#we'll hear about that probably in the spring

[saintswitchblade]

6246 days ago was October 7 2007, when they filmed "The Black Parade is Dead" and buried their alter-ego band. The performances at WWWY and during the tour have been the band My Chem performing the album The Black Parade; the upcoming shows are a return to the original concept of the band The Black Parade performing a new alter-ego EP called "Long Live" – MCR did not lie to us, TBP truly haven't performed since 2007.

Just like Mad Gear and the Missile Kid, "Long Live" is gonna be an EP-within-an-album performed by the-band-as-another-band and we almost certainly will get some new songs at the 2025 shows if they don't drop before then. Foundations of Decay is the opening track to the upcoming MCR5 (The Concrete Age?), which is framed around resisting His Grand Immortal Dictator (and is totally separate from Paper Kingdom).

Unclear if the alternate universe 1940s vibe of the video is the same universe that led to the California 2019 of Killjoys, but there is definitely some content echoing of BL/IND & Korse with HGID and the FabFour Killjoys with TBP. It seems more tonally consistent with where MCR left off in Danger Days and Conventional Weapons than Parade. I mean, they were projecting spiders and swords at WWWY. Also, the ending song on Danger Days is an incredibly distorted and sarcastic American national anthem – election vibes, no?

This isn't a one-off tour or minor announcement. Gerard's been playing actively with this new universe since at least early 2023 –cosplaying his own secretary character in the March Australia shows– and it's definitely a thematic extension of the WTTBP music videos (it's the same skyline).

My guess is that MOAT stands for Ministry of Allegiance Training, and functions just like the reeducation clinic in Battery City. DRAAG is the Democratic Republic of American-Allied Germany (or sth; the gas masks, dirigibles, and general 1940s apocalypse vibe of Black Parade lean this way).

Translated (using good work by @trashthemorgue), the letters in the back of the crowd in the new video seem to spell _R_MN__M_N with at least two of those blanks being the same rune (sort of an odd ¢ that's a horizontal flip of the E-rune). Someone on Reddit raised the possibility that it's DR D MNT DMTN "Dr. Deathdefying (from Danger Days) meant damnation" as a "lol we're fucked" message from the band about the election.

But I feel like MCR isn't very politically vocal in real-time and had their chance to speak out at WWWY if they wanted to. They prefer to work in stories and allegory and costumes and art.

So this new story is going to be about the national band The Black Parade, recently returned from the Ministry Of Allegiance Training after an 18 year effort to control them, rallying the people against their fascist dictator. 'Long Live" is going to be the in-universe EP nested within MCR5 exactly like Mad Gear was nested in Danger Days. "Long Live" has its own page on the MCR website. MCR5 is coming, they're just doing a slow roll.

No earthly clue what _R_MN__M_N means. Excited to find out.

[achillean-knight]

JUST watched a video about the Afton's and I really love their British accents, but I've seen people dislike it so.... I'm curious. Reblogs or comments welcomed, I really want to know people's thoughts on this!

[bigfan-fanfic]

Bats in the Web (Spider-Man!Batdad x Batfam)

What if batfam meets a version of Batdad who is Spider-Man in his universe??

"We can't interfere!" Bruce growls. "I know you want to help, but after the last world we jumped into, we can't take chances."

Dick sighs. The last world they went into, they nearly ruined everything because Gotham had no Batman yet.

But luckily, something descends upon the mugging in progress.

But it isn't Batman.

A strange silver cable zips into view and slams into the assailant's back, spreading in a strange geometric pattern. He stumbles forward at the force of the blow, before the cable springs taut, and the mugger is flung into the air.

Someone lithe and graceful sails through the air, trailing more silver cables and quickly wraps the stranger up in them, robotic arms emerging from their back to assist - almost like a four-armed... spider.

The mugger dangles upside down from a traffic light, completely mummified in silver, and the figure, in a black bodysuit with light-catching silver filaments in a web pattern shining along the whole thing, and what appears to be a yellow hood and short jacket, crouches atop it.

"You get home safe, you hear?" they call. "We'll just be... hangin' around."

The would-be victim grins up at them. "Thanks, Spidey!"

But the Bats are looking shocked.

Because that was clearly your voice, only slightly altered by a voice changer - the voice you use when you broadcast to negotiate with people while they're on patrol.

Before they can speak, though, you've flung yourself through the air, opening your arms to reveal the gliding wings attached from your sides to the arms of your jacket so you can sail through the air.

"Pops is... Spider-Man?" Dick yelps.

From what they can surmise, in this universe, Bruce still lost his parents at a young age, but he didn't develop the desire to become Batman.

Instead, while on a field trip, you were exposed to some kind of radioactive spider, and Bruce did what he could to keep your secret and develop his technological aptitude to help you.

It was Alfred's death that convinced you to become a hero - his last words to you being that with great power came great responsibility.

You and Bruce are still very young in this world, barely old enough to have adopted a young Dick Grayson. It's probable that Damian won't be born, and Tim won't be adopted by you.

You're so much more cheerful than Batman - Gotham's Spider-Man quips, sometimes with dark humor, and inspires her citizens to fight back against the oppressive darkness of their city with good humor and clever tactics.

The Bats make their way to Wayne Manor, only to find the harsh brickwork and traditional architecture has made way for modern-quality of life improvements, fiber optic light fixtures, glass bay windows, and high tech at every turn. It barely resembles their Wayne Manor.

In fact, the caverns beneath the estate aren't even utilized, with there instead being a high-tech laboratory on the grounds with a launchpad to fling you over the bay and into the city.

It's a shock to see them - Bruce Wayne, his body in shape but much softer: he obviously works out hard but he's clearly not a fighter. His movements are relaxed, even sluggish compared to the constant vigilance of the Bat. And he wears an unfamiliar expression on his face - a genuine lazy grin.

Meanwhile there's this world's you - lithe and strong, battle-worn and with the at-rest tension of a vigilante.

Alt-Bruce and you have an easy banter, a love very much like two young people - you're only a little older than Dick, after all, which he finds weird - especially when he and Tim babysit his younger version.

Jason is utterly touched when Alt-Bruce asks about all the kids, so he can make sure to adopt them - he wouldn't want them going homeless in this world. All Jason knows is that young Jason Todd in this world might just be saved from years of trauma.

You're still the strategist, but Bruce is your mission control and the gear/science guy - he helps with upgrades and is the one to suggest a way to get the Bats back to their world.

But you'll need their help.

You fly through the city that night accompanied by five gliding shadows. Shadows that brutally subdue the henchmen of Black Mask as you soar above their heads, connecting some power towers with a filament web, forming a major circuit Alt-Bruce can use to power a tachyonic collider, which should launch them back into their world.

They return to their world, but Jason pulls Bruce aside.

"B... you owe him."

"Owe him what? Who, Jaybird?"

Jason sighs. "Pops. You owe him a chance to see that smile. On you."

Bruce looks at him. "You think my face can still do that?"

"Hey, I was surprised that you were actually funny! But... yeah, I do."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe you're right..."

[captainsophiestark]

Did I Forget to Mention?

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2024!

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Day Twelve Prompt: "Did you hear that?"

Summary: Nik's SO *might* have forgotten to tell their Mystic Falls friends about their relationship with a certain hybrid. But it's not going to stay secret for much longer.

Word Count: 2,381

Category: Fluff, little bit of Angst

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Okay, I'm calling it! Semesters suck, I'd give anything to be on a quarter system if it meant not having homework on spring break."

My friends laughed, even as I groaned and collapsed back into the couch. I got one week to take a break from school, and a small window to reunite with my friends back in Mystic Falls who'd all gone to Whitmore. We were supposed to spend the whole week having fun starting tomorrow morning, but they'd surprised me by showing up at my house tonight to get the party started early. Unfortunately, a few of my classes had given me homework, and I couldn't give in to spring break until I took care of it.

"I have a feeling you're gonna be singing a different tune in May when you're out of class and we've all still got another month left," said Bonnie with a smile.

"You're just lucky we want to enjoy the break with you," Elena added. "Otherwise we'd be getting payback for you showing up to campus during finals week to 'relax and tan'."

"Hey! I also showed up as moral support, thank you very much!"

"How was that morally supportive?" asked Caroline.

"I brought you coffees! And I was exemplifying the light at the end of the tunnel for you guys, when you finished your tests and could join me in summer fun!"

"Oh! Okay, of course," said Caroline in a tone that I knew should make me concerned. "I forgot, you're right. We'll go make some drinks and leave you to finish this, maybe play some music, so we can model that spring break fun, light at the end of the tunnel for you."

"No," I whined, flopping back onto the couch again. "Point taken, and I'm sorry. Just please don't leave me to this homework alone."

"We won't," Elena reassured me, reaching out to rest her hand on my arm. "But... the three of us might make drinks anyway."

I groaned, grabbing a pillow and burying my face in it. Finally, I sighed, sitting upright again.

"Fine. You know where all the stuff is. Just... try not to get so buzzed you tell me to edit a bunch of ridiculous stuff into my paper, okay?"

"No promises!" chirped Caroline as my three friends all stood. I sighed, but before they could get any further out of the room, a loud thud came from the direction of the kitchen.

All three of us froze in our tracks. We'd spent way too much time dealing with supernatural headaches not to go on high alert after something like that.

"Did you hear that?" hissed Caroline. We all nodded, so I gestured for the four of us to head towards the kichen and check it out.

If it was a vampire, it had to be one who'd already been invited in. If it was a different kind of supernatural creature, between the four of us, we should probably be able to handle it. Still, it never hurt to be cautious. Surprises happened all the time, and they could be deadly.

We took up positions just outside the kitchen, then Caroline counted us down with her fingers. When she dropped the last one, all four of us whirled around the corner, ready for action.

I stopped dead at the sight of Klaus Mikaelson hovering by my kitchen island, my heart dropping in my chest. Caroline and Elena both looked ready for a fight, but Bonnie beat them both to it. She raised her hand, and Nik dropped to the ground, holding his head.

"Stop!" I cried, rushing forward and yanking Bonnie's hand down. She stared at me, shocked, outraged, and confused, but to my relief I saw Nik stand up out of the corner of my eye.

Silence settled over the kitchen. Every single person was looking at me, my friends all with incredulous looks and scowls, Nik with a faint smile. For my part, I actually found myself wishing I could go back to my classwork. Just as long as I could be anywhere but here.

Unfortunately, I didn't get my wish. Nik took a deep breath in, and I knew if I didn't speak quickly, he'd take over the explanations for me. As bad as this situation was, I knew that would only make it worse.

I'd been invovled in the Mikaelson drama with the rest of my friends while they'd been living in Mystic Falls, but once they left, I hadn't really given them much more thought.

That is, until I ended up going to college in New Orleans. Klaus and I had run into each other at an art exhibit, and it functioned as a kind of neutral territory. We were both pretty opinionated, and we'd ended up spending the most of the day together, first talking about the exhibit but quickly moving on to other topics, too. We'd had a strange kind of reconnection, although we hadn't really been connected in the first place, and within a few weeks he'd asked me on a date and I'd said yes. We'd been dating since that freshman fall, and recently, I'd caught myself thinking the word love more than once. But I'd been serioiusly, seriously putting off telling my friends back home.

I'd managed to dodge telling them for two whole school breaks now. But apparently, with spring break, my luck was finally running out.

"Alright," I started, holding up my hands before Nik could jump in. "So... Nik and I have been... together... for a while now. We ran into each other again in New Orleans and just kind of hit it off. I didn't want to tell you guys becuase, well... I didn't think you'd take it well."

No one said anything for a moment, like my words were on a slight time delay. Then, all three of my friends started shouting at once.

"Are you kidding me?"

"What were you thinking?"

"Out of every single person in New Orleans, in the world, why the hell did you pick him?"

Nik stepped up beside me as all three of my friends had their reactions. Honestly, I couldn't blame them. It was a justified reaction, especially after how seriously they'd been blindsided. Nik didn't seem the least bit phased as he wrapped an arm around my waist.

"I'm sorry, love," he muttered into my ear. "I didn't realize your little friends were over."

I just sighed. "It's not your fault, Nik. I should've told them a long time ago. Don't worry, they'll be fine."

As one, our attention returned to my friends, who were now glaring at the two of us. I grimaced, but Nik seemed to enjoy the negative attention. He grinned and pulled me in closer to his side.

Bonnie looked on the verge of using magic again, and Caroline seemed about two seconds away from charging Nik to start a fist fight, so I gave his shoulder a squeeze and gently stepped away from him.

"Guys... I'm sorry. I should've told you a long time ago, and I shouldn't have put you in a situation to find out like this."

"Or, how about you shouldn't be dating the guy who tried to kill us all in the first place!" Caroline shouted, unable to contain herself anymore. I grimaced, but didn't step any further away from Nik.

"That's... a fair reaction. But seriously, I'm happy. Happier than I've ever been. And it's not like he's trying to kill any of us anymore-"

"At least not right now," chorused Nik and Bonnie in sync, with two very different tones to their words. Bonnie fixed him with a fierce glare, and I winced.

"Okay, maybe we should all sit down and talk," I said. "Or the four of us can talk, and I can ask Nik to come back later-"

"No way," said Caroline, raising her hands and taking a few steps back as she shook her head. "If he's staying, I'm not."

"Caroline-"

"I need a walk."

With that, she turned and vamp sped out of the house. With a look at me, Elena followed her. Bonnie started drifting in that direction, too, but she paused first, with a scowl at Nik before giving me a slightly less hostile look.

"I'm glad you're happy. Really, I am. But you might want to consider the cost that happiness is coming with."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room. I sighed the minute she was out of sight, slouching against the corner and sighing. That could've gone much, much better.

"They took that better than expected," mused Nik from beside me. I groaned, and I heard him huff a laugh.

When I straightened up and met his eyes, however, I noticed the slightly guarded expression behind his eyes. It had taken a lot of work to get good at reading Nik, and I still couldn't do it with 100% accuracy. But even so, I knew he wasn't nearly as calm and unaffected as he looked right now.

I sighed. My friends weren't the only people I needed to have a serious conversation with.

"Nik..." I started, taking his hand and settling into one of the stools at the kitchen counter. I pulled him onto the one next to mine, scooting closer until our knees were pressed together and I could keep him close for this conversation. "I'm sorry. I should've told them a long, long time ago. And I want you to know... I didn't tell them because I didn't want to deal with the reaction I knew they'd have. Not because of anything to do with you."

Nik's eyes flickered, scanning my face. I gave his hand a squeeze, but I could tell we weren't out of the woods yet.

"Isn't their reaction everything to do with me?" he asked, his voice low and serious. I recognized the edged glint in his eye as something that usually spelled trouble. I sighed.

"Their reaction is because they don't like you, yes. But my decision not to tell them had nothing to do with you. I would've been just as hesitant to tell them I was dating a guy they didn't like in our class at Mystic Falls. But with you... I should've told them earlier."

