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wheneclipsefalls · 2 years ago

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Ma Neteyam pt.3

Part 2 Part 4

Summary: A steaming night with his captor has Neteyam ready to try his luck at escaping.

Warnings: hand jobs, hickeys, smut, begging, kissing, nsfw, stockholm syndrome, power imbalance, abo universe, masturbation, swearing

“Neteyam. Time to wake up.” The words floated into his unconscious mind encouraging the omega to start stirring. Every movement brought on a dull ache that could not be ignored. In response the omega stopped his movements and instead cozied further into the warmth below him. “Come now, sweet one. You’ve had enough sleep.” The deep voice purred.

Neteyam loved the vibrations that came below him as the voice spoke. A wave of calm washed over the omega and he couldn’t help but wish to stay in that state forever. That is, until his mind came back into focus and he recalled the night before. Eyes snapped open and his heart dropped as he realized where the warmth was coming from. He was sprawled out messily across the alpha, with one leg thrown across his hip consequently spreading himself wide. He squeaked, trying to push himself off from Kxolo.

“Woah, hey there it’s alright baby.” The taller male chuckled while watching Neteyam struggled to throw himself to the other side of the hammock. Neteyam was even further mortified to find not only himself but also Kxolo sticky with the remnants of his own slick. How could this have happened? Why did he agree to doing such things with an alpha? What would his father say if he knew he had not only touched an alpha but had masturbated next to one?

His cheeks stained into a dark purple from the rushing heat. How was he ever going to look at Kxolo again? The alpha in question simply cooed sweet words as he read the anxiety across Neteyam’s face.

“Come Neteyam, it’s alright. I think you just need to clean up a bit before breakfast.” And himself too, considering the stickiness of his legs. “I know the perfect spot, come on.” Neteyam was too embarrassed to refuse the outreached hand or speak as they left the hammock. The pair snuck past the few Na’vi awake as Kxolo grabbed new loincloths and soap for each of them. They however were not so lucky when passing Pulo’s post.

“Good morning, bro-oh.” He cut himself off as caught the sweet scent wafting from the two.

“Shut up and get back to work.” Kxolo growled before taking Neteyam’s arm and hurrying the two along. He would be damned if he let another alpha smell the slick that was only meant for him.

They made it to the lake in a fairly remote spot. Luckily no one had started bathing yet so it was the perfect time to get in and out with some privacy. However, for Neteyam, privacy did not include bathing with Kxolo. He watched nervously as the alpha set down the loincloths and soap aside on a rock near the water. The alpha quickly got to work undoing his battle band and arms bands without hesitation. He looked back to Neteyam in a way that suggested he should do the same. Neteyam stared back with wide eyes.

“I-I can wait.”

“You’ve been sticky all night baby. It’s time you get clean. Besides, I can’t have you running off while I bathe.”

“I am not getting naked in front of you, especially after last night.” Neteyam tried to keep voice firm and strong despite the embarrassment. There was a shift in the alpha’s expression as he tilted his head, staring back at the omega with an eyebrow raised. Suddenly he was stalking quickly towards the Neteyam causing him to shuffle backwards awkwardly.

“Oh really? And what was last night?”

“You-you…you”

“I what? Did I touch you without permission?”

“Well no but-”

“Did I make you touch me?”

“No I guess not-”

“It was in fact you that actually insisted on touching me.” He smirked, closing the final distance between the two. “Then really all that I did last night was offer to help and then respected your wishes when you refused.” Neteyam couldn’t tell why but his cheeks once again became inflamed. The alpha didn’t so much as blink while taking in his expression.

“I do, however, hope you know that there is nothing you need to be ashamed of. Your omega is simply recognizing what it wants, my love.” The lips that brushed his cheek made the omega shiver once more, still extremely sensitive.

“You promise not to look?” Neteyam pointed at the alpha, shooting for an intimidating look.

“If that is what you wish.” With that, the alpha reached for his own loincloth and shoved it nonchalantly to his ankles. Neteyam let out a gasp before slapping a hand over his eyes. The loud laugh that came from Kxolo slowly faded some distance as he waded into the water.

“You can come in now, Neteyam. As promised, my eyes are closed.”

Without giving him time to change his mind, Neteyam rushed to grab the soap, discard his loincloth and practically jumped into the water so he was properly covered. The rest of their bathing session was completed in silence as they both scrubbed the stickiness from their bodies individually with soap. Neteyam refused to once again exit the water until the Alpha had his back turned and eyes closed. Finally clean and decent once more, the two set off for breakfast.

Neteyam wished he had never lied about wanting to join Kxolo on business. He supposed riding with alpha pressed against his back the entire day was his punishment. It took them hours to oversee the new tents being built, the materials being gathered for upcoming celebrations, and talk with what felt like every single family in the village. Along the way, Kxolo would stop to pick up especially beautiful blossoms and present them to Neteyam, in an attempt to be charming, he supposed. However, no flower would make up for the agony of having his back against the alpha’s abs as he tried not to think about how good it felt to trace them the night before. To make matters worse, the motion from riding the direhorse had an incidental effect of brushing the taller Na’vi crotch against Neteyam’s rear over and over and over again.

Luckily, Neteyam was able to keep his composure and part of his dignity as they rode from place to place. He put great effort into maintaining a poker face and even more into preventing his arousal from building. He didn’t have the hormones to excuse himself this time and would be damned if he spent another night like the one before again. He had yet to gain any useful information in the past two days, so really the alpha was an awful distraction.

He spent the evening portion trying to talk Kxolo into letting him out with Vamai again. Something told him she was the only person that would tell things to him straight. Perhaps he could use that to his advantage all the while making his alpha proud for ‘making friends’.

“It’s too late at night my love. I would prefer you stay in the village after eclipse.”Kxolo continued to eat the larvae as he sat with his legs spread comfortably. He didn’t like the way Neteyam had barely touched his dinner.

“You sound like my father.”

“Well then he is a smart man. The forest is no place for omegas alone at night.”

“I’ve lived in these woods for twenty years. I know how to take care of myself.” He once again shoved the plate of food away in annoyance. The alpha leaned closer, setting his elbow on top of his bent knee.

“First of all, you have not spent twenty years in this part of the woods and secondly Vamai herself, who has in fact spent such time, is not allowed out alone after eclipse.”

“That is so ridiculous!”

“Neteyam.” Kxolo warned in a low voice, sending the omega a pointed look. “Don’t push your luck.” The growl sent shivers down Neteyam’s spine. His mind drifted back to what Vamai said about punishment. He didn’t think he could take any more embarrassment in one day.

The next few days flew by for Neteyam. Kxolo was called away for most of them on mysterious business, although he knew it had to be something concerning Neteyam and their mating. They still spent the nights together in the hammock (there was less room than he would have liked in the bed) but the sully boy was not too bothered by the alpha’s absence as it gave him more time to spend with Vamai.

“He looks at me like I’m a piece of meat!” She laughed loudly, shoving Neteyam’s shoulder.

“So I’ll take that as you’re not interested in him, then.”

“When I mate it will be with someone that has more than two brain cells.”

“Or maybe someone who doesn’t give you a curfew.” Her smile faltered a little at the comment.

“Be realistic, Neteyam. Only alphas that don’t care about their omegas are like that.” He snorted, shaking his head at her comment. He thought at least Vamai would agree with him on this matter.

“Plus I hear that you get to be the guest of honor at the next festival. Leynyey has already been working on your outfit for days now.” She could tell she was getting nowhere the way Neteyam’s nose scrunched at the news.

“I have no interest in everyone gawking at me.”

“Well if they did you for sure would make it to second base with Kxolo.” He hissed at her, playfully trying to push the girl back.

“You sxawjn! Why would I want that?” Her giggles only increased as she pushed back against the omega’s hands.

“I saw you and Olo’eyktan rush away from dinner a few nights ago.” She winked before finally managing to stop his attacks.

“That was nothing just-”

“One of those little heats leading up to presenting, I know. Regardless, just be happy you have someone to get you through it.” There was a touch of sadness in those amber eyes. It never occurred to him how hard it must have been for Vamai when she fully presented, all alone. He wanted to ask her more about it or maybe apologize but she was already prancing ahead as if nothing happened.

When they made it back to the village with the beta guards she called back his name once more after they started in different directions. “Oh and Neteyam!”

“Yeah?”

“You really can do so much worse than Kxolo. He is a good guy if you give him a chance.”

“Hold still, little one.” Kxolo spoke sternly, giving his shoulder a small squeeze. He had been re-braiding Neteyam’s hair for over an hour now and the boy was getting restless. He hated the way his body responded to sitting between the alpha’s spread legs as his hair was endlessly fondled. Kxolo on the other hand was extremely patient as he placed bead after bead into the omega’s silky hair. Neteyam always looked so beautiful with the colorful ornaments woven throughout his jet black hair.

“I don’t see why it needed to be redone in the first place.” He grumbled under his breath.

“Oh hush, you can be such a little minx sometimes.” He chuckled before adding another red bead to his hair.

“Am not.”

“Of course you are. Always have a little attitude, determined to do things your way.” His words did not match the fond tone they carried. “That’s one of the many things I love about you.”

There was no good response to that confession. However, Neteyam did not enjoy the alternative as it kept them in silence with a strange tension he could not describe. The squirming increased as he tried to ignore the heat now blooming across his whole face.

“Well I only have an attitude because you push me around all the time.” The sentence was barely more than a mumble as Neteym fiddled with his fingers.

“Push you around, do I?” Kxolo teasingly tugged one of the braids gently. The omega tried to elbow him back in response.

“Yes! You are always telling me what to do and where to go. You are so incredibly bossy.” A firm grip settled itself around a handful of Neteyam’s braid before he felt his head being pulled back. He strained to see the towering alpha now looking down at him smirking.

“Oh baby boy, you have no idea how bossy I can be.” That feline smirk made Neteyam’s stomach do back flips. Sitting there completely under the alpha’s control, held by his hair, a coil of heat started to build once again in his core. He felt like there was a tether holding him to Kxolo, unable to look away and unable to keep his arousal at bay.

Kxolo’s other hand came to rest against Neteyam’s cheek before leaning in till they were nose to nose. The sully boy held his breath, eyes frantically switching back and forth between the Olo’eyktan’s lips and golden orbs. Then there were lips on his and Neteyam dared not to move a muscle. The kiss was loving and slow but the alpha’s lips were unwavering and possessive as they worked Neteyam’s own lips apart.

The omega could barely think as Kxolo’s tongue teased his bottom lip, a silent request to open. He had never kissed anyone before so the whole sensation was so new and exciting but all the while completely out of his comfort zone. Luckily for him, his omega was eager to follow the alpha’s lead, parting his lips on command. Kxolo’s tongue explored leisurely as if they had all the time in the world. He did not let the younger male escape the kiss until he had ended with a sharp nip to the his bottom lip.

Kxolo couldn’t help but admire how pretty Neteyam looked there panting for breath, eyes blown wide. Meanwhile Neteyam struggled to clear his head of the dirty thoughts swarming there. His efforts were pointless when soft lips then came to gently kiss their way down one side of his neck. The hand in his hair was once again used as a leverage point allowing the alpha to turn his head to one side and present his neck.

The pressure, the warmth, the gentle touches, every part of the open mouth kisses made Neteyam’s body spark to life. There was no stopping the breathy little moans that escaped his lips. He wanted more, needed more. As if in response to his silent prayer, Kxolo expert lips started to suck harshly against a spot along the column of his neck. The sensation was a mixture of pain and pleasure that prompted the omega let out a loud whine with his hips arching off the ground. Kxolo didn’t miss a beat as he secured Neteyam’s waist with one arm while continuing the assault on his neck. Sharp fangs came into the mix and Neteyam squealed and attempted to break away. His actions and sounds were ignored, unable to get out of the alpha’s grip. Finally, it seemed Kxolo decided to have mercy on the boy and let go to admire his handy work.

The purple hickey was already starting to form against the boy’s neck. Kxolo smiled as he thought about how easy it would be to leave marks along the rest of the boy’s body. If he was already squirming from a simple hickey on the neck, what would he do with one to his inner thigh. In an attempt to soothe the sting, he licked against the mark, but it only had Neteyam bucking more against his grip.

A breeze danced its way across their bodies and Neteyam was mortified to realize he could smell his own slick. From the raise of the alpha’s eyebrow it was obvious he could smell it too. Things only got worse as his hair was released and he looked down to see a noticeable tent in his loincloth. He subconsciously took his bottom lip between his teeth, a nervous habit he had picked up years ago. He was snapped out of his thoughts by a long thumb pressing on his lip to release it. Their eyes met.

“Do not bite your lip like that unless you want me to rail that little hole of yours right here and now.” He growled.

The air left Neteyam’s body in a silent whine. It was cruel, so incredibly cruel, he thought. The hardness between his legs was getting unbearable and his hole was dripping constantly and the alpha had the nerve to tease him with things he sensibly knew he could not accept but desperately wanted.

The moment crashed into a million pieces with the sound of the dinner horn off in the distance. Surely thinking the alpha would let them be late for once, Neteyam was confused to find the warmth behind him disappear and a hand being offered to him.

“Wh-where are you going?” He questioned but used the hand to get up regardless.

“We are heading to dinner, baby boy. Didn’t you hear the horns?” Kxolo teased with a shit-eating grin. “Unless of course, there is something else you want to do?” He winked devilishly at the stuttering omega.

“Well I uh-” Neteyam mentally slapped himself for failing to form a sentence properly again. “I can’t go to dinner like this.” He forced the words out, hating how embarrassed it made him to admit it. The Olo’eyktan’s gaze dropped to the omega’s loincloth still housing a boner, but it wasn’t till then that Neteyam noticed the alpha was having the same problem. The second he spotted it he tried to look away and not imagine what lay beneath the scrap of fabric.

“Do you want me to do something about it, Neteyam? Are you asking for something?” The cocky alpha smirked while placing his hands on his hips, patiently waiting for his mate’s response.

“What do you mean? No! Of course not! He sputtered out, now tips of his ears following suit with his burning cheeks. “But I just mean that it would be indecent to go… like this.”

“Lucky for us we are next to a cold lake so I figure that we can kill two birds with one stone.” Without waiting for any sign of agreement from Neteyam, Kxolo ran to the lake and waded in as quickly as possible before disappearing underneath the water. Second later the taller male’s head popped up and he gave an inviting wave to the boy. As much as his situation sucked, Neteyam was not a huge fan of the idea of plunging himself into freezing cold water with a hard on.

“Neteyam, come out now or I drag you in myself!”

Not wanting to call him out on a bluff, Neteyam quickly followed orders.

That night Neteyam continued to toss and turn trying to get comfortable in the hammock with the older male. No matter which way he turned or scrunched or twisted there was always some sort of skin to skin contact with Kxolo. It was driving the omega crazy and he worried he had already come too close today to another mini heat so he didn’t want to push his luck.

“Nete,” Kxolo lovingly stroked his cheek. “You alright there, sweet boy?” Neteyam scrunched into a tight ball turning away from the alpha.

“I’m fine.” He bit out.

“Hmm yes I can, tell. Very convincing.” He sarcastically teased while trying to turn the boy to face him. “Why don’t you tell me what is bothering you.” It was not a question but rather an invitation.

“Don’t make me have to pry it out of you.” His arm slinked around the tiny omega, pulling his back flush against his chest. To both of their surprise, the omega’s body instantly relaxed against the larger male. His legs untucked and the tension in his shoulder floated away as he practically melted against the Olo’ekytan. Kxolo couldn’t help the proud smile that spread across his face at the endearing sight. “There you go, lovely. That’s better, just relax.” He cooed while rubbing soothing circles against the omega’s stomach.

Neteyam tried but couldn't find it in himself to care that this was his enemy rubbed up against him. He couldn’t get himself to put the energy forth to fight back against the alpha and consider what he should do in the situation. He was tired, so incredibly tired. Tired of worrying about his family, tired of worrying about escaping, and tired of thinking about the type of person he should be for the sake of the people around him. It had been almost a week away from his family but years that he had been putting this pressure on himself. So for tonight, Neteyam gave himself permission to let it go.

A sleepy sigh left his delicate lips as he laid his head against Kxolo’s muscular arm. The alpha watched fondly as his sleepy eyes started to droop and consequently eyelashes fluttered in an effort to keep them open. He basked in the way Neteyam’s body leaned into every soft touch he gave him, every little movement aimed towards searching the alpha out. His heart swelled at the way the omega allowed himself to be manhandled closer to the alpha until he was completely encompassed in his arms.

“That’s right, baby. I’ve got you.” A small subconscious smile softly graced the Neteyam’s lips as he lay no longer able to keep his eyes open. “I’ve always got you.” The alpha vowed, and he knew he meant it. Nothing could ever take his Neteyam from him. Nothing could hurt the sleeping boy.

“Where is Olo’eyktan?” Pulo demanded hastily of the beta warrior. Neteyem tried to hold in his whine at the sound of so many alphas around him. Regardless, Vamai kept one arm comfortingly around his shoulder as Pulo guided them through the village. The heat had come on only five minutes before while they were exploring one of the larger trees in the forest. He could already tell it was more intense than the past ones and was not bound to go away as quickly.

“He is still out with the hunting party, brother.” Pulo ignored the bewildered look on the warrior’s face.

“Shit!” He huffed turning behind him to check on the omega again. Vamai continued to hush the boy, promising it would be over soon. He could tell even just from the smell and scrunch of the omega’s face that it was a stronger wave. The type of heat wave that was physically painful if not satiated. He remembers that look on his own mate’s face only a few week before she presented fully.

“Tamil.”

“On it, brother.” he nodded simply before mounting his ikran and taking off into the skies to find their Olo’eyktan. Pulo continued to guide the two omegas to Olo’eyktan’s tent, trying to avoid the clusters of Na’vi throughout the village as much as possible. He couldn’t risk the younger alpha’s still mastering their self control getting a whiff of Neteyam and doing something they would surely regret. He hustled a few beta guards along the way so that Neteyam would have protection while safely inside the tent, without the interruptions of prying alphas.

“Vamai, I think it’s time you go home. You can see Neteyem later.”

“And leave him alone? No way!” She growled, keeping an arm looped through the other omega’s.

“Vamai-” Pulo began but was unexpectedly cut off.

“It’s ok Vamai, I’ll be fine.” Neteyem’s voice was quiet but he tried his best to give the small girl a convincing smile and ignore the pit in his stomach that was starting to make him nauseous. Before she could ask again, Pulo had shooed her away. He bent a bit so he was at eye level with Neteyem and hopefully a little less intimidating.

“Kxolo will be back soon, Neteyam. I promise. Till then, I have this area off limits and guarded so you can have some privacy.” He couldn’t help but give a sympathetic smile at the omega who was struggling not to look on the verge of tears. “If you need anything, just tell one of the betas.”

Arms wrapped around himself tightly, Neteyam only nodded and disappeared into the tent. The boy had no idea whether or not the thought of his alpha coming back was helpful, but he tried not to think about it and instead focused on what he could do to stop the pit that seemed like it was tearing him from the inside out.

Kxolo could smell the omega nearly a quarter of a mile away. The scent was so strong and sweet he was sure his poor baby had already pumped out an orgasm alone without his help. When he heard the news, he boarded his ikran and headed home before even letting Tamil finish explaining what they were doing about it. The alpha in him scolded himselfl for leaving the omega alone for so long in the first place. It was his job to look after his Neteyam. His Neteyam that till a few days ago had still never kissed an alpha.

His pace picked up frantically, weaving his way through branches, as he neared the tent. He stopped right before the entrance trying to calm down. The scent wafting from the tent already had him half hard and squirming. He growled at himself for acting like a hormonal teenager again. This was not about him, it was about Neteyam. A strangled whine from the other side of the door finally had his patience snapping and the tall Na’vi barging in.

He was not prepared for the sight in front of him. Neteyam lay on his back on one of the sleeping mats, hands gone underneath his own loin cloth as tears streamed down his face. His little hand worked quickly as he searched for yet another release. His tail swan sporadically against the floor sometimes knocking things down and his ears were almost invisible perked back against his scalp.

“Alpha!” The boy mewled, finally catching a glimpse of the tall warrior. The tears started to come faster.

“Hi lovely, it’s ok I’m here.” he soothed while dropping down to his knees. He quickly bent over from his kneeling position to hover partly over the boy and lay kisses across his cheeks. “Shhh it’s ok, I’m here baby.” Each tear was met with a kiss. He was surprised to find Neteyam grappling at his battle band in order to pull the alpha closer.

“Hey hey hey, slow down there you little minx.” He chuckled.

“Want want want.” The endless stream came out of his mouth while tugging more harshly at the belt.

“What is it you want, Neteyam? What is it baby? You have to ask nicely beforehand that is how it works, little one.”

“Just help!” the omega practically yelled back in frustration. The outburst had Kxolo gathering his little wrists in one hand before straddling the whimpering omega beneath him. He knew sooner or later the ground rules would have to be set. His hands were harshly pushed against the ground, causing the omega to increase the squirming.

“Listen up baby boy because I will only be saying this once.”Their eyes finally met but Neteyam was still glaring at the male manhandling him. “If you want something, you are going to ask nicely. If you want my help you are going to be a good boy and follow my orders when I give them, how I give them.” He let his weight sink back on the omega in order to stop the bucking hips. “Because Neteyam,” The smaller stared back up at him, barely breathing. “Naughty boys do not cum.” The whining finally stopped.

“Do you understand?” The boy let a long exhale escape his lips while nodding his head up and down frantically. “Good boy.” He didn’t miss the way the omega’s cock twitched beneath him at those words.

“Now, what were you trying to ask, Neteyam?”

“Will you please help me?” A soft reply, barely loud enough to make out. Kxolo hummed deeply in approval.

“And how should I help you? Do you want me to touch you, baby?” He took his spare hand and lightly ran his fingertips along the curve of Neteyam’s hips.

“Yes yes yes yes.” Shushing him with words of reassurance, Kxolo climbed off of the omega and instead pulled him to sit on his lap. Neteyam instantly pushed his back flush against the taller male’s chest, relieved to have any type of physical contact.

He gave the smaller boy a soft kiss on the lips before starting his exploration of the omega’s body. Experienced fingertips teased along his sides, chest, and waist. They always stopped right before the fabric between Neteyam’s legs. This earned him another frustrated whine coming from the boy as he tried to guide the alpha’s hands lower. Kxolo gave him a small ‘tsk’ and grabbed the smaller boy’s hands instead.

“Keep your hands here.” He commanded while having the boy link his fingers behind Kxolo’s neck. The new stretch laid out the boy’s torso beautifully.

The fingers began again but this time focused on his chest and pecs instead. They circled and circled around each pec, just barely missing the cute little nipples already peaking out. Neteyam’s diaphragm fell and rose dramatically under the touches as he tried to take in enough air. Without warning, both nipples were caught in a tight pinch before being given a sharp tug. The gasp that left the omega’s mouth was so loud it was sure to be heard by any Na’vi within a 200 yard radius.

“Such pretty little nipples, baby.” He complimented while thumbing over them playfully. “I barely even touch them and they are already hard and ready for me, aren’t they?” He could feel the slick leaking from the boy onto his legs. Neteyam craned his head back to give the Olo’eyktan a pleading look.

“Do you want me to touch somewhere else, baby boy?” He could feel the boy's head nodding vigorously against his neck. “Like down here?” His large palm came to firmly rest upon the front of the boy’s loincloth. The omega bucked his hips slightly in surprise.

“Please” The omega begged, lifting his hips up against the large hand in chase of more friction.

“Take it off then, baby.” He commanded with the other hand played with the straps holding it around Neteyam’s hips. Within seconds Neteyam had shuffled out of the loincloth and relinked his hands around Kxolo’s neck.

Kxolo smirked against the shell of his ear as he took the boy’s cock gently in his hand. As on omega it was a decent size smaller than his own, even at full hardness. He held in a groan at the realization that he could almost completely cover the boy’s cock with one hand. Neteyam shifted his hips again, a silent plea to start.

Alpha teased his fingers along the veins slowly in amusement and ran his thumb across the head. He felt more blood flow to his own cock as the omega’s twitched in his hand. Finally taking pity on the rutting male, he wrapped his hand around it tightly and started with long firm strokes. Neteyam bucked his hips up into the alpha’s fist, frustrated at the slow speed. His only reward was a firm arm around his waist holding him in place.

The moans that slipped out of those plump lips were sinful and Kxolo couldn’t get enough of them. His eyes barely knew what to focus on between the cock in his hand, toned torso beneath him and the beautiful expression displayed across his lover’s face. The alpha removed his hand from the omega for a moment to bring it in front of Neteyam’s face. Remnants of precum were already visible on his veiny hand.

“Spit.” He ordered. For once, the younger Na’vi didn’t ask questions and instead immediately obeyed. The spit worked as a good lubricant as his hand pumped the boy’s length faster and faster.

“Alpha faster!” Neteyam cried while throwing his head back against the older male’s shoulder.

“Neteyam, we are gonna have to work on your manners.” The Olo’eyktan reprimanded but obliged anyway. He could practically sense the rising orgasm bubbling in the omega’s core.

“That feel good, baby?” He taunted, giving an extra firm tug.

“Feels so good, alpha. So good, please please please.” Neteyam moaned and screamed as the pace got even faster, but somehow it was still not enough. “I-I can’t.”

“Need some help finishing, baby boy?” The omega only continued to cry as he chased release.

“Come on, baby. You are doing so good for me, making me proud.”

“T-trying alpha.” Neteyam moaned as tears streaked down his cheeks. The alpha was surprised at his response to the praise but ran with it.

“And you are doing such an amazing job. Getting hard for me, making those pretty sounds to please me.” The moans quickly escalated to screams while the omega nuzzled against his neck.

“You poor little thing probably wish it was my cock in your hole instead, don’t you.” The patronizing comment sent the omega over the edge. A loud scream erupted from his throat as he made a mess of the two in cum. Kxolo worked him all the way through the orgasm until Neteyam was finished and limp against his body.

Kxolo did everything he could to imprint the image of Neteyam’s face while he came into his brain. He didn’t think he would ever recover from watching the absolutely dumb fucked out look he gave from a simple hand job. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

Once the taller male was able to catch his breath, he set about cleaning the two of them with a wet cloth while shushing the boy in his arms. Neteyam was barely conscious with his head laid against the alpha’s chest.

“You did such a good job, little one. So fucking beautiful for me.” He peppered kisses along the omega’s face. He couldn’t help the way his heart melted as the omega repositioned himself so he was facing the alpha with his arms and legs wrapped around the alpha.

Neteyam was so pliant and clingy as the alpha got them prepared for bed. He savored every touch and squeeze the younger boy initiated. When they fell asleep cuddled in the hammock that night he couldn’t help but feel hopeful that Neteyam was coming around to the idea of their mating.

He hated the alpha. Hated his charming smile. Hated his sweet touches. Hated his carefree laugh. Hated the way he was constantly at Neteyam’s beck and call. However most of all, he hated how much he yearned for him and not just in a sexual way. It made his blood boil every time he realized he was off daydreaming about the alpha, wondering when he would return. He despised the little flips his stomach would do when that smile flashed his way or especially when he would think back on their night together in the tent.

Neteyam was not stupid. Something had shifted and he knew where it was leading. The Olo’eyktan was drawing him in, convincing Neteyam’s mind and body to slowly trust and depend on him. It was only a matter of time before he would put down his walls and let the mating take place, especially with his presentation nearing closer and closer. The alpha had the high ground so naturally there was only one conclusion. It was time to run.

It had been almost two weeks since his first attempt so the boy was hopeful that he would have the element of surprise on his side. Of course he had not been completely obedient throughout his time here but Neteyam could tell his alpha was used to this behavior and thought little of it. Even Pulo and Tamil took his attitude in stride with a hint of fondness. However, to set him up for a successful escape Neteyam had tried to cut back on the complaining a bit.

He told himself that allowing the hand holding and sweet touches over the past few days were simply another ploy to ensure his plan. It was easy to see that the alpha was pleased with this new development, allowing Neteyam and Vamai to be followed by fewer guards than usual. The omega figured that his biggest challenge to overcome would be navigation and wilderness survival depending on how long it would take him to make it to the Omatikaya village. He prayed to Eywa that all of the years he spent learning about the forests and its uses would pay off. If only there was some way he could sneak out even a small knife for hunting.

“I really need to bathe.” Neteyam reminded Kxolo as they ate breakfast.

“Hmm, I have some pressing business to attend to today, but I will try to be back early this afternoon so we can head to the lake.” Neteyam schooled his features into nonchalance before proceeding. This would be the tricky part.

“That’s ok, I could ask Epok to show Vamai and I the way. I overheard him saying he was heading that way today anyways, so it wouldn’t be too much of a hassle.” His stomach felt like it was tied into a giant knot, but he forced down the fruit calmly anyways.

“You want to bathe at the same time as Vamai?” He cocked an eyebrow at the omega.

“If it means, I don’t have to wait to get clean. Besides, she will be too caught up in her own daydreaming to pay attention to me.” Neteyam shrugged.

“I guess that’s true.” Kxolo chuckled but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Does it bother you how comfortable I am around her?” The alpha quickly shook his head while putting the plate down.

“No, lovely. Of course not. I guess that’s fine, just make sure to stay close to Epok.” Neteyam tried not to appear too overly excited as the alpha kissed his cheek and granted permission.

