#refuse to settle on bug age

[mouse-drawings]

Look at my OC ship, boy

My girlies managed to win the first poll in @hk-oc-tournament and while it's downtime for them, I present to you: the ship template! Get to know them a little better before the next round.

Original template

Stolen from

Credit for their ship name goes to my friend. Thank you, Squonch! You are this ship's number one fan!

[bumblesimagines]

One More Hour

Request: Yes or No

Pronouns: He/Him/His

Summary: As a child, Jace learns the hard way not to mess with his young uncle, Aemond. However, as growing man, he can't help the newfound curiosity.

CW/TW: Targcest/incest (Jace and reader are uncle-nephew), typical Got and HOTD warnings, Jace might feel OOC, takes place in s1, unknown age gap but Jace is like 18/19 and (Y/N) in his early to mid twenties, kinda cheating? (Jace and Baela).

AAHEEEM.

~~~

Jace could do nothing more than stare at his plate with his fists resting over his thighs, one ear listening to the annoying whispering from his uncle while the other desperately tried focusing on the conversations floating around the room. The tension had lessened significantly since everyone first settled down at the dining table for the first time in many years but it did little to prevent Aegon from being a bother. It certainly didn't help that across the table sat his other uncle, (Y/N), who watched the two of them with immense amusement. 

He'd changed since Jace last saw him. No longer a child on the verge of teenagehood but a man-grown talented in sword fighting and the art of making ladies swoon. His silver locks looked vibrant in the warm candlelight and each time Jace glanced upward, his grew captivated with the twinkle of his violet eyes. (Y/N) appeared poised, relaxed and content, with a cup of wine in his hand that he occasionally sipped from as dinner continued. His eyes flickered between observing Jace and checking on his twin, Helaena. 

Jace still vividly remembered the only proper interaction he'd ever had with (Y/N), for the Targaryen often kept to the library or hung around his twin whilst she worked on her embroideries or played with bugs. The two never strayed too far from one another, so much so that it'd surprised Jace when he'd heard the news of Helaena and Aegon's wedding. 

It'd been a warm day full of joy and wonder as Jace and Luke had welcomed their newest baby brother into the family, a sleepy little newborn by the name of Joffery. Of course, despite the wonderful addition to their family, Jace and Luke had plotted with Aegon to prank their uncle, Aemond, whose dragon egg had refused to hatch in the cradle. It was a subject of teasing for them all, harmless and playful in Jace's opinion, but it seemed like not all believed a clumsily put together wings on a pig and offering it over to Aemond had been a fun prank. 

Roughly fifteen minutes had passed and the boys all continued giggling and laughing about it, recounting the look on Aemond's face between snickers, when the door was pushed open and in walked (Y/N) with Helaena trailing behind, her hands cupped and cradling a spider. She barely batted an eye at them, even when (Y/N) strolled up to his older brother and slammed his knee into his groin, only muttering quietly to herself about things the boys couldn't quite understand. 

Jace's amusement in Aegon's pain as he toppled over with a low groan was short-lived, as (Y/N)'s hand curled into a fist and swiftly connected with Jace's jaw. He'd landed the hit well and hard enough for Jace to topple onto the floor as well, crying out in pain as he held a hand to his slowly bruising jaw. Little Luke had attempted to jump to his brother's defense but his smaller frame was easily pushed onto the floor and angry tears sprang into his eyes.

In the end, Rhaenyra and Alicent had argued over who was in the wrong whilst King Viserys lectured them on fighting outside of training. 

But Jace thought of the interaction often, thought of how cool (Y/N) had looked bringing his brother to his knees so easily. Even though his jaw tingled each time the two made eye contact, Jace couldn't help the awe that bubbled in his chest. (Y/N) appeared fully in his element, only observing and providing little input throughout dinner. Regal and with looks that spoke for themselves, such as the one he sent Aegon that forced the older boy back into his chair with a scowl. Otto smiled approvingly. The favorite of his grandchildren, Jace assumed. 

Dinner, however, ended with an outburst covered up to be a speech from Aemond with thinly veiled insults. Their parentage had always been a sore topic for the Velaryon boys and his temper got the best of Jace, prompting him to lash out and cause a stirrup that forced the night to end with all the children instructed to head to their respective bedchambers. 

Jace, of course, fumed all the way to his and Luke's temporary shared bedchambers, although he couldn't find a wink of sleep in his simmering anger and humiliation. Luke had already nearly been brought to tears when their blood had been put to question for courtiers to see by Vaemond Velaryon, they hardly needed a repeat. So, when sleep proved to be a hopeless desire, Jace slipped out into the halls and reacquainted himself with them until he noticed his uncle leaning against the railing of one of the balconies. 

"Uncle," Jace greeted him quietly, the chill of the cool night air bringing goosebumps to his skin. (Y/N) spared him a glance, his attention more captivated by the sky. When Jace squinted through the dark and clouds above, he noticed the silhouettes of two dragons flying together, almost playing from the soft rumbles and half-hearted nips. "Dreamfyre and Grey Ghost get along well, it seems."

"Sometimes I wonder if they're bonded, as Helaena and I are." (Y/N) responded, his voice gentle and soothing to the ear. His eyes tracked the two dragons until they disappeared well above the clouds, finally diverting his attention to his nephew. Jace swallowed under his keen gaze. "The hour is late, Jacaerys, yet you are up."

"So are you." 

"You've seen my reasons." (Y/N) nodded toward the sky. "What are yours, little prince?"

The heat that enveloped his face surprised Jace. "I... I could not sleep." He answered, and hoped the darkness around them hid his reddened skin from the Targaryen. Not many brought such a reaction to him. Sure, there were pretty ladies at court who caught his eye, his newly betrothed among them, but such intense heat...

"Aemond only meant to anger you and you gave him precisely what he wanted. He wishes to get even for what happened in our youth now that he's capable of protecting himself." The rings adorning his fingers glimmered in the moonlight, drawing Jace's gaze to them before it flickered back to his face.

"We were children." Jace insisted. 

"But not toddlers incapable of knowing right from wrong." (Y/N) lifted his brows and Jace fell silent, cheeks puffing out slightly when he scoffed quietly. The Targaryen reached out toward him, fingertips grasping his jaw and running along it until they reached the exact spot his knuckles had met years prior. He grinned. "I taught you a lesson because of it, didn't I, sweet nephew?" 

Jace shivered, unable to tell if the goosebumps were still from the cold or his touch. The cool metals of his rings pressed against Jace's warm skin, the designs engraved in them leaving marks when his hold tightened. His instincts screamed at him to pull away, to create distance between himself and (Y/N), for the gleam in his violet eyes only spelled trouble. Jace remained still, however, unable to break away from the trance.

"Velaryon seed is strong," (Y/N) murmured, his hand moving to touch the brown strands Jace had inherited from his real father, from Harwin Strong. He'd accepted it long ago. He was no fool. If Laenor Velaryon had truly been his father, he and his brothers would share the signature Targaryen look; those beautiful silver locks. "You are no Velaryon, Jace. But your mother's blood makes you a Targaryen." 

"I was raised Velaryon." Jace nearly growled despite the feelings swirling inside him. "My father, Laenor, cared for us-"

"Fuss all you want, Jace. We all know the truth." (Y/N) clicked his tongue and drew closer, hand slipping back to grab his jaws again and hold them, fingertips sinking into his skin with an iron grip that'd likely leave questionable bruises. His lips curled upward in some twisted mix of delight and curiosity. "You may not be Velaryon but you are pretty. I'm sure Father would've insisted you and I wed if you'd been born a lady." He leaned in close enough for their noses to bump and whispered lowly, "You would've been swollen with a babe by now if that'd been the case." 

Jace gaped at him, heat spreading through his body like dragonfire and making his breeches abruptly feel far too tight. His brows knitted together and his hands flew up to slam against (Y/N)'s chest. His uncle willingly released him and stepped back with a short laugh that echoed through the hall. "What makes you think I would've wished for that?" He bristled despite the redness on his cheeks and aching in his stomach. 

"Look at yourself, darling nephew," (Y/N) cooed, invading Jace's personal space again and forcing him against the railing, the roughness of the stone pressing against Jace's palms when he clung onto it. A strangled gasp escaped the brunette when (Y/N)'s hands grasped the underside of his thighs and lifted them, pressing Jace against him. Jace failed to swallow the whimper in his throat when (Y/N) moved his hips against him. Fear invaded his veins at the realization (Y/N) could easily push him over the edge and into an untimely death but it mixed deliciously with everything else. 

"You-"

"What is it, Jace? You look so red." (Y/N) snickered. He truly was the brother of Aemond and Aegon. "Imagine what sweet Baela would think if she saw you like this. I'm sure she'd be horrified and humiliated by her future husband." 

"Fuck you." Jace spat, the grooves and bumps in the railing digging into the skin of his hand. (Y/N) quirked a brow and released Jace's thighs, making him stumble as he regained his footing and released a heavy exhale of relief. His uncle clasped his hands behind his back and chuckled again.

"If that's how you feel, nephew, then I'll bid you goodnight. Safe travels." (Y/N)'s smile morphed into one that could be mistaken for genuine and kind before he turned and headed down the hall to his bedchambers. Jace stared after him, feeling breathless and angry and so annoyingly aroused. 

Digging his teeth into his lip, he peeled himself from the railing and followed the older prince to his bedchambers, his annoyance growing at the way (Y/N) ignored his presence yet allowed him inside his bedchambers. The door slid to a close behind him and Jace's heart fluttered at the smirk (Y/N) sent him over his shoulder. Jace lunged forward, bawling up the collar of his shirt in his hands and tugging him closer, their lips slamming together and teeth almost clacking.

(Y/N)'s bit Jace's lip hard enough to draw a trickle of blood and leaned back. "Behave." He huffed at him. Jace smirked, the blood smearing on his teeth. 

"I don't think so."

It'd been a near hour later when sleep finally crawled up his spine and threatened to lull him into a deep slumber. His lips felt swollen and tinted red from blood; the skin across his body was littered with suckled bruises and teeth marks; his jaw and hips ached with a burn Jace had never felt before; his throat felt hoarse and in desperate need of rest. Thoroughly exhausted and with the events at dinner temporarily erased from his mind, just as he wanted. 

(Y/N) remained laying on top of him with his chest pressed to Jace's back and made no move to release Jace from his tight hold. Jace hardly minded despite the aching and the part of him that whined for milk of the poppy to soothe him. His cheek nuzzled against the spit and sweat-drenched pillow, hardly paying attention to anything other than the feeling of (Y/N) on and in him. 

"What a shame." (Y/N) purred teasingly, his breath tickling Jace's ear. "I thought it'd take a little more to break you."

[xxcallmemaryxx]

Vessels x gn reader

Sleeping with the vessels headcannons.

Under the cut <3

Vessel can be a lot. If it were up to him he would consume you entirely and then go right to sleep after. This man will not settle until you are pulled so closely into him that you almost become one being. Big on skin to skin contact. Just absolutely adores being able to feel you and your warmth completely against him. Expect every inch of your skin to be touched and held by him at some point before he’s even tired. He is so serious about this. Needs you to know how adored you are by him every second of the day, but this amplifies as he gets sleepy or relaxed. Can never truely believe that you’re his and he gets to share such quiet and intimate moments with you. The routine you share when preparing to lay down together. The fact he gets to lay with you at all is nothing less of a privilege to him. He feels beyond blessed every single time. He will press his entire face into the softest parts of your body and stay there. He’s found himself falling asleep lightyears quicker when he’s with you compared to when he’s sleeping alone. But he fights it. Every single time. He would rather throw himself into fire than miss being able to admire you for as long as possible, but the second he gets his hands on you his eyes are drooping and his head is heavy buried in your chest. His favourite part of napping with you is waking up afterwards. When you are both impossibly tangled up, so close you can’t tell where he ends and you start. When you’re warm and soft and still half asleep. No words are shared. But you say your hellos to each other by snuggling deeper and basking in the presence of the other.

II is secretly a cuddle bug. Really only lets himself succumb to it when he knows the two of you will not be interrupted. The doors are locked and the curtains are drawn and there’s not a soul on the planet that he will ever allow to get close enough to either of you during this time. Enjoys you close, and really enjoys when you fall asleep curled into him. He’d never admit it out loud but you’ve picked up on it, how he settles into the pillows when his arms are secured around you. How he manoeuvres your half asleep form around so your head is tucked under his chin. How he sleeps closest to the door of the bedroom. He only settles, truely settles, when he feels as if he’s protecting you. Always up long after you’ve fallen asleep. When you’re safely tucked underneath him. He lays awake for ages counting your breaths, studying your features, committing to memory how beautiful you are sound asleep with him. He falls asleep looking at you. But ii is extra cuddly in the morning. Especially when it’s cold. If you’re lucky enough to wake up before him, his hair is always an absolute mess and his face has ended up buried in your skin somewhere. He might wake up for a few minutes, when he allows himself to snuggle deeper, chasing your warmth and inevitably falling right back to sleep again. The world outside doesn’t exist to him when he’s in bed with you. His only concern being that you’re still there and warm and safe and secure with him. He lets you soak it up for as long as you can when he’s all soft and sleepy.

III completely refuses to sleep without you. He won’t do it. He does not care. Whether it be taking mid day naps, or if you’re out and about for the night without him. He will not sleep until you are next to him again. He can be stubborn when he wants to be, and he’s damn good at it too. Poor guy could be falling asleep standing up and he’d still force his eyes back open. He is just as clingy as Vessel is when it comes to you. Possibly even more so. His entire body is draped over your shoulder the whole way to the bedroom, face pressed into your neck and arms wrapped around you the entire time. When you finally get to the bed, it’s almost as if he’s forgotten his own height. He waits for you to settle in and then, quite literally, flops his whole body on top of yours. His face is pressed into you and his arms are around you and he’s out like a light immediately. He will not move. At all. The whole night. He will stay right there, as close to you as humanly possible, where he knows you can’t get up and leave either. He sleeps so deeply he will not wake up for anything, especially if he’s been unable to sleep for a little while, it’s like his brain can finally rest because you’re back in his arms again and it just completely switches off. His hands, if not around you, are holding onto you somehow. He likes burying a hand into your hair and pulling you closer to him. He’s all about closeness. All about contact. He’s very big on you two spending your time together. Whether he’s conscious for it or not. So long as your body is pressed against his, he’s happy. He will only move in the morning, after he’s woken up long enough, to shift you around and pull you on top of him. The weight of you on top of him is the best feeling in the morning. Loves watching you slowly wake up.

IV considers bed time to be the best part of the day. Crawling into bed with you after a long day, is something he can tell you he has become addicted to. He is big obsessed with you. The moment you pull those covers over yourself his hands are on you and he’s not letting go for anything. If you fall asleep before him, he absolutely lays awake and watches you for a while. He takes great comfort in being able to feel and see you next to him. His hands are under your shirt so he can feel your warm skin against his, and he’s conscious of every breath in and out of your lungs. Don’t you even think about trying to move away from him, he will trap you between his body and the mattress so you have nowhere to go don’t even test him. You do somehow get out of bed in the middle of the night? IV is following you through the house like a lost puppy. He could be in the deepest of sleeps but the second you’re not next to him anymore he’s up and awake in seconds. There’s been many times when he’s tried to blindly follow you through the dark while half asleep, ending up with big bruises on his body from running into the walls. Hold his hand and guide him back to bed. Be gentle with sleepy IV, he’s delicate. IV has attempted to wear your sleep shirt, with you still in it. The top stretched over his head as he slept quite peacefully with his head on your bare chest. Best sleep he had in ages. Will do it again.

