#update: okay I made a valiant attempt but I ended up working on the summary for the story I want to take notes for for 3 hours instead. lol

[unnecessarybeltbuckles]

need to rewatch the mk1 'movie' again so bad but I'm just not emotionally ready

[mbavholidayexchange]

To @demonicbutterflies, from @pixiepaintt

Title: Piecewise Equations & The Inner Turmoil of a Mathlete

Rating: T

Summary:  It was a day of completely no consequence. Small and tiny against the mass of the calendar; itty-bitty in the grand scheme of chronological order. It was no holiday nor commemoration. It was a Tuesday unlike any other Tuesday to have ever been invented, but to Benny Weir, grand amateur spellcaster and goof, it was the most important day of his life.

It was the day he was going to confess to Ethan fucking Morgan.

Ao3 Link: Link

Content

It was a day of completely no consequence. Small and tiny against the mass of the calendar; itty-bitty in the grand scheme of chronological order. It was no holiday nor commemoration. It was a Tuesday unlike any other Tuesday to have ever been invented, but to Benny Weir, grand amateur spellcaster and goof, it was the most important day of his life.

It was the day he was going to confess to Ethan fucking Morgan. AKA the smartest guy in the whole world. AKA an angel disguised as a human. AKA the person that Benny has been pining over for three years.

In Freshman year, he was just figuring out that he was even into dudes-- he spent most of the year pondering if he liked Ethan as a friend or liked him like that . In Sophomore year, he fawned over Ethan and decided that there was no way the feeling was mutual, especially not with Sarah around. In Junior year, he started out thinking the same, but then-- then Sarah confessed to Erica, and she apparently didn’t like dudes, and Ethan seemed relieved, and he felt like maybe, just maybe, this was his chance. So Benny convinced himself to confess.

The days couldn’t have passed any quicker; he had set a date to confess right after he learned he had a speck of hope (a week ago). Then he blinked, and it was the morning of his confession.

He forced himself to confess before lunch.

That failed.

He forced himself to confess during his last period English class.

That failed.

English class had just been dismissed by the bell, there were no hours left in the school day now, Ethan was still oblivious, and Benny was freaking out. If he didn’t do it now, he knew for a fact he’d back out and hide in his feelings for the rest of his lonely life. He’d done that for two years already; he didn’t want to go back now. Not when he had an opportunity in front of him.

“B? You coming?” Ethan asked, hefting his shoulder bag over his body and ambling to the door. He was probably excited to go home and play the new update of Zombies: Brains, Brains, and More! Benny wished all of his troubles were a zombie apocalypse; that would be infinitesimally easier than what he was going through now.

“Uh-- I--” Benny half-responded, still sitting in his desk. His feet wouldn’t move.

“Benny?” Ethan asked, lifting up a worried smile. He paused momentarily on his journey to the exit.

“You-- I don’t--” Benny managed, pointing a hand to the door. He was shaking.

“Let me just grab my stuff out my locker and we can walk home together?” Ethan promised, walking back towards the door.

“Wait!” Benny yelled, regaining his footing finally, “E, wait.”

“Yeah?”

Benny held his pointing hand straighter, flailing for the right words. He couldn’t think of any Latin with this state of a frazzled mind, so he settled for a simple English spell. Under his breath, sweating with nerves, he muttered:

“ Fire deflection, passionate perfection, grant the door unyielding connection !”

“Did you say something?” Ethan asked. Luckily he didn’t have super-hearing to go with his seer abilities.

“Uh.”

“I’m going to get the nurse. B, you’re worrying me.”

Ethan tried for the door’s handle. He tried again. It gave no budge at all-- not even a sliver of movement in any direction. Benny hesitantly smiled; at least his spell had worked. That was the only thing working for him in the moment; everything else was disorganized mayhem. Just call him Dr. Homo Doom, because his teenage life was descending into a frenzy of unrequited love!

Ethan kicked the door. Immediately after, he scowled tightly and rubbed his foot.

“The door is jammed.”

“Yeah,” Benny nervously responded. Oh God, was he too obvious? Was his plan failing? Was Ethan onto him?

“Are you,” Ethan dithered, choosing his words carefully as he checked Benny up and down, “better now?”

“Yeah. Swell as an Orc in the Highlands of Manoria!”

Ethan tried to suppress a grin at the mention of their favorite fantasy MMORPG. They always made fun of the janky 3D mechanics together.

“Valiant Orc, I shall slay you with my enchanted Ice Protection III Sword of Elysia!”

“Oh heavens above, not the enchanted Ice Protection III Sword of Elysia!” Benny yelled, clutching his chest. He made a pained ‘gh’ sound and collapsed onto his desk, twitching dramatically and trying to hide his giggles.

“Didn’t a new mob just get released?”

“Bro, yes, ah-- spear goblins, I think. Definitely OP. I wanted to play during last class but stupid Ms. Wallon won’t let us bring our phones in the room.”

“Some of us are trying to learn,” Ethan teased, smiling with his eyes, and god did that make Benny’s heart clench .

“And some of us are trying to learn strategy techs for the new meta!” Benny quickly responded. He regarded competitive gaming very seriously.

Ethan sighed. Although he, too, was heavily invested in gaming, he preferred singular player free roaming modes, or, at the very most, campaign modes. Competitive and ranked games gave him too much anxiety. He loved to watch Benny play rankings and rage at smurfs, though.

“Anyway, we should head home. We can play ZBBM?” Ethan pointedly looked at the door, “Can you, uh, do your thing?” He wiggled his fingers, and Benny snorted.

“That’s the issue. See,” he took a deep breath (it was now or never!), “I’ve been wanting to tell you something really kinda important.”

“Okay?” Ethan answered, and that confirmation sent Benny spiraling. This was really, really happening. It wasn’t just in his imagination anymore.

