#only really keeps up with them out of habit and. you guessed it. politeness. but it's not really their speed.

[nihils-trolls]

The societal 'politeness' drilling was due to the fact that Elaine has some traits that sort of make her an "unfit" blueblood. The pale blue hair 'mutation.' The fact of not really having the strength their caste tends to have.

To remedy that situation, her lusus took it upon itself to try and make sure she wouldn't fail in any other areas. Perfect manners, a proper social circle, noble skills and a career worthy of a highblood. It did take it a bit too far, though.

[creative-caramel-coffee]

Late night’s studying

Summary: reader pushes herself too far for university and work. Scarlett and Lizzie look after her.

Tw: fainting, overworking, stress, assignments

Words: 3.2K

A/n I might be projecting … once again lol

Lately you hadn’t had time to do much other than work and study. Being the youngest on set was great sometimes but it also really sucked.

Lately you had been swamped with assignments, you had been extremely stressed trying to get it all done before the university deadlines. You had already applied for one extension, but it didn’t seem like enough.

You spent long hours filming scenes over and over, but your mind was anywhere but where it was meant to be.

Being the youngest you didn’t want the others to know you were still getting some form of higher education. It’s not that you weren’t proud of it, no not at all, it was more you didn’t want them to see you as anymore of the child they all treated you like. You were legally an adult but being the youngest made you the baby of the marvel set.

On screen your character spent a lot of time with the scarlet witch and black widow meaning you shot lots of scenes with Elizabeth and Scarlett. They had been very nice and invited you to join them at the cast parties and dinners that various actors on set hosted, but you had always politely declined much to their dismay.

On set and off set Elizabeth and Scarlett had practically adopted you. Yet whenever you were done filming for the day you disappeared to your trailer.

As the weeks wore on your work was piling up with unfinished tasks you simply hadn’t had time to get to. You were almost three weeks behind in your deadlines now and it was majorly stressing you out.

You had been pulling ultra late nights in an effort to meet due dates where you could. Settling for half effort when you really just wanted to sleep. You had barely managed four hours each night for the past week being awake well into the early hours of the morning.

You knew you weren’t the only one staying in your trailer overnight, so you had to be careful not to arouse suspicions towards your sleeping habits. The amount of coffee you had been ingesting was somewhere between ungodly and criminal. Makeup covered your racoon eyes and as like the night goblins that roamed the neighbourhoods you felt like trash.

You rubbed a fist at your eyes looking up from your laptop to glance at the time. 3am, sighing you saved and closed your work. It was time for bed. You had to be up soon anyway for early morning filming.

Setting your alarm and collapsing into bed you snuggled up praying the coffee you had wouldn’t keep you awake and rob you of the precious hours of sleep your hectic schedule allowed.

You woke up to a fist banging on the door.

“Y/n, get your butt out here filming starts in thirty minutes and you’re keeping hair and makeup waiting.” Alyssa your manager yelled.

“I’m up.” You called back springing out of bed and almost falling over as your tired body protested.

“You better be.” You heard her grumble before she moved away from your trailer.

You found your costume hung where you had left it over the back of a chair and slipped it on. Inspecting the damage of the previous late night under your eyes and slapping on some concealer. The lady who did your makeup never commented that you were always already wearing some, you appreciated that she never mentioned it in front of Scarlett and Lizzie.

After throwing a hoodie over the costume you slipped out the trailer shivering in the cold. You headed for hair and makeup and stifled a yawn as you stepped into the slightly bigger trailer.

Scarlett and Lizzie were already there and halfway done with their costumes as you flopped into a seat next to Scarlett.

“Tired already Y/n/n?” Scarlett laughed.

You shot her a smile which came as more of grimace. “Yeah, I guess.” You said with a hum and a dejected chuckle. You were too exhausted to see the worried looks Scarlett and Lizzie exchanged beside you.

“You know if you ever need to talk about stuff, we’re here for you?” Lizzie said recognising your anxiety as you fiddled with your rings.

“We’ll always listen honey.” Scarlett said placing her hand on top of yours and looking into your almost half hooded eyes.

“Um… Thanks, but I’m ok.” You said looking away as your tongue darted out to wet your dry lips.

Scarlett seemed to deflate as you rejected her help, and she patted your hand twice before returning hers to her lap.

You didn’t say much throughout the hair and makeup process. Once more the kind women didn’t mention your copious amount of concealer that was hiding your secret honorary racoon status as a member of the sleepless night club.

Scarlett and Lizzie kept an eye on you but eventually had to leave to shoot some scenes together before they needed you on set as well.

The two women had noticed you pulling away more than usual and your quieter than normal behaviour. You had stopped having lunch with them and after a while of you rejected their offers, they were close to giving up on asking.

“Do you think somethings going on at home?” Lizzie asked Scarlett as they finished a scene.

“No. I’m not sure what it is but i don’t think it’s that.” Scarlett said watching you out of the corner of her eye as you shuffled onto set and sat down in a chair, zoning out staring at a stain on the wall.

“I’m worried about her.” Lizzie said.

“Me too Liz, but we’ll just have to wait for her to come to us. We just need to not let her push us away.” Scarlett said as the director called for the scene to start.

Feeling a hand on your shoulder you jumped slightly turning to see your manger standing there with a slightly worried look in her eye.

“Y/n they’re waiting for you.” She said nodding to the set where Scarlett and Lizzie stood talking to the director.

“Oh.” You said dragging yourself upright.

As you stood your head swum, your vision went fuzzy, and you were too focused on staying upright than trying to listen to what your manager was saying.

You tried your best to downplay it and as your vision returned you nodded at what she had said, hoping it was something you were meant to agree to. Based on the small downturn of her lips you may have been wrong. You gave her a small smile to compensate, and she eyed you closely before nudging you towards the others.

you stumbled for a second despite the nudge being lighter than air. You regained your footing and went over to join the others to shoot the scene.

The filming was going well until you were up to filming a certain scene.

The scene was nothing awful, after a cut from a fight scene where your character gets knocked down Scarlett or the black widow had to help you to your feet and keep fighting. Because the scene uses your face you at least needed to be pulled up off the ground before the stunt double could take over.

Normally this would be easy but with how tired you were any sudden movements like standing too quickly made your head spin and you knew it wouldn’t just be one take.

You got into position on the ground with Scarlett above you and Lizzie watching from the side as she wasn’t needed in this scene but was in the next.

Taking a deep breath the director called for them to start rolling and Scarlett offered you a hand. Taking it she pulled you to your feet. Immediately your head felt like it was in a washing machine. The world spun and you tripped over your feet as you over balanced. Scarlett was quick to grab you before you ended up on the floor again. Setting you back on your feet you didn’t hear the director call cut and to reset. Your vision was hazy as you waited for it to come back.

A soft hand landed on your shoulder making you jump as Scarlett’s words finally reached your ears.

“-u ok y/n/n?” Scarlett asked and you swallowed nervously and nodded your vision clear.

“Let’s go again from the top.” The director called and you gingerly lowered yourself back to the ground mentally preparing to do it again.

Scarlett looked at you worriedly but ultimately knew there wasn’t much she could do.

As they began the scene again this time you didn’t stay upright for long. As soon as Scarlett pulled you up your body had had enough. Still holding your hand and with the momentum of being pulled up your body collided with Scarlett’s. Your grip going limp as you passed out. Luckily Scarlett regained her footing and wrapped her arms around you before you went down yourself.

Lizzie ran over as Scarlett laid you down on your side.

“Oh god.” Lizzie said when she realised you were out cold. “Medic!” She yelled as Scarlett crouched down beside you, one hand holding your hand and the other tapping your face as she softly called your name. “We need a medic!” Lizzie yelled as she looked around.

A moment later a medic came over and begun looking you over.

“Is there anything i should know? Have either of you noticed anything different about her in the past few days or prior to filming this morning?” The young man asked as he took your pulse with two fingers on your neck and eyes trained on his watch to count the beats.

“She seemed a little out of it this morning and she stumbled a lot during the first take.” Scarlett said.

“She’s been more anxious as well and withdrawn more than usual also.” Lizzie chipped in.

“It sounds like sleep deprivation, do either of you know if she’s been sleeping enough?” He asked.

“I’m not sure, she’s been staying in her trailer on set most nights.” Lizzie said turned to Scarlett who also shook her head.

“I don’t know either sorry.” The blonde said.

“Ok, well there’s one way to know but we need to take all this makeup off.” He said turned to look at the director stood a few feet away watching. He nodded his assent.

“She’s not going to be working for the rest of the day now anyway.” He said. “Not after passing out on set.” He added under her breath.

The medic nodded and took a wipe and begun to remove your makeup. Lizzie held in a gasp as how pale you were and how it contrasted with the dark purple smudges under your eyes.

Just as Scarlett took the cloth from his hand and finished removing your makeup with steady and tender hands you screwed your nose up, eyes fluttering as they stayed closed.

“Y/n/n?” Lizzie called taking your hand as she knelt beside you. You let out a small groan as you came back to life and exhaustion pummelled your weak body.

You smacked your lips and frowned eyes still closed. “My mouth tastes bad.” You mumbled and Lizzie laughed despite looking like she was about to start crying. Scarlett smirked and your very in character response to just passing out on set despite her mounting worries for you.

“God, Y/n don’t ever do that again.” Lizzie said brushing a curl from your eyes. “I think you just took five years off my life.” She said and you opened your eyes blinking up at her and frowning.

“Sorry.” You said going to sit up when Scarlett placed a hand on your chest to keep you down. You frowned at her looking for an explanation.

“Absolutely not.” She scolded. “You are not sitting up, yet you just passed out for gods sakes. From sleep deprivation no less, Y/n you HAVE to look after yourself.” Scarlett said and you sighed.

“Sorry.” You said again just looking up at them.

“And stop apologising.” Lizzie said with a small smile.

“So, what now?” You asked licking your dry lips. Three sets of eyes turned to the brunette medic.

“Bed rest.” He said. And there it was your two lest favourite words. You had always hated staying still and unless you were injured or dying you hated bed rest it was too boring.

You opened your mouth to protest but Lizzie and Scarlett turned to glare at you.

“So, help me Y/n, if the words about to come out of your mouth are anything but ‘yes sir’ I will personally make sure you sleep myself.” Lizzie said and Scarlett scoffed.

“I think we are already past that. Y/n your coming home with me.” Scarlett said and you wanted to protest but she continued seeing the look on your face. “Y/n, you haven’t been sleeping.” She said in a stern voice. “You need to sleep. Lizzie is staying with me as well because i’m closer to set and we are not letting you leave until you have had at least ten hours of sleep. And before you say you don’t want to impose, I’m not offering, I’m instructing. Understood?” She said and you bit your lip staying silent for a second before sighing softly and nodding.

“Right let's go then.” Scarlett said leaning down and scooping you up. A small squeak escaped your lips as you blushed furiously.

“I can walk.” You said indignantly.

“Not after that stunt you're not.” She said. “Plus, the doctor said bed rest.” She winked playfully as she carried you off set with Lizzie trailing behind.

“He’s a medic not a doctor.” You grumbled under your breath and Scarlett smirked.

“What did you say?” She asked pretending to not have heard your sarcastic quip.

“Nothing.” You huffed.

“Your glad your cute. If rose pulled a stunt like that she would be in time out for a week.” Scarlett said and you groaned.

“Rose is a child. I am an adult.” You huffed.

“An adult who acts like a child and has the self preservation of a toddler.” Lizzie teased and you glared daggers at her making her chuckle as you moved on to pouting petulantly in Scarlett’s arms to the amusement of both older actresses. As you arrived at the car and Scarlett put you in the backseat with Lizzie you begun to regret not putting up more of a fight.

“Come on Y/n/n, it’ll be fun. We’ll have a movie night.” Lizzie said switching her approach to a softer one.

“Is rose attending this movie night?” You asked and Scarlett nodded as she adjusted the rear-view mirror.

“Probably.” She said and you groaned loudly.

“I am NOT watching frozen again.” You said sliding your hands down your face in defeat.

“Oh, don’t be so dramatic, you love it.” Lizzie teased elbowing you in the ribs.

“Not when it’s the millionth time watching it.” You shot back.

“Sure, thing L/n.” Lizzie said sarcastically. You rolled your eyes and leant against the window closing your eyes.

You were out like a light before Scarlett could park the car. Leading to you once more being carried around in Scarlett’s arms as they decided not to wake you up just yet.

Rose was still at school and Colin was in the studio with the writers today meaning for now it was just you three.

Scarlett laid you down between the two of them in the day room as she tucked a blanket around you and switched on the TV flicking through to find something was watch.

You stirred slightly as the two of them got comfy next to you. Scarlett had an arm around you protectively while Lizzie’s shoulders were pressed gently against your right chest as she had burrowed into your side.

Your eyes fluttered as you yawned, opting to not move from the warmth and comfort of the two women.

The events of the day slammed into you as you realised you still had three essays due soon and countless homework tasks.

You must have subconsciously tensed as both actresses turned to look as you. The sound of some rom com playing in the background.

“Hello sweetie.” Scarlett said with a smile. “Feeling any better, you must be exhausted.” She said and you nodded staying silent.

Lizzie eyed you closely taking note of your quiet demeanour. Reaching out and taking your hand in hers she gave it a soft squeeze.

“Talk to us sweetheart.” Lizzie said softly. “I can see somethings bothering you. Tell us what’s on your mind, it may help you feel better.” She said and you drew a slow shaky breath as the dam broke. You let out a choked sob as you curled into Scarlett’s side, Lizzie curling against your back and rubbing a hand up and down your arm as you trembled with silent sobs.

“I have so much work to do. I didn’t want the cast to treat me as a child, so I didn’t tell them I’m still at university.” You said as Scarlett gently ran her hands through your hair.

“So, you’ve been juggling acting and uni full time and none of us knew?” Lizzie said and you sniffled nodding as you turned to look at her with your teary gaze.

“Honey you must be so stressed. Is this why you have been sleeping? Too much to do and not enough time?” Scarlett asked and you nodded again biting your lip to stop it trembling.

Lizzie softly reached out to remove your lip from your teeth with her thumb. “None of that honey.” She reprimanded softly.

