#this is why my How Things Change and second chances Aus exist I need to give them a happy ending where none of the bad stuff happened

[multiversal-madness]

Thinking about the Bronev family again, I hope this is coherent-

(Cw non graphic mentions of child death, Azran Legacy spoilers ahead)

Leon Bronev, a man who was likely once a good ordinary man gets kidnapped along with his wife, leaving behind their two young children because he’d found something big about the Azran (did that make it his fault? Did he blame himself?). He loses his wife while there (I’m partial to the headcanon that it wasn’t just a normal sickness) and endures who knows what other hells while stuck in that cult for decades, ending up with nothing left but the Azran.

He turns down darker and darker paths going on some twisted version of a sunk cost fallacy (he’s gone this far already, why not go further?) until he either knowingly or unknowingly orders the murder of his granddaughter and daughter in law. Then he does it, he completes his goal, he solves the last puzzle of the Azran only for all of it to have been for nothing. Then he dies for it, but is revived with the rest and thus being unable to pay with his life. He’s arrested, likely too old at this point to hold out any hope of making amends or fixing what he’s done.

Hershel Bronev, still a young child when his parents are stolen from him and he’s left with caring for his younger brother. Then they get news that he’s going to be adopted alone, that he’d have to leave Theodore behind. Instead of that, he gives up this better life and his name, giving it all to his little brother who he wouldn’t see again for decades. He becomes Desmond Sycamore

He grows up devouring his father’s archeology books, to find a way to get some kind of revenge on the ones who stole his family from him. Instead he finds peace, he finds a new family, people who love him and people he loves the same. But it doesn’t last. Targent comes again to steal his family away, this time with his own Father at the head. Desmond Sycamore dies and he becomes Jean Descole.

But despite now loathing Targent, hating his father, he follows in their footsteps. Threatening loved ones, manipulating people, even attempting to kill a child (Luke was only 10 the first time Descole had tried to kill him), all so he could be the one to uncover the Azran. He becomes like his father in more than just appearance, but does he even realise this?

He’s put on many different faces before, but he pulls Desmond from his grave to use as a mask for what should be his final trick. He meets his brother again, but he’s the only one who knows it. Throughout their journey, he almost finds that peace again, but he knows it won’t last, he won’t be tricked again. He goes forth with his plan, revealing himself attempting to claim the sanctuary for himself.

But then he jumps in front of a laser for Luke, sacrificing himself for the boy he’d attempted to kill on more than one occasion (Maybe Desmond Sycamore still existed somewhere inside him…) On what would be his deathbed, he tells his rival of their connection, of them being blood. Then they leave to confront Bronev, he should have died but he couldn’t, not yet. He drags himself to final chamber, dying and being revived with the rest of them before disappearing, leaving loose ends untied. Now Descole has no reason to exist either. Who is he?

Then There’s Theodore Bronev, but that wasn’t his name anymore. He was given his brothers first name, given his new parents’ last name, he was Hershel Layton, he has been for most of his life.

He endures tragedy after tragedy, not even remembering the first, but he doesn’t let that change him. He loses his best friend (loses the rest of the Stansbury gang), his partner (then a month in a coma) and even when he remembers his lost family, he stays a good man, a true gentleman.

I don’t know how to end this, just wish I could add a section on Rachel but we know so little about her ugh

[krokusplays]

Picking up Pieces - Chapter 4

Blade X Reader - Modern AU

He was gonna be your neighbor, you wouldn’t have anything to do with him aside from maybe an occasional passing in the hallway. Unfortunately, you’ve forgotten how thin the walls in the building truly were and days and nights became blurred as you - unwillingly - had to listen to everything happening beyond these walls. Until one day, everything went silent.

Based on this prompt

Warnings/Tags: past Blade/Dan Heng, Hurt/Comfort, Blade has issues but he's trying, female reader, this chapter's corny and I won't apologize lol

Words: 4.3k

Status: 4/4 complete

Notes: The plot points and beats in this chapter are taken from an original story of mine that I've started writing years ago but never finished. At least I can reuse these plot points again :3

Read it on AO3

After thinking it over, you waited until the next day to set your plan into motion.

Your back still hurt and that would probably not get better during today but you were determined.

You gathered everything you needed, threw it in one of those black and large trash bags and left your apartment with a deep breath.

The bag dragged behind you as you moved to the other door and you knocked before you could change your mind.

It took ages until Blade opened the door. If you didn’t know better you would’ve assumed he wasn’t home but eventually you heard his heavy steps and the sound of a lock being turned.

Seeing him again made you pause.

He stood in the doorway, hair wild and untamed, his red eyes stood out even more against the dark bags beneath them. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt, the fabric pooled around his waist where his sweatpants sat just a tad too low. You blinked as you caught a glimpse of bare skin of his hips.

Images of how your legs had been wrapped around his hips, how he filled you up, his grip on your thighs bruising, the sounds he made when he came inside you-

You shook the thoughts from your mind before he got the chance to use this moment of hesitation to shut the door in your face.

He huffed, a smirk playing at the corners of his lips.

“You want more?” Something condescending hid in the calm tone of his voice and a spark of anger flared up within you and wiped any shame from your mind that he had caught you ogling him. For a second you considered turning around and forgetting about the whole thing but you bit your tongue.

You knew full well that you wouldn’t be able to bear leaving him like this for long. Not anymore. Not after what you’ve seen in his apartment, not after yesterday - regardless of the nature of that encounter - and not as long as you knew there was a different side to him he either couldn’t or didn’t want to reveal to you. You’ve seen the look on his face when he had looked at Dan Heng, you have heard his laughter before…

This man, and the attitude he’s shown you before, did not match that side of him that clearly existed somewhere.

You might never get to see it directed at you, but even so, you couldn’t let the situation inside his apartment continue.

You inhaled sharply, the look in your eyes as unyielding as his.

“This is not why I’m here. Let me in,” you said, “please.” The word was quieter than the ones before and muttered with a hint of pettiness.

He narrowed his eyes at you, scrutinizing first you and then the bag behind you.

“What is the meaning of this?”

You almost laughed because he sounded genuinely confused and it was almost refreshing to witness.

“I’m gonna get your apartment back on track,” you said, your voice sharp. You would not argue about this and you would not take no for an answer.

He frowned and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Listen, just because we fucked once doesn’t mean you’re a part of my life now. Better understand that now.”

Ouch… That was harsh. And crystal clear. You ignored how your heart clenched at his words. You took a deep breath before you met his eyes again.

“Yes. And the sooner you realize this ain’t nothing to do with that the quicker we’ll be done.” It was a partial lie. Of course it had something to do with it, regardless of how much you denied it, but you would still do it, even if that part of yesterday hadn’t happened.

Blade’s gaze didn’t avert from yours and he didn’t move but neither did you and finally, he stepped aside, just enough to let you move inside his home.

You blinked, surprise evident on your face. You expected him to attempt to shut the door in your face or at least argue longer with you about it.

Maybe he was curious about what you wanted to do, maybe he wanted to avoid arguing and simply didn’t care anymore or maybe… maybe something within him realized that he needed that help.

As unlikely as it was, you clung to that last possibility.

You hurried into his apartment before he reconsidered.

Nothing has changed since yesterday. Everything was broken, covered in dust, dirty and stained, and trash cluttered the floor and surfaces. Your stomach dropped at the sight.

How could he - how could anyone - live like this? In the depths of your mind you realized getting rid of the filth in his home wouldn’t solve the issue but maybe it could be a start.

You dropped the bag on the dirty carpet in his living room and looked around. If you were serious about this it would take days, weeks even. You only had today and you didn’t know if he would let you do this again. Not to mention that you had work tomorrow and had no clue how much energy you would have afterwards.

It didn’t matter. For now, you had work to tend to.

Blade dragged himself through his living room and let himself fall onto his couch, which had seen better days. He didn’t give the impression to lift a finger for the foreseeable future. His gaze was dull, seemed to be turned inwards and yet, you were all too aware of his presence and how he was wary of your every move.

Still, you couldn’t help but think how depressing the sight was. Slumped down on that dirty couch, surrounded by empty bottles and trash.

He seemed… empty.

It made you wonder if the sex yesterday has been his attempt at pulling himself out of that hole, to feel… something. If so, it made the whole thing even sadder.

You got to work.

Gloves on, you began to throw anything you found on the floor into huge trash bags. Random trash, plastic containers, glass bottles - empty or not - you threw it all in the bags and refused to think further about the amount of them.

Your back began to scream in protest after a while and with a frown you realized you’ve cleaned like nothing yet. You only gathered the trash from half his living room and it didn’t look cleaner at all. Probably because the floor was full of stains given how the trash was just thrown onto it, not to mention the walls…

You rubbed your forehead, ignored how you still had Blade’s full attention despite how much he refused to look in your direction.

You must look ridiculous. Cleaning up the home of someone you barely even knew. But you didn’t care.

You found a broom next to his door - you had no idea if it has ever been used - but it made gathering all the trash so much easier.

Beads of sweat formed on your skin as you knelt on the floor and threw the gathered trash in the bags. It was utterly laughable how quickly those filled and you muttered something unintelligible under your breath as you closed yet another one.

A huff from Blade turned your attention to him. He has crossed his arms, his head was lowered and yet you knew, he didn’t miss a single move you did. Was he laughing at you? Mocking you? Or did he truly not fathom why you - or anyone - would do such a thing for him?

Maybe the way you tossed the garbage into the bags concealed a quiet anger within you too, just like his touch on your skin has felt like him venting out his frustrations.

He never showed you anything that made him deserving of such attention and care from you, and yet here you were.

You heard glass shatter as you threw another bottle into the trash bags with a little too much force.

With a sigh you rubbed your forehead as you looked around the room. Still filthy, still full of broken furniture and with dust and stains everywhere, but you could actually properly see the floor again and not just through some empty patches where he used to walk mostly.

You walked into his kitchen and closed your eyes when you saw how equally filthy the room was. This would take just as much time. Your back probably wouldn’t survive this.

A look in his fridge had you slam the door shut again. Just garbage and leftover junk food. Not even a bottle of water anywhere.

Frustrated and desperate, you stomped back into your own apartment to get yourself some water.

And got to work again.

By the time the kitchen was freed from trash you felt as if you had just came back from a workout session. You cursed under your breath as you dragged the huge trash bags back into the living room. How many were there now? Five? Six? You stopped counting. But every single one of them was way too heavy for you at this point to actually carry them downstairs and into the trash outside.

An exasperated sigh on your lips and you let yourself sink to the floor, avoiding the dark stain that looked like a spilled drink, exhaustion creeping up within you.

Of course, it brought a sense of accomplishment to see this utterly neglected apartment free from garbage, but that was the easy part and if Blade didn’t realize he needed help, he would just put his home in this state again in due time.

But what could you do? He never made it seem as if he was paying you much mind. That he even let you do this was akin to a miracle and he made his feelings towards you abundantly clear too.

You were the last person he would take advice from.

An audible exhale on your lips and you threw your empty water bottle into the bags as well, before you ran a hand through your hair. You weren’t about to have a breakdown in the middle of Blade’s living room, right in front of him, right?!

A shadow brushed past you and you looked up.

And stared directly at Blade as he wordlessly grabbed two of the heavy trash bags and carried them outside his apartment.

The sound of his steps on the staircase echoed in your head.

You watched after him, blinking and lips parted. Until very slowly a small smile stole itself on your lips.

He didn’t have to. After his attitude and behavior since he’s let you inside his home today you didn’t expect him to do anything. It wouldn’t have surprised you if these trash bags had been standing here for weeks from now on.

But now, him willingly taking them outside? It seemed minor but it made something swell inside your chest, something warm, something hopeful.

You didn’t comment on it. Not when he came back and grabbed two more bags nor when all the bags were gone and he let himself fall back onto the couch again.

“I… I will come back later. Maybe tomorrow or the day after and get this cleaned up,” you said without looking directly at him. Instead you nodded at the stains on the floor. You had no idea how much time it would take to get these out of the carpet but you could at least try.

Blade didn’t say anything, he nodded at you without a word as you left.

It took forever.

When you came back two days later - after your back has had some time to recover - you were determined to make progress. Still, you heaved a sigh of relief when you saw that the apartment was still clean. Or well, there was no trash on the floor to be found.

At least Blade had the decency to not sit on the couch and stare at you as you were kneeling on the floor and rubbing cleaning products you've brought with you last time into the carpet.

When you were done you went to his fridge in the kitchen without another thought. Only when you gripped the door handle did you remember there was actually nothing in here.

Still, you opened it with a defeated sigh on your lips-

And stared like a fish on land when you spotted some water bottles among the junk food and alcohol. Those haven’t been here before. You also haven’t found a single water bottle among the trash on the floor, so it was impossible for him to simply be out of it when you were here the last time.

So that meant… He bought those for you??

“Thank you,” you said, your voice weaker than you wanted, when you came back to the living room and saw Blade staring at his now clean - and much more colorful - carpet. He only nodded but you didn’t expect more.

It was such a simple thing and yet, it was more progress than you had anticipated.

You hid your smile by taking a sip from the water.

Until Friday afternoon you only took care of the sheets of dust covering everything. But during those days the situation in his apartment hasn’t become worse. He used the bin, took out the bags of trash you’ve gathered while working, but by Saturday morning you had bigger plans.

