#okay i have decided to like the basement scene now

[shinynewmemories]

Okay okay I'm having Thoughts™ about the basement exchange again. It's a lot all at once but ima try to organize it into 3 main points:

1. Why was Katniss so hurt that Peeta didn't argue with Gale when he said "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without"?

At this point, Peeta had in no way recovered from the hijacking. Parts of the old Peeta were returning, yes, but he was NOT 100% back yet. Obviously, Katniss knew this. And it's not like Peeta necessarily AGREED with Gale; he just kept quiet. So why did she feel wronged by Peeta's "failure" to defend her? 

I think it's because Katniss's feelings for Peeta are the exact feelings Gale implied she WOULDN'T have for whomever she picked. Immediately after Gale said it, Katniss thinks: 

Am I really that cold and calculating? Gale didn’t say, “Katniss will pick whoever it will break her heart to give up,” or even “whoever she can’t live without.” Those would have implied I was motivated by a kind of passion. But my best friend predicts I will choose the person who I think I “can’t survive without.” There’s not the least indication that love, or desire, or even compatibility will sway me.

I think Katniss is so deeply offended because she IS motivated by passion (for Peeta). I think love, desire, and compatibility ALL play a part in why she chooses Peeta. And Katniss subconsciously feels that Peeta, who is the OBJECT of her love/passion/desire, should know this. It's as if she's saying "Peeta, you OF ALL PEOPLE should know Gale is wrong because I feel ALL OF THESE THINGS FOR YOU!!!"

And while I think most people (including Katniss) would say her offence at Peeta's silence is a bit irrational, I think it speaks VOLUMES about the truth of her feelings. Especially towards Peeta.

2. What if Gale took what Peeta said about him having "to take care of her family" to heart?

I always assumed Gale took whatever Peeta said and promptly threw it in the garbage bin in his brain. You know, because jealousy? Or I thought Gale was already of the opinion that protecting Katniss's family was his job.

But what if Gale actually listened? What if that's why, during their last interaction before Snow's execution, Gale says, “That was the one thing I had going for me. Taking care of your family"?

Idk I don't have any big point to this. It's just a "what if".

3. What if Peeta took what Gale said about how Katniss would make her choice to heart?

I also always assumed Peeta didn't give Gale's statements in the basement much thought afterwards. After all, he had a lot of other things on his mind (the war, people being beaten to death for looking like him, the hijacking, etc.).

But what if Peeta actually listened? And not only that, but what if he, like Katniss, understood everything Gale was implying: that Katniss would not make her choice based on love, or desire, or compatibility? What if, when Gale said "Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without", Peeta heard "Even if Katniss DOES pick you, love, passion, and desire will have nothing to do with it"? And what if Peeta BELIEVED him??

If we assume all that is the case, the "so after" scene takes on a whole new meaning. Because one night, Katniss feels such an intense hunger (that's desire!) for Peeta that they end up having sex (that's passion!). And it's this moment that Katniss realizes she would have ended up with Peeta anyway and that he's the only one who can give her what she needs (that's compatibility!). And then, of course, the closing line of the book:

So after, when he whispers, “You love me. Real or not real?” I tell him, “Real.”

(That's love!)(Duh!)

So yeah maybe at some point after "so after", Peeta's just lying there and he thinks "Hey, Gale, if you can hear this: I just gotta let you know that you were dead wrong."

[liliannadelaphinehartifelt]

Alastor - [ DEVOTION Pt. 7 ]

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Alright, buckle up loves! This one is a rollercoaster…. I’m pretty sure there’s smut (yay, we have returned to my roots). Also, thanks for all the feedback on the story. It gave me insight into a few things and what tropes to leave out of my next series (which is coming soon).

WARNINGS: [ NSFW ] + [ MDNI ] + [ SLIGHT SMUT ] + [ ANGST ] + [ CHILDBIRTH…description?… I mean not really that much… ] + [ MENTIONS OF CANNIBALISM ]

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Within the hour of Alastors shadows leaving, Roise and Angelique came rushing into your home.

Their coats were thrown to the floor at the door, and both women bound up the steps, calling you and Alastors' names in evident concern.

"Al! Y/n?!" Rosie shouted as she rounded the staircase plateau, reaching the room first, and his mother followed swiftly.

"Al! Baby, what happened?' Angelique came right to his side as he lifted his head from looking down at your sweat and blood-covered face.

Rosie gasped, seeing the state you were in, the blood pooling on the sheets, your body's weak tremors worrying both women and Alastor’s disheveled demeanor, only adding to the heart-wrenching scene.

Angelique placed a hand on your forehead, feeling for a temperature, as Alastor croaked out a phrase she had never heard him utter: "Help her ma…please…."

". She's burning up," Angelique muttered in slight shock, sparing her son a solemn glance as she caressed your cheek soothingly.

He clearly was withholding his panic, reverting back to the mild-mannered nervous ticks he had as a boy to cope with stress.

His eyes twitched rapidly, watering a bit as she conversed with Rosie on the best ways to go about helping you and the babies.

"They're gonna be okay, baby. Hey, look at me, stay strong, you hear me? Keep your head on straight. They need you more than ever…" his mother reassured him with an encouraging smile, tilting his chin up as an added gesture.

"Now is not the time to be weak like your father…"

Alastor paled at her words, unconsciously steadying his mentality to avoid breaking down any longer, "I'm nothing like that pompous and demented drunk-"

"Then go clean yourself up. Straighten out that mess in the basement. And let us do what needs to be done to save Y/n and your children…"

Angelique made no effort to put her instructions gently, already rushing about the room to ready herself for the task ahead.

Rosie merely stared at him expectantly, already tending to your wounded head after wiping the visible scum from your face with a warm wet washcloth.

"Go, Al. We will take care of this."

He froze for a moment, hesitant to leave you in such a state, gazing down at your distressed form one last time before deciding to trust them with your fate.

"I'm counting on you both," he mumbled wearily, planting a sorrowful kiss on your head while peeling off the bed's edge.

"Everything going to be alright, sweetheart. I promise.."

You sobbed lowly at his words, too weak to speak and even less apt to stop him from leaving your side.

The last sight you had of Alastor that night was him lingering at your bedroom door with a somber smile that conveyed the sadness in his eyes, and then he was gone.

A memory you couldn't recall as hours of labor set in. You spent what little strength was left in your body to birth a son and a daughter.

Your screams could practically be heard throughout the whole Garden District.

Alastors' shadows shook violently upon hearing each one, but he restrained himself from racing into the room.

Instead, he busied himself as his mother instructed: cleaning the basement, locking it up before pocketing the key for better safekeeping, and resigning himself to his studies.

Hours of listening to your muffled cries mixing with the crackling of his radio filled the atmosphere with unease.

His shadows swirled in anticipation near the bedroom door, not daring to peek in until your voice was drowned out by the soft cries of two newborns.

Alastor had been on his third cigarette and fourth whiskey by then, in the middle of drowning his stress with vices he'd sworn never to take up, but they seemed appealing for the longest night of his life.

He was rather thankful when a spectator spawned beside his chair, whispering good news in his ear and clearly elated to relay it.

They've arrived—a healthy boy and girl, and she is stable as well. A job well done, monsieur…

A tender smile crept onto his lips at the information, shrill cries of life carrying through the house proving his spectator's observation true." I shouldn't keep my children waiting then," Alastor mused half-heartedly while standing upright.

His glass of whiskey was half full on his desk, his cigarette snuffed out on an ashtray next to it, and his radio left on a low volume of static as he left the room.

———— ————— —————

"Oh, Al, come look! They're just the sweetest little lambs you'll ever see!"

Rosie ushered him in the room with a genuine grin on her face, strands of her blonde hair in disarray, her dress sleeves rolled up, and a bit of sweat on her neck from the work she'd just finished.

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, assuming she was exaggerating to lift his spirits.

"Is that so?"

Rosie nodded excitedly, gliding back over to the bed where you lay, and his mother sat facing you.

"Come on. Come look at em'…" the blonde whispered while peering into Angelique's arms.

Alastor hesitated, somewhat afraid to come face to face with his offspring, but then he heard them babble quietly.

A gentle, enlightening sound he never imagined liking, but it drew him like a magnet.

The tired smile you gave him as he neared the bed helped quite a lot.

You were alive, in need of rest, but still breathing.

His mind calmed as your eyes met for a split second, a fleeting exchange of gratefulness, but it broke as two tiny giggles filled the room.

Alastor averted his attention towards them, leaving you to watch as he took them in.

Angelique shifted slightly, adjusting her expert hold on the swaddled newborns who fixated on their looming father as he stepped closer.

"Oh my…hello there, little ones. What a pleasure it is to meet you…"

Alastor fawned over them, kneeling to get a better look, and to his delight, they both smiled at his approach.

The sudden change in expression swayed him, and he had a genuine grin on his face as he took their features in.

"What wonderful gifts you are," he muttered in amazement.

His mother chuckled, amused by her son's reaction to his children, but relieved he'd composed himself again.

"Would you like to hold them, Al?" she voiced the offer gently, watching his sharp eyes soften behind the around-framed spectacle.

"I'd love to ….." he mumbled wistfully, never taking his eyes off the newborn twins.

Rosie squealed quietly in excitement as Angelique nodded, carefully handing the boy over to Alastor first.

He gently took him in his arms, admiring their similarities, "My eyes, hair, and nose. You've stolen them all…"

He paused, stuck on what to call then, but you whispered both names through a tired smile:

"Adonis Naveen Hartifelt & Antoinette Marie Hartofelt… just as we decided, yes?"

Alastor held your gaze momentarily, sensing something was off but disregarding the underlying tension to enjoy the quaint moment.

"Yes, ma chere. Very suitable names…"

You flashed a somber smile, watching as he walked about the room with Adonis before switching to hold Antoinette.

He clearly favored your daughter a bit more, smiling the longest with her near his chest and only puttering her down when she began to fuss—which took quite a while.

Angelique took her from Alastor's grasp, letting him admire her again before he left the room with Rosie and leaving you to feed them with his mother's help.

His absence left you to wonder…

It baffled you how he could be picture-perfect at times like this.

The very image of a good and gracious man.

Nothing like the monster you imagined could systematically tear apart a body the way you witnessed in the basement.

Nothing like a man who'd lie to his wife.

Nothing like the man who'd caused you so much pain in what was supposed to be your happiest time together.

————— ————— —————-

As the days rolled on, winter winds ravaged New Orleans through the holidays, but the frivolous change of season seemed a distant notion outside of the Hartifelt house.

You were first confined to bed rest by Angelique, then by a doctor's official recommendation the next day, and with their orders came directions.

No overexcerting yourself.

No stress.

A fulfilled and healthy diet couldn't be avoided.

And at least six hours of sleep per day.

The last two stipulations were hard to follow because they felt impossible, and you couldn't bring yourself to relax until Alastor made an effort to explain himself…

To explain the body in the basement and why he'd ever see the need to butcher someone in such a gruesome way.

You'd long figured out what he'd been using it for, piecing together what you witnessed with what had been conspiring in your home for months…

The mutilations on the body were precise, as if he had been harvesting certain parts, but you didn't recall seeing any limbs or organs lying around the basement.

There was no rotting flesh smell either, nothing to indicate he was keeping them as personal trophies, but the victim had clearly not been his first from the looks of their wounds.

You'd never seen him dispose of anything, never heard any clamoring noises from the basement when he was down there, and couldn't recall seeing blood on his hands besides the one time you visited his mother.

All your guesses and observations led you to one conclusion: a notion that made your stomach churn, but the only plausible answer to the question of what Alastor had been doing with…or instead using the body for.

Meat.

He had to be harvesting it.

Feeding body parts to himself and me as if it were regular livestock.

It made sense now why he'd neglected to buy meat on grocery store runs and insisted his hunts would bear better fruit than packaged goods, and the more you thought about the connection, the stupider you felt.

All this time, he'd been feeding you…feeding your children human flesh?

How could be so blind to it, so caught up in his charm, and fail to notice what he'd do behind your back.

You threw up every time the thought crossed your mind…

The season's cold chill mirrored the steady rage building in you as days turned into weeks.

Reaching its height by the time Christmas Eve rolled around.

Rosie and Angelique had decided to stay and help you and the twins until your health became stable again.

One woman was always at your side to help, allowing you to nurse Adonis and Antoinette in peace when needed.

In the first few days of your recovery, you didn't remember much of anything, falling in and out of sleep rapidly, but when you could stay awake for most of the day, you refused to have either child out of your sight for more than a second.

Alastor had tried once after their birth to hold them again in your presence, but you forbade Rosie from letting him in the room.

The evident hurt in his eyes when you viciously glared at him that day tore your heart to pieces, but you just couldn't bear to see him pretend everything was bright and dandy.

Like there wasn't a rotting body in the basement…

Angelique tried to soothe you both in one way or another, convincing Alastor to give you space and time, suggesting that he focus on his radio show rather than holing up in his study or going on impractical 'hunts' to cope with your anger towards him.

He took her advice well, putting on a mask for weeks on end as he carried on being New Orleans's most prominent radio star, and though the frequency of his hunts slowed, the few he did venture on were extremely bloody.

You weren't as easily swayed by her attempts to heal the rift between you and Alastor.

Barely eating or sleeping for quite a while, afraid to close your eyes and replay the bloody memory he'd caused, and overtly protective of the twins as a result.

However, eating and neglecting rest didn't last only a short time.

Both factors affected your productivity as a new mother and healing stage.

You eventually took Amgelique's advice, eating your meals in total, resting more, and enjoying your children's presence.

They were quite the duo.

They were generally quiet babies but incredibly active when not asleep.

You took pride in nursing them, fleeting Rosie holding one while you fed the other, both of you cooing at their gentle mannerisms.

Your mood improved drastically by Christmas Eve, the strength to walk around the house without helpfully given back to you, and the pain in your head significantly lessened.

