#was too discombobulated all day to do it anyway

[bobthedragon]

I didn't realize it was hourly comic day until I saw other ppl posting so here is my extremely uncoordinated day too

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Playful prompts for tadc cast playing hide and seek with hider reader?

Awe this is a cute idea! (not including Caine bc I see him as the one organizing this game).

.........

Pomni

During her first week inside the Digital Circus, she's slowly adapting to everything...although she refuses to give up on finding an exit.

But when Caine forced everybody to play some hide n' seek, with you being the hider, she really doesn't want any part of it.

However you convinced her to play along, whispering that if she found you first, you'll share what you remembered from your old life as a "prize".

Although initially annoyed you wouldn't just tell her, she becomes motivated searching high and low, opening doors, looking down barrels, etc.

When she finally finds you (courtesy of a glitching object), she's anxious to hear what you had to say-

Unfortunately Caine decides to pop in and put on a big celebration for Pomni winning the game...which goes on the whole damn day up until everybody goes to bed that night.

You seemingly forgot what you were gonna tell her, to which she gets upset and angry that you gave her false hope, sulking in her room.

But you slide a note under her door, explaining that you only recently remembered your real name.

Suddenly she realizes that maybe her memories weren't 100% gone.

If you could suddenly remember your name, then....surely she can, too!

Gangle

After Jax was mean to her during the last hide n' seek game, you try cheering her up by playing another one.

It didn't involve Caine or anybody else. Just you two.

She mopes about being a terrible seeker. But since you're her best friend (and you promised her a prize), she'll go along if it makes you happy.

You decide to hide in spots that she would 100% think to check, deliberately allowing her to win.

Since she's all ribbons, it's easy for her to slink around and squeeze into tight spaces.

After finding you three times, she gets suspicious that you're purposefully going easy on her-

But she stops her accusations as you finally present her prize:

It's a brand new comedy mask!! Except this one wasn't made of porcelain or ceramic, instead being unbreakable material (or at least material that's couldn't casually be broken by anyone, especially Jax).

Gangle sobs with happiness before putting the mask on, squealing over how perfectly it fits, and hugging you tightly.

Thanks to you, she can finally feel joyful again!

Zooble

They'd rather do anything else....

But since this little hide n' seek "adventure" was all Caine's idea, she has no choice but to go along with it.

Even so, she puts the least amount effort into the game.

When you're the hider and she's the seeker, they just pray to whatever god is in this world (besides Caine) that you aren't anywhere in the Gloink cavern.

She'd rather not get discombobulated again.

Sometimes, she'll throw parts of herself in the direction where she thinks you're hiding, hoping to startle you into giving away your location so this dumb game can finally end.

Lucky for you, you know their tricks and keep quiet.

She doesn't expect any prizes (unless it's a limb that makes her body not look like a hot mess).

If they find you, she'll be like "yay I win..now I'm going back to my room" and saunter off.

Kinger

Like Zooble, he'd much rather do something else.

But he goes along with Caine's game anyways after you enticed him into playing for a prize.

Whatever momentarily stops his sanity from spiraling, I guess.

He searches high and low, getting nervous when he can't find you anywhere in the places he'd 100% expect you to be.

Lowkey starts to wonder if something terrible actually happened to you--like if you were trapped and not even Caine could help you.

The last place he could think of was your room but.....he doesn't have your key.

At the same time, he knew you weren't a cheater. You wouldn't hide somewhere that nobody else (except Jax) could access!

In the end, he goes back to his fort to sulk, openly declaring that you've won the game.

As it turns out, you chose to hide in that same fort, and you jump out with a grin, feeling victorious.

Kinger just stares at you for a solid 10 seconds.....before he suddenly screams and asks why tf you were in there.

You feel bad for scaring him, so you reward him for at least trying: a jar with a caterpillar currently wrapped up in a chrysalis.

He LOVES it, but now he carries around the jar every second of the day, staring at it until the little bug hatches.

At least now he has a reason not to fall off the deep end just yet.

Jax

Hide n' seek is like child's play to him.

Somehow this cheeky bastard knows exactly where you're hiding no matter what, even if it's outside the tent (like at the lake or fair).

It's definitely tarnishing your reputation as the best "hider" out of all of the gang.

When you ask him how tf he knew, he just shrugs and says "you're too predictable, try a better spot next time".

Hiding in your room is definitely not an option, as he's stolen your key (and would point out that would be cheating if someone else was the seeker instead)--so there truly is no place to hide.

Like Zooble, he's not in it for some prize.

It is, however, quite rewarding seeing you get so frustrated when he effortlessly finds you.

And that's enough for him

If it's a game involving everyone, then he just straight-up mocks the others for not realizing the very obvious spot (or at least to him it was obvious) you were hiding in.

Ragatha

She's probably the most enthusiastic about Hide n' seek (like you have mentioned, it's a good distraction from the stresses of being stuck in this virtual world).

Is also a fair and honest player, never once peeking while she counts to 10.

Like Pomni, she does her best to find you first, searching places she knows you frequent--or mentioned liking in the past.

But you're definitely the best hider out of everyone, so it's a little challenging.

Still, she refuses to give up!

When she does successfully find you, you and Caine decided that she should get a prize for being such a great seeker.

It's her very own centipede-repellent spray bottle.

While it won't stop Jax from trying to sneak those little pests into her room, the mist will deter them from coming near her at all and help her conquer her fear.

She's forever grateful and sprays it around her bed every night before she sleeps.

Oh, and she'll definitely threaten Jax with it if he even mentioned centipedes around her.

[fairyofshampgyu]

Been in a dom gyu brainrot lately I HAVE BETRAYED MY ROOTS IK IM A DISGRACE 😟😪 IT WONT LEAVE MY MINDHSJ ITS PAINFUL BUT ANYWAY SHORT DISCOMBOBULATED DRABBLE

Thinking about high sex w stoner boy beomgyu with piercings ! whose always known to get into some kind of trouble all the time, always mischievous and teasing and your friends saying he’s bad a influence on you and you shouldn’t hang out with him that much but you still do and don’t listen to them, always dismissing and saying you have absolutely NO feelings whatsoever and that it is PURELY platonic despite harbouring the most intense feelings for this guy sigh…😟 but you know he’s only trouble and probably doesn’t like you that way so you just kinda ignore it.

But one day you find yourself in a random quiet empty bedroom at a college party with him, sitting on the bed together as he smokes a joint and you both talk and laugh about random shit away from the mess of a party going on.

Beomgyu nonchalantly offers you his joint and you, slightly timid stumble and admit you’ve never tried it. Beomgyu only grinning at you, eyes lighting up at that and insisting that you should at least try, saying he really wants to get high w you and that it would be so fun with you, saying that he’d make you feel safe, it’d just be the both of you you trust him right? You’re good friends after all 🤷‍♀️.

And so you awkwardly take the joint, doing what he tells you to do, a bit nervous and embarrassed and still confused despite the simple introductions. Beomgyu chuckling at you and coming closer to you as he decides to just hold the joint for you instead and places it to your mouth, guiding you in and it feels way too intimate with the way he’s looking at you as well.

It doesn’t take long before the weed starts to kick in, both of you taking long drags and passing the joint round and you guys getting extremely high off your asses, anything and everything becoming funny.

“Heyyyy, heyy gyu. What’s shotgunning? I’ve heard it before idk what is is thoughh. What is it?” it’s a genuine curious question your stoned self asks and beomgyu’s eyes widen for a split second before he’s smirking widely and raising a brow at you.

“Could show you if you want~” And you nod your head rapidly, stoned self just so curious and innocent, it’s hard for beomgyu to contain himself.

He cups your cheek and comes even closer to your face, lips very lightly grazing at yours but enough that you can feel his snake bite lips rings faintly on you as he smugly puffs the smoke into your mouth, his eyes not leaving yours as he grins, hand still softly on your cheek, your mouth hanging open as you gasp loudly, not believing what’s even happening rn.

“Come on now it’s only fair you do it to me too right?” Beomgyu sits back, and stares at you, ego a bit too high rn as you hesitantly shuffle closer to him, feeling your face drastically heat up and you take a drag nervously, slowly inching towards him before beomgyu’s impatient self sighs and pulls you into his lap so sudden and harsh you yelp.

You take turns shotgunning, lips faintly touching but never enough, your brain and the room clouded over with curls of heavy smoke and weed as you breathe heavily and your face is still so heated up, eyes half lidded. Beomgyu finally pulling away and stopping, softly giggling and asking if you get it now.

Your baked ass then touching his lips, running your fingers over his lip piercings, eyes crazed and babbling about how hot you’ve always found his snake bites hot and beomgyu chuckling at that, both of you staring into each others eyes and looking down at your lips that he finds himself smashing his lips with yours, making out intensely but sloppily for what feels like hours, beomgyu hovering on top of you as his rough kisses start to trail elsewhere and you can’t help whimpering his name as he sucks hickeys and goes even further to your collarbone and his hands roaming practically everywhere, him still teasing you until you’re pleading that you need him so bad and right now.

Not even a breath later and he’s fucking into you with frantic urgency, not bothering to take either of your clothes off, settling for quickly pushing his baggy ripped jeans slightly down and pulling your panties to the side, lifting your shirt up so he can see your tits jiggling as he practically pounds into you erratically, hips smacking with yours as he moans even louder than you the entire time, rubbing his thumb over your clit, still making out with you and smelling the strong scent of weed from each other, still so dazed and both your minds fogged even more sensitive because of the drugs, everything feeling 10x stronger as he desperately tries to make you cum on his cock and it’s not long before he’s coating you too and fucking the cum back into you, fucking whilst stoned so messy

Then you wake up the next day, trying to remember what even happened, freaking the shit out and ready to run away any second, nearly leaping out the bed but beomgyu only pulls you in closer, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist so you can’t escape, sleepy and stupid grin on his face, mumbling about how he hopes you don’t regret it and that he definitely doesn’t

“Hmm~let’s skip classes today and cuddlee. You’re so comfy.”

“You’re always skipping classes, choi beomgyu.”

“So what?! You still like me hehe”

“When did I ever say I liked you?!”

“As if I wouldn’t notice. You’ve been giving me heart eyes for ages. It was cute loll. You were so bad at hiding it~”

[thechekhov]

Dungeon Meshi Quick Reacts

CH.28 (Red Dragon)

I'm sure nothing will go wrong from here on out! :)

Okay, but she worked hard using illegal magic! She deserves this! I support women's rights, and women's wrongs.

Oh. Oh I see.

Is THAT what the kids are calling it these days...?

File that under 'foreshadowing I'm sure will come back to haunt us all later'.

Ah, yes. Tell your cleric girlfriend about your forbidden wizardry. Or don't. Actually. Maybe don't.

distract, discombobulate, overcome. Eyes up...there... Falin....

YOU DIDN'T ERASE IT YET???? MARCILLE, THE PLOT--!!

No bag of holding, huh? Well, I guess you'd need a bag of colding....

At this point, the fact that Chillchuck is still... well... chill? Is really shocking to me personally. He just takes it all in stride.

She did it for love, you guys! It's fine!

"My motives are noble! Anyway, if you ever tell a soul about this--"

uh oh.

Senshi, how could you not have known?!?!

Do we have to resurrect you too now?! Is Marcille's list of crimes going to just keep going up?

oh, apparently not. Why does SHE look surprised?

I guess when you create a body for your girlfriend using a dragon, which is inherently magical.... you kinda supercharge her?

Congrats on your easy bake oven! It's conveniently made of... meat?

So... it's philly steak sandwiches? From dragon?

I mean, what did you expect? She's Laios' sister... of course she'll eat it.

Also, come on Marcille. Several hours ago you were elbows deep in dragon gut, doing a 3D jigsaw puzzle with her digested bones. You can stomach this.

Just think of it as Falin being partially inside you................

I damn well told you. And look at Laios' smirk! He knew she'd be down.

Chilldadchuck is back at it again with the side eye.

He's not even impressed lmaooooo

B-but... but your little buddy! You would drown it just like that?! It hasn't even done anything malicious to you! It was just trying to survive!

..............Press X to doubt.

You know the uh. The contrast between that upper left panel and the bottom right is. Quite. Quite there. That's quite. Different.

ohohohoh Marcille what an unexpected turn of events! No way around it I'm afraid! Bed sharing is the only way.

This is the strongest display of emotion we've seen in Laios in a while. It's. really so telling. And what a good shot.

