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stark-ironman · 8 months ago

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Firefighter AU, Part 2

Warnings: Semi-public sex (in an ambulance), making out in an office, smut, sort of name calling, hair-pulling, praise kink

A/N: Tony is a Firefighter Captain, Reader is an EMT Captain. All Marvel characters are also part of this universe. Also Tony and Reader are more of friends with benefits but with a bit more romantic feelings than normal.

Hello to all my new followers! I wasn't expecting the reaction I received yesterday on part 1 so I'm so excited to get started on this journey. Honestly, I love this series and if anyone has any ideas for future installments then just let me know! Thank you to everyone! Also photo creds go to @tonysfarts

"What's a pretty thing like yourself doing in this office all alone?" Tony asks from the doorway. You turn your chair and look at him, noticing that he's gripping the top of the door with both hands and leaning inside the door. "I had some paperwork to fill out from that last call we went on to explain why we had to do a field tracheotomy on our patient. The usual fun stuff." You say filing the paperwork away. He moves from the doorway and walks over behind your chair, placing his hands on your shoulders and massages gently.

You moan softly as he moves his hands and notice how he pays special attention to your shoulders. A comfortable silence falls over the two of you, with the occasional moan falling from your lips. Tony leans down and kisses your forehead so you lay your head back to steal a kiss. He chuckles against your lips and kisses you again.

"If anybody walks in, they're going to have a field day with this one." You laugh. "Well then let's give them a show, honey." He stands you up, pushing your chair to the side and kisses you deeply. Your arms wrap around his shoulders as he lifts you up and sits you on the desk as his tongue swipes across your bottom lip and you open slightly, letting him attack your mouth. You grind your hips against his, feeling his erection as he moans in your mouth.

"You're such a dirty girl, honey. Getting me all hard knowing anybody could walk in right now." His kisses trail down your jaw and neck. "I should punish you for being such a naughty girl." He nips your skin just above your t-shirt. A moan escapes your lips as you pull him closer. "Does my dirty little slut want that? To be punished for being so naughty and impatient?" He asks. "Fuck, yes sir. I want you to punish me." You moan as you pull on his hair.

Tony comes back up and kisses you again, unbuckling your pants to pull your shirt out but a loud ring fills the fire station. "Shit!" You both exclaim, standing up and fixing your clothes as fast as you can. "Catch you later?" Tony asks mid way down the stairs. "You know it, baby." You smile running over to the ambulance and getting in while he gets in the firetruck.

------

"Rhodey, Romanoff, take a well deserved break. I'll finish up here." You tell them as they finish organizing everything in the back of the ambulance. "Alright, captain. Thank you." Rhodey says as they walk upstairs. You start spraying everything down, smirking when you feel someone's presence. "You know it's rude to stare at people, right?" You ask. "I'm sorry, can't help but admire you sometimes." Tony flirts as he steps inside the ambulance. He takes the spray from your hands and sets it aside. "Remember that idea you had a while back? That involved us and this ambulance?" Tony asks as he pushes your hair out of the way, leaning down to kiss your neck.

"You really are trying to get us caught by everyone." You chuckle. "Everybody here knows we're messing around, darling. Luckily they like us so they won't expose us to the higher ups." He mumbles as he trails kisses up to your ear. A moan escapes your lips and you feel his hand sliding up your thigh. "At least shut the-" He shuts the doors quietly before you can finish your sentence. "Where do you keep the extra sheets at?" He asks looking around. You reach across and grab one, handing it to him.

Tony spreads out the sheet on the floor, crawling over to you and helps takes your boots off. "Come here, honey." He says helping you to the floor. "I guess it's a good thing I took the stretcher out of here, huh." You chuckle. He laughs and kisses you deeply, unbuckling your pants and slowly pulls your pants off. Biting his lip, he leans down and trails kisses up your leg before taking your underwear off. "Look at you all ready for me, darling." He moans as he slides his tongue up your slit. "Taste so sweet for me.." You moan as he starts to praise you and you tug on his hair.

"What do you want, hon? Hm?" He looks up at you with those sinful, lust filled doe eyes. "I want you, baby." You moan. "Yeah? How do you want me?" His tongue slides across your clit. "Your tongue. Please." You whimper. He smirks and lowers his head, using his tongue to tease your clit while he slips a finger inside of you. "Fuck.. Tony." You moan as he slides another finger in and starts moving them. He sucks and licks on you, using his other arm to move up your body and squeeze your breast softly.

You moan, knowing you won't last much longer especially after what happened earlier in the day, and you start moving with his fingers trying to chase your orgasm but he pulls them out and sits up. "What the fuck, Tony!" You exclaim sitting up. "What? You think I forgot about earlier when I told you that you needed to be punished for being naughty?" He says innocently. You look at him, shocked but knowing why he did it.

Tony leans down and kisses you again, laying you back down. "You'll be able to cum soon, I promise," He unbuckles his pants and pushes them down to free his cock, "I always take care of my baby." His hand moves down and grips his base as he teases your entrance with his head before sliding in. "Shit, Tones." You moan as he bottoms out. He starts moving at a medium pace, placing his hands behind your knees and pushes them down so your knees¹ are by your ears.

"Such a pretty little slut for me. Letting me do whatever I want to you." Tony moans as he leans down to kiss you. Your arms wrap around his shoulders, holding him close as he pounds into you. You hiss as you feel your orgasm getting close again. "Can I cum, please?" You beg. "Yeah, cum on my dick, darling." He moans as he feels your walls clenching around him.

You pull his hair as you cum, feeling his movements stutter as he releases inside of you. "Shit, I wasn't expecting to cum yet." He says pulling out of you. "I have that effect on you." You smirk as you sit up, hearing his chuckle while you grab some wipes. He cleans the both of you off and kisses you deeply before helping you get dressed. You fix your hair and start cleaning up, throwing the sheet by the door as he opens it.

"See you later, okay?" He kisses you softly. "I'll be here." You chuckle as he walks off. "Hey, Y/N." He calls from the steps, making you turn towards him. "Do you want to go out on a date tomorrow? I know this great restaurant a few towns over if you're interested." Tony asks, shyly. "Yeah, I would like that." You smile as he smiles. "It's about time you two asked each other out. Maybe then you can stop having sex in our ambulance." Natasha calls and you cover your face in embarrassment. "Or make us want to do it more." Tony says laughing as he heads to his office.

#tony stark #tony stark fluff #tony stark imagine #tony stark smut #tony stark x fem!reader

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the-hinky-panda · 1 year ago

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The Lens: Part V

Author's Note: So this was supposed to be the last part of "The Lens" but then...Sorry, not sorry guys! Enjoy!

“I see your armor.”

“It’s called humor, Fin.”

But no, the seasoned Sargent is right. It is armor. Each joke, one liner, sarcastic flavored word, is just a gauntlet, breastplate, shield. It is the protection that Terry has painstakingly built around himself. And if other people are able to notice it, maybe it’s time to start paring it down. He can’t live his life with his guard constantly up, keeping everyone at arm's length. That night, he goes home and tries to figure out where to start with the dismantling of years of armor. What are some battles that he’s lost in the past, battlegrounds that he can pay tribute to in an attempt to heal wounds.

He’s done what he can with Rose. That ship has sailed, especially when he hears that she’s taken up with a fellow EMT. He can’t have any more regrets when it comes to her so he packs away that unsung future and moves towards a more attainable one. When Benson offers him a permanent position on the Manhattan SVU team, he takes it. He starts to look for a place closer than the Bronx and wondering what the next step is going to be when fate throws him a bone.

There’s an advertisement on the page across from the midtown rentals that he’s been combing through for an art gallery not far from the SVU. He recognizes your picture, The Gate of Babylon. There’s going to be an open house tomorrow night and he’s already clearing his schedule for it. He doesn’t know for certain if you’ll be there; you don’t always attend the open houses. But he’s hoping that fate is going to smile on him again.

His nerves start to fail him when he’s standing in the doorway of the renovated warehouse. There has to be close to two hundred people milling around the wide open space. This is three times the size of the small opening he went to a few months ago in the Bronx. This is Dom Perignon filling the glasses and Guerlain perfume filling the air. That’s why it doesn’t surprise him when he finally lays eyes on you, he barely recognizes you.

You look like a painting, or a fashion model from the runways of Paris. Your hair is slicked back and resting in a bun on the base of your neck. You're wearing a black blouse with a deep v-cut neckline with a gold pencil skirt, and gold heels. You’re walking elegance and he’s frozen to the spot as he catalogs this moment.

But then your head turns in his direction; your eyes immediately meet his. The surprise, shock even, reminds him of this immense gamble. Three months ago was your rooftop encounter. Three months of radio silence from him after he dropped you off at your apartment, hair disheveled, dress wrinkled, and that beautiful smile of a hopeful woman. And he had completely ghosted you. He waits for any sign that you’ll give him a chance to explain himself, apologize, and beg for a second chance but a well-dressed man in a tuxedo steps next to you and pulls your attention away from Terry’s sudden appearance.

Terry watches as the man’s hand settles at the small of your back, as he whispers something in your ear and you smile. Your attention is focused on a reporter and her photographer who take pictures of you and the tall, dark handsome man next to you. He should have known, should have realized that someone as bright and beautiful as you would find someone who would properly appreciate you. He should have known better; he really should have. He puts his hands in his pockets and leaves the open house, bitterness very strong on his tongue.

When he leaves the warehouse, he wanders blindly around the neighborhood. It’s an upscale part of Manhattan, wandering into an unsafe part isn’t a concern. He berates himself for letting three months pass without so much as texting you. He’s lost in his self-flagellation when he passes in front of a diner window and someone is tapping on the glass to get his attention. He looks and sees the other relationship failure from his past motioning for him to join her. Resigning himself, he goes into diner and walks back to where Rose is seated in one of the booths.

“I was just getting ready to text you,” she greets.

“Really?” She motions for him to join her and he thinks, why the hell not? May as well rub salt in the wounds at this point. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to tell you before you heard it through the grapevine but, Brian asked me to marry him. I said yes.”

He expects to feel a second wave of failure and regret but as he sits there and waits for it to come, it doesn’t. Instead, he feels relief. Any chance he had at making things work with Rose are completely gone now and it’s like being set free. He’s actually happy for her and tells her that.

Rose laughs but there’s a nervous tinge to it. “You are? Really?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs. “I never wanted anything bad for you. I’m…I’m just sorry you were there for the shittiest time of my life. And that it rubbed off on you.”

She nods. “Well, I guess it just shows timing really is everything.”

Isn’t that the moral of the story? He sees Brian come into the diner and stands up to leave so Rose and Brian can spend time in peace. He knows how hard it is to find that shared time together. He shakes Brian’s hand and gives Rose a hug. But as soon as he lets go of her, he sees your face in the window of the diner. At first he thinks it’s just a figment of his imagination, your sudden appearance at this particular moment in time, still dressed in your black and gold outfit. But it’s the hurt in your eyes that makes him realize this is, in no way shape or form, an illusion. You turn immediately away and start off down the sidewalk. He says a hasty goodbye and runs out of the diner after you.

“Snaps!”

You’re already crossing the street to the next block. Shit, you can move in those heels and you show no signs of slowing down. He breaks into a jog and catches up with you at the next crosswalk. Now he just needs to catch his breath.

“Snaps, look-”

“No, it’s okay. I shouldn’t have followed you. That was just,” you sniff and wipe tears from your eyes, “it was just stupid.”

The crosswalk sign turns and you immediately start to cross when he grabs your elbow. “Snaps, stop, please, listen to me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I dropped you off three months ago and never returned your texts and calls. I’m sorry I screwed that up so badly.”

“It’s okay, Terry. It is.”

“It’s not. It’s not okay. I fucked up. I showed up tonight to apologize, see if we could…” he lets the question drop off because you won’t look at him. That’s when the lights of a passing car catch the diamond ring on your finger. He had been right. You did find someone else, someone to love you like he missed out on doing.

You gently pull away from his grip and clear the tears that are stuck in your throat. “It, uh, it was good seeing you again, Terry.”

He watches you turn around and walk down the sidewalk before getting into an Uber.

#terry bruno x you #terry bruno x reader #detective terry bruno #terry bruno fic

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scentedchildnacho · 4 months ago

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I don't know what happened to the woman who left with the EMTs....i at shelter get a lot of tinnitus and I got really collapsing nauseous once but it turned out to just be food poisoning because once a day of it was over I wasn't sick anymore

So I think they get seizures and cardiac symptoms....

Its been kind of worrisome....that my heart rate be able to clear street pollution a bit unfairly.....but i did achieve homeostasis a blockage did not reach my heart and cause collapse

The pastor told me to not worry about the extensive gifts to women that will date men or appear with men I should notice something about the stuffs coloring that it's a satanic pursuit to call oneself a winning criminal case that can quickly readjust after jail so just dont pay attention to any of that

Its playboys or church of satans stuff so just dont get involved in that

Its people who claim they were in jail several years but they are quick up and getting back into things....it's jail for several years it causes severe macular degeneration it's character would act more blind then they do

Their neo Nazis...they light radiate peoples eyes till they have thick white tumors over their irises and pupils just to get to operate on them and use the tissue as a koch art form it's jail it's really horrifying

Honey and taffy...taffy is kind of a bully man...I would not find the stuff worth much if I had to have taff butt slap me

The staff just said don't touch other people's stuff or you will get bullied around so I think honey does have to many repetitions of the same stuff because taff does bully her

Its other people's stuff...we were suppose to be like a team and each get a positive supportive gift package

He wanted to know about housing programs so I told him I don't know anything about any housing programs this is a really unfair place people maybe have records about infrastructure digging in Africa or Muslim sweat sew shops in India this place is very unfair

Their Christians and Christians cannot be kind or forgive the Muslim world

Barcelona told me I have seen apparitions and to these people my reports of revolutionary and miraculous healing are satanic and I deserve pharmacology for life for being called a heretic

That's these people they want to live their settlement richer and dump me in institutions for life their too materialistically vain for disbelief in my visions

Christians are influenced by Germans you have to ask Germans if the regular 64 million stolen off the public budget can do something other then research severe emergence and send all aid to troops

Its really unfair they told me if I won't apply for state 🆔 then I have to live in toxic dirty conditions without a sanitary toilet always

Their gross vain prostitute wages keep increasing off my absence in quick unreasonable ways so their disbelief in my visions of miraculous healing is too sinful to be true

He asked me about unemployment so I told him........I don't know anything about unemployment this is a very unfair place.....they told me to collect unemployment that I had to keep applying for jobs that I don't care about don't know people in and am not really personally motivated to believe in

I was a Lutheran and it's just to steal our childlike faith and belief in social connection best displays the will of God

Its childhood it's barn jumping and river jumping it's like believing in flight

This is a really unfair place if the criminals are telling the truth they did serve several years in jail and they were still coming up to them about work....very unforgiving they serve their time and they want even more punitive activity

This is an unfair place like eco terrorists tried to make the surrounding building project reek of animal feces sometimes

Baudelaire children tried to leave to uncle monty but he came back for them

He wanted to know about ads to just be given like 10.000 so I told him theoretically it's a neat stick like people could be given their sex harassment and personal injury settlement in gimmicky ways but as far as I've tried it doesn't work they will make you go through the whole formality of court and intense scrutiny and victim blame of courts before it's wrong to make women feel they have to be an ass or boob to have the things people do in life

You have to cook you have to play the role of boob at people

I went to the law library and Riverside does have a womens liberation revolution culture here there are a lot of men that do really dislike people who hit or batter or neglect or injure women

There are men around who do find their strength feminine it appears and the law library is surprising that way they do really dislike women treated violently though

I don't know i have known enough women poorly to find second wave feminism good for them sometimes I think women do have a masculine impulse to be pretty good at argumentation and fighting and people should not put that candle out excessive passivity is a sad horrible hell to see

People should not make unjust punitive demands of anyone I do really dislike doesn't deserve that though

That's me about women I meet I think their kind of mental because they don't really do anything too awful to people but they inspire in people these horrible aggressive symptoms

I don't like men hitting women who have been abusive to me that I find truly grotesque and repugnantly disgusting but if a different group of women not so intimidated by them knows to do gay things to them that I don't find unjust

People like her are very incriminating in speech and without obligation and if a gay group told her to re enlist with them that I don't find unjust

This is a very unfair place they put up pedophile signs like computers may only be used for educational purposes like maximum sicko beater dad told you you can't have a day of fun

Uhm bunk ladies does pimp daddy try to beat and sterilize here much

After maximum penalties did gross daddy keep trying to peek at ya in the shower and fuck ya up real bad on street drugs

Does your street daddy rape much

The things cause forced emotion rules instead of correct psychotherapeutic action then stalk around with intoxicative fuck ya up street drugs

Cause PTSD much

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helenaheissner · 1 year ago

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Magical Girl Exorcist Squad (Issue #14: Sins of the Father)

NOW

Nicole flew over the ocean, a pink comet over the bright blue reflected off the clear sky. The air contorted around her, bending to her will as she propelled further and further from the shoreline. She carved a wake into the water below, shooting a straight shot deeper and deeper out to sea. Behind her, a winged missile called Winona tore through the sky to catch up. With each flap of her wings, her speed amplified. All Nicole could do was keep pouring on the willpower, giving more and more of herself to the broom. “Pink rocket time,” she whispered. “Pink rocket time. Pink rocket time.”

The wake dug deeper into the sea, casting bigger and bigger shocks of water to her sides. Behind her, she heard Winona’s wings working ever-harder. Nicole stole a glance, and saw the shoreline on the horizon begin to fade.

Good. Now for part two of the plan.

Nicole turned up the pink rocket, and shot faster and faster through the air, until finally the horizon faded and Nicole came to a halt.

