#starchild in love noises

[starchild--27]

tomorrow is my first [redacted] with A Boyfriend and i am always kinda nervous about new things of that kind bc i don't know what to expect-

but

... i think i'll be fine :3

[swaps55]

Sorry, long post but I just needed to get what’s in my head shared with someone out there with a couple hidden questions in there:

So my head canon Shep has a lot of similarities to Sam despite the very different backgrounds. At the end of ME3, Jon Shep struts (as much as possible) determinedly towards Destroy.. Then as StarChild asks Shep if they would consider any other option Shep flips off the AI while sternly stating “I was promised cuddles and I’m cashing in on no matter what”.

So, would Kaidan’s “I’ll fight like hell to hold you again” reinvigorate/encourage/help Sam to see it through to the end? 

Also, thank you for the WIP-Whenever link (I still can’t find it in your posts, yes, I am most helpless) and I keep imagining how they end up there.  I headcanon Grimson Academy taking place right after the Coup and on the shuttle ride back to the Normandy, Kaidan feels out of place and unqualified to be around the crew having fun so he goes and sits up with Steve and sees if there’s anything he can help with even if its just to chat a bit.  Shepard at first thinks Kaidan is very tired (recently healed, lots of biotics used, Jack is a bit loud and overwhelming…)  Then the mission with Jacob.  Once again on the way back to the Normandy as Jacob and Shepard reminisce, Kaidan goes up front with Steve.  Shepard starts to wonder if Kaidan just wants nothing to do with anything Cerberus and is pained as he just wants to share the good parts of his time spent away and mistakenly doesn’t see that Kaidan is just guilt ridden.

Then the mission to check on the Araklah Company and saving Grunt.  Garrus, knowing what Kaidan is about to do, goes and sits in the copilot seat first while telling Kaidan he’s exhausted and needs to sit and shoos him away back to Shepard.  Shepard is beamingly happy introducing the two and talking about birthing Grunt and some of his crazy stunts during the Collector mission.

Cut to the Ardat Yakshi monastery.  Kaidan takes more interest in Samara and interacts with her.  However, due to the banshees screams, Kaidan’s head wants to go migraine mode but isn’t fully one. The crew is having some sort of party in the lounge so there’s more noise.  Shepard carries Kaidan from the Starboard Ob’s couch and basically cradles Kaidan.  Chakwas comes to check to see if Kaidan needs anything.  As the door opens and light pours through, Kaidan buries his head deeper into Shepard’s arm.  Chakwas asks if everything is okay and Shepard just looks down at Kaidan, smiles, and says ‘yeah. Yeah, everything is going to be okay.’

Cue Kaidan waking up and your WIP-Whenever occurring.  Kaidan has that Fugue dream of Shepard and trying to hold him as he wakes up.  This time it works.  The part that died along Shepard comes back to life and some of the colder/harsher side of Kaidan leaves. (basically like how Sam has a Sam side vs butcher side Kaidan has a Kaidan side and Major personality).

Throughout this Kaidan talks to Steve and kinda uses him as therapy as both lost their significant other to Collectors.  So my question is do you think you’d poke at Kaidan/Steve interactions? How would Steve react if his husband came back and work for the enemy? Can Steve help Kaidan heal? Does Kaidan still need to heal?  Furthermore, I can’t decide if Shepard would feel jealousy towards Steve? Would Sam think Kaidan is trying to romance Steve or is that just adding unnecessary drama just for the sake of adding angst.  I can’t decide what my Jon would do so I’m curious what would go on inside Sam’s head.

This reads a bit like a fic but I’d never make it one as it steals way too much from Sam and I’m simply not  a writer but would like feedback so I can mentally play with scenarios.

Also, while many are eagerly awaiting Horizon, I can't wait for Mars as Sam has to watch his nightmares unfold right in front of him (and Liara too tbh).

Oh gosh, I LOVE this ask. Thank you!

If you want to know what the thought process has been as to ‘how do Sam and Kaidan reconcile, actually?’ this is kind of what it looks like. Throwing a lot of spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks.

First, the ending. I have spent 12 years now hating the ME3 ‘endings’ with every fiber of my being. I will quite literally die mad about it. But I’ve spent those 12 years trying to envision an ending I would feel good about, that would give me closure, and do justice to the characters I love so much. I finally got there, and I am beside myself over it. While I intend to keep most of the same emotional beats from the game, they will probably unfold a little differently.

That said, Sam will see it through to the end because he’s Sam, and he’s ruthless by nature. The solution is all that matters. Once his course is set, you won’t deviate him from it. But when he said, “if it comes down to a choice between you and the galaxy, fuck the galaxy. I choose you,” he meant it, so that course won’t be without conflict.

As for the reconciliation, (which is referring to this snippet for those who are curious), I thought about a LOT of things that could be the catalyst for it and had a heck of a time getting to one that felt right, for reasons which tie into the dissertation I wrote on that snippet.

The catalyst being Steve Cortez is something I absolutely thought about, and almost went with.  I can definitely  see Kaidan and Steve doing a little bonding over grief, and Steve gently but firmly asking him, “Kaidan…what are you doing? He’s right there. No one gets a second chance like this. No one.”

And as for Sam being jealous, I actually think Sam would be the one to suggest Kaidan get to know Steve. Kaidan needs to talk to someone. He can’t talk to Sam. Steve is the right choice. Sam can have jealous moments, but he isn’t really the jealous type.

Missions like Lesuss (the ardat-yakshi monastery) will probably play into the tension between them. I wrote a story years ago about that mission, and while it isn’t part of Opus, my toxic trait is loosely considering nearly every fic I’ve written to be my own ‘canon’ in some way (I’ve referenced many, many, many things that happen in Exordium, my ME1 long fic, in Opus).  

I also thought Kaidan learning about his dad going missing might be the tipping point. I even did some writing for it, but as I talk about in that dissertation, it was too focused on Kaidan’s needs, and not focused enough on Sam’s.

I won’t spoil what it is actually going to be, yet anyway, but it involves them doing what they do best: understanding and being there for each other. I can’t wait. I haven’t written it down, but I have daydreamed about it in such detail it’s etched in stone.

[soft-jihoonie]

Hey, @starchild--27! I’m your secret Santa ✨ it’s been so lovely getting to know you and hearing about your love for our lovely Chanyeol! I really hope you’ll like this fanfic I’ve written for you as your gift. I really enjoyed writing this! Have a lovely holidays and please let me know what you think!

Pairing: Chanyeol x Baekhyun

Warning: none

Words: 1.6k

A/N: Tysm @exols-silver-christmas for hosting this secret Santa, I loved being a part of it

Chanyeol stares down at the blank sheet music paper in front of him, pen hovering over the page as he wills himself to just write anything down. He tries not to the think about the crumpled up pieces of previous sheet music paper scattered around him, just reminding him of his failure.

He’s had writers block before, it’s nothing new, but this time he has the added pressure of his manager breathing down his neck, reminding him that the song needs to done by tomorrow to be considered for the album.

So, he’s spent the whole day in his studio, scribbling down ideas and hating every single one, getting increasingly more frustrated with himself.

A knock on the door shakes him out of his thoughts. His legs aching from lack of movement as he stands to walk towards the door and open it.

He’s greeted by Baekhyun, his sweet lovely Baekhyun, who barges past him into the room, loudly saying, “Yeol, you’ve been in here all day, take a break with me.”

Chanyeol chuckles as he returns to his chair, watching Baekhyun sit on the studio couch as he replies, “I can’t Baek, this song needs to be done by tomorrow morning, I’ve got nothing.”

Baekhyun’s face morphs into a sympathetic expression. “I know baby but I’m willing to bet that I’m correct in assuming you’ve not eaten all day?”

An expression of guilt spreads onto Chanyeol’s face as he shrugs and says, “Oops?”

Baekhyun groans, leaning over to rustle through a bag that Chanyeol hadn’t even realised he had with him. He passes Chanyeol a takeaway box, placing another one on the sofa next to him. Chanyeol opens the box to find Galbi, instantly hit by the comforting smell of his favourite food.

Glancing over at Baekhyun, he sees he’s opening the other takeaway box which is filled with rice and kimchi as side dishes. Chanyeol places his takeaway box on the desk next to him, striding over to Baekhyun.

He pulls Baekhyun up to standing, giggling at Baekhyun’s startled noise, and envelopes the shorter man in his arms, kissing the top of his head.

“What did I do to deserve you?”

Baekhyun laughs into Chanyeol’s chest, saying, “I’ve been asking myself the same thing.”

That earns Baekhyn a little nip on the ear from Chanyeol, making Baekhyun yelp and scramble away, a grin still on his face. Composing himself, Baekhyun pulls Chanyeol to the couch and says, “Sit.”

Doing as he’s told, Chanyeol finds himself being fed Galbi and side dishes moments later, moaning happily over the taste. When Baekhyun is satisfied Chanyeol will feed himself, he switches to telling Chanyeol about his day. As usual Baekhyun tells every part of it animatedly and he seems determined to make Chanyeol laugh.

He succeeds, of course. By the time the food has gone, Chanyeol’s stress has melted away and a melody is running through his mind.

He kisses Baekhyun gently, thanking him for the food and company before saying, “I’m inspired, can I?”

Baekhyun smiles and gestures for Chanyeol to carry on. Chanyeol bounds over to his computer, fingers itching to turn the melody from thought to actual song.

There’s something comforting about the fact that Baekhyun stays in the room whilst Chanyeol works, playing on his phone and shooting little smiles Chanyeol’s way when they make eye contact at points.

By the time he’s created the backing track for the song, a bit of relief flooding through him, Baekhyun is asleep on the couch. Chanyeol stares at him, a soft smile on his face as he admires his boyfriend.

Baekhyun is beautiful always but the peaceful expression on his sleeping face is one of Chanyeol’s favourite things. He resists all urges to go and cuddle up to Baekhyun, not wanting to disturb him sleeping so peacefully.

He glances at the window, noticing that it’s a clear night, the moon shining brightly surrounded by twinkling stars. He thinks, in that moment, that he’s the luckiest he’s ever been. A glance back at Baekhyun has him thinking ‘that’s because your boyfriend is an angel’.

That’s when it hits him, lyrics to match his backing track bursting into his mind. He can barely make his pen write as fast as the lyrics form in his mind. Of course he just needed Baekhyun to get over his writers block, he knows there’s no greater muse than Baekhyun.

He hits record on his computer, jumps into the recording booth, and sets to singing the demo version of the song. It’s not perfect, of course it isn’t, it won’t be until Baekhyun’s the one singing it. But, it’s good enough to present to his manager, good enough to show Baekhyun.

Leaving the booth, he stops his recording, listening back to ensure he doesn’t need to redo any parts. When he’s satisfied with his creation he moves over to Baekhyun.

He wakes Baekhyn up with soft kisses to his cheeks, forehead, nose, and when Baekhyun awakes, his lips. Baekhyun leans into the kiss, voice groggy as he pulls away and says, “What’s going on?”

Chanyeol grins, gently pulling Baekhyun to stand. As he sits Baekhyun on the chair in front of his computer he says, “It’s done, I finished the song.”

That wakes Baekhyun fully, a rectangle grin on his face as he grabs the headphones. He says, “I wanna hear it.”

Chanyeol presses play, nerves beginning to fill him as he worries Baekhyun won’t like it. He mentally speaks the lyrics to settle himself, stop his worrying thoughts. The lyrics read:

Hello, angel

You're like a painting

When I look at the sky, I can only see you

City street lights

Even when the lights go out

And the moon disappears, it's still shining

Because you are the star

That fell from the sky

I'm smiling for some reason

I can't sleep even if I close my eyes every night

I stay up all night again, thinking of you

Your shining smile makes me breathe

Perhaps you, you

Are hiding your wings behind your back

Yeah, anyone can tell you're my only angel

When I'm with you, I can fly

The sky gives you everything

And the world gave me you (It gave me you)

So you don't leave my side (Uh-huh)

To run away to heaven (Okay)

I'll hold you, I'll lock you, I'll embrace you

Hello, angel (Yeah)

You're like a painting (Come on, come on)

When I look at the sky, I can only see you

City street lights (Come on, come on)

Even when the lights go out and the moon disappears

It's still shining

Because you are the star that fell from the sky

Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo (Because that's you)

Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo (Because it's you, it's you)

Yeah, he says, "Don't, don't

Casually say that I'm pretty as if it was a joke"

Hug me more warmly like a blanket

Just like the first time, stay by my side

I'll be with you, the one I've always dreamed of

If we can last forever then I'll do anything (Uh-huh)

If it's a dream, I hope I never wake up from it

And I just wanna know about your every day

The sky gives you everything

And the world gave me you (Uh-huh, uh-huh)

So your heart isn't hurt (Woo)

And there aren't any scratches in it (Come on)

I will protect you, I promise to live to take care of you

Hello, angel

You're like a painting

When I look at the sky (When I look at the sky) I can only see you

City street lights

Even when the lights go out and the moon disappears

It's still shining

Because you are the star that fell from the sky

Even the fanciest jewel from heaven

Couldn't be as dazzling as you

Please don't go away

Baby, won't you stay?

I will love you forever

Hello, angel

You're like a painting

When I look at the sky, I can only see you

City street lights

Even when the lights go out and the moon disappears

It's still shining (It's shining)

Because you are the star that fell from the sky

Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo (Because are the star)

Ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo

When the song ends, Baekhyun turns to look at Chanyeol with wide eyes. Chanyeol removes the headphones from Baekhyun’s ears and says, “It’s for you, Baekhyun, you’re my muse.”

Next thing Chanyeol knows he’s knocked onto the floor, Baekhyun on top of him as he presses sloppy kisses all over Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol can’t find it in himself to be mad or grossed out about the sloppiness.

He grins at Baekhyun when their eyes meet and asks, “Do you like it?”

Baekhyun loudly exclaims, “Like it? I love it! Oh my god, I can’t wait to sing it.”

“I can’t wait for you to sing it either.”

That earns Chanyeol a soft kiss that evolves into a more eager one.

