#the ghosts are actually really annoyed with him but sympathetic

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

"Come get your child." Robin stared incredulously at this...entity? Being? He was a child himself, how could he possibly have a kid of his own.

The creature huffed, seeming very put out by the young vigilantes confusion. "What is there to not understand? Your child has been running wild in the Infinite Realms for a while now. Ever since that portal exploded hes been taking his emotions out on everyone!" The thing said, throwing her hands into the air, "And you!" Robin stepped back a pace or two when he suddenly found a very sharp claw in his face, "I had to do a lot of searching to even find you! What kind of parent are you?!"

"I'm not."

The entity opened and closed its mouth a few times like a fish before suddenly becoming furious, "Its no wonder hes like this when his gardian has so little interest in him! Did you know the other day he plugged a liquor bottle with a cloth and lit it on fire? I don't even know where he got it, but he lit the cloth and yelled something like, "mazzle toff" and threw it at my own adult son!"

"..."

"When my little boy burst into flames do you know what he said to me?"

"...no, but I feel like you're going to tell me anyways."

"I'm sorry ma'am I wasn't expecting there to be that much fire."

"That much? So he fully intended to set someone ablaze but the amount of fire is what troubled him?"

"Yes!" She growled, exasperated, "Please come get your child as soon as possible! Hes terrorizing the whole dimension!"

Damian found himself staring at open space the woman had occupied previously before contacting Oracle through the coms, "Did you get all of that?"

It was Grayson that spoke, "Every word."

---

Aka Danny has a lot of misplaced aggression and kinda terrorizes parts of the GZ. Unfortunately for him hes a clone of one of the bats (weather or not you want it to be Damian, Project R or someone else that hes cloned from is up to you) and they're coming to him to assess if he's an evil clone or mindless or whatever.

Too bad Danny sucks at first impressions.

[redflagshipwriter]

Red Hot Ghouls chapter 13 part 2/2

masterpost

Given that Dr. and Dr. Fenton had taken him on a drive around town that legitimately climaxed with an on-foot chase of a hulking ghost who did not care to comment for their family blog, Jason thought that was actually kinda probable. If the Drs. had that technology, their kids would probably have access as well.

“Why not?” Tim said, sounding a bit defensive. “We know for a fact that there’s a few undead out there, zombie boy. And there’s a ghost affiliated with the JL.”

All solid points.

‘But there’s no way the good Doctors would be able to convince a ghost to do anything they wanted. Would the daughter have any better luck?’

Jason covered a laugh in his fist.

His ghostly experience so far consisted of:

Danny Phantom, who was very annoyed that Waters was trying to pay him tribute and not happy to see Jason, either.

The mysterious collaborator who hadn’t even wanted Jason to enter his tower.

Skalker, who spent the length of their acquaintance screaming and flying away at what appeared to be his top speed while Jack Fenton whooped and Dr. Fenton shouted questions from a megaphone.

“I get the vibe that they don’t really care to interact with the living,” Jason said, before Tim could get his knickers in a twist. “So my skepticism is in regards to the likelihood of a ghost agreeing to collaborate.”

“What, you think they’re all the same?” Tim said. His tone made it seem like he thought that was such an embarrassingly unintellectual idea that Jason should sink through the floor.

“I think there’s pretty good reasons there might be a trend.”

Tim made an unconvinced sound and changed the subject. “Since they have a similar area of interest, I want to look for a connection between the Fentons and Waters. They could be- Why did you laugh?”

A neon sign lit up across the street, sending a wash of purple light through the air. Jason shook his head. “The Fentons- the Dr.s Fenton, at least, strongly dislike Jeremy Waters.”

“Why did that come up?”

“No reason,” Jason lied airily. “Anyway, that’s not it. Could be some kind of rivalry. But I doubt they’d want to visit Waters in Arkham to give him their sympathies.”

Tim chewed that over for a moment. “Could be a rivalry. I gotta go, O’s hitting my line.”

“Stay safe out there.” Jason cut the conversation and settled in to think. He stuck his hands in his pockets and wished for something to fiddle with that wasn’t a weapon. It had poser vibes to stand around on a rooftop alone playing with a knife or a gun. If Oracle caught you on video, she would tint it blue, set it to some humiliatingly emo soundtrack, and send it around the hero community.

Not, uh. Not that that had happened to him.

He called in. “Hey, O, good evening.”

“Good to hear from you, Hood.” She sounded as serene as ever.

Jason fidgeted a little. “Anything I could help with?” He toed the front of his boot back and forth on the cement ledge for a moment, killing time by idly calculating how many seconds he’d have to engage a grapple if he fell from this height.

“Good news for Gotham, it’s a quiet night.”

He sighed.

“I know, I know,” O said sympathetically. “You got all dressed up in your dancing shoes-”

“And there’s no one to go out with,” Jason agreed. At the back of his mind he vaguely remembered that that…might not be true, actually. He made a dramatic sigh. “I might call it a night, then. No point staring at the city like some bat-eared creep. I don’t have any monologues to work on right now.”

“Oh, you got those all done? Good for you, little buddy.”

Jason resisted the urge to flip her off. She wasn’t even here.

“Stay safe,” he said, because the idea of ending a call without saying that always filled him with a terrible premonition that this would be the time the other person ended up shot in the head and gone forever. He blew out a long, slow breath when he was finally truly alone and reconsidered the thought he’d had earlier.

‘I haven’t messaged Phantom all this time. It might be a good night for it. It’s been most of a week. He won’t be annoyed that I’m checking in now.’

Yeah… Yeah, okay. Jason grappled down and made his way to where he’d stashed his bike. He got into his current residence and stripped out of his gear. He got out his phone and shot Phantom a text before he went into the shower. Not much, he didn’t wanna come across as desperate. Just a nice, casual, “Hey, what’s up? Just checking in. Any luck so far? I finished my books!”

[al-the-remix]

BuckTommy Whump Week Day 1: Canon typical injury // Wound neglect

Thank you to the @bucktommywhumpweek mods for putting this together (and sorry it's a day late!) uhh...I have no idea how to tag this one, so just enjoy! Again, please excuse any grammar/spelling errors, they'll be all fixed by the time these make is to Ao3.

It was a pretty house, with arched windows and the pristine white walls of a Spanish revival that had recently had some love and attention given to it. Evan had told him some meandering tale that Tommy had had a difficult time following about ghost phone calls and haunted desolate suburban homes. It was one Tommy couldn’t quite believe, but enabled nevertheless; he’d overheard stories about the Loz Feliz murder house, scuttlebutt around the water cooler and during lulls between calls. He’d never given the stories any real consideration, and gave them even less now that he was faced with what looked like a totally innocuous family home. 

Maddie had settled herself at the end of the dining room table, her whole body angled towards him, hands folded around her coffee mug, radiating warmth as she waited patiently for him to spit out what exactly it was that had brought Tommy to her home on her day off.

Tommy hadn’t really known what to expect when he had called her. They’d never had the chance to spend much time one-on-one, whether it was Evan or Howie, there always seemed to be someone else hanging around, dividing his attention. Now he wishes he’d reached out sooner and under more pleasant circumstances. 

“So, what is it you wanted my advice on?”

Tommy drew his own mug closer to his chest, lacing his fingers around it to keep himself from fidgeting. The steam from the tea felt warm on the underside of his chin and he had to bite down on the skin of his inner cheek to quell the sudden swell of emotions that rose inside him. 

“Evan wont let me look after him.”

The corner of Maddie’s mouth twitched up in a moment of brief amusement, then tugged down in a sympathetic half-smile. “Welcome to the club.”

Tommy found himself laughing despite himself, the noise thick and a little wet in the back of his throat. He hoped that part was quite enough to slip beneath her radar.

If Maddie noticed she didn’t acknowledge it, much to Tommy's relief. He already felt foolish showing up here to needle his boyfriend’s sister for relationship advice, even if he had been invited, he didn’t need to get all emotional about it too.

“Have you talked with Evan recently?”

“I have, but I can’t say that he was exactly forthcoming. Not that he ever is when he’s injured.”

“Right,” Tommy looked down at his hands. “Which I understand, I’ve had strains before, they’re a drag and it’s annoying having to be on the bench for three weeks, but they’re worse if you don’t let them rest.” She was watching him with clear understanding as he rambled. 

“What happened,” Maddie asked gently.

Tommy rubbed at the side of his nose, feeling a little sheepish. “You’re a nurse so you know. Anyway, it sounds silly now, but he wanted to go to the gym the other day–which it’s way too early for–and we got into an argument about it. I wanted to give him space, but now he hasn't texted me in three days and I don’t know what to do. I tried to call him earlier, but he didn’t pick up. I just don’t know how much to push.”

In Tommy’s experience, the line between caring and overbearing was a thin one. 

Evan had never seemed to shy away from going after Tommy’s attention when he had wanted it, whether that meant asking for tours he didn’t really need, or playing sports he didn’t actually like, or organizing a coffee date to apologize when he hadn’t needed to. Maybe it had been presumptuous of him, but Tommy really had expected Evan to reach out sooner rather than later; and the longer the silence went on the more deliberate it felt, like maybe he’d overstepped some invisible boundary Tommy hadn’t even considered looking out for. 

Maddie watched him with a kind, sympathetic expression. Maybe at first glance most would say she and Evan didn’t look much alike, but to Tommy it was clear in their eyes, and their smiles, and their big hearts. 

“I don’t know how much he’s told you yet about our parents or our family situation.” She spoke carefully, as if weighing each word with her consideration. “But I think you might find that he does want someone to look after him, he’s just worried that once you see it, all the raw, messy bits he likes to hide, you won’t want to stay.”

Tommy was all too familiar with raw and messy, not that Evan knew that yet. And maybe that was part of the issue, he’d been so preoccupied with letting Evan set the speed and seeing where it took them, that he’d allowed his own role in this dance to fall to the wayside. He’d told Evan that he was interested, but did Evan know to what degree? Maybe he’d been too concerned with scaring Evan off to really open up the way he should have by now.

“Has that happened before?” Tommy asked when he’d worked the words past the frog in his throat.

She tilted one shoulder up. “He thinks it has, and that’s enough.”

Tommy considered that, staring down into his milky reflection in his untouched tea. 

“Here, have a biscuit,” Maddie offered, pushing the plate of neatly arranged shortbreads across the table at him. 

Tommy gladly took one. In spite of what Evan had suffered through with his parents growing up, he was lucky to have her. 

///

For once the afternoon L.A. traffic didn’t get under Tommy’s skin. He gladly welcomed the prolonged drive home to turn Maddie’s words over in his head. 

In many ways Evan’s body was sort of like a haunted house: possessed by a ghost that wasn’t his, neglected because of it. 

In Tommy’s pocket there was an extra key on his keyring, freshly cut and matching his own. It had sat there for a week, fucking with his head while he’d waited for the perfect opportunity to offer it to Evan. Sure, it was fast, but there was just something about the way Evan had weaved so snugly into Tommy’s life that had made him want to forgo all of his usual hesitancies and firmly erected walls in favour of having Evan be able to come and go from his house as he pleased. And Tommy liked the idea of finding Evan already in his home at the end of the day. He’d hoped that Evan might take it as the signal it was: that Tommy wanted him around permanently, taking up space and leaving his dirty socks all over Tommy’s house. 

Most of all, Evan made him want to be brave. Now Tommy wasn’t so sure. 

Evan had navigated their first few months of dating with his foot pressed firmly on the gas and very little inhibition, leaving Tommy reeling in his wake. He wasn’t accustomed to being pursued with that much earnest persistence, especially by men who up until very recently considered themselves straight.

///

Maybe he’d overlooked the very real possibility that all that inertia may be overcompensation for something lurking below. That when all that confidence melted away and all the forward momentum Evan had built up hit its peak, Evan wasn’t fully prepared to handle the descent that lived on the other side, not on his own.

That was okay, Tommy was a pro at handling those. If only Evan would let him. 

Tommy tossed his keys in his hand as he made his way to the front door,  thumbing the rough edges of the newly cut key. He wasn’t sure how many things Evan truly had of his own; he’d heard about the bicycle and the brother, and he knew that what Evan did have he fiercely guarded, his own space and his bodily autonomy were at the top of that list. 

Tommy had witnessed the way wounded and sick animals could go from gentle to aggressive in a blink of an eye out of fear and pain. He wanted Evan to know how invensted he was in this relationship, but also didn’t want to be the one to corner Evan, to make him feel trapped and like he needed to lash out to be understood. 

It was a fine balance. 

The house was dark and quiet, he hadn’t expected anything else, but still he tried not to let his disappointment settle in the pit of his stomach and make a home there. That wouldn’t help anything. 

 He made his way to his room, not expecting to find a big formless lump on his bed or that it would groan when he flicked on the lights. 

Tommy just about jumped out of his skin, swearing black and blue. Evan was lying on top of the bed covers, his sneakers still on his feet. It looked like he had half-heartedly attempted to undo the laces on one before giving up. 

Evan lowered the arm he’d flung over his eyes against the light, squinting at him where Tommy still hovered in the doorway. 

“Hi,” Tommy said, at a loss for anything else. As far as Evan’s expressions went, the one he was wearing was fairly unreadable.  

“Hey–So, you’re going to be mad at me.” Evan let the words out in one big sigh, like they had been pressed up tight against the starting gate of his teeth. 

Tommy risked taking a step closer to the bed. “I promise you I’m not.” 

Evan let his head thunk back against the mattress, eyes locked on the ceiling, and muttered: “I think I strained my strain.”

Caught off guard, Tommy had to press his lips together tight to suppress the laugh that bubbled up in his throat. This wasn’t exactly the moment for it. 

Evan was still staring at the ceiling, looking miserable, even after everything Tommy couldn’t help but feel fond. “Stay still, I'll go get the ice pack.”

“That won’t be hard.” He heard Evan mumble as he went to dig the gel pack out from the back of his freezer, grabbing a bottle of Advil and one of the water bottles Evan had left in his dishwasher for good measure. 

When Tommy returned Evan had indeed not moved. He settled himself on the foot of the bed, pulling Evan’s skinny ankles into his lap as he began working away at the laces. “How did you get into my house?” Tommy asked as he worked. That really should have been his first question, he could feel the heavy presence of his eyes in his pocket. Well received or not, he probably should have offered it to Evan a week ago.   

“You’re a firefighter, you should know those little fake rocks are a dead giveaway to anyone trying to break in,” Evan huffed, sounding more like himself. “At least invest in a garden gnome or something to throw them off.”

Tommy chuckled, catching Evan’s eye. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time my boyfriend decides to break into my house.”

Evan’s gaze dipped down to where Tommy was working the first shoe off his foot, quiet for a few moments before he said, softly: “Thanks.”

Tommy just grunted as he started working on the laces of the other high top. Evan really needed to invest in some proper weightlifting shoes, but Tommy wasn’t exactly raring to get into another gym centered argument so soon. 

When he’d finally wrestled both shoes off, Tommy got Evan sitting up against the headboard, and situated himself on the edge of the mattress at his knee so he could slip the ice pack under the meat of his calf and hold it there.  

“I can do that if you want.”

“It’s fine. I’m happy to,” Tommy said simply, giving Evan’s ankle a squeeze where his other hand rested. He wasn’t expecting Evan’s eyes to dart off to the side, a rush of air leaving his lungs with a hitch that snagged Tommy’s attention. 

“Fuck, I didn’t want to do this,” Evan said, his hand coming up to rub at his eyes. 

“Be a mess, you know, a nuisance.”

“Do what? Evan–”

“Evan, I don’t think you’re a nuisance,” Tommy said, trying to catch his eye. 

Evan shot him a flat, red rimmed look. “I broke into your house. I was stubborn when you were just trying to look out for me, and then too much of a chicken to call you back when you were worried about me.”

Tommy stroked his thumb over the exposed bulb of Evan’s ankle bone. “I shouldn’t have pushed,” he said softly.

Evan shook his head. “I want you to push–you weren't even pushing–not really. I just, I really like you.” 

Tommy felt a sappy smile spread across his face. He let go of Evan's ankle to take his hand instead, giving it a squeeze. “I really like you too.”

Evan let out a wet sound somewhere between a cough and a laugh, his face a startling red. “I really like being your boyfriend.” 

“Good,” Tommy said, “because as your boyfriend I want to ice your leg for you, even when you’re being stubborn about it, even when you don’t call me back.” Evan’s eyes dipped away to the side like he was preparing to sidestep Tommy’s sentiment again and he figured this was his moment to lay it all out there. “This isn’t too much. You’re not too much for me, but if it’s too much for you, too soon, you need to tell me, because I’m serious about this Evan. I want you to be around even when things are messy.”

Tommy reached into his pocket, pulling out his keychain and began to work the new key off the ring. “Maybe this isn't the right moment, but I had this cut a few weeks ago, and so if you'd like, you can just let yourself in next time instead of having to hunt through my garden for fake rocks.”

Evan stared at the key Tommy held out to him, a dumb founded expression on his face. “You got that made for me?”

“Yeah–”

“You don't plan on going to Ireland any time soon do you?”

His eyes were like big wet saucers, infinitely vulnerable and Tommy frowned. “What?”

Evan's face crumpled, one big hand snapping up to cover it as he muffled a sob. 

“Okay, okay,” Tommy soothed as he climbed gingerly over Evan's legs to sit properly on the bed beside him. “Come here.” 

He was relieved when Evan let himself be pulled against his chest, wrapping his arms snugly around Tommy's neck.