The walk to the lake came all too quickly as Neteyam mentally built up the courage for the task ahead. Thoughts of his family and how much he missed them, kept the boy from backing out. He envisioned his dad’s face and mother’s cries when he would finally be reunited with them. He was sure even Lo’ak wouldn’t be able to act tough upon seeing his brother back home. With these motivations in his head, Neteyam bravely prepared himself.

Vamai continued to babble on about something Neteyam had tuned out minutes ago as they reached the edge of the lake. After setting their new clothes and soap down on a rock the pair awkwardly looked back at Epok. Taking the silent message, he strode off to the treeline and faced the other way to give some privacy.

“Um, do you mind like turning around till I get in the water?” He sheepishly asked Vamai. To his relief, she gave a fond laugh.

“No need to worry about me Neteyam, was already planning on waiting till you were waded in. Go ahead, promise I won’t look.” She winked before clamping a hand over her eyes for emphasis and turning around.

The omega did not give himself time to hesitate before wading into the water as quietly as possible. He took one more glance at the two Na’vi faced away to ensure he was truly not being watched. He stilled his mind, took one large breath then dove down underneath the surface till he was fully encompassed. His arms and legs pushed strongly against the water in a breaststroke pattern efficiently moving him towards the left side of the lake. He could already feel his body begging for air but he paid it no heed. He couldn’t risk going up and being seen even though he had not detected any calls for him yet.

Finally, he could spot the submerged rock in the distance marking his hiding spot. Despite his body’s complaints Neteyam was sure to take silent slow breaths upon breaking the surface of the water. Within one jump he went across the rock and positioned himself between the two giant boulders along the lake’s edge. HIs heart was rocketing out of his chest but there was no time to worry about taking a rest.

“Neteyam, are you done yet?” Vamai’s voice could barely be heard from the boy’s hiding spot, but he knew that didn’t mean he had much time. Lucky for him that two boulders were able to act as a hidden tunnel to the outlining forest. He didn’t allow himself to stop creeping along the forest floor until the lake was no longer in view. Then he sprinted.

Neteyam ran as fast as his legs could carry him through the forest, over rocks, under branches. Every sound coming from the wildlife around him made his heart beat faster and head jerk from side to side. The last thing he needed was to run into an unsuspecting Na’vi out for a hunt or gathering materials. Furthermore, he made sure to vary his route between running on the ground and swing between the trees so that his tracks would not be easily followed.

After a half hour of running with still no sight of Na’vi, Netyam finally allowed himself to slow down. Getting out may have been the scary part but he still had to navigate his way home and he had little to go off of. He figured, however, that if he could find his way to the hallelujah mountains he would know the rest of the way. If only Neteyam had been conscious during their ride to the clan, maybe then he could have remembered part of the path. Regardless, he had no ikran so doing it by foot was going to be different than flying.

A few hours later the boy had only managed to get more and more confused. He tried to track certain animals that he knew visited the mountains but couldn’t find a trail that didn’t simply lead back to their cave or nest. Neteyam was, however, able to find enough food and water from the plants and rivers in order to sustain him moving forward.

Things took a turn for the worse when he saw storm clouds starting to roll in. Within a matter of minutes the sun was blocked and rain was falling in sheets upon the forest. Even with the protection of the giant trees overhead Neteyam found himself soaked to the bone. Rain was not something he necessarily minded since it was known to rain a lot in their village but it did make his task even more difficult. There was no hope of following tracks anymore as they quickly washed away into muddy rivers.

The hours dragged on and Neteyam found his legs begging for relief from the constant gripping through the mud but he did not let up. His confidence slowly started to wither as he realized his family never let him out in the rain for more than a couple hours before returning home to their shared family tent, safe from the pelting onslaught. He daydreamed of his father creating a warm crackling fire as he sat around it with the rest of his siblings. His parents would share the story of how they first met once again, but he never minded. The omega could listen to the story all day long. Oh how he yearned to be loved the same way his parents loved each other.

His thoughts then betrayed him as they drifted towards the certain Olo’eyktan he was leaving behind. Body and soul ached for the comfort he had felt the past few nights in the alpha’s arms. He was sure that if he had stayed he would be cuddled in a tent safe from the rain, perhaps eating some of his favorite fruits instead of stomping through the wilderness utterly lost.

Caught between two worlds, he numbly continued forward. To find his way back to his family or let himself fall for the alpha watching over him. To Neteyam he felt that no matter which he chose his heart would always have a piece yearning for the other. Perhaps though, time away from Kxolo would snap him back to his senses and his family could help him heal from that yearning. After all, his father was sure to have his best interest in mind, keeping the omega away from Kxolo.

The boy was eventually forced to stop as his legs started giving out on him. At this point he had been walking for a solid five hours and wading through the puddles and mud for half of it. He tried to choose a spot behind the different plants and leaves, keeping him out of sight. Truly the omega wished he could’ve kept going as stopping made his anxiety start to spike, but there was nothing to help it. He told himself he would only close his eyes for five minutes before continuing on his way.

Completely limp against the tree trunk covered in mud and muscles groaning from head to toe, Neteyam drifted off to sleep. When he awoke, there was no way of telling how long he was out with the clouds still covering the sun. However, Neteyam was relieved to find that eclipse had not started. Still, it was way longer than intended and there is no saying what amount of ground the search party could have covered during his rest.

Luckily his legs had gained back their strength so the boy was able to take to the trees. He climbed quickly up the tree he had slept upon. The higher he got the more he was able to see but there was still no way of seeing which way home was. What he did, however, see was the village he had left behind far off in the distance. He couldn’t help but be relieved that he had not simply been walking around the village in circles. Then again, were that true there would be no way he would’ve gone so long without being spotted.

Sounds of nearby hoofprints made the omega freeze in descent down the trunk. From the sounds of it he could tell it had to be at least a dozen direhorses but their footsteps did not match with that of a stampede. With the footsteps then came the sporadic yips and calls from Na’vi. He dared not breathe or move an inch from his spot.

“I can’t find a single track in this rain.” A familiar voice echoed below. He recognized it as Epok who Neteyam couldn’t help but to feel bad for. He prayed that Olo’eyktan wouldn’t be too harsh for losing him. Although, hunting him down in the storm had to be punishment enough.

“I know. Forget the tracks and just keep your eyes peeled. He could have only gone so far.”

Pain seared through his thighs as he continued to strain them around the tree trunk. Neteyam could tell that his grip was starting to slip. Could he risk the warriors hearing him all so that he could lower himself down onto a branch below for footing? They were already keeping a sharp eye for any movement around. There was no choice but to grit his teeth and hold on for dear life.

“What’s the hold up? We still have more ground to cover.” The sounds of hooves died off into the distance.

His muscles groaned as he lowered himself down to a branch. Looking out across the tree he could spot the various Na’vi making up the search party. They had gone a distance but still they could easily turn around and catch up to Neteyam if he were to reveal his location. At the same rate though, could he really count on them never spotting him in the tree? What if Kxolo had Na’vi searching on ikran? Surely they would be searching higher ground soon and at that point Neteyam would be done for. What would the alpha do if he found him? What type of punishment would await him?

With that thought in mind, Neteyam carefully transitioned from tree to tree moving in the opposite direction of the crowd. The rain had finally started to let up until barely a sprinkle misting the greenery. Ironically, Neteyam found this a curse as the pounding rain was no longer a sound buffer for his movements. He was forced to slow down his progression in order to stop branches from cracking or leaves bustling too loudly.

He was almost down to the forest floor once more when his foot slipped on a patch of moss. With a yelp, he fell the last few feet to the forest floor and landed on his hands and knees clumsily. Unfortunately for the omega, he had landed in a large patch up Helicoradian that all closed in on themselves loudly at the disturbance. He prayed that the sounds would simply be played off as wildlife but those hopes were instantly crushed at the sound of cries and hooves advancing closer.

His location had been revealed so all that was left to do was run. He sprang to his feet and instantly broke out into a sprint. Neteyam didn’t let the roots or other obstacles slow down the pumping of his legs as he acted purely on instinct. He trusted his body to react to his surroundings in time to make it through without injury. He swerved sharply to the right and left randomly in an attempt to throw the search party off. His breaths came out in harsh pants and diaphragm contracted so drastically that it hurt his whole body to push the air in and out, but he didn’t stop.

Adrenaline pushed him to go even faster as he heard the calls getting closer and closer. His legs flew across the ground so fast he was unable to completely stop himself upon the sight of the direhorse now in front of him. Ankles skidded deep into the mud making him fall back onto his bum in an attempt to stop. The rider went to dismount but Neteyam was already flying off in the other direction. He didn’t make it far before another horse was in his path. The search party quickly surrounded him.

To his great horror, Olo’eyktan sat there upon one of the horses, eyes boring into the boy’s skull. Panicking, the omega dropped into a crouch and hissed back at the advancing Na’vi. He had no weapons, no route out, and a towering alpha stomping his way. The boy surged to the left of Kxolo, but was caught by a strong grip around the base of his que. He whimpered, forced to lean against the alpha. Another strong arm manhandled the boy to be pressed back against the Olo’eyktan. No amount of struggling released him.

“Where do you think you are going, naughty boy?” The infuriated growl brushed against his ear. A yank to his que forced the boy to look up and meet the alpha’s eyes. His expression was stone cold with eyebrows raised back at the younger boy. The omega felt his heart in his throat looking back at the domineering alpha. He leaned down closer to the omega with a chilling slowness. “Your. Ass. Is. Mine.” The hiss came out so low Neteyam swore he could feel it vibrating into his chest.

#avatar way of water #avatar smut #avatar fanfiction #sub neteyam #omega neteyam #omegaverse #abo universe #alpha oc #avatar wow #dad jake sully #toruk makto #pandora #neteyam fanfiction #awow neteyam

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shukakumoodboard · 10 months ago

Note

*Pulls out my massive bag of money and jewels and blow* I’m your biggest fan so I must pick your brain now that you have a tumblr ask box. your finest gaalee romance hcs my good sir. Please

help.

I’m your biggest fan

did you know im crying ab this. kissing u on the face rn

ok gaalee romance headcanons. i've been thinking about this for days. grab ur mojito mix lets frockign gaur

ill be upfront in that i have very few i'll-die-on-this-hill opinions about the boys, but here's some i'm pretty stuck to <3

sfw headcanons

1. lee's better with words, gaara's better with actions, and they're both secretly envious of the other for it: my thoughts here are that gaara spent so much of his life not understanding love that he'd still struggle to articulate it in flowery ways that i think, as a born theatre kid, lee would be good at. but gaara would absolutely be that person who shows it in subtle ways -- like taking care of someone when sick, remembering food preferences, always ensuring lee takes care of himself when lee forgets or is busy having a self-flagellation moment. not that i think lee would be incompetent, but he strikes me as more of a scatterbrain, but would always be on top of verbal reassurances and affection (which i also think is what gaara would benefit from: clear straightforward declarations of feelings and intent)

2. they're both super cuddly in private look, you put together a touch-starved former monster vessel and a social outcast who mostly knows touch from violence (until gai) and you are going to get some clinginess imo. you can't convince me they're not the kind of people who would sit side by side at the dinner table so they can eat holding hands. bro (emotional)

3. they're probably actually really shit at "conventional" dating hear me out ok. they're like initially so far away and gaara is the whole president and lee kicked a meteor in half one time you think they can just wander around and go to restaurants? it's absolutely nonsense that shinobi don't suffer village celebrity paparazzi syndrome in nart tbh. not exactly the same but i have a whole wip in the bort-verse about them sneaking around. tldr i'd bet they sometimes get casual breakfast or dinner but i think more likely takeout and quiet time together as opposed to like fancy dates

4. language learning and hobbying as a form of devotion as a purveyor of my wares u may notice i have language headcanons. it is also my gaalee romance hc that they learn each others -- i've incorporated this into in the space between and a wip called multilingual, which is all about nejiten teasing lee about his crush on gaara in front of the man. i also think that lee would lean into gaara's gardening stuff with gusto because if it's something gaara loves, lee would want to love it too.

nsfw headcanons huehuehuhe

1. they're switches and i WILL die on this hill i think this is self explanatory but listen. listen i am SIQUE of the assigned top/bottom nonsense they both deserve to rail and also be railed. i may be the resident owner of the Rock Lee Fucks tag on AO3 but i also own the Gaara Fucks tag. ill kill a man over this

2. lee is absolutely a service anything this ties into the previous one. a big component of his canonical personality is that he's a disciple of gai -- he's a follower who bases a lot of himself around those he cares for. not the kind of person who is suddenly going to crop up with an intensely specific preference, imo? i think he would base his role on whatever his partner needs the most at the time.

3. rock lee's canonically huge dick ok lol listen. listen this one's canon jokes aside i think lee is hung as detailed in We Don't Talk About Fight Club and i will continue that joke. that being said i think normal hung. not arizona tea can hung which is a hilariously illustrated discord joke

4. tbh i think they're kinda vanilla in the bedroom i say this in a positive way i think they'd be far more into like, just being able to be with each other instead of getting into wild sexual mischief all over the villages although they definitely bone in weird places secretly. they Fuck, but like i don't see them as super kinksters or anything. however, i have seen many a kinkfic that im like nodding my head this is valid cakesitting bdsm what who said that

5. gaara's vaguely nebulous oral fixation i really have no justification for this one i just think some of those animal bijuu instincts might linger and turn into what that mouth do idk i keep going to write smut and whoops my whole body slipped and gaara's licking something. happened in fight club and fight club II, happened in hole time, happened in tgod, happens in at least two wips i have cookin' in the background... what is goin on actually

dkghkdf i hope you enjoyed this episode of kel's questionable headcanons. i really enjoyed answering, thank you so much for the ask <3

#fictalk #gaalee #leegaa #gaara #rock lee #writing gronp hours #nart #lol hole time #text #not sfw

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britcision · 2 years ago

Text

REPOST, ignore this if you read chapter 4!

(because this just fucking in besties, copying FROM tumblr online and pasting TO tumblr mobile doubles up the fucking paragraph breaks again, and I’m just deadass not fixing that 3 times)

ENJOY chapter 4, part 1!

Today’s chapter is dedicated to @lehana37

One day, beloveds, one day we WILL get to Sam and Dick… but not today, I was having way too much fun bullying Vlad and Bruce

Tag List: @welcometosasakiworld @kyrianclawraith @someonebored0100 @stealingyourbones @starkcravingmad @frostedthroughghost @akikoyuii @rainbowbunny0159 @littlefeather345 @violet-catsarelife @serasvictoria02 @wolfjackle @blacksea21090 @secretdestinywerewolf @anime-hipster-the-amazing @undead-essence @skitscratched @blackroserelina @snoodly-boop @trickerdi @mayoota-blog @xysidhe @idkmrpianoman @little-apricot-the-writer @chaoticmistake @the-legal-shipper @bun-fish @aroranorth-west @demon-cat-goes-woof @eonic @onyxlightdragon @larks-and-katydids

Previous chapter:

First chapter:

———————

Pay Attention To Me Dammit

“Okay,” Danny sucked in a deep breath, surfacing from Jason’s suit to two deeply concerned pairs of blue eyes, “let’s get somewhere private real fast.”

Tucker snickered, helpfully extracting both him and Sam from Jason’s arms.

“I can’t fucking believe you forgot Vlad was coming,” he sighed, voice still shaking as he gave Jason a once over.

Sam, sucking in huge gasps of air, pinched his arm as she straightened.

“Oh shut up, not like you brought him up either,” she wheezed, still grinning.

“Vladdie’s gonna be fucking heartbroken,” Tucker sighed happily, shoving Danny towards a corner.

People were definitely looking. And not just the other four bats; regular guests were watching behind fans, hands, or just deadass staring.

Tim took over, catching Danny’s wrist and pulling the other boy after him. They weren’t that far off the same height.

“So, should I take it that “Vlad” being here is a good thing or a bad thing?” He asked, pulling on his best socialite smile, heading for one of the hall exits instead.

“Back room?” Jason wondered, guiding Sam and Tucker quickly after him. Tim nodded without looking back.

“They shouldn’t be busy yet. We can talk without being overheard,” he added to the other three, who obligingly sped up.

“As for your question, Vlad being here is… probably gonna end up being nothing?” Danny offered, doing his best smiles for the rich assholes they passed.

Sam kicked him in the ankle.

“Wait til we’re alone,” she said quietly, hustling Tucker along.

Unsurprisingly to Jason and Tim, the first back room already had four other people sitting in it, on two extremely plush couches, angled at right angles and facing a fireplace. Before Danny could turn to find another, Steph caught his hand and pulled him in.

“Hi, Stephanie Brown, friend of the Waynes, we’re gonna talk all about Jason’s adorable little crush on you but first, what did you need privacy for?” She asked, eyes bright with innuendo.

Danny grinned right back, already liking this one, and relaxed when Tim and Jason guided the others in and shut the door.

“Well, I guess you all being here means no one has to be found later… and the more eyes the better in this case,” he mused, looking over the other teens and young adult.

Dick waved at Tucker, grinning sarcastically.

“Danny. And Danny,” he added, nodding to Danny himself.

Sam hid a snicker behind her hand.

“That’s what you went with?” She asked Tucker, and he grinned entirely unrepentantly back.

“What, Jason said he told them who I was,” he said in his very best innocent voice.

Before they could get going, Jason raised a hand.

“I’m gonna guess there was a reason you snuck Danny in other than getting back at Sam’s parents? Vlad Masters,” he prodded, dropping to sit on one of the plush royal blue couches next to Cass.

All three Amity Parkers sobered immediately.

“Right… yeah, we should sit for this,” Tucker agreed, glancing around the room. Seating for nine was going to be tight, but… well, he may no longer be a teenager, but he was still seating-flexible.

Introductions were made as people juggled themselves around, finally ending with Cass, Jason, and Danny on one sofa, Sam, Steph, and Damian on the other, and Dick and Tim perching on windowsill or sofa arm respectively. Tucker took the floor.

Once movement stilled, Danny exchanged glances with Sam and Tucker. Maybe hoping that for once, he wouldn’t be doing the explaining?

He shoulda known better.

Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and didn’t lean intentionally into Jason’s side. It was good to have another halfa around, that was all.

“Sooooo… cliff’s notes? Vlad Masters is a shady billionaire who uses some seriously unethical shit to make predatory deals with other rich folks to steal their fortune. We think he’s here to cement that flashy “b”, byyyy stealing your dad’s fortune,” he explained quickly, glancing around at the Waynes and adjacents he could see.

They did not look convinced.

Tim frowned, leaning forward on his knee and steepling his fingers.

“If you have proof of that, shouldn’t someone already be looking into him?” He asked contemplatively, eyes fixed on Danny’s face.

It was. Weirdly intense.

Fighting down discomfort, Danny shrugged.

“So remember when I said deeply unethical? Think like, mind control. He’s hard to investigate.”

“You make him sound like a supervillain,” Dick noted from the windowsill.

Sam raised a pointed eyebrow at him.

“Duh, we said “billionaire”.”

“Hey,” Tim protested, leaning around Steph to frown at her, “I’m a billionaire.”

She stared him dead in the eye while Steph snickered.

“I said what I said.”

“And you’re a millionaire,” he shot back sharply, eyes narrowing.

Sam didn’t blink.

“I work at a plant nursery my parents don’t approve of and pay my own tuition. My family are millionaires; I’m not,” she said plainly.

Tim puffed up his cheeks, but let them deflate silently. Jason definitely wasn’t smirking.

Cass leaned forwards suddenly, eyes darting around the room searchingly before settling on Sam.

“Masters. Your connection?” She asked softly, the others stilling to hear her.

Both of Sam’s brows rose, but she didn’t comment at hearing the other girl’s voice for the first time. She looked to Danny instead, raising an eyebrow.

Danny blew out a huff of air, ruffling his bangs.

“So… we… well…”

“He wants to fuck Danny’s mom and adopt Danny,” Tucker said bluntly, tipping his head back to hit Danny’s knees and grinning up at him.

Danny poked him in the forehead, but didn’t refute it.

“Yeah. So he’s kinda been my problem for a while. And he’s the mayor of Amity Park now? Is he still?” He asked, looking from one to the other.

Sam shrugged.

“Think so. I haven’t heard about anyone new.”

The Waynes and co were all kind of just… staring at them. Danny gave them jazz hands.

“And now he’s heeeeeere. He probably won’t make any moves if he knows I’m around, but we should keep an eye on him around Mr Wayne anyway.”

“And we can add him to the fuckery list, along with Sam’s parents,” Tucker added with a very satisfied smile.

It drew all eyes his way, ranging from intrigued to sceptical.

“How?” Steph asked, eyes bright.

Tucker waved a hand over the room.

“Black hair. Blue eyes. For one thing, Mr Drake-Wayne is even the same height, so if he sees you from behind, he could be confused. Dick’s not far off either. And best of all,” he added while the others did quick visual comparisons, decidedly smug, “we hint that Bruce is thinking of accepting Danny as an intern. Step one of Wayne Adoption.”

Sam’s eyes lit up with evil glee.

“Oh he’d do his fucking nut if you cozied up to someone richer than him, Danny,” she gasped, hands bouncing on her lap.

Danny hesitated for a moment, glancing over at Jason. Who was looking back, gears clearly turning. Seeing that he had Danny’s eye, he leaned in quickly.

“Vlad Masters would be Vlad Plasmius, yes?” He asked in a low voice. He’d scanned the database more than read in detail, but he knew the basics.

One very important basic.

Vlad was the other halfa.

And Vlad could sense other halfas. For a hot second Danny very nearly took off out of the room, ready to go find and kick Vlad’s ass and keep him far, far away from Jason.

He didn’t realise he’d clenched his fists until one of them was held in a large, hot hand. Slowly, shakily he uncurled them, checking for blood in the deep half moon crevices now dug in his palms.

Nothing. He was fine.

“Danny?” Jason asked softly, and Danny looked up to his face. There was something in his eyes, something familiar in the way they flashed a deep, sudden green when their eyes met.

Yeah, Jason’s Obsession was fucking definitely Protection, at least in part. Danny clasped his hand quickly, half worried Jason was gonna do just what he’d had to try so hard not to.

Would it have been that bad if Jason was just his friend, not his knight?

There was no way to know anymore.

Covering Jason’s hands in both of his, he gave Jason the best smile he could.

“I’m fine. But yeah, that’s him. And we… should probably also have a private word.” Because there was this sudden, very nasty little temptation curling through him.

“Would this private word have anything to do with Jason almost going full feral?” Dick asked with a studied innocence that had at least a master’s degree.

Which was when Danny noticed that the rest were all staring at them. At their clasped hands. At Jason’s still a little too green eyes.

Jason grimaced, fully aware of what they must have seen. He tamped the green down firmly, pushing against the wave of protect-protect-PROTECT the pit was damn near screaming inside him.

Wasn’t entirely sure it was only the pit.

Watching Danny tense up like that, clearly in the throes of fight or flight, pulled at something primal inside him.

Jason didn’t know who Vlad Masters was, what he looked like, what he was doing, but he was fully willing to throw him out of the building by the neck if Danny would relax even a little.

He threatens my king, something growled in the back of his mind and Jason’s hands jerked.

That was fucking new. And not fucking welcome.

He looked to Dick instead, giving him a strained smile. It was the best he could do right now.

“Yeah,” he admitted, not fully comfortable with how strained his voice sounded. How tight his throat felt.

Had the pit tried to use his mouth? Make him speak?

Just the thought made him want to puke, but he pushed that down too. He had shit to do today, and the pit wasn’t gonna ruin it.

“I told you he was helping me with the pit,” he added when Dick still looked calculatedly calm. Definitely not about to tackle him to the ground if he moved too suddenly.

Fuck Jason hoped Dick never tried. When they fought for fun, for training, sure Dick could hand him his ass six ways from Sunday. But when the green took over…

He didn’t want to hurt his brother. None of his brothers, ever again.

Except maybe a little bit psychologically.

“Fenton’s eyes changed too,” Damian said sharply, and oooh absolutely nothing in Jason liked that accusatory tone.

Not about Danny. Not about his king.

His head snapped around to glare at the youngest and knew his eyes had gone green again from the way the others recoiled. All but Sam and Danny. And Damian, suicidal little gremlin.

All but Cass, who slipped herself carefully but immovably back into his lap, hooking her feet into the backs of his knees and hands on his cheeks. Pinning him in place.

Making him look at her, not Damian.

She studied his expression intensely, her eyes saying more than even Dick could manage.

And there was a hand in his again, gently soothing across his fingers until his knuckles opened, and Cass let him look away to Danny. Doing just what Jason had done less than a minute ago.

Danny didn’t have to tell his secrets to anyone he didn’t want to. Not now, not the first time they met, not before he trusted them.

Anger-protect-not their business

And Danny smiled back, all gentle and soft, and Jason settled back, relaxing muscles he hadn’t noticed tensing.

Reassurance-calm-safe safe safe-trust

If Jason trusted them, Danny would too. And if that didn’t sting something right in his chest.

Danny cleared his throat, turning back to the rest of the room and giving them a slightly tighter smile.

“Yeah. I. Uh… I was exposed to the Lazarus pits? About a year before Jason was. So I know what it’s like when it gets too strong.”

Half truths at best, but close enough to be believed. To make sense.

Close enough that no one except Damian, tactless boy wonder, would ever ask.

“Only the dying can survive exposure to the pits,” the boy snapped, eyes sharp as he studied Danny in a new light.

Jason’s hands nearly clenched again, but this time Danny’s was in the way. Protecting Danny meant not crushing Danny’s hand.

Good loophole.

“The dying and the dead,” Danny agreed placidly, calm just barely tinted by amusement.

Jason closed his eyes, let himself focus on breathing in Danny’s aura.

Was that a hint of trouble-fun-plans plans mayhem?

Damian squinted at Danny for another long moment, then nodded sharply and sat back. Steph punched him.

“Damian, you can’t just go asking people if they’ve died,” she hissed in a comically loud whisper.

“It was relevant to the conversation!” Damian insisted, immediately sitting back up to defend his honour. Steph tweaked his nose and he properly growled, gearing up to tackle her.

“It was rude, Dami,” Dick coaxed gently, coming from the windowsill to the couch to scoop Damian into his arms.

The only one of them who could have done it and survived. Damian glowered up at him too, then folded his arms and scowled at the floor.

Dire retributions would surely be incoming.

“Hey, it’s cool,” Danny caused, grinning along with the others now that the tension had broken. “He just wanted to know I’m not gonna hurt Jason, right?”

All eyes turned back to Damian, who squinted suspiciously at Danny again. Jason was ready for the flare of protectiveness this time.

Danny was fine. He could handle the demon brat, even if Dick didn’t have him in hand already.

Jason didn’t want to hurt his brother.

Which caused a different, confusing flare of protectiveness because what he needed to protect Damian from was himself, and the self same flares.

He stifled a chuckle that would probably only make things worse.

Finally Damian huffed, turning away into Dick’s arms.

“Tt. Ridiculous. I only wished to be sure you spoke the truth,” he snapped, and the room resettled.

Danny raised both hands, grinning, and Cass shuffled to rest her ear over Jason’s heart.

“Okay?” She asked softly, moving her feet from his pressure points. Jason brought his other arm up and around her, squeezing gently.

“Yeah, I’m good. Thanks,” he replied just as quietly, resting his cheek in her hair.

“Well, this does also kinda simplify things,” Danny added with a chuckle, leaning back against the couch. “I can just tell all of you; Vlad’s also been ecto…. Pit contaminated. And we can sense each other, so he’s going to know Jason is too.”

That geared the bats back up, all turning back to stare at Danny. Who grinned utterly wickedly.

“So Vladdie gets to be on the rare and extremely valued double fuckery list.”

“Is he gonna try and do anything to Jason?” Steph asked sharply, posture tensing towards the door like it might open at any second.

Tucker shrugged, moving back to lean against the couch next to Danny’s legs. He’d wisely made himself scarce when there was a chance either halfa would make a break for it.

“Like Danny said, Vlad probably won’t try anything if he knows we’re around? He can’t do his mind control on Danny so he’s gotta keep it in his pants, even if he’d rather not.”

Sam brightened, catching on to where the boys were going.

“But because Vlad is like… Obsessed with Danny for being like him, there’s a chance he’ll wanna try and adopt Jason too,” she said slowly, her smile becoming full and wicked.

“And since we’re already planning to have me and Jason caught in some indelicate way to upset the Mansons,” Danny added, utterly self satisfied, “we can fry his brain thinking he can only adopt one of us.”

“And that’s after we make him play Find The Real Danny,” Tucker jumped in, grinning broadly, “because it’s not specific enough to track a single person in a busy room. Do you guys do accents?”

Tim and Dick exchanged glances and shrugged.

“Yours wouldn’t be hard,” Tim pointed out, a smirk pulling across his own face as he nodded to Danny.

“I’d like to know why we’re also fucking with the Mansons though?” Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at Sam. Who shrugged.

“They refused to let me bring my girlfriend as a plus one. So we’re gonna ruin me for men and make them think twice next time.”

“Wait, so you’re not dating Danny?” Steph asked, proving she had been hovering during their little meet and greet.

None of the Amity Parkers seemed surprised. Not by her listening in, anyway.

Danny flushed cherry red, Tucker burst out laughing, and Sam smirked.

“Not since high school,” she said casually. Danny groped around for a throwable pillow but came up short.

For some reason, Jason felt absolutely no need to protect his king from some righteous bullying. Another fun loophole.

Must be the lack of potential stabbing.

Dick grinned suddenly, now leaning on the other arm of the couch from Tim.

“Okay, but we definitely don’t tell this part to Bruce,” he said eagerly, beckoning all the others closer. “If Jason’s job is to flirt with Sam and defile Danny, we were also here to meet Danny as Jason’s boyfriend.”

