#which one of the three featured is the big bad wolf? ;) | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

si11yw0rm · 1 month ago

Text

depraved little wolf.

pairing: simon 'ghost' riley x gn reader

blurb: you had heard of the elusive aloof pack alpha known as Ghost, but ever since your step mother sold you to his pack for a new shipment of food and weapons, you never thought your heat would bring the both of you closer. and you definitely didn't plan for how much your wolves would like each other.

tags: cream-pie & unprotected sex (wrap it up. kids are bloodsucking demonic little entities), dirty talk, brief mentions of breeding, throat holding, hair pulling, Simon growls (i warned you quite early), use of pet, baby, and love.

word count: 4k+ (no beta reading. it can be considered a mess.)

a/n: guess who is back from the dead and ready to rumble? (that's right, you little paladins. me!)

FIC BELOW CUT. MINORS DNI.

The first day of heat is always the worst. You heard from your close friend, Naima, that it got better with an alpha by your side, but you were the illegitimate child of the pack alpha, so your chances of finding a mate was next to zero.

Literally.

It was so bad that when your step mother, The Luna, had offered you up to Ghost for sale, your father had no objections. An unmated omega was a disgrace to the pack, especially when they weren't of use for the breeding stations or anything else.

It was crude, and your heart still tore in two from remembering the cold stare of your father as one of Ghost's betas started taking you away. He had looked at you like he was staring at a stranger. The same man who was your only rock at the pack that seemed to want to bring you down.

You sighed, scrubbing your face. You just had to get through the first two days. It was going to get easier after that. You had been learning it for a long time now.

Your eyes drifted to the a cup of water near the bed, and you immediately knew it had to be one of the housekeepers to place it there. Unlike your father's pack, Ghost's pack was so tight knit that it truly felt like family, and you hadn't even being here long.

The housekeepers were kind enough to show you a stocked up nest when you explained your situation, and they hadn't pried too much, for which you were grateful.

Your head was pounding and your vision was swimming, but you sat up anyways, ignoring the way the pounding in your head moved like a blanket that settled over your chest.

Fuck.

Holding a palm against your head, you shifted on the bed, swinging your legs out from under you, the movement immediately causing a burning sensation to start licking up your spine. You held your breath, crossing your legs, cursing when it spiked downwards and burst like fireworks between your legs.

You didn't need to look to know that you were already wet. You could feel it between your thighs, and every part of you was starting to get so sensitive that it was impossible to ignore.

Ignoring it, you swung your legs over the bed and the door opened, and Ghost's scent had everything in you suddenly standing at attention.

You hadn't seen him since that night at your parent's over three weeks ago, but his scent was already burnt into the fabric of your veins, as was his features.

It was almost obscene how tall he was, and how big. He filled every room he walked into, until all you had to do was pay attention and let yourself slip into the bubble he drew everyone into.

The air between the both of you was so still that you hadn't realized how much you were staring till his head tilted, those thick brows lifting and his eyes dipped to your nipples, but he averted his eyes almost just as quickly.

The door slammed shut behind him, and you would be stupid not to notice how his scent almost disappeared as he shut the door behind him. Why would he do that?

He had something in his hand, and when he stepped closer you saw what it was and you couldn't stop how deep your cheeks flushed.

It was a vibrator.

"If you need relief, you can use this. Soap told me that you looked like you would be having a hard time, and I came to prevent that. We take care of our own here."

Ghost stepped closer, almost suffocating you with his scent and you bit your lips to stop the moan from slipping out of your mouth when he placed the carton in your hands.

You processed what he said, remembering the bulky buff Omega that clearly had an Alpha's mark on his neck. Your first night had been a blur, but his warm comforting scent of hot chocolate and cinnamon remained imprinted on your mind, as did his smile.

Ghost tilted his head and the way he angled his body immediately let you know that he deliberately made sure not to touch you, and while you appreciated it because you knew it would trigger a reaction, it made your wolf whine.

Alpha.

It surprised you as much as it surprised Ghost because he suddenly went very still, and his eyes glazed over as they coasted over your head, dropping to your thighs before they came back to meet your gaze.

"I can't touch you, pet." His voice was devoid of emotion, but his eyes were anything but, and his scent of sharp sandalwood with a hint of vanilla was making your head swim and your grip on your wolf start to slip drastically, especially when you could smell the musk of sweat underneath everything.

He needed to leave. Now.

Ghost's eyes went even darker, as if he could read your thoughts off your face and he tugged on the simple mask that covered the bottom of his face, as if he didn't realize he was even doing it.

His face was so stunning your breath caught in your throat. "Ghost..."

He shook his head as he bent lower, crouching in front of you, and a moan slipped past your lips, his scent suddenly surrounding you like a blanket.

He smelt so good you could feel your mouth water, and you were dimly aware of how the last thread of your control over your wolf snap.

You opened your mouth to warn him, but what left was a growl, and Ghost's eyes shifted before widening, but before he could step back, you grabbed his collar and yanked him forward, burying your nose in his neck.

The reaction was instantaneous. Everything in you flickered to life and lit up, and nothing in the world could have stopped the whine that left your throat.

Ghost's shoulders shuddered and his hands brushed your hair, before slowing sliding down your spine. "Pet."

"Hurt me. Please. I need you." You whispered, crawling into his lap. He groaned and moved, pushing you flat on your back against the bed. You couldn't tell if it was his scent or presence that was making your wolf act so strongly in his presence, but there was an ache in your core you desperately needed him to fix.

Ghost tsked and his hand stopped beside your head and the second one grabbed your waist so hard you knew there would be bruises. "Someone's a little eager."

The smooth and yet deliciously husky baritone of his voice nearly made you mewl, and you bit on your lip as you cleared your throat, your eyes sliding across his chest.

"Please. You are my alpha, right? Alphas are supposed to give their Omegas anything they want. You are supposed to fix my ache. You can give me what I want, right? I want you. I need you." You didn't even know what you were saying, nor did you want to take time out to process it.

All you wanted was his hands on you, and you were about to move his hands between your legs when he sighed and bent down, capturing your lips with his.

If his scent was like a blanket before, it was now pouring and sliding its way through every pore in your body, making you almost drunk.

His hand slid up to cup your jaw and a satisfied shudder shook your body, causing a growl to slip through his lips and they traced over yours, his tongue sliding past your teeth to press gently against yours and to sample your mouth.

You were no longer here nor there as you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him down until you felt his full weight press into you. His growl set off a burning smoking tendrils to lick its way up your core and you moaned against his lips.

Like reflex, the hand on your jaw tightened and you couldn't tell how he managed to tease the edges of your desire with just his lips and tongue, and he kept exploring your reactions to every brush of his lips, lick of his tongue.

As if you were a map he wanted to memorize.

You were too far gone to try to stop the small whimpers leaving your mouth and when his teeth nipped your lower lip, you sighed into his grip, your shoulders melting.

If you had felt exposed before, under the steely unflinching gaze of his warm eyes, the feeling increased tenfold as he learned all your secrets, drawing them out of you with his kiss.

It was like he was forcing you to reveal yourself, and then he took his newfound knowledge and used it against you.

You weren't complaining, and neither was your wolf, whose presence you could feel loudly in your ears.

Ghost pulled away, ignoring your slow whimper of protest as his hands shifted, and he lifted off you, placing his knees back on the bed. The absence of his lips was causing a chasm to blow open inside you, and you reached for him, making him tsk.

"Ghost…"

"Shh, love. Trust me."

His hands slid under your hips, yanking you up until you fell against his chest and you became all too aware of how his thigh wedged itself between your legs. You could feel his eyes burning a hole through your head and you felt the subtle flex of his thighs beneath you, putting pressure on your core that made your head swim.

You grabbed his shoulders, biting into your lips hard enough to hold back the moan, and Ghost chuckled, his hand lifting to your lips as he tugged it out, his eyes burning. "I want to hear you."

Your eyes dropped to his lips, and Ghost laughed, sliding his hand down to your throat. "You want my lips back on yours, love?"

You couldn't tell if he didn't expect you to answer but when you nodded, his hands slid down to your waist and tugged.

He smirked, but he lowered himself and smiled against your lips. "As the pet wishes."

His mouth took complete ownership of yours, and despite the brutality behind it, you felt worshipped. He kissed you as if his pleasure far exceeded your own, which had to be impossible. Nobody had ever kissed you like that.

You slid your hands into his hair and pulled him closer, silently begging him to deepen the kiss further. You didn't trust yourself to speak, and you could swear your soul left your body as you felt him smile against your lips as he obliged and he sank his tongue into your mouth with a growl.

The growl lit you up from the inside out and the pressure of his thighs between your legs coupled with the way his hands cupped your throat as he kissed you had you soaring closer to the edge.

It was so close, you could taste it on your tongue.

As you parted for breath, his voice grated against your lips. “If you keep working that hot little tongue against me, I’ll have no choice but to fuck you.”

He said it so crudely and simply that your wolf moan out loud, and Ghost's hands finally dropped between your thighs, adding more pressure.

That was the thing that pushed you over, and Ghost kept kissing you as every part of you shook with the force of the orgasm.

His hands left your legs and he gently moved up off his thigh, your back landing on the bed as his hands came up to brush hair out of your face, and the smirk he gave you had your body humming.

“Would you like to come again, love?”

You were still catching your breath, and the thought sounded foreign to you. He couldn't be serious, could he?

"Again?"

One of his hands slid up your bare thigh, higher and higher until it slid under you to cup your ass. You felt him gather the backside of your underwear in his fist, and he twisted the fabric until it wrapped around his fingers once.

It made the material pulled taut, and it slid over the most sensitive part of you, making your head spin. It had to be the heat. That had to explain why everything was burning up everywhere.

He bent down to scrape his teeth against your neck, sending a thrill of sensation shuddering through your body.

"Ghost…"

“Simon.” His voice was deeper and more husky and you felt it vibrate through you.

“Si-Simon. Please.” You moaned, and you felt his lips lift up in a smile against your neck.

"Good pet." His voice was like honey, sliding through your veins and reaching places you didn't even know existed. You whimpered, grabbing his arm and then he tugged on the underwear and your mind went blank, oblivious to everything but the pleasure coursing through you.

He bit your ear again and coasted a breath against it, his voice coming out in a dangerously soft whisper. "Come for your Alpha."

Your wolf immediately obeyed, and you couldn't stop the wave crashing over you. You shook against him as your second orgasm battered its way through your system and his mouth latched onto yours, effectively swallowing the noises you were making.

When you stopped shaking, Ghost...Simon released your mouth, and this time, his panting breaths matched your own. He dropped his head back in your neck, and you knew he was scenting you.

"You smell perfect. God, I want to bury myself in it." You were a stranger to what an other person's wolf sounded like, but you knew it was his wolf speaking.

"Mine. Do you understand that, little Omega?" His voice was almost gravel now, and you snapped your eyes open and threaded your fingers through his hair, tugging on it until his mouth left your neck.

Simon raised his brows and looked at you questioningly, and his eyes were dark and heavy. It felt like someone was running their hands across your skin with fire. He looked at you like he could tell.

Your eyes dropped to his mouth which was damp from kissing you, and he appeared drugged in his arousal.

For you.

You couldn't deny that it made you feel some what powerful.

“You okay, baby?” He murmured, and he ducked his head to scrape his stubbled chin across your cleavage. He was still scenting you, but you loved it just as much as your wolf did, so you arched your back, giving him more access.

Your breath hitched in your throat, and you fought the urge to tug his head lower. “I am fine. I…Aren't you going to get inside me?"

Simon's big body shuddered against you in response, and he dropped his free hand to caress the sides of your thighs, sliding them up and around to palm your ass again. He kept himself hovering with one hand beside your head, and he squeezed your ass.

“Still eager, I see. Two orgasms weren't enough for you?" Before you can respond, his lips moved against the top of your breasts and his hand lifted to palm it. "Can I ask you something, baby?”

It immediately sent your head spinning, and you tried to form words and couldn't leave your throat, because you couldn't focus on anything but the way he kept kneading your flesh.

“I…Yes.”

"How do you want me to fuck you for the first time?"

He didn't let you answer and he ignored your sharp whimper, nuzzling your neck before he kept talking. “Do you want me under you so I can watch your cute little tits bounce as you buck those hips on me? Or do you want me on top of you?"

A sharp groan left his mouth, and his grip on your chest turned painful that you could see stars burst at the edge of your vision. "You know what I would do? I would force those thighs wide and bury yourself deep in between them, baby. And you would love every second of it.”

He leaned forward to lick the curve of your ear, and his voice shifted to something more wolf and less human. “Maybe I’m behind you. Fuck, I could get in so deep that way, pet. Tell me what you want. I’ll make it happen.”

His words caused a hot and desperate yearning to pulse between your legs and you pushed up against his hips, making him laugh.

"Don't rush me, love. This exquisite body of yours needs a lot of care and attention, and I am not going to do anything less than to worship you."

His nose went back to nuzzle your neck, and he laughed as you shivered. “You came so quickly for me, baby. You have no idea what a vision you make when you come."

The way he so easily commanded your body’s response left you dizzy, and a fierce ache moved through you, spreading and honing between your legs before moving up to wrap itself around your throat.

Maybe this was how you were going to die.

Simon dipped his head and bit the flesh just beneath your ear, then licked it to soothe the sting of his teeth. “I am going to stretch you now, love."

You knew he was asking for your permission so you nodded, and he slid his teeth up and down the column of your neck, his hand dipping under you to pull your underwear down your legs.

You held your breath and your belly tightened in response, dampness and slick spreading between your legs.

His fingers came up and brushed the juncture of your thighs and you whimpered at the simple contact.

"Shhh." He whispered against your neck, teasing you with soft brushes of his fingertips against the front of you while continuing to torture your neck.

You grabbed onto his shoulders for balance, and Simon used the heel of his hand to massage your core with slow circles of his wrist. You felt your head swim and you cried out at the perfect pressure, but Simon just hummed as his fingers slid into you.

The sudden fullness made you moan and you dug your nails into his shoulders, making him growl again.

He bit your ear hard, pulling it with his teeth. It should have hurt, but instead it felt like an attack on every erogenous zone in your body.

You couldn't stop the full body shudder and Simon laughed darkly, palming you roughly once before removing his hand from between your legs.

"Let me make something clear, pet. When I finally get inside you, I’m going to fuck you until your voice is hoarse from screaming your name. And you are going to scream my name.”

Simon lifted himself and pulled his shirt over his head, and pushed away from you to move off the bed, taking off his jeans and boxers in one movement and when you saw him naked, your jaw dropped.

Until now, his sheer size and strength hadn’t fully registered, but now?

Seeing him like this had you so aware of your smaller, more delicate frame, and it occurred to you just how much control he had of the situation. You had put yourself completely at his mercy, and instead of fear, it thrilled and excited you.

His cock was huge, and you suddenly wondered how he would fit inside you. Simon must have seen the worry on your face, because he crawled over you and his mouth trailed across your heated skin to your breast, and he gently bit the underside.

He lifted his head and blew against your nipple, and the hunger in his eyes as he watched it pucker for his attention made your thighs slick with wetness.

He rewarded you by flicking his tongue against it in short little stabs until you dug your hands into his hair, whimpers and pleading leaving your throat as you demand he cease his torture and finally fuck you.

Simon complied by drawing the sensitive bud into his mouth and his hands skimmed down over your belly to cup you in his palm. You let your thighs fall open in wordless invitation and he sunk two fingers inside you.

Arching your hips to meet his fingers, a moan left your lips. It made you all the more desperate to have him inside you and you pulled yourself on your elbows to whisper in his ear. "Just fuck me, Alpha."

He grinned and slid his fingers back inside you and rotated, finding a spot you hadn’t even known existed and started stroking it with his middle finger.

Your hips came off the bed and you cried out, muscles tightening around his fingers and it didn't take a genius to know that a few more seconds of his expert touch and you would orgasm again.

But then he stopped stroking the spot just before you peaked, laughing under his breath as you let out a whine of frustration. "Not so fast, pet. You come with your dick inside you. Nothing else."

His hands slid out of you and he lifted himself up, sliding into you slowly and you immediately wrapped your legs around his waist.

He was so full and so deep that you could feel him everywhere, and you immediately felt that insistent ache start to build up within you. "You feel so good, love." He whispered, sliding in another inch further.

A whimper left your throat once he finally bottomed out, and it made him still.

"Move. You need to move, Simon." You said when he still held himself still, his breaths ghosting your forehead.

"I just felt your walls clench around me and I don't want to hurt you." His voice was strained, and his eyes were closed, the muscles of his neck tightening.

You groaned and lifted your hips, trying to urge him on. "I don't care, Simon. Just move!"

With another loud growl, his hand came up to squeeze your waist and then he spoke directly against your ear. “Are you ready to scream, baby?”

Without waiting for your answer, his hips angled upward and started pounding into you with a demanding rhythm, sliding against you exactly where you didn't even know you had needed it.

Simon's fingers dug into the flesh of your ass, squeezing, kneading it without a hint of gentleness.

And then his hand reached around to massage your swollen slit with perfect accuracy, building the pressure so quickly your mind could barely keep up with your body.

You had died and gone to heaven.

He groaned and grabbed your hips. "I am going to fill you up, love. You know that, right?"

You nodded and he started moving faster until you could swear he was fucking your brain out of your body, and the very breath from your lungs.

Your thighs began to shake as the orgasm closed in on you, and all your limbs turned into liquid. You were no longer lifting up your hips to match his thrusts, and Simon yanked your hips up to meet him, not pausing in his thrusts.

And his head came off your neck to kiss you, whispering fevered statement against your lips. “Holy Fucking Luna, this is all there is. This is everything.”

The kiss and his next thrust finally triggered your orgasm, and in turn his. His teeth bit into your shoulder with a growl as he came and you felt everything inside you melt as you felt him spill inside you.

It took a moment for you to recover, and when you eventually returned to reality, he slid his arms around you and slid out of you, reaching over the bedside to pull out napkins.

