#if the colors look off it’s cuz I just didn’t color pick I was lazy

[number1liftyandshiftyfan]

Really unhappy with my artstyle lately, so I thought I’d try and emulate my jellystone artwork from 2021 since I like the look of those. So I think these turned out great (I suppose these are technically in the jellystone style? Idk…)

[gojology]

Jealousy. (2/3)

𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝑵𝒐𝒕𝒆 | I AM MAKING THIS A 3 CHAPTER STORY CUZ IM TOO LAZY TO WRITE EVERYTHING TODAY. anyways, jealous mad gojo is so, so cute. i was considering making this super angsty and sad but i figured ill save that for another time. ALSO THERES LIKE 0 ROMANCE HERE IM SORRY 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 | Teen! Gojo Satoru x Gender Neutral Reader 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝑪𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 | 1186 𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 | Cursing, mentions of body parts. ALL CHARACTERS HERE ARE AGED DOWN FROM PRESENT ANIME/MANGA INTO WHEN THEY WERE TEENAGERS. 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 | Shoko, confronting Gojo about her theory on Gojo’s crush, attempts to get an answer. Unlucky for her, you and Geto crash the occasion. Gojo, being the little angry baby he is (gojo slander is acceptable), rage quits and storms away. Geto comforts him about you.    Gojo gawked, turning over. The can tumbled down his face, leaving a trail of water behind, water droplets rolled down Gojo’s pale skin. Shoko’s grave eyes glared directly back, her usual laid-back atmosphere had evaporated into thin air. The can landed on his t-shirt hem, cursing to himself in his head as the water seeped into the fabric.     Gojo gulped, an unbreakable, heavy silence loomed over the two. Could he ever catch a fucking break from Shoko’s smart ass? Gojo could hear all the rustling of the leaves, the screams of (Y/N) and Geto, and never before had he realized how much he hated Geto’s screams and laughs compared to yours.     All he had wanted to hear was you, and no one else.     “Why would I have a crush on them?” Gojo laughed awkwardly, impulsively flicking open the can of pink lemonade. He took a light sip in an attempt to appear casual and nonchalant. “Are you being sarcastic Shoko? I legit can’t tell.”     Shoko exhaled dramatically, leaning onto the tree as well. Pulling her knees toward her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs, enjoying Gojo squirming and trying to appear as if he wasn’t panicking. She was sure to relish the feeling of power, because usually, with Gojo destroying everything in sight, he hogged all the power.     “No, I just notice how you’re always staring at them, and even though Geto’s your best friend you look like you want to use the extent of all your powers and pulverize the guy with a flick of your wrist.” she stuck her hand in the icebox, shuffling around and looking for a drink, letting out a shudder as the icecubes rubbed against her.    Gojo spat out his drink.    “You are smoking some HAIRY ASS FUCKING COCK, Shoko. Geto’s my best bud, shit we even compared dick sizes once! If he wants to go after (Y/N), it’s whatever, I don’t care.”     “Didn’t need to know that Satoru, back to the point.” she yanked out a carton of apple juice, stabbing the straw into the carton. She took a long sip, setting it down before crawling up to Gojo.    She looked directly into his eyes, her tone unwavering. “I’m afraid you’re the one who’s smoking... You know, I prefer not to use vulgar language like that. I’ve always realized that you stare at (Y/N) more often then you don’t.”     Not knowing how to respond, Gojo turned around, looking for anything to occupy his time. Firmly gripping onto the picnic basket, scavenging inside of it, trying to forget Shoko’s piercing eyes.     He took a deep breath in, turning over with a bag of packaged red bean filled mochi in his hand. You know what? Maybe he did have a thing for (Y/N), fuck how could he know? He didn’t really have any experience with intimate relationships, the closest he had gotten was fucking a few girls in bed, maybe for a few weeks. That was the extent of it all. He tore the wrapper open, opening his mouth to speak.     “Okay, fuck, maybe you got me. I-”    Suddenly, Geto and (Y/N) burst into the scene. Panting heavily, Geto’s hands on his knees, sweat pouring from his forehead. (Y/N)’s hand over their stomach, you crumpled to the ground, thankfully on the picnic blanket, in a fit of laughter and tears in your eye.    “Heard something about hairy cock, Satoru.” he grinned, extending his arm to his best friend. “I got some, if you’d want it.”     Silence pounded in everyone’s ears, no one even dare breathed a word, aside from heavy breathing from Geto and (Y/N). The trees rustled and whistled with the wind.    “Geto!” you laughed, desperately trying to make conversation, slapping his hand away. You looked at Shoko and Gojo, hoping for some form of reaction, you were almost sure Gojo would chuckle a bit, shaking Geto’s hand. Instead, both appeared disgruntled and were incredibly close to eachother.     You felt your gut twist.     “...Do we have any ramune?” you timidly mumbled, the atmosphere was incredibly serious, you noted, a far cry from the bright, cheerful one you just had with Geto earlier.     “Yeah.” Gojo calmly replied, a tone of negativity carried in his voice, tossing you a bottle. You caught it, fumbling with it a little before it dropped to the ground, dirt rubbed the bright, colorful design printed onto the glass bottle.    He strode off, hands shoved into his pockets and mumbling about something. Geto blinked.     “What’s wrong with that guy?” Geto looked down at Shoko, who was now playing with her hair. He gestured to Gojo’s figure disappearing as time passed by.    “Dunno, why don’t you ask him?” Shoko playfully suggested, drinking from her carton with a small smile on her lips.     “Thanks, smartass, will do.” ‧₊˚✩彡.    “Yo, Satoru!” Geto jogged over, feet repeatedly hitting the pavement, it sorta sounded like a rhythm.     Gojo glanced over his shoulder, begging to all things good that it was (Y/N) about to dramatically confess his love to him. On any other day, Gojo would welcome Geto with open arms, ready to go pick up chicks in Tokyo and take them to the bedroom, but an anger was brewing inside of him instead.     “Hi.” he muttered, anxiety now overfilling out of the brim of his body. What did Geto have that he didn’t?     Geto strode up, spitting at the ground as he did so. “What’s with the long face, didn’t get any pussy recently?” he joked, placing a hand on his shoulder.     Gojo, in response, jerked his shoulder away.     Geto looked at Gojo’s face, a mixture of confusion before a look of understanding settled in.     “Hey, man, you good?”     Gojo nodded, glaring at a group of pigeons eating scattered bread. Staring back at Gojo, they hopped backwards, small bits of bread in the hold of their beaks.     Even Geto didn’t know how to respond to such a serious Gojo. He smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.     “Um, well, you know there’s a shit load of time left for the picnic. You can come back whenever, (Y/N)’s been meaning to talk to you about some bullshit.”     Gojo perked up, his slump disappearing. It seemed like the guy had a whole new personality.     “Really?” a tinge of hope in his voice, he tried hiding it.     Geto nodded before grinning, looking down at Gojo’s feet, and then looking up.     “What, you checking me out?” Gojo scoffed, a hint of relief at the casual talk. It had been a while since he had really talked to Geto like a best friend.     “Nah.” Geto faced towards the picnic area, his back now facing Gojo. He glanced back, long black hair blowing in the wind.     “I’m gonna assume this is about (Y/N), good luck..”     Gojo watched as Geto casually walked back to the site, as if he didn’t just say weirdly serious sounding shit, like he didn’t carry all the worries in the world with his shoulders.     “What the fuck could (Y/N) want?” Gojo murmured to himself, kicking at some pebbles as he looked at the ground.         

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Letter 10: 🐆 An Arm and a Leg 🐆

A letter arrives in the mail. Well... you assume it was meant to be a letter). Had it not come in an envelope (with several dubious stains) addressed to you, you might have mistaken it for scrap. It looks like someone tore out a sheet of notebook paper (there are Magic History notes scribbled all over it) and wrote in a different ink color in the unused portions: the margins.

A bracelet comes with the letter, but rather than beads, there’s a bunch of polished and sanded off bottle caps strung on a thread. They rattle together when you slide it onto your wrist to test out the size—and would you look at that. There’s a little knotted notch for you to adjust the width of the bracelet to the perfect size doe you.

***Spoilers for chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5!***

Hey, Prefect!

How’s it going? Having a hard time with stuff? Got anything you need done? Thinkin’ about taking someone out without getting your hands dirty? Well, look no further, cuz I’m the hyena for the job—any job! I’ll literally do any job for you as long as I’m paid well. You know Madol’s what makes the the world go round!

... Yeah, this letter’s exactly what it looks like: an advertisement of my services. Look, money’s kinda tight this week and I’m trying to survive to NRC’s founding day celebration so I can feast on whatever fancy catering the headmaster’s got planned, alright? You know where to find me if you need a helping hand.

Just being Leona-san’s errand boy isn’t enough to make ends meet, you know? I’ve got bills to pay and food to eat, and that costs Madol. Plus... there’s all those brats back home that I’m thinkin’ about. I gotta save whatever scraps I can up for them, too.

Maybe there wouldn’t even be a me to look after those kids if it weren’t for you and those first years. I seriously thought I was gonna get turned to sand and crumble when Leona-san unleased King’s Roar... I dunno how, but you guys actually managed to tame that rampaging beast. Good thing you didn’t charge for that, cuz I don’t think I could ever repay you in enough Madol for saving my tail!!

But hey, don’t come to me acting like I owe you one for rescuing me. I helped swipe Azul-kun’s key and contracts! If you think about it, I kinda gave you a freebie too, since I pitched in to build the VDC stage for you guys to perform on!! “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” That’s one of the creeds we live by in Savanaclaw. I’ve paid off my debt to you, so now we’re even!

I’m glad you managed to stop Leona-san before it was too late. I mean, if he went berserk and stayed like that, a lot of people would get hurt—and more importantly, I’d lose an important gig! Without Leona-san around... I’d be out of a major job. He might work me like a dog, but I can’t argue about the perks. Having “Prince’s Errand Boy” in my résumé oughta open up some sweet opportunities for me in the future, don’t ‘cha think?

... I’m just kidding~

As much crap as we give each other, I gotta admit. Leona-san’s kinda growing on me. Sure, he’s rude and lazy and demanding and whatever... but I dunno. There’s something about him that you just can’t help but admire. It makes you wanna smile and follow his lead.

I just know... He’s got a vision of the future, Prefect. A future where beastmen from all walks of life can live in the same savanna on equal grounds. Leona-san knows what he wants. It’s the same wish as me, really. A “just” world where everyone gets the same chances. Young or old, rich or poor, lion or hyena....

That’s why... Even at the cost of my own morals, or an arm and a leg, I’ll stand by Leona-san’s side. I trust in his vision—in our vision. And I’ll do whatever I can to help make that a reality. The world’s an unfair place, so why should we play by its rules? They’re written in the world’s favor, anyway. We’ve gotta rebel against them if we’re ever gonna make any progress~

I told ya before, didn’t I? “Anyone can be king at this school”, even a lowly hyena like me. Night Raven College is exactly the opportunity I needed to cut loose and let my laugh go. I want everyone to experience this rush of freedom, this feeling of flying free. That’s why Leona-san leads, and why I follow in his footsteps.

Anyway, remember to hit me up if you ever need anything—as long as you’re also willing to open your wallet in return. I think I’ve spent enough time writing this letter. I gotta go pick up Leona-san’s lunch, then I gotta help Sam-san restock at the Mystery Shop, and after that I have...

Oh, yeah! About lunch... Tell Grim-kun that I said thanks a lot for the menchi-katsu sandwich~ If he’s still salty about it, I can trade him a dandelion salad next time. It’s cheap, delicious, nutritious, and filling! I promise!

See ya around,

🐆 Ruggie Bucchi 🐆

[thatfanficstuff]

Impossible - 19

Pairing: Eric Northman x Reader

Warnings: canon typical

A/N: I'm lazy so a gif instead of a header and no editing. Course I'm lazy cuz I'm writing a bunch of stuff behind the scenes, so...

***

“How long has it been since you fed?” Eric asked Godric.

“I require very little blood anymore,” he responded, looking rather annoyed. “You sent a human to rescue me?”

Eric wrapped an arm around your waist and pulled you into his side. “I had little choice. These savages mean to destroy you.”

“I know what they had planned.” Again, that little voice spoke up in the back of your brain that they couldn’t have taken Godric and held him without him allowing it.

“You should eat,” you told him and nudged Gabe’s leg with your foot.

He simply looked at you with a bored expression. “He would have raped your mate and the human,” he said without even turning to Eric.

A second later, Eric broke Gabe’s neck then proceeded to glare at the body in fury. Suddenly, an annoying alarm and a flashing blue light caused you to jump as it startled you. “Shit.”

“Get them out of here,” Godric demanded of his progeny.

“I’m not going anywhere until—”

“Now. I can take care of myself. Spill no blood on your way out.”

“Why do you always have to ruin all my fun?” you pouted. You managed to catch his smirk before Eric herded you and Sookie toward the stairs. When you reached the top, you and Eric peered around the doorframe while Sookie hung back. Several men were rushing around mostly armed with stakes. “Where the fuck did they all come from? They’re like cockroaches.”

Eric huffed a laugh. “I could have us out in seconds.”

“Not without killing someone you can’t. You heard Godric.”

He growled low in his throat. “Stay here.”

“What’s he doing?” Sookie asked as she came out to stand with you.

You shrugged. “Hell if I know.”

He slumped forward trying to make himself look more human, less intimidating. You snorted. Like that was even possible. “Um…excuse me, sirs, but uh, Steve sent me over to uh man the exit here so I’ve got it from here.”

What even was that accent? You laughed again knowing Eric would hear though the humans would not.

“By yourself? I mean, you’re big and all but there’s a vampire running around,” one of them said, looking uncertain. “Where’s your stake?”

“Oh, golly. I knew I forgot something. Could I, uh, borrow yours?” Eric asked. You prepared to sprint to his aid at the first sign of trouble.

“I don’t think so, man. Get your own.”

As Eric prepared to glamour the man into handing over his weapon, one of the others moved around him. It was obvious he didn’t trust a word coming from Eric’s mouth. “Stake!” you yelled as you moved from the doorway.

Eric turned too quick for your eye to follow and knocked away the man trying to kill him. He did the same to one of the others, while you shoved the third into the wall with a hand on his chest. His friends ran off when you did so. So brave. Eric snatched the stake from his hand and tossed it aside. He cracked open the front door to see a mass of men headed in your direction.

“Those arrows are wood, you’ll never make it through,” the man you had pinned said.

“The sanctuary,” Sookie said.

Eric glanced to you and you shrugged. You had no idea if you could get out that way or not. You were guessing not but you sure as hell weren’t getting out the front. The three of you moved into the sanctuary, your hand firmly ensnared in Eric’s. “Where’s the exit?” he asked.

“Back there,” Sookie said, hurrying a bit so she could show you the way.

Then Steve Newlin appeared with a smug smile. “There are several exits, but the easiest one takes you straight to hell.” As if he’d coordinated it, the door behind you opened at that exact moment to admit some of his ‘holy’ army.

“Fuck,” you spat.

“You’re in God’s house,” one of the men in the group behind you said.

“Whatever you got to tell yourself, buddy,” came your easy reply. God had nothing to do with what they had planned.

“Let us go,” Sookie cried. “Save yourselves.”

You glanced at her. You had a lot of faith in Eric and yourself, but you were surrounded by about thirty men at the moment. There were limits. And you had no idea if Godric would help at this point. “She’s right, you know. You really should let us go.”

“The war has begun you evil whore of Satan,” Newlin said, stretching his arms out. “And the vampires started it by killing my father.”

This guy was such an asshole. “I’m going to have to stop you right there, reverend. I’m the evil whore of Eric, not Satan. Just thought I should clarify.”

“Really?” Eric muttered beside you.

You shrugged. You might as well go out laughing.

“Well then, you won’t mind dying beside him,” Steve snapped, that creepy smile still in place. You didn’t bother to tell him you didn’t intend to go out any other way.

“The vampire you were holding got away,” Sookie said in an effort to save you. “He’ll send help.”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t care about Godric. Any vampire will do and we have one right here.”

Eric tried to release your hand, but you were stronger than you looked and kept hold of him as he stepped forward. He looked up at your captor.

“We will have a holy bonfire at dawn,” he announced.

Eric turned his attention to you as you gripped his hand harder. He reached down and pried your hand from his. “I will be fine.”

You clenched your teeth as he stepped forward, every instinct you possessed telling you not to let him go. You hated this, but the only way you could escape was to wait for the right moment and this wasn’t it. So, you let him go.

You stood your ground while he laid on the altar and allowed them to lay silver chains across him pinning him down as you kept from crying out at the echoing pain in your own body. You ignored Sookie while she yelled at you and asked why you weren’t doing anything. You swallowed your protests when Eric offered himself in exchange for you, Sookie, and Godric. And you ignored Newlin announcing you would be tied to the stake to burn with Eric because you were a traitor to the human race.

Then your salvation came in the unlikely form of Jason Stackhouse and a paintball gun. Just the distraction you needed. He shot Steve in the head, a green splatter coloring his pale skin. His ‘solidiers’ fell back, confused. They apparently couldn’t function without Newlin telling them precisely what to do. “I’m not human, asshole,” you said as you hurried past him to take the chains off Eric.

Eric grabbed Steve by the throat and slammed him into the floor. Sookie was yelling, telling him not to kill the reverend while Jason was telling him to do it. Your gaze found the male Stackhouse to find him being held by several men. What the hell was he even doing here? You really missed your gun.

Then Steve himself starting in, encouraging Eric to kill him and make him a martyr. You rolled your eyes and kicked him in the temple to knock his ass out. Eric released him and stood. Before either of you could say anything to the crowd around you, you heard the distinct sound of vampires moving. You exchanged a glance with your mate as you reached out and pulled Sookie into your side.

The sanctuary doors flung open to reveal Stan fucking Baker flanked by several vampires who quickly moved into position around the room. “Steve Newlin, you have pushed us too far,” he announced.

He was such a fucking drama king. “He can’t hear you, jackass. I knocked his ass out.”

“Be that as it may, we’re not going to sit around while he plans to kill us. We’ll kill them first. Just like we killed his father,” Stan said, shifting his weight like he was in an old Western prepping for a gunfight. He dressed like it, too. “Kill them all,” he ordered.

The vampires swarmed forward to select their victims. Just before you could take control on behalf of the Authority, a voice rang through the room. “Enough.” Everyone stopped and looked up to see Godric standing on the wall of the balcony above you. You could almost see the irritation and disappointment rolling off Stan.

Steve stirred beside you and pushed himself up on his elbows. Godric looked down at him. “Reverend Newlin, we do not have to be at odds. I will make the first move by promising there will be no violence against you and yours. Will you join me and make the same promise?”

“I will not make deals with sub-humans,” he announced as he got to his knees. He looked up at Eric. “Kill me. Do it. Jesus will protect me.”

“Shut up or I’ll kill you,” you told him. “Then you won’t be a martyr. You’ll just be an asshole that pissed off the wrong person.”

Eric chuckled then you both turned as Godric flashed between you and picked the reverend up by the back of his neck. “Good people, who of you is willing to die for this madman’s ideals?” No one stepped forward. “That’s what I thought.” He released Steve and let him fall to the floor. “There will be no bloodshed here. Go home.”

Once the humans dispersed, Godric stepped forward and glanced at the vampires. “Come.” Stan stepped forward trying to push his agenda and Godric just stared at him. “I said come.”

Jason ran over to hug Sookie while Eric turned you to look you over. “Are you okay?”

You nodded and held up your wrist. “Better than you. Drink.”

He didn’t even bother to protest and accepted your offering to heal him from the silver. The Reverend Newlin was still crumpled on the floor beside you crying for everyone to come back and not leave him. Idiot. You glanced from him to Jason. “Jason, thank you for the rescue, but the Fellowship of the Sun are not good company to keep.”

“Yeah, I know. I see that now. I promise.”

You studied him for a minute before giving him a nod. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” you said as you grabbed your mate’s hand to drag him out the door.

[familyagrestefanblog]

Miraculous Shanghai theories and analysis

All those leaks and informations we got for the Shanghai special caught my interest BIG TIME and I wanted to post my theories and thoughts before it airs.

Just as a warning, I wrote all of this yesterday before the new promo poster got released this morning but fortunately it's doesn't disprove anything I'm about to say.

So let's go!

Let's start with my tamest theory of this post to clear the track for the batshit craziness that gonna follow: The Peacock miraculous will be involved in the Shanghai special as well.

This doesn't necessarily mean that we will see Mayura but at the very least the Peacock miraculous will be brought up.

I'm certain of this because of two things:

1. The specials logo

It's nothing wild. The yin-yang is obviously Ladybug and Chat Noir and when we cross out the other rainbow colors of the Renling promo pic we are left with two colors: Hawkmoths purple and Mayuras blue.

And 2. In a trailer we saw Gabriel in an old ruin which definitely could be the Guardian temple before Ladybug restores it in "Feast" (the special takes place somewhere in between s2 and s3 so that checks out).

Maybe he goes back to where they found their two miraculous and the Grimoire and then checks out the ruins (cuz honestly why not?) or maybe he is on his way to the creepy underground place. We will see.

Okay but now, let's start with the good stuff! :D

I'm putting it under "continue reading" because it's quite alot and it gets... specific lol

Let's continue with the Renlings and the fact that this time around we are not going to get a new Miracle Box but they are all combined into ONE Miraculous.

That may sounds incredibly overpowered and out of nowhere without context but I think I might now what we are looking at.

The Renlings were called the Kwamis "cousins" so we have to go back to the Chinese Zodiac our Miracle box is based on, because it isn't only made of 12 animals. Cause our 12 animals are also segmented under 8 guardians of the zodiac. And how many Renlings to we get? 8.

Four of these Zodiac guardians are assigned to 2 animals and the other four guard one.

They are segmented as the following:

Thousand Hands Guan Yin - Rat

Akasagarbha Bodhisattva - Ox & Tiger

Manjusri Bodhisattva- Rabbit

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva- Dragon & Snake

Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva- Horse

Vairochana Buddha - Goat & Monkey

Acalanatha - Rooster

Amitabha Buddha - Dog & pig

But let me get back to this later.

Unfortunately I legitimately can not explain why these particular animals were chosen to represent the guardians. All I can say is that my initial thought still holds up and the monkey, bear, tiger, dragon, mantis, snake, horse and hawk (look im calling it a hawk in this post idk) are all martial art styles. But they neither belong to one group nor is one of the groups complete.

Maybe I just missed something here (which is definitely possible) but I just can't find the reason for these animals for the guardians. Beside the Dragon as most important one of course, but that's a given.

Anyway, let's continue. A detail that can support my zodiac guardian theory is that while we can only see two animal circles in the promo pic entirely, one of the two has ONE DOT in its picture and the other one has TWO.

Signifying for how many Kwamis the one guardian is assigned to? Possibly.

The dragon in the middle is shown with 8 dots all together, that means is it fair to say that the dragon functions as the main guardian that combines them all. That explains why our new girl for the special has a 8-in-1 Miraculous, why her eyes change for each Renling and why she is trained so professionally.