“Okay,” Winona said with a maniacal smirk as she caught up, “You win.”

Nicole smirked right back. “Music to my ears. Let’s talk.”

***

Thirty-Six Hours Earlier

Cass floated over Boston, drifting about in the fog. The moisture tickled her skin, and she struggled to discern the stars through the mist. It had been either this or spend another Friday night alone in her dorm attempting to pay attention to whatever show or book or comic she wanted to distract her. Not that she didn’t want to, but lately… Lately nothing except the mission felt real. Like it was all that mattered, all that she should be doing. She was barely getting her homework and other assignments in on time, barely sleeping, barely thinking about anything else. So, she walked outside her dorm, transformed, and took flight.

Debbi would be mad. Amy too. They were… They were her sisters, and they wanted to look out for her, but sometimes they didn’t seem to entirely get the severity of what they were doing. It didn’t matter if she got hurt, if they got mad- what mattered was the mission. It was all that had ever mattered.

She drifted until she passed by a police precinct and realized said police precinct had been hit. The windows were shattered, cops were darting in and out, EMTs were outside, there was… Blood. So much blood, Dear God.

Cass doubled around to see if there was anything demonic going on, only to find two people sprinting away from the precinct. Both wore wooden devil masks.

Cass followed them from overhead until they entered an alley, wherein an Aramaic rune was painted onto the brick wall of the alley in blood. A third person, unmasked, waited for them in the alley, then slammed a fist into the rune. It glowed bright red, and the two masked assailants vanished. Cass flew into the alley, landing on her feet and summoning holy light. She reached with her telekinetic fingers for a dumpster and got ready to toss it at the remaining villain…

Only to stop when she saw who it was.

The woman standing in front of the rune was the same height as Cass. Had the same hair color, the same curly texture, the same dark brown skin tone and gray-brown eyes.

“M-Mom?” Cass stuttered.

The woman’s eyes turned solid black as she blew Cass a kiss. “Not quite.”

She slammed a palm into the rune and vanished in a puff of black smoke. Cass ran towards the rune, hoping it would work for her as well.

A gravely screeching interrupted her from behind the mouth of the alley.

Cass turned to look, only to find ten monsters pouring into the alley. Each was forged from a motorcycle, their engines revving with murderous intent.

***

Four Hours Earlier

Cass rubbed the gash behind her left shoulder, where one of the motorcycle monsters ran its wheel on maximum velocity and tore up her skin. She really ought to have Nicole heal it, but… Well, she’d just told Nicole off and then snuck out of the house to go flying again, so even Nicole wasn’t likely to be in an accommodating mood.

She wondered if this was the right thing to do. It probably wasn’t, but… The others wouldn’t understand. Her mom’s life was at risk. Debbi would want to stand around debating the issue and come up with some vague, malformed plan, Amy would go into hysterics, and Heather would just want to punch something to death. And all that was fine when the monsters were coming to them, but that wasn’t what was happening.

As for Nicole…

Cass needed answers, and the only way she could think to get those answers was by doing something that would horrify the blonde saint-in-training. Nicole was a good person, and if she could keep her hands clean then that was good for her. But it wasn’t good for Cass.

She flew until she reached Boston, reached Saint Joseph’s, and used her telekinesis to rip the basement door off its hinges. She marched over the possessed Bishop tied to a chair. His eyes were closed, so Cass grabbed a cup of Holy Water off the table and splashed him with it.

The demon roared venomously, while the Bishop’s body struggled with his bonds.

Cass put a finger on the Bishop’s forehead. “Talk. And I’ll let you go. Simple as that.”

“Die in a fire, bitch!” Cyrus said.

“You first,” Cass said, gathering more Holy Water from the tank of the stuff in the corner of the room. It was slippery in the grip of her telekinesis, and it shattered quickly, so instead she willed her cup over to the tank to refill it and then brought it back over to her.

Cass poured a droplet of Holy Water onto the Bishop’s forehead, and Cyrus screamed with unchecked agony. A demon exposed to Holy Water was, from what she’d heard, in approximately the same amount of pain as someone getting teeth pulled without any Novocain. Which meant this…

“Keep going, little witchling,” Cyrus hissed. “Every drop of Holy Water takes you another step closer to damnation. I can’t wait to see you there!”

The screams of the damned reached up from below and shook Cass. Oh God, what am I doing? Cass realized, remembering a round of dental surgery she’d gotten in middle school sans a sufficient amount of painkillers. This is wrong, I can’t do this. But I need to save Mom. That’s the right thing to do. Which means I need this demon to talk. God, I rushed I just rushed into this without thinking it through- now what? Cass’ hands began to tremble. Fuck, not now! Time to bluff. “I told you, talk, and you get to go home.”

“You think it’s home you’re sending me to?!” Cyrus said. “That’s rich- you’re sending me back beneath the Floodwater with the rest of the Legionnaires you’ve exorcized. It will take months to make it back to hell, and even after that, it could take years to make it back here, to see my wife and my son ever again. The odds of my seeing them again are far higher as long as I’m here.”

“Huh,” Cass said. “You know, I never thought of it like that. Is your son named Aidan, by any chance?”

Cyrus groaned. “Oh Satan, has the boy already blown his cover?”

“Yes,” Cass said. “For what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure he was acting on orders.”

“Hm. Yes, that sounds like him. The boy is loyal to a fault, has trouble saying no to anything,” Cyrus said. “Still, I love him with all my… Well, maybe not all my heart and soul. I don’t actually have those. But you get the idea.”

Cass channeled Holy Light into her index finger and held it an inch from the demon’s forehead. “Well then, as you’ve explained to me, you’re gonna miss a lot of father-son bonding time if you get exorcized. So why don’t you start talking, and maybe I’ll think about letting you go.”

“What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” rang a furious, androgynous voice. From a room off to the side emerged a tall, tan individual wearing a flannel bathrobe. It was Abe, Father Gonzalez’s… Associate. Cass wasn’t really sure what their deal was. They seemed to be staying in a small bedroom beneath the basement, supervising the possessed Bishop whenever Father Gonzalez or Sister Quinn was busy.

And they were pissed.

“I can explain,” Cass said, holding her hands flat above her head.

“She really can’t,” Cyrus said.

“Okay, then explain,” Abe said.

“I was interrogating our prisoner,” Cass said.

“She was torturing me! Threatening to make sure I never see my family again!”

“Were you?” Abe asked.

Cass blinked. Fuck, what do I do what do I do what I do… I really didn’t think this through at all GODDAMMIT WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! “Y… Yes.”

“Good God, girl! What is the matter with you?!” Abe screamed.

“Perhaps years of soldiering has taken its toll on the young Ms. Ortiz’s mind and spirit,” Cyrus opined. “Perhaps she’s falling, like an angel from the heavens, slowly being consumed by the intoxicating aroma of brimstone-”

“Shut up Cyrus, I’m not talking to you,” Abe said. They turned to Cass and said, “We’re gonna go wake up Father Gonzalez and you’re going to give your confession. He’ll decide how you can repent for this-”

A spike of panic tore through Cass’ heart. This was bad- she wasn’t supposed to get caught, but how could she not when her plan was stupid, stupid, stupid you’re so fucking stupid what is wrong with you?!

Cass summoned her broom and flew out the door into the night, groping for breath as the air rushed past her. She went higher, higher, higher- as far as she could from the ground until the air was too cold and too thin to go any further. Surrounded by clouds, Cass thought she might get lost and have to drift forever.

After what felt like hours, she looked down and saw her hands were trembling again.

Dammit.

She lowered herself towards solid ground, and started listing objects and their colors. “Red dress. Red hat. Gray sidewalk. Red stop sign.” The ground came into view, and she floated above an alleyway.

Someone was inside it, hunched over a display of dead bodies. Cass gasped- three people on the ground, dressed in rags and sliced to ribbons, blood painting the concrete crimson. She hovered above the young man, pale and average height and slender, clad in blue jeans and a gray hoodie. He fell to his knees, and he wept over the bodies.

Cass floated there silently, until she heard glass cracking behind her. She turned, and saw three monsters- a collection of broken beer bottles stitched together into a bipedal figure of shattered glass with shrapnel for teeth and fingers; a stop sign with legs, down on all fours, the letters dancing about in an ever-shifting Rorschach blob; and a floating, half-smoked cigarette the size of a motorcycle with a smoldering stub of Hellfire; and two humans, a man and a woman, both clad in devil masks behind them. Archie and Veronica- of course. Veronica got sprung from the clink and now she and boyfriend are on a killing spree. But how’s she walking again? Nicole broke her back.

The young man turned around and stared down the monsters at the mouth of the alley.

“Get down, man,” Cass said, floating just in front of the young man.

“You’re one of those magical girls,” the young man said.

“How very astute,” Cass said, monotone.

“Guess it’s time for my first team-up, then,” the boy said.

“I’m sorry, what now? I said to get down, gringo!”

In perfect Spanish, albeit with a thick Boston accent, the young man replied, “Don’t call me that,” as he marched past her. He carried a wiffle-ball bat behind him, dragging it over the ground.

“Uh, pendejo, that’s not gonna-”

“Don’t call me that either,” he said, still in Spanish.

The wiffle-ball bat sparked with white light, with Holy Light, until it was completely consumed. The glowing outline shifted until it no longer resembled a bat, but a claymore.

The cigarette monster charged first, and the boy swung wildly and missed. The burning end of Hellfire nearly stubbed him, but he leaped out of the way narrowly and began hacking and slashing at the air with his glowing makeshift sword.

Cass collected her jaw from the ground as the other two monsters charged. She channeled Holy Light into her fist and willed the stop-sign monster directly to her. She buried her fist in the metal, grunting as her hand bruised from the contact. Black smoke rushed out, and the dented stop sign fell to the ground as a heap of metal while the demon was banished from this plane of existence.

The boy finally landed a blow against the cigarette-monster, grazing it with the edge of his blade and carving a slice from the white paper. The cigarette burnt out as the demon was exorcized, and a dozen used cigarette stubs landed on the ground.

The glass monster charged Cass. That was bad- a direct punch would probably cut up her hand. But maybe…

Before the monster could reach her, the boy swung wildly with his sword. The broken-bottle-beast jumped out of the way, shockingly nimble, as the boy kept attacking. Cass fought against a headache as she extended her hands and pushed them together, locking the monster in place, and the boy sliced his sword through the monster’s center. A horizontal slash shattered the glass and purged the demon.

Cass gaped at the young man, then noticed behind him that Archie and Veronica had fled. And that sirens were blaring while red and blue lights flickered down the street.

When Cass turned to face the young man again, she saw that he was gone as well.

Lacking better options, she took flight.

Underneath the glamor, her phone buzzed in the back pocket of her denim. She took it out, and saw the words, ‘one new message from Mom.’

“Come to the place where we last spoke at sunrise,” Cass read.

The trembling in her hands grew ever more severe.

***

“I have an idea,” Nicole said. The four girls stood on the beach in their uniforms, midnight long past, the air growing ever colder and ever darker.

“I don’t like where this is going,” Heather said.

“You haven’t heard it yet,” Nicole said.

“Yeah, but you’ve already told us you’re not a ‘plan’ sort of person.”

Nicole sighed. “Be that as it may, I still have an idea.”

“Okay, let’s hear it,” Debbi said. The Donehue’s had settled back into the house, gathering their nightbags before they went to a hotel. Heather and Nicole had both already called their families and told them to find somewhere safe until the coast was clear. They were at a crossroads right now, their whole team. Whatever happened next would change the course of the struggle between good and evil. Best to divide and conquer.

“Winona flew out over the ocean, but she’s clearly hydrophobic,” Nicole said. “We need someone to draw her out while the rest of us look for Cass.”

“Nicole,” Heather said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “Please tell me you’re not suggesting-”

“I can fly out over the ocean, draw her out, and then get her talking,” Nicole said. “We need information and Cyrus still isn’t opening his mouth.”

“And what makes you think she’ll talk to you?” Heather said.

“Me,” Amy said, still rubbing her arms and shivering. “She’ll want to talk to her about me. But that means that I should-”

“No,” Nicole and Debbi both said at once.

“Amy, look at me,” Nicole said, taking her hand. “You’re not in a good psychological place to do something like that.”

“She’s right,” Debbi said.

“And I’m the fastest flier besides Cass, who somebody needs to look for,” Nicole said. “That probably shouldn’t be me given she rebuffed me last time we talked. She needs her sisters.”

Debbi put a hand on Amy’s shoulder. Amy sighed. “Okay.”

“I still don’t know if I’m crazy about this,” Heather said.

“What choice do we have?” Nicole said. “We’re being pursued by an enemy who knows us but whom we know almost nothing about. On top of that, while we did okay just now, I’m not convinced that Winona was going all out. I mean, come on, Heather- did that really feel like someone fighting at a hundred percent?”

Heather grunted. “No. It didn’t. Felt like someone testing us, trying to write a playbook on how best to deal with us. And that’s on top of the hundreds of hours of proverbial film she’s got on us from all those monster fights these past few years.”

“I’m the only one she hasn’t had time to plan for yet,” Nicole said.

“But you’re also the least experienced.”

“But I’m the only one with a healing factor.”

“But you’re the only one with zero hand-to-hand combat experience,” Heather said.

“Ladies, if I may suggest a compromise,” Debbi said, eyes going wide.

“I’m listening,” Heather and Nicole said.

Debbi smirked.

***

NOW

Nicole flew along the coast as the sun rose. She was a pink comet over a gray sky beginning to burn red and gold. The sun rising over the ocean was always one of her favorite sights growing up. Still was, honestly.

She smiled. Positive thinking was the only way around the hand grenades of anxiety going off in her brain. You can do this. You’ve got home court advantage. And she’s a yandere, so you know this will work-

“WHY HELLO THERE!” Winona’s voice tore across the horizon, flying back out from over the ocean like a pink-energy-seeking missile. Nicole accelerated at just the right moment, and the rogue Nephilim crashed into a sand dune.

Winona poked her head out from the sand and spat out a mouthful.

“General White,” Nicole grinned.

“I’m gonna kill you, bitch,” Winona said, smiling and giggling.

“Oh come on, don’t be like that. I’d much rather have a nice conversation,” Nicole said.

“I don’t have anything to say to-”

“About Amy,” Nicole said.

Winona paused. “I’m listening.”

“Tell you what,” Nicole said, “Why don’t we have a race, see who can clear the shore’s line of sight fastest. If you win, you can tear me apart limb from limb or whatever it is you think about before bed, but if I win we can have a nice conversation like grown women.”

Winona’s smile reminded Nicole of a rabid fisher cat she’d had to shoot during a camping trip years ago. “Okay!” Winona beamed, dusting herself off and stretching her wings.

“Cool!” Nicole said. “Race starts on three- 123GO!!!!”

And with that, she took off.

Behind her, a winged missile called Winona tore through the sky to catch up. With each flap of her wings, her speed amplified. All Nicole could do was keep pouring on the willpower. “Pink rocket time,” she whispered. “Pink rocket time. Pink rocket time.”

Good. Now for part two of the plan.

Nicole turned up the pink rocket, and shot faster and faster through the air, until finally the horizon faded and Nicole came to a halt.

“Okay,” Winona said with a maniacal smirk, “You win.”

Nicole smirked right back. “Music to my ears. Let’s talk.”

“What exactly does Amy see in you?” Winona said, her wings stagnant as she floated over the ocean. “Besides that you’re very, very fast- which I’ll admit you are.”

“Honestly? I’m not entirely clear on that. I don’t really think I’m that great.”

“Well yeah, obviously, but you’ve gotta have some idea,” Winona said, eyes narrow.

“No, legitimately: I have no idea. I don’t know how queer girls think.”

“But you are a queer girl.”

“And so are you- why don’t you take a guess?”

Winona blinked. “Well you are smoking hot, I’ll give you that.”

“But so are you.”

“Oh stop,” Winona said, smiling smugly, waving a hand.

“No I mean it- you’re an astonishingly beautiful woman. You’re much prettier than I am,” Nicole said, meaning every word of it.

“You really think so?” Winona said, hopeful as a child on Christmas morning.

“Yeah- you’ve got fantastic hair, killer cheekbones, gorgeous eyes, a great butt-”

“It is my best feature,” Winona said, smacking her cheeks. “I mean hey, looks aren’t everything, but mine will last forever, so I do have that going for me.”

“There ya’ go,” Nicole said. “You’re a real catch, Winona.”

“Thank you. You’re very sweet,” Winona said, beaming with pride and affection. “Maybe that’s why she likes you.”

“Could be,” Nicole shrugged. “Honestly though, I’m concerned it’s a misplaced sense of guilt and that she’s projecting.”

“Oh come on, give her more credit than that,” Winona said. “I’ve been watching Amy since she was seventeen- when she knows what she wants, she goes for it. Like the captain of the football team, or the captain of the basketball team, or the captain of the rival basketball team- girl’s got game.”

Nicole gulped. “Blue Blazes.”

“What’s that?”

“... I just gotta ask- how’d we get here?”

“We flew here,” Winona said, cocking her head to the side.

“No, no I meant the stalking thing,” Nicole said. “Why exactly have you been stalking Amy since before she was legal?”

“Actually, the age of consent in Massachusetts is sixteen, so she was-”

“That’s not the point,” Nicole said, raising a hand, struggling to keep the anger and disgust out of her voice. She took a deep breath of ocean air, drinking in the scent of the brine. “What I’m asking is why a Nephilim is doing all this in the first place- what is it that you actually want? Besides Amy, I mean.”

“To rule over Hell,” Winona said simply.

“And why’s that?” Nicole asked.

“Because an angel needs to rule Hell,” Winona said. “Nobody has sat the thrown since Uncle Samael went back to heaven.”

