#was originally going to include her twin tails but THAT WAS SO MUCH HARDER …. so i cut her hair :3c

[ghostinghome]

tested out ibispaint’s animation feature :3 IT WAS SO MUCH FUN !!!! im so glad this is a real feature

[corvus--rex]

Another one that's soundly asleep and not abandoned. Non-canon compliant, and all 7 of them are lgbt+ (I also may, possibly, be projecting onto Keith - just a little). And Lance is a they/them enby.

~*~*~*~

Liberating the planet Artrax was the easy part. Eliminating the Galra presence was simple. Voltron’s Paladins had done their job in securing the planet’s freedom. No different from any other occupied planet they’d been to. The Artraxians were holding a celebratory festival both in honor of the Paladins and in anticipation of joining the Voltron Coalition. Not complicated. It wasn’t something they hadn’t done many times before. And while every planet’s traditions and customs were different, they more or less knew what to expect. At least, they thought they knew what to expect. They were apparently wrong about that.

Allura dropped into her usual seat at the head of the dining table with a heavy sigh, the tablet in her hand clattering to the table’s surface. A lack of her usual composure was evident in the way her shoulders slumped, the annoyance and displeasure clear on her face. She sighed again before facing the Paladins.

“I’ve just spoken with Artrax’s leaders. They are going forward with the celebration in our honor and over joining the Coalition,” she said, heavy with exhaustion.

“I’m sensing a ‘but’,” Lance said cautiously.

“The Artraxians have a very rigid society when it comes to gender roles and sexuality. They are also insisting that, as distinguished guests, we are to dress according to their standards. At the very least I got them to agree to modify their fashions to our anatomy. But they will not back down from their views on gender. Not even for us. Alteans may not believe in those strict lines, but they do.”

“And combined with their enhanced sense of smell, especially when it comes to hormones and pheromones, there’s no way we can get around it,” Pidge noted disappointedly.

“Unfortunately. Please know that I would never ask any of you to do something that makes you uncomfortable in that way. But they would consider it a personal insult not to attend, or abide by their customs. And their trade routes are invaluable to the Coalition. I am so sorry.” Allura slumped back into her seat, gaze dropping to the table.

The room was silent for a long minute as they all considered their options and what the Artraxian societal standards meant for them. Three fifths of the Paladins didn’t identify with their assigned genders and none of them, Allura and Coran included, were straight. Hiding their sexual orientations was manageable, their gender identities far less so. Neither Lance nor Pidge in any way liked the idea of being forced into presenting as their assigned genders. After expanding their wardrobes beyond what they had worn into space, there was no telling what Lance would appear in on any given day, while Pidge’s remained as non-gendered as physically possible.

It had only been a few months since Pidge had come out to the team as agender, aromantic, and asexual. “Triple-A Queer” they had called it. They had known for some time before, but their disguise to get into the Galaxy Garrison was important to their self-imposed mission to find Sam and Matt, and so allowed everyone to believe that they were male. Lance, on the other hand, had never made their semi-fluid nonbinary identity a secret. Being bisexual and nonbinary at the Garrison had been an unpleasant experience at times, until the day when Tommy Bailey was harassing them for it again and Hunk simply appeared behind Lance without a sound, glaring. Tommy was too afraid of Hunk after that to try anything again.

While Lance and Pidge – as much as they hated it – could power through the discomfort of dressing to their physical sex, it was a little harder for Keith. He had kept it a secret at the Garrison, Griffin’s homophobia and “teasing” about Keith’s parents was bad enough. The only ones who had known were Shiro, Adam, and Garrison medical staff. He figured his life was hard enough being the gay, orphaned, golden boy without adding his trans status on top of it. His recovery time after top surgery was dismissed (by him) as having been sick, and hormone shots as being for specific, undisclosed allergies. (“Yeah, I’m allergic to being female,” he’d told Shiro with a laugh when they decided that was going to be the “official” story.)

He’d been off hormones since not long after leaving the Garrison, and told the team shortly after settling into the castle. He wanted to, but even if he hadn’t, it was going to show itself sooner or later. He’d rather they were prepared for bitchy, PMS-ing Keith, followed by angry, period Keith. It was not a side of himself he liked anyone seeing, but without access to his hormones, they were going to whether he liked it or not. He had the grace of the gods in that respect. Shiro handled it the same way he always had – from a distance and with care. Pidge was right there with him, commiserating over a bodily function neither of them wanted. Hunk had two moms and a younger sister, so he understood, even if it was from the outside. It was the same for Lance, with both of their sisters, one of whom was their twin, so they’d seen what she went through a little more closely than they’d wanted. Allura and Coran didn’t understand human reproductive cycles, but understood that it was an uncomfortable process, and did what they could.

But all that meant that he was going to be the one out of all of them in the most discomfort. It had been years since he’d had to pretend like he wasn’t in the wrong body, and now he was having to face that all over again. He knew that if they’d had any kind of leeway, Lance and Allura would be there to help him to be as comfortable as possible while stuck in a dress. But they didn’t. They were going to be in a modified version of the planet’s inhabitants’ traditional costume. None of the paladins knew what it looked like, but from how upset Allura was, it couldn’t be good.

Keith decided to rip off the band-aid. “So, what do these outfits look like?” he asked.

