappearing.

Marvin waited until Schneep’s footsteps faded away before releasing Chase, gently laying him down. Chase gulped in tearful breaths, his body trembling. Marauder rushed over to free Chase while Shepherd tied the magician’s hands behind him.

The minute his hands were free, Chase threw his arms around Jackie. Jackie gently hugged him.

“Are you okay?” Jackie whispered. Chase nodded, still gasping.

“I’ll take Malevolent to jail,” the Shepherd said. “You get Chase to a hospital!” He took off, Malevolent dangling in his arms. The magician waved goodbye as he and the Shepherd disappeared into the city.

Jackie picked up Chase bridal style and started flying as well.

He kept the flight light and steady to keep Chase from getting sick. Chase buried his head in Jackie’s shoulder for most of the trip, eyes squeezed shut. He hated heights.

As they arrived at the hospital, a medical team waited outside to take Chase in. After the first few kidnappings, a special team offered to dedicate themselves to healing Chase in case he needed it.

“Ja-Jackie?” Chase stuttered. Jackie looked down at his almost unconscious friend.

“Ma-Make sure th-this doesn’t reach An-Anthony, oh-ok?” Chase begged between gasps.

Jackie nodded, confused. “Alright… I won’t tell him.”

*

The cell stunk. No one here ever bothered to put an air freshener in his jail cell, despite Marvin’s numerous polite requests to have it put in. According to the security guards, the Malevolent “could use it as a weapon” or a “gas bomb”. Please.

Marvin sighed as best as he could. As if to enact revenge for strangling Chase, the security staff had clamped an even smaller chain around his neck, making it hard to breathe. Or move. Or do anything. The rest of his body wasn’t much better, with a larger chain wrapped around his waist and movement sensory chains bruising his wrists. If he tried using any magic, the chains on his wrist would shock him. After today, electrocution was the last thing Marvin needed.

Marvin looked up to check the premises. After checking to make sure the guards were gone, Marvin snapped his fingers, careful not to move his wrists too much. Immediately, the chains loosened, allowing Marvin to take a shuddering gasp. He knew the minute he heard the guards coming to check on him, he had to tighten them again, so he took advantage of the situation.

At least the Doctor was free. He wasn’t being made to sit in a stinky, small cell, wrapped in large chains that threatened to strangle him at any moment. He was free to relax after a hard day, planning for the next breakout. For now, Schneep could rest.

Marvin leaned back against his chair, closing his eyes. Schneeplestein would help him escape again. For now, the magician himself will think of another plan to get back at the Brighton Shepherd.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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[tevanavernus]

Saudade - Chapter 1.

||Prologue||

Summary: "Saudade" - A nostalgic longing for a person or thing that was loved once, but is now lost.

Helmut Zemo's life was forever changed when the Avengers picked his country as a personal playground to fight their own creations. He would never regain the pieces of his life where he was a husband and a father of two. But the existence of new Super Soldiers might just bring him closer to that life he once had than he ever thought was possible. Madripoor holds secrets that even Baron Zemo does not know about.

Word Count: 6.2k

Helmut led them deeper into the garage where his personal collection was stored. Flicking the lights on, he was met with a couple of rows of his favourite antique cars. Just like he left them years ago. It wasn't all of his collection, the remaining couple of dozen were hidden away in other parts of the world. He made a mental note to thank to whoever kept the place cleaned and the cars taken care of. From an initial glance, all of them were spotless, just how he liked them.

"So our first move is grand theft auto?" Sam asked, crossing his arms the moment the light came on.

"These are mine. Collected by the family over the generations." Helmut explained as he pulled open the lid of the trunk. Some of the cars dated back all the way to pre-WW2. He could still remember his father showing him the collection when he was a young man himself. It was a tradition of a sort, in their family. A tradition that he carried on with Nic and was planning to do with Carl once he was older. Years down the line, the same cars, amongst others, were going to be split and passed down equally between them. Now, they would forever be in his collection. He supposed the traditions along with the family name would end with him.

Helmut glanced down at the trunk of the 1946 Packard Clipper that was filled with weapons, knives, and ammunition. He scanned through them all, considering what to take. Some of it will be useful, especially the ones that he could conceal easily. Hearing the doors of other cars being opened, he tilted his head towards Sam and James but refrained from making a comment. Sam chuckled from somewhere behind Helmut, making him turn to him. Sam pulled back from the 1934 Packard Twelve Series 1106 that he was checking out.

"Hey Zemo," He called out, grinning at whatever he was holding in his hand. "Have been secretly a fan-boy all along and were pissed we didn't invite you to hang out?"

"May I?" Helmut asked as he extended his hand. He had a suspicion of what it was already but wanted to see it himself.

"You should keep it. Really brings out your good side." Sam bit out sarcastically and lightly threw it across the couple of feet that were between them.

Helmut caught it easily and opened his palm to see a scratched-up keychain of Iron-Man's helmet. It was light, made of cheap metal, with nearly reflective orange and red paint.

"Huh," he muttered lowly, turning it around a couple of times. The key chain was an old, cheap trinket. He couldn't even remember where Carl picked it up. Their city wasn't exactly in support of Iron man even before the Ultron mess so he doubted it was in Novi Grad. "It belonged to my son. My eldest stole it from him, she liked to do that when they were fighting. I imagine there was another fight over the fact that she lost it."

"Put it away before you lose it," Helmut told her the moment he noticed it dangling from her pocket. "What is it with you and stealing Carl's things?"

"I'm not going to lose it." Nic rolled her eyes and grabbed it. Throwing it to the holder inside the car door she turned to him. "See?"

"Hold up," Sam cut in, pulling Helmut's attention back to him. "You have kids?"

"Had, until your friends showed up. Why does this surprise you? I had a life outside of work." Helmut asked as he ran his thumb across the keychain before putting it into his pocket. It held no value or use, just a small sentimental trinket, he should throw it out.

"Don't get sassy with me, man. If you drop a bomb on us like this, I'm gonna have questions." Sam rolled his eyes, shutting the door harder than it was necessary. Rude.

"As we all do I imagine. Curiosity is wired into our genes after all-"

"Not the time." James interrupted their conversation.

"Right, as I was saying," Helmut cleared his throat and went over to the yellow 1934 SS1 Jaguar where he knew he stored his coat. It was a nice coat. Warm, great quality leather with soft fur around the neck. Ivana loved to steal it and drop it over her shoulders the moment he looked away even for a second. No matter how many times he offered to get her one as well, she would just roll her eyes at him and stick her arms inside it as if to prove the point that it was already hers. It was funny how much it would engulf her, he wouldn't be able to protest for too long even if it ended up in him freezing his ass off at times. He blinked. "I spent years hunting people HYDRA recruited to recreate the serum. Because once it's out there, someone can create an army of people… like the Avengers."

Helmut placed the coat on top of the car, making sure it wouldn't fall to the dirty ground. Trying to keep his expression neutral as a wave of bitterness washed over him, he bent down to retrieve a bag from the inside. Once the coat was removed, on the green leather of the car seat, his old, purple mask stared back at him. He paused, having forgotten that he threw it here the last time he drove the car.

Nic made a face as she lifted the mask up and took a look at it. He had stored it away in the compartment box but Nic made her way inside it to snoop around.

"You don't like it?" He raised his eyebrow, pulling out of the garage and into the traffic. He promised to bring her to the Zoo couple of days prior and they were meant to return back home the next day. So begrudgingly, he found a couple of hours in the day when he could bring her, even though they went there not even half a year ago for her thirteenth birthday.

"It's…um…very purple."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Why is it so purple?"

"I think you just don't appreciate fashion." He accused her teasingly.

"You call this fashion?" She shot back.

" I let you sit in the front of the car with me and this is what I get in return?" Helmut feigned the hurt in his voice. "Being bullied by my own daughter."

Nic snorted and pulled it over her head. She pulled down the sun visor to see how she looked before turning to him. He wasn't surprised in the least to see that it was way too big for her. The holes for the eyes and mouth were too low and covered her vision instead.

"You're going to be grounded if I find any makeup stains inside it." He threatened and moved his hand from the gearbox to pull the mask off her head. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why she was already putting it on her face. Throwing it behind him to the back, he ruffled her hair even more, causing her to cry out and swat his hand away.

Swallowing, Helmut reached for the mask. His hand lingered on the soft material for a moment. Clicking his tongue, he grasped it tighter and pushed it inside the bag. It will be useful if they ran into trouble and he needed to stay out of the public eye. Nothing else. They really needed to get a move on. The familiarity of the place was making all the memories that he had no time or energy for to come back.

"I ended the Winter Soldier program once before. I have no intention to leave my work unfinished." Helmut asserted, taking the coat and dropping it over his forearm. With the bag in hand, he walked back to the 1946 Packard Clipper.

"To do this, we'll have to scale a ladder of lowlifes." He explained as he filled up the bag with a couple of knives, handguns, and few boxes of rounds.

"Well, join the party. We've already started." Sam remarked from behind him. He was the jokester amongst them, Helmut thought but ignored his comment.

"First stop is a woman named Selby. Mid-level fence I still have a line on. From there, we climb." He added.

Once he was by the door, Helmut placed the bag on the floor and turned back to his 'team-mates'.

"Stay here." He ordered them, not particularly wanting them to go around and explore the rest of the building.

"Where are you going?" Sam demanded to know, ready to leap into a fight.

"To change, Sam," Helmut smirked and made a point to look down at his police uniform. "I would offer you to join, but I must say I was a married man and I don't break my vows."

"Just hurry up," Sam grunted disgusted at the image Helmut must have created in his brain.

Helmut did not hurry up. In fact, he took his sweet time in choosing his outfit. The upper level of the garage was converted into a somewhat livable space if it ever came to that. Ignoring the spare bedroom, he went straight to the room that acted as a walk-in wardrobe. After going through the options, he ended up settling on a pair of black slacks and a dark purple turtle neck that was loose enough to conceal the Kevlar bulletproof vest underneath.

"My, my." Ivana grinned, coming into their bathroom and leaning against the door frame while he was buttoning up his shirt. "Don't you look charming tonight?"

"Are you sure your opinion is not swayed by the fact that you got me the shirt?" Helmut raised his eyebrow as he watched her through the mirror.

"Of course not, Helmut," She rolled her eyes playfully, coming in further and wrapping her arms around his neck from behind. "But I gotta say, purple is your colour."

He hummed and tilted his head against her cheek as he finished the buttons, leaving the top two unbuttoned. She leaned in and placed her lips on his earlobe, nibbling it lightly.

"Brings out your eyes," She breathed into his ear, making him shiver.

"Honey," He grinned and turned around to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer until she was pressed firmly against his chest. He leaned in, pressing their lips together for the briefest moment. "If you keep this up, we won't leave this bathroom."

"Doesn't sound half bad to me," She quipped and grabbed his shirt to tug him back, deepening the kiss.

"Daddy!" Carl called out all the way from the bottom of the stairs, interrupting them. At the age of five, he possessed the power to scream down the house when he wanted something. "The TV stopped!"

"Duty calls," he half groaned out and stole another quick kiss, not wanting to leave just yet. "You nearly ready?"

"More ready than you."

Helmut blinked the memory away as he put the razor back in its place and looked at himself in the mirror. With a clean shaved face and back in his regular clothes, he looked half decent. Almost like he didn't spend years rotting away in a cell with nothing but books. Almost like he was presentable enough to go home. Except there was no one to greet him there now. Sighing, he grabbed his gloves from the sink counter and shut the light off on his way.

"Really? You couldn't have taken any longer?" James asked exasperated the moment he reappeared. To his surprise, they seemed to have listened and stayed where he ordered them to.

"I certainly could have, but unfortunately we have a plane to catch." Grabbing his bag and coat, he opened the door and threw them into the back.

"How you plan to get all this through the security? Not to mention that you're a runaway criminal?" Sam quizzed as he side-stepped quicker than usual to get to the front seat.

"I have my ways, you'll see," Helmut responded and pressed the button to open the garage door. Sitting down behind the wheel felt nice. He had to admit, he missed driving.

Once on the road, the car fell into silence for a few moments with the radio playing quietly, before Sam ruined it by opening his mouth.

"So what? You took your kids on your little killing sprees?"

"Killing sprees, as you call it, involve a great amount of waiting around. We went sightseeing, mostly. Sometimes shopping." Helmut entertained his idiotic question as he sped up, darting in between the traffic. He smiled smugly catching James' eye-roll in the back mirror.

From their expressions, Helmut gathered that both Sam and James did not expect him to bring them into a small airport forty minutes outside the city and waltz through it like he owned it. The workers that noticed them simply nodded their heads in greeting and minded their business.

"So all this time you've been rich?" Sam asked, surprise evident in his voice as the three of them made their way towards a private jet that was parked on the runway.

"I'm a Baron, Sam. My family was royalty until your friends destroyed my country." Helmut explained as they walked past the plane's wing.

Oeznik was waiting for them by the stairs. Helmut smiled, genuinely happy to see his most loyal friend. The man was in his life as long as he could remember and he was there by his side when Nic and Carl were born, watching them over while he was away. Helmut owed him a debt that he could never repay.

"Hello, Oeznik." Helmut greeted him in Russian the moment he was close enough to be heard over the engine. Oeznik was the one who sat him through hours of Russian lessons many years ago. It was only fair that he would greet him in it.

"Welcome, gentlemen." Oeznik greeted them back in Russian, causing Helmut to grin wider. While James knew Russian better than anyone, Helmut wasn't sure if Sam did.

"Old friend." Helmut embraced him and kissed both of his cheeks. It had been too long. Nodding to him, Helmut turned to James and Sam. Partly to get them on the plane, and partially because he couldn't look at the man for too long, not when he was looking at him with such adoration. Like he was truly happy to see him. It felt wrong. Undeserving. It made his skin crawl.

"Please." Helmut invited them in and boarded the plane. It was one of the smaller jet's that belonged to him; a six-seater with a small gallery. Perfect for quick travel.

While Sam and Bucky got comfortable in their seats, Helmut took a moment to go through the gallery in hopes of finding something that would pass the time between taking off and reaching the optimal altitude. He wasn't a fan of how rocky the first part of the journey tended to be. Helmut could already hear them going back and forth between each other. Finding a book, he pulled out a small red notebook from his coat's pocket. He nicked it, mostly out of curiosity, from James when he wasn't paying attention. He was sure it would also help to understand where the soldier's mind was at currently. After having his memory scrambled for decades, he was bound to be desperate to write down anything important, in fears of forgetting it. It was only logical.

Putting it in the middle of the book, he returned to the cabin and picked a seat near Sam, so that he could have a viewpoint advantage to watch James. He took a look at him for a moment before opening the book and feigning his interest in it. The former Winter soldier had no idea that he lost something. Perhaps James was trying to suppress anything that had to do with the Winter Soldier, including his heightened senses.

Once they were airborne, Oeznik returned with a glass of champagne for him. Helmut chuckled softly and reached out for it, crossing his legs as he leaned back into his chair.

"Apologies if that's a little warm, the fridge is out. But I will see if there is some good food in the galley."

"If it doesn't pass the smell test… give it to them," Helmut suggested in Sokovian, tilting his head towards them, to give just enough suspicion that he was saying something about them. It was fun, getting under their skin. Besides, it wasn't likely that they would tell a difference even if they took the offer of food which he doubted they would. Probably would believe that he was trying to poison them.

"It's good to have you back, sir." Oeznik chuckled with affection in his voice and returned back to the gallery. Helmut tilted his glass before taking a sip, hoping to wash away the heaviness in his stomach that formed. He could think of a couple of things that would be better than him to have back.

"You don't know what it's like to be locked in a cell. Oh. That's right. You do." He couldn't help but deliver the dig, even at the expense of setting their 'friendship' a step backward. He wanted to acknowledge Sam's time in the RAFT, of the time that he was a prisoner just like himself. That they had something in common, not just an enemy. Also to hint that he kept up with the news, that he knew of their actions and steps, even all the way from a prison cell.

"Why don't you tell us about where we're going?" For what it's worth, Helmut had to give a point to Sam for not falling for the most basic bait.

Helmut instead of answering picked up his book and flicked through the notebook, settling on a list. He paused for a second. He was familiar with the names on it. After spending over a year learning everything there was about James' time as the Winter Soldier, he had Black widow to thank for making his job easier, he understood the meaning behind them. What took him by surprise was to see his own name amongst them.

"I'm sorry. I was just fascinated by this." Helmut changed the subject, concentrating on one name that he didn't recognize. Nakajima was circled a couple of times, most likely the most important name on the list. However, he never came across of a Nakajima in James' files. "I don't know what to call it, but this part seems to be important. Who is Nakajima?"

James jumped from his seat and within a second, had the vibranium arm around his throat. The suddenness did catch him off guard, causing him to exhale sharply but he wasn't scared. The grip was tight, in a way that was meant to send a message, not to actually cause harm. Besides, why would you be scared of a thing you craved in the dead of night? Death wasn't something that could be used against him, not when he welcomed it years ago.

Helmut maintained eye contact, almost daring him to go further. To prove his point. That was what the serum did to people. Edged them towards extremes, and James Barnes was as extreme as one could get. A man-made killing machine.

"If you touch that again, I'll kill you." James declared, with a calmness in his voice that only people who had their hands dirty could muster. Touchy subject then. He yanked the notebook out of his hands and only then released his grip.

"I'm sorry," Helmut apologized, his voice sounding hoarser from the strain it just experienced. "I understand that list of names. People you've wronged as the Winter Soldier."'But why is my name important enough to you for you to write it down in your amends?' was left unasked.

"Don't push it." James bit out, becoming guarded once again, just like when he came to his cell. He reminded Helmut of a dog he used to see back home. Desperate for help, but too long on the streets to trust anyone.

"I've seen that book. It was Steve's when he came out of the ice." Sam noted with fondness in his voice. "I told him about Trouble Man. He wrote it in that book. Did you hear it? What'd you think?"

"I like '40s music, so…" James replied, clenching his jaw.

"You didn't like it?"

"I liked it."

"It is a masterpiece, James. Complete. Comprehensive. It captures the African-American experience." Helmut joined in the conversation.

"He's out of line, but he's right. It's great. Everybody loves Marvin Gaye."

"I like Marvin Gaye."

"Steve adored Marvin Gaye."

"You must have really looked up to Steve. But I realized something when I met him. The danger with people like him, America's Super Soldiers, is that we put them on pedestals."

"Watch your step, Zemo." Sam warned him but he ignored it.

"They become symbols. Icons. And then we start to forget about their flaws. From there, cities fly, innocent people die. Movements are formed, wars are fought. You remember that, right? As a young soldier sent to Germany to stop a mad icon. Do we want to live in a world full of people like the Red Skull? No. That is why we're going to Madripoor."

"What's up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it's Skull Island." Sam asked, glancing between him and James.

"It's an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s." James was the one to answer him. That was a light way of putting it.

"It's kept its lawless ways. But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves. James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone."'But we both know that's not quite true don't we?' Helmut left unsaid.

The flight from Germany to Madripoor took roughly fourteen hours. For the first couple of hours, they sat in relative silence. Helmut drowned himself into the book while James looked out the window and Sam had his AirPods in, drumming his fingers against the armrest to the beat of a song.

