#so who better than Dante to take a last name from?

[redflagshipwriter]

ANOTHER UNDEAD FENTON

Inspiration came from this post by @stars-obsession-pit !

Word count: 1479

Masterpost of Archive Down Fics here.

(I wrote three dp x dc fics based off of prompts I've seen in the last day for reading while the site is getting maintenance. )

There was a high, shrill scream in the Fenton lab.

Maddie bolted for the stairs, abandoning her coffee without a thought. She flung herself down to see Jack bent over a body in front of the portal.

“Is this person a threat?” Maddie prepared to defend her husband, but the body didn't move.

Jack looked up at her. “No, I was just surprised! I think he's hurt, Mads.”

Her bleeding heart husband. She crossed the room and rolled their intruder over to see it was a kid, maybe Danny's age. In his sleep, he had a sweet, soft face. His face and throat were covered in faint scars.

Well. That was one of hers, now. No getting around it. That was a teenage boy on her floor who has obviously been the victim of violence.

“Well, shit,” Maddie said companionably. She blew out air between her teeth. “Dear, would you put clean sheets on in Jazz's room?”

They were running out of space, between the clones and the past evil alternate future children.

Jack saluted her, shouted an affirmation , and bounded away.

Maddie took a moment to wonder if her children would be an infinitely expanding collection and if so, if it would be better to move into Vlad's castle than to build the home addition they had planned for.

She gathered the teenager up in her arms despite him being her size, and laid him out on an exam table. She started checking his vitals.

A hand shot out and grabbed her by the wrist.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Maddie said. She redirected her hand to smooth hair behind his ear. He blearily followed the movement, just as obviously intelligent as he was obviously compromised. She didn't know if it was a concussion or drugs or what, but this boy was not well. “It's Friday June 29th, and you're in Amity Park, Illinois. I'm Madeleine Fenton and you're at my house because you fell through a portal. Is there someone I should call for you?”

He stared at her. She could see the moment he decided not to speak to her.

That situation didn't change much all day. The kid walked himself up to bed and peered around at Jazz's old posters. He seemed to want to be alone, but Maddie caught him watching Dani and Dan playing catch in the yard. She made eye contact with him over her book and then looked back at her shrieking kids. Dan was doing flips on the trampoline and launching his sister in the air, catching and tossing her back up in the nick of time between flips.

Their new boy closed his curtains.

“I was thinking about Dante,” Jack said, bringing out a pitcher of iced tea. “Or, how about Jasper! Eh? Eh? You know, like Jazz-per?” Jack belly laughed.

“He probably has his own name,” Maddie said calmly. She'd estimated him at 16 or so, anyway. But whatever. If he wasn't going to give them a name, they did eventually need something to call him. And they needed to sort out accommodation fast, before Jazz got back from her college tour trip.

“Let's go with Jasper until he gives us his real name.” There were enough Ds in her home, honestly.

She lured Jasper out of his room for lunch. He sat at the kitchen table and watched them all warily. He only ate what they ate.

Danny arrived mid-meal. “Mom! Dad!” There was a whumpf as he probably threw himself onto the sofa. “We wanna go to Elmerton, that ok?”

“You should take your brother with you,” Maddie called back. “He needs clothes.”

“What?” Danny clearly pried himself up and came into the kitchen. Maddie silently offered to make him a plate. “No, I ate at Tuck's. Dan, what'd you do to your clothes?”

“Nothing, you pathetic worm,” said Dan, who really was a sensitive boy. “I am not the topic of discussion, you blithering fool.” He jerked a finger at Jasper. “New one.”

Danny stared.

Jasper looked uncomfortable. He gave a sort of hello nod.

“He's, uh, he's not-”

“Not a clone or alternate future version of you, nope,” Maddie agreed. “Though he did come out of the portal. We wondered if he might be a ghost, but it didn't seem necessary to ask.”

Jasper full body flinched at the word “ghost”, but he looked confused.

Danny squinted at his new bother who, it must be said, did look a bit like a Fenton already. “Not a ghost,” he said after a long pause. “But a little undead. Not sure what kind. But yeah, you're walking dead, buddy.” He clapped Jasper on the shoulder.

“You'll fit right in!” Jack cheered. “Dan is half dead! So is Danno! And so is Dani here! And-”

“Thank you, Jack,” Maddie cut him off. “It might be a sensitive subject, don't you think?”

“Nah,” said Danny, stealing food out of the pan despite saying he wasn't hungry. “We aren't that sensitive. Like-” he looked at Jasper and explained: “I got electrocuted to death in the lab two years ago. Dan is from an alternate future where everyone he loved died, so then he killed everyone else on earth. And Dani is a science experiment baby.”

“It's true,” Dani said solemnly. “I'm a work of science.”

“You make me sound so uncool,” Dan complained, stabbing at his spaghetti.

Jasper laughed for the first time. He himself seemed surprised by the sound. It was hoarse but there was promise there.

When the boys were off at the mall in Elmerton with Sam and Tucker, Maddie called up Vlad.

“You want to come here?”

“I’ve got more kids than I have rooms in my house,” she said wryly. “So if the offer is still open…”

“Yes, of course it is,” he assured her. “But- most of the little ones are still in the Ghost Zone, correct?”

“They're not big enough to leave yet,” Maddie agreed. “Which is why I need to be near a portal.” The ghostlings were staying with the LunchLady and Box Ghost, but they needed to be able to be in touch. “But no, I've got another one.”

Glass shattered in the background. “Another- what happened to Daniel this time?”

Maddie laughed at how flustered her old college friend got. “Nothing to do with Danny, actually, this one fell out of the portal. He's some level of partly dead, but we don't think he's a ghost at all.”

Left unsaid was that they needed to do a lot of research to figure out what other possibilities there were. If they could get into contact with Danny's GP, he might be able to get them on the right track.

“Well.” Vlad took a moment to rally. “When will the family be arriving?”

Two months later, all the kids were pretty settled in.

Jasper had never shared a name, but he was happy to let them call him Jay. He was a phenomenal big brother to Dani. He wrestled with Dan. He bullied Danny into doing his homework. It had been something of an administrative nightmare to get Jaspen enrolled in school, but Vlad had pulled off whatever magic trick he'd done for Dani (applied a lot of money to the problem, Maddie supposed) and Jay had settled in very well.

“Your debut in society,” Maddie hummed, making a point of straightening Jay’s tie. He was growing already, she was sure of it! He was going to wind up as tall as Jack.

“I've been to parties before, Mom,” Jay drawled, and then flushed a dark red that meant he didn't want to be asked questions. Maddie tweaked his nose instead of answering.

“But this is the first one where Vlad's introducing you to his business friends!” She said, already dressed up for a fun night. Vlad had flown them all in on his private jet for the day.

“Queen is a family man as well,” Vlad had said the night before, aiming for calculating and coming off soft. “It will put him off his guard or perhaps make him sick with envy that I have brought a higher quality child than he could ever manage to produce.”

They arrived together, Maddie on Jack's arm, keeping her flock of kids within eyesight as Vlad led the pack. She had a perfect view of Oliver Queen seeing them arrive, the smile dropping off his face, and him choking on his drink. He did look very silly, Maddie had to admit.

“Inept,” Vlad hissed, very pleased. “The fool can't even drink. His company will be mine-” he looked at Danny for some reason. Vlad faltered at whatever be saw. “....Through legitimate business practices, such as buying a majority of stocks,” Vlad weakly finished.

Maddie slapped him on the back. “Go get him, tiger.”

[ddarker-dreams]

lock's otome game recs

i received some asks indicating an interest in a compilation of my favorite otome games, so i decided to go for it!! i've played about fourteen otome games, but of those fourteen, only these six left a lasting impression on me. there are still some that i intend to check out, so the rankings may update in the future. i'll give a very general overview of each game and how i'd score the categories that i find the most important in an otome game — the heroine, story, art, enjoyability, along with the characters i liked the most.

number 6 - piofiore fated memories.

heroine: 6/10 story: 6.5/10 characters: 7/10 art: 10/10 enjoyability: 8/10 favorite characters: dante (ishikawa kaito), nicola (kimura ryouhei) and yang (okamoto nobuhiko)

this game centers around the heroine, with the default name liliana adornato, who finds herself entangled in the politics of the region's three most prominent crime organizations. the game has an italian backdrop and iirc, takes place in the 1930s.

the overarching narrative, while it has its fair share of intrigue, isn't the game's strongest point. it's the interactions with the characters themselves that made the game feel worthwhile. each love interest has more to them than what meets the eye, so it's satisfying to watch the relationship between them and the heroine develop.

the heroine takes a passive role throughout much of the game, events sorta just happen to her. still, she has a kind disposition that makes her likable and doesn't make stupid decisions that has you wanting to fling your console across the room. her characterization changes slightly depending on the route. for instance, without getting into spoilers, she's more assertive throughout yang's route. the resulting dynamic made yang's route the most memorable, even if he's my third favorite character from the bunch.

what feels unique to this game is the effort put into the bad endings. in most visual novels, bad endings can feel like gimmicks. you make one or two wrong decisions and you're rewarded with a few paragraphs. the downward spiral of the characters in the bad endings are decently fleshed out and you can see how they arrived at this 'worst' version of themselves. they're suitably dark and it shouldn't come as a surprise that i enjoyed them because of that 😭

then there's the art. it's stunning, the details in each CG are mindboggling. the heroine gets to wear a variety of pretty outfits which is something i like to see. even in the story's weaker moments, a stunning CG would pop up that had me forgiving everything. i still glance through the gallery to this day.

number five - cupid parasite.

heroine: 9.5/10 story: 7/10 characters: 7/10 art: 9/10 enjoyability: 9/10 favorite characters: ryuki keisaiin (junya enoki) & gill lovecraft (kimura ryouhei)

iconic. showstopping. a little bit camp.

cupid parasite stars one of my favorite heroines, lynette. she works as a bridal advisor whose ambition is to ensure everyone finds their soulmate. in actuality, she's the goddess cupid, who left her post in celestia to better understand humanity and create lasting pairs. she's a delight to play as.

this game's presentation and overall aesthetic is the most distinct from any otome game i've played. aside from the presentation, the story itself is unlike any of the others on this list. when it comes to romance, i typically prefer them to be dark and mature. this game opts for a more lighthearted approach. it vacillates between being a romcom and dipping into the absurdist genre. there were times i was literally left speechless (glances at gill's route)... but it makes for an entertaining experience. the game's plenty funny as well.

personally, i enjoyed the more grounded moments when the mythological elements remained in the background. because of this, the true ending doesn't do it for me as much as they do in other games. as with anything, this is a personal preference though. i liked all of the routes and found the game handles the development of each love interest well. we're introduced to these men at their most pathetic and get to help them become a little more well-adjusted. lowering the cringe meter, if you will. it makes their growth all the most satisfying as the narrative progresses.

number four - even if tempest.

heroine: 9/10 story: 8.5/10 characters: 8/10 art: 6/10 enjoyability: 9/10 favorite characters: the heroine herself, tyril i lister (noriaki sugiyama), crius castlerock (makoto furukawa) and lucien neuschburn (kaito ishikawa)

right from the get-go, this game's premise had me hooked. it features the heroine, anastasia (<3!), who leads an incredibly tragic life. she's bestowed the ability to reverse time following each of her deaths and uses this to unravel a mess of mysteries the world's setting is tangled in.

this game is absolutely anastasia's story. without spoiling anything, i loved the approach they took with the time rewinding ability. how it's incorporated is unique to an otome game, which they take full advantage of to amplify the tragic romances. on that note, the romance itself occasionally takes a backseat to the narrative as a whole. personally, i didn't mind this in the moment, since i found the story so interesting. in retrospect, i do wish that we got more moments between the heroine and each love interest, especially in the true ending.

there are more gameplay elements here as well. you have to conduct investigations, gather evidence, and apply what you've learned during these trial segments. when i first read about this, i thought it'd be a gimmick, but i liked playing through them. it incentivizes you to pay extra close attention to the world.

while i liked the narrative as a whole, i do wish we got more worldbuilding. there are hints of political subterfuge and religious oligarchy that, while touched upon, could've been leaned into more to give the setting a distinct feeling.

number three - olympia soiree

heroine: 8/10 story: 8/10 characters: 8/10 art: 10/10 enjoyability: 10/10 favorite characters: akaza (yoshitsugu matsuoka), himuka (shun horie), and yosuga (yuma uchida)

in olympia soirée, the eponymous heroine, olympia, lives in a society divided into castes based on colors. she is the last surviving member of a clan that can perform rituals to keep the sun aglow. this game is a lengthier title, i believe i clocked in around 25 ish hours (i don't use auto-play so that sheds some time). the story benefits from this, as olympia has rich worldbuilding and lore that's revealed throughout the route's progression.

we get to see the consequences of this caste system and olympia's growth as she becomes determined to realize a better future for the islands. this makes the heroine someone that you want to root for. personally, i'm a sucker for stories that center around a sheltered individual being forced to face the harsh realities of the world and maturing in their own way. this, paired with the struggles specific to this setting, make for a gripping backdrop for the character's routes. all the love interests have problems of their own that they need to address.

this is certainly a mature title, there's plenty of steamy scenes featuring gorgeous artwork. seriously... all the pretty CGs are absolute eye candy. i enjoyed the balance between the main narrative and the development of the romantic relationships, i don't remember ever feeling bored.

ironically enough, i think this is the darkest game from the bunch listed here, surpassing the game with actual horror elements. there's a whole litany of trigger warnings to be mindful of when going through the game's bad ends. they are, as the term suggests, Bad. not light or humorous in the slightest. the poor heroine goes through it. please be mindful of these more touchy subjects.

