hallowedsky

[dromaeo-sauridae]

☀️

the bugs of hallownest, living underground, didnt have the greatest eyesight and were used to everything being dim especially pk being a literal worm

one of the early (after the dreams started, but still early on) signs of infection was the feeling of being blinded, yanno when youre in a dark area and turn on the lights and cant see for a minute? that but constant. only way to stop it was to close your eyes or sleep… and well, you know. that didnt actually help in the long run

[dangerous-yam-fries]

Male Naga x GN!Reader - NSFW

Asks and Suggestions are open and encouraged!

Warnings: prehensile dicks, hemipenes (two dicks), kidnapping, MILD drowning???, stalking, envenomation, double dick handjob, MINORS LEAVE GET OUT OF HERE!

You had been researching a multitude of lower classifications from the Chordata phylum, eventually becoming a member of a research term for the study of Serpentes-Homo Sapiens. Snake people, Naga, whatever you want to call them. Even if you didn’t find the famed Naga, you were excited to be in a different country surrounded by foreign life, so you bore with the bugs and humidity.

You were wading through a stagnant, mucky pond in your thick plastic overalls, while sweat slicked the inside of your clothes, mud and pond scum on the outside.

At first, you were simply gathering water samples, but that quickly turned into more of a fun, exploratory session as you walked in the water. It came up to about the middle of your thigh, so it wasn’t too deep, just a little mushy under your feet. You made sure to wear water shoes, they fit comfortably, but you could still feel rocks and pebbles poking the pads of your feet as you walked slowly into the middle of the pond.

“Well, aren’t you cool…” You mumble as you inspect a larva of a diving beetle. It looks like a grub with thin back plates and stringy antenna as the water around it clears up. It quickly retreats into the depths of the pond, leaving you to wander through the water. You decided to catalog the different fauna and flora, soon getting distracted and losing track of time.

You were so enthralled with the beauty and complexity of the biome that you didn’t notice you were being watched. Stalked, even.

Hyacinth laid eyes on the first day you landed at the camp, and for some reason, he simply couldn’t take his eyes off you. You were captivating, the way your sweat glistened on your skin like morning dew, how your face flushed under the sun, making your blemishes, scars, and freckles look like stars.

But he could never look into your eyes, for you’d surely notice him then. For weeks, he was content to merely watch your fluttering figure, but he soon hungered for more. So he waited until you were utterly alone, too far away from your fellow researchers for them to help you. And here you were, far away from any human life, and utterly distracted, sneaking up on you was far too easy.

You were suddenly pulled under the water, it wasn’t deep, but it was certainly enough to drown in. You held your breath as you kicked and struggled against whatever was trying to kill you, but it was no use. Opening your mouth, you felt water fill your throat and spill into your lungs, your eyes stung and your body felt like it was on fire. The muddy water soon turned black as you lost all consciousness.

Hyacinth was absolutely smitten with you by the time he made it to his home, he relished in forcing the water out of your lungs, it only gave him an excuse to kiss you. After multiple hours entrapped in Hyacinth’s warm tail you coughed and sputtered awake.

“Mmm pet~” Your body jolted awake at the sound of a person’s voice, your heart beating rapidly when you lay your eyes upon the owner of said voice. You choke when you see him. A real, live Naga, the very creature you had been searching so hard for.

“Awake, are we?” He smiles and you see a flicker of his tongue dart out of his mouth and caress your cheek. “Don’t be scared, pet. I won’t hurt you.” His face is right up against yours, and you find yourself staring straight into his eyes.

“Beautiful…” You hadn’t even remembered the events that transpired prior to your fainting as you swooned at his eyes. The scleras were reminiscent of opal, with purples, pinks and greens wrinkled together in the shiny orb. His pupils were two black slits as sharp as glass.

He found himself blushing at that, you thought he was beautiful! A joyous pure erupts in his throat as his forked tongue flicks over your lips. “W-who are you? Uh… I’m (Name), I, I think?” You mumbled, suddenly out of breath with your mind going a mile a minute.

“Hyacinth…” His tongue licked at your lips, his eyes not breaking from yours, even when they started to water. Your eyes were even more dazzling than he thought they would be. They looked as bright as the sun, practically glowing, or maybe that was the light of the fire… “I am Hyacinth”

“Hyacinth… like the flower?” You inquired, your breath hitching for no apparent reason. Your mind didn’t even register the intimate proximity, or his tongue gliding upon your lips, occasionally licking at your tongue and probing into your mouth.

“Like the flower.” He smiled, he was so happy to have you here, in his arms, wrapped in his tail, and so very receptive to his… courting. You glanced around you, breaking eye contact with Hyacinth to gaze at his tail. It was so purple, with scales like fuchsia petals, shining in the fires light like fireflies. He really looked so beautiful. His skin was a handsome tan, painted with freckles and scars and burns, like cartography on a worn map.

“M-may I, touch you?” You hesitantly reached your dominant hand out, just barely ghosting over his shoulder.

He trilled at this, taking your hands and placing them on his chest, cupping his sinewy breasts. “You may touch anywhere you please, (Name).” He drawled out your name, savoring the sound on his tongue.

You shivered, and squeezed his chest slightly, blushing at the way he flushed underneath you. Your hands slid to his shoulders, rubbing the freckles and scars on the rosy brown skin, your heart was pounding out of your rib cage by the time you laid your hands on his tail.

Your breath hitched, eyes widening when you touch the very end of his tail, the coil of scales coming to a bumpy end. “You’re so beautiful… Hyacinth.” You gulped, and caressed the tip, rubbing the scaly tail with your fingers, stopping when you heard him let out a strangled sound. “Is everything alright?” You ask worriedly, but still not letting go of his tail.

Hyacinth’s breath is labored, his eyes narrow, but not in malice. “J-just a little, sensitive there, pet.” He still manages a smile, glistening fangs shining in his mouth. Your face goes red as you become aware of a wet mess beneath you, two pinkish-purple tips peeking out of a glistening genital slit.

“O-oh, I’m, I’m sorry.” You gulp, and after a moment of self reflection, your mind hazy with scientific desire, you ask a confirming question. “I, I may touch, anywhere, right?” You practically drool at the sight of his twitching sex as your fingers run along his slit and spread it, letting loose his two cocks.

“Not waiting for an answer…” He said, less of a question and more of an observation as your fingers glide along the length of his dick, tracing the lithe veins as they curl around your hand. “They’re prehensile…” He gets bolder, rocking into your touch, his hands making quick work of your own clothes.

You don’t say anything as you play with them, gripping the bases and letting them wrap around your hands, thrusting in and out of them. Hyacinth moans and shudders just inches away from your face, muttering lewd phrases and dirty words, giving you quite a show.

“A little tighter, pet~ Your hands are so warm, I’m sure your insides are warmer~” He twitches and sighs as your hands clasp around his dicks even tighter, becoming slippery with slick and precum as you pump your hands slightly. “So, so good. More, faster, pet, please.” His voice is broken up and shaky, like music to your ears as he pants and moans. You comply, rubbing your hands on his prehensile cocks even faster, tighter, still pumping his lengths even after he paints your hands with cum.

“Ahhh~ p-pet, too much, slow down for me!” You try to stop but your hands move on their own, eyes tearing up with his as his nails dig into your bare waist. You stop your hands, not realizing how close he is to another orgasm as he bites into your shoulder, gasps racking his body.

Your tears fall as your eyes roll back, your body being pumped full of his venom. Choking, you can’t breathe, your throat seizing up, noticing this, Hyacinth kisses you roughly, forcing air down your lungs. Your brain activity is slowed, so you don’t even notice your body being lifted above his cocks and genital slit.

“It won’t hurt, pet.” He takes his lips away from yours, but only for a second as he continues helping you to breathe. Your hole tingles as he rubs his dicks against it, lathering it with his cum and slick before plunging a prehensile penis inside. “You are warm, pet~” His lips meet yours again, resuming the kiss.

One of his dicks thrusts in and out of your hole, curling against your most pleasurable parts, flaring at the entrance, giving your hole a good stretch. He drools and slobbers on your lips, his saliva dripping down your chin and his as he thrusts even faster. His other cock moves to caress your sex, rubbing it up and down and getting it wet with cum. It curls around your tip, squeezing and rubbing it mercilessly.

His cocks bully your sex, your body shaking from overstimulation even with the effects of his venom. It feels like you’re on fire, but unlike in the pond, it’s a pleasant burn, one that lights the fires of passion and lust as your insides constrict and tighten around his prehensile dick.

Your insides squeeze around him, your sex twitching against his dick as he ruts against it even faster, determined to deliver you a mind-shattering orgasm. You cum hard, getting the both of you even wetter, his dick squelching its cum inside of you as he reaches his own orgasm. He moans into your mouth, eyes locked with yours as he continues to hump your insides, eating up your sobs as overstimulation racks your brain.

You’ll have plenty of time to study him, especially his mating process. After all, the first session can take up to 75 hours. And he would make sure your hole milked him dry, daring not to spill a drop.

[pearlwingdraws]

Moth pin/brooch

A couple people asked me how I made this so I figured I’d just make a little post explaining it.

Before I start I WOULD like to disclose that the pin I’ve made is hugely inspired by the one by TheClosetHistorian (on YouTube) and you should definitely consider checking out her video if you want more instruction or like that format better.

I made a little graphic showing some work in progress pictures as well as materials and techniques used in the different areas. I will type it out in more detail below.

1. First draw out the shape I want on a piece of felt. Add some guide lines for different parts of the design. I layered mine double because it’s quite thin. I used an (unused) dish rag, so don’t worry about the quality of your felt.

2. I start off embroidering the “neck area”, using turkey stitch. Starting from the bottom up, I use a dark turquoise floss, then later mix in a lighter shade.

3. Next I sew on the beads. String on 5-6 at a time and then go back and tack them down with small stitches. I don’t know much about embroidering with beads, so this may not be the “correct” way to do it. The types of beads I used are size 11/0 seed beads and delica beads, as well as bugle beads and Miyuki’s Tila and half Tila.

4. Sequins. I recommend using flat ones instead of the ones I used. I work from the bottom up, trying to get a nice silhouette with the bottom layer, as this will form the outline of the finished piece.

5. After finishing with the sequins, I do some more turkey stitch around the top, so it covers up that edge where you can see the tread. Optionally you can do the whole thing with sequins if you want.

6. Next thing I did was some French knots, just above the turkey stitch in a contrasting color. This is just for some textural variety and decoration, as little “spots”. You can really add them wherever you’d like, or not at all.

7. Then I just finished embroidering the thing. Don’t know what the stitch is called, it’s just making little stitches beside each other until it’s all filled in. I did a little gradient because I felt like it.

For the legs and antennae, i also just winged it. The legs and antennae got layered double in wire and twisted before adding the beads and sequins, then I just used the very tip of my round plier to curl the remaining ends into round little “feet”. Then stitch them securely to the backside of the pin.

I finish it off with another layer of felt, this one painted with a fabric paint I happened to have lying around, both for some extra strength and to match the color scheme better. I cut little slits to fit in a regular safety pin (I recommend get a proper pin/brooch needle) and stitched the backing on with very dense stitches. Pictures below.

Extra suggestions:

If you don’t have sequins, or want a different look, you can embroider the whole thing. Alternatively you can fill the whole space with sequins if you don’t want to embroider it all. You can of course do any shape, size and color scheme, whether based on real life moths or just fantasy!

Lastly I just want to thank everyone for the love you’ve shown for this silly little bug 💖 it means the world to me, and it has really inspired me. I wish I could sell these, but I don’t think that’s really an option for me right now. I’ll let you know if that changes in the future, but until then, I hope those of you who have the interest to make your own find this helpful.

[mindlessflare]

Title in Progress

so I’m working on rewriting an old story I found in my archives, changing the perspective, so I hope you guys like chapter 1.

All characters are depicted as 18+, and any fetishes such as tickling, bondage and whatnot are represented here. Please enjoy.

———————

Chapter 1: Entering a new Domain

Walking home from her new school, Zoe took what she thought to be a shortcut home. She cut through the alleyway and slid through a broken fence that led towards the back part of her neighborhood. Her pink skirt got caught on some of the broken fence, and tried to pull away. It tore off part of it and she sighed, frustrated. She really liked that skirt. But she wiped off the dirt off her white shirt, to little satisfactory results, and continued moving.

As she continued moving, long weeds and blades of grass began to work their way into her flip flops with each step, gently tickling her toes. She squeaked and giggled to herself, as she tried to avoid the distracting sensations against her highly sensitive feet. She moved through the grass and the weeds, but the farther in I go, the taller the grass seems to get. The further she goes in, the darker it seems to get. And as she looked behind her and cannot see the path in which she had taken. She looked around again, surrounded by weeds and grass. She shuddered and started running, uncertain of her new course of action. She looked around and saw trees, branches and shrubbery. My eyes begin to water as I pour out into the open area from the weeds, now lost in these strange woods; frightened and shivering. 

“Oh no... H-hello? Is anybody there? I... I think I'm lost…” she asked, looking around at the strange new environment. She continued walking through the newly formed woods, passing by the overgrown shrubbery and weeds. She walks deeper and deeper into the woods, and starts noticing vines that have sprouted from the trees. As she tries to step over them, she feels something wrap around her ankle.

“What the–?!” She shrieked as she felt the vine around her ankle tightening. The vine yanked her leg, causing her to fall to the ground, screaming, as she was flung into the air hanging upside down. She panicked as her skirt got flipped up, using her free hands to push against it as best she could.

“Ahhhhhh! Oh my gosh! Help me! Someone help me, please!!” She shouted as she was gripped and hung upside down by the vines, as she frantically tried to push her skirt back down. Her pink panties with yellow sunflower designs on it are completely exposed despite her best efforts. If someone was here to help her, it would be a double edged sword in this embarrassing situation. She tries to kick at the vine wrapped around her ankle to no avail, as more vines underneath her begin to move. She noticed at the last minute as more vines begin to grab onto her remaining limbs. 

“No! Let go!” She whined as more of the vines wrapped around her wrists and stretched them spread eagle, doing the same with her remaining leg. Her skirt flipped back down, with no way to hide her panties now. She blushed as she yanked and pulled at her binds, to little effect. She began to giggle as she felt several tiny legs crawling on her. She looked at her arms and saw little caterpillar looking creatures swiftly and quickly crawling from the vines onto her arms and legs, and quickly moving across her body. 

“Hehehey! Nohohoho cut it out! Staahahaahap!” She giggled and squirmed as the bugs crawled over her body. Their little legs and fuzzy antennas gently stroking and poking at her sensitive skin. The bugs make their way across her body, almost analyzing it as they move to specific locations. 

“Nohohohooho! Stahaahahaaahap it! Thahahaahahat tihihhihihihihihickles!!” She shrieked again, as the bugs made way towards her underarms. They crawled under her short sleeves to crawl and wiggle against her bare skin. The tiny legs tickled like a pinwheel, and the fuzzy antennas were soft like feathers. She continued to laugh and thrash as she felt more of the bugs moving down her sides as the ones by her ankles moved up her legs. 

“Wahahahaahahahahait! Stahaahaahap it! Pleehehehehehehehease stahaahahaahap it! Heheheheheehehehelp!!” Zoe begged as the fuzzy creatures began crawling across her ribs and down to her belly. She flailed and squirmed harder as their little bodies scurried around her sensitive stomach, curling into her belly button as they moved around. 

She panicked as she realized her constant flailing and squirming had shaken her pink flip flops loose, and the bugs began making head way down to her feet. “No no no! Plehehehease naahahat that! Nahaahat my feet!!” 

The bugs continued to march down her legs as their little legs and fuzzy antenna reached her feet. They began crawling over the tops of her feet, around the slides of her arches, and even wiggled their way between her toes. Zoe almost lost it completely. 

“Hahahaha! STAAHAHHAHAP! Pleheeheehease NAAHHAHAHAHAT MY FEEHEHEHEEHHHEET! HEHEHEEHEHEHEHHEHELP MEEHHEHEHEHEEHE! SOMEHEHEHEHEEHHEHEONE! HEHEEHEEHEHHEAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHALP!!!” Despite her best efforts, the vines stayed firm and their grasp stayed strong. And the bugs, despite the noise, continued to dance their ticklish dance across her small pink soles and bubbly toes. All Zoe could do was laugh and scream as the bugs ravaged her ticklish body with their assault. 