YOU DIDN'T FUCKING ERASE IT?!?!?!? HOW HARD COULD IT HAVE POSSIBLY BEEN--WHY-- NOOOOO!!!!!

[livesworthlivingau]

Behind the Vale 16

Spoilers for ISAT/Two Hats!

Also got a cameo this time around! Readers of the Sifstem AU will likely recognize it~.

"Nille? Where are you going?" [You call out, noticing she had left your side and started walking towards the tree line off the path.]

"Oh... I don't know really, something was just, calling to me I guess?" [Nille said somewhat absentmindedly, still walking towards the thicket before her. You start after her once she vanishes into the woods.]

"N-Nille?!" [Oh stars, why is she the one vanishing now? Doesn't she know that's our job? You grumble to yourself and chase after. You start to notice a strange feeling as you grow closer... familiar yet unpleasant.]

"Vale! Over here!" [You hear her shout in the distance, passing through several trunks and bushes before finally stumbling into an opening beside her. You grumble even more and brush the leaves off yourself... then you notice the favor tree in front of you, and an odd stranger sitting at it's base. It sat in the exact same pose you used to... It perked up as it noticed you.]

"Huh? Oh! Oh oh hello!! Hello hello! Are you traveling too? I think I'm traveling. But I like this tree so I decided to stop! For now, at least."

[It spoke strangely, polite, deliberate, but also very scattered. It had hair like the night sky, a sea of black with white dots. Constellation lines dotted across it's face.]

"Yeah, we're looking for the saviors, my little sibling's been travelling with them." [Nille explains while you remain a step or two back. You stare cautiously at this stranger and the odd sensation they keep radiating.]

"Saviors? Saviors saviors. . . . Oh! Saviors! Of Vaugarde! Oh yes I remember them, or, a them, anyway. Were they the same saviors? No, there's only one set of saviors isn't there! Haha, silly me. Oh! You must have been walking a while, want to take a break? This tree is very good for taking breaks under."

"That sounds nice! Are you okay though? You seem a bit... discombobulated?"

"I really think we should be heading along actually, busy day and all!" [You try to excuse yourselves, almost dragging Nille away before she elbows you in the side.]

"Don't be rude, Vale!"

"Oh! Yes, sorry! I'm just a bit of a forgetfull mess, haha! Vale's the name? I like it! You should sit down and relax, it really is a nice tree, y'know. Oh! And what's your name!"

[You don't know what compels you, but you suddenly find yourself taking a seat opposite them.]

"Wh-How did you blinding do that?!"

"What are you going on about?! I'm so sorry about them, I'm Nille, what's your name?" [She says, taking a seat beside you, still giving you a confused and annoyed look.]

"Do wha- oh! It's quite alright, I'm Jinn! It's a great pleasure to meet you both!! You're looking for the saviors, right? Yes you said that, it was. . . Oh! You're looking for that kiddo Bonnie right?"

[Nille lights up at the mention of Bonnie.]

"Yeah! I guess the resemblance is pretty obvious, have you met them?!" [You continue to stare cautiously at this stranger, everything about it gave you pause... especially somehow knowing 'its' pronouns inherently now that you think about it.]

"Yes? No? I think so! Forgive me, my memory is hazy, haha. Oh! I do remember they are an amazing chef!! Who were they traveling with, again?"

[Nille looks to you expectantly, to which you roll your eyes and comply.]

"There's the fighter, the researcher, the house maiden, and the traveler." [You say with your arms crossed. Nille gives you another annoyed look.]

"You know you can use real names, right?"

"Oh! Oh of course! Haha of course you would know that. I think. I think?. . . . Names. . No middle name. . . No last name. . ."

"Wh-What did you just say?!"

"Yes, names, names, it was, was. . . Something, someth- Oh! Siffrin! That was it, yes! Oh! I'm remembering now, thank you! How could I forget! Oh dear, Vale, I'm so terribly sorry, it took me so long to recognize you! It really is a pretty name, you know. Picking out a third new name for yourself? Well it's just so. . . Vaugardian of you!"

"SHUT UP!! WHO ARE YOU?! HOW DO YOU KNOW ALL OF THIS?!" [You shout as you jump to your feet, you try to summon your dagger, but you don't seem to have access to it anymore...]

"Vale, what the crab's gotten into you?!"

"IT KNOWS SOMETHING! IT KNOWS AND IT'S PUTTING ON THIS STUPID ACT!!"

"Oh Vale! Please, stop yelling. I'm trying to piece my own sentences back together and it's really not helping. And I'm sorry, Pétronille, for causing such a scene."

[You grab at your throat as you try to scream once more, though nothing comes out. You start to panic which only makes you wish to shout more.]

"... I don't think I told you my full name..."

"You didn't? Oh! Oh of course you didn't! I have so much to remember I forget that I don't remember! Ah, no, it's coming back to me, I am sorry. My name is Jinn! But, well, that's just a name. A name I like to go by. Most who know me know me as Keaoholo'oko'a. Sorry if that causes a headache, by the way."

[The word cuts through you like a knife. It doesn't hurt but it takes all the fight out of you. You slump back down to sitting and stare in awe at the 'stranger'.]

"Y-You're... oh stars..."

"Uhhh... What?" [Nille winces some as the word affects her a bit more negatively, shaking off the light pain.]

"Yes, stars indeed. I know it might be strange for me to say, but, truly I have as bad a memory for such things as you do. It's wonderful to finally meet you, in honesty, I was building up the courage. Although, I don't think I planned on meeting you per-chance like this."

"C-Courage?... Y-You were afraid to meet me?..."

"Okay someone's gotta explain to me what's going on. Who is this, Vale?"

"This is... uhhh... The Universe?..." [The words fall out of your mouth in disbelief, you could hardly believe it yourself.]

"... Riiiight..."

"Oh! Yes! Vaugardians do not know of my existance do they. A shame, the culture exchange used to be so vibrant! What a thing to see. . . Truly, Change can be so welcoming and nice. . . Hmm. . . How to explain. . . I would ask Vale too but, I'm not sure they would be much better."

"I am. . . Hmm. Everything that ever was and ever will be, everything in the night sky, the stars, and all of ones willpower and desier. Such as your Change God is a manifestation of entropy and change, I am that of all that currently is. Oh, oh I am really remembering things now."

"... Why do I actually believe that?"

"Because it's the truth, Now about you being scared to meet me?" [You ask almost excitedly. The universe had crabbed us over plenty in the past, and now it was scared of us?]

"A-ah, yes, well. . . . . . I'm sorry."

[As the sincere apology escapes its lips, you want to feel smug. You want to rub it in its face. You want to scream and smack them for everything they put you through... Yet that all just melts away, hugging yourself after a moment.]

"... I can assume what it is you're apologizing for, but honestly I'd really like to hear you say it..."

"R-right. . . I'm sorry, for being a terrible guide. A terrible god. I am to lead you, lead you all. To teach you, to help you grow as a person. I am the shepherd and you, and all from our home, are to follow."

"In return, I grant your wishes. If I do my job right, then such wishes will be trivial and easy things. Things that will not cause grief. But, I have failed. And three time's now a wish has nearly ended it all."

"... That... That means a lot to hear from you... Thank you. And hey, that last wish didn't turn out so bad, all things considered~!"

"You mean the one that crabbing killed you, Vale?!"

"Oh it's not like that's anything new for me~." [Nille seems unimpressed by your response.]

"I couldn't mess this one up! If I did I'd never live it down!! Do you like the new face? I can't claim credit for it, but, I do hope you don't feel. . . Wrong?"

"I couldn't be happier with it~."

"Definitely beats that torch light you were sporting before." [She chuckles out, causing you to smirk a bit.]

"Well that face served it's purpose anyway. Much as the one I'm wearing is now. . . . What do you plan to do, Vale? When you meet them again? Or do you plan on avoiding them forever."

"... I don't want to keep avoiding them, but I don't know what I'm going to do." [You admit, looking away rather ashamedly.]

"Perhaps, if you talk to your new companion about your deeper situation, she could help."

"Is it talking about your first two wishes?" [Nille asked, cautiously placing a hand on your shoulder. You allow her but still look away as you respond.]

"I'd rather we just leave that all in the past..."

"You and I both know it's going to come up. Wasn't the whole lesson of that misadventure to talk to those important to you?"

"Oh come on, you have to admit I'm miles ahead of how I was even just a couple weeks ago!"

"Wait... You're telling me they were worse than this?"

"Impossibly so! I truly am proud of how far they've come, but yes. They were much, much worse. I thought you would have talked to at least one of your companions before hitting the triple digits, but. . ."

[Nille grips your shoulder a bit tighter at that, though you only wish to escape this moment even more.]

"Those days are finally over, I'd greatly appreciate if we just move on..."

"Of course, of course. I am sorry. I will not push you to explain such things, although, it will come up in your future. It's up to you how it will."

[You just sit in uncomfortable silence, waiting for the topic to change. Nille takes the hint and sighs.]

"Well, if you're not gonna talk about it, then lets just move on. I don't suppose you can help me find Bonnie?"

"Hmmmmmmm well I coooould~ if you ask right. That's the issue with my existence, I'm bound by simple things. Changey is lazy, yes, but if they want to give you a gift they can just, do it. I have to wait for, well, the proper paperwork, in essence."

"Well that sounds easy eno-"

"NO! I'm sorry Nille, but you're not making a wish!" [You find yourself back on your feet, you leapt out of your seat before realizing it with your protest. She looks to you in shock and confusion.]

"Well why the crab not?! I need to find Bonnie and we're just going in circles at this point!"

"Wishes aren't just something to play with... I don't want you getting mixed up in all of this, you've seen how they can go..."

". . . I will admit, my ability to properly grant such things have only deteriorated since our home. . . Well, well I was proud I was able to grant your latest one correctly."

"Gruesome methods notwithstanding, it did turn out well in the end I guess... Alright, it's decided then~." [You say with your chipper mask slipping back on. You get up and start to look around the base of the tree.]

"What's decided? What are you doing?"

"Looking for a leaf, to make your wish~!"

"Wishing ritual, Pétronille, they are quite important for the craft. I imagine Vale can show you how. . . . I'll do my best not to. . . Ruin it."

"No, I'm taking this burden, I don't want Nille taking any risk over this."

"You don't gotta protect me Vale, I can handle myself."

"Well too bad, it's not happening and that's final~." [You tease with a confident grin. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms, but does nothing more to object.]

"Now, any suggestions on the exact wording, Jinn?"

". . . Be true to what you want, try not to let other thought cloud what you truly want. Be honest. I. . . Cannot give much more than that. The intent and emotion behind the words matter as much as the words itself."

[You nod, finding a leaf that reminds you the most of Nille. You clear your mind before whispering softly into it thrice.]

"I wish for Nille to find Bonnie safe, sound, and soon." [You then fold it delicately and drop it at Jinn's feet.]

"You didn't need to do that... but thanks, Vay..."

"Anytime, Nille~."

". . . . . You are a very kind soul, Vale. You had both best be off, you'll see what I have for you soon enough. Oh! And before I forget, Pétronille. You are a wonderful sister, and Boniface cares for you very much. I'm glad I finally got to meet you after Changey got all gushy about you a while ago~"

"W-Wait, Ch-changey?... A-As in...." [Nille stammers out, looking like she just saw a ghost nearly.]

"Changey! Change god! Your god! The earings aren't for show, dear. They're just the absolute cutest. And with how brave you were when your home was frozen, to save your little sibling, oh it must have struck a chord."

[You only now realize it's wearing a pair of bonding earrings, one shaped like a star, and one shaped like the change symbol. Nille whispers to herself giddily.]

"Holy crab the change god was watching!!!"

"Well, it's been a surprising pleasure but I think that's enough god stuff for today!" [You remark, starting to push Nille along before anything else happens on this insane day.]

"I can use my own legs, Vale!"

"Good luck out there! If you need me, well, you know what to do~."

Thanks so much to @vulpixisananimal for helping me plan/write this out and Jinn's lines! Absolutely adore how all this went!~

[sehtoast]

A Future For Three (Homelander x OC)

hurt/comfort, ambiguous s4 ending, relationship road bumps, ryan butcher, ben being the better parent, pathetic homelander, spidersona oc | Fic Directory

Benjamin has done all he can to point Homelander in the right direction. Between plans for usurping power and parenthood, nothing has gone quite well. At least the bug will be there to help put out the fires.