number two - 9 r.i.p

heroine: 8/10 story: 8/10 characters: 9/10 art: 10/10 enjoyability: 10/10 favorite characters: minami (nobuhiko okamoto), hibiki (shunichi toki), kureha (toshiki masuda), and koyo (ryota suzuki)

i was looking forward to the english localization of this game before it was even announced ... i'd been wanting an otome game with this vibe for ages. and it didn't disappoint! there are four different overarching story sections, with two characters each having their routes fall under them. this makes it difficult to give a summary since each route has a vastly different feel. some routes lean heavy into supernatural horror (such as hibiki and kureha), whereas others are just... supernatural (like with yukimaro and koharu).

the basic premise is that the main character, misa, is a high school girl burdened with her career survey. she's uncertain what she wants for the future and is being pressured by his mother to pursue a career in medicine. in one way or another, depending on the story section, she comes into contact with the afterlife and those who inhabit it.

i loved this game, i couldn't put it down. the routes that leaned heavy into horror were my favorites, which shouldn't be a surprise lol. i do feel some love interests were given preferential treatment of others, i wanted more from sena's storyline in particular, since he's voiced by one of my favorite VAs (tetsuya kakihara, the voice of scaramouche) 😭... apparently this game is receiving a fandisc, so hopefully they'll remedy that in the future.

minami stole the show for me. from what i've gauged online, he's a divisive character, you either find him grating or love him (like i do). i'm biased but i do think he has the most interesting and well-written story out of the love interests, i've played through it three times already. i just adored the dynamic between him and the heroine. he's petulant, selfish, and a bit immature, yet he goes to extremes for her as he realizes his unhinged feelings.

hibiki is a close second. the most yandere-coded of the bunch, he's soft-spoken and polite, but that exterior hides a creepy personality. like all of the characters in this game, there's a tragic element to him. i was worried about the role the heroine would play in helping him 'overcome' this, but i think they handled it well. it doesn't feel like the heroine's fixing him so much as she's helping him have a different perspective on certain events.

yeah i'm not normal about this game, i cannot recommend it enough. it would've taken the top slot if some of the routes were a bit more polished. i didn't care for yukimaro's at all, for example. routes like minami's, hibiki's, and koyo's more than make up for it though.

number one - collar x malice

heroine: 10/10 story: 10/10 characters: 10/10 art: 10/10 enjoyability: 10/10 favorite characters: takeru sasazuka (daisuke namikawa), kei okazaki (yuki kaji), and aiji yanagi (masakazu morita)

the holy grail. the otome games that died for our sins. this isn't just a good otome game, it's an excellent story, with a very human cast, commentary on issues like the nature of crime, and you're left wanting to solve the various mysterious as much as the heroine does. speaking of the heroine, miss hoshino ichika is my all-time favorite heroine. she's clever, resolute, compassionate, and you can't help but fall in love with her a little yourself 😭😭

i'm not sure if this makes sense, but the world feels very... full? you get this sense that ichika exists outside just interacting with the love interests. she has her career, friends, and her younger brother that act as more than passing NPCs. the writers ensured all the characters with portraits are given some level of depth. i left caring about more characters than the heroine and love interests.

each route is dedicated to working through a certain case, which keeps the story intriguing as you progress. finally, all of the little hints that have been littered throughout coalesce into the 'true' route, where questions you've had since the first chapter are given satisfactory conclusions. at the same time, you're left wondering about a few things, such as the complete philosophy of the main antagonist.

ichika's relationship with each of the love interests develops alongside the case they're investigating, which almost always have connections or parallels to the LI's past. this helped ground them in reality and flesh them out into dynamic characters. you come to care deeply about them alongside ichika. the romance feels earned and doesn't come on too fast, which some otome games suffer from.

if you like otome games and haven't played collar x malice yet, i fully recommend it!!!!!!!! it's the strongest title from what i've played so far.

[alicethenobody]

My personal interpretation of the “If the twins switched places.” concept in DMC. (part 1 where I talk about Vergil’s base personality, later posts will get more into the lore) I apologize if there’s mischaracterization, while it’s an AU that completely flips the story around I still don’t wish to mischaracterize anyone.

Dante is outside of the house instead of Vergil, claiming if his brother won’t play with him he’ll “have fun without him” because you know… kids. Eva saves Vergil this time because of this and dies while looking for Dante.

Vergil feels immense regret for ever thinking his mom didn’t love him as much as Dante, he hates himself for not realizing it until she died trying to save them both. And he regrets not being able to save his family either. Like canon Vergil, he has a fixation on getting stronger but he does it through training as opposed to raising demonic towers. He doesn’t want to give up his humanity in this universe because it was his mother’s humanity and love for him that kept him safe that day. Also instead of just idolizing the part of his father that was powerful he truly thinks about what set him apart from the other demons that made him more powerful, and he knows it’s his heart and desire to protect others. So Vergil aspires to be like him in that way. Also the ending of DMC5SE implies Vergil does remember the time he had with Sparda, unlike Dante who states he doesn’t really remember much about him. I think because he had a better idea of who his father was than his twin did and doesn’t resent him like Dante did for the earlier parts of their lives.

Vergil can come across as cold because he believes if people get too close to him they might get hurt, he’s aware that demons are after him due to his relation to Sparda and doesn’t wish for others to get hurt. There’s also just the fact that he’s always been the quiet type and doesn’t socialize too well, Dante was always the more social twin.

Also this Vergil lets his goofy/dorky side show more often. While he’s not CUHRAYZEE LETS START THE PARTY like Dante he has a dry sense of humor like V, though his jokes don’t often land for anyone but him. He also says jackpot more often and isn’t all embarrassed about it. Oh, and remember V’s EX taunt? Yeah, he’ll do that sometimes against his enemies. I can see him doing some classical dances while attacking demons.

Unlike Dante, he can run a stable business (though it should be noted Dante never really treated DMC like a business which is said in Deadly Fortune). He ends up reading plenty of books in order to guide him as well. He’s more willing to take jobs that stray from demon hunting because he’s aware he needs to pay his bills, he’s also able to avoid going into debt and avoids things like gambling. He sees his job as a way to atone for being unable to protect his family by saving as many people as possible, but nothing can truly ease the guilt in his heart. He often has nightmares about his family resenting him for not being strong enough to save them. He often wonders if he’s being punished for ever thinking Eva didn’t love him or for not playing with Dante that day.

I don’t think Vergil would be as adverse to his demon heritage as Dante, but I can imagine him trying to repress that side for a time because he’s afraid he won’t be able to control himself. The idea of not being in control of his actions terrifies him and so does possibly accidentally hurting the ones he loves. He doesn’t want to feel at fault for someone getting hurt ever again.

One last thing: He has a thing for anything chocolate. Sundaes, cakes, you name it. But he eats these in secret because he doesn’t want to appear “childish” for having a sweet tooth. So you won’t see him go to a bar and order these things. Also, he loves sushi and has a soft spot for instant noodles.

Next post I’ll talk about Dante, then the post after will be about Nero. I don’t want this to get too long.

[rangersoup]

It’s that time of the week again! Thank you @nisbanisba @paperstorm @carlos-in-glasses @annoyingcloudearthquake @lemonlyman-dotcom @thisbuildinghasfeelings and @emsprovisions for tagging me! A special thanks to @futures-tense for also tagging me, but ALSO being my partner in crime for this one!

Here's a snippet from my current wip tentatively titled Flowers and Red Flags:

“How can I help you all?” The objectively cute blond receptionist greets them with a friendly smile as they walk into the lobby of the resort. Maybe a little too friendly, Carlos thinks as he scans over the whole area surrounding them. It’s nice, neat, clean, slathered in a rustic aesthetic that puts the family ranch house to shame. 

“We’re here for check in,” Campbell says leaning the desk with his own equally overly friendly smile, that even Carlos would be fooled by if he didn’t know any better.

“What’s the name?” the woman asks, pulling up a tab on her computer.

“The Smiths,” Campbell replies, taking a second to look around and take in their surroundings, his mind deep at work behind his blue eyes. “Boy, this place is nice, isn’t it babe?”

Babe?

“What?” Carlos says, missing a beat and trying valiantly to recover. “Oh– yeah.”

Campbell rolls his eyes and looks back at the receptionist. “He gets so tongue tied sometimes.”

She offers a polite chuckle and looks up from the computer. “It can be a lot to take in. We’re the largest ranch resort in the state, you know?”

“Yeah, and city boys don’t know what to do with themselves when there isn’t noisy traffic or concrete everywhere.”

Carlos is still never going to forgive Dante for making part of his cover be "city boy".

“Aw, he’s a city boy?” the receptionist says, almost pityingly.

“Yeah, but we’re here to change that,” Campbell says, sliding one hand around Carlos’s hips and pulling him up against his side. Carlos tries hard not to stiffen at the touch. Relax. Breathe. Act natural. “Aren’t we?”

“We’ll see,” Carlos replies, offering both the woman behind the desk and his partner the most genuine smile he has to offer, which does not feel very genuine at all. This is going to be a lot harder than he thought.

“Well, here’s the keys to your room, map of the place, and a brochure with all the things we offer.” she slides a packet across the counter to Campbell and lowers her head. She gives him another all to friendly grin. “And good luck with him.” She keeps her voice low. “Some of em never change.”

“Oh, I can be very convincing,” Campbell replies, snatching up the packet and giving Carlos some very convincing googly eyes. “And he can’t say no to me.”

He follows this up, by giving Carlos a little squeeze before turning him towards the hallway leading to the suites. He keeps his arm tucked around him until they’ve made it to their room and are safely behind their closed door. Then he immediately breaks away and turns to face him. For half a second Carlos thinks he’s about to catch an earful about how his acting needing some improvement, but the cheeky grin on Campbell’s face tells him that’s not the case.

“Alone at last,” Campbell says with a seductive eyebrow wiggle.

“I hate you,” Carlos says with an eye roll and pushes past him to inspect the living quarters they’ll be sharing for the next week. A week? This is going to be a long week.

“Rude,” Campbell jokes, following him into the main part of the room. “I’m your husband, you’re supposed to love me.”

Carlos shakes his head and laughs dangerously. They’re not going to make it a week because he’s going to strangle him.

OPEN TAG: anyone who wants to join in the fun! feel free to tag me in what ever you post!

[cloveroctobers]

BONUS CHAPTER: FREE FALL — Dante Torres x OC x Manny Castillo

A/N: The Dante centered episodes always inspire something lol. And considering that they didn’t just let this Gloria storyline go (like I hoped) it was only right that I dip back into my killing me series. Let’s see how what went down in the mid-season finale comes into play for these two or three huh? THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED YET! 😬 p.s. can’t tell you how many songs I went through that fit best for this one!

Warnings: feels. heartache/angst. Feels & language! + me possibly butchering some Spanish so please feel free to gently correct me if this is wrong 🤎

* GIF BELONGS TO: @nicolethered

<- catch up on the previous chapter here.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶

“You know I’m attracted to you, right?” He says to her, warm hand lightly squeezing at her shoulder.

They’re sitting face to face, lounging on her couch back in Chicago. He’s got that stupid grin on his face as she shields her’s at this new (was it?) revelation Manny decided to air out. He’s got his temple resting against his balled up fingers, elbow pressing along the top of the couch while he stares in adoration at the woman across from him.

Seraphina peeks through her fingers, “And what exactly do you want me to do with this information, Manuel?”

“Oh, now it’s the whole government name drop, okay I see you.” Manny chuckles before running his fingers back down her arm again to rest against the hand she has against her balled up knee, “…you can do whatever you want with it.”

Did he mean the name calling or…?

“I probably will.” Seraphina teases.

Manny nods, a grin still on his face. One thing she learned about her new found friend, he always felt like a light at the end of the tunnel. There must have been a reason he entered the bar that one night and why the friendship continued. Seraphina’s old friend Seán (who was off living his best life again, on a cruise with his fiancé—which Seraphina still did not care for) already gave his stamp of approval, although she never asked for it…she still listened on his insight.

Manny checked in, “I know our date…well we’re calling it a hangout to not make it as overwhelming for you but we both know it was a date…went well right?”

She nods.

“I’ve got the most patience in the world you know? I just want to keep reminding you that, I’m open to seeing wherever this goes…whenever you’re ready.”

She’s been freaking out ever since the official date, which was back in August. It felt like Seraphina was supposed to feel guilty by doing this, originally she was supposed to be back in Chicago in September but extended her time out in Rhode Island (and Philly) until late October. That time was very transformative for her, to the point that she could breathe normally instead of taking constant deep breaths. If it was one thing she learned, her parents seemed to be in a better headspace in Kansas City after all these years but…was she ready to give everything up and start over with something that might only last a chapter?

Would this thrill only be temporary?

These were things she started to think about.

Surely vacations are different than spending time somewhere permanently but Seraphina couldn’t erase the excitement at the thought of where she could be. The more she stared into Manny’s dark blue hues with specs of green that surrounded his pupil, she thought there could be endless possibilities instead of remaining stuck.

“I appreciate that.” She finds herself saying, a soft smile playing on her full lips.

It seems as if Manny leaned in closer as he questioned, “Yeah?”

“Yes…I just want to make sure I’m in the right mental and emotional state before I can decide to give you my all.” Seraphina admits, pulling her bottom lip under her top one.

Manny sensed what she was getting at. He heard about what she went through before she ventured off to the New England area and before she reached out, telling Manny that she was out in his neck of the woods on a girl’s weekend trip with her cousin—who ended up wanting to just sleep in the hotel after the first day of sight seeing.

Being a mom was taking Behati out so Seraphina was sympathetic. Which gave her more time to see how Manny was living and seeing him in his element (and his business casual attire wasn’t bad to witness either!) in Philadelphia’s school district. After that he decided to shoot his shot and see if she was down to get dinner with him and hit up the otherworld museum which was trippy but a fun place that brought out their inner child. Seraphina didn’t hesitate to say yes, yet when it got to sitting across from Manny in a intimate setting, she had to tell him that this was a hangout so her heart didn’t burst out of her chest due to nerves.