“PLEEHEHEHEEEHEHEEHEHASE STAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAP IT! IM TOHOOHOHOHOO TIHIHIHIHIHIIHIIHICKLISH FOHOHOHOHHOHOHOR THIHIHIHIS! MEHEEHEHHEHEHEHERCY! HEHEHHEHEHEHHHEHELP! SOHOHOHOOHHOOHOMEHEHEHEONE SAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAVE MEEHEEHEHEHEHE!!!” Zoe’s cries and screams fell of deaf ears, as minutes of ticklish torment slowly turned into hours. The bugs slowed their assault, making the slow tickles worse for her in the process. The sun looked as though it was beginning to set, despite being upside down and her mind being a giggling mess. Soon enough, the bugs begin to fall off or crawl back over the vines, leaving Zoe to pant and gasp for her breath as she hangs from the vines. 

“Heheh…pleheehease…nohoho no mohohore…” she giggled, exhausted. Despite them leaving, her skin still tingled as if the bugs were still crawling along her sensitive skin. Her feet were pink, her face was red, and her body was drenched in sweat. Her small chest huffed and puffed as she desperately tried to catch her breath, but the torture left her drained, and on the verge of collapse. She felt her vision beginning to go blurry, and her eyes got heavy. She had been tickled before, but never to this degree. The vines began to give as she could barely make out something cutting them. With one snap after another, Zoe’s limb body began to fall before being grabbed by another creature. She couldn’t make out what it was as she fell into unconsciousness. All she knew is that she was being moved. Where to? That’s the question…

[gtsdreamer2]

"No. He's better than that. He never makes bad decisions. He always chooses the light. You should know that by now, squirt." Your angel quickly snatched up the beelzebug-sized demon and cupped her in a cage with their hands before shaking her around like a rock in a rattle.

When you were young, you'd always had the pair of them with you. When you were little, so were they. They would sit on your shoulder and try to guide you through your choices. As your parents taught you right from wrong, you always began to listen to the angel, Percy rather than the devil, Delphine. Over time, as you grew up, the Percy seemed to grow with you while the Delphine stayed small and wasted away. Where the angel became robust and strong, the devil seemed to wither. She lost her lustrous red sheen which was replaced by a rusty brown, which was fitting for her small stature that was akin to a cockroach. Her two horns protruding from her head resembled antennae, and her once majestic wings had shriveled to tiny little nubs on her back. Now at twenty-eight, you stood full grown at six foot one. Percy stood a little taller at about six foot four. Meanwhile, the diminutive devil was a meager couple inches tall. As you matured, you could no longer see them and chalked them up to being imaginary friends, and their suggestions filtered through yoir subconscious. As they bickered back and forth with one literally in the other's clutches, your friend tried again to convince you to go out drinking after your long workday to the casino.

"Come on man, you never go out with us. Just a couple drinks. To blow off steam." He was nudging you now and practicality begging. While your guardian angel was busy picking on the she-devil, you decided for yourself that a couple drinks couldn't hurt. Hell, you earned it.

"Ya, why not. Let's do it!" As you were psyching yourself up for a well-deserved night out, the two shoulder guardians behind you fell silent.

"Wait what? You don't need to-" the angel started before he felt an outward pressure against his closed hands. From them erupted the she-demon, puzzling the angel as she doubled in size. "What in the lord's name are you doing?" He gestured to you, but you had already dismissed them in your mind as you began to get ready for your evening out.

"Fuck ya!" The devil shouted from the palm of the angel's hand. She was still only a little bigger than a bug, but she was just happy to be bigger. "That's a win for the little guys! Hell, we haven't had a win since...what, he was like...eight? Lemme see." From thin air, she summoned an iPad that was perfectly tailored to her size. On it was the e-book version of 'The Book of You', which was a cataloging of your whole life and all of your choices up until this point. "Man, there's a lot of do-gooding in here." She lamented.

"Well," interjected the angel, "I would like to say that I've been doing a pretty good job of guiding him on his path ever since he's been able to think for himself."

"Put a lid on it, Halo-top, I have a feeling that the scales are about to tip in my favor. I didn't even have to try to guide him on this one, it was like I had that guy wingmaning for me. What's his name? Benny. Ok, I like Benny. Let's see where this night goes."

As the night wore on, your choices seemed to continue from bad to worse. The couple of drinks turned to five or six before you knew it. The guilt of drinking was weighing on you, but your friends, mainly Benny, were peer pressuring you into continuing. With each additional beer, your shoulder demon was increasing in size.

"That's right, down the hatch. Good boy." Delphine was now two and a half feet in height. This was by no means big, but she was beyond elated that she had stolen this size back from Percy, and at some point was forced to climb down from your shoulder. She stood by your angel, who was now hovering around the four foot mark, a stature that he had not had the misfortune of standing at for several years at least.

"It feels so good to be getting bigger! I can't believe you've hoarded this feeling all to yourself for so long! You need to learn to share. Gluttony is a sin, you know?" Color had started to return to Delphine at this point. Her wings had begun to grow back in, and her body was filling out and plumping up in all the right places as she was being fed by a continuous stream of Percy's life force. She was overjoyed to play with her new assets in front of the angel, who tried to look away in disgust. "Wait hang on, he just blew through the last of his cash with that bet. Let's see what he does."

As your pockets were emptied and your head was swimming with alcohol. You were finally thinking about calling it quits until Benny threw his arm around you. "Come on man, you can't end the night on a loss, go pull some more money out and let's keep going!" That idea was sounding pretty good to you. You had plenty in your savings for your dream home. It couldn't hurt to delay that dream a little bit when everyone was having such a good time.

"Now hold on-!" Your angel started before your demon clamped her clawed hand over his mouth.

"Let him cook!" She whispered in his ear. "Come on, do it." Delphine called out to you from across the floor. You shambled over to the ATM and withdrew another four hundred bucks. The demon cooed as she grew another foot. She was now even with the angel. "Atta boy! Looks like he's wiped out all the good you've instilled into him in a single night. How's that feel?" She unclaimed his mouth so he could speak, but he was speechless. "In fact, he might still be on the decline, look!" As you were making your way back to the table, you slipped two twenties into the waitress's cleavage and asked for two more drinks, kissing her on the cheek and slapping her on the ass to send her on her way. "Oh fuck. That was really bad. I didn't teach him that." Delphine was rubbing her thighs together. She was absolutely squirming with excitement as demonic energy swirled around her and then pushed itself into her. Her knees buckled as she fell to the floor, writhing in pleasure as she pulsed larger and larger, siphoning strength from Percy." Her lips and tits plumped as her hips widened and her wings stretched and strengthened. All the while, Percy could feel himself withering. His white clothes faded from pearly to grey as his halo dimmed then darkened, falling around his neck and tightening like a collar. His wings shrank and feathers began to shed from them. He could feel his muscles atrophy as he crumpled to the floor, a mere shadow of his former glory.

You continued to drink and gamble until your monitary withdrawal was lost to alcohol and bad bets. With each bet and each gulp Percy shrank smaller and smaller until he stood at a pitiful six inches in height. By this time, Delphine had assumed full control of the situation. She picked up her tiny nemesis and conjured a birdcage of bone to house him. Their positions had now completely reversed. The devil that has been a small and pathetic being for so many years was now a six foot four bombshell of a beast. Her skin, no longer a rusty brown was now glowing red hot like her lust. Her horns were long and sharp, as were her nails and her tail which swished playfully back and forth as she watched you blackout before Benny had you both loaded into an Uber for the drive home.

As Benny finally got you into bed, the she-devil corporealized in your room with the angel in tow, trapped in his cage. It was only now that Benny's shoulder guardians became visible to yours. A hulking slab of hell flesh and another underwhelming angel accompanied Benny as he left, his devil winking at yours as he made his exit to make it known that he had thrown her a bone to help with her glow-up. The angels made sad eyes at each other before looking away in shame, knowing that they had lost whatever fight was left in them.

The three of you were alone now. Delphine crept up on your sleeping form and caressed your cheek. "I really wish I could thank you for leaning so far into your dark side today. I wish that you could see me like when you were little. As if reacting to her voice, you opened your eyes and immediately locked onto hers. You could see her. And she knew it.

"Hi pretty red lady." You muttered sloppily, obviously completely sloshed still. Your hazy mind began to fill with thoughts about what you wished to do to her. And what you wished she would do to you. Being both the target and the beneficiary of those thoughts, her body began to react by growing another few inches. Percy watched in horror as he realized Delphine had stolen the size, not from him, but from their human. You closed your eyes again as Delphine's iPad poofed in front of her and began to ring.

"Sup HQ?" She spoke into the pad.

"We're getting some weird readings off of you and your human. You all good up there? It looks like you've gained enough strength to physically materialize in the mortal plane."

"Huh, that's weird. Must be some kind of glitch. Nope. We're all good up here. Got my guy making some bad decisions, but nothing out of the ordinary, bye!" She hung up before they could get a word in. Delphine turned her attention back to you, gently nudging you to wake you up again.

You reluctantly opened your eyes again. She was still standing over you. Looming. She was large. She was exuding sexual energy. Immediately you were turned on. Delphine responded with a warm smile.

"I've missed how you looked at me. Look at you. All grown up. And still a virgin thanks to that goody two-wings in the corner over there. No. Don't look at him. Look at me. I can FEEL how you're lusting after me." Through your intoxicated thoughts, Delphine could feel your adoration grow. With it, she grew larger still, cresting the eight foot mark. You felt yourself dwindle for the first time. It startled you, but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling.

"Submit to me." She said firmly, with no room for objections, not that you had any to give. You nodded, and she manifested a collar around your neck with a rope that led right to her hand. "Let me show you how to be a man and feel good." She ripped your clothes off with inhuman speed to reveal your already erect manhood.

Sliding her bottoms off. She straddled the whole length of the bed and lowered herself atop you. You let out a small grunt as you felt yourself penetrating someone for the first time. She moaned in response and encouraged you. Delphine could feel herself siphoning your strength and grew again, her brests bubbling larger and breaking free of their top, two red hot nipples forcing themselves into your face. You instinctively grabbed two fistfuls of flesh as she began to bounce forcefully on top of you. The bed had no chance. And quickly, the legs collapsed, forcing you hard against her as she wrapped her supple wings and strong arms around you to keep you safe.

"Oh perfect, I'm further from the ceiling now. More room to...mmmmph...grow!" She felt you empty yourself inside her and she pulsed with your releases, growing to ten, then twelve feet in height. Percy cried out from across the floor at the sight. Meanwhile, you were no more than three feet tall at this point. As delphine climbed off you and stood up, she realized she needed to hunch over to not break through the ceiling. "I'm so big now." She said, amazed at herself. "So powerful. So sexy. I'm addicted to this. I want more." Just then, her iPad poofed in front of her again and began to ring incessantly. She there it to the ground and crushed it with her heel, a single demonic scream and a lowly underworld soul slipping out which she pulled into her hand simply by willing it. She examined the poor soul before closing her fist and absorbing it into herself.

"Oooooh" She cooed as she made its power her own. "I shouldn't be allowed to do that. That's dangerous." As she grew to twenty feet, Delphine was now pressed against every wall in your room. "I wonder..." She said to herself, curiosity getting the better of her. Summoning Percy's cage to her, she crushed it in her hand, leaving him exposed in her clutches.

"You shouldn't have this kind of power." He said, weakly.

"You're telling me." She replied with a grin before he sank into her palm and his soul was absorbed by her. "Mmmph! That feels so so good! Angel souls are so strong!" Grabbing you and stuffing you into your cleavage before it was too late, Delphine erupted from the remnants of your home, exploding to thirty and then forty feet as her wings unfurled to their full width and she let our an unholy howl of pleasure. You watched as she stood to her full height, the world around you shrinking away as she did.

"You're next little man." She said, gingerly patting you on your head. Her finger came down like a ton of bricks on top of you as you sank deeper into her breasts. Delphine began to absorb what was left of you, but you stopped at a mere six inches in height. "Hmmph. I guess I can't fully extinguish human souls. That would be breaking the rules...but umph! Thanks for the little boost! I'm so powerful now that I can feel the negative energy around me. All the naughty thoughts pouring out of all the humans in this whole area. It's a feast just waiting for me. But first, how about we go pay Benny and his hunky demon a visit. I simply must thank the both of them for my ascension." She lengthened the rope that was tied around your neck and put it around her own before enclosing you in a little windowed locket. "Front row seat for the one that made all this possible." As delphine sauntered down the street, onlookers gazed apon their new goddess and their lust and envy poured into her growing her larger and larger with each step. She could only laugh and moan as her power grew with each step.

[twst-drabbles]

Ace, Deuce and Jamil 1

Summary: You were relaxing in the garden with Jamil sunbathing on your shoulder when a bug landed on his tail. A large jade green beetle.

You remember reading a little note about how important it is to receive at least some sun every day. Honestly, you had a hard time following it, mostly because the sun would make you so groggy and you’d struggle to finish your day. In fact, you’re fighting to keep your eyes open.

But, with you sitting on a chair with no back, and Jamil lazily wrapping himself around your neck while perched on your head, you can’t fall asleep without falling over. You can’t see him but you can imagine Jamil braiding his hair. He’s moving a little too much to tell otherwise.

Below, towards your feet, you saw Ace and Deuce doing their rounds, running to and fro from one side of the garden to the other. You don’t understand the path they’re taking but they seem to remember well enough. They’re marching, like little soldiers but as soon as Ace thought you were out of sight—they weren’t, the bush did little to hide their colors—Ace slumped and dragged his feet against the ground.

Slacker.

A buzzing came to the right of you. Instinctively, you swatted out, you hated mosquitoes with a passion but you missed. It flew over your hand, arcing before it landed right on Jamil’s tail. A large, fat, jade green bug who’s shell almost blinded you with it’s reflection. The little antennas twitched at you.

You felt him stiffen.

“Jamil…” you warned, and gave a reminder, “you’re on my neck…”

Do not choke me.

Of course, you can’t reason with fear. A high pitched shriek bordering on a whistle punched out of Jamil. You made to swat the beetle off but his tail went wild and struck against your collar bone. It stung, like you’d imagine Divus’s whip would whenever he used it.

“Jamil! Ow, Jamil!” He needs to hold still if he wants the bug off. “Hold still!”

In a flash of blue, red and green, Deuce and Ace burst from the bushes, but Deuce used Ace as an non-consenting trampoline and jumped, spring-boarded off of your thigh and tackled the bug in one shot. A high screaming tackle, fists out, ready to pummel this bug to death. Like a rubber ball, he bounced off the floor and into the next bush in his path. A grand scuffle was heard, the bush shuddering as twigs broke and Deuce yelled.

Then it was silent. Deuce came out, all scratched up and covered in dirt as though he had the fight of his life. Then, he puffed up in pride right before your eyes.

“Huh,” You didn’t know bugs could put up such a fight, “Nice job.”

Ace, on the other hand, was still faced down on the floor, rag doll style.

Jamil slide off your shoulders, slowly as his limbs were weak from all the tight panic, and poked Ace as though to make sure he’s alive. He is. You can tell. Ace just doesn’t want to face the embarrassment of Deuce stealing his spotlight.

When you noticed Jamil's tongue flick in and out, you said, "Jamil, stop that. He's not food."

Only then did Ace rocket up and away from all of you, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

Wow, that worked. You were kidding, honestly. You know Ace would never meet Jamil's food standards. Too unseasoned.

[ehlnofay]

Summerfest Day 7 - COMPANION

The hotel’s dining room is reminiscent of the restaurants Caelestis remembers eating at when ze was younger, on the rare occasions zir mother coaxed zem out of the house. The smooth gleam of the floors, the crackling glow of the hearth; even the weave of the napkins, the buffed edges of the tabletop, the candle in its little dyed-glass holder.

It makes Caelestis think of the stained glass in the walls of the temples; which is strange, because ze’d never been an avid temple-goer, and it’s been years since ze’s seen one. They don’t have the grand windows in the sporadic shrines in Morrowind; they are much smaller, most of the time, more self-contained, as if whoever designed the buildings – or, it almost felt, the buildings themselves – knew how oddly placed they were, soft little sacrariums dedicated to foreign gods. Most of them were never very busy. Caelestis understands why, ze thinks; ze’s never fully grasped the appeal of a religiously lived life, constant thought for beings so eternally far away. Gods that walk, two feet on the ground with the rest of them, have much more allure.

(Vivec always used to float, cross-legged, above his own shrine. Sotha Sil didn’t even have legs.)