“Let Bruce think Danny’s leading you both on!” Steph finished, clapping her hands and cackling. “Oh it’s perfect!”

Sam cackled along with her, turning a much warmer smile on the other girl.

“Oh, my parents would love to trash talk Danny to him too, they’ve probably already hurried off to let him know I’m “eligible”,” she agreed with the most sarcastic air quotes Jason had ever seen.

Steph lurched immediately to her feet.

“We’re gonna miss it! Okay, so our first task is to make sure Vlad knows Danny is here, right? So he knows not to try anything on Bruce,” she added to confirm, looking between the Amity Parkers.

Danny frowned thoughtfully, touching his lower lip. Jason tried not to focus on it.

“He should know as soon as we get within proximity of each other… so probably once we’re both in the big room?”

Steph nodded sharply, turning to point to Tim.

“We need to know what he looks like. Can you get us a picture?”

Tim nodded, already tapping at his phone and rising along with Steph, the fire of planning in his eyes.

“On it. Sam and Jason need to be seen to be flirting, but Danny doesn’t have to be with them. Dick and I can wander through the crowd, keeping an eye out for Masters but keeping our faces turned away. Cass, can you help with that?”

Cass gave a thumbs up, sitting straighter and resting her head on Jason’s shoulder instead.

“Yes. Can be Dick’s eyes, signal you both.”

Tim typed a moment longer, then lowered his phone and wheeled, turning to point to Damian.

“And you should all have the photo… now. Damian, if you can get as close to Masters as you can, you can signal us too if he gets too close to Bruce or us.”

Damian nodded and glanced down at his phone, all ruffled feathers smoothing as he tucked it away and straightened his suit.

“I shall watch him for any suspicious moves. I can also run interference if he approaches Father.”

Steph nodded happily and clapped her hands, pointing both at Tucker.

“And you can join me in spying on the Mansons and recording them if they talk to Bruce, for the rest of us to enjoy later!” She declared triumphantly.

Tucker shot to his feet, grinning broadly.

“Yeah! And if they catch us we can tell them Jason and Sam are doing something, or ask if they’ve seen Danny,” he agreed, bouncing on his toes. He stuck a hand out in front of him. “Ready?”

Steph slapped her palm down on the back of his hand.

“Ready!”

The room now filled with purpose, everyone came to join Tucker, sticking their hands in in a circle, even as Damian complained about “ridiculous social rituals”.

No one else seemed to mind, tossing their hands into the air as they all whispered “BREAK!”, not wanting to be heard from the hallway.

As the room emptied, Danny hung back, catching Jason’s eye.

“So I know you’re probably not ready to talk about this,” he said softly as Sam lingered in the doorway, her back conspicuously to them, “but I just need to ask you if there was electricity involved when you died.”

Jason felt his whole body tense, less than pleasant memories rushing to the fore. Broken bones. A blade in his leg. Explosion.

No electricity.

He could see the strain on Danny’s face as his mind cleared, and shook his head.

“No. Why?” He asked warily, suddenly very concerned.

Danny made a face that did precisely nothing to lessen it, looking away.

“Because there was when I died, and Vlad knows it. And he… he can control electricity. But you’ll be fine, well, other than the usual “oh no a bad guy is shooting me with electricity”, right?”

Danny was babbling now, clearly trying to distract himself, but all Jason could see was pure, pulsing green. Before he knew he’d moved he had an arm wrapped firmly around slender shoulders, crushing Danny to his chest.

He didn’t need to be told that reminders of a ghost’s death wounds could be debilitating. He’d have known without the database. Without the catch in Danny’s voice.

“If he ever lays a fucking finger on you again I’ll fucking kill him,” he growled, his voice coming out almost as low as his helmet modulator.

Danny stiffened for just a moment in his grasp, then relaxed against him.

“I mean, I can handle myself,” he protested weakly, voice somewhat muffled in Jason’s jacket, “but I’m not gonna fight you on that one, Jay.”

It soothed something inside him, something hot in the center of his chest that burned at just the thought of anyone hurting the man in his arms.

Attacking him. Using the pain and trauma of his death against him. Attacking his king.

A gentle hand soothed up and down his spine.

Safe-protected-I’m okay-safe

It took a minute before Jason could bring himself to let go, smiling sheepishly down at Danny.

“Sorry. Guess I’m… uh, not used to dealing with anything other than rage from the pit,” he explained weakly.

It felt stupid, comparing something as soft as the urge to protect to those bloodthirsty rampages. That didn’t make it any less true.

Danny shrugged, rolling out his shoulders and grinning up at him.

“Hey, like I said. Shoulda seen me when I first changed. Anyway, shall we go make Vlad’s night a living hell?” He asked wickedly, a cheeky smile on his face.

Jason nodded and made for the door, giving Sam a small smile of appreciation. She looked between the two of them and snickered.

“Yeah, rumpling you both up in a closet’s gonna be easy breezy,” she said lazily, pushing the door open again. “You should trade ties.”

Danny’s hand flew to his throat and he chuckled softly, then shook both of his hands out.

“Okay… time to go make sure Vladdie knows I’m around,” he sighed, cracking his neck. Like he was limbering up for a fight?

Jason cocked a brow, taking Sam’s arm.

“What are you gonna do?” He asked as they moved out into the hall, back towards the ballroom.

Danny shot him a quick grin.

“Expand my aura to cover the whole room. He’ll know I’m flexing, and he won’t be able to miss it. Should help confuse him about Tim and Dick too, since the whole place is gonna feel like me,” he added, and Jason grinned.

Alright, that was gonna be a useful trick. Time to see that famous Ghost King aura put to the test.

He wasn’t really expecting to feel a change really. He was close enough that Danny’s aura was still brushing gently over his, soothing the pit that he was right there.

Ready and close if Jason needed to protect him.

And then Danny’s brows furrowed for a moment, he flexed his shoulders back, and Jason was surrounded in pulsing waves of DANNY-DANNY-DANNY.

He didn’t know he’d stumbled until Sam caught him, her hand small on his chest right over the thudding pulse of his heart.

He barely felt her touch. All he could see, all he could hear, all he could feel was the raw power surging out of the man beside him.

Feeling Frostbite in the Far Frozen had been overwhelming. This… this rewrote the beat of his heart, crawled with his breath into his lungs, curled around every deep and intimate part of himself.

It made him feel tiny and delicate, swept up and held off his feet by Danny’s sheer presence. Crowded and pushed up against the wall, held in place, and Danny wasn’t even fucking trying.

Everything was right in the world. His King was here. The pit fucking sang in his veins.

Aaaand Jason hadn’t been this hard in dress pants since he’d been an excitable teenager who couldn’t help it. Eyes closing, he swayed back against the hallway wall.

He could just barely feel Sam’s hand still on his chest, a grounding point as he sucked in deep breaths. Heard her snicker as the ringing in his ears began to die down.

“You’re getting better at that, Danny,” she noted, and Jason hissed.

This could have been worse? More? How?

And then Danny’s hand was at his shoulder too and he didn’t need to open his eyes to know it. Knew the touch, the feel, the way the pit surged warmth to the spot.

Heard Danny’s soft voice as though it were being broadcast straight into his head.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked quietly, and Jason honestly wasn’t sure.

Think about Bruce’s old underwear commercials. Jane Austen novels. Alfred’s expression if Jason ruined his good pants this fucking early into a party.

Later, maybe, it’d give a flare of authenticity but Danny almost certainly wouldn’t be down.

Danny. There was someone here who wanted to hurt Danny.

Jason’s eyes snapped open and he sucked in another deep breath. It was still redolent of Danny’s aura, still cupping him on every side, but he had a purpose now. A job to do.

He managed a slightly strained smile.

“‘M fine. It’s just a shock.” He cleared his throat, reaching down to tug at the front of his trousers as subtly as he could. “Is, uh… is it always like that?”

Danny looked confused for a moment, still concerned, but it was easier to miss the pulsing beat of his emotions now. Easier to focus.

He’d protect Danny’s feelings too, but he couldn’t do that if he was overwhelmed.

Who knew he’d be this into feeling like he was drowning in someone?

Finally Danny shrugged, glancing out towards the ballroom.

“I wouldn’t know… it doesn’t feel all that different to me. Just like everyone in the room is now inside my personal space,” he added, pulling a face.

Jason stared at him for a long moment, wondering how the hell he was going to ask. If he even wanted to mention the effects it had had - was still having, cleaning guns, Alfred in lace, Vlad was still here.

Nope.

Just. Nope. Not opening that can of worms today.

If Danny didn’t know that just feeling him all around him like that was gonna send Jason to horny jail, Jason was just never gonna tell him. And if Vlad had an even similar reaction, Jason would double kick his ass.

Hauling himself away from the wall, Jason cleared his throat again and fixed his jacket.

“Alright… I’m good. Shall we?” He asked Sam, offering her his arm this time. She gave him a quick up and down, raised a brow, but didn’t comment.

“Sure you are,” she chuckled softly, taking his arm with a reluctant half smile, turning back to Danny. “Are you gonna stick close, or do you wanna recon Vlad?”

Danny considered it for a moment, moving with them as they returned to the hall. Then he shrugged.

“I might go take a peek, but if I see your parents I’ll third wheel back on over. You guys should go mosey,” he added, waving a hand quickly.

Jason nodded, tucking Sam closer, turned back to the room, and… froze. Sam, utterly unaffected, made it a couple steps forward before she noticed and turned back, frowning.

“Hey, what’s up?” She asked in a low whisper, eyes flicking around them.

Good fucking question.

Jason closed his eyes, sucking in a slow breath and trying to work out what had shot down his spine like cold water. Brows furrowed, he tried to will his feet to move.

Took a step backwards and opened his eyes again, frowning back at Sam.

“Alright, I didn’t mean to do that,” he hissed, head turning automatically… to where Danny had taken a couple of steps away.

Green surged below his skin, asking what the fuck he thought he was doing. Abandoning his post. Leaving his king.

There was someone here who’d hurt him, who’d used his fucking death against him, and Jason was gonna what? Not be close enough to break his fingers for thinking it?

Eyes closed for a moment, Jason weighed the odds he could just push this down and keep going. Felt Sam tuck closer. They did have a whole ass plan…

Felt a sudden wash of concern-what’s wrong-protect from the surrounding warmth of Danny.

And sighed, shaking his head, pulling Sam with him after Danny. With each step the green sung, a deep satisfaction not his own rising inside.

He gave Danny a sheepish smile and a shrug.

“I don’t think I can leave you alone. Not if he’s here,” he added a little more quietly, well aware they were being watched once again.

Confusion flashed across Danny’s face for a moment, then he groaned and slapped himself in the forehead.

“Fucking Clockwork… alright, we stick together. Tim and Dick will have plenty of fun with Vlad anyway,” he said, grin slowly spreading again as he tucked himself in to Sam’s other side.

“And we can have more fun with my parents,” Sam pointed out innocently, scanning the crowd around them. Shot them both a sidelong glance each, half smirking. “And I get two lots of cute arm candy.”

Danny and Jason turned automatically to look each other over, Jason’s grin broadening as Danny’s cheeks flushed.

Dick had said he looked a treat in this suit. Must have been right about something.

Suddenly Danny’s aura was all very studious and concentrated nothing to see here.

Jason bit the inside of his lip to keep from laughing, letting his eyes trail a little slower over his king’s frame.

Wherever Danny had gotten his suit from, they knew a thing or two about tailoring. It fit him well, emphasising the lean lines of his legs and torso. Didn’t quite square off his shoulders.

Jason still hadn’t had much practice with projecting his own emotions back, but he had the feeling his… appreciation got through when Danny’s blush darkened.

Grinning down at Sam, Jason patted her hand.

“Only if my code name’s Gummy Bear.”

A startled laugh from Danny was the reaction he’d been going for. Sam’s sudden, utterly wicked smile was a lot more concerning.

“Alright. Danny’s is gonna be Jawbreaker,” she decided, her gaze darting briefly down to Jason’s lips as she smirked.

Jason looked away quickly, his own cheeks uncomfortably warm as Danny choked.

***

Vlad Masters smiled to himself as he moved through the crowd, a shark among minnows. Their vacuous chatter was a soothing background noise; practically already the emptying of their pocket books.

Oh, he didn’t like to come to Gotham, not with that Bat that flapped around. The Bat didn’t like metas, or people who could do just a little more than curl up and die.

But, well, this had been an opportunity just too sweet to pass up.

He could dip his toes in Daniel’s new haunt, remind the boy that he’d never be too far away if he needed him. He could get a look at this son of Bruce Wayne’s, that had died and come back.

And just maybe he’d get a claw into Wayne Enterprises, and get a look at some of their latest technology for his own… uses.

Yes, Vlad was feeling productive just being here, even if he did have to keep his ghostly abilities on lock.

He drifted through the crowd, joining conversations, sniffing out weaknesses, moving on. Oh, some of these wealthy types thought they were hunters too, he could see it in their eyes.

He’d made his fortune by taking from those types of men and letting them see what true power looked like. It was much more satisfying to break a man who thought he was unbreakable.

Bruce Wayne wasn’t one of that type, but he had something that Vlad wanted. Still, the man seemed vacuous enough, all laughing and drink and flirting.

He’d handed control of his company to his teenaged son (and oh Vlad was a little jealous of him for thinking of that move… if only Daniel was more… pliable).

But Vlad could see himself letting Brucie keep at least some of his assets. The man was entertaining, and it’d show Daniel he’d listened.

He could change. In ways that weren’t too… inconvenient for him.

And then he’d have a shield in Gotham, and Wayne could deal with that meddlesome Bat, and he could pay Daniel a visit.

He’d just caught sight of his true quarry, standing in a small circle of fawning admirers when the felt the Presence flood the room.

It sent a shiver up his spine and he locked his knees, refusing to let any weakness show as the air filled with the heavy static of Daniel.

So the boy was here? Interesting. He’d have a chance to see his Little Badger even before he left the party.

He had seen the Mansons on the guest list and he had to wonder if the lad had finally gotten closer to his little goth friend. Close enough to be a plus one?

The elder Mansons would surely hate that, and make that hatred known. Unless Vlad were to… step in. Save the boy from their judgemental stares.

Remind them that Daniel may not be from a wealthy family, but he was still connected to the Masters name.

Yes, this was wonderfully good news and Vlad felt almost chipper, a spring in his step as he advanced on Wayne. Oh, the boy was flaring off, showing Vlad he had some power too, but Vlad wasn’t here to fight.

All he needed was to set up one simple meeting between himself and Wayne, and then all of tonight could be for his Little Badger. Imagine, Vlad Masters having the chance to play the hero.

He was most definitely looking forward to it. And ah yes, here they were, the Mansons already at Bruce Wayne’s elbow, chattering away.

Everything really was coming up Vlad.

Bruce had met the Mansons before of course, at other charity events across the country. They were… well, pretty much exactly the type of nouveau riche he kept his children away from at all costs.

Never impolitely, of course. Never letting on how their false smiles and honeyed lies made his gut squirm in distaste. He was always cordial, and could safely rely on the effect his smile had on both of the couple.

But they weren’t what you’d call close, even in gala circles, so it was something of a surprise when they sought him out.

“Ah, Brucie! There you are, good to see you,” the husband, Jeremy, called jovially as they approached, clapping him on the back.

Bruce gave them one of his better Brucie smiles, returning the gesture with a calculated firmness.

“Jeremy! Wonderful to see you,” he greeted them both exuberantly, eyes discretely scanning both to try and work out what they wanted. They always wanted something.

The wife, Pamela his mental rolodex said, simpered up at him, clutching at her husband’s arm.

“Of course we were simply delighted to hear that your son was found, we couldn’t possibly miss the party!” She gushed, letting her hand flutter over his. “You know, our Samantha is about the same age.”

Ah.

Well, that was a first. For Jason, anyway; Tim and Damian both had plenty of parents hopefully thrusting their children his way. Even Dick was subject to occasional propositions.

Jason had barely been his long enough to be considered eligible when he’d… well.

Bruce would mention it to Dick later, so his eldest could tease Jason about this latest milestone. Best not broach the subject himself.

He cranked the wattage on his smile down a little, looking carefully behind the couple.

“Yes, I believe I’ve met Samantha before,” he said genially, mind scanning through his gala notes.

Samantha Manson. Usually seen in elaborate pink and frilly gowns, always seen utterly despising them. Quiet, rebellious eyes.

At least Jason might find someone tolerable to talk to.

“Is she here tonight?” He finished, like he hadn’t personally memorised the guest list.

Pamela and Jeremy Manson. Samantha Manson. And plus one.

Plus one? Clearly someone the parents found less agreeable than Jason, and Bruce couldn’t help feeling sorry for the poor kid.

Jeremy was already nodding cheerfully, a sparkle in those eyes that put Bruce on edge.

“Oh yes, she’s off talking to your boy right now in fact,” he said with a very self satisfied chuckle, shooting Bruce a knowing look. “I think they quite hit it off.”

“Poor Jason was just telling us how few friends he has his own age, and of course Samantha would much prefer his company than being stuck with her parents,” Pamela trilled, giving Bruce a knowing look of her own, about three shades smuttier than her husband’s.

He could very, very easily believe that, even with as little time as he’d spent with the elder Mansons. Still, best not let them get their hopes up.

“How lovely! I’m sure Jason will keep her well entertained, he has his own plus one for the evening and he does thrive with an audience.”

He’d been expecting them to dim a little at the mention of a plus one, and if not maybe to delicately hint that the current partner was male.

Bruce might not personally know how serious Jason was in this new relationship, but he’d have his son’s back against any of the gala harpies.

He was not expecting them both to beam even brighter.

“Why, that’s the best thing!” Pamela beamed, clapping her hands. “His plus one, Tucker Foley, is Samantha’s very best friend! They’ve been close since high school, very close,” she added proudly, like she’d curated the friendship herself.

Bruce was beginning to think he’d have to mention he knew Samantha also had a plus one when Jeremy nodded happily.

“And of course Samantha brought along her other friend, Daniel from home too, so we were quite concerned the boys might run off together and leave our little girl on her lonesome, but your Jason really took a shine to her!”

Something sharpened in Bruce’s spine, catching at his attention.

“Daniel?” He asked, innocently as he could, and spotted Steph and a young Black man heading their way. Certainly she’d hang back to get more information. “Would I know him?”

Pamela’s face scrunched for a moment before smoothing back into a perfect, empty smile.

“Oh, I very much doubt it. The boy is from a rather disreputable family I’m afraid, very bad influences, but our Samantha has never shied from offering her hand in friendship.”

Bruce took a moment to compare this sentence to the young woman he remembered, barely covering seething resentment under a very similar empty smile.

Friendship. Yes, he could see her offering that to literally anyone her parents disapproved of.

But if this was the same “Danny” Jason was getting involved with, it was his fatherly duty to learn what he could.

He schooled his face to his best politely interested morbid fascination.

“Oh? Please tell me more.”

Steph and Tucker sped up as they caught sight of Bruce, Steph leaning in to whisper,

“Are those the Mansons talking to him?”

Tucker nodded, slipping around to the other side of her for partial cover.

“Yeah, that’s them… wonder what they’re saying, he looks so concerned,” he whispered back, and Steph snickered.

“That’s his “your problems are so fascinating tell me everything” face,” she explained quietly, turning to plant her back to the nearest small table.

This one held a small crystal sculpture that was probably supposed to symbolize something, but she wasn’t gonna look twice. Instead she slipped her phone out of a discrete pocket and hit record.

Tucker took a moment to admire the new tech, leaning around her with an intrigued smile.

“Oh, is that the new WayneTech phone? Can I see?” He asked, brightening up.

Steph grinned and shook her head, carefully angling it to point at Bruce and the Mansons without making it look intentional.

“Not the newest release, but the one before. Tim lost a bet so he had to give me some free upgrades,” she added when Tucker looked confused.

“But aren’t you one of the Waynes? Why would you be a release behind?” He sounded honestly dumbfounded and Steph hid a snicker.

He sounded like Tim every time she turned down one of Bruce’s toys.

“I’m really just a family friend, and I don’t wanna have to get a whole new phone every time Tim or his nerd team has a new idea. You can look later, I wanna catch what they’re saying,” she hissed and he reluctantly quieted, still looking at her like she was crazy.

Yeah.

Tim 2.0. She was gonna have to text Connor later.

Tuck pulled his PDA out and she half expected him to start recording too, but instead he pulled up a handy decoy screen so he could pretend to be showing her something.

And…

Tapped into the video currently being recorded on her phone. She raised a brow and he grinned back, tapping a few buttons and boosting the volume.

“There are some advantages to upgrading your tech,” he said smugly and pulled out a pair of earbuds, offering her one.

They pulled them out about five minutes later.

Steph clapped her hand over her mouth, fighting down giggles as she dropped the earbud into Tucker’s hand.

“Holy fucking shit to people still actually talk like that?” She hissed between her teeth. Tucker, also fighting laughter, stuffed the headphones back into a pocket.

“Yeah, honestly? My mom loves Saturday morning soaps and even she’d call that overplayed,” he snickered, shaking her head.

“You’d think Danny ate their fucking cat, what the hell happened there?” Steph asked, lips pressing tightly shut on another laugh as she made awkward eye contact with some passing guests.

“Honestly? Nothing, they just don’t like his parents, and that makes Danny a “hoodlum”,” Tucker rolled his eyes and grinned, flipping his PDA to a different channel, and then suddenly flipping back. “Aaaaand shit, that’s Vlad. This is gonna be good.”

Steph pulled the PDA quickly from his hands as he lunged back into a pocket.

“Quick, get them back, there is no way I’m missing this!”

Vlad couldn’t say he was honestly surprised to walk in on the Mansons telling some outlandish story that was almost all sly innuendo. It was why Pamela came to these parties after all.

What was surprising was the way Wayne’s face grew more and more serious as she spoke, painting a picture of Daniel as some kind of delinquent thug.

Which, to be fair, wasn’t an entirely inaccurate picture of the boy on his worse days, but hardly represented his best.

And if he reached into just a hint of ghostly stealth to come up behind her, well, watching Pamela Manson startle as he cut in with a well placed greeting was more than worth it.

“My, that does sound like a fascinating story Pamela! And you say this was young Daniel?” He asked, watching with satisfaction as both Mansons spun to stare.

“Brucie” gave him a sharp, almost assessing look too, much more thoughtful than he usually bothered with. Interesting.

Pamela brightened when she recognized him, beckoning him in.

“Oh, yes! Vlad, do join us, I was just telling Brucie here about some of those silly ghost adventures Daniel would pull Samantha into in high school!” She clearly expected him to join in.

Ah, but today Vlad’s role was to be Daniel’s hero, not Phantom’s nemesis. And maybe to see just what had managed to rub two brain cells together in Wayne’s famously amicable head.

He gave her a fond smile, nodding in greeting to the men and taking his place in their circle.

“Why, Pamela, I do hope you’re not disparaging my godson before Mr Wayne even has a chance to say hello?” It was a calculated guess, but honestly.

However Daniel got into this party (and he would put money on his dear goth friend Sam herself), he wouldn’t be introduced to the man holding the purse strings.

From the corner of his eye he also caught a very familiar red beret, and his brow quirked slightly.

Daniel, Sam, and Tucker Foley, all in one place. They must have heard he’d be coming.

How… adorable.

His smile spread as Pamela’s faded, even as Brucie turned to offer him a hand and a warm smile.

“Mr Masters, yes? I believe we’ve met at a few of these before,” the man said, all charm and sunshine.

Vlad shook the offered hand firmly, resisting the urge to just poke directly into his mind.

Tucker was listening. Best give him something interesting to report.

“Yes, I wasn’t aware you knew the Mansons too? One of our finest families in Amity Park,” he purred, giving them both an almost predatory smile.

Jeremy puffed up under it like it was actual praise, but Pamela was still watching him curiously.

“Oh yes, we’re going to be quite close,” she said airily, giving Brucie a secretive smile.

The man didn’t quite return it, the same friendly, open smile not changing in the slightest.

More interesting still.

“And perhaps you and I will be getting closer too, Vlad. Can I call you Vlad?” He asked, and Vlad’s smile widened.

“Of course. Is there something I should know?” He asked, half teasing.

Brucie’s expression flickered almost too fast to see. Something like actual thought under that big soft smile.

“It seems that my son Jason has been spending time with young Samantha and Daniel,” he explained, still sounding just the same cheery fool.

Vlad’s smile widened further, and he took a moment to reign himself in. It wouldn’t do for him to stretch too far. It could make people nervous.

“Oh, how wonderful!” He exclaimed happily, rubbing his hands together. “I was hoping to congratulate him personally on his return, it is quite a rare feat!”

And if Daniel was sniffing around him, that added credence to the rumours that the boy really had died. And possibly changed.

Now, if he could just speak to the young Jason alone, see how easily he could be swayed… if the boys were already friends, perhaps he could even plead Vlad’s case to Daniel directly.

Brucie gave him a dazzling smile, gesturing to Pamela jovially.

“Well, I certainly hope so! From Mrs Manson’s stories I was beginning to worry that Jason might be falling into some rough company.”

Vlad gave the woman a smile that would have chilled if he’d had Daniel’s ice core, but instead crackled with his own electricity.

“Oh, young Daniel may be a bit rough around the edges, but there’s no more loyal boy anywhere in the country,” he assured Wayne smoothly, and noted Tucker and the blonde girl he was with breaking away.

Off to report to Daniel, then. Good.

“Really, you can judge best when you meet him yourself,” Vlad all but purred, watching them go, “after all, you yourself know all about taking young men from rough circumstances and polishing them to a shine.”

Brucie’s smile was all proud paternal joy as he looked out across the room, and for a moment Vlad wondered how many of his interminable brood had actually come.

A young man was very suddenly at Brucie’s side and even the man himself seemed to startle, but his smile only grew as he clapped the boy on the shoulder.

“And here’s one of them now! Mr and Mrs Manson, Vlad, this is my youngest son Damian.”

The boy certainly had Bruce’s jawline, and the same wide eyes the press so loved, even if the eyes themselves were green. Any other similarities would be hard to spot as the boy fixed Vlad with a glare that could have been Daniel’s.

“Good evening,” he said curtly, and Vlad pressed his lips together to keep from chuckling.

“Why, such a stern young man!” Pamela cooed beside him, bending down to give her sweetest smile to the boy. Wilting just a little when he turned the glare on her.

Brucie’s hand tightened momentarily on the boy’s shoulder and his expression immediately smoothed out.

“I’m sure he’d much rather be off with his friends, but he was good enough to come tonight and support his brother,” Brucie explained cheerfully, giving Damian a proud smile.

“Wonderful to see young people who understand the importance of family,” Vlad nodded, keeping half an eye on the boy as he spoke. His eyes had narrowed just a little, probably looking for a patronizing tone.

At these kinds of parties, it’d likely be all he heard.

Still, Vlad settled in to make some idle small talk, whiling away the time until dinner. No serious business would be discussed until after the meal after all.

Perhaps he could persuade Brucie to introduce him to Jason.

It was Steph who zeroed in on Jason’s flash of white hair first, but Tucker who crashed almost directly into Danny and hissed the news.

“Vlad’s here and he’s complimenting you!”

Danny stumbled back to catch them both, staring in bewilderment.

“He’s fucking what?” He asked incredulously. Tucker nodded quickly, grabbing his elbows.

“Seriously, he basically told the Mansons to fuck off for badmouthing you,” he hissed, and now Sam was intrigued too.

“Vlad? Our Vlad? “Phantom is the greatest threat our city has ever known” Vlad?” She asked.

Danny elbowed her sharply and she rolled her eyes, but Steph definitely noted it down to ask later. Tucker nodded again, faster than before.

“Right? He’s definitely up to something.”

“Could be his new plan to win you over,” Steph added, closing the rest of the distance to tuck herself into the group.

Danny paused for a moment then grimaced and shook his head.

“Nah, it’s never that simple with Vlad. He knows I’m not gonna just hear some kind words and fall into his arms.”

Sam rolled her eyes, turning and firmly piloting their new cluster to one of the windows, out of the way of the less nosy eyes.

“Danny, it’s Vlad. He’s still convinced your mom just needs to be alone with him for five minutes to fall head over heels, no matter how many times she karate chops him.”

Which, yes, Steph was adding that to the questions list too, a smile tugging at her lips. She cut them off anyway, making pointed eye contact with Jason.

“Not that this doesn’t already sound fun, but I’m also pretty sure I just saw Selina Kyle,” she told him sweetly, and had the joy of watching him actually blue screen.

Just. Stared into space for fifteen seconds.

Then sighed and scrubbed both hands down his face.

“Of fucking course she is. Why not? Does anyone wanna call the Joker, see if he wants to join too?” He asked sarcastically, tossing both hands into the air.

Steph snickered and rose on her tiptoes to ruffle his hair, ignoring the confusion of their new friends.

“Hey, look at it this way. She’ll keep Bruce off your ass,” she offered cheerfully and Jason groaned louder, giving the window a speculative look like he was considering jumping out of it.

Tempting.

Sam leaned in, giving them both a sharp look.

“Who’s Selina Kyle?” She asked bluntly, and Steph paused for just a moment, wondering how best to put it.

How to describe the fucking disaster that was Batman and Catwoman to someone who couldn’t know either of their identities. Ah, yes, she knew.

“Bruce’s kleptomaniac ex-and-sometimes-current girlfriend. Every single conversation they have is riddled with innuendo and pussy jokes that she makes, and she’s been around since Jason was knee high.”

