#starling au

[astraymetronome]

Chapter 3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Sorry, this took so long to get out! I've gotten busy! My job actually just promoted me and I got my nose pierced.

His lungs were screaming as he ran. Flying was one hell of a risk considering that he didn’t want to rush through the potion in his system. He only had one of each and, even if it was faster, he couldn’t risk it. Tommy needed to get somewhere, anywhere, he could hide and act like he didn’t have a living thing in his stomach. Nausea was swelling up his throat as he ran but Tommy was well aware he wouldn’t actually purge his stomach or anything similar. 

The teen could feel the snow under his feet, he could feel the cold sapping through his entire body as he rushed from the city towards a cabin set deep in the snowy tundra. Making a journey completely unprepared was dumb regardless of everything, but doing it into a snow-covered land was even more ignorant but that wasn’t what Tommy cared for.

All he needed to do was run until his head was clear and he reached his destination! Techno was far enough away to be hard to locate which was a good thing, but the worst thing was that he was rough to reach in a bad situation. 

Tommy panted as he gave a very sheepish whine, his nausea was getting worse from the combination of stimuli. His feet hurt, his stomach hurt, his lungs hurt, Fuck. Everything hurts! He figured it wasn’t a good sign, considering his ungodly pain tolerance. He just needed to get to that shack in the middle of the forest. 

The middle of this fucking huge snow-ridden forest!

He got so caught up in his head, the thoughts of his discomfort and the uneasy pit in his torso, Tommy didn’t know how to feel when, out of nowhere, a heavyweight collided with his back. A squawk left his throat as he tumbled forward, wings flaring in response. He fell into the snow as the thing on his back buried its teeth into the fluff of his cape.

The creature behind him was warm and heavy, a growl building from its throat. He felt fear wash through him for a moment before the weight shifted enough he was able to unclasp the lock around his neck and roll away from the cape. He mourned the loss of its warmth but he was quick to pull a sword from his inventory, ready and completely prepared to shed blood to protect himself. 

Tommy’s eyes landed on a medium animal, it was mostly gray and white with a small amount of tan dressing its mussel. The animal’s eyes were narrowed, a red glint resinating in the black of its pupils as his eyes drifted down. A nice deep blue collar sat around its neck as the dog growled once more. 

“Liz?” He found himself whispering. The canine’s ears perked up at the word as it left his lips, her eyes shifting from a glare to a gaze of recognition as her tail began to wag away and a small bark left her mussel. She bounded forward, acting like a puppy that hadn’t seen their mother in years. 

Despite the cold digging into his body and his knees, Tommy didn’t hesitate to chirp as he opened his arms and eagerly embraced the dog. He smiled as Liz seemed to relish in his contact, barking loudly as she was pet and he scratched behind her ears. Her warmth was welcomed with how freezing his limbs felt from the surroundings. 

A pressure hit the side of his stomach, clearly some kind of swing or hit from the man inside Tommy held in a groan as he continued to embrace the animal. It didn’t take a genius to guess what the reason behind the attack was. Dream probably was still angry and confused about the situation going on outside, plus he also had a reason to show his discontent with the teen. A sharp whistle interrupted his situation as Liz’s ears shot up. She jumped off of him, quickly turning to face the source of the sound. Tommy recognized the pitch and knew who had made the high call. 

His eyes drifted upwards, a familiar mask slipping into view as he noticed the hulking figure stepping closer. Red eyes slid through the holes in the skull, showing the person behind it. A nice watermelon pink draped over his brother’s shoulders, the braid of hair resting over his right shoulder. Techno was still wearing his signature white dress shirt and black slacks. The jabot around his neck was still ruffled and ironed in the way it always was with the green emerald pendent still just above his clavicle. His red cloak, just like the one normally draped across his own shoulders, still holding the bloody shade of crimson and the white fluff of his collar hugging his neck and meshing well with the golden clasp. His tail swished out to the side, peaking out from under the draping fabric as it slipped through the snow.

“Tommy.”

