#well look who's wearing the clown shoes now

[optiwashere]

At last, the return to the modern/band AU!

This is the aftermath of the night in Chapter 5, with a brief respite before someone has to get a word in about what's been going on.

I'm returning to a schedule for this, but I'm stretching it out to one chapter every two weeks instead of the weekly schedule! I have other things I want to write as well, which will I'm sure eventually backfire on me. But for now, I want to give myself ample time to write the chapters that still need written, which is something like the last third of this AU!

Rating: E for the occasional smut scene

Category: F/F

Ship: Shadowheart/Trans Fem Tav

[getmeoutofhell]

Clowns in the Slasher House

warnings: clowns, body parts & cussing!

a/n: i’ve been wanting to do this so i hope you enjoy this! leave comments and request.

they all have their own separate rooms and floor in house.

you guessed it, they live in the basement. the basement has to be cleaned every damn friday, because if not, it’s gonna smell like ass and dodo.

now, let’s talk about who’s in the slasher house that’s a clown:

art the clown

penny

pennywise

the little girl

art & the little girl are the messiest out of all of them, and i stand by that. i mean, penny is very, very questionable, but art is more questionable.

sometimes they all play hide and seek, and invite you the play as well. penny is the best at it, since he can literally disappear if he so chooses to. but you had to tell him not to because that’s cheating.

pennywise is usually gone so he doesn’t join often with you guys. but when he does, he’s not the best at the game, but definitely not the worst.

art sometimes uses his hands to cover his face, pretending that he’s hiding. you think it’s funny and adorable, and you sometimes play along with it, pretending you can’t see him.

“oh dangit, i have no idea where art could be. i guess i’ll go look upstairs.” you see him giggle like a school girl before going up stairs.

the little girl likes you, and she’s more comfortable around you & art than anyone else in the house. she likes to tug on your pants leg if she wants something. you still haven’t thought of a name for her yet, but you’re working on it.

another thing about art is that you have to remind him to take his dirty ass clown shoes off when he enters the house. they’re covered with mud and other shit (literally) so it’s a constant thing you have to do to protect the rugs and carpet in the house.

you don’t have to worry about the other adult clowns and their shoes because they can make the dirt disappear in a blink of an eye.

art & the little girl make a lot of weird gifts and passes them to everyone. sometimes it’s a dead persons liver, sometimes it’s someone’s big toe that art collected. you’ll never know what you may get with him.

weekly showers. i don’t care how much art fusses his stanky ass is getting in that damn shower. every time you make art get in the shower, the other clowns laugh at him. arts reaction is to just flip them off, so that’s entertaining to watch.

penny likes to scare the others all the time. you can never get used to it because it’s always something different with him all the time. pennywise sometimes joins in on pennys little pranks but often penny does it to pennywise.

water gun fights!! especially since it’s hot out, it’s the perfect time to have some fun outside in the sun. just don’t forget the sun screen. i don’t know if the clowns would wear swim trunks but maybe you can convince them.

how can i forget the board game nights!! well art…he doesn’t like the board games much. but when he does play, he cheats. well, try’s to at least.

let’s say you’re playing uno and you’re sitting by art. you see out the corner of your eye art peek over next to you at your cards. “art don’t you dare.” he smiles before looking away.

the little girl is smarter than most people realize. she knows a lot, and does a lot. she knows when you’re depressed and sometimes will sit next to you as a type of comfort.

they like to play tag and run around the house every damn where and tear up shit.

*glass shatters* “oh my god what broke now?” you say annoyed.

should i do a part 2?

[accio-victuuri]

October CPNs round-up 🔴🟡🟢

• xiao zhan as woody and yibo as buzz

• yibo’s wechat reminder setup

• bjyx being on top of entertainment weibo hot search in the early morning of xz’s bday

• xz birthday cpns compilation / part two / part three / part four / part five

• can we appreciate this “selfie” from ETU? aside from it being so cool and such a wang yibo selfie — i love how the bone necklace is front and center. we are definitely imagining him sending this to xz!

being like, look what im doing right now and showing off to his gege but also keeping that necklace visible. plus those arms 👀 hello!

coupled with some more of him being on the phone and taking selfies — sure, he might as well be sharing this to his circle of friends or for memories sake. but we are clowns in here sooooo…..

• related to gg singing that line about “goodnight”. i saw OP share an alleged screenshot from WYB’s posts on his “friend” circle in the early days and the other one is on weibo. basically implying he is someone who loves to post and it being a “goodnight”.

• a new au pairing is born 😂😂😂 i love this edit. and because gg’s character is eating — related that to baili’s love for tasting food and giving his evaluation. they will get along i guess?

• yibo spots a bjyx related phone case

• yibo GT race clowning that xz was there + him caressing lol the 🦴 necklace

• this sleeping pose 😂😂😂 and that deep V!

• hmmmmm interesting suitcase. it’s a coincidence. wdym this is a popular model! 👀

• coffee lovers xz and wyb! i’m lovin how their interests almost always overlap 😂😂😂😂

• they have been in the same city for some time, and then wyb goes to barcelona on 10/27 with an outfit that looks like he is cosplaying xz. v interesting.

everything wyb is wearing in this airport photo even the bag, shoes and hat are all loewe so the choice of top could might as well be BECAUSE it’s loewe. however, i feel like they have alot of other clothes he can wear — and the similarity with gg’s style is very noticeable. maybe someone else helped in picking out his clothes? 😌

• a new perspective on this video! look at yibo’s face!

<<< previous month

[randomarttalent]

Pie's family redesigns + Family tree

Original posts, info and links down below

Maud "Slate" Pie + Mudbriar "Walnut"

Maud "Slate" Pie I've kept Maud mostly the same all over, her pallet and color scheme are already good in my taste. She now has spots to match Pinkie but also as a hint to her special talent, as I wanted it to look like an opened geode. I didn't like that her cutie mark was only just a rock, it didn't say a single thing about her special talent. Now it says a bit more, showing off that she can find true beauty under what others might just see as a rock.

She wears her normal dress, as I didn't see a reason to change it. I've however added a small bracelet, which has different beads, to represent her sisters. As she might not show or say it much but she loves them all dearly.

Mudbriar "Walnut" I've darkened his pallet a little, more so his overall design didn't end up too light or dark. I've given him cloven hooves and a long tail, as I see him from a family of mixed unicorn and earth ponies. His markings are like branches/roots of trees, showing his connection to the trees. Same story for his cutie mark as Maud's, it was too simple for what his special talent is. So I've added a book but it's standing by its opening, as a small hint to tents, as he travels to examine trees, learning about as many as he can and writing it down for others to read.

Mudbriar now wears a travel backpack, which is for his travels. He doesn't wear much else, as he doesn't see the need to.

Gilda "Glory" + "Shady" Limestone Pie

Gilda"Glory" I've darkened her whole pallet and added some markings. As she's a mountain lion + tiger in this AU. Her design hasn't been changed much, I've added some jewelry but not much else.

"Shady"Limestone Pie Limestone's pallet is mostly the same, its his patterns that darken his look. Lime is trans in my AU, as his anger issues were caused by him not feeling whole/as he should be. His cutie mark has been changed to a broken opened geode, with lime-green stone, which resembles a lime.

He has a few pricings and wears a his band's t-shirt, which says ROAD KILL, Gilda also has one but she mostly wears it to his concerts, showing her support.

 Trouble Shoes + Marble "Droplet" Pie

Trouble Shoes I've made Trouble Shoes slightly darker and added a few lighter strips to his mane and tail. He also now has a beard, which to those who don't know him, makes him look even more scary than before. For his cutie mark I wanted something more than just "bad luck". He of course still struggled to find out what he was meant to do, as he thought the clown nose and wig was some cruel joke the world did to him.

As for his clothing, I went with a nice jacket, kept his hat and his weeding ring.

Marble"Droplet"Pie Marble's pallet has mostly stayed the same, only receiving slight changes and the usual markings that come along with my redesigns. Her cutie mark now shows off how well she makes jewelry with the beautiful gems they find in Appleloosa. To me, her cutie mark never told a single thing about what she was to do, it said marble but what else? So now, she's a crystal collector and seller.

The clothing she wears is a simple shawl, her weeding ring, a few earrings, a few flowers from her middle oldest son, a sun anklet to represent her oldest son and a small bat wing hair tie to represent her youngest son. 

[heartfullofleeches]

Creep Yan meets the sweet angel that is Clown Darling-

It was an accident. They swear it to their grave.

A left instead of a right somewhere down the twisting, spacious corridors of the convention center. They could've sworn they followed the receptionist's directions down to the letter, but playing back her voice in their head they're starting to believe she just made up whatever she could to get them to leave. What should have led them to the hall holding the annual concert for their favorite idol group had in actuality brought them to a another venue with an entirely different type of star.

The clown's smiling face was plastered on every wall. Children and young adults of all ages walked in hand with their guardians wearing the same face paint or best imitation of the entertainers outfit they could readily obtain. There were others closer to their age, but none as out of their element as them. Collectors exchanging priceless goods: bonding over favorite moments from what sounds to be a show. Is this what they're like with people who share the same interests? When they're apart of the crowd it feels normal, but how could a kid's show have such an effect on grown adults? They feel like such an outcast - and they know others know they are too. They can hear the words behind every stare throw at them.

"What are they doing in here...."

"Creeps like that are exactly what it's difficult to bring kids to public events."

"Freak."

They stumble through the booths, searching desperately for the exit they lost sight of shortly before realizing where they were. Tears obscure their vision as they collapse next to a row of chairs left out for guests. The concert had to have started by now and at this raise they'll never make it before the doors close. They finally had the chance to see their favorite group in person and now it was gone. Why did they ever think the universe would give them a opportunity for better after an eternity of hell. At this rate it would be better to just go home....

Hic....hic...

Soft cries bellow from the body sitting next to them. They wipe at their eyes with a striped handkerchief, careful not to smudge their face paint. From their mismatch shoes to their brightly colored clothes it was easy to pin them as another cosplayer, but there was something more... authentic about their wear. They cry silently into their hands without spilling a tear.

"Are....are you okay?"

The clown looks up at them, sighing heavily. "Oh, I'm alright. I'm just sad because you're sad. I've seen so many happy faces today and you're the first I've seen upset. It's enough to bring a tear to anyone's eye."

They tighten grip the strap of their bag. "I... can go somewhere else..."

"No, no!" The clown bounces to their feet and takes their hands - startling them. "I'm not saying that because I want you to go away. I'm saying that because I want to make you feel better, silly! Why don't we start with you telling me what's wrong?"

"It's nothing.... You don't want to hear about stuff like that it's depressing."

"Hm... can I at least try to make you happier?"

"You can try..."

"Great! Repeat after me."

The clown clears their throat as they kneel.

"When I'm feeling lonely, or think I just might frown. I think think a thought that means a lot and then I feel less down.

The clown's smile reaches the painted circles on their cheeks. "Its the song I teach all my new friends. Now you try!"

"When I'm feeling lonely...."

"Or think I just might frown."

"I think a thought that means a lot."

"And then I feel less down." The clown squeals as they clap they hands together. "Yay! You did it! And very well if I may add. How do you feel now?"

They pause for a moment, lips moist as they think about their mother's chocolate cake. There's still a slice left in their fridge. "A little better...."

"Now, tell me a thought that makes you feel better."

"Well... I really like listening to music...." Their smile is gone as soon as it came. "I actually came to see a concert today, but I got lost...."

"Concert? You mean like those sweet girls next door? Haha, you can hear them right through the walls? I guess it is difficult with all the screaming kids. Come on, I'll take you!"

They place their ear against the wall. Sure enough, music and the roars of the crowd blare through the structure. They cup their hands around their ears to hear better and decipher if their favorite song has already played - yanked from their seat before they can properly make out a single note.

"Come on, Come on!"

The clown giggles, clutching their hand as they skip and excuse their way through the crowd - promising younger guests their full attention upon their return with a quick hug and a free sticker. It's all the time the person they drag with them has to recuperate before being pulled along again.

"Wait... please... I can't...."

"We're here!"

Catching their breath, they look up to see the still open doors of the concert hall as people pour in and out. The bouncers stop a few of them to inform them of the doors' closing in five minutes. They made it... They actually made it... Tears of happiness catch in their lashes, sweeped away by a striped cloth.

"Are you still sad? I know you missed the opening act, there's still more..."

"No... These are happy tears... Thank you.. Thank you!"

The clown's laughter reaches the deepest depths their heart. "Anything for a friend! Come see me again if you're ever in any trouble..... Oh! I almost forgot something!"

The clown reaches into their pocket and pulls out a small, plastic badge. They pass it over to their new friend who inspects the smiling rainbow and letters engraved into it.

"Y/n the clown's helper of the day."

"That's a little token I give to the best of my little helpers..." The clown lends in, covering their mouth with one hand as they whisper. "Don't tell the kids - I give one to everybody."

They reach into their bag, grabbing their wallet. The clown quickly stops them.

"It's free, Silly! If you wanna pay me back, just have a good time, okay?"

The clown winks before walking off back to their hall - but not before passing out stickers to the bouncers who thank them for it and the water bottles they brought earlier. The dumbfounded individual they leave behind looks down at their hand - then the open doors of the concert hall. They sheepishly reenter the venue they came from, approaching the first merch with physical discs they see.

"Hello, I'd like to buy a copy of all available seasons you have."

[mellowwillowy]

“𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫, 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥, 𝐰��𝐨’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥?”

𝐇𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬, 𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐲.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐀𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐱 𝐆𝐍! 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰: You were never well-fared of things related to acting, let alone theatrics although the same couldn't be said about your housewarden, a man of fair beauty who obsessed over your existence as though you were the divined beauty that he has always sought to be. Soon, he will let everyone acknowledge you the moment you step onto the theatre stage. You, as his snow white who he shall now curse to death for as an eternalized beauty.

CW: Reader wore a gown (Snow White, duh), death, and Improvised Snow White's tale.

Yes, the fairest one of all, the man worthy of everyone's awe and adoration, Vil Schoenheit. The man who bathed you in his endless love despite the harsh way he presented himself to you.

✼ It truly is no surprise that, as an actor, he ought to ensure that his beauty is free from anything that will tarnish it. So you bet all the skincare routines he has will be forced upon you as well. Not only that, he has to ensure both his and your hair are always in peak condition, silky smooth and untangled.

✼ From the way he combs through your hair, he relishes in the same scent you both shared from the same ridiculously expensive shampoo and conditioner to the liquid soap that was sucked into your skin pore, ensuring it remained pristinely clean and free from any blemishes.

✼ Not only that, but your attire will also be tailored to fit you, no suit nor dress would be too tight or loose as it would wrap your body beautifully. The laced corset that you should wear would never be too tight or too loose and the color of the outfits would be hand-picked by the man himself as he chose the shade that would compliment your skin tone well.

✼ His hand will always be on your back should he see you stand or sit in such unsightly posture. Straighten it up for him immediately unless you want to hear him lecture you about how one should carry oneself again~

✼ Should you ever have trouble sleeping, he will gladly accompany you as he sits next to your bed, his manicured hand holding yours while he serenades an old lullaby you are familiar with. What you don't know is that he does not leave immediately the moment you fall asleep, no no, he takes his sweet time relishing himself in your beauty... wait, is that a very teenie tiny blemish on your skin? How could he fail to notice that? He has to fix this ASAP!

✼ Hm? You found his shoes beautiful? Would you like to try it on? Oh no... it's too scary to be this tall! 13cm is a bit too much for you to take! No wonder he looks so poised and elegant... the secret lies in these babies!

"You don't seriously think these shoes contribute 90% to my beauty right?" Vil frowned as he watched your face contorted from awe to pale white the moment he voiced your thoughts. "Surely you know this better than anyone, even if you wear these shoes, it won't do much but show everyone just how much of a clown you are should you walk with a slouched back!"

✼ What? Sweets? Snacks? No no no, you've had your fair share of it already. You ought to cut all those unhealthy stuff and maintain a perfect diet for your sake (and his). Do you dislike it? What a shame, you still have to eat it nonetheless.

Another thing he likes to do about this is to use your dislikes as a form of punishment which you call “starved to death”. Your plate will be filled with all sorts of inedible foods for your mouth. Nonetheless, an apple will always be tolerable.

✼ He will be your dance coach, he will be your singing coach, he will be your lecturer for the classes you fail to grasp. He will be the person who you rely on in everything, he wishes to be acknowledged by you deep down in his heart after all.

✼ He will be the dorm leader you look up to and to be the person you look for should you ever be troubled by anything. Pesky students, who won’t stop bothering you? He knows his way to silence them with his sharp razored words that make them rethink their whole life.

