#please please if you know anyone who might have trouble escaping please help them

[gandalf-the-bean]

hello this is someone who goes to school in tampa bay. we have been evacuated since before helene hit and we have not been able to go back to campus for more than one quick grab of essential items with a time limit of 30 minutes. the school was recovering from helene and had gotten power back in some buildings and had cleaned up a decent portion of the debris and now we’re about to get walloped by this hurricane. instead of returning by mid october like we were going to (the return date kept getting pushed back because helene damaged more than they thought) we are not allowed back on campus until further notice. we’ve been virtual but at least half of this week we have no classes so we can like. leave if we’re still in the area

also milton is apparently now a cat 5 and all we could do is evacuate further inland within florida so im just hoping for the best here

i am at home right now, but i wanna go home (to school). i miss things being normal. i miss my friends, my classes, the semester (literally my best semester so far until this happened), everything. stay safe everyone and good riddance to these hurricanes

good luck

if a category 3 or even category 4 hurricane directly hits Tampa, Florida, the insurance market will collapse overnight and it will be an unimaginable, complete catastrophe that i'm not sure the United States is capable of handling on top of ongoing Helene recovery. keep anyone who has the misfortune of living in Florida in your thoughts because this particular storm is going directly over very, very warm gulf of mexico waters and has the potential to be a monster.

[llamagoddessofficial]

For the mafia bad sanses, what if we did try and run away?

Oho, the hunt is on.

Horror likes a chase. He always has, he's a hunter at heart. He's also very good at it; he pays much closer attention than people realise to the very small details. On top of being excellent at following scents, easily capable of tracking your movements, he knows your habits and routines like the back of his hand and he can accurately predict where you'll go and what you'll do during your brief escape. Nightmare absolutely expects Horror to find you first - the other two use him like one might use a bloodhound, following his bulldozing lead through the city.

Though it's fun to chase you down, Horror's genuinely worried about you the whole time you're gone. It doesn't help that Nightmare feeds his paranoia to ensure Horror is a vigilant guard - don't you understand he's trying to protect you? He will bring you back. He has to keep his loved ones in places he can keep an eye on them. He's not angry when he finds you, he's not even upset... he just checks you for injuries, and asks if you're hungry.

When you get back, he'll get you a snack.

Dust understands. He really does. He would run away, too, if there wasn't so much on the line for him. But he really feels like an idiot. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he had started to think of the situation as you and him against them. He started to feel like, maybe, there was... a connection forming? He started to feel like maybe you understood him. Maybe... maybe you trusted him. Maybe he could open up.

... You fleeing is a jolt back to reality. You didn't tell him anything before you left. You don't trust him; he's not your friend. You see him as one of them. Now he feels stupid and embarrassed.

Dust drags his feet about hunting you down. He follows Nightmare's orders, like he always does, but it's obvious he's just letting the other two do it. He still looks after you - he would never go back on his word. But you can tell something's changed.

Killer certainly enjoys chasing. He likes tossing you over one shoulder once he's found you and he's itching for a reason to kill anyone who scared/hurt you before they found you. But once he's actually got you, he's... mature? Sympathetic? He talks to you gently, but without being patronising. What the hell, is this even Killer? He chats with you during the trip home, assuring you that you're not in trouble. He genuinely wants to know why you ran... he wants you to get it out, insisting bottling it up won't help anyone.

... He also explains that when you're outside without them, you're in real, genuine danger. Nightmare is infamous - his enemies might want to take out their frustrations on his prize human, but on top of that, some of his allies might think you're a defector and grasp the opportunity to prove their loyalty by hurting you. Killer's words are gentle, but he paints a vivid picture.

Seems like he really doesn't want you to leave.

Nightmare is frustrated.

When you're brought before him again, you think he's angry with you. He's certainly angry. But at you? Goodness, no, never at you. He's angry at his guards for finding you so slow, and not sufficiently preventing your escape. You're not to blame here, it only makes sense that a pretty bird like you would take flight through the first open window it sees. Nightmare doesn't appear phased by this at all - in fact, the only real consequence (if you could even call it that) for you is that Nightmare is insistent on having a garden built for you, so you can get fresh air to avoid cabin fever. He keeps asking what flowers you'd prefer for it. It's kinda alarming, how blase he is about someone he likes trying trying to flee him.

(Nightmare's very pleased that this has driven a wedge between you and Dust. Better you focus on him instead, dear.)

[notmorbid]

these violent delights.

dialogue prompts from these violent delights by micah nemerever.

i never told you my name.

who puts those awful ideas in your head?

you're forever assuming the worst.

what's that face? you look like you're going to cry.

you're one of those people who worry all the time, aren't you?

i don't worry, i ruminate. they're distinct actions.

nothing made you. you just are.

beautiful things are supposed to hurt.

people tell you you're shy all the time, don't they?

i don't know how i ever got on without you.

a little trouble is a good thing for a young person.

i wasn't born yesterday. i know what kids get up to.

it's good to have guns to stick to.

you could do anything to me and i'd let you.

i'm not ready to be seen. not yet.

i don't need you to treat me respectfully. i'm not made of glass.

tell me you love me, at least. please. i need to know somebody does.

do i look normal? i can't tell if i look normal.

you can get away with anything, as long as you act like an authority on the truth.

don't tell me what i want.

you know you're just about the worst liar i've ever met.

i don't think you've ever felt anything that didn't hurt you.

you're so square, you're a cube.

i just want you to believe me when i tell you you're worth something.

there are limits to what you can expect people to understand, without living it.

you can't fight everybody all the time. you still have to live with them.

i forget how blue the sky can be outside the city.

i'm going to push you off a cliff, you fucking boy scout.

thank you for trusting me with this.

be a kid while you still can.

please believe in the things i try to tell you, instead of the things you think you deserve to be told.

if the sun touched you for even a moment, you'd go up in flames. like a vampire.

your voice changes when you're angry.

what a lonely, dreary thing it is to know the truth.

you never look away, even when your eyes are closed, but i'm never certain you can see what's really there.

tell me you need me. in those words.

can i tell you something? that i'm all but certain you won't believe?

i never lie to you. but sometimes, i wish i could.

you never let me pretend the truth is alright when it isn't.

you have a profound, elusive sadness about you.

you didn't. please tell me you didn't.

you and your awful little games.

why would i bother to grow my own conscience when you're always around to pester me?

you're going to help me escape.

this house is a shadowbox, never meant for human things.

you have no right to stop me, and you're not going to try.

you're sweet, when you want to be.

do you want me to kill ____? i mean it.

it might do you good to be an orphan.

you're just so sincerely creepy.

wealthy people pay handsomely for the privilege of ignoring cries for help.

i've never seen you like that before. not once.

i've decided to learn to be impulsive.

the worst damage humans do isn't rooted in malice, but in thoughtlessness.

there's such a thing as right and wrong. anyone can figure out the difference if they're willing to think for themselves.

there's no part of you i can't see.

i don't want to hurt you. please don't let me.

you're ridiculous, sometimes. but that's alright.

i don't want you right now. go home.

i'm not like you. i don't even have a shape of my own to hold anything else in place.

i'll never matter the way you do, and you know it.

say what you need to say.

if you say the word 'deserve' one more time, i'm driving us off a bridge.

i've been meaning to talk to you about ____.

i'm worried about what you're getting into.

you don't see me. you can't. you never could.

it's your life. you're entitled to make your own mistakes.

i want you to know you deserve better. you don't have to put up with ____.

you scare the hell out of me. you really do.

you look the same way you always have.

i was worried i'd lost you.

i'll take care of you. i don't need you to be brave.

all i want to do is make you happy, and you're the unhappiest person i've ever met.

i would rather be cruel than weak.

i want you to let me be nice to you today. i don't care if you think you deserve it.

this place looks like somewhere in a jigsaw puzzle.

it's always been real for me. every second.

please don't say anything to my mother.

we can't fix it if you don't tell me what happened.

i'll call you when i can stand the sight of you. don't hold your breath.

hiding the truth is still lying.

i thought you'd finally trust me if you knew i'd kill for you.

i'm just as much of a monster as you are.

i was missing part of myself my whole life, until i met you.

righteous fury leaves no space for fear.

you can always talk to me. about anything, okay? i love you no matter what.

you played [game] in school, didn't you?

no one tolerates boredom worse than the idle rich.

someone needs to be looking after you.

you know you can't actually stop me, right?

i want to be able to look at you.

when you need to, you will understand.

i'm only ever early when i'm afraid.

people talk themselves into the strangest things when they want to look impressive.

in the end, there's no difference between trusting someone and underestimating them.

[justordinarygirl]

Living doll

Soft yandere!Knockout x reader

He's gorgeous and he knows it. You can't pass a guy like that up. English is not my first language, sorry.

Knockout didn't like organic life forms and he couldn't be blamed for that, more than half the population of his and a few other planets supported and understood the sentiment. There was a lot of organics in the Universe, a variety of creatures met on his way and on the way of others traveling through the vastness of space. Needless to say, they were disgusting in their own way. Spitting slime, devouring everything in their path or just chewing on something stinky and slimy. They're filthy and disrespectful. What an abomination.

So stopping on a planet full of similar creatures didn't please any of them. But maybe he was wrong about the whole negative assessment, slightly. He loved their races, he loved their media space, their hilarious reactions to everything that happened. But he loved his pet even more.

The grace was the lack of interest and questioning about his life. Is he on the spot when medical attention is needed? Good. He went on a mission and at least he didn't die? Then he's free to go. Where he was and who he was with in his free time was nobody's concern and for a while it might have touched his spark, but not now. His little secret is safe, hidden from prying eyes. First just an interest stolen for his own gain and study, then, after the loss of his partner, his comfort, and in the wake of that, addiction.

He needs to escape from his workplace, just for a little while, to hold the soft you in his manipulators. He needs to tuck himself into a human movie with your sweet voice and commentary on the silly actions of the characters. He needs your warmth pressed against his shoulder while you help polish the places he has trouble reaching. That's so sweet of you, because now no one else will come to his rescue. That's one of the many reasons to love you even more.

There are many other reasons, but they can boil down to one thing: you're not like everyone else. Anything he might find repulsive in others is simply not in the nature of your personality. He discovered this back when he was able to get you into his interior for the first time, Primus gracious, you had the good sense to take your flimsy and filthy armor off your legs, hold it in your hands the whole ride, and keep him clean! He was ready to kiss your head at this point!