Helmut shifted in his seat, closing the book. Sighing, he placed it on the chair opposite of him and stood up needing to stretch his legs. The jet didn't have that much space to walk so he chose to cross the gallery to refill his glass. With the drink in hand, he wandered down into the cockpit where Oeznik and another pilot were sitting.

"Sir." The pilot greeted him in Russian the moment he noticed him leaning against the door frame.

"Excellent flying, Dabrowski." Helmut smiled, crossing his arms. "haven't felt any turbulence."

"Thank you sir."

The cockpit fell into silence, not that Helmut minded. He was too used to it to find it uncomfortable. He watched the clouds pass them by, sipping the champagne. Feeling eyes on him, he turned to Oeznik.

"Did they treat you alright, Helmut? Truly?" Oeznik asked, switching to Sokovian while looking at him with such adoration and worry that Helmut had to look away yet again. He cleared his throat and plastered a smile on his face. Even to himself it felt forced.

"Of course Oeznik, you worry too much." He chided him gently. The man always fussed about him. He always fretted over Ivana as well, concerned if she ate enough throughout the day. Never went a day without secretly giving Nic and Carl a piece of candy even if Carl never was able to keep it a secret.

"Well it has been my job for over forty years and you tend to find trouble around every corner." The older man chuckled fondly.

"Nonsense, I'm always on my best behavior. How have you been? I imagine you enjoyed the much-needed vacation days." Helmut changed the subject easily. He didn't want to linger on what once was.

"If I knew your drastic ways of making me take the vacation days off, I would have taken them sooner," Oeznik joked before his smile fell away. "Things have been quiet. It a strange thing to get used to. Even after all these years, I expect to hear Nic and Car, to just pop out around any corner that I turn. I make sure they always have fresh flowers, especially Ivana. She was hellbent on having fresh flowers around the house."

His voice broke, thick with emotion. Helmut had to bite down the inside of his cheek to keep himself composed. The metallic taste filled his mouth and as he ran his tongue over the spot, it sent a small jolt of pain.

It had been so long since he saw their graves. He only went there once, to watch their caskets be lowered into a deep hole. As if that somehow could have brought him some sort of closure, as if it would have granted him the ability to say goodbye. The thought of returning, of stepping a foot in that damned graveyard, of looking at three tombstones, side by side, washed him over with such coldness that even if he jumped into antarctic water he would have been warmer. Shame flooded him. What kind of a man did not visit his own family? What kind of a husband, a father, would let them rot alone.

"Thank you, Oeznik. I'll…" Helmut swallowed, trying to find the words that seemed determined to be stuck in his throat and left unsaid. "I'll make sure to pay them a visit. Later."

Helmut did what he did best; he lied. You told her they would be safe. Look how that turned out.

Made another useless promise, knowing full well he couldn't walk down that path, not without putting a bullet in himself and joining them.

Madripoor was just as vivid and bright as he remembered. The lights of the High Town shone from miles away. They stopped by Helmut's safe house, where James and Sam reluctantly changed into a set of clothes that wouldn't instantly attract attention to them. Especially for the roles that they would have to play if they wanted to get information. Unsurprisingly, it took longer to convince Sam to dress up than it did James.

"We have to fix this. I'm the only one who looks like a pimp." Sam groaned out, looking at his apparel for the tenth time in disgust.

"Only an American would assume a fashion-forward Black man looks like a pimp." Helmut sighed as he dug out his phone and split his attention between looking at the road in front of them and through the gallery to find a picture of Conrad Mack. "You look exactly like the man you're supposed to be playing. The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger."

"He even has a bad nickname." Sam took a glance at the picture. "he does look like me, though."

Sam passed the phone back to him. The closer they walked to the city, the sharper the distinct stench became.

"You smell this?" Helmut asked keeping his attention upfront. A car was arranged to collect them at any moment now, but anything could happen between now and then. He rather not have surprises popping up at them in a place like this. Even he didn't know the city that well and he doubted many people would be willing to help out.

"Yeah, what is that? Acid?"

More like a combined mixture of the fumes from the buildings, production of drugs, all the imported animals and God knows what else. Helmut had no doubt that the water surrounding the city was toxic and could kill someone if they fell into it.

"Madripoor."

A bright beam of headlights flashed them as a car came to a stop a short distance away from them.

"No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There's no margin for error." Helmut explained calmly, barely moving his lips just in case the driver felt particularly nosy. They could trust no one.

"High Town's that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town's the other way." He added, opening the passenger door.

"Let me guess. We don't have any friends in High Town." Sam said as he walked around the car.

Helmut gave him a smile and sat down in the front. The destination, Brass Monkey, was already agreed during the call so Helmut only needed to forward the payment before the car moved in the direction of Low Town.

It did not take long until several motorcycles surrounded their car. Someone already knew of their arrival before they even took a step inside Low Town. Helmut's money was on the Power Broker, which was not the best news for them. He watched Sam turn around and look behind him through the rear-view mirror.

Once the car stopped, Helmut nodded to the driver and exited the car. Wordlessly, he led James and Sam through the streets, passing armed guards, dealers, and hookers until they arrived at Brass Monkey.

"Here we are. Remember your roles no matter what happens." He reminded them again, giving a hard look to Sam. He knew once James got into the role of the Winter Soldier again, there would be very little that could affect him enough to give up their act. It was Sam who made him nervous. His seemingly constant need to check up and staring at James might be the thing that gets them caught. The last thing they needed was for the whole city-state to put a bounty on their head.

The inside was packed with all sorts of lowlifes.

"Ready to comply… Winter Soldier?" Helmut asked James in Russian, loud enough for people to hear and for whispering to begin. He needed the whispers to travel to the right people. Not only would it get them to Selby faster, but it would also buy him security. Winter Soldier's reputation around these parts was well known, not many would want to dive headfirst at them.

Helmut lead them to the bar and took a quick glance around. For the most part, there was no one that stood out or seemed out of place. He noticed that to their right a couple of feet away, two women stood together, but only one of them kept her eyes trained on them. It was the insistent staring that caught his attention. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell much about them, the taller one wore a hood and the one that was watching them had a mask that covered half of her face. The mask reminded him of what the Winter Soldier used to wear. The Bar's security perhaps. Or maybe an interested party.

"Hello, gentlemen. Wasn't expecting you, Smiling Tiger." The barman approached them, distracting him from the two women. He took a look at Sam but didn't appear to be suspicious over his appearance.

"His plans changed. We have business to do with Selby." Helmut answered instead. They had agreed that he would do all the talking and they would simply need to nod along and look pretty.

"The usual?"

There came their test. Seeing the barman take a cobra out of a glass container and drag a knife across it, Helmut sighed dramatically, expressing his feigned happiness at receiving Sam's 'favourite' drink. It was made out Gin, Triple Sec, Cobra heart, and finger lim.

"Smiling Tiger, your favorite." He emphasized with a smile on his face. Helmut had to admit, it was going to be fun.

The barman placed their drinks on the table.

"I love these," Sam spoke up and looked at him, holding the shot as far away as he could from himself.

"Cheers, Conrad." Helmut clinked their glasses and knocked back the shot. It burned his throat as it went down, the heart adding that extra kick of spice to the mix. It wouldn't be his first choice of drink, but it wasn't the worst that he tasted.

"Mmm. Mmm."

While Sam tried to force himself to drink the shot before it became too obvious, Helmut glanced to the corner of the table again. The woman with the hood was gone but the second one was interested in watching Sam with the drink. They definitely had an audience. Not so good.

Hearing someone approach from behind, Helmut turned in time to see the Power Broker's henchman coming up.

"I got word from on high. You ain't welcome here."

Helmut considered his words carefully. They needed to prove that James was under his control. These types of talks often needed a bargaining chip and what was better than a Winter Soldier?

"I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…" he responded and gestured to James who was stiffly standing beside him.

"New haircut?"

"Or bring Selby for a chat."

After a glance at James, the henchman left them alone. Hopefully to get Selby. Licking his lips, Helmut turned back to the bar.

"A Power Broker? Really?" James muttered out lowly, unimpressed with the name. Not that Helmut could blame him, the name was a little bit cliché.

"Every kingdom needs its king. Let's just pray we stay under his radar." Helmut shrugged. The one time that he indirectly dealt with the Power Broker was back in '08, when the EKO Scorpion needed to obtain a particular nerve agent for one of their missions. Even back then, you did not want to get on the wrong side of the Power Broker. He didn't even want to imagine how big his empire was now.

"Do you know him?" Sam whispered, glancing around the bar.

"Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is the judge, jury, and executioner." Helmut elaborated and tilted his head to their watcher. "And has eyes and ears everywhere. She hasn't stopped watching us ever since we stepped a foot near the bar."

Sam's eyes widened ever so slightly in surprise and he glanced in her direction. Helmut didn't have much time to say anything else. More of the Power Broker's men were making their way towards them.

"Winter Soldier." Helmut looked at James dead in the eye. "Attack."

He ordered in Russian just as a hand gripped his shoulder. James did not hesitate, ripping the man's arm off him and bending it backward. Dragging him towards the centre of the room, he broke the man's arm in half and threw a punch in his face using the prosthetic arm, rendering the man useless on the floor.

Helmut smiled. He was right after all. No matter how much James denied, the Winter Soldier was right there, still inside him. The bystanders took out their phones, filming as the Winter Soldier single-handedly took out anyone that came at him.

Helmut stood back and apart from pushing a couple of them into Winter Soldier's path, he watched the scene unfold. James was lethal, just like he was all the way back when they first met and Helmut uttered the words of his programming. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the woman leaning her body over the counter as she said something to the barman who promptly left with a phone pressed to his ear.

"Didn't take much for him to fall back into form." Helmut chuckled, shrugging his shoulders at Sam who seemed a little bit pale. He barely paid any attention to Helmut, his eyes only watching James.

The Winter Soldier grabbed someone by the throat and lifted him in the air before throwing him over the counter. The sound of multiple guns cocking behind them made Helmut's heart skip a single beat. Glancing around, it seemed like every single person was arming themselves. Sam gripped James' forearm causing Helmut to hiss out:

"Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us."

The Flying Tiger certainly would not be touching James' without wishing a swift death sentence. James' not reacting to a threat, allowing a touch on himself would blow their cover to pieces. Sam let go.

"Well done, soldier." Helmut praised James, replacing Sam's hand on him with his own. He needed to take control of the situation and fast.

The barman returned and nodded to the woman.

"Selby will see you now. Follow me, gentlemen." She spoke out for the first time, rising from her seat. The honeyed voice twinged with a familiar accent ripped the breath right out of Helmut's lungs. Even muffled by the mask, it was distinguishable in all the ways that it couldn't have been possible. It halted him to the spot, unable so much as to inhale the air that his lungs started to scream for. He did not see James let go of the man or Sam cast him a confused look when he made no move to follow.

This was not possible.

I 'll try to update the fic once a week to keep somewhat consistent schedule :)

Please let me know what you think and I can't wait to bring you more content soon x

[bloomvalyria]

I received a request for some sparxshipping, so I thought I’d give you some super old sparxshipping content! Since I’ve been getting so many questions about the whole “where did baltor go at the end of broken pieces?” debacle, I thought I’d share the idea I’d originally settled on back in 2016/2017 before scrapping it. It was a good idea in theory, but the deeper I explored it, everything very quickly fell apart. Nonetheless, please enjoy this scrapped rough draft material!

The room was oddly reminiscent of his pocket realm, slightly easing my tense muscles. It was enormous with a towering ceiling and tall walls lined with grand wooden bookcases. Dust coated the furniture and lightly lilted through the air. A great window overlooking the surrounding woods was perched on the other side of the room. The clear glass allowed an ample amount of moonlight to pour onto the hardwood floors. My gaze however was locked on a different light source flickering in my peripheral vision.

My Dragon Fire flared when I turned to look at the bright orange glow. Despite my distance, I could feel the intensity of the flames dancing in the fireplace. Its warmth combined with the pale moonlight gave the room an eerie yet annoyingly romantic vibe. Two stiff-looking arm chairs loomed before the fire, creating elongated shadows that stretched across the floor.

Easily able to sense the dark presence awaiting my arrival in the seat furthest away, I froze. My feet refused to take another step, petrified at the thought of approaching my host.

You can still turn back, my subconscious hastily whispered. He betrayed you. He lied to you. You owe him nothing.

That last statement prickled me. In spite of everything that had unfortunately transpired between the two of us, I owed everything to him. Without him, I never would have found Oritel and Miriam, nor would I have been able to revive Sparx. Even after our fight on Linphea, he’d still helped me achieve the one thing I’d wanted since discovering who I truly was. I may not have wanted to, but I owed it to him to at least hear him out.

Taking a silent, steadying breath I continued my approach to the ominous chair.

“No one would blame you.”

I nearly lost my footing as a familiar, deep voice echoed through the air. Coming to a halt, I felt the strength of the dark presence grow, fully announcing himself. A shadowy figure of a man lifted itself out of the furthest chair, startling me. He was shrouded in darkness until he stepped closer to the fireplace.

Baltor’s sharp features appeared more prominent in the harsh light of the flames. His piercing grey eyes stared deeply into the burning embers, and I couldn’t stop myself from wondering if it was on purpose. It was an odd sight to see him without his signature coat. Then again, his entire ensemble was much more relaxed than I was used to seeing. His normally regal attire was replaced with a simple pair of dark trousers and boots, along with a half-buttoned up, white-collared shirt. I had to mentally chide myself in order to stop staring.

“To be frank, I half-expected you not to come.” Baltor continued. He moved his arm up to rest against the mantle, attempting to look nonchalant.

I glowered at him. “I don’t remember inviting you to snoop through my thoughts.”

A small smirk tugged at his lips. I hated that it nearly made me swoon. “I don’t need to use our connection to read your thoughts, Bloom. You remember what I told you about your eyes.”

An annoyed frown instantly crossed my face as I fought the shiver that arose from hearing him say my name. Shoving my hands into my coat pockets, my fingernails dug into my palms. Resisting the urge to throw a punch at him, I decided saying nothing was my only good option. I considered testing my luck, but the dull throbbing that had suddenly emerged in the back of my skull greatly discouraged it.

“I’m more than aware that I’m the last person you want to speak with.” he said, redirecting the conversation. “All I ask is that we sit down and discuss this.”

“I’m not sure what else needs to be discussed.” I replied, deadpan. The darkness took over much quicker than I’d anticipated. “You knowingly faked your own death. You didn’t contact me at all for months to let me know that you were really alive. Then, you magically reappeared wanting to pretend everything was okay. And, when I asked you why you waited so long to find me, you fed me nothing but a string of bullshit lies.” I paused, dramatically. “I don’t believe I missed anything.”

My response was enough to finally pull Baltor’s gaze away from the fire. The concern pooling in his eyes made my stomach twist with butterflies. However, the darkness worming its way deeper into my brain fought viciously to counteract it.

“Bloom,” he said, calmly, “I understand that you’re angry with me. You have every right to be.” To my amazement, he took a daring step in my direction. “But I know that’s not you.”

The throbbing slowly began to subside, to my shock. I wasn’t sure what made it retreat, but I wasn’t going to complain. Regardless of how truthful my outburst was, the guilt that followed was immense.

“Sorry,” I uttered. “It’s been a bit out of control lately, what with the move back here.”

He nodded. “Understandable. This is your home, and you want it to feel like your home. Living on Sparx is certainly going to be an adjustment for you.”

“An adjustment is one way to word it.” I mumbled, quickly growing exhausted. Running a hand through my tousled hair, I slumped into the seat next to the one he’d previously occupied. The leather fabric wasn’t particularly comfortable, but I needed a place to sit down. Baltor followed suit.

For a while, we merely sat there, glancing at each other. Neither of us seemed to know what to say. All of the snarky, clever remarks I’d conjured up in my head had vanished. Every emotion I’d felt over the last year was a swirling melting pot in my chest. I had a million questions for him. For so long I’d been deprived of the answers I so desperately desired, and now that my opportunity to receive them had finally arrived, I was speechless.

Baltor shifted forward in his chair, looking as if he was about to break the never-ending silence. My Dragon Fire sprung to life with adrenaline, warning me that I needed to speak before he did. My irrational fear of how well he could redirect a conversation was too strong.

“Where were you?” I blurted, cutting Baltor off.

A sad gleam sprouted in his eyes. Still, he didn’t answer. I could see the cogwheels turning in his mind, scrambling to muster up a convincing excuse to push my question off till another time.

“Where were you?” I asked again, fury dripping into my voice. My fingers dug into the leather of the arm chair, trying to still their shaking.

Baltor ran a hand down his face, immediately seeming more exhausted than before. Hearing the question aloud seemed to drain him. “Bloom, I know it’s not what you want to hear,” he began, hesitantly. “Nevertheless, I do believe that particular question is one we should wait on discussing.”

Steam poured from my ears. My cheeks burned red with pent up rage. “No!” I shouted, unable to contain myself. “We are not pushing this off anymore! I’m not asking you to do something outlandish, Baltor. I just want to know the truth!”

“I want to tell you, Bloom. Trust me, I do.” Baltor argued. “Considering how you almost crossed into dark territory only a few minutes ago, telling you would only be detrimental.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, and I could already begin to feel the pads of my fingertips rapidly heat up. “How would that be detrimental? That doesn’t make sense!”

“Bloom, I’m serious.” he warned. “You don’t need to know.”

“Oh, come on, Baltor! What is so difficult about being honest with me? Where could you have been that’s so bad that you’d have to lie to me about it?”

“The Under Realm.”

His interruption made my heart skip a beat. My rage instantly diffused, morphing into a state of shock.

The name sent a chill down my spine as it echoed through my head. Flashes of memories presented themselves front and center, reminding of my time spent there. As always, none of them were pleasant ones.

“What?”  

Baltor clearly didn’t want to continue the conversation; however we both knew I wasn’t just going to drop it after that revelation. “When I found out you were alive, I went to the Under Realm,” he affirmed, slowly dragging out his words.

The thoughts racing through my head were a jumbled, cluttered mess. I kept waiting for my instincts to kick in and react like they usually did. Yet, this time, the longer I sat there I only became more confused.

No logical reason for why he’d be in the Under Realm came to mind. I couldn’t think of any unfinished business he could possibly have there. Even if he did, that still didn’t explain why he’d suddenly decide to act on it when I was in recovery.

Maybe you’re overreacting, my hopeful conscience reasoned. He didn’t say which part of the Under Realm. He could’ve been in Downland for all you know.

I was doubtful. If he’d been in Downland, there was no reason for him to hide it from me. Baltor was well aware of my history with the Under Realm, and if he truly went there, he’d only avoid telling me about it if he went to one particular place. “You were in Shadow Haunt.”

A short sigh slipped past his lips, but no words followed.

White hot anger flashed in my chest. “Baltor, were you in Shadow Haunt?” I asked again, my fury slipping into my voice.

“Yes,” he said. “You broke my curse. I’d hoped to return the favor.”

I stared at him, wide-eyed as the complicated puzzle pieces began to finally make sense. “You went there to try and reverse the effects of Darkar’s curse?”

“It was a long shot,” he indirectly confirmed. “Shadow Haunt seemed the perfect place to, at the very least, begin to search for answers. Since that was where the curse originated, I figured there had to be some information lingering there; possibly somewhere in the wreckage of the palace.”