It’s very nice, the setup of the tables, the art on the walls, the stained candle-cups and marbled glass of the windows and the quiet chatter of the room all around, the clinking of plates and cutlery, the gorgeous smell of food now more nostalgic than familiar. A jug of wine sits on the table before zem, untouched; the food is still steaming. Zir companion picks up a spoon to prod their dish with.

“You told me,” he says gravely, “that the cuisine of Cyrodiil had fewer insects.”

The prawns, spattered with sauce and spices, their antennae curled and lifeless eyes gleaming, do look remarkably buglike.

“Fewer,” Caelestis says, “not none.” A pause; ze looks down at zir own dish of egg and carefully lined up squid cakes. It’s unfamiliar enough now that ze needs to prepare zirself to try it. “Besides, they’re crustaceans, not insects.”

“A paltry difference,” he replies, with a flick of the spoon, and he cleaves the boiled-soft head off with its edge.

It’s strange, to be in a place like this again; so different to the places ze can easily afford in Morrowind, and the luxuries ze’s grown accustomed to. It’s strange to be in a public house at all, really, sitting over a meal ze does not need, opposite a stranger’s face; but they are practising, the pair of them. Play-acting at normalcy in a place that gives them some little leeway. Caelestis’ clothes aren’t at all the fashions worn by anyone else at any other table in the hall; zir skin, dry and mottled, is free of any visible scars or tattoos, cheeks plump and uneven with soft flesh taken from the inside of zir thigh. Zir hair lacks its shaved sides, long and dark and twined into an elaborate twisting shape reaching down the back of zir neck. (That’s the strangest change, honestly, and one ze hasn’t attempted before; ze’s left the barely-visible seams to make it easier to find where the join comes in, and stored zir real scalp, its hair shaved almost to the skin, in the leather folds of zir kit.) Zir companion, a bug-eyed Dunmer with temperamental hair and glisteringly new clothes, seems more at home in the change of scenery than ze is. With every flourish of hir cutlery, the firelight catches on the blood-red ring on hir middle finger.

(Caelestis still can’t look at it without grimacing; but maybe that’s for the best. Ze’s trying to get better at controlling zir facial expressions anyway.)

“I am curious,” says the traveller-who-is-not-Vivec to his companion-who-is-not-the-Nerevarine, and he pops the spoonful of prawn into his mouth, shell intact. (Caelestis has never eaten prawn zirself – ze’s always been very put off by meat that looks like animals – but ze’s reasonably certain that that’s not how it’s done.) He chews, eyes dark as wine; asks, “Why here?”

Caelestis takes up zir own cutlery. “It’s supposed to be the best in the city,” ze says. Ze’d ordered eggs, because bird isn’t so different from kwama, and seafood, because Vvardenfell has sea, too. (Ze has never taken easily to change, no matter how minor.)

Ze manages to carve off a forkful of squid. It smells nice, at least, though it will be irritating getting it out, later. On a normal day ze wouldn’t eat. But they’re practising, pretending to be people. People eat, as a general rule, so the not-Nerevarine has to, too.

Vivec flicks his eyes to the side. “No. Why any hotel?”

Ah.

Caelestis eats the squid, for the sake of looking like ze’s doing anything other than scrambling for an answer.

(The answer is, simply, that ze’s afraid; to ask for things, or to be given them, and then not want to refuse.)

“I think it’s best,” ze says, once the perfectly nice bite of squid cake is chewed and swallowed, “that I keep this time short.” (It’s been years of letter-writing; years of growing apart; ze is terrified down to zir bones that the minute ze steps into that house it will feel wrong. Even worse, that it won’t.)

(It’s a final farewell. No sense in dragging it out. Surely that will only make it more painful.)

There’s too much to it; too much mess and confusion; Caelestis stares at zir egg and squid and doesn’t mean to say anything, but the words fall ugly and vulnerable onto the ceramic of zir plate anyway. “I don’t even know what I’ll say.”

Vivec’s spoon clinks against his dish. The candle in its little glass dances. “Say everything,” he says, with the tone of one bestowing enlightening knowledge; “You’re lucky enough to know this is your last chance.” Guilt rises, as it always does, in Caelestis’ throat; the spoon clanks again and zir companion says, “This is actually quite good.”

“I’m glad you like it,” Caelestis replies. Zir fork squeaks. They are quiet, for a brief moment, in the noise of the hall.

Vivec reaches for the wine jug, pours hirself a glass; offers it to Caelestis, who declines. Food is more difficult to extract when mixed with liquid; besides, ze’s never liked wine enough to drink it for the sake of the taste, and it does nothing to zem, now.

Alcohol, like most intoxicants, works its effects through the bloodstream. Caelestis is a dry and clotted corpse.

“It is good,” Vivec repeats, and tilts their head to the side, thoughtful. It’s odd to see the hair move with them. “Hm. Perhaps you can just leave me here when you go to visit your mother.”

Their eyes look as deep red as the wine swirling around in the glass. It’s an unfamiliar brand; from Skingrad, Caelestis would bet. Most Cyrod wines are. The whole county is a vineyard, according to zir mother; ze’s never been, personally.

Maybe before they return to Vvardenfell, they could take a look. It isn’t as if travelling time is an issue. It isn’t as if any time is an issue anymore.

Caelestis prods at the spiced yolk of zir egg. “Maybe,” ze says. “But surely you’d get bored of sitting around eating prawns after a while.”

When Vivec smiles, an odd and private twist of the lips, the guise flickers; his hair gleams and one eye flashes gold. “You underestimate me,” he says gravely, beginning an attempt to shell the prawn with careful fingers. “I’m sure I’ve written verse on this very subject. Anything can be interesting if you choose to be interested by it.”

There is soft meat spreading over his fingers, knuckle-deep in cracking the carapace. Caelestis stares at the shell, wonders vaguely if ze could do anything with it; if it’s flesh-like enough; if it’s dead enough. Vivec extracts the innards with the care of a surgeon and swallows the shelled prawn in one. For a moment it all feels overwhelming – so staggeringly unbelievable – so ridiculous; Caelestis thinks of their first meeting, strange and awkward and so, so heavy. Ze’d still been alive, then, still growing accustomed to the new shape corprus and ridding zirself thereof gave zem, still figuring out how to talk around zir half-tongue, still carving out a place in Morrowind’s mythos to fit zem. It was staggering; it was overpowering; ze’d been choking on parables, still, so very unprepared to meet him in person. When ze first pushed open that door Vivec hadn’t even yet called off the curse they’d levelled on zir head; the temple was ready and willing to kill zem at a word. They’d each spoken of it simply, perfunctorily; that they had tried to have zem executed was, at that time, the simplest part of their relationship.

(Now, Caelestis thinks, the simple thing it all boils down to is different. Now, they are allies. Everything else is secondary.)

Vivec had seemed intimidating then. Alien, unknowable; the centre of a legend ze’d found some strange comfort in since ze was a child, hovering still and silent above hir own ancient shrine; a god, back when it meant something bigger than it does now. Hir speech had been short and weighty, every word pronounced as if it were momentous, solemn as anything. Caelestis doesn’t think ze saw hir smile until perhaps their fourth meeting, and even then it had been wry. Ze didn’t joke, then; said nothing flippantly; carried hirself with a comportment befitting the roll ze was taking.

Caelestis wonders, now, how true any of it was. How true any of it is, or ever has been. Ze’s not an enormously insightful person, and people are complicated; gods, seemingly, even more so. Especially when they’re both at once.

Zir fork clinks against the porcelain of the plate. “You seem happier,” ze says. The fire crackles.

“Do I?” says Vivec; Caelestis can never usually read his tone, but now he sounds curious. He leans back into the smooth wood of his chair, eyes settling on the elaborately coffered ceiling. (It really is overpoweringly strange seeing him with hair; long and pulled back, escaping easily from its ties. Caelestis wonders if this is how he looked, before the Heart; ze hasn’t asked.)

He gazes at the ceiling as if some grand thing might be inscribed in its painted contours.

“I think,” he says after a moment, Caelestis watching him while slicing off a mouthful of squid cake, “I am relieved,” and he nods decisively as he looks back at his plate, moves in to peel open another prawn. In the light of the little candle, his fingers look slick.

Caelestis lifts zir forkful to zir mouth. Ze does not say why? does not say how? does not say don’t you grieve for all we’ve wrought? but it must be written on the lines of zir face, because they meet zir eyes and tilt their head, gentle.

“You know I wasn’t surprised,” ze says, and Caelestis nods, once. “All of it – all we’ve done – was eons in the making.” A pause; hir fingers crack open a shell. “I hadn’t spoken to either of them in decades. I grieved for each loss long before it came to pass.”

The room swirls and eddies around them, a mess of chatter, painted-on scenery. Caelestis feels, sometimes, like ze could reach out and smear the world around zem with a touch.

Vivec sets hir food down in the ceramic dish. “And now there is nothing left to dread. I’m done mourning.” He brings his thumb to his mouth, licks off the juice of the meat. His teeth are small. He smiles, suddenly, wide and brilliant. “I confess, I didn’t think this far ahead. Now it seems all the world is new.”

“Soon enough,” Caelestis says drily, “it will be.”

Vivec raises their glass to that. Caelestis chinks zir fork against it, after they spend several seconds refusing to bring it back down. “Salut,” ze says, watches him drink.

He sets the glass down. “I am glad,” he says, “that I do not navigate this new mortal world alone.” His dish glisters in the firelight, spices mingling with the air’s thin smoke; he tips it toward zem and offers, “Crustacean?”

[bug-oc]

Bug Fables OC Tournament Round 2

Willow (they/it) and Lily (she/her) from @razs-archetype

I feel it’s a little odd to submit two together but please humor me, just for a little bit. They’re a duo, the two of them. The image of those two plush that says ‘do not separate’, without each other they are nothing. Best friends forever, those old grandparents that aren’t related or even dating but live together and live with each other and coexist and without the other they’d feel like a whole different person. Empty even. Please. Okay thank you.

Anyways, Willow (the taller, green one) and Lily (the shorter, beige one) are an adventuring team!! Willow comes from a place outside of Bugaria, where magic was potent and they brought a bit of it with them. Plants grow taller underneath their feet, when they cry flowers bloom, thorns wrap around their legs when their heartbeat picks up and they pin their antennae back in fear.. however. Its upbringing taught it to always value peace, kindness. They’re a gentle moth, rarely ever angering.

Meanwhile, Lily is different. While also growing up outside of Bugaria, she didn’t have anyone to depend on. A scruffy little bug in a big big world where everything felt out to get her. She learnt to bite first never question and steal what you need to get by. A prickly little thing.

You’d think it folly for the two to ever cross paths, let alone work together. But the stars seemingly aligned one night, as they both were making their way to Bugaria. And the two met.

Lily met Willow first, hungry and. approaching the moth, seeing they had food.. and Willow convinced this strange, scruffy adventurer to sit with them and enjoy the sunset.. and something just clicked. The next day, they realized they were both heading for the explorers guild and.. the rest is history.

At least, that’s what they tell the young, aspiring travelers who come out this way.

After years of being an adventuring duo, eventually.. the two of them settled down. Out in the wilderness where they supposedly first met. Built a nice home…. Then an inn & tavern.

A resting spot for weary adventurers, like they had been.. and even now they cuddle up under the moon, and stare at the sky. Counting stars. The two of them, even if they’re old and grey. They’ll always have each other, yellow flowers sprouting around their tired paws.

Poppy (he/him) from @tired-t-rex

Poppy is a firefly and an actor performing at the Bugaria theatre. He's known for his great artistic talent, kind and sweet personality and his ability to get himself into trouble. Despite his complete inability to fight, he tends to take many walks in the middle of nowhere and has to rely on explorer teams to save his life in the last possible moment. He's 29, a true gentleman and very, VERY non-confrontational. Poppy is a pretty shy and reserved person, and has trouble controlling his light. But despite everything, he's a warm presence in everyone's lives, pulling everyone towards him like a lighthouse.

[frozenjokes]

Signing Back In, Apparently - 16

Prev/Next

“Do you think Mumbo is okay?” Grian wrung his hands as he broke the silence, unable to keep the peace any longer. He hadn’t been too worried when Mumbo had left, not really. Mumbo-related anxiety spikes were a normal occurrence lately, but there was something about the look on his face from this morning that was really setting Grian off.

Impulse looked up from where he sat, eyes hazy as if he had been woken from a nap. Even still, Impulse was expressive as he thought through Grian’s question, despite the fact this wasn’t the first time Grian had asked it this week. It helped, knowing Impulse took the time to consider him. “You mean, like, in general? Well, no. He and Pearl have been on edge all week, I’m just hoping they can realize how much better it feels to spend time away.”

“Well, I meant a little more today. Like, right now. I don’t know, something was up this morning. I thought maybe when he left he was just taking a second to relax or..” Grian trailed off, fidgeting with his hands. “He’s not back yet.”

“How long has it been?”

“Maybe an hour? I’m not totally sure.”

“Well, I don’t think that’s too unusual. Maybe when he gets back we can check in, or you can talk to him alone if you think that’s better.” Impulse yawned, getting to his feet. Grian felt Impulse’s gaze over him, the other ghost straightening as his focus tightened, “Is Pearl around, or is she still gone as well? She was also looking troubled before she left. Do you think this is different than usual? I’ll be honest, I was a little out of it there,” Impulse gestured sheepishly to the place on the sand he had been sitting, watching the shore. The beach had been the finish line for their flight race earlier today, and it was out of the way of Scar’s usual routine, so they had settled down to relax after. Well, after Mumbo left that is. Impulse’s brow furrowed, clearly struggling to remember. “Maybe we all need to check in.”

Grian bit his lip, beginning to pace. “I don’t know. Honestly, I kind of want to look for him, well-“ he stuttered slightly, embarrassed, “-them, but I don’t want to overstep. Would that be a breach of privacy, do you think?”

Impulse suppressed a small smile, passing Grian a teasing look, “If you just stop by and ask how Mumbo’s doing, I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. The problem is finding him, but I can help you look. We can look for both of them.”

An alarmed yell cut through the air, followed by a deep crash that shook the earth. It sounded almost like an explosion, like the impact of cannon fire. Instincts Grian had thought long gone flared back to life, heightening his senses as he looked for the area of impact, as well as the cause. He found both to the southern tip of the island, terrifyingly close. From the debris of a now crumbling building rose a large silhouette, the clearing dust framing a massive bug-like monster. Its face was round and flat, with massive black eyes and soft looking antennae extending from its forehead. Its head was framed by an ethereal mane, from below six- maybe eight legs extended, not all of which looked like they should belong to the same being. Besides its barbed forearms, it looked a lot like a moth, almost friendly in nature. That is, until a second head hinged open from between the mane with earth shaking roar. The monster flared two sets of wings that surely couldn’t belong to the same type of bug, raising its jagged forearms to the sky.

“Impulse- Impulse! Look!” Grian screeched, only to see Impulse facing the wrong direction with his hands over his ears. With great ferocity, Grian turned him around, pointing vigorously.

“We- where did that come from?!” Impulse patted blindly at Grian as if to ask him to let go, but Grian was having trouble following that commnd as realization started to dawn. The edges of its form were unstable and bright and its color was chalkier, more opaque even, but it was the same as his own.

“Impulse! It’s- it’s a ghost . It’s- that’s-“ Grian gasped, not stopping to consider any more before shooting away, directly toward Mumbo. It had to be.

“A ghost? Ghosts can’t- Grian!” Grian was vaguely aware of Impulse behind him, but his focus was solely on the form ahead. Was Mumbo conscious? Would he recognize him? Grian remembered through spikes of fear lashing out before Pearl had grabbed him, but even in her arms, the world had been so fuzzy, so terrifying. Grian heard Impulse yelling behind him and someone else (a Kestrel, maybe?) screaming, but he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t let this get any worse.

“Mumbo? Is- is this you?” Grian yelled, following the creature in its path. It climbed the rubble, revealing a long body that split and conjoined again as it moved, bright sparks flying through the cracks. Grian called again as he reached its more accessible face. Its eyes were huge and dark, almost kind. Almost sad. This was him, it had to be. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, yearning with every ounce of his being that Mumbo might hear him, “We’re going to get you out of this. We’re going to help you. You don’t have to be afraid.” Grian only realized he was too close when the second face reared up, jaw hanging open to reveal in vicious detail its multiple rows of jagged teeth. Decidedly, much less friendly. Grian barely dove out of the way in time before it snapped forward, only seeing its raised forearm out of the corner of his eye before it started to bore down.

