#six underground fanfiction

[wrongroadbuddy]

The world from a child's eyes

(part2)

Undertoday AU

Part1

A.n: I don't understand why this took this long, but here it is! And now, I'm going to disappear again :D

[aflawedfashion]

I wonder if the gang comes together in the finale to print Richie's photos of cops targeting gay men, and they all decide to blow up absolutely everything because they have nothing left to lose now that Constance has control and they choose do the right thing

That would be a good ending

[gosmigenergy]

KINKTOBER 2024 / Day Six

PROSTITUTION / SEX WORK / MIRROR SEX (@my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction)

Starring: Jake Lockley x F!Reader

Summary: The boys never take you like I want you, that’s what Jake said and now he’s going to make sure this memory is one you’ll both remember.

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No use of Y/N, language, pet name, dom!Jake Lockley, hair pulling, public sex, rough sex, P in V, unprotected sex (protection in real life, please, thank you), praise (if you squint), cream pie

Word Count: 2.5k

You don’t know when the change happened.

In the morning, you were talking to an incredibly sleepy Steven who was reminiscing about the dream he’d had last night that featured you in a starring, also heroic, role. It took the pair of you a while to get yourselves out of bed and you had a leisurely start, making it from the bed to the sofa of his attic apartment.

He insisted he needed to go in the shower before Marc exited and returned to you.

Apparently, he had made plans for the evening, booked a fancy restaurant that he knew you’d love. He watched you as you got ready, teasing you with the gentlest of touches and kisses with the softest lips. Your boys would talk to each other, mostly Marc proclaiming that Steven would have his turn later.

You giggled when their argument turned heated and Marc saw it fit to cover the mirror you stood in front of.

He rolled his eyes, only hearing Steven still running his mouth.

Turning on your heels, you place a palm on Marc’s chest, smiling sweetly.

“Tell him, I’ll make it up to him.”

“I’m gonna hold her to that!”

Marc sighs, “Don’t worry, he knows.”

The restaurant he took you to was nestled on one of the city’s hidden alleyways, the underground location made to cosy and intimate but the place was vast. You followed the waiter to plush booth dressed in rich red velvet, a tiny lamp in the centre of the table being your main source of light.

Dinner couldn’t have gone any better.

You excused yourself once you’d ordered dessert.

The journey to the toilet was a tricky one, you were pointed to doorway and told which directions to turn. It was almost a labyrinth, each wall appearing the same until you came to a corridor filled with doors.

You sighed with relief when you sat on the porcelain throne of the closest available stall.

When you were washing your hands, your peace was interrupted by someone knocking heavily on the door. You were surprised that someone was looking for a free stall, there seemed to be plenty if they’d only continue walking.

“Just a second, I’m just washing my hands,” you called.

As you reached for the paper towels, there came another series of knocks. You swear no one has the fucking patience in London. Stretching to unlock the door, you prepare a scowl on your face as you drop the handle.

The next few seconds is a blur.

Marc shoves the door open swiftly, crowding your frame with his as he forces you back until your ass is resting on the sill next to the sink.

“Marc, what the fuck?”

The door slams shut and you hear the lock click, he’s turned away from you.

“I’m not Marc.”

He wasn’t, his accent was different, his voice more gravelly.

“Well, it’s definitely not Steven.”

He chuckles, “You know your boys so well, kitten.”

A shiver shot up your spine as he turned round.

They always had identical features. The same dark curls, same softly tanned skin, same notch in the tip of his nose. You had learnt early on in your relationship to look at the mannerisms but these were like none you’d seen before.

He stepped towards you, looming over you as you try to somehow move away from him in this confined space. He stands tall, shoulder back with his chest puffed out yet his head hangs low, heavy lids hiding the spark in his eyes as if he’s lacking a soul.

“How well do they know you?”

“Barely.”

There had been instances in the past where both Marc and Steven said they couldn’t remember shit. You had told them about strolling into the apartment late at night, waking up to find them asleep in the armchair or when you’d jumped awake at the sudden sensation at your ankle, only to find them perched at the end of the bed.

But still, nothing.

“And what about me?”

His stern expression contorts into a crooked, wicked smile.

“Oh, I know how they feel about you. How Steven gets butterflies when you smile at him, how Marc’s heart skips a beat when you hold his hand, how hard they both get when they picture you in that dress…”

Your hands squeeze onto the lip of the shelf as his eyes flit over your body.

“But they never quite fuck you the way I’d like.”

You swallow nervously as he brings his body centimetres from yours, your doe eyes are reflected in his black irises.

His fingertips skim your hip, trailing up your waist, making your body quiver.

Part of you knows you should be scared, that maybe you should be screaming the place down to get someone to save you. Against him? They probably wouldn’t survive anyway. However your body didn’t react through fear, you were actually finding this intimidating figure in front of you a turn on.

His presence so much darker than Steven’s, even Marc’s.

His other hand comes to your face, featherlight on your chin before he runs his thumb along your bottom lip. You release the breath you didn’t realise you held, the exhale shaky as he brings his lips to yours.

Your body goes rigid when he kisses you.

“I won’t hurt you, kitten,” he says after he removes his lips, “I promise.”

His calmness finally managed to take over the fever that ran through his veins, he smooths a warm palm over your cheek. He watches how your lips part forming the smallest gap between them, it’s like you’re about to say something yet you can’t utter a word.

You feel yourself deepening into his touch, the warmth of his hand.

In the confined space, your senses were heightened, the finest details coming through. His steady pulse, the low monotones of his voice, how the orange glow of the light made his skin look golden however he was shrouded with a darkness that pulled you in.

Your eyelashes flutter shut and your weight shifts forward.

Your lips meet again and you press swiftly before going back for more. As you push, he pushes harder, nudging his chin to coax you to allow him access. When you open your mouth, his tongue slips through effortlessly, hungrily searching for yours.

He knows what you can do, he’s watched how you submit with the others and now, he wants that too.

His hand lets go of your cheek, cupping the back of your head as he forces you into him more. He hugs you with his other arm around your waist and you sigh, hands dropping from the sink.

Cautiously, your hands reach for his arms like he was going to snap and break them off.

Underneath you know there’s Steven and Marc, you know how they like to be touched and they have more similarities than they’d admit. You trail your palms up and over his shoulders, the friction tugging gently at the shirt he wore. Digging your nails into his back, the purr rumbles through his chest.

Unlike your boys, he doesn’t melt.

His teeth sink into your bottom lip, the smallest twinge as he sinks them further.

“Unfortunately for you, that don’t work on me.”

Your heart skipped a beat.

In quick movements, you find yourself being spun round, the bones of your hips bumping sharply to the edge. You grunt meekly, your face scrunching as his fingers bury into your hair.

His breath flows down the crook of your neck before he brings his lips to the skin.

Opening your eyes, you catch the reflection in the mirror. He watches you behind heavy lids, gauging your reaction as he pulls, changing the angle of your head. The tingle travels through your body, settling low, your pussy twitching as your juices pool in your underwear.

His other hand lifts the hem of your dress, his palm spreading over your one ass cheek.

You try to fight the pleasure running through your veins but you can’t help pushing your weight onto him, unable to catch the desperate mewl from escaping when you feel his stiff length contained within his trousers.

He chuckles, “Can’t help yourself, can you?”

You shake your head yet it barely moves under his hold.

His hand moves across and you anticipate a slap that never comes, maybe that’s only something Marc likes. You wriggle to chase the pleasure you seek though he’s choosing to be difficult, predicting every move before you make it.

You whine as his fingers wrap tightly around your underwear and he yanks them, bearing your warm cunt to the cool air of the tiled space.

He leans back, seeing how it still manages to glisten in the dim lighting. He was planning on playing with you, teasing you until you reached the edge however like this, he could just push through your slick walls without any friction.

You watch his hand come behind you, hear the metallic jostle as he gets his belt undone, the sound of his zipper going down.

His grip on your hair loosens, his fingers falling down your spine and your back arches to his touch. The valley of your ass meets his hardened cock and as you follow the outline, you both groan.

He slams his hips into you, flinging you forward just enough for him to whip himself from his briefs.

When you return to him, he keeps you steady and slaps your ass a few times with his tip, precum decorating your skin. You glance over your shoulder, teeth grazing your lip as you wait for him to meet your eye.

He does.

“Eyes in front.”

“Yes, sir,” you say softly, doing as you’re told.

He shoves you back heavily and you gasp as his cock encroaches your entrance, the smirk rising on his face. It’s the way he looks at you that tells you, you’re in danger and you strengthen your grip on the lip of the sink.

There’s no warning as he fills you to the hilt.

He takes the air from your lungs, your mouth falling open without a sound. Your legs quiver as he cradles under your stomach, as if he knows how deep he buried himself into you. He gives you another second before he slowly drags his way out.

“Oh fuuuck.”

Your voice raises and a hand snaps around your mouth, he doesn’t want anyone to hear you quite yet.

He shushes you as he thrusts into you again, your squeal muffled by his broad palm, his other hand gently easing into your back to position you in a perfect curve. Holding you steady, he frees your mouth, you barely catch your breath before he starts to plough into you full force.

All you can do is take it and let him consume all you.

His eyes drill into your reflection bringing the heat to your skin, the sweat arriving onto your chest. The clamminess in your hands makes you lose your grasp on the sink, your heels slipping on tiles with every brutal impact.

His fingertips dig into the flesh of your hip to keep you upright.

This is what he’s always wanted.

The other two always fucked you wrong. Steven was always soft and gentle, some may even say sensual whilst Marc, though he had more dominating tendencies, never went hard enough. And there he was, hidden away somewhere the pair of them couldn’t find, waiting to pounce at any given moment.

Except because he’d held back for so long, he chose to go hard and fast before he exploded.

“Please, I can’t,” you choke, the words struggling to come through.

He had been pummelling the same spot over and over and you weren’t quite sure whether you should be seeing white spots in your vision. You couldn’t bare to keep looking, squeezing your eyes shut as you drop your head.

His hips grind to a halt, his cock staying snug in your walls.

Unleashing your hips, his hands wrap around your neck before using his strength to lift your head up. Your throat bobs under his digits and he gives you a minute to open your eyes, the mirrored image of them glossy.

You groan as he nudges you with his tip, bringing himself forward so he could plant a kiss on your shoulder.

“You’re taking me so well, kitten.”

He rolled his hips, steadily picking up the pace again.

With each hit came a sweet grunt, your body rippling from the collision, the straps on your dress slipping to reveal your matching bra. He couldn’t take his eyes off your reflection, he had to make sure this was ingrained in his memory, for all the future times he had to sit and watch.

The room was getting smaller, the heat between you rising though he hadn’t broken a sweat.

Every part of you started to burn, the tingle travelling up your spine. You raise your hands, helplessly clawing at his until suddenly you became limp, your muscles vibrating uncontrollably.

He held strong, your toes the only remaining part of you on the floor.

“Not much longer,” he said through gritted teeth.

You couldn’t hear him as your head went fuzzy, vision blurring as you went crosseyed yet he had never seen such a beautiful sight.

His hips started to stutter as your walls clung onto the feeling of him, the suction pulling him back before his balls receded. He ensured his last thrust was strong, one that rooted within your pussy, filling you with his load.

He growled, roaring as he pulled himself out of you swiftly, droplets of cum falling down your legs and to the floor.

You gasped like you came back to life, falling back to earth from your sexual ecstasy. As his hands loosen, you drop to towards the sink and save yourself on your elbows. Your chest heaves as you try to get oxygen into your lungs, legs trembling as you struggle to stand.

The energy settled between you.

His hand coming to your back made you flinch, the expectation different to the reality. He stroked softly, soothing you, before pulling up your strap.

“We should go,” his voice was still gruff.

You managed to lift your head to see what a mess you were. He was polite enough to pass you some tissue to sort out your appearance but you had questions.

“What about dessert?”

He scoffs, “I cancelled it.”

He sees how you pout in the mirror, eyes narrowing.

“Did you even pay for dinner?”

“Yes.”

He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, to what you were both doing.

You spread your palms over your dress, bend at the hip to fix your shoes. Snatching your handbag, you rummage for your lipstick before leaning into your reflection.

He continues to watch you, you hadn’t even asked for your underwear, not that he was complaining. His brow arched when you turned round, the lid of your lipstick clicking before you matched his stance.

“What?”

“I’m waiting for you to tell me your name,” you cock your head to the side.

He tuts.

“You just railed me in a public toilet and filled me with your cum and you expect me to walk out of here with you.”

His chest expands as you step closer.

“It’s Jake.”

“Nice to meet you, Jake, you owe me dessert.”

[clairefey]

RFQ (Request for Quote) for Fanfic Illustration Project

Update: I have found an artist! Thanks to all who applied.

Hello! I am a fanfic author looking to commission 6 illustrations to appear in an upcoming fanfiction. My tentative/negotiable budget for this is $1650 USD or $275/illustration. I wish them to be done by 24th September. I am looking for illustrations that are fully shaded, and in color, suitable for appearing inline both online (via AO3) and in print in B&W. I am an amateur fannish creator, and this is the first time I've ever done something like this, and have no contacts to which to rely upon. As a result, I'm also offering a $50 finders fee for any good-faith tip, recommendation, or referral that ultimately leads to a successful agreement.

About the project:

Nature of Work/Quality Requested: Each illustration will involve two canon Stargate SG-1 characters that require, shading, detailing, and coloring. Each illustration also requires a background that effectively communicates the scene geography (ie, where the characters are in relation to eachother and their immediate surroundings). However, generally, the backgrounds do not require complicated shading and detailing as long as they get across the general idea - with the exception of a landscape background for one of the six illustrations. The backgrounds are: medical lab, briefing room, daylight forest, hillside overlooking river, underground cave.

Fandom: This project deals with the Stargate SG-1 fandom, and the characters of Janet Fraiser, Jonas Quinn, Samantha Carter, and the Goa'uld Nirrti. Someone familiar with this fandom would be preferred, but if you are not, substantial high quality references will be provided.

Controversial/Squicky Elements: These requested illustrations do not involve any kind of erotica or ongoing/imminent violence/gore and are SFW. However, of note, a few of the desired illustrations require an accurate reproduction of automatic firearms typical of Stargate SG-1 (specifically, the M16A2 and the MP5, references will be provided), and one of the desired illustrations involves an injured and bloodied person.

Revisions/Alterations requested? Due to the expedited nature of the project (just under two months to finish), I don't expect there to be time for any significant alterations. All I would request is a sketch copy of each illustration before major detail/shading/color work is undertaken, so I can verify the scene geography and major components are correct. If there is time, I may pay extra for alterations should I want them.

How you will be credited:

In-story, online: Your name and a hyperlink to your website/social/portfolio (as desired) will be attributed in the author's notes of the chapters in which your illustrations appear. Your name will also appear at at beginning/foreward, credited as "Illustrator"

In-story, in print: Your name and printed URLs/@s will appear in the beginning or the end of the story, at your choice, credited as "Illustrator"

In other situations, online, e.g. social media posts: A named link to your webside/social/portfoilio (As desired)

Nature of product+license I am intending to purchase:

In general, high quality sources I can freely distribute, and which other can freely redistribute (so long as you remain attributed, and the following terms are attached). Specifically, I am looking for:

Source quality without visible watermark

Time-limited right of first publish: You will withhold publishing copies of the commissioned works on your own socials/website until the final fanfic is posted, or the date February 1st, 2025, whichever is earlier.

A non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual and irrevocable license with the following terms:

In general, unlimited noncommercial reproduction with attribution.

Limited derivative works, including, color re-grading, cropping, addition of titles or text bubbles, extraction of individual elements without modification (e.g. characters), for the purposes of creating covers, memes, compositions, promotional material, and general shitposting.

Sublicensible without penalty under identical terms, for the purposes of allowing others to distribute the story with the illustrations intact, so long as attribution is preserved, a copy of these terms provided, and no cash or other cash-equivalents exchanged.

How you will be paid:

I am willing to pay via Pay Pal (G&S), Bank wire, CC payment to online shop, Bitcoin/Monero or any crypto listed on Bitstamp supported by Ledger. I am willing to sign up for any online service that does not have onerous verification requirements, as long as such service does not require the use of a proprietary app that can only be installed on a smartphone.

Payments will be in installments as progress is made, or via escrow at the artist's request.

Price negotiable?

Yes. The listed budget is what I believe this project is worth based upon my very limited knowledge and experience, and the money I have available to pay. As the title suggests, please send in your own quote as you feel is fair compensation for your labor. However, cards on the table, price will be a significant factor when discriminating between bids and I may reduce the scope of the project rather than incurring cost overruns.

Is the deadline soft or hard?

Hard. I need the illustrations by the given date for printing in order to give a copy to someone I know (it's a surprise).

How can I contact you?

Please direct all inquiries to bythemorningstar@protonmail.com. If you wish to make a bid, please include the following information.

Your tentative bid, in converted from your currency to United States Dollars

Your estimated lead time

A portfolio of recent work, with at least a few examples of the quality you are willing to work at for the given price.

Any additional stipulations or limitations the listed terms that you wish to request

Whether or not you are familiar with Stargate SG-1

Who you were referred by, if anyone

Your timezone

Whether you would prefer discord or signal for real-time communication

[bloodblanks]

the cadence within [il dottore x reader] — prologue.

The quickest way to a man’s heart is through their fourth and fifth ribs.  But few men would allow you to just skewer them like that, and Dottore was no exception. So you took the classic route. No, it wasn’t through his stomach; it was through sheer force of charisma alone.  However, charisma is shaped like a double edged blade. Pantalone sent you to Dottore’s lab like a flying dagger, and not until it was too late did either of you realize you’d been lodged in his chest. 

co-written with noodsies, however, they’re shy and wish to stay anonymous! ♡

author's note: this fanfiction will contain mature content, including explicit sexual acts, violence, dottore himself, and similar themes.

please read at your own discretion.

“Check,” you whispered.

Queen to C6 check, in response to white’s bishop checking on F3. Your D7 pawn guarded your queen, but your bishop was stuck in B8 while his king was vulnerable on A6. His only other piece was a knight on A4.

Did he blunder?

After placing down the chess piece, you glanced back towards him, your eyes searching his face for any readable signs or expressions. There were none, save for the hint of amusement that remained eternally etched into both his features and demeanour.

You mentally sighed. Dottore was as indecipherable as ever, leaving you confused about what to do with the nagging itch that tugged at your heart. You tried to push it aside, to dig a hole and bury the feeling six feet underground where it was never to resurface again, but you found yourself unable to. Instead, you found yourself caving into that emotion, the tension thickening the very air that now felt suffocating to breathe in, each of Dottore’s answers only leaving you with more questions to ask—none of which you should’ve paid any mind to, yet you still couldn't resist, barely holding yourself back from asking the one thing you really wanted to know.

You coughed softly, clearing your throat before speaking again.

“My turn,” you tried to steady your voice and sound as confident as possible, pushing past the dryness in your mouth. “Question nineteen, are you going to continue with your plan?”

It shouldn’t even matter. If you were being rational, you wouldn’t have bothered to ask that; whether or not he planned to continue should not affect your judgement in any way. He had done enough wrong as it is, committed far more crimes than could be excused or remotely justified.

Still, you couldn’t help but succumb to your own weakness, the question leaving your lips alongside a silent prayer that you hadn’t exposed your intentions—be it the one to put an end to him, or the far worse one, the one to give up on your original task. The task you should adhere to, despite your traitorous feelings wanting to get in the way. But you were not strong enough.

Dottore’s silence permitted you to keep ruminating over the same thoughts that had ceaselessly plagued you each time you faced him, the same thoughts that had insidiously grown in intensity throughout your interactions, leaving you to realize far too late that at some point, your actions towards him became genuine.

“Perhaps,” Dottore responded at last. You fought to keep your face neutral, trying your best to mask your disappointment at his answer. As much as you had wanted to, you were unable to deny that you had indeed wanted him to say ‘no.’

As shameful as it was, you pushed for a different answer.

“You’re supposed to answer yes or no,” you stated, keeping your tone light and indifferent.

How ludicrous, you thought. Your job was to pretend to be interested in him, yet here you were, desperately trying to act like you weren’t.

“Unfortunately, Y/N, I can’t do that,” Dottore replied. “The answer is dependent on certain variables.”

“Like what?”

“That’s not a yes or no question.” His face did not betray anything, yet you could hear the smirk in his voice, evident in the satisfaction he spoke with.

“But—”

“—My turn,” Dottore interrupted, and though you wanted to protest, you had to maintain an air of calmness, leaning back in your seat as you waited for him to speak.

“Question nineteen,” Dottore drew out each syllable with emphasis, “you are planning to kill me, aren’t you?”

His sentence caused you to freeze, a chill running down each ridge of your spine as you shivered, goosebumps breaking out over the surface of your skin, your hair standing on end as you stared at him, motionless, eyes wide.

That wasn’t a yes or no question. He knew. Dottore knew.

You didn’t need to see yourself to know that blood had drained from your face. There was no need for you to say anything; even if he hadn’t already known, your expression alone would be enough to confirm that everything he just said was true.

“Go on. Why don’t you answer me?” His voice was sharp enough to cut through the pounding of your heart, the pulsating of the organ reverberating in your eardrums being the only sound to muffle the deafening silence of the room.

“Oh, come on, Y/N,” Dottore continued. Though the syllables reached you, your mind struggled to process the meaning behind them. “Did you think I wouldn’t know?”

