#there are other characters in phantom too!

[inkyquince]

The Problem Child

characters. Caleb (Love and Deep Space)

cw. Female Reader. Pseudo-incest (adopted siblings). Drugging (not of reader, and not in a sexual nature). Gentle coercion. Insane incest kink. light scent kink. implied clothes stealing. Reader receiving oral (Caleb doesn't even THINK about making you return the favor). Implied loss of virginity but not a big focus.

notes. A commission from @letstalktea! Final word count is slightly over 10k words!

Caleb was always the one Grandmother had been the most wary of. He knew it from the first day they met each other, her soft smile doing nothing to offset the starched white color of her lab coat. By now he knew what they meant. Knew what they did. Her hands were soft, warm, but it didn’t mean her grip wasn’t firm, with nails that left marks. Never on him, no she learned her lesson that he could bite. No. Marks on.. You. 

It didn’t change anything when Grandmother took them away. With you, his other half, tucked into her side, clinging to her overcoat, his hand squished in her sweating one as they hurried in the night. She might have forgotten the monster that had stolen them away and kept them safe, but he never would. Caleb could keep a grudge for years, with his perfect memory. No, you used your memory as you should. Keeping track of his slights and when he owed you candies. The sweetest little sister anyone could have, who by a miracle, had no memory at all of what happened. Just.. The tail end of it. You sometimes woke up crying, and he’d be at your side in seconds, letting you curl your arms around his neck and holding him close, whimpering. You would mumble about smoke, and ash and debris and he’d be unable to be the one to chase them away. Caleb sometimes dreamed of cracking open your head, to slice the memory free, kiss the bleeding organ and stitch the skin back together. He’d be so careful, refusing to damage any part of you outside of the pain, the hurt, the panic. Maybe you’d feel a sharp pain every now and then, the phantom pain of something that should be there twinging at you, but he’d take that. You would too, with two painkillers, a glass of water and a kiss to the scar he left. 

But he couldn’t. Not when so young, with a wish that was impossible. Maybe Grandma would have succeeded, but he wouldn’t have allowed it. No, even when she would take the two of you for your shots, he’d watch closely, with a scowl that wouldn’t disappear, no matter how many lollipops were waved in his face by nurses. Even at home, he took over your scrapes, gently unpeeling plasters, dabbing cotton balls against blood, held your hand as the sting hit you. Caleb was the one to look after you. As he always would. 

This was a fact he knew ever since he’d even met you. Ever since he pressed his finger into the center of your small palm and felt you squeeze it feebly. He knew it every day, when he awoke, knowing there was something else out there, ready to hurt you at any moment. He hated that he had to pick his fights. Caleb could lock you into the attic, could hold you after every nightmare, could promise you that he would take you above the clouds, but someone would let you out. You could wander away. Someone else would get to you, let you out, unaware that this world would ruin you. 

Even worse… If he was the one to lock you up, if you knew he was the one, then you’d look at him differently. Caleb couldn’t bear that. He already did so much to keep… Dirtier parts of himself away from your eyes. He was proud of what he did for you, but you spooked easier than your pride would allow you to admit. Thunder made you shake, lighting had you hiding under your covers. A simple cut to your finger had you on the verge of tears, colds made you fuss worse than any teething baby. You claimed you could face down monsters, bullies, anything that awaited out there in the wilds. But he never really believed you, even with all your insisting that you could. 

Sometimes he overheard Grandma calling him a little monster, under her breath usually, whenever she got another call, from… School. Your friends’ parents. Whomever.  It was in the looks of the people he went against, with his group of friends flanking him. Sometimes in the eyes of adults, who thought they knew better. Maybe they did. After all, something deep inside of him knew. Knew that he could dote on you all he liked, carry you everywhere, make sure you would always be safe, but something had been written into his heart a long time ago, along with the minuscule scars from needles, and the nightmares were there was breathing tubes still pressed against his face, with monitors beeping loudly in the sterile room. 

They had made sure he had the heart of a predator, pumping hot blood through his veins. The same people who made you… 

You. 

The prey to his predator. The little red riding hood to his wolf. But in turn you were his weakness too. The hunter to his Wanderer. 

Maybe that’s why he liked to change the books he read to you when you needed to sleep. Red Riding Hood started winding her fingers into the Wolf’s fur and babbled about the flowers she picked up. You didn’t even notice when the grandmother was written out of his version. No one else, just you and your wolf. 

No, no one else. But stories couldn’t become reality, no matter how many times he scribbled out the words on the page and wrote in what he wanted. 

However, like a wolf, he did bite. 

Some no name boy in your class. He made you cry. You had brought one of your plushies to school. You had a nightmare the night before, curling against Caleb like the two of you were twins in the womb, safe. And Caleb couldn’t come with you into your classroom, he was the building over. As per usual, he waited for you, by the gates, waving his friends on. He made it clear to Grandma that he was taking over walking you home, no stops. And when you appeared, your pigtails loose and limp, your school bag hanging off your shoulder and dangling pathetically, with your plushie in one hand, its ripped bunny ears in your other hand. Fluff drifting in the wind, loosening from the open gash. 

He made fun of you. For your soft, pale yellow bunny that you had won yourself, tucked in your bag, with its long ears sticking out of the top. Then took it from you. And hurt you. 

You didn’t stop crying, even after he promised to get some sweets. To sew the ears back on. Just the act of someone hurting something you held dear, something with no nerve endings being hurt, made you ugly cry. Your empathetic, soft heart couldn’t take it. Blood was too violent of a liquid to be pumping through your veins. He could swear that the same stuffing that fattened your plushies flowed through your own body. 

And Grandma dared to look at him, when you two came through the door, like he caused this. She took your elbow and cooed and it wasn’t until you blubbered out what had happened, did she finally drop the accusatory look. 

While you were fed cookies and a mug of something warm, he went back out. Caleb wasn’t even sure what he did, letting the anger thrumming in his veins take control. He remembered using his Evol to make the boy drop to his knees, giving a cry of pain. All he did remember, is that the taste of blood didn’t leave his mouth for a week, even when he brushed his teeth under Grandma’s watchful eye. You mentioned in passing, swinging your connected hands as you walked, that one of the boys in your class had an accident and somehow ripped the top part of his ear. You couldn’t tell if it was torn all the way off, he had a big puffy bandage over all of it, but he resembled your one eared rabbit. 

It went on. Caleb coming to your rescue. Didn’t mean he couldn’t be the one teasing you senselessly most days. You’d stomp your foot like a little rabbit, exactly like the ones he saw all those years ago, their beady red eyes staring at him, sleek white fur clumped and ruffled. Even the way you’d glare at him from the side matched theirs. Except he got to pet you. Ruffling your hair every time he’d slight you, and you’d lose the glare and the pout… Most of the time. 

Except one time… 

He had said something. Or did something. But you stomped away from him, hair swishing as Caleb ambled after you, laughing his apologies. He didn’t even see the boy sitting there until you lunged forward, grabbing him by the hand holding the pages of the book open. 

“No! I’m going to play with Zayne and you’re not allowed to come!” You yanked the lanky kid after you, blind to the bewildered look behind his glasses. 