Nicole stammered, “I… I… I’m sorry, what?”

“Oh yeah, nobody on Earth actually knows all the details, do they?” Winona said, fluffing her light-wings. “Samael… Lucifer, or Satan, or just ‘the devil’ as you’re probably used to calling him… Repented his sins.”

“... There’s no way that’s true,” Nicole said.

“Your friend Cassandra’s been having visions, has she not?” Winona said. “Ask her about it. The Throne of Hell is mostly empty right now. It’s meant to be ruled by the Unholy Trinity: Satan, aka Lucifer, aka Samael; his daughter Sin, aka Azazel; and her daughter, Death, aka Azrael. But Azrael went to work for Grandpa Yahweh a while ago, and a few decades back, Uncle Samael decided he was tired of Hell. So, he went to talk to his Father, and was ultimately welcomed back into the Heavenly Host with open arms.”

“No,” Nicole shook her head. “That can’t possibly be true- the devil wouldn’t just- God wouldn’t just-”

“Forgive the devil?” Winona said, tilting her head to the other side. “Whyever not? God forgives everyone, loves everyone. He loves all his children, including His Lightbringer. And that’s lovely, but somebody needs to preside over Hell. Azazel can’t do it all on her own- she was overrun and unseated by a group of rogue angels called the Outcasts, and their human allies, the Wilders. They want to destroy Hell entirely, which would be great if that didn’t mean there was nowhere for the wicked souls to go after they die. Nowhere except Earth, nothing to do except haunting people and destroying stuff out of spite. You don’t want that, do you?”

Nicole struggled to find the words. This was a lot to take in, a lot to process, a lot to accept. She’d always been aware that there was no way the Catholic Church got absolutely everything right, but this was something else. “... Assuming even a fraction of what you’re telling me is true, why the heck would you want to take over Hell?”

“Because I’m the most qualified,” Winona said with a cocksure expression. “Before Uncle Samael became the Adversary, there was my father, Samyaza.”

“The leader of the Watchers, the angels assigned with guarding the Earth in ancient times,” Nicole said.

Winona clapped and squeed, the same way Nicole would when someone caught one of her obscure comic book references. It was more than slightly disturbing. “You’ve read the Book of Enoch! Yay! That’s awesome! So you know what happens next?”

“The Watchers were filled with lust for the daughters of man, and procreated with them, begetting giants called Nephilim,” Nicole said, dread and panic lancing her insides.

Winona giggled while pointing at herself. “That’s me!”

“And God sent the Great Flood to purge them from the earth,” Nicole said. Run away run away run away Nicole, run, you cannot beat this, RUN AWAY!

“And it mostly worked,” Winona said. “Except not all of us died. My father, Samyaza, loved me more than anything. He shielded me under his wings, kept me safe while the Floodwater washed over us. It drained into the negative space of reality itself, Chaos, where the Floodwater kept me and all the other survivor’s prisoner. Until finally, I was able to escape from under my father’s corpse, broke into Hell with the help of the Demon Legion trapped beneath the Floodwater by Christ, and started carving out a life for myself. But then everything changed after Uncle Samael left. And I took it upon myself to pick up the pieces.”

Nicole let a breeze roll over her and a wave pass under her. Run. “If what you’re saying is true, then why have you been attacking people? Why have you been stalking Amy? Why have you been releasing demons into the world and hurting and killing people?! WHY?!”

Winona’s giggled mutated in a smug cackle. “Because of Soul Energy. It’s everything- I need it to take over Hell. And the only way to harvest it is by killing humans.”

“Okay, so lemme see if I understand you: by killing people, you harvest Soul Energy to power your war machine, which, in conjunction with your Legion, you wanna use to defeat all your enemies and conquer Hell? Do I have all that right?”

“Yeppers!” Winona said.

“Winona,” Nicole said, “You’ve got to realize what you’re doing is wrong.”

Winona furrowed her brow. “Mmmmmm no I don’t! I mean, what else do you expect me to do? Hell needs a ruler, otherwise the Outcasts will destroy it, and that will destroy everything.”

“So why do you have to have a stake in it at all?!” Nicole shouted. “If Lucifer was allowed back into Heaven, you could be as well!”

“Because Hell needs to be ruled by an angel. One who will make sure it functions as intended,” Winona said firmly. “I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do!”

“Killing people for the sake of sitting on some stupid throne isn’t the right thing to do!” Nicole said, grinding her teeth, tears in her eyes.

“Well hey, everyone else is doing it,” Winona sighed. “You thought I was the only one releasing demons, creating monsters? I mean sure, in this state, and a few others, but I’m not the only one. I control the Demon Legion, which constitutes most of the Demonic Spirits, but that doesn’t take into account the Manifested Demons, the Fallen Angels, the Wilders, plus the Spirits who’ve allied with the Coven or the Dark Prophet.”

Something about that… REALLY ticked Nicole off. “So, if everyone else is doing it, that makes it okay? Do I have that right? Is that how you see all this?”

“As okay?” Winona asked. “No. It’s not okay. I’m well aware of that. But it is necessary. Now, I think we’ve had a lovely conversation today. Very productive. Very informative. I don’t suppose there’s any chance I can win you over to my side?”

“Are you gonna keep killing people?” Nicole monotoned.

“Yes.”

“Then no.”

“Why not?” Winona pouted.

“Because MURDER IS WRONG!” Nicole glared.

“Most of the time, sure, but some people fuckin’ deserve it.”

“I’ve seen dead children at your monster attacks,” Nicole spat. “Did they deserve it?”

“I mean you never know, some of them might’ve grown up to be real assholes.”

Nicole glared, jaw plummeting into the ocean depths below her broom. “Yeah, um… The answer is still no. But I would like to make a counter-offer.”

“Oh? I’m listening?”

“Okay, just wait for it… Wait for it…”

That was when Heather soared down from directly above. She’d followed their chase the whole time, two hundred feet further in the air, nothing but a verdant speck amidst the clouds. Nicole lobbed a Pink Energy sphere at her teammate as Heather’s fist collided with Winona’s skull and sent her screaming into the deep blue.

Nicole flew over and grabbed Heather by the back of her dress before she fell into the ocean herself. “COME ON COME ON COME ON LET’S MOVE!!!!!”

And with that, they flew back to shore, Nicole muttering, “Pink rocket time, pink rocket time, pink rocket time,” all the way onto land.

Once they were a few blocks into the nearest town, they untransformed and hailed a cab, then took off for campus.

In the distance, Nicole saw Winona flailing about in the sky above, soaking wet, searching desperately. Nicole hyperventilated, fear reverberating through every inch of her body and soul, her shield nearly collapsing under the weight of all that it was being asked to protect her from.

***

The sun finished rising over the cemetery, a long and winding series of hills dotted with tombstones. Dew sparkled in the expanding light, casting a multicolored radiance over the field of death. Cass landed on the ground with a thud, the subsequent soreness of her feet dwarfed only by the pain in her back from having spent most of an entire night flying.

The monster wearing her mother’s skin stood in front of her father’s grave.

“Hello, Cassandra,” the demon said with her mother’s voice. “I see you got my text.”

Cass glowered, hoping her trembling hands weren’t visible. She marched forward, trembling hands throbbing with Holy Light.

She reached for the demon’s throat.

The barrel of a gun pressed into the back of her head through the fabric of her hat. “How’s it going?” said a feminine voice muffled beneath a mask.

Veronica. Directly behind her, by the sound of it.

Cass’ hands wouldn’t stop shaking, her heart wouldn’t stop pounding, her mind wouldn’t stop racing. All she could see in front of her was a monster, one who needed to be stopped. Whatever happened to Cass didn’t matter, not so long as the monsters were defeated.

Pain and panic and horrible focus burned inside Cass’ mind and soul. She lunged for the demon. And all Hell broke loose.

***

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dadzawa-adopt-dabi · 3 years ago

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Katsuki stares up at Izuku. What the fuck was he doing up on the roof of the school? Some extra in a different class yells for Izuku to get down. Katsuki grins and sparks off his hands. He has hours until he has to be home yet, so he joins the crowd watching his childhood friend slowly walk to the edge of the tall building.

" We can be Heroes together Kacchan! Hee-ya! '' little Izuku punches the air with him.

"Do a flip!" He barks and several of the students laugh. Extra #1 gets in his face, blocking his view and asks him what he's going to do if he actually jumps. Katsuki laughs. Izuku won't jump, he'd never actually push someone to suicide. Izuku doesn't know how to give up anyways. He's useless and dumb. Idiot has such a baby face and is always getting in the way, typical quirkless nobody Izuku. Izuku doesn't walk away from the ledge though. He doesn't sit down to stare down at people while scribbling illegibly in his notebook like Katsuki expected either. He walks right up to the edge, blank faced and Katsuki's stomach drops, he's suddenly queasy and no ones laughing anymore.

"GET OFF THE FUCKING ROOF, YOU FUCKING DEKU!" he screams with no air in his lungs to breath as Izuku tilts forward, then wobbles a step back. Izuku isn't a coward. He's useless and can't do what everyone in this day and age desperately wants

"Okay but I'm going to be more famous than you!! And make more money because I'm going to catch all the bad guys!" A tiny Katsuki whose quirk hasn't even come in yet brags.

"Okay! I'll focus on the Hero stuff then!" Izuku tells him earnestly. Katsuki scoffs in irritation that Izuku isn't paying attention to what he's saying.

Izuku can't be a Hero with his friend, he's getting left behind. Izuku's step back causes the crowd to loosen just a little. There's hope. He's not really going to jump. Izuku's muscles are locked though. His face is blank and something is still not right. Katsuki shoves his long fingered friend standing beside him.

"The fuck was -" he starts bitching and Katsuki cuts him off without taking his eyes from Izuku.

"Get up there. Now," he whispers with a throat constricted with emotion. For fucks sake nothing is even going to happen, he chastises himself. Fingers takes off at a dead sprint towards the ladder on the side of the building. Izuku jolts forward jerkily, Katsuki can't breath and everyone starts looking away. A few drag their friends off, away from what's happening. Izuku throws himself off the roof as Fingers scrambles up the ladder still. It happens too fast.

His throat burns and there is a high thin noise, someone screaming without the air to power it, and Izuku is on the ground. Blood splattered and a large pool growing under him. Katsuki's stomach flips and he pukes all over his clothes and shoes. He didn't have the sense to avoid it as he was left staring. He stares as someone calls an ambulance. As several Heroes mutter what a shame it was. Why didn't they save him? When did they get here? Katsuki is trembling and a medic is asking him questions he can't answer. They pull him into the ambulance with Izuku. He has an oxygen mask on him. A medic turns his face away from Izuku and towards him as Katsuki realizes he's breathing too fast. He can't seem to slow it down either. He just keeps pointing at Izuku. His hands make a sign, one he hasn't made in years. 'Izuku', kind with the letter 'I' formed. Their faces fall and the emt shakes his head. No one knows JSL. Katsuki tries to turn towards Izuku again and they strap him down to a stretcher. He doesn't remember anything else but the struggle to breathe and the sick sound Izuku's body made as bones broke on pavement and florescent lights on the ceiling of the hospital.

Katsuki's parents are called eventually. He's picked up from the hospital and taken home and when his mother tries to talk to him he takes out his hearing aids, looking out the window. Mitsuki keeps using the newer sign for Izuku, he doesn't know how to tell them he caused Izuku to jump. That Deku isn't a fun tease anymore, he turned it into an insult almost on accident. He told him to jump. Then he did and Katsuki saw it happen. He takes a week off school, everyone does. Then they come back and it's like nothing happened. His grades tank and the counselor drags him in, advising him that it wasn't his fault. Izuku should have asked for help. Katsuki doesn't know if he even remembers walking past Katsuki tearing a notebook out of Izuku's hands last week.

"You've got a Hero career and a future to look forward to, Bakugo. I know you and Midoriya were close but remember that he would want you to succeed." He's given a clap on the shoulder with the parting words and sent back to class. That's the thing too, Izuku would want him to succeed. Would want him to become a Hero despite Katsuki's attitude towards him, Izuku never stopped supporting him. He goes back to training and his grades shoot back up easily enough. He feels like no one's noticed anything happened. The world's going on for everyone but him and he's still standing frozen as Izuku jumps. He could have climbed that ladder faster than Fingers. Could have pulled him back and held on tight until everything was okay again.

He trains because he doesn't know what else to do. His head is not focused on it anymore though, stuck in the past. Him and Izuku as toddlers, doing everything together because Izuku lived right down the street and he wasn't mean. That's all that they had needed back then and Katsuki doesn't know why it wasn't enough for him anymore one day. He's jogging around the block one day, training again and he's paused to catch his breath and spark off extra sweat. A skinny tall teen approaches him and he tenses up.

"Nice quirk. Training to be a Hero I assume?" The teens face is hidden but he's got purple scars under blue eyes that glare at Katsuki.

"I will kick your fucking ass. And yes." He snarls at him. He doesn't know what this guy wants but Katsuki's not interested in talking.

"That what Heroes do? Kick strangers ass?" The teen tilts his head as stares at him. Katsuki wants to give him a different answer, it sounds wrong now to say that.

"Gotta kick villain ass to climb the rankings, you only get half points for popularity and looks." He points out and finishes draining his water bottle. The teen slides down the wall he had been leaning against and looks up at the sky.

"What about helping people? Who helps people if Heroes are just violent people giving out asskickings?" Katsuki shakes his head and jogs off to home. Who helps people? He looks up how many Heroes had been in the area when Izuku jumped. Six. Six Heroes and half an hour Katsuki had watched him on that roof. Was it just because there was no one to arrest? If Izuku had been threatening anyone besides himself, would he have been caught before he hit the ground? The question plagues Katsuki, he trains and does his homework and goes to school all on auto pilot. Would he have saved Izuku if he'd been a Pro in the area? What about not doing the things that lead to him telling him to jump? Calling Izuku worthless and a nobody, blowing up a notebook he knew Izuku used to study other Heroes. To combat his quirkless status. The memory of Izuku telling him he could be more famous and get the most arrests replays in his head. He'd thought Izuku wasn't listening and had been dismissing him, but... But what if he'd been saying something Katsuki was just now figuring out? He goes for a run again, his mom calls for him as he tugs on his shoes and instead of flipping her off like normal he promises to be back within the hour. Mitsuki blinks in shock but by the time she's recovered Katsuki has taken off on a jog. He heads for the same area he saw the teen before, struggling to recall details and put them into perspective. Yeah the teen had scars and kept his face covered. What did that mean though? That was good information to give the police.

Katsuki thought of his clothes, things that he normally dismissed because they could be changed by the time he talked to authorities. The teen had more worn out clothes though. Holes along the edges, he'd looked tired. Homeless, the teen was homeless. Katsuki was sprinting now to the building he'd seen the teen around. If he was homeless then he'd probably be around the same building. Bright blue caught his eye and he turned to see the teen with his hand lit on fire. The teen is crouched beside a dumpster and Katsuki skids to stop by him startling him before he straightens up. Stopping the gentle noises the teen had been making in an attempt to coax something out.

"Oh, hey. It's the violent brat." He sneered before doing a double take at Katsuki's appearance.

"You alright, brat?"

"Shut the f-'' Katsuki squeezes his eyes shut. Why is he even talking like that to someone who's concerned?

"The other day. You were talking about Heroes. Pro's. You think they do something other than climb rankings and make arrests. What? What do you think they do?" Katsuki pants out with his hands on his knees. The sun is setting and he still has to make it home. And contact an agency to get this guy a place to stay. He's got something against Heroes but is rooting around under a dumpster for what Katsuki can only assume is a cat.The teen looks up at him like he's missing the obvious before shaking his head.

"Kindness. Heroes should be kind, not violent, lying dickbags out for themselves. They're technically public servants. So why aren't they serving the public?" he spits out. Staring at Katsuki warily as he absentmindedly sparks off his hands, he flinches at the noises and leans away from him.

"You fucking asked me. Don't get pissed at the awnser." His own quirk flares in warning.

"Its sweat. I'm not threatening you dumbass." He grits his teeth as the teen straightens to loom over him.

"Leave." He points a flaming hand dramatically out of the alley way and Katsuki rolls his eyes. Still he heads for home at a dead sprint, he told his mom he would be back in an hour. He makes it back in time, right as the street lights flicker on and collapses on his lawn. Breathing hard and letting the cool grass help cool him.

He looks up the area he was in and its active Hero agency's before clicking on one and sending a tip that they've got an abuse victim with a grudge against Heroes near them. He includes the fact that it's a teen, almost writes that he's unstable and violent before thinking better of it. Katsuki's quirk was loud, flashy and people did often assume he was angry when he used it. He puts down reactive and scared instead. After it's sent a message through the app pops up, a hero with a cat icon instead of his face wants to know physical details and when he last saw him. Eraserhead. Izuku used to talk about him when they were kids. He wasn't a ranked hero, little to no information on him. But from what Katsuki remembered he was a badass who helped people. He sends a detailed description and walks inside. He's done what he can. Mitsuki scolds him for leaving so late and without asking first. His head is full of the idea that a Hero should practice kindness first. He thinks about it, and thinks about it and thinks about it. Is that the kind of Hero he wants to be? Why does it matter how a Hero acts? Izuku would have been a kind hero, because he's a kind person. Katsuki applies to U.A. as planned and during the practical exam while everyone is taking out robots, he saves someone. He's given a thank you after he passes and while the response that comes to him first is to tell them to stay out of the way, he instead nods, then points out that he was just walking by. Be kind, he tells himself. His class is a handful. Full of different people and quirks. He's no social butterfly but he reminds himself again and again to be kind.

Be nice to Kirishima- shitty red hair who struggles with homework because he's second guessing himself. Hardening quirk.

