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slightlystupidhun · 2 years ago

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Only A Badge

Part 1, Part 2

WARNING: ANGST, MENTIONS OF VIOLENCE, MENTIONS OF DEATH

Summary: Sweetheart gets sent out on a mission, however it’s been several days and they still haven’t returned…

“How do we help him?” Asher spoke up first, rubbing the back of his neck. Everyone in the room had yet to move except Marie, who had been trying to coax Milo out of his room.

By now all of the mates had arrived to the house… we’ll all except one… two. The sun was still setting so Sam wasn’t able to come yet. The pack hugged each other, everyone grieving in their own way. The large, new house, a sign of Milo and Stealths new life together felt so void and depressing now.

“I’m not sure. All we can do is be here to support Milo and give him the comfort he will need.” David spoke up, the leadership he practiced coming through his tone. Everyone silently nodded and went back to their tasks until they heard tank mutter something under their breath.

“….. badge. But,” was all that they could make out of these ramblings.

“What is it Tank?” David looked over the small crowd of people to the scarred shifter standing in the doorway.

“Have we looked for them?” They spoke up, David could practically see the cogs turning in their head.

“No. The department asked us not to. They didn’t want us to interfere with their investigation. Besides, they already declared them..”

��I understand that. But they only found their badge. They could still be alive.” Tank said firmly, now fully revealing what they planned.

“No. We aren’t going. It’s too dangerous to go there blind. We have no idea what would be there waiting for us.” David paused to catch his breath and think. By the time he opened his mouth to speak again tank had slid their leather jacket on and headed for the door. “Tank. Do not go. It’s too dangerous.”

“I’ll get in trouble for it later.” Tank said closing and jamming the door in their wake. Asher ran over and tried to open it but by the time he got it open both them and their bike was gone.

“Damn it.” David growled. He slid on his jacket and began to head out the door. “Hold down the fort til I get back, Ash.” Asher offered him a nod as he hopped into his truck.

~~~~~~~

Tank had snagged one of the stealths coats it smelled like violet, cardamom, a little musk, and some other things they couldn’t make out. They really didn’t want to drag anyone else from the pack into this, in case it really was that dangerous. This is why they ditched their bike somewhere down the road and on the opposite side of the street.

They grabbed out the sweater from under their seat and put it in a small leather bag they had. Milo had told investigators that stealth had planned on closing up some lose ends, and

Tank remembered stealth telling them that they had to look into something just past the beginning of the wooded area. They had mentioned that something didn’t add up from a recently closed case and they wanted to check in on it. The only reason Tank knew of this is because they needed Tanks… experience, on this subject.

They took a second and shifted into their wolf form, taking a large sniff of the sweater before heading off into the woods.

~~~~~~

Asher wasn’t able to get any news from David, no reply from Tank, and Milo was still hold up in his room.

He paced back and forth through the house as many of the pack members looked at him for what to do.

“What’s going on?” A tired somber voice called from down the hall. It belonged to Milo who was now heading down the hall.

“Milo… I…” Asher said his voice filling with sadness. “Is there anything I can get you?”

“Where are Tank and David?” Milo asked suspicion filling his voice. Asher didn’t want to worry the man more, or give him false hope.

“They got a little heated with each other.. they’re taking a breather.” Asher said quietly trying not to give too much away. Milo nodded and rubbed at his face roughly.

“Thank you all for comin… it means a lot to me but you don’t have to stay here….” Milo waved them off and began giving out hugs as people filed out of his house. The only people that stayed were his mom, Angel, babe, and Asher. Milo was about to return to his room when there was another knock on the door. This time Asher went to open it.

“Ah Sam … Hello.” He said suddenly feeling nervous.

“Are they here?” Sam questioned peaking around Asher. “I didn’t see their bike.”

“Uhm Sam.” Asher said suddenly stepping forward and closing the door behind him. “They had a small disagreement with David on wether or not WE should look for Sneaks…”

“Uhuh.” Sam said raising his eye brow waiting for ash to finish.

“They decided to go look for sneaks on their own and David left to try to follow them.” Ash said nervously as he tried to read his expression.

Sam sighed and ran his fingers through his hair and pivoted on his heel.

“Sam where are you going?” Asher said a bit panicked.