“So she’s got stories?” Tucker asked, eyes brightening as she twigged.

Jason turned and pointed his most menacing finger at him.

“She does not have fucking stories and you do not want to talk to her, she’ll steal the filings from your teeth,” he warned sharply.

Danny’s lips moved soundlessly for a moment and then suddenly the most wicked glee Steph had ever seen from anyone not a sibling lit his face.

“Jason… she has pixie boot stories, doesn’t she?” He asked in a low hiss, and Steph’s brows shot straight to her hairline.

Jason had only ever willingly worn pixie boots for one reason. Guess things with Danny were serious serious.

So how much had Jason told him?

From the way he was now glaring warningly at Danny, and Sam was rounding on Jason with intrigue, glee, and a complete lack of understanding, it was just Danny for now.

“We’re not talking to or about Selina,” he hissed, crowding up into Danny’s space and ooooh Steph wasn’t too worried about their mutual secret to miss that cute little blush on Danny’s cheeks.

Which also didn’t stop the man himself from grinning up at Jason, even if he did have to crane his neck back to do it.

“Does she have pictures?” He asked with a genuinely wicked glee that Steph just adored.

“Pictures of you in pixie boots?” Sam cut in, crowding up to Jason’s other side.

And now Jason’s cheeks were flushing red.

“They were in fashion at the time!” He defended weakly, and Steph had to laugh at that.

“Yeah, them and mullets,” she cackled and Jason shot her a scowl too.

“Weren’t you guys supposed to be keeping an eye on someone?” He asked sharply, changing the subject like that had ever worked.

Didn’t work on Tucker either apparently, and Steph liked that in a man as the Black guy gave Jason that pure and innocent smile.

“Yeah, Bruce and the Mansons, but that part of the show’s over. Damian’ll let us know if anything happens,” he dismissed easily, and Jason scowled.

Steph braced herself for the flare of green, especially when it had already been so close tonight, and was almost shocked when it didn’t come. When was the last time Jason had glared so much without it?

Maybe Danny did know what he was doing.

The rest of their families’ secrets notwithstanding, she decided that for the moment she had to approve.

It’d be subject to change, a bat never planned against new intel, but for now? She liked Danny. He was honest, easy going, and made her brother blush in ways she’d never seen before.

There were clearly secrets, but he’d dropped a big one on them already with his own Lazarus exposure. Secrets never lasted long in this family anyway, but Steph could wait on digging for these.

She had much more important things to do, like tease Jason mercilessly.

For now, she popped up on his other side to press a kiss to his cheek and ruffle his hair again.

“Well, I’m gonna go find Dick and let him know Selina’s around. Tucker, do you wanna find Tim? If he has you beside him Vlad’s way more likely to be confused,” she added innocently.

Like Tucker’s eyes hadn’t always lit up at the chance to hang out with Tim. She’d be offended if she hadn’t also seen the appeal.

The smirk Sam shot her meant the other girl definitely knew what she was doing, and Steph took a moment to grin back.

Yeah. Getting Sam Manson’s number before the night ended, preferably willingly. Girls gotta stick together, and mercilessly bully their mlm besties.

Tucker hesitated a moment longer, clearly also dying for pixie boot stories, but in the end his nerdery won. Surprising no one.

“Yeah, we’ll go spread the word,” he agreed dramatically, like it was all down to him. Then he pointed back at Jason, utterly unintimidated by a full mountain of muscle. “But I want pictures too!”

“No one’s getting pictures,” Jason said firmly, and Steph danced carefully out of earshot.

“I know where Alfred keeps the scrapbooks,” she called in a sing song voice, and was a little surprised not to even feel anticipation when Jason lunged at her.

Teasing him was usually a careful game, something she had to put her mind into. Watching the pit, calculating his limits, ready to fully run if he broke.

But he was so fun to tease, and it felt… yeah. Nice to wind him up like Dickie or Tim, or Bruce himself. Nice not to be prepared for a sudden attack.

It wasn’t like she’d have ever stopped if he had lashed out anyway.

Danny was good for him, for whatever reason. She shot them both finger guns, heading back for the middle of the room.

“Try not to get into anything scandalous,” she called, loud enough to turn a couple heads. Which would only help their primary, Manson related plans.

Jason flipped her off while Tucker hurried after her, chuckling to himself.

“So, scrapbooks?” He asked hopefully, and Steph shot him finger guns too.

“Not tonight, but it’s happening. We need a group chat.”

“We so fucking do.”

Bruce was not having a fun evening.

He’d been happy Jason had found a guest to bring. Over the moon, really. He needed a life outside of his crimes.

Less happy that Jason had held out on the name of his guest, only sending it when Bruce would be too busy to properly investigate, but he couldn’t exactly blame him.

Bruce knew he could be paranoid and overbearing, his kids made sure to remind him constantly. And Jason deserved privacy.

But it had quickly become clear that “Tucker Foley” and “Pit Helping Danny” were not the same person. Whoever Jason wanted to introduce them to, it wasn’t just his mystery date.

Fortunately one had led neatly to the other, the Mansons revealing the trick quite by accident. And they’d known a lot more about Real Danny too.

None of it predisposed Bruce well to the boy.

Apparently he was reckless, lazy, trouble prone, unmotivated, and a very bad influence.

It felt fucking stupid when he knew full well that Jason was a crime lord and official serial killer, but Bruce just didn’t want him to get into any more trouble.

And if this Daniel Fenton was still half the boy the Mansons knew, there was a whole other world of shady exploits he could be dragging Jason into.

Ghost hunters. Really.

Everyone knew about Amity Park’s “ghost problem”; a cheap way to drum up tourist dollars, just like Bigfoot sightings.

They’d tried calling the Justice League out more than once, but Constantine had marked it as a no fly zone. Which meant there was nothing supernatural there worth bothering with.

The regular Justice League had no time for claims of magical mayhem.

Vladimir Masters had been interesting too, both on the Amity Park perspective and in news about Danny.

As the boy’s godfather of course his opinion could be biased, but according to him Danny was a loyal, kind hearted young man. Still rough and tumble but hardly dangerous.

And he’d been right; Bruce had plenty of experience with that type of young person. He’d soon be able to tell just what this Fenton was.

But Masters could be a useful source there, both for information and potentially sympathy. He’d seemed to understand Bruce’s concerns quite well.

Perhaps after dinner he could catch up with the man again. Make some plans, a meeting somewhere a little more private, where his children wouldn’t all be listening in.

He didn’t want to give them the impression that he didn’t trust Jason to handle himself.

He was just.

Concerned.

Jason hadn’t been himself since before they’d buried him, tangled in that mess of his birth mother. He’d done terrible things, but he’d been lost.

Bruce would do all he could to help his boy find himself again, even if that meant taking a more subtle approach. He wouldn’t let Jason be taken advantage of.

Meeting with Masters would have to wait, however, because as they’d been chatting he’d caught sight of an unfortunately familiar slinky black dress.

He’d excused himself from the adults and slipped past Damian with a meaningful look, and followed her trail through the crowds.

She slipped through easily, winding between people and Bruce could easily guess just how many would be finding their pockets all the lighter for it.

He had to go a little slower, his broad shoulders making him more noticeable and kept him from her tighter squeezes, but she couldn’t avoid him forever.

For one thing, she clearly didn’t want to. He finally caught up at the foot of the stairs to the entrance, turned away from him to admire the lion statue at the base of the banister.

“Bruce,” she greeted without turning, leaning back and just knowing where he’d be. He hated being predictable, and yet… he couldn’t disappoint her.

“Selina. I didn’t realize you were coming.” He’d checked the guest list twice today, but there were always so many plus ones. He hadn’t invited her, but that’d never stopped her before.

She tipped her chin up to smile at him, hearing every unsaid word.

“And miss young Jason’s return? Why Bruce, I’ve known the boy almost as long as you have, I’m happy to see him alive and well.” It was a gentle reprimand, and for a moment he wondered if she’d expected an invitation.

If he should have asked Jason if he’d like her there. But then, which of his children had ever liked it when Selina came around?

Not least because she always broke the rules, and he always found himself letting her. Never the most important, never the one Jason broke, but…

Selina wasn’t his weakness, he didn’t have one. But she was a distraction.

He smiled back, calculated, charming. The one she liked to see in public.

“Of course. Have you seen him?” She might have valuable insights into Jason’s condition, though she’d refused to get involved since his… original return.

Not getting caught in family squabbles. He’d always liked that about her.

She hummed softly, leaning more of her weight into his chest, hand reaching up over her head to caress his chin.

“Not yet, but I’ll say hi eventually. Rumour has it he’s growing quite the harem,” she purred, and Bruce damn near choked.

Harem? Jason?!

“Oh?” Was all he managed, and even then he knew she heard the strain when he felt a low chuckle rumble through her back.

“Word has it the young Samantha Manson and her own date are both all over him. Poor boy, and his own plus one is being borrowed by half the Waynes. What have you been teaching those boys?” She teased, fingertips running just shy of his lower lip.

Definitely feeling where it puckered slightly into one of his minimal frowns. Nothing he’d heard about this “Danny” was setting him at ease.

Still, best not to let anything too real show.

“He’s always been good at making friends,” he allowed, gaze now scanning the rest of the room for his son.

Selina chuckled again, finally stepping away and turning to face him, giving him an appreciative once over.

“Now that’s a lot tamer than what I heard. I’ve heard that they’ve already bustled off to the back rooms, and reemerged en déshabillé,” she purred, and Bruce tensed.

Jason wouldn’t. Not with a stranger. Not at a gala.

True, it wasn’t on the (long, extensive) list of forbidden gala behaviours, but that was because it didn’t have to be.

Jason didn’t like following any of his other rules.

Jason was an adult. Bruce wasn’t… a fool. He was aware that quite a few of his children had grown up. And may, possibly, in an abstract way, have a sex life.

He didn’t like to fucking think about it at the best of times, but Jason? Who couldn’t control himself, who had those unpredictable rages?

No, he did not like that thought at all. His face must have set into stern lines because Selina’s hand was on his cheek again, brushing like she could smooth them out.

“Now now, Bruce. He’s twenty-two. Remember what you were like at that age?” She cooed, and that really didn’t help.

“That’s different,” he growled, keeping to the Brucie ranges with the iron control he’d prided himself on. The control Jason lacked.

Selina examined his expression for a moment longer then shook her had, patting his face just barely shy of being a slap. He caught her hand, gaze whipping round to focus on her again.

Just what she’d wanted, of course.

“Darling, you can’t stop him. You two are on rocky enough ground as it is, hmm?” She reminded him gently, voice low.

His grip tightened on her wrist, gaze flashing across her person.

“And if I searched your pockets right now, how many stolen rocks would I find on your person?” He asked equally quietly. Not changing the subject.

Just a good question.

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, then her lips curled into a smile and she stepped closer.

“Well if Jason’s left the back rooms free, you can search me as closely as you’d like,” she purred, pressing herself to him from shoulder to thigh.

And definitely felt him twitch in annoyance, grip tightening again. He forced himself to let go, step away, before his reactions could betray him further.

“Enough, Selina. Why are you really here?” He asked sharply, carefully balancing the line between Brucie casual and the answers he wanted.

She looked him over for a moment more then shook her head, half smiling.

“Touchy touchy. I’m here to give my best wishes to Jason, darling. Nothing more. And if some of these jumped up little pheasants find their tails a little lighter for it, I don’t think you really care, do you?” She asked rhetorically, turning away to slink back into the crowd.

Bruce considered following her. Pushing for more, working out what she really wanted.

It could wait until he’d checked the back rooms. Or found Jason. Whichever came first.

—————

Part 2!

#danny fenton dead and loving it #dp x dc #dpxdc #danny fenton x jason todd #dead on main #sorry guys #it turns out 18k is over the limit #will be keeping future chapters around 15k #cuz holy shit i’m not doing this again it’s exhausting #it keeps breaking the ding dang tag list #pay attention to me dammit pt 1

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atlas-of-galaxies · 2 years ago

Note

Hi omg I adore your art (esp your yttd stuff) just. Everything about it is just so cool I’ve sent it to my freimds a couple times being like “YOO LOOK AT THIS COOL ARTIST” and I was wondering if you could/if you have given advice on how to diversify ur art? Like, I personally struggle wit the fact I can probably draw a total of 4 hairstyles and probably have a real bad case of same face syndrome, and while I’m really trying to practice I keep looking to your stuff as a prime example of good™️ amd was hoping you could give some pointers

Augh it’s late sorry if this makes no sense or is like single-handedly the most annoying ask you’ve ever seen

thank you so much for your kind words!! <3 I'd be happy to share some character design tips I've learned over time.

now before I start, I just want to emphasize that none of this is new or revolutionary by any means, nor am I an expert. I still have plenty of room to grow myself! I'll just be sharing my reasoning for specific character design details as examples of character design theory at large, utilizing my yttd designs as examples because I've had almost two years to get comfortable with my styles for them.

the two biggest things that have helped me in character design are to 1. emphasize the character's personality/identity/hidden agendas through their design and 2. draw fat characters. I cannot stress how important it is to get comfortable with drawing more body types. it is vital to character design diversity, and it sets characters apart in more ways than just color and hairstyle.

it is also the backbone of shape theory, which is an excellent, subtle way to clue the audience into what a character might be like. take my Keiji design for example:

Keiji presents himself as an upstanding, reliable person that others that can depend on - hence, his form is big, tall, and solid, like a sturdy wall. big, blocky shapes make up his body. but his body language is conflicting, with one open, inviting arm and the other hidden behind his neck.

what sets the viewer off about what he's really like is the expression. shady eyes, never anything wider than a smirk on his lips, permanent eyebags - whatever has happened to this guy, it's taken a toll.

I'd also like to take this time to point out hair, since you mentioned it; I'm a big fan of bangs as a form of character expression! Keiji's are shaggy and messy, nearly falling over his eyes to add to the shady look. as for the rest of the shape of the hair, I like to start from the part (easy to spot in my Keiji design - just look for the brown hair!) and go from there in either direction.

don't be afraid to keep it simple! I used to be unable to end short hair in anything other than a mullet because I wasn't sure how to resolve it, but usually, all you need is just a single line to define the back of the neck. and again, shape language is your friend here! just look at the difference between Sara and Joe's hair:

Sara's hair is easily parsed into angles and blocks - it is orderly and uptight, just like the image she projects as a star student. on the other hand, I couldn't even find regular shapes in Joe's!! the messy spontaneity of it speaks a lot to how he is as a person! Keiji's hair is somewhere in-between; it's got that blocky orderliness as a nod to his time as a policeman, but it's just messy enough to suggest something's off.

we'll look at Shin next. he's another character with lots to hide, but he goes about it a very different manner, hence the different build:

Shin is one of my designs where I think shape theory especially shines. without his protective scarf and big coat, the guy is tiny. he looks vulnerable and weak, and he knows it - hence his hunched posture, as if he's curling in on himself to protect his vital organs. it's like how cats hate being pet on their stomachs, you know?

add the scarf and the jacket though - and he actually has a presence now! he's still a bit curled in, but for different reasons: the scarf is heavy on his shoulders, quite literally weighing him down.

focusing on his face though - I give Sara and Shin similar facial features (long noses, heavily angled profiles) to emphasize their nature as foils. it's especially obvious here, I think:

despite being at such odds, they're very similar people - and small details in design choices can help clue the viewer into drawing these similarities, even on a subconscious level.

and I think that's all I've got for now! hope this helped just a little bit! good luck!

#ask #atlas talks

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mystk · 5 months ago

Text

Chapter two

Evil’s Hero

18+ Only, Minors DNI

English isn't our first language, so sorry if the grammar is bad

💫 = Fem POV

🌙 = Muzans POV

☀️= GN insert POV

🕰️= Flashback

(Contains; hurt/comfort, kidnapping, savior complex, sedation, cigarette burns,

Trans-male Muzan, co-dependent Muzan, Muzan is just a little fella,)) Ptsd, flashbacks, CPTSD, SAPTSD, depression, mild Stockholm syndrome, Anxiety,

Kink warning: Not a lot happens in this chapter :3

Couple: GN reader / Muzan / Female BC we love a good femdom

(None of these things are endorsed by us! We do not write this in a kinky way, this is just being used as a base for the whole “mentally broken” aspect.)

Two people simultaneously wrote this please untwist your panties and don't comment hate!! 🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡🐡

🌙!!!

I was trying to hide, panic coursing through my veins as I tried to muffle my labored breaths, this is a small house. But I wasn't expecting them to find me so quickly. After all, I'm familiar with this place, a little too well I might add.. I can’t say I was shocked when they found me, they just caught me a little off guard. I REALLY don’t want to see them right now. They did save me, but who knows if they’re just going to replace him.

I wish he was here, he’d know what to do

NO! I can't think like that, he's playing with my head even after death.

But why do they care?

But he said he loved me, wasn't I his favorite?

He said he loved me.

HE SAID HE LOVED ME AND I WAS HIS FAVORITE.

_____________________________________

☀️

Jesus Christ little man is TWEAKING,

He went quiet before starting to whisper the same damn thing over and over, somethin’ about being “His favorite.” Whatever it means it's freaky as fuccckkkk…. Melody's been coddling him for weeks, like he's a fragile little baby.

Which is kind of annoying considering I'm her boyfriend. Not that intolerant little shit.

He's kinda cute in a pathetic wet cat way but I suppose that's just how he is.

Resembling a miserable cat.

We’d found out his name earlier in the week, it means miserable for fucks sake, and she still treats him like he's bound to get better any second.

Muzan.

Which brings me back to the present.

Melody coos at him, wrapping her arms around him and rocking him back and forth as he sobs into her shoulder, telling him he's ‘doing so good.’ And he ‘just needs to calm down.’

Which is so fucking unfair, she never treated me like that.

Like sure, I don't have “PTSD” Or whatever bullshit she thinks he has, but like- I'm her BOYFRIEND

I’ve dated her for 4 years, he shouldn’t be more important than me.

_____________________________________

💫

I glance over at GN, trying to ignore the way his hate filled eyes bored into Muzan, and then to me. His eyes soften when he catches my glare, and an almost apologetic look washed across his face.

Oh he’s in for it tonight.

I try and focus on Muzan, a long animalistic whine emitting from the back of his throat as he cries, curling into himself.

I know there's something wrong with him, I have since the day I met him, something GN never picked up on.

Inhuman,

Wrong.

I try and ignore those thoughts, even as dread washes over me at the unnatural noises of pain he makes.

My eyes glance over to GN. I catch him rolling his eyes at Muzan, and something in me just snaps.

How can he be so cruel? He will never understand what Muzan went through, and the faster he learns to accept his new situation, the better. Maybe he just needs a nudge in the right direction.

I instructed GN to wait in our room, and told Muzan I'd return in a minute.

As soon as I entered the bedroom and shut the door, I shove him back against the door.

“You need to get your behavior in check, NOW. Muzan has done NOTHING to you, yet you continue to ridicule him and his trauma. I’m not just going to stand by and pretend I don’t notice anymore. You have been doing this for weeks, and I think you deserve nothing more than to be taught a lesson.”

I let my hold on his loosen completely, and as he slumps bak onto the door, his eyes widen when he sees where I'm walking to. The closet. He knows exactly what's in there.

“M- shit- Melody please.”

His hand is on my shoulder, looking at me like I have no reason to do this.

“It's a bit too late to apologize, GN.”

He knows the march to the closet starts with a single step.

As I slowly walk to the closet, I can hear GN’s breath pick up in pace. I enter our closet, and turn on the light. It illuminates brightly, and I start my search for a box. THE box. As I rummage through piles of clothing, just thrown to the side, I finally spot it. I’m surprised the brown box hasn’t become dusty, due to the lack of use. GN’s always been good, so I haven’t used them recently. I pick up the box, and walk out of the closet, turning the light off behind me. I set the box down in front of GN, and motion for him to open it.

“Get ready, I need to take care of Muzan. I’ll be back soon.”

I glare at him, turning to leave the room,

Once I'm back in the living room I realize just how much more he’s calmed down, sitting down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

“Are you feeling better?”

_____________________________________

☀️

Melody walks out of the room, and I sigh in relief. She’s scary. Kinda turns me on a little bit. I contemplated not listening to her, but I quickly dismissed that thought, knowing I'm ALREADY in deep trouble. I decided to bite the bullet, pulling out the small pill bottle, grabbing one of the small pink pills and swallowing It

The effects kick in almost instantly. I immediately start feeling a need to call Melody in here to hold me. I reach into the box for a second time, and pull out a collar with Melody’s name embroidered into it. She got it custom made for me around a year ago

I fasten the collar around my throat, whining as I bury my head in her pillow, her scent enveloping me as I try and stifle another whine, hands traveling down as I try and resist the urge to touch, knowing it'll just make everything worse.

_____________________________________

💫

Muzan is finally sleeping. When I found him in the hallway, he was calm, until I touched his shoulder. He has a full-blown freak out, and I've been trying to put him to sleep for 20 minutes. Luckily, I think I found his weak spot. A couple minutes ago, after I wrestled him down on the couch, I put his head in my lap, and started stroking his hair. It calmed him down immediately, and he fell asleep.

I picked him up off my lap, careful not to wake him, and brought him to the room we set up for him. I set him down onto his bed, and watched him for a second to confirm he was sleeping, and walked quietly to our room.

I can hear him whining already through the door, making a mental note to get a thicker door for future use if his behavior continues.

I feel bad for a minute, walking into our room to see him curled up in bed, a pillow between his thighs as he grips the sheets, pulling them off the corner.

“M-mph- Melodyyy-Nh”

_____________________________________

🌙🕰️

I lay on the floor pondering on where it all went wrong.

Everything hurts. Why can’t he just kill me already?

I jump when I hear the basement door open. I thought we were done for the day.

I immediately scramble to my knees and bow at his feet.

Hopefully he’ll take mercy on me, I've been good.

“Hey, sweetheart. How about we play a game?”

He holds my face in his hands, smiling down at me, I know better than to say no.

He hands me a lighter, caressing my cheek.

“Hold it to your thigh for two minutes without whining, you win. If you whine, I get to, and the more you squirm, the worse and longer it gets. Got it, sweetheart?”

My heart sinks. He’s joking, right?

I wake up with a gasp, breathing heavily.

#anime #fanfic #muzan kibutsuji #fiction #im going insane #kimetsu no yaiba #tw nightmares #spotify

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thedawningofthehour · 2 years ago

Note

I feel like every time a chapter is published I can hear Death whistling near me, let's go by parts.

1) poor Splinter, this whole situation is really getting to him, I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up aging another decade at the end of all this.

2) Mikey is attending Witch town, Neat! He may not find help with Donnie, but at least it's a start towards developing his mystical abilities.

Once again, Leo's impostor syndrome attack, es triste ver como piensa que incluso si Draxum los hubiera criado, este lo hubiera hecho aun lado por no tener un talento especial como sus hermanos, cuando en realidad podria llegar a superar a Draxum en astucia.

3) From a certain point of view, Draxum is quite pathetic. All that effort, all that planning for what he thinks is an utopia; all for nothing. Draxum is smart, but he's not that smart, Even if the turtles don't interfere, Draxum will lose anyway, and he'll have to witness it all firsthand. I almost feel bad for him, emphasis on almost. I will never forget that his relationship with Galois is based entirely on lies and manipulation.

4) Oh my god! Having to read Galois's thoughts on his relationship with his dad 🔪♥️ 🩸, especially knowing that he is unknowingly referring to Splinter! Argg!!! Draxum really stole a family album and put his face on top of all of Splinter's good daddy moments. If Splinter knew what his son was thinking at that moment a part of him that is already in agony would have died right there.

5) So Brattford evaded his destiny of being mutated by a radioactive Komodo dragon and instead succumbed to his 2012 fate.

Splinter has already aged so much, have mercy. He's at most like sixty right here, probably younger. His rapid aging was 15% trauma bullshit, 5% being a single dad, and 80% raising the disaster twins.

But yeah, he's so not having a good time. He is planning on seeing a therapist after all this is done and he has his paperwork in order, but getting his boys to a doctor and all this nonsense has taken priority. He's just fucking tired.

Once again, Leo's impostor syndrome attack, it is sad to see how he thinks that even if Draxum had raised them, he would have put him aside for not having a special talent like his brothers, when in fact he could surpass Draxum in cunning.

I'm actually surprised at how much I understood of that in the original Spanish, lol. Am I actually learning through osmosis? Is this how it happens for other people?

The disaster twins having self-esteem issues is a huge theme here. Not to say that Mikey and Raph don't have issues, but they're both confident in who they are and like who they are. Leo and Donnie both secretly feel like everyone is just 'putting up' with them and that they need to continuously earn their place, even if we're talking about their place in the family. I do feel like their twinship works against them there, since they're both such exceptional people who can't help but compare themselves to each other, because twins. And they're just exceptional in such different directions.

If Draxum had raised the boys-like, I still feel like Leo would be his least favorite, but more because his sense of humor would absolutely not mesh with Draxum at all. He'd find Leo's skillset very useful and impressive. He would spend a lot of one-on-one time training Leo and grooming him to take over Draxum's military position and eventually taking over as a political leader in the new world. Sadly I don't think this would alleviate his self-esteem problems, for the same reasons Galois is still dealing with his now. Draxum just isn't that good at reading people and probably wouldn't realize Leo felt that way until it was already cemented into his personality.

I mean, some of it's just straight-up lying. They were turtles first, not test-tube babies, Draxum didn't even lay eyes on them in person until they were a few weeks/months old. I doubt Splinter was able to give them baby formula and shit, he probably fed them whatever garbage he was able to get his hands on. (I am really amused now by the thought that Draxum must have had like...bottles and cribs and a bunch of Baby Einstein bullshit ready when he mutated the turtles, and the absolute worst baby-proofing measures around his house) Plus Splinter didn't actually teach Donnie to read-he just kind of figured it out by following along when Splinter read to them. Which probably really freaked Splinter out. Draxum would have likely realized early on that Donnie was flying through his cognitive milestones and would have actually taught him how to read.

I FORGOT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THAT EPISODE. For some reason I was thinking he was possessed but that was the basketball episode, wasn't it? Maybe I can actually work it in though. What was Rahzar supposedly mutated with the second time?

#doth #doth asks #donatello #leonardo #baron draxum #splinter

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zennialemo · 2 years ago

Text

I posted 2,065 times in 2022

That's 976 more posts than 2021!

45 posts created (2%)

2,020 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@killerandhealerqueen

@w00dchips

@evil-moonlight

@scallioncreamcheesebagel

@desultory-suggestions

I tagged 868 of my posts in 2022

#lmao - 41 posts

#beyond evil - 36 posts

#queer - 16 posts

#under the skin - 15 posts

#kpop - 14 posts

#aromantic - 12 posts

#asexual - 12 posts

#bts - 12 posts

#bad buddy - 10 posts

#spotify - 9 posts

Longest Tag: 114 characters

#but this is interesting to me because ive been seeing lots of heavy black and white discourse on concrit lately...

My Top Posts in 2022:

I opened up a soulmate AU that I started in April for Under the Skin. It was in the same folder as the one I recently posted. Its been two days of reading it and rereading it and wishing it had an end. And now I want to finish it. But it's like insanely large in terms of plot. It's a Soulmate AU with political corruption and murder and secrets. Shits not fluffy... well not for the most part. And im overwhelmed by the scale of it. It needs dedication and time and maybe even an overhaul...

But I love it 🥲. So let's see if I can finish it. If not, whatever (she says, not feeling 'whatever' about it at all). Maybe I can break it up into a series if it's really too much...

10 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

My whole therapized life has been a back and forth of "do they don't they" over whether or not I have BPD or bipolar II.

And I have always been like "nah I don't get manic". Mind you I wasn't thinking hypomanic, I was thinking my aunt when she goes off her meds and thinks she can fly and that people are following her. So I was like "never, never" about mania. But I wasn't considering the times when I write 10,000 words in 24 hours with no sleep and then hyperfixate on plot for the next 5 days, or when I do 1 million tasks in 4 days on 4 hours of sleep and almost no food. I thought those were just good times. That's not to mention the spending. Dear lord the spending. But I never felt... like I could fly. I just felt like I was hot shit. So. I always was like yeah not me *shrug*.

All this said, I definitely *do* fit the criteria of "high functioning" or "quiet" BPD, too. My mood in one day is the picture of instability. I have no sense of self. I fear abandonment, etc. I don't look stereotypical BPD because I internalize everything. I rarely snap or take my feelings out on people, when I split I take it out on myself. Etc. So. "Quiet" BPD fits.

But so does Bipolar II with rapid cycling. I just dropped so bad for 2 weeks I ended up in the ER and then swung up so high I spent more than I should have on clothes and gifts and cards for others, slept very little, and packed an insane amount for my upcoming move despite my disability screaming at me with pain and exhaustion to slow down. I am now starting a mood stabilizer and my mental health team is thinking maybe a dual diagnosis of BPD and Bipolar II. I laughed because all these years of back and forth from my healthcare providers for the current team to look at one another and say "how about both?"

How about both, indeed.

The (constant, but now extra pressing) problem is I have ME, or more colloquially CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and hypomanic energy and lack of sleep for 4.5 days = super awful hellish PEM. Think of PEM like crashing into a ditch where you can barely leave bed, maybe like me you're in pain and light sensitive and it feels like you've got Mono all over again... anyway. Its really awful. Terrible. Im so drained I can barely talk. Thank the moon and stars I don't have therapy today.