[sophiacloud28]

Toddler Leo (One-Shot request)

I can't remember how exactly this came about anymore, but it's here. I would like to give special thanks to @thelaundrybitch for coming up with the idea and then letting me write it. Beware the diabetes.

One-shot, pure fluff, Rise Leo, set in main timeline (AU?)

You're not sure what to think about when you get the messages. You're even less certain when you call after work and the only thing you get is, "Please get down here right this second" and nothing else. However, the thing that worries you the most isn't the fact that Donatello seems to be ordering you around or the fact that your best friend seems to be panicking. That seems par for the course for the Hamatos. No, what worries you is the lack of messages from a certain someone that makes your heart squeeze.

He's gotten good with his timing. Incredible, in fact. He never asked, but nowadays, it feels like the second you get up for lunch at work, there's a message waiting for you. He bugs you with everything and anything, from memes to heartfelt messages that always manage to make you smile, even giggle sometimes. But there was nothing today. Not even the start of the conversation you have to sadly shoot down because someone thought it was a good idea to occupy your lunch with a meeting.

So, it's with a heavy heart and worry on your mind that you step into the lobby of the Lair.

"LEO! DON'T RUN!"

Only to blink as you hear Raph shout, you barely catch a blue streak zip up the stairs, and you flinch as a weight hits your legs, making you look down.

… Is that…? There's — There's no goddamn way.

You watch as the snapping turtle makes it up the stairs only to sigh when he sees you. He, thankfully, doesn't hesitate to approach you, just holds up his hand in greeting, which you return before watching the hulking man sit and make himself as small as possible before speaking in a tone that can only make you smile.

"Leo, you need to let go."

"No!"

"Leo –"

"NO!"

Although… you can't help but blink at the name and the voice you're hearing.

"Leon?"

And the fact that the blue-covered head finally moves to let you see lime green and red…

"Eya."

…

Oh dear god.

You watch as Leo unglues himself from your leg and brings his arms up. You look at Raph in confusion.

“What happened?”

“Donnie. He’s working on a solution.”

“Is this linked to the Empyrean?”

And the snapping turtle’s acquiescence gets cut off by quiet hiccups, making you look down and feel your heart almost shatter.

His eyes are watery. Leo is trying so very hard not to cry but he wants up. And you can’t…

You kneel and open your arms. The intelligent boy picks up on it immediately and, after a blink, rushes into your arms and settles his head into the crook of your neck as you lift his surprising heavy body off the ground.

“It’s the shell,” Raph explains and you believe it. He’s not particularly pudgy although he seems well-fed, but the weight doesn’t match.

Although, considering how fast he settles down in your arms, you’re not sure you mind. No, you don’t mind at all when you feel a tiny rumble against yourself.

Churring. He’s so damn cute.

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

He refuses to let go of you.

You want to say that you’re surprised with him refusing to let you help with dinner, but if you’re honest…

“Leon, I gotta help your brother.”

“No!”

“You want to eat late?”

Considering his current age, to not expect him to be glued to you would be wishful thinking. Certainly when the second question gets indignant chirping galore Mikey understands and translates.

You were missing all week. It’s his turn.

Not even two and already acting like a drama queen. You want to be angry but the fact that he insists on both staying on your lap during dinner all while eating on his own is too endearing to get mad at. Not to mention that he does seem to somewhat understand boundaries ‘cause he asks for Raph when you talk about getting ready for bed only to stick to you when you’ve showered and changed.

Little glue pot. Who is still incredibly brotherly as he points you to the Lab and has a chirpy argument with Donnie through the intercom about sleeping.

The fact that the softshell actually comes out is a testament to Leo's persuasion, certainly with how proud he looks in your arms. He, unfortunately, loses much of that pride as you get to his room, and not only does he insist that you sleep with him, but he tries climbing over you several times and complains so loudly every time you move him back to where he was, it catches Raph's attention who, thankfully, explains.

It's something you know Leo has been doing for months, now. Whenever you share the same bed, he insists on having an arm around you or sliding halfway atop you. Either way, it leads to the same thing, you wake up with him holding you tightly in his arm while he covers you with himself. At first, you thought it was out of being touch-starved. Now, after everything you read and him still doing it, you're thinking it's a dominance thing. It's neither. In fact, it's something much simpler.

His shell. Doesn't matter if there's damage, his shell and skin are stronger than yours. And he's protective. Extremely so as he tries again while you're distracted with his brother and you still catch him, leading to him trying to nip your fingers and forcing you to gently hit his beak with a "None of that."

He whines, then, rubbing his head against your hand while his eyes fill with tears. You barely notice Raph leaving as you try to reason with him, eventually boiling it down into the simplest fashion you can while putting his hand against his.

He's usually so much bigger. Leo might not be too much taller than you, but he is surprisingly broad despite how agile he is and his hands engulf yours. You can barely see the color of your skin in the lime-green of his, usually.

Not now. Now, your hand makes his disappear. Your skin is all you can see. And light hiccupping is all you can hear as just how helpless he is sinks into you.

He can't protect you. Not right now. That's your job. Until he's back to normal, you and his brothers have to make sure he's safe, happy, and, above all, loved.

You hold him close. Bring him against your chest before placing a pillow underneath him to make sure he's comfortable as he holds onto you. You listen to him churr as you scratch his head and shell while promising him security and protection. And while you're not sure he completely gets it, you know he's understanding some of it as he holds onto your shirt like a lifeline, leaving you to wonder one thing.

Is this… how he wishes he could behave? Or something close?

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

Something close. Definitely something close from the fact that he wakes you up in the middle of the night with his screaming and crying and he looks like such a mess as you hold him tight against you. You doubt he wants you to hear the hiccupping he's unable to hold back or that wants you to see him as anything but strong. You doubt he enjoys the fact that he woke you up, no matter how little you care, and promise him that it's fine as you take him to the kitchen for a cup of warm milk. And nothing makes that more obvious than you waking up to an already awake Leo whom you can only smile gently at.

"Hey Leon."

Along with the fact that he immediately nuzzles against your hand as you hold it out.

"Did you sleep?”

A nod.

“After we came back from the kitchen?”

A very hesitant nod.

It's harder to lie, to deflect. Not to mention he's trying to lie to you, something you've had more than a hint of him disliking. However, it does tell you how ingrained the habits are and how soon Leo had to learn that sacrificing himself… could be necessary.

You just hope you know the perfect way to return the favor as you send texts to Mikey and Raph before settling into the bed a little more.

"How about we sleep in, then? I just cleared my day."

From the way his eyes light up at the offer before you find yourself tackled by someone half your size, you'd say you're not doing a bad job of it.

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

You wish you were surprised when it turns partially into show-and-tell. You can only chuckle when Leo races through the room to bring you stuff he babbles and chirps about. And you smile fondly when, eventually, he brings over the book you've gotten him and, after triumphantly stating, "Eya book!" he lies with you to look at the images while you read the text aloud. But it's the way he cuddles against you as you speak that has your heart skipping around. Not to mention that he only snuggles closer when you quiet your voice to a hum and let him settle against your chest, breathing deepening by the second.

You know better than to stop. You might have only raised four-year-olds, but you remember their behavior skirting with this one, certainly after a nightmare or an awful day, and you're not about to leave Leo to suffer to his demons. You already can't let him when he's older, how can you now?

You help him settle a little better as he stretches and tries to snuggle closer, likely looking for warmth. You smile as he sleepily chirps.

“I wuv you, Eya.”

But there’s no helping the blink as you hear him whisper against you. No stopping your racing heart and fond smile as you wrap a protective arm around him, murmuring, “I love you, too, Leon."

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

You jolt as you hear screaming, shouting and tumbling throughout the lair. You notice the lack of weight against you and hear a very familiar three-letter word accompanied with some surprisingly familiar words as well.

“Leo! Get back here!”

“No!”

And you sigh, almost resigned to the mess you’re about to find as you step out, wondering what trouble the little chaos demon has managed to get himself into.

You blink when all you see are color-coded blurs. The blue one turns the corner so sharply, you wonder if you’re still sleeping until another blur, red one this time, does the same thing, reminding you of where you are. You sigh as you make your way up and blink at the absolute mess the lobby is in, recognizing the spots Leo might have thought he was safe before his brother tried to extricate him out of hiding.

Are you surprised that, upon his return to the lobby, he’s taken to the heights this time? Nope. In fact, you just sigh as Raph shouts at Leo who is absolutely refusing to leave his perch in the bar. It’s not until the little menace tries to get away and knocks a bottle off the shelves that they seem to realize how dangerous this is becoming as your heart nearly stops.

Oh no.

You can hear the crying before it starts. You’re still not ready for the chirps that mix with it as Raph realizes he can’t reach Leo, at least not without breaking the bar. However, the distress you see across that tear-streaked face is enough to make you move, thankfully easing Raphael's worry but not quite working on Leo's nerve, even as you step into the bar, round the shattered bottle, and hold yourself under the slider with open arms.

"It's okay, Leon. Come on."

It takes everything for you to stay calm as he cries louder, holding out his tiny hands towards you. You can't reach him. You're not tall enough. But he can jump down.

"Come on, big guy. Just a jump. I got you."

The distressed chirps make you want to cry. You have to keep smiling, though. You have to keep steady. He needs a rock, and you're the only one who can reach him.

"I gotcha. Te tengo, Leonardo. Jump."

He does. You buckle a little under his weight but hold steady as he hiccups before crying while gripping your shirt like a lifeline. You turn around to an apologetic Raph who gingerly points to what Leon has clasped in his right hand and the fact that the latter immediately lets it go to put his arms around your neck doesn't surprise you in the slightest. What does is the cause of the mess.

"A Lou Jitsu action figure?" you ask as you hand it over to the sighing snapper.

"Got it from Dad's room."

… Oh. You smile, even giggle as you half-rock the hiccupping Leon in your arms.

"Did you want to show it to me?"

Only to chuckle as you feel the faintest hint of a nod against your neck. This little rascal.

"Want me to take him off your hands?" Raph suggests and you shake your head.

"I have —! What… happened here?"

Before you can answer, though, the softshell appears in the lobby holding a vial you only hope is the solution to the mess.

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

You're not surprised when quiet is all that finds you when you slide open the train car door. You almost expect him to pull back the second you lie in the bed next to him, something he does before you put a hand over his.

"You okay?"

However, you're glad when all that finds you instead of the lies he's been spewing as he helped fix the mess he created is silence.

He's not in the mood to lie. Not to you. Yet, he's also not wanting to talk about the past few hours and, honestly, you can't blame him.

"We don't have to –"

"I don't get you."

Although, you're not sure what to make of the remark, blinking at it.

"Leon?"

"I don't understand. I don't… I should have…"

"You didn't."

"Why not?"

"You were a child?"

"Not –"

"If you're about to say excuse, I'm going to get Raph to beat some sense into you. Besides, I raised twins."

He falls quiet, looking unsure. You squeeze his hand, not expecting but still getting one you almost want to laugh at as he brings you in and lays atop you.

Shielding you from the world. Keeping you safe. And, as you feel him freeze over you while you wrap your arms around his neck to bring him closer, so touch-starved he nearly melts over you when you start scratching his nape and the base of his skull.

The churrs are so incredibly deep, you can feel them reverberate through you. It's beautiful.

 "You'd make a wonderful mother."

It's not as heart-racing as his comment, though, your mind wondering if he means it, if he's thinking about it as he kisses and murmurs against your cheek.

"I love you, estrella mía."

You won't know now, though. Not yet. Patience is key and he needs his sleep.

You lean your head against his as you whisper your reply, "I love you, too, Leon."

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@silverwatergalaxy @thegirlwiththeninjaturtletattoos @luckycharms1701 @thepinkpanther83

@avery73 @the-cauldron-witch @redsrooftopprincess @iridescentflamingo @ninnosaurus

@milykins @yorshie @justalotoffanfiction @truffle-reblogs @adebauchedsloth

[thetalee]

"So, you're fake dating my big brother."

Inspired by this ask, specifically the first part about my regret regarding not having Buck be in the know about Austin Jones earlier. Most of this was brainstormed while spending hours in a car.

~

"Okay, I need you to explain this to me again." Evan's grin was far too reminiscent of the Chesire Cat's as he slouched in the passenger seat. "Explain this to me like I'm five."

"I should probably explain everything to you like you're five," Daniel said, rolling his eyes. "You act that age often enough."

"No, no. This is the first day off we've both shared in weeks, Danny. Or at least the first one that one or both of us aren't too exhausted to do anything. And we're gonna spend it with your boyfriend's family? The boyfriend I didn't even know you had?"

"He's not my-" Daniel sighed and rolled his shoulders. "Austin isn't my boyfriend. I'm just pretending to be his boyfriend to get his parents off his back."

"Beards are usually women."

Daniel bit back the immediate retort, that Evan should know all about beards, but his brother was already putting up with enough today. He didn't want to needlessly remind him of one of the reasons they fled El Paso. That mess was best left in Texas, to be forgotten and never remembered.

"I'm not his beard."

"You literally just told me you're pretending to date him to get his parents off his back. That totally makes you a beard."

"He doesn't want to date anyone," Daniel told him. "But his parents want him to find someone."

"Is this like a, I want grandkids, kinda thing?" Evan asked, and then scrunched up his nose. "Wait, no, then they'd want him to be dating a girl."

"They just want him to be happy. Not everyone's parents suck." Daniel shrugged at the look his baby brother gave him. "Also, they already have like, three grandkids."

"Okay..." Evan nodded, eyes fixed on the car ahead of them. "Just one more question: how long have you two been...?"

"She tried setting him up with someone for Valentine's Day and he finally just went with my idea."

"Valentine's Day?" Evan turned his head to stare at him, eyes boring holes into the side of his face. "Danny, it's fucking May. You've been dating a guy for four months-"

"Fake dating," Daniel corrected him. "And it's only been three and a half."

"Only- What the fuck, Danny?"

"Listen, it's his mother's birthday today." That statement earned him a bug-eyed stare.

"You're bringing your younger brother to your fake boyfriend's mother's birthday!?"

"She said to invite you."

"Wait, have you already met her? You said you've only been together for four months."

"Three and a half, and we're not together, we're-" Daniel cut himself off with a huff and hit the turn signal, flipping off the driver of the car that refused to budge out of the way for them. "She was excited that he found someone, and he's a momma's boy. Look, neither of us have anything better to do today, and it'll be free food."