“To find my stubborn ass wolf.” He said climbing into his truck.

~~~~~~

They had been walking for about an hour, searching for any kind of scent. They just needed something…. Then… they got it. The scent was faint but they latched onto it and began to chase it.

They arrived at a run down shack. It was made of rotting wood and covered in vines. The windows were boarded up, however, the stone chimney seemed to have some form of smoke coming through it. This is where the scent led Tank. This is where sneaks was.

Tank carefully prodded up to the house and peaked through a crack in the wall. They saw four figures, one, the smallest, let fire dance around their fingers, one seemed to be a shifter of some sort, vines wrapped around one’s fingers, and the last was a new- wait where did they go.

A whip of wind came from behind Tank and they were just able to dodge it. Standing in front of them was a recently turned vamp. It seemed like he just got out of the blood lust phase. He offered them a small smirk, his silver flecked eyes glinting in the moonlight.

“Aw did the stealth send for their puppy to come save them?” The vamp teased earning a growl from Tank.

They decided to keep back and not go in for the attack. After all there were still three of them in the house waiting for a signal. The vamp rushed forward and caught Tank around the neck, however they pushed away and snapped at his shoulder.

The vamp let out a loud his and ripped the wolf off of his shoulder. It seemed as though he was still getting used to his abilities. Shifting back to human they wrapped their hand around his neck and pulled him face first to the floor, knocking a fang out of his mouth, and effectively knocking him out.

The only issue now was that the three who were previously inside, were now outside and preparing to fight Tank. The fire elemental stood their hands covered in fire as they shot forward toward Tank who shifted to avoid the first hit.

That was when the ground beneath them shook and a rock rose up from the ground. It flung them in the air and the bear shifter jumped at them. She clawed at tank who was only able to retaliate by biting her neck until they both crashed to the ground.

They rolled apart from each other and before Tank could orient themselves the fire elemental shot a burst of fire at them. The burst of heat knocked them off of their feet as they now spotted new burns and shifted back to human.

“Three against one is hardly fair.” They said as they rose back up to their feet. The earth beneath them crackling. They shifted and leapt forward towards the earth elemental. They knocked her off of her feet and landed a few punches to her face before having to dive away to avoid the bear shifter.

“Good thing we don’t play fair.” The fire elemental shouted as he wound up for another attack. He shot forward at Tank who leap up above him managing to bound off of his back, effectively pushing him face first to the ground.

When they landed they looked at the shifter and the fire elemental who were now stumbling over each other. They were so distracted that they hadn’t noticed the vine coming from behind them. That snagged around their waist and pulled them into a rock formation that began to wrap around them.

“Too bad you came alone puppy.” The shifter said shifting back to her human form. Her and the group marveled at their new hostage.

“I wouldn’t say that.” Tank said as the vine wrapped around their throat.

Suddenly, the earth elemental was thrown through the rotting wooden wall of the house. The fire elemental and shifter turned around as something moved past them so fast they couldn’t see.

Out of nowhere, a large wolf was on top of the fire elemental, growling and biting. The bear shifter backed off towards the woods but was stopped in her tracks as a figure came into view. A pale man in a red flannel and a pissed look in his eyes. The last thing she would remember would be the intimidating figure standing over her.

The fire elemental was worse off as the large wolf tore into him. Incapacitating him in mere minutes.

Sam rushed over to Tank and tore them out of the new rock formation, freeing them from its grasp. “Hey Darlin.” He said kissing their head. Tank hadn’t realized the numerous scratches and bruises they got until they felt blood rush down their head. “Let me heal that for you Darlin?” Sam reached his hand forward but Tanks bleeding one cut him off.

“No Sammy, Save it for stealth.” They nodded their head over to the shack.

“Tank. You have to put this to rest.” David said shifting back to human, and stepping toward them.

“David I caught their scent in the house. The group mentioned sneaks. They are in there.” Tank said backing away into the house. They stepped over the now broken wood looking for a sign of the stealth. “I swear I smelled AAHH!” Tank was cut off by falling through the floor boards into the basement.

“Darlin!!” Sam yelled jumping down and helping them up.

“Yeah yeah… I’m okay.” They said dusting themself off.

“You two good down there?” David called from above.

“Yeah stay there and make sure those three don’t get away.” Tank said moving forward. They stepped on another broken piece of wood. “Shit where is that stupid investigator?”

“Never… never thought I’d be happier… to hear your… dumbass.” A tired weak voice spoke. If Sam or Tank were talking they would have missed it. They both rushed over to the stealth to see them tied up and bleeding.

“Shit Sneaks. Sam can you…” Tank said frantically untying them.

“Already on it Darlin.” Sam replied. “Sneaks may I?” He made a healing gesture with his hands.

“Please.” They spoke through gritted teeth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Papi, you need to eat something.” Marie chided as she rubbed her sons back.

“I can’t ma, I can’t even think about eating.” Milo wrapped his arms around his stomach.

Just then the door swung open, Sam and David carrying a figure into the living room. They were followed by a bloody Tank with a smile of gold.

“Off the couch now!” They called out and everyone cleared the couch.

“Holy shit!” Ash said getting a look at who they carried in.

“Sw…Sweetheart?” Milo said eyes wide and hands shaking. “Oh Fuck!” He said collapsing on them and tears rushing from his eyes.

“Hey Hun.” Sweetheart coughed out, wincing as Milo touched a sore area.

“I healed em as much as I could but, Marie you may wanna step in a bit.” Sam spoke up rubbing his face as he was hit with another headache. “You want me to call Vincent Darlin?”

“Nah, I’m good. Glad they’re home.” Tank said smiling. By the time Marie had finished Asher was already rushing people out of the room.

“Sweetheart how ya feelin? You hurtin anywhere?” Milo asked cradling their face in his large hands.

“I’m okay Hun. Missed you like hell but… I’m glad I’m home.” They leaned up and kissed him as more tears fell from his face.

“I love you Sweetheart. So much.” Milo cried out loud.

#redacted asmr #redacted audios #redacted darlin #redacted david #milo redacted #redacted sam #redacted asmr asher #sam x darlin #redacted shaw pack #redacted asher #redacted marie #redacted milo greer #redacted sweetheart #redacted dump #redacted milo #milo x sweetheart #redacted david shaw #redacted fanfic

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qhoaaaa · 1 year ago

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Milo with piercings and other features I imagine he has (and some hcs with Sweetheart hebehebeeheb)

Piercings!!/jewelry

He has them Dahlia piercings (lol) look them up they’re so cool

Has piercings on his ears, a few studs as well as a nose ring

Definitely buys different kinds of earrings and stuff to decorate his ears depending on the event

Brow piercing, especially on the right brow UGHH

They’re all gold colored, he also has some regular silver and black, has a few green colored studs as well

He’s gotta own a few gold chains (as a gold chain haver myself lmao), he keeps them in good condition

Sweetheart got him one as a gift and he teared up, kept asking them how much it was and they only said for him to not worry about it(it was expensive) - he wears it everyday and night and even in the shower

His neck sometimes gets nipped by the metal and when Sweetheart sees him bring a hand to rub at it, they ask, "Why don't you take it off?" And he says, "Eh, I don't wanna... it's from you, sure as hell I'm not gonna take it off."

Features:

Symmetrical beauty marks under his eyes (Sweetheart absolutely LOVESSS them, kisses his eyes a lot because of them), and on his cheeks too (genetics are INSANEEE)

Sharp canines,,, yesssss

Few patterned beauty marks on his shoulders

Most of his skin is just bare and smooth but Sweetheart loves when they see his beauty marks on his shoulders or his face when he’s taking a shirt off or resting

His back has a few long scars from sparring with the other wolves when he was younger, he didn’t want them healed fully, let them scar as a learning experience, Milo lets Sweetheart massage them or put a balm on them so the tissue doesn’t get weird, he feels all mushy (in a good way) when Sweetheart unexpectedly kisses down his scars (he makes sure to tell him it feels good too AWGWGW)

Really REALLY soft hands

Light chest hair (HSBSHS WORK WITH ME OKAY LET ME COOK)

Chest tattoo, it’s a singular design he made up himself (drew it and everything), it’s probably a symbol that’s important to him/his mother and his way to honor her, he has accompanying designs on his fingers

Tattoo of Sweetheart’s name on his nape (tell me that this wouldn’t look nice,, I’ll wait)

(Off topic but I saw a post where Marie and Colm have tattoos of Milo’s first paw prints of when he shifted for the first time and he would def do the same if he and Sweetheart have kids)

He and Sweetheart get ring tattoos on their ring fingers when discussing getting rings (I love that audio), they wear the actual rings on their thumbs

My personal opinion but he would not have grills ❌❌ (never liked those but to each their own !)

He has golden eyes (all wolves do and it’s just a variety of shades but his are golden golden and they’re so pretty, he wears brown contacts/Unempowereds see brown to cover the color)

Sweetheart has smile lines, they popped up after meeting and getting with Milo, Milo ADORES them

They used to hide their smile before meeting Milo, needless to say, they smile widely now, teeth and all and its the cutest to him, seeing that smile is how Milo knows that they're comfortable and relaxed and having fun

Theyre at least 6'3 , buff and curves THEY GOT IT ALL

Sweetheart works out at the gym semi regularly and Milo practically drools when he sees them and their muscles , they have long legs(LEG MUSCLES TOO) and he's all over them

Sweetheart loves his arms, no reason, they just do

They like to feel up and down his upper arms and his shoulders, he likes the touch

He has super curly black hair, got it from his mom (we love you Mama Greer) while most of his sisters have straight/wavy hair like their dad, no facial hair

He’s just reaaaaaalllllyyyty hot in general ouughhhhh 🫣🫣🫣

#redacted audio #redacted asmr #redactedverse #redacted milo #redacted sweetheart #redacted wolf boys #qhoa has words #OUGAHHAHH #he is def afrolatino #Mexican and Kenyan argrhfhf #and multilingual

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girllbossmalewifeduos · 4 months ago

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PROPAGANDA

Kida/Milo

Milo/Kida isn't my OTP for this fandom, and there's not much to go on anyway (what little we see of them as an official couple is in the "sequel" and they're both so OOC (especially Milo) in that, so I don't count it) But what we do see of them in the original, Kida kicks ASS. She singlehandedly takes out three big dudes with guns using only her hands and feet, and even nails one in the groin. Milo....isn't much in the fight we see, but he's also up against a guy four times his size with years of combat training and experience. But Milo's not really the brawling type anyway. He's adorable and sweet and doesn't want to hurt anyone. He'd rather read a book or infodump about whatever dead language or ancient culture he's currently into. (By @systemadministratorclu )

Cleo & Etho:

"Canonical relationship" is a little complicated because they became ex-spouses in Limited Life without ever having been spouses. They had a messy divorce (they were never married) and Cleo kept the kids. HOWEVER in Secret Life they became allies again and were ride-or-die up until Etho was killed by their son Scar. At which point Cleo turned to their other ally Grian and just went "okay, so theyve chosen death." Everyone on the server is scared of Cleo, she loves fire and has a sharp tongue and takes no shit. Etho, by contrast, is an easygoing wet cat of a man who spends the last half of Limited Life moping about how he's washed up. (they are BOTH murderers, but everybody on the server is a murderer.) in Secret Life he spent most of the time that he wasn't working on his secret tasks working on their base, while Cleo's spare time was spent preparing for the inevitable bloodbath and surviving a zombie apocalypse (which Etho did Not survive.)

#girlboss malewife duos #round 3 #atlantis the lost empire #limited life #limited life smp #kida atlantis #milo thatch #zombiecleo #ethoslab

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a-wildkinventure · 8 months ago

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Hey there!!

@a-wildkinventure here! you can call me Venture!

[I know this post is long, but please read till the end!]

I use he/they pronouns.

In addition, I also use it/its [I use neos but don't list here]

I am part sys, in addition to being polykin and therian so... chaos will ensue.