We don't know yet why the Renlings are all put into one Miraculous, since they work differently from the Kwamis, but I have this thought that the Renlings (in their ONE necklace) were created because of what happened to the guardian temple almost 200 years ago.

Countless Miracle Boxes were lost that day and Fu's Box with the Ladybug and Cat were thought so as well. Possibly the Renlings were an attempt to recreate the powers of at the very least the lost zodiac Kwamis. The Dragon was made into the main guardian and is supposed to step in place for the LB and Cat as we can see on its different color coding echoing the yin-yang, but It obviously didn't work and the Renlings neither possess the same powers or can they be put in separate Miraculous nor is the Dragon a healthy replacement for the yin-yang.

But is was a desperate attempt in a situation that was believed to be lost and I find that thought exciting!

(Btw i have a similar theory for the Superheros from the New York special but that's a theory for another day)

Where to continue, where to continue?

Alright let's stay with the 8 Dragon dots because THOSE caught my interest in more than one way.

As I already said, I think the 4 white dots and 4 block ones stand for the 2 types of zodiac guardians, but now let's take a look at the animal circles surrounding the dragon.

We can see the Bear, the Hawk and a bit of another one between the Bear and Chat Noir in addition to the Dragon. These four circles have animal pictures that are completely colored in (just like the dragon brighter dots)

And now look closely at the animal circles around Chats head. Those are not colored in! Just like the other four Dragon dots. So isn't in interesting that they had our two leads basically hide those four particular animal circles? Almost as if there is a reason for this, huh?

And you know, I looked further and maybe I found something here. And for this let's take another look at the Renlings, shall we?

Four of these Renlings have something in common with our two main characters, can you guess what?

I'll give a hint: The eyes.

I compared all the promo picks we got from the Renlings and noticed that:

1. The snake and the horse have blue eyes like Marinette

2. The monkey has green eyes like Adrien

And 3. The Mantis is the only Renling with special eyes like Chat

The other 4 Renlings have brown eyes in different shades.

But this on it own isn't too exciting. So what if some Renlings share the same eyes as our leads? Well, would you believe it? When I filled in the placements of the other animals circles, through a shot we got in the leaks, I noticed that those 4 Renlings that shear their eyes with Marinette and Adrien are ALSO the 4 animal circles our leads just so happen to hide from us.

How interesting

But that not all I got. Not even CLOSE, I'm just getting started here!

Because not only do Marinettes Snake & Horse and Adriens Monkey & Mantis stand out here, oh no, it gets BETTER!

Now let's take the two promo pics from the Renlings we got where they are finished and colorized.

Did you know that both times they are put in the same formation, just with slightly swapped placement among the Renlings?

And once again here one could say "So what? They were lazy while designing the pics, that's it" but NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH hear me out!

Not only are the Renlings put both times into the same formation, the way they switched their placements isn't random at all:

1. Marinettes Snake and Horse stay both times on exactly the same spot.

2. The tiger and the bear switch places

3. So do the dragon and monkey

4. And the mantis and hawk.

The way the Renlings are shown to us on the promo pics is anything BUT random and that is something that will always get me interested! :D

But you know what? I'm still not done yet. Let's continue with this creepy ass stone door we see Gabriel at

Because as I mentioned, while Marinettes Snake and Horse stay unchanged in their formations, Adriens Monkey and Mantis not only do change places but they aren't paired with another either. So does that mean that Adriens guardian Renlings are just inconsistent? No, not at all. They just have a different meaning and place then Marinettes.

First of all: the Renlings special hair is bright green, just like the color of the tiger (a CAT) on the rainbow scale we got and Adriens/Chats + Monkey & Mantis eyes. And second: in the other promo pic the Renlings have a pink background, just like the rainbow scale color or the Mantis!

Coincidence? I don't care anymore, next point! :D

Because not only THAT but when we take a closer look at the creepy stone door we can make out the placement of every guardian animal as well. And MY, is this fascinating:

As the colors make it clear when you compare these guardian animal door placements to the rainbow scale from the promo pic, here Adriens Monkey & Mantis are in the right places but Marinettes animals are a bit off.

In fact. Everything about the placements of the animals (besides Adriens) are just a bit off.

- Marinettes animals and the bear are almost in the right place just mirror-reversed.

- The Tiger and the Hawk are one place too left.

- And the Dragon shouldn't be in the middle, it should take the place between Adriens animals but it was forced out of position to replace the yin-yang.

But taking the dragon out broke the balance of the animal circle. Everything here is slightly off by one point and that is much more significant than you would initially think. Because when you now turn the whole circle one quarter to the left (there is a reason for it, trust me) and put the dragon back in place then you will get a good part of the picture I've been looking for a long while.

What I'm showing you here are the 4 Chinese creatures of the cardinal directions and they are basically what I would expect to be on the upper layer of a Chinese Miracle box (I'll get to this on another day). And as you can see here, we are basically almost there aren't we?

The tiger of the West and Dragon of the east are in place and while the creature of the North is normally the turtle it is always accompanied by a snake, which is now on the upper place.

"but what about the bear? And a snake is NOT a turtle!" I'm getting to it, my goodness :/

Regarding the bear one thing needs to be said: it is definitely true, the bear is in the wrong place. I don't even know why there is a bear in this formation in the first place and it stuck out to me since day one. The creature of the south is a bird, the HAWK should be here.

But there is a difference between "this thing is in the wrong place and completely random wtf??" and "This thing is in the wrong place but I can see a pattern continuing from other formations that are off as well".

The bear is not only here, it's also:

- alongside the tiger (who is btw suspicious af as well) covering the center points from the Renlings formation that should belong to Adriens animals.

- is with Marinettes animals the only other one that is basically on it right place on the creepy stone door, just mirror-reversed.

-is the new "peak" of the zodiac guardian animal circles because moving the dragon out to the middle left the other ones off-balance and now its kinda tilted to the left. But when we look at the creepy door with not corrected animal placements we see that this was indeed the hawks place. And remember as well, the bear and the hawk are the only two animal circles we see in the promo pic besides the dragon

Meaning in short: That damn bear stole the hawks place and I need it to stop.

Which brings me to the turtle and a whole new can of worms (miraculous should pay me for this omfg...).

Because what if I tell you that the snake, who is normally just accompanying the turtle, being the creature of the north here instead of the turtle is not only "okay enough" it is actually the needed puzzle piece to connect this zodiac Renlings circle with the Chinese Miracle box in the design master Fu had it?

Let me explain

Do you remember when I started talking about the Renlings I said I would come back to the way the rl zodiac guardians are paired with the zodiac animals "later"? Well, later is NOW, because there is one more way those 8 dots from that damn dragon caught my interest and it also explains why I just turned the guardian stone circle one quarter to the left.

Because believe and behold, this is not the only place where things are "slightly off".

A while I started taking closer looks and research on the original miracle box design and the Kwami spirit circle we saw in "Sandboy".

I will try to not go into unnecessary details with this now because all of that needs its own post. I'm already going off the hooks with this one. But just like here I noticed with these two things rather quickly that "things are slightly off, but in a suspiciously systematic way".

Going straight ahead to the example I'm talking about, the order the 12 zodiac animals follow on the side of the box is straight up upside-down. The first zodiac animal is the rat (or mouse) and the last one the pig and YET in the box the rat is right at the bottom and the pig on the top.

This upside down arrangement of the animals results in the wrong animals being the 4 who have a guardian assigned for themselves

The four single miraculous in between the 4 directions are obviously the ones I'm talking about. Here they are Tiger, Snake, Pig, Monkey (I hope you are making a connection here) but that's wrong, as are the other 4x2 ones.

BUT

When we now flip it upside down again, having the rat start on the pigs place and the pig end on the rats, then things suddenly are correct.

Here the rl guardian pairings again:

Thousand Hands Guan Yin - Rat

Akasagarbha Bodhisattva - Ox & Tiger

Manjusri Bodhisattva- Rabbit

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva- Dragon & Snake

Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva- Horse

Vairochana Buddha - Goat & Monkey

Acalanatha - Rooster

Amitabha Buddha - Dog & pig

As you can see, now it's correct.

You may wonder what this has to do with the Dragon dots, so lets look at the Kwami spirit circle next.

I've been analyzing and taking this thing apart now for MONTHS now. And while I'm certainly having a blast, the fact that I now officially have an entire FOLDER at home dedicated to this thing alone is quite...

Bruh...

But thankfully we will really only need the basics for this theory here.

Through zooming in and watching the "Sandboy" Kwami spirit World scenes over and over again I was able to figure out the placement of each Kwami.

When you now follow the moons in the middle towards the Kwamis you will notice that only the moon at the top alignes with one and that's DUUSU. The other 4 miss the Kwamis just by a bit.

But remember what I said the entire time. Everything is just slightly off by ONE little factor but when we "fixed" that factor for the stone wall there was still something left that didn't fit. That's because not only are the Shanghai zodiac guardians structures off, it was built on top of a structure that is ALREADY slightly off by another factor!

Something is fundamentally WRONG with Kwami balance in the current ml universe and what I think happened to throw everything off is NOOROO.

Keeping this point short for everybodys sanity, in the french version of "Sandboy" we find out that Nooroo is having his 3500 cycle birthday and him being the Kwami which gets its birthday pointed out is no coincidence. (Guys please just go with me here, I really dont have the strenght to elaborate on this now as well)

So when Nooroo is the factor that brought imbalance to the Kwami system then how does the spirit circle look like WITHOUT Nooroo?

Now THIS is more like it!

Without Nooroo the size of the circle changes slightly all around and now the other 4 moons align with the Dragon, rat, chicken and horse.

And believe it or not, but take a guess what it looks like when we now highlight these 4 Kwamis in the arrangement of the 12 zodiac Kwamis both upside down and correct?

It's the 2 types of Dragon dots.

And let's take this further. When the 12 Zodiac Kwamis are upside down then so is obviously the entire upper layer of the Miracle box as well, which explains why, although the 5 Miraculous places around the yin-yang are based on the 5 chinese elements, the way they are arranged here is once again upside down.

Meaning the yin-yang is upside down as well, but not only that. I always found it weird that the yin-yang here is placed SIDEWAYS when this is not exactly the normal way of showing it.

So when we now turn the yin-yang a quarter to the left and take the 5 Miraculous surrounding it along, we might be closer to the puzzles solution. Because when we now take Nooroo out (as he wouldn't be there when things had gone right) then Fu's miracle box should have looked like this:

Notice 2 things here in particular:

1. Now the Turtle is at the top, which completes the connection between the Renlings Snake and the Kwamis Turtle to create the only creature of the 4 directions that is portrayed with one accompanied: the Turtle of the North.

And while I'm already at it, this is also the reason why Fu's/Ninos Miraculous is the only one that doesn't fit the hero color scheme when activated.

The Turtle of the North is colored BLACK and sometimes with additional white, just like the activated Miraculous.

And 2. Now after being mirror reversed and turned one quarter to the left the Ladybugs and Cats yin-yang isn't sideways anymore and looks EXACTLY like the yin-yang used in the Shanghai promo pictures. Almost like this is the way it is supposed to be or something.

Alright. Ive told you ALOT now but this is precisely the reason why I wanted to post this before the special airs. I'm definitely not entirely right with all of this, there is alot I haven't figured out about these things yet or simply haven't seen yet. What I just showed to you is not anywhere close to done so some questions are still left open.

I wanted to make another point about how the zodiac monkey, mantis and horse are the only 3 Renlings that do not have any symbol on their bodies and how this could connect to the object Hawkmoth has in that one leak

But even i think this is going to far now and I should wait until I watched the special xD

But my point in all of this (and everything I haven't even touched upon here but will in the future) is that everything in s1-s3 was influenced by this fundamental off-balance of the Kwami system that I think was caused with Nooroos creation. Which is very fitting for the Kwami of our main villain I may say. And the fact that these 4 miraculous are also somehow linked to the peacock out of all miraculous gives us an explanation for its villainous usage as well.

I think the Shanghai special will start the exploration of what happened by at least laying down and introducing the most important aspects of this particular topic.

To say that I am TRILLED for this special is quite the understatement and I'm gonna have a BLAST analysing the hell out of its lore!

So I guess there is only one thing left for me to say:

Yo

Miraculous crew

[alphi-writes]

thank you for answering! then may I request a bouquet of hydrangea rose and Lily of the valley for leona? oh and also lavender and morning glory for sebek please. thank you so much💖

^w^ of course, and thank you for requesting!💐

Flowers: Hydrangea, Rose, Lily of the Valley, Lavender, Morning Glory

Characters: Leona Kingscholar, Sebek Zigvolt

Leona

Everyone knows Leona is, well in the nicest way possible, a lazy cat. You know very well, seeing as you're always trying to get him to hang out with you.

Its apparent that you like him because who would constantly bother him like you do? You're always pestering him and trying to get him to, at the least, take a walk with you, but he usually brushes you off.

"I'm tired." He would say, before falling back asleep after napping for hours on end.

Most people who were put off like this would've given up, but not you.

You walked into his room and plopped a small bouquet of white bell-shaped flowers on the end of his bed.

"Leona, you're coming with me to the flower shops." Your tone was slightly demanding, but he knew he could scare you off if he really wanted to.

If, he wanted to.

"Yea, alright herbivore." He heaved himself out of bed, causing your eyebrows to shoot up.

"Oh-Really?? You're actually going?" You were shaking in place from excitement.

This was the first time he had actually decided to go with you!

"Yea, whatever, maybe you'll finally stop bothering me." He smirked lazily, flicking your forehead.

The truth was that Leona really did enjoy your company, and the night before he had thought about how much longer you'd tolerate his actions.

You picked up the bouquet Lily of the Valley and grinned.

"I knew these would work."

By the time you had finally made it to the flower district, Leona was already ready to take a nap.

"Oh come on Leona, I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, they might sell catnip here."

He didn't even get the chance to correct you, for you had already pulled him into the first shop to look at all the flowers.

"Look at these, and these too-! They smell so good." He watched as you happily trotted through the store, looking at all the flowers and telling him all about their meanings.

"You sure do love flowers." He grumbled quietly, but on the inside he was delighted to see you so exuberant.

"Well yea, not only do they smell good and look pretty, but there's a lot of medicinal properties to some of these flowers."

There was this passion the burned so brightly from within you, and Leona found himself admiring you from afar.

"All flowers have meanings behind them too, you know. The flowers I showed you this morning, Lily of the Valley, mean happiness, 'cuz you make me happy!" You were ecstatic to be able to hang out with Leona here that you had practically no filter. You hadn't even realized you'd said that to him until he pointed it out.

"Ohh, I make you happy, huh herbivore? Is that why you always bother me?" He began teasing you, smirking the whole while.

Your face was bright red, so you tried to change the subject.

"Uhm, here these ones are hydrangea, they mean thankfulness. Y'see, all flowers have a meaning." You picked up a bouquet of hydrangea and held them comfortably before shifting your attention back to Leona.

He was looking at the roses with an expression that almost said he knew what they meant.

"Do you know what roses mean? I think roses are quite gorgeous. These are red, so they mean love, but other colored roses like white mean innocence."

You watched at he picked a single rose up and turned to you.

"Alright then." He toted the single rose around until the two of you were ready to leave.

When you were finished, Leona was holding the single rose and the bouquet of hydrangeas.

You escorted Leona back to his room, ready to retire to your own room when he called to you.

"You forgot your flowers." He handed you the bouquet of hydrangeas, and you began to thank him until you saw the single rose placed right in the center of the hydrangeas.

"Oh, Leona, didn't you want to keep your rose?" You were painfully oblivious, but he thought it was rather... cute.

"Ugh, what an herbivore... the rose is for you."

You picked the rose up, staring at it as your face heated up.

"Oh.. oH! U-h, thank you- I-" You stuttered all over the place, trying to find the words when you felt him gently kiss the top of your hair.

"We should go to the flower shop again sometime, it was fun."

Sebek

Sebek is, well.. everyone knows how Sebek acts about Malleus. He always singing praise about the young master, and it was funny at first, but when you began to develop feelings for the loud boy, it became a constant reminder that he wouldn't reciprocate your feelings.

Again today, he was speaking so highly of Malleus. It wasn't in your nature to be jealous, but seeing how he could sound off all these facts about Malleus gave you this weird feeling.

You didn't realize it, but Sebek had noticed a change in your behavior, and had consulted Lilia about it.

Lilia had been alive for years, so Sebek trusted his judgement on how to deal with human.

"Buy them flowers. It's a simple gesture, but it means a lot to a human."

So he did. He didn't know anything about flowers really, only that they were pretty and some smelled good but that was about it.

He had bought you lavenders because they were some of the most beautiful in the shop, and because he quite liked the smell.

When he showed up and handed you the flowers, the look on your face confused him.

"You're.. uh, loyal to me?" Your face had darkened slightly as you spoke, and when you looked at Sebek, you could tell he was much more flustered than you were.

He couldn't just say no- because he wasn't necessarily not loyal to you, but be was loyal to the young master in a much different sense-

He yelled out in a flustered manner to try and fix the situation, "Yes! I am loyal to you, (Y/N)!"

You couldn't help but giggle quietly as you cradled the lavenders.

"That's very kind of you, Sebek. You do know that flowers have meanings, right?"

"Of course- and I'm saying I'm loyal to you. I'm loyal to the young master too of course, he deserves loyalty-!"

You laughed whimsically, reaching up to ruffle his hair.

"Well thank you, Sebek, I'll return the favor with a few flowers for you too."

The two of you shared your goodbyes before reporting to your classes for the day.

Throughout the day, Sebek kept thinking about the flowers.

He didn't know all flowers had meanings! He knew about the rose's meaning, but he thought only roses had meanings!

If all flowers had meanings, then what would the flowers you were going to give him mean? What if the flowers meant something bad?

He wasn't one to dwell on one topic for too long, but the you and the flowers were on his mind all day.

He was anxious and even a bit excited to see what your flowers would mean. He wanted to head straight to your dorm to see you, but he also didn't want to seem desperate so instead he headed back to Diasomnia.

He waited and waited until finally, the next morning, he received a text from you asking him to meet you outside.

This was what he was so anxious for, so antsy for, so you already know he was at your side in a flash.

"I bought you your flowers, Sebek!" You grinned when you saw him.

You were hiding the flowers behind your back, possibly for dramatic effect, before showing them to him.

"I couldn't get them to you yesterday or else they would have wilted by night, but here you go, morning glories!"

He took the bouquet of small star-shaped flowers in his hand. They were petite and smelled slightly earthy.

"What... do morning glories mean?" He had been preparing for this moment, hyping himself up for this moment-!

"Affection." Your tone was soft and sweet, much like it always was when you spoke to him.

He looked into your eyes as his face slowly began to burn.

"I accept and return your affections!" He had gotten loud again, something that wasn't uncommon, but you understood the difference.

You smiled sweetly at him, causing him to avert his gaze.

[alastorswifey]

Can you do trey angst. Cuz I don't see any trey's angst out there or it's just because I didn't notice it.

i do adore 

trey clover

gender neutral reader

angst

note: haha ive had this in the drafts for a while time to unleash it

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

“Hello, how are you, my darling, today?”

a blush spread across your face as you tried to maintain eye contact with the green haired third year. his glasses complimented his eyes and made him all the more attractive. a grin etched onto his lips, finding your flustered expression amusing. “what was that song you were going to play again?” you bit the bottom of your lip, gripping onto your ukulele tight, the palms of your hands starting to sweat.

“oh, y’know. just a little something...” you trailed off, still flustered and anxious. dear lord, help your beating heart. it’s as if it’s about to burst at any moment if you don’t calm it down. taking in a deep breath, you glanced at trey who was mixing the batter to make cookies. the caramel shade along with the bits of the chocolate chips causing your mouth to water. “are you going to sing it now?” trey asked, not looking up from his work.

you gulped your saliva to quench your suddenly dry throat then sighed, “m-maybe tomorrow?” trey halted before abruptly looking up and giving you a nod along with his signature smile. trey didn’t want to admit it, but he wanted to hear that song. what was so special about it? it was most likely for him anyway, he just wanted to hear your honey smooth voice sing along with the cheery melody of the ukulele. he has never taken an interest in instruments but ever since you revealed that you could play the small guitar, it piqued his curiosity.

giving a short bow (for whatever reason. you didn’t know what to do but bow), you waltzed out of the kitchen, feeling embarrassed and cursed yourself. maybe the setting wasn’t right? maybe it was the fear that you might stumble over your words? you didn’t know but you knew you had to sing to trey at some point.

“stupid feelings,” you mumbled to yourself. it was the only way. an itching sensation made its way to your throat and you knew exactly what it was. forcing yourself to cough and relieve the itching, your eyebrows furrowed in frustration and sadness as you frowned at the petal of the limelight hydrangea. maybe if you confess, you would pass away peacefully.

-

multiple tries, multiple fails. just how much did you dodge the opportunity to sing to him?! it made you frustrated and annoyed. he could feel the same about you. “y/n,” an all too familiar voice rang through your ears as you flinched. “what’s wrong?” you locked with trey’s mustard colored eyes, getting lost in them. why did you have to fall for this man? a sigh escaped your lips as you scratched the back of your neck. “uh, i’m ready to play the song now.” trey’s eyes grew wide but then nodded and smiled as he dragged you to the lobby of the heartslabyul dorm. 

once settled down, you took out your ukulele and got it into position, your fingers pressing on the right chords as you strummed ever so gracefully despite the pain bubbling up in your throat. your throat ached with the urge to cry from pain and the way the hydrangea was stuffed in there, wanting to be let out. it was a pain but you managed. you had to do it. you had to sing to him. just this once. 

“every little thing you do, i do...” you felt tears prick your eyes, “adore...” and with one last whisper, you coughed hysterically, lungs ached, chest stuffy. you couldn’t breathe. the ukulele dropped with a soft thud as you fell to the ground with shallow breathing. trey froze in place. he didn’t know what to do but he did know that you were in pain. rushing out of his seat, he cradled you in his arms as he lightly shook you, eager to gain a response- any response. 

he speculated that new flowers may have been added by riddle in the garden, but those assumptions were wrong as he watched you cough up limelight hydrangeas. hydrangeas. those were his favorite flowers. before he knew it, trey was crying. he didn’t want to lose you.

“y/n, wake up...” his voice cracked with sadness. he picked you up and rushed to the clinic but by the time he arrived, you were already lifeless. when word got out, he blamed himself. he blamed himself for not realizing it sooner. hanahaki. what a cliché bittersweet element for a story, yet it was awfully painful to experience the loss of someone close to you.

-

trey’s fingers strummed the ukulele gently. with was what a sweet tone now a bittersweet melody emitting from the instrument. a sad smile etched onto his lips as he glanced at the small guitar you used to own. ah, the song you sang to him on the day of your death. he remembered every single word albeit it was sung once to him. he remembers how soft your voice was and how it matched the cheery, lovely tune of the ukulele. 