✼ Remember, Vil is a man of fame and so you should watch how you act around him unless you want nasty rumors to circulate around you. He will sometimes post a subtle relationship type of post with you (your identity hidden as a secret lest his fans come at you like rabid mutts)

"So... I'm going to take the role of the princess? Didn't you give that role to Epel previously?"

The blonde man scoffed at your statement, "He was a suitable candidate, posing a breathtakingly feminine beauty that could even fool the Great Sevens, even so, he was never the embodiment of what I'd call to be 'feminine'"

The said subject mumbled under his breath, "You talk as though the other one is feminine enough for this role, I could barely feel any of the maiden-like aura from them."

Vil shot him a questioning look, his eyebrow raised, and challenged the other to talk again.

“Don’t you want to be the princess instead, Vil? Playing the role of a heroine would be a pleasant change for you no?” You offered thoughtfully. Surely he fits this role more than you could ever, heck, you are a bit hesitant in accepting this idea.

"I am perfectly pleased with my role as the Evil Queen, no need to fret over me."

The week went on with dread, you were never familiar with the acting world, let alone acting properly! But Vil was very adamant about you having to partake in this show, 'It shall be your first debut on the theatre stage' he quoted despite you only seeing this as a school event.

Days passed and you dreaded the idea of going to the rehearsal spot again upon finishing class. Even your fellow pretty friend couldn't stop bitching about how he hated the idea of being forced to take the role of one of the seven dwarves!

"Oh, believe me, you are doing way better than I do! Even Vil praises you for being able to pinpoint all the script's lines perfectly!" You raised your eyebrows at his statement, "All I did was serenade along, you should do that too y'know? Theatre is the place where you are supposed to sing out the heart of the character."

The two of you stopped walking as he tilted his head, questioning, "Like an opera?"

"No, that's a whole different level. I didn't mean to sing it out literally, I meant to... how do I word it..."

-

And so here you two were, standing in front of your housewarden as you waited for his response to Epel's question. He took his time, contemplating how to word it out as well.

"A long time ago, I had a Master who told me that the reason why we serenade on stage was because we had to express how the character felt thoroughly..." (AN: Master here stands for Mentor.)

"Uhm yeah, we knew that but is that all?"

"... Well, I mean yes, it's not like we are performing an opera... but... argh! Even I didn't get it okay? Now, off you two go! I want everyone to not make a single mistake! Tomorrow is our big day!" He blurted out as he shooed the two of you away.

Like the noisy ducklings you two were, you grumbled as though you were quaking like Donald Duck.

"Kinda weird seeing you dressed in a gown though, perhaps you should have just asked them to tailor you a suit because god does it blind me when you are dressed like a maiden."

At his statement, you rolled your eyes. You were glad enough that this all-boys school tolerated the eye-opening of a beauty standard.

"Even so, I'm surprised Senior didn't want to take the role of the charming prince." "Why so?" "Uh, I mean, he gets to kiss you and stuff! Maybe even take after the real version of the story and..."

At that, you immediately pinched his lip shut and walked toward your supposed practice spot. Tomorrow is D-day and you can't help but feel giddy at the idea of being able to act on the same stage with everyone despite not being familiar with the world of acting.

Everything went on smoothly as expected. No one screwed up. It's all perfect yet the Evil Queen couldn't rest easy, Vil couldn't rest easy. With how long and heavy the gown is, the tiara that decorated his beautiful updo and kept hair, he strode onto the stage and spoke toward the mirror.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?"

And the mirror should reply, “Thou, O Queen, art the fairest in the land,” or so she expected.

“Snow White, O Queen, is the fairest of them all.”

As though the Evil Queen was struck by lightning, he balled his trembling fist while contemplating whether he should break this mirror right on.

He has always lived in the shadow of those prominent figures, an actor who was praised for his fair beauty and kindness and his Master who was praised for their exceptional beauty and talent in the world of theatre.

He could understand how she felt, and so he serenaded, expressing how she felt so well that he knew, he had long embodied the wicked heart of the Evil Queen. Envy painted his tinted eyes as the scene changed into you and the seven dwarves, living oh so merrily after the huntsman was enraptured by your beauty and tricked her into eating a boar's lungs and liver.

A laced corset that Vil had always ensured to hug your figure in a way that didn't suffocate you, turned into a deadly weapon in the hand of the Evil Queen.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?"

And the mirror should reply, “Thou, O Queen, art the fairest in the land,” or so she expected.

“Snow White, O Queen, is the fairest of them all.”

Then, the lovely moment in which Vil would always comb your hair and untangle any tangled hair, turned into an attempt of murder with the comb stuck on your tangled hair.

And the Evil Queen would pose the same question again.

“Snow White, O Queen, is the fairest of them all.”

It's ironic, really. No matter how hard he worked for everything, he knew he could never surpass these two prominent figures. And desperate was him.

You hated it whenever he 'starved you to death', as the only edible thing you could eat was the red apple. You hated it because it was unfulfilling and not because he had poisoned it with the potion he handcrafted. In the hand of the Evil Queen, it turned into a deadly weapon.

And the Evil Queen would pose the same question again.

“Thou, O Queen, art the fairest in the land.”

The world's most beautiful phenomenal actor, the fairest one of all, you, his subject of awe and love, the Master of the Theater, or so people refer to you.

"Schoenheit, what did I tell you about encapturing the audience's heart with your voice and not just flatly reenacting the script?"

The boy looked as though he was about to cry but he knew well that emotion was never even once written in the script. As much as he respected you, he was still a boy of heart who was ready to have his heart shattered.

"I need to speak as though I am serenading, Master. That way, the audience could understand the turmoil of my heart." "Correct, now, reenact it again. Unless I have acknowledged you, you are to be forbidden from telling people that I am your master. O how shameful it would be for me to be acknowledged by a speck of dust!"

The boy took mental note of how easy it was for you to speak in such a serenading tune and tried to continue where you left off,

"This one dared not to humiliate his Master with his incompetence! This one would rather have his lip sewn tightly to ease his Master that no such deranged words would slip out!"

You raised an eyebrow at his reply, patting his blonde hair, "There, it's not even that hard. Come now, let's get back to line 324."

The practice went on as the boy tried his best to amaze his mentor who was guiding him like a lion to its cub. He would strive to be better with each day as he pictured his gleaming future in which he would acknowledged by the public for how exceptionally talented he was as an actor. And amidst that, he would proudly let the world know that you were the one who had assisted him to reach the summit of his fame.

"That is all, the rehearsal is dismissed," You clapped your hands, signaling to the other, "You are free to go, Schoenheit. Remember, our rehearsal tomorrow, at 2 PM sharp. Am I to be understood?" "Understood, Master!"

Vil did not have to be reminded when he should come back as he had memorized everything by heart! Only 4 days left before his first debut on the theatre stage, yes, his first debut in which people would see him not from the screen of television but thoroughly directly as he was shone by the stage light.

The role he was fit to be was one he wished for, the role of a princess. Nonetheless, he wished that his Master could have taken this role for themself as he had long used to the villainous role he was forced to take. But who was he to complain anymore when his mentor praised him for how befitting he was as a heroine?

The days went on with a strict lecture, no sugar would ever coat your guidance for him and he was not upset about it at all. Instead, he thanked you for being blunt about everything. But one thing for sure was that no other mentor was allowed to be as strict as you to him, or else he would never pay heed to their words at all.

"Tomorrow is your big day, a shame you couldn't hand me an invitation." You chuckled as you helped him walk down the stage's stairs, your gloved hand cold compared to the boy's warm hand.

"But Master will be there behind and on the stage to watch me right?" "Of course, I have waited for your debut for as long as I can remember. This would be the last masterpiece to ever be carved in the history of this very theater and me after all."

Something didn't sit right, your gloved hand that was leading him down felt as though you were dragging him away from something, away from the stage.

"Uhm... will I be as good as you have praised me tomorrow? What if I... fail..." "Nonsense. That would never happen, not in my wake."

Your voice was stern and quick enough to silence him yet your hand was still holding his gently.

Snow white was silent, dead silent. She was sleeping oh so peacefully after she took a bite of the apple. The dwarves were mourning, placing her resting figure inside the glass coffin for nature to bask in her beauty, for the birds to sing songs, for the deers to sleep right next to it, and for the charmed prince to kiss her awake.

Naturally, the Snow White woke up, and the happily ever after ending was supposed to show up after it reached the climax, the Evil Queen had been punished. But not in his wake.

An improvisation?

"You! I will never rest easy for as long as you exist. Even if these legs failed to stride for a dance, even if this face failed to uphold the immense beauty, even if this body rots beneath the soil that was trampled by pebble-like mortals, I will never, ever, acknowledge you, to be the fairest of them all!"

Instead of watching the Evil Queen dance in tears and horror, the Evil Queen strode toward you, Vil strode toward you with his hand bent forward toward you. The heels that clack in beat with the music played on stage, the furrowed eyebrows, and the glint of despair in his eyes spoke everything.

Was he speaking to you?

"For you, will never be the fairest one of all unless you are dead!"

An improvisation.

It was a prop knife but it did well in splattering red paint that replicated blood. The knife was plunged right into where your heart would be, the apple to your soul. The actors were clearly taken aback by this, their genuine reactions perfected this whole scene.

And you who were never familiar with the acting world, were quick enough to improvise this.

"Alas, you and I are now walking hand in hand toward the underworld O' you Wicked Queen, should your words remain true, I shall still be the fairest one of all even in our death!"

Tears flowed out of Vil's eyes, this is not what she wanted, this is what I wanted.

The audiences were whispering amongst themselves in disbelief, the faes that were watching this were even taken aback by the show. Contrary to the dull fairy tale they had heard, this had taken a sharp turn into something more... beautiful?

Pettiness would be what Vil was trying to embody. Envy had long tinted his sight and what more could damage him? Should he live in the shadows of these two figures forever? Should he live in your shadow forever?

He'd rather die with your dead shadow, together, hand in hand as the pair of the fairest one of all, marching toward the underworld.

"Alas, that would be a better outcome than having to live in the shadow of a naive girl like you." His hands held your face gently before forcing you into a waltz of death.

The boy was horrified but the princess was not. The Evil Queen was dancing in pain and horror. He knew. He knew how there were nails in the shoes you were wearing.

"You! I will never rest easy for as long as you exist. Even if these legs failed to stride for a dance, even if this face failed to uphold the immense beauty, even if this body rots beneath the soil that was trampled by pebble-like mortals, I will never, ever, acknowledge you, to be the fairest of them all!"

Blood dripped out of your torn lip as you twirled beautifully, the black gown complimented the Evil Queen's beauty really well. He wanted to scream and call off the whole show, but the boy dared not to make such a hasty decision.

This is his first debut and your last show, how could he possibly gather himself to do that? This is your last masterpiece and should he ever do something that would destroy your final piece, he'd rather sew his lip tight with the corset lace.

Everyone on the stage dared not to say anything, either out of obliviousness or fear of the Master of the Theatre's wrath. The director could only frown as she directed the other crews.

"You shall be the fairest one of all in life but never in death!"

With that, you spread both your arms upward and fell limp onto the ground. Even until the end, the Evil Queen remained wicked and petty, her eyes tinted in Envy.

The audience clapped their hands out of awe and whistles could be heard as they threw roses toward the stage. But you never woke up.

Roses that were supposed to flatter you turned into a burial rose.

The director instructed the curtain to be lowered down, skipping through the casts thanking the audience. It raised questions but one of them voiced any discontent as they were pleased that yet another beautiful piece had been carried.

"The Master's death should not be leaked until at least one week has passed, this was their last wish. For the crowd to converse about this before they realized their effort in presenting this tale." She said as she felt the veins on your wrists and neck.

The boy was scared that he would be scolded by you if he did this but he was way more scared about the idea of you dying so he laid his ear on top of your chest.

... no heartbeat was heard.

True to your words, this truly was your last masterpiece. "This would be the last masterpiece to ever be carved in the history of this very theater and me after all."

The public was horrified by this news and split into two parties. Party that did not accept your way of dancing with nailed shoes and a party that respected your effort and courageous display, embodying the pain that was felt by the Evil Queen and facing death head-on as you delivered your final masterpiece.

And among the party was Vil Schoenheit, drowned in awe and adoration. He finally understood why you were referred to as Master of the Theatre. He finally understood why you chose to serenade. As you deliver your last lines, he remembered it.

Just like the siren you were, you enraptured everyone with your voice. It took people time to finally realize that despite the pain you were feeling, you still managed to deliver the lines without any trouble.

"I need to speak as though I am serenading, Master. That way, the audience could understand the turmoil of my heart."

Yet why could no one hear a sliver of your turmoil? All they could hear was the disdaining Evil Queen's curses and the proud Master of the Theatre, the you who were proud in yourself.

Vil was proud of himself for delivering such a spectacular piece. To direct all the casts with this sudden improvisation in order to perfect this piece, he did something that he could pride himself on.

And that was to bow down toward the audience, hand in hand with you as roses were thrown onto the stage. It truly was a shame he couldn't bow down on his first debut.

The shock of all the casts was not something he could polish in such a short time, and the you who were pushed to perfect this whole improvisation was not something he could polish in any time. It almost felt as though he was seeing his Master again. (Again, Master here stands for Mentor if you forgot)

"Why did you do that?" You pulled him backstage, your warm hand holding his gloved hand down from the stairs. You were dragging him away from the stage.

"... Because this is your first debut."

At that quote you rolled your eyes, "Take off your shoes, now."

Ah, so you really had keen eyes. Vil had always been a man who took great care of any details finely. But surely a wound on his soles wouldn't be a trouble for as long as he is not modeling something that shows his soles.

This disciple takes his Master's teachings to heart after all.

[inkyquince]

@yogurtpop come get your boy

Nihil x amab reader

cw. incest, noncon, drugging, implied creep behaviour from more brohters than just Nihilism Soda, implied gaping, mentions of violence and gore, art the clown jumpscare, Nihil creeping on reader, piss (made sexual by Nihil), narsty wedgie from Nihil, Nihil in general is a terrible brother.

Your brother was always... Well, off. 

It started with people struggling to even pronounce his name and went downhill from there. He was always in trouble, a fighter, and was someone that every parent who even slightly liked their kid demanded them to steer clear off. 

You didn't have that option, but back then he was just your cool older brother with the shit eating grin aimed at other idiots. You never noticed when it turned to you instead.

But you did know when it became obvious. Maybe it was when you were wearing shorts and he snickered and said your ass was hanging out. He gripped the back of the fabric and yanked it upwards, giving you a painful wedgie. Except, unlike the other times he liked to bully you, his breath was all heavy against your neck, pulling more and more, obviously showing your underwear. His knee also slid between your thighs, handling you so roughly it was like he was grinding it against your crotch. 

It was until your father came in and snapped at him to let you go did he stop the torment.

Other times were less painful, but still humiliating. When you were showering and he barged in, flatly saying he needed to piss. You shouted at him to get out but too late, toilet seat up, sound of liquid hitting the bowl. You tried to continue to wash yourself, it was serene for a moment until the curtain twitched. 

"Hey, you've filled out!" His cackle was horrifying. He never used to talk about you like this, even telling you that if anyone tried to mess with you, he'd beat their skull in. “Your cock isn’t as shrimpy as it used to be.” 

You yelled at him to leave again and he finally did, after another snort and without washing his hands.

Maybe it was just that you were more aware of your body these days, not that he behaved differently. He was always play-fighting with you, hands on your stomach and sides and chest, tickling, as long as you could remember. You remember a year back when he pinned you down and tickled you until you actually pissed yourself. You were mortified but he was laughing his ass off, before shedding his trousers and telling you to go clean them. 

But now it had become a rule in the house. Nihil wasn't supposed to touch you anymore. You didn't even realise it had been made a thing until you came across your father flatly telling your brother that you was going to quit it with how he was hanging around you. And apparently, this talk was had with a few others, but you never caught those interactions. 

It was like your brothers, the people you somehow loved and hated the most, became too aware of you. You had no idea why you were the subject of this strange bullying more now than ever, and Nihil never let up. 

You still loved him a lot though. He was your favourite for some reason, to your own astonishment most of the time. So, when you were home late (your oldest brother had let you sleep at his after you were fired suddenly. Guess who had visited you at work, made a nuisance of himself and you were blamed?), with no one else around, you were kinda excited to have some proper time alone with your second oldest brother, without the looks from your father or from Kage. You found him in his room, shoes still on, watching something on his phone only to immediately toss it aside in favour of you, the moment you stepped inside. He leaned back in the bed, against the headboard, grinning his sharp smile. It just grew when you excitedly offered to marathon some horror movies. Nihil mentioned he was going  to make drinks and food, and said he’d make you regret it if you picked a shit movie. 