Not even the crunch of rubble can pull his eyes away from the splotchy screen that spells out his failure in big, bold letters.

The silence between them is so very loud.  Louder than the ringing in his ears, louder than the news anchor’s dismayed voice as she reports Neuman’s death.  It’s only when those red, web-patterned shoes stop beside him that he dares flit his gaze anywhere else.  

Within a single day, he’d lost it all.  Ryan ran out on him, then Benjamin did the same… 

“You’re not being a father, you’re being a fuckin’ bully,” the bug had spat, fists clenched at his sides.  

He can still see the way they both looked at him.  Ryan’s eyes full of indignance, Ben’s full of heartbreak and disappointment.  The bug had bailed him out of his messes so many times now.  Talked to him about parenting, tried giving examples from his own upbringing on what to do and what to say, lectured him about patience and understanding.  But how?  

How can he do any of that when all the boy seems to want is a better father?

“It’s not a matter of dads,” Ben whispered to him so very long ago. “You’ve both taken care of him.  He’s got love for you both, but it’s not a competition, y’know?” 

But he never listened.  He never learned.

“Thought you wanted space… after…” he blurts, voice hoarse and thin. He gestures vaguely to the destroyed penthouse.  His eyes fall to the crumbled remains of Atlas.

It’s like looking in a mirror.

“I did, but…” Ben squats down, one hand snaking through his hair while the other lands atop his bent knee.  “I also told you I’d always take care of you.”

Homelander tugs Ryan’s book bag closer.

“Look at me, Johnny.” Ben whispers.

He hates the rimming of tears in his little spider’s eyes more than anything.  He put those there, didn’t he?  Took everything too far, was too cruel, said all those horrible things to rile up his fans… 

He barely registers the arms looping under his knees and around his back to lift him to the couch.  Benjamin murmurs something about him deserving better than sitting on the floor, but it sounds warped– messy and discombobulated as if they were underwater.  He lets Ben guide him, lets himself be coaxed to rest his head atop the bug’s lap and away from the sights of his failures.  He’d complain at the sound of his eagle epaulet puncturing the leather of the couch, but it was already destroyed anyway.

Just like everything else.

The tears start again.  The sobs quake, the shivers rattle him, and he gasps for air that simply won’t fill the void.  

“I’ve got you, pumpkin.”  Benjamin coos, fingers stroking through his hair.  “S’gonna be alright.”

“What the fuck is wrong with me?”  Homelander sputters.  Why can’t I do anything right?  

“Mm, a lot, honestly…”  The bug sighs, thumbing his cheek with a tenderness that conveys nothing but love behind such a devastating statement.  “But I’ll keep ya.” 

He hates the way that makes him cry harder.  He hates the way Ben holds him through it all.  It’d be so much easier if the bug would just throw him to the curb already.  Toss him aside, tear away one last shred of humanity from his used and abused heart.  One last anchor to remove him from that which he can never escape.

But it isn’t that simple.  It never will be.

By the time he’s devoid of any more tears, Benjamin still comforts him.  Still promises him an eternity.  Still shows him love.

“We’re gonna go down to my place, okay?”

“Why?”  He croaks.  His head throbs when he lifts it.

“I don’t want you sleeping in a big mess like this.  You deserve a little better than that.”  Benjamin pinches his cheek but the usual smile doesn’t spread across his face at the act.  Homelander’s drained.  He’s got nothing left inside but the hollowness of his own misery and the weak shimmer of hope sown by his little spider.

So he lets Ben carry him through the halls like some sort of wounded child who’d skinned their knees and couldn’t do it himself.  Not that there was anyone of consequence in the tower left to see it.  Not after he’d given the order to do away with them.

Another thing Benjamin begged him not to do.

He’s like a compliant mannequin as Ben strips him of his suit and all of the accompanying dust it’d gathered.  He expects to be kicked to the couch by the time he’s sporting just his briefs, but exile is not what fate has in store for him.  Instead, he gets to be tucked under fuzzy blankets and held close.  Benjamin’s breath kisses the nape of his neck and an arm slings over his midsection.

In his own arms, he still clings to Ryan’s bag.  He can’t take his eyes off the photo of him and his son that sits atop the nightstand.  He’s got the boy’s cheeks pinched between his gloved fingers, both of them smiling brightly.  In his hands, Ryan holds the carrier with their milkshakes.  He remembers the moment Ben took that photo.  How happy they all were…

“I texted him.” Ben murmurs.  “Let him know we’re here for when he gets back.”

He pulls the bag closer.

“Listen t’me.”

Homelander’s gut drops for the millionth time.  What could possibly be coming?  The end of their relationship?  Reprimands he can’t escape?  Will it hurt?

“We need to have a serious talk later about everything, okay?”

Oh god…

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, but I need– we got a lot to work on, y’know?”  

He thanks whatever god there may be for the clarification.

“And I need you to understand something.  I love you.  But that doesn’t mean you can hurt me all the time.”  Ben’s voice cracks with cries that threaten to spill. “I don’t ever wanna get to the point where I can’t come back to you.  I fuckin’ love you, but I’m scared you’re gonna push me too far away someday and I can’t–”

The arm around his body curls tighter.

“I can’t imagine anything else but you.  And I don’t want to.  I know you’re trying, and I know it’s hard and it’s all gone tits up these last few days– that this was all your dream, but please…” 

Ben’s face presses to his nape and he can feel the wetness of tears.  Those are his fault, too.  The pit of shame in his gut opens wider. The guilt grows stronger.

“Please save room for us in your dream.”

[biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer]

hello >_<!! Since this account made me obsessed with Geo i found the courage to ask a request :3 (imsorryifit'snotcomfortableforyou😭)

Geo x Clumsy GN!reader (like, falling into the thinks you would least expect, so me frfr)

Bumblerbee (Geo x Clumsy! MC/Reader)

First and foremost, welcome to the Geo cult appreciation blog, Anon. Secondly, do not be shy to ask me whatever request you desire, I'm happy to be getting anything, and the fact you entrust me with this is an honorary privilege in itself. ❤️ φ(*⌒▽⌒)ﾉ

Anyway! I hope you enjoy Anon! d=(´▽｀)=b

- Signed by biggest-geo-oogami-enjoyer

Bumbler: someone who makes mistakes because of incompetence.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------

Geo was mildly concerned when you fell down the stairs. Then you smacked into a pole. Then you tripped on a branch.

All in the span of 13 fucking minutes.

It was honestly mildly respectable, how often one can simply bumble, trip and tumble around like you did.

You always seemed to be elsewhere mentally, not focused on your surroundings, or daydreaming away in that gorge- pretty head of yours.

People often made fun of you for it, labelling you as the school's klutz.

Unfortunately, said people who targeted you were also the same girls who liked to pick on Brittney; so when she and Crowe made you the groups' newest appendage (due to the fact Brit felt protective over you), he then began to bear witness to your marvellous collapses every time he saw you at lunch.

He expected you to cry when he first saw you fell, scraping the skin off your shins, but you instead winced and seemed to take in the fact you were an existing, living being; and you'd try to not slip away into your thoughts again.

He decided after a while that your mettle for falling must be sturdy, if you don't simply learn to pay attention to your immediate vicinity after each time it happened.

Eventually you and him held a conversation, and he acknowledged that you were...surprisingly capable.

You were intelligent, witty and even mildly attractive.

And you didn't make him want to commit arson everytime he saw you, so he grew accustomed to your existence.

Then he started enjoying it. A bit too much.

The amount of times you're either reading or otherwise preoccupied and on the verge on slipping, bumping, or falling into/onto something is astonishing.

So he eventually pulls you aside and bluntly tells you to pay attention to your surroundings, lest you one day get hurt. "You're an idiot. What happens if you bludgeon your head in? Get a concussion?" "Ohoho! Is Geo worried about my safety?" "No. I am simply tired of watching you make a circus out of yourself." "So you do care!" "I do not." "Liar, why did you pull me aside then?" "Shut up."

Anyway, he decides if you won't take care of yourself, he's gonna supervise you.

Then he notices the little skips in your step, the faraway glances you give at the sky when you deem it pretty (which is fucking always, to his dismay).

That's when you got stung by a bee.

And also when he started referring to you as a bumblerbee.

His bumblerbee.

People were obviously discombobulated at the fact he was essentially tailing you everywhere you went, but all he had to do was gift them the most malicious side-eye he would conjure.

(Geo would side-eye so hard though holy shit).

If you were distracted, he would make you tell him about your day, desiring for you to start rambling to him so he can take notes find out more about this clumsy bumblerbee that he's invested in.

Eventually your charm gets to him. He starts becoming more and more fond of you (pff, as if he wasn't already).

He now basically is always ready to firmly stop you from falling/bumping into something.

Until he realises you also get pushed down stairs for shits and giggles.

And these people already harmed Brittney, so obviously he already knows their addresses, credit card numbers and their workplaces.

If they end up temporarily disappearing/hospitalised, he had nothing to do with it.

And Geo has no reason to lie, now does he?

(Don't answer that).

Likes to watch you read, or better yet, tell him about your thoughts, he wants to know every single little detail about you what you like, dislike, want to set on fire, etc.

Acts nonchalant, but is secretly trying not to melt into a puddle.

His desire to protect you from other worthless people (and inanimate objects) is inhumanely strong. Expect him to start showing it more often as the months go by.

Asks you out when you give him a potted plant. He didn't even realise he did, he was too excited.

(You said yes. Obviously. I mean, you don't have a choice; but do you care? No! You love him too).

Will probably accidentally call you bumblebee at some point (you never let him live it down, dw). Geo really likes making sure you don't trip, after all, it means he can be close to you for as long as he wants. Which is forever. And you're more than happy with that.

[late-to-the-party-81]

Love, Lies & Electricity - Ch2

AN: Welcome to week 6 of @buckybarnesevents Hot Bucky Summer and part two of this story. Thank you all for your kind comments on this story. Catch up on part one here.

Again, beta’d by @drabbles-mc. Thanks, darling.

If you would like to be added to my tag list, click here.

Moodboard by me and dividers by @firefly-graphics

Likes are loved, Reblogs are golden/ Kudos are loved, Comments are golden.

Master List | HBS Master List

Challenges and Bingos:

HBS week 6 - I won’t be able to stop myself

Summary: It’s time for the mission. Despite having to be near Bucky and the rest of the ‘Do-good’ brigade, you’re looking forward to using your powers to bring down another pocket of HYDRA. Go in, blow stuff up and get out. Easy Peasy!

Relationship: Bucky Barnes x Enhanced Reader

Word Count: 4k

CW: Angst, Memories of Torture and Captivity, Flashbacks, Hand-wavy science, Kidnap, Drugging, Extreme aphrodisiacs

As the electricity crackled through your body, so did the pain. You were no longer screaming, but that’s because your throat was too raw to make a sound. Your vision was blurred, colours of blue and violet like tinted glasses over your eyes, making the octopus picture on the wall a sickly purple instead of blood red.

When the pain suddenly disappeared, you slumped in the chair where you sat, your bonds the only things stopping you from sliding off it. How long had you been here, being tortured? The day, weeks, and months had blurred together. It could be years for all you knew. Your life was divided into two parts; the before and the now. 

The ‘before’ had been when you were normal, a teenager looking forward to college. The ‘now’ had begun the day you’d started to do strange things like breaking any electronic equipment you touched, and giving off what you thought were static shocks. And those strange things had brought you here, in the back of a black van, pulled off the street.

You often thought about whether your parents were looking for you. Did they think you’d run away in a fit of teenaged petulance?

CRACK

You heard the noise at the same moment you registered the pain blooming across your cheek, and your eyes snapped open. One of your torturers had stepped close enough to slap you, bringing you out of your dissociation. As quick as a flash you managed to snag him with your hand, finding purchase on his arm. You grinned darkly and let your power flow. The man screamed, and tried to break free, but it was useless. The electricity you were sending through him had made his muscles lock.

However, your victory was short-lived. Your powers suddenly cut out as a bucket of ice water was thrown over you. The man dropped to the floor, where he was immediately surrounded  by his colleagues, who carried him away and out of the room. You had no idea whether you’’d killed him or not, your last sight being his burnt hand.

Still sodden, rubber boots were placed on your feet, and thick rubber gloves were pulled on over your hands. You were man-handled from your chair and dragged away, back towards your cell. There was no point fighting - you were too tired and in this state you couldn’t call your powers up anyway - but as you left you heard one of the scientists taking notes on his dictaphone.