Caleb let the easy smile slip from his face. Whatever remained must have been chilling, if the look Zayne had on when he glanced back over his shoulder at him. They never seemed to really like each other, despite you liking the boy next door quite a lot and Caleb always being a few steps away. 

Time went on, you two grew up, Grandma’s back started having issues. Zayne moved away. You stopped coming to his bed when there were thunderstorms. You made your own friends, and you’d come to him when things were bad. You asked Grandma about certain things you were going through, even though Caleb took it upon himself to look everything up, wanting to be the one you could rely on no matter what. Periods, bras, feelings, everything in-between. It didn’t matter if you covered your ears and basically screeched every time he even tried to bring it up. 

It was bound to happen. You gently disentangling the strings that used to tie you together, even if you didn’t sever them completely. You’d never do that. While you seemed to thrive and float up above the rest of them, Caleb… Well. 

Grandmother went from wary to deeply vigilant. She sometimes probed you about him. He always overheard it. Maybe she was going slightly deaf and couldn’t whisper as low anymore. She’d ask if he had asked you to keep any secrets from anyone, bribed you with sweets or plushies. She did it when you were younger too, but she went from asking if you thought he was hurting anyone to if he ever made you uncomfortable. Which was stupid really. Caleb would burn himself for your comfort. He just made sure to ease you into most things, from tying your own shoelaces, to actually doing your homework instead of disappearing to the garden, to go play. 

What Grandma didn’t know was that you two were like swans. A swan pair, not needing anyone else, living their whole lives together. Even if he didn’t bribe you, you’d never tell on him… Mainly because he could do no wrong in your eyes. He was safe. He was good.

You were the only one to believe that, of course. Grandmother knew better, she had seen inside of him in every way. And there came the tipping point where Caleb knew he wasn’t good either. Safe? For you? Always. 

He stopped believing he was good one sunny day you two were sitting in the garden, you on your tummy in the grass, and he, cross legged beside you. He had just noticed a clip in your hair, one you didn’t leave the house with. A tiny heart decorated it, twinkling in the sun. Caleb flicked it and you scrunched your nose at him with annoyance as it slid out of place. 

“Caleb, stop.” You unclipped it and combed your strands back in place. 

“What is it?” 

“A hair clip, dummy.” 

“I know it’s a hair clip, bigger dummy.” Caleb rolled his eyes, but still leaned over to fix your hair in place for you to slide it in. “It’s new.” 

“It’s a present.” You clipped it back in, now kicking your feet gently. “A girl in my class gave it to me for Love Day, with some chocolates. Asked if we could go to the aquarium together for White Day.” 

Caleb stilled, his fingers still in your hair. For one moment, his head was silent. Then it was like a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. Others could see what he always saw. Something good and wonderful and someone to cherish. Maybe others could see, Zayne certainly did, but maybe he never thought that someone could see also… More. More than he did, at least. He knew the two of you would be together forever, swans. But he never thought of something like marriage. He loved you but it took a girl, with no face, no name, nothing to her, giving you some misshapen chocolates and a cheap hair clip, to realise that there was more to his love than just adoration, servitude, protection. More. Much more, much deeper, and whatever it was, it had teeth. The taste of blood tinged his tongue. 

“She’s pretty, but sometimes she pinches me to get my attention and Zayne, you remember Zayne?” Oblivious to something unfurling, growing, like a lick of flame to dried fuel, tinder waiting to be ruined, you babbled on, still kicking your grass stained feet. “Zayne once said he saw her chewing her ice cream and he was sure that she couldn’t go through life without chewing on it a bit first. It made me laugh and I accidentally snorted my juice, remember? I still miss him. Anyway, I thought back to that and starting thinking that if she wanted to kiss me in front of the fish, she might bite me instead and-” 

“Huh?” Caleb could feel smoke catching in his throat. 

“Kissing. What if she bites me first? She bites a lot of things. And that would kinda suck? But I don’t know if I should return her presents to me if I say I don’t want to go to the aquarium, but me and Granny already ate all the chocolates-” 

“You’d have a bad first kiss.” His words felt rushed, heated. 

“Yeah!” You looked up at him, a small pout already forming. 

Caleb took in your expression, breathing faster than he should. His palms were sweating. Why? He knew why. He was an excellent liar except to himself, he knew every thought and emotion that drove his actions, his tongue, his teeth. He was nervous, his body unsure while his mind had never been so clear before. 

It wasn’t dirty. Swift, close lipped, dry… Warm. The phantom of chocolate lingered on your lips. It was… Sweet. 

And then you burst into tears. 

“Caleb you, you, you- You!!” You got to your feet, grass stains covering your clothes, tears pricking your eyes. 

After one rabbit stomp of your foot, you darted back inside the house. Caleb was a bit stunned, the euphoria of your- his- both of your first kiss, your quick dart away, the fire beginning to grow to its full flame in his belly. He got back up, unable to help the laughter spilling from his lips, even as he entered the kitchen, Grandma moping at your tears. She looks up at him, angry, accusatory. 

“It was a joke!” Was the only thing he could manage, all of his teeth showing in his grin, still unable to stop the chuckles. 

That was the first time he ever felt like he deserved Grandma’s punishment, but also… He didn’t. It didn’t matter anyway, being sent to bed without dessert, since you hid a plate of moon cakes behind your back and tapped on his door. Your eyes puffy, but your smile intact, sweets in hand. Even you forgave him easily. You’d never be mad at him for too long. 

So life went on. 

You never had a boyfriend- or a girlfriend- while growing up. You still relied on him like he was your other half. Swans. As if he hadn’t hurt the other kids growing up. As if he didn’t still think about your first kiss in the garden, even though you more or less wiped it from your memory.

As if his teeth felt sharper, and the smoke wasn’t painting his insides black. As if he started locking his door before unzipping his trousers, just to drag his fingers against his half hard cock, drunk off just his thoughts. His beautiful, disgusting thoughts. First, he would just focus on the feeling of your lips against his. It was a pure moment, just the synapses in his brain couldn’t help but fire off at the memory. The time it took him to cum was embarrassingly short, if he looked back on it. But the more he got used to the pleasure, to last longer, the more he grew used to the memory. Still excited him, but it was barely a low burn compared to what it was before. 

Take the afternoon that you got your results, the affirmation that you were going to be gone by September, to university. It was different to him leaving for school. He was leaving you with a woman that couldn’t fight against you if needed. You were exactly where he left you, waving in the rear view mirror. Waving him back home too. Like you had been frozen in glass in the time he was away, learning, flying. Like you wouldn’t dare to move without his presence. 

But for you to wander off into the world? Not sit quiet and pretty for him to sweep you into his arms and feel you against him, his body?

It was a scrape against his heart, raw. Like your skinned knees when you tripped over your own laces. 

Grandma was so happy and you were practically hopping. The two of you started making plans, to buy new bedding, notebooks, cooking utensils, to prepare you for university, despite there still being 3 months before your term even started. 

Caleb wandered off, satisfied that his charade of smiles and congratulations was enough to appease the two women in his life. He went upstairs, to stand in your doorway, just drinking in the sight of your bedroom. An organised mess, Grandma always called it. The plushies had their place, as did the pictures, the buttons, the knick-knacks you loved to keep around. His eyes snagged on your hamper, nearly overflowing. He had been barred from doing the laundry, instead forever on kitchen duty, the day Grandma found your shirt tucked under his pillow. Completely innocent but ever since your first kiss, she had it out for him. 