So you got to work. The Terrifier, the Collector, the gore stuff that got him shifting in his seat a lot before deciding to throw your own favourite movie in right at the end, thinking he’d let it go once he got his own fill. 

You could hear him making soft grunts from the kitchen and rolled your eyes, already loading in the first disk. 

“Why are you taking so long? Someone will be home and kicking you out if you don’t hurry up!” You called, tucking your feet underneath you.

“Yeah, yeah. Brat.” Nihil appeared again, two separate bowls of popcorn and two drinks, immediately throwing the bottle at your head for your attitude. 

You managed to catch it in time and scooted along the sofa to make room for his large frame. The first movie was a hit, your brother chuckling every now and then, shovelling food into his mouth and chewing loudly. Your own popcorn was a bit wet and too salty, and when you complained, Nihil snorted. 

“Blame Gore’s shit microwave.” Still eyeing you as you ate a few pieces at a time. 

It took a few slow, struggling blinks, for your own brain to realise that you were falling asleep. You didn’t want to, you finally got some time with your brother. Yet, here you were, head bobbing lower and lower each time, until you were tucked fully into the couch, thin blanket thrown over your legs, and your head against the pillows. By the third movie, you had drifted off, your feet in Nihil’s lap, as his large hand moved along your ankles. 

Your dreams were weird. With the horror movie still playing in the background, you were pretty sure, with every brief moment of lucidity, the sounds of wet stabbings and groans of the dying slipped into your head. Blood on your face, a knife, dripping with blood, dragging over your stomach, a victim groaning low and hot. A pain against your collarbones, something sharp and wet, then a spray of your own blood against your face. 

You only woke up with the grunt of Nihil’s “fuck it”. You blearily blinked, patting at the blankets as your brother sat up, shutting off the fourth movie half way through. You whined softly, in protest, not wanting the evening to end just yet, even if you were half asleep. 

But your lips couldn’t move properly. Your tongue was sluggish. It reminded you of being twelve, and Nihil had rough housed too much and slammed your head against the wall. You needed emergency surgery on some of your teeth, your dad sitting in the room, fuming. The Novocaine had you tired and not able to talk, even when your brother got shouted at when you were finally home, wrapped up in a blanket and Gore carrying you to bed. Unable to speak, tired, and the sounds of the blanket being pulled up around your face, it was a strange sense of Deja Vu, but instead the scent of Gore, of unwashed hair and clothes, there was the smell of Nihil. Blood and body odour and something salty, tangy. 

He lifted you easily, and it took your brain a moment to catch up with everything. His shirt bunched around his stomach, leaving his happy trail, flecked with white on show. Stains on his trousers, zipper open. Cock, heavy, hard, dribbling long strains of cum, down his clothes and onto the carpet. You gave a soft whine of confusion, the first sound you managed to make. Nihil grinned down at you, flashing the red staining his sharp teeth. 

You blindly wondered if he was just tired of watching, had relieved himself, even as weird as that was to do in front of you, and was just going to tuck you in. The dim lights overheard made you dizzier, as you passed underneath them. His hot, sour breath panted against the side of your head. You closed your eyes and when you opened them again, you were in your bed, your clothes being wrestled from your hips, Nihil grumbling as he fought with your belt. His cock was fat, leaking, and looked like it was pointed right at you as his own trousers had slipped down to his knees. 

It took a few frustrated, rough tugs to rip the fabric off your legs, abandoning them on the floor for the hopeful thought that he was just going to change you into your pjs, to disappear. Next he went for your underwear, tucking his fingers into the elastic band, but he paused. Bit his own lip in excitement then leaned down, tucking his nose between your thighs, and inhaled deeply. He groaned, open mouth, against the fabric, right where your flaccid cock lay. His breath was so hot and wet, you didn’t realise he was pressing his tongue against you until he dragged it all the way up to your stomach, only to bite you again. 

His teeth easily broke the skin, letting blood dribble forth swiftly as he finally did rip your boxers off. Nihil took a moment to sit back on his haunches, staring down at your penis, his own hard and dribbling against his stained underwear. 

A moment passed. You could feel your breath freeze in your lungs as he examined it. Your brother slowly leaned forward, bringing his hand over and- 

“Ow!” You whined as he flicked your cockhead. 

“Why aren’t you hard yet?” He slapped it a bit this time. “Either get hard like a man or get wet like a bitch.” 

This time he smacked your ass, nails scraping your hole painfully as he did so. Your brain felt like it had been soaked in syrup, sinking slowly through a bucket of molasses. You weren’t the same as the rest of your family, you were painfully ordinary compared to them, but you grew up with them, you knew them. And, for one reason or another, your thoughts refused to come together, to figure out why, why, this was happening? 

Nihil scowled down at you, before slowly sinking his thumb into your ass, even as you whined and kicked your feet, the stretch burning more than anything else. He stuck his other thumb in, just to part your hole more, his displeased expression slowly morphing into a wide grin as he got to spread you obscenely. 

“Awh. Maybe you’re more of a girl than I thought. Your insides are all cute.” He spat onto your rim, watching it trickle into you. “Guess I should bite your little dick off so everyone else can see that you’re the bitch of the house.” 

You gave a soft whimper of terror, knowing that when your brother made half of these types of threats, he usually meant them. He seemed to savour the noise, not caring that feeling was slowly coming back into your legs as you sluggishly kicked at him. Your hands still felt numb, the blanket trapping them against your chest not helping at all. Even if he did care, you don’t think he’d do anything, except get harder. You knew he loved the struggle, the fight. 

Nihil, not caring even slightly about your weak wiggles and mumbles, ducked his head to lick at your hole, worming it in between his thumbs. He sucked roughly on the rim, before focusing on trying to get his tongue as deep in you as possible. The moment he started, he was making loud, disgusting moans, grinding his cockhead against your covers, leaving precum stains on the blankets as he bucked. You tasted good. A part of him found it as hot as he did because you were his baby brother. He already had fooled around a bit with a brother or two, and it never failed to get him hard as hell. But also you were you. A fuckable little thing. Even if you hadn’t been related to him, he’d have made sure to snap you up (probably with some trafficking, but shush) and ruin your hole with his cock until you cried. 

Just the thought had him leaking more, dribbling slowly, smearing the pre against your skin. 

“Nihil.” You whimpered, feeling tears in your eyes, partially from what was happening, but also from the way his tongue was pressing something sensitive, strange, deep inside of you. 

He groaned into you and wrenched his head back, tongue lolling out like a dog. After a dog-like licking of his lips, he roughly turned you onto your stomach, spreading your cheeks more. 

“Want something to bite down on?” Nihil snickered, papping his messy cockhead against your rim, leaving sticky residue behind. “A pillow, a belt. Should I get Kage?” 

You whined and kicked at him more, not even catching his notice, or him ignoring them anyway from how pathetic the attempt even was. Your own cock was finally hard, perked up and leaking against your stomach, after all the manhandling Nihil put you through. You desperately couldn’t help but wonder if this was what your own father was afraid of, the intent he had underneath all the tickling and rough housing that your brother loved to pull you into. It didn’t matter. 

Nihil pressed his cockhead in, groaning when your insides clamped around it. 

“Fuck. You’ve been wanting this huh? Wanting cock from your big brother?” Ignoring the way you were twitching under him, whining and shivering, he started to bully the rest of his fat length inside. “You must have. Saving this tight, slut hole all for me, haven’t you?” 

Even if you wanted to reply, through the tears of pain and pleasure stinging your eyes, he wouldn’t have listened. Not when your body was welcoming him into you so warmly, so snugly. 

He was deaf to the front door opening, the grunt of a displeased brother as the remains of food and drink were obviously left in front of the still playing TV. No, as he forced his cock into your hole which was too small and tight to welcome him in easily, he didn’t hear the slow, heavy footsteps towards his oldest brother’s room. Thank goodness, or he’d have gone soft in seconds. No, Gore only paused in front of your door, hearing groans and the sounds of your bed obnoxiously squeaking through every thrust, and just frowned. Then he shut himself in his own room. 

Same for Jules when he swung by, pointedly ignoring whatever was making you squeal and Nihil groan. 

Would you have felt betrayed? By the brothers that came, only to not intercede as the second eldest played with you so roughly, moving you like a living doll, on your back, on your stomach, knees up against your chest, hole slowly, forcefully resized? It didn’t matter to Nihil, who wouldn’t stop thrusting into you, only stopping to pull his cock out and grind it against yours, dirtying it with cum and spit, before making you clean it all off. Who whispered into your ear that you were built like a fag, built to take cock, especially from big brothers who you loved oh-so much. He was only satisfied when his cum was stuck in your hair, dried, and your rim was puffy and sore. That was when he forced his mouth against yours, licking along your teeth, before pulling away and chuckling that you two were going to watch movies every week from then on. 

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Stuck Between a Jock and a Metalhead

Summary: Nancy, on a whim, decides to visit Steve at Scoops Ahoy, which leads to her overhearing confessions from Steve that leads her to think about the decisions she's made. A few days later, she decides to come back. She finds him being hit on by the town freak. What's a girl to do? Oh, get stuck in a freezer with the both of them.

Chapter One - Chapter Two - Chapter Three - Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Nancy waited for her sister patiently at the bottom of the stairs, but she was taking longer than she should have for someone who knows now how to get dressed herself. She was just about to go up there when Holly came bounding down the stairs, her blond hair loose around her shoulders.

"I'm ready for the mall, Nancy!" Holly exclaimed. "I put on makeup just like you would."

Nancy put her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the laughter. Holly was wearing bright blue eyeshadow that was spread across her eyelids and well over her eyebrows. It made her look permanently surprised. She had lipstick spread across her lips and around them.

"Did you look in the mirror yet, Holly?" Nancy asked.

"No, does it look bad?" Holly asked.

She couldn't help it, she burst into laughter. It caused her mother to come in from the living room.

"What is going - Oh my goodness," Karen snorted.

"Apparently, she put on makeup just like I would," Nancy giggled.

Karen picked up the polaroid from the hallway table and snapped a picture.

"Can I see, Mommy?" Holly asked, and she showed her. "Oh! I look so silly. I look like a clown."

Holly giggled and honked her nose. Nancy swooped her up in a hug and pressed a hard kiss to her cheek. Karen had snapped another picture. Nancy settled her on her hip.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up, and then I'll braid your hair," Nancy chuckled as she bounded up the stairs.

Karen dropped them off at the mall, announcing as they got out of the car that she would be running errands and that she would be back soon. Nancy scoffed as she watched her mother drive away. She knew exactly what kind of errands she would be doing. Ally told her what she saw her mother doing at the mall. . .checking out Billy like most women. Not only was it disgusting because he was an evil asshole but he was also the same age as Nancy. Honestly, his personality was too ugly for her to find him attractive. That was the difference between him and Jonathan. . .intent. It was also the fact that Jonathan actually gave a shit about his brother. Maybe that was attracted her to Jonathan in the first place. Before Nancy could venture further into her darkening thoughts, she felt a tug on her dress.

"Come on, Nancy!" Holly said.

She smiled at her sister and took her hand, deciding to enjoy the outing. Nancy and Holly went to the bookstore first, where she had to pull Holly away. She was really happy that Holly was interested in reading but she also needed to buy her shoes before lunch. The kid was outgrowing the shoes faster than she could wear them out. Of course, with the new shoes, Holly also wanted a dress to go with them. She ended up finding a purple one with flowers on it and one that's similar to hers for Nancy. They twirled in front of the mirror.

"What do you think? Should we pay for them and wear them out of the store?" Nancy asked.

"Yes!" Holly grinned.

Once they paid for them and got bags for their other clothes, they started heading towards the food court. Nancy made sure they chose a place that served chicken nuggets. While Holly loved all food, chicken nuggets were always a must with her. She was looking for a place to sit down when she spotted Eddie sitting with a couple of his friends. He spotted her, and his face brightened up at the sight of her.

"Nancy!" Eddie exclaimed, waving her over.

He had forgotten that his legs had been wrapped around the chair, and in his hurry to jump up, he stumbled to the ground. His friends burst into laughter. Nancy giggled.

"You want to meet my friend Eddie?" Nancy asked Holly.

"Yeah, he looks funny!"

Carrying their baskets and their bags, they wandered over to the table. Eddie dusted himself off and stood up. He smiled when they arrived at the table.

"Nice face plant, Eddie," Nancy said.

"I meant to do that," Eddie said.

"If your purpose was to kiss the floor," Nancy said, and his friends laughed. "Then yeah, you succeeded."

"Nancy Wheeler, these are my friends Gareth and Jeff," Eddie introduced. "They're also in Hellfire and in my band, Corroded Coffin."

"Oh. You didn't tell me you were in a band," Nancy said.

"You didn't tell her you were in a band?" Gareth asked him mockingly.

"Our band?" Jeff asked, and Eddie rolled his eyes.

"And who's this little lady?" He asked.

"My sister, Holly," Nancy introduced.

"Hi, Mr. Eddie, we got matching dresses!" Holly said.

"I see that. You guys look like a couple of pretty princesses," Eddie said.

"Who also fights dragons!" Holly exclaimed.

"Well, would a couple of princesses who fight dragons want to sit with us?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, you aren't scary," Holly said as she plopped down in the seat next to him while Nancy sat on Holly's other side.

"I'm not? Well, that's a first," Eddie said.

"You're fluffy like a teddy bear," Holly said. "Eddie! Teddy!"

"I think that name is sticking, man," Jeff said with a snicker.

"Am I scary?" Holly asked.

"Oh, yeah, very," Eddie said with a gasp and clutched his chest, causing her to giggle. "So, what else you get?"

"The Hobbit. Nancy said I would like it," Holly said. "Our bubba, Mike, won't let us use his book."

"Oh, you're going to love it," Eddie grinned. "Why won't this Mike let you use his book?"

"Mike is an asshole," Holly said seriously, and the boys struggled not to laugh.

"Holly!" Nancy exclaimed. "You shouldn't call him that!"

"What if he is being one?" Holly asked.

"Yeah, Nancy, what if he is being one?" Eddie asked, and she glared at him.

"You still shouldn't," Nancy said.

"You call him that all the time, Nancy!" Holly exclaimed.

"Eat your chicken nuggets, Holly," Nancy said, trying to hide her amusement.

"You ladies doing more shopping after this?" Eddie asked.

"No, Nancy's going to take to me Scoops Ahoy to get ice cream, and she's got a surprise for me," Holly said.

Nancy mouthed Steve’s name over Holly's head, and Eddie grinned.

"That sounds like fun," Eddie said.

"Well, look at that. . .we've got to go," Jeff said, nudging Gareth.

"Oh, yes, we just remembered we've got that thing," Gareth said.

"We were supposed to browse the new music store after lunch," Eddie frowned.

"Well, like we said, we've got that thing," Jeff grinned.

"Teddy! Do you want to come with us?" Holly asked. "Do you know Steve? He works there."

"Oh. I know Steve. I like Steve," Eddie said.

Jeff and Gareth shared a knowing look. Nancy grinned. It looked like they suspected the same thing that she did.

"I like Steve too," Holly grinned.

"Holly, who told you that Steve works there?" Nancy asked.

"Mike," she replied.

Nancy rolled her eyes. Of course, that asshole would ruin the surprise.

"You just called him that word in your head, didn't you?" Eddie grinned and winked at her.

Nancy blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Well, we've got to go," Jeff grinned. "Have fun with Eddie."

"Teddy, you mean," Gareth said as they stood up.

"Bye, Mr. Gareth! Bye, Mr. Jeff!" Holly exclaimed.

"Farewell, Princess Holly," Gareth bowed.

"Oh, fiercest warrior and slayer of dragons," Jeff bowed. "Farewell."

Holly giggled and waved at them until she couldn't see them anymore. She sat back in her seat.

"I like them," Holly said.

"Eh, they're okay," Eddie shrugged with a grin.

"I like Jeff. He's cute, but he's too old, though," Holly said.

"You hear that, Nance? He's cute, but he's old," Eddie grinned.

"Oh God," Nancy laughed.

"Kids say the darndest things," Eddie said.

Once they were finished with their food, they started walking towards Scoops Ahoy. Holly took Nancy's hand and then Eddie's.

"So, you don't get lost," Holly said.

"Smart," Eddie said. "Metalheads like me are very well known for getting lost in malls."

"I didn't know that," Holly gasped. "Nancy, we can't let him get lost."

Nancy's heart fluttered in her chest as she watched Eddie converse happily with her little sister. He was great with her, too. His grin was so wide as he talked animatedly with Holly that he was flashing his dimples. They were very cute and suited him well. Eddie noticed her staring, and he winked at her. Nancy felt her cheeks warm.