“Subject 982 is making progress in her training. She appears to be able to control her powers a lot better, able to call on them to do her bidding as opposed to being a passive carrier of them.”

You smiled to yourself, letting yourself be pulled along. Your captors were so hell-bent on working out how your powers worked and how you could control them they hadn’t recognised they were walking to their own doom because one day you would be strong enough to escape, and you’d kill them all….

“Hey, are you okay?” Bucky’s voice filled your ears and brought you out of your reverie and back to the present where you were sitting on one of the bench seats in the Quinjet.

Still feeling discombobulated from being deep inside your memories, you scowled at him where he sat beside you. “Why wouldn’t I be?” you snapped. “You don’t have to worry - your mission is still on track. My powers are still working.” You held up your hand and let a small charge arc across your palm.

Bucky wasn’t able to hide his eye roll at your defensive response. “It’s alright to be nervous. You don’t have to put on a brave face. I know what they did to you, remember?”

If it were at all possible, your scowl deepened - it was probably a permanent feature on your face by now. “And I regret every day that I even told you all about it.” You crossed your arms and turned your head away, staring fixedly at a rusted rivet on the wall.

You heard Bucky sigh, and from your peripheral vision saw him make his way towards the cockpit, where Sam and Joaquin were chatting and piloting. You felt a pang of envy at the way he’d seemed to adapt to life after HYDRA. He had friends and a job that helped him feel as though he was making a difference. Bucky had first had Steve to help him, and now Sam and Torres. You had no-one. At one time you thought that Bucky could have been that support for you, but that was just a fading dream. 

You continued to stare blankly into space for the rest of the journey, until the jet finally set down in the forest about 2 miles out from the HYDRA base - you’d all have to walk the rest of the way to avoid detection. Luckily your route was shaded by the trees that also provided cover.

You walked mainly in silence. You ignored Bucky and Sam’s attempts to engage you in conversation, and only gave minimal replies to Torres when he asked you questions. Eventually, the three men gave up trying to talk to you and fell into step and conversation together. Bucky did have an annoying habit of looking back over his shoulder at you, but each time he did you gave him a withering stare.

A few hundred yards from the tree line, Sam brought you all to a halt.

“You ready for this?” he asked. “This is your last chance to say no and back out.”

You let out a bark of laughter. “I never back out or back down, Wilson.” You turned away from them and closed so you could concentrate. This particular skill was the hardest for you to obtain, but even so, after a few moments you could hear the air crackling around you and when you opened your eyes again the world had a violet overlay.

From behind you Torres let out a whispered “Wow!” and you turned back to face them, knowing none of them could see your wide grin. You couldn’t help but step forward and gently caress the Falcon’s cheek, watching him with amusement as he jerked back at the unexpected and unseen touch. 

Gaining the gift - the skill - of invisibility by manipulating the electromagnetic field around your body had been the one that had eventually led to you being able to escape. Now you were going to use it to walk back into the octopus’ lair. “See you later boys,” you called out cherrily as you sauntered across the open field in front of you and towards your revenge.

It didn’t take you long to cross the open space and had to bite back a chuckle as you realised that the main doors to the bunker were open, guarded by two Hydra goons. You resisted the urge to send 100v through each of them - you couldn’t give yourself away yet, not when the turrets above you were still operational.

Once inside, it wasn’t difficult to find your way to where you needed to go. Not only had you spent almost three days studying the schematics that Sam had obtained, the base was laid out quite logically and there was even some sign-posting. You snuck into the control room by tailgating one of the workers and now you just had to wait for the right moment. 

The man you’d followed sat down next to the sole other occupant of the room and they exchanged small talk as they lazily cycled through the CCTV feeds, both inside and outside of the building and you took the opportunity to identify which area of the console controlled the power to the laser defences. Eventually the second man got up and left - apparently it was his time for a break, and the idea that HYDRA let their personnel take lunch breaks struck you as ironic. 

You smiled ruefully and stepped close to the remaining man, reaching out your hand and letting your power build inside of you. Then, for some reason, you stopped. You shook your head as if to clear it. What was wrong with you? You’d been more than willing to kill those initial guards without a second thought, but here you were, worrying about the man in front of you. Did he have a family? Kids? Fuck! Had Sam’s righteousness turned you into a bleeding heart now?

Your power dipped, lessening in intensity and you took that final step. You tapped him on his clothed shoulder and the man jumped and spun around in his chair, confused at the apparent emptiness of the room. Then you reached up and touched his face. However, unlike with Torres, you sent a jolt of electricity into his body. His eyes rolled back and he slumped to the floor.

The violet filter in front of your vision faded away as you dropped your shield. Crouching down, you checked your victim’s pulse. His heart was still beating, so you’d apparently gotten the voltage low enough. His breathing seemed fine too.

Straightening up, you activated your comms. “I’m in,” you stated.

“Good. We were getting worried,” came Bucky’s reply.

“I don’t know why,” you sassed back. “I can take care of myself. Now, stand by.”

You stepped around the unconscious body and towards the power console. You could just shut it down, but then there was the risk that someone could come and get it back online again. Your best bet was to destroy it. You placed your hands on the metallic surface and began to build the charge inside you. It didn’t take long for sparks to start to fly and the console went dead. Unfortunately, so did the main lights. The only illumination now was from some red emergency lights. 

“Oops,” you said over the comms. “I might have taken out more than just the weapons.”

“We’re coming in,” said Sam sternly. “You sit tight.”

“Negatory, Sam. I’m a big girl. See you when you get here.”

You could hear the sound of booted feet running towards the room you were in, and you charged yourself up, ready to defend yourself and escape their clutches. The door burst open and you immediately let out an arc of electrical charge. It crackled through the air, bright blue and white, and the men who’d come charging in let out a collective cry of pain as the energy coursed through them and they dropped to the floor, unmoving. None of them had even been able to get off a shot, but you couldn’t rely on that happening with every engagement, so before you exited the control room you brought up your forcefield.

One of the other things you’d memorised in your study of the schematics was the location of the lab. You knew Sam wanted to gather as much intel as possible, but if these monsters had ‘test subjects’ down there, then you would ensure that none of what HYDRA learned from them could ever be used again, even by the ‘good’ guys. You strode down the corridor like an avenging angel, any trepidation about using lethal force now gone. Your shield protected you from HYDRA’s bullets and your charge dropped the soldiers to the ground - some gasping, some still. You didn’t give them another thought - they’d made their beds.

On the edge of your hearing came the sounds of fighting from other parts of the compound. The three musketeers had apparently entered the fray.

“Dynamo - come in!” Sam’s voice in your ear sounded worried, but you still winced at the ridiculous code-name you’d been given. “Where are you?” 

“I’m okay, Cap. Just got something to do - gonna see if they’ve got any experiments going on.”

“No, that’s too dangerous. Wait for back-up.” You rolled your eyes at his mother-henning and then let rip with another arc of electrical energy at the HYDRA soldier rounding the corner towards you.

“I’ve got it, Sam.” Fabulous, now Bucky didn’t think you could manage alone. “I’ll go catch up with her. See you and Torres topside soon.”

“I’m not waiting for you, Barnes. If you’re not fast enough you’ll miss all the fun.” You turned the corner and zapped another two guards, their bullets ricocheting off your shield seconds before they hit the concrete. They were the last two people standing between you and the laboratory.

As you entered, you looked around in confusion. The screens set up to show close-ups of the subjects in each cell were curiously blank, and the room empty apart from one man in a lab coat, sitting unbothered at a console in the shadows. You took a tentative step forward and the man looked up. “There you are, my dear. I’ve been waiting for you.”

His voice was familiar and you peered at him in the red gloom. “Who are you?”

He stood up from the console, but made no move to get closer to you. “I’m not surprised you don’t remember me well. You did have other things to focus on at the time. I will say though that you are remarkably impressive. But then again, I always knew you would be.” He pressed a button and one of the blank screens lit up.

You turned towards it and saw the inside of the control room. A man entered, the door staying open behind him for a heartbeat too long, before he sat down next to the other occupant. With a feeling of unease churning in your gut, you watched the events of ten minutes ago play out before you. You’d never seen what it looked like to others when you used your powers.

“This is my favourite bit.” There was glee in the man’s voice as the video replayed you taking out the initial response team without any qualms. As the ‘you’ on-screen left the control room, the view of the camera changed and followed your progress down the corridor, zooming in each time you electrocuted an opponent.

“We never managed to get you to react this viciously when we ran tests on you.” You registered that his voice seemed to be closer to you, but you couldn’t tear your gaze away from what you looked like - the way the electricity sparked around your body and the expression of grim determination on your face as you advanced. It was only as his hand, encased in a thick rubber glove, gripped your arm that you realised the danger you were in. Your head whipped around to look at him, his features now clearer. His face was gaunt, with a hooked nose and sunken eyes the colour of sludge. His dirty brown hair was cropped close to his head and on his neck you could see the telltale scar of an electrical burn.  

Images flash through your mind of this face leaning over you as you lay bound to a reclining chair, your feet in freezing water. Of injection after injection. Of blood draw after blood draw. Of being shocked and then soaked as those eyes looked at you with glee. The feeling of his hand slapping your cheek was ingrained in your memories, along with his scream as you gripped him and burnt him.

You tried to back up, tried to pull your arm from his grip, but his fingers just tightened cruelly. You reached out with your other hand, pressing it to his chest and letting a charge run through you, but it had no effect. He grinned at you sickly, revealing yellowed teeth. “I know how to protect myself from you now, my dear.” He waggled one leg and you glanced down to see a thick rubber soled boot on it. You had no doubt there was a matching one on the other foot. “I’ve been waiting to get you back, to continue my work.” He caressed your cheek with the back of his other hand, also rubber-clad. “My greatest triumph,” he whispered, almost reverently and you felt bile rise in your throat.

“Get away from her!” Bucky’s voice echoed around the room and you let go of a breath you didn’t even realise you’d been holding.

However, the man holding you only grinned more broadly. “Oh look, my other guest is here. I was wondering when you were going to join us, Sergeant Barnes.”

“If you hurt her…” There was no empty threat in Bucky’s response.

“Why would I hurt her?” The scientist replied, cocking his head. “She’s like a daughter to me. A daughter who is going to make me a grandfather very soon.”

You furrowed your brow in confusion. “What? Grandfather? I hate to break it to you, but I’m not capable of parthenogenesis.”

“Ah. Very funny. But that’s why we need the good Sergeant here. Just think of a child that had both your powers and the strength and endurance of a super-soldier. It would be the ultimate weapon. My ultimate weapon.”

You couldn’t hold back your laughter. “No fucking way. I mean, even if we liked each other, I can assure you, that we would not be creating a baby for you, you sick fuck.”

The sickening smile returned to his face. “You say that as if either of you have a choice.” He pulled a small device - black and shiny - from his pocket and pressed a button. A high pitched whine started, getting louder second by second and cutting though both your brain and your memories. Horrified, you looked back at Bucky, while struggling to get free. 

“EMP!” you shouted, but it was too late and the pulse hit you.

Pain flared though every nerve in your body and you went limp, falling to the floor. Through blurred vision you saw Bucky struggling with the dead-weight of his left-arm, looking down at it in shock and confusion. He recovered quickly though, and with a roar began to move towards you and your assailant. However, he didn’t get far, a burst of energy suddenly surrounding him. It reminded you of your own powers. Bucky dropped to the ground beside you and just before your vision faded to black you saw a multitude of black boots running into the room.

Your eyes blinked open, pain searing through your eyeballs as they did so. Swallowing back a hiss, you pushed yourself up into a sitting position, fighting the nausea.

“Careful,” came Bucky’s voice from behind you.

Trying to shake off the confusion you squeezed your eyes shut again. “Where are we?” you asked. “And how long have we been out?” As you spoke you realised something was very wrong. You opened your eyes once more and looked down. “And why the fuck am I naked?”

You turned your head over your shoulder and saw an equally naked Bucky, sitting with one leg bent up in front of himself upon a thin mattress. His vibranium arm was missing. “In order,” he replied, “somewhere else. If we were still in the bunker then Sam would have found us by now, or they’d be crowing about capturing him. Next answer, as far as I can make out, is about three hours, which does limit how far away we are from our original location. Lastly, I’d say the nakedness is something to do with that madman’s plan to get you pregnant.”