When they both pull away breathless, Baekhyun says, “We should go home.”

Chanyeol nods, manoeuvring himself up to standing once Baekhyun is no longer on top of him. Baekhyun attaches himself to Chanyeol’s back whilst he saves his work on the computer and sets the studio back to its previous state before Chanyeol descended on it.

Baekhyun insists on driving them home since he brought the car anyway, Chanyeol had just opted to walk the 30 minutes to the studio that morning. On the drive home Chanyeol sighs.

Baekhyun shoots him a look that says ‘What’s wrong?’, most of the time they can converse without a single word being said.

Chanyeol says, “I’m going to have to change he to she in the lyrics, the company would never let us use a love song with masculine pronouns in it.”

Baekhyn smiles, hand reaching to squeeze Chanyeol’s hand as he says, “Don’t worry, whenever I sing it, I’ll know it’s your love song for me.”

If Baekhyun wasn’t driving Chanyeol would have kissed him hard. He plans to do that when they get home.

[pin-crusher2000]

Mortal Kombat: Earth-66 (1.5)

Here is the second half of character interactions (Mar’i & Jake)

1- Mar’i: wanna spar? I’ll let you wrestle me to the ground.

Chris: oh! Hehe sure.

Mar’I: *smirks* read you like an open book!

2-Mar’i: future bro in law, wanna fight?

Jon: sure, won’t hold back though!

Mar’i: Tamareans is stronger than kryptonians.

3- Mar’i: you are daddy’s favorite Robin

Damian: *tt* is that so?

Mar’i: talked about you for hours.

4- Mar’i: we are both noble heirs for warrior queens

Hunter: it means we are both strong.

Mar’i: but I’m more stronger *does the lower bottom eyelid & sticks tongue out anime taunt.*

5-Mar’i: you think your arrows are faster than my starbolts?

Connor: yup, fastest drawer on the planet!

Mar’i: that’s what Lian said.

6- Mar’i: I’m a warrior princess!

Arthur: & I’m a warrior prince.

Mar’i: let’s see who’s the better warrior!

7-Mar’i: is it true that you eat worms?

Hector: no! I’m just a regular kid with hawk armor on!

Mar’i: that’s what a person who eats worms would say!

8-Mar’i: A Tamarean is stronger than a kryptonian!

Osul-Ra: wrong, & I’m a Phaelosian not a kryptonian!

Mar’i: *shugs noise* same thing.

9-Mar’i: *gasps* are you a warrior princess too?!

Otho-Ra: I’m my papas StarChild.

Mar’i: I’m my daddy’s StarShine.

10-Mar’i: wow! You get super strength?!

Colin: yeah, & I get even stronger.

Mar’i: strong like a Tamarean?

11-Mar’i: are you spying on Chris & I?

Conner: just being a good big bro & watching out.

Mar’i: thanks for that, but we don’t need you.

12-Mar’i: your just like uncle dami, But a princess!

Mara: I prefer a demon instead.

Mar’i: yup, talk like him too.

13-Mar’i: you can shoot lasers out of your eyes!

Maya: *giggles* yup & turn invisible too!

Mar’i: wooah! Cool!

14-Mar’i: Irey is my best friend!

Maxine: no she’s mine!

Mar’i: Mine!

15-Mar’i: hmph! Stop talking about my mom like that perv!

Clifford: what? I just said she’s like E.T. But with double D’s?

Mar’i: I’m gonna kick your butt!

16-Mar’i: what am I thinking about?

Kathy: Ranch with pizza on the bottom.

Mar’i: *gasp* soooo cool!

17- Mar’i: what’s hotter: my starbolts or your magical flames?

Suren: my flames can burn to ash.

Mar’i: my bolts are hotter than the sun.

FireWing (Jake Grayson)

1-Jake: loser has to make a parfait for the winner!

Chris: & it’s gonna be you.

Jake: then I’m gonna make it butt flavored.

2- Jake: we are the strongest of our teams.

Jon: let’s see who’s stronger between the both of us.

Jake: loser has pretzels for the winner.

3-Jake: dad said you were his favorite Robin.

Damian: *tt* is that so?

Jake: he was right, you are a butt munch.

4-Jake: we are both warrior princes.

Hunter: but I’m far stronger.

Jake: let’s test that out.

5-Jake: your screams can hurt eardrums?

Connor: yup, even steel at full scream.

Jake: really? Mine too! *starts screaming autisticly*

6-Jake: we are both warrior princes.

Arthur: yup, I’m of water & you of fire.

Jake: fire is better than water.

7-Jake: is it true that you eat worms?

Hector: no! Where did you heard that from?!

Jake: my sister bird boy! *giggles*

8-Jake: *deepens voice* accept my challenge kakarot!

Osul-Ra: *highens voice* Right! Let’s do it!

9-Jake: a warrior princess?

Otho-Ra: I’m my papas StarChild.

Jake: Mar’i would love to have you as a sister.

10-Jake: woah! You can turn into a giant!

Colin: yup, maybe even bigger.

Jake: can I do pull-ups on your wrists?

11-Jake: can you teach me how to be cool?

Conner: bro, you are already cool with the flame outfit!

Jake: awww, cool.

12-Jake: you’re just like uncle Damian.

Mara: how so?

Jake: a butthead but pretty.

13-Jake: you can shoot lasers?

Maya: yup, & turn invisible too!

Jake: can I use it to pull goons pants down? Please?

14-Jake: since my mom’s species came from cats could you technically control me?

Maxine: huh, you came from cats?!

Jake: meow! Meow! *purrs*

15-Jake: keep my mom’s name outta your mouth!

Clifford: why? I just said she’s like E.T. But with double D’s.

Jake: I’m gonna punch you in the tenders!

16: Jake: what number am I thinking of?

Kathy: not a number but the color blue.

Jake: darn, thought I could trick you. *pouts*

17: Jake: what’s hotter? My starbolts or your magical flames.

Suren: I can burn a body to ash.

Jake: can you light your farts on fire though?

[mystic-blue]

// i saw one (1) post about starchild!casey and decided to never be normal again <3 hope y'all enjoy because i wrote this in one go and it has not been edited! as always, for @ashwii and their celestial au

It took a long time for stars to form - Leo knew from painful, first-hand experience.

Each new burst of starlight was accompanied by searing, on-going pain until the cosmic reaction settled into something recognizable. As much as it all hurt, Leo loved knowing that his stars were out there, alive and bright and beautiful. Sometimes his brothers would find him floating through the void, tracing made up patterns between the stars decorating his limbs. It helped him calm down whenever he lost another star in a particularly painful manner, but he never told them that.

Whenever a new star was born, Leo had a rough idea of where it was in the universe. A distant link, a far off call of acknowledgement that they were present and knew he was, too. Most of the newer stars took the place of dying ones, or came to life at the edges of the ever expanding universe. It was rare for a new one to be born close to the system Leo and his brothers inhabited.

The closest stars were only a few minutes away (well...a few minutes for celestial beings was lifetimes for humans). It was there that Leo felt something call out. It sang through his veins with a rush exponentially greater than anything Leo had felt in the last few millennia. It stole his breath for a moment, stunning Leo in place before he regained enough presence of mind to react.

The call came from the direction of the Proxima Trio, who still had a few billion years left in them if Leo remembered correctly. He wondered if he had mistaken the feeling of a dying star for that of one being created because of their proximity. It was a startling occurrence, to say the least.

Until he realized it truly wasn't a swan song.

Even more perplexed than before, Leo sped along out of his brother's solar system toward the Trio. He would never claim to have favorites, but they were the ones he could see most often due to proximity. So his worry was a visible flickering of stars at his fingertips as Leo approached, reaching out without words to make sure they were all still present and well.

His query was met with elation and a hasty explanation.

The Trio had apparently orbited each other in a rare pattern - one that put them all at their closet proximity to each other. It happened rarely with the way their gravity affected one another, and they had brought with them cosmic dust they had been collecting for a while. On a whim, they had shoved the cosmic dust together along with a few other elements, just to see what would happen, and the result had been unexpected.

Floating at the center point between the Trio was a child. Their hair was the same color as the void of space between stars, shimmering with faint hints of starlight between the strands. Their skin was a swirling, ever turbulent pattern of colorful cosmic dust, and they were wrapped in a celestial cloud.

Stunned into silence alongside the Trio, Leo moved closer and ever so carefully scooped the child into the cradle of his arms. In response, the little one made a quiet noise of acknowledgment before blinking open their eyes to peer up at the newcomer. Leo's nonexistent breath caught in his throat as he gazed down at the little child in his arms.

Their eyes were filled with starlight, as bright as a sun. The child grinned toothily up at Leo and reached their tiny, cosmic dust colored hands up to his face. Excited babbling accompanied the gesture and Leo couldn't help but smile in return.

The Trio pressed their gentle concern toward Leo, and he realized abruptly that he was crying. Each tear sparkled with shed starlight, and he wiped them away quickly, still smiling. He promised the Trio they were happy tears, that there was nothing to worry about.

It had been so long - billions of years - since Leo had been able to witness a new star. He hadn't realized just how much he had missed it until this moment.

"Hello, starchild," Leo said, voice trembling with excitement. "Welcome to the universe."

As starchild babbled in response, Leo bid farewell to the Trio, promising them to look after the little one. They were content to part with little starchild, knowing Leo would make good on that promise. He rushed back to Raph's system, beaming and bursting with excitement. He found his brothers almost exactly where he had left them and presented starchild instantly.

"Where did you get them?" Mikey asked, pausing between his adoring coos.

"The Trio made them - I assume by accident. But I promised them I would look after starchild."

Raph had that look on his face that he always got when presented with something adorable. Leo would have offered to let Raph hold starchild, but the mere thought of letting them go was abhorrent. Instead, Leo allowed Mikey and Raph to fawn over starchild as he continued to cradle them in his arms.

Donnie hung back at Leo's shoulder, peering down at starchild curiously. Leo thought about suggesting Donnie not think too hard, lest he hurt himself. But that sort of comment usually ended with Donnie whacking Leo, and he couldn't risk it with starchild in his arms.

"What's on your mind, Dee?" Leo settled for, instead.

"You called them 'starchild'," Donnie said slowly. "Is that their name?"

Leo looked down at starchild, smiling as they reached a little hand up to bat curiously at Mikey's outstretched fingers. He didn't know how he knew, but starchild was an entity like them, a physical manifestation of newborn stars. A connection had formed between Leo and starchild, a tether of cosmic material that couldn't be broken. Starchild was a lovely name, but it wasn't a proper name.

"No," Leo said, shifting the hold of his cradle so he could extend his own fingers into starchild's curious reach. Tiny digits wrapped around Leo's sparkling finger as their delighted laughter echoed through the cosmos. Eyes full of starlight looked up at Leo, joyful and trusting. Maybe Leo could play favorites after all.

"Their name is Casey."

[mochinek0]

Agreste-Wayne 16

Alya sat nervously on the opposite side of the Parisian reporter. Nadja Chamack had long since passed down the role so she had no idea how this person would act.

"We are live on Tvi with Alya Cesaire!" they announced, "She has gained quite a bit of a reputation recently. Many of you may remember she worked for Parisian Abroad and wrote the retracted story of Adrien Agreste and Marinette Wayne's supposed love affair. Today, she is here to talk about her new blog and what led to her creating it."

Alya smiled nervously at the camera and waved.

"Um, I pretty much stated in my blog what led up to all of this. I believed in the wrong person and that person was Layla Rossi. She was a new student, in college, and quickly wowed us with stories of all these amazing things she did. I lost touch with a lot of classmates over the years. I can't say she was the reason or not. I know a few people know she was liar and I don't blame them in the slightest. I was-am, I am stubborn." Alya began.

"You posted a link with a list of lies she told in school." they declared, "Can you elaborate on those?"

"Yes. Of course." Alya answered, "Lila, um, Layla missed a lot of school. She was always saying how she was going on trips with her mother, an ambassador. She would even zoom call the teacher to tell us about her 'trips'."

"And you are sure she wasn't on these trips?" they asked.

"I didn't see it then, but she would never leave the hotel room." Alya explained, "Someone brought it up that every hotel room looked the same. She began to tear up and said that her mother's company only used the same hotel brand so all rooms should look the same. We believed her. Later, they pointed out how Lila never showed us pictures of her on any of these trips. She would go to exotic places: the Kingdom of Achu, Hawaii, the Amazon rainforest. I wish I had listened more when they said that there was no proof she was doing these things."

"Was that all there was too it?" they inquired, "No proof?"

"No." she replied, "Layla claimed to be doing these 'inspirational' acts, like feeding the homeless, building homes in Africa, helping Prince Ali with an environmental project, making clothes by hand for orphaned children and a lot more. If you're curious, you can look at the blog; most of these I did disprove. For one, the Prince Ali of Achu doesn't do environmental projects. He has charities for pediatric hospitals. Many of us donated money to the 'environmental project'. Anytime we asked her to help with something she claimed to have done, she would have an excuse. She also told us she had all these disabilities: tinnitus, arthritis, weak ankles, fractured lymph nodes, and so on. All of which sounds really stupid to say outloud, especially if she was out building homes. In fact, we've never met her parents so there's no guarantee she even was an ambassador's daughter."

"That does sound pretty....hard to believe." the reporter declared.

Alya nodded, "We were fourteen and thought we all had this amazing friend who did all these amazing things! At twenty-two, it doesn't sound plausible. There's so many mistakes, so many inconsistencies. They saw right through her. They were smarter than all of us."

"Alya, I know we asked you here to talk about you're blog." the reporter began, "We also asked some other people to talk about their experiences with Layla Rossi."

Alya looked off to the side to see who would be walking out.

'Is it Nino? It could be anyone from Bustier's class.'

Alya quickly turned when she heard a noise and saw the giant screen was trying to connect to a video.

'Did they not want to be here in person? How horrible did Lila treat this person that they're possibly going to disguise their identity?'

Alya froze in her seat. She never expected it would be them.