The piglin’s voice seemed surprised and confused but, ultimately, it was guarded. The blonde wasn’t going to judge him. His brother deserved to feel skceptical and unsure about his presence considering their past relationship and how the avian had treated his older brother. He had betrayed his flock, Techno’s sounder had betrayed him and that was considered unforgivable for a brute. He didn’t deserve any forgiveness or anything of that related sort but he still cared for his brother and the hybrid deserved to be aware of what he was doing. 

“Hey… It’s... It’s nice to see you Technoblade.” He told his older brother, the look of hesitance steeling as the brute lifted his crossbow. Tommy lifted his hands, trying to show he meant no harm. Liz glanced back and forth between the two of them, the confusion visible in her little face. She seemed drawn to the tension between the two of them, tempted to join her human and grow defensive but also desiring to go love and cuddle with the boy she hadn’t seen in about a year. 

“Why are you here, Theseus.” The tone in his voice as it passed by his brother’s tusks left no room for argument or even an attempt to lie through his teeth. Tommy simply sighed as he looked up, he got up, picked up his sword, and put it in his inventory, before holding his hands up with a small anxious smile. 

“I know as of right now, it looks like I just need help. I do, but that's not the main reason I’m here.” He told him as he looked up at his older brother. Tommy could feel his nerves flooding his body and causing a slight tremble in his lip as he fought the instinctual desire to cling to his flock and beg forgiveness. He was bound to eventually but, he couldn’t give in until he was completely sure that everything was understood. Techno had a look in his eyes, one that said he was curious and unsure of what he wanted or even needed to know. 

The small tilt of his brother’s head was enough to tell him to keep going, so he listened. 

“Dream.. It involves Dream. Since you already paid back what you owed to him, and I promise I’m not here to cause trouble! I figured you were the only person I could go to about this…” He explained kind of periodically. He also brought his hands close, despite the desire to talk with his hands he made sure to keep them in sight and where they wouldn’t be seen as a threat or anywhere near that. 

“And what makes you think I’d help you with anything involving that homeless prick.” The brute specified as he looked at his little brother. The older hybrid looked angered as he went ahead and moved forward to do something, what that was Tommy had no idea but he wasn’t gonna just take it.

He could feel his nerves spiking as he gave an anxious noise before speaking once more. “I trapped him!” He said quickly. 

Techno seemed to pause at his admission. The piglin paused as he blinked a little, clearly confused and it showed. “Heh?” The man exclaimed as he looked down towards the dog near his side. Liz simply looked back at him, being the same as she ever was, just a confused little dog who seemed happy to be around two of her favorite people. His older brother gave a sigh before he simply lifted up his crossbow and reached a hand out. 

“We can talk about this at my cabin. You’ve got no shoes on, Theseus.” Tommy found himself blinking at that, he felt confused but he looked down and, just like Techno said, he’d forgotten his shoes in his rush to get someone else. The hybrid let out a chirp, his gaze drifting back up as he watched his older brother.

promise.

The brute chuffed in response and the avian’s instincts took that as confirmation that they would be talking this out. Techno didn’t hesitate to pick up the cape in the snow, holding it out towards the blonde without a second thought. 

Tommy took it after just a second as he made sure to adjust how he stood and tried to keep his feet close to eachother. Liz didn’t hesitate to move forwards and wind her way between his legs and forcing them to have a more reasonable distance. 

He began to fall in step behind the brute, watching his brother’s back as the cape over his shoulder’s moved in motion with his body and his tail. If the avian was honest, he wanted to just cling to his older brother due to how badly his instincts screamed. Tommy straight up had someone he wanted to hide from inside of his fucking body. His mind was pissed at him for being so chill about having his abuser inside of his stomach, his instincts were also torn, still feeding off the imprint he’d formed throughout exile. 

No one knew about it. 

Not Techno. Not Dream. Not even Phil. 

<em>Not a single person was going to know.</em>

He brought his hands to his chest, fighting with his flock desire to hold onto Techno. 

They’d been walking for about five minutes before the piglin gave a sigh, sounding exasperated as they both came to a stop. “Come here, kid.” Techno said without much room for argument. Tommy felt confused, looking at his older brother as he stepped closer. 

The moment Tommy was within arm’s length, his older brother pushed his crossbow into his inventory before his arms moved and…

Scooped him up.