Although this blog is dedicated specifically to kin chaos.

[in specific I am a c-linker/c-kin in addition to non-linking kin with fictionflicker and exotrauma experiences as well as having a very strong connection to kinmems]

please try to understand that this is my only safe place to talk about kin stuff... so I really, REALLY just want to exist... and even here I'm not sure how 'safe' I feel...

What I'm cool with doing:

[On a scale from 1 to 10]

Chatting with other fictionkin [or kin in general, other, fiction, etc.] - 10/10, definitely! talk with me peeps!

[especially if you are from my sources!!! Fallout 4, Kong Skull Island or Kaiju in general, Murder Drones, Sally Face, Metal Family, Coraline, Chikn Nuggit, Tangled the Series, Carrion, UTMV, Dumbo, etc!!!]

[Trying] to make moodboards - 7/10, I am kind of shit at these but will still try!

[Trying] to make stimboards - 9/10, I LOVE making these.

Talking with doubles - ???/10, might weird me out a bit at first, but hell yeah, dude! [Depends on kintype/fictive double]

Offering kin help - 5/10, I can try! I'm actually pretty new to understanding that I am kin, so I might not be good.

Anything NSFW in asks - 2/10, depends on context... I'm usually VERY sex and sexual/sexuality repulsed, but within REASON I can handle NSFW stuff. Just don't go out of your way to be a horny freak ig? [Not meant to be negative, but I've dealt with too much sexual shit in my life...]

All The Kin-formation!

High Kin(s):

The Observer / Kevin Haas

Milo Asher / Mr. Scars

HABIT

Evan Myers

Alex Kralie (Canon Compliant)

Alex Kralie (Vampire AU)

Alex Kralie (different AU, unsure as to which)

The Operator

Josh

Tim Wright

Hansel

Medium Kin(s):

Carrion

Slenderman

Lordy / Lordi

Sal Fisher

Bezel

Jack Nyras

Harold Biddle

Low Kin(s):

Heavy

Hvitur

BEN DROWNED

Alice Liddel

Chesnok

Brainbot

Catnap & Catfeine

Swampy

Jane Doe

Dormant Kin(s):

[Label used for kintypes that I have not had shifts for in a long time, to the point where I am unsure what happened to them. Something I attribute to fictionflickering]

Template

Toby Rogers

Casey Junior

Wyborne Lovat

Varian

Zombie Drone

Disassembly Drone

Skullcrawler

Glowing Deathclaw

Gustav Shvagenbagen

My Kintypes [all]:

Glowing Deathclaw, Skullcrawler, Zombie Drone, Disassembly Drone, Sal Fisher, Chesnok, Lordy / Lordi, Wyborne Lovat, Bezel, Carrion, Varian, Template, Casey Junior, Heavy Shvagenbagen, Catnap & Catfeine, Gustav Shvagenbagen, Tobias "Ticci Toby" Rogers, Jack "Eyeless Jack" Nyras, BEN DROWNED, Hansel, Alice Liddel, Slenderman, Tim Wright, Hvitur, Harold Biddle, Jane Doe, Josh, Swampy, HABIT, Evan Myers, Alex Kralie (Vamp AU), Alex Kralie (Canon Compliant), Alex Kralie (some other AU), Indigo Chinese Pangolin, The Observer, Kevin Haas, Brainbot, The Operator, Milo Asher / Mr. Scars, Siren (Starfield), Terrormorph (Starfield), Guardian (Destiny), Thrall (Destiny), Red Mile Mauler (Starfield)

(Copingkin types: Heavy Shvagenbagen, HABIT/Evan)

(Copinglink types: BEN DROWNED)

Kinsidering Kintypes:

Lif (Metal Family)

Arthur (Possibly in Michigan)

You can see me on the fictionkinfessions blog, I use 2 emoji combos for my confession signings. Here are some of them!

(aka ones I've used for submissions)

🎀💔 (Lordy confessions), 🍻🌟 (now for Chesnok confessions), 📼🎸(Sal Fisher confessions), 🐈‍⬛🌫 (Wybie confessions), ⏱️🌌 (Bezel confessions), 🥩🪱 (Carrion confessions), 🧪⚡️(Varian confessions), ✒️🔄 (Template confessions), 🚂🎪 (Casey Junior confessions), 🐾🗺 (Pokémon??? confessions), 🤘🐱 (Heavy confessions), 📏🎼 (Gustav confessions), ☀️🌘 (Catnap/Catfeine confessions), 🩹🌲(Toby Rogers confessions), 👁🔪 (Jack Nyras confessions), 💾🎮 (BEN DROWNED confessions), 👗🎠 (Alice confessions), 🍜🤳 (Ennui confessions), ⚫️🫀 (Venom confessions), 🌲👔 (Slenderman confessions), 🚬🍂 (Masky / Tim Wright confessions), ❄️💎 (Hvitur confessions), 🚺🎢(Jane Doe confessions), 📹🛤 (Josh confessions), 🐊🛀 (Swampy confessions)🐇👾 (HABIT confessions), 👽🗡 (Evan confessions), 🩸👓 - (Alex Kralie Vampire AU confessions), 👓📼 (Alex Kralie no AU confessions), 👓🎧 (Alex Kralie *unknown AU* confessions), 🎀🦔 (Indigo Chinese Pangolin Google Doodles, Pangolin Love confessions), 👓👁 (The Observer confessions), 🔮👾 (Brainbot confessions), 📼🌲 (Operator confessions), 📓💊 (Milo Asher / Mr. Scars confessions)

more ps. My pfp and header do NOT belong to me.

#blog intro #fictionkin blog #murder drones kin #kaiju kin #fallout kin #sally face kin #metal family kin #creepypasta kin #dumbo kin #poppy playtime kin #alice madness returns kin #inside out 2 kin #venom kin #marble hornets kin #carrion kin #wings of fire kin

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mickimagnum · 1 year ago

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Devin's Dude Ranch: Episode Six

*the episode opens with a shot of Echo Valley Ranch at night. Crickets can be heard singing and there's an owl hooting off in the distance somewhere.*

*the contestants are sitting around the living room, engaged in various activities, oblivious to what's about to happen*

*suddenly, the door to Devin's room swings open and she exits. she makes her way to the living room.*

*she stops in front of the fire place. confused, everyone stops what they're doing and turn their attention to her. she can tell they're nervous, so she smiles at them reassuringly*

Devin: "Good evening, fellas. I have an announcement to make. Earlier I received a note instructing me to pick two of you for a date. Tonight."

*the guys shift in their seats and lean closer*

Devin (continues): "And I've decided to pick two people I haven't gotten to spend a lot of time with. So, with that being said. If you would be so kind, I would like for...

Devin (continues): "Stan and..."

*Stan smiles up at Devin and nods*

Devin (continues): "Milo to join me tonight."

*Milo beams at her from across the room, barely able to contain his excitement*

Devin: "Alright, you two. Go put on something warm and meet me outside in the back pasture in twenty minutes."

*after a time lapse, the next scene shows a sped-up shot of Stan and Milo approaching Devin outside. She's standing in front of a makeshift movie screen*

Devin (cheerfully): "Hi guys! I thought we'd watch a movie tonight. Have some popcorn, chat. That kind of thing. What do you think?"

*Milo steps forward and nearly trips over his feet*

Milo: "That sounds amazing!"

Devin: "Easy there, cowboy."

*Stan smiles apologetically at Devin, unassumingly on Milo's behalf before speaking up:*

Stan: "Count me in."

*the three take their seats on the crates opposite the screen*

Stan: "Thanks so much for picking us to come out with you tonight. I'm just happy to get more time with you, and the fewer guys that are around the better."

*Devin chuckles*

Devin: "I can image. I'm sure this is hard for you all. Especially as things progress."

Stan: "It hasn't gotten any easier. But, you're worth puttin' up with all the others for, Devin. 'Least till I run 'em off."

*Milo scoffs*

Devin: "That's very sweet of you to say, Stan. Unless you're Milo..."

*Milo grunts in agreement but doesn't interrupt*

Devin (continues): "So, tell me. What are you looking for in your next relationship?"

Stan: "We're just divin' right in?"

*Devin smiles*

Devin: "That's what the show's about, they tell me."

*Stan shrugs*

Stan: "Fair enough. I want an equal partner. Someone I can rely on when the chips are down just as much as she can rely on me. A lover. A friend. Someone to raise a family with. And grow old with. That unconditional love type of bond that will survive a hundred lifetimes and countless battle scars. You know, I've been married twice now. Lost my first wife to leukemia. And my second one, well, turns out she didn't care for me much. So, I'm hoping what they say is true; 'third time's a charm.' and all."

*Devin sits back, visibly moved by his answer*

Devin: "Thank you for being so genuine, Stan. That means a lot. I'm sorry to hear about your first wife. And, well, all of it. You deserve better than that and I hope you find what you're looking for."

*Stan smiles at her*

Stan: "Thank you, Devin. I appreciate it."

*Devin then turns to Milo*

Devin: "What about you, Milo? What are you looking for in your next relationship?"

Milo: "Well, full disclosure, I haven't been in a 'relationship' since high school. And she shattered my heart into a million pieces, so it didn't end well. But, what I learned from that experience is that I want to be with someone who wants the same things out of life. If they're not going to support my dreams it's not going to work and vice versa, you know? And everything else Stan said sounds about right too."

Devin: "Okay. Thank you for sharing. I appreciate your candidness."

*Milo grins at Devin*

Milo: "You're most welcome."

*Stan can be heard grumbling under his breath just off camera. something about "stealing his answer."*

*Devin returns her attention back to Stan*

Devin: "Okay, here's a fun question. Since we're getting ready to watch a movie, what's your favorite genre?"

Stan: "Easy. Western. But especially westerns mixed with sci-fi. I love both, honestly."

Devin: "That is the most you answer I've ever heard."

*Stan chuckles*

Stan: "What about you, missy?"

Devin: "Oh, I'm a horror fan. 100%"

Stan: "What, you like all the blood, guts, and stuff?"

Devin: "No. I'm more into the creepy, supernatural stuff. The kind that makes you question whether or not it's really happening."

Stan: "Oh, yeah. I like those. I can't stand the gore-fests, though."

Devin: "I'm not a big fan of them either. It feels cheap."

*Devin turns to Milo again*

Devin: "What about you?"

Milo: "You're going to laugh."

*Devin and Stan speak up at the same time:*

Stan: "Probably."

Devin: "We won't."

*Milo sighs and stares at the ground before muttering:*

Milo: "Musicals."

Stan: "Did the boy just say musicals?"

Devin: "He did."

Milo: "Look, I'm a musician okay? I enjoy the music. The singing. The dancing. They almost always have a happy ending. What's not to love?"

Stan: "The fact that they're terrible."

*Devin pinches her nose to try to stop the snort laugh that escapes anyway*

*after choking it back she says:*

Devin: "There's nothing wrong with that, Milo. Let's, uh, watch our movie."

*the film begins to roll*

Stan: "What movie is it?"

Devin: "Hamilton."

*Stan lets out a whimper and Milo gasps in excitement*

*Devin giggles*

Devin: "I'm totally messing with you, dude."

*Stan sighs with relief and Milo looks deflated*

Devin: "It's Saw X."

*They both look at her in horror*

*She cackles this time*

Devin: "Calm down. It's College Cram."

*the group enjoy cheddar popcorn as they watch the movie*

*when the movie is over, Devin turns to Milo*

Devin: "Milo, I had fun with you tonight. Thanks for hanging out with me."

Milo: "Anytime. And I mean that."

*Devin then turns to Stan*

Devin: "Stan, you are always entertaining to be around, but I really appreciate you opening up to me tonight."

*Stan looks both surprised and pleased*

Stan: "It was my pleasure. I look forward to our next time together."

Devin: "Alright, fellas. It's time to head back in. I'm cold and I don't know about you, but my bed is calling my name."

*at that, the three get to their feet and prepare to say their good nights*

*Stan pulls Devin into a hug and after a few beats they separate and he heads back toward the house*

Stan, in diary room: "Tonight felt good. It felt good to get more time with Devin, especially with less competition around. And it felt good to get my history off my chest. She's a good gal. Women like her are rare. I knew already liked her, but tonight makes me want to fight for her even harder now."

*Milo hugs Devin, but as she pulls away, he reaches up, cradles her face, and plants a kiss on her mouth. she is clearly caught by surprise and doesn't really move to kiss him back. after a moment he pulls away, smiles down at her and then turns and walks back toward the house. she's left standing there, confused.*

Milo, in diary room: "Yeah, tonight was awesome. I knew I had to get out of my head and be bold if I was going to make an impression on Devin. So, I kissed her," *laughs nervously in recollection* "I've never done anything like that," *stands there a moment, thinking back and then his face falls* "Oh, Watcher. What have I done?"

Devin, in diary room: "Tonight was...interesting. I mean, I really enjoyed hanging out with Stan and Milo. And I felt Stan opening up to me, but I'm still don't really feel a romantic connection. There hasn't been that jolt like I've felt with some of the other guys. Which I hate because I really like him as a person.

And then there's, Milo. What was going on with him tonight? There was this level of immaturity happening that I didn't see before and it kind of turned me off to be honest. And the way he kissed me....it was just odd. I'm honestly just really confused about the whole thing."

Milo submitted by @belsasim James "Stan" submitted by @natolesims

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#devinsduderanch #devin delaney #milo penn #james stanford #sims 4 bachelorette #sims 4 bachelorette challenge #echo valley ranch #chestnut ridge #sims 4 horse ranch #simblr #the sims 4 #sims community #ts4 #sims 4 love story #sims 4 story #sims 4 screenshots

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neptuniadoesstuff · 7 months ago

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Doodle Hell #idk01

(CW/TW: Bl00d, G0re/the consumption of raw flesh, & disturbing imagery (Also scaring).) (Don't click "keep reading" if you don't wanna see the images or are uncomfortable with seeing my art)

Some art I made again. Haven't done a Doodle Hell Thing in awhile so this kinda took awhile but meh, who cares, this is all in good fun (well minus the coloring part tbh)