Jovial as ever, you took slow and sure steps to leave the stuffy room, bathe and dress yourself, and be drawn out by the smell of delicious food being made downstairs.

You could hear Rosie playing with the twins, her soft laughter wafting through the house as two other voices lingered under it.

You nearly turned back to the room, recognizing Alastors voice, grimacing as he laughed at something his mother had said, but after a few calming self-reflective breaths, you continued down the winding staircase.

Rosie was the first to spot you, dressed in a simple red and green evening gown, ready to celebrate the night.

You almost envied her vitality, opting for a simple white and red dress and a large red bow to hold your hair up in an elegant pin style.

She gasped softly as you descended the last few steps, halting her hand that tenderly swayed your children's bassinet.

"You're up! Oh, how wonderful…you look lovely, my dear!"

She rushed to hug you, careful not to squeeze you too tight, as a small giggle left you:

"I'm still finding my bearings, but thanks to you and Angelique, I feel much better."

Rosie took hold of your hands in both silk-gloved ones, leading you into the warmly lit parlor.

She left you to admire how beautifully decorated it was as she sat you down next to her on the sofa.

A pine tree was tucked in the corner, standing massively next to the front bay windows, decorated with fairy lights and traditional ornaments.

Garlands were hung in the same fashion, and other festive adornments covered your home's interior as far as you could see, and your heart fluttered a bit at the sight.

You usually took on decorating for the holidays. Alastor would help, of course, but you enjoyed doing it more than he did.

You expected nothing to be set out since you'd been unwell for so long…

"How'd you manage all this, Rosie?" You glanced around in awe one last time, focusing on the babbling newborns comfortably loaded in their business before you.

They reached for your hand as it lazily slid into the bassinet, warm little palms encircling your fingers, bringing comfort to you.

Rosie watched the loving exchange like a proud sister before answering your question.

"We did nothing, dear. This was all Alastors doing…"

You stiffened, glancing at her in disbelief, "All of this? By himself?"

She nodded slowly, reaching for her glass of white wine sitting on a side table.

"Mhm. I'm sure he knew how important the holiday season is to you…"

It was true.

Alastor did know how much you cared about this time of year.

It reminded you of your mother; your few memories of her were from this season, fond quips of true joy you tried to preserve by upholding her enthusiasm for all that Christmas brings.

"A cherishable, loving, pure spirit ready to start a new. Many forget that the only gift that truly matters to another person is one of understanding. Remember that, my love…never let it go.."

Her words rang in your head as your heart twisted, flashes of your memories with Alastor plaguing you.

"How is he?" you asked tentatively, not looking away from the twins as Rosie sighed, "Not well. He wants to speak to you, dear. See the children for more than a second, too. Won't you give him a chance?.."

She placed a hand on your shoulder, her expression softening as you blinked back tears.

"Rosie…I…I want to, but if he spills another lie from his mouth, I'm afraid I might lose myself to rage…"

A beat of silence hung in the air, a single tear running down your cheek as the thought of facing Alastor made you dizzy with anxiety.

"I'm grateful for your help, for his love, but you've all left me in the dark, and now that I've grown wise to it all, I can't help but wanna hate him…"

"Y/n…we- he was just trying to protect you…"

You stifled a sob, crying quietly as you nodded, "I know… Rosie. I know god damn well what Al was trying to do, but if he'd told me from the beginning, I wouldn't drive myself mad in the first place. All that talk of being devoted to me, and he turns around and lies."

You scowled at the carpeted floor, swiftly wiping your face clean before standing from thorofare with a newfound determination:

"I won't stand for it any longer, er, and thinking about it sours my mood. If you'll excuse me, I need a stiff drink…"

—————- ——————- ——————

Angelique paused in her task as you slipped into the kitchen, not saying a word to her son.

You passed her with a small smile directed only at her and her.

She returned it, picking up a stack of dishes to place on the dining room table before silently gliding out of the room.

You frowned at the loss of her company, aware she'd left hoping that you and Alastor would talk earnestly, but you had no intention of even looking his way.

Your husband felt you whisk past him to the wine cabinet, halting his focus on the pot of gumbo he was preparing to turn your way.

"Y/n," he uttered your name, a low call that made your head spin and your chest tight.

You refused to respond, pouring yourself a moderate glass of wine before taking a long sip, and as the bittersweet alcohol dissipated on your tongue, you turned to leave the area.

Alastor tried again to gain your attention, his face stoic as he reached for you.

With a bit of force, he successfully pulled you into his side. You scowled, instinctively tugging your waist from his iron grasp, but he didn't relent his hold—not once.

"Leave me be," you spat quietly, grip hardening on your wine glass and your bright eyes darkening with unbridled rage as his hazel eyes softened on you.

"I will when you let me explain myself…"

Both of his hands found your waist, shifting your reluctant body to press up against his.

You stiffened at the familiar contact, missing his embrace momentarily and slightly distracted by the warmth he emitted.

Weeks without physical touch from him felt tortuous, and you intended to endure it for a while longer, but feeling him so close if only for a moment- made your resolve less than weak.

Alastor pressed his weight against the counter, head coming to rest on your shoulder as he inhaled the scent of your perfume.

A crisp, sweet smell he missed dearly.

It was one of the many traits about you that calmed him, kept him tethered to sanity, and going weeks without breathing you in affected him nearly the same as the lack of his touch did to you.

You twisted and squirmed in his hold, growing angrier by the second as he held you still, "Alastor Hartifelt, let me go this instant-!"

You grit your teeth, hand poised to fling the wine in your glass onto him as a well-deserved deterrent, but he's quick to hold it still.

He tugs the glass from your hand, disregarding the slight spill it causes, and you gasp softly from the use of sudden strength in a simple motion.

Alastor sets the crystal glass down, taking another deep breath before speaking to you in a tone you could only describe as hollow.

"You've seen it, haven't you, darling? What takes up my time in the basement, yes? I know it must terrify you, dear. I know, but you must realize I never meant…to hurt you. Believe me when I say I kept my deeds hidden to protect you…"

Not an ounce of regret was in his words; you hadn't expected any.

Alastor was never the type to act upon something he'd despise later.

You knew him well enough to see an act of utter violence like this made sense to him in some way.

It was never the thought of him being dangerous, the thought of him being murderous, or prone to aggression that had angered you.

He hid it like you hadn't stood by his side through the worst times.

The secret he kept wasn't horrific for its brutality but disgraceful in its relevance to your love for him.

"Protect me?.." you grimaced, looking into his eyes with burning rage, "What about trusting me. To hell with why you kill. It's a matter of you hiding such a secret from me in the first place. I am your wife, your equal, and yet you lied to me as if I were a mere child! A pet you could put in a cage and show off but never bond with…"

The anger slowly left your tone, gaze softening on his amber eyes, "I understand you don't care much for the term 'love' but whatever we have can’t exist without us fully trusting in one another. That is why I am angry with you. That is why I've distanced myself, Alastor. Nothing more. Nothing less."

You lowered your head, feeling a tad dramatic but glad to have said what was on your mind.

Alastor pursed his lips in deep thought for a moment, but soon, his deep laughter resonated around the room.

Your head snapped up at the sound, one brow lifted in pure confusion as he chuckled heartily, "And what's so funny now?" You tutted in frustration, prepared to drench him in wine again, but you thought better of it as his laughter died.

"It's just that…" he paused, staring into your curious eyes as they took in his lazy smile, "I seem to have forgotten why I fell for you in the first place, sweetheart."

Alastor's grin grew as your expression hardened, "What does that have to do with this conversation-"you began to become livid again until his large hands cupped your rounded cheeks gently.

You froze as the gentle contact warmed your skin, focus paper thin as he leaned in close enough for your noses to touch, "My darling doe, you have never betrayed me once. In all our time together, your faith in me has never wavered. I've killed for you more times than I can count, but that could never amount to the love you hold for me. Even after discovering my darkest sin, you look upon me gracefully… my wife, my angel, you are truly curious to a man."

His sentiments muddled your thoughts, every sweet word true, holding an edge of obsession.

Your heart fluttered hearing them, the sharpness in his eyes reinforcing their weight.

You gulped gently as he brushed his lips over your parted ones, teasing a kiss you weren't ready to give.

"I must've been mistaken when I belittled my love for you in the sense of devotion…."

His eyes drifted half closed as you hummed in delight, feeling his heavy breaths fan your mouth.

Whiskey and twinge of sweetness rolled off his tongue, an inviting mixture you didn't dare to forget, "Then correct yourself," you muttered in response in hopes of reliving your craving for him.

Alastor struggled to surpass his smirk as you raised your hands to rest over his, gingerly pressing your nails into his skin and shivering at the familiar roughness it had.

"How do you suggest I do that, dear. I've caused you quite a lot of trouble, and there's only so much a man can do."

His teasing stirred heat in your core, a sensation you hadn't felt in weeks and thoroughly missed.

"First, you'll swear to never…never lie to me again. No matter the circumstances."

He hummed lowly, eyeing the low-hanging ruffle sleeves of your dress as they inched downward the more you pressed into him.

"You have my word, ma chere."

The response was automatic on his part, driven by the soft whine you let out as one of his hands shifted to knead your hip.

The gesture brought your lower half closer to his, leaving no space between you, but as distracting as it was, you continued on with your demands.

"You won't ever feed me or our children human meat again…without my explicit permission."

Alastor frowned for a moment but agreed nonetheless, "Alright."

You nodded, inhaling sharply shortly after as his hand gently tugged your dress skirt.

It would be right to swat him away and restrict his touch from you a bit longer, but the instant his fingertips brushed the skin of your thigh, you couldn't help but blush and bit back a whine.

"A-and you'll never put yourself, this family, our life together…in harm's way. Promise me, you'll continue to be discreet Alastor…"

The urge to moan gripped you entirely as his touch burned your bare skin, only silenced by the immediate kiss he allowed you before muttering sincerely, "You have my word, darling…"

You shuddered at his oath, knowing he meant every word, pouring his intent to keep it through the exchange of heated kisses that ensued after.

You held onto him tight, trying to remain as quiet as possible as his tongue found yours, forcing it to obey his lead and his hands roaming your body for the same sign of submission.

You gave in effortlessly, head tilting back as he marked your neck, gently pricking your skin with his teeth, gliding his tongue over the most minor bruises he left.

A wave of shivers captured you, disorienting and intensifying with Alastor's every move.

Your hands gripped his broad shoulders, bracing yourself for him to inevitably lift you onto his waist, but the action never occurred.

The sound of Rosie's quick footsteps approaching and her distinct singing song calling of your names made you both separate.

Alastor yanked your dress down quickly, clearing his throat with a cheeky grin while you hid your face in his chest out of slight embarrassment as the blonde glided into the kitchen.

"Mrs. Hartifelt wants to know if the gumbo is ready, Al. How's it coming along, hm?" She chirped cheerfully, pretending not to notice your bright red, blushing face hidden in his embrace.

"Oh, it's just about done, my dear. Just had to give it another taste test, right chere?"

You stared up at him in awe as he brought a hand to your left cheek, gliding his thumb over your heated skin, lovingly and intently staring back at you.

"Isn't that right, chere," Alastor asked once more, enjoying the nervousness in your gaze as you nodded in jaded agreement, "That's right, Rosie.." you muttered dreamily, too focused on your husband to catch her knowing smirk before she hummed in understanding while sashaying back into the parlor.

"Mrs. Hartifelt, Al says it's coming along well!" Rosie shouts in delight as she leaves you both alone, accentuating the phrase's double meaning to the older lady tending to her new grandchildren in the warmly lit parlor room.

Both women's smirks grew wildly, hearing you giggle amid Alastor's flirtatious teasing moments later.

"Seems it is," Angelique mumbled assuredly as Rosie sat beside her, admiring the tiny humans smiling in their sleep.

Christmas Eve wouldn't be so dim after all…

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Whew…..you all okay after this? No? Too bad it gets better then way worse… A real Shakespearean tragedy/romance. IM TAKING MY ASS TO BED NOW GOOD NIGHT 😴

TAGS ❤️: @rapturenyx @michi-keinz @shealizxx @nissrinina @destinyisastar @bubblegumheartsy @sailorsmouth @aestheticgals-blog @rameisa @ellesette @gasiacos @marvelgirl123 @dinosaur-crime-scene

[ BONUS CONTENT + ]

Did you fall more in love with him seeing this? I certainly did…Credit to creator ❤️

[all2angels]

BURIED MYSELF ALIVE | basement!gerard x reader

warnings: this is kinda intense don't read if sensitive, NSFW!!, exaggerated writing, kinda cringe but it's meant to be like that, gerard is sooo gross and pathetic, i've never written a bj scene before please be kind 🙏 probably a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes because i could not bring myself to proofread im sorry

this was the last place you wanted to be in, like, this was genuinely a fucking hellhole.

when you walked in, the smell was almost rancid. his room was filled with trash, half-eaten chips, mountains of unwashed laundry, socks that had something in it that you didn't want to think about.

he offered for you to sit on his bed, you didn't want to, but it seemed like a better option than the floor, so you sat on the edge of bed.

you hated yourself for having the slightest bit of empathy, then maybe you wouldn't be in this place. gerard had asked you if you wanted to watch a horror movie at his place after you bonded over the topic one day, and you said yes, but have been putting it off for about three weeks.

all of your friends told you to cancel on it, they said that gerard wss a gross pervert freak and that you wouldn't want anything to do with him, but whenever he'd asked you if you still wanted to watch a movie with him he'd look so pathetic and desperate, you didn't have the heart to say no. but you wished you declined it.

gerard was walking all over the place, with a panicked look and rummaging through his stuff. you thought he was probably looking for the cd that had the movie. you wondered how he could find anything in this place. while he was looking, you looked over at his bedside table, seeing dirty magazines. you let out a scoff. couldn't he have at least hidden those before i came over?