Knockout loved to groom his precious pet. He had read so many articles and books on human hygiene and beauty that there was no one on Nemesis, no, on all of Cybertron, who was or would be more professional than he. The territory that had belonged to Breakdown was drearily deserted, but the comrade wouldn't mind if his place was put to good use, would he? All shelves and surfaces are now occupied with jars, sponges and bottles.

Knockout loves to take a bath with you. Technically, you're the one who washing, human cleaning products leave streaks and are ineffective on him, and the pressure of his shower is too rough for delicate human skin. So he's bathing you. His pet didn't like it at first. Оf course, he knew too little then and human boundaries. Turns out humans hide the crotch and breast plate areas too. Buying, though more like stealing, fabric for the important places calmed you down, though also after a few tries.

Knockout appreciates a perfect shine, so his pet should shine too. Forgetting all body hair, he will meticulously remove everything but your head so that nothing interferes with the shine of your skin, and then gently sit you down in warm, almost hot water. He steams your skin, rubs all the places well, twirls your figure in his palms and enjoys your appearance, chooses the smell of the gel according to his mood, does not forget the masks and his favorite part - creams.

Mech won't admit it to you, much less to anyone else, not even himself, but your damp, soft skin, into which he rubs the sweet-smelling cream in circles, seems to be driving him slightly insane, giving him glimpses of strange thoughts he doesn't want to ponder further. He just enjoys your scent, your warmth, your quiet voice, fighting the urge to just eat you up because of how adorable you are.

He doesn't want anyone to know about you. When Knockout blabbed to Starscream that he'd seen zombies in a human movie, he stopped himself a split second before talking about your funny comment. It was as if an electric shock ran through his body, and he swallowed the sudden fear.

It hit the doctor.

What will he do if others find out about you? What will they do? Will they use you? Take you away so they have someone to vent their anger on? Throw you out because he's spending too much time on you? What percentage of you are even safe? So often he'd just leave you in his compartment and go on shift, even if he'd run to you on breaks under the pretext of ‘make sure I'm as beautiful as usual at the moment', but he could have higher-ranking Decepticons coming in, they had every right to, and there you were, defenseless and so small.

***

He may be paranoid, so what? Doing a little more than necessary never hurt anyone. You're confused that the new bracelet doesn't come off in any way, looking almost like a handcuff on your arm, but that shouldn't mess with your nicely styled head. Now he can track your every move and may you not know it yourself. He's nobly arranged for you to have your own corner on his desk, behind the datapads, so you won't be throwing yourself into the optics if someone walks in. But it didn't make him feel any better.

Knockout has already had someone dear to him taken away, someone close to his spark and no one cared. He can't lose you, too. So he clings to you more and more with each sunrise, not wanting to leave the compartment, not wanting to part with you, not wanting to leave your warm organic fingers.

As he walks down the corridors, he thinks about the fact that he really would go to great lengths to keep things the way they are now. The thought of being willing to betray the Decepticon cause for the sake of your collective safety halted his stride and made him look away warily. Even if he did, he would never, ever say that to anyone.

[argisthebulwark]

'I'd Kill For You' vs 'I'd Die For You'

summary: who would fight and who would lay down their life in place of yours? gn reader, no pronouns or y/n used. feat: Brynjolf, Farkas, Cicero, Rune, Mercer, Miraak, Teldryn, Erik warnings: canon typical non-graphic blood/injury/death

Brynjolf would die for you. He can’t bring himself to take a life - Gallus never mixed words when teaching Brynjolf that lesson. But he would gladly die in your place. He begs you to leave him and save yourself, to get as far away as you can before Mercer’s Frenzy spell. His knuckles are white as he struggles to keep the blade pointed away from you despite the magicka taking hold of his mind. "Please, you have to get away. Let me handle this traitor. If there is love for me in your heart then you need to run and not look back."

Farkas would kill for you. He would lay waste to an entire camp if you asked. Silver Hand or run of the mill bandits it makes no difference to Farkas - he’d cut down anyone threatening your life.  "You're not getting away from me that easy. I'm not burying you 'til I drink you under the table one more time."

Cicero would kill for you in a heartbeat. He’s been waiting. Please ask him to kill for you. Daggers are in hand awaiting your word. He’s already mapping out the order in which he’ll take down anyone who looks at you wrong. You are his Listener, after all. It is his duty to keep you safe from harm.  "Loyal Cicero strikes at your command, dearest Listener. Just say the word."

Rune would die for you without thinking. He’d jump in front of the killing blow meant for you. He would let you cry into his armor, would wipe your tears when you demand to know why he would do such a thing. He would tell you that you still have so much work to do, the rest of the Guild relies on you too much to let you die. "The rest of them, they need you. Go on and make me proud, yeah?"

Mercer would begrudgingly kill for you. He’d try to spin it so you don’t think it has anything to do with you but there’s no mistaking it - he saved you. He’d grumble something about you being more useful alive than dead but you both know. Even if he refuses to admit it he’d kill almost anyone to keep you safe.  "Don't let it go to your head. The moment you stop bein' useful I'm tossing you back to the wolves."

Miraak would only die for you. When it comes down to it, when his sole hope for survival is ending your life he can’t bring himself to do it. He lets you kill him because he knows what you mean to the rest of the world. He’s realized that even if his life stretched on for another millennia it would be worthless without you. "I cannot face it without you, Mal Dov. I have wasted enough lifetimes to mourn the one I might have lived with you."

Teldryn would kill for you. The moment he spots you in trouble, surrounded on all sides and outnumbered by bandits all the memories would come flooding back. The grief of losing a close friend and patron. He couldn’t lose you. He’d rush in without a thought, fending off swords and arrows at your side. "Can't have you dying and ruining my fine reputation. I am Morrowind's finest bladesman, you're not dying on my watch."

Erik would die for you. He’d do anything for you. After all you’ve done for him - reigniting his dreams of becoming an adventurer, helping him escape the family farm, seeing the world at his side, he will not allow you to die. Laying in your arms he reminds you that he’s loved every moment spent in your company. "I wanted to grow old with you. I wanted to see everything with you."

[touyafootfetish]

Runaway ➤

touya todoroki x reader

summary: after waking up in a strange facility, touya is determined to get back home, but he needs help — so who other than you, his new partner in crime?

warnings: none

(slightly inaccurate for the sake of the plot)

no use of y/n - gn!reader

"I have to go back! Please, I need to go home!"

That boy had been asleep since you came to this place. But after three years, he finally woke up. You had heard from the doctors that his name was Touya, but that’s all you knew. Since he got out of bed, he’d been begging the doctors and Sensei to let him go home. Of course, they wouldn’t let him. This place was his home now, just like it was yours.

That boy continued to sulk all day, even after Sensei had left when it was time for bed.

Like you, Touya wasn’t in bed tonight. He was perched on a windowsill, peering out the large window. You could see a distinct seriousness on his face through the reflection. He must really want to leave with a look like that. When you saw him earlier, you didn’t talk to him. No one did since he looked so upset.

You pulled your jacket tight around your body as you made your way over. The stupid thermostat never worked, so it was always cold. You don’t say anything when you climb onto the windowsill with the boy. Touya seems to notice you, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t even look at you. You notice stitches on either side of his face. He had a ton of burn scars, too.

Were they from his quirk?

“What happened to you, Mr. Sleepy Head?” you ask, sitting with your legs crossed. You’re trying to be quiet since you’d get in trouble if Sensei saw you guys out of bed. He might bring you back to the Dark Room. You hated that room. You’ve been on your best behavior since the last time Sensei took you there.

Since Touya was going on about how he wanted to run away all day, you figured you would warn him about the crazy things that happened here. What happened to kids who tried escaping.

“Who cares? It’s not like I’m staying in this place forever,” Touya grumbled. He wrapped his arms tighter around his legs. He was curled up so tight that he looked tiny. Then again, Sensei mentioned Touya was smaller than most boys his age. “I’m going home.”

There he goes again.

Doesn’t he realize that he can’t leave? None of the kids here were allowed to leave, even if they had family waiting for them at home. If they had strong quirks, the man in the Dark Room took them away and brought them here.

Sure, Touya was here before you. Except, he was asleep the whole time. He didn’t know these people like you did. He didn’t know this place like you did.

“You— all of you. You’re all stupid for staying here.” Touya says. “If you all have such great powers, why don’t you fight and run away?” he asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. He turned to you, holding out his hand. A bright blue flame appeared in the palm of his hand.

Your eyes widened as the hot flame warmed the air around you. You hadn’t seen anything like it before, and you were mesmerized. You’ve never seen a fire quirk with blue flames.

“Wow, you’re incredible, Touya!” you quietly exclaim. “Did you get training before they brought you here? Your flame is so strong,” Touya grinned and nodded before his flame disappeared. Before he came here, he was probably still in junior high. Too young to be in any kind of hero course. “Who trained you?”

“Hm, my dad taught me. He’s the pro hero Endeavor.” Touya shifted so he sat criss-crossed like you.

He had this proud smirk on his face. His old man is the number two hero, after all. After a while, his expression became sad.

“I have to get home, you know? I still need him to train me. I’m going to be a powerful hero, just like him, and I don’t want anyone else to teach me.”

“But how? You know Sensei won’t let you leave. Most of us have given up on getting away,” you sighed. You shut your eyes, leaning against the cold glass behind you. “And I like you, so I don’t want them to punish you for trying anything dumb,” you say.

“So what! Didn’t you see my flame just now? I’m probably the strongest one here, you moron!” You open your eyes to glare at him.

“Shush, Touya! Someone might hear you.” Touya rolled his eyes at your words. “You’re the idiot for thinking’s like that,” you tell him. “You’ll get yourself killed.”

“Nuh-uh! Come on, don’t you think it’s worth a shot? I bet we could escape this— this prison.” Touya says. He looks at you and starts jabbing your forehead with his finger.

“Hey. Let’s runaway from here. Just us, okay?”

WC: 789

[scoonsalicious]

Unwanted: Chapter 28, Unwanted - Pt. 1

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: When your FWB relationship with your best friend Bucky Barnes turns into something more, you couldn’t be happier. That is, however, until a new Avenger sets her sights on your super soldier and he inadvertently breaks your heart. You take on a mission you might not be prepared for to put some distance between the two of you and open yourself up to past traumas. Too bad the only one who can help you heal is the one person you can no longer trust.