With a low, slow exhale, he straightened up, coming to his full height before heading over to your laundry.

“Sorry, Gege just needs to grab something real quick.” He murmured under his breath before starting to idly sort through skirts, shirts, socks, until his fingers grazed the cotton trim of your underwear.

 He slipped them free of the bundle, scrutinising them more than he did his textbooks, his flight plans. Caleb examined them closely, running his thumb over the band before quickly pressing it to his face. Perfect. Worn for a day and thrown in the wash. He did wonder if he dug around more, he would find something you wore longer, but no, he doubted you were one to wear underwear longer than needed… Unlike him sometimes. He folded the garment neatly into a square and headed to his own room, down the hallway. Locking his door was a familiar sensation, downright Pavlovian with the way his cock perked up. 

Lying back, he unbuttoned the top of his jeans, enough to slip his cock free to lie against his stomach, already half hard. Caleb dragged his fingers against the shaft, up to his gently leaking head, but focused more on the underwear wrapped in his fist. A cute spot in the fabric made his brain whir. He could just imagine it. Something exciting you, pressing your thighs together, your pussy wetting itself, getting ready to be played with. Did you ignore it? Or did you hide away in your room, making yourself comfortable before dipping a hand into your underwear. Maybe slipped into the shower and tried to point the shower head at your clit, only to squeal and drop it with the pressure being too intense. He should have checked your drawers for a vibrator or any other toys. Caleb’s mind whirled with scenarios, you trying to work a toy into you, struggling to keep one against your clit, the shower, stuff he’d used before to work himself up, but something else probed at him. 

You, with your toys, with your sensitivity, with the shower head, shyly spreading your legs to show him. Even in his usual day dreams he was more of a voyeur, but… With you slipping free from him, going off-  

Caleb had scared everyone else off. You were going to be in Linkon. New people. Unbroken hymen. Not that an intact hymen meant you didn’t lose your virginity, but fuck, if it was up to Caleb, he’d make sure you were so properly deflowered. The pleasure would be so much that you wouldn’t mind when the creamy ring around the base of his cock was tinged red with blood. 

“Fuck.” The harsh hiss that slipped between his teeth surprised him, the image making him arch his back, thrusting into his hand roughly. 

He leaned over to his bedside drawer, yanking it open to retrieve a bottle of lube. His hand was too dry. He could forgo a firmer grip, for a wetter one. After all, he wouldn’t be like some sort of first boyfriend who had no idea where the clit was and would press into you practically dry. No, he would play with your pussy until you were embarrassingly wet. Not just fingering, he’d suck on your clit until you cried, weakly squirming and trying to kick him off, but he wouldn’t let you. 

His stroking got faster, tighter, warmed lube squelching obscenely. It was getting warmer, approaching how toasty your skin usually was whenever you two hugged, bumped hands, the one time he managed a pinch to just below your breasts while swimming. Earned him a shriek and a swat, with a mouthful of lake water, but worth it. He could just about imagine it would match how cosy it would be between your thighs. Closing his eyes, he could see it. Both of your legs tucked over his shoulder, your tits gently bouncing, still trapped in your bra. Your wide, doe-like eyes looking up at him, as his cock fucked the supple skin, the head peeking out just to drool even more precum onto your panties. Streaks of pearly fluid soaking into the fabric, bunching it up whenever he pushed further against you. You making soft noises every time his shaft rocked along that cute wet patch of your underwear, promising that when he finally peeled it off, the most delicious gift would be there, waiting for him to-

Knock knock knock! 

Caleb yanked his sheets up, over his crotch, his straining cock, flushed and angry, keeping one hand on it lest there be an embarrassing, obvious tent with his blanket. You poked your head in, even before he could give his permission. 

“Hey, hey- Huh? You okay?” You blinked at him, concern etched into your face.

“Yeah. Just taking a moment. What’s up?” 

“Grandma says we should have braised wings.” Your smile was contagious, and Caleb couldn’t help but to show his own teeth right back at you, even with his erection threatening to burst, the sight of you doing something intoxicating to both his heart and his straining balls. 

“Yeah? And who's going to make those?” He ran his tongue over his canine, drinking in the way you immediately pouted. 

“You! To celebrate! Especially after Grandma made me take a year before applying. I’ve been stuck at the doctor’s for most of the summer!” You whined, stepping into his room properly. “Show how proud you are and cook for me!” 

Your sentence trailed off into a childish whine. His cock twitched. He felt it dribble onto his thigh. Caleb couldn’t help it, slowly beginning to massage his shaft again, even with you right there, looking at him with your doe eyes.He had half the mind to urge you to come closer, sit on his bed right next to him. You loved him. You’d look if he asked you to look. Only looking, watching him play with his dick. You’d be quiet, only for a while before beginning to run your mouth. 

Not like in porn. “What are you doing, bro?” or “Stop, we shouldn’t!”. You trusted him. You’d trust him right the way over a cliff. If he wanted you to, you’d watch him stroke his fat cock. Ask you to hold the base as he worked the head. Hell, he could ask if you wanted to taste his balls. You’d scrunch your nose like a bunny and tell him that’s gross. But it would be like leaving peach mochi at your bedside and offering for you to have a bite while Grandma made dinner. You knew you probably shouldn’t, someone (Grandmother) would be mad later if/when she found out but it would be so good. And you trust Caleb and if Caleb gives you something and says it’s okay, you’re leaning over to tongue the sprinkled icing sugar off the soft pink bun. The image of you biting into it and cream running down your chin flickered across his mind and his breath caught in his throat. 

“Yeah?” Caleb exhaled slowly through his mouth. The question perked on the tip of his tongue, increasing how fast he was fisting his cock. Come over here, pip-squeak, big brother wants you to stay and play while. “Ask me nicely.” 

You sighed and rolled your eyes. Brat. 

“Caleb, will you pleeeaaase make us Braised Wings for dinner because I finally get to go to university after being really ill for a long time and you love me and are really really proud of me for doing this!” You did your usual cute schtick, swaying a bit, your cardigan falling off your shoulder, skirt swishing along your thighs. 

Fuck. He could show you how much he loved you. Really loved you, loved you wholly, like a brother, a lover, a friend, like everything he could be to love you in full. His cock drooled thickly onto his hand, slipping between his fingers, down onto his covers. Caleb was too close to cumming. Cumming in front of you. The thought was dizzying. The only thing that could top it was the thought of cumming in you. 

“That’s all you had to say.” The words came out in a croak, his balls tightening. “Go on then. Prep the kitchen for me.” 

You gave a happy almost-chirp and zipped off, your skirt lifting to show him more of the back of your thighs for just a moment. Nearly showed  the edge of your panties. Were they just a bit wet, like the underwear clenched in his fist? 

That delicious thought electrified him. His balls drew in tight against his body, his cock throbbing in his hand and he couldn’t help but give a broken gasp as he came, cum splattering against his stomach. His slow, warm come down ached in a delicious way, as if there had been a hard to reach spot that he couldn’t get to for years, a thought that was hidden away and just out of reach, now being scratched until most of the skin was gone and all that was left was raw, shiny flesh. Unearthed. Breathing.