He stared at your slit, and his eyes flickered as he spoke. "Clench and unclench."

He wasn't using his alpha voice, but you obeyed immediately, feeling him leak out of you. The flush climbed up your neck and Simon smiled. "You look fucking gorgeous like this, pet. Saited and filled with my cum. Next time, I am fucking you like this until you carry my pups."

You nodded and stayed still while he cleaned you up and when he was done, he pulled you upright and back against his chest.

Softly, Simon kissed your shoulder where his teeth had been moments before and pulled you closer. He exhaled on a shaky breath and kissed your cheeks. "Sleep."

"Don't you have work?" You said, your voice already drowsy.

"I have a very needy omega to take care of. That's my work. The rest of the pack can wait. I wouldn't ask again, pet. Sleep."

You were going to argue, but he slid his hand down your spine and you felt your eyes flutter close.

(end notes)

wow, that was a lot. i was generally genuinely going to start with my kinktober list before this, but i just thought "hey, why not write ghost big dick alpha smut" and i decided to write it. i am kind of excited to get back into writing & posting again, and i am happy to have you here with me.

welcome to the ride! please be sure to hit that like button and tell me what you think! any feedback is highly appreciated.

#si11yw0rm #call of duty #call of duty smut #simon riley fanfic #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #ghost smut #kinktober #ghost cod #simon riley x you #simon riley smut #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #alpha omega #omegaverse #alternative universe #omega heat

308 notes · View notes

camiefromstatefarm · 3 months ago

Text

We're back with some more 'Upper Moon Demons' headcanons!!! Today, we're focusing on my personal favorite. Slight NSFW warning.

Upper Moon 4

Hantengu/Hanito Jigoku (Part 1)

- Born in 1611, in a less populated town near Kyōto City.

Koki Jigoku, his father, was an extremely handsome and charismatic ladies' man. Parenthood was unexpected, but his heart melted when he saw his newborn son, who bore a striking resemblance to him. Despite his love for his wife, Koki struggled to abandon his womanizing ways..

Otsuru Jigoku (née Aisaki), his mother, was a strikingly attractive young woman with a caring personality. She had sun-kissed skin, a slender yet dramatic lean body, reminiscent of Devon Aoki, a heart-shaped face, warm brown hair, and silver to orchid eyes always filled with energy. Otsuru loved her husband intensely, but her love often turned deranged, driving her to murderous jealousy towards his frequent infidelities. She came from a wealthy family.

- Even as a young boy, Hanito was a stunningly handsome child with a sturdy athletic build and tanned skin. His spiky black hair messy and full, framing his brooding heart-shaped face and accentuating his piercing onyx eyes. His eyebrows were thick and expressive, often laced with a dramatic display of emotions. His features were sharp and chiseled, with high cheekbones and a straight high-bridged nose. He also bore a mischievous devilish grin.

- Hanito's life of crime began at just seven years old, not out of necessity, but sheer desire and bad influences. He ran with a trio of urchin boys, forming a band of young thieves who stole whatever they could to fill their pockets. Surprisingly, his parents, Koki and Otsuru, didn't reprimand him for his delinquent behavior. Instead, they adopted a lenient approach, telling him that as long as he avoided getting caught, he wouldn't face trouble at home. This unconventional parenting allowed Hanito to hone his thieving skills, shaping him into a skilled young thief.

- Stealing meant buying whatever they wanted, but for free. Hanito-kun rarely strayed from his tight-knit group, seeking the safety net of their protection. Hanito had a knack for evading capture, thanks to three key factors: his incredible speed, his skillful lying and manipulation, which convinced people he was just an innocent child, and his loyal clique of local fangirls who often helped him out of sticky situations.

Emiko-chan, gasps: Girls! Here comes Hanito-kun, act natural!

(Hanito passes by and smiles slightly before leaving)

Sakura-chan, giggles: You see that? He smiled at me!

Yumi-chan, cooing: No, I'm pretty sure he had his eyes on me!

Emiko-chan, huffing: Nuh uh! He was definitely checking out my hair!

(None of them realizing their missing hairpins)

Hanito, gripping all 3 hair pins: Too easy.

- The manifestations of Hantengu's emotions take on physical forms that reflect the age where he experienced those emotions most intensely.

Zohakuten 👹

Year 1623; a store clerk by the name of Mr. Yamada was fed up with the troublesome child's lies.

Hanito, defiantly: Let me go you big bully! There really was a wolf!

(He struggles trying to free his ear from the store clerk's harsh grip)

Mr. Yamada, angrily opens the door: Otsuru, your brat is at it againー

Horrifying. There knelt Otsuru ominously, in a tattered old kimono ー stained with blood spatter, one she kept specifically for these occasions ー with an ecstatic expression. Before her lay the lifeless body of a curvaceous young woman, a ravishing beauty with a face like a porcelain doll and dark sea-green hair. Her thighs impaled by two knives and her pale mint eyes froze in perpetual horror, surrounded by beads of sweat.

Otsuru, glances behind her: Ah, welcome Yamada-sama! Do come in, we're having a family reunion of sorts...

Hanito swiftly averted his gaze, closing his eyes to shield himself from the uncomfortable graphics. His reaction betrayed a familiarity with his mother's brutal outbursts, a hint that he had witnessed her madness before. In contrast, Mr. Yamada stood frozen, his voice caught in his throat as shock and terror rendered him speechless.

(Otsuru rose, her movements graceful like a cat)

Otsuru, curls her lips: And you, dear friend, are just in time for dinner. I do hope you have an... appetite for the macabre.

(She walks closer making Mr. Yamada free his grasp on Hanito's ear, slowly retreating)

Mr. Yamada, sweating: No... no! What have you done to that poor woman!

Otsuru, pats her son's head: Hush now, everything is fine... I'm bound to tidy the house after this.

Hanito, crying: How much more that nasty stuff is going to happen here?

Otsuru, gently and soothing: Darling, you know I don't have other options...

Mr. Yamada, pointing: You... what are you teaching that poor child, youー you crazy bitch!

Otsuru's eyes blazed with a dark intensity, her gaze flashing like a stormy sky. The air seemed to thicken, heavy with malevolence, as the unhinged madness gave way to a sinister wrath. Her long hair whipped around her face like a flail, as if the wind itself was fueling her fury. Her stained kimono fluttering behind her like a dark cloud.

Otsuru, in an ominous voice: Forgive me, good sir... but I'm afraid you've dug your own grave!

(A knife slid out of her sleeve and she launched at him. However, Mr. Yamada was quicker and dodged her attack)

Mr. Yamada, cornering her from behind: So reckless...

Hanito, yelling: Momma!

(Basically what happened was Mr. Yamada managed to grab Otsuru's wrist, twisting it, forcing her to drop the knife, and knocked the woman out.)

Mr. Yamada, grumbles: I'd be damned if I wasn't a former martial artist. I'm sorry to say it, kid, but your mother's actions have earned her a reckoning. She'll face trial and judgment for her wrongdoings.

Hanito's tear-stained face twisted into a furious scowl, his large bushy eyebrows furrowing in anger. His piercing eyes narrowed, flashing with intense animosity, his glare so heavy that it almost crushed the store clerk. It was unnerving to see how this boy could be both seriously handsome and intimidatingly fierce at the same time.

Hanito, darkly: You evil son of prick! Leave my momma alone or... or I'll kill you!

(He charges at Mr. Yamada attempting to punch the latter, but was triped over by Yamada's sliding kick)

Mr. Yamada, lifts Otsuru up: Don't try to fight me, Hanito, I'm three times your size.

Hanito, grabbing onto Yamada's ankle: No!!! I won't let a scumbag like you give me orders!!!

(Hanito twists Yamada's ankle causing the latter to wince and kick him back)

Mr. Yamada, scoffs: Blasted child. You're lucky I respect your father enough to let you off the hook.

The 12-year-old's rage thickened, his glare twice as spiteful as he rose from his position, gracefully like the fall was nothing. He balled both hands fist, ready to spring into action when two people showed up. A samurai and a middle-aged woman with the same green hair as the victim.

Samurai, analyzing the situation: So if I'm correct, this was the lady who your daughter was last seen with.

(The middle-aged woman just nodded)

Mr. Yamada: I fear to inform you... that your daughter is dead...

(The middle-aged woman weaped)

Mr. Yamada, frowning: I was just taking her son, Hanito, back home. That kid has been in a lot of hot water lately, I wanted to have a word with Otsuru about this...

Hanito, looks down bitterly: I was telling the truth...

Mr. Yamada, shouts: There was no wolf and never one to begin with!

Samurai, tapping chin: Note the freshness of the blood suggests the incident occurred within the past 30 minutes.

Mr. Yamada, still disturbed: The girl is inside. Poor thing was bleeding head to toe.

This was a night no one forgotten, especially Zohakuten who held onto that memory like an ideology.

Basically after that fiasco, Otsuru was convinced of 13 accounts of homicide and sentenced to death by hanging. Nobody wanted to inform Hanito what happened to his mother, believing it'd be too hard on him.

- To cope with the void left by his mother's absence, Hanito's fragile mind conjured a distorted narrative, convincing himself that she was a monster who had abandoned him, rather than confront the painful truth of her fate.

- After his mother's departure, Hanito spent his remaining teenage years by his father's side. Seeking a new beginning, they relocated to Gion, a prestigious district in Kyōto renowned for its vibrant entertainment and traditional geisha culture.

- Hanito only grew more handsome by the day. His voice deepened, and he became taller & stronger. His spiky hair had grown longer, reaching his shoulders. His heart-shaped face still brooded with intensity, but his features had matured, sharpening his cheekbones and nose. His piercing onyx eyes smoldering and framed by thick eyebrows that gave him a debonair look. At thirteen, he was already the most attractive guy in Gion.

- He idolized his womanizer father, emulating his ways but with a more sinister edge.

Hanito, exclaiming: Father, teach me how to charm the ladies!

Koki, smiling: Ah, my son, it's all about confidence and charm. Watch and learn!

- As young Hanito honed his skills, his reputation grew, and so did his ego. He began to see himself as a legend, a master of charm and deception. And his father, well, he was the one who had taught him everything he knew.

- He employed his charms to lure unsuspecting girls into his trap, only to rob them blind. Unlike his father, Koki, who had treated his mistresses with kindness and sincerity, Hanito's intentions were far more dark. He delighted in leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake, his beauty and charisma mere tools for exploitation. With each conquest, Hanito's confidence grew, as did his reputation as a heartless Casanova.

His father, Koki, looked on with a mix of pride and concern, aware of the darkness brewing within his son. Yet, he remained silent, allowing Hanito's destructive path to continue unchecked.

- At 14, Hanito experienced his first kiss under the soft glow of a lantern on a bench, in a secluded area of the Gion District. Maiya, his girlfriend, rested her head on his shoulder, her gentle eyes sparkling in the dim light. With his arm wrapped around her, Hanito felt a sense of vulnerability he'd never known before. As their lips touched, he tasted the sweetness of innocence, leaving him breathless. Maiya may not have been as pretty as the ryotei girls who often fawned over him, but to Hanito, she was cute in her own right. Her gentle soul and kind eyes captivated him. In that moment, Hanito felt like a different kind of man.

- Unfortunately, their relationship wouldn't last very long. Hanito's temper and insensitivity brought Maiya distress. Because of that, their relationship ended on bad terms that would leave the spiky-haired boy with his guard up.

- On his 16th birthday, Hanito's life took a reckless turn. He lost his virginity in a wild encounter with three bad bitches in one room, quite tumultuous but worth it.

Rorerei: a former geisha that kind of resembles a young Meisa Kuroki.

Kyoka: the daughter of the second wealthiest man in town & somewhat resembles young Fukada Kyoko.

Nozomi: a waitress who looked a bit like a young Nozomi Sasaki.

- They'd do it again the next night in the same Ryokan. Hanito enjoyed every minute of it. A cute girl named Mika ー cousin of Maiya ー would walk in on them while trying to find her room. This would fluster the young man greatly. However, Mika was... chilled with it and even joined in the fun.

When Maiya found out about what happened, she gave her cousin a 48 hour long lecture.

✅️

Aizetsu 😿

- At 18, Hanito's world was shattered when his father, Koki, died under mysterious circumstances. The discovery of Koki's lifeless body at dawn, drained of blood and beyond salvation, left Hanito reeling. Consumed by grief and abandonment, he plummeted into a dark depression, desperately seeking solace from the anguish. In his darkest moments, Hanito attempted to escape the pain through self-destructive means, but the void left by his father's absence only seemed to grow.

Aizetsu is the second physically youngest of Hantengu's clones. Since Hanito would no longer wore his hair spiky after turning 19.

- This led him craving solitude in the most somber area of Nishijin, where he could escape the world for a while. His only companion was a Japanese Bobtail cat he found injured by the roadside. He took her in, nursing her back to health by bandaging her paw and feeding her. He named her Usui, inspired by the rain that fell on the day they met.

- This was the second time Hanito displayed compassion towards another being. Together, he and Usui weathered the rainy days, a somber but comforting duo in the midst of Kyoto's bustling streets.

- In moments of introspection, Hanito would often hear his father's gentle voice whispering in his mind, urging him to stay strong and press on. The memory of Koki's words, though faint, remained a comforting presence, echoing through Hanito's thoughts like a soft breeze on a summer night.

- Eleven months later, Usui would find her siblings again. Although Hanito didn't want her to go, he did as he knew what it was like to be separated from family. But not before Usui rubbed against her close companion's leg and purred contentedly.

This version of Hanito became the base/blueprint for Aizetsu's creation. Each clone gain power using a series of events in Hanito's 87 years everytime he'd experience that emotion.

✅️

Karaku 💚

Year 1630; was when Hanito finally decided to move again and start over.

- Having grown into a stunningly gorgeous young man, his hair grew moderately past shoulder-length and wavy in a very sexy, satisfying, and stylish sense. His charm and good looks intensified, making him a magnet and true Casanova Killer. With his narrow piercing gaze, captivating smile, thick eyebrows, lean muscular build, nimble fingers, and glowing tawny skin, he was extremely irresistible to many. His voice fully deepened, and he grew taller, exuding confidence and allure.

- New year, new him. Hanito moved to Shimabara, a fascinating red-light district in Kyōto where life was an endless party.

- Hanito got to try liquor for the first time. A quarter cup of shochu mixed with ¾ cup of yuzu was enough to satisfy his taste buds. By the way, when he says the ladies at Shimabara were fine, he means it. During his time in Shimabara, he found himself hooking up with every woman who flirted with him. And that's saying a lot because Hanito was the talk of all town, a head-turner. Husbands would told onto their wives more closely at the charmer's presence, bachelors envied Hanito and wanted to be him and some were even mesmerized, many maidens found themselves falling for his charms and brooding persona, and the top most gorgeous women would even spend the night with him. As a result, Hanito acted overly cocky and prideful in many situations.

Let's just say, the ladies at Shimabara were like Makio/Mitsuri/Daki-level badness. Effortlessly pretty faces, voluptuous figures, stylish sense of fashion, sexy, and hot personalities.

- Let's just say, Hanito almost encountered the dreaded Kukushisen (Syphilis) this one fateful night. Nana, the chick he was with was really hot and was very experienced, luckily she brought mika (paper condoms) with her and they had a blast.

- Hanito actually first met Muzan at a party....

Hantengu's name holds a dual meaning, translating to both "Braggart" and "Half Tengu". The former suggests that The Demon King encountered him in a state of boastful pride, while the latter reveals a connection to the mythical Tengu creatures from Japanese folklore. Tengu are known for their striking appearance, featuring wings, beaks, and formidable magical abilities, as well as their mischievous and powerful nature. This namesake is fitting, as Hantengu's Blood Demon Art allows him to split his body in half, unleashing Tengu-like clones that embody the same quick and cunning spirit as their mythical counterparts.

- Unfortunately, they never got the chance to interact as the party got raided by a bunch of drunken thugs. However, despite being initially annoyed by Hanito's ego and two-faced nature, Muzan was intrigued by his soon-to-be-UM4's ability to charm and pickpocket people.

- Hanito's journey would take an interesting turn as he developed sadomasochistic tendencies. This transformation began with a chance encounter, where he found himself engaged in a captivating conversation with an alluring older woman... whose name remains a mystery. Deciding to step outside for some alone time, she pretty much... just dined in, left an indelible mark on his sensitive place. The sensation made him wince, but somehow he was enjoying it.

- Giving and receiving pain was more than just a fetish. He found himself really enjoying the suffering of people who wronged him. Heartbreak no longer hurt anymore, he was addicted to agony it brought him. Pain was pleasure.

- At 21, Hanito visited his boyhood town, only to discover his old home gone. In its place stood an Inari Shrine, alongside a garden where 13 graves lay next to cherry blossom trees in silent remembrance. He thought this view was rather satisfying and pleasing.

After Otsuru's heinous crimes came to light, the authorities embarked on a meticulous investigation, meticulously dismantling the house piece by piece to uncover the gruesome secrets within. Their grim task was to retrieve the remains of the 13 unfortunate women who had fallen victim to her brutality, whose bodies had been hidden or buried in various clandestine locations throughout the dwelling.

✅️

Urogi 🕊

Years 1623-1632, the town's population and commercial activities would slowly increase throughout the years.

The trio of urchins Hanito used to hang out with years ago were now successful yashi/yamichi (peddlers) ー by the way; their names were Bakuto, Omaru, and Kaito respectively: smooth-talking salesmen who may not be the honest people when it came selling things (Scam Artist Douma-san from the Academy AU should really hire these guys)

You may or may not have remembered the three girls who were obsessed with Hanito from the beginning. Emiko embraced her distinctive hair color - a pale silver with a soft baby blue undertone - rejecting the pressure to conform by dyeing it black. Meanwhile, Sakura harbored subtle affections for Yumi, but ultimately chose duty over desire and married a lord. In contrast, Yumi found true happiness with Omaru, her heart full of joy in their union.