"And why's that? You wish they hadn't found me in your kitchen? Wish you could've told them while I was a few states away, so no one would have to face the reality of the two of us being together?"

"No, Nik. I mean, yes, I wish they'd found out differently than this. But I should've told them earlier because... because I have serious feelings for you. And they're serious enough that I don't want to hide them or you. Ever."

Nik raised his eyebrows, the corner of his mouth lifting up in the faintest hint of a smile. I smiled too, recognizing the shift in his mood.

"And what, exactly, might these 'serious feelings' be?"

His tone was mostly teasing, but I decided to take it seriously. I took his other hand, then pulled both into my lap, holding them tight. I met his eyes, making sure he understood just how much I meant my words.

"I love you, Nik. I've been feeling that way for a while now. I'm honestly happier than I've ever been, and you're a big part of that. I love my friends, and I know they'll come around eventually, but until they do? That's their problem. You mean the world to me, and... I mean, yeah, like I said. I love you."

A smile had been growing on Nik's face, and by the time I finished, it was a full-on grin that I only got to see from him every once in a while. He pulled me closer, off of my stool until I stood between his legs, chest to chest with him.

"You love me, do you?"

"Yeah." I nodded, my heart beating out of my chest in my rib cage. I felt pretty confident that Nik returned my feelings, but that didn't take away any of the nerves. "Can't you tell? You're supposed to be able to hear heart rates, aren't you?"

Nik chuckled, pulling me even closer to him for a kiss. I melted against him, happy to feel him smiling against my mouth as his arms wound around my waist. After a few breathless moments, Nik pulled back just enough to speak.

"I love you too," he said, his voice low and his breath fanning against my lips. "Don't worry for a moment that I don't. I would do anything for you. And it's a bit ridiculous how much I mean that."

I smiled, closing the distance between us again as I kissed him.

"I'm glad you came to visit me," I whispered when we paused just long enough to take a breath. "I'm glad my friends know. I'm glad you're here with me. I'm glad you know I love you."

"I agree with all of the above," Nik said with a smirk. "And I'm glad your friends are gone, and that we have the house to ourselves."

Nik leaned forward to deepen the kiss, but I leaned back. I put one hand on his chest and grimaced. He raised an eyebrow.

"Is there a problem, love?"

"...I may or may not have a paper to finish. Tonight."

"Are you sure it has to be done tonight?" asked Nik, his voice low and silky smooth as he ran a hand over my hip. I just sighed.

"Yeah, babe, I'm sure. But... if you can help me get it done, then I'm all yours for the rest of the night."

Nik pulled back quickly, looking at me with one eyebrow raised and an eager expression on his face. I put a hand to my mouth to stifle a smile at his 180 degree mood shift.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get that paper finished, love. I've got quite a few ideas for tonight."

I just laughed as I followed Nik into the living room. I had a feeling we were in for a rough ride the rest of this spring break dealing with my friends. But I really did love Nik. I was happy with him, and if we could find a way to stay together in our own little bubble of bliss despite the crazy supernatural shenanigans in New Orleans, I knew we'd be able to figure it out in Mystic Falls, too.

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

Everything Taglist: @rosecentury @kmc1989 @space-helen

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[ponderingmoonlight]

The Blue Dragon saving you from certain death

Pairing: Shin-Ah x fem!reader

Word Count: 4k

Synopsis: It was never a secret that you're reckless - as Hak's sister, that runs in the family. But provoking a heir of soldiers, getting shot and almost drowning on your way to prove yourself to your brother doesn't really help your mission. Little do you know a certain blue dragon watches from afar and springs in time just to save you...

Warnings: injury, drama over drama, fluff with Shin-Ah hehehe

I just watched the episode introducing the blue dragon and I had no choice but to write for him. Hope you like it as well <3

The forest is alive with sound. The snap of twigs under heavy boots, the sharp crackle of leaves, and the distant, taunting shouts of the fire tribe soldiers. Your lungs burn as you dart between the trees, your heart pounding a hysterical rhythm against your ribs. You can hear them getting closer, their laughter and jeers ringing out like the howls of wolves on the hunt.

"Think you can just mouth off to us and walk away?" one shouts, his voice sharp with anger.

"We'll teach you some manners, little girl!"

You curse under your breath, regretting that earlier confrontation. Provoking them had seemed like a good idea at the time - an impulsive spark of boldness, a need to stand your ground against those people who threatened to attack the wind tribe. But now, with half a squad of soldiers hot on your heels, you’re questioning your choices.

The forest stretches endlessly around you, a maze of towering trees and tangled undergrowth. Your legs ache, but you don’t dare slow down. Hak always told you to know your surroundings, to keep an eye out for an advantage. But right now, all you can see are shadows and roots waiting to trip you.

That dumb cheeky mouth of yours, why aren’t you able to shut up just once? Why did you draw their attention to you, why did you shout at them like a maniac, why did you brag about your sword skills? You are a quite talented swordswoman, but with a dozen men to your rock bottom…you’re screwed. Especially when Hak isn’t around.

A low branch snags your sleeve, tearing it and slowing you for just a moment. It’s enough. Enough for them to catch up, enough for that suppressing feeling of fright to creep up your body.

“There! She’s close!”

Panic flares in your chest, a wild, consuming thing. You push harder, your feet slipping on damp leaves. You think of Hak - what he’d say if he saw you now. Probably something infuriatingly smug, like ‘You should’ve thought of that before picking a fight, dumb girl.’

Your breath comes in short, ragged gasps as you dodge around a thick tree trunk. Then you can see it,  a break in the trees up ahead, an opening that might lead to a creek or a clearing, somewhere you can hide. But your foot catches on a root, and you go sprawling, hitting the ground hard. Pain explodes in your shoulder, but you barely notice. Scrambling to your feet, you glance back, your heart sinking as you see the flicker of torchlight in the distance.

They’re closing in.

Fear and frustration churn in your gut, but you grit your teeth and keep moving. You won’t let them catch you - not here, not like this. You’re the sister of Son Hak, the Thunder Beast, and you’ll be damned if you let a few fire tribe grunts see you break.

“Killing me comes close to declaring a war, assholes!”, you shout over your shoulder.

To your surprise, your voice still sounds firm and confident, even though you feel the exact opposite. There’s no way you can keep going like this, not with these many men chasing you down the forest. All of that to find Hak, all of that to prove your worth to him…

The torchlight grows brighter, their voices louder. The trees seem to close in around you, the forest offering no escape. Desperation claws at you, but you refuse to stop. You run faster, ignoring the sting of branches whipping against your skin and the sharp ache in your side. Somewhere in the back of your mind, you know you can’t keep this up much longer. But for now, all you can do is run.

Run until your feet can’t carry you anymore. Run in the direction of…the riverbank. Your eyes widen at the sudden sight in front of you. Yes, maybe you’ll be able to take another turn there. Or even better, jump into the river and swim away before these jerks are able to catch you.

But the riverbank is a trap and you realize it too late. You skid to a halt at the edge of the water, the roaring current before you cutting off any hope of escape. Those tides are way too strong to simply swim through and that rumbling of water in the distance mean there’s a waterfall nearby. The soldiers’ laughter echoes behind you, rough and cruel as they emerge from the shadows of the forest, their torches casting flickering light on their armor.

“Well, well,” one of them drawls, smirking as he notches an arrow to his bow.

“Look where the little fox has cornered herself.”

You glance around frantically, heart pounding as they spread out in a semicircle, blocking every avenue of retreat. The river churns behind you, a freezing, unforgiving wall that offers no solace.

“You’ve been quite a bother,” another comments, his voice dripping with disdain.

“But don’t worry, we’ll make sure you pay for every word.”

Before you can answer, the sharp twang of a bowstring cuts through the air. You don’t have time to react. There’s a blinding flash of pain as the arrow pierces your shoulder, driving deep into flesh and muscle. The force knocks you back, and your foot slips on the wet rocks.

You fall.

The icy water envelops you immediately, a suffocating rush that steals the breath from your lungs. The river drags you under, spinning you in its grip as though you’re nothing more than a leaf caught in its current. Your injured shoulder screams with pain, every movement sending fresh waves of agony coursing through you.

Blood blooms around you in dark, murky clouds, the warmth of it stark against the cold. Your limbs grow heavy, the fight draining from your body as the current pulls you further away from the soldiers’ mocking shouts.

This…This can’t be how you die. You didn’t even meet Hak yet, you promised that you’ll keep yourself save, that you won’t cause trouble. What will he think when he returns home and you aren’t there anymore? Will he be…disappointed? Angry?

Your vision blurs, the edges fading to black as you struggle for air, for control. The world above the surface feels impossibly distant, a place you can no longer reach. All you can do is sink, the cold seeping into your bones as your strength ebbs away.

You barely register the sudden splash as someone cuts into the water nearby, swift and deliberate.

Through the haze of pain and cold, you suddenly feel strong arms encircle your waist, pulling you upward with a force that feels almost otherworldly. Is this a dream, a last vision of Hak before you die?

The water fights him, the current tugging at you both, but he doesn’t falter. His grip stays firm and steady against your body, as though nothing could wrest you from him.

The next thing you know, you’re dragged onto the riverbank, the cold air biting at your soaked skin. You blink sluggishly, trying to focus, but everything feels distant - except for the warmth of him. A stranger is kneeling over you, his hands cradling you with a care so gentle it’s almost surprising.

Him…he doesn’t look like Hak even through your dizzy gaze with that strange mask he wears. Water drips from his hair while he leans over you, his sharp eyes scanning your face for any sign of awareness.

You’re pale, your shoulder bleeding heavily, the crimson staining your soaked clothes and pooling beneath you. The soldiers from earlier attacked you. When he saw them from afar, he had no choice but instinctively come to your help.

“Stay awake,” he mutters, his voice low but firm.

He presses his hand against your wound, his other arm supporting your head. Even though he isn’t a physician, Shi-An knows exactly you are losing way too much blood.

You stir slightly at his touch, a faint sound escaping your lips, allowing relief to flicker in his chest. He didn’t come too late, you’re still alive, after all.

Through the fog of pain and exhaustion, you become dimly aware of him. The warmth of his hand against your shoulder stands in stark contrast to the cold that seems to have seeped into your very bones. Your eyes flutter open, blurry and unfocused, meeting his for the first time.

The first thing you notice is his mask - an odd, unsettling thing that obscures most of his face. But even in your hazy state, you can feel the weight of his gaze behind it, sharp and golden, like firelight in the darkness. There’s no doubt in the fact that he is a gorgeous boy.

“Who…?” you manage to whisper, your voice trembling as your fingers twitch weakly at your side.

He doesn’t answer, his jaw tightening slightly. Instead, he shifts his grip, his free hand moving to steady you. His presence is calm, but his movements betray urgency as he presses against your wound again, trying to stem the bleeding.

Your hand lifts without thought, trembling as it reaches for his face. He freezes, his breath catching as your fingers brush the edge of his mask. In your dizziness, you tug it down before he can stop you, revealing his face.

His face.

Your vision sharpens just enough to take him in - a face you don’t recognize but can’t look away from at the same time. His features are soft yet somehow strong, but it’s his eyes that truly capture you. They’re luminous, glowing faintly in the dim light, their golden hue seeming to pierce right through you.

But what catches you more than anything else is the gentleness he holds in his gaze, the way his eyes scan over the body of a complete stranger filled with nothing but worry.

 “Who… are you?”, you ask again, your voice barely a whisper.

Your gaze is locked on his, the pain and fear momentarily forgotten in the face of this stranger who saved you.

He hesitates, his lips parting as though to answer, but no words come. Instead, his arms tighten around you, pulling you closer against his chest.

 “Don’t move”, he finally says, his voice quieter this time.

“You’re hurt.”

Despite the pain and the cold, his warmth is undeniable, spreading through you like a soothing balm. Your body relaxes slightly, your eyelids heavy as the exhaustion threatens to overtake you once more.

There’s no time to waste. He needs to take you to Yun as soon as possible. Without saying another word, the stranger gently lifts you off the ground and starts moving.

“I…I didn’t even say…t-thank you…”

It’s getting harder to breathe, let alone speak. The trees above your head fly by so rapidly that your head starts spinning even harder, coldness threaten to drag your body along.

Instinctively, the stranger wraps his arms even tighter around you.

Did you just… thank him? Him, the blue dragon everybody fears? Him, who was never able to call anyone a friend? Especially not a girl.

Well, especially not a girl like you.

Even though you’re covered in blood and soaking wet with your hair sticking to your face, you look stunning. Mesmerising, to be exact. How did you end up in that forest? When he first saw you through his eyes, you were holding onto your sword with so much confidence that you have to be a trained swordswoman.

But…who are you?

“I…I can’t…I-“, your words die in your mouth, the world around you slowly but surely going black.

No, you can’t lose consciousness now. This isn’t a good sign, he has to move even faster.

“Don’t fall asleep”, he mumbles.

But it’s already too late. With your mouth hanging slightly open, you go numb in his arms, your hand resting against his chest.

Faster. He needs to move even faster. He needs to take you to Yun.

You’ll make it, right? You just have to make it…

The camp is alive with the usual buzz of activity: Kija and Hak sparring, their banter as sharp as the blades they wield while Yona watches nearby with a mixture of concern and amusement, her voice carrying over the clanging of weapons as she tries to referee their increasingly dramatic insults. Yun is by the fire, cooking something that smells far too good to belong in such a rugged setting.

Sin-Ah doesn’t have time to think about fights or food, though.

His towering frame emerges from the shadows of the forest as fast as he was gone. He’s soaked, water dripping from his clothes, but it’s the figure in his arms that immediately draws everyone’s attention.

“Shin-Ah, you’re back-” Yona starts, but the words die on her lips when she sees you.

Your head lolls against his chest, your clothes dark with blood, and your pale skin is a stark contrast to the deep red staining his arms. The air shifts in an instant.

Yun drops the ladle he was holding, his eyes wide as he scrambles to his feet.

“What happened?!” he exclaims, rushing to Shin-Ah’s side.

“Put her down, quick! She’s losing too much blood!”

“What the hell is going on here again?”, Hak mutters while dodging another hit.

Shin-Ah says nothing, his golden eyes sharp and unreadable as he lays you down gently on the closest surface Yun clears. The blood on his clothes smears against his movements, and the faint stinging smell of iron rises into the air, makes him feel sick.

“She fell into the river,” he finally says, his voice quiet.

“Arrow wound… here.”

He gestures briefly to your shoulder.

Yun pales as he pulls your shirt aside just enough to reveal the gaping wound.

“This isn’t good. She’s been bleeding for too long - Shin-Ah, did you press against it?”

 His hands move skilfully, inspecting the wound as he rifles through his supplies.

“Yes,” Shin-Ah replies simply.