 It should have extinguished the burn inside. Or just fettered it, only for it to grow bigger later. Except it didn’t. It had been doused with oil, allowed to become a monster of flames and heat. 

Caleb felt it licking at his insides as he seasoned the chicken, tonguing his ribs as you sat just a few steps away, swinging your feet and nattering on about how excited you are, your lessons, meeting new people, seeing a new city. All the while he smiled and chuckled and batted your greedy fingers away from his cooking. Throughout dinner too, even as you wiggled in your seat in delight at the taste, his facade of blithe enjoyment of the evening. Even let you win once at cards before he did his big brother duty of thrashing you, all the while cooing that you’ll get him next time, just keep practising! 

Nothing could get him down. Especially when dark clouds began to roll in, blanketing the sky and starting to rumble like hunger. Thunderstorm. 

Means you would sleep uneasily. 

Means that he could go to you. And you’d let him slip into your sheets. 

It was the storm season. 

His cock dragged against his sweatpants as he kicked off the sheets and padded down the long hallway to your room. Caleb took a moment to press his ear against the door to Grandma’s room, where he heard soft snoring. You two used to have rooms opposite each other, but she stopped trusting him the day his age slipped into the double digits. Satisfied that his usual warden was deep asleep, he continued to your room. 

Didn’t even knock. You didn’t care of course. No, he could violate your privacy in a deeply disgusting way and you’d just think he’d be being a very mean older brother, like all the others in your class who grew up with big meanies like him. You were all tucked up in bed, frowning out the window, but smiled immediately when he slipped in, even scooching further in your bed, to make a space just for him.  

“Thunder doesn’t scare me anymore.” You said, even as you cuddled closer the moment he lay down next to you. 

“I know.” He wound his arm around your shoulders, pulling you even closer, tucking his nose into your hair and inhaling deeply. His cock throbbed with interest once again. You’ve always made him pick your shampoos and conditioners by making him do a sniff test. He always picked apple scents, artificial or not. Caleb pressed a kiss to your temple and you gave a soft hum of content.

You two lied there, curled up, puppies in a pen, kittens in a basket, bunnies in a burrow. His stomach was throbbing, as if TV static had slipped inside and the fuzz began to tickle the linings. He knew what he wanted to do. But also he knew that if he did something… 

His fingers began to gently trace along your shoulder blade, dipping lower, to your forearm. You wiggled a bit, as if it tickled you, but you only gave a soft huff at the sensation. Eventually his palm came to a stop against your rib cage. The hypnotic gentle thumps against his hand made something deep inside of him purr with satisfaction. He remembers watching your heart rate, instead just feeling it. Sitting with his feet on your bedside, your chilled hand in his. Caleb used to crawl into your bed then too, though you both were younger. It was after Grandmother became Grandma and pretended to care enough to take you to the hospital when you were ill, instead of taking you to her sewing room and breaking out her old kit to stitch you up or making you drink some echinacea. 

His arm tightened around you. He liked you more these days. He liked you spoiled and bratty and trying to run rings around him. Not quiet and drawn and looking at him with your big, watery eyes. 

Another kiss. Another hum. Caleb shifted down a bit, so you two were nose to nose, instead of lips to forehead. He could kiss you again. Like all those years ago. But no doubt you’d screech or something. 

He pulled back a bit, letting his hair flop into his eye, looking down at your gently sleepy face. Angel. 

“Hey, remember when we were younger, and whenever you were scared, I told you to hold onto my hand? And everything would be okay?” Caleb gently probes, pulling his hand away from your rib cage to brush strands from your face. 

“O’ course.” You murmured, already sleepy in his embrace.  

“So, you’d grab my hand if you were frightened, or didn’t like what was happening?” 

“Mhm.” 

With that guarantee, he tucked his hand against yours, ready to be grabbed if… If. 

Then he kissed you. Just on the forehead again, enjoying your repeated sigh of happiness when he did it. Did all little sisters sound so blissful when older brothers lavished them with this kind of attention? To be fair, he doubted most older brothers ever wanted to get as… Affectionate as he did. Hell, he already was more touchy than other boys he knew, even with just the hair ruffling and nose pinches.  

Another kiss, to the cheek this time. You wiggled your feet a bit, like you did when you were being tickled and were getting ready to lodge your foot into his rib. Another, a bit closer to your lips. His cock was desperately interested with what was going on, already hard again and digging into his stomach from how he was lying down. One more sweet, brotherly kiss to your cheek (Another soft sigh- No scrunch of your nose). 

Then one to your lips. For the first time in years, not since that day with the sun beating down on his neck, the faint taste of chocolate on your lips and the overwhelming wave that had threatened to engulf his entire being. 

Caleb pulled back. Looking down at you. Your eyes slowly opened. Then you blinked a few times, still sleepy and slow. 

“... That won’t upset me like it did when we were kids. Now lemme sleep, or I’m gonna have to kick you out, even if it is thundering.” You grumbled. Grumbled with a pout. Pouting at him. 

“Really?” He murmured, even as your eyes were closing again. 

Bolder, he did it again, lingering for a second longer this time. You huffed, as if you were getting annoyed by him. Rabbit stomp. But no hand holding. This time he licked his lips, dragging his tongue over his canine. He could taste blood.Caleb took a pause before leaning down, making sure not to go in too quickly this time, savouring the few seconds before your lips met. 

And it wasn't closed mouth this time. 

To be honest, it didn’t feel right, his parted lips against your shut ones, but it didn’t mean he didn’t get any leeway. You couldn’t help but to inhale just a bit. It was dizzying. Warm breath, the tip of his tongue brushing against your top teeth. Your pinky twitched against his hand. The kiss paused, Caleb not pulling away just yet, not wanting to, but knowing he didn’t want to push you at all. 

You made a soft noise, more of a sigh than a whine, and your fingers stilled. So he gently ran his tongue over your teeth, yours touching his for just a moment, but god, it got his cock leaking. He was going to cum in his sweatpants before you two even did… Anything. Anything real. 

But he couldn’t… Couldn’t ignore it. At all. Even a little bit. 

His fingers moved before he realised they did, his free hand dipping under his waistband to grip the base of his cock. He couldn’t help the grunt as he slowly pumped his shaft, already feeling the precum streaking down, instead focusing on peppering your lips with kisses. Caleb could swear that he felt you sometimes, clumsily, pursing your lips every now and then.

His thumb was rubbing against his drooling head when he finally opened his eyes, to look at you, to drink you in. Your own eyes were still closed, but when his desperate kisses paused, you slowly opened them, blinking. Dragging his tongue over his teeth, Caleb gave you a sharp smile, one he usually hid as he turned away from you, or aimed at most boys giving you puppy-love looks. He pressed another fleeting kiss to your lips, stomach tightening at the feeling, which just made his cock throb harder. He couldn’t even hide what he was doing now, the blanket bobbing slowly with each stroke. He couldn’t even catch his damn breath, and you couldn’t be completely clueless about what he was doing, even if you hadn’t watched porn, or… Or. Well, thinking about you finding out about male moaning anywhere other than a few sketchy sites was going to kill his erection, so instead he pressed closer to you, his cock head dragging against your tummy, your lovely soft stomach. 

