#no but why did they need his stand in present doing shoots in the blue while he’s in the yellow that’s my question?…

[chirpsythismorning]

[pretty-sparkle-bomb]

actor!bakugo and actress! yn part 2 part 1 here

you guysss i had this one in my drafts for so long and i didnt know how to write it to make it 'proper' enough so i hadda rewrite it like four, five times😔hope you enjoy tho <3!

also if you wanna know, the song i was making reference to was 'envolver' by annita. (i promise yall my music taste aint bad)

You’re both invited to a celebration party with your cast members—a small gathering at Kaminari's place to enjoy the success of the movie.

You hang out with Mina and the girls, while Katsuki begrudgingly stays with Kirishima and the guys.

No need to worry, though. He keeps you in view, carmine eyes tracing over your curves in the body-hugging blue dress he picked out, claiming that the color suited you. Crystal drop earrings shine under the dim lighting, and the black choker he gave you as a present is wrapped snugly around your neck.

Katsuki smiles as he fishes out his phone from his back pocket and shoots you a text.

kats 💕 come over here. miss ya

You down the last of your shandy, giggling at a joke Jirou made, until Mina suddenly gasps.

"What?" you ask, setting down your empty glass as you gesture to the bartender for a refill.

"Your lipstick is smudged, sis. Who's coming to the bathroom with me? Makeup touch-ups are needed right now." She stands up and pulls your hand, with Jirou and Ochako following suit. The other girls stay seated, promising to keep an eye on the drinks.

Katsuki watches the group of girls leave the room, a loud, chatting mess as they drunkenly stumble away.

Todoroki snaps his fingers in front of Katsuki's face. "Why are you looking at the girls?" he asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

His mouth opens and closes, contemplating what to say.

"Jus' caught my eye, 's all," he mutters, sinking into the couch. Kirishima snorts, and Sero elbows him in the ribs to shut him up.

"What?" Bakugo asks, emptying the contents of his cup.

"Nothing, dude! Totally nothing," Kaminari replies, waving his hands sarcastically.

"Do you like Ochako?" Todoroki asks, eyeing the ash-blond. Katsuki makes a funny face, crinkling his eyes. "Hah? The hell did you say?"

Todoroki smiles a bit and shrugs. "It seemed like you were staring at her."

The table falls silent as the star actor contemplates his response. The guys all sit up straight, eagerly awaiting his reply.

"I don't like her," he finally says, his tone leaving no room for argument. Suspicious looks appear on each of their faces.

"Okay, so you wouldn't mind if I got with her?" Sero teases, standing up.

Bakugo grins. "Go 'head."

His phone lights up on the glass table, and all eyes immediately snap to the bright notification.

Mrs. Bakugo one min katsu. the girls and i are kinda busy. but like, nobodys supposed to see us thoo ykyk wanna meet somewhere private? ;)

Sero immediately snatches the phone from the table, his eyes wide. His fingers swipe to open the message, but a blocker comes up. "Face ID? Really, man?" he groans.

Katsuki shoots up, pushing Sero's face away as he snatches the phone back, holding it out of the raven-haired actor's reach.

"Ouu, Mistress Bakugo?" Kaminari laughs loudly, slapping his knee. Katsuki clicks his teeth and walks away from the boys, phone in hand.

Upon seeing his retreating form, they start laughing and calling out to him.

"Yo Bakubro, are you gonna wife her up?"

"Bakugo, my guy! Tell her I said hi!"

"Is he gonna collect his daily kisses?"

"There's a spare room two lefts after the guest bathroom!"

It’s no surprise when Bakugo rings you. The familiar sound of your ringtone causes Mina to pause mid-mascara application.

"Katsuki? Why is he calling you?" Jirou asks, holding up your phone. Shit. You shrug and take it from her, entering a bathroom stall for a bit of privacy.

"What is it?" you whisper into the speaker, hearing his harsh breathing.

"They saw yer message. Wanna know who ya are," he responds curtly. You still, quietly sorting out the thoughts in your mind.

"Okay... that's fine. But you know what this means, right?" you ask, your fingers drumming against your silver purse.

Katsuki is quiet on the other end of the line. He grunts, knowing what you meant: he won't be able to even look at you for the rest of the night. He mumbles a small "okay" and hangs up.

As your group of friends makes their way back to the buzzing party, your eyes can’t help but search for Katsuki.

And you find him, handsome as ever, shot in hand as he manspreads on the couch, eyes closed as he has a small conversation with some random blonde.

Your eyes zero in on her: chunky gold earrings, black dress, gold heels—real flashy. She’s a typical blonde, you think, trying to brush it off.

But she’s all over him, manicured fingers grazing his bicep as she cackles at some random, unfunny words coming out of his mouth.

"I thought this was a private event?" you ask Ochako, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. She shrugs, immediately following your gaze and spotting the girl. "I think she's one of those background characters, or something."

You can practically read the words coming out of her mouth. "oH kAtSuKi YoUrE sO fUnNy."

Who was she to even call him by his first name?

How dare she.

You take a deep breath, letting the tension ease away as you turn your focus back to the party. If that blonde thinks she can monopolize Katsuki’s attention, then she clearly doesn’t know who she’s dealing with. But rather than stewing in frustration, you decide to make the most of the night.

The bartender places a fresh drink in front of you, but you push it aside. “Something stronger,” you say with a smile, and he quickly swaps it out for a shot of the strongest liquor they’ve got.

The girls, noticing your shift in mood, exchange curious glances. Mina raises an eyebrow, a mischievous smile already forming on her lips. “My dear yn, what’s going on in that head of yours?”

Without answering, you down the shot in one swift motion, the liquid burning its way down your throat. You place the empty glass onto the bar and feel the warmth spread through your body. You look towards the DJ and stand up, walking toward him.

"Hey, buddy," you call, pretty sure that he can't hear you over all the music playing. You beckon him closer with a curl of your fingers and ask him to play one of your favorite songs.

Si tú me desea' y yo a ti también

Your girls join you on the dance floor as you start dancing. You can feel the eyes on you—some admiring, some envious—but there’s only one pair you care about. You glance back toward Katsuki, who’s still seated on the couch, his gaze fixed on you. The blonde from earlier is long forgotten as his eyes trail over your form, taking in the way you move to the beat.

Aprovéchame

Your hips sway in rhythmic movements as your girls whoop and holler behind you. The shot makes everything feel fuzzy, but you continue anyway. Maybe you’ve had too much to drink, but the alcohol gives you a boldness that has you dancing more provocatively, knowing exactly the effect it’s having on Katsuki.

Before you can fully bask in the moment, Mina suddenly appears beside you, a grin plastered on her face.

“Damn, girl! You’ve got some moves!” she shouts, moving behind you. And maybe you both thought it was cute, but damn, the sight of you and her dancing like that has Katsuki and Kirishima in shambles.

`Sé que lo hacemo' y tú vas a volver`

“You’re on fire tonight!” Ochako shouts over the music and you giggle. “Just having a little fun,” you reply, though your eyes keep darting back to Katsuki.

And sure enough, you notice him shift in his seat, his eyes darkening with an intensity that makes your heart race. He’s watching you like a predator who’s found his prey and you wouldnt have it any other way.

The girls are having the time of their lives, lost in the music, but you’ve got something else in mind. You dance closer to Katsuki, the distance between you shrinking with every step.

You can see the moment he decides he’s had enough, the possessiveness flaring up as he sets down his drink and rises to his feet.

`Tú me quieres perrear y yo quiero partirte`

You’re not sure who moves first, but suddenly, he’s there, his hands on your waist as he pulls you against him. The heat of his body presses into yours, and for a moment, the world fades away. There’s only you, Katsuki, and the music’s bass that keeps your blurry mind in check.

“Ya really know how to make a guy restless,” he mutters in your ear, his voice low, and you smirk, wrapping your arms around his neck. “Maybe that was the plan.”

Your eyes look over to the blonde. She's still there, eyebrows pinched in confusion and anger, maybe?

But you’re not done playing.

Without breaking eye contact, you give his chest a gentle shove, urging him back toward the couch. Katsuki’s eyes widen for a split second, but then a knowing grin spreads across his face. He lets you push him down, his back hitting the cushions with a soft thud, and he sprawls out, his hands resting casually on the back of the couch as he watches you with a mix of curiosity and anticipation.

You stand in front of him for a moment, your body swaying to the music as you let the tension build. The beat thrums through your veins, making everything around you feel distant, unimportant. All that matters is the way Katsuki is looking at you—like he’s seconds away from dragging you down onto him.

But you get there first.

With a slow, deliberate movement, you straddle his lap, your knees sinking into the couch on either side of his hips. The proximity sends a thrill through you as you settle onto his thighs, your body pressing into his. You can feel the heat radiating from him, the tension in his muscles as his hands find their way to your waist, gripping you firmly.

Katsuki’s eyes darken even more, his breath hitching as you lean in close, your lips brushing against the shell of his ear. “She gone yet?” you whisper, your voice dripping with mischief.

His grip tightens, and you feel the low growl rumbling in his chest. “You’re askin’ for it,” he murmurs, his voice rough and filled with promise.

You laugh softly, the sound lost in the thumping bass of the music. “Maybe I am. But first, answer the question.”

"'M not lookin for her, dollface. All my attention... 's on you." he whispers.

You place a kiss on his nose and then look up at her.

The blonde from earlier watches with wide eyes, her expression quickly morphing from confusion to disgust. She’s visibly fuming, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she realizes she never stood a chance. You catch her glare, and it only fuels your satisfaction.

“Aw, you didn't know? He’s taken, love.” You feel the shattering of her heart because of your claim on him. You can hear the collective gasp from those around you, the gossip starting to spread like wildfire. But you don’t care.

You’ve made your point, and so has he.

The music pulses around you, but all you can focus on is the feeling of his hands on you, his breath on your neck, and the pounding of your heart that matches the beat of the song.

It’s only when you hear Jirou's loud “Yooo!” that you snap out of your trance, realizing just how much attention you’ve drawn. You can feel the blush creeping up your neck, but Katsuki just chuckles, pulling you closer. “Guess there’s no hiding it now, huh?” he mutters, nipping at your ear.

You shake your head, smiling despite the embarrassment. “Nope.”

The flash of a camera catches your eye, and you spot Sero standing nearby, phone in hand as he snaps a picture of the two of you. “This one’s going on the ‘gram!” he shouts, grinning like a fool.

Before you can protest, Katsuki smirks, leaning back against the couch as he pulls you against his chest. “Let ‘em see.”

The photo blows up within minutes, and the next day, it’s all anyone can talk about. Your social media is flooded with comments, memes, and edits of the moment you publicly claimed Katsuki Bakugo as your own.

And for once, he doesn’t mind.

Taglist (I love you guys so freakin much <3)

@cupkiki @the-random-kitten @atashiboba @your-mum3000 @h0ngh0ngh0ng @gentle-roxyboo @xxiamabookdragonxx @guitargirl2000 @crimsonrubie @yungrichbitch @jaywhat333 @lemonnightmare @maeririka @talkgirl30 @big-denki-energy @lovingjeankirstein @aalny4 @tonkatesuramen

[hughiecampbelle]

The Boys Preference: Being Becca and Butchers Child

Requested: Firstly HAPPY BIRTHDAY GIRL!!!!!! ﾟ+.ヽ(≧▽≦)ﾉ.+ﾟ. Secondly, could u write like some headcanon about being Butcher's child (like who is two years older than Ryan) and how other members from the boys (+ maybe Soldier boy, cause of season 3 and how he would interact with them :3) - anon

A/N: Thank you my love!!! In the headcanon I made reader 10+ years older so they'd be at least 18 by the time they found out about Becca and Ryan, I hope you don't mind!! That way they can be part of The Boys and grow up with them, if that makes sense? I also had a very similar request of a headcanon so I'm basing it off that so there's some background :) I love this request!!! Feedback is always appreciated 💜💜💜

Headcanon Pt. 1 / Headcanon Pt. 2

Butcher knew he couldn't take care of you. He was getting drunk every night, picking fights at bars, searching the city for your mom. Your perfect grades were slipping, you were getting into fights at school, you were emulating him. He knew how dangerous that was. First with your Aunt, then your Great Aunt, until you tracked him down all these years later. He still has a picture of you in his wallet, a baby picture that's creased and faded. You and Becca. You've grown up since then, though. And you're angry. He insist you go back to Judy, pretend you never saw or heard what you did, but you refuse. You want to pick a fight with him. You want to yell and scream and get out eight years worth of grief. He understands where you're coming from, he does. He never wanted to be like his father and yet, in so many ways, that's exactly who he was. Your relationship will never be what it is. That's not possible anymore. You have to learn to deal with one another now, in the present, instead of the happy kid you used to be, instead of the dad he used to be. It hurts you both to think about the past, who you could have been instead of who you are.

Hughie isn't really sure what to do with you. There's no doubt you're Butcher's kid. He's still relatively new to the team, so he just assumed this was something else Butcher hadn't shared with him. When he realizes no one knew about your existence, he's shocked. You, like your father, gravitate towards Hughie for reasons you can't put into words. You'll let him sit next to you when you're watching TV and maybe even talk to him if you're in the right mood. You don't shoot daggers at him like you try with everyone else. Similar to a cat, he's someone you can stand to be around. He comes to your defense a lot, especially when you stumble in drunk and pass out for the day. He's sure if any of them had been raised by Butcher, or at least the outside relatives, they would have turned out exactly like you. He can't blame you for being angry, or pissed, or hurt. He can see the hurt better than anyone else no matter how much you try to hide it. He thinks you just need some time and empathy to get straightened out. The least they can do is offer that, right?

Annie has no idea what to do with you. She tried smiling and talking to you, but you didn't want anything to do with her. She reminds you too much of your Aunt. She always said you should be happier, bubblier, that you were so smiley as a kid. You couldn't live in the past like her, with her. Too much had changed. Hughie assures her it's nothing against her, you're just getting used to things. She thinks it's sweet how you're attracted to Hughie. He's the only one you mildly respect and even, once in a blue moon, listens to. She doesn't take it too personally considering you're ready to rip your fathers head off. It could be a lot worse. Over time you see that Annie and Hughie are together and that definitely earns her some points. Annie can't imagine what your life must have looked like, all those years mourning your mother and father, all those years spent with relatives just doing their best. She understood why you were so angry all the time, so cagey and spiky. She doesn't hold it against you.

M.M. feels conflicted. Betrayed isn't the right word, but it's the closest thing he can come up with. He never 100% trusted Butcher. He was always going behind everyone's backs, doing what he wanted despite the good of the team, etc. He was destructive, combative, and spiteful. But, he thought they knew each other better than that. When he met you he couldn't deny you were Butcher's. Your mannerisms, the crazed look in your eye when you were upset, it all matched your father. He can't help but see you like how he sees Janine, even if you're much older: a victim of Vought. A generational curse. You're stubborn, and angry, and distant all because of what's been done to you, all because of Homelander. If your mom had been around, if Homelander had never done what he'd done, you'd still have your perfect family. He feels this need to protect you the same way he does with your father, even if you both fight him on it, even if you don't want or deserve it. He can't help it.

Frenchie doesn't trust you the same way he doesn't trust your father. He especially doesn't like that you and Kimiko are so close. She doesn't tell him anything about your conversations, knowing it would completely break your trust if she did. He believes Butcher would hide something as big and important as a child. He knows what your family can be like. Lying, drunken, selfish, vengeful. You're only a few of those things, not that he can tell the difference. You know Frenchie isn't your biggest fan, so you love messing with him, teasing him, rubbing it in his face that you and Kimiko are close. Similar to your father, Frenchie thinks this isn't the kind of place for you. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into. M.M. might feel fatherly towards you, but Frenchie sees you as a Mini Butcher, just another handful no one on the team can deal with. You yell and scream and fight and drink. That proves to him you're still a child despite it all.

Kimiko adores you. Despite the difference in circumstances, she sees a lot of herself in you. Ripped from your family, angry and hostile and doing everything in your power not to get hurt again. Besides Hughie, you'd warm up to her second. You're actually incredibly smart despite never applying yourself and pick up the signs pretty quickly. Whatever you can't sign, you write to her, wanting your conversations to stay secret. You show her the pictures of your mom that you kept all these years, telling her all about the good times you had before she disappeared. When you see Butcher you instantly grow hostile, angry all over again, and the person she saw, the person she was just talking to who was kind, and thoughtful, and smart totally disappears. When you blast your angry music she never minds. In fact, she quite likes it, adding it to her own playlist. She doesn't look at you like you need fixing or, worse, need to get out of here.

Bonus! Homelander always knew about you. Becca was more than willing to talk about you and Billy to co-workers. He even remembers taking that picture with you that one Christmas. He's kept an eye on you through the years, but you never seemed like the vengeful type. You never knew what happened after your father abandoned you. He does, however, use it as leverage against Becca. Remember the kid you left behind? Seems like she's got favorites. Becca agonizes over leaving you, but she was caught between a rock and a hard place. He uses you to keep her there, in her place. He gives her updates, usually to make her feel bad. You're kid drinks way too much, did you know that? Of course you didn't. He loves to tell her that Butcher abandoned you all those years ago. He loves to see that it absolutely kills her. He's not worried about you coming after him. You've got to work through your issues before you get to him and therapy for a lifetime couldn't get you an Butcher on the same page.

