#teen and up

[profoundbondfanfic]

Romantic Theory

Romantic Theory by 2street2car Rating: Teen and Up Word Count: 6.9k

Dean doesn’t just remember Hell; he remembers being raised from it, too.

Dean’s back from Hell. He’s… acting a little odd, a little “kooky,” as Bobby says. But that’s to be expected when a guy comes back from the dead and crawls his way out of his own grave, right?

Especially since the thing that saved him swallowed him whole in the process. 

This is Lazarus Rising but told a little to the left.

I was one of the lucky people who got to watch that particular episode completely blind. I remember the growing feeling of dread as Bobby, Sam, and Dean try to figure out what brought Dean back to life. This fic makes me experience that again, but multiplied by one hundred— even upon reread.

This fic is told through multiple POVs: the gas station owner as he watches video footage of Dean’s return, Ruby, Sam, and Bobby. We watch Dean’s strange behaviour through them. The use of outsider POVs is very effective as, while the events are familiar to us as they follow the plot of the episode, the new perspective allows the author to really lean into the horror of everything that happens. If this story was told through Dean’s eyes, this fic would be completely different. By the end of the fic, the reader is on the edge of their seat waiting for Cas to arrive. 

Primed and ready for the closing lines to steal their breath away.

[wadesbedtimestories]

Dangling Like a Thread by CenturyUnited (T)

6598 words, 1/1 chapter

Wade loses his voice one night during a poorly planned villain takedown. This is a story about losing a part of yourself, what it means to adapt, and how other people can help you get it back.

author's tags: getting together, angst, hurt/comfort, (momentarily) mute wade, non-graphic sex, self-harm

my tags: getting together, angst, emotional hurt/comfort, physical hurt/comfort, characterisation, happy ending

review (light spoilers):

i am going to put my head into an oven and scream so loud. the way that. the. when the. oh my god

this fic is in the style of writing that just tells it like it is, and boy is it effective. as the premise suggests, wade is silent for most of this fic but my god can you still feel everything he's feeling even though it's from logan's pov, because every line that describes him just hits you directly. and the thing about wade not speaking, obviously, is that it forces you to visualise the action a lot more and i simply loved it

it's heavy at points but also so creative and fun, and i just love when people put characters in unique situations and have them adapt and also have every aspect of them explored—wade acts like he does in the good ways (continuing to be annoying as fuck) and in the self-destructive ways (harming himself to try and get his voice to work again). it's all just done so well.

also just . the entire ending. all of it. i would quote so many parts of it because it's so good and most of my favourite lines of the fic are from there but i don't want to spoil anything so y'all will just have to read it i guess. also RUSSELL. FUCK. sorry i just love when wade's kids make an appearance

favourite lines (also light spoilers):

He wishes the staring felt more foreign, but the topography of Wade’s face has become deeply familiar.

“See? You’re fine.” // Wade’s expression never changes.

He does it afraid.

read (and comment on!) the fic

masterpost

[steddieunderdogfics]

Nightswimming by eriquin

@eriquin

Rating: Teen and Up

265,009 words, 60/60 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warning

Tags: Post-Season/Series 02, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, High School, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Minor Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Ensemble Cast, Recreational Drug Use, Dubious Police Work, Steve's Father is a Jerk, Steve's Mother is a Complicated Adult with her own Agenda, Pining, Steddie Big Bang 2023 (Stranger Things), Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Catholic Steve Harrington, Minor Robin Buckley/Chrissy Cunningham

Summary: Eddie Munson’s social circle had never intersected with Steve Harrington’s, even though they’d been in the same high school for the last four years, but you could say the same thing for everyone who gave the school freak a wide berth. He’d been tangentially aware of the rise and fall of King Steve as much as anyone else with ears, but he’d never given him much thought other than that. He’d been more focused on his own problems, like trying to figure out how to not fail his senior year a second time. All of that changes one night in February of ‘85, when a nasty encounter with the new popular kids leaves Eddie cursing his bad luck. But this one bad turn leads to a rapid expansion of his circle of friends. Nancy Wheeler has brains and a frightening level of focus, Jonathan Byers is hiding hidden depths beneath his quiet loner personality, and Steve... Steve is a literal life-saver. Eddie wants to bite him and see if there are sparks.

This is a MOD rec as a part of our Fic Fridays.

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks or the submission box!

[suitesamba]

Lost Boy Found

Lost Boy Found is a Sherlock/John return fic that was requested by thetimemoves for the Fandom Trumps Hate 2023 auction. It is a reworking of my 2013 post-season 3 Always a Neverland, retold in Sherlock's POV. The original was written after Season 2 but before Season 3, so events are canon (mostly) only through the end of Season 2.

So this one took a long time to write - mostly because of work, life and writer's block - which I pushed through with help from a friend who told me to start reading old fanfic. And that worked - I highly recommend it.

I know we're past the midpoint of 2024 and I want to thank the incredibly patient and kind thetimemoves for trusting me and giving me the time and space I needed to finish.