Despite his calm tone, his eyes remain fixed on you, the faintest crease of worry tugging at his brow. Has he done something wrong? Was he not fast enough, did he not press hard enough? What if you won’t make it because he took too long fighting those soldiers?

By now, Yona has hurried over, her face a mask of concern.

“Who is she? Shin-Ah, where did you-?”

A sharp, panicked cry from Yona cuts through the commotion as she finally sees your face. An oh too familiar face. So familiar that her guts turn instantly.

“Wait! That’s…Hak’s sister! That’s (y/n)!”

Her voice trembles, and she turns toward the sparring pair.

“Hak! Hak, it’s (y/n)!”

The name crashes through the camp like a thunderclap.

Hak freezes mid-swing, Kija’s claw missing him by inches as his opponent falters at Yona’s words.

“What do you…WHAT?!” Hak’s head whips around, his usual smirk vanishing as panic flashes across his face when hearing your name while seeing that amount of blood.

In an instant, he’s sprinting toward you, his weapon clattering to the ground behind him. It can’t be you, right? Why would you even be here in the first place? But one glance into your resting face is enough for him to see the truth.

“What the hell happened?!”, Hak roars as he drops to his knees beside you, his hands hovering over you as if afraid touching you will make things worse.

His usually sharp eyes are wide with unrestrained worry, his voice low and raw.

“(y/n), what…Who did this?!”

“She was chased by soldiers from the fire tribe”, Shin-Ah says quietly, stepping back reluctantly to let Hak take your side.

“She fell into the river.”

Hak’s hands curl into fists, trembling as he looks from your pale face to the blood-soaked bandages Yun is hurriedly applying. His jaw clenches tightly, and for a moment, his expression twists into something dangerous - fury burning just beneath the surface of his panic.

“Fire tribe soldiers?”, Hak repeats, his voice low and venomous.

“I’ll-”

“Enough!”. Yun snaps, cutting him off with a glare.

“She’s stable for now, but I need space to work! If you start stomping around yelling about revenge, it’s not going to help her.”

Hak’s lips press into a thin line, but he forces himself to back away, his breathing ragged as he watches Yun work. Yona kneels beside him, placing a hand on his arm.

“Hak… she’ll be okay”, she says softly, her voice trembling with uncertainty.

 “She has to be.”

Hak doesn’t respond, his eyes fixed on you as though willing you to wake up. The usually unshakable Thunder Beast is utterly still, his fury held at bay only by his overwhelming fear for you. His knuckles are white as his hands rest on his knees, the tension in his body palpable.

As Yun continues to work, Shin-Ah lingers at the edge of the group, silent and modest. His clothes are still damp, the faint sting of your blood clinging to him. He watches Hak with a quiet intensity, his gaze shifting occasionally to you. So, you’re Hak’s sister. Now that he sees both of you side by side, he sees the resemblance, the way both of your gazes go rock-solid during a fight.

He knows his part in this is done, but something keeps him there, as though he can’t quite bring himself to leave just yet. Maybe he’ll just stay a little longer, only until you’re out of danger…

-later that night-

The world comes back to you slowly, the dull ache in your shoulder and the faint crackling of a fire anchoring you to reality. It’s night, the camp blanketed in shadows, with the faint glow of the moon filtering through the trees. Around you, other people are scattered, fast asleep. You can make out Hak’s form slumped against a tree nearby, his arms crossed, though even in sleep, his jaw is tight, his worry evident. Can this…really be him? How did you end up here? How did he find you? The urge to wake him becomes almost unbearable, but seeing him sleep so peacefully creeps away that thought as quickly as if came. Next to him you make out Yona’s signature red hair, a beautiful girl lying next to her and a white-haired man who seems to have a bad dream, both of them strangers.

Your gaze flickers over the group again, but you don’t see him - the one who saved you. The memory is hazy, fragments of glowing golden eyes and gentle strength lingering in your mind. Where is he? Is he even a part of the group Hak and princess Yona travel with? He has to, otherwise, you wouldn’t just lay here.

And even though you feel like dying by just shifting into a more comfortable position, the sudden impulse to find that boy who saves you and to thank him properly becomes unbearably.

Quietly, you rise, clutching your shoulder as you navigate through the sleeping forms. The forest beyond the camp is alive with night sounds - crickets chirping, the rustle of leaves in the breeze. You walk carefully, drawn by the faint sound of water trickling nearby.

It doesn’t take long to find him. By a small pond, illuminated by the moonlight, he kneels beside the water, his shirt draped over a nearby rock. His back is to you, his movements slow and deliberate as he scrubs blood from the fabric. Is this…yours? His blue hair falls in damp strands against his nape, and for a moment, you hesitate, unsure if you should interrupt.

But the words come unbidden.

“You’re the one who saved me.”

Shin-Ah freezes at the sound of your voice, his head turning slightly to glance over his shoulder. His golden eyes widen briefly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face before he turns fully toward you, standing and holding the shirt awkwardly in his hands. Frantically, he tries to grab his mask, but your hands stop him before he can reach it.

“I… you shouldn’t be out of bed”, he mutters softly, his voice low and careful, as though afraid of startling you.

You step closer, unable to stop the small smile that tugs at your lips.

“I wanted to thank you”, you reply earnestly, your gaze searching his face.

“For saving me. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t-”

You pause, your voice trembling, the hungry faces of those soldiers creeping back up your mind.

“I wouldn’t be here.”

His gaze flickers away, his face partially hidden by the night.

“It was… nothing”, he murmurs, his voice almost a whisper.

“It wasn’t nothing”, you insist, taking a step towards him.

“You risked yourself for me, even though you didn’t know me. That’s… incredible.”

Your eyes drift to his face, then to the faint glow of his markings in the moonlight. The sight is mesmerizing, his quiet strength radiating in a way that leaves you momentarily breathless.

He shifts uncomfortably under your gaze, his fingers twisting in the fabric of his shirt.

“You should rest”, he repeats after a moment, though there’s no edge to his voice.

“I will. But first, I’d like to know your name.”

His golden eyes meet yours, and for a moment, the world feels impossibly still.

“Shin-Ah”, he says quietly, the name rolling off his tongue like a secret meant only for you.

“Shin-Ah”, you repeat, testing the sound. A soft smile graces your lips.

“Thank you, Shin-Ah.”

Before the moment can linger any further, a sharp voice cuts through the stillness.

“(y/n)!”

Shit, you know that voice and tone all too well. You whip around to see Hak storming toward you, his face a thunderstorm of fury and worry.

“What in the hell are you doing out here?!”, he shouts, his voice loud enough to send birds scattering from the trees.

You flinch, your shoulders hunching instinctively when he fists the fabric of your clothes, eyes almost piercing through you.  

“Hak, I was just-”

“Just what? Wandering the forest when you’re half-dead?!”

“Just trying to impress you”, you press out with a slight grin, instantly regretting that choice of words.

He darts you towards himself even tighter, his anger barely restrained as he stops a few inches away.

“Do you even understand how much blood you lost? How close you were to-…What the hell were you doing out there in the first place!?”

His voice cracks slightly, and he grits his teeth, his glare switching briefly to Shin-Ah before snapping back to you.

“Let her explain, Hak!”

Yona’s voice calls from behind him as she rushes into the clearing, grabbing his arm and holding him back. Finally, he lets go of your clothes again, allowing you to stumble a few steps back towards Shin-Ah.

“She’s okay! Look, she’s standing!”

“That’s not the point!” Hak snaps, though he doesn’t pull away from Yona’s grip.

His eyes are blazing as they bore into yours.

“Do you have any idea how reckless this was? What if you’d passed out out here? What if-”

“Enough”, the beautiful girl interrupts, appearing behind Yona with an exasperated huff.

His hands are on his hips, his glare aimed squarely at you.

“Hak’s right, this was beyond stupid. Back to bed. Now.”

“I-” you start, but that strange girl cuts you off, grabbing your good arm and tugging you away from the clearing.

“No arguments. Let’s go.”

You glance back over your shoulder as Yun drags you away, your eyes meeting Shin-Ah’s one last time. His expression is unreadable, his glowing eyes following you until the trees obscure your view.

„Thank you – again! I owe you something!“, you shout over your shoulder, even though it sends a sharp pain through your side.

“You’re welcome”, you hear his gentle voice behind you.

[dumplingsfordays]

tutoring sessions

Dan Heng x fem!reader

genre - smut

summary - your tutor (and friend) gets a little hot under the collar after you tease him, and things escalate a little (by a little I mean a lot).

cw!: nsfw (sexual themes), friends to (implied) partners, oral (dan heng receiving), praise, virgin!reader, virgin!dan heng, all characters 18+, kinda subby dan heng (he's also very vocal hehe), voyeurism kinda, reader is referred to as 'good/pretty girl' but that's really it for gendered language, implied that dan heng's still v thirsty for reader once the fic ends 👀

note - this is my first smut fic so I'm sorry if this is badly written 😭😭 dan heng might be a little ooc but I'll just roll w it... I was working on a fluff version of this but I accidentally posted the draft and I couldn't un-post it so I'm crying rn it was so long too-

and as always, thank you for reading :)

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗

"And today's topic..." the raven-haired man flips to a page in the calculus textbook that he's holding, "is mathematical induction."

"That sounds super hard!" you sigh playfully. "Can we please do something else?"

"Sum and product identities?"

"No!"

"How about-" he flips further, "-sigma notation?"

"Also sounds super hard."

"But it isn't."

"You say that everytime!"

"We do have to start somewhere, though," he remarks with a small smile.

For a split second, you remember where this whole thing actually started. Ah yes, your room, six months ago... when your parents hired him and you came downstairs to find a complete stranger your age sitting at the dinner table. You remember being confused about what classes you shared with him - he did seem familiar in a way, so you just assumed that you had some shared classes. Back then, he was very quiet, very low-profile, and look at him now! Talkative, compassionate, cheeky (only sometimes), kind... if you really excelled in English class, then you might've called him a bloomed flower or something else of the sort. He looks so different now, though - you don't know if it's the chill of the night air that's trickling through the open window by your desk, or the soft, mellow glow of the fairy lights strung up around your room, or if it's just your stupidly big crush on him... it's probably the latter, now that you think about it.

"Well, I don't want to start anything." You lean back in your chair and close your eyes, relishing in the way that you can practically feel his mock-disappointed gaze on you.

"I guess we'll end the sessions here then," he sighs. You weren't sure if he was kidding or not - something about his tone hinted that he wasn't, so, not really thinking it through, you spring back forward to the table and cup your face in your hands with your elbows on your desk. You look up at him in desperation.

"There's no need to do that," you pout, "I just don't feel like doing anything, you know?"

"Come on, let's just finish at least one lesson today," Dan Heng urges, leaning in a little as he does. He smiles encouragingly and pats your back, but you're still not planning on giving in to the agony of work.

"Why do we have to do that, though?" you whine, now folding your arms on your desk and laying your head down on them. It's now his turn to lean back in his chair.

"Okay, so what are you lacking in right now?" he asks, running a hand through his hair to get some wild strands out of his eyes. "Why don't you want to do anything today?" You hate yourself for the fact that you felt your face redden at his action.

"Lack motivation, probably," you bury your face in your arms now, trying to hide the prominent blush on your cheeks.

You hear him hum - a low, pleasant sound. "Motivation..."

As you hear seconds tick by on the clock across the room, your heartbeat calms down and just as you're sure that the redness covering your face and the tips of your ears has faded-

"Just be a good girl and if we get through at least one topic tonight, you'll get a reward. Is that good enough motivation for you?"

You tremble at his voice. It's persuasive and smooth and deep and makes something deep inside of your stomach flutter - was he messing with you? Did he know about you having a crush on him and was teasing you?

You tilt your head to look at him and instantly regret it. He's leaning in so much that you can feel small breaths of air escaping him as he breathes, his eyes trained on yours.

Then he leans back again and smiles, still keeping eye contact, while you, wide-eyed, bewildered, gawk at him.

"Just kidding." The audacity to say that! After you thought that he was flirting and actually took it seriously! Oh, you just had to get revenge.

"No, no, I'll do it," you raise your brows in defiance, a cheeky smile dancing on your lips. "I'll be a good girl."

This does him in. Now he's the blubbering fool, mouth opening and closing like a fish's, trying to process what you said. The fact that you could make Dan Heng, the least expressive person you've ever met, turn into a tomato from just a simple sentence was extremely satisfying.

"You don't have to," he stammers. In a few quick movements he's back at the table, arms folded in his lap. You notice that they're not relaxed, no, his hands are balled up into white-knuckled fists - should you really keep on teasing?

Immediately, you decide that yes, you should.

"But I want to."

For a split second you think that you heard something, maybe a faint meow from a stray cat or a little creak of the walls, but then you realize that the sound came from a much closer origin. Dan Heng, at this point, is tense all over - you can see his jaw clench and his fists growing tighter, nails probably leaving small white crescents in his skin. He's doubled over, too, like he has a stomachache. At this, you immediately feel regret, and all the seductiveness and sass from your voice vanishes in an instant, replaced with concern.

"You okay?"

"Yes," he says, still avoiding eye contact, "Yes, I'm good- can I just go to the bathroom for a sec?"

"Are you..?" You trail off, scared to finish your sentence at the possible implications. He swallows thickly and stands up, trying his best to cover his problem with his shirt, and just as he's about to exit your room-

"You can stay, if you want to..."

He slowly turns his head around, totally stunned at your words.

"I mean," you babble nervously, "my parents are still home, and there's a chance that they'll see your- um, friend, and..."

Before you can internally slap yourself for letting your mouth run like a river, he swivels around fully and his hand leaves the doorknob.

"You're sure?" he whispers.

"Only if you are," you reply, looking directly into his eyes, and Dan Heng awkwardly trudges back over to sit beside you on your bed, a blush dusting his face.

"I don't really know how to start," he admits, "I've never really... you know."

"Me neither," you reply with a nervous chuckle, trying to make light of the situation. "I mean, if you're up to it, I guess we can start with, um, kissing, or something..."

As if on cue, he leans towards you, cupping your cheek in his hand, and your eyes close as your lips touch.

It's your first kiss, too, so you don't really have anything to go off of, but this kiss makes your knees weak and you press your hands against his broad chest, seeking stability. He wraps his other hand around your waist at this action and as the kiss deepens, his lips travel down your jaw and to your neck, eventually coming to rest on your collarbone, where he plants another kiss and leans further into your touch.

You, meanwhile, reach for the tent in his sweatpants and start to rub it though the fabric, eliciting a whine from the larger man. He bucks up into your palm, desperate for more friction, and raises his lips to the shell of your ear, whimpering and quietly gasping in overwhelming pleasure. His large hands finally settle on your waist and his fingers dig into your skin as you continue your ministrations and smile into his shoulder.

"Please," he begs softly, "need to feel you 'round me."