You shuffled around on your own mattress to face him, your legs crossed and your arms folded your chest. Just because Bucky had seen you naked before didn’t mean you were going to let him see again. Also, you had no idea who else was watching you. “But that’s insane. Just because we’re locked naked in a cell together doesn’t mean we’re going to have sex.” You looked up at the ceiling and raised your voice. “Do you hear that, perverts? You don’t get a free porn show today!”

When you looked back at Bucky it was to see a sympathetic and rueful look on his face. He opened his mouth, but seemed to think better of it and shut it again, but letting out a sigh.

“What?” you asked.

“Please - please - don’t take this the wrong way, but are you - umm - wet? Like, down there?”

You immediately recoiled, despite the distance. “‘The fuck sort of question is that? Apart from really inappropri-” Your screeched response broke off at the realisation that you were indeed wet. Given the circumstances you should have been as dry as the fricking Sahara desert, but your body appeared to be preparing you for the dicking down of your life. “What the fuck? And how the fuck did you know?”

He shot you another awkward look “Enhanced sense of smell, sweetheart.”

“That is really icky,” you said, giving him a disgusted look. You wanted to ask him if he’d always been able to smell you, but knew you had more pressing things to deal with. “But the thing is, why? Why the fuck is my body aroused? I can assure you it’s nothing to do with being in your naked presence.”

Bucky snorted at your comment, but quickly regained his composure. “I think they’ve given us something. Something to get us in the mood.”

“What makes you say that? Maybe my body is having a random moment.”

Bucky dropped his leg down revealing his erect cock. “Then I’m having a random moment too.”

You gulped, because - fuck – was his cock was a thing of beauty. You’d thought so since the first time you’d seen it, and that view hadn’t changed in the intervening months. You felt your core throb and your nipples pebble and turned your head away.

“We’re grown-ups,” you stammered out. “I’m sure we can just ignore it.”

“I’m not sure that’s feasi-” Bucky’s answer was cut off as he suddenly shuddered in pain. His eyes were screwed shut and his right hand clenched and unclenched. Despite your feelings about your relationship, a wave of concern washed over you and you stood up to check on him. However, as you did so, his eyes snapped open through the pain and he held out his hand to stop you.

“No. Don’t come closer,” he warned. “If you do, I won’t be able to stop myself. You might not be feeling the full effects yet, but I am. Whatever they’ve given us is very potent. I-” He was interrupted by another spasm and throwing caution to the wind, you moved to his side and placed your hand on his forehead.

“You’re burning up!” Bucky didn’t seem to hear your exclamation because he just turned his head, nuzzling into your decolletage and growling. A fresh wave of slick made its way down your thighs and his growl turned into a needy moan.

“The drug. It’s made the desire. So strong. But it’s also bringing. Pain. With it.” Bucky panted out his thoughts against your neck. You reached down and cupped his face with your hands, angling it so he could look up at you. His face was flushed and his eyes were glazed over. When his tongue peeked out to moisten his lips, you felt a tightness in your whole body - a need so strong it didn’t feel natural.

“Will having sex stop whatever is happening to you? What is happening to us?” you asked.

“I’m honestly not sure. But I don’t think they want us dead. We’re both too important to them.”

“So this pain is just to get us to break.” As you mused Bucky started to nuzzle against you again and his hips jerked up.

“‘M sorry. Sorry. I can’t - Oh god!”

“It’s alright,” you said, petting his hair gently as you had done in the past when he’d had a nightmare. You thought over all of your options but despite your feelings you were pragmatic. If Bucky was suffering this bad, what would it be like for you? You could already feel a tremble starting in your legs. What did you have to lose? “I think the only sensible option is to get this over and done with then.” Your matter of fact tone belied your nerves. “There’s no way we can escape with you like this, and who’s to say I won’t get it worse when it fully hits. We should at least try this.”

You shifted your arms to his shoulders and threw one of your legs over his, settling on his lap, his rigid length rubbing right up against your swollen and slick folds. Bucky blinked up at you, momentarily confused and then wrapped his arm around your waist pulling you close and kissing you with fervour.

This was not how you’d envisaged this mission going, but here you were, about to do the one thing you’d sworn never to do ever again - have sex with Bucky Barnes.

Chapter 3

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[halloworhorecrux]

A concept, feel free to run with it anyone.

It's time travel with Draco Malfoy. 

He passes the arch of the Court Chambers where he has been sentenced to 3 years of Azkaban. No happy thoughts, only the regret and sadness of having to relieve his mistakes in technicolor within the drab walls of Azkaban. 

Anyways, he passes the arch, which has been destabilized because of the dark magic from Voldemort. He passes out and wakes up to his mother and father looking at him with worry.

It's July 31, 1991.

They fret and hover over him and argue over if they should continue to Diagon Alley for his school supplies. Draco is discombobulated and just smiles winningly because he can't remember how he was at that age but he is sure there was happiness surrounding this day ( there was he meet the love of his life, Harry) so he smiles and encourages them to continue with their day with the dopiest grin. Alright so maybe he has a slight concussion and cannot see straight (pun intended). So on they go apparating into the alley while Draco clings to his parents because he is slightly concussed and slightly because his parents are healthy and petting his hair. Sure this might all be a fever dream and he will wake in a cold, dreary island filled with dementors. He is a firm believer in delulu is the sululu so he will take this small amount of happiness that he can.

This time his parents refuse to allow him to go alone into any of the shops. They are worried about the slightly dazed look in their son's eyes. At the entrance to the robe shop, he berates them to let him stand on his own and not embarrass him. The two decide to wander the shop with a keen eye on their son. As before a ragged looking boy enters the shop without the notice of the two adults. Draco however has never been more excited. He didn't know it at the time but he knows he is Harry Potter. The biggest grin on his face he practically shouts " hullo, Hogwarts too?" 

Taken aback by this small pale boy, Harry thinks “oh great another weird person who knows his name”. Warily the thin boy steps up as he is instructed to by the matron. 

"Uh yea, Hogwarts too"

Nodding along, Draco speaks "I thought as much. I've been waiting for....that door to open.  You know because the nargles told me." He isn't sure why he lies but he decides he can't be blurting out things that might make him wake up. After all dreams start to shatter once you  start to think too hard. 

"uh what are nar..nargles you said?" young Potter asks.

"Oh well you know, those little pesky things that go bzzz in your brain, like uh huh yea they go bzzzz. Like bee's except they’re magical. “ He does a little motion to indicate a bee flying. 

“Yea magical bees. Wonder if that would make me allergic to them as well. I’m allergic to bees you see? Had to be flooed to St.Mungos once after I tried to eat one of mothers flowers. Of course, it was Uncle Sev’s fault entirely. He said they were edible. I just didn't get the right color. But how did I know that flowers of different colors can do different things? It was horrible, Mother made me read about flowers for weeks after that as punishment for messing up her garden." Rubbing along his lips remembering that incident he finishes his little rant " so I guess I could be allergic, she (Luna) did say they cause a type of reaction like a bee sting.." His words putter out as he realizes he just ranted at poor potter about bees. A flush rises to his cheeks. 

Harry is laughing softly at the now embarrassed boy. Not wanting to alienate his first potential friend he asked " Did you learn anything about flowers I mean. I haven’t read much about them but I do tend to our weeds and such for my aunt." Though the task sounds much better, he can feel the calluses his hands acquired from having to dig and pull without proper gloves.

"Oh, actually, yea, I learned about this weed called Venus tentactular that has vines that can kill you, but just show it a bit of sun, and it calms right down. I spent hours trying to make a lumos just so I could see it. Mother has never been more horrified, than when I tried to coax it out of the greenhouse. I think she wanted me to appreciate the pretty flowers, but what's a garden without a couple of weeds? Want to see?" 

Then promptly face palms  because he has just asked the savior if he wants to see a weed that can kill him. 

" Oh Merlin, not because I want to hurt you or anything. I’m very good at light charms or well mainly I can make fire with my mind. It's really just accidental magic but I mean I think it and boom it’s there in my hands. But not like a boom like a bomb just like a small night light but with fire. Not that I need a nightlight or anything, I’m not a baby anymore. And I couldn’t object to it as a baby anyway so that's really why I had it then. Of course. "

A boisterous laugh makes his ramble come to stop. Harry Potter is clutching his ribs as he cackles and giggles with mirth at the babbling boy next to him.

Face as red as a candy apple, Draco somehow is able to tell Potter to write to him. Though the conversation on Owling leaves Harry in more tears as Draco does an impersonation of an owl. Who sounds and all. Draco doesn't even try to understand Harry's explanation of a landline.

It's as what feels like a week goes by that Draco fears he may be in some type of coma because he has not returned to the chill of the North Sea.

Letters are passed, and it's Sep 1, 1990, when Draco begins to have worries of how exactly he is still in the past or whatever fever dream he is in. Sure, making friends with Harry Potter had been a dream for the first four years at Hogwarts, but now he is getting increasingly tense with the situation.

It's the sorting hat that tips the scales for his confirmation of where he is.

"Ah we meet again Mr. Malfoy."

"What"

In his first life, the hat had barely touched his head before sorting him.

"Playing games with level ten I see. It's good to see ambition such as yours learn new ways to thrive. Alas duty calls. Hufflepuff maybe, such daring could go to Gryffindor,but never well thought so Ravenclaw is not for you."

The horror of possibly being Hufflepuff is enough to have him cry out in disgust. Him a hufflepuff! He will find a way to burn the disgusting hat before it could say Puff"

" Ah well I suppose it’s good to have some creature comforts."

“Slytherin!” It bellowed out into the hall. 

Draco broods at the slytherin table after all he knows where everyone will go.Until the hall goes silent. He picks up his head only to find Harry Potter striding towards him with a smirk. 

Oh no! He has ruined everything. He thought this was a dream or a coma. The afterlife may have thought why he got to be happy was baffling. He’s a slytherin. Any random good fortune should be analyzed before moving forward. On the contrary maybe that is why most of his schemes against the golden trio did not work out so well. Now he  was with the speccy boy as a slytherin. "Merlin, I'm an idiot'

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Draco I was sure you were headed for Hufflepuff and I wasn't sure how I could get into that house with you. " 

"What of course you could get into Hufflepuff, I mean hardworking is a trait isn't it? And you do that, at your aunts with all the chores you talk about. Though academically you were a bit lazy. Loyalty is a pretty trait uh except does it count if you still disobey the people your loyal to cause i dont you like to do that very much, maybe your problem is authority figures ya know?"

Harry was busy looking at the professors to catch that Draco words were just a smidge suspicious. Regardless once he tunes back in the mumbles of the blonde he taps against the top of his temples. 

"Oy stop trying to sort me into another house. also you should watch your words, I think i'm rubbing off on you. What would your elocution tutor think of you using words like yaknow? "

Draco sighs deciding this is a future problem. or maybe he can run it by the savior himself. Obviously an 11 year old potter was able to take care of problems since he entered Hogwarts. 

It's seconds before their first potions class that he remembers Uncle likes to ask difficult questions that he pulls Harry aside and whispers.

Draught of death, Aconite and Stomach of a goat.

Harry, who has decided that Draco is really just a dumb blond with some kind of divine foresight, does not question him at all. 

********************************

Fast forward throughout the year, Draco keeps trying to help but just ends up helpless until Harry saves him.

Then because there were no clues, Draco just straight up asked, if someone was going to steal something and if you touch their hand they probably disintegrate into what would you do?

Uh well you could try to steal the thing first so that they can't get to it but if you just stopped them by holding hands then why not just hold hands? Is this a hypothetical, because you can just ask to hold my hand if you're scared.

Draco dares Harry to hold Proffesor Quirrels hand and double dog dares him to hug the professor. 

Harry was a Gryffindor for a reason in his first life. The DADA teacher turning into dust in the middle of the corridor was not what anyone expected. Harry however is unphased, sure the black cloud was a good effect but it will take more than that to scare him Draco Malfoy. Draco has decided that Harry is insane. 

The duo is seen bickering because Draco refused to tell his best friend how he was able to make the black smoke appear and why he had his father fire the DADA teacher. Harry didn't hate Quirrel that much, though the smell didn't help.