"please don't be mad.." he says, his voice filled with guilt, "i know you've- we've waited for weeks, but i can't find my CDs." he takes a seat next to you, and you hold your breath. he stared at you, you didn't know what to do or say, he was just staring awkwardly.

"it's... fine? i guess..." you said, unsettled by the way he looked at you. you swear that he almost leaned in, and you were trying to prevent anything like that from happening. his eyes was filled with infatuation, and yours was filled with absolute disgust. the way he looked at you made you feel dirty. he was so fucking pathetic, but it was kinda hot how much he seemed to like you, how much he seemed like he wanted to please you.

you turned away from him out of pure embarrassment that you thought in the slightest bit that gerard 'pervert' way was attractive or hot, but you couldn't help it. you decided that the only way to stop these thoughts was to get the fuck away from here.

"hey, i should go..." you spoke up, standing up from the spot in his bed you were sitting in. you waited for him to say something, but he just looked at you and frowned. he looked like he was about to cry. jesus fucking christ you could throw up right now.

"gerard...? are you okay?" you sigh, sitting back down. you couldn't leave him like this. you hesitate, but you put your hand on his back, comforting him. you didn't want to ask, you wanted to get out, "what's wrong?" you say through gritted teeth.

"i'm really lonely, y/n, please don't go." he rests his head on your shoulder. he starts to ramble on about something, and you tune out his voice. the more he talked, the more you started to be impatient.

"you're so fucking pathetic..." you said. out loud. fuck. your eyes widened, realizing that he had heard it. he lifted his head, but the had his gross hand on your thigh. you were going to apologize, but the way that he looked shocked made you want to rage.

"are you serious?" you snap, he looks confused and hurt. "you couldn't possibly think you had a chance, c'mon dude. you're so- i mean, you're a freak."

"i jus', uhm, i-i like you—" before he could even finish his sentence you laughed at him. no fucking way. you turned to him again, and seeing his eyes, you knew he was genuine. his eyes were red from crying, and his cheeks flushed.

"you're so fucking pathetic, gerard. shouldn't come across as a surprise, i don't like you back." you say, standing up to leave, but before you can he reaches for your hand. his hand was calloused, it was rough.

"please-" he begs, "please, listen— i promise you..." he doesn't know what to say, but he wants you to stay so bad. "I'll do anything for you. I'll do anything."

"no! stop it, okay? i. don't. like. you. get that shit through your head. i don't even want to be your friend, okay, you-" he cuts you off this time with a kiss. he tastes horrible, but you don't stop it. fuck it, you think. you liked the kiss.

he breaks the kiss, and you could feel his hard dick on your thigh, his face is close to yours. "give me a chance, please..." he says.

you sighed and pushed him onto his messy bed, making him sit on the end of the bed and going on your knees in front of him. you start to unbuckle his belt, then you undo his zipper. you could hear him whimper. you take out his dick, a little part of you at least expected him to have a big dick, but he doesn't. the size was fine, not like it was too small. it wasn't trimmed, and the smell was somehow stronger than other dude's dicks. you try not to think about it too much and hold your breath.

you tease the tip, licking off the precum which tastes sweet and bitter. you swirled your tongue around his tip, and feel him twitch. "fuck..." he moans. you feel his hands on your hair, petting you softly, it felt awkward though, you just brushed past it.

you give his dick a few pumps, hearing him beg for you hurry up. you spit on your hand, messily spreading it on his shaft before you part your lips to take him into your mouth. you look up at him, see his eyes closed, and head back. you kept on moving up and down, he let out a loud groan.

you continued bobbing your head up and down, you teased his balls. he made such pretty noises when you did that.

you kept your pace steady until you started to feel his dick twitch in your mouth, you began to quicken your speed until he eventually released his load in your mouth, it spread to your face and chest, and whatever was left in your mouth you swallowed.

he dropped onto his bed, panting heavily. you cleaned yourself up with a cloth you hoped was clean on his bed. it was probably filled with cum anyway.

you sat next to him. his dick was still out.

"c-can we do that again?" he tiredly asked, looking over to you.you sighed heavily. "i guess so, whatever. just don't tell anyone." you warned, rolling your eyes. welp

[incorrectvtuberquotes]

"The One Thing You Can't Replace" - Ex-Niji Version

AKA the closest I'll ever get to discourse-posting. But if you have quotes for Mint, Doki and the rest, by all means send them in!

Maid Mint: Another story I heard about myself... This one happened in Nijisanji. We had this boss, Mr. Tazumi, and I had a kouhai who went to our agency, Rosemi Lovelock. She was in Obsydia and I was in LazuLight, so she was a gen behind me.

Mint: So Mr. Tazumi was an asshole. And one weekend, he and his yacht decided to leave town, which you should never do if you're an asshole. And Rosemi decided to throw a party at the HQ - hooray! So everyone around Niji heard about it, and we all got up individually and said:

Quinn Benet: Okay. Let's go over there and destroy the place.

Mint: I walked into this party. Everyone I had ever met was there, and everyone was drinking like it was the end of the world! We were drinking like it was the Civil War and a doctor was coming to saw our legs off. It was totally unsupervised. We were like dogs without horses - we were running wild.

Mint: I walked down... I walked down to the basement. They had a pool table in the basement.

[Cut to Michi Mochievee, jumping onto the pool table]

Mint: One kid took a running start and threw her body onto the pool table and broke it in half.

[Cut to Kuro, plotting mischief]

Mint: Another kid found out which office was Tazumi's and went upstairs and took a shit on his computer.

Mint: So the party was going great.

[Chat cheers]

Mint: I'm standing in the basement, and I'm holding a red cup - you've seen movies - and I'm standing there, and I'm starting to black out. And I guess someone said, like...

Sayu: Something, something, managers.

Mint: And in a brilliant moment of word association, I yelled:

Mint/Pomu: FUCK THE MANAGERS! FUCK THE MANAGERS!

Mint: And everyone else joined in! Three dozen drunk EN children yelling "Fuck. Da. Managers." with the confidence of guys who have, like, already been to jail and aren't afraid of it anymore - you know, that "I served my nickel! You come and take me!" confidence. But EN children.

Mint: The reason someone had said "something something managers" was because the managers were there. So an Anycolor manager walked down the stairs and got to the bottom in the basement, and looked out over a sea of drunk toddlers yelling "Fuck the managers!" in his face! And he was almost impressed! He was like, "Wooooowww..." And then he leaned into his walkie-talkie and went: "Get the paddywagon!"

Mint: And my friend Matara - who is now a mother, this woman has babies - she grabbed a 40, smashed it on the ground and yelled:

Matara: SCATTER!!!

Mint: And everyone ran in a different direction. We all ran in different directions. It was like that scene in Rat-tat-touille when the humans come in the kitchen and all the rats go in different ways - we all ran in different directions.

Mint: I ran into the laundry room and I jumped up on a washing machine, and I crawled out through a window into the back alley, and now I'm running through the back alley and there was this big chain link fence. And I thought:

Mint/Pomu: I have never climbed a fence that high before!

Mint: And then I woke up at home.

[Chat laughs uproariously]

Mint: On Monday, I went to work, because that's what we did back then. And I'm walking into the collab, and who do I see but Rosemi Lovelock. And she says to me:

Rosemi: Hey, were you at my party on Saturday?

Mint: And I said no. You know, like a liar. And she said:

Rosemi: Things got really out of hand. Someone broke the pool table. Someone took a dump on Tazumi-san's computer. But the worst thing is, someone stole these old antique photos of Tazumi's grandmother. And our bosses are freaking out about it.

Mint: And I had that thought that only blackout drunks and Steve Urkel can have: "Did I do that?"

[She pauses as chat reacts]

Mint: I figured no, I wouldn't have done that. But I was never sure - until, a year later... Relax!

Mint: I'm playing video games with this kid named Dokibird, that we also went to Nijisanji with. A year later, we've graduated by now. We're playing video games for a couple hours. And then Doki says to me:

Doki: Hey, come here, I wanna show you something.

Mint: And she takes me into her bedroom, and then she takes me into a side room off of her bedroom - never a good thing to have.

Mint: And she shows me a tiny room that is covered wall to wall in stolen antique photos from Nijisanji parties over the years. And I said: "Why? Why do you do this?"

Mint: And Doki said:

Doki: Because it's the one thing Tazumi can't replace.

[Chat erupts into laughter and cheers]

[dodger-chan]

Look we all have to write the steddie flirting through DnD scene don't we?

Consider this a Christmas gift if you celebrate and something to do while everything's closed if you don't.

“How touchable are my boobs in this?”

“I think I’m falling in love with Eddie.” Steve replied. He had not meant to say that. He’d been helping Robin pick out clothes for her date with Vickie that night, and the thought had just hit him. Steve tried again. “Your boobs look great. Vickie will definitely want to slip her hands under that shirt.”

“Perfect.” Robin threw herself down on her bed next to Steve. “Let's go back a few seconds. Why do you think you’re falling for Eddie?”

“I stole one of Dustin’s old DnD manuals and I’ve been looking through it to figure out how their nerd game works. I bought my own copy of Sacred Heart. And I'm trying to read The Hobbit for the third time.”

He was forty-eight pages in, the farthest he’d made it yet. He might make it through the whole book this time, now that he’d decided he could skip the songs. 

“Oh, it’s like when you studied for the SATs with Nancy!”

“Even though I’d already taken the exam. Exactly.” Steve sighed. “It’s been going on for weeks. How did I not notice until now?”

“Because you’ve spent most of your life purposefully ignoring it when you liked a guy.” Robin ruffled his hair. “Hey, at least finding him hot isn’t news, right?”

“Yay for small victories, I guess.” Steve fixed the mess Robin had made. “But what do I do about it?”

----------

A part of Steve had wanted to show up in his rattiest t-shirt and jeans, to do his best to blend in with the rest of the club. But it wasn’t like the other guys didn’t know who he was. And Steve wanted to find out if Eddie might like him, not some nerd that looked like him. So Steve wore a polo shirt and his best jeans. The only way he could have looked less like he belonged was if he’d pulled his letterman out from the back of his closet.

“Are you playing with us Harrington?” Eddie asked when Steve sat down at the table.

“Um, is that okay? Bobbie had a thing come up and she asked me to sub in for her.” Robin’s thing had been a second date with Vickie. At his house, so the girls could kiss without worrying about getting caught. Steve needing to spend four hours in the Wheeler basement gave them plenty of alone time, too. “I might need some help with the math, but Robs gave me a character sheet and some basic instructions.”

Eddie and his friends exchanged looks. Steve really hoped they weren’t going to tell him to get lost.

“Steve? You’re playing?” Dustin practically threw himself down the stairs when he saw Steve. “How did we finally convince you? Was it Robin? Where is she?”

“Robin’s busy. I’m her sub. If Munson’s cool with it?”

Faced with Dustin’s pleading eyes, Eddie didn’t stand a chance.

----------

Steve mostly kept quiet at first, observing how Eddie ran the game, what strategies the kids preferred to use. Mostly he let them make the decisions and when they were in combat he hit the biggest enemy with his morningstar until it stopped moving.

It felt kind of familiar, but way less painful.

After a little while, Steve thought he had the hang of it enough to try Robin’s plan.

“Wait a second,” he stopped Mike before they attacked the mysterious cloaked figure. “Isn’t everybody’s health kind of low?”

“We don’t have time to rest and heal, Steve.” Mike was being weirdly patient with him. “The enemy has already seen us.”

“Yeah, but I could try charming him instead of fighting. Robin said her character was supposed to be charming.” She’d had this long explanation about charisma that Steve hadn’t followed but she’d summed it up as flirt with the NPCs. “If I flirt with him, maybe he’ll let us by without a fight.”

“He’s a guy, Steve,” Dustin pointed out. “Robin’s character is also a guy.”

“Gay people exist.” One of the older Hellfire members, Steve thought his name was Gareth, spoke up. He hadn’t expected any of Eddie’s friends to help him out with this. The three of them had their eyes on Eddie.

Eddie wasn’t saying anything.

“He’s seduced at least one girl in every town we’ve passed through,” Lucas explained. “Usually two or three.”

“It’s kind of a running joke,” Will added.

“He could like both.” Steve said it with a casualness he did not feel. “Some people do.”

“Buckley’s not going to be upset you made her character a little gay?” Eddie asked him.

“Nah, she won’t mind.”

“Then roll for seduction.”

Right as he rolled, another of Eddie’s friends - Steve had missed his name during introductions - bumped into the table. The dice fell onto the floor and one rolled under the sofa.

This was apparently a catastrophe.

“We won’t be able to get the die without moving it! We’ll never know what you rolled!” Dustin whined.

“Couldn’t I just roll it again?” This was, for some reason, the worst question he could have asked, as it sparked a lecture on the sacred and inviolable nature of the dice rolls.

“Have him role play it,” Jeff suggested. Eddie shot his friend a dirty look.

Steve briefly wondered if Robin had been talking with the older members of Hellfire, but that didn’t seem likely. They wouldn’t have any reason to help him out. 

“I don’t mind.”

“If that’s what you want.” Eddie shrugged. “Show us you can be as charming as your character.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m exactly as charming as Sir Dingus des Cheveux.” Steve wasn’t sure if he should be flattered or disturbed by how much Robin’s character was based on him. Though it certainly made playing him easier. “Tell me what I see.”

“I already did. Cloaked figure, no obvious weapon.”

���Yeah, that’s what I’d notice if I was looking for a fight. Can I see his hair? His face? His eyes?”

“Um, his hood is up, so no.” Right. Eddie was going to make this difficult.

“Okay so I step forward and I stand, uh, shit. It’s hard to describe.” Steve could be just as difficult. “Can we act it out?”

“Act it out?”

“I mean the NPCs are all you, right? So if you could stand in for this guy?” A lot of flirting was physical and, for Steve, automatic. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing until he was doing it. 