Dottore scoffed, indignant.

“I find it rather insulting that you think so lowly of me.”

“N-no,” you scrambled to find the right words. “I don’t—”

“—Is that so?” he said, cutting you off while clicking his tongue in mock disapproval. “Do you have a more plausible explanation for that gun strapped to your thigh, then?”

Your heart sank, his words the anchor that plunged it into the bottomless pit in your stomach. It felt like the life was drained from your body, rendering it an immobile marionette whose strings dangled from the tips of Dottore’s slender fingers. As if his words were coated in a paralyzing agent, you couldn’t bring yourself to speak further or move an inch. The only reminder that you were still alive was the harrowing thump of your pulse, each beat accelerating faster than the last.

How did he know?

For a split second you wondered if you’d been betrayed, but that was impossible. You had premeditated the perfect plan, meticulously memorized every step, and followed through with flawless execution.

With clandestine sleight, you acquired the perfect trump card—a gun loaded with bullets meant to destroy both visions and delusions. It was exactly what you needed to put an end to him, to put an end to this madness and absurdity. You’d be done with this once and for all. You’d have your old life back; exactly as it was before.

So how?

And what was more pressing than how, was the question of just what Dottore was planning to do with this knowledge. The urgency that question posed was unmatched by anything else, the answer pertaining to whether you would live or die.

You couldn’t help but wince, unable to conceal your expressions any longer. Dottore had seen through it all, seen through all your plans. You were dead, and you could only hope that your death would not be as unpleasant as some of the others by his hand. You knew what he was capable of, and you knew he was capable of far worse.

“I didn’t think so.” Dottore’s words were firm. Unwavering. And in those very seconds you were forced to accept the reality that you were going to die. This was the end.

“Go ahead,” Dottore said, slowly holding out his hands with both palms facing you. “Shoot me.”

What?

“I won’t stop you,” he finished his sentence. You were still gaping at him, but he was gazing back straight into your eyes, unflinching.

“Is this a joke?” you breathed, unable to comprehend what was just said to you.

“Is that your final question?” Dottore returned, his words somehow snapping you out of your daze and paralysis for a split second. You instinctively reacted by reaching to your thigh, pulling out the gun that you had prepared for this very moment and aiming it directly at him.

You tried to still the tremble of your hands as your index finger hooked onto the trigger, tensing it frozen so it wouldn’t pull.

A moment went by.

“Is that all?” Maybe you were imagining things. You had to be, but you couldn’t help but feel his eyes scan your face, searching for something.

Just what was he looking for? Could it be the same thing you sought?

“Allow me my final question, then.”

You couldn’t help but anticipate, that minuscule flame of hope, that lingering spark that refused to be snuffed out, flaring back to life.

“Sure.” Your voice was low, but you knew that he had heard you, nonetheless.

“Question...” Each second felt like it had been split up into millions, leaving you to experience time a microsecond at once. You were breathing heavily, your blood pulsating in your ears and adrenaline rushing through your veins. “...Twenty.”

“There is something stopping you, isn’t there?” 

next chapter -> any interactions are appreciated (´･ω･`) thank you very much for supporting my work! ♡

[mushyblushyredhead]

TickleTober 2024 🎃

♡ Aug’s TKTober2024

DAY 18: Tickle Fight

“You Can Relax”—an SCP Foundation Story

♡ Also available on my FanFiction! (Autobot-Tiff)

Word Count: 6k

Summary: It is late at night of the weekend Travis sought sanctuary at the SCP Foundation, but he is still anxious to go to sleep. It’s everyone’s favorite SCP, 999, to the rescue. Takes place in its own timeline at the Foundation, in an AU. This is a tickle fic, obviously. X3

TW: Mentions of past abuse.

Travis Blanche belongs to me!

Agent Simon Fisher belongs to my best friend who has allowed me to use their OC for this story. :3

A/N: Apologies if there’s any errors with the French words that are written throughout this story. Although I do not speak French (kinda wish I did) I did my absolute best translating some words and phrases so forgive me if they’re not all correct.

A rather eventful week had occurred for Dr. Travis Blanche and the batch of anomalous kids he had saved. In actuality, the last six months have been nothing but eventful, but not as much as the previous week that took place. So much had happened in the span of one week; teaming up with the SCP Foundation—a place he was told and believed was the enemy—to rescue a group of anomalous children he once took care of who were being physically altered and bid to be used as living weapons.

Despite the many setbacks and near casualties, in the end, Travis and the Foundation had successfully managed to rescue the kids and shut down the evil Foundation for good. Everyone who was a part of that operation were already taken into custody and being dealt with, courtesy of the Foundation. It seemed everything was going to be okay finally, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for someone in particular.

That night, one of the MTF squadron captains, Captain Simon Fisher, had been casually strolling down the hallways in the middle of his evening patrol, when he noticed light coming from one of the lounge rooms up ahead. That’s odd, he thought. Who could be up at this late hour?

Curious, he cautiously peeked inside the doorway and his eyes widened when he saw their newest Foundation member, Travis, was the one awake. He was sitting alone at the lounge table, listening to his Walkman, and clutching a mug of steaming tea with an exhausted and nervous look on his face.

How long has he been up like this? Simon wondered. Is he not happy to be here after everything that happened? He hoped not. After all the crazy things that everyone had been through, the SCP Foundation had graciously offered a permanent sanctuary for Travis and the children he helped save. Although Travis was skeptical about having the kids stay in containment chambers as SCPs, everyone assured him that the kids would all be treated with care, given proper housing and food, and would no way ever be abused like they were before. They even offered Travis a dorm room to stay in at the Foundation site so he could still be close to the kids and see them whenever he pleased.

That seemed to calm his overprotective nerves, but the young scientist still had trouble fully relaxing. It was obvious he was still traumatized after everything they went through. Despite being safe at the Foundation, Travis couldn’t put his overthinking mind to rest. What if the evil Foundation wasn’t defeated entirely? What if they still had another secret base somewhere that they didn’t know about? What if they had more anomalous children hidden underground? What if they would eventually find out where he was?!

Travis clutched his mug tighter, shaking his head. He just couldn’t shake off the fear. He knew from his previous time with these people that they had such volatility. He often compared them to the Galactic Empire from Star Wars; that evil foundation was able to bounce back from scratch like the second Death Star being built. He worried for himself, the kids especially. He would never want to break his promise and put them in any sort of danger again.

In an attempt to calm his anxious mind, Travis tried making himself some maple tea while listening to his Walkman. It was usually a good remedy whenever he couldn’t sleep, except tonight it didn’t seem to be working. He kept taking sips of the hot liquid, but couldn’t taste a thing. His mind just could not stop racing.

Agent Fisher could not bear to watch the poor scientist like this. It was so heartbreaking to witness. Travis deserved a break, just like those kids deserved a proper home and childhood. But even here, in the safety of the SCP Foundation site, he was still scared. And the officer couldn’t blame him. The poor guy probably thought the evil foundation was going to jump through the walls at any moment and harm him. After suffering in that cruel environment for so long, who wouldn’t still be scarred?

But at the same time, everyone hoped that Travis could learn to relax a little at the site now that he was safe. The kids has already settled in their new rooms just fine, happy to call the SCP Foundation their new home. If only Travis felt like doing the same same…

Not wanting the poor sleep deprived scientist to suffer any longer, Simon walked into the lounge room and waved to get Blanche’s attention. Travis jumped, startled, but his body relaxed when he saw a familiar face. Pulling off his headphones, Travis forced a smile on his face. “Oh, good evening, Captain Fisher, sir.”

“Hm, good morning is more like it,” Simon stated back, gesturing to the clock on the wall. “It’s 3:30 in the morning. Why are you still up?”

“Why are you up?” Travis countered back.

Simon quirked a brow. “Because I’m in the middle of my night shift,” he replied as-a-matter-of-factly. “But seriously, is something wrong, Dr. Blanche? I thought you had retired to bed along with the kids hours ago.”

Travis weakly chuckled. “First of all, no need to address me as Doctor all the time. Just Travis is fine.” Simon nodded understandingly. “Second,” Travis shrugged with a sigh. “Can’t sleep, I guess. I…guess I am still shaken up after everything that happened recently. I still have nightmares; nightmares of…them. Of what they d-did to me…to the kids..!” He heaved a shaky sigh. “I don’t know, I just—can’t seem to erase that from my mind. A part of me is still afraid that they’re still out there, waiting to come after m-me and the kids..!”

Travis quickly turned his head away as tears were threatening to spill from his eyes. He cursed himself for getting so emotional so quickly. He hated crying in front of others. But Simon didn’t mind. He rested a delicate hand on the scientist’s shoulder, squeezing affectionately. Travis turned around, meeting Agent Fisher’s warm eyes.

His smile was comforting and his voice was gentle. “Hey, I get what you’re going through. I really do. None of us here are expecting you, nor the kids, to get over what happened to you all so quickly. That’s traumatizing, and that’s not something you can simply get over overnight.” He squeezed Blanche’s shoulder once more. “But, know this: you do not have to carry this burden alone like you did before. You’re safe here, and you know we would never let anything happen to you guys. You’ve got to believe that.”

Travis nodded softly. “I know. I know you all mean well, and I am so very grateful for you all to let us stay here…even after everything before…”

“Hey, what’s past is past, kid. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

“Thank you. I…just wish I could stop having these nightmares. These people are defeated and yet it still seems like they torment me.” Travis groaned and rested his head against the table. “That’s why I’ve been listening to my music and drinking some maple tea. It’s usually a good remedy when I have trouble getting to sleep, but tonight it’s not as effective.” He sighed miserably. “I suppose I just won’t sleep tonight. But that’s alright…I’m sure I can busy myself for the remainder of the night by working on one of my unfinished projects. Maybe that will tire me out.”

Simon couldn’t believe what he just heard. Travis was really willing to work himself to exhaustion because of his nightmares? He pitied for the poor scientist. But what else could he do? His words didn’t seem to help.

And then suddenly, it clicked. “SCP-999!” He suddenly blurted his thought out loud.

“Huh?” Travis tilted his head.

Simon cleared his throat. “I meant to ask this earlier, but…have you had the chance to interact with SCP-999 yet? Or at least read its file?”

“Actually, no. I assumed since I am new here, I don't get to read any of the files you have for these SCPs like library books."

The agent chuckled. “Yes, well, there’s certain files that are classified for good reasons. But there’s files that newbies like you can read, like SCP-999’s file, for example.” He paused. “Funnily enough, the kids got to interact with 999 the other day and they loved it! They even requested another session with 999 as soon as possible,” he added, as if he thought that would convince Dr. Blanche.

Travis’ heterochromatic eyes lit up, intrigued. “Oh, really now? I’m assuming it’s a safe anomaly then?”

Simon nodded. “Oh, of course. One of the safest and harmless anomalies on this site. In fact, 999 is more than just a safe class anomaly. It’s actually therapeutic; simply touching 999 can bring immediate euphoria that intensifies the longer you are exposed to it. Heck, the euphoria lasts long after separation from the anomaly. Everyone here, myself included, has had at least one encounter with SCP-999, and it’s helped us all greatly when we were struggling mentally. I really think you would benefit from one visit with 999.”

Travis seemed hesitant and unsure. “Uhh…well…I-I’m not sure.”

Simon gave him an encouraging smile. “C’mon Travis. I really think this would do you good. SCP-999 loves all people, but has a special interest in those who are hurt, depressed, or suffering from PTSD. It’s no wonder why it wanted to interact with the kiddos immediately when they arrived here. And I know it will want to interact with you, too. Let 999 help you, Travis…Just this once? If you like it, you like it. And if you don’t, that’s okay, too. Although I find it damn impossible that anyone would be able to say they disliked their encounter with 999.” He chuckled again. “What do ya say?”

Travis gave in with a sigh. “Oh, all right. Just hurry up before I change my mind.” Simon nodded, taking Blanche by the hand and leading him out into the hallway.

A therapeutic anomaly that seems to cure depression and trauma? Well, I’m not at the evil foundation anymore, Travis joked to himself. If the kids enjoyed their encounter with this SCP-999 then maybe I will, too? Fisher would never lie to me. Could this anomaly really help me with my nightmares and PTSD? I guess we’ll see. *sigh* Whatever, just get this over with quickly. What’s the worst that can happen?

“Here we are.” Simon’s voice abruptly snapped Travis out of his thoughts. They had arrived at SCP-999’s containment chamber. While the agent stepped aside to quietly have a word with the security officers and another researcher over comm. link, (no doubt requesting permission to allow him to see 999 at this hour) Travis suddenly grew nervous.

Despite being told that 999 was a safe class anomaly, the thought of meeting an entirely new anomaly that he knew nothing about was enough to make him anxious. Normally, he liked to know at least a little bit of background of an anomaly before he charged headfirst into interacting with it. Now he was really starting to regret not taking the time to read more on 999’s file before coming here. But he had nothing to worry about, right? If the kids said that they had fun with this creature, then he would trust their judgement.

He was snapped out of his thoughts again when Simon handed him a top tab office folder. “What’s this?”

Simon smiled apologetically. “The entire information file for SCP-999. I should have given this to you first so you could read it over. But you can still read it when you’re inside 999’s chambers. Y’know, learn along the way.” He winked, smiling.

Travis blinked. He could have sworn he detected something sinister in Fisher’s tone when he said that. Like he knew something that he didn’t yet. Did he set him up?

“Well, go ahead,” Simon urged. “Go cure that trauma. We’ll be right outside monitoring everything in case you need us, but you’ll be fine.” He and the other security guards seemed to be stifling back laughs. Travis frowned. They were definitely setting him up for something. Why couldn’t they just tell him what it was already? After spending so much time at the previous evil foundation, he grew to hate surprises. Even good ones because in the end, they never turned out to be good.

As Travis stepped through the doorway, Simon quickly added, “Oh, and don’t forget to read that file! Better read it quick!”

Travis shot him an incredulous look, but opened the file nonetheless. Alright let’s see…Item #: SCP-999. Object Class: Safe…Special Containment Procedures…yada yada…File Name…wait WHAT?! The Canadian scientist’s heart skipped several beats. File Name: The Tickle Monster.

He quickly spun around, locking eyes with Agent Fisher, who merely just waved with a smile that said “sorry not sorry” before shutting the door.

This was a setup! He had been duped! Bamboozled! “Fisher!” Travis growled, banging on the door. “You set me up! You…You mother-honking HOSER!”

Okay, okay. Don’t freak out. This…This has gotta be some kind of blizzard joke, right?

Travis didn’t know why, but something about reading that file name quickened his pulse and made anticipatory butterflies fill his belly. Something he hadn’t felt in such a long time. He was flustered.

His train of thought was interrupted when the sound of high-pitched gurgling sounded behind him. He whipped around, his blue and green eyes widening at what was in front of him: a large, gelatinous blob of orange slime with big black orbs for eyes that seemed to shimmer like puppy eyes. Travis didn’t know what to think. This was supposed to be the site’s so-called “Tickle Monster”? It certainly didn’t look like anything he had pictured. But he knew from experience that looks can be deceiving; something so innocent-looking could be extremely dangerous.

“Um…h-hello there,” Travis shyly waved to the anomaly. The creature happily chirped, and slithered towards the young scientist. Travis gasped and backed away until his back hit the wall. SCP-999 emitted a confused gurgle and stopped in its tracks. It suddenly seemed concerned from Travis’ reaction.

Taken back, Travis tilted his head and was surprised when the orange creature mimicked his movement. Curious, he tilted his head to the other side, and it copied his movement. Travis blinked twice, and 999 also blinked twice. Feeling a little more relaxed, Travis knelt down to its eye level. “Huh. Well, you’re quite the precocious little anomaly, aren’t you?” 999 let out a happy coo. “You know, I’ve never encountered an anomaly like you before. I was actually told by Agent Fisher that you could help me with my recent nightmares and PTSD?” 999 perked up, bobbing its gelatinous dome head up and down like jello. “I take that as a yes then? So—oh?”

999 slithered closer to the scientist, extending a pair of orange pseudopods and wrapping them around his neck. Emitting cooing and purring noises, the anomaly leaned close to nuzzle against the young man’s chest. Immediately, Travis was hit with a wave of mild euphoria, just like Fisher had said. But that was not all. Travis also detected something on 999’s gelatinous surface; there was a pleasant odor. It smelled like…fresh pine trees from the forests of his hometown in Canada. Along with the scent of freshly baked chocolate cake from Tim Horton’s, his favorite dessert.

Travis felt like crying, but they were happy tears. All this comfort and nostalgic scents this anomaly was giving him was unlike anything he ever felt before. He let out a shaky sigh, allowing his body to fully relax and melt against the warm embrace. 999 simply took that as its cue to continue nuzzling Travis like a kitten, all the while continuing to purr and coo lovingly.

It wasn’t until he felt 999’s orange tendrils suddenly tighten around his torso that he started to feel nervous. “Sacré bleu!” He exclaimed. “I uh, heh, almost forgot the other thing that makes you so infamous here…Now I’m starting to see why Agent Fisher set me up with this little…play date,” he muttered that last part under his breath.

999 simply chirped and glomped the scientist, ready to engage in one of its favorite activities it was best known for: tickle wrestling. Travis, already anticipating the oncoming attack, let anticipatory fear get the best of him and managed to wriggle out of the creature’s near death grip. Giggling breathily, he stood up on shaky knees to try and escape. Except there was nowhere else to go. He was trapped in a containment chamber with a very playful anomaly that look like it wanted to tickle the ever living daylights out of him.

With a wobbly smile already visible on his face, Travis shakily tried to make a run for it. 999 excitedly chirped, thinking Travis wanted to play chase! It gurgled enthusiastically, beginning to chase after the flustered scientist who, in return, bolted away.

Outside the containment chamber, Agent Fisher and the other security officers were laughing at the cartoon spectacle from their security tablets: Dr. Blanche running laps around the room while SCP-999 followed close behind, trying to grab him with his pseudopods.

“Oh mon dieu! Mon dieu! N-No! Don’t! Don’t you dare!” Travis exclaimed behind him. He heard the creature emit a series of chirps, but he could’ve sworn it sounded like it was taunting him; laughing at him.

He suddenly heard Simon‘s voice from the overhead speakers. “C’mon, Blanche! We brought you here to interact with 999, not to run away from it!”

“Firstly, you never said anything about this anomaly being a Tickle Monster!” Travis shot back as he did another lap around the room. “And second! I am not letting said monster…well…tickle me..!”

“And why not? You wouldn’t happen to be…ticklish, would you~?”

The blush on Travis’s face said it all, yet he still denied it. “N-No..! I’m not!”

“Then quit trying to escape if you’re not ticklish.”

Ohhh how Travis so desperately wanted to make Agent Fisher eat those words. He knew he couldn’t keep running in circles forever; he was already sleep deprived and was losing strength in his knees. Cursed his flustered state. It’s not that he didn’t want to be tickled, he didn’t know if he was ticklish in the first place. Up to this point in his life, he couldn’t recall a time where he had ever been tickled. And now, getting a chance to experience it for the first time, he was trying to avoid it. But yet at the same time, he secretly wanted it to happen. He wanted to experience that silly, uncontrollable feeling that he recalled reading about during his early days of becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, his fight-or-flight instincts got the best of him.

He didn’t have time to debate it any further because he yelped in surprise when something suddenly wrapped around his ankle, tripping him. Whipping his head around, he saw 999 had one orange tendril wrapped around his ankle like a lasso. It chirped and tittered as if to say, “got you!”, and proceeded to envelope its victim’s boot and calf into its gelatinous body.

Travis yelped again in alarm at the feeling of feeling his lower leg being swallowed by this orange slime anomaly. He grimaced. This creature wasn’t seriously planning on eating him instead, was it? His question was immediately answered when his knee was engulfed in the slime trap next. Instead of feeling a row of hidden razor, sharp teeth tear into his flesh, he felt something entirely different; as soon as the orange slime touched his knee, Travis felt a fluttery almost feather-like feeling, followed by a growing bubbling sensation in the pit of his stomach. The urge to laugh.

Qu’est-ce que c’est?! Is this really what being tickled feels like?

Reflexively, Travis began kicking out his trapped leg, trying to free it. Except he couldn’t. He was taken back at how strong 999’s grip was. No matter how much he twisted and yanked and pulled on his leg, he couldn’t break free. 999 simply cooed a response, no doubt teasing about how he wasn’t going anywhere.

Kicking his way out wasn’t going to work. In fact, it only seemed to make the situation worse because the fluttery feeling around his knee simply increased. It spread behind his knee and even squeezed around his knee joint, making him reflexively kick out his other leg that was free. He was worried at first if all his uncontrollable kicking would hurt the anomaly; he didn’t want to accidentally kick 999 in its eye or mouth and hurt it. Fortunately, his kicks didn’t seem to harm the anomaly in any way. Its orange slimy surface seemed to absorb any blows it received, seeming to be indestructible.

Travis stubbornly clapped a hand over his mouth, refusing to crack. Blush was already starting to reach the tips of his ears. Could this get any worse?

Apparently, it could.

999 right away noticed the stubborn scientist trying to muffle his laughs as well as his fruitless attempts at trying to escape on his one free leg. So it simply caught his other flailing leg in its slime, swallowing it, too. It wasted no time and began tickling behind and around the scientist’s knees.