"Honestly, you're making me regret not picking up that extra shift," Evan complained, settling back in his seat. "i could have been earning overtime."

"Why?" Daniel couldn't help but scoff. "You don't pay any bills."

"I offer all the god damn time, and you keep shooting me down!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, shut up. We're at his building."

Austin didn't live that far from their apartment, truth be told. Daniel found a spot on the curb, ignoring the fact that it was a fire lane because he was a firefighter and thus allowed to park there, and shot the man a text telling him to bring his ass down. Then, Daniel turned in his seat and fixed his baby brother with an expectant stare.

"What?" Evan demanded. "Why are you- No! Are you serious?"

"Fake boyfriends get shotgun," Daniel told him. "Get in the back, squirt."

Evan huffed and groaned and generally regressed to being a teenager, but he threw open the passenger door and got in the back all the same. Daniel rolled his eyes at him, ignoring his bitching about his legs and being too tall for this and how his knees were "pressing into my lungs, Danny, when did you stop loving me?" Most of his attention was fixed on the building's front entrance, and he gave a single honk of his horn when he spotted Austin coming out.

"I could've drove," was how Austin greeted him.

"You could have," Daniel placidly agreed as the other man settled into the passenger seat. "Austin, this is Evan. Evan, this is Austin."

"So." Evan leaned forward between the seats, that Cheshire Cat grinned back in place. "You're fake dating my big brother."

"That I am," Austin confirmed.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh. And how did you meet?"

Daniel silently rolled his eyes as he pulled back out into traffic. Evan caught sight of the motion in the rearview mirror and blew a raspberry at the side of his head.

"I went through the academy with a guy at his station," Austin answered.

"Oh! You're a firefighter, too. Neat." Evan nodded. "And what are your intentions with my brother?"

"Jesus Christ, Evan," Daniel snapped.

"I have to protect your virtue!"

"His virtue's safe with me." Austin sounded amused, a hint of a smile on his mouth. After over a year of friendship, Daniel was getting a hang of reading him now.

"My virtue was gone ages ago."

"Gross. No one wants to hear about that, Danny."

"Hey! How many times did I walk in on you and-" Daniel cut himself off, closing his mouth so suddenly that his teeth clicked together. The damage was already done, Evan withdrawing into the back and falling into sullen silence. Austin frowned and glanced between them, but Daniel just shook his head. "Where are we going?"

"Olive Garden, the one on Venice," Austin answered, letting the unasked questions go. "Other side of Lafayette Square."

"Sweet." The excitement and cheer in Evan's voice was mostly a facade. "Endless breadsticks."

"Yeah, yeah." Daniel flapped a hand at him. "Who all's gonna be there? I've only met your parents."

"But you know how many grandkids there are," Evan pointed out, a hint of a question in the words. Or maybe an accusation.

"Shut it."

"My sister, Cynthia, and Emmett have Dean and Sam. She's a bit obsessed with the show," Austin supplied. Daniel racked his brain, trying to figure out what show Austin was talking about, and just drew a blank. "My brother, Ethan, and his wife, Irene, have Rosemary. If you sit next to him, he will show you all the pictures he has of his precious princess. And he has a lot."

"Don't worry, we'll sit you at the kids' table," Daniel teased, smirking at his baby brother's reflection.

"Joke's on you, that's the cool table," Evan said, leaning forward again. "So is there anything I shouldn't do or say? Shut up, Danny."

"Wasn't gonna say anything," Daniel lied. "But probably the fact that we aren't actually dating. That's a big one."

"So I shouldn't mention the actual date that you went on last month?" Evan's grin was shit eating. "You know, with the chick that went to the bathroom and never came back?"

"Yes." Daniel glared at him. "You definitely shouldn't mention that, either."

"My lips are sealed." And then he turned to Austin. "He took her to the place I work at-"

"It's hard to keep track of where you work. You change jobs so often."

"I'll find something and stick to it." Evan flapped a hand at him. "Anyway, so I was there and got a front row seat to him crashing and burning..."

~

Hen still wasn't completely sold on the new captain. They'd gone through so many of them since Gerrard, some of them only lasting weeks. Bobby, though, had managed to last months by this point. He'd opened up a slight bit more, too, calling them by their preferred names and even starting to cook for them instead of leaving them all to fend for themselves.

They'd gone out for one of their post-shift get-together, her and Bobby and Chimney and Tommy. Different from but similar to all the times they went out before Bobby, Sal's absence hardly noticed. Hen didn't miss him, not really, the man was barely a friend and that was forever tarnished by the way he treated her when she first started. Chimney was right, when he called him a tool.

Anyways, today they went to one of their usual haunts, a hook-and-ladder joint downtown. The shift hadn't been particularly grueling, at least they hadn't lost anyone, but it was a near thing a couple of times. Karen understood the desire to unwind, the need to unwind, before coming home. She assumed that Tommy's invisible fiancee were the same.

Hen knew, in vague terms, that she existed. Nothing else beyond that, really, except that her name started with an A. But that was okay, she and Tommy weren't the sort of friends where Hen actually cared about those kinds of details, not like her and Chimney. Bobby wasn't the only one on their shift who kept things close to the chest. Hell, there were a couple that, despite how long she worked with them, she still wasn't sure they actually existed as people. Like-

"Holy shit." Tommy's coughing and sputtering interrupted her thoughts as he choked on his drink. "Is that Jones?"

In unison, they swivelled their heads to see what he was talking about. There, at the bar, sat their reclusive driver-engineer. He was chatting with the bartender, a guy several years their junior with what might've been a bruise above his eye who was propping himself against the bar with his arm, almost like he was posing. Hen spent several moments gawking.

"How many times did we try inviting him out with us?" Chimney sounded offended. "He always turned us down."

"Maybe he just didn't want to go out drinking with you," Bobby suggested with a smirk. That was a recent development, too, the captain's burgeoning sense of humor.

As they watched, another man took a seat on the stool beside Jones. The man looked similar to the bartender, enough so that Hen came to the immediate conclusion that they were related, somehow. Brother, probably. He said something that had both the bartender and Jones throwing their heads back with laughter.

Jones had been at the 118 for a few years, now, a transfer from another station when their old driver-engineer retired. Since that time, they'd learned almost nothing about the man except for his name and the fact that he was an LA native. He stuck to himself for the most part, oftentimes disappearing somewhere in the station between calls. He was so quiet that, even when the man was driving them to and from scenes, it was easy to forget that he was there.

Hen had never, not once, seen the man outside of the station. And yet, here he was, interacting and talking and laughing. It was like they'd taken a turn into the Twilight Zone.

She glanced at the bottle in her hand, close to empty. This place had servers to bring them refills, it was one of the things they liked about it, but..

"I'm gonna go get us another round," she declared. Bobby looked disapproving, but he didn't immediately say anything.

Hen got up and headed for the bar, curiosity pushing her forward. None of the men took note of her approach, so she managed to get close enough to overhear their conversation. The bartender was regaling them with a story.

"The guy was tripping balls, right?" he was saying, gesticulating with his arms. "So he's at the top of the lamppost and no one can figure out how to get him down, not without knocking him down-"

"Tempting, sometimes," the third guy, the bartender's brother, remarks.

"-but then this... I think he was a janitor? He just showed up and unplugged the light, then turned on the heavy duty flashlight he had and shown it on the ground. The dude just climbed right down to chase after it."

"Guy probably had a few bad trips of his own." The bartender's brother suddenly frowned at him. "You didn't do anything like that, did you?"

"I would never," the bartender replied and though Hen didn't even know the man, even she could tell that was utter bullshit. His eyes finally landed on her, and if he were a dog, his ears would be perked and his tail wagging. "Oh! Hey, sorry. What can I get ya?"

"A club soda and three more of these," she answered, holding up her drink. Then she nodded to Jones, which the man silently returned. "We didn't know you were coming out tonight."

The bartender frowned as he poured the club soda, looking between her and Jones. His brother was doing much the same, but with a wary edge to his posture. Jones just sighed and pointed at her and said,

"Wilson."

"Oh!"

The two men lit up in recognition, the older one relaxing in his seat. Hen was struck in that moment by the realization that these utter strangers knew of her, at least. That Jones had talked of her enough that all they needed was her name to know who she was.

"Austin's a gossip," the older brother told her. It took a moment for her to connect Austin to Jones, to realize that they were the same person. "Dan, that's Evan."

"Hen," she supplied. "You guys know each other."

"Obviously," Dan scoffed.

"They're dating," Evan told her, shit-eating grin directed at his brother. Hen reeled.

"Fake dating," Jones corrected, utterly unbothered.

"Whatever. What table are you guys at?"

Hen realized, after a beat, that the question was for her.

"Uh, right over there," she answered, gesturing. She looked over and saw that the other three were watching with interest.

"The table with the guy who's been checking me out," Evan said with a nod.

"Is that why you were standing like that when I got here?" Dan asked, face scrunched up.

"Gotta earn my tips somehow," Evan explained with a careless shrug.

"That would be Tommy," Hen said. Tommy had, coincidentally, changed seats to one that conveniently gave him a better view of the bar and the bartender. "I knew my gaydar wasn't wrong."

"Is he not out?" Evan asked, and looking to Jones for the answer. The man just shrugged and shook his head.

"He's engaged to a woman," Hen told him. "We've never seen her."

"Oh, a closet case." He sounded disappointed, and a little derisive. "Been there, done that, not doin' it again."

"Aw, look at you, squirt." Dan reached up to pinch at Evan's cheek, who slapped his hand away. "Learnin' lessons and everythin'."

"Fuck off." Evan set the club soda down on the bar, and then pulled out three unopened bottles to put next to it. "There ya go. Need help carrying 'em?"

"No, I've got it," Hen assured him, gathering the drinks up. She was reluctant to leave, as curious as she was about these people who had befriended the 118's least sociable member. But she didn't have a reason to linger.

She was halfway back to the table when she heard Jones laughing again.

"So?" Chimney was nearly vibrating in his seat when she returned. The other two weren't any better, though much more subdued. "You were there talking with them awhile, what did you find out?"

Hen mulled it over, debating how much to say, before settling on,

"Did you know Jones' name is Austin?"

~

There was no reason for Buck to be feeling this nervous, absolutely none. How many first days had he gotten through by this point? And it wasn't like he was going into this one completely blind, not with how much time he'd spent at Danny's old station. Nor was he going to be completely surrounded by strangers.

Case in point, just inside the truck bay - larger than the one at Danny's old station, more airy - there was someone waiting for him.

"Hey, Austin." Buck hurried his steps, not quite running to meet up with his brother's not-boyfriend. He looked around as he did, feeling giddy when he spotted the turnout locker with Buckley on it. "Where do I, uh. Where do I go...?"

"Cap's upstairs," Austin said. "Along with everyone else. There's food."

"Awesome."

He jogged ahead, excitement hurrying his pace, and took the steps two at a time. When he reached the top, it was to find most of the shift gathered around the dining tables. He recognized some of them by sight, thanks to his time tending bar at the hook-and-ladder joint. They looked up, most of them only briefly before going back to their food, at his approach.

"Uh, hi." He waved awkwardly at them, adjusting the strap of the bag hanging from his shoulder. "Evan Buckley, new recruit. I was told to report to Captain Nash?"

"Do you know a Captain Nash?" the older man at the end of the table asked the others, who shook their heads.

Buck's stomach dropped, before logic and reason caught up. Captain Nash was definitely here, somewhere, Austin had said so. So who-

"That's Nash," Austin said, pointing him out as he passed Buck on his way to his empty chair, clapping him on the shoulder. The others all stared at him like he'd grown a second head, and then turned to look at Buck in the exact same way.

"Did Jones just...?" Hen turned around in her seat, face lighting up in recognition as she got a better look at Buck. "Oh! Evan, the bartender. It's been a while."

"Buck," he corrected with a shrug. "There were three other Evans in my class, so..."

"Buck," she repeated with a nod.

"Take a seat," Nash said, gesturing at the empty chair beside him. "And welcome to the One Eighteen."

[thetobitoaster]

JEFF REVAMPED.

Hello!!!! I hate the original Jeff and his portrayal, so I decided to have fun with it and make my own version because everyone has been doing it (as far as I'm aware) and it's free will

Cw for non realistic / cartoon-ish open gash wound, also graphic death in the story below, may include choking and act of violence, etc etc.

Design and more info below!!!

Name : Kyden Jeffery Woodfree

Age : 12 (beginning of the story), 15 (end of the story), 20 (continuations / current)

Height : 5'6 - 5'8 (through time period)

Weight : 17.5 BMI

Personality : During the events of his story, Jeff is isolated. He is introverted and refuses to talk to anyone aside from his brother, Liu, but even then, he refuses to speak to anyone. He's your usual angsty teen with a bitter attitude and brash sense of reality.

Jeff Pre-burn (age: 11-12)

____________________________________________

Jeff had always been different from the other children, unlike those who wanted to play and socialize, he stayed behind and sat alone on the dirt, watching bugs, their mannerisms and the way they worked. There was always something about how they moved, how their appearance amused him, sometimes he wondered; what would happen if he ripped apart their bodies?

There was no doubt his way of childhood pissed his father off, needless to say everything about Jeff pissed him off. Mr Woodfree wasn't the best father, deep in the old generations mindset of toxic masculinity, projected onto his own eldest son. "You're too skinny, gain some muscle", "You grow up to be a smart, strong man, one who will get a working housewife and kids, not some freak who can't even make friends" "You're as fragile as a twig with that stick figure of a body! You're pathetic and weak!", you get the jist. It was stressful, to say the least, all that pressure at such a young age. On top of that, a fire broke out in their own home on April 20th, XXXX. His mother and brother made it out, Jeff barely escaping, leaving severe injuries from the damages and collapsing debris falling on him, leaving a disgusting open wound on his face. As for his father, let's say..He's in heaven now, or hell.

Their family lived with Jeff's mom's parents for a bit. After Jeff was released from the hospital, he spent days inside, refusing to leave the bedroom he stayed in. He refused to eat, only ever eating small portions, but he could never fully stomach them, he was ashamed, deep in distraught and pain, left to ponder all by himself..Well, not all by himself. Liu was a big part of his life, his younger brother with the everlasting livelihood of a child, Jeff was envious he never got to experience the pain their father put him through, but then again, Liu was the reason he was still sane at this point in time.

When Jeff had turned 15, they moved to a town far away from their previous one. East Kanpids was a nice town, small and domestic, just what the Woodfree family needed. Since it was a new town, the residents were unfamiliar and curious about Jeff almost immediately, which made him want to hide again, but unfortunately, his mother wouldn't allow him to isolate himself anymore than he did. Throughout the years, his mother had become more careless of her children, possibly due to the grief of their past lives, of her late husband. This revelation forced Jeff to rely on himself and take care of Liu on his one.