"There it is!" Holly exclaimed. "That's it, isn't it?"

"Yes, but - " Nancy started to say.

Holly slipped from their grasps and ran ahead of them. They started running after her, but she was quick to dive between people's legs.

"Jesus! This kid is fast!" Eddie exclaimed.

"Holly!" Nancy yelled.

Suddenly, they heard her scream and they were running faster than ever. They found her lying on the floor, a large stony faced man glaring down at her. Holly's bottom lip was trembling. Nancy realized that it was the delivery guy who had dropped off the ice cream. He growled at Holly, and crocodile tears started welling up in Holly's eyes.

"I'm sorry I ran into you. I didn't mean to," Holly whimpered.

"Hey! The kid said she was sorry! Do you have anything better to do than to scare the shit out of her?!" Eddie snapped, and the man was growling at him now. "Do you understand me? Fuck off, man!"

Nancy knelt down next to Holly and pulled her to her side. The man stepped into Eddie's face menacingly. There was a flash of fear in Eddie's eyes, but he stood his ground, clenched his jaw, and stared at the man right back. When the man realized he was drawing attention from other people, he snorted and walked off. Holly pulled herself out of Nancy's arms and threw her arms around Eddie's legs.

"Are you okay, Teddy?" Holly asked. "I thought he was going to hurt you."

"I'm okay, sweetheart," Eddie said and scooped her up. "Are you okay?"

"I think I scraped my elbow," Holly said.

"Well, let's get that fixed up, shall we?" Eddie said and pulled out his first aid kit. "We can use Princess Nigel. Steve gave him to me, and I named him."

They went to the nearest bench where Nancy pulled Holly into her lap. Eddie knelt in front of her and started patching up her elbow. He stuck his tongue out while he worked.

"I'm sorry for running away, I just got excited," Holly sniffed.

"Well, you scared the crap out of me and your sister, but I think you scared Nancy the most," Eddie said softly.

She didn't realize how close to crying she had been until Eddie had said something or that she was shaking.

"I'm sorry, sissy," Holly said.

"You're okay now. That's the important thing. Always hold hands, though, okay? Promise?" Nancy asked.

"Promise," Holly sniffed. "I'm sorry too, Teddy."

"It's alright. You know, I get into accidents all the time. I'm a huge klutz which is why Steve gave me this," Eddie said as he slipped it into pocket. "I gotta say, though. You're a lot braver than I would have been. I would have shit my pants."

"Then Nancy would have to change you just like she did when I was a baby," Holly giggled.

Eddie and Nancy laughed.

"You know, since you got injured in the line of duty, I think this little warrior deserves a piggyback ride," Eddie said and turned around.

Holly cheered as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He snorted like a pig and started walking with Nancy, who was gazing at him fondly.

"Teddy! Always hold hands, remember?" Holly asked.

Eddie grinned and held out his hand towards Nancy, wiggling his fingers at her. Nancy blushed and took his hand. Somewhere along the way, their fingers slid together. When they entered the parlor, Holly immediately jumped down from Eddie's back and started running towards the counter. Steve ran out and met her halfway, scooping her up.

"There's my girl!" Steve exclaimed.

"I missed you!" Holly squealed and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I missed you too, pumpkin," Steve said.

"I like your outfit," Holly said.

"I like yours," he replied.

"It matches Nancy's outfit," Holly stated proudly.

"I see that," Steve laughed. "But you know what it needs?"

He took off his hat and plopped it down on her head. She giggled madly.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"Better than I do in the hat," he said. "What have you been up to? Catch me up."

"Me and Teddy almost got eaten by a troll!" Holly exclaimed.

"Okay, I'm a little lost," Steve said.

Nancy watched with a smile on her face as Eddie and Holly both recounted the story in their own adorable way. She loved the way that Holly lit up with both of them. Looking at Steve with Holly, she knew without a doubt that she was still in love with Steve, but there was also something else stirring for Eddie as well. As she looked at both of them, she knew she couldn't put them through what she put Steve through, especially since she could recognize that Steve and Eddie were starting to like one another. She couldn't come between that, and she couldn't mess it up for Holly. If only there was a way for her to be with both of them. Her eyes slid to Robin's, who was now looking at her with wide eyes. It looks like she figured it out, too. Robin slowly raised her hands and gave her two thumbs up. Nancy didn't know what that was supposed to mean. She ignored it and sat down to enjoy some ice cream with the three of them, pushing aside the warm feelings of affection in her stomach.

Chapter Six

[galaxymagitech]

No Winter Lasts Forever (No Spring Skips Its Turn)

Written for Dick Grayson Anniversary Week 2024: Day 2

Captivity | The Meaning of Robin | Rescue from Juvie

@dickgraysonweek

Summary: In which Dick is trained to be an undead assassin, refuses an unrefusable offer, loses a family, gains a family, meets a tire thief, and fights the forces of evil—not necessarily in that order.

Characters: Dick Grayson, William Cobb, Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne

Warnings: Canon-typical violence, child abuse, minor character death, Court of Owls (while the Court itself is not depicted and the specifics aren't explored, they are part of the background to a large section of the story)

The ropes break with a snap!

Dick’s parents fall to the floor.

And Dick—Dick can’t breathe—

---

They tell him that he’ll have a new family, but Dick doesn’t want a new family. He wants his dat and dej, Pop Haly, the big top. Zitka the elephant. The strongman who spoke even more languages than he did. Harry the clown. Dick doesn’t want a new family. He wants his old family back.

But no one here cares about what Dick wants. He’s dragged by the wrist to a car, and then pulled from the car, and then shoved into a large, stone complex. They take his clothes, his bag, his stuffed elephant. Give him a grey-green shirt to wear that says only “Gotham” on it. Like he belongs to the city now.

Dick has never been to Gotham before. He doesn’t know why it gets to claim him. These streets, these skyscrapers…they aren’t his home. His home is the circus tent.

He doesn’t understand.

They hate him, here. The guards, the kids, the severe woman who called herself a “social worker,” only Dick doesn’t know what that means. Everyone hates him.

Dick curls up in bed and tries not to cry. Crying is a sign of weakness. Blood in the water. He’s surrounded by sharks.

“Hey, new fish!” Someone says.

Dick doesn’t respond.

The boy snaps his fingers. “I’m talking to you!”

Dick curls even tighter.

A hand grabs the back of his shirt and pulls him roughly out of bed. Dick’s palms slam into the concrete floor, stinging furiously. He looks up to see three boys—the same three boys who beat him on his first night there.

“When he talks to you,” says another of the boys with a nasty smirk on his face, “you answer.”

Dick shudders. He doesn’t want to fight them again, but he will. He will, if he has to. He’s been here only a week, a week that’s felt like a lifetime, and he’s had to fight the others again and again.

Why can’t they just let him sleep?

The first boy snaps his fingers again. “Eyes on me, grasshopper.”

Dick looks at him tiredly.

“When,” the boy asks, eyes alight with malice, “are you going to learn?”

---

Dick hates adults.

Well, not all adults. He loved his parents. Pop Haly, and all the other circus folk. No, he doesn’t hate adults, he hates normal adults. The ones that wear suits and skirts and guard uniforms. The ones that don’t care, that hate him for daring to exist. Those are the adults he hates.

But Batman—

Batman wears a mask, and a cape, and a costume reminiscent of a circus performer, though a lot less colorful. So when Batman asks Dick to trust him, Dick tries.

The man disappears into the shadows, leaving Dick alone on the rooftop with a single promise.

---

The next day, they tell Dick that someone is here to see him. Dick is brought to the visitation room, and they don’t give him handcuffs, but he feels like a prisoner all the same. He’s too small for the chair, and his legs swing above the ground as his hands twist in his too-big shirt. Dick doesn’t want anyone to see him like this.

When the man walks in, his shoes click on the floor. Click, click, click. Dick looks up warily.

“Hello, Richard,” the man says. Dick winces. No one calls him Richard except the adults at the youth center, and Dick hateshateshates them. He doesn’t like this man either. He’s wearing a collared shirt just like the police, and his face holds none of the joy that his circus family’s does.

But Dick can tell he is wearing makeup caked onto his face, like the stage makeup all the performers wore at Haly’s, and his eyes have a yellow tint to him. He wears a cool brown coat over his shirt, too. Dick may not like him, but he doesn’t entirely hate him. Because the man doesn’t look quite normal.

“My name is William.”

It seems wrong to call an adult he doesn’t know very well by their first name, but the man didn’t give him a last name.

“Do you have a nickname you like to use?” William asks gently.

“Dick,” Dick says. It’s the first time anyone has asked. It’s the first time anyone has cared.

“Hello, Dick,” William says. “I was friends with Mr. Haly’s family.” Dick squints at William, but he doesn’t seem to be lying. His body bleeds sincerity so much that it’s eerie. “I heard about what happened to your parents. I’m sorry.” Dick shrugs. “I’d like to help you, Dick, if you’ll let me.” Dick looks up and meets his strange, yellow-tinted eyes. They both stare, for a while. Dick blinks first.

“Whatever,” Dick says.

“I want to show you something,” William says. He removes three balls from a pocket inside his coat and throws them into the air, progressively speeding up. Dick watches him, unimpressed. He can do better than that and he’s just eight. William smiles at the way Dick wrinkles his nose. “I know,” he says, catching the balls. “Not very impressive.”

“I can juggle six,” Dick says boldly.

“Do you want to show me?” William asks. He extracts three more juggling balls and places all six in Dick’s small hands. Suddenly nervous, Dick places the balls on the table and wipes his palms on his baggy brown pants. “It’s alright,” William says, reaching for the juggling balls.

“No,” Dick insists. “I can do it.” He picks them up, and gradually tosses them into the air, until he’s doing all six at once. He can’t help the smile that sneaks onto his face as he falls into the rhythmic catch-pass-throw-catch-pass-throw. When he senses his focus dwindling, he catches the balls and drops them into William’s outstretched hands.

“Excellent,” William says, and begins to juggle them himself. Unlike Dick, he does it like it’s easy, talking as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. “Who taught you that?”

“Ahmed,” Dick says. “He was our juggler. He could do knives.”

William adds another ball into the rotation, smoothly drawing it from his coat. “I can juggle knives too. Unfortunately, visitors aren’t allowed to bring those.”

Dick thinks that’s probably a good idea. He doesn’t want to see what the other boys would do with knives.

“If I take you out of here,” William offers, “I could show you.”

“Could you really?” Dick asks. He feels like he’s tripping headfirst down a hill in his excitement. He wants to leave. He wants to escape. And William is offering him a way out.

“Yes,” William says. “I’m working on it. I’ll be back before you know it.” He catches the juggling balls one by one, and Dick notices that he’s worked up to twelve—one more than the world record.

Dick hates normal adults, but William isn’t normal.

“I’d like that,” he says.

---

William comes back for him, just as promised. The youth center gives him his clothes back, his bag, his stuffed elephant, and Dick can feel his heart soaring. As he walks away from the barbed-wire-topped gates, William’s fingers dig into his shoulder like talons.

Dick winces. “You’re—you’re holding me too tight.”

William’s grip relaxes, and Dick lets the smile slip back onto his face. He ignores the twinge of unease, burying it deep inside.

---

William takes him to a strange building, and they take an elevator deep underground. His new guardian—that’s what the “social worker” called William—leads him down a long, marble corridor.

“Where are we going?” Dick asks.

“To your new home,” William tells him.

Dick inches closer to William’s side. “This is kind of scary,” he says. “Not that I’m scared. But it’s kind of scary.”

“You are above that,” William says.

The corridor opens into a large, circular room. At the center of it is a large statue of an owl, gleaming white. Dick doesn’t know where the light is coming from.

Hands trembling, Dick reaches into his bag and pulls out Zitka. He holds the stuffed animal close to his chest, digging his fingers into her soft fabric.

William reaches out and pulls Zitka away.

It takes Dick a moment to process, but when he does, anger fills him. “Give her back!” He says, stamping his foot. “She’s not yours, she’s mine! Give her back!”

William watches him, eyes unblinking. “You don’t need a toy, Dick.”

“You can’t take her!” Dick insists.

“Watch,” William says, stowing Zitka in his coat and pulling out six long, sharp knives. He begins to juggle them, and Dick watches as the blades glint in the unnatural light. “Doesn’t it look fascinating?”

“I want Zitka back,” Dick insists.

William sighs, and this time, he pulls out three blunt knives. “If you can learn to juggle these, I will return your toy to you. Does that sound fair?”

It’s not a nice question. When adults say that, you always have to answer ‘yes.’

---

William takes him to a room with a bed and turns off the lights. “The bathroom’s through that door,” he says. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you in the morning.”

William shuts the door, plunging Dick into darkness. He hears the lock click.

---

The next day, William hands him a wooden sword and tells him that they will practice fighting. Dick doesn’t think this is a normal thing to do, but he doesn’t like normal. William said he knows Pop Haly’s family; maybe he’s from another circus, where they fight with wooden swords.

Dick ends the day bruised and exhausted. William sends him to his room. Dick shudders, pulling his thin blankets over him and wishing they protected him from the cold.

Each day passes much the same. William shows him a dummy and tells him which spots to hit. They’re circled in red, with words on them. Heart. Carotid. Kidney. Dick doesn’t think he’s training for a circus anymore.

“I don’t understand,” he says.

William puts a hand on his shoulder. “I serve an organization, called the Court of Owls.”

“Is that like Haly’s circus?”

William gives Dick’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze, just an ounce too tight. “Almost. Like your circus, they gave me a home. A place. A life. They will give you one too.”

“What if I don’t want it?” Dick asks.

William’s face darkens and his hand grows tighter. Dick flinches, but William doesn’t let him escape. “You will.”

Dick practices. He graduates from a wooden sword to a real one. He learns to juggle the dull knives and does it for hours under William’s watchful eye. When William hands him sharp ones to try, Dick thinks of asking for Zitka back. That was, after all, the deal. But he doesn’t think his request would be well-received.

“Good,” William says, and pride shoots through Dick, but also fear. So much fear. He doesn’t like what he’s becoming. “Good.”

---

“There is a procedure,” William says, when too many days have passed for Dick to keep track of the time. He isn’t wearing his makeup today. Dick can see how pale William’s face is, like a corpse. The way his black veins twist across his skin. “It makes you strong, like me. So people can’t kill you, like they did to your parents.”

“What…what does that mean?” Dick asks.

William smiles. There’s an edge to it. Dick tries not to let his fear show. He’s been doing that a lot, these days. “They’ll give you some medicine,” William says. “And it’ll help you. Protect you. After the procedure, you can take your place at my side.”

“With the Owls,” Dick says.

“With the Owls,” William agrees. “You are almost ready.”

Dick looks at William’s face. He doesn’t think he wants to be ready. But he doesn’t dare speak.

---

“Tomorrow,” William says, holding out a hand to help Dick pull himself off the ground. He’s bleeding from shallow cuts, the product of sparring with real swords. William says those wounds won’t matter after the procedure. The procedure will protect him, and they’ll barely hurt anymore.

Dick can’t help but think that they also wouldn’t hurt if William didn’t insist on inflicting them.

“Tomorrow, you will join me as a Talon.”

“I—” Dick knows, by now, that if he says he doesn’t want to be a Talon, he will be ignored. “What will I do, as a Talon?” He asks instead.

William runs his fingers through Dick’s hair. It’s grown long, tickling at his jaw. That’s how Dick knows that he has to have been here for a while, even though he he’s lost track of the days. “There are people that pose a threat to the Court,” William tells him calmly. “You will remove them.”

“I’ll…put them in jail?” Dick asks, even though…even though William has not been training him to put people in jail.

“You will kill them,” William says. As if murder wasn’t what stole Dick’s parents from him.

“How many?” Dick asks. He thinks that if he could see himself in a mirror, his face would look almost as pale as William’s.

“As many as the Court requires.”

---

Dick doesn’t want to be a Talon. He doesn’t want to kill for people he’s never even met, even if William says he owes them his life.

Dick had a life before the Court, before William, and it was with the circus. It was with Pop Haly and dat and dej and they never would’ve wanted him to do this. His mother called him Robin. The first bird of spring. A symbol of joy, of hope, of renewal. Not of death. Never of death.

That night, Dick lies awake, terrified. He doesn’t want to go to sleep and become a Talon when he wakes up.

He likes William, but William is scary, sometimes, and as time went on, sometimes became all the time, and now—

—Dick doesn’t think he likes William very much, anymore.

Run, Robin, run! His mother cries out in his mind, and Dick shoots out of bed.

---

Dick races down the corridor, trying desperately to remember the way out. As the days have passed, William has moved him to rooms deeper and deeper into the complex.

