#like what did they even do before the hybrid or. what happened. when did yer man fall off a building and we got one of Sams best lines

[sunflowers-and-sweetviolets]

obsessed with him a normal amount

[apple-pecan]

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy (2001)

jak, the vaugely anime-esque boy with no personality, and his way more personable best friend and sidekick daxter, sneak onto misty island for the epic lulz. one thing leads to another and daxter is accidentally knocked into some dark ooze and TFed into an ottsel, an otter weasel hybrid. finding him to be way too marketable now, jak and daxter embark on a quest to change him back to normal. that's all the story yer gettin, so time to make like mario and collect as many power stars cells as humanly possible.

while on paper this would be a bog standard 3d platformer collectathon game, there's a few things that set it apart. the big thing is you're not jumping into paintings or portals to go to different stages or something; rather, the entire world is interconnected, making this one of the first open world games so to speak. and the cool thing is there's hardly any load times! there is a drawback to this though; you have to leave each area the way you came in, and if you're not used to the level layout for each area it can take a while to find your way back. i know the last time i played this game years ago i got stuck on snowy mountain and got too infuriated to keep playing. not this time~!

missions range from "find the power cell somewhere in the stage" to "help out an NPC and they'll give you a power cell" or even "pay an npc with precursor orbs and they'll give you a power cell" and maybe sometimes you'll be like "find 7 red coins scoutflies and get a power cell" and there's the odd mission where it's all like "lick daxter's feet and he'll give you nothing in return also you have to get mouthwash now." okay i made that one up. or did i... ANYWAY, you'll be doing a lot of different things to get these power cells and it's all pretty fun and engaging. gotta catch em all!

the controls are pretty solid for the most part, although sometimes i ran into issues where jak just wouldnt double jump for some reason or wouldnt grab onto ledges. other than that though the movement was fun and i liked spinning around breaking crates. wait am i talking about crash bandicoot or... well, they ARE by the same developer. one other thing i had an issue was the health collectables. you only have three hit points, with no stat upgrades whatsoever to increase it. this wouldn't be that much of an issue if it didn't take 50 whole green eco orbs to replenish ONE hit point. for the record, most enemies just drop 3 or 4, and a lot of stages arent exactly brimming with enemies sometimes. so just dont get hit as much as possible. i feel like if they halved the amount of eco orbs to replenish your health this wouldve been mitigated somewhat.

there are also vehicle sections, where you ride a zoomer (no, not that kind of zoomer) to try and get from one "hub" area to the next. these make your controller vibrate like fucking crazy and whenever one finally ends i feel all weird and tingly. i dont know if this is a good or bad thing but hey it's worth mentioning.

the story is not really existent after the beginning of the game up until you near the end, which is fine for a game like this. i quite liked the ending where jak and daxter find some mystical energy that can defeat the bad guys but it could also change daxter back to normal, so he has to decide if he wants to either become unmarketable again or save the world from destruction. guess what happens. the music fits the game, its basically more subdued crash bandicoot music. not something i'd particularly listen to outside of the game but it does add to the lighthearted mood of the game. graphics are honestly still kind of amazing to this day; the characters look like living cartoons and the different environments are breathtaking. i love the shot when you first leave the green sage's hut and see sandover village sprawl before you; can't even imagine how amazing this must've looked back in 2001.

all in all, this is a solid, fun collectathon, a great first (and ultimately last) attempt at the genre by naughty dog. yeah, thats right, they never did anything like this again. a few months before this game came out, a little game known as grand theft auto iii came out and permanently changed gaming forever. it had all the open environments like this but with more gameplay variety besides jump here and collect stuff. more importantly you could steal peoples cars and shoot people in the face. so naughty dog took one look at this and said "this is just what our mascot platformer series NEEDS!" so in jak 2 you can ALSO steal peoples cars and shoot people in the face. and then they decided to cut the cartoony middle man entirely and make uncharted and the last of us, which use photorealistic graphics instead, and get rid of the open world shit and make it so it's JUST shooting people in the face. oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

8/10

NOTE: i like how for both crash and jak, the last games in both series naughty dog would make are racing games. im sure its been brought up before but it's still funny to me. now when are they gonna make the last of us kart racing game already..........

[mrskurono]

title: Inari Blessing || Atsumu Miya x fem!Reader a/n: yeah ok ig it’s my husband’s birthday and ig I love him or something word count: 4.2k tags: fem!Reader, fantasy/spirit au, kitsune!Atsumu, hybrid!Atsumu, soulmate au, alluding to death/suicide, plot that leads to porn, oral (fem receiving), soft sex, mating press, unprotected sex, vaginal sex, knotting, creampie, unedited  character(s): Atsumu Miya (hq) synopsis: Every time you ran away from home, the man with the tawny hair and black kimono could be found sitting a top the mountain.

Seven was the first time you ran away. 

If there was a fight at home over dishes or maybe you just didn’t want to do homework anymore. What it was, you weren’t sure. But the drive to run up the hill as fast as you could never ceased. You intended to run as far as you could until someone stopped you.

When someone did stop you it was all but an unfamiliar face.

“What are you doing in my shrine?” Cladded in a black kimono with hair as lightly colored as the dead August grass. The man before you didn’t look familiar at all, “Well, you just going to stand there huh, squirt?”

You sniffled and tried to suck up the dripping snot from your nose, “…I- I was just-”

“Blah blah blah blah-” He waved his sleeve covered hand around mocking you, “Little humans turn into big humans. Just scum, all of them.”

Was he threatening you? Was he just- Actually you weren’t sure what he was doing. His little mocking voice and quick little gestures made a smile blossom on your face. 

“Heh, you’re funny.” You pointed at his head, “And I like your hat mister.”

All but appalled, the tawny haired man looked aghast as he smashed the set of ears down on his head to hide them, “A hat?! A hat?! Yer callin’ my precious ears a hat?! What are they teaching you kids now a days huh?! Do you have any idea who I am?! The disrespect you’ve brought to a sacred place?!”

You shook your head. Very clearly stating the obvious. Leaving the stranger to sigh and rub his hand down his face.

“This is what happens.” He shook his head and turned away, “First it crumbles. Then we leave, one by one. Until no one even remembers us.”

You peek around his side with a concerned look, “Are you running away from home to mister?”

“Running away? What-” He scowled down at you, “This is my home.”

His gesture towards the blanket of never ending forest before you two confused you more. There was no home. There was no family to be seen. Not even something that could be called a hut. All you saw was late summer heat affecting the plants. This wasn’t a home.

“…why do I even try,” He sighed beside you. Pinching the bridge of his nose and waving you away, “Why are you even up here. Go get. Let me be at peace human.”

For a moment you had forgotten what brought you up here. And when you were shoed away to go back to it all. You huffed with pouty cheeks and sat right down on the dry grass under foot. In turn confusing the stranger beside you.

“I said go home human I won’t have-”

“I’m not going home.” You huffed, “I ran away and I won’t go back.”

His golden eyes blinked at you. Stalled by silence between cracking a small smile on his coy lips, “Not going home huh?”

You shook your head with arms folded. Stubborn in your conviction.

“Ya know, I heard a wild Inari spirit roams these woods. Viscous and alone. Without a real home.” He tipped a inquisitive look down at you, “You might be in danger if he catches you.”

For all the good folklore did. It didn’t rile a response from you. Only a deepening to your frown as you shook your head and looked forward at the expanse of forest, “I don’t care. I’m not going home. I’ll fight him if I have to then.”

“You!? Fight a spirit?! Bwauhaha! You are all but full of yourself aren’t you little human?” He knelt down next to you. Head resting on his knees with the pool of his black kimono at his covered feet. Ears twitching and tipping you off quickly that it might not be a hat. Golden eyes half lidded with a smirk on his lips, the man’s voice dropped to a whisper, “And…what if I told you I was that same spirit?”

There really was the first glimpse of thought crossing your young mind. Perhaps processing danger. Or less likely processing the fib he might be telling you. What he expected though was for you to want to leave and go back home to allow him his solace.

“I could take you.” You pointedly state.

“Take me?!” His eyes lit up with a belly clutching laugh ripping through him, “Yer gonna take me huh?? Things must be real bad at home then, ya? Willing to fight a spirit in the woods. What do ya got? A death wish?”

Your brows pinch together, “No. Why would you say that?”

“Because you’ve walked into the foxes den tiny human. Seems kinda obvious.”

“I don’t have a death wish I just-” For all your wisdom you held when you ran away from home. Now with only seven years to draw on. You struggled to find what it was you wanted to say, “…I just want to be happy.”

Once on his face, his smile never diminished. Though it softened around the edges as he reached out and ruffled your hair, “What would make you happy then huh? Ya know, I’m the god of luck so I might have something for you.”

Looking over at the thing beside you. Finally letting it settle in that maybe this wasn’t a human. As his ears twitched. And you saw his smile reveal teeth sharper than you’d ever seen. His words still seemed kinder than any human you knew. You thought hard. Drawing up anything possible when there was really only one thing that came to mind.

“…I want to stay out here with you.” You answered honestly, “I want to stay out here and be a run away forever.”

There it came. The laugh like the first time. But now it seemed less derogatory. Certainly directed at you but he softened his expression and you could feel his thumb rub gingerly against your temple, “Sweet human, you remind me of someone. Someone I lost a long time ago.”

“Does that mean I can stay?!” Your face lit up accepting that as a yes.

It came crashing down though. The second he shook his head and his touch lifted from your head, “No.”

“No?! But you said I-”

“Remind me. Yer not them though. You have more growing to do tiny human.” He reached into the pleat of his kimono and drew out a beautiful gold and orange charm. Pinched between his long black nails he looked at it with a tender look before hanging it front of your face, “Take this. When the fabric looses it’s depth. And the gold becomes clouded. Perhaps then. We will meet again. And perhaps then you may run away.”

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Eight years would pass. 

You would visit that same spot in the woods. Without a name. Or a place to recall. Only the charm clutched to your chest each time you ventured out. Stories of days in and day out of your life. 

Explaining to the empty trees how you felt you grew enough. How you were ready. And how you tried to reason that the charm looked how he meant it to be. Even though the gold clasp remained shimmering. And the orange woven fabric looked as good as new. You swore to the empty forest that it had worn and that you had aged. 

Those eight years fell on nothing though. Daily trips turned to weekly. Which melted to monthly. Until suddenly you were in college and you couldn’t recall the last time you saw the hillside. 

Still though the vivid picture of the man who’d given you the charm stuck. A dream that never faded. 

It would be another seven years before you ventured up that hill again. This time as distraught as you had been the first time you ran away. Perhaps at twenty two it couldn’t be called running away. But as you stomped up the hillside in the middle of August. 

Consumed in your thoughts and nothing else. It felt exactly like it had when you were seven.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Tears streaming down your face. A thud in your chest that felt like your heart cracked each time it would beat. You made it as far as you could before the blurred tree line got too hard to decipher through tears.

Dropping to your knees you covered your face. Palms wet with the tears you wiped away. And now even wetter with the ones dripping into your hands. You sniffled and tried to dry them as you looked at the same stupid charm in your grasp.

Orange vibrancy long gone. Golden clasp smudged and never wiped clean. It spent so long at the bottom of bags and purses. You couldn’t recall the last time you even held it.

For as lucky as your lucky charm had been. You wanted to tear it to shreds with the woe allowed in your life. A never ending cycle. You clutched it in your fist. Raising it above your head ready to toss it back into the forest that once gifted it to you.

“Are ya gonna throw away something I personally gave you?”

Curled around your closed fist was a hand. Startling you enough to make you jerk away and whip around. An unwelcome intruder until you saw the twitch of those tawny ears and sly smirk.

“You.”

He waggled his finger at you and tapped your fist containing the old charm, “You were gonna throw that away weren’t ya?”

A crossed expression written on your face. You open your palm to look at the old trinket before feeling nothing but anger towards the mysterious man, “You! I looked for you! Day after day! I came back up here looking for you! Now you show up?! Now you care to humor me?!”

The fox man gave a shrug. His smile settling off his face as his golden eyes looked at the charm in your hand, “You didn’t need me those times.” His golden eyes narrowed on you, “You weren’t running away like you were now.”

Tightness returning to your chest with vigor. You couldn’t stop the quiver to your bottom lip as you tightened your fist around the stupid old charm you were about to huck into the forest. No chance you would throw away the gift. Still you couldn’t hold back the tears. Wiping at them with a closed fist as he settled in front of you on the ground.

“…what makes now different?” You asked through shaky breathes, “I’ve come up here crying before. Why now?”

He tilted his head curiously, “Really? That’s what yer gonna ask? Not, how was your day? How’s the weather holding up these days?”

The clear un-amusement on your face told him what he needed to know. Though he kind of figured that would be the case.

Looking up longingly up at the tree line above the both of you. Dusk settling into a mixture of beautiful colors to be painted across the late summer sky. He stayed quiet for a while as he still felt the burning of your eyes on him. Finally the creature exhaled.

“…you want it now.” He answered softly.

Only adding to your confusion you frown at him, “Want it?”

A nod. He reached out and touched his blackened nails down your temple to cup your cheek, “I couldn’t take you away if you didn’t want it with everything in ya. Even if I wanted to.” A genuine smile crossed his pale lips, “Trust me when I say I’ve missed ya.” His thumb swiped over your cheek and felt the tackiness of your dried tears, “Missed ya since the last of us left.”

Unlike seven year old you. It had sunk in over the decade plus since the fevered dream of meeting the funny hatted man happened. Some days you thought it was a dream. Others it was the only reality you would stick to. Leaving you somewhere in a feverish reality between the two of them. Nothing having felt as real since that day. Even when you told yourself it was a dream. It simply was a dream you wanted to return to.

Swallowing the lump in your throat. And looking down at the death grip on the charm. You hand slowly relaxed to reveal it’s worn throughout the years. It no longer looked the part of a beautiful luck charm. Instead it was but a dingy woven piece of fabric that had seen better days.

You extend the charm out to him and look across to him, “Your luck charm sucked.”

Opposite hand coming up to touch the old trinket he gave you. The fox man smiled as he felt the emotional turmoil of the years through it, “…it was never a luck charm I made. It was always yours. I was just holding onto it until you came back.”

“…mine?” You stole a glance from him to stare down at the thing in your hand. How out of place you always felt. How things always fell through or seemed to be nothing but bad luck. You had hoped at some point meeting the spirit meant you had a fruitful life ahead of you. But as the years drug on it only seemed like you were more and more out of place in your own story, “…this is mine?”

He nodded, “Thought you’d remember that sooner but-” He shrugged with a half cocked grin, “Guess human brains take a while to grow too.”

The hurt made sense. The fevered dream you lived for twenty two years. Suddenly felt like you woke up but only on the hillside with the unknown monster in front of you. Why seven year old you had never been scared puzzled you. Only to leave you realizing why would you be scared if you belonged up here.

“….Atsumu.” The name slipped past your lips when your eyes met the golden stare across from you.

Perhaps now it was his turn to shed even the slightest tear. His smile extending more than just his lips. It felt like his eyes were alive with a smile as he nodded, “Took ya long enough.”

What was once tight in your chest gave way to a deep breath. Cold extremities fueled by adrenaline lulled back into a warmth you hadn’t felt in years. You can’t help but crack a smile while feeling insane at the same time, “…you could have just told me ya know?”

Atsumu shakes his head with a shaky laugh bordering on tears, “Couldn’t tell ya anything you silly human.” His palm flush against your cheek as he feels your touch against the back of his hand. Only leading the fox spirit to lean into you and press his forehead to yours, “Ya had so much growing to do. Just didn’t think it’d take you this long.”

“Heh, shut up,” You nuzzle your nose against his feeling the tears threaten your lashes once more, “Yer a shit guardian.”

“I couldn’t leave.” He laughed softly between the two of you, both hands on your cheeks now as he held his forehead against yours, “Not when I knew ya would come back.”

You could feel his breath against your cheek. Closer than ever before. The softness of his kimono brushing your arms as he held your face gently in his palms. Your own hands resting a top his own as you let out a shaky laugh and shook your head, “Take me back please. I’m tired of running away.”

Atsumu had to lift his head up. Line of sight meeting yours once more. With his hands dropping from your face to rest in your lap with your own touch holding his, “…you’re still a human. If you do anything with me-” He bit his tongue at the words, “…you can’t go back. You’ll be stuck here. The rest have long gone. The others left when the temple was gone. If you do then-”

“Then I’ll be with you.” You spoke over him. Atsumu looked surprised at you, “I’ll keep coming back until you take me back. Over and over again. I’ll run away until this is my home again.”

“Damn,” Atsumu’s face grew into a smile all over again as his golden eyes twinkled, “Guess I really am stuck with ya in any lifetime huh?”

Simply laughing at him wasn’t enough. Lips curled up into a smile you lean into him. The brush of your lips not enough. Pressing them fully against the fox man’s as your hands traveled up his forearms. Crossing his shoulders just so you could loop them around his neck and hold him close to you. In no time the kiss deepening. 

Gentleness turned to greed. Atsumu’s arms curled around your chest with the scrape of his nails against your clothed ribcage in his tight embrace. The kitsune spirit clutching you to him as you swiped your tongue along his bottom lip. Tasting him for the first time in a new lifetime.

Who moaned first wasn’t clear. Though it didn’t matter. As the two of you fell back into the grass underneath the thoughts subsided to only a craving need. Atsumu quick to help you push his kimono from his shoulders. Just as prompt he was to tear at your shirt until both of you were left bare chested.

Hovering above you Atsumu smiled as his eyes traced over the familiar lines of your bare body, “…how I’ve missed you so much.”

Reaching up to brush his golden waves back you can’t help but pull him closer to you for a brief kiss, “I’m not going anywhere this time.”

Kisses trailed down your neck. Dancing along your collarbone and shoulder. Fluttering and light until his warm breath was felt against your nipple. Causing a hitch in your breath the second he took the sensitive bud between his lips.

A moan rippling through his chest as the fox man moved his tongue over every inch of your tit. His opposite hand coming up to cup and squeeze the other. Pinching playfully at your nipple as his lips vibrated with the little moans leaving him amidst it all. 

“Atsumu-” His name hitched in your breath. Skin on fire with his attention. Unsure if this is what he meant by you couldn’t come back. Or if you simply craved him this bad.

Responsive to your words. He unlatched his lips. Peppering your chest in kisses as he moved down. Kissing the marks on your very human body. Each fold and stretch mark. Adoring it as much as he’d adored your first body. Leading his touch down to the top of your underwear. Something he didn’t even have to ask to remove as your own fingers hooked in the waistband to peel them down. Atsumu doing what he could to help. Revealing to him the delicious sight of your soaked slit. More than just ready to taste you.

Pressing his lips against your core. He inhaled deeply before swiping his tongue along your cunt lips. Earning a moan from you above him as he felt your hands curl themselves in his hair. Atsumu lapped at your juices with his tongue brushing your clit often. Ignoring the death grip on his hair as he delved between your folds.

“You still taste amazing,” He murmured against your pussy. Unable to take himself away from you.

“More-” You gasped when his tongue swished over your clit, “Atsumu more-”

Hands gripping your hips. He devoted every life he’d ever had to eating you out. Hungrily lapping up your juices. Flicking his tongue over your throbbing clit until your hips were shuddering and bucking up against him. None of that stopped him though. Not until the fox spirit heard your final gasps leave your parted lips in desperation.

“ ‘m cumming! Atsumu- Fuck Atsumu I’m cumming! I can’t- I can’t-” Voice choked up in your chest. Nothing short of bliss washed over your body. Walls fluttering around nothing but the ache to your clit sending shivers up your spine. Atsumu’s tongue never ending as he worked you over through the entire endeavor. Face smeared in juices as you held him down there and rode out your orgasm until your hips collapsed under him.

Drawing his tongue up your slit one last time. Flicking his tongue just against the tip of your clit to earn a meager moan. He looked up at you between your legs with juices covering his face. Even as he licked them up he stared at you with a tender look laced with hesitance, “…if we do this…you can’t go back.”

Opening your arms wide, a sweet blissful smile comes across your lips as you look at the man above you, “I don’t want to go back. I want you.”

Atsumu felt his bottom lip quiver. Even with the taste of your musk on his tongue there was no stopping the way he felt, “…I want you too.”

Crawling back up to you. No concern for your juices that clung to his cheeks. You hungrily kiss him as your hips relax to accommodate his own. The clear bulge in his robes coming to life when he ruts against your core. Sending a tingle throughout your body even after such an orgasm.

It doesn’t take long. Between heated kisses. To free Atsumu from his robes. Freed from its loose confines. His cock twitches against the cool forest air but not for long.

Hips lining up together. You allow him to swipe his tip along your slit. Moaning when he brushes your sensitive clit. Covering himself in your juices before positioning himself at your entrance. 

With savoring ease Atsumu slips himself inside you. Girth of his cock filling you up and leaving you moaning against his lips when he leans back down to you. Warmth like nothing you’ve ever felt before. You wrap your arms around his shoulders as the fox spirit finally slips all the way inside you. Bottoming out with your hips meeting one another.

Panting ever so lightly Atsumu brings his head up just enough so he can see you. Beautifully under him as his eyes soften and he presses his forehead against yours. Words at a loss when he feels you tighten around him and your fingers glide through his hair.

Soon lewd noises fill the quiet forest around the two of you. The slapping of your skin together. Along with the muffled moans as neither of you can keep your lips together. But be damned if you stop kissing. Atsumu’s cock feels even bigger in you with each thrust. His hips falling heavy onto yours each time as if he can’t get close enough to you. 

Sensitivity after your orgasm only making your walls flutter around his cock. Leaving his thrusts feeling nothing short of heavenly. Twisting and turning your insides into mush as your legs are brought up. Atsumu’s tender touch hooking the back of your knee to press them into you. Allowing his cock to slip deeper in you as he groans against your lips.

“I- I can’t help it-” Atsumu mumbles against your lips. His own orgasm approaching faster than he could ever imagine. 

Grabbing his face once more you pepper his lips in kisses that are broken up by moans. Drawn out by him hitting your deepest spots and the lewd noises of your cunt growing wetter and wetter around him, “Want it- Want you- Please- Please take me back.”

“Fuck-” He growls against your lips. Grip on your legs tightening because there’s no returning from this. Atsumu snaps his hips into yours with feverish intent. Fucking you with all his weight behind it as he lays on top of you and smashes his lips to yours, “I love you.”

Fucked out of any coherent thought. You can hear and feel his words against your lips as the growing size of his knot occurs to you only in passing. No turning back you nod with moans slipping against his lips, “I love you too.”

Snapping his hips into you once more. Atsumu buries himself as deep inside your cunt as he can. Overwhelmed with the first gush of cum that leaves him. A gasp being stolen from his lungs as the kitsune spirit pushes his cock deep inside you. Knot popping past your entrance in that very second. Filling you past anything you know. Leaving you gripping his shoulders and hugging him close to you.

Warmth of his cum. Each pulse of his cock inside you. Your walls clenching around him and milking him for every last drop. As his cum pours into you it’s the moment that suddenly every thing feels real. Like you’ve woken up from something suddenly. Eyes opening to see the familiar face above you.

Loosening your grip on his shoulders. A tender touch comes down to his cheek. Pressing your palm flush to his cheek you smile up at him, “…I’m home.”

Atsumu closes his golden eyes and nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck. Knotted deep inside you as the two of you felt each spurt fill you up even more and more, “I knew you’d come back.”

[angelamajiki]

[ peace treaty - part two ]

AN: my first banner that I made for a fic!! Please enjoy and mind the tags as always!! :)

CW: yandere, noncon, loss of virginity, double penetration, coercion, gang bang, A/B/O dynamics, size difference, slight tummy bulge, cum stuffing, breeding

PART ONE

SYNOPSIS: The wedding to ensure peace for your kingdom was underway. Your alphas had been insistent that you met your new pack and give your virginity to them the night of your wedding. You could only wonder why.

The village of the Barbarian tribe was full of the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations being made for their leading Alphas and their newfound Omega mate. You could hear the rushing of bodies outside the tented den the pair kept you confined to. They were insistent on keeping you within their firm grasp, their watchful eyes at all times. It was exhausting, so say the least. The time spent in the village was theirs, not your own. Their tenderness almost made you forget the circumstances on which you fell into their laps. Almost.

Hardly anyone else in the village had seen you thanks to your red-headed mate. Dragons rarely let anyone but their pack near their hoard, and Eijirou was more than happy to declare you his most precious treasure of all, the centerpiece of his store. The hybrid was tempted to keep you with the rest of his treasures, but his other mate decided against it, demanding that you stay warm in the nest during the blistering winter that ravaged the mountain range.

They kept in the nest for as long as you would tolerate it, adoring the way you looked wrapped snuggly in the furs they had slain and prepared for you. The den was soon furnished with a small library for your curious mind, one of many wedding presents that your mates intended to spoil you with. Your mates were desperate for your approval, to preen and puff their chests in pride from your praise. In fact, one of the only times you were let out before the wedding was to watch wrestling matches between the Alphas of the clan and their leaders on the warmer days. It was a prominent display of strength, the pair hoping to impress their lovely mate with their fists and muscles. The other times, they had taken you to Eijirou’s cave to flaunt his hoard, which they welcomed you to take anything you liked from it as it was now yours too.

Winter flew by quickly. In those few months, preparations for your spring wedding were well underway as your mates took their agonizing time to stake their claim on you. The pair of them were insistent on waiting until the wedding night to be fully bonded but did not spare you any pleasure they wished to bestow you. The ecstasy they brought you night after night was earth-shattering, something you never even dreamed you could have achieved.

A spring wedding was to be had, and the wait was finally over. Your dress was designed of the most delicate silk hand-made in the tribe, dipped in beautiful red and gold dyes to match your mate's garments. Precious jewels and other gold jewelry was selected from the dragon's hoard by none other than Eijirou himself. Traditional paint was brushed onto your face and arms with expert craftsmanship, adorning your glowing skin with the clan's insignia and other symbols held dear to the Barbarians.

Meeting your mates down the aisle and finally being wed to them felt like a weight had been lifted off of your shoulders. For months, you had worried that their threat to destroy your home would see to its fruition, but now that you're finally their wife and mate, the treaty had been completed. Perhaps your mates would be kind enough to let you see your family after the celebration.

Festivities were planned for days to celebrate the new queen and pack mate of the tribe’s leaders. Being out of the den and meeting the clansmen felt like a breath of fresh air after being secluded for those few months up until the wedding. You could only hope that your husbands would allow this new freedom to continue.

Food, drink, and dancing went well into the early morning hours before you decided it was time to retire to your den. Buzzing with anticipation, you let Katsuki lead you home with a scarred hand on the small of your back, reminding you just how small you were in comparison to your Alphas. Tonight was the night that you submitted utterly and entirely to your mates. It was overwhelming, almost enough to give you cold feet.

Upon returning to the tented den, you were met with your new pack, the Alphas that Eijirou and Katsuki introduced you to earlier that day during the ceremony. TestsuTetsu, leader of the clan’s warriors. Sero and Denki, leading blacksmiths and protectors of the armory. Izuku, also known as Deku, leading military strategist. And Hitoshi, the tribe’s mage.

The tent’s magic flaps had sealed themselves once you and your mates made it inside with the rest of the pack, who were already waiting for you. Unease had swelled in your gut as you saw the hungry gleams in all the Alpha's eyes. Did they have the intention to watch while you bonded with your mates?

“Be easy, my love.”