Sakura, curiously: Who is that tall, dark, strong, and handsome brute over there?

Yumi, blushing: You're telling me. He's a snack.

Sakura, in a teasing voice: But, Yumi-chan. What about Omaru?

Yumi, nervous giggles: Oh, yeah... I forgot.

Emiko, looks up from sweeping: Girls? The porch isn't gunna clean itself.

Sakura, without looking away: Just a minute Emiko. We're too busy swooning over this hot new boy.

Emiko, raises a brow: Who?

(She walks over, trying to get a peak)

Emiko, surprised: H-Hanito-sama?

Well, they were both surprised to see each other. Emiko has now grown into the most beautiful woman Hanito has ever see. With her fierce meadow green eyes, flowy white hair, adorable smile, delicate frame, femininity, and great personality; she became the first woman he ever truly loved.

And Emiko; she always had a thing for that boy. Even after realizing he swiftly swiped her hair pin when they were little. She was absolutely smitten upon seeing this man again. He made her heart sing like no other person has.

- The time Hanito spent with Emiko were the best 2 months of his life. They shared an instant connection, discovering a deep affinity for each other's interests and values. Hanito, attuned to the subtleties of human emotions, realized his feelings for Emiko went beyond friendship after just three weeks of togetherness - he had fallen deeply in love.

- They got married on the first day of July, in the same Inari Shrine built where Hanito's childhood home used to be. He was overjoyed by this event, believing he might have a chance to a normal life.

- After bidding farewell to the town, they escaped to a serene foothill of Mt. Hiei, where they built a secluded haven near the charming town of Sakamoto.

"We are in love in love, haven't you heard. How we rock each other's world!"

(- Avril Lavigne)

Well that was fun to write! Considering Hantengu's backstory wasn't as detailed or shown like some of the other characters, and due the fact that he lived a relatively long human life... It made room for plenty of creativity.

24 notes · View notes

wolfehorror · 5 months ago

Text

A Guide To Wolfe

Hi I'm H.S. Wolfe and I write queer horror, romance, erotica and urban fantasy. I have two books and three shorts published currently, as well as an anthology on the way.

In The Garden Of Echo - Genesis 1 Echo and I have been around almost as long as the earth itself. We’re indestructible, in love, and hungry. For centuries we’ve wandered across continents, just the two of us, devouring an invasive species: humans. But the mess we’ve left in our wake has its consequences. Forced to curb our feeding and go into hiding has put Echo and me at risk of exposure, and I’d die before I let anything happen to her. In The Garden Of Echo is a T4T erotic horromance novella, and the first book of the Genesis trilogy. Full content warnings are listed in the author’s note and can be found on the author’s website.

Tales Of Genesis The TOG shorts are erotic one-offs best read after In The Garden Of Echo on itchio only

ROTGUT All I want to do is play drums in Cluster Headache, but I can’t even get that right. Between my on-again off-again shituationship with one of my band mates, the drinking problem-I-don’t-really-have and losing my job along with my will to live... I’ve kind of botched up my life.

As if things weren’t crummy enough I’m being followed by strange creatures that no one else seems to notice. Right before a big show too, that can’t be a good sign.

I've got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about it.

ROTGUT is an 18k psychological thriller / paranormal horror novella about music, mental health, and aliens.

COVER ART BY YUNE (@heavenlyystar on social media) I'm also part of this huge project I've been running alongside author Mars Adler, a Queer Weird West Anthology feature 17 authors and artists, which was fully funded on kickstarter in 11 days! The kickstarter is running until the end of June 2024

Dead Cowpoke's Don't Wrangle With more queers, weirds, and steers than you can shake a stick at, DEAD COWPOKES DON'T WRANGLE collects original weird west tales and art and will take you to the strangest plains over yonder, then further still. So tie up your horse, settle in to wet your whistle 'round the fire, and prepare to be amazed. When shape-shifters, duels, gunslingers, and strangers come to town, you best be saddling up for a hootin' hollerin' good time. You can find all my links to the left of my blog or here

33 notes · View notes

pinkeoni · 1 year ago

Text

Will Byers, Coming of Age, Transformations, Predators, Queerness & Teen Wolf

There’s one part of the “leaks” that sappicjopper put out that really caught my attention—

And as to not look naïve, yes I am highly aware that these “leaks” are likely fake. However, disregarding the legitimacy of this as a “leak,” it is in itself a compelling idea that does have some legs to stand on as a theory.

So awhile ago I made a post about Will’s coming of age story and how that fits into the horror genre, and how exploring coming of age and sexual awakening through the supernatural is a popular trope.

I wanna point out three films I use in my analysis, Ginger Snaps, Jennifer’s Body, and Black Swan. These films have a lot of things in common, but one aspect I want to point out is there use of physical transformation.

These transformations covers an umbrella of different themes depending on the character, but something that all three of them have in common is sexuality. As all of these women become more sexually liberated, and thereby seen as dangerous by those around them, they fall deeper into these physical transformations. (IE Jennifer and Ginger both eating men after they have sex with them)

In my original post I also discuss how this fear of sexuality, or view of sexuality as something monstrous and predatory, is related to queerness. Both Jennifer Check and Nina Sayers are visibly queer characters in both their respective films.

So what? All of this is very speculative, how do I know that Will is going to go through a similar arc, just because I can relate him to a few movies that I like personally? How do I know that the Duffer’s are going to do something similar? Is there reference to a movie within in the show, that features transformation as an allegory for coming of age and queerness?

Actually, there is.

All credits goes to @chirpsythismorning for their deep dive post into the shows use of the film Teen Wolf, which appears in the show as one of Rick Conroy’s recent rentals as well as the poster in the background of a few shots.

(screenshot credits to @chirpsythismorning)

The Freddy Krueger standee, the character who kills people in their dreams whose actor makes a cameo in the show, positioned right over Max’s shoulder should be enough to say that the film references in the background are a lot more than just meaningless references.

Teen Wolf is a 1985 supernatural coming of age movie about a teen named Scott who learns that he is a werewolf.

Within s4 we actually get some parallels between the film and Lucas’ arc— Scott is a basketball player who seeks popularity before embracing who he is and what he really wants. However, I think it’s possible that the film could also be a piece of foreshadowing for Will’s arc in s5.

While Scott is not an explicitly queer character, there is some coding within the film that correlates his lycanthropy with queerness. Remember this is a mainstream teen movie from the 1980’s, if there’s going to be any queerness it’s gonna have to come from subtext, although it is pretty unsubtle.

There’s this very heavy handed scene where Scott confesses to Stiles that he’s a werewolf, and Stiles believes that Scott is coming out to him initially.

There’s also this conversation Scott has with his father that can be read as queer coded.

Or essentially saying, being queer isn’t easy, but it’s not bad either. And then Scott equating his queerness with being a predator, and expects to be hunted as such.

When Scott goes through his first full transformation, it’s right after he played a game of two minutes in heaven with his childhood friend Boof, equating sexuality with his beastlihood.

In s4, there’s a big emphasis on the word predator.

Will’s queerness is an open secret in a town that believed he was “killed by some other queer” and that a group of satanic sodomizers are responsible for murder. I’m willing to bet that that predator label is going to be put onto Will, especially as he begins to come more into his own sexuality.

What would be a literal way to portray this predator title? By having him transform into a predatory creature, just as everyone sees him.

Am I saying Will is going to become a werewolf? Well no, that wouldn’t really make sense with the show. But there is something that may have even been foreshadowed in the show.

How would this transformation even happen? Well, as our “leaker,” or rather, enthusiastic theorist suggests, it has something to do with his connection to the Upside Down, which is progressively leaking more and more into Hawkins. So not a literal zombie, but maybe a zombie like creature that could survive in the Upside Down.

When Vecna was sent through the gate to the UD we saw him go through a physical transformation as he adapted to his environment. This would he a like a speedrun version of that amplified by Will’s own personal connection to the UD (which I believe predates his kidnapping)

It would also serve as a way to highlight the parallels between Vecna and Will, what by having Will physically become similar to him. What better way to show the Vecna/Will mirrors by having Will look in the mirror and see the spitting image of Vecna staring back at him.

Bonus: Scott in Teen Wolf in played by Michael J. Fox, and which character was dressed similarly to a popular Michael J. Fox character in season one?

#will byers #byler #<- target audience #stranger things #will byers has powers #i left out the cannabalism bit because thats more of wishful thinking on my part #…but it does conveniently tie in with the idea of being a predator #and is common with these transformation trope films #maybe he should eat people!!#tw cannibalism #just for those tags lol #also just so i dont get accused #im not trying to steal aspects of lucas’ story just to slap onto will #just saying that the teen wolf parallels can apply to both characters #lucas has more of his overall arc and will has the transformation queer allegory arc #stranger things theory #my theory

171 notes · View notes

laurasimonsdaughter · 1 month ago

Note

Een gekke vraag: zou je variaties kunnen maken op "Roodkapje", "De drie biggetjes" en "De wolf en de zeven geitjes" waarbij de wolf buikpijn krijgt nadat hij zijn prooi heeft doorgeslikt?

Well, I'm sure it would be possible to include the big bad wolf getting a stomach ache in a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs, or The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, but I don't think it would particularly add something to the plot.

Of these three tales Little Red Riding Hood has the most variations. There are versions where grandmother and Red Riding Hood both die, versions where only Red Riding Hood survives, and versions where they are both cut out of the wolf's stomach after being swallowed whole. Those versions usually say that the wolf falls asleep after having such a big meal and I suppose you could easily add in a stomach ache, but it wouldn't change much.

In several of the "cut the wolf open" versions, the wolf's stomach is afterwards filled with stones. The same trick is used in the Grimms' The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids. Interestingly enough this doesn't seem to cause the wolf pain, it just makes him very heavy, and sometimes thirsty.

In the oldest (I think) version of The Three Little Pigs (the one collected by James Orchard Halliwell in The Nursery Rhymes of England), the wolf eats the first two pigs and only the third survives. Again, in this version giving the wolf repercussions for eating a whole pig isn't unreasonable, but it wouldn't immediately change the story. Besides, there are many variations that choose to let them all live and focus on horribly killing the wolf (or fox) instead.

So unless I have misunderstood your question I don't really see a lot of storytelling opportunities here. Perhaps stomach aches don't really feature in these types of tales because the wolf is supposed to be a monster and they cannot have too obvious a physical weakness.

The only story I can think of where a character eats another character and is then physically punished for it until the victim is let out, is the tale of Ananzi and the Baboon (published in 1859 by George Webbe Dasent, in the appendix of Popular Tales from the Norse, collected from "a West Indian nurse".)

Maybe this story was influenced by the more "medical horror" type folktales with the "snake lives in person's stomach" motif. But it feels very different to me, because (just like the big bad wolf) Ananzi eats the Baboon on purpose and is then punished for it and both survive in the end. Which, as far as Anansi/Nanzi stories go, is a perfectly happy ending!

#I'm sorry I can never resist an excuse to drag Nanzi into things #also I don't think I answered your question at all but I did my best #laura babbles

9 notes · View notes

strangerstilinski · 2 years ago

Text

SELENOPHILES OF BEACON HILLS | Teen Wolf Rewrite

Stiles Stilinksi/Original Female Character

chapter three - - chapter four - - chapter five

fic summary; after an already traumatic evening involving the unfortunate discovery of a gruesome scene, amber is convinced to hike through the woods with her two best friends in search of the other half of a dead body. but it's not as if she could ever say no.. not when stiles looked at her like that.

chapter word count; 9,804

chapter notes; scott has a disturbingly realistic nightmare that he can't seem to get out of his head. lydia gives her best shot at playing matchmaker. something about big bad derek just doesn't seem to add up and amber sets off to figure him out for herself.

masterlist

c h a p t e r f o u r

pack mentality

Sandwiched between Stiles and Scott, Amber walked up the concrete path to the school building, pulling her backpack straps tighter around her shoulders as she listened to Scott recount the vivid dream he'd had the night before.

"I'm serious, you guys. It was an actual nightmare-" He explained, "In the dream I couldn't control my shift and we were locked inside a school bus.. Allison was trying to get away but.. There was so much blood.." Scott shook his head as if trying to eject the memory from his brain and Amber lifted a hand to give him a sympathetic pat on the back.

Stiles wrenched open the large metal doors to the building when the trio reached them, "So you killed her?"

"I don't know, I just woke up," Scott said as he and Amber entered the school, stepping past where Stiles was holding the door open for them, "And I was sweating like crazy.. And I couldn't breathe. I've never had a dream where I woke up like that before-"

"Really?" Stiles questioned with a grin, a look of satisfaction taking over his face at the innuendo, "I have. Usually ends a little differently.." He wrapped an arm around Amber's shoulders as they walked down the hallway and pulled her into his side with a laugh, "What about you, Am? You ever had one of these dreams? With the heavy breathing and the sweating and the-"

She turned slightly into Stiles' side beneath his arm, pressing her fingertips against his lips to stop the rambling. Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she her mind drifted to the dream she'd had the week before that has featured Stiles himself, from which she'd woken up breathing heavily and coated in a sheen of sweat. She looked into his wide eyes as they continued down the hallway with slow steps and she remembered the moment in her dream just before she'd gasped herself awake, the moment that Stiles' warm brown eyes had locked with hers just before she'd come.

After what was probably a moment too long, she removed her hand from his mouth, "Yes, Stiles. I've had a sex dream before. You're hilarious."

"Wh- Really?" He sputtered, "About who?"

She took a pointed step to the side to put some space between Stiles and herself and his arm fell from her shoulders to hang limply at his side again as they picked their pace back up. She was saved from having to dodge the question herself when Scott interjected.

"A, I meant I've never had a dream that felt that real. And B, never give me that much detail about either of you in bed again."

Stiles sighed a long-suffering sigh at the change in topic but surrendered, "Noted. Let me just take a guess here-"

"No," Scott interrupted, "I know you both probably think it has something to do with me going out with Allison tomorrow, like I'm gonna lose it and rip her throat out."

"Of course not-" Stiles began, cut off when Amber spoke over him.

"Noo.." She drew out the word with sarcasm.

Stiles gave in first, "Yeah, that's totally it." At Scott's dejected sigh, he continued, "Hey, listen, it's gonna be fine, alright?"

Amber nodded, patting Scott on the shoulder, "I think you're doing pretty well, all things considered-"

"She's right. I mean, personally, I think you're doing pretty frickin' amazingly, you know? It's not like there's a Lycanthropy For Beginners class you can take." Stiles joked.

"Yeah, not a class, but maybe a teacher..” Scott hinted, gauging for his friend's reactions.

"I think it's probably the best idea you've had since-" Amber started.

Stiles looked between them with wide eyes, "Who, Derek?" He reached around to hit Scott in the back of the head and used his other to smack Amber in her shoulder, "You both forgetting the part where we got him tossed in jail?" Stiles exclaimed, his voice loud as they moved through the crowded hallway.

Scott raised his own voice in response, "Yeah! I know but-"

"I will not be settled with equal blame in that. I still think we should've at least talked to the guy before-" Amber's voice was drowned out as Scott continued to speak.

"-Chasing Allison, dragging her to the back of the bus, it all felt so real."

"How real?" Stiles asked, opening a set of side-doors that led out to the courtyard and leading Amber through as Scott followed them a step behind.

"Like it actually happened," Scott said as they stepped out to the paved area that held outdoor tables and a smaller parking lot. When his two friends came to an abrupt stop, Scott walked straight into Amber from behind and stumbled. He caught himself with a hand on her shoulder before stepping up to stand beside her. His friends' eyes were trained ahead of them, mouths open in shock and Scott looked to what had caught their attention.

There was blood everywhere.

A school bus had its rear emergency door hanging loosely from the hinges, dozens of bloody streaks and handprints marked up the yellow paint. There were uniformed deputies rushing around the taped-off crime scene, taking photographs and swabbing surfaces for evidence.

"I-I think maybe it did." Amber said quietly as her hands began to shake.

The three tumbled back into the school building in a rush to check for any sign of Allison. Scott looked panicked and Amber wrapped a hand around his bicep as she raced to keep up with the boys who were both taller than her, her mind quickly spiraling in fear.

"She's probably fine!" Stiles assured them, not quite managing to keep the nerves out of his own voice.

Scott reached into his pocket to pull out his cell phone, desperately checking it for new messages before squeezing it tightly in his hand and putting it back. His voice was strained as he turned to look at his friends, "She's not answering my texts, you guys-"

Amber took a deep breath, unable to speak. She squeezed Scott's arm in her hand and looked to Stiles on her other side with wide eyes.

"It could just be a coincidence, alright?" Stiles said as they continued to scour the hallway for any sign of Allison, "A seriously amazing coincidence."

"What deity did we piss off to earn this much chaos in only two weeks, anyway?" Amber breathed. Her hands were still shaking, but the one gripping onto Scott's bicep felt slightly more controlled.

"Just- Help me find her. Okay?" Scott pleaded with them, his feet still moving quickly as he raced down the hall.

They'd covered the entire east wing of the school without a glimpse of the girl and when they reached an unoccupied row of lockers, Scott tugged himself out of Amber's grip to brace himself against them. He dropped his forehead to one of the cool metal doors and his hands came up on either side of him. He was breathing heavily, in a scarily similar way to when he was on the lacrosse field, just before he had lost control and tried to kill them in the locker room.

"Scott?" Amber asked softly. She had begun to take a step closer when Stiles pulled her back gently with a hand on her shoulder.

She and Stiles watched as Scott breathed harshly for a few moments before Scott suddenly stood upright, tightening his right hand into a fist and punching the door of the locker. The force behind it put a deep, hand-sized dent in the metal, bending it at an angle that had the lock disengaging and sent the locker door swinging open slightly, hanging sadly from its hinges.

Scott took another deep breath, backing away from the destruction while he and Amber both looked around at their peers, checking if anyone had seen or heard his episode, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

When Scott rushed down the hallway, Stiles used the hand still gripping Amber's shoulder to guide her in the other direction, "He needs a minute to calm down, Am."