Luckily, you never threw away the white wall paint and the brushes after you renovated your own home quite some time ago. And with some preparations you could even still use it.

Blade observed you with a frown as you brought the big pot of paint and the brushes, but he wordlessly used the sheets you brought to cover everything that shouldn’t get paint on them.

You enjoyed painting the walls, or well, parts of them. It was relaxing and satisfying to see the stains vanish behind the pristine white color.

But it all took you way longer than you had anticipated. Aside from the stains from bottles he threw at the walls, you also took the time to paint over every dirty area that was just caused on accident or because it has been here from before he moved in. Not because you had to, and maybe you were overdoing it, but because the process was truly soothing.

While taking care of the stains on his bedroom walls - the last thing you had to deal with today - you tried your hardest to not stare at all his clothes and stuff lying around. You avoided this room so far but it needed a proper cleaning too. And you considered the fact that he hasn’t kicked you out of this room yet as progress.

You heard a sound from the living room but didn’t pay much attention to it but eventually, a pleasant smell reached your nose and once you were done you followed it with a grumbling stomach. Maybe you should’ve eaten something before coming here.

You paused in the doorway.

Blade was sitting on his couch, a box of Xianzhou noodles in his hands. Aeons they smelled good…

He didn’t look up as you entered the room, but you saw his red eyes peek through the strands of his dark hair at you. He lowered one hand to the coffee table(also still partly broken), and pushed the second box of noodles just an inch in your direction with the back of his hand.

Your mouth opened but no word came out. You didn’t even notice the second one.

He… got you some too?

Your heart seemed to skip a beat as you approached the table and reached for the box. The smell almost made you drool. Not eating all day has been a bad idea.

“Thank you,” you said, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips.

“Hm.” Deep red eyes glimpsed up at you for a moment before he went back to eating.

Blade didn’t protest when you sat down on the couch as well, still some distance between you, and you couldn’t help but think this was actually really cozy. Sitting in silence with him while eating was rather peaceful, especially thinking back on your earlier encounters with him.

Through the next week you made sure to clean his kitchen. Without all the trash and dirt it was actually really nice. He had a lot of tools and everything one needed. It made you wonder if he could actually cook as long as he was… in a better state of mind.

And each day you noticed a little something he did but remained silent about. Water bottles were stocked up, you found little snacks in his fridge and on the kitchen table whenever you arrived, he took out the trash and helped you reach stuff on higher shelves and cupboards without having to ask for it...

It was nothing grand of course and the room for improvement was still huge, but little gestures like this made you realize that he genuinely could be kind and considerate, even if he wasn’t very vocal about it. It was nice to catch such small glimpses at the different side of him he had shown only towards his ex before.

But, every time you noticed he did something again you had to hide your smile and ignore the warmth inside your chest.

You knew what your reactions all meant. You were not stupid or naive. Still, you tried your hardest to deny it.

Eventually, the apartment looked as good as new and you observed your work with pride in your eyes. The sense of accomplishment felt incredible.

Only one thing remained and that was his broken furniture.

Most of it was fine and just needed some minor repairs but that cracked glass door of his cupboard and the coffee table that was standing on broken legs and on the verge of breaking down any moment needed serious work.

You sat on his living room floor and examined the broken cupboard door. The glass was cracked, the hinges were damaged and somehow the door didn’t even seem to fit into its designated place. You made a face.

How did one fix this? You could clean, paint, and assemble new furniture with instructions, but repairing something broken?

Big no.

You didn’t pay attention to how Blade stepped behind you and observed whatever you were doing - you truly didn’t know yourself - before he left the apartment, but left his door still partly open.

You jolted when he put down a huge black box once he came back. Neither did you notice when he came back nor that he brought something with him.

“Move,” he said. You blinked up at him but did as he told you.

Baffled and gaping at him you watched how he sat down in your previous spot and opened the box. Your eyes became huge. It was a tool box. But with everything you could ever think of.

Why and how did he own this?! You have never seen this many tools in one place before aside from a hardware store.

Blade took the broken door out completely, disassembled the glass from the wooden frame, took off the hinges and you could only stare in awe at how routine the motions seemed to be for him.

“How do you know all this?” you asked. He didn’t look up at you as he studied the cracked glass.

“Used to be a hobby of mine, a long time ago,” he replied.

“That’s pretty cool. Can you fix this?”

He furrowed his brows for a moment, but ultimately, he put the glass aside and got up.

“No,” he said before he left his apartment again, leaving the door open. Did he go to the basement? Everyone in this building had a little storage room there. When he came back, he carried a bunch of wooden plates under his arm and another box in his hand.

You blinked. Where did all this come from?! This guy never gave the impression he was interested in this sorta stuff, never mind that he owned all the tools and materials needed to do anything like this.

Blade sat down on the floor, compared the wooden plates to the wood of the cupboard before settling on one. It was too big to be used as a door but, much to your astonishment, he was prepared for this.

You only stared in awe when he began measuring and prepping tools - including a tiny saw - and began working on making a new door from scratch.

“That’s impressive,” you said as he put in the new door, matching the rest of the cupboard perfectly.

That he had such skills…

Not only that but apparently, something was ignited within him after working on the door because he tended to his broken coffee table next.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t as easy as a simple broken cupboard door.

“Help me,” he said and you anything but jumped to turn the small but heavy table around so he could get access to its legs.

“Hold this.” He pushed a bunch of metal pieces and screws into your arms while taking off what was left of the table legs.

“Why do you have all these materials?” you asked him eventually after he did another trip to the basement and came back with a bunch of solid logs of wood. They looked like they were meant to be used for building furniture.

“I used to build a lot of furniture for my friends back then,” he replied. You wanted to ask if ‘back then’ was referring to a time before his breakup or if it was even further back, but you held yourself back. You’ve never talked so much with him and he hasn’t been in such a good mood in months. You wouldn’t ruin that now.

And you couldn’t deny how… endearing he was like this. There was something about seeing him - or anyone to begin with - so focused on something they enjoyed doing. And something they were good at too.

You helped him in whatever way he told you, while he cut, screwed, sawed materials and built some makeshift table legs. They looked off, didn’t match the dark colored tabletop but for now it didn’t border on breaking down with a slight push.

“I need to make a trip to the store,” he said, as he studied his handiwork, and rubbed his forehead. You followed the gesture as he revealed his eyes and forehead a bit too closely for your own liking. Slightly sweating, lost in thought… he was gorgeous.

“Well, not anymore today. It’s probably closed at this hour”, you said, looking out the windows. It was already dark outside.

“You got a car?” he asked, watching you out of deep, red eyes. You might have imagined it but you thought you saw a spark of that fire return to his gaze that he used to have when you’ve first met him.

You nodded.

“Care to give me a ride tomorrow?”

Your heart seemed to jump out of your chest. “I… Sure. But… don’t you have a van?”

“That was rented for the move,” he countered, a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips. Heat crept up in your cheeks. Truth be told, you haven’t seen the van since he had moved in.

“Then… I’ll see you tomorrow,” you said, trying and failing horribly to hide your smile. Before he could see it or comment on it you turned around, making your way to his door.

“Wait.”

You paused by the door, the doorknob in your hand, before you looked over your shoulder back at him.

He stood in the living room, his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and looked around the room as if to avoid meeting your gaze, before he slowly approached you.

Your hand let go of the doorknob and you turned around fully. Your heart was beating in your throat and your knees felt strangely weak.

When he came to stand before you, so close that you could easily wrap your arms around his waist - and the temptation was hard to resist - your breath hitched in your throat. Fingers cupped your chin, the touch send a jolt of warmth through you, and forced you to look up at him.

His eyes - gorgeous and fiery - burned right through you and in this moment, none of the dull color from the past few weeks remained and it made your heart race inside your chest.

The touch of his lips on your forehead, right at your hairline, felt so tender and genuine that it could’ve made you sob if you didn’t freeze in place, caught in a whirl of disbelief, shock and joy filling every fiber of your being.

It lasted only for a moment, but the subtle pressure of his mouth still lingered. You took a deep breath and smiled up at him, unafraid this time that he could see your heartfelt reaction.

He wasn’t a very vocal man and you didn’t mind. Such a gesture conveyed more than sometimes, words were capable of.

A silent message. A thank you. Letting you know that he appreciated your help and maybe also an apology for snapping that one day and claiming your body that night - regardless of whether or not you were into it.

But above all it also was a gesture that still spoke of him being guarded, letting you know that he was still wary, still unsure about how to proceed, and that the root of everything that put him into this horrible state to begin with was not resolved just yet, but that he was willing to let things develop and move on.

It was enough for you.

You could work with that.

[dreamofcamelot]

What about….. descendants AU???

(Quick idea bcs fight of our lives is on repeat rn. It’s going to be messy since im copying what I had in my notes, so excuse any typos)

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So Arthur is the prince of Avalon blah blah blah instead of villains here they banned magic and sent all sorcerers to the isle.

Ok so Morgana turns out to be a sorcerer, Arthur who is about to be crowned king is like “we need to do something this has to change, let’s give them a chance” so he decides to invite a few of the children of the isle to come and study here.

Now enter the vks

We got manic pixie boy Merlin who grew up with stories about magic and dragons and his (absent) father and hates what the crown has done to sorcerers and magic. He's always felt like his very existence is a crime.

His magic? Banned. Books? Confiscated. He’s lived all his life in the isle so he does not know what magic feels like but but but he knows there’s something in his chest a pressure like he can’t never take a real breath like there’s something holding him back. He feels there’s something inside him that’s begging to come out.

Merlin, Nimue, Freya idk all the sorcerers maybe Mordred can come too I like him, are chosen to go to Avalon High.

They are happy about it, yeah why not, maybe things are finally changing and they might have a chance at leaving the island and having a different future, they heard the prince is not like his father, they want to give him a chance.

Merlin specially wants to give him, whoever he is, a chance.

Then they get there n meet Arthur n he’s all formal and wear this fake smile n Merlin can tell he’s doing this reluctantly, he is not confortable or happy to be greeting them, their presence alone bother him and it’s showing.

It’s obvious to them that deep down he hates magic n since magic is what he is he must hate Merlin too so not a great start.

When they crossed the bridge, Merlin felt it, it’s like the world got back it’s colors, like seeing, breathing for the first time.

Magic is in desuse in Avalon so people don’t learn it nor practice it but since Merlin is magic the second he leaves the isle he's able to use magic naturally as if he had been doing it all his life.

He begins experimenting with it and conjuring cute fire dragons and showing the others what they missed all those years and suddenly he realises that up until that point, without his magic, the very source of his being, Merlin was not living.

For the first time in his life he feels something. And then his hatred become stronger. How could they have taken this away from them, from him? Completion never felt more bittersweet.

And then, instead of going the d1 route, something happens, maybe Agravaine's being nasty again and throwing a coup d’etat or smth cause I really want to throw here the plot of d4 and bam they need to fix it, they must go to the past together n then, because they are a couple of dumbasses in every universe they start fighting n mess up with the pocket watch.

So instead of traveling to a few moments before the incident they end up to when magic was about to get banned and wow they discover the truth about Merlin’s incredible powers n learn about his dragon lord dad and wow is that Arthur’s mom? Wait what is his dad doing with a sorcerer?? Unbelievable. They have more in common than any of them thought before.

Etc etc etc 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[ofstoriesandstardust]

changes (j.h.s.)

a/n: this is the first part of my college!AU. not much happens yet, but things are only just beginning with these two! let me know you're thoughts so far!

part of second star to the right (and straight on 'til morning)

folks who wanted to be tagged: @memeorydotcom @djs8891

warnings: college!AU, javynat/icemav, swearing

word count: 2.7k

You slip into the classroom, smiling at Pete as he logs in to the computer. “Hey Pete.” 

He glances up at you from the screen, returning your smile as you saddle up into the first row of seats in the lecture hall. “Hey kid, I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. How was the last bit of your summer?” 

You shrug, tugging your bag off into the chair next to you. “Pretty good. Quiet. How was your trip to Italy with Tom?” 

“Pretty good. Nice to get away from the work and hustle-bustle of his job. Definitely don’t miss the paperwork, that’s for sure.” You both laugh lightly, as the door to the classroom open again, a few boys you recognize from the football team filtering in. “I was surprised to see you on my roster for this class. Didn’t you already fulfill the requirements for this?” 

You shrug, pulling your laptop out as you finally sit down. “Yeah, but I need a couple more extra credits to stay a full-time student to keep my scholarship and you know I love taking your classes as it is. Might be one of my last chances to do so.” 

He tilts his head in acknowledgement as the door opens again. “Remind me after class that I wanted to talk to you about what you’re planning for post-grad.” 

You quirk an eyebrow. “Why?” 

He huffs out a laugh, collecting his papers. “I might have something for you.” The room has slowly begun to fill up as the two of you have chatted, meaning class is just about ready to start. Pete hangs by the front podium, letting everyone get settled. 

Your eyes glance over your computer screen at the non-existent Canvas page, meaning Pete has yet to publish it. The papers in his hands are what you suspect are copies of the syllabus he probably finished over breakfast with Tom this morning. Typical. 

“...dude, this is going to be such an easy credit, I’m telling you.” One of the men behind you says. “He’s just Bradshaw’s quirky godfather. You just gotta say something nice about the Navy and he’ll give you an A.” 