Eijirou’s hands came to your shoulders in an attempt to soothe you as he guided you to your nest.

“Although you will be our mate, you will still be the pack’s omega.”

You nodded slowly, having already understood that much, but it still didn't explain why the rest of the pack was suffocating the space of your den.

“That means you will have to form a bond with all of us. We intend to share you with the pack tonight.”

Panic filled your being as you stood up from the nest, only to be pinned down into the redhead’s lap with his powerful arms. His hands rubbed soothing circles in your arms as he felt you squirm in his hold.

“There’s no reason to be afraid, my queen!” Izuku piped up as he flashed a reassuring smile. “This is the best way to ensure that you will give healthy pups to the pack and the clan.”

Tears and pleas dribbled out as you thrashed in your Alpha’s arms, desperate to claw your way out of his grip and away from the new pack.

“Stop yer fussin’,” Katsuki grunted as he took his place next to the both of you. “We’ll be right here the whole time. Besides, it’ll be a good way for the pack to bond. We wouldn't want anything to happen to your territory, now would we?”

Chuckles filled the room as you sobbed in absolute terror.

“Please! I don't want this! Don't make me do this; I'm begging you!”

A fatal mistake on your part is that you forgot who these men were. Barbarians who snatched, steal, and take whatever they please, whenever they please. Your mates were capable of tenderness, but only when it seemed to benefit them. And it didn't at this moment.

Eijirou was quick to quell your cries as he stroked your hair gently while Katsuki tied your hands together. The redhead whispered sweet nothings in your ear in an attempt to soothe his lovely omega. You were practically hog-tied into your nest as the blonde ripped your dress to shreds with his magic, your struggling between the pair of them frustrating him deeply.

“Enough fucking around. Omega, submit.”

Unable to deny such a command, you went still under your overbearing husband. How quickly he changed once you truly denied him for the first time...it frightened you. The men around you tried to croon and calm, wanting to put your wailing cries at ease. You had barely been touched and you already felt violated by being naked and bound before your new pack. Oh, things you had to endure to protect your kingdom.

Katsuki was overzealous, eager to be the first to pop your cherry and finally feel the velvet of his omega’s hole. A searing mouth sealed itself over your clit as thick fingers worked you open. Your mate was relentless, fucking your hole with vigor as his tongue sucked and lapped against your clit. The wanton groaning of the other Alphas met your squeals and cries as you clenched around your mate’s fingers, wishing desperately to sink into your nest of furs and never return.

Eijirou kissed you deeply, stroking away your tears and holding your chin in his scarred palm. The other Alphas hands groped, massaged, and grabbed at your supple skin, leaving no inch untouched. All of them ignored your sobbing, electing to see past your suffering for the good of the pack.

“So beautiful.”

“What a great pick you two made.”

“Hurry up and mount her Kats! I want to get in there too!”

Your Alpha continued his brutal pace of finger fucking and suckling on your clit, groaning and grunting as he slurped at you greedily. A tight coil of pleasure built in your core as you helplessly moaned and cried into Eijirou’s mouth. Katsuki felt your impending orgasm and pulled his mouth away in favor of rubbing your clit hard and fast with his unoccupied hand. He chuckled, watching you squirm and squeal loudly before coming undone, squirting all over his chest in the process.

The Alphas jeered and praised you for a good show as Katsuki chuckled.

“Now that’s what I’m fuckin’ talking about. Good girl, little omega. Ready for knot?”

A wolfish grin cast on his features as he hiked your ankles up to his shoulders. Cock lines up with your still twitching whole; he sunk into your tight heat in one stroke of his hips. A breathy gasp left you as you were filled to the brink.

The pace he set with his thrusts was unforgiving; a bruising grip laid on your love handles as you were pounded into the nest, making a mess of the furs strewn across it. Snarls and grunts left your captor’s lips all the while. The other Alphas around you stroked their cocks heartily, eagerly waiting for their turns to have a go and breed their new pack omega. Squeals and cries of unwanted pleasure quickly filled your gut as you came again, forcing you to arch your back into the blonde’s chest. Overstimulation hit you like a freight train as your mate continued to chase his own pleasure.

Eijirou brushed the hair from your sweaty forehead and swiped gently at your tears, watching his two mates finally tie the knot and love each other in the most primal, intimate ways they knew. What a fine choice for a mate you turned out to be—loyal, lovely, loud. Your sobs and cries of pleasure were music to the dragon’s ears, adoring the way you shook and convulsed underneath the other Alpha. Toying with your nipples gently, he shushed your protests with a kiss and held his free hand to your throat, stroking the sides tenderly.

Katsuki, on the other hand, was practically feral, animalistic in his movements as he popped his knot into your tight cunt with a roar of your name. Ropes of hot seed painted your womb as he held you tightly in his arms, riding his orgasm out to completion.

Nothing but groans and pants could be heard for a few moments as your Alpha bent down to lay a claiming mark on the glands of your neck. He tore into the flesh with passion, leaving a trail of blood that dripped down your sweaty chest. Laving at the mark with his tongue, he sealed the bond and slurped up the blood. Extending his neck, he pushed your head into his crook.

“Bite, complete the bond.”

Like an obedient breeding bitch, you listened mindlessly, mind foggy with the haze of your orgasms.

After his knot had deflated, Eijirou moved to mount your sloppy hole.

“Guess the rest of you are getting my sloppy seconds,” Katsuki smirked, admiring the way his seed dripped from your now loose hole.

Eijirou was more tender than his counterpart, taking his time with his sweet, sweet lovemaking. Possessive and sweet nothings were moaned and groaned from him—bite marks littered your chest and mouth. His thrusts with slow and deep, wanting a slow build to both of your orgasms as he lavished you in his undivided attention. Kisses and bites were pressed sweetly to your lips, and his tongue tasted the salt of your skin.

Your whimpers and moans mingled with his deep, rolling groans while the others were content to watch such a passionate display of Eijirou’s adoration for his Omega. Laying his claim as he came, the knot popped the moment as he bit into your wrist, suckling at the wound he left behind. Even after he deflated, he cockwarmed you for a while so you could rest and have a much-needed drink of water.

After Eijirou’s cock slipped out of your cunt, the rest was a murky blur in your memory. Izuku followed your redheaded mate, losing himself quickly to the vice of your wet and sloppy pussy. He came rather quickly, apologizing for only finishing himself off. He had to, for the sake of pups, of course. Not that any of their words mattered to you, you were too drunk off the mating bonds your mates laid into your virgin skin.

TetsuTetsu succeeded Izuku, and much like Katsuki, he was an animal. Loud slaps of skin filled the den as he praised you for being such a good omega for your Alphas. Bear them your healthy pups like a good girl, won't you? His stamina was high, too high for your liking. Slipping in and out of consciousness, you barely made recognition to his knot swelling in your hole. He was by far the biggest of the pack. Another load pumped into the pack’s personal cumdumpster, but he made sure to make you squeal and squirt on his cock.

Any defiance in you had died by the time Sero and Denki speared you on their cocks. What they lacked in girth, they made up for in length. They both greedily stuffed themselves into your pussy at the same time, one rubbing your clit while the other tugged at your nipples. Only one knot caught inside you while Denki’s popped just below your clit, making an even bigger mess to your already sloppy pussy.

Finally, Hitoshi cast a fertility ward on your womb, marked by the pack’s emblem to ensure pregnancy and a healthy one at that. An average knot, he finished himself within your already full womb, a small bulge appearing in your gut because of it. A plug was stuffed inside you to keep the pack’s seed deep within your cunt, to ensure pregnancy of the pack’s pups.

Once the sun broke over the dawn of the mountains, the pack exited the tent to leave you to your Alphas. They spent the morning bathing and feeding you, wanting to pamper you after such an exciting yet stressful evening. The pair hoped you would come around to be shared by the pack; how else will they get you through your heats and their ruts? That's a problem for another day, they supposed.

After a long, well-deserved rest in a now cleaned nest, Eijirou was ecstatic to share the news of their newest surprise. A honeymoon! Oh, the places they planned to fly you to.

As you listened to their plans, you couldn't help but gaze off into the next morning’s sun, wondering if this life was worth it for the sake of peace.

[hitoshisbabygirl]

Author's Notes ♡:Sooooo I wrote this once with no mythological background and it was so blank because one I half read and two it had no pizzazz. So here I am...enjoying this collab wholeheartedly. For some context the readers dad is Dionysus, yknow the festive, wine maker? So I tried to incorporate that with being a potions maker! Rappa is based on a mix between Behemoths and the Kusarikku, so i wanted him just a big and a bull man hybrid but not fully a Minotaur! I hope whoever reads this enjoy it as much as I did writing it! (Also I’m slowly realizing how much I hope this man)~ bunny ❥

Here’s the lovely masterlist of the others beautiful arts!

Warnings : NSFW again! (◎_◎;)

A use of pet names l, uh some heavy size kink (if you know who I based him on, also is one of my kinks showing yet) , Needy Rappa, breeding, Light cursing, a bit of a pussy job, female oral and a bit of overstimulation.

Word count : About 6.5k (ooof) !

Paring(s) : Bullman! Kendo Rappa x F!Reader

Summary : Being a demigod had perks, you could travel, you had god and goddesses as siblings and family members and of course the power! But what happens when you have to help a stubborn farm...pet?

Enjoy ♡

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Growing up as a demigods daughter who owned a garden on earth was one experience. All types of people, gods, goddesses and hybrids needed her experience with all sorts of plants and other things from nature ; rather it be for healing medicines , a bouquet for an upset lover or for help with livestock growth, [ ] and her parents helped with every little working class they could. As [ ] went from child to young adult she was used to her fair share of men from every place asking for her attention. A human asking for her hand and giving her the bare minimum, a god, wanting to make her a goddess, or just simply flirting to warrant her attention. But alas to them all she gave them no leadway, keeping her same polite smile and overall sweetness to each and every person she dealt with. On a warm day in the heavens as she walked the sky castles grounds she ran into a farmhand, one she remembered worked for Demeter approached her hesitantly, his eyes wandering to the young maidens “U-uh M-miss [ ] right?” The male asked her , her eyebrow raising as a silent answer “Lady Demeter would like to speak with you, she need some help but she did not tell me exactly what” he said with a bow and soon turned to leave. Wondering what the goddess could want she headed to her ranch, watching the cattle and other animals graze. Suddenly the door swung wide, revealing the deity to her “[ ] my favorite niece how are you love!” The tall woman sing songingly yelled, hugging the wide eyed girl “Hello Auntie Dem, im quite alright! Uhm, what seems to be the problem? One of your hands came to get me” [ ] said as she took in the ranch home her harvesting aunt had, all sorts of gains, wheats, fruits and more spewed about in her living room “Ah yes! Your father told me how great youve become with your potions and mixes of herbs, being the daughter of Dionysus im not surprised! I told him to let you grow and do more now look at you, serving us gods and mortals alike!” Demeter went on, handing her confused niece a large apple as she took one for herself. Becoming her to a table by the window they both sat, eating on their fruit as she explained her issue.

“You see, i have a lot of cattle, different kinds, different kins and legacies, but im a bit stuck. My favorite mare, had a child a little while ago and he seemed to just be your average bull at first….but..as time went on he out grew his father, my prized minotaur bull and even his normal cow and bull family.” Taking a glance to the field they watched as the minotaur children and some sheep danced and played, other average cow cults running to join. Sighing Demeter continued “Hes a hybrid, my prized minotaur as his father and well, my biggest and prized heifer as his mother. He wont come out of the shed, doesnt deal with his other kind, minotaur or not. Hes around your age now, getting to be his prime but..he wont converse in the fields. Both his father and mother voiced concerns to me about his health but when i checked on him, hes fine! Fields away under a sun and away from my younger and ready cows! I dont get it! Maybe because hes more human than he is bull, he does have a human face and even body, just taht everything below is...well bull. Tail, those wonderful breeding-” “Auntie!” Before she could finish [ ] was hushing the woman, waving her arms “I get it i get it Bull bottom human top i dont need to hear about his loins!” She pleaded.

Laughing, the goddess reached to a pile of hay, whistling to feed some of the nearby cows “Ah you silly girl, I was only gloating about my finest bull yet! I even tried bringing him mortals but...he crushed them, saying they were too small. Every single one! Younger older it didnt matter, he wanted nothing to do with them and just squashed them like a bug under his hoofs! I'm at my wits end, Im not sure what he needs, and hes so large i cant just let him walk around the palace place, he intimidates the clerks and huffs when talked to!” Dramatically laying against the table she looked to the thinking girl, her eyes shining with an idea “Hey auntie, how about you take me to him, i can see if hes loss any weight or seems sickly anywhere. Where do you think hed be at this time?” [ ] asked “Ah you brave girl, what time is it, almost high noon? He might be in the field but its the one with my giant tree that he likes” Demeter responded, pointing to a large tree up a few fields with nothing much around it but luhs grass. ���Doesnt even matter if i put up a fence, he walks on two legs so he just hops over it” She sighed again as the duo headed outside.

Seeing a tall minotaur coming towards them [ ] stopped along Demeter, her goddess aunt speaking “Ah Milvor, how are you and Altine?” “Lady Demeter and I'm guessing this is [ ], we are fine. The misses is in the field now, seeing if she can see our boy” He said. Realizing that this was the after for her case [ ] spoke up “Uhm sir have you noticed anything amiss with er-” “Kendo, his name is Kendo” The Minatour said “Ah yes with Kendo, anything seem to be hurt or missing from his way of life” She asked. “Well..not particularly. Hes always fought some of the other males here so bruises and marks are a common thing we see from him. Besides a broken horn he doesn't have anything major going on. Just that he refuses to be around anyone here. Even us at times when were out with the others” He said solemnly , looking at the girl. Grabbing her hands he pleaded “Please, help our son? I know he can be rude and dismissive but down there our sweet boy is in there, were worried sick about him” Milvor said, a sad moo coming from his approaching wife “Miss i do appreciate you checking on him, I just hope he'd be home soon” A half cow women spoke , coming beside this Kendo’s father “Well i'll do my best, it doesnt sound like hes too hurt or anything serious so i'll make sure to try and get him to be with you both” Giving a reassuring smile [ ] started off, heading to the tree at the top of them hill. Just before she got far Demeter called to her, handing her sweet wheat “Heres some of his snack, he sometimes will come back if we offer him more” She said. Taking the wheat and putting it in the side of her flowing peplos. Soon with enough treading uphill , she got close to the tree , soon seeing a tail swish from in front of the tree. Hesitantly she walked forward before seeing hooved legs, also covered in black fur, pop out from the tree. Placing a hand at the side that had no person on it she peeked over to in fact , find a rather giant back in the sun, small flecks of freckles on the toned skin. Holding her gift closer she walked to the male before hearing a snort “ ‘M tellin’ ya Elinor I dont want nothin’ to do with ya, go on, go back to the heard” A rough and deep voice said, a larger hand coming up to wave off whoever was behind him. Feeling a bit bad for this mysterious Elinor and offended, she was brushed off [ ] walked closer , standing at the ends of his legs until the male growled. “I told ya to-'' Stopping himself from yelling once he turned around he was surprised to find not hybrid named Elinor but in fact the small [ ] her eyes widening as amber ones looked down “Yer not Elinor” He said as [ ] giggled “And im guessing youre Kendo” She said as the bull sat up, cruising his legs and the curious woman in front of her. “Whos askin?”

He huffed as [ ] looked at him as she did the same , sitting across from the hybrid “A…. doctor of sorts. Your parents, along with Goddess Demeter asked me to come check on you, see how youre doing” she said as he huffed again “ ‘M fine, now why did they send you” He said as he watched her pull things out, paper , a quill, ink and is that..? Pointing to the bustle of wheat he called out “Is that… for me?” Blinking [ ] looked at the almost childish Kendo, smiling as she untied the snack “It is for you, I heard you liked it. Brought it in the hopes youd talk to me?” She questioned, holding a piece out for him to take. Hesitantly he did, gnawing at it as he hummed in delight, his tail swishing. “ So uhm… Doc what do want to know” He asked, watching as the smaller girl touched his chest and arms, squeezing lightly as she wrote down different things “If ya wanted to touch me ya shouldve asked” He teased, taking his own hand to her face. Felling he face warm up she moved back, poking him with a finger “Now now be good im just seing if youre injured. Besides that horn, do you have anything broken or doenst feel well?” She asked as she waved a pisces of wheat, making him focus. “Nah, im as fit as a fiddle” Side eyeing his response she still gave him a piece , hearing him hum in delight as she wrote more notes.

“So no injuries, no pain , nothing?” shaking his head he continued to eat , taking some pieces from her bundle as she reached for the uneatten pieces “Hey! No you get these as a reward for answering me not to eat at your leisure!” She scolded. Reaching as far as she could she grabbed at his hand before he lifted them higher, smirking “Well miss doc i want what i want, and I want my snack” He said before she grabbed his arm, poking a manicured nail at it hand “Well Kendo ill let you have it if you tell me whats wrong, without covering it up deal?” Feeling him flinch at her poking she did it again until he moved away , glaring at her through his bangs that hung low “Fine! Stop poking me though, ya nails hurt! And theres nothing wrong, i just dont like ‘em cows! They stink!” He said as he knelt closer, moving her from his arm. “They stink? How old are you 5? Why do they stink!” [ ] huffed back as he chewed more of his treat, looking to the flustered girl “Im 22 in human years little girl , and like i said they stink! Reeks like open sores and meat” He said as he kept eating , laying in the sun. Thinking over his words it dawned in her what he could be talking about “And what do i smell like Kendo?” [ ] asked, catching the half bull off guard “I dunno, you dont stink, Neither does lady Dem” He said as he turned to her. Leaning over she gave him a piece of wheat again but this time, pushing herself a bit forward, watching as his body shook before he took the piece , eating it. “Well Kendo, my name is [ ] and ill be checking on you moreoften okay? I need to run down to the house but ill be back if that's okay with you?” Silently he shook his head, watching her run off as he opened his still crossed legs, feeling himself unsleeth as he groaned ‘Shit...now why am I gettin turned on’ he thought to himself, rubbing away what he could before the girl came back

As soon as she got to the farm she was met with the eyes of the worrying three, the first to speak being his mother Altine “Oh! [ ] youre back!” She said, the bell on her neck dangling as she ran to the fence “How is my boy? Kendo is he alright?” she asked as Demeter and Milvor came soon after for the report “Well maam i can confirm he is healthy, not is wrong with him the only thing is..” [ ] hesitated as she looked at them “He might have a heat approaching, is this his first one by any chance?” SHe asked as they all looked at eachother, Demeter speaking up “Well not exactly, this is why I kept bringing mortals up here, he wouldnt mate with the cows, and even other hybrids! Nothing! Hed turn his nose up at them all and go back to that field. He actually broke that horn of his fighting a bull from a neighboring farm who wanted to cow that was trying to get his attention” Demeter said, sigh as she saw her nieces blank face , afraid she overwhelmed her “Its alright if you dont think hes fixable [ ] i can-” “No hes fine. I can help him, and i think it wont be that hard either” [ ] said, giving the group a smile. “Watch him for a few days for me , im gonna go back up there with him, see how he is then come back in a few days with some of my things, ill stay here as long as need be to help your son” She said as she gave them all a smile, going inside to get her something to eat. Soon she hear her aunt appear, shuffling about to give her a basket to put her things in “Here, Im so gald helping him is a easy fix” She said sighing happily as she continued “I know he should mate on his own time, but im more concerned for his heath of it all, he doesnt even release into anyone or even by himself” Glancing towards her auntie she took in a breath before saying something “Well, i know it has to be bad now, he even said the er, cow women here stink, so their hormone have to be covered with other bulls or maybe he genuinely doesnt see appeal with them” [ ] said. Thinking it over Demeter gave her an almost alarming look “Well if thats the case just as you arrived he asked me what i was cooking, that something smelt good. I told him I didnt have anything and he just retreated back to his part of the barn before leaving for the field again.” Slowly [ ] realized she might be in for more than she imagines but brushed it off. “Interesting..” She said as she took her full basket “I have an idea, im gonna see if his heat hits its peaking times in a few days, I do plan on staying here if youd have me here?” She asked as a delighted look spread across Demeter’s face “Of course dear child! I missed having you around! Your Father was bad at bringing you over, him and his festivals” Demeter huffed before she poked her nieces cheek “Besides! We can have a girls night, or well er, weeks depending!” She said as the laughed together “Well it's a deal!”

Heading back up the hill she saw that Kendo had moved, facing a running river as he sast in the sun once more, looking content. [ ] smirked to herself before grabbing some of the things she had ; a brush, a lavish soap and a towel. Heading to where the behemoth of a hybrid laid she noticed his ear twitched, before he opened an eye to look back at her. “Hey Doc, ya back.” He said as she gave him a smile, sitting beside his head “Why yes I am. You seem to be enjoying yourself” She teased as he smirked, turning to face her. “Well i do enjoy the sun, keeps me warm nd my hair soft.” Looking him over again she noticed that his hair was always up in a bun but his bangs covering his eyes, a different hue of color, more of a rustic red than his black furred legs. “Well about that...Im gonna give you a bath!” the giant bull flinched at her words, seeing the happy look gracing her face “Oi now look, ‘m fine i dont need no bath” He argued as she pouted “Why sure you do! I know you dont go when the others get theirs, and if that bun of yours is any indication, you need to wash all of that dirt and grime off. Now let me help you” She barked back, pointing the soft looking brush towards his face. He stood up, now overthrowing the girls height as he pointed a finger at her “Now look, I like being this way, it keeps those girls offa me if you clean me now they wont leave me alone!” [ ] sighe before stepping closer, pointing her own small hand at his face, moving closer “Now you listen to me Kendo, I have things to help keep them off of you, this is for your own health! I can leave you here, dirty but your hair and fur is gonna get so matted theyll have to shave you!”

At hearing a potential that hed be shave Kendo flinched, moving his bangs so his soft eyes could meet her determined ones “Theyll shave me? Ion wanna be like the sheep” he said she she gave him a satisfied look. “Well go into the water then and ill make sure you wont!” Reluctantly he sighed, walking into the river as she followed behind, pinning her longer robe so it wouldnt get too wet as she sat at the side of the river. Holding a hand out she waved him closer, the male coming to her as she undid his hair. To her utter surprise it fell down his shoulders, stopping just short of his waist. Gently she pushed his bangs back to see his pretty amberish eyes looking up to her [ ]’ed ones. He had a typical Bull hook through his nose , the gold shining in the warm sun. He was quite handsome, sun kissed skin and a clear face, broad shoulders and a nice body. Even with his mostly human body his horns, tail and ears were bull, on top of his legs and...neithers , that were covered in fur. Softly she traced a scar under his eye, the wound slightly tender as he jumped from the touch. Going to her wrist she tied a string to hold his long bangs up, a giggle falling from her lips as he almost looked like a younger child getting a bath “What're you lookin at me like that for” He huffed as she laughed more, pushing his face together “You look like an upset child is all. Now go ahead and dip in the water for me , ill scrub you after.” Listening to her, Kendo dropped watching as some of the debris and dirt washed off around him as he stood up, shaking his hair “Good enough?” He asked as she shook her head, pouring some of the sopa on the brush as she started to was his chest,making sure to scrub him as clean as she could from land. Sensing her struggle he reached to her, lifting her over his body as she squealed “Sorry, you were just strugglin so i thought i'd help you” Kendo said as [ ] hesitantly started to wash as much as she could, tapping his arm anytime she needed to move. Being up there did help, she was able to was his horns and his hair, revealing the rust orange and copper hair underneath. Surprised she ran her finger though it, giving him a shy smile. “See dont you feel a bit better?” She asked as he shyly nodded, noticing how her clothes clinged to her chest. He reached to put her back on land, coming out of the water himself as he allowed her to scrb his legs and hoofs, the dull black fur coming to life as he watched in awe. She didnt mind helping him, still came to bother him when he said he didnt want help and now she was bathing him. Kendo mulled over how helpful she was, and realized she was more comforting than most. After scrubbing his hoofs shiny she tapped his legs, signaling she was done.

“All right! Now that youre all clean and such Ill make sure you stay this way okay Kendo?” [ ] said as she went back to the basket, pulling out two apples. The bull in question watched as she came back to him, handing him the other one “Here ya go! Thought you could use something sweet” kendo took the apple from the girl, before biting into it, thanking hier softly as they sat in silence. Soon [ ] spoke up, breaking their silet aurora “So...ill be around here the next few days or so, ill probably stay longer, giving how nice it is” She laughed, looking at the curious male beside her “Dont be afraid to ask me for anything okay? Im here to help you” With that Kendo nodded, going back to the apple. Quietly Kendo touched her arm, making [ ] look to him as an unfamiliar look went over his face. Gently herself, [ ] put her hand on his, shaking her head as a signal for him to talk. “Would you mind...pettin me?” he asked before [ ]’s eyes went wide. Now feeling a bit more embarrassed he spoke up again “I have problems going to sleep, ‘ts why i like it out here in the sun, its warm , nd comforting…” Pausing he continued after he got his words together. “You do the same thing like the sun. Youre warm...comforting.. And make me feel sleepy...so if you pet me...ill be comforted to sleep..its what my mama did, but im too big to be in her lap” With that kendo finished, glancing to the girl who gave him a soft look “Of course i can! I have to get pick some more clothes up but once i get back, I can stay with you out here.” Shaking his head Kendo looked back to the river “Ya dont have to sleep outside with me just...put me to sleep” Unable to stop herself [ ] hugged his arm, looking at him through her lashes “Oh cmon you big baby, I dont mind it! Havent slept under the stars since i was a kid!” Brushing off her dress she ran a hand though his thick locs of hair, giving him another warm hug “Ill be back before sundown, now you be good” And with that he watched as his new found friend walked down the hill.

As promised she brought a blanket and joined him, laying under the tree as the large male went to sleep on her lap, contently humming as [ ] ran her fingers through his hair, making Kendo groan as he fell asleep like mentioned, hugging her thighs as he slept the most comfortable he had in weeks. Watching the hybrid sleep she saw all types of scars, some down his back , others on his chest. A few on his arms and only one on his face, plus the broken horn. He obviously got himself into different groups of problems, but he was sweet, not as curt as he expected. Running her fingers down his back she watched him shiver, going to wrap his arms higher around her torso. Giggling as softly as she could [ ] started to braid his hair back in his sleep, the moving under her ceasing as he was well resting once more. Thinking to herself ‘ If he’ll be like this it should be a breeze to help him.’ Oh how wrong she was.