Benny’s breathing quickened, and he briefly considered backing out. Ethan certainly didn’t feel the same way. If he confessed now, he’d lose his best friend. Benny gulped and backtracked.

“Eh, I just--”

And then the door started hissing. And shaking. And glowing.

Ethan gasped. Benny cursed.

“Shit, Grandma always told me English spells were more tricky,” Benny muttered. He flexed his fingers. Something wasn’t right-- he may not be the most proficient spellcaster, but a simple spell like that certainly shouldn’t cause the door to rumble like a giant was full-throttle rattling it.

English spells often had a looser sense of interpretation; something about the translation from the original latin being lost in the magic altered them. He had pronounced the spell with all of the right intentions, but--

But the door was still shaking like an earthquake.

Benny blanched.

“Water pyre, built from needs dire, extinguish this door’s mental fire!”

Nothing.

“Succulent wind, in which all, uh, things end, to my cause a hand you should lend!”

Zero effect.

“Powers from earth, strengthened by girth, to a peaceful door you should give birth!”

Still, no response.

Ethan looked to Benny with wide deer eyes. He had the pinched inner brow expression that meant only one thing: he had been thinking through a problem, and reached a conclusion.

“Did you spell the door earlier?” He accused.

“Uh, heh… the thing is--”

“Benny!” Ethan whined, fretting a hand through his hair.

“I know, I know, I’m trying to find a reversal spell.”

“Because that’s going so smoothly,” Ethan snarked, then paled, “Sorry. I’m just-- agh, I don’t know what’s going on.”

Benny nodded. He didn’t either.

To be fair, he didn’t deserve all the blame. He’d only glanced over the spell once in a decades-old book with more dust than ink-- and then amateurly attempted it. At least it wasn’t a reanimated animal this time.

He could handle a door. Right?

“Let’s just calm down and think about this rationally,” Ethan suggested. He pulled out a chair and sat next to Benny.

Somehow, just Ethan’s very presence soothed Benny’s worries. When Ethan was near him, it was similar to a feeling of… indestructibility. Like nothing could stop them. Benny didn’t know how to feel about that.

Ethan smiled worriedly, always trying to stay lucid in tough situations, and Benny smiled in response. With Ethan by his side, he had no doubt that they could fix this.

“What spell did you use?”

“Well… uh… fire something, made the door lock.”

“Which spell, though?”

Benny grimaced.

“E, you know I have less than one brain cell. I don’t remember. It was pretty simple, though.”

“...Okay.” Ethan sighed, “Then why did you lock it?”

“Oh.” Benny sucked in a breath and froze.

“B?” Ethan asked, scooting closer.

“I-- I wanted to talk.” Benny settled on. Hopefully that was vague enough.

His hands were shaking, so Ethan settled put a hand on his shoulder.

“We can talk. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, just-- nervous,” Benny replied, uncharacteristically grave.

And suddenly the door stilled.

It was clattering viciously, intent on nearly breaking, until it abruptly suspended all movement. It was… quiet. The room seemed to shrink without the raucous noise. Benny and Ethan both stared at the quasi-normal door. There was not even a hint of a glow anymore; no sign of any previous activity.

Benny was the first to crush the silence.

“What… happened?”

“Touch my arm.”

Benny shrilly laughed. It seemed too ironic to be true. Ethan asking for physical contact? At a time like this? Right after Benny had chickened out from his confession? He couldn’t tell if it was bad or good luck, but fate was certainly poking fun at him. There was an irregular bit of hope stirring in the pit of his chest.

“Wha-- Why?” Benny choked out, chuckling.

“Vision,” Ethan said impatiently, holding out his hand.

Oh.

A vision. Not because he actually wanted to touch Benny or anything. Okay. Benny shrugged and touched Ethan’s hand hesitantly. Not that he was paying attention, but it was quite warm.

Benny was snapped out of it when Ethan shook his head.

“Nothing happened,” he frowned. He took back his arm and pursed his lips.

“Okay,” Benny simply responded.

“At least the door’s stopped, though. Maybe it opened?” Ethan got up to check. He paused before wrapping a hand around the handle, taking a deep breath.

He shook it, and the handle didn’t move.

Benny couldn’t help but chuckle deprecatingly. Oh, how the tables had turned on him. He had trapped himself in a room with the boy he was infatuated with, stuck in a crappy school building past dismissal time. It seemed destiny was pulling his leg, and he had no choice in the matter.

Ethan raised an eyebrow at the laughing.

“Nothing,” Benny quickly assured, “Just… We couldn’t even get stuck in a cool classroom like biology.”

“And we don’t have our phones,” Ethan noted, his eyebrows furrowed in thought, “No possible way of contacting others.”

Benny nodded. He didn’t know what to tag on; it was his fault they were stuck, anyway. He didn’t want to worsen it and make Ethan despise him even more .

“I… just give me a minute to think about the situation,” stressed Ethan. Benny nodded again.

Ethan sat back down and tapped his fingers on his desk. A minute passed. Benny watched him think, so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice Benny’s stares. A few more minutes passed, and the crease in Ethan’s brows was only deepening. Benny wanted to help him so badly, but he’d already messed everything up. Not only did his confession go haywire, but he botched a simple spell and trapped Ethan.

He had never regretted a spell more. Not even when he had accidentally hexed Erica’s hair green and she threatened to sacrifice him to the council for weeks. Not even when he spelled Mr. G to give him an A, and his grandma found out. Not even when he tried magicking some of Sarah’s fake blood to taste like soda and tasted it himself. Nothing could be worse than this-- this cacophony of confusion and guilt. God, he really shouldn’t dwell in his thoughts, but he couldn’t help it. Ethan looked so utterly pensive, and Benny just knew that he was the root cause of it.

His worst fears were being realized, and he didn’t have a clue about how to amend it. His relationship with Ethan was the most important thing in his life, and like everything else he touched, he ruined it.

By this time, they would have both been beyond home, probably settling in for dinner and video games.