“everything you do, it sends me higher than the moon with every twinkle in your eye you strike a match that lights my heart on fire,” trey’s reverberating voice echoed through the walls of the heartslabyul dorm in the dead of the night. “when you're near, i hide my blushing face and trip on my shoelaces. grace just isn't my forté but it brings me to my knees when you say,” trey stopped strumming. this very line hitting him every time he sings it. every time he feels guilt and regret. 

letting out a shaky sigh, he felt hot tears streaming down his face, the droplets falling onto the instrument he had propped in his arms in a lazy manner. “hello, how are you, my darling, today?” a cough emitted from the ivy green haired man, a red rose petal presented on his palm mixed with some blood that was almost unnoticeable. 

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

a/n: this was short but i huhuhuh almost teared up as i envisioned how heartbroken trey would be ??? yeah pain

[excitedlysuffering]

OMGOMGOMG possibly Kakashi head-cannon collection? He is the love of my life (lmao don’t tell my bf that)

Your secrets safe with me he’s my love too😂

Kakashi Headcanons Collection

What He Looks For In A S/O~

• A reader, they don’t have to read Icha Icha (bonus points if you did) but someone who appreciates a good book

• Someone laid back and not very high maintenance

• I see him wanting a shinobi S/O cause he needs them to be to take care of themselves or he’ll worry too much

• he’ll worry anyways

• Someone who understands his pain and won’t shy away from him when he’s going through a rough patch

• Someone who is good with words, like say something sweet and he’s metlinggg

• A person with considerate personality traits

• He would like an S/O who’s willing to try new things and adventures

• Someone who would take things slowly

• Someone who could honestly make him laugh

• He’s DadKashi he’s going to want someone good with kids

• To be frank, he would probably want a relatively stable S/O so that in his mind there’s no chance of them ending up like his father

• He wants companionship so someone who’s not distant and who wouldn’t mind him being around all the time

• I really can’t see him with a tsundere S/O, he needs to see that his partner loves him as much as he loves them

Relationship With Kashi Stuff~

• Please do domestic stuff (Sending him off to work with a kiss, a note in his lunchbox, kissing him when he gets home) he will be near tears every time

• TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK™ (whether it’s kicking butt, making dinner, or teaching (raising) Team 7)

• You probably won’t notice moving in with each other until you look up like ‘holy crap I haven’t been to my apartment in like 2 weeks?’

• Read with him or read to him, and you will have his HEART

• He’s not clingy per se, but he loves to be in your presence whenever he can

• Will take you out on dates once a week EVERY WEEK (Sorry Tsunade-sama, I have a date then, but I’ll leave right after?)

• Dating Kakashi means you’re now honorary rivals with Gai (who knows Kashi better, who can make him laugh most etc.)

• Pick up line wars 24/7, the loser has to do the other’s chores Kakashi wins

• Okay, but Kakashi never had a childhood, so make a list of everything he never got to do and you slowly complete them together

• He’s such a sweetheart like, surprise, he’s so sensitive

• Get’s so flustered seeing you in his clothes, he temporarily shuts down

• He’s given up trying to take back his mask whenever you’re wearing it

• Okay, we all know this silver-haired hottie is suave, but he is SMOOTH, he will 100% find ways to have you blush whenever possible, he is the CEO of leaving you hot and bothered

• Made you your own area in the Hokage office as a hint that he needed your company

• Has never forgotten an important date (he uses his Sharingan on the calendar)

• He’s fought demons and other crazy villains, but will still be terrified of you on your period (he’s brave tho he’ll just bring a lot of peace offerings)

• He heard you refer to him as DadKashi in front of Team 7 and/or your friends and just about loses his mind

• When you first see his face without his mask you’re probably pissed cuz WHY would he hide that beauty from the world?! it’s for the greater good hun

How To Lose/Annoy Him~

• Being insensitive/ignorant about things like loss or mental illness

• Constantly distracting him from his duties or hobbies

• Being rude or uncompassionate

• Being willing to abandon people or being self-centered you SCUM

• He always makes time for you, so he’d be a bit bothered if they didn’t put forth any effort to spend time with him

• Little pranks are harmless, but things that make him scared for your wellbeing or stealing his mask are big fat NO

• Being reckless just because, being a shinobi is already dangerous with would you play with death like that??

• Being lazy, Kakashi at his core is really something of a go-go-go person, he doesn’t want to just do anything all the time

Soft Kakashi Things~

• Kakashi is such a softie omg

• He likes to fall asleep last just so he can tell you how much he loves you and you saved him while you’re asleep

• If you’re having a bad day, he’ll drop everything (if possible) to hold you and be there for you in every way you need

• Definitely has Sai draw a small pic of you so he can carry it around and/or put in the Hokage office

• Mission dates are a thing like imagine flirting with Kakashi while destroying your opponents (so romantic)

• He’s big on practical gifts. If he notices you’re running low on shuriken? Expect a box of them from him

• He’ll read a particular *wild* Icha Icha quote to you just to make you flustered (bonus points for him if you’re in public)

• His students question you all the time like how did you end up with their lonely, pervy sensei?

• Will sweep you off your feet for no reason other than he likes to hold you and carry you

Random Kashi Facts~

• Kakashi’s love language is words of affirmation like he craves hearing that you love him and the like

• He hums and sings around the house or whenever he’s bored or preoccupied

• After having eating fish out of necessity day after day he prefers not eating it if possible

• He will often fall asleep a good while after he actually lays down because he enjoys debriefing himself of everything that happened during the day

• Actually sleeps really deep when he’s next to you, otherwise, the smallest sound can wake him up

• He likes to put notes or letters from you in his Icha Icha books so he can read them whenever and no one will peak cuz ew, Icha Icha

• In all honesty, Gai is a common factor in why he’s so late everywhere, but it’s mostly him walking around and taking in the sights like a nostalgic old man

• In the episode where Sakura and Naruto transformed into kids and called Kashi and old man, giving him an identity crisis is actually common. His hair color and the fact that you can’t see his face make some kids think he’s old

• Sometimes when he can’t sleep he’ll find a random tree and fall asleep in it (he’s a strange one)

• He lost his newest Icha Icha book when he was Hokage and very nearly (thanks to Shikamaru) called a citywide search party

Little Things~

Favorite:

• Place to kiss- Your temple, it feels really intimate to him and he’s so tall it’s an easy place for him

• Way to hug- Kakashi loves those giant bear hugs where he just envelopes you like you’re basically one with him now

•’Thing to do with you- He really loves reading with you, whether it’s the same book, or you’re just both sitting next to each other reading

• Type of date- Although your most common date is a mission date (lol), his favorite is being able to take you to a nice restaurant and then on a walk around the city

This or That:

• He’s a winter person actually, he loves being cuddled up with you and blankets, and the abundance of hot drinks

• He’s a morning person because he’s been waking up early since he was a child, and doesn’t really know how to enjoy sleeping anymore (but if that wasn’t the case he’d be a night owl)

• Loves both cooking for you and being cooked for he puts Bobby Flay to shame honestly

• He spends all his time reading obviously and if his S/O is a writer or he’ll be soooo excited and will read everything they put out

Conflict Happenings~

• He knows disagreements are a normal part of relationships (in moderation of course) so if there was a real problem, he wouldn’t shy away from it

• He won’t raise his voice or take a tone with you, he doesn’t feel the need to, but he will definitely get his point across

• To his fault, he might throw in a slight or cutting remark here and there but he will regret it the second your expression changes

• He’s a real go with the flow kind of guy so if he realizes that something is his fault, he will correct it ASAP

• If he notices you’re getting really worked up, he’ll just hug you until you calm down and can speak coherently but at that point it’s like ‘what was I mad about??’

• If his S/O is headstrong it’ll probably bring that side out in him, even if temporarily

• If it’s a minor disagreement he’ll probably say something funny to diffuse the situation

• He would rather die than argue in public, to him it’s a private thing and he hates causing a scene

Modern Kashi~

• I can see him as more of a club/extracurricular activities leader than a teacher

• He’s really close to those kids in his group and probably sheds a few proud DadKashi tears at their graduation

• That one fine teacher that all the students are thirsting over

• If not a teacher he’d probably be an elite CIA agent or a higher ranking FBI officer

• He has so many dogs like he sees a stray and how could he possibly give them up??

• He’d probably walk around Playboy Magazines just cause he can

• At one point he dyed his hair black cause he thought it’d look more ‘normal’ but he HATED it

• He likes plants but he’s so bad at taking care of them?? He can remember all of his dogs’ names and their food preferences but can’t remember to water a plant

• His house is so clean he’s been doing all his household chores since he was a child

• He definitely met Gai in elementary school and they never parted, even going on to become college roommates never again

• Gai probably barges in Kakashi’s classroom so often he’s most likely considered the co-leader/teacher

• Kakashi has definitely gotten drunk on school nights before but he’s such an in-control drunk no one ever noticed

• Kakashi was my first Naruto love and my first husband. BACK OFF

Masterlist

[calpalirwin]

B.U.B

Summary: Everyone got more than they bargained for when Ashton started dating Sam.

A/N: Ugh, this is such a bittersweet moment. The official end of my brain child with @creator-appreciator​ and our new trope: back up boyfriend (BUB). But what an appropriate note to end on: a wedding! If you haven’t read it, or need a refresher, be sure to catch all 5 previous parts of BUB under the miscellaneous portion of my masterlist!

Disclaimer: Not a poly!sos series!

Content: General bub tom-foolery wedding edition!

Word Count: 2k on the nose!

And away, and away we go!

__

Part 6

“Lazy day?” Ashton asked from his spot on the couch next to Calum when Sam came downstairs in leggings and a tank top.

“Nope!” she grinned at him. “Going dress shopping with the bubs and the girls.”

“Is it really a bub outing if I’m not there?” Calum asked.

“Wait, you’re not going?” Ashton asked, looking over at his friend. “What are you doing here, then?”

“Misery loves company?”

“Oh, you are not miserable!” Sam scoffed. “You’re just pouting because I told you you can’t come.”

“I don’t pout. I just find it unfair that you banished me from a bub activity.”

“It’s not a bub activity. It’s a wedding party activity. Of which, you are not technically a part of.”

“Princess, you’re forgetting a crucial piece of intel. And it’s that I am the party.”

“You’re still not coming, bub.”

Calum narrowed his eyes at her. “Have fun talking Luke out of glitter.”

“Have fun not knowing what the dress looks like,” she taunted back. Sam swiftly pressed a kiss to Calum’s cheek before kissing Ashton. “Have a good day, boys.”

“Bye, baby. Have fun,” Ashton told her while Calum sunk lower in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest.

~~~

“So, these are the colors,” Sam explained, pictures spread across the kitchen table, everybody listening intently. “The girls got their dresses and they are stunning! But all four of you still need to go get your tuxes. And when you do, take this color! This is the color!” She held up the photo in question, looking around at who she trusted most to hold on to it.

“I got it,” Calum said, snatching the picture out of her fingers. “Is there a different color you want Ash’s? Or mine for that matter?”

“No. Same color’s fine for you and Fletch too.”

“You don’t want him to match your dress?”

“Oh, her dress is beautiful!” Luke teased, seeing his opportunity and taking it. “Makes her look like a princess, Cal.”

“A queen, dumbass…” Michael sighed.

“Whatever. Point is, it’s a beautiful dress, and she looks amazing in it!”

“If you’re not this excited when we get married, I’m leaving you at the altar,” Sierra teased.

“You should leave him now,” everyone joked.

“Hey!”

“Oh! And Fletch! The flowers. Can you give this to Bryce down at the shop?”

“Yeah, I’ll give it to him next time I see him.”

“Good, good. And when is your family getting here?”

“Not til like the week of the wedding, wh- oh shit, Harry’s suit. Uh, I’ll tell him to go to a tailor to get his measurements and I’ll bring that with me when we all go get fitted.”

“Which you’re doing when?”

“When would you like us to do that, baby?”

Sam grinned, “You're so smart sometimes, Fletch. Can you guys go soon? Like next week?”

“You got it,” the boys saluted her. “Anything else?”

~~~

“Fletch!” Sam hollered from the backyard.

“What?!” Ashton asked, running to her, only to find her sitting beside the garden he’d been planting. “What are you doing?” he giggled.

“Trying to teach myself how to garden,” she stated.

“Mhm… why?”

“Because, Fletch!”

“Do you need help?”

“Yes! None of this makes sense!”

“What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?” he giggled again, coming to sit beside her.

“This!” She flashed the packet of flower seeds in her hand. “Plant in the warm season. What does that even mean? It’s California! It’s always warm season!”

“Why is this something you want to do?”

“Because it’s something you like doing, and I thought I would surprise you by doing it with you.”

“Aww! You don’t have to.”

“But I want to! It can be our thing!”

“So, if I take you to Home Depot right now, we can put some gardening stuff I’ve wanted on our wedding registry?” Ashton asked hopefully.

“Who needs fancy china anyway?”

“God, you’re the best! Okay, let’s go.”

“Wait!”

“What?”

“Call the guys. We might need help.”

A half hour later Sam was talking the ear off of a Home Depot employee. “So he wants to plant like real stuff. Like tomatoes, you know? But I think other stuff would look really good too. Like regular flowers and such. So, my question to you, is what would be the best things to plant if we were going to plant them, say, later this afternoon? What would we need?”

“Uh… I can show you what’s popular?” the clerk offered, either feeling completely out of their element or intimidated by the woman with all her questions and posse of 4 giant Aussie men.

“Lead the way!” Sam chirped.

“Oh, um, you wouldn’t happen to have those scanners for wedding registries, would you?” Ashton put in as they all started walking across the store to the garden section.

“You want to register for your wedding at Home Depot, sir?”

“Yes, please.”

“You don’t want to register at IKEA, or like a Target?”

“Nope! You guys got some great stuff here.”

“Okay…”

The wedding registry aspect of it proved to be useless as anything Ashton scanned, Calum, Luke, or Michael immediately grabbed with a “What? I want one too…”

“So, this is probably a crazy question, but c-can I be invited to your wedding? Like… nobody's going to believe me that this happened. That a couple registered here. I just… I gotta see what type of wedding would be thrown by people who register at Home frickin’ Depot,” the clerk asked as they rang everything up.

Sam hummed as she dug around in her purse, pulling out a small card and handing it over. “Yeah! Of course! I didn’t end up liking this design, but it’s got all the important information on it, so I hope this’ll do.”

“Holy crap, thank you!”

“Of course! Thanks for dealing with us.”

“You just carry invitations around in your purse?” Ashton asked Sam.

“You don’t?”

“I don’t have a purse… I have pockets.”

Sam rolled her eyes. “Just help the bubs.”

~~~

“Okay, my bachelor party and your bachelorette party,” Ashton started. “How do you want to do this? Cuz I know I have groomswomen, but I want my boys there too. And I imagine you probably want the same thing of wanting your bubs and your girls. So… separate weekends or joint party?”

“Joint party would just be a regular hang out.”

“Yeah but like… in a cabin in the mountains. Away from everything. Or separate weekends. You get everyone to do your thing with. Then I get everyone to do my thing.”

“But then we don’t get each other. And with a joint party we do.”

“I think the point of bachelor and bachelorette parties is so that way we’re not around each other, baby.”

“Then why’d you suggest a joint party, Fletch?”

“I didn’t. I was just laying out all the options.”

“Mhm… sure. A likely story.”

“Okay, I might be hoping that you pick a joint party because I think that’d be fun. A nice getaway with my closest friends and future wife. What could be better than that?”

“You do make a pretty good case.”

“So, joint party?”

“Joint party!”

The end of the month found the eight friends and Harry standing around in a cabin. “First order of business!” Sam declared. “Room assignments. Ashton and I get the master room. The rest are up for grabs. Second order of business! Once you find your room, come back with all the blankets and pillows so we can make our fort.”

“A fort?” Harry snickered. “What are you, twelve?”

“Aw, c’mon,” Ashton nudged his kid brother. “You’ve seen the pictures of our forts, haven’t you?”

“Oh, that’s like a for real thing? Thought it was a joke.”

“Fort Luke Sucks Balls is most certainly real. And for this weekend, you are an honorary member,” Sam told him with a bright smile.

“Uh… thanks? I think?”

~~~

“Mike… you were right,” Luke breathed as Sam turned around in her dress. “You do look like a queen, sweetheart.”

Sam blushed. “Thanks, partner.”

“You saw her try it on in the store last week,” Michael told Luke. “Idiot…”

“Well, yeah! But not with her hair all done up, and make up.”

“You’re right. Still an idiot, but you’re right. Wanna make a bet for when Ash starts crying?”

“Hmm…” Luke thought. “Tears up when she walks down the aisle, full on sobbing through his vows.”

“Oh, definitely with you on him tearing up when she comes down the aisle. But I’m betting he just does that thing where he clears his throat a lot rather than the blubbering during the vows.”

“Alright. So if I win, we have to change Fort Luke Sucks Balls.”

“And when you lose, a name change can never be proposed again by you.”

“Deal.”

The blondes shook hands to cement the agreement, each one certain they’d win while Sam rolled her eyes. A bet the was rendered null and void when Ashton A.) teared up when Sam came down the aisle, and B.) cleared his throat a grand total of 107 times (Michael counted) before quietly breaking down during Sam’s vows.

“I now pronounce you Hubasaurus Fletch, and Wifeysaurus Babe,” Calum announced. “Now kiss your bride before you start crying again.”