“I'm sorry I was a dick and for the crying, my leg just really fucking hurts,” Evan mumbled into Tommy's now soggy shirt collar.

Tommy rubbed his back in calming circles. “It's okay, I don't mind, and I forgave you pretty quickly. Just next time please call me back so I know you're alright. I want you to.”  

Evan moved just far enough away so he could get a good look at Tommy's face. “Me too–all that stuff you said–it's not too much for me either,” he said and pulled Tommy into a wet, kind of snotty kiss. 

Tommy cradled Evan's face in his hands, it was short and sweet, Evan's sinuses too blocked up for anything more than that, but at least he was smiling when he broke away from the kiss, out of breath.

“I was kind of worried you were going to break things off with me, that's why I didn't call you back," he admitted.

“Evan–” Tommy tried, but was cut off.

“Look, maybe I have a penchant for self-sabotage, but I'll, uh, try to be better with that.” He laced their fingers back together, resting them against Tommy's knee. "I haven't wanted something this badly in a long time. It's kind of scares me."

"Me too," Tommy admitted, "I meant it when I said I was serious about you."

Evan's smile did something that made Tommy's heart jump in his throat. "Good, because I think I'm going to need a ride to the doctor's tomorrow."

"I think I can manage that," Tommy said and reached for the ice pack where it had been left forgotten on the mattress. And maybe after that Evan would want to come back to his house and stay a while.

[aoioozora]

Simon.

Part 11

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 12 - Part 13

Character: Simon Riley / Ghost Content: Biker! Ghost x Fem! Reader, strangers to lovers, fluff, civilian au TW: Mentions of murder Note: Thank you for your patience! Here is Simon's angsty backstory.

“Simon?” 

A beacon of harsh white light appeared right under the face of the shadow, illuminating its grim face and casting ominous shadows under its eyes, nose, cheekbones, and lips like the teller of a ghost story would do. She let out a frightened squeak before finally recognizing the face of the shadow.

“You scared me!” she chuckled as she put her hand over her racing heart.

“That was the point.” He laughed as he watched her climb up to the porch. Under the ghastly, sharp light of the torch, he playfully flashed a devious grin.

“Stop it, you look terrifying!” She exclaimed, shaking her head with a smile.

Simon switched off the torch and was hidden in the shadows again. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness again and to see him a little clearer. She could vaguely see him slouched on the bench, wrapped in a thin blanket from the elements.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked, now sitting next to him and placing Little Simon aside.

“Johnny’s snoring,” Simon shook his head, letting out an annoyed grumble, “Can’t sleep with such a delightful little jukebox cozied up next to me, you know.” He turned to her when she chuckled. “What about you?”

“I slept too much in the afternoon,” she sighed, “and so I sat up working on my novel, thinking I’d get sleepy soon enough, but that didn’t happen, so here I am.”

He let out a short “hmm” as he stared at the rain that was now falling a little heavier. ____ leaned forward to check on the tent.

“I hope the tent’s not getting wet inside,” she said.

“Don’t worry, it’s waterproofed. We’ve slept through many rainy nights in that tent, so it’ll be as right as rain,” he answered, smirking at his unexpected pun, and feeling quite gratified when he heard her chuckle. 

“I remember you made a rain pun the second time we met at the book cafe,” she remarked, continuing to giggle.

“What can I say,” he sighed a self-gratified sigh, now half-joking and half attempting to make her laugh again, “I can be pretty funny at times.”

“For sure,” she smiled and said with sincerity, “I really do think you’re funny.”

His eyebrows shot up slightly. Outside of his friends, he didn’t think anybody found him hilarious, knowing that he frightened most people with his massive build and dark, beady eyes, and his general serial-killer vibe. He felt a warmth build in his chest at her compliment and smiled gratefully.

“So do the three of you go camping often?” she asked.

“We usually go every weekend unless one of us is busy. Actually, it’s been a while since we went camping because Johnny and Gaz always have prior plans on the weekend.”

“And you never did?” 

Simon felt needles pricking him in the chest and he chuckled painfully at the question. “I rarely have plans with anyone except the lads. I normally spend my weekends going on long rides or I’d visit my family.” He inhaled the scent of the pattering rain, “I don’t have a lot of friends besides the lads and you.”

She gave him a sympathetic look and turned back to the rain. Feeling a shiver course through her body, she instinctively moved closer to Simon and sat shoulder to shoulder with him. “It’s cold,” she shivered and rubbed her goosebumped arms, “and I left my hoodie in the tent too.”

Simon immediately saw his chance and opened up the thin but warm blanket he was wrapped in. “We can share the blanket if you want to,” he invited, holding one of the corners of the blanket in his hand, opening it out to her.

She didn’t hesitate to move closer to him, and as she did, his arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her still closer, draping the large blanket over her body. Their legs pressed together, her shoulder pressed against his side, and her head found itself resting in the divot of his shoulder. His body radiated heat like a loaf of freshly baked banana bread that she couldn’t help but snuggle closer to him. Simon blushed and blushed; he was over the moon. Her closeness only increased his body heat and started revving his heart’s engines. He silently thanked the rain for being a wingman. 

As if in response to his silent gratitude, a cold wind blew, sending a spray of rain their way. Simon quickly raised the blanket over her face to shield her. 

“This man is forged by Chivalry himself,” she thought. “Oh wait, that’s a brilliant line! I should write it down.” But when she realised she didn’t bring her phone with her, she had to resort to carefully stashing it in her mind. For now, she decided to focus on how jittery and warm his touch made her feel, and wanting more of it, she moved closer again.

At her slight movement, his head turned slightly, hyper aware of how close his face was to hers. “Are you warm, darling?” He whispered, his voice carrying a slight tremor of the nervousness of a reclusive man experiencing an unknown but pleasant feeling.

“Warm and toasty like a marshmallow,” she answered, grinning gleefully at him.

His body burned at the sight of her smile. He tightened his arm around her shoulder, and she could feel his muscles tense and flex around her neck, and his fingers grazed lightly against her upper arm. His rugged shoulder was under her soft cheek. The damp air, the smell of laundry detergent and rainforest cologne from his clothes wafted to her nose, reminding her of the night she first met him. He could smell femininity from her proximity, and he inhaled sharply, pursing his lips tight and fighting the urge to lean down and kiss her senseless. 

“Simon,” she called, her voice soft.

“Yeah?” 

“You said you don’t have a lot of friends,” she began and then paused for a moment, “Were you never in contact with anyone from school or university?” 

She felt his body go stiff; she didn’t see it in the dark, but his jaw tightened too, and he answered through his teeth, “No darling, not one contact…”

His voice trailed off and a heavy silence from him followed. She sensed that there was something more hiding behind his tense answer, a hidden, brewing, twisting whirlpool in a blackened vase. She was afraid to pry, but her concern and curiosity overcame her. “How come?” she asked.

She could feel his chest expand as he inhaled a sharp, whistled breath. He cautioned in a whisper, “Darling, it’s not a pretty story.” His voice was solemn, and she understood that what was behind the reason was truly heavy and unpleasant. 

“Do you not want to tell me? She pressed gently, “I understand if you don’t want to.”

He looked at her, brows furrowed, eyes slightly narrowed, and jaw still taut. “If I tell you, you might hate me.” he thought, weighing his options. He knew that if he was to possibly date her one day, he’d have to reveal his murky past either way. And he wasn’t dating her now so, “the sooner the better. If she hates me now, so be it.” 

“Well…” he began, “As a lad, I was, to put it mildly, in bad company. And this bad company scared off any potential friends I could’ve made in school.” He paused, letting that information sink in first.

She asked, “What was this-” in air quotes, “-“bad company”?” 

No more beating around the bush when he admitted directly, “I was in a gang.” When he saw her wide eyes, he added, “Can’t get a lot of good friends in a gang, can you? Everyone and their mum would be too scared to associate.” 

She was silent for a while, and he looked at her with pursed lips and a tense brow, worried about her silence. “That’s…” she began, “wow.” She turned to look at him, and her eyes swept over his dark silhouette with a look that told him that she started to view him differently. She was both worried and intrigued by this; her opportunistic writer’s mind was selfishly curious. She shook off the feeling and chided herself to have some empathy for him. 

He’d half expected she’d get up and leave and never speak to him again, but her voice was still soft when she asked, “Why were you in a gang anyway?”

She was beginning to step deeper and deeper into the most vulnerable parts of him, and it made his stomach churn anxiously like a beaker filled with all the wrong chemicals. His knee bounced restlessly and he answered, “Didn’t have a lot of friends, darling. Johnny was my only friend back then, but I wanted more…” he inhaled shakily, “I wanted a whole group of friends. A clique. A posse.”

She looked understandingly at him, leaning a little further against his shoulder. His arm tightened around her shoulders, as if wanting more of and appreciating her support.

“I was about fourteen, right, and at that difficult age, fitting in with your peers means everything,” he sighed, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against her shoulder, filling her with a warmth that she sadly had to ignore so that she could pay attention to him, “and I was invited to join the gang that had their turf around my school. One of the olders- that’s what the higher ranking members were called- scouted me and Johnny off the street. Johnny refused, but I accepted almost immediately.”

Her gaze never left him, even though he stared straight ahead at the now rainy lake. “And what was that like, being in a gang?” she asked.

“It was kind of fun at first to be honest, but the novelty wears off soon enough. It’s a dangerous, reckless business, especially for kids. You’re always being stopped by the police and searched for small knives, and they can even sniff out the safehouses where we stash drugs and weapons. There are always ongoing feuds between gangs, and the older, higher ranking members use the younger kids as their soldiers. The feuds can sometimes turn into turf wars too.” 

“Turf wars?”

“Each gang has their own territory, and there are consequences if you trespass. But the gang I was in was a strong one, and we had beaten down enough smaller gangs to expand our area in London, where I lived.”

There was a pause and she sat pondering for a moment. “Have you directly participated in a turf war, though?” she questioned.

“A couple, yes. As one of the youngers myself, I had to.” he nodded. He paused, pursing his lips for a moment before he admitted, “The last one I’ve been in landed me in prison.”

Her eyes flew wide with shock. “In prison?” she exclaimed.

Simon grimaced at her reaction, his worries only increasing. “I don’t think you want to know the details, darling.”

“But now I’m really curious,”

He hesitated. Well, he had come this far; there was no backing out now. He fiddled with his fingers as he continued, “I went to prison at the humble age of fourteen for… manslaughter.”

He now feared that she would definitely walk off and leave, but she sat there, still close next to him, her eyes widening further. She was frozen in silence for a long time, considering how he could have committed such a gruesome crime at such a young age. The patter of the rain and the howl of the wind filled the brief, heavy silence.

“I didn’t enjoy it,” he blurted truthfully, hoping it would keep her from seeing him as a heartless killer, “It was all an in-the-heat-of-the-moment thing. We got ganged up on in an alley, me and two other of my lads against five. It was a stab fest from there. Three were heavily injured, one of which succumbed to their injuries, and I killed the other two by stabbing them in the neck and chest,” he paused to point to his neck and then his heart. She could vaguely make out the remorse on his face in the darkness as he whispered, “I stabbed them like I was the senate stabbing Caesar.” 

Her jaw slackened and her brows furrowed, almost feeling like a cold blade had sunk into her own body upon hearing this dreadful account. Her chest tightened and her stomach and she felt a painful throb in her heart as she imagined what the situation would have looked like.

“I was stabbed too, in many places,” he said, turning his head and pointing to the curious scar on his cheek. As he pointed at a spot on the left side of his chest, his stomach, and his right thigh, he could remember how it felt to have the short, cold knives sink into his skin, how they twisted harshly enough to wring out strangled screams from his mouth and his lifeblood out of the wounds. As his fingers passed over the scars under the fabric of his t-shirt, they thrummed and tingled in response to his memories.

Her features winced as she imagined a juvenile Simon drenched in his own blood and the blood of his victims, staggering and out of breath as he remorsefully stared at the work of his hands, feeling the weight of his guilty conscience and of the heavy hand of the law that would soon follow. 

“Proper gangs are rarely in the business of killing, and they won’t kill unless they absolutely have to. As the youngers, we were instructed only to injure and never kill, because dead men tell no tales, and it’ll only start a vendetta. But I killed. And the two other lads who were with me abandoned me and didn’t want to associate,” he shook his head, “So much for wanting new friends.”

“Were you ever found out by your family?” she asked when she found her voice.

“Yeah, by my elder brother. The alley where the stabbing took place was not too far from our old residence, and Tommy happened to be taking a shortcut to go home. On the way, he caught me slinking around. When he saw all the blood on me, he was shocked. Bombarded me with tons of questions. He was furious when I told him everything and he smuggled me to our uncle John’s place.”

She grimaced slightly at the mention of her ex. Now that she thought of it, she remembered John telling her back then of his family member who was in prison, and of his visits there. To think that it had to be the same man in front of her.

Simon continued, “Tommy and I told our uncle about the whole thing and at first, he refused to shelter me since he didn’t want to get in trouble with the law. But after some convincing, he showed me some pity and let me stay with him. Of course, he didn’t do so without a price,” he paused to chuckle bitterly at the pun on his uncle’s surname, “the price being a severe lecture as he treated my wounds.” 

The lady sighed, feeling pity for him, and even a little for John too.

“Eventually,” he shifted in his seat, “the police found me, came knocking on my uncle’s door. He had no choice but to surrender me to them, and I was angry with him for it. But I guess it was for the best.”

There was a pause from him for a moment. She gently pried, “and what happened after that?”

“I was taken to court. Me and the lads who were with me,” he answered, “They got a slightly lighter sentence. A couple measly years in prison and rehab for them. But mine was pretty severe, even for a fourteen year old. Eight years in prison and rehab. Ten years if I was remorseless, but my guilt lightened my sentence.”

She gulped harshly, unable to imagine such a young boy in prison. “And your family… how did they take it?”

He let out a laboured sigh, his gaze towards the rainy lake going out of focus as he vividly recalled the reactions of his parents. “My mum was inconsolable. She cried when she heard about what I did. She cried in court and she cried nearly everyday I was in prison. Uncle and Tommy tried to comfort her, but she wouldn’t be comforted. It was only when I assured her that I was undergoing rehab and continuing my schooling from prison that she felt a little relieved.”

Her shoulders relaxed when she heard that. “What about your dad?”

She felt his body stiffen. He was silent for a moment before he answered sorrowfully, “My dad… he was deployed in Iraq when he heard of this. He was angry with me– actually, angry is an understatement, he was livid. If it weren’t for my mum and uncle, he’d have disowned me already.”

“Disowned!” she exclaimed softly.

“Yeah, disowned. Being a Colonel in the Army, he didn’t want a criminal, murderer son. He thought it was disgraceful and embarrassing.” he answered bitterly, “I can clearly remember the time he came to visit me in prison for the first and last time. He said, “having a son like you is worse than death”.”

The lady was shocked to hear this. “He said that?” Her brows furrowed and she felt a twinge in her heart. “That’s awful. How could he be so heartless and say that to a child?”

“Yeah…” his voice trailed off, “But he’s always been like that. Strict and hard on both me and my brother. I never liked him. I always wondered what mum saw in him to love.” He ran a hand through his hair wearily, “He was an absent father, physically and emotionally. My mum knew it. She didn’t want us to be without a positive male role model, so she asked her younger brother to help her raise us. That’s where uncle John comes in. I liked him way better.”

She pursed her lips, now understanding why Simon and John were so tight-knit. She then asked, “Did your dad ever get over this? I mean, it’s been years now.”

He sighed yet again, shaking his head resignedly. “Not at all. He refused to visit me in prison, refused to talk to me after I was released, and still doesn’t want to talk to me. From what I hear from Tommy, it seems that I have ruined his reputation as an officer and a father by being a criminal.” 

Her heart sank. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t have to see his face to understand that he was deeply hurt by his father’s treatment. Looking down, she saw his clenched, trembling fist resting on his thigh. She gingerly placed her hand over his fist. It took him a moment but his fist loosened, and she gently stroked the back of his hand with her thumb to console him.

“I'm so sorry, Simon,” she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. 

Simon drew in a shaky breath, relieved that she was still by his side after hearing about his pathetic past. Her gentle touch soothed and calmed his anxieties and fears. “It's fine,” he managed to croak out, his reassurance ending in a weary sigh, “It's fine.”

“And now there's the family reunion to go to.” 

“I didn't want to go,” he admitted, “I only agreed for mum's sake. I honestly don't want to face my dad and have him look at me like I'm…” his jaw clenched, “the scum of the earth.”

She eased her caress on the back of his hand, and slipped her hand into his, giving him a squeeze so gentle it gave him butterflies. 

“Don't worry, you won't have to face him alone,” she declared quietly, “You've always had my back, and now it's my turn to have yours. If he or anyone says anything bad about you, I’ll fight them!” 

He chuckled at her determination and squeezed her hand back, feeling relief so strong that it felt like he was a barren land being bathed in rain for the first time in years. “You are too sweet,” he said, smiling a little. 

“Only for you, because you're special,” she giggled. 

An overwhelming feeling of warmth enveloped his body at her words. You’re special. The words replayed in his mind like a broken vinyl record. A lump choked his throat, and his eyes nearly welled up and burned with tears that threatened to spill over. He blinked them back quickly and steadied his breathing, not wanting her to know or see. He squeezed her shoulder, saying breathlessly, “Thank you.”

“Anything for you,” she couldn't help but think, almost wanting to lean in and kiss his forehead to reassure him further. But she held back. 

The two then sat in comfortable silence watching the rain until Simon felt the lady's weight grow heavier against him. He tilted his head down to check on her. 