Bonus! Soldier Boy would actually get along with you. I think you'd have a Worst Dad Competition and though you're close, you definitely think you win. You two share a drink and you tell him all about your dear old dad. "No wonder you turned out like this." Ben says, pouring you more. Hughie urges you to slow down, but you have a high tolerance. Ben, to piss of Butcher, will always take your side in arguments and uses what you told him against him. "You dumped them off and never looked back. Now you're parenting?" Butcher absolutely hates it. You tell him about your mom, how much she loved you, how she was killed. You don't mention Ryan though, knowing Ben's go to answer would be to seek revenge. You have a lot of complicated feelings around your brother, but you still have a burning Hatred for Homelander. You make Ben promise he'll kill him. He does, even if it means killing his son. You two bond really fast. Neither Hughie nor Butcher trusts it or him, but you do.

[strawberrystepmom]

inspired by this thought i had yesterday! modern au, coworker kakashi. f!reader, flirtation, mostly fluff. wc 1.3k

divider thanks to @/cafekitsune as usual ♡

You hear footsteps headed toward the edge of your desk that make you look up from where you type quickly, finishing firing off the latest round of emails that could have been resolved with a simple phone call. Most of these issues don’t even need your attention, you think while firing off minimal responses and sighing. Glancing up, you spot two gray eyes peeking over the top of the cubicle surrounding you and you laugh knowing exactly who they belong to.

“Hi Ka-”

Kakashi interrupts you when he raises his brows and holds a worn copy of the book the two of you have spent the week reading over the top of the partition, a woman wrapped in the arms of a caricature of a muscular man while tipping her head back to present her neck to him. Your face heats seeing the cover where everyone else can see it too and you shoot him a glance, begging with your eyes and hoping he’ll lower the book.

“Don’t forget this time.”

“It was one time,” you instantly jump to defend yourself after missing the book club yesterday. You got caught up on a call that was impossible to sneak away from and you received a text message from the man himself later in the day, his eyes visible over the cover of the book. It was hard to keep your laughter to yourself upon seeing it, snorting alone at your desk.

Missed you today, the accompanying text read.

The message made you ponder the meaning between the words themselves. You enjoy his company in a way you never thought you would, most of your coworkers warning you that he’s a little bit of an oddball, but the two of you clicked and have never looked back. He even organized this little club in an effort to get you to step away from work more often, knowing you’re frequently the last person left in the building long after the rest of the lights are out.

“Luckily for you I’m finishing up right now,” you snip and he watches you reach down into your bag and produce a paperback novel matching his. You can’t see his smile, it’s hidden below the partition because you know he’s bending his knees to keep only his eyes visible, but the way those very eyes crinkle a bit at the corners tells you everything you need to know.

“Good because we have a lot of ground to cover,” he mutters. “They…you know.”

He waggles his brows and you nod, smirking. They did indeed…you know…in the latest chapter and you’ve been dying to talk about it with him after 35 previous chapters of intense build up and back and forth. A teeny glimmering hope in you almost wants the book to be drawing parallels to your own life but you don’t want to make something out of a simple workplace friendship - two oddballs carving out space for themselves side by side.

That does sound a little romantic now that you think about it, doesn’t it?

“Come on then, we only have 15 minutes.”

Broken from your reverie by his words, you nod and smile, standing up and stretching a little as you hurry around the corner and to his side. He looks good today, neatly pressed gray pants and a navy blue sweater that hugs his arms in a way you noticed immediately seeing him, and your face heats again. Why is it so hard for you to accept that he’s merely your friend? 

The two of you walk in comfortable silence to the break room, plopping down in the chairs that HR insisted were placed there to make you comfortable and not because they had a complaint about there being no seating in here prior, submitted by Kakashi himself. They don’t know that, of course, but you do and you settle in, risking another glance at your companion.

“Alright so when we left off, he was admitting his feelings, right?”

You nod, pulling your own book open to the dog eared page you’d left it on. He notices immediately, watching you untuck the corner, and scoffs.

“Use the bookmark I gave you, do you know how long I had to dig in bargain bins to find two copies of this book?”

He holds up the book, Domesticating the Duke, and stares at you incredulously. Despite yourself, you laugh. Gleeful and from the bottom of your heart, in a way that no one else has managed to draw from you.

“You’re right. I need to make sure the little puppy covered bookmark stays in the book but sadly today it’s on my kitchen table so for now we are doing this,” you raise the book and thumb through the pages, showing him the other dog eared corners and making him cringe.

“Why do I hang out with you?”

Shrugging, you shift in the chair and let one of your smart casual loafers hang off of your foot. He likes to see you so comfortable, too used to seeing the way your back is hunched over your desk. He could look at you like this forever, easy going smile and one arm dangling over the arm of the chair. You make his mind feel…different and not in the usual way. You make him feel challenged yet met, comfortable yet disturbed, whole yet confused.

It’s a lot to take in.

“I dunno, you said yesterday you missed me so what is the truth Hatake?”

He laughs now, carding his fingers through his hair.

“I did miss you. We’re getting to the best parts and you ditched me.”

You gasp, putting the book in your lap and leaning forward to close some of the distance between the two of you.

“I did not! I was on an quarterly analytics call, something you also should have probably been on mister operations analyst.”

He shrugs, flip as ever. He’s only here to do the work he’s assigned to do and not go the extra mile like you feel the need to. 

“The world didn’t stop because I wasn’t there so clearly things are fine.”

How can you argue? He’s right so you back down, leaning back into the chair and picking up your book again. He sets his copy down now, on the arm of his chair, and places his hands on his thighs in a way you know means he has something to say. He’s full of quirks, all of which you’ve found yourself figuring out quickly.

“Since we’re getting to some less work appropriate parts of the book I wanted to ask if you’d rather do this after work,” he finally spits out after a few beats of silence. “If not, I get it but we should probably start picking cleaner books if that’s the case.”

You smile, dipping your chin to hide it.

“I’d love that, actually.”

It feels wrong to assume this is his way of asking you on a date but given the blush covering the bridge of his nose and the pink touching the visible tips of his ears, that’s exactly what just happened.

“Great. We can just hang out for the next 10 minutes then and we can discuss the actual points of interest at my place later, if that’s okay?”

You nod again, still keeping your face partially hidden. This is what you’ve been hoping all of these 15 minute moments, the 30 minute lunch conversations, would turn into and you feel giddy like a little girl. 

Choosing to pick the book back up to spend the last 10 or so minutes of your break reading, you open to the last page you remember looking at and scan over the words. They don’t grab you immediately so you look up over the top of the book, only to be met with a pair of gray eyes doing the exact same thing. Sneaking a glance.

[spiralinghours]

“Personal Assistant” Pt 3

Fandom: Saw franchise

Characters/Pairings: Mark Hoffman x reader (fem/afab)

Rating: R (definitely 18+ for this part, babes)

Tags/Warnings: Feeding kink, belly/dadbod appreciation (whatever you wanna call it—we love a thick Hoffman), switchy dynamics, mild daddy kink, the same ol’ inappropriate boss x secretary dynamics, nose riding/grinding, somewhat detailed cunnilingus, mild pet play (in that Hoffman gets referred to as a pig, dog, cat, etc)

Summary: Hoffman’s secretary brings him lunch. AND dessert 👀

Author’s Notes: These don’t really happen in any specific, chronological order. There IS a mention of Jigsaw here, but it’s unclear if the secretary knows Hoffman is an apprentice or not.

Probably errors. If so, will fix later lol

The lunch hour had gone on a little long… Not that it was your fault or anything. Not that it had interrupted much. You were just being a decent assistant, making sure your boss remembered to eat and took the time to de-stress in the middle of his day. The fact that you had you brought him a little extra dessert as a treat—in the form of a to-go box of tiramisu and a formidable slab of red velvet—was no inconvenience.

For extra insurance that Hoffman finished all his food (he needed the fuel for a

busy day, after all), and as part of your attentive duties, you were sure to perch on your usual spot on his lap in order to hand feed him as he clacked at his keyboard and skimmed through documents.

As he chewed and hiccuped through the last bits of his lunch, you smiled perkily, snaking your fingers under his waistband. You hefted his belly onto his lap, fingers tickling and lightly pressing into the sides.

“That’s enough for now, sweetheart. We have a press thing at two and I gotta be able to move around. I’m not gonna wanna get up with this treatment.” He groaned a little under his breath as he shifted in the chair, trying not to make the discomfort obvious. “Besides, I have to look presentable for the cameras.”

“Oooo, but sir, you look plenty presentable like this,” you practically purred, tone as sweet and low as a sugar packet.

In efforts to reassure him of such, you softly raked your fingers down over the front curve of his tummy, giving just enough soothing pressure. You also started picking at little things, tidying them up: buttoning a low-down shirt button that had come undone, straightening out his suspenders, smoothing out his dark blue tie (which he usually wore with a white shirt, as he did on this day, looking so handsome)… His combed-back hair had started to come loose from the day’s exertion (what little if at all Hoffman even had), falling in cute dark strands around his eyes. As you raised your hands to tuck the strands behind his ears, he sighed at the light touch, eyes fluttering closed for just a moment.

“That’s nice, babydoll,” he mumbled tiredly. “If only you could do that all day.”

“I will literally stay sat right here and play with your hair and whatever else all day, sir.”

“I know, and that’s the problem. I got too much to do.” He opened his eyes, looking blandly annoyed at the prospect of having to do anything else than sit under your spread thighs.

“You’re so popular,” you joked, grin dimpling up your cheeks.

“Yeah, that’s what it is. Nothing to do at all with this Jigsaw shit, or any of the other minor cases I gotta deal with.”

“Well, you are the boss,” you shrugged matter-of-factly, still combing his hair under your nails. “Lieutenant,” you added sweetly, emphasizing each syllable.

“Mmm, why’s that sound so good when you say it? But also, a little condescending.” He tilted his head, shooting you a sassy look.

You giggled. “You’re using some big words today, sir.”

“Gettin’ smart with me,” he tutted.

“If you don’t like it, I can just leave.” You began to stand up, unwrapping a leg from his lap. “I should go back to my desk and actually do my job. You know, check your calendar, make sure you don’t have any unwanted guests… All that stuff I don’t do that I get paid for.”

“You’re doing a plenty good job right here, darlin’.” Hoffman pulled you back down on his lap. His hands felt so big and thick embracing you like they did—bumbling and gentle, but strong enough to do damage if he tried.

“Ah yes, the exact job I applied for: babying you all day and telling you you’re doing such a good job.” You cupped a hand to his cheek, mocking the praise.

“As if you don’t love coming in here to play princess and fatten me up like a lazy house cat.” He rolled his eyes at you.

“I do. Does that make you a pet?”

“Yeah, for you, sweetheart. You know that.” He flashed his eyes at you under heavy lids, irritated that you would make him verbally confirm such a thing.

Heaving himself from the chair and moving you in the process (you noted the way his plush sides nearly stuck between the chair handles), he switched up positions: placing you in his seat, and he, himself, getting down on his knees in front of you.

“What’s this?” you laughed, more giddy than you wanted to let on.

“Said I’m the pet, right?” He leaned in and kissed your knee. “Dogs belong on the floor, don’t they?” That gave you a shiver. Every word came out like a sultry near-threat, daring you to challenge what his next move would be.

Another kiss to your knee. Then the other knee. Then your shin. Then the back of your calf. Then the tip of your shoe, and then the spiked heel… You watched the way his obscenely plump lips dragged against your nylons with each kiss. His eyes stayed glued to yours. You savored how good he looked casting that baby blue glare from beneath you.

“I think I’m hungry again,” he mumbled, parting your thighs and hooking his thick fingers into your underwear, sliding them away just enough to give him access.

“Whatta pig,” you giggled lowly.

“Don’t start with the pig shit, baby. We’ll be here all day and I only have half an hour.” His words tapered off at the end, becoming muffled as he buried his face between your legs, lapping his tongue into you like he was starving.

His tongue traced around your clit, delicately at first, then turning into more zealous pressing and sucking, giving you just the right amount of heat and friction. You could feel the way he salivated against you, too careless and needy to notice.

As his tongue slipped lower, prodding at your entrance, Hoffman’s prominent nose started pushing against your clit—an immediate yet super specific turn on. You pushed your pelvis forward to grind against his nose a little more intently, until he pulled away.

“Like that?” he smiled, a trace of deviousness across his slick lips. “Next time you can ride my face, how about that?”

“I’d love that, sir.”

“Right on this desk,” he hummed, bringing his mouth back to your pussy, practically suctioning on. He released for a quick breath. “Maybe on your desk. Let those rookies in the hallway watch.”

“You’re such a pervert,” you breathed out, started to get a little closer to the edge too soon. Your vision was going hazy in the best way.

With a few more painstakingly drawn-out laps from entrance to clit, applying an increasing amount of hot pressure, you felt that jolt right to your core. Instinctively, your pelvis bucked up against him, smothering his face. You couldn’t help squeezing your thighs tight, riding out every last bit of the delicious climax.

Dark hair mussed across his forehead cartoonishly, Hoffman finally pulled away to catch his breath. He licked off a bit of your slick from his lower lip with a small grin.

“Ooo, big boys like you know how to eat, huh?” you mused.

Hoffman sweetly pinched your chin between his fingers as he got to his feet. “Of course, babydoll. Mind helping me get ready for this press bullshit?”

“Only if you don’t make a mess of yourself again,” you winked.

[mostlymaudlin]

i made a joke on twitter that someone should write a crack fic that opens with Andrew riding the horse in TKM and he’s like “bet you’re wondering how i ended up here.”

and well. then this happened:

You’re probably wondering how I ended up here.

A horseback ride in the Blue Ridge mountains sounds idyllic, if you’re the kind of person that takes vacations straight out of the free tourist brochures at gas stations. I am not that person.

In fact, I had never been on any vacation before this week. If I were to take a vacation of my choosing, I would absolutely not be doing an activity that requires me to activate my core while breathing air that smells like animal shit.

Yet here I am. Sitting on a horse double my height, following a group of people I don’t even particularly like down a stinky, too-green path through the woods.

You might ask, why did you put yourself in this situation? It’s a good question, and I fear I have the worst answer of all:

There’s this guy.

I know, I know, how cliche. If it helps, I am not prone to them: I’m an orphan but not a Chosen One. I’m a college athlete who couldn’t care less about winning. I’m a twin but I’m nothing like my brother.

The boy problems, though? I’ve got ‘em. And oh, do I know how to pick ‘em.

Neil’s horse ambles down the wide path next to mine. The man himself is slumped forward in his saddle, reins held loosely in his bandaged hands. Neil has the misfortune of being very murder-able, so the bandages are a more common part of his whole look than one would hope.

This most recent bout of “almost getting killed” was particularly… vexing. (We don’t need to go into detail. All you need to know is that I didn’t handle it well.) Neil is moving on, though. He’s taking in the scenery, and his expression befits a tourist brochure even if the rest of him screams, “I should probably still be in a hospital.” When he catches me looking his lips curve into a small smile, and Reader, it is imperative that you understand how passionately I hate him.

“This is cool,” Neil says.

“Well, as long as you’re enjoying it,” my cousin grumbles from behind us. Nicky enjoys nature about as much as I do. I shoot him a look, and he mimes zipping his mouth shut.

Neil only shrugs, leaning further against the neck of his horse. I’m not sure how he’s awake. In the last four nights, he’s slept in a hospital, on a cot in an FBI conference room, on a dorm room floor, and then finally one night in a real bed in the luxurious “cabin” our teammates are renting. Minus the hospital, I’ve dealt with the same sleeping arrangements (yes, including the giant fluffy bed, no, we will not make a big deal of it). Even without the copious injuries, I do not have why don’t we go horseback riding? energy. But somehow Neil, with his half-melted face and arms, has giddied up to come smile at me and the sky and the trees.

This brings me to my point: I’m in deep. I’m so fucked. This morning, I would have told you that you’d never catch me in touching range of a horse. But for twelve hours, I thought Neil Josten might be dead; if he’s going to stand in front of me, saying he wants to go horseback riding, then yeah, every person on this goddamn team is going to get on a goddamn horse unless they want me to gut them.

My thighs are so sore and itchy. I’m on a horse that smells worse than my gear bag, swatting away flies and dodging low branches. I genuinely hate the present moment. It’s my fault, I know: these are the perils of letting ourselves fall for stupid ass men. These are the perils of getting attached to anyone at all.

But put yourself in my shoes. Really visualize it — they are cowboy boots with honest to god spurs, and I was forced to pay money to rent them.

Now ask yourself: Did I really have any other choice?

now on ao3!