You snort, shaking your head at Bradley feeding his athlete friends with lies about his godfather’s class. You had taken enough of Pete’s classes to know that retired decorated Naval aviator or not, Admiral husband or not, Pete welcomed critical and open discussion of the United States military’s global engagement. Encouraged it, even. 

One of the men behind you sighs and you hear him lean back in his chair. “All I need is an easy A. Gonna skate through this class no problem.” 

“Shit, I forgot my pen. Jake, do you have one?” 

“Javy, I don’t even have a notebook. What makes you think I have a pen?” 

“Reuben?” 

“Sorry Javy, you’re straight shit outta luck. I only have one for myself.” 

The man, Javy, groans. “Fuck me.” 

“Pretty sure Natasha did just that last night based on the- ow.” 

“Hey, psst. You, girl in the front.” You startle, turning around to face the boys. “You got a pen for my friend Javy here?” Reuben asks.

You nod, digging through your bag for your pencil case. “Pencil or pen?” 

“Whatever you got’s fine, sugar. Right Javy?” The blond says, nudging his friend. You roll your eyes to yourself, unimpressed. 

“Here.” You say, leaning up to hand the black pen to Javy. 

“Thanks, I’ll give it back to you at the end of class.” Javy says with a warm smile as he takes it from you.

“Don’t worry about it, I’ve got plenty.” You say with a wave of your hand, already turning back around. Pete clear shis throat just as you do, catching the attention of the students in the room. He offers them a warm smile. 

“Well, let’s get started shall we? I’m Pete. You can call me Pete or Mr. Mitchell, whatever suits you. I’m a retired Naval aviator, served for nearly twenty years. I’m an adjunct here at San Diego State, have been for about the last six or seven years. I teach international relations and military history classes mostly. If you’re here, you should be here for History 2060, Global Military Conflicts Post-1945. If that doesn’t sound correct, you’re most likely in the wrong classroom. Don’t blame you, I got lost this morning on my way in from the parking lot.” That earns Mav a laugh from the classroom as you shake your head. He’s told the same joke on the first day of every class you’ve ever had with him. “I’m going to go around and pass out the syllabus. We can read through it and discuss it. The biggest takeaway is that, unlike some of the other History courses on this campus, I care less about your memorization of dates and people on a test. I want you to take something meaningful away from this class and that’s going to come from the papers you write, the readings you do, and the discussions you’ll have in this class. Let’s begin.” 

“Easy A, here we come.” Jake mutters behind you as the stack of syllabus gets plopped in front of you. 

He’s in for a rude awkaening, you think to yourself as you take a syllabus, passing it back to the boys.

-

“Don’t forget. Your first response paper is due tonight at midnight. I want well-thought out papers, with clear arguments and evidence. Feel free to be critical of the text, but you must respond to it and the more you can incorporate the discussion we had in here over the past few classes, the better. Shows me you’re listening and engaged.” Pete calls out as the class packs up. 

Two weeks into the semester and you had all just finished reading Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried. Pete had said he’d chosen the book so you could all understand how these global conflicts could be captured in a fictional manner, asking you to focus on how it communicated a very real history of the event. The book had been supplemented by lectures and class discussion and you felt yourself falling in love with the class everytime you showed up. 

“Have you started that paper?” Reuben asks, sliding his bag over his shoulder. 

Jake snorts. “Hell no. It’s only what, three pages? I’m gonna start writing it after practice tonight.” 

“Javy?”

“Finished it last night.”

“Fucking nerd.” Jake says as Pete calls out your name, motioning you up to the front of the room. It catches the boys attention as you walk around the front row, meeting Pete halfway. The boys are lingering and watching, something you’re painfully aware of. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, but are you thinking about grad school?” 

You nod. “Yeah, I am, but I think I’m going to take a year off first.” 

“Have you thought about SDSU’s program at all?” 

You sigh, crossing your arms. “Kind of-”

“-Who willingly puts themselves through more school?” 

You turn catching both Reuben and Javy nudging Jake. You sigh, uncrossing your arms, looking to the ground. 

“We can talk more about this at a later date.” Pete says. “I’ll let you go, I know you have to get to work. Good job on the paper, by the way.” 

“You read it already?”

He nods, walking back to the table at the front fo the room. “Thought I’d get a head start on grading the ones that got turned in early last night. You never fail to impress me, kid.” 

You can't help the grin spreading across your face, even as Jake coughs words that sound oddly like teacher’s pet into his fist.

“Thanks Pete. See you on Friday.” 

-

Jake swallows, staring the 12 out of 100 blinking back at him on the screen. 

“Did you get your grade back for that response paper we wrote last week?” He hears himself, asking. 

“Yeah, I got an 86. Why?”

“Dude, Pete graded those response papers harder than I thought he would. I scraped by with a  73.” Reuben says, sliding in the booth next to him. “How’d you do Jake?” 

He shakes his head, unable to say anything as he stares at the screen. 

Reuben leans over his shoulder, looking at the screen before letting out a low whistle. “Shit Jake.” 

“What? What’d he get?” Javy asks, craning to see the screen. Jake turns the laptop to Javy, earning him a wince. 

“Yikes dude.” 

“What am I gonna do?” He mumbles. 

-

He pauses, waving his friends on as you chat with Pete. He fiddles with his phone, trying not to look nervous as he hears you and Pete discuss research you’d done from this summer. 

“...I really think you should try to get that published, kid.” 

You hesitate. “I don’t know, do you think it could?” 

“Oh absolutely. Here, why don’t you hang on for a second and let me talk to Jake and we can discuss it more?” 

“Oh yeah, sorry.” You give him a nervous smile, stepping a little ways away to give them some privacy.

“What’s up Jake?” 

He sighs. “Sir, I was wondering if you could maybe give me some insight to the grade I got on my paper.” 

Pete frowns. “Did you not read the feedback I left on Canvas? I’m never sure if my comments save properly.” 

“No, I did. I guess- I guess I’m just kind of confused as to why I got that grade.” 

“Well, you lacked a clear argument and the paper was riddled with typos. The assignment was only three pages and you turned in a page and a half. You only used one quote, from the first chapter of the book, telling me you didn’t read any further. You didn’t incorporate any class discussion and you’ve only been here once since the semester started. Now, I know I said I didn’t have an attendance policy but if you aren’t here, you’re not participating in the group discussion and that’s a huge chunk of your grade, Jake.” 

“Is there any way I could re-submit the paper for a higher grade? I’m on the football team and we have to maintain a 2.8 to stay. It’s my last season, Mr. Mitchell, and I’d really like to keep my starting position.” 

Pete sighs. “Tell you what. I’ll let you re-submit the paper for a higher grade if you go to the Writing Center and work with one of their consultants on the feedback I left for you.” 

“Sir-”

“Those are my conditions, Jake. For any one, not just you. I want to see that you’re actually working on improving.” 

“Well, isn’t it just that… isn’t that place for all the bad writers?” 

Pete’s frown deepens. “There’s no shame in asking for help if you need it, Jake. It’s important to me that you know that.” 

Jake just shrugs. 

“You know, she comes as a very highly rated consultant from some of your athlete friends.” Pete says with a nod of his head over to you. You’re looking at your phone, clearly trying to look busy.

“Yeah, yeah, I think Garcia worked with her last spring.” 

Mickey Garcia was Reuben’s room mate, another athlete but on the baseball team. He’d raved about this girl he’d worked with at the Writing Center last spring, helping him get a 93 on a notoriously difficult final for an International Relations class. 

“She’s one of the best students I’ve seen in my time at San Diego State. You don’t have to work with her, but it might be nice to have a familiar face and someone who knows the class material. If you do decide to re-submit the paper, just ask the tutor to let me know you were there, yeah? You’ve got a week to get the new one back to me.” 

-

Jake pokes his head through the door, eyeing the room nervously. “This the Writing Center?” Your co-worker Mia pops her head up from the computer at the front desk, nodding. 

“Yes, it is! How can I help you?” 

Jake looks around nervously. “I have an appointment.” 

“Okay…” Mia trails off. “Do you remember with who?” 

You shut the room to the storage closet. “Hi Jake.” You say warmly, lugging the Costco-sized bag of candy out to the front table. “I’m just finish refilling the candy bowls if you wanna sit down at one of those tables over there?”

He nods, walking around the front desk to one of the tables, pulling his laptop out of his bag. 

“Isn’t that Jake Seresin?” Mia whispers, eyes wide. “From the football team?” 

You shrug. “I think so. He’s in one of my classes.” 

She nods. “Want me to finish doing that?” 

You sigh, handing her the bag. “That’d be great. Are you still leaving early tonight?” 

“Yeah, if you don’t mind locking up the Center.” 

“Yeah, it’s no problem!” 

You turn back to Jake, whose knee is bouncing as he takes in the space. 

He’s nervous, you realize, a stark contrast from the cocky boy you’d known in class. 

You grab your laptop, sitting down across from Jake. “Alright Jake, do you just wanna share the document with me so we can get started?” 

He wipes his hands on his basketball shorts, nodding as he opens the computer screen before pausing. 

“Can I ask how you did on the response paper for class?” 

You duck your head, biting your lip. “It wasn’t my best one.” 

“What’d did you get?” 

“A 94. You?” 

Jake swallows, eyes flitting around the Center. 

“12.” He whispers.

Your eyes grow wide. “Wait, shit, are you serious?” 

Jake nods. “‘S kinda why I’m here. Pete said if I came here, I could re-submit the paper for a higher grade.” 

You nod. “Well, what do you want to focus on then?” 

Jake shrugs. 

“Well, what would be most helpful for you?”

“Could we start by just looking at his feedback and talking about it? I admittedly didn’t understand some of it.” 

“Yeah! Yeah, of course.” 

The next hour flies by as you work through Jake’s paper, identifying places for him to expand and ways he could utilize evidence. You both worked through Pete’s feedback as you worked to build a better argument based off of it.

Finally, you sit back and sigh. “Well, we’re just at about time. You got any last questions for me?” 

Jake shakes his head, shutting his laptop. “Thanks for all your help on this.” 

“Yeah, of course. It’s my job.” 

“This… this all seems to come so naturally to you.” 

You shrug, closing your own laptop. “Yeah, yeah, I mean I’m a senior so I’ve had a lot of practice. It’s a lot harder when you’re first starting out.” 

“I couldn’t imagine just writing all the time.” 

You give Jake a bashful smile. “I’m writing a 30 page paper for my senior capstone.” 

Jake cringes at your words. “I couldn’t do that.” He says, rubbing his forehead. 

“Hey, you’re already improving. It just takes time to learn how to write in a style like this.” 

“I much prefer my Business classes. At least there, it’s a cake-walk to scrap by with a B average.”

“Well, you’re already doing better than me there. I failed Math in high school.” 

Jake chuckles, packing up his things. “Hey, uh, Pete told me I needed you guys to tell him I came here?”

You nod. “Yeah, we just send them an email with your appointment form, discussing what we did in the appointment.” 

Jake sighs, shoulders slumping. “Thanks.” 

“No problem. Feel free to make another appointment if you have any more questions.” 

Jake gives an aborted nod, slipping his backpack over shoulder and standing up. “Thanks again.” 

-

He blinks, looking at the grade in Canvas. 

70/100

Javy leans over his shoulder at his phone as their coach talks. “Is that the revised grade?” He whispers, Jake nods, locking the phone and slipping it back into his pocket, trying not to think about the comment Pete had left just below the grade. 

There was significant improvement here Jake. Please see my comments in the document and on the rubric for further feedback. I highly encourage you to continue visiting the Writing Center throughout the semester. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. 

“How you do that, Jakey?” Javy whispers. 

He shrugs as Coach Simpson dismisses them. “Does it matter?” 

Javy lets out an incredulous chuckle. “I mean, if you went from a 12 to a 70, I’d kinda think you sucked Mitchell’s dick or something.” 

Jake middle finger doesn’t stop Javy’s chortle as he leaves the locker room. 

[nythtak]

Thought it'd be fun to do a little drabble soooo-

Cattonquick Oxford Days - the first cigarette

(This is based in the Maneater AU - unless I change my mind on details later - but can be read as in canon universe)

The lighter fails to catch the first couple of times Felix tries it. But after a final, despairing shake of the crappy thing, the flame sputters to life.

“Thank fuck,” he mumbles around the ciggie, and hurriedly brings the lighter up. April’s swung in with far too much chill, because fuck England, right? No spring for them, nooope. Just horrible grey rainy days, where even brief lulls like this evening are tarnished by cold winds.

He’s regretting not grabbing a jacket when he had chance to, and he eyes Oliver’s long-sleeves jealously. They’re on their way back from the pub, and it’s still early enough that most streetlights feel unnecessary. After a of couple hours there Felix realised he just wasn’t feeling it tonight, that stickiness of going through the motions and not enjoying himself like usual, where even a few pints couldn’t soften it up.

So when Oliver gave him a nudge, mentioned he has an essay he really needs to work on, Felix leapt at the chance to head out. He has his own pile of coursework to dive into before the Easter holidays start. Maybe speed through a chunk of it tonight, get that late night focus on, and then he can decide how much is usable tomorrow.

He’s glad he decided to stick it out at Oxford over the coming break. Originally it was more about keeping his word on staying at university all year, rather than nipping home every holiday - or even every other weekend, like some silly sods do. He went as far as to swear off a trip abroad this school year, fully committed to the uni life, which means no fluttering off to sunnier skies.