“We can do that, whatever makes you feel comfortable. I don’t know though, this tension is making me feel like it might be something more, ya know? And if it makes you feel any better, I had to change two shirts before picking you up, I was and still am, so damn sweaty.”

That made her laugh as they both shook out the nerves. Being in his arms felt right that night as they embraced before she went back up to the hotel room to her cousin who was up waiting for all the details. In Behati’s imaginary scoreboard she told Seraphina that Manny was winning but she initially wasn’t trying to compare him to Dante. In fact the longer Seraphina stayed out on the east coast, she found that she wasn’t thinking too much about Chicago. It was all about living in the moment.

Being free.

So Seraphina and Manny met up at the cafe for a quick breakfast before she and Behati headed to the train station to go back to Behati’s home and family in Rhode Island.

…Not without sharing a unexpected kiss which Behati peeped with her shades tilted downwards, along with her mouth open, spying on them from her outside spot at one of the tables.

Seraphina would be lying if she said she hasn’t been thinking about the kiss since she got back. How she preferred Manny with a thicker beard that pricked her skin so nicely, and how his touch held her upright just the way she needed. That didn’t stop the two from talking being five hours and some change away, although closer than Chicago, it felt right to keep things going.

Comfortably casual with a “hint,” of interest.

“Because of Dante?” Manny inquires, eyes trying to catch Seraphina’s.

The bun wearing woman takes a deep breath, “I just don’t want to lead you on and put you through shit if I can’t let go of what can’t be.”

Manny slowly nods at that before a smile splits over his lips again, “Well I love that you’re self-aware and also trying to look after my heart already, Phina-Mena.”

Seraphina playfully rolls her eyes at the nickname but finds herself peeking back at Manny. Actually ready to take on whatever words he needed to say. Manny knew most of the complicated relationship between Seraphina and Dante, although he originally said it wasn’t any of his business, he still listened to what Seraphina felt comfortable enough to share.

It was heavy but most first love’s are.

“And I’m okay with not having all of you right now. Just even a piece of you already tells me you’ll be worth it.” Manny tells her, making her stomach do flips this time, “I also think you don’t give yourself enough credit. I can tell that you have the most giving heart and I think it’s time that you let someone appreciate it and take care of it…properly. Preferably me.” Manny admits, his hand traveling from the woman’s hand and up the side of her neck, before settling his fingertips against her jaw, then his eyes flickered to her lips, “No pressure though.”

Seraphina scoffs, “Now what am I supposed to say after that?! You’re a smooth one Manny, I’ll give you that.”

“I’m a people person, it’s part of what makes me so loveable.” Manny jokes, his nose brushing against Seraphina’s who lightly breathes him in.

Although her stomach should sign up for gymnastics, his scent is soothing her just fine. It’s the same as when they first embraced, fresh like ginger, a dash of salt, lightly herbal with a spec of something warm—probably amberwood. Whatever he had on, it suited Manny well.

So damn well that Seraphina almost placed her lips right on his, if there wasn’t harsh knocks and repeated sound of the door bell ringing that entered the both of their ears that is. The woman feels herself pulling back abruptly, as if to shield that she was allowing herself to sink into Manny’s charm again.

“Sorry,” Seraphina apologized, “I don’t know who that can be.”

Manny caresses at his beard, a bit of disappointment flashed in his hues, as he gently waved her along, “Could be your secret admirer oh wait…”

The brown eyed woman sends him a thumbs down and sticks out her tongue to blow out a raspberry after getting to her feet, “Booo. You should stop eating so much corn.”

“Personally I’m not a fan of starches.” Manny tells with a raise of his hands in surrender as he watches her frown at him over his shoulder, “…It’s a whole thing. We can get into that later though, you got a door to answer.”

Seraphina shakes her head in disbelief, making her way around the corner to peek through her peep hole. It’s a man she doesn’t recognize, staring up at her in the view of a fisheye, curly dark hair with a mixture of grey in it and slicked back on the sides, beady dark deep set eyes, straight nose, pinched lips, and dimples that appeared as he waved at her, almost as if he knew she was analyzing him behind the door.

“Hello, Seraphina Coty?”

“Can I help you?” She says at the same time, not making a move to unlock her door.

He clears his throat, “Sorry to bother you on this crisp breezy afternoon. I’m Charlie Reid, Deputy chief at the CPD. Also a friend of Hank Voight, who I’m positive you’re familiar with. I was just wondering if you had a few minutes to spare and chat with me?”

Seraphina quirked up a brow at this, of course she had her guard up, especially when it came to the law.

It’s not like her and Hank were the best of buddies, it’s not something Dante wanted for her necessarily and although she can make her own judgments, she was held up in a room with the sergeant months ago. However if something like this was coming to her door and the fact that this stranger threw in Voight’s name, made this all a little more questionable to Seraphina.

“I would if this was scheduled, Mr. Reid. You’re kind of interfering with my personal time…especially if this is work related.”

The deputy chief cleared his throat, “I completely get that and definitely should have called to see what works best for you. Yet I figured this kind of conversation you would want to have face to face, considering this not only affects you but also your friend or involvement with officer Dante Torres.”

That gets Seraphina to sharply inhale.

What was he getting at?

Seraphina takes her time unlocking the door, leaving it open but not without looking over her shoulder to see that Manny had moved from the living room and either headed to the kitchen or half bathroom.

She crosses her arms, standing in her doorway as she focused on the man before her.

“Thank you,” Deputy Chief Reid smiles but Seraphina doesn’t match his, “I won’t take up too much of your time since I know everyone has lives to live! I just wanted to inform you that your services can be of good use to me.”

Seraphina feels her brows furrow, “Please feel free to elaborate.”

“You’re a chemist right? Employed at Compound Laboratories and one of if not the best chemist in all of Chicago…although you like to keep a low profile. I respect it.”

She picked up on the slight jab the man tossed her way.

“Right, so as a friend of Voight’s I think you’ll be a friend of mine as well. And friends stick beside each other in their time of need.”

Seraphina didn’t like where this was going.

She didn’t know this man.

She barely knew Voight.

“How am I supposed to be a friend to a stranger I don’t know?” Seraphina tightened her folded arms at the cool air that seeped in from outside, “What if our morals don’t align, Mr. Deputy Chief?”

He leans towards her, almost as if he was letting her in on a secret, “I think they will in order to keep things running as smoothly as possible.”

Seraphina’s eyes goes into slits, “What are you getting at?”

“Your involvement with Officer Dante Torres.” He blinks as if it’s obvious.

“You mentioned that already—

“And his sexual involvement with the late Gloria Perez.” He continues.

Charlie takes in the expression on the woman’s face and he can see that she was left in the dark about that one. Since she’s been back, she’s had little time with Dante and has seen his mother more than him lately. He knew she was back in town, she didn’t ask him to pick her back up which didn’t feel right but he didn’t want to push it, so she took a Uber, and they ended up hanging out the week after. She got back to work and everything felt the same but it really wasn’t.

“I have no knowledge about any of that but I’m certain it’s not true,” Seraphina stood her ground, which makes Charlie laugh.

He points at her, “See, this is why loyalty is a precious thing. You two have been through a lot together, huh? Would do anything for each other…except be together.”

Now he was crossing the line.

“I believe our time is up, Mr. Reid.” Seraphina says and he can tell he struck a nerve, “I don’t know what your goal coming here was but I don’t want any parts of it.”

“Unfortunately that’s just too bad because you immediately became part of it due to your attachment to Officer Torres.” He rasps, “I know you were also aware of his relationship with Perez. Which makes you an accessory as well, therefore you are now part of the top of my contact list.” Charlie explains to Seraphina who’s ready to slam the door in his face, “I just thought I’d ride over here and introduce myself. You’ll be hearing from me soon, so enjoy the rest of your day.”

That sounded a whole lot like blackmail if you asked Coty, who watched the man with ulterior motives slip away into Chicago’s streets.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.

“You’re what?” Dante spits out as they’re up in Seraphina’s room, she’s folding laundry and he’s seated in one of the lounge chairs that’s tucked away in her bedroom.

The brown eyed woman clenched her eyes shut, not realizing that she let this slip out. They were just chatting after Dante popped up, he didn’t give her much notice, informing her with a simple text that he was outside. Now that Seraphina knew the truth, that Gloria Perez had been gunned down, she could only imagine how Dante was taking it. Those ideas were very much confirmed, when she unlocked her door to peer into his eyes.

The bags underneath his spring rain eyes were so deep that you could probably float in them. He didn’t look okay and he didn’t originally plan to show up to Seraphina’s place. Dante couldn’t stay home with his ma because it felt suffocating—although she didn’t know everything—she sensed something was up with her son. Which resulted in calls to Seraphina who didn’t feel it was her place to mention that this was part of the bullshit that still lingered.

He went to church, begging for forgiveness and confessing his sins but nothing Dante did with his time off felt like enough. He needed to be around the one person that made him feel safe, and so he subconsciously ended up at the building that felt like home.

Seraphina didn’t bring it up, trying to be normal and give Dante the space to bring it up himself, yet Dante knew Seraphina. She wouldn’t push unless he gave an opening. However he did not expect to hear that her time away from Chicago influenced this.

“I,” Seraphina inhaled as she held a folded up sweater against her torso, “It was just a thought. Nothing is written in stone and it really just slipped out so there’s no need for you to look at me like that.”

Dante pressed his elbows into his knees, “How am I looking at you?”

“Like I’m about to break your heart right down the middle if I ever did decide to leave this city for good.” The dark haired woman blinked, a slight crease appearing in between her brows.

Dante runs a hand down his face in frustration, “I won’t lie…I wouldn’t like it. You stayed away for much too long and it doesn’t feel right here without you.”

Seraphina begins to feel the overfamiliar pluck at her beating heart again at his words, “…I told you my cousin said you were always welcome to visit if you wanted but you chose to stay here.”

“I have a life here, Nina.” Dante voice was croaky as if he hadn’t been sleeping, “And you do too.”

“And how’s that working out for us huh?” Seraphina snapped, tossing the sweater on top of her other folded clothes.

Dante raised his brows, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re not happy here either, Tay.” Seraphina tries to keep her tone leveled, “This place has brought us a lot of grief…we’re just free falling through. Don’t you think we deserve to experience what could be better elsewhere? For the first time, getting out of this city that’s supposed to feel like home, heading to the east coast…I felt like I could finally breathe. I come back and as I’m looking at you, all I see is defeat. Why is that?”

Dante looks up at the ceiling, his eyes glistening with the light pouring in from the bedroom window. He puffs out a breath, “…Maybe it’s because my best friend is choosing to leave behind her home for some guy she barely knows. Or at least considering it, I don’t know.”

Seraphina feels herself sucking in a breath and holding it. There was no way Dante was trying to flip this right now. Had he been silently watching the house while Manny was around or what? If that was the case then some things needed to be said.

“I think you’re deflecting because you don’t want me to find out why you’re really here. It’s not just some casual visit this time.” Seraphina starts, “You’re in mourning over Gloria—

Dante holds up a hand, “Don’t. Don’t say her name, please.”

“And you want me to patch it all up and be part of your healing process like time and time again.” Seraphina feels herself rambling, “Because that’s always my job right?! You come to me when life gets a little too screwed up and expect me to put the pieces back together with a big fucking band aid.”

“I’ve never asked you to do any of that—

“You don’t have to because that’s what you do when you love someone! You almost died but she took the bullet for you like I’ve been doing. And you still can’t see that you diving back into old habits was all for nothing.” Seraphina shakes her head, followed by a laugh.

Dante gets to his feet, pointing, “I think you should just be quiet. You don’t know the first thing about what Gloria and I had.”

“No?” Seraphina tilts her head at Dante’s anger but it wasn’t anything she hasn’t seen before, “I know a woman like that only loves a power trip more than anything. We’ve been around enough of that. So…was it real or part of the game?”

Dante tightened his eyes at the woman that stood across from him on the other side of the bed. “I’ve…been trying my hardest to protect you and I should have never let you in on that part of my love life. I was better off, then you wouldn’t be acting like this. Assuming.”

Seraphina scoffs, “I don’t have to assume a got damn thing. The difference is I know all parts and sides of you, that bitch just saw a glimpse and thought she had it all figured out.”

“Hey! You show some respect!” Dante points at her.

She laughs, hand going to her hip.

“You know she approached me at my job not long after I got back,” Seraphina decides to tell it all, “Gloria felt like she was free to start over—which must be nice. She said that she knew there was something more to you. That I had a hold on you that even she couldn’t touch, something real. Which was enough to tell me that she didn’t value your heart. You were just a piece in a game of chess.”

Dante shook his head in denial.

He didn’t want to believe that but nobody ever truly knows what someone is like when you’re not watching. Via that bugged conversation with Cook. Dante let his guard down multiple times and not once did he ever think Seraphina and Gloria’s paths would cross. He didn’t think Gloria would have stayed in Chicago for as long as she did, tried to forget about her while burying himself into his work like he commonly did but most importantly, he couldn’t fathom Seraphina leaving for good.

“…I understand that it bothers you that I was able to move on but you just don’t know.”

Seraphina laughs, “Anyone would be lucky to be loved by you and she wasted it. Played in your face and you want to stand there and keep acting as if I’m clueless? Don’t insult me, Tay. I deserve better than that and this.”

“With Manny? Really?” Dante presses, “You think he’s going to be the answer to everything? Just drop all that you worked so hard for, for some random guy?”

There it is.