Grian gasped as Impulse barreled into him, the mantis-like leg crashing down like a hammer in a near miss. It slammed into the pavement below, sending cracks splitting through the sidewalk.

Impulse held tight as Grian struggled, “Get it together! This is too dangerous, we have to get away from here and regroup.”

“We have to help him, Impulse!” Grian wailed, clawing at Impulse’s arms with hands that had no real form. He spotted Sausage as he writhed in Impulse’s grip, yelling orders to Kyle and Martyn. “He’s going to get hurt! Impulse, they’re going to hurt him!”

“Grian, I’m going to take us away. We’re going to figure this out, okay? We’ll find Mumbo and Pearl, and figure it out.”

It took Grian seconds too long to figure out what he meant. “You’re not going to- no- Impulse! Let me go! Let-“ But it was too late. The world went white, and they were suddenly somewhere new, somewhere way too far away. It was a restaurant; he and Impulse had appeared on the table, and Scar was sitting directly in front of them. Grian found himself still fighting as Impulse’s grip loosened, his rage producing an animal-like screech as he swiveled around, tackling the other ghost off the table.

“ What have you done? ” Grian’s arms shook, fastened to Impulse’s shirt as they rolled to the ground, “We just abandoned him!”

“Get a hold of yourself! You aren’t doing any good acting like this!” Impulse shoved him away, an anger Grian rarely ever saw coloring his face, “You don’t know that’s Mumbo! You did not look like that- we don’t even know if we’re dealing with the same thing. Sure, you didn’t look like yourself, but you still looked at least humanoid. That thing is the size of a house, and maybe you know better, but it seemed a lot less afraid and a lot more angry to me. I need you to take a few deep breaths before doing anything stupid, okay?”

Grian opened his mouth to protest, but both of them stopped dead when Scar began to speak, “Something must be in the air today, every one of these ghosts are so edgy! In my fantasy where Pearl actually told them to come around for their appreciation message, they just stood there nicely, they did not roll around on our table full of food hissing and spitting like cats. Honestly, I find it rude.” Scar didn’t even look at them, talking like they weren’t there.

“Uh huh,” Grian noticed Cleo for the first time, sitting across from Scar in the small booth and looking amused.

Impulse was up before Grian, leaning over the table, “You talked to Pearl? Where is she? Did you say everyone?”

Scar fixed him with a blank stare, an eyebrow ever so slightly raised above the other. Apparently unbothered, he returned to his rambling. “I mean, seriously, it’s hard to keep your appetite when you’ve got ghosts stomping all over your food,” he said, continuing to eat regardless, “No class, they have no class. Although, in hindsight, given that it was kind of hilarious to watch, I’ll grant them my forgiveness. After all, they almost made it a whole week without bothering me! I’m proud, Cleo, I am.”

“So gracious of you, Scar,” Cleo rolled her eyes with a smile, tone flat. Impulse frowned, hopping back on the table and sitting in the middle to obstruct Scar’s view. Scar didn’t move as Cleo continued, “So, you’re coming back to The Haunted Island with me tomorrow, right?”

“Where is Pearl? And Mumbo, for that matter. Did you talk to both of them?” Impulse leaned forward, trying to disrupt his focus.

“What did you do?” Grian joined in, aggressively pushing into Scar’s booth. He lost his balance, falling through Scar, but at the slight tense of Scar’s shoulders, continued phasing through him on purpose. Impulse put his hands through Scar’s face. Scar just closed his eyes, continuing as if they weren’t there.

“I am not , no. I’m not that crazy, I know what’s going to happen to me. You only want me there to distract Cub anyway, you threw me to the wolves last time! Yeah, I don’t need anyone ripping out my nails or my teeth, no thank you. ”

“Aw, but he said he’d give you new ones!”

“Thanks, but no thanks.”

Grian huffed, crossing his arms with a pointed glare in Impulse’s direction, “This is pointless. He basically confirmed he talked to Mumbo and Pearl, and Pearl might be out there alone trying to help without us!” Every moment they spent here was wasted on Scar. Even if given the choice, Scar would only go out of his way to hinder them.

Impulse balled his fists, clearly wanting to argue, but struggling with the words, “I just.. It feels like something bigger is going on. If we had just a little more insight-”

“Whoa,” Cleo’s voice cut through, eyes wide, “You’re bleeding, Scar. Oh shit, you’re kinda- that’s a lot!” Cleo stood up, but Scar only looked confused. Grian blinked rapidly as he saw bright blood begin to stain Scar’s shirt, quickly darkening the light fabric.

“I.. What the hell?” Scar’s brow furrowed, stumbling to his feet as he lifted his shirt, presumably trying not to get blood on the seat. There were two holes in his side, almost like shallow stab wounds, and both were leaking blood. A third appeared out of nowhere, and this time, Scar seemed to feel it, yelping in pain and surprise. “Wh- what’s happening to me? Did- is this you?” Scar turned his frightened gaze to Impulse and Grian. They exchanged looks, Impulse looking just as baffled as Grian felt.

Before either of them could answer, Scott barreled into the restaurant, face pale, “Cleo? Scar? Oh, thank fuck, do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? Scar, why don’t you ever tell anyone where you’re going! They- the Kestrels- need you!” Scott startled, focusing on Scar for the first time, “Shit, are you okay?”

“I don’t know!” Scar was visibly losing his composure now, crying out as something cut across his legs. A deep horror fell over Grian as he remembered the pain that exploded through his own head as he screamed, as he hurt Scar while trying to escape him. The stabbing through his ears, his eyes, his nose- the blindness, the fear. His tinnitus, a condition a ghost shouldn’t be able to have. He found himself frozen. Stuck. But time didn’t stop around him.

“ What did you do?” Cleo hissed, running forward with concern Scar definitely didn’t deserve. She pressed napkins from the table against his side while Scar, as he always did, made helping infinitely more difficult by squirming.

“Well- I didn’t- okay- I didn’t mean to do anything, in fact, I would argue it wasn’t even my fault really, and I don’t want to be a snitch-” Scar’s eye flicked to Impulse and Grian, a look that was enough to bring Grian back to life. He lunged forward, Scar stumbling back to get away, continuing to backpedal at Cleo’s behest.

“What did you do!” Grian shrieked, his own form rippling. He felt Impulse’s hands on his own, squeezing tight with urgency. Grian didn’t hear his whispered words. He didn’t want to be calm.

Even though Scar couldn’t hear, he got the message loud and clear, “Mumbo asked why,” Scar gritted his teeth in an exaggerated gesture, clearly not wanting to elaborate in front of the other pirates. He didn’t need to. “I’m not going to give any details, but let’s just say he forced my hand, right?” Scar held up one of his arms, his wrist and hand wrapped in a tight bandage. “I told him. He didn’t take it well. Surprise, surprise. But Pearl had it handled! She- well I didn’t stick around, obviously."

“Hey, I don’t mean to interrupt whatever ghost shenanigans are happening, but there’s a literal monster laying waste to the Kestrel Island, and it’s making its way to the main isle, so I’m going to need you , Scar, to go and help fight it, or at the very least, if it’s your doing, deal with it. ”

Scar looked momentarily like a trapped animal as he looked between Grian and Scott, but after a moment of flustered stuttering, he seemed to remember Grian didn’t have much power here and walked directly through him to get away. “Okay, okay, I’m going, but I’d like everyone here to know this was not completely my fault this time. I didn’t provoke him at all! I think. Well, maybe I could have been a bit gentler. No, no, I was gentle. It was like, tender. You wouldn’t understand. Wait, did you say he was laying waste to the island, seriously? He can like, touch stuff?”

“I- yes, Scar, it’s an emergency, so-”

“You’re not exaggerating, are you? Seriously, Mumbo’s tall, but he’s a total sap, surely he hasn’t done that much damage.”

“ It’s leveling buildings, Scar!”

Scar stared blankly, only reacting when another phantom injury appeared, this time near his chest. Mumbo. They were hurting Mumbo. Shocked out of his own anger he began to pull away, stumbling when Impulse didn’t release his hand.

“ Impulse ,” Grian had no more anger left to give, only desperation. Fear. “Please. Please let me go. They’re hurting him, Impulse.”

“Grian, you’re not going to be any help if you work yourself up into the same state. I need you to listen to me for a second. I need you to calm down.” Impulse squeezed his hand. Grian thought he might scream, or cry, or maybe both.

“We don’t have time. Don’t you see? Whatever they’re doing to Mumbo, it’s reflecting on Scar.”

“What? Did- did that happen to you? Are you sure?”

“ Yes. And the damage is permanent, at least whatever happened to my ears- I don’t know! It’s something about the connection; it gets so strong, you even share pain? Who cares how it works! Impulse, if they can hurt Mumbo, they might be able to kill him.”

Impulse stared, taking a painfully long time to let that information sink in. Grian didn’t resist, willing him to understand. Willing him to let go and help. Impulse’s brow furrowed and he spoke slowly, “Scar’s cuts- even the holes- they aren’t serious. Clearly, Mumbo must be doing pretty well for himself, even against possible gunshots. I don’t think it’s him we should be worried about if this connection goes both ways.” Impulse’s voice lifted as he finished, eyes widening. If Grian had a beating heart, it would have stopped in his chest.

“Scar.”

[practically-an-x-man]

Acrimony (Rick Flag x Eris)

Word Count: 5.2k (got away from me a little) Content Warnings: angst, whump, parasitism, emetophobia

____ "Where the hell did these things come from?" Eris hissed, driving his spear into the stomach of one of the beasts and wrenching it upwards. The monster, a strange humanoid bug as sturdy as Rick was, crumpled as Eris removed the blade. He was splattered with thick, cream-colored ichor, and promptly spit it out with a disgusted grimace.

"Don't know. They just showed up." Rick shouted back across the field to her. Eris scoffed, slashing down another beast with a quick flurry of blows. The air was thick with gunfire as the more munitions-inclined members of the squad shot the beasts out of the sky.

At least Harley looked like she was having fun. She, with her bloodstained javelin, tore through battle with a grin on her face. It reminded Eris of himself.

There was a bang just over their head, and a chitinous brown body crashed to the ground at Eris' feet. She turned, startled. DuBois gave her a single nod. Eris returned it, then jumped back into the fight.

For every one they cut down, three more took its place. It was tough work, too: their bodies were covered in shiny exoskeletons, hard enough to turn away even Eris' enchanted blade. She was forced to aim for the gaps in their armor - a simple enough task for a skilled fighter like her, but tiring and time-consuming.

Pincers flashed out of the corner of his eye, and Eris turned just fast enough to catch the creature's mandibles with the shaft of his spear. Any slower, and the beast would've caught his arm instead. And judging from the way the thick wooden haft was already beginning to creak, that would not have been a comfortable experience.

Eris twisted her spear in a single brisk motion, and the monster's head popped clean off with a spray of the same pale blood. Disgusted, they peeled the beast's still-twitching mandibles off their spear, and the head dropped to the ground at their feet.

"That was disgusting."

"You've seen worse, Flag." Eris shot back, grabbing the disembodied head by its prickly antennae and hurling it like a shot-put. It clobbered a second bug-creature straight in the chest and sent it careening out of the sky. She grinned.

"Pretty sure you're responsible for that too."

"You're welcome."

A lower hum filled the sky, drawing eyes across the battlefield. Eris squinted to see past the sun, making out only a dark insectoid blur as it crossed her vision. Four buzzing wings chopped up the sky, carelessly catching a few of the other bug-creatures and sending them crashing down to earth.

The others had been largely humanoid in stance - albeit aggressive, pincered, and covered in thick plates - but this new nightmare seemed almost entirely insect. It was little more than a tangle of spiny limbs as it flew, clacking its jaws as its dark eyes surveyed the scene below. The smaller beasts had ceased fighting, and merely stared up at their leader with glazed, reddish eyes.

"It's got a queen." DuBois realized, muttering the words so low under his breath that Eris barely made sense of them. But he did, and he hefted his spear with gritted teeth.

"Let's kill it."

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, Eris found herself springing across the battlefield. She leapt onto the shoulders of the tallest bug-creature she could find and kicked off, shooting into the air like a bullet. There was no feeling more exhilarating.

At nearly the same instant, the queen tilted into a steep dive and rocketed towards the earth. Eris twisted in midair, trying and failing to correct their momentum. One of the queen's buzzing wings clipped them across the stomach- it felt like she'd just received an all-star swing from Hank Aaron, and it sent her tumbling out of control.

He finally hit the dirt, bowling over a half-dozen humanoid bugs in the process, and curled around himself with a low groan. His shirt was slashed right down the middle from the sharp edge of the queen's wing... and his stomach was equally lacerated underneath. Eris shoved a tangle of intestines back into his abdomen, wincing at the sensation - like touching warm, underfilled sausage links. It wouldn't kill her, not by a long shot, but it was far from pleasant.

"I'm with Flag." DuBois muttered, and she glanced up to find him only a few steps away, "That's disgusting."

"It's grosser to see me heal around it. Then I just have to cut myself back open." Eris fired back, keeping their arm pressed to their stomach until they felt the skin begin to knit back together.

"Fuckin' nasty."

"Hey, I'm not taking any shit from a merc who's afraid of rats."

"Everyone's afraid of something." he muttered, sounding a little cagey about it. Eris scoffed, leaning on their spear as they worked their way back up to their feet.

"Think about who you're talking to." he challenged, already turning to spear another of the beasts as he spoke. His abdomen smarted as he twisted, the tissues still not totally regenerated, but he ignored the pain. "I'm a thousand years old. I've fought in just about every war you could name. I've seen shit you could never imagine. There's nothing that scares me."

"Bullshit, Eris, you- agh!" Rick's voice cut off with a strained shout, and Eris' head snapped up. They were moving almost before they'd even processed the scene: the queen having landed, pinning Rick to the dirt. He tussled with it, blocking its jaws with the barrel of his gun and attempting to kick his way free. Eris only caught glimpses as he ran, too much blocked by the queen's massive abdomen.

The queen snapped its jaws closed, and Rick's gun fell apart in two pieces. He ducked away to keep the former barrel from breaking his nose, now reduced to shoving the monster's lunging mandibles away with his hands.

Eris sprinted across the field as quickly as he could, using her spear to shove hoards of insectoids out of her path. She didn't spare even a moment to bother killing them. Not this time.

The queen shifted again, a strange gurgling sound rising from deep within its body. Its legs were locked around Rick's body, holding him in place even as he kicked and fought. Eris couldn't see any more than that, but they were nearly close enough. They lifted their spear...

Eris leapt, driving the blade into one of the thin gaps between the queen's chitinous plates. The creature roared and bucked, and Eris clung to the handle of his spear to keep from being thrown of its back. He found a single moment of balance and used it to drive the spear deeper, burying almost entirely in the insect's soft flesh. The queen shrieked, shaking its body wildly. With nothing more to grab onto, Eris was thrown from its back and hit the dirt with a cough.

But he'd done his work.

The queen let out another, weaker chatter, clearly beginning to slow. It shuddered once, managing to unfold its legs and take a few blind, staggering steps away. Then it let one more plaintive shriek and crashed to the earth, crushing easily a dozen of its minions.

With their leader dead, the humanoid insects promptly took wing. They were gone in moments, with a sound like a swarm of locusts. It left only the bodies, strewn across the battleground.

Eris jumped back up to her feet and scrambled up the queen's plated back. She tugged at her spear, managing to free it from the beast's flesh with one great heave. The queen did not move. Truly dead.

Satisfied that the threat had passed, Eris leapt down from the insect's back and cast her spear aside. She sprinted for Rick, still lying sprawled in the dirt. Dark liquid - too dark to be blood, at least - covered his face and chest. They dropped to their knees beside him and promptly stripped off their torn jacket, using it to swipe the worst of the ichor off of his face. Whether it was some kind of acid or whatever else... they didn't want it on his skin.

"Talk to me, Flag." they muttered, prodding his chest and realizing a moment later that their hand was trembling. Eris scoffed, shaking it off. "C'mon, this isn't a spa treatment. Get the fuck up."

Rick stirred, planting a hand and pushing himself upwards. A bit of Eris' tension softened even at that, though he still looked weary and disoriented. Unsure of what to say, she just held out a hand and pulled him up to his feet. She didn't quite know what she was feeling. It wasn't pleasant.