[maccreadysbaby]

Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: anxiety attacks (this poor, poor child)

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

okay, hello! I’m alive! so is our little redhead!

part nine

❝ HITTING THE CITY (PT 2) ❞

SATURDAY — JULY 21 — 9:15AM

WHEN VERA SAID THEIR BUILDINGS WERE RIGHT NEXT TO ONE ANOTHER, SHE WASN'T KIDDING.

The Columbus and Aristotle buildings were probably not even ten yards away from each other, the front doors connected by intricate, perfectly upkept sidewalks. There was a large courtyard in front of the two where the sidewalks connected, housing a painstakingly detailed fountain and a few perfectly preserved benches.

It had been far too easy for them to get out of the building. All they did was walk — no suspicious glances were thrown their way, no odd looks. They really just walked, straight outside and nobody really batted an eye.

The sun was still shining down on Redwood Academy, what had to be hundreds of kids and parents of all ages scurrying around the campus like ants, carrying boxes for moving in. They were everywhere, and still, it was significantly less than the mobs that Bentley, Asten, and Bruce had endured earlier that morning.

He, Asten, Koa, and Varian had taken up residence standing in the sunshine next to the huge concrete fountain. There were lots of students outside talking, catching up from the years before, it seemed — so they didn’t look all that suspicious. Still, the little Bruce Wayne in Bentley's head was giving him a patented dad-look.

“Why do girls take so long?” Varian whined, leaning back against the white fountain. He was wearing shorts and a blue t-shirt, now. “I could’ve written a book.”

“It’s a universal rule,” Koa muttered. He was now awake and alert — something he very much hadn’t been for the rest of the morning. In the sun, he looked even more like the state of California turned into a human, if that were possible. A moment of silence passed, and he shifted his attention to them instead of Varian. “So, Bruce Wayne, huh?”

Asten’s eyes flicked to him from his spot near the fountain, and Koa’s seafoam irises were bouncing between him and Bentley. They’d both changed into more presentable clothes, so, thankfully, they didn’t look homeless.

“We’ve already covered this like, four times,” Varian muttered, rubbing his hand over his face.

“Must be kind of awkward telling people that you’re Wayne’s, with all the rumors going around,” Koa said with a shrug. “I guess it’s a good thing none of us buy into that junk.”

Bentley scrunched his face up. “Rumors?”

Koa furrowed his brow, like it was weird that Bentley didn’t know what he meant. “Yeah, people are saying that-“

“It’s nothing, B,” Asten spoke up, shooting a sharp look in Koa’s direction. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Bentley watched as Asten and Koa engaged in some kind of silent exchange, before the Californian backed off, moving toward the fountain to lean against it next to Varian.

Bentley turned and gave Asten a questioning look. “Then what’s the harm in telling me?”

The Brazilian blinked, raking a hand through his blue hair. His green eyes bounced here and there before they finally settled on Bentley’s face. “It’s just… not something that needs to be in your head, okay? Trust me. And don’t go looking it up, or I’ll throw your computer out the dorm window.”

“Okay…” Bentley muttered, glancing down at his shoes.

A rumor? About Bruce, that Bentley wasn’t supposed to know? What could possibly be so controversial that Bentley didn’t need to know about it at all? Surely it wasn’t that Bruce was Batman, he and Asten could shoot that one down pretty quickly.

Ah, great. Now he had something to think about for the rest of the day.

“Finally! I was about to come check if you were dead!” Varian shouted. Asten and Bentley turned, and lo and behold, a little pack of girls was coming towards them from the opposite sidewalk.

Two were Vera and Layla, Bentley could tell that much. Vera had her hair tied up in these really fancy braids that let the purple shine through, and she was wearing black skinny jeans and a really huge bomber jacket that had to be burning her up. Layla was next to her, her polar opposite, in jean shorts and a tight, lime green tank top that didn’t quite meet her bottoms. Her blonde hair was slicked back into a knot on the top of her head. She looked very excited, while Vera seemed… neutral.

The third girl, he recognized as Georgia, the one who’d waited on them at the diner they’d gone to with Bruce. She wasn’t in her waitressing outfit anymore, but a pair of jean overalls instead, with what looked like only a brabeneath them — was Bentley allowed to look at that? He quickly averted his eyes away from her to the fourth girl; Summer, if he remembered correctly.

She was taller than Layla and Vera, but shorter than Georgia, with long not-quite-blonde-but-not-quite-brown hair. She had to be around Asten’s age, maybe, or a little younger. She had massive brown doe eyes on her face that somehow reminded Bentley of his own. She was in a dress, blue and flowy, with absolutely massive platformed sandals on her feet. He would break his neck trying to walk in those.

“Hey!” Layla exclaimed, literally bouncing over toward them until she collided with Varian, hugging him quickly and tightly. “This is gonna be so fun!”

Bentley’s eyes strayed to Vera, who, despite looking pretty angry and dawning probably too high of a temperature, managed to smile at him.

He smiled back.

“Asten, Bentley, this is Georgia and Summer, some of our roommates. Georgia, Summer, this is Bentley and Asten. Bruce Wayne’s kids,” Layla explained, gesturing to the other two girls. Both Georgia and Summer greeted them quietly with smiles on their faces, and Bentley said hello back. Asten said nothing.

Bentley glanced over at him momentarily, and just as he’d expected — he was staring. At Georgia, like it was his first time seeing the sun in his whole life.

Bentley nudged him with his shoe, and he blinked. 

“Hey…”

Georgia’s face turned a shade of red that Bentley didn’t even know was possible. Did that mean she liked that he lost all cognitive function when she came around? Bentley was so out of his element it was nearly painful to watch, and even more painful to understand.

Thankfully, he didn’t have to understand for too long — someone tackled him.

He made a small, embarrassing noise when Layla did her bouncing thing right into him, hugging around his neck tightly. His arms hovered out to her sides and stayed there. Was he… he wasn’t supposed to touch girls, was he? He hugged Steph and Cass sometimes, but they didn’t really count, did they? She was maybe a tiny bit taller than him, so if he hugged her back, his arms would be around her waist, and that was kinda super weird. Why did girls make him kind of… uncomfortable?

Over her shoulder, Bentley saw Vera smirk. “Personal space, Layla. He looks like he’s going into windows reboot.”

“Oh,” Layla pulled away abruptly, her blue eyes scouring his face for a moment before her ever-enduring bubbliness died down a little. Her expression turned slightly sour.  “Sorry, I should’ve asked.”

“It’s okay,” Bentley muttered, glancing from her face to the ground awkwardly. He tried to work up something else to say, but nothing came, and instead, he just sort of stood there under all the eyes that were now on them.

“Where are we going?” Georgia piped up. All eyes turned to her, and Bentley was thankful for the distraction. Layla drifted away from him back to Vera’s side like a sad puppy. It wasn’t his fault she was upset, was it?

“I don't actually know,” Vera stated, glancing at Layla and Sunmer, then over at Varian and Koa. 

“You four are the ones who’ve lived here forever,” Koa stated, gesturing to the girls. “Lead the way.”

“As if you don’t spend over half a year here every year,” Vera snickered, shaking her head and turning on her heel. “Alright, then, you asked for it. Come on.”

The eight of them started out of the courtyard, Bentley taking up residence at the back of the group with Varian. Asten was walking next to Koa, who was carrying on conversation with Summer, since she was walking ahead of him. Which gave Asten a perfect excuse to attempt to talk to Georgia.

Bentley couldn’t hear what he was saying, but the way his face kept getting redder led him to believe it probably wasn’t working.

Bentley sighed heavily. “He goes to a different dimension whenever she’s around,” He stated quietly, gesturing forward. “Asten.”

Varian hummed quietly, kicking a little pebble off of the sidewalk with the hiss of his shoe against the concrete. “He’d better not get too attached — Georgia’s Rockie’s girlfriend.”

“Oh,” Bentley said dumbly, blinking in surprise and glancing forward at them. Georgia seemed really… he didn’t know. “I didn’t know that.”

“Yeah. It’s been a while for them now. People say high school relationships don’t work but… I think they will. They both came from sketchy places and helped each other through transitioning here,” Varian explained quietly. “They would probably kill for each other.”

Okay, so that wasn’t great for Asten, then. Bentley took a mental note to tell him about that later — just so he didn’t enter into unnecessary beef with their scariest roommate.

“Oh. That’s good. I guess…” Bentley muttered, glancing down at his shoes as they walked. Vera was leading them between the buildings and down a smaller sidewalk — one that led to the parking lots. “I’m not very good with girls.”

“Layla seems to like you,” Varian shrugged, their brown eyes meeting for a second before both looked back down. “I don’t much care for girls. I’m sure I will one day, but… not today.”

Bentley blinked. That was… strangely similar to what he felt about the whole situation. “I’m having a hard enough time just trying to be a teenager.”

Varian snickered. “Me, too. Although I think girls are one of the ways guys try to figure out being teenagers,” He continued, shrugging. “Keyword; try. I prefer to do it without dragging some girl into the depths of my weirdness.”

Bentley smiled faintly. “I guess that’s a good way to put it.”

Varian shrugged. “I wasn’t exposed to many romantic relationships for most of my life, so… I really have no desire or… business being in one.”

Bentley hummed in acknowledgment. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t interested in girls like Asten or Nico? Because romance had never been a part of his life? His father never had any romantic partners after his mother died, and Bruce never had one, either. He was pretty sure Dick and Barbara were an item, but the eldest Wayne was super ultra careful to keep it private and mostly out of the Manor. He wasn’t sure about Jason, and he wasn’t sure about Tim, although was pretty positive Tim was married to his computer at this point. He remembered that he’d dated Steph once, but that was long before Bentley, and it was not a topic up for discussion ever. Duke, Bentley thought, had had a girlfriend for a small blip of time — but he never saw her. And Damian wasn’t into romance.

With all the brothers a kid could have, one would think Bentley was at least a little accustomed to romance or romance-drama. But, alas, the most girl-oriented guys he knew ended up being Nico and Asten.

Bentley stayed quiet as the eight of them cut through the parking lots, this time, earning just a couple of glances from people getting stuff from their vehicles. Vera led the way with confidence, though — so he didn’t question it.

“You okay, red?”

Bentley glanced up at Vera, but she wasn’t looking at him. It had most definitely been her voice, though. He glanced at Varian, who wasn’t looking at him or her.

“Your mind is so full I can’t make out what’s in it,”

Bentley cleared his throat, glancing back at the ground. What use was hiding stuff from a girl who could read his mind? Could he even hide anything? 

“It’s all different,” He forced himself to think, as though he were talking straight to her face. “Being a teenager, going to a school, moving away from home — just a lot, is all.”

A moment passed.

“Please stop reading my mind,”

Vera’s voice never returned.

She led them down a few smaller, winding sidewalks, until they were on the edge of a real road. It took a lot of walking, but the Redwood grounds eventually turned into large roads, and not too far from them, buildings shooting up into the bright blue sky like stalagmites in a cave. Everyone was talking quietly ahead of them, while Bentley and Varian stayed mostly quiet, looking to the views around them instead.

A chorus of four beeps sounded from the little machine on Varian’s arm, and Bentley glanced at it. It read 192.

Varian cringed at it and pressed a few buttons, muttering: “Well, that’s why I feel like crap.” under his breath.

Bentley tried not to be nosey, glancing back up at the rest of the group to see if anyone else had reacted to the beeping. It seemed as though they hadn’t heard it — Koa had been the most in-tune to it earlier, but now he was in-tune with Summer and out of tune with literally everything else.

So, Bentley breathed in. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh, yeah,” Varian replied, pressing a few more buttons and putting his arm back down by his side. “Just gotta get this number down before I go puking everywhere. I’m real bad about puking when I go high.”

Bentley blinked. “Do you feel bad?”

“Pretty much always,” Varian shrugged, glancing at the machine. “I’m not good at keeping my blood sugar in the normal range… it pretty much always spikes and dips over and over. But I’m fine managing symptoms. I’ve been this way forever.”

Bentley nodded slightly, glancing forward again. If Varian had been that way since he was born, he had to believe he knew what he was doing.

So, he didn’t say anything else.

A good length walk later, they were finally getting into the city. The sidewalks started to fill with people, and the buildings all around them got taller and taller the deeper they went. The sky became less sky and more skyscraper, turning into more of a backdrop for the city instead of the centerpiece of the view.

Layla turned around with a giddy look on her face, her excitement, thankfully, restored. “I’m taking you guys to my house!”

Bentley cringed. The little Bruce inside of him did not like the idea of a bunch of teenagers, equal parts guys and girls, leaving campus to go to one of their houses. It seemed… he didn’t know. Secrety. Weird. 

Apparently, he was the only one who took that train of thought, as no one — not even Asten — seemed to care.

(Although he was pretty distracted by a girl who was wearing a bra as a shirt. Bentley still couldn’t make himself look at her.)

He kept his eyes on the city, instead, watching all the shops pass. There were so many things around — clothing stores that the girls kept ogling into, restaurants, libraries, things like eye doctors and dentists, video game stores, theaters, bakeries, and a few things called adult toy stores that had actually broken Asten out of his Georgia trance long enough for him to grab Bentley by the face and tell him not to look. 

Bentley didn’t look.

Everything in New York was so… bright. There were lots of colors, and lots of people, and lots of cars and sounds and smells. They passed a hot dog cart that was just about the weirdest thing Bentley had ever seen. (Seriously, who wants a hot dog from a cart?)

There were people on the sidewalks who looked rich, some that looked not so rich, some that might have been homeless. Old people, young people, kids like them, kids younger than them. Ethnicities Bentley had never seen in Gotham or Drew before. 

It was sort of… a lot. A really cool a lot, but a lot.

He stayed close to Varian’s side, and close behind Asten as they walked. The sidewalks were so crowded sometimes they had to stop and wait, or push through, or split up. There were so many people. So many heartbeats. So much blood.

Bentley inhaled sharply when he started hearing the heartbeats. Not just his, not just his group’s, but everybody— hundreds of them. Their blood was moving in their veins, gallons of it, suddenly so loud he made a noise of surprise. All the water in the city, billions upon billions of gallons, running through his head, roaring like waterfalls. It suddenly got really hard to think.

Someone grabbed his wrists. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

He didn’t even know. He couldn’t even tell who was talking to him. He didn’t know what was going on.

“Move, get out of my way,” Came a second voice he also couldn’t identify. He was lucky he heard it at all over the absolute roaring chaos that was filling his entire mind. Why couldn’t he see? “Can you hear me, red?”

Someone touched his face. “Holy shit, your mind.”

Someone else said something that he couldn’t really hear. He couldn’t hear much of anything, actually. He couldn’t hear the cars anymore, or the people walking, or the voices. All he could hear was the water. The blood.

“Stop drifting. Focus on me,” Came a voice that was oddly loud among the screaming of the water. Someone grabbed his hands. “Listen to me, not everything else. I know you can hear me.”

He could hear them, yes, but he had not a clue who they were. He gripped tightly onto the hands that were holding his. “…Asten.”

“I’m here. I’m right here — it's okay,” It was faint, but he heard it. Quieter than the other voice. 

“Stop holding your breath, dummy. Exhale,”

Bentley obeyed the strange voice.

“Inhale,” 

He obeyed again. There were hands all over him now — on his back, his head, his hands, his arms.

“Asten,”

“He’s right here. Open your eyes and look at him,”

“Can’t,”

“Stop holding your breath, Bentley,” It reprimanded. “Exhale.”

He didn’t know where he was, he didn’t know who was talking to him, and he didn’t know what was going on. But the voice told him again to inhale, so he did. How could he hear it so good through all the chaos?

“You’re overstimulating yourself. All you have to do is end it, red. Focus on your power. Reroute it. Turn it off,”

“Can’t,” He wheezed.

“Who is he talking to?” Came a distant voice.

“Me, dumbass,” Came another. “Open your eyes and look at us. It’ll help.”

Bentley tried to force his eyelids open, but they didn’t really move. 

“Turn it off. These powers don’t control you, you control them. So turn. Them. Off,”

Bentley took a deep breath, attempting to force the blood to quiet. For the water to get out of his head. How was he just supposed to cut it off? If he couldn’t even control his body, how could he control his powers?

“Open your eyes and look at us,”

With what remaining willpower he had left, he forced his eyes open.

Vera’s face was hovering not a foot from his own, her eyes boring into his. She had a death grip on his hands, which was strange, considering shewasn’t the one having the anxiety attack. 

He glanced to his left. He was sitting on the ground now, which he hadn’t noticed at all in the moment. Varian was there, holding onto his left arm for dear life, like Bentley would literally float away if he didn’t. His demeanor was completely changed, his brown eyes swirling with worry and fear.

On his right sat Asten, cool as a cucumber, like he always was. One of his hands was supporting Bentley’s head at the base of his neck, the other resting on one of his knees that was pulled up to his chest. He didn’t remember sitting down, nor did he remember curling up like that.

The water started to quiet. The blood started to fade.

Layla, Summer, Georgia, and Koa were hovering off to the side, all watching with varying degrees of worry. He couldn’t bring himself to look at them. Why, of all times, did it have to be in front of all of his supposed-to-be friends that his body decided it was a good time to go berserk without him?