He didn't need to tell you twice as you immediately get the hint and drop down to your knees in front of him. You hook a finger over the band of his sweatpants, tugging at it while looking up at Dan Heng with pleading, wide eyes.

He mutters an expletive when he lifts his hips up, cheeks reddening every second that passes, and as the clothes pool around his ankles, you can see the outline of his thick cock through the material of his boxers.

You decide to tease him (again, and you will never get tired of it because his reactions are way too cute to stop) and glide your fingers over the bulge, at which he squirms, but doesn't dare to take his eyes off of yours.

His hips rise again, and another article of clothing is shed, but this time his lower half is completely naked, so you finally get to see what he's been packing in there.

It's gorgeous compared to the ones that you've seen online. It's standing at attention, slightly twitching whenever your hot breath meets the tip. Dan Heng sees your eyes widen and swallows nervously as you subconsciously lick your lips.

"Is it not...?" he trails off, eyebrows furrowed.

You shake your head, still mesmerized. "No, no, it's very pretty."

He whines when you lean closer to it, eventually bringing it to rest against your cheek. You look up at the man as your hand wraps around its base and you hum at how warm it is.

"You ready?" you ask. You're rubbing your thighs together at this point - his half-lidded eyes, red, swollen lips parted in a sigh, and cheeks dusted with pink elicit a reaction from you like no erotic content ever could.

"Yes- yes, (y/n), please, need you so much, please," he gasps desperately, hands reaching to his sides and grabbing the blanket underneath him. You fulfill his request with a light kiss to the red tip of his now-leaking cock (at which a whimper escapes his lips and he almost bucks up) and take it into your mouth.

His long fingers weave through your hair at the back of your head in an attempt to feel more of you - you then moan, sending delicious vibrations to his cock which throbs in appreciation.

"You're s'warm," Dan Heng hisses through his teeth above you, tears about to fall from his watery eyes, "so, so tight, fuck! Such a good girl f'me, yeah-"

You take more of him into your mouth, hollowing your cheeks as his tip hits the back of your throat. Your gag reflex activates and your throat constricts - the raven-haired man above you nearly chokes at the feeling while you drag your lips off of his cock.

"'M sorry," you whisper as you slowly stroke it, feeling it pulse in your soft hands.

"Don't be, that was - ah - felt so good," he pants. "You okay, though?"

"Yeah, 'm all right... can we continue, though?"

"Please."

You stop stroking it and attempt to fit it all in once more, sharp gasps coming from the man above you. You almost reach the base, but his tip prods against the back of your throat so you have no choice but to suck it, bobbing your head up and down on his cock. Rogue specks of your saliva land on it just to pool on your lips as they hungrily come back down his shaft.

He's arching his back from the pleasure, applying a little pressure to your head to guide it in a steady rhythm. His hips start bucking up faster and faster as he gets close to his orgasm - he's shaking his head, screwing shut his eyes as deep, throaty groans are ripped from his chest.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck... doin' so well, pretty girl - ah! - makin' me feel s'good, yeah? 'M gonna cum, baby, just keep - fuck - suckin' me off like that like a good girl, please, fuck, please-"

Eventually he can't take it anymore. His hips are now wildly thrusting up into your mouth, lower abs flexing at the movements, he's panting, drooling, and crying all at the same time - it's so overwhelming and it feels so amazing that he cums with a single, broken moan.

Dan Heng's chest is heaving up and down as he comes down from his high, soothing hand petting your head gently. You attempt to stand, but fail as you topple back onto the ground, laughing.

"Cock so good you can't stand back up?" he teases jokingly, and lends you his hand so he can pull you back up onto the bed.

"Hah, you wish," you smirk back and giggle again. "So, what are we then? Are we still friends, or have we been demoted to student and tutor again?"

His eyes narrow and cloud with lust as an idea pops into his head - you swallow nervously when you meet his darkened gaze. He grabs your wrist and pushes you back, his other hand now greedily kneading your thigh.

"We'll see after I repay you."

[callmelyc]

Lance had been missing for a month now and nothing gives any signs of where he could be.

Keith has searched everywhere to find any semblance of a trace but he can't even remember the mission they'd been on together.

All he has to go on are his dreams of Lance. Lance who will smile at him in those dreams but not speak, who is serene during Keith's turmoil.

Lance who just cups his face and mouths the words "it's ok, you know."

But he doesn't. Keith doesn't know and it's driving him insane.

He's been to countless planets, meetings, debriefs. Nothing. Not a drop of evidence for where Lance McClain could be. Yet when Keith goes to sleep at night he'll see Lances face behind his eyelids watching and waiting patiently as if he never left.

~•~

One night when Keith crashes from exhaustion something feels different. There's sound in his dream and a maze. He goes through every challenge, each asking after some form of mental gymnastics but it feels so important that Keith can't ignore doing them.

He's reached a standstill, one in the center of the maze, when he hears it. A laugh like early spring, bright and oh so airy.

Wind chimes gently accompany the laugh and the warmth of a sun encapsulates Keith's whole being. He follows like it's a sirens song only to find dream Lance waiting by a small lake that he'd never seen before.

"Took you long enough mullet."

Keith's breath catches in his throat "I can hear you..."

All lance does is smile at him in amusement, waving Keith closer as if everything is normal. As if anything about this whole thing is normal.

Keith kneels next to him, taking a hand and pulls it close to his chest "where are you Lance?"

Lances free hand comes up to gently cup Keith's cheek. His thumb running soothingly into the flesh "you know where I am."

"But I don't! I haven't been able to find you for weeks!"

Lances smile softens "I'm right where you left me sweetheart."

Before Keith can retort he's ripped from his dream and everything floods back. A mission, a planet with plants that fight back.

Vines and poison.

A demand that told Keith to go get help, he'd be fine just go get help Keith.

Keith flings himself out of their bed and he's rushing to black faster than he can think. He knows where Lance is and he won't leave him waiting anymore.

This time when Keith goes down to this planet he makes sure he wears undamaged armor. This time, he makes sure the team is on emergency standby. This time....this time he's on heavier guard.

They'd underestimated this planet last time and it got Lance caught because of it.

Coran ran some test with Pidge and determined the reason they'd forgotten was due to the poison the spores produced.

A defense mechanism he'd said, so that the victims of their earth could not be saved. They were unsure how quickly the plants could consume their victims but coran and Pidge said it was unlikely Lance was harmed thanks to his armor.

"At most he's asleep, at worse he has some abrasions. It seems like a slow solvent in the goo the plants produce to trap the victims. Sorta like Venus fly traps but vines."

"And the forgetting part?" Keith asks while chopping through vines.

"Seems like a way to confuse the things harming them in hopes they leave or stop fighting to be the next target. It probably didn't expect you to escape."

"But we all forgot this mission Pidge."

"That would be because you were covered in the spores lad! When you returned we all fell under it's influence."

Keith huffs, cutting through more of the vines.

"Not to worry, when you two return we'll make sure to run you both through decontamination. No forgetting allowed this time."

"Yeah yeah, just be on standby."

Before long he's retraced his steps right back to the clearing from before. The entire area is overwhelmed with tangled vibes, huge flowers, roots ready to spring up and trap you.

Keith treads carefully across the earth making sure to not wake anything before it's time to fight back. First things first, he needs to determine where Lance is.

He prys his fingers between vines to peek inside. Vine clump after vine clump and nothing. No signs of Lance, no signs that any of these could fit a body underneath.

Then he sees it, a streak of white and blue. It's almost easy to overlook it, buried in the dirt, but it's his helmet the same one that got pulled off his head and got him poisoned to begin with.

Keith rushes over as fast as he can manage with the delicate nature of his steps. Sure enough, underneath the mound of vines near the helmet is Lance.

He's cocooned inside the vines, tangled so tightly in them Keith is surprised he's breathing. There's only one chance here, Keith knows he has to be fast enough or neither will make it out they'll both end up in vines if he fails.

So he holds his blade right and slices deep into the vine cocoon. The moment theres an opening Keith can hear the hisses from the plants as they realize there's someone fighting back, but he ignores them and he pushes in to pull Lance free.

Lance is covered in thick slime, he's unconscious and unresponsive but Keith doesn't have time to try to get him to move. He throws lance over his shoulder and breaks into a run.

The escape is difficult with lances dead weight making it hard to dodge all the angry plants shooting up towards them but the second they're within blacks sight the lion scoops them up and shoots into space.

This time no one forgot anything. No one will forget Lance and this time, lance won't be just a dream.

~•~

It takes two weeks for Lance to wake up. Bodily he was unharmed but the amount of poison from the slime covering him had placed their red paladin into a coma.

Keith dutifully sat by his bedside as everyone tried to convince him he wasnt guilty for forgetting.

"You didn't know"

"but I left him there..."

"You didn't know, none of us did."

He'd make sure Lance ate Hunks broths, he'd brush Lances hair for him because he knows he'd hate to wake to tangles. Keith did his skincare for him at night and kept him updated on everything that's happened.

Keith doesn't even know if Lance can hear him but the others assured Keith that his gentle care was helping even if he couldn't see it.

He wakes up one day to a hand carding weakly through his hair.

"good morning starlight."

Keith shoots up to make sure it isn't a dream. He comes face to face with blue eyes and the real version of the cocky smile he's grown to love.

"Took you long enough."

Keith practically climbs into Lances bed to pull him into an embrace "I'm so sorry-"

"None of that-" lances arm wrap around Keith just as tight "I knew you'dcome back. I was right where you left me."

Keith half sobs into the other boys shoulder "yeah...right where I left you."

Lance hums "don't worry samurai, I'll never leave you. No matter where I am I'll always be waiting."

Keith feels those hands comb through his hair again.

"always?...even if I forget?"

"Always. No matter the circumstances."

At those words Keith knows, everything will be alright. And as he eased I to lances very real, very comforting warmth, he's certain he'll never forget again.

[acourtofmarvels]

You Called

Rhysand x she/her POV

Warnings: Miscommunication :D

Word count: 2746

Rhysand watched as she danced under the starfall. Absolutely beautiful. The most beautiful female he'd ever layed eyes on.

She was his mate.

That word seems foreign in his head. 200 years old, he never thought he would ever find his mate.

She didn't know though. The bond hadn't set for her. At least thats what he thought. He'd known for about 20 years now. His brothers had some suspicion but he didn't tell anyone.

He tried for about 15 years to get the bond to set for her. He wanted it to come naturally and not be the one to tell her. It's not the right time, he thought. So he gave it a rest for now.

He couldn't be around her though, so he distanced himself for 5 years. Only approaching or speaking to her when needed.

Her POV

"Did I do something to Rhysand?" It was late at night, Starfall was over. I had drug Mor to stay with me in the House of Wind. Usually we would stay at the townhouse but I wasn't feeling entirely sure I was welcome.

"What do you mean?" Mor mumbled. She was very drunk and trying to sleep. I didn't drink much tonight, which was not normal for me. I always go all out for nights like this like but I had to much on my mind tonight. I couldn't even fully appreciate starfall.

I had a nice night, don't get me wrong. But the whole time I just had this aching pain in my chest I didn't understand. 

"He just seems different. He barely talks to me anymore. Barely even acknowledges me. I don't know what I did..." He can't possibly know. 

"Babe, just relax. It's probably nothing. He gets in moods sometimes." More voice was quiet. I know she was fighting sleep to talk to me. I shouldn't have had this conversation at a time like this.

"Some long ass mood..."

***

"Az! Please wake up! Open your eyes, Azriel." I shook his shoulders. We had been shot down from the sky. When he hit the ground he was knocked unconscious. Even with the ash arrow through my wing I was still able to land.

We had been on a mission for the past 2 weeks. We were flying home from Spring Court when multiple ash arrows started flying through the air. Azriel blocked most of them from me but I still got shot. I couldn't grab him in time before he hit the ground.

It was night time. I could barely see anything through the trees and the dark sky.

I could hear footsteps and voices getting closer. I must protect Azriel. I'm wounded but I won't go down without a fight.

I needed to get help. I covered Azriel's body with my own as I closed my eyes. Rhys. I wasn't sure if I could reach him from this far. Rhys I need you. What if he has me completely blocked out? Rhysand please, they're coming.

The footsteps were close. I pried myself off of Azriel, pulled my sword off my side and stood up straight. My body ached. I could feel the poison from the arrows weakening my body, making me sicker by the second.

I think I blacked out, fighting these people, whoever they were. I didn't stop, couldn't stop. My body was drenched in their blood, or maybe it was my own blood.

I was overpowered. Knife to my throat. This was it. This is where I die. I can't save Azriel. I can't save myself. Killed by men in masks.

"Cowards," I choked out, blood dripping from my mouth. "Show your faces."

"Illyrian scum." The one holding the dagger to my neck said viciously. "Don't worry. We'll send your wings to your High Lord. Then we'll take his when we-" his sentence was cut short by his head coming off his body.

I gasped as the dagger nicked my neck slightly. The rest of his men began screaming loudly, holding their heads as they all fell to their knees. Then, absolute silence. And they were all dead.

I turned around quickly, still on the ground to see who killed my attackers. I let out a sob as I saw his familiar, piercing violet eyes.

He was on his knees before me, taking hold of my face in his hands. He looked over at all my injuries.

"You came," my voice failed me. I was holding onto him for support. I knew I was about to lose consciousness from the ash poison and the loss of blood.

"You called. Of course I came. What happened?"

"Azriel, you have to take him. Take him home now, Rhys." I pleaded with him, tears I had been holding back began to roll down my face. "He's hurt. I couldn't wake him up. Take him, please."

Rhys whipped his head over to Azriel who was unconscious in his own puddle of blood. I was praying that he was just unconscious and not...

"I'll be back for you." Rhys placed a kiss on the top of my head before he picked Azriel up in his arms and winnowed away. 

He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be okay. He's gonna be...

I'm not sure how long Rhys was gone. Minutes or seconds but I was growing tired. My body was failing on me. I was defeated. The poison was still in my system. I had to stay awake.

"Keep your eyes open," the order was from my High Lord. Not my Rhys. 

"I'm tired Rhys." He picked me up off the ground. I wrapped my arms around his neck weakly. 

"You're gonna be okay sweetheart. We're home now. Just keep your eyes open." I could hear other voices around me. I could recognize Madja's voice. But I was only focused on Rhys. He set me down on a bed and began to walk away. 

"Please don't leave me." I held onto his hand tight. His promise that he would never leave me was the last thing I heard before I finally slipped into sleep. 

That's me. Why can I see myself sleeping? Is this a dream?

"She's okay, we've got her." I looked around the room, Madja was by my beside working her magic to heal me. 

"What the hell happened?" My line of vision went to Mor as she burst into the room. My heart was beating so fast, anger coursed through my veins. 

"Keep your voice down." That voice rang in my ear as if I just spoke. Rhysand. Rhysand spoke. Where was he? "They were attacked outside of Summer. They're okay."