He suddenly went quiet, acting as if he was finished with his tale.  

“I’m guessing you didn’t find anything?” I inferred, feeling a wave of disappointment.

Baltor shook his head. “I searched for days. I didn’t leave a single stone unturned in that damned place, but there wasn’t a single trace that remained.”

My heart sank in my chest. I knew better than to hope for good news, yet something in me still grabbed onto it. I so desperately wanted to be free of her that I couldn’t help but hope.

“Although, I was able to sense someone else’s magic.”

My gaze flew over to him. A mix of fear and hope twisted my insides. “Who else could be there? It was abandoned. The authorities searched every inch of it to make sure no one was hiding.”

“Well, as it turns out, they didn’t do a particularly thorough job.” He hesitated, looking as if he was debating his next words. “One of Darkar’s minions managed to survive the attack.”

The entire universe came to a halt. Bile rose in my throat.

“I believe you called him Avalon.”

[skelanonymous]

Body Swap

The first part was done as part of kinktober, but I couldn’t let the idea go. There’s probably a bit more sex than a standard story as a result. 

Pairings scenes in order: Kedgeup, Edgepuff(Fontcest), Kustard (Fellcest), Fellcest, Kustard

Warnings: It was written during kinktober, half the scenes are a little kinky.

Words: 16k

Sans came to flat on his back. His vision was hazy, but he could vaguely make out the shape of Alphys above him. She had a pretty serious look on her face, pointing at him very sternly, and gesturing over to something he couldn’t see.

“E-Edge! I didn’t c-call you here to cause a fight! You could have broken something! You got Sans caught up in this too! Look at him!” She pointed a claw over across the room and Sans turned his head to look.

His eyelights went out.

“Alphys...why is my body over there?” She did a double take, but Sans’s brain had already gone into a panic. His voice hadn’t sounded like his. He whipped himself up to sit and looked at his clothes. Black armor, with a red tattered scarf sweeping around his neck. His gloved hands went to clutch his face, but he even seeing them brought on panic.

“ALPHYS! EXPLAIN THIS INSTANT!” Edge had gotten up and walking menacingly over to her, but his lack of height and Sans’s usual attire dampened it heavily. Sans’s deep voice almost cracked under Edge’s use of it.

“Stop yelling. You’re making me sound as dumb as you.” It was kinda disturbing to watch his own head whip around to glare at him.

“YOU!” His body’s hands gripped at the scarf around his neck. “GET OUT OF THERE! THAT IS MY BODY AND NO ONE BUT I CAN USE IT!”

“Yeah, because I’m super enjoying this right now. Let go of me.” Sans flicked Edge back with a bit of blue magic. At least he still had that. He tipped his head back to glare at Alphys, who was admirably attempting to vanish into the wall. “So...Alphys...w a n t  t o  e x p l a i n ?”

Edge paced back and forth in front of her, much softer without his heeled boots. Slippers didn’t give him much presence. 

“I...I don’t...know?” She hid behind her hands. “I need time to replicate it! Edge broke the machine and I can’t even pretend to fix this until I fix that.” 

“AND HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE?!” 

“Let me inspect the damage…” And she vanished leaving them alone.

“YOU COMPLETE PIECE OF SHIT. YOU ARE AN IMBECILE AND-”

“I’M the imbecile? Who fucking lashed out like a little fucking kid and broke the machine that did this to us, because I’m pretty damn sure it wasn’t me asshole.” Sans put a hand on these unusually long legs and stood to his new full height. Damn he looked small. “Red’s gunna lose his mind.”

“PAPYRUS! GOD DAMMIT. WE HAD RESERVATIONS!” Edge shuffled around, fiddling with the hoodie around him.

“Because that matters right now. Who’s going to be a Royal Guard in Underfell tomorrow?” Sans sighed, exasperated and mind working overtime. It’s not like Edge could show up in his body. He’d be dust in minutes, and Edge was useless in the lab even though Sans could do his work in this body.

“YOU OBVIOUSLY. WE’RE NOT TELLING ANYONE ABOUT THIS.” 

“Red will when I show up in your body. And then try to convince him it’s not a prank.” Sans pinched his nasal ridge, and Edge instantly stopped pacing.

“Unless I show up in your body.”

“What?” He turned to stare at Edge, his eyes distant and unfocused.

“I could be you. And go home to Red.” Edge had purposely lowered his voice, and it did sound much more like Sans. 

“And why would you do that?” Edge’s face went blue.

“Do you not want to go home to Papyrus?” Sans didn’t answer, but did let his mind wander.

He could sweep in as Edge, take his brother out to dinner, have a good evening. They’d go back home and be comfy on the couch, cuddled up under a blanket in their home, and maybe Paps would turn his face up to look at him. All leaned against him, face bright orange and wanting...

“WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND?”

-------------------------

In the end, Alphys gave them a week. A few days to fix the machine, and another few to match the previous conditions. Edge and Sans agreed to return in a week, told Alphys to keep this quiet, and walked out. After an hour or so, they met at Waterfall, in the quiet bench area.

“THIS PLAN IS PRETTY SHITTY.” 

“You just need to put in more effort. I’m dying in this despicable hoodie, but I’m making it work.” Edge attempted to casually slouch, making a more lax face. The casual grin looked so off it was giving Sans anxiety. 

“WELL, THEN ALL I NEED TO DO IS TALK ABOUT HOW GRAND AND TERRIBLE I AM. LET ME KEEP YELLING.” Sans was grateful this body was used to this. His voice would’ve been gone instantly. He glared at Edge, standing up straight and marvelling at the lack of pain. “THIS RUSE IS MISSING SOMETHING.”

“And what would that be, edgelord?” Edge winked. He chuckled and put on a pretty convincing contented grin.

“ARE YOU THIS INSUFFERABLE IN BED TOO?” Sans smirked at the flash of indignation.

“I don’t think that’s your business.”

“I’M SURE PAPYRUS WILL NOTICE IF I’M NOT AS ATTENTIVE AS USUAL. RED WILL NOTICE IF YOU TRY TOO FUCKING HARD.”

“...you could have a point. Maybe.” Edge looked unimpressed. “So how do you think we should share techniques?” He shrugged stiffly. “It’s not like it matters. One oddly active or lazy night shouldn’t be too off.”

“I DON’T MAKE A LOT OF NOISE.” Sans reached over, and quickly pulled Edge to him. His hand went directly into his own shirt. He grabbed his lowest rib, dragged the unusually long fingers two bones up, and scratched hard along the length of it.

“AHHHH!” Edge went bright blue. “THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR?!”

“IF YOU BREAK CHARACTER THIS EASILY, THIS WON’T WORK.” Sans went for another spot, stroking under the sternum. “I DON’T SCREAM LIKE THAT. I DON’T MAKE MUCH NOISE AT ALL.”

Edge fought against the urge to moan, biting down and growling. “I just needed a little warning.” He spun around and cupped Sans crotch. “You’ll struggle with Paps then. He likes vocals.” Edge pulled the pants down a way. He hooked some fingers into his pelvis.

“AHH. YOU’RE JUST NOT THAT EXCITING BASTARD.” And Sans watched him drop to his knees. 

“Think of Paps then.” Sans felt Edge’s breath against his bare pelvis. “He makes the best sounds when I eat out his sweet pussy.” Sans eyelights blipped out the same time Edge pressed a tongue flat against his pelvis.

“FUUUUUUCK.” 

“Language.” Sans glared down at his crotch, but Edge winked and licked up his forming magic.

“YOU’RE PRETTY GOOD AAAAAAAT THIS.” He trailed a hand over Edge’s (his own?) cheek. “I THINK I UNDERSTAND. BUT RED’S GOT A DIFFERENT THING HE WANTS TO HEAR.” Sans pulled Edge up, and into his lap on the nearby bench. He positioned Edge to straddle him and ground up with a purpose.

“Do you…top or bottom?” Edge held in the sound before continuing. “Paps and m-me switch it up sometimes, but I lead mostly.”

“WE’RE LAZY. IT’S WHATEVER EACH TIME, BUT SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION.” Sans gripped Edge’s hips and really rubbed their bones together. Edge hazed out a second, but tried to focus on the words coming out of his old mouth. “YOU’RE SO BEAUTIFUL LIKE THIS.” Sans leaned in to lap at the collarbone he could reach through the shirt.

“Narcissist.” Sans ignored him.

“YOU’RE SO GOOD TO ME. SO GOOD FOR ME.” The words were spoken against his throat. Edge wanted to scoff, but he held it in with everything else. “I LOVE EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU.” 

“He wants overly fluffy nonsense?” The lack of warmth startled him. The intensity of Sans’s glare almost knocked him over.

“YOU BETTER TREAT HIM LIKE HE’S AS GREAT AS ME, LAZY BASTARD. IT’S NOT THAT FUCKING HARD.” A hand gripped the back of his head to guide his eyes. “NOW, LET ME PULL DOWN YOUR FUCKING PANTS AND GET THIS OVER WITH.”

“Who said you’re fucking me, asshole?” Edge also didn’t stop him from pulling his pants down enough so they could fuck almost fully clothed on this bench. Thank god for neither being prone to summoning an ecto body. Fingers roughly crooked inside him.

“THIS PUSSY YOU SUMMONED.” Sans moved him a little cautiously, he didn’t want to make it wholly unenjoyable, but Edge was the last person he’d have chosen to do this with and he wasn’t feeling particularly giving. After some minimal fingering, he lined them up and dropped him.

“MMm!” Edge struggled but wiggled his hips until the ache dulled down. Sans may be smirking at him, but two could play this game. 

“How’s your endurance?” Edge started a positively delicious pace, very quickly moving on the cock impaling him. He breathed through the pleasure, keeping him behind where Sans was, hopefully. The grip on his hips suggested success.

“F-FINE. YOURS COULD USE SOME WORK THOUGH.”

“Wha-” A hand slid between his fold, stroking his clit in time with the thrusts. Edge devolved to soft breathy moans. He looked up at his own face and the look he shared with Sans got to be too much.

“FUCK!” They both peaked within 15 seconds of each other, riding it out until they slowed down to lay against each other and the bench, exhausted and filthy.

“I think...we can handle it.”

“AGREED.”

It took them another five minutes to part, another three to tidy up and check on the plan specifics, and one extra to take one glance back before walking off in opposite directions of their homes. To their unsuspecting brothers’ waiting arms.

----------------------------------

Sans strode confidently through Hotlands towards the city. Being in Edge’s body granted him access to Papyrus, but it meant trying to emulate the taller skeleton, and Sans had a hard time doing so. Confidence didn’t come to him naturally. More accurately, his brain was choosy about when to give it to him. The luxury of choice was gone; he had to fake it for his life and continued ability to look his brother in the eye. 

The boots had taken precious time to master, and Sans still had to walk in a particular manner to keep himself from stumbling. 

Edge had told him about the reservations at the restaurant, explaining it was a semi-regular date night (not a proposal, and Edge had glared and said he’d sooner propose in Sans’s body than give that up) so to act casual. He’d briskly walked in, slightly late, considering the circumstances, but his face lit up seeing Paps.

“Do you have a reservation sir?” Sans caught his casual answer at the last second.

“ACTUALLY, I’M WITH THAT HANDSOME SKELETON OVER THERE, THANK YOU.” Papyrus waved him over, face orange and adorable. Here we go.

“HELLO EDGE! YOU’RE LATE AND I WAS WORRIED. DID SOMETHING HAPPEN AT WORK?” Papyrus tilted his head. Time to test his impressions.

“UNFORTUNATELY. I HAD A...DISAGREEMENT WITH YOUR BROTHER, AND IT RESULTED IN A BROKEN MACHINE. I MOVED SOME HEAVY PIECES FOR ALPHYS AS IT WAS MY FAULT.” Sans reached out and held Papyrus’s hand. “I APOLOGIZE. I SHOULD HAVE INFORMED YOU.” Sans’s brain winced, hoping that adding more words and dropping contractions would work well enough. The only reason he had any clue at all was from knowing Papyrus.

Sans’s advantage over Edge was that he knew his brother very well by now. After the timeline convergence, Papyrus had taken him aside to talk to him. He was worried by Sans’s low energy and depressive tendencies he saw in many other skeletons, and felt that not addressing them directly was contributing. He didn’t know what the older brothers had seen, but it clearly affected him and he shouldn’t have to shoulder this alone.

It had shocked Sans, revealing that as much as he watched his brother, his brother watched right back. And when they talked, really talked, Sans had seen him in a much more accurate light, Papyrus expressing something similar.

They were far more open now, though Sans wouldn’t deny that this unconventional opportunity did tempt him into keeping one more big secret. 

“I WISH YOU WOULDN’T FIGHT WITH HIM SO MUCH. HE DOES MEAN WELL.” He clasped Sans’s gloved hand back. “I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU HAVE SO MANY ARGUMENTS. HE USUALLY DOESN’T ENGAGE IN THAT KIND OF THING.” Sans held in a laugh. Edge reminded him of Papyrus, if he had been a brat his whole childhood instead of the coolest little brother ever. He didn’t understand how Red tolerated it, encouraged it, but he respected his boyfriend’s choices. 

He mentally winced. He really hoped Red didn’t catch on.

“MAYBE I JUST HIT A PARTICULAR NERVE.” That was an understatement. He drove those thoughts away, he had a goal to accomplish. He smiled warmly at his brother, hoping Edge treated him at least this well. “BUT ENOUGH ABOUT MY DAY. PLEASE, TELL ME ABOUT YOURS.”

-----------------

Edge shuffled through the front door of Sans’s house. Red’s shoes were by the door, but otherwise he was still fully dressed on the couch. He slipped off the slippers, and had to think out his approach before he reached Red. He settled on flopping next to him, falling half a foot sideways to lean on his brother. Then he looked up with a wink.

“Hey.” That sounded very Sans-like, like his brother but more judgey. Red put an arm around him.

“Hey yourself cutie. Get into a fight with my bro again?” Red leaned into him too. It was a cosy couch cuddle puddle. Edge tried to keep himself loose and focus on the comfort.

“Yeah. Tried not to. Know you don’t really like it, but something about him just gets under my skin.” Edge smiled at Red’s laugh. He rarely was this open with him. 

Red had been the tough front of the two up until Edge got old enough to defend himself. Red always held him at arm’s length, not able to really act unguarded around ‘Boss’ for what felt like centuries. It didn’t help that Edge berated him for his non-murdering tendencies and his withdrawn demeanor. The few memories he had of Red laughing this easily near him were heavily split: a few blurry edged ones from childhood and a few in public gatherings after the convergence.

“I appreciate the effort but I know he’s got some rough edges.” Edge laughed, he could do this forever. The weight of this moment almost crushed him. At ease and happy with his brother, cuddled on the couch, it was something his soul desperately craved. It had been a long time since he felt lacking in any way, missing out on an entire half of his brother through stubbornness alone. 

Red sensed Edge’s sudden seriousness, turning his head to stare at Sans’s face after the laughter petered out. 

“Hey, you okay? I know weirdness is my deal, but I got you if you need it.” Well now he’d gone and fucked it up. He had no idea how to even proceed here. It’s not like their instructions to each other were this specific. Fuck it, he’d respond how HE felt, using Sans’s voice.

“Just realized how much I love you.” Red’s face went scarlet. He started shaking.

“I l-love you t-too…” Edge gently pulled Red forward, clanking their mouths together. Red clutched desperately at Edge’s hoodie. He didn’t deepen the kiss at all, sensing that Red was using this to hide, and when he pulled back, he got the full view.

Red’s face was still bright, eyes watering and clearly overwhelmed. His breathing was a mess, hunching his shoulders to make the hood trim cover more of his face. His hands shook hard along Edge’s (Sans’s) back. His brain traced back to his conversation with Sans earlier. He placed a hand on Red’s cheekbones, swiping away a tear that had managed to fall, guiding him gently to look him in the eyes. He prayed the sweet smile didn’t look wrong on this face.

“You’re so beautiful.” Red hiccuped and sniffled.

“Shut up…” He climbed into Edge’s lap, legs both off to one side, seated there and hiding his face in Sans’s hoodie. He wrapped his arms around his older brother.

“If you say so sweetheart.” Edge tilted his head forward, resting at the top of Red’s head. He rested against his shivering brother and felt his eyes start to droop. Maybe Sans’s body was accustomed to it; his soul pulsed happily at the idea of a nap. Edge hadn’t napped in years, but holding Red so close at true peace, he thought that perhaps, just for once, that Sans had it figured out and drifted off.

-------------

Sans and Papyrus had made it home after a very successful date. They had fun, Sans had kept character without straight lying, and holding his brother’s hand as they walked home made him feel happy and light. Papyrus’s happy humming suggested the feeling was mutual.

Their home ritual was neat and organized. They lined up their boots by the door, washing up and changing into pajamas in synchronized harmony. Sans did mess up one drawer pull, but their crazy ordered home was easy to follow.

“EDGE, I DID WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING.” Papyrus had been settled on the bed, after a brief hour of TV, and it seemed they were winding down to bed.

“WHAT TROUBLES YOU PAPYRUS? I AM HERE FOR YOU.” Sans tilted his head. He had to fight down his worried face. Edge wasn’t much for worry.

“IT’S NOT SO MUCH TROUBLE AS IT IS A REQUEST.” Papyrus turned to face him, kneeling on the bed. “I KNOW WE’VE DISCUSSED THIS A FEW TIMES NOW, BUT I ALSO KNOW YOU’VE PROMISED TO THINK ON IT AND I WANT TO REVISIT IT.”

Well, that could be a problem. Leave it to Edge to give him this conversation, even if on accident. 

“I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT MANY THINGS, SO I NEED A LITTLE NARROWING DOWN.” Sans turned to face Papyrus as well, but did reach out and hold his hands. “I WANT TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.”

“IT’S THE SAME CONVERSATION WE KEEP HAVING. I DON’T WANT YOU TO THINK I’M BEGGING, IT TRULY IS ONLY SOMETHING I WANT IF YOU WANT IT AS WELL, BUT I DO WANT TO DO SO, AND TO PRETEND I DON’T WANT THIS FEELS AKIN TO LYING.” Papyrus tightened their hands, knocking them together nervously. Sans ran his thumbs over the worried hands. He had no idea what conversation Edge was having, but he knew Edge hadn’t objected to marrying his brother, so anything else couldn’t be that big of a leap.

“I WANT TO MAKE YOU HAPPY. I AM HESITANT, BUT I AM WILLING TO DO THIS FOR YOU. YOU WILL HAVE TO LEAD ME THROUGH THIS THOUGH.”

Papyrus lit up with a wide bright smile. He didn’t know what he agreed to, but it seemed to have made his brother very happy.

“REALLY?! THANK YOU!” Papyrus leaned in for a brief kiss and stood directly off the bed. “WAIT HERE, I WILL RETURN WITH THE SUPPLIES!” He walked with a bounce in his steps straight out the bedroom door.

Supplies?

Papyrus walked back in with a long stretch of silken rope. He was bright orange, but obviously excited at the prospect of tying Edge up. Sans tried to hide his relaxation, Edge would be nervous right now to try something Papyrus had been talking him into for a while now, but Sans knew he’d be able to handle a little bondage. Hell, he’d even get to be lazy. 