Allura played with the tablet she’d brought with her for a moment before turning it on. The images projected over the table were of the Artraxian people modeling their traditional clothing. Their race was in an eternal transitional period between reptilian and avian. Mostly scaled, and more closely resembling their reptile ancestors, they also had patches of brightly colored feathers and slightly wing-like arms with retractable membranes. The feathers that grew along their shoulders, forearms, and thighs were short, and nearly mistakeable for scales if it weren’t for their texture. They also had feathers that grew in a swath from forehead to neck, but these were longer, some trailing down their backs. Artraxian scale colors ranged from pale, leaf green to deep forest, those colors determined by regional origin. Unlike what the paladins would have expected of either reptiles or birds, Artraxians were a live-birth species, and so had some features more like Earth mammals, most notably two close-set rows of three breasts. Six-titted aliens was not what they were expecting. But combined with their long, thick, tapering tails and wing-arms, the paladins could see why their clothes would have to be adapted for human and Altean anatomy.

The clothing itself was as brightly colored as their feathers. It appeared light, soft, and silky, but was wrapped around their bodies like bandages, ultimately not leaving much to the imagination. Some of the wrappings were sheer, showing off the scales beneath. The females wore a two-paneled, A-line skirt over their leg wraps that ran to mid-calf, completely sheer and split at the sides to the waist. Males wore something similar, but slightly shorter and opaque. Both sexes went barefoot, no doubt a necessity due to their sharp claws. All five paladins looked over the projection with varying degrees of curiosity, anxiety, and fear.

“We’ll be providing the Artraxians with our physical measurements from here, and they will send us our…outfits,” Allura said, eyeing the female Artraxian with trepidation.

Keith was sorry he’d asked; he felt sick.

Lance was sitting directly across from him and was the first to notice it. Leaning over the table slightly, they nudged his foot. “You ok?” they asked quietly.

“No.” It was all he could get out before bolting from the room.

Shiro started to get up, but Lance stopped him. “I’ll go. No offense, but I don’t think a cis guy is what he needs right now.”

“Want me to come too?” Pidge asked.

“Maybe in a little bit. I think too many people will be too much for him.”

Pidge nodded at the same time Shiro spoke. “I’m not offended, Lance. You’re the best suited out of all of us to talk to him right now.”

“Thanks, man. I’ll call if I need anyone.”

Lance paused in the hallway, considering the possibilities of where Keith was most likely to be. Training deck? Always a possibility, but it didn’t seem as probable at that moment. He’d been genuinely upset, not just aggravated or frustrated. So not there. Holed up in his bedroom? Maybe, but it felt a little too obvious. The shock of seeing what he was expected to wear had made him bolt, and Lance knew he’d gone to ground. Ok, so not his bedroom either. The castle was not a small place, but there were only a handful of places Keith would go. If not the training deck or his bedroom, he had most probably run for his favorite of the observation decks, and that was where Lance set off for.

Walking the halls of the castle, Lance enjoyed the feeling of the soft fabric of their long skirt and fluffy cropped sweater. They liked the way the silky material flowed around their legs, and how their sweater floated and felt like it was made of clouds. It also made them think about their own coming out process. How their twin sister Rachel was the first person they’d told at age 12. Barely a month before their thirteenth birthday, Lance had taken Rachel on the short walk to the beach, to the spot away from where even the locals stayed. Their favorite place where they went swimming all summer long. Where their older siblings taught them to surf, and where their mother had shown them the constellations and sparked a love of space in Lance.

That’s where they’d gone with Rachel on a hot day in June. Lance remembered standing ankle-deep in the warm, clear water. They couldn’t look at her, too nervous about what she’d say. But looking out over the Atlantic, they’d found the courage they needed, and told Rachel everything. About how they’d been thinking about how they noticed they liked girls ok, but also boys and nonbinary people too, and considered themselves bi. It led them into talking about their own gender. That they didn’t feel much like a boy, but that they felt kinda like a boy sometimes, kinda like a girl sometimes, but mostly felt nonbinary. Lance told her that they felt like gender didn’t matter as much to them, and that while they didn’t feel the need to change their name, their preferred pronouns going forward were they and them.

Rachel had sat on the beach and listened. She thought it over while Lance was talking, and when they were done, she got up without a word, left her flip flops on the sand, and joined her sibling in the water. She crushed them in the tightest hug of their life and told Lance that they were her twin, nothing in the known universe could stop that, and that the absolute most important thing was that they were comfortable in their own skin. If there were a few tears before they left for home, no one needed to know. With Rachel firmly beside them, they told the rest of the immediate family that night, getting almost the same reaction from them as they had from their twin. Their father Diego was only a little more reserved, admitting that he didn’t understand the nonbinary part, but as long as Lance was safe and happy, that was all he cared about. By the time Lance had left Earth, Diego had come to understand what being nonbinary meant and that those five years of expressing themselves freely had been the happiest of Lance’s life.

The memory of that summer day made them smile to themselves as they walked, but also made them miss home and family all over again. With a sharp shake of their head, they remembered what they were coming up to the observation deck for. They knew Keith understood how important this party was, but being forced into that was more than enough to cause that kind of reaction. Ironically, Lance thought, the Artraxian male fashion sense was actually feminine-leaning, non-gendered by human standards and didn’t bother them as much as they thought it would, although it still did upset them. But that was them, not Keith. Especially with what Artraxian women wore, they knew how much it upset Keith. And that was why they were there. Not to try to convince him to wear it, but to be supportive. Let him know that both they and the team had his back with this. That Lance would be there for him however he needed.

Lance knocked on the door, walking in when they didn’t get an answer anyway. Keith was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees as he watched the stars. Lance curled up beside him without looking over.