9470 words/teen and up

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Reading every single Sonadow Fanfic (Ao3): 299/4.786

Title: Pink Asters

Author: Jouska the Deer (AngstAndAlliums)

Website: Ao3

Published: 09.01.2019

Word Count: 5.299 words

Language: English

Suited for minors? Teen and up

Warnings: No

Smut? No

Finished? Yes

Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog

Ships: Sonic/Shadow

Author Tags: Angst, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mild Language

Author Summary: Sonic shares his passion for flowers with Shadow, bringing him everywhere and teaching him about the symbolism behind each flower they see.

My summary: Sonic teaches Shadow some things about flower meanings, and they both start telling each other their feeling through flowers. Really cute.

You can read it here

[klanceficatalogue]

Hi! Do you have any post-game show recs where the team and especially Lance deal with the fallout of GWS?

oh boyy that episode. theres definitely some of those - k

Take My Name Out Of Your Mouth (You Don't Deserve To Mourn) by negativefouriq (1/1 | 1,739 | Teen and Up)

Lance’s hands shake on Red’s controls. All of him shakes, really, trembling like the last dead leaf on a barren tree. I just don’t want to be stuck here for eternity with Lance. As if he’s miles underwater, he hears the rest of the team chatter excitedly about the games they played. The drama, the excitement. He hears them talk about the test. He hears Coran say Bob is a god. Mostly, though, he hears his blood rushing through his ears, and Keith’s words repeating over and over in his head. Again and again. I just don’t want to be stuck here for eternity with Lance. --- OR: There are consequences to the playout of Bob's gameshow.

Tick tock, the time is ticking away by Naja_is_stitch (2/2 | 7,335 | Teen and Up)

Lance doesn't give the others a chance to vote. He votes on them all, practically begging Bob to get them out so they can save the universe. – "The universe needs all four of them to be save, how could I ever choose one of them" Lance said with tears going down his cheeks. "I'm the only one the universe could live without" – Langst, klance, and the feud episode, have fun!

First Choice by CorporisAuratus (1/1 | 1,672 | Teen and Up)

The paladins have to choose who gets to leave Garfle Warfle Snick. Lance has a realization about his friends. Keith deals with his feelings.

[chrisbangsbf]

Minho/Jisung

Teen and Up | 820 words

"soft sleepy domestic tooth brushing" for ky

AO3 link

Minho is absolutely fucking exhausted. He's been staring dejectedly at his suitcase for... well, a while. He's been emotionally pent up all week, and on top of all the nonstop schedules, it's a miracle he's even made time to eat, let alone get enough sleep.

It's the kind of tiredness he can feel in his bones, deep seated and ugly and sensitive, and it really wouldn't take but a few seconds for him to doze off if he could just... lay his head onto the pillows and listen to the gentle whir of the air conditioning.

He should shower, or at the very least change his clothes, but it feels like his feet are glued to the floor, like his eyelids are weighted. He's debating skipping the shower all together and pathetically collapsing into bed in his jeans, but then there's a knock at his hotel door that shocks him upright.

"Hyung," comes a voice not even a breath later, the owner of it stepping past the threshold of his room and filling the space with his presence. It feels suffocating in a way Minho's not used to. Not with him.

Taking a deep breath, Minho straightens his spine and it cracks loudly. His fingers slip off the zipper of his toiletry bag as he wobbles, but suddenly Jisung is behind him, wrapping both arms around his waist and pressing his nose to the base of his neck. It must be sticky with sweat.

"Hyung?" Jisung repeats, after Minho doesn't say anything. His voice is softer now, chest solid against his back as he holds him; he's always been able to tell what Minho needs, oftentimes even before Minho himself does.

Minho clears his throat and blinks heavily, leaning his head back onto Jisung's shoulder. "M' sorry, just–" he sighs, lets Jisung kiss behind his ear, soft and caring, "–just so tired I can barely stand up."

Jisung hums, arms tightening around him. It's soothing, to feel his warmth and the rumble of his voice, to smell the shampoo in his damp hair, to be able to relax into him and know he would never let him fall.

"Want me to help you get ready for bed?" he offers, so sweet and lovely and perfect. Minho whines, because he really doesn't feel like doing anything, but he can feel the way Jisung smiles against his neck and... he's always been weak for him.

It's not easy to let himself be doted on, not even like this, but Minho still begrudgingly lets Jisung guide him to the bathroom and sit him on the toilet. He nearly falls asleep again as Jisung takes the time to wipe his makeup off for him, finger pads gently massaging his cheeks as he applies his skin care afterwards, because of course he knows in exactly what order Minho does it. He pouts when Jisung squeezes his jaw and stuffs a toothbrush inside his mouth, and the sound of Jisung's airy laughing makes his stomach swirl with butterflies.

"Keep your mouth open," Jisung says, squatting down next to him and laying his free hand on Minho's thigh. "I don't want you to choke."

Minho makes a disgruntled noise but obeys nonetheless, baring his teeth so Jisung can scrub them properly. He starts with his molars, drawing little circles with the bristles on each one and making sure to get every angle before moving to the other side to do the same. There's definitely a little toothpaste dripping down his chin, but he can't find it anywhere in himself to care.

Jisung brushes his front teeth with extra care, and ordinarily Minho would tease him for it, but all he can think of now is how much he loves him. How he didn't have to do any of this, but he wanted to. It feels domestic, like a little preview into what their future could hold, and before he can sniffle to prevent himself from crying– stupid, stupid, dumb, exhausted feelings– Jisung is guiding him to the sink and cupping water in the palm of his hand for Minho to rinse with.