“Darling?”

Silence. 

He strained his eyes in the dark and saw that she was fast asleep. Even in the loud patter of the rain, he could clearly hear her soft breathing. His heart melted at the sight. He had just revealed to her the bloodiest stain on his past and she still trusted him enough to fall asleep on his shoulder? Simon's chest swelled with elation and joy to witness such love from her. 

Peeking over her other side, he noticed Little Simon looking cold and forlorn. Smiling, he carefully reached over and took the soft toy, and lifting her arm up slightly, he tucked the little fellow against her stomach. He then adjusted the blanket over her so that she could experience maximum warmth. 

And then, the cherry on top. 

He lightly pressed his lips against her forehead, whispering with a tenderness foreign to him,

“Good night, my love.” 

End of Part 11.

Part 12

--

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[cosmics-beings]

Can I ask your opinion on what you personally think a good redemption arc for Megatron would be? I agree with your opinion of IDW/ES’s attempts because it really feels like something is…missing.

this is kinda critical, and it may be strange coming from me because over the past year I've tended to be soft on megatron but I've also been looking at characters with a more critical lens....so if hardcore megatron critique offends you then just look over. also...these are MY opinions.

What is missing is actual accountability, because in none of Megatrons redemption arcs does he ever actually take accountability, at least not in a way, IMO, that does anything for the narrative or holds him accountable.

There’s a lot of things that could’ve been done different. while I don’t really agree with how things are going in ES in regards to his character, what I do like is that Megatron’s past actions are finally coming back to get him. And by that, I mean that all the Decepticons have practically turned their back on him, which I love. And it also shows the organization can and in some cases should exist without him. I think what I didn’t like about ES, is that his redemption fell flat because he didn’t really understand a lot of what he did wrong. Meaning that, yes he was very sympathetic about being a warlord, and causing war and stuff. we even saw how much he cared about the deceptions and how angry he’d get when he thought that Optimus was working with GHOST to subdue the cons.

However, Megatron’s care for the Decepticons in ES is very very conditional. Meaning that if any Con had an issue with I’m, or literally wasn’t worshipping his feet or seeing him as a leader, he was prone to violence. This was shown with the Seekers AND Soundwave especially Soundwave — whom his peaceful facade broke the minute Soundwave held him accountable.

So I can’t say I completely hate ES, because it shows the flaws in taking a war lord and trying to make him a family grandpa, when he hasn’t really, truly been held accountable. But that’s also the thing that kinda makes me not like his redemption arc in ES. He is free, with the Autobots, with the Maltos, while his people are not. AND YES, for whatever reason, Megatron betrayed them. Maybe Megaton thought he was doing the right thing, maybe he thought it was saving the Decepticons, regardless it was still a bad look imo.

I hope ES points that out, how hypocritical he is, how the Deceptions don’t really want him as a leader because of that. 

IDW/Lost Light...

I love the Lost light, and i have a soft spot for LL Megs, but I really don't think Megatron deserved a lot of the nuance and care he got, when other characters had to suffer and didn't really get that. LIKE soundwave and other cons/ex-cons also deserved that nuance and love he got.

I think what i really hated however is how Megatron's presence on the Lost Light overshined a lot of the other characters. There was this need to push an unneeded redemption to the point that other people's narratives were overlooked. Rodimus suffered MASSIVELY for this, and he became an addition to Megatron' s arc, wherein he still had so much more growing to do. Now his character is solely tied to megatron and to me at least, it's kinda annoying. He deserves to exist outside of megatron but because there was a need for redemption for Megatron, he doesn't get that.

The relationship between Magnus and Rodimus, which needed to be highlighted, was HEAVILY destroyed because the narrative wanted Megatron to be the main character. And Roddy's trauma with being a prime was essentially downplayed.

I think that Megatron probably should've fought Unicron with the others in the end. And similar to starscream and soundwave, i think death, certain death would've been a great redemption for him. I'm not saying he can't be on the lost light for a while but essentially he wasn't held accountable for anything he did. he got therapy, he got a family, and he also got to leave to go to the functions universe and live a life he wanted.

and yeah maybe he gets executed, but there is also another megatron who was created with another LL, who doesn't get that, and he gets to be free and happy, while trillions are still dead because of him.

I don't think he actually got a redemption arc in the LL simply because he wasn't held accountable for anything. He got a very compelling, sympathetic story that i guess worked...

but i never saw it as redemption because he never was truly truly held accountable for what he did.

that's just my opinion. all of this is just my opinion so you don't have to agree with my takes!

[allzelemonz]

End: Micah Bell X Male Reader

Fictober Prompt: Day 25, Crying Pronouns: None Mentioned, Reader referred to as ‘man’ Physical Sex: None Mentioned Rating: T/Violence, language Warnings: Angst, crying, betrayal, Reader doesn’t take Micah’s side, violence, guns, shootout, drinking, Micah doesn’t know how to do emotions, Baylock is a good horse, extreme coping mechanisms Summary: The end of the gang, everything is going Micah’s way. There’s just one little snag that Micah doesn’t know how to handle, something he didn’t know how to account for.

Micah almost doesn’t believe his own eyes. Your face, usually fixed with a smile or some annoyed smirk, now twisted in anger, resentment, and betrayal. You’re standing next to Arthur fucking Morgan of all people, holding a damn gun at Dutch… at him. And his hand nearly shakes, but he steadies it. He has to focus on Dutch right now, has to keep him down this path to get what he wants. You… he can deal with you later. He can make up some story, suck up and stare you down with the eyes you love so much. Now, now his focus is on… Pinkertons!

And the chaos goes on. First it’s the Pinkertons, then it’s Morgan and Marston getting away, then the big fight, then Dutch leaving, and then… Micah is left alone. Except for Baylock, that horse carries him away to a nice corner of the Heartlands where he actually has a minute to lick his wounds--literally in some cases. Micah gets a fire going, pours whiskey over his cuts, pokes at the bruises, then he finds himself laughing.

“Morgan…” He spits the name out like poison.

With a whiskey bottle in hand and a smile on his face at the thought of his dead rival, Micah stares down at the fire. And his face slowly drops. He can see you in the flames, images of what feels like a ghost. You must’ve gone with Marston, long gone. Caring, loving, and gone. Micah is reminded of the first time you touched his stomach, smiling rather than grimacing. Your gentle hands holding him like he was made of glass.

Micah sits down, feeling the burning behind his eyes. It’s been a long time since he last cried but he knows there’s no one out here to see him and you are certainly worth a few tears. Such a betrayal really warrants a bullet to the head, but Micah can settle for drinking his emotions down while he wets his face for now. You’d comfort him if you were here. Despite his best efforts to convince you that sympathy is a weakness, if you were here you’d be such a sympathetic asshole about a few damn tears. Maybe you’d hug him… Micah’s always kind of liked when you do that, not that he’d ever admit it.

He takes a swig from his bottle, sniffing and coughing when he feels a sob rising up. Tears, you’re worth those, but not sobbing. You’re a traitor, more of a rat than anyone. So Micah takes another drink and tries not to think about the memories of you. It’s the time that you comforted him after his first nightmare in front of you that gets him. You woke him up softly, quietly, promised never to tell anyone, held him like a damn child… a sob bursts from him. He grips the bottle tight, taking another swig and trying to drown himself.

In the end, when there’s just a few drops left, he hurls the bottle as far as he can throw it. Then he sobs again, holding his head in his hands once he tosses his hat aside. There’s and urge to pull at his hair that he resists, making himself take his gun out to calm down instead. His hold on the grip is tight, his hand shakes and when he spins the revolver it’s messy and uncoordinated.

Baylock makes a sound, huffing as he wanders next to his owner. Micah looks up at the horse, sniffling and trying to right himself as if Baylock would judge him the way a person would. He’s a little surprised when Baylock lays down, nudging his head onto his lap. Micah swallows nervously at the affection, almost as nice as your hugs are. He carefully holsters his gun, not wanting to spook his horse, and puts his hands lightly on Baylock’s big head. Stroking the horse’s mane feels calming and Micah doesn’t sob anymore, but the tears still roll down his face.

Everything was perfect. Micah had everything. Dutch was falling into his hands, Morgan was dying, the weak links in the gang had gone, and he had you. He had a sweetheart, one that cared when he got hurt or acted strange. Someone that would fuck him without being paid. Someone that understood him. Someone that stood by fucking Morgan and Marston instead of him.

So Micah wipes his tears off with a cold leather sleeve as his mind fixes on a new thought. No longer thinking of sweet memories, but of how he’s going to kill the man that left him.

[xx-narcissa]

just finished ‘kevin can f**k himself’

well i finished it a few days ago but i had to really let it marinate in my head.

overall, 7/10. i would recommend it if you like drama series or whatever. honestly idk what to compare it to because i think the show is very unique in the directing style but if anybody knows a show or movie similar to it then please let me know and hopefully i’ll be able to check it out.

more detailed review + spoilers below

okay so first impressions i really did not expect the rest of the show to go the way that it did but it was very interesting, although i will say the ending seemed rushed but im assuming that was due to the network and not necessarily the shows team.

i had a love hate relationship with allison. and by that i mean every time i started to like her she did something to make me hate her again😭 definitely i tried to be sympathetic of her situation and how it may make her act but she was still annoying at times and definitely if it weren’t for patty she would have gotten herself into a lot of trouble.

also i want to make sure i mention the directing style (if that’s what it’s called). the transitions from sitcom to drama were so great and honestly chilling. and it’s so fitting for how real life is. obviously not exactly but we all know at least one person where it’s like whenever they’re around they become the main character of some strange sitcom that’s all about them and the problems they make and how everyone else has to clean up behind them and their mistakes. if you don’t know anybody like this then i envy you because these people are draining 😭

but back to the actual contents of the show, patty definitely was my favorite character even from the very beginning. i also began to like neil in the latter half of the second season, where he finally began to realize kevin is not a true friend and wouldn’t care if he lives or dies. i think if the writers/producers had even just a little more time then they could have fleshed out that plot line even more, especially throwing peter into it as well and showing how everyone was slowly distancing themselves from kevin rather than just walking out and ghosting him, as we saw through allison’s struggles it’s not that easy whether you are a spouse, family, friend, partner, whatever.

i liked tammy and i liked her relationship with patty, trust i’ll almost always like a wlw relationship (as long as it’s not immoral in any way). however she was the same as allison in my eyes, where i have that love hate relationship with her. i appreciated that she cared for patty and made patty feel heard but i felt like tammy overstepped her boundaries way too often, just showing up and trying to push patty out of her comfort zone all the time. it’s healthy to encourage people to face their fears and whatnot but i think she just came off as pushy or possessive at times, especially when it came to allison. i understand she viewed allison as a bad influence but i don’t get why she felt so entitled to ‘protect’ patty. patty is a grown woman who has known allison for 15 years, so it was just crazy to me that tammy felt like she could come in and tell allison to stay away from patty as if she would understand their dynamic at all. and yes ik that patty and allison weren’t friends those 15 years but im still just trying to make the point that tammy was the outsider (and a fucking cop so did she really expect patty and allison to tell her every single thing all the time) so she really had no place acting that way in my opinion. she was also very rude with the whole “i don’t like you you’re not my friend” attitude. like no need to lie and sugarcoat it but you can at least fake it till you make it.

anyways enough about that i just felt a bit strongly about that point, mainly bc wlw representation is so hard to come by so i just get a bit upset when it doesn’t work well.

honestly idk why but i expected patty and allison to get together. i’m glad they didn’t though, i think they work better as friends. but also i couldn’t really understand allison’s motives at times. sometimes it felt like she was being purely selfish and treating everything like a transaction (not just with patty but with sam, diane, neil, and even kevin at times) but other times it seemed like she genuinely cared and wanted to help (mostly with patty but a little with diane and sam too). it was easy to tell that patty was genuine with allison and actually cared for her but i just could never tell if it was reciprocated so if anybody wants to give their two cents on that i’m all ears.

i wont even get into sam because i’ll get mad. all i’ll really say is i did not like his dynamic with allison at all. this is again where i could never tell if she was just selfish or actually cared about him (but with him im leaning more towards just being selfish). especially when he brought up that everything that they do it’s because she wants to. so yknow it’s whatever but i didn’t like it and this relationship contributed a lot to my dislike of allison as a main character.

i wont really get into pete or kevin either. pete is pretty one dimensional the whole time (in my opinion). and kevin was very one dimensional until we are able to see more into his destructive and manipulative side in season two, but even then there’s not much to work with until the very end (but like i said the ending needed more work so im trying not to touch on the subject too much).

i liked diane. i was confused at first bc i didn’t know that she was allison’s aunt so their relationship confused me. in the second season i definitely felt for her. the whole thing with neil caught me off guard but i guess they were both hurting or whatever. she was a fine character, not too remarkable but i didn’t hate her.

so overall, my main criticism would be the characters need work. not that they are ‘bad’ or poorly written or anything, i just don’t see any of them as necessarily relatable or likable except for patty (but that’s my opinion and you may have a different one!). and ofc i know that not every story needs to have relatable and likable characters but i think that it helps you hook and maintain an audience.

but i think that that issue definitely is squashed by the great story and direction. idk the circumstances of the show, if it was always meant to be two seasons or if they got cut short idk. if they made a third season i honestly don’t know what else they could have had happen so while i think the ending could have been fleshed out more, i don’t think there was a need for another 8 episodes. THAT BEING SAID, i did love what we were given. as mentioned earlier i loved the contrast between sitcom and drama where not only did the show change cinematically but also the characters in the scene changed the way they acted depending on if kevin was present and i think that that was super interesting and a very unique concept that i personally have never seen before. the plot line could use a couple tweaks here and there but i am no show runner or script writer so please take that sentiment with a grain of salt.

okay, this review is long enough. bye now drink water be safe and ladies carry pepper spray and maybe learn a self defense move or two 🫡

[anotherrosesthatfell]

I honestly never make Alive angst opinion on everyone- 💀 (or if I did, then I forgot 💀) so let's go. I will also change some of his old opinion to new one because Cherry and I uncovered the dark side of Angst

Sunflower Au belong to @abloomingsunflower / @itzcherrybonbon

His personality explanation:

Angst is quiet and mysterious man. No one actually hang out with him expect for Gradient. (Plus Angst is depressing 💀)

He is a bookworm and very intelligent. Angst never reveal his full power unless he snapped.

Appearance:

He wear royal clothing in some occasions but mostly wear comfy clothing. On his daily life, you can see he wearing a red scarf and pairs of black earrings.

Magic/Power:

This dude is stronger than corrupted Nightmare. Only in E.L.A of course- yet, he never use his full power.

Angst power is almost alike to E.L.A Lily. His power is 10/10, second strongest after Dream. Even if Palette and Lux awaken their true form, Angst is still stronger.

Other than that, he has the ability to see ghosts even memories from the past when he touch an old object (or a person)

His opinion on people he knows

Adult

Dream

"Dream Light, the king of sun. Rumours says he committed many crimes years ago by letting the wars to happen. How did I know it? Well, let's just say I have little friends to tell me."

Ink

"Ink Comyet or her now name, Ink Light. Hmm.... Honestly this woman has another last name but I don't think I should mention it. She drinks to forget her loveless marriage. How sad..."

Swap/Blue

"The ex royal guard. He was very useful to the light kingdom. Sadly, father took his power away... This is why people sometimes should live quietly."

Hope

"The last witch of this generation or should I say the current Queen of witches? People think witches extinct but there are many of them, hiding and not knowing their abilities... Hope, she know witches are hiding but she didn't do a thing about it. All she said was 'it's better to move on'... ... But I am more interested about the revengeful spirit watching her."

Error

"the destroyer and the man who lose his wife. I am not fond of him and him too, hating me."

Alphonse (corrupted nightmare)

"I hate father."

Killer

"mother... I don't sympathize with mother at all. It feels bored to do it... Mother has the witch to support her."

Cross

"the babysitter, he had a crush on mother until he met Albedo. Hmm, I remember he used to protect mother and us from the abused... I don't like him after knowing what he has done to the king of light kingdom. He don't even know Lux is his daughter."

Dust

"A pawn of father. I am surprised she didn't run away with Swap when she had the chance... Stupid woman, she could live a happy life but instead she chose to stay."

Horror

"the most sympathetic man I know... I like to eat his cooking."

Albedo

"That Albedo guy, I seen him carries many sins in his back. His emotions are overwhelming and lots of negativity.."

Ship children

Palette

"a bothersome hero. Why grandma chose this weak boy to be a protagonist... He is nothing but a scared little kid. How annoying..."

Goth

"she live a quiet happy life. I am jealous, really. She somehow is able to sealed her ability to see spirits but that can't stop her curse of having a deadly touch."

Lux

"Ah yes, the antagonist of 'Palette story'. Can you believe it? A little girl who were abandoned by her parents and isolated from the world, was chosen to be the antagonist... Isn't it a sad reality? Yet, she is very intelligent which is I like it."

Merciless

"My heart dropped when I found out my dear little brother is the sidekick of the antagonist. Hmm... Well I don't mind it, he is strong one. I believe he do well to destroy this dammed world."

Crescent

"My twin brother."

Artemis - @abloomingsunflower

"My little sister is the sidekick of the protagonist. Sad reality isn't it? Now my little brother has to fight our naive little sister. I wonder when will there's a timeline where she found out I know how many times she died. I want to laugh thinking about it, I hope she will start to live quietly when she found out."