At first, after they had settled in, they thought everything would finally be peaceful. That was until Randy Wilson came into the picture; he was the son of the towns chief, a well known and respected officer, which would explain Randy's incredibly high ego, and why he was able to get away with harassing the new kids in town along with his friends. It would almost be everyday that Randy and his goons would find them out together and mess with them by either making fun of, or threaten them. Jeff was their main target, with how he often has a mask on, how the red fleshy scarring ran across half his face with what's left of his normal skin being extremely pale, and not to mention his skinny figure, it was gross in their eyes, it wasn't "manly". They'd mock him, over and over, and he was getting sick of it by each passing day. He finally snapped when after all this time they've been verbally harassing them, did they finally take it too far and pull a knife on them. Backed into a corner, the two siblings could only watch in anticipating horror as Randy and his two friends stood tall, Randy front and center with his pocket knife, taunting the same words he always did. "You're disgusting, you guys should just die! Specifically you, fleshy face! You can't even fend for yourself with that stick figure of a body, you're weak and pathetic!" Those words got to Jeff, it always has and he always endured, but not this time. Something about those words struck him in the chest, a sharp pain that damaged him emotionally. His vision went dark, and before anyone could react, he threw himself onto Randy, the two wrestling for the weapon before Jeff finally grabbed the knife from Randys hand and stabbing it into his shoulder. Once, then twice in deep and agonizing cuts. Randy had to beg Jeff to stop, but he wouldn't pause, not even for a second. It wasn't until punching Jeff directly in the face after relentlessly trying to pry him off did he finally snap out of his bloodthirsty state. Everyone was horrified, even Jeff, what WAS that?! Randy's friends immediately rushed him off to find the nearest person to help, and in the meantime, Jeff and Liu ran off.

It'd not even been a day before the police came knocking on their door. They were informed by the child of chief police that one of the Woodfree children had violently attacked him with a knife. While Jeff was about to confess to his crime, Liu stepped in and told the police it was him, taking the blame for Jeff's crime. Jeff didn't understand why Liu would do such a thing, it was stupid on his part. He begged, screamed, cried; "It was me!!! Liu, what the hell, it was me, don't do this!!" But his begs were only seen as pleads for his brother to not be taken away. Liu would be sent to Juvenile court and sent off to a correction camp for rehabilitation. It didn't matter which one of the siblings went to jail, all Randy wanted was to see both of them suffer, by means of loss, of either dignity or that of freedom.

In the duration of the few months, Randy Wilson was identified as missing, as well as John Tulip and Troy Franks. In the months of the three being missing, Jeff felt..different. Once again he was isolated once more but, he acted strange. He's been staring off into the bathroom mirror everyday for almost an hour if his mother didn't catch him everytime. He was more giddy, but cautious and stiff. He would smile more often, something eery lingering in his grinning expression. He was not himself, she knew that for sure. While laying in bed wide awake, Jeff's mother decided to check on him, walking down toward his room to find..Nothing. Where the hell did this kid go? She decided to search around the room, maybe there was something that was doing this to him, she knew it wouldn't be drugs, he would never! Would he? Behind the drawer of his room, she found what seemed to be a pocket knife, dried blood mixed with fresh blood splattered on it, like it had been months since it's been there. Just as she was about to process this revelation, Jeff's door slammed wide open; it was him! Staring down at his own mother with that sickening grin but, something else was off. She almost couldn't make it out, but he looked like he was bleeding from his face. The moment he stepped closer was the moment she felt her face turn white as she saw her own son, face sliced to make a scarring from his pale skin, from his lips all the way up to his cheek bone. "Don't you like it, Mom? Aren't I beautiful? I've been liking myself more, isn't that what you wanted?" Has he gone mad?! Who the hell was this?! Before she could scream, or make a run for it, or do anything, he pounced. Grabbing and pinning her down with all his weight, which surprisingly for his appearance, he was incredibly strong. "Don't struggle! I just want you to be pretty too!"

His blood dripped on to her face as tears pricked at the corner of her life eyes, struggling to make sense of it all as he held something toward her face, was..Was this a box cutter? "Kyden, Kyden please, please I'm begging you! I'm your mother!" She pleaded, using his real name. She never knew why they'd decided to call him by his second name his whole life, he hated it, only her calling him by his real name did he fall over the edge he's been on for his whole life.

A hand reached out, wrapping around her throat tightly as he stared down with an agonized glare. "Mother...? The mother who left me and Liu behind after that fire happened? The mother that didn't even try to ask what was going on when Liu and I had been bullied for weeks? The mother, that loved me so much, but didn't see the way dad TORTURED me?" His tone of resentment turned into a snicker, as if this was a joke to him, some sick joke only he understood. His snicker soon abrupted into a loud laugh, hand squeezing against the sides of her neck, choking her as he dropped the blaze, a small clink falling beside her head as he used both hands to strangle her. "The mother who never noticed little twelve year old me set our dear beloved father ablaze during the night of the fire..?" The scar resembling a smile made this nothing but worse, as if he could not look any more..Happy.

His mother couldn't breathe, not only because of him suffocating her, but also of the fact he was the cause of all this, it wouldn't be a surprise to know he was the one who made those other kids go missing. "Can't say anything else, mother...?" He cooed a sadistic and mocking tone as he pressed his thumbs against the front of her throat, watching her slowly go limp. "Don't worry, you'll be as pretty as me when you've gone.."

____________________________________________

June 21st, XXXX, Kyden Jeffery Woodfree was registered missing after findings of his mother home alone in his room. Evelyn Kate Woodfree would be found dead on the floor, scarrings that reached from her mouth to her ears were carved into her face as the walls in her sons room read "You're beautiful" written all over it in her own blood. From the murder weapons found at the crime scene, it was identified that not only did Kyden Jeffery kill his own mother, but was the one who was held responsible for the missing case of Randy Wilson, John Tulip, and Troy Franks. We may not know where he is now, but be sure to look out for the young man.

____________________________________________

I made this at 12am oh my GODDDDDDDD I'm tired AURGH,,,,With that, it's not entirely perfect, some parts I left out to add to the mystery :3

If you have any questions, feel free to ask!!

[yuesya]

Something my coffee addle brain just thought of. In the same age AU, would there be talk of matching Satoru with Shiki? Seeing how they are the same age plus far enough blood relationships. I mean, it only makes sense that their Honoured one has a matching of a woman with the same amount of power. (Plus some thinking of combining the two powerful cursed eyes. )

"Have you considered a match for your son yet?"

"He is still young," Muneyoshi chuckles. "There is time yet."

"Not as much time as you may think," Takatomi-sama responds, faintly reproving. Muneyoshi bows his head to the elder, acknowledging the reprimand. "As his father, this is something that you should be more attentive towards, isn't it?"

"As you say, elder." Muneyoshi is not particularly close with his son, but even a blind man could see that Gojo Satoru was -disinterested in marriage. Or even in any potential partners. The most interest that the boy had ever shown in another person would be his classmate, Geto Suguru, and while Muneyoshi would not... oppose it, should his son turn out to have... certain proclivities... Takatomi-sama was correct that it would be for the best if Satoru settled down into marriage soon.

So long as he did his duty to the clan and continued the bloodline as the Honored One, he could go and woo whoever he liked.

... The problem was, Muneyoshi knows the boy, and he knows that the chances of Satoru settling down with a nice young woman that the clan picked out for him were vanishingly unlikely.

For a time, Muneyoshi had hoped that Shiki would fulfill the role. Despite the bickering between the two, the many conflicts and arguments that they'd been embroiled in, growing up together as sorcerers with cursed eyes... they didn't hate each other. If anything, Muneyoshi would say that there was grudging respect between the two of them, and surely that would provide a strong basis towards building true understanding between them in the future. There was compatibility, here.

Gojo Shiki's cursed eyes were unprecedented in the long history of the Gojo Clan. Unprecedented, and powerful. There was no denying that, not anymore. A union of the two most powerful sorcerers of the Gojo Clan -the potential of their children was something that they could only imagine.

There were those who argued against it, of course. Preserve the cursed eyes in separate bloodlines. The Six Eyes and Limitless must remain pure. Gojo Shiki's mutation may have turned out to be a boon this time, but it would be irresponsible to introduce such instability to the main bloodline.

...

But in the end, none of it mattered. Satoru had flat-out refused Shiki, each and every time her name had been brought forth as a potential candidate for marriage. Again and again, the exact same as every other young woman that had been introduced as a potential match. Muneyoshi couldn't force Satoru to do anything; he'd probably get swatted like a bug if he ever tried to do so.

... Hina would've known what to do. Out of the two of them, she'd always been the one better with handling Satoru. But... Hina isn't here anymore.

Just Muneyoshi.

Just Muneyoshi, being pressured by various elders to finalize his son's match, when his son refuses to get married, the foolish boy. Certainly, there are others in the main bloodline, but- but-

Satoru is the Honored One! The prestige that would follow the family that he established-

"I want our son to be happy, Muneyoshi."

"... What do I do, Hina?"

Hina's shrine provides no response.

[chaotickasugaicrows]

Tied with the Kaigaku art on the recent poll was the Avatar AU. So here is some stuff on our Avatar the Last Airbender AU for Demon Slayer which we are calling Sticks and Stones.

Zenitsu is a blind orphan born in the Earth kingdom who unfortunately lives in Ba Sing Se. He’s also the Avatar. He spends a good amount of his childhood on the streets before the Earth Kingdom authorities finally get their directional geomancy to work and figure out who the Avatar is. Then he gets brought (cough kidnapped) to the Upper Ring and is protected (watched) by the Dai Li. The Dai Li impresses on him that it's essential he learns the elements in order according to the Avatar cycle so he learns Earth bending first. The Dai Li stall on getting him a proper Earth bending master never mind the rest of the elements. Once he does learn a bit of earth bending, he uses it alongside his enhanced hearing to navigate the world better. His animal companion is a badgermole by the name of Maru who he made friends with at age 10. Eventually Zenitsu realizes that something isn’t right with the Dai Li and escapes with the help of Genya who he sorta made friends with when he was on the streets. The two of them are framed for the death of the Earth King, making them fugitives.

Genya is a non bender that lives in the Earth Kingdom. His entire family, sans Sanemi, was killed by Fire Nation soldiers. Sanemi left him behind so he helps Zenitsu with the condition that they find his older brother on the way. Genya has some things to say and maybe some frustration to unload (a punch in the face). He starts out using a sword then switches to several long range weapons and finally settles on smithing his own gun. 

Sanemi is a non bender that eventually figures out he’s an air bender. He runs an illegal fringe resistance group focused on revenge against the fire nation. He’s a little too black and white and not the best about reducing collateral damage. He left Genya behind in the Earth Kingdom for safety reasons.

Inosuke is a water bender from the swamps so more like a vine bender. He likes covering himself in vines and making a swamp monster to destroy enemies. He has a catgator pet named Shine [she-neh] that he sometimes also covers in vines and rides into battle. His weapon of choice is a big club which he acquired from Giyuu (after much bugging). Makomo taught him how to wield it. He’s also covered in henna. He joins the Avatar’s little road trip on the way.

Aoi is a water bender from the Northern Water tribe and a healer who joins the Avatar’s group on their journey. Inosuke drives her insane because he didn’t know water could heal and is basically a self taught menace. She refuses to use water bending to attack but she does end up learning defensive moves in secret, affected by the rest of the group. Eventually she learns blood bending too. 

Giyuu, Sabito, Makomo, and Urokodaki are all from the Southern Water tribe. They are all water benders except Sabito. Urokodaki adopted the three of them after they lost their family to Fire Nation attacks. Giyuu uses a water tribe club, Makomo fights with an ice shiv that she creates with bending, and Sabito has a boomerang and a short sword. 

We have more but that will be for a future post. The state of the Fire nation and fire benders like Tanjirō and Nezuko requires quite a bit of explanation. 

[strawhbrrries]

dbf!frank castle + guitar

He’d gone soft in his older years, no longer needing to find revenge in the form of hurting others. His softness led him to the house down the street from your father, a quaint little house that had as many quirks as he. The small porch out front became his sanctuary, especially during the summer when the lightning bugs came out and people had bonfires, though the only furniture he had was two rocking chairs. He felt so old buying them, standing in the furniture making a mental list of every rocking chair in front of him. What’s the fuckin’ difference. He settled on the first one he sat in, buying two in hopes he’d have someone to sit in the other chair.

He picked up a guitar one afternoon, the neighborhood was hosting a yard sale and it seemed to work perfectly fine. His eyes strained to read the tiny text of the “Guitars for Dummies” book he bought soon after, he refused to get glasses. It would make him admit his older age, he wasn’t quite ready for that. The calluses didn’t take too long to build up, he was a working man and his hands had long been roughed up. Many nights he contemplated smashing the damn thing, who knew it would be so difficult to pick up. Not Frank, that’s for sure. After months of continuous work, he could finally play a song from memory and not look at the chords every five seconds. Tennessee Whiskey by Chris Stapleton.

Most of his nights on the porch now consisted of some country song, mostly Chris Stapleton, being played on his guitar and him humming along softly. Maybe this new life was worth it, he could get used to this. To the peace. On the occasion he’d have one too many drinks of whiskey, his voice could be softly heard from your porch. It was deep, the way thunder rumbles are. It was beautiful. Should be a crime he keeps it locked away under the impression he’s a bad singer. His favorite song to play was I’m a Ram, you can guess by who, and it was your favorite to listen to him sing. His deep voice having just the right amount of roughness to sound even better than the original, and that’s hard to beat. 

The neighborhood loved when Frank Castle would play the guitar on his porch, unbeknownst to him, everyone would sit on theirs and the kids would play on the streets till he went in. To him, it was a coping mechanism to the trauma he’d endured, to everyone else it was the piece that was missing from the neighborhood. A time-softened man who grumbled about helping before he did it and played the guitar every evening without fail.

[gallavichpreg]

🟠 O4: Can’t Keep Anything Down All Day

   Ian stood nervously outside the bathroom door, listening to Mickey's sickly coughs and groans from within. "Happening again?" He sighed, completely exasperated as he watched his husband struggle on the toilet, for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon. "This is ridiculous, babe. I'm telling you... something's wrong. Really wrong..."

For seven days straight, Mickey had been sick — constantly running to the porcelain bowl to hawk up his guts, and defecating nothing but liquid waste. It felt as though it'd been ages since his stomach last settled... since he'd been able to eat something without spewing acid, bile, and crap from both ends of his digestive tract shortly thereafter. He just couldn't keep anything down. Ian was already worried about him, when the severity of his illness became apparent... but, after so many days without any improvement, he was starting to get scared.

   The pale look of his skin, red circles and bags underneath his eyes, sweat-slicked hair that clung to his forehead, and the stench of his excrement heavy in the air... the scene was so ghastly. Had he not been sitting upright, and making noise, Mickey would've been no different from a corpse.

"Agh, fuck!" He groaned, choking the final chunks of his half-digested dinner up from his throat and into a plastic bag. "I'm so tired of this shit, Ian! I swear!" His abdominal muscles finally beginning to relax, and his legs completely asleep, he continued to sit there, trapped inside of his own skin. "This stomach bug is killing me."