Dick pleads that his memory is right.

His feet are bare—William didn’t give him any socks or shoes. Dick wonders if that was on purpose, to prevent him from escaping.

But he’s climbed rock-faces barefoot before with the other circus kids. A marble corridor isn’t going to phase him.

Left. Right. Right. Left. Sharp left. Secret door. Left. Left. Right. And—there.

Dick mashes the up button on the elevator and steps into it, knees shaking as he feels the floor rising underneath him, carrying him up from the ground. Until, halfway, the elevator grinds to a stop.

No.

Dick will not fail now.

He remembers that in movies, people climb out the top of elevators. This is an old one, so he’s able to scale the grated door and push out a panel in the elevator’s ceiling. There’s a metal cable, there, stretching up, up, up.

Dick climbs.

It hurts his fingers, but he climbs.

When he reaches the top, he presses at the buttons by the steel doors until they slide open. There, Dick finds William waiting for him.

“What are you doing?” William asks, as Dick leaps onto the floor.

Dick juts out his chin. “I don’t want to be a Talon.”

“It’s your destiny, Dick,” William says, tilting Dick’s chin up so Dick has to look him in his unblinking yellow eyes.

“I don’t care,” Dick says, stepping to the side and batting William’s hand away.

“You don’t mean that,” William says. “I saved you from that prison, Dick. I brought you here, so you could become a Talon.” Dick’s heart aches. He knows that William probably only wanted him for the Owls, but having the confirmation still hurts. “You belong here. With me. Don’t you want to stay?”

“No,” Dick says. “I don’t want to be here, so you have to let me go. It’s the law.”

But he doesn’t think the law applies to William. Or if it does, Dick doesn’t think William would care. “I can’t do that,” William says. “You belong here. If I have to hurt you for you to see it, I will. I don’t want to, but I will. Do you understand me, Dick?”

“You’ll hurt me?” Dick asks. William has hurt him already, but in little ways. Bruises and cuts while they trained. The way William says it this time seems worse.

“The Owls have ways to make the Talons listen to them. I didn’t want to have to use them on you. But they demand absolute loyalty.”

“What will they do to me?”

“They will take you apart and study you piece by piece, every organ on display, and then they will stitch you back together. You will be awake the whole time. It will hurt. They will put you somewhere very, very cold until you listen to them. They will make you forget your name, your parents, everything except Talon. I want to spare you that, Dick.”

“I—” Dick trembles. “I—” He feels his knees collapse under him. William catches him and holds him close. “I’m sorry,” Dick whispers. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He doesn’t know what he’s apologizing for, until his hand closes around the hilt of one of the sharp knives tucked into his belt. The ones that William gave him when he graduated from the dull practice ones.

In a single, practiced motion, Dick swipes up and slices a blade across William’s throat.

The Talon releases him instantly, wound gushing black blood. Dick feels his stomach churn. The wound is already starting to heal.

“You’ll regret that,” William hisses.

“No,” Dick says, as he lunges forward and slices William’s neck again, “I won’t. I’m not your Talon. I don’t serve the Owls. I’m a Robin.”

William taught him how to fight. William taught him how to kill.

William’s head falls to the floor, and Dick screams.

---

The first time Dick steals, his hands tremble, and the man catches Dick with his hand halfway into his pocket. Dick runs.

The next time, he forces his hands still and he doesn’t get caught.

Stealing is wrong, but so is killing, and Dick killed William. William saved him, protected him, tried to give him purpose the only way he knew how, and Dick killed him.

He can’t bring himself to regret murder, so he doesn’t regret stealing either.

And the streets—the streets are so, so cold.

---

The years pass, and Dick grows accustomed to the cold—and the starvation, the fear, the danger. He knows how to clock which passersby are targets for his sticky fingers and which he should avoid and which he should absolutely avoid at all costs.

He tries performing acrobatics in the city’s squares, but every time the authorities catch him, he has to move locations, and eventually he’s exhausted all the good ones. It lasts him through the winter, at least, and the next winter he’s able to try again.

Dick missed his ninth birthday in his six months with William. He spends his tenth waiting out a late snowstorm in the cheapest motel room he could find and fighting off the thieves who try to enter. They run. Dick doesn’t kill them. He doesn’t think they’ll mess with him again.

Dick turns eleven. An older kid on the street tries to take the money he picks off a lady with a pearl necklace, and Dick punches him in the stomach hard enough to knock the wind out of him and forces him into an armlock. “Yer good, for a runt.” Dick knows that he’s good for anyone, runt or not. He killed a Talon, after all. “Y’know,” the boy says, “I’ve got a job. Could use some help. Little security.”

“How much?”

“I just gotta listen in on somethin’ goin’ down in this warehouse over on 41st and 3rd. Fifty whole dollars. We can split it. Thirty me, twenty you.”

“Twenty-five,” Dick says. The boy agrees too easily. Dick goes anyway; he needs the money.

At the first sign of trouble, the boy pushes Dick out of their hiding place and makes a break for it. Dick ends up fighting off two of Maroni’s men and saving the boy’s hide. He makes the older boy take him back to his boss and splits the money with him fifty-fifty. “You can call me Mark,” the boy says. “I’m thirteen.”

“I’m Dick,” Dick says. “And I’m eleven.”

“Might wanna choose a different name.”

It’s not the first day of spring, but the weather’s starting to get warmer. Crocuses are sprouting through the pavement—though that might be Poison Ivy’s doing, more than anything else. “Robin,” Dick decides. “I’m Robin.”

He thinks he might have made a friend.

---

Mark hunts for information and sells tidbits of it to the highest bidder. Listens in on mob deals. Roots through the trash for information. With Dick at his side, he gets bolder. Instead of a supplement, information becomes their main dealing.

On Dick’s twelfth birthday, they steal donuts from a stand outside some sort of ritzy novelty donut store and run. When the owner comes chasing after them, they shove the donuts in their mouths and look all innocent, and by then the owner’s spotted more street kids trying to steal the donuts, so he has to rush back.

“I think,” Mark says, as they sit on a rooftop, “this is some kind of good deed or something.”

“Yeah?” Dick asks.

“Yeah.” Mark points at two kids huddled in a nearby alley, chowing down on their stolen donuts. They look about eight or nine. The age Dick was when he entered the streets.

On Dick’s thirteenth birthday, he has no one to celebrate. Mark double-crossed the wrong crime lord and ended up in Gotham Harbor.

From then on, Dick works alone. That is, until he finds a scrappy ten-year-old attempting to whack two guys with a tire iron.

---

“Jason Todd,” the kid introduces himself, once Dick’s sent the guys running and convinced the kid that he wasn’t going to kidnap him and sell him to human traffickers. He looks cleaner than most street kids, not quite as hungry, his clothes not entirely torn. But no ten-year-old would be jacking tires at midnight if he had a family at home.

Dick doesn’t know why he brought the kid back to his hideout, why he decided to share his limited medical supplies, but he did.

“Robin,” Dick tells him, as he wraps a bandage around a nasty cut on Jason’s arm. “How did you get this, Jason?”

Jason shrugs.

“C’mon.”

“When my mom died, they tried to put me in a group home,” Jason says. Dick’s heart sinks. “I wanted out. The mob that ran the place took exception to that.”

“Are they looking for you?” Dick asks. Many of the group homes in Gotham are in league with someone, but the mob ones are rare. If Jason ended up at one of those, his parents might have been involved in something dangerous.

“Don’t know,” Jason says. “Sure they got worse problems to worry ‘bout than me. Can I go now?”

“Yeah,” Dick says. “I’m not keeping you here.”

The kid climbs out his window, and Dick shakes off the urge to stop him.

---

Dick doesn’t like working for Gotham Rogues, but as time has gone by, the mobs have slowly phased out and the Rogues have phased in. He refuses to tangle with the Joker or Scarecrow, but he occasionally collects information for Ivy or Penguin. Two-Face, well, Dick would rather not be anywhere near him, but he’s not the kind of guy you can refuse.

It’s while infiltrating casino security systems for Two-Face that Dick hears about Willis Todd, the traitor. Two-Face has him killed in jail, but it’s not enough to satisfy him. He paces and paces and paces about, until someone suggests going after Willis Todd’s boy, Jason.

Dick’s heart stops in his chest, as Two-Face pauses his pacing.

“There’s an idea,” he says. He flips his coin in the air, and his lips twist into a vicious grin. “Bad heads. Guess that boy’s out of luck.”

No.

---

As a rule, Dick tries not to get involved. He runs information and he fights off any attackers, but he never gets involved in anyone’s actual operations. It’s not his job.

But while it was easy for Dick to not particularly care about various criminals killing each other, he can’t let that grumpy little ten-year-old get killed. Not when he knows that Two-Face is going after him.

Dick searches through the city and finds Jason in Crime Alley, shivering behind a dumpster.

“You’re in danger,” he warns.

“I’m always in danger,” Jason says. “What, here to kidnap me, Robin?”

“I’m here to protect you.”

Jason doesn’t believe him.

So Dick watches. He’s good at watching. He watches as Jason picks pockets and steals tires. He watches for two weeks, until he’s almost convinced that there’s no point in watching at all. And then, he sees five of Two-Face’s men corner the kid in an alleyway.

Dick drops down, joining the fray. Only, these are no ordinary goons. They fight like men possessed, like they’re doped up on some sort of substance—and Dick knows, from his recent surveillance of Ivy, that they probably are. Dick still has the knives William gave him, even after all these years. For once, he uses them. He may be out of practice, but, well, he doesn’t need much practice to shove a sharp object into a man’s gut and twist.

“R-robin?” Jason asks, voice shaky, as three of the men run away. Two lie on the cobblestones, dead.

Dick knows that if he hadn’t met William, such a display would’ve terrified him. He inclines his head. “I’m sorry, Jason.”

“Thank you,” Jason says. And then, despite the fact that Dick is carrying sharp knives and has just committed two murders, the kid rushes forward and wraps his arms around Dick’s waist. Dick returns the hug. He missed hugs so much, and this—

—this is the best.

“I killed them, Jay,” Dick says.

“Those men, they hung around my dad,” Jason says. “They were…they were real mean.”

Dick pulls him closer, wrapping his arms around Jason’s shoulders. He keeps his touch light, so Jason can easily draw away at any time. He’s dangerous. Jason shouldn’t want to be held by him. But the kid just keeps clinging. “I have a place to stay,” Dick offers.

And Jason—Jason accepts.

---

After defeating Two-Face’s men, Dick has to go back on the down-low for a while. No more major information-gathering, just tiny crumbs here and there. But with him and Jason living together, they can split the work. Dick teaches him all the best pickpocketing tricks, all the ways to hide on alleyways and rooftops, how to know which information is worth selling. Jason teaches him how to jack tires and how to make himself sound more like a Crime Alley native and the stories his mom used to tell him.

Dick learns that Jason loves reading and adds books from charity stores to their limited budget. He watches Jason curl up at night with one of their flashlights, poring over Jane Austen and Emily Dickinson and Shakespeare. Sometimes, he reads them out loud, and Dick listens, providing commentary. With the Shakespeare, Jason often asks Dick to read for different characters, so they can have a mini play in their ramshackle hide-out.

It makes Dick feel like he’s almost good, for the first time since his parents fell.

---

“Little Wing?” Jason echoes, wrinkling his nose.

Dick pulls him closer as they huddle together for warmth. It’s a long, cold winter. “Because I’m Robin. And you’re little. So you’re Little Wing!”

“I’m not a bird,” Jason sulks.

“Well, then,” Dick says. “I’ll just have to teach you to fly.”

---

Rooftops are no match for Robin and his Blue Jay apprentice. Neither, they decide, are the tops of trains. It’s dangerous. It’s stupid. But Dick is sixteen and Jason is eleven. They should be playing games with their classmates in school, and this is the closest they can get.

“Watch me, Little Wing!” Dick calls, doing a flip on top of the moving train. “Wait, no, don’t copy me, Jay—"

---

“My real name,” Dick says one day, “is Richard Grayson. I was part of a travelling circus.”

Jason laughs. “Pull the other one.”

“Really! My best friend was an elephant and everything.” Dick’s heart pangs as he thinks of Little Zitka. He never did get her back from William. But he’s sixteen now, and far too old for stuffed animals anyway.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well,” Dick says, “then I’ll just have to convince you.”

---

All good things must come to an end. Jason says he’s going out, and he never comes back. Dick spends days asking around, and the rumors are conclusive: Batman found a boy trying to steal his tires and stole him instead.

Dick thinks back to when he first met Batman, with his cape and cowl and funny suit. Dick had thought that, just because he wasn’t normal like the other adults, he could be trusted.

But Dick knows better now. In the circus, strange was good. Strange was safe. But in Gotham? Strange is Two-Face and Joker and Scarecrow. Strange is William. And Dick can’t trust normal or strange.

Dick knows he can’t go up against Batman, even with six months of training to be a Talon, even with his experience fighting on the streets. He should just leave it and move on.

But Jay—

Wherever he is, he must be so scared.

Batman may not serve the Court of Owls and he may not kill, but he still hunts on the streets at night. Just like a Talon. And Dick will never leave Jason in the hands of a man like William.

---

Poking around inevitably gets Dick caught. Trapped between Batman and the police department, he makes the obvious decision, and gets picked up by social services. He’ll be out within a day.

Only, apparently, he’s the subject of an eight-year-long missing person case, several conspiracy theories, and a never-ending investigation. With everyone watching him, it’s impossible for Dick to slip through the cracks.

It’s the same story that happened eight years ago. No room in the system. Dick is sixteen and a runaway and everyone knows he’s a thief. No one’s going to adopt him, and he probably belongs in jail anyway.

They send him to the youth center again. This time, Dick can’t say he blames them.

---

Dick stretches down and lazily pushes into a handstand, wandering around upside-down as he thinks.

“Quit it, Richie,” his cellmate grunts from the top bunk.

“Fuck you,” Dick responds, balancing on one hand to give the guy the middle finger.

“I said quit it!”

It’s not a battle worth fighting. Dick sighs, walking himself back into a standing position. He lets himself fall down onto the bottom bunk, bouncing his foot.

Dick just has to wait a couple of days for this all to blow over, and then he can escape back onto the streets and continue his search for Jason. But the waiting is so, so painful. How does he know that Batman isn’t a Talon? Just because people say he doesn’t kill doesn’t mean it’s actually true. Jason could be alone with a Talon.

What if Dick didn’t actually kill William for good? What if that man has is little brother, right now? What if he’s doing all those things he said the Court did to Talons to make them obey?

Dick is startled out of his thoughts by the cell door clanging open. “C’mon,” the guard says.

“Where are we going?” Dick asks, but as usual, the adult doesn’t listen to him. They never do, unless Dick is useful, and here? Dick is useless.

The guard leads him to the social worker. Dick knows she’s the social worker because she has the same, pinched-looking face that he’d remember for a thousand years. Her hair is put up into the same tight bun, only now it’s streaked with grey. “Congratulations, Richard,” she says. “You’re being fostered.”

Dick’s first thought is that it has to be the Court, but he immediately dismisses the idea. Since he got rid of William, the Court’s been predictable about where they popped up, and they’ve never made a move on him. Dick is seventeen. All they have to do is wait six months and then they wouldn’t have to even bother with CPP. It would be stupid for the Court to have engineered this.

But Dick knows that seventeen-year-olds don’t just get fostered.

“Now?” He asks incredulously.

“Yes, now,” the woman snaps.

“Don’t I have anything to say about this?”

The social worker—Ms. Cleary, she introduced herself, apparently seventeen-year-old Dick is more worthy of her name than eight-year-old Dick was—scoffs. “Just be grateful you’re being fostered.”

“But…shouldn’t I at least meet the guy first?” Dick asks. That’s how it had worked with William—not that it had done any good at the time.

“Mr. Wayne is not some ‘guy,’ Richard,” Cleary tells him sharply. “He is one of Gotham’s first citizens.”

“One of Gotham’s first citizens,” Dick mutters under his breath. “Yeah, right.” He’s heard of ‘Mr. Wayne.’ Not involved in any organized crime, any smuggling business, any anything. He just goes to parties and donates absurd amounts of money to causes that barely help at all. Wayne isn’t particularly powerful or influential, not in the underworld where it really matters. He’s just rich.

“You’ll show him the proper respect.”

“Sure.”

Outside of the youth center, Dick can see birds perched on the barbed-wire-topped fence. He wonders if any of them are robins.

“Hello, Richard,” the man says, holding out a hand for Dick to shake. Dick eyes it distrustfully.

“Richard,” Cleary hisses, and Dick rolls his eyes and shakes Wayne’s hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Bruce says. “You’ll be my ward until you’ve turned eighteen.”