Benny waited for Ethan to say something-- anything-- because the silence was nearly killing him, but he didn’t. Ethan just kept tapping his fingers. The desk reverberated back at him. Benny was out of the loop.

Time streamed by them fruitlessly; it stole the light from the windows and the confidence that they had. It was on a different, faster river; Benny was left to run after it.

Eventually, Ethan sighed and broke away from his thoughtful silence. He grabbed a water bottle out of his nearby bag and drank from it. He paused and held it out to Benny as an afterthought.

“You thirsty?”

In more ways than one.

Benny nodded, and snatched the bottle from Ethan’s loose grip. He chugged it, small rivulets of water catching his cheek and strolling down. He pulled away after a second and grinned, garbling through a mouth full of water.

“Imdirect kiff.”

Ethan flushed red. His ears turned a rosy shade, and he tugged some hair forward to cover them.

“Huh?” He asked, voice airy with an odd mixture of confusion and hope.

Benny didn’t reply. He was too busy gulping back the water and despairing in self-negative thoughts. He had no clue why he had done that.

Ethan was still staring at him.

Benny looked away, willing his cheeks to stop burning. They didn’t comply. And hindsight was truly a bitch. He refused to meet Ethan’s inquisitive gaze; he stared at the floor and picked at his short nails instead. Somehow, among this entire mess, he had managed to do something completely ridiculous and irrational again . In his peripheral vision, he saw Ethan twine his fingers together tightly, to the point of whiteness (one of his nervous tics). Benny’s heart stuttered.

Neither of them moved or made a sound for several minutes. There was only the combined noise of their breathing: Benny’s stilted and Ethan’s indecisively heavy.

God, nothing had ever been this awkward between them. It was so unusual-- so innately deafening for Benny to not be completely comfortable around Ethan. He was abruptly dunked in a pit of ice water, and he was left to flail in the bitterness. He was so accustomed to the warmth, and a fire was near, but-- he hadn’t the courage to pursue it. So he was silent.

It took everything in his limited willpower to not crack open a half-assed joke about being about as straight as 2 radians (because that was equal to a circle, and Ethan would love a math reference) but he didn’t. He couldn’t let himself ruin their relationship even further. Well-- if they still had a relationship and Ethan didn’t completely despise him by this point.

But then the object of his worries spoke.

“Unless… it didn’t have to be indirect?” Ethan’s voice wavered, pitchy and breaking on every other word, but Benny had never heard anything so beautiful .

Benny sputtered for a second, then managed to choke out a few words.

“Not indirect-- wait, what--”

He didn’t have the chance to finish, because Ethan was promptly burrowing under his desk and tucking his limbs away from view, husking himself into a neat shell. When he wanted to be, he could be very flexible. His shoulders folded between his knees, his head ducked into his chest, and his feet slipped underneath his body. He was nearly cornered into a fetal position, if it weren’t for the tremor in his chest and wild, watering eyes. Benny was all too familiar with these symptoms; Ethan was extremely anxious.

“E, it’s okay,” Benny soothed, forgetting all of his stressors in lieu of seeing his best friend hurting. That possessed the utmost priority.

Ethan didn’t respond, so Benny took a little step forward and continued to talk.

“I promise everything’s fine.”

“Just-- Just forget I said anything,” Ethan pleaded, lifting his head just enough to meet Benny’s eyes.

Benny didn’t know quite how to respond to that. How could he simply forget the most suggestive thing his crush has said to him in the history of their friendship? That moment was already ingrained into his memory, and he doubted it would ever leave. But instead of telling Ethan that, he simply extended a hand.

Ethan paused and took a couple of deep breaths, steadying himself. He took the hand, and Benny gently hauled him up. And then, in the same motion, pulled Ethan into his chest.

“Wh--” Ethan began to squeak, but was quickly muffled by Benny’s classically striped shirt. He relaxed into the hug after a few awkward moments, tentatively wrapping his arms around Benny in reciprocation.

They had hugged before, sure, but it was never truly intimate. Usually it was a quick pull and release, or a light half-hug in pictures. They friendship was never very physically close; that was largely a result of the stigmatic culture that they grew up in. Besides, playing video games together was much more fun than have tickle-fights. This time, though, this hug was different-- it was a mental connection as well as physical.

Benny sighed into the hug; it was such a simple gesture, but it seemed that all of his chaotic fretting was vanquished as soon as he was pressed against Ethan. The naturally subduing aura of Ethan was only amplified through physical contact.

Idly, he noticed that more than a few seconds had passed. Was this too long of a hug? Was he making this awkward? Benny grimaced and pulled back, suddenly feeling bad, but--

Ethan didn’t let him get far at all, tugging him back into the hug with a strength neither of them knew he possessed.

“Stay,” mumbled Ethan.

“Okay.” Benny surprisedly breathed out in response. The things he would do for this boy .

“I’m sorry,” said Ethan, ever-apologetic, and Benny couldn’t help but shaking his head against Ethan’s hair.

“Don’t be sorry. I-- uh-- I wanted to talk to you about-- stuff. Actually.”

“Stuff?”

“Yeah.”

Benny failed to elaborate. Ethan lifted his head just enough to stare Benny directly in his eyes, maintaining fierce eye contact. He wasn’t joking around.

“Stuff?” Ethan repeated. He raised a hand, almost as if he were to tuck back the hair falling in front of Benny’s eyes, but then changed his mind and dropped it.

Benny averted his eyes, opting to stare at the door. The moment was finally here. Ethan was asking him so directly, so intently that he couldn’t bring himself to lie. It was actually happening; he was going to confess his undying love for Ethan Morgan. Where he had been previously anxious, Ethan’s “indirect” comment was fueling him. He was on top of the world with adrenaline.