“Well now we know, you won’t be doing it alone we’ll help you. You can stay here with us and as well as making sure you sleep; we can help with any work you have.” Scarlett said.

“I did graduate from NYU after all, I’m not just a pretty face.” Lizzie joked and your lips curved into a small smile.

“There’s that gorgeous smile.” Scarlett said as she rubbed your arm. “Now it’s time to rest, your exhausted and you are doing nothing other than rest for the foreseeable future okay?” She asked.

“But … but my assignments.” You said looking up as her.

“Shhh leave it to us, and everything will be sorted.” Scarlett said as she guided your head to her chest. “Rest honey. Go to sleep you need it.” She said and you curled into her. She was warm and cozy and at some point, Lizzie and Scarlett had changed as you were also in comfier clothes than your costume. Not that you minded.

You let out a small sigh sandwiched between the two. Your head resting on Scarlett’s chest as she played with your hair, your body half in her lap. Lizzie was spooning you from behind with her head resting on your shoulder to watch the movie you had all been ignoring.

You finally felt relaxed for the first time in what must have been months thanks to them.

Maybe you weren’t sleeping well on your own, but when Scarlett and Lizzie were there, you felt protected and safe enough to sleep, no long worrying about your studies which as they had said, could always wait for you to be healthy again.

[trigunwritings]

Bad Habits (and Dutiful Husbands)

Rating: General

Relationships: Fem!Reader/Wolfwood/Vash

Summary: Vash and Wolfwood have to take care of a job, but their thoughts are still with their wife.

Written by @blood--hunter

Note: Reader is referred to as wife and uses she/her. Various pet names are also used through the writing.

The lighter sparked to life with only one flick. Wolfwood sighs in relief, lifting the small dancing flame to his cigarette as if it were as delicate as a butterfly. Just as he’s about to cup his hand—mostly out of habit— around the end, there is the sound of a gunshot.

In the same breath that the bullet meets his cigarette, Nicholas lets out a sigh. He had known it was going to happen, but it was still an annoyance that made his teeth grind.

“Seriously?” He asks, flickering dark eyes to the man walking towards him. Vash was dressed in his usual red coat as always, blond hair waving gently in the desert wind. “You couldn’t even let me have one drag?”

Though his gun was nowhere to be seen, Vash was the only one stupid enough to literally shoot something out of Nicholas D. Wolfwood’s mouth and not expect any consequences or accidental injuries.

“You heard the little lady.” Vash said, taking the final few steps to stand before his husband. “No more smoking. It’s bad for your lungs!”

Nick gnashed his teeth again, leaning against the large, cross-shaped gun that was behind him. Vash was, unfortunately, right. Their wife had strict orders for him not to smoke anymore largely out of concern for his health. He hadn’t the heart to tell her that his newfound powers would keep anything like cancer at bay, instead acquiescing to her and Vash’s whims than try to make the argument.

“Whatever,” He spits, turning his eyes to the ruined, ramshackle house before him. Within was hidden the Glass Gang, known for burning down any town they went through and turning the sand itself to glass in their wake. They preferred fire as their weapon of choice, and there was a bounty on them that could cover the bills for months. “At least I didn’t show up late.”

“Aw, c’mon, I just got a little held up.”

Wolfwood didn’t comment—with Vash, the excuse was probably literal.

He hoists his gun onto his shoulder, letting it sit there as he sauntered to the front door.

“Hey,” the man said, banging loudly at the door that held on by barely one hinge, “Come on out!”

“Could be a little more polite.” Vash sighs, but he stands there regardless, hovering over Nick’s shoulder like a worried hen.

Ever since they’d gotten married he had started doing that. He did it to their wife too, hovering, fidgetting, worrying about their health and how they felt. It was Vash’s way of showing how he cared, so Nick allowed it, and sometimes—only sometimes—he even found it cute. Their wife had told him that he needed to accept some things, like people caring about him, when they got married. Her words rang in his ears in moments like these.

It’s because he loves you, Wolfwood. Let him.

“Ain’t commin’ out!” A voice finally rings from inside.

He sighs. Sometimes he wished he’d just picked a different profession. Maybe being the town preacher would have been better, but it never really stuck and—if he were an honest man—he preferred sticking to Vash’s side. Otherwise, their wife would have done it and he didn’t think he could bare being the one at home taking care of things while she and their husband was out earning money.

Vash pipes up before Wolfwood can think of anything to say. “We have donuts!”

“Really?”

Nick raises a brow, looking to his husband. Vash is subtly shaking his head no.

So, it was a lie, then.

The voice inside responds all the same, “Then I guess I will!”

Nick has enough forethought to leap away from he door, grabbing Vash by the edge of his sleeve and hauling ass. Just as they get clear the slab of wood is kicked open— a burst of flames taking up the space where they had just stood.

Vash whines from beside them as they hit the sand. He looks over his shoulder to see a tall man—taller than even Vash— standing in the doorway. The gang-member held a huge flame thrower in his hands, complete with a large tank attached to the back of it, probably filled with some sort of fuel.

“What? No donuts for me!” The man says, a wide, hungry grin on his face, “Or are they all burnt?” Nick rolls his eyes but Vash chuckles, even if it is a little awkward.

“So,” His husband speaks from beside him as they both stand, dusting themselves off. “No way we can convince you to just turn yourselves in?”

“‘Fraid not.”

“Well, that stinks.” Vash sighs, “And here I told my wife that I wouldn’t get into any trouble today.”

“Our wife,” Wolfwood corrects, expression straight and unwavering.

The gang-member’s face crumples in confusion and discuss. “Your wife? What kind of woman would marry you two assholes?”

Nicholas lifts the punisher, taking aim for the tank of fuel, but Vash stops him with a firm hand on the end of his gun.

“Now, now, no need to go insulting us.”

The man chuckles. Nicholas’ frown deepens. One more stupid word and he was going to be eating lead.

“Nah, I won’t insult you anymore. But I am gonna make your little lady at home eat your ashes!”

He lifts his flame thrower. Vash dodges out of the way, rolling to the man’s side while Wolfwood goes the other way both of them are flanking him but as they get into position gun fire erupts from the house. The rest of the gang was joining the party.

Fine by him.

Wolfwood strafes with the weight of his weapon on his shoulder, letting bullets strip through the house’s walls. He knew Vash didn’t want anyone killed, and he didn’t want to disappoint his husband, but it was better to lay down covering fire and risk maiming someone than get killed themselves. Their wife would never forgive them if the both of them didn’t come back in one piece.

Vash, for his part, acclimates quickly to the new scenario and moves to be behind the large man. Unwilling to fire at—what seems to be—their boss, or to get hit themselves, the gang-members stop firing, probably to attempt to repossession themselves.

Their leader growls deep in the back of his throat, trying to swing around to set Vash ablaze but Wolfwood’s husband is too fast, and manages to stay behind him as he swings from side to side.

“Get back here you little freak!”

“No thanks! I don’t wanna end up roasted!”

“Fight fair damnit!”

“Nope!”

As the two of them continue to bicker, Wolfwood makes his way into the house. There are five other gang members and all of them are scrawny, hungry men who aren’t very hard to take down now that their cover is gone and their boss is preoccupied. After tying them up with rope as one big group he emerges from the house again.

Vash has his hands raised, a simpering smile on his face as the boss points the nozzle of his flame-thrower at the other man.

“Got you now!”

Wolfwood sighs, rolling his eyes. “When are you going to stop playing with him?”

The boss smiles wide, eyeing him. “What? So you want me to roast your husband right in front of your eyes!”

“Wasn’t talking to you.”

The man’s face crumples in confusion, but it’s Vash who speaks next. “Oh, I was just gonna let him get this out of his system first.”

With a click the gang-member attempts to light his weapon. Then another click. And another.

Click. Click. Click.

It’s only now that he realizes the tank of fuel is long gone, Vash having gotten rid of it long before Wolfwood even went into the house.

“W-What?!”

“Sorry buddy, couldn’t let you go around setting people on fire!”

Before the man can say anything more, he’s on the ground and his hands are tied behind his back.

Another long breath leaves Nicholas and he grabs for his cigarettes without thinking. He barely has time to put it in his mouth before a gunshot rings out, knocking it away once again.

“God damnit blondie!”

“Hey! Wifey’s orders!”

[delcakoo]

im obsessed with hybrid aus i wish there were more ☹️☹️

what do you think hybrid!rikis or hybrid!taehyuns (either of them i rlly dont mind) would be when they found out they were getting adopted 😁

OOOO i decided to go w riki to continue my hybrid riki agenda !! consider it a warmup for the longer fic i have in the work for him 🫶 also i was thinking of picking up my pokemon riki fic since it was literally a scene from being done 🧌 sigh so many riki thoughts

3:41PM — “so, what kind of companion would you be looking for in a hybrid?”

you give the adoption centre employee a nervous smile, “um, i’m actually not too sure yet,” you confess. “sorry, i should’ve came more prepared.”

the boy with a nametag reading ‘mark’ giggles, leading you to the back where you assume the hybrids are located. “nah, we get customers like you a lot, don’t worry. just follow me and let me know if anyone catches your eye.”

with an appreciative nod, you follow him into what you assume is the bunny hybrid area judging by the long, droopy ears atop each hybrid’s head. one bunny with shining blue hair watches as you walk by with big, boba eyes, and you hastily lift a hand to wave in his direction. you grin when he shyly waves back, taking note of the name ‘soobin’ on his pen.

mark speaks up, vocalizing just what you’d been thinking. “these are our bunnies, the most common species of hybrid right before dogs and cats. they’re definitely nice if you want a cuddly and affectionate match, but if you decide on one, you’ll have to bunny-proof your whole house before taking them home,” he notifies.

you tilt your head, “what does that mean?”

“well just like real bunnies, they have a habit of chewing everything, especially if their owner isn’t giving them enough attention. i’m sure you can guess what that means for your furniture and well.. everything else in your house.”

you gulp, glancing back at soobin who’s now busy chewing on small carrot slices. “… i think i’ll keep looking.”

after getting through the rowdy enclosure of dog hybrids and silently independent cat hybrids, you sigh. mark’s brows furrow, sending you a sympathetic gaze, “still nobody?”

instea of replying you glance around the room, eyes locking onto a seperate grey door reading ‘enter with caution’. without a moment’s hesitation, you rush over in big, curious strides. mark’s footsteps quickly follow, grabbing the handle first right as you reach out for it. “hey, uh- ma’am, i dont really think there’s anyone in there suited for you,” he laughs awkwardly.

you give him a polite smile, and you can tell it scares the male a bit by the drop in his expression. “i’ll decide that for myself, please.” the boy swallows, pulling the door open for you hesitantly and trailing close behind.

some hisses and other strange sounds were heard as you walk in and gasp, taking in the sight of all sorts of unique looking hybrids. “these are our.. other hybrid options. all quite rare species, and of course way more expensive and challenging to look after,” he reminds.

you slowly walk by cage after cage, mark introducing you to a meek-looking deer girl, a giddy, cheerful penguin, and even one buff tiger hybrid along the way. most of them were either scared or curious at the sight of you, though the tiger seemed more determined to intimidate you than earn your ownership.

however, a moving figure near the back of one enclosure catches your eye before you can mention anything. you watch intriguingly as a pitch black tail swishes side to side under the dim lighting, gaze drifting up to meet the face of a tall, pouty-lipped black cat boy. unlike the other hybrids that rushed up to see you or pounced away in fear, he only sits there in silence, studying you curiously.

“oh, that’s riki,” mark informs from behind you. “he’s a panther hybrid, and he doesn’t care for humans much from what we’ve seen so i wouldn’t really recommend him.”

riki’s ears drop at the male’s words, but he doesn’t say anything. you inhale, “can i go inside the enclosure then?”

“uh.. yeah, i guess so. but ma’am, i really think there are better matches for you back at..”

mark’s words fade into the background as you focus on opening riki’s cage, slowly stepping inside until you were only a few feet from him. he makes no reaction to escape or attack; merely staring up at you with no emotion.

you clear your throat, abruptly feeling nervous as you tap your foot. the panther quickly notices your anxious movements, a tiny smirk growing onto his plush lips. “hi i’m y/n. it’s nice to meet you, riki. do you like it here?”

the panther blinks calmly, “i get free food and shelter, so it’s okay i guess.” his deep voice visibly startles you, and riki giggles breathily as he watches your eyes widen and lips stutter. he thinks you’re cute.

“well then uh- what would you think about coming home with me?”

you watch worriedly as the cat boy glances at mark, clearly weighing his options while his tail swishes animatedly behind him. “i wouldn’t mind.”

at his shocking response, you snap your head over to the employee for confirmation, yet he simply shrugs in reply. “alright then, i’ll go get you the paperwork.”

by the time you’ve slowly turned back to face him, ready to begin some basic small talk, your jaw nearly falls from your face. the hybrid - technically your hybrid now — has risen to his feet, realising in horror that he towers over you ridiculously. you estimate he’s around 6’2, and his cute, fluffy ears only make you look that extra inch shorter.

you choke at the smug, amused smirk now plastered across riki’s lips. “is something wrong, owner?” he asks slyly.

only a few minutes past your introduction, and you were already starting to question who was owning who in this relationship.

this wasn’t supposed to be that long why do i always do this 💔 other hybrid riki drabble heree

[magicxc]

Toxic Traits

Pairings: Survey Corps x Black!Reader

Word Count: 1280

Warnings: none

A/N: I love a lil toxicity lol. This is the variety I was talking about earlier. From the mundane to the sexy and even the toxic. Everyone has their flaws, now let's explore what I think theirs is in a relationship. Tell me which trait you think matches their character the best. 

Its as the name suggests - toxic. No physical abuse or sexual deviance of the sort, but do proceed with caution or not at all if toxic-type themes aren’t your cup of tea.

Lastly, do note that I have a habit of modernizing these characters while keeping their stories true at its core lol. So if you see me mention trauma from titans and a range rover in the same sentence, just mind ya business.