“Give me a kiss.” He finally uttered. 

You made a small whine, blinking up at him. Your lips wet and glistening, and just… A little bit bitten. Did he do that? Or had you been nibbling? These questions faded away when you made another cute little noise before leaning your head up, eyes darting from his eyes to his mouth… And kissed him. 

Caleb came into the blanket. Some no doubt dripping onto your pajama top, maybe onto the skin of your tummy. 

“F-Fuck!” He hissed through his teeth, bucking his hips a few times, before finally having to let go of his softening cock. 

Your own eyes were glassy. Turned on? God, he hoped. He hoped you could feel your wet pussy as you rubbed your thighs together. Or maybe it was the shock of hearing him swear, since he hated doing it in front of you. And he would usually get smacked on the back of the head by Grandmother if she heard any sort of cussing from him. For just a moment, your gaze looked lost, as if you didn’t recognise him for a moment before going back to the soft haze of lust. 

Beneath the covers, both of you were sweaty. The heat, the breathless touching, the…. The wetness of… Everything. Caleb kicked some of the cover off of his feet, letting you both breathe, just a bit. 

Caleb was about to tuck his face into your neck, murmur softly about how good you were for him, how he wanted to make sure you also felt just as good, to dip his fingers into your sleep shorts and find out exactly how much you enjoyed playing with your big brother, if not for hearing a thump and shuffle from Grandma’s room. Even you stiffened up against him, knowing, while Grandma let a lot of what you shouldn’t do slip by, this would be a touch too bad for her to ignore. Caleb’s breath caught in his throat, heart thudding painfully in his chest. He was convinced you could hear it too. 

He pulled up his sweatpants, ignoring the cum cooling on the fabric and his skin. A throaty cough and more shifting, floorboards creaking, but no door opening just yet. Caleb slipped free of the sheets, breath catching in his throat at the momentary sight of your bare stomach, splattered with some of his cum and the sheets stained. He couldn’t help but to quickly lean in, tangle his fingers in your hair and kiss your forehead, exhaling shakily. You gave a soft sigh when he did so, tilting your head back a bit as if you were hoping for a-

Another wheezy cough. If he cared more, he’d check on her. No time either way. Another kiss to your head before taking long strides towards the door, making sure to avoid all the creaky spots in the floorboards. Creaking open the door, he could see that Grandma’s door was still shut. He glanced back at you, looking debaucherous, needy, all for him, but he couldn’t. Not yet. Shooting you a wry smile, he slipped out, quickly and quietly making his way to his own room, shutting his door just in time as light sliced open Grandmother’s own. He made it to his bed, his sensitive cock grating against his trousers unpleasantly, before his own door slowly opened. He could feel her piercing stare penetrate his bare back, still slightly sweaty from the heat between your sheets. Then, slowly, the door closed. He exhaled long and hard through his nose. 

It felt good. It felt like the fire deep inside of him was burning red hot, but it was safe… Not safe, no, that’s the wrong word. Enclosed, with no chance of burning him up alive. It could roar away, deep inside of him, snapping and hissing, but it wouldn’t lash its fiery tongue outside of him. Unless he lets it. 

He wakes the next day, feeling good. Fulfilled. A heavy weight gone from… Well, if he was uncouth, he’d say from his balls, but it wasn’t only the orgasm in your bed, it was also something in his stomach, right under his rib cage. Caleb had his breakfast, seated opposite from you at the table. You were slightly muted, not as chatty or animated, but you wiggled more in your seat, you seemed… More aware of your body. You brushed crumbs from your shirt, only for your fingers to freeze and quickly curl back into a fist, putting it in your lap. On the other hand, Caleb couldn’t stop touching you. As if a barrier had burnt down to ash. His foot kept sneaking forward to drag against your ankle. He playfully grabbed your waist while you were doing the washing up. Fingers in your hair, poking your soft belly, everything. 

Then the night came again. 

The sky rumbled, but didn’t split. Though, it was still enough of an invitation. Another creep along the hallway. 

It was right. It was good. 

Whispering for you to kiss him, the covers pulled over both of you. Your lips peppering his with little kisses as he slowly stroked himself, his cock head leaking all over your thighs, your shorts haven gotten shorter since the first night. Or that pair went missing. It could be anywhere, still stained, underneath his pillow.

You were… Naive. Gullible. But he knew that you also knew exactly what this was. What was happening as the blanket moved, one hand’s fingers tangled in your hair while the other hand was nowhere in sight. His soft groans against your lips, his heavy breathing. The fact that he moaned, telling you to tell him that you loved him. He came the moment you did, his face tucked into your neck, inhaling your scent as you rubbed your thighs together. 

“You’re not supposed to….” Your sentence trailed off, Caleb’s hand against your rib cage, his thumb slowly caressing just under your nipple. Even you knew that was a stupid line to draw at this stage, and you watched as he came in and swept it away with the tide. 

“Hm?” His sharp eyes dragged up to your face, his tongue slipping out to wet his lips. 

You said nothing. A month ago, you’d have screeched and swatted at him for “accidentally” touching you there, before grumbling at him, telling him to be more careful. Now you just watched him with dilated eyes as he continued to skim his nails along your skin. With your continued silence, Caleb finally dragged his palm upwards, cupping your breast, enjoying the feel of it wholly filling his hand. You gave a mix of a whine and a sigh. He liked your noises. His greedy fingers brush against your nipple before giving it a gentle pinch.

“Ow.” You mumbled, using the back of your hand to shield your mouth for some reason. He chuckled and leaned in, kissing your naked palm. 

“Ow? Do you mean that, or…?” 

You fell silent once more, a quiet admittance. But you weren’t quiet for long. Not when your shirt was pulled up to your collarbones and his mouth became busy sucking and licking at your perky tits, the covers muffling all of your soft noises, breath shuddering against your ribs. Your body was so sweet and pliant for him, you didn’t even pretend to hold fast against his free hand slipping down, pinging your waistband (“Ow!”) before tucking his fingers against it, not moving. Not pulling his hand out or plunging it deeper. Rest, letting it rest. You didn’t notice, not with the attention spent on your tits, using his teeth to graze harshly before his tongue licked the swollen skin better. He felt like a dog with a tasty piece of meat, all for himself. 

Good thing he slipped extra sleeping drops into Grandma’s evening tea. She won’t be poking her nose into any rooms tonight. Otherwise he wouldn’t get to-

“Ah! C-Caleb! You’re… My…!” Nothing else coherent could be made out, your soft whines and gasps now risen into long, sweet moans. 

It confirmed something Caleb had wondered about ever since he discovered the joys of shakily playing with his cock. You were loud. Too loud for him to not have heard you touching yourself. With his middle finger slowly rolling against your cute, swollen clit, you were completely unable to keep it down. 

This was probably the first time you’d ever been touched down there. 

Bad news for him. He had just managed to keep from cumming all over himself the moment your fingertips grazed his cock head. Now, here he was, torturing your poor clit, which probably had only been touched whenever your underwear rode up and dragged against it. He did remember a few times your face flushed and you quietly wiggled in your seat, a hand sneaking up the side of your leg. No doubt to pull down your underwear a bit. 