I was looking at myself again. Aching sadness and guilt ran through me. No. No this wasn't me. This isn't what I'm feeling. I see myself through Rhysand's eyes. These are Rhy's emotions I feel.

His emotions were overwhelming. Everything he felt for me was maxed out to 100. He felt sick. Guilt was the most I could feel. Then sadness... Anger... Regret.

He felt guilty for not getting there sooner. For not being able to protect his brother and me. Sadness for the state we were both in. Anger for the men who hurt us. And regret for not making them suffer longer. 

Mor was talking to Cassian. I could hear their voices but I couldn't make out what they were saying. Rhys was tuning them out as he watched my sleeping figure on the bed. His thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand. 

Theres something else here. I can feel it within him but... but I don't know what it is. 

I finally awoke hours later. That was such a weird dream. Or at least I thought it was a dream until I looked to my right and Rhysand was sitting beside me. His hand was still holding onto mine but he was fast asleep. 

He didn't leave. He stayed like I asked. He looked cold. I should give him my blanket. 

I barely moved a centimeter in my bed before Rhys woke up. "Are you okay? What's wrong?" He moved closer to me. He placed a hand on the side of my face gently as he looked me over. 

My whole body warmed to his touch upon my cheek. He was so close. 

I opened my mouth to speak but my mouth was far too dry. Rhys noticed immediately, using his magic to bring me a glass of water. "Here." His voice was so soft as he brought the glass to my lips so I could drink.

I was trying not to laugh at his protectiveness. I know he was worried, had been worried. But I'm alright now. I wanted to tease him but maybe I'll take this attention some more.

"I'm alright," I assured him. I took the glass from his hand and placed it on the nightstand after I took another sip. 

He kept looking me over. I was sore but I know my wounds have healed now. 

"You can go now, I wouldn't want to bother you any longer." I tried to remove my hand from his but his grip only tightened. 

"You could never bother me," he sounded hurt by the word I used. "And I'm not going anywhere."

Damn you heart. Don't flutter now. You can't do this.

I tried to slowly inhale and exhale out my nose, trying to calm my breathing. He can't know how I'm feeling. He can't know that I'm his mate. 

"Azriel, is he alright?" I tried to cover up my nervousness by thinking of something else. Why does he keep staring at me?

"Azriel will heal, it will just take longer for him. But he'll be back to himself in no time." 5 years. This was the longest conversation we had in 5 years. He pushed me away right after the bond snapped for me.

I honestly didn't know how to react after it. It was so unexpected. I had know Rhys for so long, he was my family and my best friend. Why did it take so long for this apparent bond to snap into place? Was the Cauldron playing a game with us?

I'd always had a little crush on him but always pushed it aside. Falling for my High Lord? It was embarrassing. Everyone in Velaris most likely had a crush on him. How could you not? Have you seen him?

He still hasn't let go of my damned hand. Gods, it felt like my hand was on fire. 

There was silence for so long. Rhys wasn't looking at me. He stared down at our conjoined hands. His brow furrowed as he was deep in thought.

"You seemed surprised when I arrived. Like you expected me not to come help you." He seemed angry.

My face heated up in embarrassment. "I-I just didn't think you would be able to hear me from so far away."

"No, that's not it. You expected me not to come to your aid. Why?" 

I was flustered. I hated he could read me so well. My shields were always in tact so I knew he wasn't in my head.

I tried to pull my hand away but his grip only tightened. "Let me go." He of course let go at my wish. 

"Why did you think I wouldn't help you?" His voice raised slightly.

He would keep pushing if I didn't give him an answer. He had no right to be mad at me. I should be mad at him. "Because you have been cold! Distant! Did you know this is the longest conversation we have had in nearly five years? I did expect you not to come. You hardly speak to me and when you do, you answer with one worded responses. You avoid me. Do you think I haven't noticed when you make some sorry ass excuse to leave when I enter the room? I don't know what I have done for you to dislike me so. So sorry for expecting you to not come to my aid when i ask of you."

I was furious. If my body wasn't so sore and tired I would have stormed out of the room dramatically. Now it's just awkward because he is sitting there not saying anything. Not denying it either.

"You think I dislike you?" His voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it.

"Why else would you ignore me?"

He looked like he wanted to say something else but he bit his tongue. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. "You are not ready for that answer."

So he admits it. He has been pushing me away. Purposefully it seems. The answer 'I'm not ready for'. Asshole.

I hated myself for the tears that weld up in my eyes. My mate doesn't even want to be around me. 

"You don't get to decide what I can and cannot handle." I looked away from him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"This isn't easy for me." Gods I wanted to punch him so bad.

"I have zero pity for you. Must be so hard pushing someone away who has done nothing but love you." I was already humiliated enough, why not put a cherry on top. Might as well tell him how I feel.

"No, no. Don't say that. You don't love me." He was pacing back and forth in front of my bed now.

"Of course I love you. I have loved you even before we-" I was the one who bit my tongue this time. 

His eyes bore into mine. "Before what?"

Can he really not feel it? This bond between us? I feel it in every bone in my body. From the bottom of my feet to the top of my wings.

"Before what?" He almost yelled.

"Before we were mates!" I yelled back at him. "There! I said it! Are you happy now? Get the fuck out!" I threw a pillow at him.

"How long have you known?"

"Get out, Rhys! I don't want to have this conversation right now." I threw another pillow at him. It was all I had around me. He caught it and threw it at the wall behind him.

"Goddamit it, Y/N! How long have you known?"

"5 years. 5 years of feeling this bond with someone who has given me the cold shoulder."

"15 fucking years I tried. I tried 15 years for the bond to set into place naturally for you and of course the second I stop trying... The moment I stopped putting myself through all that pain and decide to give you space it fucking clicks."

I think my heart stopped beating for a second. I was temped to reach my fingers to my neck and check my pulse to make sure I hadn't died.

"What?" I almost didn't even hear my own voice.

"I've known for 20 years that you're my mate and loved you for even longer before that. Guess the cauldron really wanted to fuck us over." He walked back over to the side of the bed and sat back down in his original spot. He let out a sigh of defeat. 

"How could you not tell me?" Tears rolled down my face. 

"You didn't tell me either..." I almost rolled my eyes. I had my reasons, I wanted to know his. He must have picked up that I wanted a legitimate answer. 

"I... Wanted you to love me, for me. Not because we were mates." He looked down at his hands folded in his lap.

"Rhys..." I pleaded him to look at me. "Rhysand." He lifted his head finally. "You're my best friend. I am lost without you. Sometimes I-I feel I cannot breathe without you. My heart beats for you," pushing through the pain I moved to the side of my bed. I grabbed his hand and placed it over my heart. "It has always beat for you."

"You are my everything," he replies, taking my own hand and placing it upon his heart as well. It felt as if our heart's were both beating erratically in sync. He leaned forward till our foreheads were pressed together. My eyes closed on instinct, the tears still rolled down my cheeks.

"I thought I lost you. I have never been more terrified in my entire life," he whispered, his voice cracking slightly.

"I am here." I pulled away only an inch. I placed my other hand on the side of his face, beckoning him to look my in the eyes. "I am not going anywhere."

"I love you with everything that I am. I cannot live without you. My heart calls your name." He wiped the tears from my face before pressing our lips together.

Acotar Masterlist

[cyren-myadd]

What should we expect to hear from D23 about Avatar 3?

D23 has a whole pavilion set up for Avatar, and James Cameron and Zoe Saldana have confirmed they will attend!

Look at how cool this is! (I got the pic from the r/Avatar subreddit)

But even though this is all exciting, I'm not expecting much news for Avatar 3. Sadly, we are still a whole year and a half away from the release date, so if they announced too much now general audiences would lose interest. If we go off the Avatar 2 release schedule, we'll get stills and a first teaser sometime in the spring of 2025, and whenever the teaser first releases it will probably first release exclusively in theaters in showings for another big disney owned property before becoming available on youtube. After that, 2 or 3 more trailers will release throughout the year before the movie itself finally releases in December.

At most we might get the official title or maybe even a synopsis at D23, but I wouldn't expect more than that. I'd like to finally know what the dang movie's gonna be called so we can stop just called it Avatar 3!

Also, I'm not an official source for D23 news, I'm just a fan making my best guess. I could be wrong and maybe we will get some more substantial news!

[jamiedc-they-them]

Good People Part V - Can't Be For Nothing (Platonic)

Summary: War. Revelations of two-hundred years ago, and of a night that won't leave your mind. A new world is seemingly born; as is a new family.

Episodes 7/8

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

Note: Thank you all for following this journey! I will probably do a post mortem on it; exploring my ideas going in, what changed and such. Hope you enjoy it when that comes! I'll link it here when I write it!

"We don't have oysters in my vault," Lucy says, making you and Maximus turn around, "we have canned tuna. But, if you like oysters, I'm pretty sure you'll like canned tuna," you both don't know what to say. You both look at each other, then back at Lucy, and just nod. Maybe. Maybe not.

She chuckles, nervously. Then --

"I was supposed to marry a stranger from another vault," she blurts out.

"I thought you were meant to marry your cousin?" you question.

"Wait, what--?!"

"Well," Lucy says, correcting you on the timeline, "I was. But, I didn't really want to. I didn't feel a - connection. I guess I...I did with this one...as he - as he, uh, as he stabbed me. But, look, my point is, I don't have the best luck when it comes to strangers. But...Titus...Y/N...you are the best strangers that I have ever met. You're good people. You deserve nice things. You deserve a home, and a roof over your head. And to not have to fight anymore. And, if you wanted to, you could both come and live with us in Vault 33."

There's a look in her eyes as she looks at Maximus - Titus, the knight who isn't a knight; he'd told you before the whole thing in the vault happened. Sure, you didn't like being lied to about his identity; but, a good person was a good person - and it's a look you've seen before. Romantic love. Attraction. Even out here, it blossoms.

You never wanted that in your life. Friendships were enough for you. So, as quietly as you can, you back away. You go through the doors, letting your friends have their moment together.

It gives you a moment to process. Maximus. Why'd he be honest with you at first? Why not lie. Maybe it was getting too hard for him. Maybe he thought, one slip would be ok. He bet right, it seemed. You didn't tell anyone. Maybe you were a good person. Maybe you did deserve a second chance at life. Another sis-

"Hey," Lucy says, as she leaves with Maximus. He nods to you, you nod back.

"Are you both all square?" you ask.

She looks to Maximus, nodding with a soft smile, "yeah, we're good," she looks back to you, "you ok with a roomie in the vault?"

You look at Maximus, "he ain't so bad company, for a non-red," he snorts at your wording, "I think we'll manage."

Lucy nods, a spring in her step as she walks, leading the way, "let's go get that head, and go home, huh?"

Maximus stands next to you, "ready to go home?" he asks, looking at you.

"Yeah," you say, arms folded. You bump your arm on his, "let's go home."

You, finally, find Thaddaeus, as he sits near a radio station. You see the booby traps, but all three of you pause. Perception working in tandem.

Gunshots are next. However, luck seems to intervene. They all miss. Still, the hands go up. You're not a threat to him. You just want the head.

If anything, though, he's a threat to himself. As he backs up, an arrow goes through his neck. However...he lives still.

His reaction:

"Aw, no! Awwww!"

Then you hear it. Your pulse picks up. Your hand goes into a fist. You feel the nails break skin.

Vertibird. The Brotherhood are here. Your breath picks up.

Maximus breaks one of the heads left behind. He says things to Lucy, then to you. He looks concerned, but doesn't have time to help. He gives you a light push. Lucy takes your hand. Everything sounds underwater. The only thing you can hear is that fucking Vertibird.

You follow Lucy. She keeps a grasp on your hand. You take her gun, just in case.

You make it far away. Or, what you hope to christ constitutes too far away.

You lean against a dead tree, going down to your knees.

Lucy puts the fresh - well, not really fresh, but new - head into a bag and ties it to her belt, before kneeling down next to you. She's seen you feel. But, never to this extent.

"Ok. Ok. Okey Dokey, Luce, you can do this. You can do this. Your friend needs you. Your friend needs you," she tells herself. The old self is still there.

"Y/N?" she asks, softly, "Y/N, I need you to look at me. Focus on my voice," she says. Chet would sometimes get overworked with things. So, she had some practice. But never with someone so trapped in themselves as you.

"Are - is touch ok?" that breaks through, and you nod.

"Ok. Ok, that's - that's, uh, that's good. That’s good, Y/N,” she may be out of her depth - but you need her, and so she’d do all she could, “that’s good. Can you try to take some breaths with me?”

She takes a deep one in. You follow. She sees you now. Whatever the Brotherhood had done before, it had destroyed you.

“Do you wanna tell me what happened?” she asks.

“Just…” you take some more breaths, “just bad memories of the Brotherhood,” you chuckle, but it’s anything but a laugh, “Jesus, Luce. Whatever is in that head, it’s gonna change the world, whoever get their hands on it. You know,” you say, smiling a bit, “we could just run. You and me, huh? Just not let anyone get that fucking head.”

Despite what Lucy would leave behind, she smiles, “it’s a nice idea,” she says, “but, I need to get my dad back. I need to know why Moldaver took him. I need to put this all behind me, one way or another. That,” she stands up, and offers you a hand, “and I made you a promise. A place in my vault. Safety. This place sucks, but it sucks a lot less with someone by my side. And, I’m not leaving you. I’ll wait as long as I need to.”

You’ve seen loyalty like that before. Or had seen it. It hadn’t been followed through on. But, here was someone who you had known for two weeks, who was following through on a thing someone who you had known your entire life didn’t do. 

So, you nod. You can tell her later your full trauma. Right now, she needs you. 

You take her hand, and continue along your way. You hope Maximus is ok. And, selfishly, you hope he can buy you the time you need to get this done. 

You make it to your destination. Finally, People with guns surround you, but neither of you flinch. The doors open, and in you go. 

You walk through a garden, seeing kids running around. A community. Home. Safety. Family. Life continues on, even throughout all of this shit.

Lucy and you get to the entrance to the observatory. Lucy is let in, but you aren’t.

“No,” she says, voice firm, “they come too. They’re family. Moldaver doesn’t get this head if Y/N doesn’t come with me.”

Begrudgingly, the man lets you pass. 

You reach the doors.

“You ready?” you ask your best friend. She takes a deep breath in, and nods.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“Hey,” you say, nudging her, “I’m right here, ok? Like I said, offer still stands.”

She smiles, “I know.”

You enter the room. It’s a grand view, you’ll give it that. See almost the whole wasteland from here. 

You stay back, keeping an eye on things from afar.

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about this moment,” Lucy says to Moldaver, “you wouldn’t believe the things that went through my head. One night…I, I actually tried to stuff a grenade into the neck hole; but, I guess I thought that, really, I was gonna walk in here and…blow everybody up. But it's not really how I was raised. That, and I was stopped by that person over there,” she nudges her head to you. You give a wave, a sarcastic one as you then go back to keeping an eye on thing. So, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna keep things civil.”