Warnings: (For this part only; see Story Masterlist for general Warnings) Language, violence, death

Word Count: 861

Previously On...: You're boyfriend's back and Jade's gonna be in trouble. Hey na, hey na...

A/N: THREE MORE CHAPTERS LEFT OMG HOW DID WE GET HERE?!

NOTE! The tag list is a fickle bitch, so I'm not really going to be dealing with it anymore. If you want to be notified when new story parts drop, please follow @scoonsaliciousupdates

Banner By: The absolutely amazing @mrsbuckybarnes1917!

Thank you to all those who have been reading; if you like what you've read, likes, comments, and reblogs give me life, and I truly appreciate them, and you!

Taglist: (Sadly, tag list is closed; Tumblr will not let me add anyone new. If you want to be notified when I update, please Follow me for Notifications!) @jmeelee @cazellen @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @blackhawkfanatic @buckybarnessimpp @hayjat @capswife @itsteambarnes @marygoddessofmischief @sebastians-love @learisa @lethallyprotected @rabbitrabbit12321 @buckybarnesandmarvel @fanfictiongirl77 @calwitch @fantasyfootballchampion @selella @jackiehollanderr @wintercrows @sashaisready @missvelvetsstuff @angelbabyyy99 @keylimebeag @maybefoxysouls @vicmc624 @j23r23 @wintercrows @crist1216 @cjand10 @pattiemac1@les-sel @dottirose @winterslove1917 @harperkenobi @ivet4 @casey1-2007 @mrsevans90 @steeph-aniie @bean-bean2000 @beanbagbitch @peachiestevie @wintrsoldrluvr @shadowzena43

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Jade was dragging you through the hallways of the base by your hair as she frantically searched for an exit that would keep her out of Bucky’s reach. At first, you tried to keep track of the path you took, making note of turns and counting doorways as you were pulled down long corridors in case the opportunity to escape presented itself and you had to retrace your steps, but the route was so convoluted, and your head so battered, that you quickly lost track of where you were going, and any sense of direction you’d been able to hold onto. 

“I need eyes,” Jade said, more to herself than to you, and soon she was shifting directions. Within moments, she was throwing open a metal door that appeared to lead to a security center. Tossing you unceremoniously inside, she bolted the door behind her and heaved a heavy breath.

“What’s the matter?” you asked, your tone dangerously mocking. “If he loves you as much as you think he does, you shouldn’t have any reason to run from him.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Jade chanted. She moved over to the row of security monitors and began quickly cycling through the screens. “Gotta find an exit,” she murmured to herself. “There has to be a way out where he won’t see.”

You took the opportunity her distraction provided to study the rest of the monitors, hoping to find some subtle way to contact Bucky, to let him know where you were or, at the very least, to try and find an escape route of your own. 

“How did he know where to find you?” Jade muttered as she continued to flip through the feeds.

You opted not to answer; you’d be a fucking idiot to reveal your distress bangle now. If you could keep it a secret from Jade, you’d ensure that Bucky would have the ability to find you, no matter where she ended up taking you. It would also let him know you were still alive.

You scanned the rest of the monitors, instead, and were shocked by what you saw: Room after room was littered in corpses; bloody, mangled, bodies where there had once been Hydra agents. Your eyes landed on a monitor in the far left corner of the room, and you saw him. Bucky was covered head to toe in the blood of his enemies, dual guns raised in the air as he opened fire on anyone who stood in his way. Though you couldn’t hear the words coming from his mouth, you could read his lips well enough to know he was screaming your name, searching for you as he tore through the facility, slaughtering every Hydra operative that crossed his path.

You had never seen him so enraged before. Yes, you knew that, as the Winter Soldier, he’d been capable of immense violence– you’d seen video footage of him in action, after all, but this? This was so much worse than that. Because Soldat complied. And Bucky Barnes? He was out for blood.*

You should have been frightened by the blatant display of absolute brutality, should have been repulsed by it. But instead, it excited you. It thrilled you, because you knew that he was doing this for you. To get you back, to keep you safe. He was willing to damn his soul to hell to protect you when you needed him. You should have been disgusted, but you’d never been more turned on by him in your life.

“Gotcha!” Jade exclaimed, drawing your attention back to her. She’d stopped her cycling through the security feeds on a non-descript door that, so far, seemed to have been spared from the ongoing carnage. Moving to a locker beside the desk, Jade reached inside and pulled out a handgun and several clips of ammo, tucking them snuggly into her belt.

“Come on,” she said, reaching out and grabbing your hair once more. “You’re my human shield for getting out of here.” She dragged you back out of the security station and into the hallway, looking both ways before turning left and sprinting down the corridor. It was all you could do to keep up; you had no doubt that if you faltered, she’d drag you across the floor behind her without a second thought. 

In minutes, you were at the door you’d seen in the feed. Jade let go of your hair and trained her gun on your head. “Open it,” she commanded. 

You winced in pain as you yanked on the door with your right hand, the left dangling limply and uselessly at your side. “Hurry up!” Jade shouted at you.

“I’m trying,” you grunted as you pulled. “The door’s fucking heavy, and in case you forgot, I’m down an arm because of you.”

“Jesus Christ,” Jade grumbled, reaching around you to yank the door open, herself. “Do I have to do fucking everything around here?” She jabbed the barrel of her gun into your back. “Go,” she urged.

You stepped into the darkness of the open tunnel and, doing your best not to stumble or jostle your ruined arm, began to walk.

<- Previous Chapter / Next Part ->

[lesdeuxxx]

ATTENTION PEOPLE: MISSING FANFIC SEARCH:

So this is going to be very incredibly confusing, but I’m searching for this fic I read a really long time ago. In light of the possibility ao3 gets banned, I’m going to save fics that I think deserve to be preserved like the literature they are. This includes fics that I read previously and really liked. However, I’m having trouble finding this Heartstopper fic I read ages ago back when I was still in the fandom and do not remember the title of. I fear it may have been deleted. But regardless, I will shout into the void and hope and pray someone knows the fic I’m taking about and can maybe send me the link. So here’s a plot recap:

It’s set during the Christmas season. Charlie is homeless. He breaks into nicks shed to steal power tools to pawn them for money but nick catches him, and feels bad. Slowly over time they become friends, and nick does what he can to help Charlie. The early chapters im blanking on but it gets interesting much later. Charlie stays with nick after a lot of convincing and they lie to nicks parents (who in this fic, are still together-nicks father is a cop.) and say he goes to truham. Christmas rolls around and nick (I think) fakes sick to stay home while his parents travel or see relatives or something, and Charlie spends a few days with nick alone in the house. Charlie also plays the violin for some reason, which nick happens to have and gifts to Charlie because he never uses it. Charlie grows insecure about “using” nick and eventually runs off, feeling as though he is a nuisance, and so he goes back to the street. His violin gets stolen by some street rats who beat him up, but nick goes out searching for him and throws the street rats off, leading to him and Charlie having to escape and hide in an abandoned apartment Charlie stays in some times. But when you think everything’s okay, the third act happens and Ben comes into play, who is a much older drug dealer who takes advantage of Charlie being in a bad position to have an abusive relationship with him. Charlie tries to go to Elle and Tao, who he met through Ben, and who try to hide him but ultimately he’s sniffed out and Ben takes him when his goons and him storm elle and Tao’s apartment. There’s some sort of fight in I think a motel and and nick gets him back. Imogen is also there, I don’t really remember when she is or what she does until the end, when we find out she went with Ben who is now technically a kidnapper, and nicks cop father has to swat Ben to take him out, and he goes to jail cause turns out he killed Charlie’s mom because she was (I think) verbally abusive to Charlie and it’s what leads to them being together.

Also, a couple random plot points I remember but don’t know where to place include:

-charlie constantly wears a thin denim jacket that later gets traded with one of nicks old puffer coats

-he runs into Tara and Darcy drawing graffiti under a bridge and joins them. If I remember correctly, Darcy was kicked out by her mom and Tara has a shit home life.

-Charlie goes with nicks mom to one of his rugby games and they talk I think

-nick and Charlie have a date where they go to some sort of Christmas fair and I think go ice skating

-Ben may or may not have been drugging and pimping out Charlie, and I think that’s like the main reason why he freaks out about Imogen is cause he’s worried it’ll happen to her?

-when Ben brings Charlie to the hotel, he shoot’s up heroin

The fic was posted during the holiday season, I do remember that. As for the year, I’m not sure, but I would say it’s likely to be either from December 2021 or 2022.

If ANYONE remembers anything about this fic, the name, the author, anything at all, please comment below. I remember it was an incredible story and I know I would feel incredible guilt if I couldn’t find it again while I’m on the hunt to preserve my favorite fics before the government might take them away from me.

[theconstitutionisgayculture]

“it's hard to trust any media with black characters these days. They all seem to be written by racists who have a massive inferiority complex about their skin color. And the few that escape being written like that end up getting canceled.”

Oh I know, I fucking know

I’m a black man with a speech impediment and autism..

My hatred towards my community would make a kkk grandwizards blush

Oh and when my daddy basically abandoned me and my sister after she and I lost our mother to please that bitch of a stepmother-

Oh sorry my villain monologue got out again! Let just say I will always have hatred towards my own race than any white man in existence due to how they treated me

Wait wait, oh right! You know how most “girlboss” are written by women who treated other women who didn’t fit the mold like shit growing up?

That what most black activists in the creation process these days aka “Hood Rats or well off black people who have a inferiority complex due to not having the ‘black experience’ that learn they use Marxism to not have any responsibilities” hence the whole “white people are eviiiiiil!” shit

….I think my race in America should have been sterilized in the 20th century. At least we could have died out with some dignity by now.

….I think my race in America should have been sterilized in the 20th century. At least we could have died out with some dignity by now.

I know this is hyperbole, but if I don't start off by saying "no race should be sterilized" some open mouth beardo with a hairline that ends at his neck is going to shit themselves, so in the interest of saving him the trouble of having to wash that out while his wife is out with her boyfriend, I'm just gonna say, no race should be sterilized.