A startled chirp left the avian as he was picked up. He was not used to being treated like a small child, considering he hadn’t really been around his older brother. Tommy was very used to being treated as younger than he was, it was the reason he held such a defensive response when being called a child or something similar. Despite how much he wanted to yell and hit as he was picked up, he didn’t have the energy. 

“Put me down, Techno..” He whispered as he was held. Liz looked up at him, tail wagged faster as she perked up. it almost seemed as if the canine thought they were playing around. His brother simply shook his head as he spoke.

“You’re walking barefoot in the snow. I should have done this sooner. Calm down, Theseus.”

Tommy couldn’t argue with that. 

____

Dream could feel everything around him shift. The walls against his back and knees were warm, in an uncomfortable way, and slick. It stuck to him every time he had to move his body. The hybrid couldn’t believe where he was sitting right now, a part of him was preening at the probabilities and possibilities this could open up for kinds of torture and manipulation. The other half was screaming at how unnatural this was!

He held back the desire to scream and yell until he got Tommy to submit. He wanted out of the teenager! He didn’t want to be stuck in some stupid bird’s stomach or even close to this environment. The sound of his own heart pounding in his ears was drowned out by the teen’s heart among the sounds of his stomach and the wooshing of his every breath. 

His surroundings were moving without breath, clearly Tommy was being active with the amount of acids that pooled around his hips. “When I get out of here, I’m gonna fucking kill you!” He barked out, his ears twitching as acid dripped down from the fundus above him. Dream moved his hands to the sides, pushing them into the rugae in order to ground himself. 

He shifted his weight, moving onto his lower back as he braced himself with one leg. The sheep hybrid was panting as he reared back a leg, quick to try and kick the wall in front of him. It didn’t come to fruition as he was thrown around, hearing a grunt come from above. A smirk spread across Dream’s face, a sick satisfaction growing in his gut at the teen’s pain. 

“Suck it.” He muttered to himself.

____

Tommy could still feel Dream kicking and pushing around inside his abdomen. It was causing more nausea to grow, more than he’d like to admit, but the good thing was that he was at least close to having this all taken care of. He knew the pots were still working in his system, able to feel it under his skin, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t be lasting much longer. 

The arms that were wrapped around his body were nice. Techno hadn’t held Tommy on his back, which should have been expected, instead literally holding him in a bridal carry. It wasn’t uncomfortable.

Not in the slightest.

The brute was warm in comparison to the freezing cold of the snowing biome around them. Piglin’s were naturally warmer than humans because they lived in the nether, so it made sense for hybrids to have a higher temperature as well. Tommy wasn’t going to complain regardless.

Once they got to the cabin, he felt tired. So much had been going on today, a mix of mental and physical stress that really caused him to feel this exhausted. He had a feeling he’d be sent home tomorrow. No matter how mad his older brother got, Techno was not the monster everyone assumed he was. The hybrid wouldn’t force him out into the snow without shoes or proper clothes. 

“Technoblade?” Tommy mumbled, looking up at his brother. Liv had rushed to the porch, eagerly waiting outside the door as her tail thumped loudly against the wood boards below her. His brother hummed, the sound rumbling in his chest as he showed his attention. 

“Why?” He asked as his brother set him down. He watched as the boar pushed his hand into his pocket, pulling out a key with a swift motion. 

“Let’s talk inside.” He said simply. Tommy found his eyes drifting up towards the mask. He locked his gaze with the man as he gave a small sigh. He probably should get inside before the hybrid changed his mind. 

As the door closed and the lights were switched on, Liz barked as she ran towards where the other dogs were curled up. A handful of the ones Techno had left were all over the living room. He couldn’t help but smile as he took a step towards them before a hand was placed on his shoulder, leading him towards the kitchen instead. 

His nerves were screaming as he stepped towards the area. His stomach shifted with his nerves, the organ squeezing around the small form that sat inside. He couldn’t help but hug his abdomen, feeling self-conscious of the lump that sat under his shirt. It was pretty impalpable, the smallest of bumps settled just under his rib cage where his stomach sat. He gave a wince, feeling bloated despite the fact he was well aware he wasn’t. 