Ashton gave a half sobbed laugh, before cupping Sam’s face in his hands and ducking his head down to give her the world’s most heartfelt kiss.

~~~

“Alright,” Calum said into a microphone, getting the toasts started. “Hi, everyone, I’m Calum Hood. The wedding officiant, and only guest speaker for this evening.”

“The sensation!” Michael called out loudly, his hands cupped around his mouth.

“The bodacious!” Luke joined in.

“Ccccccaaaaaalllllllluuuuummmmmmm Hhhhhooooooooooooodddddd!” the group of friends all whooped, drumming their hands on the table.

“Okay, thank you!” Calum said with a squishy cheeked grin. “So, as you can imagine we all love Ashton and Sam so much. And when deciding this part of the night, we all wanted a chance to say something. But, we ultimately decided that a lot of our stories would overlap and that it would be too long, so I’m doing it on behalf of all of us. So, it goes without saying Ash, that you’re like a big brother to us guys. I don’t think it’s a stretch of the imagination to say that we wouldn’t be the people we are without you in our lives. And we’ll never be able to thank you enough for accepting a random Facebook message from a kid you didn’t know and helping us become what we are. And then there’s Princess Sam. Sorry, Queen Sam. I have never been happier to be proved wrong in my entire life. I’ve never been happier to have been wrong about thinking you were just some girl that wouldn’t matter in a couple of months. And I deeply apologize for everything I did in those first few months. In these last 5 years I’ve gotten to know you, it’s very easy to see the woman that stole my best friend’s heart. Because you stole all of ours too. And if I say anything else, I’m gonna end up like Ash here, so I’ll just end this by saying that I’ll forever be grateful that you two found each other, because it’s been nothing short of incredible. Here’s to the best years.”

Calum raised his glass, everyone else following suit, while Luke and Michael hopped up on stage next to Calum. Michael grabbed the microphone out of Calum’s hands while Luke got situated with a guitar. “Perfect toast for a perfect couple, Cal. And perfect segway into the newly announced Mr. and Mrs. Ashton Irwin’s first dance! Hit it, Luke!”

While Luke started strumming the opening chords to Best Years, Ashton led Sam out to the dance floor, spinning her in a slow circle before pulling her close. “I love you so much, baby,” he whispered for only her to hear.

“I love you too, Fletch. So fuckin’ much.”

__

Tag List

@frontmanash​​ @goeatsomelife​​ @flameraine​​ @creator-appreciator​​ @cxddlyash​​ @1-irwin-94​​ @sparkling-calm​​ @tea4sykes​​ @youngblood199456​​ @5-seconds-of-obsession​​ @gosh-im-short​​ @aquarius-hood1996​​ @talkfastromance4​​ @itjustkindahappenedreally​​ @philthepegacorn​​ @ashtonlftv​ @miirandaaa​​ @karajaynetoday​ @myfavfanficsever​ @stormrider505​ @cashtonisruiningmylife​ @another-lonely-heart​

[sanscestships]

“Escapee” Asylum Zoo RedvBlue (Oneshot, RedxDustxClassicxBlue)

Created on: 10/26/20

Requested by: @pigeons-just-pigeons, i feel really stressed out right now by school and im going to try calming my nerves with writing. also apparently she really likes FeralVerse-

(WARNING: hella longer than usual. maybe cuz its 4 people instead of 2-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Classic didn't know how to feel about the situation. About alternate versions of himself just suddenly getting mutated and now he has to work with more versions of himself to find a cure. Really, the whole thing sounds like one of those animes Alphys watches.

Unfortunately, it was real. And he was dealing with it. Of course, Paps didn't know a thing and the kiddo was covering him while the player was inactive. Must be either a busy day or night for them probably.

The skeleton sighed, starting to feel himself drift off and slump against the couch in the lounge. Though he should probably be more concerned, he couldn't help himself but to want to take another nap for the day. He'd already done a skeleton of work, taking Nightmare on a patrol to see if any more mutants have popped up. And yes.

That alone, was enough for him to last the day.

See, just dealing with Nightmare can be tiring. Though he definitely won't speak to you nor act like a rabid animal the rest do. He'll continuously sass and growl at you, occasionally tripping or slapping you with the tendrils that start above his paws. Then there's patrols, where you actually have to walk around. And with Nightmare! Which means a LOT of tripping! Then there's dealing with the situation if you DO run into another mutant and...

Well, at least it's mostly Nightmare who has to tussle with em. After all, to fight a mutant you usually need another mutant.

Sometimes when Nightmare REALLY trips Ink, the colorful artist will complain and grumble that Nightmare's lucky to be alive. But Classic always thought it was the other way around. If Nightmare hadn't still been sane after the mutation, they all probably would've been bitten by now. Really, the only times they've ever had to help Nightmare hold down a mutant was with Cross and Dust.

Cross had been driven insane by the OVERWRITE soul, massive trauma from his AU, and weak condition from the aftermath of the fighting. Dust had been driven insane long before he killed everyone but hadn't acted upon it and mutated until he'd reached his breaking point.

To think he could've ended up like that if he'd done the same as Dust. Well...

Technically he did, since Dust is him from an alternate timeline.

"ORIGINAL ME!" A chuckle escaped his teeth as he opened an eye socket to see the adorable version of him, Blue. Blue had always been one of his favorite alternates out of the bunch, seeing as he was basically a mix of himself and Paps. Still likes puns

(A/N so no one gets mixed up, Sans from UnderSwap canonically still likes puns. its a very popular headcanon that he doesn't. carry on.)

but is just as sweet and thoughtful as his bro. Really, he could never get mad or tired of the little blueberry. "THERE YOU ARE! I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU!"

"Is there somethin' ya need Berry?" The nickname had been out of his mouth before he could even think about what he'd said. And once he did, he could feel his skull tint with blue. Really? A nickname for a nickname? Jeez, what was with him now when he was around the little warrior?

"Actually Classic," he cocked his skull to the side, becoming more curious when his normally energetic alternate began to fiddle with his hands. "I was actually hoping you'd come with me today to check on Red and Dust. That's okay, right?"

Shit, he could feel the arrows striking his soul. First at the names "Red" and "Dust" before getting the final strike when Blue had looked up at him with those sky blue eyelights. As odd as it was, he couldn't help but enjoy the company of the edgy jackal-fennec fox. And really, he could absolutely relate to the insane grey wolf-tasmanian devil too. After all, he would definitely go insane too if he had to deal with hundreds of consecutive genocides.

Wait... Didn't he technically- NEVERMIND WE'RE NOT GOING THERE WITH THE WEIRD ALTERNATE TIMELINE LOGIC.

"Sure, I don't mind." With his signature lazy grin on his face, he began to follow Blue to the common enclosure room. This was the big room where multiple enclosures were put together. Though Ink was hesitant about the idea, Dream and Blue agreed that maybe it would help to have them all in the same room. Maybe being close to another in the same situation would make them feel more comfortable they had said.

Though some of them did enjoy each other's company, Classic thought he was right to assume Fell really didn't. While most of the others had big, terrifying animals, Fell was a mix of two animals that generally survived with their wits and willy physique.

Therefore, he really, really did not appreciate being shoved in the same room as a six-legged and two-tailed goop cat, a winged bengal tiger, and a bird clawed panther.

Now they were in the room, lit with colorful lights from the color planed windows above the enclosures. Something Ink had put up so the room wouldn't be as dull. The cracked glass of the cages were hit with more growls and roars as they walked to the quietest of the cages.

"Hey Fell."

A rumble came from the cage, and soon taps against the metal ground as the red eyed beast came out to the glass. He glanced behind us, making eye contact with Error before growling. Blue frowned, turning around in time to see Error snarl back in response as he began to try and calm the canine down.

"Sorry pal, didn't know that you weren't red-y for us yet." The canine stopped, staring back at him as he began to continue. Suddenly there was red everywhere, with a loud blare. Immediately, all of the mutants in the room except for Nightmare and Fell began to snarl and roar.

"Uhhhh... Guys?" Dream's voice came onto the intercom as the two skeletons glanced at each other. Oh boy, this couldn't be good. "Uh, I kind of went to Dust's enclosure to clean when I accidentally... Let him out?"

Ok, that was not good.

"Dusty's out of his enclosure?!" Blue jumped up, immediately running out the door.

"Wait, Blue!" Classic jumped up, starting to try and follow him before he heard a loud thud next to him. Turning, he saw Fell jumping at the glass, barking and howling at him. "Fell, what's wrong?"

He didn't stop. He just kept banging on the glass, barking and yelling. The original couldn't understand why though. Fell's never been as active as the other mutants. Like him, he tended to be lazy and just laid about in his enclosure unless provoked. But when someone came too close, he usually just pretended to threaten to bite them. Now here he was, just being nearly as loud as the others.

He didn't know what to do. Was Fell trying to warn him of something? Was he trying to tell him something important? He didn't know why he was suddenly so active, but he knew it had to be for a good reason if it was making him jump and bark like this.

"Heya pal, I want you to calm down," he tried to smoothen his voice so he didn't scare the canine, starting to move towards the enclosure controls. "I'm going to let you out. And I want you to stay calm. I'm sure the others know your mostly just bark and no bite, but I'm pretty sure they still won't feel safe knowing you're on the prowl unless you can prove you're not hostile. Okay?"

Really, he was doing his best not to talk to him while he was teaching a 5 year old. If he remembered anything about Fell before the mutation, it was that he got offended and ticked easily. Finally getting Fell to look calm, he pressed the switch that opened the glass door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dust couldn't find Blue.

He couldn't find Fell or Classic either.

Who cares about that little blue mongrel and the toothy loser? His brother whispered to him. There are many caged, helpless, powerful monsters here Sans. We must find them. And we must kill them. We need more power brother. More LOVE.

He wanted to listen to his brother. He really did. He knew for a fact that Papyrus would never lie or misguide him. But he also knew that he wouldn't be able to focus on the job unless he knew where the three were. If they truly were powerful, than even if caged he'd have to focus if he wanted to be able to harvest them for LOVE.

Very well brother, I will trust your judgement.

He began to prowl around, sniffing the air to pick up a scent. He knew he needed to pick up as many scents as possible to work fast. There was much to be done: differentiate Fell, Classic, and Blue's scents from the others, locate the three as soon as possible, sneak off, kill the others, make sure Blue doesn't give him the puppy eyes or croc tears for killing most of his friends...

On second though, maybe the last one is basically inevitable.

"Dusty!"

He could feel himself basically jump up, starting to immediately run towards where he heard his blueberry's voice. Guess he didn't need to pick up on his scent in the first place. That'll make his job a little bit easier.

Don't forget to kill everyone else brother. We need to become more powerful. We need more LOVE. Do not let anyone distract you from the mission.

I know Paps. I know.

He knew at some point he was going to have to kill them too. After all, he'd killed everyone else. But he definitely didn't want to do it now. Someday, when he finds the will to give them the painless mercy of death.

But that day wasn't today.

Making a sharp turn, he'd finally found the blue scarfed skeleton. He knew he'd have to act calm though, to not scare him. Though many of them probably didn't know this, he wasn't actually as gone as Cross was.

Yes, he knew Cross's name. He picked it up from a conversation when they were trying to move him into his enclosure for the first time.

Ah yes, when that stupid oreo on legs nearly bit his blueberry.

He'll be the first to go.

(A/N i love Cross guys. i really do. i swear-)

"Dusty," he could hear the warning tone in his voice as he looked up at the skeleton before him. "I know that look on your face Dusty. No murder."

He didn't mean to let out a small whine. Probably his animal instincts. What did Sci say he was again? A "grey wolf" and "tasmanian devil"? What the hell even was a "tasmanian devil" anyway? It sounds like some sort of dog that failed to serve Satan.

"Dusty, no murder." Blue had repeated himself, beginning to pet the hooded beast's head as they both perked up to panting heard from behind Blue. Running into view were Classic, and Fell. How convenient, the three he was looking for came right to him.

Now onto "find a way to get away from the loves of his life and butcher everyone else in a totally non-yandere way".

Oh boy Alphys's anime ways are starting to get to him.

He could feel the rumbles in his non-existent throat, leaning his head more into Blue's hand. God, he knew this was just his animal instincts acting up but god his gloved hand behind his ecto ears felt GREAT. Was it like this for all dogs? Lucky bastards. He was glad he'd killed all of the dogs first. (Minus the Annoying Dog. That thing is impossible to track down. Much less kill.)

"Huh, looks like you've got him wrapped around your finger. When'd you learn to even to make him even wag his tail like that?" Wait, wagging tail? He glanced behind him to see that his ecto tail was indeed wagging. Huh. It must've started while he was thinking about dogs and didn't notice.

Brother, you're getting off task and distracted. How will you kill the others before they put you back into your cage if you keep letting yourself be treated like this? His brother did not look too pleased that he had not gained any LOVE yet. Then again, it'd been Ink knows how long since he'd been out. Much less killed anyone.

As Classic approached Blue to talk, Fell had coiled himself around the original's legs. Fell didn't feel comfortable around him and it was obvious why. After all, he knew that the hooded figure was at LEAST LV20.

Dust couldn't help but to respect the other. He survived abuse from his own brother, the monster around him, and had probably had his own fair share of Genocides too. He couldn't imagine his own brother disowning and abusing him too.

But of course brother, I'd never do anything to harm you. And Dust knew his brother was telling the truth. After all, Paps would never lie to him either.

His brother wouldn't.

He could feel his tail curl around the guard in training as the rubbing intensified, starting to lay down. After all, did he really need to kill them all now? It had already been established that he was absolutely capable of easily breaking out of his fortified cell. He could always just do it again. And if they set up guards, no problem. He'll kill them too. Extra EXP. In fact, he should probably wait until they do add more guards for him to kill.

Plus, he felt like hanging around these three a bit more.

Yet Papyrus still lingered... Whispering suggestions in his ears...

[ardenskyedarcy221b]

autumn leaves and apple cider

Peter yawns. His fists rub his eyes hard enough to see black stars. Eventually he blinks hard enough that he can see the time projected on his ceiling: 7:33. He grunts. Mental math tells him he’s slept a little over two hours since last time he checked the time. He shoves off his comforter, whines at the blast of cold, and rolls out of bed. 

He pads into the hallway in search of his father. 

Kitchen is empty. Couch in the family room is unoccupied. His brow furrows as Peter shuffles toward the back porch. Now, if his dad can’t be found inside the house, Peter can always find him somewhere outside. It has been a weird transition not automatically finding Tony Stark inside a laboratory, but time is on Peter’s side now. 

Only the back porch is vacant and worry settles heavily in Peter’s stomach. 

“Front porch?” he asks himself under his breath as he cuts through the cabin. If anxiety wasn’t pressing right at his edges, Peter could have stretched out his hearing and listened for his father’s heartbeat; however, as he is preoccupied, Peter walks out onto the front porch to the sight of thick fog cloaking the earth and no sign of his father. 

He isn’t sure what compels him onward: Peter tromps down the steps and his socks immediately soak up grass’s moisture as he ambles toward the dock. A violent shiver traverses his spinal column so Peter tucks his fingers underneath his armpits. 

Fog density is high, causing Peter to rely on muscle memory. Gentle waves lapping guides him along as well. He squints as if his advanced eyesight could cut through fall’s veil: it can’t. Leaves crunch beneath his feet. His toes keep finding holes or rocks to trip over. Perhaps in the end his advanced eyesight does assist him because up ahead his sees a figure at the end of the dock, barely even a silhouette, though it’s enough to tip Peter off that he found his father. 

“Dad?” 

Figure turns and a familiar baritone croaks out, “Pete?” 

Relieved to have found his father, Peter closes the distance between him and the figure at the end of the dock as quickly as he dares. A hand grasps at Peter’s forearm and curls into his hoodie material. 

“What are you doing out here?” he asks, not bothering to hide his confusion. 

“No reason,” is the first reply then his father sighs a laugh and finishes, “dunno, really, other than I just wanted to be by the water.” 

Peter shrugs off the answer. 

Father and son stand side by side, listening to the lake lap and birds tweet good morning hellos, until another chill steels over Peter. Then he burrows into his father’s side, maneuvering his arms around him until Peter is satisfied. He hums. 

“Cold?” 

He makes a noise at the back of his throat, too lazy to verbalize. 

“What, my hoodie not cutting it for you anymore?” his dad keeps pressing, a hint of his amusement breaking into his tone. “I speak from experience when I say I know that hoodie is warm.” 

“S’not yours, s’mine,” he muffles his words into his father’s side. “And my toes are cold.” 

“Your toes are—” Tony cuts off and then exclaims, “Why the hell are you outside without your shoes? Get back inside!” he gives Peter a little push. 

Peter giggles, stumbling but not moving away. He may have stuck himself to his father’s side using his spidery stickiness. 

Then his dad’s fingers wiggle like he’s going to tickle Peter and he shrieks, unsticks himself and bolts for the cabin. His father’s deep chuckles follow behind him at a sedated pace. He has no time to feel embarrassment for the ploy because Peter loathes being tickled, especially thanks to his enhanced sensitivity after the spider bite. Any time his dad or sister do not get their way, they have the tendency to exploit Peter’s weakness. 

Not fair, he pouts as he opens the glass screen door. His smile won’t disappear, though. 

Peter trots back into his bedroom to shower. It is only a matter of time before the calm of the morning is broken by Morgan waking up. Last night Dad and Pepper promised the whole family would go pumpkin picking and Peter’s little sister lost her mind. When he first came back, snapped or blipped or whatever terminology is popular at the moment, Morgan’s exuberance was a bit much for Peter’s frayed nervous system. She weaseled her way into his heart, though. Eventually. 

He shakes the thoughts away and finishes getting ready. 

Dad and Pepper are making breakfast when Peter wanders back into the kitchen. 

“Pete!” his sister chirps, sporting a chocolate milk mustache.  “Come eat; we have places to be!”

Peter snorts as he finishes shuffling to his seat next to the young girl. “I didn’t realize we were leaving so early?” 

“We’re not,” his father snorts. 

Peter looks up to see his stepmother rolling her eyes and Peter smirks at her, both of them sharing a knowing expression. 

Morgan decides pestering is the way to go after finding out that they aren’t leaving until after lunch. All it does is keep her chattering and everyone else wishing away the morning. And she convinces Pepper they should have a picnic in the car so they can get to the pumpkin patch earlier. 

Halfway to their destination, Morgan turns to Peter and says, 

“Will you braid my hair?”

“Now?” 

“Mmhmm!”

Before Peter can positively or negatively reply, Morgan is already climbing out of her booster seat and crawling into his lap. Peter fumbles to assist her but she knocks away his hands until she settles herself. Her smile is pleased and she is definitely preening. 

“Mo—” he starts. 

“Morgan Hope, what are you doing out of your seat?” comes their father’s terse question as the man twists from the passenger seat to stare back at them. “Peter isn’t your lounge chair. Get back over there, little miss.” 

Morgan’s head tips back onto Peter’s chest. “But Daaaaad,” she whines, “Pete needs to braid my hair.” 

“I don’t care. He can do it when we get there.” 

“He’ll do it fast, I promise, ‘cuz I don’t wanna wait.”

“Oh, is that so?” 

Morgan turns away from their father and pokes Peter in the cheek. “Please, Petey, will you braid my hair?”

Peter’s gaze flits to Tony. His father acts unimpressed but his eyes twinkle in amusement. So he answers, “Sure. Do you have a band?”

Morgan slips two different colored purple cloth bands off her wrists and shoves them in his face. (He thinks that’s what they’re called; Morgan calls them ponytail holders, sometimes, and Pepper goes back and forth between ponytail holders and bands. He’s settled on bands to be done with it.)

He makes a face at her and turns her to sit forward. “The things I do for you,” he pretends to grumble. 

“The things I do for the both of you,” his father echoes from up front, correcting his posture. 

“I know.” his sister sing-songs. “It’s ‘cuz you love me!”

Because Morgan is queen-in-training when it comes to avoidance strategies, Peter is suckered into giving her twin braids. Then she wraps her arms around his neck and makes him strap her back into her booster seat. She kisses his cheek in thanks, though, so there are small consolation prizes. 

Forty minutes after leaving their lake house, they arrive at their destination. Morgan cheers and their parents share a smile upfront. On top of handling random hair crises in the middle of road trips, Peter’s job also entails making sure Morgan keeps her socks on and putting on a jacket. Both are rather monumental tasks considering Peter has enhanced strength and Morgan is barely pushing three-three in height; his sister is wily. However, seeing as how his sister hasn’t pestered with her yellow rain boots this entire time that leaves, 

“Jacket, Mo,” he hands over the pink lightweight jacket. 

“Don’t need it,” she scrunches up her nose and eyes the item with growing distain. “I’ve got my Iron Man sweater on; don’t need a jacket.” to prove her point, her hands disappear in the golden material of her sleeves and she shakes them in his direction with all the fanfare of an ornery five year old, “Seeeeeeee?”

“I’m not the boss.” 

“You’re ‘posed to be one of my bosses, so technically you are the boss.” 

“Too bad I’m always the boss and trump your brother then, hmm, little miss?” Tony interjects as he turns around in his seat, free of the safety belt’s restriction, snagging the jacket from Peter’s outstretched clutches and shaking it in his daughter’s direction. “No jacket means no hayride.” 

Despite herself, Morgan can’t think up a quick enough rebuttal. She rolls her shoulders back and lets out a dramatic huff of, “Fine.” Then yanks the material and carelessly shrugs into it. 

Pepper gets out of her seat and opens up Morgan’s door, opening up her arms in silent initiation to be held. 

Tony and Peter follow them out of the car. 

As they make their way into the bustling crowd, Morgan wiggles down from Pepper’s hip and spider-monkeys her way onto Peter’s back. She mostly attempts to hitch her free ride while Peter continues walking, screeching whenever he tries stopping to assist. Eventually, they somewhat compromise by Peter stopping and Morgan throwing herself onto his back, arms curled so tight around his neck Peter can almost accuse her of choking him.  She nestles in close then whispers, 

“Can we get some apple cider?” 

“Um,” he glances around in search of the requested beverage, curious to see where she spotted it before him. Right as he finds it, one of her fingers points and he says, “Sure, if Dad and Mom don’t care.” 

“Don’t care about what?” comes twin responses. 

“Morgan wants apple cider.” 

Pepper makes a face while Tony shrugs. 

“You already had chocolate milk today, lovebug.” 

Morgan scoffs into Peter’s neck. 

“One cup won’t hurt her,” Tony offers up. Then he semi-lowers his voice, “Bet you she won’t even like it.” 

Pepper rolls her eyes, though allows, “One cup.” 

So they wind up waiting in line to all grab hot apple cider. Several minutes pass of Morgan clinging to Peter and Pepper fussing and  Peter slowly edging closer to his father so Tony can keep making a grab for Morgan with his prosthetic arm only for the little girl to shriek. After they pay for their drinks, Pepper says they have to sit down to drink them. 

“But Moooom,” the little girl whines, eyes riveted on a tractor pulling a group of people sat in hay up the way, “I wanna go now.” 

“Guess we’ll have to wait for the next one.” 

Peter senses an impending meltdown. He blurts out, “Hey, Mo, watch this.” without giving much thought to his harebrained idea because his sister’s attention immediately redirects to him. 

And so Peter takes a huge gulp of hot apple cider, holds his cup out at arm’s length, and spits the drink out in an arc straight back into the cup. Mostly. Only, 

“Ow ow ow, crap! That is hot!” 

Pepper looks like she wants to reprimand him, but Morgan and Tony are too busy belly laughing at Peter’s folly, so his stepmother winds up grinning along. 

A different kind of warmth fills up his belly than the one lingering in his mouth. 

Sure enough, when the next hayride pulls around, the Starks get on it. Morgan remains glued to Peter’s side and demands to sit in his lap during the ride. Peter nods his agreement and picks a corner seat in the back, nestled in by hay. Dad presses in on Peter’s free side while Pepper takes the last seat. 

Excitement fills his bloodstream. As they take off for pumpkin pastures, Peter’s knees jostle Morgan around as his sister oohs and ahhs over the farm’s decorations. He doesn’t remember going on hayrides as a kid, though celebrating Christmas on a Malibu beach definitely makes up for it, in Peter’s humble opinion, he is embracing the experience. Like listening to Morgan sprouting out ideas of what they are going to carve their pumpkins when they get home, after spotting the first small lines of the orange spheres.

“I think I want Lord Voldemort’s face.” 

His dad snorts while Peter turns Morgan around to face him. 

“Why?”

“Why not?” she gives back. 

“Why not a cat?” 

“Because I don’t wanna paint it black; I wanna carve it!” 

Pepper tacks on, “You’re not handling anything sharp, I’m afraid.” though she doesn’t sound sorry in the slightest.

Morgan knocks her forehead into Peter’s clavicle at the devastating news. Peter thinks he hears her say this is why under her breath but he can’t be certain. 

Dad leans over to press a kiss against Peter’s temple and attempts to do the same to Morgan, but she’s having none of it. After a few more attempts, Peter hands her over all the same so Dad can drop kisses all over her rosy cheeks. Her giggles pitch over top the roar of the tractor. 