A few days passed with little to no incident , [ ] going around helping with the daily chore and hanging out with her deity auntie. As the two of them sat in the living quarters, drinking a mixed juice that her father set them they heard a bell appear towards the window, it being Kendo’s mother “I'm so sorry to bother you , but i think something is gravely wrong. Kendo is whining in the shed, earlier he even started to-” Before she could finish a thumb came from his shed, followed by a groan “and that, he's been head butting his room” sitting up [ ] looked to his shed, seeing the door shut but large banging still coming from inside “Hey Auntie, is it alright if we could move him to the other field? I dont want his lashing to accidentally hurt anyone here” Coming besides [ ] Demeter chewed at her lip, thinking “Well, if we can stop him then yes, I'd get the boys to move it quickly”. With that answer [ ] got up, heading to the rocking shed. Taking in a breath she knocked, hearing that the groans subsided. The door slowly creaked open, showing a heaving Kendo “[ ].....?” He whispered, looking over her body as she reached to his forehead, pressing her hand against it. Hot, way too hot. “Kendo, sweetie come with me okay? We’re gonna go to the fields and we're gonna move your shed there okay?” Silently he nodded, coming out of his place. He was gasping, chest heaving as his eyes swirled a darker color than normal. Taking the outstretched hand of [ ] his larger fingers curled against it, following the light pull of the girl. Softly, He nudged her back “ ‘M hot..” he said as she looked back at him, making sure the fever wasn't wearing him down. He gave her a weak smile, rubbing the back of her hand “ ‘M alright princess, just hot” Kendo said as she noted how his voice dropped octaves. “Well theyre gonna bring a bigger shed for you out here and ill check on you every hour. Does anything hurt?” [ ] asked as they walked up the hill “Nah, but my horns are ackey.” “Is that why you were bashing them on the shed?” “Yeah...its like trying to scratch an itch you can reach” Kendo sighed, seeing his usual tree coming into view. As the duo got there he dramatically fell under it, pulling [ ] with him. “K-kendo! Careful!” she fussed as he let go of her apologizing as he drifted to sleep. Soon some of the workers had started working on the new roomed shed for him , finishing just before sundown as they would inform Demeter of where she was.

Gently pushing the deep sleeping boy from her lap she went to his new place, checking everything out. It was more of a small home than a shed, filled with a huge bed and a nice aesthetic to them, the touch of the goddess laced through the look of the place. Going around to sort some of the things they brought for Kendo, [ ] felt a presence behind her “whats all this..” the groggy bull said, ducking down to walk into his lavish bedroom “Your new home! I had them build something spacious but also not overwhelming, and these white are just so lovely.” [ ] kept talking as she soon felt two large arms wrap around her torso “ Ya did this for little ol me..?” He whispered as she ran a hand over his forearm. “I did...you need somewhere to relax in this state” She responded, trying to get from his grasp as he tighten it “Uh uh dont leave...tell me whats wrong with me doc..why cant I stop feeling hot...and anytime you come around I...cant help myself” He ended with a groan , burying his face in the shorter girls neck “Well once im sure of you being in a state of need ill be back okay? Just...relax for me and i promise ill be back.” finally convincing him to let go of her waist, not without a pained groan as he went to the bed, hazy eyes glancing over the short dress wearing girl “Get some more rest okay? Im gonna get something to eat and ill be back in the morning. Call me if you need me okay?” [ ] said as he just groaned a meek response, turning to his side.

Earlier the next morning [ ] woke up to an empty house. Stretching she found a neatly written note with some food on the table

Dearest Niece, Im currently headed to your Uncle Poseidon's place, I should be back some time later ; an update on Kendo, hes been begging for you all day, wont let anyone touch him or check on him. He should be awake now but do be warned ; He’s a lot more scatterbrained than usual

Auntie Demeter

Reading over the note again [ ] sighed, putting on her more comfortable and workable dress as she headed up to his new little house on his hill, the sound of groaning and whines coming to her ears as she got to his door. Seeing it ajar she pushed it open slightly, the place dark except from a crack of light coming from the window. Going to the shades she opened them, hearing a hiss from the bed. “Kendo its me..[ ]?” She called out as the wild set of hair came into view. He was even more disheveled, eyes filled over as he looke to the girl before growling, crawling out of the bed to her. With a gasp she was in his arms, body shaking as she was met with unnaturally feral eyes from the boy. “You left me yesterday..” he rapeseed out, burying his face in her neck again as she grabbed at his thick neck “Kendo honey, i told you id be back this morning didnt i?” She calmly said as he held her tighter, pushing her chest to his “Dont care, ‘ts too long” Realizing why he was so needy [ ] tried to reason with him “Well im sorry love, here lets sit down on the bed” Trying to get him to move she walked forward only to feel something large and hot push into her bare thigh. Nervously she looked down only to be faced to what she feared it was ; His hanging member. A wicked laugh came from above her as she was met with his ever lust driven eyes, a hand of his going to cup her ass and pull her closer “See what you left me with? No matter how hard i fuck my fist i cant cum, it wont come out” He whined and burried his face again, rocking himself on her thigh “Please ill do anythin..youre the only one who sgotten me like this...the only one i want..[ ] please princess help me” Overwhelmed but the situation she tried to pull back, eyes searching his “K-kendo youre getting yourself worked up relax-” Without warning he picked her up, making her screech as he brought her crouch to his face, inhaling as he whimpered, reaching down to his growing dick “Fuck you smell good, like flowers...and sweets..” Letting his tongue roll out he sucked over her panties, making her squeal as she gripped his messy hair “N-no kendo put me down i need to help y-you!” She moaned as his tongue flicked over her clit, a mutual groan coming from both of them. Soon a hard tug to his hair resonated, cause him to put her down as she barely touched the floor, hand grabbing his biceps “Kendo please, please sit down youre overworking yourself.” Trying to calm her racing heart she saw how hazed he was, his hand coming to wrap around his visually throbbing head, stroking himself as tight and fast as he could, looking at the awe struck girl infront of him. His hips lifted up as he was chasing a high but he soon groaned, thrusting meekly in his fist “I-I cant, fuck I cant do it doll, ‘t hurts...p-please” Finally snapping from her haze she got closer to Kendo, hand still trying to milk himself as she put her hand over his, stoping the motion.

“K-ken..ill help you okay? Youre gonna rub yourself raw at this pace..” nervously [ ] pulled his hand away, precum coating it as she gulped. He was huge, red and swollen tip curved in the right places. Even with his bull heritage he was still humanly manageable, but with a lot of work to try and get it to fit. With her staring at the intimidating size it twitched , curving up to his belly button as he gave her a lop sided snarl “ Cmon darlin, he... er, we need you . ya keep staring make me feel a bit exposed” He laughed as [ ] gave her own light chuckle. Facing her fears she wrapped a hand around his tip, a hurting yelp falling from Kendo at the touch made her eyes flicker to him but what she saw was pure lust, eyes blown with his tongue licking over his lips “Y-yes finally...shit I-i can feel somethin” Kendo couldnt help himself. Reaching down he grabbed her other hand , wrapping them tightly around his tip as he thrusted between them. “Mhmm im cumin, im gonna cum o-oh shit” As soon as she twisted her wrist to help him he felt himself twitch , spurts of warm cum splattering on [ ]’s face and the floor a he gave her a nervous laugh “S-shit doll face yer good...im sorry i couldnt hold it in..” he said shyly as [ ] gave him a sympathetic look, stroking over his still throbbing head. “[ ] please...can I fuck you? I-I promise ill go slow its juts the smell of you is..mhmm intoxicating” Kendo pulled her up from her knees, pressing his mouth against her clinging panties ,pulling them with his teeth. [ ] squeaked, grabbing his hair as he pushed her hips closer, trying to lick her. “W-wait ill take em off” Pushing at his shoulders she pulled the piece he had in his mouth out, sliding the flimsy lace as she came a bit closer, a growl coming from his lips as he pushed her dress higher, finally able to taste her. Throwing one leg then the next on his shoulder kendo fell back, making her fall onto his lips.

[ ] let a pitched moan come out, startled by his rummaging in between her thighs , his diligent uskcing on her clit taking a toll as she came, bucking her hips onto his mouth. Swallowing her juices Kendo flipped her on her stomach, pushing the fabric of her dress up and over her shoulder to release her covered chest, now exposed “mhmm i want more of that sweet nectar baby why dont you give it to me?” whispering in her ear and now bucking his even harder dikc between her small lips [ ] started to panic “K-Ken wait I dont think youll fit!” ignoring her thrashing Kendo looked over her body, seeing how she shook at every stroke of his tip against her sopping core “I told ya ill be gentle, hold still [ ]...i wouldnt hurt my mate” The heaviness of those word took over [ ]’s body as she looked back to him, only to see the save behemoth size push against her ring of muscles. Agonizingly slow he pushed, letting his tip slide in as he pushed each small inch he could in, a whine falling from them both. Once he was halfway in he slowly thrust his hips, causing the girl to yelp “I-its alright i got ya okay? Youre fine...its okay im here” Constantly praising her , Kendo was able to slip more into her, each mini thrust pushing him a bit closer to her, the sounds of squishing and pleasure filled moans filling the room. Becoming overwhelmed at almost being full [ ] pushed her hips back to take the rest, making Kendo yelped and [ ] moaned, the sudden feeling of him bottoming out almost too much as he placed his hand on her stomach, feeling him brush her cervix. Swinging his hips more fluidly he started to pounder her even more, gripping her neck as he pushed her deeper in the bed “Fuck yeah i knew youd be my perfect little minx, taking me so well i cant wait to see you swollen with my babies” He huskily whispered , the stretched out girl too blissed at taking him whole to care about his words.

“I bet youd love being my mate, wouldnt have to lift a finger for anything , id take good care of ya..” Continuing his beating against her cervix he felt something strong hed never felt before, a blind need to cum hitting him like a train “mhm..please let me breed you, this pussys’ mine, all i ever wanted...ill make you a cute little house wife hm? Make you swell with cute little us running about.” Feeling her weakening clench over him he reached for that bundle of nerves, switching his hips to hit even deeper, his throbbing dick pushing against that sponge in her walls. Crying out [ ] fell lower, feeling him slip impossibly deeper as he sped up.” Cmon [ ] , babygirl cum for me..give me it..t-then i can give you what you want yeah? Fill ya to the brim so you can bear me a strong child….”Finally at that the little sense of control snapped coming from a particularly hard push and roll of her clit she was whining , grabbing the arm beside her head as angry red lines welted up. Feeling her hit her peak Kendo got to his knees , nursing her bud as she tried to tug him away, thighs shaking as teary eyes looked down to his fierce lust filled one. As soon as she started whimpering and pulling her hips away he stopped, scrubbing his tip along her folds as he entered without too much pull, [ ]’s mouth falling open “Mh..i'm so close baby...just wanted to look at you when I fill you full..” Kendo felt his tip twitch, making his hips stutter as he picked his pace up again, watching as her arms went are far as they could to his back, stretching his shoulders as he came with a growl, and almost audible sound of him pumping in her heard as she weakly pulled him closer, their lips meeting in a intimate kiss.

With care he pulled from her lips, seeing her eyes fill up again as he kissed tears away “Its alright...its okay ‘m here princess...its alright..I didnt hurt you did I?” Kendo asked as he looke at her slightly bulged stomach, a satisfied smirk on his lips “ Hey [ ]...” He started as she gave a weak hum he continued “Be my mate..I know i didnt ask before filling you bu...id be honored to make such a caring woman my mate and wife...treat you just like my father does my mom..…” He said, nuzzling her cheek before [ ] pulled his face up, kissing him lightly as she gave him a tired smile, rubbing his cheeks “I-id be honored to be your mate..take good care of me okay? Or Auntie Demeter has your head..” Laughing he kissed her lips again, sealing their new deal

[slashedthroughtheheart]

Waiting for the right one

It had been 3 months since you first arrived in this place. You’d tried your hand at learning how to be a proper survivor at first before you’d truly known how the place operated. Before you knew that the survivors could leave the campfire.

You’d seen Nea sneak off when no one was looking. You’d been fairly quiet, trying to figure out where exactly you’d end up in this social hierarchy. Your nose wrinkled whenever one of these useless alpha’s tried to get closer to you while asking their invasive questions.

It was no secret that heats and ruts still happened. There was only a few omegas in the entity’s realm, and almost all of them were survivors. There was that one girl that ran with Legion that smelled vaguely like an omega, but there was talk that maybe she was a rare ometa. A hybrid of beta and omega. Granted, no one could get close, the other 3 Legion members always nearby and quickly closed ranks whenever anyone, killer or survivor alike, got too close for comfort.

They were a tight knit pack, it seemed.

When you’d arrived, you had expected a few of the girls to be omegas because of their size. You’d thought for sure the girl who introduced herself as Feng Min was going to be an omega, but only the pleasant scent of a beta washed over you when she came close to pat your shoulder after you appeared in the fog close to the campfire.

Over those first few hours, you found out that out of all the survivors, there was only 3 other omegas besides you. Nea was one, but her thinness had made you think beta at first. But you guessed she had a hard life before coming here, and being here was also hard, so there was no time to build up the softness that you’d always associated with omegas.

The one girl you’d been so sure would be an omega, Jane, had surprised you by being an alpha. She wore a smart, but slightly dirty, business suit. She looked very chic and savvy, and her hips and chest had made you think she was for sure going to be an omega. But you should have known better when she almost swaggered over to you with Feng Min to introduce herself, and then you to the rest of the people around the campfire.

You took a quick headcount, seeing how many people you were now lost with. You came up with 21 besides you, and figured that was that. So when you’d been halfway through the name introductions, with Feng sticking to one side of you, releasing calming beta pheromones to help ease your discomfort at not knowing where you’d been taken to, you were surprised when 4 more people walked out of the fog.

“Ah, and here’s our fearless leader! Dwight, we’ve got a new girl! An omega too! Careful, or she might just take yer spot.” Ace, a rather boisterous but slimy alpha smacked the one man who’d returned with the group of girls.

He had glasses, and kinda short dark hair. He seemed to be in office attire, and he screamed nervous omega as he wrung his hands in front of himself as Ace manhandled him over to where you stood.

Your suspicions were confirmed when the overwhelming scent of anxious omega wafted in the air. He’d managed to not stutter when he said a polite hello while rubbing the back of his neck, eyes not making it all the way to you, instead staring off to the side by your shoulder.

You’d simply nodded, unsure of what was going on, or why an omega was the ‘leader’ of this.. pack? You’d tried to listen to that first 5 minute explanation from a fast talking Feng, telling you they were all survivors and that they went into trials against killers and had to escape over and over again. You really did. You didn’t understand what they meant. Why were they just sitting around a campfire instead of trying to escape if there were killers loose?

You’d always been a bit different for an omega, making it later in life and only ever taking beta friends as help during your heats, never mating to an alpha. None of them ever managed to impress you, and you only agreed to the help from your beta friends because they promised not to catch feelings or try to push you into anything. They knew you wanted an alpha, and they knew how picky you were. They just didn’t like you suffering for so long through your heats with no relief in sight.

You were grateful to them, truly. It was treated as a necessary biological function by you, one that was annoying as hell when you just couldn’t find the right alpha for yourself.

Plenty had tried, coming into your personal space just oozing horny pheromones and trying to sway you that way. And the response was always the same. A very rankled omega telling them to piss off before they got authorities involved.

And no matter how interested an alpha was, the sheer lack of omegas in more recent decades gave them a lot more protection. If an omega didn’t want an alpha’s advances, the authorities as well as majority populace would stand behind the omega.

And just one time was all it took. One time an alpha kept pushing after you’d refused him.

He’d smelled almost sour to you from the get go. Skeevy through and through. He’d gone so far as to try and box you in against the wall closest to you, arm going up above your head as he leaned down to leer at you, grin lascivious as he eyed you.

Your friends had insisted on the defense lessons, knowing you were so picky about alphas and that some were just too dense for your own good.

Something in you snapped.

Red overtook you. Fury at the audacity of this alpha overstepping his bounds. Rage that no alpha had approached you properly. Shown you they were good enough to be your alpha. Shown you they could take care of you properly. None were strong enough, in command enough, sure enough of themselves without having to throw their scent around. It wasn’t them that was their strength. They always relied on their scent alone. None walked like it was them before their scent that held the power.

He wasn’t good enough, and he wasn’t taking the no gracefully.

You shook, hands balling into fists while the white hot fury spread from your breastbone out to every extremity. Every pore of your body filled with your indignity at your treatment. At the incompetence of all the alphas you’d ever met.

You almost blacked out during the interaction, but instead you almost watched yourself go through the encounter as if in a trance and looking back on a memory.

The crunch of his nose had been satisfying. His cry of pain fueled you, pushed you forward and let you know that you could do this. You were stronger than he thought. Smarter. More determined.

He choked with the hit to his throat, staggering away from you and almost falling to the side, trying to get away from your rain of fury.

When you had taken the first step to follow him, to take out your rage of years of mediocre alphas trying to posture you into things you didn’t want, the fog had rolled in out of nowhere. It had come from behind, billowing forward around your legs and going up to engulf all of you as you took your second step, so focused on getting to the prone alpha scrambling away from you in fear that you didn’t notice until the fog reached your shoulders.

And in your trance, you didn’t panic when the fog fully swallowed you up.

The cloying darkness seemed to last for so long, long enough that your anger dissipated and you were left confused and slightly anxious as the world seemed to stop existing, and you were lost to this void of roiling blackness. It was so dark, but there still seemed to be movement like smoke moving lazily about.

You couldn’t tell when or if you blinked or closed your eyes. All senses were shockingly both over and under stimulated. The silence deafening. The only scent your own slow rising panic stinging your nose. Your hands reached out, you think, but you could not see them. You could not feel anything unless you tried to grab yourself. And even then, it felt muted, like you were dreaming but not.

We’re you walking somewhere? You think you were telling your legs to move, but without being able to see, and feeling so weightless, you couldn’t be sure.

It felt like both a lot and no time at all had passed when you suddenly felt solid ground under your feet.

You wobbled a bit, disoriented by the sudden information reaching your brain. You couldn’t see even when your feet were touching ground. You held your hands out, trying to find anything, and jumped a little when your hand connected with something hard and rough. It scraped at your hand, causing you to grunt at the small discomfort.

You realized your hearing was back. You hadn’t been able to even hear your own breathing, and you swore you called out while in that darkness that had clung to every part of you just earlier.

You hadn’t realized your eyes were closed at first, shut tight against the darkness you had been afraid of.

“Hey! There’s a girl!” a higher feminine voice startled you into opening your eyes. People, you weren’t alone anymore. Maybe they could help you.

You were slightly dizzy from the transition of not being able to see even when your eyes were open, floating in the abyss that had seemed to douse all your senses.

What you had scraped your hand on was a thick tree trunk off to your left just a bit, visible to you despite the gloom pressing from all around. Compared to what you just experienced, it was bright out.

And that’s how you came to the entity’s realm. Confused and scared after finally snapping and attacking an alpha that tried to put his hands on you.

You’d been pulled towards the campfire, sat on a log between the soothing beta Feng and the other omega besides Dwight that had come from the fog. Her name was Cheryl and she did her best to help Feng try to calm your rattled nerves.

Everyone at least sympathized with you on being scared after first coming out of the fog. For some, that meant they tried to calm you down like the two had been by your side around the campfire. For others, the nicety ran out at giving you space your first day of being there.

Ace had been the first to try to proposition you, saying in such a weaselly way that you smelled mighty fine and the two of you would make quite the pair.

Your immediate refusal and disgusted face had been the turning point in his attitude towards you. While he wasn’t outwardly hostile towards you, you found yourself having to rely on the other 2 survivors to unhook you if you were caught when you went into trials with him.

He went to acting like you didn’t even exist around the fire whenever the both of you weren’t in trial. Everyone pretended not to notice, and some of the more gentle survivors would offer you a wincing smile whenever you were paired with him in trials.

After that first encounter with him, the others noted you withdrew in on yourself a lot, not even wanting Feng or Cheryl to offer their comfort or presence to you.

You’d retreated from the logs after the first trial that Ace had left you to die on hook after you’d been caught unaware by a silent man with a white mask. You were told after regenerating near the campfire that the killer you’d faced was known as the Shape, but everyone referred to him as Michael Myers, or in David’s case ‘Big silent bastard’.

And while David had never tried to approach you, you knew without a doubt he was an alpha that’s power came from his scent and not himself, despite professing a brawling background. Sure, someone could be a fighter. But did they have power all their own? David did not. None of the alphas present did, in your opinion.

And the slow understanding you gained of your situation opened your eyes to the survivor alphas being absolutely weak and pathetic in your eyes. They’d given in to being a pawn, a plaything for the entity and the killers alike. While David was the closest to being the least useless alpha, your nose still wrinkled at his use of scent to try to ward off the beta killers and to posture at the alpha ones.

The only survivors you truly respected, truly thought were worth your time to talk to were Laurie and Yui. Laurie taught you after a while how to use a shard of glass you could keep tucked somewhere on your person to stun the killers into dropping you if they’d managed to grab you.

Yui taught you how to lift a pallet after dropping it. The words ‘Hit ‘em with everything you got, then do it again.’ resonated with you so strongly, that even if it wasn’t on the same level as stabbing your captor like Laurie, it still made her stand out compared to the rest of the survivors who were barely more than worms, fearfully eking out an existence around the campfire.

It felt like they were the only ones not just struggling for their lives like everyone else, but truly fighting back.

And if Elodie wasn’t so complacent in being sneaky, her showing you how to pull a pallet down while being carried by the killer would have put her in the pool of respectable survivors.

In your first two months, you learned very little outside of what the killers were called and how they could hurt and kill you in matches.

You noticed only whenever they had managed to catch you if the killer was an alpha or a beta.

And in those first two months, you had thought you’d met all the killers in trials.

There had been another new girl, a beta, right before you. Her name was Yun-Jin, and she kept her distance from everyone just like you did, but you had a feeling it was for different reasons than your own. She looked at everyone with a shrewdness in her expression. Like she knew something no one else did, and she knew how to use the information she had.

You had no doubt she’d sacrifice any single survivor there if it meant saving her own hide. And while self-preservation was an understandable thing, you didn’t agree with the methods of stepping on someone else to do it.

Sure, you held disdain for any of the alphas in the group, but you don’t think you’d go out of your way to use them if it meant your own safety. You may have purposefully blocked Ace once when he’d wanted to keep running and go through a building while in a chase with the Killer, but you’d played it off as being scared and thought the heartbeat had been coming from somewhere else.

No one said anything about it, but some of the survivors were a bit more wary of being near you in trials after that. They couldn’t prove you’d done it on purpose, and Ace hadn’t said anything besides ‘You blocked me in that last trial and it got me caught.’ It seems he had accepted your lie, or deemed it not worth fighting over. Maybe he was scared if he pushed the issue, you’d bring up how he purposefully let you die on hook that one time, and how he ignored you hooked every match now.

Either way, you drifted further and further from the group. It only took a week before you stopped sitting on the logs around the campfire after the Ace incident. Standing in the close treeline around the fire.

And then it went further, you retreated farther from the comforting light. Taking solace in the solitude while sitting at the base of a tree a good 30 or 40 feet from the campfire. It seemed that for the most part, no one ventured quite as far as you did.

Until you saw Nea sneak away.

And she went even further than you.

You’d followed just a bit, curious at how far she’d go, so you tried to keep a line of sight on her.

And as you maneuvered to get line of sight, you crossed path with the trail of scent she left behind. It was stronger than normal, and you had a realization that she was sneaking away because she was going into heat.

You wondered for a moment if she was just going to suffer out in the woods alone instead of turning to one of the alphas or betas in camp. But then, as you continued to follow at a good distance, you noticed the forest thinning out, and the walls of one of the realms come into sight.

Flabbergasted that the realms you did trials in were able to be gotten to from the campfire, you stood out in the open amidst the thinned out trees, just staring at the walls with a growing sense of agitation.

Why had no one told you that you could truly leave the campfire?

Surely Nea wasn’t the only one who knew this information. Someone else, anyone else, had to have noticed her absence from the campfire and have done just as you had. There’s no way at least one other person didn’t know.

You don’t know why this upset you, but it did.

And now you faced a predicament. You wanted to keep following all the way into the realm. You weren’t sure which place it was, but you wanted to know. You wanted to see. You wanted to know if all the realms could be found.

The only thing that had you hesitating was running into Nea, or one of the killers. You didn’t know if Nea was actually allowed to be here, considering she did sneak away in the first place. So you didn’t know if you were allowed. What if the killers could hurt you outside of the trials too? What if entering their realms gave them power over you?

Indecision gripped you for a few long moments, curiosity warring with it inside your mind.

You stood, one foot slightly lifted off the ground as if to take a step back towards the campfire, but after finally throwing caution to the wind, you turned back towards the entrance of the realm, boldly striding in.

If you weren’t meant to be there, it was probably better to act like you weren’t sneaking around and then plead ignorance than be caught sneaking.

It was a slim chance at safety, but you reasoned with yourself that the survivors would be way more scared around the campfire if the killers could hurt you outside of the trials.

So you walked in like you owned the place. Like you were meant to be there.

And upon entering Glenvale, you were surprised that it looked different than when you were here in a trial.

None of the buzzards were picking at long dead flesh. No hooks to be seen.

In fact, it’s like it was what you assumed the actual Glenvale looked like in real life and not the horrific replica that you traipsed around in during trials.

There even seemed to be a sense of warmth to the area, as if it was only just reaching sunset. It was nothing like the gloom hanging around campfire.

You were immediately drawn to it, furious that this existed and you hadn’t know about it until just now. And even if you weren’t supposed to be here, even if some killer came out and told you off for being here, you’d tell them off right back and demand to be let in. You didn’t want to sit with those worms content to be around a measly little campfire when there was this right here.

You looked around, sizing up all the restored buildings around you. You figured if the trials were anything to go by, the saloon would probably be where anyone would be.

And you had questions you wanted answered. Either by Nea, or whoever else might be here.

And so you walked forward, with even more purpose and determination in your step now. You could hear from the street that there was life inside of the saloon. Couldn’t see anyone or anything really from it, but you could hear the low murmur that indicated chatting. That could be someone having caught Nea, but you doubted it from the relaxed tone of it.

You couldn’t hear much until you almost made it to the steps. Once you finally made it to the front of the saloon, looking up the steps and to the swinging doors, you listened out to try to figure out who was talking.

The voices weren’t familiar in the slightest, and there was at least 3 distinct male voices from what you could tell. One was high and nasally, another a bit lower, and the last was hardly anything more than bass.

You didn’t hear Nea, which did make your anxiety kick up just a bit. But before you could second guess yourself and talk yourself out of going in, you marched up the steps, determined to get answers.

Although, your anxiety did have you more gingerly opening just one of the swinging doors rather than making a loud entrance by bursting in through both.

And you were glad for it, because even with your much quieter entrance, the conversation inside still died as all eyes in the saloon landed on you and stared.

Your nerve was tested, as you looked back at a room just absolutely full of killers. Almost every table without an open chair.

It felt like forever, the quiet staring match lasting so long in your head even though it was really only a few seconds before you steeled your resolve with a small breath in before walking further forward.

“I have some questions. First, why the fuck did no one tell me these places existed outside of trials?” At your words and attitude, a few of the killers blinked and then looked around at each other. One in particular, one of the alpha ones you’d gone head to head with a few times since coming here, stood.

“Hey now little lady, ain’t no reason to get cross with us. Ain’t like we can come on over to your cozy little campfire and just chat you up.” At this, one of the smaller killers pipes in, the one with the garish mask and dark clothes. “Not that we didn’t wanna, what with you being one fine piece of ass.”

The big guy who’d stood up, the one you’d been told was the Trapper, grunted at the interruption and turned his head slightly and barked out a harsh “Danny.” sufficiently cowing the smaller man, who held his hands up and went “Woah, just giving the girl a compliment, jeez.”

At his mutterings, the Trapper let out another grunt, this one lower and even more of a warning than his word had been.

At this, the other folded his arms, making a ‘tch’ noise before grumbling out a barely audible “Fine, whatever.”

You prickled at both what the big guy and the smaller guy said. “Cozy? That’s what you wanna call that dreary little shithole?” Irritation at the whole situation making you a lot more angry than you’d been when first entering, making your attitude flare up.

You watched while the trapper reached up, hand slipping under his mask he still wore, like he was wiping at his face exasperatedly.