“WILL YOU BE JUST RESTRAINING MY ARMS?” Sans sat up ramrod straight, a little awkward in his forced nervousness. Papyrus pulled it taut.

“I WILL DECIDE THAT.” He averted his eyes, blushing, but turned back to stare at Sans’s (Edge’s) face, suddenly stern. “REMOVE YOUR CLOTHES...PLEASE.”

This was so precious. He dutifully undressed, refolding the clothes to almost the crisp lines he had found them in and set them on the dresser by the wall. He returned to the bedside to await further instruction. Papyrus pointed to the bed.

“LAY BACK ON THE BED. DO NOT RESIST ME.” Sans laid back, letting Papyrus take his arms and tie each one to the corner bed post. He tested the give when Papyrus had finished knotting them up. A quick little tug didn’t have them come loose, and he had enough wiggle room to keep from being uncomfortable. He had done some research. 

“I HAVE DONE AS YOU ASKED. WHAT SHOULD I DO NOW?” Sans stared over at him, Papyrus himself getting undressed much the same way Sans had done earlier. 

Papyrus had long smooth bones the entire way up, a cute gangly frame that was cute before, but very attractive right now, doused in the light from the bedside lamp. His soul pulsed in fondness, his bones turning red thinking about what Papyrus had planned. 

“WAIT PATIENTLY.”

He used his long fingers to start working himself up while Sans could only watch. He watched him open his mouth in pleasure. Sans felt his own hips buck along with his brother’s, gently tugging the bonds, but refraining from breaking them to keep playing along.

“IF YOU CAN’T BEHAVE, I’LL MAKE YOU WATCH THE WHOLE TIME.” Papyrus tried to look stern, but did it so shyly that it looked funny, but Sans held his tongue. 

“I’M SORRY. I WILL...ATTEMPT TO KEEP STILL.” Papyrus looked satisfied. He’d have more confidence the next time he tried this, more able to deal with Edge’s inevitable complaints. He felt a finger trail along his sternum.

“NOW, JUST ENJOY.”

Papyrus spent a long time feeling up and down each of his bones, a slow build of feeling, an ebb and flow of magic that didn’t truly gather. It wasn’t enough to draw out whines, but his breathing did get much harsher. Imitating Edge didn’t come as naturally as he hoped.

Papyrus left him in this state of foreplay for much longer than he thought, he didn’t know his brother to be this patient. He had been slowly working open his own ecto while playing. His patience was starting to wane, in time with the rhythm of Papyrus’s fingers squelching inside himself, with his soft moans.

He must’ve heard his thoughts, because he did start to focus his attention. Sans’s magic summoned instantly, jumping out after the lengthy teasing.

“YOU’VE BEEN QUITE GOOD. I THINK I WILL REWARD YOU.”

Sans licked his lips, watching Papyrus’s dripping ecto hover over his hips. The touch of him against his cock felt like a holy experience.

“OOOOOOOOH…” He forced the sound a little, not wanting to be silent like he’d be in his own body. He didn’t have to fake the groans from Papyrus starting to settle on the tip, allowing a little bit of slide.

“THANK YOU FOR THIS EDGE. I AM AT MY LIMIT, SO LET’S END THIS TOGETHER.” 

“OH MY STARS, PAPYRUS!” Sans barely kept from slamming upwards. His arms ached from the angle, but he’d reached his limit and dug in his elbow for a little more anchorage. He’d been patient long e-fucking-nough.

“EDGE! NYEEEEH!” Papyrus matched his pace, bouncing down right when Sans thrusted up. Everything got hot, body sliding into the downward spiral of pleasure, racing to a finish after hours of foreplay. 

They finished breathlessly. Papyrus panted, openmouthed and tongue out, through the aftermath, wet and messy on top of Sans, still tied to the bedposts.

Oh yeah, his arms were feeling the strain now.

“Could...could you untie me?” Sans felt out of it, hoping that Edge didn’t yell constantly because he definitely gave the game away then. So much for berating Edge for his lack of focus.

“OH! SORRY EDGE. ONE MOMENT.” Papyrus made his way up to his wrists, pulled a string, and they fell loose. Sans let his arm collapse. His shoulders would feel that tomorrow. For now, he settled on holding Papyrus close, their warm bones comfortable against each other.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus laid against him. “I KNOW THIS WAS TOOK A LOT OF TRUST FROM YOU, BUT YOU WERE MUCH QUIETER THAN USUAL.” Sans tried to hide his nervousness, but they were too close to hide it completely.

“I WAS UNSURE OF HOW TO FEEL FOR A TIME.” Sans sighed. He hated lying to Papyrus, especially after the evening they’d had. “I...STILL PREFER BEING IN CONTROL OF MY BODY, BUT I DID ENJOY TONIGHT. I’M GLAD YOU HAD A GREAT TIME.” He held them close together, but after a short while, Papyrus pulled him up off the bed.

Apparently, Edge and Papyrus always showered and slept in pajamas every night. Felt unnecessary, though getting under the covers with P made it all feel worth the effort.

“GOODNIGHT EDGE. I LOVE YOU.” His heart melted when he held his hand as he fell asleep.

“I LOVE YOU TOO. GOODNIGHT PAPYRUS.” Yeah, definitely worth it.

---------

Edge woke up to a loud commercial on the TV. His arms and legs ached and he found he couldn’t really move them. When he looked down, it came back.

Red had fallen asleep cuddled against him. He frowned in his sleep, but kissing his head repeatedly relaxed him. It also started waking him up. He kept it up anyway. Edge had precious little time with this opportunity.

He didn’t expect the hand that swooped up and pulled his face down into Red’s.

Red kissed him softly, lapping at Edge’s (Sans’s) teeth. Edge let him in without hesitation. He’d usually try to dominate this kind of kiss, but the mood was wrong. Everything was soft, exploratory. It lit his soul up in all the right ways, just sensually stroking the tongue in his mouth with his own, and when Red had his fill, doing the same to Red. 

“Evenin’.” Red whispered up to him when they parted. It felt like hours.

“My nap was contagious.” Edge kept softly clanking Red’s face, over and over, like they couldn’t be completely parted. Red slid his hands under Sans’s hoodie, and casually ran his hands over his body over the shirt.

“Sleeping with you is the best. Offer I couldn’t refuse.” Red yawned, still coming to.

“Could say the same about sleeping with you.” Edge smiled at his brother’s soft chuckle, breath hitching when Edge turned Red’s body to sit facing him on his lap. The kissing still hadn’t stopped, Edge’s mind lost in the mood. The living room was darker, shadows creeping in all the corners besides the soft light of the TV and the kitchen.

“I-I need you Sansy.” Red clung to him like a lifeline, pulling back to see ‘Sansy’s’ answer.

“Then ya got me.” Edge tilted Red’s head up and to the side so he could get at his neck. He nipped and sucked up and down what he could get at around the t-shirt. Then he slid his hands down Red’s arms, one in each sleeve, taking his brother’s infamous hoodie with it. By the time it fell off, Edge held both of his brother’s hands in his own. Red shivered and whined in his grasp. He pulled back to look at his handy work.

Red’s eyelights were blown wide, big red pupils making him look so much younger than he was. He looked fragile enough to be broken by a single word.

“Gorgeous.”

Red surged down to kiss him again. This kiss was more aggressive, Red wanted to be led to what he needed. Had his brother always been this sensitive? He’d always thought Red was weak, in mind if not in magic, but not like this. Calling him gorgeous did this, and calling him beautiful had made him cry. Did he rarely receive compliments? When was the last time Edge complimented him, outside of Sans’s body? He couldn’t recall.

“I love you, I love you so much.” Edge just wanted to keep talking, to see what put Red into those happy loving hysterics. He shed his (Sans’s) hoodie and removed Red’s shirt. He flexed his hips upwards, Red scrunching his eyes shut and grinding back. “Can I get a ride to bed?” Edge worked off his shirt, tossing it when the scenery changed. The unkempt bed didn’t even phase him.

“Too lazy to take us yourself?” Red kissed him fondly.

“Just like the feeling of your magic on me.” He’d barely remembered to keep his voice at Sans volume. He closed his eyes and focused on the task at hand. Red would be very upset if Edge slipped up. He explored Red’s entire rib cage under the guise of cherishing every inch of him (though he was appreciating him more and more by the second), but more particularly to get the spots that’d drive him wild that Sans would know by heart.

“Sansy...I still need it.” Red ground his hips down, and the conjured ecto under their clothes grinded up against each other. “Stop bein’ a tease.” He hid his shyness under bluster, but Edge didn’t give in.

“Maybe I just wanna admire you.” He traced one hand over old scars, the other to the inner spinal column. Red arched under the touch.

“Sto-op. You don’t gotta make up things to get me to f-fuck ya. Laying it on too thick pal.” Red blushed and turned away, pulling at his and Edge’s pants. The shorts tugged the boxers with them. His dick barely grazed Red’s pelvis before he felt his body move on its own.

Edge flipped them over. He lined them up and casually slid up and down his slick folds.

“Liar, you want it thicker.” Edge leaned down, tracing the scars he memorized and put his face right by Red’s neck. “All these scars, so many things that have tried to kill you…” Up and down, up and down. His hot breath tingled up Red’s spine. “You’ve lived through it all. You’re so strong love. Nothing compares.” 

Red cried and hiccupped, keening when Edge finally slid inside.

“Saaaans.” Red whined into the thrusts, Edge peppered his face in kisses.

His mind was so far away. He loved Papyrus with his whole soul, but this intensity gave him pause. Did he love them both this way? Was he just caught up in the moment? Possibly both. How much he wanted this earlier today seemed confusing now. He must’ve been carrying this around a long time.

“Red, tell me that you love me.” Red fisted the sheets, staring into Edge’s eyes, completely overwhelmed.

“I love you.” He pumped in and out, forcing Red to follow him up towards the peak.

“Again.”

 “I love you.”

 “Again.”

 “I love you!”

“Red.”

And he snapped to attention, orgasm building like a wave, seconds away from crashing over him. He stared into ‘Sans’s’ eyes and could see how badly he needed to hear this, for the words to reach him. Edge held on solely through force of will, waiting, waiting for Red to make him feel complete. 

Red put his trembling hands on his (Sans’s) face. He peered into his very soul.

“I love you.” 

The tidal wave crashed over both of them. Red moaned loudly, breath leaving him. Edge struggled to stay upright. He had to stomp on the urge to scream. The tide didn’t roll back until both were on the verge of collapse.

Red sported bright red tear tracks down his face. He felt emotional spent, along with physically. Edge (Sans) had collapsed on his side, shaking worse than Red had early on, clinging to Red as he himself had done to Edge not long ago. Red pulled him close and cradled his head against his ribs.

“You know you always have me, right?” Edge’s hands held fast onto his back ribs.

“Yeah. I just...needed to hear it.” A memory of the two of them huddled in the trash of Waterfall, scrounging for anything to get them through the week, when they were attacked. Red had fought them off, snarling after them while Edge cried in the background, a big gash on his face that had hurt so much.

“You’re gunna be okay, bro. I got you.” He had healed him, magic smoothing over the bone. He wiped up the blood afterwards. Edge had run right into his arms.

“THANK YOU. I LOVE YOU!” Red hugged him back, Edge still short enough to be fully encompassed in his arms.

“No, I love you.” Red kissed his little forehead. Edge insisted on sleeping near him that night.

“Let’s get some sleep.” Red pulled the sheets up over them, holding Edge while he just nodded against his bones. This was confusing, overwhelming. He didn’t have the ability to deal with this and be Sans. He got more comfortable, making sure Red could also easily drift off, and closed his eyes. Red held him close until he completely drifted away.

--------

Red woke up when he felt Sans shift awake. He instinctively tightened his hold, but relaxed when he heard the small groan of complaint at being smushed. He released Sans.

“Sorry.” Red mumbled. He flipped over onto his back. “You’re comfy.”

“IT’S…” Sans coughed, roughly and violently. “It’s alright. I’d rather be home with you too.” He took a deep breath, his chest rattling oddly. “Unfortunately, I doubt Alphys would be wild about it.” Sans pushed off the bed, shuffling towards the bathroom. Red closed his eyes. The footsteps stopped and came back.

Sans kissed him chastely on the cheek. 

Red opened his eyes. Sans’s grin was pretty dopey, although...his eyes were more open than usual.  

“And good morning.” Red could feel the blush creeping up his bones, smiling at his retreating form. The temptation to join him in the shower was high. But no, he wanted a little time alone to really think on the events of the evening.

Sans had been really really lovey yesterday. Not that he didn’t dole out compliments usually, but he’d been obsessed with making Red feel special and loved. His soul warmed up at the memory, but his mind could find cracks in the hearth. The best word would be...possessed? If so, this demon resembled Sans heavily, hitting all the right notes and beats, but something forced in the fluidity. Red was a naturally suspicious person, and last night, especially the end of it, hit every paranoia button he had.

Sans walked back in, heading to the dresser. 

And opened the wrong drawer, multiple times.

Sans tried to play it off as being tired, and Red pretended to accept it. What the fuck was going on? Red hoped he was as good at convincing lies as he remembered (even if he felt guilty doing it to Sans), and decided to make a mental list of the things that didn’t work.

By the time Sans was leaving for work (HE WAS WALKING?!), Red’s list had gotten entirely too long to be a coincidence. So, with a significant amount of guilt, he slid into his sneakers and followed him.

Sans’s walk surprised lots of people. People waved and said hello, all ‘oh hey Sans! Been a minute!’ also not used to this. So he didn’t teleport to the walk usually then. The path was pretty direct, no silly detours, purposeful trips, just walking like he had no fucking other way to travel. And THEN, right before he made it to work, he walked purposely away towards a Hotlands alley, walking right in like it wasn’t a weird thing to do. Red took a shortcut to the top of the buildings surrounding the alley to keep up and almost fell off the fucking roof when he saw Sans meeting up with his brother.

Seriously, what the fuck?!

“I’m surprised you were able to successfully put my armor on this morning.” Sans sized up Edge, crossing his arms. “I hope you made up a decent enough excuse for Papyrus about being late.”

“YEAH. WASN’T TOO BAD, TOOK A SHORTCUT TO MAKE UP MOST OF THE TIME.” Edge’s arms hung weirdly at his side. Since...since when could his brother shortcut?

“HOW?! You can do that in MY body?!” Sans stomped his slipper down on the ground. “I tried to do that and it didn’t work!”

“It’s about knowing the way it works. Understanding the way space, time, and magical potency affect movement and I kept that when I...Wait.” Edge suddenly looked straight at Sans. “You walked here.” Listening to Edge drop his voice to something less loud, Red started to put together some pieces here.

“WHAT WAS MY ALTERNATIVE?! FLY?!” Sans never screeched like that. His...brother...did… His brother whose hands awkwardly hung as if they were usually sitting in…

Hoodie Pockets.

“Fuck.” Edge’s body looked up at him, spying him instantly from the alleyway. Sans would know exactly where to fucking look. “Red.” Sans’s body spun to look where Sans was looking. Sans was in his brother’s body. His brother was in Sans’s body. And of course Edge didn’t know what drawer Sans kept his clothes in, how to shortcut, or slouch in a way that didn’t look painful.

I love you. Red eyes shrank to pinpricks, frozen looking at the two in the alley. His brother had fucked him last night, and Sans LET him.

“Red, are you-”

“Don’t you FUCKING touch me!” Red slapped the red gloved hand away from him. And before he could be spoken to again, he zipped away, thrown at the foot of the school, right in view of Papyrus. He couldn’t breathe and everything felt too restricting. He looked up at Papyrus, desperately reaching to grab his hand.

“RED, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” He reached for Red’s hand back, and when he reached it, Red felt the whirl of magic behind him. Of course Sans would follow. Red wouldn’t let him. 

“RED COME BA-” They were gone.

Papyrus pulled his hand away.

“RED, WHY WERE YOU RUNNING FROM EDGE AND WHERE ARE WE?” He sounded confused and Red envied this moment before he knew. Red glanced around.

His brain had shortcut him to the dusty remains of the machine at Sans’s place. Sans would never think to look here, and it sat at the edge of his shortcut range normally. Two people were a magical strain, but desperation did some incredible things. He put the disturbing thoughts as far out of his mind as he could to get through this conversation first.

“Papyrus, did my brother do anything...odd in the last 24 hours?” Sans had often said that Papyrus and the younger brothers were more observant than they let on, but he knew Edge’s patience was short on a good day. The tall skeleton crossed his arms,  thinking hard.

“...NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT...THERE WERE SOME ODDITIES. WHY? DID SOMETHING HAPPEN?”

“Yeah.” How to start, he wondered. “I followed Sans to work today, because he didn’t shortcut himself like usual after a morning of acting really weird.” He paced back and forth, anxiety building. “Then he met up with Boss in an alley, but it was all wrong. He belittled Boss about how to put on his armor, and Boss talked about the shortcut he took to sneak around.”

“WHAT?”

“I think they switched bodies...yesterday, at that work incident thing that made them run late.” Red took a deep breath. “So now that I say that, do you think you were with my brother yesterday, or Sans trying really hard to be him? Because I’m 100% fucking sure it was my brother this morning, and I was with him all night.” Red swallowed hard at that. Not the time.

“I MEAN, I…”Papyrus did look worried. He paced quickly and tapped his foot whenever he stood still. “THAT WOULD EXPLAIN ALMOST EVERY WEIRD THING THAT HAPPENED, YES.” He didn’t look happy about it though. “WHICH MEANS I SAW SANS YESTERDAY ON MY DATE THROUGH NOW, INCLUDING...INCLUDING LAST NIGHT…” There was the look. Red knew it. Papyrus played with his gloves, wringing his hands together.

“Did...you also have sex with your ‘boyfriend?’” Red pulled his hood up over his head. “Because I’m freaking out.”

“I THOUGHT IT WAS ODD THAT EDGE WAS SO VERY WILLING TO TRY SOMETHING WHERE HE GAVE UP CONTROL. SANS...WHY WOULD THEY DO THIS?” Papyrus glanced over Red’s retraction into his hoodie like he wanted to be eaten up by the carpet. 

“I don’t know P. All I know is that I had a really private moment with who I thought was my boyfriend, and now my brother just has that. And Sans fucking let him do it. If one of them said no, they couldn’t get away with it. Both of them agreed to not tell us.” Red pulled the hood tighter and tighter over his face to shrink further. “Sorry about pulling you from work. I just needed you to know before they tried to hide it from you.” 

Papyrus sat on the floor, leaning against the lab counter. He still didn’t look nearly as wrecked as Red though.

“I DON’T REALLY KNOW HOW TO FEEL.” He finally settled on the words. “ON ONE HAND, I AM UPSET THAT SANS AND EDGE KEPT SOMETHING LIKE THIS FROM ME. I TRUSTED THEM, AND THEY KEPT THIS A SECRET, ESPECIALLY AFTER I’VE SPOKEN TO BOTH OF THEM DIRECTLY ABOUT SECRET-KEEPING.” Papyrus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “BUT I AM SURPRISINGLY NOT UPSET AT THE OUTCOME.”

“...what?” Red turned to face him. Papyrus turned orange.