But anyway, yeah. The way you feel about the black community mirrors a lot of how I feel about the gay community. Both are absolutely detrimental to the people in them, and very few people in those communities can even see the problem, let alone come up with real solutions.

And it sucks, because these communities are self-destructing and have been for decades, but anyone trying to actually help gets labeled a racist of a homophobe for daring to suggest that any problem faced by a minority might be self-inflicted and up to them to fix. Which is the only way things will change within a community.

[spiciestpotatoes]

Tummy Clinic Chronicles

Mutual suffering (1/2)

It was lunchtime at Lily's clinic. She was having lunch at the nearby sandwich shop with her friend Kayla. Today's sandwich of choice was the new pulled chicken special, which seemed to be all the rage that morning. She took her time enjoying it, seeing that her next client wasn't scheduled for another hour. She left the sandwich shop in half an hour, feeling happy she had some more time to drink a cup of coffee in peace. This idea, however, fell through as she spotted a troubled lady sitting in front of the door to her clinic. The womans arms were wrapped around her she seemed to be quite distressed. Lily approached the woman, putting a hand on her shoulder, asking, "Excuse me, miss? Can I help you?"

The lady looked up at Lily with a pained and pleading expression. "Oh, doctor, I know i don't have an appointment, but I uh- I was hoping you could take me...." she averts her gaze as she leans forward, more pain rocking her body. "Something I ate today has just been wrecking my stomach up.. can you help me please?"

Not wanting to prolong this woman's suffering, Lily takes the poor lady inside and has her sit in the main area while she takes her information. The woman, Mandy, rubs her belly under her shirt, trying desperately to ease whatever is torturing her from the inside. "What have you eaten today Mandy? Do you have an idea what might be causing you trouble?" Lily asks while taking Mandy to the examination table in the other room. "Uhh,,, all I had today was some cereal in the morning and the chicken special at the sandwich shop down the street. I'm not lactose intolerant so it might have been the sandwich? "

Lily pauses at this, having had the sandwich just 30 minutes prior. Trying to fool herself she says "It might just be your stomach reacting to something in the sandwich and not the sandwich itself being bad." She proceeds to give Mandy a gentle massage for her cramps and manages to send her home before her next patient is supposed to show up. As she closes the door, she feels a painful pang in the middle of her belly, instantly making her nervous.

Even though she's a tummy doctor, she hates dealing with tummy issues herself as she always has to take care of them on her own. Her patient's appointment comes and goes without anyone showing up, all the while her belly grows more painful. She feels a little bloated and is starting to feel the contents of her lunch brewing more violently inside as time passes.

She tries to relax in her chair, gently massaging her belly with little to no effect. A knock on the door jolts her from her worries and she gets up and opens the door to see Kayla's face. "Heyy.. are you busy? Are you with a patient?" she looks worried. "No, it's just me for now" Lily smiles weakly and opens the door wider to let Kayla inside. Kayla is Lily's closest friend and is also a doctor herself. They spend a lot of time together and have grown quite close since Lily has moved to this side of town and opened her clinic.

Kayla takes up a spot in the middle of the room, arms loosely crossed in front of her, " I don't really feel good Lily, my stomach has been all messed up and crampy and it only seems to be getting worse. Could you take a look at it? "

"Of course." Lily points her to the examination room and follows close behind. While Kayla goes to lay down, Lily grabs some supplies and as she's getting them, a cramp cuts through her middle, catching her by surprise. She leans forward and presses a hand to her stomach, not being able to prevent the tiny whimper that escapes her mouth. This doesn't go unnoticed and Kayla immediately inquires about Lily's situation.

"You know Kayla, I think we may be dealing with the same issue," Lily says as she places her hand on Kayla's bare tummy. "I just had a patient who ate the chicken special at the shop... and both of us ate it earlier, too. I think there might be something wrong with their chicken." Kayla reaches to place a hand on Lily's belly and instantly feels the cramping beneath her skin. Lily leans into her touch, not being able to contain the comfort she feels at the warmth of her hand. The cramps become more intense, and Lily is forced to support herself on the edge of the table.

"Oh dear, come sit here with me," Kayla sits up and pulls Lily down to the table so she can relax. "You should go home, you can't help anyone like this." Lily puts her head into her hands, " I guess I'll have to... although I fear for how many people might be dealing with the same issues as us." They quietly rub each others tummies for a minute, after which Kayla suggests writing a note and leaving for the day.

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

End of part 1!

If you enjoyed this and want to hear the rest of the story, a.k.a. Kayla and Lily taking care of each other, check in later for the second part of the story, coming soon!

[theladysherlock]

Dalek Week 2024: Day 5

Reveals

"There's something I should tell you. But you have to swear not to tell anyone else-- not Lilit, not the committee. No one."

"I'll always keep your secrets, Dylan."

"This one's a bit trickier than most."

She had to tell him. Her secret was much harder to keep here in Istanbul than it was on the Leviathan. On the airship, no one paid her any mind, or at least no more than they usually would for a lowly middy. Here, in Istanbul, she was an oddity. Not only that, but she didn't speak enough of the languages to know if anyone thought she was suspicious. She couldn't deflect what she didn't understand. Every day that went by she was closer to being caught. And if Alek found out he'd lied to her about something this big for this long? He'd never trust her again.

There was no other way around it.

Deryn took a shaky breath, steeling herself.

"My name isn't really Dylan Sharp," she said slowly. "It's Deryn. I'm a girl."

Alek just stared at her, blinking. Whatever reaction she had been braced for, it hadn't been stone cold silence.

"...What?" He finally asked, removing his hand from her shoulder.

"Please don't make me say it again," she muttered.

Alek took a backwards step away from her.

Her heart sunk like a stone in a pond. She wanted to cram her words back into her mouth and lock them up forever, but it was far too late for that. "Listen, Alek, I never wanted to lie to you, it's just... I obviously couldn't tell you who I was when we met, but after we became friends there was never a good time to say anything, you know? We haven't been alone together since we were on the Leviathan-"

"Stop. Just stop talking." Alek rubbed his temples. "I need a minute to think."

Her eyes widened. He'd never been this terse with her. He'd been a bum-rag when they first met, of course, but it hadn't actually hurt. Not like this.

Deryn crossed her arms and set her jaw to hide her distress. "Well you don't need to be barking rude about it."

Alek glared at her. "I'm not trying to be rude, Dyl... Deryn, this is just a lot to process. Give me a minute."

She glared right back. "Could you at least process it out loud so I don't have to just stand here like a dummkopf?" Anything was better than his unreadable expression.

He let out a groan and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "If you're not a man, then what does that make me?"

"Still a man?" Deryn frowned, confused. "I don't know what my being a girl has to do with you at all."

"God's wounds, Deryn, I just told you that I wanted to be like you! If it weren't for this-" he shook the scroll case "-I'd have given anything to be half the man you are. And you're not even a man!"

"You're being daft."

Alek gave her an incredulous look, so she continued. "We're both borrowing from the men around us. If you want to be like Dylan so badly, you're just copying a copy. It's still the same thing, in the end."

She didn't know if that made any barking sense at all, but she sounded confident, and it seemed to work well enough. He looked a bit less frustrated, settling into the idea that he might have been admiring a girl this whole time.

"Why the disguise?" He finally asked. "Why go through all this trouble in the first place?"

"I have to fly, Alek. It's the only thing I've ever wanted. And I can't do it as Deryn."

Alek nodded again. "I suppose that makes sense."

She swallowed hard. It wasn't usually this difficult to tell what he was thinking, and it was driving her mad. "Please don't tell anyone about this, Alek. They'll throw me in chains."

"Of course I won't. It's not my secret to tell." He sighed and began to pace back and forth across the room, a familiar sight from her week staying in the hotel. "Who else knows about this?"

"Only Volger." A pit of dread settled in her stomach as she remembered the last conversation she'd had with the Count. "Well, that I know of, anyway. He threatened to tell everyone unless I helped him escape, and... obviously that didn't happen."

Alek shook his head. "He wouldn't have told anyone. There's nothing to gain from it."

Deryn could think of hundreds of things Volger could gain from revealing her secrets, some as small as an extra biscuit with his dinner, but it was hard to argue with Alek when he got like this. All earnest and hopeful.

"You don't need to worry about Volger. I'll get him to stand down."

She wanted to ask how in blazes he planned to do that if Volger was miles away on the Leviathan, but a small, mutinous part of her was overjoyed at the thought that he would stand up to Volger for her. "Really?"

"Of course." Alek placed his hand back on her shoulder. "You're my friend, Deryn. My best friend, really. I won't let him treat you that way."

Her heart thudded in her chest and she tried to swallow the unsoldierly feeling down. "Thank you," she managed.

"We should get back to Lilit-" Alek started, but his face paled. "God's wounds, I completely forgot about her. Does she know?"

"I don't think she does, but I can't know for sure," Deryn said, moving towards the door. "And I don't much feel like telling her, so don't you go and spill."

"Of course not, Deryn. I wouldn't dream of it." He cleared his throat. "Is that why you weren't... I mean..."

She felt her face warm up and she looked away. "Not exactly," she said, and then turned the doorknob and pushed into the hallway before Alek could ask any follow up questions.

One secret at a time.

[pisoprano]

9 for the ask game

9. What is your favorite dialogue you’ve written so far?

My favorite line of dialogue is one that I won't be able to publish for a long ways off, so I'm not going to include it here, but here are a few bits from what's already been posted that I couldn't decide between, so you get them all:

Catwalker: Let us say, hypothetically, that Chat Noir was able to use your camouflage trick to transform into a completely different hero…  Would Ladybug allow him to come back?  If she still had no idea who he really was? Rena waves her hands dismissively. Rena Rouge: Changing his costume won’t stop anyone from recognizing him.  And even if it did… I don’t think Chat could return without it being too conspicuous that you got replaced out of nowhere. Catwalker places a hand on the back of his neck and gives a sheepish grin. Catwalker: I suppose the idea is rather absurd… Rena Rouge: It’s interesting on paper… but you should probably leave the convoluted plans to Ladybug.

This exchange is a personal favorite because of the irony of it all--Rena really has no idea of what is literally happening under her nose and dismissing it as impossible.