Gradient

"My 'friend'. It's not like I love his attention or affection anyway, I just got used to him. Since he made me feels like this, he should take the responsibility."

Paperjam

"I don't know much about her. Gradient only says the same thing over and over again. Luckily, a silly ghost told me she has a crush on Crescent."

Spirits

Nim

"grandma can be nice sometime but mostly she just complain about her old life. It was nice when she sang a lullaby."

Passive nightmare

"The revengeful spirit who is guiding Lux and watching over Hope. He is the one my father hate the most... He look nothing like Merciless. If father open his eye, Merciless face resemble mother. He is a bit annoying and lose himself while playing this useless game."

Lanny

"The Queen of magic. She has no descendant to manage her kingdom. Now the magical kingdom is nothing but forest for remaining mystical creatures."

Quetzalcoatl

"He hates my father for taking over his kingdom and manages it badly."

Bonus (what if!)

Vivi - @canon-vi

"the daughter of Dream and Ink. She is not on Palette side rather on Merciless and Lux side. It was a nice sight. Just image having your own sister to choose people who killed you... Artemis can relate to that."

Starcross

"he was an annoying brat but I'll be glad to educate him some manners. Maybe I should let him know that he is capable of taking Palette's power."

Callisto

"The child of Hope and Dream. He has a very handsome face and very respectful despite hating me. Pfft, I like to see this now prince of witches capable of."

Tasya - @canon-vi

"Ah, Hope died because of her? Hmm... She has a little elemental magic such as to grow plants unfortunately she don't realize it yet. I should lend her some witchcraft books."

Shelki - @canon-vi

"A petty little ghost told me this little one got a deadly kiss as her curse. She can't see spirits that well... It should stay like that or else I'll to take action."

Lily

"she's a very interesting little one. Unfortunately, I must hate her actions on making my dear little brother traumatized. She can torture Palette as much as she want but she should never touch my little brother... And I will make her regret it."

[ltghosty]

Rapacious (Simon "Ghost" Riley ﾒ Female "Cobra" Sergeant)

A/N: After the blow up my previous one-shot, 'Violation', got, I can't thank you guys enough for the love and the feedback I've been getting. Thank you so much. <3

Summary: Ghost finds out that you've been sleeping with Roach just when he started to have feelings for you and confronts you

Warnings: strong language, angst

Wordcount: 8.3k (holy moly, somebody stop me, this is getting out of hand)

(Also I've been playing with the thought of writing Alejandro one-shots because that Vaquero is all over my feed again, not that I'm complaining tho)

Happy name day to me :)

”Well, someone has to be hurting at the end of the day, right?” Ghost tried to pull it off as a joke but his eyes betrayed him.

Gary "Roach" Sanderson was the only one who could get really close to you without having his head blown off. Which was an ironic thing compared to the first time you had met him two years ago. He and Ghost were the least sympathetic members of Task Force 141.

Ghost was cold and distant, barely acknowledging your existence. It didn’t take you a lot of time to put the pieces together that stood behind his actions. He was the type of person who’d rather push everyone away than build an honest relationship with anyone.

Not that you couldn’t understand his way of thinking. You were living a dangerous life where any mission could be your last one. It was both thrilling and scary. One minute you might have the upper hand with a smile on your face and then everything would fall apart if you were too late.

A lonely bullet penetrating to a certain part of your body that would drag you through hell before tearing your soul away from your body…

Not being careful enough and practically running into your death without the slightest suspicion in your head. You could be fine, then in the next second, pieces of your body – meat, blood, bones – would go out of curl on the ceiling and blemish the ground.

You always wondered how would you go out someday. Not that you desired to die, more the opposite, actually. But sometimes you couldn’t help but wonder what fate life was about to give you maybe tomorrow, a week from now, or when you would be fifty years old.

Roach wasn’t interested in his possible endgame. If there was someone who wasn’t afraid to use his head and voice at the same time, it was him. Roach was smart and an excellent fighter. He’d spend hours to days working out, pushing his own limits until he was barely able to stand on his own.

You wondered if his past has got to do anything with his compulsion to conform. Roach’s personality was raw and honest. Sometimes it caused an unpleasant conflict between the Brit and you because you weren’t used to talking to someone who was that complex and straight with everyone.

When he first met you, he told you that if he’d ever met you outside the base, not wearing the uniform but normal clothes, he’d have never guessed that behind the beautiful eyes and kind smile a determined and deadly soldier was hiding in plain sight.

You couldn’t explain why but you felt embarrassed by Roach’s statement which wasn’t an insult but still felt like one to you. You could spend hours overthinking and analyzing what Roach had told you and it would only spice you up even more.

From that point, you were working extra hard on missions to show him what kind of soldier you really were. Needless to say, Roach was impressed by your tactics each time you showed him something new. And that made you proud of yourself.

It was puzzling how annoying Roach could be but you knew he’d take a bullet for you without hesitation.

Before you realized it, you two were always around each other. After a lonely night that ended in cuddles, once you’d told him about your nightmare, you grew to like him.

The only time you weren’t that comfortable around him was if anyone could see you two being close to each other. Even if it was only an innocent hug or an arm over your shoulders.

Especially around Ghost.

He didn’t need to open his mouth to startle you. He was muscular and his eyes always pierced through your soul. It made you feel like he knew something you always wanted to keep hidden.

It was fascinating how much power Ghost was able to hold. Compared to you, he was a tower and he could slam you to the ground with one fast move.

You saw Ghost and Roach train once at the gym back at the base while Soap taught you a few new moves.

You had to stop in your movements when you saw Roach’s face. You’d never seen him fight with his fists, he usually fought his wars with guns and bombs on the field.  He looked completely different once he’d grown serious and stepped into the ring. He was shorter than Ghost but that didn’t make him back down.

That was when you knew things would get serious. Roach could be surprisingly fast and violent.

After long minutes of struggles, grunts, punches, and dodging, it looked like Roach had the upper hand but with one shift movement, Ghost tore Roach’s hand behind, grabbed his waist, and threw him to the ground.

You were so horrified by the weight of their punches that Soap had to reassure you about Roach’s well-being. ”They always train like that.”

After swallowing your worry, you couldn’t help but tease Roach about his defeat.

”It’s your fault that I lost,” Roach said with sparkling eyes. You couldn’t help but stare at his sweaty appearance.

The way his hair was wet but messy and his shirt tightened around his athletic torso. It was a sight you wished to see more often.

”Why?” You asked with a smile.

”Because he doesn’t want to admit that Lt. kicked his ass, so he tries to blame it on someone else,” Soap joined you two as he wiped his sweat down with a towel.

Roach’s eyes narrowed and he hit Soap’s stomach, earning a grunt from the Scot.

”Can’t help but stare at Cobra’s beauty whenever I can.”

You raised an eyebrow at his compliment, trying to brush your blush off.

”Even during training?”

Roach sighed and looked down at you. He found it extremely attractive when you wore leggings and a short-sleeved top that left your stomach uncovered.

”Especially during training,” Roach winked at you and butterflies started to awaken in your stomach.

Ghost however wasn’t keen on listening to Roach flirting with you. Not only because it wasn’t his business but also because his chest tightened at the thought of you liking Roach’s compliments.

He dragged his hand across his shoulders as he made his way toward the changing rooms, however, it was impossible for him to ignore you three since you were standing in the way.

”You are a sight for sore eyes, after all, Cobra.” Roach joked and you huffed then shook your head.

”Am I now?”

Roach tilted his head to the side, his wet hair falling into his eyes that never left you.

”You always were.”

You felt blood rush into your face as you bit into your lower lip. You didn’t handle compliments really well but you didn’t want Roach to think you weren’t grateful for his kind words.

It’s been a long time since you got a compliment. And it was usually from some random guy at a pub where you’d always go to chase your loneliness away after departing.

It was different to hear those words coming from someone whom you have known for years.

”Stop terrorizing her, Roach.” Ghost’s raspy voice caught your attention as he approached you.

Roach gave him a side look, ”It’s not terrorizing if she likes it.”

Ghost narrowed his eyes before they landed on you. You almost believed he needed an approvement of you that Roach was right which didn’t sit well with you at all.

You liked the attention Roach was giving you but you didn’t want to admit that to either Ghost or Soap.

You didn’t want to build a conflict between them. It almost seemed like Roach and Ghost had been friends for all of their lives.

”Don’t be so sure about that,” Ghost murmured and Roach crossed his arms.

”I’m pretty sure she would have kicked my ass already if she despised me.”

You started to pick on your fingernails the more nervous you became. Soap gave you a questioning look but all you did was shrug. You tried to ignore the tension that has cut through the air like a knife.

You dragged your eyes across the men standing around you like guardians, suddenly feeling small and exposed. You didn’t know what to say anymore.

That was when you noticed the blood that was drooling down on Ghost’s arm.

”Ghost, your arm.” Your eyes widened and everyone looked at the tall man examining his injury. Was Roach this hard on him during the fight?

When Ghost glanced down at you for a brief moment and saw the terror in your eyes, he only sniffed as if it was nothing.

”That’s not new, must have scratched it open.” Ghost said flatly and you sighed.

”I’m sorry, Ghost.” Roach flinched at the ripped scar, guilt filling his eyes.

Ghost took a deep breath and patted Roach’s back with his left hand, ”Don’t be sorry, Gary. I’d be angry if you would have gone too easy on me because of my scar.”

Roach gave him a short nod but he couldn’t hide the guilt that was darkening his eyes.

Ghost shook it off as if it was nothing and bumped his fist into Roach’s shoulder as he walked around you and left the gym.

”How bad do you think it is?” You asked as your eyes followed Ghost’s figure until it disappeared around the corner.

”You know Ghost,” Soap said. ”If his arm was torn off he’d still say he’s fine. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

You almost smiled at the comedic relief Soap had given you. However, you couldn’t help but worry if he’d get an infection.

”I’ll go check on him, just to be sure,” you let them know and followed Ghost.

The changing room was empty and silent. You almost thought he wasn’t here anymore but suddenly, you heard a bit back grunt that you already were familiar with. Walking around the lockers, you saw Ghost sitting on a bench, wiping his blood off with a cloth that’s already turned crimson, losing its original color.

Of course, he heard your footsteps. That man could almost hear everything even during an explosion. His ears were as sharp as a bat’s.

He looked up and when he saw you, you could see the surprise that took over his eyes before he pushed his feelings away.

”Are you okay?” You asked, your voice small.

Ghost’s heart leaped at the vulnerability in your tone. He wouldn’t have thought that you’d ever be worried for him. Hence, you barely acknowledged his presence not only on the missions but also here at the base. He’d always thought that you hated him by the cold looks you were giving him.

And now here you were, leaving your audience behind, worried for him.

”I’ll live,” he cleared his throat.

You chewed on the inside of your cheek before letting out a shaky breath. Even when taking care of himself, you still found him intimidating.

”Mind if I take a look?”

He looked up at you in suspicion. ”Didn’t know you were a medic.”

You clicked your tongue as you shrugged. ”I always took care of my bruised knee when I was seven, so that should tell you something about my medical knowledge.”

Ghost scoffed to hide the laughter that tried to escape from him. He often found himself trying to be softer when you were around and he didn’t like how complicated you made him. He didn’t know how to act around the thoughts you awakened in him.

He guided you toward him and you swallowed before closing the distance between you two.

His eyes were glued to you the entire time as you took the last step and slowly knelt down in front of him. His closeness burnt your face like a burning iron and suddenly you were paralyzed.

If you weren’t afraid of him then why were you this nervous around him? Especially when you were alone with him?

You always tried to get away from situations where you’d be paired up with him because you didn’t want to disappoint him. There was a reason he has been a lieutenant for many years now and that also meant he was extremely trained and experienced.

Focusing on the blood that was trailing down his arm, you reached out and took it into your hands.

Meanwhile, Ghost couldn’t help but wonder how smart your hands were compared to his. It was almost like two different worlds were crossing each other’s borders. Your touch was soft which was something he hadn’t felt in years.

Even on your knees, Ghost was still hovering over you as you wiped the blood down to get a better look at on his opened scar. It didn’t look too bad but you didn’t want to believe he wasn’t in pain.

”Well, you won’t die, that’s for sure,” you said, breaking the silence.

Ghost almost smiled at your statement, ”You would be one hell of a doctor, Cobra.”

You looked up at him, feeling your cheeks warm up as his eyes bore into you.

”Chose the wrong career, I see.” You played along as you grabbed the bandage he already placed down next to him.

Starting to bandage his veiny arm, you still felt his gaze grazing over you.

”You ever thought of getting a normal job?”

You shrugged, ”Normal as in not killing other people and getting intel by torturing others?”

Ghost nodded.

”I wouldn’t want anything else,” you admitted. ”Without being in special forces, I might have ended up killing my neighbor a long time ago.”

Ghost was surprised to hear your dark humor crawling the surface.

”Are they that annoying?”

”And he hates women.”

”You are allowed to neutralize him then,” Ghost answered and you smiled.

The silence that fell on you two was no longer tense or sharp, it was comfortable and peaceful which was something you never experienced with Ghost before.

”You are a good sergeant, Cobra.” Ghost said, his voice quiet.

His words surprised you. You stole a glance from him, expecting to see smugness in his eyes to let you know that he was only joking but you found none of it.

Instead, you were faced with comfort.

”I’m everything but good, Lieutenant.” You said firmly and dropped your gaze. Only if he knew how much his words meant to you. You never found yourself good enough your entire life and hearing your lieutenant say this opened your heart in a way you would have never thought was possible.

”Why would you say that?”

You licked your lips, avoiding his eyes.

”Because I make mistakes quite often.”

”Like all of us.” Ghost replied.

You softly shook your head. ”Everyone but you.”

Ghost remained in silence as your words sunk in. You might have been right but you also didn’t know the amount of work and pain that made him want to be this excellent at his job. He learned the hard way how mistakes could affect someone’s life and all he wanted to do was never letting himself down ever again.

”Mistakes will help you learn.” Ghost said. ”I’ve seen what you can do, don’t you even think to underestimate yourself.”

”Yes, sir.” you nodded and Ghost’s chest warmed up a little.

He studied your peaceful face for a moment wondering if you were always this beautiful. He found himself daydreaming about how good it would feel to lay next to you and let your head rest on his heart. The heart that hasn’t been this alive for a long time.

His own thoughts were startling him because it’s been years since he had craved someone’s closeness this much. There was a time when you got shot during a mission and his heart was about to rip his chest into two, he didn’t know how much you had grown on him until he almost lost you. His thoughts were more than desperate when he helped you to exfil, little did you know that he wasn’t only reassuring you that he’d get you to safety but also himself.

And the worst thing was that he somehow, after all this time, caused you to always put distance between the two of you which saddened him each time he saw you turn away from him.

”What is it with Roach nowadays?” Ghost asked and you blinked.

”What do you mean?”

Ghost tried to ignore the solid pain in his chest as he remembered how flirtatious Roach has become around you. He also wished he could give voice to his thoughts as much as Roach could, maybe then you wouldn’t try to run away from him.

”He follows you everywhere like a fucking puppy,” he explained and you let yourself smile a little. ”And he doesn’t seem to be able to shut up anytime soon.”

”We got to know each other a little better lately,” you said, focusing on the bandage.

Ghost’s shoulders tensed as your words played over and over in his head like an alarm.

”Are you two together or something?” he asked, hoping your answer would be no. He wouldn’t know what to do or how to react if he’d find out that you’d been with his best friend all along.

You jerked up, your hands freezing around Ghost’s arm. When you looked up at him and saw how intense his eyes were while waiting for your answer. You knew any kind of relationship would have consequences within the team.

You shouldn’t tell him that you once imagined how your life would change if there was something more between you and Roach. You didn’t need to hear the speech that had been burnt into your brain on day one when you joined Task Force 141.

”No, of course not,” your eyes bored into his as you tried to sound confident.

Something flashed through Ghost’s eyes like a rumble of thunder but disappeared quickly.

Finishing his bandage, you tightened your fingers around his arm, just to make sure it was in its place. Putting the rest of it away, you stood up and were ready to leave.

”Just change it before you go to sleep,” you said. ”If you need help, you know where I’ll be.”

As you stood up, getting the higher ground physically, Ghost’s good arm reached out and grabbed your wrist before you could step away from him.

The breath caught in your throat as you felt his fingers caging your wrist. You thought you angered him with something but when you gave him a questioning look, he only looked back at you with softness.

”Thank you, Cobra.” His words shook you to the core and your mouth went dry. You didn’t know why but his words had more effect on you than they should have. And you didn’t know what to do with that realization.

”It’s nothing.” You shrugged and pulled your hand out of his grasp. You didn’t dare look at him again, so you quickly turned on your wheel and walked out like a teenage girl who did something embarrassing and wanted to get away from the attention she was getting.

----

Only Ghost didn’t find you in your room later that night.

He had some struggles, trying to change his bandage, mostly because his left hand automatically stopped once pain shocked through his right lower arm and he knew he needed another hand.

He was confused because he specifically remembered that you told him you would help him change his bandage. He knew that you never left your room past nine p.m., he usually took long walks during the night once he had woken up and he had never seen you outside of your room this late.

Your absence was alerting Ghost and at first, he thought that something was wrong. When he walked down the hallway, he met Gaz who was just about to head to the showers, and asked him if he saw you.

Gaz told him that you were out with Soap and Roach which made Ghost sad, just a little bit. He didn’t want to disturb your fun time, so he headed back to his room and closed himself away from the others.