He aims a glower up at the dark clouds far above them. Curse thy existence.

“Felix?”

Felix’s head snaps down, and down, and he has to grin. Oliver is so short. Like, okay, so he’s not actually super-duper short. A bit below average, perhaps, and around the height of most girls. But he’s a lot shorter than Felix, which is what really matters.

It means he’s the perfect height - practically made for it - for Felix to sling an arm around his shoulders and drag him into his side. Oliver runs a bit cool, but he’s still a damn sight warmer than the nippy evening air.

“Yeah, mate?” Felix takes a pull from the ciggie, careful not to blow it all in Oliver’s face. Would be awfully rude. But that does get him thinking about how Oliver doesn’t smoke, and he frowns at him. “You know, I don’t think you ever said why you don’t smoke.”

Could it be something to do with his family? Cigarettes are a huge leap from heroin and meth and whatever else, but traumas can be multi-layered, can’t they? A full-on aversion to anything even related. But Oliver is clearly battling through it, going to the pub and clubs where alcohol abounds, not even flinching at all the casual drug use their group gets up to.

“Just not keen.” Oliver shrugs slightly, and it’s interesting to feel the motion of it under his arm. Makes him want to squeeze Oliver a bit. His hand slides down to cup Oliver’s bicep rather than hanging loosely, but he holds off on the full grabby. For now.

“So you’ve tried one before?”

Oliver hesitates, but shakes his head. He’s looking ahead rather than at Felix, and while he does have lovely thick hair, that isn’t quite the view Felix wants currently.

So he brings them to a stop, Oliver stumbling into him a bit and looking up questioningly. There it is. Christ, Oliver’s eyes seem to get bluer every time Felix catches a glimpse. Like, with each additional second he knows Oliver, he’s able to see more of him. Another droplet of paint on the colour palette, swirled in with patient brush strokes.

“If you’ve never tried it…” Felix puts the ciggie between his lips, just so he can flip his hand and pluck it out again. Holding it filter-first toward Oliver with an inviting smile. “How can you know you won’t like it?”

Now, Felix would never pressure anyone into doing something they don’t want to. That would be terrible manners. All he’s doing here is giving Oliver the chance to expand his horizons. Indulge in a little fun, like he’s clearly not had chance to- well, probably in his whole life.

Felix has been making up for that. He’s fully embraced showing Oliver the highlights of uni life, and it’s been an absolute blast so far. Letting Oliver have a go at smoking is just another part of that.

“I dunno, mate.” The corner of Oliver’s mouth ticks up as he looks from the ciggie to Felix. “They’re not great for your health, right?”

The little right? at the end softens what might’ve been an annoying admonishment, to something that makes Felix smirk. “All part of the appeal. If we only did what was healthy, we’d be a proper dull lot.” He raises his eyebrows and tips the cigarette closer to Oliver’s lips, his pinky finger grazing Oliver’s chin. “You’re not dull, are you, Ollie?”

He knows most of his friends think Oliver is boring. That he outlived any novelty within the first week; Felix’s unlikely saviour from a tutorial scolding, the scholarship boy with the funny accent. Farleigh has certainly made his opinion clear, his pissy attitude the real bore around here.

They just don’t get Oliver. None of them.

Nah, Felix is the only one who gets the real Ollie, the one Oliver trusts and opens up to. They’re already best mates, fitting together like two puzzle pieces. And the way Oliver looks at him - yeah, it can get a bit much at times, but it’s all part of Oliver’s charm, really. He’s completely genuine and clearly thinks the world of Felix, so obviously he can’t filter that intensity down. Felix would never ask him to. He accepts Oliver exactly as he is.

Oliver takes the cigarette, pinched between his thumb and forefinger as he eyes it like it might bite him. Or give him lung cancer.

Felix would give him a drumroll if he could. He settles for an encouraging shake and cheering, “Go oooooon, Oll-aaaaay!”

And Oliver does.

Not that there was ever any doubt. But it’s still satisfying in a warm, buzzy way to watch Oliver take a drag, lips pursed and the shadows on his cheeks deepening a little. Takes it like a pro, his Ollie, and it’s only once Oliver’s eyes close that Felix realises they’ve been locked in a staredown.

Then Oliver breathes out, and Felix is hit by a faceful of smoke.

The moment his coughing fit is done, he grabs a hastily apologising Oliver by the shoulder, snatches the ciggie back, and gets revenge.

[childrenofthefaceless]

HI!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE CHANCE TO RANT!!

[my rant is below the cut! click on read more!] Little doodle to start

edit: I DIDNT PROOFREAD THIS ITS 1 AM AND I JUST WENT OFF ALSO I DIDNT GO INTO MYCELIUM MUCH BUT I PROMISE I WILL IN THE FUTURE

Welcome to Gothalites big Operator Rant!

I too love mushrooms! Which is how the idea for this operator came to be! i cant say im the most knowledgeable in shrooms, I know more about the ocean than mushrooms but I am fascinated by them! If i had to think for a real life example that is the closest to the mushroom in my AU it would simply be like an airborne/lichen/mushroom mix of Cordyceps. Yes, yes i know all three of those can be fungi! But the reason I specify ALL three is because the OperatorFungus is ALL three of them.

Originally the Operator was JUST a mushroom and NOT sentient in any way. It sprouted out of the ground with some of the first mushrooms ever recorded, 715 - 810 million years ago. And it existed along them, the same as all. When the Operator Fungus first formed it had the cap shape of a Calocybe fallax with a sunken cap! Pictured below! [ image 1] While also containing the properties of a puffball mushroom! [ image 2], its ability being to 'blow out smoke'.

These two traits carried over the most with the operators change as an entity. His head shape mimics the Calocybe fallax sunken cap with the different parts of the fungus growing up around his head! [ Pictured below, image 1 ] The Puffballs ability to create smoke carried over as well, in the form of spores and the 'fog' that follows the operator. Unlike the Puffball the operator doesnt have to be inflicted with a strong force to create the fog, the flakes from the lichen as well as the spores are a constant natural byproduct!

In the second image blow you can see the operators back! Around his tentacles are very small [ drawn larger for easier viewing, image 2 ] openings, trough which the constant smoke / spores are dispersed in extremely small amounts! The only reason the fog is so visible around it at a lot of times is simply for visual representation in art! However the fog may become thick in areas where the operator dwells for longer times [ Example, its office]

NOW FOR THE LICHEN!!!

The lichen present on the operator wasnt always there and wasnt always needed. At first, as explained earlier it started out as any regular fungus in its size, just like any other mushroom it could fend for itself. However after changing in size and appearance the OperatorFungus needed more help to sustain itself. Usually Lichen appears on thing such as rocks or trees, [depicted above] not other mushrooms.

Lichen is important for nutrient cycling and many animals feed on it! Animals such as reindeer!! Now, raindeer arent the only animals to feed on lichen, however they are crucial to the reason why there is lichen around OperatorFugi!

The specific type of fungus which the Operator is thrives in DEAD MATTER. Meaning it best operates when surrounded by rotting things, atleast in its case. With the change in size the requirement for upkeep grew, and the lichen served as the perfect way to attract animals such as Raindeer.

While for a long time the Operator depended on this lichen, thanks to proxies, it no longer does. However the lichen is there to stay,

so keep an eye out when you see a lone mushroom surrounded by lichen and fog.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Lost Boys

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Superfam

Summary: After Jonathan Lane Kent wipes himself from existence by canceling his own timeline, he finds himself stuck in the afterlife where he meets Jason Todd. He still wonders about the life un-lived on Earth, and how his parents would've felt about him.

Jason Todd, who is making the most of being dead, struggles with the reality of what he's left behind. He has one wish and one wish only: to send his family one final message.

Chapters: 6/?

Characters: Jonathan Lane Kent (Laney), Jason Todd, Catherine Todd, Boston Brand, Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, John Constantine, Raven, Talia al Ghul, Ra's al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Tim Drake

Relationships: Platonic JayLaney

Additional Tags: Angst, Platonic Relationships, Magical Jason Todd, Resurrected Jason Todd, Queerplatonic Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, POV Multiple

Chapter Six: Happy Trails (Jason's POV)

After my resurrection, I started seeing things and hearing voices, but they weren't talking to me. They were talking about me. After my dip in the pit, I knew I was stuck with them. Sometimes in the daytime, I would lie awake and listen to them talk. The spooky one would come and go, but the one in the weird Superman costume never left my side. Sometimes I felt like I knew him from somewhere. Sometimes he would sing songs to me when we were alone or talk as if he didn't know I could hear him. I wanted to give in and speak to him most times, but I was afraid that I'd lose my mind completely if I did.

I didn't realize how much I would need him until I found out about Tim Drake. "You all right?" Talia asked. Her voice was clear, calm, and tinted with a hint of concern.

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be all right?" I lied. Once she was gone, I could hear the faintest whisper from my imaginary friend. I started to cry as I continued to try to ignore him.

"Jason, I'm so sorry," he said loud enough for me to hear. I looked away from the wall and directly at him. "Jason? You can see me?"

"What do you want from me?" I asked in tears. I finally succumbed to it. It didn't matter to me anymore if I was losing it or not. I just wanted to talk to somebody.

"Jason, it's me. Have you been ignoring me this whole time?" he asked. I nodded.

"I don't know who you are or if you're real. I just—. Can you sit down?" I asked. He nodded and sat at the table. I pulled myself together and sat back down. "Who are you?"

"Jason, it's me," he pleaded with me, "It's Laney. We're best friends. Why don't you—? Jason, don't you remember me?"

I shook my head and laughed. "No... I don't know who you are because you aren't real. You're not. This is just my brain damage and emotional trauma manifesting itself," I rationalized. Laney frowned. I pushed a hand through my hair and took a few nauseated breaths.

"This isn't who you are, Jason. We used to talk about it all the time... You said you wanted to tell Bruce you loved him, that he was a father to you. I know you're hurt, but has that changed?" Laney asked. I didn't answer him. "You don't believe me, do you? How can I prove it to you?"

"Prove what to me? I don't even understand what you're—."

"I'm a ghost. We were friends in heaven or the afterlife or whatever it was... And you disappeared, but Boston and I—. We uh—. I don't exist anymore, but you can do everything that I can't. You have a second chance, and Catherine wanted that for you," Laney whispered, "Jason..."

I started feeling panicked when he mentioned Ma, but I pushed the feelings back and went to bed. He stayed with me even after our conversation. When I woke up, Laney was still there, and his friend was back. "I'm not leaving him... Boston, I promised myself I would never leave him. So you can give me the address of the nearest person who can see ghosts, or you can come with us and help me prove that we're not just hallucinations," Laney snapped. I lay still and listened.

"The closest person I know isn't the kind of guy you ask for help. He's more trouble than he's worth—."

"Who is he, and where is he? Boston," Laney pleaded angrily through his clenched teeth.

"If he can prove that you two are real, I'm game... Actually, matter-of-fact, if you two are real, I'll do whatever the hell you want me to," I replied. Laney floated above the ground in a seated position, biting his nails. "Scout's honor."

"Jason, you were never a scout," Laney replied, "If we can prove that we're real, I want you to do just as we planned. Talk to our families."

I nodded, and Boston shook his head. "Jason, kid, you don't wanna go on and learn the hard way. Why can't you just take our word for it?" Boston asked. "Jay..."

I looked at Laney, and he softened up. "Jason, if you can't remember me, then you can't believe what I mean when I say that I know you in ways that you don't even know yourself anymore... And you won't be able to see that I just want to help you."

I wondered if he loved me. The way he spoke to me was like nothing I'd ever heard. I sometimes thought my mind made him up for comfort. Maybe he was real, and he was trying to protect me. I knew one thing for sure, everything he said was what I wanted to hear. I think that's what scared me the most. If he wasn't real, all I was doing was second-guessing myself.

They continued to argue back and forth, and I took my shower and got dressed before cutting out. Laney followed closely behind me. "Two choices. San Francisco, but you run the risk of seeing your brother or Louisiana meet this Constantine guy, and I hear he's more trouble than he's worth," Laney offered. Both choices sounded terrible, but I think he knew I'd pick anything over the idea of running into Dick. "Jason, I know you don't wanna risk seeing Dick if he's in San Francisco, but—."

"But nothing. I'm not risking everything I have planned. What happens if you're just my mind's way of sabotaging me?" I asked. He looked over my shoulder and waited for me to make eye contact.

"I don't want to sabotage you... I'd never do that. Jason, I know you're scared of what he'll say or think or do... But, just try to think. If this Constantine guy is as unpredictable as Boston says, don't you think you'd be safer if—."

I stopped just as I realized how crazy I must've seemed, talking to thin air. "Listen, on the off chance that you're real. Cool, great, good. But, on the chances that you're just a pretty little kindhearted and nurturing hallucination, my mind made up to change me back into the sweet boy you're saying I used to be... I don't wanna take any chances on screwing this up," I mumbled.

"You weren't always sweet. You were just as stubborn dead as you are alive. Either way, I promised your mom I'd find you, and I did. You're alive. I can't take that away from you, but I can look out for you," Laney whispered, "You don't have to talk to me out here. I know what it looks like. Just know when you find out that I'm not a hallucination and that there is actually someone on this planet that would move heaven and hell for you... I won't rub it in."

Secretly, I kind of hoped he was telling the truth. I needed him. Like it or not, I didn't know how I'd be able to bear the loneliness without him. So that was it. I was on my way to Louisiana to see a man about a ghost.