“Listen, we don’t want no trouble with you, alright? What are your other questions you had? You got the answer to your first one, so what else can I answer for ya, little survivor?” He crossed his arms, but kept his whole body relaxed like he was purposefully trying to appear non-threatening despite his obvious irritation.

You crossed your own arms, foot tapping, showing your own frustration.

“Well, why do you all get to be here, but survivors don’t?”

At this he lets out a low chuckle, the irritation bleeding away a bit. “Well, you’re standing here, ain’t cha?”

This caught you off guard a bit. So you were allowed to be here?

You ventured into the next question a bit more cautiously. “Where’s Nea?”

It wasn’t the exact question you’d wanted to ask, but if survivors were allowed to be here, then Nea was here while they knew about it. Probably seeking relief for her heat with one of the killers, since so many of them were gathered here.

This one seemed to throw the big man off though. “She ain’t here. Ain’t been by at all, s’far as I know. Did you follow her here then? Is that how you found this place?”

You gave a small nod. “She snuck away from the campfire, don’t blame her. Most everyone there is a pathetic alpha or a scared beta. I thought she’d come in here, considering…” you stopped talking as you realized maybe it wasn’t a good idea to reveal Nea was going into heat to the killers who didn’t know she had come here.

“Considering?” He prompted you after you trailed off, and you gestured vaguely. “Considering this is like… the main building?” You hoped that would be enough to cover your blunder, but somehow doubted it.

He stood still for a moment more, before letting his arms fall to his sides. “Well, she ain’t been through here in a while, maybe she came to meet up with someone or to just hide away in one of the outer buildings. Ain’t my business what she does as long as it doesn’t hurt one of mine.”

You almost snorted at that thought, but managed to just make a derisive face instead. “Right, because we could totally hurt one of you if given the chance. Totally.”

Thankfully your snark garnered you a laugh from the big man while the rest of the saloon slowly picked up their forgotten conversations, everyone seemingly able to pick up the atmosphere all at the same time.

“More so than you think, little survivor.” He turned, while doing a follow motion as he went back to the table he’d stood up from.

“C’mon, might as well get to know ya, since I get the feeling you’re gonna be underfoot from here on out.”

And so the last month went by, you getting to know and spend more time with most of the killers. They generally tolerated your presence, some more welcoming than others. The Trapper, who’d introduced himself as Evan, was probably the most amiable towards you.

He didn’t step over any boundaries, but it also seemed he showed no true interest in you. Part of you was disappointed, since he seemed to be the only alpha in attendance that was anywhere close to interesting to you. But the other part knew that if he wasn’t interested, then he wasn’t what you really wanted anyways.

Danny, who you had known as Ghostface, had tried to proposition you when Evan had gotten up to go into a trial, but you quickly turned him down, trying your best not to sneer at him now that the only killer you had felt for sure would protect you was gone.

He had accepted your refusal with a bit more grace than you expected, but you couldn’t help but wonder if he’d target you in trials for it like Ace ignored you for the refusal you’d given him.

And at your swift refusal of Danny, most the killers assumed you just weren’t interested period, thankfully.

You went on doing trials day in and day out, not that there ever seemed to be a visual passage of time. The entity seemed pleased with your efforts, rewarding you with new clothes here and there, and gifting you tools to use in the trials that would make them just a bit easier.

Now that you’d gotten to spend some time with the killers, you’d quietly learned some of their quirks. Your observation skills were fairly good after a lifetime of sizing up alphas who approached you.

You escaped trials more often than not, currying the entities favor easily and earning you a small reputation of being a slippery survivor among both groups.

And just as you resigned yourself to forever being alone, knowing that escaping the entities clutches was nigh impossible, you finally got placed in a trial with the killer you’d only heard about from the survivors at this point. You only knew a vague physical description of a flashy male killer that was all about showmanship.

He’d yet to show up to the saloon in your time of visiting it. You wondered if it was just always missing him when you came around, or if he just didn’t hang around with anyone else.

The trial started off easy enough, you started solo near a gen that had a chest nearby, gaining a rather nice toolbox that helped you finish off the first gen quickly before anyone even got hurt.

You strained your hearing as you carefully picked your way through the realm to the next gen you could see. So far there hadn’t been a heartbeat that you could hear and you wondered if you were against Myers or maybe even Danny.

And then you heard someone scream while going down on the other side of the map, and you couldn’t tell from that if it was one of the silent killers or not.

You knew it wasn’t plague, pig, or Freddy because you hadn’t run into any fountains or trap removal spots, and you hadn’t fallen asleep yet.

You crouched in front of your generator, wondering where anyone was. You had seen where the person downed was hung, but they got unhooked pretty quickly. Was everyone else on that side of the realm?

You almost blew your gen when who you assumed to be the savior of the last hooked person was downed without even being hit before, and you felt dread.

The music for a tier 3 Myers hadn’t played, and you hadn’t felt like it was Danny, so who else could down someone without hitting them?

No totems had been cleansed, so it wasn’t haunted grounds. They hadn’t gotten pulled off a gen or out of a locker.

As you thought harder about who it could be, you felt your palms sweating, forcing you to pay extra attention to the gen in front of you, almost missing the last person getting instant downed while the killer was still carrying someone.

You finished your gen just as the second person got hooked, and you felt a moment of fear root you to the spot as you debated trying to go for the unhook save.

There was no screaming before the downs, so it wasn’t clown throwing his bottles at people.

As you contemplated your next move, inching along an outcropping and trying to get line of sight on the hook, and maybe see where the killer was, Feng popped up next to you, holding in her sounds of pain well enough that you hadn’t even heard her approach.

You set about patching her up, a bit rattled from the knowledge that you really didn’t know who it was, and you didn’t feel safe enough to ask out loud who it was to Feng.

She nodded at you, a thanks for the heal as she ran off in the opposite direction of the hooked survivor. Looks like it was up to you, or maybe the fourth survivor, but they were still hurt.

You felt on edge, the back of your scalp itching like you were being watched but you couldn’t spot the killer or even hear the heartbeat that let you know if they were close or not.

It was Kate on the hook, already struggling with the entity. You felt a pang of guilt, realizing you might have gotten to her sooner if you hadn’t froze early by your finished gen.

Just as you reached up, pulling her off completely, you felt a sting on your side.

Letting out a small whine as you looked in the direction of whatever was thrown your way, and making eye contact with a tall man in a yellow coat, who was grinning as he held another little throwing knife. He was still a good distance away, but you could have sworn you saw him wink at you before throwing the next knife that hit your shoulder.

Kate and you quickly scattered, and you tried to put things in between you and the killer, feeling another sting every 4 or 5 seconds, not giving you a moments reprieve.

Just as you reached the building, you felt a knife hit a particularly tender spot, making you cry out and almost double over before you sprinted as far away as you could get, going deep into the building, hoping the basement was at the killer shack this trial.

You felt another sting hit your shoulder, and you really didn’t have the time to try to check behind you as you desperately ran through the building, trying to duck and weave, not knowing exactly where he was coming from in your panic to escape him.

You could hear him now, and the heartbeat that always kicked up around killers. You could never tell if it was your own heart the entity made to beat so intensely, or if it was the killers themselves, and it was a projection.

At this point, you really didn’t ask questions, since it seemed no one really had the answers to those ones.

You felt the fear kick up even more as he seemed to laugh in amusement at your struggles. You managed to get out the other side of the building, running into a spooked Claudette as you vaulted out of the building. She was still bleeding from getting unhooked earlier and you realized she must have been the first person to be hooked.

After the first moment of shock, you both split apart as you heard the ting of a blade barely missing you and hitting the place right above your head.

You made a mad dash to the left, leaving Claudette to run off to the right as you heard the killer vault the window smoothly. You turned the corner, hoping that being out of sight would make him run a different way but you wouldn’t hold your breath.

A swift feeling of guilt hit you as you hobbled away from the building, hearing the heartbeat fade and you knew he had gone for Claudette instead of you.

And your suspicions were confirmed when you heard her scream and saw her go down inside the building. You hadn’t been paying attention as you ran through, more concerned about avoiding those awful knives, so you felt your dread building as you waited to see where he would hook Claudette, hoping the basement wasn’t in the main building.

You crouched behind a silent generator, immediately getting to work on coaxing it to life as your fears were confirmed. You could see the outline of Claudette being hooked in the basement of the building, a sour taste filling your mouth at that.

She was struggling, but you were hurt. Going into the basement without getting healed was asking to have two hooked instead.

You carefully worked on the gen, keeping both an eye and an ear out for the killer, almost slipping when another gen got completed on the other side of the building, drawing the killers attention away from where you were for sure.

And just after the gen finished, you head the scream of Feng going down on first hit again. How was he doing that? His knives hurt, but it took a long time before he even managed to really hurt you with them. The sheer adrenaline of trying to survive in the trial made it so you brushed off most the hits until it had just been too many.

The sour taste in your mouth grew as Kate’s scream followed almost immediately after, and suddenly you were the only standing survivor.

You felt remorse for not taking the killers attention when you watched Claudette be taken by the entity from the basement just as you started towards the building again.

You had to at least try to get Feng or Kate up, you couldn’t let them die like you’d let Claudette die.

You tried you hardest not to cry out as you made it through the building towards where you could see Kate still on the ground, trying not to bleed out. You couldn’t quite stop the whimpers, but you did manage to make it to her undetected so far.

You could hear the heartbeat, but it was faint. Poor Feng was being taken away from the building. You didn’t have to touch Kate much before getting her up, and the moment you pulled her to her feet, she bolted from you. You wanted to call out, to have her let you heal her up before you went on, but she was running in the direction you’d come from instead.

You shook your head slightly, quickly making your way towards Feng, who’d been hooked just as you picked Kate up.

She was holding the entity back, but just barely. You made eye contact with her, and almost cried out when she saw you and then just let go. You’d been coming to get her, you were so close, just behind a rock nearby.

The heartbeat was fading too, why did she give up?

You grit your teeth, upset with yourself for letting two of them down in one match.

Your attention was called back to the building when you heard Kate scream again, watching in horror as she was pulled from a locker by the killer and swiftly carried to the basement, instantly being taken by the entity once hooked.

If you had been quicker earlier, she could have at least held off the entity for a bit, given you a chance to try and save her.

If you had just been quicker, and not so scared of the new killer.

You held in your want to cry out, to lament your failure this trial. You had to try to escape, to find the hatch. You couldn’t let their sacrifices go in vain. You were one of the survivors who always escaped, you had to do this.

You threw caution to the wind, making a quick of a run towards killer shack as you could, hoping that hatch would spawn there like you knew it did often.

You heard his laughter at almost the same time the heartbeat started again.

Fear spiked, gripping your own heart as you felt the first burning sensation of a knife hit your lower back. It wasn’t enough to drop you, but it did hurt.

You couldn’t make yourself run any faster, and there wasn’t many trees or rocks to hide behind in this direction. You felt the hot sting of metal bite into your shoulder then the middle of your back, and one winged by and sliced your cheek. He was throwing quickly, one after the other. Two more hit your back, one hit your upper thigh and another hit your back. He missed two when you almost staggered, going off behind the first rock you’d come into.

You knew the jig was up, you could only dance around the rock with him for so long, feeling a knife hit the front of your shoulder this time as you switched directions, still trying to get away.

The next one would make you go down, you were barely standing as it. You felt the blood drip down from the cut on your cheek, the wounds all over your body screaming for your attention and making it hard to focus on dodging any more.

You hadn’t made anymore eye contact with him ever since the first time when you’d unhooked Kate. Something inside of you was scared at how he’d react to more. He seemed to like being looked at, having gotten more vicious when there was more than one person nearby, when he’d downed Kate and Feng back to back.

You almost tripped, and that was your undoing. Uneven footing made you falter for just a split second, and it was enough for him to clear the side of the rock and land his last knife, burying into the front of your thigh, biting in deep and making you collapse finally.

You fell forward, doing your best to hold yourself up long enough that the fall didn’t dig the knife in deeper before the entity made it disappear from you like it had the others.

You lay there, cursing yourself for fumbling so much through the match, and not just committing to saving the other survivors earlier on.

You heard him almost panting as he approached, a manic giggle leaving him, excited to have finally caught the last of the survivors.

There was no more energy left to even turn your head to look at him, you just laid there, weakly groaning as all the little wounds caught up and really made their presence known.

He stood over you, the heartbeat almost deafening as you waited for him to haul you up and carry you to a hook any moment now.

When he didn’t pick you up for a solid ten seconds, you finally rolled yourself just enough to look up at him. And what you saw both terrified you and sent a thrilling shiver down your spine.

He was staring down at you, as if transfixed by what he saw.

You were still in too much pain to really take much else in, but when he suddenly knelt down over you, hand reaching out to tip your chin up to look at him fully, you gasped.

The rich scent of alpha finally made it to your nose, but you realized even during chases, he hadn’t been pushing any scent out. And he had sounded rather excited. Something was trying to click together inside your brain, but you were a little too out of it and too shocked by his actions to piece the information your brain was trying to put together into one cohesive piece.

He leaned down just a bit, his gaze roving around your face, his thumb and forefinger holding your head still in his hands.

You stayed perfectly still, not sure if it was fear or something else keeping you in place as he examined you closely.

“미인”

In your dazed state, you misheard him. “Hey, I’m not that tiny…” sure, almost all the killers were taller than you, but he didn’t have to say you were mini.

His head cocks to the side, before a boisterous laugh escapes him, startling you. “Ahh, you only speak English then.”

His smile is nothing like the manic grin you’d caught glimpses of during the trial, it’s a bit more at ease. Just a bit though. You could tell there was something lurking beneath the surface.

Maybe if you weren’t so out of it from the blood loss, you might have pulled away from his deepened touch.

“I said miin, which means beautiful.” His grin doesn’t quite reach manic again, but it does change from the mirthful one from earlier to one that was predatory.

He keeps your chin in his grasp for a few moments more as you register what he said, before suddenly hauling you up onto his shoulder and walking off in a direction you couldn’t ascertain from your position and the sudden dizziness from being carried.

All you’re able to do is steady yourself just enough by pressing your hands against his back, but you don’t try to struggle out. Honestly, you’re just too tired to at this point. You’d been bleeding for a while now, and while it had slowed to a sluggish trickle, you’d still lost a lot of blood.

He easily walked along, hardly even slowed down with you on his shoulder. He was humming as he headed towards wherever he was going, arm keeping you securely on his shoulder by wrapping around your lower back.

Just as you were about to muster the courage to ask where this strange alpha was taking you, since you’d seen him pass several hooks on his journey, he was hauling you back over his shoulder, holding you in front of himself for a moment before giving you a grin that sent chills up and down your spine as he let you drop straight into the open hatch.

The last thing you saw before you reappeared at the campfire was his gaze staying steady on you as that grin split his face.

You came to near the logs everyone sat on, still disoriented but instead of blood loss, it was the normal dizziness that came from regenerating from trials.

Even if you were still a bit wobbly, you turned away from the fire and started your way towards the edge of the forest, determined to find that strange killer.

You played the trial over and over in your head again, trying to figure out just what was drawing you to him.

Just as you reached the edge of the forest and it thinned out, you realized he hadn’t been using his scent at all during the trial. You’d barely been able to figure out he was an alpha and only when he had gotten close enough to carry you.

You stopped at the edge, a dawning epiphany hitting you, one your brain had tried to show you in the trial. He was strong… without his scent. Honestly, you didn’t think he’d even used his scent at all during the trial, even when he’d picked you up.

Meanwhile, you were sure you’d probably been subconsciously scenting off in fear. Maybe that’s what had him pausing at the end, when he’d held your face.

You felt your cheeks heat up slightly, before shaking your head. You didn’t know for sure if this alpha was right for you, no need to get ahead of yourself.

But… what was it he’d called you? It meant beautiful. And he hadn’t scented when he said it. Maybe he was different.

Taking a deep breath, you shook your head once more. None of this would matter if you couldn’t find him outside of the trials.

So with new purpose, you strode into Glenvale, ready to interrogate whoever you needed to to find the killer.

Your steps were hurried, taking the steps up to the saloon in one small hop, and pushed the doors open obnoxiously, too preoccupied with your own mission to realize how loud it would be.

So when the swinging doors smacked against the wall, it startled everyone, including you.

You barely had time to register that there was only a few people in the saloon before Evan grumbled at you. “What’s got a bee in your bonnet today, brat?”

Stuck in place just inside the door, you looked to him as you mumbled out a soft “Sorry, didn’t mean to open them that hard.”

What drew your attention next was someone standing from the table, hidden by the bulk of Evan until just then.

“Ah, I was just about to ask where I could find you, and here you are.” There was a playfulness to his voice, and his grin mirrored the one he’d been giving you when he’d dropped your through the hatch just a few minutes ago.

He was already walking over towards you, and you were still stuck in place, but instead of it being mortification, it was something else.

You didn’t even smell him, but just seeing him had you staying still.

Maybe you were a bit in over your head, but the possibility that there was finally an alpha that could cross off all your check boxes? It was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Your hands clenched and unclenched as you waited for him to reach you.

“Would you join me on a walk?” He was right in front of you now, looking down as you fidgeting in front of him. Why were you nervous? He was just another alpha, you didn’t have anything to worry about. He couldn’t hurt you out of trials, and he could only do so much in trials, so why were you nervous around him?

You looked past him for a moment to see that Evan had turned away. Seems he wasn’t worried about the new killer talking to you, and he was always quick to put himself between you and the more… questionable killers.

So when you met gazes, you gave a tentative nod.

He walked past you, opening the door and standing outside of it, still holding it for you as he looked back watching you walk over to him.

The predatory look was gone, replaced with a lax smile. Like he had fully relaxed. An air of easy going swam around him as you almost meekly exited the building.

You’d never really thought how you would react to finding an alpha who might be good for you. This almost spooked approach was not what you’d expected from yourself.

He didn’t strike up any conversation as you left the realm of Glenvale and wandered farther than you’d ever gone before, passing some other realms you’d not seen outside of trials before.

He did however, pick up a lazy hum of a song. It didn’t seem to have a rhyme or reason to it, nothing you recognized at least.

“So, little omega. How long have you been hiding from me?” His voice startled you out of your own thoughts, and his words made your face flush.

“I… haven’t. We just haven’t been in a trial before now.” You were telling the truth at least, so he shrugged at that.

His hum changed to one of thought instead of song, drawn out a bit before he looked back at you from over his shoulder. “Well, now that we’ve met, don’t go hiding from me~.” The wink he gave you before turning back had you almost faltering, falling just a little bit behind before hurrying a bit to keep up again.

You weren’t sure how to respond to that. Was that his way of flirting with you?

Instead of saying anything, you just gave a small nod. He really did have the upper hand here, and you could only hope you hadn’t made a grave mistake following him out of the saloon.

He leads you past all the realms and into the forest on the other side. And just as it feels like he's leading you in circles, you pop out of the treeline in front of a cabin, just sitting in the clearing in front of you like it had been taken right from some magazine about Natural Living For The Rich and Wealthy.

Why was it always the killers getting fancy realms and cabins to stay in but the survivors had to stay around a dingy little campfire without so much as a tent to sleep in?

Your small spike of jealousy was forgotten when he opened the front door, ushering you inside with that same easy going air about him.

He wasn’t even glancing over his shoulder anymore, he just expected you to follow him deeper into his dwelling.

And you did, eyes wide and nose twitching at the sudden increase in his scent. It was old though, just what’s rubbed off on the cabin from him staying in it for upwards of 4 months now.

And you could feel the shift in the atmosphere when he heard your subtle sniff you couldn’t stop yourself from doing.

He casual spun around, leaning against the back of the couch, giving you a once over before that smirk was back.

“Do you like what you see, little omega?” The laugh in his voice sounded almost threatening, but it only sent a thrilling shiver down your spine when his eyes lidded while watching you from where he stood.

“I… It’s a very nice cabin. Shame only you killers get things like this. What I wouldn’t do for a tent at this point. Falling asleep leaned against a tree gets old at some point.” You tried to cover your embarrassment from being caught taking in his scent with your very real envy that the killers got special treatment.

His laugh was a bit unexpected, but it sounded genuine. “You know,” he pushed up from the couch, closing the distance easily, almost looming over you in mere moments, hands in his pockets as he leaned into the wall just beside you “you don’t have to stay at that campfire if you don’t want to…”

There was a suggestion in his tone, words unsaid, but clear on his face. He was leaning just a bit closer now, that signature grin back on his face as he watched you squirm under his intense gaze.

Part of you wanted to play dumb, to say something like ‘Oh, sure. I’ll just go ask Evan for a room in his mansion.’ but the look he was giving you had all your fire from before sizzling out.

Or maybe it was more apt to say it was burning differently now.

The temptation to finally give in to your more submissive instincts was great, but after a life of telling off shitty alphas, you weren’t sure how to go about flirting back with one now that you were here.

Your silence didn’t bother him, it seemed. His grin still in place as he leaned over you.

Every thought flitting through your head as you tried to find the right thing to say left you as he finally reached up to capture your chin, just like he had during the trial earlier.

“That is, if it’s what you want~.”

He was teasing you and also reassuring you. You could figure that much out by the softness with which he held your face.

The closeness was clouding your mind, but you knew that you were interested in his offer.

You faltered under his gaze, but finally found your voice. “I… you’re not scenting off… are you?”

It wasn’t really a question, but more of a realization. He nodded nonetheless, leaning back up just a bit, shrugging.

“Don’t need to.”

His confidence with those three little words sent an electric current through your whole system, leaving your fingers tingling after a small shiver has his eyes narrowing every so slightly, pulling up in a smile as he leans back in.

“But I can, if you ask nicely.”

You don’t even think before the barest whisper of a ‘please’ leaves you, finally giving in to your instincts.

He closed the distance, other hand coming to your hip to pull you closer to him. His face was so close, and the excitement at this new experience was absolutely overriding any thoughts of your past.

And all at once, you were surrounded by his scent. You couldn’t help the little gasp that escaped, but it only seemed to please him.

“That’s it, little omega.” He moved until his mouth was almost pressed against your ear, whispering out a little “Relax a little, I’ll take good care of you.”

He had your head spinning well before that, but when he nuzzled against your neck, taking in his own deep breath, you couldn’t help the little whine that left you.

His rich laugh reverberated through your whole body, sending tingles to all your extremities and lighting a fire low in your belly.

“Sensitive, aren’t we.” You could feel his smile against your skin, his teeth grazing against your scent gland, lighting up all the pleasure centers in your brain and causing a rush of slick to leave your panties an absolute mess as you trembled beneath him.

His grip on your hip tightened, a low rumble leaving him as he appreciated your own scent. “That’s good, it’s gonna be fun with you so responsive.”

You reached out, hands gripping at his open coat. You were dizzy from the rush of all these new feelings. Sure, you’d done plenty during your heats, but none of that had any feeling behind it. This was so different, it was like you were an inexperienced virgin again, unsure of where to put your hands or what to do with your body.

Thankfully, he was taking charge, pressing you into the wall and sliding his leg between yours as he kept nibbling gently against your neck.

He drew out more little whines from you, the hand on your chin wandering down to ghost feather light touches down your side, his mouth gradually moving to nip at your chin and then hungrily at your lower lip.

His presence was heavy, devouring you without even trying.

When you responded to his insistent presses against your mouth positively, he groaned out his approval, teeth grazing your lip before sucking softly at it to soothe the slight sting.

Your own moan that followed spurred him on a bit more, hands moving to either side of your thighs before lifting you.

While you expected him to pin you against the wall right there, he surprised you by standing up fully with your legs wrapped around his waist and your arms hastily thrown around his shoulders to hold yourself up.

He hadn’t stopped leaving little kisses on your face either, keeping you distracted as he walked farther into his dark cabin, not even bothering with the lights.

It was only when you were being laid down underneath him on a very soft bed that you did anything besides hold onto him.

While everything in you was telling you he was in charge, that didn’t mean you couldn’t do anything to help him along.

With lust fueling your actions, you pressed your hips up against him, doing your best to grind against him with your legs wrapped around his waist.

Doing so earned you a low growl and him pressing a bit harder into you as he claimed your lips in a kiss that took your breath away.

Everything about him was larger than life, almost overwhelming you as he licked at your lower lip before teasing along your own before finally releasing your for a breather.

He was still impossibly close, but you managed to clear your head enough to start lifting your own shirt off, since his jacket was the only thing in the way besides his pants. He sat up, hands moving your legs from around him so he could shrug out of his bright yellow jacket and toss it to the side of his bed, hands finding your bare skin being revealed as you shimmied out of your top.

You would have blushed when hearing his appreciative hum, but you were a little too turned on, seeing him kneeling over you, looking like sinful perfection as his hands trailed down your stomach to graze the top of your shorts you wore.

He went slow, unbuttoning then with a gleam in his eye, that predatory feel coming back as his teeth glinted in the low lighting.

You complied with his slight tug, lifting your hips enough that he slid them down your hips before sitting back fully, pulling them down your thighs and to your knees, lifting your legs to be almost flush with his body and he pulled your shorts off, keeping you legs pinned against his front, pressing a soft kiss against your calf as he drank in the sight of you flushed and almost naked beneath him.

“미인”

Even through the fog of lust, you remembered him calling you that before. Something about how you were beautiful.

Your face got substantially warmer, but you managed to get out “You’re not so bad looking yourself.” but you couldn’t quite manage the cocky smile you wanted to have go along with it when he nipped at your calf where he had kissed just before.

He was enjoying being above you like this, getting to watch your reactions as his hand not holding your legs to his chest trailed down the front of your thighs, ghosting against the dip in your hip before tugging playfully at the edge of your slick soaked panties.

You could feel his own excitement pressed against the back of your left thigh, and could feel how he tensed slightly when you squirmed in his hold, letting out a moan when the pad of his thumb swiped against your mound.

“You’re already so wet for me, little omega.” His voice was husky, low and vibrating through your legs pressed against his chest.

Whimpering in response to the stronger press of his thumb circling slowly, he had you writhing beneath him with very little effort.

It was like he knew just where to press to give just enough pressure to build you up quickly. He had you wrapped around his finger in no time, your gasps turning into absolutely filthy moans as he moved your panties to the side, exposing you to him finally.

His fingers ghosted across your slick soaked folds, spreading them slightly and groaning at the sight.

And just like that, he wasn’t teasing anymore.

He let your legs down, hands easily undoing his belt and pushing his pants and boxers down his hips, eyes never leaving you.

You were just as eager, moving to rid yourself of your panties and undo the bra you wore, thankful they at least matched today.

He let you know he appreciated your efforts by pushing you back down, mouth closing around your left nipple, while his hand found its way to your hip, steadying himself as you found his way back between your thighs.

You instinctively wrapped your legs around him again, pulling a soft moan from him when your bodies pressed closer. His cock throbbed at the delicious friction your bucking provided, but he only allowed it for so long.

Sitting back just a bit, raising his head from your chest and making full eye contact with you before purring out “Careful little omega, you’re playing with fire~.”

And even though your brain was telling you this was a very bad idea, you went ahead and poked the lion anyways.

Biting your lip, you pressed yourself up, rubbing yourself against the underside of his cock for just a moment more before he let out a much lower growl than before.

You had less than a second to react before he flipped you over, pulling your hips back into him to press his aching hard on against your heat.

Before you had a chance to gather your bearings, he had you pinned under him, teeth closing around your scent gland once more, sucking softly while ever so slightly grazing your skin. A reminder of your position, of how this was going to go down.

A rumbling approval thrummed through you when you presented properly, no longer embarrassed by your own instincts.