“Uh, well, there aren’t any cherry blossoms falling around us like, uh, all successful anime confessions go, but-- but yeah. So basically I’m in lo-- I love you.” Benny nervously chuckled. He studied Ethan’s face very closely, noting all of the emotions that cycled through it: first confusion, then surprise, then contemplation, a bit of sadness, and then contentedness. Or what Benny hoped was some form of contentedness. Ethan’s face settled on that last emotion, holding it for a time akin to forever; neither of them moved in fear of… so many things. The unknown, rejection, loss of each other-- But it didn’t happen.

After several long moments, Ethan’s thin smile cracked into a wide grin.

“I love you too, dork.”

“So…” Benny prompted, lopsidedly grinning just as wide as Ethan now.

Ethan quirked his brows as a silent question.

“Maybe we could get started on making it not indirect--”

And then the door shuddered, trembled, and rounded it all off with a clicking noise. It wasn’t glowing or moaning anymore, just… still.

Ethan, who had been curled against Benny’s chest, pulled away and hesitantly stepped toward the door. He watched it carefully for a few seconds, before deciding something in his head and walking up to it. Benny almost called out to him, was on the verge of warning him to not mess with fickle magic or he might get hurt, but Ethan had his hand wrapped around the handle before he could. With a subtle but effective flick of the wrist, he turned the knob, and the door… opened. It hinged into the classroom, revealing the empty hallways behind it, inanimate and soundless as ever. It was so normal .

The next thing Benny registered, Ethan was doubled over laughing.

“E…?” He asked, confused beyond belief.

“I-- It--” Ethan laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Benny didn’t understand at all.

“I had a hunch. It-- Your spell was fire-based, right? Fire is connected to passion, and draws power from intensity and enthusiasm. When you cast it, it… Latched onto your conflicted feelings, and created a warped version of a piecewise equation.”

“E, I don’t get how algebra messed up my magic.”

“Imagine it like this: if you still had unexpressed feelings, the door would be shut, and if you had expressed feelings, the door would open.”

“Bruh,” Benny said, at a loss for words. His magic spell had held him hostage in an attempt to get him to disclose his crush? Shit. He would have to ask his Grandma about that later (if she didn’t kill him for his stunt in the first place). Magic backfiring against him was a lot more worrisome than him merely messing up a spell (which he had assumed he had done).

“It’s okay,” Ethan assured him, “It’s all better now. Just… be careful with your powers, okay?”

“Thanks, Mom,” Benny bit back without any real anger. He was more upset with himself for letting this happen.

“B,” called Ethan affectionately, “Come on. Let’s go home, play some new meta, and forget this ever happened.”

Benny looked up from his inner turmoil like a possum caught in headlights.

“Forget… all of it?” Benny asked.

“No. Not all of it. Forget your worries.”

“Hakuna matata,” Benny weakly responded.

“Forget the feeling that you’d ever have to be scared of me,” Ethan clarified. He stepped away from the unlocked door and returned to Benny’s side. He held a hand up and finally brushed that piece of hair out of Benny’s face-- this time, without any hesitancy.

“I--” Benny started, but then Ethan was getting closer, so close, and--

Well, with the way that their lips connected like two halves forming a whole, and the way Ethan’s arms slid seamlessly behind Benny’s neck, and the way time slowed for their benefit--

There was no way it was indirect.

[beetlesacquired]

Klance Fanfic Rec List

I’ve currently got 118 Klance Ao3 links saved and I wanted to share some of my favorites so here ya go: (There’s a Shklance at the bottom btw)

He Who Fights Monsters by magisterpavis

Words: 64,888 Smut: yes Completed: yes

This is a really slow burn fic with a captivating plot and guys.  Dragons.  There’s so many dragons.  This author is also one of my favorites btw I love them.

Summary:  In a world where monstrous dragons terrorize humanity daily, the Garrison trains valiant Knights to slay the evil beasts and defend Earth. But when Knight cadet Lance Espinosa is kidnapped by a strange red dragon who kills its own kind, certain truths are revealed...and so are the true monsters.

Dirty Laundry by Anonymous

Words: 85,042 Smut: there’s a heated makeout scene or two but no actual smut Completed: yes

If you haven’t read this do you even ship Klance?  It’s the fake dating fic to top all fake dating fics.  It’s so sweet and feely you’ll cry buckets and it’s also incredibly funny.  I’ve probably read it like 5 times.  Kinda slow burn kinda not?  Internalized homophobia and homophobia from family warnings.

Summary: "Two whole months of free laundry in exchange for two weeks of being my fake boyfriend. Deal?” Keith hesitated for a moment. Was this really worth it? Hardly. Lance was an asshole, and he wasn’t sure what fake dating would entail. But, free laundry was free laundry, right? “Alright, it’s a deal.”  Or: Lance makes the mistake of telling his Mom he has a boyfriend coming home with him for Christmas. Keith makes the mistake of agreeing to be Lance's 'fake boyfriend'.

Ignorance is Bliss by YouAreInAComaWakeUp (Nikanaiko)

Words: 172,675 Smut: no Completed: yes

This is probably the number one most emotional fic I’m gonna list here.  There’s ghosts guys and that means characters I hold dear to my heart are dead so warning there.  Pretty sure I was sobbing through multiple chapters.  Real slow burn, but the build up is so worth it especially with how amazing the plot is.  I’ve got quotes from this fic hanging on my wall rn that’s how fantastic the writing is.  Suicide and internalized homophobia warnings.

Summary:As it turns out, learning that your house is haunted makes the ghosts a lot more aggressive. Who knew?  Ah, well. At least one of them is hot. And he's the less-evil one, too, so that's always a plus.