[ladydaybreaker]

Hey guys, just wanted to give a little heads up...uh, kinda going through a rough patch at the moment (no, not from political things I promise).

The chapter for iNtersubJeCtiVe requital is still being worked on but it's a little slow because it's...dealing with a lot of manipulation tactics and it's dredging up some sucky memories. It kinda needs to be done so that I can get to the fun stuff later. I'm just...not in a good head space right now and wanted to let you guys know that hey! I'm not dead! I've not forgotten you guys! I'm just...trying to wade through a subject with some awful memories.

And a lot of second guessing myself asking if I did the right thing.

But uh, as a treat I have a little snippet of Suns, Moons and Stars section I did the other night and I'll post that under the break. I want to give you guys something...even if all I've got to show are a fantasy human AU (chapter 2 which was posted last night) and a snippet of something that will probably get changed up in the future.

So uh, sorry for all that.

"…N…do you…want to have kids?"

He didn't look at her, his claws ticked against his knees and his tail coiled around his ankle in a self soothing notion. Uzi gave a sigh and put a hand on his wrist.

"Dude…look at me," she said.

He turned to her, but…she had the distinct feeling that his true eyes were roaming.

"All of them," she reiterated, giving a smile when she heard the soft whirr of the other five cameras looking back at her, "Ok. Dude, I'm not gonna be mad if you don't. To be honest…I…think I'd be a pretty shi-" she stopped as she saw his screen flicker, "Crappy Mom," she amended, "but…I think you'd be a great Dad. I think…I'm kinda the expert on bad dads. Even if mine's trying to fix things."

"You wouldn't be a crummy Mom, Uzi," his voice was soft, "I think I'd be the expert on that…"

"Yeah the Spazz's mom was just…yikes," Uzi winced, "So…why would you think you'd be a bad dad?"

"…Y'know how back at the mines…there was the collapse that separated us?" he started, "Um…well…I got…cornered. By the Solver. It um…It tried to make me betray you. By…showing me a future that It could make come true if I…helped It."

He swallowed and his hands trembled.

"…She looked like you," his voice cracked, "She looked…so much…like you. And I just…gave her up. An-And her brother…I-I gave him up too…he looked like me…he…he hugged me. Called me 'Daddy'…I…I-I just…" he took a long breath, "…I didn't want to leave…I-I know that makes me sound horrible but…I just…I-I…" he put his head in his hands, "I'm sorry…I-I killed the dream. I-I killed them…I-I had to get back to you! I had to keep you safe, to help you…an-and I…I killed them. I made sure…they wouldn't exist."

"First off…That stupid program can bite me for doing that to you," Uzi glared, "Second off…that doesn't mean you're a bad dad. You knew it wasn't real. They weren't real. And I highly doubt any kid would want to look like me. Not when they have a sick as hell Dad like you," she lightly socked him in the shoulder. "I…dunno if I'm really kinda…ready for kids yet. Dude, I'm 21. Just because we got married doesn't mean we have to have kids right away. Besides…I'm still kinda a mess myself. I want to…y'know…kinda live a little first? Mom didn't really have the chance to heal after the whole thing at the labs before I was born. And as much as I love, loved…" her voice cracked slightly as pain flickered over her screen, "my Mom? I…I don't want my kid, our kid…to go through what I did, y'know? Having them grow up hearing their Mom screaming in the night, having them grow up with people calling their Mom crazy? Because of ramblings she had a tendancy to do? I don't want that for them. I want them to grow up…normal, y'know? Well…not normal. Normal's lame. But you get what I mean."

He looked at her, a ghost of a smile tugging at his lips.

"I thought I was the one supposed to be 'emotional support incarnate'?" he gave a weak chuckle.

"Oh bite me N," Uzi glared.

"Mmmm later," he purred as he pulled her into a hug, resting her forehead against his collar strut, "But…I do know one thing, Universe,"

He pulled her back slightly before touching her forhead to his. A spark of blue-white electric static arced from between the screens.

"If we have kids…the only person I could ever dream of having them with is you,"

[oddogoblino]

what is the nature of the infection in your words hurt au?

Oh boy oh boy forgot to talk abt this in my old ramble posts didn't I? OH boy you've really done it now (positive tone)

I hope I understood the question right! Also note, while this is a horror, the au itself isn't entirely focused on the horror aspects of it. It's always present, but things are more focused on how characters live with how the world has changed and the adventures sonic still has. @au-sonic-smackdown (to give more info abt the au FHDJDN if this is alright to be shared i mean)

Warning, long post. Tw infection horror

The Basics

At first, the infection started out as the planet's attempts to call for aid from the being native to it. It doesn't infect earth-born beings the same way it infects mobian-borns. It started as the planet's attempts to force the ones born there to fight to defend it, like ants or bees would their queen. Despite the reasonable intentions, the infection is highly feared by mobians for a reason. It's also why Vanilla's organization is secretive about its whereabouts, members, and location.

There's a few different things you can be infected by. What the machines did was cause an almost explosion of spores and inky liquid that seeped into the soil and nearby water. The original infected that hadn't inhaled the millions of spores would've fallen into the ink and scraped themselves on the ground or fell with pre-existing wounds, allowing the bacteria to sneak in and take over. Spores only work if inhaled, the bacteria can only work through bites and ingesting them.

How It Effects Its Hosts

For animals, it was sudden, it was terrible, and it made them blindly violent. Animals don't get a chance to stay in only the first stage, they immediately transform into infectious, giant versions of their once tiny selves. They're violent and, whats much worse is, they'll target anything that isn't infect already. They're hungry for energy much like infected mobians, so they're especially considered a problem as they'll not only go after electricity but also anything alive.

Non-infected animals are terrified of them and you'll know they're near when the forest goes quiet, when the flickies are suddenly too scared to fly. They cannot resist transformations.

For mobians, it's a little slower and easier to control but it's still painful. At first it starts with joint pain- or well, more accurately, growing pain. It's not noticeable at first but the infection works fast from the infection-point to start mutating it's host. With this, the infected mobian will have an increased appetite, needing to eat more than the average mobian would, growing hungry after their last meal a little sooner.

The mix of these things can cause a neglected mobian to stress out and lose the ability to resist the second stage and eventual third stage. When infected, they need lots of energy, either from eating normals foods (meat is most effective), from socializing and feeding off the other's energy, or from anything that creates electricity.

Differences in Infection

How a mobian is infected matters. If the mobian is infected through inhaling spores or ingesting infectious bacteria, they're quickly kicked out to the once abandoned lands they've forced infected to turn into their new homes. There is no saving them from the infection as it'd already spread to their whole body. If the mobian is infected from an injury, there is much more care put into them. Cleaning the wounds immediately can prevent spores or bacteria from successfully infecting the body.

If the area is already infected, then the location matters. If it's a limb, cutting off circulation and removing it can save a mobian from infection. The limb may still mutate even if removed but it's harmless if disposed of properly. If it was an area that can't be removed or halted circulation-wise then they're given the same treatment as those who inhaled or ingested something. They can't be spared from the infection.

Different Forms of Infection

Stage One: only mobians can experience and stay in this stage. In the first stage, the mobian has low amounts of infectious bacteria in their bodies, making them unlikely though not fully impossible to be infected by. The host is still conscious, though they are noticeably mutated. Mutations mostly involve either duplicated limbs or horns, or just unnaturally larger ones. The mutations often cause supernatural abilities too. They're more hungry but can be satisfied for periods of time.

Stage Two: from here on, both mobians and animals experience this stage. The second stage, the consciousness of the host is either barely there or no longer existent. Anything in this stage is kill on sight. The entire body of the host is overtaken by mutation. The host is now full of infectious bacteria and has an instinct to spread it through biting and drooling. Their only goal is to spread the infection and satisfy their hunger for energy.

Stage Three: all mobians, animals, and plants may experience this stage. The host is gone. If a stage two infected managed to avoid being killed, they reach a sudden stopping point. All the host can do is latch onto the ground before they become an empty husk of whatever they were. At this stage, all the host does is release spores into the air and or drool if they were once an animal/mobian. They feed the planet all the energy they had gained to heal it. All you can do is dig them out of the ground, wrap up the host in something completely so it cant release spores anymore, kill the area's ability to support fungus life, and burn the host.

Mobians born infected have higher amounts of bacteria in their bodies and have a higher chance of infecting others. Majority cannot release spores but there are some that exhale spores constantly. They cannot go into the other stages. They're conscious and overall would behave like a normal mobian besides any mutations they'd been born with. They won't mutate any further than whatever they came into the world with. There's not a large abundance of those born like this thought due to how semi-recent the illness puffed into existence.

[goldenheart-supremacy]

More Twin!AU things

✧Ambrosius and Todd actually knew each other since Pre-K because they were enrolled to the same prestige school.

✧They weren't really friends, weren't really enemies. They just co-existed.

✧Todd did think it was pretty cool he shared the same birthday with the son of the School director.

✧Then, the owner of the school [Modern Queen Valerin] adopted two children; Ballister and Nimona.

✧Nimona was still very young, so she mostly stayed with her new mother in her office. Valerin basically goes: "Yes, I can do my work efficiently while looking after my baby all at the same time, who do I think I am?"

✧Most of the students didn't like Ballister, but Ambrosius didn't like seeing the new kid all alone so he played with him at the sand box.

✧At first, he was just being nice.

✧He ended up really liking Ballister more than any of the other kids. New best friend.

✧Todd made fun of Ballister once, and that was the end of neutrality.

✧Ballister had to be Ambrosius's impulse control from then on.

✧When Ambrosius would come over the Boldheart household for a play date, Nimona would throw her baby toys at Ambrosius every chance she got.

✧It took a year for her to grow into liking Ambrosius.

✧Flash forward to the future.

✧For a Junior high school moving up to High school trip [So this happens in Summer vacation], Ambrosius and Todd finds out they were twins.]

✧It was due to an accident that required Todd a blood transfusion, but his blood type is very rare. It was one of those things were it was usually only family or relatives who could share the blood type.

✧Rudy Sureblade didn't have it though nor did he have any living relatives anymore, and he really didn't want to contact his ex-wife to check if she had it. It was a last resort idea for him. He checked if they could find someone.

✧Amazingly enough, they found out Ambrosius had it.

✧He still didn't like him, but Ambrosius isn't a monster so he was willing to donate blood.

✧They checked first to see if it was safe to do so with some lab test then BAM "You two are actually brothers."

✧Considering they also had the same birthday based on the hospital records, they put two and two together that they were twins.

✧Ambrosius had to dumb down the explanation to Todd how there was such a thing as fraternal twins.

✧The Director of the School and Rudy Sureblade told the hospital to uphold their patient confidentiality policy and keep this hush-hush.

✧Neither Ambrosius and Todd wanted word to spread that they're related to.

✧Rudy and Todd's relationship had already been lukewarm, so nothing really changed after the revelation except that Todd is more distrustful of his father now.

✧As long as Todd did whatever a student should be doing, and kept out of legal trouble, he could live and let live.

✧While his relationship with his mother wasn't exactly a warm one, Ambrosius did have some amount of respect for his mother since she did raise him on his own... Sort of. If leaving a secretary or whoever every now and then to attend important school events when he was growing up, whenever she was too busy, counted as raising him on her own.

✧Although ever the dutiful child, Ambrosius did accept that her job was important.

✧After finding out she kept a secret as big as him having a twin from him, he started questioning things.

✧Some point in freshmen year, both Ambrosius and Todd kinda felt getting disowned was better than being around their mostly absent parents.

✧Todd would still poke fun at Ambrosius and Ballister, especially when they started dating in high school.

✧Then enters Aerin Shieldstone in the middle of Freshmen year, and Todd is half the word of 'homophobic.'

✧The first half of it.

✧So Todd kinda goes up to Ambrosius one day, and the conversation kinda goes...

That's all... For now.

Todd: Okay, I'm accepting you as my twin brother now because I really need a brother right now. Specifically, a gay brother.

Ambrosius:

Ambrosius: First, what the fuck. Second, why the fuck?

Todd: How do I ask a guy out?

Ambrosius:

Ballister: I'm guessing third is going back to 'what the fuck?'

Ambrosius: More like 'who the fuck is the unlucky guy?'

[deltaruinedcoco37]

SplatoonMG4 CHAPTER 5: GAYER Off The Hook

(Third person)

SMG3 had a lot of questions now that there was a way for him to communicate with Four. He still wasn't great at Sign Script, but it was the best he could do for now. He had a lot of questions about Inkopolis and the surface, because even if he had heard of it from some Octolings it wasn't much, to be honest.

"Um..." There was a bit of an awkward silence before SMG3 continued to speak. "I only know what the, uh... Splatland Octolings say... I've heard of 'Deep Cut' and some things, like Turf War... but not much else... what are those three all about?"

SMG3 didn't speak as fast or as well as Four, but the latter was just glad to hear that the Octoling wasn't completely clueless, as he explained Deep Cut. "Deep Cut? They're like our news anchors. They have some pretty cool music and a podcast- the Anarchy Splatcast- so they have a lot of fans. Inkopolis is different though... we have some other people do the map announcements." He smiled at the thought of the Square's comedic duo, Off the Hook...

"Who are they, then?" SMG3 asked once he processed what Four said. "The, uh, news people?"