Headcannons Masterlist

Eren - Jealous

You never knew what kind of day you were gonna get with Eren. Sometimes it’d be the best day ever and other times it’d be the worst. You make eye contact with some random man for a second too long? Clearly you want him. You’re paying for something and the hand of the cashier slides against yours during the transaction? Thats basically cheating because now you’ve hand fucked a stranger. You give a full frontal hug and not the, more appropriate, side hug to one of your male friends? You two must be fucking each other. As intense as Eren can be, you found that the pendulum swung both ways. He’d get down on his knees and worship the rain for nourishing the grass that you walked on should you ask for it, so it was hard to walk away when he got into his little fits. It was like a see-saw of emotions being in this relationship, the highs feeling ethereal and the lows leaving you distraught. You often wondered why you allowed Eren to get away with such behavior.

Levi - Possessive

It was like a double edged sword with this man. He was all for showing you off until someone's eyes wandered just a little too long, now he’s shoving his tongue to the deepest parts of your throat until they get the message. One time Connie complimented the shirt you were wearing which happened to be a low cut and exposed your chest; and Levi’s immediate response was to litter your skin in love bites. Anything to get the message across and let others know that you were a claimed woman. Cause Levi isn’t too much for the long talking and he would hate to see push come to shove for whichever poor bastard couldn't get the message. While you adored how much he loved you, being with him definitely got a little exhausting from time to time.

Erwin - Controlling

He’s a commander so he’s used to people following his orders without question. And while he isn’t always unreasonable, Erwin does expect you to take into consideration his every suggestion, and by consideration, he means do it. It can be as simple as styling your hair, cooking a certain meal, or saving your more risqué outfits for when he accompanies you. Though he phrases his demands politely you can't help but feel a little confused after every encounter; wondering how he’d talk you down on something you were so headstrong about. Thankfully he didn't ask for such outrageous requests, and you’ve since learned not to question it; for the last time you found yourself with a sore ass.

Connie - Petty/Blackmail 

Slippery slope this one. Pissed him off? Well now he’s taking the things you didnt realise were gone until you needed them. Shoelaces out of all the shoes, backs to your earrings, lightbulbs from each room. Not in the mood for sex? He may as well go get it elsewhere. You finally build up the courage to walk away from him. Well now your boss is about to find out exactly what that mouth do. Connie himself is unsure if he’d ever follow through with his more extreme threats since it always works out in the end. I guess it’s really only one way to find out and thankfully you’ve never been stupid enough to try it.

Jean - Obsessive

Jean doesn’t have a whole lotta chances at true love lowkey. First real crush paid him dust. His bestie died during training. And his other bestie died during a mission. Considering he’s one of the few people with the least traumatic childhood, I think he loses his shit at the idea of letting love slip away, because everyone somehow always ends up leaving him. Therefore he needs to know your every move, your daily routines, hours spent on a typical girls night out, mileage it takes to make sure that you’re going exactly where you said you were. You couldn’t sneeze without running it past Jean first. But life sure is easier now that he’s got a tracker on both your phone and car. It would raise the tension if you were to find out, he thinks, but what could you do about it really? 

Onyankopon - Arrogance. 

Mans can literally never be wrong and it’s super frustrating. It's like talking to a brick wall. He’s entertaining some girl who’s clearly flirting with him and suddenly you don’t know the meaning of friendship. You wanted pasta for dinner? Well he’s cooking soup because it’s heartier. You’re in the middle of an argument yet he’s only focusing on the minor details that are wrong in the story as opposed to the bigger picture overall. But it’s okay, cause he doesn’t mind working through these little hiccups with you. After all, where else would you go? Who else would love on you the way he does? Put up with your constant nagging? Only he would.

Reiner - Yandere

Not only was he never supposed to find love, but the idea of him finally finding it and almost losing it? Let's just say it doesn’t end too well for your dating prospects; and after a while Reiner makes it clear that it can end just as bad for you. Reiner is a sweetie pie and a devout lover when things are going great. But sometimes he gets to be a bit overbearing, and what was supposed to be a break between the both of you turned into him breaking some bones. The same ones that your friend dared try to comfort you with. Since then, the relationship has been as steady as it can be and you’ve been getting nothing but queen treatment, but at what cost?!

Armin - Dishonesty/Isolation Not a trait that raises too many red flags, until it does. Armin loves being around you. He considers you his best friend and has no qualms about you both spending literally 24/7 wrapped in each other’s arms. Though your friends were happy for you guys at first, it did raise a few eyebrows down the line. You both had gone from sharing similar interests to sharing an identical lifestyle. The same job, the same apartment, and the same friends all seemed to merge into one. But how could Armin help it when you were…well you. So what if a few phone calls from your homegirls to hang out went ignored or a few check in text messages from your family got deleted? Armin would claim to never know, see, or hear such a thing; and it’s usually the story he stuck to. But should you ever question him further, he’d find a way to put your mouth to better use, dick stuffed so far back until you forgot what had you so upset with him in the first place.

Floch - Manipulation 

Any time you get mad at him, he becomes the king of gaslightery. Floch went all day without sending so much as a text message? Well he worked a double to put food on the table. Valentine's day passed and he didn't get you any flowers? He doesn’t need a holiday to show you how much he loves you. You want to wait a while before tying the knot? Now you're using him for all he's got and wasting his time. Very rarely did Floch get nasty in his insults or the manner in which he manipulated you. In fact, they were always followed by a soft voice, gentle touches, and a redeeming act. So how could you stay mad at him when he was truly trying his best to build a great lifestyle for you both. 

[xaharadesert]

Over-Apologizing MC - Headcanon

Arcana Characters (Julian, Portia, Asra) x MC

A/N: here’s #7, the winner of the poll! The person who sent in the request was anonymous, so I feel slightly less bad about writing it 6 months after it was submitted hehe :) (side note: I’m Canadian, so my definition of over-apologizing may be vastly different than yours) please let me know if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes! (End note: y’all need to be grateful that I have learned self-control, because every time I write for Asra the opportunity and temptation for angst is incredibly powerful)

❤️Julian❤️

He’s a somewhat clumsy man himself, so he can relate to constantly apologizing

He always quickly dispels any guilt he senses you’re feeling, often saying not to worry, or that it’s no issue when you apologize

To be honest, at first he doesn’t even realize that you say you’re sorry even when you’re not in the wrong

If he hears you apologizing when you’re in a different room, he assumes you’ve knocked something over and he just didn’t hear— he’ll shout a quick “no worries, my love, you’re fine” and then go back to whatever he was doing before

He only catches on when someone bumps into you in the market while you were standing still, and you decided to apologize while stranger glared at you

Now that just wouldn’t stand

He was quick to correct the situation— much to the chagrin of the stranger— since he assumed you had apologized on reflex

But when you began insisting it was your fault, even though it clearly wasn’t, he made a note to himself to keep an eye on what he was beginning to think was perhaps a bad habit

And lo-and-behold, this was definitely a pattern of behaviour that he immediately knew he would have to help correct

There is a difference between being polite and being a doormat, as he would gently try to inform you

Fortunately for you, if you ever backpedaled and started apologizing more than you should again, Julian would be more than happy to step in and correct the situation

Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that he’s a self-deprecating hypocrite who also apologizes much more than he should

So standing up for each other becomes the new habit— even if you both apologize far too often for yourselves, you both keep an eye out for when your partner is doing the same

And slowly, you work your way out of it

🧡Portia🧡

Unfortunately for you, Portia is the kind of woman to get sick of constant apologizing pretty quickly

She lived through it for years with Julian, and she’s not willing to go through it again

She notices the pattern within a few weeks of living together; at first she thought you were just nervous about the next step in your relationship, but she quickly realized that there was an underlying problem

Not wanting to be insensitive, she tries correcting it from a couple different angles

Her first guess is anxiety, so she tries to reassure you that you’re fine, even in small situations where there would be no indication otherwise

The next is a lack of confidence, so she starts standing up for you whenever she thinks you need backup

This one can come in a few different forms:

There’s the classic “THAT’S MY SPOUSE!” punch in the face whenever someone disrespects you

But there’s also moments where she starts threatening the vegetables that rolled off the cutting board when you were cooking

At least she’s consistent

When she can’t figure out some deeper meaning behind your apologizing, Portia ends up sticking with the same tactic that worked with Julian

“Stop.” “No.” “Literally don’t.”

As time goes by, those three phrases become more exasperated, but also more effective

She adds to this method by giving you a kiss every time you catch yourself and don’t apologize for something that isn’t your fault

Portia has never read about Pavlov, but she’s still a dedicated student to his methods

💙Asra💙

He’s lived with your habits the longest, and doesn’t really think he can change them at this point

It’s not like they bother him though; the apologies don’t hurt anyone, and as long as there aren’t any underlying issues of anxiety or a lack of confidence, he sees no reason not to let you continue

And although he would never admit it out loud, it provides him the opportunity to ask “for what?”, which he thinks is hilarious even if you don’t

The funniest part, in his opinion, is that you usually don’t have an answer

If there were cameras in Vesuvia, he would take a picture every time you started staring off into space, looking for an answer that doesn’t exist

He’s not mean though; he would never do this in any kind of situation where someone else was in the wrong

If that were the case, he would step in immediately

He can’t stand to see you take the blame for something you didn’t do

Most people are kind enough to admit their own fault, and they’ll apologize to you in turn

But occasionally someone will be a complete dick, and in that case Asra takes the opportunity to verbally destroy them

It usually only takes one oddly specific insult for them to change their mind and apologize

And if you dare to then apologize to Asra for the hassle of defending you?

That’s probably the only situation where he will actually tell you to stop

Defending you and taking care of you will never be a burden to him; it will always be a gift to stay by your side

[copperbadge]

Current Events Reading Reccs

I had a couple of people asking me about my “current events” reading in general (news aggregators, podcasts, etc) so I figured I’d just list them off here. 

I don’t read any tumblrs that are specifically focused on current events, I just kinda get news from various people I’ve followed, but I’ve found in general it helps to find people for whom the news is a hobby, not a consuming habit. I have communists and anarchists and prison abolitionists on my dash, but they aren’t people who have made that their identity, which removes the “You are insufferable” factor. So I guess find fandom weirdos with strong political views and follow ‘em. 

Also I want to state at the top that part of why I’m on top of shit that I get through Tumblr is that I have a policy of never reblogging or reacting to anything until I have 1. read the article being linked and 2. done my own research. This has saved me a vast deal of embarrassment, because sometimes I’ll save something outrageous to research and before I can even research it, it’s been rebutted. I cannot stress how important the process of reading and research is -- you can’t get your news from headlines and particularly not clickbait you see on Tumblr. 

As far as I know there’s no single tumblr clearinghouse for good high-level current events reporting and analysis (the analysis I think is a vital part) but if folks have resources they use, drop ‘em in the comments or reblogs.  

Anyway, some mailing lists I belong to are:

Quartz Daily Brief: finance and tech, mainly. Back when they were for-pay I paid for them, this newsletter was that entertaining. I believe they’ve now gone fee-free but they sometimes link to paywalls. I get it as an email newsletter, that’s just a link to the web version. 

Breakfast with ARTNews: Obviously a bit niche but I really like keeping up with the art world and they cover art crime too. The link is to the all-newsletters signup page, I only belong to Breakfast. 

The Futurist: This is the most insufferable nonsense masquerading as news ever. The ads are indistinguishable from the content. But it does help me keep a finger hard on the pulse of what irritating tech bros are into. Watch scams unfold in real time! 

I also follow a number of local interests -- community centers and neighborhood organizations primarily -- in Chicago, so those are always good to hunt up. Most major cities have a “citycast” podcast (just search “citycast [your city]” in your podcatcher) that is also good for local news.  

Some websites:

Longreads: Since longform.org went under, the best place to find the current longform pieces that everyone’s talking about.  

Brand Eating: Extremely niche, but I really love reading about “brand” food trends. It covers new food releases and sales and such in the areas of packaged food (potato chips, candy, etc), fast food, and casual dining. It’s also great as a resource for cheap eats. 

I stopped reading Bon Appetit recently (they ran this appallingly sympathetic story about a dickhead hiring manager) but like, honestly, if you want to track food trends, the BA email newsletter is kinda the way to go. If you’d like good food news in podcast form, I recommend The Sporkful (it’s in the podcast list). 

I used to read the Chicago Tribune, New York Times, and Fortune Magazine (which mostly scraped the not-awful stuff from Forbes) but I’ve cut it down to just the Trib; I don’t really need Fortune to keep me current and the NYT has morphed into a creepy proto-fash nightmare. The Trib has pretty good national/international coverage so if you don’t have a decent local paper it’s not bad, but I don’t know how much access you get as a nonpaying reader (I subscribe). 

Podcasts:

Quartz has a podcast, Quartz Obsession, which is off-and-on in terms of when episodes come out but very interesting when they do. 

Planet Money is a once-weekly podcast about economics, and has a daily show called “The Indicator” which is daily “small bites” current events coverage. 

The Late Show and the Daily Show both have an “ears edition” podcast that’s just the show audio; I’ve stopped listening for the most part but if you want good cultural commentary, that’s the place to go. 

The Journal by the Wall Street Journal is a weekly podcast focusing on one or two news stories, generally pretty relevant. 

Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me is a panel show but it’s a fun way to get bite-sized news you can look up later in more detail if you want. And it’s taped in Chicago! If you listen you can hear me in the audience laughing. :D (I’m going to another taping in a few weeks!) 

Behind The Bastards is actually a history podcast but if you’re listening current he does a bit of current-events commentary, and also I just really like it as a podcast.

Stuff You Should Know is a trivia podcast but they occasionally do current-events stuff.

The Sporkful is pretty good about current food news, although I run hot and cold on it.

I used to listen to a really good “professional” medical podcast, but it went full paywall when it started to offer certain forms of professional credit, so I found The House Of Pod as a very good free replacement. It’s not really for non-doctors, but as a non-doctor I still find it accessible and informative. (For medical history and curiosity, I do highly recommend Bedside Rounds, but I wouldn’t call it a current events cast.) 

So that’s how I get my news -- it’s not what I would call fully comprehensive but it’s reasonably informative! 