PERMANENT TAG LIST: @animeweebgirl @a-star-with-a-human-name @meme991001 @vixen-uchiha @abrx2002 @alysrose-starchild @fandom-trapped-03 @dood-space @moonlightstar64 @saltymiraculer @marveldcedits20 @09shell-sea09 @icerosecrystal @animegirlweeb @insane-fangirl-of-everything @blueblossombliss @nickristus-dreamer​ @thepaceperson​

AGRESTE-WAYNE TAG LIST: @danielslilangel @pawsitivelymiraculous @crystalangelluna @tomanyfandomsonmymind @sassakitty @ichigorose @megawhitleycalderonpaganus

[shandidellamorte]

~My Beautiful Vampire~

Yes, I’m super late with this but what can I do when my brain doesn’t wanna work..even when I want it to? Please, everyone..accept this belated birthday story for our dear StarChild~ Kinda inspired by @sagii24​ and their lovely artwork here. Enjoy! Header art by @comets-nix

~Shandi 

I never thought things would turn out like this.

But life has a way of knocking you for quite a loop. 

I was an explorer of a sort. 

At least I used to be.

Until I went to a place where no one dared to go. 

A grand, old mansion that was said to belong to a Vampire. 

I didn't believe in such nonsense. 

I thought Vampires didn't exist. 

One fateful night, I was proven very wrong. 

First mistake, overconfidence. Eric wanted to come with me, but I insisted on going alone. 

Second mistake, I didn’t bring anything to defend myself. I didn’t think I needed to. Amateur. 

Third mistake, not wearing more protective clothing. Why didn’t I button my shirt before I went inside?

I should’ve died.

I suppose fortune does favor the foolish.

The foyer was so dark I needed my lamp to see where I was going. But the architecture..it was fascinating. I would have to come back and study it further later. 

The library was even more intricate than I could’ve imagined. Rows of dust and cobweb covered books that stretched to the ceiling. Various educational tomes. Novels. Atlases. Things that could keep the mind occupied for years. The one who lived here definitely had a thirst for knowledge. That was one commonality we shared. 

While roaming one of the many hallways I happened upon what seemed to be the master bedroom. Strange. The atmosphere was..different. It was already lit by multiple candelabras and a chandelier made entirely out of the finest crystal. The bed was covered with purple satin sheets, a plush comforter and a lace curtained canopy. All completely dust free. 

Definitely strange. Was someone still living here? If so I had to find out. On the opposite wall there was a large portrait. Is he..the one who used to live here..? He’s absolutely beautiful. Such sensuous eyes. Such full lips. Such gorgeous hair.. I’m drawn to him. Before I even realize it I’m touching the portrait, and it’s moving. There’s some kind of mechanism behind the portrait. Despite my better judgment I reach out to touch it. An eerie noise echoes throughout the entire room. I definitely touched the wrong thing. I’m a fool. 

~*~

I should’ve run, but my feet were anchored to the spot. Don’t ask me to explain why. 

The sound of old gears grinding against each other behind me made me turn around. The..the bed was moving! The opening glowed with an unearthly purple light. Was there..something under the mattress all along..? There certainly was. The last thing I was expecting to find. A glass coffin surrounded by roses. Roses that were still alive, and in full bloom. I then realized, the man lying in the coffin was the same as the one in the portrait! Well..nearly the same. His skin looked pale and cold, but his lips were still as red as the roses that surrounded him. Probably makeup. He must have been perfectly preserved. Such a shame to die so young. I suppose I should be the gentleman and give him a proper burial.

Just as I’m leaning over him..his eyes open. 

~*~

All I can do is stare. 

His eyes were no longer the soft brown color they were in the portrait. They were a devilish red. He looks at me, and he smiles. I can see the sharp points of his fangs. 

He’s a Vampire.

“My..aren’t you a handsome one~ Have you come to satiate my hunger~?”

“W-what..?” 

“It’s been centuries, you know. It would be wonderful to have some..fresh blood~” 

He sits up in his coffin and stretches the small bat like wings protruding from his back. There’s a predatory hunger in his eyes that I cannot look away from. Am I already under his spell? 

“Tell me your name, handsome lad~” 

“T-Thomas..” 

“Such a fine name..and how kind of you to make my job easy for me~” I can see his eyes drift down to my open shirt and my exposed neck. The desire to protect myself is nothing compared to his hypnotic gaze. I can’t move my hands. All I can do is plead. 

“Please..don’t kill me..” 

“Foolish, handsome lad..why would I do that~?” 

“Aren’t you..a Vampire..? Isn’t that..what you do..?” 

He scoffs and tosses his hair. “Perhaps if I were a savage. But you..you look too good to kill~ I think I’d like to keep you around for a while. Drinking pure, untainted blood such as yours will keep me young and beautiful~”

“I..I will not be your personal blood bag..!!”

 “As if you have a choice~” He laughs, stands up and steps out of the coffin, careful not to crush any of the roses. “I am your Master now, dear Thomas~ You will be whatever I need you to be~” 

Compulsion. That is all that’s left in me now. 

The compulsion to obey.

 “W-whatever you wish, my Master..” 

~END~

[sbi-fic-rec]

How Much Earth Do You Carry In Your Lungs?

The aliens haven’t experimented on him. They’re scared of him and Tommy is glad for it.

Almost all.

The Demon, green-silver-mercury; tall, muscled with golden horns is the only one that isn’t, although he isn’t an active fan of his noise. He doesn’t flinch whenever Tommy screams at him through the glass, when he pounds his fist or charges the door with a ducked shoulder and a brace for bruises, but neither does he appreciate it for long. He, at least, is the only one so far to threaten Tommy.

It had only been a raised hand—the glass between them protecting Tommy from the violence and protecting the alien from his retaliation—but it was a threat, nonetheless. Unacted upon, because in all the weeks Tommy has been in his possession, he hasn’t made a move to come into his enclosure cell and do anything against him.

But that’s just the point. It’s been, weeks? A month? Nearly two?

Tommy knows that the aliens’ patience is going to eventually run out at some point and he’s not keen to find out what will happen next.

He’s expecting violence. He’s expecting pain, he’s expecting blood, he’s expecting….

He’s not expecting this.

Or: Humans will pack bond with anything.

Word Count: 17,098

Status: Completed

Opinion: I love it, aliens are terrified of humans and Tommy is both reason for their fear, and reason to not be feared at all

Always Check The Tags!

———

Series:

Starchild

Total Word Count: 77,514

Status: Unfinished

Always Check The Tags!

———

[strawberrylemonz]

Innit an Adventure

An addition to the AU, lol. Instead of chat being in his head, like Techno’s, Tommy’s chat are ghosts that follow him around :)

This one is dedicated to @ivorylin for being very supportive of my first post regarding this au. This is also dedicated to @petrichormeraki for being poggers and enjoying the first part of this series, as well as inspiring it.

Part 1

Part 2 [CURRENT]

Part 3

--------

“Brother!!! Pog!!!”

“Big brother returns!”

“HE CALLED HIM STARCHILD, I’M GONNA SOB”

“I just woke up, what’s happening?”

“GOODBYE SBI, HELLO HERMIT GRIAN”

”HERMIT HOMIES HOURS”

“HOLY SHIT, HE’S OUR BROTHER”

“I was getting a snack, what’s up?”

“DJLFKNGON I’M GOANNA   CRYSLK”

“BEST BROTHER EVER”

“I’m on the toilet, pog”

“I have tacos :)”

“BRGB SOBBING”

“GRIAN POGGGG”

“This makes me happy you didn’t do a double flip”

“ADIOS TECHNOBRO AND WILBRO, I ONLY KNOW BIG BRO G!!!”

“Anyone else have dust in their eyes?”

“CHAOS DUO RELATED POG”

Tommy let out a shaky breath as he rubbed his eyes. Chat was going crazy at the new news and, to be honest, he couldn’t blame them. If he was in their position, he’d be freaking out alongside them. Wanting to end both the silence that filled the cavern and the nonsense Chat was saying, Tommy let out a hoarse laugh before speaking.

“Chat really likes you, G.”

A smile formed on the teen’s face as his head bounced with the hefty laugh that came from Grian, whose chest began to rumble alongside the laughter. Finally lifting his head off his brother’s chest, Tommy allowed the remaining tears in his eyes to fall as he looked to Grian’s face. Grian smiled fondly back at Tommy, wiping away the tears from his little brother’s eyes. 

“I suppose I should say hello to all of them. Is Chat similar to Techno’s voices?”

Concern flashed across Grian’s face as Tommy flinched at the mention of Technoblade. It was small, and could have been easily overlooked if Grian wasn’t watching his brother like a hawk. He made a mental note to ask about that later that night, when they were around the campfire.

“Nah, he’s just insane. Psychotic or some shit like that. I’m just really fucking cool and can see spirits and shit.”

Eyebrows from the crowd (shit, they were still there, weren’t they?) and Grian were raised as someone Stress half heartedly scolded Tommy for his language. Tommy just rolled his eyes, knowing that they only scolded him as a joke. They had all grown accustomed to his wording, and were worried when he didn’t slip in a few curses into his sentences.

“Spirits?”

“Yeah, spirits. I call em Chat most of the time, but they have different nicknames, and they all have individual names. Clara explained that it was one of the many side effects to her marking me as a ‘Starchild’ in her name. They are the spirits of the lands, from servers all around, or some shit like that. I can see them all, but they make the choice to stick with me or not.”

This was...news. Grian, who was still processing that he his baby brother was alive, sitting right in front of him, as well as the fact that Clara was real, could only stare. He wasn’t so sure how to feel about his brother being indifferent to all the spirits, but he suppose that it couldn’t be helped. Spending pretty much your entire life seeing spirits would make him indifferent to the spirits as well. 

“So, Chat is...everywhere?”

“Basically, yeah”

Grian hummed as he proceeded to greet Chat, being polite to the beings he couldn’t see. Much to the annoyance of Tommy, Chat seemed to be loving Grian even more. Maybe a bit too much.

“HE’S SO POLITE”

“How thoughtful of him”

“HELOO HI GRI A  N HWAHT’S UP BRO”

“Grian bro supremacy”

“GRIAN BRO SUPREMACY”

“HERMIT HOMIE WOOOOOO”

“BEST BRO POG”

“holY SHIT I’M IN LOV E ADKNVOD”

“THE RACCOON HAS A POG BROTHER WOOO”

“HI GRIAN HI”

“Rodent brothers??? pog?????”

“HELLOHELLOHELLOHENSLO”

“TELL HIM WE SAID HI, CHILD”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down. Chat says hi, Grian. And, hey, I’m not a child, what the fuck!? I’m a big man!”

Impulse snickered as Mumbo walked over to the two brothers. Smiling down at them, he helped the two back to their feet. Grian smiled as he set a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Tommy, in turn, beamed with pride at his brother and his friends. 

“Alright, we spent enough time being emotional and shit. Let’s get going, I have more cool shit to show you guys.”

Laughter filled the cavern as Tommy fixed his hair, his booming man child I’m not a child voice being drowned out as he led them back outside. Slightly huffing. He let out a yelp as he was nearly tackled to the ground from behind. Letting out undignified noises of protest, he turned to see the smug smile of Grian, who was ruffling his hair. 

“Alright, big man, show us your land of paradise!”

Barking out a hearty laugh, Tommy ducked out from his brother’s hand before grabbing it, spinning a few times, and pulling him forward. 

“Aw, look at them!”

“Wait, so Grian has two sections now?”

------

The traditional booth games in Tavern Town were fun. From balloon darts to milk bottles, to ladder climb and hoop toss, Tommy thought of it all. Unique designs decorated each booth, all holding an individual and unique look. Everything about the area was impressive.

“Where did buy get these for the games? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in the main server.”

Tommy peered over to Doc, who was inspecting the prizes neatly strung up on all the booths. There were plushies of different types of mods, some familiar, others not. They came in all types of colors and sizes, and were overall impressive. Walking up beside Doc, Tommy just shrugged his shoulders, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“I didn’t buy them, I made them.”

Scar perked up, before jumping right into the conversation.

“You what? Toms, that’s impressive! I didn’t know you could sew.”

‘Fucking hell,’ Tommy thought to himself. He didn’t expect to get praise for his simple hobbies.

“Yeah, I sew. I’m actually pretty crafty, being resourceful and shit. I also knit and crochet. It’s not much, but it’s really fucking therapeutic and all that jazz.”

Before anyone else could comment, a dinging noise sounded at one of the booths. Turning to look at the cause of the commotion, they saw that Stress and Impulse had won a game together. Giving each other fist bumps, they watched as a screen popped up, giving them prize options to choose from. After receiving their prizes, they hurried over to Tommy with smiles painted on their faces.

“You bet we’re gonna win one of each plush here.”

A high pitched laughter erupted from Tommy, who was starting to enjoy his decision to hand make all the prizes in his park. Wiping away a tear of joy, the teen I’m eighteen, I’m a fucking man! You’re a child, Tommy beamed at his friends, who smiled warmly in return. Tommy’s joy seemed to increase as more booth alarms were set off, many more prizes coming off the shelves. By the time everyone was ready for the next land, they all had at least two plush toys each.

———

“This is delicious! You baked these?!”

The group was currently sitting in the seating area in the Dream SMP section of the park, more specifically, L’manburg. They had gotten pastries from the duplicate bakery that belonged to Niki. According to Tommy, it was an exact replica to the real thing. The pastries sold there were the same ones Niki sold back at L’manburg. Tommy had used the recipes and techniques that Niki had demistrated to both him and Tubbo to create the dishes.

“If you think these are good, you should taste Niki’s. I swear, her pastries were sent down from Heaven by Jesus himself. They taste fucking amazing, godly.”

Grian smiled as he nudged Tommy’s shoulder with his own. Popping another sweet cake in his mouth, Tommy quirked an eyebrow as he faced the older boy.

“You should teach me some of your hobbies, Starchild. We can do a hobby exchange.”

Tommy visibly brightened up as he wiped some frosting from around his mouth. Smiling, he nodded his head happily.