He greedily pressed against you, rutting slightly, simply enjoying your soft skin for a moment before reaching a hand down and slowly pressing a finger into you, earning him a long drawn out mewl as he felt you grip at him. He quickly added a second, working you up easily and mercilessly.

And through the whole thing, his mouth never left your neck. He was working you into a frenzied mess underneath him with just his hands and mouth, your legs shaking from the sudden intensity of the buzzing feeling between your legs, leaving you dizzy as he licked and sucked around your scent gland, taking his sweet time getting you ready for him.

You were already so close just from his fingers working you open for him, so at the sudden press of his cock, you almost came right there, gripping at the first inch of his cock as he slowly sunk more into you.

He finally let up on your neck, but stayed right there, nuzzling at your ear, purring slightly.

It wasn’t long before he finally stilled, seated fully inside of you, groaning at the warmth hugging him into you.

He sat still, just enjoying the feeling of you fluttering around him. He felt your impatient little press back into him, grin splitting his face as a low laugh reverberated through your whole body with him this close, practically draped over your own form beneath him.

“You want more?” There was mirth in his voice again, but also an edge of warning.

Despite the voice in your head telling you it was a bad idea, you nodded a bit desperately.

A low hum set your whole body thrumming with need, you could feel his smile press into your skin as you barely made out his whisper.

“Remember, you asked for it…”

You didn’t even have a second to second guess yourself, his hands moved, one arm holding him up while the other went to hold your hips in a vice like grip as he withdrew half his length and then plunged back in, knocking the breath right out of you.

He gave you no recovery time, setting an almost brutal pace, hips canting at an angle that had you seeing stars and trying to get any air in as he practically used you beneath him.

While he was enjoying still being over top you, and so close, but he wanted to hear you. He wanted you crying out for him.

Leaning back, he moved both hands to your hips, eager to hear your first moan now that you could get a breath in.

His hips snapped forward, the power behind his thrusts ramping up quite a bit, and he was rewarded with a loud keen as he kept that same fast and deep pace from before.

He felt you clamp around him, letting out his own groan at the sensation. You could feel his fingers digging in just a bit harder, knowing you’d have light bruising from the treatment, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care in the moment.

The bed sheet beneath you swam in front of your eyes, the pleasure bringing you to near tears as he adjusted yet again, pushing your face into the bed with one of his large hands splayed between your shoulder blades. And it was almost like he could hit even deeper from this position. He was filling you up with every thrust, leaving you a shaky mewling mess underneath him.

You were barely aware of anything besides your own mounting pleasure, but you just barely caught a growled command from him. “Ji-woon… say it”

His tone, deep and absolutely in control had you shivering under him, brain going to putty as you whimpered out what he asked.

A shaky attempt at his name left your lips, and it was close enough that it spurred him on, nails biting into your hip as he got close.

His pace quickened just a bit, and it had you keening out his name for him, music to his ears.

He felt you hit your peak, your orgasm crashing down on you as any noise you were making melted into a high pitched moan that was broken up with each thrust from him chasing his own end along side you.

And while the temptation to knot you was there, he held back, wanting to save that for the first time he’d lay his claiming bite on you in your heat.

You were almost through your own orgasm, body rigid and muscles tight, your ears ringing when you heard a choked out “이거야!” that was followed by a growl and his hips stilling finally, grip on you keeping you in place despite your own pleasure finally leaving you a twitching, boneless mess beneath him.

It wasn’t long before he draped himself over you again, pressing your body into the mattress as he surrounded you with his body and scent. One of a very pleased alpha.

“You did so well, little omega…” his praise left a warmth just beneath your skin, lighting you up unlike anything ever had before.

A surprisingly soft kiss was pressed just behind your ear, followed with a content purr as his hands gently rubbed at where he’d been gripping so hard earlier.

“So perfect, all for me.” His tone was still praising, but it had taken a possessive turn.

And his purr only picked up when you gave a little ‘mhhm’ at his words.

Being only for him didn’t sound so bad.

After all, you’d waited your whole life for the right alpha. Him wanting you just as much as you wanted him brought you a sense of peace.

You’d finally found him, your alpha. And you weren’t going to be letting him go anytime soon.

Translations 미인: (Miin) Beautiful woman

이거야!: (Igeoya) This is it!

[baka-monarch]

Honeyed Blood Over Fresh Snow

(btw this takes place back when Tommy moved out of Logstedshire and in with Techno)

(TRIGGER WARNINGS: DEATH, KILLING, MENTION OF SUICIDE)

____________________________________________

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Came Fundy's voice from behind the tiny hovering president.

"It should be fine, it's just Tommy" Tubbo had been sneaking off to Logstedshire for a while now, and had been planning this visit for weeks. The small bee hybrid had regretted exiling Tommy for a while, and during his few small hidden visits his guilt had grown even more. He couldn't bear to see his best friend- no- his brother suffering like he was. Tubbo didn't know why he had even listened to Dream in the first place, Tommy had a plan, one that Fundy and Quackity had even agreed with, to take down the smiling man- and now because of Tubbo, Tommy was suffering. "I have to talk to him. Alone."

"Yeah, but what if Thomas is mad at you- Tubbo you're not exactly- well your-" Quackity was quickly shut up as Tubbo cut him off with a glare.

"I'm tiny. I know." Tubbo shrugged. "But don't worry, I'm going in bee form and I can just fly away if it seems like he… like he…" Tubbo didn't want to think about what would happen if Tommy was mad at him. Flashbacks of the festival and the sounds of fireworks overtook his mind for a moment before he shook those memories away. "I'll be fine." At Tubbo's words he received worried looks from both Quackity and Fundy. "And if I somehow don't come back…" he looked to Quackity specifically, "Go through with it without me."

Quackity gave a curt nod, and before either of them could do or say anything, Tubbo was transforming into his bee form and buzzing away. The only thoughts running through Tubbo's mind as he flew above the water was his worry for Tommy. His friend had been forced to be alone with only Dream for weeks now, and Tubbo hadn't even properly visited them- who knew what all happened in that small camp Tommy had built. The bee boy felt guilty for what he did, he wanted to make it up to Tommy by finally talking to them after all this time. Who knows, maybe Tommy would forgive him for practically betraying their friendship at the hands of the green man they've always been against. Ever since Wilbur, through the wars, the disks, everything- they had always been together against Dream and now Tubbo had joined their enemy's side and exiled his best friend. He had to fix this.

As Tubbo flew closer to Logstedshire an uneasy feeling began to creep it's way up his fuzzy back. Something was… off. He couldn't hear Tommy- yes his friend had been getting more quieter based off the few times Tubbo had spied on them, but Tommy was never the type of person to let a silence hang, always preferring to fill it with some sort of noise, whether it was their own voice or the sound of music. Then there was what Tubbo was beginning to see- on the shore was a small table, chairs, and other things as if someone had been preparing for a party… and the closer Tubbo flew the more his eyes teared up. He began to see a small crater and a decimated house, the one he thought Tommy had been living in. Why was it blown up? Why would Tommy… why would anyone…

Then he saw it. How could Tubbo miss it? The tall structure making the bee freeze at the sight as he looked up and up and up and up-

Tubbo's breathing sped up. "No…" he buzzed to himself, too overwhelmed to turn back into his more human-esc form. "No no no no no…. Please NO!!!" He flew over to the bottom and began searching. "Surely not- he didn't- he couldn't have- he he he…." There was a compass on the ground. "No…." Tubbo landed on it, and sure enough engraved to the side was 'Your Tubbo'.

The small bee felt his entire world crashing down around him. He couldn't do this- he couldn't- couldn't be here. With all those thoughts and images of Tommy falling plaguing his mind Tubbo began to fly- to fly as fast as he possibly fucking could away from that cursed place. He had to get away from there. He didn't care where he flew, he didn't even pay attention to his surroundings as he flew and flew as fast as his tiny wings could buzz forth. Screaming out a buzz of agony that only he could hear.

Tubbo could painfully remember thousands of times he'd land on Tommy's nose and be teased about being clingy, only for Tommy to then rest a hand over him to keep him there. Memories of getting tangled in Tommy's never ending curling hair, and laughing as his human friend complained. All the times Tubbo would forget about flying and would be caught in the warm familiar hands of his brother. Hundreds of times Tubbo would bury his way into Tommy's pocket and take a nap. Their time in POGtopia whenever Tubbo wasn't with Schlatt and got to stay in the ravine, there wasn't enough supplies and they had to share a bed, and Tubbo would always wake up being gently cuddled…. And Tommy's laughter, it filled his head and-

Tubbo paused his fruitless flying and realized he was now in the tundra, near a small house he didn't recognize. He looked up hearing a far too familiar sound that shattered his heart.

Tommy's laughter… It filled the frozen air and warmed it too much for the small bee, and as he looked over he was overwhelmed with emotions as he saw Tommy- standing there, smiling, ALIVE. Tubbo didn't even hesitate to fly over to Tommy, not caring that Technoblade was there too, not caring that his emotions were too overwhelming to not turn back into his human form, and not caring if Tommy was mad at him. Tommy was alive and that's all that mattered- all Tubbo wanted to do was to never leave Tommy's side, fuck the excile, fuck Dream, all be dammed he was going to stay with his friend and make sure nothing like what he thought happened at that tower would happen again.

"Fucking annoying bees…" Tommy absantmindedly swatted at what must've been an escaped bee as it annoyingly buzzed around his head. Tubbo didn't care as he dodged the hand, he'd just stay flying around Tommy until his emotions were in control, he could turn back, and explain. The bee continued to fly around Tommy's head, and Tommy continued to swat at Tubbo, not realizing it was his friend yet.

"Tommy, stop messing with the bees!" Came Techno's voice, and it distracted Tubbo. In that millisecond of hesitation Tubbo didn't see the hand coming, and suddenly he was smacked out of the air and fell down into the snow.

The next few moments almost seemed to happen in slow motion. Tubbo didn't even have any time to scream as he looked up to see Tommy barely even noticing him, just having this annoyed look on their face. The bee boy looked up more, and paled in horror as he saw the Sketcher tennis shoe raise up. Tubbo opened his mouth to scream, he turned back instantaneously, but it didn't matter as the shoe slammed down onto him. Tubbo felt his bones crush and crack, blood bursting out of him in some places, and he couldn't even scream as he was choking on that blood with a lung being either torn or popped…He couldn't tell. It didn't matter as the shoe pressed into the ground, as if trying to smear him down, and Tommy… Tommy turned away, not even looking down or noticing what they'd done. As if he'd squished just another random bug.

"Alright alright, they're annoying anyways-" Was the last thing Tubbo heard Tommy say as the human walked away…

•••

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HIM!?!" Quackity screamed at Tommy as soon as he saw them, they're invisibility potion having worn off along with Techno's pot.

"What are you talking about!?" Tommy yelled back, he quickly scrambled behind The Blade. They'd just come sneaking into L'manburg for some supplies, he didn't think this whole Butcher Army thing would come out of nowhere and yell at them.

"Tubbo!! Where the fuck is he Tommy!?" Quackity continued to yell.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't seen him since I was exiled!!" Tommy yelled back. Quackity just gave Tommy a confused look.

"Tommy… Tubbo went to visit you a week ago and didn't come back…" Fundy spoke up sadly. Tommy paused at that.

"What do you mean? I- I didn't see him..?" Tommy looked up at Techno.

"Don't look at me kid, I didn't do anything to yer little tyrant" Techno shrugged, but he could already see the panic starting to form on Tommy's face.

"You really don't know what happened?" Quackity dropped his weapon to his side. As much as he wanted to finish off Techno right now, Tommy was starting to worry him. "He went in bee form, so no weird bees either?"

"No, no I didn't…." Suddenly, Tommy froze, parking as he remembered something he did a week ago. "No… no no no, fuck NO!!" It was then that Tommy turned and ran back to the nether portal, ignoring the shouting from Techno and The Butcher Army as they ran after him. The teen's mind was a swirl of fear, he couldn't have not to Tubbo- never to Tubbo. There's no way that he…That he…

No, no. Tommy would never have hurt Tubbo, not even unintentionally. He'd even promised back during POGtopia that no matter what happens, he would never hurt Tubbo, not even by accident. Never would he ever… never, just- he could never…

As soon as Tommy saw Techno's house he ran straight to the bee farm and fell to the ground in front of it. The place where he'd done it now stuck in his mind. He began to dig into the snow, only speeding up more as his fingers got covered in red blood that was in the snow until- Tommy let out a sob.

They didn't even look dirty, the snow seemed to have melted a bit around where their body was and had washed off any blood or mud that could have been on them. Tommy gingerly scooped Tubbo's body up into his hands. They were cold… too cold. Their body was so limp that Tommy felt like he was holding more of a rag doll then… then his best friend…

Tommy screamed.

He sobbed.

He hugged Tubbo's body to his chest.

But Tubbo was dead.

____________________________________________

Mcyt g/t tag list:

@nomynameisanon @trashpumped @loriepoptale @encaos @i-am-a-weeb @wyforyu-gaming @shy-septic-dragon @5unfl0writ3r @colorfulsiren @moonmwah @iwasgoingtohellanyways @echoslime @wilbur-simp @trouble-off-grid @the-misfits-system @lilsyxx

[let-the-dream-begin]

A Family of Our Own: Chapter 2

Chapter 1

Read on AO3

May, 1754

Claire was in her garden with Maggie. Brianna and Kitty were supposed to be helping as well, but they were a bit preoccupied chasing chickens and making the dogs bark their heads off.

“I don’t want to hear it if either of you get bitten!” Claire called over her shoulder.

“We won’t, Mummy!” Brianna said, exasperated.

Claire turned back to face Maggie again, and the girl shook her head.

“Ye canna stop them,” she said. “No’ until it’s too late.”

“You’re too right.”

Claire was just about to demonstrate something for Maggie when the sound of a horse’s hooves caught her ear.

“Girls! Get the dogs inside!” They obeyed, turning it into another game of sorts to corral the beasts. She didn’t want the dogs spooking the horse and throwing whoever the rider was to the ground. It was midday, and they weren’t expecting any visitors. Claire squinted down the road, wiping her hands free of dirt on her apron, her throat clenching on instinct at the sight of a flash of red. Her nerves settled however, when she remembered.

Once a quarter.

Apparently it was time for Jamie’s first visit from Lord John Grey.

“Who is it, then?” Jenny appeared on the porch, flanked by the girls, including Janet this time, all having realized that getting the dogs inside could only mean a visitor on horseback.

“It’s Lord Grey,” Claire said, returning to Maggie’s side.

“Lord ha’ mercy,” Jenny breathed. “Inside, girls. Now.”

“He won’t hurt anybody,” Claire said, furrowing her brow. “There’s no need to worry. Jamie trusts him.”

“That makes one of us,” Jenny said, her jaw hard, and her eyes fierce. “Inside,” she said again, and Maggie trudged past Claire to obey her mother.

“Wait, Brianna,” Claire called, stopping her from joining the throng.

“Are ye mad, sister?”

“I want her to meet him,” Claire said lightly. “It’s about time she meets a respectable Englishman,” she reasoned, with no little disdain directed at the assortments of horrible Englishmen they’d been harassed by over the years. “Besides, he’s a friend of her father.”

“Respectable and English dinna belong in the same sentence,” Jenny grumbled, ushering the girls inside.

“Should I take offense to that?” Claire said testily, putting one hand on her hip and the other on Brianna’s shoulder.

“I’ll let ye know in a bit.” She gestured with her chin, and Claire turned around to see the horse crossing the threshold of the archway. She was surprised by his appearance; she didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he bore little to no resemblance to the scrawny young lad from all those years ago. His face was kind and gentle; his eyes held both quiet mirth and an impenetrable sadness. He was slender but still finely muscled, the makings of a good soldier.

“Good day, Madame,” he said, slowing his horse to a stop. “Is this Broch Tuarach?”

“That it is,” Claire answered.

The man paused for a moment, blinking back something that was seemingly shock, his lips parting silently, then closing. “Well,” he said, awed. “I do believe I’m in the presence of the Englishwoman I’ve heard so very much about.”

He dismounted, keeping hold on the reins. He bowed lowly, bringing his tricorn hat to his chest, maintaining eye contact all the while. “Lord John Grey,” he said. “I am entirely at your service, Ma’am.”

“Claire Fraser,” she answered, curtsying, keeping one hand on Brianna’s shoulder. “And I do believe it is I who is at your service, my Lord. You’re the reason I’m no longer a widow, after all.”

He smiled, almost seeming uncomfortable as he put his hat back in place. “Yes, well, it was the least I could do,” he said. “And this is?”

“Brianna Fraser,” Claire said proudly, nudging the girl a bit so that she’d curtsy. “My daughter. Jamie’s daughter.”

“My God,” John breathed, his eyes wide with wonder. “No wonder she’s his spitting image. He never mentioned…”

“He never knew,” Claire said sadly. “I wasn’t showing until after Culloden. She was quite the surprise.” Claire gripped both of Brianna’s shoulders.

“Indeed,” John said. “Well, Mistress Fraser, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“The pleasure is all mine,” Brianna answered, her normally hybrid speech entirely posh, her nose stuck in the air. Claire briefly contemplated that perhaps her daughter was mocking John’s Englishness, but she quickly dismissed the thought.

“She doesn’t have the burr, then?” John said, amused.

“She has whatever she wants in the moment,” Claire said with a chuckle. “She’s quite the impressionist. Isn’t that right, darling?”

“Indeed, Mother,” she said in the same tone, staring John down, or up, rather.

Both of the adults chuckled, perhaps a bit uncomfortably.

“This is one of Da’s dearest friends, Brianna,” Claire said cheerily, squeezing her shoulders and looking down at her. “He’s the reason that he came home to us. I’d like it if we were all friends. Wouldn’t you?”

“I should indeed love to make the acquaintance of one of the King’s finest,” Brianna said rather obnoxiously, drawling the vowels like a veritable fop. “Even if he’s a bloody Redcoat,” she added, not skipping a beat, her accent remaining perfect.

“Brianna — !”

“John!”

Before Claire could scold her daughter’s behavior, Jamie came running from the side of the house, trailed closely by Rabbie, likely along to take care of John’s horse. John smiled uncomfortably at Claire before turning to greet Jamie as he quickly approached. Claire was rather shameless in how she admired her husband, glistening as he was with sweat from a long day in the fields, curls damp and wild, shirt slightly stained at the collar and clinging to him despite its loose fitting, exposing the overworked muscles beneath. She had to remind herself there was company, including that of their small daughter.

Dragging her eyes off of her husband’s beautifully made body, she immediately noticed she was not the only one aware of said beauty.

John immediately changed when Jamie came into view, in ways that Claire could not exactly put her finger on. He seemed lighter, as if being fed for the first time after months of starvation.

Christ...this isn’t attraction.

This man is in love with my husband.

“Christ, man, it’s good to see ye,” Jamie said enthusiastically, shaking John’s hand with fervor. “Ye’ve met her then? Ye met my wife? And my child?”

Any insecurity that had just seized Claire’s heart upon her realization melted away, and she strode contentedly to meet Jamie, pulling Brianna along by the hand. She smiled, standing at Jamie’s side and settling herself into him, warming to her core as Jamie draped an arm over her shoulder. She reveled in the smell of him; dirt, manure, sweat, and Jamie, his general masculinity.

“Yes, I’ve had the pleasure,” John said, smiling more genuinely at Claire. “Beautiful, both of them.”

“Thank ye, a charaid.” Jamie was warm against her, flushing with pride. “Can ye imagine? I had a bairn all those years and I hadnae a single clue.”

“I can’t imagine,” John said. “You must have been overjoyed.”

“Aye.” Jamie looked down at me, catching my eye sweetly, then winked down at Brianna. “She is...they both are my greatest joys.”

“It does my heart good to see you so happy, Jamie,” John’s voice became soft and light, his eyes glistening. “To have seen you through such pain, then to see you like this…” He stopped himself, seemingly overcome. Claire threaded her arm around Jamie, grasping at his side. “It’s overwhelming.”

“It is,” Jamie agreed. “There are still days I canna believe it’s true. I’m overwhelmed near every day at my luck. And it’s because of you, John. You are the reason I’ve got them back.”

He grasped John’s hand, tightly. Claire felt herself go flush, and she tightened her grip on Jamie’s side despite herself.

“I’d do it again and again, Jamie, no matter the risk.”

Their hands remained clasped together, and they maintained eye contact, and Claire suddenly felt like an unwelcome voyeur to something she did not fully understand.

He told me nothing happened. He told me nothing happened. He—

“Mummy,” Brianna piped, still not dropping her put-on airs. “I would quite enjoy something to eat.”

“Christ, a nighean, why’re ye speaking like yer mother?” Jamie wrinkled his nose down at Brianna, finally releasing John’s hand.

Brianna shot a look at John, her nostrils flared. “I’m hungry.”

“Alright, lovie. Go inside and ask Mary MacNab for something from the kitchen. We’ll be in.”

Claire briefly brushed a few curls away from Brianna’s face before the girl scampered inside, apparently all too eager to get away.

“I’m sorry…” Claire said once Brianna was inside. “She’s not normally so rude.”

“She was rude?” Jamie furrowed his brow.

“Before you got here, she called him a bloody Redcoat.”

Jamie snorted, then smiled crookedly at John. “Well, she isna wrong.”

Claire pinched Jamie’s side, causing him to jerk a bit.

“She also was most certainly mocking his speech,” Claire said. “She does that sometimes, impersonates the Redcoats that come by. To make her cousins laugh. I suppose she thought she’d try doing it to your face since she knows you’re a friend.”

“Yes, well,” John dipped his head a bit, clasping his hands behind his back. “I can’t say I blame her. I’ve heard brutal things.”

“Aye. My family suffered many an indignity in my absence at the hand of some Redcoat or another,” Jamie said, tightening his grip on Claire. “My brother-in-law told me Claire was beaten.”

“Oh, Jamie,” Claire said. “I wish he hadn’t…”

“No, I’m glad he did. Because if he ever returned — ”

“I know Lord John is a friend,” Claire interrupted quickly. “But perhaps it’s best either way to...refrain. From what you’re about to say. Or anything similar.”

Jamie nodded, tight-lipped. “Aye. Well, ye get the idea. The wean’s trust has been broken. Hers and the rest of my family, unfortunately. My sister is none too pleased ye’re here.”

“Brianna has had to lie to protect me, us, all her life,” Claire said softly. “She saw me bruised and bloodied after that beating. She’s...she’s only eight. Back then she was only six. It’s...difficult to conceptualize a ‘good Redcoat’. For everyone, not just her.”

“I understand,” John said. “Believe me, I do. The last thing I want is to make anybody uncomfortable. I’ll just fill out the report and be on my way.”

“Ye mean just leave?” Jamie said, incredulous. “I’ll no’ have that. Ye’ve been traveling fer days, no doubt, no’ a home-cooked meal in sight.”

“Well, yes — ”

“And beds at an inn arena so comfortable, I ken it well.”

“Stay the night?” Claire said, perhaps a little too abruptly. “Do you think that’s the best idea? You know...Jenny?” she added quickly.

Not because I’m threatened...because of Jenny.

“Jenny can hang,” Jamie said, genially. “This man sacrificed his own safety to see me home. Right this minute he’s putting himself in danger, knowing as he does I’m no Mister Malcolm. The least we can do fer him is give him some leisure, good food, and a warm bed. Fer one night.”

Claire sighed. “Alright. But you are talking to Jenny.”

John chuckled, oblivious as to just how much he should fear Janet Fraser Murray.

“Speaking of Mister Malcolm, should I mention a Mistress Malcolm in my report?” John asked.

“Well...the other officers who’ve come by know me as a Fraser cousin, and a Scot at that,” Claire said uneasily. “Elizabeth Fraser.”

“I suppose I could say Mister Malcolm was made a widower during his time in prison, and that he’s remarried to the previously unmarried Fraser cousin. Would that make it easier for you both to live your lives together?”

Jamie and Claire exchanged a look. “What d’ye think, mo ghraidh? Any interest in being Mrs. Malcolm?”

She hummed an amused laugh. “It would be an honor.”

He leaned in to kiss her sweetly, and Claire was so swept up in the moment, she nearly forgot John was standing right in front of them.

“I thank ye, John,” Jamie said warmly.

“We thank you,” Claire corrected, smiling at John while embracing Jamie, “my friend.”

“It is a privilege to be known as such by such a woman,” John said with a small bow of his head.

“Shall I show ye around the grounds, then?” Jamie said, excited. “The lads are in the fields waiting fer me to return, but they can surely wait. Fergus can lead.”

“Fergus. Your son?” John said, as if recalling.

“Aye,” Jamie said, swelling with pride. “Ye’ll meet him at supper.”

Claire nearly offered to show John around herself so that Jamie may get back to work, but she knew that he was proud of his ancestral home and that he would find great joy in showing his friend all there was to see.

But she was too curious to pass up the opportunity to be alone with John for a few minutes.

“Why don’t you tell the lads you won’t be back so they’re not waiting for you? The last thing we need is Jenny’s wrath that productivity was slowed for all this,” Claire said.

“Aye, ye’re right.”

“We’ll wait for you in the stables, I’ll show him the stock.”

Jamie made a Scottish noise of approval, squeezing Claire to him and kissing her temple before darting off to the fields.

“Shall we?”

Claire looked up to see that John was offering her his arm. She curtsied slightly before accepting, fitting her arm in the crook of his elbow before heading off around the house and toward the stables.

“You have no idea how often he spoke of you,” John said, seemingly out of nowhere. “He loves you dearly.”

“I know,” Claire said. “I can assure you it is equally returned. Believing him dead was...nothing short of horrific. For eight years.”

“I am sorry,” John said, sincerely. “If there were a way to get word to you safely…”

“Please, don’t. You’ve risked yourself enough as it is.” Claire gave his arm a squeeze, offering him a reassuring smile.

A small silence passed between them, nothing to be heard but the bleating of the goats, the clucking of the chickens, and the leaves rustling around them.

“You love him,” Claire said.

John stiffened against her, nearly stopping in his tracks. “No, I hardly know what — ”

“It wasn’t a question,” Claire said, strengthening her resolve a bit, hardening her jaw. “Jamie told me of your predilections.”

He made to pull away, panicked. “Madame, I — ”

“It’s alright, my Lord.” Claire tightened her grip, not letting him get away. “Where I come from...such things are not so taboo.”

He gawked at her. “I’d certainly like to know where that is.”

“It’s...hard to explain,” Claire said wistfully.

John cleared his throat. “How...how much did he tell you?”

“He told me of your friend that you lost. Which…I am sorry for that loss.”

“Thank you,” he said, his voice tight.

“And he told me how you...looked at him. And now that you’re here...I see it.” Claire looked away, staring ahead at the stables as they came into closer view. “You look at him the way he looks at me.”

“I…” John sighed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“I’m not sure either.” Claire kept her gaze ahead, uncomfortably aware of their closeness. “In a way, selfishly...I’m glad you love him so much. Because that’s what brought him back to me. But it’s...cruel, isn’t it?”

“How is that?”

“Because he...he’s not…” Claire almost stopped, as John nearly had before. “He isn’t. Is he?”

John chuckled softly, smiling sadly. “There were a few times where I thought perhaps he might be. But his heart belongs to only one.”

Claire could feel his eyes on her, so she turned her head, making uncomfortable eye contact. “So you really never…”

“No, Madame, I did not. We did not.” He did stop then, looking at her seriously. “I’d never met you, of course, but I’d not be able to live with myself if I was part of betraying you.” He started walking again, his more serious point made. “I confess I hardly even had the desire, knowing as I did how madly he loves you.”