Catwalker: I was… around right before Adrien went missing… Catwalker looks away, holding his hands between his knees. Catwalker: I couldn’t help but notice that Adrien was deeply troubled by something, something he refused to disclose when asked.  But it was clear that he needed an escape… and that if I used my powers as Catwalker, I could provide the means of that escape. Ladybug: Then that means… Catwalker: I’m how he disappeared that night, yes. Catwalker looks down towards Ladybug, the hand in front of him leaning on one of the barriers between them. Ladybug: Do you know where he is now?  Please tell me that he’s okay. Catwalker: I’m sorry. I have every reason to think that he’s still alive, but if he was dead, I wouldn’t know.  He doesn’t intend to approach me in the future.  And ever since that night…?  The only person who knows how to locate 'Adrien Agreste’ is Adrien Agreste.

This bit was very tricky to get right, to make sure that everything Catwalker is saying is just barely true enough to get past the lie detector while painting himself as someone who doesn't know anything useful to know. I'm very satisfied with how well it ended up turning out.

Catwalker: I never wanted to hide behind a mask, especially not with you, Nino.  You’ve always encouraged me to be myself.  Even though I’ve never been able to fully show you everything I am, you accepted the ‘me’ I could give.  It meant so much to know that you cared, not just about the idea of me, but the real me.  And now I’m less 'me’ than I’ve ever been.  Maybe it would have been better if I did nothing. But when she tried to kill me, I just… ran.  Ran and insisted I was fine like I always do.  And now you’re the one paying for my rash decisions and I feel so powerless to stop it.  I hope one day you’ll forgive me. Catwalker places Carapace’s body upright and touches his back in a gesture of farewell. Catwalker: I wish I could talk to you for real.  But I can’t.  I can’t leave when I might be needed.  Even if everyone hates that I’m here, I’ve got to help however I can. Catwalker gives Carapace a fist bump in one final promise of their friendship. Catwalker: I’ll come home as soon as it’s safe again.  I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I promise I will come back.

This technically isn't dialogue since Catwalker's the only one talking, but the one thing I love more than characters lying to each other in ironic and/or clever ways is them opening up and showing everything they've always wanted to say but haven't been able to.

[camorrsthorn]

thinking 'bout my rook de riva before he was a crow & how he got there

THINKING. he's the son of two southern elves who fled northward to escape the blight with a young vittore in their arms, which is how he wound up in antiva. he was only a couple years old at that point, like three at the MOST. the only thing he has left of ferelden and his parents is the accent

his magic manifested sometime before he was ten, during a scrap with another alienage kid - he fade-stepped, or something untrained close to it. his parents gave him up before anyone else could tell the local templars. in their eyes, they'd already given up a whole life to move to antiva, and they couldn't risk pissing off their neighbours or the town guard or the templars to try and hide a mage kid. vittore has never forgotten it, and as far as he's concerned he's an orphan. no he doesn't hold grudges why do you ask. as an adult he can understand but also no he can't

so. he was a mage in the circle in antiva city for a bit. until the circles dissolved in the uprising and he did not even try to hang around. he took some of the younger apprentices and did his best to just disappear them into the city, and did a pretty good job, tho most of that is probably due to the fact nobody was looking for a couple of apprentices anyway. one or two of them he managed to get back to their families, if the family had tried to keep their kid. the rest he helped vanish and avoid anyone who might not be best pleased

for less than a year, before the breach happened, he scraped by doing odd jobs and errands of the less than legal variety, including a couple that in hindsight were definitely for the crows, but he simply did not notice at the time. when he couldn't get work he was willing to do, he'd pick pockets or lift bits and pieces from market stalls. never anything big, no important marks, and he never did enough to draw the attention of any gangs, but he did pretty well for himself

i think this is perhaps too self indulgent and i may change it but. i kind of like the idea of this idiot cocky little mage trying to pick viago's pockets absolutely without recognising him as a crow, and getting a contact-activated poisoning for his trouble. nothing that would kill him, but enough to teach him that crows are terrible targets, and enough for the crows to then be able to track him down. if not viago himself, then another house de riva crow. work in progress y'know

after that, he joins the crows - not viago's choice right away, but vittore already at that point is skilled enough in stealth and subtlety to make a decent living as a go-between and petty criminal, as well as able to hide himself and the other mage kids. he's also got plenty of skills with magic, and knows how to hold his own in a fight. be silly not to take him under the wing, pun intended. HE wasn't going to complain at all - he knows full well he was on absolutely borrowed time, either for getting found out as a mage or a criminal or running afoul of a gang or the watch or or or, and in his eyes the crows not only saved him but very quickly became the family that he's lacked ever since his own gave him away - and this family did the exact opposite of that

and he's been insufferable and cocky as hell ever since! yaaaaay

very much a work in progress as i have not actually played with him all that long but. i'm having fun. also look at him again xoxo

[ramshackle-ramblings]

Chapter 4: Mouse

In which Mouse laments, and Kalim plans a party

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

Mouse looked at Deuce, their face going pale as they rocketed straight up. Only to get grabbed by Ace and pulled back down. Grunting and glaring at him

“What was THAT for!?”

“It was to STOP you from running off!”

“Wh-”

“Look! We’re already in class, not late for once, and we can’t waste time looking for Alise now.”

“Bu-”

“And hey! I’m sure she wouldn’t just… Join a class with people she doesn’t know, so she’ll be fine.”

Mouse kept glaring, knowing that Alise did know other people - and they were third years. Looking to Deuce for help in trying to convince Ace to do the right thing.

“How much trouble can she get in, really? Somebody will find her and point her in the right direction,” Deuce tried to be reassuring.

“She threatened to murder the headmaster last night.” Mouse lore-dropped dead faced and getting up again. Only for Ace to pull them into his lap instead of back into their chair. Wrapping an arm around their waist and another around their legs.

This earned him another glare from Mouse before they just stared at him. Once again trying to discern if the red-headed man was a homiesexual or just simply platonically affectionate with his homies.

 "Yeah but at this point who hasn’t. You’ve certainly screamed bloody murder at him more times than I can count.“ Ace said, tightening his hold when he felt Mouse struggle to get free. "Honestly, it might be for the best that she gets lost or something. You know, tough love instead of holding her hand like the mom you a-”

He was cut off by a smack to the face. Like some peeved off cat dealing with an annoying kitten before Mouse withdrew it with a loud “OH EWW!! DID YOU JUST LICK ME?”

“Look, I’ll go stand in the doorway and look for her,” Deuce offered. “We really can’t just ditch class. Riddle would have our heads if he found out.”

Mouse scowled, looking at Deuce with a very anger pout before their expression softened and they leaned against Ace in defeat. “Alright… Fine…”

“Wooowww so you won’t listen to me, but you’ll listen to Deuce?” Ace asked, almost offended.

Mouse scoffed, reaching into his sleeve and slipping out one of the cards he hid in there. “Deuce has a tendency to tell the truth and keep his word. You have a tendency to hide cards up your sleeves and try to worm your way into other people’s beds.”

“Not anyone’s!”

“I’m so happy for your future partner then.”

Grim looked at Deuce, his ears flattening against his head. His tail whipping side to side. “I don’t get enough tuna for this…”

“I saw Alise give you an entire can at the end of class!” Deuce argued.

He stood up went to the doorway, making sure he was visible to anyone walking by.

The hallway got emptier and emptier as class got closer and closer, with no sign of the tiny girl.

“And that’s not enough!” Grim argued back, following after Deuce so that he didn’t have to deal with Ace and Mouse.

Ace watched them go, unwrapping his arm from Mouse’s legs to rest it behind his head and lean back a bit. “Looking at that door doesn’t look like it’s getting any better.”

“The traffic or?”

“Alise.”

Mouse cursed under their breath, shifting in Ace’s hold to rest against his chest. Knowing there was no escape until Ace let them go. Which would be until class started.

“You think she got trampled?” Ace asked, tone flat as he watched the door. Making some sort of sound when he felt Mouse whack him on the head.

“ACE!!”

Deuce unconsciously started checking people’s shoes.

Ace was right, though. She wasn’t showing up here.

Ace tightened his grip on Mouse, rubbing the spot where they had hit him.

After minutes of waiting, Mouse just sighed and called out to the other Heartslabyul. “Deuce, just come back to your seat, please!”

Ace rubbed at Mouse’s side, causing them to wince. “Alise’s gonna be okay.” He promised, settling his gaze back to the door

Deuce checked the empty hallway one more time before coming back to sit next to Ace and Mouse.

“I really did think she’d find her way here.”

Mouse reached to grab Deuce’s hand, rubing their thumbs over the back of it. “You did good, Deuce. It’s the thought that counts.”

Ace huffed, still watching the door. “Yeah, and it’s a pretty big school. I’m sure she’ll get hall monitored or something.”

“Yeah,” Deuce agreed, “it’ll be fine.”

The professor entered the room, and shot a meaningful look at Ace and Mouse and the empty chair next to them.

—

Mouse groaned, head in their hands as they were sandwiched by Kalim and Silver in the third period. The chatter of other second year students behind them fogging up Mouse’s already cluttered mind some more.

Kalim leaned onto the desk, looking over at the magic-less student with - genuinely - sympathetic but confused Ruby eyes, his overall demeanor relaxed as Silver was quickly dotting down notes of what Mouse would need to study in their independent time.

“What’s wrong? You seem stressed-er than usual.” Kalim pointed out, relating Mouse’s demeanor to that of Jamil’s when he was particularly fed up with Kalim’s shenanigans.

Mouse lifted their head to looked over at Kalim, a rough sigh escaping as they shook their head. “Oh… Ya know… Just that I’m a horrible prefect.”

There was dual tone of sincerity mixed with sarcasm, which only confused yet worried Kalim some more.

“Why do you say that?” It was Silver’s turn to speak, glancing at the two from the side. His pen stopping so that he wouldn’t mess anything up.

“Ramshackle got a new student today,” Mouse started, Kalim jolting upright like a puppy called to attention at their words. “And I immediately lost them on their first day of school. Grim, Ace, Deuce, and I have tried looking everywhere for her -”

“Her?” Silver quickly interjected, but his voice was too quiet that Mouse just continued.

“But we couldn’t find her before we had to go to our third periods…” Mouse finished, before slamming their head onto the desk.

“My first day in charge of another student and I already failed miserably…” Mouse’s voice was muffled by the wood as Kalim almost jumped on them, blanketing their body with his.