Pepper winds up pretending to save Morgan right as the tractor pulls to a stop. She stands up and shuffles off with Morgan, who continuously peeks over Mom’s shoulder to cross her eyes and stick her tongue out at Dad. Peter lists into his father’s side and Tony slings in arm over his shoulders, pulling him in close. 

Leaves crunch under their feet as they step off. 

“Daddy has to have the biggest one,” Peter hears his sister say somewhere up ahead. “Just ‘cuz. But I don’t get the smallest one, okay, Mommy?” 

“Mmm. Sounds reasonable. I suppose I’ll take the smallest one, how’s that sound?” is Pepper’s reply and Peter can imagine her smile pulling out her dimples. 

“C’mon, Daddy! C’mon, Pete!” hollers Morgan. “Let’s go pick our pumpkins!”

“You heard Miss Bossypants; chop chop, daylight’s wasting away,” nudges his father. 

Peter breathes in deeply and beams up at his father, his vision squinting as joy settles around them.

Autumn tastes like crisp air and hot apple cider; autumn is the warmth of his little sister wanting to show him everything that captures her attention; it’s watching his dad’s recovery in a positive light, seeing him walking around unassisted and smiling freely. 

Autumn is being with his family. 

AO3

[pepperpixel]

pages from an unfinished able n iris doujinshi i was working on at the beginning of the year. i was working on it on and off for a while but it’s been almost 2 months since i last touched it and i’m fairly certain i’m not gonna finish it. i think trying to make it fully colored was a bit too ambitious of me tbh...

 it wasn’t gonna be all that long but i just got sidetracked and i lost the drive to finish it. i might still pick it up again cuz i liked the concept and story of it? but its not that likely tbh. anyway i figured i’d at least post the stuff i did finish cuz im pretty proud of it. and i didn’t want it to just sit in my folders forever. so yeah! here’s this thing

[transformersrelay]

Weathervane is the newest member of the Bisector family, but first he needs the grand tour!

When Radius and Mace stepped from the ship out onto the planet’s surface, a slim, yet clunky biplane was on the stretch of landing across them, still steadying himself from the gust of air accompanying their landing. The Bisector was a ship of impressive scale, to be certain. It sloped distinctly at its bow, the arching figure imposing in itself, even from the inside. By the way he hadn’t even glanced their way in favor of staring up at it, it seemed their new recruit had been taken off-guard.

Radius huffed a laugh, already fond of the blatant awe and nerves playing across this mech’s face. Mace, the miniscule drone of a bot (so small as to often be mistaken as a minibot,) waved one clawed servo excitedly, hopping into a run over to greet him. He’d been telling Radius earlier all about how excited he was to be having another flier on board, and it was a little infectious, he’d admit. He sauntered on after.

“Hello! Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!” Mace grabbed one of the biplane’s wire-thin servos in both of his, which cause the other to flinch away subtly. “My designation is Mace, it’s super cool to meet another Autobot flier! And with a very fashionable color, as well, I might add!”

The newcomer glanced down at his orange-heavy paint, then Mace’s, and blinked. The poor thing seemed a little overwhelmed. Radius laughed good-naturedly. He picked Mace up and set him on one of his massive shoulders, before turning back and smiling.

“I’m Radius. You’re Weathervane, right?”

He, Weathervane, stopped frowning nervously at Mace to meet Radius’ warm blue visor.

“Y-yeah, that’s right,” he said softly, an attempt at a little return of the smile gracing is face. “Nice to meet you. And thank you for taking me aboard.”

“No problem!” Mace said, his wings fluttering pointlessly as he spoke, (apparently mildly confusing the biplane,) “You made the right choice requesting us, ‘cuz we’re the best ship around, it’s true!” He punctuated his declaration with a pose from atop Radius’ shoulder, prompting him to chuckle.

“Alright, alright, let’s not take too long getting back in. That Captain of mine won’t be too happy.” He gestured for Weathervane to follow as he lumbered towards the ship. “We’ll give you the grand tour once we’re back up, too, so don’t worry about finding your way around.”

Weathervane hurried to follow. Radius was a Wrecker-- that would be clear to anyone. Heavy armor sat on his shoulders, towering far above Weathervane’s helm, pedes making the ship protest with every step he took aboard. He cradled obvious scars, but his smile was a constant.  

As they boarded the loading bay, looming bay doors shuttering closed behind them, Radius glanced back to see the biplane once again taking in the impressive scale of his surroundings. As he looked around, his focus seemed to settle on the one ship docked within, taking only a third of the space. He turned fully towards him and both he and Mace threw out their hands with excitement.

“Welcome aboard!” He chimed, almost too cheerfully, the smile on his lips somehow evident in the visor over his optics, “Now you’re officially part of the Bisector!”

“Ah, yes, I… am. Thank you?” His long wings fluttered anxiously as the ship rumbled, beginning to lift off.

“Haha, Primus, you have manners. Echo’ll be thrilled,” Mace’s blue visor beamed, vibrated with energy and mischief, very much like his voice did. Weathervane didn’t look thrilled.

“Don’t mind him,” Radius teased, “he’s simply full of friendly things to say.”

“Who would mind, that Radius? Don’t be silly.” the tiny flier replied, crossing his arms triumphantly.

“Anyway, it’ll be my job to show ya ‘round the place. We don’t want you getting lost on your first day.”

Weathervane simply nodded slowly. He didn’t want that either.

--

Weathervane was led through hallway after bright hallway. The ship seemed to have no shortage of power, which was somewhat impressive in its own right. That wasn’t something that was common, anymore, what with their vast resources all but a hollow memory now. There was general wear and tear to every surface, dings and scratches and the odd spot of random-planet dirt along the walls or floor plating, but the place was almost too normal to be an active warship. Almost like it had just come off the bays of Cybertron a cycle prior, rather than centuries.

“So, we’re a pretty average sized crew. We’ve got folks from Paradron to Dahros, so don’t worry,” Radius smiled lazily as they walked, “We’re all a little out of our zone, here. Luckily, there’s plenty of room here for all of us, and everything runs pretty smoothly. The Bisector’s a class-A warship--”

“From Optimus himself!” Mace interrupted, sounding like he’d just spilled their most precious secret, though Weathervane did perk slightly. Out of curiosity on how that happened, Radius assumed.

“--and she’s gotten us around more than well enough, with plenty to spare.” Weathervane didn’t add anything immediately, resigning to a distinct interest in the ship, now that its praises had been sung. Radius didn’t blame him, it was a lot to take in at once.

“Plus she’s just so full of charm!” Mace chattered. “Although considering TD, I don’t think she feels the same way about us, you know? I wonder why! Also, more orange paint, nothing better am I right?”

“I take offense,” Radius teased.

“Well, I can make exceptions. You lose points for being blue and not a flyer, but you still have a very high overall score!”

“That sure is reassuring. I was worried you’d moved on to better things and forgotten all about me.”

Mace gasped with fervor. “Never! I would never do that!”

Weathervane murmured some question, but Radius didn’t catch it, instead laughing at his companion’s dramatised distress. And off they went, chatting amongst themselves, forgetting their new company for the moment. He followed along silently nonetheless.

Radius considered himself an incurable optimist, which he knew didn’t mesh well with everyone. Weathervane didn’t strike him as all sunshine, so he tried to tone back his usual enthusiasm, if for no other reason than to make his transition easier.

Mace, on the other servo, was a chatterbox. A chatterbox who didn’t pick up cues-- ever, really. His antenna clacked constantly as he talked--which meant that they clacked a lot. He had it on good authority that the way his wings bobbed incessantly as some form of fidgeting also confused other fliers (or in his “good authority”’s case-- that being the only other flier on the ship-- it was incredibly frustrating.) He prattled on in his absurdly energetic tone about every room they passed on their way to the main deck.

“This one is the hangar, obviously!” Okay. “These are the suites, rec room, energon storage-” Uh-huh. “Armory, storage closet, ventilation shafts, staff exit-”. Got it. And the Wrecker just passively encouraged him as they went. He did start to worry that Mace’s breakneck-speed introductions were beginning to stress Weathervane out, though. He seemed like the type to get stressed. Radius supposed, thinking fondly of his sparkmate, that he would know. So he kept an eye out, but nothing came of it.

There was no mistake to be made, the Bisector was stocked impressively. They clearly weren’t wealthy in resources, but the armory was fully loaded with some of the highest-end weaponry in the cosmos. The hangar was large enough for at least 3 cruisers-- one of which already present in the bay. Weathervane gave it special attention, perhaps wondering if it was an emergency escape, or if it belonged to anyone on board. Energon was in fair supply, Radius informed him, or at least rationed very responsibly, and the hab suites were big enough for 4 average mechs.

The rec room sat at the very end of the hallway, and wound down the inner edge of the ship, a large, curved room lined with windows that peered out into the inky abyss of space. The guides spoke of this particular area fondly, their hub for gathering and socializing, and it bred a sense of comfort and normalcy.

“Most of us end up in here at the same time at least once a cycle,” Radius mused. “It’s pretty relaxed. The whole crew is pretty easy to get along with.”

And like clockwork, there was a new face. She was small, very small, and stalking down the hallways with purpose. The seering yellow visor flickered over Weathervane so fast- so unfeeling- that Radius could see him suppress the flinch. Only Radius’ booming voice slowed her down, a simple, “Hey, Batt, meet the newbie! This is Weathervane.”

“Battery,” she all but spat back, and despite the visor, very blatantly scanned his entirety in both disinterest and critique. And without another word from any of them, she turned on her heel and sped off on whatever she was doing.  Perhaps the largest mech sensed the biplane’s nerves, so he was the first to speak again.

“She’s uh… Like that with everyone. It’s not personal,” he gave a slight shrug before leading on. “She’ll warm up to you, they always do!” The biplane wasn’t going to bring up the contradiction.

Radius was all too excited to give their newest the rundown on their crew. It wasn’t the first time he’d played welcome party, and this part was always his favorite. They had twin medical chiefs, outlying agents, and specialists on every facet of the ship’s workings, in one way or another. Battery, in all her pleasantries, was in charge of managing and maintaining the armory. “She’s a weapons specialist,” Mace offered, as if he was proud on her behalf.

“That explains a lot,” and Weathervane managed to rouse a laugh out of both of them.

----

From that point on, the crew would come floating by one-by-one. Bumper, an easy-going grounder about Weathervane’s size, meandered into their path shortly after the first encounter with Battery, emerging from the far end of the rec room. He seemed friendly, with a lazy smile and an obnoxious, optic-aching color scheme.

“Bumper’s our ‘inventory manager’,” Radius offered, and Bumper immediately chuckled.

“Ah, that’s what we’re callin’ it now, ey?” He turned to the new recruit, “They give me scrap about ‘loiterin’’ around the high grade, but don’t listen to ‘em, it’s not true.”

Mace sputtered from his perch, “It so is! I’ve seen it with my own two optics! Don’t try and mislead our poor naive recruit, it’s his first day!” Weathervane muttered that he was new to the Bisector, not being an Autobot, and Bumper just waved the drone off. The three bursting into laughter. Their recruit seemed to sulk.

“So, where you from? How’d y’end up here? That last rock was a long ways from anythin’.”

“Vos. Last crew… uh… didn’t make it.”

“... Oh.”

And everyone got quiet for a moment longer than Weathervane was probably comfortable with. Thank Primus that Bumper broke the silence.

“Sorry to hear that,” he said. Generic condolences were standard this deep in a war. “Listen, we should meet up for a ‘newbie drink’ when you’re settled in. It’s kinda customary around here.” He smiled. “Helps with the nerves.”  Weathervane watched him for a moment, and his optics seemed to soften, if only slightly. That was almost comforting. Genuine.

“I’d like that,” the new flier simply agreed, and that seemed to lift the heavy mood that had come upon them.

Next to cross their path was Stagger. Mace hung off this poor mech even worse than he did with Radius.  He was hulking, much like his crewmate, and nearly the same height, just with less bulk to his silhouette. He was an almost unnatural, pristine white, and his face rested at a distinct sag. He didn’t look pleased at a new recruit, and was very clearly skeptical of the stalky biplane being introduced to him.

“Nice to have you.” He greeted simply, before turning to Radius. They were a striking pair, with their brilliant red accents and clashing blues and whites.

“Another one?” He’d tried to be subtle, but wasn’t quite out of range. The taller mech just sighed, flashing an apologetic smile, and rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Try not to worry, Short-Stuff. It’s always a good thing.” Whether Stagger knew better than to believe him or was simply annoyed at the dismissal, Weathervane couldn’t tell based on his glare.

Whatever it was was promptly left behind as his guides moved on. “More ship to show!” Mace chirped, “We’re running a tight schedule and you’re distracting us!” Stagger groaned, but didn’t seem offended as Mace shifted back from Stagger’s shoulders to Radius’, and the group parted to continue their tour.

“‘Another’?” Weathervane repeated, curiosity getting the best of him as they entered the main hub of the ship.

“Ah, don’t mind him,” the Wrecker assured, “Not everyone on board is uh... as inclined to strays as Echo is. It’s just a running joke.”

There was a peculiar, empty space where Mace’s response should have been. Weathervane spared him a glance.

The main deck was as any bridge in any good ship should be. It was huge. It framed the space above and before them so powerfully that even Radius couldn’t help but feel small as it all towered above him.  It was clean-- almost obsessively so-- and brimming with shouts when they arrived.

A behemoth of a mech, all wingspan, turbines, and angry red biolights stood in the center of the bridge, hovering over some holographic diagram projecting from the middle of the room. Pitch black in color, and so high up that his words either vaporized halfway to the ground or shook it entirely. By the look on the new recruit’s face he felt his energon go cold. Their astro class crewmate seemed to have that effect on everyone.  

Somewhere far, far below him was who he was arguing with: a smaller mech glowing an electric shade of blue.

“-risk will outweigh the reward. It’s idiocy, Shrapnel.”

“You can continue to play these things safe! It’s absurd to not use these opportunities!”

“‘Opportunities’ that will easily cost us lives. More than we will ever have to spare. Is that a worthy sacrifice to you?”

“Or what? Taking no chances, making no moves, just waiting to be struck first? It’s not tactically sound judgement to--”

“This is not a discussion of tactics. This is a denial.”

“... Fine! Captain.”

Unceremoniously, the astro class turned, some frustrated sound whirring dangerously through turbines as large as Weathervane himself, and saw himself out. He didn’t acknowledge the small welcome party as he passed, and didn’t offer so much as a nod in his fellow flier’s direction. Weathervane settled, if only a little, paused and frowned. He glanced back at the other mech, smaller than he was, evidently putting it together that this was the Captain. Perhaps he’d assumed it was Shrapnel, Radius thought bemusedly.

He casually continued from where they left off, as if nothing had happened to begin with. Very little on this ship made him feel out of place anymore, not an awkward strut left in him. It seemed Weathervane didn’t have the same luxury.

“You got a minute, Echo?”

The smaller Autobot turned, as if just noticing them himself. “Never,” He replied, almost vacantly, before eyeing the new recruit, “Weathervane, I take it. Captain Echo.”

The addressed nodded. If he seemed to have relaxed any at Shrapnel’s absence, the calm evaporated once more under the piercing, uncomfortable power this bot-- Echo-- exerted by glance alone. Immediately the signs of suppressed anxiety resurfaced.

Thankfully, Echo only focused on him for a fraction of time, though it felt much longer, before coming to a simple, “We’ll discuss your position, shortly. Welcome aboard.” With that, he went back to his control panel and a not-at-all-apologetic excuse of ‘I have work to do.’

Radius hesitated, if only slightly, before turning to usher the recruit out towards the exit on the other side of the main deck. “We’ll show you the medbay and the rest of the quarters, next,” He thought aloud, returned to his same enthusiastic way. As the door opened to let them pass, two sleek black figures strolled past. Their engines purred as they went with their floating gaits and flippant conversation.

They were Velocitronians, clearly, with their flashy, athletic features. They paused as they passed by, throwing warm greetings at the guides and unambiguously sized the newcomer up. The femme with her blazing yellow optics, warm orange stripes and bulky frame, and her partner, all sleek points and neon greens slicing across the black pearled paint. They watched him carefully, curiously, and he pressed his lips to a thin line-- the barest sign he was scrutinizing them in return. Perhaps he just didn’t like the attention. Perhaps he felt challenged. While the two weren’t all pure Velocitronian vanity, some of them definitely was.

“These are Circuitblitz and Calgarydome!” Mace chirped, unprompted as always.

“Pleasure,” The femme-- Circuitblitz-- drawled finally, her lazy accent obvious and thick, “Blitz is fine”. She watched him with unburdened optics sharp, as calculated as steel, and painted orange lips upturned in a vibrant, practiced smile. He managed a soft ‘Weathervane’ in return.

“And I’m Calgarydome,” the other offered energetically, his helm quirked slightly and his smile much more open than hers, “I go by Cal, though! Don’t go forgetting it~”

“I won’t.”

Calgarydome laughed. “Man, you sure are nervous, huh?” He leaned to nudge Weathervane playfully, though the biplane tensed significantly.

“We don’t bite, promise!” Mace giggled from Radius’ shoulder.

“Supposedly.” The Velocitronian shot the drone a taunting look, as if about to start a debate with the little flier. The newbie simply smiled weakly, taking a step back to account for the contact.

“W-well, that’s reassuring.”

“We should be moving on,” Radius finally interjected, interrupting the incoming standoff-- swear to Primus, this always happened. He reached to steady the new recruit, his hand sitting squarely on Weathervane’s shoulder, covering it. “We’re almost done with the tour.”

“Ah, yes. Come on, beau, let’s not harass him,” Blitz purred patiently, mirroring the Wrecker’s hint and reaching to turn her partner back towards the main deck. “We have to report in to the Captain.” Calgarydome groaned.

“Glad to have you two back,” the Wrecker finished as they went their separate ways, and the duo laughed.

“Flattered,” Blitz replied, as the doors closed between them.

“Iii like them!”

“I know you do, Mace.”

“They’re so cool. Do you think they think I’m that cool?”

“Oh, certainly.”

“aHA good! ‘Cause I think I’m pretty close but--”

Weathervane just took a moment to breathe.

--

“This’ll be where your quarters are,” Radius explained, opening a hab suite for the recruit to inspect.

It was near identical to all the others they’d already passed by, two layered berths sat against the far end, a small screen on the closest wall, and even had a small desk, littered with datapads. Lights were built into the upper rim near the ceiling and lit the room a soft, hazy blue. These suites were on the inner edge of the ship, and therefore didn’t have windows like the rooms on the other side, but that was okay. There was plenty of room for a mech his size, clunky wings and all, and that was more than enough.

“Thank you,” He said simply, appreciatively. The Wrecker almost beamed.

“Of course! Nothing like a little slice of home, right?”

“Right.”

--

“And lastly, right down here is the medbay.” Radius stopped as the double doors slid open to let Weathervane in first. He was quickly met by two large bots. They weren’t quite Radius’ size, but still dwarfed the biplane easily. They looked identical in every way except paint, and didn’t have any obvious indicators of vehicle mode-- no wings, no wheels. One looked at him in distant curiosity, while the other--

“OH recruit day was today!?” She gasped, bright yellow optics on him immediately, “I didn’t know it was today!”

“That’s because you don’t keep track of the schedule,” The darker teal one offered humorlessly. The femme shot him a look, but didn’t focus on him.

“Hi! I’m Operandi!” She smiled, bending down slightly so that she was closer to face-to-face with the flier. “That’s my brother, Modus,” she jabbed a finger in the other’s direction, “But don’t mind him. He’s not very friendly--”

“Hey--”

“--But I, for one, am super excited to meet you!” She was obviously quite young, her voice curious and innocent. She didn’t reach to touch him, which was such a welcome change already.

“Weathervane. It’s nice to meet you, too,” he answered with a small smile.

“Welcome to the medbay! Come right in! We hope not to see you often--” she paused, “No offense.” The other twin, Modus, groaned quietly in the background, setting down the datapad in his hands and looking both apologetic and embarrassed. He’d clearly heard that one many times before.

The medical ward was moderately sized, but looked like two different rooms entirely. Half was neat and organized. Datapads were stacked precisely, all the same height, medical supplies in easy reach, labeled in careful, delicate New Cybertronian. The vials were color coded.

The other wasn’t quite sloppy, but was definitely less maintained. Though, this side seemed to have more to do with aftercare and cosmetic fixes than the more surgical, meticulous other half. There were coolant creams with the caps half off and buffers with the cords sloppily wound, pieces of emergency patchmetal and spare pieces in a disorganized pile.

“Well, I hope not to be here often,” Weathervane returned carefully, but Operandi (and Mace) laughed, and so he allowed himself a grin.

“How’re you sparkplugs doing?” Radius asked, seeming content that Weathervane had warmed up to them enough to joke.

“Excellent, Sir.” Modus replied with surprising volume, “We’re finishing our medical evaluations, per Captain Echo’s request.”

“Relax kiddo. Good work.” The Wrecker smiled, and the medic immediately sputtered, murmuring a soft ‘thank you’. ��And Peri?”

“She’s also finished with her assessments, Sir, she’s on her way to log them. Barring your information, of course.” He looked at the biplane indicatively.

Weathervane paused at the nod. “...Information?”

“It’s standard medical protocol,” Modus answered. “We log your serial numbers and proto-activation date to narrow down what kind of parts you require. It’s purely to make sure that if you’re injured, we can treat wounds effectively with as little discomfort and incompatibility-shock as possible.”

“...You can do that? How do you find the parts…?”

“Cal and Blitz are experts at tracking down stuff like that,” Radius offered, “They’re amazing once they get talking.” Weathervane found himself curious, but didn’t get the chance to ask after more.

“Hello, kids--Oh! and others!” A femme poked into the medbay along with them, datapads in her servos. Bumper wasn’t far behind her, sipping absently at a cube and giving Weathervane a lazy smile that was quickly returned.  

“Weathervane, Perimeter. Perimeter, Weathervane. Peri, this is the new guy,” Radius introduced, gesturing between the two.

“Phew! I think that’s finally all of them, Rad!” Mace sighed, as if he were so exhausted by their endeavors, before looking down at the biplane from his perch, “That’s officially it, bud! You’re fully educated!”

“Well, aside from the guys who aren’t aboard,” Radius said.

Weathervane didn’t pay Mace much mind, which just prompted more indignant squawking from the drone. Operandi laughed openly at him and Bumper seemed bemused.While Radius’ comment interested him, the new bot held the biplane’s attention, as always. He simply disliked being in the dark about someone, especially when he would be working with them for quite a while. Call him a people person.

“Very nice to meet you, Weathervane!” Perimeter’s pale faceplate was calm and open, reaching to shake his hand.

“Nice to meet you, too,” he replied, suddenly relieved to not have to repeat the phrase anymore. For a moment, he found the sentiment in himself funny. He took her servo tentatively. She had a firm grip for such a small thing.

“I’m sorry that I can’t stay for now, but I’m sure we’ll be able to talk much more in depth soon! I’ll be sure to ask Echo to excuse you for your evaluation as soon as possible.”

“Evaluation?”

“Ah, yes. I’m a psychologist, so it’s part of the medical analysis process to chat with you upon your introduction to the crew.” His optics tightened. “Which is to say that I look forward to knowing you better!”

He nodded stiffly, but if she noticed she didn’t mention it. He’d been dealing with Radius and Mace all cycle, afterall. Surely he looked tired.

She handed off a stack of her notes to Modus, appreciative of his willingness to rewrite them into the ship’s logs by hand, and doted on Operandi for a brief moment before excusing herself. She spared him a quick smile as she went, eyes suddenly trained so firmly to him that he almost flinched--as if she was looking right through him. Weathervane had the impression she was perceptive. Smart, more so than she let on. He frowned.

“So, where are you from?” The mech twin suddenly turned to Weathervane, snapping him from his thoughts.

“Oh, uh. Vos.” He said. Modus had a datapad back in hand, he noticed, already writing things down.

“And how old--”

“Oh, Vos!” Operandi interrupted, “That’s one of the big cities, right? On Cybertron!”

“Y-yes, it is?” Weathervane frowned, confused. Why ask such an obvious question, unless-- ah, unless, of course, they’d never been on Cybertron. Oh, they were very young, weren’t they.

“I heard it was super tall, since all the fliers lived there!” She was saying, enthused.

“What was it like, living there… if you don’t mind?” Her twin asked.

Weathervane tipped his head, considering. “That’s a lot to cover, if you haven’t even seen the place.”

“I would hope!” She smiled brightly at him. There was a glitter in her eyes, a pure eagerness to learn. Modus, too, had his full attention turned to him from a safer distance, unabashedly interested. There was a passion for knowledge burning in both of them, it was clear to see. He couldn’t help the little spark of fondness that cropped up.

“Alright, alright,” Bumper put up his hands, frowning. “That’s enough ‘reminiscin’ for my tastes. If you’re gon’ start talkin’ about all this, I’ll just catch ya later--”

::All report to the main deck. We’re landing::

“Ah, that can’t be good,” Radius mumbled, not sounding as concerned as his observation suggested he should be.

“What’s going on?”  

“Probably just another maintenance check.  Fuel’s been spotty.”