The poor guy hadn't been so sick in years; he hardly ever got sick. Being a Milkovich, Mickey spent his entire life just toughing it out whenever he wasn't feeling his best. There were no doctors, or medicine, or any kisses from Mom and Dad to make it better. He relied on nothing but sheer willpower to get him through — "the way that people used to do things, before they started trusting the government, and got weak" — believing that his suffering would make him stronger in the end. His immune system had already been put through the ringer... so, a long-staying stomach bug was nothing to him. Even still, Ian couldn't help but to fear for the worst.

"...Which is why we need to go to the clinic, babe." Ian asserted, trying once again to convince him to seek help. "Get you something to make you feel better, and get rid of this thing. Those doctors can help you, Mick." A grave look in his eyes, he leaned against the doorframe, like some kind of bathroom guardian, desperate for Mickey to give in and comply with his wishes. There were so many ways that Ian could influence him... so many things that he could get Mickey to do... but he could never convince him to seek out any medical advice. Mickey and doctors were like oil and water... they just didn't mix.

"I don't want to go to the fuckin' clinic, Ian." He answered, his voice shrinking, in spite of his adamant refusal. "I'll be fine with some rest. I'll go to sleep, wake up tomorrow, and be fine. Shit like this don't last too long. Trust me, I know."

A brief moment of silence fell between them... Mickey's mind racing with memories from his childhood.

   That time that he caught the flu from one of the girls in his middle school class, and couldn't get out of bed for a week. He begged and begged his parents for help... to drag him down to the local doctor... but they refused, grumbling about the cost of a consultation. His body was in so much pain, he could hardly move... so he didn't eat for days, and couldn't get up to use the restroom. He lost so much weight that, by the time he finally got over the virus, he looked like a living skeleton... nothing but flesh and bone. His bedsheets were so filthy that they clung to his butt and thighs like used tissue, crusted over, and stunk as bad as an un-flushed public toilet.

   It was a nightmare to go through something like that at such a young age... but, despite the horrible trauma, he never caught the flu again.

"By Sunday, I'll be back to normal. Watch."

"Mickey, please. You've been feeling terrible for days now. The doctors at the clinic can help you get better." Ian sighed, worry bubbling up in the pit of his stomach. Feeling like a broken record, playing back the same verse again and again, he rested his forehead against the wooden doorframe, trying to think of a way to persuade his husband into getting the help that he needed. It didn't take long for an idea to strike him. "Okay, how about this?" He began, his tone softening. "If you go to the clinic with me, and let them check you out... we can stop by that little ice cream shop on the way back home, and get a few scoops of that one flavor you've been talking my head off about... the one with the chocolate chunks and caramel. How's that sound? We got a deal?"

"Deal," Mickey muttered, promptly giving in, and accepting his defeat. "But only because I'be been craving it so bad. Asshole. As soon as I get off this toilet, we're leaving. I'm getting my ice cream."

Nude Version

[lucygraybaird]

Part 1:

The covey was more chaotic as the years went by. After the dark days, the covey grew like crazy almost overnight (well like 10 years-) Although since two years ago, the covey had settled into a massive, happy family of 10.

Sky Jade was only 7 and usually a massive cuddle bug. She was small for her age although had a massive, loving personality. She loved Lucy gray especially. She was either with Lucy Gray or playing with Maude Ivory, one of her best friends. They always loved playing dolls together or going out to play. She was quietly sitting inside, playing dolls with Maude ivory.

Marigold was 11 and a massive daredevil and trouble maker. She was usually found with CC, the only one crazy enough to go along with her stupid plans. Despite being Sky Jades older sister, she'd usually refuse that fact. Sky Jade was way to weak to be her sister. She was small and tiny and always got sick. Marigold didn't like that..... She was outside with CC, flipping around on the tree.

Magic Maroon was 12 and... Odd to some people. She was sometimes pretty hyper, playing with Marigold and cc but most times she was out, alone although she didn't seem to mind. Marigold and cc were pretty rough and didn't care for the animals like she did. Usually she was found inside, either with Tam Amber, helping him cook because both were quiet. She was Dolly Roses little sister although Dolly Rose could sometimes be rude to her, making small comments about her 'weird' style and hobbies. she quietly sat on her bed, making friendship brackets to adorn her arms,willing to give them out to anyone whoever asked.

Dolly rose was 13 although she wasn't traditional covey at all. She didn't really... Like being in the covey truthfully. She went to school, one of the only ones who continued with school after being allowed out when she could read, write and do math which was the usual covey way. She was training to be a nurse as she wanted to help kids. She was usually not out performing with the covey, Usually staying home with Sky Jade as she was still pretty lil. Since Dolly rose took small jobs, she usually had a little extra money which she used to buy nicer clothes so she could fit in with the towns people. She was sat outside with her "friends" from her school, talking about her crushes she had.

The less said about Briar green the better..... He was 18 although he didn't live with the covey. He lived about 5 minutes away. he was a little.... Crazy.... He barely left his small house and had become mute after being a child soldier in the dark days......

He also scared the covey kids. Especially Sky Jade. She believed he was a monster because before he moved out, he used to get nightmares and often screamed which scared her. She refused to go visit him which was probably for the best due to Briar greens mental state.........

[coffeetablettowers]

Nina stuff

-nina's ethnicity is mexican. she was born in the US and knows beginner's level of spanish but otherwise is not fluent. she knows A LOT of mexican recipes though and always brings over a dish to strayz whenever she visits. Sadly this ruins stu's fragile no spice tolerant stomach.

-nina thrifts all her clothes. she just hates paying full price for clothing (save for underwear, socks, and bras) and is always on the hunt for new deals. the only thing in her wardrobe that cost a lot of money was her leather jacket. when her contract to be strayz pr manager was finalized she splurged and got one tailor made for her.

-another thing she splurged on was her cellphone. she figured that since she was now a business woman she needed a phone that could do business things and bought a motorola blackberry.

-she has clinical depression and general anxiety disorder. it was a struggle for her during high school because she was being bullied and she had to take care of her father, who refused to let her see a psychologist, so she was just handling life as best she could. some days she did break down and would sob in the shower and she has scars on her inner thighs from cutting herself. when she became an adult her anxiety got the best of her when she worked at the fish and chips and she would have to excuse herself to hide in the freezer to have a five minute anxiety attack when things slowed down. it wasn't until she became an accountant that she was able to become medicated and went to therapy to learn coping skills. her depression still pops up every now and then but it's not life altering like it was when she was younger.

-her hair is buzzed because she HATES how she looks with long hair. her dad absolutely loved her having long hair and refused to let her cut it.

-she has a blue volkswagon bug that she loves very much.

-she worries about the band, like a lot. i don't have an age set for her but she indeed is older than all of them (probably two years older than murdoc) and kinda views them as kids that are under her wing (except stu. she still worries about him but she def does not view him like that)

-at first, she has no idea about stu's drug habit. she figures that he very easily gets sick so whenever she visits them she brings over homemade caldo (mexican soup) for stu. stu also doesn't want her to know about his drug habit so he does his best to hide it from her and doesn't use when he's around her or visiting her place. he breaks this rule, however, when he's on a coke binge and brings it with him to snort at her place (out of his mind and not thinking of where he is). she walks in on him snorting up and this almost ruins their relationship. she drives him back to the hotel and doesn't speak to him for a week. eventually she settles on that he can't help his drug habit and people shunning him away is the last thing he needs. she visits him and they end up just hugging in stu's bed with neither of them talking.

-Nina does try to get in murdoc's good graces. she doesn't know why murdoc hates her so much. she even goes out and buys him an expensive bottle of liquor, but instead murdoc chunks it onto his bed without looking at it. murdoc will never tell her it's because he loathes her for having a relationship with stu. noodle is the one that tells nina to give up on trying to make a decent relationship with murdoc.

-the first year she became their pr manager is the first time nina didn't spend a birthday alone. when her birthday came around while she was pr manager she was on the road with strayz and had bought a fancy cupcake for herself and stuck a candle in it for herself. stu saw this and quietly sang happy birthday to her while hugging her from behind. it was a realization she had that she was no longer by herself and she couldn't help the smile that came on her face.

-nina is stubborn. like Badly stubborn. it helps in the pr when she's pushing and pushing for people to accept what she's saying but outside it's a drawback. stu unfortunatley got the bad end of this once when they were arguing about where to go and the argument when no where so she stormed off and went to the place she wanted by herself. you can't tell her she's wrong directly to her face or else she'll argue with you on why her viewpoint is right.

[melis-writes]

i need your cognizance … im kind of new to the al pacino fandom and ive binged watched his filmography in over 3 days and i LOOOOVED EVERYTHINGGGG but mostly just staring at his gorgeous faaaace (im rolling my eyes and biting my fist as i type this)😮‍💨🥵😩 but im rlly having trouble finding my footing with the elephant in the room … and that is him having a baby at his present age and dating a woman 50+ yrs his junior… like im in too deep now, i just watched his nypd episode and that’s how far ive already went😭(not complaining👀) but im also at this stage where idk what or how to feel about him doing that. obviously ive acquired an above-average-more-than-wikipedia knowledge about him (i like him a normal amount, trust me) and i won’t willfully overlook the fact that he’s kind of a womanizer and one that is commitment-phobe, so i guess him having new girlfriends isn’t out of the blue but to date someone THAT young? like that could be ur daughter😭 in fact his eldest daughter is a few yrs older than his current gf

anyway what im rlly trying to say is, i need u to weigh in on this and pls tell me ur opinion. ive read ur impressive work and it encouraged and inspired me to read the godfather as a book, and not just settle on watching it. and with that in mind i thought u were the right person to provide insight on this. as u can see i love al so much, im actually thinking of making myself a bday cake with his picture on it, similar to a pic i reblogged a few days ago, but im soooo conflicted on this. like i truly am. i know it’s bad to have parasocial relationships w celebrities (especially younger versions of themselves OMG) (but im rlly not i just love him sm and admire him) but im at this phase where im afraid that finding out more of his humanly desires would disappoint me? and yes ppl might say i shld avoid putting celebrities on a pedestal bc they rlly dont give a fuck abt who u are😵‍💫 and i would definitely love to be one of those ppl that could simultaneously admire a person for their achievements and recognize their kind behavior but also acknowledge their wrongdoings … but if i do that isn’t it kind of telling on my end, of my behavior and shaky moral compass😫? or, now that im in too deep, maybe im just trying to maintain this idealized version of him in my head and this is simply a reality i refuse to accept😭? bc honestly when the news broke out a lot of ppl were divided, with most responses pandering to eerie and just odd reactions, but a small minority claims a different take, along the lines of ‘if two consenting adults wanna make a family then why not’ and this rlly bugs me bc ??? apart from it being an awfully lazy analysis there’s just SOO much to unpack about this situation. like theres just way too many layers and there’s nuances too. one of the replies actually said men at the age of 60 should already be neutered to prevent from procreating ever again and why i kinda agree to it ?? 😶 like im so conflicted … like i rlly am … this is eating me out and consuming me i honestly dont know what to do.

anyway IM SO SORRY FOR THE RAMBLING AND FOR HOW LONG THIS WAS … im sorry for the overcomplication … pls take ur time in answering this im rlly sorry id rlly appreciate ur stance on this … I LOVE UR WORK SO MUCH IT KEEPS ME SANE. especially with the gifs🥰🥰🥰🥰 bc of u i still get to fuel my indulgences. THANK YOU

Ah my dear, welcome to the Pacino fandom, first of all. 🤣❤️ We Pacino girlies welcome you with open arms here lmao I know exactly how that intense ass Pacino brainrot can hit and how hard too. 🥵

You're right first of all about the fact that there's a lot to unpack beyond the "it's two consenting adults in a relationship" piece but here's the thing, it's not meant for us to unpack. At the end of the day, all we can do is hear news, gossip and read articles about Al's relationship and this and that but we don't know how much of it is actually true and what's really going on, and we can't know. It really has nothing to do with any of us, and those two don't care what the public think either. It's Al and his gf's private life and judging on how shit broke out, they seem to have a lot more to worry about on their plate than anyone else's reactions.

Al is basically a womanizer from what I've read lmao. He always really has been and I know things obviously changed when he got older but an early article that came out saying Al and his gf are dating mentioned the age gap doesn't bother either of them and his gf has dated men around the same age and even older than Al. This is their personal and private life, after all. Men can have children at a very old age, this is just how science works lmao although it can be baffling at 80+, it's still a thing. From what the gossip online says, it looks like this was an unplanned thing and Al isn't doing so good. He doesn't seem to be jumping over the moon about everything from what I read either. I think this is hard for him, tbh.

And some people may think it's weird someone as old as Al is still having sex but given his track record, I'm not surprised at all lmao. To avoid disappointment from celebrity parasocial relationships and putting them on pedestals, you need to come to an understanding that you're also recognizing and putting up (in a way) their flaws on that pedestal too. Al is not a perfect human being, nobody is, but he isn't out here trying to be perfect or live up to anyone else's definitions either nor should he.

I love that you admire and love Al like the rest of us, but you also need to come to an understanding about the things he's done or said or whatnot that you don't agree with or necessarily like. He's just a human being at the end of the day, it's so complex. Don't think too hard on it, because everyone has their flaws and mistakes and as we recognize this, we can still love them for the great things they do. That's really the only thing you need to do.

I think the fandom as a whole looked way too far into this man's personal life. It does not effect us whatsoever and it's honestly none of our business. Al doesn't owe us anything and he's not trying to be a role model to us; we shouldn't be this held up about his personal life. I know it can be hard not to care, but sometimes all you need to do is acknowledge it, accept it, and move on.

I would also recommend reading the biography "A Life on The Wire" by Andrew Yule. It has a lot about Al's life from early days, to romance, to his personality and everything inbetween. It's seriously extremely detailed and gives you a whole new insight on just who that man is!

Feel however your heart wants to feel. You don't have to get held up in Al's personal life like others or form a strong opinion just because someone else has. Something like this doesn't need to stop you from admiring what a phenomenal actor Al is and how he's a fine ass man too. 😭

[mamadoe]

👢 Showbird - Chapter 8

Summary || 

When Akira moved to Fukuoka to pursue her dancing career, life was easy. However, when her father has an unexpected health crisis, she needs consistent work in the worst way to help support her parents back in her hometown. A day job lined up at one of the Hero Agencies promises good pay for the time being, but she didn't expect not only to meet but get to know the Pro Hero the agency is named after.

Follow Akira's perspective with some of Keigo Takami's sprinkled in.