“Hell yeah! That sounds fuckin’ amazing!”

The group ate with content as they looked around their area. They had already seen the rest of the Dream server lands. 

“It’s amazing that you’ve made all of this by yourself. You haven’t even showed us the rest of the park yet! Good job, for a child.”

“Hey! I’m not a fucking child! I’m turning 19 soon!”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were an Aries.”

“What’s wrong with being an Aries?”

“Nothing is wrong with being an Aries, Tango.”

“Oh shut it, you Librarian.”

“Librarian?”

“Yeah, the worst sign.”

“First of all, kid, I’m a Gemini.”

------

The rides and games in the DSMP were very diverse and unique. Tommy had really put a lot of effort and time into every attraction, no matter how small. From things as small as a scavenger hunt through the Badlands, water themed adventures in El Rapids, to fast paced coasters in L’manburg.

“Scoot over, bandit child, I’m sharing this ride vehicle with you.”

“What the fuck, man?”

“Oh, don’t act surprised. I know you made it to where two people share a seat just so you can spend quality time with your brother.”

“Oh, fuck off, I didn’t even know you were my brother until an hour and a half ago.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

The first ride the group decided to board was dubbed A Home. Entering a little shack, everyone boarded their ride vehicles and waited for the ride to begin. While they waited for the vehicles to move, Tommy explained how he managed to use the latest mods that were added to the server to his advantage. He managed to fit different tracks to different rides in the same builds, as well as add animatronics. Just as he was about to receive yet another wave of praise, the ride began.

“It’s like looking at a younger version of you!”

“That’s kinda the point, genius.”

Grian’s statement, as obvious as it was, was true. As the vehicles left the shack and entered the caravan, and animatronic Tommy, merely 16 years of age, welcomed the riders as they witnessed the beginning of a new home, L’manburg. They kept comments to themselves when they saw, yet again, the replica of Tommy’s old base. The ride track took them through different areas of the DSMP, following the young Tommy as he searched for a home.

“-the citizenship of Wilbur Soot and Tommyinnit!!!”

“What?!”

“What does he mean revoked?!”

Before Tommy could reply, the vehicles lurched backwards, keeping the vehicles facing the stage at all times as the animatronics turned to take aim at the riders. It wasn’t until the red stone to the dirt entrance revealed the entry way to Pogtopia that the vehicles did a 180, moving forward into the entry way before going down the spiral steps into the ravine. Laughter filled the air as the group saw animatronics of Tommy, Wilbur and Techno conversing together, joking around and teasing each other. Suddenly, the ride vehicles fell down to the next part of the track, the prime path. As they raced through the tunnel, they witnessed an animatronic Tommy and Tubbo embracing and conversing, their cheerful voices free from worry. The group could only sit in awe as the scenes continued to change.

“-goodbye, Tommy.”

“What does he mean goodbye?!”

“Oh my fucking god, shut up!”

The vehicles suddenly raced through the Nether, coming out to an island far from DSMP. The sign at the entrance of the area welcomed the group to Logstedshire. There, they could see an unhappy Tommy staring out towards the ocean, listening to Chirp as he mumbled nonsense to Clara. And just as quickly as they came, they raced out of the sunny area and into the snow. They raced around the inside of Techno’s cottage before racing outside, towards an empty area. There, an animatronic Tommy yelled out in shock as an animatronic Technoblade pressed a button, turning around as a secret lair was revealed.

“Welcome home, Theseus!”

For the final time, the scene changed. They entered, backwards, into a portal, coming out to face a replica of the spawn to Hermitcraft. There, in wonderous glory, stood an animatronic Xisuma, welcoming the group to Hermitcraft. Then, the track dropped, leaving the riders back at the entrance to the ride.

“Holy shit.”

“Haha! Holy shit is right!”

———

The group quickly learned that Tommy spared no expense in all his attractions. As they explored the different lands, they really saw the individuality of every land. L’manburg had fun rides, including Nation’s Legacy, Blood’s Ballad, Wither’s Wrath, and Creator’s Cabin. Nation’s Legacy is an underground ride that worked like a turntable to tell the history of L’manburg, ending on a grim and looming hint to the possible destruction of the nation. When asked about the fate of L’manburg, Tommy admitted that he appeared in Hermitcraft before he could witness the possible doomsday, so he wasn’t entirely sure what had occured afterwards.

Blood’s Ballad is an interactive ride that used a special red stone technique. The ride vehicles could seat up eight passengers at a time, each using special gloves that allow them to interact with the special ride elements. The goal is to get the most points out of everyone in the ride vehicle. The ride took the group on a journey with Technoblade, the Blood God. The group racked up points training alongside him, as well as fighting all sorts of mobs. By the end of the ride, Tommy was sulking as Stress managed to gather the most points. Stress was enjoying the victory, smiling happily as “SUBSCRIBE TO TECHNOBLADE” boomed through the speakers. 

Wither’s Wrath was more of a small scale ride to enjoy. There were only three ride vehicles, each shaped like a wither and able to hold three riders. Each rider sat in a wither skull. Grian smiled as he pulled Mumbo and Tommy into a a wither vehicle with him. As they strapped in, they were transported to a virtual world where the rules of the game were shared. The goal was to cause the most destruction in the virtual world than the other vehicles. Each player controlled their own skull, making it easier to gather points. At least, that was the case for-

“Fuck yeah! Team Kickass all the way! Check it Grian, Mumbo, we’re badass!”

Creator’s Cabin was simple enough. It was just a large cabin that held enchanted portraits of everyone who resided in the DSMP. The portraits could move within their frames. They could also interact with each other. When the group walked in, the portraits were chatting away with each other. Sam’s portrait seemed to be listening in on the conversation that the portraits of Tubbo, Tommy and Purpled were having, occasionally joining in when he saw fit. Fundy was chatting away with Eret and Niki, a bright smile on his face. Ranboo was timidly peeking over at the group with Tommy and Tubbo, obviously wanting to join in. The portraits of Quackity, Sapnap and Karl were deep in conversation, while the portrait of George was asleep sitting up.

“Hey, Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are there two portraits of Wilbur?”

“Oh, right. Grian, about Wilbur-”

“AHOY THERE! WHY DON’CHA BOARD ME SHIP AND CONQUER THE WATERS WITH ME?”

The group, aside from Tommy, jumped at the booming voice. Without hesitation, they all ran out to the water, searching for the source of the voice. There, out on the water, stood a lone animatronic. It was the animatronic of a petite woman, one with red curls dancing around as she swayed and spoke. Once more, her confident, melodic voice filled the air. 

“JOIN ME ON MY QUEST TO RIDE THE WONDROUS WAVES OF THE SEAS”

With that, she raised her right arm, hoisting a sword into the air. On cue, she began to rise as a ship emerged from the sea below her. Once it was no longer submerged, the ship rocked a few times before settling. A banner unraveled and blew in the breeze, the name of the area now visible for all to see. 

Sally de Mon’s Sea Voyage

“You like it? Creating the entrance for this ride was a fucking bastard. Kept me up all night and crap. Almost gave up completely on it.”

“It’s amazing! I was not expecting to see something like that!

“Hey, Tommy? Who’s Sally. I don’t think it was ever explained how you know her?”

“Really? I gotta fix that, then. Sally is my sister-in-law who-”

“I HAVE A SISTER-IN-LAW?!”

“Oh, shit...surprise?”

------

The Badlands was a fun, interactive section of the DSMP area. The various puzzles and mazes made it fun for all the participants. The muffin stand was also a fan favorite to the hermits. 

El Rapids was a water-filled adventure. Because he wanted to play around with the word rapids, Tommy made several water-based rides and activities, his favorite being the log ride. They just seemed to be the perfect addition to the area, adding a way to cool down to balance all the water-free rides. It seemed as if Tommy had thought of every type of ride for every type of biome and scenario.

SMP Earth was another large section of the park. It also held the only other largest ride in the entire park, one that led the riders throughout the Antarctic Empire, as well as its surrounding cities and towns. The area for the empire was beautiful decorated in colors of all kind. Flowers and banners decorated the buildings and streets, brightening up the area. Classic activities, such as the sparing rings and archery, as well as the axe throws and parkour courses were set up. It all felt familiar to Grian, who couldn’t help but smile at his brother. Grabbing one of the fliers, he inspected it before shooting his brother a look of uncertainty.

“You didn’t”

“On the contrary, brother dearest, I did!”

“Did what? What did he do?”

Grian laughed as he showed the group what the flier said. It was decorated in beautiful, hand-drawn flowers. Golden lettering perfectly spelt out the message.

Floral Festival of Spring

Join us in the weeklong celebration of Spring! Enjoy the festivities with friends and family as you explore the traditions held within our grounds. Finally, enjoy the wondrous Floral Gala held on the final night of festivities. Dawn your greatest fabrics as you dance the night away, before enjoy a magnificent firework display.

Signed by his royal highness,

Prince Thomas Theseus Minecraft

“He used his full name and everything!”

“Your middle name is Theseus?”

“Your actual last name is Minecraft?”

“Did you actually write this? It’s worded and written so…formally.”

Huffing a bit, Tommy crossed his arms. Fixing his posture, he stood up, tall and proud, as he puffed out his chest. It took everyone every fiber in their bodies to not laugh at the sight of him.

“I can be very formal, thank you very much. I’m not a fucking idiot, I remember the formality lessons the teachers put me through. And I take the offense to that writing comment! Do you know how many attempts it took for me to be able to recreate the stupid fancy font used back at the empire? And another thing-”

Grian playfully hopped on Tommy’s shoulder, startling the younger brother to his usual stance. Ruffling his hair, he assured his brother with a laugh.

“Calm down, Toms. You know that we’re messing with you. You did amazingly. How many more flyers do you have? We’ll set them up in the Hub to be distributed across the main server. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a royal ball, so let’s make it grand!”

Laughing, Tommy had no choice but to agree with Grian. His smile faltered, however, once realization sunk in. The next activity for the group was the campfire. The secrets of his time at the Dream SMP that he kept for over 2 years would finally be revealed.

‘Better late than never to prepare the waterworks’, thought a very nervous Tommy.

[yummyyume]

Of Love and Sunlight - Part 02

Here it is! To be perfectly honest with all of you, this part has been written first. There will be a part 03, somewhen in the future. I just need to write it. And there are some tentatives plot bunnies for a part 04. So we’ll see how it works out.

You can visit my AO3 if you want. I’ll post Of Love and Sunlight there soon. 

Part 01

Hope you all like it!

Tittles are adapted from Sunlight by Hozier, because I love this song and I didn’t have any idea how to name this series.

I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors, English is not my first language. I hope it’s still intelligible.

Taglist:

@alysrose-starchild @vixen-uchiha @dont-panic-to-much @ramos123 @stackofrandomstuff @thecaptainthunder @redbullgivescaswings @megaafangirl @thebooki3h @zorua-adorable  @user00000003 @eliza-bich @transcendent-heroes @a4-machete @nyx-in-line @stainedglassm @maskedpainter @schrodingers25 @iamabrownfox @corporeal-terrestrial

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Hold me, carry me slowly

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Marinette opens her front door tiredly. It’s far too early for anyone to be bothering her yet. She’s only awake because the twins are going to start fussing soon, and despite her short night, she prefers waking up with her alarm than with her babies’ cries. It tends to make her panic if they’re the ones waking her up, because her mind immediately wonders what’s wrong instead of remembering that it’s feeding time.

She’s not expecting to see Jon and Damian on her front step. She hurriedly steps out and closes the door behind her to bare them entry, leaving only a sliver open so she’ll hear her babies if anything happened.

“What are you doing here?” She hisses, glaring.

“We wanted to talk to you, Marinette,” Damian replies, words mild, expression politely blank, while Jon looks both hopeful and sheepish.

Marinette’s blood boils.

“I have nothing to say to either of you!” She snaps back. “You made it perfectly clear that you want nothing to do with me! Well, I don’t want anything to do with you!”

It’s only because she knows him so well that she sees Jon’s flinch at her words, but despite that he takes a step forward, careful not to touch her. Marinette takes a step back and curses the fact that the door is in the way.

“Marinette, we’re sorry. We’re really, really sorry for everything and we would like to talk. Please.”

And Marinette has always been weak to Jon’s earnest tone and puppy dog eyes. She wants to let them in and listens to what sort of flimsy excuses they came up with, because she missed them. She missed them so much, but they broke her heart and she’s not ready to let them break her babies’ hearts too.

Just as she’s about to open her mouth and tell them to get lost, there’s a sharp wail coming from the bedroom and at their suddenly alert expressions, she knows they heard it too. She closes her eyes just as a second wail starts and she knows there’s no getting rid of them now.

“Are you…” Jon starts, eyes fixed intently on the door. “Marinette, are you babysitting?”

She only sighs in answer and opens the door to get back inside. She doesn’t close it in their face as much as she wants to, because she knows they’re about to follow.

The girls are both fussing in their crib and Marinette scoops Scarlet up for a nappy change. She takes the time to put Asha’s pacifier back into her mouth before moving to the changing table.

“There, there. No need to cry. It’s just a soil nappy. We know how to take care of those.” She coos gently. “There, you go. All clean. I’m going to change Asha now and then we’ll have a nice breakfast, okay?”

She puts Scarlett back in the crib despite her complains and repeats the whole process with Asha.

She can feel the boys’ eyes on her, and it makes her want to lash out.

“Are they ours?” Damian demands.

“They’re mine,” she snaps, not looking at him. “There’re no fathers list on the birth certificates. They don’t need any dads, they have me.”

“But they’re ours, right?” Jon presses, tone so hopeful, but Marinette refuses to answer. That’s an answer in itself.

“Why didn’t you tell us? Why didn’t you call?” Damian speaks again.

“I called you!” She hissed, eyes blazing in anger, but keeping her tone even so as not to upset her babies too much. “I called you and left voicemails and then both your numbers were disconnected, and I got the message! If you didn’t want anything to do with me, then I didn’t want anything to do with you either!”