“I KNOW HOW THAT SOUNDS. I HAD SEX WITH SANS, UNDER A RUSE, AND THEY BOTH LIED TO ME FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.” He met Red’s gaze head-on. “BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, I HAD A VERY ENJOYABLE NIGHT WITH HIM.” He hesitantly shrugged. “AND A PART OF ME WISHES TO DO SO AGAIN, BUT WITHOUT LIES.”

“You’re serious.” Red slowly uncovered his bright red face to openly stare slack-jawed at Papyrus. “You’d willingly fuck Sans again? Is that what I’m hearing?” Papyrus averted his gaze.

“I DON’T APPROVE OF THE CRUDENESS, BUT I SUPPOSE IT IS.” He looked at Red. “DO YOU NOT WANT TO HAVE ANOTHER NIGHT WITH EDGE?”

Red jumped up and flung his arms out.

“No! I’m fucking pissed. I don’t even want to have sex with fucking Sans right now, definitely not Edge!” Red stomped around the small room, kicking up dust and debris from the unused room. “They fucking conspired to do this, and they weren’t gunna tell us about it, and Sans had to have given him fucking POINTERS on the best way to fuck me, and...and…” Red dissolved into tears. Papyrus went to touch his shoulder, and Red almost flinched away. He still didn’t ever believe he was truly safe.

“AND?”

“I trusted him.” Red sobbed sadly. “I-I thought it was Sans and I let him in.” He felt empty, ashamed. “If he had asked for anything, right then, I would have given it up. I was so in love and it was a lie.” He wiped off his face. “Those bastards weren’t thinking about anyone but themselves.”

“I’M...SORRY. I DIDN’T REALIZE IT HAD BEEN SO SERIOUS.” Papyrus sighed. “THOUGH KNOWING EDGE BEHAVED THAT WAY HAS MADE ME MORE UPSET WITH HIM.” He stood, and offered Red a hand. Red took it, drooping so hard it looked like he hadn’t gotten up. “SO WHAT DO YOU PROPOSE?”

“I think we should talk to both of them. The fact Sans didn’t try and pull anything that sketchy says a lot.” Red shoved his hands in his pockets. “Doesn’t change the fact that I’m pissed. But it’s leaning sixty-forty towards Edge.” Papyrus hesitantly laid a hand on Red’s head.

“AGREED. BUT THAT DOES REQUIRE BEING HOME, ACTUALLY HOME.” He glanced around the dusty room attached to his old one. “CAN YOU RETURN US TO YOUR HOUSE? I FEEL SANS WOULD TAKE THEM THERE.”

“Alright.” Red closed his eyes, pooling all the excess magic he could find, and sent them home.

---------------------

“I have no idea where they are. I checked every spot we’ve come up with, and nothing.” Sans sat on his couch, much less comfy in the lanky frame. Nothing about the outfit was nice to wear.

“RED CAN BE VERY CRAFTY WHEN PUSHED.” Edge had his head in his hands. He’d gotten them caught, though part of it wasn’t his fault, but he really should’ve noticed a tail. “THEY WON’T RETURN UNTIL HE WANTS TO BE BACK.”

“I’m gunna be sentenced to the couch for life.” Sans sighed. “I really shouldn’t have let you tempt me into this.”

“So it was Edge’s idea then.” Red announced their presence loudly. “That makes sense.” He glared right at Sans’s body, Edge shrinking under the look. Red was furious. He hadn’t said this name to his face ever.

“I did agree to it though.” Sans stood up, not hiding behind the different face. He moved to sit on the floor in front of Red, mostly to put them back at eye to eye. He didn’t want to come off intimidating right now. “Shoulda stuck to my senses.”

“MY BIGGER CONCERN IS THE WHY RATHER THAN WHO. WHY WOULD YOU HIDE THE SWITCH?” Papyrus looked around Sans on the floor to Edge, still on the couch. Seeing him in Sans’s body brought back memories of conversations about secrets being kept long ago. But once again, Sans answered.

“It just seemed...fun. I had a unique opportunity to see more of you, and I took it. It’s not like I was looking to replace what I had.” He looked at Red. “Can’t blame you for being pissed, but know I wasn’t trying to find greener pastures.” He looked appropriately guilty, but Red hadn’t even reacted. He didn’t care about Sans’s answer.

“Did you sleep with Edge?” Red growled out. Papyrus whipped his head over for that one, and then confusingly looked between the two. Sans looked shocked but then shameful.

“Yes.” Edge looked like he wanted to complain, but Sans wasn’t interested in lessening the ire with half-truths. “We knew where we wanted this to go. We gave each other tips, verbally and physically.”

Edge’s face scrunched up at the phrasing; it’s like Sans wanted this to come off terrible from the start. Papyrus was sending over strange glances, Edge kept himself away from them. He probably should’ve been more attentive. He felt a hand roughly grab under his chin, forcing him to look at Red’s furious face.

“Did he tell you to sweet talk me Papyrus?” Edge’s soul plummeted, suddenly much more personal than his convergence name. “Tell me how fucking gorgeous I was and I’d just be putty in your fucking hands?” Sans was watching, but contributed nothing. “But you know, ya just had to take it and run away with the idea, huh? Compliment the scars, call me a survivor, say I’m strong. Did you just enjoy working me up or did ya like the idea of me fallin for you so goddamn completely that you couldn’t fucking stop yourself?” Edge didn’t even know where to start, but Red still wasn’t done. He felt pressure along his jaw where the hand gripped him. “And don’t you dare fucking lie to me Papyrus!”

Edge couldn’t tear his eyes away from Red’s. He was pinned to the spot, scrambling to find the right words. His boyfriend was a few feet away, and he didn’t want to leave him, he wanted to return to the before, before he could feel this thing living in his chest that he didn’t realize had been dying there for a long time.

“I-” Edge couldn’t stop the words. “I THOUGHT I WANTED FUN, BUT I...I DON’T KNOW ANYMORE.” Tears welled in his eyes. He hadn’t cried in front of anyone in years, his brother the only one to see him this way until now. “I LOVE PAPYRUS! I WANT TO SPEND MY LIFE WITH HIM.” He grabbed at his chest. “BUT THE IDEA OF LIVING WITHOUT YOU HURTS. NOT KNOWING YOU HURTS. EVERYTHING I DID, EVERYTHING I SAID, I DID NOT LIE. ALL I DID WAS WEAR ANOTHER’S FACE.” Red’s panic was setting in, but Edge couldn’t let him not know how he felt. He put his hand over the one holding his face. “I LOVE YOU SANS.” 

“...why?” It came out as a whisper, shocked and horrified to hear the words from Edge’s mouth. So much of the night before rushed back to slap Red in the face. His soul ran hot, he pulled his hand free. He backed up until he hit the living room wall. Edge went to follow, but Sans laid a hand on his shoulder.

“SANS-”

“Get out.” Red covered his face with his arm, pointing at the door with his other one. “Take Papyrus and leave my fucking house.” 

And the discussion ended, Edge dejectedly following Papyrus out the door, leaving Red and Sans alone.

“I don’t want to even start with you.” Red glared up at Sans, moving to the couch, energy knocked out of him. Sans sat by him, knowing the mood he was going to fall into.

“Then don’t. Use me for what you want.” His voice was scratchy, Edge’s voice not able to hit his deep tone, but he tried to make it less like the person Red was desperate to ignore. Red leaned heavily against him.

“Easy for you to say. You’re wearing his face.” Red sighed harshly. “He...he was never nice to me, not once he got big enough to defend himself. He’d call me weak most mornings, I’d get a daily berating during resets, and he constantly reminded me that I was nothing compared to him.” Sans hummed an acknowledgement, but didn’t want to interrupt. “When he was you, it was constant compliments. He kissed and touched every part of me, I was so relaxed and unguarded. I woulda…” Red let his head hang low.

“Woulda what?” Sans kept himself out of it. He was here for Red right now.

“Sans, I almost offered him my soul.” Red teared up. “If he hadn’t had a little breakdown at the end, I woulda offered it to him, thinking he was you.” He buried his face in the fabric between the black armor. “I’m sorry.”

Sans rubbed Red’s shoulder while he hiccupped and cried. Leave it to Red to be the one who got most hurt by this and then feel bad about something that theoretically could’ve happened that would hurt Sans. It would’ve been devastating to find out that Red had offered that to Edge in place of him (Sans had been steadily earning his trust for years now, which he threw away when he decided to trust Edge of all fucking people), but Sans wouldn’t have the right to be upset at Red about it. And if he had offered, and Edge didn’t take it out of respect for Sans, it still would’ve been awful because Red wouldn’t get over being rejected on that level by someone he loved that deeply.

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about. This whole mess is my fault. If I had said no, it wouldn’t have happened.” Red sniffled.

“Why did you do it Sansy?” Ouch, the nickname hurt.

“I’m hoping this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and I wanted to do something with it. Just being selfish.” He yanked the gloves off before pulling Red close. “It feels stupid to even say.”

“Was I not good enough?”

“God, love, no.” He rubbed his back through the hoodie. “You’ve always been more than enough. None of this was about not wanting you Red. I wanted a fun night with Paps and then to come back.” Sans sighed, hoping the tight hug would say it better than he could. “I thought Edge wanted something similar. I didn’t think he’d do something like that to you. I didn’t think he’d hurt you like this.”

Red mumbled something against his armor, but Sans couldn’t hear it.

“I can’t hear you Red.”

“Tell me about your time with P.” Red poked his face out enough to speak.

“Red, you do-”

“Please.” Red hadn’t pushed him away, so he had already forgiven Sans for far too much. He supposed the request wasn’t a high price to pay.

“It was fun. Went on a romantic dinner, went home, and he tied me up. Guess he’d been asking Edge for a while now, but he didn’t want to give up control. I don’t have that problem. Let him do whatever, he roleplayed a little; it was cute.” Sans leaned his head back, height making him hit the wall. Red clutched the side of the plate armor.

“Papyrus said he’d do it again. Even knowing who you are.” Sans stiffened on that one. He hadn’t expected that. “I know the thing with Edge was a means to an end. I’m still mad about it but I get it. But the minute Papyrus said he’d be down to do this again, I’ve got this bad feeling that it’s gunna become a regular thing and I’m gunna be the black fucking rain cloud dragging everyone down.” Red frowned, averting his eyes away from the couch, not wanting to be in Sans’s lap to say this, but needing the comfort.

“Red, it’s not gunna become a regular thing.” Sans shook his head, but Red didn’t look at him.

“It will. The other two will agree to it. And I don’t want to, so I’ll look like the asshole. Just watch.” Red climbed out his lap, and then stared Sans down (up?). “I wanna be left alone until you walk back in here with your face. Go stay with them. They’ll ask, just wait.”

“Red…”Sans reached for him, but Red didn’t budge. 

“The fact I’m even letting you come back in your own body is pretty damn forgiving considering you cheated on me twice.” Red growled, and then turned around. “Well, twice for now. Whatever you do with those two idiots in that body is not my goddamn problem.” Then he shortcut away to the bedroom.

Sans hunched his shoulders, but just accepted fate, disappearing without another word.

---------

The walk home was tense, quiet. Papyrus honestly didn’t know where to start, and he didn’t want to air their “dirty laundry” in public, especially with Edge wearing Sans’s face.

His mind circled back to all that time ago, to that long uncomfortable chat with Sans about secret keeping. But he found that wasn’t what his mind wanted to actually focus on. Edge being in Sans’s body just brought back those memories, but the real issue was Edge, his behavior, his actions, their relationship. 

They had not gotten along as spectacularly at first. Edge had a tendency to be crude, sometimes cruel, in his actions, and while Papyrus touted he was great, he stopped doing so as much when he was faced with it constantly from the others after the convergence, though Edge remained unfazed long afterwards. He and Papyrus had been put on many of the same patrols, guard posts, and while he didn’t appreciate lectures on language and naivety, he did appreciate perfect magic control. 

After a few spars, Edge had invited him to a friendly outing.

One outing had turned to several, and they found a lot in common under the differences. They both were also adept at being upfront. It hadn’t taken long for either of them to admit their feelings for each other.

Papyrus thought they had been doing quite well, following along their plans of obtaining a home, a weekly date plan. At least, until he had admitted how much he loved Red in front of him.

They made it through the front door, but Edge was not the type to run. He turned to face Papyrus the minute they were alone.

“I’M SORRY.” Hearing the loud voice from his brother’s face was startling, but at least he was sure that this hadn’t been some elaborate prank. “I WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS SANS, THOUGH I WAS THE ONE TO SUGGEST IT. I WANTED A NIGHT, PERHAPS THE WEEK I WAS TO BE STUCK AS SANS, WITH RED AND THEN TO COME HOME. IT WASN’T MEANT TO BE THIS.” Edge wiped at his face, remembering the tears from before. “I STILL WANT TO BE WITH YOU, BUT I WANT RED TO BE PART OF MY FUTURE TOO. I’M SO-!” Edge stomped his foot down.

“I...SURPRISINGLY UNDERSTAND.” Edge wrung his hands, anxious and confused.

“PAPYRUS, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO BE UPSET WITH ME OVER THIS.” Edge stood tall, or he would, if he were in his body. “THIS ISN’T SOME NONSENSE FROM MY WORLD THAT I ASKED YOU TO UNDERSTAND. THIS IS A PROBLEM OF MY SINGULAR CREATION.”

Part of their early arguments had been over Edge’s LV and EXP, but Papyrus had agreed to not bring it up anymore after a long emotional night of reliving Edge’s past. 

“I KNOW THAT THESE THINGS ARE NOT THE SAME, BUT I WILL REPEAT TO YOU WHAT I SAID TO RED. I DO NOT MIND THE OUTCOME, BUT THE LIES AND SECRETS ARE BOTH AGAINST DIRECT CONVERSATIONS I’VE HAD WITH BOTH OF YOU.” Papyrus crossed his arms, stern and accusatory. “I UNDERSTAND THAT THE CONVERSATION WOULD HAVE BEEN DIFFICULT, BUT I DO NOT STAND BY DISHONESTY.”

Edge looked down to the floor. The carpet patterns were very interesting today it seemed.

“YOU ARE RIGHT. I WOULD DO THIS DIFFERENTLY IF I HAD THE CHOICE AGAIN.” Edge hugged himself, looking up at his boyfriend. “I DO NOT EXPECT INSTANT FORGIVENESS, BUT IS THIS SOMETHING WE CAN OVERCOME?” If he could work to earn his trust back, he would do so. He loved Papyrus, his spirit, his strength, and his kindness, but he knew that he hadn’t behaved in a manner deserving of such a great datemate.

Papyrus stooped down to hug him.

“OF COURSE WE CAN. THOUGH THIS WILL NOT BE EASY, ESPECIALLY FOR RED. HE AND I DID NOT AGREE ON SUCH EASY FORGIVENESS. I WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO FIND SANS AT OUR DOOR WITHIN THE HOUR.” Edge hugged him back as hard as he could.

“I DO NOT DESERVE IT, BUT I AM GRATEFUL FOR THE COMFORT.” Papyrus patted him on the head, backing up to smile.

“I AM HAPPY TO HUG YOU ANYTIME.” 

Edge took a steadying breath. That was one conversation out of the way, one relationship mended. The others still needed work though.

As if summoned by their reconciliation and Papyrus’s forewarning, Sans appeared in their living room. His hard face looked correct on Sans for once. He didn’t speak before dropping down onto the sofa, head in his hands while Edge and Papyrus waited patiently. Out of all of them, Sans probably had the worst conversation to have, as Red wouldn’t talk to Edge right now.

“Red told me to stay here. Didn’t want to see me.” Sans sighed, unhappy but unsurprised. “He’s pissed.”

“I...GATHERED.” Papyrus sat beside Sans, figuring he’d be the best at diffusing the situation. “HE MENTIONED AS MUCH BEFORE WE ARRIVED AT YOUR HOME.”

“He said you weren’t upset at finding out I was in E’s body.” Sans looked up at his brother. He didn’t know how many people he could handle hating him right now.

“I AM UPSET YOU LIED AND KEPT IT A SECRET. I AM NOT UPSET AT THE REST.” Papyrus laid a hand on his back. “WE’VE DISCUSSED IT BEFORE, AND WHILE I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT NOT ALLOWING SECRETS WASN’T A SUGGESTION, I CAN SAVE THAT CONVERSATION FOR ANOTHER TIME.” He pulled his brother into a hug. “FOR NOW, TELL US ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED.”

Sans couldn’t hold his body up anymore. Papyrus held him while he sat there, miserable. Edge wanted to walk away and hide from this, especially in this body, from Sans, but it wouldn’t be fair to him.

“He doesn’t want to see me or E. He’s convinced that we’re gunna start some type of love triangle or square or something.” He turned to look at Edge. “And you wanna explain the shit you pulled with him? Red thinks you were fucking with him since you were such an ass pre-convergence, and you changed your tune pretty quick. I know I said to compliment him and treat him well, but if you blame me for your bullshit-”

“IT WAS MY FAULT. ONLY MY FAULT.” Edge didn’t flinch away from the glare. “MY BROTHER STOPPED BEING CLOSE TO ME SHORTLY AFTER I GOT OUT OF STRIPES, AND WHEN I WAS YOU, I REALIZED HOW MUCH I WANTED THAT BACK.” He approached Sans, ready to accept whatever punishment he deemed appropriate. “HE IS THE BROTHER I REMEMBER WITH YOU. THE ONE I LOVED WHEN I WAS SMALL.” He bowed his head before Sans. “I DIDN’T KNOW HOW MUCH I MISSED HIM UNTIL HE WAS IN FRONT OF ME. AND IN YOUR BODY, I FELT LIKE I COULD JUST FULLY ENJOY IT.”

“Well I hope you enjoyed it enough to last a lifetime, because he doesn’t want to see this face again.” Sans gestured to his stolen countenance. “Then again, I’m not sure he’ll take me back with my face either.” He sighed, sounding defeated.

“HE IS ANGRY, BUT NOT UNREASONABLE. I DO NOT KNOW IF HE’LL FORGIVE EDGE, BUT HE LOVES YOU. I DOUBT YOU’LL BE TURNED AWAY FOR TOO LONG.” Papyrus held him in the half hug gently. He cocked his head to the side. “THOUGH I AM CURIOUS. HE BELIEVES THIS WILL BE A REGULAR OCCURANCE?” Sans closed his eyes, relaxing as much as the stiff armor and stress would let him.

“He’s under the impression that since we didn’t mind being with each other, you and E being a thing, and with him and I being a thing, that we’d make it a regular deal. Though that falls apart if he and E aren’t a thing, so it doesn’t matter.” He looked up at his bro. “I love you, but I need him. I wanted…” He hunched his back. “I wanted to share my soul with him.” He sat up, leaning out of the comfort to curl in on himself. “I fucked up.”

“I...KNOW IT DOESN’T MEAN MUCH, AND I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO FORGIVE ME FOR IT, BUT I AM SORRY.”

Sans laughed humorlessly.

“Me too.”

Papyrus was the only one not forlornly staring at the floor. He stood briskly, placing his hands on his hips, calling for both of their attention with a heavy step.

“THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! RED WILL NEVER FORGIVE EITHER OF YOU WITH THAT ATTITUDE.” He pointed at Sans. “IF YOU WORK TO WIN HIM BACK, HE WILL BE YOURS SANS. YOU JUST NEED TO TRY. IS HE NOT WORTH THE EFFORT?” Sans’s eye sockets glowed bright with yearning.

“He’s worth a lot more than I got. But I’ll work at it until I can look him in the eye again.” Papyrus turned to point at Edge.

“YOU SAID YOU LOVED HIM, AS MUCH AS I LOVE SANS AT LEAST. DO YOU NOT WISH TO CHASE THAT DOWN, TO MAKE HIM, IF NOT RETURN YOUR LOVE, THEN ACCEPT IT?” He got down on his knees to hold Edge’s small hands in his own. “I DO NOT KNOW WHERE I WOULD BE WITHOUT MY SANS; I KNOW YOU MISS YOURS. BUT HE MUST BE CONVINCED YOUR FEELINGS ARE SINCERE. CAN THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE EDGE RISE TO THE OCCASION?”

Edge shook in Papyrus’s grasp. He had risen so high, accomplished so much, with a mountain of his own blood, sweat, and tears to get to where he was. He’d stood on his own two boots and ran forward to create his own path. But now, the memories of the past were coming back to haunt him. Before he could stand alone. Red had cared for him selflessly, defending his tiny soul from scavengers without complaint. And now that he sought them out, he couldn’t recall Red ever throwing that in his face while he’d screamed Red down for all his mistakes. 

He’d been selfish, and his soul trembled thinking of the monumental task ahead. If he failed…

But he had never failed! He was the great and terrible Papyrus! Even if he went by Edge now, HE himself had remained unchanged. He stared up into his love’s face, bold and determined.

“I’M GOING TO WIN HIM BACK, NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES!” He gently clanked Papyrus’s face. “THANK YOU LOVE. I HAD ALMOST FORGOTTEN MYSELF.” He hugged him tight.

“NOW LET’S FIX THIS!”

---------

“T-there! Back to n-normal!” Edge could feel the heavy press of his armor on his chest. Sans woke up in his hoodie and coulda cried with how much he had missed it. They looked over at each other.

“I APOLOGIZE FOR EVERYTHING SANS.” Edge needed to say this with his own face. This mess was his idea and the failure of it was his own fault. This experience had humbled him to many things, and this apology was a warm up of sorts. The bigger one was to come later tonight. “THANK YOU ALPHYS.”

“You’re welcome. Please d-don’t cause anymore trouble in my lab.” She shook her head and walked back to the other side of the lab. Sans scratched his skull.

“I mean, takes two to tango. Besides, I’m not the one you really need to see.” Sans straightened out his back, familiar popping instead of Edge’s smooth unfurl. “Not gunna give you tips though. Saw how that worked out last time.”

“THAT IS LIKELY BEST.”

“Good luck. We’re cheering for ya.” Sans winked at him.

They exchanged a few more words, but Sans waved him off to wait with Papyrus. Witnesses would complicate this.

He walked into the door, and Red was sprawled on the couch, shoes by the door, exactly as he had been when Edge had come in as Sans forever ago. Red growled from his spot, not looking at him.

“I told you to leave me alone until you were in your own fucking body Sans.” 

“I WASN’T PRESENT FOR THAT, BUT I SUPPOSE I FOLLOWED THE INSTRUCTIONS ANYWAY.” Edge sighed, Red flinching and already turning red with anger.

“I don’t wanna see you, no matter which fucking body you’re in Papyrus.” Red snarled, throwing a remote that Edge easily caught, ready to snap his fingers and vanish.

“SANS, PLEASE.” Edge crossed his arms. “REGARDLESS OF THE RESULT, THIS CONVERSATION HAS TO HAPPEN. LET US HAVE IT AND NOT HAVE IT HANG OVER US.” His body un-tensed when Red lowered his hand, shaking his head.

“Fine. Let’s have this stupid conversation.” Red pulled his hoodie up tighter around him. His eyes were already glowing, anger flaring up his magic. “So, go ahead. Try to fucking talk your way through this. I’m fucking listening.”

Edge didn’t know how to begin. How could he even begin to describe the complex emotions he had? Maybe he could start with the obvious?

“I LOVE YOU SA-”

“No you fucking DON’T.” Edge felt blue magic drop him to his knees. Red was in his face an instant later. “Don’t start with the fake ass sweet talk. I’m not gunna be fooled into sleeping with you aga-”

“FUCK YOU! IT ISN’T FUCKING FAKE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” Edge grabbed the front of Red’s hoodie like he’d done a million times before. “DO YOU THINK THIS IS EASY FOR ME? THAT I DIDN’T HAVE TO GRAPPLE WITH THIS FUCKING OVERWHELMING FEELING THAT I DIDN’T ASK FOR?!” Edge hoisted him up, toes barely dragging the floor. “IT WASN’T A FUCKING CHOICE!”

“CONGRATU-FUCKIN-LATIONS PAPYRUS! How do you think I fucking feel?!” Red clawed at Edge’s arm, glaring at him with so much vitriol. “You called me a useless, lazy, no better than dust piece of shit for YEARS! Then you fucking show up wearing SANS’S face, and suddenly it’s ‘you’re so strong love, nothing compares,’ fucking me like you haven’t been embarassed by me being ALIVE since you were taller than me!” He scratched harder, starting to dig in. Edge held even though his arm shook. “Now you want me to believe you love me when it conveniently makes you look less like an asshole?!”

“WHERE WAS THIS?!” Edge shook him until he rattled. “WHERE WAS THIS FUCKING ENERGY WHEN WE WERE LIVING IN OUR HOME?!”

“The fuck do you mean?!” Red kicked Edge, toes bouncing off Edge’s front plate.

“GOD DAMMIT SANS! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!” Red just looked confused, sneering disbelief, not understanding his point. “YOU WOULDN’T WAKE UP. YOU WOULDN’T EAT. YOU ACTIVELY SLEPT OUT IN THE OPEN. IT WAS LIKE THE SECOND I COULD DEFEND MYSELF, YOU MADE YOUR LIFE MY PROBLEM ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE!” Edge felt a claw draw blood, he tossed Red back a few feet, stumbling on the carpet before falling on his ass.

“I was never your fucking problem to keep alive! You only needed to defend yourself! You’re the one who made my life YOUR problem!” Red coughed hard, growling Edge’s way.

“WHAT DID YOU WANT ME TO DO SANS?! JUST LET MY BROTHER FUCKING DIE?!”

“YES!” Red shouted, tears only gathering in the corners of his eyes. He wouldn’t let them fall. “You shoulda just let me die! You were fine on your own!” Edge felt something in his chest explode. 

“What?” Edge tried to look at Red, but his gaze kept sliding away, unable to really contemplate what that meant. “You wanted to die?” He sounded lost.

“Wasn’t that obvious?!” Red scrunched up his nose. Edge’s gaze was still very, very distant.

“But...why?” Edge’s chest felt heavier than fifty armor plates. “I-” He cut off, unsure of how to continue.

“I killed our dad.” Red’s body drooped hard. “He was gunna kill you, so I killed him and ran. I was terrified; I was just a kid, and most kids died, much less kids looking after kids. But I had killed G, so I had enough LV to scare off other scavengers.” Red couldn’t look at Edge. “But it felt so bad. It felt wrong, LV didn’t sit right with me, and I could feel that sin crawling on my back all the time. I still feel it now.” Red had never looked more tired, Edge’s eyes watered, building up to tears. He didn’t fight Red grabbing him by the scarf. “But I couldn’t fucking quit on you! I wanted to die every damn second, but you were defenseless and I had to tough it out for you! So of course I checked the fuck out when you could fight on your own without help! You’re the great and terrible Papyrus, and I was a damn nobody.” Red let go of the scarf, holding Edge’s skull, wide tear filled eyes and all, with both hands. Edge still had no words.

“If you’d let me die, you would’ve been unstoppable.” Red sighed, rubbing off the tear tracks with his thumbs. Edge’s mouth was hanging slightly open. “You woulda been a hotshot Royal Guardsman with no weaknesses, and all it would cost you was a worthless sinner who wouldn’t kill in a world of kill or be killed, just waiting to be killed and holding you back.” Red laughed mirthlessly. “I couldn’t even do that right. Refused to kill but killed Gaster without hesitation.” 

Edge could barely see, overwhelmed, like he had never seen his brother clearly before. The shock was wearing down with Red running his thumbs over his cheekbones.

“WHY...DID HE WISH TO KILL ME?” 

“You weren’t a child prodigy. I could help him in the lab super young. You were a normal babybones. He didn’t want to deal with you. Was gunna dust you and try again.” Red let his face go. “Go ahead. I can hear you thinking from here.”

“WHAT I SAW WAS SOMEONE WHO ABANDONED ME THE SECOND I COULD CARRY BOTH OF US. I HATED IT, HATED YOU, FOR WANTING ME TO DO EVERYTHING INSTEAD OF HELPING ME. AND YOU MADE IT SO DAMN DIFFICULT BY NOT DOING ANYTHING TO KEEP YOURSELF ALIVE.” Edge laid his arms on Red’s shoulders, red scratches lining the bones. “I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY.”

“Who says shit like that to a kid? I raised you, I’m not gunna say that and fuck you up, thinking it’s your fault I’m screwed up in the head, like I regretted keeping you.” Red looked at his socks. Edge’s soul shook with anxiety.

“YOU DON’T?” Red snapped his gaze up to Edge’s face.

“The fuck? I’ve loved you since day one Papyrus. I’m pissed at you, but it’s not something you can lose.” Red said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Edge pulled him into the tightest hug he could, burying his face in the fluffy trim. Red’s arms hovered hesitantly, before laying them onto Edge’s back, hugging him back with a full body sigh. “You’re the one who had no reason to love me.”

“I THOUGHT YOU HATED ME. HATED THE FACT THAT I TOOK YOUR CHILDHOOD AWAY.” Edge cried into his shoulder. His bones rattled loudly, breath scraping in and out, half out of breath and half full of heartache. “I WAS SO ANGRY. I ADORED YOU SO MUCH BEFORE I GOT STRONGER, THEN YOU TURNED INTO SOMEONE WHO HATED ME.” So far, it’d all been the past, but Edge couldn’t stop the flood of words. “WHEN I CAME HERE AS SANS, AND WE LAUGHED ON THE COUCH, ALL I COULD REMEMBER IS THAT YOU HADN’T LAUGHED WITH ME IN DECADES.”

“I distanced myself as hard as I could. I didn’t want you to miss me when I died.” Red stroked the back of his skull. “I thought I had finally made you fucking despise me, and then of fucking course the convergence happened, and I had to live with that choice.” Part of Red still didn’t want to let any of this go, but he had always been soft on his bro.

“I THOUGHT YOU HAD SUCCEEDED AS WELL, BUT I THINK I HAD JUST GIVEN UP ON YOU LOVING ME. AND WHEN I COULD SPEAK AS SANS, SOMEONE YOU CHERISHED, I WAS SO JEALOUS. YOU LOVED HIM, BUT NOT ME.” Edge shuffled his legs around, Red suddenly seated in his lap.

Red leaned against his brother’s long chest, then grabbed Edge’s chin. He directed his view down to him.

“I love both of you. It’s not a competition.” Edge’s eyes went wide.

“SANS, PLEASE, TELL ME YOU LOVE ME.” Here he was, on the edge again, absolutely needing Red to do this. Red felt his soul skip a beat, he knew exactly what would happen when he said those words, and all that was left was to say them or not. He stared directly into Edge’s eyes.

“I love you Papyrus.” 

Red closed his eyes before it happened. Edge pulled straight out of his grip and swooped down to kiss him.

Red groaned when Edge shifted him in his lap to get a real good angle to sneak his tongue in. His hands snuck up around Edge’s neck, locking him in until Red was good and ready to let him go.

When they parted, they were both blushing.

“I LOVE YOU SANS. I CANNOT UNDO THE PAST, BUT I MEAN IT NOW.” Edge ran his hands over each rib through Red’s jacket. “I’D TELL YOU WHAT I’M THINKING, BUT IT MIGHT UPSET YOU.”

“Say it anyway. We’re starting a no secret policy like those other two dumbasses.” Red hummed into the contact. The tension he’d been carrying all week was just starting to loosen.

“YOU’RE QUITE HANDSOME.” Red jolted up, pressing his face directly into Edge’s shoulder. Edge stroked the back of Red’s skull happily. 

“Ya’re on thin ice asshole…” He mumbled into Edge’s armor, then mumbled again. “‘Sides, you’ve been the handsome one our whole lives.” A shiver shot up Edge’s spine. His soul hummed with the praise, pulling Red’s legs to straddle his lap, and going in for another kiss while Red was still wearing his cute blush. He moaned softly and Edge ate up every sound.

“CAN I TOUCH YOU SANS?” His hands hovered over the hoodie zipper, but he wouldn’t betray Red’s trust a second time. Two chances were rare from him.

“I dunno. Can you?” Red’s eyes were half lidded, lazy smirk tilted up at his brother’s face. Edge dropped his head on his brother’s shoulder.

“YOU’RE INSUFFERABLE. MAY I TOUCH YOU?”

“I...I don’t know.” Red laid his hands on Edge’s skull. They were shaking. “I’m feeling a little self conscious after last time.” 

Edge gently traced over where he knew the scars were, completely clothed.

“YOU GOT MOST OF THESE DEFENDING ME.” He hugged him closer, slid completely up into his lap, pressed together. “YOU’RE THE ONLY REASON I MADE IT THIS FAR. THERE IS NOTHING I COULD SEE THAT WOULD MAKE ME THINK LESS OF YOU.”

“It’d help if you weren’t still trying to be so over the top with this lovey stuff…” Red leaned into the hug, slotting them as close together as he could manage. He pressed his face into the armor, breathing in the familiar scent of his brother. “I don’t need to be buttered up so much for a good time.”

“YOU CLEARLY ENJOY IT THOUGH.” Edge toyed with the tip of Red’s tailbone through his shorts. Red huffed into Edge’s chest, wiggling in his lap. “I ENJOY IT AS WELL.”

“Papyrusssss.” Red’s fingers stroked along Edge’s neck vertebrae. He pulled himself up enough to breathe right onto the sensitive bones. 

“LET ME MAKE YOU SCREAM SANS…”

Edge slotted their pelvises together just right. Red whined into it.

“Fine. You can touch.” Edge captured his mouth in a kiss almost immediately. His hands pushed the hoodie off, and went for the shirt just as quickly. He broke the kiss to remove the thing before diving right back in. Red whimpered right into his mouth while his hands pulled which ribs were more sensitive than others from memory.

Red clawed at the armor, hands shakily undoing the belts holding it in place. Red had never forgotten how to put it on and remove it. He’d seen it done a million times. Edge removed the shirts underneath without needing to be asked.

Red pushed their chests together, scarred bones rubbing up against one another. Edge dipped a hand into Red’s pants to hold his pelvis and forcibly grind up against him.

“AAAAAH!” Red cried out. The harsher ministrations fit so much better. Edge wouldn’t be as gentle or lazy as Sans. His honesty was crude and cutting, and he didn’t do soft very well, but the meaning behind the acts were clear; Edge loved him, in his own way, and needed Red to know.

“SUCH WONDERFUL SOUNDS, I THINK I CAN GET YOU LOUDER THOUGH.” 

“I’m gunna make ya work for it.” Red slid out of his pants when prompted, keeping to low gravelly moans and pleased hums. Edge kept trying new bumps, different techniques on the spots Red really responded to. Red didn’t increase in sound, purposely teasing him.

Then he gave up and bit down with his sharp teeth on Red’s collarbone.

“FUCK!” Red dug scratches into Edge’s back. Edge went to pull back and apologize, but once he let go, Red tilted his head the other way. “You bite your fucking boyfriend like that, you vampire?” Edge grinned ferociously.

“HE’S NOT INTO THAT, UNLIKE YOU, YOU MASOCHIST.” Edge bit down on the opposite shoulder. Red cried out, his ecto summoning without a thought.

“If you know I’m a masochist, what’re ya waiting for?” Red pushed down Edge’s pants, undoing the belt with a single hand, taking hold of Edge’s cock and freeing it from his loose pants. With skilled ease, he slid all the way down in one motion, whining at the bite of pain from going so fast. Edge forgot how to breathe. Red bounced, panting at the stretch and the soft pounding at the back of his pussy.

Edge gripped his hips to stop him. He adjusted their angle, did one slow slide inside of Red to make sure he’d bottom out each time, then proceeded to smash him down. Red gasped the first time. His moans increased in volume when Edge refused to let up.

“I WANT YOU TO FEEL THIS WHEN HE RETURNS HOME TO YOU.” Edge growled at Red’s bright face, overwhelmed and enraptured by him. “I WILL NOT LET YOU FORGET THIS, FORGET ME. I LOVE YOU, AND WHILE I AM DEIGNING TO SHARE WITH SANS, IF HE CAN HAVE BOTH OF YOU, I WILL AS WELL.” He could feel Red’s building orgasm in the clench of his fingers on his rib cage, the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes, the pitch of his whines.

“I love you too.” Red cried, pain completely melted away. Edge clanked their foreheads together.

“Then come for me.” Edge came kissing Red.

They came down together, passionate kissing devolving into soft clanks until they collapsed against each other. Red hid his blushing face.

“I have no idea how this is gunna work.” Red shivered without his warm hoodie. “You and Sans agreeing to share, considering how much you argue, is really fucking weird.” Edge reached a long arm over to grab the hoodie and wrap it around his brother.

“WE BOTH CARE ABOUT YOU AND PAPYRUS. I CONSIDER IT MORE OF A TRADE, AS I GET SOME TIME WITH YOU IN EXCHANGE FOR HIS TIME WITH PAPYRUS. I AM NOT AGAINST FAIR TRADES.” Red stood on shaky legs, looking around for his clothes. He tossed back any of Edge’s he found on the hunt.

“And what about you and Sans?” Red stood up straight, wincing when he put a hand on his lower back. Edge tilted his head.

“WHAT ABOUT HIM AND I?” Red raised a brow.

“I mean, you did have sex with him. I just want to know what that arrangement looks like going forward. This kinda complex shit only works when we’re all transparent.” Edge stood to his full height. He adjusted his clothes and then grabbed his chin.

“I ADMIT, I HADN’T CONSIDERED THAT. WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST, AS YOU WERE LEFT OUT OF PREVIOUS DISCUSSIONS?” Edge thought on the idea of him and Sans doing anything again. The first time had been for a direct purpose, but there was an allure to having a liaison with a partner who he was constantly at odds with.

“I’m not really that interested in him, but I guess if you wanna have Sans, then if P and I decide to do anything, ya can’t complain.” Red shrugged. “Not that I expect that it’ll happen a lot. It’s not like I’m giving up Sans as my partner. You aren’t exchangeable. I’m pretty sure you still want to marry P.”

“OF COURSE. I LOVE HIM. OUR DATE NIGHTS ARE SOME OF THE BEST DAYS OF MY LIFE. MAKING A HOME WITH HIM IS STILL MY PRIORITY.” Edge kneeled and took one of Red’s hands. “YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO ME, AND I KNOW THAT YOU CARE FOR ME. SANS IS JUST A MORE DIRECT MATCH.” He looked towards the bedroom knowingly. “I DO PREFER NOT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A TRASH TORNADO NOW THAT I HAVE THE OPTION.”