He breathed in, looking down at the concrete of the sidewalk beneath him. The people walking were making wide circles around the group, not a single one stopping to check if they were alright.

He exhaled shakily. 

“I’m sorry,” He whispered, wrenching his hands from Vera’s grip to bring up and wipe over his face. It wasn’t wet, which meant he hadn’t cried — which made the whole thing a tiny bit less embarrassing, he guessed.

“Hey, no. Don’t say sorry,” Asten ordered, squeezing his knee gently. “That was a short one — it wasn’t so bad. Maybe ten minutes.”

Bentley glanced up at the rest of the group, only to glance immediately back down at their worried gazes. 

“Should we go back to the school?” Summer questioned, and Vera immediately shook her head. 

“That’s a long walk for someone who just had a literal panic attack,” 

“We’re close to my house,” Layla suggested, glancing up the street. “Let’s take him there.”

Bentley said nothing, but kept looking down at his own hands. Asten’s hand moved from the back of his neck up, raking through his hair like Bruce did. It was something they’d learned over time; constant touch — a system Bruce had come up with to keep Bentley present after anxiety attacks, to keep him from slipping away again. But, given the way Varian was holding onto him for dear life, he was pretty sure they’d be okay in that department.

“Is that okay with you, B?” Asten muttered from right next to him. Bentley inhaled, then nodded.

“Yeah…” Anywhere away from judgmental eyes was good, in his book. A hole in the middle of the desert would also suffice.

With a few hands of help, Bentley was hauled off the ground, and after a moment, they started walking.

Of course, of all the times in the world, he’d have an attack then.

What else should he have expected? His life hardly went to plan.

He just hoped that after this, it would… Y’know. Give him a break, maybe?

(Probably not.)

—

dedicated to @sassenashsworld ❤️

—

tag list! (If you want me to remove or add you, ask in comments!)

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @flyrobinflyy @skylathescholar @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun @xiaonothere @beatyoutothatusernameloser

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

The Beginning Of The End Series

Summary: You were once a “honeybee”, now you’re simply a “bunny”. Can an alliance and friendship still last after one’s former lover became the current lover of another?

Pairings: ELP x Reader x Jay White

Warnings: +18, mentions of cheating, cursing.

A/N: When I began writing this series both ELP and Jay were part of the Bullet Club. So for plot reasons let’s pretend it’s still that way lol

The Past was once a Present, and a Present is a possible Future…possible.

Tag: @theworldofotps , @writtingrose , @aerynscrichton , @daddyhausen , @melissahausen , @unoficialy-married-to-ace-austin , @sophiewolfheart-blog , @sultryfandoms , @new-zealand-chic , @crowleysqueenofhell , @thealliasylum , @legit9thlunaticwarrior , @baysexuality , @josiewrites , @seeingstarks , @irish-newzealand-idian-dutch , @whenimakeitshine1234 , @moxkindagirl , @sunshinevirus , @im-just-a-mississippi-girl , @pleasantpastels

A 12 hour flight and one taxi ride to Tokyo Dome later, I found myself walking around backstage while waiting for my boyfriend to come back from his match.

Riley needed this, this reassurance. The certainty that I was indeed madly in love with him as much as he was with me. The certainty that the past was just that - the past, with no room for it being the present again or a possible future.

His over excited voice echoed through the hallway before he turned the corner to find me standing close to the Bullet Club’s locker room doors. Riley’s blue eyes lightened up once he saw me and a wide smile took over his lips “Holy shit! What are you doing here?!” His long legs ran towards me before he picked me up in his arms and captured my lips in a deep kiss.

The sweat from his torso stained the front of my red t-shirt and I could feel a pair of gray eyes deadly staring at us.

“This is G1’s week! The most important week of your career! And since I’m on vacation from work I thought it would be a good idea to stop by for some emotional support”

“Why didn’t you tell me they were gonna give you your vacation this month?! You’re spending the whole month here with me?”

“Yeah. And to be fair I wanted it to be a surprise so…” I smiled widely before brushing his wet hair away from his forehead “Are you ok with having me as a roommate for a month?”

A small snort left Riley’s lips “Oh no, that will be a nightmare! Replacing Ishimori’s loud ass snoring and farts for your gorgeous face and delicious body will be a real struggle. I honestly don’t know if I can handle that” He sighed heavily in fake disappointment before I giggled “You’re so ridiculous”.

Riley’s loud shocked gasp made my giggle turn into a loud laugh

“I thought you loved my sense of humor!”

“I do, my love” I pecked his lips “I really do”

One of the production assistants called for him while pointing at a door down the hall. Riley nodded once before placing me down on the floor “Look, I have to shoot a promo real quick, do you mind waiting for me here?”

“No, not at all. Go ahead, don’t keep them waiting too long”

“Thank you” He pecked my lips “I’ll be back in a blink”

The minute he ran towards the door where he would shoot the promo, I turned around to find the same gray eyes still staring at me.

The eyes I once loved were filled with something I couldn’t quite read. Perhaps it was anger or jealousy, maybe even hurt, no one could really tell.

When it comes to Jay White, no one can tell what’s really going on inside his mind.

“Him?” He frowned “So you’re together now or what? Why am I only knowing about this - whatever it’s going on between the two of you - now?”

“And why would I or Riley tell you anything about our private lives?”

“Why him?”

“Why do you care?”

Jay’s jaw clenched when he didn’t get a proper answer “You know I care about you”

“Funny how your actions prove the exact opposite”

“What the fuck did you want me to do, huh?” He closed the distance between us “She was pregnant! What should I do? Kick her to the curb?”

“And conveniently enough she got pregnant when you asked me for some time apart”

“I’ve never cheated on you if that’s what you’re implying!”

“Right! You didn’t cheat on me, Jay. You just chose her instead”

“For fucks sake I didn’t choose shit! I had no choice, honeybee!”

“Stop calling me that!” I felt my jaw clenching with rage “And yes, you did! You had a choice, Jay. And you made your choice, now live with it!”

“What’s this, huh?” He pointed towards the direction Riley went “Is that your revenge? A little payback for what you think I did to you?”

“Do not assume that I would have a relationship with someone just to spite you, Jay. Trust me, you’re not that important”

A small laugh left his lips “Are you really trying to convince me that you have real feelings for him? Really? That loser? C’mon, bee. We both know he’ll never be on my level”.

The loud noise followed the burning feeling on Jay’s skin when my palm connected to his cheek, “You better watch your mouth! You will never be half of the man Riley is!” I pointed my index finger at his face “And I would be more respectful of his name when I’m around if I were you”

Jay opened his mouth to say something but a pair of hands pushed him away from me.

“What the fuck is your problem?!” Riley squared up to Jay and pulled me behind his back “Next time you get that close to her I’ll break your fucking neck!”

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try, tough boy!” Jay smirked “She was mine before being yours! As a matter of fact, she’s still mine. Because you’ll never own her the way I did and still do. But we both know that, don’t we?”

The growl that left Riley’s lips was a warning for the punch he was about to give in Jay’s face. I quickly pulled Riley away from the Bullet Club leader and placed myself in front of him in order to block his attempt of beating Jay up.

“Baby, look at me” I cupped his cheeks with my hands before pulling his head down “Rye, look at me!”

His blue eyes held a haze of confusion and pure rage “Don’t do it, he’s not worth it. C’mon, let’s go back to the hotel-“

“What’s the matter, huh? The great ELP can’t handle the truth?” Jay mocked “Or maybe he can’t handle some competition because deep down he knows he’ll end up being the loser he always is” Jay chuckled before taking a deep breath in “Can you smell it, Riley? Your despair sinking in? Your brain telling you that I’m right? That she IS mine and that she WILL come back to me? You know it’s just a matter of time, right?”

Unable to hear that anymore, I pulled Riley away from the locker room and towards the parking lot while Jay kept screaming behind us.

“That’s right, you little bitch. Run! Run, Riley. And enjoy your last days with her because soon enough she’ll come back to me!”

[pico-digital-studios]

Into, Across and Beyond! Cast: Benjamin's Funkin' Allies

Gracie: We called you guys together not just to save Salty, but to preserve the very fabric of reality itself. Benjamin: As it stands, the multiverse needs us to keep it safe, and we can't let some nasty society try to disrupt us doing the right thing. Gracie: So, our goal is simple. Save our friend, safeguard every universe... and never back down!

This post is for documenting info about the allies by Benjamin's side after he fended off Cam Malicious/Agent Blueballs in a prior post. Discounting Grace, Pico and Sky, alongside Benjamin's new boyfriend, he has a variety of allies working alongside him from across the Funkinverse (yes, the same concept by @robovoidfrog).

ErroRhythmic Beats Softie / Benjamin Fairest

Origin: FNF Soft (original concept); ErroRhythmic Beats (my expanded take on the guy) Home universe: Earth-111723 Age: 11

"What those creeps did is really unjust, other Toughie, and I'm willing to do my best to help get your Softie back home. That I can promise!"

The counterpart of Benjamin Fairest in the ErroRhythmic Beats universe, and at present the adoptive younger brother of Benjamin Miku.

The whole situation he went through wasn't all that different to what the original Softie had to face; he was an aspiring painter who wanted to make his own way in life. The issue was his parents, Frank and Marilyn Fairest, being outright abusive towards him and trying to force him into the life of a musician. The kid suffered physical AND mental abuse in the parents' bid to try and make him comply with their fabricated reality.

Eventually, he had enough and, alongside his boyfriend, Piyan N. Griffiths (the EB counterpart to Soft Pico), departed into the streets to get away from them, leading them to search day and night for their son to force him back home. Piyan himself was a wanted fugitive for the big school shooting Pico himself had to defuse, so he had to keep a low cover whilst dating Softie in shadows.

During their time out and about, Piyan did his best to sort out the cigarette burns on Ben's neck as a result of his father's abuse, and respected the kid's decision (which was forced upon him) to consistently dye his hair blue. Their time on the streets also gave Ben time to practice his art skills. Of course, he has a habit of drinking the paint water instead of his proper water, so Piyan tends to swap water cups when necessary to keep Ben from getting ill.

Of course, Piyan himself has a habit of spraying himself and Ben in the face with his spray can whenever he's doing spray art, and is notorious for not checking what end the spray nozzle is at before squirting away. Despite the odd fight they get into, the two guys still love each other to death, and Piyan's more than willing to keep Ben safe from his abusive parents.

Speaking of that, around the same time as the events Benjamin, Grace and Pico got caught up in, that's when Frank caught up to them and tried to force Ben to come back home by force, clearly not caring for what his son actually wanted. Fortunately, Piyan sprayed Frank in the face, temporarily blinding him whilst he and Softie bolted it to the train station.

There, they were met by Benji's childhood friend, Gracelyn Dent (Soft GF). In their youth, they used to hang out a lot together (mainly as a way to get away from the former's abusive parents for a bit), and it was clear she was ashamed of her body shape a lot, hence why she had her oversized sweater dress to try and hide her physique. Seeing this, Ben would often draw sweet pictures of her to help her feel better.

In addition, they always loved getting the latest Pokémon games together, and would always opt for whichever version of the game the other didn't have. Through this bond, Gracelyn developed feelings for Ben, but had difficulty spitting it out after Ben ran away from home. She believed the lies spread about Piyan at first, though after Ben had to reaffirm his identity, she felt heartbroken, though a hug between the friends at least helped her feel a bit better and ready to accept them being better as friends.

Unfortunately, the sweetness wasn't to last, since Marilyn Mearest showed up, hoisting the gay couple on her limousine to try and "persuade" (sic: force) him to come back home. Even with all the lies she said, Piyan stood up for Ben, and Ben in turn affirmed that he was going to live the life he wanted, whether she and Frank wanted him to or not.

And when she was getting especially pissed off with them, they both made a dive for it to escape, and it took them a month to recover from the injuries they sustained, thanks to a lack of funds for hospital treatment. But at least they had each other for the time being. Of course, the culmination of their efforts would come around that same Christmas, where Ben finally snapped at his parents and exposed their nature in public, shattering their goodwill in the public eye and moving past his trauma once and for all.

That's when he and Benjamin Miku met for the first time when he and his family were also celebrating Christmas, when Softie's parents were trying to get after him. Immediately, Oliver and Alice scooped the kid up in their arms and warned the Fairests to back off, with Benjamin himself also warning them to stay away from their "son". It got especially ugly for the Fairests when Daniel Dearest, who was making amends in that year, got involved and called them out for their heartless abuse.

Fortunately, the Fairests were both arrested on the grounds of covering up child abuse, and Piyan was glad they got their just desserts. The charges put on him were cleared thanks to him proving his innocence, and Softie was ultimately adopted into the Miku family. Safe to say, he really enjoys being around his new family a lot more than the Fairests, and even better is that they respected the career he wanted to pursue.

After this, he continued pursuing art with Piyan by his side, the duo bonding closely as the loving couple they were. They even adopted a street cat they found out and about, taking good care of it and nursing it back to good health. And each Sunday, they also tend to accompany Skid and Pump to get some extra funds, and have aimed to go trick-or-treating with them too.

After hearing about the mess Cam tried to rope Benjamin into, Softie willingly tagged along with the guy to help put a stop to The X and defy "fate". In fact, he was the one that ultimately convinced the original Soft Pico to tag along, his natural blond hair on his forehead being the best way to tell the versions apart (and there as a keepsake thanks to the Mikus not minding his natural hair colour) and knowing what it was like to lose someone close to you.

Barbara

Origin: Arrow Funk Home universe: Earth-22512 Age: 18

"Whatever that werewolf lady wanted with Bidu, I'm taggin' along to put a stop to it! Just gimme enough treats to last the trip, and I'll be your forever ally!"

Barbara is the adoptive daughter of the famed Grape Sago in her universe, and thus the Girlfriend to Bidu's Boyfriend. You'll find she has quite the appreciation for sweet treats, especially ice lollies, and she's rarely ever seen without one.

In her dimension, Bidu was framed by his boss, Kevin, for apparently having a drug addiction, which the dude denied, though the rumour was clearly there to encourage people to get at the guy so that Kevin could get more customers from the club brawls. Luckily, Barbara was more than happy to stick by Bidu's side, despite her dad disapproving of the two hanging out together.

Of course, we've yet to know about Bidu's actual name. He's simply dubbed "Bidu", as that's an affectionate nickname Barbara gave him thanks to her love of sweets. Of course, she's not actually aware her parents are both demons, despite the obvious signs being there.

Their most recent endeavour was avoiding getting their brains blown out at the hands of Dono (their universe's Pico), and Barbara and Bidu both made it out of that encounter safe and sound. It wasn't too long after that that their dimension was sighted by Judith (the Girlfriend from FNF DJX), who was asked to look into early-bird Boyfriends and see if they were good candidate potential for the Funkin' Society.

Though Bidu was a bit interested in the idea of joining other people like him, Barbara kept Judith back from him, her behaviour toward Bidu giving her a very bad feeling about the werewolf girl. Fortunately for them, Judith was polite enough to respect their boundaries and just let them go about their business, but was worried about what Cam would think.

Not long after this, Benjamin and EV!Softie started their search around the Funkinverse at their place, and neither of them had seen Salty in their world. However, Barbara said she was more than happy to ally with Ben's cause (just so long as there was enough treats for the trip), since she wanted answers as to why someone came to force a sinister offer on her boyfriend. It's after this that she learned about the two-way conflict, and that's how she got her part in the race to save Salty and stop The X.

Soft Pico (the original version)

Origin: FNF Soft Home universe: Earth-10143 Age: 19

"Sounds like that guy's itching for trouble. I don't care what his "good intentions" are, but NOBODY forcefully steals Baby Blue from me and gets away with it. In that case, I'm coming with you to get him back from those creeps!"

This time, let's focus on the original Soft Pico, and his whole role in the situation.

His situation is just like what Piyan went through, only he's the Pico of his universe and was framed for setting off the school shooting, forcing him to ditch school and go undercover. Thankfully for him, Softie had his back and knew he was innocent in all of this. And as per canon, he does not approve of the Fairests OR their treatment of Softie.

The above story that EV!Softie went through still applies, though between the street and the train station, Soft Pico and Soft Benji stopped off at a mansion, where they met their universe's version of Skid and Pump, alongside the shy kid facing a physical manifestation of his fear from abuse.

Fortunately, by the time these events played out, the Fairests were given their just desserts as well, though only Soft Pico knows what happened to them after they were ratted out. Soft Grace also got over trying to marry Soft Ben, and instead went on to date the Senpai of her universe. The night after was when Ben came into contact with the original Boyfriend, who encouraged him to chase his dreams instead of being stuck being a replica of the "real deal".

However, the following morning, something worrying happened; Softie had mysteriously vanished when Soft Pico woke up, which worried him gravely. He knew the Fairests couldn't have been involved, since the public perception of them declined a lot after they were publicly exposed for their crimes, and he didn't hold Soft Grace responsible for it, since she gave up trying to bring Benji back to her.