When Minho meets Jisung's gaze in the mirror, he manages a soft smile. It's sincere, and he can tell Jisung knows everything he's trying to say with it.

Jisung even helps him change into sleep clothes; he pulls his jeans and underwear and socks off and slides a pair of comfy shorts onto his legs instead, swapping his button up with a cotton t-shirt and tucking him into bed.

Minho moans as he snuggles into the duvet, more and more tension leaving his body with each passing second. He processes the light being turned off and the sound of Jisung's footsteps as they approach him. His body slides up behind his with ease, sheets rustling as an arm naturally reaches out to pull him close.

This is exactly what he needed. A moment of peace. A second to breathe, to just exist. Jisung.

"Get some rest, hyung," Jisung whispers, curling their bodies together like pieces of a puzzle.

"Mm," he mumbles, threading their fingers and bringing them up to his lips so he can kiss the back of Jisung's hand, "always sleep better when you're around." 

[sephirthoughts]

Father: Verb

Epilogue (2 of probably 4)

Summary: 11 year-old WMD Sephiroth is assigned a new handler/bodyguard, named Vincent Valentine.

LISTEN I LIED OK. THERE ARE MORE THAN TWO PARTS TO THIS EPILOGUE I CAN'T HELP IT. a lot of people need to have their loose ends tied up and who am i to deny them? after this, there's a heavy one (mom needed her own entire chapter), and the fun one (for everyone else) will be last. i think. who knows, at this rate.

gratuitous sephiroth because he's beautiful

“You guys come from Nibelheim?” asked a shirtless, very suntanned teenaged boy, who had just carried in a crate of vegetables. “No? Oh, man, did you hear what happened over there? Earthquake opened up natural gas vents, blew Shinra Manor sky high. The Mt. Nibel reactor melted down, too. Town’s ok, but the reactor’s fucked. Lot of people out of jobs, now. They’ve been showing up here, all week.”

“Is that so?” replied the customer he was addressing; a tall, slender, extraordinarily handsome youth, with black hair and crimson eyes. “How unfortunate.”

“Know what I heard?” the first teenaged boy’s equally shirtless and suntanned brother piped up, as he carried in another vegetable crate. “I heard a bunch of those monsters they were making there broke loose, and that’s what did it. They say Shinra’s covering it all up, by claiming it was earthquakes and gas leaks and shit. But my best friend’s girlfriend is in the fourth infantry and she told him—”

“Alright you two, shut your yaps and get back to work,” a trim, middle-aged woman in an apron and sundress scolded, shooing away her gossiping sons, who rolled their eyes and stalked off, with their crates of vegetables. She beamed at the customer they’d been chatting to, as she unfolded a paper bag and filled it with the wrapped sandwiches he’d ordered. “That all for ya, honey?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the youth nodded. “Oh—and a chocolate chip cookie. Thank you, ma’am.”

The little blonde boy at his side reached for the oversized cookie, but the youth took it and put it into the bag, with the sandwiches.

“No more sweets till after lunch,” he admonished. “You can’t grow up tall and strong like me, on an all-cookie diet. Now give me your hand and don’t run off.”

The woman behind the counter smiled warmly, to see the older boy (brother she assumed, though they didn’t look much alike) taking such attentive care of the younger, and the little one minding him so well, holding his hand and doing as he was told, without fussing or making a scene.

Just then, the sound of a crash and two young, male voices arguing came from the back of the shop. She sighed, shaking her head. If only her two idiot sons were so well-behaved and thoughtful as those two. They must have a much better father.

Oblivious to the unfavorable comparison they’d created for the other two young men, the black-haired youth and the tiny blonde boy walked down the bustling street, hand-in-hand, till they reached one of the many nearly-identical stucco buildings, with terra cotta roof tiles, that were as common as sand, in this beach-resort town.

This particular one was a small house, that was rented to tourists by the week, and had the advantage of being almost directly on the beach and also close to the town center, where all the shops and dining were located.

“Ms. Strife, we’re back!” the older boy called out, as the two entered. “Take off your shoes, Cloud, we don’t want to track sand all over the place.”

“Boys, thank the goddess,” a young blonde woman said, from the kitchen table. She’d been sipping iced tea and flipping through a copy of Midgar Magazine, but as the two approached, she collapsed in her chair and flung her arm theatrically over her face, like a tragic heroine. “You’re just in time to snatch me from the jaws of starvation! Quick, quick, my roast-beef sandwich! Before I waste away to nothing but bones!”

“Mama’s being dramatic,” the little blonde boy informed the older one, pursing his lips. “Don’t give her any, till she says please and thank you. That’s the rules.”

“Ah, my cruel son,” his mother intoned, reaching over to capture him in her arms and tickle his ribs, while he giggled and kicked. “No use trying to escape, Cloudy boy! This is your punishment for betraying your poor, starving mother! Oh, thanks for picking up lunch, Seph. If you don’t mind getting your pa, I’d appreciate it. He hasn’t come out of his room, yet, and I don’t dare disturb him.”

“It’s alright. He hates the sun and he doesn’t eat, anyway,” Seph answered cheerfully, taking a seat at the table. “He’ll probably sleep till sunset.”