[tcfactory]

a fun idea on the "im gay and pissed about it" is the concept of "what do you mean i share tastes with shang shidi". qinghua mentions offhandedly that the sect is full of very handsome men who are strong and muscular and have the AUDACITY to wear respectable layers of clothing in heat and filth when he could be looking at their chests. sj nods along absentmindedly then hEY WAIT. WHAT. WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT. AND WHY DOES HE AGREE WITH YOU-

I'm snickering, because he would be mega upset that he's in agreement with Shang-shidi. At least he can blame the gay thoughts on Shang Qinghua, thirsty shidi is infecting everyone with residual horny.

Also, the fact that Shang Qinghua's (future) husband does walk around with his chest bared to the world a lot of the time makes this so much worse. Number 1 reason to turn CQMS into a demonic sect: shameless demon fashion.

...you know, that would make for a good comedy oneshot I think. SQH convinces the Sect to convert to a 'demonic' path to avoid all the plot and get rid of the stress of having to hide MBJ all the damn time. YQY agrees because this way nobody can hold SQQ's background under Wu Yanzi against him, LQG doesn't care as long as he can go hunt monsters, MQF is fine with this as long as they can maintain their reputation as 'decent people' (bc mortals care more about that than jianghu politics), WQW gets a shitton of new customers from the demon realm... the only one who would be strongly against it is QQQ, depending on how the mortal emperors would view a 'demonic' sect.

He convinces SQQ by gesturing at MBJ and his chest-out fashion like "this could be YQY and LGQ if we converted" and that holds more appeal than SQQ would ever admit. (QiJiu reconciliation fueled by too many horny thoughts? And then YQY 'bullies' SQQ into wearing the new uniforms and oh, there goes LQG. SQQ has two hands and with one he has to keep holding onto stupid sexy Liu-shidi so he stops walking into walls.)

And what better way to convert the sect than get TLJ out from under the mountain and pledge their allegiance to him? If SQH pulls this madness off in time they might even have a chance to save SXY! (Which would placate QQQ, especially after the Old Palace Master's garbage comes to light - she will be one of the main advocates of throwing the man in a pit of fire ants and watching him die a slow, well-deserved death.)

So OPM's manipulation is all out in the open and HHP is going under and I guess that's just barely enough to put them as "not a righteous sect and not an evil sect, but a secret third thing (weird)" which sure is a reputation to have, but not a bad one as such. Anyway, TLJ is the emperor of a whole realm and he's bankrolling them, so it's not like they need to play nice with the rest of the jianghu if they don't want to.

That sure would be a fun scenario for Shen Yuan to transmigrate into, huh? Lands as a nameless OC disciple (17 and very sassy) who's joining CQMS after his native sect was destroyed by some random catastrophe and he's making up all these elaborate plans in his head on how to help LBH out in the sect, only to find out that LBH (also 17 and very spoiled) is head disciple of Bai Zhan, getting kinda-but-not-really preferential treatment because he's the son of the sect benefactor. Also for funsies please imagine a Moshang spawn there too, because SQH developed an unfortunate habit of falling into every wifeplot ever (it's the System's revenge).

Trouble trios Ning Yingying+Sha Hualing+Liu Mingyan vs Shen Yuan+Bingmei+Moshang sprog unintentionally trying to outdo each other on who can cause their respective Shizuns the bigger headache. Shen Yuan isn't certain why he ended up in such a wacky AU fanfic setting, but Binghe is happy and handsome and keeps hitting on him cooking him snacks to make him feel welcome after what happened to his old sect, so he's enjoying his time too much to complain (much).

[silverofthunder]

☆ i'll wait for you ☆

Papa Emeritus IV x GN reader || AO3

summary: It was supposed to be only six months intership kind of thing. The original plan had been: go there, do you job and then leave. You weren't ready for any unwanted feelings to blossom. But then you met Copia and something changed. The walls around you started to crack little by little.

content: 3.2k words, gn!reader, hurt/comfort, fluff, romance, friends to lovers (kinda), bad attempt at humor, references to past abusive relationship (just mentioned that past has been difficult, mostly left open to interpretation)

I wasn't supposed to write for this fandom but my brain decided otherwise. 🙈 It's been about three years since I've last written anything so this isn't my best work, obviously. Nonetheless, I had missed writing so much and I really enjoyed writing this so I guess that's all that counts. ♡

”You should go!” your friend said, sounding way too excited. ”You said you wanted a change of scenery so this is your chance!”

You stared at the letter in your hand and then looked up at your friend. They nodded, smiling.

You shook your head, sighing. ”Okay, I guess I’ll do it then.”

And that’s how you found yourself standing in front of the Sister Imperator at the Ministry.

”Is everything clear now?”

”Yes, Sister,” you answered, taking a pile of books and papers from the table. ”One question --”

you were interrupted by the door opening and someone rushing in.

”You’re late,” Sister Imperator remarked, clearly a bit irritated. The man who had come in drew in a long breath, looking a bit apologetic and came to stand beside you.

”Copia, here is your assistant. I have given them short briefing, the rest is yours to decide.”

Your eyes met his mismatched ones and you smiled politely – or at least tried to smile. Copia returned the smile, then taking a slight bow.

”Pleased to meet you.”

The first few weeks were quite hectic as you tried your best to keep up with your assistant chores and stay as far from Sister Imperator as possible. There was something in her that made you feel so uncomfortable.

You were now walking in the garden outside, enjoying the short break you had been granted. It was nice to explore more of the Ministry area, and properly take it all in. You breathed in the fresh air, then slowly releasing it out.

At first you had thought that coming here had been a mistake but now it didn’t seem that bad. Copia had made you feel welcome and it was actually nice to work with him – or for him. He certainly was intriguing, and you couldn’t wait to get to know the man more.

You had also met the ghouls and they were a bit intimidating but also interesting creatures. So human-like but still not human. They hadn’t talked much, only looked at you with curiosity, and you took it that they didn’t mind you being there and working with Copia.

”Would you like to have a dinner with me today?” Copia asked quietly, and you nearly knocked over your ink bottle.

Oh shit, you cursed in your mind. It wasn’t an unusual question, so there was no need to react that way. But still, it had surprised you.

”It’s okay if you--”

”Yes, I would like that very much.”

You were afraid that you might have sounded too eager but Copia didn’t seem to notice anything. The smile was tugging at his lips as nodded slightly before burying himself in his work again. Something inside you jolted but you ignored it as you moved your gaze back to your papers, a small smile still plastered on your lips.

It became a habit, that you two ate dinner together. Soon you even started spending more time together outside of work and you could easily admit that you enjoyed Copia’s company. He was kind, funny and slightly awkward but it only made him more endearing.

You two grew closer day by day, and so grew the feeling somewhere deep within you. At first you you just ignored it, thinking it was just some temporary glitch in your system.

But you knew what it was. And you knew it most likely wouldn’t go away.

Something you weren’t yet ready for had started to blossom.

You couldn’t sleep so you decided to go to the part of the Ministry library that had become your favorite. You sat down on the chair and and switched on the lamp on the table next to it.

For a moment you just sat there and then you unlocked your phone, searching for one secific conversation. You didn’t need to read it again since it all was still clear as a day in your head but you still went through the messages.

It hurt to read them. It always did. Not so much nowadays but the pain was still there, nonetheless. You were pretty sure it would never truly go away, no matter how much time passed.

A few tears fell to your cheeks as you closed the conversation, locking the phone. Sudden rustling startled you and you almost dropped you phone.

”Sorry, tesoro, didn’t mean to scare you,” Copia’s familiar, soothing voice made you relax. You quickly wiped away the tears and turned to look at him.

”Hi,” you said, attempting to smile. ”What are you doing here?”

Copia didn’t answer straight away, he looked at you with concern and you shifted on the chair.

”What’s troubling you, my dear?”

You sighed, looking straight into his eyes. You hadn’t really spoke about your past, especially your painful past, and only a few of your friends and your parents knew what you had gone through. Copia seemed genuinely worried, he pulled another chair closer, sat down and took your hands in his.

”It’s a long story,” you stated. ”And not a pretty story.”

Copia’s brows furrowed as he squeezed your hands.

”We have all night.”

The plan had been very clear: go to the Ministry, do your job and then leave. There wasn’t supposed to be any unwanted feelings involved. Your love life had been a bitch in the past and you had sworn that you had no time for crushes or anything like that.

But it seemed that dear Satan had another plan for you and now you had to deal with an undeniable crush on Copia. The sweetest man you had ever met. Who, despite now knowing about your past, had not run as far as he could or had not called the whole internship thing off. Who still treated you with the same respect as he had done straight from the start.

Basically it seemed like nothing had changed – maybe there hadn’t on his side. But what came to you… Everything had changed.

And it scared the hell out of you.

”Keep your eyes closed,” Copia instructed and you kept your eyes closed, excitement bubbling at the bottom of your stomach. You could hear Copia moving in front of you, mumbling something and letting out some quiet funny noices every once in a while.

”Now it’s all set, open your eyes.”

You did as was told and the sight before you took you by surprise. On the ground there was a blanket with plates, wine glasses and a basket full of food on it. The lights on the trees casted a faint glow upon it and before them opened up a lovely lake view. For a moment you couldn’t do anything but stare at the whole setting.

”It might be too much but I--”

”No, it’s beautiful, I…” you trailed off and took a hold of Copia’s hands, your gaze meeting his. Copia shifted slightly, and you pulled him closer, freeing your other hand and lifting it up to brush you fingers along his cheek.

The look in Copia’s eyes softened as he leaned into your touch.

”I just want to know. Why? Why all of this?” your voice was barely a whisper.

”You really haven’t realized it yet?” Copia sounded almost hurt and you shook you head, a knot forming in your stomach.

Of course you had your suspicions. The way Copia had acted around you, the slight touches, the softness in his gaze, the moments you had caught him staring at you and the faintest of red had started to adorn his cheeks and ears.

You weren’t ready for this, voicing the feelings part. It was too hard.

”Can we just… not talk about it now?” you pleaded, cupping Copia’s face. The look in Copia’s eyes was devastating and it made your heart break a little. But you knew he understood.

”Let’s just enjoy this now,” you suggested, caressing Copia’s cheeks with your thumbs. ”I need more time.”

Copia offered you a sad smile, nodding. You really hadn’t much time since the internship was about to end in two months. But for now, you didn’t want anything to change.

”I really don’t deserve you.”

Sighing Copia wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in a hug. It felt a like comforting blanket but also like you were letting something huge go.

Why were feelings so hard?

”You did what?!” your friend basically screeched at the other end of the line. ”Oh god, you’re such an idiot!”

”Thanks, that really made me feel better,” you remarked while pacing in your room.

”Oh, sorry, but honestly, what’s the problem?”

”You know what’s this all about.”

Your friend let out an angry sigh and you tried not to laugh. They were so dramatic sometimes.

”You can’t let your past define your future. From what you’ve told, it seems like he really likes you and you definitely like him back. He’s a good man, right?”

”Yes, he seems to be. Too good even,” you answered, a small smile tugging at your lips. Your friend let out a little laugh.

”I can hear you smiling.”

”I’m not,” you tried, knowing well your friend wouldn’t buy it.

”Sure you’re not. Honestly, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

That was a good question and you really had no sensible answer.

”He could break my heart?”

You could hear your friend try to keep it together. They drew in a long breath, slowly releasing it.

”That’s the risk you’ve got to take when it comes to love.”

”Yeah...” you said quietly, knowing that your friend was right.

For the past few weeks hadn’t been easy. Copia seemed to avoid you – or at least keep more distance – and your conversations had shortened greatly. He still seemed to be a bit hurt by your rejection, though you didn’t count it as a proper rejection. Now, whenever you two were on the same room, he looked like he didn’t know what to do with himself and it made your heart ache. A part of you wanted to just go and comfort him and the other part was holding onto the walls around you that had started to crack.

You had around six weeks left and everything was a mess. The ghouls were sending very intimidating and hard glances at you when you happened to pass them by. They were pretty protective of Copia and now you basically had given them a reason to be on the alert. They hadn’t seemed to mind about you at first and you didn’t see them that often but now a few of them seemed to keep a closer eye on you.

It was just your luck that everything had gone to south. You kicked a stone in the ground while walking on the yard and cursed in your mind.

”What did that stone do to you?”

The question made you jump and you turned around fast, meeting Copia’s slightly amused gaze. Your brain short-circuited and for a moment you just stared at him.

”Nothing”, you answer after a while, now mentally kicking yourself. Copia hummed, stepping closer to you until he was standing right in front of you. Your heart rate sped up a bit and you could feel the warmth on your cheeks.

”Tesoro mio…” Copia started quietly. ”I’m sorry I’ve been a bit distant lately.”

”It’s my fault. I…” you trailed off, shaking your head.

”I never meant to scare you. It was too much and too soon.”

Copia’s eyes were filled with emotion and your heart stung.

”It’s just… My past… I’m afraid I get hurt again.”

Copia seemed to hold back tears and it made you tear up.

”I could never hurt you. Not like that.”

You closed your eyes, tears starting to flow. Hands took a hold of yours but you didn’t dare to open your eyes.

”I’ll wait for you.”

For now, that was all you needed to hear and you took a step forward, wrapping your arms around Copia.

You were going through papers, reading some parts here and there but the text seemed blurred. It was no wonder as you had slept badly for the past few nights as the nightmares had plagued you.

”It’s third time you go through the same pile”, Copia stated, worry evident in his voice. ”You seem tired. Have you not slept at all?”

You checked the papers again and he was right, you had already organized them. No wonder everything had looked so alike. With a loud sigh you dropped your head onto the table.

”The nightmares have started again so no, I haven’t really slept.”

”Again?”

”They come and go. Usually they bother me for a few nights and then it might be several weeks before they come again”, you explained, lifting your head up and meeting Copia’s eyes. The look in them was filled with worry.

”Is it…?” Copia didn’t finish the question, he didn’t need to. You just nodded.

”Can I help somehow?”

”Maybe…” you started, hesitating a bit. ”...if you could stay the next night with me?”

The look in Copia’s eyes softened, a small smile tugging at his lips.

”I can do that, though I’m not sure if that actually helps.”

You shrugged, flashing Copia a slight grin. ”Well, we won’t know if we don’t try it, right?”

Copia laughed.

”I guess the floor is mine, then.”

Your eyes widened as Copia grinned and you grabbed some trash from the table and threw it at him. He pretended to be offended by that.