One evening, when he was on the search, he indeed found Softie again... except it wasn't his Softie. As it happened, it was EV!Softie, having come there with Grace after discovering the world had its Boyfriend absent. With Soft Pico desperate for answers, Grace explained what happened; the original Softie was captured by Cam Malicious in his sleep and brought into the Funkin' Society by force, likely as one of those planned to be conditioned into the ways of "canon events".

Soft Pico did know that Softie was brave enough to stand his ground there, and he had backing from Leo (Neo BF) and B3 as friends to bide his time until he could get back out of there. But the guy still wanted to get even with Cam for doing this without permission OR respect for their rights. With that in mind, he joined Benjamin's alliance with no questions asked to get his Softie back and give the Funkin' Society rogues what for.

Alt MIX Boyfriend

Origin: Funkin' MIX Home universe: Earth-72599 Age: 19

"You don't needa say anythin' more, kid. If the price is just right, I'll join your cause to keep our land safe from rogues. And, er, the other me workin' with 'em."

Now, let's look into a Boyfriend who might've turned out MUCH differently canonically if things took a turn for the worst.

This is where MIX Boyfriend comes in. After the events of the infamous school shooting, Boyfriend was left deeply affected by the incident. As such, he went on to become a professional killer for Daddy Dearest, and has since become paranoid, always carrying his Uzi at all times, even when outside of the job.

One day, after completing one of his missions, he accidentally overheard a conversation going on between his boss and her daughter. She wanted to help her father with the business, but out of fear for her safety, he turned down her request. Hearing this, BF took pity on her, deciding to give her a hand behind DD's back. He teaches her to shoot, she teaches him to sing. Seems easy enough.

A week passed, and Daddy Dearest was starting to feel some suspicions about his employee's "urgent" affairs between missions, so one day, he sneakily eyed on the dude as he made his way out. He very quickly found out about his daughter's new lover and accomplice, blocking them at the door and warning his employee to prove his strength to get her. Fortunately, BF overpowered his boss, even disarming him for good pleasure to signify himself as the winner.

That said, it's best not to look to him as a role model. Yes, the original Boyfriend isn't much better in that regard, but the negative traits are amplified to eleven with MIX Boyfriend. He's cold-blooded at times whilst on the job, enjoys fast food, smokes while no-one's around, and has even made his thumb bleed through biting it with his sharp teeth, in the name of arousing GF. Despite these, though, he can be quite the pleasant guy to be around, just so long as you aren't the one he's targetting.

Most recently was him trying to deal with a goopy monster that captured the Lila from the canon Spooky Month universe, though shortly after that was when he was hired into the Funkin' Society by Cam. ...At least, his official self. I'm talking about an alternate version of him who never got encountered by Cam to begin with.

So, that was the next port of call for Benjamin's alliance, to brief him in on what was going on and how Cam and The X are both prime targets who are both trying to ruin Salty's life in their own ways. All it took was a fair and upfront one-time payment of 10 bucks to get MIX Boyfriend on board to save the multiverse with the team.

I can't really answer why BF has that white eye. Not even he remembers how he got it.

B-Bot

Origin: Mega Man: Funkin' Heroes Home universe: Earth-12488

"Beep de boodai, boo! [You can count on me, friend!]"

The version of Boyfriend from this universe isn't like the rest, being a custom-made Robot Master made by an unknown creator. What helps him stand out is that his "mic" is linked to his blaster, hovering just in close proximity to it, and he tends to get out of most trouble by either singing through it or fighting out.

It was one day when he was dispatched near Dr. Albert Wily's first fortress, where he encountered the one and only Mega Man there and proved his worth in a one-on-one duel with him. With this on hand, the hero and hero-yet-to-be came up with a plan. They would breach different spots in the fortress and distract Wily's worst machines to give the Blue Bomber a chance to face Wily.

So that's what was agreed on, with B-Bot going in the deeper areas of the base to take on the Copy Robot and an eldritch defect known as Me-Gone-Man, while Rock took on the Yellow Devil and then Dr. Wily personally to teach the evil doctor what for. In the aftermath, with no place to go back to, B-Bot went back to Dr. Light's lab with Rock, the two welcomed back with open arms.

So after that situation, the two worked strongly together to overpower Wily's further schemes, bringing Proto Man back into Light's lab again in the process, and later getting even with Bass and Treble for their allegiance to Wily. With no sign of his original creator after these events, B-Bot has since been taken in by Dr. Light as one of his own, and was treated the respect he deserved by helping stop Wily time and time again.

When Pico and Barbara came to investigate that dimension looking for recruits to overpower the Funkin' Society and The X, B-Bot didn't need any other reason to ally with them, other than the good will inside his core. This makes him the token robot in Benjamin's Funkin' allies (the second of which if counting Boom as a member of the joint heroes), and he's very proud of being part of such a grand mission.

Return Funkin' GF

Origin: The Return Funkin' Home universe: Earth-15221 Age: 19

"I'll try tapping into my powers again, so I can at least be of some use to you all. But other than that, count me in!"

This version of Girlfriend is from a mod harkening back to the classic mods of FNF history. Not too much is actually known about her, but it's rumoured she could be an alternate proxy of the original GF, thanks to the motives she and her Boyfriend had; doing travels to past locations and re-encountering past rivals again.

For the occasion, GF's changed up her outfit a bit compared to her original self. Instead of her dress that shows off her thighs, she's opted for a comfy red hoodie and baggy jeans, alongside tying her hair back to make her better stand out from her original self. And likewise, she was able to conjure up an alternate outfit for Boyfriend as well to fit the theme.

As we know of, the only character they've re-encountered is Whitty, in the same famous alleyway we remember facing him in. Of course, the bomb-head wasn't too pleased at seeing them show up again, and he quickly got angry at their refusal to leave him be, though thankfully not as destructive as last time. Thanks to this, the couple decided to hold off on the old rival hunt to keep out of danger for the time being.

Unfortunately, the encounter left GF without her usual abilities aside from teleportation, which was how she bailed herself and BF out of the encounter, and it was clearly going to take her time to get back in the groove of using them again. So due to this, the couple hung low to avoid any nasty encounters for the time being.

The presence of a Boyfriend in the Return Funkin' universe was what led to Benjamin and Soft Pico checking it out, coming across the two just hanging out. They explained that the two were currently lucky that neither were approached for a place in the Funkin' Society, considering how much of a crapsack utopia it is. And in the name of helping others, GF was more than happy to come along and help, just so long as she could sort her powers out to be of good help to the team.

Mii Boyfriend

Origin: Wii Funkin - VS Matt Home universe: Earth-1119 Age: 4 years since his creation on a Wii console; 19 mentally

"Beep bop bodai! (I'll come along!)"

Of course, a multiverse isn't complete without the occasional oddball in the mix, and said oddball is in the form of a Mii version of Boyfriend, hand-designed by somebody on a Nintendo Wii console and used quite a bit in games on the console, particularly with a Girlfriend Mii accompanying him too.

His most common usage is being in and around the Wii games that primarily have a focus on Mii characters, such as Wii Fit, Wii Party, Wii Music, and of course, Wii Sports (Resort)! Most famously, he was assigned in a boxing match to take on Matt, the game's ever-famous boxer NPC, at the highest difficulty possible. And through a LOT of grueling challenges, he ultimately won the brawl and got Matt's respect for being able to keep pace the whole way.

And in his spare time when not being assigned by a player for Mii-based games, he's simply chilling out around Wuhu Island, situated off the coast from Japan, living in harmony with fellow Miis taking residence there and discovering the mysteries behind the Island Spirit that watched over them, who did not want turmoil to be brought into the land and ensured that the residents did not take the island's bounties for granted.

Even then, the scars felt from the island's side of World War II are still prominent in the present day, and Mii BF did not want to unintentionally spark trauma in any war veterans that survived the conflict on the island's shores, instead providing support and comfort for any affected Miis in their lives.

It was one day when Mii BF and Mii GF were chilling out on the shores of Sugarsand Beach that an attempt to pull Mii BF into the Funkin' Society was attempted, but his data was ultimately incompatible with the unjust acts of the society, so he couldn't be contacted by Cam or Judith, leading them to just leave the Mii to his own devices.

Fortunately, Return Funkin' GF and EV!Softie had no trouble getting in, using interdimensional watches to temporarily shift themselves into Miis to blend in better while the Wii's player was out for the day. They explained the situation to Mii BF, who finally had an answer for why he briefly glitched out one day. Because he needed something exciting to do for the day, the Mii was happy to agree to joining the crew in their act to disrupt the Funkin' Society and stop The X before he can harm anyone close to Salty.

Evan

Origin: Friday Night Funkin' - Childhood Memories Home universe: Earth-8814 Age: 8

"Hey, it's okay. Even though I can't really fight all those bullies, I'll still be around to show emotional support to you wherever I can."

Of the gang in Benjamin's group, Evan is by far the youngest of them all, and is from a mod me and @becdoesthings are currently directing (formerly owned by NotSoDevy).

In his youth, Evan was one of the shy kids at school and tried to do his best to make friends. Part of this is down to him being autistic, explaining his difficulties in interacting with other people. He got bullied a lot, but fortunately, things changed for the better when Holly got involved and made the bullies back off.

Since then, the duo have been very close friends and have enjoyed spending time together. Holly's parents' are at an unknown place, hence why she often hangs out at Evan's home, and is treated as if she were a part of Evan's family to begin with while her parents are out. Evan's mum and dad have also both been really supportive of him and wished him the best going on in life.

On weekends after school, Evan and Holly often spend time together watching children's TV shows, such as Blue's Clues (Evan's favourite), Elmo's World, Little Einsteins, Team Umizoomi... The whole lot you used to see on kids' channels back in the day. Since Evan often feels lonely, even with Holly about, the fourth-wall breaking nature of the shows helps ignite Evan's curiosity and desire to interact with the characters in question.

In terms of interests, Evan really enjoys drawing pictures, whilst Holly is a singer. As Holly is more outgoing and energetic, this could be a given for her. Evan also has the habit of tripping over on occasion, but fortunately, Holly is always close by to help him up. There is an iteration of Pico in Evan's world, but the two have never crossed paths. In addition, the infamous school shooting never occurred, rendering their innocence intact.

There was one day, however, when things got especially crazy. When Evan and Holly were watching some DVDs one weekend, a lightning strike came out of nowhere and zapped the DVD player, causing Evan and Holly to be pulled inside. There, they were met by Nick Jr.'s ex-host, Face, and after introductions, the plucky sentient face tagged along with the kids in the form of a handheld Holly carried with her while they figured out how to leave and get back home.

So the three travelled together through worlds based on many classic childhood shows, making friends with the characters they met along the way and overall having a really enjoyable time with the colourful characters. By the end, Evan was saddened that he had to go, though Face reassured him that he'll be able to visit again some other time if he wanted to, and even if he couldn't, Face would always make sure to keep watch on him from the boundaries of the TV screen.

Of the dimensions, Evan's world is one Benjamin himself has visited quite often, and though Evan was pretty shy about meeting another Boyfriend, Ben remained gentle with him while he got the confidence to come closer. Since then, Ben has dedicated time each Sunday to look after him, and Evan in turn was excited to show him his DVD collection. Needless to say, the two boys really enjoyed being together whenever the opportunity was available.

After Cam had attempted to apprehend Ben before, this world was one of the first that he went to, with Barbara alongside him, mainly to check that Evan was alright and clearly fearful that Cam might've targeted him as he did with Lexi Robin before. Fortunately, the Funkin' Society hadn't had enough time to track Evan down, so he was all well and good.

After introducing Evan to Barbara, Ben was about to head out, though Evan simply wanted to tag along, wanting to help people however he could. Ben was more hesitant, considering Evan was the youngest would-be recruit he knew, but after some persuasion, and asking his parents if it was alright, Ben got him on board for the trip, where he's been serving as emotional support for any of the guys or gals that need it.

Neo Girlfriend

Origin: Friday Night Funkin' Neo Home universe: Earth-21821 Age: 19

"Wherever they've taken my babe for too long, I don't want him involved in this nonsense. I'm tagging along to ensure he'll be alright!"

Onto one more FNF AU, and this one is aglow with flashy lights and neon colours. In this "Neo" universe is the counterpart of Girlfriend, who had been getting into plenty of DJ work herself prior to meeting her Boyfriend/Leo.

Rap battle opportunities were ripe for those who were deemed worthy by Neo Daddy Dearest, and Leo was itching to prove himself and get involved in actual gigs. Neo GF kept watch over him during each performance to ensure he was doing alright. Things quickly derailed at the Raveyard, however, when the Neo Monster came about to wreak havoc.

Fortunately, the two could get out of that pickle, but Monster quickly sent his henchmen, including Neo Pico, in a bid to apprehend Leo and bring him to Monster alive. Fortunately, they made the bounty hunters back off, just in time for some music video filming with Neo Mommy Mearest... on top of a frickin' PLANE! (Granted, Benjamin was on a stage carried in the sky, but this is different.)

After that wrapped up, they landed by a party hall in Neo City, where they could celebrate the success of the music video together, though Leo and Neo DD had some... choice things to say about each other.

Leo: I say you're on, shit lips! Neo Daddy Dearest: STOP CALLING ME SHIT LIPS Leo: STOP CALLING ME GLOWSDICK

Unfortunately, Monster quickly crashed the party again, referring to Leo constantly as his "son" during their conflict. And in the aftermath, Leo passed out and was taken captive by Monster's gang. After he escaped, he was later proven worthy for the Funkin' Society, an act Neo GF explicitly disapproved of. It took around a week for her to figure out how to get after him, though her luck came when Benjamin and Soft Pico came along.

It had already been a day since the big chase in the Funkin' Society HQ, and Neo GF was absolutely itching to find answers as to what business Leo was forcefully entangled in. As such, she quickly enlisted to help the crew out, and she became good friends with Soft Pico during their time together, due to both having a matching motive.

BluBuni

Created by: Leideri on Twitter Home universe: Earth-923 Age: 13

"If you need help, I'll give you whatever help you need! You can count on me!"

Now for a more unique one; a female spin on a popular BF take, specifically for Bunfriend, in the form of BluBuni. As it stands, we don't know what her actual name is, as she's only known by her nickname.

Similarly to Bunfriend being a cool and radical dude in his Sonic universe, BluBuni is equally outgoing, and borders on being an outright genki girl thanks to her often happy personality and ability to see the bright side of so much. She is easily excitable by thrilling prospects like action movies, and had developed a fascination with Little Planet and it revolving around the concept of time itself.

She's often accompanied by Goatfriend, who's a good friend of hers and often has her back in more dangerous situations. Despite her general silly nature, she knows when to take a situation seriously, and doesn't like it whenever Goatfriend and one of her other friends butt heads sometimes. She's also very caring for anyone she's close to, though the concept of romance mostly flies right over her head for some reason, and it's because of this that the two friends aren't an item in their universe (in this interpretation, at least).

However, deep down, she suffers from some trauma she hasn't been able to truly shake; the death of her big brother at the hands of an EXE that terrorised her land at one point. The EXE in question was driven back out, but that side of the damage remained done. Despite this, she doesn't let this trauma weigh her down, knowing her brother would want her to keep going and shining bright for his sake.

It was the day after Cam's attempted capturing of Benjamin that Kenji Tensei showed up in BluBuni's dimension, after having been retrieved following Gracie overpowering him before. Though, instead of trying to enlist BluBuni into the Funkin' Society, he got sidetracked with his anime trope wonk, simply baffling the girl. Of course, this gave Benjamin, Grace and Mii BF the opening to catch him off-guard and knock him out.

Ben explained the situation to BluBuni, who was more than eager to help save the day with him, simply out of the goodness in her heart, while Goatfriend dealt with Kenji while he was stuck there. It was during the trip that Ben and Blu started to develop a very close brother-sister bond with each other, the former admiring her positive thinking and the latter admiring his heroics and overall kindness.

(BluBuni sprite by JH-Production)

Even after the defeat of The X, BluBuni had been hanging out with Benjamin pretty often, wanting to get to know his world better and bond with his friends as well. You can usually catch them having donuts together (with a banana each too to keep their diet healthy). Of course, if you say they're a couple at the moment (still working on how that could really start out), it's a quick surefire way to get them both flustered, though it won't lower their guards if in combat together.

Bently Forceloyed

Origin: New Identity, New Life (part of this story) Home universe: Earth-12124 Age: 14

(Sketch by @mcgamejolter)

"I've seen more than enough monsters trying to harm others to know immediately you're up to no good, Cam. [...] Don't talk bullshit to me, Agent. We're not friends anymore, and I will not be maintaining your "canon" with you!"

Finally, let's look at a Boyfriend who's technically the new kid on the block... or rather, an alternate version of Benjamin himself, who got off much worse in the aftermath of More than One Universe.

If you want to know a basic summary of his story from his perspective, please read this post. Otherwise, please keep reading!

During the big conflict, the alternate Benjamin fell victim to possession at the hands of a spirit known as Puhoi, who went on to flat-out massacre everyone and everything he came to care for. It got to the point that his own dimension wasn't safe for him anymore, so he left the confines of his mind and escaped into the vast multiverse, eventually picking a city world, Earth-12124, as his place of residence.