“Do it, Eddie.”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve always wanted to see The Hair at work.”

Eddie’s friends egged him on. Lucas nodded along with them. Dustin had grabbed a blank sheet of paper and seemed prepared to take notes. Will seemed somewhere between uncomfortable and fascinated. Only Mike looked unhappy about it, but that was just how Mike was. 

Date a guy’s sister for a year and not even saving his life could make him smile at you.

Eddie rose from his seat.

“Okay, Harrington. Charm me.”

Steve stepped forward, until he was almost close enough to touch Eddie.

“Hi,” he said, tilting his head to one side. He smiled a slightly goofy smile that he knew invited teasing. “What’s a nice boy like you doing in a dungeon like this?”

Eddie burst out laughing.

“Seriously? That’s what you’re starting with?”

“Is that you or the character laughing?” Steve asked.

“Both.”

“You have a beautiful laugh.” Steve spoke in character. Eddie stopped laughing, surprised. “I bet your face is just as lovely.”

“He pushes his hood back to reveal the face of a drow. The face is not lovely, but scarred. One particularly nasty scar on his right cheek creates the illusion of a smile. He says, You lose.”

“I don't know about that.” Steve stepped a little closer and lifted his hand. “May I?”

Eddie nodded.

Steve pushed Eddie's hair away from his face, lightly brushing Eddie's scars. Taking care that the back of his thumb caressed the most prominent one, the one that tugged down the corner of Eddie's lip and gave his smile a permanent look of irony.

“You have the most expressive eyes I've ever seen,” Steve murmured. Eddie pulled back.

Shit. That wasn't in character. Steve tried again.

“I think I won, but I wouldn’t want to contradict anyone with such enchanting eyes.” He dropped the smile but kept the teasing tone. “What do I lose?”

“Your life,” Eddie replied, but his heart clearly wasn't in it.

“You don't want to kill me.” Steve’s smile widened. He'd won this round as soon as Eddie had laughed. “If you’re having trouble thinking up a forfeit, can I suggest a kiss?”

“Okay, okay,” Eddie said with another laugh. “You have successfully seduced the drow. He does not attack your party, or summon reinforcements. Your one night stand allows for a long rest. Because the drow is a cleric of Loviatar, you only recover half your health.”

“Worth it.” He winked at Eddie before sitting back down at the table. “Sir Dingus had an excellent time. Is there a fantasy version of asking for a guy’s number? In case I have to sub in for Rob again?”

He didn’t want to saddle Robin’s character with a boyfriend when Robin had been using him to flirt with girls, but he didn’t want to leave Eddie with the impression that Steve moved on from people as quickly as Sir Dingus did.

“The life of an adventurer is hardly conducive to long term relationships.” That did not answer Steve’s question. “But, he tells you his name is Ghauntel Kenduis and should he see you again, he will remember yours.”

--------

Dungeons and Dragons was not the worst way to spend an afternoon. The combat was kind of boring, and the bickering over what the party was going to do next made Steve sympathize with the guys who’d stuffed nerds into lockers. 

Okay, DnD was not his thing at all and the only thing he really enjoyed about it was getting to flirt with Eddie.

Steve slid his hand over the scars on Eddie's neck. Slowly, carefully, he brought their lips together for a kiss.

Well, Eddie’s characters, which wasn’t exactly the same thing. And after that first time, he hadn’t had to do nearly as much roleplaying. But it was still fun.

“You kept breaking character,” Eddie commented when the game was finished for the day. 

“What do you mean?” The kids had, unsurprisingly, vanished upstairs as soon as it was time to clean up. A little more surprising was that the rest of Hellfire had also cleared out, leaving Steve and Eddie alone.

“When you would flirt. You kept losing the characters. You’ve never played before, so flirting with me instead of my NPCs would be an easy mistake to make. Or…” Eddie trailed off. “Nah, you’re just bad at the game.”

“I mean, I am. And breaking character wasn’t something I tried to do on purpose.” Steve stepped close to Eddie again. Close enough to reach out and touch him. “But I kept doing it because I wanted to flirt with you.”

“Why?” Eddie asked. “I'm a freak and kind of an asshole a lot of the time. And I’m not exactly a pretty face these days.”

“Well, it turns out that weird and passionate nerds are kinda my type.” And Steve was sick of dating girls who weren't his type. “May I?”

Wordlessly, Eddie nodded.

Again, Steve pushed Eddie's hair back, tucking it behind his ear. Eddie leaned into Steve's touch.

“You really do have the most expressive eyes. I wish you didn't feel like you have to hide them.” 

[joelswritingmistress]

You Scare Me, Professor: Chapter 53

Summary: The reader is taking graduate classes at a local university in the wooded upstate New York. She is drawn to her professor, Dr. Joel Miller, though she is also inherently aware that he has something dark about him that she can't quite put her finger on. As the reader's attraction grows deeper, she has to decide whether to endure the danger or run away as fast as possible. 

Pairing: Professor Joel Miller x f!reader 

My brain couldn’t accurately comprehend the reality of the situation. It was like a wall went up in my mind to protect me from the horrors that were happening before me. Amidst the paused chaos I somehow could hear Dr. Miller’s heavy breaths. They were deep and consistent, matching up with the heaving of his shoulders. And then I heard the numbers 9-1-1 being said in the background.

Will suddenly whipped around to face Carol, who held a phone to ear in her bloody hands. Chas lifted an arm, pointing in Will’s direction as he turned to charge in her direction. And then..

Bang!

That sound. I will never forget that sound. My hands moved to my ears and my breath was lost when Will stumbled forward and toppled over, half in the pool and half out. Watching blood fly into the air was like something out of a movie.

“The spa in the basement!” Carol shrieked into the phone and then it fell from her hand as she stared at Will - the man she loved, the man she was about to marry. It was utter heartbreak.

When Will moved, Dr. Miller suddenly breathed again. It was a gasping breathing, one I could tell he had been holding in.

Carol dropped to her knees beside her father, pressing both hands against the wound again. From then until the first responders arrived, nobody moved. It was as if someone had halted all of us.

Stretchers carted away Chas and Will. Police had Carol, Dr. Miller and me wrapped in blankets as they attempted to seek answers.

“Is my father okay?” Dr. Miller asked. “Where’s Mom? Carol where is she?”

Carol couldn’t speak. All the color had drained from her face and she just stared ahead, unable to respond to any of the officers’ questions.

“She’s in shock,” I heard one of them say.

“Carol.” Dr. Miller put a hand on her face and only her eyes moved to glance at him before a paramedic intervened and helped to escort her away from the scene.

He turned to me and we just stared blankly at one another. I couldn’t cry or scream or comprehend. But when Dr. Miller pulled me to him, my eyes closed and I melted against him.

“We have to get you to the hospital,” one of the officer’s said.

“I-I’m fine,” I choked out. And then I motioned to Dr. Miller, “Will drugged him. He couldn’t move.”

“I’m fine,” Dr. Miller said quietly.

“Come with us,” the officer said, and then added, “Please.”

Dr. Miller kept me close and we walked back through the salt caves. The smell would forever be ingrained in my mind and paired with this gut-wrenching night. I wanted to rewind. I wanted it all to be okay the way it felt just a few hours before. I wanted Carol and Will to be happy. I wanted Chas to be okay. But that was all gone now.

“Is my father dead?” Dr. Miller asked.

“He was shot in the shoulder,” the officer escorting us away from the pool area explained.

“Will tried to kill us,” I blurted out, though I knew they already had that information. “He drugged Joel. He shot Chas. He lured me down here at gunpoint.” After feeling like I could never speak again, word vomit began to parade out of my mouth in ways I was certain made me sound delirious. “He threw him in the pool. He killed all those girls at Woodbridge. He wasn’t who he said he was. He could’ve killed us. He tried to kill us. He ran after Carol.”

What was I blurting? I couldn’t keep up. My brain was in overdrive and I didn’t snap back to reality until I felt Dr. Miller’s hand came to rest on my cheek while the other began to brush back my hair.

“Joel.” I shook my head and my bottom lip trembled. I attempted to hold it in place with my teeth but it escaped and I began to cry. “Why did he do this? Your dad.. your sister..” I shook my head and he pulled me in close as I cried some more. And then my head snapped up and I whipped around to face the closest officer, “You can’t let him out. Will did this. He needs to go to jail. He can’t be near Carol.. or Chas. Don’t let him out of your sight.”

I didn’t realize I had grabbed the man’s arm until we both looked down and I immediately released him.

“I’m sorry,” I choked out, wiping my eyes with a trembling hand.

“He won’t be able to hurt you or anyone, anymore,” the officer assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder, “Okay?” His eyes met mine and in the moment, it was enough. It had to be.

“Is he dead?” Dr. Miller asked.

“Both men were shot in the shoulder area. I don’t know the extent of the injuries, but they missed the major organs and arteries. That’s all I know.”

We piled into the elevator and when we got to the main level, police tape secured a perimeter where medical personnel and law enforcement had taken over. A small crowd of patrons couldn’t help but rubberneck from the outskirts, creating their own scenarios of what had taken place in their minds.

“Carol.” Dr. Miller rushed to her when he saw her again, standing under the arm of the paramedic who had initially approached her.

The pair exchanged a long hug and I saw her eyes glisten for the first time. “What’s happening, Joel?” She sobbed.

“It’s over now,” her brother said back. “I’m so sorry, Carol. I didn’t want to shoot him.”

“I’m cursed,” she cried out. “My life is a curse.”

“You’re not cursed.”

“I am.” Carol continued to cry as she nodded to herself. “I am, I am, I am.”

“No.” Dr. Miller shook his head in response.

I couldn’t watch. I moved off to the side by a large pillar, away from the crowd, and buried my face in my hands. And I just cried. I cried and cried until my lungs hurt and I couldn’t keep up anymore.

Why? My quiet one-word thought manifested out loud. “Why? Why? Why?” I whispered the word to myself.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N).” Dr. Miller’s voice snapped my burning eyes open and he squatted before me. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. You never should’ve been involved in all this.”

“It’s not your fault,” I choked out. “It’s his fault. It’s not your fault.”

“Honey.” A woman’s voice made Joel whip around again and he rose to greet his mother, who held Carol’s hand.

“Mom.” Dr. Miller gasped her name and pulled her in for a hug.

“I knew,” she whispered. “I knew something was wrong.”

“I didn’t kill anybody,” he whispered back. “I didn’t kill him. I didn’t want to shoot him.” Dr. Miller looked to his sister now and tears fell from his eyes. “I couldn’t do that to you. I didn’t want to shoot him.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Carol assured him, shaking her head.

Frankie held Joel hard. “You’re okay. We’re all going to be okay.” Her eyes met mine as she looked over her son’s shoulder and she waved a hand for me to join them.

I rose to my feet and allowed Frankie to pull me into embrace with the rest of the family.

“We’re going to get through this together,” she whispered. “We always do.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER

@untamedheart81 @suttonspuds @cesspitoflove @michilandcof @grogusmum @morallyinept @akah565 @brittmb115 @magpiepills @poodlebae @gobaaby-blog-blog @mermaidgirl30 @mandojojo @shotgun-shelby @itscatrodriguez-thepearl @macaroni676 @smolbeanzzz @sarcasm-theotherwhitemeat @bandluvr97

[merlyn-bane]

For the foelu snippets I'd like Cody and or Rex with precious toddler.

I decided to go with just Rex, hope that's okay! He's just so very dad shaped and I was sad not to have had a good place to put in some real good one-on-one time with him and the baby in the main story 😊😊