SMG4 just took a second to glance at the time before looking back at SMG3 with a grin.

"Well... how about I just show you?" He clicked the TV on. "Thanks to the power of Plot Convenience Magic, which probably shouldn't exist in this AU, but whatever..."

(Cue the news intro)

Swag: you sexy bitches know what time it is

Chris: It's Off the Hook, coming live from Inkopolis square... Swag... (Are you even allowed to say that?)

Swag: (of course i can. if you have enough fans you can do anything you want)

Chris: (First off, I was asking if that was part of the script... which I'm sure it's not... second off, that's what everyone thinks until they get canceled, you moron.)

Swag: anygays, moving on to the noob- i mean the normal battle stages. turf war.

(Moray Towers)(Starfish Mainstage)

Swag: my strategy here is to rush to the middle as fast as i can and look sexy ✨

Chris: (I need new friends...)

Swag: and now the stages for REAL battles. ranked battles. i meant to say "ranked battles"

(PIRANHA PIT)(CLAM BLITZ)

Swag: oh wow, look. my favorite: "50/50 chance to win or lose in the first minute like an idiot"

Chris: Finally, something we can both agree on...

Swag: well it's time for league battles... who even plays these anymore???

Chris: Swag, this is our job... can you please take it seriously today...

(And back to the gays in the apartment instead of the ones on the news)

"They seem, um..." SMG3 was trying to think of the word in Sign Script.

"Hilarious?" Four chuckled.

"...Dysfunctional." And... like maybe he'd seen one of them somewhere before? "But also familiar?"

Four thought for a second. "Hmm, maybe you heard of them from those Splatlandians? They are also popular in Splatsville, but they go by a different band name. That could be why you didn't recognize their name... But that's just a theory. An ink theory!"

SMG3 gave him a strange look. Oh, right.

"Uh... just forget I said anything. Haha..."

(Back to the news)

Swag: boss salmonids think i'm so sexy they don't even try attacking me 😎

Chris: (Or they're so appalled that they refuse to come within 10 feet of you...)

(Inkopolis News transition effect)

Swag: day 6969696969-

Chris: -That number's not even real-

Swag: -of saying we should've been called something fresher than "off the hook-"

Chris: Swag... we're almost out of time.

Swag: ugh fine. whatever. "don't get cooked..."

Chris: "...Stay off the hook-"

Swag: and don't forget to help me with my petition to change the name-

(Utter chaos then unfolded on screen for two seconds until the ads began to play.)

"Well, that was an... experience." SMG3 honestly didn't know what emotion he was supposed to feel after watching that news broadcast. "They're a comedian duo?"

Four was happy to share the silly duo with SMG3, and he was still snickering at the broadcast (because his sense of humor is broken). "Yeah, I guess so, but- wait! You wouldn't have heard any of their music before, right?"

"Well, uh... no... of course not, I haven't heard anything aside from the Octarian music, or this weird Salmonid band, so-"

"HGFGHWDNHBGVFCVGWBHJCHVGBHDCNJHVGEBH"

Well, that's what it sounded like to Three. Agent 4 was so excited he forgot to speak in Sign Script as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his playlist, before clicking on one of his favorite songs: Shark Bytes by Off The Hook.

(Time for the author to make horrible inaccurate lyrics!)

WOAH

WHAT'S THIS ACTION?!

THROW THE SPLAT BOMB

THROUGH THE ROOOOOOOOOOF

~~~

Three was 90% sure that even though Chris was singing it, Swag had written the lyrics. But that wasn't what caught his attention.

"Four, this... this isn't in Square," he said. "I think it's in Runic..."

Agent 4 looked genuinely surprised. "Really? Actually? I thought it was something really obscure, and that's why I didn't know it."

SMG3 listened for a little longer before nodding. "Yeah, it's... Runic."

"Interesting."

There was now an awkward silence, because they didn't really know what to say next. (And definitely not because the author can't write)

"So..." Four said, turning off his phone. "You wanna see the city now, or wait first?"

"Hell yeah I wanna see this place!"

~~~

Previous (Ch. 4)

Next (Ch. 6)

[fezwearingjellybananas]

1 [Speedster Siblings], 2 [Milk and Sugar], 5, 6, 9 [Gone in a Flash], 18 for the fic author asks?

I may have got carried away with the AU a little bit:

1. What’s your favourite part of writing [Speedster Siblings]?

Definitely playing with the relationships between the characters and how they can change so much just from Eobard making what he would never admit to be an impulsive decision. And I think Eobard getting more out of touch with the reality of the situation that he created as things go on, he's convinced if he proves he loves Wally, Jesse, and Barry things will go back to how they used to be, but it's not their love he needs to get back, it's their trust he broke, and nothing he does actually shows him as changing and deserving a second chance because he doesn't really change as a person, it's just the feelings behind the same kind of actions are different. His POV is very limited, there is so much in this AU that doesn't get shared because Eobard has no interest if it's not about him, and I think that does include Wally, Jesse, and Barry struggling because they do love him, he was their dad for fifteen years, but they can't trust him, he threw that away for a decades long revenge scheme against a man who essentially no longer exists because Eobard changed the timeline so drastically.

2. What was your favourite scene in [Milk and Sugar]?

I think the scene where Hartley tells Ronnie, Cisco, and Caitlin about why he was fired, and Barry makes his brief appearance? That's the scene where it fell into a canon divergence instead of just a coffee shop AU, and it's why I added the last lines that then meant I went back and the short ficlet became the long series

But close second is Iris asking Caitlin if she can kiss her. Unlike the other pining person in the above scene, Iris does something about it.

5. Who is your favourite character to write?

It's probably different every time, but right now I've been having some fun writing (comics) Eobard Thawne in some little fics for Writer's Month. Got so many more of those to write still, but there's a few done

6. Who is the easiest character to write? (These are often not the same!)

Possibly Barry, he is the character I write most according to my AO3 page so I've had more practise writing him. He's a favourite too though

9. If you had to make an au of [Gone in a Flash], what would the au be, and how would that change things? 

Ooh, the perfect one because I do have some vague thoughts sitting in the back of my mind and it's solely because of those Eowells with Morgan vs Eobard with Barry conversations we had.

(Fic rec here for reaching up to touch the sky again. Eowells does not deserve Morgan, how do I adopt her instead)

So, there is- as with all fics- bits that didn't actually make it into Gone in a Flash but that I did have rough notes for and even a few brief type out the scene and not press save because it's only to figure out backgrounds, it's not something I need to keep. The first I wrote was actually Cisco and Barry meeting again alone without Iris post their first (bad) meeting, which I did like enough to change the plan of all Iris POV to give them some as well, but most of the bits- like Cisco and Barry's actual first meeting- just got pushed aside. A lot of what I had were little bits on Barry's childhood with Eobard (or Harrison as Barry knew him), of which a lot didn't make it in not because there wasn't room exactly, but because it wasn't stuff Barry was ready to share. Eobard is a very bad parent to him, and Barry does recognise that because he has Henry Allen and Joe West to compare him to, but I don't think he fully considers it abuse because he says 'Harrison' never physically hurt him so surely it can't be bad enough to count, and also the rich fathers he has as a point of comparison are Osgood Rathaway and to some degree (because he doesn't know Tommy that well, but he knows him a little through Hartley) Malcolm Merlyn, so not great examples there either. Eobard does repetitively pull Barry back in with the promise things will be different and he does care about Barry, he's not just not good at this, and Barry lets it happen because that's his adoptive father, he wants Harrison to love him.

In Gone in a Flash Barry has been very lonely for a long time, mostly because Eobard has intentionally kept him kind of isolated as a child, and stole his one friend, and he's angry and hurt and alone, and that is what has driven his decisions pre the story starting.

But if you give him a sibling- Morgan or Jesse or maybe even Malcolm- then things immediately start to shift.

The way things happen, and this didn't make it in, is things really start going wrong that night Barry and Hartley sneak off to a college party. There's a lot here that didn't make it in- Hartley's under the impression he was visiting Barry in his dorm, he wasn't, Barry was sixteen, he was still living with Eobard, Eobard just went on a business trip and rather than leave Barry home alone he essentially recruited on of his interns who's also at GCU to be Barry's babysitter for the week, and Barry doesn't tell Hartley that because it's embarrassing, and is more willing to do some drastic acting out because he's frustrated and angry and a teenager. And they argue, and it goes badly, and then he almost dies just over a year later and that is what flips Eobard into full control, that's when he changes his mind about Barry going into forensics because if Barry dies then his plan fails, he can't risk that, though he does let Barry live on his own as a 'reward' for Barry relenting and agreeing to switch to physics and let Eobard transfer him from Gotham U to Sun City. He pays the rent, he pays the bills, he gets Barry a food order rather than giving him money for food, because he wants Barry entirely dependent on him still, but Barry manages to start using some weekends and evenings as a few months doing various odd jobs, tutoring, cleaning, stacking shelves, anything that gives him a small pay check, and he stores it away and the moment he graduates and finding a job is expected, he finds a job on his own in Starling and he has that tiny amount to get himself set up in the Glades on his own without telling Eobard where he is, and he changes his name back to Barry Allen. Running away isn't an impulsive decision on Barry's part, it's something he plans for years to get out from Eobard controlling him and he doesn't tell anyone what he's planning, not even Hartley.

But he does eventually end up back in Central, and in his coma, and post that there is a point where he goes back to wanting to believe things with Harrison can be different.

I don't think he would if he had a sibling. I think Barry would see them both being treated badly and he wouldn't have that same hestiation he has about describing his own situation as abusive as he would if someone else was in his shoes. I think if it's Malcolm maybe it's a little different, Eobard would probably try and drive a wedge between them to push Malcolm to the Cobalt Blue path, but they'd be twins here and I think Barry would be in much more of a rush to drag Malcolm away from Harrison than he was himself, he wouldn't wait and plan and go along with things.

If it's Morgan or Jesse, then they're younger than him and it's his job to protect them. Maybe Barry picks the fights still because if Harrison's anger is focused on him, it's not on her, or he says later the acting out as a child was just to do anything to get some attention from his adoptive father, and maybe he sees Harrison equally neglecting his biological child (as far as Barry knows) and figures there's no point doing that. And suddenly there's a valid reason to need a babysitter for that week, so Hartley and Barry might not sneak off, and later he knows he can't just run away with someone who isn't an adult, Barry doesn't have the same rights to her as Harrison does, they won't let him do that. And he can't leave her alone with him, so Barry just lets Eobard tell him what to do and stays because then he's with her. He might end up at Central Uni so he stays living with Eobard when he moves back there because his little sister does too (and maybe he gets to reconnect with Iris at this point, and Eobard lets him because he's being compliant, or maybe he's still kept so busy by Eobard he doesn't get the chance to do that).

This also means he does start working at S.T.A.R. Labs when he gets told to.

Hartley probably does too. He doesn't really know what's going on between Harrison and Barry at this point, Barry doesn't talk about it, so as far as Hartley knows that's S.T.A.R. Labs, it's building new science, it's exciting and his dream job. And maybe Eobard calls it one of his rewards for Barry doing what he's told, he gets to have his friend working with him.

(And he gets to meet Cisco earlier and get off on a better note)

(I also think there's no Hartley/Eobard this time, Hartley wouldn't do that while Barry's right there, and Eobard probably mostly did it to hurt Barry because Barry wasn't doing what he wanted, and here he is)

But the particle accelerator has to be flawed, because Eobard needs it to be. And this time when Hartley finds that flaw Barry can be his first point of call, which means Barry gets that front row seat to Hartley being fired.

Eobard, of course, has a very easy way to manipulate Barry this time, all he has to do is threaten his access to his little sister.

Which leaves Barry with what ends up being a very difficult decision, but he's Barry, he can't do nothing if people are going to get hurt. It's why Hartley knew he could go to Barry in the first place.

It also means when Barry wakes up from his coma his view on Harrison is different. In Gone in a Flash they were not on good terms but he saw the checks being done, as far as he was aware Harrison actually was trying to do the right thing, and no one else found the flaw. He does go and help Hartley, Hartley found a flaw, that should have been enough, but I think it is a decision he was conflicted about, and he's not as involved with all of Hartley's schemes, he mostly just runs him away before he can get arrested while Hartley still thinks he can prove there's more to this than he's told Barry about.

This time he knows it was a preventable disaster and not everything was done. And I think Barry would be angrier with Eobard, he would be much less willing to give his constantly broken promise another chance, because it's not just Barry he's hurt, it's his little sister too. I don't think he would fully become a villian, he's still Barry Allen, but I think he would go straight to Hartley, he wouldn't have that time where he does stay with Harrison, and I think he would be a lot more involved in what Hartley's doing.

Jesse might get powers later, maybe s2, but Morgan gets hers earlier. She would start being Sentry closer to when Cisco becomes Vibe than Barry becomes the Flash (or The Chemist, he might have a different name for when he's helping Hartley with bank robberies, and that one seems like it would annoy Eobard, he's the one who wanted Barry to be a physicist instead of a chemist or a doctor).

(So maybe Jesse could get powers here, maybe she could be The Flash this time around).

And maybe Eobard kept up with that threat and if Barry's less willing to do what he's told he doesn't get to see his little sister any more, maybe Barry just left and she managed nine months without him and if this works she'll never have to deal with Eobard again, so Barry can stay away for just a little while to keep her away from what he's helping Hartley with.