Travis couldn’t hold it back any longer. Having his other leg held into place and subjected to the same tickly feeling behind his knee ultimately made him crack.

“Kkthpbblt..! …MmHHHmhmhEEAAAhehahaha! W-Wahahait! Nohohoho!”

“Well, that certainly didn’t take as long as I thought,” Simon’s voice cut in over the speakers again. “I thought it would take longer for you to crack around SCP-999, but it looks like it doesn’t take more than a minute. Good to know!”

“Ohoho shuhuhut uhuhuhup!” Travis pressed through giggles. He hated to admit it, but he was really hoping he would be able to outlast 999’s playful attack. This just proved he really was a super ticklish person. He just hoped the kids would never find out about this…

999, pleased that its victims was finally laughing, decided to continue and increase the ticklish feeling. Still keeping the scientist’s legs in place, it suddenly leapt on top of him, tickling all over his torso with its tendrils.

Travis let out a rather girly shriek as he felt a weight suddenly on top of him. But that quickly switched to loud, bright laughter when he felt his entire torso being scribbled and poked erratically. There were tendrils squeezing and poking his sides, vibrating against his rib cage, tracing across his stomach, and even trying to slip under his arms. And all the while, his lab coat and purple dress shirt did nothing to protect his sensitive skin.

“WaHAAAHAHAIT! AAAH! HehehAAAHAHAHA! N-Nohoho! AAAAH! EEEHEHEHEEHEE! S-StAAAHAHAHAP! WHAAAA! Mon dieu! OH MON DIEU! OH MON DIEU! D-Don’t you dahahahare!”

Travis frantically batted at 999’s dome head as he felt sneaky tendrils trying to untuck and unbutton his purple dress shirt. Ignoring his panicked request, 999 swiftly yanked up his shirt, undid the buttons, and pushed the fabric aside to expose the pale belly underneath.

999 immediately buried its face against the warm surface, nuzzling and nipping and extending two more tendrils to furiously dig under the doctor’s arms.

“NonononAAAAAAHAHAHAHAO!! ARRÊTER! ARRÊTER! A-ARRÊHEEHEEHEETER!! NAAAAHEEEEHEEHEEHEE!! NAHAHAHAO PLEAHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE!!”

Travis screeched and squealed, trying to twist away from this evil tickle attack but it was no use. 999’s grip was like a boa constrictor’s. And it made sure he couldn’t escape because any attempt he made, resulted in the creature mercilessly tickling another bad spot he didn’t know about.

The tickly nibbles on his belly made him want to reflexively curl and protect that spot, but the second he tried to curl inward or on his side, 999 immediately dug and vibrated against his spine, forcing him to uncurl once again.

“EEEEHEEHEHEEEEEK!! STAAAAHEEHEEHEE!! S’il vous plaît! StAAHAhap doihihing thahahat!” Travis giggle-whined as 999 made him uncurl again. “Thahahat’s soho nohohot fahahahair!”

999 simply tittered at his response, clearly enjoying the playful suffering it was putting the young scientist through. But it wanted to hear more of his sweet, childlike laughter.

So it inched its face higher so it could bury its face against his neck. Travis let out another high-pitched squeal when the side of his neck was attacked with tickly nibbles. Even 999 simply purring against his neck tickled just as bad.

“EEEEEEHEEHEEHEEEEEK!! NAAAAHEEHEHEEHEE!! NOHOHO PLEAHEHEEHEEHEASE!!”

He tried scrunching up his shoulder to protect his sensitive neck, but that in turn made 999 nibble at the other side of his neck.

Travis gave up trying to protect his neck, settling for trying to guard his torso and underarms instead. The scientist tried to clamp his arms down while attempting to button his shirt back up. Or at least try to get it to cover his stomach once more.

But 999 noticed his attempts, and released his neck, diving back to tickle his belly again.

“Wait! WAHAHAHAIT! NON! NOHOHON! NAHAHAT AGAAAHAHAHAIN! S’il vous plaît! S’IL VOUS PLAÎT! Go bAHAHACK to my neheheheck again!”

But 999 didn’t listen. It came to the conclusion that this was clearly a bad spot for Travis, and that just encouraged it to stay here!

The poor flustered doctor frantically batted at 999’s head like an angry kitten, trying to get it anywhere else but his stomach. This couldn’t possibly get any worse, could it?

One sneaky stray tendril brushing over his navel did it. Travis screeched and accidentally sucked in a breath too quick, he snorted. Even 999 paused its tickly assault to gurgle curiously and tilt its head like a confused puppy.

Blush consumed Travis’ entire face as he hid behind his hands, clearly embarrassed at the weird sound he just emitted. He never even knew could make such silly sounds like that.

Intrigued, 999 lightly brushed over the scientist’s bellybutton. Travis jolted like he had been electrocuted, emitting another muffled snort behind his hands. He frantically shook his head and babbled incoherently as he felt 999’s tendrils peel his hands away from his face, pinning them up next to his head.

“Nonononononono! Oh mon dieu! Oh mon dieu! N-No! Don’t..! Don’t you dare! Don’t! You! Dare!”

999 cheekily tittered, bringing the single tendril back to softly trace circles around his tummy, slowly inching towards his bellybutton.

“Oh MON DIEU! NahaHAHAHAO!” Travis panicked as the tendril traced agonizing circles around the little spot, his tummy quivering madly. His stomach was tingling with so much anticipation; it felt like he just ate a swarm of live butterflies.

Travis tried curling up on his side and sucking in his stomach as much as he could to avoid that evil tendril, but his efforts were useless. 999 simply grabbed onto his hips, and straightened him back onto his back.

“Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! Je t’en prie! NO! D-Don’t..!” Travis screamed like if he was being murdered before laughing his hardest as 999’s tendril plunged into his bellybutton and wiggled rapidly. “AAAAAAAHEHEHAAAAAAHAHAAAA!! OH MOHOHON DIEU!! *snort* NAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAO!! STAAAAAA—*snort*—HAHAHAHAHAAAAAP!! NAAAHEEHEEHEEHEEAAAHAHAHA!!”

Ohhh how Travis hated all the involuntary snorts he kept emitting between hysterics. He wished he could stop, but these accursed snorts were like a dam; once broken, there’s no stopping it. The poor doctor’s entire face was the color of a cherry tomato. His glasses were askew on his face from how much he was whipping his head from side to side. Tears were already threatening to spill from his tightly shut eyes. He was sure his sides were going to split any moment. But yet, despite all that, Travis was actually having fun. He was enjoying it.

He never recalled a time before this when he had genuinely laughed so hard. Well, maybe except that one time where he encountered his first cryptid, but did that really count? It was too short and too quick to even count it as a true experience. Here, being at the playful mercy of SCP-999, it felt different. Intense euphoria rushed through his entire body like adrenaline. In that moment, he couldn’t think of anything else but the ticklish torment. No fear, no nightmares, no trauma, no memories of his dark past, no sadness. Just pure joy. And, of course, the unbearable tickly assault on his navel. So embarrassing…

999 was very pleased that it was able to make Dr. Blanche make that funny, adorable snorting sound. It made him sound like a little piggy! Which 999 just couldn’t seem to get enough of. But it knew it had to stop soon. So, to finish it off, 999 engulfed Travis’ entire torso in its slime, vigorously vibrating its surface; the equivalent of giving multiple big raspberries.

Travis just about died. To him, his entire torso was being assaulted from all angles by these evil raspberries. His sides, his ribs, just right below his underarms, his upper and lower stomach, his waistline, and his bellybutton all at once.

His laughter went silent for a moment before he snorted rather loudly, and laughed his absolute hardest. “…AAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHEEHEHAHAHAAAAAA!! NAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!! *snort* NOHOHON!! NOHON S’IHIHIL VOUS PLAAAAA—HAHAHA—PLAIT!! *snort* STAAAAAAHAHAHAAAA!! *snort* NINE NIHIHINE NIIIIIHIHINE!! PLEEEEEAAHEEHEE—*snort* JE T’EN PRIE—HEEHEEHEEHEEEEEE!! I-I CAHAHAHAN’T TAHAHAKE IHIHIHIT ANYMORE!! *snort* JE T’EN PRIE!! JE T-TAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!! JE T’EN PRIE!! *snort* PLEAHEEHEEHEEHEEHEASE!! STAAAAAHAHAHAHAP!! NOHOHO MOHOHOHORE!!”

Hearing the desperate cry and feeling Ike he had had enough, 999 finally released Dr. Blanche. It sat next to him, quietly gurgling while waiting patiently for Travis to recover. Travis laid there motionless on the floor for several long minutes, panting heavily. His hair was a mess and his glasses were crooked on his forehead. He just wanted to get the air back into his lungs. 999 nudged and softly cooed at the scientist. It seemed like it wanted to check and see if he was okay.

Travis slowly sat up, clutching his sore stomach. He fixed his glasses before meeting 999’s concerned gaze, giving it a warm smile. “Hey, don’t feel bad. You stopped right when I needed you to. It’s all good, okay? I actually feel a lot more better now thanks to you, 999.” 999 chirped happily, glomping the doctor in another tackle hug.

“Aaah! Sacré bleu! Non! Don’t go starting this whole little chaotic game of yours again!” Travis nervously joked. As fun as that whole tickle game was, he didn’t want to be the victim of another one again. At least, not right now.

999 tittered and slid down to cuddle in the scientist’s lap, purring like a cat. Travis chuckled and began buttoning his now wrinkled shirt back up. When that was done, he rested a delicate hand on top of 999’s head, who purred louder. Then, just to be cheeky once more, 999 tittered like a gremlin and shoved its head underneath the purple shirt. Travis let out a surprise squeal at the feeling of a purring mouth pressing threateningly against his bellybutton again. “N-NAAAhahao! Pleaheeheehease nohohot again! Misericorde! Misericorde!”

Fortunately, 999 took pity on the poor tired scientist and slithered out of his shirt. Travis let out a huge sigh of relief. He had to admit, despite being tickle tortured for what felt like an eternity, he was feeling a lot happier than he had ever been in a long time. It felt like the biggest weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he could breathe again. His mind didn’t feel so foggy with nightmares or visions of his past anymore. In fact, he couldn’t even recall his nightmares or any other negative thoughts. He felt genuine euphoria and this mild feeling of optimism; that same optimism that any happy kid would have, like he was sure everything was going to be okay from now on.

“Thank you, 999,” Travis whispered to the anomaly. “I mean it. You really helped me with something I never thought I would be able to let go. Thank you for that.” 999 beamed and happily gurgled as if to say “you’re welcome”.

After all that laughing and screeching and squirming, and being sleep deprived, Travis’ remaining strength and energy had been sapped up. He couldn’t stifle back the big yawns. He longed for the comfort of his bed, but was far too tired to even get up. Even his eyelids were starting to droop.

999 noticed how visibly exhausted the scientist looked so it carefully lifted and cradled him, carrying him to the door.

“Annnd that’s our cue that Dr. Blanche’s ‘play date’ with 999 has finally ended,” Simon stated, nodding to the personnel to fetch their sleepy victim.

“Okay, 999, hand him over. We’ll take it from here,” one of the guards spoke.

999 emitted a little whine and hugged Travis closer. Simon chuckled, knowing that reaction far too well. “Don’t worry, 999. You’ll get your chance to play with Blanche again another time, okay? Right now, he really needs to get some sleep.” 999 cooed understandingly and released the doctor.

Simon helped Travis stand up, and assisted him back to his dorm room. He had to bite back another laugh because he honestly felt like he was lugging a drunk friend back home. “So…didn’t I tell you this would be a great experience? Learn on the job, eh?” Simon joked.

Travis rolled his eyes, blush coating his cheeks again. “Oh, shut up, ya hoser! You’re a filthy, lying…dip twit!” He tried to sound mean, but the smile on his face proved otherwise.

“Aw, c’mooon! No ‘thank you, Fisher, for making me experience my first meeting with the Tickle Monster?’”

Travis sputtered and blushed harder. “Stohohop saying that!”

Simon couldn’t help but tease. “Why? Is it the Tickle Mosnter part that gets you flustered or just hearing the word tickle?”

Travis giggle-whined, burying his face against the older agent’s shoulder. “Staaaaahahahap! Just…stohohop sahahaying thaaaat!”

“Haha! I knew it!” Simon laughed. “It does fluster you! You just seem too adorable to be a researcher here.” He ruffled the younger scientist’s hair.

Travis giggled and batted at the other’s hand before muttering something in French that sounded like cuss words.

“Hey, hey, hey, watch the language,” Simon half-joked. “Or else I’ll throw you back into 999’s chambers and keep you there until tomorrow.” He poked him in the side. “Got that?”

Travis yelped and giggled once more. “Understood.”

“Good. Alright, well get some sleep, okay? We’ll be here for you tomorrow when you wake up, but no rush in getting up early. Sleep in if you’d like. You and the kids are going to need to fix that awful sleep schedule of yours, and it starts with getting proper rest.” Simon smiled and gave Blanche one last hair ruffle. “Sleep tight, kid.”

Travis sleepily smiled. “Thank you, sir. Good night to you as well. And…thank you…for everything. I never would have gotten through this without you and 999’s help.” He paused with a shy smile. “Especially 999’s.”

“Anytime, kid. Good night.”

“Good night.” Travis let out a happy sigh as soon as he closed his dorm door. “Wow…what a night!” He said to himself. “But at least I don’t have to worry about any nightmares anymore. Hopefully. And if not, then I’m sure I can go to 999 again…right? Oh mon dieu, whyyyy am I actually thinking about going back and willingly allowing 999 to…torture me again?! Geez! Now I’m getting all fluttery thinking about it!”

That fluttery butterfly feeling in his stomach came back at the mere thought of getting tickled by 999 again. He blushed when he remembered how Simon set him up with 999 earlier. Then his blush darkened when he realized that Simon and the other guards now knew of his silly weakness from watching him on the security footage. And all of the embarrassing sounds he could make when tickled in certain spots. Ohhh so embarrassing!

Travis just hoped that Simon and the others would keep their mouths shut and not mention this to anyone, especially to the kids. They didn’t need to know about this. If anyone found out, he would never live it down.

Shaking the thought off, Travis changed out of his work clothes. He slipped on a baggy black shirt that read: Area 51 Escapee in bright green lettering, and a pair of light gray pajama pants with UFOs on them. Then, he tossed his worn clothes into a heap by his bed before crawling into bed. He snuggled under the covers with a happy sigh.

Things were definitely going to be different from now on with him and the kids now joining the SCP Foundation family. But they were in a better place now, and they were free. They could finally be happy and together like the found family they always wanted to be. Granted, they were a very strange, albeit dangerous-looking family, but they were a family regardless.

Travis closed his eyes with a smile, dreaming about what games he was going to play with the kids tomorrow as soon as they all woke up.

THE END



[thebiggerbear]

"I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that." - Tom Hanniger Prompt Response

Summary: You went to visit Tom in the mines for a little Valentine's Day fun. Who knew that one decision would lead to everything that's happened? Will you be able to help Tom or will he be lost to you forever?

Pairing: Tom Hanniger x Female!Reader; Tom Hanniger x Sarah Mercer; implied past Deputy Martin x Female!Reader

A/N: Prompt from @creativepromptsforwriting (#941). This was so much fun to write. I just love this character and there is so much to explore with him. I also really love the dynamic between him and the reader in this one. Hope it came out alright.

I decided to give Deputy Martin a name. He deserves one. Also, I loved Tom and Sarah at the beginning of the movie. I had actually been hoping Sarah would leave Axel and be with Tom again until it was revealed that he was the one doing the killings. That grocery store scene when they see each other again for the first time after a decade...it broke my heart in the best way. Jensen and Jaime did a great job (Kerr too though I hated his character the entire time lol). So I kind of feel a little guilty here but I had to throw in the Sarah factor; not trying to crap on their relationship, I promise.

I tried my best do my research and be respectful in regards to DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) but also keep this a few years post-movie (2009) while also staying within the context the movie provided but also explore a bit, if that makes sense. Please note I do not work in the psychiatry, psychology, or medical fields. If I got anything appallingly incorrect about this disorder, its symptoms, its treaments, anything, please let me know. Also, I think it goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), not every single person who has been diagnosed with DID is violent or a threat to others nor are their alters violent or a threat to others. Obviously, this is just a work of fanfiction based on a fictional story where the main character had an alter that was violent and a threat to everyone. No harm or disrespect is intended with this fanfiction at all.

There is a note at the end.

This takes place pre-movie, all throughout it, and post-movie.

Unbeta'd so all mistakes are mine.

Warnings: violence; description of injuries; blood; sex (smut-light); angst; mentions of murder; semi-hostage situation; threats of harm/murder; psychiatric hospital treatment (I'm not sure if that's an actual warning or if it should be but I'm putting it in case)

Sidenote: I'm sure we all know this but I'm putting here in case anyway: if you ever go into any mines or similar underground structure, please always wear your hardhat and do what your guides/experts tell you/follow the rules to stay safe.

Word Count: 11k+

Taglist: @avada-kedavra-bitch-187; @rieleatiel

Tom Taglist: @heartlessdelusions; @nancymcl

Jensen Taglist: @samanddeaninatrenchcoat; @deansbbyx

You can read on AO3

"I hate you." "You have a weird way of showing that."

Soldier Boy version ✨ Beau version ✨ Dean version ✨ Jenny version ✨ Jason version ✨ CJ version ✨ Rachel version ✨ Anael version ✨ SDV Leah version ✨ Alec version

You pulled up outside of Tunnel 5 in your car, your friends laughing and cheering as you parked. You weren’t as excited to be here but they managed to talk you into it. 

A Valentine’s Day party was happening in Tunnel 5 and most people your age were going to be there. Why they had decided on a tunnel in the Hanniger mines as the primo party spot you had no idea. If there was one thing you had learned in your life so far, people were weird and most college-aged kids would party wherever, whenever. Especially in a small town like this one.

You got out of the car, heading towards the trunk, ignoring the dibs your friend Destiny was calling on every hot single guy to your other two friends, Carina and Taylor. You handed six packs of beer out to each of them before grabbing the last one and shutting the trunk lid.

“You okay, Y/N?”

You glanced up to find Carina watching you while Destiny and Taylor were waiting impatiently to get to the party. You forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay, Rina. Promise.” She knew how hard this might be for you and you appreciated her checking in with you. She returned your smile and turned to follow your two other friends, with you close behind her. 

You passed a few cars until a familiar tall figure entered your vision, sans his usual ball cap. You watched as Tom Hanniger opened the back door of his truck, searching for something. You moved a little closer to Carina and discreetly handed her your six-pack. “I’ll catch up,” you whispered.

She glanced over to where you were staring and gave you a look. “Y/N…”

“I’ll be fine, Rina. You go ahead. I’ll catch up with you guys in a few.”

She seemed uncertain but nodded, doing as you asked. You watched her hurry to catch up to Destiny and Taylor, and then you turned your attention back on Tom. You waited for two people to pass by before you made your way over to him.

He had a six-pack in his hand but he was standing stock still, almost as if he was lost in thought. You then watched as he put the beer back down, holding a hand to the side of his car, and you could tell he was taking a deep breath. Your heart broke for him a little. This couldn’t be easy for him, being here, and being back here especially. You wondered what had prompted him to come here and then you realized, your heart breaking a little further: Sarah.

You pressed your lips together and decided to get this over with. “Hey, Tom,” you called softly.

He spun around, surprised to see you. “Y/N…hey.”

You took him in and you hoped your pain wasn’t showing through. He looked good for the most part, still handsome, still tall and statuesque, his figure being cut from playing football. The only difference you could make out was the nerves that were plain as day though he tried to hide them from you. “How are you?”

He shrugged. “I’m doing alright, I guess. How about you? I hear congratulations are in order. You got into med school. I always knew you would.”

“Thanks,” you whispered. You had worked hard in school, filled up your interim semesters with classes to help you get closer to graduation, studied like hell for the MCAT, and got into the med school of your choice — well, one of them — just like you’d been hoping for the longest time. “Are you here alone?”

“No, uh, I’m here with…” He gestured back towards the tunnel.

“Sarah,” you supplied.

“Yeah.” You could see some of his discomfort showing through. “Sarah.”

You attempted a smile. “That’s good.”

He nodded but didn’t say anything, just kept his eyes trained on the hat in his hand.

You wished things weren’t so awkward now between you. They never used to be.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, his eyes lifting to yours. “For how things turned out. I never meant— I never meant for any of this to happen.” You could see the regret in them, an echo of some of your own regret.

“I know,” you whispered, your eyes burning at the corners. “I’m sorry, too.”

And you really were. Perhaps if you had been a better girlfriend a year ago — a better person even — you both wouldn’t be here now, feeling as if the blood on your hands would never wash away.

It was Valentine’s Day and you knew Tom was working in the mines all day. He still promised to take you out afterwards, once he’d gotten a chance to shower and clean up. You were looking forward to it.

You had no idea when the thought popped into your head but once it did, it took root and stayed there. Until you found yourself visiting him at the mines. Of course, you’d gotten a lot of dirty and suspicious looks as you dressed in a miner’s uniform and plopped a hard hat on your head (it was the rules). Some guy you forgot the name of the second you’d been introduced to took you down in a cart. While you weren’t crazy about going further underground, you told yourself that once you were with Tom, you would be safe. And it would all be worth it once he saw the present you had for him. 