“I didn’t change my number,” Damian says slowly, eyes never leaving the little face on the changing table. And then what he said seem to register and he retrieves his phone with a deep frown to swipe through the apps. “It’s not the same number.” He then looks at Jon with an almost wide-eyed look and Jon takes out his own phone to seemingly so the same manip.

“Me too,” he reveals, shocked. “Someone changed our numbers. Damian!” He hisses, this time with a glare for his boyfriend.

“Marinette, can you please give us the possibility to explain-”

“I’m this close to throw you both out, Damian! There’s nothing you could say that would make anything that you did okay!” She replies hotly.

“Please, Mari,” he pleads. “Please, just hear us out. You can throw us out after. I promise, if you want us to go, we will.”

Jon doesn’t add anything, but he bites his bottom lip and nods jerkily.

“Just… just go. Wait in the living room. I need to feed the girls.”

They both listen, thankfully. Marinette needs a minute.

Someone changed their phone numbers? Without their consent? That seems stupid and unfeasible, but… but she wants to believe them. She missed them. God, she missed them so much.

Marinette fusses a bit with Asha’s onesie and tries to make a list of all the reasons why she shouldn’t let them back in her life. When Scarlett makes an impatient noise that announces her readiness to cry again, Marinette knows that she can’t wait any longer. She scoops the girls with their favorite plushies and goes to the living room.

Damian and Jon are sitting squished on the armchair beside the couch.

Marinette sighs again and sits carefully in front of the couch on the plush carpet. It takes some maneuvering, but soon Asha is leaning across her lap, gently sucking her pacifier and looking at Marinette with all the trust her little baby heart knows. Marinette arranges the Tikki plushy on her tummy so she can grasp it.

“Let’s feed Scarlett,” she tells her daughter. “You know she’s always hungry.”

She then uncovers her left breast and, removing the pacifier, guides Scarlett to her nipple. The baby latches onto it and start sucking greedily, her little fingers kneading Marinette’s sleep shirt.

And then she waits. She’s not going to make things easy for them.

Jon is the first to move, seemingly transfigured by the sign of his daughter. He stands up in the living-room to face her.

“It’ll be easier to show you.” He says, before starting to spin so fast he’s only a blur, but when he stops, he’s wearing Superboy’s uniform and Marinette feels like a stone has dropped to the bottom of her stomach.

“I’m Superboy,” Jon tells her almost gently, as if he doesn’t want to spook her.

“And I’m Robin,” Damian utters after him. He hasn’t moved from the armchair, but there’s a green domino mask between his fingers.

“Oh,” Marinette says quietly, before she drops her gaze to Scarlett’s face. Her daughter has closed her eyes while she’s nursing.

Marinette… Marinette doesn’t know what to say. She knows what it means to be a hero. She used to be one, after all. She knows the sacrifices, the missed opportunities and the excuses. She knows the necessity for a secret identity and what it means to trust someone with it.

“You broke my heart,” she admits in a whisper, because what else can she say in the face of that, and she can feel her eyes prickle with tears.

Jon drops to his knees in front of her, back in his jeans and hoody.

“I’m so sorry, Mari. I never wanted to do that. It broke mine too to end things, but we couldn’t tell you.”

“We asked for the permission to tell you our identities,” Damian says, kneeling beside Jon on the carpet to face her, “but we were denied.”

“We had a long mission,” Jon continues. “Dad, Aunt Kara, Conner and me, as the last Kryptonians, were asked to help two planets come to an understanding. They were at war and their whole solar system was suffering from it. The mission was to stop the war long enough for a ceasefire and then helps with negotiating a peace treaty. Green Lantern helped and Damian-”

“I wasn’t going to let Jon walks into a dangerous fight without back up,” Damian cuts him off.

“I’m basically indestructible!” Jon replies without any real heat, proving it was an old argument. “And Dad, Aunt Kara and Kon were my back up!”

Damian ignores the interruption, focusing back on Marinette.

“The Green Lantern Corps was part of the mission too and while it’s officially over, the situation is still tense on those planets. The Corps is keeping an eye on things for now. We may have to go back if things turn south again, but hopefully, it won’t require our deployment again.”

“And we wanted to tell you the truth.” Jon tells her, earnest and heartbroken. “But when we asked our dads, they said our relationship was too new. That we couldn’t risk it. Even more so because we were going to leave for months and we wouldn’t be there to ‘make sure you don’t tell anyone’.” he finishes bitterly.

“As much as we didn’t want to end our relationship with you, without the permission to tell you the truth, we couldn’t disappear from the face of the earth and invent an excuse like ‘we’re doing a tour of the world and you’re not invited’.” Damian sighs and grabs Jon’s hand tightly. “We spent the last few months trying to come up with a way to win you back. Anytime we had some down time, we brainstormed about what we’ll do once we’re back on Earth.”

During their explanation, Marinette had switched the girls for feeding. Across her lap, Scarlett was now looking in direction of the men, probably intrigued by those new voices she didn’t know.

“And the phone numbers?” She eventually asks.

Damian slumps, breaking his rigid posture. “Do you know who my father is?” He asks.

“Batman?” She tries, but she’s almost certain. If he’s Robin, then it makes sense for his father to be the big bat himself. Which also mean that his siblings are the other Gotham vigilantes.

“Yes. Jon and I had to leave our phones here. Even the communications with the Watchtower were scarce. If you called more than once, Father must have changed our numbers.”

“But why?” She growls. “What right did he have?! You’re both adults! He didn’t even try to find out why I was calling you!”

“I’m sorry, Mari. I know Father loves me, but he tends to do what he thinks is best without always consulting us. Rest assure that I’ll have words with him.”

Asha choses that moment to push away her breast and Marinette does the usual ministrations to clean her face and clears her stomach of gas.

She hesitates a second, before closing her eyes with a deep sigh.

When she opens them again, she holds Asha out like a present. Jon scrambles closer without hesitation and very carefully accepts her in his arms, following her instructions on how best to hold her.

“This is Asha. Asha Gina Dupain-Cheng. She’s Dami’s.”

“Oh my god,” Jon exhales and a few tears immediately escapes his eyes. “Hello, Asha. It’s very nice to meet you.” His voice cracks a bit as Damian looks over his shoulder with an expression so soft and lost that Marinette’s heart aches with it. She beckons Damian closer too and places Scarlett in his own arms.

“And this is Scarlett Sabine Dupain-Cheng. She’s Jon’s.”

Damian is more confident in holding her, so he frees a hand to gently run his finger down her skin.

“Hello, Scarlett.”

“How…” Jon chocks on his tears. “How does it work? They’re twins, right?”

Arms free, Marinette slumps against the couch.

“It’s called ‘heteropaternal superfecundation’. My ovaries released two eggs at the same time, and both were fertilized. That alone would have resulted in fraternal twins. Except that one was fertilized by Jon and the other by Dami. So, twin babies with different bio dads.”

Because her Luck was just like that. Of course, Tikki’s influence would make Marinette’s first pregnancy the result of almost impossible odds.

For a long moment no one say anything. Jon and Damian are pressed so tightly together, both alternating looking at each baby in their arms, that it brings s a reluctant smile to Marinette.

“You have so much groveling to do,” she tells them. “You broke my heart. I’m not kidding when I say that. And the father section on the birth certificates is going to stay blank until I can trust you again. But you do something like that again and Scarlett, Asha and I are out of your lives for good. I don’t care if Scarlett is half-alien. They’re mine more than they’re yours right now. I carried them for eight months, I gave birth to them, and now I’m feeding them. And I was alone for all of that.”

“I promise, Habibti, that we’ll prove to you we’re here to stay. We want you and we want the girls.”

“It was a long mission,” Jon grins cheekily. “We definitely earned some downtime.”

“Exactly,” Damian agrees. “What would you like for breakfast, Mari? I’ll cook.”

“I made French toasts, last night. The preparation is in the fridge. You can cook that.”

With a small smile, Damian carefully gives her back Scarlett and then presses a dry kiss to Marinette’s forehead, before disappearing in the kitchen.

Jon moves until he’s sitting by her side against the couch and smiles at her. She missed his smile.

“So, what can you tell me about your daughters?”

“They are very healthy babies,” Marinette starts. “Scarlett definitely inherits your appetite. I need to complement her diet with formula because I don’t produce enough milk for all her feeding, plus Asha’s. That’s the alien biology, I suppose?”

“Yeah. Mom had some problem with that too when she had me, but at least she only had one baby to feed. What about Asha?”

“She’s fine with just breast milk, but she’s fussier when it’s time for sleep. I hope she’s not a premature insomniac, but now that I know about your nightly activities, I shan’t hold my breath.”

Jon snickers.

Breakfast is a lively affair. The French toast was only one portion, so Dami made pancakes and a fruit salad to accommodate Jon’s and his appetite. For the first time in weeks, Marinette can eat without one of her arms being commandeered by one of the twins. She knows things aren’t completely better. They need to talk about their relationship, their expectations, and relearn what it means to be together, all three of them plus two babies. But that particular conversation can wait a bit. For now, Marinette tells them about Asha’s curiosity and Scarlett’s boundless energy, about some of the weirdest things that happened during her pregnancy.

Things will work out. She’ll make sure of that.

[starchild--27]

there is a sleeping boy in my bed and he is so warm and soft and pretty and aH

[bisexualsforprompto]

The Burden of the Bond Pt. 2

So sorry it took so long guys! Hope it’s worth the wait :)

Also I just need to say a few things!!!!!!

1. OMFG GUYS!!!! Tomorrow (October 5th) marks a WHOLE YEAR OF MY WRITING! I’m absolutely thrilled, sharing my writing with all of you has absolutely made me a better person and writer. I’m more confident thanks to all of you ❤️

2. School has been kicking my ass recently and reading all of your comments on the first part of this when I went to see who asked to be tagged made my day and honestly, has made me be able to smile and forgot about all my stress for a little while

TLDR: I love you all so very much ❤️ now enjoy!!!!!

Part one

After walking through Gotham for only a few weeks Marinette had already adjusted her routine and mannerisms. Every time she took a step in the dark, gloomy city was a step closer to danger.

In a way, it was almost training for her. A reminder to stay on her guard. That no matter what could happen to her in this godforsaken city, there was still a threat looming out there that was far worse.

Sucking in a breath, Marinette began to take a casual stroll down the street, on the lookout for any signs of trouble.

The longer she stayed in Gotham the more she realized that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Not because of her dirty clothes, that was normal here, in fact if she ever had worn something else (like clothes she used to sketch out back when she wanted to go into design) she might’ve stuck out even more. No, it was because of how she acted.

Timid and meek, caring at times, always letting others push through her. She was nothing like the shrewd Gothamites who thrived off of the cruelty they were forced to show. How odd that a place could do that to a person. Harden them past the point of no return. Marinette could feel the darkness emitting from Gotham the moment she arrived, it almost shook her. Though, she had experienced far more darkness…

After so long of running in constant fear and never treated better than a mere extra in a movie, one would think Marinette would’ve made a tougher exterior for herself, and yet, she stayed soft in some ways. To blend in though, she realized that would have to change.

Gathering some Gotham standard courage and abrasion, Marinette squirmed her way through a large crowd walking down a bustling street. When she was gifted with glares and some obscenities she knew she was getting all the better at hiding in the crowd.

She breathed in the polluted air and let out a sigh as she walked past a somewhat abandoned looking bakery. It seemed to be filled with cobwebs inside, and it had a rather dilapidated exterior, but it still managed to make Marinette’s heart ache.

She thought of the days in the bakery with her parents...they were warm and loving. Her dad smelled like bread and flour while her mother always seemed to smell of flowers and pastries. She could almost breathe in their soothing scents now.

Blinking back tears, she took a shaky breath. Leaving them was necessary for both their safety and her own. She couldn’t put it past Damian to go after her family.

It didn’t make leaving hurt any less though…

Taking a deep breath inwards, Marinette focused back on those days. Spilling flour all over herself, laughing with her old friends, making quasi dresses for her dolls. She set on a relieved smile, the memories were one thing that he could never take away from her. Not that all of them were pleasant, but even the bad times still made her wish she was back in Paris.

Sometimes Marinette wondered where she would be if she had a different soulmate, or even had none. Maybe she could’ve been a designer, the thought made her chest flutter, she still had a small passion for fashion.

Reflecting on her past hobby, Marinette let out a contented sigh. She closed her eyes for a split second before realizing she was still in front of the bakery, simply standing in front of the window.

She shook herself out of it and chastised herself for not staying vigilant. She continued walking down the street, taking in the different sights and sounds. Hyperfocusing on the people leisurely walking down the sidewalk, scanning for familiar faces, remembering that recognizing one could spell her doom.

Clenching her hands into fists, Marinette ventured on. She found herself near one of Gotham’s many dark alleys.

The occasional noise from an alley was expected, but Marinette was certainly not expecting a blood curdling scream.

The busy street kept moving however, nobody sparing even a look to where the sound had come from.

Marinette stopped in her tracks, earning her dirty looks from those behind her.

“Help me! Someone help me, please!” A feminine voice cried out.

Marinette began to peer down the alley, but wasn’t able to get a good look at what was going down.

“S-shouldn't someone help them?” She asked shyly, almost to herself.

The question gave a myriad of responses, but each eye roll, scoff, “Batman will come soon,” and chuckle gave the same answer; don’t bother.

Another scream came from the alley.

Logically, Marinette knew if there was a real problem, she wouldn’t be much help, but yet something in her wanted to move.

Whimpers and yelps followed, Marinette still dumbfounded and stuck in place.

She grit her teeth as she wondered what to do.

Should she try to help? Should she run in the other direction?

The choice seemed murky to her, but before she knew it…

Her feet moved on their own.