Anywas here's the whole list of the drawings but by themselves.

1-1: Harmona having a chat with his Overseer "Kotori"/Peter. (Yes Harmona is REALLY tall like around... 10 ft?)

(Harmona (Weird Black masked borb god) is mine while Kotori/Peter (Blue haired Borb) belongs to my friend A)

(TW/CW: Bl00d)

2-1: Namria's first experience of actually myordering someone even if it was for self defense.

3-1: Hehe wholesome goobers. (Short Mailman & his very tall Lizerd wife)

(Dia (Tall Lizerd) is mine while Petrus (Short ahh Mailman) belongs to my friend A) (A is more of a nickname for my friend whom I kinda wanna keep anonymous but you'll normally see them sometimes commenting on my stuff, also they requested me to draw this so A I hope u enjoy it)

(TW/CW: The consumption of deff not sus meat, Bl00d, & just... g0re... yeh this is prob my most morbid piece of art so beware..)

4-1: Ravens monching on one of their victims they recently myordered but then bro was caught in 4k by a bystander.

(Ravens belongs to my friend A)

5-1: A portrait draft of Nep incase I wanted to draw smtn in the future.

(Nep is my sona & main Mascot)

(TW/CW: Slightly Disturbing Imagery)

6-1: Deff just a normal tree... Not a living being that can myorder you & take yur form if it wants to- (Mirage for Scale)

(Both of these 2 characters are mine. Mirage (Green Guy) is just a Noirvillah ver of my 2nd mascot, JJ)

7-1: A Squimsh Scug! (Haven't drawn Scugs in a while especially in my screb days so this is a refresher tbh)

(This Scug was based on a old friend of mine's sona WAY before she changed it but I miss teh Squimsh tbh)

(TW/CW: Gnarly Scars all over Chris' Face)

8-1: Uhhhhhhh..... Chris doing the Ricardo Milos Pose bcs CHRIS DEFF WOULD DO THAT TBH! (& maybe Ryan but he don't exist in ASGD, only in Egolandia, one of my other stories) (Yes I know he has boobs but not all guys who are Trans need to have a flat chest, it's like saying all Trans woman need boobs when some of them can be flat. It might give them gender dysphoria which is bad.... But Chris really does not care if he has BOOBS tbh.)

(Chris belongs to me)

9-1: A moment before teh frikin Coca Cola Espuma frikin explodes in Luthen's Face. (& his brother Kastell trying to stop him before it happens)

(These 2 belong to me but are teh adopted sons of King Malice who really does not care for both of them so Kastell has to take care of his brother who is like 6 years younger than him...)

Credits:

Every single frikin Character here either belongs to ME or was created/designed by ME!

Art: Mine of course.

Program: WELL YOU KNOW IT BY FRIKIN NOW! IBIS-MCFRIKIN-PAINT X!

Bubs' TOS: Plz don't repost/steal, trace, or recolor my art WITHOUT MY PERMISSION! If you do, I'll take yur femur and pelvis.. SO, DON'T THINK ABOUT IT! (The PNS on my blog's pinned post clearly means "Please No Steal" plz follow that rule.) If you do post my art on anything like yur blog or somewhere else (With my permission) PLEASE CREDIT ME!

#neptuniadoesstuff #art #oc #n-verse #ocs #Friend OCs #doodle hell #character doodles #doodles #sketches #oc aus #au #Gift Art?#Meems?#Songs #(Only like 2 of my sonas are in here)

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canis-or-cannotis-lycaon · 1 year ago

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TIMING: October 12th, the day after When the Rain Stops LOCATION: Decidedly less deep in the Pines PARTIES: Alex (@letsbenditlikebennett Gael (@lithium-argon-wo-l-f and Ren (@ironheartedfae SUMMARY: Ren isn’t the only one who went out searching for Gael. During their slow trek back to civilization, the duo rendezvous with Alex. CONTENT WARNINGS: suicidal ideation

The journey home (strange as it was to still be able to call it that in his mind) was slow, much slower than it should’ve been. Ren had, no doubt, traveled much quicker and more efficiently on her own on her way to find him than the two of them were going now as they searched for Alex, to tell her that Gael was found alive, relatively unharmed and willing to come back; even if Alex had a working phone on her, Ren’s had been dead for several days and Gael didn’t even bother to bring one, his or otherwise.

The ‘relatively unharmed’ part was the part that held them up. While Gael no longer felt the residual ache of the full moon, a mixture of the guilt that had been devouring him and the subsequent willingness to die to atone for the crime he thought he committed ravaged his body; before Ren had found him, it’d been at least nine days since he’d eaten and the total number of hours he’d slept was much lower than it should’ve been. He was clumsy and uncoordinated, his muscles somewhat atrophic from lack of use and he didn’t want to but he made them stop several times, all of which Ren was more than accommodating towards. Of course, he felt bad about it now - he felt bad for a great many things now - but he couldn’t explain why his reaction had been so extreme even though it seemed simple in his mind: He thought he killed Regan. Was his own death worth hers, especially if he was the one that ended it without her permission? Gael didn’t know, just as until very recently he never once would’ve pegged himself as the type to give up so easily like that. He just knew that he caused Ren and Alex and Felix and Milo time, effort, worry… it was alarmingly easy to fall into such a negative feedback loop, something else he somehow always thought he was exempt from. This whole experience had been very humbling, if Gael had to spin it into a positive aside from ‘he literally owed Ren his life now’. So some time had passed and they had made progress, just not as much progress as they should’ve but even as they paused where they were, taking a breather for his sake, Gael knew that Alex would’ve found them much sooner than they would’ve found her - he didn’t doubt that she was just as good of a tracker as Ren was, but in different ways; she had those werewolf senses and while Gael’s nose wasn’t working (though honestly his own senses not working right just did him a favor at the point he was at), he was sure he positively reeked. He sat for a moment, leaning his scarred back against the stump of a tree, eyes closed and head craned upwards towards the sky.

“Any sign of her yet, Ren?” He asked, keeping his eyes closed but knowing that she was nearby, orbiting him like the perfect hunter she was, being very attentive to him while also keeping herself vigilant of their surroundings.

—

Caution was the name of the game. Perhaps more than they needed, definitely more than she would have afforded herself in the same situation. Ren hadn't really ever had to care for another person like this before. Every mission had always been solo. The ones that were observed were ones that the wardens who trained her would not have had a lick of trouble in dealing with. By sheer virtue of what she was made into, the nymph maybe wasn't ever supposed to care about anyone like this.

What Ren was supposed to do had long since stopped driving her actions, especially around Gael. Careful eyes scanned every inch of the horizon. Anything more aggressive than a particularly sassy squirrel was either chased off or dealt with depending on how persistent it was. Every few minutes she'd dart back, doting on the man for a bit, supporting him if necessary, making sure he ate something or had a drink from the pack she carried. A bit like a nervous mother hen tending to her first brood.

"There is disturbed earth off to West, campsite. Fresh. Buried ashes but still warm. She must be near." Ren had just done a loop around Gael's most recent resting place, but she was happy to be back by his side. "Are you still okay?" She fussed, as she had every time she returned from a short tour away, by checking each bit of exposed skin for suspicious bruises or scratches. As if the last ten minutes had a secret battle with a bear that she somehow missed.

—

The camp Alex had set up had been something of an impromptu thing. She thought of staying in her more wolf-like form and sleeping on the grass as she did last full moon, but something in the goo made her uneasy not that she was sure her little collapsible tent that fit in her thru-hiking pack could really do anything to protect her from it. She supposed it was more for a sense of false security than anything else. If it helped her get even a wink of sleep so that she could keep up her search for Ren and Gael, she'd take it. Her thoughts easily fell on humor. The sight of a werewolf running through the woods on all fours with a large bag hanging from her jaws was a funny one. She might as well make some use of the supplies she'd pack other than just the back up pairs of clothes.

Close to the camp, there was a little babbling brook. Alex had awoken with the sun and packed up her campsite to continue on her search. They smelled closer now. She'd collect some water from the stream nearby to put through the water filtration system in her pack and store in the bottles. When she found them, she was certain someone would need it. Gael had been braving the elements for over a week now and she was worried about the state Ren or herself would find him in.

Part of Alex still feared finding their faces trapped in the goo. Every minute of sleep she'd managed during this excursion had been haunted by them turned to statues near a pine almost as much as Cass's with the damn goo in the cave. She hated this stuff, and it felt like there were traces of it everywhere, permeating through everything she once loved about this forest.

It was a bitter thought, but it kept her moving forward. Alex couldn't let Gael or Ren become part of that stuff. She had to get home to make sure the same stayed true for Cass, too, who Alex wasn't sure she trusted to leave the cave if things truly got bad.

Before she made a move to shift, Alex closed her eyes and listened around her. They were closer now, so close there was no use in shifting back into her werewolf form to catch up. Even if there was still some sense of pride in the new party trick, it'd be more comfortable for everyone involved if she didn't have to throw clothes back on behind a tree once she found them.

So she followed and found her steps led her back towards her camp where she saw two figures in the distance. Ragged, but colorful. Ren's hair flashed brightly through the green leaves that were yellowing with the chill of autumn. Not encased in black mineral. Alex felt the relief flood her.

“Gael! Ren!”

She took off running with her hiking pack thudding heavily against her back as she did so. The thing was secondhand and admittedly meant for someone of larger stature than Alex would ever reach, but it didn't matter. They were safe.

She stopped abruptly before them, studying them carefully. They reeked, but they were upright. Gael looked considerably worse for wear. Almost frail. It was jarring to see, but Alex could discern they would both be ok. Which gave way for the tension that had been bubbling under the surface to overflow. “What the hell,” she asked, her voice coming out tightly, “Where were you that last night? Why are you out here alone? You could have...“ She couldn't bring herself to say it and instead looked down at the ground.

—

It was odd, when he thought about it, how rapidly things could change. Gael was no stranger to change or adapting to overcome new obstacles, at least he was until quite recently. He had reached a rapid and silent decision to keep his comments to himself when it came to Ren hovering over him, asking if he was okay, checking him for any new marks or abrasions; after all the trouble he caused, the last thing he wanted to do was make her feel guilty or unjustified in her worry. Fortunately, nothing had happened that day, at least not that he was aware of and instead of lightly dismissing her concern, he opened his eyes slowly and glanced up at her with a soft smile. “I’m still okay.” He assured her, his brow furrowing as he started to get back to his feet; slow, graceless, still feeling his muscles drawing from a limited supply of energy, a symphony of cracking bones as he straightened his thinned limbs. As much as Gael wanted to, he had refrained from devouring everything he was given when she offered - he had read something about how in survival situations, you shouldn’t go from zero to full. Or something. He didn’t know, his brain was still catching up. Gael had barely pulled himself into a stand, still using the tree he previously leaned against for support as an anchor when he managed to hear a familiar voice. A hand subconsciously going to his stomach, the place where his hand had taken to resting in what he could only assume was a comforting gesture, the shifter turned slowly as his dark eyes fell upon the running figure of none other than Alex, with her fiery hair flowing behind her and a large backpack bouncing off of her shoulders. Immediately, that shame came flooding back into his system, the guilt that had nearly killed him before that he tried to smother now that he could reliably see and touch Ren, and with the knowledge that Regan was still alive, threatening to send him crashing back to the ground. People were out looking for him. People who didn’t know what he thought he did and still wanted to find him anyway. It was so aggravating, he knew, that he still felt guilty for this whole thing. It was irrational, but it still felt so tangible as it started to turn his stomach into knots again as Alex drew closer. In no time, the werewolf was on the two now and for a moment, as he could hear the tone in Alex’ voice, the questions she asked and the sentence she couldn’t finish, Gael bit his lower lip as he seemed to physically recoil from her approach. What could he say? What could’ve possibly justified why he was out there that still held up now that he had all of the information? “Alex, I…” His voice, thick with something indiscernible to himself and still somewhat rubbed raw, faltered and he looked from her down to the ground in submission. “I’m… sorry.” He felt his brow twitching as it knitted between his eyes. “I thought– I just…” The words didn’t seem to be coming to his mind, at least not nearly as reliably or confidently as he normally spoke. He didn’t have any excuses. No decent explanations, especially not one that he could seem to formulate coherently on the fly; as it turned out, he never actually thought about what he was going to say to Alex when they met again, considering he wasn’t really thinking he was going to meet anyone again. Gael didn’t look at either of the young girls now, feeling the chain harness starting to press on him once more, forcing him down.