What he didn’t know was that you never returned to your room. You went to Roach’s room which was on the other side of the building. Roach made you sure that he’d be there for you if you’d have another nightmare which was more than enough for you to agree and follow him to his room.

Spending the night with a handsome man who also knew his way around women? Who would say no to that?

For a brief moment, Ghost’s intense eyes crossed your mind as you were walking next to Roach, almost stopping you in your tracks.

You couldn’t tell anyone about your little visit because you might be transferred to another unit which was the last thing you wanted to happen.

Roach didn’t waste any time undressing you after closing his door and you were more than happy to return the favor. You couldn’t keep your hands off him the entire night, especially when your bodies melted into one, breathing each other’s names in the air.

Roach was surprisingly good at sex. He knew how to please a woman and he never once missed a chance to prove that to you during that night.

His lips left invisible marks and his hands were careful but confident on you. Especially after admitting to the fact that he has been dreaming of this moment for months now.

You were in euphoria after a few hours, you also were exhausted but wanted to keep going, enjoying the way Roach has made you feel both with his body and his words.

It was only a one-time thing. At least, you made a promise to yourself about that. You were already trading on thin ice when you went to his room since anyone could have seen you. You even were disappointed in yourself that you put your job on the line.

Until Roach made you change your mind. And remembering how incredible he was in bed made you miss the way his hands felt on you.

Soon, it became more than a one-time thing. You weren’t in a relationship and Roach let you know that he’d never try to convince you to start one with him and in the end, both of you had agreed to sleep with each other from time to time.

At first, it was hard to keep as a secret, especially during missions when Roach would stare at you shamelessly and would wink at you or touch you when no one saw it. But now that it’s been about a month, you became quite the expert at keeping it a secret.

Ghost seemed to be more open and trusting with you since you followed him to the changing room and helped him change his bandage which made you feel less stressed in his presence. He definitely didn’t forget how you opened up to him and admitted to your doubts.

The more he’d say reassuring or encouraging things to you, the less you’d tried to avoid him. And now, you didn’t even have a problem with being paired up with him once in a while.

He’d always make sure that you were behind him and would teach you guerrilla tactics while cleaning the houses and engaging with terrorists.

You liked how Ghost seemed to let his guard down around you. It meant a lot to you that he trusted you more each day. You liked it so much that you started to wonder why were you always avoiding his presence in the first place. Maybe because he was the lieutenant and he could kill anyone with one move.

Yes, that part was pretty scary, you had to admit that to yourself.

Once your time was up and there were only days that isolated you from going home for a while, you didn’t go to Roach’s room that much. At first, it was weird but when you reminded yourself that anyone could see you because the others had too much time on their hands getting their things packed, you knew it was the right thing to do.

However, you were happy to join the others when they decided to go out to Soap’s favorite bar. You didn’t wear anything special other than jeans and a hoodie but Roach’s eyes still found you every once in a while.

While tracing your fingers over the edge of your glass, you focused on Soap who was telling stories about the old times before you joined the team.

”And then the next second I was bleeding out on the streets of Las Almas while Lt. had already occupied the church and kept himself warm,” Soap said and you giggled. ”He was probably laughing at my misery the whole time.”

”So, he just left you like that?” you asked with amusement.

Soap nodded and gave Ghost a side glance who was sitting next to him, still as a rock. ”He really meant it when he said he is used to working alone.”

Ghost blinked before grunting in his seat. You watched in silence as his mask moved a little with the change of his expression. ”One dead man is better than two.”

You almost laughed but when Ghost’s eyes landed on you, you tried to hide it with a cough and took a sip from your drink.

”You are heartless, Ghost.” You said with a smile and Ghost studied your face for a moment.

”I’d argue with that.”

The way he searched for your eyes made you feel exposed and touched at the same time. If there was anything you were sure about, it was the fact that Ghost was everything but heartless… Especially with you lately.

You wondered if you’d get injured and were forced to flee, would he do the same as he did to Soap back then in Las Almas? Running away and not even looking back?

For some reason, you couldn’t imagine Ghost leaving you behind.

It wouldn’t fit with the image you have built up about him over the past few weeks. The amount of time he spent making you feel involved and teaching you new useful things proved otherwise.

Perhaps, you might have grown on him a little bit.

”Simon might have grown a heart this time,” Roach grinned and downed his drink.

Ghost didn’t like the fact that his people were teasing him about his feelings but if he would have denied it then he would have made you feel like you meant nothing to him.

Simon didn’t want to admit to the fact but deep down he knew that you meant more to him than he would have expected it. The first time he met you, he thought of you like another sergeant.

But you weren’t just a sergeant anymore.

He didn’t know how to explain it but he slowly got attached to you and he didn’t know how to act on those feelings. That was why he decided to teach you new things so that he could spend more time with you and would get to know you better.

Little did you know that he remembered every little thing you mentioned to him. You might have thought that he didn’t even hear you complaining about the scope cracking on your machine gun, but he made sure you could aim perfectly, handing you the other gun that he didn’t use.

”And get this, Cobra…” Soap spoke again, pulling Ghost out of his thoughts. ”He tried to distract me and keep me alive by telling me jokes.”

You couldn’t hold your laughter back this time. And Ghost liked the sound of your genuine, happy laughter, it didn’t even bother him that you were laughing at him.

”You know jokes, Ghost?” you asked, still smiling.

He stared at your beautiful smile before his eyes found yours. ”Some. I bet you wouldn’t find them funny, army humor is a little bit dark.”

”Try me.” You rested your head on your palm, your eyes fixing on him.

Ghost found himself fidgeting under the table as you were staring at him. He would have preferred to have your undivided attention in private.

”All right…” he shifted in his seat, his gaze meeting the table. ”Why did the man miss the funeral?”

You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, not finding the right answer to his question.

”I don’t know. Why?”

”Because he wasn’t a mourning person.”

You let out a forced breath and you traced your fingers over your cheeks.

”That’s bad.” Roach said but with a smile.

Ghost looked at Roach and narrowed his eyes. ”Yes? Do you know where you’ll go after getting lost in a minefield, Sanderson?”

Roach pressed his lips together, a frown taking over his face, ”Tell me.”

”Everywhere.”

You laughed as Roach’s expression dropped while Ghost kept his eyes on him. Roach leaned back and gave you a questioning look.

”You think this is funny?”

”I think it’s hilarious.” You said, still smiling.

Ghost almost smiled at you praising his joke about Roach. Maybe he wasn’t such a stoic person after all.

”I thought we were best friends and now you’re laughing at my death?” Roach asked and touched his chest.

”I’d miss you a little.” You answered.

Roach tilted his head to the side. ”I thought I was important to you after everything that happened. I guess I was wrong.”

”Of course, you are.” You reassured him and leaned your head on his shoulders. ”But you still annoy the hell out of me.”

Soap and Gaz shared a brief laugh at your answer while Ghost tensed in his seat.

If it was anyone else, they wouldn’t have noticed the way Roach glanced down at you as you were this close to him. They wouldn’t have thought that Roach’s after everything might have had a double meaning.

And they definitely wouldn’t have noticed the dog tags falling forward what hung on your neck after you shifted.

He might have been paranoid, people with feelings could get paranoid and he might have overthought that.

Only, they weren't your dog tags.

They were Gary’s.

Ghost needed to look twice at the name carved into the metals before he felt the blood turn into ice in his veins. His stomach turned at the physical closeness you two were having at the table, not even daring to think about what else has happened between you two.

When you turned forward and were faced with Ghost’s cold eyes, you felt your heart skip a beat. You had never seen this storm raging in Simon’s eyes and you wished you could disappear into nothingness.

His eyes landed on the dog tags again and when you looked down, you realized that he knew. He didn’t need to see you two sneaking around at night or to hear you and Roach flirting with each other.

But he knew.

And you felt guilt starting to eat your heart at the disappointed look he was giving you.

You didn’t know why but sadness lightened its way through his eyes, causing you to drop your shoulders.

”And guess what…”

Whatever Soap was about to say was interrupted by Ghost’s sudden movement as he pushed himself away from the table and stormed out of the place without a word.

You felt your heart in your throat and could hear your heartbeat in your ears as you watched him walk out of the bar.

”What happened?” Gaz asked, thinking he missed something despite sitting with you and paying attention.

Soap glanced around and shrugged.

You weren’t so sure about his sudden leave either but you had a feeling that it got to do something with you, even though you hoped that wasn’t the case.

”I’ll be right back.”

Roach gave you a questioning look but didn’t stop you from following Ghost. Trying to fight your nerves and ignore the way your stomach kept doing loops, you stepped out into the chilly evening.

You crossed your arms over your chest as the cold hit you like a truck.

Ghost was not that far from you, it seemed like he was immune to the cold. Or at least that was what you guessed by taking his sight in.

His balaclava was rolled up so that he could place a cigarette between his lips. You watched him in silence as he lit his cigarette and placed the lighter into his back pocket.

”I thought you didn’t smoke.” You spoke quietly as he breathed the smoke out.

He didn’t turn around but took note of your presence. When he decided not to face you, that’s when you knew that something was off.

”You thought wrong.”

You swallowed the lump in your throat and glanced around the empty parking lot.

”That thing can kill you,” you continued as he fixed his gaze in the distance.

”Either this or a bullet, we’ll die from something eventually,” he remarked, his voice sharp.

His words took over your thoughts, forcing yours into a corner at the back of your mind. It always amazed you how much his voice could get your attention, didn’t matter how much you tried to ignore it.

”What’s going on, Ghost?” You asked, trying to fight the cold that was slowly tearing at your skin. You should have grabbed your jacket.

It took him forever to finally answer, ”Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

You knew he was lying but you didn’t know if it was a good idea to call him out and let him know that you saw through his attempt.

”Figured,” you murmured, turning away.

Ghost finally gave in to his temptation and his eyes found you when you were staring at the cars around you. He took your small figure in, wondering how a fragile woman like you could end up being an excellent sergeant.

The more he would be worried for you on missions, the more he’d panic about whether it was a good idea for him to let himself have feelings for you. And he didn’t like losing control over his emotions.

He didn’t want to like you at all but you somehow broke through the walls he had built around himself and then suddenly, you were already inside his head, consuming his thoughts and dignity.

Just when he decided to fight against you, he was about to let you into his heart willingly.

And that was when his world crashed.

”Figured what?” Ghost asked.

You sniffed, still avoiding his gaze even though it burnt your skin like fire.

”That you’d do that. Shut down, again.” You couldn’t help but feel anger fill your voice and he noticed that too.

Here you were, trying to be there for him and ask if you were the reason for his disappointment but he didn’t want to talk with you.

”If you paid attention, Cobra, that’s not a fucking surprising thing from me,” he snapped and lifted the cigarette to his lips.

”I thought we were past this,” you said with a head shake. ”And now we are back to square one.”

He glared at you, ”Tell me about it. You can’t even look at me.”

His words pushed through you like a tsunami and almost washed your anger away, leaving nothing but doubts and questions behind.

Did he know how much you tried to avoid him in the beginning? That’s what he meant by that?

”What do you want from me?” You asked, meeting his eyes. ”I came here to see if you were okay and now you have the nerve to play the victim card and turn it all back on me?”

Ghost weighed your words as you shivered after the wind touched your exposed skin. He looked down at your shaking figure, noticing how much you tried to ignore the cold even though it cut through your flesh, until your bones.

Putting the cigarette between his lips, he unzipped his jacket and stepped closer to you.

When you realized what he was about to do, you pressed your lips together and stepped back, earning a questioning look from him.

”Don’t.” You gritted your teeth as you felt your hands turn ice cold, your fingers desperately pressing into your arms.

Soon, his eyes grew almost sad as you refused his jacket. He couldn’t stand the thought of you being cold and not wanting to accept his help.

How did we get here?

”Cobra.”

To your surprise his voice wasn’t angry or demanding as you had expected it to be, your callsign falling off his lips was more of a silent plea just above the wind and it tightened your heart.

You dropped your gaze to the ground, trying to collect your thoughts as he stepped in front of you and placed his jacket around your shoulders.

You couldn’t help but move your arms through the sleeves and Ghost carefully zipped it up so that you’d be protected from the cold.

His jacket was much bigger than you, as you expected it but as long as it kept you warm, you didn’t care how ridiculous you must have looked in Ghost’s oversized clothing. As Ghost’s scent filled your nose, you tried to shake it off how much you liked to wear his jacket.

Ghost, on the other hand, admired the view you were giving him by wearing his jacket. Yes, your arms basically disappeared in the sleeves and the jacket reached the middle of your thighs but he found it cute how small you were compared to his massive figure.

He almost started to wonder how adorable it would look if you would compare your hands to each other’s. Not even mentioning holding your hand while…

He quickly shook his pathetic thoughts out of his head as he reminded himself of the discovery he has just made. It didn’t matter how much he’d try to calm himself, the thought of you being with Roach caused pain throbbing through his heart.

He would take physical pain any time over the pain you just gave him without a single touch.

And you had no idea how much power you were able to hold over his head with a simple smile.

Just when everything was about to fall back to its place, you pulled a card he never would have thought was in your hands.

”What is it with you and Roach?” He suddenly asked, still standing in front of you.

You felt your eyes widen for a second as you looked up at him. The way his eyes held your stare like a cage made you realize that things might have been more complicated than you ever would have imagined them to be.

”Nothing.” You tried to brush off your nervousness but Ghost wasn’t buying it.

In fact, he looked disappointed that you weren’t honest with him.

After all this time, he was always honest and open with you, even vulnerable but when you couldn’t return the favor, it hurt his feelings. More than he wanted to admit.

Finishing his cigarette, he simply shook his head and threw it to the ground.

”Who’s shutting down now?” He asked and stepped on the smoking butt.

Your throat was dry as if you’d been in the desert for days now as Ghost’s presence kept you at bay.

”I don’t think it’s any of your business,” you said quietly, suddenly not finding any courage to continue this confrontation.

You shouldn’t have come here.

”If you are fucking my best friend then I think it’s pretty much my fucking business, Cobra.” Ghost answered coldly and you almost flinched at the aggression hiding in his voice like a shadow.

”It’s nothing serious, don’t be dramatic,” you held your ground and he tilted his head to the side, pulling his balaclava down on his jaw.

”You are wearing his fucking dog tags.” Ghost remarked and you froze in your place. ”And you call that nothing?”

You didn’t want to admit anything but the more Ghost brought things you buried away to the surface, the more you felt that you had no choice but to play his game.

”I don’t think I ask for too much when I tell you I want you to be completely honest with me,” Ghost continued, his voice quiet this time, after realizing how much his anger startled you.

He was right. The least thing you could do after everything was be honest with him. This conversation wouldn’t have a happy ending either way, so why try and make it worse by lying and denying things that were as obvious as undeniable intels?

”We get together sometimes,” you admitted, tearing your gaze away from him.

And with that sentence, you broke Ghost’s heart and you didn’t even notice it.

”Are you with him?” His voice was defeated.

The thought of losing you without even having you first hung above his head like the day of doom.

Licking your lips and tapping your foot against the ground, you tried your best to fight the urge of running back inside.

”No.”

He let out a deep breath and stepped closer to you, making it impossible for you to look anywhere else but at him.

”Cobra.”

You looked up at him firmly, ”I said no. It’s just a fling without emotions. Nothing serious. It doesn’t affect Roach’s partnership with me if that’s what you’re worried about.”

”That’s the last thing I’m worried about,” he admitted and stepped back.

You watched him as he backed away to the closest car behind him and sat down on the hood. His eyes studied the bar and the flickering lights while you stood still in your place.

You thought of Roach as a good friend but that had nothing to do with anything. How could you be intimate with someone who wasn’t close to you emotionally anyway?

You, personally, couldn’t sleep with someone who was a complete stranger to you or had no respect for you.

”Then what’s the matter?”

Ghost put his hand on his thigh as he distanced himself from you. Seeing the storm in his eyes, you tried to pull yourself together.

”I was about to take you to England with me.” Ghost’s eyes fell on you like clouds. ”I remember you mentioned once that you always wanted to go there.”

You felt the color drain from your face as his words floated around you in the air like a hurricane. And Ghost didn’t miss an inch that shifted in your face.

You remembered how once, while you were in the helicopter, you were talking with Soap about the furthest place you both had been away from your home.

You didn’t even know that Ghost heard you admitting to the fact that you always wanted to visit England ever since you were a kid.

And that was when you realized the real reason why Ghost stormed out of the bar all of a sudden. Between him being more open with you and now letting you know that he was ready to take you with him, showing you his home, you didn’t know how you missed the signs he was giving you and also the way he grew tense whenever Roach was around you.

Everything made sense now.

The glares to Roach. The softness in his voice whenever it was just the two of you. How protective he was over you when you were paired up with him…

Everything.

You were enjoying Roach’s physical attention so much that you missed the way Ghost’s attitude and body language changed around you.

How could you be so blind? You almost slapped yourself with the absurdity of yours.

”I…I didn’t know…” your voice silenced and Ghost sighed.

”It doesn’t matter.”

The guilt once again found its way through your veins like venom hearing the sadness in Ghost’s voice.

You hated to be the reason for his sadness.

”I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, Simon.” You admitted shamefully because it was true.

Ghost felt melancholic at you calling him his real name. It’s been so long, he started to wonder if you forgot his real name. Over the last month, you always called him Ghost and it disappointed him every time.

It felt ironic how he always thought that he wouldn’t be capable of caring for someone other than himself. Then Roach and Soap came and treated him like another human being which made him puzzled at first. Then he let himself be Simon again.

Then you came and you took over his heart which he didn’t mind at all.