“Looks like we’re actually two sides of the same coin.” Seraphina hisses, “And no. I’d be moving for me because this is my life and I get to decide how it plays out, no one else.”

The tension was filling the room up with smoke and it felt like it was so thick that it was clouding up Seraphina’s bedroom, making the two friends suddenly hard to reach.

Dante felt his eyes burn, “…I’m not trying to tell you what to do…just that I can’t lose you too, Nina! What part of that don’t you get?”

“And guess what? I can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?”

“The wishful thinking, the being your friend when there was a time that I believed we could be much more once you pulled your head out of your ass but you’ve told me enough times that we couldn’t be that. Part of me convinced myself that maybe it’s just not the time. Then I had to hear you come up with this delusion that you wanted someone else. Someone who wasn’t good for you.”

“I loved her!” Dante yelled before resting a shaky hand against his five o’clock shadow followed by a clearing of his throat after Seraphina widened her eyes, “It wasn’t fake for me, it’s was real and all those things she said to Cook was just her putting a wall up. A wall that I had the chance to see behind. I’m sorry okay? I’ll always be sorry that I’m not enough for you, even beyond friendship, that I can’t give you more. But if you leave…he’ll never be me.”

Those words felt like the two were slowly being tipped back, like a glass being knocked over from a table in slow motion. Every word was dividing the old friends apart and as much as it simmered, some things were true. It was a tale as old as time like they liked to say. Dante truly felt like he loved Gloria, he got attached and the nature of how it came about was wrong he saw it now with how it was affecting the whole team especially but he couldn’t be sorry for how he felt. Just like his dear Nina, she was always firm in wanting to be together. They had so much history together, years worth and history couldn’t be rewritten but it could be the beacon.

Seraphina tosses her head back, trying to hold back her own tears. Her hands are digging into her hips as she takes in Dante’s words. She knows that. Knows that Manny is nothing like Dante and like she said, she never wanted to compare the two just like she hoped Dante didn’t ever compare her to Gloria. They were all their own people but humans are flawed beings.

Nothing can be perfect but loving can be tragic…when it didn’t have to be.

“He doesn’t need to be.” The woman finds herself saying through quivered lips, “He’s actually the first person that I’ve been talking to where I don’t try to look for you in. And I think that says a lot. You know what else says a lot? Us being so codependent on each other. Me feeling needed by you in ways of comfort and you wanting me because I’ll always be around. Time was never on our side but maybe time is finally telling us to let go and fall back.”

Dante felt himself holding his breath, “No. No, don’t you dare say that to me! Not now.”

“If not now, when? When you’re done grieving? Well that just seems like that’ll be everlasting around here.” Seraphina states, “And I’m not sorry Gloria’s dead…I guess I’ll have to take that up with god at some point…but I’m sorry that you became part of her story. Even if it was only a small part in her eyes. Gloria fucked you up just like I knew she would.”

“So what is this?” Dante feels his blood boiling, “A ‘I told you so,’ moment? I thought you said you’d never be like that. Not with me.”

Her hand goes to her forehead, pushing her hair back from her face as she goes to sit on the edge of her bed, “It’s not that. I think I just realized that I had enough and it hurts…real bad but this will probably be doing us a favor.”

Dante felt his eyes clenching shut and his whole face began to hurt. His legs felt wobbly but he still managed to find a spot right beside Seraphina, thigh to thigh. Her head went to his shoulder and he eventually moves to wrap an arm around her, his lips going to her hair. She took shaky breaths, to control her sobs but Dante couldn’t stop his own warms tears from flooding his face.

Maybe it was all too much after all.

He always wanted her to be happy and if he wasn’t bringing her that anymore, what kind of friend would be if he didn’t wish her well? The dark of Dante wanted to be selfish and keep her far away from this Manny character but there was a glimmer of hope in her eyes when she spoke about him. He noticed. Perhaps he could give her what he couldn’t and that made the acid in his belly rise and it’s been a few days since Dante could stomach anything. Dante knew the few prior weren’t good enough—maybe that Deacon guy could have been but—he had to work on some things truly on his own this time.

Dante needed to process everything, including this.

They were ultimately pushing each other apart to be better on their own. Seraphina was beginning to see that now and she’s held on for a while.

As well as Dante Torres has known Seraphina Coty, his Nina, Dante could see that the end of an era had to happen. His knew his ma wouldn’t let him hear the end of it once this came out but…he’ll learn to deal with it, like he always did.

When Seraphina falls asleep in his lap, he puts her to bed, covering her with a throw blanket, and puts away her laundry. He hesitated in her room, watching her body slowly rise and fall in her slumber with a dry teared face. There’s a lump that formed in Dante’s throat the longer he stares at her. His belly is cramping and his heart felt like it finally snapped in half.

There’s a beating in his ears that blocks out the sound of his footsteps as he sits back on the bed. His hand rests on the dip of Seraphina’s hips, his touch doesn’t wake her, even when he leans over to place his lips against her cheek.

“Thank you.” Dante pressed his forehead against her jaw for a moment, “Do what you gotta do to be free, Nina. I’ll get it someday…Dios sabe que siempre te amaré.”

He can’t tell you how much longer he sat in that room but eventually he leaves. Yet he breaks down again in the driver’s seat of his car before he pulls it together, ignoring a call from Kim, to head to the bar, his guard down as he drives by a parked car that contains the deputy chief, who continues to plot.

What exactly?

Only time will tell.

✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶⋆.˚ ✶

Open case file two here.

[eldritcmor]

Tournament of champions

Chapter 1

“What’s this?” John squinted at the Computer screen. An email from Laswell had been waiting for him today, something that actually required his attention if the subject line was anything to go by. He slowly mouthed the words of the email to himself, deciphering the code and language used. He pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a sigh as he grabbed the phone on his desk. A soft click as the line connected near immediately after he dialed a long memorized number. “Really, Kate? What’s your play here?” “What’s wrong, John? Thought you, of all people, would be jumping at the gun for this one.” “We just got back, Laswell. Apologizes if we need a break.” “Good thing you’re not tackling this alone then, John.” John felt a prickle crawl down his spine. “Who else, Laswell?” “Relax, John. They’re trustworthy. Dug them up myself.” “Who, Kate?” John heard Laswell sigh. “Taskforce Dante and a PMC squad from S.H.C. Don't bother looking up that last one. They really don’t like it, besides they have a familiar player.” “Wilson and his group are familiar, Laswell. No PMCs Kate, you know this. Not after the Las Almas Incident.” “Not even for an old squad member?” John huffed a breath as he weighed his gut against his head. “Fine, but if this even shows one sign of going like Las Almas did, I’m kicking their head in myself.” “Agreed.”

Joseph jerked awake as the plane touched down. Gods, they should be used to this by now. Long plane rides weren’t exactly uncommon in their line of work but still, it sucked. They stretched as The plane taxied down the little runway, shoving Avery’s head off their shoulder. They glanced around the cabin realizing they were the only one awake at the moment. Well that needed to change. They still had a couple hours drive after this to the actual event grounds for this mission. Apparently a week of military games with some of the best in the business, sponsored by some of the biggest names to boot. Lots of eyes on this apparently. Not that Joseph cared at the moment, as they shook Avery awake. Avery jerked up and Joseph dodged the fist aimed for his throat. “Easy, Storm cloud. We just hit the gate. We’re officially in Greece.” Avery groaned as they waved Joseph off. Joseph nodded and went around the cabin waking the others. Dodging fists and sleepy mumbles in a variety of languages. After that, everything was mostly smooth as they gathered up their gear and disembarked. Joys of being partnered with one of the most damn secretive PMC’s, deep pockets and private travel.

Joseph jogged to keep up with O’Neil and Wilson’s longer strides. “So, who’s our contact? The brief said we weren’t the only two on this assignment.” “Some old friends of Avery’s. An SAS squad that works closely with Kate.” Wilson hummed as followed the signs to the exit. “SAS? We got a name for them?” “One Four One. That’s all Kate really gave us.” O’Neil paused. “Oh! I’m an idiot. We can ask Avery for information. Though it might be a few months out of date. Go grill Scott, Ferret.” Joseph grinned and nodded. Any excuse to go annoy their Pseudo Sibling is a good excuse. Joseph dropped back to Avery. “Hey Avery. I have questions.” Avery hummed as they kept pace with Joseph. “Who are the one four one?” Avery’s eyes widened before they relaxed as if realizing something. “British, SAS, and Legends in their own right. Why?” Joseph grinned, a feral thing. “Does that make you a legend too, storm cloud?” Avery immediately shook their head. “Nope.” Joseph briefly pouted as Avery didn’t take the bait. “Alright, so what makes them legends? Cause You worked with them before Six, surely you must know the truth better than some recruits.” Avery snorted. “I was just a recruit myself. Don't know why in the fuck I ended up in their squad. History aside, there’s four main members. Captain Price, Lieutenant Riley, Sergeant Garrick, and Sergeant MacTavish. They run the same wheel house we do, though their missions are infamous for going fucking sideways.” Joseph raised an eyebrow. “Fucking sideways?” “You remember the clean up for Las almas, right?” “Yeah sure. We got quite a few new friends out of that.” Avery clicked their tongue. “Well guess who was heavily involved?” “No, no fucking way!” “Yup.” “Were you there for that?” Avery shook their head. “No, I was in hospice at the time.” Joseph made an ah noise. “The reason you left, I’m assuming.” Avery nodded. “Not doing any good from a hospital bed, Jo.” “Think We’ll meet them? At this weird tournament, I mean.” “It’s possible, but we’ll see.” Joseph nodded as they lapsed into silence.

Ghost leaned against the front of the SUV, a lit cigarette between his lips. Price had him on pick up duty. Something about needing some goddamn peace after the flight from London to Greece. Everyone else had grumbled their agreements. Ghost snuffed his cigarette under his boot as his target wandered out from the airport. A tired looking bunch of soldiers. Ghost pressed two fingers and whistled. A high shrill sound. The group’s heads all snapped to him and damn if it wasn't unnerving. He cursed as the group moved in his direction. There was a familiar face among them alright. Sergeant Scott. Someone who left without so much as a goodbye, and barely a word since then. Ghost wanted to be pissed, but right now he needed to at least put up a good front. “Lieutenant Riley of One Four One. I’m your pick up.” He held his hand for a shake to the man before him. The man smiled. “Captain Wilson of Dante, and this is Captain O’Neil of SH6.” The man gestured to his fellow captain who was overseeing getting everyone’s gear in the car. “Pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant.” Ghost mentally shivered. Captain Wilson’s accent was incredibly close to Graves and it did not bring back good memories. “Pleasure’s all mine, sir. We’re staying at a hotel nearby. We’ll be heading out to the actual location tomorrow, if that’s alright by you sir?”

Captain Wilson looked relieved. “That’s the best plan I’ve heard all day. I’m assuming The second SUV is also ours.” Ghost nodded. “Yes sir.” Captain Wilson nodded before turning to the others in his group. “Listen Up! We Got Two Vehicles! Split Up And Get Ready To move!” A chorus of “Yes Sir!” met Wilson’s shout. Ghost nodded as he slipped into the driver seat of his own vehicle. He barely paid attention when others piled in as he started the vehicle. Cursing up a blue streak when he turned and found Scott had taken the passenger seat. “Bloody Fuckin Hell! Storm!” Ghost hissed. Avery just raised an eyebrow. “Hey Lieutenant.” “Don’t “Hey!” Me Sergeant. Haven’t heard from you in a long time. Where the fuck have you been?” Avery shrugged. “I’m not a Sergeant anymore, Ghost. As for your question, around.” “Around? Around?! Avery Storm Scott! You vanish without so much as a goodbye and all you can say is around! And what do you mean you’re not a Sergeant anymore?” Ghost narrowed his eyes at Avery after his hissed exclamations. Avery shifted uncomfortably in their seat. “SHC functions a little differently, I’m technically a corporal now.” Avery sighed. “Look, Ghost. I felt like I was doing the right thing, alright? I wasn't exactly being useful from a hospital bed while you guys went through hell. I thought it would be better if I didn’t make a big deal out of leaving, okay?” Ghost pinched the bridge of his nose as he merged onto the highway leaving the airport. “Avery, Avery, Avery. We had just dug you out of the ground after weeks of torture. You weren’t useless. You were recovering.” Avery snorted. “I still stand by my decision to leave, Ghost.” “And I doubt anything I say would change your mind, so I’m not going to Avery.” Avery curled a little on themselves. “Does Price know?” Ghost hummed. “He knows we're working with a PMC and another Task-Force, Not who’s who. Which one are you playing for anyways?” “PMC.” Ghost nodded. “Are they good to you?” Avery nodded. “We were the clean up crew for Las Almas. Captain O’Neil swore up a blue streak when he saw the damage Philip had brought. We helped where we could.” “Good. Try not to get slapped at breakfast, Storm. Though expect to get Tackled by Johnny. He’s been worried about you.” Avery chuckled as the SUV pulled to stop in the hotel parking garage. “No guarantees Lieutenant.”

Taina flipped through the stack of papers handed in her hand. “Are we sure about this?” Her eyes flicked over to Jordan as he spoke. Harry sighed as he set his own list on his desk. “Yes, Trace. Rainbow can’t be everywhere at once. This is a good way to scout out new recruits and allies.” “But It also paints a huge target on our backs, Harry! Especially if we let the public in.” “It would draw attention even if we didn’t Jordan. An abandoned stadium suddenly being in active use. This way we control what they see.” Taina continued to flip through the list of names in her hand, ignoring the argument between Red hammer’s Captain and Six. Multiple Militaries, PMCs, and Specialized law enforcement agencies were attending this apparently, including but not limited to her own, BOPE. On the Surface, Harry was correct. Rainbow couldn’t be everywhere at once. But Jordan did bring up some very compelling points. This whole tournament of champions seemed like a poor way to handle it. Especially since Harry seemed dead set on televising it.