“Hey. It’ll be ok. I know it really, really, sucks, and I wish we didn’t have to do it, but we do. We’re all here for you, you know that right?”

Keith sighed, rolling his head from where it rested on his knees to look over at Lance. “I know you are. Doesn’t make it any easier. I thought I was past all that. Having to pretend to be something I'm not. It’s been hard enough being out here without even the possibility of access to my T shots. And now this. I think I would have been more ok with it if it didn’t look like that.”

“Yeah, I get that. Kinda exposes almost everything. None of us like it, even if I know Allura and Shiro are gonna look amazing in it, but Pidge and Hunk will be really uncomfortable. Hunk doesn’t like going to the beach without a shirt on unless he’s really comfortable with the people around him. And I don’t think I can even imagine Pidge in anything girly, let alone that. And even I’m not really comfortable with it. Way too much skin on display, y’know? I mean, I say this while wearing a crop top, but…” they trailed off with a soft laugh and turned to face Keith. “Really what I’m saying is that we’re all uncomfortable. I know it’s not exactly the same, but you’re not alone. If you need to stay close to one of us for the party to feel safe, it’s ok. No one will mind.”

Lance thought that the soft huffing sound that came from Keith might have been a laugh until they heard the sniffle and realized that he was wiping away tears.

“Thanks, Lance,” Keith said softly.

“Anytime, Samurai.”

It was barely a day after transmitting the team’s measurements to the planet’s surface before an unmanned shuttle landed onboard the castle. They realized that color preferences hadn’t been asked of them, and that their “outfits” were all individually wrapped in black tissue and labelled with their names. Coran busied himself with handing out the packages and sent Allura and the paladins off to change.

“Hey, Lance?” Keith called quietly.

They turned to him and immediately saw the discomfort and anxiety all over his face. “Hey, it’s ok. What do you need?”

“I think I need to call in that favor.”

“Ok. Would having Allura there help?”

Keith thought for a few seconds. “…Yeah, I think so.”

Lance turned to where the princess was making her way across the pod bay floor. “Allura, I have a question for you.”

She stopped and waited for both of them to catch up with her. “Yes? What is it?”

Lance looked to Keith first for his silent confirmation before continuing. “Keith’s gonna need some help with this. I figured you being the only girl here would help with making him as comfortable as we can.”

“Oh, yes, of course. Allow me to change and then we can meet.”

“My room?” Lance suggested.

~*~*~*~

Links to the rest of the series:

1 | 2 | 3* | 4 | 5* | 6* | 7 | 8 | 9* | 10 | 11 | 12* | 13 | 14 | 15* | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19*

[nothingbutfangirlsmut]

The Maze Trials: A Gally Fanfiction

Pairing: Gally x Emi(OC)

Summary: Emi, first girl the Glade has seen. Tougher than she looks and more than ready to prove it. Since day one her and Gally have been at each other's throats. Fighting constantly and not just with their words.

(Gally fanfiction which will include smut. It also has an actual story line. Think of it as an AU to the original Maze Runner. It'll mostly follow the main story line with some changes. Mostly focusing on Emi and Gally and their relationship.)

Chapter Twenty-Six

I had found out from Chuck that Thomas and Minho did in fact go into the maze. The young boy had also told me about strange loud sounds from inside the maze. I ran outside with Chuck to see a small group of gladers at the entrance. As soon as I reached the group I saw the two runners coming around the corner. A moment of calm washed over me knowing they were both safe. They ran inside past the group. We all followed them needing to know if they had found anything else.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Newt questioned the two.

"What the hell have you done now Thomas?" Gally asked harshly.

"We found something. A new passage. We think it could be a way out." Thomas stated as we all walked in a group.

"Really?" Newt and I asked at the same time.

"It's true. It opened a door. Something I'd never seen before. Think it must be where the grievers go during the day."

"Wait, woah, you're saying you found the griever's home and you want us to go in?" Chuck asked looking at them like they were insane.

"Their way in could be our way out Chuck." Thomas said simply.

"Yea or" Gally started as he shoved his way past Chuck and I to get close to Thomas.

"There could be a dozen grievers on the other side. Truth is, Thomas doesn't know what he's done as usual." Gally shouted.

The group stopped as Thomas whipped around to face Gally. The veins in his neck popping out as he strained to keep himself under control.

"Yea, well at least I did something Gally. What have you done? Huh? Besides hide behind these walls all the time." Thomas said sternly standing toe to toe with the builder.

"Let me tell you something Greenie, you've been here three days. I've been here three years." Gally stuck his fingers in Thomas' face.

"Yea you've been here three years and you're still here Gally! Alright? So what's that tell you? Maybe you should start doing things a little differently!" Thomas shouted in his face.

"Guys" I said sternly trying to step between them.

I placed a hand on both their chests trying to ignore the tingles that appeared when I touched Gally.

"Maybe you should be in charge Thomas. What about that?" Gally said as he wrapped his hand around mine stepping closer to the other boy.

"Guys! It's Alby!" Teresa's voice suddenly shouted from behind us.

We all turned to face her. Gally was still holding my hand tightly. I didn't mind it. I was happy to have this contact with him even though he didn't realize he was doing it.

"He's awake" Teresa added once we were all looking at her.

I felt Gally let go of my hand as we all went straight for the hut. Jeff was outside the door as if guarding it. He stopped the group by holding up his hand.

"Newt, Thomas, and Gally you can go inside. The rest of you have to wait out here." Jeff said opening the door.