The Message by shipstiel

Words: 132,787 Smut: no Completed: yes

This is kinda a texting fic?  So lots of bants and comedy, mostly Lance cracking jokes and Keith being done with his life.  It’s a really cute fluffy thing.  Depression, car crash, nightmares, and mentions of suicide warnings

Summary: (4:07) okay, but considr this, and hear me out here (4:08) so like, a photobooth u can do with ur pets like there’ll be lil costumes that u can dress them up in, and u can do liek, period costumes and shit with them (4:09) omg, can u imagine, u and ur cat/dog, and theyre in a lil 1800s dress and one of those lace umbrella things omg so cute(4:15) Why the FUCK are you texting me at four in the morning with this— Keith is texted by accident by some idiot one day, and honestly he's not even sure why he responds. Or why he keeps responding. Yet somehow he finds himself drawn in, and okay, so maybe this fool is mildly entertaining after all. Who would've thought.

True Love or Something by DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee

Words: 188,626 Smut: no Completed: kinda??

This is more of a collection of short stories based around Keith, Lance, and the gang than an actual plot filled fic and normally I don’t like that sort of thing, but I’m in love with this because it’s so funny and cute and despite it having 37 parts and counting, it doesn’t get boring or tedious at all.  There’s a couple angsty parts especially regarding Keith’s Tragic Backstory but it’s all around just amazing.  

Summary: “So that was…” “If you say painless I’m shoving you into another snowdrift.” “Okay, that’s fair. But you got a lollipop!” “That you stole from pediatrics.” “I’m a very good date.”  Lance accidentally crashes into his new neighbor in front of their mailboxes and somehow ends the night with a very attractive (and slightly concussed) date.

Mistakes were made (Skinny band nerd takes it up the ass from the beefcake football captain) by Lynn1998

Words: 50,727 Smut: yes Completed: no Last Update: Jan 31 2017

I normally wouldn’t recommend unfinished fics, especially ones that haven’t been updated in over a year but I honestly just really like this one.  The smut is top notch and there’s plot, fluff, and angst in there as well.  I really like it. 

Summary:  Lance can't stand the captain of the football team…so why is he having sex with him?

I Swear to You by AlyxRae

Words: 123,991 Smut: no Completed: yes

Bodyguard AU!!!  Altean Prince Lance with Galra Bodyguard Keith is literally my favorite thing ever I love it.  This fic gave me whiplash with the amount of times everything went from nice and happy to death and destruction in a heart beat it’s crazy.  Least to say, lots of angst.

Summary: With the destruction of their home planet, the remaining Galra are forced to take refuge with the kind Alteans. Much darker plans begin to take shape and a young Galra solider is made the bodyguard of the Altean Prince, with orders to kill him when the time is right. However, the charming prince manages to capture the Galra's heart and ends up being captivated by the solider in return.The prince and the bodyguard are thrown into perilous adventures, all the while trying to stay together and keep each other safe.

Shadow of the Past and Ghost of the Future by wittyy_name and Zizzani

Words: 75,120 (GoF) 83,198 (SoP) Smut: no Completed: no Last Update: Feb 22 2018

These two fics are mirror fics, which is so cool.  Basically Lance gets sent one year into the future and future Lance gets sent back one year.  SoP is from Lance’s POV while he’s in the future and GoF is from Keith’s POV while future Lance is in the past with him.  I really love this fic and I’m always checking in for updates, which come in pairs (one for each fic).  It doesn’t matter which order you read them btw.

Summary: (SoP) When Lance is thrown through time, he finds himself one year in the future, in place of the Lance that should be here.He finds his team to be remarkably familiar, yet distinctly different. They have more scars, a better grip on the whole saving the universe thing, and over a year’s worth of teamwork to bind them together. But the weirdest part? Keith seems to be a lot more touchy with him. Not that he’s complaining… much.The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance’s places and restore them to their original timelines. But despite the fact that they’re still his friends, Lance can’t help but feel a little out of place among a team that’s been through so much with a Lance that just isn’t him. And it doesn’t help that the team is on edge around him, refusing to tell him anything for fear of influencing and changing the past. Things get even more complicated when they have to rely on the team in the past to complete the switch, leaving Lance to little more than sit, wait, and attempt to fill in his future self’s shoes. 

(GoF) When Lance is thrown through time, his future self from one year ahead is transported to the past in his place.This Lance is faster, stronger, and markedly more mature. Not only that, but he's distinctly more intuitive about his teammates and A LOT more touchy with Keith.The team must try and work out how to reverse the two Lance's places and restore them to their original timelines. Things only get more complicated when the Future Lance can't seem to remember where he was when the switch happened, and he refuses to reveal anything about his own time for fear of influencing the team's decisions.

The Hurricane In His Veins by magisterpavus

Words: 249,189 Smut: yes Completed: yes

So this is actually Shklance because I don’t have enough recs for this ship to make it it’s own post and this fic is honestly just really really good.  It’s probably my favorite out of everything here.  It’s a vampire AU and I love it so much.  The plot is incredible (the author should publish a book tbh it’s that good I’d buy it), there are some really cute moments, and it’s goddamn hilarious.  There’s the perfect combination of angst, smut, and fluff and I’ve read this about 10 times since I discovered it a couple months ago.  I suggest it even if you don’t ship Shklance tbh it’s that good.

Summary: It’s the summer after high school graduation, and Lance, Hunk, and Pidge are spending three months together in Pidge’s sleepy California hometown, Rosewood, before they all go their separate ways in life. It’s supposed to be fun and relaxing, filled with long days at the beach and even longer nights playing video games; a last hurrah with Lance’s best friends.But when one of Pidge’s ridiculous cryptid searches leads the trio to a mysterious pair of vampires in the woods and the web of magic and murder that they’re entangled in, the summer gets a lot more complicated…and more dangerous than they could’ve imagined.

Like I said, I’ve got 118 bookmarks so if you guys wanna pop into my asks or messages and see if I’ve got something specific, please do!