Taina huffed a breath as she looked closer at the roster of names, Three especially popping out to her. “Excuse me! Six, I have a question.” Taina hummed as Harry and Jordan’s heads snapped to her. They were barely inches from each other’s throats. Harry backed away first. “Yes, Caveira?” “Why are three of Laswell’s Squads involved with this?” “Laswell’s squads?” “Yes, Task-Force 141, Task-Force Dante, And SH6. One is responsible for the events at Las Almas. The other Two for the cover up of Las Almas.” Taina had lost a lot of good intel with the whole incident. El Sin Nombre might be considered small in the grand scheme of global drug rings but they were an incredibly powerful trafficking ring and well connected. “What’s your question, Cav?” Jordan hummed as he settled in his chair again. “Why are they participating in this event? This does not seem like them considering the events at Las Almas.” Harry Pushed his glasses up his nose. “They’re here as a peace offering. They will be participating in the events. Not in the deals that may take place around the events. Does that satisfy your curiosities, Caveira?” Taina hummed for a moment. “For now, sir.”

taglist:taglist: @skylordgrey @bluegiragi @batw3nch @stick-the-dumbass @lilpothoscuttings @im-making-an-effort @stupidwingboy @apocalypticseagull @resident-cryptid @warenai @sleepyendymion @sellenedragon @queenofwolves210 @makayla-666 @gogh-with-the-flow @blue-blue0

[mamawasatesttube]

Hi! It was very cool and interesting to read your Supergirl guide, I didn't know most of info on it! Thank you for making it!

If you can, can you make it more high contrast? It was very scary when I stopped reading and my eyes stopped working suddenly 😅 (they needed rest for beginning to work again). I googled and it sounds a bit like eyestrain so maybe it will be easier to understand what happened. (Sorry, English is not my first language)

Anyway! Thank you for sharing this information! I think Cir-El is my favourite now

yeah asdkfj that was one problem with working with colors picked from the supergirl logo 😭the colors are def kinda rough! the original post has all of the text from the images in the alt text, if that helps.

i'm not sure if there's much point in editing the images themselves now because the post has already spread the highly saturated version around, so even if i change the og it'll still be like that in all the reblogs. BUT i can do you one better and just put the plain text here:

Who's That Supergirl? A brief guide to distinguishing the various holders of the Supergirl mantle in the Postcrisis era!

“There’s more than one...?”

•Indeed! Kind of like how there’s been a bunch of Robins, there have been a few Supergirls. They are:

•Kara Zor-El, precrisis edition

•Precrisis Kara was Linda Lee Danvers!

•Matrix (Mae Kent)

•Linda Danvers (an homage to Linda Lee Danvers)

•Cir-El (very briefly)

•Kara Zor-El, again (postcrisis edition)

•Postcrisis Kara is Linda Lang!

“Why are there so many Supergirls?!”

•During “Crisis on Infinite Earths”, the original Supergirl, Kara Zor-El, died.

•This is because DC wanted to relaunch Superman as the “Last Son Of Krypton” – no more other Kryptonians, no more Krypto the Superdog, no more of Clark’s boyhood as Smallville’s Superboy. (Look up the Byrne run on Superman if you’re curious about more!)

•However, “Supergirl” as a concept was still a character niche with potential. She could no longer be Kryptonian, but a female ally of Superman’s with similar powers could exist, in theory, especially as the mandate got more relaxed and Byrne left Superman books.

•Therefore: the first non-Kryptonian Supergirl appeared!

Matrix (Mae Kent)

•First introduced in Superman vol 2. #21 (“The Supergirl Saga” #1)

•From an alternate dimension where she was artificially created to be a hero, but her world died. She returned to the main universe with Superman.

•A shapeshifter made of “protoplasm” – she can turn invisible or take the shapes of other people, but shifting form takes a toll on her!

•Dated Lex Luthor (until she realized he sucked and then nearly murdered him! Go queen!)

•Supergirl from 1988 - 1996

Linda Danvers

•First introduced in Supergirl vol. 4 #1 (1996).

•Mae accidentally fused with a human girl named Linda Danvers while trying to save her life. She also gained the powers of an “Earth-born Angel”, including wings made of holy fire.

•(Lots of angel/demon stuff happens in Supergirl vol. 4. If that’s your jam, you might enjoy it!)

•At first, as a human, Linda has the form of Linda Danvers (a short brunette), but can transform into Supergirl (Mae’s taller, blonde form).

•(Yes, the Supergirl who goes to Dante’s Disco Inferno with Young Justice is Linda.)

Linda Danvers, Continued

•From Supergirl vol. 4 #51 (December 2000) onwards, Linda and Mae are no longer fused.

•Linda retains some powers of her own, but not as strong as they used to be, and no more of the angel stuff. She also no longer shapeshifts – she uses a blonde wig as Supergirl, but is shorter than she used to be.

•Linda’s powers are an homage to early iterations of Superman, who could not fly but could leap an eight of a mile, etc!

•This version of Linda wears the white crop-top costume!

Precrisis Kara (Surprise!)

•In Supergirl vol. 4 #75 (December 2002), due to dimension travel shenanigans, precrisis Kara’s rocket lands on postcrisis Earth, and Linda finds her!

•Precrisis Kara doesn’t stick around too long before she goes back to her own timeline, but she does make appearances in a couple other Superman and Superfamily-related comics at this time, alongside Kon-El and Linda.

•As a nod to the way Linda Danvers was an homage to Linda Lee Danvers (precrisis Kara’s human identity), when she returns to her own timeline, Kara says she likes the name Linda Danvers, and throws in “Lee” for “Leesburg”, the town Linda Danvers lived in.

Postcrisis Kara

•Linda Danvers retires from heroics in Supergirl vol. 4 (May 2003).

•Mirroring her precrisis origins, postcrisis Kara arrives in a rocket in Superman/Batman #8 (May 2004).

•The “Last Son” mandate is over – Kara Zor-El is Kal-El’s cousin, a fellow survivor of the destruction of Krypton.

•Kara is eventually taken in by Lana Lang, who offers to let her be her “niece”, Linda Lang.

•In her human disguise, she wears (the then-deceased) Kon-El’s glasses. 🥺

•Postcrisis Kara wears a blue crop-top costume!

Cir-El (Mia)

•First appears in “Superman: The 10¢ Adventure” (Jan. 2003)

•A human girl who is experimented on and given powers based on Superman’s genes, and told she is Superman’s daughter. She is sent back in time from the future to meet Superman.

•Her mind is split between Mia, the normal girl who resents Superman and what’s been done to her, and Cir-El, Supergirl, who has powers and believes Superman is her father (until Kelex runs some tests on her and confirms otherwise).

•She has a few adventures in Metropolis before ultimately realizing she is a pawn in a scheme by Brainiac 12 to take down Superman, and, horrified, destroys herself to ensure it never happens.

Thanks for reading! Here’s some of my favorite caps of the family with Supergirls! (Caps: 1: Cir, Traci 13, and Nat Irons asleep together. 2: Kon teaching Mae to play Magic The Gathering. 3: The Superfamily in "Superman Vs Darkseid: Apokolips Now!". 4: Lana Lang with her arm around Kara as Linda Lang.

[mrchiipchrome]

I hate people who say ‘swearing doesn’t make you cooler it just makes you sound immature’ like bitch I don’t do it for you or to sound cool I do it bc I need to express myself in the way I fucking feel like. Do you expect me to say ‘holy moly I had a really bad lesson’??? Like ffs if I wanna tell my teacher that the lesson went like fucking shit then I should be able to without fucking criticism, I literally don’t even do it for anyone except myself so you can shut your fat ass up and keep failing everything you fucking piece of shit pick me ‘I’m so much better than everyone else because I don’t swear’ ass bitch. Like we’re not even friends so how can you fucking dare try to tell me what to do, unprovoked and unprompted, I don’t tell you to stop being so fucking stupid and yet you are, fucking no ass, no friends, no nothing ass person trying to make me be like her loser ass self like shut the fuck up and disappear not like you’d be missed by anyone you fucking worthless piece of human garbage. Instead of trying to tell me to check my language, try checking the door before you walk in the room you Oompa Loompa, 10000 kg, no sense of style, looking like you got dressed in the dark, paler than a fucking vampire, failure, no one likes you, no bitches, no future ass bitch. She honestly needs to check her superiority complex because she’s truly more pathetic than me trying to find a gf, I swear even if she was the last woman in the world not a single person would hit, looking like an iguana mixed with a trash can and lighter fluid, she looks like the melted version of wheelchair Barbie only if wheelchair Barbie was plus size Barbie, no eyebrows ass bitch, no eyelashes ass bitch, caca eyes ass bitch, shit stained face ass bitch, skid mark ass bitch, looking like her name is skidmore muncy, cankles having ass bitch. When I say that your standards would have to be in Dante’s 8th circle of hell to even look her way I am not fucking lying, her wannabe goody two shoes ass persona is so fucking annoying I swear it makes me want to rip my ears and eyes out the second I hear and see her, and don’t even get me started on her fucking voice that sounds like a giraffes shit hitting your head whilst someone plays an out of tune piano and drags their nails over a chalkboard. Her entire being is like a a cancerous cell, I swear that she’s a failed fucking abortion because there is genuinely no way anyone would willingly give birth to that creature, someone had to have a gun to her mothers head all throughout labour to keep her pushing bc that child would never be born otherwise. I swear I couldn’t be paid to be that annoying ass bitches friend, it would make me even more suicidal than just hearing her from afar would. And she pretends that she’s so good just because she listens to girl in red like fucking congratulations you’re like 90 fucking percent of lesbians, no one cares about your fucking ass music taste because you’re not important, the world doesn’t stop spinning just because you’re listening to some stereotypical artist. I swear she’s like the hitler of the school, you always have to be so fucking politically correct when you’re even near her bc otherwise she’ll start her fucking crying again like shut the fuck up and get a personality. Literally the plain boiled chicken breast of the school, she doesn’t even realize that no one likes her, and that people are only remotely nice to her because they feel bad that she has the personality of a piece of coal, she’s more boring than the word boring. She’s a pimple on the day you take the school pictures, she’s an air bubble in your veins, she’s that fucking annoying ass hoe you never want to see but always do, she’s the paper McDonald’s toys, she’s a hole in the bottom of your shoe on a rainy day, she’s the ball that hits you in the face in PE, she’s everything i strive not to be both looks wise and personality wise because if I end up like her I would legit kill myself.

[matchbet-allofthetime]

I saw that requests for DMC were open and I was curious as to if you could write a little scenario where V and reader decide to leave the house for a bit (mission or a date, you can choose) and they have a kid so they decide, "ya know what? Let's let Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare care for the kid while we're away." (It's okay if you want to remove some of the familiars from the babysitting job if you want to).

Have a good day/night

(very long) A/N: my love, your ask has utterly enamoured me and despite me never having wanted kids, this ask has warmed my heart. still don't want children, but i hope you can enjoy! This is so very all over the place and took some time (very busy :') )and I am so very sorry for that.

For a little context, V is half-devil because he came from Vergil. Thus, I decided to make the little child half-devil (technically quarter devil?? I don't consider it a big difference.) Their name is Malacoda (taken from one of the demons in The Divine Comedy)

Bibi is a gender neutral term for parent (in SOME cultures)

Also, multiple POV switches. Sorry lol

Latin translations (and words) have SEVERAL meanings and connotations, so I have made a list of those used in order:

ad minima inferno- the tiny inferno amica parum pueri- darling little child/wonderful child infernum pueri- hell's child/spawn of hell dulcedo- sweetling/sweetness parvus- small, little (used as a term of endearment)

Tending To The Flame

Word Count: 2026

Have a lovely day/night yourself, dear, and…

…Enjoy below the cut!

─────────────────⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅─────────────────

After the last mission, a date was a need, not a want. The tension finally left my shoulders after a day or two, but was quick to return with the stresses of having a child- and said child being half-devil.

I sigh heavily, Malacoda finally resting on their uncle Dante's shoulder. The older man laughs fondly and brushes the thick silver hair on Malacoda's head out of their eyes. He shakes his head fondly at the exhausted toddler. I smile.

"Y'know, Dante, you don't need to help tire the kid out." I say, laughing as he adjusts his long legs on the couch in the DMC's parlour. He just shakes his head at me.

"Nah, it's fine. 'Sides, didn't play much with Vergil when we were young because of the fire, so… I really don't mind keeping watch of the kid sometimes. In any case, I guess ad minima inferno is cute enough to keep around." Dante jokes, moving his free arm to grab a blanket and swaddle my child. I grin.

A clack is heard and I turn, seeing Nero and Vergil coming in from their mission. Both smile at Malacoda and Vergil walks over to rest a hand on their head.

"You're a good parent, you know? Taking care of such a demon and doing so with a better heart than most would." Vergil states. His voice is softer than usual and he smiles at the child currently nestled into his twin's bicep and shoulder like a sloth wrapped around the branches of a tree.

Nero laughs behind me. "Maybe you two-" He says, pointing over to V before continuing, "-should take a day off. Leave the kid to someone else for the day." My eyes go a bit wide but I find I laugh with him. I shake my head as V stifles a laugh behind me.

I press into him with a practiced sort of ease and he kisses my hair.

"Wouldn't that be something, love, a day for just us, away from our amica parum pueri, hm? Perhaps enjoying the stars, or a lovely dinner?" V replies coolly, directing his attention toward me as he kisses me. Vergil chuckles and Nero makes a fake gagging noise before smiling. I drop my shoulders.