"You still with us, Colonel?" DuBois asked, coming up to Rick and clasping his shoulder tightly. Harley was only a step behind, and pulled him into a vivacious hug as soon as she was within arm's reach. Rick coughed, dazedly returning the hug.

"Yeah... still in one piece." he replied, pulling back from Harley's embrace to instead lay his arm across Eris' shoulders. They found it oddly comforting, even as he leaned a little more of his weight against them. His other hand he lifted in the vague direction of the plane. "Let's get headed back before any more bugs show up."

He moved slowly and stayed tethered to Eris' side, but he didn't seem to have too much trouble getting back to the plane. Even once they were in the air, he was strangely subdued - hardly speaking, just staring out the window at the clouds.

"You alright?" Eris couldn't help but ask. It was a little... gentler than they'd usually have put it, but something was strange here. He didn't like it. He'd known Rick for years: he could be gentle, he could have his quieter moments, but not like this. Especially not after the rampant adrenaline of such a tense mission.

"Hm?" Rick replied, turning his head to look at him, "Oh, uh... yeah. Little tired. Have the doctors check me out when we get back."

The conversation ended there, and he went back to daydreaming out the window. Eris suppressed his concern, though he allowed himself to lean against Rick's shoulder through the rest of the flight. Normally he avoided so much... well, any of this. She never knew if this one patch of weakness could be used against her. It would take a lot to try and kill her, more than most of these folks were able to bring, but Rick...

She didn't like to think about that. It was bad enough that she'd grown so close to him at all. Someday she'd have to give him up - to someone else, to steel and blood, to time itself.

That thought hurt. It was about the only thing that ever made them wonder about reincarnation, that someday a hundred years on they'd run into Rick's soul in another body, that even time couldn't truly pull them apart. Even that was little more than a daydream. But he could hope.

True to his word, Rick headed straight for the medical station as soon as they got back to Belle Reve. It left Eris to deliver the mission reports to Waller - he did so, as he always did, with a challenging glare on his face.

I could destroy you and everything you stand for, that expression said, I could raze this place to the ground if I chose to. You're lucky Rick keeps me on a leash.

He wondered briefly why he hadn't done it already. There were reasons upon reasons why Belle Reve deserved to be blown apart. It would free these prisoners from their capture, save them from having to bargain for free years in the Suicide Squad. It would open the world to new conflict, fresh conflict - and that was not always such a bad thing. Surely it was more exciting than the frenzy of bullets and drones that modern warfare had become.

It would free Rick from Waller's grasp. It would save him from being sent out along with the rest of them, as good as a prisoner himself, with nothing to gain except a paycheck and perhaps a bit of good karma.

That one was perhaps the most important.

But Rick seemed comfortable enough in this life, so Eris held his tongue and kept his weapons hidden. Still, though, that moment would come...

"They didn't find anything." Rick said, meeting her by the door, "Told me just to rest for now, might run some antibiotics if it turns out to be some sorta infection."

"Hm. Okay." Eris wasn't quite convinced. They didn't like how little the doctors had done. Surely they had to see that something was wrong here...

"Are you worried about me, wartime?" he asked, a faint smile cracking his face. Eris shot him a look.

"Don't get presumptuous, cowboy." he huffed, "You're just fuckin' fragile. We need to find a way to turn you into a meta. Gimme the keys, I'll drive."

"You haven't driven a car since the 40's," Rick fired back as the two of them crossed the parking lot, "And who says I'd want to be a meta to begin with? Maybe I like bein' human."

But he stumbled just as he reached the pickup, and spent a few long moments catching his breath. There was tension on his face, brows pulled tightly together. Finally, wearing a deep grimace, he held out the keys.

"Don't kill us."

Eris grinned, snatching the keys and hopping up into the driver's seat with ease. Rick made his way around the other side of the truck, one hand planted against its metal frame for support.

"I'll do my best." she promised as she readjusted her seat and mirrors, "Though that's what I'm saying. You wouldn't be worried about a little car crash if you were a metahuman. Think about it."

"I'm not gettin' struck by lightning. Or experimented on." Rick muttered, "Or whatever the hell it is you're thinking."

Eris shrugged and backed the car out of its parking space.

"I just want to keep you around, Flag. You're... fun." he said, "And it'd be a lot easier if you couldn't just get taken out by a tiny piece of metal. Or an alien bug."

"Nothing's taking me out, doll. I'm fine."

"If you say so..."

He was quiet the rest of the drive. Eris found herself following a few more road laws than usual. She'd been strangely jumpy, anxious, since the mission. That was unusual. Battlegrounds were her first home. She never felt more comfortable than in the midst of war. But here, even after a good hard fight, she couldn't relax. It was odd.

By the time they made it back to Rick's apartment, he'd begun to shiver. It was only two flights of stairs, but for once they took the elevator. He leaned on Eris the whole way. His skin was warm, close to feverish.

He downed a glass of water as soon as they got inside. Then he heated up a plate of leftovers from the fridge and ate about a third of it. Then another glass of water. Eris watched all this with silent confusion, unsure of what else they could do.

"Think I'm gonna turn in early," Rick muttered after a while, staggering towards the bedroom. Eris drifted just a step behind, not quite offering help but close enough to catch him if needed. The strange restless feeling still hadn't softened. She didn't like it.

He tried to distract himself with television and books. He nearly succeeded, though that odd flicker of worry still lingered in the back of his mind. The sky grew dark, and the clock ticked on, but he was still far to restless to sleep. There remained that same strange atmosphere lingering around him.

They lasted about three hours before they gave up. It was still early, much earlier than they'd normally have gone to bed - not that they really needed sleep to begin with, though they were stronger when they had regular rest - but they couldn't stand this odd anxiety any longer. Even if they couldn't find sleep tonight, at least it would be better to be beside Rick as they tried. If nothing else, it would let them know if something changed.

So she showered and changed and curled up beside him, and tried to pretend she didn't notice the fever rising from his skin.

____

He woke in the middle of the night. At first he wasn't sure what had pulled him out of sleep. Then he shifted, and realized the bed was empty beside him. Rick was gone.

Eris slid off the bed, blinking in the darkness until their eyes adjusted. They slunk through the shadows, resisting the urge to grab a weapon as they moved. She was sure it was nothing; Rick had gotten up for the bathroom, for another glass of water, to call off work so he didn't have to get up at five in the morning. Mundane, human things that she still wasn't entirely familiar with.

Probably.

But something told him to check. Just in case.

She found him in the kitchen, standing by the sink. Ever cautious, Eris stayed silent for a moment longer - long enough to hear him muttering under his breath. It didn't sound like any language he was familiar with, just clusters of hissing consonants and harsh syllables. It sent a faint chill down their spine.

"Rick?"

He whirled, too fast, and Eris took an automatic step back. He hardly looked like himself: pale and sweaty, trembling all over, managing to make even his broad frame look stooped and weak. His eyes, instead of their usual amber-gold color, were a vague pinkish-red. That alone set Eris' hackles up. That wasn't right.

He took another step and straightened his spine, fixing her with those bizarre reddish eyes. For the first time, Eris realized how much bigger Rick was compared to her. Six inches, almost a hundred pounds, he all but loomed when he was standing over her like this. She'd never been frightened by physical intimidation - after all, she could fell even the sturdiest fighters in a heartbeat - but this made her heart kick out an extra beat.

"...Rick?" they tried again, wincing at the uncertainty in their voice.

"Do it."

"Do... what? Rick, you're- you're not making sense."

"Do it." he repeated, the words so low they were nearly a growl, "Grab your spear. Take me out like you took out all the others. Fight me."

"What? No- hang on." they fumbled, caught off-guard. Cold adrenaline sharpened their senses, made their limbs buzz with energy that longed to be released. Eris restrained himself. "I'm not here to fight. Something- something's wrong. Come back to bed."

"You. Strife. Conflict. Fight me! Like you fought all the others!"

"No, I-" Eris stammered, taking a faint step back and finding the kitchen counter behind them. There wasn't much further to go. "I don't want to fight you."

"Of course you do. You always want a fight." he snapped, his voice harsher than she'd ever heard it, "You've been tellin' me you'll cut out my heart for years, so fucking do it. I'm done waiting. Fight me!"

"I wasn't- I didn't..."

Their eyes flashed to the knife block on the counter behind them. It was little more than an impulse from a lifetime of war, self-preservation at its finest, but their fingers twitched. Rick grinned like a shark.

"Go on." he taunted, "Take it. I'll let you strike the first blow. See how fragile I really am. You've always been wondering how much I could really take."

Eris closed their hands into fists, keeping their treacherous fingers away from the knives. There was a part of them, deep within, that did want a fight- that always wanted a fight, every moment of their immortal life. Every word out of his mouth was another chip against that armor, another twitch towards the blades, another memory of a hundred wars.

But he couldn't hurt Rick. He refused.

"How many people have you killed? How many lives have you taken?" he demanded, "You keep count, don't you? How many? And what's one more?"

"Rick, this isn't-"

"Fucking do it!" he screamed, loud and startling enough that Eris nearly jumped out of his skin, "Coward! You only like fights when it's easy!"

"That's not true."

"You only like it when you don't have to think about what you're killing. So do it. Think about it." Rick challenged, bending low enough to meet his eyes. "Watch the light leave my eyes and think about the life you're taking. Think about the kind of monster you are to snuff out so many of us."

Eris' heart stuttered wildly in his chest. He couldn't move. The words had frozen him. It reminded him of the day he'd been shot, years ago, the first time he'd felt his heart truly stop. It was his first real brush with death.

And even then Rick had been gentle.

Those red eyes...

The realization struck him all at once. She'd seen the same red eyes on the bugs. And they all had the same build, tall and brawny the way Rick was.

The queen hadn't been trying to kill him.

It had been trying to claim him.

She ducked just in time to avoid the blade swung for her face. She'd noticed the knife block... but not the empty hole, the missing paring knife. Rick twisted his body, aiming for another strike with the slim blade, but Eris ducked under his arm and slid into the nearest open space. There wasn't much room, a small kitchen for an already small apartment, but it was better than having the counter at her back.

"Rick, listen to me..." Eris tried, hating the way his voice wavered. He didn't like this. "This isn't you. This isn't right."

Rick snarled, then dropped the knife and kicked it across the tiles. It stopped at Eris' feet. It took a palpable effort not to reach for it. He wouldn't let himself have a weapon. Not now. Not with that temptation.

"Take it." Rick almost dared them, "Do what you do best. Cut me open and see what's inside. Do it."

Eris shook his head. His thoughts were racing. He had a few options. Not many, but... a few.

The first was to kill him. Get rid of the bug... but get rid of Rick in the process. He couldn't. He refused. As many times as they'd joked about it... they'd never seriously wanted to hurt him.

Option two, cut out the parasite where it sat inside him. That was marginally better, but only just. Rick might still die - Eris was good with a blade, but worlds away from being a surgeon - and she didn't even know where the bug had taken up roost inside him. She'd have guessed the stomach, that the queen had forced it in through his mouth during the battle, but that would mean cutting through a lot of vital tissue. Blood loss. Intestinal perforations. Even if he didn't fight her in the process... and he would.

Option three... expel the parasite without cutting him open. Make Rick throw up. Easier said than done. Especially when he was still rearing for a fight that Eris refused to give him.

But it was better.

A blur of silver pulled Eris from their thoughts, and they twisted just fast enough for the blade to pierce their shoulder rather than their heart. She pulled it out almost carelessly and dropped it - no blades, no weapons, none of that temptation. If he wanted her to bleed... let her bleed. It would take more than a kitchen knife to kill her.

A second blade struck him in the hip, glancing off the bone and sending up a shockwave of pain. Eris dropped that one all the same, though her steps lagged as she waited for the wound to regenerate.

"I regret teaching you how to throw those." she muttered, staring at the growing collection of knives at her feet.

Rick snarled again, a primal animal sound, and threw another. This one she caught by the handle, moving faster than any human could, and nearly drew her arm back to throw it back before she corrected herself. They let go of the handle as if it had burned them. Not him. Not Rick. She had to control herself. Only if there was no other way.

She skirted around the kitchen, mind still racing. If it were anyone else, she thought, she might've found this interesting. To incapacitate without killing, to give up his blades and weapons, to resist the urge to start a fight. The conflict still roiled within him, aching to be let loose. Anyone else would've been dead in a heartbeat.

He'd just reached for the cabinet handle when a deep pain lanced down his side. This one was a chef's knife, long and sharp, and it had gone in almost to the hilt.

"Goddammit, Flag!" he growled, tugging out the knife and wincing at the dark blood that coated the blade, "Gimme a break!"

"Finish it, then." he shot back, "I'm just another frail little human, ain't I? Just a flicker of life compared to you. You've killed millions of people like me. Without a goddamn thought. Monster. So what does it matter if I die too?"

"Because I care about you, cowboy!" Eris shouted, hardly even realizing the words had left his lips. He burrowed in the cabinet until his fingers finally closed on what he was looking for. "And you're gonna hate me for this."

Rick opened his mouth to respond- and Eris shot a stream of bug spray right down his throat. Safe? Probably not. But neither was the parasite, and that threat was decidedly worse.

And it did its job.

Rick gagged, barely managing to stumble to the sink before he upturned the contents of his stomach. Something came up almost immediately: a jet of the same black ichor and something dark and squirming. Eris promptly emptied the can of bug spray on it, feeling a sick pleasure at the way it writhed and shriveled before finally going still. He dropped the empty can at his feet, still staring at the mangled thing.

"Ugh... shit." Rick drawled, slumped over the edge of the sink. His skin was slick with sweat, and muscles tensed all down his bare back in discomfort. He flipped on the faucet and scooped water over his face, spitting what had to be a truly rotten taste out of his mouth. "Should've known those leftovers were past their prime..."

"Rick?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," he sighed, lifting his head to look at them, "Just a little- whoa."

He cut himself off mid-sentence, honey-colored eyes flicking up and down Eris' frame. His eyes stalled in three places: their shoulder, their side, their hip, all drenched in blood from the newly-healed wounds. His brow crinkled, confusion and concern.

"Shit, darlin', you're shaking." he muttered, taking a step towards her. Eris shuffled back, almost without realizing, and Rick's expression only deepened. His eyes darted back up to her face, and he frowned. "You're- you're crying, Eris, what the hell happened?"

Eris lifted a hand to his face and was almost startled to find tears. He couldn't seem to make himself speak. Rick was equally silent, awaiting an answer, though he stole glances at the room around him to try and fit the pieces together.

"The- the bugs." Eris finally managed, pulling those amber eyes back to him, "The queen, it... it put something in you. A parasite. I... I got it out."

Rick nodded faintly, though that crease between his brows never softened.

"Did it hurt you? Did... did I hurt you?"

"Like you could make a dent," Eris said, though their voice trembled too much to make the taunt stick, "You'd have to do better than a couple knives, Flag."

"Hm." Rick replied, though something almost like gratitude danced across his face. It only lasted a moment before the frown returned. "But I scared you."

She hesitated, then nodded. When she spoke again, her voice was hoarse.

"Terrified."

Rick took a careful step nearer, and this time she didn't flinch away. He folded them into his arms, holding them tightly despite their shivering frame.

Normally Eris was not fond of hugs. They felt... restrictive, vulnerable, almost blind. They'd tolerate a hug from Harley (largely because they had no other choice) and enjoyed other forms of closeness, but an outright embrace was often just too much.

But this was nice. This was the exception to the rule - comforting rather than stifling. He could've spent years in this one spot, rooted to the floor with Rick's arms around him.

"It tried to make you into one of its bugs. One of its drones." Eris found himself mumbling, "I would've... would've had to-"

"Easy there, wartime, I'm right here. I'm alright."

"Those fucking doctors said it was nothing."

"Yeah, well, they've hardly got anything worse than stitches and broken bones most'a the time."

"Still think we should make you a meta. Would be... safer." Eris decided, turning their head to listen to his heartbeat. Rick's arms tightened around them, just for a moment, and he ducked his head to kiss their hair.

"Settle for the fact that I'm not kickin' it until I'm old and gray." he responded, voice dry but somehow teasing. Eris found her tension trickling away at just that, the familiarity of it all.

"I'll change your mind eventually."

"Doubt it. But feel free to keep trying." Rick said, then finally pulled back from the embrace. He looked a little steadier than he had before, like just being close to her was enough to give him strength. He crouched to grab a discarded knife. Eris couldn't figure out if his wince was towards the blood or the fresh dents in the blade. He'd just bought that new set.