“Come on Boss, it makes cleaning a breeze.” Red smirked, Edge squawking in indignation. He bopped him on the skull, but Red finally felt his body fully relax. Everything felt right again. With a smile, he led Edge to the front door.

“Go on, send home my idiot when you see P. You know where to find me.” Red leaned on the door frame as Edge stepped out. He stooped down to kiss Red on the forehead fondly.

“I WILL SEE YOU SOON SANS.” And off he went.

------------

“How was the sleepover?” Red looked back over his shoulder when he heard Sans come in. He’d been trying his hand at cooking lately, as having all their meals at Grillby’s was getting a little old. He heard the rustle of a bag and then a sheet behind him. Then something dropped over his head.

“Pretty good. You clearly got the movie taste AND looks in the family though.” He felt a kiss on the cheek.

The item dropped on him fluttered into view. A “Kiss The Cook” apron.

“Thanks Sansy.” He turned to face Sans, stirring the stew with one hand, pulling Sans into a better kiss. 

“Mmmmm. Knew you’d like it.” Sans sat down at their kitchen table, patiently waiting for Red to finish cooking. “Your bro asked for help picking out an engagement ring for Papyrus. He’ll probably be out of touch for a bit.” He leaned back against the chair. “He offered to help me find one for you, but I turned it down.”

“Why’s that?” Red set down two plates of food. He settled into his chair, getting ready to take a bite.

“We both know we don’t wanna plan a whole shindig.” Red chuckled at that, blowing on a bite before chowing down. Pretty good this time, maybe sear the meat a little less, and almost too lost in his musing to hear Sans whisper to his plate. “That’ll never happen.”

Red couldn’t get the food down at that. It’d been months since the body swap thing, and while it took a bit to really get used to it, they were all better off for it. At least, that’s what he thought. Apparently Sans didn’t think so.

After a very awkward dinner, and a quiet clean up, Sans hugged him from behind while he put up the dishes.

“I’m feeling pretty beat. Think I’m gunna turn in a little early.” He felt so quiet, so distant. Red hugged over the arms.

“Wait up for me? Gunna shower, been stewing in sweat all day.” It barely pulled a chuckle. He did feel a slow nod against his back, then empty air. Red chest crushed under the weight of his heart. He quickly cleaned himself off, walking into their bedroom in his boxers and a t-shirt. Sans smiled, but it was tight and tired, not even reaching out to pull him closer for them to sleep. Red trembled and turned away when they turned off the light.

Sans would never marry him. He’d never be marriage material. He tried to keep his sniffles quiet, not wanting to disturb Sans while he slept. Who knows if he’d even stay boyfriend material if he was annoying on top of everything else?

“Red?” Sans had the light on in an instant. He turned Red over to look at his face, full of concern, pulling him into a hug without a thought. Sans was too nice to him. “What’s wrong, love?” Red leaned his head against him, miserable. “I shoulda noticed. I’m sorry, whatever you need, I’m here.”

Red clutched at his back, face buried in Sans’s shoulder while he hiccupped. He was such a crybaby. So easy to upset, no one would want such a sensitive spouse, always causing problems just by existing.

He would’ve kept wallowing if he didn’t feel tears falling on his skull as well.

When he pulled back, he stared at Sans’s unusual tears, confused.

“W-why are you crying?” Red winced at the stutter, caught between wanting to hunch in on himself and hold Sans. Sans kissed him gently.

“Because I love you and I’m still so bad at helping you, knowing what you need, being there when you need it. I’m such a damn failure.” He rested a hand on Red’s cheek. “You’ve been quiet since dinner, and I got too caught up in how I was feeling to be there for you, just being selfish as usual. I hate seeing you cry. What happened?” Red placed a hand over Sans’s, staring into his eyes. They had all agreed to no secrets, so he just quietly confessed.

“I heard you at dinner, that we’d never get married. I know I’m not that great of a boyfriend, but it hurts to hear it.” Sans’s eyes just got wider and wider as Red spoke. “I’m trying so hard to not be worthless. I love you so much Sansy, I don’t want you to leave.”

“Red, no.” Sans kissed his entire face, finishing by resting his forehead against Red’s.

“But you said-”

“I meant me. You’d never marry me.” Sans tired eyes wouldn’t meet his. “I caused that whole mess, and you were the one who got screwed by it, all for my selfishness. When you told me that you almost offered your soul to E in my body?” Sans laughed, humorless and tearful. ”I knew it was over. I fucked that up. I had you, and I threw it away, and I’ll never get that back. That trust is gone, and there’s no one to blame but myself.” Sans closed his eyes. “Everything fell into place but this, and I don’t think it was worth the trade.”

Sans certainly didn’t expect the soft kiss. For all their similarities, they sure could be blind.

“Sansy, I love you. I didn’t stop, even when I was mad at you. Don’t you love me?”

“Of course I do.” 

“Then what’s not falling into place? We got each other and all the time in the world.” Red held Sans’s face, gently rubbing his cheeks. “Is this because of the soul thing? Do you think I don’t trust you?”

“Yeah...I just felt before, we were building up to that, to sharing each other that way, and now, it feels like none of that matters anymore.” Sans sighed. “I guess I coulda just been too focused on it. I wasn’t appreciating what I had again…” He sagged in Red’s hands, leaning forward until he rested his head on Red’s shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

Sans could feel Red’s body tense under him. He really was the worst sometimes, causing his boyfriend this much stress over his own inadequacies. He felt one of Red’s arms drop off his back, feeling the deep breaths in his chest, and then a hand by his own.

“It stressed me out and I was building up to it because I was nervous. I’ve never let anyone see it after we ran away from home. But after everything else, it just took a back seat. If I had known how important you felt that was, I wouldn’t have let it slip through the cracks.” Red leaned his head onto Sans’s. “If this is as meaningful as marriage where you’re from, then I’m sorry for making ya think I didn’t want that with you.”

He felt a weight transfer from Red’s hand to his own. Sans adjusted his head to see.

Red’s soul, floating above his palm. His eyes teared up again. He sat back up slowly, trying to not jostle the little thing, pulling it up closer to his face. It magically hovered a few inches above his hands, but he could reach out and touch it if he wanted.

“Wow.” It gently twirled in front of his face.

“It’s nothing special.” Sans didn’t glance away to respond to Red. He chastely kissed it, so very happy. “Aaaaah. That feels...nice.” Sans nuzzled against it like he would his boyfriend, happily humming into the warm soul. Red purred into the contact, laying back onto the headboard. He stretched out, bones warming up from the breath from Sans’s nose. “This is like getting the best massage of my life. I love you.” Sans smiled at him.

“Love you too. Wonder if you’ll like this more.” He took a long, languid lick right between the dip of the soul. 

“Oh fuck.” His body arched off the bed.

“You taste like sugar. Always knew you were a sweetheart.” Red laughed, but it was short, breathless, while Sans traced the edges of his soul. Red tore off his shirt to cool down, but the sensation was deep into his marrow.

“You sure-” Red groaned. “-got me fired up.” His bones were starting to glow crimson. The magic in his body pulsed awake, craving Sans, wanting to share this feeling with him. 

Sans was too focused on the tasty soul in his mouth, enjoying Red’s sounds, not noticing the scrambling hands at his boxers until Red had pushed them down.

“Hey, relax. This is about you.” But Red had pushed him backwards. He fell softly onto the bed, Red removing the pants with extreme prejudice.

“This is about us.” Red’s talented hands stroked and teased. His warmed hands made quick work of summoning Sans’s cock. Sans felt Red’s tongue on him in seconds, eyes hazy from all the soul teasing.

“Fuck Red, babe, I-” Sans sucked on the pointed end of Red’s soul, his boyfriend moaning around his cock. “-was gunna give you mine too.” 

Red paused his work to look at Sans face. 

“Your soul?” Sans nodded. With a little concentration, he summoned it to the front of his body. Red hesitantly reached for it. Sans kissed Red’s soul, trying to impart how much he wanted to share this with him with the simple touch. He plucked it from its summoning place with a look of reverence.

Sans soul pounded in his love’s warm fingers. Holding Red’s soul, the connection between them opened like a path, familiar but strange, like a trail only taken at night suddenly visible in the day. 

Red kissed the soul softly, Sans doing the same, and the emotional feedback magnified. 

“I love you so much.” It had come out of Red’s mouth, but they felt the echo of those words across their entire bodies. He laid forward, Sans’s ecto barely under his chin, licking at the soul while desire took over all his senses. His own soul was getting a similar treatment.

Once he’d gotten his fill of the flavor, however, he took the warm heart and moved it out of sight. Sans only knew because of the sudden mouth on him instead.

“My soul too gross for you?” He was kidding, Red could feel that, but he did sense the little spike of curiosity. He didn’t answer, keeping up his slow work on Sans’s cock with his mouth and single hand. His own ecto pussy had summoned ages ago, wet and dripping, and Red did flick his gaze upwards for that first little attempt. “Holy shit what are you doing ahhhhhhhhhh.”

Red continued working Sans’s hot soul up against himself, it sinking a little further each time. Sans tended to Red’s soul between dazed choked gasps.

“What’re you-hnnnnngh-doing to me?” Sans’s licked stripes got sloppy, feeling confined and hot, incredibly turned on. “I can see your mouth, so where’s this feeling-god DAMN!” Red finally managed to work the soul into himself enough for it to sink, his body swallowing it down his tight wet pussy. The first squeeze around it drew gasps from both of them.

“Being-mmmmmmm, ah!- double teamed by one person is new.” Red writhed, working to get Sans’s cock as far down his throat as the soul was up in his body. He used the free hand to rub over his sensitive nub, almost overwhelmed instantly from the soul feedback. He switched to fingering himself around the soul instead.

“Reeeeeeeed!” Sans’s attention became razor focused. He sucked and dragged his teeth across every piece of Red’s soul, singlemindedly trying to escape the inferno blazing through his body by igniting an even hotter one in Red, if it was even possible. His bones were glowing too, and where they touched steamed up the air, magic heavy and charged like a battery. His mind, Red’s mind, there wasn’t a difference anymore as they built up hotter and hotter bodies. Sans wasn’t sure he could even withstand the feeling of Red clenching down around him twice at the same time.

“Sansy. I’m so full of you Sansy.” Red kept up fast hand strokes when he came up for words. His tongue could scarcely keep away. “Hheeeeeeeelp me come AHHHHH!” Red took Sans’s cock to the base in one head bob, pushing the soul even deeper into himself with his fingers at the same time.

Sans could barely move, but he did have an idea. He pulled the entire soul in his mouth. His tongue wrapped around it, wet and warm, and swallowed.

“FUUUUUCK!”

Sans came right down Red’s throat at the same time Red spasmed around his soul.

It took so long for the aftershocks to leave Sans coherent. He could barely sit up, but he forced himself to tend to Red, who still hadn’t come down. His soul was still inside of him, and Red kept whimpering with his legs spread open. He put Red’s soul back first; he had pulled it out of his skull trying to stop the sensations.

“I-I-I think I go-ot t-too excit-ed.” Red curled his chin down, trying to push the soul out, but not making much progress.

“First idea after getting my soul is to put it in your pussy. Pervert.” Sans chuckled, hiding just how sensitive his body still felt. He gently slid his fingers into him. Red threw his head back, bucking up against them. “You gotta try to relax, or I won’t be able to reach it.”

“E-easy f-f-for you to say.” Red struggled to keep his hips still. Sans’s fingers could barely touch the bottom; he’d have to fit more of his hand inside. Red was still soaked from the stimulation, so the fingers did start to slide in.

“I’m gunna have to get deeper in there.”

“F-fucking fist me why don’t ya.” Red whined at Sans trying to work his hand up there.

“I almost have to.” When the widest part of his hand sank in, he finally got a grip on it. Holding onto it while pulling it out did make his hand too wide to pull back out easily. It was gunna hurt if he just yanked. With a hold on his own soul, the sensations on his end were dulled enough to focus, so he started stretching him from the inside, gently pulling and pushing while Red bit down to keep from getting too into it.

“S-sorry.” Sans heard it just before Red canted his hips with reckless abandon. 

Well, this was about him.

Sans worked his hand harder, taking advantage of Red’s enthusiasm to work him wider. His overwarm bones complained, but he was so close. Deeper, almost out, faster, tightening around his arm, and when his hand was almost free, he used his free fingers to get Red off in time with him pulling free.

Sans fell back, soul finally free, already desummoning like Red’s ecto, and they collapsed against each other, their touch finally absent of feedback.

After centuries, Red spoke.

“Are we married now?” And Sans laughed hard enough to catch Red in it too, two silly boneheads rattling in the night.

“I think so.” Sans closed his eyes, and sought out his hand. Red settled in next to him, covering them in a mostly clean blanket, then clasped it right back.

“I love you husband.” The night covered them, only the glow of their eyelights left after the lamps were off. The air was light and happy, and Sans could finally breathe easy again after all this time.

“I love you too. Til death do us part.” His grin was sleepy and crooked, Red’s was fond and tired. And with everything right again, sleep finally took them.

-----

Holy shit, it’s posted. Have fun with that.

[jaeminscoffee]

Misunderstood | T. Lee

Pairings- Ten Lee x Reader

Genre- Angst, slight fluff,

Warning(s)- Character death.

Word count- 1.88k

Type- requestedddd

It was a whole cat and mouse game at the beginning. 

You know how it's always portrayed that all cats and mice despise each other? Well maybe it's because the friend and foe never really go together since they indulge in a much predator and prey relationship. That's how you and Ten's blooming relation started.

Just like any other fable, or the famous cartoon, might as well be a life lesson, Tom and Jerry; Ten and you never got along. You weren't meant to get along. After all, which super agency's top sniper would befriend a wild criminal? Apparently you did. You'd always find yourself letting Ten off the hook each time in the last minute. The lad was fun to have around. And just like any other untold truth of the behinds of a story, the mice in your story was also only just a misunderstood soul. Ten was more than what he portrayed himself to be. 

Chasing Ten and catching him, the first glimpse was your mission. Bringing him back to the headquarters dead or alive was your mission. To turn a deaf ear to anything and everything he'd let out was your mission. To heartlessly end him if he pulled a smart stunt was your mission. But having him voice out his thought processes and you gladly listening to the entirety of it was most definitely not your mission. 

You'd been known as the top all rounder sniper of your agency, one for your amazing skills, two for your ability to make ends meet, and three for being a kind soul yet thick skulled if the situation called for it. Your boss, the head, of course ended up assigning a very confusing mission to you as, for the matter of fact, were a very trusted pawns of his. It was intriguing yet confusing because you weren't given much insights on why you're asked to serve summons on him. 

Ten on the other hand was to this point, tired of running. Hurt. Wounded by having to bear the weights of his family when all he'd wanted was to lead a normal life of his own. To not wake up in cold sweat, fearing for whether his days would shorten the next second. To make it until arvo without anyone, or anything hot on his trail. To make his way back home from his work space; a small corner dance studio where he'd teach the one's who'd not be able to afford trying to learn at those fancy known dance studios who charged way more than what's required, without having someone tackle him to the floor. To sleep after supper without having to wake up every other minute, paranoid whether one of those people trailed him back home and somehow managed to sneak in. 

"He's still watching ,you know?" Ten rasped out loud enough for only the two of you to hear his voice which helped you step out of the cloud of guilt for what you were about to do. 

You, just as assigned, started immediately. Still confused, of course. The boy seemed little to not harmless at all. But nevertheless, you went about it. Watching the boy feed stray animals on the way, smile brightly at passerby's, buy a drink or two for the hungered on the pathway, keep the dangered ones accompany on a night walk, he seemed like a moral, ideal member for the lacking society, nothing like the heartless murderer he'd been described to be. 

"I know, b..but i can't, Ten" you sigh out, shutting your lids tight to clear up your blurred vision. 

He seemed to be the only calm in the chaotic, messed up world you lived in. Now obviously, you did try catching him each time only to let him go, thinking of all those out in the streets and beyond waiting for their daily dose of hope in this dark realm. And to keep a close eye on the said predator, of course. 

Finding him crouched down by the alley turn towards his usual workplace, you found it a little heartbreaking to continue heartlessly end him. He seemed so.. vulnerable, broke, and nothing like the walking sunshine he'd been since the beginning of your mission and definitely nothing of that of a murderer. He seemed just like the misunderstood feline in all fables who are usually portrayed as the predator and heartless and only wanting to fulfill their needs type. But much matured and smart you'd finally, spiritually understand the personality of the character, hurt, scared, 'does want to care and show it to all but scared to be misjudged again is what they really are. 

"Oh? That most definitely wasn't how you felt when you'd first initially pointed the same rifle at me, remember?" Ten chuckles from in front of you, still in the uncomfortable, cornered, back pressed to the brick wall with your left arm on his chest the other pointing straight to the middle of his skull. His retort making you let out an airy, shaky laugh of your own. 

The first time you'd done it, your eyes were fueled with determination, you'd get this done and there would be nothing bold enough to dare stop you, except Ten, he was bold enough apparently. "That department store just got mobbed and you're going to stand with a stupid toy gun pointed at me who's not proven guilty of anything? Seems right enough for me that you work as a puppet for that messed up government," your eyes widen at his statement, turning back to see nothing but a tranquil customer filled store, turning back to the lad to find him out of sight. Ten lee had relatively gotten much more experienced and better and running out of sight, "Ten, You drive me crazy," you speak through gritted teeth. 

"You were the first one to outrun me, you know?" you lean closer, only to hear your colleagues get their own weapons off safety and ready to fire any second,

"Now, isn't that why you're so drawn to me? Your work would've been so much more boring if it weren't for me, if anything, you're welcome." Ten replied smugly, proud of all his interactions too absurd to be categorized as normal, nevertheless the few of moments in his life that makes him happy thinking back at it. "Tsk," you slightly pout, feeling your eyes glaze over the nth time that night, this would all soon fade into memory and for what? For the fact that no one was ever ready to listen to the wrongly framed. 

"Is the target acting hard to surrender, Agent 02?" you hear from your in ear piece, immediately responding with the most stable voice you could muster, "No, Sire, not at all," you reply, "Then why is it taking you so long, Ms. Y/l/n?"

"It's time, isn't it?" Ten asked with a sad smile on his face. All the days of running were finally coming to an end yet he felt like that wouldn't make up to all his lost days. Yes, he was more than grateful to you. For showing something humane exists where no one ever tried caring for what the other does or says. He liked that, though with the choice of path or career that called for some serious human emotion control, you nevertheless wanted to remain human. Ground to earth, and kind enough to valid his feelings. Valid his existence. Valid him and not see him as a target of any sort. 

"I don't want to, Ten. I could try explaining this to them-but-" 

"But they aren't like you, they work for those on a higher post and won't stop even when given a solid reason to and you know that better than anyone else," Ten explained rather calmly.

"Yes, but you don't deserve this.." You let your voice waver, finally, gripping the deadly weapon tightly, mindful to keep your fingers away from the trigger, "Agent 02, pull the trigger when I count down to 1." you flinch at the sudden voice interrupting the intimate moment between you and your now, friend. 

"15.."