[according2thelore]

it always bothered me that in the show, when dean learns that sam kept the amulet at the end of s11, he didn’t immediately put it back on—esp since from what i heard, that was an actor preference, not a storytelling one!!! (the samulet chipped his teeth ☹️)

anyway i wanna imagine that in your time travel au it doesn’t happen like that 🥹 it takes es dean five days to notice that his older self isn’t wearing it (in his defense, he’s not used to looking at himself from the outside!), and when he does it makes him so mad. and that’s what drives ls dean to - out loud - say that yeah, he wishes like hell he had it, but he doesn’t, okay? what do you want me to do here, kid??….. cue older sam like uh well i mean hmm. do you mean that.

although now i’m thinking of es SAM being the one to notice, and he notices right away, but he doesn’t use at as a barb until all the little upsets boil over. oh man. that kills me too. poor kiddo. you don’t get to go to law school AND your loml brother threw away his wedding ring amulet.

anyway you don’t have to do anything with any of this!! just thank you for letting me play in your sandbox!!!!

hello!!!

YESYESYES!!!!

this ask made me start BARKING. let's discuss!

for those who didn't know--yes, the samulet leaving the show was a choice made by jensen because it split his lips a lot and eventually cracked his tooth. i can understand his choice to have it taken off of the character (as much as i simultaneously hate it) especially since it seems that it was chosen as a prop during preproduction of the show at random. they lost a lot of jewelry from S2-4 (i'm looking at you skull bracelet, ring, and jelly bracelet), but the amulet got an emotional backstory so it had a longer life on the show.

but as for ES/LS verse YOU ARE SO RIGHT!!!

ES!Dean is so distracted by how fucking huge these guys are (LS!Sam cough cough bouncy tits cough), and how discombobulating everything suddenly is (1 lb laptops? cellphones that are a flat screen? TVs thinner than a DVD player? IPADS???) to notice immediately. and you're so right! he's used to the amulet being a mostly physical thing--a weight around his neck so familiar that he hardly notices it until it moves--so not seeing it visually doesn't register.

but when he does, he's mostly confused at first. where is it? do we not wear it every day now? why not? we didn't fucking lose it, did we? did it get destroyed? i would know immediately if it fell off, so it didn't do that. hell, i don't even take it off in the shower, where the fuck is it? seriously, dude, look at me, what the fuck did you do to it?

LS!Sam gets more and more uncomfortable, because he's probably the only one at the table that knows it's not buried deep in a landfill in some random state. but he's not sure how dean will react to the fact that sam's kept it all these years, that he got on his hands and knees in a motel room and dug it out of the trash, wiped cold, damp coffee grounds off the pendant, and put it in his pocket with fingers that shook.

then, as you wrote so in character it made my teeth hurt (!!!!), LS!Dean snaps. i don't fucking have it. i threw it away, and i wish like hell i didn't, but it's gone. what do you want me to do here, kid?

and AHHHH!!! you are so right!!! LS!Sam goes fucking rigid like uhhhhhhhhhh...on a scale of 1 to 10 how much did you mean that be so serious rn 🥺 like hmm. well. hmm. let's say for argument's sake...🥺 👉 👈 ...

ES!Sam notices IMMEDIATELY that LS!Dean isn't wearing it, and it's one of the main reasons he's positive the LS!Boys are some kind of demon/shifter/ghoul/trick. because if this was actually dean, he'd have the amulet.

LS!Dean notices ES!Sam glaring daggers at his sternum, the spot where it used to be, as LS!Sam does all the usual tests and tries to calmly explain what's going on. he feels even more guilty as hell, whether or not he knows LS!Sam still has it yet. he crosses his arms over his chest and stares back, not quite able to muster the heat of a proper glare.

it breaks his fucking heart a little, because yeah, it is a betrayal, isn't it? even if his body is copy-able, or mutable, or not able to be trusted, sam should be able to trust a landmark that dean disposed.

but when ES!Sam finds out what exactly happened to the amulet?? oh lord. complete and total meltdown to be frank. "you don’t get to go to law school AND your loml brother threw away his wedding ring amulet." KNOCKED ME OUTTTTTT

because literally!! not only does sam not get a normal life or a nice job or an apartment that's not a windowless bomb shelter but he and his brotherwife got DIVORCED????? he's all but shaking LS!Sam back and forth like WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU???? HOW DID YOU FUCK IT UP THIS BAD??

no one tell ES!Sam that he and dean found out they were soulmates and dean threw his wedding ring necklace out on the same day. he will knock a hole into the bunker wall just so he can jump out of it.

on a more serious note, it is very much "not only are we still on dad's insane revenge mission," *points furiously at LS!Dean* "we're apparently not even a goddamn team anymore!" his voice cracks "can we even stand each other? are we still brothers?"

your characterizations for them were so spot on!!!!! canon to me!!!! this ask is a beautiful painting--babygirl (gender neutral) this is OUR sandbox!

thank you for this lovely & insightful & incredibly written ask anon!

-lizzy

[tonitheloftwing]

I SAW THAT POST TOO LMAO

its crazy, like if you’re gonna be an exclus at least be consistent

“Men can’t be lesbians unless they’re genderfluid bc they’re not REALLY men” LIKE DO YOU HEAR YOURSELF???

Queer discourse of any sort seriously drives me insane, but lesbian discourse makes my head hurt more than anything else 😭 my journey of coming to ID as an aro lesbian who loves bald and/or pathetic baby men in fiction was a long one wrought with distress, mainly due to people who go around pretending to be the Gay Police. Like, as of right now, I’m a mostly cis, mostly female-aligned, lesbian who is only attracted to women irl, which fits most people’s idea of what a lesbian is. But that doesn’t mean I’m not hurt by lesbian exclusionaries, because every single time someone comes up on my dash being like “I hate lesboys I hate mspec lesbians!!!” I’m like. Well what if later down the line my gender shifts to be more masculine again. And I like my little fictional boxer boys, does that make me a “bad” lesbian?

This is the new talking point i try to use as leverage against exclusionary ppl. By being exclusionary towards certain groups of lesbians, you’re hurting all the lesbians - even the ones you’re white-knighting for in your exclusionary statements - because you’re showing us that if we do something you don’t like with our gender or sexuality/romantic identity, you’ll come after us. If i see somebody being exclusionary, I automatically assume they’re gonna see me kissing George costanza’s bald head and make a callout post about it because he’s a stinky, rotten man.

This is very discombobulated bc I have thoughts. But tldr, as someone who isn’t mspec and is hardly male-aligned, I still hate exclusionaries. Especially exclusionaries who use “you’re hurting the real lesbians!” As an excuse to be nasty. Like no, I think lesboys and mspec lesbians are cool and them existing has done no harm to me.

And that’s not even addressing how a lot of lesbian discourse loops back around into like, radfem/terf bioessencialist territory. Men are not inherently evil and scary and bad. Just liking women doesn’t make you a better person than someone who likes men, or men and women, or anybody in between. We’re all just beings at the end of the day, and gender is made up anyways.

To end on at least a funny note, here’s a tumblr post from yaoiboypussy that I will be thinking about every time i hear ppl fighting over lesbians now

Also I’m sorry for not answering this sooner, tumblr never gave me the notif 😔

UPDATE JUNE 14: I THOUGHT I POSTED THIS DAYS AGO AND I GUESS I DIDNT. OOPS

[ladylooch]

What's It Gonna Be? [Mack X David]

A/N: The ask for this blurb disappeared.... what is up with inboxes right now? My stuff disappears on the reg. Idk maybe it is too full. ANYWAYS, the original ask was something along the lines of: When is the next time David and Mack interact after the kiss. So here it is...

The day after their kiss is the first time she hears from Davey outside of a Lucie and Connor interaction. 

Mack is running on the treadmill in her building gym, just about to hit her highest ascent before beginning her cool down. She startles at Siri beginning to read off an unknown number into her AirPods, then her robotic voice shrills out “Hi Mackncheese.” Mack grabs the edges of the treadmill to stay upright. She slaps the stop button, then gradually lets the treadmill die off. 

You decide yet honey 🍯

Mack’s breathing is labored from her 4 mile run along with her surprise at hearing from him. How did he even get her number? She pushes her sweaty hair back into her ponytail, then grabs her phone. She opens her messages, reading his texts over again as a bubble signals he has more to say. She waits, anticipation clinging to her skin like sweat.

Would be so good to ya...

Mack absentmindedly grazes her lips with the tips of her fingers. His kiss left her discombobulated and speechless last night. She has little doubt that David Carlson knows how to treat a woman in the way he is insinuating. But he doesn't need to know that.

You’re confident of that? Mack decides to type back.

The bubble pops up again. 

Wanna play show and tell? All you gotta do is say yes.

Mack smiles down at her phone as she gets off the treadmill. She missteps and falls down. From her back, she closes her eyes in deep embarrassment. Good lord, this man has her all out of sorts. She needs to get her shit together. From her resting place, she sends him a single Emoji: 🤷🏻‍♀️

Hey, I'll take it for today. It’s not a no.

He has sent one text a day since then, all with the same sexy inquisitiveness. Now, it’s Wednesday and Mack finds herself scrolling back into those messages, scanning them over again while lounging on Lucie and Connor's couch.

Make up your mind yet baby? Bed is getting mighty lonely.

You still got that bikini from your Maldives article? Would love to see it in person.

When do you wanna come over? Got this great spot for you to sit on… 

Mackncheese, your time is running out. What have you decided?

The last one was from today and Mack still doesn’t have an answer for him. She is still attempting to catch up with these new feelings for him. She’s tried to reason the feelings away, insist they aren’t there, smother them out, but nothing is working. She finally had to come to the conclusion that they were real and she needed to sort them out before anything went further. 

David is everything Mack thought she hated in men. He is decisive, rugged, fights people on the ice, sarcastic as hell, and his endless teasing makes her eye twitch on the regular. She likes soft men. Men who read poetry and appreciate the arts and don’t mind sitting in a coffee shop for hours on end. David always has to be doing something. He’s either running around with Stella or helping Lucie in the kitchen or looking over Mack’s shoulder while she tries to formulate the outline for her next article. He’s too much and worst of all, he never lets Mack fade into the background when he is around. 

This would never work. 

Except, he’s the only one who sees her, clearly and unflinchingly. 

“Auntie? Can I have McDonald’s for dinner?” Mack blinks to come out of her thoughts.

“Your mom has chicken nuggets for you.”

“Yeah, gluten free.” Stella whines. “I want the crispy ones from McDonald’s.” Mack looks at her standing there, contemplating. Lucie didn’t say they couldn’t go out for dinner. She just said there was chicken nuggets in the freezer. If Mack’s being honest, McDonald’s chicken nuggets with buffalo and ranch sound really good.

“Only if you say I’m your favorite aunt.”

“You’re my favorite aunt.”

“You like me better than Uncle Lee?”

“No!” Stella laughs, then bites her lip, little shoulders quaking up and down. 

“What! You are such a stinker, Stell!” Mack laughs. 

“He brings McDonalds without me asking. Just shows up with it!” 

“We call that a suck up. He is buying your love.”

“And it’s working.” Mack claps her hand over her chest and howls with laughter. Stella is such a hoot. She always knows how to make Mack laugh.

“Let’s go sassy pants. Get some boots on, it was snowing earlier.”

Mack and Stella bundle up for the three walk block down the street to grab french fries, chicken nuggets, and a Sprite for each of them. Mack opens the door to let them out. They both startle when they see a tall figure on the other side of the door, fist raised, poised to knock. Stella catches on first.

“Davey!” Stella yells excitedly, launching into him. She headbutts him directly in the junk and he coughs out in pain. 

“Ooo. Hi Stell.” He says tightly, hand coming to grip himself over his zipper. “Ow.” He hisses air in through his teeth.

“Maybe you shouldn’t hover in people’s doorways.” Mack shrugs, stepping out of the apartment. She turns with the key, flipping the lock then turns back to the hallway. Mack gasps at how tightly David is crowding her space. She has to tilt her head all the way back to see his face.

“Got an answer for me?” He whispers, lips poised only a foot from her lips. She drags her top teeth over bottom lip. Her chest puffs out, feeling dizzy at the assault of his scent and masculine energy hovering over her.

“Is that why you’re here?” She wonders.

“No, I’m here to watch Stell.” He smirks, thinking it's cute that she thinks he came up to bug her.

“I’m here watching Stell? Lucie and Connor left an hour ago.” He furrows his brows in confusion, mustache pursing out with his top lip. He tilts his head to the side.

“Oh…” He trails off, then looks over his shoulder at Stella. “I guess you win again, Mackncheese.” 

“What? A night of watching TV dictated by a child? Lucky me.” He chuckles. 

“Over-under on how many times you’re watching the Little Mermaid?”