Be nice to Denki- who's brilliant when he's asked questions instead of reading them and who jumps from one subject to another. He can't really slow down so Katsuki helps his squad keep up with Denkis mile a minute pace. Charges everyone's phones, electric quirk.

Be kind to Ashido- who's loud and eager to make friends. She's a bit much for him at times but she's getting better at resigning herself in. Acid quirk, bright colors.

Eventually Izuku wakes up from the coma that jumping put him in. The first thing he does is contact a Hero. He didn't jump. He'd been bumped into by a man with a quirk that took over his body. Like strings were all across his limbs forcing him to jump. He'd fought it as best as he could , almost won. But in the end, the quirk had thrown him off the building's roof. Izuku calls Katsuki right after his mom. Katsuki arrives panting from sprinting to him, several nurses following him. He grits his teeth and apologizes, thanking them but he's alright and his friend just woke up from a coma.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. You weren't supposed to, why didn't you tell-'' Izuku thankfully cuts Katsuki off.

"I didn't do it. Control based Quirk. You wouldn't ever say it if there was ever a chance I'd do it." Izuku shrugs a little in his hospital bed and Katsuki has to use the wall to keep himself standing. He's changed so much. How can he explain that even if he knew Izuku wouldn't, he shouldn't have told him to jump. How does he explain to him that even if he hadn't ever said those words, that he hasn't treated him right.

Be kind- Izuku. Best friends since childhood. Quirkless and unstoppable because he knows what he wants to do and what it means to be a Hero. He just has to be reminded. Katsuki's got a lot of practice being patient and kind now in the past almost two months Izuku's been asleep.

"I think I get it now. What you meant when we were kids. What a Hero is."

#bakugou angst #bnha #mha #izuku midoriya #izuku mydoria #thedarkonewrites #my hero academia #fanfic #non romantic #okay to read as romantic #bakudeku

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radioactivepeasant · 3 years ago

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Fic Prompts: Free Day Thursday

(Everybody Lives au, Remastered)

The young man lying in the hospital bed hadn’t moved since collapsing in the remains of Kamino Ward. Whatever had made Kurogiri’s portal flicker red like that, it must’ve had an adverse effect on the people who had fallen out of it. The elderly woman had been rushed into surgery and wasn’t out yet. That just left the young woman to answer their questions, but she hadn’t left the young man's side since he was brought to the hospital, and the doctors were very protective of their charges.

If it hadn’t been for the Pro Hero licenses the girl had turned over to authorities before leaving the ward, her brother might’ve been handcuffed to the hospital bed regardless of her presence. His resemblance to Shigaraki was, after all, uncanny. Even more unmistakable than the girl's resemblance to Nana Shimura, not that most heroes knew about that particular wrinkle.

Unfortunately for everyone, both siblings had been carrying the elderly woman to the ambulance, and the blood from when she had slammed into that crumbling wall had soaked into the cards. The ink was barely legible now on the boy's, and almost fully illegible on the girl's. All authorities could tell was that the young man was named “Tenko” something, and the young lady's name began with "H". If she had not told EMTs that her name was Hana, in a rushed and distracted manner, nobody would have known who she was.

It wasn’t until All Might visited, having escaped the doctors for a checkup, that anything happened to clear up the questions of identity.

“All Might, you know they’re just trying to help, right?” Detective Tsukauchi sighed as he followed All Might into the room.

“They act like I’m going to keel over dead any second,” All Might huffed bitterly. “You’d think they’d never seen a quirkless man before.”

There was a sudden rustling from the bed that caught their attention. The patient was staring at them with unfocused eyes. He seemed agitated.

“All…Might…?” he croaked.

The detective quickly pushed the call nurse button and sat down next to the bed.

“Oh! Hello there! Did we wake you up? I’m sorry about that.” He smiled sympathetically. “I bet you’re probably pretty thirsty, huh?”

The boy turned his head to examine the IV with a befuddled expression, then nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

"No sister today?"

Tenko began to look alarmed. "Where's...Hana?"

All Might grimaced. "Tsukauchi, I don't think he's been lucid until now," he scolded gently, "Don't scare the kid."

The detective made an apologetic noise and bowed his head. "Sorry about that!" he said again, "Hana is usually here, the nurses told me, so she must have just stepped out for a second."

Tenko leaned back and sighed in relief. With halting, weary, hands, he reached up to brush unkempt bangs out of his face. "That's...good," he mumbled, "She promised. She's always there to s- save me."

Now that he was seeing Tenko up close, a cold shiver ran down All Might’s spine. Even with his sunken cheek and facial scars, he was still recognizable. From the curve of his jaw to the small birthmark on the right side of his chin; All Might had seen that facial structure before.

The similarities became even more evident when the young man smiled weakly at him. “Hana was right! You are alive!” He sighed. “It worked! I was…so afraid it would be…for nothing.”

Tsukauchi exchanged a glance with All Might. “What do you mean? Did you come through the portal to try to help All Might?”

The nurse entered at that moment, and the questions paused. Especially seeing as she had brought the patient's sister with her. Once again, All Might was shaken by her resemblance to Nana, though she couldn't have been older than twenty or so. He had to take hold of Tsukauchi's arm to physically steady himself as the girl flew past them to her brother's side.

"You're awake!" she gasped, then flicked him in the forehead. "You waited until the one time I wasn't here to wake up? You jerk!"

"Don' hit me!" Tenko pouted, "I'm tired!"

He looked around again, and asked in a small voice, "Where's Gram?"

Hana let the nurse gently shoo her away from the bedside so that she could check Tenko's vitals.

"She's in another surgery," Hana admitted. "Her arm got pretty mangled, but the doctor said it's fixable. I'm more worried about how we're going to pay for all this."

Her brother's eyes widened. He gingerly accepted the large cup of water the nurse handed him and stared down into it. "Aw crap, you're right. We're still broke." He settled back against the pillow, looking no less concerned than before.

“He’s still recovering from Quirk Exhaustion,” the nurse said, turning briskly, “I’m sorry, Detective, All Might, I need to ask you both to leave. Family only, right now.”

Tenko frowned. “Wait…don’t go!”

The nurse sighed. “They can visit in a little while,” she assured him, “But right now, you need to be able to rest and recuperate without getting so agitated. The doctor will be in before long to talk to you.”

All Might forced a smile, even as his mind raced. “It’s alright, young man. We won’t go far.”

Several different emotions flickered across Tenko’s face. Hurt, concern, even resignation.

“You don’t…know us,” Hana said dully, speaking for them both. “You didn’t know us here, right?”

All Might turned to face him. “I’m afraid I’ve never met you face to face before today,” he said carefully. He had a suspicion. He wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe All for One had just been lying again. But he didn’t know.

Tenko sipped at his water and bit his scarred lip. “It’s going to sound crazy.”

All Might managed a genuine chuckle at that. “My dear young man, so does most of my life.”

With a half smile, Tenko mumbled, “That’s true.” Then, ignoring the impatience of the nurse, he leaned his head against Hana's shoulder and said, “I’m…My name is Tenko Shimura.”

"And I'm Hana Shimura." Hana met his eyes for a brief moment, then looked away. "You...might be kind of...you're our uncle."

One look at Tsukauchi’s dumbstruck face was all the confirmation All Might needed.

Now they just needed to know how.

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txemrn · 4 years ago

Text

Book: Open Heart (after book 3)

Word Count: 1456 (+/-)

Warnings: Language, angst, maternal death

A/N: You guessed it; we did another Drunken Drabbles last night (which if you ever want to play, please join us! My buddies @chemist-ana, @jstawriterbee, & @kat-tia801 joined me last night--check out their DD! They actually have smut!), and this one is brought to you be Deep Eddie's Vodka. As far as the challenge? I broke every. single. rule. First of all, I passed out before I could schedule to post this, so here I am, 2.5 hours late. Second, I didn't use the prompt. There is literally no prompt to this. Third, I'm well over 1000 word. And finally, there is no smut. Nada. Zilch. What the hell happened last night? *rubs head* Some characters and plot belong to Pixelberry. Also, no editing or pre-reading with this bad boy, so please forgive me! Enjoy! 😎

***

Depositing a dollop of hand sanitizer in her palm, newly appointed Chief of Obstetrics Dr. Tatum Erikson escorts a nurse out of a labor patient's room. “Let’s go ahead and start that amnio,” she orders as she rubs her hands together. "300 bolus followed by 80 an hour. Call me if--" the chime of her pager interrupts her. "Shit."

"Ma'am?"

Tatum rubs her temples. "Sorry--um--" she looks back at her pager. "--call me if those decels don't resolve in thirty minutes--" she begins to jog down the birthing center's corridor, heading towards the stairs to exit the unit.

She bolts down the six flights, reaching the ground level at a rapid speed. She rounds the corner, pushing past the double doors next to a large red-and-white illuminated sign: Emergency. She sees the commotion ahead and a patient being transferred from a stretcher, not responsive.

"I'm Dr. Erikson," she frantically calls out over the chaos of the room. "I was paged 911. What've we got?" As a seasoned EMT rattles off vital signs and history, Tatum instantly recognizes Karla Hogan, a patient she saw this morning at her 38-week check-up appointment.

Oh, God, no... Please no...

"...she was found unresponsive at the scene of the MVA. Asystole. CPR in process for 17 minutes--"

"Epi? We've given epi?"

"Yes--"

"Atropine?"

"Maxed."

No, no, no. This can't be happening…

"Doctor, how would you like to proceed--?"

"Put a goddamn fetal monitor on my patient," she barks, turning to a nurse nearby. "You," she points, "page OB STAT Emergency overhead. I need an OR now--"

"It won't make a difference," bellows a cold, baritone voice from the doorway of the room.

Tatum freezes, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She knows that hauntingly deep voice: a voice that once made her giggle incessantly during the day while he purred her name late into the night; a voice that encouraged her, comforted her, believed in her all through medical school; a voice that once laid claim to her hand and her heart--that is until that voice found her in bed with his best friend. She knows that frigid tone anywhere.

"Ramsey," she mutters.

"A postmortem c-section?" He condescendingly questions, strolling confidently into the room. "She's been down for how long--?"

"But, if these chest compressions have been adequate, there's a chance--"

"She was gone before they even started--" he nonchalantly interjects as he begins testing the patient's reflexes.

"Doctor Ramsey," she chides before being abruptly interrupted by a trauma nurse.

"Dr. Erikson, I think I hear a heartbeat, but it's low and slow." Tatum nervously nods, taking a few deep breaths.

"That's good enough for me," she kindly thanks the nurse. "Alright, team," she boldly orders, "Let's get her ready for a cesarean." She turns to a nearby technician. "Where the hell is my OB team?"

"They've been paged--"

"Page them again," orders Tatum.

"But, doctor--"

"Page them again," Tatum's tone becomes more stern as she starts grabbing surgical materials. Slipping on a scrub hat, she turns to look into a pair of familiar, crystal blue eyes. "When's the last time you did surgery, Ramsey?"

The tall provider sardonically chuckles. "It's been a while," he crosses his arms, "but, it's not happening right now--"

Tatum scoffs. "Let's get her prepped people. Move!"

"Dr. Erikson," Ethan hollers, a warning in his tone. "You will not be performing this--"

"Watch me." Tatum fervently assists the nurses and technicians in positioning the gravid body. "If you've got a problem, take it up with the chief. This is my call--"

"Already have," Ethan snidely rebuttals, "and it's my call." Tatum stops applying her surgical mask, slowly turning her attention to his towering frame. Her wide eyes slowly trace down from his face to the embroidery of his white coat: Dr. Ethan J. Ramsey, Chief of Medicine.

Tatum blinks her lashes in confusion. "Where's Dr. Banerji?"

"Not here," Ethan smirks, raising an eyebrow. "Now will you be reasonable?"

"Reasonable?" She feels the anger burning inside her as she fights back the stinging pain of tears. Her eyes glisten with earnest pleading. "Ethan," she beckons under her breath, "We could save a life."

Ethan runs his hand over his face, allowing his fingers to rest against his chin. "Tatum, I--"

"Please. Do this," she swallows deeply, her voice reducing to a whisper, "for me?" Ethan's gaze fixes on his former love, a flash of memories flood before his eyes leaving the pair in a palpable stillness.

"Nurse," he calls out from over his shoulder, "I need a size eight glove."

***

"You want me to--"

"I can do it."

Ethan and Tatum walk in silence to the waiting room to retrieve Karla Hogan's husband. Recognizing him instantly, Tatum invites him to follow him to a more private room to talk.

"Just--just say it, Dr. Erikson." Tatum stuns in her steps, slowly turning to face the tearful husband and father-to-be. "Please don't make me take one more step, one more second not knowing that the love of my life--that she, my Karla--" his voice falls into sobs.

"We--we did everything--" Tatum's voice runs hoarse as tears drip from her cheeks. She clears her throat. "Mr. Hogan, I--I--" A sudden tunnel of darkness clouds around her head, the room falling silent. She feels her heart begin to panic, thundering in her chest as her breathing becomes more shallow. She's had this difficult discussion before with family members; but death in the maternity ward is never something one should get used to.

Suddenly, Ethan gently puts a hand on Tatum's shoulder, a comforting touch that always brought her back to reality. She takes a few deep breaths, looking up at him. He gives a curt nod as he squeezes her shoulder, stepping forward to talk.

"Mr. Hogan, we did everything we could…"

Tatum slips off her scrub cap, letting platinum blonde wisps cascade down her face. All she can picture in her head is Karla, how she was full of hope this morning‐‐they both were. And in the blink of an eye

"... but thanks to this skillful doctor right here," Tatum is pulled from her thoughts by Ethan's words as he points to her. "--your newborn baby girl is waiting for you, recovering in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit."

***

After leading the emotional father up to meet his daughter, Tatum turns on her heel, making her way back to her laboring patients in the birthing center. But, before she exits the NICU, she discovers Ethan finishing a conversation with one of the neonatologists. Their eyes meet.

“Proud of you today, Tate,” Ethan offers a crooked smile.

Tatum dramatically steps closer to Ethan, crossing her arms as she raises an eyebrow. “Pardon me,” she lifts a hand up to cup her ears, “but did you just say, ‘You were right, Tatum; I was wrong’?”

Ethan pinches between his eyes while his other hand rests on his hip. “I’m never wrong--”

“Today you were--” she jovial pokes at him.

“You got lucky--”

“And you’re still bitter--”

“‘Bitter’?” Ethan scoffs, “of you--?”

“That someone’s medical intuition rivals your own--”

“Dare to dream, Dr. Erikson, but we both know exactly what your intuition is capable of--” The moment the words left his lips, a painful apologetic look plagues Ethan’s eyes as he watches the stunned hurt flash across hers. A thick silence floods between them, both of them unsure how to recover from such a low-blow of a remark. Tatum stares at the floor, unsure if she should just walk away.

“Tatum, I--” she shakes her head, waving her arm to dismiss the inevitable apology. She just wasn’t sure when she would stop paying for the sins of her past.

“So,” she tries to change subjects as a mischievous grin grows across her face. "I missed the memo. You're my boss."

"I'm your boss," he chuckles, crossing his arms.

"Hrmmm," Tatum raises her eyebrows, turning towards the door as a silence falls between them, again. She motions for the automatic door to open.

"Hrmmm what?" Ethan questions, turning towards her as the doors slowly open.

"Oh, I was just thinking," she lowers her voice, placing her hand on his arm. Ethan bites his lower lip as his cheeks begin to flush. His eyes flutter down to her lips before drifting back to her gaze. He swallows thickly.

"A-About what?" His tone matches hers.

She giggles letting go of his arm. She makes her way through the automatic doors and back en route to her department. But, not before she calls out over shoulder in a dark, sensually husky voice: "It wouldn't be the first time--" she twirls on her heel to look at him one more time, giving him a wink and a knowing smile, "--sir."

***

@chemist-ana @charlotteg234 @choiceskatie @forallthatitsworth @irisofpurple @kat-tia801 @khoicesbyk @lovelyladyk88 @lucy-268 @neotericthemis @phoenixrising308 @sfb123 @shannonwrote @shewillreadyou @taniasethi @thefrenchiemama

#open heart #ethan ramsey #open heart fanfiction #ethan ramsey fanfiction #pixelberry #choices OH #choices OPH #drunken drabbles

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you-cant-spell-subtext-without · 4 years ago

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Continuing my dissertation on why Supernatural is about Destiel even when Cas is not in the episode, and here is my analysis of 11x18 - The Chitters.

I initially had this episode on a “never watching again” because the monster grossed me out so much, but then I realized that the writers were giving us a literal Dean/Cas as husbands mirror story by doing this

and hiding it in an episode with the most grotesque MOTW imaginable (seriously, name a worse monster than underground creatures who impregnate humans with their eggs via orgy and leave them in a damn cave; oh and cause them to shake, chitter, and have glowy green eyes. BRB, puking).

A little trickster moment in the beginning starting this episode with two brothers, and the eldest - Matt - dying in a *shocker* supernatural way, and the youngest - Jesse - then going on to dedicate his life to avenging his brother’s death. A lot of reviewers consider this intro to mean we are supposed to be looking for Sam/Dean parallels in the following narrative bEcAusE tHAt is WhAT thE boYS wOuLD dO, but I POSIT TO YOU IT IS NOT ONLY A 10000000 percent DESTIEL STORY, BUT ALSO THAT this is established in the very first scene - the conversation between Jesse and Matt in the flashback:

JESSE

It finally happened.

MATT

What? You didn’t get detention this week?

JESSE

Me and Jackie, we kissed.

MATT:

Okay, can I stop hearing about him every two minutes now? “You think he likes me?”, “Jackie looked at me. I-I think he looked at me.”

JESSE

He definitely likes me.