“Hardly?” Claire’s brow furrowed.

“Well…” She could feel the heat from his blush radiating off of him. “I couldn’t say never. That would be a lie. And I do pride myself on my honesty.” His words were clipped and terse; Claire almost regretted bringing it up. “You could say the mind was willing, but the flesh was weak. In a way.”

Claire nodded slowly, staring ahead again. “If it...weren’t for me. Would you have?”

She felt him stiffen again. “No. It would be an abuse of my power over him. Such a thing would be despicable.”

Despite his discomfort, Claire could hear the genuineness in his voice. It was a comfort to know, but that still wasn’t what she meant.

“What if...that wasn’t an issue?” she pressed further. “Would you have?”

She heard him swallow. “Well...yes. I’d have tried.”

Claire nodded. “Would he…?”

“You know him better than I do,” John said, not a hint of malice. He meant it.

“I’m...I’m not so sure about that,” Claire said, sounding more sad than she’d meant to. “I just mean it’s...it’s been eight years. A lot of things can change in that time. People change.”

“While that may be true, Madame Fraser, one thing has not changed,” he stopped again, turning to face her, taking both of her hands in his, “and that is the love he bears you. That I can assure you.”

Claire forced a smile, gratefully squeezing his hand.

“God, you are a dreadfully forward woman,” he said, chuckling.

“I’ve always been terribly honest,” she said sheepishly.

“While frightening, I don’t find that necessarily a detriment,” he said lightly. He offered his arm again, and she took it much less hesitantly, leading the rest of the way to the stables.

“Do you know that I bear you no ill will?” John said rather suddenly. “I realize how shallow of a promise that may seem, given that you have everything I’ve ever wanted and could never have. But it’s true.” Claire felt shame burning in her core to think of her initial reaction to the depth of John’s feelings. “Do you know what I said to Jamie after he was freed?”

“Cherish that wife of yours, Fraser,” Claire quoted fondly. “He told me.”

“Did he tell you why I said it?”

“No?”

“He asked me what he could do to repay me,” John said.

Claire felt an unexpected rush of tears, suddenly overcome with something resembling pity, mixed with immense gratitude. She squeezed his arm and looked at him.

“Thank you, my Lord.”

“John,” he corrected lightly. “Please.”

“Then I’m Claire,” she echoed, “John.”

“Alright, Claire.”

They finally reached the stables, and Claire took the initiative to introduce him to all of the horses. Rabbie was in a stall with John’s horse, still brushing the beast down as he gnawed on his hay. John was absolutely tickled when Claire introduced Alastair as Brianna’s horse.

“Takes after her father, then?”

“Quite. She’d been begging me to ride since she could talk. I delayed it for years because of her condition.”

“Condition?” John’s brow furrowed, concerned.

“Oh, she’s perfectly healthy. Just...leftover complications from a difficult birth. If she fell it could kill her. I’m just...paranoid.”

“I see,” John said, though he still seemed concerned. “Does Jamie know?”

“Do I know what?” Jamie appeared in the doorway of the stables.

“Brianna’s condition,” Claire said, welcoming Jamie back into her arms.

“Oh, aye, I ken all about that,” Jamie said. “She’s a fighter, my daughter. Braw wee thing.”

“I can tell,” John said, smiling knowingly.

“Alright,” Jamie said, taking the place that John had just had, settling Claire’s arm in the crook of his elbow. “Ye’re acquainted wi’ the beasts, aye? Shall we move on to the rest of the land?”

Claire and John exchanged a fond look before both looking up at Jamie.

“We shall,” John said.

[greggorylee]

would love to hear about your recent wings of fire dream !! 🐉

oohh of course n.=.n we’ve been meaning to transcribe what we can remember! we’ll recount it best we can!

--

Fish lived with his father on the outskirts of the SkyWing Kingdom, in a cliffside cave beside the Five Tail River. His father did something important that he didn’t understand or remember--trading? gambling? his memory was horrible--but Fish knew it was much more important than him. Fish was used to this, as his mother was around even less. However, if you asked him, it was better that way. Both of Fish’s parents were cruel in their own horrible unique ways, and every second alone was a second he treasured.

It was hard to stay alone though, when your father runs something that every flight in Pyhrria seems to want to visit. This results in plenty of nosy dragons sticking their snout in your business. Fish had learned to spend his time in the woods or mountainside or best, underwater in the river to avoid endless uncomfortable questions.

“Why are you so scrawny? Don’t you eat?” “Where’s yer mum, kid? What flight is she? SkyWing?” “Why don’t you have a plan for when you grow up?” And so on, usually coupled with unintentional misgendering, as his father still refused to call Fish anything but “she”. It made his scales crawl at best, and at worse--well, he tried to avoid going to that place.

Fish’s best efforts never stopped his fellow dragonets, though. Usually this wasn’t too bad, if a little exhausting, as usually the parents would see him as a kind of free babysitting service while doing business with his father. However sometimes Fish encountered the unfortunate bully.

Today seemed to be one of those days. A little greenish MudWing and what looked like a SkyWing/IceWing hybrid had been chasing Fish around the river all morning. They weren’t exactly trying to be mean--more like willfully ignorant to the fact that Fish wasn’t interested in their game of tag.

Now he dangled from a thick vine hanging from a tree branch, curling himself upside down and hoping his rather pointy back fin wasn’t in reach. Fish could see the other dragonets laughing below him, circling around his head trying to tag each other. The MudWing blended into the brown-green earth beneath them, their scales soft gradients like river clay. The hybrid was a rich burnt red with a neat row of glimmering white spikes down their back, matching their sharp horns and claws.

Fish was wondering if he should get down and attempt to calm them down and perhaps befriend them when the two dragonets ran off toward the calls of their parents. Fish turned away, knowing already what he’d see. No need to sicken himself wishing for what he’d never have.

A twig snapped in the forest, and he looked up to see another pair of dragons approaching. The dappled sunlight lit up warm bluish-purplish-greenish black scales. NightWings. It was very rare to see any around--the whole flight had seemingly vanished a year or so before Fish was born.

But here were some NightWings--at least one looked full NightWing, with the green hued scales. They wore silver spectacles and a worried expression. The other dragon was mostly black like a NightWing, but with blue-white wings and horns and spines like an IceWing. They had startling sky color eyes and a crooked smile.

“Hi!” chirped the Ice/Night dragonet, dipping their head and wings in a friendly way as they got closer. Their companion nodded politely, but kept looking over their shoulder as if nervous of being followed.

“I’m Whiteout. This is my partner Thoughtful,” the stranger continued, flicking the other dragon with her tail affectionately. Fish saw the sparkly flash of IceWing spikes on the end. “We heard of a place where claws of every color may meet. Is that here?”

“Uh--” Fish paused, brain fumbling to decipher what they meant. “Like--lots of different flights? Uh, meeting?” The greenish NightWing nodded, and Fish added “That definitely happens here a lot.”

“Wonderous! Peacemaking. Scholarly,” Whiteout exclaimed with a flap of their snowy wings, which twinkled with black stars. Their partner gave them a gentle smile.

“Um, my father Leech is in charge here, if. If you want to talk to him?” Fish offered, though he had no plan on joining that conversation. “He’s up in that cave on the cliffside.”

“Thank you,” said the spectacled dragonet. Their voice was quiet and deep and sounded genuine. “What’s your name?”

Fish blinked, thrown off by the question. Not many had bothered, during their annoying questions, to ask for his name. He wasn’t complaining though, because he rather hated it. Yes he was part SeaWing, but it never felt right.

“M-my name is Fish,” he said nervously, feeling the bitter sting of the word on his tongue.

The strange dragon called Whiteout widened their eyes at him. Their piercing blue seemed to look right into his soul. “Are you sure? Shark sounds much cooler!”

Fish blinked in shock. “How–” he sputtered, but the other dragonet was already bounding toward the sheer cliff face where Fish had said his father resided. The NightWing accompanying them (Thinker or something? Fish was so bad with names) followed close behind.

He ran after them, worrying his thoughts like he did the tender skin around his claws. Fish hadn’t told Whiteout the name he’d been entertaining for himself–it was mostly just a silly fantasy, surely no one would take him seriously if he asked to be called Shark. He certainly hadn’t said anything aloud about it to anyone. Absolutely not one dragon knew, in fact.

So how did they?

[a-solitary-marshmallow]

Please Don’t See Me - Chapter 12

Ford had not been having a good week.

Well, he was using the term ‘week’ loosely, since he wasn’t actually sure how much time had passed. The last few days and nights had been a blur of calculations and experiments and frustration. Ford had been sure that the mutation (or Warping, as he’d mentally dubbed it, for convenience) would be simple to reverse. Theoretically, it should be! But in practice there were so many variables to account for – not only did he have to know exactly how the physical mutations came about in order to restore living tissue back to its original state with no side effects, but there was the cognitive aspect to consider as well. There was no use restoring Stan to his human form if his mind was still Warped.

The former of the two issues was all but solved. Ford had managed to reverse-engineer the mutation process physically – the insects he had caught and exposed to the Warped crystal fragments, then dunked in hastily-made serum, had returned to their original forms with no permanent physical or genetic alterations. However, they still exhibited behaviour consistent with the Warping and atypical for unaffected members of their species. So even if Ford did try curing his brother Stan still wouldn’t be himself. Most likely Ford would have a wolf freaking out because it suddenly had a human body.

Ford had several pinprick bite marks from the Warped moth that was his last test subject (apparently when exposed to the Warped crystal flecks, moths developed spearhead-like mouthpieces and were unafraid to use them). But since being cured the stubborn insect still held no fear of Ford and had tried (unsuccessfully) to stab him with its now-harmless mouthpiece. That was, until Ford accidentally stepped on it. It wasn’t his fault! Because it was still stuck in a Warped mindset it couldn’t comprehend that its body was once again light enough to fly, so once it had escaped from its jar it had decided to crawl across the floor. Was Ford supposed to watch his every step for stray insects?

In any case, he was left with one part of the equation solved and no idea how to do the rest.

During the standstill in which Ford wasn’t sure where to turn, he had spent some time trying to locate Stan’s car. Stan had mentioned something about his car being around here somewhere and Ford knew it was a shot in the dark but he had to at least try.

He had contacted the local law enforcement department to see if there had been any cars found abandoned around town in the recent months. Luckily they had records of an abandoned car being picked up in the woods some time back. Apparently, since the car had no registration and thus no one registered to own it, it had been sitting idle in the car park of the police station for the past few months. They played cards on the hood. Gravity Falls police were weird.

But when Ford brought the car back to his house (through less-than-legal means) Stan had just looked at it with those dull eyes and then looked back at Ford inquisitively. Of course he didn’t recognise it. He couldn’t even recognise his own name. Ford had been stupid to hope that it would work.

So the car was left parked behind the house while Ford went back to his research. A few things may have been thrown around out of frustration.

Ford had always prided himself on being scientifically-minded, but right now he was strongly resisting the urge to smash things and shout about how it wasn’t fair. Stan shouldn’t just be watching with blank yellow eyes. He should be angry or cheering Ford on or punching him in the face or something. He should be Stan. Instead he was stuck as some animal and the more Ford thought about it, the more he realized that it was his fault.

The wolf that wasn’t quite Ford’s brother anymore didn’t seem to realize that, though. Had instead tried to take care of him, bringing back prey like Ford was a helpless pup, refusing to eat until Ford did, snarling furiously at any trespassing creatures that came near the house. (From the pile of blood and feathers Ford had found outside a while ago it seemed that the griffins from earlier had come back. They didn’t get very close.)

Stan had even tried to help Ford in shifting his ‘gift’, though they seemed to have different ideas of where the deer carcass should go and it had devolved into another tug-of war – which, thankfully, ended with the deer being disposed of. Ford didn’t know he would have done if the thing had made it into his house.

Ford wasn’t sure that he deserved the care and affection. When he’d first realized what was happening he’d been moved to tears.

But that didn’t matter. It didn’t matter that even in this state, Stan’s instincts were to take care of Ford over everything. It didn’t matter that the attention was familiar – because for the last few months, even when Ford had no idea, his brother had still been watching over him and dragging him out of trouble. It didn’t matter that this made a lump rise in his throat and filled him with a heavy, itching guilt because Stan had been there for him and Ford had not for many, many years.

No, all that did matter was curing Stan; which led to Ford neglecting the piling-up mail and voice messages on his answering machine in favour of working on a cure.

In hindsight, he really should have listened to those voice messages.

Ford froze mid-step at the scene unfolding before him. The last time he’d seen his parents had been a year ago, the family gathering together to celebrate Shermie and Rebecca’s anniversary back in California. Family never came to Ford’s house. What were they doing here?

“Ford! How ya doin, sweetie?” Ma called out cheerfully as she climbed out of the car. Pa already stood on the beaten dirt path with a cigarette in one hand and a lighter in the other. He spared Ford a gruff nod.

“Ma, Pa.” Ford forced out. “What – what are you doing here?”

“Too busy to pick up the phone, as usual.” Pa muttered. Ma tutted and straightened to fix her hair.

“Lay off ‘im Filbrick, you know how excited our Stanford gets about his work! Ford honey, we called and left a message to tell you we’d be around. Y’see, we were drivin’ down to visit one of yer dad’s old business partners and I thought ‘that’s near where Stanford lives!’ So we decided to stop by for a visit, see how this science gig ‘a yours is goin’.”

Pa lit his cigarette and took a puff – the bitter scent of smoke drifting across the yard made Ford swallow hard. The glasses hid his eyes but Ford was sure that his father’s gaze was fixed on Stan, judging by the way the wolf was bristling defensively. An irrational fear flooded through Ford. Their father had been spitting mad since the science fair, how would he react to seeing Stan again…?

Except Filbrick wouldn’t know that the wolf facing him was his own son.

Still, of all the times to visit, this had to be one of the worst! Ford was unbelievably grateful that Stan’s car was around the back. If their parents saw it they would ask all sorts of questions like ‘where is Stan’ and how was Ford supposed to explain this mess? And to their parents of all people. He clenched his fists as his breathing quickened, trying to force himself to calm down and think rationally. What was he supposed to do? Turn them away? Waste precious time exchanging pleasantries instead of working on curing his brother?

Ford was spared from having to speak because a low snarl rumbled out. Pa stiffened, and Ford was suddenly reminded that it was possible the negative feelings between Stan and their father ran both ways.

Stan slunk in front of him, hackles raised and lips peeled back to display sharp yellow teeth. Pa recoiled from the threat display.

“Stanford, get yer animal down!”

“Oh – I’m sorry – he doesn’t really like people-” Ford stammered out, trying to grab Stan’s fur, but the wolf sidestepped him and slunk closer towards Pa. Ma let out a nervous little squeal.

“That – yer dog’s pretty big, Ford. Looks almost like a wolf.”

“Yes, he, um-”

“Look at you! Yer letting the animal walk all over ya!” Pa glowered at the approaching wolf. He really shouldn’t be doing that, why was he doing that? It was only making Stan more aggressive and that wasn’t good he was dangerous, he didn’t know what he was doing-

If he did know, would he act any differently?

“You oughta teach it who’s boss.” Pa continued. Stan let out another low growl and that was it.

“Rebus! Heel!”

Stan hesitated at Ford’s shout, fur still bristling but no longer stalking forward. Ford strode over to grab a handful of that fur and give him a sharp pull away from their father, thanking any and all deities that his brother actually listened to him like this. Stan reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled back. Ford rushed to stammer out an explanation, not daring to release his hold on the werewolf.

“I’m sorry, Pa. Rebus is a… a wolf-hybrid that I’ve been studying. He’s quite distrustful of strangers.”

“Ya need ta beat that outta him.” Pa said gruffly.

Ma gave a strained chuckle. “Ah, I reckon Stanford knows what’s best here, what with all his research on the thing. But Ford honey, are ya sure he’s safe?”

“Yes, of course, Rebus would never hurt me.” Ford kept on tugging Stan back, the wolf complying with a dissatisfied rumble. “I apologize. I’ve been busy with a project, I didn’t realize I would be having company.” Distract them, shift their attention away from Stan. “I – I have some tea inside, would you like to join me? I’ll put Sta- Rebus in the shed.”

Pa shook his head and stepped forward, rolling up his sleeves. “Lemme show ya how to handle a real dog. Ya keep treating it like that and it’s just gonna keep walking all over you. Ya gotta show it who’s boss.”

“No, Pa, please-” But the man had already strode up and grabbed Stan by the scruff of his neck, reaching the other hand around to grab his muzzle and hold him tight.

Stan reacted.

Ford yelped as he was smacked in the face by an explosion of wolf. He staggered back more from the shock than the pain. Ma let out a shriek. Stan wrenched himself free and snapped at Pa’s hand, which was yanked back and only barely avoided the clashing of teeth.

Pa growled and aimed a kick at Stan’s face, but the wolf bit down on his boot and yanked, sending him sprawling on his back. Stan sprang forward onto the burly man’s chest. Ford jumped in to grab those jaws before Stan could snap down, holding them shut with all the strength he had and ramming his shoulder into the wolf, trying desperately to shove him away.

“Stop it! Get off him!”

It was useless, of course – Ford’s strength was no match for that of a Warped, furious werewolf – but it worked all the same. Stan backed off, shaking his head to free himself from Ford’s hands, eyes wide and fur bristling but looking more confused than enraged now. Ford lifted his hands and placed himself between Stan and their father, who was sitting up and spluttering furiously as Ma rushed to him.

Stan made a move to growl at the man. Ford raised his voice.

“No!”

This time Stan growled at him.

“No.” Ford snapped. Stan had the grace to look ashamed.

There was shuffling behind him as Pa climbed to his feet, muttering under his breath. Ford didn’t dare shift his eyes away from the werewolf as he spoke to his parents.

“I think it would be best if you came back another day. I’ll – I’ll be sure to check my answering machine more often, so I can lock Rebus away in advance the next time you come.”

“Now you listen here, Stanford-”

“Just leave.”

There was more grumbling and cursing, but Ma’s fearful voice finally persuaded Pa to get in the car. Ford didn’t relax until the rumble of its engine had faded into the forest and he was, once again, left alone with his brother. He slumped with a sigh.

“Well. That could have gone better.”

Padding footsteps approached. Ford squinted resentfully at a rather confused-looking Stan.

“Since when was attacking our father a good idea? Sure, I don’t imagine you have many positive feelings towards him…” Ford sighed again and pulled his glasses off to rub them clean on his sleeve. “I suppose he wasn’t exactly friendly, but our father has never been friendly! Surely you remember that?”

Or not, as the case was. Ford huffed to himself.

“Well, in any case, I’m sorry for shouting at you. But I wouldn’t have had to if you didn’t try to turn Pa into a chew toy.” He groaned. “Stanley, what am I going to do with you?”

Stan, evidently accepting that he wasn’t in too much trouble, leaned against Ford’s side. He kept his gaze trained on the road. Stan’s posture was still defensive, as if wary for Pa’s return.

Pa couldn’t have come off as such a threat, could he? Sure he was imposing and struck a generally intimidating figure but he wouldn’t actually hurt them.

Well. That hadn’t always been true for Stan, at least. Ford could still remember the horrible day they’d been playing in their father’s shop and accidentally knocked over an expensive vase. Stan had jumped to claim responsibility and when Ford saw him again that evening, the usually rambunctious boy was sporting several new bruises and sans a tooth.

Maybe Stan still held a wariness of the man since then, even in his wolf form. But that was years ago. Pa hadn’t hit him since then, right?

Ford shook his head to clear it. Like so many things, that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was curing his brother. And Ford still had to figure out how to do that! It wasn’t like he could just show Stan a few pictures and hey presto, his memories and cognitive function would return!

…actually, if Stan had recognised their father, that might be helpful. Ford had been acting under the assumption that Stan had only retained a few recent memories – namely, the memories of living with Ford under the name of Rebus. But if Stan had recognised their father in some aspect it would imply that those older memories were still there, at least in some form. Perhaps, if the memories had only been covered over instead of completely overwritten, they could still be accessed.

Maybe, with just the right mixture of chemicals – Ford could add that to the formula, of course – the subject’s mind would be more elastic. If Ford could manage that then maybe the mind would be able to re-write the Warped neural pathways and restore itself back to its original state, no extra meddling needed. The stimulant would essentially act as a booster shot to jumpstart the process. Theoretically of course, but…

Ford snapped to attention, mind already working a mile a minute at the prospect of a having new approach to investigate.

“Come along, Stan, I need to find more test subjects to work on. Rats have fairly advanced minds, correct? And they shouldn’t grow so large as to be a threat during the Warping process. Not as much as you, anyway. Now, I wonder if there are any in the shed… and please don’t eat them this time if I manage to find any.”

 ______________________________________________________________________

Brother was chasing Rebus again! It was so much fun darting around the Underground Place, staying just ahead of the reaching hands. Brother was slower and clumsier than Rebus, but he was definitely trying, all red in the face from shouting and running. He was carrying a little vial of something that he seemed very insistent that Rebus have. Ha! Only if Brother could catch him!

Brother cheated by grabbing a sheet off his workbench and throwing it over Rebus. Rebus got lost in the fabric. It forced him to stay still long enough for Brother to get a hold of his fur, voice scolding.

Brother grabbed his jaw. Rebus tried to shake free but the vial was already being upended into his mouth – the bitter liquid made his lips pucker. He whined and tried to back away but Brother clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, forcing him to swallow.

Rebus did, when he had no choice between that and choking. When he got the awful stuff down Brother let him go and Rebus backed away, hacking and sending his packmate a dirty look. Brother didn’t even look ashamed.

Rebus picked up his head to walk away, resolving not to play with a dirty cheater, but – why was the world spinning so much? His legs wouldn’t support him, what with how the floor seemed to be surging up and down. He staggered and collapsed onto his stomach with an oof.

...that wasn’t good.

[lo-55]

Shattering Chains of Fate Ch. 16

(Not) One of Us

School started far too soon for Ichigo’s tastes.

He sits in the back of the room, with the doors within view and the windows to his left. He has two ways out and access to all entry points, in case something horrible happens. Hopefully it won’t, but it’s an old paranoia that keeps him on his toes.

His friends, thankfully, seem to be readjusting to life as humans. Uryu had taken hard to losing his powers, something that even Orihime couldn’t fix, but Ichigo had spoken to Ryuken about it after they got back and the man had had the strangest look in his eyes. Ichigo wasn’t too worried about him. Uryu was more temperamental and vicious than the rest of them, for all he seemed to be elegance incarnate. He was also more resilient than he looked.

He shouldn’t have to be. But Ichigo couldn't change that.

He was barely listening to their teacher talk about some new student when an awareness shot through him.

He sat up straighter when a young man walked into the room. Straight blond hair, a curved smile, and long limbs. He was fit and strong. He didn’t have much puppy fat, but he could have passed for someone held back a couple of years if it weren’t for his eyes.

  The eyes always give it away.  

They were playful, mischievous, and far too old to belong to a human.

Ichigo slammed his head onto his desk and ignored the startled squacks and stares from his neighbors. What the fuck is happening now? Can’t his life ever be normal?

He manages to hide a rueful smile. No, it can’t be normal. If it was normal, Ichigo would be a paranoid wreck. As long as strange, dangerous things were happening he knew he could handle whatever came at him.

Like the new kid was coming at him.

  Void dust, mirrors, sand storms.  

Ichigo lifts his head up to watch the new boy sit next to him. Shinji Hirako. He’d written his name backwards at the front of the room. For some reason Ichigo thinks of inverted pyramids.

He can tell, just by looking, this guy is trouble.

  Aren’t I trouble too?  

“Looks like I’ll be sitting next to you, Kurosaki. Let’s treat each other well.”

His smile is easy and his stance is confident, even when sitting.

Ichigo gives him a very pointed once over.

“Sure. Nice to meet you, Hirako.”

Ichigo manages to get halfway through the day before a hollow shows up and ruins it for him. He pops out of his body and leaves Kon to play student while he goes to take care of the issue and comes back. Three come throughout the day, more than there had been before Ichigo had left for Seireitei. It’s starting to tick him off.

It happens again while he’s doing his homework, only then he’s not alone.

Some dude with an afro interrupts him after it's dead. He shows him the badge Ukitake gave him, but apparently someone was pulling his leg. Or worse.

Ichigo is about to tell the shinigami where to shove it when his instincts scream at him and yank his hand around. Zangetsu sings when it collides with what would have cut deeply into Ichigo’s shoulder. A katana.

Ichigo doesn’t even pretend to be surprised by its owner.

“Hirako.”

The man grins like a cat.

Ichigo shoves him back to give himself room to breath. “When you said ‘take care of each other’ I didn’t know you meant like this,” Ichigo waves his hand at the two of them, swords drawn.

“What can I say. I wanted to see what ya would do,” Hirako is lazy and catlike as he prowls to the side. Ichigo keeps step opposite of him and the pair circle one another. “You should really lock your reiatsu down. You’ll attract unwanted attention this way.”

Ichigo scowls at him. “I am! This is as far down as it goes.” Kyo had gotten him to contain himself somewhere in Ohio, so he didn’t want another lecture on this!

“...Wow. Your control must suck worse than I thought.”

“You know what mother fucker-”

“Language! And here I was goin outta my way to be polite to ya,” Hirako said mournfully. He tapped the flat edge of his katana over his shoulder. He looked utterly at ease. Ichigo repressed a growl. It was for the best. The worse off Hirako thought he was the more of an upper hand Ichigo had.

“Uh huh,” Ichigo says dryly.

‘Ichigo,’ comes Medusa’s voice in his head.

  ‘Stay where you are. I’m fine for now. If anything happens, Achille’s can get to me in a second. He’s a Saber, for sure. You’re still a Lancer, not a Rider. You’re at a disadvantage where as I’m on even ground. Hold place.’

‘Right,’ all three chorus.

“I am!”

“Why don’t you just tell me what you came here for and we go back to being friendly,” Ichigo suggested. “Or we can keep fight, but we have to take it out of town. I’m not really…. Subtle.”

“No shit?” Hirako grins wider at him. “Alright, if ya wanna know so badly.”

He reached up and grasps the air just above his hairline before he pulls down-

A hollow mask.

Ichigo has no idea what to make of this. Kyo had said something about breaking down barriers with his Hogyoku, and making hybrids.

Ichigo touches his own cheek. He’d never made the connection before, but when he’d been fighting Kyoraku he’d felt something cool and familiar on his cheek. And his injuries. They turned white, like a hollow with a healing factor.

Something clicks into place.

Nieve. Nieve was another facet of his power. A shinigami power and hollow power. But no quincy?

His head was starting to hurt.

“Huh,” was all he said.

“Do you get it now? I’m a vizard. A shinigami who’s crossed into the domain of the hollows. I’m just like you.”

Ichigo nearly laughs.

“So join us.”

He nearly chokes.

“...Yeah. No. I just met you, and you just attacked me out of the blue. So. No.”

Hirako’s face contorted like he’d tasted something sour. “Didn't ya hear a word I just said? You're a Visored too. I know ya are. You’ll need our help.”

Ichigo lay Zangetsu back on his back so he could cross his arms over his chest. He eyed Hirako hard. He didn’t seem malicious, even if he had just attacked him. Ichigo knew when he was being played with, and having people test his skills was unfortunately familiar territory by now.