Tommy stepped towards the counter, instinctively plopping himself onto the cold tile. It had been a pretty common occurrence back when the avian had been living with his older brother. Their dad had explained it as a desire to be in high places, something all bird hybrids were wired to enjoy. The teen found it strange, it wasn’t like sitting here made much of a difference for height but he liked it. Though… this did get him thinking.

“Where’s Phil?” He asked, keeping his arms around his belly in order to feel a sense of privacy. He couldn’t help feeling exposed since he was well aware Techno was far more perspective than others on the server. 

The brute seemed to sigh at the question, it was almost as if Tommy wasn’t the first to ask it. Techno simply walked towards the oven, placing a pot on the burner and turning it on. The blonde watched his older brother get out some cocoa, milk, and sugar before beginning to combine them in the pot. “Dad is on vacation. He’s had enough of the cold.” 

That… actually made sense. The only reason his brother enjoyed the Arctic was because it helped him regulate his hibernation and keep a proper internal clock. It was weird to think such a cold environment would help a nether hybrid live an easier life. Either way, Tommy was glad Techno had a way to live comfortably. His brother deserved it after… everything. 

“Either way, we’re not going to ignore what you said in the forest.” The older man said simply as he began to stir the concoction he’d started to make. Tommy knew it wasn’t going to be avoided but he didn’t know how to word it. It would be pretty weird to just blurt what he did out loud but, he didn’t see any other options. It was gonna have to be told sooner or later. 

“I don’t know how to say it Tech, it’s… weird.” Tommy found himself mumbling as he looked towards his feet, kicking them slightly. He didn’t know how to continue, but Tehno’s next action surprised him. A hand settled on his knee, giving him a reassuring squeeze before a mug was pushed into his hands, warming the frostbitten fingers. The avian took notice of the blood pooling around his nail beds, which explained why his hands were hurting. Tommy knew he had a bad habit of ripping them from his fingers, it used to be nail-biting in Logshire and it had developed into something worse.

“That’s okay, I’ll listen regardless.” The piglin said as he took Tommy’s free hand and began to look over his fingers. The blonde was well aware his brother wasn’t happy with what he saw, but he also knew Techno would’t judge him for the bad habit. 

He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as he let his eyes shift from the mug to the red ones in front of him. He was unsure how his brother would answer but… he no longer had any excuses to avoid the topic.

“I ate Dream.”

[cbrcbbr]

[kararisa]

darling, starling ✧

pairing: scaramouche x gn!reader

genre: social media au, modern/celebrity au, friends to lovers, fake dating

summary: being the world-famous singer-songwriter "zenith", the limelight has been on you ever since the start of your career. however, the media becomes relentless when leaks of music you never meant to release begin to circulate. your friend scaramouche, meanwhile, seems to have gotten stuck while writing his second book. with a deadline fast approaching, he comes to you with a deal: act as if you're dating him so he can gather reference material and, in turn, he'll help keep the press' eyes off of your leaks until you release your next album. a win-win in your book, so why not help a friend out?

side ships: venti x xiao; thoma x ayato

warnings: swearing, crack, slight angst (?), alcohol consumption, yn wears makeup sometimes, depictions of online hate; specific chapter warnings will be listed at the beginning of each chapter — will be updated as the series continues

status: ongoing

author's notes:

did some minor reworking so if you've seen this for the second time, you're not hallucinating dw

yes this is my second smau. yes I still don't know what I'm doing haha. timestamps don't matter unless I say they do

apologies in advance if i miss any grammar mistakes, english isn't my first language ^^

written chapters are marked with (★)

pre-concert party !!

0.1 - lost hearts • 0.2 - welcome back, shithead

profiles:

clown central™ ([name]'s friends)

the waffle house (scara's friends)

1st verse — for future reference || playlist

1 - is this real? • 2 - enjoying yourself: a guide

3 - bitchless since birth • 4 - attention

5 - unwritten rules (★) • 6 - we're doing couple things

7 - safe with my indifference • 8 - when's the wedding

9 - iridescence (★) • 10 - worst date ever

11 - then beg • 12 - a little bit scandalous (★)

13 - not too late • 14 - only here for you

15 - i can fight • 16 - wine-stained lips (★)

2nd verse — where words fail, music speaks || playlist

17 - it's so joever • 18 - famefucker

19 - i miss my parents • 20 - none of your business

21 - child of divorce • 22 - don't text and drive

23 - neon escape (★) • 24 - this can't be real

tba

3rd verse — hate to be lame || playlist

tba

encore !!

tba

— the taglist is currently open! if you’d like to be added feel free to reply or send in an ask! – if your blog isn’t highlighted it means i can’t tag you.