Moldaver takes what she needs. It wasn’t his head after all. It was his neck. A blue, small, shining little thing that caused all this bloodshed?

She then makes Lucy an offer. One to fully learn who her father is. To fully understand how Moldaver knows him; and why she did what she did. 

Her father tries to make her not listen. He even looks to you, “you can stop this, you know. She’s your friend, protect her!” He demands.

You look at him, and a part of you wants to. You look at Lucy, she does a slight - almost unnoticeable, but not to you - shake of her head.

“It’s her choice,” you say. The man snarls at you.

Moldaver continues. She tells a story. A story about how her father had been around for a long time. 

“Part of an organisation that thought they had the answers to all the world’s problems…” she continues the story. Saying about the people he was a part of. Vault Tec.

“He never told you where he’s really from, when he’s from. He never told your mother, either…”

Lucy takes the bait. Your hand moves towards your gun. Her father may be in a cell, but he’s a dangerous man - who has been around for a long time.

Lucy is described as just like her mother: kind, loving, curious.

“Isn’t that why you came to the surface? Moldaver asks, “partly to rescue your father, but…to know why I took him.”

Lucy looks at you. She’s been read like a book.

Moldaver then looks to you, “have I seen you before?” 

You look at Moldaver, tilting your head before shaking it.

She studies you for a moment. Then, her eyes light up in realisation. They’re not cruel, though. Just realisation. That’s the only look in her eyes.

“Ah. Y/L/N, right?” she takes your frozen stance as a ‘yes’ before continuing, “I knew her.”

“...’Knew’?” you ask, throat tightening.

“Stop,” Lucy’s dad says. You don’t know why. There’s a slight ringing in your ears.

“Lucy deserves to know the truth,” Moldaver spits at the man, eyes still firmly locked on yours, “so Y/N does too. You came all this way with her, to deliver something for someone you didn’t even know. That sounds like your sister to me,” it’s not said tauntingly. It’s not said with any negative connotation. It’s just simply said. 

“You knew her?” is all you can repeat.

Moldaver nods, “I did. She thought you died out there, that night the raiders came. The night the Brotherhood made their own mess of things. She survived. Barely, but, she did survive. We took her in. She helped us anyway she could. Some sort of thanks, but also I think a punishment to herself for seemingly losing you,” you look to Lucy, who looks in concern, but also a hunger to know - to know about herself and her mother, and how her father ties into all this; a hunger to know about you, about what made you this way. 

Curious, as Moldaver said.

“She was a fighter,” Moldaver continues, “just like you are. Sure, you can shoot and hit things. But, you, no. No, you are more in battle up here,” she says, tapping her head, “now, that is a battle I can fully respect. It isn’t easy fighting a battle like that. Wanting to hurt people, and yourself,” your eyes drift, meeting the eyes of Lucy’s father. He doesn’t say anything.

“No, don’t look at him,” Moldaver says, “he doesn’t care about hurting anyone. He’d hurt his own daughter before he got hurt himself.”

“How dare –!”

“How’d she die?” you ask. The words were easier to come out than you thought. Your eyes go back to Moldaver. Your fist clenches again. You feel it pierce skin.

“I think you know,” Moldaver says, a bit of empathy slipping through.

You blink, or try to blink, the tears away, “raiders.”

She nods.

You cave inwards. You hear your heartbeat. You hear echoes of your sister’s voice. You feel everything you did on that night. The fear. The pain as a wound opened up from a knife. The relief at the Brotherhood arriving. The dread at them just cutting everything and anything down. You played dead. You remember waking up hours later, on top of the rotting pile of one of your friends who had left you for raiders. You remember looking around, not finding your sister. The panic. Then the pain. Then the rage. Then the numbness. You lost…it couldn’t have been years, could it? It could’ve been for all you knew. You just wandered. And hurt. Sometimes even got pissed on. Sometimes did the pissing. You were sometimes the victim, and sometimes the aggressive. Sometimes innocent. Sometimes guilty.

You hear the alarm, then feel someone grab your arm. Your eyes open, it’s Moldaver. She nods to the door. Your fingers are removed from your flesh. You gasp. Moldaver gives you a pat on the arm, before leaving with her people. You run to the massive hole in the building, seeing the Brotherhood arrive. You pray with everything in you that Maximus isn’t in one of the suits. You look to Lucy, then nod. You go to the door. 

As if having sixth sense, Lucy turns around and sees you heading for the door, “where are you going?!” she asks, alarmed.

You pause at the door, hand hovering just over the handle. 

“Y/N? Where are you going?”

You don’t turn to look at your friend. Instead, you shut your eyes and answer:

“I’ll buy you some time.”

“What–? What, Y/N that’s - that’s suicide!” She moves forward, grabbing your arm, making you turn to look at her.

What she sees makes her pause.

It’s the same look she gave Norm when she hid him. A protective fire. One that could be used for limitless energy just like the Cold Fusion that everyone was fighting over.

It’s then. Right then and there, she lets herself say it to herself.

Sisterly. It is sisterly, how she feels towards you. You were like Norm, someone she just accepted and would do anything for. You’re family. 

You seem to have that same realisation. Given the look in your eyes.

It is the sibling telling the other: I will sort this out. Do not come out until then. I love you.

But, instead of a camera reel burning to project the living hell being brought down upon you all. The whole world seems to be burning that fiery red instead. Burning and crumbling down all around you.

Just like with Norm, that assurance doesn't work. She grips your arm tighter.

“Please.”

You put the hand that was hovering around the door on top of hers, squeezing it.

“I’m coming back,” you promise.

“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep.”

You shake your head, “I ain’t. ‘Cause them out there, they’re fighting for power. Some, dumb thing such as that in a world that lost control years ago.”

“Then - then why are you going out those doors?” 

You smile, “I already let one sister down. I ain’t doing that again.”

With that, you pull your arm free, and open the door. You give Lucy one more nod, before shutting it behind you.

She gulps. Then she hears ringing in her ears. As all that she has learned about her mother, father, upbringing, everything, comes crashing down upon her.

You remember one of your first kills. A man was trying to kill yourself and your sister. He had knocked her out. He had punched you a few times and the world was spinning. You had spat blood onto the floor as the man moved over to your sister. With whatever strength you had left. You got up, charged him, and had him on the floor this time. You punched him a few times, before sticking your teeth into his neck. His gurgled scream didn’t mean anything to you. You just had this anger. This protective fury to you. You ripped out the piece of his throat that you had taken, spitting it out. 

Your sister was standing next to you the next moment, you both watching the man bleed out. She only reached a hand out to you. You took it. You held it for a while after. A bloodsoaked hand. But a promise to never let go. To keep going together.

Fate had other ideas. The Brotherhood had their goals. But they mistook you for raiders it seemed. Or just couldn’t see shit in those helmets of theirs when they started firing. It was only you and your sister and at that point, you didn’t mourn them much. But, that fire of knowing - or, at least, knowing as you did at the time - that your sister had been seemingly killed as well…it made you punish yourself. It made you never fully heal after fights. It made you never fully accept help.

And yet, that damn Lucy Maclean had come into your life, and given you something you never thought you’d have again:

Hope. 

You remember that hope as you fir each round - you are a decent shot, especially for someone who has no actual training with them - and hit most of your targets. You take weapons from fallen people where you could. 

A bullet hits your piece of cover. You heard footsteps. Your latest weapon had clicked ages ago. So, you wait…and wait. And then –

You dive, tackling the person to the floor. They block a punch, before you get one in and –

A bullet slams into your shoulder, sending you to the ground.

“No!” you hear a familiar voice say. You blink, adjusting to the searing pain and the daylight. It’s Maximus, with a friend of his, “they’re my friend! They’re my friend!” he says.

“Oh shit!” his friend says, dropping to one knee, dragging you out of the way. The war itself is distraction enough.

“Where’s Lucy?” Maximus asks you.

You have a hand to your shoulder. One his friend removes as they put a Stimpack into your arm. You groan at it, before answering him:

“Upstairs…with her father.”

“Is she alive?” 

“The more you piss around here, not likely,” you say.

Maximus nods. He looks to his friend, “go,” they say. He nods, and pats you on the arm and leaves. 

His friend stays with you, “I’m sorry,” they say.

You nudge your head to the door, “go. Don’t get caught out here.”

They look like they wanna stay, then realise why you’re saying that. The Brotherhood are brutal. They only let Maximus live due to loyalty. They nod, leaving too, but a few extra rounds find their way onto the floor.

Good deeds and all that, Lucy would say.

The battle seems to be dying down. And you are just plain dying. Another shot had hit you. This one closer to your chest. You had stumbled your way into the building, seeing dead Brotherhood members around you. 

You collapse, growing weaker by the moment. You hate it, having your promise be broken. But, you tried. You fought them off as best you –

“Aw, hell,” you hear a gruff voice say. A hand grabs your arm, and you are hoisted up; your arm going around someone’s shoulders, “we gotta stop meeting like this, sunshine.”

You look, and see the Ghoul who had taken you hostage.

“Ah,” he says, “don’t talk. You’re the silent one. I like that about you. Only talk when necessary,” he begins to move you to the stairs, “now, don’t worry about these ones. They’re all taken care of. But, I do need a word with Mister Maclean. And, I do think that if little Miss Lucy finds out I left you to die, she might do more than rip off my finger, this time.” 

He gets you to the room. He opens the door and goes in, leaning you against a wall. You stumble in as best you can, looking worse and worse by the second. 

“Uh-uh,” The Ghoul says when Hank Maclean looks at you, “don’t look at them. You look at me, now,” Hank complies.

You make your way over to Maximus and Lucy. Getting to the floor with at least a bit of grace. Lucy looks at you, eyes going wide.

You reach out with your hand not on your wound, and cover Lucy’s. A bloodsoaked hand. But a promise to never let go. To keep going together.

“You look out at this wasteland,” the Ghoul says, “it looks like chaos. But there’s always somebody behind the wheel.”

He knows Lucy wants to know how he knows her father. But makes an offer. You can stay here, wait for Maximus to wake up, but you won’t be spared - hell, you were by a sheer stroke of luck - or, you go with him, and meet your makers. 

“You coming?” he asks you. 

Lucy squeezes your hand. Your vision goes hazy. Time is running out. A gunshot goes off. Lucy’s mother dies.

You feel hands on your arm as you are once again lifted up. Lucy is holding you. Even now, she’s gentle. 

You realise what you are then, to each other: an anchor.

Something pulling the other ashore. Making sure they don’t get lost in the madness of this world.

You feel a jab in your side. Another fucking stimpack. Christ you hope a dependance doesn’t follow with these.

You see the Ghoul again, “one for the road.”

You nod. To your surprise, so does he.

Lucy takes your hand.

“You ok?” she asks. You nod, feeling a bit stronger.

“Okey Dokey,” she says. This time, not as bright in tone. One that isn’t entirely flat either. More of relief, a tired relief. A want for rest. But also one that tells you she understands now. This world was dark and painful. There were few light spots in it for hope.

Her hand in yours, tells you she understood your own realisation. You are a bright spot in each other’s lives. A friend to always be there.

So, off you walk together. Her father was gone, in more ways than one. He had fled like a coward. She’d almost shot him. She wanted to.

Her family was now down to two members:

Norm - her little brother. The one she’d always protect.

And you - a sibling she found out here. One that would protect her just as much as she did you.

It wasn’t much. But it was something. 

It wasn’t all for nothing, coming up here. It wasn’t all for nothing, delivering that head.

A new world was coming through. It was fighting.

Now, it was the time for monsters. 

She was just glad you weren’t one of them.

[storiesbyjes2g]

3.202 More of you

Alessia walked away with Desiree, so I went back into the house to decide how to spend my free day. At first, I thought I'd sit down and strategize about how to move forward with my life. I still hadn't tried the candle thing. I could go ahead and open a yoga studio and see how I feel about it. Before my mind ran away with more ideas, I stopped. My go to move is always to keep busy and stay two steps ahead. Meanwhile, my wife is somewhere by herself, probably thinking about me. It's crazy because I love her like no one else, yet I still have trouble prioritizing our relationship. She's my north star, always there, pointing me in the right direction. I'm learning, however, that is both a blessing and a curse. It's great knowing she'll always be there, but I take that for granted a lot, especially when I have so much on my mind. So, I found her and announced Desi would be spending the day with Less and the kiddos and asked if she'd like to jog around the lake with me. Her face lit up at the proposal, yet she hesitated.

"I'd love to, but I'm so out of shape! That trail is like really long."

"Yeah... But you'll be fine. We'll pace ourselves and take breaks."

My recent knee pain and stamina issues came to mind. It's too early in the day to feel so run down.

"Actually, scratch the jog," I said. "We can power walk."

"That's more my speed!"

We changed clothes and strolled to the trailhead by the bridge near the splash park. I was so giddy about doing this with her. It was seriously one of my best ideas. Sharing my favorite activities with my wife is something I don't often get to do, and I couldn't stop smiling at her.

"What's got you all giddy over there?" she asked.

"Just you."

"Aww! Hey...I've been thinking. We should take another family vacation before school starts."

"Oooh, yes. I'm always down for a vacation. Where do you want to go this time?"

"I was thinking...Mt. Komorebi."

"That is the best idea," I shouted.

I honestly never considered returning to the place where we met, but hearing the proposal set my body ablaze with excitement. I couldn't wait to share our history with our family and began looking for rentals immediately.

"This is gonna be so much fun! Desi and the niblings are going to love the snow!"

"Actually, I was thinking it could just be us," she said.

"Oh. Okay. I mean, that's cool, but...any reason why?"

"You know I don't mind your family, but I want Des to have some memories with just us."

What she said made sense. I'm always trying to make sure my niece and nephews have experiences because I know Less won't take them anywhere. To this day, she still never goes anywhere without me. But Sophia is right. The lines between raising my child and looking after the trio are so blurry I can't keep them straight.

"If we leave tomorrow, we could spend Winterfest there," I said. "What do you think about that?"

"I think it sounds magical."

After our walk, I FINALLY took Sophia to that restaurant I'd been dying to take her to ever since we started dating. The date was very reminiscent of our first date, filled with laughter and shenanigans. We may be sprouting gray hairs left and right, and we may be busier than we've ever been, but we're still that same young, silly couple from Oasis Springs. She's still simple, elegant, and fine as hell, and I still feel like the luckiest man alive.

We got home around dinnertime and knew our day date was coming to a fast close, so we went upstairs, got comfortable, and aimed to have a little adult fun before the kid returned. She put on that little skin-colored, see-through number I like and slid under the covers next to me. The bedroom is where she shows me just how assertive she can be, but she didn't make a move. Neither did I. We gazed into each other's eyes for several moments before she nestled her head against my shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered. "I'm so happy to be married to you."