—

The nymph (who was still under the impression that any talk about the werewolfy-aspects Gael may or may not possess could lead to pain or worse) immediately jumped to a hackled defense as soon as any kind of talk of that night came up. Even if it was the very same concern that had the other girl asking, Ren puffed up and shook her head frantically in Alex's direction. "No! Mmnhnn! Please to be stopping this." The reunion should have been a lot smoother, a lot more joyous, but worry and a stunning leap of logic had more to say apparently.

"There is outside issue that must be resolved before this talk can occur! Sincerest of apologies but there is… fae thief to blame for... gaps in knowledge." Ren bit at her lip and stepped back. Retreating slightly behind Gael. Tugging slightly at the fabric of his shirt as she hid. As if he were a safety net between her and someone who she wasn't quite at the same level of comfort with as she was with the older werewolf. Ren was still a bit uneasy speaking on matters of the fair folk in front of anyone at all. But it was almost more so with her because Alex had assured the entomid how much she 'thought nymphs were so cool'.

And that just didn't make any sense.

Ren didn't even want to be a nymph. They weren't cool. Leather jackets were cool. Sunglasses and knives were cool. Science was cool. Werewolves… they were cool. A werewolf seemed a much better option. More sensible. Only a big issue three days out of a month, and even then it could be curbed. Directed into something positive. Something that could be shared. Though the relative coolness of the other's species was a sentiment Alex very much disagreed with.

If only they could switch.

"I–am gladdened to see you though, Alex. I was… worried when we were separated." If there was one thing the nymph could thank Gael for, (honestly there were actually so many things to choose from) it was that she had gotten a lot more open with speaking her mind. Good or bad. Ren even offered a somewhat lopsided and shy smile, just barely poking out from behind Gael's shoulder.

—

The unfamiliar waver in Gael's voice softened something in her. Not that she was ever truly angry at the elder werewolf, not really. Alex was self aware enough to know that the anger was easier than fear or sadness or pre-emptive grief. It was an easy thread of emotion to hold on to when the others felt too heavy.

But he was sorry and she faltered. Alex chewed at her bottom lip and looked him over. Gael looked like shit, he smelled like shit— she'd take a wager that he felt like shit. “It's okay,” she murmured, “You're safe now. We're together and safe. It's gonna be okay.“

Alex wasn't entirely sure if she was convincing him or herself, but before she could try to figure out just what had happened, Ren was speaking. She found her brows knitting together in confusion initially, but it clicked together. The fact he couldn't remember his full moons despite the fact he had been ”sleepwalking“ for so long, the way he could believe she was a werewolf, but couldn't seem to use the word for himself.

”Oh,“ she uttered, her jaw slack with surprise. That was a problem that Alex wasn't exactly sure how to fix. Werewolf stuff, she could help with, but this was different. ”Can we... Is there a way to steal what was taken back? Or trade? I had a fae make a trade with me to get my friend's name back once.“

Problem-solving mode was easier than trying to acknowledge all the reasons she was afraid with someone who simply wouldn't be able to understand as it was.

Alex looked around Gael to gaze at Ren. Her lips turned upwards in a sympathetic smile. ”I'm glad to see you too, Ren,“ she assured, ”It was pretty badass how you got over the goo like that.“

She couldn't see Ren well from her place behind Gael, even as she peered out. Alex wanted to see if she had been hurt even if she knew the blood on Gael had already turned her stomach sour. ”Were you hurt at all,” she asked, “I have supplies... You should both have water. I just filtered some. It's about a day's hike back to my cabin. We'll need our energy. Is anyone hungry? You two should eat something.“

Alex moved toward a rock and checked for any critters. “Here,” she gestured, “Sit, Gael.” She went through the mental checklist of what she was supposed to do with shocked, lost hikers at the state park. She handed him one of the waters and a couple of honey stinger chews from her pack. “Drink first, slowly so you don't make yourself sick. Then have a couple of these chews, they'll help get some calories in and be easy on your stomach to start.”

She looked to Ren nervously, “I'm... not very good with blood. Do you know first aid? I have all the stuff, I just—”

—

Before he had to explain himself any further, which Gael was more than willing to do once he could actually formulate the thoughts without breaking down into tears as he thought about what he thought he did, Ren had chimed in for him. Right… it was a fae, wasn’t it? It wasn’t that he was just too foolish or stupid to remember, it was something keeping him from remembering. He wondered if that would’ve helped at all or whether it really mattered once he could recall what he was or what he did. What… the thing inside of him did. That was another reason why he felt so much hesitancy as Alex initially confronted him. Gael felt similarly with Alan; there was that level of frustration when it came to talking about lycanthropy, he could tell. And whether or not he was being obstinate at first, with a comfortable and healthy willingness to believe that it was something else, that all seemed to change when he had the dream of the figure draped in shadow with something erupting from its side. Then the following month when he was sure he was attacked by a werewolf but the thought that he couldn’t become one because of how wrong it felt was so strong… Which led to now, as he stood there, swaying with the ghost of uncertainty wanting to push him over either by forcing a strong, chilly wind onto him or from the metaphorical weight of being unable to confront something, to look it in the eye and try to figure out what to do. He remained standing, however, and with Ren who had spoken for him now hiding behind him as though he’d be able to protect her from any potential wrath or even frustration from Alex. He could feel the grip of material in her hand tugging as her nerves overrode her so the least he could do was shield her, whether it was from Alex specifically, the rest of the world or even herself and the aspects of her history that haunted her. Fortunately, Alex seemed to soften, which elicited a quiet sigh of relief from Gael and he gave a noncommittal shrug when the young werewolf asked about whether or not it could be traded back. “It might be able to. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, it wasn’t… something that crossed my mind until…” Until things got too big to manage alone, he thought with shame. He exhaled thickly through his nose in a grunt as he felt his body starting to protest: ‘either start moving or sit back down’, it seemed to say. So when Alex suggested they take a seat, now that he was more settled with knowing that Alex wasn’t planning on giving him a lecture about his stupid decisions (at least, not at present; he’d have been able to handle it in a few weeks when he could look back on this whole fiasco and… try to laugh about how absurd he’d been), Gael nodded in agreement and slowly maneuvered himself so that he was able to sit down but turning in a way that Ren could still hide behind him until she felt comfortable enough to join the conversation without speaking through the dirty material of his shirt. “Good news; all of this blood is old.” He felt the need to explain first as he sat solidly with another grunt. “I was… being dumb yesterday and misstepped.” He motioned to an abrasion on his arm that had long since scabbed over. “I just… haven’t washed all of it off yet. Sorry.” That was the first apology but before he took any of Alex’ water, he leaned forward until his elbows were being supported on bony knees and clasped his calloused hands together nervously. “I’m… so sorry that I made you guys come out here to look for me.” He told himself he wasn’t going to get overemotional, not again, not when he felt like he’d already cried in front of so many people already - Regan, Felix, Ren… máma always said he was emotional but now as he felt his eyes welling with tears, he didn’t feel like that was a good thing. “I’m sorry for everything.”

—

For all her confidence with tracking, or fighting, or spying, Ren had very very little wherever social situations arose. At the few parties she was invited to she took a back seat. Content to watch and observe and try and make sense of everything rather than interact. She was better, or at least she thought she was better, at one on one. A little while back she and Alex had a pretty nice day together, all things considered. They talked about bugs and the garden that the werewolf had set up and that should have made Ren more comfortable around her.

Maybe it was the woods. Maybe it was the danger, the concern. This was an entirely new light to be perceived in and she wasn't so sure she liked it. Too close to the thing she was before. To the trained attack dog that none of the Allgoods would accept her as. The friend group started with a death. Would they be willing to look past the blood on her hands? Would Alex? The girl couldn't even look at the dried blood from a hiking mishap.

(Part of Ren still took note of it as a potential way to distract or incapacitate her. A separate growing part resented those observations and the fact that she couldn't seem to stop making them.)

So she hid. Sat about as close to Gael as she could while still making herself useful by digging a fire pit. Like a toddler when a familiar stranger came by. Eyes cast downward as Alex started fussing in the same way she had been. That was good, in a sense. Gael deserved to know that more people cared about him but ah– that seemed to upset him too. The man apologized and Ren finally looked up. Brows knit close together as green eyes searched for something to say as if there would be a physical answer somewhere.

"We–" Timid, a shaky voice on unsure footing. "We cannot change things of past. So we take steps to make tomorrow better, yes? You would have done same for us. It is fair and just." Paraphrasing and translating things in her head always twisted around the phrasing. As good as her memory was, something in language would always hold a barrier she couldn't fully cross. Ren looked to Alex, a pleading expression flashing across the nymph's features. Hoping the young werewolf would have something better, something more comforting to say.

—

The uneasiness hadn't completely dissipated, but Alex was able to fall into the familiar routine of taking care of someone. She'd come up on plenty of lost and scared hikers before. They all needed water and food. Typically warmth too, but the fire would help there. Once he was cleaned off a bit, she could give him some thermal blankets too. The chill in the autumn air was especially biting in the higher elevations and shaded canopies of the forest. “It's ok, and it's old... that's, well not good, but better? I have something that can help with that,” she explained as she fished through the oversized bag yet again to pull out bathing wipes intended for camping. “Here. Wouldn't put them directly on an open wound. There's different wipes for that, but they'll help clean up any dried blood and dirt. Then I'll give you a thermal blanket to wrap up in.”

Her eyes fell on Ren who was in arguably better shape, but still seemed small in her way. Alex looked her over carefully with a soft gaze. “And you weren't hurt,” she asked, “But it's still cold, here.” She gave Ren one of the silver thermal blankets. She wasn't sure how the entomid thing worked, but bugs preferred the warmth.

“I appreciate you explaining things,” Alex whispered, “I'll... help how I can. We can talk once we're all home and figure it out.” She didn't want to cause Gael any further pain or confusion, but whatever was blocking his memory needed to be fixed. It was clearly tearing him apart and she wanted to fix it.

Then the apology came and Alex shifted uncomfortably on her heels. It was strange, hearing an apology come from someone considerably older than her. By the cadence of his words and timber of his voice, she could tell the apology ran deeper than just what happened tonight. Ren had started on with some supportive words and Alex chimed in, “It's like you told me, mistakes happen. All that matters is that you're safe. We're all safe.“