"Here, hon, help me pick this up and we'll get back to bed." he decided, glancing at the clock on the counter, "Maybe get a couple hours in before we get back to Belle Reve."

"Call off work."

"I'm alright. And you know how Waller gets when she-"

"Call off work. Fuck Waller. She'll deal with me if she's got any problem with it." Eris demanded. Their voice was sharp, their posture sharper. They grabbed the remaining knives and scooped them into the sink to be cleaned later, hardly noticing when one of the blades caught them across the palm. The wound was sealed in moments, feeding off their flash of anger- or even just the argument itself. He was stronger in conflict.

Usually.

"I'm not sick. Couple hours'a rest and I'll be good as new. I'm not as fragile as you think I am, you know."

"It's not because you're fragile, it's just-" Eris huffed, shaking his head with a lot sigh, "It's because... it's because I care about you. And I want to... to keep an eye on you for a little while. Just to make sure."

A flash of soft amusement darted across Rick's face, and Eris ducked his head with a scoff.

"And 'cause I'm gonna poison your breakfast and see what it does to you. Of course."

"Of course." Rick agreed, never losing that faint smile. He took a slow step back towards the bedroom, his eyes lingering on her the whole way. "Better go give Waller a call, then. Be back in a minute."

[storiesbyrhi]

Bones and All - Chapter 15: Digestive Tract

Eddie Munson/Reader Series Masterlist

Warnings: canon typical violence/gore, swearing, abusive parents, animal farming/slaughterhouse setting (1 scene only); psychiatric hospital setting (1 scene only); discussion of religion; suicidal ideation/thoughts; murder; mid-level smut; no beta; updated each chapter

Synopsis: A Bones and All AU. What do you hunger for?

Chapter Summary: The aftermath. 3048 words.

A cockroach crawled out from under the vending machine. It scurried aimless patterns around the floor, stopping randomly, its antenna twitching. You had been here before - been lost in the feeling of hopelessness watching a brown little bug crawl across linoleum.

“You might wanna start talking now,” the cop said. He’d said it a few times though and you’d not heeded the warning.

The police station was cold. The wet blood soaked into your clothes was making you shiver, but nobody had offered you a change of wardrobe. They’d not even offered a cup of shitty coffee.

“Who’s the dead guy?”

“Where’s Bert Townsman?”

“What’s with the hair? Whose is it?”

Question after question but you were blinking long and slow, moving slower, not really there at all.

“Where’s your ID?”

“What’s your name?”

Briefly, you glanced at the cop. He had an unremarkable face and as soon as you went back to the cockroach, you’d forgotten it entirely.

…

“Jesus Christ! You couldn’t find a shirt for her to wear?!”

“It’s evidence!”

“Then put it in a fuckin’ evidence bag!”

Hopper’s voice boomed across the precinct. The police weren’t taking too kindly to a small town chief knocking down their door, but he wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.

“Come on, kid,” he said to you, pulling you up by the arm and taking you into the toilets.

You were weak on your feet, but Hopper stood you in front of the sink and turned the water on. He grabbed an excessive amount of paper towels from the holder and piled them next to you.

“I’ll go find a shirt.”

You didn’t want to see your reflection. Too many times you had stood in front of a mirror with blood smeared across your face. So, you used the towels to clean yourself keeping your head low.

Hopper returned quickly, a woman cop in tow. You pulled your t-shirt off and dropped it into the plastic bag ziplock bag she held out, then took the old, oversized Notre Damn hoodie she offered. She’d picked it out of the lost and found.

“Thanks,” Hopper mumbled to her as she left.

“Y/N. What the hell happened?”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s still in surgery. What happened?”

“Is he gonna be okay? What did they say?”

Hopper could hear the desperation in your voice. He knew what it felt like to wait in limbo. He knew what it felt like to lose and grieve. “I don’t know… They haven’t said anything yet… Wayne’s on his way up. He’ll get there soon and give us a call here when they know anything.”

You nodded and took some shaky steps backward. Once against the wall, you slid down to the ground, pulling your legs up to your chest and holding on to yourself.

With his hands on his hips, Hopper sighed, almost wincing at having to watch you. “Look, I know this is hard. But if you don’t say something, they’re gonna start telling the story their way.”

When you looked up at the man, there was something in his eyes that made you wonder what he knew.

After following Hopper out of the bathroom and into an interview room, you gave a poised and clear statement. Sully was someone who gave you a ride when you were hitching. Then, he attacked you in a library in Muncie. Now, he’d stalked you to Notre Dame. No, you didn’t know who he was. No, you didn’t know what the rope made of hair was all about.

You described the way he wielded both a knife and his mouth as weapons. How he was like a wild animal, biting and ripping in some inhuman and ungodly way. It was all so very overwhelming and downright terrifying, you said.

“And what about Bert? Why have you been living in his place?”

In the first few days you and Eddie had taken Bert’s apartment and job, you laid the breadcrumbs out. Just in case. Wove a narrative about him taking off after some shady deals at a poker table. It was in character and the students you or Eddie told about it entirely brought it. In theory, a cop should be a more critical consumer of information, but as you told the story to the one sitting opposite you, he seemed to accept it.

“We found the deceased’s car a couple blocks down from the apartment,” he said as he closed his notebook and pushed away from the table a little.

The tone had shifted; you’d become a victim in his eyes.

“There’s a lot of stuff in there of interest… Might lead to more questions for you. Don’t go too far,”

“She’ll be coming back to Hawkins,” Hopper asserted before you could answer.

“No, I want to see Eddie,”

“Yeah, after that. Come on. Let’s go.”

…

The number of machines surrounding Eddie’s bed was upsetting. There were a lot of upsetting things happening all at once. As soon as you walked into the room, Wayne stood from where he was holding vigil at Eddie’s bedside.

“I’m sorry!” you started to cry to him. “I’m so sorry!”

Wayne caught you in a hug. “Hey. Hey. Calm down. Nothing to be sorry for,”

“But he-he-”

“I know. Hop filled me in. Eddie’s always been protective of family. He loves you, kid. He protected you. Don’t be sorry for him loving you.”

Wayne held you, rocked you on the spot, something you realised Eddie must have learnt from him. After giving you a moment, he let go and told you to go sit with Eddie while he spoke to Hopper outside.

In the hospital hallway, Hopper told Wayne that the cops believed your version of events. Some of the cops first on scene reported that some of Eddie wounds were more akin to a dog attack than knife, but there was no proof of that now. Sully’s identity would be discovered and he would be recorded as the perpetrator of one count of break and entering, two counts of assault with the intent to cause harm, and one final count of causing grievous bodily harm.

“Nothing they can do about it, now he’s dead. If Eddie makes-” Hopper stopped mid-sentence to correct himself. “When Eddie makes it out the woods, he can file as a victim of crime though. Might be entitled to a pay out,” Hopper told Wayne. “But if he wants that, then Y/N might need to provide some legal identification… And maybe things get dragged up that none of you want,”

“I hear ya, Hop. Government ain’t parting with any money if they don’t have it,”

“Yeah… I know they were trying to make a life up here, but it might be best for them to come home to Hawkins. Let things settle. Then try again somewhere else.”

Hopper looked at you through the open doorway one last time before leaving. He didn’t know what he didn’t know, but he was sure Wayne and Eddie were inherently good. That was enough for him.

Wayne came back into the room and pulled a chair up on the other side of Eddie’s bed.

You’d not moved, only placed your hand over Eddie’s and stared at his peaceful face. Listened to the beeping of the heart monitor, and the pump and whoosh of the ventilator.

“You’re like him, aren’t you?” Wayne asked, voice quiet.

Too tired to think, you just nodded.

“And the man?”

A nod.

Wayne didn’t know what Eddie was. Human, he was sure. He was there when Eddie was born. But something else too. He could make people disappear. That’s as far as his knowledge extended.

“You two have anything to do with Ted Wheeler going missing?” Wayne asked then.

The question caught you off guard, you looked over at the man wide-eyed. Your reaction alone gave you away. Wayne made a sad sort of face and looked down.

“It wasn’t Eddie. It was me. It was an accident. I-I didn’t pick him out or anything. Um. Wrong place, wrong time. I didn’t mean to. I don’t do… do that. I’m not like that. Eddie’s not like that.”

Wayne nodded once, still looking into his lap. “Ted Wheeler always was a bit of an asshole.”

…

They kept Eddie in a medically induced coma for four days. Although they’d been able to stitch him together, he was so fragile. His organs needed time to come back from the swelling, and his lungs were weak.

You and Wayne took turns being at the hospital. One of you would be there, while the other took the truck and got some sleep.

Max, Dustin, and all the others came to visit. Some brought meals for you and Wayne from their mothers. Some brought little tokens of their love for Eddie, leaving DnD figurines and guitar picks on the bedside table.

It was a Thursday morning when Eddie’s primary doctor made the call. “The scans show that the sutures have sat well. Most of the internal swelling has gone down enough to see there’s no major causes of concern at this point. And the skin graphs aren’t showing any signs of rejection,”

“That’s all good,” you said hopefully.

“Yes, it is, but he still needs to be able to breathe on his own. So, today we’re taking him off the ventilator this afternoon to see how he’ll do,”

“But he should be fine. Nothing says he shouldn’t be able to breathe,” Wayne clarified.

The doctor nodded. “I’d be surprised if he can’t, but then again, a wound that… messy… A lot needed to be improvised in the E.R. Hiccups along the road to recovery are to be expected.”

The day ticked by at an agonising snail’s pace. Each time you went for a walk, you’d return in ten minutes thinking you’d killed an hour. Wayne smoked his way through almost an entire carton. Finally, at 3:00 pm, the doctor returned.

…

Three Weeks Later

Everything was quiet. No music. No television. Even Forest Hills seemed uncharacteristically placid, so much so that you had to keep checking out the windows to make sure it was still there. And, it was. Your neighbour was out hanging her washing on the line. There were kids riding their bikes down the road. You even caught Wayne just as he was leaving for work.

As he came down the front step of the Munson trailer, he glanced over at where the small pull-along caravan his work friend loaned him was situated. He smiled at the sight of you looking wistfully out the window. You waved back when he raised his hand.

Eddie needed more than a fold out bed to recover in, but he refused to take his uncles in the trailer. The caravan was offered; a good solution that was working out well, even if it was only a little bit bigger than living out of a car.

You moved away from the window and went back to where you were making chicken soup. The monotony of stirring caught you in a trance, letting your mind go blank for a few beautiful seconds.

“Let me guess… Soup.”

Spinning on the spot, you grinned. “Hi,”

“Hi, baby.”

Eddie was sitting up in bed. You walked to him and inspected his torso. The skin graphs were healing well. He’d be a patchwork of scars, but he’d live.

“I know you’re hungry, but it’s too risky,” you told him.

Eddie nodded. “I know. Just feels like I’d be getting stronger faster if I wasn’t stuck on a liquid diet,”

“Hey! I made toasties yesterday! ... Look, I’m on it, okay. But we got through this because we were smart before. We gotta keep being smart.”

As well as crafting the story of runaway Bert and the legitimate reason for you and Eddie being in his apartment, you sorted through all the possessions you’d both accumulated during your time on the road. Anything that was… borrowed… from someone you ate was burned. It had felt good, really. Cowboy Cook’s hat. Steve’s wallet. Necklaces and books.

There was nothing left but proof of two semi-nomadic kids from small town America looking to start a life together.

“I know, I know. Sorry. I like your soups. I swear.”

You snorted and shook your head at him. “Get up and go sit. We’ll eat.”

The pull-along caravan’s layout was functional. Upon entering, immediately to the right was a dining booth. The table in the center could pop down to create a flat surface for a second single bed, but you and Eddie left it up. Along the far wall was the smallest kitchenette, the left side top corner cut off by a toilet/shower wet room. You couldn’t use the shower at the same time as each other, Eddie barely fitting in there alone. The lefthand side wall was occupied by part of the wet room, and then the double bed, which ran longways all the way up to the door.

When you slid into the booth opposite Eddie, putting two bowls down as you went, he grinned at you. The meal was void of conversation, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. You finished first, and watched as Eddie slowly taught himself how to exist with one less finger.

Sully had bitten it clean off. It was in your statement and Eddie’s. The finger was in Sully’s digestive tract, found during the autopsy.

You considered the empty space between Eddie’s left hand little and middle finger. Was it a bad omen that the place a wedding ring should sit was gone? Had he thought of that too?

There had not been a lot of discussion about Notre Dame. You thought about it all the time. It replayed vividly on a loop behind your eyes. Not Sully. Not the knife or the rope of hair. No, not that. It was the image of you lowering your mouth to Eddie and eating. It was the knowledge that you’d consumed part of him. That you knew what Eddie tasted like. That he was a part of you in that brutal and intimate way forever. That it left the dynamic between you so uneven.

Eddie finished his soup and looked up. Your gaze was fixed on his hand. He wriggled his fingers at you, bringing you out of your heavy thoughts.

“Lucky it wasn’t my right hand,” he said. You just nodded, smiled softly. “Can I ask you something?”

Figuring it was something small, maybe inconsequential, you nodded again.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

“Do what?” you replied.

“You know… Finish the job.”

You studied Eddie’s expression, lost for a moment until – “You mean eat you?! What the fuck, Eddie?”

“Wait, no, listen… I don’t mean ‘I wish you did,’ I mean… How did you stop yourself?”

Grabbing your empty bowl and his, you left the booth and dumped the dishes in the sink loudly. He’d hit a nerve; what the nerve was attached to, you weren’t sure.

Eddie stood but didn’t need to follow you. The caravan was small enough that there was no place to hide. “I mean, I don’t know if I could have,”

“Eddie, I don’t want to talk about it,”

“Why?”

“I just… I just don’t, okay?”

Eddie’s gaze burned through you, but he let it go, waving his hand dismissively and moving to get back in bed. For the rest of the night, he tried to figure you out.

…

The caravan windows were covered in condensation when Eddie woke. He drew shapes into it like a child with a magic slate toy. While he worked and listened to your sleeping sounds, he wondered how he had tasted to you. What did it feel like to eat someone willing? Someone who loved you? Who you loved? What was it like to have him as part of you?

It occurred to Eddie that he was jealous of something you seemed to be all fucked up about.

Eddie burrowed back under the covers with you, pulling you closer to him. You stirred, making little grumbling sounds that caused butterflies to unfurl from cocoons in Eddie’s belly. He pressed his forehead to yours, then pushed kisses against your lips.

“I love you,” he whispered into your mouth.

You lifted your leg to hoist over Eddie’s frame, and he held you in place. Burying your face in his neck, you kissed and sucked little bruises into his flesh. His fingers roamed, explored, eventually finding their way below the elastic of your underwear.

“Do you love me?” he asked. You nodded, lifting your head to meet his gaze. “Do you trust me? ‘Cause I can fix this. For you. For us.”

Eddie watched your eyebrows pull together in confusion; you were searching his face for ideas. He kissed you again, and again, and again.

“You need it to be even, right?” His voice was low, and the pain and ecstasy of him knowing you and understanding you caused you to hide your face back in the crook of his head. You nodded though. “Yeah? That’s okay. That’s okay, baby. ‘Cause I… I need to know what you know. I wanna… Taste… Need you to be part of me too.”

There was a very precise meaning to Eddie’s words and you did not misinterpret them.

He still had one hand in your underwear, slowly and gently teasing you. With his other, he found your left hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing each fingertip lightly.

“We can be the same,” he breathed out.

Tears started to roll down your cheeks as you whimpered and nodded. It felt like you were drowning. He had you pinned in every way. Mind. Body. Soul.

Eddie nudged your head up with the tip of his nose so you could watch. Your eyes grew wide and unblinking. He folded all your fingers down bar the ring finger. Again, he kissed the tip of it, then sucked it into his mouth and closed his eyes.

You took a deep breath in and held it steady. Grinding your hips into Eddie’s hand hard, you listened as Eddie’s teeth crunched through tendon and bone, watched as blood spilled out from between his lips and began to soak into the bed. Finally, you were happy.

End Note: Well, that's it folks! I would LOVE to hear your thoughts, especially if you've seen/read the originals. Thank you for coming on this cannibalistic journey of love and identity and belonging. It's been fun.