Tags <3:

@theg0ddesspersephone @pawsitivelymiraculous @redscarlet95 @animegirlweeb @i-am-ironic @thatonecroc @enternalempires @miracleofdisaster @lunerlover2024 @purplegeekypanda @dwomegafx @our-preciousss @dnsakina @frieddonutsweets @kris-pines04 @2confused-2doanything @myazael @danielslilangel @neromerp13 @indecisive-mess-named-me @lilkymilky @para-dox-normal @dast218 @bee-wrecker @prudencerka @junarvion @trippingovermyfeet t @jeminiikrystal @fusser90 @vixen-uchiha @flyingfish3 @deepestobservationwombat @lilyreadbooks12 @readingalldaysleepingallnight @sassakitty @velvetterabby @rethyo @princertain @alysrose-starchild @moongoddesskiana @kass-is-weird @faunrasthewinterelf @maskedpainter

[anthythesis]

 I was tagged by @iminye, thank you 💕

Nickname: well there are plenty, but the funniest are Biene (=Bee), by my family, which is not at all similar to my actual name, as well as Maracuja, which is what my friends called me in like, 5./6. grade

Zodiac: Pisces

Height: about 1,70 m

Last thing I googled: this shirt

Followers: 19 on this blog, hi mutuals!

Song Stuck in my head: Elisabeth’s make-over song from Elisabeth das Musical ... this one

How much I sleep: 7 to 8 hours

Lucky number: not sure if i have one tbh, but my favourite number is 8

Dream job: Archivist or working in a Museum

Wearing: Black shirt, grey paperbag pants, and a striped cardigan

Favourite song: it changes like, literally every other hour 😅 But some top choices are: The Hanged Man Rusts (The Mechanisms), Kitsch from Elisabeth das Musical, and Starchild (The Midnight Club)

Favourite instrument: string instruments?

Aesthetic: this, too, changes all the time so I’ll have to leave it at “a mess”

Favourite author: J.R.R. Tolkien, no prizes on that one, and I also love reading Jane Austen.

Favourite Animal noise: There has to be a better one but like. the one this cat makes

Random fact: I recently repainted my room and now i have wallpaper with a bird motif

Tagging: @madrigalscamilo, @galsinspace, @evakant and @amethysttribble if you want!

[dellyduck]

An Unusual Visit - age swap AU

About the idea I shared with y’all earlier, I made this little thing ^-^ I am writing a complete one-shot for it, but wanted to write a little something and share here before.

@helplesshypocrite, @callme--starchild, @queendellaxox, @head-fullof-clouds thank you for your support!

-

“I need to make these walls soundproof,” Louie groaned, getting up to leave his office. His goal? Wherever all that noise and screaming was coming from.

Louie loved his nephew and niece - nieces if we count webby too. They were the joy of the house, they brought Scrooge back from his depression, and one word to describe watching the three of them playing together wold be adorable... but for all the feathers, those kids were TOO LOUD!

His frustrarion just grew when he found where the childish noise was coming from: the garage. Scrooge really needed to keep that place locked.

“What in dismodones is happening here?!” He opened the door yelling.

All the kids frozen startled, all the six pair of eyes instanly landing on him.

Wait a minute... “six”??

In fact, Louie still knew how to count, but by other hand, he probably was going crazy.

Because in the middle of what was clearly a fight against Donald, Della and Webby, there were three little ducklings who looked exactly like him and his brothers when they were kids.

“Uncle Louie!” Della exclaimed, tightening her arm lock around the neck of the boy in red.

“Uncle what now?!” Startled the boy in green, who was hidding from Donald behind a box.

“Louie!” It was Webby’s turn to exclaim, however not lowering her dagger from the boy in blue’s neck. “These impostors were saying that they’re you and your brothers!”

“Well, I don’t know about this guy and his brothers,” Little in blue suddenly said back. “But we are Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck!”

“Silence, trickster!”

“Webby,” Louie stopped her, but now, with all eyes back on him, he actually had now idea what to do.

Well, usually, when something in such level of weird happened, there was only one person who could solve it.

“Wait here a minute. All of you. Nobody moves.”

That said, Louie left the garage and walked to the end of the corridor, before calling:

“Uncle Scrooge? There’s something here that I think you should see!”

[writingawaymylife]

To the Ground

A/N: Listen to - Eustass Kid - Starchild, for the best experience. This took a long time to make, and honestly was a little bit of a dick - but I think I got it down pretty well - Higgs being vulnerable and scared and expressing that it hard. Also, this is a request by @avenged-nightmare “what do you want me to say?” and “I want you to tell me you love me.” though I did change it up a bit to fit the characters a bit better, I hope that’s fine! Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Words: 7827

Warnings: swears, higgs being an asshole

____

Stability and calmness wasn’t something Higgs remembered. His whole childhood was built off of fear and anger - a constant feed of adrenaline and anxiety to keep him safe. When he escaped, into the big, open world, he had come to realize that he still needed that to survive. He had to be aware, always on edge. But, he knew he enjoyed it. The feed of adrenaline was normal, it was something he could understand and react to without second-guessing his actions or worrying about where it led him. He loved the chaos, bathed in it. Sat in the center and created the hurricane around him. It was a home that he never wanted to replace.

This. Right here. Was not chaos. And most certainly not what he was used to. 

The air was still, light and easy and just a tinge too crisp for his liking. There was no static in the air, no yelling of other camp members like he would hear in a Homo Demen camp. No need to keep watch of his back every second. Not now. Not in this room. 

It was dark as well. Nearly pitch dark - had it not been for a couple of dying candles dotting the room. Illuminating the light, in a warm, comfortable glow, and conveniently casting itself onto the one thing he couldn’t keep his eyes away from. Trained solely on the creature sleeping soundly beside him, nearly inches away from being curled into his side. 

He didn’t know why he couldn’t stop… admiring them. He had been sleeping beside them for over two months at this point - simply meant to be for comfort, rather than him sleeping on the couch. It was awkward at first, then it turned into just another part of the new routine, and now? This past week alone it had been nearly impossible to sleep beside them. His brain, unable to sleep from the array of frustrating thoughts and bad memories, forced him awake. But this felt so different, just like the trip of the mountain the day prior, something had changed and he didn’t know what to think - how to think. Everything in him felt like it was running a mile a minute, completely different from the adrenaline or the anger, though. This was frazzled. He felt scared and weightless and confused and every time he looked at them-

He had to tear his eyes away from them, letting out a quiet groan as a hand came up and rubbed his face. Sleep. That’s what he needed right now. To ignore these unwelcome and entirely dangerous feelings that were floating around in his chest and burned. His hand fell from covering his face and flopped onto his stomach, eyes piercing into the ceiling as if it would give him all the answers he needed. 

Deep down, there was a part of him that knew what these feelings were. Even if he tried to deny what they were and what they meant they were still there. Every time he looked at the shithead that was asleep beside him those racing thoughts and feelings would bubble up. And after yesterday? Standing atop that mountain, catching the way they were looking at him, unable to not look at them and without feeling so much admiration and respect and-

(Y/N) shifted beside him, a soft, tired ‘hm’ slipping from their lips as they adjusted onto their stomach more. Higgs looked over, feeling a spark of amusement at the absolute disorder they were in. Hair messed, arm over their head, a line of drool spilling from the corner of their mouth. They were snoring slightly, and he couldn’t help but thinking back to when he teased them about it and they stubbornly claimed that they “would never snore”.

Even with the warring of emotions within him, he couldn’t help the soft smile that grew on his face as he looked over them. He wouldn’t think about the other emotions, but the growing fondness that filled his chest gave him a much-needed distraction from the “thou that shalt never be named” one. 

Why, out of any time, did these emotions come to the surface now? When things were finally settling down and he was beginning to enjoy the stillness for a while. How the fuck had he not realized these emotions before? These feelings were so stubborn and never shut up, always there in the back of his mind and reminding him of their presence when (Y/N) looked over at him, or when they did something that caught his eye. Though it seemed like it was everything about them that caught his eye now.

Maybe it was because he had finally started to ease back into his usual self. He had stopped looking over his shoulder constantly, stopped trying to cover the flinch whenever a loud noise suddenly happens somewhere in the bunker. He was sleeping relatively soundly, the nightmares didn’t squeeze his throat and lungs and fill his mind with panic anymore.

Higgs tore his eyes away from them again, closing his eyes as he shook his head that directed the ceiling again. 

Fuck. him.

He just wanted sleep.

To push these feelings away like he had time and time again for the past three fucking months. He didn’t want them. Not when they were so confusing and different and new. 

These emotions scared him more than anything else ever had. 

If this was…

His brain seemed even choked on the word. 

“Fuck, Higgs.” He chastised, glaring up into the ceiling as he ran a hand through his hair. “Get you shit together.” His back dug deeper into the mattress as he sucked in a slow, deep breath. Sleep - he needed sleep. The need for his brain to shut off,  to give him a moment of respite, was a newfound desperation that filled him with that anxious energy that had him feeling the need to run. To get the hell out of here and never look back and forget about (Y/N) and these feelings and move the fuck on! 

If this was… whatever it was, he didn’t want it. Not now. Not ever.

They began to shift again, and, though they were still sound asleep, they had that familiar crease between their brows that told him they would be waking up in the next few minutes. That didn’t stop them from moving closer, however. They were nearly curled into him now, breath fanning against his bare arm and legs pressed against his almost entangling. He was going on overdrive now - not knowing whether to push them away or just pack his shit and leave. 

His heart was beating, breath increasing and that feeling bubbled up so intense he couldn’t ignore it anymore. Painfully clenching his heart and throwing it into his throat, forcing his chest to feel constricted and like he didn’t even have enough room to breathe. Yet, at the same time, he felt light and like he was floating but he also felt like he was falling and- 

He sat up a little too roughly, knees propping up for his elbows to rest on and hands coming to cover his face as he tried to collect himself. It was so overwhelming, so fucking painful and he thought love was supposed to be kind.

A groan, low and almost frustrated, had him peaking at the person beside him with a spark of panic. 

(Y/N) is moving their arm away from where it’s resting on their head. Their arm lays beside them for a moment, before coming to rub the heel of their palm into their eyes before they yawned. He can’t help but berate himself with an array of insults when he realizes he woke them - that he has them opening their tired eyes when he is not in a state where he should be seen. 

Eventually (E/C) eyes find his, narrowing for a second as they adjust to the light and take in his upright and, most likely, disheveled form. He swallows, hand dropping from his face and arm resting on his knee as he clenches and unclenches his hand. He can’t even begin to pretend to be fine, he feels like he is on the verge of something close to his anger episodes when he had his powers. He can’t control BTs or levitate or do anything that can release that energy, however, so it sits there in his chest, bubbling and ready to explode. He wonders if he should leave, get out of here before he loses control of the ice storm inside of him, and (Y/N) sees him as he truly is. A complete and utter wreck. A lake with only the thinnest layer of ice, ready to consume anything that steps on it. 

After everything they both have been through, that’s a side of him he doesn’t want them to see. 

Even if he doesn’t want to show them those feelings, the idea of showing them the true storm that is going within him scares him even more. They could forgive him before and after the Event with his big and smaller fuck ups. But if they were to see that? To see what was truly going through him?

There was no way in Heaven or Hell they would ever, want him around. And he couldn’t bear the idea of them looking at him differently, and there is no one that would want him after they saw that side. 

“Hey.” Their voice breaks his raging inner thoughts. Rough with sleep and slightly confused and worried. For some reason the sound of their voice has his heart calming down for a moment. Throat opening up to allow him to suck in a breath that shakes and has him closing his eyes, because out of anything he wanted to show them - his distress was not part of it. 

The sound of them sitting up has him opening his eyes, albeit with trepidation, and the original feelings are back but this time with white-hot rage that he knows shouldn’t be directed at them, but it is and he is digging his nails into the palm of his hand until it stings and opens the skin a few layers, because why would they choose to look at him that that right now? Why now!?

Higgs looks away as a muffled growl leaves his throat, looking down onto the floor beside the bed and trying to count the scratches that the light illuminates.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” They cut right to the chase, already on to him because they’ve been able to read him so well as of late. It’s like he’s a book that they’ve read over and over and could recite without even opening the page. He hates it, hates how they are beginning to know him without any permission, and he hates it, even more, when their hand comes to his shoulder and tries to get him to look over at them.

“Don’t.” He growls, and their hand stops, freezing for a moment for sliding off. The silence is thick, and he’s trying his hardest to not let the anger and resentment consume him. But it’s so hard when he sees them in the corner of his eye, and can’t understand how the fuck they’ve got him feeling this way.

They’re silent for a moment, the only sound in the room is Higgs’ barely quiet, ragged breathing as he tries to take one in and one out. He’s shaking, and from rage or panic he doesn’t know, he just wants it all shut down so he doesn’t have to deal with it all. 

“I-” They open their mouth to speak, but they stop, and he can see them from the corner of his eye look down and their jaw clenching before they look back up. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s wrong.” The statement comes out firm, but it’s still soft and understanding - he hates it so much.

He looks over, brows creased, and staring at them with complete confusion because how the fuck do they not know what’s wrong? After everything that went down yesterday. There is no single way they couldn’t feel what he felt on top of that summit, not with how they looked at him and talked to him. Not when they gave him this smile that had him feeling so many different feelings at once. 

A laugh, sardonic and heavy, spills from his lips before he can stop it and he’s shaking his head. They look almost shocked at the reaction, a spark of hurt in their eyes that he forces himself to push past and ignore. 

“I don’t need your fuckin’ “help”.” His words bite, eyes narrowing and piercing into theirs. They shift, a restrained expression through the crease between their brows and the grinding of their jaw, and moving so there is more space between them. Higgs doesn’t know whether to be angry or relieved, but, as he lets the thought sit, he realizes that this is good, that this is far easier and understandable and familiar. 

There is this silence for a moment, and he wonders if they are event going to speak. When they look back up at him there is that understanding look again, but this time mixed with annoyance and resolve and he feels a pang of frustration because of course they won’t just fucking leave it.

“You can’t keep doing this, Higgs.” They almost sound desperate. Exasperated and sympathetic, as they look at him in a way that feels like they are reading his soul. He keeps his eyes on them, refusing to look away and show vulnerability. He wonders, briefly, if they’ll like what they see when they unfold all the layers and really truly see him. 

