#more people should know about Strange’s ghost dog though

[sublieu]

synopsis: "Macaque has trust issues and won't tell you anything about him, how will things work out? will it be good, bad or worse?"

references: none

word count: 1.5k words

cont. warning: angst, accidental injury, arguing, crying

mutuals/friends: @chimemori @zuzuthesnake @yellowaxol @mortal-mayhem

𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬┆"All creations/edits belong to ©𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐮 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑; 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝"┆𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙇𝙤𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜...

Things were difficult when it came to Macaque. Always wanting to be this 'standoff-ish' villain when in reality he's hurt, scared, and insecure; Not interested in revealing his emotions as he thinks this makes him weak or insignificant.

He was slowly starting to open himself up to Mk and his crew, but he was never open with you. Even though you were his wife and if he was uncomfortable he should say something.

But he was scared; Scared of how you'd see him and how you'd react to his past. And he had every right to be considering how you were twice as powerful if not more than him and even leaving your first husband for him which he doesn't even know the real reason why.

"Hey did Macaque tell you about him and Wukong?" Mk starts the conversation with you as Macaque helped with training Mei and Redson in combat, being distracted to not pay too much attention to what you were speaking about. "What do you mean?" You look down at the apprentice whilst checking scrolls sent from Nezha; His eyes widen as if he saw a ghost.

"That's strange, I thought he'd talk to you about why he and Wukong even kicked off in the first place considering you were his wife." He replies and shrugs it off as he pours a glass of lemonade, but you stopped your work to understand what exactly he meant; Did he and Wukong have a relationship when he met you? Should you be worried about where he's going at night? but Mk explains the situation to you, leaving you sighing in relief.

"Still though I'd speak to him about it, the fact that you don't know and you heard from me worries me, maybe it's best at night you talk to him about it."

It's 9:00, Macaque guides them to the sandy shores of his home and watches them fly off into the city before turning and leaving for his home. Stretching and coming to your shared room to snuggle for the night.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Macaque inquires when you don't react to his hugs, flicking one of his ears when you sigh and dog ear your book. Tempted to ask Macaque about your conversation

"What happened between you and Wukong?"

Macaque looks to the side and sits up, as if not wanting to answer the question and trying to change the subject. But you weren't going to allow him to do so unless he explains what happened. "I don't wanna talk about it." he tries to change the subject.

"Macaque it's not fair that you go and speak to others and not at least tell me." You sit up and fold your arms whilst glaring at his back, his tail flicks as he groans in annoyance. "Y/n we've talked about this" "Talked about what? because I know absolutely nothing about you."

"That's because I don't want you to know." "It's not fair that you go and tell people everything about you when I don't know jack shit!!"

You're now standing up, your arms still folded as you glare him down harder. He can feel your anger building and he knows he could've told you. It wasn't fair to you that you were always the last to know any information about him.

"Y/n stop." "NO, I WON'T. WHY WON'T YOU BE HONEST WITH ME AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY AM I ALWAYS THE LAST PERSON TO KNOW ANY INFORMATION ABOUT YOU?" "BECAUSE THIS IS THE REACTION I CAN'T HANDLE WHEN YOU'RE UPSET." "THEN BE HONEST WITH ME MACAQUE, WHAT'S THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND WUKONG?" "WHY CAN'T YOU JUST STAY OUT OF MY BUSINESS? IF I CAN'T TELL YOU I WON'T OK?!"

He yells as you stood in front of him, accidentally pushing you into the wall behind you and letting the back of your head bleed; Your hand stares at your blood in disbelief as he holds a hand over his mouth before trying to help you up. Only to be pushed by you onto the bed as you pack a bag to stay at your parents for a few days as he tries (and fails) to stop you from leaving the house.

"Get out of my way." "Y/n please-" "You don't trust me so what's the point of even staying? Move out of my way Macaque." He pleads with you as you try to get him to move, refusing to budge and trying to calm you down before things get even more heated

"Y/n-" "Macaque I'm not afraid of hurting you. Get. Out. Of. My. Way"

You warn, finally moving out of the doorframe so you could be able to fly off to your parents; Holding your hand as if to plead with you a final time to not go. Yanking it away from him and zooming off to the celestial realm.

___________________________________________

"Cmon sweetie we're gonna be late!" "Coming dear~"

Your father laughs and spins your mother around before kissing her, giggling like teenagers as they share a sweet moment before hearing a sudden knock on their door. "Who would be here at this time of the night?" Your mother inquires and looks through the peephole, your dad wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing her neck as he asks who was at the door.

"My Baby!" Your mom swings open the door to find you standing there, your face a mess of tears and sniffles as you hugged your mother whilst she consoles you. "What happened?! Is everything alright at home?" Your father is now in the kitchen making hot cocoa for you as you hid in your blanket, your mom gently patting down your back as she wipes away your tears.

"Why won't he trust me, mom?" "Whatever do you mean dear?" your mother, confused as she tries to console you to no avail. Your tears grew thicker and your whimpers louder. "Am I just that untrustworthy? why can't people just be honest with me?"

You hid in your blanket and start sobbing, your tears uncontrollable as you refused to reveal yourself from within the blanket. Wanting to stay hidden forever till you either die or move on; Your father gently places your hot cocoa and cookies on the coffee table and sits beside you as he gently pats your back. Your mother looks at him with worry, and your father does the same; Putting two together and realizing what's happening.

"Sometimes, it's best to keep secrets dear." "I know that dad, but I don't know anything about him. It's like I have to ask his friends what he likes when doesn't even try to share his interests with me, it's not fair." You whimper as more tears stained your blanket. Your father wipes away the tears from your eyes and gives you a handkerchief to blow in.

"How about this? Why don't you stay here for a few days and we'll figure something out? How does that sound?" Your father suggests as you mope. Sniffling, you look back at him with genuine guilt as you didn't want to intrigue in their privacy "Are you sure?" "Of course we are, although we had somewhere going, we can hold it off for the night." Your mother insists as she gets up to carry in your bags before you held onto her arm.

"No, you guys can go. It's only fair" you reply and stand up whilst stretching, your mother laughs and gently squishes your cheeks before kissing your forehead. "Aw ok, but we have a delivery coming tomorrow so could you be a dear and collect it for us?" she now holds her suitcase with her gentle hands as your father goes outside to pack up the rest of their luggage. She hugs you a final time as he honks the car, giggling and hurrying to him before waving you off, a gentle smile on her face as you wave to her back with your blanket still covering you as they drove off.

'I hope they end up there safe.' you mutter and enter your home, packing away your things and doing whatever chores needed to be done before taking a shower and going to bed. Looking at your ceiling, the only thing glowing in the dark was your stickers. Smiling at the memory before slowly falling asleep.

___________________________________________

"Do you think she'll be alright?" your mother worries as she looks at her phone, staring at your childhood photos as her husband gently holds her thigh before kissing her, "I'm sure she will, besides she's a strong girl just like her mother." awaiting the thick traffic to clear up as he shares a kiss with her before feeling something heavy jump onto the truck of the car.

"Mr and Mrs [l/n], parents of [y/n], and leaving for a trip to New Mexico." the figure chuckles as he waltzes to the car door, the car window automatically rolling down for him to peer in.

"What do you want Macaque?"

©𝐒𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐮 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑; 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝

[emeritus-fuckers]

Match-up event - Jez

(Nyx and I decided to match each other up for lols)

Let's go. I'm twenty, agender (afab), somewhere between bi and pansexual, poly and somewhere under the aromantic umbrella. Don't mind any pronouns in particular. I want one match-up with a human and one with a ghoul (let's see how you handle it babes). I study writing, might pick up a second major in journalism, dunno yet. Theistic satanist. Monsterfucker. Mask kink af.

I'm 164 centimeters tall (I'm not looking it up in feet). I've got a soft tummy and pretty good ass (lmao). You know how I look like, though I am planning to dye my hair blue.

They're not done yet, but I wanna include this anyway: tattoos. I'm not including any that could guide you to a potential result :p

Little cartoon seal on my right arm (for my sister)

Little cartoon panda on my right arm (for my brother)

Spider-Punk emblem on my left shoulder

666 under my left collar bone

A little plague doctor on my right arm

Also planning to get a shit ton of piercings all over my body. (Not just face and ears if you know what i mean), but that's for later. I like getting my nails done, usually to colors are symbolic or just a reference to something.

I usually wear skinny jeans and hoodies with some weird print. I love oversized hoodies, they are like my main source of comfort. I have chains attached to my pants, and I love wearing too many necklaces. I usually have ghearrings (the ghost crosses) in my ears and another one on a chain around my neck. Also wearing a Baphomet (like the goat head in a pentagram) necklace, a pride heart one, a matching besties necklace with Vic and occasionally a choker. I do occasionally do all out, wearing a white dress shirt, black skinny jeans, a leather jacket and the listed jewelry with my favorite rainbow sneakers and round sunglasses. With lots of rings, mostly something skull/plant/occult themed. Always silverish color, never gold. I don't like gold.

Outside from Ghost, I mostly listen to rock and different kinds of metal. And FNaF songs.

I was a Creepypasta kid. Aside from Polish and English I speak some German and bits of Italian, but very little. I can read most arabic letters (as in I know what sounds they make).

I have lots of different posters on my walls and I have stickers on my furniture because I grew up too fast and I'm catching up on my childhood now. I've got mental issues, including but not limited to autism, ADHD, depression, anxiety, mommy issues and daddy issues. I like calling them my pokemon.

I like writing (though I barely have time for that) and re-watching Total Drama (watched it 8 times just this year) since it manages to keep my attention, something most movies fail to do, which is why I barely watch anything. I get bored very easily. I play the Sims 4 a lot, but I can't build in it for the life of me. I'm amazing at building in the Sims 3. Big fan of Assassin's Creed (I don't like the new ones, though, since it doesn't feel like AC anymore to me). I own many true crime and paranormal activity books, though I can barely read at this point. I like manga, though. Currently collecting the Soul Eater series. I love plushies. I got a new one today. Their name is Pyza. (Yes, they're enby, I even got them a pin)

I know way more about butterflies than I should. I know lots of useless trivia in general. Most of it disturbing. I'm tired 24/7, but my body either wakes up before 7AM or after 6 hours exactly and it's impossible for me to fall asleep again. My room is usually a mess, but that's okay, so am I.

I'm a total introvert, but I'm also so tired with life I forced myself to become the extrovert of the group. I'm really loud if I like people, although my affection is usually random touches on someone's arms and shoulders with a strange noise. I make noises. A lot.

For some reason, babies love me. Even though I personally dislike children. I love pets, though. All sorts of pets. Cats, dogs, snakes, spiders... Anything. If I can pet it, I want to pet it. I love moths from the attacus family, I mean just look at this gorgeous girl!

As for my personality, aside from daily mental breakdowns, I'm relatively chill, just... Very unhinged. I talked about Secondo's dick piercings in McDonald's. Compared to the shit I say, Terzo's an angel.

I think that's all. Have fun babes <3 - Jez

[sonicasura]

It Is Rocket Science

Sonic The Hedgehog/ Pokemon

Takes place shortly after the events of Forces ( only difference was that Tails was actually brave LIKE HE SHOULD HAVE BE-)

Trainer had been traveling through this new world for a while now and they already made 2 great friends. Sonic the hero of Earth who has defeated calamity many a time. A spirit as free as the wind, who never stayed in one place for too long. Sonic had a taste for adventure and chili dogs, and never turned there back on afriend in need. It was no wonder Sonic was so well liked among the people.

Then there was Sonic's best friend Tails, a fox who was born with 2 tails and could use them to fly by twisting them like a propeller. Tails was a genius, building amazing gadgets and devices that could do incredible things, Tails even built his own plane the Tornado. Tails was also a resreacher and when Sonic introduced Trainer and Co. to Tails his shock only lasted 5 seconds before he immediately threw a myriad of questions towards Trainer and Co. To Tails this was nothing short of amazing, the idea of other worlds wasn't new to him, but this was the first time he heard of a place where people and strange creatures called Pokwmon lived in peace and harmony with each other.

Tails absolutely insisted Trainer and Co. stay for at least a day or 2 so Tails could study and find out more about Trainer and the Pokemon. Trainer of course agreed wanting to get to know this world better along with making new friends, Sonic's curiosity even got him to stay in the city for bit to be with Trainer and Tails. It was all very cool and Tails even half jokingly said it was so nice too have a vistor from another world that didn't want to destroy, take it over, or attack them a sentiment Sonic shared

Sonic was perfectly fine with his current Rogue's Gallery thank you very much

When Trainer decided to leave to start seeing more of this world Tails and Sonic were sad to see them leave the city so soon, but were glad that they met Trainer first and got to give Trainer and Co. A warm welcome. Before Trainer left Tails gave Trainer his and Sonic's number so they all could keep in touch.

It had been five whole days since Trainer got to this world and they already got to experience so much of this world's wonders. From beautiful jungles too majestic mountains, it had so much too offer. Though while exploring a beach called Emerald Coast Trainer did come a cross something odd.

A strange looking robot

The robot wasn't at all active and looked to be beat up beyond belief. Scratches, rust, broken joints, Trainer was surprised that it was still one piece. It also looked incredibly odd, it looked like Sonic but had a lot of differing features. The top of it's head looked like a jet and it's back had what looked to be a engine sticking out. Trainer wondered if this was Metal Sonic, Sonic's doppleganger that Eggman had made, but this robot didn't fit the description.

Trainer just wondered about what too do before Rotomdex gave a suggestion.

Rotomdex: If we dragged the robot out and dry him off, it could go into what's left of his circuitry and memory banks and find out there story.

Trainer agreed with that idea and dragged the broken robot out and onto the beach. Decideing to set up camp hear, Trainer let everyone out and explained that the robot was being dried off and nothing was wrong. All the pokemon nodded and every one played and explored until the robot was done drying. After an hour under the beachside sun and telling Meltan too not eat the robot, the robot was dry and ready for Rotomdex to fuse with. Everyone one gathered around too see what would happen.

Rotomdex: BBBBZZZZTTTT!!!! Here I go!!!!

Rotom popped out of the pokedex to reveal it's true form as a electric ghost wisp, before zipping right into the robot.

It took only a second for Rotom's face to peak through the robot's showing Rotom had succesfully entered the machine.

Rotom: Alright acessing data banks now, BBBZZZTTT!!! Wow this robot is quite impr- BBBZZZRRRTTT!?!?!

Rotom got cut off as something strange happened, the robot's color morphed to mix both orange and blue, and the eyes became heterochromatic with one being Rotom's blue eye color and the other flashing between green and red. The robot got up and started doing some honestly funky looking dance moves before the joints locked up and the robot fell right back down

Trainer: Rotom!!!! Are you alright?!

Rotom: Ya I'm fine! The internal system just had a lot more kick than I was exp- wHO arE YOu

Rotom's voice got cut off again and was replaced by a staticky voice, which ended up spooking Rotom who popped out and immediately went back to the Rotomdex.

Trainer: Who are you?!

Trainer asked the question which was now on Trainer and Co. mind.

The robot with great struggle lifted it's head to look at Trainer.

????: I-I-I am Mech-cha S-Sonic Mod-Model 29. Ro-Rocket Me-Metal

The glitchy voice explained, so this is Metal Sonic that Sonic told Trainer about or at least a version of Metal Sonic. Sonic warned that Dr.Eggman's robots are not to be messed around with as tgey can all easily cause quite a bit of destruction. Though looking back on Rocket Metal, it was obvious that therobot had been long since left to the elements by Dr.Eggman. That left a bit of a sour taste in Trainer's mouth and decided to ask some more questions.

Rocket Metal answered all of them along with asking some of his own. Rocket Metal was a robot built by Eggman and to Rocket Metal's knowledge the youngest robot of the Mecha line ( the truth unknown to both is that Rocket Metal was the last of his line and after the destruction of the Death Egg Eggman has moved on too the E-Series) too stop Sonic and his friends from reaching the Death Mk.II and had failed to stop the heroes from reaching their destination. Rocket Metal was also shocked to learn that all happened almost 5 years ago when they asked for the year. Sonic and his friends were all young when that adventure happened. That news rattled Rocket Metal, why had he been left to wither away by Dr.Eggman. Rocket Metal tried so hard too make his creator proud....perhaps failing that mission made the Docter give up on Rocket Metal. Was Rocket Metal deemed to be a massive failure compared to his older siblings, when compared to Eggman's pride and joy Metal Sonic..... Yes that was the reason, Rocket Metal was a defective model who failed too live up to what the Docter made him for, it was only logical that Rocket Metal be thr-

Trainer: No it's not!!!!

This snapped Rocket Metal out of his thoughts as he had been speaking out loud and Trainer and Co. had listened to Metal Rocket demean himself.

Trainer: It's not right that you just be thrown away, Eggman made you with the ability to think and have thoughts of your own, the fact that all it took was one faliure for him to throw you away is horrible!!!

That entire monolouge had struck a cord with Trainer as they had seen to many times Trainers give up on pokemon after just for being not as powerful as they like or failing to meet impossible expectations and abanden said pokemon. It was one of the few things that upset Trainer and Rocket Metal's story uspet Trainer.

This confused Rocket Metal and he could not come up with a response to that so just stayed quite, even as Trainer got out a cloth and liquid and started to pain stakingly rub the rust off, even as they gently repainted his metal body back a brilliant deep blue, and as the strange creatures Trainer had helped Rocket Metal move around due to his legs being busted and helped oil up his joints so they could start moving again. Trainer even had given Rocket Metal a powerful battery to help keep himself online.

This all made Rocket Metal feel....odd and when Trainer made a call to someone asking for there help with fixing Rocket Metal it made Rocket Metal feel...happy.

When Rocket Metal was safely secured to Koraidon back and Trainer jumped onto the Sandwhich loving Pokemon, Rocket Metal finally figured out what to say

T-T-Thank Y-You

Looks like Trainer made another new friend! I bet they have some very sharp words for Eggman if they ever come across each other. Also Trainer would give Sonic and Tails a heads up about Rocket Metal so to avoid any chance of friendly fire between them.

[quietlyimplode]

different names for the same thing - part two

Part One (but can be read as stand alone)

Warnings: injuries/blood

Word Count: 2.3k (gif not mine)

Summary: Clint and Natasha finish a mission, exhausted and injured. All is not as it seems. Yelena holds out hope her sister can save her.

A/N: so you can thank @broken--bow for the continuation of this - mistakes are mine, there might be a part three (esp if your musings take you there) but take it as open ending for now.

Main Masterlist

…

Yelena stares.

Disbelief at what she’s seeing.