[iatethepomegranate]

Blue is the New Red Chapter 47

Masterlist (including AO3 and FFNet links)

Rated: M for torture, flashbacks, trauma reactions, PTSD, sexual assault of minors, consensual sexual content and related freaking out about it, drug references, non-consensual drug use, possibly underage drinking, homophobia and biphobia, references to self-harm, suicidal ideation and attempt. Chapter warnings:  animal cruelty, hints of PTSD, agoraphobia-liked symptoms related to PTSD

Main Pairing: Birdflash

Status: Multiple chapters, in progress

Overall summary: Nightwing has finally made his return to the Team, but he finds the events of the past two years aren’t quite done with him yet.

Chapter notes: The Team have a few surprises to contend with, and Nightwing encounters something he never wanted to see again.

Additional notes: I borrowed Sitka from Batman: The Animated Series

Chapter 47: A Bonus Mission

“Everybody stay calm,” Nightwing said.

“We’ve got at least one animal down here,” Superboy relayed to the rest of the team. “Be quick.”

A panicked chatter swept through the dozen-or-so scientists.

“We will hurry,” said Aqualad. “Be prepared to hold the animal off to allow the scientists’ escape. Superboy can break into the elevator shaft afterwards if you need to escape. Zatanna spotted a hatch on the bottom of the elevator you can access from outside.”

“Everyone stay close to the elevator,” Nightwing instructed. “As soon as it opens, hurry inside. We’ll keep this thing off you.”

“These things are super predators!” said their female scientist friend from earlier. “We made them to hunt humans.”

“We’re humans,” said one of the others.

“My two friends here are metahumans,” Nightwing replied. “And I was trained by Batman, which is just as good. We’ll keep you safe. Do you have access to the control signal?”

“No,” another scientist replied. “The soldiers took our devices.”

Great.

“No matter,” said Kid Flash. “We got this. Any tips?”

“The current on their robotic parts can be sensitive,” said one of the scientists they freed from the room.

Nightwing grabbed one of his electrified escrima; they were still having trouble maintaining a power supply for a whole night of patrol, so he used them sparingly. “Thanks. I can work with that.”

The nearest door flew off its hinges and slammed to the floor. An enormous jaguar prowled over the metal. It drew back its lips and snarled, revealing sharp yellow teeth. Light glinted off his metal rear legs.

“Superboy, keep its front busy,” Nightwing said. “KF, get me to those legs when it’s distracted.”

Superboy rushed to engage the jaguar, jumping backwards as it lunged. Kid Flash scooped Nightwing up and, in a rush of air, deposited him behind the animal. Nightwing turned on his escrima. The jaguar spun so quickly that Kid Flash only had a moment to drag Nightwing out of the way of its jaws. Ooh, wow. Its eyes had been replaced by fake glowing ones. That wasn’t freaky at all.

“Hey!” Superboy yelled. He kicked one of the metal legs. The jaguar rounded on him and clamped its jaws on his arm. He grunted but only made a token attempt to break its grip.

“This might get you, too,” Nightwing warned him over the link, and jammed the stick into the mechanised hip joint. There was a loud zap and the jaguar convulsed and collapsed. Superboy gritted his teeth and shook his arms out.

“Ow,” he said, glaring at Nightwing.

“Sorry.”

Kid Flash crouched beside the fallen jaguar. “Maybe we can take it for testing.”

Superboy sighed. “That’s going to be my job, isn’t it?”

“Aqualad,” said Nightwing, “we took down a partially-mechanised jaguar. KF wants to take it for tests. Thoughts?”

“Bad thoughts,” said Superboy. “Damn thing bit me.”

“Are you okay?” asked Miss Martian.

“I’m fine. Can’t even see anything. Nightwing’s electricity hurt more.”

“I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Leave it where it is,” said Aqualad. “The League can collect it themselves if they wish. I will inform Batman. We are coming back down. Be ready to board.”

Nightwing had to admit he was relieved they weren’t taking the thing with them.

“Okay, we’ll leave it,” Nightwing said aloud, mostly for the scientists’ benefit. “It’s the League’s problem now.”

The elevator doors slid open and everyone piled inside. Nightwing didn’t appreciate being jammed against other people’s bodies, but now was not the time to be precious about it… even if he was feeling a little sick. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The scientists were too busy worrying about getting out to think about him, and Kid Flash and Superboy knew better than to bother him.

The doors slid open and Nightwing made a valiant attempt not to look like he was rushing to get out. The two groups of scientists merged into one again and the team escorted them to the front of the facility. The two Green Lanterns were already there, along with Wonder Woman and her invisible plane.

“There’s a specimen downstairs,” Nightwing told them. “You can get in, but not out on your own unless you break the elevator.”

“Batman’s on his way to secure it,” said Wonder Woman. “We’ll see about getting these people somewhere safe. Get back to the bioship. Unless you hear otherwise, return to base.”

The Lanterns and Wonder Woman divvied up the scientists. Wonder Woman could only take two, but that was two the Lanterns didn’t have to carry on their hard-light platforms.

They flew off and the team trudged through the snow towards the bioship.

Miss Martian probed Superboy’s arm. “You were right. No marks.”

Superboy rolled his eyes, but he was almost smirking under the attention. “I told you.”

Nightwing pulled Kid Flash’s arm over his shoulders. “Thank you for gallantly saving me, good sir.”

“Ah, you know saving damsels and kicking ass… all in a day’s work.”

“I am not a damsel.”

Kid Flash snickered, pressing a kiss to his temple. “Oh, I am very aware of that. Doing okay?”

“All good now. Not a fan of being a sardine, but there are worse things in the world.”

“You were kinda weird about the elephants in the system, too. And those tapes.”

“I’m over it now,” Nightwing replied. His nose was cooling in the icy air. “We had elephants in the circus. Guess I’m still nostalgic after yesterday.”