“Can we just back up a minute?” Silver asked, leaning toward Mouse so they could hear him under Kalim. “Her?”

Kalim got off of Mouse so that they could speak. A tad confused as to what Silver was referring to or why Silver himself was confused.

Mouse just gave Silver a tired look before nodding.

“Yep. The new student’s a girl…” It stung a bit, that Alise was allowed to be herself while Mouse couldn’t. But they didn’t share that part, instead smooshing their cheek into the desk.

“Her name’s Alise.”

“We should have a welcome party for her!” Kalim exclaimed, not at all seeing what the problem was. And Mouse was a tad too defeated to try and argue against Kalim’s idea.

“How … ” Silver started, and trailed off, at a loss for how to even phrase the question. He gave up and tried to come at things from a different angle. “Would she even like a welcome party?”

Kalim shrugged, letting out one of his signature laughs. “Who doesn’t love a welcome party!?”

Mouse hummed, smiling nervously at the both of them. “She is a bit uhm… How do I put this?”

Mouse paused, pushing themselves to lean back in their chair and ponder for a few seconds.

“Free spirited? Wild? … Maybe a bit murderous?”

They were all true things so far, at least to what Mouse has seen of Alise. Which wasn’t a lot.

“The youngest of us?”

They added, looking over to Silver with a small shrug.

“A bit murderous?” Silver looked concerned. “That doesn’t sound great. How old is she?”

Kalim leaned in, almost as intrigued as Silver though in a different sense. Mouse was certain that if he had a dog tail it would be wagging.

“A… Bit murderous…” Mouse repeated, scratching the back of their head as they looked away. “She definitely looks a lot younger than she is, but she’s 15.”

“15 isn’t that … ” Silver paused. “How young does she look?”

Mouse sighed, Kalim taking this as a sign to hug them - ya know… As emotional support.

“How does someone look younger than they are in a college anyways?” Kalim asked, but his question was overlooked by Mouse. Or at least she pretended not to hear him.

“Uhm… Well… I originally thought she was 12, maybe 13?” Mouse responded, offering Silver an apologetic smile. “She’s really small, not even Lilia’s clothes fit her properly.”

“I see. That’s… How do you know Lilia’s clothes don’t fit her?” Silver had completely abandoned his notes.

“Oh uh… I had a friend ask if it was alright with Lilia to borrow some of his clothes.” Mouse responded.

Silver buried his face in his hands. “To recap,” he said slowly, voice muffled. “There is a little girl, wearing clothes borrowed from Lilia, wandering lost around the school, plotting murder.” He peeked over the top of his fingers. “And Kalim wants to throw her a party.”

“Yep!” Kalim said, standing up. His excitement being… Well his excitement could be described as contagious on a usual basis, normally spreading to Mouse who was… Just as exhausted looking.

Carefully, Mouse raised a hand to gently grab onto Kalim’s arm and lead him back down into his seat like a tired mother reigning in their child. Scolding him gently. “Sit down, hun.”

Turning back to look over to Silver, Mouse just nodded. Kalim leaned over them to speak to Silver.

“It’s only fair that they get a welcome party!!”

Silver shifted his gaze to Kalim. “I suppose.” And back to Mouse. “How did she even end up a student, here, at a boy’s school, in the middle of the year?”

Mouse just stared at Silver, emotions swirling behind their mask of exhaustion before they spoke. Their words were traced with more venom than they had intended. “Crowley.”

And Mouse had left it at that. Turning to rest their head on the desk again and Kalim once more blanketing them.

It wasn’t exactly a secret that Mouse disliked the Headmaster, but it didn’t make Mouse feel any less guilty anytime they spoke about him in a negative light to the other students.

Silver nodded. “I see. That explains things.” He picked up his pen again to finish writing out notes for Mouse.

The bell rang. Silver packed away his notebooks, setting the sheet of notes beside Mouse and Kalim.

“I’ll keep an eye out for small girls dressed as Lilia.”

Mouse quickly grabbed the notes, accidentally slamming the table and making a small whine from underneath Kalim. But still sliding the notes off the desk and into their lap. Muffled sounds coming from underneath the Scarabia dorm leader to which he translated.

“They say thank you!” Kalim speaks, offering Silver a wide smile. “Oh oh!! And if you see Jamil on your way to picking up Malleus, tell him that Mouse is walking with us?”

“If I see him, I will let him know,” Silver promised. He looked for some accessible part of Mouse and patted it awkwardly.

Mouse grabbed at his arm quickly, shaking it in a weird “goodbye” before letting him go and patting it back. Kalim laughed at the odd displays of farewells.

Mouse and Kalim stayed in their odd positions as the students filed out of the class, the two had a conversation - mainly that of what to do for the welcoming party - as they waited for Jamil to pick up Kalim for lunch.

Though, eventually, as they waited - Mouse had to push Kalim off, feeling too smothered and gasping dramatically when Kalim got off with a laugh.

“OH THANK FUCK!! Non-coconut smelling air!” They exclaimed, their tone joking for the most part. They were immediately smothered by Kalim again - though this time in a hug instead of a blanket.

“Mooouuussse!! That’s meaann!!” Kalim laughed, knowing full well the magic-less student was simply kidding.

“Are you ready?” Jamil stood in the doorway, arms crossed. He flashed Mouse a small smile.

“Jamil!” Kalim looked up like a dog who’s name has just been called, quickly shoving his things into his bag haphazardly. Mouse, trying to protect their items from being mindlessly grabbed, packed their bag with a bit more organization.

When they were both packed, Kalim jogged over and into the hallway behind Jamil. Mouse walked over, waving to the dark haired boy with a small smile of their own.

“Sorry about that,” they apologized, cheeks flushing at the realization that once again they’d been caught fooling around with Kalim. “Thanks for picking us up again, though.”

Jamil shrugged. “It’s better than letting him run off on his own. He might get ideas.”

Mouse sighed, rubbing at the side of their neck as they glanced at Kalim who had just perked up again.

“Speaking… Of ideas…” Mouse warned, before Kalim slid up to their side and crossed his arms almost triumphantly.

“We’re going to be hosting a welcome party tonight!!” Kalim declared, Mouse offering silent apologies to the overworked vice-housewarden and ducking their head. “Mouse has a new student in their dorm!”

Jalim blinked down at Kalim. “No” was on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he said “Must we? Tonight? Maybe we could wait until the weekend?”

He ushered Kalim along the hallway, and raised an eyebrow at Mouse. “How did you get a new student?”

Kalim let himself get ushered, turning to Jamil as he protested. “Well yeah! It isn’t a welcome party if it isn’t held tonight, because then she wouldn’t be new!”

Mouse couldn’t argue that Kalim was… Wrong, per se, but they still ended up seeing flaw with the argument as they shook their head. Turning to face Jamil and deciding to flank his other side as to avoid any future “attacks” from Kalim.

They looked absolutely exhausted at his question, letting out another but much deeper sigh as they growled out. “Crowley”

But then their cheeks flushed and they glanced away, scratching the back of their neck as they took a deep breath to try and hide the growing annoyance of it being Crowley’s fault. “Probably the same way that I showed up.”

“That man … ” Jamil started darkly.

Mouse knew that they didn’t have to hide the bitter feelings they had towards the headmaster around Jamil, knowing well that Jamil felt the same way. But they still would rather… Not be obvious about that bitterness in the long run, seeing as their life was quite literally in Crowley’s hands.

Jamil sighed and turned to Kalim. “She will still be new this weekend. And have had time to meet people and make friends, which will make the party more enjoyable for her. And give me more time to prepare. Since I will be doing all the work. Again.”

Kalim stared at Jamil, his gaze soon wandering to the ceiling to think about Jamil’s words… He did have a point. It would make it more enjoyable for Alise, AND he could plan the parade that Mouse had originally shut down!

Jamil stopped walking. “She?”

Kalim nodded, looking forwards again with a determined expression as he kept walking. Mouse grabbed his sleeve and tugged him back.

The out-of-world student nodding, their expression nervous. “Mhmm… The new student’s a girl.”

Mouse hadn’t missed his dark tone from before, and they weren’t nervous from it. But now Mouse was seemingly studying Jamil’s reaction to the fact Alise was a girl. They knew Jamil had a sister - but this was still an all boy’s school, and they wondered (for personal reasons) how Jamil would respond to a woman being on campus - especially one that wasn’t from Twisted Wonderland.

Jamil recovered his composure quickly.  “Well,” he said, his voice carefully measured. “That is a development.” He started walking toward the cafeteria again. “Did she transfer from another school?”

Mouse let out a breath, one they didn’t realize they were holding as they dragged Kalim along, their plan to have Jamil as their smother shield no longer in effect now that Kalim was walking next to them.

“N-no…” Mouse responded lightly, looking straight ahead. “She’s uhm… Well… I don’t actually know if she’s from my world or what… But she isn’t from Twisted Wonderland…” they explained, grip tightening on Kalim’s sleeve unconsciously.

Jalim looked sideways at Mouse, the tip of his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

“What is going on at this school?” he asked no one in particular.

“Ask the bird, not me.” Mouse responded, “the bird” referring to Crowley. “But just so you know! There’s tons of stories about people without magic getting magic where I’m from - so when I inevitably go through my magic puberty I am so forcing you to teach me how to throw people!” Mouse declared, puffing out their chest before sinking back in on themselves - wincing in pain as the binder shifted against their welts and bruises.

“How to throw - ” Jamil looked at her, eyes wide with shock. He flushed slightly with embarrassment when he remembered that he had, in fact, thrown Mouse and Grim and the Octavinelle trio across the Scarabia dorm desert. “That happened once. It’s not like it’s something I do regularly. And I’ve said I’m sorry about it.” Except the part where he also threw Kalim. He wasn’t sure he was sorry about that. He wasn’t sure he was sorry about throwing Azul, Floyd, and Jade, either. In fact, he was pretty sure the only one was sorry for throwing was Mouse.

“Nononono-” Mouse scrambled, letting go of Kalim to wave their arms wildly. “Not! NOT what I meant!”

Mouse stopped, stepping in front of him and placing their hands on his chest. “I mean - yes - you did throw me! But!!” They took their hands off his chest and motioned towards the window.