Caleb could feel sweat trickling down his back. Finally, he left your clit alone, your gasps slowly dying as your body could finally relax. Not for long though. He was a bully, even when he did lovingly dote on you. The squeak you let out when his middle finger slowly pressed into you, welcomed by slick, got his cock twitching with sustained interest, alerting him to what it, he, really wanted. To be tucked deep inside of his little sister, warm and snug, instead of what he’s had all these years. A pillow stuffed under his hips for him to desperately hump, with his teeth digging so hard into his tongue that blood coated his mouth. Sometimes his brain wandered, clinging onto the thought of tasting you during the times you held a hot water bottle to your tummy, mumbling about getting a hot drink and some painkillers.

But now… It was real. 

It was real, and it was warm and it was soft and wet and it was you. 

“Want gege to make you feel good?” He finally murmurs, gently letting your nipple slip free from his tongue, swollen, puffy from his ruthless teasing. Your tongue gently drags over your chapped lips, your bottom lip wobbles. Hesitating. “I know you do. You want your brother to take care of you the same way you’ve been taking care of me.” 

After a beat of you simply looking at him with your soft, big eyes, begging even when your mouth couldn’t find the words, he couldn’t help but to smile at you, showing his teeth. You probably felt like you needed to keep whispering you two couldn’t do this, that Grandma was next door, putting up any and all objections you could think of, but he knew you. You were a little hedonist, first with your childish want for more plushies and sweet things in your life, which he was now nursing into something full fledged. Caleb wanted to tease a secret side out of you, a side that would see him and immediately let your legs spread open for him, to let his tongue drag over yours, to never get your own boyfriend while away from him, because everything you could ever need would be found with your big brother. You’d need him as he needed you. To set you alight inside, the same way you had done for him all those years back. 

He wanted you as sick as he was. 

You already trusted him fully, having allowed him to sneak into your room and letting him… Play with you. Of course you raised no objections when he shifts in your bed, instead moving further down the bed before resting on his belly. Caleb couldn’t help but to chuckle as you squeak and cover your clothed crotch with both of your hands, embarrassed by how close his face was to it. It didn’t mean that it hampered his ability to slide your sleep shorts down your legs, even though you refused to move your fingers an inch. He playfully flicks at your digits, before leaning in and biting the tip of one, making you squeak and yank your hands away. 

“Ow! Caleb!”

“That’s another ‘Ow’ you don’t mean.” He snickers before focusing his eyes on your poor pussy, slick from the attention, puffy from the lack of it. 

Before you could whine out an excuse, a response, anything, Caleb had tucked his face securely between your thighs, his lips immediately attaching to your clit and beginning to suck. You couldn’t help but to kick on instinct, arching your back as the pleasure crashed down onto you like a wave. Caleb himself couldn’t stop a moan from slipping free, your taste, your reactions, your everything totally overwhelming him. He couldn’t even stop himself from grinding against the mattress, two of his fingers quickly slipping onto your hole. You tightened around him immediately, the dizzying sound of squelching filling the room as he worked his digits, all the while you couldn’t stop from tensing, arching, wriggling, mewling. 

“Caleb…” You couldn’t help but to whisper, your own fingers fluttering against his hair, unsure if you could wind the strands between your fingers, to grab ahold of him as he became a beast, licking and sucking with abandon. 

It felt like torture, the way he was using his tongue and teeth on you, only sometime stopping to whisper for you to relax, trust him. That all he wanted to do was play with your princess parts after so long only being able to hump pillows and then his muscular thigh during these last few nights. You needed to be seen to, and he was going to be a good big brother to you, and make it up to you. 

He didn’t even notice that you came all over his mouth until you were weakly pressing against his shoulder with your foot, pushing him away, only to get the sight of his slick mouth, his tongue still hanging out as if he was trying to get a final taste before he was forced to depart. Your breathless pants finally clicked what happened and he couldn’t help but to grin down at you, before wiping his lips with his fingers before popping them back in to suck them clean. 

“Tell me you liked it.” He finally said, his cock threatening to burst against his stomach. 

“I… I like it.” You whispered after him, your body completely lax for the first time that night. 

“Again.” Caleb sat up to pull his trousers down enough for his erection to finally spring free, drooling thickly. “Say… Say ‘I loved it, gege.’ Say it.” 

“I…” You inhale at the sight of his bare cock filled Caleb with a deep smugness. He could tell you liked it. “Loved it, gege. I really loved it.” 

“Now… Now…” He desperately thought about what he really wanted to hear. “Tell me you love me. And that you want more.” 

Your eyes met his, need lurking deep within them. You opened and closed your mouth a few times, tongue darting out to drag against your own canine. Your eyes dropped to his hand  when he slipped it into the back pocket of his trousers, slipping a condom free. Your cute little inhale at the sight made his cock twitch. He tore the wrapping with his teeth, but didn’t take the rubber out, just stared down at you. 

“I love you, Caleb.” You finally murmured. “Caleb, I want more. I love you so much and it feels so good.” 

He could have moaned and collapsed if he was a weaker man. He was a weak man, but he always wanted to be strong for you, to take all the beatings from the world so you could curl against his chest and know you would always be safe with him. 

Instead he dove down, gripping your chin with his free hand, to press his lips against yours, your combined tastes invading all senses between you two. Caleb didn’t stop kissing you, proper kisses between two lovers, his tongue dragging against yours, your teeth, tasting you, even as his free hand went to work, rolling the condom down his erection, gripping the base tightly. The tip snagged against your leaking slit, nudging your clit before finding your hole, ready for him. The first press inside had your breath shuddering, your tits shivering against his chest even with his whole body blanketing yours. 

“Ah!” You pulled away from his hungry mouth, his greedy tongue, just to exclaim, gripping his shoulders tightly. “Caleb, it’s… It’s…”

“Say it,” He murmured against your temple, before giving it a kiss. His voice was desperate, even to himself. “Say it, say it.” 

“It’s so big.” You finally whined out, your knees coming up to squeeze his hips. 

That single, short sentence was enough for him. His cock was twitching and he wasn’t going to waste what stamina he had left just letting you hump his cock head gently. 

Caleb pushed all the way in, to the base, as you squealed and arched your back, squirming, against his body. You were trapped, helpless against him, and after a moment of making sure your keening wasn’t in pain, he began his strict, mean thrusts. He wasn’t even pulling all the way out, his movements siding on the side of ruthless grinding and pumping his erection into you. You clung to his arm and shoulder, nails digging in, your legs winding around his waist now. For a brief moment, his brain likened the position to when you demanded for him to let you “koala”, clinging to him as he went about his business, and blood rushed to his cock. 

He was so fucking filthy. You made him this disgusting pervert and he could do nothing but kiss the side of your face and neck, your own mouth whining against the crook of his shoulder. You took him so well, your insides desperately moulding to the shape of his cock, cunt so wet and needy that you began to weakly raise your hips to meet his cruel thrusts. A part of him wanted to pull out and slip the condom free, but there was something so… Disgustingly domestic, so sanitised about the dirty, taboo act taking place, it was making him dizzy just thinking about it. They gave away insane amounts of condoms at university, and given his reputation as a heart throb, he doubted anyone thought he’d hoard his, only to go through them all with his sister. Caleb couldn’t help the bark of a laugh he let out, ignoring the questioning whine you gave in between your hiccups and moans. 