“Why?” Dick asks.

“Don’t mind him,” Cleary says loudly.

Wayne blinks. William didn’t blink. “It’s a reasonable question, Ms. Cleary.” He turns to Dick. “I was there that night at the circus. I had wanted to foster you, but you went missing before I could.”

“Went missing?” Dick asks. He hadn’t spared much thought for what he was registered as in the foster system, just that he couldn’t be caught by them.

“Yes, you disappeared one night, you’ll remember,” Ms. Cleary says. “We suspected you ran. No body was ever found. It was such a relief when you turned up.”

But that’s wrong. They handed him off to William. He had always—he had always thought that that part, at least, was legitimate.

Dick can see Wayne’s eyes flickering between him and Cleary with far too much intelligence for the bumbling idiot Bruce Wayne. “Let’s just go,” Dick says. He doesn’t have a bag to hoist over his shoulder, just his brown pants and the grey-green shirt on his back that reads “Gotham.” Dick thinks it’s right, this time. He does belong to the city.

It turns out that Wayne isn’t driving. Instead that’s handled by his butler. Wayne sits in the back seat with Dick. Dick tries to avoid his searching gaze.

“If you let me out here,” Dick says, “you can just tell them I ran away. I’m a flight risk, apparently.”

“Apparently,” Wayne echoes. He shakes his head. “I meant what I said. I have another ward. He’s currently staying with a friend of mine, but he’ll be back in a few days. I wish I could have taken you in earlier, but at least this way, I can help you as best I can.”

“Help me?” Dick rolls his eyes. “I don’t need help, Wayne. Just give me six months and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“Call me Bruce,” Wayne says. Dick thinks he won’t, thank you very much. “Do you have a nickname, Richard?”

Dick can’t hide the flinch. (William asked the same question. William cared, only so he could use it against him.)

Wayne frowns. “Alright. I am…truly sorry that I wasn’t able to help you earlier.”

“Not your fault,” Dick shrugs. “I ran away, didn’t you hear?”

“No,” Wayne says deep in thought. “I don’t think you did.”

Dick refuses to talk the rest of the car ride.

---

Alfred shows him to his room and tells him to be down for dinner in an hour. Dick doesn’t go. He wants to see what will happen. If Wayne will tire of him, or get angry, or what. Alfred knocks on his door. “It is time for dinner, Master Richard.”

Dick could play this out further, but he’s hungry. He goes downstairs and stares suspiciously at the food Alfred serves him.

“Is it not to your liking?”

The food smells delicious. Dick’s more worried that it’s drugged.

But he has to sleep eventually, and if they wanted, Wayne and Alfred could drug him then. So he eats the food.

When he goes to bed that night, he locks the door and barricades it with a desk and a chair and he’s not even really sure why.

---

Over the next few days, Dick dodges Wayne’s attempts to talk to him. He won’t let himself be sucked into something. As soon as Wayne gets bored of him, Dick can be back on the streets, searching for Jason. Only, Wayne doesn’t seem to be getting bored easily.

Dick takes the GED study books that Alfred hands him. He thinks Jason would’ve loved the literature one.

Hell, Jason would’ve loved everything about this place. The food, the butler like out of one of his mystery novels, the library. But Jason has been kidnapped by Batman. By now, he could be dead, or worse.

“My other ward is coming home tonight,” Wayne tells Dick at dinner. “I’d like you to meet him.”

“Yeah, sure.” Dick bets it’s some snotty rich kid. At least if he can offend the brat, then Wayne might finally kick him out. Dick’s starting to get desperate, and he’s only a couple days away from moving from backtalk and eyerolling to outright theft. It’s a fine line to walk; troublesome enough that Wayne doesn’t care about him anymore, but not so troublesome that he ends up having to deal with the cops.

---

Dick stands by the door with Wayne. The man tried to put a hand on his shoulder, but the second Dick flinched, Wayne started apologizing, and Dick had called him Bruce just to shut him up. It’s pretty clear, at this point, that Wayne is nothing like William. He’s just an idiot.

The doorbell rings, and in walks a tall man with glasses, who looks like he’s trying to hide himself by curling inwards. And behind him—behind him is—

“Jason?” Dick can’t help but gasp.

“Robin?”

And before Dick can ask what the heck is going on, Jason has rushed forwards and wrapped himself around Dick, clinging to him like a barnacle.

“I…see you’ve already met?” Wayne asks awkwardly. 

“Little Wing,” Dick says. Jason may be clinging to him like a barnacle, but Dick isn’t letting go anytime soon either. “I thought—Batman got you.”

Out of the corner of Dick’s eye, he sees Wayne pale. Shit.

Dick extracts himself from Jason’s grasp and turns to face Wayne, putting himself in front of Jason like a shield.

“Wait,” Jason says, tugging on Dick’s sleeve. “He’s safe. I promise.”

Dick knows better than to trust an adult. But Jason pulls him upstairs and, well, as long as Dick is watching his Little Wing, he knows he’s safe. That’s enough for now.

---

Dick’s used to hiding. Jason might not know where Batman works, but it’s easy enough for Dick to stay up and track him downstairs to his study, to turn the hands of the clock, to walk down into the cave underneath Wayne Manor. Jason said that Wayne is safe, but Dick had thought that William was safe too. Kids can be tricked.

Dick watches as Wayne performs stretches, looks something up on the Batcomputer, frowns. It doesn’t seem like he’s keeping any kids prisoner down here, at least. Dick slips through the cave to a row of what appear to be holding cells. No one is there.

“Richard.”

Dick startles, turning around to see Wayne watching him. He’s wearing the Batman costume now, though the cowl isn’t on yet. “Wayne,” Dick says.

Wayne sighs. “Please just call me Bruce.”

“Batman,” Dick says, because Wayne clearly takes exception to the use of his last name, but he can’t protestthis.

“How did you find the cave?” Wayne asks.

Dick shrugs. “Followed you.” He walks over to the Batcomputer to look at the screen, careful to keep Wayne within his peripheral vision. “Why did you really decide to foster us?”

Wayne pauses. “I’m…not sure what you mean?”

Dick walks over to the training mats, where there’s a wall of weapons. He withdraws two knives, twirling them with his fingers. “I won’t let you train Jason,” he says.

Wayne props his elbow on the desk with the Batcomputer and rests his chin in his hand. He watches Dick, gaze scrutinizing. “Someone trained you.”

Dick thinks for a moment. The Court, he could deal with. With William gone, they didn’t seem particularly interested in him anymore. But Batman? Dick doesn’t think he and Jason would be able to avoid Batman for long. And Batman, well, he hunts criminals and he supposedly doesn’t kill. There are worse monsters to serve.

Dick isn’t a child anymore. Jason is.

“Yes,” he says. Dick looks over at the training dummies and tries to blink the visions of the Court’s marble corridors from his eyes. He lets the knives fly from his hands and embed themselves in two of the dummies’ hearts. “Whatever you want, my help will be more than enough.”

A pained expression flickers across Wayne’s face. “I didn’t bring Jason or you here to train.”

Dick doesn’t believe him. He’s long past falling for pretty lies.

“I swear,” Wayne says. “If you want, you will never have to fight again.”

Like Dick has ever had a choice. He doesn’t know what to say, so he falls back on the bottom line. “If you try to train Jason, I’ll kill you.”

Wayne’s mouth opens and then closes. “That won’t be necessary,” he says eventually. “Someone hurt you, Richard. I know it’s difficult to believe I won’t do the same, but I promise. I won’t hurt you or Jason, and I won’t ever make you do something you don’t want to do.” Dick meets Wayne’s eyes, watches his emotions swirl within the blue irises. Wayne blinks first. “I hope you can let me prove it to you.”

Dick doesn’t know quite what to say to that. Wayne seems too good to be true, just like William did. Dick has no reason to trust him.

But Dick doesn’t need to trust Bruce to give him a chance.

“Dick,” he says suddenly.

“What?”

“It’s my nickname. No one calls me Richard. My name’s Dick Grayson.” 

[gildedmuse]

hey new moot :) may I request some shuggy hcs? I am unhealthily obsessed w them. could be fluffy or angsty or spicy or anything in between <3333

Hi everyone, this is @kilucore one of my new best friends. They've only really seen OPLA but already loves Buggy. Now I just have to brainwash them into believing his full name is Buggy D Clown and he's the true King Of The Pirates.

This isn't what they asked for but it's what my mind gave me. Later, I'll do a Buggy/Shanks AU. It will involve Shanks in a poly relationship and Buggy being a jealous bitch.

I love thes idiots.

The Captain Gets The Hat

"I used to know a pirate who wore a hat just like this... We served together on a pirate crew when we we're about your age.... "

"Until he betrayed me."

—💙—

"But why not go to the South Blue? There's tons of treasure there!"

"But we're already here! And who knows, since there are so little pirates here in the East Blue, there could be all sorts of treasure that no one has found yet! "

"But it's boring! Even Roger said it was-"

"Don't say his name!"

A while ago, before the crew broke up, before they all just abandoned them, Rayleigh had gotten Buggy a new pair of shoes. They were big and red and Biggy hates them, but Rayleigh said he should wear them anyway. "They're harder to slip in. Safer."

Right now, Buggy doesn't want to be safe. He wants to be pissed off.

Still even as he storms across the wooden pier, the shows made almost no sound at all. It didn't matter how much weight he throw into each step or how hard he brought his foot down. His storming away sounded more like a gentle breeze.

The worst part is he could feel Shanks watching the whole time.

"Hey." At least the shoes don't stop Buggy from being able to swat Shanks's hand away when the other boy tries setting it on his shoulder. "Come on, don't be like that. Why do you want to stay in the East anyway? "

"Because-" Buggy stops, even as he turns to glare at Shanks. The boy has such a bright infectious smile, he makes you feel like everything would be alright.

Only it wouldn't, would it? Not even Shanks's smile could bring back Roger, bring back their FAMILY. Even old Crocus is gone and the last place any of them knew that any of the others would be is in the East. Is in Lougetown.

Is standing below the tower where they-

"Because the East is easy pickings!" Buggy argues, motioning around to all the sailors, the shoppers, the passing Marines not paying them an ounce of attention. "We can do whatever we want and no one can stop us!" And if the others do come looking, they'll be here. Waiting.

Shanks puts on his "serious" face for a moment, though truth be told it's not very serious. "Hmmm... Well, I'm the captain and I say we're going North!" He declares with a huge, cocky grin. The kind that looks like their da-

Like Ro-

Like a pirate.

"You just said So-" Buggy starts to correct before Shanks's words really start to creepy in. His eyes go wide. He did not just say that! No way! "What make you think YOU'RE the captain!?"

Shanks can't be captain! There is only one captain! You can't have two captains and they all know-

They all....

He can't be captain!

"I have the hat!" Shanks declairs in his same light hearted tone, patting the Strawhat Roger had given him WAY before Shanks had been old enough to be captain. He's only 14 now! He barely even has facial hair (Buggy knows, him and Shanks have been comparing for years now waiting to see whose would grow in first) ! "That makes me that captain!"

"That's not true!" Buggy argues, swinging to grab for the stupid Strawhat. Shanks just laughs, taking a wide step back. That is unfair! Buggy hasn't had time to his his growth spurt yet. "Give it here! I deserve to be captain!"

Shanks sticks out his tongue. "Hey, maybe if you're really nice I'll make you my first mate!"

Buggy's face went as red as his nose. He isn't first mate!

Roger is the captain! Rayleigh is first mate! Shanks and him are just- are just-

"Give it here!" Buggy demands, jumping for the raggy hat again.

"That's a very rude way for a first mate to act."

"I said give it here!"

"Maybe I should demote you to cabin boy."

"Grr, I wouldn't be your boy if yours was the last ship in the se-"

SPLASH!!

Buggy tries to draw in a deep breath but the water is already sucking him down. Ocean fills his lungs, weighing him down even more. Trying to push the water aside is like trying to swim through concrete. He can still see the sun twinkling above, reflecting the blue of the water all around him but it's fading. Everything is getting darker.

Is this how Roger felt? No! No not Roger! He must have been brave! He wouldn't be scared or drowning or poleaxes or death. Roger isn't afraid of anything.

Bubbles float out from his mouth, the last of his air leaving his lungs. They pop silently before even hitting the surface, but Buggy heard them in the ocean all around him.

Shanks don't be a captain. Don't be like Roger.

Don't leave me.

The next thing he knows, Buggy can feel the splinters digging into his back, through the worn out shirt he'd owned too many years. The one that didn't fit Nantoto anymore and had been passed along, first to Shanks than to Buggy.

Two worried brown eyes stare down at him, with Shanks's hair a dark, wet red, sticking to his pink cheeks.

Buggy coughs water upon him. "Ehh!" Shanks laughs it all off, brushing it away. "Hey no spitting! And here I thought Raylogh gave you those shoes so you WOULDN'T end up in the sea!"

He can joke, about Buggy is still mad. "I hate these shoes!" He screams, ripping them off and chucking them in the sea. Without him in them they float. Just like everything, he is what is bringing them down. It's him. It's him that got sick, him that stopped Shanks seeing Laughtail. "I hate this fruit! I hate this stupid, stupid sea and it's stupid Marines!" Him that ate the fruit that could have maybe been the fruit Crocus always talked about, the one that could save Rogers' life. Its his fault they're all gone! No wonder no one of the crew came to see them!

He pushes himself up swiping at Shanks's leg as he does so.. the boy trips slightly but keeps from falling into the water.

"Hey, wait!" Shanks scurries to his feet as Buggy starts to march off. "Where are you going? The ship is that way? Wow, you must be really water logged after-"

"YOUR ship is that way!" Buggy snaps, not even turning around to look back at the other teenager. "I don't need you, you know! I can be my own captain!"

"Buggy...."

And maybe it is there is something in Shanks's voice that just reminds Biggy so much of Roger, of his old captain, he has to stop. And maybe it's just because it's Shanks. But in an instance Buggy found e couldn't move forward, not with out one last look back.

Shanks is taller than him. His hair is the same color as Buggy's nose, though he'd give you a black eye if you said so. His face is as bright as the sun and his heart as unpredictable as the sea. It makes Buggy's stomach hurt just looking at him.

And in that moment, Shanks wouldn't look at him either. His face was hidden, the shadow from the brim of his hat covering whatever he might be feeling. Buggy wishes he could hide away like that. His emotions feel as obvious as the nose on his face. His heart feels like it wants to escape his chest and run back to the sea.

Maybe to drown. Maybe to see if Shanks would jump in after it a second time.

"Do you know what this means?" Shanks asks, slowly lifting his chin, meeting Buggy's eyes. He feels so young compared to the other boy in the moment. He can see something in Shanks. A spark. A future. Something Buggy wants to steal but not to take it from Shanks.

Just so he can hold it, just so wherever that spark goes, Buggy will too.

"We'll be rivals!" Buggy shoots back, trying to muster his anger. "We'll both be captains and-"

Shanks shakes his head and Buggy finds himself choking on his own words. Its the boy's smile. "No," he says, taking a step closer before that smile blooms into something larger, something beautiful.

And before Buggy can react Shanks has thrown himself across the dock and right into Buggy's arms. Its so forceful Buggy nearly trips backwards right into the water but even without his special shoes, Shanks holds tight, and he stays on the dock.

"It means we're allies!" Shanks declairs, pulling back only to pat Buggy's shoulders. He is absolutely glowing. Like this is what he wants. Maybe this is what he'd been waiting for. "From now on, we're our own captains, but we're also allies! And whenever you need me I'll be there and when I need you, you'll be there! I'll cheer on all your greatest victories and you're revenge all my worst losses! Just like the best allies!"

And the way that spark shown in Shanks, Buggy couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah!" He agrees, taking Shanks'e hand in his own, sealing the pack. "We're going to be the greatest allies the seas have ever seen!"

"Like two captains but one crew!" Shanks promises. "I'll always be there fore you! No matter what!"

—💙—

The applause dims as Buggy sweeps back into the backroom of his ship. The smile he'd worn for the crowd immediately slips away. "Well," he demands, snapping at Cabaji before.... Well, ignoring Richie altogether. You could never tell with Richie.

"it was great boss!" Someone cheers and the rest are quick to join in, heaping on the praise. Buggy just keeps sauntering on the back of the ship. To their poster board, listing all their upcoming preformance. "The best anyone in this sad little town has ever seen that's for-"

"Yeah for US!" Buggy snaps, the sarcasm dripping from his lips even more than his make up. "BUT WAS HE HERE?!"

His hand slams down on the poster.

Shanks is older now. He has three scars, ones Buggy int see him get. He's taller but it's the same smile. Buggy would know that spark anywhere.

A silence falls over the preformers. No one wants to say it. They all remember what happened to Kiki.