“Uh-huh. But he’s definitely not a vampire,” she said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously, as she set her wriggling son back on his feet.

“Vampires eat blood. People blood,” Cloud asserted, with a grimace. “Mr. Valentine can’t be a vampire.”

“Cloud is correct, my father doesn’t drink blood,” Seph confirmed, as he poured glasses of milk for himself and Cloud. “But he used to sleep in a coffin.”

“Disappointing,” Claudia lamented, through a bite of her sandwich. “I bet he doesn’t even turn into bats or explode in direct sunlight, either.”

Seph arched a black eyebrow. “Would you prefer he was a blood-drinking monster?”

“If he’d turn me into one, too. It’d be kinda cool to be a vampire.”

“Mama! Be good!” Cloud scolded, mortified by his mother’s laissez faire attitude toward joining the ranks of the undead.

“Tch, what’s the fun in that? Besides, if I was good all the time, you wouldn’t exist, my darlin’ little bossy-boots.”

Seph nearly choked on his sip of milk, and covered his mouth with a napkin, coughing and sputtering.

“What’s being good got to do with having a kid?” Cloud wanted to know.

“Nothing, baby, mama’s just being silly,” his mother replied breezily, ruffling his golden hair. “Alright, boys, I hope you dirtied up some laundry for me to wash, or I won’t have anything to do to earn my keep around here, before the boss wakes up.”

“You did laundry yesterday, Ms. Strife,” Seph pointed out. “We’re wearing the only clothes we’ve dirtied up.”

“What about your linens? Those must need a wash, right?”

Both boys shook their heads.

She slumped defeatedly. “Can’t one of you be a team player and wet the bed? Are you trying to make me obsolete?”

“My father doesn’t really expect you to be working, all the time. He mostly hired you so that I wouldn’t be lonely.”

“I know that, but…I’m just so grateful to him, for getting us outta that shithole town—”

“Mama!”

“Oops—I mean, that dirthole town. Anyway, I can’t ever repay your pa for giving us this opportunity. So I at least want to do everything I can to be useful.”

“You’re already doing more than enough, Ms. Strife,” Vincent’s deep voice said, from the archway, where he had appeared unnoticed by the group.

“Father!” Seph smiled, hopping up to throw his arms around him, as if they hadn’t seen one another in a week.

“Ah, well—ha ha. I just wish I could do more for y’all,” Claudia said awkwardly. “Seph looks after Cloudy all day, and aside from cooking dinners, I hardly have any housework to do. I feel like a regular bandit, taking what you’re paying me.”

“Don’t worry, Ms. Strife, I have more money than my father and I will ever know what to do with,” Seph assured her. “If we can use it for something that helps you and Cloud, and makes us happy at the same time, why not do it?”

Claudia raised her eyebrows. “Don’t you mean your pa has money?”

“No, it all belongs to my son,” Vincent said serenely. “Since I have been legally declared dead and have no wish to be declared living again, Seph is the sole heir and legal possessor of the family assets.”

“That’s right,” Seph put in cheerfully. “Plus, I emptied Hojo’s account before Shinra froze it, so I have all of my fake father’s money, too.”

Vincent nodded approvingly and patted Seph on the shoulder.

“I’m guessing there’s more to that than I want to know about,” Claudia remarked. “I was just wondering, why us? I mean, Cloudy ain’t even close to your age and I’m a high-school dropout who’s never been outta Nibelheim. There’s gotta be better companions for a couple rich, educated gentlemen.”

“Ms. Strife, do you believe in omens?” Seph asked. “Or portentous dreams?”

“Uh. I’m as religious as the next person, I guess. You’re not saying you had a dream about us, are you?”

“I am saying just that,” Seph nodded earnestly. “That day we first met, in the bakery, I had the strongest feeling that there was some fate between us. Then that night, I had a dream. A messenger from the goddess came to me, and showed me…a lot of confusing things, about the future. But amidst all the chaos, the thing that stood out most clearly was little Cloud, here. He is deeply important to the Planet, and it’s my goddess-given duty to act as his guardian angel. To protect him and help him, any way I can.”

This was all news to Cloud, who was staring at the older boy, with eyes as wide and round and saucers. He’d even stopped eating his chocolate chip cookie.

“It’s so strange you’d say that about a dream,” Claudia said, with a glance at her son. “Because…well, you wanna tell ‘em about it, baby?”

Cloud frowned and drew into himself, shaking his head.

“Is something the matter?” Seph asked, looking back and forth between them.

“Cloudy had a dream that night, too. He came running into my room, screaming about the town was burning down, and we had to get out of the house. Scared the tar out of me.”

As she said this, a look of pain flickered across Seph’s face, so briefly that no one observed.

“I ran to the window to look, but everything was quiet, just like normal. I told him it was just a nightmare, but he kept saying it wasn’t a dream. He insisted that the town was gonna burn and the boy with the silver hair was gonna fly down and save us from the fire, cause…uh. Cause you’re an angel. With wings and everything.”

“It wasn’t a dream,” Cloud muttered sullenly, without looking up. “I wasn’t even sleeping.”