Fic Taglist: @azydrateanatomy @pussy-drunk @mrsdollardog @akiratoro420 @thatsbunnysmind

Eddie Taglist: @solomons-finest-rum @ruinedbythehobbit @munsonlives @sweetpeapod @depressooo-expressooo-blog @thorfemmes @hawkins-high @corrodedhawkins @grungegrrrl @lilzabob @mymoonisalways-in-scorpio @averagemisfit03 @ches-86 @ilovecupcakesandtea @onehotgreasymechanic @hazydespair @lacrymosa-24 @mel-the-fangirl

[miltheperson]

Hiiiiiiiiiii- love the lil quick writes, and actually that howdy part in my request-

Imagine reader, same scenario, but reader is like a spider or a butterfly or a bee and is the size of 10 apples and can like fly too-

Again you did amazing on my request:D

You gave me so much ideas for howdy - all the bugs we could use-

I’m glad I did those requests some justice! Again, another excellent idea! So curious!

Welcome Home mini bit!

Howdy’s all buzzed about the new neighbor!

The talk about the new neighbor had circled all around the neighborhood, it had definitely went round enough that it reached the bodega owning caterpillar’s ears!

He loved new faces and he especially loved welcoming them into the neighborhood.

He waited quite excitedly for the new neighbor to come around and visit his shop, a friendly and happy smile over his face.

When the bells over his door finally jingled, Howdy sprung up with a smile.

“Howdy! Welcome!” He greeted as usual, smiling.

Only to pause.

Wait a second…

Where was the customer?

“What in the world…?” He murmured, scratching the top of his head. “Now, I know I heard those bells ring…” He frowned a little, moving out of the counter and towards the door.

“Ow!”

He felt a something bump against his leg. He flinched, staring down.

“Oh, hello!” He blurted out in surprise, stepping back.

There was the new neighbor! You! With twirly antennas and wings behind your back, as well as what looked to be something protruding from behind you. Why… You must be a bee! Now that explains the black and yellow coloring on your clothing.

“I am so sorry! Didn’t see ya there!” Howdy was startled.

Goodness you were quite short!

Why, even shorter than Wally!

“It’s okay!” You smiled up at him, then you started realized just how tall he was.

How tall was this guy??

Goodness he was quite tall!

“You must be the new neighbor, right?” He asked you with a smile, needing to look down on you.

Heavens, compared to you he was just massive!

“Yep! That’s me! Pleasure to meet you!” You held a hand out towards him, the other leaning down just to reach you properly.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too! My name is Howdy, Howdy Pillar! What’s yours, neighbor?” He shook hands with you, a bright grin on his face.

“(Name) ! Call me (Name)! Wonderful to meet you, Howdy!” You giggled, letting go of his hand.

“So, ah… Welcome to Howdy’s Place! Seeing as you’re new around these parts, it’s a special discount for you. 100% off!” Howdy smiled.

It was a bit troublesome for both parties to look each other in the eye, so you decided you had enough of the neck pain.

Your wings started to flutter, your feet slowly lifting off the ground.

Howdy watched you in amazement as you started to fly up to his height, finally being able to properly meet his eyes.

“Well, hello, you!” Howdy couldn’t help but laugh, he thought you looked quite cute!

“Hi! How’s the weather up here?” You asked him with a laugh of your own.

Now that really cracked him up! Howdy burst out laughing again, shaking his head.

“You’re funny! I like that!“ He calmed down with a chuckle, sighing a bit. “Go ahead and pick out anything you’d like, neighbor! It’s on the house!” He smiled at you.

“Alrighty, Howdy! Thanks a lot!” You smiled back at him, wings fluttering behind you.

As you looked through the shop, Howdy couldn’t help but watch as you did. He was quite amazed by your wings, you really did move like a bee with how you flew around. He stayed by the counter, arms crossed and the other two placed on the counter surface.

He wondered if he would be able to fly around with you if he ever turned into a butterfly. Would you two race? Would you just fly together?

So wonderful to think about!

Finally you had chosen your item, it was a drink that you liked the most. You flew towards the counter, placing the item down.

“And that’s one (favorite drink)… Would ya like me to bag it for you?” He asked with a friendly smile.

“Nope, no thanks!” You shook your head, politely declining.

“Alrighty, neighbor! Here ya go.” He handed you your drink, chuckling as you stared at it with wonder.

“Thanks a lot, Howdy! I best get going then, wouldn’t wanna buzz around here for too long!” You giggled, holding the cool drink in your hands.

“Don’t worry! You were never a buzz-er!” Howdy laughed, you couldn’t help but join along with him. “But, oh, alright. If you have to go… Just bee safe now!” He chuckled.

“Oh, you just wont stop, huh? Alright, I’ll see you around, Howdy!” You opened the bodega door, then landed on the floor. You didn’t feel like exhausting yourself by flying any longer.

“I’ll see you soon, (Name)! It was lovely meeting you!” He waved at you as you left, leaning over the counter with a hand on his cheek.

He sighed with another chuckle, smiling to himself.

“What a buzz…” He shook his head.

Needless to say, Howdy looked forward to seeing you again!

[pierottluni]

The Girl that Nursed Grasshoppers

Once Upon A Time,

There was a little girl,

With locks of golden curls that had leaves in it,

Her hands were often covered in mud from making dirt pies,

Her eyes the color of the sky with an eclipsed sun in the middle.

The little girl loved little things,

The things that people forgot,

Even the bugs,

Sometimes especially the bugs.

The girl herself was a little thing,

A forgotten thing,

Too strange,

Seeing mortality and the effects of grief on adults at a young age changes a kid,

And with a single mother there wasn't much money for toys so she had to use her mind.

The other kids felt uneasy around her,

Some friends saying that they "needed a break" and never coming back,

Or she would be a third wheel to other friendships,

No one ever really bothered to see or listen to her.

So she lost herself in copies of Nancy Drew, Judy B. Jones, Harry Potter, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, that she borrowed from the school library,

Or conducting her own plays and musical numbers on the playground,

Which would only make the other kids look at her sideways even more.

One day,

The little girl came across a group of bully boys huddled in a circle,

Exhausting their dull brained laughter into the air,

Poking at something,

Something little,

A powerful rage swept the girl,

Blinding red making her charge forward like a bull,

"Hey! What are you doing!?" She yelled like a battle cry,

Stomping her feet as she rolled up her sleeves and balled up her fists.

The bullies lifted their heads to see the girl pressing towards them like an unstoppable force and a mean like in her eye,

They had tussled with the girl's spirit before and had learned the hard way,

So they scattered to the four winds of the playyard.

Left behind was their poor victim,

A grasshopper one leg barely holding by its hinge,

Stumbling about and only partially hopping in desperate fear,

The bullies had pulled its leg partially off,

Pulling it from its socket so it could hardly move and leaving it defenseless.

"Poor thing," The little girl said and scooped up the little thing,

The grasshopper tried to get away but the girl clapped her hand gently around it, "Hey, hey, it's okay. I know a safe place for you to heal."

She took the little bug and brought it to a far corner of the playground where she would stare up at the sky to cloud watch alone.

She crouched down and placed the hurt little creature into a small bed of clovers where she had brought from ladybugs that had torn wings to before, "There you go little guy, you'll be safe there."

The little girl checked on the grasshopper everyday to make sure it was doing okay and to protect it in case the bullies showed,

It was there for about a week eating the grass and clover until finally, one day, the little girl went to check on the bug,

And as if it had been waiting for her to return to check on it that day,

It took a small bound through the chain link fence, its leg healed,

She could swear it turned around and looked started at her with its antenna twitching as if to say "Thank you." before bounding away.

[luveurmilk]

Tsunami.

The tsunami was now receding, leaving irreparable destruction and debris all within a matter of minutes.

or; Will Byers confesses to Mike Wheeler his last night in Hawkins.

Words: 3.5K

WARNING! A section of this short-fic contains two homophobic slurs. The section is marked with a series of asterisks like this (********) in the beginning and the end of the short section. Please skip if necessary, a description will be placed in the author notes at the end of what happens.

Thank you for reading, and please be kind. It is my first fic! :)

Will feels that he should be embarrassed or guilty, but he wasn’t. Infact, his heart was soaring as he buried his face into Mike’s pillow. His best friend was kind enough to lend him his bed to nurse a headache that had suddenly come about and the rest of the gang followed; only talking in quiet voices out of respect. On the other hand, his heart ached. A deep ache because this was their last night together. In the morning, Will was leaving Hawkins to get away from all the horrors the town brought to him. His mom, Jonathan, El, and himself were heading out west where the weather is warm and there isn’t a threat of a demogorgan, a mind flayer, or the Upside Down. Or so they hoped. 

Will was brought out of his thoughts by a disgruntled Lucas as he slapped the radio, fiddled with the antenna, and then grumbled lowly about how crappy the signal in Mike’s room was as the static sounded louder than the actual music playing. Just as quick as the static appeared, it was gone again, and the mood returned to its general happiness. “Apology accepted.” Mike huffed as his eyes shifted back to the magazine he was currently invested in. The cover was some rock band that Will had never heard of, but the faces matched the poster hanging up in his best friend's room and the cover of several cassette tapes scattered across his nightstand. 

“I think we’ve bugged Will enough. We should let him get some rest.” Max said as she and El stood to their feet together, said goodnight, and left the room. Dustin and Lucas agreed and followed suit not too long after. Will then sat up and gave a stretch as he figured him and Mike should head to the basement anyways where they all had sleeping bags set up just like old times. “We can stay here a little longer.. You know, until your headache goes away.” Mike said quietly and it made the shorter boy’s pulse jump because it had been ages since it was just the two of them. How could he ever pass up an offer like that considering this will be the last time he sees him for months, possibly longer. “O-Okay, yeah. That’s fine.” He pulled his legs up and got situated once again and they fell into a comfortable silence that was occasionally interrupted by the turning of a page from Mike’s magazine.

Will’s brown eyes took in the multiple drawings of his scattered along the walls of his friend’s room and he was able to pinpoint each time he had drawn them and given them to Mike with such excitement. He loved the way his eyes lit up and the compliments strung on for days after it was put on its permanent spot on the wall in this room or in the basement. It only made him think of the drawings that Mike will never get to see; drawings that were locked away in a moving van sitting outside of the Wheeler house at this very moment. A pang of sadness rushes through him and fills every crevice in his body as he recalls said art pieces that were filled with silent love confessions to his best friend. Will had very heavily considered giving him one the morning he left and that would be it. Mike would know how he felt and he wouldn't be around to listen to the disgusting things he would say about him to other people nor would he be able to watch their years of friendship crumble to the ground within a few seconds. He could hand the painting over through his open car window just before his mother put her foot to the gas. He had it all planned out, and yet there was this stirring feeling in his gut that it would fail miserably because Mike was never good with context clues or reading between the lines. 

So, Will settled for this. He settled with the faint smell of Mike’s cologne filling his nose making his heart jittery and the subtle brushing of their knees from where they sat sending waves of goosebumps throughout his frame. It wasn’t like he wasn't used to this, anyways. 

Suddenly, Mike gave a grunt and slammed the magazine shut, crumpling its pages as he carelessly tossed it aside on his bed. “This– All of this fucking sucks,” was all he said as his chin landed in the palm of his own hand and eyes focused on the desk before them. Will could only give a nod in agreement because, well, it did suck . Everything leading up to this moment sucked, and Will wishes he could turn back time and somehow change it all. A warm hand landed on his knee that burned and he swore his heart skipped a beat when it gave a subtle squeeze. He could feel his brain short circuiting and a flush forming on his cheeks. Damn these teenage hormones. “Promise me that we won’t lose contact.. Promise me that you’ll always write to me or call me?” Mike was looking at him now with such soft eyes and a furrowed brow, raw emotions that Will swore was only saved for him. He gathered himself and nodded quickly before placing his hand down onto Mike’s and squeezing. It was a selfish act, really, but it was enough to ease whatever panic that was brewing inside of Mike’s mind. “Of course I’ll write to you. You’re my best friend, and I'm not going to give that up anytime soon.” The grin that spread across the raven haired boys' features eased them both and Will was now hyper aware that their hands were still touching. 

The brunette gave another soft squeeze and pulled his hand away and noted how Mike let his touch linger a minute longer before he was also pulling away. “Just think of all the fun things you’re going to be able to do in California. From what Max has said it sounds so much better than Hawkins.” Will sighed and shook his head, giving a frayed smile. “Yeah, I guess, but it’s not going to be fun without the rest of the party there. I mean, sure, El and I will have each other, but it’ll be entirely different.” Mike turned his focus to Will again and the latter noted how his bottom lip was trapped between his teeth. A little habit Mike did when he was thinking too hard about something. “Hawkins won’t be the same without you, and.. And I’m going to miss you very much.” 

Will was sure hell froze over because Mike never expressed his feelings out in the open like this. He’s always closed off and he chooses to bottle it up until something tips him off and it all comes barreling out at someone or something. “ Hotheaded, ” Nancy had once said. He was too afraid to meet his gaze because he knew the moment he did words of adoration and years long of pining would come rushing out like a tsunami towards a shoreline. Fast, messy, and destroying everything in its path that took years to build. Every nerve was screaming at him, “ Tell him! Tell him now how you feel!”  

“Mike.. Mike, I need to tell you something. I need to tell you and I understand if you hate everything about me after it, but I can’t hold it in any longer.” His voice shook and his bottom lip wobbled as hot tears threatened to fall from fear and wishful thinking. God, his head ached, but he pushed it off as his blood pressure rising from the panic and stress of confessing bubbling up inside of him. Mike opened his mouth to say something, probably to protest how nothing could make him hate Will, but he shushed him. “Wait until I'm finished, please. If I don't say anything now, I may never be able to.” 

With a deep, bated breath Will released what he and his heart had been concealing all these years. Thoughts and feelings that had been under such lock and key not even God himself could pry open. “I’m gay, Mike. I’m gay and I like you.. No, I love you. I love you more than a best friend. I love you the way Jonathan loves Nancy or the way mom loves Hopper. You make me feel happy and you make me feel like I’m not a mistake. When I'm with you I have a sense of belonging and you’re the only thing that kept me alive when I was alone and scared in the Upside Down. I knew that.. I knew that if I could just get back to you I would be okay. And there were these moments where.. where I could hear you talking and they were the moments I just wanted to give up but you.. You kept me going.” There it was, the tsunami, barreling, flooding, and tearing down the walls his heart has built for years. With it came hot, fat tears that burned his eyes and stung his skin as they fell. This was his most vulnerable state, he thinks. He was now raw and out in the open and he just couldn't stop the multitude of confessions pouring from his mouth. His chest screamed for air but he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He needed to tell Mike everything all at once and as fast as he could. 

Will’s chest finally heaved as he sucked in a wet breath, tears stained his face and he felt like years of oppressed relief was finally here. “You are my safe space and you understand me the most and I am so in love with you everything within me aches.” 

The silence after was terrifying. It was long and Will felt his heart racing, but he couldn't look at Mike. His hands wrung themselves as anxiety now creeped in. The high that coaxed him through his confession was now fizzling out and his brain was catching up to his heart as he realized what he had just done. The tsunami was now receding, leaving irreparable destruction and debris all within a matter of minutes.

                                                                  ******** 

Will braced himself and turned his head to look at Mike and he was met with a face of pure disgust, and eyes that were a comfort to him were filled with an indescribable amount of hate. “Disgusting. You’re disgusting, Will.” Mike spat as he stood up from his bed to face him and he seemed to be seething. For once in his life, Will was terrified of Mike Wheeler.  “You’re not fucking normal, Will. You’re a fucking fairy. I tried to ignore what everyone said about you but it’s true. You’re a fag !” Will could feel his body trembling and every nerve he had seemed to scream at him to run, to save him from whatever words that were going to come next, but he was frozen. It even felt like the room was now colder from the mood shift. 

“Mike.. Mike, you don't mean that. You don’t!” He cried as he tried to convince himself that this wasn’t happening. That this was some sick dream his mind was coming up with because he swore he could hear someone screaming at him that wasn’t Mike. “I do! I mean every word. You, Will Byers, are fucking fairy and I want nothing to do with you!” Mike was closing in on him now, stalking towards him like a predator does its prey right before going in for the kill, and all Will could do was back up on the bed. 

                                                                ********

“Mike, please – You’re my–” He stopped. As his ‘best friend’ drew closer, his face seemed morphed and his eyes were off. “You’re not Mike.” And just like that the scene around him was changing into a place so familiar and a place that still brought nightmares to him to this day. He was still in the Wheeler house, but it wasn’t the Wheeler house. The walls were covered in thick vines and the whole place was cold, dark, and horrifying. He was in the Upside Down again. And what Will thought was Mike morphed and changed into a man that seemed to be completely made up of vines that were scattered across the Upside Down. 