Weathervane frowned. That would’ve been nice to know before he boarded.

“If that’s the case, it’s a quick fix. Let’s just hustle up to the--” Before the Wrecker could finish, the lights-- so impressive to him before-- suddenly died. Red filled the ship’s hallways, blinking slowly, threateningly.

“Well, that’s definitely a bad sign,” Radius was moving, and Weathervane decided all he could do was follow, taking twice the steps to keep up. “So, this is defensive protocol,” the larger explained, his calm demeanor turned unsettling, “We’re very likely under attack-- or going to be.”

The biplane glanced back at the twins, but they hadn’t moved. Staying behind, he discerned. He moved to keep up with the Wrecker.

“Suitin’ up?” Bumper asked from beside him. Radius hummed an affirmative. They whisked away to where Weathervane recalled the armory was. It was on the way to the main deck, so he didn’t bother to point out the detour wasn’t part of their orders. Especially as a number of others were gathered, too, with the minibot, Battery, handing out various weapons.

Weathervane hesitated, hanging back. Bumper grabbed a small blaster for himself and Radius holstered one. The smaller gave him a questioning glance.

“Not really good with those,” he answered, giving an apologetic smile in the pulsing red light.

“They hinder flying,” Mace agreed, now on his own two feet. He seemed more subdued. Nervous, perhaps. Weathervane supposed they all were, but it was still a noticeable contrast to his previous demeanor. At least he was making himself helpful, though.

“Let’s get to the deck” Radius said, taking a step and then pausing, glancing down at Battery for a moment.

“I’ll catch up once everyone’s stocked.” She tipped her visor his way. “Don’t be reckless.”

“We’re Wreckers,” Mace said, cheer returning a little, “it’s in the name!”

She gave him a look. Didn’t say anything more.

“Right, well,” Radius said, continuing on in a rush. He was good at playing calm, but Weathervane knew enough to spot the cracks.

He suddenly realized he hated lingering this long in the hallways, red swimming in his vision softly. It was ominous, and everyone was much too quiet, with the exception of footsteps. They couldn’t reach the deck fast enough.

Once they did, the Captain was already there, as was the largest of their crewmembers-- Shrapnel, he recalled. They weren’t arguing this time, seeming to agree in their stoic, battle-readiness. The difference in their size was stark, but they held the same tense air of authority.

“Line up,” Shrapnel boomed, once they had all entered. The same holographic map from before was still sitting in the center of the main console, a large red dot looming over the otherwise peaceful blue diagram of their current planet.

Decepticons.

The entire squadron obliged, as close to ‘shoulder to shoulder’ as they could be. Shots clearly rang out from beyond the ship’s sturdy walls, and the battle plans immediately began.

--

The hatch on the bay doors came undone easily, the dense metal sheet retracting into itself and into the Bisector’s high ceilings. It took with it the sense of protection and the physical shield from the foreign planet’s surface-- and whatever was waiting for them.

He couldn’t help the shudder that chilled his plates as white light filtered through the opening. Everyone around him shifted into their alt modes as he stood, hesitating and disoriented, and when he got a grip Bumper was by his side.

“Come on, keep close,” he said, giving Weathervane’s arm a soft tug along as he went. The sounds of fire and explosions never stopped frightening him. They ran out and around, as far out from the ship as possible-- couldn’t attract gunfire to it if they were able. He noted the area they were in was full of boulders, rock faces, outcroppings. Nothing so exaggerated as to make for a bottleneck or hinder flight, but he wasn’t sure if that was to their advantage or not. Ohh, spatial awareness was never his strong suit.

“Now listen up,” Bumper startled him out of his thoughts as they slid down behind cover of a small, half-buried boulder. He poked his head up, blaster held ready in front of him. “These guys don’t know we have an extra flier on our hands, y’know? That means you’ve got the element of surprise.” He shifted back down, gave Weathervane a confident smile. “We just need to figure out how to use that.”

“Right,” Weathervane said, glancing around. Checking what he could see. “I’ll figure it out.”

Behind them, up on the side of the ship, (Primus, she really was small to be able to fit up there,) Battery had climbed out with a variety of heavy weapons in tow. She had what appeared to be a rocket launcher and was taking shots at a very large flier above them, probably an astro class. Shrapnel was almost too difficult to keep track of, flying with tremendous speed and grace. He was doing an excellent job of keeping the astro class’ attention, as well as two other fliers. The fire coming from the enemy Cybertronian jet made Battery’s rocket launcher look like a pea shooter. How frightening…

A number of other fliers were sweeping low, trying to get behind the Autobots’ cover and flush them out. It was clear to Weathervane they were experts, probably military caste (what a useless thought, most of the survivors this far in were,) maneuvering with such elegance and ferocity. Zipping closely to their position, a little drone caught his sudden attention. That paint was terribly familiar--

He felt himself yanked harshly into Bumper’s side as a shot connected with the rock where his chassis had been a moment earlier. Bumper peppered fire back at the drone, forcing them to pull back. Likely to loop back around on them, though. Weathervane, still leaned against his companion, watched their direction carefully.

“This might as well be a good moment,” he muttered, getting back to his feet and creeping to the other side of their cover. Bumper watched curiously, face still set, but a tiny, approving grin dancing across it. He coiled his wires and anticipated when the dark blue flier burst into their line of sight, leaping forward and feeling his wings snap into place, the air buoying him from his falling arc. He surprised them, for sure, by the way they hadn’t started shooting yet.

He just had to get close, which might be a bit easier said than done. It was moments like these he wondered if he really ought to invest in learning to use blasters. Not that he wanted the drone dead, there were things he wanted to ask them, after all. They were far more experienced in the air than he was, as earlier surmised, of course, which was unfortunate but not unpredictable. They tried to loop up and behind him, but had to twist away to dodge a few shots from the ground. Weathervane was quickly becoming quite fond of Bumper.

He lurched and pulled straight up, climbing altitude with as much speed as he could muster, and he could barely hear the quiet hum of the drone’s sleek engines as they followed. They climbed and climbed, and his metal suddenly burned with the attention of several other hostiles in the air. Fire hailed around him, and he felt panic suddenly starting to bubble beneath his stupid fucking plans. He throttled it. Not now.

Abrupt, he dropped into root mode, slamming feet-first into the drone’s nose. Briefly they flipped, but recovered on sheer instinct. Weathervane had counted on it in order to land safely on their back. With a flick of the wrist, his digits became long and sickeningly pointed, rose above his helm as he eyed the metal body beneath.

They spiraled, interrupting his attack. He managed to cling on, but then they shifted to root mode and he was finally thrown off.

He saw her visor, and paused.

She shifted her arms to their blasters as they fell, she head-first and still as graceful as ever.

Weathervane snapped out of it and frantically shifted back, boosting himself in the air just out of the way as she shot at him. He evened out and decided it was time to regroup with-- someone. She was certainly chasing. Think.

A sudden bang from dead center made him stutter his flight, shrieking, absolute maniacal laughter filling the air. He tilted to see another astro class in the middle of the field, (how many did this Decepticon fleet have?) tanking multiple shots in order to stand there and laugh. When she was done, she broke into a full sprint and there was an audible panic from below. A shot grazed his wing and he was reminded he couldn’t afford to stand back and observe right then.

New Decepticon paint flashed under him, passing beneath and ahead with ease before whipping around to face him. He dropped, engines cut just in time to avoid a new set of fire. Mace’s bright orange paint caught him completely off-guard, rushing to his defense with fervor. Though he targeted the pink-and-white jet, the other drone twisted and fled.

Weathervane just focused on getting away.

In the distance to his side, a tower of rock toppled over. Certainly there was a group of Autobots that way, but if he were a guessing mech…

Out of the question. He felt more than saw the explosion. The grounded astro class, still laughing, was tossed smoldering and battered from the blast below. Frantically, he looked for the Autobots. Radius and Stagger were there, with Echo behind them, still on their feet, he noted with some relief. From the way they were heaving, they must have had an intense confrontation with the ‘Con. From the size of the blast damage, he could understand why.

Unbidden, he wondered if Echo had devised some devious plan. Wreckers were known for brute power, not deception.

Unable to find a group not locked in battle, he decided to duck down to the ground and hide while he collected his thoughts and came up with something better than aimlessly buzzing around in death-infested air.

He dropped behind a secluded-looking outcropping, and immediately realized his mistake.

The Decepticon whipped around to face him.

He locked eyes with burning red goggles, frozen.

To be fair, the other mech looked just as plainly shaken as he felt. Neither of them moved for what could have only been less than a couple seconds. Felt a lot longer, as he took a small, shuddering breath in. His fans begged for air.

Slowly, the other mech holstered his gun and raised his hands. Weathervane, feeling a twinge of relief, gave him a slight nod. They break away with a jump, he transforming and skimming the ground back to where he remembered that rock tower toppling. The crumbly surface whips past as panic starts trying to set in again.

He landed into the company of Bumper, Circuitblitz, and Calgarydome just in time to hear the issue clearly:

::They’re pulling back, retreat to the Bisector before they get a chance to regroup.::

Weathervane passed a glance to his teammates, the two Velocitronians already shifting gracefully to their sleek vehicle modes and tearing off without more than an acknowledging nod.

“They’ll buy us extra time,” Bumper’s voice was short and rugged, quick to follow their lead and transform. Weathervane just nodded, shifting back to his shaky wings and tearing off towards the warship, its engines roaring back to life.

--

“-Battery?” “Here”

“Stagger.” “Here”

“Weathervane.”

He started, “Uh, here.”

Echo was much smaller up close than he’d even originally thought --perhaps just shorter than Bumper, who was already quite short-- but not any less intimidating. Where there might’ve been expression in another mech’s visor, much like Radius’ immediately gave him away, there was nothing. He looked in Weathervane’s direction, but didn’t look at him. It was almost cold in its calculation, but the fact that he was here, personally checking his soldier’s wounds, was contradictory and perplexing.

“All present, Captain.” Bumper’s voice caught the flier’s attention, calm as always from where he sat along the wall of the main deck. His leg had been grazed by stray laser fire, so he’d been made to sit while they checked their ranks, but he was otherwise unharmed. He flashed Weathervane a lazy smile, catching him looking his way. He weakly smiled back.

Frustration at their disadvantages seemed to be running high, if the silence was anything to go by, but everyone had made it back in one piece, so he didn’t hear any complaining, either.

They had been largely unscathed. Injuries were mostly minor, some burns and new dents at the worst, nothing that couldn’t be easily mended. Radius and Stagger had taken the most impressive damage from that astro class on the ground, it seemed, but he hadn’t seen the Wreckers so much as flinch at their oozing wounds. Weathervane himself was surprised-- and grateful-- that he’d managed to avoid anything severe. Those fliers had given him a run, and he knew his aerial skills weren’t anything to brag about.

“Good work,” Echo finally addressed, once the crew list had been affirmed, voice resonating in the hollow chamber of the main deck, “The Dreadnought’s crew have certainly become aware of our shortage, but pushing them back is a victory in itself for now. Those of you with injuries, report to the medbay. The rest, back to your stations. We’ll regroup to discuss our plan of action once the cycle is through.”

The Dreadnought, hm?

There was the low buzz of ‘Yessir’s and shifting footsteps. Their own resident astro class was the first to leave, opposite the way of the medbay, he noted, despite the fact he had clear chemical burns trailing up his wings. Battery wasn’t far behind. Weathervane didn’t move though, given that he was both uninjured and still station-less, instead opting to wait until a familiar face could point him in the right direction.

He watched for Radius, who was likely his best bet. He wasn’t difficult to spot in a space much too big for a crew their size to hide him, standing off with Mace, across the room from Weathervane’s perch by the door frame. The obnoxiously colored little drone stood quickly at the dismissal and began to crumple in on himself as soon as his weight reached his pedes.  Radius seemed aware of this before it even happened, a hand waiting to catch the little flier before he even started to tilt. Weathervane didn’t see any injuries on him. Something internal?

Bumper left towards the medbay, not limping but not quite walking right, and Radius followed with Stagger and his little companion not long after.  Weathervane waited, watching his Captain’s back as he worked and eyeing the ship’s many flashing dashboards in shaken curiosity. He hadn’t been on a battlefield in too long, maybe. His long fingers were still twitching from the rush and the panic, and the stress and exertion and the panic. Ah, what a nuisance. It didn’t usually take this long to calm down.  

--

“Hey, you good, rookie?” Radius’ voice surprised him.

He’d been staring in vacant interest for too long. The Wrecker still sported his new injuries, but the leaking energon had been taken care of via a quick solder.

Mace was nowhere in sight.

“Yea, I’m fine,” He answered breezily, not sounding terribly convincing.  

“Listen, I gotta talk to Echo, but if you want to take a breather in the rec room? Might do you some good, it’s been a hell of an orn.”

Weathervane wasn’t going to argue with the offer. “Sure, I think I can manage that.” Radius seemed pleased with that answer, again resting an overly large servo on his shoulder in what he assumed was encouragement. He resisted the flinch.

“Excellent. I’ll catch up with you later.” The smaller nodded, inching out from under the other mech’s hand, and they parted ways, Radius towards the silent mech in the center of the room. He’d almost forgotten he was there at all-- he hadn’t moved or made a sound since the crew had cleared out. Then again, neither had he.

The biplane turned to leave out of the door nearest to his new destination. Once he was in the hallway, he turned to look back across the deck and watched Radius quietly take the captain close to him.

The doors closed behind him, so he kept walking.

It didn’t take him any time at all to remember where the lounge was, but the sound of his designation stopped him. Bots on this ship sure did enjoy interrupting each other--

“Just the mech I was lookin’ for,” Bumper wasn’t walking like he’d been shot anymore, which was a good thing. He had two cubes in hand, both the telltale hot pink of high-grade.

“What a day, hm?” The grounder asked, stopping just short of the newbie and offering him a cube, “As promised.”  

Weathervane took it curiously, swirling the liquid in its container, before looking back up to see him walking ahead already. He moved to follow Bumper’s easy stride towards a long, high-set table near the back of the room.

“Shrap-- the second-in-command-- keeps this stuff stocked pretty well,” he was saying, “Not sure why, never seen ‘im drink any, but maybe it’s a build related thing. I always figured jets must just drink stronger stuff. Or would it be fliers in general?”  He was asking, but truthfully, Weathervane didn’t know. Purified Energon was still a new concept to him, let alone something as filtered and potent as high-grade. He’d heard others say the stuff was supposed to burn faster, but they could have easily been misinformed. The feeling of being in the dark about something was not doing his nerves any favors, though he was relaxing quite a bit in Bumper’s presence as it was.

“Not that I’ve ever heard, but I don’t know,” he said as much. He then, belatedly, wondered why Bumper was allowed to take it, if it were Shrapnel’s. Could be for the whole crew, but somehow Weathervane doubted Shrapnel kept the stuff in supply out of the kindness of his heart.

“Ah, well. Don’t have enough fliers on our squad to know for sure. Unlikely we’d ever get the reason outta Shrap anyway,” Bumper chuckled, easing into gossip so easily, as if they hadn’t just been on a battlefield not too long ago, “He’s not the talkative type.”

“I noticed. He seems… standoff-ish?”

“That’s an understatement. ‘N’ he’s hardly the worst of them.”

Weathervane’s interest was piqued, and he thought Bumper could tell. The look he gave him all but said ‘go for it’, a devious, lazy spark to his visor as he sipped his cube in no delicate fashion. The biplane cautiously took a sip of his own, trying not to balk at the foreign, overpowering taste of it. It wasn’t bad, but he’d have to adjust to it-- it was a far cry from the barely processed fuel he was used to. Bumper didn’t seem offended by the hesitance.

“Nice work out there today, by the way. Wasn’t an easy first day,” the grounder mused, filling the silence, “But you handled it well. ‘N’ you’re pretty quick.” He tapped the side of his helm indicatively.

Weathervane smiled, not as thin as before. “Thanks.” He glanced away, as if, perhaps, bashful. “For having my back, that is.”

“No worries, rookie. That’s how it goes around here. Luckily, only most of our fights are that intense,” He laughed slightly, as if it was a joke.  Weathervane took another conservative drink.

“I’m… not actually a rookie, you know.”

“Sure y’are, a rookie to the Bisector, anyways.”

“That’s not how that works.” Weathervane pouted, which got an amused grin out of the other mech.

“A matter of perspective,” he teased, and Weathervane was surprised that he chuckled at that. It only made the other smile a little more.

“Woe is me,” he said, trying at his drink again. It kinda burned. Not in a bad way, but also a bit in a bad way. He wasn’t sure what he thought of it yet, but it gave him something to do.

“So,” Bumper started slowly, after a bout of comfortable silence, “you look like you’ve got questions.”

“Tons.”

“Well, then ask away.”

[scribblescrabblebabble]

RoyEd Week 2k19 Day 6!

Title: Seven(?) Days

Rating: T+

Relationships: Roy Mustang/ Edward Elric; Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes

Chapter: Day 6- Wait for me

Cross- Posted on AO3 and Fanfic.net links- AO3   fanfic.net

Best quality reading will be through the links, not on Tumblr itself because I’m too lazy to do italics and shit right now. For @royedweek2019 ‘s RoyEd Week!

This is a prompt from day 5, but lets ignore that hehehe.... Hughes lives! AU

--------------------------------------

A long time ago, Trisha Elric had told her sons that, “Good will come to those who wait,”. It was a common phrase, and she had meant this to mean more on the lines of “wait your turn” and “don’t skip in line” and that sort of thing.

Ed mused on his mother’s advice. He noted wryly that waiting hadn’t done her much good at all- it probably did her a whole world of bad, in fact. He never understood why she waited so dutifully. Never, that is, until now. As he looked upon his garden that Friday evening, the alchemist realized that he, unexpectedly, took after his mother in this way.

----~----

Ed awoke on Saturday two hours after he fell asleep; his alarm for 6:00 had yet to ring. Even in his sleep Ed had been restless, as the blankets were twisted at the bottom of the bed, and his pillow lay a few feet from his dresser across the room. In an attempt to calm his nerves, Ed took a long shower and, unable to find a second towel, called Winry with his hair dripping all over the office rug.

As he waited for his sister-in-law to answer, Ed looked out upon the back yard in the office window, dewy and colorful in the early spring sunrise. Maybe he’d pick a few of the flowers to spruce up the house a little bit- was that too cheesy?

Winry’s tired voice greeted him at last, “Hello?”

“Heya Win.” Ed replied, followed by what he guessed to be a sigh.

“Edward, the sun is barely up! What could you possibly need from me? If it’s an emergency I’m sure there are people who live closer to you to call.”

He chuckled a little guiltily, “Sorry Win, ‘M just trying to kill some time until 10:00. I’m too jittery to get anything productive done.”

Winry gasped, “Oh, is today the day?”

Ed nodded, knowing she couldn’t see, “It’s the day.”

            --~--

The past two years had been a long string of going to work at the lab or in the office with Team Mustang, reading the paper, and anxiously awaiting the rare phone call from Al or Roy. To both of their credit, they called whenever possible, but Al was very busy with his teaching job and helping Winry with their young daughter, and Roy…

Roy was never around phones much, Ed guessed.

The blonde currently slouched in his office chair, doodling on a spare sheet of paper in lieu of alphabetizing the sources for his latest compilation of research. Riza looked at him reproachfully from her own desk across the room until he sighed and got back to work, balling up the spare paper and throwing it into the bin. Even then, it took him a minute to focus enough to actually comprehend the words he was trying to sort.

‘Abrams, Addison, Anderson, Amaryllis… wait no, m before n… shit this is dull, I need to get out of here.’ He pushed himself up and muttered about an early lunch break before he strode out of the large room. He looked disdainfully at the coffee machine, before deciding a quick stop by a café would do him better than the bitter crap in the office.

He hadn’t been sleeping well, even worse than he usually tended to, and it was only partially because of the workload regarding his research.

Outside, the air smelt of rain, and Ed regretted not taking an umbrella or something with him when he left (Riza would give him an earful if he came back dripping all over the freshly polished floors). The old coffee shop stood in a quaint corner, rather out of place in the midst of military office buildings, yet wholly welcomed by the lot. Ed knew the barista, Louise, well, and when he walked in she smiled, “Morning, Major! Usual?”

“Please.” Ed sighed, giving her a wad of cash, insisting she keep the change because he was too lazy to try and count it out, and sitting at a small two-person table towards the back of the building. He hadn’t brought any work with him, so while he waited, the alchemist kind of dazed out, just letting the ambiance of the little shop clam his nerves a bit.

A familiar female voice interrupted his tranquil state, “Edward?” He looked up in surprise, coming face-to-face with Rose’s friendly smile. He moved to stand and greet the young woman, but she motioned for him to remain seated, and took the chair across from him.

“Rose, what brings you to Central?” Ed asked curiously.

“Winry asked me to come drop off some parts with clients she has over here. And to check up on you, of course.” The Leorian responded, “Speaking of which, Edward, you look absolutely tragic!”

Ed was about to retort, but Louise came to the table with his usual coffee and sandwich. He thanked her, and took a large bite of his food before continuing where he was interrupted, “I do not look tragic, Rose, you’re being dramatic.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Uhh…”

Ed knew Rose wasn’t nagging just to be annoying, as the evident worry in her eyes was practically palpable. He only assumed everyone else back in Resembool would have the same expression if they saw him like this. This thought sent an arrow of guilt into his stomach, but he suppressed it quickly, changing the topic of their conversation, “Well, they say the war’s dying down a bit in the east. Some Ishvallan insurgent groups and all of the Southeastern front are still neck-in-neck, but that’s a good sign, right?”

Rose gave him a very unimpressed look, knowing full well what he was doing. She took to bait, however, to appease him, “Yeah, I heard the Fürher’s been trying to start peace negotiations, futile as it may seem. Have they begun sending soldiers home yet?”

Ed nodded with a small frown, “Hawkeye said they’re releasing some who have families and stuff to tend to at home: pregnant wives, senile grandparents, and the like. Just means the non-priority soldiers’ll have to stay out longer.”

Rose frowned as well, “Not necessarily. If there’s less conflict, then they don’t need as much workforce out there, you know?”

“I guess.” He sighed.  

Rose rolled her eyes, “I know what this is about, Edward. He’ll be back soon.”

“What, did he tell you? ‘Cuz the certainly didn’t tell me.”

Rose looked cross, “He’s fighting! Not getting any response is better than a letter saying he’s dead! Do you really think digging a pity hole is going to help the situation?”

Ed looked at her angrily, then his expression dropped as he saw then emotion on her own face. He remembered the Rose of eight years previous, broken in the midst of a war, yet not fallen prey to self-pity. Sure, she had been manipulated by Dante, but everything she did was for a good greater than herself. Settling in Resembool, even, was for her son to be happy, and she took her present with such grace it was ridiculous.

Ed looked to his plate and quietly admitted, “It’s just… stressful, not knowing. God, I wish I knew how he’s doing, Rose.”

She smiled, “I know, it’s the worst. But you know what?”

“What?” Ed asked around another bite of this lunch.

“When you do find out, it’ll be worth the wait.” She stood up, “I’ve got to deliver these parts, but I’ll swing by your place tonight. We can make some dinner or something, okay?”

Ed smiled at her, “That sounds great. I’ll see ya then.”

“See ya!” She turned out the door. Ed sat at the table, alone again. Now, however, the thought of returning to his list of names wasn’t so daunting, especially with the promise of Rose’s divine cooking in his future. He took his time finishing the sandwich, and took his to-go cup of coffee back to the office with him.

Riza was the first to acknowledge Ed as he walked in, placing his cup on his desk and making as if to sit down. She held a little orange envelope out to Ed from her desk, and Ed quickly took the telegram. Seeign Riza’s small smile, he had an inkling who it could be from.

“Excuse me.” He muttered, taking the envelope into the long-closed room to his right, Roy’s private office. He pushed down the sadness at the empty desk and lack of paper heaps set out to be avoided, sitting hard on one of the large office chairs, hands shaking a bit as he opened up the folded paper. A smaller slip of paper came out, and Ed read the words greedily.

‘Coming home Oct 16, 10:00. Central West Station.

I have a surprise. Love you more than I can say.

-Roy’

 --~--

After Winry hung up, stating that Trisha had awoken and needed ‘Mama time’, Ed was at a loss for what to do. He trudged back to the bedroom and changed into his day clothes (no point in pretending he may go back to nap). He threw his old clothes into the laundry basket and decided, on a whim, to change out the bedsheets and throw the old ones in with his dirty clothes. That started, Ed began obsessively cleaning the house- once the laundry was piled up, a table looked dusty, then the oven needed a wipe down, and he had to cook his own breakfast so there would be dishes, and so on, until before he knew it, the clock struck 7:00 and the phone rang.