You got to your stop, the guy called for Tom to come down and mentioned he had a visitor, and not too long after, Tom appeared. You grinned at him when you saw the look of surprise on your boyfriend’s face. 

“What the— What the hell are you doing here, sweetheart?”

“Surprise!” You hugged him as fiercely as you could with his equipment on him. 

He shook his head, smiling as he took in your outfit. “You came all the way down here just to surprise me?”

“Of course I did.”

“But sweetheart, it’s not safe.”

“Don’t tell me that, Tom. I worry about you enough being down here as it is. And don’t worry, I won’t be long.” You smirked up at him and he immediately got your meaning. 

He uncomfortably cleared his throat. “I can take it from here, Fred. I’ll call a cart down when she’s ready to go back up or you if you’re still around. Thanks.”

Fred shook his head, most likely knowing what you two were up to. “I’ll be over in 3 if you need me,” he gruffed out. You both watched as the cart disappeared down the shaft.

“Sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have come down. It’s not safe,” Tom told you but you could feel his hand resting on the seat of your uniform. 

“I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise?” He smiled. “What kind of surprise?” 

“You’ll see,” you teased. “Is there somewhere we can go?”

He glanced around quickly before taking your hand. “Yeah, there’s a place. Come on.” He led you back up the shaft a little ways and into a pocket, hidden from view. He whisked off his hard hat and yours before eagerly pulling you to him, making you giggle into his mouth. 

“I’ve never had a girl visit me at the mines before,” he murmured, kissing your jaw. 

“And you better never have any girl other than me coming to see you.” You playfully poked his chest in warning.

“No other girl for me,” he whispered to your lips before kissing you again. “You’re it. Always.”

“Awww.” You began to unzip your uniform, wanting to give him his present already. Something sweet like that deserved a reward. 

He pulled back to help you and once the top half was off, his brows drew together in mock confusion. “My surprise is your jogging sweats? I really appreciate the thought, sweetheart, but you could’ve given that to me later tonight and not risked coming down here.”

You swatted at his shoulder, making him snicker, as you slowly unzipped your top half. His eyes followed the trail of the zipper and they widened when you opened the shirt and pushed it back to your shoulders. You smirked, seeing his reaction. He wasn’t laughing or making fun now.

Underneath your sweats, you wore new lingerie you had bought just for this moment. It was a red and white lacy bra that had hearts all over it, ending in a cut-out heart design over your breasts, with a little bow holding it altogether. “You like?”

“I like.” He trailed a finger along the edge of the cut-out heart. “I like it a lot.” He twirled the ribbon over his finger, smirking over at you. “Do I get to unwrap you?” He teased.

You shrugged. “It is your present. Don’t forget about the bottom half, too.” You pushed down your uniform and sweats to reveal similar looking underwear. “But the tie’s at the back.” You leaned forward slightly so he could see. He grinned as he ran a hand over the cut-out heart shape back there, tugging at the ribbon playfully. “So you like your surprise?”

“I love my surprise.” He kissed you as he untied the underwear and let them fall forward into his waiting hand. He stuck them into the pocket of his mining uniform and you felt him begin to touch you in the way he knew you liked. He groaned into your mouth when he felt you. “You’re all ready for me.”

“Of course,” you hummed. “I never half-ass a present.”

He brought his hand down on your bare ass cheek in a slap, making you squeal, and squeezed it. “No, you do not.” He stuck his tongue back into your mouth and you worked to get his uniform unzipped and off of him. He had untied your bra and he broke away from you to take one of your nipples into his mouth. You gasped and arched your head back, your fingers gripping the back of his hair to hold him to you. You let out a moan while he nibbled away at you. He had you on the edge already and he’d barely touched you.

You pulled him back up to you, kissing him deeply, as you started working on his belt. You had just worked his jeans down enough so you could pull him out to stroke him when his hand stopped you. “Sweetheart, wait, wait.”

You pouted. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have a condom.”

You smirked. “Is that all?”

“Is that all? Uh, yeah, and that’s a problem. My wallet’s in my locker up top. I know we usually just…you know, if we don’t have them, but uh, I’m not going to lie, I really want to enjoy my present right now,” he ended with a nervous laugh. “Every inch of it.” He slapped your ass cheek again and leaned forward, nipping at your breast before kissing the sting away.

“Well, then it’s your lucky day that I’m the world's most amazing girlfriend, Tom Hanniger.” You reached into the pocket of your jacket and pulled out two condoms, holding them up in front of his face. 

He glanced up at you in awe. “You really are.” He snatched the condoms from you, putting one into his pocket and opening the other. You leaned in and kissed the spot underneath his ear while he got ready for you. “I told you,” you murmured. “I never half-ass a present. Happy Valentine’s Day, baby.”

He turned to look at you, holding you steady as he made sure your uniform was covering your back. He began to slip into you and you both groaned by the time he bottomed out, he was a few inches above your lips, smiling. “Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” He then kissed you and began to give you what you both wanted.

It was quick, hurried, frenzied even. As much as you loved each other, this wasn’t the time or place to take your time. You both could be caught at any moment, it was dangerous like Tom said… You could take your time with each other later. 

Tom had to cover your mouth when you came and you’d had to cover his when he crossed the finish line. You’d felt every grunt sound he made against your palm and it only turned you on more. You almost wished you had forgotten the condoms but you knew Tom wouldn’t be deep inside you right now if you had. Tom was adamant about protection, just like you were, but you loved him and trusted him. Plus, you had been on the pill for years but you knew Eli Hanniger had drilled it into his son’s head to always cover it up unless he wanted some girl to put him in a position someday where he’d be trapped into a marriage and forced to share half his money. You tried not to take it too personally when Eli had looked over at you after that little nugget of his own brand of wisdom on one of the many nights Tom had to pick his drunken dad up from the local bar. 

Eli couldn’t have been more wrong. You loved Tom but you also had your own goals in life that you didn’t want deterred by parenthood earlier than expected. Not to mention, Tom could be the poorest guy in town and you would still love him and want to be with him. You’d loved Tom since you were five, ever since he’d seen you crying because all of the markers were gone in kindergarten class and everyone was making a picture but you. He came over to give you the red one he’d been using with a cute smile that was meant to reassure you. You’d smiled back at him, sniffling, your face wet, as you both worked together to make a picture. You’d been close ever since. 

Once you were in high school, things changed between you. You’d had to watch as he dated girl after girl until finally junior year came. You changed up your look a little, didn’t have your nose stuck in a book every other minute, and the guys began to slowly take notice of you. Tom had been jealous when you told him you were going on a date with one of his teammates. You two had been arguing in his car when he leaned over and kissed you out of the blue. Needless to say, you had canceled that date and Tom stopped hooking up with one of the cheerleaders he’d been casually seeing at the time.

You both were happy. You both attended the same university and you spent the holidays together with your families. Well, you and Tom spent the holidays with your family; Eli wanted no part of it. It was almost as if because you weren’t a mining family or a well-off family, you weren’t good enough for him to bother gracing you with his presence at your dinner table. Just like you weren’t good enough to be dating his son, unlike Sarah Mercer whose parents owned the grocery store in town. That was who Eli kept pushing Tom towards but Tom told his dad he didn’t have eyes for anyone but you. He loved you and someday, he wanted to marry you. Your heart warmed when you overheard him say that. Which immediately hardened when you heard his dad then say “You’re a fool. That girl just wants your money! Sarah’s an actually decent hard-working girl. You’d be better off with her than that other one.” Tom didn’t say anything else and you had gone back to the book you were reading, pretending to be caught up in it, when he came out, hurrying to take your hand and get out of there. You never let on that you’d heard what he said…and what he didn’t say. 

And you may have taken the initiative to show him how much you loved him and wanted to keep you with him. Which is why you had risked coming down here to have semi-public sex in a dangerous mine, wearing a lingerie set you would usually never be caught dead in. You had already planned to go all out that evening once you made it to the hotel room you’d reserved in town, but you also wanted to give him something to remember, something he’d never ever forget. Now, you would always be in his mind, having made your mark, no matter what might happen with your relationship. You just hoped you made a mark on his heart, too, at some point while you’d been together, and that he didn’t let his dad’s obvious prejudice against you and your family sway him away from you.

Tom’s head dropped to your shoulder as he attempted to come down from his high, trying to catch his breath. You kissed the side of his head, not caring about the damp sweat or coal mine smell coming off of him. You leaned your head up next to his ear. “I love you, Tom. I’ll love you forever,” you whispered. You knew he heard you when he squeezed you, still panting harshly against your skin.

“Always,” he whispered back to you.

You hugged him tightly then.

A little while later, you were both redressed, hardhats back on your heads as you waited for Fred to arrive with the cart to take you back up top. Tom had called Tunnel 3 to ask him to come back for you. He had his arms around you from behind and he was smiling down at you. “Thank you for my present,” he murmured. Unable to really kiss you or nuzzle you thanks to the hardhats, he pressed a kiss to your shoulder and tightened his arms around you. 

“I’ve got another one for later.”

He turned to look at you quizzically which then turned into a glimmer of hope.

You couldn’t help but laugh. “I bought another set. Deep red and more ribbons.” You wiggled an eyebrow playfully at him.

“I fucking love you.” His smile was bright as he carefully leaned in to kiss your neck, making you giggle. 

“Hey, lovebirds!” You both looked up to see Fred turning the corner a little further down the shaft, having a clear view of the two of you. “Break it up! I haven’t had my lunch yet and I don’t want it spoiled!”

Tom rolled his eyes but let you go. “Ha ha, Fred. Very funny.” 

Fred came to a stop in front of you, scowling at both of you. “Time to go.”

You hugged Tom quickly and then climbed into the cart. He had his hands out around you, ready to assist you if need be. Once you were settled inside, Tom hurriedly took his hat off and leaned in to kiss you. 

“Hey, hey! Put your hat back on, Tom! Don’t be even more of an idiot! This whole thing could come down at any time, you know.”

Tom kept peppering your lips with kisses, making you laugh and him smile, before he finally heeded Fred’s warning. He straightened up and slipped his hardhat back on, grabbing your hand and kissing it. “Take care of my girl, Fred. Get her back safe.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Fred muttered and started up the cart. 

Tom walked beside you, still holding your hand. “I can’t wait for later.”

You smirked. “I know you can’t.”

His cheeks darkened a little and he gave you a sheepish smile, letting out a laugh. “That, too, but I was talking about our date. I think you’re really going to love the place I picked out for us.”

Your smirk melted into a genuine smile. “I know I will because I love anything that comes from you.” You heard Fred snort next to you but you couldn’t care less. So what if you were being cheesy? It was Valentine’s Day and you meant what you said.

Tom’s smile grew and you could see it reaching his eyes. “I love you.” You both noticed you were about to make a turn that he couldn’t follow you down. He kissed your hand one more time and let you go. “See you tonight.”

“See you then. I love you, too,” you called back to him. You watched as he got further and further away, the last thing you saw being him holding his hand up in a wave as he smiled. You waved back before the cart completed the turn and he completely disappeared from your view. 

The date didn’t end up happening due to the collapse that happened later. Word of it spread fast once it happened and even though you knew Tom should be home by then, you still worried. Thankfully, he returned your call ten minutes later and told you what happened. You rushed right over to be with him, all plans for the night forgotten, though Eli was less than pleased. Apparently, word of your visit had spread around the mines well before you had made it to the top. 

“That girl is a problem!” Eli yelled. “She’s reckless! And now she’s made you reckless!”

Tom let go of your hand and jumped to his feet. “Don’t talk about her like that!”

You got up and hugged Tom’s arm, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. “Shhh,” you murmured. “Don’t. It’s not worth it. Okay?”

Eli didn’t like seeing that. His face got red and he was louder than before. “It’s like I’ve been telling you! That girl is only after one thing and that’s your money! When are you going to wake up, start using the other brain God gave you, and see it for yourself?” He threw his glass of Scotch at the wall, making you wince at the shattering sound, and left in a huff.

Tom went to follow him, to yell back at him, but you kept him there. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine. He’s upset. Here, sit with me.” Tom did as you urged and you rested your chin on his shoulder. “Do you want to talk about it?”

He glanced over at you, his eyes glassy. “I think I really fucked up, Y/N.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you left, I went back to work. I was in the cage, adjusting my gear, when the condom and your underwear fell out. I forgot I had them. I picked them up as fast as I could and stuffed them back in but Harry Warden saw.” He shook his head. “He gave me a hard time about doing my job and I told him I had it, I knew what I was doing. They now think he’s one of the miners trapped. He’s unaccounted for.” He compulsively swallowed and turned to look at you, a tear rolling down his cheek. “I forgot to bleed the lines,” he whispered.

Your eyes couldn’t get any wider if they tried. You reached out to wipe his tear away as you tried to rein in your reaction. 

“I was thinking about our date tonight, about you, and I got distracted. I forgot to do the one thing I’m supposed to do every day before I leave. This collapse happened because of me,” he choked out before breaking down. You pulled him into you, holding him and shushing him, whispering reassurances to him. All while the heavy truth settled down around you and began to constrict your chest. It wasn’t Tom’s fault; it was yours.

It didn’t surprise you one bit a few weeks later when Tom broke up with you. He explained it as there was a lot happening, he was being blamed for the murders of the other miners that Harry committed, and his dad told him he just needed to continue working and keep his head down. No distractions. Which meant no more you, though Tom never actually said it but you knew that’s what he was implying Eli had told him.

It broke your heart when he broke it off between you but you understood. Tom had basically become a pariah overnight. Once he admitted to the investigators that he forgot to bleed the lines, the town he’d lived in his whole life turned against him. Harry may have done the actual killing, but it was Tom who’d put Harry in that position in the first place, or so they’d said. Some folks even gave you dirty looks in town as well but it was nothing compared to how Tom was treated. While you loved him and wanted to stay together, you could understand if he needed some space. You let him go with a hug, telling him you were still around if he needed a friendly ear, trying your best not to let any tears fall so you wouldn’t make him feel worse. His jaw had clenched but he nodded, choked out a “Thanks”, and walked to his car. You watched as he left, remembering back to the image of him getting further and further away from the mine cart you were in. Once he disappeared down the street, you finally let out the tears you’d been holding onto. A sob tore its way out of your throat when you remembered he had held up his hand in a wave, smiling, while you smiled and waved back. Because all you could think about was what you thought in that moment: Let this be the last time we separate like this. 

And as luck and Eli Hanniger would have it, in the next month or so, rumors spread that Tom Hanniger was now dating Sarah Mercer. You didn’t want to believe them, to believe that he’d finally pushed you aside for one of the girls you’d both grown up with who always had a gooey-eyed expression for Tom, the girl his father had wanted him to date in the first place. You didn’t want to believe that he would be so quick to throw away what the two of you had just to make his father happy. But deep down, you knew it was true. Tom had always wanted to get his father’s approval and he always had a soft spot for Sarah so why wouldn’t it be true? You could even understand a little, considering what had happened and Tom was in the hot seat with every resident of Harmony, thanks to you. But it still hurt like hell. You still loved him enough, though, to hope that he was happy. 

You pushed those thoughts out of your head. No use in continuing to blame yourself now. It didn’t change anything. “Are you okay…being here?”

He seemed a little caught off guard at the change of subject but then he glanced back at the tunnel entrance. “Yeah.” He turned back to you. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

You nodded and dropped your gaze to the ground, not sure what else to say. 

“Did you bring your hardhat this time?”

Your head snapped up and he was giving you half a smile, his eyes having that familiar teasing gleam in them. You couldn’t help but smile back, appreciating the attempt at levity and familiarity. “Did you?”

He snickered and shook his head, biting at his lip.

You chuckled and took a step closer. “How are you really, Tom?”

His smile faded. “Better.” He then briefly dropped his eyes. “Sarah. She helps.”

Your smile dropped altogether and you could feel that stinging sensation in your eyes again. “Oh.” You bit the inside of your cheek to keep tears from welling up. You didn’t even know what to say to that. “I’m glad, I guess.”

His expression fell and he took a step closer. “I didn’t mean—”

You took a step backwards, your hand up. “It’s okay. Really. I’m happy that she’s able to do that for you.” You took a breath. “I should go. Rina and the girls are waiting on me, so… Good to see you, Tom. I’m glad you’re doing well.” You gave him a wan smile and turned to leave.

“Y/N, wait. Y/N.”

You continued walking, eager to put some distance between you two until you could rein in your emotions. While Tom and Sarah might go off in their own section of the mine, you also might have to see them together. And you needed to prepare for that, especially with your last memories of the time you were here and all that occurred after. 

You were halfway to the entrance when you heard a scream. You stopped short, wondering if it had just been someone fooling around and having fun though it sounded terrified. You heard it again and before you knew it, people were running out of the tunnel at a fast speed, hurrying to their cars. “Oh no,” you gasped when you realized something was wrong, thinking another collapse must have happened. “Rina.” 

You were just about to run towards the tunnel when a strong hand gripped your arm, whipping you around to face Tom. “I don’t know what this is,” he said. “But get out of here. Go back to your car and get the hell away. As fast as you can.”

“What? No! I can’t leave! Rina, Taylor, and Destiny are in there! We came together!”

He framed your face with his hands. “Y/N, listen to me. You need to go. It could be another collapse.” He released you and urged you to go.

“No! I told you, I—”

Just then there were more screams as more people ran out. Tom turned back to you. “I have to go get Sarah. Run back to your car, Y/N! Do the same as these people! I’ll catch up with you later!”

Your eyes widened. “What? No, Tom! If you’re telling me not to go in, you’re not going, either!”

He went to answer you when a guy running past you yelled, “There’s some crazy guy in there killing everybody! Run!”

You and Tom glanced at one another, both shocked. Neither of you knew who the guy was talking about or why this was happening. But that didn’t matter. Screw holding your tears back. “Tom,” you sobbed. “I can’t lose you, okay? I know you want to go save Sarah but she’s probably hiding somewhere with Rina and the girls and they’ll be safe, okay?” You knew that probably wasn’t the case and it was wrong of you not to let him run in to help but you were terrified of losing him. “Please, don’t go in! Please!”

“I’ve got to go! I’ve got to get her! I’m sorry!” He yanked his arm out of your grip and turned to leave.

“I’m going, too! I can help!” 

You didn’t make it two feet until you were picked up and placed back down in front of Tom who was ducking his head to look you in the eye. “I can’t lose you, either, okay? I need to know you’re safe. Please, sweetheart, go get in your car and drive out of here.” He picked up a flashlight someone had dropped while running. “I’m going to get Sarah and get out of here myself. If I see Rina and the others, I’ll grab them, too. I’ll meet you at the hospital. There’s probably going to be a lot of people who need help.”

“That’s why I should stay. I may be pre-med but I can—”

He huffed out a breath and leaned down to kiss you. As he had probably planned, it stunned you. He placed his forehead against yours. “Go, baby,” he murmured. “To the hospital. We’ll be right behind you.”

Before you could say anything else, he hightailed it down to the tunnel, running past people who were still spilling out of the entrance but in fewer and fewer numbers. The last thing you saw was him disappearing inside before you turned and ran back to your car. You didn’t feel right leaving, especially with your friends and Tom still in the tunnel, but you would do as he asked. You’d already selfishly distracted him once; you wouldn’t do so again.     

You rang the bell of the Hanniger household for the third time, feeling impatience and worry gnawing at you. 

You shouldn’t have been surprised when a swaying Eli finally opened the door or that it was only 1:00 in the afternoon yet he was this inebriated. If he were a better man — a better father even — you might feel sorry for him. His mines weren’t doing too well these days. 

“What do you want?” He slurred out.

You lifted your chin. “I’m here to see your son.”

He snorted. “You mean my fuckup of a son?” He held the door wider in invitation.

You stepped in before he could change his mind. “No, your son. Not his fuckup of a father,” you spat before storming off to find Tom. 

“Sure, come into my house and talk to me like that! You kids have no goddamn respect these days!” He yelled.

You spun around and yelled back, “Go and get another drink, Eli! That’s all you care about anyway!”

“You little bitch!”

You ignored him and ran upstairs to Tom’s room. You found the door closed and you gently knocked. “Tom?”

No answer. 

You knocked again. “Tom, it’s me.” You briefly closed your eyes, remembering things were different than they had been the last time you were here. “Y/N.”

A moment later, Tom opened the door and stood there. He did not look well. He had deep, dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept since what happened. His face was drawn, pale, and it was obvious he hadn’t shaved for a bit. His hair looked as if he had just recently run his fingers through it. He was in a hoodie, sweat pants, and socks. It was hard to tell in this light but it looked like he had lost a little weight.

“Hey.” His voice sounded rough, as if he either hadn’t been using it for a while or he had been yelling and near losing it. You hoped it was the former. If it was the latter, then that could mean possible night terrors and you didn’t want that for him. 

“Hey. Is it okay if I come in?”

He nodded and walked away, leaving the door open. After you closed it behind you, you noticed he was trying to cover the messy bed with the blanket. You noticed a stale smell, as if a window hadn’t been opened in some time, and you spied dirty plates spotting the landscape of his room. You also took note of a half-empty bottle of liquor on his desk. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting company.”

“That’s okay. Don’t worry about it” You laid a tentative hand on his back as he moved and was pleased to see him not immediately shirk it off. After what happened with Harry Warden in the tunnel, for a while he hadn’t wanted anyone touching him. “I just came to see how you’re doing.”