“I thought nothing of it, but then the very next day, there was that huge explosion at the manor,” his mother went on, as if he hadn’t spoken. “Broke windows all over town and shook our whole house. Then all those helicopters started flying over and a lot of big trucks came roaring through. People running by said the manor went up like it was full of dynamite. Cloudy was trying to drag me out of the house, to go over there, but it was too dangerous, and the soldiers wouldn’t let anyone anywhere near it, anyway. It was plain eerie the way it happened right after his dream, and all. I mean, the town didn’t catch fire, but it was damn close. They say rubble got thrown all the way to the old Lawson cabin, in the outskirts.”

Seph nodded gravely. “I’m glad no one from the town was harmed. It seems the goddess truly was protecting you.”

“You and your father, as well. Unless you think it was just dumb luck that you weren’t there, when it happened.”

“I don’t believe in luck. But, in any case, that’s my reason for having you two with us. I want to protect Cloud and take care of him, no matter what it takes. If that means helping you establish yourselves in a better place, with more opportunities than Nibelheim, then that’s what I mean to do. But we can talk about all of that another day. If you don’t object, I was planning to take Cloud to look for shells and beach glass.”

“Sure,” Claudia smiled. “I mean, as long as the boss doesn’t mind.”

“Father?” Seph prompted, when it became clear Vincent wasn’t aware he was being deferred to.

Vincent looked startled. “Hm? I’m the boss? When did we decide that?”

“You’re my father and Ms. Strife works for you. You’re literally the boss, in that respect.”

“I see,” Vincent said, slumping gloomily. “Then my first act as the boss is to tell everyone to do whatever you like. But don’t keep Cloud out too late. And if you get the slightest whiff of trouble, you call me. Do not engage. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” Seph said dutifully. “Come on, Cloud. Let’s go change into our swimsuits.”

“Leave your dirty clothes on the floor, this time!” Claudia called after them. “I need something to do!”

“My son is…very spiritual, Ms. Strife,” Vincent said, once the boys had gone. “I hope his ideas don’t trouble you. If so, I’ll ask him not to say such things, in your son’s presence.”

“Oh no, I don’t mind at all. The goddess speaks to everyone in different ways,” she said, as she began to clear the few lunch things from the table. “So, when were you planning on telling me the truth, about who you two are, and why you’re on the run from Shinra?”

A little while later, Cloud and Seph were headed to the beach, hand-in-hand, with plastic buckets hung over their arms. Cloud was wearing bright blue swim trunks, with a yellow starfish pattern, and Seph was in black surf shorts and a white v-neck t-shirt.

He’d pulled his shoulder-length hair back into a low ponytail, and with his outsized height and visible muscle tone, he looked much older than fourteen. Cloud, however, was small even for a boy his age, and so they made something of an odd pair, as they strolled along at the surf line, stopping, ever so often, to pick up shells and colorful bits of sand-tumbled glass.

“Why’s your hair and your eyes different now?” Cloud asked, as they crouched to paw about in the wet sand.

Seph smiled at him. “Did you like them better, before?”

Cloud nodded.

“I’m sorry I changed them, then. But people are looking for me, and they’d recognize my silver hair and mako eyes, right away. I have to disguise myself when we’re in public, for now.”

“What’s mako eyes?”

“I have been regularly treated with mako infusions, since I was a baby.” Seph dispelled the crimson illusion on his eyes, and Cloud leaned close, to inspect them. “My eyes are naturally light blue. That green in the center is from the mako.”

“Why aren’t the black parts round, like other people’s?”

“I was just born that way,” Seph said, with a rueful smile.

He preferred not to explain to the child that, despite his purification by Chaos, the effects of Jenova’s cells on his body couldn’t be reversed. The damage had already been done, as it were, and so the related traits were permanent. Among these, were his slit pupils and silver hair.  

“Do they look scary?” he asked Cloud. “Like monster eyes?”

Cloud shook his golden head. “They look like cat eyes. Cats are nice.”

“When we settle down somewhere less temporary, would you like to get a cat?”

“Yeah! Lots of cats!” Cloud said excitedly, then his face fell. “But what if your pa won’t let us?”

“Don’t worry, I happen to know that my father likes cats. Even if he didn’t, he’d let me have as many as I wanted. He has a lot of paternal guilt, and I’m afraid it manifests in over-indulging me.”

“What’s paternal guilt?”

“It’s when a father feels bad for not being a better father, or for his child having had an unhappy life. None of what happened to us was his fault, of course, but he still blames himself.”

“Is that why he’s sad all the time?”

“Yes, partly. He has suffered a lot. But I’m doing my best to take good care of him and make him happy.”

“But you’re not supposed to take care of him. Grown-ups are supposed to take care of kids,” Cloud asserted.

“Don’t you take care of your mother, too?”

“Mm. Yeah, I guess so.”

They dug around for a while in silence, but for the roar of the ocean and the plunk of shells and glass into their buckets. When there was nothing more to be scavenged, they moved on, in search of another spot.

“What people are looking for you?” Cloud asked.

“Shinra. They are not nice people. But it’s nothing you or your mother need to worry about. There’s no one in the world who can hurt you, if you’re with me and my father.”

Cloud made a dubious face. “Not even soldiers?”

“Not even soldiers.”

“What if they have guns?”

Seph’s eyes flashed with bloodthirsty intent. “If anyone dared to use a firearm in a manner that threatened you, they wouldn’t live long enough to regret it.”