~~~

Complete Masterlist

Also on AO3 Pairing || Keigo Takami (age 22 at start)/Akira (Fem OC, age 23 at start)

Warning || unwanted sexual advances

WC || 6666

~~~

For the first time in weeks, Akira sleeps in. The only thing that rouses her from her slumber is the unexpectedly warm breeze coming in through her window, which she left open after settling between her sheets the night prior after cleaning herself up. Upon squinting into the late morning light, it takes a moment for her to remember what day it is. It’s Friday, and the memory of Yuri’s phone call returns. That’s right - she said she would go out with him and his boyfriend tonight, so they could catch up. However, that leaves most of the afternoon open.

With a long yawn and a full body, joint-cracking stretch, she sits up, the palm of her hand rubbing sleep from her eyes. Man, she needed that sleep. Even at her parents’ house, she couldn’t manage more than a few hours of sleep at a time, anxiety and dread keeping her company most nights and chasing away sleep. Just the thought of her parents causes an ache to erupt in her chest, washing away any good feelings upon waking up in the sunbeam that’s basking her bed. Now that her father’s care has been figured out, she should feel relieved, but instead, the dread of the situation is bearing down on her chest. Only one thing ever helps her with this kind of emotional turmoil, and that’s dancing.

With a heavy sigh, she goes about getting changed and prepping her bag to go to The Den, if only for a couple of hours of practice to clear her mind. If she’s lucky, Nobari will already be in to prepare for a typically busy Friday night.

-*-*-*-

The familiar smell of body musk and incense masking cigarette smoke burns her nose when she finds herself in her dressing room for the first time in over a month. No one is in yet since it’s only early afternoon, so she has it all to herself as she seats herself before her usual vanity, pictures of her and her fellow dancers framing the mirror.

Over the years, some faces have come and gone, but Ioni and Nobari have always been a constant here. The three had become close, almost like sisters, as they helped each other through thick and thin. Even just a couple of years prior when The Den was nearly shut down when it was reported to be a brothel and detectives came to crack down on them, they had stuck together to keep everything running smoothly. Akira admitted she didn’t love the backside of this business - the use of their bodies, crossing that line from performing art on stage to the private back rooms where patrons can do whatever they like to their chosen partner for the evening. Akira refused to be a part of that, but when Nobari begged her to help disguise the back rooms to be spaces for the dancers to sleep, she didn’t falter and did as she asked. It didn’t take long for the detectives to dismiss the charges, and since then, a couple of them had even returned in their own free time to watch performances, probably keeping tabs on the place in the process. Who knows, really, what their intentions were.

The door opening behind her draws her attention over her shoulder in the mirror, and Ioni stepping into view brings a smile to her face. It only takes a moment for her friend to notice her seated at her vanity, and she emits the happiest of squeals before practically prancing over and throwing her arms around Akira’s shoulders.

“You’re back! I’ve missed you, Junie bug!” She sings Akira’s nickname in her ear as Akira’s hand comes up to hold her arms as Ioni tightens her hold, swaying her aggressively.

“Long time, no see!” Akira laughs before shifting to turn in her seat to take a better look at her beaming friend. “How are things?” Ioni practically scoffs and places her hands on her hips.

“That’s my line, you dweeb!” She sighs and takes a seat at the vanity next to her. “But you know, things are fine. Same old shit here.” She leans to place a hand on Akira’s knee softly before speaking more seriously. “You okay?” Akira smiles at her familiar touch before turning back to her vanity, grabbing her deodorant to apply a fresh layer before grabbing her bag off the floor.

“Oh, you know, things have been better, but,” she exhales a soft breath, “that’s to be expected, right?” She glances up at her worried friend and weakly smiles. Ioni’s eyebrows pinch together slightly, causing the familiar crease on her brow to form.

“I guess, but how are you?” She leans in once more, resting her head in her hands as Akira redirects her focus to digging through her bag.

“I… Not great, I won’t lie. But,” she finds her fitness tape along the bottom of her bag and gives a triumphant hum, “I’ll be okay. I just need more time, I think.” With a quick smile, Akira lifts her foot to wrap it, but the door opening behind her pulls her attention away.

“About time you showed up,” Ioni chimes. Nobari smiles once she sees Akira and Ioni seated at their vanities.

“Ah, there you are. Welcome back,” Nobari greets as she bends down to envelope Akira in a hug. Akira grins and returns her firm hold.

“Nice to be back,” she returns into her shoulder.

“Planning to stick around for the shift tonight?” Akira pulls away to look up at her dancer leader and gives a meek smile. Ioni is giving Nobari a sour look.

“Of course, she isn’t! She just got back,” Ioni chastises, but Akira laughs under her breath.

“Hey, I was just asking,” Nobari shrugs it off as she goes to sit on the couch on the far wall.

“Actually, I just wanted to come in for some practice for a little bit, if there is a room open.” Akira begins to pull a piece of tape from the roll, but Nobari scoffs from her spot across the room, waving her hand dismissively.

“We haven’t touched base in a while. Let’s catch up first, yeah?”

-*-*-*-

Their chat draws out over the hours, dance practice long forgotten as the three friends settle into the more comfortable cushions along the far wall of the changing room. Many laughs, some tears, and playful joy fill the room as they fall into their usual banter. They couldn’t recall the last time they had settled down to talk like this, and it was well overdue. However, Ioni can’t help but finally address the elephant in the room that only she and Nobari can see.

“So, Akira, I’m sure you’ve heard. I mean, you were a part of it,” Ioni teases as she hangs her head off the edge of the couch, her legs resting vertically against the cushions and wall, “but you were on the news with that Pro Hero not that long after you left. What’s going on there?” Her waggling eyebrows cause Akira to roll her eyes from her reclined position on the floor cushions.

“Hawks, you mean?” She picks at her nails passively in an attempt to calm her sudden nerves. “I work at his building. That’s all. The press caught us together a couple times.” Nobari raises a brow, but it’s Ioni who presses forward.

“Oh, is that so? That can’t just be a coincidence, right? Because he showed up here, while you were away.” Akira’s brows shoot up, a soft blush painting her cheeks.

“He what?” She gives her a sideways glance, and Ioni’s coy expression confirms it.

“Oh, yeah! Actually, that was only a couple days ago. Didn’t he say he wanted to check out where she dances?” Ioni meets Nobari’s glance, earning a single nod. “Yeah, so, he came for a show, right? But Nobari,” she sticks out her tongue irritably at their senior, “took him and interrogated him instead.” Immediately, Akira sits up, giving Nobari a stern stare with her head tilted down submissively.

“You didn’t,” she pleads under her breath.

“I did,” Nobari exhales the smoke she’s been holding from the most recent puff of her cigarette. “Just wanted to figure the kid out after seeing him on the news with you. You barely told us anything, so I took it into my own hands.” Pressing her lips into a thin line, Akira looks away at a spot on the ground. She had asked him to not surprise her at work, but she hadn’t considered that he would come to The Den while she was away. Just the thought of him watching the other dancers makes her skin prickle, but the memory of his scent and that familiar smell when he scooped her into a hug the day before returns, and she pinpoints it as the smell of this dressing room. Just the thought of him standing in here makes the heat under her skin rise.

“That wasn’t necessary,” she whispers. Ioni’s sharp laugh cuts through the air.

“How else were we gonna find out about him?! Hell, since poor Hikari, you haven’t brought up seeing anyone.” Just the mention of his name makes the hair on the back of Akira’s neck stand up. She hadn’t thought of him in a long time. He is still very much a sore subject for her, making her stomach turn.

“Well, I haven’t been seeing anyone, so lay off,” Akira scoffs harshly before reclining back onto the cushion, folding her hands back behind her head. Nobari holds her tongue with a subtle eye roll Akira can’t see before taking another puff from her cigarette.

“Hey, we are just looking out for you, ya know! Don’t get snippy with us.” Ioni snips in return before her tone falls back into her usual playful one. “So, what’s he like, I mean, outside of his hero persona, huh?” Akira’s stern gaze snaps to Ioni’s face, her expression darkening with a threatening no, but that doesn’t stop her from prying. “Is he as fun as he seems on TV?” Her breath is a hot huff, but Akira knows she can’t weasel her way out of her friend’s questioning.

“He can be, yes,” she says shortly before pausing, considering what she can tell them. “He’s been a good friend - a really good friend, really.” Nobari exchanges a glance with Ioni, barely containing the slight quirk of the corner of her mouth, which is threatening to break out into a knowing smirk. Ioni’s eyes light up with excitement.

“Wait, you’re serious?!” She practically flies off the couch to kneel beside Akira on the floor. “He said you two were friends, too, right?” She casts the question over her shoulder toward Nobari.

“He sure did, and the brat isn’t as good of a liar as he thinks,” Nobari chuckles as she lets the smoke go. Akira narrows her eyes at them both.

“What? What are you talking about?” Her brow lifts quizzically, and she can’t shake the feeling they might be playing her a fool. Nobari just shrugs dismissively before asking her own question.

“Do you think we haven’t noticed the shift in you, June bug? Despite being here more than ever, you were barely present here since the moment you met him. At first, I chalked it up to be what happened with your dad, but even then, I can read you like a damn neon billboard. Plus,” Nobari’s sharp eyes finally meet Akira’s anxiety-filled ones, “any doubts I had were squashed when Hero Boy showed up here.” The heat in Akira’s cheek rises to her ears, and admittedly, she is curious about what happened between them, but in the same breath, she knows Nobari won’t divulge too much, even if she asked. As the silence draws on, Ioni fidgets beside Akira, and finally, when the silence feels like it’s too much, she cracks.

“Even without a quirk, I can read you for filth, Akira. It’s painted all over your face that you have feelings for someone. It doesn’t take a genius to put two-and-two together,” she teases with a nudge to Akira’s shoulder. With her lip drawn between her teeth, at first, she doesn’t even know what to say under the scrutiny of her friends. Of course, just the thought of Keigo brings the butterflies in her chest back to life, but admitting that out loud feels somewhat immature, given the circumstances. They’re both in their twenties, and this isn’t some teenage crush - at least she hopes not. She finally meets Ioni’s bright gaze.

“It’s that obvious?” Akira defeatedly whispers, and the squeal that rips from Ioni’s throat is near deafening as she throws her arms around her tense friend.

“God, yes! But, oh, I’m so happy for you! I was getting worried you’d never move the fuck on! And a hero, at that!” With her excitement, she rocks them both. Akira shyly casts Nobari a glance, her head still tucked low protectively.

“Is… is that okay?” She asks meekly, knowing how Nobari feels about hero business after all the trouble before, including Hikari. The long pause that Nobari lets linger doesn’t help Akira’s anxiety in the slightest. However, when she finally sighs and relaxes back on the couch, the tension in Akira’s shoulders eases.

“Akira, listen. You know how I feel about the lot of ‘em, but this is fine. He is fine. I can let it pass.” Immediately Akira sighs with relief of her own and sinks into Ioni’s still-present and tight hug, returning it with her own enthusiasm.

“Now,” Ioni clears her throat before sitting back and grinning, “Tell us everything! Have you kissed?” Akira nearly chokes on her breath before she lets out a loud laugh, catching Ioni off guard.

“God, no,” Akira rubs the side of her face as if that’ll lessen her embarrassment. “I mean, we have flirted, but that’s always been present in our friendship, so I don’t think that really means anything. Plus, he’s kind of a flirt with everyone.” Ioni’s exaggerated eye roll as she pulls her phone from her pocket stops Akira from continuing.

“Like hell! Have you even seen the photos posted of you two? They’re all over the place, and you can just see his possessiveness. It’s not the same!” Almost immediately upon entering “Hawks agency girl” in the search bar, hundreds, if not thousands of photos from their brief outings together come up. Akira snatches the phone and scrolls quickly. Sure enough, in most of them, one of his wings encompasses her like a shield, even on that lunch outing that got her recognized in the first place. Upon scrolling further, she even sees a couple from that morning in the coffee shop, before anyone knew of her existence. Admittedly, she had thought of searching, but she always convinced herself not to in fear of seeing things she didn’t want - criticism of them being together, the scrutiny of being in the spotlight with such a renowned figure, and for sure the negativity that could come with the assumptions of being together. Now, seeing it before her eyes, it feels obvious how he has always tried to protect her from the cameras, and in most of the photos, he managed to block her face with the ends of his feathers, if only partially.

“Fuck,” Akira whispers as she scrolled madly.

“Yeah, fuck, I mean, look at him!” Ioni groans before taking her phone back. “He’s so fine, and everyone was so feral after the train station photos fit the press. Feel lucky you weren’t here. You would’ve been on the morning news, for sure. Though, I think his agents handled it well enough. I mean, you’ve been back in town for a couple days now, right, and they haven’t approached you, right?” Akira nods slowly.

“Right,” she glances up at Nobari, who has stayed silent as Ioni took over the conversation. “What do you think?” Nobari sucks on her teeth for a moment before giving a soft tut.

“Akira, darling, you don’t want to know what I think,” seeing Akira’s expression harden if only a moment makes her change her tune, “but what do I know? I think the kid has a good heart, at the end of the day. He has done a lot to protect you in the past couple of months. I can respect that.” With a slight nod, Akira accepts her words to be as close to approval as she will get.

“Thank you. Thank you both.” She smiles between her friends, feeling more at peace than she has in weeks.

“Of course,” Ioni’s once high-strung voice softens as she takes Akira’s hand in hers. “So, what are you gonna do? Gonna tell him?”

“I-,” she huffs as if that’ll release the newfound tension that has formed around her heart, “I don’t know. Obviously, I have these feelings, but that doesn’t change this,” she gestures to the still-illumined screen full of photos of them. “If we were to move forward, that’s something we would have to figure out, and I don’t know if my privacy is something I am ready to let go of. At least, not yet.”

“Oh, hon, you already lost your privacy,” Nobari scoffs as she leans forward to rest her elbows on her knees. “Once they’ve realized you’re back in town, or when, not if, you get caught on camera together again, you can kiss that goodbye.” She pauses, appraising Akira’s torn expression. “Don’t let that stop you from having something good, okay?” Akira’s gaze shoots up to her face, shocked by her blatant encouragement.

“What if-, “she licks her lips nervously before glancing away, “What if, if this happens, you know, if he even-“

“Akira.” Her shy gaze meets Nobari’s intense eyes. “Stop that. I won’t spell this out for you. You aren’t a child. But I can assure you that if you just speak up, things will work out the way they’re supposed to, alright?” Ioni’s grip on her hand tightens to grab her attention.

“He’d be lucky to have you,” she whispers as if Akira has suddenly turned into a timid little thing that will bolt at a moment’s notice. Akira quickly glances between them both, trying to gather her thoughts.

“If we end up working out, what about work here? Surely, that’ll draw unwanted attention.”

“We will figure it out,” is all Nobari says before dismissing the subject. “On that topic, take your time coming back. Please, don’t rush your healing and recovery to get back here.” Her direct order startles Akira at first, but after a moment of thought, she nods. She knows she is not ready to invest herself in this work again, not yet.

“You know, we will be here. It’s not like we’re goin’ anywhere,” Ioni teases and tugs her hand. “Take your time, and in the meantime, let that Bird Boy take care of you.” The deep blush returns to Akira’s cheeks, but before she can protest, Nobari snuffs out her partially spent cigarette in her ashtray and stands.

“It’s about that time, Ioni. Dancers will be funneling in any minute now.” Nobari offers a hand to them both to pull them to their feet before pulling Akira into a hug, her face nestling into her shoulder since Nobari is a full head taller than Akira even without her heels on. “Keep in touch, June bug, and we will be here.”

“Promise,” she nods and gives her a quick squeeze before Nobari heads for the door, and Ioni quickly steals another hug before returning to the vanity to prepare for the night.