[angeart]

when nowhere feels safe, hold onto me

closeup of their bruises:

drawn for an au with @linkito <3

[shadowslab]

Halloween magma with my friends

@greensgg

https://twitter.com/Alyasha04

[silvr-skreen]

Me n the Homies walking out of Layer 3

[livmadart]

Imagine the FBI trying to justify working with this small ghost pokemon

Like yes boss I know it's hard to communicate with him and yes it is a bit disturbing that he's a dead child but he's very smart and helpful!

LOL

[moonpleaser]

the host!vic clarice starling parallels . walk with me

[starry-bi-sky]

okay so i was thinking of a joke earlier about how in DPDC Amity Park's slogan "a great place to live" is not only city propaganda but also the city lording it over the rest of America for being normal. But then I remembered that, despite how many DCU Cities with heroes in it there are, the amount of cities in America without heroes still far outnumber the amount of cities in America WITH heroes.

So I did a little digging so the joke would still land. Something most heroes have in common is that they operate in major cities. What makes a major city? I found that the general consensus is that the population is roughly over or around a million. THEN I looked up the populations of cities in the DCU that I thought of off the top of my head. So Gotham, Metropolis, Starling City, Central City, Jump City. All of them ranked up to millions in population (most of them were in the tens of millions).

Amity Park's wikipedia describes it as being similar to specifically Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Philadelphia's Population: 1.576 million as of 2021 Chicago's Population: 2.697 million as of 2021 San Francisco: 815,201 as of 2021

Whiiich means that Amity Park if we take that from canon, is probably a major city. There are approximately 19,000 cities in America with probably less than a hundred that are major cities. Adding the DCU major cities wouldn't skew the data too much.

Which MEANS that I can make the joke that Amity Park's "great place to live" is not only just typical city propaganda, but also its Amity Park lording it over the other major cities for being one of the only major cities that doesn't have problems bad enough to warrant a superhero or a vigilante. Cue stage left the Fentons and Phantom :)

Amity Parkers were probably SO proud that they didn't need a superhero. They didn't have to worry about things like 'world ending threats' and 'super-powered individuals' and 'staggering property damage'. And then enter Fentons.

It also could be used as an excuse for why nobody took notice to Amity Park getting ghosts if folks like me aren't huge fans of the notion of a media blackout via Tucker, Technus, or the US Government. Or if you want to keep Amity Park as its urban city self. Amity Park's news on ghosts gets drowned out in a week because there's news on more popular, well-known cities going on every other day. The shit going on in Amity Park is every other major city's regular Tuesday and it gets filtered as such.

[crystalcyanyellow]

"Alone..."

and here this

name's Teal Star and she's sea dweller, also bandages made of plants

she like Dark Moon but she scared if he seen her

Second Comet is friwnd ^^

and yes, it's highly inspired by @midgetmoth :>

[astraymetronome]

I know this is a really overdue post! Sorry it's taken so long but here is the next chapter of the Trapped Dream AU! I've been pretty busy with college and work but I'm gonna try to get these chapters out more often.

Warnings: Vore, Vomiting, Self-Harm mention, Panic Attacks, Mentioned fatal vore

Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

Tommy had expected more of a reaction from his older brother other than well... Laughter. Techno burst into loud and boisterous laughter when those words passed his lips, it confused him but he understood his brother’s point of view. It probably sounded crazy, one of the best fighters being beaten by some teenager. 

The piglin hybrid was still laughing, leaning over the counter in the kitchen as Tommy anxiously hugged his abdomen. He felt nervous as his brother began to calm down, the avian watching as he caught his breath before speaking up. 

“I need you to be serious with me Tommy.” His brother said simply, the humor still riding his voice as he spoke. The blonde could feel his nerves getting the better of him, he didn’t like being brushed off like some child. He was old enough to be treated and respected the same way anyone else would be. He gave a small glare as he spoke up.