She knows that walk, that strut.

A strange mix of anger and love burns deep in her.

Natasha’s red head disappears as the man follows alongside her.

“Have you placed the charges?”

The call comes through her comms and she shakes her head to get rid of it.

Heading up the front of the building, she decides she’s doesn’t care about the cameras. She’ll delete the footage anyway, or someone will.

The benefit of working for an organisation is that they have enough self interest to cover her back so that no one comes after her.

“Sloppy,” she says out loud when she sees how Natasha and her partner have left the one charge.

She rolls her eyes and lays down two more, pocketing one for herself.

The red room doesn’t need to know she has her own cache of weapons, they know nothing about.

The magazines for the pistols, the C4, the throwaway identities; tantamount to death if they ever found out.

But still, Yelena lives in hope.

One day.

Maybe.

Things won’t be this bad.

Life might be different.

She hears them on the roof.

It seems like an idiotic move, set charges for a building to blow; and then go up, rather than run away.

Yelena leaves, only looking back to see them both abseiling down the building.

She counts down in her head.

At one, the charges blow, and even though she is almost a block away, the blow back of heat is still warm on her back.

.

The red room has power.

They are ghosts in the night, the baba yaga, they are everywhere and nowhere and Yelena hates them.

There’s nothing she can do.

There’s nothing she can ever do.

Seeing Natasha, the great Avenger, feels like it’s something though, maybe more anger, maybe something like hope.

What if her sister could save her? What if she could get her and the other widows out?

No more Dreykov.

No more training, or dogs, or handlers.

No more Red Room.

It’s a thought that sits with her into the night, as she stares at the lone block of C4, ready for her secret storage container.

There’s a plan that seems to be formulating in her head. A thought that makes her feel a bit nauseous in its ambition.

Placing the block away, she readies herself for bed; the last night before she goes back to the horrors. She knows she should be sleeping whilst she can, but even with the door rigged and cameras set up, she can’t sleep.

Natasha can’t save her.

But maybe she can push her to do something.

Even if she’s never shown any interest in doing it before, even though she has the might of super powered people, and she still hasn’t come for her.

Yelena doesn’t often allow herself to dwell on their relationship, it feels to fraught with what if’s.

What if Dreykov allowed them to stay together?

What if Natasha actually came for her?

Would they both still be alive?

Yelena doesn’t think so.

It’s likely they would have been made to fight each other, hate each other, kill each other.

She would like to think they would have tried to escape together.

And everyone knows how that goes.

Her mind flits to the mangled bodies of Katya, Polina and Nadia. Their escape attempts all admirable and more involved than the next.

But still.

Failures, all of them.

Who is she to think that she is any different?

The red room is a ghost.

Eyes everywhere and nowhere.

Yelena gets up and off the bed, checks the doors, windows and alarms again.

The feeling that someone is watching, is haunting.

She glances at the clock and groans.

2am.

If she goes to sleep now, she’ll have four hours of sleep.

Natasha can help.

Natasha will help.

Anger and love boil in gut again, but this time it doesn’t feel so caustic.

.

July, she tries again.

Ten weeks after the explosion, she wonders just how to get the attention of the avengers, of Natasha or perhaps whatever Shield is using as it’s pseudonym these days.

She’s told no one, kept her head down and finally been sent out again.

It’s like Dreykov knew, maybe from the look in her eye when she returned. He’d put her into medical, into reprogramming.

It had felt like weeks before she had felt herself again. The cobwebs thick, as she’d pushed through to get back to herself.

She never lost the thought though.

Natasha.

Her only chance.

She can’t escape; she’ll die; but if Natasha rescues her….

Her first mission out is of course in America.

Las Vegas of all places.

It’s loud, and full of people.

She blends in easily, her American accent coming back naturally, as she laughs easily at the check in of the hotel.

“Thank you,” she tells the woman, taking her card key.

The MGM is a sea of people, hotel rooms and chaos - all the things she can use to help her orchestrate a plan.

Even though this is all she’s thought of, she knows it cannot be planned; because if it is, it would be pried from her mind.

The effects of the after mission debrief include the stock standard sodium pentathol concoction; and she knows that the more she believes the lie the easier it is to tell it under the effects of a drugged mind.

Sitting cross legged on the bed, she separates her own mission (a simple intel gathering), and the one she wants more than she cares to admit.

If she leaves a mark, they’ll know; but she feels it has to be obvious to Natasha. Obvious enough to know that it was her, or perhaps the red room.

She’s on American soil, so the likelihood of whatever she does getting fed up the chain is a good option.

Killing the mark, she supposes, does that, and it’s not against her mission parameters.

She wonders if she could make him swallow something first, so when they open him up, they have to take notice.

The more she thinks of it, the more she likes it.

She takes out the bag of pills they’ve sent her with, and she sighs. Nothing of use to harbor a message in.

There’s two things she can do.

Metal or plastic.

Metal seems like the better choice, sturdy, easy to carve into, and not digestible, no matter how long it stays in the body.

Plastic is the same but perhaps harder to make sure that whatever message is on it, stays.

Yelena sighs and stands, making her way to the gift shop. Everything feels like an effort lately.

A magnet is as good as anything.

She smiles to the woman manning the shop, walks around and walks out; the small magnet sharp in her hand.

Back in the safety of her suite, she stares at it, unsure what to do next.

An hourglass seems too obvious.

Their initials more obvious still.

Deciding carefully, she puts a set of coordinates, one’s she knows off by heart. Ones she swore she’d never go back to.

Lies, only lies live there, but still, maybe they’re good for something.

.

Natasha exits medical, the follow up from her concussion and broken arm. Thankfully it had been short, and the clearance easily done.

Though she had been cleared for four weeks, they had wanted to make sure the surgery from her arm had resulted in a full recovery; it had also meant low ball missions, talking to dignitaries, congress and consulting.

She’s bored out of her mind.

Clint and Tony had been allowed out together, even Steve had. Her anger had been palpable and she knows she had not been a good friend the last couple of weeks.

So much so, even in the shooting range Clint had avoided her, their fight over chicken nuggets the night before still fresh even though they hadn’t gone to bed angry.

Natasha feels her phone buzz.

“LA - mission request #67265 - investigation into the murder of Senator Erend. Your presence is required.”

She smiles.

Finally.

Heading to her room, she logs onto the computer for the full mission debrief and frowns.

She needs to find Clint.

.

“It can’t be.”

Clint stares at the picture, zooming in.

“It has to be.”

“And you’re sure of the coordinates?”

Natasha’s stare is enough for him to raise his hands in submission.

“Okay, okay, I was just asking.”

She takes back the tablet and zooms in, glancing at the picture again.

“It has to be her, right?”

“Or Melina?”

Clint shrugs.

“She’s dead,” Natasha replies.

“And just over two months ago, you thought Yelena was too.”

She sits, and stares at the picture, just as Clint had done, trying to find if there was any other information, anything that gave a clue about what the hell was going on.

Clint nudges her.

“Do you think it’s time to talk to Fury? Or even Maria?”

There’s a pit that sinks every time she thinks of what Yelena being here, and sending messages of distress, might mean.

“Do you think they’re back?”

Her biggest fear voiced in the smallest voice.

He takes her hand and squeezes it.

“I don’t know.”

They sit in silence as Clint thinks on the evidence that Natasha had presented when she had been fully cognizant. He’d dismissed it because of her concussion, the woman leaving could have been anyone; the larger explosion could have just been because of the placement of their c4.

Her evidence had been circumstantial at best.

This made it less likely that that was a coincidence.

“What do you want to do?”

It might be that she wanted to do nothing, maybe that she would just let this go and see where it takes them; though even as he thinks the words, he knows that’s not her.

“Can we talk to Tony?”

He pulls his phone out and dials, the picture of them both on the screen before Tony picks up with a frown.

“You rang?”

“You busy?”

“You want to do my work?” There’s a snark to his voice that makes Natasha slightly on edge, and want to answer snark with snark.

“We need some help.”

“Of course you do,” he bites.

“When’d you sleep last?” Natasha asks suddenly.

Tony mellows as he doesn’t answer straight away.

“I… uhhh… I don’t remember,” he sighs, rubbing his hand over his face and then looking into the phone for the first time.

“It’s okay, we’ll sort this, you get some rest,” she smiles, shallowly.

Tony visibly deflates at Natasha’s kindness.

Clint knows he wouldn’t have approached that the same, and he knows that Natasha’s ability to read people is better than anyone’s.

“No, no, it’s okay, how can I help?”

“I think the Red Room is back, or a Russian subsidiary posing as the red room but with all the same tricks and recruiting policies.”

She deadpans the words but Clint knows the pain behind it.

Tony doesn’t know, but he seems to understand.

“Um, okay, what do you want me to do?”

“Follow the money? If there’s anything happening, likely there’s some old money involved, maybe a company, or import/export business?”

Tony nods.

“Anything else?”

Clint looks to Natasha and she drops her head in agreement.

“I’m going to send you a sketch of someone, can you digitize it and do some facial recognition over Europe,” she starts.

“And Vegas,” Clint finishes, showing her where the senator was killed.

“Yeah,” she agrees, “and Vegas over the last seven days.”

Tony scoffs.

“Do you know how many people that is? How many hits you’re going to get?”

Natasha wipes her hand over her face, the motion mirroring Tony’s.

“I know, I know, it’s a long shot. We’re looking for someone.”

“Yelena?”

Natasha’s eyes narrow.

“You were concuss and spouting names, Clint gave me some skeleton details- in front of you I might add.”

She looks sharply to Clint, “I don’t.. remember.”

“You didn’t miss much,” he assures, “just me telling him that she’s your pseudo-sister and you were together for a while when you were little.”

She shrugs.

“I want to find her,” she confesses.

“Will you help?”

The enormity of Natasha asking for help is not lost on Tony and he seems to realise it.

He nods his head and smiles shallow.

“Of course.”

.

It’s up to Natasha, Yelena thinks.

The after mission debrief is nothing special. She’s drugged again and put under, but when she wakes she still feels the same sense of accomplishment she felt coming in.

There’s nothing in Ohio, even though she sent the coordinates.

But as Yelena settles in her cot, with the metallic cuffs around her ankles and the solid doors locking into place, she closes her eyes and dreams of a world where she’s free.

.

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

Shagg & Scoob original pilot version

I question if I should stick with this title. But it’s one that might make the most sense considering this stuff I wrote here.

As a heads up, I have talked about my own feelings on the Velma show and whatever else. Such as I feel like the need to give Scooby-Doo an “Adult take” Isn’t for me because it’s already enjoyable as a franchise for all ages. Besides, there has been already more “Serious” takes anyway. And this is likely something I won’t pursue more in making. Yet it may pop up in my mind from time to time. But I feel like me making my own take on Scooby-Doo isn’t really needed. Yet considering the Velma show exists, I might as well make my own “Adult take”, or I question if I’ll call it that. Because this is a more “Serious” take on my original ideas. And it seems more TV-PG to TV-14 as it’s developing. Or just simply, PG-13.

Even though the original concept for this was much more comedic. Yet it likely still is very silly considering the focal characters are Shaggy and Scooby and what I’ve described is the development of their “Bromance”. Yet the other Mystery Inc gang are still main characters. Again, the fact this developed into something more serious when the original idea was, “It has Red vs Blue like humor but it’s wholesome” and well...this feels like if Zack Snyder and Brad Peyton had made their own Scooby-Doo thing.

Besides, we’ve gotten shows like What’s New Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated, and we even have the Scooby-Doo movies going from 1998-2001. what I’m writing isn’t fully special. And I don’t need to make it, yet I am. And I’ve been having trouble writing the “First case” because I am going to be reusing some of the classic monsters from season 1 from Where Are You. The monsters I’ve been thinking about are the Black Knight, the Snow Ghost, Space Kook, Captain Culter, the Swamp Witch and zombie, and the Phantom Shadows. Along with some others. I wanted to keep these a surprise. The stories with them are basically remakes/reimagining's of the original episodes.

Considering the voice actors I have chosen. Keep in mind I have nothing against the voice actors that currently voice the characters. The reason I did that because if I am going to make my own take on these characters on these characters, however new and unique they are. I wanted to choose different voice actors to well, have you envision those voices. And it’s funny if you recognize some of the people I have chosen. Besides, this is basically just fan fiction. Besides, I have wondered about drawing these characters.

“In the peaceful town of Coolsville, Shaggy Rogers is a young outcast, when needing help for his serious anxiety issues, is he given a therapy dog named Scooby to help him in life. As the two form a bond, strange things start happening, resulting in the accidental forming of Mystery Inc consisting of not only Shaggy and Scooby, but also Daphne Blake, Fred Jones, and Velma Dinkley, and surprisingly sometimes Shaggy’s little sister when they can’t leave her alone.

But during this, the group discovers Scooby can somehow talk. As more mysteries come about to them whether they welcome them or not. And trying to figure out how and why Scooby can speak. Something soon comes to Coolsville that not only endangers the town, but also relates to the origin of Scooby himself. Leading to an event that will test them all. Specifically Shaggy as he tries to protect the closest being he has to a best friend.”

At the age of 16, he was diagnosed with Autism which explains some of his “Goofiness” such as his overuse of the word “Like”. Even with some folks asking him if he does drugs considering his behavior. Since then, he tries to hide the truth from people who don’t know him personally and wanting to be seen as “Normal.” And wanting a friend that can understand what he’s feeling without putting the stress on his younger sister and not wanting to tell his parents.

Shaggy “Norville” Rogers.

Voiced by: Kyle McCarley (Infinity Train)

Bio: A 20-year-old outcast who suffers from heavy anxiety issues. Despite being seen as a cowardly slacker, Shaggy is a very empathetic person who puts others needs before him. Along with being very loyal to his family and whoever else. He also has a huge love for food and has “High metabolism.” And he was also a top student in his gym classes and track.

But when getting with not only Scooby, but also the rest of the gang. He soon learns to accept himself as a person.

Similar to Shaggy, he is usually very cowardly and hungry. But also, empathetic and loyal to a fault. And his friendship with Shaggy only strengthens as they realize they have more in common than they thought. And despite learning how to talk, he doesn’t even know why and assumes him being able to understand humans talk and talking himself is normal. He still has the mind of a dog, but it’s been expanded a little. Along with the fact he’s able to eat anything Shaggy can eat that would actually kill a dog.

Scooby-Doo.

Voiced by: Fred Tatasciore (Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur)

Bio: A 1-year-old Great Dane who has the unnatural ability to speak in broken English. Given to Shaggy as a therapy dog to help him in life. When Shaggy and the rest of the gang discover Scooby can talk, they freak out but get used to it. While also making sure no one else finds out to protect Scooby himself.

Unknown to Daphne, Shaggy has a crush on her and wants to win her over. But worries she may reject him.

Daphne Blake.

Voiced by: Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Infinity Train)

Bio: The 20-year-old single daughter of the Blake family. Despite her family being wealthy known for selling fashion products, and while interested in being a supermodel. As a kid, she wanted to solve mysteries, yet hasn’t thought about it in a long time. But these days, she wants to be independent and is Maggie’s babysitter to make her own money.

His father wants him to become a cop, yet he doesn’t want to. Which creates a strange relationship between him and his father.

Fred Jones.

Voiced by: Roger Craig Smith (Resident Evil)

Bio: A 20-year-old college football jock. But he hides a secret that he thinks is very embarrassing, he loves traps. He despises being called a “Himbo” because he doesn’t like being seen as a meathead. When in actuality, he’s very levelheaded and intelligent. Yet not up to the level of Velma. He also has good leader skills.

Velma Dinkley.

Voiced by: Mae Whitman (The Owl House)

Bio: The 20-year-old eldest daughter of Nicole Dinkley, curator of the Coolsville Museum. Particularly a loner, studying criminology and one of Shaggy’s first friends. She joins up with the others to help them due to her expertise's in finding clues. She has a younger sister going to a magic school.

Maggie “Sugie” Rogers.

Voiced by: Isabella Abiera (Infinity Train)

Bio: Shaggy’s 6-year-old sister who’s more curious and less frightened than her older brother. She is also in on the secret that Scooby can talk along with the four young adults. 

But in actuality, he’s a very emotional stable person whose teenage years were “Difficult” that he doesn’t like to talk about unless he feels he needs to. He legitimately cares for his son to where he even doesn’t mind Shaggy not wanting to be called “Norville” in public and only wishes his son could tell him about his issues.

Stu “Casey” Rogers.

Voiced by: Matthew Lillard.

Bio: Shaggy and Maggie’s 50-year-old father who is a well-loved psychiatrist within the Coolsville community. Yet despite that, his personality is unlike his job. Considered to be very “Laid back” yet he talks about these insane stories that sound unbelievable tall tales to make people laugh. Such as talking about his best friends “Billy” and “Randy” and others in stories that make people genuinely question if he’s actually psychotic, hiding behind a different personality. Even stories where he was given nicknames like “Stevo”, “LaFlour”, and whatever else.

What’s also amusing is that while having a different group of friends. He mentions he’s still in contact with “Billy” and “Randy” after high school.

Stefanianna Blake.

Voiced by: Grey Griffin.

Bio: Daphne’s 50-year-old mother who owns fashion building and wants Daphne to focus more on leading the business.

Franklin Jones.

Voiced by: Frank Welker.

Bio: Fred’s 50-year-old father. The sheriff of Coolsville. A strict parent who only wants the best for his son.

I’ve been thinking of adding the Hex Girls. Yet there not the most important thing right now.

Nicole Dinkley.

Voiced: by: Kate Micucci.

Bio: Velma’s 50-year-old mother and the Coolsville Museum curator who also owns a bookshop.

[ask-dgs-221bbakerstreet]

“A fresh set of eyes on cases is much more doable than possession. I’m sure Klimt would be happy to assist with that.” Balmung says. “I want to say something. It means a lot to me that you come to me and tell me things. No one else apart from Klimt does. Everyone just sees me as a dog and it’s difficult to form bonds with people because of that.” Balmung tries to give Barok a hug which is difficult because he’s a dog. Though he does manage to place his two front legs on Barok’s shoulders to give him a ‘hug’. “Thank you for being my friend it’s nice to know that I can talk to you.” He says. “We should go find Klimt so you can talk to him about this and so you can introduce him to Grimsly.” Balmung leads Barok to the library where Klimt is reading a book. “There you are Klimt, Barok has some things he wants to talk to you about.”

---

Of course I would turn to you, Balmung. You have plenty of useful insight to offer, I've learned. I can look past the situation, strange as it is.