“Watching you suffer is such a pity when I can make it all go away.” The man said and Will finally found the courage to bolt. He sprang from the bed and headed to the basement; screaming for Mike, his mom, Jonathan, anyone. The basement was empty, looking as it did all those years ago when he scoured the Upside Down in an attempt to get home, and covered in sickening vines. Will felt like a small child all over again. He let out a frustrated scream and slammed his hand against the wall, against the vines, that recoiled and let out a quiet shriek. In a quick second, he felt his body seize up and he was being pushed back against a pole as the scenery around him changed for the third time. The basement melted into a place unknown that looked like broken construction and clocks. Clocks were everywhere. Some broken and some in perfect condition. The sky was red and was brewing an ugly, unforgiving storm that was slowly covering the rest of the Upside Down with flashes of angry lighting and loud rumbles of thunder that shook his insides. 

Will struggled against the thick vinery winding around his body and pinning him to the pole behind him. “Let me go!” He wheezed and flailed, fighting a losing battle as the greenery squeezed him tighter. The unknown man was walking towards him until they were face to face and the younger boy was able to see just how ugly this thing was. “You would be better off here, with me.” The man says when he was close enough. “It’s time for you to join me, Will.” The man, the creature, said. Will called out for Mike again in a heavy sob as the vines curl around his neck like a vice and restrict his airflow. “He can’t help you, Will. Do you really think he’ll ever feel the same way about you? You’re eaten up with jealousy, aren't you? You hate Eleven. You hate that she has the potential to steal Mike away from you. You hate that you’re not like your friends and that keeps you awake at night. It eats at you and sometimes you wish you died here those years ago. Don’t you, Will? ”

He lets out another sob, heavy with hurt and pain as he realizes that this was it. He was going to die here and some selfish part of him didn’t care because maybe if he caved and gave in; the threat of the Upside Down would go away forever and his friends and family could move on and live in peace. It was like the thing before him could read his thoughts and the faintest, satisfied huff sounded from his nasal holes. He lifted his hand above Will’s head and closed his eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Whatever he was doing caused pain to erupt through his frame and he whimpered out, but gave up on struggling long ago. He just didn't have the energy to fight anymore.

“Will!” Someone called out. “Will, please!” The voice cried with such emotion and intensity it gave Will the strength to open his eyes. A gate was open and he was watching himself float in Mike’s bedroom with the entire household surrounding him, but what stood out to him was a sobbing and distraught Mike that was gripping his leg. “Will, come back to us, please. I can’t.. I can't be without you again, please.” His words were mixed with sharp, ragged breaths and hiccups as his body tried to regulate everything that was happening and every emotion he was feeling. He’s lying. The man’s voice rang out through his head. He’s just telling you what you want to hear. “Please don’t leave me alone again. Will, I love you. I’ve always loved you and I need you here with me! Please come back to me, to us!” 

This was enough to have Will struggling just enough that his hand broke free from the vines and he ripped one, nails digging into the slimy hive mind creature that caused just enough shock to have them loosen immediately. He fell to the ground with weak limbs and dashed as fast as she could towards the gate that seemed to be closing. He closed his eyes and jumped and prayed that he made it before it sealed. The next thing he felt was warmth and several frazzled voices swarming him, and hands all over him. Then the pain hit, his body felt like he had done hours of exercise and every muscle was screaming at him with every move he made. His vision was blurry but he was able to make out the face above his, he would know that face and touch even on his deathbed. “Mike.” He rasped and a hand was in his hair and then cupping his cheek as an ugly sobs left him. “I'm here. I'm right here. I have you.” The raven haired boy assured him and Will let himself relax as he weakly clung to his best friend's sweatshirt. “I love you so much.” Was all the brunette got out before everything faded to black as his body finally succumbed to all the stress it was just put through.  

The next time Will woke up it was morning. He could tell because sunlight was pouring into the room he was in, illuminating the walls and floor. He blinked his eyes a few times and looked around. Everyone was packed into Mike’s bedroom, and speaking of Mike; the boy was wrapped around him in a grip so tight he didn't know how he was still breathing. “Will, honey?” His mom said loudly, unable to conceal the happiness in her voice and slowly everyone else woke up as well to only surround him in a hug. “We thought we lost you!” El exclaimed and hugged him tighter. “I checked. You were sleeping.” She smiled softly as she pulled away, and Will was confused because there was still a grip around him. His head turned and it was Mike, who looked visibly tired even as he was sleeping. His face was puffy and cheeks were stained with tear tracks. “He did not sleep. Kept watch.” El said before moving aside and letting everyone else have a turn in hugging him. He then explained what happened to him and where he went, but left out some details to save face and to not hurt El’s feelings. “So, this thing is from the Upside Down, can read minds, and possess people from the Upside Down?” Dustin asked as his face blanched when Will nodded. “He said he wanted to put me out of my suffering and made sure to hit every insecurity I had.” He added on and swallowed thickly. “He can make you see things that aren’t there. He had a hold of me before I even knew.” 

Will thought he saw a flash of realization fill El’s visage for a brief second but she gave a subtle shake of her head to cancel out her own thought. “Mrs. Wheeler passed out when she saw you.” Lucas said quietly, “Your mom explained to her and Mr. Wheeler everything that had happened with us, you, and the Upside Down. I don’t think they’re believing it yet, but your mom is trying.” Will could understand that. If someone came to me and told me about other worldly monsters and an alternate dimension; I’d have a hard time believing it too.” They all shared a chuckle and Max punched his arm, lovingly, but still a punch. “Don’t do that again, Byers.” She warned before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. He willingly hugged her back and gave a reassuring squeeze that maybe, just maybe, whatever evil this was would be that last. “I’m going to check on the others. Do you guys want to come?” She said and gave Will a knowing grin before ushering everyone out of the room. 

Now, it was just him and Mike, again. His aching body laid down beside his best friend and took in his sleeping features before raising a shaky hand and running it through the mess of raven curls atop of his head. I love you. I’ve always loved you! Kept running laps in his mind. Was Mike just saying that? Was the tendriled man right? It seemed like the creature knew every button to press and every heavy burden to stirr up to make him weak and fragile, but it had been Mike again who pulled him from the depths of the Upside Down. 

An arm was tightening around his waist and he was pulled into the warm embrace of Mike; his heart. WIll curled right in and the tight squeeze was a signal that they would talk about this later, but for now.. 

For now, Will’s heart was soaring as he buried his face into Mike’s chest with the thought of leaving Hawkins far behind.

A/N: In the marked section, Will had been taken over by Vecna without realizing it. After Will confessed, the fake Mike said not nice things to him, making his worst fear come to life that Mike hates him. It's based off the scene in Vol. 2 where Max and Lucas are in the Creel house and Max had been possessed without knowing.

[llamagoddessofficial]

I can see MC running through the city. Where ever people are running, she goes in the opposite direction.

The farther she gets she can hear a low buzzing off in the distance. The buzzing gets louder. And soon the sound becomes deafening. A large black cloud of insects blankets a the buildings. Flooding the streets.

These bugs, whatever they are, are said to kill a person with a single bite.

Still, she moves forward.

The sounds of screams are drowned out but the buzz or the hoard. It’s overpowering. Terrifying.

But when the first insect lands on her, the whole swarm stills.

The insect looked like nothing you’d ever seen before. The only thing you could think to compare it to was a thin, jet black wasp, so black it seemed to absorb the sun around it. It was small- disproportionately large beady eyes sat on its face, and hooked chattering mandibles that almost distracted you from the needle stinger almost half the length of its body. It was firing its wings like an engine and looked poised to attack... but upon landing on your arm, it had stopped.

... You couldn’t deny your heart jumped into your throat when you felt the tiny pressure on your arm, you’d heard the screams of people who’d been stung as you passed them by, you’d heard the fearful cries that they could kill in one sting (and even if they couldn’t, there was more than enough of them in that living, breathing storm to kill thousands anyway). The thought had crossed your mind that this was a mistake, that the insects could turn on you in an instant... but the one on your arm wasn’t doing anything. It wasn’t stinging, it was just... looking at you.

... It sat there for a moment, on the bare skin, tilting its head like it didn’t know where it was. Its antennae bobbed, as curious and completely harmless as a bumblebee that’d wandered too far from the hive; the intensity of the swarm around you changed, noticeably, as the little creature quietly brushed a leg over its eye. You looked up, the deafening train-like noise was slowing all around you, the roaring river fading into a shallow stream... you could finally start to see the sky again as the insects parted from one another and settled into their own almost clumsy ambling rhythms, acting more like confused fireflies than anything else.

... They’d calmed. They’d all calmed. Just a few moments ago everything had been completely covered with darkness, with beating wings and readied stings, but now... the anger had seeped from the swarm.

They spent a few moments milling around, aimlessly... before turning, and starting to all head in one direction. Even the little one on your arm lifted its wings and buzzed, lazily, with the rest of its brethren, toward the source of the attack. When they touched his bones they disappeared without a trace... droplets of water returning to the pool they originated from.

...

Skull. 

... You’d never seen him in light before. You never thought you would. With the full sun beating down on him, you could see every part of him like you’d never seen it before- every crack, every scar, every mark from his years in the dark. How he hunched himself over, how his phalanges were hooked, how the rags and bandages hanging off him looked even older and dirtier, the tattoos looked even deeper and crueller...

... How his eyelight bore into you, like it was the first time he’d seen you after a hundred years.

...

He started moving toward you, eye trained on you for every step. It felt so strange to hear the sound of his feet on a surface that wasn’t the floor of the crypt. He kept approaching, kept coming closer, until he was looming over you... until you had to crane your neck up to keep eye contact. He smelt of dust, of magic... of forgotten musty darkness deep beneath the earth. He raised his hands, but paused, as if... afraid to touch.

...

He looked so much more broken. Dried tear tracks marred his cheekbones, and a scared, exhausted air had settled over him...

...

... When you spoke, it was just a whisper.

“W-what happened to you?”

...

He exhaled and took your face in those huge hands, brushing his giant thumb over the skin. He seemed so... happy, despite the clear marks of anguish in his face, and his smile grew with every second he held you. His eyelight was fuzzy, shaking, dilating to fill most of the socket... and before long he leant down and nuzzled his teeth against your cheek as gently as a baby, moving his arms to wrap around you as tight as he dared to.

"... you..." he said, softly, voice almost breaking. Relieved. "... look so pretty... in sunlight..."

[jjuzoir]

Boyfriend! Itadori Yuji

request: no...! Hahaha :’)

word count: 1231

a/n: Look... i know i have requests okay hhh It’s just... i’ve been suffering from Yuji Brainrot recently 😿 anyway! drinking game ! how many times do i call or compare yuji to a puppy! i’m pushing an agenda onto you all

- Let’s get this out of the way, once Itadori falls - he falls hard. He’s not the type to get involved with anyone seriously, mostly because he just doesn’t really think he has the time (even though he totally has), the reality is; he isn’t really interested in a relationship. He’s happy with his life and getting the occasional crush on someone or a new celebrity crush after watching a movie.

- So when he finds himself crushing on you for a long period of time, you’ve basically got yourself your own puppy.

- It takes him some time to realize he’s interested romantically in you and he’s actually thinking about getting into a relationship, but once he does he doesn’t really see the point in taking much longer.

- He’ll be kind of awkward asking you out, but it’s cute! He’s energetic about it and he stutters a bit at first but when he finally gets it out he’s kind of excited - until he realizes there’s a chance you might say no. So please say yes and fast because he’s thinking about how Kugisaki and Fushiguro are gonna snicker at him and pity him for getting rejected after being totally sure of himself a few hours ago.

- And when you do say yes? He’s beaming, he’s shining – the sun was found jobless.

- He’s a sucker for you wearing his clothes. He finds it so cute to see you wearing something that’s his, he says it ends up smelling like you and it makes him all soft and warm when you give back a shirt or hoodie you’d been using and it smells like you.

- Nobara calls him disgusting because he genuinely doesn’t want to wash his clothes because they smell like you.

- His favorite dates are the ones where you stay at home and play video games or watch movies. He loves just being there with you and cuddling you close, it’s such a contrast from always being on a mission with his friends and Gojo. He can pretend everything is normal again when he’s with you.

- He also loves arcade dates! If Yuji can show off he will. His favorite is dancing with you in Dance Dance Revolution, he’ll hug you from behind and sway around and giggle while you’re both screaming because neither of you can get the steps right because you’re laughing too much.

- Itadori is such a big cuddle bug, he loves waking up early on Saturday and having you hugging him in your sleep. He’s like a magnet because wherever you are he’ll be there trying to throw himself on top of you to cuddle. He’s always got an arm around you or trying to wiggle himself into your arms, it’s really cute – he likes being in your arms, it’s just so fun to be hugged by you

- Whenever you sleep over, he likes having you rest your head on his chest or resting his head on yours. If he’s feeling overwhelmed, Itadori might just ask you to hold him – which means he wants to hug your waist and listen to your heartbeat while you play with his hair until you both fall asleep.

- He loves picking you up in his arms, no matter how tall you are or how much you weigh he’s absolutely carrying you in his arms while giving you surprise kisses on the forehead or cheek.

- He has you saved as something like “The Love Of My Life 💕✨” and wants you to have him saved as “The Light Of My Life 👑💕”, if you ask him to change it he’ll sulk a bit and whine about how it’s cute and romantic and it shows he cares a lot – you ask if he isn’t embarrassed and he nods; “But it shows I care :(“

- Let him keep it like that you monster.

-Has a candid of you doing something super boring like… algebra 2 as his lock-screen, it’s probably not even a good picture. Like, it’s probably kind of shaky since he had to take it fast before you question him, the sun blocks the background and you look like you haven’t seen the light of day in years. But you’re smiling, and he remembers very well why; it was the day he told you he loved you for the first time. And he doesn’t care if it’s a bad photo or if it’s cheesy, he likes it a lot and he looks at it whenever he’s feeling down.

- Anyway! Puppy boyfriend! Literally! Yuji is the type of boyfriend that can’t stand being away from you for too long, so whenever he sees you again he’s jumping into your arms and squeezing the life out of you.

- “[Name],” he whined as he nuzzled into your cheek, Nobara was cracking up as she filmed while Megumi tried not to look too disgusted, “I missed you!”

- “‘Ji, I went out for takeout?”

- “Took too long.”

- “I was gone for less than twenty minutes?”

- “Too long.” He looked up at you from his position in your chest and it took everything in you not to coo and pet him.

- “I’ll… I’ll try to be faster.” You mumble embarrassed.

- Yuki is also a good cook, since he was with his grandfather and that man looks like he can’t even boil an egg — it’s safe to assume Yuji taught himself how to cook.

- The granny’s probably felt bad and gave him a bunch of recipes and spices and tips for his food. What I’m saying is Itadori makes perfect comfort food. He’s also good at cleaning when he wants to be, he took care of his grandpa’s place and got a bunch of advice from the neighbors.

- He’s a teenage boy though so he’s lazy like most of the time and just takes out the trash and makes sure the place isn’t reeking, but if he really wanted to he could – all you have to say is; “Yuji, my place is getting kinda messy, don’t you think?” super casually and he’s on his way to put music and dance while dusting gl ur shelves.

- Itadori is a good dancer too! Look at him, he’s peak dancer material. On lazy days, he loves grabbing your waist suddenly and moving around, little twirls here and there while he tells you about what he’s been up to. There’s no music, only the sound of your feet tapping the ground in a lazy rhythm neither of you cares for. You can spend up to hours there just moving carelessly.

- Smells like warm laundry, I’m talking; you just took your clothes from the dryer and you're folding them and you press a shirt to your chest and catch a whiff of the softener.

- Let’s you style his hair with butterfly clips and hair ties, will go on missions with them on. Sukuna hates it because no one takes him seriously with two little ponytails sticking from his head like antennas but after a while he just grew so tired of ripping them from his head after every takeover he just began dealing with it.

- Will eat anything you make him, you could make the most abhorrent piece of cooking ever seen, I’m talking you could’ve made Gordon Ramsay cry from sheer desperation, and Yuji will eat with a little smile on his face because: “Look my s/o cooked it for me, aren’t they so talented? :D”

- Puppy boyfriend Yuji, everyone.