***I mean Matt’s comment - does this not immediately remind you of Sam “I am in constant Destiel super hell” Winchester?

For reference, here is Sam’s “I am in super hell please stop now” face:

**Also he LOOKED AT HIM?! What is 80% of Destiel if not subtextual pining and LOOKING. I don’t make the rules. Jesse is Dean. And Matt is dead. Matt’s death ENDS the “brother portion” of this story insofar as the parallel is concerned. (**please note I am not advocating for Sam to die. the parallel is just NOT about the brother storyline in this episode - there are plenty of other “mirrors” for the brother storyline, but this is NOT one of them).

We cut to the real Dean continuing in FULL RESEARCH MODE ACTIVATED because Amara has Cas at this point and he is panicking.

Was the red and black flannel an intentional wardrobe choice to mirror Jesse’s jacket? We will never know. (Yes. Everything is intentional. This is Supernatural. We hate it here. Also Cesar is in a KHAKI vest because KHAKI means THINGS in Supernatural for REASONS).

Also I love FULL RESEARCH MODE ACTIVATED desperately trying to get Cas back Dean. It’s real “I just started studying for my final the night before at 10 p.m.” energy. He’s refusing to stop to even look at Sam here:

Anyway, a few gross scenes of green eyed people, orgies, and a hilarious conversation about weed (or was it oregano?-

Jensen Ackles you slay me) later -

Jesse and Cesar save Dean’s bacon and the four of them end up in a bar chatting over beers. Here is where it is INCREDIBLY apparent that Jesse is a mirror for Dean (also I’d watch a bottle episode of these four hanging out doing regular every day stuff a la How I Met Your Mother or Friends).

JESSE

One of them took my brother 27 years ago.

[Sam and Dean look surprised. Sam turns to Dean, and Dean is speechless.

DEAN

[looks to Jesse] I’m sorry to hear that.

JESSE

I’ve been waiting years to come back and have this shot at them. So, I hope you understand, I’m gonna ask you two to take a step back from this one.

DEAN

[nods] Well, catch us up. Where have you guys been?

JESSE

In the woods, where the action is, looking for their burrow and saving your ass.

[Sam is slightly taken aback, but he gives a look of approval. Cesar scoffs.]

JESSE

What?

CESAR

Well, one of the reasons we’ve been holed up in the trees is because Jesse hates the town and everyone in it.

JESSE

Because they’re ignorant and useless. [turns to Cesar] They didn’t believe me 27 years ago, they’re not gonna start now.

CESAR

[sternly] It’s boneheaded not to be following leads in town.

JESSE

Hey, nobody stopping you from talking to the whole box of crackers.

[Cesar sighs and looks away.]

***You could replace “Jesse” with “Dean” and the lines wouldn’t need to change an iota to stay in the character. Cesar’s scoffing, the stern response, calling Jesse boneheaded, sighing, looking away exasperatedly - 100% Cas energy. I really don’t make the rules. Cesar isn’t anything like Sam, and he isn’t meant to be. This is not a brother story. THIS IS A STORY ABOUT TRUE LOVE DAMMIT.

Dean makes that red herring comment about them bickering just like brothers , then:

Which by the way is EXACTLY how Dean and Cas bicker. Hence why Sam is always in super hell.

I can’t find a better quality image of this montage, but I really wanted to bring attention to the EXPRESSION on Dean’s face:

***Sure, Dean. You’re curious about what it’s like to live with a hunter. Okay.

Also, whoever made this, you get it.

They start arguing on the next step - questioning a former sheriff, or going back to the woods to search for the creepy crawlies’ hidey hole.

JESSE

[sternly] We need to find the burrow.

CESAR

[patiently] Jess, we’ve been beating around the woods for two days.

JESSE

[stubbornly] That’s where they are. You saw the tracks.

CESAR

I can keep searching on my own. We’re losing.

****sternly-patiently-stubbornly <- it’s like a never-ending Destiel refrain. Cesar’s willingness to continue on what is purely Jesse’s quest for revenge so Jesse can move on is also so very Cas-adjacent. I LOVE A SUBTEXTUAL PARALLEL.

Anyway, then they split into twos, pairing Sam with Jesse and Cesar with Dean for the next few scenes. Lots of reviewers tracked this as a brother-brother (i.e. Sam is paired with the version of himself and Dean is paired with the version of himself) parallel, but THIS scene with Sam, Jesse, and the old sheriff SCREAMS otherwise:

JESSE

[angrily pushed Cochran down the chair] You son of a bitch.

[Sam moves forward to get Jesse back.]

JESSE

You knew the whole time! You knew where they were when everybody was suffering.

COCHRAN

[pushes Jesse off him] I was suffering too!

SAM

[pulls Jesse away from Cochran and tries to calm him down] Jesse. Hey, hey. Hold on. Hold on.

***EXCUSE ME, did he just say DEAN’S CATCHPHRASE. And how many times has Sam done this exact thing to Dean when he is in a rage?!? I DO NOT MAKE THE RULES.

ALSO something about THE JUXTAPOSITION of Cesar and Jesse in the following scene. This is very Dean with Cas quietly waiting for him to me.

A lot of creepy monster montage scenes and dead bodies later, the day is saved. Cue adorable husband exchange, and the news that Jesse and Cesar are going to retire.

SAM

So, uh, what’s freedom look like?

JESSE

Nice little spread in New Mexico. We’ve been paying on it for years. Set foot on it about … twice?

CESAR

Gonna raise horses. And if that goes bust, Jesse used to be an EMT.

JESSE

Oh, so now I’m supporting your ass?

[Cesar chuckles and looks at Jesse lovingly, before both men turns to the Winchesters. Sam follows the laugh.]

CESAR

It’s time to start living.

Also this SHOULDER touch. And it’s the left shoulder. (there is a great Casifer post out there about how Dean was thrown off specifically because Casifer touched his RIGHT shoulder, and Cas always touches his LEFT).

All I really need now is a FACE CUP, tbh.

You want more parallels? Recall that CESAR (aka Cas-adjacent) is the one who saves Dean’s bacon in the beginning.

Then he helps him get up off the ground. You know, as in he RAISES him from -

(JENSEN YOUR ACTING CHOICES WITH THAT LOOK ON YOUR FACE ILYSM)

Dean, realizing that he is watching an AU version of himself and his boyfriend/future husband:

Yes, hi, we are the same character.

Anyway, I will always and forever love this episode for showing us the ending Dean and Cas deserved (WHAT WAS THE REASONNNN) - settling down on a small ranch together in New Mexico. At least these two got their happily ever after.

ALSO, MANIFESTING

Maybe then Sam can finally leave super hell.

BONUS:

Sam: Couldn’t do it, huh?

Dean: [shakes head] No, didn’t feel right.

Sam: Yeah. I know what you mean. Two hunters who make it to the finish line?

Dean: Yeah, you leave that alone.

Saving this to my box of INCONSISTENCY TRASH DUMP FOR 15x20.

P.S. I am starting to develop a theory that the episodes we all like LEAST, and therefore tend to skip [or that have off putting plotlines/ don’t go with the general myth arc/creepy monsters/bizarre or even boring scenarios] are the ones with potentially the most subtext, and therefore the best underlying story line (so likely no Cas in the episode, random stuff like Red Meat, the creepy chitters monster that makes you want to cringe).

So at the end of the day, the subtext was always the real story anyway.

(OMG I JUST REMEMBERED THAT THE GIRL WEREWOLF IN BLOODLINES WEARS A FUCKING KHAKI TRENCH COAT THE ENTIRE TIME. AM I GOING TO HAVE TO REWATCH THE ALWAYS SKIPPABLE BLOODLINES NOW? And that definitely means I am DOOMED to rewatch the worst episode that ever was when I get to season 15. Dammit. What have I done?!?!??!?!)

#destiel #spn analysis #spn fandom #destiel parallels #spn mirrors #destiel mirrors #deancas #supernatural #spn recap #spn seson 11 #spn 11x19

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love-and-monsters · 4 years ago

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A Selkie’s Coat

M monster X GN human, 5,659 words

The sea has agreed to send one of their selkies to land to experience human culture for the first time- and his exasperated babysitter gets a crash course in selkie culture and their coats.

“How’s your new job going?” Marcus asked. I sipped slowly from my paper coffee cup, sort of wishing it was booze.

“I feel like I’ve been roped into babysitting.”

Marcus laughed. “Isn’t that just what tutoring usually is?” He paused for a moment, brow wrinkling. “Wait. I thought you were supposed to be tutoring college students now?”

“I am. I applied for the job at my college. I mean, I’m still doing the whole correcting high school student papers, but, you know. More money and I figured I’d be at least looking at some interesting subjects.” I drained my coffee. It did not seem to be helping me wake up. I glared at the dregs. Was it worth it to get another one?

“So then why are we talking about babysitting?” Marcus asked.

I drummed my fingers on the table, trying to think of the best way to explain it. The path to the present was a little meandering. “Uh. Let’s back up. You know SLEP?”

“Sea-land exchange program,” Marcus said with a nod. “What about it?”

“My college participates. Well, they just started participating. Some official from the program came to the tutoring center to talk to us about it. Anyway, the gist was, they wanted someone from the tutoring program to help the new guy out. Mostly with papers and assignments, but also, you know, just to sort of help him get used to the land in general. I applied because you get extra money for it- like, only a couple extra dollars an hour, but it meant I’d at least be able to live on something other than ramen.”

Marcus nodded. “You’re babysitting a merman.”

“Selkie,” I corrected. “And, uh. Something like that.”

When I’d heard that it was a selkie coming to my college, I hadn’t been overly concerned with the time commitment. I mean, look at a seal on a beach. Doesn’t exactly scream ‘ball of energy,’ does it? I thought my biggest concern would be just showing him around and making sure he could plug in his laptop without electrocuting himself. I did not expect a guy with little to no understanding of social conventions and the energy of someone who shotgunned six redbulls and an espresso shot.

“The first day,” I said, speaking in an undertone, “he walked around wearing nothing but his sealskin. For hours.”

Marcus snorted into his cup and emerged choking on coffee. “Is that why you called me and demanded my old clothes?”

I threw up my hands. “I couldn’t bring him into a store! He was nude! People told him to wear clothes, but he said, and I quote ‘oh, I thought you were exaggerating about the nudity taboo.’”

Marcus’ snorts turned into peals of laughter. “Yeah, it’s real funny for you,” I groaned. “You’re not the one why has to chase after the guy at all hours, making sure he’s not bolting into traffic.” I massaged my temples. “He did that once, by the way. Got so excited about seeing a real car he just took off. It took so long to explain to him that those cars will not just move out of the way if he gets in front of one.”

“Is that why you told me to get him a decaf?” Marcus asked, glancing at the third coffee cup on the table.

“Yes. I can’t imagine what he’d be like if he got caffeine in him,” I said. Marcus glanced over my shoulder and I saw his eyes widen. I closed my mouth just as the hyperactive selkie sat back in his seat.

“Find the bathroom okay, Hipsid?” I asked. He nodded. Even sitting still, he was jittering his legs enough to shake the table. I cradled my coffee protectively in my hands.

“Yep! It’s interesting!” He scooped up his coffee and took a massive gulp before sputtering. “Hot!”

“It’s coffee!” I said, seizing a wad of napkins and blotting up the spill. Hipsid gave me an apologetic look. His eyes were dark and enormous, radiating every one of his emotions.

“Sorry! I didn’t expect it to be so bitter, either.” He took a smaller sip, smacking thoughtfully. “It’s weird. But not bad!”

Hipsid’s legs pressed awkwardly close to mine under the table. He was tall, with long, black hair clipped up into a loose bun. His skin was a light brown, which offset the dappled gray and white coat he always had slung around his shoulders. It was long, nearly reaching the floor, and I kept having to resist the impulse to touch it. Selkie coats were oddly mesmerizing, and I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering to how soft it would be if I just touched it.

“So, how’s land treating you?” Marcus asked. Hipsid’s head snapped toward him, an enormous smile spreading over his face.

“Oh, it’s very interesting! There’s so many things I’ve never seen before! And everything works so different on land.” He took another sip of coffee. “There’s nothing like this in the ocean.”

Marcus’ phone buzzed and he snatched it up. “Oh, damn. Work’s calling. I gotta go, I’ll see you later.” He drained the rest of his coffee in a quick gulp and tossed the cup in the trash as he jogged out the door.

“Where’s he going?” Hipsid asked.

“He works as an EMT. He’s on call. And we should probably get going to,” I said, standing up.

“But I haven’t seen anything interesting yet!” Hipsid said. He poked out his lower lip. His face was soft and extremely expressive. It was easy to read his feelings just from looking at him, and now it was clear that he was pleading.

I shifted. Technically, we were supposed to be studying. Hipsid was absolutely unwilling to sit still for more than a few minutes. He kept swiveling in his seat, eyes wide as he took in everything around him.

“What exactly do you want to see?” I asked tentatively.

“Everything!” Hipsid said, bolting out of his chair. “I’ve heard so much about the land, but I’ve barely seen anything so far!” I sighed. Hipsid was already wriggling in his seat. There was no way he was going to sit still for a study session.

“Okay,” I said tentatively. “We can walk around for a little- hey!”

No sooner had I started to say the words than Hipsid was on his feet, heading toward the door. I snagged my cup and followed him.

We emerged at the back of the college campus. There were students scattered all over the place, most of them with their noses buried in books. Hipsid looked back and forth, eyes wide, like he was taking everything in. “Look!” he said, excitedly pointing up toward the sky. “What’s that?”

I squinted in the direction he was pointing. “Uh. That’s a butterfly.”

“It looks kind of like a fish!” he said. I squinted at it. I supposed, if you considered that it was brightly colored and it moved in a swift, darting way through the sky, it did look a little like a fish. “Can you eat it?”

“Oh, no,” I said, snagging his hand and pulling him away. “Absolutely not. Butterflies are poisonous. And you can’t just eat random things you find outside!”

Hipsid twisted to look at me, eyes wide and guileless. “Really? Why not?”

He sounded so genuinely bewildered that it took me a moment to answer. “Uh, because you don’t know if it’s safe? It could be toxic! Or have diseases!”

Hipsid’s brow wrinkled. “Then what do you eat?” he asked, sounding genuinely bewildered.

“Food? That we buy?” I said. Hipsid’s brow wrinkled further. “Uh. You get it at stores?” There was no change in his expression. “You know what, I’ll just show you. We can go into town.”

Hipsid’s expression cleared like the sun breaking through clouds. “Yes! Yes! Let’s go!” He glanced around as if expecting the town to suddenly appear in front of him. “Which way?”

His hand tightened around mine and I realized we were still connected. I dropped it. “This way. Follow me.”

Hipsid trotted eagerly at my side as I led him to the bus stop. Luckily, just as we arrived there, the bus trundled down the street. Hipsid’s mouth dropped open, then he began to choke on the fumes.

“It’s big!” he said. He coughed again, covering his mouth with a hand. ��And it stinks!”

“Yeah, most cars do. Come on.” I nodded toward the door as it hissed open. Hipsid practically pressed against my back as we boarded. I could feel his eyes burning into me as I traded money for tickets with the driver.

“What’s that?” he asked as we started to walk to our seats.

“It’s a ticket. It lets me ride the bus. When we get back on later, it tells the driver that I already paid to ride back and I don’t need to pay again.”

“Paying,” Hipsid repeated, like he was feeling out the word in his mouth. I squinted at him suspiciously.

“They told you about paying, right?” Selkies didn’t have an economy, or any kind of money. Even if it had been explained to Hipsid before, I didn’t have great hope that he’d absorbed it.

“Yes,” he said, but he didn’t sound confident. “I have money.” He fished in his pocket for a moment and pulled out a wallet. “How much is a ticket?”

“You don’t need to pay me-” I froze, staring at the fifty he was offering me. “How much money do you have?”

“I don’t know. They gave me the wallet and said I should use it to buy things I need.” I snatched the wallet from his hand and stared into it. There were several hundreds, even more fifties, and a handful of twenties.

“You’re just carrying all this around with you?” I said, my voice edging toward hysterics. Hipsid looked endearingly bewildered, like a puppy unsure why he was being scolded.

“Yes! They said I needed money!” His voice was pitching toward a loud whine as well, and we were drawing attention. I dropped my voice.

“You can’t carry this much money around with you. You’re going to get robbed. You need to leave some of it at home.”

“Couldn’t someone just take it from my house?” Hipsid said. “Isn’t it safer if it stays with me?”

“You can hide it somewhere, or put it in something with a lock, like a safe. Someone could shoot you and take your wallet.” Hipsid’s eyes went wide.

“That happens?” He stared around the bus with badly-concealed suspicion. “Often?!”

“No, no, not often, but it could, especially if you make a habit of carrying a lot of money on you,” I said, trying to soothe him. Hipsid looked at his wallet with roughly the same amount of caution one would give a live grenade. “Look, I’ll keep an eye out for you, all right? Just don’t do it again.”

He nodded seriously, tucking his wallet back into a pocket and tugging his coat tighter around him. I wondered, vaguely, if he could change into a seal while wearing clothes. Did they just kind of vanish? Did he have to strip?

“What’s wrong?” Hipsid asked. I startled out of my thoughts and realized that I’d been staring intently at him.

“Oh. Nothing.” Fortunately, the bus started moving at that moment and Hipsid became distracted enough to forget the whole thing.

“It’s bumpy!” he said, jittering slightly in his seat. “Oh, it’s a little disorienting!”

His excitement lasted for about three minutes before it transitioned into queasiness. He swayed against me, eyes closed. “You didn’t tell me you get carsick,” I said. There was a grayish tone to his brown skin and beads of sweat had started popping up on his forehead and cheeks.