The three boys stepped inside followed by Jeff then the door closed behind them. What kind of klunk is that? I've been here just as long as them. I need to know what's going on as much as they do. A hand on my shoulder pulled my concentration away from the door.

"Come on let's grab something to eat." Teresa said with a small smile.

I nodded feeling my stomach growl at the mention of food. I followed Teresa over to Fry's shack. He smiled and handed us both a tray of food. The two of us sat away from the boys. It was nice to have another girl here to keep me company.

"Can I ask what happened with you and Gally?" Teresa asked while keeping her eyes on her tray.

"He doesn't want to leave the Glade and I do. I think Thomas can get us out of here. Gally thinks Thomas is just screwing everything up." I stated quietly.

"Maybe he will come around. I mean he has to understand that your brother is just as important to you right?" She asked quietly.

My head snapped up to look at her. My brother?

"How'd you know that Thomas is supposedly my brother?" I asked her.

"I just assumed. I saw the two of you side by side in the look out. You look just alike. You have the same hair, features, and even make the exact same facial expressions. I just figured you were brother and sister." Teresa shrugged.

"We don't know for sure but like you said we do look alike and I had a dream the night before Thomas arrived where I had called him my twin brother." I explained.

I could see the sun setting in the distance turning the sky a light pink. Something felt wrong. I glanced around the Glade looking for anything that would make me feel this uncomfortable. As I scanned the Glade I saw just that. I jumped to my feet scaring Teresa.

"The door!" I shouted.

Instant chaos erupted in the Glade. The boys started shouting frantically.

"Shut it!" I shouted gaining everyone's attention.

They all stopped in they're tracks to stare at me.

"I want all of you to gather torches and any weapons you can find. Do it now and meet back here. Move it!" I shouted the order.

All the boys ran off to do as I had told them. I grabbed Teresa's arm to pull her behind me as I ran for the Med-Jack's hut. I didn't bother knocking on the door. I threw it open gaining everyone insides attention.

"What the hell are you doing?" Gally asked harshly.

"The doors" I panted.

"They're still open" Teresa finished for me.

All of their face's instantly paled as they exchanged glances. The boys including Alby who was now back on his feet ran out of the building. The other gladers had come back with torches and weapons. Most of us grab a torch and ran to the door. This has never happened. A sudden loud screeching sounded from behind us. It didn't sound like a Griever though. We all turned to see the wall opposite of us opening. I never even realized there was a door on the wall but there it was slowly opening up. The same horrible sound came from the right then the left. All four sides were open exposing us from every way.

"Hide!" Thomas shouted frantically.

As soon as he shouted that word every glader took off running in different directions. I heard the sudden and ear piercing screeches of several grievers from behind us as we ran. I was running beside Teresa as we both followed behind Thomas. We ran into the field of tall grass as quietly as we could. We stopped right in the center and huddled down in a group. I could hear the metal legs of the grievers and their menacing snarls growing closer. We all looked at each other all of us with a look of true fear on our faces.

A blood curdling cry from one of the gladers behind us had us all back on our feet. A griever had impaled him then tossed him away. I was frozen with fear and shock. I'd never seen anything like that in my life.

"Go! Go! Go! Go!" Thomas shouted pulling my arm as everyone else ran.

We ran back towards the main part of the Glade where most of the huts stood. A griever suddenly busted threw a small hut turning it into rubble as it came face to face with us. Every one shouted and skidded to a stop then quickly moving to go another direction. Teresa grabbed one of the jars of Gally's concoction. As she threw the jar I threw my torch. Both objects hit the griever at the same time making it burst into flames. It let out a painful screech as it staggered.

Thomas ushered us another direction away from the now burning griever. I glanced back to see the griever putting itself out. Then it turned towards us with another nasty snarl. We ran into the open Glade as fast as we could. I could see  gladers being picked off one by one by the grievers. Alby tripped causing him to fall to the ground. I almost fell on top of him but I caught myself in time to help him back to his feet. The griever was right in front of us now.

"Get behind me!" Thomas shouted as he threw his arms out to protect us.

The griever snarled and growled at him.

"Come on!" Thomas shouted at it.

Two spears flew threw the air both landing in the grievers face. It screeched as it tried to shake off the spears.

"Come on! Over here!" Frypan shouted as he and a few others ran towards us.

The griever broke one of the spears as it turned to face us again. I turned to run following behind the others. My heart was hammering in my chest. I didn't want to die not here not now.

"Over here!" Chuck shouted from the door of a hut as he held up a lantern.

We all turned running straight for the younger boy. Once inside Thomas and I grabbed whatever was closest to us to barricade the door. We stood in the middle of the hut all frantic and scared. The griever was circling the hut outside. It's snarls loud enough to be heard as it moved around. It banged on a part of the roof but it seemed unable to break through. It paused as we all huddled together. It banged harder causing all of us to back away in fright. It started moving again like it was looking for a way in.

"Stay back guys" Newt whispered.

The metal tail of the griever punched threw the ceiling making all of us shout and fall backwards. The whole roof seemed to cave in around us the next second. The room filled with dust making it harder to see and breath.

"Everyone alright?" Newt asked.

We all looked around as if to check that everyone was there but in the middle of all this chaos I had no idea who was with our group aside from a few people.

"Help! Help!" The sudden muffled scream had as moving.

One of the gladers was pinned under the fallen roof. Several of us moved to grab his out stretched hand but he was quickly pulled away by a griever before we could touch him. Another griever started scratching at another wall.