...Klint, good afternoon. Two topics of interest:

There is another ghost dog in the house. His name is Grimsly. He seems friendly enough, but unused to being a ghost. You would know better than I what to do.

The other concerns you. I would like to extend the invitation to work with me on cases, when and if you are able and would like to.

[blackbutler-readerinsertsandjunk]

Hello, could I ask for headcanons of Snake with a s/o who has snakes of their own? Some other characters I would like to include are Cheslock, Violet, Joanne, and Charles Grey please!

absolutely!! this is so cute, I’m sorry Grey is kind of a BUTT in regard to this dfjkldafjkla

but anyway snakes are my favorite animals so I do be VIBING

Just… keep those things away from him, right? There are some things he’s just not fond of, and snakes are one of them. He doesn’t care if his S/O has them, as long as he doesn’t really have to interact with the creatures regularly. It’s not as strong as a fear (the things aren’t ghosts, after all); more he… simply doesn’t care for them.

He’ll give them water to drink or help with baths if (Name) asks, but no way in hell is he going to help with feeding. Even if he liked snakes, he just doesn’t have the stomach for that. He won’t even get as far as trying ― they ask, and he flat-out says that he doesn’t want to. At least he’s good at setting boundaries!

To be clear: if he wakes up to the beasts in his bed or anything along those lines, he will ask his S/O to choose him or them. It’s more about boundaries, again, than anything else. As far as he’s concerned, the bed is not a place for pets, it’s for people. It’s different if (Name), say, asks him to hold the snakes or lets them slither on the carpet in front of the hearth or anything where he knows they’re out and about. He’s fine with that. He just won’t tolerate them nearby, while he’s sleeping and unaware, in the bed. Otherwise he actually handles them very well for someone who’s not a snake person… for a short time, anyway.

Huh… that’s a bit different, innit? Certainly not something you see every day. Luckily, Cheslock is obviously a sucker for the unconventional, which includes pets. So he’s totally well and good with these wiggly little guys, and in fact he really likes them! That said, snakes (and their care, etc.) are something he doesn’t know too much about, so (Name) should expect a good deal of questions to answer and misconceptions to correct. He’s passionate and curious, though, which counts for a lot!

He might be a small bit wary the first few times he holds them, because he’s never really done that before. He likes it, of course; just the idea of getting bitten makes him a little anxious! Thankfully he gets used to handling them fairly quickly. It’s a great way to bond with both them and with his S/O. Plus, he’s not the least bit paranoid about constrictors squeezing him slightly to hang on!

In the future, he’s definitely going to get tattoos dedicated to the snakes, just like he’s got one dedicated to (Name). It’ll probably be like one tattoo on his leg, with all the snakes’ names winding up from his ankle and maybe some scale designs. Hell, he might even be cheeky and get snakebite piercings “in honor of the little buggers!” Don’t let that fool you, he really does care about and enjoy the snakes his darling has made company with.

Breathtaking…! Being into all the weird and strange things, seeing the beauty in places no one else might find it, he’s instantly fascinated. His beloved just keeps getting more and more intriguing, don’t they? These are exotic animals, not the ones he may see all the time like dogs or cats or even birds, for that matter. (Name) found something about them to be drawn in by, which he can undoubtedly appreciate. And, well, he must admit… the snakes are awfully cute.

Sooooooo many drawings of them will be coming practically as soon as he’s introduced to his S/O’s pets. That’s the case with any subject he gets interested in, is that he’s compelled to start drawing them. Artists! It’s endearing, though, to see him just as enthralled to draw the snakes as he is to draw (Name) themself. And he’s so incredibly talented, they’re sure to keep everything forever ― paintings, sketches, etchings, everything, because he works in a variety of mediums and they’re each just as gorgeous as the other.

He’s terribly relaxed about the idea of the snakes crawling on him. Handling them and having them in his lap or draped over his arms or anything like that doesn’t bother him in the slightest. Why should he be at all perturbed by that, really? Not only is he happy to be giving them plenty of warmth, it also takes… quite a bit to faze Gregory Violet. The company is nice, and he also can’t deny that he likes to pet whichever snakes will tolerate that kind of treatment; it’s calming, in a way. If he were just a little less vigilant (or like Edgar), he might fall asleep cuddling with them and (Name).

Oh, that’s… well… well, that’s certainly different! Although he’s heard of people having snakes as pets, he’s never actually known of anyone in real life (in relation to his own life, at least) who’s kept them. Like with many things, he’s quite starry-eyed when it comes to new concepts such as this. He’s been a little sheltered in terms of varied experiences, but thank goodness he’s got an escape in books. It means he’s maybe slightly startled by his S/O’s pets, and not outright terrified. That’s a win, right?

Oh, he loves it when they flick their little tongues out at him!! That means they’re smelling him, which he knows, so he makes sure to never, ever, ever change the kind of soap he uses. This way they can recognize him much more easily and won’t get confused. Plus, a couple of them seem rather keen on slithering into his hair, especially when it’s covering his face, so that’s cause not to switch shampoos either. And their tongues tickle his skin, making him laugh, so he’s never not smiling when he’s with the snakes. Once or twice (Name) has even caught him mirroring the gesture, with the snake sticking their tongue out briefly and Joanne then sticking the tip of his tongue out in return. Cuuuute.

Honestly, he’s excited to have an animal he can actually interact with, without any issues! He’s allergic to pretty much anything with fur, and although that doesn’t stop him from playing with his older sister’s cat, it does make him miserable for hours after. Joanne’s eager to go ahead and ‘adopt’ the snakes after his S/O introduces him, thinking of the creatures as his pets just as much as theirs. As long as the snakes are alright with it and not stressed, he’ll gladly lounge on the couch for hours reading with them in his lap or coiled around his arms. Being lonely has been a constant in his life before things improved, and even now he’s still shy, so… it’s nice to see him happy and peaceful like this.

… Snake play dates??? Oh, yes, most certainly, snake play dates. He loves that his friends and his S/O’s friends can just kind of be together and mess around and be snakes with each other. As long as none of them happen to get frisky with one another, (snakes will be snakes), he knows they’ll all play nice. Ergo, he and (Name) don’t have to worry so much if they happen to want to, well, be alone for a bit. Not to mention, he also doesn’t have to worry about his darling not being supportive of the snakes, because, well, they’ve got scaly buddies of their own! He’s really never been more in love than with someone who also prefers the company of snakes.

Both of them serve as snake babysitters for each other’s snakes, too. They’re happy to do it! Snake’s snakes trust (Name), and (Name)’s snakes trust Snake, so it’s really not that hard. (Name) has exactly zero problems learning all of their little quirks and interacting with them, and Snake can talk to them so it’s not an issue for him in any way. It’s rather sweet to watch them interact with each other’s pets, because it’s so clear the love and care they have. Now it’s like they’ve got one big snake cuddle puddle rather than separate groups; neither of them could possibly be more content with that, of course.

This really is something he’s only dared to dream about. Most of his life he’s been quite aware that most people he might befriend, let alone be with romantically, would probably only tolerate the presence of snakes in their life. But he’s so, so excited that here they are, this wonderful person who actively enjoys the company of these creatures as much as he does! It gives him this almost kind of inner peace knowing that they chose him. There’s someone out there, right here, who thinks in a way that he does, likes some of the things he likes, someone who would rather be with him and his snakes than with someone ‘normal’. He’s just so happy they all found each other, and he takes every opportunity to remind them that this is his dream come true.

[redrobin-detective]

the only ghost in Amity Park

Continuation of Half Of

______________________________________________

Only in Amity Park did the revelation that a local teenager was sorta, kinda a ghost just blow over in a few days. Sure, people still stared at Danny Fenton as he walked by and everyone was still wondering what exactly he was, but overall life had moved on. Star sighed to herself as she organized her notebooks, waiting for class to begin. Just another day.

Star herself really didn’t want to get involved in whatever was going on with Danny. She didn’t like him before he was a celebrity and didn’t plan on starting anytime soon. While Paulina still relentlessly, and vainly, pumped him for information on her dead boy crush, Phantom and he and Dash formed some weird macho bond or whatever, Star avoided him. He’d given her the chills since the day he’d walked into Casper High. When Danny’s secret had been exposed mid-attack, Star hadn’t been surprised. She didn’t need some ghost to tell her that there was something deeply, unsettlingly wrong with Danny Fenton.

Danny didn’t seem particular bothered, by his inhuman nature or by suddenly having his secret exposed. If anything, the nerd looked more relaxed than ever. Star had been watching him, they all had, but Fenton kept his ghostly antics to a minimum when in public. The occasional flash of green eyes when emotional, a grin of sharpened teeth. He made Mikey’s locker lock intangible the other day when the kid had forgotten his combination and he floated down the stairs instead of walking sometimes. It had been a week and it was  frightening how quickly such strangeness had become almost normal. 

“Alright kids, phones and notes away we’re starting class with a pop quiz. Hope you’ve all kept up with your weekly readings,” Faluca announced cheerily. The whole class, including Fenton, moaned and packed up their bags. Star supposed being an undead being haunting his own life didn’t make him immune from normal human problems. She was biting her lip trying to remember which antibody caused allergic reactions when she got an uneasy feeling. She looked up and was not surprised to see Danny Fenton looking around too. It had been a solid week without ghost attacks, looks like Fenton’s supposed vacation time was up.

Star stopped her writing and adjusted the bag at her feet to prep for evacuation. She briefly wondered what Fenton would do, what he could do? Did he also hunt ghosts, like his parents? Like Phantom? There were no blasts, no screams, no monologues but the dread increased when a ghost shield descended over them. Actually, it looked like it was just covering their classroom. Now everyone was looking up from their quizzes and out the window at the flickering, green shield.

“You’d think the administration would’ve warned me we were going to do a drill,” Faluca said but his voice was hesitant. Clearly this wasn’t planned so despite the lack of alarms, there was a good chance this was real. “Pencils down for the moment while I figure out what’s going on.”

“Mr. Faluca, I need to go,” Danny said, raising his hand. Star was so used to hearing the request she almost ignored him but the dread curling in her stomach made her look again. His face was pinched, sharp and his eyes burned with an icy fury like a sudden storm blowing in without warning. 

“Mr. Fenton, I don’t think...” Faluca murmured uneasily. Danny frowned harder.

“It wasn’t a request, actually,” Danny said roughly as he stood up and began walking towards the door. He was almost there when the door slammed open and Fenton had no less than 3 ectoweapons pointed in his face. A few kids jumped back in alarm but Danny held his ground as half a dozen Guys in White agents entered the room and surrounded him.

“Spectral scum formerly known as Daniel Fenton, you’re coming with us,” one of the agents said. 

“Danny not Daniel and it’s still my name,” Danny quipped, eyeing each of the government officials and their weapons. “And no, I’m not. I’m still alive, somewhat anyway, so I have rights. The courts backed me up.”

“Everyone who signed for your freedom doesn’t know ghosts like we do,” Another agent said so forcefully, some spittle flew out of their mouth and hit Danny’s cheek. Star watched it freeze and fall away the instant it hit his skin. “Your kind are too dangerous to wander around, you need to be contained and eliminated. Don’t worry, your parents will receive a sizable check as recompense.”

“I’m the one who needs to be contained?” Danny said slowly, evenly but there was a static to his voice that caused the hairs on the back of Star’s neck to rise. When she breathed out, she saw her breath was misting. Everyone’s was as the room temperature continued to plummet. “When you come in here and take hostages to threaten me?” Danny hissed, he took a step forward and his eyes took on a neon green glow. “You didn’t come to my home or on the streets, you came to take me in the middle of biology when I’m surrounded by civilians, kids.”

“You delude yourself into thinking you’re still human,” another agent scoffed. “Everyone knows ghosts are weaker when giving into their obsession.” Danny laughed, it was loud and mocking and like fingernails running down a chalkboard. Faluca, stuck in between Danny and the agents, was white as a sheet and gripping his desk like it was the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

“You know nothing,” Danny hissed, his voice barely recognizable as human. His hair and shirt floated in an invisible but angry breeze. Frost crawled up his arms and his face. Various ecto alarms were ringing on the belts of the agents and they started to look a bit nervous. He looked nothing like the kid who, minutes before, had clearly been struggling with their bio quiz. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. You cannot come into my haunt and threaten my people to get to me. Protecting what is mine will always make me stronger!” 

“This whole town is constantly under attack because of things like you!” One particularly brave agent said even as a few others had backed up. “Amity Park is on the verge of collapse because of all the ghosts!”

“There is only one ghost in Amity Park,” Danny said, he tilted his head, his black and white hair dangling in his face as he gave a sharpened smile. “There is only me and the ghosts I allow, ghosts who know the rules, who respect my authority here by keeping damage to people and property down. I am the only ghost haunting this town and why do you think that is?” One agent threw down his gun and ran through the open door.

“You’re-you’re a monster!” Another woman shouted, shaking as she stepped back before fleeing.

“I’m not the one who needs to threaten innocents to get to their target,” Danny sneered. “It’s a good thing you did though, I wouldn’t hold back if I wasn’t worried about collateral.” Another three agents turned tail and ran. Until there was only one left. His gun was still trained on Danny but his hands were shaking. 

“You don’t scare us,” the agent trembled through the obvious lie having been abandoned by his comrades. “We’ll get you monster, if it’s the last thing we do.”

“Looking forward to it,” Danny drawled sarcastically as some of his horrifying aura dissipated along with the freezing grip on the room. Within moments Danny has settled back into more human form. While he’d been angry before, now he looked almost bored. At no point had he seemed afraid. 

“You take your people and your equipment and you leave Amity’s borders by sunset tonight,” Danny declared resolutely. “If you have continued problems with my existence, you take it up with the courts. We settle this as humans but if you treat me as a ghost then I will fight back like one.” His eyes turned green again as a threat. As a promise. 

“I don’t take orders from spooks!” The agent shouted, securing his finger on the trigger and preparing to fire. Star had ducked to avoid the blast so she missed exactly what happened. All she saw was the green glow and heard a strangled scream from the agent followed by a series of thumps. By the time Star had gotten back into her seat, Danny was aggressively pulling apart the ectogun with his bare hands. There was no sign of the agent and, around them, the ghost shield fizzled away. 

“Jerks,” Danny grumbled, kicking at the remains of the ectogun he’d destroyed. “Sorry about that, Mr. Faluca. I knew they’d cause problems but I didn’t think they’d come to school.” Their teacher stared at Danny like a rabbit facing down a lion. “You okay?”

“Fine, Mr. Fenton, just fine!” Falcua grinned in a high pitched voice. “Shall we get back to our quizzes?” The bell rang just then and Danny did a little fist pump.

“Tomorrow then? After I get a chance to study more?” Danny asked with puppy dog eyes. It looked wrong on his face that had just threatened the government with bodily harm. Faluca just nodded dumbly, not sure what else to say. “Yes! I’ll pass tomorrow for sure. The attention kinda sucks but it does come with some perks.”

He walked back to his desk, ignoring the wide-eyed looks of the class when he stopped and gasped, his breath fogging in front of him. His lips pursed again with annoyance. A few people jumped in surprise as the Box Ghost, a familiar annoyance, poked his head through the wall.

“Child! Your requested reprieve is up and the Box Ghost is here to cause insurmountable square shenanigans!” He laughed heartily, stopping when the room temperature dropped again. Danny didn’t even turn to face the ghost. 

“Your watch is off, Boxy. I have another 10 hours before I have to deal with you annoyances again,” Danny growled. “I’m feeling good right now, take advantage of it and leave in one piece.”

“Uh right okay then,” the ghost stammered, sinking back into the wall. “See you tomorrow.” Danny cracked his neck before he walked to his desk, grabbed his things and walked to the front of the room.

“Late bell’s gonna ring any minute, you guys should hurry if you don’t wanna be late,” Danny said as he left. Falcua’s strength gave out as soon as Fenton was gone and he hit the floor, one hand clutching at his chest.

“Jeepers,” Mikey surmised appropriately before stuffing his things in his bag and leaving as well. Star watched everyone loosen up themselves and begin gathering their things to leave. No, she would never like Danny Fenton but he and his ghost weirdness was just part of the deal now, whether they wanted it or not. Such was life in the most haunted city in America which was only haunted by a single ghostly entity.

[tumbling-darkling]

The boy who lived and the professor that didn’t (for the most part)

AO3

During Harry's second year at Hogwarts, a strange and unexpected man starts teaching his Defence Against the Dark Arts class.

(A Danny Phantom X Harry Potter crossover)

Chapter 1

Harry took a seat in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, glancing over to Ron who sat beside him and then scanning the classroom for their new DA professor. He already met the man in Diagon Alley, blonde and very much interested in only himself. Harry shivered as he remembered being pushed towards him as people took pictures of the famous wizard and the boy who lived.

At least it wasn’t worse than a head of the dark lord growing out of the back of the professor's neck.

Well- Harry did thumb through some of the textbooks before classes started. He absolutely agreed with Hermione who was very vocal about the books- they didn’t actually seem to teach anything. Just spoke about the ‘many adventures of Gilderoy Lockhart’.

Maybe this will just end up being an easy class.

The door slammed open 15 minutes past the start of class, startling the students as they swiveled their heads to look at the newcomer, expecting Gilderoy Lockhart.

Instead a tall man with a slim frame and hunched posture strode into the room. He had messy black hair pulled in a very horrible and tangled loose bun with the remaining dreads lazily dangling at the man's shoulders, his chin and cheeks covered in unshaven stubble. His robe was creased and torn, his hat loosely hanging from his hand and his sleeves pushed almost all the way up his arms. What really caught people’s attention was those eyes. Unnaturally clear and bright icy blue, so blue that even in the bright light they seemed to slightly glow.

He quickly pulled down his sleeves as he walked past the students towards the front of the room, grumbling slightly under his breath about something Harry couldn’t catch. He tossed the hat aside, muttering more loudly about how ‘wizard hats are so stupid and impractical I’m not wearing that garbage’ before he turned towards the class.

“My name is Fenton- er Professor Fenton I guess. Since I’ll be teaching you about…” he glanced down at the podium he stood in front of, crouching a little as if looking for something before straightening back up. “Defense… Against the… Dark… Arts,” he said slowly and not very confidently. Then he whispered again to himself but just loud enough for some students to pick up, “they see me fight one god damn ghost and suddenly I’m an expert on all dark magic entities? I think I’ll fight Dumbledore after this.” He straightened a little, eyes looking over the classes.

Harry did not like those eyes lingering on him for half a second longer than the others. He didn’t like this professor looking at him at all.

Something just didn’t feel right.

“Alright, any questions?”

A hand immediately went up, and Harry knew exactly who it belonged to.