Cloud’s eyes went round and his mouth fell open. “You would kill them?”

“Yes.”

“Have you…killed anyone before?”

“Yes, I have,” Seph answered, matter-of-factly. “Does that frighten you?”

Cloud thought about this for a moment. “Well, why did you kill them? Were they bad?”

“Not all of them. I have killed and hurt people, who didn’t deserve it. I was very little, not much older than you are, now. When I couldn’t control my emotions, bad things happened, and people died. I didn’t know right from wrong, back then, because no one taught me. But I do now. Those bad things won’t happen again. Never. I’m going to protect people, not hurt them. I’m going to save everyone, this time.”

Cloud picked up a broken sand dollar and fiddled with it. “Did you didn’t save everyone before?”

There was an oddly mature pointedness to the question, that made the hairs prickle up on the back of Seph’s neck. “Cloud, do you ever…remember things that haven’t happened yet?”

The boy started to shake his head, then paused and turned it into a hesitant nod. “Mama says it’s dreams, but it’s not when I’m sleeping. And sometimes the things I remembered happen.”

“What kind of things do you remember?”

“You won’t believe me.”

“Cloud, you can tell me anything. I promise, I will always believe you.”

“W—well, ok. I dreamed about…you, before I knew you. And then we saw you at the bakery. Mama already told you about the dream where you flew down to save us from the fire. But after that, I dreamed about you again. You didn’t look like you look, but I know it was you. You were big and tall, and you had a long jacket and long hair, all the way down to your butt. And you were burning everything and standing in the fire and…and I had to kill you.” Cloud burst out sobbing and threw his little arms around Seph’s waist, burying his face in his t-shirt. “I don’t want to kill you! I won’t do it! I won’t!”

Seph picked him up and cradled him tightly in his arms, rocking and soothing him, pressing kisses to his golden head. When the boy was calm again, he set him down on his feet, and crouched to be on his eye level. “I know what you saw was terrible, but it will never happen, I promise.”

“You believe me?” Cloud sniffled, wiping his pink-rimmed eyes.

“Of course I believe you. I saw the same thing.”

Cloud’s eyes went wide yet again. “You did?”

“I did. I think what we both saw was a memory of a different future, from before I changed everything. That was the future where I didn’t save everyone.”

“But it’s not gonna happen now?”

“No. The things we saw were real. Terribly real. But they’re not, anymore. I’ve broken the shackles of fate, from all of us. Now, we’re free to make our own destiny.”

Cloud gave a bewildered frown. “You talk weird.”

“I know,” Seph smiled.

“Your pa talks weird, too. Like he’s from a book.”

“Well, he’s an old man. He can’t help it. I’m just weird. Is that alright?”

“Mmm…yeah, it’s ok,” Cloud decided. “You sound smart, like a grown-up. But you don’t act all grumpy and bossy.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. Only, don’t get into the habit of assuming all grown-ups are smart. A lot of them are extremely stupid. Especially the grumpy and bossy ones.”

Cloud laughed delightedly at this, as Seph took his hand, and the two walked on, to seek out another spot for gathering shells.

“Do you think my mama and your pa will get married?”

“To each other? I certainly hope not. Then we’d be brothers.”

“You don’t want to be brothers?”

“No.”

“Oh,” Cloud said quietly, lowering his head to look at the sand he was kicking.

Seph squeezed his hand. “Don’t be sad. It’s not because I don’t like you. I don’t want us to be brothers, because I want to marry you, one day.”

Cloud gave a start and jerked it away, his round cheeks turning bright pink. “You want to marry me??”

“Yes. Not for a long time, though. When we’re grown up.”

“B—but I’m a boy! Boys can’t marry boys!”

“I think it’s good we got you out of Nibelheim, sooner rather than later,” Seph remarked, making a distasteful face. “Those kind of backward ideas seem to be epidemic in small towns, like that.”

“What’s a backwards idea?”

“A backward idea is one that relies on ignorance, prejudice, or blind adherence to tradition, to make a moral judgement, about something with no inherent morality attached.”

“Uh…”

“For example, the idea that two men or two women can’t be married. People like to say it’s wrong, but what is actuallywrong about it? Is it bad for a woman to love another woman and want to be her wife? Is it bad for a man to want to build a life and a family with another man? If it’s not wrong for a man and woman to do those things, why is it wrong for two men or two women?”

Cloud thought for a moment, then his face lit up, like he’d had an epiphany. “It’s not! It’s the same!”

Seph gave an approving nod. “Exactly. When you hear moralizing statements like that, never just accept them. Interrogate the idea and form your own opinion.”

“What’s interrogate?”

“It means to honestly ask yourself what you really think. If you can’t decide, ask someone you trust. Seek out other perspectives and information. Never take a right or wrong statement at face value.”

“Ok. If I can’t decide, I’ll ask you.”

Seph blinked. “Wait, me? You mean…you trust me?”

“Uh-huh!” Cloud beamed. “You’re my guardian angel. Even if you don’t have wings.”

He had to swallow against the aching tightness in his throat, at the pure, guileless sweetness of this innocent child. A child he remembered as a young man, looking upon him with the bitterest animosity, as he drove a sword through his gut—after Sephiroth had done the same to him. But…that wasn’t truly them. They would never become the mortal enemies, who drew one another’s blood in madness and hatred. Destiny was defeated. Their fate was their own to write.