He entered the world with another human-esque friend, known as Livie Vernal (the expy of Skid here), alongside a hefty sum of money that could help him get by in the new world. And thanks to him sharing his love of music to Livie, that's when he met Isabella Fondsmith, the two quickly growing close as lovers.

Of course, a dark past was bound to catch up to Bently Forceloyed eventually, especially since he was still infected with the Puhoi curse. He had some dark dreams where he encountered Audrey, the previous bearer of the curse, trapped for his sins, and despite what he said, Bently couldn't bring himself to accept the curse as a gift.

After enough time, Audrey broke back out of the domain himself into Bently's apartment, necessitating him and Livie to look after him as much as possible. Bently also settled back into school during that time, and though he didn't need to go back, he still opted to anyway thanks to the opportunity to meet new friends.

His presence did catch the attention of the city's government, though, and they sent a trainee agent known as Koda Terrafirm (Alt Pico) to sort him out. It took a couple of clashes between them, but those clashes were enough to bury the hatchet between them.

With time, however, the stress from looking after Audrey so much was starting to burn Bently out, so he wanted to see about getting him moved to a residence that he could feel safe and loved in, specifically the residence of Otto Maypole (Alt Pump). The guilt of doing so caught up with Bently fast, though, when Audrey was worried that Bently might have hated him for his times to his dark past.

After Bently reaffirmed that he didn't really hate Audrey, he stayed over with the Maypoles for a few days, feeling ill AND deeply depressed from his decision. Audrey did manage to make a compromise for them both, of course; he'd take the curse's energy while transferring more positive energy to Bently in return, similarly to when he was once an angel.

One "nightmare" Bently had led to him confronting his past self (the real deal), and despite a misunderstanding and some very personal combat, Bently quickly came clean to Benjamin about his struggles and his fear about getting things wrong again. And thanks to Grace and Isabella also connecting through the dreamscape, Bently emerged from the dream feeling a lot better and more ready to help protect his new home.

Not long after the sleepover finished was when Otto's big brother, Getto, came to stay over while preparing for exams. Audrey took a quick liking to the guy (perhaps a crush deep down, mmm? :3), and even had the technical know-how to develop a special watch for him that displayed a whole manner of facts. And these facts managed to help Getto complete his exams with success.

Bently also got back into the swing of crime-fighting, using some retractable triangle blades on his gloves to attack criminals with, and he doesn't play nice if there's no other way to reason with someone hellbent in their own ways.

Of course, the dark past couldn't be evaded forever. Puhoi came back shortly after, using Audrey's body as a bid to talk things out with Bently, though the kid reaffirmed that he'd rather not have anything to do with him. The possession had a side-effect on Audrey in that it rendered him sick for a day, which also happened to Isabella when she was briefly possessed by another spirit that trailed after him.

Eventually, Puhoi had to confine in Bently as a voluntary host to keep away from the Society of Souls, who were hellbent on harming him for even showing the slightest bit of weakness. Bently did reluctantly agree after enough persuasion, and found himself growing more and more inclined to keep Puhoi safe after observing the scars he endured.

One day, however (specifically the day after Cam's failed apprehension of Benjamin), was when an out-of-world case had to be dealt with. Bently had caught sight of a cartoony hooligan known as Max Chaos causing trouble and went to deal with him, though was kept on the ropes thanks to his cartoon physics. Of course, Isabella was also present to briefly outwit him by blocking the front door of the bank off.

And soon enough, Bently chased him down to a car park where the cops had failed to apprehend Max. And though Max was about to knock Bently out cold like he did with the police, Cam showed up at the right time to attack him and trick him into speaking out loud (he usually uses signs to speak, ala Wile E. Coyote), bringing him to Bently's attention and getting the two teaming up to sort the crook out.

Max: What's up with dis whole trouble tryna mag me anyway, mac?! Bently: To keep this city safe from bandits like you! Max: Bandit?! Why- I'm new here! Dis is my first time doin' a crime. Ya see, I grew up- Cam: Silence! Bently: What's his reputation like? Cam: <Ran over and destroyed numerous planets in a cartoon gag, literally shattered the fourth wall, can grab a nuclear warhead from hammerspace, and he's got a huge bounty on his head in his world.>

Together, the two counterparts managed to defeat Max Chaos and send him on a one-way trip back to his dimension to be dealt with there. After that was when Cam considered enlisting Bently into the Funkin' Society, seeing as he was a bit more open to listen. However, B-Bot and Neo GF interfered in this attempt and came clean to Bently about the trap he was about to walk into.

This severed any trust he had in Cam for good, and he made it clear that he would not comply with "canon events", having had enough losses to last a lifetime, and proved his point by catching Cam off-guard and injuring him with his wrist blades, leaving one very nasty scar on his eye before he had to retreat. And after getting the full-scope as to what went on, Bently felt compelled to help protect the multiverse and stop The X in his tracks, in turn making him the last -friend to join Benjamin's side of the Funkin' Gang in the name of saving the multiverse.

[i-eat-worlds]

Not Normally That Bad

@painful-pooch here you go! Hope you enjoy.

cw: PTSD flashback, drive-by shooting, minor injuries as a result of flashback, unspecified sportsball games

Whumpee checked their watch, swaying back and forth on their feet. They turned to Caretaker. “We’ve been in line for seven minutes.”

“Whumpee, nothing will stop me on my noble quest for popcorn.” Caretaker said. They gestured to the front of the line. “Besides, we’re nearly to the front.” The line moved forward a couple steps. “Alright. You’re buying me some Skittles, though.” “Okay, fair enough.” Caretaker said, and Whumpee smiled, satised.

Eventually, they reached the front of the line. “What can I get you?” The cashier asked. “Uh…I’ll have two large popcorns, a sprite and a coke, and a thing of skittles, please.” Caretaker pulled out their wallet to pay.

After paying for the always overpriced stadium faire, they headed back to their seats. Whumpee was skillfully holding the box of popcorn and the skittles in one hand and their drink in the other as they navigated through the crowd, blazing a path for Caretaker behind them.

They were climbing up into the stands, metal thunking beneath their feet, when the home team scored for the first time. The crowd went wild, hooting and hollering, blowing their horns and screaming their chants. Just this would’ve been fine. However, several weeks ago, one very intelligent man had the bright idea to shoot off fireworks whenever his team scored. A loud crack echoed over the stadium, bright orange and blue lights glimmering the air. It was a pretty display. Whumpee didn’t get to appreciate the colors.

Their vision narrowed, past mixing with the present in the worst way. The soda hit the stairs, followed by the popcorn and the Skittles. They were back on that damn street corner.

Whumpee could still smell the greasy food from the restaurant behind them, they could still taste their dinner in their mouth. They could hear the car driving down the street. It’s getting closer. They needed to run. They needed to-

Whumpee slammed into Caretaker’s chest, shoving them roughly to the side as they tried to ee down the stairs. Their feet were not quite their own, and they went tumbling downwards, knees slamming into the concrete at the bottom. It didn’t work. They weren’t fast enough. They’ll never be fast enough. The car was even with them and it was too late. Shots rang out. Five? Two? Just one? They don’t remember. Pain blossomed in their body a split second after. It’s hard to breathe and it hurts and-

The fall knocked the wind out of them, leaving them heaving on the ground, gasping for air. Caretaker rushed to Whumpee’s side, ignore how everyone around them was ever so politely doing the staring-while-trying-to-look-like-they-were-not-staring maneuver. “Whumpee?” they tried. They got no response.

Whumpee heard footsteps all round them, pounding and pounding and pounding. Somebody was screaming. No, everybody was screaming. When they finally tried to move again, it sent waves of pain cascading down their back. No more movement then, they decided. Caretaker sighed, then gently placed a hand on their shoulder. “C’mon, Whumpee.” They shook it a little bit, like Whumpee had told them too.

Someone was touching them. That had to be bad. It was always bad. They flung out an arm, dragging their nails down whoever’s hand it was, then went for the wrist, grabbing tightly and twisting it away from their body. It was the loud, pained gasp that sent the world ltering back in. Caretaker was kneeling beside them, holding their wrist protectively up against their chest, and their stomach dropped. A feeling of dread wormed its way through them, followed by a ash of anger. Why did they have to do this here, in front of all these damn people? “Fuck, Caretaker, I’m so sorry.” Whumpee’s face flushed red with embarrassment, and they mentally kicked themself under the table. “It’s normally not like that.”

“It’s alright. Not your fault.” Caretaker said, pushing themselves to standing. “It’s just a little sore.” They offered a hand for Whumpee to pull themselves up with. “Do you wanna stay for the rest of the game?”

“Not really, if that’s alright,” Whumpee said. Hesitantly, they took Caretaker’s hand and pulled themselves upright. They dusted the stadium oor grit o their knees, ignoring how their hands were still shaking. “Aight, home it is.” Caretaker bent down to collect the concessions they had dropped, handing Whumpee their drink back, as well as the skittles. They noticed the apprehensive look on Whumpee’s face, as if they weren’t quite sure if they were still welcome. “Don’t worry about it, Whumpee.”

For the remainder of the evening, they took turns throwing popcorn in each other's mouths while sitting on the floor. Whumpee was quite adept at it, deftly catching and swiftly eating several of Caretaker’s poorer tosses. Normally, Caretaker had better aim, but tonight they were tossing with their off hand.

They didn’t want Whumpee to see the bruise.

[oatmilk-vampire]

Third of December || Steddie

Steve Harrington x Eddie Munson

Steve Harrington x OC (minor)

Summary:

Steve gave Eddie his sweater one cold December day. Then he gave it to Heather.

Inspired by the song Heather by Conan Gray!