“Give me some credit,” Ichigo said tersely. “I’m not a lost dog looking for a pack. What does it matter if we are similar? I don’t know who told you about me, or what they said, but I’m not interested in joining any weird underground organization, or whatever you are. I have other things to do with my life, you know.

Hirako regarded him with new eyes. His head cocked, sending straight strands of blond fluttering out of the perfectly straight cut.

“Will it help if I say Kisuke asked me to help out?”

“He’s even shadier than you are. So no.”          

“Man. Kisuke wasn’t kiddin when he said you were stubborn, Kurosaki.”

Ichigo didn’t respond directly. He did have questions. A lot of questions. About Visards, and Kisuke, and Hirako too, but he couldn’t give himself away that easily. Not now that he had other options. Powerhouses at his back, ready and willing to fight. Ichigo gave Hirako and sharp once over, drinking in his power.

He was strong, but there was something slippery about him that made Ichigo’s hair stand on end. A very dangerous man indeed. Not to mention that as soon as the mask had come out his energy had more than doubled.

“Yer gonna need our help,” Hisako said again. “You must have already felt it. The hollow trying to claw its way into power. In soul society, you fought some pretty tough people, right?”

He knows exactly when Hirako is talking about. His fight with Kyoraku. Still, it’s clear Hirako is operating under false assumptions. There hadn’t been a struggle for control. It had been a surge of power and the taste of void dust, white on his skin and the guiding hand of instinct. Vicious and pure, a fight to survive. A fight to win.

“It’ll keep fighting to take control until it consumes ya. We can teach you how to control it.”

Ichigo narrows his eyes.

“I’m still not interested. And we’ve got homework, you know. I’ll see you tomorrow, Hirako. Maybe we’ll talk more then.”

After he’d had time to figure a few things out.  

*

For the first time in what feels like a lifetime Ichigo feels long fingers twine through his hair.

Ichigo opens his eyes to pale blue skies and lavender eyes.

“I’m dreaming,” Ichigo smiles slowly. He sits up and drags Merlin into a hard embrace.

He gives a startled, “Ooof!” But doesn’t push Ichigo away. He chuckles against Ichigo’s orange hair. “I see you missed me.”

“Shut up and enjoy the moment,” Ichigo scolds.

“Oh, forgive me master. I should just take you attention when you deign to give it.”

“I’m gonna punch you,” Ichigo warns. He let’s Merlin go a minute later. It’s only then that he realizes he’s not alone.

“Well ain’t this touchin’?”

Ichigo looks over his shoulder to find Nieve and Zangetsu standing behind them. They both look out of place in the beautiful scenery. They are weapons, creatures of battle and war. Not flowers and eternity.

Ichigo can’t imagine he looks any more like he belongs here. He is a soldier. He is not a real mage. He doesn’t have a place on Avalon. But, he has a place at Merlin’s side, where he sits. He shoots the mage a curious look.

Merlin smiles back at him, looking innocent. “I thought you might want to speak with them somewhere where they can’t disappear at will.”

Nieve looks offended. “Hey!”

Zangetsu frowns minutely. “This is a trap?”

“Of a sort,” Merlin admits.

“Are you reading my thoughts or something?” Ichigo asks. Merlin shakes his head.

“No. Only watching over you. I know you well enough to know when you need what little help I can provide you with from here. So, Ichigo. You have until you wake.”

“Asshole!” Nieve reaches for his sword, but Ichigo catches his wrists without even rising.

“Cut it out and sit down,” he scolds, his brows furrowing. “Merlin’s not wrong.”

He ignores the delighted smile on Merlin’s face.

“We need to have a conversation. All of us.  Sit .”

The both of them obey, slowly. Zangetsu looks physically pained. Ichigo ignores it. He looks to Nieve.

“You’re the ‘hollow’ Hirako was talking about, right?” He waits for a nod. Nieve is still, his shoulders drawn up and his mouth curved in more a grimace than a smile. “I thought so. That thing during my fight with Kyoraku, when I got stronger but it felt like my grip on reality was slipping, right before I got knocked out. And before, in America when Cu Alter- What?”

Both of them grew tense at the mention of the Berserker. Anger radiated off of even the normally calm Zangetsu.

“Yeah, you’re right, it was me. It had to be me! If I hadn’t stepped in you woulda died! Don’t you know that, King? Died! There was a hole in you’re goddamn chest and you didn’t even have a fuckin’ sword, and ya know what?!”

Ichigo leaned back when Nieve nearly launched himself forwards, right into his space. His gold eyes were furious and narrowed. “Ya keep pickin’ fights with stronger and stronger people! Fights ya can’t win on your own! So I stepped in, ‘cause if you die we all die and I’m not-”

“I’m not mad.” That shuts Nieve up a minute. Ichigo knocks him on the head lightly with a fist. “Stop freaking out already. I’m not mad. I just wanted to know, okay? I need to know what you are.”

“What I am? I’m you! I’m Zangetsu! I’m everything you could be if you just let yourself be! I’m the killing drive, and the shame and the guilt that your try to say you don’t have. I’m the anger under your skin and hatred in your bones. I’m your desperation, your fear. I am... your instincts! And I am not letting you die!”

Ichigo lets Nieve talk. By the time he’s done his chest is heaving and Zangetsu, who looks less an old man and more a young adult after their Bankai training, is staring at him from slightly behind him.

All is silent, for a long time, before Ichigo breaks the silence.

“Thank you.”

“I- what?” Nieve blinks at him, confused.

Ichigo runs his fingers through his hair and lets it fall back to his shoulders. “You said it yourself. When I was gonna die, you took over. You beat the Berserker. When I was losing my bout with Kyoraku, you started to step in again.”

“That witch did something to ya,” Nieve says reluctantly, “She did somethin’ to your heart. Our heart. I don’t think I can completely control ya anymore. That’s what stopped me when- well.”

“Yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. If we’re really strong enough to take him on and win then…” Ichigo whistles softly. “So she stuck the raw destruction away. I get it now. That’s probably why no one told me before.”

“She told them not to,” Nieve actually pouts. “So ya wouldn’t be tempted to let me out again. Ya always fight too much with your head.”

“Uh huh,” Ichigo shakes his head. “Still. You saved my life, and probably everyone else I was trying to protect to. So thanks for that.”

“That’s it?” Nieve frowns at him. “You’re not gonna do...anything?”

“Not really? Now that I know how to listen to you there’s no reason for you to try and take control. We can fight together now. You’re still me, even you’re all the parts that make me reckless and dangerous. What else could I do but work with you?”

“Besides,” Ichigo smiles at them. “I always trust my instincts.”

Nieve gapes at him like a fish.

That just leaves one more thing.

Ichigo turns to Zangetsu expectantly.

“So?”

Zangetsu tenses. “So what?”

“There’s some things not adding up. And don’t think I missed what happened last time I tried to talk to you two. You kept him from saying something. What was it?”

They’re both silent. They look caught.

“...Does it have something to do with Nieve calling himself Zangetsu?”

“He doesn’t know what he said,” Zangetsu tries to dismiss. Ichigo pins him with a look.

“Don't’ start that. Tell me the truth. All of it. We’re going to fight together. We live and die together. I need to know what you’re hiding. Or how can I trust you to have my back? I’m not dealing with this again and I’m not putting up with it anymore.”

He’d let Romani hide things from him for a long time. He’d gone along with Kisuke even when he should have known better. He was not letting himself lie to him.

The air went out of Zangetsu. He turned his gaze to the grass, like it was too much to look at Ichigo.

“The truth. You want the truth. Of course you do.”

“Of course I do.”

Zangetsu sat back. His arms were braced. His hands are tight. He looks ready for a fight.

“The truth that I hid from you. And, from him.” he inclines his head to Nieve, the hollow. From both of them? “When we first met, I had him under careful control. It was difficult after his initial outburst, in America. But I managed. I needed to get to you first. I needed to be the source of your power, not him.”

“Why?”

“Because. I didn’t want you to fight. I don’t want you to fight. Fighting puts you in danger, and all I have ever desired was to protect you. I couldn’t do that if he was your power. It needed to be me. But the truth is, he is your Zanpakto. He is the true Zangetsu.”

Ichigo swallows thickly. That’s-

He didn't know what he was expecting. It wasn’t that.

“Then what are you? And why didn’t he tell me?”

“He didn’t know, at first. I pushed him so far down it confused his memories. We have both always been with you. Since the very beginning. Since you were born.”

“I’ll ask again. What are you?”

“I am… I am your inheritance from your mother.”

Ichigo freezes entirely.

“My-”

“I am the power you inherited from her. I am the part of your soul that is a quincy, and he is the part that is a shinigami.”

“A quincy. When I said I wished I was a quincy like her, why didn’t you say anything?”

“It was already too late,” dark hair falls along his cheeks. Anger pulls his mouth down. “I had just told you I was Zangetsu. How was I supposed to tell you I had lied when our relationship was so new? When our bond was so fragile? How could you trust me again after that? “

“After this?”

“Why did you lie in the first place? Why didn’t you just tell me that I was quincy all along? I could have fought-”

“It wouldn’t have worked. Your shinigami powers are more suited to combat.”

Shame curls around the spirit. Ichigo tries to wrap his head around everything he’s been told.

He is a quincy. He’s a shinigami. And a visord.

“How did I even end up with the shinigami and the hollow powers to start with?!”

The two spirits exchange the first glance from the time they’d been drawn into the meadow.

Merlin hums softly and cards his fingers through Ichigo’s hair soothingly.

“I might be able to tell you that. Though I can only observe what’s happening right now outside my tower, I have done some investigating on your behalf since this all started. Did you know your father and Urahara Kisuke were once friends? They met together after you left on your journey.”

“My dad and Urahara… oh. Oh. Dad’s a shinigami,” he doesn’t even feel anything towards that. No anger. No remorse. “And the hollow aspects?” he asks Nieve.

Nieve quirks a half a grin.

“Aizen’s fault, actually.”

“... of course it is.”

**

Of all the people Ichigo doesn’t know what to make of, Dr. Jekyll may just take the cake.

He’s a nice man. And smart. Too smart, really, for his own good, but Ichigo knows the book. He’s only read a few quotes from it for a project ages ago, but everyone and their mother and knows the gist of it.

Jekyll transforms into Edward Hyde, a horrible monster of some sort.

Yet, Ichigo sees no sign of darkness in Jekyll at all. Is there really a chance that he’s just coincidentally named after a title character from a famous novel?

No, definitely not.

It’s not possible at all.

Ichigo keeps his eyes on him. Closely.

Jekyll adjusts his gloves every few minutes, or whenever he’s talking about the fog or people being hurt. It’s a nervous habit for sure.

Ichigo wishes he could see his hands. He could see if there were calluses on his fingers or along his palms or knuckles. Nothing about Jekyll said he was a fighter.

Still, he was a doctor. If he did have to fight, wouldn’t that be perfect? He would know exactly where and how to hit someone to put them down.

Somehow, Ichigo can’t imagine Henry Jekyll hurting a fly.

They endeavor together to save the city. To save humanity.

There may be plenty of rotten people in the world, but there’s still good ones. Jekyll is one of them.  

* * *

Karin and Yuzu are cornered by him a day later at breakfast.

They managed to get him alone in the kitchen while their dad is in the clinic and Ichigo’s servants are out exploring the city, save Medusa who is in the livingroom.

Cornered is not the right word. Ichigo sits at the kitchen table while Yuzu works at the stove and Karin plays at her handheld, but they’re both watching him.

They know, he’s sure. Kon wasn’t really a very good actor, and his sisters aren’t by any means stupid. They’ve had to grow up fast, all three of them. Isshin was a failure of a father, something that Ichigo would have denied three years ago. He can’t anymore.

Ichigo fiddles with his hoodie strings for a few minutes while he tries to figure out how to broach the sensitive topic in front of him. In the end he does what he usually does. He says fuck it and goes for it.

“I found out something about mom.”

Karin’s head snaps up so fast her hat falls off. Yuzu spins around in the kitchen to look at him, surprise written clearly across her small face. Ichigo motions them both towards him.

“I found out mom could see ghosts too,” he says quietly. So Isshin won’t overhear, if he’s close enough. He won’t let him ruin this. He won’t let him keep secrets from the girls. “She was a quincy. A human who can see and interact with spirits.”

“Like you and Karin?” Yuzu’s frown is a sad thing. Ichigo cringes. She’s the odd one out, again.

“Yeah. And like you too. You may only sense them, but you’re like us too. Quincy are… fighters, I guess. They protect people from bad spirits. Mom was one of them. I guess I kind of am too, and you guys must be as well.”

“Fighters,” Karin repeats. She keeps her eyes on Ichigo. “Can you teach us to fight like them?”

Ichigo scowls. He doesn’t want them fighting at all, but he can’t exactly forbid them from doing it.

“Me? No.”

“But you know someone who can.”

He looks at Yuzu, who’s staring at him too. He thinks sometimes that she’s the strongest out of all of them. She’s the sweetest, but she’s also a steel spined girl who controls the household herself, and has for years despite being so young.

It’s Ichigo’s fault, he should have taken more of the burden from her.

It’s Isshin’s fault, none of them should have to bear the burden of running a house at all.

“Maybe. Probably.”

“Great,” Yuzu smiles sweetly at him. “You can introduce us this weekend. Eat your rice.”

Ichigo mutely does as he’s told, hiding a smile.

Isshin was gonna kill him. It would totally be worth it.

* * * *

Edward Hyde is a terrible man.

He’s as hedonistic as Jekyll is sincere and good. He’s as violent as his counterpart is passive, as vulgar as the other is polite.

Ichigo is almost ashamed to say he doesn’t mind the Berserker at all.

He’s honest, at least, and more loyal than Ichigo would have thought he would be. He delights in combat and blood shed, and he harms everything he touches reflexively.

Except Ichigo, apparently.

Ichigo peers over his shoulder at the destroyed helter skelters they’d encountered on their way out for supplies, if they could find them. Mash had been forced down a seperate street, leaving Ichigo with Jekyll, who had had no other option but to risk changing shape into this creature that lived under his skin.

Ichigo kept his hand on Hyde’s shoulder even when the Berserker pressed a knife to his throat. No blood was spilled by it. Red eyes were bright and nearly feral with delight over the fight. Ichigo could feel a headache coming on. This was going to be an interesting one.

“I think they’re dead,” he says dryly, nodding to the scraps of metal scattered around the ground.

“THey were fucking weak. And I’m bored. Why shouldn’t I cut you up?” he tilts his head and a wide grin spreads across his face. Ichigo doesn’t even blink.

“Because I’m too pretty?” he says dryly.

Hyde’s smile slips with surprise before it comes back and he cackles. “For once that punk ass bitch found a friend with a spine.”

Ichigo arches a brow. “Have you met Mordred? She’ll kick the shit out of you. “  

Hyde laughs again, like a crazy person, and pulls the knife back. “Let’s go. I wanna destroy something else before Henry get’s in my way again!”

“Joy,” Ichigo rolls his eyes, but follows after. Hopefully Mash will catch up soon.

* * * * *

“So,” Ichigo drawls slowly at Hirako when he sits next to him. “You’re really not giving this whole ‘joining you’ thing up easily, are you?”

Hirako shot him a grin. “I’m not givin up after only two days. Ya need our help, whether ya like it or not, Ichigo.”

The way he said Ichigo’s name, sing song and cheerful, made Ichigo wanna punch him in the face.

“Are you gonna try to fight me this afternoon too?” He asks. “Because I have other things I need to do. You know I have a life, right?”

“If ya do, you really should concede and let me help already. As long as you’re a visord all yer friends, all yer family is gonna be in danger. Until ya learn to control it.”

“I’ve got it all handled, thanks. I don’t know what yours is like, or what your situation is, but I’ve handled mine just fine.”

Hirako side eyed him mistrustfully. Ichigo ignores him entirely in favor of staring at the clock as it ticks down the last few seconds before school is over.

As soon as the bell rings he’s out of his chair and on his way to the door, until a hand catches his wrist.

He turns back to see Hirako smiling innocently at him, but his grip is a steel trap.

“Just what are you doing?” Ichigo asks with a scowl.

“Ya say ya have everything handled? Fine. Prove it, and I’ll let ya go on your merry way.”

Ichigo narrows his eyes. He does not like this at all, but what else can he do?

“... fine. Let’s go somewhere more private.”

“Oh Ichigo,” Hirako’s grin grows. “Buy me dinner first!”

“How about a knuckle sandwich?” Ichigo pulls his hand back and turns to march away. Fuck, he’s gonna have to ask Urahara for a favor now.

This is not a good day. Not at all.

* * * * * *

[fyrapartnersearch]

hey pardner, why the long face?

howdy, howdy friends! hope you're doing well in these scary times <3 shock and surprise, i am looking for a couple of writing partners c: i am 26, she/her, cst, and i work fulltime as well as go to school part-time, so while i cannot promise rapidfire posts, i am becoming better about daily posts! as long as they're relatively short, sweet, and to the point. so, limits/fun factoids about my style/"tl;dr are we compatible?" first: + when reaching out to me, please tell me your limits and any plot/character ideas! + addendum: i will not respond to messages that don't contain any information about you, your limits, and what you're looking to write or what characters you'd like to use! it doesn't need to be completely fleshed out, thanks in advance <3 + i'm adaptable and laidback! however, i do not write pedophilia, rape/sexual assault, incest, abusive relationships, romantic large age gaps, nor master x slave. + i will not write with minors either, strongly preferred that you are 21+ + quality is far more valuable than quantity regarding length. i prefer shorter nowadays! those tasty, 1-3 para potato chip rps, so to speak c: + third person only, please +i do like long-term! + i admittedly have a preference for m// lately, so i will likely turn some other pairings down depending on what i am currently already writing! + i prefer writing middle-aged to older farts! i wholeheartedly welcome the same! + note: i love writing with pretty boy archetypes!! but i have plenty with my current threads, bring me yer more grizzled and rough and tough boys! the two characters i have in mind are too old and boring to keep up with pretty, lithe youngins! + i love ooc chatter! i'd prefer it if you did too, but it's absolutely okay if you're just interested in writing! it is not a dealbreaker + if you're not feeling it or if life happens, that's okay. you are free to either tell me you want a change, drop altogether, or even ghost me! [cravings] + constantly changing! i have a couple of silly nuggets rolling around. mostly fluff with sprinkled angst. + post apocalypse slice of life is also great. with plenty of humor to spare. + something deeply silly about a witch and their familiar + anything with werewolves and their human beloved very concerned about the recent furniture chewing phase, and wow is frontline expensive for a 400lb beast. + something a bit more rocky, but an old fashioned western physician falling for an outlaw/ sheriff/ rancher, etc. bonus points for post-apoc and western themed. please, i got the perfect ole grizzled doc for this c: [modern] + i love modern, but i am not really looking too intensely for it right now c: i am happy writing about firefighters and lawyers, scientists, military readjusting to civilian life, boring divorced dads who find lifelong love with other divorced dads, fluffy slice-of-life, etc. [(somewhat) historic] + btw, i am not a history buff - so be prepared for anachronisms galore! c: which might mean plumbing and dental care centuries before it was introduced. + noire crime! old grizzled detectives and their partners in crime trying to figure out these gosh dang murders. dang killers, bringing down everyone's vibes. + a detective moving to a podunk old town, with a ~mysterious past~. however, there isn't any mysterious past, the locals just humor the guy and i have a soft spot for the detective falling for the sheriff while constantly heckling him for assistance. + western! please, just... anything western. i love cowboys, ranches, train robberies, just... i will maybe propose if you let me indulge this. [fantasy & monsters] + i am also happy to write fantasy! + fantasy can genuinely be blended into anything, into modern, sci-fi, post apocalyptic, etc. + i am also happy with pure, vanilla, cheesy fantasy - with kings, queens, beautiful warhorses and kingdoms by the sea, and conventionally attractive people with healthy teeth and... far less dysentery. + i am happy to write sci-fi into fantasy - hunters/mercenaries with eyes that can hologram maps and prey, platinum horses made of gaskets and titanium joints who breathe steam, a kingdom in the sky, anything! [... guilty pleasures] + i love the cheesy and humorous things to temper the chaos. love, love, love writing that domestic, usually peaceful, sweet life of two happy people who have been together for ages or just met in their golden years after struggle and just... working for their happy endings. + though i am not usually interested in cheesy, obnoxious tropes... i have a soft spot for two grumpy, gruff guys falling for each other c: [miscellaneous] + this is hardly an exhaustive list of ideas or themes that interest me! if you have something in mind that you do not see, or anything at all, please do let me know! i love brainstorming and hearing ideas c: what characters do i have in mind? plenty! craving two in particular, but i have plenty more in mind if the following two don't catch your interest: + one is svelte, aloof, posh, thoughtful. the very characterization of something like... a sleek, abyssinian cat playing the cello. intriguing, a little odd, an intimidating, coded villain - but really, just socially awkward, and a sweetheart. + the other is beefy, grumpy, and also... a goof at the core. the archetype of an ornery grandpa with the warmest heart and a distinguished grey streak in his hair. both are middle-aged men and adaptable to anything from old-fashioned fantasy, to modern, to sci-fi, to fantasy-modern hybrids, to post apocalyptic. they can be rogues, kings, survivors, lawyers, detectives, chefs, scientists, neighbors, loyal right-hands, anything from protectors and anchors to the village/office boob. i am preferring to write the former gentleman, but i am up to write either, or someone completely different! i am also happy to elaborate upon contact if you are interested! fortunately, each one is more complex than several adjectives and a stereotypical archetype. i'd also love to hear the characters you have in mind! are you interested? well, neat-o! dm me at howdy^3#6518 on discord or email me at blemishedatom@gmail.com (however, i do not write over email. this is only so if you don't feel comfortable sharing discord names until after first contact c: )

[bapydemonprincess]

A Reaper’s Confession

Hello everyone! Especially everyone who has gotten into my OC Ulva and likes @deadly-safety-scissors ‘s OC Ophelia Sutcliff! BOY DO I HAVE A CHRISTMAS PRESENT FOR YOU~ You see, we just finished a lovely little scene together about these two babies finally getting together. uwu SO I HOPE YOU ALL ENJOY THE CUTENESS OVERLOAD, because I sure did. It killed me good. 👍💖

---

Quite frankly, her nerves were ridiculous. Being so nervous just wasn't her style at all, Ophelia had never been one to gently toe around something; if she wanted something she'd go for it, no matter the cost. Mother had always said she'd learnt how to run before she could walk, she was that tenacious. And yet, here she was, pacing up and down in front of her best friend's door, wringing her hands together like she was some sort of bizarre human-mouse hybrid rather than the proud young reaper she actually was. And she absolutely hated it.

Equally, however, she couldn't overcome it. While the realisation of her feelings had come as naturally as breathing, confessing to having them, after having told Ulva of her orientation a while back, was damn near impossible in her mind. But she may as well get it over with, at least this way it would be quick should her friend decide to reject her utterly and leave her alone. She could deal with a broken heart, Fee rationalised, it would be dealing with the loss of her best friend that would kill her. That cheery thought in mind, she finally turned to the door proper and knocked, half hoping that no one would be home and she could just run away back to the safety of her own realm.

Ulva's heart was racing even faster than usual, and that was definitely a sign that something was happening today! She didn't know what, but it made it very impatient and anxious to just get on with it and find out what it was! Just as she was losing herself in deciding if she should bother with outside shoes or pretty dress shoes to meet up with her friend, a voice came from downstairs. "Ulva dear, Ophelia's here to see you!" At once, Ulva Gelzer Michaelis was falling over her own bare feet and flailing about trying to throw books and pens off her bed and clean off her desk and just try to make her personal space look AT LEAST A LITTLE NICER for once! "Ulva!" Came her mother's voice again, though her mama likely knew damn well the "pup" was having a moment. "I'M COMING!!" Ulva cried, voice cracking a little, and seconds later, she was clomping down the hall and down the stairs to see her friend awaiting at the door! "FEE!!!" She cried, took another rushed step, and almost tripped on her own undone shoelaces.

Any of the nervous anticipation she'd been feeling after it transpired it was Sebastian who answered the door fled at the sight of her best friend hurtling towards her like some sort of rocket. The reaper laughed. How could she have been nervous about Ulva? Her best friend was a ball of chaos and sweetness. She had nothing to fear! No matter what the small voice in the back of her mind was telling her. She could do this. Well...she could do this once they were somewhere more private. Fee didn't like the way Sebastian was gazing at her, Ulva's mother or not, it was sometimes hard not to feel unsettled by a demon's presence even though she was more than used to it by now. Still the thought of confessing with Sebastian in earshot was terrifying! "Honestly Ulva..." She sighed amused, pushing her glasses back up her nose. "I know I'm amazing! But there's no need to literally trip over yourself to see me!" The reaper girl teased.

A bubbly giggle came out of the smaller girl at the teasing, her face already bright red as if she'd just ran a mile or so to get here instead of just stomping down the stairs. But she did try to straighten up and sloppily flap her hands over her little fluffy dress outfit as if brushing off some debris or some sort from her topple. "I wasn't sure when you'd get here so uh, I wasn't sure what to wear and um, so here I am!" She rambled in her usual way, but still it sounded even a little more nervous even to a certain demon still beside them. "Well, I'll leave you to it then," Sebastian finally said to them both. But then couldn't help glancing at Ophelia when she said "I'll come to check on you, see if you want any snacks, in a bit, alright?" Clearly there was more the demon was saying there, and it was a little TOO obvious. Ulva, completely unaware, yanked up her best friend's hands. "C'mon, let's go, let's go!! You wanna go to my room or out back in the backyard??"

The message was more than clear and Ophelia paled considerably. Of course Sebastian knew. Stupid demon. Fee bet she could read minds or something, that must be how she knew but sadly, she had no idea of how to stop a demon from reading one's mind. There wasn't any time to ponder the question further however, Fee wasn't here for that. "Garden, obviously!" She grinned, displaying far more teeth than any person ought to have. "It's so lovely out, it'd be a waste to just stay inside. Besides...if you're scared of getting dirty or something you can always borrow my hoodie. I don't mind. You look cute in it anyhow." She really did. Being a head taller than her best friend had its advantages, including getting to watch in amusement as her already oversized hoodies reached ridiculous lengths on the other girl. The last one she'd given her reached passed Ulva's knees in the most precious way. "Come on then!" She began dragging Ulva out with her, although there wasn't much need, her puppylike secret love was bounding along beside her happy as anything, which only made her love her all the more; a pink tinge crossing her cheeks the more she stared.

Ulva was practically glowing like a lantern at the compliment, and let out another giggle she could not hold back. She allowed her best friend to drag her out to her own family's garden, easily able to catch up even if her her young lungs did have a limit unlike the reaper's. It never mattered to Ulva. She'd go passed any average human kid's limits of breathing and physical activity if it meant keeping up with her reaper companion. As they made it out to the vast lovely garden the whole Gelzer-michaelis family helped keep together, Ulva beamed some more as she went straight for their favorite tree near the end, a tree they had both learned to triumph as they aged, no longer falling out and getting cuts and bruises as much as they used to. "Ahh this is the perfect spot, as always!" Ulva exclaimed, spreading her arms out a moment as she stood under a shady branch and let a small breeze waft over her.

"I swear yer say that everytime we come out here..." Fee muttered to herself in fond exasperation as she debated on what she ought to do now. In truth she hadn't at all planned for this, should she just act as normal and confess when it felt right? Or make a big deal about it and be all like 'Ulva, I have a huge, massive secret that I've just got to tell yer otherwise I'm gonna burst'? To be honest the second one sounded more her style but was it really about her right now? This was about breaking the news to the best friend she'd ever had. And just like that the reaper was panicking again, so to hide that fact she practically launched herself at the tree, scrambling up its branches with an ease that came with years of practice, placing herself on the branch directly above Ulva's head. "So...whatcha have planned for today, wolfie?" She questioned with another grin, still stalling on her confession.