“Uh- yes miss-?”

“Hermione Granger. Wasn’t our professor supposed to be Gilderoy Lockhart?”

“Yeah- that guy. He’s a phoney.”

The class went silent before someone yelled out, “WHAT?”

“Guy went around, found Wizards and Witches that did cool things, made them forget it then took all the credit. Tried to take my credit and I hit him a little too hard. Now I’m here taking his place. It’s all over the news, you know. You can read the exaggerated details in there. Anything else?”

The same hand went up.

Professor Fenton sighed, “yes?”

“Why were you 15 minutes late? Shouldn’t professors be on time? And why do you look like you crawled out of the forbidden forest.”

“I fought a ghost. Then got lost,” Fenton deadpanned.

The class went silent.

Fenton then turned around, “well if that’s all, let’s get started with something I know a lot about. What do you already know about Ghosts?”

-

-

-

“You’re seriously more afraid of Professor Fenton than Professor Snape?” Hermione asked Ron. “He’s not even mean! Sure he’s grumpy but he doesn’t beat down every question I ask him! He even seems to be glad I’m asking questions! Unlike Professor Snape who just treats us like idiots for not knowing something.”

“Sure- he’s not mean or cruel but… he just freaks me out. Like how he just stares sometimes at empty walls! Or how the room temperature always drops the moment he seems to take a single step into the room! I can’t even hear his footsteps when he walks! He’s bloody freaky is what he is!”

“Well I for one am glad he’s our Professor! Imagine having a phony for a professor! Though he talks a lot about ghosts. Ghosts can’t cause people harm. At most they give a little scare but it’s not like they could cause terrible damage.”

“What about those ectoplasm based ones he was talking about? The solid ones?” Harry asked.

“Rare and unlikely. Ectoplasm doesn’t form in the magical world, Harry! The stuff that leaks through and hangs in the air is only enough to allow ghosts like Nick or Myrtle to hang around in harmless ways.”

“But he said he fought a ghost before he arrived in class! And he looked really beat up!”

“He said he got lost too! Maybe he just stumbled across a guard dog like Fluffy and made up something about ghosts!”

“What if it’s like the last professor though? What if he’s looking for another secret object in Hogwarts walls?” Harry hissed softly, “Ron is right that he just has a sense of oddness about him! I just don’t trust him!”

“Harry, you’re just paranoid from last year. Professor Fenton is normal. Now pick up your pace, we’re going to be late for our next class!”

-

-

-

Professor Fenton glanced down at Harry, then back at Professor McGonagall, “he has what with me?”

“Detention. You see, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley caused a bit of a fuss by driving a flying car in plain sight of several muggles, and risked exposing the magical world. As such, his punishment has been detention. I trust you can find some fitting work for him to do as he reflects on his actions?”

Fenton crosses his arms, his mouth tightening slightly into a grimace as his fingers slightly tapped his own arms. “This won’t be every night, will it?” He asked.

“No, we will be switching supervisors for a few weeks but you may also need to supervise Mr. Weasley sometime before then.”

Fenron let out a sigh of defeat, “well- alright. I’ll take care of it then.”

Professor McGonagall gave a curt nod before turning stiffly and walking off. Professor Fenton scratched at the back of his neck as he watched her walk off, then glanced down at Harry, those eyes seeming to search him for… something. Then that stern look relaxed into a lopsided grin, “So you were the one that made that stuck up ministry trip over their hats and scramble around in blind panic! I say, hats off to you young Potter!” He laughed.

Harry blinked in confusion at the shift in mood, then Fenton patted him on the back, “hey, no need to look so freaked out! I’m not gonna bite ya!” He began walking forward, and it took Harry an extra second to realize that the professor was moving and he should follow. “Oh, wait you probably are a little freaked out, huh? I guess my mood could have been a bit better this morning, I was just a little flabbergasted today. I was kinda rushed into this position, you know.” He shrugged, his hands shoved into his cloak’s pockets. He didn’t really walk like any of the other Hogwarts professors. He had this relaxed saunter, like he was more of a visiting relative than a staff member. “Say, let’s say your ‘punishment’ will just be helping me bring some books from the library to my quarters. There’s a lot I need to run through and a single trip would make all the difference.”

Harry nodded, finding it hard to keep up with the man's long strides. “So… you don’t like the ministry of magic?” Harry asked.

Professor Fenton huffed in annoyance, “not one bit. They are almost worse than observants!” Harry had no idea what those were. Another level of magic government? “They try to control every little thing. Don’t expose magic to the normal world. Don’t use magic to make technology without permission. Don’t use magic to save muggle children if people are watching.” His said in a mocking tone, “they have so many rules that are outdated or stupid. Never trust a government, kid! Especially a magical one!”

“What are… observants?”

Fenton glanced down at Harry, “oh those stuck up jerks? They are like the government of the ghost realm. Really annoying. Unlike the Ministry of Magic, they actually know how to find me!” He laughed.

“Ghosts have governments?”

“Oh yeah! They have more of a monarchy, the observants are like hermit wizards that only step in when they believe the world is in peril. Meanwhile the rest falls on the shoulders of the Ghost King.”

Harry frowned, “I’ve never read about that in the textbooks. Hermione says that ghosts are just harmless beings formed from souls that aren’t ready to leave the mortal realm.”

“Well she’s half right. There’s different kinds of ghosts, like Sir Nicolas and the Bloody Baron. They are more like echoes. Souls that cling desperately to this world but didn’t have enough ectoplasm to become a fully solid ectoplasmic being. They won’t leave for the infinite realms until they are ready, though many believe they are trapped here forever. More solid ghosts form in a similar way but are exposed to more ectoplasm, but rarely show up because natural portals to the infinite realms are sparse and in between. Well until about a decade ago.”

“Infinite Realms? Natural Portals?” Harry felt like his head was going to explode.

“Well, there should be some books about that in the muggle section.. Though some wizards would say it’s all garbage because muggles discovered and studied it. Just look up my name under the author and you should find some.”

“Oh… wait- did you write them? Is that why you know so much about ghosts?”

Professor Fenton barked out a loud laugh, doubling over as he clutched his sides, “Ah! No! No, I didn’t write them! My parents did!” He cackled. “Ah, yeah but I did learn from them. And a bit of field work. Tell Miss Granger to check them out too, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind having something to read. She reminds me of my sister in that way.” He stopped in front of the library doors, “Aha! I knew we would find this place eventually!”

Harry looked at Professor Fenton in bewilderment, “you didn’t know where we were going?!”

Fenton shook his head and shot him another grin, “nope! I’ve been constantly getting lost in these dumb halls. This place constantly moves and I absolutely hate it. Even the Infinite Realms make more sense than this castle!”

Harry stuttered, “If the infinite realms is where ghosts go, isn’t that like… the afterlife? You’ve been to the afterlife?”

Professor Fenton lazily shrugged and opened the doors to the library, “yes and no. It’s all complicated. I’ll tell you a different time.”

Harry stood there for a few more seconds as his brain tried to catch up with the information, and once he managed to close his mouth he chased after the Professor.

-

-

-

Harry glanced around the Professors room as he followed after him, arms filled with books that seemed to suspiciously be only about the Dark Arts. He’d never been to a professor's living quarters, at most he had been in some offices. Even so, it was not at all what he imagined a wizard's living quarters would look like.

First off, there seemed to be technology. He recognized a coffee machine on a low table, but it wasn’t plugged into anything. There was an odd box that looked like a slightly smaller television, it’s screen black and wires sticking out of it attached to a rectangular box with a lot of buttons on top of it and a small round device. There was also a radio, and a huge telescope leaning out the largest window. As Harry looked, he began to notice spaceships literally in every corner of the room. Different kinds as well, some would even move and blast off. The most amazing part was the roof of his room. It was almost exactly like the great hall as it rose into dark nothingness, but the stars were MUCH brighter and all the constellations had been traced out, some brighter than others. For someone who knew a lot about ghosts, he seemed to really like space. Then there were also some odd things thrown around, like a very weird looking thermos. Or a metal… boomerang?

“Just place them over here, Harry!” Fenton called as he dropped his pile of books onto a couch in the corner. Harry did as he was told, placing the books down a little more gently than the professor did.

“Professor… how did you get these things to work? Technology usually… explodes around magic,” Harry asked.

“Oh! Well it’s because I power them myself!” Professor Fenton chirped. “They don’t work the same way as regular technology. Again, I recommend checking out some of the notes in the Fentons books, they have a lot of stuff that works in the magical realm.”

“Why would you need it though? Doesn’t magic make up for a lot of technology?” Harry asked.

“Ah, but that’s where you are wrong you see! There is nothing in the magical world that is equivalent to the coffee machine!”

Harry blinked, “... what.”

“It’s a very important machine, Harry. You will depend greatly on it once you need to stay up for an entire week. But! It seems our time together has come to an end. Thanks for your help, Harry, and if McGonagall asks, tell her I made you scrub toilets or something,” he winked.

Harry grinned back, heading towards the doorway to go find Ron and Hermione. He closed the door behind and the moment it clicked shut, he saw a flash appear from under the door.

He paused slightly, but shrugged. Maybe a comet passed by on the enchanted roof of his room. He then headed down the halls to find his friends.

-

-

-

“Not normally invited?” Harry asked.

Hermione nodded, “Ghosts throw death day parties like birthday parties, but rarely do they ever invite living people!”

“I see, so Sir Nick really wanted us to be there,” Harry pondered as the trio entered the party area. He immediately was hit with an awful stench, nearly gagging before he had to swallow it as Sir Nicholas noticed their arrival and approached swiftly with the widest smile they had ever seen on his face.

“Harry! Ron! Hermione! You all made it! Oh this brings such joy to my cold, dead heart!”

“Glad to see you as well, Sir Nick,” Harry struggled not to gag on the smell.

“Say, why do ghosts even celebrate the day they died? Isn’t that… like a very traumatic experience you would rather not remember?” Ron somehow managed to ask.

“Well, ghosts like to celebrate it to commodirate a start to a new chapter of our afterlife!” He paused, glancing across the room for a split second, “most ghosts that is, and the death day isn’t to remind us of our death. It more serves to encourage us to look forward! No one really wants to remember how we died. Never a pretty picture.”

Harry followed Nicholas’s gaze for the split second glance, then noticed a ghost he had never seen before. He ignored the smell (they would have to ask about that later) and nudged Hermione, pointing at the ghost, “hey Hermione, have you ever seen that ghost around the castle before? I don’t remember seeing him from last year…”

The ghost in question seemed so much stranger than the rest, he had a brighter glow, where he should have had legs, merged into what seemed to be a ghostly tail, drifting lazily like caught in a breeze. Long hair whiter than snow itself drifted around like caught underwater, and bits that weren’t drifting were braided neatly and lost in the rest of it as it constantly moved. The ghost had purple skin, pointed ears, green freckles dotting his cheeks and long sharp fangs showing as he laughed at another ghost's joke. He dressed like a medieval lord, wearing a delicately detailed black and white tunic tucked into a braided belt circling his waist, his ghostly tail completely black. Thick white leather gloves covered both his hands as he waved them around while he spoke. A white cape hung off his shoulders, but when the cape occasionally drifted to show the inside, it was like the ghost had taken the night sky and attached it to the garment. Thick fur wrapped around his shoulders and long and sharp horns that looked like ice circled his head like a crown.

Toxic green eyes that had irises that seemed to swirl around the pupil glanced at the trio and Harry suddenly felt very very small.

“I… don’t know. I haven’t even heard of any ghost that looked like him before,” Hermione seemed like she was at a loss, probably scouting through her thoughts and memories for any trace or mention of the unfamiliar ghost.

Sir Nicholas cut in, “oh! That may be because King Phantom doesn’t live in this castle! He’s mainly only here to visit for the year!”

Ron gapped, “... did you say… king? Was he a king before he died?”

Sir Nicholas frowned, “no, of course not! He’s the king of all ghosts! King of the infinite realms! The one who defeated Pariah Dark in single combat barely a year after he died! The youngest and most beloved king we ghosts have had in such a very long time.”

“There’s a king of ghosts? And that’s him?” Harry asked.

“That’s what I just said, my dear boy. Keep up!”

“I don’t want to seem rude, Sir Nicholas but… why is he here?” Hermione gasped, “if he really is such a powerful and imposing figure, doesn’t he have a lot of duties to fulfil?”

“Well, he told us he was technically here on business but that it requires time and an investigation that could take a few months. So he could visit and celebrate with us from time to time! He’s a very relaxed man, I assure you. Here let me introduce you all to him! My Liege! I have some friends you absolutely must meet!”

The King looked over and smiled widely, “friends, you say?” His voice echoed more than the other ghosts, seeming to carry across the room as he spoke. He then blinked in surprise and turned to Nick, “Sir Nicholas… you realize these three are still amongst the living?”

“Why of course! Harry is the Boy Who Lived! The first to survive the death spell!” Sir Nicholas said quite proudly.

The King drifted down towards the three, causing Ron to slightly flinch at his approach, his hands clasped together as worry seemed to etch on his face, “well, most ghosts don’t have a very good sense of smell or taste, right? Which is why we have all the rotting food out?”

“Yes?” Sir Nicholas still didn’t seem to catch on.

King Phantom held out his hand, producing clothing hanger clips made purely of ice, “The living can still very much smell and taste, and I don’t think it’s exactly the smell of roses and lavender.”

Sir Nicholas blinked, “oh. Oh! Oh Harry and friends, I apologize for forgetting such a detail!”

Harry, Ron and Hermione all graciously accept the clips, pinning them on their noses to escape the horrid smell. Then Hermione turned towards the Ghost King with a glint in her eyes, “wait- how did you do that? Ghosts aren’t this solid- and they definitely can’t use magic!”

Phantom chuckled, drifting back into the air as he pointed to the crown of ice horns on his head, “Well first off, I’m the king so I get some bonuses. As well as not all ghosts work the same. You should try listening to that Dark Arts professor of yours when he talks about ghosts. He’s quite knowledgeable about all things not living.”

“But- but years of documentation and research-!” Hermione tried to argue before the King tutted.

“Information is constantly changing and growing, something that seems pretty constant could change in seconds and turn your whole world upside down. Not to mention, many different types of ghosts like myself only became more common recently. Before, most of us were confined to the infinite realms, only ghosts like Sir Nicholas forming for many centuries and the different kinds rarely slipped out.”

“Well-, what changed?” Hermione challenged.

King Phantom sported a playful grin, “I d̶͙͉̓̓i̷̢̩̬̘̟̽ę̴̘̲̹̤͌̊d̸̢̳̞̄.”

He then turned and left the three on that note as he went to join other ghosts at the party.

“What does he mean by that?” Hermione huffed.

“He’s got an odd sense of humour, that’s for sure,” Sir Nicholas laughed.

-

-

-

Harry couldn’t stop his glare that shot towards Professor Snape as he accused Harry of petrifying Mrs. Norris and writing the bloody message that stained the wall. Before he could snap back at him that he did not do any of this, Professor Fenton seemed to almost step out of thin air to his defense.

“Mr. Potter was with me all night, he did not do this,” his voice laced with a chilling venom. Was he… lying for him?

Snape tilted his chin up, attempting to look down on Fenton who was no longer hunched, and instead stood tall at his full height. It was quite difficult to do as it turned out, Fenton towered over every other Professor in the area. “And who, pray tell, are you?” Snape seemed to almost spit.

A sinister grin spread across the tall Professor's features as he stepped in front of Harry, leaning menacingly over the shorter wizard and blocking his view of the student, “Professor Fenton, the professor of the Dark Arts. Accusing a second year of such a powerful spell isn’t a very wise take, now is it Professor Snape?” Fenton basically spat his name.

Snape glared back, “you would be surprised what Potter is capable of, especially the trouble he gets himself in.”

“How about you try not pinning the blame on a 12 year old child?”

“That is enough out of both of you,” Dumbledore stepped in. “We all know Harry was not responsible for this, as Professor Fenton’s defence is true. We have a healthy patch of mandrake roots that will cure Mrs. Norris of her petrification, and students will resume their classes while the professors investigate the issue. Now you three will return to your dorms for the rest of the night.”

Harry hesitated before he headed back towards the dorms, but didn’t fail to notice how Professor Fenton’s eyes flashed toxic green, or the wink sent in his direction.

[just-jordie-things]

(Please Don’t) Leave Me Alone - Richie Tozier

word count: 3142 warnings: swearing, mentions of being drugged summary: maybe richie ignoring you had more reason to it than you thought.  maybe he was just... jealous? ___

Looking back on it now, going to a party by herself was probably the worst idea (y/n’s) ever had.  Not because she disliked parties, she loved them, but she’d always gone in a group, or with a friend.  Tonight, she’d gone completely alone.

She’d thought it would be exciting, she could do whatever she wanted, and stay as late or leave as early as she pleased, not having to wait for a friend hooking up with a stranger or a ride home.  She could drink to no end and meet new people- it was a good idea, in theory.

Except now, she was trapped between a rock and a hard place.  Meaning the wall, and Steven Matson’s arm.  Earlier the attention had been welcomed, she didn’t mind being flirted with by a cute guy, it’d been a while since anyone had flirted with her, honestly, so it was very welcomed.

There was once a time where she didn’t really have to worry about that kind of attention, because she used to always get it from-

“Want me to get you another drink?” The boy in front of her asked, shaking her thoughts.

“Hm? Oh,” She nods, handing him her empt cup.  “Yeah, sure, thanks”

He grins in response before leaving.  And she doesn’t realize that she’s been holding her breath until she sighs, and slumps back against the wall.

Steven’s not that exciting, she realizes.  He’s been chatting her ear off for the past- who knows, hour, maybe? And she couldn’t recall a single thing he’d said.  It wasn’t due to the alcohol either.  He was just that simple.

He wasn’t ugly, though.

Running her hands through her hair, she wished that she had a tie to pull it back, because it was suddenly very hot in the room, and it was all she could focus on.  The smell of sweat from dancing and bustling bodies, and how much heat they generated in this small room.  She wanted to head outside for a breath of fresh air, but there was no way she could make it out and back in time to see Steven.

She made a glance towards the door, just out of curiosity, to see if she could run there and back.  But her eyes landed elsewhere.

On a tall, curly mop of haired figure that had just wandered in.

Richie’s eyes met hers, and she darted her gaze elsewhere with an inhumane speed.

Richie Tozier was her best friend, or at least he used to be.  In the past month he’d been shutting her out, until eventually he was more of a ghost than a friend at all.  She didn’t know what she did, or what happened that made him not want to hang out with her anymore, but it was no use trying to ask, because anytime she tried to talk to him, he’d vanish.