I returned the sentiment, realizing how long it had been since the last time those words left my mouth. I add a few more things I had never admitted to her before, like how much I appreciate her patience with me; how lost I'd be without her; how lucky I felt she chose me. That moment ranked very high on our list of intimate moments, and I wanted it to last forever. I'm always down to shake the sheets with Sophia, but quite honestly, I could do with more of this.

[jpeg-dot-jpeg]

build a fic request!

dialogue 10 "i can't sleep either. mind if i join you?"

emotion S exhaustion

setting Turtle the corner bed in a hospital ward

🥰🥰🥰

"You look like shit."

Tim rolled his head from one side to the other so he could look at his bully, hearing several concerning clicking noises in his neck. Pale and dressed in a threadbare hospital gown, Dick looked about how Tim felt.

He sat up straighter in the cheap chair stationed at the foot of the hospital bed. He watched goose bumps spring up down the length of Dick's arm. "At least I don't have swiss cheese for lungs," Tim said, his voice low and raspy from disuse.

Dick smacked his gums, looking around the dreary hospital room, but he didn't ask for water and Tim was too drained to get up unprompted. "How long have I been out?"

"Few hours."

"And the idiot that shot me?"

"Probably in the waiting room praying you pull through so he doesn't lose his pension."

"God I hate undercover cop work."

Tim hummed. "Your partner managed to hit two pedestrians and a gyro truck too. You were the worst off though." His eyes fell to the lump under Dick's thin cotton gown - the bandages over his incision sight. The bullet proof vest had prevented an actual entry, but the already broken ribs he'd gone to work with had splintered under the pressure and punctured his right lung. Idiots. All of them.

Their eyes met and it felt a little like they were the same person, just in two different bodies. "And you're my babysitter?"

"The others would be here, but it's a busy night. You picked a really inconvenient time to get shot."

"My bad. I'll make sure to clear it with you in advance next time."

"I would appreciate at least forty-eight hours notice."

It was familiar banter. They were joking with each other, but too tired to laugh or even smile.

"I've been trying to help out remotely," Tim continued, "But my brain is still just-" he pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, "-mush."

"The flu has barely left your body. Would it make a difference if I told you that you should rest?"

"Would it make a difference if I told you to rest?" Tim shot back, though there was no heat in it. Tim's emotional reservoir was a dried up crater.

Dick gave the barest shake of his head. "Hurts too much. And it's too exposed here."

Tim nodded, staring at the ground. "I get that." He didn't bother asking if Dick wanted more meds. "We'll get you moved soon as possible. A Bludhaven county hospital would not have been my choice, but you had to go and get hurt on the job."

Dick grunted. His eyes fell shut, but only for a moment. He looked truly miserable, exhausted in the most bone deep way.

"Well," Tim braced his hands on his thighs, "I can't sleep either. Mind if I join you?" He nodded to the bed that was one step above a straw mattress.

Dick didn't answer, but he didn't protest when Tim stood and walked around the side of the bed. He even wiggled over to free up a bit of space on the side that an IV wasn't coming out of.

With all the care his frayed body could manage, Tim kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the bed, his front pressed to Dick's side. He unzipped his hoodie and stretched it over as much of Dick as he could to share his body heat.

It felt like they'd used up all the words they were capable of. The quiet was nice, though. He rested his head on Dick's shoulder, eyes on the door. It wouldn't make much of a difference, but he hoped it made Dick feel better anyway.

[yellowbunnydreams]

Mechanised Devotion (Part 11) ~Steve Raglan/William Afton x Female Reader~

Word count so far (all parts:) 22,391

Tag List!: @ruh--roh-raggy @likoplays @perfectlycraftychaos

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

CW: Minors DNI, (18+ ONLY), Female Reader, afab reader, legal age gap (Reader- 20's, William - 40's), mention of crimes and violence, blood, mentions of child death (it's FNAF, what did you expect?), past trauma; abusive relationships. Stalking.

Saturday morning was peaceful for you, and you had a spring in your step as you walked along. Humming softly in the early morning light, you bit your lip and couldn't help the infectious grin that spread across your face. Steve had practically spent the whole day with you before, apologising for being rough and angry with you when he kissed you back for the first time and when you had arrived at work, you had found a bouquet of flowers made up of Sweet Williams and Snapdragons, an odd combination to be sure. But the delicate mix of pinks, greens and white combined with the little card attached in Steve's neat, blocky handwriting made your heart melt away.

'To my doll, I don't know if giving flowers to pretty young ladies is still a thing anymore, but I hope you like them. - X'

You had been carrying the flowers as you walked, reading the card over and over again with your heart fluttering in your chest as you thought about how sweet the gesture was. You didn't know how to thank him, and you realised that he had made you feel giddy like nothing else.

Hearing the 'woop' of a siren behind you, you stepped to one side and saw Vanessa pulling up, coasting besides you for a moment before the window rolled down and she leaned up, smiling at you.

"Hey stranger! I've been meaning to get a hold of you!" She laughed, leaning against the door and glancing at the flowers with a grin, gesturing to the passenger door with a tilt of her head. "Get in, we'll go grab coffee to celebrate you finishing for the week."

"Are you sure? I don't want to-"

"Get in woman! We need to have a little catch-up and I want to know how things are going with you." Vanessa laughed again, even as a small pit of unease settled into her stomach. She hadn't expected to see you again after she gave you a visit last time, she assumed her father would have taken care of you, but now she was glad that she had bided her time and found you again. The folder on the backseat suddenly carrying a lot more weight than she wished it would.

You climbed in, cradling the flowers preciously and occasionally stroking their silky petals. Your cheeks a matching blush as you thought about how surprised Steve would be if you dropped by later. Maybe with his favourite pecan pie and the promise of coffee to go with it. Wondering if he would take offence if she asked him to drive her home afterwards, hoping to receive a goodnight kiss as payment.

The drive was short, and as you pulled into the familiar parking lot of Sparky's, you noticed with a frown some missing posters tacked to the lamp-posts. The waiter that you had spoken to the previous day, the mono-chrome photo still showing his curled pale hair and a bright smile, but you shook off a feeling of dread that came over you, knowing it was stupid and he probably left the small town to go find bigger dreams.

Stepping inside, Vanessa found a small corner booth and you realised with a smile that it was the same booth that you and Steve had sat at together on your unofficial first date. Cheeks colouring deeper as you pulled the flowers closer and breathed in their subtle scent. Vanessa excused herself for a second to grab some info for you, and you happily let her.

Nothing was going to ruin the happiest day you'd probably had in your life so far.

Coming back, Vanessa looked somewhat nervous. Placing the file on the table with the words 'Freddy Fazbear's ' neatly printed in block capitals across the label, your hand automatically reached for it, but the slender hand on top of your own stopped the motion. Looking up, you noticed how concerned Vanessa looked, giving you a small strained smile as she spoke.

"Hey, before you read all that, why don't you tell me who's made you so happy?" She asked, trying to make her voice chipper as she removed her hand, looking at your confused expression before gesturing to the flowers you cradled so tightly to your body.

"Oh! Right, yeah um...You might not know him." You giggled, blushing and tucking a strand of hair behind your ear as you glanced at the flowers again. Grinning broadly as you saw Vanessa light up, leaning forwards on the table and placing her hands under her chin, clearly happy to hear about your romance, wriggling her eyebrows in a way that made you snort.

"Come on! I'm a cop in a small town, if I don't know somebody, that's far more suspicious. Do I need to run a background check to keep my favourite security guard around?" You laughed at her joke, looking shyly at the floor as you spoke, still smiling as you thought about the impassioned moment you had spent the previous day and of course, your first kiss with him.

"Well... he's older, he's really sweet, and... and I feel really lucky to have met him, despite the fact I kissed him first."

Vanessa laughed, making a gently teasing 'ooo' noise as she saw how you lit up about the guy you were talking about. It seemed to her that you had escaped the clutches of Freddy Fazbear's and would be okay. You could lead a normal, happy life away from the misery that escaped that place.

"I still don't hear a name." She teased sing-songly as your coffees arrived, taking a sip of hers with a thankful smile. Seemingly much more relaxed than when she had gone out to her car, which made you less worried in turn.

"Well...Steve Raglan?" You offered the name up, causing Vanessa to choke on her sip of coffee, her face turning red for a second as she spluttered. Wiping at her face with a napkin, she looked at your concerned expression and chuckled, trying to dislodge any leftover coffee in her airway.

"Sorry, for a second it sounded like you said Steve Raglan."

"I...I did?" you said, confused. Watching Vanessa's face, it fell slowly back out of the friendly smile, her grey eyes darting to the file on the table, lingering for a moment as she whispered a quiet curse under her breath. A feeling of dread settling into your stomach, glancing at the file too and reaching out cautiously. "Vanessa...What the hell is going on?" You asked, fingers hovering over the file opening, not quite sure you wanted to open it. You had a feeling that whatever was inside was nothing good, and the sinking feeling grew in your stomach as the woman refused to meet your eyes as she took a few deep breaths for composure.

"Before you open it...You should know that Freddy's has a.. colourful history. It got shut down after five kids went missing in the eighties." She said, which gave you the creeps, the hairs on the back of your neck rising slightly as you wondered why you hadn't been informed of that when you took the job. "They were presumed dead after a while...and they...made some arrests, they found the bodies eventually. Inside the animatronic suits."

You felt sick to your stomach as she spoke, not wanting to believe a word she said. You thought of all the times you had jokingly called the animatronics 'childish' or treated them like children and you suddenly felt even more sick. Stomach churning as Vanessa seemed to purse her lips, reluctant to continue as she watched the colour draining slowly from your face.

"You should just be prepared when you open that file. Don't do anything stupid, and please, please promise me you will leave this place after you find out."

You didn't answer, how could you? The bile in your throat rose as you carefully and shakily undid the folder and let the various photographs spill onto the table. Some were clearly from when the restaurant was open, happy kids, smiling next to mascots. One of which was a child that looked like Vanessa next to a large, yellow rabbit. The unruined version of the one that had assaulted you. But then they turned into crime-scene photos. Newspaper clippings about the five missing kids. About Freddy's closing due to health and safety complaints from the parents.

You stomach dropped through the floor as you saw the last photos.

One was of two men, arms around each others shoulders and both wearing classy suits, shirts and ties. One you didn't recognised, but the other looked like Steve Raglan, only a lot younger and smiling broadly. His eyes still crinkling at the corners like they did when he smiled at you. The same, elegant looping handwriting that had been in our paycheck note was scrawled across the bottom.

'Pictured L-R; William Afton & Henry Emily - Fredbear's Family Diner'

The second photo was a serious photo, taken a few years later, but unmistakably this time Steve. Lined up on a mug-shot where the notes on the papers attached described the arrest that had been made.

For the murder of five children. All under the legal name William Afton.

Standing rapidly, your head felt thick, spinning as bile rose in your throat. Your hands still clutching to the flowers for dear life like they were your only life-line left amongst a storm at sea. Hyperventilating. Vanessa stood up too, hands out and cooing something to you that you couldn't hear over the poudning of blood in your ears.

"N-No, you have...have the wrong person, it just looks like him!" You protested, hands shaking and eyes welling up with tears. You could see her own eyes misting over as she shook her head slowly. Carefully coming in and pulling you into a careful hug, holding onto you tightly as you instinctually held onto her in return, body shaking as it felt the world had been ripped from under your feet.

"I'm so, so sorry... I... I didn't know, I should have warned you sooner... But I can't mistake my own dad for somebody else." she whispered carefully into your hair, letting the words wash over you and suddenly your knees gave out from under you. Letting the cop catch you as you sobbed uncontrollably, squeezing onto the bouquet of lies in your hands as everything you knew about what had happened to you turned into a dismal grey false memory.

~~

Vanessa had explained more as she drove you home. Handing you the picture of who you thought was Steve Raglan so that you couldn't deny the truth she was telling you. She explained that he really was her dad, that the girl in the photo was her and that the man in the Spring Bonnie was her father, William Afton. A mechanical genius, he had worked with his life-long friend to open Fredbear's, which had then grown and expanded into Freddy's during the early eighties.

Then, one day the mask of humanity had slipped, and they found out about what kind of monster he really was. He had killed those five kids, possibly a sixth one at a different time and ever since then, he hadn't killed anymore since then. They moved away for a while, to get him out of the town's memory before he returned as Steve Raglan, and Vanessa as a separate entity despite the fact they still lived together as family. He became a careers counsellor so that he could direct people who wouldn't be missed to Freddy's, still owning the building and the lot itself. The people who went in either died to the usually hostile animatronics, or, to him.

All the information swirled around in your head, and suddenly, you felt dirty. Used. Manipulated.

But you had decided to shower and change when you got back, the flowers in the vase in your room now some cruel joke about you finding a nice man after your abusive ex.

You'd walked from one monster right into another.

You didn't remember when you decided to walk. Your converse only tied on loosely, grubby off-white. A thick pastel yellow hoodie against the cooler air and some jeans. Your hands in your pockets as you kept your eyes on the road. Blurry with tears as your head and your stomach hurt. You didn't even realise that you were headed anywhere in particular, but it was a dark, starless sky when you finally finished walking. Looking up to see where you were and trying to figure out how to turn around and go home.

The heavy trees to your right looked all too inviting and familiar.

You realised where you were, and it was on instinct that your feet moved towards the trees. Feet crunching the gravel beneath that you had never noticed before when you had taken the drive last. Your heart and head pounding in sync as you drew closer and closer to the last and the first place you wanted to be that night.

The house looked different in the low light, ominous and eerie. It look dilapidated, like there had been no love or effort poured into it for years. The photo in your pocket was heavy. Burning against your leg as you tried to steel your nerves.

As you approached quietly, you could hear raised voices inside. One was softer, more feminine and you faintly recognised it as Vanessa's as you quietly climbed up the porch steps. The other was Ste- William's voice, cold and angry. Your hairs raising on the back of your neck as you recognised some of the cold, burning tones that he had used on you when you had let him into your room.

It hadn't been a moment of passion, but the first time he had lost control of the mask in front of you.

The door felt too large as you stood infront of it and after a few moment's thought, you raised your hand and pressed the doorbell, hearing the chime playing through the house and forcing the voices inside to stop.

The door opened cautiously after a heartbeat or five hundred, and Vanessa's concerned face peered around the corner. Eyes widening as she spotted you with your hood pulled up against the cold. Panic filling her eyes as she tried to speak quietly, laughing nervously as she said you name.

"Now isn't a good time, you should really-"

"Is he here? Is Ste-...William. Is William here?" You asked, swallowing the name like thick, bitter medicine as Vanessa glanced over her shoulder, giving you the answer without muttering a word.