"Maybe we could? I don't wanna leave my baby, but… a day would be nice. Are you sure? Who would we leave them with? I'm sure none of these three would want a toddler on their hands as… fickle as our Malacoda." I say, looking to Dante. He tosses up his free hand in surrender and mouths "not fuckin' me." Nero whistles and leaves the room and Vergil merely shakes his head, a sly grin present on his lips. I groan.

Dante lifts Malacoda gently and pads up the stairs to put my child to bed for the night and as V and I follow, we talk. I didn't expect what V might suggest as Dante leaves the room, though.

"My love, truly, it's going to be alright. They shall not hurt our infernum pueri, I promise that." V says, attempting to win a night with just us. I slump in bed.

"Okay, say we do this- I can understand Shadow. She's a delicate thing and fond of Malacoda. But… Can Griffon and Nightmare really be trusted with her?" I ask, concerned, even as I brush my hands through his beautiful hair. He takes my hands and kisses my wrists. I giggle as memories of watching Gomez and Morticia Addams growing up floods my mind. V was always so gentle and loving. I see him smile cheekily from where his head dips low. He nods.

"Nightmare is just as enamoured with the little one as Shadow is. And Griffon, as foul-mouthed and moody as he can be, he truly does want to try to care for them. He likes the little thing we've created. And he's worried about you." V responds, rubbing soothing circles on my palms. At his words, Shadow, Griffon, and Nightmare appear in the doorway. I laugh at the silly display. Shadow is attempting to lick frosting off of her moist nose, Nightmare is wearing a frilly pink and green apron embroidered with strawberries and wildflowers and has a plate of cupcakes balanced gently in his root-like hands. On his shoulder perches the aforementioned Griffon, and he's busy gnawing his way through blueberries and blackberries.

At the scene, V laughs with me until we're doubled over. I gather myself just in time to feel a soft, wet, warm nose push against my hand where it hangs off the bed. I turn and scritch gently at Shadow's snout and she huffs out a content purr. As I move to scratch at her ears and under her chin, she gives a very puma-cat-like smile and she blinks her eyes shut momentarily, enjoying the affections. She opens her eyes pleadingly and the soft look she gives warms me.

Similarly, Griffon glides down from the great golem's shoulder, the golem setting the cupcakes down gently. They smell warm. Griffon tucks himself into the bedspread and allows my second hand to gently run through thick black feathers. He rolls over, spreading his wings in a display of satisfaction and I laugh. I pet his belly.

"Thanks, nothin' quite like good belly rubs to end a good day!" Griffon says, voice loud but happy. Shadow purrs her agreement deeply into my lap where her head lays. Nightmare, for his part, has sat gently on the carpet alongside the unholy puma, and nods his own approval.

V nuzzles into my shoulder and kisses at my skin. "I promise my love, they've been desperately awaiting the moment to care for Malacoda. They've not left me alone since-" V is cut off by Griffon.

"Since we saw the kid and wanted to meet 'em!" Griffon finishes. V chuckles and nods.

"Very true. They were all so excited to meet a small demon. They've never seen one." V continues. "They'll take care of our little demon, I promise you, dulcedo."

I nod and finally give in. I couldn't say no to cupcakes and sad puma eyes.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

As I finished getting ready for the night, I hear V come up behind me. He's dressed brilliantly, cane still by his side, his green and black suit complimenting his dark eyes. I give a little squeal of excitement and he laughs, kissing me.

I myself am well-dressed, set upon making this night a very good one. "Are they ready for us to go?" I ask V, brushing his hair away from his cheekbones. He holds my hand and nods.

"Yes, they are more than ready. Griffon is a bit nervous, but I promise, my love, no harm will come to our little one." V promises, kissing my hand.

"Okay, so," I start, taking a shaky breath before continuing, "We're gonna leave, so please: no burning the DMC down, no excess rude words, and I swear on Sparda's disembodied corpse: if anything happens to my beautiful little hellspawn and I find out about it, I am single-handedly making everything that has ever occurred in Hell seem like second grade recess. I will give you a reason to fear me like Sparda would had he ever met me." My tone is light and playful, but not without its serious notes to it. I was willing to kick some familiar ass and they all three knew it.

Nightmare dips his body some in understanding and I move to pet Shadow's chin. Griffon nods sharply once and fluffs his wings nervously. I reach to pet him too and pat Nightmare's arm.

"I know you're all gonna do great. Just no talons or teeth when playing, okay? And if Malacoda goes demon on you, just give them some snacks. Always calms them down. Alright, i think that's it. Be safe, all of you We'll be back late, so don't wait." I say, joy lacing my voice. My little devil grins at me, showing sharp teeth.

"Bye bibi, bye da!" Malacoda says from their perch on Nightmare's shoulder. Their bright green eyes glow and their little horns are showing clear as day through the tufts of their braided hair. I blow them a little kiss.

V smiles down at me and with that, we're off.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Later in the night, loud purring and playful feline growling is heard throughout the- mostly- empty DMC. In the kitchen, food is being made by none other than Nightmare while Shadow playfully bats at Malacoda as they try to snag her tail. The moment little clawed hands grab it successfully, Shadow flips over onto her back, playing weak. The child giggles loudly.

"Won, I won!!" They yell, gently tapping their hands on Shadow/s belly. She rumbles with joy.

"Yeah you did, good job kid!" Griffon replies, pattering his way over to the two. He places a baggie of sweet treats in Malacoda's arms. "Don't tell your parents, but I snuck you some treats from Dante's cabinet with his permission. Your bibi'll kick my ass if they find out." He chirps, gently pecking at the little tail of the child flipping wildly.

At the cuss, Nightmare growls deeply.

"Aight aight, I'm sorry! Forgot for a moment… Didn't mean it." Shadow squawks out, flapping his wings.

Nightmare simply growls out a small noise of satisfaction and drags a few plates of food out.They're set unceremoniously onto the tiled floor. They're all content to eat on the floor of the kitchen, uncaring of the potential mess to be made. It was simply easier for a golem, panther, and bird- not to mention a messy toddler currently gnawing through lamb meat, green beans, and potatoes while trying to simultaneously grab the poor vulture's feathers. Griffon squawks playfully and gnaws into his own leg of lamb.

Once the meal is over, there's quite a mess- one that Nightmare is quick to clean as Griffon wrangles the child going through an after-dinner energetic spree. Their horns singe at the tips, a byproduct of their bloodline, and they, of course, run rampant through the living room as any toddler does. Their little tail flicks excitedly and the building is filled with loud childish giggles and a concerned "kid, you'll hurt yourself-!".

As the bird tries to wear the child out while keeping them safe, Shadow and Nightmare take to respectively dragging blankets to the couch and cleaning the dishes for the evening. Soon, Malacoda lays down on the floor at Griffon's feet.

"Aww, parvus, you're tired, aren't'cha?" Griffon coos at the little half-devil. He gently digs claws into the child's shirt and drags them gently up the couch, nestling them in like a baby bird. Shadow follows, tucking herself under the blankets and resting with the child. The demon-spawn is beginning to doze, and Nightmare sits by the couch, taking his own time to rest for the night.

As they all doze, Griffon realizes he'd love to do this again. And he loved the kid too- how could he not?

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

Late in the night, the DMC is quiet, but the front doors open as you and V walk in. It was a lovely evening, peaceful and filled with poetry and romance. It always happened that way with V, it seemed.

The two of you are quick to note nothing seems out of order- not any more than Dante usually keeps it, anyways. You set out to explore the building and when V comes across his sleeping familiars and child, he snickers. He's quick to call you from the other room.

"Come over, my love. You'll love to see this, I imagine." V speaks softly. You round the corner into the living room, only to smile widely. You dip into V's shoulder, resting your head against him. He kisses your hair. "I told you they'd do wonderfully."

You laugh quietly. "Mm, true. How about we let them sleep and head to bed? My husband owes me a few more kisses." You say.

"Oh, an enticing offer, my dear. Shall we?" And with that, V takes your hand and guides you both away.

[neverchecking]

My coming out.

You have all turned me. This is it. I am officially a Ko*idai simp. You all have won. So for turning me, I offer you as my humble apology for the slander against his name.

A wonderful collab between my lovely and wonderful wife, whom you all should go follow right now >:( @angry-trashcan

Bro, it’s not gay if you say no homo, bro.

Koridai looked down to Dalton, “Golly”

A moment of silence fell around them, heavy and tense. The sweltering heat around them created a sheen of sweat, making their bodies glisten. Brown connected with blue, the fire of passion igniting in the pits of their pupils. A single resolute nod fell between them. “No Homo.”

Dalton and Dante bobbed their heads in agreement.

You looked up to them, watching as their moment continued. Their ga(y)ze was deep into one another’s eyes, too distracted too pay mind to you. Dalton and Dante danced above you, bumping into once another, their sides brushing together with a lingering kiss.

Never once did Courage, nor Ko*idai for that matter, break eye contact. They simply remained, frozen in the moment, encased in the wondrous star maps that laid in the other’s ga(y)ze. Your own eyes darted back down to Dalton and Dante. A part of you wondered if you should be worried about their reddened heads. Another part of you was too over this entire debacle to care. 

All of Courage’s courage couldn’t have prepared him for this. The way Dante would move about, the way Kor*dai’s eyes were boring into him, the way you were watching with a startled expression. Kor*dai didn’t know how to handle this, he didn’t have much adventuring under his belt after all. All he had was Dalton.

Dalton had been a long standing friend. Something familiar to Ko*idai, A friend he had known his entire life. He was more than happy to share this moment with him. Even if it came (heh came) with Courage. Courage and his dastardly sinful ga(y)ze that refused to leave his. It was a game at this point, of who would break first. And Courage would not break. 

He was too courageous. He would watch Kor*dai’s brown eyed ga(y)ze as long as he physically could, which was a long time. He was a well travelled hero afterall, unlike his counterpart. Kor*dai had never been on his own adventure, and, golly was that unfortunate for their staring contest.

Dante wept from the lack of attention, once again returning to pestering jabs at Dalton, just to see the other sway back and forth. Your eyes followed them. Then they returned to the standing duo. A moment passed. A moment where you wondered if Legend was still awake. Or Twilight. They wouldn’t do this to you. 

You watched their staring for a moment longer, wondering, hoping, praying that it would either end or last longer. You weren’t sure which outcome was better for you, honestly. Your hands rested on the side of the too small bed, taking a deep breath and watching the two dancing partners continue their waltz.

You could play their silly game. That was always an option. You could open your eyes all wide and innocent and flutter those pretty lashes. Maybe, if that got no reaction you would even dare utter the single utterance you swore in your life you never would. The no good, vile phrase. But it might’ve just been enough to get what you want. With a breath, you steeled yourself, tucking away your dignity in a trunk before throwing it into the endless abyss of ‘never to be seen again’. Then your lips parted, “Golly.”

Blue and brown did not fall from one another as you muttered the words, though Dalton did add a hard sway to his fateful dance. You could almost feel yourself dry completely at the thought of what you did and to no effect. You slowly pulled your legs to yourself and rolled off the bed. Though no eyes seemed to meet you.

Though Dalton did weep at your absence, you paid it no mind. Though Dante did attempt to stand tall to catch your attention, you still turned away. You had much better things, nay, people to do. You had much better people to do, and this pity fuck had gone from sad to downright desperate. 

Though Dante and Dalton weeped together, they held eachother tall through the loss. The ga(y)zing men continued their ga(y)zing. The thought of you never crossing their minds as their eyes bore into one another’s very soul, very existence. 

You could’ve pretended to sneak out. But it wouldn’t have made a damn lick of a difference. They were too lost in the challenge. Too engaged in each other’s limitless ga(y)ze. Nothing would break this moment between them. Tender and almost intimate one might dare to say. You did not dare. You only tried to recall which room was the Vet’s. 

A hard knock at the door and it swung open, revealing Legend’s very awake face. He dared not to question why you were there, knowing where you had been. Instead only letting you in and locking the door tight behind you.

Not even the repetitive thumping echo of the room beside theirs could break their moment. It remained steadfast and unyielding, even as Dante and Dalton wilted away. Shriveling into themselves in shame. They would remain that way even as the briefest hints of sunrise broke across the room, painting it in an array of yellows and reds. Almost like the reds of Dalton and Dante’s heads last night. 

It seemed nothing could pull the men from one another’s ga(y)ze into the other’s soul. When Legend opened the door the next morning to wake them, they were still staring deep into one anothers. The shock of it almost sent him into a deep ga(y)ze himself. He took off a boot, throwing it in the direction of the men, which somehow startled them out of their trance. Courage looked to the empty bed.

“What did you do with Y/N, you-you- rapscallion?!” Courage barked, stance widening as Dante swung loyally by his side. Legend’s shock turned into a mean and sharp grin. The marks on his neck were welted in your signature color. “Everything. Which part do you wanna hear about?”

“All of it.” Ko*idai began only for Courage to cut him off with a harsh jab. “None of it, is what he meant to say.”

Legend’s grin only grew, “Okay, it started when she came to my room last night. Complaining you two wouldn’t treat her right.” Dalton shrunk ever more into himself at the words. “She would never!” Courage cried out. “Oh, but she did!”

Legend gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “You two ding-dong’s really screwed the pooch there. Lost out on a night I certainly won’t be forgetting anytime soon. But, hey, maybe you can try again. The Golden three know I’m a patient man. I’ll wait for her to come by my room once more.” Collecting his boot, he swatted it at the two, refusing to even spare a glance at Dalton and Dante. “And put some pants on would ya? It’s getting weird.” 

The two watched Legend leave the room, closing the door behind him. Kor*dai looked down at Dalton then Dante, before letting his ga(y)ze go up to Courage’s eyes. “No homo?” He asked. “No homo.” Courage replied.

With a hearty hand clapping to the other’s shoulders, Courage finally grinned. “Rule number one of adventuring? It’s never gay to kiss the homies goodnight. It’s a sign of good faith.” Ko*idai nodded excitedly, bangs flopping about much in the same way Dante did. “Right. Legend just doesn’t understand that. He has no homies.”