"Get away from there!" I shouted at the two standing close to the wall.

The griever's tail punched threw the wall grabbing the glader closest to it. The other glader standing close by was Chuck.

"Chuck!" Thomas screamed as a griever grabbed him.

We all darted quickly for the young boy. Thomas had grabbed Chuck's hand. I grabbed his other arm. We pulled trying to free him from the griever.

"Chuck don't let go!" Thomas ordered the boy.

"No shit!" Chuck shouted in fear.

In any other circumstance I would have laughed. Right now my brain could only focus on trying to save my friend. A sudden war cry from beside me had me turning to see Alby with a weapon. Our leader seemed to go mad as he used the wood as a club to beat the tail of the griever. He didn't stop until we all fell backwards with Chuck as the griever let go. Alby hit it again until it retreated from the hut. He screamed out of the hole at the griever.

"Chuck you okay?" Thomas asked him.

"Yea I'm fine" He groaned as we all tried to get back to our feet.

"Thanks Alby" the boy said turning to look at our leader.

We all heard the griever before we saw it. Before any of us could do anything it broke threw another part of the roof instantly grabbing Alby. Thomas jumped up quickly grabbing Alby's hand as he had done to Chuck.

"Thomas! Get them out!" Alby ordered him.

Alby pushed back from Thomas letting the griever take him.

"Alby!" Newt and a few others shouted as we rushed to the hole.

Our leader was gone. Alby was gone.

"Thomas!" Teresa screamed.

I turned to see Thomas heading for the door.

"Thomas no!" I shouted.

"Don't go out there!" Teresa shouted as we both tried to grab for him.

He easily avoiding our hands as he burst back out into the Glade. A horrible quiet settled around us. Only the sound of the crackling fire around us and the distant screams of gladers being drug into the maze.

"Where is everybody?" Teresa asked.

We all knew the answer to that but none of us dared to speak it.

—

[mirainostar]

Corrupt!Steven Thoughts

Just a first view on how this could play out. @novantinuum your stuff inspired me as well as fanart from tons of other people.

He didn’t really know how it started. Maybe it was when he fused with Jasper, Fire Quartz did display some corrupted characteristics, maybe it was when he had to channel all of his power to calm White after she stressed herself to the breaking point. Maybe it was so very long ago, that the corruption had invisibly affected humans and was passed down all the way to Steven, a corruption that wouldn’t show itself until he was at his breaking point. It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, corruption was still mostly uncharted territory even to White Diamond, and that’s not even including the weirdness that comes with a gem-human hybrid.

Regardless of how it started, it was happening, and Steven didn’t know how to stop it.

Or if he could stop it.

At first, it was a small pink blotch on his shoulder, easily hidden with his jacket. Steven brushed it off at first, thinking it was some strange occurrence related to his gem. Perhaps it was his gem side showing through, he surmised. So he ignored it and went on with his missions, first making peace with Azurite-Cuprite, who then settled into their life as a fusion, although he still wasn’t quite sure what had driven Aquamarine and Eyeball to fuse in the first place. Then came the two Lapises, who first went after their Lapis for being a traitor, and they were defeated by Lapis and Peridot forming Chrysocolla, which led to the three of them being able to convince the twin Lazulis that everything was okay. After that mission he followed Lapis and Peridot back to Little Homeworld, where in a puddle Steven found that another pink blotch had formed on his neck. He pulled his collar up a little and kept going.

The cactus Stevens were easy to deal with. He simply led them to the watermelons and let the little fruits teach the larger plants. Jasper also helped, having made her home on the island as well.

Consequently, it was Jasper who first saw the horn. Just barely poking up out of his wet hair after he was pushed into the water, the small pink spike protruding from just behind his hairline set off alarms in her head. When she tried to ask him about it, he simply shrugged it off and said she must be seeing things. From then on Steven made sure to never get his hair wet around anyone else, for the horn was covered by his hair when it was dry.

Then came what Steven internally referred to as “the pinkening”. First it was his eyes, shifting from pure dark brown/black to a sharp, bright pink over the course of a week. That week he learned that he had always had diamond pupils, but his eyes were just too dark to see them. After that it was his fingers, his nails lengthening and sharpening all while changing to a duller pink color, almost purple. The colored blotches kept spreading, covering almost his entire body other than his face and the backs of his hands. He adopted a turtleneck sweater from his closet, and made sure that his fingers and palms weren’t shown often.

He noticed his mouth changing shape when he bit down on a burger and saw fang-like impressions in the bread. His teeth were almost receding, and the skin around his lips started to harden, pulling down to make sharp shapes in the place of teeth. That was when Steven started to hide for hours at a time, there wasn’t really a way to hide that.

He found a flu mask discarded on the beach and immediately put it on to hide his mouth, temporarily suspending his habit of hiding out of sight. Although, it didn't last for long.

One night, when he laid down in his bed, full-body pajamas and mask on, he felt something preventing him from laying down fully. Steven sat up and felt his back with lengthening claws, finding another spike forming from the base of his neck.

As all of this was going on, his thoughts grew darker and darker. “Haven’t you done enough to make them worry?” “If they saw you like this, they’d be terrified.” “You’ve helped them with their problems, you need to keep going. Be strong for them. If they found out, their pillar of faith would shatter.” “They will hate you if they find out.” “You’re a monster. They’d shatter you if they saw you.” “You’re not worth the effort.”

Corruption is a monster. It takes your darkest thoughts, your repressed emotions, and twists them into demons far beyond their origin. And for someone like Steven, with years of trauma and anxiety and horror behind him, these demons would be enough to overpower even the most powerful person.