“I’m taking the under.” She laughs, then puts the keys in her purse. David shoves his hands in his worn, jean pockets, still not giving her much space. He is dressed in an olive green sweater that highlights the deepness of his emerald eyes.

“Where you going?” He asks.

“McDonalds!!!” Stell yells, coming back up to them. “You can come with us!”

“Oh… he probably has other-"

“Sweet! What are we getting?!” David answers before Mack can finish. She sighs heavily. Now that Stella is involved, there is no way David is not coming.

“Chicken nuggets!”

“Chicken nuggets?! Is that all you eat!? Gonna stunt your growth? Gonna be like the little runt piglets on my farm."

“Yeah!” She cheers, then slides her little hand in his big paw. “Go, go, go!”

She forces her body almost completely forward trying to pull him. He grips her tighter to keep her upright, then begins to walk. Mack stands there, dumbfounded at what is happening. How does he get invited along to everything? She watches her niece skip excitedly down to the elevator with David, admiring the way his strong arm easily supports and monitors every leap of Stella into the air. When she stumbles once, he catches her completely, like a constant safety net.They’re all the way to the elevator before they notice she isn’t with them.

“What’s it gonna be Mack?” David asks.

Mack knows he is talking about more than this McDonald’s run.

[spikedsoul]

maid's worst nightmare - ch 40

i'm trying not to take ages between chapters anymore! still haven't seen the movie due to life circumstances but i'm really hopin to see it soon... anyway. here!

previous chapters

@sovereign-of-succ

Bowser’s mind was still reeling even as he held you against him and let his chin rest on your shoulder. He almost wasn’t sure what to do with all of the trust you were giving him. Ordinarily, the first thing he would do would be to accidentally self sabotage, but those days were supposed to be over. He had to actively, consciously try to show you he wanted to keep you around. He loved you, damn it, and he knew if he lost you, he’d probably snap.

Surely he could keep himself together? Surely if he did slip up, you wouldn’t immediately break things off and go running back to the safety of Peach’s castle?

Fuck, these thoughts were unwanted right now.

“So,” he rumbled, shifting his head so that his lips were against your soft skin, “how are you likin’ the race so far?” Dumb. Dumb question. Stupid, horrible question.

“Honestly, it’s a lot more exciting than I imagined! I thought it would just be like regular racing, no items or anything,” you giggled softly. “It does make me a little anxious, but I’m trying to remember the kids aren’t getting hurt.”

Bowser’s eyes closed for a moment as he let that statement sink in; hardly a week in, and you were so loving and accepting to him and his kids. No wonder his doting adoptive father was already asking for another grandkid. But that was definitely going too quickly, even if the physical attraction ended up winning out just earlier.

He placed a few gentle kisses against your neck, another rumble slipping out. You tilted your head to the side slightly, allowing him more room - and he absolutely took the advantage to place more kisses.

The shiver that shook your shoulders had him nipping the shell of your ear.

“Bowser, please,” you breathed, goosebumps rising over your skin. “We’re supposed to be watching your kids…”

Bowser chuffed against you as his eye flicked to the screen. By now, Junior and Morton had pulled a fair way ahead of Ludwig, with Junior still in the lead. He wasn’t surprised to see his youngest using the favorite method of serpentining in front of Morton to keep him from being able to pull ahead. He could see from the camera angles that the straggling Ludwig had a wicked smile on his face - the kind of smile that suggested he was about to unleash the best item they had.

No doubt you’d be highly alarmed, so in preparation, the king tightened his hold on you. No sooner had he done that than Ludwig released the blue shell.

You immediately tensed up as the homing missile shot toward the two younger koopas. Although he did feel slightly guilty about it, he didn’t remind you that they’d be okay; he rather liked watching you squirm in concern for his kids’ safety.

He wasn’t so cruel as to ignore you when the inevitable happened, though.

The blue shell struck Junior (and Morton by proxy), exploding with a powerful force. You cried out in surprise at the violent nature of it, struggling a little in his lap to try and get up, but he held you fast to his chest.

“Easy, baby, easy,” he rumbled, “look, they okay. See? Just a setback. Kids are fine.”

Sure enough, like Ludwig had been flipped by the shell earlier, the apparent explosion and all that smoke cleared to reveal Junior and Morton looking just fine, if a little discombobulated. Ludwig had pulled ahead, of course, since he’d been far enough away not to get caught in the explosion, and the two younger boys slowly got back into it as their visions cleared.

“Fuck,” you breathed in relief, physically relaxing against him as he was proven right. The kids were perfectly fine. After a moment of watching the two younger boys struggle to catch up again, you shifted to shoot him a little glare. “You couldn’t have warned me?” Well, he couldn’t just up and admit he wanted to see that endearing concern over his kids, now could he? But he also didn’t want to make a habit of lying to her like he was about to.

“I guess I’m so used to it I didn’t think about it… sorry, sweetheart. Anythin’ that happens on these tracks may look scary, but it’s not actually dangerous. If it was I wouldn’t be lettin’ my kids race.” Bowser placed a few featherlight kisses to your face in apology.

You eyed him a little suspiciously, but sighed, gently stroking his muzzle. “Alright… alright. Is that the worst of it? Anything else I should be warned about?” you mumbled.

He couldn’t help a little grin as he shrugged at your question.

“Technically? Yeah. That’s the most powerful item there is in a race, so anythin’ else you see ain’t gonna be nearly as bad,” he did his best to soothe. When you didn’t seem entirely convinced, he rumbled deeply, hugging you close.

You sighed heavily but ultimately let your shoulders slump. “If I didn’t know better, I’d suggest you purposefully let me get a little riled up, since you know I haven’t witnessed a race before,” you murmured.

Bowser grinned a little; you were pretty sharp.

“Now, why I’d go and do that, sweetheart?” He did his best to sound as innocent as he could, but neither he, nor you, ultimately bought it, based on your little smirk.

“Because you’re kind of a dick.”

His jaw fell open in shock. It was true, yes, but this was the first time anyone had come and outright said it to his face like that… and it was you, of all people, the sweet little maid who was routinely proving to be much bolder than anyone could’ve guessed. He should’ve been irritated, mad, something, but he wasn’t.

That insult paired with that cheeky grin you were now giving him was making his heart race.

He was a king, he was a giant koopa, he could breathe fire and annihilate you, and yet you continued to show him how you were being honest about being comfortable with you. You were a fucking handmaid, treating a king like he was your equal… and his heart was growing impossibly fonder for it.

“You okay, big guy?” Your voice forced him to blink a few times and tune back into the moment.

His mouth flapped uselessly for a moment before he dumbly asked, “Did you just insult me?”

You giggled softly, a sweet sound despite those undertones of anxiety he could detect, and tucked your head against him as you settled to watch the end of the second lap. So far, it was still a close race; items would probably make all the difference.

“I sure did,” you sighed, your smile evident in your voice. You even gently patted his tummy. “Out of affection… obviously it didn’t upset you too much, though. ….Right?”

That last word was spoken so quietly he almost didn’t hear it, but it shot a painful arrow straight through his heart as he suddenly remembered all the trauma you’d suffered before finding him. You were comfortable, yeah, but it didn’t mean it was without that hidden baggage, and he’d have to remember that.

“Right. Right, baby girl, I ain’t upset.” He took hold of your hand and kissed your knuckles gently.

You nodded, rubbing his tummy gently; that anxiety scent faded quickly. “Okay, good. If I thought it would really offend you, I wouldn’t have said it…”

He smirked. “Actually, I got caught up thinkin’ how attractive it was. Don’t think I ever had someone insult me to my face before, not since I became a king…” You gasped, and pulled your hand back to inevitably hide your face even though he couldn’t even see it. He laughed, gently rubbing his chin on the top of your head to help ease your embarrassment. “Easy, sweetheart. I love that you forgot. Now, we got a final lap to watch, huh?”

Morton was now currently in the lead, but Ludwig and Junior were just barely behind him as the third lap got started.

Bowser grinned as he felt you nod after a moment, but you didn’t say anything else, and he didn’t push it.

[weidli]

yknow what i think would be a fun timeline of relationship development for the stuttgart boys. like assuming they've been at least a lil bit in love for a while and thorsten's noticed but isn't ever going to say anything unless sebastian does first and sebastian hasn't properly allowed himself to think about it because he's dealing with The Divorce. we get to frage des gewissens and in the scene in sebastian's apartment where he is very much no longer sober after ich habe das für dich getan / ich habe dich nicht darum gebeten instead of watching thorsten storm out sebastian is like. Fuck it. and kisses him. because you know what he's drunk in his miserable little apartment that he won't clean up because he doesn't like himself very much these days and the kids aren't here for him to clean up for and neither is anyone else and he's lonely and he lied in his testimony for his best friend and his best friend doesn't get Why (the Why is that sebastian loves him and doesn't want anything to happen to him. drunk sebastian is a lot less repressed and a lot more honest with himself than sober sebastian ist) and talking isn't helping. so why not get his point across some other way. and thorsten lets it happen for a second or two partially out of sheer shock and partially out of holy shit sebastian kissing me and then remembers 1. sebastian's drunk off his ass and 2. thorsten was kind of trying to be mad at him. but the moment of discombobulation is enough that he can't really manifest the energy to be properly angry at the sad wet lump of drunk pathetic puppy sebastian is right now. so he Does pull away and tell sebastian no we can't do this (not now) and sebastian stares at him with big wet sad eyes as he does and thorsten says Okay idiot. (the My idiot is implied.) you're going to take a shower and go to bed or so help me god. (the i love you too. idiot. is implied) we can finish this discussion when you're sober and i can argue with you properly again. and shoves him in the direction of the shower and then the direction of his bed and leaves a glass of water on the nightstand and locks the door behind him when he goes. and sebastian wakes up in the morning with one hell of a headache and remembers approximately 25% of the previous evening and it's the 25% that involves telling thorsten that he lied and not the 25% that involves then kissing him. so obviously he doesn't bring it up again. which thorsten logically decides must mean either 1. he doesn't remember it (and probably didn't mean it like that anyway he was drunk and lonely and missed his wife that's all) or 2. he does remember it and regrets it. and then (because i've mentally deleted der inder from my personal stuttgart timeline) preis des lebens happens and thorsten is like Right guess i'll just take this to my grave then. ah shit this is just a whole potential fic oh fuck

[mariana-oconnor]

The Engineer's Thumb pt 2

Our last entry was particularly gory and followed the lines of 'creepy person offers struggling worker job with pay they cannot afford to refuse and may secretly be a vampire cult leader'.

OK, so I added that last part, that's new, but the skeletal man offering our eponymous Engineer his job had a very undead aesthetic going on, so I'm keeping it.

I'm still not convinced that Mr Hatherley could have survived the trauma and blood loss he experienced long enough to get to Watson, but I was struck the other night, as I was going to bed, by the peculiar thought of what the other passengers on that train must have thought.

In Victorian times, they did still have compartments, so it's possible no one saw him. But in the modern day when you're all stacked in like sardines and he would have been on the commuter train... You're just sitting there, minding your own business, listening to a podcast and trying to ignore the very loud conversation from the two women behind you about how her cousin stole the family dog, entered it in a dog show and accidentally uncovered a drug smuggling ring, then ran off to Ibiza with her mistress -- but not trying too hard because honestly it's more interesting than the podcast, kind of. Anyway, you're minding your own business and you smell... blood.

And there's this guy sitting opposite you looking very pale and kind of sweaty and you've been avoiding making eye contact because he's sort of twitchy and you never make eye contact on British public transport, so instead you look at his hands and... is that a twig? And... a blood stained bandage and... is it just you or does his hand look a weird shape. You should stop staring. Maybe he's just tucking his thumb into his pal- no. No, he doesn't have a thumb. And that's blood and... and he's just sitting on the train with no thumb and fresh blood.

Would it be rude to ask?

It would probably be rude to ask. Like, he probably knows he's missing a thumb and you don't have any medical training and it's none of your business, is it? You should stop staring.

Yeah... honestly not the most disturbing thing I've come across on public transport, but it would be quite the morning.

On to today's email, though.

"Colonel Lysander Stark had said that it was only seven miles, but I should think, from the rate that we seemed to go, and from the time that we took, that it must have been nearer twelve."

Either one of you is about as good at estimating distances as I am, or he's taking the long way round so Mr Hatherley can't find his way back.

"I was aware, more than once when I glanced in his direction, that he was looking at me with great intensity."

This is giving very 'I want to steal your skin and wear you as a suit' energy, or is it just me.