“If we want to overthrow the school -” They almost said it as if they were planning to overthrow the government. “Because the headmaster sucks -” “I like him!” “- then we need to throw him into the ocean, because I can almost promise you that his feathers are not waterproof!”

Mouse quickly added in. “And we need to do it before Alise gets to him, Jamil.”

Jamil looked at Mouse’s hands on his chest, and then out the window, tilting his head to the side and making a “you’ve got a point face” when they mentioned throwing Crowley into the ocean.

He looked back down at Mouse curiously when they reached the end of their speech. “We need to murder him first?”

Mouse started making a chopping motion with their hands, as if to drive home their point like some kind of… Murder salesmen… “We need to kill him first.”

Jamil raised an eyebrow, and gestured for Mouse to continue on toward the cafeteria. “Perhaps we should find a more private place for this conversation.”

Mouse looked shocked, before puffing up their cheeks and moving to flank his other side, away from possible Kalim jails.

“You’re right… I got caught up in the moment.” Mouse sighed out, almost disappointed to pause the murder plotting for now.

“It happens to the best of us,” Jamil comforted them, glancing sideways at them with the smallest of smiles.

Mouse giggled, covering their mouth as they did. Smiling back at him with ease and putting a hand on their hip.

“Oh, speaking of. Do you have club later today?” Mouse asked, leaning back to look at Kalim before looking back up at Jamil in a not so subtle “We can talk without the excitable one” sign.

Kalim looked over at the two of them, before looking out the windows and getting distracted by some scene of schoolmates arguing over something.

“Why, you thinking of trying out for the basketball team?” He grinned wickedly. “No, not this afternoon.”

Mouse scoffed, rolling their eyes as they joked back. “Yeah sure, I’d love to be the cheerleader.”

“Could I help you plan for Alise’s welcome party? As a uhm… Official prefect, I feel it’s only right for me to help plan the party meant for my student!” Mouse spoke, trying their best to mimic that one pose Riddle does whenever he brags or taunts someone, before giving up halfway through and instead rolling their wrists in a sort of stim.

Jamil shrugged. “If you want, there’s no need, though.” He glanced at Kalim to make sure he wasn’t paying attention. “I basically run everything off a script. There’s not much planning involved.”

“Yes, however.” Mouse started to argue, their gaze softening. “That script often includes a parade… And don’t get me wrong, I love the parades but…” Mouse left the “I don’t want to accidentally scare off the new student” unspoken. Rubbing at their arm next. “And like… It’s nice to help you.” Mouse admitted, pursing their lips before giving him a smug look. “I get chances to steal your recipes. For myself, of course.”

“It would be nice to avoid a parade,” Jamil agreed. “You can stop by this evening, if you want. But I think I’ll handle choosing the food.” His grin was playful, the corners of his grey eyes crinkling.

Mouse nodded, a skip intruding on their step at the invitation. They perked up at Jamil’s comment on the food. Their voice coming out a bit more forced than they intended. “Please.” They quickly coughed, their whole face turning red from embarrassment as they spoke softly next. “I uh- I mean that’d be nice… You make good food, yes. Mhm…”

It was also not a secret that they enjoyed Jamil’s food the most, but they’d like to say that was - in fact - a secret. Though Kalim’s laughter at them was clearly not helping with Mouse’s fantasy of people NOT knowing this non-secret.

Jamil chuckled. “I have to protect my recipes.”

“Is that Sebek?” he asked then. “He looks furious about something.”

Next

[hexagonalhavoc]

Romantic with Sado, please! Reader is a another game character, weak, silent, He/Him. Not Angst

Jailbreak 

Sado x Reader

     You never thought you would be in the npc detention center. You didn’t even know what you did wrong. Your memories are nothing but a blur, every time you get a snippet of the past you’re greeted with more questions than answers. You can’t even remember the game you came from. You were wearing some sort of circus outfit but that didn’t help to ease your confusion. Everyone else could remember what game they came from so why couldn’t you? 

You hated it here. All you could do was sit around in your cell and listen to your cellmates talk. It gave you such a headache to hear them all talk at once, screaming and banging on the blue force fields that kept them within their cells. 

It wasn’t unusual to see Irving roaming the halls and acting as a warden. You doubted anyone could leave this place and he made it very clear what would happen if they tried but he still patrolled regularly to make sure no one was planning to cause trouble. He walked with one hand behind his back and the other on his earpiece. The most entertainment you got was listening to him talk to people over the earpiece and even that was boring. 

“Yes I got her. There should be no evidence left that Dosa’s game ever existed.” A game being deleted? You lean closer and press your ear up to the front of your cell. Maybe you can’t remember your game because it was deleted. Irving starts to walk away from your area and it’s harder to hear what he’s saying. You can make out very few words.

“Game breaking…npc hostage…lured…” 

He starts walking your way so you move away and keep your head down. He doesn’t even seem to know you were there, you wonder if he would even care if you’re listening or not. “So keep an eye on her, she’s smarter than she looks. Once we’re sure that she is secured with no chance of escape we can get rid of him, there’s no point in keeping him here.” Irving slams his fist against your cell, causing you to flinch back. There was no reason for him to do that other than to mess with you. This wasn’t the first time he’s done something like this and he only seems to do it to you. 

Someone else is being detained here? But where? You don’t see any new faces. Whoever “she” is, she must be at the very end of the hallways in the cell that has the most security. This new prisoner must have done something really bad. 

And who was Irving talking about? Whoever was the topic of conversation was unlucky as your wannabe warden made it very clear that they wouldn’t be alive for very long. You shuddered at the thought of that. No one that had been locked up had deserved to die. Being a video game character was hard, if you do even one thing out of script you’ll be punished harshly. 

He’s no longer talking but he’s still patrolling. You’re starting to get irritated by the sound his tacky dress shoes made against the sleek floors. You wonder if he has some sort of personal vendetta against you because he’s right in front of your cell again. 

“I bet you feel pretty small in there.” Does he just like picking on you in particular? He ignores everyone else. It’s not like you’ve done anything to him, you haven’t uttered a single word to him. “You want out, right? I bet if you ask your friend for help she’ll let you out.” You lift your head up to look at him. Your friend? You have no clue who he’s talking about. You can hardly remember who you are let alone any people you might have known in the past. If you were braver you would have questioned his words but you just lowered your head down again, assuming that he was just trying to get to your head. 

In reality, he was trying to get into Sado’s head. With how powerful she is he’s unsure if she’s capable of freeing herself from her shackles. Normally you don’t try to provoke a powerful force like her but Irving has a sizable ego which makes him think he’s untouchable. 

He knows that you don’t remember Sado but Sado remembers you. And you ended up being the perfect bait to catch a normally allusive entity like she was. Who would have guessed that her kryptonite would be such a person like yourself? There’s no disturbance on her end so maybe she really can’t escape her confinements. Irving can’t spend his whole day tormenting you so he takes his leave. 

Everything has quieted down for now and so you sit in your cell, your finger drawing invisible patterns on the ground out of sheer boredom. 

The sound of electricity crackling fills your ears. That wasn’t a sound you were familiar with. Then you hear the commotion of your fellow npc’s as a dark void draws near, ready to consume everything in its wake. You defensively curl up into a ball in the corner of your cell. You close your eyes with your hands on each side of your head. Is this really it? Are you meant to spend your last moments in confusion? 

Click! Click! Click! 

That’s a familiar sound to you, the sound of someone’s shoes against the hard floors. It doesn’t sound as heavy as Irving’s footsteps. Slowly, you lift your head up. There’s darkness right outside your cell but it doesn’t dare enter. The voices of the others are gone. Your cell door opens but the darkness doesn’t spill in. 

You stand up and go the very edge of your cell. You’re afraid but there’s no point in keeping yourself cooped up in there. This may be your chance to escape. You have to hype yourself up but you stick your hand out of your cell and into the darkness just to see what happens. The void rips itself apart to make way for your hand. You shakily inhale and step out completely. It’s like an invisible force field prevents the darkness from swallowing you up like it did all the others but why? What’s so special about you? 

The darkness continues to split itself down the middle until you can see a figure down the hallway. This dark clothed silhouette walks over to you slowly, as if savoring each step of her introduction. Naturally, you should feel afraid of a stranger in the darkness approaching you with such a cheshire grin but you don’t. Something in your heart is telling you that everything is going to be okay. You almost feel nostalgic in the strangest way. 

Now she’s right in front of you. She’s so close but you don’t feel the need to shy away like you do with other people. Her smile is uncanny and her eyes are unblinking but you feel safe right now. 

“You don’t remember me?” 

You’ve never been much of a talker. The only thing you can do is nod. 

“That’s a pity.” She takes another step towards you. You’re so close that if she takes another step you’ll be touching. “And yet…you didn’t run away. You know you’re important to me, don’t you?” 

You nod once more. How can her words mean nothing but everything at the same time? 

She tilts her head to the side. A pale hand slowly goes to your face as if she’s trying not to startle you. Black fingernails gently graze your cheek but you hardly feel them. Is this the one Irving was talking about? The one that was such a threat she was locked away with maximum security? But she seems so gentle. 

“I’m not too worried about it. I’ll get us out of here and we can work on jogging your memories together. I wouldn’t mind falling in love with you all over again.” Her expression is still the same but her eyes look glossy and you can’t if it’s because she’s happy or sad. Her voice doesn’t much inflection in it. 

It feels like there’s a hand pressing on your chest and it makes your eyes water. You’ve never heard such words before. You never thought someone could look at you so tenderly. You slowly reach your hand out to hers but then the whole building shakes. You would have fallen over if not for the hands that steady you. 

“Well would you look at that, they finally showed up. They’re behind schedule.” Before you can question her she turns to face you. “You have two choices. You can let the space marines save you or you can come with me. We’ll see each other again no matter what you choose.” Sado was going to wait for one of them to free her but they had came too late. All she had to do was lead one of them to the Hex Artifact. Unfortunately she couldn’t complete the ritual on her own. If she wanted to get you both to the real world she would have to let them take the artifact. 

You grab Sado’s hand, making your choice clear. Her hand tightens around yours. “You made a good choice. Stay close to me, we won’t part ever again.”

[practically-an-x-man]

"And if you need any help- Please. Hesitate to ask."

Just a little prompt for you

Oooh, I've been pondering this one for a while and I think I want to try something with Nikoletta...