[Requests for Foelu missing scenes, future snippets, and extra vignettes are STILL OPEN. Please submit any requests you might have to my ask box. They will all eventually be cross posted on AO3 as well 🥰🥰]

~~~

“No! Bubu!”

“We're still going to go see the biffleflies, Tal'ika, you've just got to let me carry you there.”

“No! Down, Bubu!” the toddler demands, kicking her little feet in a vain but less than pleasant attempt to free herself. “Wanna walk!” 

Rex sighs and stares dead ahead as his daughter continues flailing and scowling at him severely. “Kai-Tal,” he says patiently, “if you walk now, you'll be too tired to run around in the flowers.”

“No I won’!” Her complaints are starting to rise in pitch, now, and Rex sighs again as he resigns himself to having to decide whether he wants to deal with this the ‘Jedi way'—pausing this entire enterprise to discuss what she's feeling, why, and how to address it, which is a model all of her buir'e are still trying to figure out—or 17's way—giving her what she wants and letting her experience the consequences. Typically Rex prefers the former, even if he's still practicing at it. Today, though, his gut is insisting on practical application. 

So he lets her down. She takes off at speed for the lifts immediately, of course, but Rex just lets her and follows along behind her at his regular pace; the odds of her managing to actually leave him behind are low, and even if she does, they are in the Temple which is the safest place in the galaxy for her to be. At worst, Obi-Wan will have to retrieve her from Master Yoda’s tonight after an impromptu tea-and-swamp-pie party. 

That's where Luke usually seems to end up when the twins are in-Temple for classes, at any rate. 

Kai-Tal lets him pick her up under the armpits once they get into the lift just long enough to be able to press the right button and then starts squirming again, so Rex sets her back down and fondly watches her all but vibrate in place waiting for the doors to open back up. Apparently the urge to go go go as one becomes progressively more mobile is endemic to all younglings, even jetiise.

Obi-Wan insists this was not the case with him. The créchemasters have informed Waxer and Boil that they in fact seriously considered leashing him when he first came into their care at three standard and immediately attempted to stage a breakout. 

The lift lets them out into what the jetiise insist is not a dimensional pocket despite being a sprawling outside space that is contained inside one of the Temple’s obscenely large number of sub-basements, and the toddler immediately takes off at a wobbly run in the direction of the field where her favorite biffleflies can usually be found. Rex is pretty sure she'll run out of steam before she even makes it past the stables; she usually does, and then she'll insist that he stops at each occupied stall so that she can say ‘hi’ and pet them on the nose. 

She might not be the most animal-inclined child in her generation of Jedi, but that's mostly because she's age-mates with Ezra Bridger, and even then it's pretty close. Not that any of them are surprised; they've all seen Obi-Wan befriend everything from a womp rat to a rancor, once.

Sure enough, Kai-Tal starts dragging her feet right on schedule (if a little longer than last time), and she starts tugging at Rex's pant leg before he can even push the stable door open. “Bubu, ‘m tired,” she mumbles, pouting up at him, and Rex is glad that these little excursions are just the two of them because it means there's no-one there to see him fold like wet flimsi. 

“Alright, ad'ika,” he sighs, stooping down to scoop her up and settle her on his hip. “I thought you said you weren't gonna get tired if I let you walk, huh?”

Kai-Tal buries her face in the side of his neck, little hands fisting in the fabric of his shirt. “Don’ be mean, Bubu.”

Rex chuckles and cranes his neck to kiss the side of her head. “You've got a funny definition of ‘mean’, kiddo.”

The toddler just shrugs and snuffles into him further. “Go see bif-biffa-biffafies now?”

“Yeah, Tal'ika, we're gonna go see the biffleflies now.”

[noob-with-a-shitty-computer]

I ask my dictionary the definition of “cute”

(Idia Shroud x Reader, Reader’s world AU)

(hello, this is a self indulgent thing that i’ve been thinking abt writing for a while now. sorry if the reader’s reactions don’t fit with you tho :[ also if u could guess the movie then that would be cool too :D)

It’s been two months.

Two months since you came back to your home world…with someone else. Ignihyde’s housewarden, Idia Shroud.

He never thought he’d jump in and reach for you like some hero, but here he is now, in your room. It took some time to adapt to all of this, but you were still able to provide for him so it wasn’t too bad for just two months. While there are some bad things to coming here, like not seeing Ortho or sacrificing his daily streak in his video games, there are some good things about it too. He helps you around the house while you’re away, you keep him company and show him some of your world’s media. To him, nothing beats Precipice Moirai or Star Rogue, but he will admit that he did enjoy some of the things you show to him.

Today, you both had a day of free time so you decided spend some time with your reclusive roommate. You walk to the basement and knock on his door. No answer. You open the door and find him tampering with something. You have no idea how he managed to get the materials, but you already know he’s always full of mysteries.

“Idia.” You called out, you see his head perk up. “Hm, what do you want?” He mutters as you walk to his desk. “I was just wonderi-“ you pause as you recognize what was on his desk. “Wait… Are you disassembling my old console?!” You look at him with worry as he keeps a nonchalant expression. “Relax, I’ll put everything back together afterwards.”

You sigh, “Fine, I trust you. But you owe me if you break anything. I still have some games there I like to play from time to time…” You’re usually the one who makes money here, but you’re sure he’ll manage if he does actually do some damage.

“Okay, deal. So, what were you gonna say before you saw your console tragically torn apart by your isekai’d roommate?” Idia remarked. Back to the intended topic, you explain why you’re here.

“I was just wondering if you wanted to watch a movie together today.”

“What kind of movie?”

“It’s probably not much, but I’ve been wanting to watch it with you.” Idia looks at you curiously, “You don’t want me to put your console back together?”

“You can do it afterwards.”

Idia then lifts himself out of his seat and follows you upstairs to your room.

You both lay on your bed, searching on your TV for the movie you wanted to watch. Afterwards, you click on what looks like a romance anime with soft yet lively visuals. Idia had seen some of the romance anime content here, but he wasn’t so into it compared to the action or sci-fi genre.

“A romance movie?” He asks. You nod, “Again, it’s not much, but it’s one of my favorites.”

“Oh boy, I wonder how I’d feel about your taste in movies after this. Fui-hi-hi…” You puff your cheeks and bump his arm in response before playing the movie.

The visuals were sweet, yet energetic. The characters had familiar tropes, yet they have a little bit of uniqueness to them that fits the plot wonderfully. Idia even finds himself somewhat relating to the main character who’s a shy boy that likes to tune out the world with his headphones.

It was nice and warm, but he thought there were better anime films out here. Though, seeing your smile, filled with nostalgia and softness, didn’t seem like a terrible bonus…

After a while, the confession scene came in. The shy boy yelling out a heartfelt poem to who was his dear friend and the one who stole his heart. Idia looks over to you and finds a few tears flowing out of your eyes. While he didn’t think it’d be enough to make him cry, he did thought it was a special confession. It was enough to paint a small smile to his face. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to do what the main character did though… wait, who would he even confess to in the first place..? No, he couldn’t, could he?

The end credits rolled and he spoke up, “Umm, you okay?” You wipe your tears, “Yeah, don’t worry. I cried the first time I watched this too. Did you like the movie?”

Idia shrugged “It’s was alright.”

“Good enough.” You added.

You pause for a moment, “Hmm, if you get my console fixed up, do you wanna play a game with me? I have an extra controller for you… and you can pick the game this time.”

Idia accepts your offer with a soft smile.

[sundove88]

Project Link Up All Stars- The One Thing You Can’t Replace

Art by @kindabizarretbh

Victor Nefario (Shonen Jump Power Linkage, Linker of Frieza)- Narrating it

Michael DuPont (Mega Man Mega Linkage, Linker of Dr. Wily)- Mr. McNamara

Lucas Daybreak (Mega Man Mega Linkage, Linker of Zero)- Jake McNamara

Various other Linkers from other installments as the Party Guests

Rami Banjarski (Super Smash Bros Power Linkage, Linker of Donkey Kong)- Kid who broke pool table

Kokoda Masuko (Crayon Shin Chan Linkage of Mayhem, Linker of Shin Chan)- Kid who took a crap on the computer

Darren Wilkes (Mega Man Mega Linkage, Linker of Duo)- Chicago Police Officer

Jonathan Rue (Persona Linkage of Light and Dark, Linker of Ren Amamiya/Joker)- Alex

Note: Everyone here is drinking soda and stuff like that.

Another story I heard about myself, this one happened not that long ago. There was this guy at Rivet Bay Middle School whose nephew went to the city’s neighboring high school. His name was Michael DuPont and his nephew Lucas Daybreak went to that high school. He’s a freshman, while I’m a seventh grader. So he’s two years ahead of me.

And Mr. DuPont was a butthole, and one weekend, he and his wife decided to leave town, which you should never do, if you are a butthole. And Lucas decided to throw a party at his uncle’s house.

Hurray!

And everyone- us Linkers and their Partner Characters around our cities heard about it and we all got up individually and thought…

“Okay, let's go over there and destroy the place.”

I walked into this party. Everyone I had ever met was there and everyone was drinking soda like it was the end of the world. People were drinking soda like it was the Cybertronian War and Ratchet was coming to saw our legs off. It was totally unsupervised. We were like the Decepticons without Soundwave, we were running wild.

I walked down, I walked down to the basement. They had a pool table in the basement. One Linker took a running start and his Partner Character threw his body onto the pool table and broke it in half. Another Linker found out which room was Mr. DuPont’s and went upstairs and his Partner Character took a crap on his computer.

So the party was going great.

I'm standing in the basement, and I'm holding a red cup; you see in movies. And I'm standing there and I'm holding a red cup and I'm starting to black out and I guess someone said like something, something police and in a brilliant moment of word association, I yelled: f** Da Police! f** Da Police! And everyone else joined in. A 100 drunk white Linkers yelling “f** Da Police”. With the confidence of guys who have already been to jail and aren't afraid of it anymore, you know that like, I'll serve my nickel, you come and take me, confidence. But white children.

The reason someone had said something, something police was because the police were there. So Officer Darren Wilkes walked down the stairs and got to the bottom in the basement and looked out over a sea of drunk toddlers yelling; f** Da Police in his face, but he was almost impressed.

He was like wow, and then he leaned into his walkie-talkie and went, get the paddy wagon. And my friend Maximus, who is now a Linker, this man’s got a Partner Character in the form of Cell, he grabbed a Fanta, threw it on the ground, and yelled scatter.

And everyone ran into different directions. We all ran in different directions. It was like that scene in Ratatouille when the humans come in the kitchen and all the rats go in different ways. We all ran in different directions.

I ran into the laundry room and I jumped up on the washing machine and I crawled out through a window into the backyard and now I'm running through the backyard and there was this big chain link fence and I thought I've never climbed a fence that high before. And then I woke up at home.

On Monday, I went to school because that's what we always do. And I'm walking into the school building and who do I see but Lucas. And he says to me hey, were you at my party on Saturday and I said no, you know, like a liar. And he said things got really outta hand. Someone broke the pool table. Someone took a crap on my uncle’s computer.

But the worst thing, he says; the worst thing is that someone stole these old antique photos of my grandma and my aunt and uncle are freaking out about it. And I had that thought that only blackout drunks and Steve Urkel can have. Did I do that? I figured no. I wouldn't have done that.

But I was never sure, until after I became a Linker, relax. I'm playing video games with this kid named Jonathan that we also met on the internet with. Few weeks later, we’re Linkers by now. We're playing video games for a couple hours with our Partner Characters, and then Jonathan says to me, hey, come here I want to show you something and he takes me into his bedroom and then he takes me into a side room off of his bedroom. Never a good thing to have.

He shows me a tiny room that is covered wall to wall in stolen antique photos from different people's parties over the years. And I said why? Why do you do this? And Jonathan said, because it's the one thing you can't replace. That's the end of that story, but how screwed up is that right? That's crazy.

[the-andromeda-effect]

25

Chapter 24

Sometimes the worst prisons are in our own minds....

Caliban set his coffee cup down on the nightstand, and picked up his phone.  He had an idea that might help Adira to relax and feel more comfortable.  Scanning his thumb to unlock it, he turned his head to look over at his wife.  His. Wife.  He was coming to like the sound of it, even though right now it was just in his mind, more and more.  “How about we call your family to let them know that you’re really not dead?  I bet they’re devastated at what happened.  Hearing from you might help them feel better.”

Coffee spilled onto the nightstand as Adira’s cup clattered down hard.  Her breath was coming hard and fast, her heart trying to escape her ribcage as she all but launched herself across the bed to grab and throw Caliban’s phone across the room, where it hit the door with a loud thud.  “NO!”  She grabbed his shoulders and looked in his eyes, barely holding onto control of herself.  “NO!  You can’t. They can’t know.  They can’t ever know.  You can’t tell them, ever.  Promise.  Promise you’ll never say a word, not even a hint, especially to my father.  I’m dead.  I have to be dead.  Always dead.  DEAD.  Do you hear me?  Promise me!  Promise me, Caliban!  I’m dead!”  

Adira’s eyes were wild, she was hyperventilating, and tears were streaming down her face. Just the thought of her family, especially her father, finding out that she was alive sent her into the icy grips of terror and panic.  Memories assailed her as she warred with the urge to get up and flee from the room, no thought to where she would go, or what that would accomplish.

Even though they were sitting in the middle of a king size bed, Adira most resembled a frightened animal that had been backed into a corner by a lethal predator.  Why?  That, Caliban did not know, but her grip on his shoulders was so tight that he was quite sure that her short nails were drawing blood.  The woman who had been ready to die rather than go with him in the basement was no in such a frenetic state he wasn’t sure what the best way to handle her was.

In shock, Caliban continued for a moment to simply stare into her eyes, her pupils blown wide in terror as he tried to figure out how to react without making things worse.  This was a reaction that he had not in any way anticipated.  Trying to help her feel more relaxed had backfired in the most spectacular way imaginable.  Day three of a married man, and so far this one was going as sideways as the previous ones, three for three.  At some point they had to start getting better.  He really did want her to calm down, lest one of her guards or Theron decide to sedate him and whisk her off somewhere.