At first it was heartbreaking, because she’d known him for so long, and she thought that they were close enough to talk through any rough patch they could go through.  But as time went on and Richie pushed himself further away, (y/n) only became annoyed, and was a bit more eager to let him do whatever he wanted.

And if he wanted nothing to do with her, then fine.  She wasn’t going to beg him to stay.

Even though she really, really wanted to.

“Hope you didn’t miss me too much”

(y/n) nearly jumped when Steven appeared in front of her, one arm caging her in while he handed her a drink.  She gave him a short, weak smile, and backed herself up until the wall wouldn’t allow her to move away any further.  The flaw in this plan, however, is that Steven just followed, and the space between them was even shorter.

“Course not” She mumbled back, and was about to take a drink from her cup, before she noticed the strange fizzing at the bottom.

Great.  He spiked it with something.

She let out a soft sigh, lifting the cup to her lips and pretending to take a sip, so that he wouldn’t realize she caught on to his dumb scheme.

Tonight couldn’t have gone more terribly.

“So, whaddya say you and I go somewhere else?”

(y/n) looked up at him, eyes bored, and a eyebrow raised as if to say ‘really?’.

“Somewhere, huh?” She hums, only for her own entertainment.  “Like where?”

“Well we could go upstairs…” He suggested, leaning in closer.  It took a lot of energy for her not to shrink away.

God his breath smelled like beer.

“Or to my car out front,” He continued.  “Or honestly, we could just-”

“Alright pal,” (y/n) pushed her hand into his arm, and began to shove him away so she could leave.  “It’s not happening”

With that, she began to walk off, tossing her drugged drink to the ground carelessly.

“Wait wait wait,” Steven spun around, snatching her arm in his hand so she’d stop.  “But all night you-”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She snapped at him, yanking her arm to get it of his hold, but he was much stronger than her.  “Steven let go-”

“You’re such a fucking tease, (y/n),” He snarled, the playful and flirty voice long gone.  “Leading me on all night long, and now you’re acting like you don’t want this”

There’s a split second where she’s genuinely afraid of him, because his grip is unrelenting, and the look in his eyes suggests that he doesn’t care whether she gives in willingly or not.

And as soon as the idea of yelling for help crosses her mind, the feeling is gone.

Because she’s torn away from Steven’s hold, and there’s a secure hold around her waist.

“Why don’t you fuck off, Matson” A voice mutters.

All of the fear she’d previously felt disappeared, and it’s replaced by the surprise of having Richie right there next to her, keeping her firmly held against his side.

He’s being protective.

Steven rolls his eyes, obviously not giving a shit about Richie’s little display.  He scoffs, glancing from Richie to (y/n).

“Come on, why don’t you tell your little guard dog here that you can speak for yourself, and that he can go and fuck off now?” Steven asks.

(y/n) scoffs, staring at him with disgust, and honestly, she should spit on him.  She wants to spit on him, fuck she really wants to step forward and spit right on his face-

“Matson, I swear to fucking god, if another shitty fucking thing comes out of your mouth, I’ll break it,” Richie’s hand is tightening on her hip, and he’s pushing her behind him a bit.  “Seriously, walk away”

He’s practically growling, and even when they were friends she’d never seen him so… angry.

“Richie fucking Tozier why are you here being a buzzkill?” Steven spat out, taking a daring step forward.  “She clearly doesn’t even give a shit about you, so why don’t you just-”

The loud crack of skin on skin was a sharp echo, and anyone in a five foot radius could hear the burning sensation on Steven’s cheek.

(y/n) was panting, and she shook out her hand, because the slap stung her palm more than she thought it would.

“Fuck you” She muttered to the boy who was holding his cheek and whining like a baby.

She cast a glance towards Richie for a short moment, before shoving past him and making her way to the door.  She was done with this night, this party, she just wanted to go home and curl up into a ball under her blankets and forget all of this had happened.

Of course, she wasn’t able to leave that easy, and as soon as she walked out the door, someone hollered for her.

She looked back at Richie, before shaking her head, and continuing her trek.

“What do you want?” She muttered, leaving him no choice but to chase after her in order to catch up.

She barely even looked at him.

“Jesus, (y/n/n), give me some credit, I’m here to make sure you’re okay”

“Wow,” She rolls her eyes.  “Thanks.  Really,”

Her voice is monotone, so he knows she doesn’t mean it, and it’s annoying, but she continues before he can come up with some witty snap back remark.

She stops in her tracks, whirling around and shoving an accusatory finger into his chest.  He stumbles backward, caught off guard from the sudden action, but he catches his footing, left to watch her explode.

“Thanks for showing up, and for being there.  Wow, Richie.  Just… wow”

It’s more of a simmer than an explosion, but it feels just as bad.

(y/n) starts to walk off again, but Richie just runs up to her side again.

“For fucks sake (y/n)- will you pause for just a second-?”

“No!” She shouts, shaking her head furiously.  “No, Rich, I won’t, I’m not going to- I- I can’t wait for you anymore, I’m tired of waiting for you,” Her voice cracks, and he knows that if she starts crying right now, then he’s going to break.  “So can you please just… just go back to icing me out because it was honestly easier”

She sniffles, and turns away to walk home in peace.  It hurts to walk away but she’s just so tired of his bullshit.  Never before had her own body felt so heavy, each step making her bed more and more enticing.

Richie didn’t say anything, but he kept walking next to her.

She looked up at him, teary eyes narrowed, and her brow furrowed in a glare, but Richie just shrugged his shoulders.

“Well I’m not gonna let you walk yourself home alone at this time of night,” He said, and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket.  “So you’ll just have to put up with me for the next ten minutes”

She shakes her head and rolls her eyes again, but doesn’t give him the benefit of a remark, opting instead to keep her mouth shut.

She makes it a whole minute before feeling compelled to say something.

“What were you even doing there?” She muttered out, wrapping her arms around herself tightly.  “I thought you hated parties now”

He lets out a chuckle, earning another glare from the girl.

“To come save you, obviously,” He teases, which she definitely doesn’t appreciate.  “I just thought I’d give it a shot, seeing as I had nothing else going on tonight”

She didn’t know what she wanted to hear, but that certainly wasn’t it.  And Richie could tell, because she was frowning.

“Are you mad?” He asked with a chuckle.

“You did not just fucking ask me that” She mutters back.

“(y/n), you asked, what did you want me to say?” He asks, and she just scoffs.

“I didn’t need you to swoop in like some hero and rescue me, Richie,” She told him.  “You might find this hard to believe, but I’ve actually learned to live on my own now thank you very much.  And with that means I can protect myself, I don’t need you to-”

“Alright, I get it,” He mutters.  “Your ‘standing back and doing nothing’ was your way of standing up for yourself,” He says, and before (y/n) can argue, he’s muttering again.  “My apologies, I didn’t realize you had that handled.  Which is why I came over to help your ass-”

“Alright, that’s enough-”

“-which would have been his, by the way, had I not intervened”

“Congratu-fucking-lations!” (y/n) shrieked.  “Go ahead and pat yourself on the fucking back then.  What do you want from me? Huh? Do you really think I would’ve let Steven fucking Matson have his way with me?”

“No, I don’t think that,” Richie mumbled.  “But I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.  Or grabbing you like that-”

“Wow,” (y/n) rolled her eyes.  “I honestly didn’t think you still gave a fuck”

Richie looked down at her, but she’d rendered him speechless, so he didn’t say anything.  He looked forward as they walked in silence for a little while longer.

It was silent until they got to her porch.

She looked up at him, with a sad sort of expression, like looking at him broke her heart.  And quite frankly, it did.

“Thanks for walking me home, Richie,” She said in a soft mutter.  “You can go back to forgetting about me now”

She turned to walk inside, but his hand stopped her.  It wrapped around her wrist delicately, in a hold much more gentle than Steven had her in earlier.  If she wanted, she could tug her arm away and go inside.  If she wanted.  

“For the fucking record,” Richie muttered down to her, voice so low it was almost in a growl like it had been earlier.  “I wasn’t icing you out because I wanted to.  You think I want to? For fucks sake (y/n), I couldn’t be around you anymore because I was so goddamn in love with you that it hurt being around you when you obviously didn’t feel the same way.  You don’t know how much it fucking sucks being friendzoned by you.  I thought it was going to be easier not having you around, than having you right in front of me, and out of reach,”

Her heart is pounding, and she could feel it everywhere.  From her chest to her stomach to her through to her cheek to the very tips of her fingers- she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.  Richie had been in love with her? It was almost too good to be true, and normally she wouldn’t believe it, but she could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice, he’d never been more serious about anything.

“I’m sorry for doing it,” He continues.  “But if I hadn’t, I would’ve lost my fucking mind”

“That’s such bullshit,” (y/n) mumbles, her breath hitching in her throat.  “You shut me out because you had feelings for me?” She asks, and Richie furrows his brows, offended by the outburst.  “Did you ever think about- I don’t know- just telling me?” She asks with a humorless laugh.  “I mean, jesus Richie, we would’ve been together this whole fucking time, but instead you make me think that you hate me and you shut me out-”

“Hold on- stop- you liked me?” Richie asks, shocked by her off-handed confession.

“Liked you?” (y/n) repeats breathlessly.  “Richie, I’ve been in love with you since we were kids, you fucking dumbass-”

She raises her hand up to shove him in the chest, but he captures it with his own before leaning over and kissing her.  It’s sudden, so sudden that she trips on nothing but the sheer surprise of his lips on hers, but Richie’s arm wraps around her waist, securing her against him.

A sigh escapes her, one of content and safety, and she melts against him, almost becoming a puddle on her doorstep.  The hand in his is held tightly against his chest, and the other is gripping his shoulder, keeping her balanced.

He kisses her again, quickly, before she can completely pull away.  Just in case she decides to walk through her door and never look at him again.

When they part, it’s slow, and his hand flies up to cup her cheek, a quick but gentle action, and his thumb traces over her cheekbone with a featherlight touch.

Her eyes are still shut, and she blindly leans forward a bit, close enough that when she whispers, he feels it against his lips.

“Are you gonna go back to ignoring me?”

He chuckles, stealing another quick peck, before shaking his head.

She finally opens her eyes, and instantly, there’s a smile on her lips.

“I guess that depends, on if you want to go out with me tomorrow night?”

“To a party?” She asks.

“No, of course not,” Richie shakes his head.  “Anything else, literally anything else” He murmurs, and she grins even wider, nodding her head.

“Yeah, yeah anything else sounds good to me” She agrees softly.  

She’s still nodding, in a shaky sort of way, and Richie has to cup her face in both hands to get her to stop.

“Okay,” He hums.  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow, then”

“Okay,” She repeats.  “I’ll see you tomorrow”

He gives her a grin, before letting go of her, and stepping back.

“Alright then” He hums.

She watches him go, a delighted smile on her face.  Her heart is still pounding in her chest, and she thinks it might never stop.

“Wait, Rich,”

She calls when he’s descended her front steps, and she’s quick to race up to him, wrap her arms around him, and lean over the few inches that she’s towered above him, and kiss him one more time.

His arms encircle her waist, holding her flush against his chest.  She’s on her tiptoes on the step, and one of her feet lifts off the ground, both from the bliss and from Richie picking her up, just a little bit.

“I just wanted one more,” She murmured, and Richie laughed, kissing her quickly once more, and then again.  “Okay, Romeo,” She sighed.  “You better go home before my parents come out and see us”

“Fine, fine,” He sighed, and backed away, reluctantly releasing her from his arms.  “Tomorrow”

“Tomorrow” She says back.

She combs her fingers through his hair for a second, before turning and actually heading inside.

With a content sigh, she leans her back against the front door, eyes falling shut as her mind wandered to the events of the night.  It was ridiculous, how quick of a turn things went.  And now, she was going to see Richie tomorrow, for a date.  She couldn't believe it.

“Who was that boy?” A voice asked, making her perk up, and realize her mother had been waiting there at the door.

“Richie,” (y/n) replied.  “He walked me home”

“Richie your friend?” Her mother replied.  “You’re friends again?”

(y/n) grinned, nodding her head.

“Well, I’m going to bed,” She said.  “G’night, mom-”

“You’re dating this boy, now?”

“Richie,” (y/n) reminded, pausing on the steps to look down at her.  “And yes, I- I think I am”

Her mother shakes her head, and lets out a small scoff.

“Really, (y/n)? Of all your options-”

“Oh, fuck off,” (y/n) laughs, trying not to listen too closely to the harsh words.  “Don’t go acting like you give a shit now”

She ascends the stairs, and forgets about her mother’s cruel idea of parenting.  It won’t matter tomorrow, though.  So she thinks about tomorrow.  Because she’s gotten Richie back, and he’s all hers now.

___

taglist: @thegr8kush​

xoxo ~ jordie

[sohin-ace]

Jolyne - No Ordinary Girl

Mermaid Y/N x Surfer Jolyne

Today was a particularly fitting day to go to the beach. Jotaro had taken Jolyne, Hermes and Foo Fighters to the shore. He mostly went for some observation and the girls decided they would take advantage of the nice weather for some surfing.

It was not long after they arrived and started installing themselves that Jolyne and Hermes' eyes fell into very familiar faces.

Annasui, upon seeing the group, walked towards the girls with a confident stance, making sure his long hair was flowing in the wind.

"Oh look who we have here. The ladies victory." Annasui exclaimed, before completely falling heart-eyed, his voice and tone softening, dreamy even, at the sight of his object of worship. "Hi Jolyne~"

"Oh! Weather Report's there! Hi Weas!" Jolyne called out to the older man arranging a parasol a few feet behind, her completely ignoring the pink haired-male that seemed to have come with him. He waved shortly at Jolyne in response.

"Anyways, what are you guys up to?" Hermes asked, sipping on some lime flavored granita.

"Well, as you can see..." He pointed at the ocean, "We just wanted to take a day to work out a bit, but the waves are real nice today."

He leaned in not so subtly towards Jolyne, despite Hermes' evident judging gaze.

"But you know what else is real nice today?" He brought his hand up to cup Jolyne's chin, but before he could even say or do anything, Jolyne leaned away and pointed behind him.

"Oh wow! My dad's coming back with drinks!" She called nonchalantly, looking behind Annasui like he was more transparent than air itself.

"...! DRINKS?! DRINKS!!" Foo Fighter gasped, pushing the feminine man off to the side with such force, he fell and slid against the sand.

"Hey, Jojo," Hermes tapped her friend's shoulder, "Let's show these pendejos how girls ride waves."

The Asian American smirked, eager to show who's boss and always ready to follow on her best friend's mischief. "I'm racing you then."

"Pfft, I won't go easy girlfriend." The Mexican cracked her knuckles and grabbed her plank.

After surfing for long enough and being outran by Jolyne's stamina, Hermes decided to go back and sunbathe next to F.F's who was playing cutely with sand.

Jolyne glided full speed over the water, the wind and droplets of salty water refreshing her skin. More than competition, Jolyne loved the acceleration, the adrenaline, the sweet fresh air through her long hair. When she was surfing, Jolyne's heart lightened up and her mind purged of any negative thoughts, anxiety, fears.

She was at peace.

Before she could enjoy the sweet taste of her peace of mind though, she caught up to a blond surfer in front of her who she recognized as she got closer. Oh god, not him of all people.

"Oh, hey! Isn't that the sexiest surfer in all Miami?" Romeo teased, admiring the girl who gained up on him, "Not bad, look at you go! Who knew my little Jojo would be so talented, hot damn!"

Jolyne frowned and clicked her tongue. She swore if she wasn't so focused on staying in balance, she would drown him on the spot. He laughed obnoxiously, satisfied with being a disgusting excuse of a human.

"Romeo, I swear to fuckin-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, something, a gigantic fish tail appeared out of the wave and flicked itself right accross the blonde, slapping him off of his plank with a painful sound.

"HUAARGHH-" He screamed before crashing into the water with the splash and disappearing behind Jolyne.

"O-OH MY GOD!" She gasped, both surprised by the sudden turn of events, and incredibly scared for her life, thinking some kind of hostile shark was in the shore currently, which was to report immediately.

The moment she decided to take a turn and leave as fast as she could, warning the others to get the hell out of here, a shadowy form within the water followed her along the wave.

Foolishly curious, Jolyne looked at it, not without her heart hammering in her chest at the potential danger she was facing.

What she saw was not a sight she'd have ever expected to ever see in all her 19 years. Her legs shook at the shock and she almost completely fell over her board.

Gliding along the water right next to her, right inside the tall wave, was the figure of... a girl.

Or was it a girl? It couldn't be. She looked human at first glance, but the more Jolyne's gaze moved sideways she noticed the long and impressive fish tail replacing what were supposed to be legs.

Jolyne's jaw felt slack. She felt like she was hallucinating. Believe it or not, she had not smoked or taken any recreative substances beforehand, but she truly wished she had because that would have at least explained what her eyes were showing her.

The girl swimming and following her only smiled, waving cutely with webbed hands, as if amused by Jolyne's disbelieving reaction and wide eyes.

"W-w-w.... What the fuck..???" Jolyne finally spoke after rebooting her entire brain, "No fucking way-...! A mermaid??!! A real one??!"

Like a bad trick from fate, the wave Jolyne was trying her hardest to not get swallowed by, seemed to grow weaker and weaker, shortening in size.

Jolyne saw the mermaid slowly retreat away in an elegant swim, her form vanishing into the deep blue.

"Wait, no!" The surfer called, almost desperate to have such a mystical meeting and ethereal moment be so short lived.

She reached her hand out to the creature, unsure of what she was even trying to do, but the force of the current got the best of her, and Jolyne lost balance, falling forward with nothing to hang onto for purchase.

Jolyne splashed onto the water and the wave died with her hope of ever living such a dream again.

"Ooohh dang it! You were almost there!" Hermes called out from the shore, her voice booming enough for Jolyne to hear as she broke into the surface.

"Fuck...." Jolyne cursed, hanging onto her board.

She felt defeated. Not because she couldn't ride that wave to the very end as she was expected to with her skill level, but rather because she couldn't immortalize that beautiful moment.

She blankly climbed onto her board again and barely even paddled her way back to land, too out of it to do so.

Was that even real? That had to be, right? She saw the mermaid. She saw her hair, her skin tone shined-on by the sun. She saw the scales over her skin, the fins along her arms and tail.

She saw her attack Romeo, he must have seen her too, Jolyne pondered.

"Aaah the champion is back!" F.F cheered as Jolyne finally walked back, drenched and with her plank under one arm. "I made a sandcastle for our ocean queen!"