”You… old man! You’re definitely sleeping on the floor.”

Copia shook his head in amusement before standing up and coming to you. You had no time to react as he pulled you up and lifted you up. You grabbed onto his shoulders as he spun you two around, your laughter echoing in the room.

This was it. This was how you wanted everything to be. Or at least a part of you wanted.

As Copia finally let you down, your eyes met again. The warmth in his eyes made your heart soar, awakening the part you had wanted to keep asleep.

The part that wanted to kiss him so badly.

You stepped away from him, still smiling, and the moment was gone.

Even thought it wasn’t supposed to happen, that night you still ended up sleeping in the same bed. Copia’s arms where wrapped around you, his breath tickling the sensitive skin of your neck.

There was no nightmares that night, only cozy warmth, peace and safety.

”So are you two now together or what?” your friend sounded confused on the phone.

”No, we’re not together,” you said. ”It’s complicated but everything is well now. We can have fun and just be us like we used to be before… you know.”

”Okay… But you just said that you have been sharing a bed with him? And you’re just friends?”

”Yes and yes.”

”Alright… That’s really confusing,” your friend stated. ”But I’m happy that you seem to be doing better now.”

”Me too.”

There was a short moment of silence before your friend spoke again.

”Have you thought about what’s gonna happen when your internship ends? There’s only like… three weeks left, right?”

”Three weeks, yes,” you confirmed. ”No, I haven’t really thought about it.”

Your friend let out a long sigh.

”You should think about it. And goddammit, make your move already or I will come there and kick your stupid asses!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that threat.

”I was about to make a move some time ago,” you admitted and your friend screeched so loud your ear hurt.

”What?! What do you mean?”

”We had a… moment and we were pretty close and I almost… kissed him. I mean I wanted to kiss him, but didn’t.”

”Dammit, you oaf! Oh god, I’m probably gonna get a heart attack before anything happens between you two.”

”That’s possible,” you laughed. ”Okay, I need to go now, I will call you again at some point.”

”Yeah, go to your man! Bye!”

Shaking your head smiling you said your goodbyes and hung up.

The days went by fast and ending of the internship had now come. You had spent as much time with Copia as possible and it had been amazing. It was hard to explain how you felt with him. Even though you hadn’t been easy to be with, he had stayed. If something would have made people run away from you, it would have been your past.

But not Copia. He had taken your past as a part of you, understanding the weight of it on your shoulders.

Falling in love was supposed to be a beatiful thing but to you it had been one of the greatest fears for several years. And now you had had to face that fear, try to open your heart and break the walls around you.

It wasn’t easy when your heart wanted one thing and the head told the opposite. But maybe, just maybe, you had started to see the beauty of falling in love again.

I’ll wait for you.

That had been a promise you never expected to hear. And it might have changed the course of everything.

As you now stood outside the Ministry, all your luggages beside your feet, waiting for your ride to arrive, you felt sad and like you were doing something you shouldn’t do. You had to admit that you really didn’t want to leave. Even though it hadn’t been easy, you still had enjoyed being there. It had been quite an experience, opening pages in your book you thought would never be opened again.

The car pulled over and the driver came to help you with the luggages.

”Trying to leave without saying goodbye?”

A small smile rose to your lips as you turned around, seeing Copia standing by the Ministry doors hands behind his back. Your heart ached as this was it.

The moment you had dreaded.

You asked the driver to wait for a moment and walked over to Copia, noticing the hint of sadness in his gaze. You two hadn’t still spoken about what you were and you knew that now was the time to make some things clear.

”Copia…” you started, cupping his face gently. He leaned into your touch, the look in his eyes changing hopeful as he set his hands on your waist, pulling you closer. You breathed slowly in, the mild, familiar scent of Copia filling your senses, comforting you.

You lingered in the moment because you didn’t want to let go. And neither did Copia, it seemed, as he just tightened his hold of you and rested his forehead against yours.

”Please…” he whispered.

Your heart made a little jump in your chest as you knew what he wanted. You pulled slightly back so you could look at him in the eyes. And that was the moment when all your doubts seemed to vanish and you let your heart make the decision.

With a fluttering heart you finally leaned in and kissed him. You felt Copia basically melt against you, his arms sliding around you, and it made you smile into the kiss.

A sudden clearing of throat broke your moment and you parted, both smiling in awe. Unfortunately it was time for you to go.

”I’ll come back”, you promised as you started to walk backwards towards the car.

Copia nodded, his face radiating happiness.

”I’ll wait for you.”

[short-black-diamond]

MHA Headcannons, part 2

Part one

This is a headcannon series, some of what I'm thinking/writing about may be true, but not all is. Thank you for your understanding.

---

Let's talk about Sero and Deku in this one. Sero, who always likes to goof around with Kaminari, Mina, Jirou, Kirishima and Bakugo. And Deku, who likes to study with Iida, Uraraka, Tsuyu and Shoto. Let's talk about them.

Sero Hanta, Cellophane, or just Sero, is a very nice and chill dude, but I think that he is often being looked at as some 'plain' guy. Sure, he might've flirted with a few people here and there, but it was mostly smalltalk they did. I guess he was more like a tape dispenser than a real person to them.

I often think about that maybe, Sero also feels as if he's being treated like an object, mainly because of his quirk, but I also think that he's being taken advantage of pretty often too. For example, he and Denki like to ogle at pretty girls, right?

Well, some p(r)etty girls like to use him for his quirk or money or for him to run some errands and then dissappear out of thin air. Maybe because of that, he stays cautious around girls in general.

I also don't think that he meant it when he compared Yaoyorozu's eating habits for producing more things to pooping. I think he was just muttering his thoughts out loud and was being blunt. But he didn't really deserve that punch from Jirou.

Another thing I'd like to say is that he could be bi- or pansexual, why? Because he likes hanging out with both boys and girls and doesn't mind it. He also enjoyed being carried like a princess by Deku.

...

Speaking of Deku, he may have the exact problem, being called plain by Uraraka and all. I think that he got bullied not only by Bakugo, but also by many girls.

For example, Izuku never really talked to girls except his mother, so he had quite a lot of crushes to the girls in his or other classes. Too bad they didn't like him, too bad he didn't have a quirk back then.

So, they pulled pranks on him, laughing at him when he wanted to confess to somebody. "eeeeeww"ing when he tried to compliment them. So, Izuku gave up.

I also headcannon that Izuku tries to be as polite as possible towards his female classmates, and trying not to overstep any boundaries. Even around Uraraka, who is one of his best friends, he tries to be as polite as possible. In my opinion, he doesn't really see Uraraka how she is. He may be bracing himself. Counting the days until she- or any other girl he has grown friends- makes fun of him. So he doesn't really do anythign except trying to keep that 'friendship'.

He still often thinks that he is looking weird and stuff like that, wanting to just have somebody who is nice and sweet, not judging by looks or icks, just the personality. uthem a chance you wouldn't regret it. :)

...

[astrangetorpedo]

‘Media Is the Third Parent’: A Conversation With Lucy Dacus

by Justin Joffe | 2/22/17

The music that we love is an accumulation of narratives. The stories those songs tell, the memories they create for us and the truths that their writers have lived all become an important rubber band ball of context and experience, informing our connection to them in ways we don’t always immediately get.

So when a young artist emerges from the formless depths of adolescence near-fully formed, the narrative starts taking shape even before we understand it. Cries of nepotism, entitlement, and business collusion often drown out the true origin story of someone who takes to a big stage so all of a sudden, whether or not those cries have any merit. And in the case of Lucy Dacus, a 21-year old singer/songwriter from Richmond Virginia with a remarkably deep and powerful voice, no such assumptions about her recent ascension ring the least bit true.

Adopted at a young age and creatively nurtured by her piano-playing mother, Dacus’ musicality was embedded in her home life from the get go. Her debut, No Burden, was recorded by her guitarist Jacob Blizard as part of his winter project at music school Oberlin and released by hometown label EggHunt Records last February. Almost immediately, Dacus’ husky alto caught the attention of larger labels—over 20 of them—requiring her to take some time sifting through the muck and the mud, fielding offers and inquiries guided largely by her convictions and her gut.

Six months later she signed with venerable independent label Matador Records, and their reissue of Dacus’ No Burden last fall gave hope to this whole generation of self-starters. Dacus’ reverb-drenched, alt-country-dusted songs cut to the question of how an artist in the public eye can still live away from what Sartre called “the gaze of the other”, free from expectations of beauty or lapses in trust, living and working only by the standards they set for themselves.

We caught up over the phone to discuss what it means to take personal agency over your work in a time when art and politics seem pretty much inseparable.

How ya doin’?

Good, I’m in Canada! Hopefully my connection will be good, but if it starts to break up I’ll blame it on that.

So, were you looking at a hearse or a limousine? That lyric of yours reminds me of one of my favorite Leonard Cohen lyrics, “Thought I saw an eagle, but it might have been a vulture, never could decide.”

Yeah, that one’s really good.

Much of your album speaks to trust and navigating uncharted waters, but can you unpack that rhetorical question for me?

I guess the point of that song, “Troublemaker, Doppelganger” is trying to navigate the worth of beauty, and if it’s hurtful or helpful to value beauty. If it’s a curse or a blessing. Is that something really negative and morbid, like the hearse, or is it the limousine—a glamorous symbol of enjoying life?

I’m trying to connect how your interest in the aesthetic side of media, between your time in film school and your time as a photo editor, has informed your perspective on our habits of consumption and decision making. Is that something that weighs on your mind often?

Yeah! The media, and how we’re taught to read it, has a huge impact on who we become as people. When you’re a kid you learn whatever your parents think, until you start taking in media. Because all your friends are your age as well, media is the third parent that you ever have. So I think about that a lot, what visual imagery is teaching us, and media in general having a huge impact. But it’s ambiguous—if you haven’t learned the cultural symbolism where media is coming from, it can be really confusing.

You said that you felt this record was possible because you went into it without any expectations, during the writing and recording process. But the minute any work is released to the public, media expectations become imposed upon us. I guess it’s what Sartre called “the gaze of the other”. How do you keep that purity of intention during your process while operating inside someone else’s media infrastructure, an infrastructure that you didn’t build? It’s something I feel that you’re in a particularly great place to help us with.

[Laughs] A lot of the songs for the next record were actually written well before we spoke to a label or had any kind of coverage, so at least for the next record, I haven’t had to deal with that. But of course I’m still writing, and I think the biggest aspect of it that keeps me from catering to our current infrastructure is not trying to write. I don’t ever sit down and say, “OK, I need to write a song” or “I need to crank something out” or “I have to make something that will satisfy the people around me.” That’s never been a concern, I don’t think that should be a concern, and it means I maybe don’t write at a quick pace anymore, but everything that I do write is stuff that just comes to me the way any other thought does. So far it doesn’t feel like anything that I’ve written is compromised by the fact that we have a label now.

You’ve spoken about how you had to develop a bit more business acumen after this album was finished and you were shopping your project around a bit. Do you almost learn those things so that you can know when you don’t have to use them, in a way? When you don’t have to have your guard up with them?

Yeah, I really enjoy navigating the business aspect of having a band, and there is a great amount of instinct. You don’t wanna work with people who make you feel weird, even if they’re super qualified. You don’t want to feel like you’re being used by anybody, even though you are submitting to that in some way, in some mutual using of whoever you end up working with. But there’s a fine line that’s hard to describe between being taken advantage of and having a partnership. I feel like that might be different for everybody, but I would just suggest that anyone getting into this take their time and compare a lot of different companies or whatever you’re choosing. Be comparative about decision making , because you don’t have to rush into things.

That ties into the themes of trust on this record, too, which is funny because you wrote these songs before having to navigate those waters. You wrote, “I wanna live in a world where I can keep my doors open, but who knows what’d get in and what’d get out.” Would it be a stretch to connect that lyric toward your path of ascension in the music sphere, toward your approach to how you present yourself? Are you talking about trust in the abstract here?

Absolutely. The more you learn the more wise you’re supposed to be, but I still reflect upon myself as a child, or even just myself pre-audience, kind of contemplating on where my creativity came from at that point and always trying to stay connected to why I originally started writing. I did write that song a while ago, but luckily it still rings true.

I talked to Joe Steinhardt of Don Giovanni a few weeks ago, and he’s of the mind that the big three media companies are turning into the big three tech companies, insofar as Apple, Google and Amazon are eating whole industries of art, commerce and media. It got me wondering what we can do. Now obviously you’re on Matador, and they have a great reputation around doing right for their artists’ sustainability. What are you, and they, doing right when it comes to giving artists some agency over their own work?

I guess there’s two ways to approach this question. There’s technically retaining the rights to your own music, being structurally independent and not feeding into major labels or major companies, but then there’s also this idea of retaining agency in a more metaphysical sense.

I think both are important. Matador’s an independent label, which was part of the reason that we chose them. Myself, I feel like I still have ownership over my own work. Like I said, you just have to retain your writing process and not force anything. That’s what helps me feel like I still have a handle on what I make—it’s coming from me because of me, not because of anything else.

On top of that, I really like and respect bands that do more than just the typical structuring of recording, releasing and touring an album. Bands that are socially active, bands that are not afraid to talk about their belief systems explicitly. I’ve been inspired by that, and that feels like not just taking agency over your own work, but taking agency over the responsibility that you’ve been granted by a fanbase. Really contemplating your fanbase and being present with the people who listen to your music.

That begs the very timely and topical question, too—if all art comes from culture, and cultures are being stigmatized right now, then isn’t all art political? The question’s kind of irrelevant when the creative class is kind of a marginalized community in its own right, but I guess I’m just wondering how your value system responds to right now, as you come into the creative class professionally at a time when a lot of people are freaking out about the abolishment of the National Endowment of the Arts and similar public-funded avenues for creative programs or dialogues. What’s your role in pushing back against that?

The solution we came up with as a band for this tour was raising money for local charities at each of the shows that we’ve been playing. That feels like a pretty effective form of activism so far, but beyond that, I would hope that the music we make and tour causes people to consider not necessarily the specific current events happening around the world, but what’s behind them—power struggles, contemptment and these other things behind the negativity that we see, a lack of fulfillment in people.