"Yeah, and we need to help him-" She started, trying to step away but his grip was firm as he pulled her in the opposite direction.

"You and I aren't gonna be much help if we end up in a situation like last week and he manages to actually kill us this time," Stiles argued, "We'll keep looking- Give him a while to calm down, and then we'll regroup, okay?"

"I- Yeah," She deflated, "No, you're right."

Satisfied that she wasn't about to rush off to follow after Scott, Stiles released her and gave her back full autonomy of her body as they approached her locker. After she'd packed away her things and collected her books for English, the two made their way to Stiles' locker so that he could do the same. All the while they kept their eyes peeled for the Argent girl, but didn't manage to find any sign of her in the hallways.

When Amber slid into her desk in front of Stiles, she sighed at the two empty seats in the row to the right of them. She turned around in her seat to face Stiles and kept her shaky voice low in an attempt at privacy, "What if it was real and Allison is-"

"-Walking in the room with Scott right now," Stiles finished her sentence, nodding toward the front of the classroom.

Amber spun forward again so quickly she only narrowly avoided sweeping all of her books onto the floor, but Stiles was right. Allison was walking into the room with her usual soft smile on her face, certainly not looking like she had been mauled by a werewolf the night before, and Scott trailed just a couple of steps behind her.

When Scott slid into his seat, Amber leaned slightly over the arm of her desk to lessen some of the space between them, shooting him a glare, "Would a text have killed you?" She hissed, "I'm pretty sure I was only a few minutes away from an aneurysm from stress."

"Sorry." Scott shrugged, not looking entirely sorry, as he smiled gratefully at the back of Allison's head.

"Unbelievable." Amber leaned back into her seat muttering. Despite her words, she felt a wave of relief rush over her with the knowledge that Allison was okay. As her back came to rest in her seat fully for the start of class, she felt Stiles reach across his desk to squeeze her shoulder softly. She tilted her head to the side and pressed her cheek to the back of his warm hand for a moment before sitting up a little in her seat.

Everything was fine.

By the time third period came around, the sick feeling in Amber's gut had returned. Even though Allison was safe, there was still a crime scene in the back parking lot along with a bloodsoaked school bus, Scott had still dreamt that he'd been there the night before, and someone or something had lost a concerning amount of blood.

Scott turned around to face where his friends sat at the sideways tables behind him, "Maybe it was my blood on the door," He suggested quietly.

Amber shrugged in response while she continued to copy down the equation that Mr. Harris was writing up on the chalkboard.

"Could have been animal blood," Stiles interjected, fiddling with the pencil in his hand, teeter-tottering it back and forth rapidly between his middle and forefinger, "Y'know, maybe you caught a rabbit or something."

Scott frowned in confusion, "And did what?"

"Ate it." Stiles said simply.

Amber snorted quietly, glancing up to the front of the room to ensure their teacher hadn't heard it. Mr. Harris was still facing the blackboard, so she felt safe enough to whisper back to her friends, "Gross, Scott. You ate a rabbit?" She questioned gleefully.

"What and I ate it raw?" Scott asked.

"No, you stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven." Stiles glared, annoyed. Amber laughed quietly again as he continued, "I don't know, you're the one who can't remember anything."

"Mr. Stilinski," Harris' voice rang out with its usual amount of irritation, "If that's your idea of a hushed whisper, you might want to pull the headphones out every once in a while." Amber looked back at her notes, face flushing in mortification, and she heard Stiles huff a nervous laugh, "I think you, Mr. McCall and Miss Callisto would benefit from a little distance, yes?"

"No-" Stiles protested immediately.

Mr. Harris glared from behind his small, black framed glasses and pointed to an empty seat at the far end of the classroom, and another at a table in the front. Stiles and Scott both huffed, but collected their things none the less and moved to their respective new seats. Amber remained in her seat, avoiding the amused gaze of the classmate she shared her table with.

"Hey! I think they found something!" The girl sitting beside Scott suddenly yelled, rushing to the window overlooking the back parking lot.

Every student in the classroom followed suit and ran to the wall of windows. Amber pushed through to the front of the room and hovered just behind Scott and Stiles, peeking over their shoulders to see the person being carted toward an ambulance on a gurney.

"That's not a rabbit," Scott stated quietly.

The old man on the gurney suddenly sat upright and attempted to pull away from the paramedics. He screamed and all the students hovering by the windows flinched back in surprise. The backward movement of the boys in front of her had her tripping over her own feet and Amber's hands went to Stiles' waist to steady herself.

Scott backed away from the scene slowly with a horrified look on his face. Amber and Stiles immediately followed after him and went to their friend's side.

"Guys, what-" Amber swallowed past a lump in her throat, unable to finish her question. She looked to Stiles with wide eyes, hoping he might have something to say to make the situation seem less dire.

"This is good!" Stiles said, "This is good." He repeated, looking back and forth between his friend and the windows, "He got up, he's not dead. Dead guys can't do that." Stiles let out a long breath.

"You guys.. I did that." Scott whispered.

"Hey, listen. We don't know for sure that you did anything." Amber assured Scott again. She settled her lunch tray over her forearm and reached out to rub Scott's arm encouragingly as they made their way to an empty table.

"Dreams aren't memories." Stiles agreed in a whisper.

"Then it wasn't a dream." Scott countered, setting his tray down on a table, "Something happened last night and I can't remember what."

Scott grabbed a seat, throwing his sweatshirt into the empty chair beside him. Stiles pulled out his own seat across the table and Amber settled herself into the one to the right of Stiles.

"What makes you so sure that Derek even has all the answers?" Stiles asked in defeat.

"Well to start, he was fine on the full moon-" Amber started.

"Yeah," Scott agreed, "He was in total control on a full moon while I was running around in the middle of the night attacking some totally innocent guy."

"You don't know that." Stiles reiterated to their friend.

"I don't not know it!" Scott said, leaning forward into his lunch tray as he spoke. "I can't go out with Allison. I have to cancel-"

"No." Stiles interjected, "You're not canceling, okay?"

Amber frowned, unsure when Stiles had taken this stance on Scott's love-life, but wanting to reassure him all the same.

"The next full moon isn't for another two weeks," Amber stated, "So, you'll be fine tomorrow, and then after you've gone on your amazingly perfect date, we'll work on your control. By the time the full moon comes around, you'll be totally fine."

"Yeah. You can't just cancel your entire life. We'll figure it out." Stiles agreed.

"Figure what out?" Lydia's voice cut in. The girl dropped her lunch tray down beside Scott's and fell gracefully into the seat across from Amber.

Stiles huffed out a surprised breath, looking at Amber as if she might know why the strawberry blonde was joining their table at lunch.

"Uh-" Scott said dumbly.

"Just homework." Amber smiled, reaching to grab a chicken tender from Stiles' plate and beginning to rip it into tiny pieces over her salad.

"Yeah," Stiles agreed loudly before turning to whisper in Amber's ear, "Why is she sitting with us?"

Amber shrugged in response just as the rest of the empty seats at their table were suddenly being filled. A guy Amber didn't know very well from the lacrosse team sat at the head of the table between Lydia and herself. Danny Mahealani settled into the seat on the other side of Stiles. Allison went to the seat beside Scott, pausing while he collected his sweatshirt from the table so that she could set her tray down.

"Thanks," Allison said to him with a smile.

"Get up." Jackson's voice cut in harshly, glaring at the boy sitting beside Amber.

The boy floundered for a moment, "How come you never ask Danny to get up?" He questioned, pointing to where Danny was sitting a few seats away.

"Because," Danny interjected, pointedly looking at the way the boy's eyes were glued to Lydia's chest, "I don't stare at his girlfriend's coin slot."

The boy pulled his eyes away from the redhead in embarrassment and huffed, quickly grabbing his tray and rushing off so that Jackson could take his vacant seat.

"So, I hear they're saying it's some kind of animal attack. Probably a cougar." Danny said, unknowingly steering the topic of conversation back where it had been only moments before.

"I heard mountain lion." Jackson disagreed.

"Same thing," Amber said through a large mouthful of salad at the same time Lydia said, "A cougar is a mountain lion."

Jackson's eyes narrowed at his girlfriend and Lydia continued, "Isn't it?" Lydia asked dumbly, looking up at Amber across the table in faux-confusion.

"Who cares," Jackson rolled his eyes, "The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway."

Amber's eyes snapped back to Jackson and she had to fight the urge to stab her fork into his hand instead of the salad on her plate.

She felt Stiles' hand go to her shoulder as he leaned over the table with a video playing on his phone, "Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out." Stiles said, positioning his phone so that most of the table could see the newsreel he was playing.

"The Sheriff's Department won't speculate on details of the incident but confirmed the victim, Garrison Meyers, did survive the attack. Meyers was taken to a local hospital where he remains in critical condition." The reporter recounted over a video clip that had been taken of the crime scene, followed by a photograph of the victim smiling that they'd managed to pull from somewhere.

"I know this guy." Scott said, looking up at his two best friends with wide eyes. Amber took a shaky breath at the admission, glancing over at Stiles to see he looked just as dejected. "When I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad.. He was the driver."

There was a moment of silence wherein the three friends sat with matching looks of devastation.

"Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please?" Lydia cut in, "Like- Oh, what are we doing tomorrow night?" She asked excitedly, eyes flicking to Amber before they settled on Allison at the other end of the group, "You said you and Scott were hanging out tomorrow night, right?"

There was an awkward moment where Amber watched Allison choke down the bite of food she had in her mouth, eyes bouncing between Lydia and Scott, "Um," She struggled, "We were still thinking of what we were gonna do."

Amber and Stiles made brief eye contact, unsure how Scott and Allison could get out of sudden the turn of events.

"Well," Lydia said, "I am not sitting at home again watching lacrosse videos, so if the six of us are hanging out, we're doing something fun."

Allison was nervously sipping from her water bottle when Scott turned to face her, "Hanging out? Like, the six of us?" He asked slowly.

Stiles reached a hand up to cover his own mouth to keep from groaning in frustration. Amber grabbed his hand and pulled it down to settle on the top of the table, squeezing it for a moment.

"Do you wanna hang out, like, us and them?" Scott asked Allison quietly.

"Yeah," Allison said after a second, "I guess. Sounds fun."

"You know what else sounds fun? Stabbing myself in the face with this fork." Jackson said, holding up a metal fork identical to the one Amber had debated stabbing him with just a few minutes earlier.

"Well I'm, uh, busy.." Stiles said, hoping to get things back on track for Scott's date.

While Stiles had caught the grateful look Scott shot him, he missed the shattered expression that flooded the face of the girl sitting beside him. Amber let out a pained breath at Stiles' immediate dismissal of being paired up with her on something as simple as a group date.

"-With my dad. Gotta.. Do a thing." He finished lamely.

"Fine." Lydia dismissed, "Don't worry, hon, I happen to have a backup date all lined up for you." The redhead grinned slyly at Amber, like this was going more according to her plan than she could've hoped.

"A date?" Stiles squeaked at the same time Amber furrowed her eyebrows and said, "A backup date?"

"Well if he's too busy," Lydia started, shooting a small glare at Stiles, "We can't leave you fifth wheeling, can we?" She explained, "What, do you have plans with his dad, too?" She asked sarcastically, raising her eyebrows at Amber.

"I- No, I. I guess I don't." She confirmed, avoiding eye contact and moving the lettuce around on her plate.

"Good," Lydia smiled before turning her attention to her boyfriend, "How about bowling? You love to bowl."

Jackson scoffed, "Yeah, with actual competition."

"How do you know we're not actual competition?" Allison asked, turning to Scott with a smile, "You can bowl, right?"

Scott paused, eyes wide, "Sort of."

Amber grimaced, glancing up at Stiles to find him still looking at her with a frown, a french fry dangling from between his lips as if he'd had some sort of life changing realization mid-bite.

What? She mouthed to him, grabbing the exposed half of the fry and pulling it from his mouth. Stiles simply shook his head like he was clearing his thoughts and returned his attention to the rest of the table as he chewed the food still in his mouth.

"Is it sort of, or yes?" Jackson was prodding Scott.

"Yes." Scott said defiantly, sitting up a little straighter in his seat, "In fact, I'm a great bowler."

Amber sighed in all sorts of disappointment.

Stiles and Scott made their way from their final class of the day in a rush to leave school, moving faster that normal with the knowledge that they didn't have lacrosse practice that afternoon. They entered the stairwell and moved quickly until they reached the bottom.

"You're terrible at bowling!" Stiles finally said loudly, thinking back on the fiasco in the lunchroom.

"I know!" Scott whined, "I'm such an idiot!"

"God, It was like watching a car wreck. I mean, first it turns into this whole group date thing. And then out of nowhere comes that phrase-"

"'Hang out.'" Scott agreed.

"You don't hang out with hot girls, okay? It's like death. Once it's hanging out you might as well be her gay best friend. Believe me. It'll be like me and Amber when we're 'hanging out'." Stiles ranted as they turned into the lower hallway.

"How is this happening?" Scott asked, blind to the way his friend was beginning to spiral, "I either killed a guy or I didn't."

"God! I could've had a date with Amber and I freaking blew it." Stiles complained, "D'you think she would've thought it was a real date? Who do you think she's going on the date with now?" Stiles asked, his mind racing.

"I ask Allison on a date, and now we're hanging out." Scott said to himself, ignoring Stiles.

"Scott, who do you think Amber's going on the date with now?"

"I make first line, and the team captain wants to destroy me. And now-" Scott bemoaned before he checked the time on his phone with a groan, "Now I'm gonna be late for work." He said, running off again and leaving Stiles standing in the middle of the hall.

"Wait, Scott!" Stiles called after his friend's retreating form, "You didn't- Who's Amber going on the date with now! You didn't-" He paused, continuing quietly to himself, "Answer my question."

"Ben Davis." A voice came a few inches from Stiles' ear.

Stiles jumped, flailing his arms and tripping forward a few steps. He nearly smacked the girl beside him as he caught his footing and he heard Amber's laughter as he righted himself.

"Ben Davis?" Stiles repeated with a grimace.

Stiles didn't necessarily like the thought of Amber going on a date with one of the many assholes that Lydia could have easily lined up from the lacrosse team. But, somehow, Amber going on a date with Ben Davis was worse.

Ben was all tall lean muscle and clear skin paired with a sharp jawline and thick shiny hair. In addition to all that, though, was what Stiles was beginning to think was the thing he hated the most about Ben — he was nice. The guy was a part of the Big Brother Big Sister Program at the middle school. He was always willing to help the Freshmen when they were having trouble with the drills while all the other upperclassmen just watched them flail in satisfaction. He volunteered at an honest to God soup kitchen around the holidays.

Stiles didn't want Amber to go on a date with some douchebag who he knew would be telling dirty jokes and feeling her up all night, but at least that would be a one and done situation. He knew Amber would kick the ass of a guy like that before she ever agreed to a second date.

But a guy like Ben — That was a guy she'd go on a second, third, even tenth date with. Ben was a guy Amber would probably date until they graduated high school and then the two of them would get married and have two annoyingly beautiful children.

Stiles felt like he was going to be sick.

One Hour Earlier

As soon as the bell rang for the fifteen minute break before last period, Amber rushed to the bathroom. She felt Lydia's eyes on her as she passed by but refused to slow, speeding past with a tight feeling in her chest.

She hadn't been able to pay attention to anything they'd covered in class after lunch. She had mindlessly copied down notes from the board and into her notebook, but she wouldn't have been able to recall a word of it if anyone asked. Her mind was stuck on the confirmation she'd received that Stiles truly couldn't see her as anything more than his friend.

She'd told herself hundreds of times that something like this would happen, that Stiles didn't want her in that way. But to have it laid out in front of her with all of their friends present had been more mortifying than she could have ever imagined.

When the bathroom door opened, Amber was sitting with her knees pulled into her chest, curled up on the wide window sill that ran along the frosted glass panes. She heard the soft clicking of Lydia's heeled boots along the tiled floor, but Amber was busy trying to focus her breathing, squeezing her legs tight.

"Oh, sweetie," Lydia said softly, sitting down on the edge of the sill beside her. Lydia's hand came up to run through her friend's long hair softly, pulling Amber close. "You're upset about buzzcut?"

"Stiles." Amber said quietly, voice sounding hoarse even though she hadn't cried.

"Right, well, I know you're hurt but.. If he doesn't want to go on a date with you, he's an idiot." The strawberry blonde stated.

"Feel kinda like I'm the idiot." Amber mumbled, leaning back and looking up into the green eyes of her friend.

"You're not." Lydia said sternly, "But d'you know what will make you feel better?"

"If you say going bowling with-"

"Going out for a fun night with your friends and a guy, hand picked by me. Who, by the way, is very hot and very perfect for you." Lydia smiled softly.

"Perfect for me?" Amber asked distrustfully, loosening her grip around her legs and leaning back against the wall.

"Yes," Lydia insisted, "Please, I know your type. He's sweet, but he's also so family oriented it's boring, and he's a total nerd." Amber raised her eyebrows at the list of supposed perks, "Not to mention he's insanely hot."

Amber sighed, giving in, "Who are we even talking about?"

"Ben Davis." When Lydia grinned, there was something both beautiful and scary about it.

Amber knew who Ben was. He was in their class and had tried out for lacrosse with Scott and Stiles as Freshmen the year before. She didn't know him well, but she knew him well enough that she thought he seemed like a nice guy. He was tall for a Sophomore, and he had gorgeous dark hair that somehow always looked styled but effortless. Lydia wasn't lying, he was insanely attractive.

"I just- I don't know how much fun a date sounds to me right now." Amber admitted self-consciously, picking at a loose thread on her jeans.

"Just come on the date," Lydia said, combing her fingers through Amber's hair one final time, "Come. Try to have fun- And then if you want to mope and be depressed about your friend for a week, I say go for it."

Amber took a deep breath, "You really, honestly think I might like him?" She asked, sighing at Lydia's answering nod, "I don't think I'm up for it tomorrow, but a date in general.. I just.. I'll think about it, okay?"