“Cloud, can I tell you a secret?” Sephiroth said, leaning down to speak softly in the boy’s ear. “I do have wings.”

THE AUTHOR HAS SOMETHING TO SAY we all deserved a beach episode i think

next chapter

[gallavichfanficlibrary]

Make it Alone, or Keep a Straight Face

Author: tinydancer

Rating: Teen

Status: Completed, May 2014

Words: 2,668

Summary: Mickey’s a sarcastic, cynical piece of shit and he knows it. The last thing he wants to do is go out searching for his perfect match like so many with his little unique ability end up doing. Apparently, anything red and above 85 is considered soul mate material. Mickey had laughed out loud when he read that one.

Tags: Soulmates AU

(Can you believe this fic became ten years old this May?) Imagine if you were the only person who could see how compatible you are with the person next to you, platonically or romantically. A very interesting twist on a soulmate AU trope, I don't think I ever read anything similar before or after I first encountered this story many years ago.

Give it a read and maybe say something nice to the author, because it's been ten years, oh my god :)

Read it here x

[sebinis-fic-recs]

💚 The Language of the Birds by paocai

"The Triwizard Tournament has come to Hogwarts, and against all odds, Ominis is selected as the champion. It’s hardly the first cosmic joke from the universe. He doesn't stand a chance, but Sebastian won't take no for an answer. Deep in the bowels of the castle, something is lurking."

Teen and Up

Multichapter, Completed (13/13)

20 211 words

This is a masterpiece. The text is simply amazing, the plot is full of action and emotions, and it's absolutely captivating. The author has come up with such imaginative tasks for the Triwizard Tournament that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The suspense and thrill are vivid. And let’s not forget the romance that blooms on the side. As a bonus, there’s also beautiful art and a little comic too!

[profoundbondfanfic]

Take Me Out

Take Me Out by Crematosis (@crematosis) Rating: Teen and up Word Count: 6.6k

Dean had asked Cas to take him out if he ever became a demon. This was not what he had in mind.

This one has a hilarious cracky concept. Dean asks Cas to "take him out" if he ever becomes a demon. Cas misinterprets this to mean "on a date."

The fic is funny, but it also has an underlying sweetness and the resolution at the end is very clever. Dean is petulant and a bit bratty and Cas is extremely stubborn, but they are surprisingly soft together.

It's a light read that had me grinning.

[wadesbedtimestories]

Sleepytime Tea (Wade Talks in His Sleep) by dinosaurstars (T)

3636 words, 1/1 chapter

“I–I–” For once, Wade can’t think of anything to say. Shit. Logan’s eyes are barely visible in the near darkness, but Wade can feel his gaze nonetheless. It isn’t the piercing glare he’s usually graced with. Fuck. As the moment stretches on, there’s nothing to fill the silence but Wade’s breaths, the soft pants of wounded prey staring up at its soon-to-be killer. But Logan seems perfectly content to wait, and it’s only then that Wade realizes that Logan’s holding his hand. It makes his insides feel like they’re twisting into balloon animals in a not-fun way, and Wade thinks that six adamantium claws directly to the chest would be easier to take. His lungs already feel like they’re full of blood. Strapped down. Can’t move. Can’t breathe. His skin feels like it’s turning inside out. He can see his reflection in the glass of the hyperbaric chamber, can hear himself scream while he watches himself turn into a monster. Francis. Francis. “I was a mermaid in H20: Just Add Water and the condensation from my water bottle made me transform during my class trip to the beach.” The words tumble from Wade’s mouth like a waterfall. Finally.

author's tags: nightmares, hurt/comfort, mutual pining, wade is bad at feelings, wade has ptsd, protective logan, sexual tension

my tags: emotional hurt/comfort, nightmares, wade wilson has ptsd, protective logan, happy ending

review (light spoilers):

good morninggg it's been a long time. i have a whole list of recs to get to but this is one i read last night, because i woke up this morning still thinking of a line from this fic. it wasn't even really a line related to the general premise but god it blew me away. anyway!

this is one of those fics where one of them has a nightmare and is comforted. not a new plot by any means but beautifully written and characterised nonetheless! one of my favourite things about this fic is how much character is snuck into it just through a couple of words thrown into some lines, that just tell you so much about wade and logan in a way you could very easily miss. the author is also great at writing logan's instinctive (protective, animalistic) thoughts and wade's stream of consciousness dialogue. it just makes for such a good balance between angsty and entertaining

this isn't even an established relationship or getting together but that isn't always necessary for their dynamic to shine through, and this fic proves it. it's so tender and they find such comfort and relatability in each other that you are basically implicitly handed the certainty that it will all be ok.

favourite lines (also light spoilers):

He opens his mouth to do just that, but a trembling overtakes his body and shakes the words from him.