Gently he took hold of her arms finally, his hands running gently over them to try and calm her.  His eyes kept on hers while he breathed deep and calm in hopes she would match him.  “Adira, my love, calm down.  Breathe with me, darling.”  He kept his voice quiet and soft.  He took deep breaths with her to try and help her calm, gently pulling her towards him so he could hold her until she was calm enough for him to find out more.  Thankfully her grip on his shoulders lessened and she started to let him guide her and come out of her blind panic.

Before he could say more, both Lars and Marcin threw open the door to the room and were in the doorway looking confused and concerned.  “Hey, uh, boss, uh, and, uh, Adira.” Lars started, then paused as he looked around the room for whatever threat had caused the commotion they’d heard from below, “we, uh, heard something hit the door, then it sounded like Adira yelling or screaming.  Is, uh, everything okay up here?”  His eyes were studying the scene before him, and he wasn’t sure what was going on, but he could tell Adira was terrified, and Caliban looked utterly confused.  This wasn’t good. What had happened?

“Adira was just about to tell me why we are never going to let her family know she is alive.  Weren’t you, sweetheart?”  Gently Caliban maneuvered her to be sitting next to him with his arm around her, pulling close against him. His free hand took one of hers, the thumb softly caressing the back of her hand.  “I made a bad suggestion, and what you heard was the response.  Unfortunately, I still have quite a bit to learn about my new bride.”  He clarified without taking his eyes off Adira who was trembling and now had a death grip on his hand with both of hers.

All she could do was nod and swallow, clinging to Caliban like he was her tie to life and sanity. “I’m sorry…”  It came out not much louder than a whisper, and Adira felt her husband pull her tighter against him and murmur some kind of reassurance.  All she could really hear though was the rushing of blood in her own ears.  The thought of her father finding out she was alive, and where she was, had so terrified her that she was having trouble calming back down from it.  The feel of Caliban’s lips against her temple caused her eyes to close and a couple of deep breaths to fill her lungs, she could do this. 

“My father knows what life was like for me,” finally she stuttered out then paused, taking several more deep breaths, “I tried to run away once, to go home.  When he found me, he beat me even more than…Mir…Mircea..and drug me back still bleeding.”  Adira’s whole body shook as she started to cry.  Memories assailed her as she began to recount all the times that her father had added onto whatever “punishment” that Mircea had thought she had earned.  Then there were the times that her father felt disrespected and took his anger out on her.  Or the times that he thought he saw her do something that disrespected Mircea, but Mircea wasn’t around or didn’t see, so her father took it out on her.  If it hadn’t been for Caliban’s strong hold on her, the way he would run his hand over her arm or thumb over the back of her hand, and the soft kisses on her temple when she stumbled over words, she wasn’t sure she would have had the strength to keep going.  Knowing he was there supporting her somehow gave her the strength to face the nightmares of her past.

The whole time Adira was talking, the three men said nothing.  Caliban was trying to reassure and comfort her, while also trying to digest everything she was recounting to them.  It was painful to listen to all she had endured, so he could only imagine how hard it was for her to relive.  His mind was having a difficult time comprehending how a parent could inflict such abuse on their child, let alone condone what Mircea had done and add further to it.  He knew she wasn’t lying, but he was still struggling.  The one thing he kept focused on was making sure that she felt supported and cared for.  There was no missing how hard it was for her to talk, and he didn’t mind being her rock to lean on for it.

More than once Lars and Marcin looked at each other as they listened.  Both men had worked for Caliban for some time and had carried out operations for him.  They might have inflicted the type of abuse that Adira was recounting upon men, but never women.  They knew few in their sphere of influence who would, even if the woman had done something to cause them great harm in one way or another.  Even death was brought more swiftly and painlessly to women.  It was the way that things had always been done, so to hear her speak of her father backing Mircea and being just as brutal, it was uncharted territory for both of them.  While Caliban currently just looked stunned, they had a feeling that when he had properly digested all she was saying that he would have much to say on this, and probably some actions that he desired to take.

When she had finished, the three men looked at each other, matching expressions of rage burned in their eyes, but they remained silent.  Caliban was the first one to speak.  His calm voice belied how enraged he was at all he had heard.  Now was not the time for that, that would come later.  “Lars, would you please get Adira some water?  Also, bring me the first aid kit from the supply room off of the kitchen?   I need to rewrap her hand.  Then, if you gentleman will please leave us, I think my wife needs some peace to fully calm back after the upset that I caused her.”

Lars nodded then headed towards the stairs to get what Caliban asked for.  Marcin stepped into the room to grab Caliban’s phone that was on the floor, and place it on the dresser, then mirrored Lars’ movements.  Neither man particularly wanted to remain, they had no idea what to say or how to respond without it being awkward.  Best to leave things to Caliban until it was needed that they do otherwise.

support banner - @cafekitsune

[lollytea]

Huntlow ft Gus au where they roleplay Cosmic frontier and being O'bailey helps Hunter feel more confident to flirt with Willow? Kinda like in Community when Annie, Troy and Abed roleplay Inspector Spacetime and Abed totally changes when getting into character

OKAY OKAY OKAY But after all this Collector shit is over and everything settles down. Hunter and Gus LARPing in their Cosmic Frontier cosplays and Gus casts an illusion curtain so Camila's basement really does feel like the inside of a futuristic spaceship. They even get Camila on board to join them. (Remember how excited she was to LARP in Yesterday's Lie?? She's never done anything like this before but she would be so into it!!)

Anyway. You KNOW how Gus and Hunter are. Obviously Gus is a born performer and very committed to theatrics but also there's Hunter who is intensely hyperfixated on Cosmic Frontier and not only connects to O'Bailey but also sees him as a fictional role model of sorts. He's cool and smart and kind and confident and basically everything Hunter aspires to be. So O'Bailey is basically Hunter's main blorbo. He WOULD be the type to keep a notebook full of O'Bailey characters analysis. He understands this fictional man inside and out. Everything from his big grand life aspirations and inner turmoil to his little character tics and personal details.

So when he and Gus get into the zone? Oh Hunter would take it so deathly seriously. Gus would too so they're perfect LARPing partners.

I think it definitely fits with Hunter's tendency to lose himself in the roles that he plays, like how his personality altered when he was wearing the Golden Guard uniform. Except, in this case, Hunter's face is on full display and rather than O'Bailey being a character Hunter can hide behind like the GG was, it's more like Hunter is just having fun playing pretend, while using O'Bailey as a bit of an outlet for him to experiment with the person he wants to be. Role-playing as this character he really likes helps with his confidence significantly as with the bonus of being unmasked, it's easier for him to tap into it as Hunter.

Eventually. Eventually.

Because when they first start playing pretend, Hunter believes that he's playing an entirely different person than himself. But he has so much fun with it!!!

Anyway Gus and Hunter get very into their roles, acting out extremely tense and emotionally gripping scenes. Camila is also very enthusiastic, though she has a tendency to break character every once in a while by devolving into squeals because this is just SO cool!!! Why did she and Manny never do this??

Anyway Willow almost always shows up to watch. For the plot. She sits there and she watches Hunter go full cool hero protagonist mode for the plot. She's very interested in....whatever the fuck is going on. There's an asteroid about to hit the ship she thinks. She doesn't know what an asteroid is but she assumes this is a bad thing.

It's Camila that kickstarts the chaos. She notices the scene is waning in regards to cool shit to say and decides to spice things up. As O'Bailey and Avery are engaged in a tense dialogue, she shuffles over to where Willow is sitting and takes her by the hands to hoist her up.

"How about you join us, Mija? :)"

"Oh!" Says Willow, blinking out of the stupor that overcame her when Hunter started a dramatic monologue about the safety of everyone in the galaxy. "Okay...?"

She had never done something like this before. But now that Camila is leading her over to the boys, she thinks to herself...hm. yeah...Yeah!! Yeah, this could be fun!!!

"Captain Avery." Camila says sharply, snapping her posture straight. "Botanist Kumiko O'Bailey has been sent to inspect our vegetation crop and report back to the Nebula Federation."

Gus and Hunter turn to look at them and Willow feels the push to engage.

"Uhh. YES!" She announces, adopting a powerful air as she places her fists on her hips and tips her chin up high. "It's me! Kumiko!! And I'm here to...uh. To do what Camila just said."

"Quando."

"What Quando just said."

"Also...." Camila continues. "She mentioned wanting to see her husband."

"My what now?" Willow blurts out under her breath.

Oh. Right. Kumiko. Kumiko O'Bailey. She had heard that name once or twice. She knows at least a chunk of the lore. Hunter talks about it often.

So. So she's currently playing the role of...

"Kumiko!" Hunter exclaims and rushes to her side. And then suddenly there's hands and they're long and narrow and warm and they are cradling her hands. And though Willow has held Hunter's hands plenty of times, it was always initiated by her. It's his sudden bout of forwardness that stuns her speechless.

Where is this coming from?

"Um..." Willow finds herself mumbling idiotically.

"You weren't answering any of my communications." Hunter says, looking deeply invested in the colour of Willow's eyes. "I was worried..."

Hunter has not acknowledged that this is something he would have been far too shy to do with Willow Park under any other circumstances. Because he is currently Chief Engineer O'Bailey and he is extremely committed to portraying this role faithfully. And if there's one thing he knows about O'Bailey, it's that he loves Kumiko with abandon.

"Aw, well, you know how it is," Willow grins, still a little breathless. She tries to tear her eyes away from their interlaced fingers, a slight blush seeping across her cheeks.

"The communication....thingie...was busted. So I just figured I'd hop on a spaceship and come find ya."

Under the assumption that she's nailing this role, Willow decides to get a little rambunctious with it. She tilts her head to the side, tweaking her smile into something overtly flirty. "I missed you <3" She says in a honey sweet tone that she has used on him on numerous occasions. It usually renders Hunter completely unsure of what to do with himself. It's adorable.

But not this time.

Hunter, completely unruffled, responds with a warm endeared smile that sends Willow's pulse coursing. "I missed you too." He says softly.

And then. One of those accursed hands of his. It settles into a gentle caress against her face.

Willow's eyes are just about about bulging out of their sockets.

"But wooow," Hunter croons, stroking the pad of his thumb across her cheekbone. (Her skin is hot and he is gonna notice, which is only making it hotter.) That's when the flirtatious touch to his own smile cracks through. "You traveled all those lightyears? For me?"

Willow does not have a fucking clue what a lightyear is. But she likes the sound of the word when he says it like that.

"You betcha, babe!" Willow responds enthusiastically, trying to regain some handle on this scenario. "You know I'd travel a million lightyears just to see you."

She flirts. Her. Willow.

Hunter unexpectedly taking the lead here is throwing her off. She's floundering.

Is this what she does to him all the time?

Hunter's smile spreads and he takes a step closer.

Willow would have taken an instinctive step back but she is currently frozen to the spot.

Hunter's eyes are very brown.

"Well..." He says musingly. "You've seen me. Will that be everything, Mrs O'Bailey?"

Willow is certain her heart forgot its main functions before promptly bursting into a frenzy.

How has his palm not scalded against her cheek.

Willow is about to say something. Potential responses swirl around in her head.

She isn't quite sure what is about to happen. All she's processing is that Hunter is standing very close and she has some ideas of what she would like to happen right now and she's pretty sure if she just--

"Oooooh. Go Hunter!" Somebody suddenly whoops and Willow gets to see the O'Bailey persona shatter like glass before her very eyes.

Luz has descended the stairs with not an ounce of context of what is going on. All she sees is Hunter cupping Willow's cheek and moving closer and closer.

Camila is observing with a broad beam, while Gus leans against a nearby wall, a little bored.

With that, Hunter is yanked back to the reality of the situation. He's not in space, he's in a basement. He's not Chief Engineer O'Bailey, he's Hunter. And she is not his wife Kumiko. She is Willow Park.

He might have been about to kiss Willow Park.

Heat floods his face and he breaks into a splutter of rapid-fire apologies. The words are spit out so frantically, they begin to tangle together.

And as charmed as Willow tends to be with flustered Hunter, she is quite disappointed that whatever that was is over.

Meanwhile Hunter is dangerously close to the realization that flirting with Willow Park is something as impossible as he originally thought.

[kqtzvv]

hinomori sibling angst

if i make mistakes do not judge, my writing is so cringy i can’t even look back at it to check over. based off the song, nintendo 64. sorry not sorry for the angst 🫶

tw: sh, suicide, overdosing mentioned/implied

shizuku = 💧, shiho = 🍜

——————————————————————————

(shiho’s pov)

i never realized until the very end. shizuku’s behaviour was changing drastically. she didn’t even try to fit in with her “perfect” standards anymore. it’s like she gave up. this one moment stuck to me though.

💧: shiho-chan!~ i want you to have this!

she said, while handing me her nintendo-64. she loved it with all her heart and finally had enough money to buy it. she’s wanted this for so long but now doesn’t?

🍜: h-huh..? why are you giving this to me?

💧: oh! it’s a gift for being such a great sister!

🍜: o-okay? th-thanks you… i guess..?

it wasn’t uncommon for her to give me random gifts, but a thing she has saved up for many months for? it felt really odd, but i didn’t question it any further.

i spent the rest of my time playing with the nintendo 64 while sitting in my bedroom on the bed for the rest of the day. shizuku didn’t make much noise or come to me. it was surprising since our parents were barely home so shizuku would always be the one cooking, calling me up for dinner.

the next day, she did come to me and asked if she could play. it wasn’t uncommon for her to also ask to use the things she gave me as a gift. this specifically made much more sense since she always adored the nintendo 64.

💧: can i try.. playing with it…?

her voice sounded a bit shaky, like she was scared of me or something.

silence filled the room before i replied.

🍜: sure…? but there isn’t much room for the both of us here. anyways, why did you suddenly come out of your room to ask that? don’t you have better things to do than… hang out with me?

💧: let’s just go to the base-

🍜: answer my question.

💧: h-huh..?

🍜: we don’t even get along that well… why would you suddenly want to spend time with me..?

💧: you’re my younger sister after all! we should at least learn to get along before… it’s too late…

she mumbled the last few words under her breath.