Two tusk-like horns emerged from his lips, pushing against the flu mask and making it harder to hide the true nature of his face. His sclera darkened, turning as black as the darkest reaches of space. A lump at his tailbone formed, starting to lengthen into a thick tail as the spikes spread down his back and onto the newly formed limb. His feet started to change shape, unable to fit into his sandals as his heel moved upwards and rough paw pads formed on the balls of his feet. The claws on his fingers lengthened and his toes began to mimic that. Pink spots started to cover his face, his hair started to thin.

The Gems knew something was wrong. They only saw glimpses of Steven anymore, but it was enough to realize something was happening to him, something terrible and nightmarish. Pearl caught sight of a rogue claw before he warped away, Amethyst saw something flicking back and forth behind him for a split-second, Lapis spotted something sharp at the back of his head. They wanted to confront him about it, but every time he was nowhere to be found. He didn’t even sleep at his house anymore. It worried them.

Jasper watched him change in horror, staying out of his line of sight every time he came to her island to visit the plant civilization. After months of hoping he would say something to those who cared most about him, she finally worked herself up and went to Pearl.

“He’s corrupted, Pearl. Every time I see him something new has appeared, new horns, a tail, claws, scales. I’ve approached him but he refuses to acknowledge any of it. I don’t think he has much time left before he changes completely.” The once toughest soldier in Yellow Diamond’s army was crying, a new thing for her. Pearl gathered the other gems, as well as the humans closest to Steven, and called the Diamonds to warp to the remote island.

They found Steven curled up on the beach, a ball of pink spikes and claws. He looked to be in immense pain, as two larger horns emerged from his temples and grew to dominate his silhouette. His form was growing, the corruption entering its final stages.

The Crystal Gems could only watch as their son, their friend, their family, grew into a Wyrm more powerful than anything they had faced before.

[justanoutlawfic]

I Belong With You, You Belong With Me: Third Circle of Hell

Summary: James visits Dante’s and makes a choice about Lacey.

Also on AO3

Storybrooke, Maine (October 31st, 2011)

 Dante’s on Third was unlike any place James had ever been. There were vinyls carefully filed away down several rows. Rock songs-at least James assumed they were rock-played on the overhead stereo. Shag zebra wallpaper gave it a very 70s vibes in a town that hadn’t seemed to escape the 80s. The whole shop smelt so deeply of weed, he wondered if he was going to get a second hand high. There really was no wonder why Lacey loved this place.

 It had been three days since David woke up from his coma and he was doing a bit better. He couldn’t remember why he had decided to take a walk through the woods straight after. Even Dr. Whale said it couldn’t be explained. At the end of the day, all that could be done was work up his strength. David still had no memory of the night he was found, just that he left work and was heading home. Everything after that was a supposed blur. Dr. Whale said despite all of that, it was a miracle that he had no long-lasting injuries. He didn’t think David would be in the hospital long and soon, he could return to his everyday life.

 Not that David had much of a life left. After he left Kathryn, David had started renting out an apartment but Albert let it lapse once he entered his coma. There had been his job as sheriff of the town, but Graham had replaced him when it looked like he wasn’t coming out of it. James knew Albert was thrilled. David had finally escaped his clutches years ago and now it looked like he was going to be forced to return to it. If James didn’t know any better, he’d almost wonder if his dad had put his brother in the coma himself.

 Stop having those thoughts, they’re only going to get you in trouble.

 “Can I help you?”

 James was pulled out of his bubble by a smooth voice. He looked up at a man taller than him, with a long curly beard and even longer hair. He wore a blue tunic and khaki pants. He gave James an easy smile.

 “I’ve never seen you around here before,” he said. “Welcome to Dante’s. I’m John, the caretaker of these fine records. How may I assist you?”

  James couldn’t help but relax around John. He was probably one of the few people in town that wouldn’t have a thing to do with his father and therefore wouldn’t be scared of him. James knew he’d help him out.

  “I’m James.” He fumbled through his pocket and pulled out the scrap of paper. “I’m looking for a signed copy of Surrealistic Pillow.”

John arched an eyebrow. “I normally would love to allow you to purchase that, but I have a lovely young lady I’ve promised it to.”

“I know, I’m getting it as a gift for her. As a thank you.” John didn’t look convinced. “Lacey French, short, angsty. She really saved my butt and I want to thank her. To be honest, I don’t know much about this stuff, but it means the world to her.”

 John’s smile slowly returned and he went down the second aisle. He flipped through a few of the albums before returning with the pink and black one. The rich white ink of the different artists was scrawled across the front. James grinned and checked the price before handing over the cash to John.

 “Lacey’s a special girl,” John said as he wrapped it up in a brown paper bag. “She comes in here often. Can’t spend much, but has a great taste in music. Probably one of the few that has an original vinyl player. Not one of those newer ones.”

James nodded. “She told me.”

“I’d learn about Jefferson’s Airplane if I were you, music in general.” He handed over the bag along with his change. “If you plan on hanging around that is.”

“I will,” James replied without thinking.

 He knew it was a dangerous game. Albert had been furious after Lacey left.

 “How could you be seen with a girl of her reputation? Don’t you know what I’ve done to make you into the man you are?”

 Yet, there James was. He was buying a record for a girl of “Lacey’s reputation”, whatever that even meant. She was funny, sarcastic and she had helped in a moment that no one else had-including Albert. No matter what anyone else said, he wanted to get to know more about her.