"Deal," Lydia held out a pinky, waiting until Amber joined her own before letting her hand drop. "But even if you don't go tomorrow night, I am getting you on a date with this guy," She wrapped Amber up in another tight hug, "I swear you'd like him."

Amber nodded reluctantly. Despite the ever present pang of heartbreak she was feeling for Stiles, she felt significantly lighter than she had before her talk with Lydia.

Amber was on her way to her locker at the end of the day when she heard Stiles' voice ring out from down the hallway.

"Scott, wait!" She heard Stiles yelling as she rounded a corner, steadily closing the distance between her and her friends.

Finally, she spotted the back of Stiles' head. He was standing in the center of the front hall, shouting at Scott's back as the tanned boy walked in the other direction through the crowd of students in a rush.

"You didn't- Who's Amber going on the date with now! You didn't-" Stiles called out as Amber reached his back. She leaned closer to Stiles' shoulder as he continued speaking quietly to himself, "Answer my question."

She leaned up onto her tiptoes, her face hovering close to Stiles' ear, "Ben Davis." She answered, her mouth only a few inches from his left ear.

He flinched in surprise at the sound of her voice so close. The boy stumbled and when his arms pinwheeled in an attempt to catch himself, he only narrowly avoided hitting Amber in the face with a flailing limb. She laughed loudly as he tripped forward half a step and righted himself before standing upright again.

He turned to face her and when she looked into his wide brown eyes, she fought to remind herself of the way he'd rejected her in the lunchroom.

"Ben Davis?" Stiles repeated, voice sounding unusually high. His nose crinkled up cutely in what looked like confusion.

Amber shrugged, suddenly feeling self conscious. She couldn't help but associate his surprise with him thinking the same thing she had when Lydia revealed her prospect — that Ben Davis was ridiculously out of her league.

"I mean.. I already told Lydia I'm probably not gonna go." She told him, nervously readjusting her books from where she had been cradling them to her side to hold them in front of herself protectively with both arms. She opted to leave out the fact that Stiles was her main reason for bailing on the group excursion.

"You're not going on the date?" He asked for clarification, his eyes raking over her face.

"Nah," She said, "I know Lydia won't be deterred that easily, in the long run but- Looks like it'll just be a double now with Scott and Allison, Jackson and Lydia."

"Good. Great- Cool!" Stiles said enthusiastically, his cheeks dimpling and putting an instantaneous smile on Amber's own face. His mood seemed to perk up and he threw a casual arm over her shoulders as he led them in the direction of her locker, "What're your plans for tonight? Scott's got work. But if you want, I thought we could order takeout and study for the Chemistry test-"

"Jason doesn't have to be back at the station until eight, actually," She interrupted, casting a brief glance at the mole-dotted cheek on the right side of Stiles' face, "We're making papoutsakia for dinner!" She said excitedly.

"Is that the eggplant one or the pasta bake?"

"Eggplant!" She grinned wide in excitement, "We're pulling out dad's recipe for the tomato sauce and everything. We can never get it to taste exactly like he made it but one of these days... We're gonna get it right."

"Right, yeah-" Stiles said, releasing her so she could open her locker and get her backpack, "That's cool, I'll just.. Drop you off at home then."

"We could order food and study tomorrow night though, if you want." She suggested hopefully.

"Yeah, I- Yeah sounds good. Great!" Stiles said quickly.

He moved to lean against the row of lockers and evidently misjudged the distance, by the way his shoulder slammed loudly against the metal. When she glanced at him while dropping a few books into her bag, he seemed unharmed. Instead, he wore a pleased little smile on his face, his cheeks dimpling in a way that made her heart clench.

"Cool." She smiled, zipping up her backpack and pulling it over her shoulders.

Amber was finishing up in the shower just after nine o'clock that evening when she heard her cell phone ringing loudly from the bathroom sink. She wrapped a towel around her body and nearly slipped with her wet feet against the tile as she jumped from the shower to get to the phone before it rang through to voicemail.

"Hello?" She said in a rush as she answered the call, hovering the phone a few inches away from her ear to avoid it coming into contact with her wet hair.

"Amber, you good? We're on our way to pick you up." Stiles' voice came through the tiny speaker.

"W-Why? I'm showering, what- Did something else happen?" She asked anxiously, leaning to shut off the running water and cursing quietly when she nearly slipped again in a puddle beside the bathtub.

"You're in the shower?" She heard Stiles' ask in a strained voice. Scott muttered something in the background and Stiles shushed him before continuing, "W- Right now?"

"No, not right now. I don't take my phone into the actual shower with me, Stiles. I was showering when you called." She said, turning him on speakerphone so that she could dry herself off quickly with the towel. "Now tell me what's going on."

"We're going to go to the school so Scott can sniff around or something. We'll explain more when we get there. Just get dressed and meet us outside, we'll be there in maybe two minutes."

"Fuck," She exclaimed at the time frame, rushing to finish drying her dripping hair before running to her bedroom to find clothes, "Okay, I'll be right down."

She ended the call, pulling on jeans and a tshirt from the mess on her bedroom floor before running out to the driveway. When she got there, the blue Jeep was already idling and she rushed to the passenger side, clumsily climbing over Scott to get to the center of the bench seat.

"Hi," She panted, elbowing Scott in the face as she readjusted to sit down, "Sorry-" Stiles was already backing out of the driveway and Amber shivered in the cool air of the vehicle as her hair dripped water down the collar of her shirt. "So what's happening? What're we sniffing?"

"I talked to Derek earlier," Scott told her, "He said that if I go back in the bus and use my werewolf senses, then I might remember what happened."

"I told you we should've talked to Derek sooner," She stated, "Was he furious about getting arrested?"

"Well, he didn't seem happy." Scott said, earning a snort of laughter from Stiles.

"Hey, this is serious, okay? We got the guy arrested. For his sister's murder." She glared at Stiles in the dark cab of the car.

"He still could've done it." He pointed out.

She rolled her eyes, "Stiles, seriously. We have more important things to focus on right now than your burning, passionate hatred for Derek Hale, alright?"

Stiles muttered something under his breath that she didn't catch, but remained otherwise silent until they pulled up to the gate that closed off the bus lot behind the school at night. As soon as the vehicle was shut off, both doors were flung open and Scott and Stiles dashed from the car, Amber climbed out a moment later and ran to catch up with them as they approached the gate.

Stiles put his hands and feet into the chainlink and immediately began to climb but Scott tugged him down to stand on the ground again.

"Hey, no, just me." Scott said, pulling Stiles' shoulder back and pushing him to stand beside Amber a few steps away, "You guys need to keep watch."

"How come we're always keeping watch?" Stiles asked defensively.

"Because he's the werewolf." Amber stated, putting her hand on Stiles' shoulder and pulling him back another step toward the car.

"Okay, why's it starting to feel like you're Batman and I'm Robin?" Stiles asked, his focus on Scott. "I don't want to be Robin all the time."

"Nobody's Batman or Robin any of the time." Scott said in exasperation.

"I- Not even some of the time?" Stiles asked sadly.

"Just," Scott turned his attention to Amber, "Make sure he stays here."

"Gotcha." She replied at the same time Stiles whined in annoyance. She pulled Stiles back toward the Jeep and together they climbed back in through the still-open doors. The car was quiet for a long minute before Amber spoke up, "Y'know, for the record, if there was a Batman of the group, it'd be you. Regardless of werewolf powers."

Stiles scoffed quietly, "How do you figure that?"

"You're kind of in charge, y'know? You're the one who's always got a plan, even if I don't always approve of it. And you're the one who keeps us together whenever shit hits the fan. Plus, well, you're always trying to keep me safe and pulling me out of danger-" She looked over from where her eyes had been focussed on the bus in the distance and finally turned her attention to the boy beside her. He wore a soft look or surprise on his face that made her feel oddly vulnerable, like somehow she'd revealed too much in the safety of the dark car. "Um.. Not to mention, you've got the super cool car."

He smiled and the light from the parking lot cast shadows over the dimples in his cheeks. Amber tore her eyes away to glance back toward the parked bus and jumped when she saw flashlight beams approaching from the other direction.

"Stiles!" She alerted her friend, pointing toward where Scott was still in the bus and the growing beams of light.

"Shit-" Stiles exclaimed quietly, honking the horn of the Jeep obnoxiously for several long moments to get Scott's attention.

They watched as Scott emerged from the bus and took off running in their direction. He jumped onto the hood of a parked car and ran along the roof before launching himself over the tall fence, tucking and rolling when he hit the ground on the other side.

"C'mon, c'mon," Stiles muttered, hitting the steering wheel anxiously as they watched their friend.

Scott ran toward the Jeep and Amber rushed to open the passenger side door for him.

"Go! Go!" Scott yelled as soon as he was in the vehicle.

Amber flinched at the shouting and she watched Stiles fumble with his keys for a moment before getting them in the ignition and throwing the vehicle into reverse. Amber couldn't help but grip onto Scott's arm when Stiles slammed on the gas to propel them backward before cutting the wheel as he switched gears. The Jeep turned to the side and hadn't yet come to a stop before Stiles slammed on the gas again and they took off in a forward direction and away from the school.

"Did it work? Did you remember?" Stiles yelled quickly as he drove.

"Yeah, I was there last night," Scott explained, gripping the window with one hand and allowing Amber to continue squeezing his other arm tightly, "And the blood- A lot of it was mine."

"What does that mean?" Amber questioned in confusion.

"So, you did attack him?" Stiles clarified.

"No." Scott answered, "I saw glowing eyes on the bus, but they weren't mine. It was Derek."

"Oh, come on-" Amber cried out, only to be ignored.

"What about the driver?" Stiles asked.

"I think I was actually trying to protect him."

"Wait," Stiles interrupted frantically, "Why would Derek help you remember that he attacked the driver?"

"He wouldn't!" Amber interjected loudly.

"It's gotta be a pack thing-" Stiles thought aloud, ignoring the incredulous look Amber was shooting him, "Like an initiation. You do the kill together."

"Because ripping someone's throat out is a real bonding experience?" Scott asked warily.

"Yeah, but you didn't do it," Stiles pointed out, "Which means you're not a killer. And it also means that-"

"I can go out with Allison." Scott finished quickly, a look of relief taking over his face.

"I was going to say that you wont kill me and Amber." Stiles said, taking his eyes off the road to look past Amber and glare at Scott.

"Oh, yeah." Scott agreed quietly, "That too."

"You're both ridiculous." Amber stated, releasing Scott's arm to cross her own over her chest. There was so much she wanted to say but she remained quiet as she sorted through her own thoughts.

There was no way that Derek Hale was attacking people just because he wanted Scott in his pack.

Amber knew something else was going on, and she intended on figuring it out.

The next day, Amber insisted she needed to do something before their study date and requested that Stiles drop her off at home after lacrosse practice.

The girl watched out the front window as the Jeep reversed out of the driveway before she abandoned her backpack on the dining table and headed to the garage to pull out her rarely-used bicycle. Tugging the garage door closed once again, she climbed onto the uncomfortable seat and took off in the direction of the preserve.

Amber was passing by a gas station at the edge of town when she spotted a familiar black Camaro parked at one of the pumps and she quickly turned into the parking lot, coming to a stop at the back of the car.

Derek was swinging the driver's side door open and getting out just as she climbed off of her bike, letting it fall to the ground as she approached him.

"You have got to tell us what the hell is going on." Amber demanded.

"You and your little friends have no idea what you've gotten in the middle of." Derek stated darkly, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Uh, yeah, that's kind of the problem!" Amber said, gesturing wildly with her arms, "Scott and Stiles think you're this crazy murderous werewolf who attacks random people for some sort of idiotic pack bonding ritual- And you, with your stupid brooding face and half-truths whenever you're confronted with a question, are not helping!"

Derek rolled his eyes at the teen, leaning against his car casually, "Then what d'you wanna know, huh?"

"I want to know who attacked the bus driver, and who killed your sister, and why your werewolf butt showed up in town at the same time Scott was bitten." Amber listed, counting off the questions on her fingers.

"I don't know who attacked the driver, alright? I was hoping Scott would once he triggered his memories." Derek stated.

"Okay, well.. What about your sister?" Amber asked.

"I don't know that for sure either," Derek said, crossing his arms over his chest, "I really did follow my sister here. I didn't lie to you."

"Okay, well-" Amber started, cutting herself off when Derek's focus suddenly snapped down the street, his eyes wide and his brows furrowed, "What?"

"Get in the car and hide on the floor in the back seat." Derek ordered, moving to grab her bike and throwing it into the bushes at the edge of the parking lot like it weighed nothing.

"What? Why would I-"

Derek was already opening the door and pulling the seat forward. He picked her up easily and shoved her into the backseat of the car, repeating himself, "Hide on the floor." He demanded, pushing the seat back upright, "Don't move. Don't make a sound. Got it?"

Amber bit her lower lip nervously but nodded. The moment she gave her confirmation, the door to the Camero was slammed shut and Derek rounded the car and began the process of filling his gas tank.

The sound of several more car doors opening and closing sounded out and Amber curled tighter on the floor of the car to hide herself away from the tinted windows. Everyone outside of the car was silent for a long minute and eventually, she heard Derek pull the pump from the side of the car and flip the gas cap closed.

She remained on the floor and listened as a male voice began speaking at the passenger side of the car near where Derek was standing.

"Nice ride." The man finally said, "Black cars, though.. Very hard to keep clean. I would definitely suggest a little more maintenance. If you have something this nice, you want to take care of it. Right?"

Something soft slapped wetly against the windshield and Amber flinched, peeking around the passenger seat to see the arm of someone cleaning the windshield with a squeegee.

"Personally, I'm very protective of the things I love." The man continued as he wiped down the glass, "But, that's something I learned from my family, and you don't have much of that these days. Do you?"

Anger flared in Amber's chest at the insensitive comment that was most likely meant to pull a reaction out of Derek. It didn't seem to have worked, as Derek remained silent and out of her line of sight from the floor. It was, however, effective in making the girl inside the car begin to feel protective and quietly enraged.

"There we go." The man said after a moment, stepping back from the car, "You can actually look through your windshield now. See how that makes everything so much clearer?"

Amber watched through the small crack between the passenger door and the seat as the man began to walk away, he was wearing a tan jacket and his hair was heavily graying.

"You forgot to check the oil." Derek called out at the man's back brazenly, his voice deep and unaffected by the encounter.

"Check the man's oil." The man from before ordered someone after a long moment of silence.

Only a few seconds passed before someone approached the driver's side door. Amber ducked down tighter toward the floor just before someone broke through the front window with the butt of a large gun, glass shattering loudly and flying into the car as Amber flinched with a quiet gasp.

"Looks good to me." The second man said with mirth as he backed away from the car, not noticing the girl in the back.

"Drive safely." The first man told Derek, voice growing quieter as he walked away from the car for the second time.

A minute passed in which she could hear car doors opening and closing again, two engines turning over, and the sound of the vehicles driving away. As soon as the sounds retreated, Amber sat up a little straighter and watched as Derek tugged open the passenger door this time and pulled her back out of the car with his hands on her waist.

"Who the hell-"

"You okay?" Derek interrupted her, checking her arms and face for cuts. His eyes narrowed as he reached up and pulled a tiny piece of glass from her hairline without warning.

"Ow!" Amber flinched, pulling back a step and pressing her fingers to the tender spot where the glass had been lodged in her skin. When she pulled her hand away, her fingertips had a small drop of blood on them and she stared at the drop in a daze for a moment before looking up at Derek's frowning face, "Seriously, who-"

"Hunters." Derek told her, "Chris Argent and his crew. They didn't see you, though. You should be safe for now."

"For now?" Amber repeated in a squeak, "What do you mean for now?"

Derek sighed, "Scott's control isn't the only thing that puts you in danger. Just knowing him, being friends with him, that puts you in danger too. From hunters."

"I am not going to stop being friends with Scott." Amber told him resolutely.

"That doesn't surprise me." Derek stated, purposefully brushing his hands down Amber's jacket and jeans. Tiny shards of glass fell from her clothes and hit the pavement below with a quiet clinking. "Look, I'm on my way to check out the bus driver. I'm going to see if I can get any scents or clues off of him but you and Stiles- You need to stay out of things. You're human. It's not safe."

"But-"

"Go home." Derek ordered, pushing her gently in the direction of her bike.

Amber frowned, but approached the bicycle where it was sadly hanging out of the bushes, relatively unharmed considering it had been thrown across a gas station parking lot. She picked it up and looked back to see Derek already climbing into the Camaro and closing the door behind him.

She sighed, pulling her phone out to text Stiles to pick her up at home before throwing her leg over the bike and taking off in the direction of her house.

When she got to her house, she dropped her bike haphazardly against the front porch. Amber rushed inside to grab her backpack again and poked her head through the curtains to see Stiles already parked in the driveway once more.

"That literally took you less than an hour. I could've just hung around-" Stiles stated while she pulled open the passenger door and climbed into the Jeep, "What did you have to do?"

"Um-" Amber hesitated as she turned to buckle her seatbelt.

"Are you bleeding?" Stiles asked quickly, reaching out to brush her hair to the side and leaning closer to get a better look.

"Shit-" Amber cursed, having already forgotten about the small cut at her hairline.

Stiles tucked the hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear to hold it in place, leaning around her to open the glove compartment and pulling out a napkin before slapping it shut again.

"Why are you bleeding?" He demanded, pressing the napkin to the blood that had dripped down her forehead.

"I was going to ease you into it-"

"Ease me into what?"

"Well-" Amber sighed, taking the napkin from his hand and wiping at her forehead herself, "You're gonna be kind of mad."

Stiles sighed this time, "Amber, why am I gonna be mad?"

"I went to see Derek-" Amber started.