“I’ve never been in a car before,” Hipsid said, not opening his eyes. He hiccupped and groaned. “I don’t feel well.”

Not eager to have a selkie vomit on me, I ended up herding him off the bus two stops early. We sat in the but stop together, Hipsid groaning with queasiness. “Put your head between your knees,” I suggested, trying to push him into a rough approximation of the position. “Breathe slowly.”

Hipsid hiccupped again and leaned into me. I swiped some of his hair out of his face. He pressed into my touch, seeking out the comfort.

“Feeling better?” I asked after we had spent a few minutes sitting and I had managed to force some water down Hipsid’s throat.

“Better,” he said. His skin was less sallow and he seemed to be breathing easier. “I don’t like busses.”

“They’re not the most comfortable mode of transportation. We might have to walk back,” I said. Hipsid sighed, readjusting his coat.

“It smells weird here,” he said, wrinkling his nose and looking around. We were sitting near a road, with cars passing every few moments. There was a constant smell of smoke and exhaust. Hipsid grimaced, nose wrinkling all the way up to between his brows.

“It’s the fumes. Exhaust and people smoking and stuff,” I said. Hipsid shook his head, snorting, then sneezed.

“How do you stand it?” he asked. I shrugged.

“Doesn’t bother me that much. Maybe you’re a little more sensitive,” I suggested. “Selkies are suppose to have better noses than humans.”

“I can tell,” Hipsid said. He sneezed again and coughed. “Can we go inside?”

We walked down the street, glancing at the buildings. Eventually, I pulled him inside a small museum. “This place is interesting,” I said. “It’s a history of the town. It’s got some stuff about sea and land relationships in here too.”

Hipsid perked up. Inside, the air was fresh and clean and it seemed to have revived his mood. “Okay! Ooh, what’s that?”

I pressed my lips together deliberately, trying hard not to laugh at him. “That’s a map, Hipsid. It’s not a display.”

Regardless of my telling him that the map was not, in fact, the most interesting part of the museum, he still spent several minutes staring at the lighted display. When I finally managed to budge him, he got immediately distracted by a tiny display showing the founding of the college.

Distractible was easily the best word to describe the trip. Hipsid was just as eager to look at things like sliding glass doors and water fountains as he was to look at the actual exhibits. I had to admit that it was kind of endearing to watch him. He was so genuinely excited about everything that it was infectious.

“The town got its start as a fishing village, and then the college came and it kind of transformed everything,” I said, trying to explain what little information I knew to him. “Here, there’s a little demonstration on how they used to weave together the fishing nets.”

Hipsid peered closely at the lengths of rope that criss-crossed the table, and the little diagrams showing you how to know it. “This is how humans catch fish?” he asked. “It seems so complicated.”

“Yeah? What’s a better way?” I asked.

“With your teeth,” Hipsid said, clicking his jaws in demonstration.

“I really don’t think that would work for us,” I said.

“No,” Hipsid said, looking at me consideringly. “You really are clumsy in the water.” He giggled to himself, probably thinking about the humans he’d seen swimming before. “It’s funny.”

“I’m sure,” I said, delicately not mentioning that selkies, when in their seal forms, were not the most graceful land animals. “But it’s not like we really need to be good swimmers. We’re not made for it.”

“I’ve swum in this body before,” Hipsid said confidently. “It’s not hard. You just don’t know how to do it.” He turned, looking me up and down. “I could teach you!” he exclaimed, so loud I jumped a little. “Then I can show you around the ocean like you’re showing me around land!” He seized my hands, springing lightly up onto his toes. “It’ll be great! I can show you the Abyssal Depths, the Great Caverns, the Haven Reefs!”

I squeezed his hands gently before sliding my fingers out from between his. “That’s not really going to work. Humans can’t breathe or see under the water that well. I’d have to get diving gear and take lessons.”

Hipsid’s expression drooped, almost comically. He looked genuinely crushed. “Oh.”

“I can go swimming with you at some point,” I said, trying to cheer him back up. He looked so much like a kicked puppy, it was hard to resist the urge to cuddle him. “It just might be hard for me to see your home.”

“We could go swimming now,” Hipsid said, mood one-eightying back to excitement. “The ocean’s not far away! You can show me stuff on the way there and I can show you stuff once we’re at the ocean!”

“Er, I don’t have my swimsuit,” I protested, but he had already started to drag me through the exhibits. His enthusiasm was oddly catching, though. I couldn’t help the smile that was starting to tug at my mouth.

And then Hipsid came to a complete stop in front of me and I rammed into him.

“Ouch,” I said, stepping back and gingerly touching my nose. It seemed unharmed. “What’s the deal? You okay?”

Hipsid didn’t respond. In fact, he was uncharacteristically still. His eyes were locked on the exhibit in the center of the room.

It was clearly a centerpiece, the crown jewel of the collection. It was elevated and angled lights shone on it from all sides. A glass box surrounded it. Held in the middle of the case, carefully arranged to show it from all angles, was a dappled gray fur coat.

A selkie coat. There was a small, silver plaque in front of it, with tiny type explaining the exhibit. Hipsid made a noise int eh back of his throat, a sort of choked whimper.

“Are you okay?” I asked again. “Hipsid? Do you want to go? We can leave-”

“Why is that here?” His voice was choked, tight, verging on a sob. I looked between him and the coat.

“It’s part of the exhibit, I guess,” I said. I approached the case to read the plaque. Hipsid followed me, though he hung back, as though frightened something was going to snatch at him.

I skimmed the plaque. “Says here that this coat is from one of the founders of the village. Apparently, he got it from his wife, who was a selkie. When she died, he gave the coat to his kids and they donated it to the museum.”

“That’s not true!” Hipsid’s voice was frantic and surprisingly loud. I stared at him. “It doesn’t belong here!”

“Hey, hey,” I said, trying to calm him down. People were starting to look in our direction. “Do you want to go somewhere-”

“He stole it!” Hipsid’s voice was still rising. “He took it from her and she had to stay on land with him! He didn’t even let her be buried in it! And now it’s on display, here, instead of where it belongs, with her!” His voice was utterly distressed, expression stricken. His breathing was rapid and shallow. “It can’t stay here!”

He reached for the case and I automatically snatched his hand back. “You can’t touch it! We’ll get in trouble!”

Hipsid’s gaze snapped to me, eyes wide. For a second, I wasn’t even sure he was seeing me. Then his gaze focused. He blinked rapidly, like he was barely holding back tears. “They stole a part of her,” he said. His voice was softer, but more earnest, like he was trying to explain something vitally important to me. “They stole a part of her identity and put it up in a museum like they own it. They’re not supposed to have this.”

I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to soothe him. My hand pressed against the smooth fur of his coat and he jerked away. “I know it’s not right, but there’s nothing we can do. If we grab it and run, we’ll never be able to make it out of the museum. Let’s calm down and we’ll see if we can figure something out.”

Hipsid allowed me to guide him out of the room and to a small bench. He flopped on it bonelessly, covering his face in his hands. His shoulders trembled. I fished in my pocket and offered him a tissue. He mopped at his face, snuffling loudly. I sat, waiting for him to calm down enough to speak.

After a few minutes, he lifted his head. His face was a little splotchy and his eyes were red. He rubbed under his eyes with the heel of his hand. “Better?” I asked tentatively.

He gave me a stony look. “No.” He sat back up and rubbed his eyes off. “But I’m done crying for now.”

“I’m sorry.” I wasn’t quite sure what else to say. There didn’t seem to be much I could say. My stomach twisted with a combination of guilt and uncertainty.

Hipsid made a quiet noise of distress. “It’s not fair,” he said. “She had her coat stolen from her in life. Why couldn’t she at least have it in death?”

“How do you know it was stolen?” I asked. Hipsid gave me a cynical look.

“It was stolen,” he said. “If a human takes our coat, we’re bound to them. So, some humans use it to make us their… partner, I guess. Not a slave, but subjugated. If she’d kept her coat, it wouldn’t have been here. She would have taken it back to the ocean before she died. That’s what we always do, so the coat is returned to the waves.” He fell silent. “That’s where it should be.”

I looked down at the ground. “I’m sorry,” I said again. “There’s got to be something we can do. Maybe we can petition the museum? Or maybe we can get the college to do something about it. We can at least draw attention to the fact that it’s not right that it’s here.”

Hipsid looked at me. “You want to help me?”

“Yes, of course. I mean, we can’t just break it out, but there’s got to be some way we can get it out of here and back where it belongs. You’re right, it shouldn’t be here. I bet if I talk to the people who organize SLEP, they can set something up.”

A small, tentatively hopeful smile pulled at Hipsid’s lips. His eyes brightened. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I stood up. “Let’s go. We can get there before the offices close if we hurry.”

Hipsid seized my hand, causing me to startle. His shoulder pressed against mine as an eager smile spread over his face. “Okay! Let’s go!” There were still tear tracks on his face, but he was beaming once more, apparently hopeful. I smiled back.

We walked out into the cool air and started heading back toward the bus stop. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to use the bus again, I realized. Not unless I was ready to get puked on by a selkie. We would just have to walk fast.

It was only a few minutes after we had passed the first bus stop that I started to get an uncomfortable tingling sensation along the back of my neck. Some of the hairs there started to stand on end. I kept glancing over my shoulder. Something was wrong.

“What’s the matter?” Hipsid asked. I rubbed at the back of my neck, frowning down the street behind us.

“Don’t be too obvious about it,” I said in an undertone, “but have you seen some of those people behind us before?”

Hipsid looked over his shoulder. He seemed to be trying to be subtle, but he had no practice with it. “They were at the museum, weren’t they?” he asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” I said. “They left right after we did.” I ducked down a side street. After a few minutes, I saw the men trickle into the street behind us. My stomach sank. “They’re following us.”

Hipsid licked his lips. “Why?”

“I don’t know. But I have a bad feeling about it.” I hazarded another glance over my shoulder. The men were still following. I managed to catch a glimpse of one of their faces as they passed by a beam of light. “They were at the museum, too,” I whispered. Hipsid looked down at me, lips drawn tight with worry.

“So, they followed us here?” he asked. My heart was starting to pound. My first instinct had been to see if they were following us, but now I regretted it. The amount of people was starting to thin out and the men following us were speeding up. A nasty thought was starting to form in my head.

“They followed us from the museum and they weren’t following us before,” I said. One of my hands locked around Hipsid’s wrist, keeping him close to me. “What was at the museum and is also here now?”

There was a pause while Hipsid thought it over. I both felt and heard his sharp intake of breath. “Selkie coats.” There was a tremor in his voice and he clutched his coat tighter around himself.

“If they were going to take the one at the museum, and then they saw you, they might be thinking you’re an easier target.” I scanned the sides of the alleyway, looking for a way out. The street was getting narrower and there were barely any people around. “Probably noticed when you started yelling.”

Hipsid ignored the comment. “What do we do?” His hand fumbled for mine, squeezing hard. I glanced over my shoulder again. The men weren’t bothering to be subtle about it anymore. They were starting to pick up the pace, closing in on us. I was trying to think rapidly, but my panic wasn’t helping.

Finally, I managed to snag on an idea. “Give me your coat.”

Hipsid stumbled over his own feet. “What?” He clutched at his coat like he thought I was going to snatch it off his shoulders. “No! Why do you want it?”

“They’re after the coat, right? I’m faster than you, and more experienced on land. They’ll follow me and I’ll be able to evade them. You can run and get help.”

Hipsid looked unconvinced. “No. It’s… No!” “Look, it’s the best idea I’ve got right now!” We were rapidly running out of time. The men were approaching.

“The coats are important to us! They’re more than just a part of us, they’re… well, there are a lot of implications to a selkie giving you their coat!” Hipsid sputtered. “It’s not something we can do lightly!”

“Please,” I said. “I know selkies are protective of their coats. I promise, I will keep it safe. Nothing will happen to it and you’ll get it back safe.” I stopped to look into Hipsid’s face. His eyes bored into mine, deep, and dark, and full of worry. I took a steadying breath. “I swear, Hipsid. I will keep your coat safe and get it back to you.”

A small shudder passed through Hipsid’s body. He slipped his coat from his shoulder and passed it to me. His hands lingered over mine. “Keep it safe.”

“I promise,” I said. There was a weight to it. I could feel the heaviness of the vow settling on me like a mantle. Hipsid gave a small nod. He lingered for only a moment longer, then took off running.

There was a moment of confusion in the men- apparently they hadn’t been expecting us to split up. It gave me just enough time to slip past them and sprint out back into the main street.

The coat was heavy and it pressed against my back as I ran. My legs and lungs burned as I slipped past people. Luckily, I knew the town well enough to duck between the buildings and weave around everything. There was no way Hipsid, still unused to being on land, would have been able to keep up. I had to work my way through some tight squeezes and turn quickly.

Finally, gasping, I slipped into a tiny alleyway and stopped. I was pretty sure I’d been able to lose the men. My lungs burned and I felt my legs trembling from exertion. Slowly, I sank to the ground.

I stayed huddled in the alleyway for a long time. At least, it felt long. I waited until the sun had completely set before squeezing myself out of the cramped alley. I held the coat against my chest. It was warm, despite the chill in the air, and I kept stroking my fingers over the smooth fur.

My legs ached and I walked awkwardly down the city street. Hipsid. I had to find Hipsid. We hadn’t discussed where we were going to meet up again. How was I going to find him? Absent of any other ideas on what to do, I headed back toward campus.

That was, apparently, Hipsid’s idea as well, because he was waiting near the entrance to campus, pacing anxiously. When his eyes fell on me, he sprinted toward me, squeezing me into a hug. “You’re okay! I was about to call someone for help, I though you’d gotten captured or hurt!” He broke off, big eyes looking down into my face.

“I’m fine. Just took me a little while to lose them.” We broke apart. I was still holding his coat, wrapped around my arms. He glanced at it, but made no move to take it from me. Anxiety tensed the edges of his eyes and he fidgeted with his fingers.

I slowly unwrapped the coat from my arms. There was an odd nudging feeling in the back of my mind. The air seemed hideously cold as I peeled the coat away from my skin. I had the strange urge to cling to it, to hold it close to me. The desire bubbled up inside me with surprising intensity. Hipsid’s expression tensed, like he could tell the direction my thoughts were taking.

No. Slowly and deliberately, I held the coat out toward him. It was his, and I’d seen how upset he’d gotten when someone else’s coat had been taken. The image of his big, sorrowful eyes looking at me with betrayal made my heart ache. Hipsid reached out and took the coat, gathering it in his arms. He had an expression like he couldn’t quite believe what was happening.

“Th-thank you.” He stumbled over his words a little and his eyes flicked up to meet mine for only a moment before darting away again. He took a cautious step back. “I- I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

He hurried away, casting his coat on over his shoulders. I stared after him, feeling slightly hurt. I’d saved his coat and he was just going to run off? I shrugged it off. Maybe there was something here that I wasn’t understanding. I wasn’t really an expert in selkie culture. Maybe he needed to wash it or something.

I went back to my room and collapsed into bed. It was surprisingly hard to get to sleep. Adrenaline still pounded through me.

I had to drag myself to work the next day, practically collapsing across my tutoring table. I looked up as my shift started to see Hipsid nervously hovering near the doorway. He was rocking back and forth on his heels and turning something over in his hands. His eyes fell on me and he smiled hesitantly. “Morning.”

I stifled a yawn.” Good morning.” Hipsid walked over to the table and sat down slowly. He was wearing his coat around his shoulders as per usual.

“You look tired,” he said. “Are you okay?”

“Fine. Just a little sleepy, that’s all. How are you? Yesterday was… rough.”

Hipsid nodded, ducking his head again. “It wasn’t all bad,” he said. “It ended pretty nice.” His voice was shy.

“All’s well that ends well,” I agreed. “So, what did you want help with today?”

Hipsid gave a nervous little laugh. “Oh, I’m not really here for tutoring. I came by to- well, to give you this.”

He handed me the object he’d been fiddling with. It was a small, black box with a sort of velvety coating. I opened it.

Nestled in the box was a small, golden ring. A perfectly smooth, white pearl was set in the middle of it. “It’s beautiful,” I said. “But you don’t need to give me a ring. I don’t need to be rewarded for saving your coat.”

“Oh, I know,” Hipsid said. “The coat’s enough, isn’t it? But I thought it would be nice to propose in a human way, too.”

There was a long pause. The world seemed to tilt underneath me. “I’m sorry?”

“Humans propose with rings,” Hipsid said. “I had one, so I thought we could-”

“No, no. When was the first proposal?” I said. Hipsid blinked.

“You gave me back my coat,” he said. “Coats are important to us. You held my coat, held a part of me, and then returned it with no expectations. That’s a proposal.”

I gaped at him. “But I wasn’t intending to propose!”

“But you did,” Hipsid said. He looked at me eagerly. “We don’t have to get married right away! But it’s nice to be engaged. I don’t have to worry about anyone else touching my coat!”

I stared at him. There was a part of me that wanted to protest, but… His enthusiasm was infectious again. And looking at his beaming smile and eager eyes, my heart did do a little skip in my chest. “Okay,” I said. “But we’re going to take it slow, okay? And we do it the human way.” Hipsid nodded, looking delighted. “Good. Now, do you know what dating is?”

#exophilia #selkie #selkie coat #monster boyfriend #selkie boyfriend #monster lover #seal #male monster

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shofics · 4 years ago

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question 12, 5: modern university au !!!