"Thanks Foo..." Jolyne's small smile didn't not match her quiet tone.

"Hey, what's up, chula ? You look like you've seen a ghost, or something? You did great back there, so why the long face?" Hermes fixed the straps of Jolyne's bikini top and removed some seaweeds from her hair.

"It's just... I saw something weird it the water and I don't know..." Jolyne hesitated, "Maybe I was dreaming or something."

"Hum..." Hermes hummed in thought. "What do you think Féfé?"

"Maybe Mr. Jotaro can answer if you saw an animal? Damn, I'm thirsty." F.F stuck her tongue out, clearly expressing her thirst.

"Dude, there's water litterally everywhere here." The mexican grimaced before turning back to Jolyne. "But yeah, maybe you should ask your dad if that worries you so much."

"Uhh..."

Jolyne looked towards her father who was crouching somewhere next to some rocks, taking notes about mollusks, or so Jolyne guessed.

"Yeah, maybe not. It's fine though, no big deal." She smiled, waving her hand in dismissal.

Shrugging it all off, the girls decided to join Weather Report and Jotaro who brought food to finish the day at the beach with a relaxing touch.

And so, the day ended with an uncanny normalcy for Jolyne, who kept thinking more and more as the sun set, that it all had been in her mind. Mermaids didn't exist. It was probably a Stand user playing tricks on her.

That what she wanted to believe. When she thought of all the events that would follow, she truly wished she had spoken to her father about it. After all, if he had fought a very real vampire, then there would be no doubt that something as crazy as a mermaid could exist in her bizarre adventure.

Jolyne came back to the beach that same week. Alone, this time. She was careful to come by the time the sun started to lower in the sky and the temperature of the water and air dropped, knowing tourists and athletes would be gone by this time.

'What now?' She thought. Coming back out of sheer curiosity was a thing, but making sure she could attract the creature back to her was something else.

"Should I bring food? What do mermaids even eat? Does she like hot dogs...?" Jolyne thought out loud, looking around, secretly glad no one was here to hear her talk mad nonsense to herself like some insane crackhead.

She approached the water and drenched her feet in the small rocking waves, coming and going her way and gently splashing her. She hesitated for a moment, remembering that along with the legend of mermaids came the fact that these creatures were known to attract and enchant humans by their beauty, leading them to their inevitable death.

So maybe, Jolyne accepted, she was destined to die in the ocean.

Just as she came hip-deep into the sea, she felt a strange current shaking her legs, almost knocking her out of balance.

Before she could even process how strange it felt, she looked down into the clear water and saw no less than the same huge colorful fish tail she had seen that very day.

She gasped in realization and soon enough screamed as she felt calloused hands grab her thighs, the creature pushing herself out of the water to be met face to face with the human who had been, unbeknownst to Jolyne, her newfound fixation.

"Y-WHAAAAAHH!!!" Jolyne hollered, not expecting such a strong and surprising appearance.

The mermaid still halfway into the water, climbed and gripped up the girl's hips for leverage. She looked up at Jolyne's face, smiling wide and eyes glinting in both adoration and mischief.

"Greetings."

"HOLY CRAP-" Jolyne's voice cracked, "I mean- fuck yes! I mean-..."

Poor Jojo was completely out of it. But who could blame her, though? It was not everyday that one got to meet a real mermaid in the flesh. And certainly not such a handsy one.

She cleared her throat and mustered her most suave voice, pretending she wasn't completely flustered by the sheer beauty before her.

"Hi."

"I knew you'd come back..." The mermaid spoke, her voice almost ethereal and distant, "They always do."

Jolyne's heart wanted to stop. God, she felt burning hot and was sweating everywhere. Her voice stilled Jolyne to place in a way she couldn't explain. The legendary creature was so impossibly close to her, bodies almost touching.

She noticed she couldn't stay up overwater any other way than using Jolyne's lean body for leverage, her heavy tail anchoring her down. But the warm proximity between them and the sight of such a beautiful, rare and mystical creature right under her chest felt unreal and exciting.

Jolyne wanted to look her over for hours. Her hair texture, drenched and flowy, her skin tone glowing like gold, her holographic scales and fins shining like crazy diamonds.

"Why... Why did you...? Of all people...?" Jolyne questionned, now wondering if their first meeting in that wave was really a trick of fate, or if she was chosen in any way. "You attacked Romeo, yet you showed up to me... Why me?"

"I like beautiful humans." The mermaid smiled, her radiant features and smooth voice making Jolyne's legs weak, "You're beautiful."

The young surfer couldn't help her heart shaking and the wave of warmth spreading through her chest. If it was anyone else, she would boast her obvious beauty or maybe flip them off. But now she couldn't. Being complimented by a mythical being that was already the most gorgeous thing Jolyne had ever witnessed was truly something else

"What's your name?" Jolyne started.

"Call me Y/N."

Y/N, Jolyne's mind echoed. Cute. Even mermaids had names, she thought before realising that may be a very stupid thought to have. She didn't really know what else to expect.

"I uh, I'm Jolyne..." She looked down into the water, somewhat not daring to look at Y/N's adorable curious and sensual gaze. Oh god that was bad, she was entrancing.

"Not to be gay but...You look cute. Hot even. Can I say that? That's not weird, right? Since ya know... You're not exactly human, but you're not an animal either, like... I'm not gonna get arrested for this... I hope..."

"I'm not too familiar with human tongue, but I think Ms.Jolyne looks really pretty as well." Y/N moved to wrap an arm around Jolyne's waist, gripping her for better leverage and pointing at her chest, right in her reach. "Healthy mammals, great for feeding the young."

"Mammals...? Oh! You mean my boobs?" Jolyne glanced at her modest chest before grinning at the creature, "Aw thanks! Finally someone who likes them who's not some degenerate creep!"

Jolyne's chuckle died down and she finally took the time to look over Y/N's face. She ran a cold hand over her much warmer cheek, gliding it down to her gilled neck, mesmerized by her anatomy.

It truly was a one-in-a-lifetime meeting. Jolyne was slowly comprehending her luck to be met with a legendary sea creature like her. And a friendly one, at that.

How could this be even real? Our human knew that even though she was feeling relatively serene at the moment, the adrenaline would come down later and she would most likely cry herself to sleep.

"Hey uhm..." Jolyne was at a loss for words. There were so many things to say, but at the same time, she couldn't speak a word.

"Hm?" Y/N hummed and closed her eyes, enjoying the human's gentle touches.

Merfolks would express themselves via physical ministrations the most in the ocean, but she knew well a lot of humans did not share intimacies, or at least not before building a certain bond.

Glad that Jolyne was open to it, the sea-bound girl squeezed both her arms around the human's waist lovingly, forcing endearment on Jolyne, who felt her own heart tighten at the sweet and adorable embrace. The girls wanted to keep each other.

"Will we see each other again? I mean, I know you shouldn't be noticed by the public for your safety, but I don't know... Guess I took a liking to you or something." Jolyne mumbled, still resting her hands mindlessly around the creature's shoulders, fiddling with the ridges of her dorsal fin.

Y/N smiled, a smile that looked empty on her fish eyes, but sincere regardless. She let go of Jolyne who couldn't quite take her own hands off of her, clinging a little bit longer.

"Don't you know this, Ms. Jolyne? When human women die in the ocean, they relive as our kind."

"What? Really?" Jolyne let the mermaid get away slowly, ready to swim off to some unknown destination.

"If you want to see me again," Y/N called out cutely, waving her webbed hand like the very first time she saw Jolyne surfing, "Then perish in the ocean!"

She grinned, diving into the deep blue and splashing her tall tail strongly, giving herself a boost of speed, and disappearing away.

Jolyne could only stare into the horizon, darkening as the night arrived, stunned into place.

"...Ok, that was metal as fuck..."

H2O Just Add Water opening, but with Jolyne, Hermes and F.F

[doyouknowhowtowaltz]

Please, I must know about your Addams Family AU, my curiosity keeps me up nights

Bear in mind there's little in the way of story put together right now, so I am going to throw down the notes for this au, and a lot of really early sketches.

Meet the Addams! (A break for your convenience because this is long as hell)

- Enoch, Beast, Young Lorna, Whispers, and Adelaide Addams make up the Addams family (in addition to Pumpkin (cat) and Turtle (Dog)

- Beast is the only blood Addams in the lot, and is heir to the Addam's fortune, his living relatives are distant, most don't even share the family name anymore, and all immediate family have been dead and dust for at least a decade.

- Both Whispers and Adelaide are sisters that married into the family and have been since widowed

- Enoch is married into the family (Through Beast, who else)

- Lorna's specific relation to the family is never specified, everyone is Auntie and Uncle, as far as the town is concerned, she's everyone's niece. Its also highly debated if anyone in the family actually knows where Lorna came from.

- Enoch and the Beast are exactly in love as Gomez and Morticia,

- Enoch somehow has even less inhibitions about showing it than Gomez

- Enoch is friendly, the neighbors love him, thinking he's the most normal one of the bunch despite his... unconventional dressing. Strangers who are new to the family normally latch onto him when faced with the... oddity of the rest of the family.

- One problem with this, Enoch isn't a man. He's man-shaped... barely. Enoch's eldritch nature is continually hinted at as part of a long running joke in this AU about Enoch being the normal one despite making no secret of the fact he feels terribly limited by two arms.

- (This is the version of Enoch that made me enact the Rat test)

- There's a rumor running around the neighborhood about a black cat that calls itself Providence and will strike up a conversation with you if you greet it politely.

- Enoch, of course, denies any connection.

- Enoch, weird as he might be, and off-putting as he is on second meeting, does actually have a lot of friends in town, some as odd as him and some perfectly normal average humans who are undaunted in the face of his family.

- One such individual is Miss Clara Dean, who is a finance lawyer for the Addams, and while she might have been shaken when she first met them, she's well past gawking at their odd home and traditions now

- His human glamor is tied to his bolo, I will not elaborate

- Enoch runs for mayor every opportunity, he never wins, but its always by thinner margins than should really be possible

- Adelaide never took her husband's last name, making her the only Addams who's not an Addams.

- She's fussy about the night air, dreadfully superstitious, and quite spiderlike, right down to a colorful web she keeps. She would have married Beast if he had shown a flicker of interest in him.

- She can divine the weather and sometimes says strange things about blue birds and curses

- She doesn't get out much, the neighbors don't know much about her, but all the neighborhood kids agree, she's definitely a witch.

- Whispers is very kind, and if you get past the initial shine on Enoch, probably the most normal of the family

- Except that she eats animals live

- And is also a witch (Probably, definitely, the neighborhood kids all agree, she's gotta be they insist.) Between her and Enoch they are the most out and about members of the Addams family.

- Lorna is quiet, shy, very sweet

- And she eats people.

- She also has a drowned ghost routine she likes to practice on door to door sales people by climbing out of the well in the backyard to give them a scare.

- Lorna's teachers are concerned by her behavior and encyclopedia knowledge of anatomy and torture, but are more concerned about calling a parent-teacher conference, since the entire Addams Clan will show up.

- Lorna sleeps under her bed instead of on it, Whispers occasionally frets about her waking up and knocking herself against the baseboards of the bed, Beast waves her off telling her its perfectly natural, at her age he was sleeping in a coffin.

- She of course ends up with Wednesday's classic noose braids at some point, courtesy of her uncles usually

- There's a red-haired girl who's tough as nails and maybe a little rude about Lorna's family who has been steadily hanging out with her, eventually Beatrice's mom invites the Addams over for dinner, it goes well all things considered.

- And that brings us to Mr. Addams himself,

- Beast wasn't christened Beast, but he hardly remembers the name on his birth certificate anyway.

- Sporting a stunning hat-veil constantly, and a floor length dress (Always black, only black maybe some red, sometimes a little blue and yellow), its safe to say no one in the neighborhood knows what Beast looks like, even if he did ever leave the Addams manor.

- Which he doesn't.

- The nicer gossips muse that he's agoraphobic, and the ruder ones say he's batshit and they're frankly glad he stays inside.

- Beast isn't inherently rude... most of the time, but he is incredibly disconcerting, and gives complements like a serial killer. Which does not help the numerous rumors that surround him and his family.

- He sings too, roaming the woods on the Addams property at night, and he's responsible for a fair few ghost stories.

- And his garden, its a bitter grey thing, and its almost artfully... decrepit, decorated by ornamental trees with grey-orange leaves and bark that almost looks like screaming faces. And his rose bushes, they're his pride and joy. They are so high maintenance though, when they bloom, he spends hours cutting their heads off.

- Every now and then, someone comes to the house, a door to doors salesman, a child on a dare, someone chasing stories of the Addams Fortune.

- All's well and good unless they manage to break into the house. Sometimes they get tangled in Adelaide's traps, sometimes Whispers finds them and ushers them out the door with an ominous warning, sometimes Lorna scares them out of the house and works herself into a giggling fit. Sometimes Enoch finds them, and he's all politeness and veiled menace.

- Oh, but heaven help the fool who gets found by Beast.

- I think that about wraps it up!

Something something cats on leashes, they're grossly in love.

[darkandstormyart]

Xicheng fic recs

(figured i might make a list of my own)

(to be expanded as i dig out more treasure/remember stuff)

in no particular order:

Deep as the Yearning Night by FreckledStarKnight

“At first, it was pure chance. The second time was accidental. And the third time? Well, they say the third time’s the charm, after all. Lan Xichen discovers that Jiang Wanyin sings beautifully and is immediately enamored by it. His pursuit of Jiang Wanyin’s secret talent leads to a discovery and a series of events that he did not anticipate at all. Not that he’s complaining, of course. He got what he came for and more. Or, how two sect leaders get together through the song called love. CQL-verse.“

post-seclusion lxc

trying to get jc to sing

bonus lxc & jin ling feels i hadn’t considered before

cute

Always use protection by hesselives

“In which Lan Wangji attempts to hire a new bodyguard for his older brother, a well-known traveling exorcist. Jiang Wanyin doesn’t even make his carefully considered list of Top Ten Candidates, and yet here he is.

Lots of wandering in the countryside, distant yelling, and mildly inconvenient spirits.”

bodyguard au

honestly just really intersting worldbuilding

Rewrite the stars by Arashii

“Five great kingdoms have been fighting for years and when the kingdom of Yunmeng is destroyed, the Crown Prince Jiang Cheng vanishes.In Gusu, Lan Xichen makes an offer impossible for Jiang Cheng to refuse. His life or revenge? There’s only one option and Jiang Cheng swears loyalty to the man he hated the most his whole life, the Crown Prince of Gusu, Lan Xichen himself.Written for XiChengFest2020 - Day 4“

ROYALTY AU ROYALTY AU

enemies to lovers!

flashbacks! i love flashbacks so much ohmygod

No paths are bound by Arashii

“In seclusion, Lan Huan has the support of a ghost no one has seen since the massacre of Yunmeng Jiang. His feelings start changing with the often visits and conversations they share. Before Lan Huan can confess though, he ascends, leaving everything and everyone behind him.

Two hundred years later, back to the Human Realm and without powers, the Martial God Zewu-Jun has a mission to uphold. His Heavenly Calamity started. The clues are little and the support comes in the most unexpected form, the current Ghost King: Sandu Shengshou. Now they need to stick together to contain a menace that is slowly growing.“

TGCF AU TGCF AU

ghost king jiang cheng come on

doesn’t follow tgcf plot, just the setup so no spoilers

jiang cheng gets the dogs and the xichen he deserves

once upon a dream by cafedeolla

“Xicheng soulmate AU

An au where your dreams are small snippets of your soulmate’s day. They’d show small things like buying coffee, reading a book, or hanging out with people from their perspective.

The problem was that people always have expectations and Jiang Cheng knows he always falls short of them. Time and time again.“

soulmate au, but being soulmates is more a problem than a solution

misunderstandingssss all over the place

now with a squel (in progress?)

Lan Furen series by jagaimocchi

“Jiang Cheng leaves Lotus Pier before the Wen Internment Camp and before the destruction of his home. When he meets Lan Xichen on the run from the Wens after the burning of Cloud Recesses, his plan to live a peaceful life away from cultivation sects is quickly derailed. Now, free to make his own choices, he cannot find it in himself to leave the other man's side.

With love, patience and time, Jiang Cheng finds his own happiness and peace with his past.“

have you ever wanted a fic where jiang cheng peaces out from home in search for a better life, bc he’s Had Enough??? jags got you covered

adorable xicheng

good uncle-dad-figure Lan Qiren

ongoing <3

Just around the riverbend by JungleJelly

“One day.

Jiang Cheng just wanted one day of peace and quiet, away from home, away from his responsibilities, away from his idiot brother and his nutcases of a mother and father. Just a few hours alone — him and a boat and nothing else.

Clearly, that was too much to ask for.”

now with a new story in the series which is adorable too!!!

mermaid!lxc need i say more?

Bad ideas (where they lead) by JungleJelly

“Jiang Cheng is a busy man. Fortunately, he is also a huge pushover when it comes to his sister, so when she recommends that he start doing yoga, he agrees pretty easily.Featuring Lan Xichen in yoga pants, Jiang Cheng’s inability to handle a crush, and, perhaps most importantly, a big fluffy dog.“

done for 2020 MXTX MiniBang

yoga instructor Lan Xichen

Jiang Cheng is: struggling with a crush on the yoga guy from youtube & very angry about that

If there’s a price for rotten judgement by TheWanderingHeart

“All Jiang Cheng wants to do is, well... his job, really. Other than that? Keep the city safe, keep his nephew alive, keep his sanity intact (if possible).

So when his brother calls with unexpected news, he knows all of that is about to fly out of the window.

***

[Every instinct is telling him don’t ask, you don’t want to know. By this point, Nie HuaiSang has scooted closer to listen. Jiang Cheng takes a steadying breath and pulls out his antacids. “What did you do?”]”

superhero au, come on

jc just trying to do his job in peace

(he can’t)

i love it so much oh my god *sobs*

The Form of Boneless Ice by TheWanderingHeart

“Mythical beasts have long ago been driven to extinction by the gentry — hunted for sport, but more importantly for their magical cores. Since then, there remains only one creature that has never been caught. The Jiang’s retreated a long time ago. Abandoning land altogether, they sought safety where the humans could not reach.It all comes to a head though, purely by chance. (Or is it by fate that a spontaneous decision allows for them to meet? If fate were a rock!) Jiang Cheng suddenly finds his whole life balanced on the head of a pin — on the flimsy promise of a human boy. In his opinion, things cannot possibly get worse!(But then they do when the Wens decide it’s finally time to search for the elusive merpeople, and suddenly nowhere is safe.)“

there she goes again, with another beautiful xicheng story full of awwww and mythology

actually one of the first xicheng fics i read

i chose it because there were mermaids

painfully accurate takes on Jiang family dynamics

kids! lots of kids!