🍜: if you say so… c’mon, there’s more room in the basement for the both of us.

we were sitting there. playing, talking, laughing… we were finally getting along.

well, we were.

🍜: don’t you actually want to keep the nintendo? i know you’ve been saving for it for so long… wouldn’t you just want it?

shizuku’s smile dropped a bit.

💧: when i’m gone, you can play with it for however long you’d want to, show it off, whatever. just please… keep it in the future.. and remember me.

a tear dropped from her face when saying those words. shizuku rarely cries in front of anyone. especially if she had an audience and a huge crowd in front of her. she always had to smile as an idol. she ran upstairs to her room.

🍜: c-come back here shizuku! y-you can’t just run away like that! i-i didn’t mean it like that… i just wanted to know what you meant by-

it was too late. she locked the door. i was too late to realize it.

if only i realized sooner, i probably could’ve done something… right?

the next day, when i went to grab something to eat for breakfast, shizuku wasn’t there. she always would’ve prepared breakfast for me before leaving for school since we’d never leave together due to clubs. maybe she just forgot?

i grabbed myself a quick granola bar before leaving for school, without checking her room thinking she just forgot.

i asked her members like minori, haruka, and airi if they saw her anywhere during their before school practice. nothing. no one knew where she was. i even went up to mafuyu to ask her if shizuku was at her archery club, nothing.

i decided to run away from the school to go back home and check on her in the bedroom. i tried to build up the courage to open the door.

i gently opened the door and gasped at the scene i saw.

i was too late.

just when we were getting along, she did this.

🍜: sh-shizuku..?!

i ran to her body, shaking her to see if she would respond.

there lied, an empty bottle of prozac and a shiny kitchen knife. her entire body was covered in scars, recovered or fresh.

i hugged her body, not caring if any of the blood was getting on my uniform. if only i realized before the very end, maybe i could’ve changed the story and done something. it was too late for me to save her. i was too stupid to not realize. the guilt just followed me more as i picked up the knife, contemplating.

“i’m sorry shizuku. i’m sorry i didn’t realize before. i miss you.”

[v--143]

-Dms Request: …can you pls write a fic felix as a lee and lee know and hyunjin as the lers 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔💔 i need that so bad-

Absolutely yes yes yes Lee! Felix has my heart always YES 🫶🏻 not to mention he’s danceracha’s maknae 🥹

Warnings: Slight Barbie movie spoilers..? Kinda😅

< Awkward >

[Lee! Felix]

[Ler! Minho + Hyunjin]

———————————————————————————

Danceracha often planned hangouts together, despite most of them never leaving the groupchat. They typically loved to just hangout together in any ways they could, spending time outside of the practice room and whatnot. Today they decided on watching a movie at one of their houses together.

It was dark already when they had started, and they all decided on Barbie. It was a hit movie and doing amazingly well everywhere, so they figured it must’ve been good.

They were all in the basement sitting on a couch watching Barbie. Felix was in the middle with Lino and Hyunjin sitting to his left and right.

“Ken is an idiot” Felix said as he put some popcorn in his mouth, “I mean, did he really think he could just steal the dreamhouse and get away with it?!”

“Somebody’s passionate” Minho teased.

“I just think it’s dumb!” Felix argued.

“Well… it is Ken.” Hyunjin said.

They all kept watching the movie and all was just fine.. until a scene towards the end. Will Ferrell had arrived to ‘Barbieland’ and was talking about how much easier it would be to not have to do work. Specifically… how much easier it would be to just “tickle each other” instead of worry about stuff.

When they proceeded to actually begin doing it to one another, Felix’s ears turned red.

He didn’t know what it was… but that concept specifically had him so flustered and shy. He typically talked during scenes like this, but now he was dead silent. He began looking towards the floor as the scene went on and the other 2 were laughing at it.

“Ouuuu looks like Lix didn’t like it” Hyunjin said.

“What?” Felix said.

“You usually have something to say during these kinds of scenes. And, actually, wait- are your ears red?!” Minho noticed.

“What?!” Felix said again as he began to scoot away from him when Hyunjin suddenly grabbed his ear.

“Oh yup they’re red” Hyunjin said as he teasingly blew in Felix’s ear.

“ARGH- Stop that”

“OooOooOooo did that scene get our Lix flustered” Lino cooed, “did it not.. tickle your fancy?”

Hearing that word again was getting to Felix’s head, but there was no way to get them to stop. If they knew how much it embarrassed him, they’d just say it more, so he had to suck it up best he could.

“No it was fine it just got a little boring” Felix said cooly.

“I dunno, I thought it was kind of a true concept, right Hyunjin?”

“Oh yeah, seems like a much easier life that way”

“What are you two eheven talking about” Felix giggled nervously.

“Don’t you agree? Just being tickled instead of having to worry about things? Just doing that all day long? Like a job? Like we all just ti-“

“Okay!! I get it! It’s clever, yes” Felix spat out.

Minho and Hyunjin looked at each other with glints in their eyes.

“So you agree?” Hyunjin asked.

“No! I don’t know! I don’t know, it’s weird” Felix said while trying to desperately imagine himself anywhere else but there. His face only kept getting red.

“Awww don’t be so EMBARASSED” Lino yelled out the last word as he dug his hand into Felix’s stomach and scribbled like crazy. The younger began swatting at him with both hands while squirming away.

Minho suddenly grabbed both of Lix’s wrists and dragged him towards him on the couch. He slammed Lix down on his stomach and lifted both of his own legs, then shoved Lix’s arms fully under them. He then put his legs back down atop Lix’s arms and now had a red-eared boy under him looking up with wide eyes.

“Do NOT. NOHO. Let me go.” Felix demanded as he tried his best not to giggle.

“His ears!! Oh my goodnesssss and his neck wow that scene must’ve really gotten to you” Hyunjin teased.

“Why’d it fluster you so much Felix? Hm?? Tell me and I’ll let you go” Minho said.

“It didn’t! Get ohoff of my arms!!”

“Wrong” Lino said as he poked under both of Lix’s arms. It was easy since he held his arms fully stretched out under his legs, so he had full access.

“ARgh- stohop!” Felix said when he continuously poked there.

“Why’d you get embarrassed then?”

“I don’t KNOW” Felix squealed, “because it was awkward?!”

“Wrong again” Minho began to use all five fingers to scribble beneath his arms slowly.

“Ahhaha mihi- MIHINHOO HYUHANG” Felix screamed as Lino began to pick up the pace.

“Tell me the right answer!”

“I dohon’t knOHOW IT!!!” Felix screamed.

“Yeah, I figured. There isn’t one. You’re just easy to fluster because you enjoy physical touch, aka- tickling.”

Felix’s entire body flushed crimson as he screamed louder to drown out that dreaded word.

Minho was laughing hard and doubling over at Felix’s reactions. With his face practically dug into the couch, his screams were lost down the separated cushions, making it seem 10x funnier than it was. It was like he was screaming down an abyss.

“HAHA look at him” Hyunjin said while pointing at his red neck. He decided to sit down on the back of Lix’s calves as Lino did with his arms and intertwined through scribbling at the back of his knees and feet.

“AAAHAHAHA WAHAIT! WAHAAAAA” Felix squealed and laughed out loud. He had the biggest brightest smile on his face as he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to repress the feelings over his body. Although.. it was more enjoyable than he expected…

“Awwww is our Lix even more embarrassed now~” Minho cooed in his ear.

“YOHOU’RE SO AhahanOYING!! AAAAAAAAAHAHA STOP Whahat is UP with yohou both todahahe!!”

Lino began to dig two fingers between each of Felix’s ribs and underarms while Hyunjin did the same but with his knees and feet. The poor boy was being driven insane already.

“AHAHA- AAAHHAHA- STOAHAHAP” Felix screamed out taking short breaths between each laugh, when he sucked air in he made the cutest crinkly noise with his throat similar to IN’s laugh.

“Yaaaah I didn’t know knees could be this ticklish” Hyunjin said as he scribbled the back of them again.

“STOP. STOHOAP STAAHAHAHA-“ Felix yelled, moreso because of the word he used.

“Aaaand DADADADADADA” Lino teased making cute noises as he spidered his hands all over Felix’s back and sides, arguably one of his most sensitive spots.

Felix was going ballistic at this point, unable to move or defend himself in any way. He could not believe that they found out how he was feeling because of his reaction to a single scene. It just embarrassed him! It’s not like he wanted it or something… right?

After a few minutes Felix was able to get one of his hands out from under Lino’s legs and he quickly squeezed at his knee. Not expecting that, Lino lifted his leg, allowing his other arm to be freed.

But what Felix forgot was that Hyunjin was still sitting on his calves.

Hyune quickly got off his calves and grabbed both Lix’s sides, quickly dragging him into his lap and locking his arms behind his back while he secured one of his arms around his waist holding him down securely.

“That was stupid” Hyunjin laughed. Lix was already giggling and yelling in anticipation, his tear stained face and panting body couldn’t take much more.

“STOHOP! DON’T COOOME” Lix whined.

Lino was still on the opposite side of the couch. He slowly made his way over to Felix while saying sweet teasy nothings to him, only causing him to roll his eyes and get a darker shade of crimson. His heart beat faster with every crawl closer Lino took.

He was evil, darting his hands at Lix’s stomach quickly, eliciting screams from the younger. He would cover his eyes with one of his hands and not do anything for a few seconds, then dive into his ribs the next. This went on for a few minutes until Felix’s neck (that Hyunjin kept teasing and blowing on) was wet with tears.

“I CAHAHA I CAHAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!! PLEASE!”

Lino, also laughing along with Hyunjin at Felix, rested his hands on Lix’s hips. He was panting hard with a big toothy smile on his face, his eyes glistening wet and shiny with both joy and exhaustion.

When Hyune let go of Felix’s locked arms and took his hand away from around his waist, Lix fell limply forward into Lino’s lap.

Lino looked at the younger fondly as his head rested on his thighs. He pet at his hair as Lix continued giggling at the ghost touches left behind on his body.

“…So was that more flustering to you than the movie scene orrrr”

“SHUT. Up.” Felix said out of breath.

Minho and Hyunjin laughed as they began scrolling on their phones. The end credits to Barbie were still rolling and a very happy Felix was still laying on Minho’s lap. He continued to giggle every now and then, partly because of the ghost tickles, but also because of how unexplainably enjoyable those minutes were. He was so thankful for his friends.

And for the fact that he knew they’d do it again in a heartbeat.

———————————————————————————

I. Love. Felix. So much 🥹🥹🩷🩷🥹🩷🥹🩷

[garagepaperback]

okay so i am halfway through this heaven of mud and LOVING IT. it’s truly my pocket of comfort right now 💕

i absolutely loved draco’s pov in the first part - you really nailed the post-war angsty proud characterization of him that i love so much. and then when the fic switched to harry’s pov - BE STILL MY HEART. i don’t often read fic with multiple povs and am absolutely loving the effect you’ve achieved with it.

all this leading to a question: do you have a favorite pov to write? how did you decide to switch povs for that fic? how was the process of switching voices while writing (you did such an incredible job with BOTH of their voices being so distinct)?

first of all you are such a real one; i too find wild comfort in angst and yearning hahah i'm very thrilled to hear you're enjoying/it is feeling so good :,) and i'm very very very honored, thank you for reading and being so dang sweet. this is a deliriously kind question.

i don't have a favorite, oddly! both are wonderfully cathartic to write for from the opposite ends of my anxieties: am i enough (harry) and simultaneously, am i too much (draco) (obviously). the whole fic spun out from a bathtub scene in the latter half and wanting to write jealous social worker harry. initially draco's side of their earlier history was just a flashback, but pretty quickly it felt like i was writing not a room in a basement or the foundation but whole levels of the floor plan. i didn't go in with the intention to do dual pov, or very many intentions at all because this was the first actual thing i've ever written, but honestly, they both demanded to be heard. these men are both yappers. i also liked the idea of the person going through more being the non-pov character for each part. a little because i'm sort of lazy, but also because it felt like a lot of the point of writing it was how much we miss even when we're looking right at something.

[danthediamondminecart]

So now that i have learnt that asking u questions will not make u want to brutally murder me, ITS MY TURN AAAHAHHAHAHAH-

Numéro Un : Whats ur main's lore??? The parasite dudeeeeeeeeee >:))))

Numara İki : Who is your least and most fav battler from ALL of RBB (its not the same question i swear!!!!!!!!)

Numero Tatlo : Give the finalists a scent or/and a song.

Numero Cuatro : Will we see more of Lana, Bella and Hoopie?? I needed to ask this for the girliessss (btw from clues left around here and there, im guessing Bella and Steak are shapeshifters???)

Nummer Fünf : KREEK GOT POSSESED BY BILL CIPHER- is the guy ok 😞😞😞💔💔💔 How often will we see TMA x RBB?? Like how many more are u expecting atm???

Numero Sei : This one is abt BLSMP, kinda like mini questions;

Will we see Megan in action of vengeance soon?

Will Pink get his cookie??

Russo.

How long will day 6 and 7 be? Like chapters and chapter lenght????

-. ..- -- -... . .-. / --... : Are you overworking yourself? Yk if you are, just for our entertainment. Stop. Take a breather. Its not worth it <3

HAVE A SMOOTH DAY BYEEEE >:DDDD

bugbo. im sorry i had to 😰😰😞😞😞💔💔💔💔🤯🤯🤯😭😭😭😭👹👹👹🥰🥰🥰

( why am i like this )

Why are there Bin Weevils in my askbox. Anyway, answers to your questions under the cut!!

Question 1: C!YanDan is…something, certainly. He was formed by negative energy generated when a crystal exploded (if you know, you know), and that negative energy cloud possessed a malnourished unused clone in the basement of a laboratory in the woods. He dislikes DanTDM on principle, but like, he’s only met the guy once. These days, he’s just a hitman who gets sent out on slightly more unscrupulous jobs, alongside his friends. You can find his reference, as well as his two friend’s references, here, here and here. There’s also their boss, but I haven’t uploaded him yet.

Question 2: Least favourite, uh, the ones who’ve turned out to be not-nice people behind the scenes, I guess? You know the ones. Favourite is probably Tanqr and Kreek, because I’m basic as fuck. But also, underrated favourites are Hyper, Jackeryz and Calixo. Oh, Think, Preston and BigB are also up there, but I like them for other reasons.

Question 3: I’m going to do songs because I don’t know scents all too well. Some of these I am very certain of, some of these are just flat out vibes.

KreekCraft: The Main Character - Will Wood

Tanqr: Ruthlessness - EPIC: The Musical

DylanHyper: Waiting In The Wings - Tangled: The Series

AshleyTheUnicorn: Get Down - Six: The Musical

PinkLeaf: No More: LongestSoloEver

iBella: Gon’ be real I don’t have a song in mind for Bella. Most of the songs I listen to don’t really fit her.

DenisDaily: Vending Machine of Love: The Stupendium

Question 4: That depends on what universe you’re asking about. Lana and Bella have major roles in the TMA AU, so they’ll likely appear more there! Bella’s also pretty important to some of my other AUs, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Hoopie, meanwhile…I don’t really include her? Mainly because I don’t fukcing know what her and Tanqr have going on. Are they dating? Are they just friends? I don’t know how she fits in. In my take on canon, I have them in a weird situationship where they don’t even know what they are. So…yeah.