He casts his eyes to the heavens, expecting the dull ache when it makes him think of Kurt. (!!!!!!!!!! this fucking line oh my god)

read (and comment on!) the fic

masterpost

[steddieunderdogfics]

Hey, I don't know if I'm doing this right, but I'd like to submit Ready to Grow Young Again by BonitaBreezy. It's got a very interesting concept (Eddie as Steve's childhood doll/imaginary friend) and only has a few 1000 hits. I feel like that probably counts as underappreciated, right? Anyway, thanks for running this blog. :)

Ready to Grow Young Again by BonitaBreezy

Rating: Teen and Up

35,168 words, 3/3 chapters

Archive Warning: No Warnings

Tags: Steddie Big Bang 2023 (Stranger Things), Imaginary Friends, haunted dolls but in a non threatening way, Childhood Friends, Dream Sharing, Protective Eddie Munson, negligent parents, use of period-typical offensive language, Gay Steve Harrington, imaginary friend Eddie, Pre-Canon, canon adjacent, Friends to Lovers, Semi-Season 4 compliant, Steve gets Vecna’d

Summary:

As a baby, Steve Harrington is gifted a ragdoll. Were he to ask, no one would remember who exactly gifted it, but Steve doesn't ask. Eddie is his best friend, his partner in crime. Eddie is always there for him. As Steve grows older, Eddie becomes more than just a doll to him. He's a personality, a force of nature. He lets Steve cry on his shoulder and protects him from nightmares. No one else seems to notice that Eddie can speak and move and grow larger in a way a doll shouldn't. But why would that matter? Everyone has an imaginary friend.

Thanks for the rec!

Know a fic that deserves extra love? Submit through our asks!

[xruzzakix]

Link posted on my blog! Pinned post.

This is just a silly discord server my boyfriend and I made! It's a 14+ (ages 15-20s is recommended, but it's not necessarily restricted to those ages) mass rp server using Tupperbox bot. We've set it up so that you can recommend any fandom and characters for any kind of roleplay(except nsfw) with any amount of people, or if you prefer, just to meet new people and talk. We're very accepting and welcoming, and although it's nothing much, we'd like it if some people joined :)

Some of the fandoms we already have listed are: Star Trek, X-men, Gravity Falls, Hannibal, Good omens, Sherlock, Batman, Supernatural, Rick and Morty, Spiderman, The Owl House, Baldur's Gate 3, Saw, Ghostbusters, Longlegs

For now, the only active roleplay is a multiversal group chat with all the characters on the server, but once we get going, we plan to make many, many more! This post is just to see who, if anyone, is interested :)

[dailysonadowfanfics]

Reading every single Sonadow Fanfic (Ao3): 311/4.790

Title: World Grand Prix

Author: sonicbros

Website: Ao3

Published: 26.08.2019

Word Count: 1.941 words

Language: English

Suited for minors? Teen and up

Warnings: No

Smut? Yes

Finished? Yes

Characters: Sonic the Hedgehog, Shadow the Hedgehog, Rouge the Bat, Miles "Tails" Prower, Knuckles the Echidna, Dr. Eggman, Amy Rose, Vector the Crocodile, Jet the Hawk, Wave the Swallow, Storm the Albatross, Cream the Rabbit, E-10000, Metal Sonic, Omochao (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Ships: Sonic/Shadow

Author Tags: First Kiss, Romantic Confusion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Sexual Tension, Public Display of Affection, Bad Ending

Author Summary: Eggman reveals he's gathered racing data on all four teams and then challenges them to a final race. Shadow wins, and Sonic gives him a prize he was not expecting.

My summary: Shadow wins the extreme gear grand prix, and Sonic surprises him with a kiss as a prize.

You can read it here

[klanceficatalogue]

Do you have any more secret relationship fics? I'm a sucker for those :D <3

indeed <3 - k

Ain't No River Wide Enough (To Keep Me From Getting To You, Babe) by negativefouriq (2/2 | 4,032 | Mature)

Lance finishes rubbing the lotion into his legs and sets it back on the bedside table, leaning over the laptop screen to grab his hairbrush. He mutters a near-silent “Shit, sorry,” as he accidentally bumps the screen with his chest, catching the edge of his robe on the corner of the screen and loosening it. He adjusts the screen again, carefully grabbing his brush and moving back away so as not to hit it again. When he settles back onto the bed, he catches Keith’s eyes looking hastily back to his face, again. He shakes his head fondly as he untwists his towel from his hair and starts to brush through the damp curls. Poor Keith. Must be hard for him to do anything…fun, ahem, in shared barracks. Rip to him, honestly, because Lance does not have that problem. Say what you will about the castle, but at least he has his own room and a lock on his door. “You’re distracted today,” Lance comments, smirking slightly. He lets his robe slip down his shoulder, watching Keith’s eyes follow the movement. “Am not,” Keith protests. --- OR: Keith and Lance video chat. They both drive each other a little batty.

White light in your arms tonight by mustardlord (1/1 | 4,056 | Teen and Up)

Lance had been in the pod for one movement, and if the team noticed Keith spent his days next to Lance, they didn't mention it. He would stay on his side, often skipping meals and forgetting to take care of himself. He sometimes went to the training grounds when it was all too much. Keith set the training bots to a high difficulty and got his ass handed to him, but at least he didn't worry about anything other than fighting. or After a month secretly together, Lance suffers an accident and Keith doesn't know what to do with himself.

//violence //temporary character death

you're a dream to me by icedpink (1/1 | 6,107 | Teen and Up)

"Did you know you snore?" Keith asks, still laughing. The team finds out about Keith and Lance's relationship due to snoring, of all things.