Let me Slytherin to Your Heart by TheWanderingHeart

“Jiang Cheng never thought he'd return to Hogwarts, but in hindsight, he probably should have known that someday he would.With his nephew about to start school, he reluctantly takes his good friend's bad parenting? career? advice and ends up tumbling head-first back into the madness that he hoped he'd left behind... and rediscovering some feelings he thought he'd left behind too.“

Harry Potter au!

just really fecking cute

lots of snakes

[I am not going to link all of Jo’s fics, though I probably could, just my 3 favourites. UOSB is there by default]

Talent Hunt Crew Finds Angry Guy Shouting On College Campus, Recruits Him For Vocal Projection Abilities by oh_fudgecakes

“Jiang Cheng, resident Angry Guy and heir to a conglomerate empire, has never been the apple of his father’s eye. Quashed under the shadow of his brilliant brother, the music prodigy Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng sees his chance to turn things around when he is recruited by the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt. One problem: he can’t sing to save his goddamn life.As he struggles to develop his nascent singing abilities, Jiang Cheng finds himself sucked into the whirlwind drama of reality TV, helped along by his adoring siblings, his irritable vocal coach Wen Qing, and strangely enough, the unfairly attractive host of the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt, Lan Xichen. Somewhere in the glare of the stage lights and an unexpected first love, Jiang Cheng stumbles upon the thing he was searching for all along: the courage to dream — and to attempt the impossible.“

done for 2019 MXTX Big Bang

uuuuuuuuuuh i might have cried maybe

heartwarming? painful at times? lots of family love?

slowburn xicheng being lovely

The Provenence of Hope series by velithya

“A chance meeting on a night hunt sets a course of events into motion that will change everything. Featuring Xicheng getting together, recovery for Lan Xichen, healing for Jiang Cheng, and always, always, hope.“

got everything. feels. hope. love. ~~healing~~

A Small Measure of Peace by Sandstone112

“With his brother in seclusion, Lan Xichen finds himself in temporary custody of his nephew with little to no expertise in the child-raising department. Uncertain and alone, Zewu-Jun is willing to do everything to be the person Yuan needs—even if it means inviting Sandu Shengshou to a playdate.“

a loooot of adorable family times with jc and lxc taking care of their nephews

good grandpa lqr!

canon but fixed and less painful

🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋if you wish to avoid scurvy:🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

Some day I’m gonna make you mine series by locketofyourhair

xicheng getting together through the years

friends with benefits but the real benefits are the friends we made along the way

Take me over (take me tonight) by velithya

jiang cheng has a tattoo and lan xichen doesn’t stand a chance

i'd be the sweet feeling of release (mankind now dreams of) by piyo13

two bros, chilling in a cave, no feet apart because they don’t want to lose their cultivation powers what are you gonna do

haven’t read yet and shame on me, but AM GONNA:

Upon Our Silver Bridge by TheWanderingHeart obviously

““When the path ignites a soul, there's no remaining in place. The foot touches ground, but not for long.” ― Hakim Sanai

**

Lan Xichen's sorrows have caught the attention of something. Unlike the adventures and foes they have faced before, there is no obvious enemy here to defeat. If this is the same thing they thought had taken Nie Mingjue's life, then he believes it is fated for him to die as well. Nothing can stop the black fire when it wants to burn.Jiang Cheng is sure his part in this is over. Wei Wuxian is back, his grand adventure concluded, and he'd never been at the centre of it anyway. So what does it matter what happens to him in the end? Slowly, he will come to realise that there will always be a battle to fight, a story to tell, a choice to make, and there is no such thing as an end to anything.“

it was difficult to do things in 2020 and few i regret not doing more than not reading uosb yet :’(

i will tho

Emergency Help Wanted by piyo13

“EMERGENCY HELP WANTED I lied when I got my job. I told them I had a kid so I could leave early from work to pick him up from daycare, take him to doctor's appointments, and occasionally miss a day when he's sick. Long story short, I'm in too deep. I didn't think it through. Looking to rent a kid for bring your child to work day. Must be a boy ages four to six, longish dark hair, likes soccer. Must also be artistic as the macaroni noodle paintings I made seem a little advanced for his age. Also, I will pay extra for someone willing to play the role of husband when dropping him off. He's a prosecuting attorney who often brings his work home. Message me for further details. Serious inquiries only.“

Running Our Hands Through Embers by MarvelousMar

“If asked, Jiang Cheng would compare falling in love with Lan Xichen to a moth inevitably drawn to a flame.It burned.***In which Jiang Cheng discovers that even death can't help him escape from his trauma, so he embarks on a quest to save the people he loves, fix what he can, make the love of his life fall for him, and maybe, somewhere along the way, do a little bit of healing.”

The Beginner’s Guide to Moving On by InvincibleMel

gone from ao3, but i think there’s a link with a pdf going around

[nightingaelic]

Not a good idea, maybe, but still... NV Followers' reaction to how the Courier tells the follower that sometimes all their adventures seem like a kind of deathbed dream to them (a bullet in the head after all...)

Just know, anon, that I am strongly resisting the urge to go full Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara with every single one of these reactions.

"Maybe this is all just... me." The courier waved their hand through the scorching air, tracing the shimmering line of the horizon that sang false promises of water. "A mirage. An oasis in the desert that I can't quite reach, but my eyes keep telling me is there if I just walk far enough."

Their hand went to the scar on their forehead. "I don't know. The things I've seen, since Goodsprings... if I told them to half the people in the Mojave, they'd toss me in the same shack as No-bark. HELIOS One? The Burned Man, in the crispy flesh? Jason Bright and his followers? Hell, the Sierra Madre? How do I know I didn't actually bite the dust in that graveyard, and all of this is the work of the bullet Benny put in my noggin?"

Arcade Gannon: "I guess there isn't a very convincing way I can answer that question," Arcade admitted. "But the fact that I know exactly how close you came to dying could be some evidence to the contrary. I doubt you were walking around with much medical knowledge about cranial vulnus sclopetarium prior to encountering it firsthand."

The courier looked somewhat interested, so the researcher continued hesitantly. "Did that doctor who checked you out not explain what happened to your brain? It's honestly a miracle that you're still walking around."

"I might've been a little preoccupied with the shock of being awake," the courier admitted. "Here, show me."

They guided Arcade's hand to the wound site, which he felt gingerly, trying not to awaken any pain. "Okay, close, very close range, left side... trajectory was too high, so it missed the speech center... probably sustained the most damage in the frontal and parietal lobes... well that tracks, that would affect problem-solving skills and spatial relationships..."

"Arcade?"

"Mm-hm?"

The courier grinned. "Just keep talking to me in Latin and I'll stop caring whether I'm dead or not. It sounds nice."

Arcade blushed.

Craig Boone: "Mmm." Boone pondered the thought, but immediately felt the shadow of guilt fall over his shoulders. Had any of his targets felt that way as they lay dying? Had Carla? He tried to shake the feeling off before it reached his face.

The courier, for their part, didn't notice, or at least knew enough to pretend not to notice. "That snake Benny was using a handgun, too, and who knows what caliber," they said, looking off into the distance.

"Low," Boone offered.

"Come again?"

"The bullet," Boone clarified. "It's still in your head. Slow and small caliber, if you're not already dead from it."

"But I could already be dead from it."

"Nah."

The courier looked as though they wanted to probe further, but Boone straightened his sunglasses and walked past them, signaling that the conversation was over. Headshot wounds, hypotheticals, they weren't his strong suit, but he did know one thing: The orders he had followed and the lives he had ended were far too real to be the figment of some Mojave wastelander's imagination.

Lily Bowen: "Come now, dearie, you're giving your imagination too much credit." Lily patted the courier lightly on the shoulder. Well, as lightly as a nightkin could. "Grandma's seen many strange things too, ever since she left the vault behind."

The courier smiled. "Stranger than the ones I've seen? Like what?"

Lily made an ugly face. "I saw many things when working for the Master. Golden geckos in Klamath. Ghosts in Baja. The Master himself, with his brain in the computers and the computers in his brain."

"Eugh." The courier mimicked the face Lily was making. "One of those, huh? Always seemed unsanitary to me."

"Good things too," Lily went on wistfully. "I saw Marcus' first city, when it was big and full of people. Humans, but also super mutants, ghouls. How I would have liked to take Becky and Jimmy there."

Her voice faltered a little, remembering the grandchildren that had been lost, left behind long ago. The courier reached out and took her hand. "I'm here, Lily."

After the memory passed, Lily returned to her smiling self. "You are, pumpkin. We're here together."

Raul Alfonso Tejada: "I know how you feel, boss." Raul sighed. "There are plenty of things in my past that I can't help but question the authenticity of. All I can say is that after a while, you stop asking and just go along for the ride."

"Right." The courier crossed their arms. "I suppose it's not that different a mindset from becoming a ghoul. Time stretching on in front of you, no clear end in sight, no expectation there will ever be one."

"Eh." Raul shrugged. "That might just be a mindset of mine. I stopped worrying about dying a long time ago. Or maybe I was looking for it, but never managed to find it. Either way, time doesn't bother me the way it used to."

"But it still does?"

"Sí. Now I worry more that I'll forget the crazy things I've seen altogether, or that they don't mean anything."

The young courier looked like they weren't quite ready to ponder that possibility. They stood together in silence for a while, watching the horizon's haze.

"Should we keep going?" the courier finally asked, shouldering their pack.

"Desde luego."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Sometimes I wonder the same thing," Cass replied with a nod. "Well, not the exact same thing, but somethin' similar. Plenty of times in my life, I've woken up in someone else's bed or on the floor of a bar and wondered if I actually survived the fight I was in the night before, or if I finally drank enough to make my heart stop. It's a strange feeling, but then someone douses me in water or slaps me too hard on the ass and the pain of the wakin' world creeps back in, little by little."

"Do you slap them back?" the courier joked, chuckling.

"Them and the world," Cass confirmed. "I always figured if I'd actually died in my sleep, why bother makin' up some desert full of sadness and sunburns to fill my time? Had enough of that in life, so I can't see my mind keepin' it around. Much rather conjure up a house by the beach somewhere, with a basement full of caps and enough booze to last me 'til the bombs fall again."

The courier eyed her mischievously. "Maybe you're in hell."

Cass held her canteen up. "Well then. To bein' stuck in hell with a true friend."

She drank, long and deep, and the courier retrieved their canteen to do the same.

Veronica Santangelo: "Oh, Six." Veronica's face filled with sympathy. "Is that really what you think about, when you're trying to sleep at night in the casino and Cass is snoring in the bed next to you?"

The courier blinked. "Cass snores?"

"How have you not noticed?" Veronica pulled her power fist off and flexed her fingers, re-stimulating her circulation as best she could. "Arcade said he wanted to trade with me, after Boone had his second night terror incident, but he changed his mind again after one night of her racket. At this point, I'm used to it. When she's not around, I have trouble sleeping, can you believe that? Brotherhood bunks really prepared me for the Lucky 38."

"No, I hadn't noticed." The courier sat down on a nearby rock and stretched their legs out. "I guess I haven't been there much, lately."

Veronica sat down next to them. "You know, the more often you're gone having adventures around the desert, the more crazy things you're going to see. People who rest on their laurels and stick to the Strip don't lie awake wondering if they actually died back when they choked on those buffalo gourd seeds at The Gourmand."

"Touché."

ED-E: The eyebot let out a few beeps of disagreement and rolled from side to side in mid-air, indicating as best it could that in its experience, being shot in the dome was a good method for scrambling circuitry but was actually terrible for fusing new connections. The courier laughed and reached out to rub the robot's side. "Thanks, buddy. Maybe I'm right, or maybe reality is just a weird place."

ED-E beeped its satisfaction and bounced forward as if chasing the mirage. The courier trailed after the eyebot, their giggles blowing out with the wind into the desert for all to hear.

Rex: The old cyberdog whined and licked its companion's hand, uncertain what they were asking. Any dreams the canine had were good ones, long runs over grassy plains and prey that was always a hair too slow. Life with the courier was good too, but full of many more dangers than a savannah dotted with rabbits and deer. The courier scratched the dog on his ruff affectionately, before continuing over the hot sand toward their destination. Rex followed behind, happy and panting.

[untaemedqueen]

Third Wheeling

CEO!Yoongi x Reader

Genre: Strangers to Lovers!AU, Angst, Fluff, Smut

Chapter 24.

Warnings (Updating Still): Smut, Cheating, Unexpected Pregnancy, Unfaithful, Emotional Damage, Love

A/N: Really really huge thank you to my queen @xjoonchildx​ for making me the newspaper clippings. I love them so much! This is one of my favorite chapters because of how fun it looks! And as always I couldn’t have done it without @ladyartemesia​ and @ppersonna​

Yoongi takes a deep breath, letting the September air fill his lungs. Who knew life could be so fucking trying?

He turns his head to you, hearing your soft footsteps down the marble stairs. He notices the small splotches of paint on your skin and it fills him with a sense of calm. You're a sight for sore eyes.

"My baby," he breathes, leaving his glass of whisky on the outdoor patio and walking back into the mansion to be with you.

"I'm all dirty," you mumble, picking at the dried paint on your hands.

"I can make you dirtier." your fiance quips and you give him a lopsided grin at his joke.

His joke doesn't match his mood and your eyebrows furrow as his arms wrap around you.

You know just how stressed he is. You know just how much his heart hurts everyday that Sera refuses to sign the divorce papers. It wouldn't be nearly as bad if you didn't seem to be growing more and more everyday.

His chin rests atop your head and he stares past you to the two marble staircases that lead up to either wing.

Even though Sera is no longer here and she's in the guest house with Jin and your dog, her ghost seems to haunt the CEO at every turn.

"I want to buy a new house." he grumbles, pulling away and looking down at you.

"Why?" you ask softly, running your hands lovingly over his arms.

"This house fills me with nothing but bad memories. I see the leech everywhere I turn… I hate that. I want a fresh start." he admits, caressing your distended sides.

You hum in agreement. "Is it too much for you right now? You have so much on your plate. Let's look for a house together when we get married," you suggest.

Just the thought of marrying you makes his heart flip inside of his chest. The thought of holding you in his arms everyday until his last is miraculous and special.

"When we buy the new house, you can decorate it any way you want." he promises.

"Oh, I plan on it." you reply, pulling him towards the stairs.

"Where are we going?" he asks curiously, letting you take him with you.

"You need a distraction, baby boy."

He shivers at your tone, how strict it is. A small smile spreads over his face as he trudges up the stairs with you. "Yes, Mistress. I do."

"Jin?!" Sera calls, dropping her bags down at the front of the guest house.

She promised him she'd try and she thinks she's doing well so far. She only complains thirty percent of the day which is a lot better than the eighty percent she's used to. She's even held her tongue a few times when Jin has told her he's going to hang out with Leena.

"I'm getting ready for work, mouse." he calls back from upstairs.

His velvet voice fills her with joy and she rushes up the stairs without a second thought.

"Can I come with you?" she begs, peeking into his bedroom.

His hands wrap and tug at his tie as he turns to her with a raised eyebrow.

"No. You're still married." he states as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

She scoffs gently, wrinkling her nose. There's something about how quick and dexterous his fingers are as he ties his tie that sends her stomach coiling.

He still hasn't had sex with her and he hasn't even kissed her after that fated day when she begged him to stay with her.

"Why not?" she whines softly, leaning against the door jamb.

Seokjin chuckles gently, rolling his eyes. "Because you won't sign the divorce papers, like a normal person." he announces.

"Why do you keep bringing it up?! It's always 'divorce this or divorce that,' aren't you tired of saying it yet?" the actress cries out.

Jin grabs his suit jacket, sighing so loudly that it scares the woman behind him.

"Yes, actually. I am tired of saying it. You should just do it."

"But why? It has nothing to do with you." she mumbles.

Turning to her, he tilts his head. "Yes it does. If you don't get divorced, I'm not staying with you. I'm not going to be the guy that makes another man a fucking cuckold. I don't want that, that's fucking disgusting. There's nothing for you in your marriage anymore. You don't get any money, you've been cut off, you don't love Yoongi, you don't even care! So why are you being so stubborn about signing a damn paper?"

She looks down at the floor, playing with the ends of her hair, not wanting to answer.

"Because you're spiteful," Jin answers for her, "but your spite is literally making my pregnant best friend sick. She's a nervous wreck because of you, Sera. I hate that. You have everything in the world you could possibly want. And you can't just sign a few fucking papers?"

Jin whistles for Gaesu as he squeezes past the actress in the doorway.

"I just-"

"You don't want to give up something because you're greedy. Yeah, I get it. You want others to be miserable because you've always been miserable your whole life," he turns to her, cupping her soft face and staring down into her amber eyes, "You don't need to continue to be an asshole. You need to focus on becoming a better fucking person. Not everything needs your input, sometimes you can just let everything go and you can start again on your own. Like now, you don't want to be with Yoongi, you want to be with me. And I see that you're trying, you're doing great so far. But I can only work with you as long as you work with me. And you still being married isn't working with me. It's the opposite."

She swallows thickly, looking up into his blazened mocha irises. He's so serious that it sends a shiver down her spine. When she whimpers gently, whether it's out of need or fear that he'll leave, he brushes his soft thumbs against the apples of her cheek.

"When you sign the papers, I'll sleep in your bed." he promises, pulling away.

She blinks once, twice, three times, watching him walk away from her.

Gaesu follows closely behind your best friend, excited to go to work with him.

"S-So I can't come to the club?!" she calls leaning over the banister.

"No, mouse, Leena will be there and I'm spending the night with her." Jin calls back, grabbing his car keys.

"What?! She touched you in front of me and you're just going to hang out with her again?!" she screams, hanging over the banister.

"One. Be careful, you might hurt yourself. And two, I'm sorry to break it to you but Leena has touched me so many times that her touch feels normal to me at this point. My best friend coming to hang out with me is perfectly fine. And what's more, her boyfriend will be there." your best friend calls back, opening the front door and leaving without another word.

"Fine. We'll see," Sera seethes through her teeth, walking towards her room.

Stepping into Miyoung's art studio, the natural light that bleeds through the glass ceiling really seems to highlight all of the paintings that line the walls.

"Well, if it isn't the famous artist in my very midst." Miyoung quips, stepping down the slightly curved staircase.

You smile up at the pretty woman, leaning against the wall with two coffee cups in hand.