She had the feeling that Gael would feel guilty if she or Ren had been hurt looking for him. Alex was familiar with the way guilt and self doubt could warp even the simplest situations. Having something stolen from him like that, something that effected his memory—- well, Alex could deduce that it left him with a fair share of self doubt. She could see it in the way he carried himself now and how it was different from a few months ago. Even when he didn't have a word for the sleepwalking or a pack to support him, he seemed steadier— confident and grounded.

”And hey, I think I'm the last person that can fault running off,“ Alex laughed gently, ”Poor Kaden had to endure hours with Emilio when I ran off after getting shot. Sometimes... I think it feels safer for us out here. I don't know, there's probably something sage to be said about all that, but...“

She looked between them, ”The only thing that actually matters is we're all okay. Now we recoup, go home, and work to make things safer for all of us.” Everything she knew about fae had mostly come from Cass, so her knowledge wasn't extensive, but Ren knew this stuff. They had to be able to figure out a way to get back what was stolen from Gael. “We'll figure things out. Together.”

—

He wasn’t sure why he was apologizing. It was probably the relapse, the tumult of emotions both foreign and not fitting. It was the guilt, it was how easily he was willing to isolate when he’d never done anything like that before. It was the age difference between them - he was Alex’ teacher and Ren’s… parent figure. He was too old to be so vulnerable to them; it wasn’t fair to them, especially those two girls specifically. He knew Ren had trouble processing and expressing herself and he knew that Alex’ relationship with being a werewolf was shaky even at the most stable of times. Gael couldn’t bring himself to explain that he was out in the woods on an abrupt, overwhelming death wish after thinking that he killed Regan when he was something else. The words “I thought I killed Regan” in of themselves were almost just as hard to say as the missing pieces in his brain. He didn’t kill Regan, and yet the thought that didn’t exist still clung to him like the parasite or condition or disease or whatever was inside him, thrashing around and ripping his insides apart. It was how he was starving yet he still didn’t want to eat anything, almost as though there was something in his mind still trying to punish him; it was almost that the sentence had turned from ‘you killed Regan’ to ‘you could’ve killed Regan’. It could’ve been anybody. It could’ve been anybody out in the woods with him and whatever the hell happened to him when he lost time. And he couldn’t remember. When Alan and Alex talked about it, it seemed so simple. His breath snagging on the phlegm that lingered in the back of his throat, Gael took the heels of his hands to his eyes again in an attempt to wipe the mist away, even forcing a cough of a chuckle to scrape from him when Alex made her light joke, even if being shot and thinking you murdered one of your friends without even realizing it weren’t remotely the same - Alex being shot simply for being what she was was the victim. Gael thought he was the criminal, thought that he could still be the criminal. “Right.” He nodded, swallowing thickly. “Mistakes… mistakes are made. And dwelling on the past is unhealthy; what’s important is that we’re here, we’re safe and we do what we can to make where we are now better.” Gael glanced between both girls gently as he addressed each of what they had to say, wisdom in their own right though he didn’t miss the parts where they were just giving him back what he’d lent them; once more, he didn’t think he himself would be the one they’d have to tell these things to. “I appreciate both of you coming to find me.” He finished cleaning the dirt and blood from himself and unfolded the blanket Alex had offered, only then realizing the chill that nipped the air and his skin. Figuring out what memory was missing… would that really help? Or would that just solidify the sour interpretation and relationship with whatever was inside Gael was? He supposed it was a step in the a direction, maybe even the right direction. Gael still felt a twinge of something miscommunicated or not being said correctly, which he blamed himself for but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Whether he was saying enough, too much, not enough. Usually he was so focused on replying to everything as it was said but he was too slow. So instead of saying anything else at first, he subconsciously reached over and gave Ren a single, gentle pat on the head before he scooted closer to her to share his body warmth with her. “I couldn’t ask for a better pair of trackers.” He smiled again, small, gaunt but genuine. “S–” He stopped himself from apologizing yet again. So instead, he shook his head and took a slow, but welcome drink of water.

—

Before long the fire was crackling. Ren had even dug a vent off to the side of the pit that siphoned away most the smoke. An old trick she used when trying to avoid detection, now served as the only way she knew how to make a fire. Bugs didn't care for smoke. Even the thin wispy remains of whatever hadn't been whisked away by physics the fae didn't fully understand was starting to make her sleepy. Docile. The exhaustion was starting to catch up with her. She hadn't exactly slept… pretty much the entire time she'd been out in the woods.

If Gael had known, he might have felt worse. So Ren had decided to keep that little tidbit hidden as best she could. He had enough to worry about. Had a world that felt like it was crumbling more and more with each step. It wasn't the same circumstances, but Ren could relate. The foundation her life had been built upon was shaking and cracking more and more with each passing day. The main difference was the entomid was given loving arms to fall into, careful considerate people who explained the things she didn't understand in a way she could grasp. Unlike Gael, who must have felt like the only thing on the other side of the shattered sense of self was the void.

Chill spread through her bones, and Ren welcomed the thermal blanket. A lot scratchier but also far warmer than the picnic blanket she had tucked in her rescue pack. Alex was a lot better at this. Made sense. She had said something about working with the rangers, (park ones, not hunter ones) helping those who got lost or injured. She was always trying to help people. Ren admired that. Saw it as one of the best qualities a person could have. It was the very same that drew her close to Gael too. Maybe she just had a magnet for magnanimous werewolves.

Snuggled up close, sitting by the fire, it was almost…nice. Like one of their usual outings. They could almost ignore the heaviness that had brought them there. Strange, that someone else was with them. But if it was going to be anyone, Ren supposed Alex was probably best. A full head of scraggly red curls rested against Gael's shoulder. Soaking up the heat rather greedily as another apology threatened to surface. Once again, Ren wasn't sure what to say, only that she desperately wanted to help.

"I believe things will get better. We will find one responsible, we will get you control back. I know you are not… a bad thing, sky guy." Her voice was quiet, but when wasn't it? However, there was an assuredness to it this time, like she was resolute in her determination that despite everything, the man still meant the world to her. "While…sleepwalking–you protected me from attacking cu-sith. Saved me. The–" A pause for careful, careful consideration of the phrasing. "Whatever it is, it can be good. It is good. You are good. You are still my–" Ren paused again, this time looking over to Alex before continuing. "Still our Gael."

—

Sometimes Alex wished she was a bit less perceptive and could take words at face value. Then, she could pretend like their words had done something to comfort Gael and in all likelihood they probably had to an extent, but the heaviness that hung in the air wasn't something that dissipated. The weight clung to him and settled in his bones and the way his muscles seemed to almost slump as he sat—- given he had just spent so many days in the woods. It didn't look like he had much in the way of food or water.

But it was more than that. Alex didn't push though. She couldn't when there was clearly parts of his own memory that weren't available to him. It'd be a tireless effort with no return. ”Of course,“ she answered gently, as if coming to find him had been something they'd so obviously do.

”We are pretty great trackers,“ Alex smiled at Ren. ”I was impressed with Ren. She moves quick and she's resourceful.“ She hoped that did something to inspire some confidence in the entomid. While they hadn't spoken much of their lives before Wicked's Rest, she could gather that Ren's upbringing was far from typical with how much she was still learning about the human world.

Alex began working at cans of chili to cook over the fire and pulled out her little camping pots. She carefully poured a few cans of chili into the pot and held it over the fire Ren had made. ”Good job on the fire,“ she said instinctively before glancing over at Gael. “She's right, you're still our Gael.” Her wrist flicked as she moved the chili around the pot. Alex gave them both a soft smile. ”Things will get better because we'll make them better. Together.“

#wickedswriting #writing: Trackmates #writing with: Ren #writing with: Alex #suicidal ideation tw

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erstwhilesparrow · 1 year ago

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okay we're doing this again because i think it's been long enough i'll get some benefit out of re-evaluating:

Doing This Soon(tm):

pearl + scott post-limlife and the ways they don't really come off as afraid of things

more of vampire hunter AU (probably not all of it though)

no thoughts head empty pirates smp (owen + martyn) -- I SWEAR TO GOD I'M GONNA DO THIS ONE.

yes thoughts head full pirates smp (owen + scott)

more of mech AU (can't tell at all how much is done, i think i'm just gonna keep going until i get bored or i feel like that's enough)

definitely still thinking about doing this but might need to watch some more videos to want enough:

WRA character study triptych

new life exploring bodies (or just rewrite some of what i've already got and cannibalize the rest?)

grain + bdubs, scar + etho -- last life but remember: they never left that desert

the mystery of pix in the twilight mirage AU

nebulously want to write this at some point:

scott + cleo + milo, varying experiences of corpsehood

fwhip / pix, They Fucked In That Villa

my game of random-matching life series characters (i need to. think about set up for this. and also the first pair i rolled was lizzie + scar which. i need to think about.)

#sparrowsong #before making this list: i don't think i have THAT many wips...?#after making this list: ah. ha. okay.

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cornbread33y · 1 year ago

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(OUTDATED)

Ohoho? Looks like someone got a bit of a update👀

Nothing too big, just changed the hair, eyes and gave him a more prominent scar for him to hide with his fur.

Here's a few notes about Milo for anyone interested. (i might make a post explaining about his backstory and delve more into his relationship with Jackal Squad👀)

-He's mute and communicates through sign-language, as well as ear and tail movements.

-Was adopted into the jackal squad and is seen as another "brother".

-Unlike the others, who are all mercenaries, Milo is their medic and tends to all their injuries they get from the work they do.

-He was originally planned to just be a stand-in for the avatar, but not anymore. The avatar in this Forces Reimagined Au is still Gadget. The only somewhat same thing about them is that they were both attacked by Infinite in Sunset Heights during the war. Gadget with on the front lines while Milo was just doing his usual thing and trying to find any survivors. He ran into Infinite, who didn't hesitate to attack him, resulting in Milo's scar. Milo recognised who he was while Infinite didn't. (Due to Eggman's experimenting on him with the ruby. So that was probably some 'fun trauma'! Reuniting with your previously assumed dead brother only for him to try and kill you)

-He isn't fully blind in his right eye, but he still can't see out of it very well either or open it fully.

#sonic oc #milo the golden retriever #sonic franchise #sonic forces #Guess who's back on the sonic train🥳#my art

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thornstocutyouwith · 2 years ago

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Name: Gabriel Payne Dallas Gray Rydan

Meaning of Name: Gabriel: God is my strength. Payne: Rustic or Countryman. Dallas: Meadow, Dwelling. Gray: Gray-haired. Rydan: Noble and big hearted.

Nickname(s): Gabe, Dallas, Ry, Virtual World Name: Tribian,

Age: Unknown

Birthday: March 25

Species/Nationality: Experimented on Human/Virtual world: Moon Elf, Wizard, British-Italian,

Accent: No

Language spoken: English, Finnish, Hebrew, French

Powers:

Solar Aura

Survival Empowerment

Weaknesses/Illness/Allergies: Normal human weaknesses, Anemia,

Pet: None

Occupation: Scientist

Faceclaim: Milo Ventimiglia

Description: He has brown hair and brown eyes. He has tattoos covering his upper back and thighs. A small scar on his right pinkie finger after being assaulted by a scientist at the facility.

Outfit/Accessories/Jewelry: Masks that have the likeness of a Monkey.

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 172

Body Build: Fit

Backstory/Background:

Gabriel was born the oldest of the Rydan children. Being the oldest out of what would ultimately be seven children, their parents would make many mistakes while learning how to be parents. It did not help that they were extremely wealthy and could just have someone else step in when an infant Gabriel became too much for them to handle. Which in later years they would grow to regret. In their society however these things were hard to do as all were born to wear a mask. Parents would design the mask for their children and for Gabriel his parents would initially give him a blank mask. As most infants would often be given upon birth. In their society no one but family was allowed to see the real faces of anyone within their kingdom and provinces around it.

This however did not often matter too much to Gabriel as he became older and his blank mask had changed throughout the years. As well, being the oldest of their children he was often treated as if he were a trophy child. Which impeded on his being a child, as he had to make a good impression when he was out with his parents. Whereas his parents did not hold up the same standard to his younger siblings. Because of this disregard to him being an actual child, his parents would often not give him much attention and leave him to his own devices. At a very young age, because of this neglect, he would grow to become attached to a Virtual Reality game.

There Gabriel would find many friends he wasn’t able to make in the outside world, due to his constantly being kept in his family’s mansion. Being still a very young boy he was easily manipulated by some of his less savory friendships in the game. When Gabriel is about eight years old one of these friends leads Gabriel out to a party going on one evening. There, he is taken by an organization that has spent many years abducting all kinds of people and using orphans in their experiments. Gabriel also becomes one of those unfortunate many who are experimented on. This would be his life for many years to come, until he reached adulthood.

Due to the location of the facility all attempts to escape by either Gabriel, or any other patient, was futile. Because of this, Gabriel became used to the living situation and would himself join the organization as a hunter, and majorly a scientist in the end. When he reached adulthood he would also pick his adult mask, this would take on the appearance of a monkey. Now on the very same side of those who had done such horrific things to him, Gabriel keeps with this only ritual from his people and kingdom, of constantly wearing masks to hide his true face behind it. He spends a lot of his time as well, out finding new victims for the facility to experiment on. Becoming one of their most notable hunters. He only takes adults, however, and mostly those he believes deserves the torture.

(Work In Progress)

Personality:

Dignified, Practical, Witty, Meticulous, Capable, Stubborn, Boyish, Determined, Questioning, Unceremonious, Neutral, Stern, Mystical, High-spirited, Ritualistic, Meddlesome, Devious, Offhand, Mannerless,

Quirks/Savvies/Other: Laughing Loudly, Stalks people they really like but it’s harmless..., Stands with hands behind his back at ease position, Doesn’t know how to read, Gets annoyed by things being too tidy, Twitches, Can’t stand people who are compelled to sing along, Takes trophies from all his kills, Leans on things, Prone to self-sabotaging behaviors, Skills: Knot-Tying, Trap Spotting, Marketing, Dexterity, Photographic Memory with famous people, Stealth, Stoneworking, Spaceship Piloting, Raising Money, High Spicy Food Tolerance, Juggling, Astronomy, Listening, Can tell the age of Alcohol by it’s smell, Hobbies: Building Models, Roller Derby, Frisbee Golf, Tapestry, Cryptography, Record Collecting, Dying his hair, Taking Pictures,

Likes: Fossils, Mist, Archery, Roses, Trainspotting, Ancient Egypt, Nature Documentaries, Abandoned Buildings, Fiddling with things, Clubbing, Rats, Mystery Novels, Tabletop Roleplaying, Sword Fighting, Hard Metal, Tea, Playing Musical Instruments, Obscure Trivia, Lunar Eclipses, Big Dogs, Chocolate, Mittens, Beetles, The Lord of The Rings, Water Parks,

Dislikes: Heights, Mythology, Reality TV, Forests, Happy Music, Kinks, Being On Time, The Color White, Manga, Doing Stand-Up Comedy, Throwing Rocks, New Years, Vanilla Sex, Cold Water, Falling In Love, Reading, Nail Art, Art, Paintball, Ice Cream, Shoes, Gothic Literature, Vampires, Helping Others, Worms, Animated TV Shows,

Fears: Crossing the road, Ghosts/Phantoms, Being laughed at, Bats,

Personality Tests:

Other: Aries,

Parent(s):

-> Father:

-> Mother:

Sibling(s): 6 siblings

Starters

Chat’s

Para’s

Face

Stuff

Information

Asks

All

Alternate Universes

#Bios #GabrielBio

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goodeveningjasper · 9 months ago

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Jasper kept his face expressionless as Milo spoke. There was a lot to unpack with his words and Jasper did not want to sway what the kid was saying with something as small as a facial expression. Jasper had spent so much time with so many walks of life. In his military position of leadership you really learn how to interact with those walks of life. Some people take criticism better and some are sensitive. Jasper could already tell that this was a very serious situation for Milo and even a rise of a brow could derail how far they have come. It was only moments ago the kid was hiding his scare as if it did not exist. Here he was now talking about it...and Jasper did not have to pry too hard. It was clear with Milo that he needed to fill into a big brother role more than a stern boss - and that was easy for Jasper to mold to.

Jasper was noticing that Milo didn't even want to look at his scars. It had taken him a longtime to learn to look at his as well. In all honesty Jasper was falling apart from the inside out but that is what time in the service would do to you. "Hey look at me no need to look down at it." Jasper offered a reassuring nod. "Not only are you not use to it; but like you said it reminds you of so much." Jasper let his hand rest on Milos shoulder. "I may have battle scars that could rival some war novels - but that does mean that in my mind I am comfortable with how it happened." Jasper wanted Milo to know that just because he was ok with his scars and he did not hide them...did not mean that he was okay with the past trauma that accompanied it. "I relive those moments far too often mate." Jasper gave his shoulder a squeeze before letting his arm fall again. "You are not alone in that; anyone who has dealt with a traumatic experience...no matter how big or small unfortunately has that on repeat in their mind like a film at the theater."

Jasper pressed his lips together as he thought about how he was going to voice his next statement. "I have heard that this town had extreme situations going on..." he let his face cringe; Jasper was not afraid of whatever this town had in store for him or the population - but Jasper was not afraid of much after the shit he had seen in the middle east..but he did not need Milo to know that. "I cannot...and nobody should ever tell you to remember that fear or be afraid...but you do not want to let that fear control you." Jaspers lips moved from cringe to smile. "That make sense mate? I feel like we can weather this storm together if ya want..." When Milo mentioned the army Jasper could not help but let out a laugh. "Oh not the Army...Royal Navy...special forces." Jasper smiled. "Sounds probably a lot cooler than it is. I was a Navy Diver - explosives division...I am sure with that tid bit my story makes a bit more sense."

@plutothe-pup

the toll | open

#milo | jasper #tw: PTSD #sorry it took so long i had to rewrite it twice to make sure it was right!

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pocket-sized-enby · 3 years ago

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I have noticed yet another Violet and Silco Parallel

In this scene where Milo tells Vi that Jinx is a problem, it’s pretty clear that even though Vi clears it up later, it’s something that scars Jinx pretty severely for the rest of her life. (And let’s face it, Violet didn’t really make an effort to apologize or clear things up anyways.

Then years later with Silco we see the exact same thing happen again, except with Sevika

But this time, not only does Silco make an explicit effort to defend Jinx. But he makes sure she’s included/able to listen in on the conversation and gives her a chance to tell her side of the story

My theory is that over the years, as Jinx opened up to Silco and Silco did the same to Jinx (about Vander and such), Jinx told him about this incredibly traumatic experience she had as a child with her sister. And as a result Silco always makes sure she has a spot in any and every conversation he has about her with the rest of their crew, and that just warms my heart.

#jinx #Silco #jinx and Silco #violet and silco parallels #violet and silco parallels that make me warm inside pt.1 #Violet and Silco parallels that warm my heart #Violet #Mylo #Milo #arcane #league of legends #theory #theories #arcane theory

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dominimoonbeam · 2 years ago

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The Truth In Your Skin - 4

The Tattoo Shop AU! If you want to read it from the beginning it’s on ao3. The fourth chapter is below. The whole fic is heavy angst and hurt/comfort with some serious past domestic violence issues (Quinn. It’s Quinn. It’s always Quinn.)

Darlin/David. Sweetheart/Milo. Asher/?

tags: hurt/comfort, angst, learning to trust, scars, found family, past domestic violence, trauma, slow burn, tattoos, piercings

The Truth In Your Skin - 4

Darlin felt better than they had in a year. Longer even. It felt good to work, to be back in a shop surrounded by the hum of machines and music. The crew wasn’t bad, and no one touched their station.

No one asked them any questions they didn’t want to answer, either. They could have looked them up, could have found out on their own, but Darlin didn’t think they had. David knew what city they’d lived in before—where they’d worked. Would it be hard to find records of what had happened? Maybe. It wasn’t exactly newsworthy when someone like them got the shit kicked out of them, let alone by their partner. Ugly but not surprising. Right? That was what they’d been told. What did they expect?

They flicked their tongue against the inside of their lip, looking for the metal that wasn’t there.

Whether the others knew or not, they didn’t ask. Not even the guy that did the piercings, Milo. He’d taken one long look at Darlin’s lip scar before meeting their gaze again that first day and then pretended he didn’t know how that happened.

Darlin was grateful. The more time that passed, things settled into a new normal. It actually felt like they could move forward. They’d gone to that holiday party and it was nice.

Their station was across from David’s near the back of the main room. They caught him watching them work sometimes. Fair. It was his shop, after all. He’d have to make sure they weren’t doing a shit job.

Asher had the spot near the door. He was loud but never in a bad way. He only stopped talking when someone else did. His clients seemed to get a whole experience out of sitting in his chair, most loath to leave even when the work was done. And when his chair was empty, he’d come over and start talking up Darlin’s or David’s clients.

Through the archway, there were two more stations. Milo did the piercings and Sweetheart specialized in new school tattoos. They were still pretending not to be a couple.

The day was slow and well past lunch.

Asher flopped down in Darlin’s chair and stretched out until his tank top hiked up his stomach. “You busy?” he asked, hands under his mess of hair.

Darlin raised an eyebrow. They’d just cleaned their station. He knew it, because he had been in the same room all day. “Super busy,” they lied. They didn’t have anyone else lined up today. He knew that too because he handled the schedules in the mornings.

Asher had two thin rings in the side of his eyebrow, a bridge between his eyes, a stud under his bottom lip and another in his tongue. Somehow, he still pouted like a puppy. “I’m bored. Tattoo me?”

David snorted in the space across from them. He had a client laid out on their chest, shirt off and arms pillowed under their cheek. Their headphones were so loud they could almost hear the music over the beat of the shop speakers.

Darlin blinked at Asher. “Are you serious?”

Asher lit up. “Yeah!” He sat up and pulled his shirt off. He tossed it vaguely in the direction of his own chair, landing on the floor in the middle of the room instead. “Front or back?” He started searching himself for a spot.

Darlin pressed back a smile. “What do you want?”

Asher was still considering real estate. “Doesn’t matter. Anything that’s yours.”

Darlin might have doubted that and pressed for him to make a choice but looking at the assortment of random work on his body, they realized he meant it. He was a collector. They shrugged and started setting up.

“You don’t have to,” David reminded in a grumble.

Darlin nodded but put on the black gloves. “You sure you can sit still?” they asked Asher.

Asher laughed and stretched one arm up, hooking it under his head and offering them a patch of untattooed skin just under his ribs.

“Want to pick a color?” Darlin asked.

Asher settled in, his new position allowing him to watch David. “Nope. You pick.”

Darlin huffed but got to work, already forming an idea.