He wanted to reassure you that you could never hurt his feelings, not even if you tried but that would have been a lie.

And Simon Riley despised lies.

”Well, someone has to be hurting at the end of the day, right?” Ghost tried to pull it off as a joke but his eyes betrayed him.

You bit into your lower lip and made your way over to him. He watched you in silence as you stopped between his spread legs, not caring about the closeness of your bodies.

God, how much he’d been dreaming about the moment when you’d willingly come close to him and give yourself to him. He has been alone for so long that he was almost desperate for you.

But this wasn’t a fairy tale and happy endings didn’t exist in your world.

You didn’t know what to say, so you leaned closer to him, your heart dropping.

When Ghost breathed your name, your real name, into the air between you, you felt shivers run down your spine. And not from the cold this time.

That was when you realized that whatever you had going on with Roach could ever only be a temporary thing because he didn’t look at you the way Simon was.

Yes, Gary found you attractive and couldn’t stop flirting with you but his stare was always full of lust and not something more meaningful.

While Gary was about to shake your world with his touch, Simon was ready to make you feel loved with everything he had in him.

That was the difference between someone who was shown love and someone who only got a glimpse of it his entire life.

Keeping his stare like your life depended on it, you carefully rolled his balaclava up until his lips were uncovered.

Ghost held his breath back as you closed the distance and placed a soft kiss on the corner of his lips. It was a silent way of making up for the pain you caused him unintentionally.

Something changed in you as you felt his skin on yours, his stubble scratching your mouth.

Ghost’s skin was burning where your lips touched him, and all of his worries washed away in a second.

”Don’t play with me, Cobra.” Ghost’s voice shook you like an unstoppable storm.

”I was never good at games, Lt.” You admitted and were about to step back but his hands were fast to grab your waist and pull you back to him.

Your face was burning as he shamelessly roamed his eyes over you, his pupils getting bigger like a cat that’s found its new favorite toy.

”Is that so?” Ghost hummed and raised his hand to wipe your hair out of your face.

When his fingertips brushed over your temple, you swallowed hard.

”Do you have any idea how much you played me all this time?” Ghost’s eyes were both sad but playful at the same time.

You pressed your lips together as he kept you close to him. It made you feel like he wanted to know you close to him not only by words but also physically.

”I didn’t mean to.”

Ghost’s gaze softened as he caressed his fingers on your arms.

”Do you have feelings for him?” He didn’t need to say Gary’s name out loud. It floated between you like the wind.

”Why are you asking?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

He gave you an exhausted look, ”I know how the ’we’ll only sleep with each other without the feelings’ shit works. I might be older than you but I’m not stupid, Cobra.”

You sighed and dropped your gaze to his chest, suddenly having the urge to hide your face there.

You started to wonder if he himself had had something going on with someone that eventually turned into more. Fighting your jealousy, you lingered your gaze where his heart must have been.

Ghost’s hand found your jaw and carefully lifted it, his eyes curious but also calm, waiting for you to return his gaze.

”Don’t lie to me. I’ve had enough of that shit.” He asked softly.

”I don’t want a relationship with him if that’s what you’re asking.” You said firmly. It was true but deep down you were slightly afraid that Roach might have had a change of heart on this road he took you down on.

You hoped he didn’t. You didn’t want to hurt him either.

”Had he ever taken you to England?”

This question broke the ice and you let out a bright laugh which was music to Ghost’s ears.

”No.”

”Is he planning to?”

You tried to wipe the smile off your face but you didn’t succeed. Not that Simon minded that. More like the opposite.

”I don’t know,” you teased him and he took a sharp breath in.

”He better not or I’ll kill him in his sleep.”

Your eyes widened and you pushed at his shoulders but they didn’t move an inch.

”You’ve really got some dark humor, Lt.”

”Does that disturb you?”

You let yourself sink into your thoughts as his fingers traced circles on you.

”I’ll get used to it.”

”Will you?” He asked, surprised that you were talking about the future with him in it so confidently.

”I mean…” you shrugged. ”If you want me to.”

The look you were giving him was worth all the pain he has been in because he knew that you meant every word you said. Some of them were better left unsaid but deep down he knew everything.

”There is nothing I would love more.”

Your heart warmed just when he leaned down to you and pressed his lips to yours, sealing his promise with a kiss that was only meant to be yours.

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

I'm tired, stressed and overwhelmed so I'm going to try and vent frustration by ranting about the movie we played for the preschoolers today (tomorrow's Thanksgiving so we're off for a few days so we had a movie day).

So we watched an animated adaptation of "A Christmas Carol" that I didn't know existed but apparently came out last year that was just literally called "Scrooge: Christmas Carol" and boy lemme tell you the movie was as bland and unoriginal as the title.

Tell me this: why would you make a Christmas Carol adaptation and then take out everything from the book?! Like, there are fundamental plot points they skipped in favor of flashy over-the-top special effects that served no purpose and didn't further the story at all.

Anyway, here's the thoughts I typed up on my phone while watching it:

"We should have watched the Muppets Christmas Carol (oh my word that's the first one how telling xD)

Why did they give Scrooge a dog?! He never spent extra money on lamp oil, why would he for a dog?! (dog had -17 narrative value btw)

Too many random characters in this

Scrooge hasn't said humbug enough (Idk if he actually ever DID say it at any point and to be fair the movie wasn't very loud but he SHOULD say it a few times at the beginning it's his CATCHPHRASE)

Why does the ghost of Christmas past look Like That? She's supposed to look like a kid not a candle (also she was irritating)

Too many theatrics (why did they travel through the Time Vortex every time Scrooge went somewhere with the ghosts?! why did reality keep fracturing during musical numbers?!)

Where's my nice aesthetic scene of Scrooge flying over rooftops?

If Scrooge isn't scared witless by the ghost of Christmas yet to come you're doing it wrong.

(at the end when he's changed) Where's him tricking Bob and being mischievous?! (like seriously one of my FAVORITE parts is when he goes to Bob's house like "how dare you not be at work today, jk here's a pay raise :)")

Ugh, this movie was annoying, gorgeous animation but the story was BUTCHERED in favor of special effects.

On the upside, Tiny Tim was adorable."

Also Scrooge wasn't really... how do I say this? I was more annoyed than horrified by him. Like, he's not a *presence* like he should be, he's just kind of grumpy. They tried to portray him as sympathetic from the very beginning which is NOT how he's supposed to be and I think it backfired in all ways. He turns out feeling kind of wishy-washy, not an awful, evil miser, but also not a nice guy.

The whole ending was a mess, it COULD have helped the movie A LOT if they had gone the traditional route but nah, Scrooge invited some random kids into his house and they decorated it offscreen and then all the people he ever wronged just showed up at his house for dinner. No turkey the size of Tiny Tim, no shocking everyone by showing up and being suddenly friendly, Idk, it was just extremely disappointing.

I think the theatrics around the ghosts actually made them less intimidating/frightening, especially the ghost of Christmas future. Like, ghost of Christmas present just kinda melts and turns into Future and there's a storm and a ring of fire and Idk man, it was just too over the top. The whole movie was like that and it just got really old really fast.

And WHY did they give Scrooge a weird tragic backstory? The whole point was that he CHOSE this life, he wasn't FORCED into it by circumstance (I read a review that pointed out that instead of his traditional backstory they gave Scrooge Dickens' backstory and just... why).

Also the songs were totally unmemorable, there weren't even lines or tunes from it that stuck in my head. You know what's been playing in my head instead? Songs from the Muppet Christmas Carol.

The only good thing was that it did keep the kids' focus for quite a bit. Like, for prek it was fine I guess but it was just kind of mind-numbing and annoying as an adult. tbh I think the kids only were interested because of the flashing lights and colors and they largely lost interest after snack and I can't blame them.

I think the movie could have been decent if it had kept the original plot points and had Scrooge be miserly and totally unperceptive to Christmas at first like he is traditionally. They could still have added stuff but they should have kept the original story. Like, I didn't mind the scene where I think??? Scrooge and Marley evicted Bob Cratchit's parents when Bob was a baby. Like, that could have added some interesting depth if they'd DONE anything with it besides show it to us. And Scrooge's "transformation" was so watered down it hardly mattered.

Anyway, it kept the kids entertained for an hourish so I guess that's the important thing, but next time we have a movie day I'm definitely offering to bring something in to watch. xD

[rutilated-quarz]

The tumblr sexyman polls and mcytblr sexyman bracket were super fun, so I thought I'd run a small one with my own OCs ^_^ Links to the polls will be added as they go up!

Ennui vs Ruti

Flux vs TBN

Synchronicity vs Roulette

Lumin vs Electra the Moth

Warden vs The Alchemist

Null Pointer vs Callum

Ren vs Neo

Quarz vs NitroLock

More info about the characters can be found under the cut!

Ennui

[profile link here]

Originally a D&D-inspired OC, now just a general OC

Lich that was so so shit at magic when he was alive but now that he's dead he's actually sort of decent at it

Worldhopper - he travels between universes, using a jury-rigged super powerful explosion spell to catapult himself into a different universe by destroying the one he's currently in.

He only cares about one person, and that's his demonic boyfriend Alu. Anyone else can get fucked, as far as he's concerned.

Ruti

[profile link here]

Technically a general OC, but mostly used for minecraft.

he was born on a minecraft skygrid world all alone

Body is comprised almost entirely of solid magic. He can shapeshift, but only really uses that to change if he has legs or not.

Never got taught how to control his magic, so he has to use an enchanted mask to hold his power in - this has the side effect of compressing his magical body mass enough that he has to forgo the wings while it's on to avoid spreading himself too thin.

Can eat a lot of things normal people can't eat. Like diamonds. And swords.

Flux

[profile link here]

General OC in the same world as some of my and my friend's kinsonas

Her species infects the brain of other species, appearing as a sort of ghost or hallucination until they mature enough to become physical, bursting out of the host's body and killing them in the process. They usally give their host immense bloodlust and taste for raw meat. [mmm flux hungy feed her tasty prion diseases]

On that note, the most lame and cringefail of her entire species. She's supposed to get her host to kill and stuff like that, but she mostly just annoys and makes fun of him.

TBN

[profile link here]

General OC, worldhopper.

Shapeshifts whenever it goes into a new world to match the appearance of the creator-inserts or gods of that universe. [e.g. would look like the annoying dog in Undertale/Deltarune, would look similar to the Dev Gnomes in everhood, etc.]

It chooses a different name for itself in every universe it goes into. [It's called Showtime in my JJK AU that has it, and Usurper when I put it into a Digimon world, for example]

Any world it enters immediately splits off into a different timeline with its arrival, and that timeline dies/disappears as soon as it loses interest and leaves.

It's fiction-aware, and totally chill with that - mostly because, considering it's my sona and thus an extension of me, it's pretty much in control of the narrative. If it were to ever lose that control, it would likely become incredibly paranoid and anxious.

Synchronicity

[profile link here]

Minecraft OC

One of the fair folk, lives in the deep forest and would quite like not to be disturbed.

Finds great fun in tormenting whatever non-fae might cross their path

Thought NitroLock_ was fun to 'play with', so when they got his name, they kept him around to do some work for them.

Kind of sadistic, sometimes. Usually. Most of the time.

Has stolen peoples blood to use for sympathetic magic before

Roulette

[profile link here]

General OC

Demon, under the domain of luck and gambling.

Plays the part of a carefree hedonist, but almost always knows more than she lets on.

Knows how to use people to get what she wants, and has no issues doing it.

Lumin

[profile link here]

Originally designed as a general oc, but quickly adapted into a Cosmosdex (Tegyp) OC.

Almost never wears a shirt under his open suit jacket, unless he's pretty much forced to.

Kind of an alcoholic. Tries to pretend he's a fun partyboy, but he just gets all miserable.

Very into modifying robots. He claims he improves them, but he's fucked up a perfectly good Cupid unit is what he's done. Look at it, it's got anxiety.

Electra the Moth

[profile link here]

Sonic OC, builds and codes robots for a living.

She has built a robot that she considers her son, so she could technically be a MILF, if you're into that.

Mega autism and hyperfixated on engineering. Would love to infodump about whatever her current project may be, and gets super attached to everything she builds.

Warden

[profile link here]

General OC. He's the god of space-time and oversees a large collection of worlds and thus deals with worldhoppers semi frequently, despite not being one himself as he only really exists in the space between worlds.

Has gay thoughts re: one of his coworkers/fellow gods. But he'd never admit it

Kind of stuffy and stuck-up

Dear god, I forgot he was originally based on G-Man from Half Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware

The Alchemist

[profile link here]

Minecraft OC, an AU of Ruti.

Basically what would've happened if Ruti grew up with other magic users who could've taught him how to use his magic.

It speaks primarily Standard Galactic.

Never calls people by their names, instead using a title/other noun ["shopkeeper" or "friend" or "thief", etc.] because names have immense power in a language as soaked with magic as Standard Galactic is, and that habit carries over into other languages.

Makes potions. Definitely legally.

"ruti" "the cooler ruti"

Null Pointer

[profile link here]

BNHA/MHA OC, but liable to become a general OC any day now.

he/she girlboything

Has the ability to lag herself out of reality for a bit; from an outside perspective, this looks like freezing in place and loosing all collision before abruptly teleporting.

Also has the ability to hack any sufficiently complex technology, as long as line-of-sight is maintained.

His mascot [the little demon dude shown next to him] shows up on the screen of any technology he hacks. Just to be cocky about it.

Generally very cocky and aggressive while fighting/sparring, or just in general.

She has 97 mental illnesses and is banned from most public spaces

Callum

[profile link here]

Sonic OC, lusts after their AU's counterpart of Eggman

the gay gay homosexual gay

Sort of a bratty little twink

The type to pick fights and then be like "aah im just a little guy nooo im just a little guy and its also my birthday im a little birthday boy"

Has a cool copper [possibly radioactive] robot arm, but usually keeps it hidden

Ren

[profile link here]

OC for Monkey Wrench [by Zeurel on Youtube]

Big bear of a man [in the gay sense]

Mechanic/weaponsmith/arms dealer

Former mercenary. Would take out entire ship crews by sneaking on under the guise of a mechanic and "fixing" their ship [rigging it to blow as soon as he got to safety.]

Neo

[profile link here]

Minecraft OC, specifically for Empires SMP Season 2

Has ice magic powers, and lives in an Ice Spikes biome.

Its moral compass is a fucking roulette wheel

Tries to be nice, but has a very skewed idea of what "nice" and "good" is.

Would probably keep you as a pet if you asked

Quarz

[profile link here]

General OC

Shapeshifter, and he uses this power for evil. [Shapeshifts into whoever he's talking to in order to psych them out, though he claims it's to "level the playing field".]

Sort of a sardonic personality, often deriding others and putting himself above them. He does it to distract himself from feeling shitty about himself, but you could never get him to admit that.

Loves to inflict terrible events and circumstances on others [my ocs. or sometimes my blorbo du jour]. It is his favorite activity

Nitrolock_

[profile link here]

Minecraft OC

Dumb of Ass

Accidentally gave their name to a fae (Synchronicity, specifically) and signed a contract to get it back. Because of said contract, which they didn't fully read before signing, they now owe them a bunch of other stuff, too.

Being made to use customer service voice is the one thing that could truly break their spirit. I believe this wholeheartedly.\

so. so tired. emotionally physically mentally the whole thing.

Used to be part of a formidable PVP duo with their sibling Necrolock_, but the two of them have kind of drifted apart.

[namixart]

Crossing lines, hand in hand, ch. 8

Read on AO3!

The one good thing about being stuck in the Gold Saucer was the Ghost Hotel. Not the general aesthetic of it, or the many cheap scares hidden in its halls—Cloud had never particularly cared for horror or generally spooky stuff, and he wasn’t about to start now—but the free apology stay in single rooms was nothing short of a blessing after months on the road.

As Cloud let himself fall heavily on his bed, he almost had to remind himself that he was supposed to be annoyed at the time they were wasting. But then he thought about Barret’s snoring and Yuffie’s constant tossing and turning, and remembered there were actual walls between him and them, not to mention an actual bed instead of a sleeping bag under him, and the annoyance melted away completely. He sighed deeply.

He so needed the rest.

He was more tired than he had been in months, with his limbs heavy and his brain foggy and slow. Dio’s arena had been rough: Cloud had been sent flying through the air more times than he could count, been badly burned all over his arms, and narrowly avoided getting skewered by a tiny green… goblin thing holding a kitchen knife. He’d even missed Dio finally forking over the Keystone because, after he’d cleared all eight rounds, he’d had to sit down with Aerith in a side room so she could heal all his burns, bruises, and cuts.

It was odd: more than once, he’d found himself looking around for his friends as he fought, only to remember he was the only one there. He couldn’t trust Barret to keep the enemies at bay while Cloud backed down for a second to catch his breath; there was no Tifa to help him keep the pressure on the monsters; Aerith couldn’t clear out the battlefield with a flick of her hand or keep Cloud safe from where she sat up in the stands. It had been just him down there.

A few months earlier, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at the prospect of facing down a slew of monsters alone. But things were different. So many things were different. Cloud furrowed his brows as he took a deep breath. Was it a good thing, that he’d started to rely so much on his friends in battle? Or would it eventually come back to bite him while fighting alone?

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door, a rhythmic and cheerful rapping that could only be coming from one person. Cloud smiled as he sat up. “Door’s open.”

After a beat, Aerith entered the room accompanied by a creepy screech that was for sure a feature of every hinge in the Ghost Hotel. She took a few steps forward and linked her hands behind her back with a smile. “Heya,” she said.