But yall, I'm suffering. PEM so bad my legs are trembling. Time to lay in bed for the next three days and try to rest up... 🥲

11 notes - Posted June 15, 2022

Rewatching Bad Buddy with my sister, who's seeing it for the first time. I'm in my feels y'all. This show was everything. Wholesome and full of feelings and real communication in the face of adversity. My queer heart is full 🥺.

15 notes - Posted September 10, 2022

16 notes - Posted March 29, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I just watched the first episode of Koisenu Futari, and I’m crying. I’m asexual, and I think I might be somewhere on the aromantic scale too and I had no idea until I watched this and things just.. clicked. I went through and am still living through an extremely painful and difficult breakup where “everything was right” on paper, but I just couldn’t meet him where he was at. And the sentence always ended there but the truth of the matter is, I just couldn’t meet him where he was at...romantically. I never could. It killed me. Kills me. There are other things too, other things about me I’ve been noticing recently and this revelation is like breathing air for the first time in months - maybe there’s nothing wrong with me. This show made me feel so seen. Seen in ways I didn’t even know I needed to be. And even if it hadn’t made me realize I’m probably arospec, I think it still would have touched me just as much as an ace person, but also just on a humanity level it’s beautiful. I call myself a writer but right now the words kind of escape me. I just feel so validated and seen, and it hurts and it’s wonderful all at the same time.

17 notes - Posted February 19, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Spotify

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accidentally-in-fictional-love · 10 days ago

Text

Love Until We Freeze Ch.7 Day 6 - Breck/Reader

[ 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 ]

Warnings: Dead dove, do not eat. No use of Y/N, gender-neutral reader, desperate begging, nonconsensual (at first) fingering, threats of assault, manipulation, russian roulette, reader causing violence in self-defense, descriptions of extreme cold and its resulting injuries, sleep deprivation for safety, mentions of suicide and assault, tasering.

Wordcount: 8864

Summary: This was the last straw, you were getting out before it was too late, and no one was going to stop you.

Notes: Very rough start to this one to those who don't like dub/noncon and I mean that even though it eventually does end up as consent, this is still a stockholm syndrome fic after all. Apart from that, when he switches to Snowbunny, he's referring to these, not the other definitions google later told me about :T it's supposed to make the reader feel even more vulnerable and weak, like they're even less in his eyes in this moment instead of something fragile and perfect he can protect.

You waited for freedom, for everything to instantly shatter and let you fly again, but as the seconds passed and all you did was open your eyes, you knew that you’d never be so lucky.

He was shivering above you, his eyes looking over your face as you took in the situation, and even though you still couldn’t move you had feeling enough to be aware of the hard heat pressing into your thigh. He slowly removed the gun from your mouth, his own cracking into a grin before he licked the saliva off the barrel and took out the magazine for you to see. ‘One bullet for him, for breaking the rules and showing you those single moments of kindness; you think I’d bring a loaded gun in here when you hate me so much? I really did think you were smarter than that.’

You couldn’t even speak, you were hot and cold at the same time, your eyes drifting from him to the ceiling as the most powerful relief you’d ever felt in your life washed over you, as well as a despair you couldn’t see yourself ever climbing out of. ‘Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?’ you needed to know, and he set the useless gun down on the bare mattress next to you.

‘Why would I ever want to kill my precious Snowbunny? Especially now that you’ve just admitted how you feel about me?’ He was fucking insane, you knew he was, this wasn’t just a game of waiting for him to crave you enough to strike and run, he was never going to let you go until his tactics worked and you stayed with him, became his of your own volition. ‘Besides, since I am, again, a man of my word, and you made it past midnight, I still need to give you your reward.’

You watched as he crawled backwards down the bed until he was resting between your spread legs, the numbness still strong enough to stop you from closing them, covering yourself, shoving him away. ‘Breck, I don’t want it,’ you tried to tell him, and when he glanced at the gun you actually twitched in pure terror at the thought that he might use it on you again. ‘Please, nonononono, just wait until I can move again, we can do whatever you want, but don’t… fuck, don’t-!’

‘Why wait? This is your reward, not mine,’ he just murmured loud enough for you to hear, his hand running up and down your thigh as he took you in, and when he raised his hand to his lips you could only clench your teeth in terror as he sucked his index and middle fingers into his mouth. A string of saliva connected them to his lips as he removed them, and you felt no desire as he reached down to place the first against your twitching entrance.

‘Wait! Please, use my mouth, you can shove your cock down my throat and fuck me until I pass out if you want, just don’t do this, I’m begging you!’ you cried out, his fingertip circling his desired area as he hungrily gazed up at you with half-lidded eyes.

‘Why, could it be that you’re a virgin?’ he growled, you’d just made it worse, and you knew he’d never stop even as you desperately nodded in a final attempt for him to take pity on you. ‘Fuck… you really are so fucking perfect for me, aren’t you?’ Your eyes shut tight as you bit back a yell, Breck sighing as he pushed into you, felt your last remaining part open up to him, welcome him in, share your heat with him. He let out a shuddering breath just from this much as he pulled out again, pushed back in, forced you to get used to the small intrusion, his palm pressing against you as he found a better angle and started a slow but steady pace.

You just stared at the ceiling as he took what he wanted under the guise of it being for you, your body opening up to him the more he stretched you, and when he found that spot deep inside of you and your breath hitched even amidst the discomfort you wished you had closed your eyes so you would’ve missed the way he bit his lip at the sound of your pleasure. He started to move faster, his legs shifting across the mattress as he moved even closer, and when he found that spot again you actually heard him groan along with you. He aimed for it, watching the twitching muscles in your stomach as your pleasure was forced to build, and when he added in the second and your back arched a little he started to pant, needing more, he needed to give you more.

Your breaths came quicker as he picked up the pace, your eyes finally closing as you heard the sound of his fingers fucking into you and wished that your watcher would press the button again and deafen you for good this time. It was starting to feel good, it’d hurt so much but your body had been craving release ever since he’d held you down in the snow and grinded against you, and it betrayed you as the first moan slipped free. ‘There you go, you’re taking me so good, I knew this was what you wanted,’ he murmured as he leaned forward to lick a stripe up and over your waist, his hand never stilling. You shook your head, thighs trembling as he smirked and nipped at you, the small gasp you let out only making him happier.

He straddled your right leg and rolled his hips, the pain of him scratching all the new wounds taking away from the pleasure before he shushed you, held you down when you started to arch away from the aches, his hand moving faster as he found that spot and aimed hard for it until you saw stars. You’d never been touched like this by another person before, your mountain of excuses to avoid intimacy that you’d been building all your life now avalanching away as he took them from you, your mouth starting to curve from a wince to the starts of a smile as he built up something new inside of you; he told you praises as you started to react in kind, your moans coming more easily as he no longer pried them out of you but encouraged them, begged for them.

‘You’re so good to me, I’m the only one who can make you feel like this,’ he was saying as it all built higher, you weren’t going to last but he’d burned you before, and you didn’t know if you could take it if he left you again. You wanted to beg him not to stop but you were terrified that if you opened your mouth he would, your only coaxing in return the sounds you were gifting to him without end. ‘I’ve wanted you from the moment I saw you, I knew I couldn’t let you leave, I had to make you mine…’

He pressed in hard and you keened long from it, you were so close this time, the words threatening to come out until you bit your lip and groaned. An excited breath came from his direction as he picked up speed, fucked you harder, you could hardly stand it, you needed more, you needed to hold him, kiss him, fuck him-

‘Breck…’ you sighed just like you had in the bathroom that night, your hands shaking as they curled into fists, and he only stopped for a moment to cherish it before adding in a third just to be able to feel you more. It was too much, you couldn’t handle it, and when he looked down to see you spread around him he moaned out your name so good that you finally came hard. Your breath caught in your throat as your entire body seized, his hand not stopping until he wrung out every last bit of pleasure from you, it so good that you could barely keep your eyes open after everything else he’d put you through.

‘I can’t… fuck, I can’t wait anymore,’ he said above you as you came down from your high, your afterglow turning into something dark as you looked back down and saw him reaching for his belt. You tried to tell him to wait but your mouth was dry not just from your orgasm but from the growing panic, you knew you’d wanted him in the moment but you didn’t want him to actually have sex with you now, it was too fast, you couldn’t even hold him off as you felt the rope dig into your wrists as more of your feeling came back. ‘Looked so perfect around me, I need to know what you feel like, we’re running outta time, Bunny-’

He popped the button on his pants and yanked down the zipper before you could even blink, you’d begged him so easily before but now the words refused to come, the ringing in your ears returning as he shoved his pants a little down his hips and gripped himself through his briefs; you could already see the damp spot forming from earlier, he wasn’t going to be satisfied with just grinding or jerking off on you this time.

‘I’ll make you feel good, we’ll feel so fucking good-’

‘Breck.’ The door opened as his hand slipped into his briefs so he could take himself out, your breath stilling as he shakily turned to face the Diamond standing there, this one wouldn’t be sent away so easily. ‘You have a message from the Lodge, it’s urgent.’

You watched as he gave himself a slow tug out of sight, his shoulders shaking as he swallowed, his chest heaving dangerously as his eyes grew dark. ‘Can’t it fucking wait?’ he snapped, he was furious, but still, he was no higher than the Diamond in the doorway, and even in your terror-fueled haze you knew that anything from the Lodge was big.

‘No, it’s from Mitch,’ was all he had to say, and Breck took another unsteady breath before removing his hand and fixing himself up. The Diamond didn’t look away from your shame as Breck straightened his sweater and hair, the fingers that were inside you washed off in his mouth before he gave you one final glance and walked out to answer the message, but as soon as his guide was gone he hesitated, leaned back in to say one last thing.

‘No matter what you’re thinking right now, you can’t tell yourself you didn’t want this,’ he said, and you were about to attempt to reply when he motioned to your hands. ‘The ropes were never tied, you could’ve pushed me away the moment you could move again, all you had to do was try.’ Ice ran through you as you turned your heavy head to the side, your hand raising as you saw how limp the ropes actually were, and you felt nauseous as you saw that he was right; they’d faked actually tying the other ends to the frame so you wouldn’t thrash, the moment you had nodded your head at him you could’ve ended it right there, you’d just been so convinced that you’d been restrained that he was right about that too, you didn’t even try. ‘You would’ve let me fuck you, not because I had them stop you from fighting back, but because you wanted it too; you’re mine, and now we both know it, don’t we?’

You let your hand fall back to the mattress as he closed the door again, and when you shut your eyes and tried to hate him more than you hated yourself, you let out a cry as the buzzer rang through the room.

You were in darkness again, but you weren’t lying down or floating or buried, you were sitting.

You felt your mattress under your legs and your headboard against your back, and you were surprisingly calm as the mattress dipped down in front of you and Breck came into view. The diamond on his sweater drew you in like the abyss as you glanced down at his hands, a revolver held up for you to see instead of the black handgun you’d seen earlier. He opened up the cylinder to reveal a single bullet inside, and you just nodded with no fear as he snapped it shut again and spun it.

‘Your family leaves soon,’ he told you as it kept spinning, the sound echoing off the walls around you. ‘You’ve failed all my other tests, so here’s your final one: survive one round with me, try and get out of here, and I’ll let you go.’ You looked down at the cylinder as it just kept spinning, noises coming from around you the longer it went on.

‘There’re no winners in this game,’ you told him, you knew how this worked, and he reached out and took your hand and placed it on the grip over his own.

‘If I kill myself, then you’ll get to leave the mountain,’ he explained, the spinning sounding louder as his eyes looked deep into yours. ‘But if you kill me, then they’ll bury you in the snow with me, I won’t let you leave me even in death.’

‘And if I die then you’ll just add me to the list of others you’ve murdered,’ you breathed, his brown eyes almost black in the dark.

‘If I kill you, or you kill yourself, you know that I won’t win; I need you, Bunny, why do you think you’re still here?’ You looked into the darkness beyond as the spinning grew even louder, it was almost deafening, and his other hand clasped over yours as he didn’t look away from you.

‘You’ll really let me go?’ He nodded, the diamond sucking you in even more as you stared down the barrel. ‘Then I’m ready.’

A light came on above you at once, the other members you’d met standing around you in its weak circle of illumination as they waited to see what would happen, red dots cropping up between and above them, cameras everywhere, you were being watched. You didn’t look at them as the cylinder finally stopped all at once, your ears ringing as he slipped his finger over the trigger; he didn’t fire, just leaned forward so he could lift it to his temple, he wouldn’t use his first shot on you. You swallowed as you were forced to lean forward until you were inches away from him, your mouth falling open just a little as he pulled and heard a click with a twitch of his eye, and then it was your turn. You didn’t aim at yourself, the gun flipped to fit your hand as you pointed it at his chest and fired with another click, and he almost looked hurt over it as it was flipped again and held up to his forehead.

Another click, three shots left.

You quickly aimed at him again, your heart racing as he just waited, and when you heard another click you felt the tears well up in your eyes. ‘It doesn’t work if you only aim at me,’ he said softly before placing the gun in his mouth and firing, another click, last one.

‘You’ll never let me go,’ you whispered as his hands left yours, the gun heavy in your palm as you brought it up to your temple, but he didn’t look pleased about it as he held your free hand in his own, sharing his warmth as the members around you all whispered about how he’d killed another one. Your finger trembled on the trigger as you hesitated, you knew this would be the one, all you had to do was decide if you wanted to fly back home or be buried with him, if you’d rather kill yourself or let them pile the snow on top of you while his lifeless arms held you to his chest as the cold surrounded you, forever sharing the warmth he never had.

‘Why don’t you ever try harder?’ he asked lowly, and you bit back a sob as he crawled over to you, your hand leaving his to grip the center of the diamond and stop it from trying to trap you against him again.

‘I tried so hard,’ you sobbed, but he just shook his head and pressed a kiss to your forehead, your breathing evening out as you felt peace at the touch.

‘I lo-’

BANG.

You startled awake as the buzzer rang through the room, your hearing fully returned as your watcher caught you nodding off and woke you up again, and you grit your teeth so hard your jaw hurt as you felt your tears drying on your cheeks. It was just a dream, none of what he said was real, and you felt so angry at yourself for even pretending like he’d admit to loving you after what he’d just done. You felt sick with yourself at it, you weren’t going to put up with this shit anymore, you knew who he was now.

This was it, you weren’t waiting around anymore, fuck that.

After that you knew that he would actually be the death of you, there was no more doubt about it; even if he knew the gun was empty he’d still killed your Diamond right in front of you just because he’d been sorry about hurting you, had tried to talk to you as he gagged you. He would never see you as a person, just something for him to claim while he pined over the power he thought he deserved, a possession he could hit and beat and fuck while he threw his tantrums and pity parties, and he would kill you with it.

You didn’t get buzzed as you sat up and massaged the rest of the feeling back into your aching limbs, your back sticking to the mattress and causing you more pain, but the feeling of the now cold wetness between your legs from what he’d done propelled you to get up, to move. You took off the ropes and saw the lines left behind to match everything else, just another thread in the tapestry he was weaving over every inch of skin he could get his hands on, and when you went to the bathroom and saw yourself in the mirror you didn’t cry this time. It was bad, it was so fucking bad you felt sick, but you just glared at your reflection and avoided staring at the camera as you turned on the sink to just over lukewarm.

You washed yourself off as gently as you could, clearing away the dried blood and seeing what had torn, the scratches from the fence now buried under everything else. You couldn’t do your back but they allowed you to clean everything else in peace, and when you stood in the shower to let the red run down your back and legs you left the curtain wide open so they could see. You didn’t have any new towels but that was fine, as much as you hated it you were used to the cold of your room now, your body adjusting to it more and more as your wet skin air-dried until you were able to get dressed. No pants, no sweater, just the thick socks and tight, protective clothing for the cryo, your shirt ruined but that was fine, you still had the underwear.

Your mattress looked like a crime scene when you returned, the red and other stains showing what had happened, and you just stared at it before flipping the mattress to the other side and hearing a noise; you peeked under the bed and found a Zippo lighter tucked against the wall, you’d missed it when you’d gotten up, and when you grabbed it and inspected it you found yourself swallowing at the inscription on the side.

To my best friend, my other half, the love of my life,

Mead

This was Breck’s, it must’ve fallen out of his pocket when he was undoing his pants, and you flipped it open to fit the top perfectly against the angry welt on your wrist. Your hands shook as you closed the cap and set it down beside your boots, you wouldn’t use it here, not yet. You went back to the mattress then, it was thin, so both sides were thankfully usable, and you sat back down and waited patiently until the sun rose out of sight, the sound of the key in your lock signaling the arrival of your breakfast. You were wide awake as you stood, the rope quickly picked up and wrapped around your wrist as you kept it out of sight from the camera, and when the Square, Chet, you recognized him instantly, walked in you had just a moment to take your small glass of water and splash it directly into his face.

It surprised him just enough to get him to stumble, your plate taken from him easily as you smashed it into the side of his head; he cried out and covered the injury, you’d cut him on the shattered porcelain, and you counted the seconds as you dragged his head down to your level, raced around to his other side, and wrapped the short rope around his neck. You knew you were being watched, no one hitting the buzzer as an alarm went off in the distance, Chet fighting you until you were able to choke him just enough to knock him out, not kill him, his body falling to the ground before you tore off his sweater and pants and grabbed your gloves, boots, and Breck’s lighter. You didn’t put them on until you reached the garage, the snow not scaring you this time as you quickly yanked everything on and opened all the doors.

You could hear them coming for you as you blocked off their only way in, they’d have to take the long way, and you used your remaining time to grab the firewood axe off of the wall and smash as many ATVs as you could, making sure to give his the worst treatment before gripping your weapon and running out into the white. It was already starting to come down but you were trained for this now, you’d spent so long in cryo that this didn’t actually feel so bad, and you thanked him with a determined smirk before running off in the direction you’d seen the lifts stretch into the distance. The facility was sounding off bells and whistles behind you, you could hear it from the open garage doors since otherwise it’d be too dangerous, and you sickly hoped it would start an avalanche and bury everyone inside, even if it meant it’d bury you too.

You just kept running, sticking to the trees and breathing in the fresh air until it stung, the top of Chet’s sweater pulled up to cover your mouth as protection, your breath wetting the fabric but also providing you with a bit more warmth in the meantime. You used the axe to support yourself, the gloves extra thick and keeping the cold of the steel away from your palm, your heart pounding more and more the further you got away. It wasn’t your exact plan but it’d still worked, you’d gotten out even if you hadn’t been able to thank Breck for everything he’d done to you, you were going home.

You blinked away the tears so they wouldn’t freeze on your face as you kept going, using the angle of the mountain to keep yourself going in what had to at least be somewhat of the right direction, it didn’t have to be exact, just as long as you kept going down in the end. Since it was snowing there might not be anyone out but that was even better for you, that meant no more members guarding the courses, and it’d be the longest walk of your life but you’d chop down a tree and use it as a sled if it meant securing your way back to the hotel.

You froze when you heard the vehicles, of course they had extras, there were so many of them that that was probably just Breck’s own garage, and you ducked behind the low, weighed down branches of a bent over spruce as they grew closer. You held the branches in place, hiding in the shadows as you gripped your axe to your chest, you hadn’t wanted to kill anyone but you would now that you were out, especially Breck if he so much as dared come near you again, if they so much as tried to bring you back you wouldn’t hesitate to stop anyone else either. The ATVs rode until they lost your tracks, the storm was covering them up even with the trees getting more dense here, and they looked around for any sight of you before one of them cupped their hands around their mouth and stood up tall.

‘There’s a blizzard coming, the rains have been too strong downwind and it’s reaching us, that’s what Mitch warned Breck about!’ he yelled despite the danger of the piling snow, and as if on cue the storm picked up a bit more, the clouds dark up above. ‘You need to come back with us or you’ll freeze out here, we can protect you from him, we know what he’s been doing to you!’

You shut your eyes and blocked him out, he couldn’t help, they were all in on it, everyone saw what he’d been doing all week and never said a single word, not even when your Diamond had been carried out of your room on a fucking snow sled for christ’s sake; they were all insane, you had to do this on your own.

‘Please, tell us where you are, this has gone too far, we can bring you down when the storm is over!’

Lies, all lies, they were all liars-

‘Tell him there’s no response, we need to keep looking, we can’t let anyone who knows that much get off this mountain,’ you then heard him say to the person nearest to him, the axe digging into your chest just a little as you dug your fingers into the bark of the tree; you knew it, you were just being tricked again, and once the ATVs were gone and no one was left behind but you you just pounded your fist into the snow and screamed into your hand.

It was getting even darker despite the time, the snow whiting out everything and making you disoriented as you started to sway. You’d been walking for what had to be an hour, avoiding the sound of the vehicles to your left and keeping more to the right, the knowledge that eventually the slope would end and you’d be on flat ground again keeping you going. The bitter wetness of the snow was slowly getting worse than the dry cold of the cryo, it was seeping into your bones and slowing you down as time went on, and no matter how many times you stopped in the cover of the trees and pulled out his lighter to heat yourself back up, you feared that it wouldn’t be enough soon. You weren’t dressed properly for this, not for a blizzard, your unprotected face burning and blotchy as you tried to cover your cheeks with your gloves and only felt the ice that was gathering on the fabric each time you put them back on.

It was impossible to see what lay ahead now, you didn’t know which direction the lifts were in as you just kept going, for all you knew you’d surpassed them and were just heading off into the wilderness, and when what had to be a solid hour of nothing but stinging snow passed you started to course correct to the left, just in case. Either way it still kept going down, and the trees were thick when you needed to hide and take a break, but the lighter was slowly running out of fuel, you were still running on two days of no food or sleep, and your bare ears hurt so bad that you were afraid to touch them in case they broke off like in the movies. The thought nearly made you heave so you kept going, it was your only choice lest you actually did freeze to death out there, this would all be worth it when you finally saw your family again.

You smiled weakly as you imagined their faces when you arrived, pushed through the double doors and collapsed into their arms. Your cousins would want to know all about your harrowing escape, your aunts would dote on you while they stormed the kitchens for warm food, and your father and uncles would get the police to tear this place down for what they’d done. All the while your mother would hold you close like when you were a child and she loved you unconditionally, not like the past few years as you pulled away from everyone, your depression getting worse and your mother only growing fed up with you when she didn’t know how to help.

And then he’d come in, escorted by the cops, the cuffs surely not tight enough as you’d get to hit him back, smash things over his head, let your family beat the shit out of him until he was broken and bruised. And then he’d go to jail, and you’d never have to see him again, you’d be free. You’d go home to the warmth and comfort, clean your apartment up til it was good as new, get yourself fixed up, and wear your battle scars with pride because you’d escaped, you were home, you’d survived.

You didn’t realize you’d collapsed until the cold came back to you hard, your eyes shooting open as you felt the warmth from your vision start to sink in; this was worse than bad, you were so cold that it burned, and you pushed yourself up on shaky arms before testing your fingers to make sure they still worked. They did but it was hard as you pulled out the lighter again, your body protecting it from the wind as you desperately lit the flame once more. It brought a bit of life back to your purple fingers until it finally gave out on you, the last bit of warmth he’d ever give you, and you fought not to cry as you kept flicking the igniter until you gave up. You drew back your arm to throw it, bury his last memento from Mead as your final revenge, but you couldn’t as you shoved it back into your pocket and slapped yourself awake.

You couldn’t fall asleep out here, the moment you did your death would be confirmed, and you’d end up just another skeleton on Everest, another missing person to join the corkboard in the police station back in town.

You pictured what was waiting for you and forced yourself to stand, your knees and ankles weak as they instantly gave out and you fell back down, the snow catching you softly as it threatened to cover you in a thick, warm blanket. You won’t bury me, you thought as you tried again, the axe digging into the ground as you got up, your eyes on the endless sheet ahead of you. I’m not dying on this fucking mountain.

It was hard but you started to walk again, making sure to stick even closer to the trees as you took breaks under each one, your progress slow but it was something, it was one step closer to home. You kept your mouth shut tight as you breathed through your nose, blocking out as much of the cold air from your lungs as you could to save them and your throat, it dry as you swallowed and hurried to the next tree, then the next, until the clearing you reached had you flailing blindly in the white until you found a pole. You looked up, just faintly heard the creaking of metal above as the lifts swayed back and forth, and you coughed out a sob of pure joy as you followed the angle of how they sat and took off.

The course was a straight shot down, you were completely exposed out there but the end was within reach like this, you couldn’t stop no matter how much it hurt. With each step you pictured him hurting you, messing with you, assaulting you, each thing only pushing you to go further, faster, you could not stop. You’d rather die out there than go back to that place, he’d kill you for trying to leave him so if you had to die then you’d choose this, but when a hard breeze caught you in the back and you stumbled you knew that you’d have to make the choice sooner than later. You lost your balance, your brain having just enough time to throw the axe away from you as you covered your head and rolled, the mountain carrying you down again.

You gathered snow as you fell, the course clear for the safety of the skiers and the gathering powder soft and thick, but they still found ways to hurt you as you just kept going, the world flashing quickly by in different shades of white and gray, no sky to break it up under the storm. When you finally stopped you just laid there, no Breck to race down and make sure you were okay, the distant thought to make sure everything still moved only getting further and further away as your axe slid into place next to you, the ice formed around it from the trek stopping it from settling when you’d thrown it.

You reached for it, needing its help so you could stand, you had to be so close by now, you’d been walking forever and falling for just as long, but breathing hurt, your clothes were soaked through and digging ice into your broken skin, you couldn’t get up from this one. You sobbed into the ground and felt the sting worsen, the wetness freezing and making you shut your eyes to save your last moments of vision, you were so close, you had almost made it out, you were so close-! The sound of shoes crunching on snow made you look up again, your body shaking so much from the cold and exhaustion that even just that much nearly made you pass out, and when you saw the heavily dressed man in front of you you just cried, your head sinking into the powder.

You’d know him anywhere, even when the only thing you could see was your warped reflection in his goggles.

Just leave me here, you pleaded mentally as you looked up again, you didn’t know how he’d found you but he did, and he just stared at you as the snow kept falling. I can’t do this anymore, just let me go…

He kneeled down to brush the frozen hair away from your face and even then you couldn’t help but lean into it, and when he removed his glove to touch your cheek it burned hotter than anything else before it. He watched you whimper before putting his glove back on and turning, and he pressed the axe into your hands before standing and waiting to see what you’d do. It was heavier than it’d ever been, your body just as much as you tried again to stand, Breck just giving you space as you just barely were able to do it with the last of your energy, and when you were facing him, panting heavily as the wind and snow tried to knock you back down, he raised his arms and waited for you to make your choice.

You braced yourself and lifted the axe so you could swing, you could end it right here, one hit would be enough for the cold to take him no matter where you got him, and as you stared him down you saw that you were at the bottom of the lifts, the same place he’d first offered you the ride almost a week ago. Despite the pain your tears still fell as you shook your head, begged him not to make you do this in the motion, but he just waited, just like he did in your dream as he stared down the barrel, and you let out a scream for everything as you swung as hard as you could.

The axe slipped from your tired grip as you swung at him, it falling to the ground as you almost did too, Breck unharmed apart from the thin slice across the front of his thick coat where his diamond lay underneath, and he let his arms fall down to his sides as he looked away, so that was what you’d chosen.

You had just a moment to try and run before he was wrapping his arms around you and carrying you towards his ATV, others coming into view as they pulled a hat over your head and a new gag over your mouth, your hands bound again and your legs grabbed as you screamed up to the hotel for help. Your family was in there, they were so close, but you only saw shut blinds as everyone huddled up in warmer places from the cold of the blizzard, no one was coming to help. You were sat on the lap of another member to make sure you didn’t throw yourself out the door as Breck climbed into the driver’s seat, your sobbing not ceasing as he reached for the key and sighed.

He looked like he wanted to say something but he didn’t, if he did you couldn’t hear it behind his ski mask to keep the cold out, and you let yourself fall limp but not sleep as the group of vehicles all roared to life and headed back up the mountain even in the storm.

It took longer this time, everyone knowing the way even though they couldn’t see just like he had that night, and you didn’t fight back as two members carried you inside as he led the way. He didn’t take off anything as you were taken straight to your room, Brit already waiting on the bed and standing when she saw that you were okay, the only genuine kindness out of anyone you’d met so far. She went to speak but stopped when Breck held out his hand, motioned for her to move aside, and she got right to work as you were stripped back down for her to examine.

When his lighter was pulled from your pocket he flinched, and for a moment you wondered if he might say something as he snatched it from the member’s hand; he turned it over before patting his pocket, he didn’t know he’d lost it, but he just glanced at you before putting it back in its place and going back to watching.

The other members left to ditch their outfits as the blizzard threatened to knock out the power, a backup generator surely in place considering the location, and you just allowed her to move you every which way as she took in everything. Breck was still there even now, still fully clothed as he leaned against the doorframe, two nurses coming in to help after a while so you could be lifted, and when she saw your back she actually gasped. She didn’t say anything to him, your bed eventually moved away from the wall so everyone could get to you with more ease, and this time when the needle came out to numb you you just shut your eyes and waited.

It eased the growing pain as your fingers were spread out and wrapped up, the gloves good but not for that amount of time outside, and you saw how the skin had gone from purple to red and raw before everything was covered in more white. Your feet fared better thanks to the thick socks and your boots, but the spaces where the ill-fitting pants had been pushed up were also raw, the same going for your wrists. You were gently held up as Brit applied salve to all of your open wounds, more bandages and gauze coming through the door to cover every bit of evidence up in a ribbon and bow, Breck just watching and not saying a single word.