"What is the POINT!?" Buggy screams, turning his ire on the freaks, these losers, this pathetic lot who couldn't get the attention of one stupid, childish man in a silly hat. "Of putting on the greatest show if it's not seen by the greatest PEOPLE!?"

"Well...." Lionel suggests gently after a ong pause where Buggy looks at each of them , eyebrow raised. Huh? Well... Come on. Is there a single. Solidarity idea in those stupid heads of yours!? "You know, maybe he just hasn't been to the East bl---" The knife to his throat cuts off whatever he had been trying to say.

"Are you saying I can't get his ATTENTION!? That somehow, because I STAYED WHERE WE WERE SUPPOSE TO, WHERE ROGER LEFT US THAT I-"

Buggy pauses, looking out the porthole of the ship. Waling back into town where happy families, kids with Cotten candies, stuffed dolls held under couple arms. Such a perfect, happy little picture. Like a spark of sunshine.

"Don't just stand there," Buggy snaps without turning around. " Help your fellow freak. This is why I can't have SAG members on this crew, I swear, " Buggy jokes as a few of the underlings rush forward putting pressure to Lionel's wounds.

All while Buggy watches a happy little family heading back. The dad with his daughter in the shoulder. The other holding her stuffed toy, ruffling the girls hair. Such a happy little couple. Such a happy family.

"I think...." buggy says, tearing the wanted poster from their billboard, letting it crumble in his fist. "You're right. If we want attention we need to go... Bigger."

His laugh fills the boat, and then the ship, and even as the canons start to ring out and the buildings collapse you can still here him. Laughing.

You want to be allies, Shanks? Why not come see his latest victory with your own eyes. He promises. It will be bigger and badder than even you can ignore.

[she-karev]

Costume Contest (Jolex Halloween Imagine)

Costume Contest (Jolex Halloween Imagine)

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: One of Four

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Alex Karev x Jo Wilson/Jo Karev

Canon Episode: Between Season 18 Episode 4 and 5

AN: Happy Halloween guys! So this story was last minute when I felt like Jolex needed a Halloween one shot. Like and reblog below and let me know what you think.

Summary: Alex Karev decides to compete at Joe’s Halloween Costume Contest choosing to dress as the Joker to work. He finds out his sister Amber dressed up as the Joker too to their spouse’s amusement. They later show up that night at the bar in the same costume again where the winner is declared.

Words: 2751

October 31, 2021

“So it’s Luna’s first Halloween, any plans for tonight?” Andrew asks his sister-in-law Jo Karev at the attendings lounge where they are relaxing before their shifts. Despite Jo switching to OB she still frequents the lounge due to finding it more appealing than the residents lounge. She is clad in her pale pink scrubs while DeLuca is in his navy scrubs and sipping coffee across from each other on the table.

Jo groans clearly detested, “I was gonna have a quiet night in, eat candy, ignore the trick or treaters and watch Halloween movies with my family like we usually do. But for some reason Alex is in a Halloween hype this year. He even decided to enter the costume contest at Joe’s which he normally calls a clown car competition. I would find it cute if it wasn’t out of character.”

“Yeah well try being married to the Karev who was already a Halloween fanatic when we started dating.” Andrew shares about his wife Amber who is Alex’s sister, “Every year on Halloween Amber and I always go to the movies to check out the scariest movie showing and then after she spends about three hours putting together a costume that always wins her a 100-dollar gift card at Joe’s.”

“That sounds nice.”

Andrew chuckles darkly, “Clearly you haven’t seen the movies Amber drags me to see. Have you ever seen Terrifier? The one with the mime that smiles and eviscerates people?”

Jo’s eyes widen at that terrifying image, “I haven’t even heard of it until now.”

“Then you are extremely lucky.” Andrew commends sipping his coffee, “I couldn’t eat any meat after Art the Clown sawed that naked girl in half while she was hanging upside down.”

Jo stops chewing the bran muffin she was eating before swallowing and putting her breakfast down, “Thanks for making me lose my appetite. What’s Amber’s costume this year? Something as horrifying as what you just told me?”

“I have no idea.” Jo raises an eyebrow at his lack of knowledge, “She always wants it to be a surprise and insists I leave early so she can get ready. She wants to wear the costume during work.”

“Huh, weird that’s what Alex is doing too.”

“What’s his costume gonna be?” Andrew asks just as the door opens revealing Alex Karev as The Joker from The Dark Knight. Jo chuckles in shock at her husband clad in a purple suit, messy green wig and clown makeup that makes him look exactly like Heath Ledger as the infamous villain.

Andrew DeLuca looks taken back by his brother-in-law’s commitment to his costume that is the same as Amber’s which makes him feel disturbed at this similarity.

“Why so serious?” Alex asks causing Jo to laugh while he stands in front of her with a smile lifting her hand up to his lips for a kiss, “You complete me.”

“Oh my god!” Jo exclaims with a smile seeing her husband going to get himself a cup of coffee.

“What do you guys think?” Alex asks normal with a smile, “Am I a shoe in tonight or what?”

“Honey, I know you said you wanted to win but don’t you think your overdoing this just a little bit?” Jo looks at his eyes and smiles, “Are you wearing my eyeliner?”

“Hey, this suit is expensive I gotta keep a budget somewhere.” Jo laughs at this while DeLuca chuckles, “Yeah laugh now but tonight everyone is gonna love this and vote for me and we’ll see who gets the last laugh. Ha-ha-ha!”

“We’ll I wouldn’t hold my breath man. My wife is entering the contest too and she has won every year.” Alex raises an eyebrow and motions himself up and down at the spectacular costume he worked hard on, “Although it looks like she might have some competition this year.”

The door opens once again revealing Amber in her costume as The Joker from the 2019 movie Joker. She is wearing a red suit with a yellow three button vest and teal button down with red and black loafers. Her face is painted in the same style as Joaquin Phoenix’s in the famous movie with her hair tucked inside a green wig.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elizabeth Gillies (@lizgillz)

Jo gasps and laughs at this coincidence causing Andrew to turn while he sips his drink and spits his coffee out in shock of seeing his wife wearing the same costume as her brother. Once the shock dies, he can’t help the laugh that escapes him and joins Jo while Amber smiles and recites a quote of the man she’s dressed as.

“Is it just me or is it getting crazier out there?” This makes her husband and sister-in-law laugh harder making Amber confused, “What?”

She looks up to see Alex standing by the coffee table in his Joker costume as well with a sly grin and waving at her mockingly. The sight makes her frown and it agitates her that her brother is stealing her Halloween spotlight.

“Oh, come on!” Amber exclaims in anger, “You lazy copycat!”

“Me copycat? You copycat!” Alex retorts offended.

“Since when do you dress up for Halloween?” Amber asks dumbfounded, “You always said I was childish for doing it and now what you decided to upstage me like always?”

“Amber despite what you think I want to dress up for me and me only this has nothing to do with you.” Amber rolls her eyes at the explanation, “So how do you think the audience is gonna pick which Joker to vote for? I’m the oldest and my guy came first so how about I be Joker 1?”

Amber’s eyes widen at that as she realizes what he’s insinuating, “You’re entering the contest? Your gonna wear this at Joe’s tonight and compete against me as the Joker?”

Alex shrugs nonchalantly not seeing the problem but Amber chuckles evilly before proclaiming, “No! No, no, no, no, no, no and have I mentioned no! You have to change!”

Alex scoffs, “Oh no kid I am wearing my wifes makeup, you have to change.”

Amber groans and turns to Jo who looks frightened at being involved in this scrap, “Jo tell off your husband for me and get him to change his costume that he procrastinated last minute while I have been working on mine for a year!”

Alex scoffs and looks at DeLuca who is already regretting being here, “And DeLuca maybe you can tell your wife that Halloween isn’t just her night and that other people deserve a chance to compete against her and win because she is not the center of the universe.”

“Okay both of you enough!” Jo says sternly causing the Jokers to quiet, “Look it’s clear that the two of you are especially childish today and me and DeLuca don’t feel like getting in the middle of your sibling rivalry so here is what will happen. The both of you will change costumes and go as something else for the contest tonight.”

The Karev’s look wide eyed at that with Amber responding, “What?! Jo it’s Halloween day where are we gonna find a costume before tonight?”

“I don’t care, just find something else.” Jo turns to Alex who looks offended at her request, “Honey you work in peds I’m sure you can find a costume and avoid murdering your sister.”

“Bella, I love you but you’ve won the last three years, just dust off on of your many costumes.” Andrew suggests to his wife’s ire, “Hey here’s an idea how about you go as a couple of doctors in a hospital with a very strict dress code policy? Now come on go change shift is about to start and I’m pretty sure clown makeup is not sanitary for the OR.”

Amber groans but follows suit leaving the lounge before having one last complaint, “I spent all year on this!”

She slams the door closed causing Alex to roll his eyes before going to the restroom to change. As the door closes DeLuca and Jo laugh out loud at what just transpired loving this spooky holiday more and more.

That Night

“I can’t believe you got me to agree to compete with you and wear this seriously uncomfortable costume that is giving me a wedgie.” Jo complains as she untightens her underwear under the leather costume.

Instead of going as the Joker, Alex improvised and went straight to the costume shop where there were limited options. His hope seemed lost until he found a Batman costume from the circa 1966 show. He also found a Catwoman costume from the same show that gave him an idea on the best way to win the contest.

Instead of competing solo, he has a better chance of winning with his gorgeous wife who looks especially beautiful in the black catsuit with a gold belt and with a cat mask around her face. The blue spandex costume Alex is wearing is breathable with the mask loose around his face. Unlike his wife’s that she has been complaining about since she put it on.

And to ensure a slam dunk, Alex got a Robin onesie for Luna with a tiny yellow cape. They walk inside the lively bar with their little sidekick inside the stroller as the Monster Mash plays over the bar.

“It’s just for tonight and after we beat my sister who thinks she’s the queen of Halloween. Let me tell you that crown gives her a big head.” Alex chuckles looking at Robin inside the stroller, “But we’ll show her won’t we Little Robin? The Dynamic Duo cannot be beat especially when Robin is the cutest person in this whole party.”

Jo sighs at this competitive side of Alex, “Okay babe this whole over competitive Halloween spirit was really amusing at first but don’t you think your taking things a little too far?”

“That chicks going down.” Alex proclaims seriously.

“Seriously though what is with this whole…Jack Skellington act you have this year?” Jo asks Alex, “I mean any other year you would insist we stay in, watch scary movies, eat candy and ignore the trick or treaters. What’s so different?”

Alex’s serious expression turns thoughtful as he collects his thoughts before responding, “This past year has been hell for all of us and not just because of the pandemic. Meredith almost died, DeLuca almost died, Luna almost died, Amber had PTSD, Avery left, my hospital got bought, everything was a disaster.”

Jo looks at Alex sympathetic over their struggles in 2020, “But then the vaccine finally came out and covid became something we could live with. Things finally became stable and…I realized I’ve been taking my joy for granted. I never really enjoyed things that used to make me happy. Growing up I loved Halloween, trick or treating with my brother and sister, dressing up, I loved it but then I grew up. So I decided to remember a time I was happy with the people who make me happy. We can’t take our lives for granted anymore and I cannot waste a moment with my family.”

Jo grins at that heartwarming confession wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, “You make us happy too, more than you know. And if celebrating this holiday makes you happy then I’ll support you. I mean I’m wearing this ridiculous costume just for a chance to win 100 dollars of food and drinks at Joe’s.”

“Have I mentioned you look purrrrfect?”

Jo smirks, “And here I was thinking that was a Batarang I felt in your pants.”

Alex grins lustfully at his wife until he sees Amber walking across the bar in a new costume. Amber is also Catwoman but instead of the show she is wearing the costume from Tim Burton’s Batman Returns with a whip by her side. The sight sours his mood suddenly at this coincidence once again.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Elizabeth Gillies (@lizgillz)

“Are you freaking kidding me?”

Jo narrows her eyes confused and turns around seeing what upset him to her annoyance, “Oh my god really this again?”

Amber sees the couple and she approaches them with a peeved look, “Seriously? It wasn’t enough you copied me you had to copy me and husband too?! Are you kidding me?!”

“Yes Amber me and Jo knew you guys were dressing up as Batman and Catwoman and decided to steal it.” Alex retorts sarcastically causing Jo to roll her eyes at this fight, “Except unlike Jo you can’t pull off that costume at all.”

“Do not make me use this whip on you Alexander Michael Karev!” Amber yells as her husband Andrew stands by her side annoyed at this with Jo. Like Alex he is dressed like Batman from the Batman Returns movie to pair with Amber’s black leather stitched up catsuit.

Andrew puts his arm around his angry wife to calm her down, “Okay guys this is getting ridiculous, break it up and let the audience decide who’s the best Batman and Catwoman and we can finally settle this stupid feud once and for all and we can get back to sanity.”

Jo tries to pull Alex away from his sister, “Yeah come on honey you look way better anyways.”

Amber chuckles sarcastically, “Please my Batman actually has abs, and that show is so 1960’s. Try not to cry when we beat you.”

“Please cry so I can bask in the joy.” Alex retorts walking away with Jo and Luna leaving the DeLuca’s behind. Andrew raises an eyebrow at his wife who notices.

“What?”

“Was that argument really necessary?” Andrew asks both amused and annoyed, “We can spend 100 dollars at Joe’s without the card. Is this petty feud really worth it?”

“Hey you marry me, you marry my petty sibling rivalries.” Amber points out.

“Is it too late for an annulment?” Amber glares at Andrew smacking his arm with the whip, “Ow! I’m joking jeez! Can we just enjoy ourselves before we go up onstage and settle this ridiculous contest once and for all?”

Amber eyes soften at that proposal, “well you are catnip to a girl like me. Let’s go.” Andrew grins at that as his wife holds his hand leading him to the bar where they have a drink.

Later

After getting on stage and presenting themselves to the audience with other competitors and having ballots cast. The Karev siblings and their spouses wait impatiently as the bartender goes up to announce the winner.

“We all saw some great costumes tonight but only one can be the winner. Hang on to your hats goblins and ghouls cause the winner of this year’s costume contest is…” The bartender opens the envelope with Amber and Alex looking on anxiously, “Alex and Jo Karev as Batman and Catwoman!”

The audience erupts in claps and yells with Alex and Jo laughing at this before going up with Luna and getting their prize. Amber stands them dejected with a frown but reluctantly claps for her family with Andrew who grins squeezing her leather shoulder in comfort before pulling her in for a kiss to her head.

Alex and Jo walk down stage and approach his sister and her husband. Amber lightly chuckles at this result before commenting.

“I never had a chance.” Alex grins at his sister taking the loss well, “You brought a baby with you, I’m hot in leather but I am nothing against a baby.”

Alex chuckles, “Well you almost came close sis if that makes you feel better. Are we good?” He asks holding his hand out for a shake. Amber looks at his offered hand for a moment before shaking it in sportsman ship to their families relief.

“See now that is the spirit of Halloween.” Jo smiles looking at DeLuca, “Sorry DeLuca this just wasn’t your year.”

“Hey I’m just finally glad to be out of this dutch oven mask.” Andrew pulls his mask down exhaling in relief revealing sweat across his face to Amber’s amusement, “Next year I get to pick the costumes.”

Amber chuckles, “Deal. Come on let me make it up to you with a horror movie marathon and a bowl of popcorn with M&M’s and Reese’s with your name on it.”

“I love you.” Andrew says wistfully before he and his wife leave to do just that.

Jo turns to Alex with a smile, “Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween.” Alex and Jo seal this night with a kiss as they celebrate this win and enjoy this family time on this spooky holiday.