Oh man, oh man. I actually had some ideas for a uni AU ages ago that never really became anything, and I’ve cannibalised it for parts for other fics since then (This is the outline I stole the ‘Wilde likes french vanilla coffee’, ‘Sasha has EDS and also possibly POTS’, and ‘Barnes, Carter, Cel, and Wilde all live together’ ideas from for Hope & Smith), but I do have the main ideas left over! It was a modern university AU + magic, so that’s what I’ve put down here. Another one that got frighteningly long, more under the cut <3

Hamid originally studies Pure Maths (this is… a real thing. As opposed to applied mathematics, I believe) because he wants to have a Fancy, High-Thinker Degree that his parents will approve of because it’s very intelligent but won’t necessarily understand.

His first year he takes what is basically the Magic 101 class, because he’s obviously got a natural proclivity for it so why not? It’s that format of ‘this is a generic overview of magic in general, let's take a week or two to go over some specifics for different things you might like to study so that you’ll be prepared.’ They spend a bit on magical history, bardic magic, would you like to study wizardry, or maybe the specifics of genetically inherited magics...

Hm. Yes, Hamid would actually like to study the specifics of genetically inherited magics, because everything they’ve gone over vis a vis wizardry is sounding fairly different to his lived experience and Oh Dear

He starts taking more magical history classes on the sly. His parents don’t need to know.

They eventually do find out, and there is what might be described as An Almighty Row. Hamid goes ballistic, his father goes cold, and Hamid declares then and there that he’s changing his major, screw all of this, he’s got one life and he’s going to live it how he wants, damn it.

His family will continue to pay for his school, of course. They don’t want the disgrace of him having to drop out. But his father makes it very clear that if he does decide to study magic instead, he’s not coming home.

Hamid studies magic. Hamid’s not coming home.

Wilde and Hamid met in that introductory class, and continued to be friends even as they never actually managed to take another class together.

Wilde studies bardic performance as a subset of the magic department, is trying really hard to fit in the requirements to get a degree in journalism as well, and also writes for almost every publication on campus, and works with the student theatre groups; they’ve performed some of his plays, and he has also been known to step in as a stage manager or a head of costumes or an assistant director (or even, on one memorable occasion, an actor) when necessary (when does this guy sleep).

Wilde is able to pull strings and charm people in specific ways enough to get Hamid a job as a stitcher in the costume shop with the theatre department, putting costumes together. He also manages to find Hamid a place to stay over winter break while the campus buildings are closed, after it becomes evident that Hamid’s parents won’t be paying for non-university housing anymore.

Hamid ends up staying with Azu, who has her own flat and has been dithering for ages between wanting to become a family practitioner and wanting to become some sort of social worker. Hamid is inconsolable, and Wilde is not good at consoling anyway, but it turns out that Azu is. Hamid helps her reorganise her entire schedule to allow for both eventualities, she listens in rapt attention as he takes her through his designs for the next show the theatre department is putting on, they bond over the fact that they’re both so far from home and far from their families, and by the time everyone else comes back to school and classes start again they’re practically attached at the hip. Hamid spends almost as much time at Azu’s as he does at his own dorm.

Wilde’s like, alright, that worked ridiculously well! Nice job me

Sasha starts out as an engineering student due to a scholarship that Bi-Ming Gusset helped her get, and she is instantly the darling of every engineering professor that has her in their classes; nobody knows anything about her other than that she’s wickedly good at what she does.

Cel, who studies engineering and theoretical physics and takes biology classes wherever they can fit them in, is their TA at one point. Cel is able to find out more about Sasha as a person than anyone else has ever managed- paradoxically, as anyone who watches them interact will note that Sasha never seems to talk and Cel never seems to stop, but, just like the designs they create together, it doesn’t look like it should work, but it does and it’s very hard to explain why.

At some point, to satisfy some general requirement, Sasha takes an education class. Sasha… really enjoys the education class? Sasha might want to study education? Sasha freaks out a bit. Sasha is having a really rough time of it recently, a lot of chronic pain and worrying physical problems with no clear cause, and really doesn’t need to stress about her future plans on top of everything else.

Grizzop is a pre-med and, unlike Azu, 10000% sure of it. He wants to be an EMT, and is part of the emergency response team at the university. When Sasha knocks on Zolf’s door at three in the morning, because he just so happened to be the one who was closest, and tells him that she just fainted for the first time and doesn’t know what to do and feels like she might again, and Zolf panics and calls the first response team, Grizzop is the first one to show up. Which is good, for Sasha, because she’s pretty thoroughly freaked out and desperately in need of friends at her sides.

Zolf is also a pre-med, not really because of any active desire to go into the medical field but just kind of because he needed something to believe in that was an easy ticket away from his family, and if anyone asks it has absolutely nothing to do with his brother’s death, shut up.

Zolf becomes Sasha’s designated Please Come With Me For Moral Support person as she begins a diagnostic process that lasts months and comes up with absolutely nothing. As a result, he’s there to watch as doctor after doctor basically throw up their hands and declare her either a medical oddity or a liar. She and Grizzop are both certain she’s got some sort of chronic illness, some autoimmune disease or something, but no one seems willing to diagnose her.

Zolf loses faith in the institution of medicine as a whole, starts to spiral a bit- and then spirals a lot. He ends up having to take a year off to sort out his life and his brain and his own mental health problems.

He moves out of campus housing and applies for as many jobs as he can- he’s not going home and he’s not asking for money, good grief, he’d rather stick his hands in an air fryer- and ends up with a couple odd jobs he bounces between every week, including constructing sets and running lights for the theatre department. This is how he meets Hamid, who he clashes with instantly, and Wilde, who is stage managing, who he also clashes with instantly but who really does his best to mitigate between them.

Do shenanigans ensue? Yes. Yes, absolutely. Sasha takes great amusement in winding Zolf and Hamid up and pointing them at each other, and Wilde gets caught between finding it equally as hilarious and also Sasha please, it’s literally my job to make sure the people working on this show don’t murder each other, help me out here

#Can you tell I have extensive experience with uni theatre #And also with chronic illness and the medical field as a chronically ill person #my post #my writing #glassandmarigolds #rqg #prompt fill #rusty quill gaming #rqgaming

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allthingsfangirl101 · 4 years ago

Text

A Family Circus–Phillip Carlyle

Masterlist

Request by @faithie-brock-gillespie01

I placed my hand over my stomach, eager to tell Phillip what the doctor just told me. Phillip and I have known each other our entire lives. Our families were really close and we grew up together.

We finally realized we were in love when we were in high school. We were already inseparable but after we started dating, no one could tear us apart. Eighteen months after high school we got married and a year after that we had our son, Daniel. It's been four years and we were having another baby.

The entire trolley ride home, I eagerly bounced my knee. As we rode through town, all I could think is, "How have I been pregnant for three months and didn't know?"

"First child?" A lady across from me asked.

"I'm sorry?" I asked.

"Not to pry," the woman giggled, "but the way you're rubbing your stomach is kind of a giveaway."

"No," I chuckled. "Actually, she would be our second. We have a four-year-old son."

"Well, congratulations."

As she turned her attention back to her book, I looked down at my stomach. When the trolley finally came to my stop, I looked over and immediately saw Phillip and our son, Daniel, waiting for me. I smiled when Phillp picked up Daniel and pointed at me. I bit my lip, forcing myself to stop the happy tears as Daniel eagerly waved at me.

I got off the trolley and walked over to my husband and son. Daniel practically jumped out of Phillip's arms and ran to me. I leaned down and picked him up.

"Mommy!" Daniel said loudly as he hugged me. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, baby," I chuckled as I kissed his forehead.

"Please don't let Daddy make me lunch," Daniel pouted.

"And why is that?" I asked glancing at Phillip.

"Apparently," Phillip sighed as he walked over and grabbed my bag from me, "I don't make peanut butter and jelly sandwichs as well as you do."

I laughed as I leaned over and kissed Phillip. He draped my bag over his shoulder, grabbed my hand, and led us through town.

"So, how was the doctor? Did she find out what's been going on with you?" Phillip asked.

I glanced at Daniel in my arms and sighed. "Maybe we should talk at home."

Phillip looked over at me, his eyes wide. He pulled on my hand, stopping me.

"What?" He asked, his voice cracking. "Is something wrong? Are you. . . Is it. . ."

"Phillip," I said gently. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

I smiled as Phillip let out the breath he was holding. "Don't scare me like that, Y/N. For a second I thought I was going to lose you."

"You will never lose me." I leaned over and pressed my lips to his. I giggled into the kiss as Phillip immediately started kissing me back.

"Ew!!" Daniel giggled. Phillip and I laughed as he pushed us apart.

"Daniel, baby, you know Mommy and Daddy will always be here for you, right?" I asked as we started walking home.

"Of course," Daniel said, slightly oblivious to the tense moment we just had. "You're my Mommy and Daddy. You love me."

"Yes," Phillip chuckled, "we do."

* * * * *

After Daniel went down for his nap, Phillip and I sat down to have our conversation.

"Okay," Phillip said. "What did the doctor say?"

"I'm pregnant."

"What?!" I giggled as he stood up and pulled me to my feet, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"I'm sorry," he said as he let me go. "I shouldn't lift you and spin you around. In fact, you shouldn't have carried Daniel the whole way home. How far along are you? Did Dr. Amiee tell you when you're due? I think we still have most of Daniel's baby stuff. Then again, all the clothes are for a baby boy. What if it's a girl? Maybe Barnum has some leftover clothes from his daughters we can borrow. Or we can buy our baby new clothes. The circus is doing well and the profits are great. I can talk to him when I go to the circus tomorrow."

"Phillip," I cut him off. "Baby, breathe."

"Sorry," he laughed. "I just. . . I feel like I panicked when you were pregnant with Daniel and I wanted to be more prepared this time."

I grabbed his hand and led him back over to the couch, making him sit next to me.

"Dr. Aimee said that I'm three months pregnant. She thinks that this pregnancy shouldn't be too different from our first. My body should react the same way it did when I was pregnant with Daniel. There is one big difference though."

"I'm not the father?" Phillip joked. I sent him a look that made him laugh.

"Don't even joke about that."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," he said as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "What's the big difference?"

"We're having a girl this time."

"Really?" He gasped, his eyes filling with tears. "We're having a little girl? You're carrying my daughter?"

"Yes," I giggled. "We're having a little girl."

Phillip leaned back and smiled. I could tell he was imagining things from the far off look I'm his eyes and the way he was subconsciously rubbing my palm as he held my hand.

"I'm going to have a Daddy's Little Girl."

* * * * *

I held Daniel's hand as we walked to the circus. Phillip doesn't know that we were planning on surprising him with dinner. As we got close to the circus, I held Daniel's hand tighter.

The group of men waiting outside the circus has been getting bigger, louder, and drunker. I ignored their taunts as I guided Daniel inside.

"Where's Daddy?" He asked, bouncing on his toes.

"I'm not sure, baby," I answered as I scanned the room. "He should be around here somewhere."

We walked backstage, stopping to say hello to the people we passed as we searched for Phillip. As we went up to his office, we heard some yelling outside. Daniel looked up at me but I just smiled.

"Are those people outside mad?" He asked as we finally got to Phillip's office.

"Yes, baby," I sighed.

"Why are they so mad?" Daniel asked innocently. I looked down at my son and wished there was a simple answer for him.

Instead, I said, "Well, they don't like the circus."

"Why not? It's fun!" Daniel giggled when we saw Lettie walking up the stairs. She waved before disappearing into her dressing room.

I opened the door to Phillip's office but it was empty. I walked in and looked at Daniel. We sat and waited, but Phillip never showed.

"Mommy?" Daniel said, looking up from his toys. "Can we eat yet? I'm hungry."

I checked the clock on the wall and sighed. I reached into my bag and grabbed Daniel's sandwich.

"You can start eating, baby. I'm going to try and find Daddy."

I stood up and was about to grab the door handle when the door was pushed open.

"Y/N," Lettie gasped. Her eyes glanced down at Daniel and they filled with tears. "We gotta go."

"What's going on? Where's Phillip?"

"I don't know," she stuttered, "but the building is on fire."

Phillip's POV

My heart jumped into my throat when I saw the building on fire. I looked around and started taking a headcount.

"Phillip!"

I turned my head to see Lettie holding Daniel as she ran over to me. Daniel had tears streaming down his cheeks as he reached out to me.

"Daddy!" He cried out. I instant took him from Lettie, holding him close to me as I kissed his head.

"What are you doing here?" I asked softly as I moved some hair out of his face.

"Mommy wanted to bring you dinner. We thought it would be fun," he said through his tears. My eyes widened as I looked back at Lettie.

"Y/N's here?" I asked, my breath getting caught in my throat. "Where is she?"

"She sent me out with Daniel while she. . . I'm so sorry, Phillip," Lettie tried to explain.

"She's still inside?" I stuttered.

"Yes," she said, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry, honey."

"Can you watch him?" I asked as I put Daniel down. I was about to run inside, but a small hand grabbed mine and stopped me.

"Daddy, don't leave me!" Daniel cried. "I'm scared. What's happening? Where's Mommy? Why is everyone running around? Why is it so hot? Is Mommy okay?"

I knelt down and grabbed my son's shoulders. "Mommy is inside and Daddy is going to go get her."

"You're leaving me?" He asked, his voice breaking as his lips started to quiver. I sighed as I pulled him into my chest.

"Stay with Lettie, okay? I'll be right back." I kissed his forehead, my lips lingering on his skin.

I stood back up and turned towards Lettie. Before I could say anything, she grabbed Daniel's hand and nodded. I started to run into the building but I was stopped again.

"What are you doing?" Barnum asked as he stopped me from running inside the burning building.

"Y/N's stuck inside," I said quickly. I was about to run inside but he stopped me again.

"Stay here."

Before I could say or do anything, Barnum ran inside the circus. I looked over when I heard Daniel calling out to me. He ran away from Lettie and jumped into my arms. I held him close to my chest as he sobbed.

"Is Mommy going to be okay?" He asked through his sobs.

"She's going to be just fine," I said, trying to reassure him and myself. "Mr. Barnum went to get her. He'll bring her to us soon."

I held my breath as I waited for any sign of Y/N and Barnum. The longer it took Barnum to find Y/N, the more worried I got. We all seemed to be holding our breath as we waited outside.

Y/N has been like a mother to everyone in the circus. Even though we didn't pay her, she still comes as much as she can and helps out wherever it's needed.

My breath got caught in my throat when I saw Barnum carrying Y/N out of the building. Emergency personal ran over to them and met them halfway.

"Daniel, stay with Lettie," I said as I put him down.

"But Mommy. . ." He stuttered.

"I got her," I tried to reassure him. "Stay with Lettie."

I ran over and knelt next to Y/N. With shaking hands, I reached over and moved a piece of hair out of her face.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked, my voice barely audible.

"She has a lot of smoke in her lungs but she should be alright," the EMT explained. "As long as she doesn't have any medical concerns or. . ."

"She's three months pregnant," I cut him off.

"She is?" I heard Barnum ask but I was too focused on the EMT getting Y/N connected to oxygen.

The EMTs started talking to each other as they worked faster. I felt numb as they lifted her and gently carried her to the ambulance. Barnum knelt next to me, clearing his throat to get my attention.

"So, Y/N's pregnant?" He asked, trying to lighten the tension.

"Yeah," I said, my voice barely working.

"How far along is she?"

"About three months."

"That's great!" He chuckled. "Do you know the sex yet?"

I cleared my throat as I nodded. "It's a girl."

"That's wonderful news," he chuckled. When I didn't respond, I heard him sigh. He gently grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to look away from the retreating ambulance.

"Phillip," he said. "Y/N and the baby are going to be just fine. I know it."

"If something. . . If she. . . If we lose. . . It'll be because I didn't protect my wife."

"Phillip," Barnum sighed. "The fire wasn't your fault. Those rioters set it and you didn't know that Y/N was there until Lettie ran outside with Daniel."

"But what if. . ."

"No more what if's," Barnum chuckled. "Y/N's a strong girl, Phillip. And if your daughter is anything like her, she's gonna be just as strong."

* * * * *

I decided to leave Daniel with Y/N's mom when I went to the hospital to see her. I wasn't sure how Y/N looked and I didn't want him to see her like that. I followed the doctor down the hallway, my breath getting stuck in my throat when we finally stopped outside a door.

"She's right in here," the doctor said kindly. "She's a little groggy but she's fine."

"And the baby?" I barely got my question out.

"Your daughter is perfectly healthy. The smoke did a little damage on Mom but absolutely none on the baby."

"Thank you," I said, letting out the breath I've been holding since the fire. The doctor nodded before heading to aide another patient. I turned back towards Y/N's room and hesitated. I took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in," I heard weakly from inside. The second I open the door and my eyes met Y/N's, she smiled.

"Phillip."

I quickly walked inside and sat next to her bed. I immediately leaned over and pressed my lips to hers. I felt her smile as she kissed me back. I broke the kiss and leaned my forehead against hers.

"What were you thinking?" I whispered. "I know how much you care about the circus and the people but you could've. . ."

"Phillip," she cut me off. I leaned back and looked into her eyes. "Is Danny okay?"

"He's fine," I said. "Lettie got him out of the building and he's with your mother now."

"Good," she said, letting out a sigh of relief. "What about. . ."

Y/N's eyes filled with tears as she gently placed her hand over her stomach. I reached over and placed my hand over hers.

"The baby is just fine," I whispered.

"Really?" Y/N asked, her voice breaking.

"The baby takes after her mom," I chuckled. "Strong and too stubborn to get hurt. You and the baby are going to be just fine."

Y/N leaned her head against the pillow and closed her eyes. I reached forward and caught a tear that had started streaming down her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered open as she turned her head towards me. "I thought. . . If something had happened to you, Danny or our little girl, I don't think. . ."

"Y/N," I interrupted her. "We are all fine. Our family is still intact. Like it always will be."

"And the circus," she stuttered.

"Don't worry about the circus," I laughed as I shook my head. "Worry about you."