You bet you would’ve flinched as she then tended to your face and ears, she was extra careful with them as your head was held up and your ears were bandaged, your delicate skin all cleaned up by hands that were a thousand times more caring than his had ever been no matter what he told you or believed. When she was done you were set back down again, a new, warmer blanket brought in to wrap around you while the numbness kept the pain at bay, because once it wore off it would hurt; this would be an agony you’d never known before, one that was all your doing this time, your hands doubled bandaged into mittens so that your fingers could remain straight and heal properly after the cold had tried so hard to crack and break them at each joint.

She only gave Breck a look before she and the others were gone, and he was about to shut the door and sit with you when he stopped, his hand hovering over the wood before clenching into a fist and lowering to the doorknob instead, and he left you there to rot as you went back to staring at the ceiling.

You were forced to stay awake again for your own safety, the buzzer bringing you out of it as your despair only grew. More people came in to tend to you during the day, make sure you got some liquids in you as you were able to move again. It took you a while to notice, but as more things were placed on your bed you realized that your table was now gone, no more temptation to take down the new camera with it absent and your chair destroyed. It didn’t matter, your face hidden under the blanket as you pinned it between your hands and pulled it up, but you only got a moment of that before but it and your pillow were taken, the buzzer thankfully spared this time as the Square took care of the obstruction.

You attempted to curl into a ball but it hurt too much, your knees had suffered a lot during the walk and they were incredibly tender, your only option to keep laying on your back until the thought of someone watching and waiting for you to mess up became too much. You forced yourself to move, sliding inch by inch to the edge of the bed until you could unsteadily lower yourself to the ground, the camera quiet until you pushed yourself into the small space under the bed and basked in your seconds of freedom, there, in the dark.

You expected the buzzer this time but you didn’t move, the bandages made it easier especially when your hands were also pressed over them as softly as you could, and when the door opened you expected to be dragged out again. The mattress was instead flipped onto the floor, bloody side up, before your bed frame was carried out and into the hall, no more spaces to hide. The door slammed and you pulled yourself back onto the mattress and off the bitter tile, no strength to flip it back over as you laid there in the middle of the room and cried.

You had to be fed when dinner came, the sight of plain, canned, crackerless chicken noodle soup bringing you little comfort as the spoon was lifted to your mouth. You felt like a child, the woman currently helping you looking nothing like your mother as she fed you since your hands were useless, your eyes empty as you gulped down the warm meal until your stomach complained a little less. She placed a straw in the bowl so you could drink the broth once the chicken and noodles were eaten, and you licked your horribly cracked lips before she did the same to your glass of water. It was cold, but the cold was everywhere, this would make no difference to you.

You didn't miss her presence when she left too, the small amount of food not settling as well as you'd hoped as it just sat in your stomach, the nausea mixing in with everything else and just making you wish you could just fall asleep and wake up when it was all over. You tried again to sleep and got the buzzer, and when the voice on the other side quickly apologized you just motioned in the camera's direction, you knew this one wasn't supposed to be a punishment. Still, just waiting by yourself was lonely this time after spending so much time around him, and with him still not visiting you yet you felt the emptiness of the room from every corner.

‘Hey,’ you muttered to the ceiling, no one responding, ‘is he there?’

Silence, and then, ‘No.’

‘Is that true?’

‘Yes, don't interact with the camera.’ A pause. ‘Please.’

You swallowed, your lip already quivering. ‘Can you find him?’

An even longer pause this time. ‘No. I won't ask again.’

You closed your eyes as a tear fell, and your fingers twitched as you tried not to make fists and wreck them even more. ‘Please,’ you asked the camera, no response coming this time. ‘I don't… I don't want to be alone…’

More silence, and then your light went out as you went to ask again, the darkness enveloping you before a strobing light from the camera trapped you in the flashing. You instantly felt disoriented, the room spinning as the lights triggered your slight epilepsy; you froze as you were forced into an almost trance, vertigo taking over and silencing you so absolutely that even when it stopped and your light came back on you couldn’t even make a noise. You got it, no more talking allowed as you attempted to blink away the flashing burned into your eyes and painfully rolled onto your chest, your head still spinning as you wept into the mattress.

More Squares came in a few hours later, your body completely stiff as you stared listlessly at the dust that'd gathered under your bed. They didn't speak as they picked you up and carefully brought you to the bathroom, your hands covered in plastic bags to keep them dry. One of them sat behind you to help you stay upright as the other worked the nozzle, and the only thing you could do was think of him as they changed your bandages and cleaned you up now that you were adjusted to the temperature again. They were so gentle with you this time, no more punishment in order since you'd technically passed his test, your current state was punishment enough, and the kindness along with missing the way he'd done this to you made your shoulders shake as they wiped the water away from your eyes and reapplied the salve Brit had given them.

You didn't thank them when they were done, didn't want to get anyone else killed, just stayed silent as they set you back down on your bed and walked out again. You didn't know how late it was but you doubted you'd be able to sleep anyway, the chill so ingrained into you that you didn't even feel it anymore as you lost that way to keep yourself awake. You wanted so badly to talk to the camera again, and you let the loneliness creep in from everywhere until you couldn't hold it in any longer.

‘Breck? Are you there?’ No answer, but no buzzer either. ‘I'm sorry, I shouldn't have- you once asked me if I was afraid of you, and if I thought that you'd do something to me.’ You pictured him standing there, just listening beside you, because the thought of saying all this to just your current watcher was too much to bear, you needed him to hear it too. ‘Even though I tried to kill myself, I was so afraid… when I thought that you were gunna-’ You sucked in a sharp breath, still feeling the gun in your mouth and how excited he'd been over it even though he knew it was unloaded, just because you'd given him the exact reactions he'd wanted. ‘And then, when you almost- you make me hate myself, because every single time I start to understand what you mean about happiness, you do something like that and I can't figure out if you love me or if you despise me.’

You laid your arm over your eyes as you sniffed, the Breck in your mind sitting down next to your mattress, and you reached for him even though you knew he wasn't there.

‘Why couldn't you just let me go? You said you wouldn't hesitate, you could've let me freeze out there and moved onto the next, just like the last one. You’ve already convinced me I'm nothing, I know that I am, no one even came to find me, I was here the whole time and no one…’ You grit your teeth and felt your lip split, the cold had put them in such a bad shape but you didn't even feel it, you couldn’t feel anything anymore. ‘I want to know how to be happy, I can’t remember how that feels, and I haven’t for such a long time, so please just… come in and make me feel something again, Breck, you already know I don’t care if it kills me, I don’t wanna feel like this anymore, I don’t wanna be alone, so please-!’

No response.

No buzzer.

No confirmation if anyone was even watching as the red light blinked steadily down at you, your reflection the only one to meet your eye.

‘Answer me!’ you yelled as loud as you could, your voice echoing off of your empty room now that all you owned was the dirty mattress you were laying on.

The door opened and you instantly sat up even though it nearly made you pass out, your wide, hopeful eyes narrowing in sheer disappointment when you saw that it was just Chet, a ring around his throat and a bandage on his temple where you’d hit him. He looked angry at you, you’d really hurt him, but the anger faded as he glanced at the camera and stepped in, the door locking behind him. He didn’t speak, it was too dangerous, just sat down across from you on the mattress and placed something between you. You looked down to see a taser, harshly black against your messes, and when you looked at him you knew what was coming.

His eyes flicked up and to the right towards the camera behind him, he was probably already on thin ice for letting you not only get to a phone but to escape, and you didn’t even attempt to try and grab it with your mitts as he picked it back up, apologized with his eyes, and jammed it into your stomach.

Instantly you retched as your body seized, the little food in your stomach threatening to rise as he counted under his breath and pulled back. You collapsed back against the mattress, your eyes unfocused as your stomach muscles twitched, you could still feel it, your breath refusing to come as you choked on air. ‘Don’t interact with the camera again. Chet will be watching until dawn,’ your watcher said, a new voice from last time, and even though it hurt and it would keep you awake, nevermind the fact that this could kill you in the process, you just laid there and silently thanked him for the company.

‘What… time is it…?’ you whispered carefully between breaths, your mouth moving so little that the camera wouldn’t see no matter the resolution, and when he pretended to check your pulse he allowed his sleeve to raise just enough for you to get a glimpse of his watch, your first real tell of the time since your arrival.

8:49PM.

You closed your eyes and tried to imagine lasting the next nine hours, and when the buzzer went off again to wake you, you felt the electricity shoot through you again as he was forced to join in for as long as it screamed down at you.

#Ray's Readers #Breck Montanari x Reader

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theautismgoblin · 2 years ago

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Autism throughout the years, especially in recent times, has gained more spotlight. Now is this a good thing? Not always, as it also leads to stereotypes and harmful rhetoric appearing in mass media alongside research. The question here is how this began, and how has this ableism festered throughout the century since conceived by Eugen Bleuler, a German psychiatrist, in 1911 (Evans). I will be talking about the history, treatment, and research done for autism in this paper. I will dive into my own personal experiences as an autistic person alongside other experiences. Here I want to try to answer why has ableism regarding autism persisted? Why are scientists consistently downgrading autistics? When did it all begin?

As an autistic person, I have faced ableism with therapists and friends. Such as me displaying all the symptoms which should have been a red flag when I was younger, but the psychiatrists said I couldn’t be autistic, another said I was bipolar before even meeting me, when I was somewhere between 4 or 8. Then for a while, I was diagnosed with ADHD and put on medication that made me a zombie. Even when I finally got a diagnosis, the therapist I was seeing was also ableist or misinformed. He essentially told my mom I was half-autistic and that the only reason they changed the name to ‘high-functioning autism’ because having a ‘syndrome’ would harder for me to obtain a job, I even looked up why ‘Asperger syndrome’ was removed from the DSM-5 all I could find was that it was removed. Plus, something else that happened, for a while I was depressed enough to want to cut and commit suicide. I was not okay, I thought I was a burden. I heard what parents said about me, I saw the looks. The difference between this scenario and for many others (primarily those in the LGBTQ+ community) was ever since I was young, something was different in a way I was unable to hide. Even if I was masking, others saw through it. This is an issue needing to be addressed.

“This difference was more pronounced for females with ASD, who were more than 8 times more likely to attempt suicide than females without ASD, while males with ASD were 1.93 times more likely to attempt suicide than males without ASD. Individuals with ASD were also nearly four times more likely to die by suicide compared to individuals without ASD. Among individuals with ASD, males were over 3 times more likely to die by suicide and females 2.63 times more likely than males and females without ASD” (Suicide Prevention Resource Center).

Couple this alongside the teasing, bullying, and harassment from others at school and even my friends seeing me as a child unable to understand ‘adult’ subjects, such as sex. My friends refused to explain any of their innuendos. This is also a common occurrence for many autistic people, many of us deal with allistics (non-autistics) seeing us as incapable of sexual activity, which is false. “Sexual Experiences in the Autistic Spectrum Disorder Community” explains why autism is misinterpreted by this quote,

“Since individuals with ASD often have difficulty with interpersonal skills and communication, they are regularly mischaracterized as having a lowered libido, a disinterest in intimate relationships, or being incapable of forming romantic relationships (Byers, Nichols, & Voyer, 2013; Rosqvist, 2014)” (Hickey.)

It should be mentioned autism can affect someones sex drive, but not one person is the same even here. Meaning it’s also a spectrum here as well (Hickey). I have a hard time in my life just trying to fit in, to not be seen as a secondary character in my own life.

Other autistic people have more experiences with ableism. One such person is Monique Botha who is an autistic autism researcher. Throughout the course of college and her work, she has dealt with ablest researchers. She has been told she couldn't possibly be autistic, that she needed to use person first language (we'll get to what this is later), and that she was biased in her work. Even one of her works had a disclaimer saying she was autistic and to take what she said with a grain of salt. Other researchers said they weren't talking about her in their research on autism since she was 'high functioning.' Now this is a term that has been disregarded alongside 'low functioning' autism by the autistic community. This was done for two reasons. The first was to bridge the gap between both verbal and non-verbal autistics. The second reason is because these labels ignore the fact that 'high functioning' people still have support needs, and that 'low functioning' people can be just as capable or brilliant as other autistics and deserve worth.

On the topic of brilliance and worth, even some incredibly famous scientists were most likely autistic. One is Albert Einstein, the crazy eccentric scientist almost everyone has heard of with his most famous picture.

Plus, his personality was much more in line with the other end of the spectrum. There is a stereotype in autism which is that they are all monotone and unexpressive. This is not true many are extremely animated and vocal (like me) with examples such as Einstein. He didn’t care about societal norms, and he didn’t wear socks (Aruma). Someone else many may not know of is Nikolas Tesla, who was also most likely autistic. He had many tics, had a perfect memory, and had a rigid schedule. His ideas run many of our electrical items today (AppliedBehavioralAnaylisi.Edu). He also wanted electricity to be free, to be of public use and paid using tax dollars. He wasn’t a businessman, but his work was stolen from him by Thomas Edison (TFIPOST).

Both men were obsessed with their areas of expertise as many autistics are. This is because we have what is called a special interest, an interest that is essentially a major chunk of our personalities that we have a desire to know everything about (this is not an exaggeration). These interests can go on from anywhere between a few years to an entire lifetime (once again not an exaggeration). An example is my own special interests of animals and how they work, I have so much random facts about animals of all kinds. I wrote my application essay on animals. I've had this interest since I was around 2. However, back to my point these people helped shape science in ways previously unimaginable and were like people like me. These two men are nowhere near the only examples of autistic famous minds. So why, why is something that seems to have a correlation to some form of intellectual ability so looked down on? Something that allows for people to see the world in a different perspective. Something that allows for these people to not be blinded by conformity and to follow their passion and purpose. Why is it so criminalized?

This is partially due to “Autism Speaks’ which many now know is not a charity, but a hate group founded on the idea of eradicating autism with the use of eugenics, which is the process of removing an undesirable trait(s) from the human gene pool. One of their commercials depicted autism as a stalker (Kayleen). They also commercialized the blue puzzle piece symbol, which has been used to make autistic people feel as if they can never fit or they’re broken. Alongside “light it up blue,” an event based on the harmful stereotype that only boys can be autistic. None of their board members are autistic. They put almost none of their money to helping autistics or their families (Kayleen).

‘Autism Speaks’ also funds ABA (applied behavioral analysis) therapy, which is described by WebMD with this quote,

“Applied behavior analysis is a type of interpersonal therapy in which a child works with a practitioner one-on-one. The goal of applied behavior analysis is to improve social skills by using interventions that are based on principles of learning theory.”

Essentially ABA tries to teach autistic kids and adults, to be ‘normal,’ which is extremely harmful to patients in many situations. Now, not all ABA therapy actively harms, as there are some that seem to actively try to help the child without harming them (this can be debatable subject as well), but many use questionable methods, in the past punishment in ABA therapy went from sensory (which is torture to autistic people and occasionally still used) to electric shocks sometimes for things as mild as stimming. The therapy can be at home for up to 40 hours a week, imagine 40 hours of your week having to be spent doing the same stuff repeatedly, now imagine that while you are also in school. It would be exhausting. While the therapy does seem effective, it mostly is just the child repeating a behavior taught without knowing why, which helps no one. When doing something without knowing the reason behind the action, the action thus can become meaningless. Not to mention the attention they put towards eye contact, touch in the form of handshakes or hugs, and the express dislike of stimming (the use of a repetitive movement or vocalization to self-regulate) (Devita-Raeburn.) Keep in mind, some autistics are touch averse, touch basically is like pins and needles to them. Eye contact to some autistics can be incredibly uncomfortable, and not stimming can lead to even worse burnout in those with autism as it is a self-regulatory behavior used to sort scenarios, emotions, and thoughts so nothing overloads.

Some don’t understand why there is a hatred in the autistic community towards ABA, but someone made a video explaining it in an easy-to-understand way. I recommend watching the video cause it exactly what the autistic is speaking out about. Anyway, the video goes on to give an analogy of ABA therapy. They compare it to breaking your knee and going to see a doctor who doesn’t try to fix the knee, but to teach you to walk on it despite the pain so you are not a disruption to society (Davis). This is the perfect explanation of ABA, but many still don’t listen autistics about this issue. Saying their child needed help, when these kids can understand and do way more than they are given credit for. Why is someone’s ability to fit in more important than their comfort and mentality? Why does eye contact have to be such an integral part of socializing, when one can still be heard even without eye contact? Why are these kids and adults put into this scenario? Why can’t society be more understanding and accommodating rather that uniform?

Of course, there is also the sheer amount of ableist research. Now the fact, that most of the research is ableist is ironic since they use ‘person first’ language (which is where they say ‘person with autism’), which is apparently supposed to humanize those with disability, their claim is this language separates the disability from the person (which doesn’t really work when the disability is an essential part of them). However, here, person first language does nothing as many articles about autism talk as if it is a disease. Their research findings state,

“The person with autism’s difficulty is more profound, making the possibility of identifying with a community more daunting. While it is true that communities of persons exist, disabled or otherwise, it is not the case that a community of autistic people is one of them. There is not, nor could there be a community of autistic people, since a failure of ‘theory of mind’ would preclude being a part of any community” (Barnbaum, 2008, p. 157).

There are many other misleading ‘findings’ such as this one published. The tag ‘actuallyautistic’ on the app TikTok highlights that there is an autistic community, contrary to the statements made by this researcher. Another one is in a study where they found a small group of bees sharing traits with autistic people in their genes. Now, the study is very interesting, talking about how these bees behave differently from the others in the hive, but a comment made towards the end is what I’m talking about,

“It’s not clear why these asocial bees are tolerated by the rest of the hive” (Pennisi).

There it is, which is not very understandable from an autistic perspective, even though bees are generally social according to this same article, these bees, regardless of being antisocial, still most likely contribute and do their share of work. Another study done was trying to see how autistic people respond to a specific scenario in public versus private, the study worked with participants given two options (a good cause they could support with no gain or refuse to support, and a bad cause they could support with monetary gain or refuse to support,) they did this two separate times (one in the presence of another and one time in private.) Autistic people mostly didn’t change their answer regardless of in a social or private scenario and gave to the good cause more often. This does not mean everyone who was autistic did the morally right thing and give to the good cause, but it was most of the autistic participants. This seems great, right, people who are autistic hold their morals at a very high level compared to others, which surely must be a good thing. Apparently not, according to the researchers,

“Here, we show that ASD individuals are more inflexible when following a moral rule even though an immoral action can benefit themselves and suffer an undue concern about their ill-gotten gains and the moral cost," – Hu et al. 2020 (Autistic Science Person).

Once more ableism at its finest, because being selfish is somehow seen as a good thing in the eyes of society. Why is being different seen as a bad thing? Because in both these cases what was found should seem like an issue, yet somehow these researchers have made it one. I think the reason for this is because of the man who began autism research.

This man was Hans Asperger, who has been seen as the pioneer in studying autism (which is inaccurate, but we’ll get to that later) but was also an ableist. For many years after the holocaust, Asperger was regarded as a hero. After all, he saved children from being ruthlessly killed by Nazis. This is important to understand, during the time, it wasn’t only Jews being killed and sent to concentration camps, those of color, culture, different religion, people part of the LGBTQ+, and yes, disabled people with mental or physical disability were killed as well, all to create racial purity. Hans Asperger knowingly sent many children, many disabled in one way or another, to face the wrath of Vienna’s Am Spiegelgrund clinic, which was known as a ‘child euthanasia’ program (Baron-Cohen.) He sent kids to their literal deaths, and both lied and was truthful to parents about it. Essentially, he played with parent’s emotions. When these same kids were diagnosed with something obscene while at the clinic, he would ask if they could euthanize and have the parent’s sign the child’s death warrant. Other time kids were drugged, and the reason for their deaths were falsified. However, during his research he discovered something.

“In his inauguration thesis Die «Autistischen Psychopathen» im Kindesalter, published in 1944, he described a small group of 'autistic psychopaths' whose traits of character were more commendable than those of other children. Their faculty for abstract thinking was so well developed that 'their relationship to the concrete, to objects and persons, has largely been lost' ((1), p. 170). Such children with special abilities were especially valuable since they would often end up as highly educated in leading positions in society. Asperger believed that this only applied to boys: 'the autistic personality is an extreme variant of male intelligence' and 'male character'” (Slagstad).

He was being both sexist and ableist here. This specific group later became known as those with ‘Asperger syndrome’ which is a term no longer used because of context surrounding who this man was. No one wants a key part of their identity named after a killer. Even if he decided to ‘save’ some kids, it doesn’t lessen the fact he sent the rest to early graves or less likely a life full of that same trauma, on the off chance they made it out alive, which many didn’t (Slagstad.) This man is the main reason along with people before him and after for the ableism. His was just the most documented and spread to others.

Now back to the statement I made previously of Asperger not being the person who founded autism. The true founder was a doctor named Grunya Efimovna Sukhareva. Her descriptions and findings regarding autism (though she did not call it autism as the term wasn’t used in majority at the time) were all made two decades prior to both Asperger and Kanner’s findings. Her findings were much more in line with current research, and almost all her findings were painted in a good, humanizing light. She praised the kids in her articles and shared their strengths. The reason why this occurred instead of the typical ableism was mostly because these kids were placed at Psycho-Neurological and Pedagogical Sanatorium School of the Institute of Physical Training and Medical Pedology in Moscow. This school was like an asylum, and the kids lived there meaning Sukhareva was able to be around them even more. She even seemed to have taken on a motherly like role with them. However, she was mostly forgotten about because Asperger never cited her is his articles (most likely due to his sexist views) thus leaving her work forgotten, at least till recently. Coupled with the fact, her work was only translated in German and not to English until 1996 after she died. So here we are why was she forgotten?

I think it was a mix of apparent sexism and the need during the holocaust to get rid of any opposing views. Sukhareva believed that autism was something you were just born with and was way ahead of her time with theories regarding differences in the autistic brain back in the 1950s which are being proven correct currently. However, because she didn’t follow the same ideology as many, (both in the development and usefulness of autism) she was most likely disregarded (Zelovich). Because of this many scientists followed the model Hans Asperger gave which has led to the ableism most likely. This wonderful woman, who cared and nurtured these misunderstood kids was swept under the rug. It is only now we have begun to learn the truth in recent years.

Now the question, how did this happen, the continuation of harmful stereotypes and research and rhetoric? I think, from what all I have gathered, are most likely from harmful research leaking into everyday knowledge and mass media. Also, knowledge and mass media, which could pass on their ideologies to the public through research. Mass media also plays a huge part, until recently autism has only been depicted with very stereotypical male characters in TV shows such as “The Good Doctor” (Gordon,) “Atypical” (Medico,) and “The Big Bang Theory” (Cendroski.) Thankfully, the autistic community has begun to take a stand and demand for better going as far as changing “Autism Awareness Month” made by Autism Speaks to “Autism Acceptance Month.” I think it is also the need of many to look down on others and say they are better. The use of fear as well with some studies, such as the one with tried to say vaccines cause autism, and many fell for this lie. The bad part wasn’t that they fell for the lie, it was that they despised the idea of their child being autistic. What does all the research tie to, until scientists and journalists decide to stop using ableist language and rhetoric in their studies nothing’s going to change (even if the autistic community can get a leg up) because everyone else will point to scientists saying, “They studied this, so they know better than you.” People must see autistics as capable adults and not believe everything they hear. People would need to do mass reconstructions of their own beliefs. Just because one can’t speak doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. Just because someone doesn’t want to talk to others doesn’t mean they are a burden to society. Just because someone has made their passion their personality doesn’t mean they are broken. We must start with ourselves even autistics because some of us can be ableist. No one is perfect but we must make a reality we can all be proud of.

Works Cited Page

*Atypical. Directed by Michael Medico, Exhibit A, 11 Aug. 2011.

*The Big Bang Theory. Directed by Mark Cendrowski, Chuck Lorre Productions Warner Bros. Television, 24 Sept. 2007.

*Botha, Monique. “Academic, Activist, or Advocate? Angry, Entangled, and Emerging: A Critical Reflection on Autism Knowledge Production.” Frontiers, 2021, www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.727542/full.

*DeVita-Raeburn, Elizabeth. “The Controversy Over Autism’s Most Common Therapy.” Spectrum | Autism Research News, 16 Aug. 2022, www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/controversy-autisms-common-therapy.

*The Good Doctor. Directed by Seth Gordon, Sony Pictures Television Studios, 25 Sept. 2017.

*Harton, Taylor. “Big Brain Energy: The Problem With Autism Speaks.” The Daily Campus, 7 Oct. 2020, dailycampus.com/2020/10/07/big-brain-energy-the-problem-with-autism-speaks.

*Just a Moment... www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982211012474. Accessed 6 Nov. 2022.

*NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3757918. Accessed 6 Nov. 2022.

*“Science.” AAAS, www.science.org/content/article/antisocial-bees-share-genetic-profile-people-autism. Accessed 6 Nov. 2022.

*Slagstad, Ketil. “Asperger, the Nazis and the Children – the History of the Birth of a Diagnosis.” Tidsskrift for Den Norske Legeforening, 16 May 2019, tidsskriftet.no/en/2019/05/essay/asperger-nazis-and-children-history-birth-diagnosis.

*“The Truth About Hans Asperger’s Nazi Collusion.” Nature, 8 May 2018, www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05112-1?error=cookies_not_supported&code=909ab941-421b-4b1d-a8d6-baf634f96115.

*“Why I Do Not Support Autism Speaks.” Autistic Mama, 2 Apr. 2022, autisticmama.com/do-not-support-autism-speaks.

*Contributors, WebMD Editorial. “What Is Applied Behavior Analysis?” WebMD, 23 June 2021, www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-applied-behavior-analysis.

*Hickey, Brianda. “Sexual Experiences in the Autism Spectrum Disorder Community.” Nyu.edu, 2013, wp.nyu.edu/steinhardt-appsych_opus/sexuality-and-autism-spectrum-disorders/.

*says, David Dazer. “How Thomas Alva Edison Stole Nikola Tesla’s Inventions and Left Tesla Penniless.” TFIPOST, 24 Jan. 2022, tfipost.com/2022/01/how-thomas-alva-edison-stole-nikola-teslas-inventions-and-left-tesla-penniless/.

*“Suicide Risk among People with Autism Spectrum Disorder | Suicide Prevention Resource Center.” Www.sprc.org, 23 Apr. 2021, www.sprc.org/news/suicide-risk-among-people-autism-spectrum-disorder.

*Was Nikola Tesla Autistic? 5 Sept. 2017, www.appliedbehavioranalysisedu.org/was-nikola-tesla-autistic/.

*Zeldovich, Lina. “How History Forgot the Woman Who Defined Autism.” Spectrum | Autism Research News, 7 Nov. 2018, www.spectrumnews.org/features/deep-dive/history-forgot-woman-defined-autism/.

*Davis, Jeremy Andrew. “Jeremy Andrew Davis on TikTok.” TikTok, 7 Nov. 2022, www.tiktok.com/@jeremyandrewdavis/video/7163363848337034539?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1. Accessed 19 Nov. 2022.

#autism #actually autistic #essay #research #hear me out #ablism #fuck ableists #long asf #college #just a thing i wrote

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neonacity · 3 years ago

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LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.14

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

NOTE:This is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense, poly dynamics

TW (READ BEFORE PROCEEDING): violence, use of weapons, character deaths. abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, kidnapping, mental health, language, stockholm syndrome. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age, drugs, questionable consent (?), kidnapping, mentions of suicide, I guess? Creepy, creepy, creepy!

“WOULD YOU DIE FOR HER?” “I DO. EVERY DAY.” - JESSICA SHIRVINGTON, EMBLAZE

It was similar to the feeling of being underwater.

There was a sense of detachment that enveloped you as your body floated idly just under the surface of the waves. You felt weightless, your limbs light as the gentle current ebbed and flowed around you. You could hear sounds… muffled ones from the surface, as the pressure around your head and the ringing in your ears cocooned you from fully understanding each word. There was a filter over your line of sight too—light and shapes moved in front of you, but your brain couldn't really make out their form. You were floating… floating… you were safe.

Except you were not. At least not entirely.

It was an odd feeling, the one you were submerged in at the moment. You were shielded, but at the same time, there was a hacking feeling in your chest that pierced you painfully. You were fighting for your breath, struggling for it, but you were also repressing the instinct for survival, like you are desperately chasing your own death.

Come back.

Darling? Look at me…

The sounds, once too garbled, were slowly turning clearer. You could make out words, but you weren't really sure whether you are physically hearing them or if they are all just in your head.

No…

Love, I'm not going to hurt you.

Please. Please no. Just let me be.

I don't want to… but I'll have to. If you don't look at me…

"Now."

The last word felt like a pierce straight to your lungs. You started choking and your hands reached out to find purchase on something that can save you. Warmth welcomed your outstretched fingers, and you felt it pull your weight to save you from the abyss.

But you weren't saved at all. No. You were pulled again, this time to a different type of hell.

You tasted salt in your tongue as your sight finally focused on the face in front of you. He smiled at you lovingly as your lips formed his name.

"Taeyong…"

"Shh… there you are. You've shut down for a little bit there. Come on, you need to focus. How are you feeling?"

The emotions all came at once. It was like there was a floodgate that opened inside of you and all of a sudden everything you've tried to hold back when you retreated to your own world came slamming into you like strong waves. Shock. Nausea. Fear. Pure, gripping fear. You slightly doubled over, and that's when you only realized you are now seated on a chair in the middle of the room.

"Hey, it's okay. You are safe now. I'm sorry I got here late. It's fine. I got you."