Because he knows he’s ugly. There is not a single person that could look at his tattered, mangled soul and not flinch and runaway. Not a single person that would want to stick with him for who he truly is - fucked up and a thing of nightmares. For once, he hopes they find what they want, he hopes they realize who they let into their home, and who will further destroy them because that’s what he does. Even as his face goes slack and a soft frown imprints itself onto his lips and his eyes stay cold, they don’t seem doubtful in themselves, just sucking in a sigh as if they’re finding their patience.

“Doing what, Darlin’?” He challenges, faces deadly neutral, and voice cold as he tries to sound honest. “I ain’t doing nothing other than being honest.” His shrug seems a bit forced, but he feels like he is getting his resolve back slowly. His mask might have been gone but he could make himself another one. Pulling the cowl over himself as he begins finding himself. His true self. Higgs - who rose up and embedded terror into people’s minds, who tore through cities like they were nothing. This wasn’t him. Couldn’t be. Would never be.

(Y/N) stares at him for a few more beats before shaking their head and looking away. They look so fed up, and he wonders if they are going to say anything, when they let out this sharper exhale and move to stand up. They look to be heading to the door, reaching to grab a hoodie off of a clothing covered chair and heading for the closed door, before they stop. Hand hovering over the doorknob. 

Were they really going to leave? Just like that? There’s this confusion and, though murky in the other, more aggressive emotions, he feels fear at the notion. They’ve always stood their ground when he did this kind of thing, they always spoke up, and always kept him from running away. Why were they leaving? Why did he care?

He’s about to say something, say some insulting and cold quip because that’s what he should do, but their hand drops from the door and they are turning around. 

Their eyes are full of emotions that he can’t even begin to take apart. But the darkness from the now nearly dead candles doesn’t hide the pain and anger that their eyes hold. Nor does it conceal the desperation that’s mixing in with the two. They take a step forward, hands crossing as they shrug and shake their head. 

“I really don’t know what goes through your head to make you feel like you’re the only one here that is scared shitless by…” They stop, mouth opening for a moment as they look around the room and then back to him. “Whatever more there is between us.” (Y/N) takes another step forward, now at the foot of the bed, and Higgs feels almost small. Like the ounce of power he had before is gone and now they are the one with the upper hand. 

He needs to get his power back. Any of it, before it’s too late and they have him pinned down and unable to move. “We,” he let the venom drip from his tone. “Don’t have anything “more” between us.” He growls, eyes narrowing as he stands up from the bed and takes a threatening step forward. “You got that?”

“Do you really think I would believe that?” They asked, brows furrowed as they spread their arms wide. “After everything that we’ve been through, you really want me to believe that we have nothing between us?” Their arms flop and a hand points between them as they shake their head, a laugh, angry and pained bubbles up as they look towards one of the candles. 

“If you don’t, Darlin’, then you are more naive than I took ya for. Whatever dreams you've had about… us, they ain't ever gonna happen, never were gonna happen.” His voice was low, but his cold grin that is spreading onto his face almost contradicts his tone. He takes a few more steps forward till there is barely a foot between them, and he feels the old him - no, the real him, come back.

They keep eye contact with him for a second, eyes wide before they narrow, as if wondering how he had the audacity to even say those words, and knowing that it's a lie. It's like they know him enough to know what he's doing and he hates it. They suck in a deep breath. “Higgs you and I have been through Hell and back, and if you think I would have stuck around for your…” They hesitate. “Bullshit, so I could use you, or hurt you in any way than I-" They suck in a deep breath. "You don't need to push everyone away all the time!"

Higgs glares harder before shaking his head. He just wanted them to drop it. But there’s this feeling in his chest, a bubbling of uncertainty and doubt that is taking over. It’s like two sides are warring within him. Like, while he desperately wants to go back to what is familiar and known, there’s a part of him that knows that this is wrong and he’s work so hard to just fall back into that now. But it feels like too much, like everything that’s happening is too much and it’s going so fast, and he doesn’t know if he can keep up and he just wants it all to fuck stop! It feels like the pressure in a can has built up so much that it’s close to exploding and he can’t keep it in anymore. He tries to control it, to tuck it away and deal with it later because he can’t be having that when he’s dealing with this right now.

"Can you please say something?" They speak up after the moment of silence ticks on into the minutes. He can’t keep shut it off anymore and it feels like his walls are shattering and he can't stop them from collapsing in anymore.

Instincts feel like they’re taking over - fight or flight and he’s looking towards the door as he tries to control his emotions. Eventually, he looks down at them, anger bubbling up and snapping before he can control it or direct it somewhere else. “What do you want me to say!”

They hesitate, eyes wide before they look down and stay quiet for longer than he would have expected. Their hands find their hips and, with a jagged sigh and a slight tilt and shake of their head, they finally look up. Determination and doubt and fear mixing in their eyes as they suck in a sharp breath. “I want you to admit that there's something between us- that you love me or feel- feel something more!” 

The word hangs in the air, and Higgs’ brain feels like it just stopped. He watches as they let out a shaky, near tears sigh and, it feels like his head is beginning to pound and his chest is aching no matter how hard he tries to stop it. He looks back towards the door and swallows thickly.

Why did they have to say that? Why did they have to bring up that one fucking thing?

“If there’s one thing we should both know already it’s that you don’t want that.” He finally spoke, looking up at them with a light shake of his head. His voice is wavering as he desperately attempts to reign in all emotions. But the pressure is building up and up and he knows he needs to get out of here for he does something stupid and reckless. 

He’s already moving around them, opening up the door and taking a few steps out as (Y/N) finally speaks up. 

“Don’t you dare walk away from this, Higgs!” They are right behind him and he stops, eyes closing as he tries to stop himself from combusting, but they take another step forward and something finally snaps and he’s turning around as he burns from the inside out. His walls are crumbling and turning to ruins and all that’s left for his emotions to do is explode and he feels so revealed, and he can’t stop himself as everything comes out, and he’s panicking and he’s terrified and he’s falling before he can grab ahold of something.

“Why do you care so much!” The words rang through the bunker, full of anger and fear and pain and he can’t stop himself anymore as they take a step back in shock. “Everything that I touch goes to shit, everything around me either gets damaged or killed. And if it’s not me who does the damage it’s someone else and I’m not going to put either of us through that, you understand me? You’re gonna be no fucking different!” His laugh is thick and bray and he is shaking his head as his hand comes to run through his hair. Everything is falling apart, he is falling apart and he hates it but he can’t stop it anymore, the storm has forced itself from the cage and it’s consuming him and everything around.

“You don’t get to make that decision for me!” They yell right back, tears budding in their eyes as they lean forward. “I’ve put it all at risk for you and I’d do it again, and again and- Fuck!” They stop, eyes closing and arms coming to cross over their chest. They’re shaking all over, like they’re just as scared about what’s going on between them as he is. “For once, just stop pushing me away!”

“And do what?” He tries to keep himself breathing, to keep his feet planted on the ground and keep himself from heading for the door. “Live in this bunker for the rest of my life with you and pretend like nothing will ever happen? Bake cookies and cuddle?" His lip raises in disgust and he shakes his head.  "Live happily ever after? That isn't me, this isn't me and the only person to blame for letting yourself down is you and you alone.”

(Y/N) goes to open their mouth but stops, eyes looking anywhere but his.

“Sweetheart this isn’t some fairytale, this was going to end one way or another, and if you thought any different than I don’t know what to tell you.”

“You know that's not me either, I don't want you to fucking change I just want-" They take a step forward and he clenches his jaw and fists to fight the temptation to step back. "What are you so afraid of?” They finally ask, but it’s quieter, less angry and more hurt. They look as if the last string is about to be cut loose and they are so close to crying - he hasn’t ever seen them cry before, and he hates that he feels guilty, that he actually feels distressed that it’s his fault that they’re hurting. 

He stops at the question. Both of them staring each other down and pulling in heavy breaths as the seconds tick on and the atmosphere gets heavier and more suffocating. What is he really afraid of? 

Losing them? Losing himself? Of the unknown? All of it. He hates to admit it, hates the fact that it’s true. And a part of him can’t help but realize he’s a fucking coward. They would stick with him through everything, and he’s going to throw it all away because he’s too scared. 

It’s the first two tears that drop from their eyes that has him realizes that this isn’t just about him. They’ve done so much and he keeps burning them. He’s falling into the black hole and he’s dragging them down with him. He’s a fucking mess and he’s damaged beyond repair. He’s either going to be the death of them or they are going to be the death of him. It’s fact and he knows it.

A chuckle, thick with emotions and anger, breaks the silence as he shakes his head and takes a step back. This is just damage and he isn't going to stay and tear them both apart any longer. “Fuck this.” He’s turning around, heading for the Timefall suit on the hanger by the door and shaking his head. 

“Higgs!” They stay where they are, voice sounding like it’s about to break as he continues grabbing his suit and beginning putting it on. “Higgs, just stop.” He freezes, suit almost zipped up and eyes looking down as he debates whether this is something he really should be doing. 

Everything is hanging on the tiny thread. Dangling above a cliff and he doesn’t know what to do anymore. He keeps his head down, brows together and frowning as he focuses on getting ready. Suit zipped up fully and boots being slid on as he reaches for his knife and gloves. 

“If you leave don’t you dare come back, you hear me? Don't you fucking dare come back.” 

He’s frozen at the door, fingers halfway through the code and turning his head so he can look over at them. 

They look like a wreck. Eyes wide, arms wrapped around their front like they're trying to protect themselves. It’s the most vulnerable he’s ever seen them and he can’t move as he takes in the sheer hopelessness and betrayal in their face. 

For the briefest of moments he debates whether or not he should just stay. He doesn’t know how he would even begin fixing the damage he’s caused yet again, but he knows that he should. That they deserve his attempt. That he owes them that. 

But when he sees the tears start streaming and the shaky breath as they force themselves to keep their eyes on his… What he owes them - what he owes both of them, is to get out of here. He’ll do nothing but cause irreparable harm and he doesn’t think he could do that to them. Not now. Not ever. 

The beach is an odd mixture of relaxing and triggering. The way the waves lick at the black sand and the overcast skies reminds him of places desolate and damning, separate from this world, dark memories that still haunt his dreams, and a final hour that would have been his last. Before he can really think about it, he’s able to focus on the ocean. The sound is enough to lull his eyes shut as he leans against some rock, arms crossed and head forward. 

Day time is coming. Light peeking from behind the mountains and creating orange and purple hues amongst the clouds. It’s so quiet. But for some reason this peace is different. He’s alone and he can think without (Y/N) being around to muddle up his brain, and things are coming in clearer than before.

He feels calm - neutral. Able to just let himself breathe and let his heartbeat drop to a normal rhythm. And even though his mind has finally slowed down, he doesn’t feel tired, nor do the thoughts of the person he left in the Bunker disappear. 

Their face is still engraved into his mind. Eyes opened or closed it’s still imprinted and he doesn’t know how to get it out. Why couldn’t things have just been normal? Why did everything always have to get so fucking complicated?

Why was he such a fucking coward?

Even with his pride, he knows he’s messed up terribly and that he was a real asshole to them. How he treated them, how he talked to them… he hated it. It felt low and petty and it almost makes him laugh because, out of everything he’s done, this, right here, is the thing that he draws the line on. 

He wonders what they are up to right now. If they’re trying to get some sleep or their getting ready for a day of shipments - probably the latter, there were very few times when (Y/N) was distressed and tried to relax. It was always work and push and push until they dropped. He wonders if they’re thinking of him right now, or if they’ve already pushed him out of their thoughts. 

The toe of his foot is digging into the sand, and he’s looking up as a clap of thunder rolls through the clouds. It was a complete contrast to the day before, and he feels the chill seeping into him and the crisp of the air even more after the heat of yesterday. 

He should get going, he thinks. A hand reaching up to grab his hood and tug it over his head as he pushes himself off the rock. 

His hands are in his pockets and he’s walking off of the beach and onto the grass, eyes forward as a million thoughts begin running through his head. He wants to leave, to head off in some direction and find someplace where he can hold up - start afresh but with just himself because it would be so much easier. But the idea of never seeing them again, of never getting to hear their creative insults or get to hear them laugh again makes him feel so lonely and-

“Fuck.” He doesn’t know what he wants. If it’s to run away or to try and take a leap to something terrifying and new. There’s a part of him that knows it would be a mistake if he just left, without trying to fix what he has with them. That there might even be a part of him that would regret it. But he never chose this, and he hates that he has to be the owner of these confusing and all too real emotions. That he has to bear their burden and deal with it all. Why does everything have to be so fucking hard?

Without him even trying his eyes move towards where the Bunker is, buried into the rock and almost hiding, but it’s still noticeable. He stops in his tracks. Eyes narrowed and glaring at the bunker as the thoughts run through his mind like a hurricane. 

He should go. He know’s how to get out of this valley rather quickly and if he can steal a truck at the Distro Center, he’ll be out of here and could be heading… east before evening hits. Swap the truck at another place or for some vehicle on the side of the road, maybe get into a Distro and print some extra gear without anyone noticing. It would be easy. He knows of safe places. He knows where he could go.

Turning his head towards the direction of the Distro Center, he stands in spot, chewing on his bottom lip till it starts to hurt and trying his best to just get on with it. It would take him an hour and a half to walk there, no longer. It wasn’t even hard, it was a walk. Even with his extremely sore legs froma hike he really, really, really shouldn’t be thinking about, it wouldn’t be a challenge. Just. Go! 

“You’re one stupid bastard, Higgs, you know that?” He growls. “A complete, fucking idiot.”

His feet are moving, head down and hissing out insults directed at himself and some towards the person in the Bunker as he makes his trek, hands clenching and unclenching in his pockets and mind racing faster than before as he tries to ignore what’s going on his brain and just commit to his decision. 

His feet carefully step onto the rocks leading up at the hill, and he can’t bear to look up until he has to. Eyes narrowed and hands still in his pockets as he taps the heel of his shoe into the rocks a bit harder than he needs to. 