“Not great,” he muttered, turning to sit on his bed. You took a seat next to him, waiting for him to elaborate. “I don’t know what to do, Y/N,” he eventually confessed. “I see him everywhere. I see him when I sleep, I see him when I’m awake. I see him everywhere I go, no matter who’s around, night or day. I don’t know what to do.”

Harry had woken from his coma that night and gone on a killing spree. First at the hospital and then at the mines. Right to the Valentine’s Day party that was being thrown. He didn’t care who he came across, Harry killed them one by one. Sadly, Destiny and Taylor hadn’t made it. Rina had; she was injured but she’d survived. Sarah, Axel, and Irene made it, too, though they were traumatized. They were all traumatized, just like Tom. Tom, who had gone back for Sarah, urged her to run out of there with Axel, and had nearly gotten killed for it. When you thought about how close you came to losing him… You really didn’t want to think about it.

You carefully placed a hand on his bicep and when he didn’t tense, you rubbed your thumb back and forth soothingly. “Have you given any more thought to seeing someone…and talking about it?”

He pulled away from you and ran a hand down his face. “They’re just going to think I’m crazy and want to throw me on meds.”

“Maybe not,” you whispered. “You’ve been traumatized, Tom. They might give you medication to help you sleep but trauma isn’t something that has a magic cure all. I’m not a doctor but I would think that they’ll probably recommend therapy. I mean, is Harry…talking to you when you see him?”

“No, Y/N, I’m not hearing voices in my head if that’s what  you’re asking,” he snapped before getting up and walking away.

“Tom, that’s not what I— I’m sorry, I know you’re not hearing voices. I was only trying to make you feel better by ruling it out. That’s all.”

He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced down at you, his jaw tight. “I’m glad you came here today. You should know, I’ve decided to leave town.”

You were immediately on your feet. “And go where?”

He shrugged. “Wherever that isn’t here.” He moved over to the bed and threw off one corner of the blanket to reveal a bag he had been packing. “I can’t stay here, Y/N. It’s too much. Maybe if I can get far enough away…”

“He won’t follow you,” you finished, still staring at the half-packed bag. You almost had to wonder if he would have told you if you hadn’t shown up today. He hid the bag from you for a reason; he knew you wouldn’t want him to leave.

You should’ve known it was coming to this or Tom would have a full on breakdown. First, he broke up with Sarah. Then he withdrew from the public altogether. Now, he was holed up in his room, never leaving it, and repeatedly being terrified and thus re-traumatized each time he saw Harry. Something had to give; he needed to get out of here. 

You felt a lump forming in your throat at the idea of him leaving but you swallowed it back down just as fast. This wasn’t about you. If this was what Tom needed, you would support him. You met his gaze. “Will you call me once you get to where you’re going? Just so I know you made it safely and that you’re okay?”

His eyes softened and he came towards you, cupping your face. “You’ve always understood me. Better than anyone else in this goddamn town.” You noticed he didn’t answer your question and you had a feeling that he planned to leave permanently, never looking back. This time, you couldn’t prevent the lump from forming in your throat or the tears building in your eyes.

“Are you going to be okay?” You nearly winced at the breaks in your voice.

“I will be,” he whispered before pulling you into him and pressing a kiss to the side of your head. Sighing into your ear, he hugged you tightly. “I will be.”

You burrowed into him further, whispering against his shirt, “I love you, Tom. I’ll love you forever.”

You knew he heard you when he murmured back to you, “I love you, too, sweetheart. Always will.” You could hear the breaks in his own voice but still, you smiled. As painful as this was going to be, as heartbreaking as it was, Tom still loved you, just as much as you loved him. Always…and forever.

You were just finishing up notes in a patient file when someone knocked on your open door and stuck their head into your office. You glanced up to find a familiar face and smiled.

“Well, if it isn’t Dr. Y/L/N,” he said, waltzing in.

You closed the file and took off your glasses. “Well, if it isn’t Deputy Martin,” you laughed. He handed you a cup of coffee. “Aww, thank you. You don’t know how much I needed this.” 

“No problem. You still take it that way, right?”

You took a sip. “I do,” you smiled. 

“So, how’s things in the world of psychiatry?” He took a seat on the edge of your desk.

“Interesting. As always. How about you? How’s things in the law enforcement world?”

“Interesting. As always.”

You chuckled and took another sip of your coffee. “So, what brings you to my side of the hospital? And bearing gifts, no less?”

He shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood and figured I’d check in.”

“Oh? That’s nice.” Chris pressed his lips together and you tilted your head at him, knowing what that little tic meant. “Uh oh. What’s going on?”

He smirked, shaking his head. “I hate it when you do that.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “Then don’t be so obvious. I know you too well, Chris. Come on, tell me. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I just… I was wondering if you knew that Tom was back in town.”

Your smile immediately dropped and you placed the coffee down. You put your glasses back on and opened the file back up, holding the pen in your hand as you glanced over your notes. “Yeah. I heard he was here.”  

How could you not? It was a small town after all. News and gossip spread faster than wildfire here. The word on the street was that Tom was back to sell the mines and no one was happy about that.

When you didn’t hear anything else, you glanced up to find Chris giving you a knowing look. “What?”

“Has he been by to see you?”

Well, that hurt. You knew Chris wasn’t asking you that to hurt you but it didn’t mean the question still didn’t cause you pain. You shook your head and went back to your file. “No. And I don’t expect he will be.” 

Ben had already complained down at the local bar, before Tom even showed up, that the damn kid was going to sell the mines and Eli would be turning over in his grave if he knew. He was only coming into town to sign the paperwork and then he’d be off again to God knew where. He’d even assured everyone he switched the paper signing until the Monday following Tom’s arrival, in hopes that he could get him to change his mind. 

When you heard Tom was coming back, you didn’t get your hopes up though your heart lightened at the news. You hadn’t seen or heard from Tom in ten years. He’d literally pulled a disappearing act. While you expected it, it still hurt that he never once called or wrote to you to let you know that he was still alive. Not once.

Besides, you already knew who he’d dropped in to see the minute he hit town. You supposed one needed groceries and toiletries, that sort of thing, if they were going to stay for a weekend they hadn’t initially planned on. And the fact that Sarah now ran the store and was there practically all day every day was just a coincidence.

You knew better of course and you couldn’t pretend like it didn’t break your heart just a little more. So, no, you didn’t expect to see him at all. And as much as it hurt to admit it to yourself, it was probably for the best. 

While a part of you still loved Tom and always would, you now had the benefits of maturity, age, and experience. When you looked back on your relationship, it had been one of intense young love and folly for you, first love even. And while you had more compassion and understanding along with a more detached view of things through a different lens now, you could admit there were some things that occurred that weren’t so great. For example, your decision to surprise him in the mines for a Valentine’s Day quickie, all because you loved him so much and was desperate to do whatever it took to keep him with you. You’d put both of you at risk and while Tom was an adult who was responsible for his own decisions, you still took responsibility for being the one to initiate the whole thing. It had been your idea after all. Then there had been his breaking it off with you and choosing to date Sarah not even a month later. While he was single and an adult, free to make his own decisions, the fact that he did it partially to please his father was not an okay reason in your book to hurt you and toss you aside as if you meant nothing. As the adage went, hindsight was truly 20/20. You were no longer that young, foolish girl anymore. If Tom wanted to see you, he would see you. If he didn’t, then he didn’t. It was that simple. You weren’t going to sway things one way or the other.

“Come on, Y/N. I know you just as well. You’re telling me, you don’t hope he stops by before he skips town again?”

You smiled up at Chris. “Not in the slightest.”

You threw on your lab coat, lifting your hair out of the neckline. You twisted your hair up into a bun and stuck a pen through it. You placed your stethoscope around your neck and then traded your heels for the nurse’s shoes you kept in a desk drawer for situations like these.

There had been an explosion at the mines and it was an all hands on deck situation in the ER. So far, two survivors had been found and were being brought in. They were still clearing the mines to make sure no one else had been hurt. You were getting ready to lock up your office and head down to see what you could do to help. 

You were grabbing pens to put in your pocket, tossing a red pen back into the drawer, when out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a figure in the doorway.

“Doc,” a man gasped.

“I’m sorry. I’m about to run down to the ER. There’s been an emergency in town and all doctors are needed. I can find you a nurse if you—”

You dropped the remaining pens in your hand when you glanced up to find a bleeding Tom Hanniger standing in your doorway, holding onto his side. “Tom,” you gasped, frozen. 

His pained glare suddenly transformed into one of the most terrifying smirks you had ever seen in your life. “Guess again.” He then shut the door behind him, locking it, before he started making his way over to you. 

You rushed off the elevator, hurrying over to where a bloodied Sarah was nervously pacing in the surgery waiting room. You noticed Chris was with her as was Deputy Ferris. Sarah’s little boy, Noah, was sitting on one of the seats behind her, playing quietly with his toy.

“Sarah,” you called.

She turned to see you approaching and immediately hurried over to you, throwing her arms around you, beginning to cry. You rubbed her back soothingly and shushed her. “You’re alright now.”

Sarah pulled back out of your embrace. “Tom, he’s… He’s gone.”

You pressed your lips together, your eyes tearing up. “I know,” you choked out. Based on what you had just seen and heard, you knew she was speaking the truth.

She hugged you again and you embraced her back tightly, tears rolling down your cheeks as you saw Chris watching you both. You squeezed your eyes shut and let out a quiet sob when you heard Sarah crying again. You both held each other as you both quietly mourned the Tom you both had loved.

You unlocked your office door and stepped inside before locking it again. You began to empty your pockets of the supplies you’d nabbed when a figure moved from behind a filing cabinet in the far corner and appeared in your vision, making you quietly gasp.

There stood Tom, still holding his wounded side. “What took so long?” He demanded.

Your jaw tightened as you remembered who you were dealing with now. “Sorry, Harry. I had to get supplies without causing any eyebrows to raise. That takes time. Now, come sit down.”  

He warily approached and sat down on the edge of the desk as you directed. You snapped gloves on and he moved his hand away from his side when you prompted him to. He hissed in pain as you began to prod at the bullet wound.

“Can you fix me up or not?” He growled.

“Well, Harry, as I told you, I’m not a surgeon. But I will do my best.” You began to gently wipe away the blood, from both the entry and exit sites. “The good news is it looks like the bullet went straight through.”

“I told you that,” he snapped.

“Yes and I’m confirming it,” you snapped back. It was very strange to have someone you hated so much inside of the body of the person you loved most. 

“Just do your goddamn job, Doc.”

You snapped up straight and looked him right in the eye. “Let’s get something straight, the only reason I’m helping you right now is because of Tom. I could care less what happens to you, you son of a bitch.”

He gave you that smirk again that made your blood run cold. “And let’s get something else straight. If you don’t fix me up, I’ll kill you. Got it?”

You didn’t answer him. Instead, you grabbed a pad of gauze, dumped some of your finest alcohol on it, and slapped it onto the injury site, making him yell out in pain. You smirked in satisfaction though inside you felt guilty. Sorry, Tom. You really wished you could expel Harry from him, like he was some sort of demon you could exorcise. 

“Sorry about that.” You were anything but. “I have to clean the site before I inspect it for further damage.”

His chest was heaving and he was glaring at you. “Just do your job, bitch. Or you’re dead,” he grunted.

You huffed out a snort and repeated the process with the exit site, making him grit his teeth, a pained yell straining against them. You proceeded to make sure there wasn’t any critical damage that you could see and then went about starting to suture the wound. You ignored the grunts and gritting of his teeth the entire time and just focused on falling back on your training. You’d barely flinched when he started drinking your booze. (it was his fault he wouldn’t let you use any needles to apply local anesthetics) When you were done, you snipped the loose tail of the sutures and then bandaged up the area. You quickly cleaned and bandaged the wounds on his face and treated any burns he might have. The entire time you did, you felt pain and remorse for Tom for each wound you found that would now scar his body. Though you supposed scars were a small price to pay considering the explosion he’d been in that could have killed him. Your jaw clenched at the thought and you hated Harry even more. 

You finished cleaning him up and threw out the last bit of bloody gauze. “It’s probably a waste of time to say this to you but you need to take it easy with that bullet wound, keep the area clean, and come back in two weeks to have the sutures removed. If any extreme bleeding occurs, you should get to the ER immediately. If the sutures pop out, you should do the same. If you start to develop a fever or other—”

“Yeah, Doc, I got it.” He slowly got to his feet and held a hand to his side. “Not bad.”

You took off your gloves and threw them to the side, crossing your arms. “Am I free to go now?”

His eyes snapped over to you and you could swear you could see a whole other person. In Tom’s eyes, the eyes you loved, you saw Harry, and they were darker and harder than Tom’s green could ever be. Tom clearly wasn’t the one in the driver’s seat, even if his behavior and personality right then weren’t already making that obvious. “For now. But if you screw me over, I’m coming back for you.” A hint of a smirk appeared on his face as if he enjoyed that idea, almost hoping you would give him the excuse. 

You knew he was waiting for you to tremble in fear at his threat but you didn’t. “Truly, Harry, I hope I never see you again.” With that, you walked out of your office and you refused to give him the satisfaction of looking back.

You knocked on the open room door and stuck your head in. “Hey,” you greeted with a small smile.

Axel and Sarah both glanced over and saw you.

“Hey.” Axel faintly smiled. 

Sarah got up and gave you another hug. You rubbed her shoulder as she returned to her seat next to her husband and you came to a stop at the foot of the bed. “So, how’s the patient?”

“He’s doing well.” Sarah smiled as she took Axel’s hand in hers. “He’ll be in here for a little while but then he can come home.” Axel turned his smile onto her. You glanced back and forth between them. Apparently, that marriage was no longer on the rocks. You were glad for Sarah’s sake, though you still thought she could do better. Despite how things went with Tom, you didn’t blame her or hold her responsible. She had always been kind to you, good to Tom, and you knew she was a decent person. You could almost understand why Tom had loved her so much.

You forced a smile onto your face. “Glad to hear it.”

Another knock on the door garnered your attention. You turned to see Chris walk in. He came to a stop next to you. “Hey, Sheriff. Sarah. Y/N.”

“Hey,” Axel greeted. You gave him a nod and Sarah gave him a smile.

He turned to look at you but you were already steps ahead of him. “Did you do as I asked?”

He nodded. “Picked him up about an hour ago. Had to ask for that town’s sheriff to help but we got him. And he doesn’t know it has anything to do with you. We purposely mentioned in front of him that a store owner from that town called it in after recognizing him from the news.”

“Thanks.” He gave you another nod.

“Wait, what are you two talking about?” Axel asked. Sarah looked just as curious while also fearful.

You pressed your lips together and Chris turned to face his boss. “We picked up Tom Hanniger in the next town over. We have him in custody and we’re starting processing.”

Both of their eyes went wide. “Tom’s alive?” Sarah gasped.

The deputy exchanged glances with you. “In a way but he goes by Harry now.”

“Shit,” Axel breathed. “You need to call in every reinforcement. We don’t have the manpower to hold him.”

Chris held up a placating hand. “It’s already done but trust me, we’ve got him locked down. As it is, the DA and the Judge are deciding what to do with him.” He looked over at you.

“Deciding what to do with him? What does that mean?” Axel’s eyes were on you, too.

“Harmony isn’t the place for Tom to be right now. It’s his trigger and that’s why Harry is currently in control. I’ve asked for a meeting with the DA and Judge Harrison as well as the Chief of my department to discuss Tom’s case.” You took a breath, knowing this next part wasn’t going to go over well. “We’re looking to get him moved to a maximum security psychiatric hospital up North.”

“Are you kidding me?” Axel started to sit up but grunted in pain. 

Sarah got up and gently pushed his shoulder down. “Axel, be careful. You just had major surgery yesterday.”

“Sheriff, easy. You’re still healing,” Chris chimed in. 

He ignored both of them. “After all of the people he’s killed? People are going to want justice and to see it done here in Harmony.”

You could feel an age-old anger welling up inside of you but you tried to tamp it back down. “He’s not mentally competent to stand trial, Axel.”

“Not mentally competent? Really? That’s the excuse we’re going with here? He was mentally competent when he killed those people! When he lied about it and tried to cover it up and blame me! When he attacked me and my wife, about to kill us! When killed Rosa and came for my son!” He gripped onto Sarah’s hand.

“I understand that. But the law states—”

“No offense, Y/N,” Axel interrupted. “But you’re not an expert on the law. Leave that to people like Judge Harrison who actually know the law.” Well, so much for you keeping that anger and resentment in check.

“None taken. And no offense, Axel, but you’re not an expert in psychological disorders, either. Leave that to people like myself who know what we’re talking about,” you snapped.

Chris laid a gentle hand on your shoulder and held up his other hand in Axel’s direction. “Hey, hey, now. We’re all on the same team here. We all want the same thing.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “Do we?” He dropped his hand. You then glared over at Axel and Sarah. “Let’s not pretend like you two and Irene didn’t leave Tom there to die back when Harry was on a killing spree which severely traumatized him and that’s why all of this happened in the first place! That’s what started this whole thing!”

Sarah looked ashamed and stayed quiet. Your ire wasn’t really for her anyway. You knew she had been wanting to go back to help Tom before Harry threw that pickaxe. Axel, on the other hand, saw red. “Are you kidding me? We were about to be killed! I had to get her and Irene out of there! Tom would have done the same had it been him and it would’ve been the right thing to do! Regardless, it doesn’t excuse anything that Tom or Harry or whatever the fuck he calls himself now did! And us leaving him alone started this? No, let’s talk about really started this whole thing off! You decided to go down into the mines to give your boy toy a little nookie, he got distracted and forgot to clear the lines, then boom! The mines collapsed on top of Harry Warden and the others and that’s what really started this off! Because Harry wouldn’t have been in the mines a year later, killing people, and nothing would have happened to Tom or any of us! So you want to play the blame game? Look in the mirror, Y/N!” Sarah was softly telling him to stop but he ignored her. “Oh, and let’s not pretend that you’re not doing anything but trying to make excuses for the guy you’re still hung up on after all these years who didn’t give a fuck about you and dropped you like a bad habit the minute his daddy told him to! Who left you behind to rot!”

Your left eye was starting to twitch, something that only happened when you were either very stressed or very angry. Right then, it was definitely the latter. Sarah’s gaze was trained on her hand covering her husband’s and Chris was looking down at the footboard. You forced yourself to speak calmly but firmly. “That has nothing to do with this. It has to do with helping someone who needs help. I’m simply doing my job and the right thing at the same time. When was the last time you could say the same for yourself, Axel?” His jaw clenched but he stayed quiet and you gave him the worst glare you could summon up. “Get well soon.”

You turned and walked out of the room. You were right about one thing; Sarah could do better.

You were waiting for the elevator when you heard Chris come up behind you, laying a hand on your shoulder to stop you. “Hey, hey, hey.” You spun around to face him and he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the fabric of your coat. “Are you okay?”

You unclenched your jaw long enough to say, “I’m fine.”

He nodded and lowered his hand. “You know, it’s no excuse for the things he said but Axel’s in pain right now, he’s not thinking straight, and they just went through another traumatic experience of their own. And they have their son, who was there when Rosa was killed. He’s just dealing with a lot.”

“I get that, Chris. I do. But Tom didn’t do those things, Harry did.”

He sighed and put his hands on his hips. “Y/N, I’m not disagreeing with you but Tom did lie, he covered it up. Like the motel killings. Did Harry drive away from the scene, ignoring the trucker’s dead body in the lot, before we arrived or did Tom?” 

You shook your head, looking away from him.

“I know Tom means a lot to you and I respect that. I know you have history and you want to help him.” He cupped your chin and forced you to meet his eyes. “But I also care about you. I don’t want to see you get hurt. There’s a possibility that Tom himself may not be who you actually think he is. Who any of us thought he was growing up.”

You gently lowered his hand. “Chris, I appreciate your concern and I know we had…something between us for a while. And I’m grateful that you helped me earlier, I really am. But I know Tom. He’s not a killer. He’s not Harry. Harry only exists because of the trauma he suffered. He doesn’t even know who he’s killed or what’s happened. I need to get him out of this town so I can begin working to get him back.”

Chris sighed and studied you for a moment. “Then how did he know about Megan and the words written above her body?”

“He got it from the card she wrote. You told me that yourself, Chris, because Sarah told you about it.”

“No, I mean, if Tom saw the card and Harry killed Megan and wrote those words in her blood, then how did Tom know they were written above her body?”

You realized he was making a good point but that didn’t change your mission. “I don’t know, but I intend to find out.” You then got onto the elevator that had just arrived, you and Chris watching each other as the doors closed.

Tom didn’t remember how he got here. He didn’t even remember waking up. One moment, Harry was about to attack him and Sarah wouldn’t save him, again. The next moment, he was in a white t-shirt and white pajama pants, stuck in a cell that looked strangely familiar. Had he dreamt all of it? Going back to Harmony, seeing Sarah again, dealing with that asshole Axel, trying to figure out who the killer was — all of it —had it all been one big nightmare?

He soon realized that wasn’t the case. His lawyer came to see him and informed him of the things he’d been accused of (after the man had been contacted to come back and speak to his actual client). As of right now, he was found to be mentally unfit to stand trial thanks to an impassioned argument by his doctor as well as himself. But that could change at any time. Tom insisted he hadn’t done those horrific things, that Harry Warden did, but nobody seemed to believe him or was even listening.