Taeyong's last words were what finally made you throw up. You hunched over, hacking coughs wrecking through your body as your stomach churned and tried to expel the little it had there. Tears pricked the sides of your eyes and you wrapped your arms around your shaking form to try and hold yourself together. You felt a hand run soothingly over your spine, but instead of calming you, you reacted by flinching from the touch.

When you looked up again, the look of hurt was evident in Taeyong’s eyes. It was only there for a fleeting second though, the emotion soon enough bleeding into a dullness that only made you shake in fear even more. The man in front of you now is far from the one you first met months ago—there was not a trace of the warmth and friendliness that eased you in before. If anything, it was as if they never existed at all.

“You knew… You knew everything," you managed to choke out from the roughness of your throat. You couldn't feel the tears anymore, but your eyes burned as you stared at the stranger in front of you. You felt on the verge of vomiting again, but even your body was shutting down in itself.

Taeyong slowly smiled at you as he reached out to cradle one of your limp hands in his. What he said next was the last nail in the coffin that you needed.

“I knew? Love… I didn’t just know.”

“I started it.”

******* Johnny cursed under his breath as he took a last second turn to a small alley to his right. The tires screeched under the effort as he tried to maneuver the vehicle through the street, his concentration set on making sure that he didn't run over anything with his speed. Beside him, Yuta’s eyes were set on the tablet on his hand as his other fist held on to the passenger seat handle to keep himself steady.

“How many minutes till we reach Rosewood?” he asked tensely now as he scrolled through a new file that was just sent to him by the headquarters. Johnny gave a quick glance at his GPS as he made another swerve.

“Four minutes. Did they send you what you need?”

Yuta pulled his phone and nodded, a prominent frown sitting between his brows. “Yes. The family has dozens of properties in Seoul alone, but I’m working through them now. We’re sure Taeyong didn’t leave Korea, right?”

“That’s what they said. The headquarters blasted his photo to all airports in case he left under a different name. There is no trace of him anywhere so he’s here.”

“What do we do if he’s not in Rosewood? They have tons of houses, Johnny. Condo units, buildings. He could be keeping her anywhere.”

That made Johnny grit his teeth. He could feel the rush of blood in his ears and there was a growing bitter taste at the back of his tongue. Before he could even answer though, their car broke through the deserted street they’re on, revealing in the horizon the top windows of the manor. He stepped harder on the gas then, wasting no time to cross the remaining distance to the front gates. The place was deserted of any cars and he and Yuta didn't waste another second before unstrapping their seatbelts and jumping out of theirs.

The first thing that struck them is how dead the place looked. The two of them have visited it a couple of times before, but there is an unexplainable veil of chill that cloaked the structure now as it loomed over them like a ghostly sentinel. It was as if the mansion never held any comfort before… or ever at all.

They both exchanged a look now before taking another step from their car. As if on autopilot, their hands fell on their hips at the same time, feeling for their guns there. It was Yuta who caught something odd at the corner of his vision when he finally started stalking towards the entrance, the movement so slight that he almost missed it. He frowned at the place where it came from, this time fully pulling his gun from his holster.

“Johnny.”

The other glanced his way and he nodded his head silently towards his right. Johnny moved closer to him, sharp eyes set on the place.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t know. It seems to be coming from one of the rooms. We can’t see it properly from here.”

For a moment, none of them spoke, their focus set on the odd spot at the second floor of the manor. All the curtains were drawn, limiting their vision, but then something moved from the inside, revealing something that made both their eyes widen in shock.

Thick black smoke leaked from the cracks of the windows like ghostly fumes. One of the curtains covering the room finally gave way, revealing the bright orange flames eating up the manor from the inside.

“Shit.”

“Call the fire depart—”

Yuta wasn’t able to finish the rest of his sentence as an ear-splitting sound shook the ground they were standing on. He and Johnny ducked just in time as glass rained down on them from the explosion on one side of the house. Thicker tongues of fire and smoke spilled to the garden and filled the air with smoke that curled upwards into the sky. Johnny rolled over to his side to check on his partner but Yuta was already on his feet and reaching out to open the car door.

“It might be a gas leak, we need to get out of here. There might be another explosion!”

Johnny didn’t need to be told twice. Pushing himself up from the dirt ground, he managed to slip himself back into the driver’s seat despite the cuts his arm caught from the wayward glass shards. His ears were still ringing from the unexpected blast, but he could already hear Yuta screaming over at their radio from his side, calling for an emergency fire response.

“Fucking hell. What the hell is happening,” the latter cursed as their car backed away from the front lawn. “The fire department is coming but they—”

Johnny had only barely managed to put a safe enough distance between their car and the burning house when he glanced at Yuta again. The Japanese was looking at the screen of his phone, an odd look on his face. Johnny glanced at the number flashing there, and he frowned as he ran the digits silently in his mind. He remembers seeing it before on file, but couldn’t remember who exactly it belongs to thanks to the high-tension of the situation.

“Answer it. Put it on loudspeaker.”

Yuta pressed the answer button without another word.

“Hello?”

For the first few seconds, there was nothing but silence that echoed from the other end. Johnny and Yuta looked at each other before the latter moved his phone closer to his lips. He was about to speak again when a voice finally broke through, quiet but steady.

“Is this the police?”

Both men stiffened on their seats momentarily. They only heard that voice once during one of their quick interrogations, but there is no doubt who it belongs to.

“Yes. Who is this?” Johnny asked as steadily as he could. His eyes slipped towards the manor again, the good half of it now being consumed by flames.

The silence only lasted a few more seconds.

“It’s Chenle Lee. We need your help.”

******* The air felt stale and thick as it expanded and stretched across the room. You looked at Taeyong, struck to silence, as you tried to wrap your head around his words. There was a part of you that was slowly starting to shut down again, but there was also a good half of your sanity that was fighting to stay conscious as the pieces started to fall into their right places. Slowly, your eyes moved upwards, meeting four other pairs staring at you silently from across the room. You didn’t need words to figure out what you could see in them. Jeno, Renjun, Jaemin, and Haechan’s voices flashed in your head, their old words echoing inside the growing hollowness inside of you.

“It’s better this way.”

“Don’t you see? We saved you.”

“Believe me, you’re better off with us.”

“I love you.”

“Why?”

Your voice was barely a whisper when you addressed the room. You didn’t exactly know who you were asking, but your eyes never left the four even as you felt fingers tighten around your hand again. None of them spoke, but the way they looked on to you helplessly was enough for you to finally lose the last shred of sanity that you were holding on to. When your eyes fell on Taeyong again, you were sure a part of you had already died.

“Why…” you asked again, your vision slowly darkening at the edges. The devil in front of you smiled and kissed your cold knuckles.

“I don’t really know how to answer that, but… I guess it’s best to start from the beginning?" He said softly as he ran his thumb lightly over your pulse. You wanted nothing more but to hide from the way he lovingly looked at you, but you also couldn't look away, riveted by the horror slowly unfolding in front you.

"You probably don't even remember it, but the moment I saw you back in the orphanage, I knew my life wasn’t going to be the same again. I fell in love with you. You were so perfect back then.”

What…

“You were so hauntingly beautiful that even my bitch of a mother wanted to take you in. To be honest, I felt so disappointed that she couldn’t get you at first, but then I realized, it was better because I wouldn’t want her to get her hands on you. Besides, I'm okay with loving you from afar. I could wait. I have always been so good at waiting.”

Your head was slowly starting to grow heavy. You couldn’t understand what he was saying, the confusion making bile slowly start to climb up your throat again. You felt yourself shake your head, a gesture Taeyong took as an encouragement for him to continue.

“We’re so perfect for each other. One look at you and I knew you were also broken just like me… It was magical, that moment I saw you and realized that you’re the only girl I was ever going to love. I had no doubts about it so I made sure to keep an eye on you through the years. There were moments when I lost track of you because I got so busy with other things, but of course I wasn't so careless to entirely lose you. You won't believe how much you made me happy when you responded to the tutor post I made just for you. It really was fate. You forgive me for making you wait so long, right…?

The orphanage… the job post… He knew you…?

“I knew that was the only reason why you only started to date your boyfriend too,” Taeyong continued as if he was retelling the greatest love story in the world. “You must have been so lonely because I took so long to get you. I admit though, you took me by surprise when you accepted his proposal. That was something I didn’t see coming. If only I knew…”

Your heart stopped beating in your chest as he pressed the middle of your palm, his blunt nails leaving painful half moon marks on your skin. You were hurting, but even the sting was not enough to mask the growing panic inside of you.

“Then I would have ripped Jaehyun apart limb by limb myself."

The sharp sting of salt in your lips was the only sign that told you you’re still breathing and alive. Everything else felt like a nightmare. A lucid dream you wanted nothing more to escape but couldn’t.

“But! That’s something we don’t have to worry about anymore, right? My brothers here did an amazing job taking care of that for me. Renjun didn’t snuff him out entirely, but we can work on that later,” Taeyong said lightly, his tone casual as he looked back at the four other boys in the room. Haechan and Renjun looked back at him with a pained expression while Jaemin seemed to be holding himself back from the tense way he was standing. Jeno was the only one who didn’t meet the older one’s gaze, his eyes set on you instead.

“They’ve always known who you are…” Taeyong’s whisper made your chest constrict painfully as if a dagger was slowly being pushed there. You stared at the brothers in front of you, lifeless and broken. “I’ve told them so many stories about you even when they were young. How you’re so beautiful, and how we would all be so happy once we can finally have you in our family. They were supposed to help me with my plan to get you… trusted you to them while I slowly took care of things. Because you know… That’s how brothers should be for each other, right?”

Silence settled in the room like a ticking time bomb. The air was so heavily charged that you were almost physically suffocating as your chest heaved to put air in your system. Taeyong didn’t seem to mind, too lost in his own madness. Instead, he buried his nails against your hand harder until he finally broke skin.

“I guess I underestimated them… Or rather, I underestimated you. It never occurred to me how you could also make them fall for you, even to the extent that they would betray their own family. It was so ironic… And I’m really hurt too. To think that I saved them from their own hell but this is how they repay me… by trying to steal you away from me.”

The warm feeling of blood pooling in your palm held no match to the overwhelming emotions crashing against the borders of your consciousness. You looked at Taeyong without actually seeing him, your voice sounding like that of a stranger’s when you managed to part your lips.

“Why…”

“Hm? What was that? I couldn't hear you."

“Why me…”

For a moment, Taeyong only stared at you as if he was surprised that you were asking such a senseless question. You didn’t shift your gaze away from his, not when you feel like it was your lifeline to hear his answer. None of what he said makes sense. No… you were so sure there is more to this than just obsessive, blind love. A madman like him can’t only be pushed by that.

It took a while for his facade to finally break, but Taeyong finally sighed after a while and ran his thumbs over the cuts he marked on your skin lovingly. The red spread over your skin like visible poison, but you didn’t mind it, your attention only focused on him.

“Because you saved me. You saved all of us.”

Your breath caught in your throat. Taeyong slowly lifted his gaze from your palm to meet yours.

“After I first saw you in the orphanage, I wanted to know more about you. Why you were returned there, and why your family couldn’t take you back anymore. It took me a while to really dig through, but when I saw your full story…” he trailed off, a twisted lovesick look clouding his eyes. You, on the other hand, stilled so hard that every fiber in your body wanted to scream in pain. He can’t be talking about what you were thinking. It’s impossible for this whole madness to go down that route.

“I fell even more in love. To kill your family who made you suffer when you were a child by burning them down to ashes? That was the exact moment I knew that I wanted you.”

No…

“You see, our parents didn’t really want us. They bought us, only to make our lives a living hell… They broke us down every day, and at one point, I just couldn’t take it anymore. I was actually thinking of killing all of my brothers, then myself, to save us from the pain, but you showed me a different route to it.”

Stop…

“I knew there was a reason why you caught my eye that day at the orphanage. After I found out about your story… I was… inspired,” Taeyong looked at you with blind devotion, lost in his own world. "You killed your abusers at such a young age, so why shouldn’t I do it? I didn’t have the same guts that you have, but you just… gave me a different way out. So I waited… I waited until I could do it on my own. I wanted to do it in a more romantic way, the same way that you did—by burning them down to the bone—but a car crash is easier to fake.”

You started to sway in your seat, your vision starting to close on you. Taeyong tightened your hold on your wrist, forcefully pulling you from the unconsciousness that was about to swallow you down.

“Do you see it now? Why we are so perfect for each other? You saved me… All of us. You made me strong."

"I killed them..."

"Thanks to you.”

*******

"Taeyong-hyung… She's bleeding."

Renjun's voice sounded far off when it broke the stillness in the space. You heard his words, but it was not until you felt the pressure against your hand finally lift when you realized what he meant.

"Ah. I'm so sorry… I got carried away. Are you okay?"

You didn't say anything, your eyes set instead on your bloody palm carved and marked with nail prints. The striking vision in front of you was a direct opposite of how you were feeling—numb. Dead. And hollow. You felt like a marionette, lifeless with nothing but a puppeteer pulling you by the strings.

"I'll take care of that later, okay? We need to go now… We've wasted so much time here talking," Taeyong's voice crooned at you sweetly. You felt yourself being guided slowly out of your seat, a hand going around your waist for support.

"Hyung."

It was Jaemin's voice this time. You knew that even without looking at him. You tried to lift your head, but you couldn't see anything, your brain too numb to actually connect with what your eyes were seeing. Your free hand tried to reach out for him, but your fingers only closed around thin air.

It was a fleeting, miniscule gesture, but of course it was enough for Taeyong to notice with his sharp eyes. His lips pursed into a thin line as he looked at you, then back at the rest of his brothers standing far off into the room. Nobody dared breathe. Not him, not you, and most definitely not the four younger boys watching you. You barely had half of your wits with you anymore, but even in your state, you could sense the obvious structure of power charging the air.

You've seen the four through their highs and lows…

But this is the first time you've ever seen them truly afraid.

"Do you want them to come with us?"

You didn't answer, but the question made you turn your attention back to Taeyong. You've long lost control over your thoughts, and the words left you before you even realized what they meant.

"Don't hurt them…"

Those three words made Taeyong freeze by your side. You saw the way his face twisted, his dark eyes burning down on you for a good number of seconds.

"You love them…"

That made you flinch slightly. It didn't sound like he was asking a question at all with the way the words rolled out from his lips bitterly. You kept silent, but that was enough of a confirmation for the man. For another minute, the silence stretched again, your slow heartbeats being the only tune you can hear in the room. Taeyong's eyes were burning down on you and you held them, dead but steady. It was only for a while, but that brief moment of stare down felt like an infinity in the pits of hell.

"I guess they can come," he finally said and you felt his hand circle your waist possessively again. "I still don't trust them…"

"But I guess breaking their bones is easier than yours if you want to escape."

You didn't say anything to that, but your eyes met with Jeno's across the room. Your stomach felt heavy as he broke the gaze and looked away. He didn't need to say it, but the reality rang in the air as if he screamed it right back at you.

Help is not coming. At least not from them.

"You can follow the car. The private jet is waiting for us," Taeyong's voice was hard as he barely looked at his brothers. "Don't try to do anything funny again."

You felt weightless as you were steered away once more, every step you took heavy as if you were heading towards your death. The sound of the car door locking on your side felt like the final judgment. Your gaze moved towards the side mirror and you found your eyes locking with Haechan's from the vehicle behind. You couldn't quite figure out the look that he had–and you didn't try–not when the low rumble of the engine purred to life around you.

"Where are we going?"

Taeyong tightened his hands slightly around the steering wheel. In front of you, what looked like a garage door slowly opened, revealing a dirt road fringed by the forest. One look and you knew it was the same woods you only used to stare at from the view of your window, but instead of feeling a sense of freedom, there was only panic that slowly started to consume you as you felt the car finally move. Taeyong's voice sounded off beside you, sealing your fate.

"Home. We're going home."

Bang!

The screech of metal hitting against metal was so loud that it took you a second to realize what was happening. If not for the impact that made your ears ring painfully, you wouldn't have realized that your body jerked forward against the dashboard as something crashed against the side of your car. Your seatbelt kept you from fully bashing your head against the glass, but you still felt your vision swim as you tried to push yourself back against your seat with a groan. You have barely registered the sight of Taeyong slumped against the wheel when you felt hands grab and pull you from your seat. The smoking nose of the other car was jammed against his side, crumpled from the impact.

"Come on. We have to hurry."

It was Renjun's voice that woke you up from your stupor. Looking around, you saw him try to keep himself steady on his feet the same time Jaemin flanked your other side. A chilling realization gripped you when you saw the red running down the side of his arm.

"Renjun, you're bleeding—"

"I'm fine. Go with Jaemin. I'll catch up. I'll get Jeno and Haechan."

The mention of the other two made your head snap up again. Turning towards the other car, you saw Haechan stumble out of the driver's seat with Jeno right behind him. He was bleeding more heavily, half of his head soaked with red. A soft whimper left you as you saw him almost crash into Jeno's arms.

"W-wait, Haechan—"

A hard tug against your arm kept you from running over to their side. Jaemin steered you harder against him, his tense voice only barely piercing through your panic.

"We can't. We need to go now."

"But we can't leave them. Jaem—!"

You weren't able to finish as Jeno's eyes locked with yours. His face looked contorted with pain, but at least he could still hold himself up as he tried to balance Haechan against his side. By this time, Renjun had also reached the duo, supporting the other to keep himself up. Jeno's hunting rifle caught the light and that's when you only realized that it was pointed towards the driver's seat of the car you were just pulled out from. You felt a chill when you saw Taeyong slowly stir from the wreck, his face equally bloody.

"Go. We'll come after you. Jaemin, take her away."

Jeno didn't need to say it twice. You felt Jaemin drag you out of the exit and into the forest, even as your eyes stayed with the group left behind. The last thing you saw before a clump of trees blocked your view was Jeno and Renjun trying to drag out a lifeless looking Haechan between them.

Everything was a blur from there. You were running, stumbling, the colors of the forest whizzing past as you barrelled deeper into the woods. Beside you, you could hear Jaemin heaving—as if he was also in pain—though he didn't even spare a second to stop to catch his breath. Branches whipped and scratched the two of you, but you both pushed through, the thumping of your heavy footfalls echoing against the dirt ground.

The sound of gunshots is what finally made your stop in your tracks. Three consecutive shots pierced the air, loud and ringing. Jaemin turned stiff like a statue beside you as he looked beyond at nothing in particular, his pupils shaking.

"Jaemin, we have to go ba—"

He cut you off by suddenly clamping his palm over your lips and putting a finger over his. You looked at him wide-eyed, surprised by the action, but then you realized what it was exactly that he was trying to listen to when you heard a new sound charging through the woods. For a moment, the two of you just stared at each other in fear, until a new voice pierced the air.

"Jaemin!"

"Jaemin, give her back to me!!!"

You have barely managed to push out a gasp when you felt Jaemin's strong grip on your forearm. It was only through his strength alone that you were able to keep yourself on your feet as he steered you deeper into the shrubberies while his head whipped around in urgency. You had just managed to straighten yourself up again after almost tripping on a wayward root when he almost lifted you by the arm and pushed you somewhere. You barely registered the feel of the damp soil under your hands as you bent over into a crouch under the cover of a hollow tree bark.

"Jaemin—"

"It's okay. You're safe here. Don't move and make sure to keep quiet, okay?"

The way his voice sounded broke you. The air was still charged and you could see his hands shaking, but right now, it was like there was a quick 180 with the way he was trying to soothe you. You knew that tone—it was the one he would always use whenever you used to be anxious and needed calming. You watched him now, speechless, as his hands scrambled to gather some branches to form a type of gate on the entrance of your hiding place. Your throat felt tight and there was a stinging in your eyes that you didn't even try to hold back.

"What are you doing? Hide here with me."

"I can't, love. It's fine. Everything is going to be fine. Make sure you don't move, okay? One of us will come find you. You just have to stay here for a while."

Lies. Jaemin always told you the truth, even if it's something you didn't like, but he never lied to you ever… until now. He could act, but you both know what's really happening at the moment.

"Please don't leave. He's going to hurt you too."

Your voice broke when you managed to push out the words past the knot in your throat. Jaemin heard the tears and stopped, his eyes finally locking with yours from the small remaining gap that he didn't manage to cover yet. At that moment, you saw him falter, helplessness and fear overtaking his gentle features. You took the chance to slip your hand to reach out to his face then and he caught it with his to press your palm against his cheek.

"I'll be gone just for a little while. Wait for me?"

"No. No…"

"I'm going to take him far away from you. You can keep quiet for me, yes? You have to…"

"Stop…"

Your tears were blinding you so much that you could barely see his face anymore. He was smiling, but his eyes told you everything he didn't dare to say. The way that he finally kissed your palm was your undoing, a sob leaving you as you tried to reach out for him again. Jaemin moved away just before you could touch him.

"I love you. All of us do… In our own ways. Don't ever forget that, okay?"

"Jae—"

"JAEMIN!!!"

The sound of a flock of birds taking off with their shrill cries shattered the air together with Taeyong's voice. He sounded so loud and so close that you immediately curled in on yourself, your feet pushing back against the dirt as your hands covered your ears. That also seemed to wake Jaemin up as he looked back to the forest shadows in panic before turning his attention to you once more. The last you saw of him was his pale face before he finally covered the small gap of your hiding place.

"Please, whatever happens. Don't make a sound."

******* The sound of your breaths was the only thing that you could hear. You didn't know how long you'd been sitting in the darkness, but your limbs were starting to hurt as you stayed crouched in the shadows, tensed and motionless. It couldn't have been more than a couple of minutes since Jaemin left, but the lack of free-flowing air and anxiety was already starting to take over the rest of your system. Beyond you, you could hear branches cracking and snapping, but you couldn't figure out how far off they were from your hiding spot.

A piercing scream rang in the air just then and made you involuntarily shrink against the rough bark behind you. It sounded in pain, like a wild beast howling in torture. Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst of it, as it was soon followed by three defining gunshots that echoed loudly into the forest.

"Where are you?"

"WHERE ARE YOU!!!"

It took you everything not to make any sound. You were shaking, but you managed to cover your lips with both hands just to choke back the fear wanting to spill out of you. Taeyong's voice sounded as if he was surrounding you—far, but not too far.

"Why are you making this too hard for me? I love you. You shouldn't be giving me such a hard time…"

"Do you really want to see all of them hurt before you even show yourself? That's not a very nice thing to do…"

Your eyes stung from the way you unblinkingly stared in horror at the gaps between the branches covering you. You were so sure that his voice sounded close, but then all of a sudden there was nothing but silence beyond you. Not a single rock, branch, or leaf turned. Everything went dead, as if a switch had been turned off.

The loud crashing sound of the branches in front of you is what finally made you scream. You watched with horror as a hand reached out into your hiding place, its fingers outstretched. You tried to push yourself back to avoid it, but its owner was quick enough to close around your arm to tug you forward.

"No! No—"

"Shh! It's me! Don't scream."

Your voice died when you saw Jeno's face suddenly peer from outside. He had finally managed to hack away the rest of the dried shrubs covering you with the nose of his hunting rifle and he bent over to finally reach out to you with both hands. In your shock, you let him easily pull you out of your spot into an upright position again. He didn't waste any time to get you to move by tugging at your hand.

"We have to go. Try to be as quiet as you can. He's just around."

The initial surprise had rendered you speechless as your pair started weaving between the trees, but your eyes caught a red stain on the side of his shirt that wasn't there when you last saw him. Its vivid red stood out against his skin, and you were suddenly reminded of something that almost made you lose your balance again.

"Jaemin… H-he got him…"

Jeno didn't answer but you saw his jaw tick. Your heart plummeted even more.

"Haechan and Renjun… Are they also…"

He stopped so fast in his spot that you almost crashed into him. He steadied you by holding you by the shoulders and you looked up at him, blinking away the tears.

"I need you to do something for me. You see these trees here? The ones with the wide leaves? I need you to run and follow that trail. Don't stop until you haven't left the woods yet. You'll see a road at the end of it. Help will be waiting for you there."

Your hands reached out to grab at his shirt and you shook your head violently.

"Jeno, no…"

"Don't make any turns. You'll get lost. You have to be careful."

"I won't go alone—"

The dying light of the sun slipped between the cracks of the thick foliage above you. They caught his eyes, and for a second, you saw his mask slip. Jeno had always kept a part of him closed off, even in your moments together, but in that brief moment, you were so sure you were finally seeing the real him. The scared boy. The hurt brother.

The man you've learned to love.

You felt his hand cup your face before he leaned over to kiss your eyes gently. Tears streamed down on them freely as he pulled away.

"I love you. I really do. I'm so sorry for all I've done—we've done—to hurt you."

You felt something inside of you break.

"If you love me, you'll come with me."

Jeno shook his head and squeezed your hand in his.

"I can't. You won't be free while he's alive. He'll never let you go. There is no other way out of this… I need to take care of him."

The gravity of his words sunk on you like dull blades digging against your chest. You stared at him speechless and you felt him run his thumb gently over your cheek as a small, sad smile tugged at his lips.

"Thank you for everything. Be happy for me, okay?"

"Jeno, I love y—"

You weren't able to immediately connect the shrilling sound that whizzed past your head until you saw Jeno stumble back a little. Eyes growing wide, it was as if time stopped for you as you watched red spread all over his shoulder like an unfurling rose. He seemed to be in shock too as he looked down on his chest, before gravity started pulling him down towards the forest floor.

"I don't think you're in the position to tell her to be happy, brother dear."

You fell on your knees to Jeno's side the same time Taeyong emerged from the trees behind you. His pistol was still smoking when he put it down, his eyes cold as he stared at the pair of you crumpled together on the ground. Jeno coughed and grabbed at his chest, the action causing blood to trickle down the side of his lips. You reached out to cover the same spot he was holding on to, your fingers quickly stained with red as you tried to helplessly stop the blood flow.

"Oh m-my god… No… N-No…"

"Jaemin gave me such a hard time. Little prince is too tough for his own good and fought me off even after all those shots. I thought I lost you forever," Taeyong softly said behind you as he tried to wipe off some of the blood that was starting to get in his eyes. There were cuts all over his face and a good portion of his black jacket looked soaked with blood, but there was a serene look in his features that stood in contrast against his roughed up form. He looked like the god of chaos and death as he stepped a little closer to where you were, his eyes cold and hard. You refused to look at him, all of your attention focused on the boy in front of you instead.

"Help...Somebody… H-help…"

"I suppose you two are done with your Romeo and Juliet act by now? Really. This is getting a little boring. Playtime is over."

Jeno was looking paler and paler by the second and you could feel his body growing colder under your touch. You barely had any idea of the rest that was going on around you, not even your loud cries that made you tremble all over. Jeno turned his head blindly towards you, but his eyes were unseeing even when they met with yours. You bent over to him, covering him with your body, as if doing so will chase the nightmare away.

"D-don't move," you heard him whisper against your ear as you crouched over his chest, shielding the good portion of his upper body from Taeyong. At first you thought he was only trying to keep you close, but then you felt his hand fumble for something under you before the cold kiss of steel brushed your skin. You stiffened. Amidst the panic and fear coursing all over you, you also realized what was happening.

You managed to cover his hunting rifle when you fell and now he was trying to move it under your arm. Your eyes met his, and there was a brief second when time seemed to stop as he held your gaze.

"Run after the shot. Run and never look back."

"What…"

"Come on, darling. We really have to go. We're so late already because these kids here kept fooling around. Let's get moving."

You heard footsteps behind you as well as the foreboding sound of a gun cocking. You didn't need to look at Taeyong to know that he was just a few feet from you now, his aura strong enough to make chills run down your spine in waves. Jeno, meanwhile, never looked away from you. You held on to his gaze, until you saw your tears drop to his cheeks and wash away some of the blood there. He reached out his free hand to run his thumb one last time over the spot under your eye—that one place he used to kiss a lot.

"Goodbye."

"Stand up there. I'm losing my patien–"

It all happened too fast. You felt the cold nose of his hunting rifle slip on the small space between the side of your body and arm, its head pointed towards the man behind you. It was soon followed by a splitting gunshot that made your ears ring and your vision spin. Before your body could even react from the stimuli, however, you felt Jeno push you away from him.

"Go. Now!"

You stumbled to get on your feet before breaking into a run.

******* "Where do we even start? Did the boy give coordinates?"

Johnny looked at the forest beyond him with a frown. Their car was parked on a dirt road almost an hour and half away from the center of the city together with a flock of other vehicles that spilled out men in uniforms, their guns at the ready. From his other side, Yuta was wearing the same expression, the man's eyes dark as he pulled his own gun from the holster strapped across his chest.

"This is the spot that the coordinates say, but the trees here look so thick. It'll be hard for someone to go through this route," Johnny answered now as he looked at the GPS on his palm. A flock of birds flew from the far off horizon, followed by what seemed to be the cry of a wild beast.

"Maybe Chenle got it wrong?" Yuta suggested. Behind them, the special force troops lined up, ready to get directions. Johnny glanced at his men and gritted his teeth. Without giving it another look, he put away the device in one of the pockets of his bulletproof vest before pulling his own gun.

"No. I believe him. Let's split into two groups. You take the left section and I take the right. Move in a half circle so that our group can cover more and meet in the same spot."

Yuta nodded and finally turned at about the dozen men waiting for his signal. With a raise of his finger, he motioned towards the area assigned to them before starting to move towards the edge of the woods. Johnny did the same with his, but a sound suddenly halted him on his tracks before he could even break through the forest edge.

Gunshots. A few of them. They were far away, but there's no mistaking their piercing sound.

He cocked his gun, jaw tense, and called out to the group following him.

"Let's move!"