Asher didn’t squirm at all when the needle finally hit skin. He didn’t even miss a beat in conversation with David. Milo walked a client out and then came over to see what was going on. He turned his head to get a better look at the developing tattoo just as Darlin swiped away inky and blood. Milo smiled when he saw the round little bird in black lines that Darlin was currently adding a splash of neon yellow to. It would come out looking like watercolor stroked over a sketch.

The bell on the front door in the lobby chimed. “Got it,” Milo said, nodding and stepping back. He slid his hands into his pockets and walked to the reception.

“Almost done,” Darlin said.

Asher hadn’t looked yet. “You’re coming out with us after work, right?”

The shop was closed Sundays and Mondays and Asher liked to get everyone together on Saturday nights after locking up. Darlin had said no all the times before that holiday party and they’d bounced back and forth in their head since about what to do the next time. Go or don’t go? “Yeah. Sure.”

Asher beamed.

Darlin was just finishing up when the voices from the front room carried in, Milo leading a couple of people back with him. They were talking about a piercing. One of the two was taking the plunge and getting another one on impulse.

Darlin’s heart beat faster but they weren’t sure why at first—not until one of those voices pitched over the other to shout, “Holy shit! I remember you! From—”

Darlin had just put the needle down when the words struck them. The woman was talking to them. She remembered them. Her steps sounded impossibly loud as she came closer.

“Misfit!” she shouted the name she remembered.

Darlin winced. That wasn’t their name. It was just how he’d introduced them to people and it had stuck. “You’re not a Darlin. Anyone can see that.”

“Hell, I haven’t seen you in years!” She leaned against the back of the chair Asher was in.

Darlin’s brain felt like it was on overload, sounds and colors and light all coming in too fast and too hard.

“How have you been? What are you doing out here? Is Quinn here?” His name sounded like the thud of their forehead against the floor, a headache slicing through their temple. The woman looked around like he might be there in the shop, her smile huge and her teeth bright. Quinn’s teeth had been bright too, slick with red.

Darlin’s chest hurt and they fought the impulse to look around too, for one blinding second terrified that he might be there.

David had finished up with his client and started cleaning up his space. He had been sneaking peeks at Darlin’s work on Asher, not quite ready to process the pang of jealousy he felt. Maybe he just really wanted a tattoo from them too?

And then Milo returned with a couple of clients and everything changed. All of the ease that had built in Darlin vanished in a flash, their body went tight and their chin dropped to their chest. David was close enough and at an angle to see the way their eyes blanked out, like they’d fucking left their body.

“Back up,” Asher said, voice suddenly far from the light, humorous notes that usually filled the shop. He had sat up in his seat, physically putting himself between Darlin and the stranger.

The stranger jumped back, surprised. Offense warred with anger on her expression, gaze flicking between Asher and Darlin and then back to her friend standing with Milo.

Milo was quick to smooth things over, herding the two clients toward his station in the other room.

The woman went but spoke louder to make up for the distance.

“What the fuck is their problem? Do you think they broke up? It would explain what they’re doing here, but why be so dramatic about it?”

“Did you see their lip though? You don’t think Quinn did that do you?”

“No way. He’s so fucking hot. Why was he even with them? They probably just broke up.”

“Riley said Quinn was in jail…”

“Oh my god!”

Asher flicked his gaze between David and Darlin, asking without words what to do. Darlin was shaking, breaths tight like they were trying not to hyperventilate by taking in as little air as possible. They pushed themselves through the motions of putting away their equipment and taking out the gel and plastic wrap to finish Asher’s tattoo. Both men finally snapped, surging forward. Asher took the antibiotic gel and plastic wrap out of their hands and David gently caught their elbow, pulling them to their feet.

“I’ll clean up and close the shop when they’re done,” Asher said.

David steered Darlin toward the back door, grabbing their jackets off the wall on the way. They didn’t fight him at all and that was somehow just as worrying as the look on their face had been. He had never put hands on Darlin before, not in all the weeks they’d been working there. Darlin wasn’t touchy and he hadn’t missed how they always seemed to keep themselves out of arms reach if possible.

They almost tripped over their own boots when he guided them through the heavy door and out onto the sidewalk along the back of the building. He caught their side to keep them up and they jerked at that contact, like they were injured. It seemed to jar them back to life though, their breath deeper and their gaze flicking around the snow dusted parking lot. “Fuck,” they exhaled.

David handed them their jacket.

They looked at it, wincing before nodding and taking it. “I’ll come back for my shit on Tuesday…” They barely got the words out, voice raw.

“What?” David hadn’t known what to expect from them, but this was definitely not on his list.

Darlin pulled their jacket on, backpedaling a wobbly step away from him. Their head was still down, chin to their chest and hair in their face.

“You’re not fired,” David ground out, pulling his jacket on too but not taking his eyes off them in case their legs gave out. “You looked like you were about to have a panic attack.”

“Sorry,” Darlin muttered, swallowing hard.

David shook his head. He didn’t want an apology. They hadn’t done anything wrong. “You’re okay.”

They looked up at him, surprise so clear across their face. They straightened slowly, seeming to finally fully remember themselves again. “I’m sorry about that… I don’t know why I… It was unprofessional and—”

“Fuck that. And fuck them.”

Darlin blinked, shoulders easing down.

“You’re great at your art and you’re easy to work with. I’d have to be an idiot to fire you even if you’d told them where to shove their questions. You don’t owe them shit and you don’t owe us anything more than exactly what you give.”

Darlin stared, breath finally coming out in a long, easy exhale.

“You’re okay,” he said again. He wanted them to believe it, because fuck he wanted to make it true.

Darlin nodded slowly, like they were trying to.

They stood there together for a while on the cold sidewalk before David finally huffed a thin laugh. “You got me out of closing.”

Darlin smirked. “You’re welcome.”

David flicked his lip ring thoughtfully before asking. “Do you want to come up? We’ve got beer and we can order pizza when the rest of them are off.”

Darlin watched him, their gaze cutting toward the entrance to the apartments that were over the shops.

He’d invited them every weekend to whatever they were doing but Darlin had never taken this long to consider it. He hoped they didn’t think they were obligated. He’d meant it when he said they didn’t owe him anything but the good work they did.

Darlin nodded, hands in their pockets. “Yeah. Sounds good.”

David didn’t make a big deal of it, just nodded and led the way to the door. He’d text Asher when they were upstairs to let him know they were staying in tonight—so he could tell Milo and Sweetheart too.

It was the longest piercing of Milo’s life.

They were on their phones, looking up Darlin and this guy, Quinn. They exchanged an endless stream of information as they gathered it, pausing on occasion to turn big eyes to him and ask if he knew.

He hadn’t.

He had seen that scar on their lip and known something, but he hadn’t looked them up. None of them had. It wasn’t something they’d discussed or anything, it just hadn’t seemed right. If Darlin wanted to tell them what had happened, maybe they would someday.

But now he knew.

The details were spotty, a domestic violence charge. And then they’d talked to a friend of a friend who had more information…and photos. They groaned at the images and Milo tried not to see them. “They’re saying he actually pulled the ring out! Oh my god, look at those stitches! Why is their face swollen like that?”

Milo saw the photo. He didn’t mean to. Didn’t want to. Their face was swollen like that because someone had beat the shit out of them. There were stitches in their hairline too, and their cheek where another scar now lived.

If he hadn’t already done the piercing by that point, he would have kicked them out. He shouldn’t have brought them back at all after the way Darlin had looked. Was it a betrayal?

“I just can’t believe it. There are always two sides to a story. It’s not like Misfit is a sweetheart. It was probably complicated. Quinn was just so much fun. There’s no way.” His hands shook. He felt Sweetheart watching the whole time from their station across from him. They hadn’t said a word—hadn’t moved—but he felt their eyes on him all the time. It was grounding and comforting, but at the same time added to the mounting unrest.

He was relieved when he walked them back to the lobby and Darlin was gone. Asher was cleaning up their station—uncharacteristically quiet. Had he heard everything? How could he not?

Milo took payment and tip in a haze. He didn’t care if they underpaid. He didn’t care if they paid at all. He wanted them out.

As soon as the door closed, he rounded the counter and threw the lock, slapping the light switch for the front of the shop.

“Babe?” Asher asked, voice low with worry. “You okay?”

Milo wanted to laugh. Of course, he was okay. He wasn’t the one who had someone put them in the hospital. He dragged his hands through his hair and used one of the ties on his wrist to knot it. He nodded, jaw tight.

Asher looked like he understood, nodding back. “David took them outside. We’ll close up.” Asher’s phone plinged in his pocket and he reached down and pulled it out. He was still shirtless, his side shiny where he’d slicked it with gel and stretched plastic wrap over it. His expression lightened with surprised. “They’re upstairs.”

“What?”

“We’re doing beers and pizza at our place. Darlin’s hanging out too.”

Milo’s stomach twisted, thinking of that photo and the flood of gossip mixed with news.

“Want me to say you can’t come? I can make up a reason—” Asher offered.

“No,” Milo said just as quickly, shaking his head. “Fuck no.” He’d been hoping they could get Darlin out of their shell and hanging out with them. Did knowing change that? Absolutely not. And if he bailed, they might think it was with intent. He was already worried he’d crossed some line by working on that person.

He walked through the quiet studio, back to the room with his station. Sweetheart was still standing there, tattooed arms folded tightly against their chest and eyes on him—always on him. That stare was softer now, as soft as Sweetheart could get anyway. “Milo…”

He set his jaw and shook his head. He was fine. He had no right not to be fine. Nothing had fucking happened to him. He went to his station to clean up but then their hand was on his arm. He stopped.

“You’re not him,” they said, a whisper just between them.

Milo cringed. Who did they mean? The newly mentioned Quinn? Or his dad? Because right now he really wanted to hit someone. His hands were curled so tightly that his knuckles ached.

Their fingers hooked around the back of his neck, pulling until his head met theirs. He felt their eyes on him, intense as ever. “Wanting to protect people is different than wanting to hurt people.”

He wasn’t sure right then. He really wanted to hurt someone. Someone he’d never even met. He closed his eyes but it only made that picture of Darlin all fucked up and dazed from that stranger’s phone clearer in his memory.

Sweetheart scratched the back of his neck gently, trying to distract him. “Stop it.”

He dragged a breath and let it out, nodding. Whatever that was, what he’d heard them talking about, that was in the past. There was nothing to do about it now but keep an eye out for Darlin in the future. He winced again. How much of that shit had they overheard? Would they close off even more now that the rest of them knew something about their past? No. They’d finally agreed to hang out with the group tonight.

That was good. That was really good.

“Thanks, Sweetheart,” he said, wrapping both arms around them and hugging them tightly. He pushed his face into their neck and breathed them in. “If anyone ever hit you…” he mumbled, hating even the words.

Sweetheart laughed darkly, giving his hair a little tug. “I’d bury ‘em before you even got the chance.”

He sighed. They said that because they didn’t know what it was like to have someone you loved turn on you like that. He was glad for it. It was fierce and beautiful and he hoped they’d never lose that. As long as he was there, they wouldn’t.

“Are you two cleaning or fucking?” Asher called from the front room. “Because I’m about done out here…”

Sweetheart unraveled from Milo and turned toward the doorway. They started making loud sex sounds.

Milo bit back a laugh and finished cleaning his station while Sweetheart gyrated, calling out Asher’s name in a mock orgasm.

Asher came to lean in the doorway, one pierced eyebrow raised at the scene. “Nice, Sweets…” he said, tone flat with sarcasm but a little smirk pulling at his lip. “At least now I know what you’d sound like if I ever fucked you.”

Sweetheart put their hands on their hips, staring back at him. “And?”

He shrugged.

Sweetheart faked offense, hand flying to their heart. “What? What else could you want, Ash? I’m fucking amazing!”

He shrugged again, smirk back, and walked away to start shutting off the lights.

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