Question 4.5: Correct on Bella - she is a shapeshifter! Her knowledge on human anatomy has gotten a lot better, but that accursed Rthro render was the result when she…didn’t. Steak, meanwhile, is just a slab of meat. He doesn’t have bones. He doesn’t have hair. He just has meat slabs carved (and skin) to look vaguely human. (His hair’s texture is either cartilage or leather, I haven’t decided).

Question 5: If I had a nickel for every time Hunt!Kreek was referred to as Bill Cipher, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice, right? In all seriousness, no, he is not okay. The TMA AU (at least, Kreek’s side of it) can basically be summarised by “one man (Kreek) gets haunted by and slowly turns into a fucked up version of his YouTube channel mascot” and with that comes a major sanity slippage. I’d love to release more TMA AU content, and I do have some stored! It just depends on my motivation and what I want to release. Right now I’m working on writing a full plot outline to make my life easier when talking about it, but it’s taking some time.

Question 6: Bold of you to assume she hasn’t already done that. In fact, in the next chapter, I’d say she’s about to do the exact opposite.

Question 6.25: Once Ashley is in a situation where she knows how to make one.

Question 6.5: Russo, what are you doing. RUSSO NO-

Question 6.75: Day 6 has 7 chapters, Day 7 has 6 (planned, subject to change). Word count depends on what happens in them - some of the Day 6 chapters have a LOT GOING ON.

-. . …- . .-. / --. --- -. -. .- / --. .. …- . / -.-- --- ..- / ..- .—. : I think I’m fine!! I’m doing a lot of work right now because I’m gonna be quite busy with life during the next year when things pick up, so you know, getting ahead of the game. I’ve gone from being 2 chapters ahead to being 7, so I’m pretty proud of that. Then again, literally 30 minutes after I read this ask I managed to spill boiling water all over my hand and now I can’t really type, so…there’s that.

[numinousmysteries]

Dancing the Tandava (7/10)

[on Ao3] @today-in-fic

Washington, DC 1993

Since William has no identification, money, or place of residence in 1993, Mulder lets him stay at his apartment while they figure out what to do next. As he accompanies his parents on the drive to the airport and the shuttle flight from New York back to DC, he’s tickled by how different they were years before he was born. He only knows them as his happily married, domesticated parents, not these young FBI agents who barely know each other.

Even though they aren’t together together yet, he can see the sparks flying between them. It oddly reminds him of his relationship with Hannah. They’ve stayed up all night talking but have never done more than hug. She’s beautiful and makes him think. He’s considered telling her how he feels about her, but he was scared it would ruin their friendship. Watching his parents now, he doesn’t feel as afraid. As his dad unlocks the door to his apartment, William decides if he makes it back to 2023 he’s going to tell Hannah about his feelings.

Seeing his father’s old apartment thrills William. There’s the leather couch covered by a Navajo blanket and the fish tank from the basement of his childhood home. He tries not to think about it, but he suspects there’s a chance he was conceived on that couch based on the way his parents lock eyes over it. He glances over at the bookshelf and sees familiar titles on parapsychology, cryptozoology, and mythology. Some of these made the cut and are still in his parents’ house in Virginia, but others he’s never seen. He imagines his parents going through the bookshelf two decades ago, deciding which ones were still relevant and which ones they should give away.

Everything else in the apartment is the stuff of legends. This is the setting of all the stories his parents told him of late nights poring crime scene photos trying to break a case or watching old movies and debating the patriotic merits of butter on popcorn.

“This is so cool,” he says, unable to suppress a grin. “I’ve heard so much about this place.”

“About my apartment?” His dad sounds skeptical.

“Yeah,” he says. “This is where you lived before I was born, right? And then we all lived at mom’s old apartment for a little bit before moving into our house. Can we go see mom’s place? I’ve seen pictures from when I was a baby, but I don’t remember it.”

“Um, sure. We’ll see when she’s around. William, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Are Agent Scully and I a couple in your time?”

“Of course,” William laughs. “You’re crazy about each other. It’s actually kind of gross sometimes.”

“Are we married?”

“Yeah. You didn’t get married until after I was born, but you told me that you’d been together for a while beforehand.”

Mulder’s quiet as he takes this all in.

“I really shouldn’t say anything else, you know, Back to the Future and everything. Don’t want to accidentally scrub myself out of existence. Remember we used to watch that all the time when I was a kid?”

“I—” his dad starts.

“Oh yeah,” William says, dejected. “Sorry, I keep forgetting.”

“It’s okay, buddy,” his dad says. Buddy. It’s what his dad always calls him. “I don’t remember. But I can imagine if I had a kid I’d want to watch that with him. What about Plan 9 From Outer Space? The Wrath of Khan?”

“Yup,” William says, smiling. “I was Spock for Halloween three years in a row when I was little. None of the other kids had any idea who I was. That was before the J.J. Abrams reboot and everything.”

“They did a reboot? Was it any good?”

“It was okay,” William says. “I liked it. But you said there was too much action.”

His dad grins as he sits down on the couch and invites William to sit next to him. The leather feels squeaky, not as soft and broken-in as he remembers it.

“Mom doesn’t believe me, does she?” William asks.

“She’s coming around to it,” Mulder says.

William shouldn’t be surprised. His mother, the doctor and scientist, has always been the skeptical one but it still crushes him whenever she gives him a cold stare without any recognition. Where’s the mom who read him stories, soothed his nightmares, and helped him with his homework? The one who learned all the rules of baseball and basketball so she could cheer him on during his high school games and listened excitedly when he talked about everything he was learning in his college physics classes? He’s glad his dad, at least, believes him, even though he has no memories of his entire life.

“Am I a good father?” His dad asks hesitantly, and William turns back to face him.

The question confuses him. He always thought fatherhood came naturally to his dad. He remembers hours of playing with Star Trek action figures and building Legos on the floor of their living room as a kid, playing catch and practicing fielding ground balls in their backyard until sunset.

“You’re the best,” he says as if he’s confirming the sky is blue.

His dad turns away and he thinks he sees tears in the corner of his eyes.

“Does that surprise you?” William asks. Growing up, his dad was his hero. He never suspected he had any doubts about being a father.

“Honestly, a little,” Mulder says. “You mentioned my sister, Samantha. I can’t imagine myself settling down and living this life with Scully, and with you, unless I found out what happened to her. Do I ever find her?”

William knows this part of the story—how, a little over a year before he was born, his parents learned Samantha died at 14 years old—but now he starts putting together the pieces. His father needed to get closure before allowing himself to commit fully to his mother and, eventually, to him.

“You’ll find out what happened,” he promises. “You’ll get your answers.”

He sees the pain in his dad’s eyes, how he wants so badly to ask William to tell him the truth, but William can’t bring himself to do it.

“Back to the Future, right?” William says. “I can’t mess up the past.”

“Alright, Marty McFly,” his dad says, his mood lightened. “Let’s work on figuring out how you got here. And how to get you back where you belong. You mentioned this Dr. Bellona. Any hint where he might be working now?”

“I don’t know,” William says. “We can Google him.”

“What’s a Google?” His dad’s puzzled face makes William laugh.

“Sorry,” he says. “I keep forgetting it’s not 2023 anymore. It’s a search engine on the internet. Do you even have internet access?”

“Not personally, but I know some guys who do.”

“The Gunmen?” William perks up. He loved spending time with his dad’s trio of offbeat friends growing up. They always let him play with their latest piece of technology and shared wild stories about his parents from before he was born.

“You know them?”

“Frohike, Langly, and Byers are basically my uncles,” he says and his dad smiles. “They’re awesome.”

“Want to go pay them a visit in 1993?”

***

The Gunmen’s headquarters hasn’t changed much in thirty years. The technology has evolved but it’s just as grungy, overstuffed with audiovisual equipment, and somewhat malodorous as he remembers. Apparently, none of the three have updated their wardrobes in decades either. William recognizes Frohike’s leather jacket and fingerless gloves, Langly’s Dead Kennedys t-shirt, and Byers’s funereal suit.

“Guys, this is William,” his dad says as they come inside. “William, you know the guys.”

The three men look around at each other and then back at William.

“He knows us?” Byers asks Mulder.

“Tell them,” Mulder says, nodding at William. “They’ll believe you.”

“I’m Mulder’s son. And Scully’s. I’m from the year 2023.”

Despite Mulder’s assurance, all three Gunmen start laughing nervously.

“I don’t know what’s harder to believe,” Frohike says. “That Mulder knocked up Scully or that you’re from the future.”

“He appeared at Camp Hero,” Mulder says and the guys stop laughing.

“No way,” Langly says. “Did you see the Delta T antenna? That’s what they use to bend time. It’s supposed to have technology the military stole from extraterrestrials from the Orion constellation.”

“Well, the Delta T antenna can bend time,” Byers adds, “but it’s probably not what allowed you to travel back from the future. That was likely the Phoenix III tunnel.”

“Yeah,” says Frohike. “Do you remember a tunnel that descended deep underground? The CIA has supposedly been throwing homeless people down there just to see what happens, and they come back saying they walked out onto Civil War battlegrounds.”

“He’s a little hazy on how exactly he got here, but we think we know who’s behind this,” Mulder interjects.

“Dr. Vincent Bellona,” William says. “He’s at CERN now. That’s where I was working before I came here, but I think if we find where he is now we might be able to figure out what happened to me.”

“You’re working at CERN?” Byers asks. “Impressive. Must be Agent Scully’s influence.”

“Think you guys could look him up on the ‘net?” Mulder asks.

“On it,” Frohike says as he rolls a chair over to a desktop computer. “Vincent Bellona. Looks like he’s a post-doc at Princeton, specializing in high-energy physics. And—this is interesting—he’s got a hot wife who’s even more accomplished than he is.”

“Oh, let’s see the wife,” Langly says.

“Samita Shah,” Frohike reads off the computer screen. William looks and sees a photo of a younger version of Bellona (with a full-head of hair) next to a pretty South Asian woman with long, dark hair cascading over one shoulder. They’re both in lab coats. The picture is above an article titled “Quantum Leap of Love: Meet the Physics Department’s New Power Couple.” Skimming the article, he learns that Bellona and his wife came to Princeton together to research W and Z bosons, although Shah’s list of publications appears to be twice as long as her husband’s.

“Did Bellona ever mention his wife to you?” Mulder asks.

“No,” William says. “I didn’t think he had one. He doesn’t wear a ring anyway. They must not be together anymore.”

“Frohike, can you print this out?” Mulder says, then turns to William. “What do you say we pick up Scully and then go see what Bellona’s up to at Princeton?”

***

On the drive to Scully’s apartment, William sneaks glances at his father from the passenger seat. While his mom’s face has thinned out over the years, his father seems narrower in 1993, less solid. They’re both free of wrinkles and the gray hair that he knows his mom dyes to hide, and look more like his peers than his parents. He imagines how worried they must be in 2023 when they come to visit him. Hopefully, they’re able to get in touch with Hannah. He told her what he saw Dr. Bellona doing at the Shiva statue and she knows that Bellona called him in last night, so he hopes she’s making the same logical leaps.

More than anything, he wants to talk to Hannah. He knows they could figure out what’s going on. But she doesn’t exist yet. He doesn’t know if her parents have even met. If he doesn’t get back to 2023, he’ll be 30 when she’s born—if he doesn’t manage to screw up the space-time continuum so much that she’s never born at all. The thought of a world without her in it doesn’t feel worth returning to.

William’s dad knocks on the door of his mom’s apartment. She opens the door in jeans, a flannel shirt, and small, round glasses. She looks like she could’ve been in one of his classes at MIT.

“Scully, we have a lead on Dr. Bellona. He’s teaching at Princeton currently. We have to go see him.”

“Mulder, slow down,” his mom says, her face scrunched in concern. “Can we have a word alone?”

William watches as his dad follows his mom into the kitchen. Her apartment is much more familiar than his dad’s. Even though they moved out when he was a few months old, he’s seen photos of his dad holding him in front of the wood bookshelf in the living room, and one of himself as a chubby-cheeked infant with both his parents on the same sofa he sits on now.

His parents are speaking softly, but he can still hear them from where he sits.

“The preliminary DNA test results came back and they’re surprising, to say the least.” William hears his mother opening an envelope and handling papers. “They appear to confirm William’s claims.”

“Scully, you know how accurate these tests are. What’s the likelihood that we aren’t his parents with these results? Less than 10 percent?”

“Even smaller,” she says. “Mulder, this is completely impossible.”

“At this point, it’s more impossible that he’s not telling the truth. You’re a scientist. If you had to testify in court, wouldn’t you say this objectively proves we’re his parents?”

“If I didn’t know the context, sure,” she says. “But this is actually not possible. It has to be a statistical anomaly.”

“A walking, talking statistical anomaly with your eyes and my nose?”

“Mulder, it’s easy to see patterns when you’re looking for them. A lot of people have blue eyes and, well, distinguished profiles.”

“Distinguished? Thanks, Scully.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Come on Scully, talk to him. He knows things about us. I think he’s a little upset you don’t believe him. You’re his mom after all.”

He hears her sigh and then they both come back to join him in the living room.

“William,” his mom starts. She’s turned towards him but her eyes are on the envelope in her hands and not him. “According to the preliminary DNA analysis, what you’re saying is true. Agent Mulder is your father and I, somehow, am your mother. I don’t know how to explain that, but these tests are extremely unlikely to be wrong.”

“I know,” William says. “I told you I was telling the truth.”

She finally faces him and he can see the bewilderment in her eyes. He has to remind himself that this is his mother in 1993. There’s so much she has neither seen nor experienced yet. He knows about her abduction and about Emily. By the time his parents left the X-Files, her name was attached to one of the thickest files in the office, but at this moment he worries that his being here feels like a violation to her.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Mulder says, filling the silence as Scully continues to stare at William, examining him.

“Maybe if we talk to Dr. Bellona, we can find out how to get me back where I belong. I realize this must be weird for both of you.”

His mother nods sadly, looking down at her hands interlaced in front of her. “I think that would be for the best.”

He smiles with his lips tightly shut and nods in agreement, but inside his stomach churns. He wants to reach out and hug her, let her smooth his hair down with her gentle touch like she did when he was little and not feeling well. His heart aches knowing he’s little more than a stranger to her.