Ed threw down the dish rag, seemingly broken from his mindless work trance, and retreated back to the office to answer it. This time, Gracia’s voice greeted him.

“Edward? How’re you doing?”

Ed sighed, but it came out as more of an exasperated laugh, “Just barely keeping it together, I guess! Trying to find something to do until I can go down to the station.”

Gracia laughed as well, sounding just as tired as he felt, “I understand the feeling. Elicia and I’ve been up for hours!”

“Have you talked to Maes?” He hoped he didn’t sound too desperate, but that hope was fairly fleeting.

“Not for about two weeks, but I haven’t heard from anyone else about him so that’s a plus, yeah?”

Ed didn’t want to tell Gracia that to him it absolutely wasn’t a plus, so he just hummed in agreement, “Roy hasn’t called or anything since the telegram. I guess we’ll see what that means today.”

“have you thought about what that surprise could be?”

“Yeah, probably too much.” Ed laughed a bit, “It’s making me even more anxious, somehow.”

Gracia laughed lightly, “Hey, so I called to ask if you wanted me to bring some lunch to the station for you. I’m already bringing some for Elicia so it’s not a big deal.”

“No thanks, I can’t eat right now.” Ed politely refused. Gracia seemed to understand, for she didn’t push the matter.

They talked lightly until Gracia hung up (something about an oven or something like that). The blonde stood in the study, anxious and with nothing to do for the next three hours.

--~--

Ed watched the tracks obsessively. He knew he’d definitely know when the train came to view, but he’d grown so anxious and excited he couldn’t do much more than sit and stare. Gracia sat beside him, reading the paper with Elicia working through a novel beside her. She seemed very composed and must make Ed look like an absolute wreck in comparison. Her day dress looked very clean and neat, whereas Ed had barely the patience to bother fully buttoning his own shirt.

Elicia noticed the train first, dropping her book and standing quickly, “Mom, Ed, I heard a whistle!” The eleven-year-old bounced excitedly as the train slowly screeched into the station. Ed felt his nerves burn deep in his abdomen, and he almost felt sick as he stood with the woman and girl, watching the train cars take far too long to slow down. Inside the train, every window was filled with blue-capped soldiers, their faces practically pressed to the glass, much like small children, in search of their loved ones. Several groups in front of Ed jumped and waved, their husbands or wives or whatever identified out of the many faces in the vehicle.

Finally, the train stopped, and the soldiers were let off one-by-one, each saluting their superiors at the doors before they were set free to find their families. Ed anxiously stood about the growing crowd of soldiers.

Hughes was the first out of the two, happily saluting his superior and running straight to Gracia, having seen her already from inside the train. HE managed to lift and spin both Gracia and Elicia at one time, an all-around bubble of joy. Seeing Ed, he shot the blonde a broad, knowing smile. After three more men, Ed finally, finally, spotted Roy. He boarded off the train, saluted, and scanned the crowd hopefully.

His eyes found Ed the moment the blonde’s feet began to move and was thusly prepared for Ed’s weight as he ran full-force into Roy’s arms. They didn’t talk for a short time, too busy trying to get each other as close as possible, as if to make up for the lost time. Then, Ed leaned back to look over the other, checking for injury.

Roy laughed, and it sounded pretty close to perfect, “I’m not hurt, Ed.”

Ed laughed too, finding his emotions burst out with his smile, “I had to make sure, you haven’t really contacted me aside from a single telegram in-“

He fell quiet, as suddenly Roy’s mouth was in the way and he was too busy kissing him back to continue his protest. “I’m sorry,” he murmured as they parted.

Ed sighed for dramatic effect, “I think I can excuse it this one time. Besides, I believe there was a surprise I was promised?”

Roy’s smile brightened, if that was possible, and he quickly looked to the superior officer at the door and back to Ed, “Of course! They should be off of the train soon; had to have a double check.”

“They?” Ed repeated, confused. Roy just smiled and took Ed’s hand, leading them to the door of the train. Looking back, Ed could spot Maes with a devilishly gleeful look, Elicia jumping around excitedly, and Gracia looking at he and Roy with a hand over her mouth. “Roy, what’s going on?” Ed asked.

They reached the doors as the superior officer helped out the last of the ensemble, two very shaken looking Ishvallan children, a boy and a girl. If Ed had to chance a guess, he’d peg them at around two or three years old. They looked around, helplessly confused, and Ed realized with a sinking feeling in his gut that their parents weren’t with them. They didn’t have anyone to meet at this station. Except…

They noticed Roy, and walked quickly in a beeline to him. As they reached the couple, the children seemed to realize that Roy had a companion and slowed shyly. The older man chuckled and squatted down to be eye-level with the two, “Molly, Gregory, this is Ed. He’s my husband.” He looked up at Ed, motioning for Ed to join him on the ground. He did, and the children seemed to look at him curiously. Roy continued, “Ed, this is Molly, and this is Gregory. Their parents asked me to… to take good care of them.” The blonde’s heart stung at the visible pain in Roy’s eye from a memory he was sure to learn of later.

He also saw a bit of uncertainty in his husband’s face. He realized that he’s been awfully non-responsive to the two so far, and Roy was essentially bringing kids into the complicated equation of their relationship. Smiling, Ed squeezed Roy’s hand affirmatively.

“Molly and Greg? Well, this is a surprise!” Roy’s grin lost it’s callous edge, seeing Ed’s positivity, and he pulled the both of them up to their original standing position.

Ed turned to the little kids, “We’ll make sure to take great care of you. I’m not very good at doing things halfway.”

Molly nodded and replied, “kay,”.

“You alk-mee too?” Gregory asked, hiding a bit behind his sister.

“A-alchemy? Yeah, I’m an alchemist.”

Roy muttered, “Greg’s blown away by alchemy. Thinks it’s the coolest thing he’s ever seen.”

Ed grinned broadly, “Well, that’s good! Cuz you’re gonna be around a lot of alchemy, right?”

The little boy’s eye sparkled, “Ya!”

Roy proffered the hand not already taken by Ed, which Molly took gladly. Greg was hand-in-hand with Molly as Roy led the little pack towards the Hughes’s, Gracia looking like she might cry, and Elicia already running to give her Uncle Roy a big welcome hug.

Ed looked back at the two kids- technically his two kids. ‘Oh, fuck I’ve got kids!’ he thought, finding himself increasingly excited about the prospect. Plus, if these kids already thought alchemy was awesome, what could possibly go wrong?

[imagines-forthe-soul]

Red Ninja Babe Headcanons

Since Tumblr flagged the original post since I had lots of nsfw gifs in it, I’m just reposting this because I still love this red baby of mine.

Warning: Probably lots of spelling mistakes and errors cuz I’m a lazy dumbass that doesn’t like to proofread

__________________________________________________

Tsūrunaka Hattatsu:

General info:

Name: Hattatsu Tsūrunaka (Hattatsu meaning growth or enlargement and the Tsūru for his last name meaning tool)

Age: 17

Birthday: July 28

Zodiac: Leo

Height: 5’10

Weight: 201Lb

Hair Color: Red

Eye Color: Prussian Blue

School: Seijin Academy

Class: Second Year, class 5

Alignment: Hero

Physical description: Average height, muscular body, serious features, square/chiseled jaw, an ‘X’ scar on his left cheek, thick eyebrows, wide eyes, slender nose. He looks generally handsome but can come off as rather intimating and scary. He has that cool, dangerous, and mysterious look about him though that is not how he really is.

Quirk (as said on the wikia): “Gigantification Quirk: The main strength of this Quirk is that it allows the user to increase the speed, strength, and size of the things the user touches, This can be used on bolts and Nails, Also seems the user can increase the speed to bring forth powerful momentum to increase the power of the user’s attacks, while the sudden increase in size can increase physical strength and destructive range of the weapons.This Quirk is very versatile As the user can customize the ammo to specific situations like using Tungsten against fire Quirk users. It is unknown if this Quirk is restricted to inanimate objects.”

Likes: curry buns, fluffy things, dogs

Dislikes: Dry weather, pickled fish, failing

Current concern: “I want to make my mother breakfast in bed for her birthday but I have no idea what to make.”

General:

He as born on July 28 in a hospital in Osaka, Japan and was given the name of Hattatsu Tsūrunaka (first-last Name).

He was an awfully quiet baby, mostly observing his surroundings and people, wanting to soak up as much information as he could with his wide eyes. He was awfully observant as a babe and picked up on a of things even at such a young age. It made him look rather serious and angry to say the least but it honestly added onto his his cuteness.

Plus!! He had super chubby cheeks and the sweetest little frowny eyebrows. His mother has a lot of photos of him with his little angry expression on his face and she can’t help but gush at them from time to time.

However, despite his angry or serious expression, Hattatsu was an incredibly easy baby to deal with, never putting up too much of a fuss with anything and was usually okay with people holding him and wanting to be close to him. He was a rather chubby baby so everyone wanted to kiss and hug him, and usually most babies are fussy or whine for their parents, but he rather enjoyed getting to meet so many new people and would even smile when people showed him affection.

His mom also dressed him up in a lot of bear onesies when he was a babe. He has a least four different types of Bear onesies in different colors, but her favorite was the brown one. She would mainly have him wear them during Christmas and would let him walk and play around in them until he was tired of wearing them.

He was really attached to his mother as both a baby and a toddler because she was really all that he had since his father died a short time after he was born. He would often cling to her leg or hold her hand wherever they went, always keeping a lookout in case some scary man tried to talk to his mother. He would also (try, mind you) to cook for his mother in the mornings to surprise her, but would usually end up making a mess or burning something, resulting in lots of tears and apologies from Hattatsu, but his mother couldn’t stay mad at him for long.

The day Hattatsu got his quirk was a bit of a wild day. He was in the park with his mother and dog, happily throwing around a ball when playing fetch with their dog. When it was Hattatsu’s turn to throw the ball, he sneezed mid throw which somehow activated his quirk and made the tennis ball grow at least 50 times it size. Both his mother and dog and everyone around them were extremely shocked and surprised at what they had just seen, but their shock turned into awe soon and claps went around for Hattatsu to congratulate him on finally getting his quirk and for the force it seemed to have.

After that day, He started practicing on his quirk more, using smaller objects and making them bigger. It took a lot of energy from him but he was a real strong kid and would train himself for hours to be able to both make the object big, and keep it that way for a while, soon moving up to making multiple objects bigger and holding their form.

It wasn’t until he was in middle school when he realized just what else he could do with his quirk. Not only could he enlarge an object by a great amount but he could also increase the speed and the destructive force of that object.

And true to how he was as a baby, Hattatsu grew up to be rather serious and took lots of his classes and training seriously. He had a strict regimen that he followed everyday to keep himself and his quirk in peak condition. He wants to be the best he can be in order to make both his mother and late father proud.

With this in mind, he didn’t get to make many friends and only really greeted people if he walked by them and said his goodbyes after school before going home.

And contrary to how he may look, he isn’t interested in becoming a hero for the fame and glory, but he’s in it for the money.

Much like Ochaco, he wants to be a hero to earn enough money to support his mother. He believes that after everything she has done and sacrificed for him, the least he could do is give her the majority of his earnings to make her life easier. He and his mother sometimes get into arguments about it, but he is determined to help his mother in any way he can.

With all that in mind, Hattatsu  immersed himself in his training and studying to hone his skills to use his quirk efficiently and get noticed by some top schools. He kept all his grades up and made sure to get perfect scores on all his physical exams and training.

When he got into Seijin Academy, he and his mother were extremely happy and excited that he had gotten into a rather good school. The school was known for its discipline and intense courses and was known to have birthed many great Pros so it was just perfect for Hattatsu.

With that being said, Hattatsu made sure to be even more rigid with his schooling. He easily became the top student in his class, always passing his homework, schoolwork, and exams with flying colors. There has never been a time where he has gotten less than an A- on anything.

However, he isn’t a jerk about it. He rarely boasts about his grades and actually helps his fellow students a lot with their school work when t comes to subjects they are weak in.

Like Momo, he holds lots of study/homework sessions at his house (since he is an off campus student) every Saturday. He lets students from any and all classes come to his house for a full day, spending an hour or so on different topics before giving them a little quiz to do to see if what he had been tutoring them on has really payed off.

In doing this, Hattatsu was able to make a lot more friends. People were pretty surprised that he was so open and talkative despite his serious outlook and they often describe him as being rather blunt but in a humorous way.

His closest friends are the Yellow Ninja Twin babes, Ezra (the one with his left eye covered) and Dezna (the one with his right eye covered), the Green Ninja Babe, Hanzo and their group name is called the Seijin 4.

He is dubbed the “Dad” of the Seijin 4 because he is always nurturing and protecting his friends with everything he has. He always gets them out of trouble or funks they may be in, always lending them a helping hand when he knows they need one.

And just like fathers, his jokes are usually dad jokes that he makes unironically. It’s just how his humor is. Sometimes he’ll say a dad joke and his friend will burst out in laughter and he’s just very confused as to why they’re laughing so hard.

When he is being funny though and wants to crack a joke, his jokes are usually lengthy but boy do they make you weak. They’re so skillfully told and thoughtout and they will bring you to your knees in a fit of laughter.

He is usually modest but can point out someone else’s faults/weakness. He doesn’t do it on purpose, but sometimes he can’t help but point out someone’s weakness/fault when in combat or when he is trying to correct them if they come to him for help.

He can also be a bit of a jerk because he is pretty blunt from time to time. He doesn’t see the point in withholding the truth and will always say what is on his mind, although he will apologize if he has realized he has hurt someone

Respects women 100%. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to help any woman in need. If they need something from the top shelf, he’ll get it for them. If he is approaching a door with a woman behind him, you bet he opens the door and steps aside to let her in first. If he’s at the lunch table and one of his friends that’s a girl comes to sit down, he will offer up his seat or help her push in her seat. And lord, if he ever sees a girl crying you can bet he will drop everything he is doing to help her out. He will be her shoulder to cry on or let her vent all her frustrations to him, giving her advice where need be and if she asks for it.

However, Hattatsu is actually shy around girls most of the time too. I think it’s pretty safe to say that Hattatsu — well, the Seijin 4 in general — is a heartthrob and he often gets love letters and confessions from different girls and even boys and he just gets so flustered. Each time he gets one his face outmatches the color of roses and tomatoes by a landslide. Even the tips of his ears and neck turn a deep scarlet color with each and every love confession he receives.

Around boys, he’s just very stiff and nods. He really doesn’t know what to do when guys confess to him. He knows girls are a lot more soft and fragile than men are and knows how to deal with them, but he is completely clueless on what to do when guys confess.

Hattatsu is also rather talented. He has a lot of hidden talents that not even his mother knows about. A few of his many hidden talents are that he can balance anything perfectly, he knows lots of random facts on any topic, and he can make himself cry on command.

He can speak four languages (Japanese, Korean, English, and French) and is learning German and Italian currently.

He can speak a little too fast at times too, and it really messes up his sentences and he gets slightly embarrassed about it. When he rolls over his words because he’s speaking too fast, he stops himself, takes in a deep breath before starting his sentence over.

He also slips into German sometimes when he’s excited or angry or experiencing any type of intense emotion. He gets a little embarrassed about that too, but he gets over it a lot faster since people are usually amazed by it.

He works out on a daily basis without fail. From the time school is out until 6pm he is in the gym, cranking iron until his shirt is sweat soaked. He wants to be able to mold and strengthen his body so he can create and later perfect his ultimate move which involves him carrying an object he has made bigger. His muscles are huge and his chest has been chiseled by Apollo himself and his abs could great even the hardest of diamonds. Dude looks good.

But… he is a little self conscious about his body, mainly his nipples because they’re a very pink and he feels like they stand out too much.

He actually wears a fundoshi unironically. He just thinks they suit him a lot better and they keep everything protected. However, he does wear boxers when he is at home.

He’ll never let anyone find out but his mom buys all of his underwear for him. You didn’t hear this from me.

His eyesight is slightly poor. He can’t really see things that are far away so he has to wear contacts when he’s at school or during training/combat. However, when he is at home, he wears prescription glasses. His mother thinks that his glasses suit him and he looks a lot like his father with them on.

The biggest dog lover out there! If there is a dog anywhere near him, he will rush right over to the dogs owner and ask if he can pet it. You know that one video where the guy is petting a cat and he says “it takes a pet like no problem”? That’s Hattatsu with dogs.

He likes fluffy pillows bye

When he was younger, he didn’t really know much about cooking and would often burn foods, but he’s gotten a lot better and has perfected many dishes. Everyone that tries his food loves it and he will often do requests that his friends have and bring it to school for them. He is also a really good baker and will bake for his friends (mostly his mother) quite often.

His taste in music goes from hard core punk rock to classical scores.

He rolls his “R”s a lot. Either when he’s speaking a different language or when he’s worried and scared.

He has the patience of a God which adds onto his Dad role. He has a few baby cousins and they love him so much. They often want him to play with them and ask him a whole bunch of questions and not once does he ever get annoyed or snap at them. He just lets them ask questions after question and he answers them without issue!

In general he is just very good with kids and loves playing with him. He wants to have a big family and be able to play with them often.

He has a stuffed bear named Hano-Chan since he was a kid and he is not afraid to let people see it. Hano-Chan has been his favorite thing forever and he will not be embarrassed if someone asks him about it. However, if anything ever happens to sweet Hano-chan, he would flip out. The Bear was a gift from his father and he’d be damned if anything happened to it.

He puts a lot of focus into his hair without realizing it. When he’s not in his uniform, he likes to style his hair in a spiky and unkempt look that really suits him. There are points of hair all around his head with some loose strands falling in front of his face. He buys a lot of gel and conditioning products and has several different types of combs that he uses to style his hair.

He actually does a lot of self care and hygienic things. He likes to keep himself fresh and smelling good because he doesn’t want to stain everything he touches with the smell of sweat. He showers twice a day and uses Bulgari soap to give him that manly smell. He also uses unscented shampoo because he doesn’t want to have clashing scents on him. He makes sure his nails and teeth are always clean and makes sure not to touch his face too much to avoid acne.

He also does a lot of the House chores and lets his mother rest whenever he gets the chance. Things like laundry, gardening, washing the dishes, feeding and washing the dog, and other general House cleaning duties are all the things he does in his free time to help take the burden off his mother’s shoulders.

He can play the piano really well. He started learning when he was younger and was pretty good at it then, but now he is even better. He plays a lot for his mother when she is reading or when she is feeling down.

Boyfriend:

He is such a sweet boyfriend. Like I said, he is a complete gentleman and really only ever wants what is best for you. He will go to the ends of the earth for you if it means your happiness.

He opens doors for you, pushes in your chair, gets you random flowers every other day, makes you lunch, anything that puts a smile on your face.

He is a little nervous when it comes to physical affection. He doesn’t exactly know where he should and shouldn’t touch and he doesn’t want to overstep any boundaries you may have by touching you somewhere you don’t like. He always asks before he touches or holds you, wanting to make sure it’s okay with you first.

However, if you’re the one that wants to be close and physically affectionate, he’ll let you do so without issue. You can just come up to him randomly and wrap your arms and legs around him and he’ll just accept it, setting downs whatever he may have had in his hands and holding you to him until you’ve had your fill.

He loves holding your hand and kissing your forehead though. He thinks it’s one of the most innocent and intimate gestures of affection there are and he just lives for it. His favorite times to hold your hand are when you’re walking together or cuddling. It just makes him so warm inside because he just wants to be connected and close to you at all times.

He is the type of boyfriend to not really understand a lot of girl things, but tries his best. If you send him out for tampons/pads, chances are he might get the wrong brand/size but he tried his best and he’s really sorry about it so you can’t even be mad at him. And please don’t ask him about makeup because he knows absolutely nothing about it. One day you asked him to buy you a beauty blender and he bought a literal blender and said “I don’t know how this is going to help but here it is. Please mind the blades when you use it, babe”

During the winter you shall never be cold because he offers many if not all of his hoodies and sweatshirts to you to wear. Your closet is ¾ your clothes and ¼ Hattatsu’s hoodies/sweatshirts. He just doesn’t want you to get sick and his clothes are just big and trap a lot of heat in them and he wants you to have em… and it may also be because he really likes seeing you in his clothes. His hoodies reach to your knees and your arms can barely poke out of the arms and he just thinks it’s adorable.

He will always let you sleep on him if you need it. All you have to do is ask and he will bring you onto his lap, your chest against his with your arms and legs wrapped around him and your head in the crook of his neck. He’ll even take of the shirt he is wearing to drape it around you as a form of blanket because like I said, baby doesn’t want you to be cold or get sick.

Hattatsu will almost always go along with any date plan you have as long as it doesn’t involve anything too dangerous. If you want to go smirking at the beach, he’s game but sets up a lot of precautions. If you want to go to a movie, sure thing, but just let him pay for everything. If you want to go to a cafe, he’s totally down, but let him get the food and pay for your drinks at the very least.

Speaking of dates, the ones he plans are always so… amazing and whimsical. Like on your first date, he took you for an evening picnic with food that he and his mother made together. He would have secured a park bench for you both and dressed it in a nice table cloth and even brought some mason jar fairy lights to help illuminate the table for when it got darker. The food and the scenery and the time of Day was just so perfect. You swear you were in like some fairy forest eating food made of wild fresh herbs, spices, and fruits.

However, your favorite date with him (which is something you guys do quite often now) is when he took you in his truck to a large field of grass and flowers. There, he had let you frolic in the grass and flowers whilst he took pictures of you and soon set up a photo timer system so that he could join you and still capture more moments. Afterwards, he told you he had another part to your date and asked that you stay in the front of the truck whilst he bustled about behind it. Eventually he came to get you and showed you what he had been doing and it was breathtaking. He had laid the bed of the truck with a thick duvet and on it lay his computer, some popcorn, chocolate, flowers, and some more fairy light fixtures and pillows. On his computer was a downloaded version of your favorite movie. You both watched the movie and eat happily, laying together on the bed of the truck before stargazing once the movie was over.

You can’t tell me that he doesn’t have a WIP scrapbooks he’s been working on since your second date. It had pictures of both you and him together, doing different things with smiles on your faces and cute little filters on some of the pictures as well. As time goes on, I’m sure he would have at least three scrapbooks made, one for you and him both, one for you that he keeps himself, and for him that he’s given to you.

He calls you the cutest nicknames ever: “Sweetpea, love muffin, gumdrop, sweetie, love, pumpkin, joy, bright eyes, babe/baby, sweet cheeks, angle cakes.” And the best thing about these names is that he doesn’t do so to be sickeningly sweet, he just genuinely likes those names for you. He’ll even say them in different languages sometimes as well. Also, he really likes for you to call him sweet nicknames as well, but his all time favorite is “Bear”. When you call him that his knees go weak and his heart thrums against his chest like the wings of a hummingbird.

Speaking of languages, he likes to speak to you in the ones he knows fluently. He does so when he’s being really sweet and affectionate or when he wants you to learn the language along with him.