Word count: 2.2 of pining and love confessions!

~~~

Eddie Munson has been called a lot of things.

Smart was not one of them.

Because if he was smart he would have confessed his true feelings a long time ago, or he wouldn’t have fallen in love at all.

He would have lived a single existence, the only friends being those in Hellfire or Corroded Coffin. Well, besides Steve of course. But he’s a different story. Different story, same problem.

You see, Eddie never intended to fall for the one popular boy but here he was. The freak falling in love with the former king of Hawkins High. That’s good enough to be a movie.

It’s the third of December. Hawkins has finally recovered from Vecna’s wrath and his name has been cleared. He was a free man, except for the cage he kept himself in.

Because with December came a much colder Hawkins, and with a colder Hawkins came Eddie’s refusal to dress properly for the inclement weather in favor of keeping his normal aesthetic, and with that comes the predicament Eddie Munson currently finds himself in.

Because this man can face high school three times. This man can witness his middle school friend be supernaturally murdered, then be framed for it. This man can survive Demobats. But he couldn’t survive his feelings and he sure as hell couldn’t survive Steve Harrington’s yellow sweater.

“Huh. Looks better on you than it does me, Munson.” Steve had told him with that smile like he doesn’t know what he’s doing to him.

If only Steve knew how much Eddie liked him.

Maybe then he wouldn’t openly check out their former classmate who wandered in to rent Pretty in Pink, and boy, did she look the part.

He couldn’t even fault Steve. She was a sight for sore eyes, her own brighter than the blue sky.

She’s got Steve mesmerized while Eddie dies just a little more inside.

Why would Steve ever kiss me? I'm not even half as pretty.

Eddie tries not to watch as they oggle each other.

Now Eddie has learned his lesson. He wears winter coats, gloves, and a God forsaken beanie on his head. He doesn't need to borrow anymore of Steve's sweaters, even if he secretly loved it and felt much warmer in the flimsy fabric smelling of Steve's cologne than he ever did in his own winter gear.

But because of this, he now suffers a different fate entirely.

You see, Steve gave her his sweater. It’s just polyester, but Eddie can tell by the way Steve’s eyes light up as she flits across the room in the oversized garment– he likes her better.

He watches as she stands, holding Steve's hand. As Steve puts his arm around her shoulder, Eddie can't help but feel colder.

I wish I was Heather.

But how could I hate her? She's such an angel. But then again, kinda wish she were dead.

Eddie distances himself from Steve after that. It's not healthy for him to pretend like he's fine only to shoot daggers at her when their backs are turned. He begins avoiding any group hangouts, knowing Steve will be present with her. At first he still attended, and looked forward to it. It was his opportunity to spend as much time with Steve as possible, using the excuse to get way too close to him. But then Steve started bringing her around and Eddie felt like an outcast yet again as they all fawned over how perfect she is.

At least he still had Hellfire Club. As friendly as Steve was, he still hadn't warmed up to the idea of playing any of Eddie's campaigns; and if any of the kids dared to break character to talk about Steve's new girlfriend, he pulled rank over them and quickly shut them up, allowing DND to be his safespace once more.

His heart aches as he hears the phone ringing, knowing it's got to be the very one he's avoiding. No one else was really close enough to be calling him, except for maybe Dustin.

“Hello?” His voice reflects his mood, down and unwilling to socialize. It wasn’t a Hellfire night, so there’s no reason for him to leave his and Uncle Wayne’s trailer.

“Eds! Hey, man. Wanted to see if you were up for a movie night?”

“Who all’s going to be there?” He already knows the answer.

“Oh, just…” He begins rattling off their mutual friends’ names. Usually Eddie tunes him out after the first name – Heather – but Eddie didn’t hear the trigger word yet.

“Um,” He starts, not wanting to remind him to invite his girlfriend if by some miracle he had forgotten, but Eddie didn’t want to go and get stuck there with her even more.

“Um?” Steve prompts when Eddie forgets to speak.

“Oh, um, is Heather going to be there?”

The line is silent and for a second Eddie has the irrational thought that Steve hung up on him for asking such a stupid question. Of course she’s going to be there.

“No, she’s not. I don’t think she’ll be around for any other movie nights either. Or any hangouts for that matter.”

Oh shit. Oh shit. Is she dead?

“Oh my God. Steve, what happened? I’m so sorry.” He rushes out, imagining metal wrapped around a tree or even worse– another entity from the Upside Down.

“Nothing happened, we just sorta broke up. It was pretty mutual. I don’t really wanna go into it right now, if that’s okay?”

Oh shit. Oh shit. He didn’t have to feel regret! She isn’t dead, so Eddie doesn’t have to feel bad about feeling so happy…

Who was he kidding? Of course he should feel bad. His good friend, and possible love of his life, is hurting and probably doesn’t want to be alone right now, hence the impromptu movie night with all of his friends.

Shame on him for being relieved at Steve being very freshly single.

“Oh, okay. Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything, Stevie. Yeah, I’ll be right over.”

“Great, thanks, Eddie. Can’t wait to see you.”

Steve can’t wait to see me.

Eddie’s heart picks up speed.

“I can’t wait to see you either.”

The movie of the night is Stand by Me, followed by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for those who wanted to stick it out and hang out longer.

Only Dustin and Eddie wanted to stay, and understandably so. Their shared best friend was hurting, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

When the movie was over and the three collectively realized it was indeed a weeknight which meant school for Dustin and Eddie –unfortunately he was held back yet another year thanks to the mess Vecna brought– and work for Steve. Eddie offered to give Dustin the ride home, allowing him to chuck his bike into the back of his van.

He watches in silence as Dustin forgeos his and Steve’s usual handshake, instead going in for a solid hug. Eddie follows suit as soon as Dustin clears out and takes his keys to wait in the van.

“You gonna be okay, Stevie?”

“Yeah, man. I’m good. Thanks for coming. It means a lot.” Eddie doesn’t miss the way Steve tries to maintain eye contact but fails miserably as his eyes look anywhere but Eddie’s.

“Of course. If you need anything please let me know. We can hangout again soon, yeah?”

“Yeah.” he agrees more cheerfully than he sounded just a moment ago.

He had kept a cheerful and joking attitude about him pretty much all night but Eddie saw it slip more than once when it was just the two of them in conversation.

They exchange one more smile before Eddie turns away to take the younger teen home.

He barely gets out of Dustin’s neighborhood before he’s racing back to Steve’s.

Despite breaking a few speed limits, the drive to Steve’s felt longer than usual, like Eddie was moving in slow motion.

He only got hurled back into the present when he stepped up to the grand door.

He takes a deep breath. Here goes nothing.

He knocks on the door quickly and without rhythm, only realizing how harshly he was banging on it when Steve yanks the door open with a bewildered expression.

He must think I’m a crazy person. Maybe I am.

“Eddie? What’s wrong? Are you okay? Jesus, I thought you were the cops. Is everything okay?” His eyes rake over his body, then peer behind him to check for imaginary threats.

“Why would I be the cops? I'm okay, I think, but I really need to talk to you.”

“Okay, um, come in.” Steve ushers him in and locks the door behind them. “Jeez, when you said hangout again soon I didn’t think you meant in thirty minutes!”

When Steve’s joke doesn’t land he switches back to his infamous protector mode. “Are you okay? You’re kind of scaring me.”

“I don’t know. I feel like I’ve made a horrible mistake– Wait, no. No. Not a mistake, just… I waited too long. My timing is terrible.

“Oh.” Steve rubs the back of his neck, “Um, okay, well no time better than the present, right?”

“Maybe. It completely depends on how you feel in about two minutes.”

“How I feel? Eds, come on. Talk to me.”

Eddie sighs and scrubs a hand down in frustration for himself. Just spit it out, Munson!

“It’s just– I completely misunderstood you. I was so stuck on the image I had of you. That you were just some guy–”

“I am just some guy.” He interjects, confusion clouding his voice.

“No. That’s not what I mean. I mean I thought you were just King Steve. Some womanizer-type guy. You’re not just some guy. You’re special. You’re one of a kind. I thought I hated you for so many reasons but I realized it’s not that at all.”

“Eds, we’ve had this talk before, remember?” He almost giggles at him and Eddie feels like he’s going to combust.

“Not this talk, Stevie. I’ve never had this talk and I doubt you have too.”

“And what talk is that?” Steve holds his breath.

“I thought I hated you because I thought I was jealous of you, but I realized it wasn’t that at all.” He takes a rasping breath as he steps closer to Steve who was staring into his dark, watery eyes. “I realized I don’t want to be you. I want to be with you.”

He takes one more step closer, their lips just a breath away.

“I realized I love you.”

Eddie is thoroughly surprised when Steve kisses him first. My God, were his lips soft.

Steve Harrington is kissing me. Oh my God! Steve is kissing me! Played on loop in his head for the whole duration. His lips tasted of root beer and cigarettes, Steve must’ve had one while Eddie was away.

“I’m so glad you feel this way too.” Steve breathes across his lips as he pulls away.

“Yeah, man. I’ve pretty much felt like this since we got roped into trying to save the world together, at least that’s when I realized my actual feelings about you.”

“Same. I was always just too scared to act on it.” Steve admits with a blush staining his cheeks and Eddie thinks he’s never looked more gorgeous.

“Well I’m glad you finally did. But, Stevie, I don’t want this to be some rebound for you or anything. So if you need time or space, we can pick up on this at a later date.” He offers sincerely.

Steve doesn’t hesitate to shake his head. “No way, we’ve waited long enough. You’re not a rebound. You could never be a rebound.”

“But you and Heather literally just broke up.” Eddie insists, “Her side of the bed isn’t even cold yet, Steve.”

Eddie tries to ignore how Steve flinches.

“You’re why we broke up, though, Eds. She knew I wasn’t perfectly straight, and I knew she wasn’t you. It would have never worked out even if we wanted it to. Plus she was a little homophobic and that’s not cool.”

“Ew. Glad she’s out of the picture then.”

“Me too.” Steve’s eyes sparkled as he very obviously looked back to Eddie’s lips, licking his own.

“Down boy.” Eddie jokes despite being just as eager to kiss Steve again, to do a lot more with Steve.

Steve huffs. “I just had my first gay kiss, let me live a little.”

Laughter bubbles out of Eddie and Steve follows suit.

“God, why did it take us so long to figure out our feelings?” Eddie questions as Steve goes in for a proper hug that Eddie happily responds to.

“Beats me. I’m just glad we finally did.”

Eddie pulls back just enough to make Steve look him in his eyes.

“Okay, serious question.”

“Yes?”

“Can I have your sweater back now?”

Steve shakes with the force of his laughter.

“You can have all of my sweaters, Eds.”

[cyberrat]

85th Batch Of Fics: 11th Fill

Kent/Sam – Part ½ – teasing; consequences of that teasing; aggressive with enthusiastic consent – Sam has been poking the bear for a while now. Kent finally notices.

---

“Nnmmm… Daaad…”

Kent’s eyes snap over toward Sam when he hears the frankly… obscene sound coming out of him. What he’s presented with his Sam’s ass, clad only by a ratty pair of shorts. It’s the middle of the Summer which explains that… but him hanging over the backrest of the armchair, folded practically in half and thrusting his behind at his old man while moaning like that… well that is unexplainable. At least to Kent.

His fingers curl a little tighter around his can of soda – nothing alcoholic; not for him.

“What is it, son,” he hears himself say as if through cotton stuffed in his ears. His gaze is stuck on the crease of Sam’s ass clearly outlined by his shorts. Are those even his shorts anymore? They look tiny. Like they could and should have long been given over to Vincent.

“I’m bored.”

Kent blinks slowly. Sam’s knees shift further apart without any need to do so. He’s arching his spine, ass lifting up like some common… twink in a porn. Kent’s mouth opens but no sound comes out.

Things that had not really registered to him as weird before suddenly pop into his head.

How clingy Sam has been since he’s come back from deployment. How he’s been insisting to kiss Kent on the cheek first thing in the morning. How those kisses have migrated closer and closer to his mouth… first with him thinking that Sam simply got sloppy but now-

Yeah. Sloppy. The kid- no. Young man. Apparently got very sloppy during Kent’s time away.

He drags a slightly trembling hand over his mouth and down his chin. Leaning forward, he places his soda with a soft click on the table.

“You are, aren’t you,” he hears himself say again and honestly doesn’t know where he gets the audacity from. Maybe Sam hears the odd tinge to his voice as he slowly lifts his head and turns it a little, peeking over his shoulder. His eyes are painfully blue.

Kent stands up. His gaze flicks toward the window, automatically checking the time. Jodi and Vincent have only left an hour ago to drive into Zuzu City. They would be gone for the whole day.

He pauses for a moment when he realizes what he’s thinking. He… shouldn’t, quite honestly. Hesitating, he takes a step back, almost sitting back down before Sam suddenly pipes up again: “Can’t you play with me, daddy?”

Kent’s blood pressure shoots up immediately. He stares at Sam whose shoulders are starting to look pink with a flush of excitement. The tips of his ears are painfully red – and he’s still arching his ass up. Waiting.

Kent remembers last night when brushing his teeth and Sam just wandered back into the bathroom, just… hanging out. The back of his hand brushing Kent’s clothed cock through his pyjama pants. It had not occurred to him then, too. But thinking back to it now, he’s pretty much fled the scene after, without having done anything at all.

Why did he come into the bathroom last night?

Well isn’t it obvious now?

Kent licks his lips. He starts to step around the living room table, eyes locked on Sam’s perky little ass and how many freckles there are on the small of his back and the backs of his thighs.

What a… tease.

“No,” Kent rasps. He reaches out before he can think better of it, grabbing a hold of Sam’s hip, fingers digging firmly into his skin. Sam is no kid anymore. Hasn’t been for a long time. How much he’s been gagging for dick making that more obvious than anything else, really.

Kent’s frown deepens, his heart rate picking up some as he finds himself getting annoyed with Sam’s attitude, especially when he starts whining and turning his head to look at him. He did not raise a whiner.

Kent’s other hand reaches up and grabs Sam’s hair. It’s longer than Kent would like but he needs to keep in mind that Sam’s not in the military. Which is good. Better for everybody.

The sound Sam makes, though, when he pulls on it; that catty little mewl, accompanied by the slutty lift of his ass. Presenting himself. To his own father.

Kent’s blood pumps faster still. Hotter. He does not know if he wants to beat his ass into obedience – something he’s never done – or do… something else.

Maybe give him something to mewl over. Make him realize that he shouldn’t play with fire if he can’t stand the heat.

It’s a fucked up thing to think but well. Things have been different since coming back home. Jodi hasn’t…

He’s got needs and apparently his son is the only one more than willing and eager to fulfill them-

Kent grabs Sam’s shorts and rips them down. They are so small they get stuck around his thighs, digging into the flesh and making it look more plump and juicy than it already is.

His ass is as freckled as the rest of his body. Kent stares down at the dark crease of his ass, the grip in Sam’s hair becoming lax for a moment until the young man apparently gets over his own shock at the current developments and reaches back, his trembling fingers grabbing his own cheeks and spreading them open.

Kent’s eyes go wide. It feels like they are about to pop out of his damn skull. His grip turns hard as steel until Sam hisses with the pain radiating off his skull. Kent barely notices – and truly doesn’t care as he stares at Sam’s boypussy. It’s pink and supple looking… and glinting vaguely wet.

Kent snorts. He grabs one of Sam’s wrists and twists his arm up behind his back until the other cries out, this time in actual pain as he awkwardly rolls his chest against the backrest of the armchair, trying to alleviate the pressure on his joint.

“D-Dad!” he squawks out, his blue eyes worried as he glances behind himself.

Kent has let go of his hair, working on his pants as he stares with a tight expression back at his son.

“Do you think that’s enough?” he asks him in a gruff voice. He can see the gears in Sam’s head turning without getting any grip. He’s just staring at him with one of those pretty blue eyes and trying to make his brain work when all his blood is already down in his cock.

“Do. You. Think. That. Is. Enough?” Kent reiterates slowly, enunciating every word in a sharp cadence that has Sam slightly flinch. After the last word, Kent lets his cock slap against the crack of his son’s ass. It lies there heavy and fat, thick veins snaking along its sides and throbbing with need. His nuts have felt swollen to the point of aching for weeks now.

He’s been patiently waiting for his wife to get comfortable with him back in the house… but maybe he’s just needed to… expand his horizons a little bit. Apparently he’s had a willing hole right there the whole time.

Sam’s face goes slack when he feels the cock rubbing slowly through his crack. Kent lets go of his arm and instead of flailing his way away and bringing distance between the both of them, Sam just curls it around the backrest he’s leaning on, holding on.

Waiting. Anticipating.

“Oh fuck,” the young man whispers.

Kent drags his tongue over his teeth.

“You’ll find out it isn’t enough.”

[marypsue]

Hello friends, foes, and followers, time for another Sneak Peek Sunday! As usual, here's an out-of-context teaser from former heroes who quit too late:

...

The gate across the entrance to the pool is shut and locked. But the door into the little office at the entrance is standing wide open.

Dustin gulps audibly as they peer through it. The office is empty. There’s no sign of Heather or Sara or the strawberry blonde girl or any of the other lifeguards. The July issue of Seventeen is facedown on the counter, and there’s a white bottle of something with a wordy label covered in hazard symbols lying open on its side on the carpet. The chlorine stink is strong enough to make Max want to sneeze.

Nothing moves.

“I don’t feel good about this,” Dustin says, as Max ventures into the office a step. No new and astonishing information presents itself.  

“When do you ever feel good about anything?” Lucas shoots back. “And why did you have to drag my sister into this?”

Erica Sinclair sticks out her tongue at him even as Max, privately, agrees. “Worried I’m gonna make your superpowered ass look like a scared, little baby?”

“Will said it was urgent, when he radioed,” Dustin says. “And I wasn’t just going to leave her at my house. Alone. With Russian spies after her.”

Lucas groans, and rolls his eyes, but he doesn’t say anything else to argue.

“Coast looks clear in here,” Max says, before the boys can find something else to bicker about. “Any sign of Will and El, yet?”

“Here they come,” Mike says, and then starts waving his arms at the road, like he’s guiding a plane in to land instead of waving at two people who definitely know how to get to the pool and can see them all standing outside. It’s Max’s turn to roll her eyes.

“Great. It looks like we can get through here to the actual pool. Come on, they’ll catch up.”

The actual pool, it turns out, is just as dead as the office is. There’s something deeply eerie about being out here, in the middle of a hot summer day, in the baking sunshine, with no one else around. And no sound but the rustle of trees outside the fence, and birdsong, and the odd car passing by, and the quiet slap of the gently-rippling water against the pool’s tiled sides. It’s almost like the whole pool is holding its breath. Waiting for something.

“Anybody else kinda tempted to do a cannonball?” Erica asks. Mike shushes her.

Max isn’t sure what makes her hang back, as the others head inside to the changerooms and the exercise room, talking about how they’re going to trick Heather into the sauna, whether they’re going to bake the Mind Flayer out of her or just find out what it wants, or maybe just find out if it’s really her it’s using at all. At this point, Max is pretty sure it is her, but she doesn’t really need to argue the scientific method with Dustin about it.

She’s not sure why she’s hanging back, staying in the sunlight, in the open air, to be able to hear the sound from the storage shed. But she is. And she does.

“Guys?” Max says.

She doesn’t think any of the others hear her. Lucas and Dustin are busily bickering about how the temperature controls on a sauna work, both of them talking over each other. They’ll be outright yelling in a second, despite Will’s attempts to referee – or maybe just egg them on. Max is never entirely sure with Will. El’s already disappeared around the corner into the building, with Mike close behind her.

“Guys!” Max tries, one more time, a little louder, before heading for the shed.

The sun must have passed behind a cloud or something, because the brilliance of the light fades a little as Max approaches the shed. The sky doesn’t get any less blue and blinding overhead, but all the colours around Max darken, ever so faintly, the shadows getting softer and less sharp in contrast. A little of the heat seems to leak out of the sunlight beating down on her back, making her shiver in the barest breath of breeze. Somewhere in the woods around the pool, a single cricket or grasshopper chirps almost frantically, before suddenly falling silent.

As she gets closer, Max can see that the storage shed door is ever so slightly ajar. The stink of chlorine is burning the inside of her nostrils again.

The sound that had made Max come investigate comes again. A sort of wet, rattling gasp, half-choked. This time, Max is sure it’s coming from inside the shed. It’s awful to listen to.

It sounds like somebody’s dying in there.

Max’s feet drift to a stop, just before they would have carried her around the door to where she could see through the inch or so it’s cracked open. To where who or whatever’s in there could see her.

She considers calling out for the others again. And quickly decides against it. They might not hear her. But whatever’s in there definitely will.