“Legend thinks it’s gay to kiss the homies. But we know better.” Courage says, leaning forward and placing a kiss to Kor*dai’s cheek. “Now lets get some pants on, bro. I bet breakfast is ready and I’m warn out from that crazy night we had.”

Ko*idai placed a hand to his cheek, which quickly hued into a soft red. “Golly,” He muttered, foot twirling itself on it’s toes. It was absolutely not gay to kiss the homies and if Legend didn’t see that, he felt bad for that merchant friend of his.  He would kiss his homies and be happy with it. With a wave, he said his goodbyes to Dante and Dalton, knowing he’d see them again soon enough.

Afterall, no one said where the kisses had to be, right?

[elvenbeard]

Today's modding shenanigans!

Today I wanted to test out ACM a bit :D I think I'd most enjoy using it as an additional tool for making custom outfits and seeing how different item appearances work together, less as my primary tool to creating custom outfits as such (also, it is a bit buggy for me and I can't seem to export appearances reliably for some reason).

Since you can alter custom appearances with it too, though, you could definitely mod one "base outfit" and then change the colors spontaneously for a different vibe (for example, I could make an apperance for Kerry wearing one t-shirt and then change the shirt decal or color on the fly in game without cluttering his .app file with a dozen different appearances that are virtually the same just different colors!). Wondering though if there exists a resource that lists every item's appearance names (cause some are super specific and hard to guess, like... instead of "black" or "smiley-face" you have appearances like "6th street" or "black_capsules") for this purpose... and if not, I'll probably make one just because I would find it useful to have xD

Also, ACM is really neat for taking off Kerry's jewelry on the fly for certain pics XD Or changing nail colors and things like that! In all these regards this is a super useful resource as is already, but I'm excited where the mod makers will take it :D (also... random sidenote, but can we talk about Dante for a moment? I'm a little bit in love, and I need his shirt not only for Kerry but also for Vince XD).

Then some silly behind the scenes stuff xDD @netcess said that Reed really needs a party outfit with a cool hat, so I put something quick and simple together for her and... I wanted to take a pic and as I went into Photomode, Vince spawned straight across from Reed and looked so disappointed at him partying without him when so many pressing issues are at hand XD Just really fun little moment I wanted to capture, intensified by facepalm XD

Honestly he rocks it XD Might make a recolor to fit his suit when the mood strikes xD

And finally: who wore it better? XD

(giggling and kicking my feet at how his hair and beard match now :3)

No but I actually tried my hand at editing this hair mesh for Kerry, cause it was clipping a bit here and there! This is done super quick and dirty like... In theory I know I could export his headmesh and then fit it exactly to that, but for now this aint so bad already actually! :D No more clipping into the side of his head and the hairline in the front looks better. I left out Johnny's hair cap and all that because I wanted to go for a really really short, very freshly shaved look for this like...

Something he would've done at the end of his tour right before coming back to Night City. Keeping the long hair consistent for all concerts. And as I said, I 100% get why he has that look, like... It has old, seasoned rocker vibes, it's so much less clean and more himself than his 2077-appearance like... natural hair color, not styled at all, embracing himself again with the whole "I'm gonna name my next album "Kerry Eurodyne" and go back to my roots thing, he looks like he just came off stage, sweaty and tousled, so... yes!! I do love it for all those reasons, but idk... I feel like, it's also at the same time something low maintenance that he doesn't have to pay a lot of mind to, escaping into his music and career after apparently losing V. And I think with the tour over and with getting V back so unexpectedly, he'd change things up a bit again. It's a concert/tour look for me. And this style is also low maintenance, while still Kerry, still rebellious, but a little more cleaned-up, in control of his life, if that makes sense?

@pinkyjulien sorry for stealing your tags from my other post, but you put it into words so well, on point!!

Especially your last point, cutting/shaving your hair to mark a new beginning is 100% such a thing he'd do!! So yeah, I think I'll stick with this for his two-years-plus-four-months-later look xD

[kboo1999]

yeah, I forgot how much Dante pissed me off last episode

torres is he’s acting

lord. oh lord. cook, you can’t get all big and mad about this now, you’re here like wayyyy after the fact,  and this is partially on Voight and Kim. 

Torres should have never been in that deep and that dark from the rest of the unit when it had little to no true exposure and experience AS A COP 

fuck this. this is going to be a ride

the way that Hank is like cut the bullshit, get to the facts

I don’t think Torres is trying to save himself, I do think as a catholic though he surely is feeling that strong as hell Catholic Guilt

damn it Kim 

the way that Adam was starring down Torres, like what the hell did you get my girl into

OH SNAP!!

“She could go to prison Dante” — I know, especially at that moment, all that Adam is thinking about is she is the mother to his child 

I do love the way that Torres says his name though

god, poor Dante, he can’t deal with some things of this nature still — he truly was scarred from his history

I’m actually kind of hating Kiana right now

I feel like Kim is going to be the person that’s the thread that is going to help save Torres

awww, Dante bringing Kim her cup of I’m assuming coffee

I love and hate all the love and compassion Torres can still have, no matter how someone has wronged him, or what he’s been through

Oh, Lord. the amount of shots being fired here is wild

Dante

I will say, I do love this trio of 

Hell fucking yes Kim with that shot. 

I also loveeee the fact that Kim is really and truly able to give out orders — like yassss Detective Burgess with Intelligence 

lol. 

yes dante. yes. he said he will cuff you to his damn car if he needs to

damn. Gloria. you have pissed off this man. it takes a lot to do that. 

he really gave Gloria the damn hand. 

when you start getting shot at 

easy?? bitch what? Torres is dying emotionally, and the fact that she doesn’t see that kills me

Fr though, I have been thinking this since we first saw Gloria was back, I don’t understand why she didn’t take the out, and start something different. Like, she’s not a dumb or uneducated, inexperienced, or skillless woman, sooooo. I just don’t get it. 

the way that Kevin looks when he’s posted up — i love how he’s developed over the seasons + you’ve got kim & adam over on the other car working together you are wasting his time currently though. 

ahhhh. That’s what this is. Gloria is a power whore. 

he tried to warn you Gloria

yeah. He definitely is one of them. He’s a cop. 

Torres, don’t let her get in your head.

damn, that gate was loud as hell

Kevin pushed that man down with no regard like he was a damn feather

damn. I’ve always loved it, but it’s just gotten better this season, the team up with burgess + adam + kevin, the way they clear, and cover. it shouldn’t be so hot, but it is!

oh hell nah. yeahhhh, Adam’s not with the shits baby. you shot in the vicinity of his woman, he’s never not going to be okay. 

Torres tried to warn you idiot. — at this point, she’s more than made her bed, she doesn’t deserve to “still have a life”, she got out, she was out, Dante risked everything, did her right, and YET, she still purposely and intentionally dragged herself back into the life

Kim doesn’t have the time to play — nor will she play with Gloria. she’s over that shit 

Kim’s “I don’t think about you” — the fact that this is really probably more than true

Kim mentioning Chief Deputy Reid

okay….the way they are all analyzing and watching him

lol. adam. he’s never trusted people who renege on their word

it seems like Cook is riding her tail way too close

um…uhhm, what the hell is Gloria doing. or maybe she thinks she’s being set up 

Gloria is wildin’ bruh

but she really just saved Dante. so holy shit. 

damnnn. the unit shut these mf down!!

hot damn. Something told me this was going to happen, but I wasn’t expecting it to go down quite like that…

Now Kiana sees it, right in front of her eyes.

well damn. now they all see it. Not only do I think Torres really loved her, but also i believe his catholic guilt  is deep 

I don’t think it was a cover up per se, I think it was damage control more so. 

Yeahhhh. Hank doesn’t trust people like that. 

lol. why does everyone always wanna “be friends” with Hank. he doesn’t like y’all 😂

[aristocratic-otter]

Hello all! Well, COVID has passed me, not with a bang but with a whimper. I.E., I got it, I think (never tested positive), but with very very faint symptoms, and I'm fine now, so phew. Also, I'm going to see the Book of Mormon this week (the play), so I'm hyped right now!

Thank you to all who've tagged me in the last week. Even when I don't have time or feel up to posting, I love reading what y'all are doing. It's so diverse and interesting!

My thanks to: @j-nipper-95, @artsyunderstudy, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @nightimedreamersghost, @cosmicalart, @larkral, @angelsfalling16, @wellbelesbian, @cutestkilla, @confused-bi-queer, @hushed-chorus, @bookish-bogwitch, @ileadacharmedlife and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe.

There'll be no snippet from Westward Son this week. Not that I'm not making progress (I am), but everything I've written this week is extremely smutty, lol.

From my Age of Sail AU, which now has a name! It's Stars, Flowers, and Children, from the Dante quote: "Three things remain to us from paradise: stars, flowers, and children." It's extremely fitting, as you'll eventually see.

The Snip:

I don’t look at Baz. I’m feeling a little tetchy after being so soft with him. After a moment, he rolls back onto his back as well. Neither of us talk about it. But just as I’m drifting off, I’m almost certain I hear him whisper, “Thank you.”

Every night, for years afterward, I always give him a hug and a kiss goodnight.

From: To Heal a Broken Mind (coming down to the wire on this one!)

I want Baz. I want to wrap myself around him. I want to pull him inside of me so that our two hearts merge into one. 

He wants it too. And I’m too weak to deny him. To deny myself the comfort of his arms tonight. 

From Saving Simon Snow (I've hit a rough patch, but I think there will be a new chapter sometime this week):

“Shit,” he hisses. 

I spin to face him, half expecting a monster to have burst out of the fixtures and attacked him. But he’s fine. There’s no monster. Just Baz. Who for some reason is glaring at this very pretty bed. 

From Snow Fox (Next chapter definitely up this week!) (TW: for emetophobics):

“Basilton, what are you—” my father says, frowning. 

Before he can finish, though, Tarleton sends me a cocky grin and says, “I could land that hit with my eyes shut, Mr. Pitch.” 

“Show me?” I breathe, biting my lip as if enthralled by him. I’m not. I’m disgusted. If he tried to kiss me, I might vomit in his mouth.

From this year's CORB, The Heart In The Well (the name just came to me, I can't explain why it takes months for some fics and days for others!)

“This is your fault!”

Baz crosses his arms over his chest and narrows his eyes at me. “Really, Snow,” he drawls. I swear he sounds posher the more annoyed he is. Which is quite a trick, given that he’s sitting in the dirt, his stork legs stretched out nearly from one side of the well to the other, and wearing a dirty and tattered Watford uniform. 

Still he manages to look better than me.

Aaaand...a tease from something I've been calling "Simon as a TikTok dancer" (but which is absolutely a lot more than that):

Shepard smiles at my apparent interest. “This footage still needs a lot of editing before I can post it. But we post it on the internet, which is a way everyone in the world can see it if they want. And if enough people see it, we might get noticed. And we might start making money. More than the tips we get for our live performances at least.”

Half of what he says is nonsense to me, but I’m quivering with curiosity now. 

(and no, this isn't the mystery project I've teased. Which makes this...wince...my seventh WIP)

Tags and High Fives to everyone above and :

@angelsfalling16, @bazzybelle, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @frjsti, @fatalfangirl, @facewithoutheart, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @jasonfunderberkerthefrogexists, @krisrix, @messofthejess, @moments-au-crayon22, @alexalexinii, @moodandmist, @mostlymaudlin, @prettylightsbigcity, @rimeswithpurple, @raenestee, @thehoneyedhufflepuff, @theearlgreymage, @tea-brigade, @technetiumai, @upuntil6am, @whogaveyoupermission, @whatevertheweather, @yellobb-old.

[xogiada]

Welcome Bitches xoxo || Self

tw: none except for fabulousness & glitter

Armed with the legacy of her last name among other things, Giada took centerstage, drawing in a breath as she looked out upon the glittering ballroom gilded in gold and glamour, deep chestnut irises sparkling wide to take in all of her hard work and meticulous planning. No detail was overlooked from the cutlery to the linens to the opulent chandeliers and no expense was spared. Her million dollar smile the most expensive of all, sparkling bright as Giada stepped up to the podium adorned in holiday ruby and emerald that gleamed brighter than the spotlight.

From where she stood, she spotted her sisters first, gorgeous as ever in their glittering gowns and perfect curls. She was immediately reminded of their family, their father. The many times she had watched him command a room —  proud and charismatic— the way the crowd hung onto his every word, and even in spite of his wishes for her to pave a path away from the crime world, oh, how she wished he could see her now.

Irises shimmering, she blew each of her sister's a kiss, then turned to welcome her guests. “It is with great pleasure and honor to welcome all of you to the 8th Annual Holiday Charity Gala and Runway Show.” The belle of the ball began. Her pause was deliberate to allow her words to ring through the air, soaking in the applause as if it was the air she needed to breathe, letting it seep slowly beneath tawny, glistening skin.

"For those of you who don't know me, I am Giada D'Amiano, and I will be your mistress of ceremonies this evening. Before we begin the evening's festivities, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our generous sponsors and donors, volunteers, staff, and of course, our stunning models. I assure you, you are in for a real treat after dinner..." She trailed teasingly before giving a playful, pointed look at a familiar face. "Griffin, down boy."

"And of course, tonight would not be possible without all of you. I can not thank you enough for joining us and coming together for a truly wonderful cause. All proceeds from this evening's event will go to two organizations that are near and dear not only to my heart, but our family's as well, St. Jude's Cancer Research Center and The Safe Shield Initiative. We've already raised close to $20,000 through ticket sales alone."