“Caleb, Caleb!” You breathed every time he pressed deeper against a soft, spongy spot deep inside of you. 

He loved the way you chanted his name. The way you squeezed him when his hand slipped between your two bodies, just to play with your swollen clit despite the way you already twitched and wriggled when his pubic bone pressed against the bundle of nerves. Your fingers disappeared into his hair to tug, your thighs tightened around him. It took him a moment to realise those noises you were making had devolved from words and were all the sounds you could make as he ruined you with his cock. 

Then he felt you tighten and cum around him. 

It was too much. He shoved himself as deep as he could within you and gave a broken groan, alien to his own ears, as he finally came deep inside of you, filling the condom up easily. It felt like he released something more than his own semen, his heart unclenching and his spine relaxing. It was like he had a pain in his side for years and only now a splinter was being slipped free from the skin, leaving an open wound, but god, he loved that it now bled freely. 

Despite your weak sighs for him not to move, he was jostling you, Caleb still sat back on his haunches, looking down at the base of his cock, where the condom mouth had rolled up just a bit, but not snapped free. There was a pretty ring of cream around his cock, slick down his thighs, his own cum still trapped in the rubber. Quickly slipping it free and tying it off, he squinted at the shining texture before licking the outside a bit. 

“Gross.” You grumbled, arm over your eyes, chest heaving. 

“Nope. Just tasted like your pussy,” He aimed for the bin and managed a perfect throw. “And you already know I love how that tastes.” 

You weakly kicked him, only to be foiled by him gripping your foot and bringing it up to his shoulder, kissing the ankle. You two stayed like that for a while, you slowly coming down and him enjoying every breath, every gentle shift, every grumble that he ruined your sheets.

“Give me a kiss.” He finally said, sitting back fully and resting against the backboard of the bed. “C’mon.” 

He watched as you sluggishly pulled yourself up and leaned over, hair a mess and lips bitten and sucked. You pouted when he didn’t move at all closer to you, leaving you to flop against his chest and pepper his lips with kisses, grumbling between each one. 

Caleb felt something inside of him purr at the feeling. Not just the warm kisses but also… Just the fact you were doing it. He wasn’t the one kissing you, teasing you with teeth and tongue, but you… You were actively wanting to feel his lips against yours. Perfection.

“You liked that?” He asked, when you settled your cheek against his shoulder, putting your full body weight on him.

“Hmh.” You sighed softly, closing your eyes. 

“Use your big words.” 

“... I liked it, Caleb.” 

“How much?” 

You pulled back, just to scrunch your nose and squint at him. 

“You’re being meaaan.” 

“No, I’m not.” Caleb chided, beginning to curl a strand of your hair around his finger, smirking to himself. “I’m telling you to use your big girl words for me. Or did I fuck all of them loose from your brain?” 

You whined at him before slapping his stomach lightly, breath stuttering a bit as he tensed it. Oh. You liked that. He smiled to himself. 

“Say it.” He repeated, dropping a kiss to your cheek. 

“... I really liked it. It felt good and… And… Dizzying. And… I wouldn’t mind…” You trailed off, dragging your finger tips over his chest, right where his heart thudded rhythmically against his ribs. 

“And?” 

“... And I wouldn’t… Mind doing it again… Sometimes?” 

Caleb couldn’t stop a grin from spreading all over his face. He knew you felt his heart beat faster under your touch, and couldn’t stop himself from pressing a hard, long kiss against your soft mouth. You tried to grumble and pull away, but he just kept peppering them, on your lips, cheeks, forehead, even one for your nose. 

“I just hope Grandma didn’t hear anything.” You eventually mumbled, tucking your face against his collarbone. 

“... Probably not.” 

[yuurei20]

NRC Friends List: Idia

Idia and Ortho may have a different definitions of the word “friend”: when Ortho compares students kidnapped to STYX as equivalent to “having friends over” Idia says that “forcibly dragging acquaintances into a lab and making them test subjects” is not the same thing, insisting that the “troublemakers” are not his friends.

This conversation is repeated at the end of Book 6 when Ortho says they have experienced “hanging out at a friend’s house” (though he then corrects his own phrasing, calling the prefect an “acquaintance” instead).

Ortho encourages Idia to attend Lilia’s farewell party but Idia refuses on the grounds that they are not friends (“We're like, acquaintances at best.”)

Ortho encourages Idia to make a new friend at the Noble Bell College social and Idia says, “I don’t even have any friends here.” Ortho follows with, “just try to make any friend, then. Even someone from the Night Raven group.”

Ortho refers to the students as Idia’s friends during Phantom Bride, to the group of Sebek, Epel, the prefect, Jade and Grim as Idia’s “school friends” during Harveston and is excited to think that Idia has befriended Malleus in a vignette, but at the end of Book 6 he admits that Idia doesn’t have any close friends and possibly never will.

When Marja refers to the Harveston group as Epel’s friends Idia is the only one who corrects her, saying, “I barely interact with him, TBH.”

In Book 6 Idia says that he has no friends, but he possibly wasn’t counting his online friend Muscle Red, whom he has never met in person.

Ortho says that a “real live human friend” like Muscle Red is a rarity for Idia (not knowing that Muscle Red is fae), and when Muscle Red retires from online gaming Idia says he will never make another friend again.

He and Muscle Red (Lilia) also refer to one another as “war buddies.”

Idia is more vocally resistant to friendship that most other characters: when a Harveston villager comments on the NRC sled team’s show of friendship he responds, “Friendship..? That's the LAST thing we have!”

When Ortho describes Rook, Epel, the prefect and Grim as “caring friends” for hunting down Vil Idia says, “Nah, is that just being a caring friend? It's just plain scary,…”

On the subject of his relationship with Muscle Red, however, he says “This right here is what friendship's all about!”

Describing the Watchman of the Isle of Woe (whom Lilia does not know is Idia), Lilia says, "the Watchman is not our enemy. Just as they are no one's enemy, so too are they no one's friends."

[kei-crocker]

May I ask a question? In your Twisted pitch pals au-

What's Vlad doing in all this? Like, how does he feel about Danny’s ghost half essentially kidnapping him? I imagine he might be a little freaked out or concerned

I've been thinking about this situation, and I feel like Fenton might have personally convinced Phantom before leaving Wisconsin Manor. He would have done everything he could to make sure Phantom didn’t hurt Vlad.

At that moment, Vlad might have felt a sense of humiliation toward Fenton. After all, he owed his life to a kid he had always considered several steps beneath him. Of course, that feeling probably wasn’t too strong—at least not at the time—since he was too overwhelmed by sheer terror to dwell on humiliation. In the show, Vlad had already lost to Danny quite a few times, but up until TUE, Danny had never defeated him purely through sheer power. (I think that was the case even until the finale, but I don’t remember Phantom Planet at all, so I can’t say for sure.) Danny always compensated for his lack of strength with cleverness.

But now, without Plasmius, Vlad is nothing more than a powerless human. Meanwhile, Dan Phantom has not only fused with his own ghost half but also absorbed Plasmius, making him unimaginably powerful—and on top of that, he harbors a deep and personal desire to kill Vlad. At the moment he was attacked, Vlad probably had little room for any emotion other than fear. But once the situation settled down and Phantom left with Fenton, he would have had plenty of time to think.