"Derek- Derek hurt you?" Stiles asked angrily. It was a tone Amber wasn't sure if she'd ever heard his voice take. The boy reached into the pocket of his jeans as he continued, "That's it. We're calling my dad and this time he'll arrest the deranged werewolf for-"

"Stiles, stop." Amber grabbed the phone from his hand when he pulled it out of his pocket, "Will you just listen? Yeah, I went to see Derek, but I'm bleeding because Allison's dad showed up with a bunch of other hunters and broke in the window on Derek's car."

"You were in his car again?"

"Yes, I was in his car. He told me to hide in there when he heard the hunters pulling up. But that's not the point, Stiles-"

"Unbelievable!" Stiles exclaimed, "You're about to defend him again, aren't you? You're still defending Derek?"

Amber took a deep breath, weighing her options.

"Why don't we talk about it later, then. Okay?" Amber asked. Stiles looked like he wanted to fight her on it but before he could say anything, she spoke again, "I'm starving. What did you want to order? Pizza? Chinese? Mal's?"

Stiles sighed, facing forward to back out of the driveway and begin driving.

When they had arrived at the Stilinski house, the two had quietly snuck their Chinese food upstairs, attempting to keep it far away from where Stiles' dad would have been sure to steal some of the greasy and likely artery-clogging takeout.

Amber's head was pillowed comfortably in Stiles' lap as she quizzed him with the stack of flash cards she'd worked on the night before. They had been at it in between picking at the food for over an hour and were nearly finished with the thirty card stack.

"Okay," She said, shimmying slightly as she readjusted to make sure he couldn't see the flash card if he tried to peek, "Chemical reaction resulting in a single product?"

"Synthesis?" He questioned, grabbing another spring roll from the bag beside him and reaching out on autopilot to allow Amber to take a bite from it.

She accepted the bite easily and nodded, flipping to the next card in the stack as she chewed, "And what type of reaction takes place in the presence of oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and water?"

"Combustion." He answered confidently this time, shoving the remainder of the spring roll in his mouth and eating it in a single bite.

"Last one," She announced, sitting up to face her friend dramatically, "Products of the double-replacement reaction between aqueous hydrogen bromide and aqueous sodium hydroxide?"

"Uh-" Stiles paused, tapping his hand against his thigh in thought, "I- Water and sodium bromide?"

Amber squealed excitedly, jumping forward on the bed to tackle him into the pillows with a hug, "We are so going to ace this test! And when we do, Mr. Harris can suck it!" She said with a muffled voice into the pillows behind his head.

She felt Stiles' laughter underneath her and she pushed up onto her elbows to hover over him, laughter faltering when she noticed how close they were. She blew out a soft puff air over his face, her eyes tracing the freckles and moles dotting his flushed cheeks before settling on his eyes. His eyelashes were dark and thick and the warm brown of his eyes appeared darker than normal in the uneven light shining from the desk lamp across the room.

His eyes flicked back and forth between her own and she couldn't help the way her gaze dropped down to his lips, bringing up pondering thoughts of whether they were as soft as they looked. She both saw and felt his exhale as it slipped from his mouth and blew out against her chin. Amber swallowed audibly, her arms relaxing a touch more into the mattress beneath him.

The moment was broken when the house phone rang loudly downstairs with an incoming call and Amber flinched, rolling to the side in a rush to get out of the bed. Stiles reached automatically for the cordless phone he had on the side of the bed, covering the mouthpiece as he picked up to listen in to his dad's call.

She watched silently until he hung up the phone, only seconds before the downstairs door slammed shut as the Sheriff left the house, "What is it?" She asked.

"The bus driver's dead."

"Shit." She grabbed her phone from the front pocket of her backpack and checked her messages to find one from Scott that she'd received only two minutes before, "Scott just texted that he dropped Allison off."

"Let's go, then." Stiles said, abandoning their school supplies and leftover Chinese takeout to pull her out of the house and back down to the Jeep, their previous moment forgotten.

When they pulled up to the house, the windows were dark and the family car that Scott was driving tonight was still missing from the driveway.

Stiles grabbed Amber's hand and tugged her over to the trellis at the side of the house. They used to climb it as kids — the same trellis Stiles had climbed just a few weeks before on the night Scott had been bitten.

Stiles began to climb and urged Amber to follow close behind, making his way up the wooden structure and quietly sliding open the unlocked window into Scott's bedroom. He climbed through and she followed, her foot catching on the windowsill and causing her to tumble through. She landed hard on Stiles' back and rolled off of him with a quiet apology as they righted themselves.

Suddenly, a figure moved through the dark doorway to Scott's bedroom wielding a weapon and Stiles and Amber seemed to notice it at the same time, yelling out in fear.

"Woah, woah!" Stiles yelled, bringing his arms up to protect them from any anticipated blow as Amber and their attacker both screamed loudly.

The room settled into silence for a brief moment as they took stock of the situation. Ms. McCall stepped back and lowered the baseball bat she was holding before scolding them loudly, "Guys! What the hell are you doing here!"

"What are we doing!?" Stiles yelled, pointing to the bat in the woman's hands, "God! Do either of you even play baseball?" He asked loudly, referring to when Scott had threatened him the same way.

The lights in the room suddenly flicked on, revealing Amber huddled behind Stiles on the bed, Ms. McCall standing in her robe with a baseball bat, and Scott standing in the doorway.

"Can you please tell your friends to use the front door?" Ms. McCall asked her son gently with a sigh.

"But we lock the front door," Scott said simply, "They wouldn't be able to get in."

"Yeah, exactly." The woman responded, still gripping the baseball bat loosely. "And, by the way, do any of you care that there's a police enforced curfew?"

"No." All three teens responded at the same time.

"'No!' Alright then. Well, you know what? That's about enough parenting for me for one night, so- Goodnight." Ms. McCall said in exasperation before leaving the room.

The three friends sat in silence in the room for only a minute before Scott gave them a look, "What?" He asked.

"My dad left for the hospital fifteen minutes ago- It's the bus driver." Stiles said, glancing at Amber beside him before continuing, "They said he succumbed to his wounds."

"Succumbed?" Scott asked in confusion.

"He's dead, Scott." Amber clarified. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach telling her that, somehow, things were only bound to get worse.

#stiles #stilesfic #selenophiles #dylan obrien fanfic #dylan obrien #stiles stilinski x oc #stiles stilinski #stiles stilinksi fanfiction #i couldn't decide on a gif for this chapter so i did multiple - sorry #1x03 #*

97 notes · View notes

alexa-fika · 11 months ago

Text

Little Gardener's Pirate Odyssey Chapter 3

A/n: Chapter three, here we go! It is at this point that now I am overthinking and overanalyzing every single sentence cause I'm scared it will ruin the flow of the characters and the overall plot but we cooking homies

Dividers by @firefly-graphics and @sweetxmelody

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2

“I do,” Sanji nods,

“I’m guessing she’s had a rough life so far?” He watches as Viridi caresses Alexandra, a soft expression appearing on Sanji’s face as he watches the interaction.

“She has,” Viridi sighs.

“I will answer all the questions you may have, as long as you respect our decision to skip questions if we feel they are too personal or if it may put her in danger.”

Sanji nods his head understandingly, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.

“Sounds fair enough,” he says, glancing at the fairy as he slowly exhaled the smoke in a thin wisp.

“Are you two okay with me asking questions now?”

“Make it quick,” Rogue grumbles.

“Don’t mind him; he just wants what’s best for Alexandra, though he goes about it the wrong way,”

“Okay,” Sanji says with a slight chuckle.

“So, where did you guys come from? North Blue? She mentioned she got those powers when she was young. Did she eat a devil fruit?”

“We are not from a round here, nor are we familiar with names or geography of the place, so I’m not sure what is ‘North Blue’, but we came from really far, im also not sure what a ‘devil fruit’ is but no, she did not get powers from eating something”

“That’s a really long story, and it gets quite grim. Are you ready for that?” she adds.

“I’m ready.” He sighs, realizing the story he’s about to hear probably isn’t a pleasant one, but he nods his head anyway

“We are not from around here; all three of us are from a different world, you remember how Alexandra got scared once we got here?”

“Yeah, you said people were fighting near her, and she got scared and ran and ended up hiding in the cabinet.”

“Well, when we ‘jump’ from world to world, we really don’t have any control as to where we end up; we just kind of follow along wherever it takes us. Alexandra loves adventures, so we just go along with it; she just didn’t expect the first thing to see to be fighting and roughhousing.”

“Huh, I see; so you can jump to different worlds at will?”

“Yes, Rogue and I have been given that power by Alexandra’s big sister.”

“Older sister?” He glances up at Viridi, raising an eyebrow.

“Where is this older sister now? Why wasn’t she with you guys?”

“Well, she is a sworn sister just like the rest of her siblings, but to go into that, we should start by the beginning, from where Alexandra was born.”

“Okay,” he says, putting the cigarette in his mouth and inhaling deeply.

“All three of us came from a world named Kénbori; it was a world filled with magic. Alexandra was from a village in it called Tihayo; Alexandra’s parents and the rest of the Tihayo village served as guardians to Kénbori, always aiding those who called for them with their powers as the villagewas the home of a unique race, even amongst all the magical creatures that filled Kenbori, shapeshifters were seen as powerful guardians deities guided by Village heads who not only possessed the ability to transform their bodies into animals but also had the affinity to a specific element, which would change from head to head.”

Sanji’s hums, brow furrowing at the new information,

“And Alexandra was a shapeshifter?”

He receives a nod from the fairy at his inquiry.

“At the time of the tragedy, the village heads at the time were Alexandra’s parents. Esther, an owl hybrid with an affinity to poison, and Vanny, a wolf hybrid with an affinity to sound. As was tradition, Alexandra was expected to be the next village head. Still, there was one problem, despite Alexandra inheriting her father’s hybrid features and what seemed like an incredible sense of hearing, no special affinity had seemed to develop. To make matters worse, she also seemed unable to shift.”

Sanji frowns, having a bad feeling about where their story is headed.

“This didn’t sit well with some of Kénborians, especially ones in a higher power such as Kings and Religious heads.”

“They couldn’t accept a girl who didn’t have immense powers to protect their sorry asses, even though the Henkan Clan had protected their pathetic life and the life of their ancestors for thousands of years,” Rogue snarls.

“Shapeshifters are also known for their immense, almost immortal-like lifespans, so Esther and Vinny had indeed protected those people for thousands of years,” Viridi adds to Rogue’s statement.

“Huh,” Sanji’s frown deepens.

“What did they do?”

“A shapeshifter’s powers develop as soon as they are born, so it was immediately evident that Alexandra was different. The higher powers didn’t take kindly to this; we didn’t know it then, but those in power had come together in secret meetings for years to try to summon something more dangerous and powerful to protect them instead of Alexandra….and they succeeded” she says, a bitter undertone in her voice.

“I still remember that day; the stars looked as if they were falling from the sky, and from one of them came what the higher powers had been trying to summon, a dark entity, one who relished in devastation and pain. They had hoped that the entity would be indebted to them for freeing him from his Starry prison,” Viridi said, glancing at Sanji.

“They were wrong;Jaime had no intentions of ever being under anyone’s rule, regardless if all their rituals were the ones who freed him; he obliterated them,” Rogue states.

Sanji’s head snaps up in surprise as he looks at Rogue,

“He killed them?”

Viridi nods

“I heard it from neighboring kingdoms; Jaime easily took over Kénbori slowly. He was able to bring immense pain with a single glance, and he did so with glee, happily torturing any poor soul that stood in his way. Even though the higher Kénborians were the ones who brought this upon Kénbori, Vanny, and Esther couldn’t turn a blind eye to the innocent Kénborians who didn’t ask for this, nor could they watch as the world was consumed with death. But they also knew it was a losing battle; to Ensure Alexandra’s survival, they used an otherwordly power to open a portal to a different world away from Jaime and sent us with her.”

“We were residents of Tihayo, and we were looked down upon because of our races, but Alexandra stumbled upon us; despite her being a toddler, she still had that innate want to help, and she introduced us to her parents, who immediately took us in and treated us with nothing but kindness So we agreed to protect Alexandra and help her escape, but Jaime was quick. We weren’t able to escape completely unscathed. “

Viridi flutters next to Alexandra’s knee and gently moves her skirt to reveal a big scar just below her knee; it seemed as if something had cut her open previously.

“He managed to injure her, but her parents stopped him from killing her and held him back; the only thing we could do was to run through the portal with little Alexandra and watch as the portal closed behind us with the Henkans fighting Jaime to protect her daughter, we had to watch as Jaime killed them, laughing in glee while doing it.

Sanji looks down at the scar as Viridi talks, looking at it with a sense of horror, and then he glances up at Viridi, a bit shaken by the new information. He looks back at Alexandra in his lap, still peaceful and quiet.

“We raised little Alexandra for over 50 years alone, until we stumbled upon Miyu, a moon goddess. Fate works in weird ways because we found out that her magic was the ‘otherworldly’ power that had saved us and allowed us to escape through that portal in the first place. Alexandra has an innate power to connect to people, so it wasn’t before long before they had become sworn sisters. Years after the Faens family grew and with Miyu’s power, they created a whole new dimension, a home where they could be safe.”

“The brat loves exploring, so she asked Miyu to bless us with the power to create portals to different worlds. She agreed, but seeing as it is only a fraction of her power, we don’t have much control over it, so we just let us take it wherever we end up. Thus how we are able to go from world to world ourselves and how we are here. Miyu and the other Faens siblings trust the brat to us to keep her safe, as they should, knowing no amount of convincing will keep her still,” Rogue finishes.

Sanji looks up at Rogue and Viridi with a sad look still clear on his face. But deep down, he was glad that despite everything, it seemed that Alexandra’s parents had gone through so much pain and trouble to protect and raise their daughter and had people by her to help her through the cataclysm.

Viridi gives him a tight smile.

“I did warn you it was quite a long story.”

“Yeah, you definitely weren’t wrong,” he sighs, chuckling dryly,

“You said earlier you would answer all of my questions, right?”

“Yes, I did. Do you still have any questions?”

“Hm, I think I just have one for now,”.

That was a lot of background, but I feel like it will set up the mood for the future, and it helps Sanji connect with her more. I think next chapter is gonna have wholesome fatherly sanji in action 👀

#alexandra faens henkan #one piece #one piece x oc #one piece x reader #sanji x reader #vinsmoke sanji #sanji x child!reader #Original characters #Rogue #Viridi #one piece x child!reader #sanji #one piece sanji #black leg sanji

22 notes · View notes

theficpusher · 2 years ago

Text

You Smell Like by mystic_believexx | M | 185369 For her part, Jay took everything in her stride, barely batting an eyelid when Louis came into the kitchen the night Harry left and said, “I seem to have accidentally become the pack’s Alpha”. Ever since Harry left town, Louis’ found himself with the role of pack Alpha, despite being human. So he can’t wait to hand over the reins when Harry returns. Except, it’s not quite that simple… OR The one where Louis is the Alpha’s mate and everyone is aware of it except for Louis and Harry. Go figure!

the school of extraordinary lovers by stylinsoncity | M | 191036 "We keep telling the other, I love you and I love you, and we do, though we both know where the knives are." - Laura Van Prooyen harry is a third-year witch and violinist at Laitswold, the only magical academy in the UK, with dreams of taking on the world, and hopefully breaking the centuries-old curse on his family while he's at it. he does not dream of facing off against his childhood rival and duet partner, but louis is back in town after six years abroad, so that's exactly what happens.

Darling, so it goes by disgruntledkittenface | E | 195312 Harry Styles is a world-famous actor at the height of his career but a personal low point when he meets His Serene Highness Prince Louis of Monaco by chance. He doesn’t think they’ll ever see each other again, but after striking up a correspondence, it turns out they have more in common than he thought. Then they start to fall for each other. Louis is different from anyone Harry has dated before and their relationship moves fast as Harry realizes he’s ready for a change. Soon Harry finds himself adapting to an entirely new life, in a country where he doesn’t know the rules, the customs, even the language. Harry is used to people underestimating him, and he’s more determined than ever to prove them wrong. He just needs Louis to meet him halfway. Grace Kelly AU.

Angels Fly by LilyBlue28 | nr | 203082 Harry is a lonely omega in the North Western White River Pack who is uncharacteristically drawn to nature and his now outdated primal instincts. He fills his days with going through the motions and clinging to the one actual friendship he has in the omega Zayn, and when he gets a chance he sneaks away to the edge of their territory to sit with the trees and the wildlife and sketch his favorite part of the river. But what happens when one day he spots the pack alpha, Louis, having an intimate moment with something, or someone, unexpected? Suddenly his quiet, nearly invisible existence gets upended, and secrets he never wanted to know quite literally won't leave him alone, and even when he tries to stay away, he keeps being pulled back into Louis' turbulent orbit. A magical love story featuring a generations long grudge, a menacing curse, and secrets that keep pulling them apart. Will they be able to find a way back to one another through the dark?

Collision by itjustkindahappened | E | 226294 Mythology/Fairytale!AU in which Louis is a dainty fairy with a temper who wants to be intimidating and Harry hurts people. Naturally, they hate each other. (Featuring Liam, the big and not-so-bad wolf who’s got a thing for humans, Zayn, a human with supernaturally good looks, and Niall, the cupid who just wants his job to be easier.)

You Can Hear It In The Silence by Imogenlee | E | 234846 When Harry Styles received acceptance into a post-grad degree, he knew he could no longer afford his flat leaving him with three options: 1) Moving back into student halls. 2) Becoming homeless. 3) Moving in with his best (and only) friend, Niall, and three of Niall's other friends. He ended up choosing the third option. But it was a close race. Shame one of his new housemates reminded him why he only has one friend. If Louis Tomlinson had to choose one thing couldn't stand, it would be pretentious tossers, having grown up around enough of them. If he had to choose something he couldn't live without, it would be his friends. So he was proper thrilled to move in with his best mates and a couple of other lads. That was until he discovered one of them was the archetype for a pretentious tosser. In the interest of seeing out the twelve-month lease without killing each other, they both try (debatable) to get along despite believing they were opposite in almost every conceivable way, each having the communication skills of a cucumber, and secrets that had no business be kept secret.