Ulva blinked up with that wide eyed wonder as she watched her friend scramble up on the tree and into the branch. A feat she SHOULD be used to seeing by now, but it still.. mesmerized her to no end how FAST and graceful her friend had become in this!! "Hee, um, have you ever thought of joining a circus troop, Fee?? You could be amazing at that, and you know, they get to travel a lot so you could get to see a LOT more places than I'm sure you EVER have as a reaper!" And now Ulva was trying to make it up the tree too, though a bit slower in doing so, especially since the shoes she had chosen hadn't REALLY been meant for climbing trees! Oh, and one even came loose when she was almost up to the branch. "Oopsie." Ulva mumbled absently, but continued on her way to get over to Fee, not caring in the least she was now one shoe short and her barefoot just dangled there without a care. "I would catch ALL your shows too, if you did join a circus. I've always wanted to see one anyway." Ulva continued right on, as if she hadn't paused in talking at all, just grinning happily over at her dearest friend.

"Not really if I'm honest...besides if I did that I might end up going real far away from yer and that'd be no fun at all. Especially seeing as your mum would never let you go super far away, not even to see one of my shows." And anyway, her parents had told her stories about a circus once. Everyone had ended up dead at the end, they sort of didn't sound so much fun after hearing that. "If I had to pick something other than a reaper to be, I think I'd be...a gardener...or an athlete...yeah! Being an Olympic gymnast'd be cool, don't yet think? I mean I've got a great sense of balance now." To prove her point she stood up, arms outstretched, barely even brushing the leaves with her finger tips as she began to walk gracefully up and down the branch, hoping that she wasn't going to fall and make an ass of herself. "What about you? Ever thought what you wanted to be? Or are you just gonna stay at home with your mum and dad forever? I bet your mum'd love it if yer did that! She's proper overprotective of yer, that's why she's coming out with snacks later y'know? To make sure I've not broken yet heart or anything."

Of course, Ophelia suddenly standing on the precarious branch and walking back and forth lead to the other girl sort of freezing up on reflex and half her mind preparing to jump and tackle the girl should anything happen. Her eyes grew focused and sharper than before, but she still stared up at her close friend in that same awe she had been, and giggled when the girl said that last part, eyes closing in mirth. "Broken my heart?? What does that even mean?? I don't think that's possible, Fee! If anything you ALWAYS do the opposite of breaking! You make my heart feel really BIG and STRONG and UNbreakable, you know?! Like our bond is SO powerful, nothing can break us!" And the girl sat up a little taller, (or as tall as she could) and tried to strike a heroic pose of sorts, raising an arm and displaying a muscle that wasn't there.Honestly, she just wanted to make Fee happy, since the way she was talking, it sounded like she was getting nervous about something, and Ulva never liked that!

"Correction! Nothing can break me! You on the other hand are all fragile and soft." Fee teased, trying to sound normal though she could see the worry start to build on her best friend's face. Shoot! She'd not meant to worry her. Fee let out a sigh, falling back down to sit on the branch, glancing up at Ulva from beneath her fringe. "Well...broken yer heart means...well...you know." She trailed off with an exasperated sound. "Look what I'm trying to say is...Ulva...I've got a really big secret an' I really wanna tell you but truth is I'm actually really scared to do it and I know that's really silly and I shouldn't be scared because it's just you and we've known each other forever but I'm really just terrified of telling you, I really don't want you to hate me, see?" It was more than likely that Ulva did not see, nor quite possibly had she even been able to make out half of what had just been said. Fee had been talking very fast and the words had all sort of mashed together.

What stood out to the young girl was that she could sense the tension rising in her friend from a mile away, and it didn't sit right with her! Never had when her closest friend was stressed or sad or emotional or anything bad or negative! Ulva almost felt like she felt it too! Even if she wasn't sure what was causing it quite yet... Something about a secret?? That's mainly what Ulva caught from the rambling, and it must be the main issue, but whatever could her friend be keeping from her?? Why was it scary and making HER ramble for once?? Ulva tried to scoot down the branch further, closing the gap between them more, her eyes stuck on her friend's, her head tilting a little as she tried to see her all and tried to read her emotions in her friend's pretty flustered face.. Ulva nibbled on her lower lip with a fang as her own heart raced once again like it had earlier. But WHY?! This was certainly an interesting day.. "Fee fee.." She whined out, and tried to reach out with one hand to touch the reaper while the other still gripped the branch. "I'm never gonna hate you, never ever! It's not possible, you know? Even if you tease me forever and ever about my height and how much I worry and try to catch you and try to wear your hoodies and all that, I know you're just teasing and not mean! You're the nicest friend I've ever ever had, Fee.." Her smaller hand squeezed the girls, and she kept trying to smile to her, and assure her it was alright. "So don't be scared, okay?"

Carefully she squeezed the other's hand, closing her eyes and trying to take in a deep breath. She could do this, it was just like ripping a plaster off, she just had to do it quickly and then it wouldn't hurt. "UlvieIthinkI'minlovewithyou" Came the garbled mess of words. Internally she sighed. That was no exactly the best way of saying that at all, in fact that was barely even comprehensible. Pull yourself together Ophelia Angelina, Fee scolded herself, thinking about how her brother would laugh at her if he could see her right now. You're no coward so buck up and just say it to her straight, chimed in a voice that sounded an awful lot like her father's. Steeling herself, she tried again. "What I mean is...Ulvie...I really like you. Like really, really like you...like, love you, like you. Ugh...what I'm tryin' ta say is. Will yer be my girlfriend?"

The sweet puppy girl kept herself wholly zoned in on the girl, awaiting her confession, whatever it may be. And when Ophelia once again blurted out a bunch of unintelligible nonsense, Ulva tried to hold back snorting a little. As well as she could, this time. She knew her best friend was REALLY REALLY trying now so she tried to behave and just listen. Finally Fee was getting words out that Ulva could understand, and made the girl blink, and blink some more and what those words were. First a lot of likes.. then LOVE! And then... She was asking Ulva something Ulva had NEVER truly heard anyone ask her before, but by now knew what it meant, and her heart felt like it was going to SHOOT out of her mouth SCREAMING. Ulva's hands instinctively pulled away, clasping together as she sat up on her knees and stared at the girl who had just confessed something.. so shocking and so baffling, Ulva's brain was taking it's sweet time processing. But her face was going redder, and her eyes grew bigger and bigger. "You... you want me to be... your.. girlfriend??" She managed to repeat slowly, as it helped her herself process it further. Finally, the concept hit every cylinder in her hyperactive brain, and a HUGE GRIN split across the puppy girl's face in seconds. "OH FEE FEE!!!!" She nearly screamed at the top of her lungs, and leapt forward to tackle the girl with abandon. "YOU WANNA BE MY GIRLFRIEND?? REALLY??! YOU REALLY REALLY WANT TO BE MY GIRLFRIEND AND YOU REALLY LOVE ME?? OH FEE FEE!!" She was holding the girl as tight as she could, and didn't want to let go any time soon, as she felt the urge to bounce in place or dance around and just hold her new GIRLFRIEND the entire time she did!! And completely forgetting they were still on a branch in a tree!! "FEE FEE I LOVE YOU TOO!!" She was finally able to get out. Well, shriek out really, and started to pull away to look into her face again. "I WANNA BE GIRLFRIENDS! LET'S BE GIRLFRIENDS FEE--" And suddenly a horrible creaking cracking interrupted the hyperactive spiel of the girl as the branch finally reached it's limit.

[taesbetch]

GameRequest #1

FOR @wickedblue34 Hybrid!AU

“I didn’t know, but even if I did, I would’ve done it anyway”

“let him touch you and I’ll kill him”

1,263 words (sorry its kinda shit :/ )

Yoongi had been living with you for almost a month. And though the month had been filled with tears and hardships, it had also been filled with joy and love. Now that the two of you were getting along perfectly you had decided it was time to get back out into the world and maybe find yourself a romantic partner.

Looking in the mirror you harshly rubbed your lips trying to get the red lipstick off – you knew it was a bad move but you wanted to look nice. A college had asked you out on a date and even though you had never looked at the male in that type of way but you figure it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

As you flattened out the body suit you started to regret much more than just the red lipstick. Though you were sure your insecurities were getting the best of you, you couldn’t help but critic every aspect of yourself. The skin-tight outfit showed all your imperfections, your makeup was too extra, your hair was flat-

Letting out a groan you flung yourself on your bed wondering if you should just cancel the whole thing. Your hybrid walked in, his eyes narrowed as he looked at you in confusion.

“what the hell are you doing?” he asked as you flailed your body around angrily.  

“I’m going on a date and I just feel gross and disgusting” You whined. As you sat up you caught your reflection in the mirror, locking eyes with yourself. “I think I’m just gonna cancel” You sighed.

Yoongi looked at you in disbelief. Staring at him you waited for him to say something encouraging and lift your mood. Instead you were met with a cold silence.

“yer. Just cancel” He said mono-toned before leaving your room leaving you in shock at his response.

Now you really felt like shit.

Tears welled up in your eyes as your self-hatred grew.

Before you could wipe your tears and hide under your sheets you heard knocking at the front door. Dragging yourself up you walked over, trying your best to text your date and make up some excuse about how your hybrid is sick and you couldn’t go. However, it seemed that fate had other plans.

Opening the door, you damn near dropped your phone as you sent the message only to be met with your date holding flowers and wearing the brightest smile on his face.

“Chanyeol!”

“hey-“ he started before looking at his phone. You cringed as he read the message looking up at you and back at his phone every so often.

“i-I well. I guess I had the times messed up” you laughed nervously. Before you could explain what was happening chanyeols eyes connected with someone’s behind you.

“he looks fine to me” Chanyeol stated as you looked at Yoongi who death glared the man, his fists balled up and his eyebrows furrowed.

“How the fuck do you know that-“ Yoongi shot back.

Shhing your hybrid you gave yourself a mental ass whooping before taking a deep breath.

“Okay, the real reason is…I felt ugly. I feel ugly. I was getting ready and everything was a mess and I just kinda wanted to crawl in a hole and die. Like I don’t know if you can see the rubbed of lipstick, but I’ve literally been panicking for the past two hours” You explained. Your cheeks going red with embarrassment.

Chanyeol chuckled before smiling softly at you.

“well I think you look stunning”

You heard a gagging sound behind you but you ignored it as you smiled back. Well, there was no cancelling now.

“okay let me grab my stuff, wait in the car?” You suggested, biting your lip softly.

As chanyeol walked back to his car you turned to see Yoongi staring at you intensely. His ears were flat against his head as his body shook slightly. Worry was your first reaction but as you heard the soft growl coming from him it changed to confusion.

“Yoongi? What’s going on?” you asked slowly as you walked towards him, his eyes staying locked on yours.

“Y/n…Let him touch you, and ill kill him” he spoke, his growl shaking you to the core. You gulped as your eyes flickered away from him.

“I don’t like him. I don’t like him at all so if you let that disgusting human touch you ill end his life. understand?” he asks.

You nodded your head at him, biting your lip before grabbing your things and heading out.

---

Even though the first date went well, you couldn’t help but feel wrong. Something about yoongis tone that night was so serious you couldn’t shake it. When you came home he acted like nothing had ever happened.

Everything had gone back to normal, all of your attention was back on Yoongi and your phone had received no messages from chanyeol.

Yoongi lay on your lap as you stroked his head, humming a tune of a song you couldn’t fully remember. Soft purrs escaped the cat hybrid as his eyes stared closing, watching him fall asleep you smiled softly.

“The yard!” He said suddenly as he pushed him self up into a sitting position.

--

I can’t believe you wrecked these flowers and didn’t tell me” you huffed angrily as the two of you were knelt down in your front yard. Yoongi pouted as the two of you plucked the ruined flowers from the ground, you scouted closer to Yoongi so you could grab the rest of the roses. As your arm brushed his you felt him freeze up next to you.

“Y/n…”

Looking over you noticed how close he was. How soft his lips were and how gorgeous his features were up close. Blushing, you tried to turn back to the flowers but yoongis hand turned you face back towards his.

His eyes gazed at you lips before he moved his face towards yours.

As your lips touched you felt your body light up. The kiss was short and sweet. As Yoongi pulled away you yearned for more but let him go as the two of you stared at one another. Something so small and simple had changed the course of your relationship and neither of you knew what to do.

“um”

Surprised at the voice in front of you, you jumped back as you saw chanyeol standing a few meters away. suddenly the cloud nine feeling you were having was changed to sadness. Yoongi did not like chanyeol and it was certain. Was the kiss genuine?

“Chan-“ you started but he cut you off.

“it’s okay, I kinda figured something was going on with you two. I just want you to be happy so, I’ll leave you alone and…I wish you the best” He said a sad smile plastered on his face after his statement.

As chanyeol walked away a growing pit of sadness grew in your stomach, the feeling you were currently feeling for your hybrid was compromised with the situation.

“Did you know? Did you know he was there? Is tha-“ You stared as you backed away from yoongi, your assumptions clouding you feelings with doubt.

“I didn’t know, but even if I did, I would’ve done it anyway”

“I love you. and I want everyone to know that you’re mine” he said as he wiped a small tear that trickled down your cheek. you smiled softly before nodding your head, wanting to give this a go. 

“im yours” 

[wutheringheightstillpendalhill]

(3/6) one-shot — What is love? — Post- Captain America Civil War / Pre-Spiderman: Homecoming — 2016— EARTH

Masterlist

Warning: polygamous relationship, slight underage (Kree mostly live for thousands of years so technically Estella and Ol-Amm are the equivalent age of Peter in their species and culture), fluff, Peter Parker needs a god damn hug, Peter Parker also needs some love and peace so stop being mean to him x

Ol lead the way as they slipped through the streets of Queens.

They’d been on the look out for their red and blue spider, Peter.

It had been a few days since the fight in German and the two young Kree had been compelled to find the young super hero. “He did say Queens right?” Ol-Amm questioned his sandy blonde haired companion.

“I heard him talking with Captain Rogers.. he said he was from Queens.. we only saw him afterwards when he left with Stark remember” they reminded him before spotting the red and blue hero swing over their heads, “up there follow him” they muttered grabbing onto their partners hand before rushing off towards the next part of their adventurous life.

——————————————————————

They stayed in Peter’s room.

It was just three of them, Peter had gotten back from school but instead of his usual routine patrols were they would follow after him making sure his dumbass doesn’t get beaten to a pulp like they had been doing for the past month, he wanted to stay and rest.

Ol sat with his back against one of the walls of the room whilst Peter lay with his head on one of his legs, Estella perched on the floor as Peter run his fingers through her hair in time with Ol-Amm as he ran his fingers through Peter’s soft curls. Peter could tell they all were ignoring the elephant in the room that came in the darkening bruises that branded his face and ribs, he knew from the moment the pair had seen him walking out of school towards them, it made his insides cringe at the heated anger that filled out behind their eyes as they looked over him before staying silent through the whole journey back to his home.

“I got into a fight..” a small voice filled the silent air making the two aliens look to the human, “who hurt you?” Ol spoke up first a twinge of anger could be heard in amongst his words. The teenager stayed silent refusing to look at either of his friends, “Peter.. we’re not angry at you... we’re worried is all we care about and we just want you to be safe” Estella said aloud from their spot on the floor, sighing the teen replied “Flash.. he was making jokes about Ned... I couldn’t just stand there and listen to someone talk about my best friend like that so.. so I told him to stop and then he started talking about Estel how they were probably only hanging around with me cause nobody else would want to hang out with a loser like me.. then I pushed him because he insulted them and he crashed into one of the lockers.....”. He almost flinched when he felt a hand take hold of his own giving it a reassuring squeeze, “it’s okay.. we’re still here.. we’re not going anywhere..” bright blue eyes met with deep brown as a glint of anxiety slowly vanished from the younger ones eyes, “I got detention for the rest of the week... Flash has it for the next two, I kinda let him just keep hitting me” he murmured to the end wanting to curl into himself at the sound of the Kree aliens sharp inhales.

“Peter that isn’t the right thing to do.” Estella states moving so that they were kneeling beside the bed looking down upon their friends face as their lover also shared the same look of concern whilst studying the boy, “what choice do I have Estel.. it’s not like I can really fight back.. I don’t wanna hurt anyone” he mumbled turning his face away from the pair.

Huffing out the breath of air they had been holding in, Estella climbed up onto the bed straddling the spider mutant, stunning the teen into submission as he whined allowing for the half Kree to link their fingers with his own. “Your a real dingus, Peter you know that” they spoke with a gentleness to their voice that made the poor boys insides flutter, “they’re right Spider.. we worry for you.. we can’t always be there to keep you safe” Ol stated brushing Parker’s curls from his forehead, “you know when you guys are like this it’s hard to see the tough, battle hardened fighters” Peter chuckled eyes gleaming at the attention he was getting from the pair of lovers even though beneath it all he feared that his own feelings towards the pair meant nothing in their own eyes. Laughter bubbles from the pair as they smiled down at the human they’d grown so fond of over the month of knowing him, “you’re just lucky to see us like this..” Ol muttered sincerely running his thumb along the shell of Peter’s ear, “he is right Peter, you’re the only one who sees us like this away from battle..” the hybrid Kree explained cautiously their grip on Peter’s hands tightened ever so slightly not going unnoticed by Peter as his vision switched between the two young Kree.

“When will you tell me about it.. you both are always talking about these fights that you’ve had but you never tell me what happened in them.. please tell me your stories” Peter begged them his voice at first seemed to fall on deafened ears, “no little spider.. not today” the eldest of the three said almost whispering his words. Peter squirmed at the name both hating and loving when the Kree boy called him ‘little spider’, “I’m not little, Estel is little” he mocked light heartedly changing the subject seeing how distressed the two had become at his own hand, “it’s not my fault I’m 5’5 besides I’m only an inch smaller than you Peter” they scowled playfully batting at the boy.

The pair continued to play fight along with the sounds of Ol’s laughter as he smiled at the pair in which he felt enthralled by. His eyes studied them thinking back to the moments his bright blue orbs had landed on the pair, one by chance the other in battle.

To him and Estel it seemed like only a few days ago they’d appeared on Ego, whisked him off into the galaxy to have adventures of their own, but since meeting Peter time seemed to slow as their minds and souls set out to claim the hybrid human as their own, a calm and stable third to their chaotic and battle ready duo. My loves.. his mind cooed yet stumbled over the word love.. what is love? What he and Estel had was an unbreakable bond formed over the years of traveling and bonding together, but what they felt not only for the each other but for Peter as well seemed stronger if not scarier than any Kree battalion in existence.

“Das't, my darling your head is in the stars again” he was dragged from his thoughts by the voice of his lovers face now in sight of his own as he glances round to see Parker sniggering from where he now sat crossed legged beside where Estella was now straddling him, their playing had ended and now sort out entertainment from him. “Watch your language my dear..” he chuckled press a quick peck to their forehead catching them off guard silencing both youngsters.

Peter frowned yet again finding another reason for his own self loathing.

How could he be so selfish to love two people who are so captivated by one another, he would be so cruel to do anything that could jeopardise their relationship. They evened each other out so well in the short amount of time that they had known one another, for him to come in and ruin it all would be a cruel act against two people most deserving of love.

“Mah little spider, Ye'v git yer heid in th' stars, tell us yer woes mah dear spider” the Scottish twinge from his time on earth before his families death became stronger in each word that he spoke as Ol wrapped an arm around Peter’s waist pulling him into his side as Estella latched onto him stroking his cheek soothingly as Ol rubbed his hand up and down Peter’s back in calming pattern. “It’s nothing” he whimpered feeling the sudden urge to cry as he was cradled in their arms. “Tell us mah dear spider, we care tae damn muckle aboot ye tae lea ye in sic a state” the words were stronger more forceful this time as Peter turned to hide his face in Ol’s chest hoping that some Norse or whatever god that was there might take pity on him, “Peter... Peter please listen to us.. we need to tell you something and we want you to hear what we have to say and no one else” Estella’s voice reached his ears, “I know that things are weird cause we’re not exactly human or anything and we may live long into the future which means that time will forever be against us but Peter.. me and Ol-Amm want to be with you..” the Kree hybrid has gone shy to the end seeming to lose herself in her worry filled rambles.

“Peter.. both Estella and I are children of war.. yes we both grew up different but at the same time we were still raised in a war that could never be won...” Ol began to explain shifting so that Peter had no choice but to look at the pair who stared earnestly at him. “Our views growing up on what love is weren’t the best, but over time we’ve come to understand that love is what makes you feel safe and wanted and... Peter that is what we feel when we’re with you.. you make us feel safe and warm and loved.. we just want you to know that we care very much about you and that whatever happens next is up to you.” Ol finished sending a side glance to his partner as they nodded opening their mouth to contribute, “Ol and I are like an angered wound and Peter you are a soothing balm to us.. you are the calm to our chaos and we are in love you for this feeling that you’ve shared with us” the young Kree tried to relay to their partner, “and we love you Peter Parker because you are you... you are kind and loyal to a fault.. we love you for being you..” they tried to convey in the best possible way.

The teen lay there almost cradled in their arms, his mind was blank as he search for some way to answer them both.

When the words formed his voice was soft and timid almost afraid that once spoken he could never take back what he was about to say.

“I really like you both too..”

No more words were exchanged that day, just silent reassurances as they held each other. None had a care towards what was to come, they had no care for the dangers they would soon face, the only care they had was with each other in that moment safe and sound inside the Parker residence.

[tumblunni]

Today's random mood is soft thoughts about my headcanon of McKraken being Squisker's adopted nephew before things went wrong

* Squisker was the very beloved mayor of the springdale yokai realm, which i am choosing to call Springdoom until we get a canon name, yes. He was 100% a good dude and Mckraken falsely accused him of the crimes that got him imprisoned away in the infinate inferno, in an attempt at a coup to take his power and begin his anti human warfare. But also i think itd be saddest if Mckraken did genuineky care for his uncle, and he'd just become so carried away in his obsession for revenge that he started getting paranoid that all his loved ones were plotting against him. He's probably haunted every day by what he did and after his redemption the first thing he did was fight his way thru the inferno to set right what he'd done wrong!

* They first met when Squisker was just idly visiting the human world and stumbled upon a baby yokai all curled up and scared in the wreckage of a beach destroyed by an oil spill. Originally he just wanted to help the kid get to the yokai world and find a new family, but then the lil guy called him "unca" and his heart(s) were totally melted! It kinda helped give the old man a reason to live again, during a very melancholy time of his life.

* Imagine babby mckraken sleeping in the sink cos he is just a smol squiddy and does not understand fancy society yet. "But why would you have a tiny pond thats not for sitting in!" Squisker introduces him to the concept of beds and he's initially very suspicious of this strange land rock. But then he bounces up and down on it and its just like waves! Its a magical sea land hybrid!!

* Various funny circumstances of squisker being this fancy politician man and trying to introduce a feral sea child to high society. Even funnier if the rules of yokai high society are wildly different to humans, like you have to hold every single fancy fork simultaneously in your tentacles! Possibly some cute moment where the kid's innocent 'but why' questions get squisker to realize he's being all stuffy and fancy when its not really necessary, and maybe itd be fun to loosen up and enjoy himself?

* Melancholy episode where babby mckraken keeps trying to adopt fishies from the human world and bring them home to protect them. Squisker has trouble explaining that mortals cant survive for long in the underworld, which would require first explaining to this poor kid what death is and that he's dead...

* maybe possibly one of those fish does come back as a yokai decades later when mckraken is all grown up, and pledges eternal loyalty to him for the kindness he showed as a child? And thats the backstory of that one fish boat boss dude everyone forgets.

* Headcanon of maybe mckraken's signature inspiriting power is 'colourlessness' or 'nothingness'? He can drain energy out of stuff with his weird hand mouths and it turns black and white. And perhaps for maximum angst the reason Mckraken himself is colourless is because that day his paranoia overtook him and he betrayed his closest family member, he used his own powers on himself to erase his emotions enough to be able to silence those doubts...

* Alternative headcanon is just that turning colourless is somethibg that naturally happens to yokai who lose all hope. Supported mostly just by the fact whisper is a notable white yokai who isnt part of The White Yokai, and also his backstory form had more colour and that backstory was really damn tragic...

* Oh and Squisker only attacks you in the infinate inferno because he's gone mad from rage and grief and just attacks everything indiscriminately. This is actually canon to his japanese medallium entry! (Though him being a good guy before being imprisoned and him being a father figure to mckraken is all speculation)

* so imagine a post redemption mckraken teaming up with you to try and recsue his uncle from the prison he put him in, ans its super depressing when he gets to squisker's cell and sees he's so far gone theyre gonna have to fight him. And maybe some sort of scene of him shielding you from one of squisker's attacks and getting heavily wounded, to prove how he really is legit about earning his redemption?and its this moment of kindness that makes squisker recognise this is his nephew, and come back to his senses. And i can just imagine mckraken weeping because what right do i have to be forgiven? You stupid old man, youre way too naive! Sobbing and hugging him and in his eyes squisker can see the sad young child he adopted so long ago, finally free of the chains of hatred he'd destroyed himself with. And then theyd go back together to the town and of course all the citizens woukd be like HOLY SHIT SQUISKER'S BACK, WE'RE SORRY WE DIDNT BELIEVE YOU, OH GOD MCKRAKEN TRIED TO TAKE OVER THE HUMAN WORLD and they immediately wanna elect him back to his old position. But Squisker insists on letting mckraken back into the town and giving him a second chance as his chairman, as well as his nephew. Claims its just because 'oh well ive been gone so long, i need someone who knows more about modern politics'. And probably works his ass off to clear his nephew's name and convince everyone that mckraken did what he did because of his love for this city, even if it was wrong it proves that he has a good heart and you should let him have a second chance! Aaand its hard to disagree i guess when the guy most affected by mckraken's takeover is also the one arguing for his redemption! The whole time mckraken is probably grumping about trying to deny it all and being like 'no put me in the prison its what i deserve NO I DO NOT HAVE ANY REDEEMING TRAITS DAMMIT'

* anyway i just like stories about broken families trying again, even if they cant be exactly how they used to be, as long as they both want to be a famuly again then they can be something new thats equally as good.

* also cute squid dad slice of life adventures is probably the most blessed sentence in the english language

* imagine babby mckraken always hiding shyly behind squisker cos he's never met any other yokai before and he doesnt know how to make friends with the other kids. But i dunno, maybe squisker is like 'youre such a bright young child you can help the others learn to swim!' or some other case of finding something he's good at and encouraging it as a way to bond with others. Oh maybe Mckraken's cooking skills started with learning to cook with his uncle and bringing snacks to school and all the other kids would be jealous? So he just sorta ended up with a tendancy to make food for people, which stuck around even when he turned evil. Still gotta open every evil meeting with sake and sushi! Gotta nag your minions that theyre not eating enough and they need to take care of their health! Gotta spend eighty hours decorating an elaborate layer cake as stress relief from dealing with that lousy human kid. Now grab a plate and sit yer asses down, you damn layabouts! Youre gonna cherish every mouthful, god dammit!! Also he totally wears lil oven mitts on all his tentacles.

This has been a miscellaneous ramble of squid redemptions, goodnight y'all