Sometimes he missed the circus terribly, especially the elephant he’d grown up with. Sitka. She’d almost been like a sister to him, in a way. He used to pester the elephant trainer to let him learn tricks with her. She was still with the circus last he heard, but she didn’t do as many tricks these days. Animals in circuses were no longer fashionable given the animal rights issues involved. Nightwing had never known Sitka to be mistreated, but he supposed her accommodations couldn’t have been as good as she needed given they were part of a travelling circus. It was his understanding most of the animals didn’t travel with the circus on tours at all anymore. They were only brought over when the circus was setting up shop in one place for a long period of time.

He ended up telling the team about the time he’d broken his leg as a kid near the elephant enclosure and Sitka had broken down the fences to get to him and carry him back to his parents. The adults had been both grateful and horrified. It was just as well Sitka was such a nanny, and not given to aggression. She wasn’t the only elephant in the circus, but she’d been the one he was closest to.

That story held them over until they reached the bioship and strapped themselves in.

“How’d you like your first mission?” Miss Martian asked Batgirl as she brought the ship into the air.

“I missed all the excitement downstairs,” Batgirl replied.

“Most of us did,” Zatanna replied. “Maybe you’ll get to check out the animal when Batman brings it back to base.”

“Where do you think he’ll take it?” asked Kid Flash. “Mount Justice? Watchtower? Batcave?”

“Or a safehouse in Gotham,” Nightwing added. “He might not want to risk taking it anywhere sensitive until we know what it’s capable of.”

“He won’t want it in Gotham, either,” said Robin.

“Maybe somewhere remote, then.”

As if he heard his name, Batman’s voice crackled through their earpieces. “Batman to team. Do you read?”

“We read you,” Aqualad replied.

“I have another mission for you,” said Batman. “I’m picking up some strange signals from a warehouse just south of your location. Check it out. Rescue any hostages if you can do so safely. You’ll have backup as soon as it’s available.”

“Understood,” said Aqualad. Batman closed the link.

Nightwing was starting to feel warm. “Hey, Miss M, have you turned the heat up in here?”

“No,” Miss Martian replied, sending the ship into a gentle dive. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I… think so. Just feeling kinda warm.”

“Maybe you should stay on the ship,” Kid Flash suggested.

“Like hell.”

“Keep us updated on your condition,” said Aqualad, because he was both responsible and reasonable. “If you begin to feel ill, we’ll send you back.”

“Yes, boss.”

The ship touched down and the team disembarked. Nightwing’s skin flashed even hotter than before. He wasn’t burning up, exactly, but it wasn’t the most comfortable sensation. He didn’t feel weak. No joint aches or other flu-like symptoms. Just random hot flushes. He didn’t know what to do with that. The jaguar hadn’t bitten him or anything.

Kid Flash stuck close to his side as they left the ship. There were laser turrets on top of the warehouse. What the fuck?

Artemis took one out with an arrow while everyone else scattered. Kid Flash zoomed up and punched out another. Superboy took out the next. Zatanna exploded two with a spell. Nightwing and Robin teamed up with their batarangs/wing-dings to take out the last one.

Rocket put a shield up around the group once they’d come back together. “Just in case.”

They headed for the warehouse, and heat flashed over Nightwing’s skin again, even more intense this time. He tried to keep his reaction off his face, but Kid Flash was giving him worried looks anyway.

Nightwing let Robin take out the biometric scanner that barred the way. Hastily-installed, it went down without a fuss and the large garage doors rolled out of the way.

The team entered, almost on tiptoe. The factory floor was deserted, but for a set of metal stairs leading underground.

“Miss Martian, scout ahead,” said Aqualad. She headed off. “Nightwing, are you well?”

“Yeah, all that’s happening is this weird temperature thing,” Nightwing replied. “I’m not about to keel over. I promise I’ll tell you if it changes.”

“This is probably another Ra’s al Ghul base,” said Zatanna. “Could you be reacting to a Lazarus Pit?”

“I have no idea.” The thought hadn’t occurred to him. He hadn’t encountered a Pit since the one that brought him back to life. Could there be a Lazarus Pit in such a cold area? They certainly generated their own heat, Nightwing remembered with an unpleasant lurch in his gut.

“Let’s hope not,” Kid Flash said. “We’ve got enough to deal with.”

“Batman to team.”

“We read you,” said Aqualad. “We have reached the warehouse and have found stairs leading underground. Miss Martian is scouting ahead.”

“Superman is heading to your location as soon as he can,” Batman said. “Let me know what you find. Batman out.”

Superboy had a weird look on his face. Nightwing was under the impression they’d been working on their relationship, but maybe things were still awkward.

“I found more scientists,” said Miss Martian. “They’re trapped in a lab. There may be gas valves inside.”

“We’re on our way,” said Aqualad. “Nightwing, Superboy, Kid Flash, Zatanna… get below. Batgirl, Robin, explore that office over there. Rocket, go with them. Artemis, find a vantage point in case we have company. I will wait for Superman.”

Nightwing rushed down the stairs with his squadmates. The stairs were metal mesh, which met a walkway made of the same stuff. Nightwing glanced below, and there was a green glow that made him want to vomit. God damn, why did Zatanna have to be right about this?

Kid Flash steadied him with a hand to the elbow and they forged ahead down another set of stairs and another. Miss Martian was floating in the leftward section of a fork in the walkway. She led them to a door set into rock. The door was secured with a traditional lock, so Nightwing grabbed his picks and got to work.

“Flash figured out how to unlock doors by vibrating at the right frequency,” said Kid Flash. “God, I need to learn how to do that.”

“I’m concentrating, KF.”

“Right, sorry.”

Nightwing got the tumblers right and the lock clicked open. The scientists spilled out, coughing, and Kid Flash led them up the stairs. In the absence of a task, Nightwing could feel the heat across his skin again, and a strange buzzing sensation in his head. Fuck, he didn’t need this.

“We released the scientists,” said Miss Martian. “Kid Flash is bringing them to you. The rest of us will keep exploring.”

“Zee, I think you might’ve been right about the Pit,” said Nightwing.

“What can we do about it?” asked Zatanna as the squad returned to the fork and then down another set of stairs.