For the first few days, Tom had been desperate. A doctor came in and met with him, asked him how he was feeling, and then fully explained the disorder he had been diagnosed with. It turned out that he had been misdiagnosed in the last institution he had been in and improperly medicated. That was why the medication never worked. They had been treating him for delusions when in reality he had Dissociative Identity Disorder. He was going to be starting a therapy regimen as soon as possible. Harry had already been involuntarily involved in the program since his arrival here. The doctor also informed him that they had to keep Harry heavily sedated but depending on how things went with Tom, they might not have to do the same with him.

Tom had been completely dumbfounded. It was bad enough that he still carried the trauma of what happened back in ‘98 and it had followed him around for a decade, literally, but now Harry had become a permanent part of him? He would now never be able to outrun Harry. Not to mention, he was now officially on the hook for multiple murders thanks to the surly son of a bitch, even after what happened in 1997 and then a year later when he woke from his coma. Tom’s body count was extensive and he himself hadn’t even done anything. Well, except forget to bleed the lines that one time which led to the collapse that then started all of this, he supposed. So maybe he truly was responsible for all of those people’s horrific deaths, whether he swung the pickaxe himself or not.

One morning before the therapy began, they came to get him and brought him to a room that looked strikingly similar to a police interrogation room, with the two-sided mirror and everything, though there was white padding on the walls. He protested when they strapped him into a straitjacket but they told him it was for his own safety as well as the doctor’s. As if that weren’t enough, two large orderlies picked corners of the room to stand in, watching his every move. 

Someone popped their head in to tell Tom his doctor would be meeting with him shortly, they were just finishing up with another patient. All Tom could do was nod. “Thanks,” he muttered.

A few minutes later, the doctor he’d been waiting for walked in. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw it was you. You gave him a small smile and took the seat opposite him. “Hello, Tom. I’m Dr. Y/N Y/L/N. How are we feeling today?”

“Um…okay.” He was still trying to recover from the shock of seeing you there. He hadn’t seen you since that night all of those years ago, right before he left town. He also thought you were working at Harmony Memorial last he heard, a pit stop he planned to make once he’d signed the papers to sell the mines. That is, before everything went to shit. “Y/N? What’s going on?”

“It’s Dr. Y/L/N,” you corrected. “And nothing’s going on. I’m here to evaluate you before we start your therapy regimen.” You opened a file and began glancing at the papers within. “The court requires it.”

Tom felt so lost. It had been hard enough waking up to what he did but now you were here? Clearly his doctor? And you were pretending not to know him? He didn’t know what to think or where to stick his head. “This can’t be real,” he said to himself and shook his head. “This can’t—”

“Shhh,” you soothed. “It’s okay, Tom. This is very real and we’re going to help you.” You clicked your pen and began making notes in his chart. 

“Yeah, but you— You’re— And you’re pretending like— This can’t be real.”

Your eyes snapped up to his and you stopped writing. He didn’t know what you saw but you got to your feet and circled the table. You snapped your fingers and both orderlies looked away. “Actually, Tom, there’s something I forgot to mention.” You came up behind him and his nerves began to spike. Was he about to be drugged? Attacked? Would he finally wake up from this nightmare? Maybe he’d wake up to you; he’d give anything to have that happen. 

He jumped a little when he felt your lips at his ear. “I’ll love you forever,” you whispered.

Automatically, the corner of Tom’s lips tipped up in a smile. Hearing that from you brought back so many good memories of your times together, of your relationship. He didn’t instantly relax but he felt a little lighter than he had a moment ago. 

“Welcome back, Tom. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too, sweetheart,” he whispered back to you.

His smile grew when he felt you brush a tender kiss to the side of his head before you straightened up and made your way back around the table. You snapped your fingers again and the orderlies were now facing forward, watching you both intently. 

You sat back down and picked up your pen, giving him a genuine smile. “Now, Tom, shall we get started?”

He wished he could reach across the table and take your hand in his. You still looked at him as you did all of those years ago, like he didn’t have a murderous personality that left pain and suffering and dead bodies in its wake. You still looked at him as if he was the same guy you’d given your heart and body to back in high school. The same guy you’d once told that after you finished med school (when you got in), that you’d want to settle down with him and eventually start a family with him. The same guy you said you’d move wherever whenever for him if he didn’t want to stay in Harmony, if he didn’t want to take over for his dad one day. The same guy you looked at with complete devotion, affection, and reverence that he knew he didn’t deserve. And with you looking at him just like that right now, he knew he still didn’t deserve it but God did he love you for it. You still loved him; it was clear as day in your eyes. He realized then that you had meant back then every single word of what you just said; you would love him forever. He had meant what he said to you back then, too. Though he never should’ve given you up when his old man demanded it. What the hell had he been thinking?

You arched your brows at him expectantly, almost as if you knew what he had been thinking. 

He leaned forward a little and gave you a soft smile, hoping you would understand what he was trying to tell you. “Always.”

You returned his smile, giving him a wink. You’d heard him. He began to relax and your smile then turned into a more professional one. “That’s what I like to hear. Alright, Tom. Let’s begin, shall we?”

A/N: For the record, I highly doubt Y/N could have been Tom's doctor, especially since a prosecutor could have argued that it was a conflict of interest and possibly gotten any records she'd made inadmissible. I think, anyway. But it was too fun an idea not to explore. Plus, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that someone who has been diagnosed with DID is not incapable of being tried by the law for crimes committed, even if it was committed by one of their alters and they are completely innocent (I think). But I couldn't just have Tom go straight to jail in this one or even to trial. I wanted to focus on him coming back and Y/N helping him as well as their sort of reunion.

dividers by @firefly-graphics

[scoopaspoonful]

Jr. Harper and Zhent reporting for duty!

Hello! I never thought I’d finally make a Tumblr account, but here I am! I hope to briefly introduce myself on here before slipping some of my lovely posts!

Call me either Happie or Spoon, I’m a rookie Virtual Photographer (for only Baldur’s Gate 3 so far), and I’m one of your typical fandom geeks (anime, musical theatre, etc.) that also loves storytelling and OCs!

I’ve posted some of my shots on Twitter (HappieMedium) and Blue Sky (scoopaspoonful), and plenty on Discord. But here’s a preview of some of my lovely works!

“Astral Roundup” (Tav design: Decker Bronson)

“An Underground Melody” (Tav design: [“Spoon's Self-Persona”])

“Lady Roan of Chappell” (Tav design: Chappell Roan’s VMAs performance, BG3 Edition)

But ultimately, for the past six months I’ve grown to love a certain NPC rarepair in the game that has basically taken over my heart (and folders), which involves a certain Harper and Zhent~ 💙💛

"The Lowly Soldiers' Truce" Rugan and Harper Geraldus

They've become my OTP comfort ship at this point, and I'll eventually share the WIP fanfiction of them in the future too! Other than that, I look forward to finding mutuals and sharing my love for this game!

Happie to see ya', and scoop ya' later!

[honey-tongued-devil]

BG3 city for Fanfiction writers and reader

[Guide to Lodging in Baldur's Gate 3]

Disclaimer: This post is intended to provide potential readers with a clearer idea of the taverns. It's useful if you want to read my writings or if you've never played and have no idea what ElfSong is, but want to better understand some stories you read or write your own. Feel free to ask anything!

General information (Elfsong)

Lore

In-game map screen

My modifications

Other location

Context: A small revised map of the ElfSong tavern because:

Not everyone reading the fanfiction has played the game, so I'm sorry they don't have context.

I love you all, that room is meant to be comfortable in terms of the story, they're all close enough to interact with each other, but such a lack of privacy is almost comical (besides the fact that it should be the entire floor of a tavern, not a family room), so I felt the need to "reprogram" the rooms.

1- ElfSong General Information:

The Elfsong tavern is located in the Lower City, popular judging by how crowded it is. However, since a major murder occurred, people are hesitant to stay overnight. That's why Alan (the guy behind the counter) offers an entire floor for a few coins (200 gold pieces). As a tavern, if you don't have camping supplies, you can buy dinner directly for 60 gold pieces from your room. It has an underground cellar full of wine, a ground floor with the kitchen, bar area, and entertainment area, a first floor (technically blocked due to a murder), a second floor where you can stay overnight, and a very nice area to relax on the roof. To access the second floor, there is also an external staircase that allows you (if you have a hypothetical key) to avoid the chaos of the tavern and enter from outside.

2- Lore (from NPCs):

Not the best tavern in town, but one of the most famous, especially for its ghosts. Many people go there to hear the "ghostly elven song," and the ghost's crying is often heard too, making it an attraction for many. For this reason, there are no bards in the tavern. A bard in town tells us that the ghost is self-centered and doesn't like to share attention, so it's hard for bards to be accepted there, and they have to go to other taverns. There is a closed room with some refreshments where a comedian performs, providing entertainment for those who want it without disturbing those there for the ghost or minding their own business. There are two cats, even though they're in the kitchen, who are extremely lazy and arrogant. (They will persuade you to kill the mice for them so they can peacefully enjoy the reward).

3- Building map:

ground floor

First floor (locked) (no pictures)

Single room

Second floor room

corridor and Roof

4- Changes made in my stories:

The rentable floors go from two to four, for a total of seven floors (basement, ground floor, first floor, second floor, third floor, fourth floor, roof).

Given there is a total of six companions, three recruitable characters, your tav, and, in any case, four free beds (where the active party generally sleeps), each floor will have seven single rooms, not too small but independent. Additionally, there will be a common area, identical to the in-game one, at the opposite end of the hallway from the entrance stairs.

The common areas will resemble those in the game, identical but without the communal bath and beds. There will be a fireplace with two sofas on each side and a couple of stools, along with two tables, a carpet with cushions, and a hookah.

Companions are divided between the third and fourth floors. This allows the rooms to be larger, and the floors are less crowded.

Since in the game there is a staircase that allows access to the rented rooms from the outside (and not from the inside), to avoid intrusions, the first and second floors are only accessible from inside the inn, while the third and fourth floors are accessible only through an external staircase.

The staircase for the first two floors is guarded by two bouncers when the Elfsong is opened, and when the tavern is closed, with a wooden door that closes the staircase, and a second one that closes the inn itself.

The staircase for the last two floors, being external, is protected by a metal gate preceding the staircase and a wooden door leading to corridor that leads the rooms.

5- Other places where it is possible to stay overnight:

The Shanty (Outskirts): A seedy place where often unsavory characters roam. Astarion mentions when entering that he used to go there frequently to look for victims for Cazador. (Ground floor, first floor, attic with a hidden room)

Abandoned House (Rivington, adjacent city): The owner has abandoned it to find a better place. There are holes in the walls, but it offers good shelter if desperate, although I recommend boarding up the walls first (one floor, a fireplace, a bed, but you make do).

Caress of Sharess: A brothel with many independent rooms accessible from an external corridor to ensure customer privacy. The main building has a bar area on the ground floor and a mezzanine with a restaurant area. The rooms are varied and different in style. For example, one has a kind of tub in the first room and a canopy bed in the second, with a completely floral style. Another is a kind of library, with a basin for washing and supplies inside. Be creative.

Nortale Hostel: A modest and very rustic hostel located in a fairly central position in the Lower City. Pammella Nortale, a charming and well-groomed halfling, is the one in charge. They primarily accommodate refugees, and the place is funded through donations. The hostel is divided into two floors. On the upper floor, there are six bunk beds (12 total sleeping spots) with six large chests, each secured with a lock. Ideal if you want to stay incognito and don't have too much gold with you.

The Blushing Mermaid

[tooti-fruiti]

GLITZ AND GLAMOR

Mettaton X Female! Reader

An Undertale Fanfiction

[Lights! Camera! Action!]

When falling into the underground after chasing your dog up the mountain, you find yourself in a strange new world full of strange new creatures. Will you ever get out? And what friends will you make along the way?

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

soon to be released

[dh-dd-hivemind]

Welcome!

Hello! We are an adaptive system of around 40 headmates! All of us share this blog together. You may know us from our old (obsolete) blogs, @dhundertale and @droughtale. This is our rebranded blog, with our rebooted series.

This page features two Undertale AUs, both of which take place in the same universe, just with slightly different circumstances. The descriptions of these AUs are lower down, if you wish to read a brief summary.

The first two pages of Defining Happiness are here.

Both AUs contain the same ships, so be warned and turn away if you do not like them. You will be blocked if you reblog or comment just to complain about the romances/QPRs.

Any of the ships listed that have more than two people are polyamory/ethical non-monogamy, not "love triangles".

The ships are the following:

Chariskriel (Chara x Asriel x Frisk)

Flowiskra (Chara x Asriel x Frisk)

Friskid (Frisk x MK)

Tuffet (Toriel x Muffet)

Sansgoriel (Sans x Asgore x Toriel)

Sansby (Sans x Grillby)

Papyton (Papyrus x Mettaton)

Mad Alphyne (Mad Mew Mew x Alphys x Undyne)

Chara and Frisk both use they/them in this AU. Napstablook uses they/them. MK uses both they/them and he/him. Mad Mew Mew (Maddie) uses she/her. Please respect that.

Please not deadname Mettaton or Maddie.

Also, in these two AUs, Flowey and Asriel are headmates, not the same person. They have shared memories (and a shared body/soul), but they are separate boys with their own thoughts and feelings.

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

Defining Happiness/DH (Summary)

A fancomic series about our protagonists Frisk & Chara and their loved ones attempting to find freedom on the surface, and facing hardships of forming a lasting family. The story is told by Frisk of the future, passing the tale onto their niblings (nieces, nephews, niephews) and little siblings.

Follow Frisk as they study and fight to become the young ambassador for Monsterkind, join forces with the previously-hidden MHHR Association (Monster, Hybrid, Human Rights Association), battle the traumas formed by their past, face teenage development and romance, and struggle to maintain a relationship with their older sister, Celest.

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

Drought & Devastation/Droughtale/DD (Summary)

A fanfiction series about our protagonists Celest & Michael, attempting to journey through a decaying underground, with the soul of Celest's sister (Frisk). While Celest is the older sister in Defining Happiness, in Droughtale Celest is aged down, becoming Frisk's younger sister instead.

(TW for physical abuse & cannibalism)

When Frisk (age 13) fell into the mountain, they rushed to get through the underground, to return home to their little sister Celest (age 9) and care for her, as the two of them lived with abusive parents. Frisk managed to complete a false pacifist run (leaving Asgore dead and Toriel the queen), intending to gather Celest from their home and return underground, knowing that Toriel would care for the two of them. However, upon arriving home, they failed to sneak inside and take Celest without notice. Their father caught them and began to beat them.

They attempted to reset, but found that their magic was no longer of use. (This is because human magic can only work in the presence of monster magic.) Instead, they were left with brain damage from the beating, and spent the rest of their childhood locked in the house with Celest, tending to her the best they could in their impaired state.

Upon adulthood, the two escaped together. Celest married her husband, Markson, and the two had a child Junebug (aka Frisk Junior.) Frisk passed away not long after, telling Celest to take their soul underground to free monsterkind (while being unaware that the other six souls were fully used up and lost during the fight with Omega Flowey.)

Celest traversed underground, only to find that it was no longer the wonderland Frisk had described to her, but instead a place of ruins, riddled with a magical drought that caused all monsters to have erratic, hallucinatory, and/or violent symptoms, and be thirsty for any magic - or liquid - that they could get their hands on...including the lifeforce of each other.

Through her journey to get back home to her husband and child, she seeks to discover the history of how such a magical place has come to such devastation.

[wrongroadbuddy]

The world from a child's eye

(part1)

Undertoday AU

Part2

[autisticsupervillain]

Fanfiction Throwdown!

Fictional Throwdown Friday applied to fanfiction characters. These fan works can be anything from fanfictions, fan songs, fan games, mods, scripts, creepypastas, and more. The original creator reserves every right to ask my to take these down and I will seek permission in advance when possible.

This Week's Fighters...

Clover vs Undyne!

Conditions:

LV 20 Clover vs Undyne the Undying

Scenario:

The end of the genocide route to Undertale Yellow plays out the same as in canon, except Undyne is in the throne room when Clover confronts Asgore. Getting obliterated alongside the King, Undyne comes back as the Undying to keep Clover from stealing the human souls and dooming the Underground.

Analysis: Clover

A long time ago, humans and monsters lived together in harmony. But, one day, that peace was broken, and humanity launched a genocidal campaign against monster kind. Mankind sealed the monsters away behind a powerful magical barrier that could only be broken with the power of seven human souls.

These days, everyone that goes near Mt. Ebott tends to disappear. Five children have gone missing already, their souls harnessed so that monsterkind could break the barrier. Clover, a young child, a self made sheriff with a heart of gold, lept into the Underground to avenge the missing children and bring Justice to the Underground.

We already know how that ends. It doesn't matter whether Clover approaches the monsters they find with kindness or cruelty. They will end up the sixth soul in Asgore's keep all the same. Except for one timeline...

There is one version of this story where Clover survives. Where they bring justice to the souls of the dead. The Genocide Timeline. Let Justice Be Done.

In Clover's eyes, every monster that tries to stop them is complicate in Asgore's atrocities, punishable by death. They've traded in their trusty toy gun with a real six shooter, loaded up with Flowey's own Friendliness Pellets, allowing them to attack both body and soul. Just like Frisk, Clover can withstand magical attacks that damage both body and soul and can move fast enough to dodge lightning, bullets, and sound. Even Neutral Route Clover, who isn't even strong enough to scratch Asgore, is still fast enough to dodge his attacks for a time. Genocide Route Clover should be even faster.

When Clover's trusty side arm isn't enough, Clover can fire shots directly from their soul, to the point of being able to charge up the blast to completely vaporize their enemies. This laser has at times been strong enough to split the mechanical killing machine Axis clean in half and even vaporize Asgore himself in one shot.

This ability, like all of Clover's powers, is fueled entirely by their single minded pursuit of their brand of justice. When Axis reveals he was the one who killed the Blue Soul, Clover gains several levels through sheer force of rage and obliterates him in a single hit. Warped as their definition of Justice may be, it is genuine. Clover will allow fleeing or surrendering opponents to live, will not kill monsters who don't get in their way, and will even honor opponents they find respectable. When Starlo, sheriff of the Wild East, challenges Clover to a quick draw, Clover not only humors him, but has a chance to let Starlo get a shot off on them, just so he dies feeling like a hero.

Clover's sense of Justice is so strong it can allow them to read an opponent's memories. In the Neutral Route, Clover was able to fight Flowey to a stalemate as he tried to absorb their soul, forcing him to reset. A feat they'd replicate later in Undertale canon when Omega Flowey loses control of the human souls. But, this version of Clover takes it even further. After reaching Level 20, they're strong enough to override Flowey's determination entirely, stealing his ability to SAVE and LOAD the game.

Clover is, as a rule, generally much weaker than standard Undertale characters. The reason Flowey sent Clover on a roundabout trip through the Underground was because they simply couldn't survive against Undyne or other obstacles Frisk could beat with ease. Their True Pacifist final boss is weaker than Papyrus according to the check stats. Undertale absolutely clears the Undertale Yellow cast and it's not even close.

Flowey never considered they'd get any stronger than that. But through the power of LOVE, Determination, and, above all, Justice, Clover did, becoming more powerful than any of their counterparts in other timelines and obliterating Flowey mercilessly.

With nothing left in the Underground to stop them, Clover tanks Asgore's hit so hard his trident shatters, before vaporizing him along with most of the throne room. Justice is done. The past can rest. And with a sea of dust behind them, Clover walks out of the Underground with the other human souls.

Analysis: Undyne

Monsterkind has not seen the surface of the Earth in generations. Sealed away by mistrustful humans long ago, monsters now live beneath the surface of Mt. Ebott. With limited resources that will one day run dry, the monsters live a life without light and without hope.

The Underground needs a hero. Undyne, the Captain of the Royal Guard, is willing to step up to the challenge.

Inspired by heroes who served in the Human-Monster War, Undyne dedicated her life to training, hoping to claim the soul of the next human who fell Underground so that monsters can break the barrier and save themselves. And if she had to kill a child to do so, so be it. Monsters have suffered long enough.

Undyne, as Captain of the Royal Guard, is Natura one of the strongest monsters in the Underground, one of the few whose blows can stagger King Asgore himself. She can summon her spears to attack from any direction, even directly beneath the enemy's feet, and can circle around you to attack from the opposite direction they came from. Her magical spears do damage to both body and soul simultaneously, potentially even destroying your soul with one hit. Furthermore, Undyne can turn a foe's soul green, physically rooting them in place to keep her foe from evading or escaping her blows. Though, her sense of fair play does bite her here, as she has a tendency to provide her opponent with a shield to defend themselves with.

But, above all, Undyne's greatest strength is her determination. Her shear stubbornness rivals even that of other humans, allowing her to harness the spiritual essance of Determination in a way no other monster can. Regenerating from being split in half in a burst of desperate willpower to become the Undying.

As the Undying, Undyne is far and away the strongest being in the Underground, trumping even Asgore in sheer strength by a wide margin. Her attacks from every direction become nearly unavoidable and her sheer durability makes any fight with her a marathon.

The only problem is, it doesn't last forever. When Undyne reaches her limits in this form, she will begin to melt, as her body just cannot handle high concentrations of Determination like a human body can. As a monster, Undyne is extra vulnerable to attacks with a high killing intent, which Determination can't quite entirely negate. Against a human with greater Determination, her defeat is inevitable...