The Things I Don't Ask by thisonegoes | E | 266670 Foster Montgomery Preparatory School is a sight to behold. Beautiful buildings in front of a beautiful Appalachian backdrop, a rich history, behind wrought iron gates with the carefully chosen Latin motto at the very top: “strenuis ardua cedunt.” “The heights yield to endeavor.” The price tag for such a distinguished and revered institution, for tuition, room, and board is $56,250. A year. A boarding school AU that features two boys who can never say how they really feel.

Remember Me Before You by kingsofeverything | E | 293820 Desperate to find a new place to live after he comes home to find his boyfriend cheating, Harry moves into a loft with three strangers. A New Girl AU.

Of Mates and Men by bananaheathen | E | 630460 In which, Louis and Harry meet as best men for their best friends' wedding... well... sort of. Or, the one where Harry's just moved back from New York and Louis doesn't believe in romance. Or, I guess... the one where Zayn and Liam are getting married.

#You Smell Like #mystic_believexx #the school of extraordinary lovers #stylinsoncity #Darling so it goes #disgruntledkittenface #Angels Fly #LilyBlue28 #itjustkindahappened #collision #You Can Hear It In The Silence #Imogenlee #The Things I Don't Ask #thisonegoes #Remember Me Before You #kingsofeverything #Of Mates and Men #bananaheathen #long fics

134 notes · View notes

ollifree · 10 months ago

Text

No Wolf-Man's Land

Fic for @barbwritesstuff's IFs 'Blood Moon' and 'Thicker Than', featuring @atypicalacademic's Mahim.

[Ao3 Mirror]

A vampire and a werewolf go to the movies, and neither knows exactly who is trespassing. Set during the time skip between parts one and two of 'Thicker Than'.

Obviously I should have waited to see how the pack's going to cameo in the game before writing this. However, and I cannot stress this enough, Barb's writing is my cocaine. The setting and the characters do things to me I don't have words to adequately describe. Either I write the fanfic as it comes to me or I start mauling.

“Okay, what seats do we want?”

“Up front!”

Hyun picks the ones they normally do. Fourth row up, two from the aisle.

Chris has an aunt-related emergency. Which is unfortunate, because Hyun likes that aunt, and annoying. Because vampires can’t pick up their sons during the day no matter how much they want to. They can’t even pick up their phones. They’re dead.

But, arrangements have been made, and now Hyun and Seong have a few nights to spend together. So what if Hyun took their toddler to a late-for-toddlers movie? It’s the weekend! Plenty other people here seemed to have the same idea.

A group ahead of them in another snack queue draws Hyun’s attention. Five kids, the oldest in her tweens and the youngest about Seong’s age, and one adult. Her buzzed brown hair reminds Hyun so much of Tracy they have to double-take and make sure it isn’t her. Three of the kids look so alike they can only be related. The two girls and the adult couldn’t have passed as relatives if lives depended on it.

“Do you have any water cups for the little guy? I’ll pay for a small.” A cashier tells the babysitter her total. She shifts the youngest boy further up her hip, opens her wallet, and frowns. “Could you make those sodas medium?”

“Can do!”

Hyun hates how chipper the cashier is. They much prefer when one’s openly bored. At least they’re honest.

“Customer service always begins with a nice, big smile.”

Hyun just about stamps down the revulsion the memory brings when the oldest girl wrinkles her nose.

“What’s that smell?”

In almost comical slow motion, the babysitter lifts her head like a dog. Then, impossibly, it whips to Hyun almost too fast to follow. Worse yet is the naked loathing on her face. Worse than that is her golden eyes.

Gold eyes, black fur, lolling tongue.

No. No, no, no. Hyun did not fuck up so bad they brought Seong into werewolf territory.

Shouldn’t they be nice and pricey somewhere further in? Not asking for a downsize at the cheapest theater in what’s technically Hyun’s domain?

Is it Hyun’s?

Shit. They’ve gone and landed themselves in the grey zone, haven’t they?

Hyun picks Seong up and clutches him close, planning the fastest way to the exit. For a split second the werewolf’s golden eyes flash down to Seong. Then her cashier presents her with popcorn, drinks, and several kinds of candy.

There’s still palpable tension: the kids crowd close to her even after she’s distributed the snacks, but the immediate danger is gone. A bored teenager asks Hyun what they’ll be getting. Hunger fills them at the flush in the teenager’s cheeks. They order a small popcorn and drink for Seong.

Vampire.

It’s a testament to how held-together the pack is—so the complex she’s developed can go away now—that the theater isn’t immediately plunged into chaos. Her head, however, is a different matter.

Quiet, Olli orders. As best she can, she parses the overwhelming smells of the lobby and howls the information. Carrie?Carrie?Carrie?

I hear you, dog.

Can you sense the vampire?

Her no is a snarl of frustration. Olli pushes the image harder.

“What’s going on?” Nik asks Iz.

Change of plans? Sergi asks.

No. Tell Minjo.

Yes Alpha.

Vicky. Mahim. be ready.

Yes Alpha. Their confirmations overlap.

She feels guilty about Mahim. Hani came along so he and Farro could have a date night. Not that they’d have much of a date knowing a leech is in the theater. Next to Vicky, Mahim’s the one Olli trusts most not just to protect the pups, but to put the wolf away and get the pups comforted again.

Nik grabs her hand after they show their tickets. “Alpha, what if it tries to take us?”

Olli squeezes his hand and smiles. “I rip their head off.”

“What about Mum?” JiAn asks.

“Your Mum’s with the pack.” Olli hopes she hasn’t accidentally lied to them. If Minjo isn’t spending her night at the den, Sergi likely isn’t the only one racing to her. “Wanna guess what the pack will do?”

“Rip their heads off?”

“That’s right.”

They take their seats near the back row. Nik swaps with JiAn to sit next to her. Olli settles Alek on her lap. She owes Mahim and Farro a date night, but she’ll succeed in her original mission to give Minjo a night without the pups.

Probably a night worrying about them being near a vampire, but a night without the pups! Speaking of.

She unlocks her phone and goes to the pack’s group chat. don’t howl for me unless it’s an emergency. the pups are enjoying the movie.

Olli nearly puts her phone away, but thinks twice and scours her contacts for Lee’s number. vampire in the theater. not planning a scene rn but if things go south we wouldn’t mind a crossbow if you’re not busy. She follows it up with the address.

Lee replies surprisingly quickly. Ed already messaged me. In the area on alert.

you’re the best lee

I’m going to start charging you.

“You guys wanna take a picture?” Most the pups lean in. Alek gnaws a fistful of popcorn. “Everyone say, movies!”

“Movies!”

Olli sends the picture to Lee. you would charge a single mother? ☹ She backs out of the conversation and puts the picture in the pack chat.

Lee replies. That one on your far right looks half your age.

you would charge a teenage mother? ☹

Do NOT say you were a teenage mother. It arrives so soon after hers he had to have already been typing it.

lmao

get teen mumed bullet boy

really tho. Thank You for dropping anything else you had lined up. anything changes ed’ll contact you

She goes to her messages with Ed, which consists mostly of Pokémon Go screenshots. good call on texting lee. anything happens be sure to keep him up to speed. Olli makes sure the text goes through and turns off her phone.

There’s still time before previews start when the vampire walks in.

Fuck off.

She realizes she didn’t keep it in her head when Iz and Hani giggle. “I don’t think it heard you, Alpha Olli.”

“That’s why no one likes a leech,” Olli agrees.

She doesn’t look away from the vampire through the entire hour and a half jukebox musical. She can’t even say if there’s anyone else in the cinema. The only times she moves is when Alek howls popcorn or thirsty.

“Can I have your soda if you’re not drinking it?” Hani whispers halfway through the movie.

“I want some!” Iz hisses.

“Share,” Olli reminds them. She hears them pouring it out between their cups. On her other side JiAn and Nik split a bag of candy. Good. They’re focusing on the movie. Having fun instead of worrying what a vampire in the theater means. Or if it means anything.

killkillkillkillkill

Good thing it’s new moon, so she’s the only one who hears how damn right it’s being.

The final number plays out on screen, and the characters dance over the credits. People block her view as they stand—so there were others here—but her nose tells her the vampire hasn’t left. Like hell she’s tucking her tail and running before a leech.

Eventually, it’s just them and the vampire. It turns its head as if to check, yes, the werewolf’s been the one boring holes in its head the entire movie. Changing during a new moon is so effortless now. The wolf in her wants it to try. She wants it to try. On four legs she’d be across the cinema in a blink. Pin it below the seats where the pups can’t see and

ripripripriprip

It picks up the kid and leaves.

Between the three buckets there’s about half a tub of popcorn left. They dump it into one, and Olli scoops out some for Alek in the water cup after wiping it down.

A surprise waits for them in the lobby. All of Team Former Stray. Including Carrie.

“Mahim!” Hani and Iz squeal. They launch into his arms and bombard him with the plot of the movie.

Vicky and Carrie stare in the same direction. Olli just makes out the short form of the vampire slipping through the dense crowds.

“It’s not someone I know,” Carrie says at last.

“Can’t win ‘em all.” Olli addresses the pups. “We’re all using the restroom before we go home.”

Ed takes Alek, and Vicky goes with Olli. While Iz and Hani enter the stalls, Vicky pulls out her phone and opens the notes app.

How’s a leech get a kid?

Nice to know someone else has been thinking the same thing for the last ninety minutes. Vicky passes over her phone.

probably the same way a human gets a wolf one. or vice versa

Vicky arches a brow.

they looked VERY similar

They don’t need to howl to know what the other is thinking. Fuck.

“Can I ride with Mahim?” Hani asks when they’re all back together. Then it’s a shuffle of getting the booster seat into Vicky’s car, and figuring out whose legs fold easiest. Carrie and Mahim wind up smooshed together in the back of Vicky’s car. Ed gets his usual spot in Vicky’s passenger seat.

Iz waves to them from the back of Olli’s. Mahim and Ed wave back.

Turn around, Iz. Vicky howls. Iz sticks her tongue out before sitting down and doing her seatbelt.

Olli frowns at the number of unread messages in the pack chat. Not the mention private texts and smaller groups, let alone the chats she’s not in….

“Alpha?” Nik pipes up. “What are you howling?”

“M’not howling, bud. Just thinking.”

“Oh. Thinking what?”

She opens the spoofed version of Spotify (affectionately named Spoofy) that believes she pays for premium. “I’m thinking how catchy those songs were.” The pups cheer when the movie’s soundtrack starts.

Farro howls. A bus leaves their territory. follow?follow?follow?

No. Meet back at the den.

Hi Dad!

Hi Hani.

As Olli waits her turn to leave the garage, Marco catches her eye. She manages a tight smile. He takes her hand and massages the knuckles below her claws to turn them back to nails. The gate arm lifts and it turns out to not be the best thing to do while she’s driving stick. But the comforting rub he gives her thigh does the job just as well.

Do werewolves not blink?

Hyun feels eyes on them all throughout the movie. Eyes and wrath. They forget to act. Shift, cross their limbs, blink. Even werewolves know better, right? Not in front of so many humans. Not in front of kids.

They decided against calling Iliya. Yes, he’s the strongest vampire they know. Outside whatever freaky feats Dominus is capable of. And yes, Iliya’s as good at keeping secrets as he claimed to be. But this is Hyun’s son. Tracy and Marcel already know about him. The more vampires Hyun tells about Seong, the more likely it is a vampire Hyun doesn’t tell finds out.

Hyun waits after the movie ends. One of those five werewolf kids needs to pee. Right now.

Damn the big one for getting mediums.

Gradually the cinema empties. Maybe…the werewolves already left? Out the door on their side? It’s the lingering emotion Hyun’s experiencing. Surely. Against their better judgement, Hyun turns to look. Golden eyes glare down at them.

Hyun grabs Seong and books it.

More werewolves wait in the lobby. Hyun’s not sure what instinct tips them off, but something draws their eye to the group. The way they watch Hyun cinches it. And the one in the black tank top—

Black fur, lolling tongue.

Clutching Seong, Hyun runs for the exit. Of course the werewolf phoned for backup. They’re so stupid. Why didn’t they call Iliya? They’re here for their kids, they’re here for their kids, they’re here for their kids. Why is the lobby so damn bright? They burst into the night and the shadows at last converge over them.

What follows is the most agonizing eight minutes of Hyun’s life and death. Constantly checking the crowds and what they can see of the lobby. Unsure if shadows even work on werewolves. No taxis drive by, and they aren’t letting go of Seong for anything. Least of all finding out an Uber will be longer than the bus.

Finally it pulls around. Hyun drops the shadows so the driver knows to stop. Fuck the grey zone. Hyun isn’t stepping foot anywhere near here. They’ll worry about the ramifications of losing more of their domain later. Some other vampire can get themself mauled over a movie.

As the bus turns a corner, Hyun spots graffiti a delivery van covered on their way to the theater. Even more on the nose than their cup literally runnething over. A giant red paw print.

Shit.

#olli writes #blood moon #thicker than #fic #sona things #mahim my beloved 💖#wolf olli: *becomes alpha*#wolf olli: *immediately develops anxiety and imposter's syndrome*#wolf olli: 'surely these things aren't connected'#poke go is ace culture i will not be taking questions at this time #mahim: what did we say about expressing emotional needs?#wolf olli: *sweats*#sorry hyun i love writing you but you live in the same world as my self-insert only one of you's getting top billing #all the pups get seatbelts mahim and carrie can tank a crash

15 notes · View notes

czenzo · 2 years ago

Text

Go Big or Go Home

[ao3]

summary: Shinso promises to see Recovery Girl if things get worse, but Shota knows him well enough to know that won’t be happening at all, not without some coercing. The kid will grin and bare it the whole day, no matter how bad it gets. Shota would know, because he would do the exact same in his situation. But he is an adult, and Shinso is a child. A child who he is co-responsible for. A child he is letting rock up to school completely, undeniably sick. Fuck. He's never having children. Or: Shinso falls ill while under Aizawa and Mic's care.

words: 4362 rating: G

note: for the sake of this fic, the teachers live off-campus, and for some unknown reason Shinso has been placed under Aizawa and Mic's care.

Something is wrong with Shinso.

Shota clocks it the second the kid pads into the kitchen that morning. Ever since he and Hizashi had taken him in a few months prior, Shinso – much like Shota himself – had proven to be the complete opposite of a morning person. One thing that always helped them snap out of their groggy morning funks, though, was the smell of Hizashi’s cooking: miso soup, grilled fish, omelettes… Hizashi prides himself in his good, home-cooked meals, and breakfast is no exception.

But not even the smell of Hizashi’s cooking can help add colour to the sickly pale shade of Shinso’s face that morning. His eye bags are much more pronounced, and with his chapped lips and deflated hair, he—

“Wow…! You look like death warmed over, kiddo,” Hizashi announces as soon as he sets eyes on Shinso. Shota reaches over from where he’s perched on the counter beside him (it gives him a good view of the room, his husband, and the food cooking on the stove all at once) and gives Hizashi a gentle smack to the back of the head.

Shinso’s reply isn’t particularly eloquent. “Mmfgh.” He rubs one eye with the ball of his palm and glances over at the breakfast-in-progress.

Shota hops down from the counter. Concern creeps onto his face; an instinctual response to Shinso’s current state rather than a conscious one. “Morning, kid.”

“G’morning.”

“You okay?” Shota asks cautiously.

“Yeah, ‘m fine. Just”—Shinso yawns, as if to prove a point—“didn’t sleep well.”

“That’s what happens when you go to bed at three a.m.,” Hizashi sing-songs, and Shota resists the urge to call him out on his hypocrisy. The man has three separate jobs – his sleeping schedule isn’t exactly great, either.

And neither is his own. As far as households go (can he call them that? A household? They are Shinso’s guardians, he supposes…), it isn’t a very well-rested one.

Shinso steels his features, but Shota doesn’t miss the way his fingers clutch the cuffs of his long sleeves. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Uh-huh,” Hizashi says, entirely unconvinced, before plating up the food and taking it over to the table. On the very rare occasion he ate a somewhat-proper meal before Shota moved in with his partner, he’d just eat it straight from the pan to avoid extra washing up. Hizashi, however, is very fond of eating together as a family (though none of them ever says the f word out loud), which means sitting around a table together with proper food on proper plates and eating it with proper silverware. It had taken Shota a while to get used to the whole… formality of it all, but now? Now it’s one of Hizashi’s many endearing traits – one Shota is rather fond of, if he’s being honest.

If Shinso has any opinions on it, he’s never said so out loud. He’s usually quick to wolf down whatever food is put in front of him, and pays little mind to its presentation, or the other two people sitting with him. They don’t mind. It’s good to see him eating well.

Or, it’s good to see him usually eating well.

Today, Shinso isn’t eating a thing.

Hizashi, ever the one to fill silence, chats idly about his plans for the day as they eat, and Shota listens intently, enjoying the sound of his voice. Shinso, meanwhile, pushes food around his plate. It takes a good few minutes for him to finally raise some to his mouth, but Shota sees the way the blood drains from his face as he does so, and watches as the food-filled fork is lowered back to the plate.

He can’t be too direct with his prying, or Shinso will shell up like a frightened clam – but if he doesn’t say anything, the kid will try going into school today like there isn’t a problem at all.

“Is he sick?” Hizashi asks him later that morning, as they’re getting ready for work. He hunches over the edge of their bed, trying to pull on his trademark leather pants with some difficulty.

“I think so.” Shota is already fully clothed, aside from his capture weapon and goggles. He leans by the window, with the view of the waking city to his left, and his husband’s contortion skills to his right. Sushi, their household tabby, leaps up onto the windowsill and presses her face against Shota’s hand.

“Has he thrown up?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t hear anything last night.”

“Yeah, no, me neither— God, I swear these have gotten smaller—”

“But he didn’t eat anything.”

Hizashi’s shoulders deflate. “No, he didn’t.”

“Your food was good. He didn’t have an appetite.”