____ New Blood

Word Count: 2.2k Content Warnings: mild fighting, nothing too extreme ____

Nikoletta Bordeaux lounged on her cot, picking at a loose thread at the corner of her blanket. Reputation only ever got her so far. These long days got boring, and the amount of shenanigans she was able to pull were few and far between most days. It didn't suit her to start trouble just for starting trouble - it wobbled her seat of power, her carefully-balanced perch at the top of the food chain - and Waller hadn't brought in any new blood lately.

Which left her with very few things to do. She'd done her rounds. Everybody here knew who she was, the power she held. She wasn't hungry, nor tired enough to sleep. She'd scoured the halls for gossip, ducking into shadows to eavesdrop, and had come up with pitifully little of interest.

So she waited. And hoped something interesting would happen eventually.

She didn't realize she'd begun to drift off until a metallic clang startled her awake. Nikoletta jolted upright, one hand sneaking automatically back towards the far corner of her cot. There was always a shadow there, something to sink into if anyone tried to cause her harm-

But it was only Waller, standing in the doorway with one first against the metal jamb. She offered Nikoletta a thinly-veiled glare. It was a look she returned.

"Up, Bordeaux. Now."

"Fresh meat?" Nikoletta guessed, drawing her spine straight in an unconscious attempt to appear more powerful. It worked on most of the other prisoners. It did not work on Amanda Waller.

"A few." she responded, lifting her other hand to show off a fistful of manila folders. She tossed them onto the cot, the strings in the cheap mattress creaking with the impact. Nikoletta closed her fingers around them as if they might grow legs and skitter away.

"Finally." she muttered under her breath. Waller hmphed from the door.

"They're getting introduced now. Read your files and get out there."

"Pushy, pushy." Nikoletta said, daring to look her right in the face, "You're getting awfully demanding, Amanda."

"You're not the one in charge here, Bordeaux, much as you like to pretend you are."

"You and I both know I'm here of my own free will," she fired back, her New Orleans drawl ribboning around the words and softening her threat into something more languid, "There's nothing you can do to hold me here."

"Believe me, we'll find something." Waller hissed, her voice icy. There was something practiced about it. Nikoletta would know. She'd done the same. Amanda Waller waved a hand, tension clear in her posture. "Read the files. Take care of it. And if you need any help- please. Hesitate to ask."

She was gone before Nikoletta could say another word.

Sighing, she flipped through the files. There wasn't much excitement to be found.

One man would be serving life after he sent Superman into respiratory distress with vaporized kryptonite. Typical. Half the inmates in here for targeting Supes. It was like some kind of ego boost, trying to find a way to take down the most powerful man in the universe. None succeeded, and those that survived were sent to Belle Reve. At this point, it was almost pathetic. One would think they'd at least pick a new target.

Two women were partners in crime, sent in together after attempting to bust into Fort Knox. One of them could make herself intangible, the file read, and the other had some sort of hypnosis that distracted the guards. Both would be sent to private cells, with power dampeners to prevent escape.

If there was one thing Nikoletta was certain about, it was that they'd find her swinging from a water pipe before they ever put a power dampener on her.

She almost smiled as she read the next file. The man - a dark-haired, slender fellow with tired eyes - was claimed to have taken down all of STAR Labs before he arrived. If so, good riddance. Much of his file was redacted in dark ink, unfortunately robbing her of the chance to read that whole story, but she hoped it had gone up in flames. She hoped there was nothing left of that infernal place.

Which left the last one. Another man. His file had been redacted too, even more than the prior one. She didn't get a name, nor a birthdate, nor what he'd been sent to Belle Reve for. She didn't know if he was a meta or not - often very useful information, for someone like her. All she had was a photo, pinned to the corner of the file. There was a smudge at the bottom of the photograph, a drop of spilled ink that had been ineffectively wiped away.

Waller's signal.

Whatever he'd done, she didn't want to deal with him. She wanted him gone.

Easy.

Nikoletta stood up from her cot, pausing to stretch her aching limbs. Sometimes she wondered where those aches came from. A remnant from her capture at STAR Labs? Her body warning her that it wasn't meant to dive between worlds like she did? Or simply a lingering echo of her malnourished childhood?

She didn't know. It didn't matter. She'd never let them see her pain anyway.

Nikoletta tugged a pair of leather gloves onto her hands, flexing her fingers a few times to loosen them up. It was the only amenity they'd willingly offer her, and largely because the alternative was worse.

She spared a final glance at the files, then tucked them under her pillow. Waller would collect them later. Nikoletta never got to keep what she was given.

She took in a deep breath and straightened her spine, drawing into her mind images of power and grace. Outside this room, she was so much more than herself.

The Queen of Belle Reve stepped out of her cell.

____

"Which one, boss?"

"Haven't spotted him yet. Seems he's a bit of a loner." Nikoletta responded, lifting a soggy French fry into her mouth, "You'll know when I mark him."

"But I never get there first when you mark them." the man muttered, hunched over his dinner tray, "Can't you just let me have him? Once?"

"Be my guest. If you'd like to end up in a week of solitary." she snapped, giving him a warning look, "If you want my protection... you follow my rules. Nobody goes down unless they're marked. We keep things clean around here."

As she spoke, she trailed a finger along one wilted leaf of lettuce from her tray. She only wore one glove now, and inky darkness followed her unprotected touch - truly, fully black, darker even than rot. Finger-painting with shadows. Nikoletta glanced down at it, then crushed the leaf into her hand and watched the darkness overtake it. Anything organic would do the same. Save for her own skin, nothing was safe.

"C'mon, Nik, please-"

"Adrian." she hissed, "I cannot make exceptions. If you want him, go get him. But then you put yourself outside my jurisdiction. You go after the ones that I've marked, and those only, or you put your blood in the water. Your choice."

He sighed and lifted his hand to adjust his glasses, refusing to meet Nikoletta's eyes. He knew she was right.

"Could you at least... mark him when I'm close by?" he muttered a moment later, "Otherwise I can never get there in time."

A shout rang out just as he finished, and dozens of eyes snapped to the other side of the galley. Some stayed there. Others turned to Nikoletta, watching for her next move. It took her a moment to decode the situation.

"You just might get your wish..." she muttered, easily sliding out of her seat, "Stay close."

Adrian beamed and hopped up from the bench, disregarding his tray of food. He was smaller than most of the other guys in this joint, though that didn't matter. She'd seen him fight. He was ruthless. And casually ruthless too, which was almost worse. He enjoyed what he did. Even with no weapons, no powers, nothing to make him stand out, he was one of the more dangerous prisoners to be found in Belle Reve.

It was exactly why she'd kept him so close.

A fight had broken out in the far corner of the cafeteria. None of the guards were attempting to stop it- not yet. A dark-haired man lay sprawled on the linoleum, painted with his own spilled tray of food. He wore a power dampener around his neck, but he wasn't even attempting to fight. Standing over him... the man from her photo. The one Waller wanted gone.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." Nikoletta's voice rang out, drawing eyes from every corner of the cafeteria. It included the larger man, the new inmate. She gave him a false smile. "You're one of the new ones, aren't you?"

"Yeah. N'who're you?" he huffed, his voice so gravelly she expected him to cough up diamonds when he'd finished. Nikoletta's face held no emotion. Her eyes reflected no light, only pools of pure shadow.

"I'm the queen around here. You ought to stay quiet until you learn how I run things. Or I must say- it won't end well for you."

"Heh. I'd snap you like a twig."

Nikoletta tilted her head. She hadn't been in the mood for a public display... but these newbies would need to learn who she was. And the rest could use a reminder. This one would prove a good example.

"Try."

He didn't grant her so much as a moment. She didn't need one.

He charged for her, his broad frame filling her vision and casting her face in shadow. Perfect.

She didn't move so much as an inch, not until she saw his fist swinging for her. Then she melted into the shadows.

Nikoletta reappeared a step behind him, though his lost momentum spun him in a circle to face her once again. For just a moment, he was too dazed to react. That was all she needed.

Her fist swung out, clipping him in the jaw and sending him staggering back a step. She was too small a woman to topple him, but darkness burst across his jaw like he'd been struck with a paintball. Nikoletta took a calm step back as he reeled.

"I'll end this here. But you'll learn your place." she advised. The new inmate growled, promising danger. But she turned her back on him. Here in Belle Reve, her greatest asset was not her shadows. It was the army at her back.

"They outta put a collar on you too." the newbie snapped, though she heard no telltale footsteps of him advancing. Either her demonstration has succeeded, and he'd learned his place... or he'd just realized he was suddenly surrounded by threats.

"What do you think happened when they tried?"

She strode away from the man, her gloved hand clapping Adrian on the shoulder as she passed.

"All yours. Go nuts."

"With so many people-"

"Waller wanted him gone. Guards won't blink."

A slow grin spread across his face, deceptively bright and open for what she'd just promised him. He looked like a kid on Christmas, surveying the array of presents under the tree. Nikoletta found herself returning his smile, though hers was faint and didn't quite reach her eyes.

She approached the man on the floor. He was working his way up to his feet, struggling to get his balance with the heavy collar around his neck. She did not offer him a hand, but he shot her a grateful look all the same.

"Thank you." he mumbled. His voice was as meek as the rest of him. He wrung his hands in front of his body, his eyes darting from place to place. Once, they managed to jump all the way up to her face, and she saw that they were nearly as dark as her own. He moved to hold out a hand, then reconsidered. "I'm- um, I'm Abne-"

"Word of advice." Nikoletta cut him off, "No names. No stories. No powers. Don't stand out. For a guy like you, that's your best chance in this place."

"Oh- okay, I-"

"I mean it. Head down. Or they'll make you a target. Do you understand?"

He nodded just a hair too fast. Nikoletta all but ignored the motion, dark eyes flicking across his food-spattered jumpsuit and discarded tray. She did feel bad for him, in a way. It wasn't her first run-in with these meek types, and often the quietest proved to be the most dangerous in the end. People boasted about what they were proud of, but nobody broadcasted the truly awful deeds. Not if they wanted to last.

But there was something different about this one. She wondered what he'd done to end up here. She wondered what had driven him to tear STAR Labs up at the roots. She wondered why they put him in such a heavy power dampener.

She was sure she'd learn eventually.

Rumor traveled quickly in Belle Reve.