******* You didn't have any idea where you were going. You crashed against wayward branches that scratched and clawed against the skin of your face and arms while your feet thundered against the hard forest floor. Every bit of you was hurting—your lungs were ready to burst and your muscles were screaming for you to stop—but the pain felt detached from your frame of mind right now, as if you were maneuvering a body that isn't even yours in the first place.

It could have been hours, minutes, or seconds since you started to run. The sound of the gunshot was still making your ears ring, but it was not really that which made you struggle to keep your balance. The adrenaline pumping in your veins might be rendering you numb right now for the most part, but it was the vision of Jeno bleeding that made you heave harder from the pain in your chest.

The stinging pain of something scratching the skin of your forearm is what finally made you stumble and lose your balance. The back of your shirt caught a sticking branch you just passed, causing you to get pulled you back and hit a rough tree bark. A sharp yell of pain was torn from you when a piercing sensation drove through your panic. With horror, you looked down to realize that you actually crashed against a tree studded with thick thorns that left deep stab wounds on your forearm.

It took the last spurt of your energy to finally stagger away from the offending bark with a whimper. Gritting your teeth, you took a second to catch your breath by leaning against a big rock covered with moss. You didn't have any idea where you were or how long you still had to run. All you knew was that you are tired and very much afraid.

You didn't even get a minute of silence until your heart jumped again in your chest at the sound of dry leaves crunching under a boot from somewhere beyond. Eyes wild, you quickly stood up from the spot you were curled up on and whipped around. The sound didn't come again, but you knew what you heard. Something is out there somewhere, lurking in the shadows. A part of you hoped that it was Jeno, but you couldn't risk it… not now when you've already come this far at least.

And so you ran again. You're not sure if you're still on the right path, but at this point, you didn't really care anymore. You just had to move—put as much distance between you and whatever it is back there. It couldn't be Taeyong. No. It can't be him. Jeno shot him. It's impossible for him to survive that close of a shot—

"Ahh!"

Your voice was cut off mid-scream when you were suddenly pulled back again by a strong force from behind. Instead of crashing against anything, however, you felt limbs tangle around you and pull you back with sheer force. You screamed again, but a hand choked back the sound by covering half of your face.

"Shhh… Finally caught you."

It was like the temperature dropped around you. Eyes shaking, you tried to look sideways but froze again when you felt lips gently run over the shell of your ear. They moved downwards, before biting at the skin of your neck. There was no gentleness to the gesture, just pure teeth and force. When you whimpered from the pain, you felt Taeyong smile against your skin.

"You really thought you could leave, huh?"

"How—"

Your question ended up with a grunt when he suddenly pushed you forward. The force made you roll around in the dirt until your body slammed against the root of a tree. With chilling terror, you realized that it was the only thing stopping you from falling into your death down into the ravine directly behind you. It was a steep fall, the ground beneath littered with sharp rocks and thick roots that seemed to reach out to the sky like skeletal limbs.

"I can't believe you just ran away like that… After your little boyfriend tried to shoot at me."

Your attention went back to Taeyong who was slowly walking towards you now. Darkness was quickly falling in the forest, but you still saw the slip of something black covering his chest as he went closer. Your heart dropped in your stomach.

Bulletproof vest.

"T-Taeyong…"

For a brief second, the man stopped in his tracks as he heard you say his name. Taeyong closed his eyes as if savoring your broken tone and you saw his fingers flex against the handle of his pistol.

"Say that again. I want to hear you beg."

Tears spilled down your face again, leaving clean marks on your grime stained skin. You were shaking from pure, sheer fear and you put your hands before you in a pointless effort to stop him from making another step. It didn't stop him, of course, his legs starting to move again, this time slowly to where you are. It was like he was savoring the vision of you with the way he took his calculating steps.

The look in his eyes made you wish you were dead. If they scared you before, they terrified you now to the bone.

"Please, p-please stop. I don't want to do this… I can't…"

He had reached you sooner than you wished. Smiling at you now, you shrunk deeper against the tree supporting your back as he sat back on his knees so your faces were on the same level. Taeyong slowly reached out to you, his thumb and forefinger guiding your chin so you could meet eye to eye.

"Darling… I think you're missing a point here."

"I didn't really give you a choice to say no."

The stabbing pain in your thigh tore an ear-splitting scream from you. You looked down in horror to see his free hand on your leg, his fingers digging a knife down your flesh. Taeyong slowly twisted the handle and another cry of pain fell from your lips from of the excruciating pain.

"Sorry about that. I'm just getting a little tired of you trying to run away so I had to. Don't worry. That won't kill you."

"Stop—please. It hurts so much—"

For a few seconds, Taeyong simply stared at you. He had finally stopped digging the blade deeper into your skin, but it was too late as blood started flowing out of your open wound until it seeped the ground beneath you. He didn't make any sound nor moved a muscle as if he was deep in thought, a complete contrast to the way you helplessly twitched from the torture he was doing to you.

"I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to hurt you…" his words barely broke through the growing numbness that's starting to cocoon you. You could barely see him now as a dark film started to slowly creep into your vision, but you thought you saw guilt clearly marking his features when he spoke again.

"I'm going to make it all go away in a bit, okay? But I can't have you run away from me again. Just take it a little bit more… it's really your fault anyway…"

"You left me with no choice, but I'll have to break your legs for now…"

What…?

You watched as he slowly stood up and moved his gun to point at your other, still uninjured leg. A helpless whimper left you again, but deep inside, you were way past caring already.

"Grit your teeth. This is going to hurt for a bit. Don't worry, it'll heal."

Just kill me. End this already…

I'm begging you. Someone.

Anyone.

Kill me.

You were already on the verge of unconsciousness when you saw Taeyong start to steady his gun. As you closed your eyes in surrender, an inviting thought crossed you and started wrapping around you like a warm blanket of comfort. You just need to move a little when he pulls the trigger, make sure his bullet catches your head instead…

And then you'll finally be safe again.

Bang!

The sound of the bullet ricocheting against something made you freeze. At first you didn't move, wondering if death finally came to you because you couldn't feel any new source of pain in your body, but then the sound of voices shook you to consciousness again. Opening your eyes, you gasped to see Taeyong on the forest floor in a lock of limbs with Jeno. The latter had his arm locked around the former's neck in a chokehold as they both tried to struggle to take control over the other. Taeyong's gun lay a few feet from them, just across from the spot you were slumped on.

There were a few seconds when you processed what you were seeing, but then you saw Taeyong land a punch on Jeno's shoulder, right where he was shot earlier. His pained grunt is what shook you to action and you suddenly sat up, a soft scream of your own leaving your lips as the wound on your thigh throbbed painfully. The dagger was still buried deep in your flesh and you wrapped your fist around it to pull it off in one go. You immediately threw it to the side as a fresh wave of tears spilled down your cheeks from the excruciating pain, but you didn't even let that stop you from crawling on the forest floor.

You were dragging yourself with your hands mostly doing the work, but you managed to grab the gun with your shaking fingers. Your eyes met Taeyong’s the moment you clasped it closer to yourself and managed to stand upright, but you nearly lost your balance again in fear as you watched him suddenly jump off of Jeno to try and come after you. You screamed, and in your panic, pulled the trigger after shakily pointing it at his head. The bullet missed him by a hair as he ducked to the side and dove to the ground.

"Shoot him, now!"

The surprise from your own actions startled you, but Jeno's voice managed to keep you from dropping the weapon. With wide eyes, you watched as he launched himself towards Taeyong again, holding the other up to face you. That's when it finally hit you—he was giving you a clear way to shoot his brother right in the head.

Maybe it was the fear, the pain, or the horror of it all, but it only took you a couple of seconds to set yourself to action. Your hands were still shaking uncontrollably, but you managed to lift it up to aim it right at the middle of Taeyong's head. You met his eyes the same moment your finger curled around the trigger again, his pupils dilated but dead. Everything seemed to move slowly from there and you watched with a growing sense of chill as his lips slowly curled into a smirk.

Click.

The subtle empty clicking sound of the gun echoed in the silence like a resounding scream. Jeno looked back at you in sheer shock and your hold on it wavered as Taeyong's piercing laugh shattered the air.

"Ah, my love. You wasted the eighth bullet~"

The weapon hit the forest floor the exact moment Taeyong drove his elbow back at Jeno's stomach. The latter doubled over, and the older one took that as a chance to grab him by the hair and hit his head against the nearest tree bark. The first hit made a sickening sound escape Jeno but even that didn't seem to satisfy Taeyong as he lifted the boy's head again and crashed it mercilessly at the tree once more.

You only realized what you were doing when you finally felt your nails get in contact with the other's back. Somehow, you managed to launch yourself into him, your hands flying to hit and scratch at whatever part of his body you could reach. That seemed to have taken Taeyong a little bit by surprise as he freed his other hand to grab you by the neck to try and stop you. You pulled at him, desperate to get him off of Jeno, that you barely realized you'd managed to drag your trio to the edge of the ravine.

"Stop fighting me!" Taeyong growled as he clamped his fingers around your throat. You started to cough and choke, but that didn't stop you from trying to claw at his face. His other hand was still clutching Jeno's head which was now bleeding from his open wounds. He looked almost unconscious, his eyes barely open from the assault.

"Let him go—let go!"

Taeyong moved so fast that you would have fallen off the cliff if not for his other hand grabbing you by the collar. He had finally let go of Jeno and pushed him down to the ground where he crumpled lifelessly, unmoving. Behind you, you could feel the heel of your shoe slip a little on the rocks as you teetered on the edge. Taeyong's chokehold is the only thing that kept you from plummeting downwards so you grabbed at his arms for support. You didn't know where he was getting the strength, but you felt like a ragdoll under his grip.

"You're making this so hard for me. You need to stop," he said through gritted teeth. His fingers wrapped around your throat tighter, cutting off the remaining flow of air that you were struggling to hold. Red started to spread on the whites of your eyes as the small blood vessels there started to erupt.

"Do you really want me to punish you before you start to listen? Do you really want me to hurt you?"

His eyes drilled against your skull viciously, but you knew he was way past the point of actually seeing you. There was nothing but madness radiating from him, that and pure unadulterated hate. It was so terrifying to look at that a part of you almost felt thankful that you were on the verge of losing consciousness.

You were hanging by a thread, but his last words reached you even if he said it in nothing more than a whisper.

"If that's what you want, fine."

"I'll break you down to the bone. I have all my life to do it."

Your hands clutching his arms slowly started to go limp. They fell by your sides, lifeless, as your head drooped and hung forward. Your eyelids weren't able to entirely close anymore but you couldn't really process what you were seeing now as the last of your consciousness left you. It looked like the night sky… but instead of the darkness, it was burning red.

It's over.

It's finally over…

Maybe I can rest now.

You were on the last cycle of your breath when a new sensation eased you from the comfort that was calling out to you. A hand reached out and grabbed you and you felt yourself pulled over against something warm. You're already way past the capacity of understanding what was happening, but you saw Taeyong look at something in surprise beside you as he swayed and stumbled off to the side. Everything was moving too slow and you watched with detached calmness as a hand pushed him over, his face contorted in fear. You looked up to check what he was staring at and your vision focused on a face that made a spark of life move from deep inside your chest before it fizzled out again.

Jeno…

The world was closing down on you. Behind you, you heard a sickening thud hit the ground from far off below. You didn't turn to look at it, your eyes focused on one person.

The last you saw were the brown of his eyes against the dying glow of the sun before darkness finally swallowed you.

******* Johnny turned around as he caught an odd sound from somewhere off to his right. It was so fleeting that it could have been part of the dozen other noises in the forest, but something told him to stop and pay attention to it. A uniformed member of his group stopped beside him and waited for him to say anything.

"Sir? Is everything alright?"

He didn't immediately answer. He trained his ears harder to try and catch another sound, but there was nothing but the sound of the cicadas that answered him back. In that moment, he knew he needed to make a decision… and this time, he decided to follow his gut.

He turned to his squad member without a trace of hesitation.

"I need you to take over command. Follow our agreed route and tell me if you find anything. I need to check something."

The man looked like he had a dozen questions to counter that order, so Johnny was thankful that he had enough sense not to waste any time and forgo them for now. He gave a tight nod and turned away to continue on his path while Johnny did the same to go towards the direction where he thought he heard the noise. He had no idea where his steps would lead him, but he is positive that he'll end up with what he is looking for.

Not even five minutes in and he heard the second sign. It was louder this time, though the thick foliage of the forest distorted it so that he couldn't really pinpoint where exactly it was coming from. The sound was muffled, but it was enough for Johnny to be sure of one thing.

Voices. Those are definitely voices.

He moved with more urgency now, playing it by ear as where his steps would lead him. When a sickening thud sounded off not too far from him, he finally broke into a run and charged through his path. Walls of trees loomed beside him as he rushed past, but he could also see a sliver of clearing beyond in between the leaves of the foliage.

The first thing that caught his eyes when he finally broke through was the hunched over figure at the far off side of the clearing. The stranger's back was against him so he couldn't really see what he was looking at, but then a dying ray of sun hit the spot and he saw him gently let go of what looked like someone's hand. Johnny stalked carefully towards him, his gun steady.

"Step away from her, please."

The boy turned to slowly look at him, his face unreadable. He didn't look bothered at all to see him there and he silently straightened up and stepped to the side calmly. Johnny's eyes fell on the figure that the other was covering earlier and felt a shock run through his veins.

A girl lay unconscious on the ground, bleeding in places he couldn't figure out yet. Growing purple marks stood out on the neck of her skin and his eyes moved upwards to check her face. His hold on his gun tightened at what he saw.

It’s her.

Their missing victim.

"She needs help. She's losing blood…"

Johnny looked up again to train his gaze on the boy in front of him. He was still standing calmly off to the side, a huge contrast to how he looked. His face was covered with blood just as much as the rest of his body and he was so sure he had a hole on his shoulder with the way he was dripping blood everywhere. A sinking feeling settled at the pits of his stomach as recognition dawned on him. The boy might be covered in red, but there is no doubt who he is.

Jeno Lee.

"Put your hands where I can see them," Johnny said as steadily as he could as he took another step closer to the woman's prone body on the forest floor. She looked like her chest was still moving, albeit very slowly.

Jeno didn't really move, instead following him with his silent gaze instead. He didn't look defensive, but there was one emotion Johnny thought flash in the other's eyes when his glance slipped towards the girl in front of him once more.

Worry.

No… it's not just that.

Care.

"Did you do this?" Johnny already knew the answer to that before the other even answered. Jeno didn't seem like he heard him at all though, his eyes still set on the woman.

"You need to get her to the hospital soon. Or we might lose her."

That was enough of an answer for Johnny to figure out what was going on. He kept his aim trained on the boy, but he was sure of one thing.

He didn't hurt her.

"You're hurt too."

"I don't need help."

"Why are you here?"

"I need to make sure she's safe."

His hand squeezed around the handle of his gun. Protocol plainly told him the next things he should be taking. The boy was on sight at the scene of the crime, obviously in a state that says he is involved in some way. He should take him in, plain and simple, and yet he couldn't for some reason. Maybe it's because of the way he just stood there, as if he didn't even care if the police took him in. In fact, he seemed like he didn't even care about anything at all, except for the woman in front of him. Or maybe it's because of the look he could see in the other's eyes… the same look he'd seen so many times in Jung Jaehyun's own before.

Johnny slowly lowered his gun despite his eyes staying on the boy. Jeno watched the gesture, a look of mild confusion flitting over his features first before understanding took over. His eyes followed the man as he bent over her and gently took his hand in his to check her pulse. He decided to speak again just as he saw the other lift his hand to finally press at his in-ear.

"Yuta, I need—"

"He's over there. Who you're looking for."

Johnny looked up at him and then towards the direction he was pointing at. They were at the edge of a steep cliff and he picked himself up again to see what was beyond. He was only able to take a couple of steps before he froze again at what he saw. The fall to the ravine opened up to huge, rough boulders and dead trees, and right in the middle was Taeyong, his face up in the sky. His eyes were open and he looked like he was simply watching the sun dip from the burning sky serenely, but Johnny knew otherwise…

What with the thick stake pierced through his heart.

"Johnny, did you call?" Yuta's voice came on from his in-ear radio. It took him a few seconds to finally reply again.

"Yes. I found the girl and Lee Taeyong. They're both badly injured. I need medics sent to my location immediately. I'll send you my coordinates."

"Got it. We're turning around. We're on our way. Is anyone else with you?"

He finally tore his eyes from the sight before him and turned towards the clearing again. He wasn't surprised at all to see it empty except for the woman lying peacefully on the ground as if she was just sleeping. Johnny pursed his lips before answering again.

"No. There's no one else. The area is clear."

CHAPTER 15 [END]

---

A/N: So... I have both good news and bad news. The good news is that I was able to keep my promise and publish this today, but the bad news is that... this isn’t really the end. I had a last minute change of heart and changed the ending, so I decided I’m going to cut this story off here for now since the chapter has gotten so long already. A special chapter will be released soon to REALLY close everything off, because I wanted to give enough justice to the story by dedicating a full section to it. I hope you all enjoy this anyway despite of it being long. As usual, thank you so much to those who have supported me this far! I really appreciate all of you for staying until now. :D

Taglist [CLOSED]: @negincho, @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore, @jsturkey, @aj-7, @pukupukupawpau, @tomiesgirlfren, @vsszn, @those-winternights, @xsnelly, @lihyuck, @haoshitt, @mindofthescattered, @huangberryyy, @d1nne, @choppedupcactus, @neokat, @yutasnabi, @mirathe2002, @artemisblues, @ryu-naa, @aaasteroidsky, @strawbunnyjaem , @floweronacloud, @cottonniebunnie, @sknyuz, @furryllamas, @grandmasterslickfox, @dreamisfelix

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xalphacentauri · 3 years ago

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His Fantasy- Yandere Shigaraki x Reader

You’ve lived a pretty ordinary life at UA until you caught the eye of the worlds most dangerous villain. Tomura Shigaraki has found a new obsession. Yandere Shigaraki x reader. *TW* Stockholm syndrome/ Questionable consent/ Shiggy being creepy/ C*rsing/ Tr*uma/ Kidn*pping/ Bl*od/ Fire/ Violenc* Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Chapter 1 Oh Cr*p Words: 2,451

It’s a nice day out today, the sun’s shining, the park’s vibrant and smells like freshly cut grass. Walking back to the dorms should be a breeze. Looking down at my shoes I take a deep breath. After the incident a few days ago, I know someone’s been following me. I can’t think about that right now though, I need a distraction. I slip my headphones out to enjoy the sounds of families laughing on the benches and a distant band playing in the parks center. Maybe I’ll pick up some snacks for everyone on my way home. Looking back down at my bags, I smile at the cute new pink skirt I got today, knowing Mina’s probably gonna try to steal it.

Just as I near the park exit I see a group of three extremely drunk men lazily strolling towards me. Great. I’m really not in the mood right now. I avert my eyes as the men blunder past me near the exit shrubbery. Just as I pass by, one man bumps into me, knocking me backwards and making me drop my bags. Immediately I fall onto someone, though they didn’t stumble, instead the man propped me back up by the arms with three diligent fingers.

As I turned to thank him, a warm rough hand grips my neck sternly and thrusts me back onto him. Before I could use my quirk to free myself, I look up only to be met with the same piercing red eyes that flood every news station. His face, which was obscured by his black hood, was dry and extremely pale. His gaze was cold and hungry. I know him. It’s Tomura Shigaraki. I felt the color drain from my face and a croak escape my lips. It’s been him all along.

“We finally meet." A small smile spread across his lips.

My body froze, I couldn’t speak. I was there when the league attacked but I’ve never been this close to him. I could smell him, feel his fingers run up and down my neck, and feel the heat of his breath as he spoke against my ear

"If you move, I’ll kill you. You know that so don’t try anything” he purred

He took a shaky inhale and brought his head closer to mine. I searched around, noticing no one was nearby and we were obscured by trees and bushes.

Everyone was blissfully unaware that a mass murderer was wedged behind me, pressing his body onto mine.

“I never expected we’d meet this way. I had something much more.. entertaining planned.” he cooed scratchily, looking down at me

Shuttering, my blood ran cold. I uttered a small and unsteady “W-what?”

He let out a small chuckle, clearly amused by my terror. He held me tighter. His eyes bored into mine, looking ravenous.

“Don’t play dumb with me, you know I-"’

Suddenly, his head jerked up as he peered across the street. Two pro heroes and an intern were on patrol, cruising down the block. I couldn’t yell if I wanted to, Shigaraki’s hand was tight around my neck. I squeaked a small choking noise as he turned me away from the exit, muttering into my neck quickly but coolly,

"You look good in pink”

As the pressure on my neck vanished, I doubled over coughing, trying to catch my breath. Collecting myself out of the panic, I swung around frantically scanning the park. I’m shaking. He’s gone. I guess I’m not going crazy after all…

—————— 1 Week Ago ——————-

Opening the window in my dorm and flopping onto my bed I thought about calling mom. I’ll let her know my hero work is going well, that I have lots of good friends, that I keep getting this nagging feeling that someones been watching me. No, I know if I call it’ll all come spilling out, plus it’s too late she’s probably asleep. For the past three months anytime I leave the dorms I’ve seen the same black hoodie lurking nearby. Maybe I’m imagining it. It’s impossible. UA is pretty public about their students so maybe it is possible. I sound nuts. I roll over to check my phone. One new message from Mina about girls night and the class 1A ‘family’ group chat is blowing up. Apparently Todoroki’s soba fell on the floor during lunch and Denki made 6 whole memes about it. Thinking back, making friends here wasn’t so hard. Mina immediately claimed me as her best friend, Jirou and I babbled on about our music taste, I mean at this point even Bakugo is considered a friend. I smile and groan knowing tomorrow at 5 AM him and Kirishima are gonna be banging on my door demanding I attend the mandatory morning jog. I stare at my ceiling debating whether I should see the girls or just fall asleep. I decide on the latter, dozing off hoping that tomorrow my sinking suspicions about my stalker will disappear. My dreams, which are occasionally a garbled mess, are nightmarish tonight. The same nightmare. It’s a memory really. I’m standing, no, being held back in front of a burning building filled with screams. “I CAN HELP. LET ME HELP!!” I shriek It’s no use, Hawks grips both of my arms tighter. “YOU CAN’T! It’s too dangerous! We have to wait for other heroes to arrive!” The screams are too loud, I want them to stop. I scream too, I scream myself raw. Hawks say something but I can’t hear him. What’s he saying? His lips are moving but nothings coming out. All I can hear are the tortured screams from the burning apartment complex. Blood begins to pour out of the building. It’s filling the streets. It’s so sticky. The sky’s red and everyone’s staring at me. I see the same face of a specific victim that came out of the scorched apartment. I knew him. He’s standing in front of me. We went to middle school together. Why does he look like that? His eyes are glazed and swollen like they might pop while most of his body is a patchwork of 3rd degree burns. He looks like he’s covered in bubbles and peeling charcoal but there’s no blood. I’m covered in blood. He grabs my arm. “You’re supposed to be a hero” He rasps It’s all my fault. I jolt awake covered in cold sweat, my head too filled with sleep to comprehend anything. Its still dark. I roll to my side to drift back into sleep. As my eyes finally close, I think I see a shadow sway in the corner of my room. I’ll worry about that tomorrow. The suns too bright and someone’s pounding on my door. “HEY! WAKE YOUR STUPID A*S UP! It’s time to go, hurry up!!” Is Bakugo always this loud? I wake my 'stupid ass’ up then quickly brush my teeth. I can’t find my favorite workout tee. I wore it yesterday and it should be in the hamper but I can’t find it anywhere. Huh. My phone rings for the third time so I float it toward me as I’m squeezing into my yoga pants. It’s Kirishima. I can hear Bakugo grumbling loudly in the background. “Hey are you ready? Were stretching outside” “She’s always late” Bakugo distantly complains I roll my eyes almost audibly and give a quick I’ll be down in a sec to Kirishima as I rush out the door. As usual Kirishima and Mina greet me with smiles and 'hey’ or 'how was your sleep?’ I never answer honestly because I don’t want anyone to worry. What am I supposed to say? 'Oh, it was awful, every other night I’m plagued by horrific nightmares. How did you sleep?’ These nightmares are exhausting. As we run through campus I replay my dreams. My teeth falling out in one, falling off a building in another and then the same nightmare followed by some nonsense dream about my childhood home. Yikes, I must be stressed. I remember waking up after the nightmare too, but just barely. Did

I see something? No, I was just tired. I think. Ugh I’m going f**king crazy aren’t I? Mina snaps her fingers in front of my face “Hey? HEY!! Are you good?!”

I hadn’t realized I stopped running. Wow I’m really out of breath.

“Yeah.. I’m…fine…why?” I huff She gives me a 'really?’ kind of look which turns to concern. “You’re acting weird. Stop it.” She pouts “You’ve been acting weird for a while now, why don’t you tell me what’s up?” I consider this for a moment while keeping a small smile on my face. I can’t tell anyone about my suspicion. I mean something traumatic happens to someone and all eyes are on them. I don’t need any help after what happened, it was 3 months ago. I’m fine. If I admit this to her, or anyone actually, they’ll look at me differently or worse…send me to therapy.. I’m more than my suspicions I tell myself. Plus nothing’s actually going on. I’m fine. I break out my most 'I’m completely sane’ smile and giggle “Mina, you worry too much. I’m perfectly fine. If anything you’re the weird one. You’re always weird though.” She laughs as we share her water bottle, giggling about some drama between Deku and Uraraka that happened a few days ago. We run back to the dorms, catching up to Kirishima and Bakugo midway. It’s already 6:30, I’ve gotta get ready for class. I strip, shower, take care of my hair and skin then rummage through my clothes. Uniform? Check. Favorite bra? Check. Favorite panties? No check. What the actual hell? Every week more and more of my things are going missing. It’s like someone’s making a shrine of me or something. First it was my favorite tank top, then some other clothes, knick knacks, followed by my godd*mn sketchbook, my favorite running shirt this morning, and now my undies? Most of my missing clothes I blame on Mina since she’s the queen of 'borrowing’, but my panties? I’m past the point of thinking all my stuff is in Mina’s closet or misplaced. I’m honestly over this. I grumble a little as I put on something else, grab my stuff and make my way to class. Class was uneventful as always. Sero threw some tape balls at me, Midoriya muttered through the test so I couldn’t focus, Denki and Krishima were non stop laughing during history and I tripped Mineta with my quirk as he was doing a presentation which was pretty funny but other than that, uneventful. I did get lectured by Iida for 'responsible quirk usage’ or something, I wasn’t paying attention. He was doing that thing with his arms so I really couldn’t focus on anything but that. Around 4:00 I found myself in the mall with the girls of 1A plus Sero. We hopped from store to store, not buying anything but critiquing the ugly clothes and praising the good ones. After a while my feet began to hurt and my bladder was more than full so I excused myself to go to the bathroom. After washing my hands I stood outside the restrooms texting the girls group chat to see where everyone was. The mall was really busy today, lots of moms with their fussy kids and teens strolling around. The mall music was tacky too, some generic overplayed pop song was playing softly through the speakers. While I waited for my text, I just watched people. As I surveyed slowly over the masses my eyes stopped on a familiar hooded figure. It was leaning against a wall not too far from me. My heart sank. It’s all in your head I told myself. I feel like it was minutes rather than seconds. The figure had light blue hair past their ear and their black hood was pulled all the way up. All I could see from where I stood was someone or something tall with pale skin and a dry smile creeping onto their face. I felt frozen. I walked towards the figure shakily but as soon as I stepped forward, they stepped to the side, disappearing into the crowd. Still entranced, I followed the figure, seeing them weave in and out of the crowd, hands tucked into the front of their hoodie. Is this a figment of my imagination? The figure was walking farther away and I was falling behind. They knew I was following them. This felt like a game. My heart was racing and cold sweat was forming on my skin. They bumped into someone and the woman scoffed “Say excuse me!” She spat staring at the figure She can see it too. They turned and gave her a wide chapped smile. Even though I couldn’t see their face, that

smile chilled me to the bone. I know this person. As suddenly as they appeared, they vanished into thin air among the crowd. I felt like I was chasing a ghost. I kept walking trying to find them, bumping into people left and right. I bumped into a tall dark haired girl. “Hey! We’ve been loo- are you alright?” It was Momo. I looked around once more. The figure was gone. “Hmm? I’m f-” “HOLY SH*T! You look like you’ve seen a ghost!!” Sero half shouted I wish. Everyone spoke their concerns all at once. Seeing everyone on edge made me realize I must look a mess. I quickly recomposed my face into something resembling natural. “I was looking for you guys!” I said softly with fake confidence Mina grabbed my shoulders and shook me lightly “Yeah we texted you like 20 times but you weren’t responding. What happened?” She urged, looking even more concerned than this morning I pulled out my phone and saw the 5 missed calls and 14 texts. How long was I gone? It felt like 5 minutes and an hour at the same time. Looking around at everyone, I just smiled “I think I must’ve eaten something bad, I don’t feel too good.” Sero had a mix of relief and concern written across his features, “Ahh that must be why you were in the bathroom for so long, huh?” He laughed lightly I just laughed, smiled, threw back a witty retort and changed the subject, wanting to be alone with my thoughts. We walked back to campus and I didn’t talk much. I have proof now that I’m not imagining it. But was that figure- that person there for me? They’re definitely real but am I making things up? They seemed familiar too…

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

#bnha #shigaraki #lov #shigaraki x reader #yandere shigaraki #yandere shigaraki x reader #tomura #mha

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