“Heya.” Cloud stood up, ignoring his sore… well, everything. “Need something?”

Aerith hummed. “Sorta. First, I wanted to check on you. Feeling okay?”

“Sorta,” he parroted with a half smile, slowly rotating his shoulder. “Still feels like I got run over by a truck after I ran a marathon.”

She winced sympathetically. “Ouch. Well, I guess… The other thing’s probably a no-go, huh?” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking a little crestfallen. “Another time.”

Cloud furrowed his brows. “What other thing?”

Aerith nodded towards the door. “Well, I just figured… We’re stuck here anyway, right? Might as well go have some fun and check out the park.”

“Oh.” Cloud bit his lip. He’d really been looking forward to an early night in a real bed, but… “I’m not that tired,” he said slowly.

She looked at him for a moment, then huffed out a laugh. “You don’t have to do that. Just rest up, okay? You don’t need to force yourself to go out for my sake. I probably shouldn’t have asked, anyway. I’ll just turn in early as well.”

Cloud furrowed his brows. “What? What about the others? Did everyone say no?”

“Oh.” Aerith giggled. “I haven’t told anyone else. As much as I love our friends, I was kinda asking youout on a date.”

Cloud stared at her. She calmly held his stunned gaze with an amused smile on her face.

He blinked. She waited.

“Huh?” he said eloquently.

“A date,” she repeated.

Cloud looked away. “Yeah, I—uh—I heard that.” Although he’d thought he’d heard wrong because what!? “It’s just—a date? Y-You? With me?”

Aerith hummed as she rocked on the balls of her feet. “Yup.”

“…Why?”

Aerith burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. Cloud took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest, feeling his ears burn. “Hey, don’t—”

“Sorry, sorry,” she wheezed, waving a hand in the air. But she was still giggling. “It’s just—why?” She covered her mouth as another chuckle spilled out. “Sorry, gimme—gimme a second here. I swear I’m trying to—why!”

Cloud waited for her laugh attack to pass, drumming his fingers over his arms. “Alright, alright, I get it,” he muttered. “I’m an idiot.”

Aerith straightened up with a deep, shaky breath. She was slightly red in the face and her eyes were still full of mirth “Whew. Wow, I’m sorry about that,” she said, panting a little bit. “You just caught me by surprise. No one’s ever asked me why I wanted to go on a date with them. Though I guess there were a couple of jerks who asked why I thought they would want to go on a date with me. So, like, screw them, right?”

Cloud nodded slowly. “Right.”

“Anyway,” she continued, putting her hands on her hips. “To answer your question: first off, I still owe you for your bodyguard services.”

Oh. Right. Cloud hummed, hoping the disappointment didn’t show on his face or in his voice.

“Second, I like spending time with you,” said Aerith. Her expression softened into the fond smile Cloud had discovered in Cosmo Canyon, and his heart skipped a beat. “You talk more, when it’s just us. About stuff other than the mission, I mean. And you smile more too. I like that Cloud.” She giggled. “And maybe I wanna keep him all to myself for a while.”

Cloud nodded slowly, then blinked twice and shook his head. Shit, he was supposed to reply. And also breathe. “I—uh, I mean—” What was he even supposed to say? To pinch him because there was no way this was real? That he needed several moments to process the fact that she wanted to go on a date with him? That he was completely, desperately, and embarrassingly in love with her? How could he tell her any of that without coming off as the creepiest weirdo to ever walk the Planet? He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. “Like I said. Not that tired,” he muttered. His face was on fire. Damnit. “We can go out, if you want.”

Aerith tilted her head to the side. “You sure?”

He nodded.

She didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds, so Cloud hazarded a look at her. She was smiling softly, eyes gleaming with affection. “You’re so sweet,” she said. She reached out to take one of his hands out of its nervous arms-crossed-knot and squeezed it. “It’ll be fun, I promise. What say you we grab a late-night dinner?”

“Yeah. Sounds good,” said Cloud, and let her lead him by the hand out of his room and into a date.

The park was as crowded at almost-midnight as it had been in the afternoon. Aerith caught Cloud’s perplexed expression and giggled. “It’s Enchantment Night,” she said, dangling their joined hands between them. “All the rides are free.”

Cloud hummed. “So that’s why you picked tonight to pay your bill,” he said. It was a bit easier to talk about the fact that they were on a date if he was teasing her.

Aerith laughed and stuck her tongue out at him. “Unlike some people, I’m not a cheapskate. It’s just a coincidence.”

 “Uh-huh.”

She pulled a faux-offended face and let his hand go to cross her arms. “Well then, maybe I’ll just call the whole thing off. That’ll teach you.” But she was trying to stifle a smile.

“You wouldn’t,” said Cloud, looking away from her. “You have a debt to settle.”

Aerith hummed. “I wouldn’t, and I do. And I’m a woman of my word. Hey, I think that over there is a diner. Sound good?”

Cloud nodded and followed her as she walked ahead towards the diner, her braid swishing behind her. He kind of missed the contact of her holding his hand, but he couldn’t very well just reach out and take hers back. Aerith led them to a small table at the back of the diner, which was right by a large window overlooking a big arena with a stage to the side. It was slowly filling with people, and someone was on stage talking into a microphone, but Cloud couldn’t make out a word they were saying from behind the glass.

“Dinner and a show, huh?” said Aerith, gathering her skirt under her knees as she sat down. “Shame we can’t hear any of it.”

Cloud hummed. “Maybe there’s a later showing? Um, if you want to go.”

Aerith tapped her lips in thought. “I think I saw posters about the show, but I don’t remember the times. Oh, well. Are you hungry? Now that there’s food around me, I’m kinda starving.”

“I could eat,” said Cloud, eyeing a server weaving through the crowd while carrying two large pizzas. A low grumble came from his stomach, and Aerith giggled. “A lot. I could eat a lot,” he amended, feeling his cheeks heat up. “I actually don’t think I had anything after Dio’s Battle Square.”

Aerith clicked her tongue. “Well, that won’t do.” She waved to a waiter to get their attention. “Just hang in there.”

Only a few minutes later, the waiter returned with their food—a pizza for Cloud and a very well stacked burger for Aerith, plus a large plate of fries to share. She squealed happily when the server set the plates down in front of her. “Oh, I love food,” she said, clasping her hands together.

Cloud chuckled as he took off his gloves and grabbed the very blunt pizza cutter from the cutlery box. “Who doesn’t?”

She giggled. “Fair enough. By the way,” she said, grabbing two fries from their sharer plate, “this is familiar, isn’t it?”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess.” Cloud hummed. It seemed so long ago. “You’re not gonna pass out on me, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” said Aerith, popping the fries into her mouth. “Dates aren’t for passing out. Which, shame about that time in Wall Market, ‘cause other than the dizzy spell it almost was a date.”

Cloud furrowed his brows. “It was a rescue op.”

She shrugged. “As I said. Almost.”

He rolled his eyes and Aerith giggled. “Come to think of it,” she said with a sly smile, “last time we were here, too. Very date-like.”

Cloud frowned. “Last time…?” He shook his head. “I was trying to cheer you up.”

“And you did. With date-like activities.” She waved a fry in the air. “We went to see a Chocobo race, we went to a fair… you even won me a plushie! Very romantic, I must say.”

He planted his eyes on his pizza. What is she saying? “That’s not—”

“Of course,” continued Aerith, with a mischievous glint in her eye, “we could say the same about Wutai too.”

“Wutai?” Cloud crossed his arms. “You wanted to teach me gardening!”

Aerith waved a hand in the air. “But I didn’t! We just hung out in a lovely flower field and talked while I turned you into a human bouquet. It totally counts! Remember what I said in Wall Market?”

He pursed his lips. “You said… a lot of things.”

She laughed. “It’s not a trick question.”

“I just mean that you talk a lot.” He gave a half laugh at Aerith’s faux-offended gasp. “Wouldn’t know where to start.”

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Meanie. I was talking about the date I promised you.”

“You mean this one?”

“Yeah—well, no, not at the time.” She leaned forward with her elbows on the table. “I said I’d take you somewhere nice and surprising. Like… a pretty meadow in a foreign country? And that there’d be lots and lots of flowers.”

Realisation dawned on Cloud. “…Maybe a pocket flower,” he said, echoing her words from so long ago.

Aerith hummed, satisfied, and sat back in her seat. “See? Totally lines up!”

“I, uh… I didn’t know those were… dates.” He inwardly cringed.His clinical awkwardness would be the death of him.

She shrugged. “Well, neither did I. But they could’ve been. We could just say they were.”

He looked up again and furrowed his brows. “We could?”

“Sure.” She winked. “Who’s keeping count, anyway? The dating police?”

That got a laugh out of him. “That’s a thing?”

Aerith winked. “Let’s not tell them, just in case. So?”

“So what?”

“So… were those dates?”

“Oh, um…” Cloud scratched the back of his neck. “I, uh…”

Aerith pouted. “Oh, no, don’t do that. You were doing so well. You forget to get flustered when you’re being argumentative.”

Cloud frowned, but only to suppress a smile. “So what, you want to fight?”

She laughed. “Yep, just like that.”

Cloud rolled his eyes. When he looked at Aerith again, she had her hands linked under her chin and her elbows resting on the table. She was still waiting for an answer. He swallowed. “I, uh,” he started, “I don’t think they count. As dates.”

Aerith lifted an eyebrow. “Oh? How so?”

He averted his gaze. “Well, neither of us knew they were.”

She giggled. “Why does that matter?”

“Because if they were, we’d have been dating for, what, months? Without realising?” Cloud huffed. “That’s dumb.”

Aerith burst out laughing. “It really is. And yet.”

He frowned and crossed his arms. “No. Absolutely not. This is our first date.”

Her smile widened. “First? You mean you want more? My, how direct.”

It was like she’d stolen the air out of his lungs and then taken a lighter to his face. He ran a hand over it, vaguely wishing he could wipe off the flush. “I—I, uh…”

Aerith laughed again. “You know,” she started, reaching out to gently pry his hand from his face, “in all of this very normal conversation, we’ve never once asked the one thing that matters.”

Cloud hazarded a look at her. “What’s that?”

“If we want to be dating. Do you?”

It was a point of no return. He could lie, and save himself the rejection. Or he could be brave.

He closed his eyes and nodded.

He wasn’t brave enough to trust his voice.

Aerith giggled and let go of his hand after giving it a final squeeze. “Great! Me too. Now, finish your pizza before it gets cold—I’ve got an idea for later.”

“H-huh?” Cloud blinked dumbly at her. “That’s it?”

Aerith hummed as she took a bite out of her burger. “Sure. Sometimes things are that simple. You ask someone out, and they say yes. What were you expecting?”

Rejection. Barring that… More coherent words out of my mouth. Telling you I’m in love with you. Kissing you.

Cloud shook his head. “Never mind,” he said, picking up a slice of pizza. It was going kinda cold.

Aerith levelled him with an amused look, but didn’t tease him any further.

They ate more or less in silence for a little while after that. Aerith would make little comments about what was apparently going on in the play—some kind of fairy tale? There was a dragon and someone dressed as a wizard—or about the people around them, light-hearted and casual. She was smiling the entire time, though, even when they were just eating in comfortable silence, so maybe Cloud wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop thinking about their conversation.

It was astonishing how much and how little seemed to have changed with the simple change in status of their relationship—from “friends” to “dating.” Aerith wasn’t acting any differently, and yet there was a shift in her tone, her eyes, her smile—little changes that all added up to… not much of a change after all. Or maybe it was just Cloud being hyper-aware and over-analysing everything. It got him wondering if maybe she’d been onto something with her claim that they’d been dating for a while.

They were dating. In a relationship. And it had happened with only an awkward conversation and a simple question. There had to be a catch. But, glancing at Aerith, he couldn’t help but think that it was safe to trust her and everything she said. He was safe with her. He silently vowed that she would always be safe with him as well. And, maybe, someday he would find the words to tell her.

He shook his head, and found her looking at him.

“What?” he asked.

Aerith smiled. “I know you were tired tonight,” she said. “But thank you. I’m really glad I’m here with you.”

Cloud nodded slowly. “Uh, sure. I told you, I—”

“Wasn’t that tired—I know.” She rolled her eyes playfully. “Still, thanks. Hey, you done?” She shoved the last two fries in her mouth. “If we hurry, we should make it just in time.”

Cloud had finished his pizza a little while earlier—his mom’s complaints that he ate too fast were still fresh in his mind after all those years—so he nodded. “Where’re we going?”

Aerith stood up and held out her hand. “Surprise!”

Cloud took it and followed her—only stopping to pay for the dinner.

Once out of the diner, Aerith pulled Cloud through the crowd, weaving between families and couples like a woman on a mission.

“You sure you know where we’re going?” he asked, ducking to avoid a man’s enthusiastic gesticulating. “This place is a labyrinth.”

Aerith nodded without looking back. “Don’t worry! We’re almost there.”

Suddenly, she pulled him in front of her, pushed him into one of the chutes—he didn’t see which one—and got in after him. They stood close to each other in the small space, panting slightly from the run. Aerith was smiling and her face was flushed, and Cloud was hit by the almost overwhelming need to kiss her, to run his hands through her hair, to hold her—but the chute arrived at its destination and both of them stumbled out onto a small platform. A woman in uniform standing by a wooden kiosk eyed them disapprovingly.

“The chutes are single-person only unless you’re accompanying children,” she recited, frowning.

“Sorry, sorry,” said Aerith, straightening up. “We didn’t mean to. It was crowded at the Terminal and I kinda got pushed in too,” she lied casually and, judging from the woman’s unimpressed glare, unconvincingly.

“Uh-huh,” she said. “You here for the gondola? We close in ten minutes.”

Finally, Cloud realised where they were. Just beyond the kiosk was a small cabin suspended from a rail whose path Cloud couldn’t make out past the first bend, as it looped back around the main body of the Gold Saucer.

Aerith rocked on the balls of her feet. “Did we make it in time?”

The woman shrugged. “Barely. Get on.”

Aerith beamed and grabbed Cloud’s hand again to drag him to the cabin. The inside was even more cramped than it looked from the platform and, with the two of them sitting on opposite sides, there was barely any room between their knees. The attendant secured the door and then headed back to the kiosk. A second later, the cabin shook slightly and began to move.

Aerith gave a soft squeal and peered out of the window to her left. “I saw the gondola ride above the theatre, earlier. It goes over the whole park!”

Cloud hummed. “How did you know we were cutting it close?”

She shrugged. “Guessed. It is getting pretty late.”

Cloud vaguely remembered spotting a clock in the Terminal Station. It had read one in the morning. “So much for our early night, huh?”

Aerith giggled and leaned back. “Yeah. Still, I’m glad I’m here.”

“Me too.” He smiled.

The gondola rose higher and higher up in the sky while they sat in comfortable silence for a little bit. Cloud had half expected to have to hide the nausea, but for some reason the ride didn’t bother him at all. Maybe it was because his stomach was way too tied up in knots already to even think about getting sick.

Aerith was leaning with her elbow on the windowsill, watching the view. Fireworks had started to go off, and the light they shone on her was colourful and gorgeous—like the flowers she loved so much. Like her.

She sighed, and Cloud realised he’d been staring. “Thank you for tonight,” she said. “This is… so beautiful. I’m glad I’m sharing it with you.” But she didn’t look glad. She was smiling, yes, but with a sad tilt to her lips, a wistful air in her eyes.

“Are you okay?” asked Cloud. He thought about reaching for her hand, resting on the windowsill, then thought better of it.

Aerith shook her head. “Yeah. No… Yes—it’s complicated. Ah, it’s nothing. Don’t mind me.”

He furrowed his brows in a silent question. Aerith sighed again. “I’m so, so happy I’m here with you,” she repeated. “It’s just… at first, you reminded me a lot of someone. Someone who’s… not in my life anymore. It bothered me a lot, at first.”

“Someone?”

Aerith waved a hand in the air. “Someone. You had all these little things in common—in the way you move, or talk…”

Cloud looked away. “That bad?”

She smiled a bit. “Not bad or good. At first, I thought maybe…” She shook her head. “But no. Things are different. You’re different. And I’m happy I’m here with you. Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

She reached out to take Cloud’s hand, and gave it a little squeeze. He squeezed back, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. They smiled at each other, but hers was still stained with sadness. “But…?” he asked.

Aerith huffed a bit. “When did you get so observant?”

“You’re not as sneaky as you think you are,” said Cloud, shrugging. “Something’s still bothering you. You, uh, don’t have to tell me, though. If you don’t want to.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t know if any of this’ll make sense, though.”

He gave a half smile. “Try me.”

Aerith sighed. “It’s just… Sometimes, I look at you, and it’s like I can’t focus my eyes right. You’re here, but I can’t find you.”

Cloud furrowed his brows. “But… I am here.” I’m with you. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. What does she mean?

She giggled. “I know, I know. I told you it didn’t make sense. Don’t worry about it, I’m just being weird.”

He hummed after a second of hesitation, then leaned back in his seat. Aerith sighed, shook her head, and turned to look at the fireworks again. “Tonight isn’t for sad memories or vague premonitions. It’s for appreciating all the wonderful things happening right now.” She glanced at him. “Like the fireworks, like our friends. Like you.” She took his hand again.

Cloud hesitantly entwined their fingers. “Like you.”

Aerith didn’t turn to look at him, but she smiled softly as she stared up at the sky, at the fireworks dancing across the stars and painting pictures of light. Cloud wanted to keep that image in his memory for the rest of his life.