Luckily, if the Player has any conscience at all, that won't happen. If Frisk is allowed to show mercy, Undyne gets the chance to realize that not all humans are evil, setting aside her prejudice to help Frisk save the Underground from absolute destruction and break the barrier.

No matter your choices, Undyne will always be the Hero of the Underground.

Throwdown Theme:

Throwdown Breakdown:

You might've noticed that I was uncharacteristically light on calcs and numbers for this breakdown and that's ultimately because these two scale to around the same level of power. While Clover in most timelines is weaker than even Papyrus in a straight up fight, Genocide Clover is exponentially stronger than Asgore, just like the Undying, so stats should generally be about even here.

Undyne's attack style is completely unlike anything Clover's encountered before, being rooted in one place and forced to block instead of dodge. Keep in mind, Clover didn't even get a shield during their fight with Axis like they did in other timelines, so they're going to have a very rough time adapting on their first few attempts.

Clover's mind reading powers don't have much practical use here. If anything, they'd just give Undyne a buff by reminding her about what she's fighting for, making the fight even harder in the long term. On the other hand, Undyne's boisterous personality and tendency to be defiant to the end could cause the same problem. Any taunts about mankind being brought to justice or her jeering last words in the Genocide Route risk making Clover even stronger through sheer force of rage like Axis did, something Undyne can't risk.

That said, Clover has a lot more ways to attack than Frisk did, with several projectiles that could help wear down Undyne's durability, much as they did against a Determination boosted Martlet. And with free access to SAVE and LOAD, Clover's going to have as many tries as they need to bring down Undyne's bulky defenses.

Which brings us to the real deciding factor here. Who has more Determination? Or rather, can Undyne override Clover's Save and Load powers.

I don't believe that Clover, even in the Genocide route, has the same raw amount of Determination that Frisk just naturally has. Willing their soul back together or resurrecting Chara as their narrator through sheer determination are just feats that Clover hasn't replicated even at their best. Could Undyne in her Undying form override their Save File?

Likely... no. Firstly, Undyne doesn't seem to know that Save Files are even a thing, whereas Clover very much did when they overrode Flowey's saves. Secondly, we've never seen Determination amped Monsters use Determination like this. Only humans and soulless beings like Flowey. Given that Undyne, as powerful as she is, will eventually start melting from how incompatible her body is with Determination, it's entirely possible that she simply can't use Determination like this even without having to override the power from someone else. She's simply too incompatible with it.

Make no mistake, Undyne will put up one hell of a fight before going down. This is still Undyne we're talking about here. But with infinite retries, well... Clover's victory in inevitable.

This Throwdown's Winner is...

Clover!

[epersonae]

The cooking project - Crêpes

If yesterday's post was probably one of my most-made recipe cards, this might be my most-made recipe in my binder, which is sort of a Binder of Theseus. My sister made me a binder full of typed-out recipes as a gift when I was a sophomore in college, and I still have the section separators, which were collages of images cut from magazines, and I have some (most? all?) of those typed recipes, though the binder itself has been replaced. And of course I've added many more recipes, printed from the internet or sent to me by email or clipped from magazines. (I had a subscription to Sunset for a while in the late 00s!)

This recipe, though, was copied from a webpage into probably a Word document and then printed out, and dates from March 15 2003. The URL in the image no longer works, but the contents can be found in the Wayback Machine (ctrl+f, "crepes"). It was posted as part of the author's "French Week" as sort of an oblique protest of the impending Iraq War. In any case, I have been making it since then.

Because this can be found in the Wayback Machine, and because the instructions are hilariously long, I am not going to retype the whole thing here.

My only personal notations are combining "whole wheat flour" and "white flour" into a single line (I've literally never made these as savory crepes in 20 years), and a note that 1 egg approximately equals 3 crepes.

Making the batter

One of the things I love about this recipe is that it scales really well: one egg to 1/4 cup flour. The sugar ratio is weird and I usually have to do a rough approximation, because 1/4 cup sugar is 4 tablespoons, but also it's a very forgiving recipe that way.

I have learned over the years to beat the eggs first and THEN add the flour/sugar/salt, much less lumps that way. (ironically, 20 years and I just noticed he never says when to add the salt, altho clearly it's with the flour)

I have literally no idea how much milk I use. I mix in a bit at a time until it looks like the right texture/color. It's all vibes, baby.

I don't think I've ever let it sit two whole hours but it definitely does change texture a bit, for the better, if left to sit at least a half an hour. (I have also never drunk a glass of red wine while waiting for the batter.)

Below is: just after mixing in the flour/sugar/salt, then after some milk, all the milk, and after sitting for idk half an hour? 45 minutes?

Jam! Eating while making!

As I said, I've literally never made them savory, altho the last time I had them with a little bit of local whipped goat cheese and strawberry jam, and that was FUCKING TIGHT.

My usual is to take out whatever jams I have (today: strawberry and raspberry freezer jam that I made in 2020 and 2021 respectively, quince jam that a friend made, and marmalade) and just alternate flavors as I make them. I usually end up eating some while I'm making them. (As the guy says, bachelor mode™️.)

Two eggs' worth did in fact make about six crepes, I think, which is kind of a lot for dessert but I guess I had dessert for dinner, it's fine.

(Oh, and I think I've tried flipping them without a spatula exactly once, I am just not that bold.)

In any case, this continues to be one of my favorite recipes of all time, I will make it for anyone at any time for any reason. (The longest stretch I ever went without making it was after Ryn died, and I finally had eggs and milk and enough energy...and found BUGS IN MY FLOUR and about lost my damn mind. But I have made them a couple of times since then.)

Fanfiction bonus content!

So if you are reading my fic for the benefit of all the broken hearts, and you have already read chapter 16, then you know why I posted this today. If you are reading it and have not yet read the new chapter, consider this a teaser.

If you are not reading it: for the benefit of all the broken hearts is a fix-it fic for Water Flowing Underground, a very strange beautiful fic that blurs the line between Actor AU and RPF, that plays with questions of identity and choice and intention and also what we are even doing with fanfiction. My fic picks up from the end of that fic, from the point of view of a character who is dismissed by the narrative of the original, and who finds a way out of the wreckage. (it's the weirdest goddamn thing I've ever written, and yes, I think that includes the Bigfoot fic, and also I think my best writing ever. Certainly the most work I've ever put into any writing in any medium.)

And also there are crepes.

[probably-ace-ok]

Unusual or Unique Crossovers

A small collection of fanfictions that either crossover pieces of media that are completely different, or does so in an interesting and unique way. Many are unfinished or seemingly abandoned, but I think they’re worth checking out anyway.

stand in the ashes (ask the ghosts)

My Hero Academia/Mass Effect

Izuku transported to Mass Effect universe before meeting All Might, gets adopted by Shepard. In progress.

Ghost's space adventures.

Hollow Knight/Mass Effect

Ghost gets sent to the Mass Effect universe and is pretty OP. Complete.

Diamond in the Rough

Steven Universe/Worm

Post-Future Steven gets transported to the grimdark superpower setting of Worm. In progress.

Child of the Sun (or, The Return of the Avatar)

Star Wars/Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Force stops working normally, and everyone who uses it becomes a bender instead. The Jedi Council does not approve. In progress.

Tilly Death Do Us Part

Double Life SMP/Attack on Titan

Minecraft players get accidentally sent into Attack on Titan… but can still use the Minecraft mechanics. In progress.

A Tale of Spirits

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Avatar: The Last Airbender

The turtles get send into the AtLA world and are mistaken for spirits due to their appearances and abilities. In progress.

see you in the dark

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K./Worm

Saiki gets sent to Brockton Bay and complains about not being in a comedy show anymore. In progress but hasn’t updated since 2021.

Stacked Deck (Or, Colin Wallis vs. Single Parenting)

Persona 4/Worm

Armsmaster has to deal with his brothers wife’s nephew being suddenly dumped on him. Yu has to deal with his uncle being a humanoid cactus. Also superpowers. In progress but hasn’t been updated since 2018.

Pray For the Children You Lost Along the Way

Miraculous Ladybug/Silent Hill

I actually haven’t read this one, although it got into my bookmarks at some point, but I’m putting it on the list for that crossover alone. In progress but hasn’t been updated since 2019.

Magic, not materia

Final Fantasy VII/Harry Potter

Was a bit hesitant about adding a HP fic to this list, but from what I remember, this fic respects HP about as much as I do — that is to say, not at all. Cloud shows up and stabs the Basilisk during Chamber of Secrets. In progress, last updated in 2021.

Once Again

Naruto/Gravity Falls

Mabel is reincarnated as Sasuke Uchiha, and that’s really all you need to know. In progress, hasn’t updated since 2019.

The Addams Family Thief

Persona 5/The Addams Family

Akechi gets adopted by the Addams family and fits in quite well. Complete.

All That Glitters Must Be A Rock

Kingdom Hearts/Steven Universe

Only a crossover in the loosest sense of the word, this fic is set in a world where people from the Destiny Islands are similar to Gems. Effectively complete.

More Than One Hero

My Hero Academia/The Legend of Zelda

Bakugou is a Link, and that changes everything. In progress, hasn’t been updated since 2018.

it's dangerous to go alone

Majora’s Mask/Undertale

Link falls into the Underground and meets Chara. Oneshot.

in the shadows of history (is where we roam)

Little Nightmares/Pokémon: Legends Arceus

Six is going to kill Arceus — and possibly eat what’s left. In progress, last updated in late 2022.

Revival

Batman/Attack on Titan

Eren Yeager in Gotham, what will he do? Adopt a child and befriend the local murderous vigilante apparently. In progress.

The Wheatley Parable

Portal 2/The Stanley Parable

Wheatley feels bad about what happened with Chell, but then he gets a second chance. Things go wrong immediately. In progress, hasn’t updated since late 2022.

Teen Titans: Morph

Teen Titans (2003)/Animorphs

Earth has been invaded by mind-controlling aliens, and the Teen Titans are some of the few heroes who know about it — along with the original Animorphs of course. Also, Starfire has a secret friend. Technically unfinished but satisfying to read anyway, hasn’t updated since 2014.

The Odd Duo of Blue and Pink

Persona 5/Kirby

Kirby and Meta Knight are reincarnated as humans in the Tokyo of Persona 5. In progress, hasn’t updated since 2019.

[heydorothea009]

Bread on Toast 2162 - A Bread on Toast Fanfiction 

After saving the world from the Biotics, Josh and Liv are catapulted into Tiger and Wolf’s time, 2162. The gang is separated from each other and contention begins to brew. Tiger and Liv find themselves face to face with an old “friend”, while Wolf gets caught in being someone he’s not, and Josh’s life is on the line. Things can’t possibly get any worse.

Warnings: strong language, I don’t know how to speak Spanish

Chapter 9: Día De Los Robots

The four of them, Josh, Wolf, Liv, and TyAnne all sprinted out of the compound, alarms still blaring.

  "It was you this whole time?!" Liv was screaming.

  "You know her-" Josh began to ask before gasping, remembering their conversation from right before the Pointed Circle captured him the second time.

  "Tiger and I found this place called the Mons and met this timeline's version of her. She's really annoying..."

  "Ohhhhh!" Josh nodded. "TyAnne!"

  TyAnne whipped her head around. "Achilles." She corrected him. She stopped in the middle of the staircase, turning to Liv. Wolf and Josh bumped into Liv, groaning. "We're going to the storage units, do you remember where those are?" TyAnne asked her. Liv gaped up at her, eyes wide with so many questions. TyAnne drew in a deep breath through her nose. "I will answer any and all questions once we get there. Now come on, help me lead your friends."

  Truth be told, Liv didn't exactly remember where the storage units were, she had just been following Tiger, but she recognized some of the landmarks on the way. Climbing into the underground lab where Hogeveen had been found, Josh and Wolf gawked up at the ceiling. It wasn't big, or anything worth freaking out over, but Josh seemed to be having his mind blown. TyAnne plunked down in a chair, exhaling.

  "So...what was with the...voice?" Liv finally asked.

  TyAnne looked up at her. "You mean this voice?" She asked in her nasally voice. "It's a long story." She said in her normal voice, waving her hand and brushing off Liv's question. Josh and Wolf both immediately turned at the sound of TyAnne's whiny voice, both looking confused.

  "Oh..." Wolf made a face at the sound. "That's really annoying..."

  Liv just blinked at TyAnne. "So are you going to tell it, or..."

  TyAnne sighed. "Fine. Sit down, it'll take me about twenty six minutes and thirty seven seconds to tell you guys."

  The three of them slowly sat down, as TyAnne started from the beginning. She told them about her life as a young child, growing up with a computer dad. It had fucked her up. She'd never experienced actual human interaction until Eunice Hogeveen, AKA Athena, became her care-taker at the age of nine. At fourteen, when TyAnne had finally lost it with Stu, Hogeveen sat her down and told her the truth behind Stu and his plan to enslave the human race and his obsession with bodies being shells.

  Fourteen year old TyAnne had had to sit through 4,891 videos of Stu attempting to upload different people's consciousness into a computer, brutally killing all but one when he'd learned the subject must go willingly into the upload machine. That's how at just fourteen, TyAnne had become Achilles, being Stu's Achilles heel. He'd felt a powerful connection to her, and that was why he'd taken her in as his own.

  As she had to continue to live with a monster, she became one herself, hence, the voice and the attitude. It was an impulsive decision made by her teenage self, but a decision that she had kept up for eighteen years. Finally, after years of begging Hogeveen to be of more use than just Stu's spy, Hogeveen tasked her with going into her bathroom and inputting a code into her bathtub; rose petal, rose petal, geranium, bubbles.

  The next day, TyAnne had done just that, opening a passage into her room, where she was faced with her ex, Torque.

  Liv, Josh, and Wolf all gawked at TyAnne. "Wait, Torque?! Like Wolf's-" Josh started.

  "Yeah, yeah, Torque and I had a thing, and he," she pointed at Wolf. "Looks like Torque. I'm not done."

  She continued to tell them how together, she and Torque (who Wolf had deemed "a loser nerd") (TyAnne shot Wolf a nasty glare as she continued) had infiltrated Stu's system, trying to shut him down. The attempt had ended poorly, having fried Torque's brain until he...died.

  "So...he died in front of you?" Liv asked gently. TyAnne nodded, looking down at the table.

  "And I buried him in my bedroom." She whispered.

  Josh's jaw dropped. "Holy shit, that's hardcore."

  "So he was a nerd who died for nothing." Wolf mumbled sadly.

  TyAnne shook her head. "No, it wasn't for nothing. After that, I took over the Pointed Circle, and Torque's technology helped to replicate Stu's sim," her eyes flickered to Josh. "Which you crashed and gave us hope."

  "And then destroyed it all. We really fucked up thinking you guys were the bad guys." Josh slumped in his seat.

  Liv pursed her lips. "Well...when you think about it..."

  Josh sat up, sighing. "Okay, we need a new plan." He got up and began to pace. Liv crossed her arms on the table, leaning over and resting her chin on them.

  TyAnne shrugged, sighing. "We've tried everything. Stu patched the back door to the sim, and then when we found Josh we thought we could upload directly, but..."

  "We blew up your upload machine..." Wolf winced. "Really sorry about that."

  "And killed all of our scientists." TyAnne clasped her hands together on the table.

  "Guys," Josh said. Everyone's head turned to him. He was holding one of Stu's MARS pamphlets. "There's still one upload machine left..." he slid the paper to the middle of the table for all to see. "I can crash the sim just as easily as I crashed yours. I'm gonna go in there and send that computer back to 7734." Everyone blinked, staying silent. "...hell."

  "Ohhhhh!" Liv nodded her head. "If you type that into the pager and flip it upside down-"

  "It's a visual joke." Josh sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm gonna go fuck up Stu's machine."

  TyAnne studied the pamphlet. "Oh. Okay. So we're all gonna die."

  Tiger stirred, body flaring up with aches. She reached up, feeling a pinch in her neck.

  "Take it easy, you're okay." She heard Stu's voice. "Take it slow." He knelt in front of her. "Things took an unexpected turn last night." He said gently as she sat up. "It was the Pointed Circle, they've got some weapon, I'm not sure what. But if that's the best they've got, I'm still standing." Stu tried smiling optimistically at her. "You, on the other hand, were knocked down... courtesy of your so-called friends, Liv, Joosh, and Wolf." Tiger's eyes widened as the news smacked her in the face. Stu slowly nodded. "...I know...I understand that feeling of hurt and betrayal, TyAnne turned on me too." Stu heaved out a shaky sigh. "Why is it the people closest to you that hurt you the most?"

  "I don't know, but I feel it too." Tiger meant to say. She sat up straighter as her brows furrowed together. She'd said it in Spanish. "What is happening?" Still Spanish. She could hear the English in her head, but her mouth kept speaking in Spanish. "Why can't I talk regular?"

  Stu dragged a hand down his face. "TyAnne." He murmured. "She must have hit you with a Span-qualizer."

  "The what?!" Tiger yelled, in Spanish still.

  "TyAnne was too lazy to learn Spanish, when she did her semester in Mons Barcelona, so I created a serum that bypasses your ventral and dorsal pathways and implants the language instantaneously."

  Tiger scrambled to her feet. "That's fucked up." She grumbled. She didn't even know Spanish, but since her brain knew what she wanted to say, said it perfectly in the other language.

  Stu, sat back, amazed. "She hit you with an immersion dose, that's a doozy. You'll only be able to speak high Castilian for the next few hours." Tiger groaned. "On the plus side, once it wears off you'll be fluent?" He suggested.

  Tiger slammed her fists on her hips. "Cat fucker! Why would they do this to us?! Why?!"

  Stu jumped at her rising voice. "I- I have no idea? Ignorance? Jealousy? Some part of themselves that doesn't want to be happy?" He huffed out a sigh. "Living in the NAG does strange things to people."

  "They've been brainwashed...I'm so angry." She hissed.

  "Try not to be too angry at them. Anger is the lobster trap of emotions." Stu said. Tiger squinted her eyes and cocked her head. "Very easy to get into, impossible to get out."

  "I don't know what that means." Tiger rolled her eyes. "We have to destroy the Pointed Circle."

  "They took their shot and they failed. If they know what's good for them, they're probably hiding out in cannibal country by now." Stu laughed. "Nothing stops the launch. I'm...I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Stu stood, stepping towards her. He snapped his fingers twice, and soft, romantic guitar strums quietly began to play. Tiger blinked, looking confused. Stu began to speak back to her in Spanish, and she understood every word. "This is our special day. The only bond stronger than betrayal...is the love that we share."

  Tiger's lips twitched as she began to speak back in Spanish. "This world is one disappointment after another. I'm ready for something else. Just get me in that chair and get me out this piece of shit body."

  Stu nodded, a triumphant grin spreading over his lips.

  When Josh's plan was sounding a bit too much like a suicide mission again, Liv clamped her hand over his mouth and together, her and Wolf lectured him about not getting himself killed.

  "The last time you tried that, you two just ended up crying." Wolf said. "And I don't want to see that again. You're not getting yourself killed, Josh."

  Josh batted Liv's hand away. "Okay, okay, then what am I supposed to do? Smash the machine?"

  Wolf, TyAnne, and Liv all traded looks. "Honestly, yeah, that could work." TyAnne shrugged.

  "You were a Smasher." Wolf patted him on the back. "You've been training for this moment."

  "Josh," Liv sighed, sliding back down into her chair. "Don't be a hero. I mean," she waved her hands in the air. "You know, be a hero, but not that kind of hero. Please.” She pleaded.

  Josh leaned his head back and sighed. "You've got a point." He mumbled. "I guess my time in the Smash Pit did prepare me for this."

  "I like it, destroy the machine from the outside, the less people die, the better." TyAnne nodded approvingly.

  "So, wait," Josh whined, craning his neck around to look at TyAnne. "Does that mean I crashed your sim for nothing?"

  TyAnne shrugged. "Well, how about instead of crash you smash." Wolf giggled. Liv smacked his shoulder with the back of her hand. TyAnne, stepped forward and placed her hands on the table, bringing up a screen. She pressed a few buttons and a simple map of the Mons appeared. "There's only one way to the upload machine, but it will not be easy to get there." She traced a finger around one of the circles representing the hab units. "We can use these blind spots in the surveillance to get you close to the hangar. But then there's the commandos."

  "Are those the Biotics?" Liv asked.

  TyAnne twisted her neck to look at Liv. "The what?"

  "The dudes in clunky armor with the lightsabers? They tried to kill Josh and I."

  "Yes, then those are the Biotics." TyAnne looked back at the map. "If you can manage to get inside, you'll have to beat the facial recognition scanner, which you better believe will be on the lookout for your adorable little mug." She glanced over at Josh.

  "I don't think they'll think I'm very adorable if they catch me." He muttered. "But if I can have you in my ear talking me through this, I think we'll be just fine."

  "Okay, then what's our plan for the commandos and the scanner?" TyAnne asked. "That's still a wrinkle in our plan."

  "Don't worry, I got that wrinkle so ironed out it's like a smooth piece of silk." Josh grinned, proud of himself.

  TyAnne gave him a tight lipped smile. "You can't iron silk, that will destroy it." She looked over to Liv and Wolf. "He's not even good at metaphors, we're all gonna die." Josh frowned.