It’s nobody’s actual job, but I personally admire people who see it as their responsibility. Whether its actual resources going to real life projects, charities or charities, that’s one piece of it. But like I said, the content of the music can really change people’s mindset, and I know that I’ve definitely been changed by some musicians and lyrics that I’ve heard. Like I said, media is the third parent to anybody. I would just hope that people write things that call for more thought instead of less thought. That could make a huge difference.

(x)

[manyothermusingsofmine]

Food for Apology || Drabble

Fandom: Xmen

Warnings: None

Wordcount: 2553

Summary: Comforting an upset friend takes many forms, and sometimes you can really only talk about how you feel after getting some good food in your stomach first.

-------------------------------

"So the mission went poorly."

With a slight lean against the cabinets so he had a full look of the kitchen, Gambit had been keeping an eye on the foods he had made for dinner. Despite always making more than he thought he needed, there were plenty of people who would try anything from trickery to just straight up using their abilities to get an even bigger share despite most of them already being well fed for the evening. Besides, it was a fair assessment to make with how the last mission had gone according to everyone put on duty for it.

Miranda hadn’t been taking it well, so he had been on the look-out for anything in the kitchen that decided to miraculously start moving around; she hadn’t been physically seen since she was healed back up by Shadow. Gambit had fully expected some quippy remark in return to his statement, the newest addition to the team rarely leaving the chance to apply her sarcastic and dry sense of humor untaken.

Instead the floating plate holding a singular beignet that he had been talking to was sat down on the nearest cabinet with a clatter he could only describe as sounding annoyed and upset. He threw a quick glance its way, looking back to address the empty kitchen instead.

"Do ya wanna talk about it?"

The silence was a pretty loud 'no' in that regard.

"Well. There's no reason to sneak around the kitchen in full suited force," Gambit mused, adding a few more beignets to the plate that had been slammed down, "Gambit's not in the habit of rationing food based on mission success rate; this ain't bootcamp, petite. We take care of each other. If you do decide you want to talk, you'll know where to find me."

"Who are you talking to?" Shadow asked as she entered the kitchen, only to have the question answered as the plate started floating again and disappeared through the open door she just came from, "Oh. Well, there went my answer, I guess. … Any luck getting her to talk? Should I go after her, you think?"

He decided to not initiate conversation, looking up at the night above where stars had started to twinkle in the sky. It left both of them in silence for quite a while, until at some point it was her who grew uncomfortable with the quiet.

"Non,” Gambit replied while handing her a plate of food as well, “best we can do is keep her fed; it's called comfort food for a reason, chère. She'll talk when she's ready to."

It was probably, undoubtedly, weird to feel anything resembling relief at a floating plate coming down the hallway, but as Kurt watched it easily swirl around him to avoid collision it was kind of the only way he knew she was still around the mansion. For all anyone knew, Miranda could just decide to leave the place like this and no one but Logan would be any the wiser. He stood there, watching as the plate of beignets disappeared upstairs, debating for quite a while whether or not he should leave her to her own devices or go after her.

He eventually decided to do what he would want his friends to do if it were him in the situation; check on him. In a moment’s notice he was at the top of the stairs, following the faint scent of fresh food to her room just in time to see the plate vanish through the windows. Out of politeness that he couldn’t shake off even if he tried, he still knocked on the door and waited a minute before entering despite being fully aware she had left through the window.

Assessing the situation for a moment, he hopped up on the window sill, easily tossing himself further up to the flat part of the roof with all the grace of an acrobat, and without needing to use the thick plants that grew all over the walls of the building as a makeshift ladder. The plate stopped moving a few feet away from him, as far away as the flat part of the roof allowed her to get before running into more stone wall. He watched for a bit as it was set down, using it to get a feel for where she was relative to him and the walls, before going over and sitting down on the opposite side of the plate.

"What do you want, Kurt?" her voice was clipped, short, and she tried to feign an air of being unbothered that the tremble in her tone immediately disproved.

"To watch the stars."

"Must you do that in the exact same spot I picked? Actually, don't answer that. This is such a prime brooding spot I'm expecting Logan to show up any minute now."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"What?"

"Deflect, dismiss and joke about your feelings as if doing so is the same as dealing with them?"

"Oh? What, would you prefer this?"

Her tone had become sharp and irritated, dropping her invisibility as soon as the last word left her mouth. Kurt just looked at her; taking in how the whites of her eyes had turned a faint red, the tears she had been crying by herself painting a picture of red patches under her eyes and over her cheeks. She didn’t give him any longer to respond to her question, flicking her veil back on as easily as pushing a light switch right.

"Ja, I would, actually," he said softly while watching a beignet disappear seemingly into nowhere, "I would prefer it if you didn't use your powers to run and hide away from those who care about you."

"I don't even prefer looking at this, so you'd be the first.”

It wasn’t even enough to make him flinch, the verbally biting way her emotions decided to come out. It only made his concern grow, the way she acted like these emotions made her lesser, somehow. It so clearly came from a sense of hurt that she didn’t want to face head on.

"Care?" she scoffed a little, "in the same way my coworkers did when I vanished and no one bothered to come look for me? Years of almost perfect attendance, and the one time I don't show up for two days in a row they stop my contract and don't even come for a wellness check. Some care that is. I doubt they even noticed. I have always been invisible, if not literally then figuratively. Nothing but a cog to be replaced when it becomes too much of a nuisance to repair."

"You're not a nuisance to us. To me," Kurt replied, leaning back on his arms to look up at the stars again, his tail lightly swishing around as he spoke.

"Not yet," she muttered, a hint of fear tinting the words

Silence lingered between them yet again, as Kurt thought of what to say to actually ease her worries. He thought back of the mission, of how she had frozen in the line of sight of the Sentinel. He didn't blame her for that at all, the big hunks of metal were terrifying even for a seasoned mutant to deal with. And while it had stung that she didn't wait for him on the other rooftop, it started to make sense why she had retreated on her own accord; sounded like 'by herself' had always been her way of dealing with things.

"You're afraid you’ll be left stranded out there when you need help the most."

From the way the food halted in midair, he assumed the statement had left her slack jawed. It had. In the flash of a moment a lot of emotions boiled up, refusing to be suppressed and bottled back up this time around.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Kurt! You have no idea what it's like to always wait for the next moment you finally manage to annoy or bore someone enough that they'll leave! And now, added to that, the fact that I can't get out without help, that I can't even move out of the way of danger because my body doesn't listen to my input?! Oh, no, even worse, just fucking bail on the team entirely, great form Drifting, let's add cowardice and hypocrisy to the ever growing list of your damn flaws, fucking great!"

"I'm not mad at you."

"And somehow, that makes it worse. Because if you're not mad at my choices, what are you? Disappointed, upset?"

"… Ja, maybe a little bit disappointed, that you left. But, worried, mostly; worried that you got hurt further on the way. Concerned, that you didn’t seem to trust me when I told you I would come back."

Clearly that was an answer she didn't expect, as she didn't react to it. The air between them was thick with lingering tension, something the invisible mutant didn't know how to counter act or address without instinctively wanting to lighten the mood. The plate started to float again, being held in Kurt's general direction.

"Care for a beignet?"

An apologetic peace offering, the softened and ashamed tone in her voice more telling than anything. Letting out a soft huff, he accepted, easily swiping one of the treats from the plate with his tail and tossing it over to his hand.

"... You're right about one thing, Miranda; I don't know what it's like to be you. But, really, you think I haven't wished every now and then to be able to hide away from the shame of failure like you can? That I've never felt like a liability to the team and wished the ground would swallow me whole for a bad decision made in a tense situation? I didn’t calculate the timing of that last teleportation right, I took too long to call for back up, all I can do is apologize for that and try to do better next time."

The silence spoke volumes; she never considered that, and yet it seemed so obvious that some would be envious of how her powers allowed her to hide away from the world if she didn't want to deal with any of it.

"… All I hope is that you don’t really think of me, of anyone in here, as malicious or cruel enough to leave you out there on your own,” he only halted to actually eat the treat he had been offered, before continuing; "Unless they incapacitate me to a point where I can’t, I’ll always come get you. I promise."

".... I'm sorry," came the choked reply as she was still trying to fight back her tears- the fact that Kurt didn't see her didn't make it any easier to put her actual feelings on display, "I don't... I should've- I... sorry."

"It's okay."

Something gave out. Whether it was the energy to keep fighting against her tears, or that the mask meant to hide the emotions started to slip didn't matter. Her invisibility followed suit, flickering out as she couldn't keep up the concentration for it, revealing herself back to him. He took one look at her as the tears rolled down her face, shoving the plate aside to close the gap between them before pulling her into a hug. Gently pressing her head to his chest, he ran his hand over her hair while wrapping his other arm around her while silently allowing her to let all her feelings pour out of her.

He held her until the wild whirlpool of emotions stopped swirling, gently keeping her close as the coolness of the evening finally seemed to work its calming magic, only letting go when he was sure she calmed down by a significant amount

"Feel any better?"

"Yeah. Sort of. Thank you. And.. I’m sorry."

"Gern' geschehen. Apology accepted."

A different kind of silence fell between them, as she took a moment longer to linger in the comfort before finally lightly pushing herself out of his embrace.

"... Y’know, someone could've at least told me those fuckers are huge. That would've been a nice heads up."

"That's fair, sorry about that. And? Am I as soft and plushie like as you always imagined?" he laughed as that earned him an elbow to the side.

"Shut up. Wanna go see if there's any of these beignets left? Apparently, Gambit doesn't ration out food based on mission success. His words, not mine."

"If he did a lot of us would starve," Kurt replied with a chuckle, offering his hand for her to take, "come on. His food is always in high demand, so if we want to get lucky and get some left overs we have to move. And like it or not, I’m still faster."

“Somethin’ the matter, petite?”

“Show off.”

She had to admit he wasn’t exactly wrong, though. She couldn’t match the quick and easy way he brought her back to the kitchen, nor the way he dropped the empty plate off and convinced Remy with little but a pair of soulful puppy eyes and a polite request to give both of them more food. He left, leaving the two other mutants as Miranda told him she would be out in a minute. She leaned back on the cabinets beside the Cajun, not exactly wanting to face him completely; and he picked up on the vibe that she wanted to say something but had no idea how to start the conversation.

“I’m… sorry,” the way her voice trailed off and became much smaller on the final word made him quirk a brow; it read like the habit of someone who wasn’t used to her apology being enough to make amends.

“What for?”

“Snapping at you while you were just trying to help. Multiple times.”

“’S alright, heard plenty worse in my life.”

“You sure?”

“Oui, now, go on, get out of here. Our fuzzy friend didn’t swindle me out of an entire plate of beignets just to have them by himself, you know?”

“Oh come now, Gambit has yet to meet anyone capable of saying no to that face; seems to me like it’s working on you as well, non?”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at that, simply amused by witnessing that chain of events play out in real time. She did have to hand it to him, Kurt’s kindness got him far in a lot of things.

“How did he manage that, anyway? You’re growing soft on us, Remy?”

“How’s Shadow doing, Remy? Told her yet that what you feel for her runs far deeper than surface level attraction?” That was a clap back response he clearly hadn’t expected, as Miranda turned her head to look at how his red eyes widened with how pin point direct that had been. She gave him a small smirk as he awkwardly looked off and rubbed the back of his neck

“You’re not as slick as you think you are and unless you solve that little conundrum successfully, I’ll take your opinions on my relationships with a ton of salt, if that’s alright with you. Bye now,” and with that she left as the slight growl of her stomach ushered her to get some food.   

[lucy-dulap]

OC questions for Lucy

1. How easy is it to make them angry? Do they show their anger or hide it?

Lucy gets very easily angry which is why they disociate so often. They cry when they're angry and raise their voice, but they would never hurt someone else while in that state. That's partly why they don't like Satan since he keeps asking them to take out their anger with force and they don't want to make that a habit.

2. Do they believe in soulmates?

The idea of soulmates never interested Lucy. It's mostly because nobody showed interest in them and they only really cared about Minhyeok. It just seemed forced. Not even now would Lucy describe their relationship with Gamigin as being soulmates.

3. Do they have any pet peeves?

Smokers. Lucy loathes smokers, especially the vapping kind. The smell is disgusting, the smoke goes everywhere and there's just so many of them! Lucy just dislikes smokers on principle and would rather choke than be close to one.

4. Do they have a happy place? Somewhere they go to in their heads when they need to relax?

When Lucy is stressed they disociate and there's two things they tend to imagine. One is getting absolutely railled and the other is petting pokémon and making up strategies to beat different targets.

While Samael and Nina were having a messy breakup, Lucy was thinking about the best teratype for an offensive Primarina set.

5. At what stage of their life were they the happiest?

Right now, with Gamigin in Hell. This is the first time they felt seen and where they're serounded by a support system other than their brother. Just being with Gamigin makes them happier than they've ever been.

6. At what stage of their life were they the least happy?

After their parents' death. Lucy had to deal with the death of their parents, moving into a new household, going to a new school and starting 5th grade in a one week period. They can barely remember what happened since they burried those memories deep in their subconcious.

7. At a bar are they more likely to buy someone a drink or have someone buy them a drink?

In the human world they wouldn't go to a bar even if you payed them.

In Hell, they kind of had to on multiple occassions. Every devil tries to buy them alcohol which Lucy refuses politely at first. After the 4th time they had to explain that they don't drink alcohol, they just smashed the glass into the devil's face.

At most they would buy Gamigin a Fanta or something.

8. Have they ever broken any bones? If yes, how?

Lucy broke their arm once because they fell from a tree. They were climbing it to steal some cherries from their neighbour, but when they spotted him they got scared and tried to get down, but they feel and broke an arm.

9. Do they have any memories/experiences they would rather forget?

Their 18th birthday. Not only were they attacked by an angel, marked for sacrifice and saw their brother and only support system die in front of their eyes, but just a few hours before this Minhyeok got very angry at them and told them what a filthy burden they are. Happy birthday I guess

10. What is their favorite memory from their childhood?

Lucy can't remember a lot of what happened in their childhood, but they think they once played pokemon showdown with a friend. Minhyeok knows that it was one of their imaginary friends, but he doesn't want to break it to them.