He gets rather jealous sometimes. He trusts you completely, but he doesn’t trust other people. You’re a huge catch, you’re perfect and beautiful and anyone with any type of sense would want to be with you, so when someone talks you up and tries to flirt with you, he just… boils where he stands and glares at the person flirting with you before going over and getting between the two of you.

And don’t get me started on how protective he is of you. If there is any kind of inconvenience or danger near you, you are behind him so that he can take the full force of any attack. He doesn’t know what he would do if you were the one to get hurt. He will carry you if your hurt or if there is a puddle on the floor and he will most definitely sacrifice his life for you too.

You guys have sleepover saturdays too. You you dress up in animal themed onesies (him in a Brown Bear onesie and you in a puppy onesie) and you both camp out on his couch and watch movies and shows and talk to one another well into the night before getting to bed, cuddled up against one another.

He is the most understanding boyfriend ever. It might be a little angering just how understanding he is but he just doesn’t want any conflict between you two. Fights are a rarity and if one ever does arise between you both, he will do everything he can to understand your side of your argument and bring it to a mutual close before it escalates to anything.

He hardly ever cries but every time you wear a dress the tears just flow down his cheeks before he even knows what’s happening. You just look so beautiful and pure and it takes the breath from his lungs.

He will also cry during moments in which you two are both peaceful and close. Like it’ll be the middle of the night and you two are in his kitchen, your feet on top of his as you both dance. He’ll break out in silent tears because he’s just so happy to be in a situation like this with you.

He texts you quite a lot. He just loves to keep in contact with you, checking up on you throughout the day, sending you wholesome love memes, and pictures of himself to you. Actually that’s something he does very often. It’ll be during random times of the day when you get a picture message of Hattatsu, smiling into the camera with a caption that says “Hey, starshine. How’re you doing today? I’m about to go to the gym but I’ll chat with you later. I hope you’ve had enough water and food today. Let me know if you want me to come over.” You have to save all of his pictures because they’re honestly just so cute and handsome and you swoon at each one.

Hattatsu is also the type of boyfriend that likes to video call when you guys are a distance away. Say you’re on vacation in whatever country and he’s stuck in Japan, he’ll set up times in which you both can video chat and talk to each other about how your vacations are going or anything you feel like talking about.

He brings you food a lot. He knows all your favorite restaurants and food vendors and is aware of all the snacks and foods you favor more. You’ll be chilling at home or in your dorm room and suddenly hear a knock on your door and it’s just Hattatsu with bags of chocolate, chicken nuggets, fries, milkshakes, and a few cookies. He just likes to know you’re eating and even if it’s not the healthiest foods, he’s just comforted that it makes you happy and that you appreciate what he does for you.

He actually also invites you to a lot of dinners at his house with his mom. All three of you would be in the kitchen cooking and talking and having a good old time together before sitting at the table to eat everything.

To be honest, even though he is a bit of a health nut, he won’t ever push you to eat healthy and work out like he does unless you want to and ask him yourself. If you do want to lose weight or get in shape and you come to him for advice and help, he will gladly do so, but he won’t ever put too much pressure on you or be annoying with his motivation.

Working out with him is actually a lot of fun because he listens to music that really gets your blood pumping and makes you want to move.

He becomes like a mother hen when you get sick, doting on your every need and doing whatever he can to make you feel better and get you back to your full health. At school, he’ll go to all of your classes and ask your friends and teachers for all the notes you’re missing and when he finally gets to you at home in bed, he’s making you soup, reading your notes for you, changing the towel on your head and making sure you’re the perfect temperature.

NSFW Headcanons Below: 

Home boy has a big dick, okay? 6 inches of uncircumcised and pure power and boy is it thick. He has a lot of noticeable and very sensitive veins on his cock and it drives him completely crazy when you run your tongue on them. His head is blunt and wide but you’re thankful for it because if his head was any smaller, it would hurt a lot to get his shaft in you because that thin is thick!!!! His cock has a lot of darker pink tones, kind of making it look as though it should belong to an older man but it really suits him.

He doesn’t have much pubic hair and usually shaves it down. He thinks that it gets in the way and adds drag to his movements. However, when he goes through periods in which he doesn’t shave, his pubic hair gets really thick and coarse and he even has a little happy trail.

Okay, so Hattatsu has no experience at all. Sweetie doesn’t even know what a vagina looks like, I shit you not. He grew up his entire life never having seen a single vagina but when he does see one he is pleasantly surprised.

However, he has taken some Family Life classes so he knows how sex works, but he’s just… very embarrassed about it.

He doesn’t masturebate often either. Dude is practically a saint. He gets horny quite a lot but he just can’t bring himself to touch himself most of the time, especially when his mother is in the house.

When he does masturbate though, he likes to take his time, Giving his shaft slow, long strokes that has him gasping for air every time his fist reaches to the tip of his cock and squeezes.

Boy does he love playing with his balls. They’re extremely sensitive and are always so full. He has to bite down on his pillow or hand or anything he can reach to stifle his moans because it just feels so damn good.

Also… he cums a lot. Like a lot a lot. Like the first time he ever came, he was extremely panicked because he had made such a huge mess. There was a huge stain on his bed and a mess of his cum on his shirt and legs. He nearly had a heart attack and his mother was very confused when she saw him washing his sheets so early in the morning.

He prefers masturbating in the shower, leaning against the wall and jerking himself off as the hot water beats down on his body. But when he masturbates on his bed, he likes to do so on his hands and knees, using one hand to hold him up as the other jerks himself off. He makes sure to keep a towel or something to catch everything once he reaches orgasm though.

When it comes to actual sex, he’s very awkward and makes a lot of mistakes the first couple of times.

When he first sees you naked, he’s a bit stunned and just doesn’t know what to say,  so for a while he’s just staring at you with his mouth gaping open and his hardon bobbing in satisfaction at the sight before him. It made you extremely nervous and self conscious so eventually you just called things off because you couldn’t take it. He made sure to apologize and explain himself though.

When it came to attempt number two of having sex, he let you take the majority of the lead, letting you instruct him as to where he could put his hands, where and how you liked to be touched, and basically just how to properly please you without being too awkward.

But man… man oh man, is this boy just in awe of your body. You’re just so beautiful to him and he can’t help but stop and stare at your body below or above him.

He eventually becomes a lot more used to your body and how everything works and turns into a very sensual and gentle lover. All his actions are full of love and are light but leave such an intense and intimate burn on your skin. Sex with him will always have you gasping and moaning and clutching him close because a moment without his touch would just be too unbearable.

He is a huge titty man. It doesn’t matter what size your boobs are, he just loves how cute and round they look and will always want to touch and hold them (with your permission). He won’t really say it out loud, but you’ll be sure to pick up on just how much he likes your breasts because he pays a lot of attention to them, always marveling at them, gliding his rough fingers along your nipples and in between them. And if the way he sucks on them isn’t a dead giveaway too, then I don’t know what else is.

When he sucks on your nipples, he does so calmly, slowly, letting his mouth encase the hard bud and giving it long sucks that draws the best moans from you. However, he gives off a few moans himself too because he’s just so pleased by the way they feel and taste in his mouth.

At first, he is pretty vanilla too. He didn’t think kinks were necessary for sex, but he would comply with whatever you want to do as long as it isn’t too extreme. But after you showed him some kinks and different things, he found that he started liking them.

Things like spanking, praise, nipple play, and orgasm denial really excite him. It’s never anything too heavy, but whenever he does it he feels himself growing closer and closer to his release.

He also really like having music playing in the background. Things that are slow or warpy or have really intense beats really get him into the mood of things. Some examples of songs he’d bang to are Never Be Like You by Flume, Champagne and Sunshine by Tarro, and Quick Music Doodles by Two Feet.

He has really sensitive nipples. They’re a bright pink and sensitive and there is hardly ever a time when they aren’t hard and perky. If you play with hem or even do so much as graze your fingers over when when having sex, he’ll melt.

Hickies are another thing he really enjoys, mainly receiving. He likes that you want to mark him as yours, to let everyone know that he is taken and that no one else can have him. He will wear his hickies or any other sex induced mark you give him with pride (just as long as his mama doesn’t see em)

He really likes the missionary position or any position that lets him see your face. He wants sex to be an intimate and close experience between the both of you and doing it in the missionary position is perfect for that. Other positions would be like spooning, you on top, or with his legs crossed and you on top.

Hattatsu is kind of bad at giving oral but he tries his best. He’s just awfully sloppy and doesn’t know how to multitask down there, but if you guide and help him a bit, he can get the job done nicely.

He won’t ever say it lest he sound like some pervert, but he really loves receiving head and cumming on your chest. He knows he cums a lot and that it will be kind of gross but he just… really wants to do it. If you ever allow him to and continue to allow him to, he will enjoy it so much.

His moans are so deep and low but he doesn’t do it very often. He’ll let out those sexy moans every so often and you’ll want to do everything in your power to have him make more of that sweet sexy noise.

[lostinsantacarla]

A Visitor from SoCal 

Note: Thought I might share a snippet of what we’ve been writing. This story takes place shortly before Mae is introduced to the rest of the Lost Boys gang inside the old hotel. The parts for Mae and Veronica were written by @thesparklingpariah /Marko and David are all mine. ;-)

Mae kept no set schedule, preferring to come and go as she pleased, since the whims of the paying public were extremely fickle. What that meant in English was that she took random days off, depending on how busy things were the day before. Yesterday had been a good day for sales, so she’d decided to treat herself to a day of being lazy, which had culminated in a walk along the pier all the way to the end, just because she felt like it. The breeze was cool this far along the water, and she stood by the railing, her eyes closed as she took it all in. Mae was the only person at the edge; most of the tourists were either heading home or still on the rides. The end of summer meant fewer guests and space was no longer at a premium.

The relative silence was broken by the tide…and the click of heels along the wooden boards. If it weren’t for the wind blowing in just the right direction at just the right time, Mae would have ignored whoever was heading her way, but the scent on the wind made her heart sink to her feet: the sickly sweet smell of decay and the heady florals of Marc Jacobs perfume. Shit. Mae whipped around, coming face to face with a woman she hoped to never see again: Veronica, “daughter” of Miguel, third-in-command of the Los Angeles coven. Her ex-girlfriend.

“Hello, sweetie.” Veronica purred, her deep, rich voice curling around Mae’s ears like a cat. She’d never trusted cats.

“Veronica. I assume this isn’t a friendly visit?” Mae growled, sticking her hands in her pockets. She wrapped her hand around her switchblade.

“Just here to see how you’re doing.” Veronica shrugged, her own hands in her Armani jacket. Despite the strong breeze, she looked perfectly unruffled.

“You mean you’re here to see if I’m still alive.”

“Precisely.”

Marko had just punched out for the night, his jacket hanging haphazardly over one shoulder as he slipped out the back doors and into the narrow, makeshift alley behind the Seabreeze.

His pockets were full of dough, tips from the many patrons he’d served, and the dollars kept falling out, even after he’d secured the colorful garment over both shoulders. It put a smile on his face as he bent down to pick them up one by one, chasing after a couple as the breeze from the ocean tried to sweep them away.

One foot stepped out of the shadows and his keen ears caught the echo of voices in the opposite direction. One was familiar, and he straightened, sniffing the air.

He’d only scented Mae once, but he never forgot it, and knew right away that one of the figures was her. The second, another female, was not human at all, but it was not one of theirs. This was cause for concern. It seemed that even with all of Dwayne’s efforts, their borders kept getting breached.

He growled, shaking his head as he turned and made haste, cursing his beloved town for always stirring things up when all he wanted to do was smoke a joint with Paul, get some fresh blood in his gut, and then head on over to Cassidy’s.

He slowed as he neared the two, getting a good eyeful of the other female, just to make sure he knew what he was up against. Then with a smile that could melt the panties off a human woman, he sauntered up. “Evenin,'” he greeted, taking a firm stance in front of them, while managing to keep it somewhat congenial by sticking his hands in his loaded pockets.

Veronica’s gaze could seduce both men and women, regardless of their preferences, and then stab them in the alley and take all their money. A hint of malice lay behind her eyes; Mae was sure that Veronica expected her to be the same weak-hearted girl she was when Veronica dumped her. Mae refused to be cowed. Those days were over.

“Well, here I am. ALIVE.” Mae looked down her nose at Veronica, her posture rigid. Túlio had spent weeks trying to teach her poise and elegance so she could fit in with the “posh” sides of vampire society, and that included how to stare down an enemy when you couldn’t kill them. She wasn’t sure it was working.

“That you are, sweetie.” Veronica laughed, the sound deceptively gentle.

“So what are you going to do now?” Mae raised an eyebrow, mentally back again in the trenches of the L.A. vampire world.

Before Veronica could speak, Marko appeared out of nowhere, seemingly. Mae felt a bit of relief; they’d only met once, but he was one of David’s men, and that meant protection, or at least, someone to keep an eye on Veronica. The woman in question turned to face him, sniffing haughtily at him.

“And who are you?” Her voice dripped with disdain. “Who do you serve?”

One of Marko’s eyebrows shot straight up at the nerve of this vampire in his town, asking HIM who he was and who he served, so naturally, he turned cheeky and his grin went from ear to ear.

“Satan. Hell… but mostly, I serve myself.” It didn’t seem like his grin could get any bigger, but it did, taking on that Cheshire cat presence before he spoke again. “Oh, and uh, sometimes when I’m feelin’ nice, the newbie’s like Mae, who might need a hand. ‘Cuz you just never know when some stray mutt is gonna come wandering into town, ya know?”

He shrugged, but even in that smile his expression changed. It challenged the newcomer, the intruder, and he changed his position, hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of his jeans.

Mae wasn’t sure if Veronica would put up a fight, but if she did, and Marko won, that could mean trouble for Santa Carla. Miguel, like all the older vampires she knew, was a vindictive son of a bitch. She projected her thoughts towards Marko as best as she could, hoping that Veronica was too caught up in herself to pick up on what Mae was doing.

Don’t kill her! It’ll just cause trouble. Her father’s the leader of the Los Angeles coven, and there’s hundreds of them!’ Mae hoped it would come across clearly. She did her best to look calm, but she was barely keeping herself from shaking in rage and panic. Being confronted with a visual and verbal reminder that she’d been sent away to die (with her best friend in the world seemingly kept in the dark about it) destroying what little calm she ever had around Veronica before this.

“Very funny, little man. Are all you backwater vampires like this, or are you just a special case. Who. Do. You. Serve?” Veronica repeated haughtily.

“They don’t play that game out here, Veronica.” Mae tried to stop her ex from further antagonizing Marko, but she knew it was no use.

Marko shrugged carelessly, making it obvious that he was hearing something coming out of Mae’s mind. He had no intention of killing anybody in front of him, but he damn well wasn’t going to put up with the prissy, higher than thou attitude.

He kept quiet for a little while longer, starring down Veronica to see how pissed off she could get, all the while sending out a mental alert to David.

“Actually, I think we should turn this around. You can start by telling me who YOU serve and why the hell you’re running around my town acting like the Queen of fucking Egypt.”

“Veronica, daughter of Miguel, ruler of the Los Angeles coven and son of Dracula.” Veronica grinned, acting as if she’d drawn four aces in the world’s most unfair poker match. Mae wanted to smack her ex upside the head, but she DID recall that she was kind of like that too when she’d first met Marko. Still, that had been about survival, not showing someone up.

“I told you, V, they don’t play that game here. Names don’t mean anything.” Mae sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Look, you’ve gotten what you came for, okay? I’m still alive, I plan on staying alive, and if Miguel wants me dead, he better come up with a better way of doing it than this. Túlio will find out about all of this sooner or later, you know that, right? I know Miguel likes to make things into a telenovela, but this is getting old. Take your bitch ass home and leave me alone!” She snarled, her anger finally winning out over her good sense.

SMACK!

A loud slap rang across the pier as Veronica’s open palm connected with Mae’s cheek. “How DARE you speak of my father so poorly? And what is that you called me, Mae? A bitch? Sweetie, you think that’s an insult to me?” She sneered. “Remember your place.”

Marko didn’t get a chance to react. All he saw was a glimpse of something moving fast out of the corner of his eye and a savage roar, and he knew it was David.

The leader of the Santa Carla pack snarled and grabbed hold of the outsider, throwing her with ease down the length of the pier without care.

It was late enough now that no one would notice the scuffle, at least no human would.

He said nothing, but pulled Mae up behind him and took a hard stance, ready for anything this Veronica was willing to throw at him.

“You’re out of line.” His voice was deep and heavy and louder than usual. “You have no place here, and your filthy hands don’t belong anywhere on something that belongs to me now. You got a problem with that, crawl back to the one who sent her here to die.”

Now it was on, and Marko put on his game face. He didn’t change into the monster that he was, but he stood his ground beside David and Mae, looking down the pier to where the fallen lay.

He chuckled in spite of himself, eyeing Mae behind David and winked at her.

Veronica had no time to brace for the blow or dodge it, something the vampire wasn’t used to. She landed in a heap at the end of the pier, her face and any bare skin scraped from the force of the impact. Despite being dazed, she leapt to her feet, reeling from the blow. Her forte was speed and cunning; she stood no chance against a vampire that was this strong… and this angry, especially when he had an ally with him. Veronica considered drawing her knife, but she was above all else a survivor. Tonight wasn’t her night to die.

“So… I assume YOU’RE the one he serves. David, wasn’t it? We heard about you. Had a little trouble a few decades ago, right? You’ve recovered nicely. Congratulations.” She spat the blood out from her mouth where she’d bit into her cheek during her fall.

Mae placed her hand on David’s lower back, the gesture out of sight of Veronica, but she was sure Marko saw it. She was silently asking him to hold back. She nodded at Marko, then stepped to the left so she could see Veronica better. Her cheek was bright red.

“Go home, Veronica.” She growled, keeping her head held high despite the pain. “Tell Miguel to leave me alone. Túlio’s a good man; if Miguel wants to make him a psycho like you, he’ll never succeed. Tell him I’m staying here, in Santa Carla. He can have L.A.”

“… Got yourself a new boyfriend, huh?” Veronica sneered, deciding to throw in one last dig at Mae. “Or is this just an arrangement, huh? You always were a little slut.” She laughed, turning her attention to David. “You can keep her…for as long as it lasts. Miguel wants her dead, and Father always gets what he wants.”

Marko felt the air lighten around them as soon as Veronica departed and he blew air through his lips while running a hand through his messy curls. “Just another night, huh boss?”

David turned to Mae and cupped both her cheeks in his gloved hands, gently brushing over the red spot with his thumb. “You could say that,” he said to Marko. “We need better security around here.”

“Dwayne’s messing up? He’s gotten busy, what with a kid on the way.”

“Nah. I can’t expect him to keep his eyes on every single foot of ground we have here. It’s too vast. We’ll need to think of something else from now on. There’s too many coming through.” For a second he looked out to sea and then down at Mae. “You all right?”

“I will be.” Mae nodded, her voice shaky, just like the rest of her. She was doing her best to fight of the urge to cry, but her eyes were watering and her body was shivering. The adrenaline from the hit and the potential fight was beginning to wear off, and she finally felt the sting from the slap. She wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling, but anger was definitely warring for the top spot, followed closely by an utter breakdown. She hoped anger won.

She took a deep breath, then turned to face Marko. “Thank you. For helping me.” Mae didn’t want to think about what might have happened if Marko hadn’t come by.

“Yeah you owe me.” He jerked his head up and grinned. Of course he was teasing, but she was still new, and he couldn’t let her get off that easy. Besides, breaking the tension was the name of the game. He pulled a small bottle of rum from the inside of his jacket and offered it to her. “It’ll help take the edge off. Trust me. Still cold too, if ya just wanna hold it against your cheek.”

“Marko,” David warned, but he was only half serious. He wanted to brush it off as a victory, but there were too many things weighing on him now, even if the threat of a war with the vampires in LA was minimal compared to the angels ready to reign in hell and unleash it on Santa Carla.

Mae laughed it off. “Sure thing. Come by the booth. I’ll give you the friends and family discount.” She winked, taking the rum and drinking a mouthful before putting it on her face. “Damn, that feels good.”

After a few moments, she handed it back to Marko. “Don’t want it getting too warm.” She really wanted to lean into David and take a moment to collect herself, but she wasn’t sure he would welcome it in front of one of his men. Instead, she scrubbed at her eyes and glared at the empty end of the pier.

“You can see why we broke up.”

“She’s full of herself,” was all David had to say about that.

Marko nodded and took the bottle back before giving Mae a ‘see you later’ salute and headed on his way. He could tell by the look on David’s face that he needed a few moments alone with Mae.

After Marko was out of sight, he turned to Mae and examined her cheek a little closer. Considering the hit was from another vampire, the impact was a little more damaging than just a mortal’s slap. “You should put some ice on that. Or I could fix it for you right now. I just want you to know that I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe here, and now. I’d like to take you to our home tonight. If you’re willing to come.”

“THAT is an understatement.” Mae huffed, rubbing at her cheek.

She waved at Marko, watching him go until David faced her once again. Her first instinct was to blurt out something mushy, like ‘I’d go anywhere with you’, but luckily she saved herself from looking like an idiot. Still, she blushed a little, resting her hands on his waist. She was still fighting off tears, but she ignored them for now.

“Could you fix it, please?” She asked, smiling softly. “And yes. I’ll come home with you.” Then, she remembered something, and her grin became a strange mix of teasing and adoring.

“So… I belong to you now?”

David simply pierced the pad of his thumb with the extension of one of his claws and when a bead of his blood pooled there, he gently smeared it across her cheekbone, making sure it absorbed thoroughly before answering her. The effects of its healing ability would be instant and the pain would disappear.

He had noted her smile, acting as if it was nothing, something that important, even though it was. Getting a rise out of her was fun, and he pushed the moment to the point of no return, when there was no other choice but to answer. It was just like sex, letting the pleasure build until all there was left was an explosion that took you above the clouds and to the stars.

“Would it be a problem if I said you did?” He pulled his hand away from her cheek to admire his handy work. “I press the point of taking this slow, but you’re here now, and I just threatened another pack member’s existence, all for you.” Now he looked her directly in the eyes, his expression complete business. Yet behind that crystal blue there was an undenying look of need. “You are mine now, aren’t you?” Would he let her go even if she said no? Probably not.

Mae met his gaze, her own softening when she saw the deeply hidden need. He wanted her, and she wanted him. She’d wanted him since she met him, not just because she was lonely, but because he was so enchanting. Dark and brooding, like many of his kind, but also secretly gentle and caring, if you’d earned it. He’d nearly killed for her. He didn’t care what her connections were or where she came from, but who she was. She wanted him forever.

She’d be damned if she let him go.

“I was yours the moment I followed you out of the bar. You earned me when you didn’t care about who I knew, but who I am.” She smiled, the gesture no longer burdened by pain or fear.

“I’m yours, David. And you’re mine, aren’t you?”

There was a little hesitation on his end, only because sentimental words weren’t his forte and he was still afraid to make a mistake, yet as the notary he’d already signed and closed the deal.

He offered her his hand, palm side up, like an old fashioned gentlemen. “Down to the last detail,” he said with an earnest grin.

Mae laughed in delight, all the turmoil of the day forgotten as she took his hand.

“Good.”