  One of the remaining Pointed Circle members, Shiva, rounded the corner. "I bring news," she announced, drawing everyone's attention to her. "The bad kind." She specified. "The NAG is gearing up for an all-out war. The commandos that Stu sent to abduct Jesus and the girl..."

  "It's Josh," he pointed to himself. "It's just Josh now, and that's Liv."

  Shiva dragged her attention back to TyAnne. "They're calling it an act of war, a violation of the armistice. They're being whipped into a frenzy as we speak." Wolf blew out a breath.

  "Isn't that a good thing?" Liv asked. "If they attacked the Mons, that would definitely mess up the launch, right?"

  TyAnne shook her head. "It would just trigger Stu's kill-bots and slaughter everyone."

  Josh scoffed. "He'd do that just because his plan didn't go perfectly?"

  "Yep," TyAnne bobbed her head. "Stu's super petty that way. I grew up with it."

  "Then someone's got to talk the NAG out of it." Wolf muttered. He looked around as everyone's gaze drifted to him. "That someone being me." He added.

  "Is that a good idea? Didn't you kinda bail on them? At least, I'm assuming you did." Liv said.

  "I convinced them to follow me once, perhaps I can do it again." Wolf said confidently.

  "They are extremely sway-able, but also wildly unpredictable and have murdered those who have done far less." TyAnne said quietly. "It's a tough call."

  Wolf stepped toward TyAnne. Josh and Liv's heads swiveled between TyAnne and Wolf. "I've done a lot of wrong since I've been here, Achilles. Just give me this one chance to do something right."

  "Oh, uh..." TyAnne glanced down at Liv and Josh, then back to Wolf. "You realize I don't command you, right?"

  Wolf exhaled out of his nose. "But I wish you would." He mumbled. Liv and Josh both had their brows drawn together as they not so discreetly hit each other's arms. TyAnne blinked a couple times and looked down at the table as Wolf gave Liv and Josh a slight nod and began to leave.

  "Wait!" Liv jumped up to follow Wolf. Josh stood too. "No, you stay here." She pushed him back down into his seat, giving him a quick kiss before trailing after Wolf. "I love you." She left Josh wide eyed and blushing. TyAnne raised one eyebrow at Josh.

  "She's my girlfriend." He gushed. TyAnne slowly nodded and walked over to Shiva and the other few Pointed Circle members.

  Liv climbed up the ladder after Wolf. "Wolf, we have to talk." She said as she followed him up to the storage unit.

  Wolf paused and sighed, turning around and looking like a wounded puppy. "I know..." he sighed, looking scared to make eye contact with her.

  Liv put her hands on her hips and gave him a deadpan look. "Stop it." She snapped her fingers at him. "Stop. Look Wolf, you've been a real jerk since we've got here."

  "That was a nice way of putting it." He mumbled, guiltily wringing his hands.

  "I'm...I'm really, really pissed at you." Her voice gave her away as it broke. Wolf's eyes darted up to meet hers.

  "Liv..." he sighed. "Liv, I'm so sorry." His heart sank.

  "You've been a real jerk on a power trip." Her stupid eyes welled up with stupid tears. She didn't want to cry, but so many emotions were spilling out of her.

  Wolf nodded in agreement, holding out his arms slightly, offering her an embrace. She turned away, folding her arms. His arms fell to his sides, nodding silently. "I understand." He whispered as she wiped a tear.

  "I don't. What happened to you? I miss my friend, Wolf. I miss the Wolf who told me to tell that robot house Sigorn-E I liked Josh, I miss the Wolf who fell in love with cooking, I miss the Wolf who loved Corey Hart and Redbone, I miss-" his hand landed on her shoulder. She looked to see his eyes were misty too.

  "I miss that Wolf too." He sighed. Her chin quivered as she wrapped her arms around him. Wolf held her tightly. "I haven't been myself, I've been Torque, and I deeply apologize. I promise to be Wolf again." He whispered, leaning his cheek against her head.

  "And you have to promise to apologize to Josh." Liv mumbled into his chest. "He told me. You're a real dick head."

  Wolf chuckled and pressed a hand into her hair, holding her tighter. "He said you would think so."

  She gently punched his ribs as she pulled away. "I do think so." She couldn't hide her slight smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Tiger."

  Wolf shrugged. "I'm over it." He tweaked her nose. "Glad to have my best friend back."

  She batted his hand away, grinning. "Likewise. Now go tell those NAG freaks to stop." She gave Wolf one last hug. "Oh! I met Lugnut, she was cool."

  "Yeah? She told me." Wolf smiled as he ducked out of the tent.

  "Takes after her sorta-dad." She winked at Wolf as she opened the hatch to climb back down into the lab.

  Tiger stood in front of a long mirror, taking in the sight of her in the gorgeous white and silver gown she wore. On her head, a jeweled crown dripped jewels over her head. She looked stunning.

  "Wow." A woman's voice came from behind her. Tiger whipped around the see someone she had never seen before. "Someone looks radiant." The woman sang as she glided up the steps to Tiger's side. "No other word would do you justice right now, Miss Tiger, no other words!" She snapped her fingers enthusiastically.

  "Thanks." Tiger grinned. She'd said it in English. She paused before speaking again. "Thanks." English again. She sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God. That would have gotten annoying so fast."

  "Stu sent me to see if you needed anything." The woman grinned cheerfully. "Any questions, concerns, make sure your feet are toasty." Tiger glanced down at her boots, confused. "Men don't always get it, but we do. Just a couple of human ladies talking about human lady stuff."

  "...who are you?" Tiger asked, staring back at the woman through the mirror.

  "I am your lady in waiting." The lady smiled awkwardly.

  "Okay, lady." Tiger nodded at her. "How do I put this on?" Tiger held the chunky plastic and metal collar worn by all other people of the Mons up to her neck. "Like this?"

  "The cerebral port? Yeah, so that's backwards, you gotta," she gestured for Tiger to spin it around to the back of her neck. "Yep, yep, there ya go." She nodded as Tiger twisted it around. "So, how are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Because you know you gotta want it, right? If you're not feeling it the machine knows."

  Tiger nodded, fidgeting with the veils that spilled from her shoulders. "Yeah, yeah, I'm feeling it. So," she pointed to the gaping hole in the chunky collar. "Is this where the needle goes? I heard there's a giant needle."

  "It's- it's not really a needle. More of a little...little-"

  "You can call it a needle. You could call it a fucking jabby death pointer for all I care." Tiger said nonchalantly.

  The woman, who Tiger was starting to realize might be Dr. Ahmadi, Stu's brain therapist, nodded slowly. "Then jabby death pointer does go there."

  Tiger smirked. "Base of the skull. Nice. My favorite soft target, you know, 'cause if you do it right blood just..." Tiger imitated spurting blood, making spraying noises with her mouth and wiggling her fingers. "Out of every hole."

  Dr. Ahmadi's eyebrows shot up as she slowly nodded, trying to be supportive. "Ooh! Fun fact! So...no hang ups about shedding the old mortal coil?"

  "Well, I have one question. What happens to the- the shell?" Tiger asked.

  Dr. Ahmadi laughed. "Let's not dwell on the shell."

  "Chopped up? Acid baths? Dump 'em in the ocean? Incinerated?"

  "Uh, yeah, the uh, last one."

  "Oh, phew, you know I was worried you would mass graves, but here's the thing about mass graves, those corpses will always come back up to Earth's surface."

  Dr. Ahmadi just stared at Tiger, trying to figure out how to respond. "...ooh...fun fact..."

  "I unfortunately know how we can get past the facial recognition scanners." Josh spoke up, wringing his hands on the table.

  TyAnne turned to face him, eyebrow raised. "Go on." Liv sat up in her chair.

  "I'm allergic to nuts..." he murmured. TyAnne furrowed her brows in confusion, pressing him to further explain. "My face swells up and I can't breathe- it's not pretty- but, I'll do it for the cause."

  Liv dragged her hands down her face. "You need to stop hurting yourself for the cause." She grumbled.

  "That could work," TyAnne whispered. "And you could say you have to get in because it's a medical emergency."

  "Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Josh perked up.

  TyAnne smiled, a weight starting to lift off of her shoulders. "It'll work. We just need to get you the perfect Mons disguise."

  It had reached midday by the time they sent Josh up to the crowds above them, anxiously awaiting the launch. Liv strayed back to talk into Josh's earpiece with TyAnne, much to her disliking, but she knew she couldn't go up there. Stu hated her guts (officially now) and would probably have her face on a "kill on sight" list. She sat next to TyAnne, headphones over her ears, and bouncing her leg nervously. An icon on the screen that represented Josh blinked at them. She watched it intently.

  "Stay tight to that hab unit." TyAnne instructed Josh. "One hair to the left and you're dead."

  "Gotta tell you, Achilles, I am loving this suit." Josh's voice answered. TyAnne had given Josh one of the yellow and gray jumpsuits to help him fit in. Unfortunately, the suits were very tight, leaving Josh's insanely large dick to bulge. Liv had smacked him on the back of the head after he'd insinuated that they both go into a back room together after he'd caught her staring. Not that she didn't want to, it was just life or death at the moment. "I feel like I'm an alternate for the Jamaican bobsled team." Liv snorted and rolled her eyes lovingly. "It is, uh, a little tight in the crotchal region...real vacuum seal right around-"

  TyAnne let out an annoyed sigh, shutting Josh right up. Liv dropped her face into her hands, stifling a laugh. "Yeah, so let's just keep this channel open for essential communication, copy?" TyAnne asked, trying not to sound frustrated.

  "Copy that and I will comply." Josh answered cockily.

  TyAnne rolled her eyes, shooting Liv a look. "Right there you just had to say 'copy', that's all." TyAnne said, plastering a fake smile on her face. "That's your boyfriend?" She asked Liv.

  "Hey!" Josh's voice came through the feed. TyAnne moved the microphone away from her mouth and clenched her jaw.

  "Yes, and I," Liv grabbed the microphone and faced it to her mouth. "Love him."

  TyAnne snatched the microphone back. "I love you too." Josh's voice said. "Running, running, running, running," Josh muttered, his icon moving from one hab unit to the next.

  "Oh. God." TyAnne massaged her temples, a very Tiger move. "Seriously?"

  "I appreciate the narration." Liv swung one leg over the other, crossing them.

  "Aaaaand I'm...in position." Josh's icon stopped behind another unit.

  TyAnne held the mic to her mouth. "This is as far as we can take you. You've still got to get past the facial recognition scanner."

  "No problem..." Josh sounded nervous.

  Liv stole the mic from TyAnne. "It's okay, Josh. You'll be okay."

  She could hear the grimace in his voice. "Okay...okay...oh God..." she could imagine him holding the giant all-nut he had been given, trying to psych himself up to eat it.

  "For the fate of the world and humanity." Liv reminded him.

  She could hear the small smile in his voice. "...Goddammit Liv." The feed went fuzzy before Josh's voice returned. "Ugh, okay, I ate it." He sounded awful. They could hear the sound of his retching and coughing.

  Liv grabbed the microphone again. "You're okay, Josh. You're okay." She kept reminding him. Her legs were bouncing so anxiously, TyAnne reached out and placed a hand on her knee to stop her.

  Josh, with his face puffing up and itching like crazy, jogged up to the crowded line awaiting their turn to get into the hangar. His airway squeezed tight, he was wheezing, making some of the citizens look at him, and quickly step aside, looking both disgusted and scared of him. He pushed through the line, wheezing louder on purpose to make people start and let him through. He approached the Biotic looking commandos, panting.

  "Medical emergency!" He wheezed. The commandos waved him inside with no questions asked. He continued to push through a sea of yellow and gray jumpsuits once he got inside.

  "You're going great." Liv's voice said in his ear. "Keep going."

  "This is gonna work." TyAnne said next.

  "I knew it would." Josh panted. Josh could see Stu standing on a balcony overlooking the hangar full of people, continuing some speech that Josh didn't give a fuck about. He ducked under a rope divider and shoved his way forward.

  "Looking good," Tiger's voice made him freeze, his blood running cold. He slowly turned to see her, thankfully, not talking to him, but a group of people a few paces ahead of him. He ducked behind a tall man just as Tiger meandered in his direction, praying that with his splotchy red face he was unrecognizable.

  He could feel her intense stare on him even before he peeked around the man to see if the coast was clear. She was stopped, staring at him and biting the inside of her lips, as if she were trying to place his face. He glanced away as casually as he could, acting like a patient Mons citizen. He saw her turn and pace away, and he let himself heave a sigh of relief.

  "...and don't forget, the all-you-can-eat taco bar on every spacecraft!" Stu projected, making the crowd erupt with excitement.

  Josh looked around, faking enthusiasm. "Woo, I sure love tacos." He clapped along awkwardly.

  "There is someone I would like to formally introduce you all to!" Stu announced excitedly. "Here she is now, my girlfriend!" Stu pointed to Tiger. Tiger waved politely as the room applauded. Josh's face, though stiff, somehow contorted in a disgusted manner. He shook it off and pushed through the line, making it to the face scanners. He gulped as he stepped forward.

  "Did Stu just call Tiger his girlfriend?" TyAnne's voice deadpanned in his ear.

  "Yes, now shut up, I'm at the scanners." Josh whispered as the scanners blinked, trying to place his face. They flicked from red to green, signaling that he was cleared.

  "Holy shit, it worked." Liv gasped.

  "Don't get too excited, we're not there yet." TyAnne muttered. Josh looked around at the eight people in front of him. He brushed past all of them, leaving the people in his wake complaining and pissed at him, but he didn't care. He made it to the front, standing next to a boy with a 1 stitched into his sleeve. He turned his head and glared at Josh.

  "What are you doing?" The boy asked, looking agitated.

  "Do you see my face?" Josh wheezed. "I have to go in right now." He felt for the tool that TyAnne had given him in his pocket, making sure he had for when he needed to smash the machine.

  The boy put a hand in front of Josh so he couldn't move in front of him. "Okay? So? I've been waiting my whole damn life for this."

  Josh gaped at him. "Uh, I don't think you understand, I have to be first-"

  "I don't think you understand." The boy let out an unconvincing laugh. "I'm Jimmy Fucking McGurgan."

  "Oh fuck, not this guy." Liv swore in his ear. "I forgot about him."

  "I'm the first boy on Mars." Jimmy looked Josh up and down, unimpressed.

  "Okay, uh, Jimmy," Josh tried to stay patient. "Listen, only one person can go in there, and that's me, okay? I'm J1."

  "I'm J1." Jimmy glared at Josh, flaunting the 1 on his sleeve.

  Josh didn't have time for this. "Okay, tough guy, see you in hell." Josh rolled his eyes and stepped back.

  "What are you doing?" TyAnne hissed in his ear.

  "Letting this guy get himself killed." Josh grumbled. Jimmy shot Josh a nasty look as the doors in front of them hissed open.

  "You freak." Jimmy gave Josh the "I'm watching you" gesture as he stepped inside, the inside hissing with suspicious white fog. Then the door whistled shut.

  Josh patted his hand over the tool. He didn't know what it was, TyAnne had explained it to him while Liv was staring at him in the Mons suit and he'd gotten distracted. All he knew is that it had sharp points and he could stab whatever machine was waiting for him on the other side of that door. Josh glowered at the screen above the door, stomach writhing with nerves as there was a freakishly long pause before the screen's count changed from 0 to 1. The crowd cheered at the seeming victory.

  Above Josh, Stu was on the balcony, dashing back and forth from his holographic screen to the railing, trying to figure out if the man with the puffy face was actually Joosh Futturman.

  "It's him, I should have known he would never give up." Tiger rolled her eyes, scolding herself from brushing him of as just Mons citizen having an allergic reaction.

  "Then why the self-mutilation?" Stu asked, quiet yet frantic. When Tiger just shrugged, Stu stared off, going completely silent for a long pause. Tiger hesitated before waving a hand in front of Stu's face.

  "Stu?"

  He jolted back to reality with a grin. "I'm gonna patch it!"

  Tiger watched as he turned back to his holographic screen. "Patch what?"

  "Just a bug in my programming. The Pointed Circle must have been poking around in my system and found a former weakness in my code, Joosh." He said the name with seething hatred. "I've just got to patch it right up, I'll just shut myself down for a quick second and fix it. Then when I'm back, I'll upload him anyways, and torture for all eternity. Together." Stu had a look in his eyes that made Tiger's skin crawl.

  "You can...do that?" Tiger managed to say.

  "Yeah," he shrugged. "It's my system."

  "But when I was in there, I controlled everything..."

  "Yeah, because I let you." Stu laughed as if she were just a silly child who had asked a silly question. Tiger hated it.

  "So...you'll have complete and total control over everything and everyone in MARS?" Tiger asked, head swimming with all the red flags that were finally showing up for her.

  "Yeah." Stu's voice sounded dark. "You think I'll just let people run around all willy-nilly? That would be chaos without an administrator. My world, my rules. I get to decide." Tiger took a step back, trying to feign a smile. "It's for the best, trust me, Tiger."

  Down below, the door whisked open in front of Josh, and he quickly pulled out his tool.

  "What's that?" He heard someone ask from behind him as he walked into the unknown, covered by the scary white fog. He waved it away from his face as the door closed behind him.

  "Josh, remember to press the button-" TyAnne started, but was disconnected. He looked around the room, which was all white, glossy, and empty, save for one metal chair with a strange curved  stem protruding from the back. That was it.

  "Gotcha," Josh whispered as he pressed the button on the weapon and- "Oh my God!" Josh flinched as a red laser shot out from the metal handle. "Oh my God! Lightsaber!" Josh gasped. It was the same laser sword the Biotic commandos had had. He pressed the button again, and the laser changed completely, becoming wider and more rounded. Just like a bat. Josh let out a laugh. "This is awesome!"

  Josh turned to the machine, winding up. "Once a Smasher, always a Smasher." He mumbled to himself. "I could've used this a long time ago."

  "Please be seated so we can begin." An automated voice said.

  "Shut up, robo-lady!" Josh took a swing at the chair, unsure of if it was actually part of the upload machine, but thought it would help just in case. The chair dented, hissing from the heat of the laser bat.

  White fog filtered into the room again, making Josh cough as he inhaled it. It had a lavender scent to it, and, while nice, Josh was annoyed by it. The only truly nice thing about it was how Josh could feel it taking down the swelling in his face. But that wasn’t why he was there. He wound up for another swing before he was overtaken by hacking again. "Oh my God, what is that?" He turned around and looked up at the fog dispensers. He would smash that next if he could...stop feeling so sluggish. His body felt heavy, tumbling backwards, his back hitting the chair, his brain going numb with sudden exhaustion. The room went dark suddenly, but Josh couldn't will himself to get up, being lured by the tendrils of sleep. The laser bat slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. TyAnne and Liv were back online in his ear, screaming for him to get up, but he could barely hear it.

  The lights came back on, and so did the robo-lady. "Initiating Journey to MARS, Mankind's Automated Reality System." Her electronic voice sounded like it was inside his brain. "In three, two..."

  "He stopped." TyAnne jammed the microphone button with her finger. "Why did you stop?" She asked loudly into the microphone. "Josh, why aren't you-"

  "Something's wrong," Liv sounded terrified out of her mind. They could see Josh's icon frozen on the screen. They could see something behind him lighting up as red, signifying he had found the upload machine. "He's frozen or something, he's stuck maybe?"

  "Josh! Smash the machine!" TyAnne yelled into the microphone. No answer.

  "He can't hear us!" Liv wailed.

  "Stu." TyAnne seethed. "He's probably cut off all signals to that one room. Ours isn't going through."

  "Josh!" Liv shouted into the microphone. "Josh, can you hear us?!"

  "Josh! Do you copy?" TyAnne yelled. Suddenly, his icon began to move. Fast. TyAnne and Liv lurched from their seats, Liv's seat toppling over. "He didn't destroy the machine." TyAnne's voice was taut with concern. "Did Stu catch him?"

  Suddenly, Josh was back online, but Tiger's voice was filtering through the feed. "There's no spaceship! There's no Mars! It's all lies!" She was yelling, sounding strained.

  "No! Where are you going?!" They could hear Stu yelling.

  "Tiger turned on Stu." TyAnne breathed out.

  "She saved Josh." Liv was gripping the table so hard her knuckles were turning white. TyAnne quickly switched the screen over to the camera feeds of the Mons. It was chaos. Stu had a giant hologram in the sky screaming at the frightened people.

  "Get back in the line you shaved apes!" He bellowed. Liv lifted a hand to cover her mouth, eyes wide. "I'm not done with you yet! Listen to your Master, your God!"

  "Holy shit..." TyAnne stepped back. A woman's hologram appeared behind Stu. "Dr. Ahmadi?" TyAnne asked.

  "Stu, you're in the lobster trap." She said gently to him.

  "I don't care! The rubber bands are off and the claws are out!" His yells echoed through the Mons. "Fuck humanity!" He flipped off the frightened people down below.

  "What have we done?" TyAnne whispered.

  "Maybe it won't be so bad?" Someone said from behind them.

  Stu composed himself for a moment. "Release the kill-bots."

  TyAnne threw over a chair and screamed in anger.

A/N: hey chat, remember when I said I was gonna upload more often? Yeah I got broken up with later that day and I got depressed. LOL YOU CAN LAUGH IT’S FUNNY!!!!!!! I’m done moping now, life has been shit, so I’m ready to make it fun again!!!!! I’m going to start on season 3, so don’t worry!!!! Bread on Toast will make it to the end!!!!