Aggressively, you pushed forwards, throwing Vanessa slightly as she wasn't expecting you to force your way inside. It felt strange to see her without her cop uniform, but you supposed that it was a day from strange things.

Taking down your hood, you headed into the lounge, where the man you now knew as William Afton sat in a large recliner. His glasses off and hair slightly messy. Shirt unbuttoned and revealing a white undershirt, still wearing his slacks from work as he lazily and coldly looked up from something in his lap. It was a laptop and you could make out the familiar layout of Freddy's after realising it was from different angles. Including one inside the office.

Panic crossed his face as he registered you, slamming the laptop shut and grabbing his glasses, pushing them on and smiling warmly. That lopsided smile that you would have said you loved that morning. It made you sick as he looked at you in that moment, even if you felt yourself beginning to melt under it.

"Doll! what a nice surprise, did you get my-"

Taking the picture out of your pocket, you slammed it onto the little table near his chair. Revealing the same mugshot that Vanessa had handed you, clearly labelled as 'William Afton - Arrest under suspicion of murder x5'.

"You don't get to talk unless you can explain what the fuck this is." Fighting back tears and swallowing as you tried to hold onto your gaze on his face. The same kind face that you had so tenderly kisses, that you had shared your pain with. That had saved you.

And you watched it all go dark as his expression fell, the darkness that you had glimpsed so many times for seconds before rising to the surface.

Steve Raglan was finally dead and buried, and only William Afton was left standing with no facade to hide behind.

[blueishspace]

Looped Sun 19

Loop #500

Tango: Oh, guessing we get a beach episode?

Grian: It is loop 500 now, I keep score.

Pearl: He does...for some reason. Why do you?

Grian: It just helps ok?

Scott: Pearl you can't just ask that.

Pearl: Oh I don't want to hear that from you mate.

Jimmy: Scott? Are you coming into the water?

Scott: Yeah! Putting on my sunscreen.

Jimmy: Oh...

Scott: Do you think I mantain my beauty without taking care of my skin?

Jimmy: You are always beautiful though.

Scott: I- uh ah? I mean, of course I am Jimmy.

Jimmy: ... Is Tango putting sunscreen on too?

Tango: I'm not coming.

Jimmy: What, why?

Tango: ... I need to take care of Anne. She can't swim.

Anne: ...

Scott: He's afraid of the ocean.

Tango: Am not!

Scott: Are too.

Anne: ... (he is)

Tango: I'm not scared! I just- water and fire don't mix, ok?

Scott: And I'm done, Jimmy?

Jimmy: Oh yeah... we'll see you guy later!

Pearl: You guys, I found a volley ball! Want to play some beach volley?

Mumbo: Uh... Sure.

Scar: I'm in!

Grian: I don't see why not.

Pearl: Great, Scar is with Mumbo and Grian is with me.

Scott: Oh this is much better.

Jimmy: Yeah. It's great!

Scott: We should probably see the others though.

Jimmy: Oh come on! A little bit longer! The water is so nice!

Scott: Eh. Sure, but we'll get to the others in a while.

Scott: Pearl, what's wrong.

Pearl: Grian is horrible at beach volley.

Scott: How? He's a literal god.

Pearl: Scar was shirtless. Apparently that's enough.

Scott: Oh, yeah, you should have expected that Pearl.

Pearl: I made an gigantic mistake.

Jimmy: Oh we should have a sand castle making competition!

Grian: Who would even be the judges?

Scott: I could.

Pearl: ... What, why?

Scott: I like judging people.

Pearl: Fair enough.

Mumbo: I could be a judge too?

Pearl: ... Alright.

Mumbo: Scar... Star Wars really?

Scar: How dare you!? The Millennium Sand-con is a masterpiece!

Scot: Huh uh. I give it a 8.

Mumbo: ... 9

Scar: I'll take it.

Scott: ... Tango, Jimmy?

Jimmy: I started making a sand castle but it fell apart!

Tango: So I told him to join up with me and Anne!

Jimmy: What do you think?

Scott: ... 9.

Mumbo: It looks good, I think It's a 7.

Mumbo: So, Pearl, how did you do this?

Pearl: I don't know what you mean?

Scott: This is... wow. Get it I guess.

Pearl: Oh thanks, mate.

Mumbo: But how???

Pearl: I don't know what to tell you, hard work.

Scott: You just contradicted-

Pearl: So, how much.

Scott: I'm going to say 9.

Mumbo: 10...definitely.

They ended up setting up a fireplace and roasting marshmallows on top as the sun set. All in all it was a pretty good loop.

Loop #508

Scar woke up... feeling really off. He couldn't understand why though, this looked like a pretty regular loop...maybe a bit basic but still pretty regular. He got up to get breakfast and the feeling refused to go. He tried watching tv but even then there was something...off.

Scar: Grian?

Grian: Scar, choose. Take the red pill or the blue pill.

Scar: Wait are we in the matrix!?!

Grian: It took you way too long to realize that.

Loop #511

Scott: A god loop? I guess that means all of us loopers are gods now. Well... Tango, you and Jimmy really. Didn't get Aeoulus again but getting to be Nyx is fun too.

Mumbo: I-it's weird... uh. I don't really know why I got Ares...?

Scott: You? Ares? That's hilarious- Wait... Grian!?

Grian: Hello...

Scott: Are you... the sky?

Grian: Looks like I got Uranus and Scar got Gaia.

Scar: Being a planet is fun! Did you know I can create mountains now?

Scott: ... That is overpowered.

Grian: You are night itself-

Scar: I made a continent with my face!

Scott: What did I just say?

Tango: Look people! I'm kidnapping the god of spring!

Jimmy: Oh nooo I'm being kidnapped! What will I do?

Tango: Nothing you are mine mow and will rulificate the dead together or something.

Jimmy: I'm so scared and or sad about this, I hope someone will tell Pearl!

Pearl: Nooo! Give me back my ...son I guess.

Tango: Nop.

Pearl: Fair enough mate, guess I got to bring eternal winter now.

Jimmy: I'm back but oh no! Tango made me eat pomegranate seeds. I'll have to switch between two places. Oh noooo.

Grian: Ok, what was that?

Scott: You didn't even try to look realistic.

Tango: Listen, I'm not an actor dude.

Pearl: And I don't really care about killing a lot of people with a famine.

Grian: ...

Scar: What was that about Jimmy eating Tango's seeds-

Scott: Don't phrase it that way.

Grian: SCAR NO!

Loop #514

Grian: Let's never talk of this loop again.

Scar: Please.

Scott: Agreed.

Prev Next First

[stone-stars]

Transcript:

Swag (Murph): Do you remember that-- that dream that we had? Sol (Caldwell): Yeah. Swag: When we were-- when we were in the water? Sol: Of-- of course. Swag: It was at that lake. Murph: You see Swag walks over and points to his side of the wall, where he has stopped at a lake after collapsing after saving the giants from Coldbreak.

Murph: And, you are dreaming. After days in the cold, you find yourself floating on your back in a delightfully muggy swamp. The sky above you is still cold and gray, with fluffy snowflakes falling, but the water you're in is warm and full of mossgrass. It's almost like you're in a giant natural like, heated spring. Sol: Aw, yeah, that's the stuff. Murph: As you look up at the clouds relaxing, you feel someone floating next to you, and you hear a familiar voice go-- Swag: Yeah. Feels good, doesn't it bud? Sol: Oh, yeah. This is really-- this is really something. We gotta do this more often! (pauses) Wai-- Swag? Murph: Yeah, you look over, and you see Swag floating next to you, looking relaxed and serene.

Swag: That was-- that was really me. That was really us. Until she… she hijacked it. Murph: And you see flashbacks of the dream that you had with Swag, floating in the water, there was that moment where your vision glitched out before it filled up with wires. Sol: (sighs) The glitch. Swag: Everything from then on was-- was her, Sol. But our… our first conversation was real.

[The Prodigal Sister starts playing.] Swag: I wanted to come here though, to-- oh! I wanted to tell you something. Sol we haven't known each other long, but… I-- I just wanted to thank you. You've really helped me. Sol: You've-- you've helped me, and-- I know we've just met, but… I don't know. Hanging out with Callie and Calder and hearing them talk about their siblings, it-- it just made me really glad that I've got someone as well! That's why we're coming to rescue you! So we can-- we can still be a part of each other's lives, and you know, we can do stuff that family does, you know, I-- I'm not exactly sure what that is, but… this seems like it! We're doing it right now! Murph: He… continues to kind of… drift away amongst this mossgrass. Sol: Hey, h--hang on. Swag: I-- I know, Sol, I know we didn't get to spend as much time together as we would've wanted to, but the short time we did spend together, it was-- I mean, I was part of something really, really bad. And-- and you guys, you gave me the opportunity to change that! And-- and in the end I got to do something good. I know it sounds, I don't know, childish, but you probably have a lot of the same dreams and thoughts as me. I got to be a hero at the end, Sol! Sol: Yeah. It's… it's been amazing. Leaving Ezry, realizing just truly like, what it-- what it means to be a part of something. To be a part of something big. To be a hero, but also to-- to be fighting for these bonds that you formed. I-- I get it now. I get why you left. I get why I wanted to leave. And that's why I'm still fighting, that's why we're still looking. For you, for the Ice Knife, for a way to keep everyone safe! Swag: Sol, you… you know, you've been studying the-- the bond of life and death, so you have to know you can't keep everyone safe. Murph: You see, he continues to float farther away in the mossweeds. Swag: You've got to let me--

Murph: And, uh, last time you had gotten cut off, but this time it... comes back to reality, and Swag puts his hand on your shoulder and goes Swag: You've got to let me go. Sol: Swag… How? You'll always be a part of me. You are me. How can I let you go? Can you promise me that you'll be okay? Murph: Swag smiles and nods, but kind of… avoids your gaze and goes-- Swag: Talk to commander Fuldar. He's-- he's on his way. He's bringing people to the village. To the village of the Ice Knife. Sol: Okay. Just… whatever you're doing, stay safe. Hang in there. Focus on yourself. I've talked with Albin. We'll find a way. The things that Alexandrite is doing, we'll find a way to counteract them. She's poisoning our minds, but we can find a way to fight back. I promise you. Just please, hold out as long as you can. I'm coming for you. Murph: He shakes his head. Swag: Talk to Fuldar. Sol: Okay. Murph: And he gives you a hug and then as he touches you, melts away. [The Prodigal Sister ends. Sol sighs.]

[nothingbutnowhere]

Hockey player au! John "Soap" Mactavish headcanons

Note: extremely suggestive of ghoap and a little hint of ghoap x reader if you are so inclined to read it that way (she/her used)

...

Defenseman. Loves getting dirty in the d-zone corners, double teaming opponents and getting his stick in there, but still good at penetrating the o-zone and he's not afraid to drop down and hammer it in. The puck that is. (these are all things I've heard on broadcasts of NHL games, the innuendos that the play by play guys use are insane).

Menace! Absolute fucking menace!!! Mean bastard on the ice, intense in the locker room during games. Sass and tough guy act during media availability, all part of his rugged charm. But practice with the boys? He gets silly. Watch out! You could be getting pranked.

Backcheck, forecheck, paycheck. Heavy hits along the walls, BIG open ice hits, and killer hip checks (my personal favorite). Throws the type of hits everyone is always arguing about on twitter 🙄 He can be found in front of the net pushing and shoving opponents around. If you want a stick in the back he's your guy. Many, many a player has ended up in a headlock, getting a face wash after the whistle. On the shorter side for a hockey player which broadcasters always bring up but you'd never know by just watching him on the ice (they just hate a short king (anything under 6' is short in the NHL)).

He'll fight anyone, including the refs because that was a terrible icing call he absolutely had the guy beat! No he was onside! Tripping?! He dove!

Constantly dropping the gloves and getting into trouble. He'd be an enforcer if he wasn't a damn good player too. It's a good thing the players union keeps the fines low.

There's a whole YouTube page dedicated to his fights and hits with paragraphs of arguments on the legalities in the comments.

Scar on his chin from a skate cut during a game. Very scary in the moment because it bled a lot. Needed a ton of stitches but no major damage. 

Has more points than you'd think for a non-offensive defenseman. He really is good in the corners and swiping pucks off sticks, popping them out to the offense. Many goals have been scored by a Soap takeaway and a stretch pass to spring Gaz for a breakaway.

He'll tackle his teammates during their or his celly. He really truly cares about the boys. It's evident in the way he plays, how intense he is on the bench, and the helmet kisses. Wait, what? Yep, hockey players will sometimes show physical affection via helmet or even a kiss on the cheek. Not often, but it's all very sweet 🥹 Drives hockey twitter wild.

Chews on his mouth guards like they owe him money and he can extract it by destroying them.

Oh, you wanna fuck with Ghost? You're gonna have to go through him first. Will go feral on a guy for so much as breathing in the direction of his goalie. Ghost appreciates him very much. Probably. The bond between a goalie and his defensemen is so special, something you'll hear (in not so many words) from Soap himself. At the end of a win he'll have the longest head bonk to Ghost. Saying what? We'll never know cause neither of them will ever be mic'd up.

I say this for Gaz too but THIGH. This man's thighs are tree trunks. Rucks up short shorts on purpose. For the media. And the guys. Ask twitter and they can provide many examples.

Mic'd up status: You cannot. Under any circumstances. Mic this guy up. You'd have to bleep the whole thing for broadcast. Shorsey levels of explicit, he's gotten unsportman like conduct penalties for it. He and Gaz are a dangerous duo when it comes to chirps.

Hockey hair status: Excellent. Mohawk is 10/10. Starts a new trend with the kids. Absolutely does warmups without his helmet to show off the flow. (Could also see him with a mullet 100%). Ends up with so much facial hair during the playoffs

Roster pic: kinda bad :( why does he look surprised? Why is his face so red? His hair is fucked up?? They didn't even fix his trademark look?! Where the fuck did they just pull him from to take this photo??? (I love when players have shitty roster photos idk it's so funny to me)

WAG status: only recently in a serious relationship. She's sweet and pretty, instantly good friends with the other WAGs and taken under their wing since this is all very new to her. Surprisingly, has dark hair (most hockey WAGs seem to be blond??). Posts a lot on social media, generally seems to be having a great time. Always seems like Ghost is in the background of pictures of her and Soap? Hmmm.... Don't ask twitter about that.

...

I do NOT consent for my works, part of my works, or my ideas to be used for ANY form of AI.

More hockey au: Ghost | Soap | Gaz | Price

Note: WAG stands for wife and girlfriend or the plural, used to refer to sports guy's significant others. Yes it is heteronormative.

A/N: I didn't factor nationality into this. There have been very few Scottish-born NHL players and all of them were raised in Canada. Do with that what you will. I'll never actually write fics for this, but I have headcanons. I know a moderate amount about hockey and next to nothing about cod so apologies. Completely unserious. Just some silly little thoughts :) plus letterkenny reference!