I could kiss her right now. She’s right here, we’re on a date. I could…

He pressed his lips together. “Aerith…”

She turned. “Hm?”

He opened his mouth, then closed it. His resolve had evaporated the moment she’d turned her big, curious eyes on him. He shook his head. “Uh, never mind.”

Aerith cocked her head to the side, then gave a perplexed smile. “Okay? Oh, no, look.” She pointed out of the window. “I think the ride’s almost done.”

She was right. They were right back in front of the rollercoaster they had started from. Cloud swallowed his disappointment and regret. If only he wasn’t such a lovesick idiot. A bell rang as the gondola wobbled to a stop. The attendant from before hastily opened the door and motioned for Cloud and Aerith to get out of the cabin.

“Looks like our magical ride is over,” said Aerith. “That was really special. Thank you,” she said to the attendant.

Her sour expression softened a bit. “Yeah, yeah. Enjoy the rest of your stay at the Gold Saucer.” She waved her hand in a shooing motion. “Now scram. I gotta lock this place up.”

Aerith giggled and took Cloud’s hand again as she made for the chutes.

“Only one person per chute!” yelled the attendant.

“We know, we know!” laughed Aerith.

She trailed to a stop in front of the doors to the chutes, still holding Cloud’s hand. “See you at the Terminal Station?” he said.

Aerith hummed. “Can’t wait.” Neither of them let go of the other.

“Can you two take the flirting somewhere else?” called the attendant. “Some of us wanna go to sleep.”

Aerith giggled and finally let go of Cloud’s hand. “Sorry, sorry.” She waved at Cloud. “See you in a minute.”

Then she stepped inside the chute. Cloud watched the door close behind her and took a deep sigh.

“Whipped, huh?” said the woman behind him.

He turned around and shot her an annoyed glance. She shrugged. “I calls it like I sees it, Blondie. Go on now, don’t make her wait. Be disgusting somewhere I don’t have to see it.”

He rolled his eyes. “Roger that.”

When he stumbled out of it at the almost-empty Terminal Station, Aerith was right there waiting for him, rocking on the balls of her feet with her hands linked behind her back.

“Missed you!” she said with a smile.

Cloud huffed good-naturedly. “It’s been thirty seconds.”

Aerith put a hand on her chest. “Longest thirty seconds of my life.” She giggled, then cleared her throat and smiled fondly. “I loved tonight. Really. Thank you.”

He nodded, then frowned a bit.

Aerith cocked her head to the side. “What’s wrong? You didn’t have fun?”

“No, no. That’s not it.” Cloud looked away. “I was just… thinking about what you said.”

“Which part? I talk a lot, remember?” She winked.

Cloud rolled his eyes. “On the gondola. About… not being able to find me.”

Her eyes went a bit wide, and she waved a hand in the air. “Oh, that. Really, ignore everything I said. It’s nothing.”

But Cloud shook his head. “It’s not nothing. It’s bothering you.”

Aerith was silent. Cloud pressed on. “I… don’t really know what you mean. I don’t know how I can be here and far away at the same time.” He scratched the back of his neck. “But I wanna fix it. I wanna try. I… I don’t wanna be far away from you.” He swallowed a knot in his throat. “You’ll always find me right here. Whenever you need me, wherever you need me.”

A long moment passed. Aerith was looking at him, eyes wide and full of wonder and surprise. Cloud held his breath.

Then she laughed. “Oh my god, Cloud… How do you always know what to say?”

He let out a huff. “What are you talking about? Have you met me?” He felt the tips of his ears burning.

“Okay, fair, maybe you don't.” She slipped her hand in his and looked up at him. “Maybe you're a flustered hot mess who stumbles over his words when he’s trying to be nice. But it's okay. I can hear what you're really saying.”

“Oh?” Cloud swallowed a knot in his throat. “What am I saying?”

Aerith smiled and stepped right up into his personal space. “You're saying, ‘I wanna make you feel better,’” she said. “You're saying, ‘I care about you.’” She leaned up until their faces were just a breath apart. “I wanna kiss you.”

Cloud was glued to the floor, pinned in place by her gentle hold on his hand and the pull of her eyes, so close that he could count the specks of brown and gold in them. “I—I'm saying that?” he stammered, like an idiot.

Aerith giggled, but she didn't step away. “You tell me, mister,” she whispered. “Are you?”

Thankfully, the answer was simple and short—no chances of messing it up. “...Yeah,” he breathed.

“Awesome.” Aerith's smile widened. “Me too.” And then she finally closed the distance and pressed her lips to his.

It still caught him by surprise. If not for Aerith’s warm hands cupping his face, he would have instinctively recoiled back and regretted it for the rest of his life. Instead, he tentatively brought his hands to her waist to nudge her closer as he kissed her back.

Gently. Softly. Afraid to mess up.

Aerith giggled quietly on his lips, and the vibrations shot down to his chest like electric shocks.

“Been wanting to do that,” she whispered, stepping back just enough to speak.

Cloud nodded a bit shakily. “Yeah. Me too,” he said, and kissed her again.

Finally.

He kissed her until, in a display of pure evil and poetic parallels, a loud boing sound effect played and the two of them sprung apart to spot Cait Sith standing at the other end of the Terminal Station, holding something that greatly resembled the Keystone Cloud had just fought so hard to get from Dio.

[izzythehutt]

I keep thinking about my "God Meth Us, Everyone" Breaking Bad Christmas Carol idea and the thing that cracks me up about it the most is the thought of Mike Ehrmantraut as Jacob Marley.

I mean, it's interesting because Mike is the only character (besides Jesse) who actually was business partners with Walt, and a lot of their fraught relationship involves Mike telling Walt shit he doesn't want to hear/doling out unsolicited advice about the "right way" to be a criminal, so it feels thematically appropriate for him to have that role in the narrative.

Not to mention that besides Gus, Mike is the character who was probably the biggest influence on Walt as far as the gradual calcification of his heart/his moral descent goes. Mike and Walt are two sides of the same coin, really. Both men use their families to justify the lives of crime they ultimately enjoy, whatever they claim about ends and means. So Mike works as a cautionary tale for Walt, even if he is in many respects a far more sympathetic character.

.....But it's also hilarious to imagine exasperated Ghost!Mike appearing to the person who literally murdered him, who he always found annoying as hell, and having to warn him about where he's going after death. Presumably Marley!Mike is doing this because it shaves off a couple thousand years of purgatory, or will lead to Walt saving Jesse from the Nazis, but he 100000% does not want to be doing it.

"Listen, Walter. Three ghosts are coming tonight. You can listen to them, don't—it doesn't matter to me. I could zip tie you to a radiator again, and I know it wouldn't make a damn difference. And I'm not going to bother trying to explain that no, I'm not a Clarence Odbody figment of your scientific imagination, I'm actually here. I have a job, I'm doing it, I'm getting afterlife payment. It wasn't a pleasure knowing you in life, and it sure as hell isn't in death."

[allenvooreef]

👻💥🌋🙈🌌✂️ for Raiden? :D

👻 GHOST - do they believe in ghosts? what are their “ghostly experiences”, if any?

The party has actually battled several ghostly specters! So not believing in them isn't much of an option anymore haha.

💥 COLLISON - what emotions do they have trouble dealing with?

OH MAN. Regret. Fear. Grief. Love.

🌋 VOLCANO - how bad is their temper? is it a slow boil, or a instant explosion?

Definitely a slow boil. He is quite easily annoyed, but it takes quite a lot to get him to really lash out out of anger. He holds on to that control for as long as possible.

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - whats a side of your oc that they don’t want to show other people?

The side that secretly wants all those things he says he doesn't need. Connection, sincerity, community, safety. The side of him that knows how to be selfless and sympathetic, the side that's vulnerable and unexplored.

🌌 MILKY WAY - what was the inspiration behind your oc? what was the first thing you decided about them?

His name, ironically! xD Raiden was a character in a fantasy novel I wrote with a friend, and he was my fav and I missed him. Since I didn't have much experience creating characters, I decided to take one I had already created and modify him as needed for a D&D setting. OG Raiden was a metamorph, a shapeshifter, and I changed that to him having alternate identities instead. He's changed a lot compared to OG Raiden since then, but his humble beginnings were right there.

✂️ SCISSORS - what is the “last straw” for them to cut someone out of their life? how easily do they let go of people?

Interestingly enough, the hard part for Raiden is not cutting people out. It's letting people in. He has ghosted so many people he once associated with for many reasons - sometimes circumstances caused him to have to disappear, sometimes the sensation of people coming too close set off his fight or flight response. Letting people go is the baseline. Keeping them around turns out to be much, much trickier - something he's currently learning the hard way.

Thanks so much for the asks!! Having a blast answering them

[some-kind-of-creature]

My heart, what beautiful additions from both @nerdpoe and @void-of-unparalled-chaos ❤️ Don't mind me, I'm just siting here, crying onto my cat's fur TT-TT

~~~~~~

We now know how things went with Damian and co, but what happens at Danny's end in the meantime? Let's go take a look and find out!!! :D

~~~~~~

Now that his Brother and his family knows that their dead daughter/sister is in actuality their dead son/brother, they can properly mourn him and Danny will stop getting this wrong feeling through his grief bonds.

That would be it. The End!

~~~~~~

That would definitely not be it. Not at all "The End!".

Danny learned this very quickly, in fact, he learned about it the very next day during his biweekly fight with Ember. A fight which gave him a lot less issues than the one last week.

A powerful ectoblast, way too powerful for the amount of strength Danny had put behind it, brought the singer easily down onto the ground and on her back. He flew down to his opponent, hoping he didn't hurt her too much.

"Everything okay down there, Ember?" The concern obvious in Danny's voice, wringing his hands together while floating just above where the other ghost lay. "I really didn't mean to hit you that hard"

Groaning, Ember picked herself up from the ground, making Danny fly away from her just a little bit. Better safe than sorry, he didn't fancy being hit with her guitar, speaking from experience it would hurt like a bit- birch!

"What happened between our fights, dipstick? How did you get even more powerful in such a short time!?" Yeah, Ember was definitely more than annoyed at being beaten this quickly into their fight. Which was understandable.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, sighing. "I have no idea, man, I haven't really fought anyone since our last fight" Letting his hands fall down to his side and his shoulder slump, he continued, "I was way too occupied with my new grief bounds, having them feeling wrong at first and then having to correct them."

Suddenly Ember was right in front of him, her face coming very close to his, making him lean back, trying to avoid being hit by her. "Woah, not so close Ember, what would Skulker say?"

"You got new grief bonds?" Ignoring his exclamation completely, Ember took his face between her hands and stared him down, as if see could see his new bonds reflected on his face. "No wonder you got stronger!"

Now completely confused, Danny just let Ember squeeze his face. "What does me getting stronger have to do with my new grief bonds?" His question came out a bit muffled due to his cheeks being squished by her, but the singer evidently had no problems understanding him.

"Because they make you stronger, idiot" She rolled her eyes. "Especially if they are grieving the real you! How do you not know this?"

"Hey, no one told me about this! How should I have known!"

Ember lets go of Danny's face and pinches the bridge of her nose, a big sigh leaving her. She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Sometimes I forget that you did not get all the standard ghostly info when you died, I'm sorry, Babypop."

The sincerity in her eyes made Danny squirm a bit, he did not want to make her feel bad about this.

"You don't have to be sorry about this" He pulled his knees up to his torso. "It's not like you had anything to do with that, right" With that thought, he gave her a cheeky grin and stuck his tongue out. "At least, I really hope you had not, or I will write you a strongly worded letter!"

That startled a laugh out of Ember.

"You little brat!"

"A little brat that is now even stronger than you!"

"Oh, you're so on for this, dipstick!"

And with that the two of them got back into their fight, laughing all the while.

It didn't really matter that he got a bit stronger, nine new grief bonds were in the grand scheme of things not that much. Nothing had to change because of that.

Now, this would definitely be The End!

Yeah... definitely...

~~~~~~

Meanwhile, at the Justice League Dark monthly meeting.

"So... did you lot also feel that surge in power over the last few days?"

The answer was a nod and murmur of confirmation from all present JDL members in the room.

"Does anyone know where this power surge came from?"

This time the answer was a collective shake of heads.

"Well, shit..."

It wasn’t supposed to be a secret.

If you died while with the league, you will no longer be acknowledged to have existed, especially if you died during a mission. A disappointment will not be remembered.

The bats and birds don’t like speaking about the people they have lost, so they don’t. If someone ask about the dead, they will tell the person they don’t talk about that.

So how was Damian supposed to know that he should have told his father about his dead brother?

[winterrose527]

“you came”

“You called”

jonsa but rlly anything if it does spark you

Wreck My Plans

The beeping was steady and annoying, even as it reassured him. He was annoyed by its very presence, let alone the sound, the fact that his heart skipped a beat waiting for it every time. 

He had stopped stretching. Every time he moved one muscle, seven others reminded him that he had neglected them as well. So he just sat there, hunched forward, as though he was helping.

“Jon.”

Only she could sound so frustrated and relieved and accusatory and sympathetic with one syllable. Only he could be impressed by something as inconsequential as the way she said his name.

“You came,” he greeted her.

“You called,” she stepped into the room. 

Her heels clacked on the linoleum floor, her silver sequin dress catching under the bad fluorescent lighting. Her fair skin looked nearly iridescent, as opposed to all the sallow faces he’d seen as he walked back to this room.

“I didn’t think I’d… sorry,” he shook his head. 

He had called her in a moment of weakness, before he remembered that they’d only been on three dates. That this wasn’t her problem, that he wasn’t. He had thought he’d hung up quickly enough that her phone wouldn’t even register it. 

“You didn’t think you’d what?” she asked, stepping more fully into the room and walking towards the bed. 

Her heels kept time with the beeping, an exclamation point at the end of a sentence he never wanted to read again. She turned from the bed to him, and stepped closer, in between his legs. Her fingertips pressed to the hollows of his cheeks. 

He sighed, closing his eyes, “I didn’t want to ruin your birthday.” 

Tonight was going to be more than a fourth date. It was her birthday and she’d invited him and she hadn’t really said it but it had felt like a big deal. So far, he’d met her best friend Myrcella, the pretty blonde who was dating her older brother. She’d been the reason he met Sansa, actually, she was so busy talking to Ghost that Sansa had kept him company. Other than that, though, he hadn’t met anyone else in Sansa’s life and tonight he was supposed to meet the most important ones. 

They hadn’t really talked about what he was meeting them as, if he was just going to be another party guest, or what. It hadn’t seemed like it though. She’d been too embarrassed about the venue, a place her other friend Marg had rented out for the night, too specific about how she had plans with just the girls for dinner but that if he got there right around 9 then that would be perfect. She’d repeated 9 at least four times, so he’d gotten the hint that it was less around and more on the dot.

The other morning they’d been in bed and he’d almost asked. So when you introduce me am I… but he hadn’t known how to finish that sentence. It felt like more than three dates, more than a casual invite, but he’d been wrong before. He’d gotten so much shit from his last girlfriend about his need to ‘label’ things and how people weren’t property, which was less of a political statement and more an allusion to the fact that she was sleeping with other people.

Sansa was different from her though in just about every way, and he knew how close she was to her best friends and her family, and he couldn’t imagine that she’d invite him to meet them even casually if it didn’t mean something. 

He felt that so strongly, that when he’d been calling her earlier, it hadn’t been to explain why he wasn’t going to make it, it was to ask her to come here. He’d thought better of it immediately, but the urge had been there.

In that moment he felt like he needed her to be there and it felt like she cared enough about him to show up and it had been so long since he’d felt both of those things at once that he’d just given in.

Her knees bent and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t be comfortable, not like that, but she stroked his hair as though she was. He pulled her to him, so that she was resting on one of his legs, and then he buried his face in her neck, breathing in lavender and that hair oil she’d made him try and her. 

“You get to ruin my birthday,” she told him, her lips at his ear. “Because if there’s something happening in your life important enough for you not to show up for me, then I want to show up for you. Just stay on the line next time, long enough to tell me where you are, and I promise, I’ll be there.”

He felt tears come to his eyes and he gripped her tighter. 

“Do your friends hate me?” he asked. 

“No, they think I’m psychotic,” she told him. 

He pulled away from her and asked, “Why?” 

Those blue eyes looked down, her lower lip pouting out, “I might have overreacted slightly about you not being there.” His stomach twisted and she let out a deep breath, “It’s just I’ve been let down before and I just forgot for a second that you’re different.”

“I forgot too,” he told her. She looked up at him and he explained, “That’s why I hung up… plus I really didn’t want to ruin your birthday.” 

“I don’t really care about my birthday all that much,” she told him.

He smirked and gestured to her, “This is what you look like when you don’t care?” 

She blushed and he stroked his thumb against the warmth of it, her voice little more than a murmur when she said, “It’s possible I was dressing up more for you than the occasion.” 

He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers, shaking his head.

She stroked his cheek, “I’m so sorry, Jon. How’s he doing?” 

“Nice of one of you to remember I was here,” a gruff, annoyed, amused voice cut in. 

Sansa nearly fell off his lap with how quickly she whipped around. He caught hold of her though in spite of his surprise.

“How long were you listening, you old creep?” he asked, his heart leaping with relief.

“Long enough to know you ought to introduce me to the birthday girl before I die in here, what are these damn machines?” Mormont asked, jostling about.

Sansa giggled, her hand going out to stop him from unplugging anything, “It’s nice to meet you, sir. I’m Sansa Stark… Jon’s girlfriend.”