“Not much. They’re unstable. Lots of potential energy. Ra’s has tried to use them as bombs before.”

There was another room on this level, packed full of scientists beating against the door. Nightwing picked that lock open, too. The scientists spilled out, more than one vomiting over the railing as they went. Miss Martian led them up to safety and Kid Flash replaced her.

They kept going down. There were more rooms of scientists, more locks to pick. Each group looked worse than the one before.

“Aqualad, we’ve got a problem,” said Nightwing. “There are more rooms of scientists, and it looks like they’re being gassed. I’m picking locks as fast as I can, but we need more options.”

“I can break down some doors,” said Superboy.

“Do it,” said Aqualad. “Anyone else?”

“I’ll magic some locks,” said Zatanna.

“I’m good with locks,” said Robin, “and we’re not finding much down here. Batgirl can handle the computer stuff.”

“Good. Everyone get moving. Bring survivors up as you find them.”

They hurried down more and more steps, people peeling off as they found rooms. The heat against Nightwing’s skin was almost painful now, the buzzing in his head damn near drowning out everything else. But he still had his balance and could pick a lock in his sleep. That was enough. These people were counting on him.

Kid Flash couldn’t get the locks open, so he escorted Nightwing’s scientists for him. The floor was visible from the platforms now, and the final steps led to a glowing green Pit Nightwing had hoped to never see again. There was some strange machinery around it, and wires. Lots of wires.

“I found a Lazarus Pit,” Nightwing said. “Something’s not right. There’s wiring. I need to check it out.”

“Be careful,” said Aqualad. “Superman is here now. I’ll send him down to help you. Everyone else, how many more rooms?”

“Maybe three,” said Kid Flash. “They’re not looking so good. We have to get them out now or we could have some bodies.”

“Do I need to—”

“We have enough people to get them out, Nightwing,” said Aqualad. “Check out that Pit. We need to know if it is a bomb.”

Nightwing slid down that last staircase, almost landing on his face. The buzzing was unbearable, and it took everything in him not to claw his ears open. The heat on his skin was awful, but it was nothing compared to the heat the Pit blasted in his direction.

“Block it out,” he muttered. “Focus.”

The wires were coiled together and fed into a large metal tube sitting in the Pit. The other end connected to a tablet computer resting on a nearby rock. Rushed, but possibly premeditated. Maybe Ra’s knew people were coming and had enough notice to set up a bomb, but not enough to make it as sophisticated as he would’ve liked.

“Nightwing.” Superman swooped down beside him. “What are we looking at?”

“Bomb.” Nightwing gestured unhelpfully to the whole setup. “Can you see into the tube?”

Superman focused on it and nodded. “There are spots of lead, but not enough to impede my view.”

Nightwing looked at the tablet screen. There was no countdown. However, there was a big red stop button. He didn’t trust it, and without a countdown he had no idea how much time they had. This explosion could take out at least a mile of land, possibly more.

“What’s going on down there?” said Kid Flash.

“Got a bomb,” Nightwing replied. “Superman can help me find the right wires to cut. Focus on getting everyone else to safety. He can get me out if he has to.”

“But—”

“Make that an order,” Aqualad said. “Keep moving. Good luck, Nightwing.”

“Superman,” said Nightwing, “I need you to find the wires I can cut. Can you find the blasting cap?”

He squinted. “Got it.”

“Which wires do I cut?”

“The black one, to start.”

Nightwing produced a set of wire clippers and cut the black wire from the tablet.

“There’s also another power source.” Superman nodded to the humming generator beside the Pit. The buzzing in Nightwing’s head had drowned it out. “Cut the blue.”

Nightwing cut the blue wire. His hands were shaking. Adrenaline? Fear? PTSD? Who knew?

“Is that all the wires?”

“The blasting cap and the power source, yes.”

“I need you to fly me over to the cap. I’ll take it out, so we don’t have any accidents.”

Superman scooped him up and carried him over to the metal tube. Nightwing pulled out a pocket knife and found the cap. He had to go carefully, or he’d blow both of them up, along with all the scientists and the Team.

He took a deep, shaky breath and carefully slipped the blade into the compartment. The lid opened, revealing the cap. He tugged it out and clasped it in his hands. His skin felt like fire, and the buzzing would’ve deafened him if it hadn’t been coming from inside his own head.

Superman set him back on solid ground. Nightwing took a gasp of air in, mostly relief that the buzzing had died down a touch. He pulled a vacuum tube from his belt and slid the cap in there, activating the tube. It couldn’t go off without oxygen.

“I’ll take the bomb into space,” Superman said. “Is it safe to move?”

Nightwing nodded. Even with his head stuffed full of bees, he knew his bombs.

“Okay. Can you make your own way out?”

“I’ll be fine. Deal with the bomb.”

Superman floated over to the bomb and tugged it from the Pit, green acidic water dripping from the bottom.

“Don’t let that stuff touch you,” Nightwing warned. “It heals the sick and hurts the healthy. I have no idea what it’ll do to you.”

“I’ll be careful.” Superman flew backwards along the stairs so the water wouldn’t drip on him.

“Superman’s taking the bomb out to space,” Nightwing told the team, painfully aware that even his brain-voice was shaking. “I’m on my way up.”

“Need help?” asked Kid Flash. “It’s a long walk.”

“I’ll manage.” Nightwing needed to compose himself. The buzzing and the heat were bad enough, but the adrenaline was flowing thick and fast through his veins. His heart was beating in his head. He shook out his hands, letting shaky breaths fly in and out of his body until he could think straight.

There was an invisible tether between him and the Pit. The green burned into his eyes, the acidic bubbles bursting in the water and his soul. The buzzing almost felt like words, like it was beckoning to him. Fuck that. He shook his head like a wet dog and started up the steps. Kid Flash met him a few levels up anyway and helped him the rest of the way. He didn’t ask questions. Yet.