“I am being serious, I ate Dream.” He said sternly. The avian’s wings opened behind him, the feathers flaring as he glared at the man. He knew Techno wasn’t trying to be mean. He knew full well it just didn’t sound like something real, but it was real! He had the bastard green teletubbie sitting in his body where he wouldn’t get out unless he let him out. Tommy watched as Techno’s face shifted through his emotions, a mix of uncertainty and astonishment. 

“Okay, Okay,” Techno mumbled, it was pretty obvious his brother didn’t understand it or really believe him. The blonde knew the piglin didn’t want to know if this was true but he didn’t know how to prove this, if he coughed Dream up he’d either have him taken away, released, or maybe killed. None of them seemed like good options, he couldn’t bring himself to kill him. Dream may be his enemy and his killer, but he still couldn’t fully get himself out of the mindset from those years in exile. 

He recognized the bad situation and how tragic it was to be trapped in such a shitty way of living but he couldn’t bring himself to treat the ram hybrid with any form of remorse. Tommy had been so stuck in his own brain that he only blinked back at the situation when the mug of hot chocolate was pushed up. “Drink up little bird, you need to warm up,” Techno told him with a huff.

Tommy reluctantly sipped at the mug of liquid, he blinked a little bit at the lack of any real flavor as he swallowed a mouthful of what was probably just pure milk.  The blonde blinked for a moment once he swallowed the liquid before panic swelled in his chest. He pushed the cup into his brother’s hands feeling the swell of magic under his skin fade within seconds. “The fuck!” He yelled, looking up at his brother as the piglin spoke. 

“You were acting weird and with pot particles around you-” The man started before Tommy growled, his wings flaring behind him as he glared. He looked a lot like Phil when he flared his feathers, the main difference being their size and wings. He glared, angry as he leaned over the kitchen sink, feeling as Dream began to return kicking up a fuss in his stomach. The teen gaged himself, his older brother quickly trying to stop him as he did this. 

Tommy folded his wings close and chirped angrily before he felt his stomach clench and force a wiggling form up and out of his body. He coughed, a familiar man slipping out of his mouth and into the basin below. He was uncomfortable, trembling slightly as he wiped the mix of saliva and milk off his lip with his sleeve, the uncomfortable tingle of acid burning the back of his throat as he gave a thick swallow. The avian swirled himself around, his finger immediately being pushed against the other man’s chest. 

“You just fucking assumed I was lying!? You could have killed him!” He squawked out. Tommy was mad that Techno had believed he’d lie so much he seemed eager to prove himself right. 

The piglin had quickly put his hands up, a defensive and passive motion to fain innocence. “Heh-” The man started before he stopped and spoke up. “I didn’t know if I believed you! You were talking kind of crazy and had particles, I assumed a potion had a bad effect on your head, Runt.” Tommy found himself growling as he looked at his big brother with a mix of anger and frustration. He understood his brother while also being mad that he’d not believed him. 

“But shit… You actually ate him.” Techno mumbled, taking Tommy’s attention back to the small man. The avian’s eyes drifted, zeroing in on the small form that sat inside the sink. His eyes drifted over his body, taking in the slight red spots of irritation on Dream’s neck and around his ankles. The ram hybrid had started to itch at his skin, clearly unhappy with the situation. He avian glared right back, not scared to meet the blonde man’s gaze as he was spoken to. 

“You’re so fucking stupid, Tommy! You seriously thought eating me was the best way to trap me! How ignorant are you!” Tommy rolled his eyes as he listened to Dream ramble on about how horrible and stupid he was. He glared before moving his hand and turning on the faucet. He held back a giggle as his tormenter sputtered, the man looking like a drowned rat. His pointed ears twitched at the loud laughter behind him, turning over to see Techno kneeling over as his chest racked with chuckles. He couldn’t help the smile that pricked his lips, 

He missed hearing his big brother’s laughter as his wings fluffed up a little. Tommy could feel his flock instincts swelling, wanting to chirp and trill at seeing his flockmate so delighted at something he’d done. He was pleased but he quickly forced the sensation down as he spoke up. “Shut up, you’re lucky I even let you out.” He said sternly. 