Slowly, cautiously, tensed and ready to spring back at a moment’s notice, Max starts to lean around the storage shed door –

And nearly jumps out of her skin when a voice behind her says, “Max?”

“Jesus!” Max claps a hand over her pounding heart as she whirls to face Lucas. “Holy shit, stalker, way to give a girl a heart attack -”

And then the door swings abruptly back, a rough grip grabs her upper arm, and she’s yanked off her feet and sideways into the storage shed.

[2lovedddkaii]

Falling in love Killua

(sad version) Link to playlist to go with this writing --- https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0a9aVSv0kgczNkVNprKkyw?si=6e100768afc84c81 (chill/happy ver) https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NrbdhDLliooiycG92Pbav?si=ee717720529942bf

Pov- You & killua, your close friend have been invited to the state fair by Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. Looking at it you and killua have been friends for the longest it seems, Butttt you and Killua are notorious for flirting with each other recently.. but your "just" friends right??

"uhh sure ig " Killua says while struggling

"if he's going, then I'll go!" you say enthusiastically

".. well I would've dragged you along even if you said no" He said while rolling his eyes

"Pfft- like your strong enough"

"I know they didn't jus-"

"YOU WANNA BET "

"HELL YEAH" you yell as you run away

He goes after you without taking a second to think only to yell a "SEE YOU AT THE FAIR GON" that could only be heard if you present to witness the seen unfold, or at least paying attention.

________________________________________

with that you and Killua start getting ready for the fair

________________________________________

"y/n! you actually made it!", says Leorio

"Yeaaa.. " you said with an nervous smile as you scratched the back of your neck "y'know typical mothers having you do stuff last minute, might've had to do a couple chores to make it out here heh"

"ahh, I see maybe I should be your new mother" Leorio says with a laugh

"psst I wish" "oh um by the way where is killua??"

"ohh yea killua he's trying to win one of those bottle ring toss games he doesn't understand that its all rigged " Leorio says with a sigh while shaking his head (tell me killua wouldn't spend mad money on this game to end up annoyed and cursing like-)

"mmkay! thanks Leoria" "npp!" Leoria said shooting back a small yet warm smile

"YK HE WILL MAKE YOU PLAY SOME GAME WITH HIM OR GO ON A RIDE" that was the last you heard from him before you got lost in the crowd, you thought to yourself "yea, like that will happen pff"

___________________________

after you make it near all the stands and games its extremely loud

___________________________

"Y/N!!" you hear a familiar voice call your name

"0h, Kill I thought you were some some random creep for a second"

"HUH??? A CREEP WHERE!?!?"

"I- NOO I THOUGHT YOU WERE A CREEP" you yell due to the loudness around you

"DudEeEEeeE"

"uh- ANYWAYS WANNA DO THE KARAOKE BOOTH WITH MEE-?"

.. d_mnn Leo was right

"NAHHH, yk I'm good" your eyes dart around frantically for an excuse "....GON!! why don't you join him in some karaoke hmm!?"

"I already did it a long time ago!! c'mon y/n just one song wont hurt"

"PLEASEEEEEEEEEEE" the white hair blue eyed boy pleaded

he had a point one just one song wouldn't be the death of you

"fine, fine, but I pick the song!"

"ayy a win is a winn" , killua stated while leading you on to the stage (idk if it would be on a stage or a booth soo.. uh yea :) )

___________ killua request a song looking a lil to happy for your liking

___________

oh lord, I am going to hate this

*the beat drops*

(if your on spotify play the last song on the playlist if not imma leave this to you're imagination)

** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

you fell your face get hot, you instantly wonder what is wrong with you

_______

you start singing, as you feel your nerves rise you hear a familiar voice join you.

_______

as you sing you feel a hand interlock into yours, instant comfort washes over you. the feeling had a warm embrace

you finish the out the song not even noticing it had finished untill..

"you guys looked like you were bouta kiss or sum!" Kurapika joked

"haha, very funny" you say awkwardly

"uhh I need to go! brb killua heh"

"okayy.."

__________________________________

you go to the bathroom, looking at yourself in the mirror . What the hell is wrong with me?, do I... like Killua?

___________________________________

Knock, knock

Gon comes in, although he looks like he is rushing “A little fishy told me that someone is falling for Killua?” “HUH, I HAVENT EVEN TOLD ANY ONE THAT I LIKE HIM!” “So it’s true?” “Oh-“, YOU start rushing out of the bathroom “Hold on! ANOTHER fish told me that Killua likes a little someone named y/n.”

you stop in your tracks, look at Gon

“F_ck”

[ultramagicalternate]

ULTRAMagic Chaos Chapter 8

Previous | First | Next

Master Post - Patreon

Maxima was expecting Percival to pull a fast one here and there, but that did not happen. The only time he deviated from his swordsmanship was to erect a magical barrier to stop Razor from sneaking past him. Tusk and the group were strategically taking turns against Percival. It was a little tricky to coordinate everyone given that Vlastimir’s magic was not present, but they managed.

Percival made notes of his opponent’s fighting styles. Maxima was well refined and relied on finesse to catch her foe off guard. Mizuki was predictable, yet hard to evade and devastating when her attacks landed. Her sword was also interesting, as it gave off a glorious aura. Razor needed practice. His style was using alchemy to fortify his arms and hands so he could brawl. Tusk was the most intriguing as his style was that he lacked style. Any technique was fair game, which made him tricky to read. One constant was his love of greatswords, however.

Tusk ran up and slammed his makeshift sword into Percival’s, shattering it. “SHOOT!” He then belted out a burst of air from his lungs to propel himself back.

Percival laughed, as it was quite unexpected. “I’m not sure what you were trying to accomplish, but I’ll commend your recovery.”

He coughed and sighed. “I was never supposed to be a fighter,” Tusk said as he waved the hilt around before tossing it aside.

“Well then all the more reason for Wulfric’s mission.” Everyone paused to let Percival speak. “We could easily find a place for all of you amongst our ranks.”

“I suppose such a conquest could be fruitful” Maxima began to say as she cleaned the dirt off of her rapier. “If your leader wasn’t a Discordant God of Chaos. You’ll have to pardon our apprehension. Now I will give you credit in that all of you are vastly better behaved than the things calling themselves the Gods of Order over in Purgatory. Of course you surely must realize that there is a reason why the Cosmos proper is so hard to traverse…”

Percival nodded. “Aye, I am aware of the eldritch barrier. I’ll concede that Wulfric has handwaved that, much to our chagrin.”

Mizuki eased her stance. “The eldritch barrier?”

Tusk cleared his throat since he was a little hoarse. “There’s a moral and ethical concern to universes coming into contact with each other. Can people handle the fact that patterns of matter eventually repeat and how will they react to alternate timelines?”

“Yeah, dad and Chief Sigmund told me about a battle that happened in The Unlight before I was born,” Razor added. “Basically two groups of people from different universes couldn’t stand that the other was in the opposing political party. They ended up wiping each other out because they couldn’t come together in understanding.”

“I… wow…” Mizuki was having a hard time processing the idea of such an event happening. “I would have hoped other timelines would be more sensible than mine, not ten times worse.”

The magus twirled his sword. “Adding insult to injury, The Running God has been going to various universes to use the eldritch barrier as an excuse to stifle learning and progression.”

Maxima took offense to this. “That impudent, vile little waste of enlightenment! All that advancement and he uses it to spread irreverence!?

“If nothing else, we can all agree that the rogue gods are a menace to the Cosmos” Percival stated as he got ready to fight again.

Just as the bout was to resume, something stopped it in its tracks. It was a great presence, similar to that of Adelheid and Ulrich. A giant cloud of thunder and crystals rushed down to the group. What emerged was a man in black robes with dazzling, blue stripes. His hair was messy and his smile looked as if it was struggling to keep itself from laughing. The man’s eyes studied everyone before him, gleaming in an impossible shade of blue. Tusk and the others quickly realized it was Kleitos himself.

“That’ll do, Percival. Come in, all of you!”

“My liege! You can’t just let them in…”

He held up his hand. “Ah, I’ve been intrigued ever since they arrived.”

Percival could sense he was not going to change his lord’s mind and sheathed his sword. “Very well, my lord. You four may enter.”

Kleitos’ castle was the pinnacle of his realm. The interior was gorgeous, made of rare metals and gemstones. Along nearly every wall were countless bookshelves, stuffed to the brim with tomes and grimoires. Lizard-like entities were climbing all over them, moving around the books and returning some to their rightful places The organization and beauty of it all was truly mesmerizing.

“Normally all of you wouldn’t be able to get in here so easily, but this is a special occasion after all” Kleitos remarked with a chuckle.

“I trust you know that we’re here to address the obvious then?” Maxima asked as they were led to a rather cozy parlor.

The discordant god sighed. “Given my boundless wisdom, I figured this would come up eventually. I’ll admit that I thought it was going to be Cynerberht and Beorhtric that would speak to me, however.”

“I can’t say I blame Wulfric for his ambitions given the nonsense I had to go through with the Lich” Tusk said as he took a seat. “I’m sure King Sten would also be sympathetic towards him too.”

“Mm, yes, it is quite the conundrum” Kleitos replied as he lit the fireplace and took his seat. “There’s no doubt that Wulfric’s war against the rogue gods would be a time of great learning, as conflict is the catalyst of progress. Alas, books are usually the first to go on the field of battle. I’m torn between fostering the Cosmos and securing it, truth be told.”

Maxima nodded sympathetically. “I can certainly relate to this plight. The Atlantean civil war taught us a lot at the cost of our peace. This is what I hate about learning: It requires a reason. It can’t just be I want to learn, no, it has to be because one of your sisters went off her rocker!”

Kleitos laughed. “And sadly the solution isn’t getting rid of conflict. I can’t even begin to tell you how many fools have to come to me asking how to do that. Not to throw Aeron under the bus, but he was one of the first.”

Tusk thought back for a moment. “Well it’s just like The Child of Old once said: It’s all just something that happens. Otherwise life would be meaningless… Don’t quote me on that, I’m paraphrasing from memory.”

That seemed incredibly familiar to Maxima. “Tusk, do you mean Hermes Trismegistus?”

“Is that what he’s called now? Again, I’m drawing from a lecture my father attended in The Magician’s Labyrinth a while before I was born.”

“That Hermes is quite the special one” Kleitos asserted. “He was visiting my realm not too long ago. In fact we discussed my current state of affairs. He suggested I really start spreading my knowledge amongst the Cosmos. The problem is that I don’t know what to do at the moment. I’m a scholar, not a soldier; but I feel that I need to take up arms and fight alongside my brother. And here I thought everything would become clear to me when I inherited my honors from Zertherhar. I guess I know how dad felt when he was in my position.”

“It’ll be alright, Kleitos” Maxima assured. “You’ll just have to be patient and keep searching for those answers. It sucks when you find nothing, but it will be all the more sweeter when you find what you’re looking for.”

“True, but is it worth the hassle to do so?” Tusk put forth. Both Maxima and Kleitos groaned as he had a point.

Kleitos exhaled and pinched his bridge. “Tusk, you wouldn’t believe how many times that has kept me up at night, amongst a myriad of other quandaries. Being the Discordant God of Knowledge isn’t all sunshine and rainbows.”

Tusk turned to Razor. “Hey, have anything you want to say?”

“Not really. It would just amount to stuff you guys have already said.” He shifted slightly. “What I can say is that this is confusing, but I’m not complaining, as usual.”

This made Kleitos chuckle again. “I bet you were expecting more action, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but I won’t curse that fact. This is giving me a good feel for what I have gotten myself into.”

“Many think we gods of chaos are mere, identical hooligans, but in reality we’re all vastly different from each other” Kleitos replied. “Keep that in mind as you traverse our domains.” He then turned to Mizuki. “You may have the floor, Ms. Kitagawa.”

“My apologies, but I don’t have much to say as all of this is well beyond the knowledge of my people…” Mizuki could not just leave it at that. She had to say something worthwhile. “Kleitos? Do you know what happened to the demon I was pursuing?”

“Well if my sources are correct, he’s dead. A beastman with electrified, purple fur defeated him in Great Torrent Canyon in The Unlight.”

“Ha, told’ya” Tusk cut in.

This caused Mizuki to slump in her chair. “Now what do I do with myself? That was the reason I left my homeland in the first place.”

“Don’t despair, dear,” said Kleitos. “You could join that ULTRAMagic guild Ultimatum is working on.”

She sat up. “Tusk, would you have me as a member of the guild?”

He smiled and shook her hand. “Welcome to the guild, Mizuki.”

A steward entered the parlor, informing everyone that dinner was ready. Naturally Kleitos invited the four to come eat and they happily accepted. Within the grand dining hall was a majestic long table adorned with a lavish feast. There was a wide variety of meats, vegetables, breads, and fruits with every dish meticulously prepared. The scents wafting through the air were incredibly delectable and one would be forgiven for thinking they were in Delphine’s realm.

All of this was thanks to Kleitos and his followers having too much time to study on their hands. Why not learn how to cook and prepare meals? The feast reminded Maxima of her time in Atlantis, given how luxurious the whole situation was. Kleitos was flattered to receive her praise. Despite being a god higher than her, manners and first impressions were paramount for him.

Tusk was enjoying a plate of spaghetti and bread when he thought of something to say. “You know, Kleitos? If Wulfric had come to me back when I was a tree, I probably would’ve sided with him.”

“Oh? What changed your mind?”

“Blood-Wraith. His determination inspired me to get off of my roots and do something. Life is annoying and uncertain, but do what you think is right. And if not, oh well, there’s always next time.”

“Tusk, you have a very good outlook on life” Percival complimented.

“Thanks. I mean, it cost me an arm, but all miracles require some form of sacrifice” he remarked as he flexed his stone hand.

Percival patted him on the back. “The man who gives the most receives the most. Never forget that.”

“Well spoken, the both of you” Kleitos concluded. He then noticed something. “Hold, on the walls have ears…”

Upon Kleitos snapping his fingers, someone was sent flying from the outside of the castle. General Karnage had been listening in, but now he was rocketing back to his fortress in Wulfric’s domain as a ball of fire. He landed by crashing through his roof. His servants then came to assist him as he frantically put himself out.

“YOU WORTHLESS, BOOK-HUFFING COWARD!” Karnage cursed as loud as he could. His servants coward away, except for one who looked to be of fairly high rank.

“My liege, what happened?”

“Never mind that!” Karnage snapped. “I think we now have another target for my plans to revive The Tyrant God” he explained as he doused a tiny flame on his facial hair. There was a hint of foul pride in his voice, like he could barely contain his excitement.

“And who would that be, General?”

Karnage went over to his study. “Send a message to Anne Vozenilek. Tell her to have that miserable son of hers and that infernal gold digger he bums around with to start gathering information on Blood-Wraith Raynot and The ULTRAMagic Guild. Perhaps that bumbling cult Milosh was so insistent on starting can be useful after all.”

The servant accepted his orders with a bow. “With utmost haste, my lord. Will there be anything else?”

“Bring me the finest blood wine from the depths of Wulfric’s vault. And when you return, we shall have a toast to Mr. Raynot.”

“As you wish…” The servant vanished.

Karnage let out a maniacal cackle with utmost pride. “Is it the date of my birth?! Because all of this is just too easy!”

Next: Chapter 9

ULTRAMagic Alternate © 2022 William Ford II (ChaoticTempleKnight)

[juliathesuccubus]

A Black Rose

…My head…

…Fuck, it's like someone took a sledge hammer to it… My body is sore all over…

…Where the hell am I? This isn't my apartment or Grillby's loft…

As I sat up, I took a look around my surrounds to just… Gather my bearings if I'm even using that phrase correctly. Silk satin sheets, a bed bigger than a California King, and just a beautiful hotel room overall that I could never afford.

Shit. A hotel room? Wait…

…Yep. Naked as a jay bird—what the fuck and who the fuck did I do?! I just… i just blindly gave away my virginity just like that?! God, Julia, you fucking idiot! Who did…?

...Wait, I remember...

I was getting drunk off my ass last night and the skeleton monster I met was trying to cheer me up, telling bad puns left and right and my dumbass started firing back a few puns and flirts right back, cuz, hell, my inhibitions are all gone and I'm three sheets to the wind, so... Why not shoot my shot with a cute monster?

Shit, what else...?

Kissing...

Teeth pressing and rubbing against my lips...

The cold bricks pressing and rubbing against my back...

Warm bones pressing into the fat of my thighs, squeezing my breasts... It was like they wanted to touch as much of my flesh as they could; as if I could just disappear the moment they let go...

Their bones, cold, but oddly warm... The texture felt so different... rough and smooth... The texture of their magic on my tongue popped and fizzled like pop rocks or zotz fizz candy... The taste of whiskey and... apples...

It was hot...

It was too hot...

I wanted more and... I didn't care... I was like something deep inside me just didn't want to stop and I needed him and he needed me...

It felt like a blur... My body weightless and the void of everything until my body landed on something soft below me and above... That same skeleton monster. He looked at me in such a way I don't think I've ever seen before... Do skeleton monster's eye... lights??? Do they change depending on mood? They looked like a bright blue for a moment there... Maybe it was a drunken imagination...

God... We had sex, didn't we...?

How is that possible with a skeleton? Then again, if one could french kiss a skeleton, then it's probably possible to do the deed.

His eyelights were so beautiful... Like a galaxy... His bones were so pretty... We held hands and clung to each other... Nothing else mattered except us...

Well, what a way for one to lose their virginity. A one night stand. I'll probably never see that guy again... But it did feel nice to feel wanted, even if we were drunk.

Huh? A note with a... black rose?

"Until we meet again, starlight."

Damn, that... I think I felt my heart flutter. Maybe he's just being sweet. Time to do my first walk of shame and get to job hunting and trying to figure out my life before I become homeless, I guess...

--

The walk back home was... weird. I always had an anxiety and paranoia mixed cocktail of feelings being out in the open. Feeling like all eye would be on me. But today, it literally felt like people were freaking staring at me--mainly monsters. The area I stay at is mostly monster populated, and while I understand that some monsters were wary of humans, they never stared at me like they are today. It felt weird...

Looks of concern

Looks of digust

Looks of... Curiousity?

Why were they staring at me? I made sure to shower and look presentable like I totally didn't get my back blown out and didn't smell like I did, so why...?

Making it to my apartment building, I crossed paths with one of my neighbors--a dog monster named Eve. She lived here with her husband and their big litter of pups. We aren't friends, but we're friendly enough to where if they needed help, I'd try to do my best.

"Oh, Ms. Julia! Are you... Okay? I got worried when you didn't come home last night. I didn't hear you playing you Law & Order show you like to watch." She made a face, looking at me before speaking again, "Did you... Stay with Grillby? I know you two are close."

"No, no, it's not like that. Grillby and I are just friends. I just got drunk and... Yeah. No, no, I'm fine. Is something wrong? You're making a face..."

"I'm alright, don't worry about me, just... Take care of yourself, alright? I'm right across the hall if you need anything, okay?" Eve have a have smile before taking the elevator.

Weird, but... Okay. Guess she's just being a mom and worried about me.

--

The next couple of... Fuck, days? Weeks? My mind is all muddled. I'm always so tired. I'm so drained... I almost collapsed grocery shopping and I barely wanna eat anymore. It like a piece of me is missing and I dunno why? Maybe it's stress from the job hunt or maybe trying to keep on top of my bills?

I tried to go to Grillby's to take my mind off things and vent, but he refused to serve me anything alcoholic, but made some food for me and just pointed at the bottled water since he doesn't touch the stuff himself. The food was... Very overpowering, but Grillby just told me to try and eat as much as I could anyway to keep my energy up. He just looked worried and wondered how I've been since that one night. After some chatting, he wondered how long I've been feeling crappy and recommended I go to the doctor nearby for a check up and medicine.

A pain in my ass and wallet, but...

The first doctor had no idea what was wrong, and just played it up to stress and to make sure I keep on top of my iron supplements so my anemia wouldn't act up again.

"Grillbs the doctor just said it was stress and my iron is prolly low. You know I have anemia issues..."

"Was it a human doctor?"

"Yeah?"

"I said to go to the one nearby. They're a monster doctor."

"Not to sound ignorant, but they're a monster doctor and I'm a squishy meat-sack human."

"Trust me, this will be the right doctor for you. Business is slow right now so if you need to call me back, I'll be available."

...No...

...No way...

No fucking way this is possible. I-I gotta go home right now. I'm gonna be sick. This has to be a joke.

This can't be real...

Shit.

Shit, shit, shit!

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit shit...! What the hell do I do? I can't do this! This can't be real... This is too much...!

[Previous: What A Night]