"I tried to look out of the windows to see something of where we were, but they were made of frosted glass"

Was not aware that frosted glass windows were a thing at this point in time. I guess it makes sense as all you really need to do is scratch the surface of the glass a lot, but still. That's interesting.

It's also total overkill. You must come at night, we will take you down the windiest route possible to discombobulate you and we will have frosted windows so you cannot see out and no one can see you inside.

Frosted windows also don't provide any reflections on their frosted side. Not that Colonel Stark is a vampire, of course. I'm not even convinced he's a Colonel.

"We stepped, as it were, right out of the carriage and into the hall, so that I failed to catch the most fleeting glance of the front of the house."

If you look at it the right way, all these precautions are actually kind of reassuring. If you're planning to kill someone, you don't really care if they know where you're doing it. They probably intended to let Mr Hatherley go.

Always look on the bright side of shady nighttime business deals and potential kidnapping attempts.

"I could see that she was pretty, and from the gloss with which the light shone upon her dark dress I knew that it was a rich material. She spoke a few words in a foreign tongue in a tone as though asking a question, and when my companion answered in a gruff monosyllable she gave such a start that the lamp nearly fell from her hand."

And now we're getting some Greek Interpreter shit going on, which explains why I always get those two titles mixed up in my head.

"It was a wonderfully silent house. There was an old clock ticking loudly somewhere in the passage, but otherwise everything was deadly still."

Sounds like hell.

"She held up one shaking finger to warn me to be silent, and she shot a few whispered words of broken English at me, her eyes glancing back, like those of a frightened horse, into the gloom behind her. “‘I would go,’ said she, trying hard, as it seemed to me, to speak calmly; ‘I would go. I should not stay here. There is no good for you to do.’"

Well, I'd be out of there. Honestly, I'd probably be frozen in fright and too scared to try to leave, but I'd want to be out of there. This is about as obvious a red flag as you can get. And she tries 3 times to tell Mr Hatherley to go and he refuses. Trying very hard not to victim blame, but after a certain point of ignoring direct, clear warnings to your life, you have to take some responsibility.

“But I am somewhat headstrong by nature, and the more ready to engage in an affair when there is some obstacle in the way."

...Victor... Victor, Victor. Are you saying that you stayed in the creepy house with the creepy cult-leader not-at-all-undead Colonel because you were feeling contrary?

"I thought of my fifty-guinea fee, of my wearisome journey, and of the unpleasant night which seemed to be before me. Was it all to go for nothing?"

You were feeling contrary and the sunk cost fallacy, got it.

"This woman might, for all I knew, be a monomaniac."

"She listened for an instant, threw up her hands with a despairing gesture, and vanished as suddenly and as noiselessly as she had come."

Girl, same!

"a short thick man with a chinchilla beard growing out of the creases of his double chin"

omg, is there actually a type of beard called a chinchilla beard? Is it fluffy?

The only thing google is giving me is this exact quote and an urban dictionary link, which probably isn't relevant to a 19th century text unless ACD was a time traveller.

So basically he's got a chinchilla tail coming out of his chin? That's how I'm choosing to see it anyway.

“‘I had better put my hat on, I suppose.’ “‘Oh, no, it is in the house.’ “‘What, you dig fuller's-earth in the house?’ “‘No, no. This is only where we compress it. But never mind that."

"There were no carpets and no signs of any furniture above the ground floor, while the plaster was peeling off the walls, and the damp was breaking through in green, unhealthy blotches."

And this is where he lost his thumb? Yeah, no way he's not infected. He's have flu-like symptoms within the hour. Nothing worse than flu-like symptoms. I'm surprised that he didn't get sepsis just from walking through the place. Perhaps the lady is a 'monomaniac' from all the mould spores she's been inhaling. That shit can't be healthy.

“‘We are now,’ said he, ‘actually within the hydraulic press, and it would be a particularly unpleasant thing for us if anyone were to turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber is really the end of the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons upon this metal floor."'

Hello foreshadowing... postshadowing? Technically this is all a flashback and we know Victor loses his thumb, so I don't know what we call this? A not-so veiled threat?

I'm the opposite of claustrophobic, but there's no way I'm standing in that room.

Is someone going to turn this on intentionally, or is the real villain the OSHA violations we ignored along the way?

"It was obvious at a glance that the story of the fuller's-earth was the merest fabrication..."

“I felt angry at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as that which he had told me. ‘I was admiring your fuller's-earth,’ said I; ‘I think that I should be better able to advise you as to your machine if I knew what the exact purpose was for which it was used.’"

Victor here is standing in the death chamber in front of the murder man saying 'kill me now, please'. Guy has the survival instincts of a giant panda, I swear.

‘Hullo!’ I yelled. ‘Hullo! Colonel! Let me out!’

I'm interested in whether Victor actually thought this would work. His survival instincts have clearly finally kicked in, but they are still sleepy. I get there's not much else he could do, but the man just locked him in the death chamber and flipped the squishing switch, I don't think 'Hullo' is really going to make much of an impact. But if it makes you feel better about this totally avoidable circumstance, Mr Hatherley, then sure. 'Hullo' away.

"Then it flashed through my mind that the pain of my death would depend very much upon the position in which I met it. If I lay on my face the weight would come upon my spine, and I shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the other way, perhaps; and yet, had I the nerve to lie and look up at that deadly black shadow wavering down upon me?"

Well that's... a thought process. Totally horrifying. 10/10 for shudder inducing.

Mr Hatherley is clearly a very practical man, but at the same time lacks any common sense whatsoever.

"It was the same good friend whose warning I had so foolishly rejected."

This woman is the most patient person ever, and she doesn't even have a name at this point - unless I missed it.

"I clambered out upon the sill, but I hesitated to jump until I should have heard what passed between my saviour and the ruffian who pursued me. If she were ill-used, then at any risks I was determined to go back to her assistance."

Very heroic. Very dumb. Woman's got at least ten times the brains you have and she's survived this long. Admittedly her problem is entirely your fault, but she's risking her life to get you the fuck out. So...get the fuck out.

“‘Fritz! Fritz!’ she cried in English, ‘remember your promise after the last time. You said it should not be again. He will be silent! Oh, he will be silent!’"

The German guy is called Fritz? How unexpected.

And apparently he's a serial person squisher, so that's a thing.

“‘You are mad, Elise!’ he shouted, struggling to break away from her. ‘You will be the ruin of us.'"

Elise, nice to properly meet you. You are the MVP of this story, although you are probably also involved in the criminal undertakings. Sorry Victor was such an idiot. You tried.

"I endeavoured to tie my handkerchief round it, but there came a sudden buzzing in my ears, and next moment I fell in a dead faint among the rose-bushes."

Oh, and his open, bleeding wound fell into the dirt. He is so infected. Victor Hatherley is a dead man walking. No way he survives this.

I've found a paper that states in the 1850s the mortality rate for medical amputations was 45%, with the main cause of death being sepsis. This story is a little later on, not a major limb and, honestly, probably cleaner than a medical amputation at the time (from what I know, Victorian era surgeons weren't big fans of cleaning their equipment or themselves between patients) but even if he doesn't die, that wound is not clean and there's been no cauterisation of the wound and surgeons were at least quick.

"But to my astonishment, when I came to look round me, neither house nor garden were to be seen."

Ghost house! Spooky! I don't think I ever realised before how much ACD leant into the influence of Gothic literature in his works. But he's pulling out all the old favourites.

"I had been lying in an angle of the hedge close by the highroad, and just a little lower down was a long building, which proved, upon my approaching it, to be the very station at which I had arrived upon the previous night."

And we have the answer of why the horse wasn't tired when he arrived at the station - because it had only come from next door - and why so much secrecy in preventing him from seeing where he was going - because he was only going next door.

"The same porter was on duty, I found, as had been there when I arrived. I inquired of him whether he had ever heard of Colonel Lysander Stark. The name was strange to him."

You literally know that's a fake name. His name is Fritz. Of course the porter hasn't heard of Colonel Fakename McPseudonym. He probably has a totally different identity he uses locally.

"There was one about three miles off." “It was too far for me to go, weak and ill as I was. I determined to wait until I got back to town before telling my story to the police."

3 miles is too far, but he can totally wait for a train and sit on it, then walk when he's in London. I mean, Victor, you have no thumb, that's pretty good evidence that you need assistance, I'm sure someone would fetch a police officer for you. I'm surprised they haven't already. How many city folk do they get turning up at stupid o'clock in the morning covered in blood and clearly very confused?

You know... I heard that as I was typing it and you're right. That probably is just an average Tuesday. Victorian equivalent of a stag do. Is it really a party if someone doesn't lose a thumb?

"I put the case into your hands and shall do exactly what you advise.”

I personally advise an immediate course of broad spectrum antibiotics, but given that they won't be discovered until the next century, I guess you're shit out of luck. Dip the whole hand in brandy and hope for the best.

Brandy! It cures everything! Unless you die!

I still don't know what Fritz and the chinchilla are up to. Seems like maybe it isn't a land-selling scam after all. But apparently he has been murdering random people, so that's concerning. The problem comes down to the fact I don't really know what hydraulic presses would be used for? Making coins? Is this a forgery business? That lines up with the 'crust of metallic deposit' Victor found in it.

So I'm going to go with that for now, coin forgery. Though why they are German, I don't know. Maybe just because it would add to the Gothic horror vibes if they had accents. Maybe they're working specifically to destabilise the British economy. Or maybe it's not related at all.

[gremlinwithapen]

Augusnippets Day #17: Caring for Nonhuman Whumpee (Bonus Prompt).

tw: plucking/self harm

Cassandra had begun to notice the little things about Circe, and it worried her. The way she itched away with her beaks and talons whenever she got nervous, the way she picked obsessively at certain spots whenever she woke up in the middle of the night, the way her feathers were only getting progressively more frayed and dull over time...

Well, Cassie didn't know much about Harpies (or birds in general), but she could tell that she wasn't seeing the healthiest of behavior.

She'd kept it to herself for a good while, having had bigger things to worry about. Practically all of her focus had been directed towards Val and what she’d been going through.

Eventually, in a quiet moment while they were all taking a rest, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Especially not when she saw the spots of red flecking its jaw as it pressed its face into its wing.

“Circe,” she sighed as she walked over, gently cupping her cheek and bringing her head up to face her, “you’re bleeding.”

“O-Oh, am I really?” It tittered nervously, pulling its wings tightly against its body. “It’s nothing to be concerned about.”

“Uh-huh,” Cassie murmured as she raised an eyebrow. “Be honest with me; are you doing alright? Has anything been bothering you?”

“Well, um, it just happens that…” Circe’s eyes met hers, and she sagged ever so slightly. “I’ve been having trouble with preening, lately. I’m not used to doing it on my own, and I keep getting distracted and discombobulated by my thoughts and end up picking too hard. You shouldn’t have to worry about me, though. I’ll be just fine.”

“Just fine?” She said as she moved her hand away, her mind already made up. “Well, that isn’t good enough right now. Sit. Let me see what I can do.” 

The alien’s mouth opened in what might have been a protest, but she was shut up as Cassie pushed her down to rest more comfortably.

“Needed a reason to rest my leg, anyways,” she muttering under her breath as she sat down alongside it. She swiftly got to work, methodically combing her hands through the colorful layers of feathers. Clumps of dirt and stray fluff came off of it in waves, and she made sure to straighten any out of place ones she found.

Circe was silent for a good chunk of time while she worked, its body tensing for a moment before it leaned into the touch.

“Could you get some of my pin feathers while you’re at it?” She requested hesitantly after a moment, twisting long her neck around to look back at the human. “They’re the new ones, with the flakey coating. They itch a good bit when they’re ready to come it.”

“Of course,” Cassie smiled, pleased that it was finally asking for help. She gave the job her full attention now, making sure to give the pin feathers an extra thorough scratch whenever she found one. Her smile grew a little softer when it practically melted into her hands, humming pleasantly with every freed feather.

Eventually, Circe joined in herself, seeming much more relaxed now that she had help. The pair worked together to make a good-sized dent in her appearance, and even Cassie had to admit that the feeling of her downy wings under her fingers was kind of therapeutic.

It was a quiet moment for the both of them, and she soaked it all in. Gods only knew if they were going to get another day like this, if they even survived to see another day at all. 

So she savored it, reminding herself that this was what she was fighting for.

And gods help whatever bastard got between her and her dream.

@augusnippets