11. Do they have a "type" that they are usually attracted to?

Pletoşi. Men with long hair which hold a possition of power over them, yet still treat them nicely. So, basicly Asmodeus.

Minhyeok used to have long hair, but when he cut it short to try and look less attractive to Lucy. It worked, but they still love him too much.

12. Do they have any favorite possesions?

Mammon. He gives them money and great hugs and he's not jealous about them dating Gamigin. What more can you ask for?

Him and the Popplio plushie they got when they were 12 for their birthday.

13. Do they have any tattoos? If no, would they ever consider getting one?

Lucy is scared of pain, and they've heard that tattoos hurt a lot and are quite dangerous. But now that they have the whole of Paradise Lost at their back and call, they are considering getting a tattoo of Eevee on their sholder and a matching Toothless tattoo with Gamigin.

14. Do they have any piercings? If no, would they ever consider getting one?

Their ears are pierced with the usual one pierce per ear type. The same problem with tattoos, but they would like to get their ears pierced more.

15. What is their dream house like?

Gamigin's little cottage. It's so small and cozy and quiet. It's in the heart of the forest and Gamigin is there. Plus, Paradise Lost is the safest country in Hell, so they can just live there peacefully with Gamigin.

16. What is something about them that people wouldn't expect just by looking at them?

They're a Lucifer worshiper. The small cross necklace wround their neck and the wet cat vibe they give off at first really don't scream hardcore Lucifer worshiper. The Fallen Angel portrait at the head of their and Minhyeok's bed might give it away, but the shrine they have for their deity is hidden in the attic.

17. How good are they at choosing gifts for others?

Really great. Lucy is a borderline stalker of the people they like, remembering every passing comment someone makes and bringing them what they want. That's why Bimet loves them, they're a marketing algorithm that people can't block with an ad block.

18. Do they have a certain skill that they're particularly proud of?

Pokémon battling. They're very proud of their skills and they would not hesitate to brag when the oportunity shows itself.

19. How would a stranger they just met describe them?

In the human world, a timid weird kid trying very hard to be a lawyer.

In hell, Solomon's kid that's really into dragons

20. How would a close friend they've known for a long time describe them?

Minhyeok would describe them as wasted potential. Inteligent and funny but broken beyond saving. He sees them as the burden he has to carry around since he could never forgive himself from breaking off contact with them.

[deadprompts]

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚆𝙰𝙻𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙳𝙴𝙰𝙳 𝚂𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙾𝙽 𝟷 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃𝚂.

content warning applies. change any pronouns / wording if necessary.

there's us and the dead.

this is what takes us down.

the tragedy of their loss cannot be overstated.

i'm gonna get shit-faced drunk again

you should've seen the look on his face when i punched out his front teeth.

you're still a dumbass.

nice moves there, clint eastwood.

i think tomorrow i'm gonna blow my brains out.

y'all be more polite to a man with a gun!

zero tolerance for walkers.

that's the biggest lie there is.

we're safe here.

it's not a toy.

i know how the safety works.

keep drinking, little man.

do not enter the city.

bright side, it'll be the fall that kills us.

you may think you do but you don't.

living underground doesn't help; not knowing if it's day or night.

wish i could have done it a month ago.

friend, you need glasses.

there's good news?

it was worth every minute of it just to see that prick spit his teeth out on the ground.

i finally got the scrubbers in the east sector shut down to save power.

there were dozens of 'em.

eww. that's nasty.

maybe we got a second chance.

help me now, show me the way.

i didn't behave, i know.

screw you, man.

sometimes they fall short.

you take that stupid hat and go back to "on golden pond."

you the new sheriff come riding in to clean up the town?

cozy in there?

the only reason i got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family.

i don't even know why i'm talking to you.

that's my boy.

this is our extinction event.

how far do you think i can chuck this, huh?

things are different now.

if you see anything, holler. i'll come running.

go on, tell me what to do.

hey kid, what'd you do before all this?

what are the odds, huh?

i know what i want to say.

i see a chance to make a new start.

i remember my dream now.

i ain't begged you before, i ain't gonna start begging now.

i know i'm being punished.

it wasn't my intention.

i can't let a man die of thirst.

i wanna see how red your face can get.

the world ended, didn't you get the memo?

we survive this by pulling together, not apart.

anybody that gets in the way of that is gonna lose.

it scares the fish.

thought i'd get to drive at least for a few more days.

i'll give you a moment to think about that.

i'm sorry this happened to you.

i'm old enough.

it belongs to the dead now.

maybe we'll get to steal another one someday.

nobody is gonna hurt you, okay?

they came out of nowhere.

saves me the embarrassment.

that's the bad news.

can i learn to shoot?

you pull the trigger, you have to mean it.

not many people get that.

bites kill you.

just...feeling very...off.

words can be meager things.

what he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me.

what do you say to that?

guess the world changed.

the fever burns you out, but then after a while... you come back.

hell yes you're gonna learn.

you heard me, bitch.

the weak get taken.

there's no clinical progress to report.

still not sleeping well, can't seem to keep regular hours.

we gotta do it carefully, teach you to respect the weapon.

we are surviving here.

too bad i never studied engineering.

yeah, whatever, yee haw.

they might not seem like much one at a time, but in a group all riled up and hungry, man you watch your ass.

one thing i do know, don't you get bit.

we don't kill the living.

no crying in the boat.

i bet there isn't a single son of a bitch still listening out there, is there?

that's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being.

you don't know what it's like out there.

you're surrounded by walkers.

we don't have to be afraid anymore.

who voted you king boss?

we left him like an animal caught in a trap.

the line is pretty clear.

admit it, you only came back to atlanta for the hat.

i can see you make a habit of missing the point.

it's only a matter of time.

is this real?

there's us and the dead.

you got a problem?

there's too many of those things.

i never told them what i really thought.

i ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard.

i'm a glass half full kinda guy.

it's the same as it ever was.

who the hell are you, man?!

[deceitfulmorals]

Sanderson's Headcanons! ( rest is under read more cause long- )

FULL NAME: Edward “Eddie” Sanderson

STATUS: ACTIVE. 

GENDER: Male

SPECIES: Pixie

HEIGHT: smol Pixie Prince - in human form - I’d say about 6 ft, maybe.

EYE COLOR: Amethyst; blood red when angered.

HAIR COLOR: Black.  

                                     THE FACTS-

NAME DAY: ( going by Edward ) March 18th.

OCCUPATION: Pixie Prince; therapist to most who seek it.

SEXUAL IDENTIFICATION: Bisexual

ROMANTIC IDENTIFICATION: Pansexual

ALIGNMENT: A very fine thin line between Chaotic Neutral & Chaotic Evil.

CRIMINAL HISTORY: Nothing too big in the main verse; just keeps trying to take over Fairy World, taken a baby clown child to raise as his own son for his & his uncle’s plans. AU - basically hinting towards the idea of Sanderson killing H.P. with help & finally taking over Pixie world as his own rightful birthright. Then slowly plans to take over Fairy World once things fall into place. Opps. Did I say too much?

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: It’s complicated.

                                             FAVORITES-

FAVORITE FOOD: Saffron Risotto, Lobster; other Italian dishes, but the Saffron Risotto is his main favorite.  

FAVORITE DRINK: Red Decadence Chocolate Wine

FAVORITE SCENT: the smell of fear -Does that count? Then I guess cherry blossoms & lavender.

FAVORITE PERSON: Isn’t it obvious? He likes to pick on Cosmo.

                    RANDOMS -  ten facts about your muse:

1. ) Unlike the other Pixies, Sanderson is by far from boring. He just dumbs it down when in the presence of others & his uncle, H.P.

2. ) Edward has the tendency to do physical harm to himself if he’s having a bad day unless he can find another outlet; pain is usually something else that calms him down. He’s just an impatient spoiled pixie baby who’s waiting for H.P to finally retire & give up his job title.

3. ) When not running errands for his uncle, Sanderson has a side job on his hands - taking the role of a therapist for different species, not just magic folk.

4. ) He absolutely DESPISES most fairies. He’s only very slowly coming around towards Cosmo.

5. ) nsfw hc- Sanderson will dominate in any way possible. Magic is also on his side, so expect some changes. He’s also a rough partner, but he appreciates cuddles afterwards.

6. ) Like the fairies, Pixie’s wings are also sensitive. He might not show very much emotion, but if someone touches his wings, he becomes very relaxed & might be affectionate towards that person depending on the situation.  

7. ) Eddie doesn’t like to feel emotions. But he enjoys the sight of others showing them. He tends to take it as a sign of weakness in a way.  

8. ) Sanderson’s favorite color is - have you guessed it? Blood red. Dunno what it is about it, he just becomes very docile at the sight of it.

9. ) Sanderson never really wanted to become a fairy godparent like H.P. supposedly wants to. He just followed in his uncle’s footsteps. Sure, he might want the power to grant wishes, but at the same time, he doesn’t want to be recognized as something he despises. It’s all apart of the plan of corporate take over, then world domination. For him, anyway.

10. ) He might have a cold, cruel outlook, but really, Sanderson is just a pixie wanting to stand out from the crowd, have some support on his side & might secretly want that special someone who actually cares enough to show never ending love towards him.

5 GOOD HABITS- Neat & Clean, Gives off a polite attitude towards authority, Listens to orders & carries things out in a timely manner, Shows ‘care’ towards his patients & documents everything that’s been said. He’s an early bird most of the time.

5 BAD HABITS- tends to become angry & agitated when things don’t go his way; he only really shows it when he’s alone.  Has an obsessive behavior, likes to occasionally tick his uncle off by making small noticeable changes towards his wardrobe one item at a time.  Talking/humming to himself Being overly critical/argumentative

5 FEARS- Losing someone he personally cares about, whether he acknowledges it or not., Catagelophobia - fear of being ridiculed ( not a strong fear, but close enough ), Athazagoraphobia - fear of being forgotten or ignored, Claustrophobia - Fear of confined spaces, Losing money; magic shortages.

[tmnt-tychou]

OMG, I finished it! *cries in fangirl trash* The last chapter is up. Thanks for waiting so patiently. Sorry it took me so long. If I had my way, I would have finished the whole series before Halloween, but October was crazy busy and I got a little burned out in the end.

If this is your first time seeing this story, you can find Part One Here.

It Hides Within the Fog

Chapter Five: Leonardo

All four turtles were swallowed in the fog way too fast. A few seconds and she couldn't see any of them and panicked. Her flashlight reflexively shined in the direction Leonardo had gone. It was habit now. She had secretly been crushing on him for weeks. She always wanted to go where ever he was. She had no idea if he felt the same, but he never seemed to mind any time she tagged along with whatever he was doing.

“Leo?” she called into the fog. “I can't find you.”

There was no response. Maybe he didn't want her company after all. Then a light came from the mist and he appeared.

“I found you,” he said with gentle humor.

That statement—not just the words, but how he said them—warmed her to her toes. Sometimes it felt like he really did soften his professional demeanor for her. It was hard to tell. He was always just a little formal with her when what she really wanted was for him to finally feel free to be himself around her, like she had seen him be around his brothers.

They weren't they yet, though there had been a few times he had dropped his guard around her. Name certainly hadn't given up on him. For right now, she was just happy that he came back for her.

“Thank you for finding me,” she replied with sincere gratitude.

“Always.” His voice was so soft that she nearly missed it. It surprised her, but he had already turned back around to continue his investigation.

Together, their feet found a path of cobblestones that must have once been used by foot traffic. In its state of neglect, the path was overrun with weeds and dirt, but was just visible enough to tell it was there.

Name found herself gravitating toward Leonardo's well-muscled arm as she took in her surroundings. This place was hella spooky. Even more so than it had been when they pulled up at the gate. Back then, they still had the protection of the heavily-armored truck. Out here, they were simultaneously blanketed by fog and very openly exposed. She found herself wishing the other brothers had stayed together. Even though the trade off was one-on-one time with Leonardo, she wished for that protective phalanx guarding her on all sides. There was never a need to be afraid with all four brothers as her bodyguards.

Some small critter startled near her feet and skittered away. She squeaked and lurched for Leonardo's arm. He stopped as she wrapped both arms around it, sandwiching it between her breasts. She could feel his whole body stiffen at the contact before he looked down at her.

“You okay there, Scardy Cat?” he teased.

“I was just startled,” she insisted.

Yet, when she moved to let him go, he placed a hand on her arm.

“Still, you can stay close. If you want.” His voice was low and hesitant. It sent shivers all the way down her spine.

In that moment, she decided to be very brave in this spooky place and took his hand, her arm still clinging to his. She wanted to be close. She wanted to know if he wanted her close.

“I guess I'd better,” she teased back with a wink. “Just to keep an eye on you.”

A slow smile of amusement lit up his face all the way to his eyes. “My hero.”

Name could hardly hold in the dorky snort. Was he flirting with her? She was absolutely giddy to not only have his attention, but that he seemed to be enjoying himself in her presence. He was relaxed and smiling at her. What she wouldn't give to always be able to be around this Leonardo that she had right now. This one was so much better than the careful, polite Leonardo that usually greeted her.

They walked arm in arm down the lane. It was almost romantic, save for the decrepit grave stones on either side. Up ahead, the trail continued under a small bridge. The tunnel was just wide enough to fit a human and one very large turtle. The arch was illuminated in a friendly, yellow light to show that nothing dangerous awaited them underneath.

Yet, Leonardo stopped in his tracks when he noticed it. “How is there a light on way out here?”

“Maybe this is a newer part of the cemetery?” she guessed.

They both waited and listened. Lights on often meant people. But they couldn't hear any signs of human activity.

“I think it's safe,” Name whispered. “Seems like we're alone.”

Leonardo still frowned with suspicion.

“You look worried,” Name said, trying to get him to tell her what was on his mind. “Do you think people are here?”

“No, I just...I'm usually not this lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“To get alone time with you. I keep expecting my brothers to pop up at any time and ask where you are.”

“And you...don't want them to?”

He let out a long breath and wouldn't look at her. “They like you. They all like you very much and they all want your attention. I don't want to take that away from them. We don't have many friends, if you haven't noticed. I want them all to have your friendship and your time, but...”

He trailed off, looked irritated at himself over what he said, then stepped forward.