He saw the slight look of panic in the man's eyes and the avian was guessing that he wasn’t fond of the sensation of acids against his skin. He felt a sense of control wash over his mind, it was intoxicating but he was swift to shove it away. “Tommy, how long have you… been in this predicament?” Techno asked. He looked over at his older brother, blinking in a bit of surprise. He’d kept Dream for probably just a day… It’s only just a day but it’s felt like he’s been doing this for a week. He ran his hands through his hair. 

“It’s been most of today? But I um… I’ve only had him in for probably about two hours.” He said softly, he felt uncomfortable but he’d been the one to get into this situation and the one to bring it up. He looked up at his older brother, taking note of how the piglin stepped towards the sink. He watched as Techno began to push Tommy away from the sink. 

“I’ll handle this, go drink some water and take a hot shower. You need to warm up little bird. Phil will kill me if he comes back to find you with a cold.” The blonde felt his heart sink at the idea of leaving Dream alone. He didn’t want to risk having the ram hybrid escape! He finally had Dream somewhere he couldn’t escape from and he wasn’t gonna risk letting him hurt others. 

“You can’t let him leave. He’d been threatening Micheal! He’ll hurt him or worse… try to turn him into some reliant puppy..” Tommy found his words hesitantly, it felt too close to home as he held back a shutter of discomfort. He still remembered being treated like some kind of pet back in exile. He refused to be the reason someone else had to feel that way. 

He looked at his big brother, knowing his blue eyes were bleeding with a silent plea. The avian could only hope the piglin would recognize how desperate he seemed. He didn’t like to talk about exile, not even bringing it up to Puffy back in his therapy sessions. He knew she’d had some idea of the things he’d experienced but he hated getting into the thick of the trauma. “I promise I'll keep an eye on him.” 

Tommy nodded at the words, knowing Techno wasn’t someone who liked to lie over something so trivial. He walked towards the stairs, heading up them without another say. He was careful, stumbling into the bathroom. He let his eyes drift down to his wrist, his bandana had slipped free at some point. He’d paniced at the lack of the deep green fabric but the sight of his bare wrist was the cause of his stomach to churn again. He gaged, throwing up this time but not of his fruition. 

He was panting as he leaned over the toilet, finally noticing how his body shook and he felt so much panic in his chest. He got to his feet, nervously as he covered his right wrist with his hand. He was quick to turn on the sink, washing out his mouth of bile before turning on the shower.

He needed a distraction.

▪────  ⚔  ────▪

Techno had noticed Tommy’s building panic the entire time they’d been talking. The truth was, he had believed the avian from the start but he knew that right now playing the role of an ignorant observer was the safest situation. He let his eyes drift from the stairs and instead focused on the small man who was sitting in the basin. He held back a growl as he reached over and picked his rival up by the scruff of his green hoodie. His eyes kept flashing back to the marks that littered Tommy’s wrist but mostly the very obvious scar that had been branded into the location of sensitive tendons. 

Tommy’s sword skills had been rougher since his exile. The man had assumed it had been due to the lack of practice in the five-year period but that made more sense. He had recognized the shapes, they were identical to the mask that was currently attached to the small man’s waist. 

“We’re gonna have a long talk.”

⊹ ˖ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊⊹₊⋆

Thank You guys for reading! @cyncerity

[solace-of-solitude]

Only just now am I realizing how different I am from a real person So what am I..?

[kararisa]

darling, starling

— 23. neon escape — ✦ (wc: 0.7k)

You first found this little spot at the end of your senior year.

The untamed greenery yields with a satisfying crunch as you dismount from Scaramouche’s motorcycle. A cool breeze brushes against your face as you eventually arrive at a clearing that overlooks the Inazuman cityscape. Towering skyscrapers command the horizon, windows reflecting the vibrant neon lights that litter the urban skyline. The air here is alive with the hum of insects, replacing the commotion of the city you’ve grown used to.

This view hasn’t changed at all, but you can’t say the same for yourself. Or for the person you’re with.

“You know,” Scaramouche starts, leaning against the railing. “You didn’t need to drag me all the way out here just to ask me how I’m doing.”

You give him an unimpressed look. “I didn’t drag you anywhere, thank you. I wanted to go here and you happily agreed.” A white lie. Both of you knew that.