“You better get outta here before the other girls get here and tie up your time. You said you had plans tonight, right?” Akira nods - she had told them of her plans to meet up with Yuri and his boyfriend early in their catchup session. Upon glancing at her own phone, she sees literal hours have passed, and an unread text from Yuri confirms their meet-up to be at a lowkey club and bar a few blocks from her apartment. If she’s going to meet them in time, she needs to leave now to go get ready.

“Right. I’ll let you know how that goes,” Akira casts a quick wave over her shoulder as she grabs her bag and makes a quick escape down the hall toward the employee entrance at the back of the building.

-*-*-*-

Normally, it wouldn’t take Akira long to get ready, but her mind is in another place as she does her makeup and hair. Nobari’s words roll around in her mind, slowing her down. She must know more than she let on; Akira knows that much. She knows Nobari’s quirk is partially perception, so she must have picked up on something from Keigo, but she wouldn’t tell Akira. It’s not the first time she’s refused to tell her these things.

Surely, he isn’t interested, not like that. So many people throw themselves at the young hero every day, so he must have someone special. Then again, Keigo has always made quite the effort to keep in contact with her, to make time for her. Maybe there is something there. Maybe they could figure it out. Still, with his hero status and everything she would be signing up for, she can’t help but waver as all-too-familiar feelings bubble to the surface.

When Hikari had started visiting The Allure and his attention settled on Akira performing, Nobari’s aura shifted. Any time he was around, she would look down her nose at him like he was an insect ready to be squashed. Even with her passive attempts to redirect Akira’s attention to other patrons, it didn’t stop Akira from getting into a relationship with the young, optimistic hero, only to be gutted in the end when he unexpectedly went missing only to be found dead a few days later. Thankfully, since they had done a much better job of keeping their relationship a secret, she was able to grieve quietly in the shadows. Sure, he wasn’t a high-ranking hero by any means, but he was young, not much older than her at the time, and he showed interest in her outside of what she could provide through her performances. At the time, she thought she was head over heels in love with the young man. Now, of course, she sees it for what it was - young love, infatuation for someone who felt so otherworldly from herself. Not that that dismissed her experience at all, but it made her feel like a fool to be swept off her feet by his simple praise.

Gods, she hadn’t let herself think of him in years, but hearing his name brought on a flood of memories and the dull ache of painful loss. After Hikari, she had promised Nobari no more heroes, but here she is, dipping her toe back into that pool for another one, one with much more status and more at stake. One who could easily be taken from her with one mission gone wrong.

Her hands clutch the edge of the white porcelain of the sink as she tries to compose herself, a clammy sweat chilling her skin. Keigo isn’t Hikari. He probably won’t fall to the same fate - he can’t. Akira can’t take that kind of pain, not again. She can’t let this fear consume her.

With a shaky steadying breath, she meets her own gaze in the mirror and sighs, her makeup ruined from her sweat and watery tear tracks, so she gets to work cleaning her face and restarting.

By the time she is all finished, she knows she looks good. From her curly hair being pulled back in a half-up, half-down style, her dark, moody makeup, her black ensemble making her feel powerful - from the high-waisted flared pants, her most comfortable heels, the black ornate bra perfectly visible through her sheer mesh, skin-tight turtleneck under her tailored jacket. The final touches are her ring-clad fingers. Taking a few moments to swap her bulky wallet for a slim one, she slides it into her front pocket, grabs her keys and phone, and gives herself a quick once-over in the mirror before heading on the 20-minute walk to the club.

By the time she gets there, her feet ache. Though her heels are considerably comfortable, she hasn’t worn anything besides her sneakers in over a month, so her toes feel like they’re about to call off. It's early evening, and the sun is beginning to set, casting long shadows across the ground and basking the tall, looming buildings in warm light. She considers calling Yuri as she stands on the sidewalk in front of the club, the thrum of casual music and laughter filling the air, but the sound of her name carries over it, drawing her attention to Yuri standing in the doorway, beckoning her over.

“Glad you could make it!” He calls as she approaches, and he gives her an appraising once-over. “You look fantastic!”

“Thank you,” she smiles softly as he pulls her into a sideways hug and guides her in toward the back near the bar, finding his boyfriend already seated in a corner seat of a curved booth. “Ren, remember Akira?” He nods and shakes her hand, sending a warm smile up to her as Yuri slides in beside him.

“Nice to meet again,” he grins as Akira slides into the booth on the opposite side. She’s thankful Yuri brought up his name first because she hadn’t managed to remember it on her own.

“Of course, thanks for having me.” It doesn’t take long for them to relax into casual conversation, though Yuri dances around the topic of her parents. Thankfully, Ren changes the subject, suggesting that Akira wants to unwind, and she nods appreciatively. After spending so much time talking with Ioni and Nobari about her parents, she is ready for a break, and Yuri apologizes before chattering about work and how crazy things have been since spring is in full swing.

As time slips by and they drink to fill the lulls in conversation, she can tell Yuri is a lightweight. Akira is used to drinking at The Den, so she has better tolerance, easily drinking multiple drinks without much of a buzz. Yuri has only had two, and he is already slurring his words. When she realizes how quickly he’s slipping, she orders some food and water to tide him over after confiscating his drink. Ren shyly apologizes, but she quickly dismisses him. It’s a Friday night during their work’s busy season - of course, he’s allowed to unwind and get wasted if he wants, but she doesn’t want the night to end with an unexpected stop at urgent care. At this point, she doesn’t mind mother-henning him. Though that doesn’t stop Yuri from accidentally spilling his near-empty water glass, and Ren quickly moves to pat him with a napkin. Akira can’t help but smile at their dynamic. It’s sweet how much Ren cares for Yuri openly.

Wanting to give them a moment with some resemblance of privacy, she passively sips from her glass and glances toward the bar. By now, the club’s dance floor is populated with various groups of people swaying to the music, and several people are standing at the bar ordering drinks. Though, a couple standing near the end closest to where the trio is sitting catches her eye. The man and woman are returning her glance, and once they realize they’ve been caught, the woman sends Akira a lopsided smile over the rim of her glass. After giving Yuri and Ren a glance, she grabs their glasses in one hand and her own in the other.

“I’ll get us refills,” she acknowledges Ren’s confused glance when she stands, and he nods.

“Water, please,” he pleads softly under his breath before he returns to fussing over Yuri. With an understanding nod, she turns to head for the bar, slotting in between bodies once there is an opening. However, it doesn’t take long for the couple to follow her, slotting in next to her. When the bartender asks if she wants more of the same, she declines and asks for water for the table instead, and he nods after giving Ren and Yuri a glance.

“Well, well, hey, pretty girl,” the woman coos too close for Akira’s liking. Instinctively, she stands more upright, taking on a more masculine stance as she looks down into the woman’s glassy eyes. She’s already pretty drunk. “You here with them?” She gestures at her accompanying party with the glass still in her hand.

“Yes.” Akira keeps it short before returning her gaze to the bartender, hoping he hurries up as she slides her fingers into her pockets defensively. Her thumb nervously spins the ring on her forefinger as a comfort.

“Oh, so serious,” she coos and glances at her partner before giggling. “Say, looks like your friends are about to go home, though.” Akira glances over, and sure enough, Yuri is absolutely sucking face with Ren. With a soft sigh, she nods.

“Seems like it.”

“If they’re gonna go home, why don’t you stay here with us?” She leans in so close, Akira can feel the soft press of her breasts against her arm. With another sigh, she looks back at the woman before sliding her eyes to her partner.

“What do you say, doll?” His voice is like oil, slick and sticky. Though she doesn’t want to be rude, she doesn’t want to encourage this behavior either.

“I’m not interested. Besides, you’re both pretty drunk. You should head home.”

“Oh, not without finding our third, we’re not!” The woman huffs, wrapping her arms around Akira’s and pulling her closer. “We would love to bring you home with us.” Akira snakes her arm from the woman’s grasp, giving an uneven smile in her discomfort.

“No, thank you.” Seeing the bartender bring her a small pitcher of water and fresh glasses, she sighs under her breath with relief, sending thanks before stepping away. “If I were you, I’d reconsider, and go home.” With that she heads back toward their booth, leaving the couple behind. The woman’s dejected chortle barely rises over the music as Akira steps away. The sound of the glasses clinking on the table brings Ren and Yuri out of their make-out session, and she serves them their drinks.

“Thank you.” Ren eyes Yuri to make sure he can bring his glass to his mouth on his own without making more of a mess of himself. “I think it’s about time I get him home. Do you have a ride? I’ll pay.”

“Nah, I’m okay. I can walk. The night air will sober me up pretty quick.” Ren looks at her skeptically, but after a moment of consideration, he concludes she is okay and nods.

“You sure? It would be no trouble to take you home.” He watches as Yuri finishes his glass and lets out a soft ahhh of satisfaction before giving him a nudge to get him to stand.

“Akiraaaa!” Yuri slurs as he sings out of tune and pulls her into a hug. “We need to do this again! Maybe next time we can dance!” Ren slips past them both to pay the tab at the bar before returning, a protective arm sliding to hold Yuri’s waist to keep him from falling.

“Sure, you dork. Hope you can hold your alcohol. I don’t think your driver will appreciate you puking all over their back seat,” she teases as they make their way toward the door. Night has long fallen, but with the bustle of a Friday night, it doesn’t look like the party is stopping anytime soon. “Make sure he drinks more water when you get home, or he’ll be in a world of hell tomorrow.” Ren and Akira laugh as he waves down a taxi at the curb.

“Of course. Thanks for meeting us!” He helps Yuri into the back seat but pauses before sliding in with him. “Let us know when you get home, okay?” Akira nods and waves to Yuri, who’s flailing a wave from the back seat, his words jibberish as he attempts to shout his goodbye.

“Naturally,” she grins once Ren slides in and Yuri’s hand glides down his front, dangerously low, only cut off by the door closing. “Have fun!” She calls as Ren waves, a blush flushing his cheeks as the taxi pulls away. Still giggling, she slides her hands back into her pockets as she looks down the still-busy sidewalk. Already the cooler night air is clearing her head, so she starts the walk back toward her place, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walks casually, taking in the lights, the jumbled talking of strangers as they pass, and the whirring of traffic still very much alive at this time of night.

Her peaceful walk is interrupted, however, when a familiar voice carries over the city noise behind her in the form of a drunken laugh. Casting a backward glance, she can make out the couple, not even twenty paces behind her. Are they following her, or are they heading home, just so happening to walk the same way? She doesn’t see a third person with them, so immediately she gets nervous - even on this busy street surrounded by strangers, she is very much alone. Just as she is about to turn and quicken her pace, the man’s heated gaze meets hers, and what she sees in his eyes is all she needs to know before taking off in a power walk. With her longer strides with her heels, she quickly rounds the upcoming corner, and even in her heels, she can run. Taking off into a near sprint through the people mulling around in front of other bars, nightclubs, and restaurants, she earns many heys and watch where you’re goings. That doesn’t slow her pace as before she quickly gets to the crosswalk on the other end of the block. Her breath heavy, she looks back, and at first, she doesn’t see the couple, but within moments, they are rounding the corner to follow her.

“Fuck,” she pants under her breath as she waits for the crosswalk to turn. The traffic is too busy to cut through. With a heavy sigh, she pulls her phone out of her pocket. Maybe she can call someone. At the very least, maybe having someone on the phone with her will give them pause and they will leave her alone if they catch up with her. To her dismay, though, the battery is dangerously low. Having been out all day and not charging it while she was getting ready for the evening has thoroughly screwed her over. She’ll be lucky if she manages to make a phone call, let alone keep a conversation going. Only one person comes to mind who could help at this point, but she doesn’t have much of a choice as she quickly searches for Keigo’s number, and calls unannounced for a second time.

One ring, then two, then three. She keeps her eyes on the crosswalk’s signal, so she can take off as soon as it switches. Just when she thinks he has picked up and she starts to talk, his voicemail plays. Releasing a loud groan, she hangs up before the tone signals her to leave a message. That’s fair. He had warned her not to call him first in case he was actively working, so he very well could have just muted his phone. That doesn’t stop her from quickly opening their text chat to send a quick heads up about what’s going on, that she’s heading home and being followed, but just as she is finishing the message, her screen darkens as her phone dies.

“Fucking dammit,” she rasps, drawing attention from the strangers waiting at the crosswalk with her. Of course, that’s her luck. She will just have to do this on her own. Shoving her phone into her back pocket, she gives the street a glance to make sure it’s clear, and the instant the crosswalk light changes, she takes off, leaving the strangers and the pursuing couple behind. The adrenaline coursing through her veins drives her forward, though she thinks on her feet when she catches sight of her building a couple of blocks away. If they still have her in their sights, she doesn’t want to lead them to her building, so she takes a detour through a side road. Her speed slows back to a power walk as her feet and legs scream for rest, her lungs burning from the effort of huffing the cool night air, a light sweat forming on her brow. Next time, she will take Ren up on his offer.

Before long, she is cutting through the small park behind her building and making a mad dash for the back entrance. It’s only after the elevator doors come to a close that she allows herself to lean into the back wall for support. Her legs shake as the adrenaline begins to ebb, but she doesn’t acknowledge it, not until she steps through her apartment door.

Locking the door securely behind her, the bolt finding its way home with a resounding thunk, she breathes a sigh of relief. After hanging up her jacket and keys, tugging her wallet from her pocket and tossing it into a small catch-all basket by the door, she rubs the back of her neck as she lulls her head back. Her legs are weak, and she doesn’t dare lean down to loosen the straps around her ankles to kick off her heels. Passing through the kitchen to plug her dead phone in, she grabs a glass of water before flicking on the light by the couch and flopping down into its cushions, kicking her feet up to rest on the edge of the coffee table.

“What a fucking day,” she sighs and swipes the back of her hand across her damp forehead. Now in the stillness and calm of her apartment, she feels safe to reflect. Were the couple following her to proposition her again? Probably. Did they have ill intentions? Probably not, but Akira couldn’t be sure. Did she make a bigger deal than she needed to? Maybe. Whatever - she is home now. Sipping on the cool water as she fidgets with her rings passively, channeling those nerves without even thinking. Once her phone is charged enough, she will text Yuri, and hopefully, Ren will see it. She doesn’t want them to worry. At some point, she’ll need to-

A thunderous bang against the glass of the balcony window makes her jolt, sitting up immediately as she stares at the curtained door. Of course, she can’t see anything, but with only the lamp light illuminating the living room and the brightness of a nearly full moon, she can faintly make out the silhouette of someone standing there. Slowly standing and abandoning her glass on the coffee table, she knows there is only one person it could be as she steps forward to pull back the curtain.

Wide, wild golden eyes with pupils turned to slits, face flushed from effort and blonde hair wild from a fresh flight, Keigo stands with his gloved hands pressed firmly against the glass. He hasn’t even tucked his wings against his back yet, as if he’s ready to take flight on a moment’s notice. His eyes immediately narrow onto hers, his head tilting down slightly so his forehead meets the glass, and it’s now she realizes she’s a few inches taller than him in her tall heels. His golden eyes’ intensity remains as his breath comes in huffs, fogging the glass. She has never seen him so unhinged or terrified. They stare at one another for only a moment as if she is pinned under his stare before he mouths for her to open the door.