The Bunker, fifteen feet in front of him, feels more like the gate to a different world than to a place that he almost saw as a home. 

In a last-ditch effort to make some excuse and leave he wonders if they’re home, if he’s just wasting his time. But, as he turns to the indents in the cliff wall just beside the bunker, their truck and bike are still under it. With the truck’s hood propped up and a variety of tools still in front of it from when they working on it the day before. 

“God-damn it.” Higgs sucks in a deep breath that comes out almost like a growl as he walks into the entranceway, eyes narrowing at the glass panel beside the door with as much disdain as he can muster. After all that effort to regain himself and feel safe, his heart is pounding again and the fear and vulnerability is bubbling back up.

It would be so easy to turn around, he thinks as he takes off his glove and presses the screen to turn it on. 

It would be so easy to just leave and never come back, he nearly shouts at himself as he’s typing in the passcode and hovering over the enter button. 

He just needs to go. 

“Incorrect passcode.” A voice, light and robotic, plays through the terminal behind him, and he can’t help the low chuckle that seeps out when he realizes that, of course, they changed the passcode. 

Be it a petty need to out petty them, or because he actually wants to talk to them, he’s turning around and opening up the terminal. Requesting access which seems to suck out his pride and nearly growling at the almost instantaneous rejection. 

His eyes close for a minute, fighting the array of different thoughts and emotions and taking in a few calming breathes before he opens his eyes again. 

“(Y/N), I know you can see me.” He glares up at the camera in the corner, hands on his hips and leaning more on one leg as he tries to suck in a slow, easy breath. “Let me in.”

There isn’t a response for a moment, and he wonders if they really did mean what they said, but the sound of the terminal turning on has him turning towards the hologram that’s projecting.

“What the fuck you do want, Higgs.” They sound exhausted, voice rough with anger, and what was most likely crying as they cross their arms and glare down at him. 

Higgs feels put on the spot, almost surprised that they listened to him and mind blanking as he looks up at them. 

“Dude if you’re not going to say anything I’m going it-”

“Can you just give me a minute?” He finally says, eyes closing as he looks down and desperately tries to regain his composure and lose his pride. They’re silent.

“I… uh.” He swallows, head still down as he fights with the words in his mouth. “I want to talk.”

“We are talking.” 

He can’t help the mixture of anger and amusement as another chuckle rolls out and he’s shaking his head.

They make it so hard, so fucking hard. 

He looks up at them and glares. “Y’know what I meant, Smartass.” 

“What makes you think I owe you that?” They look annoyed, and he almost feels a spark of panic because he knows they wouldn’t hesitate to hang up any minute now. 

He looks towards the door, glaring through it as he realizes that they really are going to make him say more than just one of those words, aren’t they. He sucks in a deep breath, and has to keep the sickly sarcastic smile from his face that’s almost second nature as he looks back up at them. 

“Can we…” He licks his lips, eyes narrowing when he sees the briefest flashes on amusement on their otherwise angry face. They know exactly what they’re doing, and he knows that they’re great satisfaction out of making him squirm. “Can we…” He growls and looks to the side with a shake of his head.. “... please talk in person.”

They’re silent for a moment. Then the hologram is gone and it’s silent and he wonders if that was just some sort of cruel and sick joke they played on him. 

The door is opening before he can even process it, and he’s whipping around to see them. They look almost bored, arms crossed, and an apathetic look on their face like they would rather not be here but are nonetheless, as they stand at the entranceway.

There’s silence for a moment, both staring at each other before Higgs finally gets control over his brain functions, and says the first thing that he can think of.

“Hey.” He nearly flinches because out of anything he could have said he chooses “hey”. 

Nice one, dumbass. 

It’s silent for a moment, but he sees the spark of annoyance in their face as they shift in their spot. “What do you want, Higgs?” They repeat their question again, and he sucks in a deep breath as he calms himself down and looks towards them. 

It’s hard to find the right words, because he doesn’t know if he can say that word yet, but he knows he has to speak soon or else they’re slamming that door in his face. 

“I know I fucked up.” He admits, voice lower than usual and slightly unsure, as he’s forcing himself to keep eye contact and he sucks in another deep breath. “I shouldn’t have acted like that or…” This is so much harder than he expected. “Treated you like I did. You’re the last person I’d ever want to hurt.” He sucks in a breath as he finishes, eyes looking towards the ground for a moment before looking back into theirs. His pride is screaming and he feels so embarrassed as he clears his throat and tries to stand still. Being an asshole is so much easier.

He would have expected the same apathetic look or maybe a pissed one, but they look shocked. Even as they try to keep their face neutral, which he knew them far to well to not be able to read their features, he can still see the uncertainty and surprise as they look over his face and body.

“Did you get hit on the head or is this coming of your own volition?” It’s so dry and just a tad bitchy and, even though he knows they are dead serious and this situation is dead serious, and he still feels utterly terrified, but he has to fight the twitch at the corner of his lips from turning grin. 

“I, uh…” He clears his throat from the laugh, that was a mixture of amusement and nerves, that was about to bubble up. “I sadly did chose to come here out of my own accord.”

They scoff, and though they’re angry he can see the hints of a smile growing on their face as they shake their head and look away. Their lips fall as they suck in a slow, dejected breath and look back up at him. 

“You fucked our trust, Higgs.” Their arms move away from their body with a shrug before falling beside them. “And this isn’t new, you know?”

He looks down for a moment, any amusement is gone and his brows pressed together as he sucks in a deep breath and regains the courage to look up. “I know…” His voice sounds rough, throat constricting as he takes a shaky, nervous step towards them. “I just… I want you to give me another chance.”

The air feels tense, thick and heavy and the silence carries on for a moment too long before they are sucking in a breath. “How do I know this isn’t going to be pattern? That you aren’t to keep panicking and pushing away whenever something new and scary happens or-or that you aren’t going to run away whenever things start getting good like you have twice now?”

“That’s not gonna happen-”

“But how do I know?” They sound lost as they look up at him with tear-filled eyes. His jaw clenches. He feels so lost. He feels like he can’t find the right words, and it’s so new and scary and he’s unable to look away from them as they suck in another deep breath. He knows he needs to do something, that he needs to prove to them because he can’t find the right words. “I can’t keep doing this, Higgs. I can’t keep opening myself up and allowing you in only for you to-”

The tears a falling again, and they are curling into themselves as they look close to either running away or collapsing and he doesn’t think anymore. Something within Higgs breaks, and before he knows it he’s a mere inches in front of them. Hand coming up to cup their face and, after a brief second of looking into their wide, beautiful eyes that hold a hurricane of emotions, lips ghosting across theirs, he gives in. Pushing away the doubt and fear and just doing. Lips press against theirs as a hand wraps around their waist and pulls them tightly against him, and it feels like the air is being knocked out of him when their arms, slow and hesitant, reach up and wrap around his shoulders. Fingers entangling in his hair as they keep him from separating and he’s awestruck. Stomach doing flips and heart-pounding like he just ran a mile and he feels like a fucking child when they finally separate.

“I’m not…” He sucks in a deep breath, heart pounding and feeling so exposed as he looks into their eyes. The words stick in his mouth for a moment as he searches their eyes. He knows he can’t just say it, he has to mean it and he wants to so badly, even if a part of him still hates it.

“I’m not going anywhere, you got that, Darlin’?” Determination and confidence finally seem to come back, and he’s sucking in a deep breath when he sees the way they are looking at him. A blush on their cheeks and breathing just a little faster, lips slightly swollen and he can’t help but marvel at how stunning they are like this. Eyes clouded with emotions that he is still unsure of, and that still have him fighting the urge to look away, but that are directed at him and him alone. 

That doesn’t stop the doubt in their eyes and the coil in his gut as he waits for their answer. Jaw setting before relaxing on repeat as he searches their eyes and begs them to say something - anything. 

They finally suck in a deep breath. Eyes searching his before a smile grows on their face, and a light flashes in their eyes.

“I’m going to hold you to that, you hear me?” They finally speak, and he can’t help but scoff and roll his eyes as he takes a slight step back. They still look scared, a slight crease still in their brow and a hint of trepidation in their eyes, but he can see them trying to fight it, trying to let the lightness that’s in the air take over. 

“Oh trust me, I’m counting on it.” A grin, small and amused, breaks onto his face as he lets out a soft huff and nods.

“You better, because I’ll throw your stuff in the Timefall. All of it.” 

He laughs, nodding as he looks behind them for a moment. “Yeah, that’s a valid statement.” 

Thunder, louder than before, rumbles across the sky and shakes the ground as rain starts pelting the ground. Some rain making its way inside and splattering against his suit and their skin as the clouds darken. BT’s are going to follow soon, they can both tell.

(Y/N), sighs, a cold shiver running up their spine as their eyes leaving his to look outside before looking back at him. 

“Would you like a coffee?” It’s such a simple question, a grin tugging the corner of their lips as they wait for him to answer. 

He feels so abuzz and so unsure as his hand drops from their hips as they take a step back, eyes unable to look away as they turn around and they walk down the stairs. 

Fuck it, he thinks, sucking in a sharp breath as he steps in and shuts the door behind him. After everything he’s done, all the near-suicide missions, and reckless jobs, he wasn’t going to run away this, he could do this. 

It’s still terrifying. Like he’s being thrown into a cave after being out in a storm, and he doesn’t know whether it leads to safety or even more pain. But, as they shout for him to hurry his skinny ass up, along with some other offhanded insult he ignores, he’s quick to realize that, whatever this is that’s between them and whatever happens, all the potentialities seem redundant.  Even if there is still a part of him that hates these emotions, that wishes they weren’t there, because it would make everything so much easier, he wants to give it a shot. 

Just this once with just this one person, he wants to try. 

[shandidellamorte]

~A Fluffy Approval~

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written anything about StarChild’s adorable little Snowball! Here’s something special for Easter! Enjoy! =3

Special thanks to @misslivvie​ for the idea~ <3

~Shandi

“You didn't tell me you had a pet~”

“Hm?”

StarChild turned to see Tomaziel looking over the rabbit cage in the corner of his room. As he watched Snowball's ears twitch he smiled. “Ohh..somebody's awake~!” At the sound of his voice Snowball's head immediately perked up and she scurried to the edge of the cage, poking her nose through the bars. “Yes baby, papa's here~!” He kneeled in front of the cage, cooing soft words to the excited rabbit and rubbing noses with her. Beside him, Tomaziel could feel himself wanting to melt right there on the spot. “I never thought..I would see anything so adorable in my entire life. I stand corrected~” StarChild giggled as Snowball practically jumped into his arms as soon as he opened the cage door. “Aww how's my big girl~? Did you miss me~?” He turned to Tomaziel with a big smile. “Let me introduce you: this is Snowball and she's my precious little princess~”

“Well hello there, Snowball~ I'm Tomaziel and it's nice to meet you~” He frowned when the rabbit turned away from him, curling up against StarChild's chest and making frightened chirping noises. “Did I..do something wrong..?” StarChild shook his head. “No, it's not you. Unfortunately..Snowball is losing her sight now that she's getting older and..when she hears voices other than my own it scares her.” 

“Should..I leave..?”

“No, you don't have to! I'm sure this won't last. She just needs to get used to you being here. If you spend a little time with her any time you visit me it'll get better~”

“Okay..let's try it~” 

~*~ 

They took things very slowly. Tomaziel would sit by Snowball's cage and speak gently to her for a short time. StarChild soon began to notice changes in Snowball's behavior. She flinched less when Tomaziel spoke. She didn't scurry away when he came close. Eventually he could even let her out of the cage when Tomaziel visited without her running off to hide. He was so proud of his big girl~ 

One night while they were having dinner, StarChild looked down to see Snowball curled up next to his chair. He smiled and reached down to stroke her back. “You've been doing well with her, darling. I'm so happy she's finally adjusting to you~””

“So am I. Although she certainly didn't make it easy. She's stubborn like you~”

“I can't argue with that~ You know..it's funny. I once considered giving her up.”

Tomaziel blinked. “Really? Why?”

“Nikki gave her to me. He was the one who saved her and took care of her..but when I saw her..I just fell in love. He said he wanted me to have her as an apology gift. Little did I know it was just to manipulate me into forgiving him. And knowing that hurt whenever I looked at her..” Tomaziel reached out to take StarChild's hand and squeeze it. “What made you change your mind?”

“I realized I was projecting. What I felt for Nikki had nothing to do with her. She was just an innocent little creature. I couldn't just let her go. She'd come so close to dying before. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her. If she's going to die, it's going to be in my arms where she'll be warm, safe and loved.” 

“Then I think she's right where she belongs~ Look at her. She loves you and she trusts you. She'd never want to be apart from you~”

“No, I don't think she would~ Thank you, darling~” He wiped away the tears gathering within his lashes. “Will you..excuse me while I freshen myself up a little?”

“Of course, love. I'll be right here~”

As StarChild left, Tomaziel looked down at Snowball who was in the middle of cleaning herself. “I wonder.. I bet you haven't eaten yet have you?” He took an uneaten leaf of lettuce from his plate and held it out towards her. “How about a little bite, hm?” Snowball sniffed at the air for a few moments before turning her head. He smiled as she moved closer slowly. “That's it. Nice, yummy lettuce just for you~” It wasn't long before hunger got the better of her. She munched away until the entire leaf was gone. “Good girl! Would you like some more?” She reared up and started sniffing. Once she caught the scent she jumped up onto Tomaziel's lap and began sniffing at his plate. He laughed. “I guess that's a yes!”

When StarChild returned he gasped. He could hardly believe his own eyes! There was Snowball curled up on Tomaziel's lap while he fed her lettuce. And letting him pet her! “Ohh..this is wonderful. I think I might cry again~” Tomaziel chuckled. “I guess I lucked out. Seems like I found the best way to this rabbit's heart~” 

“I should have known. You're very good at finding your way into other's hearts~” He stood beside Tomaziel and wrapped his arms around him, watching as Snowball ate happily. “I think my family is complete now~”

~END~