Your gaze sweeps across the breathtaking view from the elevated terrace, catching the glimmer of city lights and distant stars. “Besides, I know you like this spot.”

It’s been a year since the two of you last stepped here. A year since Scaramouche returned to Inazuma.

A year since you asked him to live with you.

"I'm sorry for dragging you into this mess." The words don't feel like a sufficient apology. Even before your deal, he’s been subjected to tabloid gossip and rumors just by being your friend. Now he’s being bombarded by the press more than ever.

Scaramouche scoffs, "Don't be stupid. I was the one who proposed the deal in the first place."

“We could end it early,” you start. “I mean our projects are guaranteed to be published. The two of us could even gain a bit of clout if we time it right.”

“I get that you’re concerned about my safety, but I know how to hide.” he rebuts. To be fair, he does have a point. He and his sister did grow up in the public eye because of who their mothers are. Well-respected journalist Yae Miko and multi-award-winning actress Raiden Ei. Who doesn’t know their names in this industry?

It’s been a while since Scaramouche last spoke with them. Their relationship never really went back to normal after what happened with his aunt.

It was all over the news when it happened. Actress Raiden Makoto dies in fatal car crash — her sister, her nephew, and her niece sustain minor injuries. It made headlines for a month before the world moved on.

You know this. It’s why he hates being in cars, after all.

After a minute of silence, Scaramouche breaks the silence with a voice laced with both determination and a hint of resignation..

“Once our deal is over and everyone mourns the death of our relationship, I’ll move back to Sumeru and we can stay on friendly terms. It’s the best-case scenario for us.”

“That won’t be necessary. But you being harassed on the daily was never a part of the deal.” Liar. You knew from the beginning that this torment would be a part of his life again if he accepted. You even went as far as to warn him.

And yet he chooses to stay with you, even if it’s only because of your deal. Why?

It’s likely due to the potential backlash he’ll receive if the two of you were to break up. You’re not blind to the hate the two of you get on a daily basis. But is this really easier?

“Me going back to Sumeru after all of this is said and done is for the best, and you know it. Rumors would just stir up if the two of us still lived together after we split up.

“And I don’t care about the harassment. I knew what I was getting into when I made that deal with you. I’m not stupid,” he turns to face you, his indigo-blue eyes reflecting fragments of the night sky. “And neither are you. So stop thinking you can get rid of me that easily.”

His words are laced with a gentleness you’re unused to. Here he is, saying he’ll leave while saying he’ll stay with you. What the hell is his problem?

But whether you like it or not, he’s here with you for the time being. And damn it, you’ll cling to every last second with him if it’s the last thing you’ll do.

✧— previous — masterlist — next —✧

summary: being the world-famous singer-songwriter "zenith", the limelight has been on you ever since the start of your career. however, the media becomes relentless when leaks of music you never meant to release begin to circulate. your friend scaramouche, meanwhile, seems to have gotten stuck while writing his second book. with a deadline fast approaching, he comes to you with a deal: act as if you're dating him so he can gather reference material and, in turn, he'll help keep the press' eyes off of your leaks until you release your next album. a win-win in your book, so why not help a friend out?

author's notes:

it's been a while ^^ hope you're all doing well

will try to update more consistently but no promises

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[schwarz-san]

Art for halfa Tim as Consilior Starling!

I did say I'm going to make art for it.

[divnydoodles]

💗Revival H&H au character sketches + lore bits!

The StunStick, while essentially being an over-glorified taser strapped to a prybar, is crucial for the characters because it’s the only weapon proven to be fatal to the Security Henrys. It was assembled by a past mechanic who had left notes for future readers on how to survive the Arcadia androids. The device becomes prevalent throughout the story as it travels from hand to hand.

Any questions about the characters? Take it up with their creators! (Mari Faucher belongs to @cherrychan-0110, Frankie Keiths from @pringledraws, Viven Beaut and Foy Starrman from @cringey-tea, Devon Gould and Monty Spivak by @chrismangaming, and Tuuli Starling by moon_silkyx.x.x)

[shorukarts]

F: Not like you let Ibrahim have any, right?

✨Final! Frisk by the amazing writer and artist @the-writing-mobster ✨

P.s the line has nothing to do with the fic