 James took the record down to Main Street and into Granny’s Diner. Decorated for Halloween, with fake cobwebs and skeleton stickers along with a few jack-o-lanterns, it was one of the many places in town ready for the holiday. That particular day, Lacey stood on register, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Much like Ruby, she tied her uniform shirt under her chest and chose to wear a shorter skirt to show off her shorter legs. For the holiday, she had chosen to wear a pair of devil horns atop her head and a matching tail on the back of her skirt. James grinned. He couldn’t remember the last time he had dressed up. Albert called it childish, so no one in the office ever did. The only signs of fall in the office was the plastic cornucopia on another secretary’s desk.

 Another waitress dressed like a bumblebee attempted to seat him, but James politely declined and headed for the register. Lacey’s face lit up when she saw him.

 “Hey you,” she said. “How’s David?”

“Doing better. Dr. Whale seems to think he won’t have to spend much longer in the hospital.”

“That’s great news.” She checked the clock on the wall. “My shift’s done. Let me go clock out and we can go do something fun for the holiday. I promise we don’t have to go back to the Rabbit Hole if you don’t want to.”

 James’ cheeks tinted. Had it been that obvious how uncomfortable he had been there?

“No, I’d be willing to give it another go, if you wanted.”

“We’ll talk in a minute. Just let me go clock out.”

 She hopped towards the back. When she returned, she had her black leather jacket and purse. Belle took hold of James’ arm and they headed out onto the street. She lead him to her cherry red Jaguar, throwing her stuff into the back. He kept a tight hold onto his bag as he slid into the passenger seat.

 “What’s in the mystery bag?” She asked, shutting the driver’s side door.

“It’s um for you.”

Lacey cocked a tweezed eyebrow. “For me?”

“You got me to David far quicker than any cab would’ve and I just…wanted to do something…”

 He fumbled the brown paper bag into her hands. She curiously opened it, her blue eyes peeking inside. Her cherry red lipstick coated lips formed an o shape as she looked from the bag back up to him.

 “James,” she whispered.

“It’s the right one, isn’t it? John said…

“No, no, it is. It’s just…you didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to. Like I said, you helped me out.”

“I just gave you a ride.”

James chewed on his bottom lip. “David and I were really close as kids. We did everything together. I always joked that even though I came out first, he was the older twin. Then when we became adults, we grew apart. He stood up to our father and I just…never could. We didn’t stop talking but it got harder to hang out and see each other and then one day…he was just in a coma. I visited him every day, walked to that hospital, rain, snow or shine.”

 Lacey frowned, her hand crumpling around the bag.

 “I worried I’d never get another chance to have a better relationship with him…and then I got that call the other night….when I was with you.” He smiled at her. “You took me and you helped me through it. You stood up to my father of all people. If I hadn’t been there right away when David woke up, who knows if we would’ve been able to talk, he wouldn’t have known I cared.”

 James let out a deep breath, realizing that he was rambling.

 “So no, Lacey. You didn’t just drive me to the hospital.” He shrugged. “You gave me my relationship with my brother back.”

Lacey blinked. “Wow. So, this record…it says all that?”

James nodded. “Yeah.” He moved it from her hands and placed it behind the stick shift. His fingers laced through hers. “Look, Lacey, I don’t know what this is. I know we just met…but I can’t stop thinking about you.”

Lacey nodded. “If I’m being honest…I can’t you, either.”

“My father…he ruins everything that brings me joy. And I don’t want you to think I’m keeping you a secret because I’m ashamed of you. I’m not. I just…”

Lacey brought a finger to his lips. “I get it. I have a dick for a dad too.” James chuckled behind her finger. “We can figure this out together before we can take it public.”

“Teaching each other about music and books?”

She nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

 Lacey kissed his cheek. He could feel that it left behind some lipstick but he didn’t care.

 “So,” she said. “Rabbit hole or somewhere else?”

“Is your dad home?”

Lacey shook her head. “Tonight, he’s at Aesop’s. He prefers to watch the game there and gamble while he gets drunk.”

“Why don’t we go there and listen to your new record. You can teach me about music tonight, then tomorrow, I’ll teach you about music.”

Lacey smiled. “Sounds like a great idea.”

[vampamber]

King Sized

SPN Rare Ship CC: Round 14 | @vampamber vs. @andromytta

Prompt: red leaves and king sized candy bars

Ship: Dean/Cas/Jimmy (DCJ)

Word Count:  1242

Tags/Warnings: incest/twincest, Halloween, trick or treating, pointless fluff, background Sam/Eileen, original Sam/Eileen child character

Summary:  Dean and his boyfriends Cas and Jimmy take Sam's kid trick or treating, and Dean can't help but reminisce over his relationship with the twins that changed his life.

AO3 Link: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12497332

“Twins?” Sam had asked when Dean had explained to him about his boyfriends a few months after Sam’s wedding.

“Yes,” Dean had answered, trying to not laugh at the comically confused expression on his little brother’s face.

“You’re dating twins?” Sam had asked again, still not grasping the concept, even though Dean knew him to be at least vaguely intelligent.

“Yes,” Dean had answered again.

“Both of them?”

“Yes.”

“At the same time?”

“Yes,” Dean had answered, finally starting to get annoyed. So much for the smart college graduate.

“I… actually don’t know how to deal with that, Dean,” Sam had said, looking defeated.

“Good thing they’re my boyfriends and not yours then, Sammy,” Dean had teased him.