Name let got of his arm and blurted out, “You have my attention, Leo.”

He paused and turned to look at her.

“You've always had my attention,” she continued. “And I do like your brothers and love spending time with them, but I would love to spend more time with you.”

“You... you do?” he asked dumbly.

“Of course! Why do you think I always follow you around? I kept worrying I was being a bother and taking up your time.”

It looked as though a light bulb just went off in his brain and all their interactions finally made sense.

“Ah,” he said simply. Then he looked pleased.

Name felt bubbly inside for being responsible for that look. So much so, she ran forward for the bridge, urging him to meet her there. She wanted to see his smile in the light.

As she moved closer, it became apparent that the light of the bridge wasn't an electric light at all, but a whole conglomeration of lightning bugs huddled in a large mass. They dispersed as she jogged up to them and she was surrounded by thousands of tiny lights flittering all around her. The mist hung low under the bridge, swirling around her calves in a beautiful dance. It was like a scene from a fairy tale.

Swept up in the magic of it, Name twirled in the mist and the fireflies. Maybe this place had a romance to it after all. She had lost track of her turtle companion until she spun right into him. Even with her momentum, it was like hitting a solid wall. He was immovable as he caught her, one arm around her waist pinning her against him. His free hand trapped her wrist. His thumb purposefully rubbed the pad of her palm. Her face felt on fire as he looked at her with those intense, ice-blue eyes.

Eyes locked, heat spread between them simultaneously. Leonardo backed her up against the tunnel wall. His kiss swallowed her noise of surprise. It was firm, but gentle, just as his hold of her was as he pressed himself against her.

Name's brain struggled to catch up to what her body was telling her. She was in Leonardo's arms, his mouth on hers. And above the roar of her own raging heartbeat in her ears, she heard a sickening crack coming from below.

Leonardo pulled back just in time to give her a startled look before the ground beneath their feet gave way. Everything beneath them crumbled in an instant, plunging them into darkness. Name felt Leonardo's body encase her as they went into free fall.

They landed with a splash and a sickening crack of his shell hitting something solid. Name gasped as frigid water soaked into her jeans.

“You okay?” Leonardo's voice asked in the pitch blackness. She felt his body loosen around her.

Name had miraculously held onto her flashlight and illuminated his wide-eyed face.

“I'm okay. How's your shell?”

He experimentally rolled his shoulders. “I think it's okay.”

She stood, shivering. “This water's freezing!”

Miserable in her wet pants and shoes, she shined her light around. They were in some sort of underground stream. It was only a few inches deep, but enough to soak her shoes.

“How does this exist under the cemetery?” she wondered.

Leonardo had gone back into protection mode. “Doesn't matter. Let's get you out of here.”

She was completely okay with that sentiment as her teeth began to chatter. Leonardo frowned at the fact that she was visibly cold. He didn't have any extra clothing to offer her. Instead, he put an arm around her shoulder and pressed her against his body heat. Together, they sloshed through the darkness.

“This might be a weird time to say this,” Name spoke up, “but I like this version of you.”

“What version is that?”

“The version that smiles at me and feels free to put his arm around me when I'm cold.” The one who would kiss her under a bridge among the glow of a thousand lightning bugs. “The Leo from before was still my friend, but he was always so politely distant.”

She watched at his face. He continued to eye the darkness ahead, but then glanced at her.

“I thought that was the Leo you preferred. You seemed so happy being close with my brothers.”

“I adore your brothers. But that never meant I didn't want to get close to you. I adore you, too, you silly turtle.”

He wasn't looking at her, but a goofy grin was threatening to take over his face.

Up ahead, a pile of rubble grew out of the shallow stream, climbing upward. This had to lead up to the surface level. Name was eager to get out of there and immediately started climbing. Leonardo's arm tightened around her, holding her back.

“Wait.”

Above them, something glowed. Something that bobbed and danced in the darkness. The way it moved sent all her fine hairs at attention. It moved in a way that was teasing, intentional. This was no ball of fireflies.

The darkness shifted. Something big that had once been motionless on the pile of rubble. Leonardo went into action, pushing Name back as he drew his swords. In response, a deep, throaty, animalistic sound rumbled in the darkness. Claws scraped on rocks as a heavy body tensed.

Name dared to shine her flashlight upon it. The light found something akin to the mix of an angler fish with a mouth full of blade like, teeth. But its body was lizard like as it hissed at being exposed and scrambled off into the darkness. There was the sound of splashing in the distance, indicating there was deeper water out there.

Leonardo remained where he was, swords out, tense and listening.

Name couldn't pick up any other motion. “It seemed scared of the light,” she said softly. “Whatever it was. If it comes back, I'll just shine this in its face.”

A tail whipped out of the darkness, completely soundless and undetected until it snapped the flashlight right out of her hand. The flashlight went spinning into the air and landed in the shallow water. The only source of light in the entire cave. Name lunged to retrieve the precious resource, but Leonardo blocked her with one arm.

“Don't,” he said. “Don't let it separate us.”

“Don't let it?” she blurted.

************

Something didn't feel right. Leonardo didn't respond to her question. He had to focus on the darkness. This wasn't just some animal. It had purposefully made it sound like it had fled and immediately came back with a calculated attack. Somewhere in the blackness, the rumble returned. It was mixed with a dry leafy sound, like the cackle of laughter. The sound was horrifying. This thing knew what it was doing.

This was no unidentified cave species. This was an eldritch being of ancient horror, hidden away from mankind, but always existing in the deepest caverns of their primitive lizard brains. Leonardo felt it, too. A primal need to get away from this thing. They were too open on all sides. He needed a solid wall of protection at his back to keep Name safe. He also had to get them out of there.

“Okay, we're going to climb slowly, quietly up and out of here,” Leonardo said. “You stay close to me. Do what I say.”

“What about the flashlight? How are we going to see?”

“I've got another one in my right pocket. You can use that.”

He felt her small hands hesitantly, blindly, feel around his shell to his hip, searching for his pants pocket. Any other time, he would have been very content to let her explore him with just her hands in the dark. Even now, it was difficult to keep his mind from wandering until she found what she had been looking for.

This light wasn't as big or as strong as the one they lost, but it was better than nothing. Slowly, Name made her way up hill of loose dirt and rock. Leonardo watched her back as they inched their way along. Every now and then they stopped to listen, but all they heard was the trickling of water.

He thought he was one with the shadows, that nothing could sneak up on him in the darkness. But he had yet to meet a creature who was one with the pitch. Who lived where no light entered. He heard nothing as he felt something bigger, stronger than he push him right off his feet and he went tumbling head over shell down the incline. Name's scream echoed in his ears.

He slammed his swords into the ground to stop his fall and saw the flickering of light as Name scrambled away from teeth and jaws large enough to chomp her in half. A part of him was impressed she had managed to stay away from those teeth thus far. Her training with them had built up her reflexes and survival instincts. The rest of him was terrified of losing her. Especially after knowing the truth of how she felt; being able to bask in the own truth of his heart. He wouldn't allow losing her now.

He tore up the hill and leaped high in the air. He too was one with silence. The creature was too focused on its prey to notice until Leonardo landed on top of it, both swords buried into the monster's back. It screamed so loud and high pitched, the sound hurt his ears, but Leonardo held on as it bucked and tried to reach him with its claws. He hunkered down, drove the blades in deeper.

Another heavy, dark body with teeth and claws rammed into him with all the power of a freight train and sent him flying. There were two creatures. There had always been two. One that hid in the water, one that attacked them after. Leonardo managed to keep a hold on one of his swords, the other was still embedded in the first monster's body.

He was send landing on his shell with a hit so hard he felt it in his teeth. Of course, that damn shell sent him sliding down the embankment all the way into the water. The second creature was not at all concerned with remaining silent. It scrambled loudly after him, screaming and baring its teeth. Leonardo was on his feet just in time for the monster to ram him head-first like a bull and they both careened into the water.

The bottom of the lake fell into a drastic drop right off the bank, as if it were a giant sink hole. It seemed to have no bottom and the creature was pushing him deeper and deeper as if meaning to drown him. But Leonardo was a turtle. He could hold his breath far longer than any human ever could. He did not fear deep water and he did not fear this creature. The only thing he did fear was leaving Name alone in the dark with the other one. And the only thing on his mind was getting back to her.

The monster tried to maneuver him, trying to get a bite of anything else but his shell, but Leonardo knew how to keep his body safe and he knew how to strike at the right time. He still had one sword and it managed to find flesh even though his eyes found no light. He cut again and again and the water warmed around him as blood from the much bigger body spilled out.

The monster began to lose strength and slowly sunk deeper into the depths while Leonardo swam to the surface. His head breached just in time to see Name, flashlight in one hand, his sword in another, running into the water.

Her light shined in his face, blinding him.

“Leo? Are you okay?” her voice was shaky, but she sounded unhurt.

She must have realized she was impairing his vision. She lowered her light as he swam to where his feet could touch the bottom and he pulled himself from the lake.

“I'm alright.” He turned and looked at the water. “I think that one's dead. Where's the other one?”

“You pretty much got that one, too. It took a while, but I think it bled out. I uh...finished it off.” She didn't sound thrilled to admit to such a thing. There was blood on his sword.

He took it from her and sheathed them both. “And your first reaction was to come for me?”

She paused, looking wide-eyed but a little chastised. “Uh...”

“You should have gone to get my brothers.” She looked down, realizing her mistake. But he swept her up in his arms. “But thank you for coming for me.”

She relaxed in his embrace and didn't even seem to mind that he was soaking wet.

*****************

The incline did indeed lead back to the surface, but only the tiniest little rabbit-sized hole in the ground. Name had to bodily push her way through to get back to the cemetery and then help dig Leonardo a big enough hole that he could wriggle through. They both were absolutely filthy, wet and cold as they stiffly dragged themselves through the fog back to the front gates.

Her teeth chattered loudly. Though she wasn't as wet as Leonardo, she was still recovering from the shock of it all and it felt like her body had forgotten how to generate heat. Leonardo looked unsteady on his feet and she kept close to him to keep him steady. He smiled at her as she put an arm around his shell and he did the same, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and pulling her in. Neither cared the other was dirty.

“LEEEOOOOO!” Raphael's voice rose from the mist somewhere in the distance and the gentle smile he had for her turned to a frown.

“I hate it when he says my name like that.”

She managed to bark out a laugh. “Hopefully they all had a better time than we did.”

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case when the other brothers appeared from different parts of the cemetery. Donatello looked pale and bloodless; haunted. Michelangelo was panting and wild-eyed. Raphael was splattered with blood and shaking.

“Are you guys okay?” Name immediately forgot her own physical discomfort and ran to them. “Raph, are you hurt?”

The largest turtle shook himself. “I'll be okay. Most of the blood isn't mine. You—you're all wet.”

“Yeah, Leo and I ran into...” She glanced back at him, “some kind of...angler fish lizard monster thing that lives in an underground lake. You know, like you usually find under an old, abandoned cemetery.”

The three brothers looked at her, then at Leonardo. They looked haunted and scared all over again.

“Dudette, if you were with Leo, who...I thought you were with me. And I didn't see no lizard lake monster, but I saw something,” Michelangelo said.

Donatello nodded the same. He looked a little queasy. “We all saw something different, didn't we? And we all thought Name was with us.”

She stared at them, alarmed, wondering what the implication was. Were there shape shifters out there? Doppelgangers pretending to be her to trick her friends? To what end?

Leonardo did not wait for them to process. “Everyone in the truck now. We're getting out of here. Mikey, are you okay to drive?”

“Only if you're okay with me breaking the speed limit on the way out.”

Everyone agreed and piled into the truck. Michelangelo drove, spinning the wheels in his haste to get the hell out of there. Leonardo sat in the passenger seat at first, just to make sure his little brother stayed calm.

Donatello and Raphael sat in the two middle seats while the former patched up what few wounds the latter did have. Name curled up in the back bench seat, shivering and happy that the cemetery was now behind them. From her vantage point, she could see all four turtles and she hoped they didn't hate her now. It was her idea for them to come out here. She had suggested they do something new and fun for Halloween. She was the one who had found this place. All of this was her fault.

Once they were well on their way back to the city, Leonardo turned from his seat and made his way to the back. She looked up from where she was staring out the window as he touched her hand.

“You're freezing,” he told her. “We need to warm you up.”

He knelt and slipped off her shoes, then her socks. “You need to get out of those wet clothes.” When he then tugged at her jeans, she made a squawk of surprise. Not that she didn't like the idea of Leonardo undressing her. But this—in the garbage truck surrounded by his brothers—was not where she ever imagined it happening.

“Leo, what are you doing to her back there?” Raphael warned.

“You need to take them off. They're soaked. They'll just make you colder,” Leonardo insisted. He stood and draped himself over the bench seat to pull out a thick blanket from the back. “Here, cover up with this.”

As she took it, their hands brushed and his was ice cold. “You're freezing too. If my pants go off, your pants go off. I know they're soaking wet.”

He eyed her for a moment, then a brow raised playfully. Without breaking eye contact, he started loosening his belt. Name was the one who had to look away as her face suddenly felt like it was on fire. Now her body remembered how to generate heat.

Of course, there was nothing interesting to see about Leonardo without pants. His shell kept certain parts of him covered. Though even the sight of his bare thighs was enough to make her feel like she didn't need the blanket anymore.

Still, she kicked off her pants with him and the two of them snuggled under the blanket, cold thigh, to cold thigh. Then, in the spirit of her being brave all night long, she curled up against his side and let him put his arm around her. She felt his chin rest on the top of her head and it just felt right. They kept each other warm the entire ride back to the city.

*********************

Thank you to @turtle-babe83 who started the Halloween writing challenge. I would not have written this series without you offering the challenge. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to wax poetic about spooky, romance, and turtles. Three of my favorite things to write about.

Thank you to @thelaundrybitch who kept asking me about this last chapter and making sure I didn’t forget about it. I appreciate the support so much.

Thank you to @scrapyard-droid for making some extremely awesome art for some of the chapters.

Thank you to everyone who read this series and who supported it. It was a lot of fun.

@android-cap-007 @pheradream15 @post-apocalyptic-daydream @analogswordsman @mysticboombox @dilucsflame33