~~~

Previous Chapter --- Next Chapter

[opheliajupiter99]

*Sage felt watched, in the same way a pet rabbit (who’d never actually been in danger) could feel when a predator (who’d never actually hurt it) was watching it intently.*

*he heard clinking of rings and sweeping of feathers as The Crow settled next to him*

“Hello, Sage of the Brood. You know the Beast well, yes? And you care for him?” *the crow settled beside Sage as he greeted him, absentmindedly petting the worms and maggots on the dead animal in front of them, having interrupted their dinner* “I’m sorry to disturb, Broodlings. You needn’t heed me.” *he rasped, age apparent in his voice. More now than ever did he look old, but there was something cunning in his gaze, something that made you think of the supposed cleverness and mischief of crows*

“I will bring him no harm, for all I loathe his Rat, but he intrigues me. His mind is strange.” *The Crow looked amusedly at the flesh-eating bugs before him* “He has less wits about him then your littles, Sage of the Brood, and yet he feels and thinks in many complex ways. But I have never been a judge of character, so I am humbly asking you, is he a kind friend? A pleasurable acquaintance? Whom would he sacrifice for, Rat excluded? I thought I Saw some tendrils of selflessness in his mind, but Madness is a fog to my Sight.” *The Crow fixed his gaze on Sage* “I am simply curious. But if you may tell me, Sage of the Brood?”

*The Crow listened intently. He nodded, seemingly grateful and slightly amused by whatever knowledge Sage could share. He- gurgled? Coughed? And produced what seemed to be a skinned mouse, (smelling strongly of carnage and- a hint of sweetness?) from his maw, depositing it in front of the maggots, who immediately took to it*

*when Sage looked back from the bleeding, dead creature, The Crow had vanished. Some small, ordinary crows sat perched over the maggots, but Sage needn’t worry. Not one crow had eaten a Broodling since The Crow vowed their safety*

*Sage listened to his words, the worms and maggots littering the carcass laid before them pausing to look up and stare at the Crow, curiously watching him now that they knew for certain there was nothing to fear. At the skinned mouse being placed before them, they eagerly swarmed from the carcass and onto it, squeaking and gurgling in elation*

*Sage hummed, watching his children eat as he spoke to the Crow, also very kind and compassionate in tone, as he saw the Crow act so fatherly himself towards his broodlings*

"Of course. He is, indeed, rather complicated. Though, I've found, madness is often much more complicated than people assume it to be, more layered. He's fine with us, and fine with the other freaks, though admittedly it's hard to tell if it's a matter of simply tolerating us or not, but I know he adores that rat, more than anything. I'm unsure if he'd sacrifice for us, but I -know- he would for Dogwood."

"As for more information regarding him, I'll share what I know, even if isn't much; he was locked away in an insane asylum for most of his life, since he was about six if I recall correctly, shipped there by his own parents no less. Shock therapy, psychic spells, potions, needles - name an unethical treatment and he's likely experienced it at least once. Honestly, I'm not sure how much of his madness was at birth and how much came from his stay in the asylum."

"Either way, Dogwood found him when visiting the asylum, looking for freaks to add to his collection, and I suppose they must've gotten smitten with each other quick. Originally, he tried to -buy- him from the asylum, but when they refused, he staged a breakout instead. If not for Dogwood, Juu would likely still be there to this day, his mind decaying even worse than now."

"Beyond Dogwood, he loves eating humanoids and killing, and from all I can see, largely behaves like an animal. Though, he seems to have good enough understanding to be affectionate with Dogwood - the way a fellow man would be, I mean. 'Feral' is usually the word I use for him, simple and animalistic. Men like him is part of why I like it here, at the freakshow, meeting people you might've thought before weren't capable of existing, and yet here we are."

[hoardlikegoldenirises]

This is the counterpart to my post about Peter and glasses.

I could have included some more details or doodles of Kaine's like, various mobility devices as he gets older but: this is supposed to be glasses-focused. and also... my hand doesn't want me to do that.

(edit: dec 2024 made some tiny mild tweaks to minor details that were bugging me)

closeups below:

baby Kaine. Even though I claimed that this drawing is solely about glasses, it's also to show that Kaine's hair gets darker as he matures and it was much redder when he was young. And only mild myopia at 12 lol

I'm not gonna go into the whole timeline here but if you haven't read Dr. Warren's notes on Kaine's development for windowverse (major CW for a lot of stuff, please read the tags) the tl;dr is that Kaine is 12 when he gets taken out and then rapidly aged to adulthood. I did this on purpose rather than going along with the 616 canon. my AU my rules etc.

Anyway here's Kaine 3 years later, when he's 24 and is freed from Warren. Still mildly nearsighted but also starts developing a specific kind of cataract because he's been on various corticosteroid and other medications that fuck with his body (probably better than his body killing him) (maybe) It's a posterior subcapsular cataract btw and it develops basically over the span of a few months, overlooked by the people around him and by himself.

He is actually in the hospital (no longer with Warren) when this happens, partly because of an adrenal crisis from oops suddenly stopping prednisone cold turkey after three years. Everyone's a little preoccupied...

Oh, his droopy eyelid is from physical trauma btw. A combo of nerve damage and his orbit/brow bone and surrounding area having healed wrong from a pretty bad break/injury (related to his busted up nose). It's not Bell's palsy and he can still move the left side of his face for the most part but the area around his eye especially is definitely weaker

jumping forward another few years —

by 2015 Kaine can't really see much out his left eye, aside from like... light glare and stuff like that. Bottom left is Kaine in 2014, hair still in the process of darkening as it grows Very Rapidly.

During the windowverse equivalent of The Lost Years and Redemption, from late 2012 to early 2015, Kaine is really underweight (nothing new to him, really...) and very sick and unmedicated, and also dealing with things like the long-term chronic effects of ending steroid medications, withdrawals, etc etc etc... not doing so hot...

He also gains a lot more scars over this time period.

Top right is mid to late 2015, around September probably. Kaine keeps his hair long for a few months in Houston then buzzes his hair in November 2015:

After some shit happens. Post-werewolf mauling, basically. Included a mask on this one since he is on (steroid sparing) immunosuppressants and needs to be more careful... at Donald's urging lol

Kaine also wears sunglasses inside pretty often (along with stuff like ear plugs, which I forgot to draw lol) since, like Peter, he is sensitive to bright lights and is also just in general a little more prone to sensory overload than Peter is. So those are supposed to be Tom Ford Marko FT0144 sunglasses, aka James Bond sunglasses lol (Kaine does not know this, of course)

Anyway, astigmatism in his right eye is getting kind of noticeable (it's more than that but...) He also has acquired some optic nerve damage in his already blind eye because of a combination of factors, so that eye actually is totally blind now

Anyway 2016:

After some stuff happens, Kaine ends up back in New York (with Aracely), things are hectic, finally settle down... very late in 2016 Kaine finally goes to the eye doctor

Unsurprisingly the eye doctor wants Kaine to get cataract removal surgery. Also unsurprisingly, Kaine refuses.

Anyway his indoor frames are based on Gucci's men's cat eye glasses, which technically only come in tortoiseshell but I decided that it's My AU and I make the rules and I can say that Gucci also made these in black, in windowverse. and also kaine's size. lol.

$450 💀

Like Peter, Kaine has tinted lenses. Unlike Peter, they are not Transitions/photochromic. So indoors he has lighter shades with a gradient to almost clear at the bottom, no polarization or anything like that.

For outside—

These are just Kate Spade Genice sunglasses with the lenses replaced w/ black mirrored polarized lenses.

My justification for Kaine being able to wear itty bitty designer shades (seriously, why are the arms on kate spade frames so short?) is that he has a couple million dollars and he can do whatever he wants. (Like have the arms replaced.) These specific shades also have pretty large lenses so I figure as long as the arms are lengthened, they should fit.

And also I like them and I want him to wear them.

Anyway jumping ahead like 8 years to when Kaine is in his mid 30s—

More Tom Ford frames. Ingrid, this time, with prescription lenses presumably lol

I'll be honest I did consider giving Kaine a prosthetic eye, but... in this context I think the only reason he'd ever get eye surgery would be if it was a life-threatening emergency, and tbh even with issues like glaucoma and complications from the cataract, it's not clear to me that it would ever be life-threatening unless he managed to get an infection, which I guess is possible, but idk? Eye pain is def not enough motivation for Kaine to have it removed, especially since surgery would increase his risk of infection on account of being immunocompromised on the long-term.

If I were to go that route, windowverse Kaine is the type to have an expensive and glamorous eye made btw, because he is already going to draw attention, he cannot look "normal," regardless of how realistic a professional prosthetic can be, and people are going to stare at him regardless, so I think he would prefer to do something that feels, like... well, like him.

Anywayyyy... I've left it as just an eternal cataract for now but if it turns out that would cause actual dangerous problems I will have them take his eye out...

As far as his working eye goes, in his mid-30s his eyesight is definitely worse, and he's pretty nearsighted, but it's definitely still basically fully correctable with prescription lenses (issues w/ depth perception and lack of binocular vision notwithstanding). But without, he has to look pretty closely at stuff like food labels to be able to read it and even then it can still be blurry.

Those frames are Gucci as well btw

again, lenses replaced with darker, polarized lenses to suit his needs wrt light sensitivity etc.

Kaine's temples are also starting to thin a tiny bit but it's not very noticeable yet.

This is also four years after he and Aracely moved into a luxury motor home and adopted a stray cat, and his meds are not too awful to keep track of (yay for patches), and actually make him feel comparatively better, so he's like... doing alright for himself. Even his eyebrows are healthier (because he isn't compulsively ripping them out from stress)

Jumping forward another 5-7 years:

I made these frames up on account of it's 10 years in the future. Continuing the cat eye trend.

Kaine starts letting his facial hair grow out at some point between 36 and 40, probably just because shaving is kind of a hassle and he has arthritis (etc), and it's not like it will ever grow very long... he also goes fully gray very quickly upon reaching middle age lmao — Peter doesn't start going gray until a few years after Kaine, and even then doesn't really get grayer than a big skunk stripe before he dies. Ben goes gray in his 50s, but may or may not still be bleaching or coloring his hair at that point lol

Kaine's hairline is obviously also receding a bit more obviously now, unlike his brothers... :/ damn them (okay Peter's got a tiny bit of a receding hairline by 48 but only barely)

But Kaine is... dare I say... kind of happy? He's in a good place in his 30s and 40s, emotionally and relationship-wise, with his whole platonic soulmate thing with Aracely, and the random stray cat she adopted, and their expensive motor home and so on. His vision may be getting worse and he is retired because of his many disabilities but he's like... pretty okay.

Anyway Kaine is very undeniably going blind by the time he's 40 and he's started to learn braille around age 41 as he accepts that.

...probably his lenses should be thicker but I can barely draw glasses as it is..........

In addition to whatever specs he's wearing, he finally gets a tactile cellphone for emergencies around this time, basically only for speed-dialing Aracely, Ben or Peter, or 911.

I figure he prefers tactile stuff like braille or buttons because it's all touch-based and he doesn't like dealing with TTS or dictation (for multiple reasons) and doesn't like screen readers (mostly for sensory reasons), but he does occasionally use those things because sometimes tactile feels worse than listening to a robot, and obviously screen readers can be more useful for specific situations.

ANYWAY Kaine probably has like a BlindShell 2 or MiniVision (non smart) or whatever the hell.

It's worth saying: Kaine can still see out of his right eye, but he can't clarify images well, mostly just moving shapes and blurry silhouettes and colors and light. He can still read really massive text if it's close enough to his face (with glasses) or like, really huge signs, but not with crispness or clarity, and probably still causes some strain. Anything else is illegible.

Still sensitive to light and being dazzled though, probably actually worse now, so still wearing tinted lenses both outdoors and indoors.

Does orientation & mobility around age 43, once someone finally thinks to refer him to a low vision specialist... He does get a cane but not the typical long cane people associate with blindness. He mostly navigates okay on his own since he can still see a little, and the cane is mostly for his chronic pain and other health problems... but he's definitely a lot slower than he used to be, as well as easily startled, and prefers to have Aracely with him if he's out and about.

But all things considered, he's not doing too terribly for a guy who wasn't expected to survive past 30.

So, Anyway, mid 40s:

(aka the cutest part of this drawing)

Another frame I made up. Just nude acetate and bronze wireframe...

And a puppy lol (American Doberman)

When Kaine is around 45, since he does have some problems navigating, especially if he's alone, and Aracely can't be around him all the time, Aracely convinces Kaine to get a service dog

Warren's Jackal mask in windowverse was a black leather Anubis mask, not a green bat thing, so the blurry silhouettes of black Dobies make Kaine... stressed, which is why a brown Dobie with uncropped ears (and a Dobie because they drool less)

It takes a while to train her of course, and lots of money too... but they do

So once Brownie is a year old, Kaine has his very own seeing eye dog 🐶

There are like... more details but I want to actually draw Brownie and Kaine's gear for her, so I'll just leave that for some other time. also this post is way too long as it is lmao

Peter probably does bitch a little bit about the breed choice but he can deal with it.

that's it for now.

that scarf is kate spade btw

i only drew it on old man kaine but he gets it in like... 2017... lol i just copy pasted the busts from 2017 and didn't want to deal w/ redoing the colors since i flattened the one w/ kate spade shades 🤷