The entire time, Eileen had just been nodding along in complete understanding. “That’s actually kind of hot,” she had finally replied, catching on to Dean’s need to lighten the mood. He knew he had liked his new sister-in-law for a reason. “Maybe I went for the wrong brother?” Yeah, she was definitely a keeper.

“Eileen,” Sam had gasped and stared at his wife, surprised. Dean and Eileen had both just laughed in amusement.

That had been six years ago, but Dean still smiled as he remembered it. The sounds of children giggling and happy screams brought him back to the present. He had volunteered to take Sam and Eileen’s four year old son trick or treating, since Eileen’s eight month along belly made walking a bit uncomfortable right now. Dean had figured they could use all the rest they could get before his niece made her appearance, if Henry’s infancy was anything to go off of. The hyperactive puppy child was giving a perfect example of this as he ran ahead of the three adults, then ran back, and kept this up until Dean was exhausted just watching him.

Dean had managed to convince both of his boyfriends to come with him tonight, especially when he had found out this entire neighborhood was well known for everybody giving out king sized candy bars. Jimmy had been up for it instantly, already talking out loud to himself about all the chocolate-y possibilities. Cas, on the other hand, had been a much harder sell. “C’mon Cas, they’re giving away freaking king sized candy bars,” Dean had begged.

“If you want candy bars so badly, Dean, I can go to the store and buy you some,” Cas had countered, not even bothering to close his book.

“But trick or treating is awesome, bro,” Jimmy had tried, though he was just as unsuccessful when Cas shook his head again.

“It’ll be fun, I promise,” Dean had tried. Still no luck. He gave a quick look to Jimmy, and their plan was set.

Dean and Jimmy had given Cas simultaneous pleading puppy dog eye looks that would rival Sam’s, and Jimmy even went so far as to let out the tiniest of whimpers. Dean had made a mental note to tease Jimmy about being a drama queen later, but for now it had worked. Cas had let out a tortured sigh and put a bookmark in before closing his book. “Fine, I’ll go with you two. But I’m not wearing a costume.”

The pout Cas was sporting right now looked perfect with the black cat ears and tail the other two had all but forced him into wearing, and the scowl fit great with the wobbly whiskers Henry had insisted on drawing onto Cas’ face. Dean and Jimmy had a field day about it earlier, teasing him about looking like Grumpy Cat. On the other hand, Dean had went all out and was currently dressed as Indiana Jones, whip included, and much to Dean’s excitement Jimmy had chosen of his own free will to dress as one of Dean’s biggest fictional crushes, Han Solo. Dean was definitely planning on getting some good use out of that costume later, but for now they were walking around the fancy smancy neighborhood at the other end of town from where both Sam’s and Dean’s houses were, just to snag a few king sized Snickers bars.

“What reason do you have to look so down, Cas?” Dean teased. “You look adorable.” He sidled up to his boyfriend and squeezed him in a side hug before giving him a family friendly peck on the cheek.

“Dean’s right, Cassie,” Jimmy joined in on the teasing while grabbing his twin from the other side to mirror Dean’s hug. “Those ears look great on you. We might hafta keep them around, if you know what I mean,” he said with a leer to his voice. They both laughed as Cas blushed and tried to hide his face.

While the brothers never exactly went at it like rabbits when Dean wasn’t around, they never shied away from each other when it was the three of them. In the bedroom they weren’t brothers, weren’t twins, they were just Cas and Jimmy, Dean’s two unbelievably sexy boyfriends. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t the occasional kiss or the random caress outside of their bedroom, and Jimmy had the wicked little habit of pinching both Cas and Dean’s butts when they weren’t looking. They were all smart enough to not show too much affection outside of their home, at least. It had taken a while for Sam to understand, and it had taken a lot of patient talks with Eileen to get him there, but Dean’s triad relationship had finally been accepted by the only people that truly mattered as far as Dean was concerned.

“Uncle Dean! Uncle Cas! Uncle Jimmy! Hurry up, we gotta get all the houses!” Henry called out from a few yards away. Teasing Cas about his adorable ears would just have to wait until later, apparently. The pre-schooler started kicking at a pile of leaves in his impatience. Orange, yellow, and red leaves flew everywhere as the three adults tried to catch up with him but he was off like a flash on his way to the next house.

“Slow down kiddo, and wait for us old folks,” Dean called after him, and was promptly smacked playfully by both of his boyfriends, who happened to be two years older than him. “Hey, I have a thing for older guys, okay?” Dean joked, before getting smacked once again.

“You’re an idiot, Dean,” Cas joked back.

“But we love you anyway,” Jimmy finished for his twin.

“And I love you guys too,” Dean replied, no longer joking. Outside of Sam and his family, Cas and Jimmy were Dean’s entire universe.

“Guys, hurry up, this one has king sized Kit Kats,” Henry yelled, interrupting the touching moment.

“I do really like Kit Kats,” Cas said, though he was still trying to sound pouty. It wasn’t working well, though.

“That’s the spirit, Cas,” Dean said and grabbed his boyfriend’s hand.

“Told you trick or treating was awesome,” Jimmy said, coming around to grab Dean’s other hand.

“I still think it’d be easier to just go to the store and buy the candy bars,” Cas grumbled. But as grumpy as he pretended to be, he still took off quickly to get to the house giving out his favorite chocolate treat. Dean and Jimmy giggled and gave each other a look before rushing off after him. Spending time with his boyfriends was always great, but when you added in tons of free king sized candy bars, Dean was pretty much in Heaven.