She reached over and grabbed my hand, immediately intertwining our fingers.

"I love you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. I leaned over and pressed my lips gently to hers.

"I love you too, Y/N."

#phillip carlyle #phillip carlyle x reader #phillip carlyle imagine #thegreatestshowman #tgs #the greatest showman

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hobeemin · 4 years ago

Text

Tinsel & Tae

🎁 Genre: Christmas AU, Fluff, Romance, Slice of Life, Non Idol AU

🎁 Pairing: Kim Taehyung x (f) Reader

🎁 Rating: pg

🎁 Warning(s): break ups, fainting, crying, Taehyung being the sweetest big brother, lots of fluffy fluffiness

🎁 Word Count: 2k

🎁 Credits: Beta read by the awesome @nightshadevinter 💜 you’re the best!!

Banner resources found here (png & photo stock) and here (psd coloring)

🎁 A/N: @cest-la-tae Daija!!! I’m your secret Santa 😀😁 I had so much fun getting to know you dear! I hope you enjoy this little fic

Y/N pressed her ear to the phone receiver, brows furrowed. Maybe she heard it wrong. As soon as the message ended, she pressed the prompt to repeat it.

“YN listen, I…uh…I know this is a crappy way to end things, but it’s not working for me, and I believe we want different things. I hope you find someone worth your time. Love you. Oh, and Merry Christmas.”

Nope, that’s what she heard. She stared at her phone in disbelief. Really? A break up on Christmas Eve? Her hands shook as she placed the phone into her locker. She put her head inside and screamed into her coat. Her co-worker and close friend, Jungkook, entered the employee break room whistling, setting his bag down, but paused once he saw her head buried in her locker. He watched her curiously.

“Everything okay, Y/N?”

She sniffed, removing her head from inside, and slumped down onto the bench. She rubbed her eyes, trying to fight the tears. “No. Everything sucks.”

He groaned, joining her on the bench. He didn’t like seeing her in this state. He just opened his arms, allowing her in, and she began to sob, wetting his shirt in the process. It surprised her because he wasn’t super emotional, but he was here for her, which made her feel good to know he was supportive.

“He broke up with me on Christmas Eve,” she mumbled into his chest.

Jungkook frowned, shaking his head. “Seriously? That prick. Who breaks up with someone on Christmas. You don’t deserve that. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

Y/N hiccupped and grabbed a tissue off the coffee table, wiping her face with a deep sigh. He patted her back gently as he stood. “You’re going to be okay, right? I can ask the boss if you need a replacement.

She shook her head, blowing her nose. “No. No. I need the distraction, but thank you.”

Jungkook smiled at her, tousling her hair, making her swat his hand with a smile, adjusting her hat. “Alright. Let’s get upstairs before we have a riot.”

She chuckled as she looked herself over in the mirror. Y/N smoothed the wrinkles from the bright green dress with red trimming. The bells attached to her dress and matching hat jingled as she turned around, giving herself one last look over. With a nod, she followed Jungkook back out of the breakroom.

***

“Attention holiday shoppers, the mall will be closing in twenty minutes. Please make all purchases at that time. Last call for Santa photos. Have a very Merry Christmas.”

Y/N wanted to jump for joy. At least that was good news. The day was almost over. She stretched, a smile across her face as the flash from the camera went off. With a giggle, she led the child towards their family with a wave.

“Thank you! Merry Christmas!”

She turned, giving Ben, their department store Santa Claus a sigh.

“Is it me, or does the line seem to be getting longer?”

He and Jungkook laughed at her comment. “It’s just you. Relax, we’ve got only twenty minutes left, and then we’ll be free of these–,” he stopped whispering as another family came up for pictures. “HO HO HO! Merry Christmas! Tinsel, bring some candy canes up!”

“Right away, Santa!” Y/N ran over to the basket and handed one to each kid. “Welcome to Santa’s shop! I’m Tinsel, Santa’s elf in charge!”

Soon the kids posed as Jungkook took a few photos, handing the parents the film with a smile. “Take this over to the booth to pay. Merry Christmas!”

Taehyung held his little sister’s hand as they walked to the middle of the mall. “Hurry, TaeTae! I want to see Santa!”

He chuckled, squeezing her hand as she dragged him along. “Be patient, Soyoung. We’ll get there soon enough.”

Soyoung pouted, tugging his hand. “B-But the store is going to close!”

Taehyung sighed, quickening his steps. “Okay. Okay. I’ll walk faster.” He adjusted the bags in his free hand as they walked faster. They reached the line moments later, standing as he glanced down with her.

“We made it. Happy now?”

Soyoung nodded with a boxy grin. “Yes!” She bounced up and down. “I have a lot to ask him.”

“Now. Now. Santa is a busy man. Don’t overwhelm him, Soyoung.”

“I won’t, TaeTae.”

***

“Is it me, or is the room getting hotter?” Y/N asked, fanning herself. Jungkook looked up from the camera, shaking his head. “I feel fine.” She sighed, checking her water bottle. Empty. The lights around her only made it hotter to stand. Y/N looked over the line. Only a few families left. She could get through it. Hand out a few more candy canes, take some more pictures, then head home to a large glass of red wine.

Taehyung grinned as they reached the front of the line. “Almost our turn Soyoung!”

She jumped with a giggle. “Yay!”

But as Soyoung stared at the bright lights, decorations, and Santa looming in the large throne, her face paled. She whimpered, trying to hide behind Taehyung.

“I-I don’t want to see him.”

Taehyung’s brows knitted, staring at her. “But you were excited a minute ago.”

She tugged on his coat. “I changed my mind. I don’t wanna see him.”

Taehyung sighed, crouching down to her eye level. “Soyoung–”

Her eyes welled with tears as she began to cry. People began to stare, making Taehyung flustered as he tried to calm her down, but she wailed louder.

Jungkook looked up at the noise and waved at Y/N. “Code blue Christmas!”

Ben groaned, rubbing his forehead. “This is our last customer. Y/N, take care of it.”

She sighed as she walked over them with a smile, grabbing the basket filled with assorted candy canes. She crouched down by the crying girl and held one out for her.

“Hiya! I’m Tinsel. Are those tears I see?”

Taehyung smiled at Y/N and stood up. “Hi Tinsel,” he brought his sister forward. “This is Soyoung. She’s a little scared to see Santa.”

Y/N smiled at her. “Hi, Soyoung. Why are you scared to see Santa?”

Soyoung sniffled, drying her eyes. She looked at Taehyung as he nodded for her to talk. “He looks scary.”

“Scary?” Y/N gave her another smile. “Santa is the biggest softie. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. Trust me, I know. I work for him.”

“You do?”

“Uh, huh. The reindeer would agree too.”

“I-I don’t know–”

“How about I walk up with you, and we’ll talk to him together. What do you say?”

Soyoung clutched Taehyung’s coat staring at Y/N. “Only if he can come too.”

Y/N nodded. “Of course, your dad can come.”

Taehyung’s cheeks became flushed as Soyoung giggled. “Uh, she’s my little sister.”

Y/N covered her mouth as she got flustered. “Oh, goodness! I’m sorry. I thought–”

He smiled with a boxy grin. “No worries. It happens all the time.”

Y/N held her hand out for Soyoung to take. “Well, Miss Soyoung, let’s see Santa with your big brother.”

Soyoung took Y/N’s hand as shyness took over and walked up the trail to see Santa Claus. Y/N gave Jungkook a nod as if to say, ‘everything is fine’ and stopped in front of Ben.

“Tinsel reporting for duty Santa. I have a new friend who is anxious to see you!”

Ben held his stomach and let out a jolly belly laugh. “Well, hello there!”

Soyoung waved, shuffling her feet. “Hi, Santa.”

“Why don’t you come on up and we can chat?”

The shyness dissipated as she walked closer and stood next to Santa Claus. They chatted animatedly. The smile on her face grew more and more as she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

Taehyung exhaled as he turned to look at Y/N with a smile. “Thank you.”

“It was no trouble,” she answered. “I was happy to help.”

Taehyung stared at her for a moment, blushing. He couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked in the elf costume. He wasn’t one to be awkward; in fact, he was pretty confident in most situations, but being in front of her made him a little infatuated.

“Miss Tinsel?”

Y/N was about to speak up just when a wave of dizziness hit her. Everything went black as she fell backward into the side of the North Pole sign.

“Miss? Miss? Can you hear me?”

Y/N’s eyes fluttered open. As everything began to focus, she could see Ben, Jungkook, Soyoung’s brother and Soyoung standing near her. Y/N tried to stand as Taehyung held his hand up to stop her. “Don’t move; you might have hit your head during your fall.”

“I’m fine,” she said as her cheeks warmed. She hated having them fuss over her. Besides the slight bump she could feel forming, Y/N felt fine. Jungkook glanced at Ben nervously. “Should we call an ambulance?”

“Guys, I’m fine. Seriously. I think I’m just dehydrated,” she rambled.

Taehyung shook his head. “We need to be sure.”

Jungkook went off to grab his phone and make the call. Y/N sighed as she still laid on the ground. Taehyung noticed how uncomfortable she looked and helped her up to lean against the stairs. “Santa, can we get her some water?”

Ben nodded as he walked away. Soyoung sat next to them, the worry crossing her face. “Is Tinsel going to be okay?”

“Of course, I am Soyoung. Just felt a little dizzy. Even elves get hurt sometimes,” she reassured the little girl. Soyoung seemed alright with the explanation and sat there in silence.

Soon enough, Jungkook came back with two EMTs in tow, and Taehyung pulled Soyoung back to give them room. They checked her vitals, stating she was a little overheated and dehydrated. They gave her a sports drink to replenish her electrolytes and told her to take it easy.

Taehyung watched from afar with Soyoung, still concerned. Soyoung glanced from her brother to the elf and pulled on his coat sleeve. “TaeTae?”

“Yes, Soyoung?”

“Do you want to know what I asked Santa for?”

Taehyung peered down at her curiously. “What?”

“I asked for you to meet someone pretty and nice,” she whispered.

Taehyung felt his heartache. “Soyoung–”

“I-I know you get lonely sometimes. I just didn’t want to see you sad anymore.”

Taehyung wrapped his sister in a hug. “You’re the sweetest little sister.” He grabbed her hand and walked over to Y/N. He stopped a few steps away and turned to Soyoung. “Wait here for a moment, okay?”

Soyoung bobbed her head up and down as Taehyung stepped forward.

“Miss Tinsel?”

Y/N sat up from the stretcher as her eyes rounded. He was still here. She wrapped her hair around her ear, having removed the elf hat, and smiled. “Uh, hi there. You can just call me Y/N. Tinsel retired for the night.”

They shared a laugh for a moment. “Well then, Y/N. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Kim Taehyung.” He returned the smile, tucking his hands in his pockets. “Some way to end a shift.”

Y/N nodded in agreement. “I’ll say. My life’s filled with never-ending incidents.”

Visibly nervous, Taehyung scratched his nose. “I don’t usually do this, but...uh, you’re probably the cutest elf I’ve ever met. Um…would you like to go out sometime?”

Y/N, taken aback, stared for a moment. She recovered, feeling a bit bashful. Though the pain of her recent breakup still lingered, she gave him a genuine smile.

“As much as I’d love to, I just got out of a breakup...more like today, but I wouldn’t say no to getting drinks, maybe coffee?”

Taehyung grinned. It wasn’t a complete rejection, but something. “Of course.” He pulled out his phone as Y/N typed her number into the contacts. He smiled, placing it back into his pocket. “Until then, I wish you a merry Christmas, Y/N.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Taehyung.”

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hoekaashi · 5 years ago

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Seven Years | K.E.

a/n: thank you for 700!! i really appreciate it. should i have written fluff for this? mayhaps. did i? nope (: also thank you to @bakugoustanaccount for making this amazing banner for me, love you boo pairing: kirishima x reader words: 1.2k warnings: mentions of death and blood, a car accident taglist: @babydabi, @suckersuki, @animoozies

Seven years, down the drain. Kirishima sat in the hospital bed, numb. What about the rest of his life? What was he going to do now? He thought back to what happened and tried to think of any signs that he missed. Anything that could have changed the outcome of that night.

The two of you were on your way back from your five year reunion. The reunion wasn’t hosted by the school itself, but rather the students who graduated five years ago. Kirishima was enjoying himself, meeting up and talking to his old classmates he hadn’t seen in a while. Even though you saw them around once a week, you stuck with your friends, opting out of mingling with your fiance. Mina brought up how different you and Kirishima were - Kirishima being this open and friendly person who got along with everyone easily and you being a more selective person, choosing to stick to what was familiar to you.

It’s true, no one really saw the two of you getting together, but there was something about you that drew in Kirishima and it took him almost a year to finally get the courage to ask you out. You didn’t know what it was about him that made you want to know him better. Maybe it was the way he always made you comfortable, or maybe it was the warm feeling you felt whenever he was around. You felt safe in his presence. The shock that came over him when you didn’t hesitate to say yes made you clutch your stomach from laughter and from that moment, he knew you were the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But here you were, seven years later, taking your relationship slow and enjoying every moment. You weren't in any rush to get married and Kirishima learned how to slow things down with you by his side.

“Babe, why don’t you talk to people with me? You’re just standing here with Kaminari and Mina.” Kirishima pouted.

You glanced between the three people around you. “Well, it’s like I’ve been telling you since our first year, Kaminari is my favorite.”

“Kaminari is my favorite,” Mina said with you, causing Kirishima to pout harder.

You wrapped your arms around his waist and planted a kiss on his cheek, giving into his wish. “One round and that’s all.”

Kirishima’s pout instantly flipped to a smile and he led you out into the crowd. As much as you just wanted to hang with your friends, it was nice to see everyone again. You got caught up in conversations with a few people like Shinsou and Midoriya, losing track of the time you spent talking with them. Kirishima watched as you became animated as you spoke and couldn’t help the smile on his face. Regardless of how long the two of you had been together, he felt like he was falling in love all over again every day.

“If you aren’t gonna fucking pay attention to what I’m saying, I’m leaving.”

Kirishima turned to Bakugou, rubbing the nape of his neck. “Sorry Bakubro, I can’t help it sometimes.”

“Tch, whatever.”

The rest of the night went by in a blur. When it was finally time to leave, you couldn’t have felt more exhausted. The two were in their car, Kirishima driving them home.

“That is the most mingling I’ve done in a long time,” you commented as you leaned the passenger’s seat back and closed your eyes.

Kirishima chuckled. “You enjoyed yourself though. Admit it.”

You opened one eye to look at the red head. “I admit to nothing.”

He placed a hand on your thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze, and you placed your hand on his. “Babe, I know you said you aren’t in a rush...but I can’t wait to marry you.”

You smiled softly. “Me too. Maybe next year.”

“That’s so far,” he whined.

“I’m not going anywhere, neither are you. We should just enjoy life as it comes.” You propped the seat back up, not wanting to fall asleep and leave Kirishima alone to drive.

He hummed. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Those were words that only Kirishima heard. You never said them for anyone else - not even when Mina got you shitfaced at her birthday. Those words belonged to Kirishima and him only.

He removed his hand from your leg, placing it on the wheel, and leaned forward a bit. “The fuck is…”

Kirishima slammed on the breaks and managed to avoid crashing head first into a stop truck. You felt all the sleep leave your body as you stared in shock at what almost happened.

“Why is there a truck parked here -”

Your words were cut off by another truck hitting the car from the back. The car collided into the truck in front of them, the entire front of the car crushed under the truck.

Thinking fast, Kirishima hardened himself last second, avoiding a majority of the damage he would’ve received. Once the car stopped moving, he opened his eyes and looked around. He felt himself freeze over when he saw you lying next to him, covered in blood, unconscious. He reached for you, keeping his quirk activated to avoid the glass and metal all around him.

“Hey, wake up,” he said as he turned your head so you were facing him.

Your eyes fluttered open and you coughed up some blood. “Eiji…” you whispered. Just that amount of effort was too much for you. Wincing from the pain, Kirishima saw that some of the glass was stuck in your throat.

“Don’t move or do anything. I’m gonna call for help and the doctor’s will help you.” He broke through his door and reached into his pocket for his phone. Quickly dialing for an ambulance, Kirishima began to investigate the trucks. Both of them had no drivers in them which he found strange until he remembered the last villain he fought with. Kirishima had killed the villain’s wife. It wasn’t on purpose, but they were both highly wanted criminals. The villain could control objects…

Kirishima looked around for the villain but couldn’t find any traces of him. By the time the police and ambulance got there, he had searched the entire area around them and found nothing. He got into the ambulance with you, holding your hand, and trying not to cry. You were covered in blood from head to toe and he watched as the EMTs tried to stop some of the major bleeding. He kept telling himself that everything was going to be okay, that you would be okay.

Kirishima was treated for his wounds while you were operated on. No one could give him any information on what was going on and he stopped asking. Eventually the ER doctor came into his room with a grave look on his face.

“I’m sorry, she didn’t make it…”

Those four words were enough to destroy his life. It was a joke right? They were messing with him. Kirishima ripped out the IVs in his arm and grabbed the doctor by his scrub’s collars. Bakugou showed up in time to pull his best friend off the doctor. He had heard the news and pulled Kirishima into a tight hug. The blond took all the hits and punches his friend delivered to him as he got his anger out. He didn't let go until Kirishima cooled his rage off and finally started crying. It felt like Bakugou held his friend for hours before he finally calmed down.

Sniffling, Kirishima spoke. “She said she wasn’t going anywhere. She lied to me…”

#kirishima eijiro #kirishima x reader #kirishima x you #kirishima x reader angst #kirishima angst #bnha #bnha x reader #bnha x you #bnha imagines #bnha fic #bnha angst

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