But if he and Hartley are going to run around committing crimes, they're probably going to end up facing a superhero eventually. Vibe will show up, probably quite quickly, but if The Chemist has to go fight Sentry or The Flash as their first meeting, maybe he's not going to be able to keep his little sister out of this after all

18. If you had to write a crossover, what would you want it to be? Would it be crack or serious? 

I've written crossovers before, though not for a while, so I think the general feeling would be somewhere between crack and serious, where it's an actual story with a plot but I do my best not to take fic completely seriously.

I did, ages ago, have notes for a Legends of Tomorrow/The Librarians crossover because of the Spear of Destiny showing up in both, I keep meaning to go back to it and haven't got around to it yet, but there's always a chance something will happen later.

Thank you!

[Asks]

[hela-avenger]

it’s not you, it’s me- final

Author: hela-avenger

Word Count: 1765

Summary: Natasha won’t quit trying to set you up so you decide to play fire with fire. Hence making a deal with an insufferable prince who interestingly enough is willing to fake being in love with you for the rest of the night. Of course when dealing with the God of Lies things are never as they seem. Fake-Dating AU. p&w AU.

A/N: Every time I think I’m going to have time to write and post something on a scheduled manner something always comes up to ruin that. So sorry for leaving y’all hanging and I’m just gonna stop making false promises. 

P.S. I’m tagging the p&w people so if you’ll like to be taken off pls do let me know!

General tags are open!

it’s not you, it’s me masterlist & poison & wine masterlist

Bucky almost seems the same with the exception in the way he carries himself. Once confident and jovial, he’s become more quiet and humble. Someone who would rather spend his time in the outskirts of a party than in the middle of it all. 

It explains why you hadn’t seen him until now. He waited for everyone to be gone before coming down. 

“You really haven’t changed,” Bucky states once you receive your drinks. He motions for you to take a seat at the bar and so you do. “You look exactly the same as the first time I met you.” 

“I’m pretty sure I was covered in mud and grime when we first met,” you recall. “So I would consider this an upgrade.” 

“Right,” Bucky lets out a short laugh. “But still, it’s nice to see that some things haven’t changed.” 

“Yeah,” you sigh. “Steve was relieved when he saw me again. It helped him to have some piece of his life back even though everything was turned inside out and upside down for him. I assume it’s the same for you after… well, after what you’ve been through.” 

Bucky goes silent and stares into his drink solemnly.

“We don’t have to talk about that,” you offer up to him. “I’ve heard enough and you don’t need to relive any of those details. I’m just happy that chapter of your life is over.” 

“Cheers to that,” Bucky mutters, clinking his glass with yours before taking a drink. “So, onto livelier topics, how about, uh, we talk about you?”

“Please don’t tell me you want to know my true age.” 

“That is actually the only thing I wanted to know,” Bucky jokes. “Rude? I know, but I just…” 

You shove him but Bucky doesn’t move an inch. 

“I’m older than you and that’s all you need to know.” 

“Ok,” Bucky nods. “And you’re… Steve said half-human, half-Asgardian?” 

“Yes,” you answer. “A demi-god to make it simpler.” 

Bucky takes a second to register the information. 

“Huh, after all I’ve been through I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around that.”

“Yeah, being in the presence of a God tends to render people speechless.”

“No, it’s not that exactly. It’s more about the fact that I was dating one that’s blowing my mind.”

“Well, dating seems like a reach…”

“Please don’t ruin this for me,” Bucky interrupts, causing you to laugh at the growing blush on his cheeks. “This is the peak of my existence. Nothing I ever do or have done will outshine this moment in our history. A rascal of a boy from Brooklyn having dated the daughter of Aphrodite herself.”

“Ever the flirt, Barnes,” you giggle. “ I never really stood a chance against you.”

There’s a silence that follows. It’s comfortable at first, but you both inevitably look away. As if you both realize how easy it was to fall back into old ways but how unfamiliar the motions felt now. 

Bucky’s hand reaches for yours and you go still. You hadn’t realized you had been fidgeting with the half-empty glass.

“We might look the same but we’re completely different now, huh?”

There is a sudden wave of grief that lapses over you. It takes you by surprise seeing as he’s still right next to you. You feel the warmth of his hand and watch his chest rise and fall with each breath. He’s not gone, but you lost him all the same. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize to him. “It seems like the passing of time has indeed taken another victim.” 

“I know,” he whispers as he lets your hand go. “I’m just an echo of the man I was back then.”

“It’s not you,” you sigh. “It’s me.”

You half-smile at him and lean into the palm of your hand. 

“I’ve always kept you at a distance. For your sake, but mainly for mine. I… I can admit now that I was selfish with you. I was lonely and afraid of my mortality and I needed a way out of that and it was you. You are…”

There is a knot in your throat but you fight through it 

“You are a light, Bucky. In the darkness I was in, you were the light at the end of that very long tunnel. That hasn’t changed and it will never change. So thank you for sharing that glow with me in the time I needed it the most.”

“I think that’s the nicest thing I’ve ever been told in my entire life,” Bucky answers breathlessly. “Always know how to punch the air out of my lungs.”

“It’s the truth,” you tell him. 

“I sense a but coming though…”

“No, there is just an apology left to say because I am sorry that we can’t pick up where we left off. At the moment you need some light of your own, I can't be that for you.”

Bucky smiles in response, “I never expected us to return where we left off. I have too much baggage and I’m sure you’ve moved on from me a long time ago.” 

“I-” you stammer out. “I mean-”

You don’t know why your gaze shifts toward the balcony and you go silent when you realize that it's empty now. 

Where did Loki go?

You can’t help but search for him and find him speaking to his brother before making his way out.

“Buck, I’m sorry, but I have to go…”

Bucky is quick to notice where you focus has gone to and simply smiles once again. 

“Go,” he tells you. “You should go.” 

“Thank you. I’ll explain everything later,” you promise him as you get out of your seat. 

“I prefer you didn’t,” he jokes. “But seriously, go. I’ll tell everyone you had to leave.” 

You whisper your gratitude again before slipping away from the room. You don’t miss the smirk Natasha gives you as you run down the hallway. You watch as the elevator doors are closing and shout for Loki to hold them. 

He doesn’t. 

It doesn’t matter though as you manage to slip through the closing elevator doors. 

“Well that’s awfully rude of you,” you say as you try to catch your breath. “No wonder people think you’re unapproachable.” 

Loki just glares at you, “What are you doing?” 

“Chasing after you if it isn’t obvious,” you answer. “You left without saying goodbye to me.” 

“I didn’t realize I had to.” 

His demeanor is cold and you wonder how you manage to fall back onto square one. 

“I wish you had,” you tell him. “Save me from running after you in these heels.” 

Loki’s scowl doesn’t soften, instead he breathes out of his nose loudly. 

“What are you doing here?” he asks. “You were clearly enjoying your time with the soldier. Why are you here with me now?”

“Because you-” you whisper trying to figure out why your mouth has suddenly turned dry. “Because we…”

You don’t know how to put what you’re feeling into words. It was as if you were being pulled into a riptide. Just being pulled and dragged in all different directions. This was all so new to you. Staying instead of running away.

“Because I don’t want this night to end,” you answer. “So I thought we could um- go get dinner maybe?” 

“Dinner?” Loki asks in surprise. 

“Yeah, dinner,” you repeat. “I know this taco truck two blocks away.”

“Tacos?” 

“Loki, why are you repeating everything I say?” 

“Because I’m trying to make sense of what’s happening.” 

The doors to the elevator open and Loki sighs before moving to leave. You’re quick to block him.

“What are you doing now?” 

“I’m trying to talk to you and you’re shutting me down so I’m really doubting what I’m actually doing right now because I really thought we had something going but maybe I read everything wrong. Oh God, now I’m mortified.”

You step away and allow Loki his much desired departure.  

He takes a step forward and stops right in front of you. You’re afraid to look up but you can feel his gaze settled on you. 

The elevator doors close again and he’s quick to push the lobby button. 

“Tacos, you said?” 

“Yeah,” you whisper when you finally muster the courage to look up at him. The scowl is gone and his face has softened once more. “Yeah and maybe we could um… we can talk about Asgard.”

“Just Asgard?” he repeats with a grin.

“Yeah, Asgard,” you answered with a laugh. “We can talk about Asgard and more of our childhood traumas and…”

“Can I just kiss you now?” 

“Yes, please.” 

Loki’s delicate as he pulls your face up and presses his lips on yours. The tension that was all over your body disappears as you realize this was exactly what you were looking for. You melt into him and he’s quick to hold you upright as his lips continue to dance upon yours. 

He pulls away too soon for your liking but he doesn’t go too far. You feel his nose bump against yours. His warm breath fanning over your face. 

“What are you waiting for?” you whisper. “Kiss me again.” 

Loki just sighs as he tucks some loose strands away.

“Just let me admire you,” he answers. “I thought I would never get to have you like this.” 

He laughs quietly.

“I was trying to be selfless, you know.”

“You were?” you ask surprised. 

“I saw you with… Bucky and I couldn’t intrude in your happiness.”

“He’s just a friend,” you explain to him. “I am happy to see him but it’s a different kind of happiness.” 

“And what do you feel about me?” 

The elevator doors open and you can’t help but step out onto the lobby. Loki’s quick to follow after you, pulling off his coat with the intent of placing it over your shoulders before you step outside.

“I can tell you more about my feelings on the way to the taco truck,” you tell him. “Or maybe…” 

“Maybe what?” Loki asks as he catches up to you. His coat is placed on your shoulders before he opens the door. 

“Maybe I can show you.” 

You’re quick to push up on your toes and place a chaste kiss on his lips before grabbing his hand and leading him down the road. 

“So about that trip to Asgard,” you begin. “How soon can we go?” 

“We could go now if you desire.”

“Later,” you tell him as you look up at the distant stars. “I wanna stay here a little longer.”

it’s not you, it’s me:  @marvelgirlonamarvelworld @nickkie1129 @theinfinitenerd @lucywrites02 @nerdyshaddowhunter @10velyhaos  @the-bilkush @lilliansstuff @dark-night-sky-99 @marygoddessofmischief​

poison & wine: @damalseer @just-the-hiddles @jessiejunebug @nonsensicalobsessions @smollest-soybean @assassinoftheworld @doyoufeelikeayounggod  @i-dont-know-eiither @day-dreaming-fox @bn-studies @devilbat @victor-criss-bish  @musicconversedance @baby-bunnyxn @marvelloonie  @queenmuahaha @accio-boys @eternalqueensworld @rogerrhqpsody  @justnerdystuffs @hanoi15 @oneprolificqueen  @fandomrelative @nikki419ninja @onedollarduck @ephemeraljade  @captainmarvelnerd @thegirlbeyondtheuniverse @ddaeing @leftperfectionmoon @lmfaohader

Loki Tag: @unicorniorosacomefrutillas @thesilentbluesparrow-blog @oddly-drawn-muse @josiehosiedaninja @hp-hogwartsexpress @sadwaywardkid @wolf-lover74 @sizzlingbarbarianglitter @sigyn-nightshade @aoirohi  @just-a-donut-who-reads @day-dreaming-fox @heykathchuu @is-it-madness @writingletterstothefire @nonsensicalobsessions @help-i-need-a-social-life

All Works: @jmb959 @astudyoftimeywimeystuff @hellocookiecutter @steve-rogers-personal-hell-blog @buckybarnesyard @not-zari-tak @strangersstranger @thefridgeismybestie @badhollandfluff @what-a-flammable-heart @fandoms-allovertheplace @polireader @hufflautia

[skylarmoon71]

Miguel O' Hara - AU Scientist (Across the Spider-Verse) - Chapter 6

“I don’t understand. I need you to explain it to me. Explain everything.” 

It’s not like you didn’t expect this from Miguel. There was just so much that you couldn’t control. It felt wrong to bring him into your world. 

It’s possible that’s a cover. 

The scary part is watching him walk away from you. 

Miguel is still standing at a distance. You aren’t sure if it’s out of fear or disappointment. 

Your shoulders drop defeatedly. 

“It’s not really easy to explain.” 

“Try.” 

A shaky breath escapes you, and when he sees the golden flicker of light once again return to your eyes, he swallows. You know he’s still trying to fully process the very short encounter with a doppelganger. So introducing your abilities will definitely be a breaking point. 

“I was born a mutant. I didn’t manifest my abilities until I lost my uncle ten years ago. That’s when I went into law enforcement. I was trying to do the right thing with my powers. But someone I cared about, Gavin Stacy, died and I..I couldn’t do it anymore. I left that part of my life behind.” 

You step closer, and Miguel doesn’t move.

“I’m what they refer to on other earths as Spiderwoman.” 

Flipping your wrist, Miguel flinches when a stream of web shoots out. It locks onto a glass nearby and you give it a tug. The second it’s within your grasp, you squeeze and the glass crumbles under your hold like dust. 

“I’m stronger, faster than the average human. That’s only half of it.” 

There’s no way you can hide this anymore. 

“This whole time we’ve been working on the project, you’ve known from the start. But you said nothing.” 

“I..I was scared.”

“Why? Why were you scared?”

“Because I’m..an anomaly. I shouldn’t have existed.” 

All those years ago you tried to do the right thing. You really did. You served justice both in the office as an agent, and at night. But it changed completely when you lost Gavin and found out about canon events. Just the memory is a bitter reminder. 