I've always thought Vlad was a well-crafted character—deeply layered, with complex motivations. His obsession with Danny has a clear purpose (replacing Jack), but TUE makes it clear that he doesn’t see Danny as just a means to an end. I believe, to some extent, his concern for Danny was genuine.

So when Phantom took Fenton away, that concern likely started creeping in, though he was too terrified and injured to stop it from happening.

As time passed and he regained his composure, he would have started reflecting on everything. Once Fenton was lucky enough to contact him, Vlad’s thoughts and objectives would have solidified.

It’s possible he would try to use Fenton’s reluctantness toward Phantom to bring him back under his control. Vlad is highly calculating—he wouldn’t pass up an opportunity if he saw one. He might also see this as a way to reclaim his ghost half. Ideally, he would want Danny Fenton as a complete halfa, but if he deemed Phantom uncontrollable and too great a threat, he might decide to eliminate him and claim only Danny Fenton, the human boy, as his son.

Valerie would likely play a role in this scheme as well. Fenton, of course, wouldn’t be happy about any of it.

As this process unfolds, any lingering guilt Vlad has toward Fenton would fade, replaced by an even stronger obsession. Just as with Phantom, Danny has become the only person in the world he truly loves—aside from himself. And along the way, he might justify his actions by convincing himself that everything he’s doing is for Danny’s own good.

Thanks for leaving me an ask! <<3 it's fun to think how Vlad goes here after these all incidents 😖

[haleigh-sloth]

Blue Lock unapologetically uses the "everything revolves around the main character everyone's development is associated with the main character everyone is influenced by the main character and the main character is influenced by everyone around him" and it does it WELL and GOOD

There are some characters where this has yet to be deeply explored due to it not being time for it yet, but for the ones where it's happening right now in real time it's pushing this story forward quickly (despite how long the NEL arc is taking lol)

Episode Nagi (side manga of bllk told primarily from Nagi's POV but still tells other POVs also) just had a new chapter and it basically copied a major scene from the main manga in its CURRENT ARC. It tells me a lot about the surrounding cast in regards to Isagi and also tells me a lot (reinforces previous thinking/predicting) about where the story is going.

Rin was about to score a goal here and even the score between Germany and France. He stopped because his brother's phantom popped up (obviously, this is Rin's perception of what his brother would deem a worthy goal or not). This was a very clear copy of Isagi in chapter 1 when he decided that he had to "go after the strongest" if he was going to change. It was a painfully obvious moment connecting Rin and Isagi in their mentalities.

In EPISODE NAGI:

I mean, obviously. It's the same. (but different)

It's the same! (but different)

Nagi and Barou are hearing things Isagi said to them during previous matches they played. They're using Isagi to fire them up. Isagi's influence pushed them to find their egos and explore different ways of playing soccer. For Barou that's passing the ball, for Nagi it was literally feeling anything at all while playing.

I have too many images so there will be a part two lmao.

[stumacherr]

gray and juvia deep dive & why they aren’t toxic

starting with juvia’s character. we learn very early on that juvia had no real relationships (platonic, romantic, etc) as a child, even seemingly no familial connections. this leads her to phantom lord where she believes she was born to be hated and bring trouble upon others. it’s also no secret she was very attracted to gray when they met, however she wasn’t “crazy” for him. despite being her enemy, he tries not to harm her and saves her when she’s about to fall off the ledge, showing her how kind people can be and that they don’t always hate you for who you are. this is what opens her eyes and lets her experience happiness and see the sun for the first time ever. this is when she falls in love with gray. from here, we see juvia pop up at random times in the background seemingly “stalking” gray. in my eyes it is clear that she just wants to join their guild and find her real family. she leaves gifts (the bento box) for gray almost as a secret admirer because she gets too nervous to approach him. she knows she was their enemy and doesnt want to bring more harm to the guild or, more specifically, gray. she is constantly trying to prove herself worthy and make up for the lack of connection she had in her childhood.

gray’s character is a little more complex. he is ridden with survivor’s guilt from ur’s death (and later on ultear). he is not open emotionally with anyone, putting on this tough guy act and trying to remain cool. his hesitancy to juvia is not because of her as a person, rather than her being a romantic interest and him not knowing how to deal with those feelings. even when gray was a child under ur we see him try turning any emotions he has into anger, always appearing to be the “bigger man”. he does show interest in juvia (romantically or platonically, either way the interest is there), early on he often asks where she is or how she’s doing, even seeming excited when she makes it into the guild. gray also clearly has a different love style than juvia, as he is far more avoidant and detached than she is, but he always makes sure she is safe and tends to look for her first if she is nearby. even when he is talking kindly about natsu he gets embarrassed and turns red, so it’s obvious that he would act this way with her. in the gmg/eclipse arc he sacrifices himself for her before ultear reverses time and again in the alvarez empire arc. while all these things could be platonic displays of interest, it still furthers the point that he cares for her. juvia slowly teaches gray that being vulnerable is okay, erza even urging him to be honest with her. his honesty is that he “appreciates” her, and we know he would not hesitate to say he dislikes her if that were true. in the 100yq he is getting confident and realizing how he acts is only reminding her of being shut out in childhood and makes it his goal to become “good enough” for her and someone who can protect her, leading to him being more emotionally available with her.

they have different styles of loving each other but that doesn’t make them bad for each other. it is also not a secret that juvia fell first, but that doesn’t take away from gray’s apparent feelings. as for other things that antis tend to point out, it is a fictional cartoon with very different humor than we’re used to. even most animes i’ve seen have a different form of comedy. this type of comedy is also used a LOT throughout fairy tail, not just with gray and juvia. this provides reason for her behaving this way and is honestly easier to brush it off. they push each other and are constantly bettering the other.

[imaginariumwanderer]

HI helloooo excuse my intrusionnn

So glad I'm not the only one going insane about this small bit, SM put on such a good mask of charismatic deception and it's these small moments of calm reflection that drove me wild. Like this one:

I honestly believe SM is being serious here, about knowing what PV is thinking/feeling. These mind games for him goes beyond just wanting to reclaim the Soul jam or any struggles for power. Like a good villain, SM aiming to corrupt PV is to prove his ideology right, that PV is not stronger than him, that he'll come to the same conclusion like SM once did. They really are each other's past and future. PV who preached of hope and meaning, who dreamed of a brighter future for the cookie world, is simply the shadow cast by SM, a phantom of a naive past SM will soon forget.

Or maybe that's what SM wanted to believe, because the idea of someone who's so much alike to him managing to do something he can't, to embrace the truth and himself, is too much to bear. That's the one thing he won't allow.

tldr: i can fix him/i can make him worse but there's actual good character motivation behind it

i wish i could put into words how much everything about this small bit absolutely FASCINATES me. the way that shadow milk seems almost guilty or sad by something, and then immediately doubles down and becomes work with a sick grin on his face. the way he is so clearly projecting himself onto pure vanilla (does he believe his entire life before his corruption to hold no value? does he view THAT life as a lie?) the way he wants pure vanilla to be just as ruined as he is, to BECOME him… their dynamic is so twisted in all the best possible ways.

[marleneoftheopera]

Photos of Kelly Glyptis as Carlotta, shared on her website.