Another beat passed, and Giada clapped, encouraging the crowd to show some enthusiasm along with her. "Oh, come on now. I know you're louder than that." She worked the room, waving her bejeweled hands upwards to increase their volume.

“And I also know we can do better than that, much better than that. The auction will run all through dinner followed by our show and we will be excepting donation all evening. So please give as generously as you can, and I urge you to dig deep," In your wallets, hearts, whatever is needed to put aside differences for one night only. Her paused was brief. "I’m looking at you Dante Moretti. Where are you?" Giada played it as if she hadn't meticulously crafted table arrangements and already had them committed to memory, her irises fluttering from table to table until landing on her Don and smiled sweetly at him, daring him to be anything else other than a good sport about it. His father had always been.

They fluttered once more, targeting a couple other important figures in attendance this evening. It was methodical —a warning—an attempt to demand a cease fire for the evening and show a sliver of respect and decorum. To keep their soldiers in line and all the riff raff at bay. "Ah, Mr. Sahin, Mr. Reis. Both of you, too. Even I had my eye on that adorable little Country Club membership." A lush laugh fell from her lips, a regal pompous sort of sound before her gaze fell to her future brother-in-law.

"Walsh.” She eyed him with a pointed look and raised brow, her newfound distain hidden behind a practiced smile years of living in a man's world had so graciously crafted. "Wolfe, and Miray, who looks absolutely incredible this evening." She clapped her hands at that so others would join her, appreciating the Crimson leader for the work of art that she is.

As the crowd settled into silence once again, Giada wrapped her freshly manicured fingers around her champagne flute. "So please raise your glasses. Eat, drink, be merry and remember whether you're naughty or nice, Santa is always watching. Salute! "Giada hoisted her flute in the air right on cue, accompanied by a symphony of golden confetti that cascaded to the ground in perfect spirals all around her.

[rowinablx]

Name: Beckett "Beck" O'Connor

Nickname: Little O'Connor

Age: 32

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Blue

Psychical Appearance: Tall and blond with muscles and tattoos.

Relationships

Natalie Hale (Wife)

Alexis Hale-O'Connor (Daughter)

Brian O'Connor (Older Brother)

Tess (Older Sister)

Eric Reisner/Little Nobody (Older Brother)

Frank Petty/Mr Nobody (Father)

Ms O'Connor (Mother)

Dominic Toretto (Brother in law)

Mia Toretto (Sister in law)

Letty Ortiz (Sister in law)

Jakob Toretto (Brother in law)

Jack O'Connor-Toretto (Nephew)

Brian Marcos Toretto (Nephew)

Cipher (Enemy, situational ally)

Roman (Ally)

Tej (Ally)

Suki (Ally)

Ramsey (Ally)

Gisele Yashar (Ally)

Han Lue (Ally)

Sean Boswell (Ally, rival)

Twinkie (Ally)

Earl (Ally)

Leon (Ally)

Jesse (Ally)

Vince (Ally)

Deckard Shaw (Enemy, situational ally)

Owen Shaw (Enemy, captor, situation ally)

Role in films

The Fast and the Furious

Beck is first mentioned when Brian tells Dom about him and how he would move heaven and hell for him

2 Fast 2 Furious

When Tej asks about him, Brian says he recently joined the special forces. Roman asks about him, Tess and Eric later.

Fast and Furious

Beck appears for the first time, having recently retired, with information on Letty's death for Brian. He also says that he can't hide his feelings for Dom forever.

Fast Five

Appears with his wife Natalie and daughter Alexis, gives the team info on Reyes and his money houses. Beck joins temporarily to help Brian. Natalie bonds with Dom over their love for their dumb blonds who get into trouble.

Fast and Furious 6

Now living in Brazil with Natalie and Alexis, he volunteers with Elena Neves, another ally, to keep watch on Mia and her son. Before Natalie leaves with the crew, Beck promises that this will be their final favor for Brian. When Vegh and Klaus are sent to kidnap Mia and Jack, he distracts them long enough to allow them to escape, being used as a hostage instead to control Brian. Natalie later helps her brother in law kill Vegh and reunites with her husband. Beck comforts her and asks if she is okay rather than him.

Furious 7

Like his brother, Beck has a hard time adjusting to regular life after his time in special forces and as a criminal. He relays to Dom that Brian told him he misses the violence. He and Natalie don't take part in the mission against Deckard Shaw but has to be physically held back by his brother from punching their father. He hugs Mia and Letty goodbye when they decide to retire, Letty having regained most of her memories. He celebrates after Dom proposes to Brian. Beck also urges them to adopt a child so he wasn't the only one who had one.

Fate of the Furious

Beck punches Eric upon reuniting with him, and also makes various gestures at Roman to stop mocking his brother. Due to his family and retirement, Beck reluctantly leaves. Natalie tells him to stop pretending that he doesn't miss being a member of the crew and that she loves him no matter what. He returns towards the end to help his brother. He decides to attempt a permanent retirement after Deckard saves Dom's son.

F9

Beck comes out of retirement to help his brother again. He asks Mia how Letty is handling babysitting his nephews and if her memory is better. Sean makes various jokes about him being dumb because he's blond, he asks if they can give Sean to Jakob. He retires again at the end, joking that it won't last long.

Fast X

Beck is mentioned by Tess when she explains to Aimes her family history. Eric asks Dom if he and his wife are safe, to which Brian says yes. However Beck and Natalie appear as targets on Dante's list.

Trivia:

Nicknamed Little O'Connor because of the age difference between him and his siblings, Brian being in his early fifties, Tess in her mid forties and Eric in his early forties.

He met Natalie sometime after he was discharged.

Despite not being biologically related, he's close with his nephew Jack.

His car is a Charger Hellcat.

Beck tried to stay away from the Agency's radar for years.

[aggressivenesswhilecrying]

Dante, do you like that slow burn?

Summery:

Ren and martyn are the final two, all their allies and enemies are dead. And on the black heart alter, ren and martyn stand, axe and sword in hand.

Martyns entire life revoles around his king, he knows ren better than he knows himself. And he knows ren isn't made for spring. And well. Martyn will always follow were his king goes.

TW!! MAIN CHARACTER DEATH, HURT NO COMFORT, VIOLENCE!!

Beta read and edited!!

(This is for day one of treebark week, prompt flower/frost!!)

The air is turning warm finally in dogwarts, and the two who rule over it stand on th black heart altar. The king and his hand. Winter has finally passed, and ice and snow are melting away to reveal green grass. The trees are decorated in blossoms, and birds are singing happily. The air tastes like pollen in ren and martyn’s mouths.

Red winter has passed. And spring has come.

And yet there is still red decorating the ground. Poppies burst from the ground, and the tops of beetroots. Red winter has passed and yet a cardinal sits proudly in the tree overhead. Tilting its head as it gazes at the two. Wonder in its sound.

Spring is here, and the light and growth are returning to dogwarts in every way they possibly can.

And there are only two left. Two stand on the ruined earth. They won. It’s, well, it’s almost over. They have almost done it. Soon, there will be nothing but whispers of their lives in these abandoned walls. Ren's ears are low, his sunglasses discarded on the ground, tail between his legs. His hair is matted, and his crown long since gone. His cape curled up at his feet, and Martyn wants to weep. His classic green hoodie is stained brown, red having soaked in. The time is pink now, it’s green, it’s beautiful and alive, life takes over the corpses of their enemies. And yet here two dead men walking are. They aren't made for the gentle spring.

They made the winter with their bare hands, it’s far too late for them to bloom into spring.

Martyn can feel his torn jean shorts against his legs. His sandals painfully digging into his feet, the red winter axe in his hand held tight. He can feel the shaking of despair traveling up his spine. It leaves him feeling breathless and his knee’s shaking.

No matter how gentle the air is, he can't seem to breathe right. He feels sick to his stomach.

Death game. It’s in the name. Everyone dies. Everyone kills each other. Teams are never meant to last here. No. They rot, and fall away like old wood. Lasting for the moment, but after a while, after rain, it always rots away, it always opens up to a hole.

Death game.

They have to kill each other. After all this time they have to tear their weapons through beautiful, loved skin. Skin they grew to worship. Kisses whispered prayers late at night during the beginning of the end. The skin of those they love so deeply. The skin they cared for in the deepest parts of their souls, the skin they both vowed to try to keep safe from harm.

The ax falls from martyn’s hand, and he lets out an ugly sob, back shaking as he loses even more breath in his air from his lungs, he brings the balls of his hands to his eyes each, voice raw as tears start to run down his face, slowly he hears the sound of ren dropping his own weapon, and it’s slow, hesitant even, before ren is running, desperate to get to martyn.

Steps once slow, now quick and rushed as there is no longer any space between them, ren clawing, latching onto martyn, claw like nails digging into clothing, and almost skin as he tugs martyn to his chest. His own breathing is shaky. And his own tears coming to his eyes, there is no space between them to even breathe as he holds martyn like his life depends on it.

If anything Ren is safer away from martyn, but at this point, they don't even care.

“Gods- i- fuck ren, i dont want to, i dont want to do this..!!'' Martyn's voice is a wet scream near the end as he curls into the rough and worn fabric, tears falling like a waterfall, soaking into ren clothing. Rens head settles on top of martyns own, and the king shakes and hiccups, his own tears falling into martyn’s hair, it’s almost nice to know that ren is feeling the same way martyn is right now, just a little bit of reassurance, a “maybe he loves me too, maybe it was true.” but Martyn knows it was. Martyn knows how honest Ren is, and he could not have faked that long, looked into Martyn's eyes, and lied for that long. He knows Ren loved him. And he loves Ren the same. Of course he does. How could he not?

He loves Ren with everything he is. He loves Ren with everything in his soul. He has given his life to ren, every single life. He has listened to every single command ren has ever dished out. He has given everything to ren, loved ren like how someone would love a prayer. It’s all their wishes, dreams, deepest fears. It’s everything they are, is only a few words. Or in this case, one man.

“I don't want to either..”

The silly accent is dropped of ren shivers against martyn, hand tangling into his hair as he holds on like his life depends on it. Like it's his entire life on the line. And he cries. Ren lets out a deep sob, and he cries. Full of love for martyn, love for the home they built. And hate, hate for the situation and how he cant do anything to change their fate.

He can't fix anything, this is the end after all.

Martyn tilts his head up just barely, looking at Ren with tear filled eyes. And he makes a decision as he looks at ren. He makes a decision he could never take back.

He meets Ren's eyes, and for one final moment, one moment of love, he whispers the words he’s meant for ages, in reality, it has only been maybe 8 weeks, but they mean so much more than he’s willing to admit. And he kisses ren.

His king's lips are chapped and scratches against his painfully, but he doesn't so much as care about how it hurts, no, he focuses on the way Ren sobs into his lips. How his grip tightens on martyn. How everything feels like it’s crashing in. He lets himself enjoy it, just for a moment, a moment of peace, of happiness. A moment of love in the end.

Martyn couldn't tell you how long they spent like that, desperate for every moment they can get, holding onto each other lips pressed against each other, breath stolen in these moment, and tears shed, they could have spent hours like that for all they knew, they could have spent years holding each other and it wouldn't have made any difference to them. Cuz in the end they still pull away, they still separate, and they still know what has to happen. There is no other option, no other choice, no other way out.

And so, they get into fighting stances on either side of the altar, they leave the sentimental weapons on the side, and they weep oh so openly. As they prepare to fight, to kill each other in cold blood on the altar that means oh so much to them, they raise their fists, getting ready, a sob racks through ren, he leaves his sunglasses off, and red eyes hold onto red eyes, as they wish, and pray this wasn't the way it ends.

The first hit is thrown by Martyn, because he knows Ren won't take it, he knows Ren won't throw it, so he does. Martyn hears his fist connect with Ren's face, he doesn't see exactly where, but he can feel it through his entire arm.

Like a racing fire up his body, the bloodlust of being red starts to cloud his mind. He feels the fog fill his mind. But he knows he won't win. He knows it. And so he lets Ren take the next, he gives the act of missing as Ren takes another. Martyn lets it happen, because he’s just the king's hand, his role is to give everything to his king, his lord. It’s his job to let Ren take swing, after swing. It’s his job to fall to his knees, and even further as Ren doesn't stop. The redness in his eyes near glowing as he throws hit, after hit.

Martyns face isn't right, and the humid air leaves him feeling sticky. Ren does not relent, even as martyn face turns into some shape it was not supposed to be before, as it no longer looks like martyn, it doesn't even look human to some degree, no, he can't see anymore. Martyn can't see, and he isn't able to talk right, but try as he might, he whispers the words, over, and over, and over again. Broken prayers, to the god that is harming him, in a voice that it can't even hear. Broken and sorrowful declarations to the man he deems his god. To the man he devoted every whim of his life to.

Declarations of love. Of home. Of everything he can say. But Ren will never hear them, as Martyn's voice is drowned out by the blood that fills his mouth. His world is spinning, and he promises that it’s all rens, but all ren can hear is painful gurgling. All Ren is able to feel is shame. All that is there, is martyns bloodied body on the ground below him.

All that remains is a man made god, sobbing at his lover's feet. All that remains is a body that drifts off into dust in the wind. And a man with bloodied fists crying over a pool of red. Whispering his own prayers, and sorrows, and his own declarations of how if the gods aren't cruel, then maybe they will get another shot at this, another life time together, another maybe, and another please, and another im sorry. And everything he can give to the space that once hosted martyn. Another i love you, maybe he deserves this. To lose a lover he held so close, maybe he did something, in some other life, to be the sole survivor in such a painful way.

Ren stumbles over his feet, reaching, begging his arms to grab onto the sword. Praying that as he thrusts the blade into his chest, that him and martyn can be somewhere else, at another time. Maybe they could have lived in a small cottage on the hill, maybe their story doesn't always end in red and death, maybe they mold themselves for spring.