“Ah!” Hizashi finally succeeds in squeezing both legs into his trousers, and hops up to his feet in triumph. Shota allows himself a moment to openly appreciate the view. “We gonna let him go to school?”

“No.”

——

“What was that about not letting him go?” Hizashi murmurs from the driver’s seat of his car. One hand is on the steering wheel, while the other fiddles with and readjusts his hearing aids. Shota scowls and says nothing, glancing in the rearview mirror to catch a glimpse of Shinso in the backseat.

Shinso’s reflection catches his eye. “I’ll be fine. Like I said, it’s just a headache.”

The little shit had been too convincing; they had agreed to take him to school without him even needing to use his quirk. Shota’s painfully aware Shinso has the two of them wrapped tightly around his finger, but knows there is little he can do about it.

Shinso promises to see Recovery Girl if things get worse, but Shota knows him well enough to know that won’t be happening at all, not without some coercing. The kid will grin and bare it the whole day, no matter how bad it gets.

Shota would know, because he would do the exact same in his situation. But he is an adult, and Shinso is a child. A child who he is co-responsible for.

A child he is letting rock up to school completely, undeniably sick.

Fuck. He's never having children.

——

As he approaches 1-A’s classroom, Shota concludes that he is definitely never having children. Shinso’s quietness that morning means that the rowdiness of class 1-A seems amplified to Shota’s ears, and he bites back a full facial wince as he steps foot into the room. It’s too early for extreme facial expressions.

Registration is simple enough; everyone is present and accounted for – for better or for worse. As Shota goes through the motions of teaching, he frequently glances over to Shinso for just long enough to gauge how the kid is doing. For the first hour or so, he appears to be in the same state he woke up in, though the presence of his classmates and friends help to bring the world’s subtlest smile to his face. It puts Shota’s mind at ease, if only by a fraction.

And then comes Phys Ed.

Class 1-A is scheduled to continue working on their quirks, starting off with simple 1-V-1 matches. Shinso avoids Shota’s gaze the entire walk to Gym Gamma, likely aware of his concern yet intent on ignoring it completely. Both of them know quirk training of any intensity is bound to make Shinso’s illness – or whatever the hell is wrong with him – worse through the mental and physical exhaustion. Shota should pull him out of class, just this once, but he can’t think of a way to do so in time without causing a scene. Class 1-A are inquisitive little shits; no doubt a flurry of questions would descend upon him the second they notice Shinso is being excused from practice.

So, to Shota’s chagrin, Shinso participates in the class.

And twenty minutes later, he collapses.

Shota’s body has never moved faster; the second he sees the light drain from the kid’s eyes he’s on the move. Shinso’s limbs go limp, and in the blink of an eye he’s crumpled on the floor, with Shota by his side.

“Shinso? Shinso, can you hear me?” Shota asks, though he knows it’s no use. The kid’s temporarily out cold. As he gently moves Shinso’s body so he’s lying comfortably and flat on the ground, Shota calls out, “Iida – get Recovery Girl. Everyone else, back up. Give him space.”

He holds the back of his hand in front of Shinso’s mouth, and feels almost nauseous from the relief that floods through him as he feels warm breath hit his skin. Two fingers to his neck says his heart rate is normal, too; chances are, Shinso’s body became too tired and simply gave out.

Uraraka, Shinso’s opponent at the time of his fainting, is a bundle of nerves as she lingers nearby. “Did I do something wrong? Is he okay?”

“Aiz— Sensei?” Shinso’s eyes scrunch up, and in seconds his face changes from pure unconscious bliss and relaxation to one of… pain. He hisses a curse and winces, and Shota frowns. Only then does Shinso seem to remember to school his expression into one of neutrality, but it’s far too late.

“I should never have let you come in today.”

“I just pushed myself too hard,” Shinso insists as he props himself up on his arms, before letting out a little snort of laughter. “You know what they say: go big or go home.”

“We’re going home.”

“No— Shit, I’m fine. I just overdid it with my quirk.”

“Why are you so opposed to taking care of yourself?”

Shinso pointedly avoids looking at the rest of 1-A who, despite trying their best to not look as if they’re listening in on the conversation, are doing exactly that. He lowers his voice as he hisses his reply. “Because I didn’t want to make a scene. Draw attention. That’d be stupid.”

“This is stupid. You collapsed. Do you know how frightening that was for everyone else here? And now you’re wasting vital class time. You have gained nothing from doing this.”

Shota’s words appear to hit home; Shinso looks down at the floor, cheeks blotched red. Straight away, Shota regrets his harshness, but Iida returning with Recovery Girl means he has no time for immediate emotional damage control.

Recovery Girl peers down at Shinso. “Oh, you silly boy. You should know your limits by now.” She turns to Shota, who finds it disconcerting to suddenly be at the same eye level as her as he squats beside Shinso. “Exhaustion. And”—she pulls off one glove and presses her hand against his forehead—“yes, a fever, too. You’re sickly pale, boy. You shouldn’t even be in school today.”

Shinso sheepishly turns away, and Shota pinches the bridge of his nose.

“Come on,” Recovery Girl motions for Shinso to stand. He stumbles as he does so, and Shota is quick to steady him. “Eraser, help bring him back to my office.”

Both Shota and Shinso comply, and say very little as they follow Recovery Girl away from Gym Gamma and through the corridors of the main UA building.

By the time they reach the nurse’s office, Shinso is considerably less woozy from fainting, and pried Shota’s balancing hands off him long ago. Shota leans against the doorway and watches as Shinso obligingly hoists himself onto the little patient’s bed, legs dangling over the edge.

“You’re sick,” Recovery Girl says simply, after going through all the regular medical checks. “Sick and downright tired. My quirk will do little else but drain your energy further – but with some proper rest, you’ll be right as rain in no time.”

She pats Shinso’s head in a motherly fashion and hands him a lollipop, regardless of the fact he didn’t receive any of her healing quirk.

Shota feels some of the tension in his shoulders melt away. Nothing is severely wrong with the kid, he just needs to rest up and take it easy while his body recovers. Irritatingly, he wonders how close Shinso would be to feeling better, had he and Hizashi insisted he stayed home, but he knows there’s no use dwelling on it. The damage has already been done.

“I’ll take him home.” He digs around in his pocket for his phone, and sends a quick update text to his husband.

[Shota] The kid pushed himself too much today. Taking him home. RG says he needs rest.

No matter the circumstances, Hizashi’s replies to Shota almost always come within minutes, and now is no exception.

[Hizashi] aw man! [Hizashi] hope hes OK [Hizashi] take my car Ill grab a ride from Nemuri [Hizashi] u need anything?

[Shota] Could you find cover for 1-A’s homeroom? I don’t have the time.

[Hizashi] Ill cover [Hizashi] I <3 those kids

[Shota] Thank you.

[Hizashi] no prob :) [Hizashi] keep me updated [Hizashi] n lmk if u need anything else!!

“When she said I needed to rest,” Shinso says after Recovery Girl shoos them out of the room, “she didn’t mean right this second. I can survive the rest of the school day.”

“I’m not taking that risk.” Shota motions for him to follow. “I’ll take you back to the classroom to get your stuff, and then we’re leaving.”

The look on Shinso’s face says he wants to say something in retaliation, to try and make a stronger case for staying, but then he winces and a hand shoots to grasp his stomach. Shota simply raises an eyebrow at him in a silent case in point.

They cross paths with Hizashi – his Present Mic persona as vibrant and lively as ever – as they take a detour to the classroom on their way out of the building. With Phys Ed’s abrupt ending, Mic’s cover session for 1-A is just getting started, a much more exciting rendition of the lesson compared to how Shota would have done it. He wonders if it will do some good for the class to have some change from his monotony.

Shota hangs back in the hallway as Shinso grabs his bags and gives the bare-minimum explanation to his confused classmates. Before they turn to leave and head home, Hizashi gives them a little wave and tosses over the keys to his car, and Shota gives him a small smile in return.

They slip into the teacher’s office so Shota can grab enough work to keep him busy while he’s at home looking after caring for monitoring Shinso. Without Hizashi, the drive back is oddly quiet; Shota tunes into a random radio station to fill the silence. Once they arrive back at their apartment, Shinso, appearing to accept the fact he needs some good R&R, heads into his room, meanwhile Shota searches for painkillers and pours a glass of crisp, cold water.

He knocks softly on Shinso’s door, and enters when he hears a noise of affirmation. Shinso is perched on the edge of his bed, having changed from his UA gym uniform into sweatpants and an oversized Put Your Hands Up! Radio t-shirt. Hizashi has always been one for giving gifts, and when Shinso first moved into their apartment, he would have been bombarded with them had Shota not stepped in and suggested he held back so as to not frighten the kid. The t-shirt still somehow slipped its way into Shinso’s belongings however, and the first time Hizashi saw him wearing it, his whole face lit up. Shota is rather fond of that memory.

“I have water and Loxonin,” Shota says, holding out the glass and two pills. Shinso takes them with a quiet ‘thanks,’ and once the painkillers are gone and the water has been adequately sipped, Shinso looks at him as if he’d like to be left alone – Shota knows that look all too well.

Despite it, Shota lingers at the doorway. Hizashi is always nagging at him to work on communicating his feelings – and practising it within the safety of his home seems like the best approach.

The words feel awkward on his tongue, but he forces them out anyway.

“I’m… sorry,” he says, avoiding eye contact with the kid and instead looking at Sushi, who has adorably curled herself up on the bed.

“What?”

Shota takes a breath. “I snapped at you. Back in Gamma.”

Shinso lightly scoffs. “It’s fine.”

“I was… frustrated with myself, for allowing you to go to school today. I— I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”

“…Oh.” Shinso says little else for a short while, and Shota decides to wait and see if he’ll receive a more substantial response. It pays off, because after a few minutes of giving Sushi some well-deserved chin scratches, Shinso adds, “Thanks. For apologising. It was shitty that I fainted in front of the whole class in the first place, and—”

“My scolding did little to help?”

“—yeah.”

Shota nods, solemnly. He’s said the S word once, and he’s not sure he can manage to say it a second time in the span of a few minutes. “I’ll give you space. Get some rest. Shout if you need anything.”

Shinso nods, and just before Shota closes the door completely, he hears a sincere, “Thank you.”

The resulting smile on his face doesn’t disappear until he’s arranged a make-shift office in the living room; what was once a coffee table is now covered in quizzes waiting to be marked and graded, paperwork to be completed, and various other teaching-related stuff that, in Shota’s opinion, is a complete and utter waste of tree. Despite the mess, Sushi hops up onto the table and flops onto some of the paperwork, rendering it unreachable for the time being – how unfortunate. Shota gives her a belly rub in lieu of a thank you.

The pile of quizzes is in alphabetical order, and Aoyama’s patiently waits at the top. Shota takes one look at it, sees the array of doodles adorning the white space, and promptly moves on to the next paper in the pile. He doesn’t feel like wading through sparkles and stars and hearts to mark Aoyama’s answers right now. Ashido’s looks relatively normal – there is still the occasional doodle here and there, but it’s nowhere near as extreme as sparkle boy’s – so Shota picks up a red pen and gets to work.

Question one’s answer is acceptable, but could have been more detailed.

Shinso’s room is quiet. Has he managed to fall asleep?

Question two couldn’t have been answered more incorrectly if Ashido tried.

Should he take more water to Shinso’s room? What if he’s finished the glass he brought earlier, but feels too sickly to shout and ask for more?

Question three—

Was his apology adequate? Was it sincere enough?

Shota shakes off the thought. Question three. Question three needs marking.

He checks the clock on the wall. There’s still a few hours until the school day finishes, and really, Shota should keep working until that time is up. He rubs one eye with the ball of his palm, and, upon catching sight of his sleeve, suddenly remembers he’s still in his hero costume.

He takes a short break to change out of it into something much more comfortable, then forces himself to get back to work.

——

The sound of a key turning in the front door makes Shota perk up. The handle moves, then the door swings open, and—

“I’m ba~ack!” Hizashi calls. It looks as if today was a long day for him; his glasses are askew and a few strands of hair have escaped his ridiculous gelled-up hairdo.

“Hizashi. Welcome home.”

Hizashi closes the door, dumps his bag on the floor, and approaches Shota with the clear intent of smothering him with affection, until he catches sight of the current state of the living room and pauses.

“What have you done to our coffee table?”

“This is my office now.”

“Like hell it is, Sho. Workin’ day’s over, time to forget about work!”

He doesn’t need to tell Shota twice.

In the end, thanks to the little voice in the back of his head regularly voicing Shinso-related concerns the whole afternoon, Shota only made it halfway through the pile of quizzes – but grading some is better than grading none at all, so he doesn’t dwell on it.

As he returns the living room back to its original state and purpose, Hizashi disappears into their bedroom to change out of his work clothes and shower. By the time he returns, the coffee table is once again visible, and two piping hot coffees are sat upon it – one black, one incredibly sweet and milky.

Hizashi makes himself comfortable on the sofa, takes a long, grateful sip of the black coffee, and runs his fingers through his freshly washed hair.

“How’s Shinso holdin’ up?” he asks, draping his legs across Shota’s lap. Sushi takes advantage of the sudden increase in available leg space and hops up onto the sofa to join them.

“It’s hard to tell,” Shota says truthfully, scratching behind the cat’s ears. “He’s clearly in some discomfort – pain, even – but he’s determined to hide most of it. I told him to get some rest, but I don’t know if he listened.”

“Have you checked in on him since?”

“…No.” And when Hizashi raises an eyebrow, he adds, “I was giving him space.”

“Worried you’re gonna bother him?” Hizashi says, and Shota gives the smallest of nods. “Aw, Sho, you could never. That kid really looks up to you. Man”—Hizashi barks a laugh—“you really are scarily similar. Emo, emotionally constipated…”

“Shut up,” Shota says, gently punching his shin.

“You know I’m right, babe. Drink your sickeningly sweet coffee, you weirdo.”

As Shota does as he’s told – and for the record, it is not sickeningly sweet; Hizashi is weak for being unable to handle a coffee with three sugars – and then he sees movement out of the corner of his eye.

“Shinso,” he says over the rim of his mug. The kid’s face is bleary with sleep, his clothes are incredibly rumpled, and Shota is glad to see it.

“Shinso!” Hizashi says, considerably louder, with a gleaming grin. “Loving the shirt. How ya feeling, kiddo?”

Shinso shrugs, noncommittal. “I think the nap helped.”

“Still feel like shit?” Shota helpfully asks.

“Yeah. Kind of. My appetite’s coming back, though.”

“I call that a win!” Hizashi pumps a fist in the air. “Gotta give it time. You’ll steadily improve. Hey – if you’re feelin’ up to it, I say we order takeout tonight.”

Shota’s eyebrows almost hit the ceiling. Cooking is Hizashi’s thing. He enjoys it so much that any mere mention of takeout would be taken with grave offence.

“Who are you,” Shota says slowly, “and what have you done with Hizashi?”

“Just a one-time thing! We can order from that Thai place you love so much. If you like it, Shinso probably will, too.”

Shota looks over to Shinso, who appears to be genuinely considering it.

“Alright,” he eventually says. “I’ll try it. Thanks, Yamada.”

The look on Hizashi’s face says he still isn’t over his failure to kick Shinsou’s habit of only using his surname, but it’s clear he’s aware that bringing it up for the hundredth time still won’t change anything. Instead, he simply says, “No problem,” and shuffles closer to Shota to make extra room on the sofa, which he then pats. “Hey, we’re gonna watch some TV and vegetate on the couch, you wanna join?”

——

The doorbell chimes and Hizashi leaps to his feet, simultaneously startling Shota and Shinso.

“Food’s here!” he cries, bounding over to the door. When he returns with a bulging bag full of steaming hot, aromatic food, Shota’s stomach aggressively growls, and he realises he completely forgot to have lunch today. Sushi catches a whiff of the food and goes berserk.

“Smells good,” Shinso says, eyes trailing Hizashi as he heads into the kitchen (closely followed by an incessantly meowing tabby) to plate up the food.

Shota stands, and motions for him to follow. “Let’s go help him.”

There’s a delightful commotion in the kitchen as the food is portioned out and serving sizes are heavily debated (and of course, Sushi is given her own dinner). Shinso grabs the cutlery as Shota and Hizashi playfully squabble over the last bit of pad thai, and Shota doesn’t miss the amused smile that appears on the kid’s face.

Since getting some sleep and relaxing with them on the couch, Shinso’s face has regained some colour, and although he only opts for an incredibly small amount of food on his plate, Shota is quietly thrilled to see small signs of recovery.

With hot food piled onto their plates and silverware passed around, Hizashi leads them both back to the couch – because takeout can only be fully appreciated alongside the comfort of soft sofa cushions – and the three of them sink into the seats, precariously balancing their plates on their laps.

“Thank you for the food,” Shinso says, before tentatively bringing a few noodles up to his mouth. He chews slowly, swallows cautiously, but the small sigh of relief that comes afterwards is a good sign. Shota and Hizashi, meanwhile, scoff their food with the impatience of rabid, starving animals – but they’ve both been working hard today, so Shota is sure they’ve earned the right to do so.

Hizashi pulls up a movie for them to watch, and although Shota isn’t familiar with the name, he recognises the animation style: Ghibli. Clearly, Hizashi had also taken note of the little Totoro pin on the strap of Shinso’s bag.

Later, once the food is all gone and the dishes have been tossed into the sink to be dealt with later, Shota feels a sudden weight against his arm. He looks down to see nothing but Shinso’s hair, and by the time the realisation that Shinso is leaning against Shota dawns on him, Hizashi has already pulled out his phone to take a picture.

‘Sleeping?’ Shota signs with his free hand. Hizashi nods and replies, ‘Out cold. So cute!’, before adding, ‘Do not move a muscle.’

Shota wouldn’t dream of it.

#mha #mha fic #hitoshi shinso #shota aizawa #hizashi yamada #eraserhead #present mic #erasermic #czenzo.fic

32 notes · View notes