"I shouldn't have accepted the tasks, then i wouldn't have had to be the one doing this, and i wouldn't have had to meet you, and right now, at this moment, more than anything, I wish i'd never met you," You scramble through your words to form coherent sentences and the stipulated time you're given, 

Ten laughs out a closed mouth laugh, "14.."

"Really? But i don't wish so," He hums, closing his eyes to fully indulge in your warmth. The same familiar warmth that embraced him during one of the most vulnerable nights of his life. The same warmth that kept him company on each day following all while still radiating coldness of suspicion, "13.."  which slowly but surely turned into nothing but warmth all after uncoiling what most before you didn't even bother to, "12.."

"It's not that I wish i didn't meet you, it's just i wish we'd met in different circumstances," One where you wouldn't have to go for all the cat and mouse chase all over again, where he'd be, "11.." a normal bachelor and you'd be one too, who'd oh so much in a cliché manner meet at a café,

"Well, we don't get everything we wish for now, do we?" His voice sounded so exhausted, yet, no hints of fear or despise or cruelty shone through. Just exhaustion, and maybe a bit of….relief? "10.."

"Ten, we still have a chance. I can still give it a..-"

"Y/n, look at me." 

"You being ready enough, human enough to study me thoroughly before conclusion has been more than enough for me to prove that humanity still exists, that listener still exists. And I wouldn't want anyone, rather you put an end to this little game of ours,``''9.."

"You need to do nothing else other than stay the same, " he started once again, this time, finally allowing his vulnerability to shine through his voice, "8..", "And to do the same you'd done with me with all those potential targets of your people," "But Ten, just-" "7.."

"It's either you or me, doll. Your helpers there look more than ready to shoot any betrayer," "Then so be it! But i can't.. I can't get myself to- I love you, i car-" "6.." 

"There. The only words that were left for me to hear," "5.." 

"Your people seem generous enough to let me go in this much of a, how do I put it? Grand.. Way?" "Ten I've got 5 seconds to change my mind, I can do something you know?-" 

"Y/n, my love. You're making this hard for both of us, so.. "

He did the said stunt move your head had warned you about, swiftly shifting your positions so that you were the one pressed against the unbelievably uncomfortable wall making your eyes widen, words "I love you too, doll" and "Fire!" mixed together, all you could see the next moment was a small smile on the lads face, red seeping through the material of his white hoodie before his now lifeless body slouched and fell right in front of you. 

The misunderstood had been deprived of their life once again. 

[punkrock-writer]

Space Cowboy- Part 1

Having a Very Bad Time at Disney World

Pairing- Din Djarin x F!OC

Warnings- Swearing. A lot of bad words. Mild Violence. 

A/N- The response to this fic is overwhelming I woke up and wanted to cry, thank you to everyone who liked and reblogged and followed me. And thank you to everyone who went to AO3 and left kudos and comments ily. This introduces my OC Sedona. She's a little rough around the edges but I hope you like her. Feel free to message me or comment if you like it or hate it, I like talking to people. Thank you again. 

Prologue AO3 Wattpad 

The musty, thick, Florida humidity did little to stop her body from practically vibrating as she gazed up at the sight before her. The grand entrance to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge stood proudly, casting an arch shaped shadow that she stepped into to get a better look. Faux sandstone and waving flags beckoned her into the park, and she gladly followed with a face splitting smile. She had been saving for this trip for what felt like a life time; overtime had finally payed off, and she couldn't wait to spend an entire week in "the happiest place on earth"...

Or so she thought.

Sedona smiled as the butterflies fluttered in her stomach, gazing up at the Millennium Falcon was like a dream. The ship was massive, and fit snugly within the surrounding attraction. She wouldn't consider her self a 'super fan'- she doesn't know the names of the planets in a galaxy far far away, and she definitely couldn't name all of the different space races- but the beauty of the universe awakened the child that was buried deep in her soul. Nostalgia and adult money were a deadly combination.

It didn't help that the casting department knew how to cast the perfect eye candy to keep a grown woman entertained.

She dragged herself away from the massive ship. Though she told her self she wasn't obsessed, she still unconsciously decided to carve an entire day out of a week long trip just to roam around Batuu. She took as deep a breath as she could of the hot air, just beginning to get used to the uncomfortable way her hair curled and clung to the sweat on her neck. The air smelled like an amusement park, little kids vomit, sweat, and caramel corn. She walked leisurely, her sandals dragging on the pavement as she passed stalls and a makeshift cantina, making her way under another gigantic arch. Voices and music filled her ears, she let her guard down, allowing herself to completely absorb the atmosphere.

If she hadn't been gazing up at the architecture of the buildings surrounding her, she would've been able to react quicker.

An insanely bright blue light flashed in her face followed by a high pitched whine, similar to your grandpas weird old camera.

Startled she took quick steps back, her vision foggy as she struggled to clear the blotches that stayed behind when the light went away. But when she can see the sight before her fills her with confusion and anger.

"What the hell is this Men in Black Comic-Con, who are you?" Holding her tongue had never been her strong-suit.

There was a tall, old, white man in a black suit and sunglasses. Typing something into an iPad, not paying any mind to the girl he just attempted to blind. She made the move to step toward him when his head moved away from her, looking upwards and to the left.

"So this is the one" he wasn't even looking at anyone, and then she noticed the tiny bluetooth device in his ear. Her brow furrowed deeper, her mouth set in a frown. Her hand lifted and mouth opened simultaneously but before she could yell at him further, an object was thrust in her outstretched hand.

That's when her head split open.

Her empty hand instantly flew to her forehead, eyes squinting shut as she tried to control her breathing. It literally felt like her skull was cracking down the middle, lights danced underneath her eyelids, she curled into herself in the middle of the Disney World street.

"Mother fuck" she spat out the words, cracking one eye open to look for the man, but he had disappeared. Leaving her with a migraine and gadget that looked like the worst dildo in the world.

The growl that ripped through her throat was inhuman. One hand still covered her left eye as she charged in the direction she thought the man could've gone. Most likely looking like the angriest bitch in the entire park. Her fist clenched around the metal piece that was in her right hand, swinging it as her flip flops smacked against the cement. She didn't know where the hell he went but she was going to find the prick an-

"Miss are you okay?" A timid female voice flitted from her left side. She spun quickly, another wave of pain crashed over her, she couldn't fathom how she looked right now to the poor mother and her young child. A fist covering her left eye as her face contorted into a snarl, her other hand clutching some kind of metal object. Her chest heaving and leaning awkwardly into her left side.

"I'm fine" she grumbled, before marching further on her war path. She missed the way the mother quickly bundled the child into her arms, rushing into the opposite direction as quick as she could.

━━━━━━━━▲━━━━━━━━

Sedona attempted her murderous trek for as long as she could. Searching the park for the mysterious business man who had fucked with her relaxing vacation. But sooner than she would've liked the pain overwhelmed her. Begrudgingly she boarded a Disney bus and made her way back to her hotel room. The device had been tossed into her purse, not wanting to get rid of it, so she could beat the man with it when she found him.

Yet another shuddering wave of pain ripped through her as she flung open the door to her room. Quickly shutting and locking it behind her, the first thing she did was pull her hair from its ponytail. Her hair, damp and curly from sweat hung to her shoulders, she ran both hand through it, taking a deep breath of the air conditioning. The next to go was her purse, which she unceremoniously flung onto the bed as she stomped forward. Her flip flops were kicked off at the end of her bed. Peeling the sage green sundress off her sweaty body, she rifled through her suitcase.

Nothing good ever happens when I wear a fucking dress.

Satisfied with her choice of pajamas she shuffled into the bathroom. Pausing for a moment to glare into the mirror. Taking in the mess of a girl who couldn't even keep her eyes all the way open. She pivoted to the shower, praying the cold water would do some kind of good for the aggressive pounding behind her eyes.

She stayed in the shower till she was shivering. The headache only diminishing slightly, and the gaudy scent of the hotel toiletries didn't really help. Grappling two thin towels from the rack above the toilet she rolled her hair into one atop her head, the other she quickly dried herself off. She didn't really want to spend much longer in the dampness, wanting a nap much more.

Her pajama choice was simple, a men's 3XL Big and Tall black T-shirt, and a pair of Mandalorian printed MeUndies. No, no, she definitely wasn't a super fan. She exited the bathroom, bee-lining for her massive suitcase that was perched on the bed. Plopping down she hauled it into her lap, searching through the many pockets for the one containing her emergency first aid kit, and she sighed in relief when she finally found the bottle of Advil. As she unscrewed the top she glanced at her purse, a strange blue light emitted from within it.

She reached over her suitcase, grabbing her purse and setting it into the bag on her lap. She couldn't help the eye roll as she pulled the device from the depths. It was a simple looking thing. A long pill shape, with an indented seam running the entire edge, and one small thumb-print size button in the middle. The button pulsated it's annoying blue light slowly, beckoning someone to press it.

"I don't have the energy for this shit" she grumbled. Maybe it was the headache making her loopy, but she placed her thumb over the indentation, without much of a hesitation.

And of course it started to vibrate.

She would've laughed if the vibration wasn't followed by the entire outer seam of the device growing brighter with the same blue light.

"Travel begins in 5 seconds. Please gather all items needed for travel"

Sedona's eyes grew wide as her brow furrowed in confusion. The mechanical voice didn't give her much time to think.

This can't be real.

4

Panic rose in her throat, her eyes searched the device, flipping it in her hands as it began to grow brighter and brighter.

3

On instinct she gathered both of her bags closer to her chest. The massive suitcase not really yielding much.

2

Her breathing grew quicker, matching the aggressive buzzing of the device in her hand.

1

"Fucki-"

And suddenly she is falling. Rapid descent lifts the towel from her head, and she can feel wind rushing past her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, but she could still tell that she was falling through and insanely bright blue tunnel. Faster and faster until.

BANG

Her knees are folded underneath her, taking the entire collective weight of her body and both of her bags that fall on top of her. She swears she hears a pop, and can feel a burning pain rip up her knees to the top her thighs.

She deeply inhales, slamming her hands onto whatever metal floor is in front of her.

"MOTHER FUCKER"

[celestialflamesme]

| MER-MAID FOR EACH OTHER | A Stashi One-shot Mermaid AU | Fairy Tail Next Generation |

Ships: Nashi Dragneel x Storm Fullbuster (Magma mermaid x Sharkboy)

Dedicated to @primaverafrog @luna-chan00 @biorckstudios18 @cxndy-stxrs and that random fact I read about sharks thriving in volcanoes.

If there was anything Nashi's dad taught her, it was this.

It was her mom that had sat her down and told her about how she couldn't play with the other mermaids and the do's and don'ts and safe spaces and creeks that reeked of danger and bad merfolk. Nashi nodded half-heartedly, too upset to barely talk back like she usually did.

But Nashi's dad, bless his soul, beckoned her to him one fine day and said, "No matter what you are and what you can do, don't hide a single part of you. Fight for what you want and what you deserve no matter how ridiculous it looks in the grand scheme of things. We'll always be here," he poked at her chest, "supporting you. Always."

Of course, turns out it was regarding a 'big, juicy mackerel' he lost to a 'dumb, fucking orca of all fish', but she liked to think it applied to other aspects of her life too.

The mer peered at the children giggling and trying to outswim each other across the reef and sighed.

As amazing as living in a volcano was, it sure was lonely sometimes.

Magma merfolk had several restrictions because of the seething temperatures their bodies possessed. Basically, if she touched a mer, they'd get burnt (super bad). It wasn't like there was a chance of that happening anyway, considering how scared merfolk were of them.

Pearl (a curious whitefish she'd come across on one of her hunts) swam in circles around her, obviously in a playful mood. She slightly smiled and brought a finger to her lips.

The children screeched as they spotted her swimming rapidly towards them and scattered away. The pinkette chortled at them.

"You'd think they'd have learnt by now, eh, Pearl?"

Pearl made a noise of delight, wading amongst the reeds. She huffed. "I knew you were hungry, you silly little fishy. Which reminds me, I have a date with destiny!"

Her best friend clicked. (Sorry hun, a mermaid has needs. Sweet, sweet protein; sign her up please!) She squinted, scanning the waters for her next meal. Her eyes registered a faint figure.

Tapping her tail thrice to get Pearl's attention, she swam ahead at a careful pace, ducking behind giant kelp to get a closer look. The figure continued its path, paying her no notice. Which was when she realised what it was headed straight for.

Pearl.

Her heart beating violently, she let out a war-cry and flexed her tail harder. Her vision saw red as she rammed into-

"WHAT THE FLIPPING HECK?!"

Both the bodies crashed into a boulder and Nashi let out a small groan, her sight blurry. Blinking back into consciousness, she tilted her head up.

She wasn't going to lie, the first thing she saw was his jaw filled with sharp canines. Her blood ran cold as she slowly, carefully, looked up only to gaze at perfect cerulean blue eyes.

She blinked. He blinked. Then the screaming ensued.

"WHAT'S A SHARK DOING IN MAGMA REEF?! AM I GOING TO DIE?! HOLY FLIPPING MAVIS-"

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU TACKLE ME LIKE THAT?! DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH, YOU CRAZY MER?!"

6 minutes later, Pearl floated by, unimpressed by their shrieking. The shark-guy (shark-man, shark-douche, whatever) reached out to grab her and Pearl and Nashi collectively squeaked, the latter smacking him at the back of his head. He snarled.

"I'm trying TO CATCH MY NEXT MEAL! DO YOU MIND?!" He yelled.

"YES, I MIND! PEARL IS MY FRIEND, NOT FOOD!"

"Oh dear Triton, she's one of the vegan loons...." He muttered under his breath. She clicked her tongue.

"Even if I am, that doesn't explain the fact that YOU'RE ON MY TURF!!" She retorted, and he flinched at her tone.

"I DON'T SEE A SIGN ANYWHERE!!"

Nashi growled at him, "You have 7 seconds to run before I burn you to ashes!" Which is when she noticed that she was still on top of him.

"Wait, you aren't- what?" She furrowed her eyebrows and inspected him. "You're- wha- how?"

"What is it?!" He frowned. "It's considered rude to sta- HEY!"

She frantically patted and touched his chest and arms for something, anything and let out a breath of bewilderment. "You're- You don't feel anything?"

"Well, you are a little warmer than the others," he admitted. The shark raised an eyebrow curiously, "Uh- why?"

Nashi blinked out of her stupor, then pointed at herself, "Magma mermaid."

"Oh." He blinked back. "You're not as scary as they make you out to be. Unless," he held her shoulders and scanned her (Uhhhhhhhh....) "You're a baby!"

"WHAT! NO, YOU DUMBASS!"

"So you're saying that you're old?" He teased.

"I'm the appropriate age!" She huffed back.

"Appropriate age for?"

"Uh, stuff?"

"Yeah huh."

"YEAH HUH!"

He bit his lip, fighting back a smile. "Now, what am I going to do about lunch?"

Nashi's eyes widened. "Kelpsicles, I have to hunt too!" Both met each other's gazes before he shrugged. "Truce?"

"It's Nashi, actually," she smirked.

"Cool, I'm Storm."

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

An hour later, Storm managed to piss her off again.

"What do you mean you don't like burnt fish?! It's flipping amazing!"

Storm sighed (The audacity!) "Have you even tried raw fish?"

She spluttered, "Of course I have-" At the disbelieving look he shot her, she mumbled, "Not."

"Open up then."

"Excuse me?!" She shrieked indignantly. "I barely know you! You could poison me for all-" she choked as he shoved a piece in her mouth mid-sentence.

"I don't wanna hear it," he interrupted her before she could yell at him, "So? How's it taste?"

"I still like burnt fish." She mumbled, flustered.

"D'aww, is the iddle widdle mermaid embarrassed?" He cooed. "How ador-" Now it was his turn to choke as she shoved the entire fish down his throat.

She snorted, "Now that's peak humour." He shot her the middle flipper.

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

"Damn, the humans are at it again."

"What's new?" Storm grumbled.

Nashi's grin widened, "Wanna check it out?"

"I don't know Nash, this bunch looks- Nash?" He groaned at her figure wading upwards, "Woman, get back here!"

Nashi was too busy taking in the sun's warmth to pay him any attention the first time. The second time however, she swivelled around only to register his panicked look. The third time, she found her tail stuck. In a net.

"STORM!! FLIPPING- HELP!!" She screeched, pushing, propelling herself out, trying anything, everything. She was getting dizzier by the second.

A giant thud resonated from behind her, and the net shook back and forth but she waddled undeterred until Rip! She was free!

"Oh thank Triton!" She gasped, trying to catch her breath. The humans were yelling but she didn't want to stick around and find out.

A pair of arms wrapped around her making her flinch. Storm had a dark look on his face as he pulled her against him and swam forth, not uttering a word.

He'd rocked the boat. He'd- he'd saved her from-

"Don't ever leave my side again." He murmured against her hair.

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

"Nash, stoppppp," Storm whined, "It's only 15 minutes awayyyyy."

"You said that 15 minutes ago! And what's the big deal anyway?" She snickered, reaching out for his fin again, only to be swatted again, "Ticklish?"

"Very much so." He raised an eyebrow, daring her to try again. "You can't stay one minute without trying to feel me up, can you?"

She spluttered and even Pearl (dumb fish!) joined Storm as he chortled at the indignant face she made.

"We're here!" He cheered, only to be tackled by a bunch of sharks. Nashi felt her breath quicken.

"Storm?" She blinked. The group turned to stare at her in awe.

"STORM BROUGHT A GIRL HOME!"

"SHE'S PRETTY!"

"ARE YOU TWO MARRIED YET?!"

"Uhhh..." What was happening again?

Storm laughed at her confusion. "I figured you'd be lonely up there so I thought you'd like to stay with my family for a change. Don't mind Kai and Gale," he shot them a look. "They're dumbasses."

"If you won't date her, I might," Kai smirked at her. She nervously smiled at him, confused.

Storm growled, "Back off, she's mine!"

Nashi choked. Even Pearl cheered as they proceeded to carry her into their coven? Cliff? Ridge maybe....

"Since when am I yours?" She inquired, bewildered.

"We'll work on the specifics later. For now," he wrapped an arm around her torso and grinned at her, "Yeah, you're mine."

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

Bonus: (that no one asked for)

"Sing it with me, River! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK DO DO DO DO DO DO! BABY SHARK!"

Storm grumbled, "If his first word is baby, it'll be your fault."

Nashi shrugged, "As long as it's not Daddy, I don't mind at all. Say mommy, sweetie! Mo-mmy! See!"

The tiny shark ("He loves raw fish! He's a natural predator!" Storm cheered, making funny faces at his giggling son) paid no heed to his parents, distracted by Pearl swimming in circles around him.

"Pearl, you're going to make him take his first paddle before he says Momma at this rate," Nashi warned.

"You mean Dadda."

"Momma!"

"Dadda!"

"Momma!"

"Dadda!"

"Ma- da," River giggled, clapping his hands. Both of them blinked at him.

"Well that solves that," Storm smiled.

"Yeah...." Nashi sighed. "Who's a good little sharkie? Yes, you are!" She cooed, carrying him in her arms. "I love you!" She poked at him.

"What about me?" Storm pouted. She rolled her eyes and pecked him on the lips. "I love you too, Snarky."

He flicked her on the nose.

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