“I used to have a twin sister. In every universe there’s only supposed to be one. One hero, one spiderman or spider woman. I didn’t believe it at first. But the way she died when we were kids it just felt..wrong. When I found out the truth it was painful. I spent years hating myself for it. When I was finally able to get myself out of that hole I lost my uncle and then one of my best friends. It was like a curse had struck me. That’s when I realized that as a hero, I was destined for pain. Everyone regardless of the universe, all of us with these powers, these abilities, we always lose the people we care most about if we decide to become heroes. So I gave it up. I decided that there were other ways to help my universe without constantly suffering loss. I just..wanted to be happy..” 

It was selfish, but you couldn’t bring yourself to go back out there. Not after you’d failed to protect the ones you cared about. 

Over and over again. 

“I know this is a lot, it might not even make sense. I should have been honest the second that we got involved. If you believe nothing else, please just know how I feel about you, that’s real.” 

It’s unrealistic to expect him to just swallow it all and accept every part of you. 

The right choice right now is to leave. Miguel needs a chance to figure out if he really wants to be a part of this. 

“If you decided that you’d rather take your chances with someone else, I would understand. I wouldn’t blame you Miguel.” 

It hurts, but even if he broke this off, there wasn’t a part of you that couldn’t actually hate him for it. This is a life, his life. He knows what future dangers are ahead. That version of him also proposed that he would be back. Who knows with what kind of reinforcements. 

“What did you say to me, the first time I told you about my disability. What did you say?” 

Your brows knit. 

“I..I don’t understand I..” 

“I understand. I don’t expect anything from you.  It’s nothing to be ashamed of. You’re you. We can discover what we are in the future. That’s what you said to me. You didn’t look at me with pity, or like I was broken. You didn’t force me to change anything. You just smiled at me and told me that you were willing to endure whatever you could, as long as you were given a chance to care about me. To..love me..” 

It’s a bit impossible to look at him now, your gaze has gotten a bit swimmy. 

“The circumstances are very different, but I understand now how you felt at that moment. I want you to give me that chance.”

Is there a possibility that you’ve already been rejected and your mind has formed some kind of alternative?

Shaky hands move to the table for support. 

It must be.

You try to read something, anything from his gaze. He’s at your side in what feels like seconds. Miguel is holding your cheeks and you’re sobbing. 

“I know now that you’ve lost so much, no matter what, you’re not going to lose me. So you don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going anywhere.” 

“Y-You promise.” 

Miguel nods. 

“I promise.” 

He leans in, sealing it with a kiss and you hug him. 

You believe every word.

[helianskies]

“you don’t scare me.” Arthur/Antonio

*cracks knuckles* time for a new au, methinks...

Tremors

Antonio does not know for how long exactly he has been sitting in that chair, staring at the same wall, fighting tight knots, and turning over the thought in his mind that says, just because you haven’t been killed yet does not mean that that can’t change. 

The night before, he had been in bed sleeping peacefully. And then, the worst thing imaginable happened: a pirate raid. 

That being said, it was not exactly… what Antonio imagined a raid would be like. There was less violence, less screaming, less fire, and more… organised, almost. Though, he himself woke to the sound of smashing glass, and didn’t even have a chance to get out of bed properly before his room seemingly became the raid’s epicentre…

One minute, Antonio had been in his home. The next, he had woken up with a throbbing head in that very room.

Outside, he hears the sea. He fears that land is already so far away. He fears that he is destined to die away from home. 

Antonio closes his eyes. His head still hurts. He is still so, so tired. For a moment, he nods off—and maybe for a few seconds, or maybe for a few minutes—but, once more, violence pries him fiercely from the grip of sleep with the slamming of a door, and Antonio opens his eyes once more.

Finally, his captor has decided to make himself known.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the stranger says, staying out of sight. "I trust that no one else has disturbed you just yet…?"

He does not humour the other with a response. Instead, he listens as the footsteps near, and then does his best to steel his nerves as the other pulls up a chair, legs scraping on the floor, and sits down opposite him.

“Forgive me for being a bit blunt, but you do speak English, right?” he is asked, and Antonio, though he does not provide a verbal reply, instead examining his company, has answered the question regardless: “Good. If you didn’t, I’d be worried.”

Antonio’s brows twitch and form a slight frown. That means ‘why?’ as he still refuses to talk.

“You’re the kid who speaks a library’s worth of languages, aren’t you?”

He is not a ‘kid’, he wants to point out, but instead he says nothing.

“That’s why you’re here.”

His silence remains firm. 

In light of this, the man—a pirate through and through, if the hat and partially-exposed chest and bad smell is anything to go by—leans forward, closer—too close, in fact. Antonio leans away from him, though there is not far he can go; the back of the chair stops him, and all the while, the other draws nearer. 

His hand reaches out. Antonio does not like where it is heading. Fingers start to curl. Antonio’s toes curl in turn. And then, those fingers grip the underside of Antonio’s seat and slowly, steadily drag the chair towards their owner. 

Antonio does not enjoy how close they end up, legs brushing against each other, only a couple inches of space remaining between them.

The smell worsens. 

“I have something in my possession that I need translating,” the other begins to say. “It’s not in French, Spanish—not even Dutch. But a little birdie told me there was someone near where we were docked—the son of a merchant sailor—who has a knack for languages.”

How Antonio’s existence has come to be known to someone like this man is beyond him. It seems that years of studying have indeed provided him a future, as he had always intended, but now he is not sure that this is the future he—

“You know, I thought it was considered rude to ignore someone…”

“There is a difference between ignorance and defiance.”

“Ahhh, so he does have a tongue.” The other smirks. “Good to know.”

“You want me to translate something,” Antonio goes on despite the growing taste of acid in his throat. 

“Mmh.”

“That is why you dragged me from my room, onto a ship, and started sailing away?”

“Yeah. Why, is that a problem?”

“It could be,” Antonio replies, “if it turns out I cannot translate whatever it is you want me to.”

At that notion, the other’s grin starts to fade. His relaxed posture ceases. And, in turn, what seems to have been relatively good humour, for a man of his calibre, becomes soured. 

Once more, Antonio finds his personal space invaded. Once more, Antonio is unable to back away.

“You’re going to translate what I tell you to translate,” the other insists, “and if you can’t, then I have no use for you. And for that problem, I have an easy solution.”

The Spaniard swallows. “You don’t scare me,” he says, but the words hold no real weight or conviction. 

“And yet, there is a faint tremble in your cheek,” the blonde remarks as his fingers suddenly dare graze over the skin of Antonio’s face, “and you can’t quite seem to look at me—not in a way that a brave man would.”

Antonio has no room to shy away from his touch, but the intention is there, and clear. The other pulls his hand away after a few more seconds of no doubt relishing in the reaction that has been plucked from his captive, and, once more, Antonio is able to breathe.

With that, the other gets up. He walks away. Antonio turns his head to try and find him, but hands settle down on his shoulders and lips are suddenly too close to his ear, breath tickling his skin. 

“You and I are about to be good friends. So, friend, have you got a pretty name to go with that pretty face of yours?”

The brunette takes a slow breath. “Antonio,” he offers up without protest. “My name is Antonio.”

“Mmh, not too bad, I suppose,” muses the other. “Well, Antonio, in that case, you can call me Arthur.”

And, with that, Antonio finds himself alone all over again.

[ final wordcount, 999 words; prompt list here! ]

[redxpaladin]

Danny Phantom Detective Conan AU Drabble

Words: 1185

Rating: G

Premise: Shrunk Danny moments trying to get Vlad to help him.

Notes: I’m not the best at writing but I couldn’t get this au out of my head

Danny cussed to himself as he had to be on his tippy toes to reach the doorbell to his own house. He began ringing it over and over again. As he scowled over how much he shrunk. Maybe he shouldn’t have ran from the police but what was he going to do? Tell them he was Danny Fenton?

No. They’d probably get Walker and he’d be like “Yeah sure. And I’m Santa clause. Go home.” Then what? Call his non existing parents? Speaking of parents, why weren’t they coming at the door?

It was then that Danny cussed to himself and punched the door. That’s right. His parents were in Paris. They couldn’t come to the door. Jazz was also at college. Just his luck. His attention then turned to his next door neighbor. Vlad was always weird, and wanted his mom badly. But damn it he can help him and that's all that matters.

Danny ran as he tried his best to keep himself covered with his large baggy clothes to Vlad’s house and began knocking and ringing the doorbell.

Clearly Vlad must have been in the middle of watching some sports match of his favorite team (Danny couldn’t remember the name. Mostly out of spite) “Danny I will-“ he seemed like he was about to hit him with a bat before looking down to see the small structure that Danny was now.

“Vlad, you need to help me.” Danny said. Vlad just looked at him slowly blinking. Probably processing why a 10 year old was at his door. “Vlad. It’s me! Danny!”

“Danny is 16 years old.” Vlad spoke flatly. “Go home.”

“No really it’s me!” Vlad was literally about to close the door before Danny stepped in and stopped it from being closed. “You’ve been in love of my mom for years but after a tragic accident my dad was able to get my mom from right under your nose and you still are hoping you’ll get a chance with her after all these years. You try to impress her by inventing gadgets and such and with your money. You also have a cat who has eaten your socks.”

Vlad’s jaw seemed to slowly drop as Danny kept talking. Before Danny gave him a nice smug luck. “Seeing as you are currently in pajamas you probably were watching the Green Packers match instead of sleeping. If you were sleeping you’d be a little less annoyed and more groggy.”

Vlad seemed to give the there's that annoying detective boy look before picking Danny up and looking at him. “What the hell did you get yourself into?”

“Listen I don’t know! I just followed some dudes into a hall and then I don’t know what happened! You invent stuff right? Fix me!” Danny yelled back. Vlad immediately dropped him probably for his rude demand. “Please?”

“This is the first I have seen of something that turns someone into a child. I don’t know if I can fix this.” Vlad paused. “I’d need to see the thing that caused this to happen.”

Danny groaned and dramatically fell on his back. “Urg. Walker would never believe me nor agree to have me get on cases to find who did this to me.”

“I wouldn’t either if I was him.” Vlad clearly just wanted Danny to leave at this point.

“Can you at least help me get into my own house?”

“You can’t do it yourself?”

“I lost my keys when I shrunk. Probably fell out of my pockets.”

Vlad walked off for a second before coming back with the spare house keys and handing them over to Danny. Before Danny gave him a smug look. “What? You’re not expecting a young boy like me to just open the door of my own house?”

Vlad internally seemed to kiss him watching his sports tonight peacefully goodbye.

With help Danny was able to get back at his own house and he immediately began rummaging through his moms office for information. Vlad, being sensible. Went upstairs to try and find clothes that would fit Danny.

Danny began looking around finding nothing as Vlad came in with clothes that Danny had from elementary school. “At least get changed for goodness sake.” Vlad just wanted to go home.

Groaning, Danny walked over and grabbed the clothes from Vlad and began changing behind his moms Desk (surprisingly he was small enough to hide behind it.) and shoved his old clothes under it. Before going back to searching around.

Vlad was ready to go home before they both froze at the door opening.

“Danny?” The familiar voice of Tucker rang out.

“Danny, it's not funny to skip school for murder cases.” Sam seconded. “Even if Walker pays you.”

Danny scrambles to hide under the desk and Vlad looked over at Danny puzzled.

“Vlad?” Tucker spoke out as Vlad looked back at both of Danny’s friends at the door.

“Have you seen Danny. Mr Lancer wants to give him an earful.” Sam waved the homework in the air.

“Oh well he didn’t tell you?” Vlad was always good at lying but not when he’s being put on the spot. Damn you Danny! “He… joined his parents in Paris. There was an important case.”

Sam and Tucker both gave the I am so tired of my ace detective friend look. “He could have at least texted us.”

Yeah, why didn’t he text them? Danny was probably too busy thinking about how to fix his situation.

“If Mr Lancer gets even mader at him, that's on him.” Sam shrugged.

“On the bright side maybe your dad will finally get more cases!” Tucker spoke out happily before getting a punch in the shoulder. “What? It’s true.”

They all flinched from hearing a thud.

Danny stupidly hit his head from trying to wear old reading glasses. He currently popped the lenses out before placing them on his face and yelped when he got lifted up. “Aw, who's this small child?” He heard the familiar voice of Tucker. Tucker turned Danny around to see the face of Danny. “What are you doing here little guy?”

Vlad and Danny internally panicked.

“You let a child into Danny’s house?” Sam questioned Vlad.

“No he’s uh. Danny’s… Cousin. His name is uh…” Vlad looked over to Danny. Danny looked over to the wall to see the cross stitching his dad did of a ghost.

“Phantom! My name's Phantom!” God that sounds so stupid.

“Man who names their child Phantom?” Tucker spoke out.

“Probably came from his dads side. Jack’s always in the paranormal movies.” Vlad spoke. Before he smiled and took Danny from Tucker’s arms. “Listen hey Sam you don’t mind looking after Phantom will you? I’m supposed to look after him but… I don’t want him to blow himself up.”

“What are you doing?!” Danny whispered.

“Sam’s dad is a detective. Probably hanging with her and her family will help you find out what happened to you.”

“He’s a crappy detective!!”

“Well you’ll just have to help him.”

Vlad just seemed pleased to annoy Danny with this decision. Danny clearly looked peeved.