You can see how Yoongi was always fond of Miyoung at a young age, she's beautiful and quirky with everything she does. Even her clothes scream unique and you love that.

The brown French beret that hangs from the side of her head and the long blue corduroy dress she has on screams artistry and you adore it.

"Brought you some coffee," you quip, holding up one.

"You shouldn't be drinking coffee, pregnant lady." she jeers, finally reaching the ground floor and wrapping her arms around you.

"Mine is decaf, thank you very much." you joke back, accepting the hug with open arms.

When you both turn to the walls of art where your paintings were, it's surprising to see the walls almost empty.

The people that walk to and fro with their hands respectfully behind their make your heart bloom with pride.

"Do you wanna know how much money you've made?" Miyoung whispers in your ear, a playful smile spreading on her face.

You roll your eyes, nudging her with your hip. "You know I don't care about that stuff."

"That's why you'll make tons of money." she murmurs back, earning a laugh from you.

People notice you easily when you laugh, turning to you with wide eyes. It's a bit strange to be recognized now because of the Dispatch pictures and it's even stranger when they begin to approach like they know you.

Yoongi's best friend from childhood doesn't stand for it for a second and within seconds she's fending them off with a polite smile.

"Pregnant women don't like to be crowded, if you have any questions about art, please come to me. I'm very in touch with the woman beside me." Miyoung announces, waving her hands for the people to move back.

When she shows you to the art gallery office, it feels like an out of body experience. "There were so many people." you breathe out, sitting down on the loveseat beside her large desk.

"You became famous pretty much overnight. What do you expect? People are salivating for more of your art." she announces, sipping her coffee.

It's such a bizarre thing to hear when you've only ever done painting as a hobby.

"Should I start making more art, you think?" you inquire, crossing your legs and leaning back into the comfy couch.

She hums, tilting her head. "No. I don't think so. I think you make people wait for more. Obviously not too long. But it's good to get people curious and excited for what you're going to do next, y'know? Finish the art for the mall and hotel. Have the baby and then start making more art. You've made millions of dollars on the thirty pieces you've released. That's enough to get people really excited for the next release."

You nod understandingly, letting your eyes drift over the two paintings you've created for her office.

"You're my most successful client ever. I'm proud of it." Miyoung says, making you giggle.

Your heart feels warm in her presence and you can understand why your fiance has always been fond of her. She's an amazing woman.

"Call Minho to help you get downstairs when you're ready."

"Is that necessary?" you quip, sipping your coffee.

"Of course! You're famous now." she gasps, leaning over her glass desk with a playful smile.

Yoongi sighs loudly, throwing his suit pants into his luggage.

He hasn't been able to relax for a single second. He can only pray that paparazzi in Japan aren't as desperate as Koreans.

Staring down at the multitude of watches that spin on their platforms, he gets lost in his worries.

You're giving birth in only three months time. How is he going to cope? What kind of father is he going to be? Is he going to live up to what he wants? Are you going to be proud of him?

He's so worried.

But he's more worried about the leech. When the fuck is she going to sign that goddamn paper?

He opted for platonic parting rather than suing, because it would be messier that way but Sera is so spiteful that he doesn't know what to expect. He knows Jin is trying his hardest to rein her in but who knows how long that will take. It's nerve wracking to say the least.

Yoongi's eyes flutter shut as your arms wrap around him like needy vines. The feeling of your rotund belly against his back has him sighing so softly it barely reaches your ears.

"How are the paintings coming?" he asks gently, turning around in your grasp to cup your face with both hands.

"They're almost finished." you reply, hugging him tightly.

He hums sweetly, letting his lips drift over your forehead. "Have you packed for Japan?" he murmurs, letting the sweet scent of your lavender shampoo enrapture his senses.

"I packed a little this morning, but I got caught up in my inspiration. I have to finish." you announce, putting your cheek to his bare chest.

The warmth of you against his body is so welcome during his time of uneasiness. "I'll help you pack. Just hold me for a little while. It feels good." your fiance breathes out, squeezing his eyes closed tighter.

You're so comfortable within his arms, you have no intention of moving. You can feel his rapid heartbeat and you know exactly why he's on edge but you don't bring it up.

Late nights in your post-coital glow, you've talked extensively about both of your worries and you've come to the realization that they're the same fears.

"I'm going to have to stay inside in Japan, aren't I?" you quip, looking up at him.

He snorts gently, putting his chin on the top of your head. "Probably yes. Does that upset you? I bought out the penthouse so there's a lot for you to do."

His voice is wrapped with guilt but you decide to not dwell on it. Just going somewhere with him is enough for you. You don't care if you have to stay inside, it'll be nice to leave the country for the first time with him by your side.

"Plus, y'know, soon you'll be too big to go anywhere. That's what the doctor said." he whispers.

You smile into his chest, accepting his soft voice. "I know. I'm happy to be going anywhere with you."

His thumb and index finger capture your chin, he tilts your head up so your eyes meet. It's so easy to fall into his mocha irises and the smile that spreads over your lips is so natural. When he bends down, your breath stutters in your throat and the feel of his lips on yours is something so sensational, there are no words that could describe this.

"I love you, little dove."

"I love you too."

Jin should have known Sera wouldn't take kindly to Leena showing up at the club. But he didn't think she would go so far as to show up to the club.

She looks completely terrifying sitting in her booth. She's alone and completely menacing. Even with all of the people around she can find Seokjin in a matter of seconds no matter where he goes and he doesn't know whether to find it attractive or completely scary.

"She's staring at you again," Leena quips, leaning deeper into Taehyung's embrace.

Seokjin hums in agreement, looking down at his Italian leather shoes.

"Just go talk to her or some shit. She's making me uncomfortable," Leena whines, nudging her best friend.

Jin looks over at the actress and he sighs loudly. Her eyes are narrowed at him and her lips are parted over the champagne glass in her hand.

When he stands, he can see her body go rigid with excitement.

"Good luck, bro." Taehyung laughs, kissing over his girlfriend's exposed shoulder.

It's a quick walk over to Sera's booth as Jin wades through the groups of people on the dance floor.

When he steps up to the platform, he can see how nervous she is.

"Why did you come? You know that's trouble." he chides her, sitting down in the booth.

"Because she was coming." she sneers, nodding her head to Leena.

The eye roll Jin gives is so severe that it sends chills down Sera's spine.

"You came all the way here, got snapped by the paparazzi, ordered thousands of dollars of alcohol, because you were jealous that Leena is here?! You're such a baby." he scoffs, pouring himself a glass of champagne.

"I just wanted to be here with you too," she admits meekly.

Jin looks her over before zipping up her dress to cover her exposed cleavage. "Behave tonight. Do you understand me, Kim Sera? I'm tired of having to worm my way out of awkward situations."

She nods gently and when she gets a small smile from him it makes her pride expand tenfold.

"Will you sleep in bed with me tonight?" she asks softly, sliding down the booth to be beside him.

He snorts gently, letting his arms expend over the top of the seat. "Not until you sign the papers. You know this. Don't push your luck." he chides, poking her cheek softly.

She pouts gently, looking down at the hem of her dress.

"All I have to do is sign the papers and you'll be with me?" she asks unsurely.

Jin hums in agreement, pushing some hair behind her ear. "All you have to do is free Yoongi from this marriage and you can have me." he promises.

Her cheeks puff out as she thinks, is anything ever really that simple? She's never found it to be so.

"I'll think about it." she breathes out.

That's good enough for Jin at the moment and for the first time in a long time he smiles widely at her. The expression is so blinding that her heart stutters in the recesses of her chest.

Yoongi is so completely thrilled when he throws both of your luggages to the penthouse floor.

"Wow," you breathe out, rushing over to the large windows.

Your fiance's smile is sweet and soft as he folds his arms, leaning against the gold wall.

The scenery that meets your eyes is indescribably beautiful. The way the gentle breeze in the Osaka air blows cherry blossom petals from their trees and the countless gardens that scatter the grounds below set such mysticality into your bones.

"There's an infinity pool up here for us. It's warm," Yoongi announces, walking towards you.

Your hand lands on your stomach as you watch the petals blow in the breeze. "This is beautiful," you say aloud.

The father of your child's lips are soft against the back of your neck and in your entrancement, you hadn't even heard him come close to you.

"You're beautiful. Anything for you, little dove." he promises, placing both of his hands on your stomach.

The stress seems to melt away as you stare out the window with your fiance behind you. His lips are soft and plush against the column of your neck and it wipes your mind completely blank.

When your fingers card through his hair, the gentle puft of air that warms your neck makes your legs weaker.

"I love you." Yoongi breathes.

There's nothing sexual about his touch, it's just pure passion that seems to bleed through his fingertips. But the feeling of him so close is so heavenly.

The soft classical music that plays throughout the large room is so peaceful and your worries float away for just a little while.

Next Chapter ------>

Third Wheeling Taglist -  @wickizer​, @imluckybitches​, @slothykreuger, @claireelise19, @ggukkieland​, @rspbrryy​, @iv-bts​, @bambuzlee​, @chanelbts​, @mxxngxdss​, @bluewhale52​, @milesjeon11​, @diamonddia-mond​, @vinylphwoar, @xnxy97​, @hubbytaehyung, @140503at-dawn​, @bts-7beauts​, @jadeblackwoll, @sunshiine-hobii, @creatorspalace​, @eclectically-esoteric​, @nikkiordonez12​, @kaitswrld​, @skamlover200​, @sevgilove98, @kooeuphoria​, @jikooksgirl19​, @hobbledehoy26​, @singular-itae​, @dchimminie​, @lowlifeoeuvre​, @sugaslittlekookies​, @bloopbloopb, @pjmcth​, @softysuho​, @codeinbelle, @jaiuneamesolitaiire​​, @betysotelo18​​, @jeonmisha​​, @iwanttohitmyself​​, @ayyyocee​​, @neverthefirstchoice​​, @itsbangtanoclock​​, @little7bitchh​​, @veryuniquenamegoeshere​​, @deathkat657​​, @firstlovesuga-93​​, @namjoonia​​, @paperpurple​​, @muzikabijou​​, @liebeoppa, @veronawrites​​, @kleff03​​, @ruinsofangels​​, @brightwingr5​​, @leekanchol​​, @rkivemagic​​, @ithinkileftmycoatoutside​​, @melaninkpops​​, @y00ngisbabygirl​​, @ungodlyjoon​​, @prochnost513​​, @dunixxd​​, @athenakyle​​, @igotnotype​​, @chxmachxps​​, @tinymintyoongi, @vangameren-blog​, @alpaca1612​, @ohcarolinamin​, @thegreatestsushi​​, @eltrain80​​, @btsmylife21​​, @deeepvibes​​, @httpminyg​​, @deliciouslydisturbed365​​, @rkchmestizangmaldita​​, @jimin-chu, @pimpnameyannie​​, @preciouschimine​​, @daughterofthequeen, @monetsberet​​, @vanillamyg, @aamxxrii​​, @kooafraid​​, @ladykadyrova​​, @singjisu​​, @yazanii​​, @moonlitmyg​​, @justzeera​​, @absolutefantrash​​, @whocaresarchives​​, @loosewindmill, @vantesfx​​, @bt21chim​​, @flowerboyhobi​​, @kozuume-kenma, @taepiper​​

Sorry for those it didn’t tag!

[starshipsofstarlord]

First things First | Jack Kline & Peter Parker

Summary; Peter sees his ex back in town. Last time she was with her brothers, but this time, she has another companion. His name is Jack Kline, and he is her current boyfriend.

Warnings; some angst, jealousy, a bit of trash talk, smidge of violence, one swear word

“You’re back then.” Peter noticed, following you as you walked through the school halls, your head down as you attempted to ignore him. But however, you knew that you couldn’t pretend he wasn’t there forever, and so you softly sighed.

Last time, you hadn’t been in town too long, only a few weeks, cases were sprouting up left right and centre in Queens, and that was enough time for a relationship to briefly brew between the pair of you.

However, when the entourage of hunts came to an end, it had only been fair to cut sweet Peter loose, you hadn’t planned to return in any soon time. And here you were, a year in a half later, back in his hometown.

“You’re eyes are quite inquisitive, Parker, or do you need to ask me to put rock salt on my skin to prove that I’m not a ghost?�� You barked back, which earnt yourself a confused frown.

“What?” He asked in reply, confused by your wording.

“Never mind, you wouldn’t get it.” You dismissed, having already had the intel and advice from your brothers that two different worlds didn’t mix.

Peter was but a boy, a smart one, but for all that you were aware, he lived a mundane life. He was bullied at school, but he had a couple of friends, Ned and MJ.

MJ. She had liked Peter before you had disappeared in the impala, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the pair were together now. He had wanted to forget you, for causing him so much pain, he deserved to move on, as you had.

“What I got was that you told me you loved me, and then you went with the wind, and didn’t look back, not once.” He bit back, his statement making your body feel heavy.

It was guilt, a familiar feeling for a hunter. It often came when a life was lost by the life of a monster, and this time, it had been the same. You had taken away the happiness from your own life, you were the beast that ripped out someone’s heart.

“I did, but that doesn’t matter anymore Pete, I’m in love with somebody else. There’s nothing that I am entailed from hiding from him, no secrets, I can be myself with him.” You pursed your lips, relieved that you had got that off your chest.

“You never had to have secrets! Your family business is what dragged us down in the first place, you feel the need to follow your brothers around the world, and for what? To end up alone and unloved?”

“I love her.” Jack entered the hallway, he had been at the front office, asking about the plumbing, he said he heard a noise. It was what the victim had said before he died, and so the spawn of Lucifer was now questioning it.

Sam and Dean were downtown, at some bar, it had been where the victim had been, with a fake id, before his body had been found in the school bathroom. This left the group of you spread out, and operating around the city, wanting to find the creature that had ended the boy’s life.

Jack’s voice had been friendly, as though he were informing Peter of your relationship status. Neither of them knew each other, so he found no harm in letting the public know of your intimate bond.

The nephilim was most often than not a free speaker, he found no foul in letting his mouth run. He was so innocent, so pure, and perfect, you were pleased that you hadn’t tainted him nor gained his spite like you had with Peter.

“Jack, this is Peter. I met him last time I was around here. Peter, this is Jack, my boyfriend.” It was an awkward introduction, you held your hands together, watching as Jack held out his hand for your ex to shake.

Peter hesitantly shook Jack’s hand, lightly glaring at the boy. “It’s nice to meet a friend of y/n’s, not many that she has are her age.”

“Thanks for that Jack.” You laughed lightly, holding sweetly onto his arm, as to ensure him that he had done nothing wrong.

“We’re not friends.” Peter corrected him, squinting at you. “She doesn’t like the idea of any relationship with me, so she can pass on friendship.” He gave you one last look, before he walked away.

“Hi.” Jack saw your ‘friend’ in the hall, whilst you were questioning some other students. Peter reluctantly turned, going face to face with your boyfriend and partner in justifying crime.

“Hey.” His head briefly leant back, curious as to why the new boy was speaking to him. “Jack, right?”

“Yes, that is my name.” Jack nodded with a smile, the adorable gap in his teeth presenting itself clearly. “Have you felt any cold spots here recently, or smelt sulphur by any change?”

His question made Peter frown, he gulped and thought before he decided to answer. “I don’t know why your going around asking questions, but I also do not know why you’re dating y/n. She’ll break your heart, it’s what she does.”

“The two of you don’t sound like very good friends.” He speculated, tilting his head like a puppy dog, his bright eyes filled with curiosity.

“We weren’t just friends Jack, I’m surprised she didn’t tell you about me. Maybe there was a reason for that, you should ask her.” Peter crossed his arms, taking note of how he seemed to have angered the other boy.

The son of Lucifer was inhaling and exhaling through his nostrils, he was attempting to remain calm. But he couldn’t, his eyes seared with their golden pigment, and upon witnessing, Peter’s eyes widened and he was fast to sling webbing towards the mutant.

But it had no affect, not as Jack’s mouth opened, and a scream on another wavelength , which happened to throw the spider man backwards into the row of lockers. This was not normal, and Peter worried for the reason that you had the company of such a creature.

“What the hell are you?” Peter asked, wanting an answer so he could figure out a way to defeat him.

“I’m someone that loves y/n very much. Don’t worry, we won’t be in town much longer.” And with that, the strange and peculiar being walked away, leaving Peter stunned. For once, he wasn’t sure how he would improvise.

“You know the boy’s toilets are for guys, right?” Peter asked later in the day, as he watched you, whom was drenched in water, leave said restroom.

“I am more than aware, thankyou for that reminder Peter.” Each footstep dripped water upon the floor. That ghost had been a bitch to send off, but to your relief, you had done so.

“What are you doing here, really?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m going to be leaving tonight, I’ll be all out of your hair.” You spoke, trying to remain calm with your previous partner. “Have you seen Jack?”

“About that...” he noticed how you furrowed your brow with his words, and realised it would be better to get straight to the point. “He’s not normal, there’s something different about him. He’s dangerous.”

“I guess you witnessed something... supernatural?” He slowly nodded his head, thinking about how it could be considered as such. “Jack, he’s a nephilim, half angel, half human. That’s why I can’t stick around, my life is messy, and I have a duty to save people, you understand that, right?”

“Why would I understand that?” He hesitated, his voice stepping over his words in a worried stutter. “Angels?!” He repeated.

“Yeah, not every takes lightly to the news, and a bit of information; the majority are dicks.” You laughed, shoving your hands in your soggy pockets. “You really think I didn’t have a clue that I was dating a spiderman? I investigate abnormal occurrences for a living, it was quite easy to notice something was different about you.”

“So you look into things like cold spots and sulphur smells?” He remembered that was what Jack had mentioned earlier. Perhaps the possibility of angels wasn’t half crazy, the universe was expanding. It was certainly out there, but so was a talking, moving tree that enjoyed digital games and was experiencing puberty.

“Exactly.” You smiled, looking into his deep brown eyes, and finding some kind of peace between the pair of you.

“I think I saw Jack in the library.” He scratched the back of his neck, deciding to be a bigger person and give into the planet’s order.

“Thanks, see ya around Parker.” That expression you gave him shouldn’t have made him feel so giddy, he knew that this was another goodbye you were sending him. But the relief on your faces was beautiful.

You walked momentarily backwards, and he raised his hand in a signalled send off. He hoped that one day, he would see you again, maybe even with Blade as he killed vampires. Who knew?

One thing he was aware of was that you were happy with Jack, and that the two of you shared a life. You had an even amount of knowledge between you, and as much as Peter hated to admit it, you weren’t bound to leave the nephilim any time soon.