[homoeroticvillain]

excessively detailed rules for geist outfits

geist [the most detailed one i prommy]

casual

they dress like a peacock with bright colours and patterns being a major priority; typically a patterned shirt [usually with a 70s tinge] and un-patterned pants is the classic.

they are open to both masculine and feminine dress styles but usually stick to a more masculine style with occasional femme edge [feminine cuts on shirts or pants] but they have worn a skirt on a few occasions. dresses are a possibly but preferred to have some sort of cinched waist [more to do with my personal clothing preference then geist's]

accessories are minimal with simple earrings, occasional bracelet, and wallet chain or similar pants accessories. necklaces are a no go as they do not care for something around their neck [more in a it's uncomfortable they won't do it often than in a never way]

gloves are rare for everyday wear during the warm season unless being used for symbolism purposes [gloves as a representation of being closed off i love you]

hair is usually unstyled with the occasional short low ponytail in hot weather

shoes are a bootie style when appropriate [gotta get that extra height where they can] but they can wear more casual sneaker style shoes. they never wear open toed shoes or similar styles with exposed feet [sorry if you have a foot fetish]

makeup is limited to eyeliner and a little mascara with anything more limited to special occasions. they do not wear foundation as they don't care for the feeling

they always have perfect nails but they are also always short for comfort. they can be painted any range of colours or patterns or decorations, have fun

formal or disguise

they prefer to wear pant suits of some sort but they do lean more towards feminine cuts and styles of them

colours do get toned down for disguise outfits but patterns will stick around. common colours for disguises are black, white, red, and dark purples

hair can be slicked back or worn with extensions for heavy femme disguises

disguises will often be used as their gender exploration and can be far more femme than they would dress normally. tucking and/or stuffing a bra are not impossibilities nor are restricted to only feminine outfits

gloves are now a necessity and must be worn at all times

full geist outfit [in public as Geist]

venetian style jester mask is worn [my design is pretty inconsistent, you are welcome to get creative]

clown or jester style outfit often with stripes are the main pattern is worn

long fur coat is worn off the shoulder traditionally but as long as the very successful jester image is kept it isn't necessary [they should look like a king's favourite silly little guy who is bought fancy stuff cause of that]

no hair should be visible as they wear a ski mask under the jester mask to make sure nothing is shown

similarly barely any skin should be shown at all, occasionally some can peak out around the neck area but as much as possible should be covered

colours are usually more limited here as well to contrast with the brightness of their casual outfits

[accio-victuuri]

a part of this may have been washed already, who cares lol. that won’t stop us from doing some mental gymnastics to make it sweet cause it’s all cpn anyway. for me, i’m already happy with their unintentional ( or is it? ) couple outfit at the airport. and yibo wearing a shirt that says “sporty & rich” which is well — a fact. lol. and feeds into the whole “young master” vibe that fans are seeing with him lately.

take this as an exercise on how clowning works. and once we get more information, it gets “washed” or feel free to take what you want. this is related to xz’s post on weibo. i love analyzing his posts because it’s personal and i feel like it gives us more clues. the first thing will be the gorgeous flower arrangement. 💐

i was thinking maybe it was his drama wrap-up bouquet, but we didn’t get to see it in the bts.

the choice is interesting because it combines flowers and that same ( i forgot what it’s called sorry ) red/circular things we saw years back. that has it’s own cpn/backstory that i discussed here. basically, that’s not his bouquet from the OOL team when the show wrapped but that’s the photo (p1) that he shared. so we think it’s from Bobo. and now he shared (p4) that has lots of very expensive flowers. the other arrangement on his post was from Tod’s and looked more appropriate for Dragon Boat Festival. but this one looks more romantic if i do say so myself.

and the rose (juliet) given is esspensive!!! who could it be from? a certain sporty and rich guy? 😏😏😏

next is the damn plate with the fancy bite of zongzi. this one is what i think has been given some explanation ( washing ) from what we initially thought.

so we know xz is mister “centered” photos and everything. so it was weird that the one he shared is not. add the other element of it not being the same size etc meaning it was taken via wechat camera and probably sent off. another point is, we think it was taken by someone else. someone whose shadow gets included in photos he takes (p3 = yibo).

so is yibo sending what he is eating abroad? i mean it looks fancy!

but the people tracked down where this is from. it’s something that’s available at the blvgari hotel in shanghai. but you know what, if you still wanna clown that xz sent this to bobo and shared with all of us— then feel free 🤡🤡🤡🤡

the last one i find cuteeee cause remember when xz went abroad and he was wearing GUCCI re-web shoes? I swear even toxic solos picked up on that and hated on him. now you have WYB going abroad and wearing rolex DAYTONA ( very close to DAYTOY. yes i know he collect rolex watches like nikes but it’s a nice coincidence.

bonus, another closer look at their couple outfit. the shoes. look. I can’t. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[allzelemonz]

Finding and Feeling (3.1): The Move

Pairing Type: M/M Rating: M/Language, sexual themes Warnings: Wingwoman Mary-Beth, mention of gelding, Kieran being nervous, shopping, sapphic Mary-Beth and Tilly, mention of brothels, gift giving, theft, girls and the gays Summary: New camp means new clothes and a new chance. Other Chapters

Kieran never really imagined he’d get the opportunity to get new clothes, but when the gang got to moving camp he was all but thrown into the wagon by Miss Grimshaw. She claims that he stinks worse than the horses. Mary-Beth is all too enthusiastic to drag him into the general store of Rhodes for some clothes.

“I was thinkin’...” She mutters as she digs through the shelves. “Since ya ain’t too mad at Bill anymore-”

“Who said I ain’t mad at ‘em?”

“Well, yer back ta starin’ and blushin’, now aren’t you?”

Kieran’s cheeks heat at that. “Shut up…”

Of course, Kieran is still terrified of the bear of a man. However, after he caught Bill watching him open a bottle of coat tonic with a grin on his face, he’s gotten over the worst of it. Once he told Mary-Beth about it, she said she’d seen Bill snooping around Branwen quite a bit and that was more than enough proof for them both that Bill was the one leaving little gifts. Kieran insists it means nothing, Mary-Beth is certain it means Bill is smitten.

“I know Bill likes blue.” Mary-Beth mutters. “He wears it a lot at least. And he’s got this awful suit for fancy heists, blue too.”

Kieran shuffles awkwardly on his feet, wishing for just a moment that his eyes were blue.

Mary-Beth suddenly hands him an overshirt. “This one, perfect with that shirt he wears all the time.”

Kieran takes the shirt with a scrunched brow. “Ya think me matchin’ will make him not wanna geld me anymore?”

“It’s all about subtext.” Mary-Beth says, standing to look at the accessories. “I read a book last week and--”

“Aw, ya ain’t makin’ me inta one a’ them damsels, are ya?”

“Do ya want his attention or not?”

“Not if yer gonna make me look silly.” Kieran says, trying to forget the image of himself all dressed up in what Bill might like.

“Oh, you’ll look nice.” Mary-Beth smiles. “Pretty even.”

“I ain’t pretty.”

“Sure you are.” Mary-Beth shoves his shoulder lightly. “If I liked boys, you’d be my first pick.”

Kieran’s cheeks heat again and he looks at his shoes. “Just don’t go too crazy.”

“Just this.” She hands him a neckerchief and pushes him to the counter.

After a few minutes of fumbling with the new clothes in the alleyway, Kieran emerges feeling very unlike himself. He’s dressed in browns and blues, not unlike Bill’s typical outfits. New everything aside from the gunbelt he took off that O’Driscoll at Six Point. Like a new man.

It’s the squealing that makes him feel odd though.

Tilly has rejoined Mary-Beth in time to see him come out and both girls are chattering away at how he looks so much better than before. Karen, not quite one for squealing, just smiles and knocks his hat crooked.

“Aw, what’s the fuss.” Uncle mutters, woken from his sleep in the wagon.

“Go back ta sleep, old man.” Karen scolds. “Ain’t no brothels in this town.”

Uncle sighs, mindlessly finding the newly bought crate of whiskey and taking a bottle, paying nothing else any mind.

“Got an idea.” Karen mutters as she grabs his wrist.

They walk around the side of the general store, leaving Mary-Beth and Tilly to their own clueless flirting.

“Yer gettin’ Bill some presents of his own.”

Kieran furrows his brow and shakes his head. “I don’t got money.”

“I know.” Karen smirks. “And the feller in the store don’t got any sensibility.”

“What’s that mean?”

Karen stops, turning to Kieran and looking at him like he’s some kind of annoying clown. “It means, I’ll go in there and show off a few things while you find something nice fer Bill and slip out with it.”

“I-I thought Dutch didn’t want any trouble here.”

“Won’t be trouble.” Karen smiles. “Long as you don’t get caught.”

With that, Karen slips inside. Kieran waits until he can hear her boisterous fake laughter, then he naked his way inside. The owner is obviously enamored by the busty blonde snapping his suspenders and pays Kieran no mind. Looking over the shelves, Kieran finds that the only things he knows about Bill are his drinking, his affinity for torture, and his love for his horse. He doesn’t want to make Karen flirt forever, so he settles on the safest bet, alcohol. He can’t read the labels, but he finds the bottle that looks the fanciest and grabs it before making a hasty exit.

On the ride back to camp, Tilly says it’s some kind of rum she’s seen at rich folk’s parties. Mary-Beth takes the ribbon out of her hair and makes a pretty bow around the neck of it. That night, while Bill is on watch, Kieran leaves it on his bedroll and hopes for the best.

[speckle-the-crow]

Tonnyjul drabble/oneshot I wrote late at night and hardly proofread that I'm not gonna post on ao3 (it has 0 plot and was just writing practice for me)

Wordcount: 1.2k words

Again, this fic has 0 plot. I wrote this to practice on writing more descriptive scenes. In the future, I might add in this or certain lines into other fics because there's some stuff I really liked in this!

-----------

The sound of the knife tip snapping off and clattering to the dirt ground was enough to make Julia cringe. As if that wasn’t enough, the collective gasp of the audience finalized it. She already knew this memory would keep her up many nights (if the others weren’t enough already). 

“Why are you still upset? It’s alright, nobody remembers it now.” Tonny hummed after the two got backstage. He was taking off the green costume he wore during the performance. It was a slight workout taking off the clothing, as it stuck tightly to the skin with the help of the circus heat. He replaced it with a just as equally ugly outfit for his clown act. 

“Because it’s embarrassing! I screwed up the one performance I have in front of the crowd. Did you not hear the gasp?”

Tonny shrugged, putting on some oversized shoes. “Accidents happen. The good news is nobody got hurt.”

Julia muttered something to herself about her hat being too big to see rightly.

“It’s over now. The sooner you can stop thinking about it, the better.” He told her softly.

Tonny was well familiar that when Julia got upset, she often lashed out, little things easily adding to her mood. How she blew up at him when they first officially met and then again when he found her running around in Aspett. He could tell that another anger strike was coming. 

“I don’t think it’s that bad. The outfit fits you.” Tonny smiled at her. 

“Are you saying I have a big head?” Julia growled. 

“What!? No, I just think the whole… mushroom thing looks nice on you.” He awkwardly waved his hand towards her. Well, shit. 

“Mushroom thing?” Julia stared at him. Looks nice on me??

“You look like a fairy- in a magical way. The makeup, the ear extensions, just everything. If you’re not comfortable wearing the outfit, we can change it. My top priority is that everyone feels comfortable.”

Julia stared at him, picking up on his awkward and nervous stammering.

“I’m not saying it’s bad- but don’t keep the outfit if you don’t like it…”

She rubbed her face with a tired sigh as the ringleader kept rambling on and tuned him out. Gosh, he was really getting on her nerves. All this time Julia was wondering how she’d kill Tonny when in the end, she was sure she was going to strangle him. She did not have it in her to deal with his awkwardness, whatever made him more boyish near her. 

“And what about you? You like that outfit?” She half-snapped at Tonny, who was almost completely changed into the clown costume. The only thing missing was the face paint. 

“What about it?” Tonny looked down at his outfit, observing his large shoes and puffy pants.

“For starters, the god-forsaken shoes.”

Tonny once again re-shifted his gaze towards the large shoes. He was so happy he finally found comically large shoes that fit him rightly and didn’t make a noise when walked. Seeing as how the whole circus was slowly falling apart (from crew members to knives), Tonny felt like the shoes were one of the best things the circus had to show. 

“I like them.” Tonny tapped his foot on the ground softly, grabbing white face paint.

“Not surprised.” She muttered, sitting down on a crate.

A second passed when it clicked what she said. “Rude. They’re meant to be like this.”

“Did you willingly offer to be a clown?”

“Is that supposed to be an insult?”

“No. I’m genuinely curious about how you got stuck with that act.”

“Well, when we became a circus- you remember Dotty’s story from a month or so ago, right? Anyways, we started filling in basic roles. Silk dancers, fortune tellers, clowns, you understand it. And nobody wanted to be a clown and I got forced into it because I’m the leader.”

“Leader and a clown? Which one is easier?” Julia chuckled.

Tonny held back a tired sigh. It’s like she’s becoming more like Sahed every day. I don’t like her spending time with him. 

“They’re both hard in their own ways. But also similar.” Tonny answered, trying to play off Julia’s sharp tongue to be because of a certain ah’kon. Telling himself that’s why he’s slightly hurt overhearing her talk like him. Not because of the time she spent with Sahed slowly made her change the way she spoke and acted.

Wasn’t there an old saying that if someone likes another person, they adapt to become more like them? The ringleader glanced around, looking for the makeup brush. 

“It’s in the drawer. Dotty cleaned everything and moved stuff around.” Julia had taken off her hat and was running her hand over the gills of the fake mushroom. This was now a common ritual and she’d quickly learn the order of his costume transformation.

Tonny opened one of the drawers and saw a brush with bristles slightly stained blue roll around. He grabbed the brush and the face paint, making eye contact with Julia in the old, stained mirror. The exaggerated red blush, the white freckles, the pointed ears. She looked like a fawn who’d just woken up in a field of flowers. It was a sight he wouldn’t mind seeing every day- he sometimes stole a glance at her during performances. Julia stared back at him, a tired but soft look in her eyes. Tonny felt himself become a bit lighter due to the softness in her gaze. Maybe Sahed hadn’t fully influenced her. Maybe there was some part of her that Tonny could find, a part that could be just for the two.

Realization struck Tonny as he realized that he’d been staring. He quickly applied the eye makeup, glad that the white face paint was thick enough to cover the slight burning on his cheeks. He hurriedly finished the blue face paint and the red nose (he refused to wear an actual nose accessory, as it made it hard to breathe with all the running around) and tossed on his wig in a quick motion, fixing it slightly to be more centered. Julia had watched this process multiple times- the way that Tonny was able to change from ringleader to knife-throwing performer to a ginger clown had always impressed her. It seemed each costume had their own personality too.

“The show must go on,” Tonny nodded, walking out of the tent swiftly. Every time he put on the wig he would exit the tent repeating those same five words. Julia thought that it was likely the equivalent of sweeping a bunch of items off a large table and laying out a map to explain a plan- something she’d always see the kids pretend-play in the schoolyard. It likely made the ringleader feel cool.

“The show must go on,” Julia repeated to herself, putting the hat back on. She should really pick up the knife remnants before a kid tried to swipe it as a souvenir. 

[104thsquadfam]

good morning. happy/tragic to report that i woke up still wearing my "thinking about the porco + reiner (+ marcel) dynamic" clown shoes. i don't have any specific questions (yet?). this ask is just me dragging you into the trenches of my nonsense and giving you a space to share any thoughts and feelings you might have about reiner's dynamic with / feelings towards both porco, and marcel.

-You call it tragic but I love seeing you on my dash and inbox, sharing your random little thoughts with me LOL. Ho boy my feelings towards Porco, Marcel and Reiner's little dynamic? Well I'd be happy to share my little HC's about their dynamic but not at all canon so take it with a grain of salt.

Reiner Braun + Porco Galliard:

As a kid Reiner and Porco definitely didn't get along with one another, always at each others throats any chance they got which made training a bit tense. Reiner always tried to one-up Porco by attempting to prove him wrong, show that he would be a better Warrior than he ever could. Porco teased Reiner any chance he got to get on his nerve or make him cry to put Reiner in his place. However when Reiner got picked to be the armored titan he took this as a chance to rub everything in Porco's face completely unaware that it was Marcel who convinced their superiors to give him the armored instead of his brother.

As adults Porco still resents Reiner but by this point in his life Reiner could care little about what Porco thinks of him, he could careless what anyone thinks of him as he's far to focused on what he's done. Porco can poke and prod at him but he just won't give him the reaction he usually would have and instead will agree with most of what Porco says....yes, maybe if Porco had gotten the armored titan things would have been different, maybe Marcel would still be alive but there was no changing the past now and he'd just have to live with that guilt.

Reiner Braun + Marcel Galliard:

As a kid Reiner never really got into fights with Marcel but would often get lectured about his behavior towards Porco. Porco himself received these same lectures. Marcel was more of a mediator between the two trying to keep the peace and get them to work together like a team....it's safe to say that never really happens but he still tried his best....if only to not hear them shouting at one another in the same room. Marcel is the one who often had to break up fights between Porco and Reiner and he's the reason Reiner got the armored titan and would apologize to Reiner for what he's done even if at the time Reiner didn't really understand why he was apologizing to him...he would later.

Reiner looked up to Marcel, he always admired how much of a natural leader he was and in some way he wanted to be just like him. They weren't related but he did see him as a brother figure often times asking Marcel for help with training or class assignments of which he was more than happy to help Reiner with.

Despite Marcel being the only reason he got the armored titan, Reiner holds no grudges against him and if he could he would go back and save him.